Be Prepared For A Fight!

You ever heard the statement "Take the Bull by the Horns"? The phrase alone conjures up a mighty beast of a problem that you decide you are going to make submit to your will and your way. Most people that defiantly make this bold statement, have no idea what type of fight they are picking! I mean really, why would anyone come up with this type of analogy? For one it means that for whatever reason, it's not business as usual, that's for sure!

Most problems in business are very apparent. Lack of income, expenses to high, assets shrinking or liabilities increasing are very apparent problems in business. One would tend to believe that with the problems so easy to see that the solutions should be just as easy to figure out. I mean all you need to do is Take the Bull by the Horns, right? Wrong! The problems aren't what you see or what is so apparent. It's often the result of the real problems.

If you truly want to take the Bull by the Horns, you better be ready for a fight! Just as the mighty beast we know as a Bull would never go done without a tremendous fight, neither will your business problems! So prepare properly, Matador!

You must be aware of your surroundings at all times. A keen eye and clarity will allow you to approach that Bull safely. Understand you can never completely anticipate the uncontrollable but you can certainly recognize patterns! Never take for granted that your skills as a Matador make you untouchable. Approach each problem as if it were a fresh new experience. Be sure to focus all your adrenaline and energy into the process not the outcome(which really is completely out of your control).

So, should you take the Bull by the Horns? Well that is a matter of personal preference but if you decide that is your cup of tea just understand you are in for a very long bullfight, that maybe entertaining to spectators but violent, uncertain, scary and unpredictable to you! Be safe and enjoy the ride!

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

The Competitive Edge

In this dog eat dog world everyone is always on the lookout for an advantage, for that one thing that will help them to standout from their competition. This is not always that easy to do, you look around for ways to add that little extra touch that will make the difference. I remember back in my financial planning days, there was the "War of the Pens". I mean if your ink pen didn't cost at least $100.00 you weren't worth 100 bucks either.

I even had one of the trainers at the office demonstrate how you use the $100+ pen in a presentation with a client. Now that's competitive advantage, right? Wrong! When you truly have a competitive advantage no one will care what kind of pen you have.

So what can be seen as a competitive advantage? I feel that only specific and deliberate actions offer competitive advantage. For instance, if you decide to meet everyone in the neighborhood that surrounds your office and thats your market, you will have a competitive advantage over the person in the office next to you who never talks to anyone from that neighborhood.

Work like hell to separate yourself for your competition and you will enjoy true success1

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

The Road Least Traveled

Finding your niche market can be quite the undertaking and many people refuse to even travel that road at all. Yes, most people tend to beat the same path as everyone else. It's a well worn path and the more the merrier seems to be the motto of the keepers of the path! Stop!!!!!!

It's time to take a detour, the world rewards a trail blazer! Will you begin the next path that millions beat their way down for eternity? I can not imagine a better existence than one that creates a legacy. Your question is probably, How do I become a trail blazer though? Let's see if I can answer that in a short and simple manner.

Well, pick your love! Learn everything you can about your love, tell other people who love what you love about how you can help them love what you both love even more for a small fee! Huh?

Pick a niche and serve the heck out of that niche but be sure to pick one that will reward you with a base of business. Don't beat the path where everyone goes, create the path that serves a specific group and you will enjoy a rewarding career.

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

Your Choices Are Limited!

Have you ever stop to think about why you are where you are in life? We make choices everyday, and sometimes put little or no thought at all into them. The funny thing is when we do take the time to choose it's still very possible to make bad decisions and when you are talking about business bad decisions generally equate to money lost.

How do you make great choices in business though? It is more simple then you might think because your choices in life are limited to Success or Failure. Yes, every action puts you closer to or further from success. Let's look at this a little further.

If I wanted to one day become an author, then every time I type a word on this blog is a chance to get closer to goal. If I wanted to be a serial killer like Dexter, in one of my favorite shows on Showtime, then every person I killed past number one gets me closer to that goal, prison too but I digress. The flip side of that is true also, if I wanted to become a vegan then every cheeseburger I eat......... You get the point!

So what stands in your way of making the best choices for yourself and your business. Well maybe you should take sometime to figure that out, even seek professional help if necessary. Once you address the roadblocks or stumbling stones in your life you will enjoy having limited choices. Choose Success!

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

I Have A Great Idea!

I have always made friends with those older than myself. I can't really tell you why, but my mom always called me an Old Soul. This may explain why I enjoy the sayings that old men have told me over the years. One of my favorites is, " You know Ideas are like A**Holes, most all of them Stink and Everyone has one". Yeah, I know it's crude but it's also true.

You see after being in the business of providing advise to small business owners for almost 10 years, I have heard my share of Great Ideas. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hearing people who are excited about their business and the opportunities associated with the companies they love. I don't take issue with that one bit.

What I do take issue with is, those who do drive-by idea dropping but spend little or no time implementing the ideas. We all know people like this, they work very little and talk a great deal, then look around and wonder why nothing has been done. I see it so often that I fight the urge to ignore people when say those words, "I Have A Great Idea". It's like getting pecked to death by ducks!

The silver lining in this whole thing is, every once in a while there are truly some great ideas. When you find that great idea don't rest until you do everything possible to develop your idea and your implementation team.

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

Carpe Diem

Leuconoe, don't ask — it's dangerous to know — what end the gods will give me or you. Don't play with Babylonian fortune-telling either. Better just deal with whatever comes your way. Whether you'll see several more winters or whether the last one Jupiter gives you is the one even now pelting the rocks on the shore with the waves of the Tyrrhenian sea--be smart, drink your wine. Scale back your long hopes to a short period. Even as we speak, envious time is running away from us. Seize the day, trusting little in the future. - Horace Odes

Many people are familiar with the phrase but really have no idea where it came from. I mean it's everywhere, on tatoos, in commercials, on billboards even. Really, how many times a day do you hear the phrase, Carpe Diem? It has become such a common statement that it almost looses its value to both inspire and challenge. It need not be that way though. Let's think about the requirements of Carpe Diem.

• Wake Up
• Choose to truly do all you can that day to live abundantly.
• Hope that you are blessed enough to do it all over again the next day.

It's that simple! Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! Is that really all there is to it? YEP, and stop trying to complicate Life!

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro

How Are You Today?

Business is no walk in the park, high sells leads to success and low sells lead to....., well you can finish the rest by now. All day I dream of winning, I dream of success, I dream of being the best. What about you?

How are you today?

The standard answer to someone asking you how you are doing is, "I can't complain". It really is a reactive answer rather then true sentiments most of the times. If you would take a moment to look inside and give a true assessment, your answer may be a little different.

Well, what should be your answer? It depends on how you want to feel. If you say, nothing is going right and I feel overwhelmed by everything, I Wish I Were Dead! Then guess how you are going to feel? If on the other hand you say, I know where I am going, I know how to get there and I feel great because I made progress today, how will you feel?

How am I today? I FEEL GREAT and You Can Too!

Make Money, Have Fun & Be A Blessing,
Maestro