Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Staying on your Objective


One of the things that I have seen that can cripple a business in its early stage of development is when it drifts away from the objective. Several possible outcomes can result due to an unclear objective that is not being followed. One outcome is a company will experience a cessation of movement forward and have a “sit back and let’s see what will happen next” attitude that is totally unproductive. Another possible outcome is that the company will splinter up into two or three companies that are not going anywhere because the original ownership group was not acting as a team working towards a specific target goal. Staying on your objective is extremely important in the early start up phase of a company because without a clear goal you might as well not be in business at all.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Difficulties


Hello all, Happy Friday!! I’m so very glad that it’s Friday considering the difficult week that just passed. It was actually not that bad but when you have a mixture of difficulties when it comes to work and your personal life, it makes it hard to concentrate on any one thing. I would come home and be worried about work, than I would come to work and be worried about home. I know I’m not the only one, I mean I’m pretty sure everyone tends to have this problem once in a while right? See work hasn’t been bad as in I don’t like it, maybe the better word to use would be challenging. Yes so work has been a challenge, and I have to work on skills within myself that I’ve never really worked on before. Hopefully towards the end of myself mastering what I am currently working on I wont be as worried as I currently am. But until then I am going to worry away. I will not give up just because it’s not easy, plus I really enjoy what I do. This is only the beginning, and more things, great things, have yet to come.
As for home, well I won’t get into detail about that. Let’s just say that my significant other just likes to make things really difficult for me. Let me tell you never put yourself in a situation where you are having another person take care of your issues for you. It never works out, besides that the only person who can fix your issues for you is “you”. Don’t make the person that you love be heavy hearted with the burdens of your issues. Respect them, appreciate them, and love them as much as you possibly can, because you never know how long you’ll be able to keep them. Or you’ll never know, until that day comes, that because you didn’t nourish them with the respect, appreciation, and love that they deserve, that they’re already long gone.

Learning in the Marketplace


When you begin to venture out in the corporate landscape you will not know everything and you are bound to make mistakes traveling out there. What you want to do is get as many experiences under your belt as possible. The more experienced you are in dealing within the marketplace the more successful you will be. Don’t be afraid to step out and meet challenges head on, because if you stay in your comfort zone just think of all the exciting experiences and interesting people you’ll be missing out on. Learning in the marketplace is not a spectator sport; it requires drive, desire and self motivation to get things done.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Internet Evolution


I remember when I first had access to the internet through my very 1st computer years ago and how it was relatively easy to find information on anybody through the information highway. The information at that time was free because no one had thought to put a price on certain aspects of the information highway. Today business has taken over a lot of the internet and information that was free in the past now has a price tag attached to it. Now I’m all for business and stimulating the marketplace however, at times I wish that the internet evolution never took place. I liked the idea of researching and finding information that was relatively easy and free to find and using it for my own personal use. Today’s internet search is more cutthroat with people trying to bleed money from you from numerous search websites. Additionally, countries are now starting to deny access to certain search services on the internet like Google thus limiting their profits. The continuing internet evolution should be extremely interesting in the subsequent upcoming years, but only if you have been paying attention.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Well of course it’s Friday


Well of course it’s Friday, and I know those of you out there that work full time are greatly appreciative of that. That would also include myself, but moving on to a more productive topic. This week was pretty much a handful, although so much has happened this past week and I can’t seem to remember all of it, because it flew by so quickly. Well the importance and highlights of my week was networking. For those of you who have not done networking and you are in business, or own your own business, I think it’s high time that you start. I can definitely tell you that it helps you out quite a bit in the business world. You meet great new people, learn new things about other different businesses, and it never hurts to strike up or receive a deal while doing so. That’s basically the purpose of doing networking, is to find business deals. Although you always have to watch out for people who only want to benefit from the deal themselves, and are not willing to share. To be honest there are always those negative types you will definitely run across while doing this, it’s inevitable. The negatives you will point out rather quickly, they are not hard to miss. Once you talk around and meet the variety of different people surrounding you, you’ll know whose who. When you speak with these people usually they’ll have a cockiness about them, a sort of arrogance I guess you can say. They always like to speak to someone and not with them. They’ll also try to psyche you out, and scramble your mind. Or basically try to intimidate you by spitting out all sorts of knowledge that they think you will not be able to share dialogue about. There are all sorts of outrageous things you will run into. But never fret, all you have to remember to do is stay calm, and not let them get the better of you. Avoid speaking with them if it really comes down to it, because they will surely not provide you with good business. Nor will you be able to provide them with good business.
Now as for the genuine people you meet along the way, these kinds of people make networking all the more worth it. They will be sure to speak with you and not at you. They will ask you great questions, as well as answering all of your questions with pride. They have no problem with giving advice, or receiving it all the same. The best thing of all is if they are willing to do business with you, they will set up a time and place to meet with you right then and there. Also they have no problem with letting everyone benefit from the deals that you make together.
Luckily this past week I met up with nothing but genuine people. I learned great new things, and saw great new things. I had the greatest experiences, the kind that will stick with me forever. Hopefully I will meet more people like the one’s I met this week. Special thanks to all of you who spoke with me at our networking parties, and also a special thanks to Manny Abreu for letting us experience “The Vicom Convergance 2007” that took place this week in Virginia Beach. Until Monday, have a safe and fun weekend everyone!!!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Taking that first step


Doing business in today’s marketplace is a series of choice’s or steps that a person takes in ones life journey. Just as a baby learns how to roll over, crawl, stand, walk and run during its growth stages. A business should take small, slow steps and does not overextend itself before it takes the next step. A properly run company is debt free from beginning to end and will not take the next step unless it can remain financially solvent after the step is taken. Taking that first step is for many people the most difficult however, it is extremely rewarding and as long as you don’t give up will be the beginning of a series of fruitful lifetime experiences.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Organization is the Key


Hello Monday!! Well hopefully everybody’s weekend went according to plan. I know that mine did not, but that’s not really unusual. See this is why I am the kind of person who loves to plan ahead. I like to organize an event that I am going to participate in, before it happens. For me it’s a must, and for other people it’s a big double negative. These are the kind of people that love to just do something without planning ahead, and then just take care of whatever gets thrown in their direction at the time that it happens. They don’t prepare ahead, they just do things on impulse. Now there is nothing wrong with these kinds of people, so don’t become defensive because of what I'm saying. They are just risk takers, and I can completely understand where they get the impulse to do so unplanned. The only downfall that I would say could fully affect a well organized plan would be if your plan backfires. Now mind you, I know it would appear that your plan is taking a turn for the worst, but this would point out my second point in the whole process of organization, a backup plan. Basically a backup plan’s purpose is to show that a person is playing on the safe side. Now the point of my mentioning this is because organization has everything to do with business. How are you going to work for a business or run a business, if you don’t know how to use the process of organization to your advantage? This process just so happens to be one of the biggest problems, when it comes down to running a good successful business. To go into a business unorganized, is to set yourself up for failure. You can always be able to plan ahead, and be a risk taker. You just have to learn how to balance out both of these traits without one or both of them backfiring.

Patience is the key




There are many people out there that want everything now in today’s marketplace. However, when it comes to investing you cannot have it “now”. Warren Buffett who is the most successful investor in the world does not invest in companies one or two years. Mr. Buffett always invests in companies that he will remain with for at least 10 years. Obviously his approach has nothing to do with the now mentality that permeates our society. Mr. Buffett and other successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Carlos Slim Helu from Mexico (who is now the richest man in the world) did not get rich overnight. It took years of work for these successful people to get where they are today and they did not achieve their success by themselves. They arrived to their present position with a team of co-owners who shared their purpose and goal thus becoming wealthy together. Individuals need to know that having it now does not work when it comes to investing and that patience is the key.

Friday, July 13, 2007

The Road to Success


T.G.I.F. Am I right or am I right? I know there are other people out there besides me who are always so excited about the weekend being right around the corner. Because in a way the weekend is not just for you to relax and have fun, but it’s also for reflecting on the week that just passed you by. You think about how your week went, what you did, who you spoke with, but mostly the new things you’ve learned just by putting yourself out there. All of these things basically summed up in three words would be….. “Applying your experience”. It’s a beautiful thing once you’ve grasped it, but for those of you who do not try to experience an “experience”, you’re at a serious loss. I feel for you and I definitely know what its like to not want to try. What you need to realize for yourself is that life is too short to sit around, and do nothing with your time. Don’t ever think that you already know so much to where you have no need for any kind of new experience. If you think this of yourself your wrong. If you do not believe me then let me fill you in on my new experience so far. It’s kind of a handful to explain, but I will try and make it as brief as possible.

For a long period of time I was working in the food business. Which is of course a typical teenage thing, and I know everyone has at least once been through that phase. Now let me tell you before I even begin to get into this story that this just so happens to be very recent times. Now getting back to it, I had held two separate steady jobs (not at the same time) over the course of I’d say five years. These jobs to me at the time were fairly easy, although sometimes provided me with some difficulties. Even though I’m still at a young age now as I was then, I’ve learned so many things that I wish I could have learned at that time. I hated those jobs, and I was never satisfied, nor even close to feeling fulfilled with my time there. At that time I thought that it was the job but not me, and I was wrong. It’s taken me so long to admit that openly to myself and out loud to others. What I realize now that I never realized then is that it was my non-appreciation of food service that made those job experiences so horrible for me. It was all because of my deep desires for bigger and better things, that I didn’t appreciate what I had in front of me. I wanted to be somewhere else doing something else. So because of my messed up mind set, I went crazy, told myself I deserved better, quit my job, left my house, and disappeared with a few friends plus my significant other for a bit. During that bit of time I wasn’t home, and I was out and about being a crazed teenager things went completely down hill. I didn’t have a car, I ran out of money, and also went job hunting but never got hired. Of course I was too prideful to call my parents and let them know I was struggling horribly. I was too scared to tell them I missed them and wanted to come home.

So one morning I got a phone call, it was my mother. She talked to me about an appointment that I was due to go to later that week, and then mumbled about other things. After our one way conversation she put someone else on the phone. This person will remain anonymous throughout this part of the story. They asked me what my plans were for the night, and when I told them nothing they told me to pack my things, and to be waiting for them that evening. I got picked up, went to grab something to eat, and then headed home. I was so scared to be home, but felt so much better about being where I was supposed to be. Well this person and I talked for a while about all of the events that took place for me in the past month. When we finished our conversation, they looked at me and smiled. I asked what was funny, and they replied “congratulations on passing your first semester of Life University”. I was confused at the reply but smiled.

After getting my act together and realizing that I needed to stop being lazy, I asked for a job. I was granted one, an office job to be exact. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I’ve learned so much in so little time. Even though I don’t have a great amount of experience with my job, I’m learning on how to accept that fact and run with it. I’m also learning how to face my worst fears. See the point of the story is to let you know that no matter what you’ve done, who you are, what your age is, or how much knowledge you do or don’t have………. If you put yourself out there and actually put out physical application to whatever experience you yourself desire, you will get to where you want to be. It’s hard and it can be exhausting, but it’s worth it in the end. Don’t hold back because you are afraid, what will you get out of not trying? It’s never bad to struggle on your way to success, remember that.

Monday, July 9, 2007


Use Negative People to Achieve Positive Results


There are many people who will try and bring you down whenever you come up with an innovative idea or invention. To really succeed you must develop the bullheadedness to make those comments drive your desire to accomplish whatever you set out to do. In other words use negative people to achieve positive results in your business endeavors.

This past weekend someone whom is very special to me shared some words with me. They weren’t really words of encouragement, but to him it was only a joke, although I never really found it amusing. I acknowledged them as words of negativity, words that really rubbed me the wrong way. Basically he had repeated dialogue presented by me, from a radio show that I currently co-host. He was mocking my comment on the discussion of entrepreneurs on the radio that day. Now at the time when he said those comments, it hurt me quite a bit. I had gotten angry about what he was saying to me, and around me with other people. It was so nerve racking and just uncalled for. The funny thing about the whole situation was that I let my self get angry. I let him and his negative words bring me down at the time. But once I sat and actually thought about it for a little bit, I came to a conclusion that made me feel so much better, and I actually laughed about it by myself. Those words were meant to hurt me of course, or else he wouldn’t have said them in such a mocking way. In a sense it’s his way of lashing out, and showing me that he’s saying these things out of pure jealousy. I guess in a sense since I actually have started my profession, and have begun to make such big plans for myself about my future, he’s obviously envious. This is a subject matter that I am way too familiar with. Being envious of someone else that has something that I want, but in a different form of profession. It’s kind of amusing considering how close this person is with me, and how much we’ve shared together. I would have never in any moment thought that he of all people would hold these types of feelings about what I’m doing, and the important plans I hold for my future. What I’m trying to say is that there was no need for me to get angry. He said what he wanted to say, and yes I allowed it to be said. But it’s beyond me why I let myself endure him mocking me, and then let him know bluntly that he had gotten the better of me. The problem was that I let him get the better of me and couldn’t/wouldn’t control my feelings. When instead I could’ve “Brushed Off the Negativity”, and let it pass by ignoring it all. What I should have done was laugh with him, and shown him that what he said didn’t have any effect on me. By doing that the whole subject matter would have been dropped, so he would have forgotten all about it. If you’re ever in this sort of situation business wise, or whether it’s a personal matter, don’t let people get the best of you. Don’t even think for a moment, of letting them overpower the way you think or feel. Be positive and do your best to brush away that negativity, because accepting it will only bring you down. Learn to accept yourself enough to where you can be comfortable in your own skin. Trust your thoughts and your knowledge, because with that you can always push further to bigger and better things. Place yourself above all of that negativity, and do yourself justice always.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Entrepreneur Spirit


What excites your kids? It is a fact that kids emulate the teachers in their life. This is a large part of how they learn. It is also a fact that kids are heavily influenced in their early years, so why not get them excited and exploring the world of being an entrepreneur. It is amazing what my five year old picks up from me. I am in to fitness and eating fairly healthy. My son loves to show me how he eats his broccoli and spinach, and then hits a double bicep pose asking me to feel his muscles. I like to watch CNBS "Fast Money" and "Mad Money". My son will play in the same room as me when I am watching my shows. I don't really think he is paying attention because he is flying around the room like Superman. Until last week when his mom picked him up from school he jumped in the car and buckled up. Mom had a soda bottle in the car where he took a sip and put the cap back on it. He then proceeded to talk into the the bottle and mom quotes "my name is Mason and I would like to talk to you about making money and making stocks". When she told me that I got the biggest smile on my face and just gave him a big hug and asked if he could teach me. I have always made it a point to take the time to explain things no matter where we are or how much I have to do.

One night I brought him to a stock holders meeting where I put him in a room with one of his favorite DVDs and lots of snacks. About fifteen minutes into the meeting I see my son sitting by the door listening very intently to what is being said. That is not the surprising part. The surprising part was when the meeting was over he proceeded to draw on the white board the figures of the investments we had talked about. Both myself and Jonathan looked at each other in amazement.

It is up to us to excite our kids and teach them what they will never be taught in school. Get them excited now and encourage them to try and talk ideas out. I talk to my son about companies that we will run. Right now he wants to own a toy company and a motorcycle store, gee can you guess who owns and loves to ride motorcycles.

Monday, July 2, 2007

The Fear Of Trying


Millions of Americans are fearful of trying something new in order to make their dreams a reality. There are many reasons why the majority does not walk out on faith and complete their dreams. Their circle of friends can be projecting an atmosphere of negativity that stifles any action taken. They’re afraid of failure and what others will talk about if they initially fail at their endeavor. They are lazy, are comfortable in their little niche and figure that the job they’re currently holding is a sure thing and they don’t need to take any additional risk. The reality of the situation is that there is no such thing as failing in the University of Life. People who try at times suffer temporary setbacks however, they pick themselves up and try again from a different perspective and learn from the experience what works in that situation and what doesn’t. Life experience is something that you keep for the rest of your life while the fear of trying leads to stagnation, and regrets of what you could have accomplished in your lifetime but were afraid to do.