Archive for ‘Entrepreneurship’

February 6, 2011

Uncovering New Ideas

I do a lot of skim-reading at a number of different newspapers’ online sites, for papers in New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Boston, D.C., etc. It’s part of my morning ritual. The national and world stories are all about the same, so I try to catch the special-interest or topic-oriented stories that catch my eye. One of those stories this morning gave me a new way of looking at a possible business opportunity, in a way that I had not thought of before.

This is one of my keys to discovering new ideas.

February 3, 2011

The Most Valuable Gift of All Time

This is what I believe is “The Most Valuable Gift of All Time”, as expressed in a movie that I wrote and produced.

January 18, 2011

The Power of No

Despite my oft-repeated mantra of ignoring the naysayers, there is value to a “no” — when it comes from you and your own careful consideration. Don’t say no just because a lot of other people are saying you should. And don’t say no just because certain people are saying you should say yes. Think about it from your own perspective and opinions, and decide based on your thoughts.

But as always, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, so you should always listen to your heart on that.

I recently purchased a system related to one of the business projects I’m working on. The purchase was something new and different, something that I’ve never purchased before. I did so mainly because it came with a  no-risk 30-day evaluation period … if you’re not satisfied, you can return the product and get your money back.

After spending a couple of weeks evaluating the system, I found that it didn’t really match what I was trying to accomplish. But most of all, it didn’t “feel right”. There were numerous typographical errors in the documentation and even in some of the products, and getting questions answered wasn’t always immediate. So I returned it.

I couldn’t have reached a “no” if I hadn’t spent the time to evaluate the pros and cons, and realize my feelings about the product. So use the power of “no”, with consideration and forethought.

December 21, 2010

Time is Money

Sometimes you have to remember that time is money. When you spend time trying to do something, and it’s not happening, think if there’s another way to get it done. Even if you have to pay someone else to do it. The time you spend unsuccessfully trying to do something could be spent instead working productively on something else, to greater profits.

Time wasted, is lost. Money spent to save time, is an investment.

December 5, 2010

Staying the Course

Life is hard. You make plans, put them in motion, and often have to wait to see what happens. All the while, you make more plans, put them in motion too, and wait some more. Whether you run your own business, or you’re looking for your next great opportunity, after awhile, you might think, am I doing the right things?

Chances are, yes, you are doing the right things. The main thing is that you’re doing something. Which is far better than doing nothing, and just hoping. And if you later find out that the “something” is not the right thing, you can make adjustments so it becomes the right thing.

So stay the course … keep at it. Take action. Pronto.