I’m a skeptic. I don’t mind admitting it. I also fall for great marketing and more importantly look at the trends of a great marketeer. I say skeptic because with all the will in the world, I can’t take the written word as the truth all the time. Authors tend to elaborate and in the case of a work of fiction, that’s a good thing, but in ‘Success Manuals’ I’m sorry but I can’t help thinking that some people do elaborate on their success and the ‘models’ that go with them. I prefer a visual account, that way I can see it for myself and seeing is believing.
Recently, I’ve been watching a show on TLC called “The Real Deal” but it’s changed name to “The Real Estate Pros”.
If you haven’t seen the show, it’s a reality show centered around Trademark Properties, a South Carolina Real Estate company headed by Richard C. Davis. It’s a fly on the wall documentary which tracks projects and ‘house flipping’ undertaken by Richard and his Team.
Love him or hate him, Richard Davis is an inspirational entrepreneur. He is offered a house to purchase and he makes a snap decision whether he will or won’t take it. When he does take it, he goes in and out like a whirlwind, renovates the house totally and prepares it for immediate sale.
Where any other property developer will go in, look around, employ an architect and prepare the work for three or four months ahead and plans meticulously, Richard and his team but the house, have a look at it and start work immediately. Where it would take 3-4 or more months to complete the job by most other people, these guys do it within the week.
Of course, Richard has made the money to do this and do it quickly. He’s built his reputation with suppliers and his team on the philosophy ‘Just do it’. The job gets done on time because of his determination and experience. Why?
He knows his market.
This is one of the most fundamental parts of a business and certainly lends itself to the success of Richard from Trademark Properties. He is a man that knows who his market is, he knows what his customers want, he knows what they will pay for and he knows what price he can ask for a property that has his stamp of quality.
His customers know him too. The people that buy his properties know that he has an eye for detail, doesn’t cut corners and does what he does professionally and without compromise. Many of the properties he renovates in just 7 days, he sells immediately. Why? Because he knows his market and he knows his team has done a quality job.
Apply this to your business. Your reputation is the key to your ultimate success. It can make you or break you — just like that. Get yourself a name for quality products, outstanding service, fast turnaround and excellent customer service.
The number 1 most important factor in business is NOT a mission statement, it isn’t your product, it isn’t you. It’s your customers, your market. Everything else go hand in hand. You have to make sure you have the product or service in place and make sure it’s 110% before even handing it over to the customer. No cutting corners, just get it done to the best of your ability and present your product or service without compromise.
Your customers should be customers for life and that’s what will keep you in business for years to come, not a mission statement or throwing tons of money at advertising.
The best form of marketing is YOU. You know what your business is about, you know your product intimately, you know your service better than anyone else and you know what you are capable of. Therefore, you need to go out and talk to people and give them the confidence in you and your business to make them a customer.
While you do this, wear your company/logo/website/service name. You buy clothes? Why not embroider your company name or website into your shirt/coat/hat? It’s inexpensive and how many people have looked at you and you’ve thought to yourself ‘Why is this person staring at me?’ Give them something to stare at!
Carry business cards or flyers wherever you go. You never know who you are going to meet. One of the most asked questions when you meet someone for the first time is ‘What do you do?’ Get your answer down to a tee. Three sentences maximum and make sure you use buzz words - Quality, Service (Excellent Level Of..), Focused, etc.
I know, it’s human nature to tell people how well you are doing, or even embellishing the truth a little by over-exaggerating and making people like you a little more because you are successful… don’t! Just give them the facts. Know your selling points and know your business. Tell them in three sentences what your company does.
If someone asks me what I do, I don’t just say.. ‘I sell cars and build websites.’ That tells them nothing! I say - ‘I am an Internet vehicle import/exporter supplying quality, rare and in demand vehicles to my clients Worldwide. I’m also a website designer exclusively for clients in specialist sectors where high customer service levels and quality are paramount, as if that wasn’t enough, I also aid people in business start ups, by offering advice and technical assistance at very low cost.’
It sounds like a mouthful and a lot of information to give, but people ask open questions to get a good answer and converse. People get you to talk about yourself. Normally when I speak to someone they tell me all about their car and where they got it, down to the service they got when they bought it and had it maintained etc. Others tell me the car they are looking for. That’s my way in. Most of my business comes from word of mouth and through talking to people.
I mentioned earlier about carrying business cards. People automatically think that if they give out business cards and flyers that someone is going to call them and pay an exorbitant amount for their product or service. Wrong! When was the last time you were given a business card and called the number on it to buy something?
People give out business cards to make contacts to sell products to. The chances are the only people that have called you from a business card is someone trying to sell to you? Yes? Well, here’s the deal. Your best marketing implements that you should never be without will cost you less than $5.
A pad and a pen. When I talk to people, they ask me what I do and I get a lead from them that they are looking for a car, what’s the first thing I do? I reach for my pad and pen to take their name, number, the details of the car they want, whether they need financing, have a part exchange, what color they want, what extras and what vehicle they drive at present, when they are ready to buy and I find out their budget. How do I know all this? I turn the conversation on them and ask open questions making them tell me everything I need to know to sell them the car they want. I shut up and listen.
Why? Because if I hand them a business card, they are not going to call me. If I take their name and number I can call them and my chances of success raise from a 50% chance of calling to 100% certainty I’m going to do my best to secure an order.
My $5 pen and paper have been so much more productive than my $100 business cards and have made an extremely significant return on my initial $5 investment. I’m still down $100 on my business cards!
Business is not rocket science. You need to tell your market that you exist. Going back to Richard Davis and Trademark Properties, the most recent episode he was opening his new retail unit in Charleston S.C. in which he paid just over $2 million for. He renovated it and made the store look impressive. This store is going to be his launching pad for his new vision - Franchising his company. He and his team spent the day at a fair literally walking and talking to people and telling them the shop was there. It’s simple things that work. Newspaper adverts rely on people seeing them. If you tell them, they are going to hear.
You may think the fact he has a TV show has spring boarded his career and that’s why he’s got success. On the contrary. This man is brilliant. He’s even selling branded merchandise in his Real Estate store. It’s not Versace or Gucci, it just has his logo on it. People buy clothing with his logo on it and inadvertently advertise his company.
Tell me that’s not the mark of a visionary and brilliant marketeer?
I woke up this morning thinking about how weird entrepreneurship is. It’s a way of life that always keeps you on the edge. A life filled with little security and plenty of ups and downs. A life that can produce amazing and exhilarating emotions one day and stressful and chaotic emotions another day (well I guess your girlfriend could produce similar results).
In all honesty, I think that you need to ask yourself these questions from time to time: Why am I doing this to myself? Why don’t I just go the easy route and get a job with a stable income? Why do I put myself through so much stress day in and day out? Why am I keeping at something that seems to grow so slowly and while it — at times — feels like it’s ruining my life?
If you don’t have a clear answer for these questions — if you can’t figure out why you are putting yourself through this storm of stress, drama, lack of security, and ups and downs, then you, my friend, are a lost entrepreneur. You need to know what you are fighting for. Otherwise, you’re running around aimlessly without a head.
Want to know why I endure the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur? Well for starters, it’s something in my blood; something that I was born into. Something that fuels my life and if I wasn’t doing it — no matter how stressful it can be at times — then I would be incomplete. Entrepreneurship completes me.
And I do it for those magical and special moments. You know what I mean… those moments of success, those feats, those days when you say: “Wow, this is why I work so hard. Today was an amazing day! I love my business and I love how it’s making a difference.” And those money days aren’t too bad either! Those days when you close a huge deal or lock in a new client or bank that huge check that you just received after a few months of working on a project. When those days come — and they always do — you rejoice and remember why you are doing what you are doing.
Summertime gracefully takes the edge off of those daily stressors. With class schedules weaning, sunshine shining, and tons of people on vacation — we tend to slow down. Our minds slow down, and oftentimes our business slows down. We can suddenly relax just a bit longer. And, in between fearing that we won’t have enough money for rent, or we’ll have to get a day-job, we actually enjoy ourselves.
This can be a perfect time to really challenge ourselves to become deeper thinkers. When we’re not in school, or stuck in the house — we can open our minds to a different type of learning.
I always told myself that I wanted to sleep on the street — for one night. I know it’s not exactly a dignified goal (when you first think about it). Besides actually wanting to know what it must be like for the hundreds of people who do it in my neighborhood each night — I wanted to do it for research.
I haven’t done it yet.
But, what I have done is walked around the city blindfolded for a day (with a trusting companion), used a wheelchair for a few hours, and eaten with the homeless at a shelter (these small tasks were in preparation for the big one).
Walking around blindfolded was really frightening. And, I found that I didn’t trust my companion all that much. The wheel chair really hurt my arms and made me self conscious. I don’t know what it’s like to be visually impaired or paraplegic, but I got a moment’s taste of the two. I learned something valuable about these people. And, I learned how weak I can be.
When I write stories I need to create characters that have realistic gestures and habits. This hands-on research really pays off in my business. But, I think any business owner can stand to gain by stepping into the shoes of his audience or competition — or even his role models.
Any time that we let go of ourselves and our egos, our minds can be filled with valuable lessons. This summer, while you’ve got some spare time, consider planning a little research adventure of your own. Whose shoes do you need to walk in, in order to learn more about yourself? Whose life can teach you how to better speak to your clients (or even deal with your folks)?
Step into the shoes of the man who frightens you most. Then you will have a great story to tell.
Being a sales person in the online media industry, it is always a challenge meeting new people and finding new opportunities. I have come across a website that may help many of you in your journey to establish and grow your businesses and startups.
My boss, who like many of you, founded a startup 7 years ago called Operative. It was through his vision that this company was started and now can claim such clients as MSN, NBCU, and most recently MySpace (Fox Interactive Media). He is not exceptionally intelligent (I hope he doesn’t read this!), albeit extremely savvy and communicative, but was able to follow-through on his idea to create a brand new market segment by having a vision on what the future of the Internet would be. He surrounded himself with the right people and was able to sell his vision to them. He took a risk, which every entrepreneur has to do at some point if they want to be successful.
One thing that is essential in an entrepreneur’s journey to turn an idea into a reality is to know the right people. One always needs access to the resources that can enable them to be victorious in their efforts. Mind Petals founder, David Askaripour, envisioned this and that led him to create this site. I am recommending another site that I came across recently.
It is called Adbree.com. It is essentially a MySpace for people in the online advertising industry. A social networking site devoted to people who see the Internet as a business opportunity. Whether you are an online publisher looking for people to advertise on your site, an advertiser, or media buyer looking to find publishers who reach the users that your clients want to reach, or somewhere in between like myself… it is an excellent way to get more exposure for whatever you do. It is also an excellent way to learn about some cool new businesses and startups.
The only thing I ask is that after you take the time to sign up, that you send me a friend request right away!
David Ponte works in NYC for Operative.com and can be reached at dponte@operative.com
It is not always necessary to plead your case when you know that you’ve been misjudged or insulted. You’ll waste your breath trying to convince those whiny noise-makers that you have a respectable point of view. Wasted breath, like wasted time is something you can not afford.
And, unfortunately, there are some folks out there who will knock you just for the sake of it. Or perhaps (Freud), because of their own insecurities.
It is, however, necessary to remain strong in who you are when faced with adversity. When you’re heated, body language says a whole lot more to your adversary than you may be able to verbalize. Keeping a calm graceful demeanor shows confidence and maturity. A straight face can shoot them down harder than a raised voice or the monkey-like flapping that some of us do when we’re mad.
I’ve gotten into so much trouble in the workplace (in the past, of course). I was always the employee with ideas who inevitably called a meeting or two with the managers to discuss my plans. At first my ideas were always met with open arms. Until my employers would realize that I was serious, and decide I was dangerous. Seriously, I’m like a hundred pound girl with a soft voice.
Corporate managers (from my experience) don’t like employees who can take their jobs away from them. So, they’d call me in for a meeting. I’d get to leave my desk for a bit. Then they’d proceed to pick apart my performance and criticize my work ethic. But, when asked for a rebuttal I never defended myself. And, this pissed them off royally.
Keeping your cool can cause complainer backlash — where the person who is insulting you then gets insulted because you don’t want to play games and call names.
Standing up for yourself means walking with the attitude that you believe in what you do. It means keeping confidence in the face of conflict. You may need to verbally argue with someone — but, I recommend choosing to argue with people who can hear you. People on your level. Those who will blatantly disrespect you are not on your level.
If you truly believe in yourself you will rarely feel the need to argue with others.
Wine, Beer, Food and Brilliant Minds Discussing Ideas, Plans, and Our Businesses
We did it again. Last night was the second Mind Petals Mixup here in New York City. And I must say, it was awesome! With just over twenty young entrepreneurs, we had a great night of fun, food, drinks, and great conversations. You know, the sort of conversations that you’re still thinking about when you get home.
That’s what I love about the Mixup. You mix a bunch of minds that come from various entrepreneurial backgrounds, and you put them in one room…and what do you have? You have a breeding ground for innovation, new thoughts, and brilliant ideas.
This month we started with something a little different. I gave everyone 2 minutes to describe 1.) who they are and what their company is all about and 2.) what they are seeking as an entrepreneur and what can you bring to the table to help the rest of the people in the room.
This sort of icebreaker was a success, because it immediately let people understand who everyone was and how they could help you / how you can help them. This is exactly why I named this gathering a “Mixup.”
It was great, everyone gave a short story about themselves and shared with us how they can help everyone and bring value to our gathering. As of now, our Mixups are invite only. I go that route, because it insures that everyone attending has been vetted and can offer everyone else something.
As always, if any Mindpetalers out there will be in NYC this summer and are interested in attending our Mixup, please let me know. We’d love to have you a part of our gathering.
Here’s a little clip of my MP Thought of the night. Basically, I had an idea to start each Mixup with a thought about something — anything, really. My thought was about “Input” and how entrepreneurs should actively add to their knowledge base by reading books, sitting down and learning from other entrepreneurs, and to constantly ask questions and challenge people. The video was cut short because my camera ran out of batteries, but we able to capture a few minutes.
Here are some pics of the night. For complete album, check out the flickr roll.
Thanks so much for all of you who attended and for those of you who made donations to help keep the Mixup mixing! Much appreciated and looking forward to the next one. And big thanks to Access Granted for sponsoring the event — if you need a home, make sure to check them out. Rock on Mindpetalers!
When do you suppose we’ll graduate from this faze that we’re dubbing “young entrepreneurism?” When we turn 30? When we make some serious cash? How about when we gain recognition or come to grips with our mistakes?
I admit that I may be closer to 30 than many of you. I’m the oldest in my family and have been entrepreneuring since I was eight. I make money. I’ve felt responsible, important and independent since my feisty teenage years. But, my mistakes? Well, I don’t regret them. And, I can’t imagine a day when I won’t feel young.
For me, being a young entrepreneur is a mind set. Many close friends have pointed out my “great mistakes” or remarked that I’ve made some “pretty bad decisions.” Perhaps they wish that they didn’t have to view my struggles. While they speak with concern for my well-being and happiness, I usually disagree that my “mistakes” were actually mistakes.
I’ve used all of my available resources to make all of my important life decisions. I’ve suffered consequences from many of them. In hindsight, things could’ve gone better. In hindsight I can see definite room for improvement. But, we are not afforded hindsight when faced with making a decision. We can, however, move forward and learn not to repeat the same mistakes.
I don’t want to grow up and begin doubting myself. If being grown entrepreneurs means constantly second guessing ourselves and dwelling on the negative decisions we made in the past – I want nothing of it.
When I grow up I want to be a young entrepreneur. I want to keep the passionate spirit that got me started on this journey. I want to remember that mistakes only exist to cloud our judgment with negativity – but experiences help us grow as people.
Honor your experiences, learn from your decisions and stay young.
I just finished reading the book What the Bleep Do We (k)now!? By William Arntz, Betsy Chasse, and Mark Vicente. I found it to be a worthwhile read and it has really exposed to me new ways of thinking and exploring how powerful the mind can be.
Yes, the book focuses around quantum physics — a science that some would consider a pseudo-science and something to simply laugh about and dismiss. But I’ve found this particular science — that deals with how our minds affect the material world — to be extremely fascinating and refreshing, really.
So many people out there think that they have it all figured out; that they truly understand the world and know everything that they need to know in order to get through life. Well this book helps to demonstrate how much we really don’t know about the world. And guess what? That’s perfectly fine.
There are two ways to look at a book such as this one.
Completely dismiss everything you read in this book because you think that it’s not real and that how you think can’t really affect the world and make a change in the lives of others. You will feel angry and pissed off that you don’t understand what the hell these scientists are talking about. You many feel that there is some type of hidden agenda to push for a paradigm shift. You man feel confused to the point that you throw this book across the room and never open it again.
You have an open mind and are willing to learn about new possibilities. This book will help you to think on new levels that you’ve never explored. You aren’t afraid to learn new philosophies and new thoughts from scientist, no matter how theoretical they are. You may find a lot of stuff that you don’t agree with or understand, but you are smart enough to take the best information that best suits your needs and interests in life. You continue to learn and expand your mind.
This is just one of those books that you’ll like or you’ll discard for good. I hope that you are among the former. As an entrepreneur, you need an open mind. A mind that continues to question the world and search for answers, no matter how dark and scary the paths to those answers may be. Quantum physics is a good starting point to help you attain those answers. This book will help you understand how your actions and thought affect this material world that we live it. Don’t worry, this book isn’t filled with math equations — all the information is clearly presented and the scientist speak “to” you, not “at” you in a way that we can all understand. It’s worth a read.
I think it’s safe to say that if you spend more of your day chatting online than enjoying the sunshine or interacting with physical beings, it’s easy to become desensitized to the world. How we look, the sound of our voice, and the tone of our language is all shielded by our computer screens and the invisible web that mysteriously links us and separates us at the same time.
I can’t tell you when the last time was that I met a new (lasting) friend through old fashioned means. I rarely feel the need to anymore. I’ve got too many cyber buddies. Besides, while I’m in public I’m too busy texting my old friends, writing in my journal or deciding what type of herbal tea to order.
I meet people in my own city through the internet. Should I be thankful or afraid? A connection is a connection – and in life and business we need the company and support of others. Without the internet I couldn’t write this blog or connect with Mindpetalers – let alone forge relationships with the awesome writers from overseas who write for my magazine.
But, I’ve noticed that I’ve become so much more introverted (or lazy?). When I think about calling a friend, I usually text them first. I find that some old friends prefer to text rather than talk. Why is that?
When have we had too much e-communication? How do we strive for a balance?
Not too long ago I made a rather huge (in my book) e-mail mistake. I used an exclamation point where I shouldn’t have. I’m being serious here. This caused the e-mailee to feel that I was blowing off a serious issue, and making it into a joke. This could not have been further from my intention.
Sometimes we create deep relationships (business or otherwise) with people on the net, and we feel that we know everything about them. I felt that this person knew me well enough to trust me and know that I take my business VERY seriously. But, my e-friend thought I was being sarcastic. And that is how it appeared on the screen.
We need to pick up the phone anytime that conflict can arise with an e-client or partner. If there’s been any miscommunication, or doubt in the relationship – take it off of the computer screen. Attempt to sit down with the person if they live in your part of the world. I like Skype as a way of connecting a face with a voice (if you have a camera on your computer).
I love the internet. It’s great for people like us. It’s great for the shy dudes who want to run their own show without ever having to come face to face with their public. And, who can knock FREE?
At this point though, connecting with the outside environment through natural means (like on the bus, or at the park) should be something that we strive for. One day, you are going to need to give a speech, and you need to have the basic skills of personal interaction.
Plus, sunshine is great (in moderate doses). It helps your body absorb vitamin D. So, get off your computer and go take a walk.
Mind Petals magazine is now including a resource page that will act as a directory for businesses and services that can help young entrepreneurs in some way. Hosting companies, design / web development, marketing, magazines, etc., are all welcome to advertise on this page — as long as your service is applicable to young entrepreneurs, it’s fine.
The page will list your URL in the appropriate category. With over 1,000 online subscribers and a print publication in New York City, your link will be sure to get in the right hands — plenty of young and hungry entrepreneurs!
If you’d like to advertise your service in the July issue of the magazine, please send your company link / what your service provides to ads@mindpetals.com (asap) and we’ll notify you if it’ll be included in the July issue.
First 50 applicable submissions will be absolutely free, so hurry up and send us your link.
If you’ve ever fallen off track with your business goals or been forced into hiatus (for whatever reason), then you know it’s not always easy to just pick things back up again. When you leave the rat race, and the rest of the world keeps going – it IS easy to lose confidence in yourself.
To watch everyone else make money and contacts while you deal with personal issues can be discouraging. But it can also be the fuel to your fire.
Making a comeback is possible and worth while –people do it all the time. And your break can actually work to make you stronger if you let it.
Easy Does It: Wait until you’re ready to step back into work mode before you make commitments to projects and people that you can’t fulfill. Sometimes, we think we know when we’re ready to get back to work because we’re starving for success and the motivation burns our brains. But, really listen to your gut. And start slowly. Think about why you needed a break in the first place, and learn a lesson from it.
Reconnect with Your Support Group: We say not to burn bridges. We say it’s just about the worst thing we can do to ourselves. Sometimes, I think the fear that a bridge is burnt prevents us from re-establishing relationships with people who can help us. Reach out to the people you need in your life, and try harder this time.
Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel: Exhaust all of your resources that helped in the past (marketing brochures, ad copy, and whatever helped you spread the word) before coming up with completely fresh concepts. You’ll be playing a bit of catch-up, and sometimes it helps to just slightly tweak and re-use older materials. You will want to market the heck out of yourself/your company – so it’s more important to start by connecting rather than inventing.
Whether you take a pause in your career for health reasons, school, or you’re between business ventures – you will most likely return with a fresh perspective. Use that to your advantage. Don’t lose hope if old partners cannot commit to you again (life goes on for them too).
If bridges were burned — build new ones!!
Just remember that when you return, you are returning as a slightly changed person with a new perspective.
Any Entourage fans out there? If you haven’t heard of Entourage, it’s a show produced by HBO that follows an up-and-coming star named Vincent Chase who moved out to LA from Queens with his brother and two best friends. It’s a great show.
One of the characters — Billy Walsh — is this outspoken director who has directed two movies for Vinny Chase. The thing that I really love about Walsh’s character, is that he never submits; he never goes against his gut.
Throughout the last couple of episodes as Billy films Vinny’s latest movie — Medellin — in Columbia, he is constantly being doubted and challenged from people about the direction of the film. However, Billy continues to stand his ground and follow what he feels in right no matter what anyone else says or thinks.
Now, there’s a fine line between following your gut and taking advice from your friends and business partners/associates. True, considering feedback and being able to listen to what others have to say about what you are doing is a factor of improving your idea and reaching success.
But, when you know in your heart that something is right and that you are headed down the correct path, then I implore you to listen to “yourself” first — no matter how good the advice may seem from others. Always trust yourself before implementing ideas from other people.
It’s your company. It’s your idea. It’s your vision. So what does that mean? It means that you the one who is most intimately involved with what needs to be done and the direction that should be taken. You have a unique insight into the company and you are connected to the project in a way that nobody will ever be. Remember that.
Just like Billy Walsh, don’t be scared to go against what everyone is saying. Don’t get scared to follow your heart and your gut even if that means you lose a partner or lose a client. You must continue to take risks.
Sure, there will be times when you mess up and you were wrong. That’s expected. But when you follow your gut, you’ll be right more than you’re wrong.
If you’re on the constant journey for maintaining and improving your health – chances are you’ll meet many contradictions along the way. The world of medicine vs. herbal and food remedies is painted almost entirely in shades of grey. Doctors, writers and experts can only reveal their part of the truth. But, there are many basic concepts at the core of true health knowledge that tend to get neglected for the sake of money and marketing. Now that it’s so cool to be healthy — we have to be extra cautious about what we decide to put into our bodies.
I’ve spent years studying people like Dr. Andrew Weil and Doctor Mercola (who have varying views, but extensive knowledge on how food can heal). And, on the other hand I see moms “thanking God” that McDonalds now offers apple-dippers as a snack option for their kids’ happy meals. If these moms had some basic knowledge of proper food combining, perhaps they wouldn’t be thanking the deities (so much).
Think about all those cereals that you see in the organic food aisles. Yeah, those $7 or more per box all natural granola things. Do you think those are healthy? Do you feel better after eating them? Well, what would you say if I told you that they may actually be causing an imbalance in your intestines?
When we eat anything our bodies must release enzymes to help break down our food and turn it into useful energy and waste. Different enzymes are released for veggies, animal proteins, carbs etc. So, when you combine dried fruits with grains and pour some milk over the top (soy, or otherwise) your body becomes confused about which enzymes to release. This can result in the food actually fermenting in your body (which turns the food to sugar and feeds the bad bacteria and yeast), staying in your body too long, and causing a variety of sometimes un-noticeable symptoms.
Much of the ingredients in your organic cereal can be beneficial to you. That is, if you have no allergies to gluten or sugar (etc). It is much harder to gain that benefit when your body has to work double-time just to digest breakfast.
Some of us are so used to occasional headaches, acne, joint pain, stress and fatigue that we write off these symptoms. But, these little signs can be related to how we combine our meals. And, even the healthiest of us can feel better if we decide to combine our meals properly. Studies show that if 80 percent of our meals include veggies, and 20 percent is either protein OR carbs – we will get maximum nutrient assimilation.
For more information on this you can research proper food combining and the 80/20 food combining rule.
A friend of mine just sent me a link to Plan Heaven, a site focused on linking entrepreneurs with investors. Never used their service, but I think that it has some cool features than may be worth exploring.
For those of you aggressively pursuing investors and trying to raise some capital for your startup, spending the monthly $49 for the capability to share video presentation of your idea, a business plan, and the chance to go one on one with a Angel / VC might not be such a bad deal.
What I really like about this service is the “video” option. You and your team can record a video presentation of what you are doing with your startup and upload the video to the site. Plan Heaven will then update potential investors with your video and see who bites at the opportunity to learn more. Personally, if I shot a video for this, I wouldn’t release any proprietary information — just keep in short, simple, and give ‘em just enough for them to want to learn more.
A differential diagnosis is a method that doctors use to identify what a particular disease is. Doctors will make a list of possibilities then sit in a room and try to figure out, one by one, which disease makes the most sense based upon the patients current symptoms, past symptoms, family history, recent accidents, and a slew of other variables that may be pertinent to the patent’s condition. Tests are administered and questions are answered little by little — the doctors then begin to narrow the list and lock in on the disease. Ultimately, (hopefully) coming up with a solution.
I’m absolutely fascinated with this particular method that doctors use to figure out problems.
Recognize that there’s a problem
Make a list of possibilities for that problem
Look into previous issues that may have caused the problem
Brainstorm and question those possibilities
Run a series of tests and begin to narrow down the list
Lock in on the problem and provide a solution
I think that entrepreneurs and their teams should run a differential diagnosis on their business at least once a week — of course, the context will be different unless you’re in the business of curing diseases.
Once a week gather your team into a room, get some coffee, beer, tea, food, whatever you need to keep you in the room without running out every few minutes for a break. Make sure you have a big whiteboard, a dry eraser, and a bunch of markers. Then prepare to start thinking.
What the purpose here? The purpose of this diagnosis is the measure the health of your business. Here’s a sample template of how the meeting should be run and what you may want to start listing out on the whiteboard:
What are the current problems and inefficiencies in the business?
What are some possible solutions to those problems?
Are there any previous issues that may have caused these problems? If so, who was responsible for those issues and what was their reasoning for them?
Begin brainstorming about solutions to these problems. Don’t be scared. Really, throw anything you have out in the open.
List a series of tests and improvements that you can implement immediately to remedy the problems.
Run those tests and meet again to begin narrowing down that list and share feedback on those tests.
The purpose of such a diagnosis for your company is to keep everyone in check and to stay on top of the health of your business. The key is to really let loose and begin a hardcore brainstorming session where nobody is scared to start shouting out possibilities, solutions, ideas, theories, etc. anything that’s on their mind — no matter how wacky or absurd it may sound.
I am very inspired by our generation’s growing concern for health. We continue to test the norm, and find the answers that work best for us. But, BEWARE – as soon as people like us start thinking, corporations tend to jump on the bandwagon. Now that health is a trend – there’s so much opportunity to make a buck.
What can be cooler than yogurt these days? Companies that used to sell these creamy treats as a low-fat alternative to ice-cream are now claiming that this stuff actually boosts your immune system and controls your weight?
The idea behind the scenes is the pro-biotic. Pro-biotics are amazing little organisms that already live in your gut. They help ward off infection and balance out any bad bacteria and viruses. The word pro-biotic actually means pro-life. So, yeah – they are good.
But, what the yogurt companies do not reveal is that most of their “live and active cultures” are actually dead. And furthermore, the rest can easily die in your stomach acid as they make way to their destination. And even furthermore, since the sale of raw dairy is MOSTLY illegal in the U.S. – all commercial dairy has been homogenized and/or pasteurized. This process kills the natural enzymes and bacteria that live in the milk, and turns them into histamines. Have you heard of these guys? Histamines cause allergic reactions.
So, if the yogurt cultures were actually “alive” and the dairy “raw” the enzymes would act to assist in your digestion of the dairy, make it into your gut and flourish.
Before you spend your money and test your health on any pro-biotic you should know that many of the pills (like acidophilus) that are sold commercially contain mostly dead organisms as well. It’s very hard for a pro-biotic to make it passed your stomach. Some of these products claim to have seven billion or 30 billion per capsule – but, what you’d like is for a claim of how “alive” they are. The box should also contain info on how the bacteria are preserved (i.e. freeze-dried).
Pro-biotic foods, which have been used for centuries may be a better way of re-introducing that healthy bacteria into your system. Health food stores in my area can’t keep enough Kombucha Tea in stock. This fermented tea is actually very potent because it is able to sneak passed your digestive acids and settle in your gut.
Because of their potency, Kombucha and other raw pro-biotic foods may cause detox or die-off symptoms. In essence this is a good thing, but moderation is key. The Kombucha bottle recommends one bottle a day to keep healthy. When your body releases toxins, it can mimic illness – so drinking a whole bottle on your first taste can be really painful.
I encourage you to make all of your health decisions conscious ones – weigh all sides and introduce new remedies in moderation. Some books that offer a well-rounded view of the benefits of pro-biotics, and the truth behind them are: The Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates; and Nourishing Traditions, by, Sally Fallon. Both also have websites.
Last night I was hanging out with my friend Avi and he was explaining to me his philosophy for getting work done for his business. He said that many people have different styles of completing tasks, but he lives by the Malcolm X method which states:
“By Any Means Necessary.”
He went on to explain that when he needs to get something done, he’ll do what ever takes to get it done. Forget all the brainstorming, the talks, the chit-chat, and the blah…blah… about getting something done — as Avi put it, when something needs to get done “I’ll lock myself in a room and just start it — whatever it takes.”
I’m happy Avi shared his method with me because when I think about some of the “so-called” entrepreneurs that I have met in the past few years, many of them have been all “talk” and no “action.”
They talk the talk and spit out pretty words about how great their company “could be” or “will be,” but it comes down to it, many of these people never start anything. It’s like they want to be an entrepreneur, but all they do is talk about it. There’s no follow-through. No action. No moving forward.
Malcolm X was the sort of dude that was very aggressive when he wanted to accomplish something. He not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk. He backed up his words with action and that is why he was able to organize such a large movement of Islam.
Here’s a typical scenario:
Joe:I want to build a website that will connect book lovers. (Jan 1, 2006) Dan:Cool. What’s your next move? (Jan 1, 2006) Joe:I am going to learn HTML / CSS / PHP and build it. (Jan 1, 2006) Dan:Hey Joe, how’s the project coming along? (Apr 1, 2006) Joe: Ahh… yeah… I never got those programming books, but I’m still going to do it. (Apr 1, 2006) Dan:Hey Joe, you should be launching your site soon, right? (Jun 1, 2006) Joe:Nah dude…. Never learned how to program. I’m thinking about possibly hiring someone to do it. (Jun 1, 2006) Dan:Hey, whatever happened with that site that you wanted to build?
(Oct 1, 2006) Joe: Ahh… Uhm…. Hmm… Yeah…. Not sure dude… just never got around to it… Oh well…
(Oct 1, 2006)
Want to know what I think of Joe? I’ll tell you. Joe is NOT an entrepreneur. He’s someone who wants to pretend that he’s an entrepreneur and tell people that “one day” he is going to do something big. Joe will never do anything big. Joe isn’t going to start a company. Joe simply just doesn’t have it and no matter how hard he pretends to be an entrepreneur, his true colors will always shine through.
If Joe really was an entrepreneur, he would have picked up a 450 page programming book from Amazon and locked himself in a room and read it from cover to cover and learned how to program — plain and simple. No excuses. He didn’t want it bad enough. He didn’t live by the method of “By Any Means Necessary.”
People like Joe are a bane to the entire community of young entrepreneurs. These are the exact sort of people that you do not want a part of your mastermind group. They will slow you down, set you back, and try to live the life of an entrepreneur vicariously through your hunger and determination.
Now no one is perfect and there will be times when you don’t follow-through and when you are lazy about getting something done — that’s a given. BUT, there is a fundamental difference between people who are just in a lazy mood for that day than people who really don’t have entrepreneurship in their heart. Those are the people who will continue to trod along life without ever creating something — without ever improving their lives and making a change in the world. And they will — no matter what — never be entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs make things happen no matter what. Entrepreneurs are fighters, not observers watching in the sidelines. Entrepreneurs are people who say: “I’ll get this done and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this happen.” Entrepreneurs are the people who are prepared to sacrifice it all and not look back. These people are rare and we don’t have time to deal with the Joe’s of society. So please get out of our way or prepare to face the stampede of the “real” entrepreneurs.
I know that running your start-up can be a costly and painstaking experience that forces you outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes you’ve got to stand at the front lines and negotiate deals, answer phone calls, or God-forbid, host an event or speak in public – when maybe you’d rather be behind the scenes doing whatever you do best. But, the stress leads to thrill, and you’ve got to admit that you’re damn proud of yourself.
But, every unfamiliar task need not be a struggle. I’ve always felt extremely lucky that I decided to improve my gift for writing. I feel blessed that I had the instinct to run with a passion and become good enough at it to get paid to do it. But, becoming a good writer has far more benefits.
It takes a special individual to make words dance on the page – to intrigue a reader. Just as it takes a special person to invent a great new product or run a business. But, just about anyone with the drive to communicate and engage others can become a writer.
Unless you have a very gifted indentured servant who is willing to write newsletters, speeches, blogs, e-mails, snail mail, ads, mission statements, grant proposals, Christmas cards and web content – you pretty much have no choice but to develop your writing skills. You and only you are the best voice and face of your business because you love it and live it. Every word you write is forever imbedded in your company history.
Here are some practical tips to make you look better in writing.
Keep a journal: This is very basic and almost corny. But practice does make perfect. A daily personal journal allows you to exercise your skills and clear your mind.
Create fake ads: Come up with mock ads for your company and others. The point is to really stretch your imagination.
Read: Read whatever interests you, but read each day. You will get a handle on how the paid writers do it.
Start a blog: Every entrepreneur should have a blog nowadays. This is a free way to communicate with your public and get feedback. You want them to view you as a professional and expert in your field. So, good grammar skills are a must. I think it’s completely okay to break the rules of the English language as long as you know the rules.
Get Help: Buy a thesaurus, a grammar handbook and find a friend/reader who will swap stories with you. That means you should never let any written correspondence leave your desk without being proofread by SOMEONE else. I am notorious for not catching my own mistakes.
One day you will hire more professional writers to take over some of the dirty work. But, you will retain more control of the written quality of your business if you continue to improve your own writing skills. It’s really not some mysterious craft – most writers just want you to think that.
It’s sad to look back to history and think about young people like Alexander and Augustus who weren’t even past the age of 21 when they ruled such vast armies and conquered so much. Nowadays take a look at the average 21 year-old and compare that person to the likes of Augustus or Alexander — ha, you can’t! Incomparable.
We are breeding robots. Am I the only one that sees what’s going on? No longer are we pushing our youth to go off into the world and do something great with themselves. No longer are we telling our children that they can do anything that they want in life. No longer are we instilling ambition and confidence in our youth.
Instead, we are pushing them into the line that society tells us to adhere to and to obey. You know what line I am speaking of.
Go to school.
Listen to every word that your teacher tells you. God forbid you disagree with them!
Get perfect straight A’s.
Get into a top college.
Listen to all your professors.
Allow them to train you to be obedient workers.
Work for your employer for 40 years.
Make sure not to disrupt the chain of command.
Keep your mouth shut and don’t express your true ideas.
Retire.
Allow the government to (try) take care of you.
Die.
How have we allowed ourselves to fall into such a rut? Into such a robotic, safe, and boring life? Don’t get me wrong, if you want to get a job and work for someone for 40 years of your life — then do it! If that’s what makes you happy.
But it’s disgusting to see how HARD we as a society are pushing that lifestyle for EVERYONE to live by. It’s like, we have abandoned the notion of giving our youth options in life. We are so focused on pushing this one ideal of being obedient and being “average.”
This is the robot age. But we young and unruly entrepreneurs are combating and rebelling against this agenda. We are organizing more than ever. We are defying the norms. We are stepping outside of their rules and disrupting the hell out of their backwater philosophy.
For all of you out there who quit your 9-5 to push forward with your ideas, who started a business in college and continued to push forward with it after graduating, who said “sorry mom and dad but I’m starting a business,” who defied your professors when they told you that getting a job is the only way to go, who continue to put everything on the line in order to achieve something great…. I salute you!
You are the brave Trojans going into battle everyday to protect our society from being overrun by the naysayers, the bureaucrats, and all the people out there so emphatically pushing this agenda to keep the world in line with the status quo and normalcy. Fight on, soldiers!
The best schedules include enough gaps to fit the unexpecteds. A schedule with more “un-planned” time gives you the opportunity to meet with a “new” client, go to a movie with your boyfriend, or spend a few extra hours brainstorming or perfecting a project. Of course, how you schedule your time depends on your priorities and responsibilities. But, I think that there are a few basic concepts that can help just about anyone in need of better planning skills.
My number one rule in creating a daily plan is to be kind to yourself first. And this goes for entrepreneurs, students, moms and garbage men. Whatever your daily gig is you need to plan around your most basic needs. Make sure that you leave time for sleeping and eating. And, be realistic with the amount of tasks you intend on completing on any given day. The worst thing about my current schedule is that I NEED to do more things than are actually humanly possible.
Do you try to cram more work into one day than anyone else in your shoes could do in 24 hours? No one will appreciate you more just because you are running yourself into the ground. When would you ideally like to start your work day? Begin your planning as close to that as possible. After years of trying to work from 9-5 (or somewhere around there) I recently discovered that I could get so much more of my work done at night. I am so much happier and less distracted once I have completed all of my non-work responsibilities.
My business allows me to work from 9pm-5am. And that totally works for me. But, maybe you have a storefront—and this is not realistic for you. Or maybe you’re juggling a class schedule and day job as well. Just remember that most every aspect of your business and life are under your control. You can decide when to work and how much work to do. But, it’s definitely going to be a process of trial and error before you are completely happy with your schedule.
If you live by the principle of “why put off til next week, what can be done today” – then you will always work more than play and pretty much always be stressed. New work arrives each day, so there’s no question that you’ll be busy tomorrow. So, don’t be afraid to leave some free time each day to just get your head together, or even open the door to better business opportunities.
Last week I discussed some introductory ways to improve your public speaking skills. Keeping things simple (KISS), not using notes, and telling a story were all covered. Now let’s get into a few more finer techniques on how to effectively give a public speech.
Control the Audience
As a public speaker you always have to be aware that you are in control of the audience, not the other way around. If you make a mistake, forget a sentence, stumble on your words, etc… you have to remain in control. If you need to pause to collect your thoughts or even recover with a funny joke, then do that. What you don’t want to do is panic and lose control of your message. Even if you feel embarrassed and you get laughed at, it doesn’t matter. You have to keep your equanimity and remain in control of the stage. Breathe. Stay calm. And get right back at it.
Move Around
Make sure that you aren’t remaining stationary while you give your speech. It’s okay to walk around and animate yourself. You don’t want to come off as some sort of robot that is planted to the ground and just spitting out words. Use your hands to gesture and enforce what you are saying. Step around the room and keep your body fluid. This also let’s the audience know that you are comfortable and confident with what you are saying. If you don’t move around, then you will come off as being stiff and uptight — that’s not the message that you want to give off.
Eye Contact is Crucial
Always connect with your audience by looking directly at them. The worse thing a speaker can do is ignore the audience. You want constantly scan the entire audience and lock eyes with everyone that you possibly can. This will let the audience know that you truly care about conveying your message to them. You respect them enough to look them in the face and speak “to” them, not “at” them. If you stare off into space and neglect to give people face time, then they are going to care less about what you have to say. Credibility will be lost.
Smile
Smiling makes the world go ‘round. Be happy. Be passionate. Be enthusiastic. When you are in a positive mood when giving a speech, the audience knows it. You can really liven up your speech by smiling. Now don’t get carried away and have a big fake joker grin on your face throughout the speech. This will not only make you look silly, but it’ll probably scare a few people in the audience. (Geezz… is that dude possessed or something?) Just be genuine.
Finish Properly (strong)
Inexperienced speakers will finish a speech like this: “Now to conclude, I will leave you with this quote….blah…blah….blah…. and please remember to blah…blah…blah… and that’s it. Thank you.” No… you want to finish a speech strong! Don’t ever say “Now to conclude.” Before your conclusion you want to succinctly reiterate the main points in your speech (that will be the cue to the audience that you are wrapping-up). Then you want to finish with a bang. You want to leave your audience with a final message. A call to action. A new message that wasn’t introduced in the body of the speech. Something that supersedes everything that you have said up to that point. Something that you want them to go home a think about. After you drop that message, pause, and say “thank you.” And that’s it.
If you have any more speech pointers, please share them with us. I hope that you’ve been able to learn something from this series and good luck on your next speech. Rock on!
Oh, to be more organized… it’s one of my greatest challenges. I dream if a day when everything in my office has a space, and every project has a set time. But, thankfully I’m a hippie at heart — because if I spent all day organizing, I may not get any work done.
How do you balance the need for organization and planning with the practical need to get stuff done? If you’re running a one-preneur show, like many of us, you’ve got to be the boss, the secretary and the janitor at the same time. And, it’s so easy to get caught up in the paper work and theories.
Overanalyzing your every business move can be a huge disservice to your company. The fact that you are still young and slightly in-experienced, gives your business the fresh face that the world needs. We are all expecting you to make SOME mistakes. So lighten-up man!
Yeah, right! Even good or simple advice is usually easier said than done. When you’ve backed yourself into a corner, it’s kind of hard to think about changing your ways. So, you must always start slowly and with the most important concept.
When I find myself doing too much research or color coding my pens, or some other anal retentive task—I attempt to remove the individual distraction. For example: I have hand-written charts of each section of my magazine that include themes, content, art and my personal notes. I had more charts than pages of the zine. If I wanted to make actual progress I needed to trash the charts. And I did. And, it was hard because I felt like I needed the safety net (the reassurance that I was doing it correctly).
But, we need to replace our old ways with new ones, or we’ll be lost. I replaced my charts with a mock magazine. Why didn’t I think of this in the first place? I’ve worked in the magazine industry. Maybe it was my need to be ultra different from my previous employers. Take a look at some of the protocol used by your previous employers. Have they taught you any short cuts?
You probably can’t stop yourself from thinking about your business, so it’s easy to overanalyze and want to achieve perfection. But thoughts do not make a business. Analysis does not make a business. Action makes a successful business.
Yes, please give me a kiss! I kid… no I mean “Keep it Simple Silly.” Public speaking isn’t about getting into every little detail; it’s about painting a beautiful and simple picture for your audience. I’ve given enough speeches to learn that trying to be overly complex and coming off as this sophisticated scholar is definitely the wrong move. You want to be to-the-point, concise, and succinct and possible. Don’t go off on tangents and or add unnecessary facts that add no value to your message.
Throw away your notes
Seriously, you shouldn’t be using notes at all. Don’t be one of those speakers with a handful of index cards who is constantly shuffling them around and reading off of them while you give a speech. Public speaking is about sharing your passions and when you are truly passionate about the topic that you are speaking about you’ll find that the words will just flow out of your mouth and your memory of what you are to discuss will be solid. Of course there are exceptions when you’ll need to use notes, but for the most part, you should never use them. The key is to be “passionate” and “knowledgeable” about what you are speaking about. If you aren’t, the audience will see right through you. It won’t be hard to tell when you are reading — word for word — from your cards.
Tell a story
The best public speakers always know to tell a good story. Everyone likes to hear a story. When preparing for your speech think of an applicable story that would add value and better explain your topic. When you tell a story, you are taking your audience on a journey with you — you are taking them outside of the room. This technique really livens up your speech and allows your listeners to image. This, of course, is fun and it’ll help engaged your audience and they’ll also retain more of your speech.
As an entrepreneur you should strive to become a powerful public speaker. Getting up in front of an audience and sharing your ideas, experiences, and knowledge is an experience like no other. Spoken word is so, so powerful. Public speaking is an art and working to perfect this art will make you a much stronger entrepreneur. Stay turned for part two when I get into more detailed techniques.
I scare my dad. He lets me know each time I see him. So, I’ve been seeing less of him these days. He’s scared for my health, my career and concerned for my overall happiness. As a parent, I can completely relate to the need to know your child is safe and happy. I can relate to the worrying. Lately, it seems that my parents have been so concerned about my happiness that they can’t see that I am actually achieving it.
But, with Father’s Day coming this weekend, I thought I’d dig inside my memories a bit and try to discover what reasons I have to thank my dad. It’s not like I had to dig far. I immediately remembered my first real writing award. I was in sixth grade and I won first place in an environmental speech contest. It was a huge deal. My dad sat for hours with me writing the speech and he was so proud to come hear me speak. Even though I tripped on my words.
We talk a lot about parents on this site. Many of us express how our folks don’t understand or completely support our entrepreneurship. It’s been a rocky road in my family too, and it probably will continue to be. But, have you ever considered that your folks, your dad, or whoever raised you – supports you with every ounce of support that they can muster?
My dad is an extremely loving man with a short temper and a dry sense of humor. He was nervous when I told him I was getting married. He works overtime every week and still makes time to do the laundry. He came to see all of my high school plays, and never said a word about my strange boyfriends. He is a human being.
If you’ve turned into an entrepreneur, and the people who raised you are not entrepreneurs – you’ve become someone that they cannot completely relate to. But, perhaps you’ve become what you are because of who they raised you to be.
Who held you as a child, gave you space as a teenager, and made you feel that you could conquer the world? Who empowered you to be you? Thank that person this weekend. A dad need not be a natural father. It could even be your mom.
Being an entrepreneur doesn’t automatically put you at odds with family, authority and the norm. I believe you have developed your mind beyond the scope of their understanding. This may mean that it is your responsibility to be the one to forge a connection with them.
My dad is a quiet man. But somehow, I feel he inspired me to communicate. And I know exactly what I’m getting him for Father’s Day this year. I’m getting him the new Paul McCartney CD. He’ll love that. I know because he taught me all about music too.
I just moved back to Chicago after a year-long culture shocking stay in the south suburbs. Now, when I step out of my place I’m greeted by beggars, thieves, street performers and ten-year old mini-preneurs – It’s truly the feeling of home for me. I live in a very mixed neighborhood that offers a taste of yuppie and grungy, so there’s plenty of opportunity for an eager peddler to make a buck.
But what separates beggars from creative street-preneurs, and who deserves your spare change?
Last Sunday morning I wished I had buckets full of silver dollars to give to the cute little girl who stood the sidewalk out of a bar and squeaked “please support the walk for breast cancer…please” to everyone who walked by. People flocked to her. If the adults in charge of her were using her to get sympathy out of passersby –it worked! I gave her nothing but told her to keep up the good work.
I gave her nothing because I reasoned that I didn’t have enough to give. I used to walk around without cash in my pockets simply because I didn’t want to get suckered into a scam. But, I have a child now – and I need to carry emergency money.
Farther down the same neighborhood street on the same day – I caught up with a “theatre usher.” Or perhaps he caught up with me. And I’m still wondering if he is an usher. I stood outside the theatre reading about their upcoming shows, when he began to suggest which ones I should check out.
“I’m just an usher here, he said.” And he actually mentioned that too many times for me to believe it was true. I could sense that he wanted money. “If I could just get your signature,” he asked. “Let me see,” I said. He had a dirty pamphlet full of names and dollar amounts. “Oh,” I said… you want money. “Just a dollar.” He looked at me in disbelief when I told him I didn’t have a dollar. He looked at me with puppy-dog eyes as if I was a liar.
Chicago offers peddlers’ licenses – so for some, this is a career.
So, who do you support? Do you give money to the woman with dirt on her face who stands in the alleyway, crying? Do you give 50 cents to the kid who tells you he needs change to call his mom? How about the awesome street band of teens, who drum on buckets and boxes? The guy who paints himself silver? The mobile puppet show? Subway singers? “Stranded Students” with cardboard signs?
I’ve been had several times, when I thought I was doing good. Once, I bought a bag of groceries for a “homeless” dude, and watched him trash the whole thing when I walked away. I SPENT MY HARD-EARNED MONEY on that dude. My heart goes out to the people with sad stories, but honestly my budget just really can’t include them right now.
I do have to hand it to the folks who dress up, and perform with dignity. They are earning their money (if not mine). But, are the sob stories really true? And will the five bucks you were going to use for laundry make a huge difference in their lives? Or, would it be more beneficial to smile at them, discover the reason for their story, and lend them an ear?
Would a sob-story turn more profit than the subway singer?
What do you think? Would you give more money, if you had it?
Good question! It’s a tough question, really. I revisited this question last night when I told a fell entrepreneur of mine to “bury your idea.” Geezz! Dave… why would you tell her such a thing? Well, because the idea simply went sour and it wasn’t something that she was super passionate about doing, so when I see that happening — when I see an idea sucking the blood out of someone — I try to relieve them of that burden.
[What is this idea week or something? Yeah, we have been discussing ideas a lot this week. I think this is the third article on ideas so far. Oh well… rock on!]
If I were to name the top poison pill for young entrepreneurs, it would be “ideas.” Seriously, I’ve seen ideas kill the entrepreneur. We are like machines when it comes to ideas and many of us never know when to just start focusing on one. We want to do it all.
So what happens when we want to do it all? What happens is that we sometimes fall into a trend of focusing on “so-so” ideas that we may not really be extremely passionate about; but we push forward with them anyway.
As time passes we grow more and more distant with the idea. It begins to become a burden. It haunts us. It keeps us awake at night. It brings tons of stress and worry. But we push on, knowing that the idea really isn’t in our heart. We push on because we think — as entrepreneurs — that we should never quit or give up on something.
Well I’m here to challenge that notion about quitting and giving up. Yes, we should be quitters and give up on things in life. Just because we’re entrepreneurs, it doesn’t mean we have this “never-give-up” law up imprinted in our souls.
Sure, if an idea turns into a mess and begins to bring unhappiness into your life, then get rid of it. Bury that baby! It’s perfectly fine to give up on an idea and push forward with something else.
Think of yourself as an scientist… actually, don’t think of yourself as one — you are a scientist. And as a scientist you are going to explore and experiment and fail. Some of your ideas will be solid, some weak, and some “so-so.”
But here’s the thing: you need to learn how to quickly get out of a “bad” idea and start searching for a “good” idea right away. The key here is to find an idea that you can focus on and truly explore for, well, the rest of your life possibly. But, if you continue to keep yourself trapped in a series of “so-so” ideas that are eating up your energy, creativity, and well-being, then you are going to be the demise of yourself — your entrepreneurial journey.
Learn when it’s time to put the nails in the coffin and bury your bad ideas. Learn this now and learn it fast. It’ll push your forward as an entrepreneur and there will be less weight on your shoulders. And the less weight on your shoulders, the easier it’ll be for you to move the world.
Yesterday my roommate ran outside to our veranda to share some of his great news with me. He was recently hired as an accountant at a firm that he really wanted to work at. He was ecstatic that he got the job, but that wasn’t what he ran out to tell me (I already knew he got the job). He was happy that they emailed him to say that they decided to give him an additional $5,000 on top of the agreed upon pay.
My roommate what expecting to get paid X amount of dollars per year and now, all of a sudden, he gets this email stating that he’s going to get paid an extra 5K. He was so happy and it made me think about expectations and how we entrepreneurs should always try to surpass the expectations of our subscribers, clients, and, ah, everyone!
It’s such a simple concept, but it’s brilliant. Tell / give someone something that makes them happy, then follow-through with something even bigger, greater, and more exciting.
We should seek to do this with everyone and everything. If you’re a web designer and your client signed the contract to have their site done on the 15th, get that baby done by the 10th! If you just launched a new service and people think that they are going to get 3 months for free, give ‘em 4! If you promised your girlfriend roses, give her diamonds (well… ).
When you continue to surpass peoples’ expectations, you begin to separate yourself from the rest. Your business is looked highly upon and people know that they are always going to get more than you are actually offering.
Forget business, as a person… as someone who always comes through and surpasses expectations is someone who gets really far in life. Someone who is constantly making people happy, adding extra value to peoples’ lives, and someone who is, downright, an awesome person who is sought out constantly.
When you become such a person, people are naturally going to be attracted to your business. They know that if you go above and beyond with everything else in your life, well, then, of course your business is going to work in the same way.
Be a rockstar entrepreneur and always seek to provide more than what you’re offering.
If you’ve already been blessed with what you’d consider your “big break” then you’ll want to have a solid plan to keep business flowing.
Maybe you’ve hooked up with a very influential “older-preneur” who has tons of contacts, or someone with clout really digs your product – whatever your case may be, time should be your number one concern. You need to react to the accolades quickly and gracefully. Don’t be like me and blush your way through meetings with people who tell you that you’re awesome. An ounce of humility keeps you human and easy to reach, but an ounce is all you need in this case.
Connect with your audience immediately. The internet offers so many easy ways to do this. Connect with them and thank them for purchasing your product or service, joining your group – or whatever they have done to build your success.
Tell the people your story. You can use the internet to share some of your background and future plans. Update them no more than once a month on news and progress.
Give stuff Away. Send your customers coupons, magnets, or any freebee that’s relevant to your industry. You also need to encourage them to refer their friends to you. I used to work for a multi million dollar company that was built on referrals. Referrals are FREE!!
Once you’ve covered the “thank you’s” and established a trusting bond with your customers you should step outside the internet. A hand written or hand signed post card is a nice touch. You’re still a start-up so you want to remain tangible to the public. (And, I think it’s valuable to always remain tangible). Your post card can double as a coupon or special event invitation (if you can afford that). I’m not talking about spam mail; I’m talking about connecting with the people who have shown some respect for your business. Sending them something every few months is enough. Even better if you can personalize it.
Calling or directly e-mailing clients works too. GoDaddy calls us about once every three months to thank us for using them and asks if we have any questions. Think about how busy your clients are; maybe they have questions but no time to call you.
If you can solidify your relationship with a core group of clients or customers, you are almost always guaranteed referrals. Keep in close contact and always remain human and friendly with them, and they will continue to feed you for years to come.
How do you guys feel about forgiveness and giving people a second chance? For a long time I used to never give second chances. You messed up and that was it! Buh Bye! But as the years went by I have learned that we aren’t all perfect and that we should give second chances.
But is there is a difference when it comes to your business? Sadly enough, I am beginning to think so. Though I have become a proponent of forgiveness, there comes a point where you just may have to cut someone off for good — especially if they are constantly devaluing your life and your business!
Let me give you an example. I know this one dude who I met not too long ago. The first day I met him he told me that his business made X million per year. He painted this rosy picture of how he wanted to help me out and help me push forward with my goals. He preached to me how successful he was and how brilliant we could be if we teamed up.
Now, from the first day I met this dude I saw right through him. I knew that he wasn’t what he appeared to be. He wasn’t the millionaire that he stated that he was. He wasn’t the great entrepreneur that he sold himself as. And most importantly, he wasn’t an honest person. He was a liar. A leech that tried to ingratiate himself in the organizations of others. He was deceptive and lied about everything that came out of his mouth.
And knowing all of this…and corroborating all of this…. I still decided to give him some of my time and learn more about him. Though I kept a safe distance, of course. The reason why I still spent time with him was because beneath all his deception and lies… I was still able to learn from him. Ironically, he actually had a strong business acumen.
I never met such a person. It was truly a paradox. A man who on one side was a deceptive snake and on the other side was someone who actually shared valuable business advice. That is the sole reason as to why I continued to interface with him as long as I did — giving him the benefit of the doubt that the only reason he lied to me was to impress me so I would give him a shot.
But as time went on and I exposed him of his deceptions… he continued to lie and deceive. He continued to be dishonorable and fake. His presence in my life started to spill over to my other friends who also were affected by his dishonesty.
So at that point — after giving him chance after chance to come clean and start fresh — I decided to cut him out of my life for good. Being associated with him wasn’t worth it and though I tried to forgive him… he continued to deceive.
What’s the moral here? The moral here is that though you may be all about forgiveness and second chances… you can only go so far with someone. There comes a point when you have to make a decision and cut someone out of your circle for good. If you don’t, you’ll constantly be affected by that person’s poisonous character. Your life, your business, and your friends will all suffer from such a person.
Have any of you ever had such a person in your life? Maybe someone who has tried to partner with you or was attracted to your business and tried to pretend to be someone just to be a part of what you were doing. If so, how did you handle the situation? Did you give second chances? Or did you cut them right away?
You know when you’re so full of brilliance that nothing will come out correctly? I’ve been suffering with this for about a week now. I’ve got a “post-it-note” wall full of concepts that need developing, and countless saved MS WORD docs that are only about a paragraph long. I wonder… is this what they call writer’s block, or is it the two-year-old who tugs on my leg and whines in terror every time I begin to type?
Distractions are a major cause of idea constipation, and since they often come from the outside world, they are usually not preventable. Distractions cause frustration which leads to stress and ultimate idea abandonment. It may be said that the world didn’t need your abandoned ideas anyway, or that you just need more drive or organization.
But the truth is that you need your ideas. You need to hash them out in your head, on paper and to whoever will listen to you. And, as my little boy taps my arm with a spoon, and begs to watch “Thomas The Tank” on my lap-top, I voice an idea to him. “Uh Oh,” he says. But, I don’t worry that he might not like the proposal.
Sometimes, I need to coexist with my distractions in order to express my ideas. Work in spite of them, or maybe even use their inspiration.
Creative blockages begin to dwindle for people who learn how to work through their stress, fears and core laziness. Admit that you’re stressed. Admit that you can be afraid of failure (or success), and admit you have lazy moments. Your thoughts are not perfect, but you need to exercise them in order to grow as a business person.
Ideas almost never develop the way we intended. But we need to start somewhere. When you think that nothing is coming out correctly…keep going – at least it’s coming out.
My cousin once told me that she wished she wasn’t an artist. She meant that she wished she didn’t have that underlying desire to create because it often stopped her from making money or stole time away from school or family. She doesn’t get the best grades and works several jobs to support herself.
But, she is only truly herself when she paints. I told her it was her calling and that she should honor it. If she put more positive energy into doing what she loves, instead of knocking what she loves – maybe she’d be able to support herself with her art.
But, maybe that was just the entrepreneur in me, talking. It’s a voice in my head that’s been interrupting my conversations for as long as I can remember. It’s the same impulse that inspired me to create a babysitter’s club at age 12, and host neighborhood fun fairs at ages 11-13.
It is my calling.
One of my best friends recently asked me if I ever considered that maybe I was “put here” for really huge things. “At least twice a day,” I told her. If you are really an entrepreneur, then you know the calling and the desire. You know that no matter how many times you’d like to just “fit in” at a party and talk about The Soprano’s or something – you’ll be lured into bringing up business.
People will always have questions and criticisms about your latest venture. When others have constant comments about YOUR lifestyle, it means that you’ve triggered something for them.
My entrepreneurial spirit has caused conflict with family, teachers and previous employers. While I never wished to stir up trouble, I always HAD to do what I felt was right. Some call me stubborn or unwilling to conform. But to me, I’m just me.
I believe I was born to be what I am. Born to be an entrepreneur. I chose to go to school and associate with people who would help me improve many of my skills. But, the gift to create and completely involve myself and others in my creations is inherent.
As entrepreneurialism becomes more and more trendy, we see college courses offered in the subject, and magazine “How To” articles devoted to teaching people how to do what we do. To me, it’s kind of like reading “Painting for Dummies.”
Entrepreneurialism is not a career that you can study for. It’s a lifestyle that you need to grow with.
Ideas… Ideas…Ideas… we all have them. Some of them are brilliant. Some are horrible. Some are simple. Some are complex. Some are life changing. Some serve no purpose. We’re entrepreneurs, so constantly coming up with ideas and implementing them is just what we do — it’s our life.
Ok, so what? Soo…. we are capable of producing brilliant ideas but without — for lack of a better word — an onslaught or attack on our ideas, they’ll never get stronger and they’ll never improve.
Really? Yes, you need to surround yourself with groups of people who will give you genuine critical feedback of your idea. People who will tell you — straight up — that your idea is weak and how to make it stronger. People who won’t be afraid to completely bash your idea and then work with you to make it brilliant. People who will help you tweak, modify, and alter your idea into a masterpiece even if it’s already a great idea.
You absolutely need people like this in your corner as an entrepreneur. You need their support. You need their critical point of view. This is crucial to your success.
I know… I know… many of us walk around with these super egos and think to ourselves “my idea is brilliant! Period! I don’t need to improve it and I don’t need anyone to help me make it even stronger” Think like that and you’ll only be able to go so far with your idea.
It’s a cliché but it’s so true: “two minds are better than one.” If your idea is truly disruptive, truly innovative, and truly unique, then you better hope and pray that not everyone thinks that it’s a “good” idea. Ideas that are accepted by everyone are “weak” ideas.
The ideas that really change the world are the ideas that have been challenged over and over again. If your idea isn’t challenging anyone, then you better get back to the table and start thinking.
You see, the only way for you to test your idea and to see how it affects the minds of others, you need to share it with your mastermind group. Napoleon Hill coined the term Mastermind in his book
