Many years ago I was listening to a webinar hosted by Jordan Belfort a.k.a. the Wolf of Wall Street on sales techniques. In the presentation he made a passing statement that has forever stuck with me. He said that the goal of business is to “monetize value“. Often times we come to business because we have…
The S-Myth
Michael Gerber, the famous author of the business classic The E-Myth stated that entrepreneurs get into business because they are generally good at “doing” a specific task. He further states that these entrepreneurs fail at business because although they are good at “doing the thing” (i.e. fixing cars, designing logos, baking cakes), they are bad…
Social Experiment
I recently watched the documentary “The American Meme” which profiles a handful of social media mega stars including DJ Khaled, Paris Hilton and a handful of others. While the documentary was well done in its simplicity, the content sent me into a black hole. I was left wondering what’s to come of this social experiment…
Consistency Wins
Consistency wins. No matter what it is that you are pursuing, if you are diligent and persistent and do not quit you will make progress and eventually achieve your goals. Small actions stacked over a long period are the key. Do not get lured into thinking it only takes one big move or one big…
Sow It, Reap It
It’s true, what you sow you reap. If’ you’ve ever tried to grow a garden you know that meticulous care is involved in reaping what you sow. Just because you plant tomatoes doesn’t meant that overnight tomatoes will grow. So too, just because you plant something (goodwill for example) it doesn’t mean every person who…
3 Tips for the Upstart
Yesterday I had the honor of serving as a judge at the Loyola Marymount University Business Incubator Showcase. It was great to hear these young hungry soon-to-be-entrepreneurs pour their heart and souls into their ideas. It is always encouraging to see the spirit of entrepreneurship alive and well and more importantly the ideas were coming…
Nobody is in Your Head
Humans are unique in that we have the capacity to self-talk (animals do not as far as we know). We process, analyze, over analyze, strategize, think, ponder, wonder, guess, second guess, synthesize all without ever actually doing anything. Many times greatest fears often shape our thoughts. The fear of the unknown or the fear of…
Start First
The most important step in business is starting. Having spent years on the front end of business as an analyst/strategist/planner I can tell you first hand that starting has more impact than planning. I have seen too many businesses waste time, money, resources, etc on planning and never get off the ground. I’ve seen others…
Make Time
We can not make more time but we can make time for the important things in our life. We often here, “where did the day go”? Weeks, months, years and lifetimes pass for the masses that let time happen to them. Knowing this, it is important to make the most of each day, each moment,…
Know Thy Lane
You can not be all things to all people, nor should you want to be. Aim to be exactly what the people you seek to serve are in need of. This can only be accomplished if you know your audience and understand their pain points. The broader the audience the more variables exist. Mass market…