A while ago people lived in small villages and if you did anything 'immoral' or wrong pretty much everyone would eventually find out. The 'peer pressure' kept most people moral.
Then the world started moving towards cities and people moving away from their close families. They were able to be 'anonymous' in the big city. They could do 'immoral' things and not embarass their families. Now however the world is once again getting small. Through the use of technology, web, blogs, facebook etc it is easy to be 'found out'. It is not so easy to 'hide' and be a fake person to different people. You can not keep different personas from different people in your life.
Its harder to be one way infront of your parents and another in front of your friends. If you are a 'fake' it is easier to be found out and you are not going to enjoy the ride. This is why some politiicians don't enjoy what they do as they might maintain one image in public and another in private. Or why rockstars might get depressed as they feel they are meant to be a certain way but in fact they are 'normal' guys like everyone else.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Helping the developing world
If you are reading this blog chances are that you were given a 'head start' in life. If you aren't originally from an english speaking country than you had the 'privelaged' education which enabled you to learn english.
Although english might be the language for business and the language that a vast amount of books/knowledge are written in it or are translated into it. Imagine though that you are Kenyan and your mother tongue is Swahili. To get some of the latest and greatest thinking you first have to learn english and then shell out the money for the book/knowledge. The world is stacked up against you as the chances are you can't affort the $20 on Amazon and also you will be learning in a foreign language.
Books/knowledge can be sold at differential prices. For instance my first book I intend to charge $10-$20 for the english version and the Urdu/Hindi/Other language that is likely to have most of the people not be able to afford it for free or a nominal fee.
Authors and others can 'give back' or donate to the world in this way. Publish their work in english/french/german etc for the normal fee but then 'give back' a translation in a 'likely to be poor economically' language for free. E.g. let publishers or book printers print it for free without copyright. This is how more of the 'bottom of the pyramid' might be able to get out of the bottom. Obviously you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink....
Although english might be the language for business and the language that a vast amount of books/knowledge are written in it or are translated into it. Imagine though that you are Kenyan and your mother tongue is Swahili. To get some of the latest and greatest thinking you first have to learn english and then shell out the money for the book/knowledge. The world is stacked up against you as the chances are you can't affort the $20 on Amazon and also you will be learning in a foreign language.
Books/knowledge can be sold at differential prices. For instance my first book I intend to charge $10-$20 for the english version and the Urdu/Hindi/Other language that is likely to have most of the people not be able to afford it for free or a nominal fee.
Authors and others can 'give back' or donate to the world in this way. Publish their work in english/french/german etc for the normal fee but then 'give back' a translation in a 'likely to be poor economically' language for free. E.g. let publishers or book printers print it for free without copyright. This is how more of the 'bottom of the pyramid' might be able to get out of the bottom. Obviously you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink....
Be confident
Business is all about creativity. Creativity is all about confidence. Do you think that Picasso could have really been an artist if he didn't have confidence?
He needed confidence to be able to show his, some might say weird, paintings to other people and get them to buy them. If you don't have too much confidence - would you ever show anyone your 'weird paintings'? You might get made fun of and people might think that you are weird.
As business and life basically is an art you have to have confidence in yourself that your 'weirdness' is something you are comfortable with. Just because other people don't see things from your point of view doesn't mean that you are wrong.
Confidence gives you the ability to follow through with your ideas.
He needed confidence to be able to show his, some might say weird, paintings to other people and get them to buy them. If you don't have too much confidence - would you ever show anyone your 'weird paintings'? You might get made fun of and people might think that you are weird.
As business and life basically is an art you have to have confidence in yourself that your 'weirdness' is something you are comfortable with. Just because other people don't see things from your point of view doesn't mean that you are wrong.
Confidence gives you the ability to follow through with your ideas.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The art of leaving phone messages
When leaving a phone message consider things from the listner's point of view. For instance, when I leave a message I use the format:
"Hi John, this is Amir calling from txtfo. My number is +44 7970 49 6624. John I was calling you about X. So again I would appreciate it if you could call me. Once again its Amir calling from +44 7970 49 6624".
So firstly I have said the name of the person I am calling (everyone loves hearing their name). Secondly, I have left them my number. This is so that they can listen to the whole message and if I leave my number just at the end of the call and they don't catch it the first time they will have to listen to the whole message again before getting it.
Then I let them know what the call is concerning as brief as possible (or I could just ask them to return my call). I then leave my number again at the end so they should hopefully have a pen by now to write the number down.
Obviously when leaving my number I say it very slowly and clearly so they get a chance to write it down. If you are uncomfortable with your voice (or even if you think it is Okay) I would recommend reading a couple of books on improving it, such as this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speak-Influence-Unlock-Hidden-Power/dp/0966430255/ref=pd_bbs_4/203-3830988-4050358?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191973812&sr=8-4.
You can also take singing lessons or other voice coaches to help you. The general advice though is to be standing when you are speaking and also to be smiling (it come across in your calls!).
Again your comments/tips to this post appreciated!
"Hi John, this is Amir calling from txtfo. My number is +44 7970 49 6624. John I was calling you about X. So again I would appreciate it if you could call me. Once again its Amir calling from +44 7970 49 6624".
So firstly I have said the name of the person I am calling (everyone loves hearing their name). Secondly, I have left them my number. This is so that they can listen to the whole message and if I leave my number just at the end of the call and they don't catch it the first time they will have to listen to the whole message again before getting it.
Then I let them know what the call is concerning as brief as possible (or I could just ask them to return my call). I then leave my number again at the end so they should hopefully have a pen by now to write the number down.
Obviously when leaving my number I say it very slowly and clearly so they get a chance to write it down. If you are uncomfortable with your voice (or even if you think it is Okay) I would recommend reading a couple of books on improving it, such as this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speak-Influence-Unlock-Hidden-Power/dp/0966430255/ref=pd_bbs_4/203-3830988-4050358?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191973812&sr=8-4.
You can also take singing lessons or other voice coaches to help you. The general advice though is to be standing when you are speaking and also to be smiling (it come across in your calls!).
Again your comments/tips to this post appreciated!
The art of email
Emails have become a critical form of communication. If you can be a better emailer you will not only receive more responses but you can also be more convincing in getting someone to take action.
Firstly, start with the subject. Always put a subject on your emails - it makes it easier for the person to find your email at a later date if they know what you were reffering to in the subject. Obviously make the subject relevant to what you are writing about and keep it short.
Ideally your emails will be no more than five lines. Get to the point as quickly as possible, the longer your email the less it is likely to be read. If there are many points to cover consider using bullet points - otherwise by the time the person has read the whole thing they might forget your first couple of points. One good thing I read about writing in general was Barbara Minto's "The Pyramid Principle". A summary can be found here: http://www.12manage.com/methods_minto_pyramid_principle.html.
Consider ending your email with the action that you want, e.g. "would a meeting at 2 pm Wednesday October 12th suit you?". When inserting a date (e.g. 12th Oct) consider putting the day of the week as well (it makes it easier for the person responsding to know if it is on a Wednesday rather than a Friday for instance).
As with anything just put a little thought into your emails and they will improve over time. You will come up with your own tips and 'best practices' on writing these. Please also add some of your tips to the comments field of this post so I can also improve my writing!
Firstly, start with the subject. Always put a subject on your emails - it makes it easier for the person to find your email at a later date if they know what you were reffering to in the subject. Obviously make the subject relevant to what you are writing about and keep it short.
Ideally your emails will be no more than five lines. Get to the point as quickly as possible, the longer your email the less it is likely to be read. If there are many points to cover consider using bullet points - otherwise by the time the person has read the whole thing they might forget your first couple of points. One good thing I read about writing in general was Barbara Minto's "The Pyramid Principle". A summary can be found here: http://www.12manage.com/methods_minto_pyramid_principle.html.
Consider ending your email with the action that you want, e.g. "would a meeting at 2 pm Wednesday October 12th suit you?". When inserting a date (e.g. 12th Oct) consider putting the day of the week as well (it makes it easier for the person responsding to know if it is on a Wednesday rather than a Friday for instance).
As with anything just put a little thought into your emails and they will improve over time. You will come up with your own tips and 'best practices' on writing these. Please also add some of your tips to the comments field of this post so I can also improve my writing!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Volunteer yourself
If you want to be successful in your life/career, learn to start volunteering or doing things for free. Its often ironic how people will be willing to spend thousands of dollars on an education at university but when it comes to getting educated for free they won't do it.
Everytime you volunteer for a position - for instance setting up a charity or running a student or employee committee you will gain invaluable experience or contacts. Some of my best learnings about leadership and life has been through volunteering for these little clubs that people inevitably don't volunteer for. You get to be in a small organisation making decisions on behalf of everyone and you will usually end up working with the most passionate people in the organisation. These are the ones that 'care' enough to volunteer their time. The payback from these sorts of activities comes well into the future - you will make contacts and grow other parts of your wealth.
If you would like to get into marketing volunteer to work for someone for free. Learn and build up your resume. If you do a good enough job they will either start paying you or at least provide you a testimonial to take to the next customer. Once you have done enough 'freebies' you will eventually start making decent money. Remember that society usually expects you to pay for an education and then you start making money. Getting an education from giving away your time is cheaper than having to pay for this education. You will meet better people, learn more and have more fun than watching TV and doing nothing with your time.
Everytime you volunteer for a position - for instance setting up a charity or running a student or employee committee you will gain invaluable experience or contacts. Some of my best learnings about leadership and life has been through volunteering for these little clubs that people inevitably don't volunteer for. You get to be in a small organisation making decisions on behalf of everyone and you will usually end up working with the most passionate people in the organisation. These are the ones that 'care' enough to volunteer their time. The payback from these sorts of activities comes well into the future - you will make contacts and grow other parts of your wealth.
If you would like to get into marketing volunteer to work for someone for free. Learn and build up your resume. If you do a good enough job they will either start paying you or at least provide you a testimonial to take to the next customer. Once you have done enough 'freebies' you will eventually start making decent money. Remember that society usually expects you to pay for an education and then you start making money. Getting an education from giving away your time is cheaper than having to pay for this education. You will meet better people, learn more and have more fun than watching TV and doing nothing with your time.
Pick the right customers
Imagine you are running a donut shop and a customer comes in and pokes his finger in six donuts before purchasing one. This customer has probably put off other customers from purchasing your products and damaged your merchandise. You don't need or want customers like this.
Not every customer is a good or profitable customer. Learn to say 'no'. Some customers take too much of your time for too little revenue. Imagine a customer going into Wal-mart or Tescos and taking up an hour of a shelf-stackers time on every visit asking them where to find the bread and other item and then arguing that the supermarkets are charging too much. If they ended up buying the bread and spending $1 while taking up $10 worth of time from the shelf-stacker working in the store - this isn't a customer you want.
Also some customers will just be a ache to work with - if they are giving abuse to your employees or just causing you stress in dealing with them, perhaps its time to learn to say 'no' to the money and move onto someone else. Some customers might spend hardly anything with you but they will be the ones that you want. For instance they might just come in once a month to buy bread from you - but they will have 100s of friends that they will tell how good your store is. These small spending customers might be more valuable than your biggest spending customers. Just as customers pick their supplier, suppliers also need to pick their customers.
Not every customer is a good or profitable customer. Learn to say 'no'. Some customers take too much of your time for too little revenue. Imagine a customer going into Wal-mart or Tescos and taking up an hour of a shelf-stackers time on every visit asking them where to find the bread and other item and then arguing that the supermarkets are charging too much. If they ended up buying the bread and spending $1 while taking up $10 worth of time from the shelf-stacker working in the store - this isn't a customer you want.
Also some customers will just be a ache to work with - if they are giving abuse to your employees or just causing you stress in dealing with them, perhaps its time to learn to say 'no' to the money and move onto someone else. Some customers might spend hardly anything with you but they will be the ones that you want. For instance they might just come in once a month to buy bread from you - but they will have 100s of friends that they will tell how good your store is. These small spending customers might be more valuable than your biggest spending customers. Just as customers pick their supplier, suppliers also need to pick their customers.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Embarrass yourself
One way that you can prepare yourself for going for the things that you really want is to go out and embarrass yourself. Do something completely stupid that would embarrass you. Get used to the feeling of being 'embarrassed'. What you'll soon find is that the thought of being embarrassed is often much worst than when you actually do the act and become embarrassed.
Trip yourself, spill beer on yourself, go do karaoke, take an acting class, make a video doing something stupid and send it to your friends. Often times the thought of embarrassment holds us back from trying the things that we would like to try. Once you break through the barrier and realise that no one really cares about you but you, you'll more likely do things. Get over the fear of public speaking or leading a group. Once in a while fall flat on your face - just so you see its never as bad as you thought it was going to be. And if it is as bad as you thought it was going to be than it will build your tolerance to embarrassment. If you've gone for a TV interview and your fly was open than learn to laugh at yourself. Make fun of yourself and realise from your mistakes (maybe next time you'll check your zipper before going live on air).
Realize that it could happen to anybody and that "these things don't always do you". Enjoy and laugh at yourself and realise that most people might have not even taken the chance to come on TV with the fear that they would mess up (just like you did!). Remember that the next time you go on TV it will become easier if you have already 'messed up' - it couldn't go any worse than last time.
Trip yourself, spill beer on yourself, go do karaoke, take an acting class, make a video doing something stupid and send it to your friends. Often times the thought of embarrassment holds us back from trying the things that we would like to try. Once you break through the barrier and realise that no one really cares about you but you, you'll more likely do things. Get over the fear of public speaking or leading a group. Once in a while fall flat on your face - just so you see its never as bad as you thought it was going to be. And if it is as bad as you thought it was going to be than it will build your tolerance to embarrassment. If you've gone for a TV interview and your fly was open than learn to laugh at yourself. Make fun of yourself and realise from your mistakes (maybe next time you'll check your zipper before going live on air).
Realize that it could happen to anybody and that "these things don't always do you". Enjoy and laugh at yourself and realise that most people might have not even taken the chance to come on TV with the fear that they would mess up (just like you did!). Remember that the next time you go on TV it will become easier if you have already 'messed up' - it couldn't go any worse than last time.
Be a minimilist
As you go through life you start collecting a lot of clutter - should you keep your college books and notes, souvenirs from your travels, various pieces of paper you collect that might one day be important, photos etc?
Generally you should try to be a minimilist - "if in doubt, throw it out". The more stuff you collect over the years the less room your brain has to absorb new material. Think about your clothes closet - if you can clear out shirts you haven't worn for over a year (and its not a tux or a special occasions outfit) than get rid of it. The only thing you really need to collect over the years is the contact details of the friends you make. A linkedin, myspace or facebook account can help you manage these.
As the joke goes - if a cluttered desk represents a cluttered mind, what does an clear desk represent? The clear mind will help you think through ideas and also will stop you from finding excuses of why not to get started.
Generally you should try to be a minimilist - "if in doubt, throw it out". The more stuff you collect over the years the less room your brain has to absorb new material. Think about your clothes closet - if you can clear out shirts you haven't worn for over a year (and its not a tux or a special occasions outfit) than get rid of it. The only thing you really need to collect over the years is the contact details of the friends you make. A linkedin, myspace or facebook account can help you manage these.
As the joke goes - if a cluttered desk represents a cluttered mind, what does an clear desk represent? The clear mind will help you think through ideas and also will stop you from finding excuses of why not to get started.
The Dabbler, the achievers and the masters
I got this material from Anthony Robbins a while ago and I liked his analysis of the three types of people:
The dabbler
The dabbler likes to try things out. One day they will pick up golf and for the first two weeks they will love it. Eventually though they will hit a plateau in their learning and once this happens they will switch the sport. Perhaps now start tennis - again this will be fun for a couple of weeks but eventually once they hit the plateau and can't improve anymore they will switch to squash or whatever else they can. They spend their life dabbling in things - never getting anywhere far.
The achiever
Most of us probably fall into the achiever category. We'll start a sport like tennis and once we hit the plateau we will stress about it and struggle through until you finally break the plateau and start improving again. Although you keep getting to where you want there will be a lot of stress and struggle involved.
The masters
The masters will simply find the best person they can and teach them how to get better. If you are learning tennis than see how Roger Fedderer plays and learn with him. Instead of stressing through the plateau and eventually figuring out yourself how to improve this method makes it a lot less stressful. Obviously not everyone can have Fedderer teach them (nor are the best always the best teachers) but you should look within your own environment for the best person to teach you. Perhaps you want to lose weight or train for the marathon - then look for the fittest person at your work to help you with this. Don't pick people at your level but people way above your level to help you out. The better the level you train with the better you will be.
The dabbler
The dabbler likes to try things out. One day they will pick up golf and for the first two weeks they will love it. Eventually though they will hit a plateau in their learning and once this happens they will switch the sport. Perhaps now start tennis - again this will be fun for a couple of weeks but eventually once they hit the plateau and can't improve anymore they will switch to squash or whatever else they can. They spend their life dabbling in things - never getting anywhere far.
The achiever
Most of us probably fall into the achiever category. We'll start a sport like tennis and once we hit the plateau we will stress about it and struggle through until you finally break the plateau and start improving again. Although you keep getting to where you want there will be a lot of stress and struggle involved.
The masters
The masters will simply find the best person they can and teach them how to get better. If you are learning tennis than see how Roger Fedderer plays and learn with him. Instead of stressing through the plateau and eventually figuring out yourself how to improve this method makes it a lot less stressful. Obviously not everyone can have Fedderer teach them (nor are the best always the best teachers) but you should look within your own environment for the best person to teach you. Perhaps you want to lose weight or train for the marathon - then look for the fittest person at your work to help you with this. Don't pick people at your level but people way above your level to help you out. The better the level you train with the better you will be.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Remember you once wanted to be a fireman
As a 20,30,40 or 50 something it can often be a challenge to figure out 'what you want from life'. There are so many options but what do you want to be, are you in the right career? You are meant to 'know your purpose' and follow it - but how do you figure it out?
The important thing to remember is that what you think you want now from your life might not be what you want from your life in 5 years time. Its Okay to have an hypothesis of where you see yourself going and where you want to be. Remember that when you were 5 years old you might have wanted to be a fireman, at 12 a professional wrestler at 18 an entrepreneur, at 22 a partner in a law firm and now perhaps an entrepreneur or a restaurant owner. Once you make an hypothesis test it out. Go talk to people who have done what you are about to do. Is it really all roses like you think? Or is it going to take way too long and going to be way harder than you are willing to sacrifice?
Don't worry if the hypothesis keeps changing - you will start getting to know yourself better. Maybe even try keeping a journal of what you are thinking and where you want to go - you might start learning about yourself and this is still learning which is invaluable. You might feel like you are working in circles and not knowing what you want but infact everything that you seriously investigate and go down gets you closer to your goal. I am talking about if you actually do something about it - not just think through in your head - give someone a call, research the web or visit a company. This will help you determine your goals and validate your hypothesis - if you still want to be a fireman than go for it.
Writing down your goals will also help you out - it will prevent you from changing your goals all the time. Often when trying to achieve a goal you will reach hurdles and your goal will seem too difficult to achieve - these are the times to review your goals - if you hadn't written it down you might just take the easy way out and switch your targets.
The important thing to remember is that what you think you want now from your life might not be what you want from your life in 5 years time. Its Okay to have an hypothesis of where you see yourself going and where you want to be. Remember that when you were 5 years old you might have wanted to be a fireman, at 12 a professional wrestler at 18 an entrepreneur, at 22 a partner in a law firm and now perhaps an entrepreneur or a restaurant owner. Once you make an hypothesis test it out. Go talk to people who have done what you are about to do. Is it really all roses like you think? Or is it going to take way too long and going to be way harder than you are willing to sacrifice?
Don't worry if the hypothesis keeps changing - you will start getting to know yourself better. Maybe even try keeping a journal of what you are thinking and where you want to go - you might start learning about yourself and this is still learning which is invaluable. You might feel like you are working in circles and not knowing what you want but infact everything that you seriously investigate and go down gets you closer to your goal. I am talking about if you actually do something about it - not just think through in your head - give someone a call, research the web or visit a company. This will help you determine your goals and validate your hypothesis - if you still want to be a fireman than go for it.
Writing down your goals will also help you out - it will prevent you from changing your goals all the time. Often when trying to achieve a goal you will reach hurdles and your goal will seem too difficult to achieve - these are the times to review your goals - if you hadn't written it down you might just take the easy way out and switch your targets.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Make Your Own Movie
Whatever happened in your past, is happening now or is about to happen is a part of your own movie. You are the script writer, cast selector, actor, director and editor of your own movie. What you say and what you do you are completely in charge of. Don't forget in your movie of your own life you are incharge of the casting. You can decide who you want in your movie and who you don't. If there are people which you don't like so much why are they getting so much air time in your movie? All the characters you see in your movie and how much airtime you give them is completely up to you.
As the director you can always choose which view you want to take of life. The same scene can be interpreted in so many different ways. Will you choose the view that shows you as 'the loser' or the 'winner'. You can edit out the scenes you don't want from your memory and not focus on those. Instead you can focus on the good or positive things that have happened to you.
If you think of your life as a movie and one that you are in complete control of you will enjoy it more and ensure it stays interesting.
As the director you can always choose which view you want to take of life. The same scene can be interpreted in so many different ways. Will you choose the view that shows you as 'the loser' or the 'winner'. You can edit out the scenes you don't want from your memory and not focus on those. Instead you can focus on the good or positive things that have happened to you.
If you think of your life as a movie and one that you are in complete control of you will enjoy it more and ensure it stays interesting.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Watch your burn rate
A friend of mine came to me with "the billion dollar" idea and wanted four of us to join instantly. This is before the technology of this micro-electronic product is complete or we have a trial with a paying customer. On the other hand another startup I know has 23 people working on it and only two are fulltime. They are just about to sign a multi-million pound deal with a large customer and then they will be ready to get a lot more people on board.
When you have your great idea I would not put all eggs in one basket. See if you can all do the business part time first. Otherwise see the least amount of people go fulltime as possible. Suppliers can take a long time to deliver the technology, customers can take a long time to sign a contract. If your burn rate (amount you spend on salaries and other expenses every month) is high than you are going to be a lot more stressed about bringing the product to market. Things will always take longer than you thought (although it will seem like the world is going to explode with your products anyday). Get people working on 'sweat equity' (no salary, but shares of business instead) as much as possible. The basics of business is that "cash is king" so ensure you are as stingy as possible.
Perhaps you are a couple that want to give up your jobs to start the dream business. My advice would be to have both of you work on it part time, than for one of you to quit your job while the other continues to bring in the steady income and finally when you are sure that you can't survive without both of you going fulltime than to quit your job. Depending on what you are earning it might even be better to hire someone junior to do the task you would be doing and train them because you are earning more on your day job than a person with the skills you require.
If your job does not enable you to work on evenings or weekends on your dream business than perhaps its time to take an easier job, potentially with a paycut so that you can work on your business.
When you have your great idea I would not put all eggs in one basket. See if you can all do the business part time first. Otherwise see the least amount of people go fulltime as possible. Suppliers can take a long time to deliver the technology, customers can take a long time to sign a contract. If your burn rate (amount you spend on salaries and other expenses every month) is high than you are going to be a lot more stressed about bringing the product to market. Things will always take longer than you thought (although it will seem like the world is going to explode with your products anyday). Get people working on 'sweat equity' (no salary, but shares of business instead) as much as possible. The basics of business is that "cash is king" so ensure you are as stingy as possible.
Perhaps you are a couple that want to give up your jobs to start the dream business. My advice would be to have both of you work on it part time, than for one of you to quit your job while the other continues to bring in the steady income and finally when you are sure that you can't survive without both of you going fulltime than to quit your job. Depending on what you are earning it might even be better to hire someone junior to do the task you would be doing and train them because you are earning more on your day job than a person with the skills you require.
If your job does not enable you to work on evenings or weekends on your dream business than perhaps its time to take an easier job, potentially with a paycut so that you can work on your business.
If you wanna help, become wealthy
A lot of us might think that money is evil and is for the bad guys. The fact is that money is a measure of how much you have helped the world and how much potential you have to help other people. What poor people need is money or the knowledge on how to make it - if you have done this yourself than you can help. Bill Gates can help more people than anyone else around today.
Gates' wealth is also determined by how many people he has helped. Because his software is on millions of peoples' computers helping them be productive, he has a lot of money. The Google founders were also able to add value to millions of peoples lives so they have now got billions of dollars. Money can be used as a yardstick of how much you have helped people and how few people can do what you do. A brain surgeon gets paid a lot more than a shoe shine boy as very few people can operate on a brain.
The more unique the qualities you have and the more people you can help the higher your bank account will be. This will also inturn give you the freedom to help anyone you please in many different ways. You can also be wealthy by knowing a lot of people (you can connect people) or through having a lot of knowledge. The best way to help people is to become wealthy yourself.
Gates' wealth is also determined by how many people he has helped. Because his software is on millions of peoples' computers helping them be productive, he has a lot of money. The Google founders were also able to add value to millions of peoples lives so they have now got billions of dollars. Money can be used as a yardstick of how much you have helped people and how few people can do what you do. A brain surgeon gets paid a lot more than a shoe shine boy as very few people can operate on a brain.
The more unique the qualities you have and the more people you can help the higher your bank account will be. This will also inturn give you the freedom to help anyone you please in many different ways. You can also be wealthy by knowing a lot of people (you can connect people) or through having a lot of knowledge. The best way to help people is to become wealthy yourself.
Little things will make a big difference
When starting out on your business or career it is important to note that the little things that you think no one might notice will actually eventually make a big difference. I was at a restaurant yesterday where the waiter kept the bottle of wine off the table so that he had to pour it for us everytime. Unfortunately, he wasn't around a lot to pour so our glasses were often empty this was lost revenue because if we were drinking faster we might have ordered another bottle. At a different restaurant the waitress could have left the mineral water on the table but she kept keeping our glasses full so we were more likely to purchase another bottle.
Pizza hut significantly increased their revenues by asking "would you like some garlic bread with that order?" (or any other specific suggestion). These little things can impact your revenue significantly. At your job when someone asks you for something and you can't do it, for instance you don't have the time or the knowledge,than it is better to suggest an alternative person or method of completing the goal than to simply say "no". This leaves the other person a lot more likely to come back to you in the future "John might not be able to help me but at least he will know someone who can..."
Pizza hut significantly increased their revenues by asking "would you like some garlic bread with that order?" (or any other specific suggestion). These little things can impact your revenue significantly. At your job when someone asks you for something and you can't do it, for instance you don't have the time or the knowledge,than it is better to suggest an alternative person or method of completing the goal than to simply say "no". This leaves the other person a lot more likely to come back to you in the future "John might not be able to help me but at least he will know someone who can..."
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Business is an art
Just as every painting is different, so is every business. Once you start your career or your business you might get paranoid that you are not "doing the right thing". You shouldn't have taken the role you are currently on as it might not lead to the position of CEO or the fact that you should have pursued opportunity A instead of opportunity B as it would probably have led to C quicker.
The fact is that business is an art. There is no one right way to go. A painter starts with a blank canvas and then it is up to her to paint what she wants. If Leonardo Da Vinci had decided to paint the Mona Lisa as a blonde will it have made a difference to the price of the painting? Would it have been as famous or would it have been even more famous? The truth is that we will never know. He could have named her 'Jane Smith' or painted a man instead. We will never know if it might have done as well or better.
The same is true of your career or business decisions. It is what you make of it that will determine how well you do in your career or business. Keep moving forward and look forward to complete your own painting. You might start off thinking that you would like to have blue background but later decide that you would like a red background than you are free to do so. It is your painting. Obviously it is better to have an outline of what you would like the picture to look like before you begin - the more complete the easier it will be to make decisions. The clearer the picture you have in your mind the easier it will be to paint.
The fact is that business is an art. There is no one right way to go. A painter starts with a blank canvas and then it is up to her to paint what she wants. If Leonardo Da Vinci had decided to paint the Mona Lisa as a blonde will it have made a difference to the price of the painting? Would it have been as famous or would it have been even more famous? The truth is that we will never know. He could have named her 'Jane Smith' or painted a man instead. We will never know if it might have done as well or better.
The same is true of your career or business decisions. It is what you make of it that will determine how well you do in your career or business. Keep moving forward and look forward to complete your own painting. You might start off thinking that you would like to have blue background but later decide that you would like a red background than you are free to do so. It is your painting. Obviously it is better to have an outline of what you would like the picture to look like before you begin - the more complete the easier it will be to make decisions. The clearer the picture you have in your mind the easier it will be to paint.
Keep your bitchometer low
Keeping your bitchometer low is about limiting the amount you complain about in life. Its so easy to 'bitch' about anything. The service was slow, the people drive like maniacs, the food was cold, the people were boring, the company doesn't pay enough, the travel is a bitch.
If you find yourself bitching about life too much take a look at your 'bitchometer'. How many times do you bitch per day? What is your hourly bitching rate? Write down all the things that you have to bitch about. If you really can't see anyway out of it then change your job, your city, your house or your friends.
The fact is that chances are you can change one or all of the above but in the long term it isn't going to change the rate of bitching. Some people will always find something to bitch about. This isn't such a bad thing but if you really hate your job and you are starting to bitch about it than either change it or find the things that you do like about it and focus your energies on this. Try to keep your bitchometer as low as possible. You can also do this by hanging out with people with a low bitchometer. The people with high bitchometers typically don't like the low bitchometer people so be aware that they will influence the rate of your own bitchometer.
If you find yourself bitching about life too much take a look at your 'bitchometer'. How many times do you bitch per day? What is your hourly bitching rate? Write down all the things that you have to bitch about. If you really can't see anyway out of it then change your job, your city, your house or your friends.
The fact is that chances are you can change one or all of the above but in the long term it isn't going to change the rate of bitching. Some people will always find something to bitch about. This isn't such a bad thing but if you really hate your job and you are starting to bitch about it than either change it or find the things that you do like about it and focus your energies on this. Try to keep your bitchometer as low as possible. You can also do this by hanging out with people with a low bitchometer. The people with high bitchometers typically don't like the low bitchometer people so be aware that they will influence the rate of your own bitchometer.
People are bored
Most people most of the time are bored. They have a boring class they are going through or a boring job that they do everyday. Most people that interact with them just do things as they are expected of them. You go to Starbucks and order a coffee and the server will tell you what you owe them and give you a coffee. You go on the airline and take your seat and the airplane safety announcement will be the same as it has always been. Your supplier calls you and gets straight to the point without asking about you or telling you an interesting fact or a humourous story. You call a customer and you do a routine 'how are you, the wife the kids' before asking for the order. This is all boring and doesn't add to anyone's day.
Life is meant to be interesting. People want to be entertained. This is why sitcoms are popular on TV. Think of Sienfeld. Nothing much happens on the show but they make funny comments here and there and try something unusual which keeps the rest of us entertained. You should also try to make your life into a sitcom. Something that other people will love to watch what you do during your normal life. People will love interacting with you. The fact is that you will bring sitcom to their lives. It doesn't matter if it is your boss, your employee, your client or your supplier. People love to do what they do but have some entertainment go with it.
For instance when sending an email to a friend why not make something out of their name? I have a friend named: Mike Winn, but I call him Mikerosoft Winndows. My own name I change when signing signatures: Amirski, Amirican Express, Amirican Dream, Amiracle etc...It's just a little way but it makes you different. Also if you think of someone elses name and make something 'funny' out of it, it shows that you spent time thinking about them - people love it when you think about them. Because frankly, no one thinks about them really.
When looking for what next to do with my career, I looked at everything including investment banking. The fact is that this is probably not me but to go through this experience felt like a sitcom. The reactions I would get from friends - what are you doing, it would retrict your creativity etc.... - but I think if you treat everything as a sitcom with a goal than it makes things more interesting. It also means that you will enjoy your own life and not take everything so seriously. It will get done but just with more fun.
Life is meant to be interesting. People want to be entertained. This is why sitcoms are popular on TV. Think of Sienfeld. Nothing much happens on the show but they make funny comments here and there and try something unusual which keeps the rest of us entertained. You should also try to make your life into a sitcom. Something that other people will love to watch what you do during your normal life. People will love interacting with you. The fact is that you will bring sitcom to their lives. It doesn't matter if it is your boss, your employee, your client or your supplier. People love to do what they do but have some entertainment go with it.
For instance when sending an email to a friend why not make something out of their name? I have a friend named: Mike Winn, but I call him Mikerosoft Winndows. My own name I change when signing signatures: Amirski, Amirican Express, Amirican Dream, Amiracle etc...It's just a little way but it makes you different. Also if you think of someone elses name and make something 'funny' out of it, it shows that you spent time thinking about them - people love it when you think about them. Because frankly, no one thinks about them really.
When looking for what next to do with my career, I looked at everything including investment banking. The fact is that this is probably not me but to go through this experience felt like a sitcom. The reactions I would get from friends - what are you doing, it would retrict your creativity etc.... - but I think if you treat everything as a sitcom with a goal than it makes things more interesting. It also means that you will enjoy your own life and not take everything so seriously. It will get done but just with more fun.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
If you can't change it, make it a feature
In marketing if you can't change something you make it a feature. Listerine 'the taste you hate twice a day'. This can also be your thing - if you really see something that makes you stick out and can be seen as a 'weakness' than you can turn it into a strength by differentiating yourself. If for instance you are in a wheelchair and pursuing a career where you are the only person in a wheelchair than you can make a few light-hearted jokes about it so that people can feel comfortable that you are comfortable.
You can then pursue the "wouldn't it be great if the company had a person in a wheelchair on the board of directors" to show its diversity type of angle. Firstly, you do have to truly believe that whatever your differences are, are not standing in the way of you being successful. That you can do the job as good as and if not better than everyone else. Than turning it into an advantage is your prerogative to take.
You can then pursue the "wouldn't it be great if the company had a person in a wheelchair on the board of directors" to show its diversity type of angle. Firstly, you do have to truly believe that whatever your differences are, are not standing in the way of you being successful. That you can do the job as good as and if not better than everyone else. Than turning it into an advantage is your prerogative to take.
Practice all the time
When I used to speak out in front of a crowd I often used to say 'ummm', 'like', 'you know' and other 'filler words' which doesn't sound too professional. A friend of mine gave me a tip to not use those filler words during my regular conversations with friends. This was a great tip - why not perfect your speaking when you are with friends or one on one situations rather than going up in a public speaking situation and expecting it to be perfect?
This can apply to other things as well - when you have your business idea you should rehearse when a friend asks you about your idea. Although it might not be as important as when pitching for your biggest customer you should treat it like it is your biggest customer. Soon your pitching will become a lot smoother and you will have faced all the objections. The same is true if you are always practicing the way you speak - if you become conscious of your 'ummms' and 'ahhhs' you will automatically start to do it less.
An actor does not go on stage without having rehearsed and as Shakespeare suggests that the world is a stage you need to get as much practice in as possible - don't just wait for the big moments.
This can apply to other things as well - when you have your business idea you should rehearse when a friend asks you about your idea. Although it might not be as important as when pitching for your biggest customer you should treat it like it is your biggest customer. Soon your pitching will become a lot smoother and you will have faced all the objections. The same is true if you are always practicing the way you speak - if you become conscious of your 'ummms' and 'ahhhs' you will automatically start to do it less.
An actor does not go on stage without having rehearsed and as Shakespeare suggests that the world is a stage you need to get as much practice in as possible - don't just wait for the big moments.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Don't be first to market.
Entrepreneurs often think that being first to market is a big advantage as they will corner the market. The fact is that being first to market is a big disadvantage. Being first to market means that you will have a huge learning curve and waste a lot of time in learning what works and what doesn't. Your competitors in the mean time can save a lot of time and money learning from your mistakes.
Most of the great products you use today were not the first to market. The ipod, iphone, google, Microsoft's Operating system or Sony Playstation came after other people had innovated in some way. These companies just did it better.
The fact is that almost any idea you have is being done in some shape or form. Do not get disheartened as you can make your product or idea better than what is out there - and even if you are not better than you can pick a niche that the competitor is not targeting (a different geography, market segment etc..) or you might just build a better brand or have better marketing than the competitor.
Even if you think you are first to market do as much research as you can to find companies that have developed a similar product or similar business model. Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from others.
Most of the great products you use today were not the first to market. The ipod, iphone, google, Microsoft's Operating system or Sony Playstation came after other people had innovated in some way. These companies just did it better.
The fact is that almost any idea you have is being done in some shape or form. Do not get disheartened as you can make your product or idea better than what is out there - and even if you are not better than you can pick a niche that the competitor is not targeting (a different geography, market segment etc..) or you might just build a better brand or have better marketing than the competitor.
Even if you think you are first to market do as much research as you can to find companies that have developed a similar product or similar business model. Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from others.
Just order it
I read somewhere that the average American reads less than two books a year, while the average CEO reads over 50 books a year. In theory, the average CEO is likely to be much busier than the average American, yet they seem to make the time to read.
Even if you are not an avid reader you can start by ordering four books a month from Amazon. This will probably set you back $100 a month. You might not even read a lot of them, but you will at least skim them to get a good idea of their advice and perhaps the ones you particularly find interesting you will also take the time to read. Books cover almost every topic you could possibly be interested in. Better presentation skills, more confidence, marketing, making friends, better relationships, better interview skills, finding out what you want from life, goal setting, better body, improving your golf swing, better dancing, humour etc...
Each of these books the author has some insights. They have taken the time to research and what could take you years to work out on your own, the author presents to you so that within a couple of hours you get 80 % of what they have taken years to learn.
At school we were taught not to cheat - but this is cheating your way through life.
Even if you are not an avid reader you can start by ordering four books a month from Amazon. This will probably set you back $100 a month. You might not even read a lot of them, but you will at least skim them to get a good idea of their advice and perhaps the ones you particularly find interesting you will also take the time to read. Books cover almost every topic you could possibly be interested in. Better presentation skills, more confidence, marketing, making friends, better relationships, better interview skills, finding out what you want from life, goal setting, better body, improving your golf swing, better dancing, humour etc...
Each of these books the author has some insights. They have taken the time to research and what could take you years to work out on your own, the author presents to you so that within a couple of hours you get 80 % of what they have taken years to learn.
At school we were taught not to cheat - but this is cheating your way through life.
Multitasking is not the way forward
You always hear that the modern manager has to multi-task and that this is the way forward. I also used to think this and was one of those people with 10 internet explorer windows open at any one time, with another 5 email windows and then talking on the phone. I was proud of the fact that I could do so much simultaneously.
What I have discovered is that multitasking is not the way forward. When you don't complete things one at a time you end up spending a lot of energy revisiting old tasks. For instance, if you are reading 3 books at one time it will take you a bit of time to regain where you left off the last time you put one of the books down. Also you have to regather your 'bearings' when you restart the task.
The best method I have discovered is the 'one touch' method. As soon as you touch something like an email or a letter to finish the task straight away. Rather than putting it aside and then restarting the task at a later stage - which will require more energy - complete the task straight away. This way you feel less stressed and the task is more likely to be completed on time and the stress of it is more likely to not stay with you.
What I have discovered is that multitasking is not the way forward. When you don't complete things one at a time you end up spending a lot of energy revisiting old tasks. For instance, if you are reading 3 books at one time it will take you a bit of time to regain where you left off the last time you put one of the books down. Also you have to regather your 'bearings' when you restart the task.
The best method I have discovered is the 'one touch' method. As soon as you touch something like an email or a letter to finish the task straight away. Rather than putting it aside and then restarting the task at a later stage - which will require more energy - complete the task straight away. This way you feel less stressed and the task is more likely to be completed on time and the stress of it is more likely to not stay with you.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Pick your own race
Today I did the triathalon in Lausanne. I was one of the last to finish and was initially embarrassed at how far behind the main crowd I was. But then I realised that life is about competiting against yourself. We all pick our own races in life and if we never want to lose than we can choose not to enter the race or only compete against people we are better than.
We are thaught in school to compete. You might be on a curve against the people in your class - so if they do better you do worse. The fact is that in school you don't really have a choice to pick your competition but when you enter the real world you can pick your opponents. You might be in a job that is a little easy for you so that now you can 'shine' against the colleages that you are against. You might choose not to race in the division above as in your current division you are in the top tier.
There will always be people who are better than you - if it is not in your county, than perhaps in your country or the world. You need to pick what level you are competing at and remind yourself that it is not the end of the world if you don't win - the fact is in life you will lose more often than you will win - otherwise you are not picking the right races.
We are thaught in school to compete. You might be on a curve against the people in your class - so if they do better you do worse. The fact is that in school you don't really have a choice to pick your competition but when you enter the real world you can pick your opponents. You might be in a job that is a little easy for you so that now you can 'shine' against the colleages that you are against. You might choose not to race in the division above as in your current division you are in the top tier.
There will always be people who are better than you - if it is not in your county, than perhaps in your country or the world. You need to pick what level you are competing at and remind yourself that it is not the end of the world if you don't win - the fact is in life you will lose more often than you will win - otherwise you are not picking the right races.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Impress yourself
We often do things to impress other people - whether it be parents, members of the opposite sex, siblings or friends. When you begin to do things to impress yourself you will begin to be more in control of your life. If you try to be funny and the other person doesn't laugh than you might get down on yourself. But when you tell a joke to humour yourself it doesn't matter if the other person didn't find it funny - you still walk away okay and if they laugh it is a bonus. This way you aren't reliant on them not having a bad day or any other factor.
For instance you might do somethings to solely impress your parents but what happens if one of them passes away? Will you lose your sence of purpose in life? Same with if you are trying to do it to impress a girl - what happens if she finds another man or leaves you? Will you have no other reason to 'perform' anymore?
When you do things to impress yourself you always have a sence of purpose. The fact is no one thinks about you as much as you think about you. What you do to impress yourself is usually aligned to what impresses the people around you anyway - but if you are with the 'wrong' crowd than this won't affect you. People are impressed by different things in life: how much money you earn, what car you drive, how many friends you have, how many shots of tequila you can down, how many cigarettes you can smoke, how good you are at basketball, your ability to play on the playstation.
There are endless things that you can impress 'them' with but until you know what you want and how to impress yourself than you won't have a direction you can go. The fact is in many things you might be underselling yourself if you only do things to impress 'them'. You might impress them by playing college basketball level - but you know you can enter the NBA. 'They' might be impressed just by the fact that you are the best player on the playground.
For instance you might do somethings to solely impress your parents but what happens if one of them passes away? Will you lose your sence of purpose in life? Same with if you are trying to do it to impress a girl - what happens if she finds another man or leaves you? Will you have no other reason to 'perform' anymore?
When you do things to impress yourself you always have a sence of purpose. The fact is no one thinks about you as much as you think about you. What you do to impress yourself is usually aligned to what impresses the people around you anyway - but if you are with the 'wrong' crowd than this won't affect you. People are impressed by different things in life: how much money you earn, what car you drive, how many friends you have, how many shots of tequila you can down, how many cigarettes you can smoke, how good you are at basketball, your ability to play on the playstation.
There are endless things that you can impress 'them' with but until you know what you want and how to impress yourself than you won't have a direction you can go. The fact is in many things you might be underselling yourself if you only do things to impress 'them'. You might impress them by playing college basketball level - but you know you can enter the NBA. 'They' might be impressed just by the fact that you are the best player on the playground.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Manage Your Own Brand
One of my professors, Corey Billington (at IMD), gave an interesting tip. Every big celebrity brand has two adjectives that we associate with them (Margaret Thatcher: Iron lady, Bill Clinton: Charasmatic Democrat, Paris Hilton: Goodtime partying etc...). We should all get the two adjectives that relate to us as well.
Firstly find the two adjectives that you want associated with you (e.g. people person, IT expert, good presenter, funny, doer, creative, intelligent, charming, nice, friendly, organised etc...). Then take a guess at what people think of you. What image do people have of you in the organisation? Find this out by asking people who don't know you so well. These are people that you have "hello, hi" terms with but maybe don't see all the time. If you can survey 30 or so of these people you will see a patern emerging.
If there is a gap in what you want them to think of you and what they think of you than there might be an image problem. This isn't something you can fix overnight but if you are aware of it at least you can work on it.
Once you have the adjectives it is good to be consistent with them. If you are not consistent than people are not going to know what you stand for and will find it harder to designate a certain task to you (e.g. if Walmart is low cost and sometimes it sells things that are very expensive than it is going to confuse the consumers). If you are known for being a people person and you lose your temper than its going to hurt your brand. With a consistent brand your salary might increase as people will know to call on you and rely on you when they need your type of skills.
Firstly find the two adjectives that you want associated with you (e.g. people person, IT expert, good presenter, funny, doer, creative, intelligent, charming, nice, friendly, organised etc...). Then take a guess at what people think of you. What image do people have of you in the organisation? Find this out by asking people who don't know you so well. These are people that you have "hello, hi" terms with but maybe don't see all the time. If you can survey 30 or so of these people you will see a patern emerging.
If there is a gap in what you want them to think of you and what they think of you than there might be an image problem. This isn't something you can fix overnight but if you are aware of it at least you can work on it.
Once you have the adjectives it is good to be consistent with them. If you are not consistent than people are not going to know what you stand for and will find it harder to designate a certain task to you (e.g. if Walmart is low cost and sometimes it sells things that are very expensive than it is going to confuse the consumers). If you are known for being a people person and you lose your temper than its going to hurt your brand. With a consistent brand your salary might increase as people will know to call on you and rely on you when they need your type of skills.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Wealth is not just about the money
When I first started writing this book and when I first started my journey I thought it was all about making money. Once I've had a chance to reflect I can see what life is actually about is creating wealth. The word 'wealth' includes money but it also includes friends, family, experiences, knowledge and harmony.
If you go just for the money eventually you might even get the money - but what are you going to do with it? How much will be enough and are you ready to wait another 30 years to reach your milestone and not be happy until you get their? What happens if this becomes so central to your life that if it doesn't happen you feel that you have 'wasted' your life? You may build up your empire but a tornado might wipe it out - could you say 'no big deal, I enjoyed the journey anyway'.
The fact is that you need to enjoy the journey to creating wealth. All of these things are intertwined anyway. If you have a good home life you are going to perform better at work. The more friends you have, the bigger your network and the network will lead to more success in your business (or making money).
Experiences will make you a more interesting person, which means that more people will want to be your friend and your network will grow. Also you would have experienced the ups and downs of life so will be more prepared for any business situations. You will be better at dealing with people - which means you will be a better employee, boss, salesperson etc...
Ultimately wealth in all these areas is what you should strive for. The fame and money can be an empty definition of wealth - witness all the rock stars that committ suicide when they seem to have it all. You need to find your internal harmony.
Don't worry if you are not there yet. It is a journey which will require many deadends before you get to a path that is at least moving in the right direction. A lot of people realise that they are not in harmony, but also realise that to get on the right path it might require many steps 'backwards' (e.g. changing jobs to less initial pay). The fact is that if you know you are going the wrong direction, moving faster will not get you there faster. Check the directions once in a while and make sure you are going on the right course. This might require you to do a U-turn and then get on the right track - that's okay, at least you are moving towards where you want to go. And yes you might feel that you are 'behind the others' but the fact is that you are just competing agaist youself - not your high school or university or work friends. Harmony is a subjective thing and what you require in your life might be different from what 'they' require.
If you go just for the money eventually you might even get the money - but what are you going to do with it? How much will be enough and are you ready to wait another 30 years to reach your milestone and not be happy until you get their? What happens if this becomes so central to your life that if it doesn't happen you feel that you have 'wasted' your life? You may build up your empire but a tornado might wipe it out - could you say 'no big deal, I enjoyed the journey anyway'.
The fact is that you need to enjoy the journey to creating wealth. All of these things are intertwined anyway. If you have a good home life you are going to perform better at work. The more friends you have, the bigger your network and the network will lead to more success in your business (or making money).
Experiences will make you a more interesting person, which means that more people will want to be your friend and your network will grow. Also you would have experienced the ups and downs of life so will be more prepared for any business situations. You will be better at dealing with people - which means you will be a better employee, boss, salesperson etc...
Ultimately wealth in all these areas is what you should strive for. The fame and money can be an empty definition of wealth - witness all the rock stars that committ suicide when they seem to have it all. You need to find your internal harmony.
Don't worry if you are not there yet. It is a journey which will require many deadends before you get to a path that is at least moving in the right direction. A lot of people realise that they are not in harmony, but also realise that to get on the right path it might require many steps 'backwards' (e.g. changing jobs to less initial pay). The fact is that if you know you are going the wrong direction, moving faster will not get you there faster. Check the directions once in a while and make sure you are going on the right course. This might require you to do a U-turn and then get on the right track - that's okay, at least you are moving towards where you want to go. And yes you might feel that you are 'behind the others' but the fact is that you are just competing agaist youself - not your high school or university or work friends. Harmony is a subjective thing and what you require in your life might be different from what 'they' require.
An employee can be rich
I often hear that if you want to be really rich you need to setup your own business. The fact is that this is simply not true. You can do it by working for a company or a business that you didn't start yourself or own. In 2007, the CEO of ExxonMobil made $500 million. He didn't start the company, take too much risk but simply worked his way up. There are not too many entrepreneurs that can claim to make that much money in one year. The fact is that he has made money every year he has been working - no going broke or risk of going bankrupt at any moment.
Either you work for a company or a career path (e.g. Investment Banking where the bonuses can be in the millions) where you can make a lot of money or a lot of people simply have a second career. This could be for instance in the property business. Buying, refurbishing and then Selling second homes or perhaps in the stock market. The fact is your main job gives you a base, a security and a routine. It could be your main income but you can also look to make money on the side. With the stable income it is easier for banks to give you a mortgage and security that you won't go broke if things don't work out.
The fact is that many people simply love their work so don't necessarily want to leave it. Work gives you a strucured environment to socialise and meet with other people. It gives you a sence of purpose and belonging. Leaving it can be tough and you may not want to do it.
At work you just need to understand the game. How does it all work and how do you 'win'? Know and understand the culture. For instance working for an investment bank might mean that wearing jeans to work could hurt your career whereas at Google wearing a suit would give you dirty looks from your colleagues and hurt your career prospects.
All the same principles about running your own business still apply to the the employment world. For instance you can write out the organisational structure and know internally who the connectors are. You still need to market and sell yourself continously. Once you know you are in charge of your own business (i.e. you are the product) than your motivation and performance will also increase.
Give now, you may take later
Often people only call you when they need something. This isn't the best and you often feel 'used'. The point is to build up account with everyone
It's how you look at it
One CV has Michael Jordan - 2,333 points in first season, MVP 6 times, won championship 6 times. Earns $50 per year.
The other 'CV' says: Didn't make the high school basketball team. Dropped by minor league baseball team after first season. Missed 3,444 shots on basket. Turnedover 44 times. Divorced.
The fact is that anything is how you look at it. Often times we only see the 'good' persona of people and we think that everything is perfect for them while we focus on the anti-CV about ourselves. Remember that Michael Jordan isn't going to go tell the world about how many shots he missed but will focus on the the ones that went in. You do the same thing in a job interview - why not do it with your internal self too?
Either you work for a company or a career path (e.g. Investment Banking where the bonuses can be in the millions) where you can make a lot of money or a lot of people simply have a second career. This could be for instance in the property business. Buying, refurbishing and then Selling second homes or perhaps in the stock market. The fact is your main job gives you a base, a security and a routine. It could be your main income but you can also look to make money on the side. With the stable income it is easier for banks to give you a mortgage and security that you won't go broke if things don't work out.
The fact is that many people simply love their work so don't necessarily want to leave it. Work gives you a strucured environment to socialise and meet with other people. It gives you a sence of purpose and belonging. Leaving it can be tough and you may not want to do it.
At work you just need to understand the game. How does it all work and how do you 'win'? Know and understand the culture. For instance working for an investment bank might mean that wearing jeans to work could hurt your career whereas at Google wearing a suit would give you dirty looks from your colleagues and hurt your career prospects.
All the same principles about running your own business still apply to the the employment world. For instance you can write out the organisational structure and know internally who the connectors are. You still need to market and sell yourself continously. Once you know you are in charge of your own business (i.e. you are the product) than your motivation and performance will also increase.
Give now, you may take later
Often people only call you when they need something. This isn't the best and you often feel 'used'. The point is to build up account with everyone
It's how you look at it
One CV has Michael Jordan - 2,333 points in first season, MVP 6 times, won championship 6 times. Earns $50 per year.
The other 'CV' says: Didn't make the high school basketball team. Dropped by minor league baseball team after first season. Missed 3,444 shots on basket. Turnedover 44 times. Divorced.
The fact is that anything is how you look at it. Often times we only see the 'good' persona of people and we think that everything is perfect for them while we focus on the anti-CV about ourselves. Remember that Michael Jordan isn't going to go tell the world about how many shots he missed but will focus on the the ones that went in. You do the same thing in a job interview - why not do it with your internal self too?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The art of people
Getting along with people is probably one of the greatest skills you can acquire in life. You can be bad at everything else but if you can master the art of people you will get what you want out of life and a lot faster than you ever thought.
Do not panic if you don't think you are a 'natural'. The art of people is not a "either you have it or you don't" thing. It can be learnt just like any other skill - you just have to work on it.
Firstly, look at people that you like to hang out with. These probably have a few things in common - they make you feel good about being yourself and perhaps are funny.
There are no 'tricks' to this but you have to learn to be you - just with more skill. If you are not being authentic than you are not going to be yourself
Making people feel good
This just requires that you look at things from other peoples prepectives and you pay attention to what they say/want.
Do not panic if you don't think you are a 'natural'. The art of people is not a "either you have it or you don't" thing. It can be learnt just like any other skill - you just have to work on it.
Firstly, look at people that you like to hang out with. These probably have a few things in common - they make you feel good about being yourself and perhaps are funny.
There are no 'tricks' to this but you have to learn to be you - just with more skill. If you are not being authentic than you are not going to be yourself
Making people feel good
This just requires that you look at things from other peoples prepectives and you pay attention to what they say/want.
Take a guess at what you really want
"What do I really want" is such a difficult question to answer. The fact is that most of us don't know what we really want. And this target is a moving target anyway. Perhaps you want your own three bedroom house. Once you achieve it you might want a five bedroom house. Once you get that you might want a car, a relationship, a cappacino a whatever....
Humans are meant to have a moving target in life it keeps us sane and interested in life. So don't worry if you don't really know what you want from life. Take a guess and go for it. It might be that after doing some research you find out that this wasn't what you really wanted but at least you know that you are choosing to not pursue this goal rather than having it being choosen for you.
Humans are meant to have a moving target in life it keeps us sane and interested in life. So don't worry if you don't really know what you want from life. Take a guess and go for it. It might be that after doing some research you find out that this wasn't what you really wanted but at least you know that you are choosing to not pursue this goal rather than having it being choosen for you.
Don't sell yourself short
So what is stopping you from making it? Let me guess (tick all that apply:)
- you don't have enough experience,
- you don't have enough contacts,
- you are too young,
- too old
- don't have enough money
- you got a D in math class when you were 14
- you got abused as a kid
- your parents didn't love you enough
- you didn't have any parents
- you are in the wrong neighborhood
- in the wrong country
- at the wrong time (or too late to get into the game)
- have missed the boat
- didn't go to the right school
- don't have an MBA
- you are too short
- too tall
- not good looking enough
- have the wrong name
- you have the wrong skin
- the wrong religion
- don't have a university degree
....
The list is endless of the reasons why you cant do what you want to do. The fact is that we all have our reasons that we have convinced ourselves of of why we aren't where we want to be.
When things weren't going right for Txtfo I started to give myself these 'excuses' as well. I thought my prospects aren't buying because I have the wrong name 'Amir Ahmad' is just too muslim sounding in this post 9-11 world. I'm not going to be able to generate enough PR. This must be the reason. The fact was that I was where I was and I was looking for the excuses. You will be amazed at how when things aren't going right you will find the 'real reason' why you are where you are and not where you want to be.
The first step to this is acklowedging your 'excuses'. I encourage you to put down right here on this page what your excuses are. Think of the irrational and the rational reasons. Yes it might be a fact that you are broke but just write all the reasons down. To help you on your way here are a typical set of 'excuses' (sometimes known as 'limiting beliefs') that you have.
Now that you have put them down look for reasons why this shouldn't matter. Do some of your own research on 'successful people' that have accomplished despite these limitations. For instance Napoleon Bonnepearte was short, Colonel Sanders was in his 60s when he started KFC, Michael Dell started Dell with $1,000, Franklin D. Rooselvelt had polio and was wheelchair bound.
The fact is if you don't think you can do it, you won't be able to do it. You have to recognise your shortcomings and acklowledge that they are there. I am not suggesting that if your skin colour happens to be black that you are actually changing that and not becoming black. Or that if you are 4 foot 7 that all of a sudden you are going to gain a foot in height. What I am saying is that the first step is to know yourself and know your own situation.
Take the next step
The next step is to know how you might be able to use these 'shortcomings' to your advantage or how you can counteract these. For instance, if you are black and feel that there is racism in the world than also realise that there are a lot of groups/people/organisations that will want you to succeed because you are black. There are funds available to help black businesses. Use them (if you feel appropriate). In my experience people do have stereotypes but the thing that probably stops you achieving more is your own internal mindset. It is the fact that when you see a potential client all you can think is that she won't buy from me because I'm black/muslim/short/fat etc... Yes people look at you from the outside and make judgements about you depending on the last experience they had with a black/muslim/short/fat person or what they have heard about these groups. But the fact is very few people actually stick with their first impressions.
Think about yourself. You probably also judge people from the outside. You might think the Japanese are hardworking and polite, the Americans are loud, the Brits are welmannered(or hooligans depending on what you have read recently), the Pakistanis good looking (okay I inserted this one). But the fact is that when you spend sometime with these people you are easily swayed and might think that Japanese are polite in general but this guy is plain rude.
Why do we stereotype? Because it saves us time. It is impossible to get to know everyone well. We need to make some judgements quickly. We buy from Tesco's because we stereotype the fact that they will sell us something at a cheaper price. On some of their products they might make bigger margins and be more expensive that. But you trust on most things they will be cheaper.
As far as other factors such as not having enough contacts, money etc... These are all things that you can work on. You have to know that there is an art to everything. Just as you wouldn't expect a brain surgeon to start operating on you without some education you can't make way on your other 'shortcomings' without some education. I don't mean that you have to have a degree or go to school for this. You need to learn from books, people, the internet wherever you can to help you solve the problem. This book will show you how to get started in some areas but ultimately it is up to you to take the next steps and teach yourself. There are no excuses - you do have access to the internet at least.
- you don't have enough experience,
- you don't have enough contacts,
- you are too young,
- too old
- don't have enough money
- you got a D in math class when you were 14
- you got abused as a kid
- your parents didn't love you enough
- you didn't have any parents
- you are in the wrong neighborhood
- in the wrong country
- at the wrong time (or too late to get into the game)
- have missed the boat
- didn't go to the right school
- don't have an MBA
- you are too short
- too tall
- not good looking enough
- have the wrong name
- you have the wrong skin
- the wrong religion
- don't have a university degree
....
The list is endless of the reasons why you cant do what you want to do. The fact is that we all have our reasons that we have convinced ourselves of of why we aren't where we want to be.
When things weren't going right for Txtfo I started to give myself these 'excuses' as well. I thought my prospects aren't buying because I have the wrong name 'Amir Ahmad' is just too muslim sounding in this post 9-11 world. I'm not going to be able to generate enough PR. This must be the reason. The fact was that I was where I was and I was looking for the excuses. You will be amazed at how when things aren't going right you will find the 'real reason' why you are where you are and not where you want to be.
The first step to this is acklowedging your 'excuses'. I encourage you to put down right here on this page what your excuses are. Think of the irrational and the rational reasons. Yes it might be a fact that you are broke but just write all the reasons down. To help you on your way here are a typical set of 'excuses' (sometimes known as 'limiting beliefs') that you have.
Now that you have put them down look for reasons why this shouldn't matter. Do some of your own research on 'successful people' that have accomplished despite these limitations. For instance Napoleon Bonnepearte was short, Colonel Sanders was in his 60s when he started KFC, Michael Dell started Dell with $1,000, Franklin D. Rooselvelt had polio and was wheelchair bound.
The fact is if you don't think you can do it, you won't be able to do it. You have to recognise your shortcomings and acklowledge that they are there. I am not suggesting that if your skin colour happens to be black that you are actually changing that and not becoming black. Or that if you are 4 foot 7 that all of a sudden you are going to gain a foot in height. What I am saying is that the first step is to know yourself and know your own situation.
Take the next step
The next step is to know how you might be able to use these 'shortcomings' to your advantage or how you can counteract these. For instance, if you are black and feel that there is racism in the world than also realise that there are a lot of groups/people/organisations that will want you to succeed because you are black. There are funds available to help black businesses. Use them (if you feel appropriate). In my experience people do have stereotypes but the thing that probably stops you achieving more is your own internal mindset. It is the fact that when you see a potential client all you can think is that she won't buy from me because I'm black/muslim/short/fat etc... Yes people look at you from the outside and make judgements about you depending on the last experience they had with a black/muslim/short/fat person or what they have heard about these groups. But the fact is very few people actually stick with their first impressions.
Think about yourself. You probably also judge people from the outside. You might think the Japanese are hardworking and polite, the Americans are loud, the Brits are welmannered(or hooligans depending on what you have read recently), the Pakistanis good looking (okay I inserted this one). But the fact is that when you spend sometime with these people you are easily swayed and might think that Japanese are polite in general but this guy is plain rude.
Why do we stereotype? Because it saves us time. It is impossible to get to know everyone well. We need to make some judgements quickly. We buy from Tesco's because we stereotype the fact that they will sell us something at a cheaper price. On some of their products they might make bigger margins and be more expensive that. But you trust on most things they will be cheaper.
As far as other factors such as not having enough contacts, money etc... These are all things that you can work on. You have to know that there is an art to everything. Just as you wouldn't expect a brain surgeon to start operating on you without some education you can't make way on your other 'shortcomings' without some education. I don't mean that you have to have a degree or go to school for this. You need to learn from books, people, the internet wherever you can to help you solve the problem. This book will show you how to get started in some areas but ultimately it is up to you to take the next steps and teach yourself. There are no excuses - you do have access to the internet at least.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Favours are the new currency.
In the old days people used to trade goods with each other. I might have traded a kilo of carrots for your kilo of potatoes. This meant that I could focus on growing carrots and you could focus on growing potatoes.
Once money came along people didn't need the relationship part any more as I could sell my carrots, get some money and go to anyone to but some patatoes for a standard price.
Now the currency for small businesses is networking. There is no 'currency amount' you can put on most of your trades - but what goes around, comes around. Remember to not be "Sell-fish" and only look for people to pitch to and see what you can get out of them. A lot of people, new to the business world will go around 'selling' their product or services to everyone. Look to see how you can help others and at some stage you will reap what you soe.
Once money came along people didn't need the relationship part any more as I could sell my carrots, get some money and go to anyone to but some patatoes for a standard price.
Now the currency for small businesses is networking. There is no 'currency amount' you can put on most of your trades - but what goes around, comes around. Remember to not be "Sell-fish" and only look for people to pitch to and see what you can get out of them. A lot of people, new to the business world will go around 'selling' their product or services to everyone. Look to see how you can help others and at some stage you will reap what you soe.
Be enthusiatic. Be liked.
I've read 100's of books on sales but the two basic things to remember is:
1. Be enthusiatic
2. Be liked.
Enthusiasm will get you far in life. Enthusiasm is contagious. People love enthusiastic people. The first sale you need to make is to yourself. You need to get yourself excited about the product and the rest will come easily.
It's true that people buy from people. If you are liked, people will buy things from you and will recommend your products to other people.
1. Be enthusiatic
2. Be liked.
Enthusiasm will get you far in life. Enthusiasm is contagious. People love enthusiastic people. The first sale you need to make is to yourself. You need to get yourself excited about the product and the rest will come easily.
It's true that people buy from people. If you are liked, people will buy things from you and will recommend your products to other people.
Fail Cheaply.
It's a given that a lot of the things you will try will not work. Just remember to always fail as cheaply as possible. Don't spend years working on an idea and perfecting it before testing it. See if you can get a prototype out quickly and test it before failing. This might mean using other people's software or a competitors product 'behind the scenes' just so you can learn cheaply.
Borrow Money From A Pessemist. They Never Expect it Back.
As an entrepreneur you need to look on the optimistic side of life, otherwise you will never get anything started.
The fact is that every business has a 1,000 things that can go wrong. Most of these 'things that can go wrong' will go wrong - but somehow you will deal with it. If you are a pessimist you will focus on what can go wrong and this will prevent you from starting anything.
The fact is that every business has a 1,000 things that can go wrong. Most of these 'things that can go wrong' will go wrong - but somehow you will deal with it. If you are a pessimist you will focus on what can go wrong and this will prevent you from starting anything.
A sprinter will always run faster than a decathalete
A great tip I got was that business is about finding your niche and focussing. There are great 100 m sprinters such as Carl Lewis or you can be a decathalete like Deli Thompson but a Deli Thompson is never going to beat Carl Lewis at the 100 m sprints.
It's hard for small businesses to say 'no' to a specific direction. At Txtfo we saw that text messaging could be used in pretty much every business - we had no focus. This means that any customer wants anything and we just we for it. This can be expensive to cater for customers.
Where we did start to find some success was when we started to focus. For instance we found a little niche in publishing. This meant that we were able to speak the 'lingo' of publishers (language specific to their industry) and also get referrals within the industry. One begins to find their niche and its easier to sell within the industry.
So whether it be geographic (e.g. London), industry (e.g. Publishing), age group or any other type of segment you can find, try to focus and work on monetising your niche.
It's hard for small businesses to say 'no' to a specific direction. At Txtfo we saw that text messaging could be used in pretty much every business - we had no focus. This means that any customer wants anything and we just we for it. This can be expensive to cater for customers.
Where we did start to find some success was when we started to focus. For instance we found a little niche in publishing. This meant that we were able to speak the 'lingo' of publishers (language specific to their industry) and also get referrals within the industry. One begins to find their niche and its easier to sell within the industry.
So whether it be geographic (e.g. London), industry (e.g. Publishing), age group or any other type of segment you can find, try to focus and work on monetising your niche.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Coming up with a business Idea
The first step to starting a business is to come up with an idea of what you want to do. How you think you can make the world a better place. The idea does not have to be original. In fact I can bet you anything that whatever your 'unique' idea is someone out there is doing something similar already. They might not be able to brand it as well as you can but the idea in essence is already out there. Guaranteed.
Its best to come up with something you know a lot about. If you know about restaurants and how that business works than stick to that. If music is your thing than its best to avoid an idea around fishing industry.
The next thing to do is to tell everyone your idea. I mean everyone. Most people have an idea and they don't tell other people in case they steal them. I can assure you no one is going to steal your idea. The fact is there are very few entrepreunrs in the world. There are a lot of people that talk a lot of stuff about what they are going to do. But there are very few people that actually do it. Even if you meet someone who is an entreprenurial guy its better to have someone do something with your idea than it go to waste as a dream of yours.
Your dream might make you feel happy inside but unless someone does something to make it happen its just going to remain a dream.
The thing to look for when coming up with your idea is how it will make the world better. How it will improve the way the world works. Forget about making money at this stage - if you can improve something the money will follow. Pricing strategies is a whole blog in itself. It took me over a year to figure out how to charge people and make money. The important thing is that you are going to be helping someone do something better. There is a value in this and you will make the money somewhere.
Be a dreamer
"The best way to be ready for the future is to create it" (Peter Drucker)
The best way to come up with your idea is to day dream. Just imagine how people will be living in the future. It becomes really easy when you start dreaming as you have no barriers to your dream. Imagine that you are writing a movie script - you can pretty much decide anything about how it will work. I do watch movies for some ideas.
Simplify
Once you have come up with the all singing all dancing solution to the problem you need to start to get realistic. What technology already exists that can help you get to where you want to get to. There is so much technology in the world. The thing you are looking for might not be used in the way you imagine but the technology exists somewhere. For instance you can get laser eye surgery which corrects your vision. How cool is that. There is bluetooth and millions of other cool technologies. You shouldn't have to worry about the technology it should be the last thing that happens. You just need to worry about simplifying your idea.
Imagine that there is no user guide and that it must be usable by the dumbest, least technological person you know. The thing is that many people use technology and it makes them feel dumb as they can't figure it out. The point with technology is that if it makes you feel dumb than it is the designer of the software/hardware that was dumb. It is there job to make it as simple as possible.
When google were coming up with there search engine every once in a while they received an email saying 57. It took them a while to figure out that it was from a cybernerd that sent them this email whenever the words on their main screen went over 57. Look at how simple the google.com screen is now.
When apple designed the ipod they kept going until Steve Jobs and his designers said that they couldn't make it any simpler. Now it kicks ass because it is so simple.
Nokia took 35% of the market share because there phones are so simple.
When you make a simple product it makes it easier for people to become salespeople on your behalf. Selling happens through word of mouth these days. There are way too many things to buy and spend your time on. You are more likely to see a movie because a friend recommended than a total stranger in a radio ad telling you how good it is.
Simple ideas and products are easier to talk about your ideas and products.
Its best to come up with something you know a lot about. If you know about restaurants and how that business works than stick to that. If music is your thing than its best to avoid an idea around fishing industry.
The next thing to do is to tell everyone your idea. I mean everyone. Most people have an idea and they don't tell other people in case they steal them. I can assure you no one is going to steal your idea. The fact is there are very few entrepreunrs in the world. There are a lot of people that talk a lot of stuff about what they are going to do. But there are very few people that actually do it. Even if you meet someone who is an entreprenurial guy its better to have someone do something with your idea than it go to waste as a dream of yours.
Your dream might make you feel happy inside but unless someone does something to make it happen its just going to remain a dream.
The thing to look for when coming up with your idea is how it will make the world better. How it will improve the way the world works. Forget about making money at this stage - if you can improve something the money will follow. Pricing strategies is a whole blog in itself. It took me over a year to figure out how to charge people and make money. The important thing is that you are going to be helping someone do something better. There is a value in this and you will make the money somewhere.
Be a dreamer
"The best way to be ready for the future is to create it" (Peter Drucker)
The best way to come up with your idea is to day dream. Just imagine how people will be living in the future. It becomes really easy when you start dreaming as you have no barriers to your dream. Imagine that you are writing a movie script - you can pretty much decide anything about how it will work. I do watch movies for some ideas.
Simplify
Once you have come up with the all singing all dancing solution to the problem you need to start to get realistic. What technology already exists that can help you get to where you want to get to. There is so much technology in the world. The thing you are looking for might not be used in the way you imagine but the technology exists somewhere. For instance you can get laser eye surgery which corrects your vision. How cool is that. There is bluetooth and millions of other cool technologies. You shouldn't have to worry about the technology it should be the last thing that happens. You just need to worry about simplifying your idea.
Imagine that there is no user guide and that it must be usable by the dumbest, least technological person you know. The thing is that many people use technology and it makes them feel dumb as they can't figure it out. The point with technology is that if it makes you feel dumb than it is the designer of the software/hardware that was dumb. It is there job to make it as simple as possible.
When google were coming up with there search engine every once in a while they received an email saying 57. It took them a while to figure out that it was from a cybernerd that sent them this email whenever the words on their main screen went over 57. Look at how simple the google.com screen is now.
When apple designed the ipod they kept going until Steve Jobs and his designers said that they couldn't make it any simpler. Now it kicks ass because it is so simple.
Nokia took 35% of the market share because there phones are so simple.
When you make a simple product it makes it easier for people to become salespeople on your behalf. Selling happens through word of mouth these days. There are way too many things to buy and spend your time on. You are more likely to see a movie because a friend recommended than a total stranger in a radio ad telling you how good it is.
Simple ideas and products are easier to talk about your ideas and products.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Make Your Own Poverty History
Make your own poverty history is about helping people to help themselves become richer. Everyone can do with a little more money. Poor people exist in every country on every continent. Katrina showed us that there are poor people even in the US. The Asian earthquake showed us the poor in the east. Make Financial Donations History Financial donations help in the very short term but don't do much good in the longer term. Your time is more valuable than anything else. If you are a consultant you could charge a large corporate 100's of dollars for your time.
If you give to a charity without receiving something in return it is similar to giving to a beggar on the tube - you encourage more people to start doing it. How annoying is it to be stopped on the street for 'a minute of your time' all these charities will now line the streets of London asking for a minute of your time and just £2 a month.
I am not saying that you should not give - what I am saying is that you could give more effectively. For instance by visiting a developing country you do more for the local economy than your £10 could ever do. Make Inequality History Not everyone is given the same opportunities in life. The fact that you are reading this blog means that you have access to a computer and electricity. What I love about the internet is that it gives everyone the same opportunity to make money. With the internet you don't really need a visa and it doesn't matter what colour your skin is. It doesn't matter if you are paralysed or have any other 'disadvantage' in the real world. On the internet people just care that you improve their lives in some way. Perhaps by writing something entertaining or by coming up with software which improves their lives in some way.
The internet has technlogies like skype which means that whereas before you were at a disadvantage being based out of Kenya you can now compete with someone in Europe. High communications charges stop people from communicating as much as they can. Through email, SMS and VOIP(voice over IP - e.g. skype.com, voipbuster.com) communication is getting cheaper. This means that a Pakistani or a Nigerian doesn't have the disadvantage they used to have when phone calls to the UK cost £1 a minute. They can start a business on the internet and if people like it they will purchase.
Make Corporations History
The bigger the company the slower they move. I have been consulting for 5 years at Accenture and am now selling to the largest corporations. Everything takes a long time with a corporation. People who sell to me get an instant decision. I just gave a free trial to a huge corporations (because it is just as much hard work to get £1 from someone than it is to get £10,000). They came back to me with a 14 page contract mentioning my free service. Now to sign this takes up a day of my time. My time has a value so I should be charging them.
In the small business world it all works on trust. I use suppliers and if I get screwed over I just won't use them again. If they do well I'll tell other people about them and they can get more business.
The internet allows you to compete on a level playing field. It's about innovation and branding - not about how many employees you have or how many lawyers you can afford.
In my experience a business is a business.
So my donation to the world is this blog. It costs me nothing to set this up. You can set one up just like this for free (www.blogger.com). But what it does cost me is my time. My time is worth money. As a manager at Accenture companies used to pay £3,000 for a single day of my time to help them cut costs or improve revenue. I was worth it as I usually got them more than they spent on me. Since Accenture I have spent 3 years setting up a simple business(www.txtfo.com). It has proved a lot harder to make money than I thought it would be. If I knew 2 years ago what I know now I would have been a very rich man. But this is part of the learning experience.
I hope that you will find this blog useful if you are wishing to get yourself out of your own poverty. Whether you are on £100 a year or £100,0o0 a year you could always do with more money.
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