186 - With Jason Zook of Buy My Future

# Episode 186 **Summary:** In Episode #186 Ari interviews [Jason Zook](http://jasondoesstuff.com/), a man so interesting we can’t do his story justice with a summary introduction. This is simply an interview you’ll need to hear to believe. **Special Announcements:** ## [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 17:32 – Non-Introduction of Jason Zook - 18:12 – Jason is a man of five last names - 20:08 – How Jason started selling his last name - 21:09 – Within 24 hours, Jason had been offered over $33K for his last name - 22:25 – The changing of the last name process—it’s not a guarantee, the court can say NO - 23:53 – The _second_ time Jason changed his last name - 25:30 – Long story short? Jason made just under $100K in two years just by selling his last name - 26:25 – I’ll Wear Your Shirt - 28:40 – We literally walk around advertising brands – _for free ­_– every day - 29:55 – Building a social media page or a website?—Unless you tell people it’s there, you might as well put a billboard up in the desert—No one will find it if you don’t - 30:05 – Use friends and family as an entrepreneurial outreach resources - 31:00 – Jason is the man behind Bump Sale - 32:12 – Going from $1,000,000 in revenue to $100,000 in debt - 32:38 – Sometimes scale _isn’t_ what your business needs - 32:55 – Focus on maximizing profits and minimizing expenses - 34:15 – Getting a $75K advance for a book, while standing in line for a burrito - 35:45 – Publishing is _old world_ which makes earning money hard - 36:45 – SponsorMyBook.com - 37:15 – Jason probably sent about 5K emails (literally) to get the book made - 38:44 – Sometimes you just need to dive in, even if you don’t know what you’re doing - 40:35 – If what you’re doing isn’t congruent with who you are—stop doing it! - 41:27 – BuyMyFuture.com - 44:10 – Follow the 90/10 rule when it comes to emails - 44:44 – Jason’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_: - 44:53 – You don’t get what you don’t ask for - 45:00 – Feedback is dangerous - 45:25 – Figure out how to be more creative - 46:25 – [www.BuyMyFuture.com](http://www.BuyMyFuture.com) **5 Key Points:** 1. Creativity will lead you to success. 2. Scale isn’t always what a business needs to succeed. 3. Sometimes it’s better to jump right into a project and try, even if you have no idea what you’re doing. 4. Family and friends are your best means for entrepreneurial outreach. 5. Believe it or not, the court can actually _deny_ a change of name petition. **Resources Mentioned:** - [The Less Doing WODcast](http://lessdoingwodcast.com/) – A FULLY AUTOMATED daily workout routine brought to you for FREE by Dave Rael and Ari - [KeyTouch](http://www.usekeytouch.com/?ref=producthunt) – Use the ID feature on the iPhone to unlock websites, bypass website passwords, etc. - [Elf Worker](https://elfworker.com/?ref=producthunt) – Send small programing jobs via email and get a reply in 24 hours - [Marker](http://getmarker.io/?ref=producthunt) – Screenshotting with annotations with seamless integration to a variety of programs - [Talko](https://medium.com/talko-team-talk-share-do/talko-slack-23f921f1127b?ref=producthunt) – An app for team calling that integrates with Slack - [Grow Sumo](https://growsumo.com/app/) – - [Like Bucket](http://www.likebucket.com/) – Trip planning with different buckets for travel plans - [Startup Retreats](https://startupretreats.com/?ref=producthunt) – An AirBNB for startups that want a place to conduct a retreat - [Kontrol App](http://www.kontrolapp.io/?ref=producthunt) – Control a NEST thermostat from the Apple Watch - [5 Natural Sleep Aids](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/08/13/5-natural-sleep-aid