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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Inspired recently by Napolean Hill’s classic book ‘Think and Grow Rich‘, my partner and I recently sat down to plan our strategy to make more money than we can count. The following steps are the process we went through over the last year to get to the point where we were able to make this plan. There are six steps in the plan put forth in ‘Think and Grow Rich’. I have included them in this list, and added my interpretation of them. If you have not read ‘Think and Grow Rich’, I certainly suggest it. I can’t say it will make you rich, whatever your definition of that is, but it will certainly open your mind to the fact of just how possible it is to become so.

1. Think about what type of life you would like to live.

Don’t think about money. Money is pointless at this stage. In fact, pretend money does not exist. You simply have to choose what you will spend the majority of your time on. Now, don’t worry about changing your mind. That is okay. The important thing is to be successful in whatever you do, so learning how to succeed on one path will easily translate over to the next. Even if you pick the wrong path, it will not be a waste of time.

2. Write down how much money you would like to make.

As Napolean Hill says, you need to define this number and make a commitment to it. Write it down on a piece of paper right now. Don’t be scared either. I wrote down $200 million. My partner wrote down $333 million. Remember, this is our one life. If we are not going to try and go big, then why try at all? 

3. Write down what you are willing to sacrifice for this financial gain.

Napolean Hill opened my eyes to a very simple concept, that for some reason or other, had eluded me. If you want to make a lot of money, it is going to take sacrifice. It is not simply, think about it, and it will happen. You are going to have to give up family time, weekends, hobbies, television, and all sorts of things. Right now, list all of the things you are willing to give up to reach this goal. Remember, the higher the sum, the more sacrifice it requires.

4. Make a due date.

Another great step from ‘Think and Grow Rich’. Define the time period in which you want to achieve this goal by setting a due date to reach it. Now, don’t be scared to make the commitment. I wrote down 3 years with a due date of 7/4/2012. You can write down anything you like. The important part is to make that date and stand by it no matter what. Write it down right now.

5. Make a plan to acquire those sums.

This step from the book is quite useful. It helped us tremendously. You see, my partner and I had a couple of services that we are releasing this June. Now, originally, we were set on a certain strategy for marketing these services. We were thinking, in a few years, we may be able to collect enough monthly to pay all our bills. However, with this new commitment to a large financial gain, we had to think bigger. So we did, and what we came up with is incredible! I am not able to delve into details at this time, but the idea is probably our best idea yet. I can’t believe we didn’t see it before. We would have never thought of it had we not been forced to plan a way on how to make our fortune.

What I learned while doing this is, if you do not make a plan, how can you hope to achieve that sum? The answer is you can’t. That’s why, right now, you need to take some time and write down exactly how you plan to acquire the sum you desire. Don’t worry about the small details. Just get to thinking how you are going to take your passion, and turn it into gold.

6. Read it 2x a Day

So you now have a list. Napolean Hill, and my partner who had read hundreds of similar books, both say you should write the plan as if it already happened. For example, you may write…

“In the last 3 years, I have acquired $200 million dollars. To get this sum, I have sacrificed time with my family, weekends, television, training, luxuries, expensive dinners, good credit, sweat, blood, and tears. My fortune was acquired by (insert plan here). 3 years ago, I made a deal that by today, I will have acquired $200 million. There is no feeling quite like knowing I achieved my goal. It is too treasured to try and explain with mere words.“

Napolean Hill suggests reading it when you wake up, and before you go to bed. I think, as long as you read it daily, it will have the same effect. The important part is to get a taste of the incredible feeling of reaching that goal every time you read it. That is your daily motivation, Not the money, but that feeling of success. Right now, write down your own tale, as you would be telling it to others, after it is accomplished.

7. Believe in Your Ability

One of the things this book has done for me is it cemented the thought in my head that I really can do anything I want to. I think, along the course of our life, barraged by negativity day after day, we tend to doubt our ability to achieve things. ‘Sure, I’d love to be rich, but I’m just not the rich type.’ If you think like this, unfortunately, you are a 100% right.

To follow your plan, you must believe in it whole heartedly. You must believe that even if you are not ready at this very moment, by following that path, you will become as ready as you will ever be. It is not you that makes the path, but rather the path that makes you. You have made a commitment because you believed in your self. Now you have to do your best to stick to it.

8.  Start Right Now!

This is Napolean Hill’s final step in his book. He points out that, whether you are ready or not, you must start on this plan right now. It reminds me of starting out in Jiu Jitsu. They don’t show you moves, and make sure you know what to do before you start. Instead, they simply throw you right into the fire. To become good at Jiu Jitsu, you must first learn what NOT to do, before you learn what to do. The same goes for your plan. Jump right into the fire, and trust in your ability to adapt. Humans are nature’s greatest example of adaptation, so don’t tell me you don’t adapt well. Tell me you choose not to let yourself adapt well, because you are afraid you might not succeed. That is the truth, and from here on out, as you set out to start on this plan, the truth is all you have left.

9. Be honest with yourself.

Making a commitment to reach a goal is quite scary. It may sound ridiculous to others. It may invoke some teasing from friends and family. People think I am a moron when I tell them I am going to make $200 million in the next three years. However, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I don’t expect them to believe me. If someone told me that, I would not believe them either.

The truth is, you are not telling these people when you speak to them. You are telling yourself. You are being honest with yourself and your intentions. This is an important part of self confidence. Be firm in what you want. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It is your life, and the only thing you can do, is be honest with yourself about how you want to live it.

10. Money is not important.

This may seem ironic. If money is not important, than why the hell did we waste our time on the first 9 steps? The answer is that money is one part of living a stress free life. The feeling of reaching the goal you set out to reach is the true treasure of this journey. Imagine the possibilities that will open if you firmly believed you can achieve anything if you actually committed your mind to it. Think about the smug feeling of confidence you would have the next time somebody laughs at your lofty goals.

This is the feeling you need to have right now. This is the feeling of confidence you need to make your plan a reality. It’s not about the money, even though there will be plenty. It’s about harnessing the power of your mind, and realizing that with the gifts you have right now, anything, anything at all, is possible. It’s just a matter of committing yourself to it. Are you ready?

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business, however I was late this week due to business obligations…

‘No nuts, no glory’ is a rather vulgar way of saying that if you don’t take risks, you’ll never get where you are going. This is great advice for business, and if you are like me, than the blunt, vulgar approach sinks in much faster than the sugarcoated, sappy crap.

I was listening to the rapper TI’s ablbum the other day, and apparently, this is a favorite statement of his. It’s not like he invented it, or that I never heard it before, but being in the position I am in right now, it really hit home this time.

My business is in it’s second year, and we are just now getting to the right point we should be. It has been a long road, as this blog can reveal, and we are still climbing up hill. However, we have really made it through thick and thin, and survived.

When we first started, many thought I should just get a job for security and safety, especially after my failed mortgage venture. However, I have a very thick head and now, because of the ailing economy, everyone is realizing that the idea of a job giving you security and safety is a just an illusion. No one is safe from bad times. Truth is it’s not about avoiding the bad times, it’s all how you handle them.

After my experiences, the best analogy for starting a business I can come up with is playing a game of Texas Hold’em. Whether in business, or poker, it’s all how you play the hand your dealt.

Surviving the Initial Buy In

The initial buy-in in Texas Hold’em is like your initial investment in the business. Many people lose everything on the first few hands. It’s kind of the first test of a business.

• Can you survive?
• Are you able to live with the risks you need to manage?
• Can you handle financial stress while working for cheap, sometimes even free at first?
• Do you have the gall to risk everything on a pipe dream?

These are the kinds of questions every self employed person needs to answer. Believe me, there have been plenty of times I thought about whether or not I am on the right track. It certainly has not been easy. In fact, IT’S BEEN DAMN HARD. So hard, that I could not imagine possibly ever going through it again.

However, as a friend of mine recently said, ‘…these are the good times. When the money is rolling in, don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but these are the fun times, when you are building it all up. This is the stuff you remember.’

Over the years , this friend of mine made over a million, lost it all, made it again, lost most of it, and then just got it back again. He is a survivor, and the kind of person you need to be to deal with the lightening quick changes the information age causes today. Just like in Texas Hold’em, it’s not how many chips you have that matter, it’s how you play the hand you have.

Managing Risk

Now, if you have ever played Texas Hold’em, than maybe you can understand the meaning of ‘No nuts, no glory’ for a business owner. You see, the poker table is like your business world. The chips represent your market share, or your assets. The only difference between the table, and your world, is that at the table, everyone starts with the same amount of chips. In the real world, it is much more skewed.

At the table, though, the real playing does not begin till the chips start to move around. How many times have you seen somebody up big, and all of a sudden, like that, they are out? This person is probably a big risk taker. They may win big sometimes, but in the end, they are going to take one too many chances, and wind up ‘all in’ at the wrong time.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, how many times have you seen somebody play it so tight to the vest, that they never are even in the game? This person takes no risk. They play the hand they have to the tee. If it’s good, they are in. If it’s bad, they fold. They never lose a lot of chips at once, but they always lose them all over the course of the game while waiting for the perfect moment that may never come.

How to Play Poker Better and Apply it to your Business

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The same traits can be applied for business owners. Behind every success story is a story of tremendous risk management, and a soldier like work ethic. The best businesses, and the best poker players, all know how to manage risk. They take big chances, but only when they should.

For example, the best poker players bide their time before suddenly swooping in and taking all the pots. The reason is, they know how to manage their risk. They know that it’s not only about the hand you have, it’s also about the hand everyone else has. So they tend to skip a lot of hands in the beginning because the risk is too big. Too many players with too many cards and chips.

However, after getting a handle on the table, and how the other players play, a great player then feels comfortable taking big risks. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, they swoop in with big calls, and take home the pot.

For business owners, it is the same idea to build a successful business. At first, you need to keep your risks low, and get a feel for your market. Get a feel for your competitors. See what they do well, and what they don’t. Know your business world inside and out. Then, when an opportunity presents itself that just feels right in your gut, it’s time to suck it up, and take that big risk. If you don’t take the risk, you will never advance.

Most people are afraid of falling backwards. Not me. I’m afraid of staying still. The only time their are ups and downs is when you are making progress. If there are no ups and downs, than you are not moving at all, and that’s scarier then anything I can imagine.

Taking big risks does not mean you will always win either. That’s okay. No professional poker player wins even half the time. However, they all make a lot of money when they do win, and it usually compensates for the times they lose. Not only that, but each time they lose, they gain experience for the next time they face a similar situation.

So it’s all up to you whether you use this advice to take your friend’s money at the Texas Hold’em table, or simply use it to motivate yourself to success. The choice is yours. Just remember, the next time an opportunity presents itself…

NO NUTS = NO GLORY.

Go for it. Win or lose, you always come out on top in the end. It’s those of us that don’t go for it, that wind up the worst off.

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

I would imagine the saying ‘stick to your guns’ developed over the course of history from gunfighters meeting their tragic end while trying to use a weapon they were not familiar with. Fast forward hundreds of years, and even though I am not a gunfighter, my experience in business has lead me to understand the true value of this pearl of wisdom.

For those that don’t know, my partner Chris and I started up a new business in November of 2007. The business is a media production company called Reimagine, that specializes in web and video production. Chris is a multi talented graphic/web designer from an advertising background. He has been in the freelance creative business for a long, long time. I was a video guy with a background in business. My skills shine when I am networking, selling, and at the editing station.

As a company, we could make money doing print media, web design/development, social media consulting, marketing videos, event videos, TV commercials, internet videos, motion graphics, email blasts, t-shirts, writing, and sound production. I’m sure you are saying, well that’s a good thing. A lot of avenues to make money. However, time has taught me that this can actually be a negative.

A Positive experience with Mortgages

It’s funny, cause before I got into this business, I had my own mortgage branch. I graduated film school and got engaged. I was writing screenplays, but that was not cutting it. I needed something to pay the bills while I honed my skills. That’s when I jumped on an opportunity to get into the hot mortgage game.

One of the things I always remember from my experience in mortgages is how the successful brokers did business. Depending on their license, a broker can do refinances, purchases, FHA, VA, FHA streamlines, Jumbo, and until recently, Home Equity Loans and 2nd Mortgages. Not only that, but you could even get licensed in multiple states. However, with all these options, I found that a very successful broker usually only did one kind of loan. This means they specialized in one type of loan from the hundreds they could do.

At first, I didn’t understand this. As a young broker, each time I got a lead, I was pumped. I didn’t care what the person wanted, I would figure out how to get it done. So if they were doing a refinance, I could do it. Purchase, no problem. FHA, of course I can. As long as I could make money, it was legal, and good for the client, I was in. While many brokers had no regard for their clients, it was very important to me. Doing right by my customers was not so I could say I was a good person. It was so the client would refer me to someone. I always found doing good business to reward itself.

However, with all these options, the money for these loans got stretched very thin. Doing a good job for my clients was hard. Each loan was completely different from the last. I had to learn the bank guidelines, the proper procedures, which paperwork and information to get, as well as the little rules unique to the client’s situation. Instead of knowing what was next, I was always trying to figure it out. Each loan I got was like starting over from scratch.

One weekend, to open my own branch, I flew down to Florida for a big mortgage conference hosted by the enormous company I was joining. At the conference, to pump us up, they celebrated their top branches across the country. I was shocked at the time to find out that each of these ridiculously successful branches only did one type of loan. One person, who grossed the most ever for the company, specialized in only VA streamline loans in Kansas. That’s it. That person just did loans for veterans living in Kansas. He did no other type of loans whatsoever. None. I didn’t even know there were that many veterans in Kansas.

Another top person just specialized in FHA Streamlines in Missouri. Another just in FHA in Florida. All of these top people did one type of loan. What I learned was that it made their job, their service, and their time management that much easier. Sure, there were opportunities to make money doing other loans, but that would mean learning a whole new routine. The time alone was not worth it to them. It was more beneficial to just stick to what they knew.

Stick to your Guns, Increase your Funds

That’s the approach my partner and I have learned to take with our business. While there are numerous avenues to make money, being a specialist at what you do is that much more rewarding. You can easily grow more and more efficient each time, and not have to spend the extra time feeling your way through the process. Your clients will appreciate it more as well. Nothing is better than having the confidence the person you hired is an expert.

For all of you out there with your own business, try this approach. Think about what it is that you do best. What is it that you can be better than everyone else? Then stick to that, and build from there. I’m sure it will be tough to turn down some business down at first, but you must look at the big picture. Over time, becoming a master at something effects the work process in the following ways:

• It gets easier
• Work time decreases
• Profit margin increases.
• Customer service gets better which leads to more referrals.

Looking at your short term money is necessary to pay your bills. However, using this strategy can pay your bills over and over as time goes on. It may be slow in the beginning, but after all, I believe it was the tortoise that won the race against the hare in that timeless children’s story, wasn’t it?

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

It took us a year to figure out what I am about to share with you. I may be a bit of a slow learner, but at least it definitely all makes sense now. For any entrepreneurs out there, here is some advice that may save you the same trouble my partner and I experienced while building our company.

I am partners in a media production agency called Reimagine. We are a two man team. My partner specializes in design and creative direction. I handle the video side, client relations, project management, with a smidgen of content writing thrown in.

Making Our Mark

Our main issue has been in branding Reimagine over the last year. When we first opened, we were lucky enough to get a couple of major jobs right off the bat. However, this caused us to put off building our own image for the time being. It was only recently, this became a top priority for us.

For some reason, it always seems easier to help brand other people’s companies then your own. We tend to do design driven, edgy work, and wanted  to attract medium to large clients who had no problem paying for our talents. Usually that means attracting Agencies. To do so, we wanted to provide a very professional image. We wanted to be like the million dollar companies racking up the clients in our industry. We wanted to convey the impression that we were just like them.

The Reality

The problem is, we were not just like them. In fact, nothing could be further than the truth. Two men in a start-up business is no comparison to a seasoned slew of veterans in a million dollar company, no matter what image we projected. Our website and print media may look like a million dollar company, but after working with us for a a few months, it is apparent we are simply a small talented team.

That’s when my partner and a colleague figured out a better way. The solution they discovered seemed so simple, it was like, why didn’t I think of that? All of a sudden, it all made sense, and we had a concept for our branding. What was the concept?

We are a two man team that is hungry, talented, unique, off the wall, and easily accessible.

In other words, we would just be ourselves. We didn’t need to pretend to be something we were not. Actually, we realized it was quite beneficial for us to relish in the fact we were a small company with less overhead.

We even took it a step further. My partner and I are polar opposites. Whatever he can do well, I can’t, and vice versa. He’s way to the left, and I grew up conservative. It’s what makes us such a well rounded pair. We decided that this would be our identity. We didn’t have to be like the big companies to succeed. We had to just be ourselves and play to our advantages. 

Suddenly the longing for an identity dissipated into thin air. It seems the concept we were searching for was right in front of our eyes all along.

Playing to Your Advantage

I think the original problem we had when looking at our company was we were too focused on where we wanted to be, and not where we were. Building your dream company happens one step at a time, and there are advantages and disadvantages for every step along the way. One of the advantages we were ignoring was the fact that we were a small personable team. We were too concerned with the giant shadow of some of the major players to just simply be ourselves. However, unlike the big wigs, we are extremely adaptable, easily accessible, and also, a bit less expensive. That was our advantage, and that’s the best way to brand ourselves.

For anyone else building their business image, try answering these questions:

• Who are you?
• What do you do best?
• What are the positives for a client that chooses your product or services?

Take the answers to these questions and start from there. No matter who you are, or where you are starting from, I guarantee there is some advantage to your position. You just have to find it. It is amazing, but if you think about it, there are always advantages to every position, from high to low. Just like Poker, it all depends on what your hand is, and how you play it.

Remember, you can not please everyone. However, rest assure that there is a deep pleasure derived from the relief of no longer pretending to be something you are not. Trust me on that.

Feedback

Have any of you had a similar experience with your business? Ever try to project yourself to be something you are not, when in reality, the best option was simply to be yourself? Leave your answeres in the comments below….

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Friday is Video Day…

What if I told you you could Pay Off your Mortgage in as little as 8 to 11 years or less, just by doing what you are currently doing, and without any change to your current lifestyle or current cash flow?

This video will show you how. It is not an advertisement. In fact, it is a news report about how a regular person used the bank’s own systems to accelerate his mortgage payment. If you own a home, and have a mortgage, than this is a must see video. I could not believe it when I first saw it, but after a bunch of research I have found that everything in this video is true. Actually, proving it is quite easy, as all you need is know about APRs and how to calculate them.

This video will explain the rest. I could not resist sharing this with you after I saw it. Be warned, this is not magic. You have to have some equity in your how, and make more money than you spend. However, if you meet that criteria, you will be shocked at what you see. This method was discovered in Australia, and has worked for years. It is just the last few years that they started selling software to help figure out the exact amount of time left on your mortgage.

Enjoy. Let me know what you think below! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I will do my best to answer them.

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

Unless you are living under a rock, I’m sure you are aware of the historic day that took place yesterday. Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president of the U.S.A. Stepping aside from our own political views, you can not help but like this man. It is undeniable that he is a natural born leader, regardless of what you think he will do as our President.

This country has been desperate for a leader to guide it into the information age, and to connect with the exploding youth of today. It appears for now that we have found what we have been looking for.

As a business owner, there are many things to learn from Barack Obama. Being a business owner is like leading a very small country in your own right. You do not have all the answers. You are not always going to be right. There are many different opinions on what is right and wrong, and there is also a balance of keeping everyone involved relatively happy.

However, watching President Obama make it look easy yesterday, I thought long and hard about his approach. I believe that is why he is such a magnetic individual. His personality resonates with everyone because he speaks from the heart. We believe, whether wrong or right, he has our best interest in mind.

Inspired by watching this natural born leader during the inauguration, here are…

7 tips to make you a better business owner.

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1) Being right is less important than doing what’s right.

Work with your team. Sure, you can have an opinion or a firm belief, but being a leader is about listening to those around you, not just pretending to.

2) Know your limits

President Obama made it clear that he can only do so much. It is up to each one of us to help guide this country to a better place. He put the challenge on us to be accountable for our actions.

3) Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.

Being a great leader means knowing when it’s your turn to follow. Sometimes, a person beneath you may have a better plan. A good leader recognizes this, and understands that sometimes you lead by following others.

4) You catch more bees with honey.

As a business owner, just like a President, you can have many enemies. Some are even in your own camp. However, it is how you handle these disputes that conveys your leadership ability to others. Do not overreact and try to make each issue a case of right and wrong. Listen to your enemies, and challenge them not with words or power, but with your example. You may find an enemy becomes a great ally.

5) Take it one challenge at a time

Imagine being President Obama right now. He faces some of the toughest challenges any president has ever had to. The same can be true for a new business owner. Try not to get caught up in the pressure. Simply handle each challenge one at a time, and take it from there. You can not fix everything in one day, so no need to try.

6) It is okay to be Human.

President Obama did not come out and claim to know everything, have all the answers, or prove he is smarter than everyone else. Instead, he let his humanity show and that is what drew us all to him. We are all human, no matter how hard we try to be perfect robots. It’s okay to show our humanity. We all make mistakes, and a business owner, or the President of the U.S.A. is no exception. Admit it when you make a mistake, and take the pressure off of everyone else afraid to do so.

7) Don’t worry about the haters.

Haters to me are people who have not been able to get things in their own life to go right. Therefore, they hate on everyone else trying to accomplish the things they could not. It is most important to believe in yourself, no matter what those around you say. If you believe you can change the world, than you sure as hell have a chance of doing so. Look no further than a man named Barack Hussein Obama for your inspiration.

Now it’s your turn. In the comments section, add some other ways President Obama may have inspired you….

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in business….

How many of you have ever built a bridge before? I’m not talking about a monstrous metal road connecting two pieces of land over a body of water. I am talking about the kind of bridges built between people. The kind that starts with introducing yourself and explaining what you do. Some people refer to this as networking, but I prefer the term ‘bridge builder‘.

In my business, being a bridge builder is extremely important. It is for any business, really. However, as much time as I have spent building bridges, I have also seen many of those bridges come crashing down in flames. To me, there is nothing more harmful in business than wasting your time on burning bridges.

Wasted Energy

We all have been there before. We have an expectation from one of our employees, outsources, or clients, and they fail to meet it. In fact, they fail so bad, it makes you want to harm them. You can not believe the disrespect someone would show you after how courteous and professional you have been. All of a sudden, you switch from nice Mr.Bridge builder to a wide-eyed, flaming Bridge Arsonist. A fury swells in your belly. You are determined to get revenge.

It is natural to want to show the client the mistake they made because we are emotional, and feel betrayed. It is the definition of being human. The problem with this approach, though, is the wasted energy you will spend to undo the work you already did.

For example, lets pretend a client you have bent over backwards for suddenly goes with a competitor because of a difference of a few dollars. Of course, being that you were loyal, you feel betrayed. Why didn’t the client come to you and tell you the situation? You may have even met the competitor’s price because of the loyalty the client has shown. But instead, at the drop of a hat, all that hard work you did gets washed down the drain. For a few bucks, the client has left you high & dry, and quite angry.

When you are loyal to people, and do right by them at all costs, you expect the same in return. When someone does not offer the same, we immediately feel hurt, angry, and our blood boils. We want to call the client and give them a piece of our mind. How dare they do this. After all you did for them, this is how they repay you? We’ll show them, right?

Wrong.

This is the approach of a bridge arsonist. A bridge arsonist spends some time building bridges, and the rest of the time burning them down at the 1st hint of trouble. They expect each bridge to be reciprocal. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. However, life, and especially business, is much more complicated. People are under pressure, and pressure can cause people to react in all sorts of crazy ways. As Jay-Z says, “Pressure busts pipes.”

The Siddhartha Approach

I found a totally different approach from reading a great book called ‘Siddhartha‘ by Herman Hesse. Without diving too deep into the story, the moral of the book is that judging people for the way they act is a waste of time because you can not change them no matter how enlightened you may be.

Each person makes their own path in life, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. Judging this path is actually harmful to you. Why judge something that can not be changed? Instead, Siddhartha teaches you to understand them. Reserve judgment and just see the path they are on. If they are disloyal, then you know they are disloyal. No need to be mad about it. Just make note of it for future reference. No need to bend over backwards for someone who does not show the same courteousness in return. However, there is no need to waste your energy making it a bigger issue than it has to be.

This may seem like the wrong move at the time. When we are angry, nothing will quench the thirst for revenge better than giving that client a piece of our mind. However, by doing this, and giving into our emotions, we become bridge arsonists. Think about it. You did all this work to develop this relationship, and now, at the first sign of trouble, you are ready to light the whole thing up in flames just to prove a point. You will spend the time going over the conversation in your head, then calling them to yell and make them understand they are wrong. However, another very human trait, is the failure to notice when we are wrong. Chances are, that client is not going to say,

‘Gee, you know what, you are right. I am an asshole. I’ll call that competitor and cancel the business. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.’

Unless your address is 101 Fantasy Lane, this is not going to happen. Most likely, the client will defend their actions, and never speak with you again. Instead of letting it go, you have just created an enemy, and burnt the bridge you worked so hard building.

The Comfort of Being The Better Person

The question is, why waste your energy trying to make someone else see the error of their ways? Instead, take solace in the fact that you know better. You are the better person, and there is no reason to have to make them live up to your high standards. They have shown their true colors, and you are thankful you have seen that. You now know the path they are on.

However, by not reacting to their actions, you leave the bridge standing. Sure, you may not ever want to do work for them again, but as my mother always said, ‘Never say never.’  Times can get slow, economies change, and businesses change as well. Plus, picture the client like a little kid near a hot stove. You warned them not to touch the stove. The smart people will listen, but many of us have to get burned before we really learn.

Let’s say this client goes to your competitor, and afterward, really appreciates your work. They realize they made a mistake. If you have burnt that bridge, they will still not come back. No one is going to come crawling back to someone after you make them feel like crap. They would rather try out 30 new competitors before they ever did that. It is just the nature of Humans.

The lesson is to give people a chance to see the error of their ways. Let them have the time to see what you know to be true right away. Do not yell, scream, or give into your emotions, because that guarantees you will never get business from them again. In addition, you never know who someone knows. You may meet another new client who is a friend of theirs. Imagine when they hear how you reacted from their friend. Chances are pretty good they will skip out on doing business with you, because they trust their friend’s word over a stranger.

Being the better person is a comfort we all can live with. After all, we have worked hard to become bridge builders, so better to spend that time continuing to build bridges, then worrying about whether or not they should still be standing.

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For those that are new, or for those that like to reminisce, here are a few popular posts from the last few months under the category….

‘Secrets of Success‘.

Embracing Life’s Only Constant: Change

Bad Habits Help Make Good Habits

Patience: Virtue of the Successful

Are You Properly Measuring Progress?

Enjoy!

Stumble It!

Tony Robbins is one of my favorite Orators.  He really emphasizes many of the points I strongly believe in, especially the idea of pursuing what you love.  Nothing is more important to our well being than doing something we love each day.

Enjoy your weekend.

The one thing I definitely have learned over the course of my many business ventures is you do not have to reinvent the wheel to be successful.  As a matter of fact, it is a complete waste of energy.  As the title says, leave the wheel alone!  Success is not based on you creating a brand new way to do everything.  You simply have to build off of others success.

For example, when I started my mortgage branch, it was an exciting time.  I needed to get in Loan Officers and somehow generate leads in a declining market.  However, I did not need to reinvent the wheel doing so.  There was no magic lead source, or magic lead system.  It strictly took working the phones, canvasing, and word of mouth.  That’s it.

Many times, people start a business and they think they have to start from scratch when putting together the system.  That is not the case.  Research is the key.  Find out who owns, or tried to own a business similar to you.  Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores, spent years studying how other stores similar to Wal-Mart did business.  He would spend over a year sitting in stores like K-mart, writing down everything that could be better.  That is how he founded one of the most successful chain department stores in the world.  He did not reinvent the wheel.  He simply made it better.

So take some pressure off of yourself.  You do not have to come up with a miraculous idea to be successful.  You have to come up with an idea that works.  A lot of times, the best place to start is where a similar idea is in place.  Nothing like good old fashioned research to get you on your way.

Just leave the wheel alone!  No need to start from scratch.  Instead, put your own spin on something.  Make something better.  Think the person who decided to sell bottled water was looked at as a genius?  I bet they are now, though.

Remember, sometimes the simplest answers are the best, most profitable solutions.