This is something I learned from a guy in Louisiana. I worked with him in a different business way back when...
I learned a ton from this guy whether he knew it or not...it's too bad he is not successful in business yet, because he really has some good insight.
I brought it up that you need to want success...want a business that will earn you profits.
We spoke of hobbies, and how we need to treat our business like a business! and how a hobby never pays the bills, they only cost money.
SO WHAT'S THE SECRET?
It all comes back to having that "dream" or a reason why. But it's more than that...
It's hunger; you need to be hungry. Be starving for success. You know when you can't focus on anything else except that need to eat? You start getting the shakes and you need it. Now bring that feeling and transfer it to your business.
So you need to be hungry. And the insight that this young guy had was a one liner, and picture this in a Louisiana accent; "well there are times you could eat...but you are not necessarily 'hungry'." well how huge is that?!?
I say it all the time, that I learn from you guys as much as you learn from me! That was one of those AHA moments.
Of course, we could all eat a little bit of success, but are we hungry?
So, now every time I look at my business and think to myself "it's just not growing as fast as I want" (which, if you are like me, is never fast enough). I need to ask, "am I still hungry?" And every single time I can answer no. I have become comfortable where I am at.
This brings me to another quote. "Success is found outside our comfort zone." Think about that! If you want to be better than you are now, you need to look beyond yourself and expand. Whether it be physically, mentally, spiritually or financially. You need to stretch yourself beyond where you are now.
So if you are having a tough time getting into action; you look at yourself in the mirror and ask if you just need a bite of success, or if you want the 5 course meal!
So this week:
-Get hungry!
-Dream big!
-Develop your WHY!
-Be starving for success!
To our success,
Jay Kanik
www.cashcanoe.com
Are you Starving for Success?
12 Steps To Success In Creating Life-Changing Income
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Article Body:
12 Steps To Success In Creating Life-Changing Income e-Course Over 22 Hours Of PC Video Also Included!
5 FREE Resources to get your website built, online and profiting in 7 days or less.
3 Surefire Methods to gain immediate and highly responsive traffic to any website on a ZERO budget.
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What separates the winners from the losers? Learn 12 "Obvious Adam" techniques for converting traffic into buyers.
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3 "Must Have" Profit Nuggets that are guaranteed to increase the sales on your website - Miss any one of these three components and you might as well hang the "Going Out Of Business" sign now!
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Putting it all together - Your roadmap to a successful internet business. You Too Can Make A Living Online!
10 Tools A Work At Home Newbie Can Use to Leverage Your Way to Success
As a solo entrepreneur you can get overwhelmed trying to wear all the hats. If you are just starting out you are the CEO, the sales person, the book-keeper and the dish washer. You know that I mean? You might have heard the phrase create leverage and if so great. However, once you make that discovery you are now simply exposed to so many options it’s hard to know what to choose.
As a work at home business one of the goals is to create an experience for the customer that is as easy as if they were buying from a Fortune 500. So how do you make it happen?
One of the best things you can do is look for good products that can demonstrate value to the customer but involves little to no work on your part.
Here are 10 tools that are easy for the non techs but add great value to the customer.
1. www.Efax.com: EFax is an online fax service that eliminates the need for a traditional fax machine, another line and all the associated expenses such as paper and ink cartridges. You get a real fax number that's tied to your email.
2. www.Aweber.com: If you want to keep in touch with your customers automatically and personalize the communication an auto responder can be an important tool. For a small monthly fee you are able to create email campaigns or a single message and broadcast it to your customer list. There are a variety of ways to increase the personalization and as a result will help you develop a better relationship with the customer.
3. www.VoiceShot.com: How would you like to instantly send a voice mail broadcast message to one or thousands of customers at a time? Imagine the power of being able to send reminders, alerts, product announcements or even so interactive polls or surveys right from the web. There are no set up fees or monthly minimums. You simply pay for the calls that are delivered. You truly can call more than one person at a time.
4. www.SendOutCards.com: Have you ever wanted to send a thoughtful card to someone but forgot or it simply did not happen because you ran out of time? Well Kody Bateman CEO of send out cards has not only revolutionized the greeting card industry he has made it his mission to change peoples lives one card at a time. With over a couple of cards in the inventory you can send cards to anyone.
I love this product because in less than one minute you can choose a card, personalize it, even add a picture, write it with your own handwriting, put a stamp on it and hit send. This is no e-card that may never get opened. You can set yourself apart from the competition and touch the heart of people you care about with this revolutionary product.
5. www.AudioAcrobat.com: Audio Acrobat is easiest way to add audio to your website or email. Would you to create your own online radio show? Audio Acrobat helps you record conference calls, podcast, interviews, and more. You can also learn to create products such as marketable CD’s.
6. www.FreeConference.com: Have you ever wanted to give a tele-seminar but did not want have the money to get started? Or maybe, you wanted to put a group of your customers or support team on the line to mastermind. A great way to not only develop a bound with your customers but to develop your content to them is through tele-seminars or tele-classes as they are sometimes called.
If you are just starting try www.FreeConference.com . You will receive a phone number where up to 25 participates can call in and listen to your seminar, boot camp, book reading or whatever content you want to deliver.
As you grow in experience you can choose other companies that will allow a larger number of participates as well options such as recording and creating a MP3 file.
Conference calls are great leverage because you can speak to several people at one time from the comfort of your home.
7. www.freeonlinesurveys.com: Would you like to know what your customers are thinking? You should. It’s simple to do when survey them. You can use this free online service to tap in the heart and mind your customer and uncover what they want from you. In less than 10 minutes you can be up and running. It’s easy to use with no software to install.
8. www.ilovechecks.com: Current figures show that 20% of all online transactions are check-based and that more than 75 million Americans do not have a credit card. Now your business can accept online checks and get fast verification of account status. You don't even need a shopping cart to process online checks with their virtual terminal and ATMVerify services. Don’t lose business because you don’t take checks.
9. www.EVoice.com or www.EVoicePlus.com: If you are a start up or home based business you may not want to miss your customers calls or have them go to a voice mail. Providing a quick response gives your clients to assurance that you are a well run business.
The ability to answer a customer or get back to them quickly is a crucial part of customer service. There are several different ways to accomplish this. However, www.evoice.com and www.evoiceplus.com are two lost cost highly effective tools. EVoice allows the messages to be send to your email and with EVoice Plus your messages can go right to your cell phone.
10. www.PDF995.com: One of the keys to leverage your business is to create free reports, products, e-books and other publishing documents. The power of this strategy is once you develop a product you can either give it away or sell it over and over. You can even add free give-away rights which will allow someone to give your report away without changing any of the content. This can start a buzz and spread like a virus.
While there are only 24 hours in a day choosing the right tools can surely help you leverage the time. Think strategically when you are looking for products and service to help you build your business. Don’t just think about what you need right now. Always ask your self the question, “How can this tool help me grow into a million dollar business?”
American Success Story: Office Max Part 2
Anyone with a home office, computer or kids in need of school supplies is most likely familiar with a store called OfficeMax. The company was founded in April 1988 and the first OfficeMax store opened in Cleveland, Ohio in July of that same year. The superstore chain now has over 900 locations in the United States and Mexico with just about every kind of office supply item you’d ever need from electronics, furniture and software to post-its and pencils.
Over the years, OfficeMax has taken on business ventures with several well-established companies such as Hewlett-Packard. Their goal is to provide consumers with the highest rated state-of-the-art services and products.
In addition to their partnership with Hewlett-Packard, another undertaking OfficeMax took on was a business venture with the Earthlink internet provider service in 2001. The two companies decided to hook up and market a wide variety of internet services to focus on the small business customer. As a result of this enterprise, Earthlink became the preferred provider of internet services to OfficeMax’s customers. Web hosting, dial-up and broadband connectivity are some of the Internet services the two companies offer by what OfficeMax refers to as ‘an interactive store-within-a-store’. They have made it available at all of the OfficeMax locations and online through the Business Services area of OfficeMax.com.
OfficeMax's chairman and chief executive officer, Michael Feuer said basically, that they chose EarthLink because of it strong customer focus. OfficeMax was further impressed by Earthlink’s operation because they stand behind their customer service commitment and constantly offer new technology to help small business customers become more efficient and effective. Additionally, EarthLink agreed to and continues providing training to OfficeMax employees on concepts that are designed to provide both of their customer bases with awareness and accessibility to the latest internet services.
OfficeMax and Earthlink view their combined business venture a win/win opportunity for both the companies and their customers. Earthlink feels that through their agreement with OfficeMax, they will be achieving a solid, retail-level method for reaching millions of small business customers. Both corporations also have the opportunity to provide their customers with new services they can use for accessing the internet which will increase productivity for their businesses.
Whether you are a small business owner, home-based professional or regular, all-American family with office and computer supply needs in addition to internet services, you can depend on OfficeMax for quality products and services. Check them out at www.officemax.com.
Banner Stands: Your Key To Product Promotion Success
Successful advertising depends on getting details of your product or service in front of potential customers in any eye-catching way. And whether at exhibitions, festivals, road shows, press conferences, trade shows, fairs or in your own showroom, you need a way to present your goods to their best advantage. This is where the banner stand comes in. The banner stand is a modern tool designed to maximise the ease and effectiveness of promoting your products.
First, let's look at what banner stands are. In a sense they are miniature, highly sophisticated billboards. A banner stand is essentially a lightweight stand made of aluminium which serves as a frame for you advertising message. This message appears in the form of graphics printed in high resolution on graphic films which are laminated for durability. The best materials for graphic printing is sandtex-laminated polyester. This ensures vibrant colours that won’t fade.
Banner stands are available in a wide variety of styles including single and double sided banner styles, cassette rollers, telescopic, tension, rigid, motorised and spring. They can be retractable, roll up, or pull up. A variety of lighting options is also available.
Roller banner stands are especially convenient as the graphic panel winds into a tensioned cartridge in the base. Cartridge banner stands feature a swappable cartridge allowing the advertising graphics to be changed in an instant. This is great for when you need to tailor your message to suit local requirements. They are also perfect for when you need to promote a range of different products or if you attend many events and need to switch between products efficiently.
Motorised banner stands present long messages via a steadily rotating panel. These can communicate long texts effectively.
For outdoor exhibitions, special outdoor banner stands are available. For these you need to fill their bases with sand or water to ensure their stability.
One great thing about banner stands is their versatility. They can be positioned individually or tiled for extra impact. If you need a large display, you can arrange a group of stands to best suit your needs. Banner stands can work alone or be used together with other promotional methods such as a trade show display. You could for example set one up in the lobby or meeting hall at an exhibition. Or you could put one up at the end of an aisle to attract visitors to your booth. And they're convenient too. They simply retract into their base for easy and secure transportation. Assembly and disassembly is a snap.
If you need to get your product before as many eyes as possible with efficiency, versatility and at a low cost, look into using banner stands. Not only are they visually attractive but their portability and ease of setup makes your job so much easier. Their durability means that they can be used over and over again. And of course they're a great way to generate interest in your product or service.
Adventure Team Building – the Fun Way to Success
Adventure team building is a great way to infuse your company with new life – with a breath of fresh air! This type of team building activity incorporates many of the elements you find in traditional corporate events but accomplishes them through outdoor activities and more adventuresome games.
Many companies offer adventure team building activities to serve a wide range of functions. A wide range of activities is usually offered so you can choose the one that will strengthen the values that are core to your business. Some events can last for a few hours, while others might last a few days and can accommodate up to 500 people at a time.
And you won’t believe how many activities from which you can choose. Some include: archery, rock climbing, kayaking, raft building, zip wires, mountain biking, sailing, night walks, fishing, horse riding, mountain expeditions, kite building and flying, barbecues, camping, and backwoods skills.
Adventure team building is perfect if your company requires events that will really offer a change of pace to your team, get them out of the office and learning new skills through a variety of different means. Adventure activities can invigorate a group of people and help them bond better than any other experience.
Perhaps better than any other corporate event, adventure team building improves communication problems, strengthens leadership skills, and helps with problem-solving, decision-making and teamwork.
Adventure events are held in a wide variety of locations and venues, so you can choose what works best for your company. Resorts, conference centres and parks are just some of the places where adventure team building can take place. And many organizations can custom-build a corporate adventure for you that is designed to develop the specific skills required by your employees.
Adventure team building is also an excellent way to celebrate a success story and reward your team for a job well done. This will help to continue the success, boost future team performance and increase morale. Whether you choose a helicopter ride or a camping experience in the woods, when everyone in the office feels motivated, energized and excited about work, more success is definitely on the horizon.
Achieve Success with Positive Communication
Use these six strategies to communicate effectively.
1) You can accept anything without agreeing with it. Thus, acknowledge amazing requests and outrageous statements with responses such as:
"That's an interesting idea."
"That's a novel request."
"What an intriguing question."
Use this as an opportunity to understand what the other person is saying. And then move on to other topics without attempting to argue.
2) People judge others by their actions. This means you are being judged by the perceptions you create with your words and actions. For example, if you act angry, even though you feel otherwise, you will be judged as being hostile. If you sound helpless, even though you feel otherwise, you will be judged as being ineffective. Thus, choose actions and words that convey the impression you want to make.
3) People judge themselves by their intentions. Thus, acknowledge that the other person's actions or words are correct and proper (as seen by that other person). Even when someone's behavior appears completely absurd, that person most likely believes it is justified.
4) Everyone deserves courtesy and respect. Diplomacy gains more than hostility. It is always the best way to begin a dialogue. After all, no one has ever had to apologize for being courteous. When you treat others with respect, you set the standard for how you want to be treated.
5) Everyone has valuable ideas. Everyone is an expert in some area. Everyone has unique talents. Effective leaders helps other people excel at expressing their ideas. They ask questions. They show interest. They make the other person a star in their conversation.
6) Realize that you can always learn more about the other person's needs, priorities, and situation. Ask questions. Seek solutions. Think positive. Quick reactions often lead to apologies. Start by being thoughtful and seeking to understand fully.
Accountability and Its Powerful Role In Creating Home-Based Business Success
It's so tempting to take the easy road sometimes.
It's even easier to just put something off altogether and say, "next time". We procrastinate by saying, "I'll make twice as many tomorrow", or "I'll do it with twice the effort next time." And what happens? Tomorrow and next time come, and we put it off yet again.
Having an accountability partner on your success team plays a powerful role in helping you keep your eye on the "bigger" picture and your head in the game.
Going it alone may be considered admirable by some who feel the need to declare, "I did it all by myself!" as though it were the ultimate demonstration of strength of character, however, it is by no means the best or quickest way to make your dream come true.
Choosing to build your business or pursue any significant goal without an accountability partner will increase your chances of failure or may severely impede your progress.
It's human nature to back off when things get a little uncomfortable or challenging, and it's at these times more than ever, you need someone in your corner, edging you on and pushing you further.
A perfect example of the power of accountability was demonstrated this morning as I contemplated my workout appointment at the gym.
I have worked out off and on for years and as soon as I felt discomfort in my muscles, I would quit, thinking it just wasn't worth the pain. If the planets weren't in alignment, my morning toast was slightly burned, or it was one degree hotter or colder outside than I cared for, it was a good excuse for me not to exercise.
I won't beat around the bush when it comes to admitting I don't like exercise, but at the same time, there is absolutely no denying its importance in maintaining a high quality of life and optimum health.
When you're not physically healthy, your energy levels are compromised, your mind doesn't function at optimum efficiency, your moods may be altered and heavy, and an imbalance may be created that will affect all areas of your life and business.
When one area of your life suffers, they all do, and if an area requiring attention is a major challenge for you, this is where the need for accountability is paramount.
In my case of physical fitness, I knew I would never stick to a program or hold myself to a certain standard without a partner to hold me accountable, so I hired a personal trainer.
I explained to her that I hated exercise and if a magic "fitness" pill was invented, I'd be the first in line to buy it. I also asked her if she could do the workouts for me so I could increase muscle tone through osmosis. (I think it was at that point she realized she had her work cut out for her.)
Because of my trainer's courage in taking me on, and her belief in and dedication to my success, I will move heaven and earth to make her proud. Today I amazed not only her, but myself.
Over the past three weeks, we've received more than 100 cm of snow. Last night we received another major dumping that was formed into high drifts by powerful winds from the north. It was one of our coldest mornings this winter at almost minus 40 degrees with the wind chill.
Brrrrr!
This morning was the big test. There was no way my trainer could be disappointed in me if I didn't show. I had a foot of snow in my driveway, the winds were raging outside and it was the coldest morning of the year. My snowplow guy was swamped clearing driveways and I probably wouldn't see him for hours. I had an out!
Now, I easily could have crawled back into bed and put off exercising for a day, but it isn't so easy anymore. Someone else is now holding me accountable and isn't going to let me fall back into my comfort zone.
What did I do?
I put on my snowmobile suit, warm knit hat, skidoo mitts and ski goggles, and got shoveling! It took almost an hour and thankfully my dearly beloved came home from night shift and helped me finish, but I cleared a path so I wouldn't miss that workout!
The funny thing is I didn't feel harried or frustrated by the event. I only proved what is a well-known truth. We can accomplish anything if it means enough to us, but even more so if we have an accountability partner in the process.
As you set your goals and plan your ideal future, make a point of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and who will hold you accountable for your actions.
It's so easy to fall back into what is undemanding and comfortable that failure to move forward is always a looming threat.
As you plan to create success in your life whether it be building a successful business, improving your financial situation, optimizing health, etc., make sure you have a coach or someone on your success team to hold you accountable and keep you in action.
The power of accountability is incredible. Add this ingredient to your success plan and you will amaze yourself by revealing how capable you really are!
© 2006 – Laurie Hayes, The HBB Source
Bootstrap Financing Your Way To Business Success
Do you need to start or grow your business but have little money? Before you look to banks and similar sources of financing, why not bootstrap your way to business success?
A bootstrap is a small loop of leather or other material that is found on the top rear or sides of a boot. The purpose of the bootstrap is to help you pull your boot on.
In business, bootstrapping has come to mean helping oneself without seeking outside help. It means using your own resources to finance, promote, and develop your business.
Here, then, are some ways of financing your own business by using your own initiative and depending less on outside bank financing.
1. Operate a Home-Based Business
Operating your business from home could save you a fortune. First of all, you eliminate the costs of expensive commercial rent, commuting, et cetera.
As well, your business use of home expenses would be deductible for income tax purposes. Since your home is your base of operations, your travel and automotive expenses from your home to clients would be deductible.
2. Accept Credit Cards
Rather than financing receivables and assuming the risk for bad debts, why not accept credit card payments?
3. Drop Ship Products
Rather than financing and stocking inventory yourself, consider drop shipping.
With drop shipping, when you make a sale you contact the manufacturer or authorized distributor who ships the product to the customer with your invoice and shipping label. Advantages include no warehousing, shipping, or inventory costs.
4. Use Your Customer`s Money
Selling memberships, subscriptions, gift certificates, and coupon books are just a few ways of getting your clients to pay upfront. Obtaining advance deposits and retainers from your customers can help finance your business operations and reduce or eliminate the need for bank financing.
5. Licensing
Instead of trying to finance the manufacturing and marketing of your invention, which could cost millions of dollars before you have your first sale, why not license it to a company with the necessary expertise and capital? You will then receive royalties in return for your idea.
6. Other Bootstrap Financing Methods
Aggressively control costs, barter, get extended terms from suppliers, establish strict credit and collection policies and procedures, rent (or lease) instead of buying equipment, buy used equipment instead of new, sell off excess inventory and equipment, obtain free publicity instead of paying for advertising, and do whatever else is necessary to generate cashflow and profits.
In these ways and many others not listed here, you may be able to start and grow your business successfully with very limited capital. Thus, you will avoid having to obtain expensive debt or equity financing.
Many who were unable to obtain financing from any other source have successfully bootstrapped their way to business success.
Basic Steps for Home Business Success
When you make the decision to earn income from the internet you will need to go through a set up process to be ready for your home business.
Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success.
1. Attitude
The key to your home business success is your attitude.
Treat your home business like a business.
This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her home business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude."
Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a home business attitude you will have a home business income."
You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time".
2. Working Environment
A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time.
A comfortable chair and organized desk.
Stationery supplies as required. For example:
- pens
- highlighters
- stapler
- hole punch
- sticky tape
- note book(s)
- a simple filing system
- ring binders
- manilla folders
Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.
3. Schedule
Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your home business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.
You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own home business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.
In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your home business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule.
4. Describe Your Home Business
Be able to describe your home business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your home business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your home business.
5. Know Your Product or Service
Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier.
It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.
6. Administration
Use good record keeping practices.
This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your home business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account.
You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com
There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com
7. Computer Protection
Your computer is the lifeline to your home business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored.
You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.
Some suggestions are:
AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com
Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org
Microsoft Anti-Spyware:
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net
8. A Domain Name
You will most likely need a domain name for your home business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com.
9. Payment Processing
You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as:
- PayPal https://www.paypal.com
- Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com
- 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com
- Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others.
This is the most economical way to get started. Once your home business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions.
Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com
10. Email accounts
Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your home business and promotes a more professional business image.
As a final comment on continuing in your internet home business, conduct your home business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet home business.
A Business Franchise Philippines Success Story
A Business Franchise Philippines Success Story
In the Philippines, the term fast food is pretty much synonymous with the Jollibee brand. It took more than just one man for it to become that way, but all it took to start was a man name Tony Tan Caktiong. The humble beginning for Tony was working with his father to operate a kitchen in Fujian, China. In 1975, Tony began his entreprenuerial journey with simply a pair of two ice cream parlors in Cubao, Quezon City.
Despite his success with the ice cream parlors, Tony didn’t stop there. He looked around the world and saw the kind of success chains like McDonalds were having. Instead of opening a franchise for an existing fast food chain like Burger King or Wendy’s, he decided to expand with the opening of his own chain of hamburger-serving fast food restaurants named Jollibee in 1978.
Since McDonald’s hadn’t yet entered into the Philippines, Tony capitalized on this fact by establishing his brand among the Filipino people. Instead of trying to learn everything from scratch, Tony traveled to the United States to learn the tricks of the trade from the already established chains such as McDonalds. By implementing these tried and true business practices back in the Phlippines, Tony’s hard work began to pay off when his business began to rapidly expand. The division of Jollibee Philippines really tries to serve the specific needs of the Filipino people and its culture by focusing its product development as well as its marketing and advertsing to target the unique and traditional Filipino family.
Today Tony Tan Caktiong serves as a success story and a role model for entreprenuers around the world. This was solified in 2004 when Tony was voted the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. The chairman of Ernst and Young, James S. Turley said, “These awards are about celebrating global entrepreneurship and the desire to continually innovate and expand. Tony’s story is a truly inspirational one, on both these counts. We are delighted he has been selected to receive this year’s award.”
Aim Your Sights at Your Customers' Downstream Success
Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers
Do you strive to ensure that your customers enjoy downstream success? Are you mostly concerned with your own financial gain, or do you also express a desire to see that your customers will succeed? If it's the latter, are you consciously considering the success of your customers' customers, or even of your customers' customers' customers?
Without a plan for ensuring an ongoing chain of satisfaction, you can run the risk of developing products, services, or customized solutions that might fill your coffers but not provide any significant or lasting benefits to others.
The way we approach our projects can influence our customers' success. Too often, we myopically limit ourselves to deliver only the "first-line" requirements. In so doing, we think primarily about what our customers or clients asked for, even if it's not the most suitable fit for their own -- or their customers' -- intended needs.
And although it's commendable to listen to what our customers want, and to try hard to fulfill their stated desires to a "T," it's also possible to generate an incomplete or incompatible result based on superficial information. This article offers three ways to adjust our project vision from "20:20 hindsight" to "20:20 foresight" in this regard.
1. Consult Your Client's or Customer's "Crystal Ball"
This method involves more types of questions than you might normally ask about the downstream benefits your product, service, or solution will deliver. It entails querying your clients or customers about the results they envision from the product, service, system, training program, or whatever your project will produce for them, as follows:
* "Imagine the project results six months to a year after completion. What payoffs do you see for people in your organization? Describe the benefits in detail, and any limitations they may still be experiencing after everything is delivered."
* "Now imagine how your customers or clients will benefit in the same period. What improvements in your products and services do you believe you will pass along to them from this project? Will those improvements significantly enhance your clients' or customers' situations? If not, where are the gaps in the picture?"
2. Conduct Interviews at Your Customer's or Even Their Customers' Sites
In some situations, a customer or client may agree to have you interview people at their site or possibly at one of their customers' sites. This process can be considered part of an initial needs assessment. If you are providing an estimate for the project, you might even want to separate information-gathering into its own distinct phase.
When the possibility of onsite interviewing presents itself, the purpose would be to learn from as many different sources as possible how people perceive the situation that has led to the request for a solution.
Using the information gathered in this phase, you might acquire insights that will reshape the initial set of requirements the client had requested. This could be the case if you and your client ultimately determine that the requirements do not seem to address the client's -- or the client's customers' -- needs in the best possible way.
3. Use the "Persona Interview" Approach
This method is especially useful if your project entails developing offerings for mass consumption -- where there is no specific client or customer to please. It can also, however, work extremely well when you are working with a client, to help pinpoint specific kinds of concerns and options that would not have been readily apparent.
With this technique, you begin by identifying a few imaginary characters known as "personas." These characters embody typical customers of your products or services. Regardless of what you'll be creating, you'll want to make your personas as realistic as possible. Give them names, ages, genders, professional or personal roles, families and friends, hobbies, educational backgrounds, and major challenges, for example.
If the project involves creating a financial planning Web site, for instance, you might conclude that one representative visitor is a retired electrician with limited computer skills. In contrast, another frequent visitor is a computer specialist who likes access to "power user" shortcuts. The solution you design will need to satisfy each persona's preferred way of using the Web site, without complicating life for the others.
After I've identified two or three personas, I like to "interview" each one about how they are using my offerings, as well as the benefits they are receiving. (Note that I do this before doing any development.) I let them tell an entire story about their circumstances, company situation, personal concerns, or whatever else "comes up."
These "interviews" often reveal new ideas and angles to consider. Once, I used this technique to "find out" how people might respond to a new information product I was planning to create. To my astonishment, one of my personas disclosed that she was taking advantage of the licensing program I had developed to allow others to teach the material. Up until that point, licensing had not even once crossed my mind -- but you can be sure that I added it to my requirements list after that! This is a great example of how a downstream customer benefit can emerge in a persona interview.
Yes, these exercises do take some imagination. Once you start the process, however, you'll be surprised at how much you can learn about the benefits -- and any potential shortcomings -- of a product, service, or made-to-order solution as defined by your initial assumptions.
The point is that by using a variety of techniques to expose more of your clients' and customers' needs, you can pinpoint more completely the project, product, or service requirements. And by consistently emphasizing the downstream "chain of successes" that your customers and their customers will enjoy, you'll create perpetual value for all who use your offerings or your final project results.
A Mentor Can Make You a Smashing Success
Thinking about a home business? Suddenly you're immersed in a whole new language: affiliate programs, residual income, leveraged income, pyramid scams, html, gateway websites. It's really not all that difficult and a mentor can be a trusted guide through the home business labyrinth.
There are only three main ways to work for yourself: sell your own product or service and keep all the profits; buy the rights to sell someone else's product and keep all the profits; and sell someone else's products and keep a commission. This article is all about the third way, which is affiliate marketing.
Residual income is income that keeps coming in month after month, year after year, from work you do just one time. You sell a membership or a customer places a standing order for monthly shipment of a product and you receive a commission every month thereafter. Leveraged income is earning money through other people's efforts. We choose to be affiliates because when we sign someone up under us to sell, we profit from their sales too.
There are many reasons why you may be interested in starting your own affiliate home business. Are you having difficulty finding a job? Are you afraid of being laid off? Are you worried about your retirement savings? Do you want to stay home to care for a loved one? Do you wish you could say goodbye to your boss forever?
Whatever the reason, and whatever your financial situation, a mentor can help you build an online income over time. It won't happen overnight and it will take hard work.
How do you know if being your own boss and working on the internet is for you? How do you choose what kind of business to start?
A mentor can help you decide if an internet home business is for you. If you're new to computers and the internet, he or she can suggest some great resources for learning the basics.
How do you choose what affiliate programs to join? A good mentor only recommends products she uses herself and programs she uses. I made my choices based on products in which I have personal interest, the programs' track records, and recommendations from entrepreneurs I respect. Careful research is the key.
Once you have signed up for affiliate programs, you may want to start out simply promoting the affiliate gateway websites you are given within each program. Gateway websites are personalized websites given to you by an affiliate program. They are the same for every affiliate and you are not able to change them in any way. They include code that attributes all sales to you and they allow for your contact information to be included. A mentor will show you how to promote these websites. Directing visitors to them is how you make your sales and how you enroll others.
Eventually, you will want your own domain name and website. I unequivocally recommend Kiosk.ws as a web host. You can start out for as little as $1, and Kiosk has support that sets the industry standard. There are conference room trainings and meet-the-president sessions, online help desk, and of course your referrer. Your membership includes too many business tools to mention here, but it's everything you need to conduct business online. Plus Kiosk can eventually be a good moneymaker in itself.
Once you are the proud owner of your own website, you can add your own product pages, articles, testimonials...you're only limited by your imagination. A mentor can set you in the right direction and get your business profitable sooner than you might believe possible.
Are You Ready For eBay Success?
Article Body:
Get Rich Quick Scams RevealedRead this article before you consider paying for a "get rich quick" program.
From: Silent SaleEverybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them. Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered. I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section. In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work. I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying! Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low! To Your Online Success,Silent Sale
Affiliate Marketing - Pay Per Click Marketing For Instant Success
Article Body:
Pay Per Click Marketing is an affiliate marketing skill practiced only by successful affiliate marketers. The reason for this is that most affiliates do not fancy the idea of spending money every time there is a click on their ads and one can lose money if there is not a solid business plan in place. Pay Per Click Marketing in the right hands is the fastest way for anyone to get results online, in hours or days from the day the ad was placed.
Getting started in Pay Per Click Marketing is very simple. All we need to do is go to any one of the major search engine providers such as Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN Marketing and Google AdWords Marketing and setup an account. Setting up an account requires a debit or credit card. This is also a possible hurdle for some interested in online marketing but unable to get started because of lack of this tool. Many banks now allow their ATM cards to function as a visa card,
Pay Per Click Marketing never gets saturated. Compared to other forms of advertising such as ezine advertising that can generate sales...however one needs to place ads, or solo ezine ads to test if the subscribers to an ezine newsletter is responsive to an ad. So its either a hit or miss. For this same reason, PPC is especially good for affiliates in the MLM or network marketing arena that are looking for ways to generate leads for their business. For example, while your upline may have success advertising a business opportunity in a certain ezine with 5000 subscribers, over time that pool becomes saturated with the same ad and this resource pool will no longer be beneficial to the sponsors downline.
PPC however takes some skill and time to understand the intricacies of the advertising system. The best way to succeed in PPC is to have a business model that is long term, in other words, we need a business plan that either has got many products we can introduce in time, a recurring charge business model such as a membership site or a high ticket item. Once the business model is in place, we can send instant traffic with AdWords, Yahoo, or MSN.
All the best to your internet business,
10 keys to guaranteed success in negotiations
Negotiating is a skill that like warfare tactics must be honed. It is important to be mentally prepared to win. Do the ground work well before your reach the negotiating table and decide on the “path” you are going to take. Positivity will help as also a sense of confidence and self esteem. Set aside any doubts you may have and stride forward prepared to win at all costs.
The five cornerstones of successful negotiation skills are placing emphasis on common points; presenting clear arguments; being innovative and open to several options; focusing on the problem being dealt with; looking for a clear solution. The key is to be clear about your preferred outcome. However in the back of your mind you must be willing to compromise to some extent.
A good negotiator is an excellent communicator and understands how human beings think, feel, and function. You must be able to befriend the people seated on the other side of the negotiating table. You must know when to push hard, when to accept a compromise, and when to walk away. A negotiator is in many ways an artist he needs a great amount of creativity to steer the negotiations to a successful completion. A negotiator must keep in mind the 3Fs: fair, fast, and firm.
According to the gurus there are tactics to be used for negotiating:
1. Be focused on the problem or issue. Logical arguments are the key to smooth negotiations.
2. It is important to be firm yet polite when making a stand or presenting a point.
3. Clearly emphasize the advantages and disadvantages.
4. Be patient and let the process of negotiation take its course.
5. Put ego aside and concentrate on the matter at hand. It is finding an amiable solution that’s important not self worth or position.
6. Never threaten or manipulate the opposite party—it is completely unethical and unfair.
7. Aim for solutions that are interest based and not what individual desires or aims are. It is best to consider any situation as a whole rather than from a personal view point.
8. Avoid psychological traps and have the magnanimity to admit when you are wrong. Be open minded.
9. Don’t accept weak solutions and try and negotiate a plausible settlement. Temporary measures are not what you need. A permanent solution must be sought.
10. Value time, schedules, and deadlines. A good negotiator will not beat around the bush or adopt delay tactics or waste time talking about mundane matters. It is professional to immediately get down to the business at hand.
Most human beings are born negotiators. From the first breath a baby takes it makes all around him dance to his tunes. Most of us consciously or unconsciously do what we have to do to get our own way in life. And, if we look closely it is just mastering the art of negotiation.
Achieving Success in New Jobs
It is very crucial to understand the importance of getting the right foot on the new job right from day one. It is true that the first impressions last for a longer period. Performance of the candidate in his new job makes a greater impact on both the employer and the employee.
The fundamental guidelines for achieving success in the new job:
Hard work pays greater dividends. There is no substitute or short cut for achieving success in new jobs. The one and only requisite is to slog your way up in the ladder of success. Never stick to the 9 – 5 time slot of work.
Being punctual will give an impression of a good discipline. It is always good to arrive a little early to the work place, as this will help settle down before starting the day’s work. This also shows the interest of the employee.
It is also good to show interest in the job. If not understood properly you can ask for information or guidance from the collegues or from the boss himself for succeeding in the new job.
Keeping the work place clean will show how organized you are. This can be done by staying a little while after work hours. You can list down the actions to be carried next day, without the fear of forgetting things.
Success in the new job is not achieved just in a day or months, but it will start working towards success from the day one.
A successful person in his job does not indulge himself in the politics of the office, or gossip. Observation and listening to others are very important in learning the job properly and effectively. These skills are seen in successful people in their jobs.
It is always good to respect the hierarchy or chain of command; everyone has to report to some one other than him. Rebels do not survive in the longer run. The organization’s mission, objectives and goals need to be known to the employee to work on the lines of the objectives of the company.
Adaptation to the new job is very important. Otherwise you will be the odd man out there. The dress code should be followed according to the rules and regulations of the company. Also it is good to find out how the business is done, if it is the formal way or the informal and way to follow accordingly.
With a little bit of common sense and the urge to succeed, by following the above guidelines one can easily achieve success in the new job.
Aromatherapy: Sweet Smells For Success
Your company is having a meeting with potential clients and you want to make sure everything is all set for their office visit. You've brought in donuts and coffee, and the conference room is looking good. However, you still think something may be missing to ensure the sale goes through the way you want it.
Enter the essence of aromatherapy. Essential oils have been used since ancient Egyptian times to enhance their surroundings and promote healing. The use of essential oils to set the mood has long been used by individuals to wind down in the evening or to create a relaxing atmosphere. Now more companies are turning to aromatherapy to increase worker productivity and the general feeling of well-being in the office.
The process is fairly simple: choose an essential oil such as "Lemon Grass" that has specific benefits such as uplifting mood and easing fatigue. Place the oils in a diffuser and let the scent permeate the air. The aroma will heighten the senses and, depending upon the oil, bring various emotional and physical benefits to those exposed to the aroma.
Molo Africa has a line of essential oils used in aromatherapy. From "Cape Chamomile" for relaxation, soothing and tension release to "Ylang-Ylang," which is known to combat stressful feelings, there is an oil to enhance moods and even positively affect your health.
Molo Africa essential oils are sold in the U.S. by BioPharmetics Inc. Product sales support single mothers and farmers in Africa in realizing their entrepreneurial dreams.
Molo is an African greeting meaning "hello." Bearing evocative African names such as "Hamba Suka" (go away insects), "Sefako" (African storm), and "Maru" (African forest), the products contain essential oils that were extracted from exotic plants farmed and processed naturally in African countries.
The company's product line includes pure essential oils, natural aromatic room sprays and scented candles for home and office use.
Additional phone lines allows for greater customer-service success
With the complexity of one’s business comes the stress of an effective phone system. With multiple customer service representatives at my business, I found it hard to find a phone system that could handle the workload of the many users at one time. After researching other options, I found a website that allowed me to not only buy the complete phone system, but also the equipment to add additional lines to my current business system.
After reviewing the cost factors, their company made it easy for me to decide if it was more cost-effective for me to add additional lines to my current phone system or to purchase a new one. After consulting with the phone professionals, it was decided that a key system would be most effective for my business. This decision was made by weighing the costs of purchasing a new system versus upgrading an older one.
Ultimately, cost is most important in deciding the benefits toward one’s company future success. After consulting with my boss, we discussed the positives and negatives in purchasing a new system. While new equipment would be a great addition, we were concerned of the complexity of the new system. We would want to implement our current business activities into its use immediately and would have to be trained on using the new phones.
After great consideration, we purchased a new key system for our near 10 person customer service staff and 100 other employees. After an introduction meeting for the entire staff to the new system, employees were back at work immediately using the new system within an hour.
This decision has been very important to the continued success of my company. I have seen greater results with the speed in which calls are transferred to the appropriate representatives. This allows customers’ needs to be addressed in a more timely manner. Overall, this new system has positively increased the quality of our customer service.
By investing in a better system, the success of my company and the satisfaction of my customers are better dealt with. Quality definitely is essential to effective work equipment. And after taking the time to make a change in my company, I have continuously been satisfied with my decision.
Anyone Can Do It! Small E-business Success Stories
It is not uncommon to hear fabulous success stories from
internet-based companies. We all know about the
Amazon.coms, Googles, Ebays, Yahoo!s, and all of these
other popular websites that sell goods or services. The
dotcom boom took place in the early 1990s and many internet
companies went bust due to a poor reception from the
public.
Today’s consumers are a great deal savvier than
they were in the last decade, and internet-based businesses
are back in full force. One mistake common to the dotcoms
that bombed shortly after forming was lack of leadership
and poor business plans. Everyone saw the potential in
this new and intriguing forum, but no one quite knew what
to do with it. Since no one had ever run an internet
business, CEO's attempted to run them like traditional
stores. Although you may sell the same products or
services as a traditional brick and mortar store, there is
a great difference in the approach to running an internet
business. However, in the field strewn with failed
businesses of the past shine many small e-business
success stories.
The “mom and pop” businesses have taken the internet in
stride. The family run e-business is finding
a great deal of success on the internet whereas it may
have struggled in a traditional store. Furthermore,
e-businesses can be run out of the comfort of your own
home, allowing individuals to keep their commitments and
responsibilities while working towards developing a
fantastic e-business. Just because your e-business may be
small, thinking small will be the most detrimental to your
enterprise.
Surely the founders of Amazon.com did not
think small when they founded the online store, and
neither should you. It may be difficult to keep that
professional attitude when you can go to work in your
robe and slippers, but strive to keep that level of
professionalism that goes along with traditional
businesses. Starting your own small e-business is a
huge undertaking and should not be taken lightly.
One such example of a entrepreneur who worked hard to
develop a successful and profitable e-business is Sandy
Stevens of Sandy’s Home-style Baking Company. Being able
to channel her love of baking and sweets into a viable
career, Stevens has experienced a great deal of success
over the short time her e-business has been running.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Stevens has found herself
shipping her sweet treats all over the continent to a
wide array of incredibly pleased clients. Stevens had
worked out of her home in the past, but the jump into the
unfamiliar realm of cyberspace was new. Working with web
designer, Stevens was able to have a professional develop
her thoughts and ideas into a professional website that
promotes her baked goods to a world-wide audience.
Additionally, Stevens chose to advertise with popular
websites such as Yahoo! and Google to further promote her
website. Stevens likened internet advertising to
traditional forms of advertisement such as newspaper or
yellow pages ads. Whereas these print types of
advertisements can be quite costly, especially for a
developing business with little money to spare, internet
advertising is a great deal less expensive for more
coverage. Instead of a pricey $2,000 a month for a
full-page yellow pages ad, Stevens was able to promote her
business all over the internet for a mere $500.
Stevens’ story is an inspiration for anyone wishing to
start their own business. Using something as simple as a
passion for baking, Stevens was able to create a home
e-business that is both successful and enjoyable.
Regardless of her business savvy, technical know-how, or
marketing experience, Stevens was able to channel her
passion and seek help from outside sources to create her
dream job. When it comes time for you to develop your
small e-business, try to incorporate things you love and
your business will surely be a success.