Sep

7

Entrepreneurship and Risk

Filed Under Goal Setting, Personal Development, Creating Wealth, Identity, Entrepreneurship | 2 Comments

We often hear about entrepreneurs “taking risks.” Some even define the very act of entrepreneurship as risky. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before.

In some ways, this is quite true: an entrepreneur who cashes out a life savings or retirement account to fund a new startup is definitely moving away from security and towards risk. Even the budding entrepreneur who quits his day job to pursue a new idea for a home business is taking a risk.

But what does one risk by not taking advantage of a unique opportunity and staying in the same job?

And what about relying on someone else for income? Isn’t it “risky” to count on your employer for raises and greater opportunities?

I’m not about to take the hard line here and argue that entrepreneurship is actually “safer” than the traditional employee route. Nor am I going to suggest that 100% of people would be happier as entrepreneurs.

I am going to argue, much in line with Robert Kiyosaki, that entrepreneurship should be part of everyone’s life in at least some way. Will this require a little risk? Yes. But a little risk is healthy and will likely even contribute to a greater sense of self-esteem and personal mastery.

Even a little risk-taking could be of real value:

Take a little risk and start a website that requires only a few hours per week to maintain but slowly builds traffic and a nice supplementary income.
Take a little risk and sell your homemade crafts on eBay for a few extra bucks here and there.
Take a little risk and write that book you’ve always wanted to publish.
Take a little risk and learn more about the stock market to become a savvy investor.

Maybe your project will turn into something big. Maybe it won’t. Perhaps your work will inspire you onto something else that really works. Perhaps not.

One thing you can count on is a big change in yourself and how you look at the world.

The objective is not to become the next Donald Trump here. You’re simply trying something new and getting out of your comfort zone. It’s just a little risk and only a small move for big results!

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Sep

3

Why Labor Day Should Be Entrepreneurship Day

Filed Under Personal Development, Time Management, Mindful Entrepreneurs, Change & Growth, Life Balance, Business Success, Entrepreneurship | Leave a Comment

We all love holidays. Perhaps the number one reason most love holidays is time off from work. If you’re a traditional employee in a traditional job, this applies to you. On the other hand, employees at Wal-Mart and Starbucks are unlikely to enjoy a reprieve from their workaday world.

Labor Day is really a funny holiday.

At this point, the first Monday of September is little more than a last shot at long-weekend summer fun. That, and reminder to not wear white.

I think Labor Day should really be “Entrepreneurship Day.”

Really – think about it: Instead of giving everyone a day off to grab the jet-skis and head for the lake yet again, let’s open the door for real change.

Think of it: one day off to recalibrate your life and consider how the principles of entrepreneurship can make real change happen. Want another long weekend for trekking out-of-town? How about a long weekend *every* weekend?

Established entrepreneurs could come together and give free seminars. The Small Business Administration (SBA) could offer similar workshops on starting a business. Financial planners could provide free consultations for learning more about investment opportunities and retirement plans.

We could also honor all successful entrepreneurs for their hard work and significant contributions to the American economy. Talk about a great way to celebrate some of our most important cultural values – initiative, independence, ingenuity, etc.

This could be an amazing holiday with real purpose and not just another wasted Monday off from the office. Think about it and spread the word!

Aug

29

What is Time? (An Entrepreneur’s Definition of Freedom)

Filed Under Goal Setting, Personal Development, Time Management, Change & Growth, Identity | 2 Comments

Time is money. At least that’s how most people see it. And to a large degree, it’s true.

I’d like to take this concept one step further – time is *everything.* Brian Tracy put it best when he quipped, “It’s not ‘time management,’ it’s ‘life management.’” Couldn’t have put it better myself, Brain. At the end of the day, it really is about life.

During my very early days of college, I had one of the worst jobs of all time: insurance claims processor. At the time, the money was great, but frankly, the time sucked.

This was the first and last time I worked a standard 8-5 job. Never again. Never.

During a break one day at the insurance office, a co-worker (co-slave?) turned to me and he said, “So much happens out there [pointing to the city beyond our fortress-like office building] while we’re in here. So much.” He was right. And I was suddenly very aware of how imprisoned I felt in the routine of that cubicle nightmare.

Two days later, I marched into that office, removed my things from the desk, and walked out – never to return again. Never.

He was right.

That was perhaps the first moment it occurred to me that I really didn’t want to live my life that way. That is, as a slave to somebody else in a never ending time-for-money exchange.

Of course, I soon learned that money was important, and so I soon found yet another time-based job. But I always found a way to implement Jedi-like approaches to managing my time (my life!) on those jobs – from working for more tips to “stealing time” for personal and/or business building tasks. In short, since then I’ve never worked a job where I didn’t make time management a serious priority.

My whole life is really about maximizing productivity, and I think it’s made all the difference. The trick really lies in learning to be uber-productive in one place – almost to a fault – so that you can create more and more time for yourself that doesn’t belong to somebody else. The trick is to seek out and create freedom. Freedom is what we really want.

Even when entrepreneurs go to work on business projects we are still working for somebody else. Sure, maybe we’re creating a business and that’s something we love to do, but so long as the purpose is profit, we’re really working to please the customer. The freedom there is quite slippery indeed.

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Once you have registered for 642-845, make sure you study well as you will also be able to attempt PMI-001 with this preparation. This holds true for 156-215 in context to SY0-101 as well.

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Aug

7

Using Affirmations for Business Success: 5 Steps to Renew Your Goals

Filed Under Goal Setting, Personal Development, Change & Growth, Creating Wealth, The Law of Attraction, Life Balance, Internet Business, Business Success | 1 Comment

Does your business plan resonate with your personal beliefs?

Much of what makes an entrepreneur is the ability to build something out of nothing – to take an idea, believe in it, and make it grow.

The most successful entrepreneurs are those who keep their business running from those tough beginnings to the most profitable and developed stage.

I recently listened to a seminar by Marc Allen on becoming a millionaire. Of course, Marc delivered the talk in his typical “lazy, type Z” style (a manner which I find very encouraging and refreshing within the often high-strung, rah-rah motivational business genre).

In the seminar, Marc emphasizes using affirmations and purpose when building a business from the ground up. I have used affirmations on-again and off-again for several years, but Marc’s seminar inspired me to revisit my own.

Through this process of renewing my personal and business affirmations, I came to understand something very important about goal-setting: If your personal values and beliefs about the world conflict with your goals, it becomes very obvious very quickly.

This is one major point I believe too many people miss in all this “Law of Attraction” and “The Secret” marketing-hype. The aim of affirmations and other such tools is not to simply get what you *think* you want. The aim is to really figure out what it is you want in the first place and then to start moving in the right direction.

As these crucial understandings occurred to me, I began to realize why some of my affirmations just didn’t have the same click anymore. The problem was not the affirmation; the problem was my lack of resonance (or lack of positive energy) with it.

One major key for successful entrepreneurship is to choose a business niche that reflects who you are and what you value. Sure, one day the business may become much bigger than you alone, but you’re the original seed-planter. For the longevity of business growth, the initial planting is crucial.

Affirmations, as Marc Allen suggests using, are a great way to really figure out what will and what will not resonate with you. As Allen points out in the seminar: once you really begin to move in the direction of your purpose, then lots of support starts to suddenly show up (or so it seems, as much of it was likely there all along).

Here’s a quick plan for putting this to work in your own life:

1. Make a list of 10 things you value (prosperity, love, etc.) and narrow the list to the 5 most important values.

2. Make a list of 10 goals (start a business, improve your finances, etc.) and narrow the list to the 5 most important and immediate goals.

3. Write an affirmation for each goal that reflects positive, on-going development (this is key!). For example: “I am now creating a profitable internet business that generates over $500 per day in profit.”

4. Look carefully at each affirmation and revise each to improve the connection between your values and your goals. (Spend just a small amount of time on this now and return to it later once you allow for time to process the affirmations.)

5. Repeat these affirmations to yourself at least twice per day. The suggested times are first thing in the morning and last thing at the end of the day. Try that out if it works. If not, do it when you can. The objective here is to begin processing these all day, so repeat them in your mind when your mind drifts (driving in the car, waiting in line, etc.). Think of these as meditations.

This first part of the process is a bit clunky but immensely valuable. Use these same affirmations for a few days (one week is best) and just see what happens. Again, let your subconscious do the sifting. There’s no need to make any specific effort.

At the end of this initial week-trial, review the affirmations. (How does each make you feel? Which, if any, seems to pop up most? And so on.)

I think you’ll be surprised with how productive this process can be for both your business and your personal life.

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