Thursday, June 23, 2011

Incentive Travel Company Owners Sails Around the World

FROM GUEST BLOGGER, TRISH CRONAN of OCEAN GETAWAYS

Incentive Travel Company Owners Sails Around the World

Posted by Trish Cronan | Under Yachting Incentive ProgramsThursday Jun 23, 2011

I know a lot of people who have sailed around the world. Not to be ho-hum about it, but it’s the nature of being in the yacht charter business and knowing so many captains and crews. None of them, however, has entertained me as wittingly as my old (not in years, but duration) business colleague, Larry Jacobson. He was not a “usual suspect” for a circumnavigation, at least for me. I met him on “the other side” of my business… the incentive travel industry.

Since the early 80s, Ocean Getaways has offered incentive programs on charter yachts, and back then, before we had established a long track record of extraordinary programs, it took a leap of faith for a company to choose to send their award winners on a charter yacht flotilla. Early in our business, we booked some stateside business with incentive company heavyweights like E.F.MacDonald who later became Carlson Marketing and S&H Motivation that got its start with green stamps. But it was Larry’s company, World Class Incentives, that was the first to embark on a Caribbean yacht cruise program with us.

His company took that leap of faith that allowed us to show the industry that we could deliver a program that surpasses people’s expectations. They operated on trust, instinct, and took a risk so I guess it should not have surprised me when, years later, Larry, always passionate about sailing, tossed off the suit, untied the docklines and pointed his bow toward the South Pacific. At the time, I’m sure he would not have told me it would be a six-year voyage.

He’s back, and he’s written a captivating book … “The Boy Behind the Gate.” You can sail with him and his partner, Ken, as they are being chased by Komodo Dragons, sailing through Pirate Alley, suffering continued mechanical breakdowns, and enduring huge storms with 30-foot walls of water. For me, though, the heart of the book is Larry’s emotional vulnerability – his willingness to share from his heart about his loves, his friends, his weaknesses, and his frustrations.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed a few lively conversations with Larry. They are always punctuated with laughter, candor, irreverence, uncensored opinion, and should he wear a tie or not? I voted “no tie”. But he got me thinking – what does it really take, besides money, to transform yourself from a weekend sailor to a circumnavigator? What does it take to cast off your livelihood, your profession, your home, your roots, and your comforts and throw yourself into the adventure and uncertainty?

Whatever that is, he still has it. He did not return to the lap of retirement or the helm of an established business It’s no surprise that Larry is continuing to re-invent himself, first as an author and now as a motivational speaker where he is marrying his marketing and sales background with the life lessons he learned at sea. His “10 Keys to Living an Unstoppable Life” is truly inspirational. For me, his sailing and sales/marketing backgrounds make him a perfect speaker for a corporate yacht incentive program or an on-the-water team building event. He’d love it – no tie and no shoes!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Kindle Author: Kindle Author Sponsor: Larry Jacobson

Kindle Author: Kindle Author Sponsor: Larry Jacobson: "Larry Jacobson, author of The Boy Behind the Gate , discusses his book, his journey as a writer, and self-publishing on Kindle. DAVID WISE..."

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Life of an Entrepreneur

I’ve been told I live an Unstoppable Life. It seems that many people see success in many things I do. I succeeded in business, made my dream of sailing around the world come true, and wrote a best-selling book about my journey.

So what’s next? It’s time to give back. It’s time to share the knowledge I have about how to live an Unstoppable Life. So I’m starting a new career of professional speaking and will soon develop new products to share my ideas with you and others.

What a challenge this is though! There’s writing, editing, proofing, design, print, recordings, speech writing, booking events and speeches, learning the speaking industry, marketing, improving and managing my website, and all the while continuing to promote my book.

Many of you know that as an entrepreneur, you do nearly everything yourself.

The other night, I began reading another author’s book on self-improvement and what struck me most was the amount of help she has in developing her books, products, TV shows, and business. Her acknowledgments included:

A Business partner

An Editorial partner

A “literary genius” team at her publisher

A Writing partner

An Executive assistant

An entire team at her media company

An attorney

A marketing team at her publisher

A producer

A website team

And three other people who always “watched her back”

Wow. What I could do with a group of people like that to help me create my business! But alas, this is the life of an entrepreneur. Even when I was president of a much bigger company, I ran that company hands-on. Our core belief was the personal touch and we were deeply involved in the business of our clients.

It’s an entrepreneurial style, a touch, a hug, and a phone call instead of an email. As small businesspeople, we are dedicated to creating our businesses by ourselves because we know that the ideas are worthwhile. We also know that in the beginning, without the big budgets of the no-named author, we need to keep overhead low.

Am I complaining? Nope. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. While I work myself pretty hard (okay, really hard), I don’t answer to anybody and my decisions are final. As entrepreneurs we gladly accept our long hours for this freedom in our business lifestyle.

I so appreciate each and every one of you who read my emails, blogs, facebook pages, and other attempts at social media. Please stay tuned for some exciting things coming about Your Unstoppable Life.

With love and appreciation,

Larry Jacobson

________________
Larry Jacobson

Professional Speaker and Author of the Amazon.com Best Selling book,

The Boy Behind the Gate

How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery, and Love

!Silver Medal Award Winner, 2011 Independent Publishers Book Awards!

http://larryjacobsonauthor.com

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Your Unstoppable Life Intro Video

Friday, April 1, 2011

Fear of new adventure

It so tempting to write an April Fool's Day blog, but instead I'm choosing to remember a day when there was no fooling around. Exactly nine years ago today, my crew and I set sail from Mexico to spend 21 days at sea crossing the mighty Pacific Ocean.

April 1, 2002

"Without fanfare, we departed Punta Mita, today at noon, and headed across the Pacific. The boat felt heavy, full of fuel, water, people, and enough food for five of us to last at least 45 days. I have to say, it was kind of strange to be sailing away from land and heading out into such a vast body of water. We watched in silence as the last bit of terra firma disappeared behind us; we heard the "whoosh" of the water going by--we were sailing. We were going! I feel proud and happy yet have great trepidation about leaving home. At the same time, I'm keyed up at the prospects of new adventure. That's a lot of feelings for one day."

It was a new adventure for me and I was nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. That doesn't just happen before crossing oceans. We all get nervous, scared, and excited in so many things we do every day. Writing my book was scary. And now setting off on my new career as a professional speaker is no less frightening than leaving to cross the Pacific. But I'll do it because I don't mind the fear. I expect the fear. It keeps me sharp, on edge, and I know I'm doing something new and exciting.

Don't be afraid of fear or new adventure. Embrace them and live Your Unstoppable Life.

With love and appreciation to my friends,

Larry

P.S. No Foolin' If you haven't bought my book yet, it's discounted on amazon.com today Click here:

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Let the Buzz Begin

It's called, "The Buzz." Publicity about a story, person, book, movie, or event is important in order to get the word out. In Hollywood, they call it "The Buzz" and it seems to be growing about the new book, The Boy Behind the Gate. Here's an example where my story is the cover of Outword Magazine. Click on the link below for the whole story.

One of the most important ways to spread The Buzz about a book is by word of mouth which these days, is often via social media. Spread the word, be a Buzzer and I thank you!

Larry

http://larryjacobson.com

Around the World in 2070 Days

Cover Article of Outword Magazine

http://digital.turn-page.com/issue/26805/0

8 Keys to Self-Publishing Success

As seen on the blog of JOEL FRIEDLANDER MARCH 11, 2011

As his book designer, I was really impressed by the way Larry Jacobson pursued his aim of getting his book into print. The Boy Behind the Gate tells the incredible story of how Larry sailed around the world along with the companions who shared the journey with him. It’s a generous and moving book, and I asked Larry to share what he had learned along the way. Here’s his story.

8 Keys to Self-Publishing Success

by Larry Jacobson

Six years sailing around the world. Three years writing about it. Sometimes I wonder which was more difficult. About a third of the way into my trip, I decided to write a book. Fortunately for me, I had been and continued keeping my ship’s logs and personal logs. I also had hundreds of emails back and forth with friends and family. All of this documentation left with me nearly 2,000 pages to work from, and I was truly overwhelmed.

Like leaving the dock not knowing the destination, you still have to untie the lines and go. So I started writing my book. It was an enormous task that frustrated me, nearly drove me crazy, and cost me nearly $40,000 by the time I had a product in hand. The result is an absolutely stunning new book called, The Boy Behind the Gate and I’m proud to say it’s being received by readers beyond my expectations. Now it’s time to share my experience with other future authors.

There are many aspects to publishing that authors and future authors will want to consider before, during, and after their writing. I break these down into different categories.

Purpose of your book—Why did I decide to write a book? Why do you want to write a book? Have specific reasons. Is it for your own ego and to see your name in print? There are much cheaper and easier ways to do that. You could just buy a newspaper ad. I had clear reasons for writing:
- To recount my adventures and summarize six years into a readable format to share with others.
- To inspire others to make their own dreams come true.
- To use as a stepping stone to my motivational speaking career
- Because I knew my mother would like it
Vision of what your book will look like—What was my vision? Originally, I had visions of four-color pages throughout, gorgeous varnished pages, hundreds of photos in a coffee table size book. I ended up with a standard 6″ x 9″ book with two 16-page inserts of four-color photos. Why? Not because of printing costs. My quotes from China were inexpensive enough, but because, after my research and reviewing of many books, I realized that coffee table books are in general, not read. They tend to sit on coffee tables and occasionally people pick them up to look at the photos. I wanted my story to be read because I wanted to inspire people. I knew my words were worth reading.
I went with a traditional book adding the spice of a custom map showing our route around the world, mini maps at the beginning of each chapter, and inserted color photo pages.
I always wanted a hard cover book from the beginning. Why? To me, that just seems like a book. I’m probably old-fashion in that sense, and plenty of people advised me to go paperback, but I had to stick to my guns with some things and this was something I felt strongly about.
On the other hand, I’m happy to have my book on Kindle and the iPad, so I’m getting with the high-tech wave too. After all, a sale is a sale, and if someone reads my book…in any format, and gets any inspiration or joy from it, then I’m happy.
What vision do you have of your book? What parts are you willing to be flexible with if budget or other factors test that vision?

Editing of the manuscript—I have always enjoyed writing but knew I had limitations. Be smart enough to know what you don’t know. I hired a professional editor and we worked together for almost two years on three very intense edits/revises/re-writes. By the time we were though, and $8,000 later, I considered my book done.
At this point in the writing and editing process, friends began telling me that I should join writing groups and share my manuscript with others. While I didn’t join any writing groups, I did send a few pieces here and there to colleagues and so began one of the most frustrating periods of the writing experience. I sent the same chapter to three friends one day. I received back three completely different critiques telling me emphatically to go three different directions. None of them said it was good. So much for my first editor’s work. (name withheld)
One day I sent a few excerpts to a friend of mine who is also an editor. “Hey Larry, why don’t you let me have a quick look at it. Perhaps I can add something to the project.” While hesitant because I really wanted to be through with the book, and I was tired of the project, I sent him a few chapters for his flight back east. He called me from mid-flight to say, “Larry, we have to talk.” (John van Duyl)
He was right. The manuscript was in dire need of help: from grammar, repeated words, unclear sections, and lack of consistency in number usage, capitals, italics…the list went on. Another year and another $8,000 and we had a winner. The writing is clean, tight, concise, and moves the reader forward with suspense, humor, and emotion. The descriptions of places and characters are short and delightful, and the book is getting rave reviews. I was too close to the manuscript after those first two years to have the ability to distinguish the good from the bad. Additionally, my manuscript was too long and because I felt so personal about each and every story that was in it, I had a hard time being able to see the interesting from the mundane. My editor saved me from producing a boring book.
Don’t confuse editing with proofreading. A good professional proofreader is worth every penny, although their rates vary dramatically. I was fortunate enough to find a really good one (Marla Markman).

Click for more info (Amazon)

Book Design—I know how to use Word on the computer and I have iPhoto, so why couldn’t I just do the design and layout myself? (Laugh Out Loud) Not a chance-I tried a couple of pages-and knew I needed a professional. I interviewed three different book designers. They had various levels of experience with prices accordingly. I chose the one I felt comfortable working with and who I liked as a person. He (Joel Friedlander) was worth his weight in gold. I couldn’t create a page layout if my life depended on it and Word is not the program commonly accepted by printers. Everything is done these days in Adobe InDesign, a program far beyond my simple capabilities. From photo layout to page design, the book designer is critical if you want a beautiful product. The book is a masterpiece. However, I still needed to create the world map for the book. I was fortunate enough to find a local artist who produced the map and helped with other things that needed designing-including my new company logo. (Rachel Arends)

Finding a publisher—New company? At this time, I was getting pressure from friends to start looking for an agent to take my work to “a real publishing house.” I began looking into the process and didn’t like what I found. My background is 20 years in sales and marketing, and servicing customers. I couldn’t believe what I found in the publishing business. First of all, I was supposed to find an agent so I joined sites like Firstwriter and Agent Query. To navigate my way though all of that and find an agent interested in my work was going to be an entire project in itself. The timing supposedly goes like this:
- Find an agent. Should take about 3 to 6 months.
- The agent will review your “Query Letter” (another entire project). Shouldn’t take them more than three months to get back to you to let you know if they even want a book proposal. I’m sorry, but if I had run my previous business like that, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing about my past successes.
- If you’re lucky enough to get an agent, they estimate a year to find a publisher willing to take your project…if they find you one.
While I do know that publishers supposedly have the distribution down, in a world where distribution of books is no longer set in its ways, I decided to go alone and start my own publishing company. I didn’t have the time or patience to deal with a publishing house…even if they were interested.
Let me be clear. I started my own publishing company, which is very different from having a book printed on demand (POD). Why? My book is hard cover and has color photo pages; both are very difficult for a POD company to produce price effectively. Buoy Press was born.
Printing—One of the things a publisher does for you is print your book. Now I had to find a printer on my own. I got four quotes including one from China and was pleased to see the best quote and services I could find was right here in America. (BookMasters) While I wanted a local company, it seems that the Midwest is where books are printed, so the Midwest it is. My book designer helped with specifying size, paper, color, page layout, etc. because the printer speaks a different language that I do.
Distribution—What good does it do to print a couple thousand books if you don’t know how to distribute them? Who is going to distribute them? How are they going to be circulated and to where? Online? Amazon? Barnes & Noble, others? Bookstores? Where will your books be stored, in your garage? Will you mail them out yourself?
Remember your original purpose in writing the book. If it’s just a few hundred books that you want your friends and relatives to see, then you may want a garage full and spend time at the post office. I was looking for something much bigger because I want my name out there in the limelight in order to get known as a motivational speaker. Therefore, I wanted my book available in bookstores even though most books are bought online. I wanted to spend my time promoting, not shipping. I had to find a distributor who would handle a small publishing house such as my new company, Buoy Press. I found only a few distributors who would work with small publishers and settled on mine. (Atlas Books is a division of BookMasters) They store the books, ship the books, handle the Amazon account, distribute to Ingram, etc., and they allow me to have my own shopping cart with a direct link to their distribution.
Promotion—Promotion used to be handled by the big publishing houses, but that has changed even if you get a contract. Why would they spend big bucks on an unheard of author? If you’re John Grisham or Tom Clancy, they know they have a sure thing, but spending promotion money and time on unproven authors is a thing of the past. Whether you go with a publishing house or publish the book yourself through either a printer or POD, you are the one responsible for promoting your book to the world. Be prepared to learn SEO (search engine optimization), have a website you can drive traffic to, get involved with Social Media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
I was fully prepared to do all of my own P.R. but then decided it was too much to handle. I interviewed multiple literary P.R. firms and got quotes from $2500 to $10,000 per month. I was back to doing it on my own and had just signed up for a “How to do your own P.R.” course (Sandra Beckwith). Then I discovered pay for performance P.R. companies and because I felt they were a much higher value than traditional P.R. firms, I hired one. (EMSInc)
I’ve been in newspaper articles, online blogs, and they’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of my guaranteed 10,000,000 views of something with my name in it. My book, The Boy Behind the Gate, has been a number one ranked book on Amazon.com for multiple days and the publicity is building. I’d call this a success.

Next step is to figure out the speaking industry so I can get my inspirational message to those who want to make their dreams come true.

The Boy Behind the Gate on Amazon
Larry Jacobson’s terrific Author Website with movies and hundreds of photos from his journey. Take a look.
Watch for a Case Study featuring the many interesting design elements in Larry’s book.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Interview with Larry and Mom in the Orange County Register

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER MARCH 1, 2011

If it wasn't for the shattered bones in his leg, he never would have been stuck in bed for three months.

And if he wasn't stuck in bed, his mom probably wouldn't have given him a magazine about boat building to keep him busy while his friends were outside playing baseball.

And if he never got the magazine, he wouldn't have spent his days dreaming about building one of those boats and just sailing away.

But dreaming is one thing, doing is another.

And that's what this story is about.

•••

Larry Jacobson was 13 years old when he fell on the bunny hill at Big Bear one winter and shattered two bones in his right leg. Doctors encased him in a hip-to-toe cast. For three months. That's like three years in kid time.

This was 1967, before video games and the Disney Channel. His mom, Julia, brought home magazines to cheer him up. But only one interested him. It was full of boats.

"I lay there looking out the window and started imagining boats that could take me places, because I was stuck in one place."

His mom is 88 now and living at Leisure World in Seal Beach. But she will never forget what she told him.

"I said, 'Larry. That ocean is very dangerous.' "

About the time he got the cast off, Larry's older brother Jeff came home with a Styrofoam dinghy he found in a trash bin. It was an 8-foot-long Sea Snark that had seen better days.

"To me, it looked like a yacht," Larry says.

He painted it bright yellow and bought a sailing rig. Then he took it to Alamitos Bay in Long Beach near his home and taught himself to sail.

"Oh, Mamma, I love it," he announced when he got home. "I want to go further."

"I said, 'What do you mean further?' " his mother recalls.

Across the ocean, he told her.

"Oh, you can't do that," she remembers telling him. "That's very dangerous. You must never think of that.'"

With the money he made mowing lawns and working at his dad's plastics factory for 75 cents an hour, Larry saved up $900 to buy a Hobie Cat 14 by the time he was 16. One day his mom was cooking dinner when she got a phone call from her boy telling her he was on Catalina.

"Larry, get in that ship and come back!" was her reply.

But every day he returned to the ocean. And every day his mom let him.

When the 3 o'clock school bell rang, he would ride his 10-speed to the boat yard. And after sailing, he would bike to the marina where the big boats lived. Standing behind the locked metal gate, he would stare, imagining what it would be like to go sailing off on one of them.

•••

After graduating in '72, Larry got on the UCI sailing team. He won races, but his heart wasn't in competition. He quit the team, finished his history degree, headed up to Berkeley and signed on as crew for a sailboat crossing the Pacific. Back in the Bay Area, he started an adventure travel company, taking people to New Zealand to white-water raft. In 1986, he started another company, organizing incentive trips for high performers at companies.

Sitting behind his desk, he would gaze at pictures of cruising boats that he had torn from the pages of magazines and taped to his walls. Then, one day, burned out on business, he sold the company and spent $200,000 to buy a used 50-foot sailboat.

It was on.

Friends and family gathered near his home for a ceremony to rename the boat. Larry asked Poseidon and Neptune to take back the old name before asking them to bless the boat's new name. A canvas was pulled back and his mom pointed.

"Hey, that's my name!"

Julia, the boat read.

Everyone cheered. Julia cried. It didn't butter her up enough, though, to stop asking him to stay put.

"I said, 'There's pirates out there.'

"And he says, 'I'm not worried about pirates.'

"And I said, 'But I am!'

"I tell you, I was out of my mind. I have five kids and this one was causing me so much trouble. Oh, Lord."

She wasn't the only one trying to talk Larry out of going. Brothers and friends told him he was crazy to give up his career and home for a risky boat ride.

•••

In 2001, Larry and his friends Ken Smith and Patrik Hendrickson sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and headed out – to the Long Beach Yacht Club.

"We stopped right where I used to stand behind the gate as a boy. Except this time I was the one standing at the helm."

Then they were off. Off to be chased by 10-foot Komodo Dragons in Indonesia. Off to meet people who lived in grass huts. Off to eat tiny crabs that were still moving around in their mouths when they crunched down on them, just like the locals did.

The scariest moments came when they had to hand steer their 25-ton boat for 36 hours in heavy seas, with waves crashing over them, after losing their auto pilot deep in the South Pacific. And the time they had to harness themselves to their boat in 2- and 3-story-high waves and full gale winds in the Red Sea.

They also went as fast as they could through "Pirate Alley," the stretch off Somalia where four Americans were killed last week by pirates. "We were so scared. We ran with radio silence and no lights. It was almost two days on edge with no sleep."

After three years, they ran out of money, so Larry sold his house back in Berkeley. That kept them going another few years. By now, Patrik had gone home. And Larry and Ken had fallen in love.

"Can you say that in Orange County?" he asked.

The journey ended in 2007, six years and 40,450 blue water miles after it started. Back in the Bay Area, Larry sold his boat so he could afford an apartment where he then wrote a book about living the dream. "The Boy Behind the Gate" came out last month.

It's based mostly on journal entries and e-mails sent while on the open seas. His mom, by the way, e-mailed him every day for six years: Are you taking your vitamins? When are you coming home?

Larry hopes the book will inspire people to live their dream.

"No one's going to do it for you. You have to make your own dreams come true."

No matter what your mom says.

Click here for Larry Jacobson's website.

Contact the writer: 714-932-1705 or lbasheda@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/larry-290153-one-boat.html

Your Unstoppable Life!

Thursday, June 23, 2011