Career Ramblings

Many people have said that business owners don’t think like regular people. I’d hate to say it, but I’m going to have to agree on this one. People who set up and maintain profitable businesses are thinking in such a way that far exceeds the typical “employee” mindset. After all, managing a successful business is neither easy nor stress-free.

To set up a business takes a bit of courage, determination, and a solid idea of what you want that business to do and how you want it to do it. However, it also takes creativity and a bit of “out of the box” thinking in order to make that business a hit. After all, how many millions of home-based businesses are launched every year, and how many of those actually wind up being a success?

Putting aside cookie-cutter businesses, such as Quixtar or Melaluca, one quickly finds out that there is much more to a successful home based business than a good product or a fancy website. So many different variables come into play, such as marketing knowlege, human relations, networking, and relationship building.

So what does it take to think like a business? Is it real world experience, trial and error, or the help of a good book? Whichever it is, you can get that it didn’t come from laziness and poor work habits, nor did it come from emulation and everyone else.

So I suppose that’s step one: realizing that you have to have something useful or new to offer an already-crowded market. Once you’ve got that down pat the other elements, such as marketing or product awareness, are simply a matter of filling in the blanks (so to speak).

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I approached one of my affiliates the other day and asked them how their campaigns were doing. He wasn’t too thrilled with their performance, and surprisingly told me that he was considering jumping ship and running with a different network. Rather than be concerned (and put on the defensive), I asked him why his campaigns weren’t performing well. Other affiliates were experiencing conversion rates in excess of 40% with identical campaigns, so what was he doing different.

His response surprised me: “I don’t know,” he said, “you’re the authority here. You tell me.”

I wonder what it means to be considered an “authority”. I’m no different than him in the sense that I am nothing more than an affiliate who talks to other affiliates on a daily basis about what programs are converting and how to increase click-through-ratios. I’m certainly not a “guru” in my field, and by no means would I say that I’m an “authority”, yet to these particular individual I was the authority about that specific situation. Interesting…

I think that many people simply see someone as an authority if they happen to know a little bit about a specific industry or topic. Some people are self-branded authorities, while others work their entire careers selflessly and relentlessly seeking to provide quality, correct information about something. Those people are true authorities, not the people that brand themselves an authority to take advantage of someone else’s ignorance.

So, I guess the point of this is to remember that you’re going to be considered an authority by those who know less than you about your industry. As an ethical business-person it is your responsibility not to take advantage of that.

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One thing I’ve always found interesting is that the big businesses - the ones that are worth billions and billions of dollars - never seem to miss a beat. A new trend emerges and you can bet that world-wide giants like Microsoft and Google are going to have some kind of product designed to capitalize on that market.

Well, what happens when one of these mega-corporations makes a mega-mistake? Simple: you cut the crap and get to it, as a friend of mine would say. Let’s use Sony as an example here: The PS3 has been a world-wide success, kind of. Sales are low when compared to the XBOX 360 or the Nintendo Wii, yet the executives are confident in the PS3’s long term success. Why? Because they’re slowly shifting their marketing focus.

Whereas the XBOX is known only as a video game machine, the PS3 is being marketed as a complete home entertainment solution. My PS3, for example, plays blu-ray discs, divX, DVD’s, MP3’s, CD’s, many forms of memory cards (via an attachable USB card reader), and looks might impressive while doing it. In fact, the sheer processing power of this console is nothing short of extra-ordinary, and trust me, blu-ray is everything that it’s being hyped up to be (at least from a users point of view).

Is the PS3 a flop? At the moment, from a gaming perspective, yes. The hardware and software sales are low, and that’s something that Sony is working to correct. But let’s look at it from a different perspective: is the PS3 a flop when compared with blu-ray functionality? No. Recent polls have shown that blu-ray is outselling HD-DVD 2:1, and a large portion of blu-ray receivers are Sony Playstation 3’s. Interesting how that works…

The point that I’m trying to make is that Nintendo and Microsoft hit Sony hard with both of their consoles, yet the PS3 remains a viable and attractive entrant in the market because Sony took the lemons that Nintendo handed them and found another use for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if future consoles would up being able to handle everything from surround sound to video processing all in one tidy package.

Besides, lemonade is overrated.

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So after a huge mash up of my business I’m forced to sit down and completely rethink everything, from product planning to marketing (and literally everything in between). At first I was quite upset by all of this and was finding it hard to think clearly, but then I realized that this change, though solely responsible for the loss of thousands of dollars, will allow me to develop a new business model that will propel me far into the new decade.

Change is good.

Thus, as a motivational tool, I’ve decided to come up with a list of reasons why change is good and why its bad. Everyone needs to keep in mind that change is something that is inevitable, and regardless your feelings towards change it will occur at some point (eventually).

Good Things About Change:

• It Creates Opportunities - As new technology emerges and various markets develop new opportunities for profit will arise. Taking advantage of these situations creates millions of dollars and can propel you from no one to someone (at least in a financial sense). Think of those who realized that domain names were the next evolution of real estate- domaining is now one of the biggest revenue producers on the internet.
• It Keeps People at the Top of Their Game - Without change we’d still be driving fuel guzzling behomeths that are overweight and underpowered. Without change our operating systems would crash randomly (okay, more frequently than they already do). Without change there would be no evolution, no innovation, and no new ideas.
• Anyone Can Cause It - Google was founded by two people who weren’t millionaires or even thousandaires. Look where Google (and its founders) are today. Who says that can’t be you?

Bad Things About Change:
I can’t think of any, can you? At the end of the day, we all have to face it in one form or another, so perhaps its best to simply accept the things we cannot change and inspire those that we can. Hey, there’s a good quote

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This may wind up being a bit of a rant as opposed to an article, but the general idea remains the same. Many people are bred into the idea that “the customer is always right”, and in some industries this may very well be the case. However, for the most part, there’s a limit that a business should be willing to concede before they put emphasis in their needs as well as the customers.

For example, let’s say you’re an affiliate network. Your products are the campaigns that your network presents to its affiliates, and your customers are the advertisers and the affiliates. This type of business is very much a customer service role, but there are other elements as well that many “customers” try to take advantage of. Every day affiliates are hammering me for higher payouts on certain campaigns, or lower volume requirements in order for higher payout eligibility, and after a while it just wears on you.

I’ve found that it takes a bit of work in order to generate mutual respect between the customer and the business. This is important because people need to recognize each other for being good at what they do and completely competent in their respective areas. As an affiliate manager I may approach certain affiliates that I feel could run certain volumes, and as an affiliate I may approach my affiliate manager and ask for deviated payouts. However, in both of those roles it’s important to remember that the person on the other end of the monitor is still a person and not a faceless being.

It’s important that both customers and businesses recognize that the relationships that are built are more valuable than an immediate cost savings or a hike in commission. Money made (and spent) over long periods of time signals longevity.

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I find myself 700 kilometers to the north of where I normally conduct business laying in my hotel bed typing away on my laptop. For the next five days I am by myself alone every evening, with nothing but my thoughts and a few errant responsibilities on my mind. Such is the life of those in business, and as anyone who has to travel for work will tell you, it can get pretty boring.

For that reason I’ve come up with a list of four things that can provide some entertainment when you are away on business. Try them out next time you’re away from home!

• One - http://www.addictinggames.com - A directory of thousands of games that are all entertaining and deceptively addicting (hence the name I suppose). This requires a computer an internet access.
• Two - Sudoku’s - A classic puzzle is undergoing a rebirth. Spend some time trying to solve a few of these and watch the time fly by.
• Three - Writing short stories or poems. If you enjoy writing, the change of scenery may act as a bit of an inspiration for you. I know that I feel inspired when life throws a curve ball at me.
• Four - Find a local coffee shop or pub and relax. Getting out of your hotel room and relaxing somewhere else can be more peaceful than the hotel room could ever be. I can’t quite explain it, but I find that I am able to relax much easier when I’ve got a pint or a mocha.

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• Free Business Cards.
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Rather than my usual article (of excellent quality, no doubt ;)), I thought today would be a great day to put up some quotes, musings, and observations about local and international business. Do you have something that would fit in here? I’d love to hear it!

• “In Canada, the 10th largest city has less than 500,000 people. Why would we expand into that market?” - Scion dealer in Southern USA via telephone.
• “You can say on one hand the market is crazy but it’s not 1999. People have had their medicine from overexuberance. I find it really interesting that those two businesses, Yahoo! and Google, which are just online advertising businesses, are valued at more than the media behemoths in America.” - James Packer.
• “Nearly 84% of statistics are made up on the spot.” - Fact
• “The market is over saturated and doesn’t need another weight loss solution. I don’t see any possibility of profit with appetite suppression products nor their derivatives.” - Marketing professor at MRC in Calgary, AB in May of 2003.
• “Well my market strategy was to put together a magazine that I myself would enjoy as a reader. I edited the magazine for myself. it was a handbook for the urban male.” - Hugh Hefner
• “Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing.” - Tony Blair

Time to sit down with a coffee and the morning newspaper- enjoy your Saturday!

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• Free Business Cards.
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Some people wake up and do the three S’s (shower, shave, and… well, you probably know what comes next), while others shower in the evening. Me? I can’t do anything without the morning shower and smoothie. Ever since I was a wee lad I’ve been preached to about the wonders and the importance of the early morning meal. Breakfast, apparently, is the cornerstone to success.

Funny, because I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually taken the time to prepare and eat breakfast. My smoothie (generally a fantabulous blend of strawberry/blue berries or banana/strawberry) has become the morning meal, jam-packed with 175 calories and plenty of fiber, essential acids, and a bit of protein whey for good measure. But that’s not a breakfast. Breakfast is eggs, bacon, with toast and jam; cereal with a muffin and milk; fresh fruit and a couple of eggs. That’s breakfast.

There’s more to a morning than breakfast, and while I rant off about what breakfast is and isn’t, many people don’t even realize how a few adjustments in the morning could be the difference between a good day and a bad one.

For example:

• Shower - Many people shower the night before, and while that is certainly fine for hygienic purposes it lacks something… just something that makes it an essential part of any morning. I hit the shower in the mornings and I am immediately refreshed- I’m ready to rock and roll all the way to my home office!
• Shave - This applies more to men than women, but a good shave is a great way to start the day. Get yourself looking like a million bucks and then go out there and make it!
• Exercise - Many people find that a brief cardio workout in the morning is a great way to wake up. Scientifically, its proven to boost the metabolism (promoting weight loss) and set the metabolic rate for the day. I see this as a winner!
• The Newspaper - Ahh yes, an old favorite. Get up, pour a glass of OJ, and then read what’s going on in the world today (or last night).

The point here is that your early morning ritual is important, and every now and then a change is good. Try it: if you normally shower at night, try showering in the morning for a week. See if it makes a difference in how you feel. You never know when you may stumble on to something great!

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• Free Business Cards.
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He said/she said, they said/I said, we all said drama. No matter where you go, office politics and drama will follow. Someone will decide not to like you because you looked at them wrong or because they simply don’t like your name; someone will say that you said something that you didn’t; and someone is going to try to get you fired.

Ahh yes, welcome to the corporate world. If I could count how many times I’ve had meetings with my superiors because someone has opened their mouth and accused me of something that I’ve never done. In reality, I go to work and do my job. I try my hardest not to get involved with internal power struggles or social misgivings. I don’t complain, I don’t spread rumors, and I don’t talk unless I have to. It’s not wonder that I’ve been called the “perfect employee” before.

Nipping drama in the butt is what’s important, as ending it before it has the opportunity to manifest itself as something ridiculous is the only surefire way to make sure that you aren’t adversely affected by it. Some concrete truths about office drama are:

• You’re involved - Whether you like it or not, you’re involved. The key to keeping your involvement to a minimum to express to anyone and everyone else that you aren’t interested and that you want to part of anything. The moment that you take a side (or even here someone out) you’re opening yourself up to an entire series of possible accusations. Don’t even go there.
• It’s universal - It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re working as you can never escape it. Every office seems to have its own unique mix of drama and theatrics. Unless you are completely unable to work as a result of it there’s no sense in leaving your position because of it- trust me, it’s the same somewhere else.
• It’s manipulative - Behind every dramatic event is someone trying to cause problems. It’s manipulation at its finest and I’d recommend that you don’t become victim.

Having problems at work? Talk to your superiors about it and express that you only want to be able to do your job in peace. Your employers are looking for people who come to work to work, not chat and cause problems. Good luck.

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• Free Business Cards.
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In my previous posting, I wrote about Virtual PO Boxes. Another similar handy service I use for my own business is a lockbox, which is something my bank offers. It is basically a PO Box I use just for checks that are mailed to me, like for affiliate payments or invoice payments. I get over 100 checks like this a month, and with the lockbox my bank automatically deposits the checks to my bank account on a daily basis, and then sends me copy of each check for my records. Before I had a lockbox, I had to go to the bank several times a week to deposit checks (yes, I know, if having to go deposit money is my biggest problem in life, then I have it easy). Also, one time before I had the lockbox, I was out of town for 3 weeks, and checks piled up in mailbox but I had no cash in my bank account and I bounced some checks due to automated payments that were taken out while I was gone. So, having a lockbox solves this problem.

For larger companies, another advantage of a lockbox is that you start getting interest right away on the checks you receive. Instead of having checks sit in a pile on your desk for several days earning no interest until you make a trip to the bank to deposit them, you start getting interest on them right away with a lockbox.

Sometimes a company will enclose a letter or notice with the checks. My bank forwards those to me, so that is not a problem. The only downside to a lockbox is that it is expensive. I pay around $200/month, although there are probably ways to get one cheaper.

I was looking to get a PO Box last week for one of my businesses, and I found an even better service that might interest anybody with a home business. A PO Box works well, but if you move later in life then you need to deal with changing your PO Box address. Plus, you need to take time to go get the mail from the PO Box every few days.

Earthclassmail.com solves all of this. They give you a PO Box address, and scan all your mail onto the Web for you so you can read it online. You can then choose to have each piece of mail forwarded to you or thrown out (or shredded). You can even choose to get a street address instead of a PO Box, which is handy for getting Fedex type mail or for filling out forms that don’t allow you to use a PO Box. All of this for $14.95/month.

I signed up for 2 of their boxes, but won’t start using them for a few weeks. But, I did login to their systema and so far it looks good.

Hey everyone;

I took roughly 10 days off and flew across the country to visit some friends and family. I had a great time, filled with mechanical bull riding, tequila shooters, candid moments on the lake, relaxing drives, and a complete revitalization of my mind, body, and business soul. I also realized that the vacation, being something that I haven’t done for years, is a very necessary part of the modern business atmosphere. If you find yourself starting stress about work, deadlines, and the people that you work with on a daily basis, do yourself a favor and run away for a little while.

Rather than my usual article of motivation or business style, this article is all about the vacation. Specifically, here are a few things that [i]everyone[/i] should do while on vacation:

• Play with a Nintendo Wii - There’s something innately relieving about the Nintendo Wii, so make sure that it’s on your to-do list. Heck, this post was written on one (the 3.1 update allows you to use USB keyboards and other funky accessories with your Wii, which effectively transforms it into a TV/Internet/Gaming machine).
• Have a beer - In no way am I saying to go out and get sloshed, but rather that you shouldn’t be afraid to indulge every now and again in beverages of the alcoholic nature. Sit back, relax, and crack open a cold one.
• Forget something important - For me, I completely forgot to call my family and let them know that I was going to be across the country. Imagine the surprise of my girlfriend and my father when they come to my door to find me strangely absent… for the third day in a row. For you, it may be something such as forgetting to write that report or neglecting to take care of that memo. So long as your mind are off of things it qualifies.
• Dance - I can almost hear the collective moan of every single North American man that is reading this post. Yes, dance. Dancing is a great workout, releases those “happy hormones”, and if you can get half decent at it, attracts members of the opposite sex. So get those comfy shoes on and get dancing!

I’d like to apologize for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Like millions of others, I rely on spell-check and proofreading to catch my errors, and when you’re writing on a Wii it’s darn-near impossible to do either. Oh well, I have a margarita calling my name.

Taa!

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• Free Business Cards.
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You want to get rich, right? Of course you do, and you know what, I want you to get rich! In business, money and profits is the name of the game. Other things, such as ethics or social responsibility, come second to the almighty dollar. Alright, all jokes aside, I want to talk about something a little more serious. Specifically, I want to talk about home business.

Home business is a popular topic for me simply because that’s what I do- I work from home. I don’t have a 9-5, and I’m actually writing this post sitting in my underwear, listening to AC/DC, and wondering if I should follow my girlfriends advice and shave my chest hair. It’s 9:30 in the morning and I’m doing what I love.

The point of this article is to outline the three steps that I followed to go from earning nothing per month to earning a reasonable salary that affords me the freedom and ability to enjoy my life. Surprisingly, it’s neither difficult no challenging. It is simply work and determination.

• Step One - The Idea:

What do you have to offer consumers or businesses that has value? If you are an excellent writer, perhaps it’s freelance writing. If you are a capable web programmer, freelance web design. If you are a shrewed business person, you may find success as a broker or an arbitrager.

Sit down and think about what you could offer that had both quality and value. Once you’ve got that idea, determine how you can replicate it so that you know what your volume capabilities would be.

• Step Two - Early Clients:

The first few clients that you have will be crucial in establishing your credibility. If you have opened up an online store, for example, it will solidify your legitimacy to your customers. If you’ve become a freelance writer, it will show that you’re capable of producing a good product in a timely manner.

The first clients are also the hardest to get. Promote yourself rapidly and perhaps offer discounts to those early adopters of your product. Word of mouth will quickly spread, and with it your business and eventual success.

• Step Three - Repetition:

Once you’ve discovered how you do business, how much volume you’re capable of, and how the market receives you product, the last step is simply about repetition. Take what you’ve done and do it again! Chances are good that you’ll be receiving re-orders from previous clients as well as word of mouth, but don’t forget to continue to advertise and promote yourself and your business.

This applies to anything, from labor, to arbitrage, to MLM’s, to affiliate marketing.

Never forget that anything worth having is also worth the struggle to achieve it. I launched many businesses (and consequent failures) before I realized that I was making it much more difficult than it needed to be. Don’t make that mistake.

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• Free Business Cards.
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I know someone who has been doing the same management job for 18 years. Now in his late 40’s, this person has become burnt out and very frustrated with his job. As he has said to me, “how can someone do something for almost 20 years and not go insane?”

For that reason alone it is important that you vary your responsibilities from time to time. Keeping your tasks varied and interesting will prevent you from beginning to feel bored and underemployed. This is akin to a child beginning to have bad grades because they are not being challenged enough in school- eventually, you just begin to let yourself slip, and the quality of your work will begin to suffer as a result. From an employment point of view, that is a very bad turn of events and is something that should be avoided.

Taking new responsibilities on can be just as frustrating if you aren’t prepared to handle them properly. Before you approach your boss about taking new responsibilities, take some time to prepare yourself accordingly:

• Assess how new responsibilities will affect your career goals – this is important for the long run. If you are taking on new responsibilities for the sake of doing so, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. There’s a to be gained, but also a lot to be lost if you weren’t as ready for it as you thought you were.
• Determine what new responsibilities you are capable of doing – Before approaching your employer with your proposal, figure out what you can actually do. This is important for obvious reasons, as well as the fact that you want to be showing that you can perform varied and rounded tasks. Doing so will further establish your value with the company.

  There are a few ways that you can figure out what you’re good at. The easiest is to simply focus on the things you enjoy doing – accounting, for example – and moving a step beyond that. If you enjoy accounting, perhaps you’ll enjoy financial planning or corporate tax work.

• Prepare a justification – Your employer is going to have to decide whether or not you are ready to take on new challenges (and any associated raises in pay that come with them). Chances are good that they’re going to want to know why you want to try new things.

  Be honest, as they will appreciate the sincerity of your reasoning. After all, it’s unlike that they would want to be doing the same thing for lengthy periods of time.

Once you have been given the green light, make a gradual adjustment to your schedule and workload. Dumping everything on yourself at once is a good way to burn yourself out faster than you need to. Take the time to learn the mechanics behind your new tasks, how much time it will take you to accomplish them, and any special arrangements that you will need to make in order to do your new jobs well.

Recommended Downloads:

• Free Business Cards.
• Free Business Plan Template.

Everyone dreams of starting up the multi-million dollar business that they can run from anywhere in the world: their car, their hotel room, and yes, their home. Don’t shake your head and act as if you haven’t thought about how great it would be to get up and work in your underwear because we both know that you have.

In the past, MLM’s were the “best” way to accomplish this, as to get started in business you needed a front, something to sell, and a face that people could recognize you by. In that situation, your home simply wouldn’t do, and MLM’s thrived because of it. Amway, at it’s peak, ran middle class America- there’s no sense in denying it.

Today the world is jumping on the internet bandwagon and the result is the creation of thousands of millionaires. There’s never been a better time to launch an internet business. Well, before you pour your life savings into a website, you should know three things:

• Online business is NOT easy - There are thousands of eBooks and sales pages that will tell you just how easy it is to make money online. Before you waste your money, know this: it is not half as easy as it looks. You will face challenges with your online business that will stump and frustrate you. Your ability to overcome those challenges will determine your success.
• There is a LOT of competition - Oh yes, the dreaded “c” word. Thousands of other people are launching internet businesses every year- it’s an almost guarantee that there’s someone out there already doing what you are. Luckily, the internet is a big place.
• Myopia will guarantee your failure - Want to know how to fail before you begin? Limit your market. Don’t ever forget just how big the internet really is.

Recommended Downloads:

• Free Business Cards.
• Free Business Plan Template.