Tag Archives: focus

A Book for Entrepreneurs

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One of the precepts that I have always believed in is that if you want to be successful in something, find out what the people who are already successful are doing.  Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the luxury of talking with those people face to face so we have to resort to other available means to find out what actions the successful people have taken so that we have an example to go by.  This mainly consists of videos, online articles and books.

 

I am currently reading “The Midas Touch” by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki.  These

Robert T. Kiyosaki

Robert T. Kiyosaki (credit: www.last.fm)

two names in the entrepreneurial world should need no introduction.  Even though I am not finished with my reading of this book for entrepreneurs, I have thus far been so impressed with it that I wanted to share my current findings with you.  The two points covered in this book that I have most impacted by are that of focus and what Mr. Trump calls the “B-I” (for business integrity) triangle.  The term focus is described as an abbreviation for “follow one course until successful.”  Too often people allow themselves to be distracted by a myriad of other things without keeping their priorities in line and as a result find themselves not achieving the results they desire.  The business integrity triangle is an illustration of the eight essential components of a business and outlines where the entrepreneur should place themselves in order for the business to have a greater chance for success.  It is mentioned why successful entrepreneurs are generalists that have specialists working for them.  The thing that makes “The Midas Touch” a must-read is that the authors describe why most entrepreneurs end up failing while only a few actually become rich.  Priceless advice and counsel from two who know!

Also given great emphasis in the book is the importance of relationships.  Trump goes to

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fash...

Donald Trump (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

length explaining how strong relationships with professionals in a variety of fields can go a long way to helping a business succeed.  He also goes on to mention that learning as an ongoing, lifelong process is essential to help ensure both personal as well as professional growth.

The book contains a multitude of other traits that prospective entrepreneurs need in order to round out their overall makeup.  I am going to keep this post short with the intention of leaving you to want to find out more about this book.  In closing, I recommend “The Midas Touch” wholeheartedly and without reservation.

Here’s to you!

 

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The Success Mindset

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For any individual who pursues success in a self endeavor, the right frame of mind or a success mindset in absolutely essential.  The term “success mindset” can mean different things to different people but it should contain an element of recognition that in order to achieve a certain result, certain causes must be enacted.

Now I am sure that one would agree that if a person had achieved a degree of success in their pursuit, he or she would have had to know what was wanted prior to engaging in the desired pursuit that would lead to the success.  As the pursuit of the success is in progress, a strong element of focus must also be incorporated.  Focus includes knowing what is wanted, being attentive to what is wanted and carrying out the necessary efforts in a concentrated and consistent fashion towards the attainment of what is wanted.  Through the use of focus, distractions are reduced and through the use of integrating focus with efforts (causes) that are known to be proper and relevant, the desired effects can be achieved.  To get an understanding of the importance of focus, Robert Kiyosaki gives an outstanding assessment of what focus entails in the book “The Midas Touch” co-authored with Donald Trump.

Thomas Edison built the world's first large-sc...

Now there are two categories of circumstance that people will fall into when it comes to the efforts used towards the pursuit of success.  These categories basically consist of knowing what works and not knowing what works.  If you are already blessed with the knowledge of knowing what efforts or causes are needed to bring about the desired results, you are in a position of strength to start.  But what if you don’t have the advantage of knowing what works?  This in itself can be the onset of a true adventure and discovery.  The classic case of this scenario involves famed inventor Thomas Edison and his development of the electric light bulb.  The number of attempts spent at developing a functioning light bulb is legendary.  Instead of thinking about the number of failures involved, Edison thought of it as the number of ways not to go about developing the light bulb.  This is what made Edison stand out from the crowd; it was his outlook and perseverance in the face of adversity.

One of the things you can consider is to come into contact with individuals who share your interests and desires.  Through the use of this “mastermind” principle, the combined thoughts of individuals sharing their insights on a goal of benefit to all can magnify the chances of success on an exponential level.  As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one.”  You will undoubtedly see the increased thought activity that comes about from swapping ideas back and forth between members of your group.  In his book “Think and Grow Rich,”  Napoleon Hill devotes an entire chapter to describing how a person’s brain power can be increased when he or she allies themselves with people who are devoted to the attainment of an interest shared by all.  Surely at some point in their lives, each of us experience the desire to communicate with others with whom we have something in common.

So what is your “success mindset?”  What are you willing to do in order to achieve it?  Will you keep on trying when things get tough or will you take the easy way out?  How long are you willing to persist in your efforts?  These as well as many other potential questions can only be answered by you.

Here’s to you!

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The Importance of Focus in Business

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In order to achieve the business results you desire, it is essential that you possess a strong sense of focus.  By this I mean that in order to stay on track towards the accomplishment of business goals, consistent and dedicated effort must be carried out towards them.

Keeping this in mind, one must also organize their time management skills so that efforts are not carried out in an inefficient manner.  You don’t want to start your day with no sense of direction with regard to what you wish to get accomplished.  In today’s fast paced environment, it is far too easy to get distracted with a myriad of things that can pop up.  If you already have a regular day job and are investing time in your business during your off hours, focus is all the more important.  I admit, at the end of a long day, I like to relax and play video games.  On many occasions I have found that before I knew it, the evening has been gobbled up without having achieved anything useful and it’s time for bed.

What really made me aware of the need for focus was a book co-authored by Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump called “The Midas Touch” which discusses the elements needed for success as an entrepreneur.  In this book, Kiyosaki details his time spent while training to be a Marine Corps combat helicopter pilot.  In effect, Mr. Kiyosaki stressed the paramount needs for prioritizing, staying on task and not becoming distracted as skills essential for increasing the odds for surviving in a hostile environment (referring to the war in Vietnam).

The business environment can also be a hostile one.  Granted no one is aiming a weapon at you on a daily basis (hopefully) but if you pursue business without focus, you will effectively be “killed” by your competitors in addition to your own inefficiency.   Your time will be ineffectively spent, results will be minimal at best and you won’t be staying abreast of what is needed to survive in the current business climate.

So how does one go about attaining or increasing their focus?  A very good question.  For the individual who is accustomed to a regimented routine and holds themselves accountable, this can be an easily attainable task.  For those who are vulnerable to becoming easily distracted and have no one to hold them accountable, this can pose quite a challenge.  Also, for those who have limited time to devote to business for whatever reasons such as family obligations or due to employment, keeping oneself on track to the accomplishment of business related tasks can be a significant mental hurdle.  Here are some things one can consider that may help:

- Draft a mission statement of what your business goals are.  You may also include things or beliefs that you consider to be important components of your business makeup.  It is also good to list a timeline you wish to follow for the accomplishment of your goals.  Be sure to make your goals realistic but don’t be afraid to “raise the bar.”

- At  the end of each day, write down what you wish to accomplish the following day. If you don’t know what you want to get done, how can you expect to accomplish anything? That way, you already know when you get up the following morning what your tasks are and you won’t need to stop and ponder about what you want to get done.  I find it personally useful to keep a small notepad with me for ready reference.

- Find a partner!  As the saying goes; “Two heads are better than one” especially holds true.  Working with a like-minded individual can go a long way to help you achieve success.  This will allow you to exchange ideas and come up with solutions to problems more quickly.  You will also have someone to whom you can be accountable.

- “Keep your eye on the prize”  Always be aware of why you are pursuing success.  See yourself enjoying the fruits of your labors.

- Believe in yourself!  If you have achieved partial results in a certain area, don’t let anyone make you think that you can’t do better.  Think of Thomas Edison in his quest to develop the electric light bulb.  Take a look at the picture below to see how Robert Kiyosaki responded to some hecklers:

Robert Kiyosaki Flipping Off the Haters

Robert Kiyosaki Flipping Off the Haters (Photo credit: Casey Serin)

Here’s To You!

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When You Need To Consider Outsourcing

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Time is money.  Face it, if you are not using your time wisely it could very easily result in you losing money.

Let me share a recent experience of mine that illustrates the concept.  Last week one of my computers began to malfunction and then finally it just stopped working altogether.  Since this particular computer was faster than the one I am using while I write this post, I was very much interested in getting it promptly repaired.  The person whom I normally go to for matters such as this said she would not be available for a few days so I decided I would try to make the repairs myself.  Based upon a previous experience with fixing the computer I immediately assumed the power supply needed to be replaced.  After taking the time to get a new one as well as installing it, several hours had elapsed.

I then determined that the power supply was not the problem so then I had to remove it from the PC so I could return it for a refund (hence more time spent).  Later on I made several trips to the local electronics store to get some replacement components (the time is adding up!) and still no luck.  After swapping out several different components I decided to throw in the towel and drop the PC off at my “go-to” person’s house once she was back in town and wait to see what she had to say (she has MUCH more experience in this than I do).

The main point of this is that instead of spending the numerous hours on attempted computer repairs, I could have been using the time to focus on business matters.  Renowned Internet entrepreneur Jonathan Budd uses the term “profit potential” to help people prioritize the actions that they take.  If the intended action does not yield much chance of resulting in profit for you, perhaps something else should be considered.  It also boils down to leverage.  I am blessed with being able to have a gardener tend to yard work needs at my home as well as having a pool man come by once a week to check on things.  Because of their time being leveraged for my advantage, this results in freeing up more time to allow me to do other things such as focus on business.  I also take advantage of the services that ghost writers provide and this in turn yields more time for me.  Whenever possible, instead of doing certain things I try to have someone else do them.  The intended outcome would be having the ability to focus more on business matters with the hope of seeing greater profits ensue.

So whenever possible, see if you can outsource various tasks to others.  This in turn would allow you more time to focus on things that you want to get done yourself.  Take gardening for example.  Chances are that by devoting more time to tend to the garden, you will see a more abundant crop whether it be fruits, vegetables or even flowers.  You can think of your business the same way.  If you put more time and effort into it, there is a good chance that you will see greater profits come forth.

Best Wishes and here’s to you “Making It Happen!”

 

 

 

You gotta stay focused!

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With all the information available about the many aspects involved with online businesses, it is essential that you map a plan for yourself and follow it.  It is so easy to get off course due to the many things that can distract you from learning what you need to do in order to get your business started.   Face it, you have websites, email, blogs, seminars, needing to learn about things such as SEO and marketing and so much more!  Where does one start and how does one keep priorities straight?

When starting out, one usually begins working with someone who will mentor them and show the ropes as far as teaching what needs to be done.  There may come a point where the mentoring drops off and you may find yourself on your own as far as deciding what the next course of action is.  Speaking from experience, I find that what works for me is to write a “to-do” list of what I need to get done and give it my best effort to stick to it.  Also, if a subject area comes up that needs attention and study (i.e. marketing), strive to make use of all available resources be it personnel, written, online, whatever and take note of what you need to do to overcome any knowledge shortcomings.   One scenario would be to review any written or online materials that are available from the company that you are working with.  See if they have any guidance on how to solve any problems or difficulties you may be having.  I just re-reviewed some manuals that were provided to me by the company that I am involved with and finally the light bulb came on with regard to additional steps I can take to expand my marketing and advertising.

For some, the extra independence that comes with being an entrepeneur can be a little bit distracting.  You are totally responsible for getting things done and there is no one around to tell you what to do or when to do it.  That’s the beauty of it; you are on your own!  Having a trusted partner to work with is always good because you can share ideas and give each other support.  The person who is working to get themselves established in the world of online business needs to be willing to accept the responsibility, be accountable so that when the diligent effort is put forth, the benefits to be realized will follow.