This is MY Forest!!

All this week, I have been seeing the word, “opportunity”. It keeps coming up. In a book I am reading, God is described as the “God of opportunity”. In the “It Factor Career Club” I have been serving, the members are asking, “What opportunities are out there?” This week, I met with a sales manager for our regional “yellow pages” and was presented with an “opportunity” that left me overwhelmed with excitement. Truthfully, I believe that in ANY economy, opportunities surround us and wait eagerly to be uncovered.

The secret to “mining” opportunity in our lives and businesses is in our mindset and the movie, Apocalypto by Mel Gibson depicts a powerful example of just this concept. (If you haven’t seen the movie, it is a must – see. ) In the movie, the main character narrowly escapes being offered as a sacrifice by the ancient Mayans. He is running through the forest for his life… the same forest he grew up in… He is being pursued by about six fierce Mayan warriors and is badly injured himself. In the beginning, he is simply running… afraid… worried about his wife and child…

But, at one compelling moment, when he is separated from the warriors by a large waterfall, something changes. He looks up at those chasing him and yells defiantly, “My name is Jaguar Paw. This is MY forest. I hunted this land with my father, and my son will hunt this land after I am gone. This is MY forest.” From that point on, he is no longer running afraid. He makes use of every resource from HIS forest.

Knowing he won’t survive if he continues to run and hide, he begins to go on the “offensive” and creates opportunities to kill each warrior pursuing him. I can’t tell you how powerful that one statement is: This is MY Forest! You see, I remember the days when I was pursued by bill collectors… bullied by the “rejections” of my potential clients… harassed by doubts and disappointments in my business. Quite simply: I remember a point where something had to give… I sent out a few resumes, and almost gave up on my own dreams. Truthfully, I wanted to be without “stress” for a while. I hated the feeling that I was SO CLOSE, and yet… my bank account showed me how seemingly far away I really was.

Just like Jaguar Paw, the odds (I felt) were stacking against me. The warriors chasing me were debt, bills, discouragement, disappointment, doubt, and anxiety. Still, something inside of me kept urging me NOT to give up. What could I do differently? Then, I found the “acknowledgements” page for my first book. Among other people, I acknowledged my friend’s Mom who always said (and believed) that I could do ANYTHING. When I told her that I was going to have my daughter “naturally” (no drugs) for example, she said, “Well, if thats what you say you are going to do, that’s what you are going to do.”

My own parents encouraged me and believed the same for me all my life, but to have someone outside of my family to say that really empowered me for some reason.  Anyway, that day I drew a line in the sand. I determined that it was MY forest. I could either keep running and hiding, or I could be STRATEGIC, BOLD, AND DETERMINED. I could either keep looking for opportunities, or I could begin CREATING them. I chose the latter, and never looked back… at least, not for long.

You see, “looking” for opportunities isn’t very powerful, compelling, or life-changing. CREATING the opportunities you seek is! My point is simple: If you feel “this close”… if you have that “urging” inside of you that keeps you focused on what COULD be… if you “feel” like giving up, but know (even against mounting “evidence” to the contrary) that you could really “make it happen”, here are some practical tips to help you claim your own forest:

**First, claim it. Audibly… In writing… whatever. But claim your forest. What will you MAKE happen? Define it. Make it real. No more waiting or hoping.

** Next, look for all of your resources. Jaguar Paw used thorns, poisonous frogs, hunting tools, even bees and leaves. I used my contacts in HR, my “knack” for getting press, my speaking ability (and affinity) and my marketing expertise. Simply put… I did what I knew to do. What do you KNOW you should be doing? What resources will you begin to utilize RIGHT NOW?

**Finally, acknowledge that you can play both offense and defense… but NOT at the same time. I determined that I would stop trying to “defend” what I thought I was losing…and begin playing to WIN. My mindset shifted. It was a decision. When doubt crept in, I refused to let “it” steal my focus. I defied anxiety and discouragement. These poisonous emotions had stolen so much from me already. When playing to WIN, they must be put in their place. In today’s market, sales are STILL being made. Why not by you? People are still being promoted. Why not you? Businesses are still showing a profit. Why not yours? Draw a line in the sand and begin CREATING opportunities for success.

After all, this is YOUR forest… uniquely yours… brimming with life, possibility, hope, opportunity… and all the resources you need! To YOU!! TO YOUR SUCCESS!!

Business Truth… from the Bible?

Have you ever seen one of those robots that will bump into a corner, turn slightly and try again… bump into the same wall, turn slightly… bump into it again, turn slightly, etc.? It keeps going until eventually it is heading OUT of the corner and in a new (more open) direction.

When I see businesses who are feeling “hammered” and “forced into a corner” by 2009, I think of this robot. I wonder… WHY are they not changing directions? Trying something new? Trying again?? And again? First, fear keeps them stuck in a corner.. fear of risking (and losing) more… fear of going in the WRONG direction. So, they remain stuck. Do they like the corner? NO. Are they HOPING to get out? You bet. Yet, paralyzed by the feelings of defeat and fear, they remain INactive. Throwing their hands up, they will say, “What’d ya gonna do??” So, they either continue doing the very things that led them into the corner, or they do nothing.

Tidewater Women magazine said I “embodied the entrepreneurial spirit”…. As an entreprenuer, this defeat in my fellow “treps” breaks my heart. Because when I look at them, I see such potential…. They are pregnant with it….. and are often just ONE BOLD move away from giving birth to profit.
In the Bible, the Israelites were leaving slavery in Egypt. They left singing, dancing and praising the Lord for their deliverance… with the hope of a promised future. Much the way many of us ventured into business ourselves, right? But, in the case of the Israelites, the Promised Land took much longer to reach then they anticipated…. the journey was harder than they expected… the obstacles were more frequent and more challenging than they expected. Can you relate? Did you know that only ONE person per million Israelites made it INTO the Promised Land?

If you feel like your chances of ending up in your own Promised Land are about one in a million, let me share with you a Biblical Truth to accelerate your entrepreneurial travels:

1) CHOOSE… Joshua told the Israelites to CHOOSE this day whom they would serve…. Today, I am asking you – if you are NOT okay with the PROFIT your business is producing – to CHOOSE to turn it around. Make a decision to do something different. Even a robot can find its way out of a corner. So can you. CHOOSE. DECIDE you will succeed. DECIDE to do something different. CHOOSE today.

2) COMMIT…. Joshua asked the Israelites to abandon all other “gods” and “idols” and COMMIT to the Lord. I am asking you to abandon Plan B’s…. and COMMIT whole-heartedly… with laser-focus… and one-track thinking to your own business success.

Here’s to being one in a million!! =)

The AD didn’t work???

So…. at the risk of offending EVERY ad salesman, publication, radio station and MORE, I just have to say this:

WHY in the WORLD do otherwise smart and savvy business owners FAIL to acknowledge basic MATH in their business? If a paid advertising effort produces $0 in increased revenue, why would running that SAME ad (with no changes) in the SAME publication somehow produce MORE income? Zero times any number is always zero.
Yet, this is the scenario I see all the time… When one ad doesn’t work, the business owner will enlarge (or add color to) the SAME AD…. expecting (much) different results… Usually following the “expert” advice of the salesperson who earns MORE money when you buy a BIGGER or more colorful ad. Go figure.

Here are some quick ways to AVOID wasting money on paid advertising in the future:

** If the sales person doesn’t ENCOURAGE you (and maybe even show you HOW) to check the RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) for your ad, DON’T BUY IT!! They should be interested and committed to seeing results for your business.

** If they continually use the words, “You have to get your name out there”, WALK AWAY. There is no value in “getting your name out there” unless you are building your EGO vs. your bank account. You want the ad to focus on getting your clients or customers IN HERE. Sure, when you do “get your name out there”, there are nice ways to leverage that “exposure”. BUT, it is not a pre-requisite to making a cushy income in your business. In fact, while others are busy “getting their name out there”, you can be busy getting clients INTO your business. The former often costs a lot of time and money. The latter MAKES money. Which are you most interested in doing?

** What should an effective AD include? (If you have already BOUGHT ad space, and need some real detailed, pointers, email me at michelle@womenwhowow.com and ask for my “Making Advertising WORK” report.)

1. It should GRAB ATTENTION. (TIP: Don’t make your headline your business name. Instead, use something that “grabs” your target market.)
2. It should be written to answer the following question in your potential client’s mind: WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
3. It should inspire curiosity….. maybe even be a BIT outrageous.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY: It should ASK THE READER TO DO SOMETHING. It should INVITE them to TAKE SOME ACTION… call for a free report, or visit for a complimentary service, or SOMETHING.
5. You should include a sense of URGENCY.
6. When possible, it should ask them to do something that allows you to collect their contact information…. so you can continue to converse with them.

Remember: Your AD’s job – with the exception of some direct response marketing – isn’t to make the SALE…. it is to START the conversation. And profitable businesses in ANY economy are built ONE conversation at a time.

A Typical Business Meeting??

Not too long ago, I sat in a meeting with a very educated business owner and her team of “key players”…. marketing consultant, business manager, customer service manager, etc. The issue at hand: a lack of clients and decreasing income. It was a difficult meeting. As an “outsider”, I sat silently as the “team” danced around the reasons for their decreasing business income…. leaving every possible solution UN-touched as they entertained the rediculous.

I sat silently as excuse after excuse was offered for the NON-performance of those employees responsible for SALES. Of course, the sales “professionals” felt they were doing “all they could” to close deals. (In reality, they were far, far from reaching their potential.) Of course, they blamed the recession. Because, if the focus was on the big, bad recession – well, then no one would simply call them out and say they weren’t very good at their job. (Money may be an issue, but at least their precious ego was saved.) I see it all the time. When we have an excuse that is OUTSIDE of OURSELVES (like a global recession) instead of doubling our sales efforts, we actually do LESS to sell. Of course, the excuses of the sales team were accepted…. never challenged… never debated… never searched for TRUTH.

I sat silently as the marketing consultant ran down a list of marketing efforts. NONE of which were “direct-response” in nature… ALL of which were “exposure-based”… ALL of which required a monetary investment (with absolutely NO talk of expected return)… and NONE of which had proven in the past to be profitable.

IN FACT, when I did ask where MOST of their customers came from, they told me: Referrals. Well, did ANY of their marketing efforts focus on strategically generating MORE referrals – their number ONE source of business? NOPE. But, they did have a marketing effort that would allow them to see their business name in lights. (Don’t laugh! I think college marketing programs -taught by professors whose incomes are guaranteed and who have never actually run a business of their own and who have never ever been responsible for meeting payroll – are actually teaching this crap!)

Anyway, I did eventually speak up and offer my expertise. But I have to wonder if this is a typical business meeting?? If this sounds “typical” for you, here are some quick tips:

** QUESTION EVERYTHING… interrogate the areas in which your business is “falling short” like a great attorney would do a criminal. ASSUME nothing.
** BE RUTHLESS with your marketing money. Invest in NOTHING (and in NO ONE) who doesn’t focus on RESULTS and RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
** If you are interested in building your EGO, it is fine to continue to market for exposure or to “get your name OUT THERE”. BUT, if you are interested in building your bank account, it is necessary that EVERY marketing effort be direct-response in nature. In other words, focus on getting your clients IN HERE… not on getting your name OUT THERE.
** Sales teams are responsible for making sales. Hold them accountable for doing just that!! (If you will accept ONE excuse, you will accept ANY excuse. And, you can have excuses….or you can have RESULTS… but never BOTH!)

S-T-R-E-T-C-H Marketing Clinic

Okay.. so the clinic is just about six weeks away, -MARK YOUR CALENDARS for  NOVEMBER 13th – and I am not sure of the name… But it is creating quite a buzz… so for now, we will just call it the “STRETCH” marketing clinic.  Here are some cool guarantees and answers to some questions that SHOULD be frequently asked…

• Will this Marketing Clinic be as expensive as your private coaching?  A: NO!!! This is a clinic I am offering for just $279 AND…. if you pay attention to my blog and connect with me on facebook, I’ll personally pay $100 of your registration fee. 
• How will this “CLINIC” be different than any other seminar I have paid money to attend and walked away disappointed?  A:  The answer to this could keep me here all day.  First, it is a Marketing Clinic that will dimiss any and all LIES  holding your business back.  For instance, if you are marketing for “exposure” (i.e. GET MY NAME OUT THERE) I will be able to show you (exactly) how to save your advertising money and begin marketing for PROFIT (i.e. Get my clients IN HERE!). 

Second, if you sense AT ALL that your money and time is being wasted, just say so at lunchtime!  My team will immediately refund your money and wish you well.  No questions asked, no hard feelings. 

LASTLY, and perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY:  I do not offer one-night stands in my business, so although this will be a ONE DAY event, I will personally support you through the end of 2009.  In fact, I will do better than that.  In January, I am blocking off one full week to meet with EACH participant in the Clinic for private one-on-one coaching consultations…. just to make sure you kick off the new year profitably.

• Why don’t you wait until January to have this event?  Well, the purpose of this event is to address the NUMBER ONE goal of small businesses:  to make a healthy profit.  To do this, we will S-T-R-E-T-C-H your thinking of what’s possible, S-T-R-E-T-C-H your view of profitable marketing, S-T-R-E-T-C-H the value of your business, S-T-R-E-T-C-H your marketing reach and S-T-R-E-T-C-H the value of your current customer base.  So…. why wait?  Why act like 2009 is over already?  Why not make more profit in the last MONTH of the year than in the previous months in the year?  Why WAIT until the new year is in full swing before planning for a profitable 2010? P.S.  You wont want to miss the LAST session of the day:  The Two Minute Drill.   (There is still a lot of profit left in 2009 for you… if you are willing to S-T-R-E-T-C-H!!)
• Who should attend?  Any small business owner, entreprenuer or sales professional who has networked, advertised, twittered, facebooked, blogged, and/ or marketed and been SORELY disappointed with the results (i.e. MONEY IN THE DOOR – because that’s the point!) they have seen.   If you feel like you are just “not good at marketing”… if you have paid for marketing that didnt work… if you have networked neurotically and NOT seen increased profit from your efforts… if you feel “pregnant with potential”, but have YET to give birth to profit…. YOU NEED TO BE AT THE S-T-R-E-T-C-H MARKETING CLINIC!  
• WHERE will the clinic be held?  Chesapeake, VA… Clinic will be held at the Marriott Springhill Suites in Greenbrier.  After Hours event will be held right next door at the ALoft Chesapeake. 
• Speaking of S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G… I am having to S-T-R-E-T-C-H every dollar… So, what EXACTLY will be included in this Marketing Clinic?  So glad you asked:   Breakfast, Lunch, AFter Hours networking event with live music, Marketing Manual (with information you WON’T get anywhere else), world-class training in profitable marketing strategies (with a ruthless commitment to take-home-and-implement-me-now-for-more-profit strategies), 6 weeks of my WoW! Factor Monday Morning Make It Happen support program (NO EXTRA COST), and complimentary in -person, one-on-one consultations  with me in January!  Oh.. plus some other goodies and surprises I am cooking up! 
• I am from out of town.  What about me?  I have worked out a fabulous accomodations package for you at my FAVORITE hotel of all time:  The ALoft.  They will pick you up from and return you to the airport (Norfolk International is closest.) and give you a fabulously cozy and ultra-modern room for just $59 a night. 
• How can I register?  You can’t!!  Not yet, anyway. I am still ironing out and firming up all the details.  BUT, you can email me to make sure you get on my advanced notice list.  You’ll be the first to know when registration links are up and running…. So you can register EARLY and take advantage of ME paying $100 toward your registration fee. michelle@womenwhowow.com
• What else?  I am not sure. Have I left anything out???  If so, shoot me an email and let me know!!

Do you KNOW – really KNOW – what you can do?

Lately, I have constantly been reminded of the power we have inside each of us.  Today, I stumbled across a website that is dedicated to ending the abuse of elephants in captivity.  I have often wondered how these enormous giants were even KEPT in captivity in the first place.  The fences that keep them caged would crumble under their strength.  The ankle chain that keeps them shackled would snap with even a meagerly attempted yank. 

I looked into it a bit and found that captive elephants are trained into captivity as babies.  At that time, the fences are strong enough to keep them in.  At that time, the ankle shackles are strong enough to keep them bound.  Time after time, these fearless babies test their boundaries and fail to penetrate them.  Broken, they resign themselves to a life of captivity – and often – abuse. 

I have never found a more pitiful sight than that of a broken spirit… a person (or animal) with no hope, no fight, no vision, no true grasp of their value, their potential, their promise.  These elephants are – quite literally – ONE “try” short of freedom, yet they remain bound. 

Many of us are the same.  We allow past failures to rob us of future success.  We are captive to stories of what HASNT worked in the past… rather than excited about trying again. 

So… I am not sure what I can do for these elephants.  But, we can honor them by learning from them.   Here’s a great start:  What haven’t you tried in a while that just might work THIS TIME?  Do you really KNOW what you are capable of accomplishing?  Where are you BOUND business-wise?  What have you given up on??

Play the hand you were dealt….NOW!!

“There are those that make things happen,

Those that watch things happen,

And those that wonder what happened.”

Far too often, when I meet with entreprenuers, I realize that “waiting” is a major “activity” in their week.  Buying an ad and waiting.  Waiting for things to “turn around”.  Waiting to hear something.  Waiting for the right opportunity.  Waiting to get “in front of the right people”.   

This “waiting” game frustrates me because I know the truth.  The simple truth is this:  Wait and you will STARVE!     You see, the majority of people will wait.  They will wait for ideal conditions.  They will wait for the risk to diminish.  They will wait for SOMETHING to happen.  They will wait for good news.    Essentially, they are the “watchers” of what is happening, and they will not meet their goals. 

On the other hand, those who are pro-actively creating their own good news will thrive!!  These people, as Dr. Gene Landrum puts it, “draw for aces, but play what they have with panache and bravado.”  In short, they play the hand they are dealt and they stay in action.  Consider this: 

After losing EVERYTHING in a previous business endeavor, George Douglass sat in his empty living room needing cash FAST.  He took stock of the “aces” he had in his possession.  He had 83 copies of Think and Grow Rich and a few broken down auto-dialers.  How could he leverage the hand he was dealt?    He began calling insurance agents, mortgage brokers and real estate agents offering a free workshop on how to use auto -dialers for business success.  Anyone who attended his workshop received a copy of Think and Grow Rich .  He started fixing those auto-dialers and managed to sell eight of them and rent several more through his free workshop.  He got the cash he needed and began an entirely new business. 

George Foreman was a washed-up fighter before his “second act”.  My friend Sam Beckford (known around the world as The Small Business Millionaire) failed six times in business and, at one point, couldn’t afford groceries for his family.  Lee Milteer’s business took a nose-dive after 9-11.  So did Steve Chandler’s.  None of these people “waited” for things to happen or for things to change.  If they had, you and I would never have heard of them.  ALL of them made an unbreakable “deal” with themselves and committed to MAKING things happen instead of “waiting”. 

Steven Covey says, “We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness.”  I would add, “We alone are responsible for our own success.”    

We can’t always control the hand we’ve been dealt.  But we can always control how we play it!   Play with confidence, boldness, bravado and panache! Play to win BIG!  The “pack” will wait.  To leverage your own “WOW Factor”, commit to doing the opposite!!

Are You Being a WEASEL in your business?

Cute... but not in your business

Dan Kennedy uses a term called a “no weasel” clause guarantee to fill his live events.  Most people offer a guarantee that is essentially USELESS. 

Here’s an example:  Not satisfied??  No problem.  Simply let us know by the time the moon rises on the sixth day of Passover, submit a written explanation of your complaint delivered by personal messenger, and a time stamped credit card receipt of your purchase, and we will gladly refund an undisclosed portion of your money.

Instead, Dan offers a NO WEASEL clause guarantee.  In other words, if you are UNsatisfied for any reason, he will refund your money.  All you have to do is say so.  He won’t try to weasel out of his guarantee. 

Of course,  a powerful guarantee is a great selling tool.  But I have found that there is another way to be a “weasel” in our businesses.  This occurs when a business owner sets goals (plans, with deadlines) for themselves and then weasel out of their commitment to themselves.  This is one of the most detrimental (profit-wise) traps we can fall into as entrepreneurs.  We give OTHER PEOPLE’s deadlines “weight” and adhere to them… and then we weasel out of our own commitments to ourselves.  Join me , today, in saying NO MORE WEASELING!!!

HONK… If you need Clients NOW

 During this past Christmas season, I snuck off between meeting clients to buy my daughter a “hanging paper lantern” .  In the parking lot of the store, I drove slowly past the client I was meeting in the next 15 minutes.  She was in her car driving towards me and I was in mine. 

I am a little emberrassed to tell you how I tried to get her attention. I began waving frantically, tapping on my window, saying, “Jessica… HEY… Jess – it’s me!!”  Of course she could hear none of this, and kept focusing on the road ahead.  At the last minute, I laid on the horn, and she finally looked up.   Finally, I had done the OBVIOUS thing to get  her attention… all just to say, “HEY!”

Anyway, I immediately started thinking about how many of us do the same frantic waving and tapping on glass and shouting, “HEY!” to our potential customers in business… all while feeling like there is NOTHING more we can do… and  ignoring the OBVIOUS solution to the “I need more clients NOW” dilemma many are facing right now.  So, if a HORN is the obvious way to get another driver’s attention, what is the obvious way to cultivate more clients NOW? 

I am so glad you asked, because I needed to make something productive out of the foolish display I described above. :-)   It does feel foolish when you keep doing the same things trying to capture the attention of your market – all with little or no resutls.   Where do you go from there?  The solution is in “doing the obvious”.

First, think of the things that you are doing NOW to attract clients.  Many business owners have the following list, or something like it:  Attend Networking Meetings regularly (sometimes even weekly), Send Out Press Releases, Market through Articles, Paid Print or Radio Advertising, sending out CRAZY LOW price discounts or coupons, or Paid Listings in phone books, etc.  Does this list sound a BIT familiar to you? 

While I am not prepared to say there is NO value in these activities, (I do two of these things myself… but only two.) what I CAN say with absolute certainty is that these activities keep you focused in the WRONG place.  You see, each of these activities is meant to drive the MASSES to you. 

 

Look at it this way:  Let’s create the visual that you are the BULLS EYE of your social circle.  The next circle outside of yourself is your family and very close friends.  The next circle is your acquaintances and current customers.  The next circle may be your networking contacts and so on… all the way out to the circle FARTHEST from yourself:   your “market” of strangers – whom you have never met but whom you may be spending a bunch of time and money to “reach”.    These activities described above are an effort to bring this “market of strangers” to you.  

The OBVIOUS (and most quickly profitable) action is to do the opposite.  Start with your ”inner circles” and MOVE OUT… I affectionately call this “client cultivation” tip:  “SPREADING LIKE A FUNGUS” through your market.  Building your business FIRST through the people that already know, like and trust you. 

To do this, you must be able to CLEARLY articulate WHO you help and HOW.    Here is a quick  example: 

You know how lots of business owners spend a bunch of money on paid advertisements or marketing efforts that don’t prove very profitable?   (Typical response is,”Yeah.. I spend $XXXX on a ______ ad that got a very low response.”)  Well, I help those business owners capitalize on the money they have already spent on advertising while leveraging what they already have at their disposal to create profitable referral-based businesses in less time than they thought possible.”

 Next, you must be willing to ASK for help building your business and spend time to build RICH relationships with those referred to you and those referring to you. 

Does this seem overly-simplistic?  Maybe.  But, super effective none the less.  So, how can you get started?

• Make a list of all the people who know and love you.
• Make a list of all of your “astonished” clients who have grown to depend on you.
• Acknowledge BOLDLY that this list has the potential of generating ALL the business you will ever need or want.
• Write a letter to these “inner circles” contacts and tell them (or remind them) about WHO you help and HOW.   Be sure to let them know that you have committed to growing your business through serving people WELL and developing a referral based business.  Ensure them that you will treat each referral with “red carpet” priority…
• Follow up with EACH person who refers a potential client to you… NOT with a simple “thank you”… but with a conversation that demonstrates how their friend was changed and helped by their referring them to you. 

So, if you want more business NOW, do the obvious thing:  HONK!!  

Shameful Secrets…. of Speed

May I share a shameful secret with you?  

I have recently shared (a bit) on facebook about my recent driving issues… including 4 speeding tickets and a failure to stop at a stopsign ticket…. all in about 3 months.  Not good. 

But, if I were to be completely honest, my driving record is a long list of shameful secrets for me…   To say I have a “lead foot” is merely scratching the surface.   My driving history includes all of the following:   (Please keep reading… I promise this absolutely applies to your business!!)  
            
            DRIVING PRIOR TO GETTING MY DRIVERS LICENSE
            GETTING KICKED OUT OF DRIVERS EDUCATION            
            ATTENDING FIVE “DRIVERS SCHOOLS” (to get positive points to counteract my    “speeding” points)
            RECKLESS DRIVING (over 20 mph over speedlimit)
            FOLLOWING (a police officer) TOO CLOSELY 
           
 I was voted (by my entire Senior Class – as a joke), “Most Likely to be a Driver’s Ed Teacher” in high school! Bottom line:   Speed Limits Are Made to be Broken!!  

In business, we can reach our goals SLOW… or we can reach them FAST.  I vote FAST.  I am not interested in “incremental” gains… these are too much like “cost of living” increases bestowed upon us at work.  They are not attached to the value we offer, or how we “perform” our duties.  

In business, our income will be a direct reflection of the value we offer our clients.  GIVE value exponentially, and watch your income RISE exponentially.   To SPEED!!