Month: December 2016

I can guarantee
that every system
in your company
is a little bit broken.
There are no perfect systems.

We have a choice
1) we can break these systems
completely,
scrap them,
tear them down to nothing

or

2) we can repair them,
tweak them,
push them closer and closer
toward perfection.

The first option is tempting.
We can design
the replacement systems
with no consideration
of the prior systems.
It is dramatic, satisfying.
Humans are destructive
by nature.

It is also quite disruptive.
No one can use these systems
while we’re tearing them down
and erecting new systems
in their place.

It is quite a bit of work,
requiring resources
like time, talent and money,
we might use elsewhere.

And there’s no guarantee
that the systems
we put in its place
will be any less flawed.
Again, there are no perfect systems.

Think hard
before you break a system completely.

When I finally decided
it was time
to build my own business,
rather than
build someone else’s,
I was scared.
I had an upset stomach
for the entire first week.
I didn’t sleep well
for months.

But I had passion,
I had perseverance,
and I had folks
I could ask to help.
I knew eventually
one of my businesses would be
a success.

And I was right.

Angela Mader,
founder of fitlosophy,
shares

“Any entrepreneur will tell you
that you have to be willing
to take that initial risk.

Passion and perseverance
are an unbeatable combination
for success.

When you realize
that the only person
you have to answer to
is yourself,
you’ll succeed as an entrepreneur.”

Take that leap.

I get approached
by many folks
wanting help with their business ideas
or their novels.
About 85% of these folks
aren’t serious.

How can I tell?

Because they haven’t done
the work.
They haven’t thought
about the details,
ANY details,
but particularly the ‘how.’

They talk about generalities.
Using a political example…
“I’m going to build a wall,
a big wall,
and make Mexico pay for it.”
They haven’t thought
about how they’d make
Mexico pay for it.

Another political example…
“I’m going to reduce
migration to the UK.”
When folks ask how,
they don’t have
a solid answer.

Why?
Because they never plan
to do any of this.
They aren’t truly invested
in their projects.

When we’re truly excited,
truly invested in a project,
we think about the ‘how’.
We envision it.
We dream about
who will be on our team.
We investigate the competition.
We price out office space
and thumbtacks and a zillion other things.

We might not have the details
on the right things
but we have details on some things.

Our ‘how’ might have some holes in it
but we have a ‘how.’

Your time is valuable.

If the person pitching
isn’t truly interested in her/his project,
why should you spend time on it?

I’ve interviewed for
plenty of positions
I was interested in
but wasn’t sure I’d like.

I’ve applied for business opps
that I found intriguing
but I wasn’t sure
was the right fit
for my business.

There’s a difference
between not being sure
you want an opportunity
and KNOWING
you truly don’t want it.

If you KNOW
you don’t want it
and you apply,
you’re taking away
a slot from someone
who truly wants the opportunity.
Slots will fill up
and they won’t even be considered.

You’re also wasting
everyone’s time,
including your own.

And when you turn
the opportunity down,
you’ll likely anger someone.
To everyone else,
you’ll look like
an indecisive jacka$$.

Don’t apply
if you truly don’t want it.

I send quite a few
thank you messages,
letters, emails, etc.

If someone does a great job
or helps me,
I thank them.

I do this,
expecting nothing in return
except that warm, nice feeling
we get when we do something good.
something right.

But often I receive other rewards
–better service
the next time I visit
or
more help from the person
or
a policy change
that promotes whatever
I thanked the person/company on.

The person I thanked
also often gets promoted.
I have a more senior connection
in the organization.

Thank people/organizations.

Optimism
is one of the keys to success
in sales,
in building businesses,
in life.

The news is usually quite negative.
There’s a marketing reason
for this.
Bad news attracts eyeballs.

It can also be skewed,
depending on the audience.

We need to remain informed.
What is a business builder to do?

I get my news
from the business networks.
Everything on this planet
affects the markets.
New political policy?
The market responds.
A disaster in India?
The market responds.

The business news
is usually upbeat.
Even when the market is tanking,
there’s a way to make money
from it.

It is also politically neutral.
The talking heads
aren’t trying to influence your votes.
They’re trying to influence
your trading.

And I find it telling
where the brightest minds
in the investing community
put their money.

Consider getting your news
from the business networks.