March 2010
1 post
The Power of the Positive Attitude
I have learned over the years that there is real power in a positive attitude. From what I have seen in my life, focusing on the positive usually pays off. Holding a fierce belief that you can get the loan, you can close the deal, you can get the big client leads to goal-oriented action — which leads to more goal-oriented action — which leads to getting the loan, closing the deal,...
February 2010
5 posts
Successful Business Owner or Successful Actor?
One day while feeling worthless after losing a big account, I began to panic over a sales call I had to make later that day. I felt like such a loser. How could I possibly close the upcoming deal? On the way, I stopped at my parish to help with the arrangements for the christening of one of my seven children.
As I approached the monsignor’s office, I heard him say to someone unseen, “Act as if...
In Order to Succeed
Will Rogers once said … “In order to succeed, you must know what your are doing, like what your are doing, and believe in what you are doing.”
That’s right. No matter who you are — Donald Trump, Richard Branson, or Joe Schmo from down the street — before you start that new business, you need to learn as much as you can about the business you want to get into.
Starting a...
How to Guarantee Success
How can I say that? How can we know for sure that we will inevitably succeed? Well, perhaps we don’t always know for sure, but we have to make up our mind to believe it! We can’t afford to risk harboring a doubt. When we allow ourselves to consider the possibility of failure — when we allow ourselves to believe the worst possible outcome — we begin to create a self-fulfilling...
What Makes a Good Business Idea?
I hear from a lot of people who ask me if I think they have a good business idea. They usually expect me to evaluate the idea in terms of dollar or profit potential, but I don’t. I prefer to evaluate their idea in terms of the person! I always ask them … are you passionate about your business idea?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before embarking on an entrepreneurial venture: Am I...
Why Relationships Matter
I’m a firm believer in schmoozing … listening to and speaking with others to establish bonds of trust. Early on in my career as an entrepreneur I had a very solid prospect that was getting hit with a crippling rent increase. He felt forced to move his small business out of the area, which meant I could lose his business. But I had spoken with the company’s security guard at each visit so I knew he...
January 2010
2 posts
Negating the Negative
It can be rugged starting a small business. All of my life I’ve had to battle against the negative feedback of others. I’ve had to endure people telling me what I could and could not achieve in life. These were not necessarily people who were trying to put me down or discourage me (although I’ve had to deal with a few of those, too). Often they were well-intentioned people who didn’t want to see...
There's Never Been a Better Time to Start a...
Are you thinking of starting your own business? Perhaps you’re approaching retirement and looking for a way to keep active and supplement your retirement income. Or perhaps you’ve been recently downsized and you’re looking for a way to get back on your feet by working for yourself. Maybe you’ve got an idea that you think you can turn into a great business. If so, you’re in very good company!
If...