Isochronal

Repetition builds clarity for the stories of our quests. Isochronal means uniform in time, or occurring at regular intervals. Let’s think through why recurring reminders are needed to motivate awareness, action, and steadfastness.

The starting state, is how hard it is to get anyone to do anything. Motion requires force. We don’t know what we don’t know. The dance of an entrepreneurial lifestyle takes time and action calls for commitment.

That’s a heavy ask and attention is scarce. Whether it’s garnering early feedback, attracting customers, or in general, finding people who care while also maintaining momentum, there’s an art form in blending new ideas with repeated elements of your mission.

Along they way, playing with specificity helps to make a quest feel less intimidating. Recurring pieces of a puzzle act like stepping stones. The jumps may be short at first, but the size and distance become advanced on the path to scaling ideas. Scaling is hard and even a small audience is challenging to activate with consistency.

This is partly because consistency requires sacrifice. When it comes to business, consistency is what most people want. Passion is fine, but are you healthily obsessed? The sacrifice is worth it when discipline makes business an authentic experience. It can almost become a hobby that pays. We enjoy hobbies and it’s easy to be authentic when you enjoy something. No act required. It’s easier to be consistent when you’re authenticity feels normal. When consistency is then united with discipline, perhaps we find our own isochronal.

Your own version of isochronal is thoughtful repetition that helps to deliver on whatever the promise may be.

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When it gets repeated, the story grows.

True fans can stay in-tune, then steadfastness catches fresh awareness along the way. What’s your smaller, more specific target audience? It’s a moving target, but how can nimble calls to action resonate with the smallest viable audience?

To create intrigue alongside consistency, combine personal touch with true understanding. Humans can say less when something is understood, so tighten your vocabulary with fewer words. It must maintain reality, but fewer words can make things easier to repeat and therefore, remember.

When anything becomes worth repeating, the motivators of a mission can be passionately passed to future leaders with added clarity. This becomes critical for long-term quests that have ongoing rotations of participation. New leaders who keep innovating on what works can revitalize a team, support healthy succession in an organization, and keep dots connecting for the community. Without clarity, the fresh energy of future leaders can be misguided and may fracture progress. The story of any quest will always be evolving, but how might clarity on a foundation of constants support more lasting, recurring momentum?

For external communication, sequencing keeps each touchpoint lighter. Conciseness allows first impressions to be impactful, then content that rhymes over time can guide more isochronal action without hesitation. Repetition brewed with the staying power of sequencing keeps the narrative consistent and therefore more transferable. Transferability helps make onboarding newcomers sustained, bold, honest, and efficient.

Isochronal sequencing also bridges dips in clarity among different segments of existing stakeholders. It’d be nice if recurrence wasn’t a part of the equation, but it’s loud out there! Attention is hard to earn and harder to maintain. We also know endless reminders are annoying. The weight of too much at once is daunting too. There’s an art form in communication that guides lasting enrollment.

Be isochronal with a strategic cadence, perceptual learning, fresh consistency, and space for sequenced storytelling.

NOTE: This writing is an expansion on No Running, an earlier (and less thought out) writing on repetition.

Care Directly

Dr. Jon Van Der Veer took a path less traveled. He shifted gears later in his practice as a doctor, and Examplar Care has since activated a direct primary care experience brewed to provide patients more personalized healthcare. We chat about transparency, affordability, access, and convenience in healthcare, but also get nerdy with zero knowledge proofs, DNA computing, and life extension.

After a quick break that invites you to enjoy the feel of finished with the Collector Hardback Edition of You Don’t Need This Book, Dr. Van Der Veer talked with Ben about their aquisition process and tips for others to build with exit strategiesin mind. Yes, EP73 will help you stick to those new year resolutions, but we close with health hacks to help you dance with your own inspired life.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://Exemplar.Care

http://Care-Directly.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

YDNTB – Collector Hardback Edition

https://BenMcDougal.com/intrinsic

https://BenMcDougal.com/career-nirvana

http://RoastedReflections.com

http://BENBOT.ai

Win Win Win

Nicole Crain is the incoming president for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. She’s been helping to build business throughout Iowa for over 15 years, so it’s neat to have this 2025 podcast be her first interview as the new leader within Iowa ABI. We toast Mike Ralston and his 20+ years of generous leadership, then discuss negotiating, public policy, and advocacy that is valued by members. Nicole wraps up the first part of EP72 by shared timeless insight for students pursuing a business degree.

After Ben narrates Significance, Alessandra and Stella welcome us back by asking our featured guest, what’s worth sacrificing to pursue progress? We then let future-forward ideas flow, scratch on innovative community building tactics, and share how existing business can weave succession planning into their strategy. Congrats to our featured guest on the new role, and here’s to a fantastic 2025!

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://IowaABI.org

Roasted Reflections Break: Significance

http://Win-Win-Win.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP32 – Connecting Leaders 🎙️ Jessi McQuerrey

EP40 – Big Business 🎙️ Joe Murphy

EP30 – Exit Ramps 🎙️  Brian Crotty

http://PlayforcePrinciples.com

http://BENBOT.ai

Game Time

Joe Roth leverages game play to build community. This proverbial camp director ignites camaraderie through The Dealt Hand and connects people through a shared experience. Listen as we talk analog game play, event management, and embracing activities that bring you pleasure. Enjoy your time playing in this real and keep doing hard things.

After Ben narrates Echos from the Roasted Reflections library, Joe jams on leading within the startup community. Specifically, his time as the lead organizer for 1 Million Cups Des Moines. We brew on identifying roles amongst a volunteers, fueling diverse collisions within an audience, tips for presenting at 1MC, and how graduating gracefully adds valuable thickness in an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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BONUS MATERIALS
https://TheDealtHand.com
http://Game-Time.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com
http://1MillionCupsDSM.com
https://1millioncups.com/s/communities
Reading Break from Roasted Reflections: Echos
http://BENBOT.ai

Now & Later

Welcome to Wisconsin! Ben McDougal was visiting UW Stevens Point to deliver You Don’t Need This Keynote at the 2024 Think Like an Entrepreneur event. As part of a wonderful whirlwind, he jumped into a local recording studio with two local leaders at different stages in life.

Evan Stanislawski is a recent graduate of UWSP, while Matt Vollmer did the same 10 years ago. After a traditional start to his career, Matt is now an adjunct professor and the CEO of Arbré Technologies, which enables data to help the horticulture industry track the lifecycle of plants. Evan is making a ruckus in vintage clothing, while also turning a wrench in the family plumbing business, which may lead to business succession opportunities.

Together, we chat about building on the timeline of now, while staying patient to make better business decisions. We also jam on real skills, diversified career portfolios, activating digital depth, and how the non-linear path toward success often includes combinations of achievement and lasting fulfillment.

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