Now Is The Time – Start Your Own Business Now

Now Is The Time – Start Your Own Business Now

OK, the gloves are off, you have no more excuses.  If you have ever thought about, or dreamed of, or wished that you could own your own business…NOW IS THE TIME!!  As this economy starts turning north again you need to be in a position to take advantage of it.  It is not a seller’s market: The reason is that most small businesses have been beaten up over the past two years and can’t get the money that they want in order for them to sell. If the business has managed to do well over the past couple of years, the value to a buyer has still been punished, and the seller won’t get his price.  The seller just can’t sell! It is not a buyer’s market:  The reason is that most of you small business buyers have no money left that you feel comfortable using.  The money you were getting was from the equity in your house which has dried up with the debacle of 2008-2009.  The banks have no reason to lend with all the money that they are making in the stock market and most of all, you are scared of the perceived risk of spending your life’s savings and retirement money on some hair brained scheme. The buyer just can’t buy! So what is there left do?  Just sit around and wait for things to change?  NO! Now is your time to go out and make it happen.  You need to start you own business today.  Grab a lawnmower and find a customer.  This is still America and starting a small business is in your blood.  This is what we do for crying out loud.  You don’t wait for people to give you a job or a raise or a piece of candy.  You go out there and earn it. You fix, create, build, teach, and charge for it.  The time is right for starting your own small business or franchise today because the present owners are beaten to a pulp and tired.  They no longer have it in their hearts to put in the effort to grow anymore.  The customers are dying for and craving you! You are a new, fresh faced excitable fun person to work with that will draw people and customers to you like flies to you know what.  Who would you rather do business with; an old crotchety know it all or a happy go lucky do whatever it takes smiling type of person? The world has changed and the customer is forever changed.  The old way of doing business is not coming back and the old owners will not change.  It is for you to change the world and build your fortune now, today, by getting started in your own start up business or franchise. So find the money, create the money but to do it today.  The price is not as much as you think and even if it was, the cost of not doing it could mean your fortune....

A bright spot in the economy  “Big business from small people”

A bright spot in the economy “Big business from small people”

      There is a reason why young people come up with new ideas.  It is not that they are smarter or faster or better.  It is because this is their future, their life to grow into.  They see the world with no fear because fear does not let them grow.  Fear is not helpful to them.  That is why when I went for a walk with my 11 year old boy last year to look at the effects of the flood damage in the neighborhood, we saw two different events.       I saw sorrow and pain in the eyes of our neighbors as they put out to the curb destroyed furniture, carpet and electronics.  I witnessed kindness of people helping people salvage some memories and trophies from their home.  I saw essence, I saw the past.       Matthew, on the other hand was looking straight into the face of the future.  He saw opportunity in the form of trash in the front of people’s house that was going to rot and stink and continually remind them of the loss.  He said: “Daddy, we can load that stuff in the truck and take it to the dump for them, they would pay for that wouldn’t they?”      Now mind you, he didn’t ask about the licensing required to do such a thing.  He didn’t think about insurance and taxes and 1099’s.  He didn’t even ponder the philosophical reasons people get so attached to their stuff, much less where was the dump anyway.  He just walked up to the neighbor and got himself a customer.      Matthew is twelve now, and JunkGenerals.com, as his company is called is thriving.  Even in this economy where grown-ups are wondering what is the future going to hold for them. The boy and his nine year old sister keep busy every weekend without fail.       They would have more business if that darn school didn’t take up most of the week.  No worries though because he has forged relationships with other contractors in the field that have their drivers license already to pick up the slack while he is “wasting time in school” as he puts it.   This is real money that I am talking about, thousands of dollars saved from a boy who sees a need and finds a way to get the job done.      What are you doing?  For many of you the answer is nothing.  Kids can’t wait for things to change before they do something.  They don’t have a choice and they know it.  That is why they do first, and ask questions later.  You have seen this economy breed people who know that the answer is to be their own boss and buy their next job. Yet you stifle yourself into nothingness because you ask too many questions and never do anything.      JunkGenerals.com is expanding.  It has proven itself as a viable business and has attracted investment. (Albeit from family members)  We expect the business to evolve and change so that by the time the children graduate High School it will be a full blown self running, income producing entity.  All because some eleven year old boy made a move, and got a real live paying customer. You can do it too! No excuses! You are more creative than you think you are! We will keep you updated on the progress of Matthew, Sophie and Junk Generals. Now it’s your turn, our country is depending on you....

To Leap or Not To Leap

To Leap or Not To Leap

            Remember the time you grabbed all the bravery you had, and jumped off the high dive for the first time?  For many of you that was the first real due diligence that you undertook.  You probably stood around the ladder for a couple of days just to see if anyone fell off while climbing.  You checked out the jumpers and compared them to yourself, in terms of age, weight, athletic ability and the types of bathing suits they were wearing. (I once saw a poor kid lose his suit in the crystal clear water under the board.  The next time he was at the pool he was wearing cut off jean shorts and belt! )             Then one day when there were very few people at the pool, you took to the ladder and began to climb.  All the while you were hoping that a line would not form at the bottom, because if that happened, you were done.  Nobody ever, and I do mean ever, climbs down to endure the abuse and torment of the crowd below. There really is no turning back.             Buying your first job feels just about the same doesn’t it?  You really want to be an owner of a business and have worked hard to get to this point.  You have studied all the papers and the industry to the nth degree.  Now you are on the ladder and have that nauseous feeling in your stomach and look back to see a line forming and a small amount of panic creeps in.  Let me remind you why you will beat the odds and succeed. There are no absolutes in anything.  You too, have your own reasons that cause you to take the chance of going into business for yourself.  You have many qualities that will enable your success, but you don’t need them all, and you don’t need them all the time.  You do however need some, and you need to use the some, all of the time.             I bought my first store when I was eighteen.  I was not especially smart.  I was not especially driven.  I was not especially passionate or pressured from family.  I did have two things that for me, were necessary in order to take the leap of faith in myself to strike out in business.  They were, and still are: 1. Pride 2. Nothing to lose Now I realize that at eighteen, I without question had nothing to lose; our situations may be slightly different with you having tons of worldly possessions to your name and probably a family to support.  But it is more of an attitude that I am going for here.  Ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen?  If the worst thing is that you may lose money, big deal.  Everybody loses money sometime in their life, you can get that back!  What you can’t get back is the time spent in a dead end job that is stealing your opportunity to soar with the eagles! This brings us to the second item; Pride.  What the heck is wrong with you?  You can simply will this business idea of yours to succeed if you want it badly enough.  You can’t let the Nay-Sayers have their way.  A strong business will adapt and overcome to any circumstance.  The beauty of a small business is that you can change your mind and switch business plans on a dime.  You keep your nose to the winds of change and go with it.  You don’t fail, it is that simple.  Your pride won’t let it happen.  You see, you are already in business for yourself now.  You are just adapting to the now situations in your life and creating another income source.  There is no turning back; you are at the end of the diving board looking down upon the crystal clear waters of success. Now what are you waiting for…Jump!...

Buy A Job, Not A Small Business

Buy A Job, Not A Small Business

It may sound crazy at first, but that is only because you have been sold a bill of goods your whole life from people who mean well, but are lacking in confidence in their own ability.  You have also been told that if you buy your own business, you should want to own a business that can run on its own, without you, and grow while you vacation in the Greek isles.  Well, they are right too; in the sense that a “business” is what you want to own, but a job is what you want to buy.  Here is why:             If you buy a job, you can build it into a business and have all that you dreamed of.  If you try to buy a business and don’t have a whole lot of money and experience in owning one…you will end up with a job, and get divorced, and hate yourself forever.              If you think that I am being harsh just give a call to any divorce attorney and ask.  They make a living on entrepreneurs that bought a business and later found out that the store had become their new spouse.              Please understand, I think that buying a job is a good thing and that everyone should do it.  A country of self made, independent, hard working, and giving people is what built this country in the first place.  The employee mindset is a relatively new phenomenon promulgated by the school system crated to fill the jobs of a century ago.  This mentality will eventually whither from the vine, hopefully in our lifetime. You are the boss! Everyone is already in business for themselves. You just don’t have enough customers yet. Think about it: Who tells you to get out of bed in the morning? You do! Who plans your day? You do! Who decides where and when to eat? You do! Who decides where to work? You do! Who decides what career to have? You do! You also decide how much you are going to make! Buying your next job just makes your “being your own boss” official.  The difference is simply if you are employed by someone else now, you still service the end user or customer but you let the payment for the services go through a middleman called a boss, and let him take most of your hard earned money.  What the employee mindset does is hire a boss to do a lot of work, take a lot of risk and for that you are paying him a consulting fee of 99% of the profits.   The business owning mentality say’s “Why not just get the work myself and take some risk and pay some consultants (employees) 30% of the profits and keep the rest. Some of the best advice I ever got was from a neighbor Richie Meyers when I was ten years old.  He was a businessman and owned a street cleaning business.  One day he asked me what I was going to be when I grew up.  I proudly said I wanted to be a lawyer.  He said “good, maybe I’ll hire you one day”.  I decided that night I didn’t want him to hire me…I wanted to hire me! I also wasn’t smart enough to be a lawyer. You need equity, you need ownership With all the opportunities and franchises and information and yes, even money out there you are out of excuses for not owning your own future.  It is no longer an “I can’t “situation; it is a lack of “want” situation.  That’s OK too but here is a question for you; if you were the boss, would you hire someone with so little drive to succeed?  So find a way somehow to get in with a company and get some equity, become and owner and see how much better life is.  Buy a job, work hard, invest your money, build a real business and I’ll be seeing you on vacation in the Greek Isles....

Why You Should NOT Own Your Own Business

Why You Should NOT Own Your Own Business

What the heck is wrong with you?  Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?  They are going to eat you alive!!!  I’m sure some of you have heard these same comments from good friends and well-meaning family members when you told them of your plans to strike out on your own, and start or buy a business.  Well, I’m here to tell you…They may be right. We all have dreams of owning our own business and being in control of our own destiny.  We envision the casual stroll into the well furnished office, greeting our admiring fans…I mean employees, as they are busily doing what they do so well.  You walk to your desk and enjoy the hot coffee that just happens to be waiting for you.  You peer through the giant window panes to oversee the operation as your well-dressed secretary goes over your daily schedule with you.  Yes…this is the life, to be your own boss.  Well, I hate to break your bubble but let’s leave Fantasy Land and join the real world for a minute.  The truth is you may not have a boss anymore but now you have hundreds or more, if you’re lucky.  Only now they are called customers and boy can they get loud.  They are not nearly as loyal as your present boss and they think that you should work for free.  You hardly see your employees when you walk in because, when they do decide to come in, you have already been there for hours doing their work for them so they won’t quit.  You may be great at managing people but you are too busy finding the work, than doing the work. So you have no time to spend developing people like you would hope to.  Then, when you finally get home at 8:00 pm, you get yelled at by your spouse for missing dinner and the little league game again.  Then it happens…its Saturday night and you are in the basement doing the books with a bottle of Jack Daniels and you actually hear yourself saying “What the heck is wrong with you?  Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into?  They are going to eat you alive!!!”  You realize that you could be making two times the money, working half the time for someone else.  You have hit Rock Bottom. This is not an unusual scenario.  Working for yourself is easily twice as hard at the beginning than being employed.  It is hard to explain the feeling of always being on call until you have done it, and have had money on the line with it.  The stress it puts on your marriage and family is the stuff of legend.  You need to think long and hard and have your support partner completely on board from the start.  They need to read this too. If you are still excited about your new venture then read on.  You’re not out of the woods yet.  That previous scenario needs to actually excite you.  You need to have chills up and down your spine that you will beat the averages, that you are up for the challenge and that your idea is so good, and your work ethic is so strong and passion so great that you can’t sleep anyway and you may as well be making money.  If not, run, run for the hills!!!  You will spend your life’s savings and then some.  You will punish your pride and self esteem to such an extent that you may never want to wake up again.  You marriage and family life will be harmed.  In short YOU WILL SUFFER!!!  Good news? The good news is this.  If you can get past that “Rock Bottom”, you remember, that night in the basement with the bottle of Jack, and then you’ve made it.  Then you understand that it’s you and not your circumstances that allow you to succeed.  Then you no longer expect or demand your right to be the boss…you’ve earned it.  Now your mindset is forever changed and there is nothing you can’t do.  Money seems to come from many places that you never imagined.  Customers and employees love to do business with you.  Family and friends like and respect you.  And your dreams (through hard, painful but fun work) have come true.  And… you can peer through the giant window panes to oversee the operation as your well-dressed secretary goes over your daily schedule with you.  Yes…this is the life, to be your own boss....

Cheap and Easy to Start Up

Cheap and Easy to Start Up

Starting a business is a dream for many people and will remain a dream for most.  It is not the lack of ability or of determination but of procrastination. It is very human to want to provide the “perfect” product.  To research and to plan the entire business cycle down to the last paperclip.  A friend of mine who is by far the most intelligent and creative problem solver I have ever met has been for years coming up with great ideas for businesses that he is still working on.  I am sure that years from now he will still be planning for the next big opportunity. The challenge is not the inspiration, but in just Starting.  We can come up with, and I have come up, with many excuses why I can’t start today.  First we need supplies, people, forms, licenses, desks, phones, etc…what you really need is a customer and the rest will follow.  It is easy to start up, simply knock on a door and ask for a shot.  You will most likely change your business plan 3 million times anyway.  The best research is on the job training.  By the way nothing is stopping you from learning the business by day while working for someone else in the field, and then getting your own customers at night.  Start today....

Self Employed Nation

Self Employed Nation

We tend to get caught up in the news of the day and treat it like it was happening to us.  How many times do you find yourself in your car listening to the news on the radio and then trying to fix someone else’s problems?  Life today is not more complicated than in years past, and certainly less stressful.  Yet we let ourselves be sucked in by the news that we have no control over, and add it to our lives. People are still the same as they have always been, and most people want to grow, intellectually and as Maslow believed achieve “self actualization”.  Hard times in America are where we shine for the world to see.  The solution is to look inside and decide what you really want out of life.  Then look at your actions and ask yourself if those actions are moving you closer to…or further from that goal.  More than we can possibly imagine the challenge is not your circumstance but YOU.  The answers lay in one good word…WORK.  Real plow the fields kind of work.  The kind of work that wakes you up at 5:00 AM and gets you in the field until noon, you go home for lunch and eat an entire chicken and a half gallon of milk, and get back out there and work the land till the sun goes down.  Then go home smoke a pipe, go to sleep and start all over again in the morning.  As a very successful business owner and friend of mine say’s…”We need to learn hungry”.  Some of us have forgotten what real hard, sweaty, grimy, long lasting satisfying work is.  Some individuals have not.  They are the ones that are not affected by the economy.  They are used to finding a way out, through work and the faith that  “hard work always pays off”, and that the same old basic rules still apply.  We need to learn hungry!...

No Such Thing as a Bad Business

No Such Thing as a Bad Business

People who are “interested” in getting into their own business often ask me to keep a lookout for a “good business” for them.  You know the kind of business that turns a good profit, with a good history and a bright future.  This is an understandable request.  You yourself may be looking for the same thing right now and, I can see why you would want it.  Unfortunately unlike, Real Estate that virtually stays the same no matter who owns it, a business changes forever from day one of new ownership.  The history of the business is just that…History!!    Why does one restaurant or dry cleaners or sandwich shop fail? When right down the street the same type of businesses selling the same products are growing and thriving.  We see this everyday and still have a hard time grasping the obvious.  I think it’s because the answer involves self responsibility.  The truth is that there never has been or will be an honest, bad business, only bad management.  The difference is always the way the place is run.  The difference is the owner and leadership to the organization.  When looking for the perfect business for yourself, I believe you should spend most of the time searching inside your head, before you venture to the business opportunities section of the newspaper.    Many people of my own generation have no idea that A&P food stores at one time were the largest retailer in America.  They had over 15,000 store locations across the country.  When asked about how they have fallen so far from grace an employee said it best when he said, “We just lost Mr. John”.  Mr. John was the last of the family members to have a stake in the company.  An owner or any true leader has more than an “interest” in the success of a business, this person has a Passion.    That passion instills a never say die attitude that permeates the entire organization.  It feeds on itself and finds a way to get through the impossible times.  How is it that a hard working immigrant who can hardly speak the language can flourish in this country, while many of us with all the advantages that we are born with, struggle to stay afloat.   We all make bad decisions but the one we should never make is to get into a business because “the numbers look good”.  The real question is do you have it inside you to make the numbers become good.  Come hell or high water you will succeed.  That attitude only comes when you are doing what you were born to do.  That is the thing that keeps you up at night. It is called passion, and its good business....

Big Companies are Vulnerable

Big Companies are Vulnerable

A strange phenomenon seems to take place when a person strikes out on their own.  They seem to be embarrassed at their size and try to appear larger.  Then when they get big, publicity companies make a fortune on them trying to make them appear more down to earth and personable.  The truth is that small companies have a distinct advantage in service than do bigger ones and everyone knows it, but for the small business owner.  The larger companies understand that people will pay more for excellent service and advice.  The small business person has much more control over these things than does a bigger company.  That’s why the bigger ones will always compete on price.  If you play with their rules, you will lose.  Make them realize that they can’t play with your rules and give knock your socks off service.  The customers will race to your front door for more....

Give Twice as Much

Give Twice as Much

There is something magical that goes on in this world.  It is some law of nature that we all know and have seen yet can’t prove.  Simply the cycle of giving comes back 10 fold.  In whatever you are providing to your customer, give more.  Give more than you reasonably should.  More than your competitors and more than your customers expect.  At this point you become more than a supplier…you become an indispensable asset, a resource.  You become a friend and an ally. How many of you have a friend that you can call at two in the morning to pick you up from the airport?  Most of you will have someone.  Are you that person for someone else?  Can you be counted on for anything or everything?  I have a friend, Bill, that I think would stop the world to help me for anything.  The funny thing is that he does this for everyone.  He has made a career out of it.  One time going on a trip I asked if I could borrow a cooler.  He gave me one, but it was filled with food and even the ice packs to keep things cool.  He calls his neighbors when he is having stuff done to the house and has a dumpster in his driveway so his neighbors can use it while it’s there.  He also has many friends that will leave work early and go and mow his lawn and bring him food and stay on call when he got sick, and was hospitalized.  His illness has revealed how his life’s work of giving has paid off in tangible ways by the love and affection of so many.  People are fighting to be in the front of the line to care for the man.  Would that be the case with you and your customers?  Here are five things you can do: • Think; just take time to think about what are the other persons or customers needs and wants. • Put yourself in another shoes for a time.  Sympathy is useless…empathy gets results. • Come up with solutions not excuses • Recruit assistance • Take action Being the “go to guy” has added perks of always knowing whom to call for good deals.  Is this hard to do?  Yes of course it is. Especially when you are being taken advantage of, and you will be. However then you are in control. They know that you are going the extra mile.  In your time of need they will be there in droves. You will be working harder than you even dreamed possible, and the result will be more business, more friends, more money and more life.  Give twice as much and watch what happens....

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