I’ve been exchanging a bunch of emails with “rich, happy, and hot” gals Marie Forleo and Laura Roeder lately because we’re doing a bootylicious* free call tomorrow that you really should sign up for immediately. But then I got to thinking: “Are my people REALLY going to be interested in Marie and Laura talking about becoming hot and successful businesswomen?”
Because let’s be honest: I always picture you all as Chuck Norris types who eat steel and breathe fire while jumping exploding monster trucks and simultaneously fighting ninjas using only your bloody fists and massive penises.
But then I realized that a call like this one with Marie and Laura totally fits because while I myself am almost impossibly macho, I’ve always been surrounded by and supported by and bolstered by women. My greatest allies have always been women. I believe in giving credit where credit is due when I tell my various stories of both triumphs and woes, and nine times out of ten, I find myself giving that credit to a woman.
I don’t know how that happened, but it happened.
Talking to Marie and Laura totally fits because assuming that only WOMEN can learn from WOMEN is kind of dumb and sexist. But what’s more important is the fact that plenty of you out there are fighting those exploding ninjas just as I figured, but are doing so with your massive ovaries instead of penises, and are possibly landing multiple blows with cute pink “Hello Kitty” handbags.
So yeah, let’s hear it for the ladies. Check out these snippets of JBT backstory:
Back in high school, my best friend was a girl. We’ve always kind of leaned on each other.
Through my teens and twenties, I worked for my mom’s company. In its 25-year history, that business employed three men, none of whom worked at the same time. Most of that business’s big clients were women. So 95% of that time, all of my business interactions were with really successful women.
I got my first big shot guest blogging on IttyBiz.com, thanks to Naomi Dunford — someone I continue to work with closely, chat with regularly, and trade neuroses with compulsively.
The reason I finally launched a blog and looked into Twitter was my mother, who was doing both before I was. She talked me into it.
Although my adventures in real estate investment did not go well, my trusted partner through all of it was a female property manager. Without her, things would have collapsed from day one.
I just hired an assistant, Amy. When describing the job, I said that it wasn’t so much about hiring an assistant as hiring a “right hand.” I wasn’t looking for someone to get me coffee and answer phones. I wanted and am developing someone who will partner with me to keep business straight and keep me from tripping over myself.
And of course, through some pretty serious scariness over the past few years, my never-flinching wife Robin was in many ways the one thing keeping me sane and responsible and on track. No matter what kind of stupid shit I got into, she kept trusting me. I never heard a second of complaint, which was good because I wasn’t in a position to take much complaint or hassle without totally folding under the pressure.
So why do I work so well with women? Why are they so responsible for creating and forging and supporting me? I have no idea. But it happened.
Another biggie: I don’t remember the quote exactly, but I think Kyeli from the Freak Revolution said that I was one of like five guys she actually liked and trusted. She and Pace invited me to stay at Chez Lesbian when I went to South by Southwest, and to sleep right there on their fucking couch, despite the fact that they’d never met me in person before.
Why? I don’t know.
I’ve never had “a way with the ladies” AT ALL, but I’ve always been surrounded by awesome women. That’s kind of a gyp, actually, but maybe not because it’s still pretty cool.
It’s kind of like having a superpower. Any guy can relate to other guys. Any guy can fit in well with guys (except for gay guys in the Army… I feel your pain, dudes). But a lot of guys don’t fit in well with women too. And why should we? I’m surprised women accept us at all half of the time. We’re often pretty gross.
I do have a bunch of awesome male friends and partners and cohorts, and it’s cool because we can all just hang out and do good stuff and be gross and creepy together. We get together and grill meat and drink blood and shoot guns and rebuild engines.
But at every crucial moment in my life, I’ve always had these women helping me out. It’s like that adage about how behind every great man is a great woman, except that that expression is bullshit because any intelligent woman knows to never stand behind a man because that’s where farts come from.
It’s interesting.
I don’t really have a point to this or any idea how to wrap this post up, so I’m just going to kind of stop writing.
… aaaaand, now.
(But I will remind you again about that call I have tomorrow with Marie Forleo and Laura Roeder tomorrow. You should sign up for it even if you can’t make the live call, because there will be a recording.)
* They forced me to use the word “bootylicious.”
Interesting revelation,
I wish I could say the same – but when I say I’m good with women I don’t mean it on a friendship level.
It all comes back to mindset – whatever your consciousness is right now, that’s the kind of peeps you attract in your life.
It’s awesome that you rock with females on such a level, looks like I need to shift my focus
JT, love this, (not just because LKR and Marie are hot
but I resonate with the Women backing me up thing.
My amazing Wife Katy is an unconditional support – despite my crazy challenging behaviour and …
Well…
I could make a list as long as your article but I won’t.
Seems to me like the ladies have a way with you! And if you’ll excuse me now I have to go do some ovary presses.
*swings and misses with pink bag*
I’ve watched their videos since it came out so to listen to this call would be an added bonus!
Thanks bro for offering it!
“I always picture you all as Chuck Norris types who eat steel and breathe fire while jumping exploding monster trucks and simultaneously fighting ninjas using only your bloody fists and massive penises.”
I am literally in tears. SO. FUCKING. AWESOME.
Also? Totally there tomorrow. If you say hi to me I’ll be squealing on the other end like a teenybopper at a Justin Bieber concert.
Like you, I’ve been very lucky to work with a whole bunch of awesome women over the years. All of my best video directors have been women. All signed up for the call.
Now no disclaimers Johnny, OWN that “bootylicious” buddy.
Johnny,
It has been a totally wierd ride for me as well. I got into the whole world of information products thinking that there would only be a male audience and that all my customers would be men, trading high-fives and poop jokes all the way to bank… but low and behold, my customers are about 50% women or more, just like real life. Who would have thunk it…
So much for the poop jokes (although I do sneak them in every now and then), but I am much better off. I now take my stereotypical thoughts and have smashed them into a little pulp after that reality check. Looking forward to the interview.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
“I always picture you all as Chuck Norris types who eat steel and breathe fire while jumping exploding monster trucks and simultaneously fighting ninjas using only your bloody fists and massive penises.â€
Hmmm, I reckon there’s a bit of projection going on here, eh Truant? I can picture it now…no perhaps better not.
Me and my massive ovaries will listen to this tomorrow as part of our mission to become a superpower; I have to inform you, however, I recently traded in my cute pink Hello Kitty handbag for a delicious, sparkly tiara. I can poke eyes out and all sorts with it.
You and me both, Johnny. It just seems like a high proportion of the cool people in my life have always happened to have doubled up on the X chromosomes. If I go on a course that I’m really into, I almost always look round and 70-80% of my fellow attendees are women.
And I don’t know why that is either.
But it is pretty cool.
Great points on the necessity of female alliances for males,females see things differently and bring a whole different perspective to things that is really helpful.
On an unrelated note,in fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.
Yo Johnny
I think every man should have an good women by his side regardless its friendship or business. I truly believe women are more driven than men, because they have to over come the odds more than man.
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
Hi Johnny,
Very engaging post! They say that behind every successful man is a supportive and bad ass women. I do believe this. A majority of the success a guy strives for is to impress a significant other. Why strive to be healthy, wealthy, and wise if there is no one else to share it with. Thanks!
You forgot to mention that having a voice like James Earl Jones, and being able to sing like Dean Martin works wonders with the ladies as well. And in my not-so-humble opinion, anyone with heartburn can breathe fire…it’s eating steel that’s the tricky part.
Kidding of course…
Seriously though, you’re absolutely right – and I’ve noticed the same interesting pattern in my own life and career. Great post!
And true to prediction, that call was awesome. (If you’re thinking, “SHIT, I missed it!” you can still go to the link above to get the recording.)
It’s pretty cool to feel that you fit in with both sexes, that you can relate to people as people rather than a gender. But it’s also like being the Kwizach Haderach.
Your name is a killing word?
Johnny – so glad to hear that you are the hermaphrodite of internet business. Not only are you making the Internet more awesome, but it’s also becoming a bit more androgenous with every blog post.
Also, I’m glad someone noticed by massive penis for once (which is more than any woman in my life can say…). Thanks; I needed that.
bd
@bdunc1