Good Reasons to Quit Your Job

Good Reasons to Quit Your Job

Newsflash!  The field of employment and jobs has drastically changed over the years.  In the early 1900s, a significant change occurred in the United States.  It was called the Industrial Revolution.  Prior to that, most people either worked for themselves on a family farm or were in an apprenticeship program, learning a trade so that they could start their own business.

The Industrial  Revolution created a huge demand for something new called an "Employee", someone that would work for an hourly wage on a production line, producing the products for that particular company to sell.  The problem was, there was no infrastructure designed to produce this type of worker.  Most people did not attend school, at least not past the elementary grades.  Formal education was not in high demand.

This demand for employees was what drove the creation of the School System.   Rudimentary at first, the school system and its methods were formalized over time and stabilized on the standard of Elementary school, High school, and College or University level training. With only a few minor modifications, this system has remained in effect until present time.  Its end goal, however, has not changed.  It is still designed to create employees.

Why would you want to quit your job?  Here are a few reasons:

The middle class is disappearing and may in fact be dead! 

The American Dream never really existed.  It was, in fact, a marketing scam.  A carrot on a stick devised by Industry and Education that told the workers the way to happiness was to get a good education, get a good job, be a good "worker drone", slave away for 30 or 40 years until you are old enough to retire and then spend your "Golden Years"  being taken care of by the system.  In the early days, this may have been somewhat true but times have changed.  The carrot keeps getting moved, retirement age keeps getting moved and taxes, inflation and government fiscal mismanagement and political infighting have essentially destroyed the dream.

You are no longer an asset.  Employees have become effectively a liability for a company.
Outsourcing of jobs, a huge increase in the use of "temporary employees" (to avoid having to provide benefits), computerization and robotization of many tasks have all led to the end result of effectively destroying the middle class dream.

Corporations don't like you!
If you have half a brain, and are reasonably competent, you will soon realize that you are being exploited and demand more money.   This doesn't bode well for the bottom line of the Corporation.  They want nice, docile worker bees that never question and never cause problems. Just shut up and do the job you were assigned to do and don't make waves.  Effectively, "superstars" have a target on their back.  You are giving the other worker bees bad ideas and causing dissension in the ranks.  Incompetent and ineffective management often fear people that actually think for themselves and that possibly question management decisions.  This is not good!  There is an old business school maxim called "the Peter Principle" that one gets promoted within the corporate structure to their level of incompetence, where they remain.  Very few forward thinking companies will actually buck this trend.  Think about it, current management has risen to their own level of incompetence so of course they are not going to break that system that got them where they are.

Money doesn't necessarily equal happiness.
A common question among job seekers is "should I take the job I like or should I take the job that pays more money?"  Being an entrepreneur myself, I would question the viability of taking any job at all of course. Given what I know about this field, for most, a job is a dead-end in itself. 
Leaving that aside, studies show that an increase in salary offers little to no increase in "happiness" above a certain level. Why is this?  Because of one basic fact: people tend to spend what they make.  If your salary increases $5000, you will increase your "lifestyle" and quickly consume that increase.  Then you will ask yourself, "where did all the money go?"  You really didn't need the things that you blew the raise on and now you need something else, another raise!  playing at the corporate roulette table of salary increases is not a winning tactic.

Take a close, honest look right now at how many people can make a major decision that can ruin your life!
Personally, I don't like it when one person can make a decision that can have a major impact on my life.  If you are in that position now, and are controlled by time and money, you have to kiss ass every day to not lose everything you've gained up to this point.  That really sucks!  The way to avoid this situation is to diversify.  Create alternate streams of income that dilute or mitigate the power that person has over you.  I understand that this can't happen in a day.  Start planning now to create your own destiny.  Instead of allowing people you don't like to control it for you.

Is your job satisfying your "needs"?
How do you define needs?  Here is a suggestion: There are actually 4 "needs" that one may identify. 1. Your physical needs.  2. Your emotional needs.  3. Your mental needs.  4. Your spiritual needs.
Personally, I have had jobs in the past where I had to work far too hard and too long.  This was rarely satisfying for any of my personal needs.  The only thing it did was provide money. I have already addressed the issue of money not equaling happiness.
Yes, you can argue that not everyone is able to have all of those need satisfied at a job. Since we already know that the salary of a job will not make you happy, you can easily modify your lifestyle and at least work to satisfy more of your needs. The more these needs are satisfied, the more you will create a condition of true happiness and abundance in your life.

Excuses.
"I'm too old."  "I'm not creative." "I need the insurance." "I have to provide for my kids." Winners make things happen, losers make excuses.  Which do you choose to be?  I once ran into a person I hadn't seen for several years.  I didn't even recognize him at first.  When we had worked together on a job years ago, he was always looking bedraggled and beaten-down.  Life was not being kind to him.   Now, you is a totally different person.  He looked 10 years younger, was nicely dressed and had a big smile on his face.  So what had changed? About six months after I left that job, he got fired.  I'm sure at the time, it was devastating to him. .  He related this story to me; For the first couple of months he was frantic, trying to find another job so that he could support himself and his family.  Then one day, he had an epiphany.  He realized that he had actually been set free from the zoo!  He was no longer trapped by the virtual bars of an extremely stressful job that paid too little and satisfied none of his basic needs other than providing some money. He had chosen to make use of his experience and talents to start his own business.  At first, he wasn't making a lot of money but the freedom was exhilarating.  His happiness and exuberance soon allowed him to generate a large customer following and he was now making a substantial income, as well as handling all of his 4 basic needs very well.

It's okay to take baby steps.
"I can't just quit!" people will say. "I have bills to pay."  I understand.  Nobody's saying just up and quit one day and walk out the door and let the chips fall where they may.  One must plan their exit strategy and then implement it carefully. Before one can run a marathon, one must first learn to crawl then walk and then finally, run. Sit down right now and make a list.  List every dream that you ever had before life intervened and you were forced into being a drone.  These are not GOALS.  They are more like "themes".  Something to look at and be guided by every day as you decide what it is you need to do to make them happen.  The most important thing is to START.  Dreaming is not action.  Things happen when you actually take action.  And that is the key point.

Abundance will never come from your job.
Only when you make the decision to step out of your prison, your job, will you start down the path to abundance.  You may not be able to see it now, it's hard to do when you're looking through prison bars.  Abundance only comes when you're moving along your path toward your dreams.  When you are truly enhancing the lives of the people around you.  The money you make is simply a measure of your value to society.  When you increase your value to society, society will reward you.  It may seem counterintuitive, but it really is that simple.  You must give to then receive.

Make Money Online? Absolutely!!

Can one really make money online?

You absolutely can!  I put money in my bank
every day working online and you can too.

I began my online money making efforts a couple of years ago.  At first, I spent most of my time weeding out the scammers and less than ethical attempts of some to fatten their bank account at the expense of my own.  I fell into the trap of the "amazing magical secret" for only $97 to get started!  It soon became apparent that that was only the tip of the iceberg and that these guys would continue to reach deep into my pockets as often as they could. The $97 was just the beginning.  Upgrade offer after upgrade offer soon followed.

This process actually has a name;  it's called a "Traffic Funnel" and it is designed to take someone from a relatively low cost entry point into higher and higher cost programs.  It's all good though, these things work fine and often the programs are valid and can be amazing money makers.  They also filter out the "tire kickers" from the real players.

The real question is "Are you ready to actually receive this information?"

You see, the thing is, your head has to be in the right place in order to actually "see" the value of one of these programs.  If you are at heart a "wage slave" and consider that having a job, any job, is the best thing going for you, you probably will not be very warm to one of these programs. It would mean that you would have to do something you are not comfortable with.

To actually change your situation in life
you must change You first. 

You are where you are in life because that is where your mental outlook allows you to be and that is where you are most comfortable.  To change things, you need to actually step into your area of uncomfortableness.  To have the things in life that you really want you must be willing to do things that others are not willing to do.

Are you ready to step out of the box?

If you are ready to take a look at a real opportunity that pays you every day straight into your Paypal account or by direct deposit and has NO START UP COST then give me a call at my toll-free number 877-466-8504
or drop me an e-mail at YourGoodMoneyLife@gmail.com

Talk to you soon!
Dana

New Video about Working at Home

A video by me about working from home and putting money in your Bank every day!

 

My contact info:

YourGoodMoneyLife@gmail.com

Toll Free # 877-466-8504

Is Now a Good Time to Start a Business Online?

Is Now a Good Time to Start a Business Online?

Actually, almost anytime is a "good" time to start. Some are better than others.

The OMB, in its Mid-Session Review to Congress released Friday, projects unemployment will drop gradually, to 7.7 percent in 2013, 7.3 percent in 2014, 6.7 percent in 2015, 6.2 percent in 2016, 5.7 percent in 2017 and remaining at 5.4 percent from 2018 to 2022. The national unemployment rate was last at 5.4 percent in May 2008, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 

 Given this news and the somewhat "wild and woolly" political climate these days, the attractions of an online business are compelling.

• There are millions of people looking for an opportunity to supplement their income somehow.  Many are turning to the online arena as a solution.
• A downturn in the economy always puts extra pressure on everyone's finances. They need to generate more cash outside their normal work situation.
• Retirement funds and equity in a home have been severely impacted by the poor economy. Many people have been counting on their retirement funds to support themselves when they stopped working and now those funds are gone or significantly reduced.  Equity in houses has tanked with the real estate market crash.  Many are actually "upside down" and now owe more money than house is worth. What was once an asset has now become a liability.
• Uncertainty in the future due to political issues.  Economies historically stagnate during an election year as everyone waits with baited breath to see who gets elected and what economic policies with be put in place. 
• High speed, broadband Internet connections are becoming ubiquitous. Wireless Internet connections are everywhere. Social, shopping and entertainment is now centered around a computer and/or a mobile device. Having a "presence" online is almost mandatory for a successful business.
• Size does not matter!  With today's technology, a small, one person business with a properly designed website can hardly be distinguished from a mega-corporation .  A package including a "shopping cart" and the ability to accept credit cards makes fulfillment easy.  Many times a "drop ship" system eliminates the need to have a inventory on hand, thus eliminating a expense of the conventional brick-and-mortar establishment.
• Access to a much larger customer base is possible. The limitations (and expense) of a physical walk-in location naturally restricts your customer base to those that can come to your establishment to do business.  Anybody can shop online and never have to even leave the comfort of their home.

This list can be quite extensive and goes on and on.  I will not bore you with all of that now.  Suffice it to say that now is a good time and almost anybody can be involved in an online business program.

Building a Financial Wall - Part III

Part I 

Part II

 

Training fleas - Why you may be having a hard time of it.

If one takes the time to learn about them, fleas are amazing creatures.  They have the ability to jump 200 times the length of their own bodies!  This would be equal to a six-foot tall man jumping 900 feet.

Years ago, circus sideshow's used to have a "trained flea" act.  The interesting part was how the flea trainers trained the fleas.  They would keep the fleas in a big glass jar with a lid on it.  Now this jar was only 10 or 12 inches tall and the fleas could easily jump out if there were no lid.  But strangely enough, after a period of time, being kept in the jar with a lid, trying to jump out and continuously banging their heads on the lid, the fleas gave up.  Now, although they could easily have done so they did not even attempt to jump out even with the lid removed.  They had learned a "life lesson" that trying to jump out of the jar was just a big headache.

The analogy here is that life treats us much the same way.  If one does not take the risk of "banging oneself on the head", one won't get injured.  Stated another way, if one does not take the risk of freeing oneself from one's present situation, one will not feel pain.  Let's face it.... We humans like to avoid pain at any cost.  That includes emotional pain like rejection and failure.  It also includes financial pain like losing money.  And so we train ourselves to stay in emotional and financial bondage (the jar) and never allow ourselves to experience the rewards we could gain by jumping out of that jar.

With focus, dedication, belief, commitment and a willingness to follow a proven path you can achieve your goals in life however you have defined them.

The philosophy is simple--- if you have the desire to succeed, then you will succeed.  Don't over think this concept.  It doesn't mean the road ahead won't have a few potholes or dangerous curves along the way.  What it does mean is that if you are clear and firm in your commitment to your own success, with no if's, ands or buts, you can succeed.

The first thing you must do with this or any business for that matter, is to DECIDE to do it, no matter what you have to do or what you have to learn.
If you don't make this decision first, you will constantly be doubting or questioning yourself.  You will also not attack every problem with a "solve it" mentality.

To quote Yoda from Star Wars - "Do or do not.  There is no try."

 Make a single decision to do it, and a single decision to learn whatever you must to get effective at doing it.

Borrowing from Anthony Robbins, a fantastic motivational speaker:

The past does not equal the future - A past experience of failure can be a strong de-motivator for some people.  They can use the excuse that they tried something once before and failed at it so they never have to try again.

There you go, being that trained flea again!

Decisions shape destiny - You really must decide to do something.  Once you do, half the battle is won a you are on your road to your destiny.

Emotion creates Actions - An unwavering strong desire creates emotion.  Emotion creates attention.  Where you put your attention, you will get action.

Many years ago I was taught the mechanism called "Wish-Want-Need-Got"

• Wishes are part of fairy tales.  Life is not a fairy tale.  Wishing for something won't make it happen.
• Wanting something is a little stronger emotion but it still will not likely accomplish your desires.  As my father used to say "People in hell want ice water."  They are not likely to get it.

• Need - Need is a very powerful Motivator.  You need food, you need a place to live, you need gas for your car, clothes for the kids etc. etc.  Oddly enough, we tend to put in the action necessary to actually get the things we need.  If we need it, we somehow get it.  Turn your wishes into wants then turn your wants into needs and you will do the things necessary to get them. 

It's a fairly simple concept and mechanism but it works.  Effectively, it's a mental exercise that can pay off with huge benefits.

The 6 "needs" that drive us:

1. Certainty - We need to know the rules of the game that we are playing.
2. Uncertainty - Variety - Surprises - As they say "if winning were easy it wouldn't be a race."  Overcoming an unexpected obstacle makes winning that much sweeter.
3. Significance - the need to feel important-special.  If you feel that what you're doing is pretty trivial, it will be all that much easier to quit.
4. Connection - Connect with your clients/customers on an emotional level.  Engage, be real.
5. Growth - Like anything else in nature, if you are not growing you're dying.
6. Contribute beyond yourself.  This is a big one!  If your entire focus is all on you, people will soon recognize that and become rather uncooperative, making your struggle that much more difficult.  If on the other hand you focus on what you can do for them they will be much more open to your ideas.

So how does one focus?  

1. Get a clear and compelling vision of what you want. Maybe you just need an extra $500 a month to make ends meet.  Maybe your need is to build that financial wall around you and your family and actually be free to live your life as you choose.
2. Get a map - I'm not talking about if physical map.  By map I mean a proven path to follow, laid down by somebody who is already followed the path successfully. You may want to call it a business plan.
3. Get a Mentor - This is extremely important.  A Mentor is someone that has been successful in the field that is willing and able to take the time to train you.  If you talk to any successful person, you will likely find that they had a Mentor to guide them, at least when they first started.

 Using MLM or "Network Marketing" To achieve financial success. Building that Financial Wall.

Multilevel marketing or network marketing as it is sometimes called has a proven track record.  It is simply one of the most effective means of moving products to consumers that has ever been devised.  Yes, there have been instances where this business plan has been perverted and used by less than ethical people to scam others out of their money.  This in itself does not invalidate this method of doing business.  As in any other business, there are Jerks out there that can ruin anything.  Have you ever met a crooked businessman?  Does that mean every businessman is crooked?  Does that mean that every business plan is flawed?  I think the answer is no.

This business plan has been around a long long time.  It has been proven to be legal in the Federal court system.  30 years ago, a large multilevel company was sued by the federal government.  The Government tried to assert that multilevel marketing was a "pyramid" scheme and was therefore illegal. The Federal government lost.  After a 3 Year Court battle, the company proved that multilevel marketing was a legal business. Today, this company is still around and is one of the biggest multilevel marketing companies in the world.

The critical point that the entire case turned upon was whether actual products were sold to consumers.  As long as products were moving along the supply chain and made it into the hands of consumers, it was considered a legal business.  

There have been countless businesses over the years that attempted to pervert this network marketing or multilevel marketing concept to their own ends.  Their main focus was on recruiting.  Once someone was recruited into the business (which usually included a large cash outlay), they were trained to attempt to recruit others and only lip service was paid to the fact that there was a product to be sold, if there even were any.  

This is a classic "pyramid scheme" where the people on the top made a boatload of money off the fresh meat that came in on the bottom.  One's only hope for success was to recruit, recruit, recruit and get off the bottom level yourself in the hopes that you could partake in some of the juicy profits that were happening at the top. Just to be clear, these schemes are highly illegal today.

To be totally clear here I must disclose that I have an agenda as it were.  I am involved personally in multilevel marketing with one of the oldest and strongest companies in the world.  Back in the early 80s, I gave Amway a shot.  After three years of effort and a lot of personal growth, I ended up quitting.  

Important to note here, the business didn't fail, I QUIT!  I just couldn't seem to make it happen and I was killing myself trying.  The problem was, at that time, there was no really effective way that I could find to move these very good products into the hands of consumers in enough volume to make a go of it.

So now, 30 years later, the means to reach out to potential consumers has been placed in our hands.  It's called the Internet!  Now I am no longer dependent on where I live, how many friends I have or how many family members I can badger into buying products from me.  Through the use of the Internet, I now have a viable, online business that I run from my home that can effectively reach anyone in the world.  The company I'm working with (not Amway) has been around for over 30 years and has annual sales in excess of $4 billion.  They operate in 84 countries and over the years have produced thousands of millionaires from their pool of distributors.  I intend to be one!  Will you join me?  My mentor and I would be more than happy to teach you how to do this and hold your hand while you take your first steps and for as long as you need it. 

I'm having a blast.  You to deserve to "Fire your Boss" and join me in a business that can produce a long-term, 6 figure residual income that you only have to earn once and it's yours forever.  It even becomes part of your estate and can be willed to your heirs.  Now that's a financial wall!

If you are truly serious, not just curious, would like to make an extra $500 to $2000 a month part time or a 6 figure residual income working full time in your own online business go here:  Your Future

If you are just curious, you're welcome to take a look but contact me when you are serious about your financial future and actually wish to do something about it.

Dana

Building that financial wall - Part 2

Building a financial wall - Part 2

What is a "financial wall"?

A financial wall is a metaphor for a physical wall. A physical wall separates and protects. A financial wall does the same thing. It protects your lifestyle and your family from the vagaries of economic flux. Once it is established, effectively you are insulated from economic changes that would normally affect the typical wage earner.  It is income that is now permanent and ongoing, often called "residual income".

Are you a wage slave?

Myself included, most people find themselves only a few paychecks away from a shopping cart.  Due to the protracted downturn in the economy worldwide, most of us have exhausted any reserves and may have also maxed out any credit lines we may have had.  At this point, there is no safety net!  If you stumble for whatever reason, you can find yourself in pretty dire circumstances.

• Lose your job?
• Suffer a medical condition either short or long term that impact your ability to earn a wage?
• Suffer a vehicle accident that disables your transportation and therefore your ability to get to work?
• Illness or death in the family that requires you to take a protracted period of time off from work?

There are many, many reasons that can adversely impact your ability to make a living and pay your bills. With no financial reserves and no "financial wall" there are not a lot of options.

How does one build a financial wall?

Building a financial wall, in its simplest form, is merely putting in the work needed to create a residual income stream that no longer depends on your physical ability to produce it. For some people, this means "investing".  Investing means taking money that you do have and putting it to work. This can be purchasing Real Estate, rehabbing it and then renting it out or simply "flipping" properties. This particular method is quite popular these days with all of the foreclosed and "distressed" housing available on the market.  Nice work if you can get it but it requires money. Money that most people don't have.

Another way might be investing in the stock or bond market called "equities" or shares of stock.  Obviously, given the current volatile nature of the stock market and the economy, this could quickly turn a millionaire into a "thousandaire". Unless one is highly skilled, is very experienced and has a knowledgeable broker, this is not a great way to go either.

Yet another way is to get all entrepreneurial and start your own business. This particular avenue is quite popular these days.  In many cases it's a last-ditch effort by an out of work professional to salvage something from their corporate experience. In some cases it's a dream they've always had to be in business for themselves and to "fire their boss".

If you have a useful skill or trade, why not turn it into a business? This can be a great idea if......... and it's a big if, if you actually do your due diligence and find out what it really takes to start and operate this kind of the business until it becomes profitable.  Statistically most new businesses fail within the first two years.  The most common reason is lack of capital to keep it afloat until it starts making money and secondly, lack of knowledge on the part of the business owner on how to actually run the business.

The second part, lack of knowledge, can be overcome by plugging into a pre-established business system such as a franchise.  Here, the business plan and all of the operating steps have already been worked out.  You just need to add money, sometimes lots of it.  These days, it costs something like $1 million to open a McDonald's or other big-name franchise.  Smaller franchises like a UPS store or other small business still run into the many thousands of dollars start up costs.  That option is off the table if you don't have that money.

How about an online business that can be started for little or no start up costs? These do exist (I'm running one right now) and the start up costs can be $500 or less. The main drawback to these is that there are literally hundreds of thousands of "opportunities" on the Internet. Unfortunately, a high percentage of them are scams and the only one that makes money is the scammer.

In my experience trying to "get in on the bottom floor of the latest hot thing" is usually doomed to failure.  A true "bottom floor" opportunity is rarely offered over the Internet to the general masses.  If it is a new, groundbreaking technology or idea, they will get their funding through Venture Capitalist investment companies. The latest million-dollar idea is not going to be handed to an average Joe for only $49.95 start up costs. Get over it!

All of this being said, there are genuine and viable business opportunities on the Internet.  Multilevel marketing is one of them.  This tried and true business model has been around for a long time and it works. It provides everything one needs to get actual business started.

• Low initial start up costs typically.
• A proven, duplicatable business plan.
• Mentors/trainers to help you get started.
• A solid, proven product line that people want to buy.
• A proven track record of success for many an "average Joe" making it work for them.

As mentioned in a previous article  Starting your own business - Are you the reason it didn't work? the primary reason these types of businesses fail is not because the business model or the products were bad, it's because you didn't do it properly.  You didn't change you!  What you've been doing up to this point in your life is the reason you are where you are in life financially or otherwise. If you are not willing to change, willing to learn new things, willing to be teachable and willing to duplicate a proven system you will likely fail. If on the other hand you're willing to take an honest look at where you are right now and make a decision to change, these multilevel businesses have a proven track record of success. Are you willing to change? Are you willing to accept guidance from somebody who is actually done it? Are you ready to fire your boss?

If you wish further information on a more personal level about this area please feel free to contact me through the comments section.
If you are truly serious about firing your boss, just go here>Your Future

Going into business for yourself.  How realistic is this and what are the pitfalls?

With the World's economy, including that of the United States in somewhat of a shambles, many long-term unemployed are exploring options.  These options may include retraining such as going back to school and finishing that degree they started 10 years ago or seeking specific training and/or certification in a specialized field.  Another option is to fire up one's entrepreneurial efforts and start their own business.  In previous articles I have briefly explored some of the pluses and minuses of pursuing some of these options.  Today, I wish to expand a bit on that topic.

"Brick-and-mortar" or online?

Having actually operated businesses in both venues (and still do), I have a few thoughts on the subject.

Starting up your own business can be challenging.  Doing so in a physical location has its inherent limitations and extra expenses.  A physical location, traditionally called a brick and mortar business referring to the fact that there is a physical structure at a fixed location, is by its very nature  very locally oriented.  One's customer base tends to be people that visit your storefront and make physical cash and carry purchases.  This often brings with it the need to interact with the local political entity and it's many rules and regulations such as parking requirements, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility, liability and other insurances for the physical property and its contents etc., etc. If one is selling a physical product, there is also the logistics of stocking product, moving product and displaying product to deal with.  All of this can require a considerable expenditure of money before the doors even open and one customer even sets foot in your business.  This may be one of the contributing factors to the statistical fact that most new startup businesses fail within the first two years.  These failures are typically attributed to two things; lack of capital and a lack of knowledge.  Getting a business off the ground on a shoestring is almost impossible to do.  Believe me, I've tried and failed more than once! 

On the other hand, a "virtual" business, operated online, often eliminates many of the start up hurdles and cost one encounters with a fixed location.  Since one is not typically delivering a product to a customer at the business location, things such as parking and ADA access and business licenses are not an issue.  An offsetting factor can be shipping and handling of the physical product and getting it to your customers.  This can involve some considerable expense should you choose to handle this yourself. 

This aspect of selling products can also be handled in a better way.  It's called "drop shipping" in which someone else actually warehouses, handles and ships the product to your customers for you.  One can simply offer the product or service online through a website with a shopping cart and then automatically forward the orders to the "fulfillment center" to take care of the physical aspects of getting a product to the customers. 

There are innumerable variations and combinations of these schemes.  There are many "turnkey" options available to open a store.  Amazon and eBay come to mind.  Both of these retailing giants offer one the ability to open your own branded store and host it within their overall system and website.  Since this is a turnkey package deal, one does not even need to actually create one's own website.  It's all included in the package.

Are you a business owner or are you owned by the business?

What is the difference between an entrepreneur and a business owner? 

Entrepreneur -

A definition: a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

This standard dictionary definition does not really paint an accurate picture in my view.  The same definition could be used for "business owner" as well since they perform the same functions.  In my view, a true entrepreneur is already looking at the endgame when they start the business.  They have an "exit strategy".  Few modern entrepreneurs have the intention of starting a business and then dying in the traces 30 years down the road.  They are not following their fathers business model.  They have a game plan which includes researching their markets, nailing down proper funding, "single handing" the functions of the business as they work out the kinks and then gradually passing off control (called delegation) to someone else and then stepping away and starting the process again. 

Some of the most successful business people one hears about these days are essentially "serial entrepreneurs". They have started businesses, gotten them running smoothly and then moved onto a new game.  The whole point from the beginning was to get the business going and train someone to take over.  Success is a journey, not necessarily something one achieves and then stops.

If one becomes bogged down in the everyday minutia of running the business and trying to micromanage every aspect, the business owns you!  If your business plan did not include replacing yourself, you have essentially just paid a lot of money for a job.  Was that your intention?

Leveraging time

What the heck does that mean?  By applying the concept of leverage to business and career success, you can, with a little thought, accomplish very much more than you can without it. Without leverage, you may work very hard, but your rewards are limited by the hours you put in. With leverage, you can break this connection and, in time, achieve very much more.

Time Leverage

Using the leverage of time is the most fundamental strategy for success. There are only so many hours in a day that you can work. If you use only your own time, you can achieve only so much. If you leverage other people's time, you can increase productivity to an extraordinary extent.

To leverage YOUR OWN time.

    Practice effective time management. Eliminate unnecessary activities, and focus your effort on the things that really matter.
    As part of this, learn how to prioritize, so that you focus your energy on the activities that give the greatest return for the time invested.
    Use goal setting to think about what matters to you in the long term, set clear targets, and motivate yourself to achieve those targets.

To leverage other people's time.

    Learn how to delegate work to other people.
    Train and empower others (through team building).
    Bring in experts and consultants to cover skill or knowledge gaps.
    Outsource non-core tasks to people with the experience to do them more efficiently.

Providing that you do things properly, the time and money that you invest in leveraging other people's time is usually well spent. Remember, though, that you'll almost always have to "pay" up front in some way in order to reap the longer-term benefits of using leverage.

Click on "follow" to be notified of the next installment in this series.