Set Goals

Being an entrepreneur…an extremely successful one requires goal setting.  I recently flew from Long Beach, CA to Phoenix.  I set next to a man who was a successful business owner….well at least financially successful.  He made really good money, however he was working to the bone and lost in what to do with the changing economy.  I could tell right away that he lacked a few skills at being an uber successful entrepreneur.  First off, he did very well for himself, but then he told me that he never planned what was next for his business…I immediately cringed….he then went on to say he just played everything by ear and never made a business plan.  My heart went out for him…just because I knew if he could make a lot of money without planning he could have made 10 times more if he did plan.  He also did everything on his own….the romantic idea of a man that creates success all on his own is crap.  It leads to over worked stress out people.  He had no leader to lead him during the hard times.  This leads me to the next skill necessary to be an uber successful entrepreneur…..Mentorship.

Get a Mentor

Many entrepreneurial egos have yet to surrender to this idea….to be super successful is  a required skill also.  Someone who leads the path in front of you will save you time, money and stress.  You can and will create results 5 times faster if you have a mentor.  “A rising tide raises all ships”  with a mentor all you have to do is jump on the boat instead of raising the tide yourself.

The Main Thing

“Keep the main thing the main thing”  I believe I read this quote from the book ‘The E-Myth’.  When you join the world of an entrepreneur you always find these super busy people that have 18 businesses all at once and they are still broke and struggling for money.  These are usually ‘know it all’ people and do your best to avoid them.   Find people that can commit to one thing until it is successful.  When you first start out you may have to change your business once or twice, but make a commitment and follow through.

Life Suckers

You will also find many people along your journey that tell you that you can’t do it.  “You are crazy.” “Who do you think you are.”  The sad thing about it is that many times these people will be your family and close friends….and that sucks.  You will have to eventually grow immune to this advice or it will kill your dream.  Do your best to avoid these people it is a required entrepreneurial skill.  At the same time learn to listen to the right people.  This is why a mentor is very important.  They can cut through the fat of the life suckers and help you learn from the right people.  When I started my first business my father said “Son your sticking a knife in your neck.”  It hurt…badly, but I kept going.  Life is not worth living if we are not pursing our dreams and I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me.  This leads me to the next entrepreneurial skill….

Never Give Up

Spoken well by Winston Churchill.  “Never, Ever, Ever Give Up”  By developing this mentality over a ‘give up and quit’ mentality you will literally move mountains…and easily…once you get use to it.  Dream….and dream big.  Find what makes you happy and stop for nothing to achieve it.  Do it with honor, grace, integrity and love and you will see your dreams as an entrepreneur manifest beyond what you ever imagined.

I was very fortunate.  The first business I started came with a coach and mentor.  I found out quickly how important this was.  The mentors knew more about running a successful business and helped me streamline all of my business operations so I did not waste valuable time.  If I did not have a coach, I would be still lost, stuck in a business somewhere in Arizona.  Instead, I am running a two successful businesses online and traveling throughout Central America heading for South America and then lapping the globe.  For me it all really started with coaching.  Not only do you have someone to fall back on, but you have someone that knows exactly what you are going through and understands the entrepreneurial skills necessary for success.  You will quickly realize as a small business owner that it can be very challenging.  There are times where you will want to quit and times where you will have the world by a string.  You will have to grow not only mentally, but emotionally and many times spiritually.  A business coach knows this and knows how to handle it.

To put it simply, a business coach can weed through all the crap…and there is a ton of it.  When looking for a business coach it is wise not to hire just any business coach.  You want one that has been where you have been.  One that has walked the path before you and one that wants and likes to help others do the same.  Usually, not always, but usually you get what you pay for.  However, if cannot afford hundreds of dollars for a coach then it is okay to start out small and work your way up.

Del Hargis~DelHargis.com

This guy is crazy…in a good way.  Del is one of the top ranking Toastmaster speakers in the world.  If a contest with 25,000 people Del ranked 4th.  His words will blow your mind.  He is very successful and understands how to inspire, motivate, run businesses, and create results.

Jeffery Combs~Goldenmastermind.com

Jeffery has one of the most inspiration stories every heard.  From zero to super hero he made his millions and loves to teach others how to as well.  A truly inspirational person he will blow your mind.  He will also blow your results through the roof.  Jeffery has a business that makes gobs of money and his business model is one of the most difficult business models to run.  However, he does it with ease and comfort.  He will show you how to do this too.

Dave Blanchard ~ OgMandino.com

Ever heard of the book ‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’?  This was written many, many years ago by Og Mandino.  It is a must if you are a business owner or salesperson.  It is on my top 10 list.  Well, Og passed on a few years ago and Dave is the person that he personally choose to run his company.  You will absolutely be blown away by Dave’s presence.  He is the most calm, patient, and pure man you will have the honor to meet.  Not only that, he will get to the root of what is stopping your business from finding success.  This man is a king of kings.  Words cannot express Dave Blanchard.

E-Myth ~ E-Myth.com

Originally a book written by Michael Gerber.  E-Myth has transformed into an international business building educational system.  Hands down it is one of the best.  Read the book…you will be sold.  You will also learn a ton about business and yourself.

Small business coaching in not only required in todays world…it is absolutely necessary to learn the best entrepreneurial skills that is needed to succeed.  Good Luck!!!

Understanding What A Stock Is

A stock is defined by www.wikipedia.com as “The capital stock (or just stock) of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors. Stock is distinct from the property and the assets of a business which may fluctuate in quantity and value.”  So in lament term when you buy some stock you are buying a share of a business.  The business is usually a bigger business (as most are on the stock market).  When you buy it you are speculating that it will go up in price and make you money on your return.

1998 Stock Tracking

So in 1998 I was certain that AOL would rise in prices with the new Dot-com boom and Internets popularity.  But, when it didn’t I was baffled.  Many people invest like this.  It didn’t matter that I had now idea how AOL worked or was ran or what it was predicted to do in the next quarter or year.  I just thought it would go up.  What I didn’t understand at the time was the basics of a business, how it works and how money flows.  Neither, did I understand really how the economy worked and how businesses work in an economy.  These are the principles that are a must to succeed in stock buying and investing.  You must know how a business works…truly how business works, how to see the signs of the economy, where it is, where it is going, and how money flows.

For many people when they hear that this is what they need to know to become successful at stock buying and investing they run.  It can sound like a big bad world if you do not know what it going on….and it can be.  However, it is just like riding a bike at first you need training wheels, wobble around a little bit next, and then you are off on your own.  Later many are riding wheelies and doing tricks.  For an expert BMX rider if you ask them if riding a bike were easy they would probably reply ‘Yes’.  For an expert stock investor they might be likely to say the same.  It may take some practice but if you are committed you will succeed.

Where to Begin?

Have you ever had an idea or known someone that had an idea only to see that someone else invented it not too long after you thought of the idea.  This is not because they stole it.  This is because they took the unique business ideas and acted on them.  Sadly, most great ideas do not live very long.  This is because people are afraid they will look foolish or if they share the idea it will get shot down by a friend.  My father had an amazing idea for renewable energy.  He told a friend about it and the friend responded “Well, don’t you think that if it were possible someone would have already done it.”  I am glad Henry Ford didn’t have a friend like that or the Wright Brothers.  Modern transportation would not be the same if they did.

Who is on Your Team?

When most people have good ideas they share them and then most get shot down and the ideas die.  So if you do have unique business ideas then the best thing to do is to find someone that will support you.  Even better, find someone that has done what you want to do and speak with them.  If you want to make the next million dollar website then it might be a good idea to find someone that has been successful at it and speak with them as much as possible.

Make it a Reality

Next, you take your unique business ideas and make them a reality.  Now, many times this will require a team and to make a Super Bowl team then you need the right people on your team.  Find people that will support you and do not want to steal from you or hurt you.  They are out there both the good ones and the bad.  Begin working on your business idea to make it a reality.  For some….like Mark Zukerberg (founder of Facebook) they might nail it on their first try.  For most, it will take a while and a few failures to find success.  But, it is possible.  If you believe in the idea you can and will make it a reality just like every other man made item around you.

Understanding What A Stock Is

A stock is defined by www.wikipedia.com as “The capital stock (or just stock) of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors. Stock is distinct from the property and the assets of a business which may fluctuate in quantity and value.”  So in lament term when you buy some stock you are buying a share of a business.  The business is usually a bigger business (as most are on the stock market).  When you buy it you are speculating that it will go up in price and make you money on your return.

1998 Stock Tracking

So in 1998 I was certain that AOL would rise in prices with the new Dot-com boom and Internets popularity.  But, when it didn’t I was baffled.  Many people invest like this.  It didn’t matter that I had now idea how AOL worked or was ran or what it was predicted to do in the next quarter or year.  I just thought it would go up.  What I didn’t understand at the time was the basics of a business, how it works and how money flows.  Neither, did I understand really how the economy worked and how businesses work in an economy.  These are the principles that are a must to succeed in stock buying and investing.  You must know how a business works…truly how business works, how to see the signs of the economy, where it is, where it is going, and how money flows.

For many people when they hear that this is what they need to know to become successful at stock buying and investing they run.  It can sound like a big bad world if you do not know what it going on….and it can be.  However, it is just like riding a bike at first you need training wheels, wobble around a little bit next, and then you are off on your own.  Later many are riding wheelies and doing tricks.  For an expert BMX rider if you ask them if riding a bike were easy they would probably reply ‘Yes’.  For an expert stock investor they might be likely to say the same.  It may take some practice but if you are committed you will succeed.