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Archives
April 14, 2010
Is Size Overrated?... The Passion for Business Success... Are
You Over-sharing in Your Info Marketing Business?... and More.
Is Size Overrated?
By Robert Ringer
Some years ago, my son played basketball in a league for
fourth graders. At that age, there are always some kids who are
way ahead of the pack -- who have developed their skills to a
level two or three years beyond their chronological age.
There were a lot of excellent ballplayers in my son's league,
but the best of the best was a shrimp who played as though he
could have stepped into the starting lineup of the Harlem
Globetrotters without missing a beat. When he dribbled, you
could swear he had a rubber band attached to the ball.
Notwithstanding the fact that he was one of the shortest kids in
the league, he led all scorers and had a season high of forty-two
points in one game.
I happened to be sitting next to this pint-size wizard's parents at
a semi-final playoff game and noted that his mom and dad
were also very short. At one point, I asked his dad how his son
was able to dominate kids twice his size, to which he replied, "I've always taught him that size is overrated." What a great
philosophy to feed an undersized kid. What a great self-esteem
builder.
I never forgot that father's words. In fact, on reflection, I now
think of him as a modern-day Aristotle. He prompted me to
think about all the big people and big entities that paralyze
most of the world's population. And he reinforced my
longstanding belief that smallness can actually be turned into
an advantage. Size matters, but it doesn't carry the day. What
matters more are qualities such as determination, persistence, a
desire to learn, and, above all, resourcefulness.
People often marvel at how Wal-Mart snuck up on Sears,
which was the largest retailer in the world for decades. It hasn't
been that long ago that Wal-Mart was a joke in retailing circles
-- a little regional company with stores in towns that had
populations of 5,000 or less. The fat-cat Sears board members
and top executives, up to their ears in perks and golden
parachutes, never even saw Sam Walton coming. If you were
the largest retailer in the world, would you have been afraid of
a little outfit out of Bentonville, Arkansas? Sears thought it was
being very prudent to keep one eye on Target and the other on
Kmart. Too bad it didn't have a third eye in the back of its
corporate head to keep tabs on that cute little retailer from
Nowheresville.
Yes, size matters, but it doesn't insulate one from failure.
Take the poor elephant. He's the largest land animal on the
planet, but that hasn't done him a whole lot of good. Of the
more than 350 species of proboscideans that paleontologists
have been able to identify, only two remain -- the African and
Indian elephants.
In fact, the elephant's main problem is that he is too big. Just
to absorb all the oxygen he requires, he needs an acre of lung
surface. He has to roam around sixteen hours each and every
day to find hundreds of pounds of grass and foliage to satisfy
his hundreds of feet of intestines and complex digestive organs.
Worse, because of his enormous size, he can't even jump over a
seven-foot trench, and he's been known to be freaked out by
dogs, mosquitoes, and even ants.
Upstart Microsoft didn't fear giant IBM ... upstart Google didn't
fear giant Microsoft ... and some unknown upstart who is
working his garage at this very moment doesn't fear giant
Google. Nor should you fear giants. Never forget that you have
many advantages over the big guys, one of the most important
being that you can move much more swiftly than elephants like
IBM, Microsoft, and Google. After all, they are under
tremendous pressure to build more and more lung capacity just
to be able to absorb enough air.
While the giants are huffing and puffing to fend off predators,
you have the luxury of concentrating on action -- bold,
continuous action. And for you, jumping a seven-foot trench
should be a piece of cake. Of course, if you're lucky enough to
become a giant some day, you'll find that making that jump
becomes harder with each passing year.
You'll also find that your chances of longevity will increase if
you can just figure out a way to put an eye in the back of your
head as you grow larger. You'll need that extra eye, because
you can count on the entrepreneurial descendents of Bill Gates,
Sam Walton, et al to be coming up fast behind you.
Editor's Note: Robert Ringer is the author of three #1 best-selling books, two of which have been named by The New
York Times among the 15 biggest-selling motivational books
of all time. To learn more about how Robert Ringer has helped
millions of liberty-loving entrepreneurs, small business owners,
and individuals achieve purpose, financial prosperity, and
peace of mind, CLICK HERE.
The Passion for Business Success
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"
If you're looking to obtain financing for your business venture,
then you have to give your potential investors what they want.
You need to bring to the table the specific things that they are
looking for. In other words, you need to exhibit the things that
signify a potentially successful business. This goes for
such independent investors as angel investors, as well as
traditional lenders, such as banks.
There are things that will make getting the money you need a
lot easier. The first is your business plan. A well-thought-out
and well-presented plan is essential. You won't get anyone to
even consider backing your venture without one.
You need to have a number of sections in your business plan
that cover all the bases in terms of what you are planning to do
and the money you will need to do it. Plus, you will need to
assess all the risks and show that you have thought out your
business idea -- and that you know how to make it successful.
You can also generate some influence with how you present
your business' structure. Corporations are generally looked
upon more favorably than a sole proprietorship is, so consider
going this route.
However, even though these aspects are important, there is
something else that you might not think you need, but that can
actually make a huge difference when it comes to landing a
potential investor -- passion.
Your passion and enthusiasm for your business venture can get
you far in the eyes of an investor. It might seem as though all a
lender wants to see is the numbers, but he/she also wants to see
that you can really make it work. This means showing them
that you are dedicated and passionate about your success and
your business idea in general.
Getting someone to give you money requires influencing
him/her in a positive way. You are selling them not only on
your idea, but also on your becoming a business owner.
These people want to know that they are making the right
decision by giving you money to start your business. They
want to know that they are putting their money in the hands of
someone who is capable of running a business successfully. So,
you need to prove to them that you are capable of getting them
their money back on their investment.
Someone who is passionate attracts opportunities. People more
easily believe someone who is passionate about an idea than
they do those individuals who aren't. If the lender can see that
you are excited about the opportunity and that it's something
that you are dedicated to, then they will be a lot more likely to
give you the money you need. This is especially important if
you don't have many skills or experience on paper.
Your passion can make all the difference in the world when it
comes to getting financing, so make sure that your business
idea is something that you are truly interested in. Not only will
it be more enjoyable for you in terms of running the business,
but also lenders and investors will see that you are truly
dedicated to making the business work.
Are You Over-sharing in Your Info Marketing Business?
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert
When you get your own business going and start achieving
your first successes, the personal feeling of achievement is
great. You've worked and worked and now your hard work is
paying off. In spite of whatever hardships you've encountered
or those who didn't necessarily believe in you, you've come
through the woods strutting. And there's nothing wrong with
actually strutting!
But sometimes you can get a bit too confident. You fall into a
routine of work and it's only logical that you want to change
things slightly or step off the regular path a bit. But this can
have serious effects, especially since your business is a
representation of yourself.
Information marketing is one such business. Since you are
creating your own products and doing your own deals, you can
run the risk of falling into certain pitfalls. One such thing is
called "too much information" information marketing. It can
happen easily, but it is also easy to avoid. Like that guy at the
party who often says overtly crude or coy things after too many
drinks, "too much info" info marketing is almost the same. You
think you are at ease doing your own info, but you start
incorporating information that perhaps your clients don't really
need or care to know. Sure you think it's all in good fun, but
your clients might not think so.
It's true that we live in a free country and we should always be
allowed to express ourselves. But there is a time and place for
everything. Your info marketing business is a forum for
information and that's what it should be all of the time.
Sometimes you might find yourself dishing out more than just
information. Here are some "too much" topics that an info
marketer can fall prey to and that can hinder their business:
--- Too much personal information: It's always fun to add
anecdotes to your info products about related interesting
experiences, family matters, or even personal jokes. It lets your
clients know there is a real person writing the information and
they can often relate to it. But once you start using crude
humor and locker-room-type stories about your life in your
info products, it's inevitable that your client base is going to
question your integrity as a professional. Save the dirty jokes
and stories for the weekend and always keep your eye on the
task of delivering good info.
--- Too much politics or ideology: I've been out of school for a
while now. I don't have gym class, so I have to keep running
and working out on my own. Likewise, I don't get philosophy
or literature class, so I still read whatever I can get my hands
on. Be it a novel by Orwell or an essay by Mamet, I still love
ideas. But I keep them out of my job. Incorporating politics or
ideologies into your info marketing can create rhetoric that
not only alienates people, but also suggests you know what's
best for everyone. That's simply not possible. Honest debate is
necessary in life, but it's best kept away from a business that
requires hard facts, which is what info marketing is. Leave the
politics and ideologies to the think-tanks, lobbyists, and social
interest groups. You've got a more important and much more
enjoyable job to do.
--- Too much gossip: Most everyone is exposed to gossip,
particularly the Hollywood brand, almost everyday. It's more
than just a social entity; it's a business unto itself. As comical
as it sometimes is, it's based on rumors, speculation, and
invented tales. It can lead to many careers being ruined and
many people left feeling sad. All of this is ethically
questionable and the exact opposite of what information
marketing really stands for. Even if there are popular stories
floating around the area of your info source, keep it out of your
work. People want knowledge based on facts, not possibility
based on gossip.
--- Too much speculation without fact: This can have legal
consequences. No matter how much you know about any one
topic, don't speculate beyond what you know is absolute fact.
It's a human thing to want to give others hope for the future and
advise them down a road you think is correct. But if that road
turns out to be a dead end, your reputation will be called into
question. That can lead to client loss, people distancing
themselves from you, investigation, and often lawsuits. Making
a good suggestion is one thing, but don't go beyond that. It will
come back to haunt you.
Part of being an info marketer is being professional. You can
do as you wish when you are done for the day, but when you
are working, you have to be a pro at ALL times. Excesses
usually lead to you losing whatever great reputation you've
established for yourself. Never lose sight of that professional
disposition that has brought you success time and again. It's
always worth it.
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