Q: I’m graduating this year with a degree in business and would like to start my own business rather than get a corporate job. I have a few business ideas, but none of them really gets me excited. Should I just put my business plans on hold and get a job until the right opportunity comes along?
– Carlton M.

A: Congratulations on the impending degree, Carlton. Never having attended a higher institution of learning myself, I have great respect for anyone who can withstand four years of non-mandatory schooling and emerge with sheepskin in hand. I drove by a college once. It looked hard, so I kept going. I do have a pair of sheepskin boots, but I don’t think they ever helped me get a job. They do make me taller, but that’s another story.

Seriously, I envy your position and applaud your efforts. You’re young, you’re educated, you’re ambitious, you’re probably much better looking than me, and soon you’ll leave the comfort and warmth of your tiny dorm room to go out into the big, cold, cruel world to seek your fortune and make your mark. The fun is just about to begin, my friend. I hope you’re ready for the ride. If you think college was tough, just wait until real life sets in.

Now on to your question: should you put your business plans on hold and get a job until the right opportunity comes along. I really can’t make that call for you. That’s a decision you’ll have to make for yourself, based on your situation, your goals, your finances, your responsibilities, your commitments, and all the other factors that make Carlton’s world go around.

I can tell you that as a breed, entrepreneurs are an impatient lot and many jump on the first business bandwagon that comes along just for the sake of being in business. That’s a big mistake that usually comes back to bite them in their entrepreneurial behinds.

You should always have a solid idea and a very clear plan of action before starting a business. It is the failure to plan that leads to the failure of most businesses. You didn’t plan on hating the business you’re in, you didn’t plan on needing so much money to get started; you didn’t plan on growing so fast; you didn’t plan on there being no market for your product; etc. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Of course you probably learned that in “Old Business Adage 101.”

Starting a business simply because you have a business degree is not a smart thing to do. That would be like deciding to jump out of a plane just because someone handed you a parachute while standing on a street corner. Start your business career only when you get an idea or find a business concept that gets you so excited and so passionate that you can’t sleep at night. That’s when you go into startup mode and not a minute before.

Now on to the soapbox part of our program (you didn’t think you were going to get away without a sermon, did you?). Here’s a word or two about waiting for opportunity to come along.

I know you were just using an old expression, but you pressed one of my hot buttons because many wannabe entrepreneurs do just that: they proclaim themselves as entrepreneurs, then proceed to sit and wait for opportunity to come calling with a business idea and a bagful of money. These misguided folks better have a comfortable chair in which to wait because they are going to be sitting there for a very, very long time.

If just one more of these armchair entrepreneurs call me up and tell me that they are born entrepreneurs and all they need is the chance to prove how smart they are and will I please, please, please give them that opportunity, I think I’ll hurl (in a business-like manner, of course). This ain’t an audition for The Apprentice, folks. Who do I look like: Donald Trump? We both have great hair, but that’s where the similarity ends.

The truth is opportunity does not come along. Opportunity does not knock. Opportunity doesn’t even know where you live. Opportunity doesn’t know your name, your phone number, or your personal situation. Opportunity does not appreciate your talents, your skills, or anything else about you. Opportunity does not care that you are a great person who just needs a chance.

Real entrepreneurs know that opportunity is not delivered like pizza. Real entrepreneurs do not wait for opportunity to come along. Real entrepreneurs seek out opportunity. They get up off the couch or get out of their cubicles, go out the door, and run up and down every street in town knocking on every door they come to. Sometimes opportunity answers the door, sometimes not, but real entrepreneurs keep knocking.

Real entrepreneurs know that you can knock on a thousand doors and never find opportunity waiting on the other side. They also know that opportunity might be waiting just at the next stop, so they keep finding doors and they keep knocking.

When people ask where I went to school I give the old reply: The School of Hard Knocks! But I don’t mean that life has beaten me up on my way to where I am today. I mean that I went up to a lot of doors and knocked as hard as I could and every now and then, opportunity answered.

So get your degree and catch your breath, Carlton. You have your whole life ahead of you. Then, when you’re ready, get off your duff and go knock on some doors.

If opportunity is out there, you’ll find it.

Here’s to your success!

If the preacher got up next Sunday and announced, “Today’s sermon is on Judgment Day, the Day of Reckoning,” would you flinch, or at least slump a little in your pew? We usually think of the “Day of Reckoning” or “Judgment Day” in a negative way.

But if you are a Christian, forgiven of your sins, and dedicated to loving and serving the Lord, why should you have this reaction? For you, and for all others throughout the world who “walk in the light as He is in the light,” the Day of Reckoning will be a bright day, a glorious day, a day of joy, something to anticipate with even more gladness than your high school graduation or your wedding day.

In Luke 12:35-37, Jesus uses a wonderful illustration to describe the Day of Reckoning for believers. He describes servants waiting for their master to come home from a party. They have their lamps burning. They have tucked the ends of their long robes into their belts so they can run quickly. And they are eagerly waiting because they want to open the door for their Lord at His first knock.

They wait and wait. They have to re-trim their lamps. But the Master has not come home, and their beds are calling to them. Yet they stay up, and they keep each other awake when one gets drowsy.

What does this tell you about these servants? Isn’t it enough for them to go to bed as usual and then jump up as soon as they hear noise at the front door? What difference does it make if the Master has to wait a few moments longer? Their self-imposed vigil tells us that they love their Lord. They are thinking about His needs and what would please Him, even give Him as pleasant surprise. So they stay awake, maybe pinching themselves to do so, as the long hours slowly pass.

When they finally hear that knock, they are ready. They fling open the door to find the Master with his fingers still closed into a fist, raised to knock again. With joyful smiles one ushers him in while a second leads the way to the couch by the table as the third brings out the tasty meal they have prepared for Him.

But the Master has His own surprise. Touched by their evident love, He refuses to recline at the table. Instead, He makes them sit down, and the Master becomes their Servant, attending to them as they eat!

What a beautiful picture of the dynamics of love that operate in the relationship between the redeemed and their Redeemer! What a day to look forward to!

How are you trimming your lamp today? What are you doing to anticipate your Master’s return? What can you do to demonstrate to Him the love in your heart? For all of Christ’s servants, the Day of Reckoning is a wonderful coming-home. Are you ready to open the door on His first knock?

How many great opportunities have passed you by? I can tell you that quite a few have. You have had many lucrative opportunities come right up to your front door, and you did not hear the knock and they have walked away. Do you think it is time to install a loud door bell so you can answer when they come next time?

Here are the installation instructions for your new door bell. Guys, this is one time you might want to actually read the instructions and follow them step by step for the thing to work right. Door bells for opportunity sometimes are hard to get working.

Step one: You have to have a destination. Do you know where you are going and what you want? Is your favorite saying, “I just take life one day at a time and take what it throws at me”? I do not like that saying. That may sound macho for some people, but I value every day and use each one to advance myself closer to a long term goal.

There is the key word to installing a loud door bell for opportunity, goal. You will need this tool, it is one of the tools you will need for the proper installation. You will need a whole set of them. Short term goals, mid range goals, long term goals. The local hardware store does not have them. You will find them between your ears. A goal is not a goal until it is hand written down on a piece of paper. The ones kept in your mind, and the typed ones do not work for this installation. They must be hand written. There is a reason for that, but instead of getting into that lengthy explanation I would like for you to just trust me.

Now that you have the hand written list of goals, with the most important one at the very top of the page, put them where you can see them. You need to see them at least twice a day to remind you of what opportunities you are searching for.

Step two: I am going to use the goal of money for an example. This is the most common goal for people, more money, but love, happiness, health, and weight loss are close behind. I will use money though. So now you must set the dial on the door bell so the little arrow points towards money. You will find that little arrow on your head. They are better known as eyes and ears. I don’t mean to make it sound like I am implying that you are an idiot or pointing out something obvious. What I am saying is now with a set of goals, short term being ones that get you closer to mid term goals, and mid term goals get you closer to you long term goals. I can write a whole book on setting goals, but that is a simple explanation. With the set of goals, you can now focus and watch and listen for opportunity to come.

Focus on what it will take to reach your goals. If you are not focused on your goals, or do not have them implanted into your mind, opportunities will come and go each day. If you have your eyes and ears open and know what you want, then as soon as that opportunity is there, you can jump on it.

Now when you turn on your computer and an article for starting a home business on the internet pops up, you might take a look at it when you did not before, a missed opportunity. This is just an example, but do research into ways to make money. Opportunities come in different ways. There are the ones you are looking for and doing research on. There are the ones that you are at the store and you look over at the magazine rack and see an article that relates to what you are looking for. There are the ones that fall into your lap. If you have your doorbell on, or eyes and ears open, then you will not let any of them slip by without taking a good hard look or listen.

Some of them do not give you much time to answer. You have to make a quick decision. Some people are better than others at that. If you know exactly what you are looking for and in what niche, then that will make it easier.

Step three: This is where intuition needs to be installed. You know what you want. You know what your main goal is and the final outcome will be. You have a good idea of how you want to get there, and what niche you would like to be in, and what interests you. Now when that short term opportunity comes to the door, how do you react? Your intuition, and the way it is presented should tell you. Intuition is the how loud the ring is. You know right away if it is exactly what you are looking for or will help you achieve a goal. That will be a loud ring and you will jump up and answer it. Other rings won’t be so loud. The opportunity will have a lot of what you are looking for, but some of it will not be so appealing. Other rings will be soft, and those you should not jump into without thorough research.

I want to finish by saying that I am a firm believer in specialized education. Any opportunity to learn something about your skill or niche is a must have. That skill or niche is your tool or key to your success and reaching your goals. I have purchased many books and only learned one thing after reading a whole book. I have purchased many multi-disk CD packs and have learned just one thing after listening to the set. I have sat through seminars, and have learned only one thing. That one thing that I learned from each is worth every last nickel of the purchase. I put all those one things together, and I achieve my goals. Without each thing that I learn, I don’t know if I could or would be where I am today. Education is always a loud ring.

What do you want your legacy to be? The person who accomplished everything they set out to do, or the person that sometimes remembered to take out the trash.

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These on-line catalogs provide you a unique shopping experience with up to the minute special resort wear offers. Everything you would need for your resort or cruise attire is available from these catalogues in the comfort of your own home or office. Purchase a resort wear gift for that special someone from these on-line catalogs.

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The on-line resort and cruise wear catalogs allow you to view and purchase without leaving your home. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this is the “power shoppers’” dream! And in some cases, catalog purchases will be shipped to you free of charge!

No more running from shop to shop to shop to…….. well you get the picture. Finding what you want in the on-line resort wear and cruise wear catalogs is quicker and easier and much less stressful!

For more interesting information regarding resort wear, cruise wear, packing tips and more, check out some of the other articles on our Cruise Wear Articles map. Then you can buy your killer resort and cruise wear on-line and get excited!

Talk about ignorance. In 1975 I was excited because I had just scored a job as a truck driver, well so I thought. It was a simple concept, all I had to do was swap the bottles on my truck for the money people in their homes gave me. And I could do it again next week, the week after and every week after that. How good was that? Too easy … All I had to do was drive around in my truck and swap bottles of soft drink for money. And to add to the excitement I could go to any home in my area not on my list and get them to give me money for bottles full of soft drink. Life was so good.

To get other people to give me money for bottles of soft drink all I had to do was go to their front door, ring the bell or knock if their was no bell and say “Hi! I’m the drink man how many bottles would you like, 6 or 12?” Whatever their answer was it didn’t matter. I was so excited that I was a truck driver I came up with all sorts of responses. For example: Oh well here try these 2 bottles and I’ll pick up the empty bottles next week. I was able to give these bottles for people to try because I was given two crates or 24 bottles to take home. The next week people would ask for another two or 6 and they gave me money for it.

To cut a long story short … I soon broke company records. I just did what I enjoyed on a daily basis and learned to get good at it. Not long after I ended up getting my friends to join me and they too could drive their own trucks and do the same as me. 23 friends and trucks later I soon found myself being like the Supervisor that showed me what to do. I was showing others how to drive trucks and swap bottles for money. It took me two years to get to that level and I stayed in the industry for 12 years.

I have door knocked for a living for over 20 years for one company or another. Now having being a professional for so long I still keep to the basic philosophy as I did then.

1. Keep things simple

2. Have fun

3. Listen to people

4. Do what you say you are going to do.

1. To keep things simple I have found it is a lot of fun attending seminars and doing courses as I listen to those who can help me succeed as I improve my skills and knowledge so I can help others succeed.

2. To have fun is a must. A great friend of mine has this motto – If you’re not having fun then you must be doing something wrong. Door knocking is a lot of fun. You meet all kinds of people at different times of the day or days and they could be very receptive, non-receptive, happy, in a bad mood or whatever. The fun part is you are at their home on that day (whatever day it is) and if you are having fun you reflect it in who you are therefore you are better positioned to work better.

3. To listen to people is an active art that can be learned. To do that effectively you must be willing to be patient with people and have an attitude that says … “The number one priority is what’s important for you as opposed to what’s in it for me.”

4. One of the best ways to develop trust with people (it works both ways) is to “do what you say you’re going to do.” Have you ever had someone say to you that they will get back to you and they don’t? Then they come up with some lame excuse. I used to be like that and I soon learned that is does you no good.

Are you still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up? Well knock it off!

Let’s see, your options are leaching off your parents till you’re 30 and then trying to find a career when you’re way too old and nobody wants to deal with you. That’s stupid! Or, if you like people,and you want to help people then you can find out how to become a Nurse.

Nursing careers are one of the fastest and most IN Demand Careers right now, and it isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Not by a longshot. In fact the demand for nurses and healthcare workers is going to keep going up and up until at least year 2012. In fact it’s going to double.

Right now, since the career is in such high demand, wages have gone up to try to bring people in. That’s nice right? So how much does a nurse make you ask? (I’m assuming you’re asking.)

About $45,000 is the national average. About $20 bucks an hour if you’re an emergency room nurse. Not bad eh? Beats finding change in your couch.

The only way to get there is to go to school. Yeah that part sucks I know, but you can do it from home for alot of it, so hey, you can still leach off your parents for a while, and stay at home. You’ll have a great excuse. Here’s a great place to start if you’re totally lost on how to become a nurse.

It’s really not hard at all, just go to “Associate Degree” on the first menu, and “Health Care” on the next and you’re in. It’s just to receive info and that’s it.

You’re not committed yet. Unless you want to hurry up and get out of your parents friggin house that is.

Bella Miller skillfully navigated her BMW 735i onto the expressway, dodging a semi that was quickly barreling down on her. Darting over to the left lane she eased up on the accelerator just enough to give herself a little bit of extra room between her car and the Blazer she was now following. Traffic was fairly heavy at this hour of the afternoon, but one kilometer down the road Bella would be able to take the left fork and follow the outer beltway for seven kilometers. Within moments she would be out of rush hour traffic and on her way home.

With the fork fast approaching, Bella turned on her left turn signal and eased her car off of the expressway and onto the ramp leading to the outer beltway. Seeing that traffic was now light, she pressed on the accelerator and immediately felt a bit of hesitation followed by two loud knocks. Perplexed, Bella eased up on the accelerator and moved over to the right hand lane, reduced her speed, before pressing down on the accelerator again. This time, her BMW responded but she could still feel some sense of hesitancy, so she decided to lower her speed the rest of the way home.

Upon entering her driveway, Bella stopped her car and turned off the ignition. Immediately, the engine began to shudder, knock, ping, and shudder again, before making a noise that sounded almost like a sigh, followed by silence. Promptly, Bella grabbed her purse and cell phone and exited the car and ran into her house thinking that it might explode.

What Bella was experiencing was an engine that was in distress. Her BMW’s knock sensor, designed to permit her V8 to run efficiently on lower grade 87 octane gasoline, had failed. This, in turn, was causing her engine to vibrate as the lower grade fuel was not enough power for her car.

Before 1990, many cars did not come equipped with knock sensors. Thus, in order to prevent vibrating, high octane gas would always be a necessity in order for a car to run knock free. Eventually, knock sensors were created that allowed cars — including Bella’s 735i — to run on cheaper, low grade gasoline. In addition, the knock sensor had the all important benefit of stopping engine shudder which can ultimately damage a vehicle.

If you are experiencing engine vibration of any type, it could be that your knock sensor has failed. Don’t delay; have your car checked immediately to prevent possible damage. A knock sensor is a fairly cheap to replace part compared to an engine repair which can cost you thousands of dollars.

Your best clients have lots of things to do every day, and lots of things that need their attention, and none of those things necessarily involve you. It can feel as though you’re invisible and your best prospects are walking around, over, or right through you without even noticing YOU. The way you market you and your business is how you change that.

When your marketing is doing its job it’s a full contact sport. Your marketing communications have to reach out and interrupt your potential client’s thoughts, patterns, and actions. It has to do more than politely stop them and say, “Excuse me.”

Your marketing needs to bowl them over. Not in the physical sense, but in the sense that you’re message is speaking to exactly what they’re thinking. It’s as though you know exactly what’s going through their mind. It should feel like you’ve struck up a conversation as though you were invited.

Marketing that delivers a knockout punch doesn’t do it by being obnoxious or dishonest. You deliver a marketing punch by being dead on accurate in your understanding of what your best prospects need and want. When they receive your message they should literally think, “I think that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

To make that thought happen you want to focus on three key elements: self-interest, relevancy, and curiosity. When you get it right rather than giving you a “that’s nice” response they’ll be asking, “How can I find out more about this?” It happens because you’ve engaged them, and interrupted their daily existence long enough for them to pay attention to you.

That won’t happen unless your message speaks to their self-interest. It must address what’s on their mind now or what they’re talking about. And it has to make them want to know more.

Wanting to know more is the only thing that will create the motivation to act. Effective marketing is all about generating actions. You can measure actions. You can offer actions that move them closer to becoming a client. Sales won’t happen, and your marketing isn’t effective unless you produce actions.

You may be one of those hurting people who right now, at this moment in time, and are in the fight of your life against the hideous attack of relationship troubles! Wow! Talk about something that can beat you into the ground and make you feel like crap!

Well, I am glad to see that you are researching relationship breakup advice that can help you to overcome such powerful destructive forces of the heart, mind and soul. I think that the most important thing that you need to do is recognize that you can win and beat back relationship troubles to the pit of hell where they originated.

*I have a question for you: Is your other half (your partner) reading this information along with you, if so you have just boosted your odds of success at eliminating your relationship troubles quickly. As the saying goes…, it takes two to tango and relationship breakup advice is for two also!

Here is the deal and the harsh reality of the matter, if both people are not on board with the desire of wanting to eliminate the relationship troubles and find peace, love and kindness, then chances are that this whole thing is not going to work.

*I know that the information regarding relationship breakup advice is rock solid and that it works. Much of it I can say is time-tested and proven to help people go through an awareness and growth process that IF it is consistently applied gets outstanding results. We all must be willing to grow!

*A hard lesson, but it is the truth…we have to shut down the ego and dump the pride and get down to the raw basics of learning how to properly treat each other! Swearing at and cursing each other out, or belittling or treating the other badly because of a nasty mood that going on does not do well for reducing relationship troubles!

*The whole thing with this process is that it requires new information and the development of new skills that you must purposefully and repeatedly put into your mind and then interject into the relationship.

*This is solid gold relationship breakup advice! The whole strategy of what we are looking to accomplish centers on changing the current energy around the relationship. Presently, it is most likely very negative! Most breakup advice on relationships looks to get us to become aware of, and to understand that negative energy; and to work on or introduce positive actions and energy.

*If the BOTH of you are committed to the task of wanting a beautiful, uplifting and motivating relationship then constantly exposing yourself to self-improvement positive information will melt away any and all relationship troubles within a very short period of time!

Some final thoughts: relationship breakup advice is a powerful weapon against a failing relationship IF BOTH are joined at the hip in terms of wanting to protect, improve and renew that relationship.

Hey can you hear me?

In case you cannot, then know this…I am cheering for your success!

Make it happen!

Many people in network marketing today still use the traditional way of promoting their network marketing home business that have been used since the very first day of the network marketing industry. These are like the dinosaurs of the olden days. 95% of network marketers still continue to use the pre-historic prospecting techniques and cold calling methods which tend to be not as effective in today’s world as image branding and positioning marketing especially when it comes to generating responsive and exclusive MLM network marketing lead.

Let us say that I wanted to get from one state to another. There would be various ways with which I could reach my destination. The easiest and no-cost method would be by foot. I could also choose to ride my 2-wheeled bicycle, drive a car or even go by air. They would all get me to my destination. However, the time it is going to take me is going to be vastly different as common sense dictates.

If you are looking at speed, the method you decide on is going to determine how fast you achieve your goal in network marketing today. So if you are looking to knock out 95% of your competition, here are 4 image branding and positioning marketing strategies that you can use to help generate your MLM network marketing lead.

1. Blogging – Setup a blog and regularly upload unique content with lots of value. Currently my blog is receiving more than 1000 unique visitors with almost 4000 visits. What I love about it is that only those interested in the content will visit the blog. Not only does the blog help in your branding, it also helps you to position yourself out there as a leader. Your marketing efforts are fully targeted and you do not waste time and money knocking on doors and facing rejection after rejection. This is a free strategy save for the cost of your blog domain name which is minimal at less than $10 per year.

2. Article Marketing – Now that you already have your articles on your blog, why not get some leverage and submit these articles to article directories to get yourself noticed? By submitting to article directories, you are also spreading your name in the marketing and allowing more readers to locate you. Article marketing is one of the best ways to draw your target market to your website and convince them that you are the best answer to their needs. Here again, you are positioning yourself in the market place and building your brand. Only those interested in your articles will read them and once more, you do not have to face any rejection. This is another free strategy!

3. Video Marketing – YouTube is the 4th largest website in the world. Why not jump onto the bandwagon and make use of videos to get your content out there to your target market? As in the above strategies, only those interested in your content will check out your videos. Again you are able to brand yourself and market yourself. The more people find you everywhere on the internet, the more they will follow you. Oh! Did I mention that this is another free strategy as well? Current statistics show that YouTube has reached 1.2 billion views per day worldwide. That means that almost everyone on the Internet is watching one YouTube video per day.

4. Webinars/Teleseminars – A good friend of mine, Aaron, has implemented this strategy. Not only is he able to brand himself when he does this, his conversion and retention rates have also improved. He loves this strategy because only those interested show up and they are looking to him as the expert and eagerly awaiting whatever nuggets of information that he has to share with them.

When you start building your image online and branding yourself, you will find that you are building a solid reputation in your industry. Coupled with positioning marketing where you get more presence on the internet, you also improve your perceived value in the network marketing home business arena, develop your circle of influence and establish yourself as an expert in your field of network marketing today.