"My competition is out to get me"

It’s easy to think that our competition is explicitly out to hurt us.  Going to work can feel like a personal battle.  But the reality is that they are just trying to grow their company and win customers like you are.  The marketplace is a game, and for the sake of the winners – the customers, you have to play it well.

“Men are not against you, they are merely for themselves” – Gene Fowler 

Think about the customers you want.  Thrill them, and you win.

Ideas into practice

If you are like me, you read a lot, listen to audiobooks, and through your industry are exposed to a LOT of ideas, methods, systems, software, and advice.  More than you can implement – right?

A leader has to discern what is most important now.  What would be most useful now?  Then select from these ideas and put the right ones into practice by you or your team, for you and your team.  You need to pull from a sea of ideas, to the right good idea acted on and executed well.

What ideas have you decided to put into practice recently?

What should you put into practice now?

Ask. Then ask again.

Here’s a funny story.  When I was in high school one of my good friends was, let’s say, a pretty goofy looking dude.  If you saw him you’d say there was no way this guy is getting a date with a pretty girl.  Well, what he did was ask.  He’d go up to a nice girl and ask “Will you go out with me?”  She’d usually say no.  But would he quit?  No way.  He’d go up to the next one and ask.  Eventually he’d get a pretty girl to go out with him.  All us “good looking guys” would be hanging out with each other on Saturday night while he was out on a hot date!

At a dance we would watch in amazement as he approached a line of girls and would ask them one by one to dance with him.  He’d get a no, then another, then another – but then, one would say yes.  He’d be out there dancing with a girl while we were all standing there like lonely dopes on the other side of the dance floor watching him, envious of his “good fortune”.

The lesson is ask.  Ask nicely, ask with a smile and ask to be helpful – but ask.  If they say no, ask someone else.  Don’t stop asking. It’s not about the ones who say no, it’s about the ones who say yes.

Remember we said the most successful businesses and people were not the ones who can supply product or do the work, it’s the ones who can sell the best;  and selling is asking.

People are awesome

When we see people doing dumb stuff, and groups of people doing dumb stuff, and supposedly smart people doing dumb stuff, and elected officials and people in positions of power doing dumb stuff, well, it’s easy to be kinda’ down on the human race that day.  Am I right?

But, if we rise above it and look around at the world we get to live in, we can recognize that millions and billions of people doing their thing each day created this world.  

People are awesome – and that means you and your neighbor.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOHalwAoO8w

Business results – much more than money.

Here’s an unedited story sent to me by Jerry Sirios, owner of The Foundation Guys in Ottawa Canada.

I have a pretty awesome story I’d like you to hear. One of our salesman used the company truck on the weekend to get some furniture they bought off Kijiji . The owner of the home noticed Foundation Guys’ name on the truck. She says “you work for The Foundation Guys?” Salesman says yes. The homeowner says my son works for your competition and he’s very unhappy there and he Is looking for a new job. The salesman said as well give me his number and I’ll have someone from The Foundation Guys reach out to him. We call this young man and he says that he wants to leave this company because there is a lot of negativity in the organization and they’re getting paid $16 an hour no bonuses, no pay by the job. New guys start every week and tools are always going missing or getting stolen

This company used to be the market leader in Ottawa and now we have most of the market share. We ask this gentleman why he would want to work at the Foundation Guys and the young man replied ,  “honestly we see your trucks all the time and we see them at the gas station and everyone getting out of the trucks is always smiling and laughing and having a good time. So we’re sitting in the trucks wondering why are they so happy and we are so miserable everyday?” Then the foreman says to the young man, “ maybe we should apply to work over there it looks like something special going on”. Isn’t that amazing Larry! ? it made me feel good that people are viewed as happy over here.

When people are happy with what they do and where and with whom for 10 hours a day vs. miserable, that makes the world a better place.

Stand across the street for 10 minutes

Stand across the street from your place of business for ten minutes and just look at it.

What do you see?  What do you feel?  What is happening in there?  What needs to be done?  Are you proud?  What do you WANT this to be?  What needs to be reinvented?

Digital diet

Most people focus on so many things they aren’t focused on anything.  We get caught in a wormhole of information, clicking around and time goes by.  The digital world is where people go to escape their REAL life. Where did the time go?  What do I have to show for the time?

People on a path of value and purpose don’t have time to waste like that.

Unplug from the digital stream and reconnect with your life.

What game are you playing?

“The problem with the rat race is if you win, you’re still a rat.” – Lily Tomlin

I believe it’s HOW you do business and WHY that makes all the difference.

I play my way. 

What’s your way?

The Heavy Cloak of Your Business

When you don’t delegate, empower and let others do the job you used to do, then growth means more burden for an entrepreneur.

You can be in control, without being in charge.

Stay light.

People avoid pain

What pain is your customer experiencing?

What is taking them to much time? 

What is too difficult for them?