The Freestyle Entrepreneur

This is a recommendation for a book.  It’s a book that nobody would have any desire to read.  It’s about a grocery store in New York City (albeit, perhaps the world’s greatest grocery store), where food (and the eating of it) is a non-smarmy, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-savor experience.  It’s about the food and, just as important, about [...]

  It was in May, 1977 and I was attending an athletic banquet at the Starlight Motel & Restaurant in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I had already resigned from my teaching position at St. Edmond High School. A month later, at age thirty-three and the  father of three sons, I would become a full-time life insurance [...]

It’s a one-word answer, and you already know it.  Super success has little to do with having a terrific product.  It has little to do with whether you are wearing a smart suit or have that Pepsodent smile (remember that one?)  It’s not about being smart or slick or even charming.   It’s attitude.  If [...]

Recently I attended an excellent seminar with peak performers from around the country, many in the financial services industry. Although annual incomes were never discussed, there is no doubt in my mind that most were earning in the mid-to-high six figure range and at least one in seven figures. These were exceptionally bright entrepreneurs from [...]

If you’re a true entrepreneur, or just a hard-and-fast capitalist, you need to read Andrew Bernstein’s The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-faire.  This truly amazing book documents in page after page of facts, why statism (socialism, Nazism, communism, and just do-gooder intrusive government) fails every time, and why the freer the [...]

Dissatisfied?  Far from content?  Good!  Leave the search for that warm ‘n fuzzy safe place for the cubicle-dwelling wage slaves.    As a business owner, your dissatisfaction is your motivator, the lifeblood that gets you up and out in search for a new product, a few pennies saved per item on expenses, a new market [...]

I love the phrase, “Practice doesn’t make perfect—it just makes permanent.” Any golfer will verify that hitting a driver a thousand times at a driving range won’t improve your score by one stroke if you’re holding the club wrong or not lining up properly. Indeed, if not done correctly, it will pretty much ensure lousy [...]

I know a family in Algoma — a husband and wife team — who are true entrepreneurs.  They have ten ideas, find that three are worth pursuing and end up with one that works.  They explore, they dream, they probe, they learn … and they have no time for naysayers who point out their failures [...]

Shoot The Negative People (Or is that being too negative?) I’ve walked out of meetings when some train-stopper started saying, “yeah…but!”  These clowns can kill innovation, cause more problems than they solve, bring a mood of excitement to a screeching halt. What to do:  Stop them dead in their tracks.  Send them out of the room.  [...]

PRESS RELEASE/BOOK REVIEW FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John R. Ingrisano (920) 559-3722 Book Review Back to Basics Key to Sales Success The Back to Basics Book of Selling: A Guide to a Successful Sales Career by John R. Ingrisano. $19.94, Lulu Books. Successful selling is not about the gift of gab or being quick with [...]

The Issue: Sure, SBOs have to do long-term planning to build and maintain successful businesses, and they’d better be able to anticipate potentially damaging situations that develop over time: rising business costs, legal changes, unexpectedly deft moves by the competition—to name three. But some issues come at you from out of the blue, and with [...]

I’ve had the privilege of sharing about people and events that have influenced my life in these messages. You may recognize the name Bob Jamieson who was my mentor when I entered the life insurance business in 1977. I frequently referred to him in this space and as recently as a couple of weeks ago wrote about him ‘Transferring Trust’ to [...]

[This article first appeared in Corporate Report Wisconsin.  Check out this excellent publication at www.crwmag.com.] If challenging times bring out the best in people, then these are great times for small business owners.  Those who thrive amid today’s changeable economic times are those who are prepared.      Fortunately, if you’re a small business owner, you’re in a [...]

TFE welcomes back guest author Linda Talley, professional speaker and executive coach from Houston, TX… There are only 2 things an employee needs: economic conditions met psychological conditions met Once you handle the money issue, then it’s time to handle the other. In order to do that, most research says that the psychological needs of [...]