Are you truly fit for Entrepreneurship? I stumbled across an article while surfing through Entrepreneur.com, so they deserve the credit for these questions. The title of the post was “How to Start a Retail Business.” Ask yourself in an honest assessment if you are truly fit for Entrepreneurship. These questions are related to starting a retail business, but the same still applies.

1. Are you good at multitasking? In your own business, you have to be willing and able to do everything yourself. When you work for someone else, you are usually responsible for just one thing and have limited control. You are supported by others with expertise or experience in different roles and functions. In retail, every day can be a stretch, as you encounter customers, employees, vendors and landlords. You can’t say, “That’s not my job.” It’s all yours.
2. What is your risk tolerance? In a startup retail business, you worry about being in the right place at the right time with the right goods and services for the right people at the right price. Do you adjust quickly to unplanned events or prefer more predictable, organized projects? Do you see risk as a threat or an opportunity?
3. Do you count on a paycheck? New business owners can rarely count on a regular paycheck. Startups frequently require more capital than planned. Something’s bound to go wrong or change even though everything is penciled out in your plan. If you break out in a cold sweat if you aren’t paid on the same day every month, you may want to rethink going out on your own. Most of the money you make will go right back into inventory and other costs of doing business.
4. Are you a self-starter and comfortable being alone? Or do you draw your energy from being around others and count on colleagues for support and advice? In your own business, you must lead, knowing what to do and when to do it, and be fully accountable for everything that happens. The buck stops with you. Sometimes that’s a lonely place.
5. Do you value predictability or prize diversity? Not only are there laws against discrimination in hiring and business practices, but America is a multicultural society. When you open your store or service company, you will be interacting with a wide spectrum of customers, vendors, advisors and employees. Retailers need to be people-oriented, flexible and good-natured. Can you manage conflict, see things from others’ point of view, and cater to their taste, not yours?

I can tell you, as an entrepreneur myself, these are right on the money. So if you are someone who is thinking about starting a business, whether a home based business or brick and mortar, make a very honest assessment of yourself and your abilities. Desire can only take you so far before you actually have to start thinking and acting like an an entrepreneur.

Since this blog is all about Entrepreneurship, I figured that Entrepreneurship tools would also fall into my overall theme. I know that I am always on the lookout for cool tools to use online that will make it easier for me to do my business and to train others in my organization to better do theirs as well. And if you’re anything like me, I am all into visual learning….especially when it comes down to internet marketing.

So for those of you who are Skype users, there is a feature that allows you to share your computer screen with the person you are talking to. Now this is all in real time. In order to make it work, you must:

• Have the most recent version of Skype. At the time of this article, the version I have is 4.1.0.166

• Click on the person you would like to call, which opens a separate window for them, click on “Call” in the list of commands up top, click on “Share Your Screen.” When you do this, it will tell you that an audio call will begin as well.
• OR, Call the person you would like to share your screen with, once they answer, click on “Call” in the command bar up top then click on “Share Your Screen.”

Very simple but high quality. I have used it several times already. It’s a great, quick way to share your screen without having to set up an account with some other screen sharing company. There is one catch, as of right now, you can only share your screen with just one person at a time. You cannot share your screen with multiple users by adding them to the conference call. Maybe this is a feature that will be added in the near future. That would be cool!

Skype is an amazing tool, especially if you are doing an international business. The rates are next to nothing and the quality of the calls are pretty good. It has significantly reduced my phone bills and keeps me connected to all those that I mastermind with on a regular basis. Business just gets easier and easier!

Have you ever heard of the movie “The Secret?” Maybe you’ve read the book? A few years ago the secret was released to the world. It is a documentary revealing the untapped power of the Law of Attraction. Regardless of circumstance, each of us has the ability to literally create our reality through our thoughts. As our thoughts become more focused on what we want, our actions will fall onto the same path and we will manifest the very thing we thought about. It is a DVD that changed the lives of millions of people worldwide. It opened their eyes to what was possible and was a catalyst that sparked the success story in so many people.

If you had wins with “The Secret,” congratulations! The secret gave me an awareness to something that has always existed for me regardless of my knowledge of it.  It has done the same for millions of people around the globe. Millions of copies were sold to individuals who were looking for a new level of awareness and to those who weren’t. It was very controversial yet powerful.

If you are one of the millions who appreciated “The Secret,” allow me to introduce to you the next of its kind, and in my opinion a huge step forward, “Know For Yourself!” Guys, this DVD is huge! Get your hands on a copy of this powerful DVD, watch it and then tell your friends about it. It is just the beginning of living life to its truest potential and the start to a path of ultimate personal fulfillment!

Visit http://www.knowforyourself.com to order your copy of “Know for Yourself.” And for my readers, use my coupon code to get a $5 discount! The Code is 113876!

It has been amazing to see the effect that our decision over four years ago to become entrepreneurs has had on our children. It has always been known that children are sponges! They soak up everything they hear, see and at times, touch. They are, with all of their individuality, a splitting image of who their parents are being. If Dad raises his voice at someone, they will in turn raise their voice at someone. If Mom and Dad fight, they will fight. On the flip side, if Mom and Dad are very loving and give lots of hugs, that will reflect in their children and if Mom and Dad are Entrepreneurs, guess what the kids want to be.

So yesterday, my daughter comes up to me just thrilled. She had been exploring in the back yard and had found some tadpoles floating around in a pool of water. So, being the kid she is, she scooped them all out and kept them as pets, until today. Today she has decided to sell her precious little swimmers for profit and has conned her sister into her scheme of making money! I love this!

Now, we don’t live on a very busy street at all, so my initial reaction was to tell her all that she did NOT have going for her and her little business. Before I spoke out my negativity, I caught myself. I was about to destroy my little girls enthusiasm about her idea. Shame on me and anyone else who does not encourage their children when they want to sell lemonade, cookies or tadpoles. This is the spirit of the entrepreneur and the back bone of the world. Encourage away and ASSIST in the process by giving suggestions. Never destroy! I think that if we as adults would sometimes act a little bit more like children, the world would be a very fun and prosperous place.

So far we are about 30 minutes into it and their profit margin is growing. They have sold a total of two tadpoles for a profit of $2, a bag of M&M’s and some chips from Grandma!

So if you would like to purchase yourself some tadpoles and are in Payson Arizona, swing by. The big ones are going fast!!

As you all know I am currently here on the Big Island of Hawaii with my family. We are here for two reasons: Lifestyle and Learning. We are attending a conference along with over a thousand people from all over the world who have also come here for Lifestyle and Learning. We have been here since last Thursday and have been having an awesome time! It puts new wind in my sails to sit here and watch my children experience Hawaii for the first time. The light in their eyes and the excitement in their step fuels me and gives me a new passion for life. Life is good!

The Path of Least Resistance

Throughout the conference I have heard a common phrase. The last two presenters, Shawn Achor and Erik Wahl, have both mentioned this phrase. I have always known this but it has taken on a whole new meaning to me within the last few days. The phrase is “The Path of Least Resistance.” Basically put, human nature. We, as human beings, are naturally programmed to take the path of least resistance. We will take the easy road. If we come to a fork in the road and one has a mountain to climb and the other has just a hill, we’ll take the hill. It’s in our nature. We’re not stupid right!?

Well, this can be a damaging trait. Allow me to attempt to assist you in seeing this point through my perspective, or through my eyes. In life, what is the easiest path for you, getting a job or starting a business? Coloring a page with figures already drawn out for you or creating your own figures to color? Building a tree house using a manual or drafting and building your own design?

The answers are obvious right? The easiest path is the one that has already been laid out for you. Most likely, the life that most of you are living right now is a life that you have been pre-programmed to live, a life that has been, in a sense, mapped out for you. You went to college because that’s what everyone did. You got that job because that’s what most people do. You took the path of least resistance. It’s easy to follow something that you have been taught since childhood.

The difficult yet more rewarding path is the path of the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship isn’t something that is taught to us as children unless it comes directly from our parents. It definitely isn’t taught in schools until you get to college, but even then, learning about business economics can’t teach you how to think like an entrepreneur.

To truly become an entrepreneur one must, more than often, head down the path of most resistance. As they do, they grow faster, learn faster, get stronger, gain more experience and are the ones leading the pack. They are the Rhino instead of the cow.

I can tell you this much, and all of you should already know this…..success evades those who always take the path of least resistance.

So if you find yourself doing what seems easiest, think twice about that decision. Sure, common decisions such as climbing hills over mountains are a no brainer, unless you’re goal is to get into shape. But if you are someone looking to create a wealth of success in your life, make sure your decisions are moving you closer to your goal. At times, that requires you to go against your natural programming, and if you plan on being an entrepreneur for long, get used to it!!

You know, I thought it was a pretty good flick. I actually avoided seeing it in the theaters because I thought that it might be a little lame but was proven otherwise. It actually had some good lessons in entrepreneurship and living life to the fullest even though some of the characters were doing things that weren’t exactly legal.

Sean Boswell, the main character is a perfect example of someone who felt trapped by a system that was teaching him to not follow his passions and what he loved most in life which was to race. It was a constant struggle for him as he was forced to live this life that he couldn’t seem to find joy in. Everywhere he went he seemed to go back the same way…to his passion.

Once in Tokyo he ran into a man by the name of Han. Han seemed to be high on life. He seemed to have a cool calmness about him and seemed to be content with where his life was headed and where he was. There was a specific scene I would like to refer to. They were on the top of a tall building and had a conversation overlooking the city streets. Sean asked Han why he let him race in Han’s car and Han said that he was always looking to surround himself with people of character. People he could trust. As they looked down on all the people crossing the street Han was talking about how they were all led by fear. They were stuck in a system and led by fear instead of passion. And when you are able to live life from one choice to the next without fear, life gets more clear.

He couldn’t have gotten any closer to the truth. Life is so much easier as an entrepreneur. The world is full of opportunity and a more fulfilling life is simply a choice. As you become successful you will need what I like to call a board of directors. You will want to surround yourself with successful positive people of integrity. As you surround yourself with like-minded individuals you increase your odds of success.