Concepts Entrepreneurs Need to Know

One of the most common excuse I hear from people about not starting a business is that they just don’t have the time. Everybody has time. Watching T.V. is not a productive use of your time. What if you used your T.V. watching time more productively to work on a business idea? When you want

The other day I was talking to a client about patents and mentioned that Callaway developed the Big Bertha driver. In fact, it initially sold for nearly $1,000 when it came out. Within a week of its release, a Chinese company created an exact duplicate as a knockoff that it sold for half the price.

Like every entrepreneur, I’m motivated by accomplishments. Therefore, it stands to reason that most entrepreneurs seek out small jobs, like catching up on email, that they can accomplish quickly to feel the rush and satisfaction they get when they accomplish a task. Sometimes, however, there are more important tasks that by their nature take a

Most people believe life is supposed to be tough and big things only happen to other people. When something good happens to them, they wait for the other shoe to drop and for something to go wrong. As a result, their belief system usually finds a way to sabotage their new-found success and return them

Recently, I was a panelist at a boots-to-business workshop at the United States Air Force Academy. After I introduced myself and described what I do each week, one participant raised his hand and asked, “When do you sleep?” He was implying that I have a very busy schedule, which I do. As I was driving

When I go into an antique mall, I reminisce about the good old days where the world was a kinder and gentler place. As I write this post, I am listening to a classic rock station on cable and each song reminds me of a memory. However, as much as I reminisce about a bygone

The working class strives to be comfortable. They want to be comfortable in terms of physical, psychological, monetary, and emotional needs. Many in the working class achieve this goal at some point in their career. Entrepreneurs learn early on that becoming a business owner is hard and the need to be comfortable can be devastating

The other day my wife and I babysat our neighbor’s three-year-old grandson, Sawyer, for a few hours. Sawyer lives in Anchorage, AK and was visiting his grandpa in Colorado. I was captivated by the fact that he was awestruck by the things we take for granted. As we played outdoors, every sound, movement of an

Recognition is a powerful tool in both business and life. Recognition is the fuel of our self-worth and many of us crave it above all else. At some level, we all want recognition. In fact, when we do something to receive recognition and none is forthcoming, we feel hurt. At this point, we are at

Most Americans get up, go to work, turn in an average days work effort, return home, sit on the couch to watch TV, and wonder why they are relegated to a life of financial struggle. They hate their boss and speak publicly about how businesses are greedy and take advantage of workers. They buy lottery

Many of us have heard about the Mozart Effect that says that listening to Mozart improves your mathematical ability. Some say it is the rhythm of classical music at 60-70 beats per minute that stirs some primitive reaches of your brain to help you to make more sense of numbers. In reality, studies have shown

JP Morgan Was an International Financier and A Titan of Industry Whose History Contains Many Valuable Lessons for Small Business Owners.

I have a year and a half-year-old pedigree German Shepherd. He is a pretty good looking male with a great temperament towards people and other dogs. This temperament is rare among many German Shepherds because they are often good with people, but less so with other dogs. A friend and colleague of mine also have

Since today is my 55th birthday I got to thinking about what I accomplished last year and what things I would like to put in place to accomplish in this coming year. I discovered that there are best times to start a new personal commitment to ensure higher success rates? Commitments that begin on dates

When you think of obsession does the idea strike a negative chord in your mind? For many, being obsessed is something to be avoided. Not so with entrepreneurs, who view obsession as a game, they love to play. Personally, I’m always obsessed with something new. When I find something I enjoy I go all in

Robert Kiyosaki said it best: “Most people are stuck between fear and greed, which makes them slaves to a job.” They live paycheck to paycheck and live in fear of losing their job and not being able to support their lifestyle. When they receive windfall income, such as a tax return or a raise, greed

Most people operate from a fear-based mentality and are cynical about new ideas. After all, if you don’t expect much you will not be disappointed, right? Entrepreneurs do not succumb to fear-based thinking and are optimistic by nature. Entrepreneurs think everything they touch will turn to gold. Even when they experience failure they believe the

The other day I saw an interesting quote that got me thinking. “Some people spend their entire life waiting for their ship to come in, not realizing that they are standing in an airport.” The concept of waiting for a ship to come in is rooted in the idea that someone else is driving. Waiting

Personal Fulfillment = Sole searching to discover what you love to do and match it with your talents, what the world needs, and what can earn you money.

Each month I sit on a panel at the US Air Force Academy where soldiers, sailors, and airmen are preparing for life as civilians. Around the room are flip chart pages that list the things these separating officers and enlisted folks want from their future employment. Always near the top of the list is job

Sometimes we need to know when to quit, but sometimes we need to hang on to obtain our dreams. There are several times when a business’s prospects might look pretty grim. At these times, if the owner was offered a fraction of the money they had invested in the business, they would gladly take it

Task discounting is the phenomenon whereby people assign more value to near-term or simple tasks than they do to future or complex tasks, even if these tasks hold more value. Have you ever really stepped outside your business and challenged yourself to answer a simple question: Why do I do the tasks I do? If

Entrepreneurs often invest in products or new service offerings that are doomed to fail from the outset because they fail to notice what is apparent to a casual observer.  When we expect a particular outcome or we are intently focused on a specific measurement we often can’t see the obvious. The human mind uses filters

Why do we take notes?  One reason is it forces us to take new information and consider it in context so that we can produce relevant knowledge and wisdom. The physical act of writing down our thoughts strengthens the memory and provides greater recall later.  When you read your notes and edit them, you are