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Blog Entry #27 — A Shift in Perspective
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A little girl was watching her mother prepare a ham for baking. Her mother, using a knife, took a slice off of either end of the ham before placing it in the baking dish. Seeing this, the little girl asked, “Why do you slice the ends off the ham before you bake it? “I don’t know,” replied the mother, “I guess my mother always did it.”...
Blog Entry #26 — The Gift of Multiple Visions
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
In being an entrepreneur I am frequently wrong. I make plans, take initiatives, start something—and often I am wrong. The “great idea” just doesn’t work. Living in the dream space of the imagination means having some wild ideas and impulses—and being wrong about them...
Blog Entry #25 Following the Golden Thread
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The English poet William Blake has a poem that mirrors The Profit Process ™. He says:
“I give you the end of a golden string,
Only wind it into a ball:
It will lead you in at Heavens gate,
Built in Jerusalem’s wall.”
Blake’s idea here is that there is a thread of consciousness and imagery that if followed reflectively will build up your treasure—a ball of gold—in the next, or Heavenly life. ...
Blog Entry #24 Learning to “See”—the Creation of Value—and Wealth
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
There is a moment when a “felt need” encounters an “ideal solution” and the person with the need says, “Aha, somebody figured it out”. It’s at that precise moment that “value is created.” The customer is suddenly willing to pay to get the “felt need” satisfied and the entrepreneur is rewarded for his ability to see the possibility of the solution and then to provide it...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The book Start with Why is the story of a young advertising man, Simon Simek, who got worn out trying to differentiate the “what” he did and the “how’ he did it. Out of this crisis of confidence came a blinding insight—it is almost impossible to explain “why” we do things. We explain “what” we do and “how” we do it but have great difficulty explaining why. ....
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I said in the last post that nothing is as compelling to prospective customers as hearing a statement from you that resonates with their own core values and the deeper that core value is, the deeper the resonance is going to be....
Blog Entry #21 - “This I Believe;” A statement of why you are who you are at your core.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Nothing is as compelling to prospective customers as hearing a statement from you that resonates with their own core values. The deeper that core value is, the deeper the resonance is going to be....
Blog Entry #20 - A Charismatic Leader vs. an Effective Leader
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
There are two primary skill elements required to leading a business enterprise. First, is having a credible vision of where the business is going. Second, is enrolling people to share your vision and take up the tasks and agendas that are necessary to manifesting your vision....
Blog Entry #19 - Self-Awareness, The Law of Attraction, and Manifesting Richness
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Various writers have articulated “the law of attraction” in different formats. One of the earliest that I discovered was Napoleon Hill’s in his book, “Think and Grow Rich,” first published in 1937. An earlier version of the law from 1910 was the book, “The Science of Getting Rich,” by Wallace D. Wattles. A recent version of this law was the popular book, “The Law of Attraction,” by Esther and Jerry Hicks, on which the popular DVD, The Secret, was based...
Blog Entry #18 - Mentoring and Profit Process Circles; There is Strength in Numbers
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
As you get started with The Profit Process™, you may find it beneficial to join a “Profit Process Circle.” A Profit Process Circle is a group of small business owners who meet twice monthly on a telephone conference call with a mentor experienced in the The Profit Process ™. The main benefit will come from listening to others engaged in the same process—meeting the same challenges and solving them—that you are. The mentor or coach’s role is simply to facilitate the conversation
Blog Entry #17 - You Create from Hope, Not from Fear.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
I frequently get calls from people who are facing problems, severe problems, problems that are threatening their businesses. At the moment they call, they are afraid that something awful will happen to their business. The usual scenario is the fear that the business will run out of money—they are suffering a cash flow crisis—and the business will fail....
Blog Entry #16 - Clarity of Focus Comes from Clarity of Values.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Having clarity of focus is essential to success in business. There are always a hundred things that need doing—not each of which will make a difference in the success of your business. Getting clarity about those things that are important and getting them done and not being distracted by those things that are less important is a key mind skill to be cultivated....
Blog Entry #15 - The Adrenalin Junkie—Hoping for The New-New-Thing is not an exit strategy.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
I know a furniture dealer who has run a modestly successful business for a long time—20+ years. He’s very entrepreneurial and creative, but he was always in some kind of financial or operational drama. He just never seemed to move forward without a crisis. In fact he maintains that the drama keeps him sharp and focused and he is almost depressed if he isn’t in some pickle or other...
Blog Entry #14 - Staying In the Flow—so that the “Hits Keep on Coming.”
Tuesday, June 22 2010
The classis entrepreneur has a lot of energy and a lot of ideas— intuitive hits about ways to improve a business and provide more satisfaction for customers and make more money for herself and for her family. Having access to these sources of energy and ideas is what differentiates the successful entrepreneur from the unsuccessful one. Keeping that source of energy and ideas alive and producing is key to continued success—you can’t rest on last week’s good idea—you have to have a flow of them. So how do you stay “In the Flow?”....
Blog Entry #13 - The Allure of Small Business as a Spiritual Path
Tuesday, June 8 2010
It took a long time, until I was in my 50s, for me to realize that there was more going on in my life than I was aware of. In the words of the song, “it was like I had bought a ticket and was only seeing half of the show.” I was not conscious that there were forces both in me and in the universe that had velocity and direction and that wanted something more from me than what I was doing in my day-to-day life....
Blog Entry #12 - On Being Lucky; Doing what is Easy, Effortless, Enjoyable and Elegant
Tuesday, May 25 2010
I must confess that for years I believed that life was hard and then you died! Whatever you achieved was arrived at by sweat, perseverance and lots of disappointment. I did not consider myself a “lucky” person—and I had, it seemed, very little luck. It was not a very engaging or inviting philosophy, even to my self! Of course, I couldn’t see any of this. I was swimming in this murky pond and it was all I knew....
Blog Entry #11 - Unconscious beliefs - Like trying to explain water to a fish
Tuesday, May 18 2010
An important part of succeeding in business is the elimination of mistakes—especially repetitious and unconscious mistakes. We all inherit certain beliefs and patterns of behavior that we saw modeled by parents and caregivers. Mostly, we don’t even see these patterns in ourselves because they are so much a part of us we just accept them as “givens.”
In fact, these unconscious patterns may even become counter-productive in the running of your business. The noticing and changing of personal patterns of behavior is one of the most difficult challenges facing a business owner. In fact, if business success has eluded you, it may be because one of these unconscious beliefs or behaviors is getting in your way. For instance, an owner who wants to please customers too much, may price products or services too low—unconsciously trying to please—due to a pattern laid down early in life. But the effect of not getting paid a fair price may be sabotaging your entire business strategy...
Blog Entry #10 - A Creativity Nook; a Garden, a Workshop or a Study
Monday, May 10 2010
Like the two ends of a see-saw, the successful small business person has both an active life in the market place and a quiet place of reflection and creativity. It's the quiet place of creativity that I'd like to focus on and talk about this morning.
For myself, I have a study. And in the study is a large 100+ year-old roll-top desk that I've had for over thirty years. At my desk, in my study in the early morning is the time and place where I sit and reflect on the events in my day-to-day life and let my intuition and genius-see Blog # 8-speak to me about "possibilities."...
Blog Entry #9 - Miracle Becomes Miracle in the Clear Achievement that is Earned
Saturday, April 24 2010
In his poem, “The Winged Energy of Delight,” the German poet Rilke has this marvelous line:
“Miracle doesn't lie only in the amazing living through and defeat of danger; Miracles become miracles in the clear achievement that is earned.”
He goes on to say in effect, it’s not just the heroic deed that creates miracles, it’s the daily attention to small details that results in what appears later to be a miracle....
Blog Entry #8 - Everybody has a Genius
Wednesday, April 14 2010
The ancient Greeks and Romans had a belief that everyone is born with a twin—a double—whose task it is to lead you to your destiny. They called this double your “genius.” This double contained the divine spark that connected each person to the realm outside of our sense perceptions, which we intuit, but have no direct contact with through the senses.
This idea of a “personal genius” may or may not be true, but it is useful way of thinking about people; especially the people who you work with or have casual personal contact with. It’s a very a useful concept if you are a business owner tying to build a team.
Blog Entry #7 - Ever wish you ran a local monopoly? Well maybe you can!
Monday, March 29 2010
I'm not talking about the game of Monopoly, I'm talking about your business as a monopoly-you have the only game in town and everyone has to deal with you because you have no competition-you're like the local utility.
Many small business owners are unconsciously driven by the belief that they can dominate their local market like a monopoly does. So, they try to be all things to all people and dissipate their resources on customers who will never be good customers.
Blog Entry #6 - Profit done right is not "exploitation"
Saturday, March 20 2010
When I explain The Profit ProcessTM to people, I frequently get an initial reaction that goes something like this; "I don't want to make a profit by taking advantage of people."
And I have to agree, taking advantage of people does not leave you feeling good about you.
Blog Entry #5 - The Right Stuff continued: The Introverted Sheep Herder becomes a Great Salesman
Tuesday, February 23 2010
In his book, The Alchemist, Pablo Coelho has the main character, Santiago, a sheep herder; embark on a journey following a dream he had. In the course of his odyssey, he encounters one situation after another where his eye for an opportunity to be of service, results in prosperity for himself.
One incident especially has stayed with me. He encounters a seller of crystal glasses along an uphill route to a shrine visited by pilgrims. He offers to help the merchant and by watching and listening notices that the pilgrims are sweating as they climb the hill. He sees that by having a supply of cool water available to the thirsty pilgrims he meets a need. In turn he increases the sale of the crystal glasses several fold. The merchant rewards him handsomely for their mutual success.
Blog Entry #4 - Having the 'Right Stuff' is more important than an MBA
Friday, February 19 2010
During the space race of the 60s, the pilot-astronauts became heroic figures because they had the “right stuff.” They defied risks and survived danger not just because they were competent, but also because they were considered to be lucky, and this quality of being lucky was included in the selection criteria. “Being lucky” was a recognition that they had a highly developed intuitive sensibility. They knew things without having them come through the senses. They were said to have “the right stuff.”
Blog Entry #3 - Finding the life force energy to manifest your Vision for yourself and your business
Saturday, February 13 2010
Long term success in anything, but especially in business, requires that you be fully alive. Maybe you have a favorite activity—something that animates you and focuses you like nothing else. Maybe it’s a hobby or a sports team, a creative art that fulfills you, or a love object that consumes you day and night as you relate to it. Whatever it is, it brings up the life force energy in your body effortlessly— and that is the secret—it is easy, effortless, enjoyable and energizing.
Blog Entry #2 - Something out of nothing - creating value that gets paid for
Wednesday, February 03 2010
I have always enjoyed detective stories, from Sherlock Holmes to Nero Wolf. Once I’m hooked on the story, I want to know how it comes out. A good detective story starts in dramatic action and confusion and drives the narrative to an unusual conclusion which is not apparent until all the facts and patterns are revealed. We follow the detective as he or she uncovers or discovers the solution to the puzzle set up in the beginning.
Do you ever wonder why some people are successful in business and in life and others are not? Why some people keep focus and move through problems and manifest products, connections with customers and profits? What makes for this ability to create value and wealth and relationships?
Blog Entry #1 - Watch your clients “light up” when you tell them a good story!
Saturday, January 16 2010
I told my grandsons a story last night on Skype. The story was about losing a fishing rod and then finding it with the help of the menehunes, the ‘little people’ from Hawaiian mythology—who are always helpful to children. At five they are enamored of menehune stories.
Since I had to tell it twice, to two grandsons in different time zones, I got to make the second telling better than the first. It had more tension in the development of the loss and more drama in the finding of the lost rod the next morning—in short it got better with the telling.