The Freestyle Entrepreneur

If you go belly up during these challenging economic times, do not blame (A) the economy; (B) the government; or (C) bad luck.  In other words, do not roll over and play victim or, worse, sit up and beg for a handout. There is honest money to be made and there are genuine opportunities to [...]

As SBOs, risk comes with the territory.  And when it comes to business, if you’re not growing, you’re shrinking.  You can’t stand still.  So it is with personal growth. Example:  I just joined Toastmasters last fall.  Why?  Because, at 58, though I’m not bad on my feet, I know I can be better.  My brother, [...]

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 [...]

I got swapping motivational business stories yesterday with a new business associate.  We talked about Steven Covey and W. Clement Stone and other biz authors we had both read, so we had terrific issues in common, almost like we had been referred by mutual friends.   We also both laughed at how we had come roaring [...]

I learned a long time ago that the “secret” to success is to keep your mind, heart and efforts focused solely on what you want and then to just keep at it.  No room for doubts or second guessing.   Step One:  Decide what you really want.  Step two: Map out the major steps how [...]

Sometimes it’s not good enough just to be good enough, or even to have a good plan.  I’ve known people — including myself — who have been hammered on and hammered down at times by everything from financial setbacks to relationship upsets, to debilitating physical health problems to their own creepingly painful and dark mental [...]

As a businessman, I have learned that the one sure way to destroy what you are trying to build is to cut ethical corners.  The real irony is that it is almost always the finger-snapping smart alecks, the know-it-alls, who end up getting entangled in their own cool schemes and easy-mark snares.   The fact [...]

Just a quick reminder, in case you forgot:  Life is tough, sometimes challenging, occasionally downright brutal. That’s how we grow, how we become stronger, both physically and spiritually — by running those ten miles, by pumping iron, by sticking with a tough project, by working through a difficult relationship … by just surviving sometimes.  Enjoy [...]

Rumor has it that we’ve become a nation of whiners.  I think that’s because the media and certain political groups feel they must promote victimization to keep their audiences.  Economically speaking, we criticize Bill Gates and Sam Walton and McDonalds (but, curiously, never Walt Disney), because their companies  make too much money, a simple-minded complaint.  [...]

I know how to achieve success.  It’s really simple:  Goals, focus, attention to the details and determination.   It seems to me that where many of us fall down is at that yeah-but point.  We want to take a simple, proven formula for success and round off the corners, adjust it, compromise it, very often [...]

Enthusiasm is the key to success in sales.  Yes, it’s good (sometimes even important) to know your products and to understand proven selling techniques.  But the catalyst, the spark, the firing pin to a successful sale is enthusiasm. Tell your story and tell it with passion and excitement.  Work hard.  Make money.  Have fun.  — [...]

I don’t think I’m the only one.  As a business owner, I find myself pretty much constantly thinking about (actually, worrying about) money, about sales, about taxes, about getting clients, about losing clients, about making sure that every project is top notch. In other words, I’m a bit paranoid.  And that’s good.  That keeps me [...]