How a Power Cut Led to a #1 Best-Selling Book

Sometimes the moments that shape your business start in the most unexpected ways.

A few years ago I attended a webinar organised by a friend of mine. He’s a powerful connector and had arranged for the guest speaker to be Kyle Wilson.

For those unfamiliar with the name, Kyle was, for 18 years, the business partner and marketing strategist behind the legendary Jim Rohn.

My friend had arranged for me to ask the first question in the Q&A session.

Naturally, I wanted to make a good impression. So I prepared my question carefully. I rewrote it several times, making sure it was clear, thoughtful and relevant.

When the webinar started, I waited with anticipation for the Q&A session.

Finally the moment came.

“Karen, would you like to ask the first question?” my friend said.

“Hi Kyle,” I replied. “Can you tell me…”

And then the power went off. The internet crashed. The entire house went dark.

For almost an hour.

Needless to say, my carefully planned first impression was not what I had planned.

Eventually the electricity returned and I logged back in. To my surprise, the webinar was still running and I was able to ask my question.

That moment turned out to be the first interaction with someone I would later co-author a number one best-selling book with.

Not exactly the first impression I had planned. But sometimes life has other ideas.

The Entrepreneur Lesson

In business we often believe success comes from perfectly planned moments. But in reality, opportunities appear in unexpected ways.

• A webinar.
• A conversation.
• A comment.
• A question.

The key isn’t controlling the moment. The key is being prepared when the moment arrives. If I hadn’t prepared that question, I probably would have given up and the opportunity would have passed unnoticed.

The Real Punchline

Here’s the lesson every entrepreneur should remember, you never know which small moment will lead to a big opportunity.

A single conversation can lead to:

• a partnership
• a mentor
• a collaboration
• or even a best-selling book.

So treat every interaction as if it matters.

Because one day…

It just might.