42 Knock Out

Helen Keller said, “It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” Ask yourself a question. Do you know what an opportunity looks like? Describe it. Define it. Bottom line…would you know one if it bit you on the behind? Everyone says they are looking for “one”, Being at the right place at the right time isn’t enough. As network marketing industry legend Randy Gage says, “It’s about recognizing a magic moment of opportunity and acting upon it.”

In network marketing and home-based businesses, everyone says they have the “perfect opportunity.” So how do you evaluate? What is the difference between a golden opportunity and fool’s gold?

The scope of this article is to help you evaluate businesses, determine indicators of success and outline potential risks. I am a CPA, business owner and consultant. I look at businesses from top to bottom, start to finish. There are some fundamental characteristics that will tip you off to a good opportunity. A little homework and investigation can go a long way in helping you make a wise decision.

Nine out of ten business failures are due to lack of general business management skills and proper planning. Misery loves company and mistakes involving any of these three M’s will put you in the distinct company of the “nine” out of ten businesses that fail: Money, Management and Marketing.

>B>Money. It takes a long time for a start-up to become profitable. It usually takes a whole lot longer than the majority of business plans will project. Business projections that seem too good to be true in the first few years are probably just that. Even the best product ideas, greatest management and marketing won’t be enough if you run out of capital before you achieve sufficient momentum, exposure and market acceptance. You have to look at what is going to happen if the company has a bad first quarter, second quarter or even a bad first year. If a company is relying on cash flow to be generated in the beginning months and quarters, beware.

Management. If you are looking at a start-up company, the management of that company needs to be seasoned veterans, not first time entrepreneurs and their five closest friends. Yes. You need the visionaries, but you absolutely must also have long range planners, people who have started small and grown big, know the industry, react quickly to change, etc. To be successful, a new company will go through many stages such as introduction, market penetration, exponential growth, expansion, etc. A company can be mortally wounded if they are not equipped to handle each of those stages.

Marketing. Great ideas, innovative products and services die unrealized due to inadequate marketing. There are two marketing forces: the “push” and the “pull”. The lack of attention to the latter is where the ball most often drops. The “push” is the strategy that “pushes” the product through the marketing pipeline and gets the product out to the consumers. This creates exposure to the consumer. The “pull” is the piece that makes the consumer aware of their need for the product. It tells them what the product will do for them and entices them to “pull” the product out the other end of the pipeline. A company’s marketing plan must be able to evoke emotion in the end consumer. Emotion that is tied to a need or want that their business can fulfill. Otherwise, all the exposure, fancy packaging and “opportunity” appeal will be wasted.

People typically fall into two general categories. The optimist who wears rose colored glasses and the pessimist who wears dark shades. Both can see. However, you need to take those glasses off when looking at various network marketing or home-based business opportunities and compare them to a set of standards that will clue you in to the ones with real potential.

The last thing you have to do is be ready to act! Alfred North Whitehead, a British Philosopher, said, “Without adventure civilization is in full decay.” Take a look at where you are right now. Then, ask yourself where you will be in five years? Are you on your way to decay? Network marketing is not the network marketing of 15-20 years ago. Things have changed and it is a growing viable option for those who truly want to change their financial situation.

The trick is to find those home-based businesses and network marketing opportunities that have the capital, management; product and marketing plan to achieve sustainable success. If you are actively looking, and know what to look for, when opportunity knocks you won’t risk being out to lunch!

Helen Keller said, “It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” Ask yourself a question. Do you know what an opportunity looks like? Describe it. Define it. Bottom line…would you know one if it bit you on the behind? Everyone says they are looking for “one”, Being at the right place at the right time isn’t enough. As network marketing industry legend Randy Gage says, “It’s about recognizing a magic moment of opportunity and acting upon it.”

In network marketing and home-based businesses, everyone says they have the “perfect opportunity.” So how do you evaluate? What is the difference between a golden opportunity and fool’s gold?

The scope of this article is to help you evaluate businesses, determine indicators of success and outline potential risks. I am a CPA, business owner and consultant. I look at businesses from top to bottom, start to finish. There are some fundamental characteristics that will tip you off to a good opportunity. A little homework and investigation can go a long way in helping you make a wise decision.

Nine out of ten business failures are due to lack of general business management skills and proper planning. Misery loves company and mistakes involving any of these three M’s will put you in the distinct company of the “nine” out of ten businesses that fail: Money, Management and Marketing.

>B>Money. It takes a long time for a start-up to become profitable. It usually takes a whole lot longer than the majority of business plans will project. Business projections that seem too good to be true in the first few years are probably just that. Even the best product ideas, greatest management and marketing won’t be enough if you run out of capital before you achieve sufficient momentum, exposure and market acceptance. You have to look at what is going to happen if the company has a bad first quarter, second quarter or even a bad first year. If a company is relying on cash flow to be generated in the beginning months and quarters, beware.

Management. If you are looking at a start-up company, the management of that company needs to be seasoned veterans, not first time entrepreneurs and their five closest friends. Yes. You need the visionaries, but you absolutely must also have long range planners, people who have started small and grown big, know the industry, react quickly to change, etc. To be successful, a new company will go through many stages such as introduction, market penetration, exponential growth, expansion, etc. A company can be mortally wounded if they are not equipped to handle each of those stages.

Marketing. Great ideas, innovative products and services die unrealized due to inadequate marketing. There are two marketing forces: the “push” and the “pull”. The lack of attention to the latter is where the ball most often drops. The “push” is the strategy that “pushes” the product through the marketing pipeline and gets the product out to the consumers. This creates exposure to the consumer. The “pull” is the piece that makes the consumer aware of their need for the product. It tells them what the product will do for them and entices them to “pull” the product out the other end of the pipeline. A company’s marketing plan must be able to evoke emotion in the end consumer. Emotion that is tied to a need or want that their business can fulfill. Otherwise, all the exposure, fancy packaging and “opportunity” appeal will be wasted.

People typically fall into two general categories. The optimist who wears rose colored glasses and the pessimist who wears dark shades. Both can see. However, you need to take those glasses off when looking at various network marketing or home-based business opportunities and compare them to a set of standards that will clue you in to the ones with real potential.

The last thing you have to do is be ready to act! Alfred North Whitehead, a British Philosopher, said, “Without adventure civilization is in full decay.” Take a look at where you are right now. Then, ask yourself where you will be in five years? Are you on your way to decay? Network marketing is not the network marketing of 15-20 years ago. Things have changed and it is a growing viable option for those who truly want to change their financial situation.

The trick is to find those home-based businesses and network marketing opportunities that have the capital, management; product and marketing plan to achieve sustainable success. If you are actively looking, and know what to look for, when opportunity knocks you won’t risk being out to lunch!

We might have faced a situation wherein we have been greeted (sometimes knocked down) by pet dogs when visiting someone, with their embarrassed and apologetic owners trying stop them. As a dog owner, it does not seem to be a pretty situation to be in. Yet, it is a problem for owners to prevent their dogs from jumping upon and licking their visitors.

It need not be distressing. Just as you teach your dog to do things with patience, here too you can do it. However, here you may need to be more innovative and sneaky in order to teach your dog to behave.

The most common method is to command at the top of your voice “No!” to stop your dog from charging. However, you can not always be there to stop your dog or the dog may not obey. Other methods include using chains to stop the dogs which can be dangerous for both as the sudden jerk of the chain can cause injury. Here too, you can not always be there to stop the dog. Others used keyed chains which creates rattling noise when moved. Dogs find this noise unpleasant and stop doing whatever they are doing. This helps when they are wearing but to make then suffer this noise would be cruel. Hence, a better solution is needed.

Sometimes one finds solutions by accident as it happened here. The owner unable to stop the dog from charging through the usual “key collar method” threw a regular chain at the door and yelled “No!” at the same time. The sudden clanging sound of the falling chain plus the loud command had a dramatic effect on the dog which stopped then and there.

This method has proved to be effective; but you need ensure that your dog does not that you are throwing the object or else it shall be scared of you. You can use chains, bottles, stones, or sand to do the trick. Remember the aim is to grab the dog’s attention and not hurt it. This method sends a signal to the dog “If you ignore your master, something shall happen”. Hence, the sudden falling of the object is bound to frighten the dog to realize that something is amiss and it is better to obey you. The thought of creating noise whenever someone comes, might not appeal to all, however, it is still better than apologizing for the dogs’ behavior. Moreover, this need not continue, for the dog shall learn to obey your command and stop the moment you say “No!”

The same method can be applied outside, whenever the dog tends to ignore you. The combination of the sound and object falling (like bottle with stones), plus your stern and loud command speeds up obedience and the dog is conditioned to obey you or else face the unpleasant situation.

Learn more of dog training aids, videos, cassettes, books, magazines from the library or workshops. The television show; “Dog Whisperer, Caesar” can also help.

“I always do things the hard way.” I could not believe my ears when these words came out of my own mouth while I was talking to someone recently about a project I was working on. After I mentally said “Cancel that, cancel that,” I realized that it was time to get down to the bottom of this belief that was certainly not how I want to live my life.

The first thing I noticed is that working “hard” is not only a way of acting; it is also a way of being. It is as if there is a club with card-carrying members who are inordinately proud of the fact that they work harder, work longer and work faster than everyone else. These hard-working members push and shove and overcome hardship in order to achieve the outcome that they want. But what if there is a shorter, easier way? Would they be willing to shed their do-or-die persona long enough to slow down and look for it?

Then there is the “price you have to pay.” That hefty price very often includes long, tedious hours; missing out on family time; not going on vacations; and being unable to enjoy the things you would really rather be doing. But like Goldilocks deliberating over her porridge, how can you tell if the price is too high, too low or just right?

And what about the old “I’ve learned everything I know on my own—through the ‘School of Hard Knocks.’” In other words, knowledge and expertise are acquired through heartbreaking failures, humiliating mistakes and hard decisions. Do you really need a master’s degree from the University of Adversity to achieve the life of your dreams?

All of these questions are easily answered when you shed a little light on them; when you let them bask in the illumination of imagination, insight and intuition and then take inspired action. Let your imagination do the walking when you are facing a challenge. Spend some time in solitude and silence and visualize the outcome the way you would like it to be; and if you don’t know what that is, imagine the best possible solution for all involved. Then be open to the insightful knowledge and intuitive knowings that will guide you to take just the right steps to what you want.

Why do we always assume that the price tag for what we long for is too high and out of reach? Just think, the cost could merely be a contemplative walk on the beach, where the solution to a challenge suddenly “pops” into your head. Or when you’re taking a shower after spending a fun-filled day with the kids, and a new way to finance your business presents itself to you. Or as you are joyfully engaged in a hobby that you love and you get an idea for a fantastic new product using your current inventory of parts and materials. Insight is an inside job, but you don’t always have to be meditating like a monk to get it.

And, yes, everyone makes mistakes and experiences failures from time to time, but it’s how we see those events that make all the difference between giving up and dreaming on. It’s in the contrasts that we can fine-tune our heart’s desires. How can you know what you truly want if you haven’t explored it in your mind—your imagination—from all angles? The trick is not to dwell on what you do not want, just acknowledge it, and keep your spirits up and your vibrations high and go on to benefit from the insight and intuition that will assist you in allowing your dreams to come true.

And don’t forget, when it comes to hard knocks, school’s out when you let the light—imagination, insight and intuition—in.

Thousands of people over the years have asked me, “Where did you go to school?” I simply tell them, “The School of Hard Knocks.” I also tell them I love the school I attended because the campus has no boundaries. This school is available to anyone who wants to attend, is willing to actively participate, and is serious about learning lessons for living. In the School of Hard Knocks, I have learned some incredible attitudes and principles for success that have served me well for a lifetime. It is a part of my great fortune that I want to share with you!

Life Lesson #1: Seize the day!

Develop a seize-the-day attitude by staying alert, being a good listener, and having your radar out for every opportunity to meet people and to expand your horizons. Seize the day by seeing the potential in other people and encouraging them to use it, having a loving heart and a forgiving spirit, and helping as many people as you can in as many ways as you can in as many places as you can for as long as you can.

Life Lesson #2: Take personal responsibility

Responsibility applies to every area, attitude, and action of your life. When you accept personal responsibility for your life, the whole world looks different. When you know it is up to you, you prepare better, study more, learn more, and have greater resolve. When you accept personal responsibility for your life, you also learn to use more of your God-given talents.

Life Lesson #3: Think outside the box

Set your imagination free – be creative, inventive, and resourceful, and think beyond the obvious. Remember that real intelligence is the creative use of knowledge — not merely the accumulation of facts. Using your mind to think outside the box will help you become more imaginative, inventive, and creative than your counterparts and will be both personally satisfying and personally profitable.

Life Lesson #4: Never, never, never give up!

“One more time!” That is how many times you must get up after someone knocks you down, criticizes, or attacks you. Refuse to stay down, and enter the game of life even more enthusiastically than before. Never give mental recognition to the possibility of defeat. This approach will provide you with an invincible attitude of “I can, and I will!” Remember that 90% of all failure comes from quitting too soon, so hanging on with persistence will give you the best possible chance of reaching your goals. Hanging on until success comes is the essence of determination and persistence.

There are many, many more valuable lessons to be learned through the School of Hard Knocks, so never drop out! When you start out as a serious student in this school, you will be mostly raw material. But as you work your way through the courses, every knock will enhance your understanding and help you grow a little wiser, and every knock will open a door to a greater possibility.

One of my college roommates had a brother who was a graduate business student and often visited our rooms. Since one of my possible career choices was to work in business, I asked this business student many questions about his studies and career choices. Everything he said expanded my knowledge and made me more interested in a business career.

This information meant a lot to me because I grew up in a small city where there were only two large employers, the Santa Fe Railway and the U.S. Air Force. Neither organization provided opportunities to learn about executive success in a large corporation.

When I began graduate business studies, I was pretty smug, thinking that I knew just what needed to be done: Get a prestigious degree and wait for highly attractive employers to bid for my services.

Talking with the other business students made me realize that I had a lot to learn about career success. I didn’t even understand what executives did in different industries.

My complacent eyes were opened wide one day when a management consultant from the famous McKinsey firm made a presentation. At the end of the discussion, I asked one of the other students who got to do what this presenter did for a living. My classmate quickly responded, “Strategy consultants.” I asked, “What’s a strategy consultant?” He responded that these were people who worked for McKinsey or The Boston Consulting Group. I remembered those answers and later applied to both firms, not quite knowing what to expect.

Even with all of this knowledge, I was totally unclear about how you went from being a management consultant to having a successful business career working for a large corporation. I guessed that someday a client might hire you. And that’s what did happen to me after I became a strategy consultant.

The key lesson from my experience is that you can have a wonderful education at a university and still lack important knowledge about the most fundamental elements of developing your business career.

Students typically prefer to get information about potential careers from fellow students and professors, but research shows that students and professors provide incomplete information. It’s better to also speak with people who have been developing a career for a decade or so to find out what lessons they learned in the school of hard knocks.

I was recently reminded of this source of information to make more effective business career plans when I corresponded with Dr. Robert Hartinger, a banking executive in Germany who is a Ph.D. graduate of Rushmore University. Dr. Hartinger kindly agreed to share his career experiences and lessons with me so that I could pass them along to you.

Dr. Hartinger started off presuming that the quality of your education was very important to career success. After graduating from his business program at a German university, he soon learned that you have few occasions to apply any of the theoretical knowledge that most schools provide. As a result, new graduates are stuffed full of knowledge and theory that has little relevance to what their employers need.

Instead, degrees qualify people to be considered for certain jobs. Many employers pride themselves on hiring from certain schools and restricting top jobs to those with the most advanced graduate degrees.

Traditional schooling provides few insights into what various industries and types of jobs are like. If students aren’t careful, they’ll seek a type of work that they won’t like. There are two alternatives available:

1. Examine industries and jobs carefully to set the right objectives.

2. Study at a school where you get practical experience in applying theoretical knowledge which gives you a sense of what a career doing that work might be like.

Dr. Hartinger doesn’t rule out the first alternative, but he’s confident that the second one is essential. If possible do both, but at least do the second. From what you learn, he also recommends that you focus on just a few opportunities. Otherwise, your attention and energies will be too widely scattered.

A lot of business success depends on your personality. That’s something that graduate schools often ignore. Outgoing people with pleasing, helpful personalities will do a lot better than grumpy, self-absorbed geniuses who rarely talk to anyone.

Many studies show that the ability to connect to other people in the organization greatly helps both job effectiveness and advancement. Why? It’s simple: You can’t know all of the answers, but with help from others you can do a great job.

But it’s not enough to simply be a connection point within the organization. You also need to add skills that improve your effectiveness.

Here’s where online learning can make a difference. People don’t care where you learn a skill; they are just pleased when you add one that’s relevant to your situation.

Today, many companies offer financial assistance for those who wish to learn new skills. When that assistance is provided over the Internet, costs are reduced and you can take more courses than those who enroll in classroom-based courses. In addition, learning while you work allows you the chance to apply what you are learning. In that way, you can sift through lots of theoretical knowledge to get just what you need. Dr. Hartinger also notes that if an online school offers flexibility in designing courses, your skill improvement can be even greater.

Are you struggling in your career and want to find an opportunity that can bring that income you always wanted?  Many opportunities are out there wait on you to discover, all you have to do is find them and take advantage of what the opportunity is. Today world is full opportunities and the internet is the great way to find them. You have to look long and hard  to find out what opportunity is right for and what can bring tons of cash into your  pockets. Once you find the perfect opportunity, you have give it your all to succeed in that opportunity. Most of the opportunity have a system that can send you in the direction to a better income.

Network marketing is something to look into for opportunities the can bring residual income. If you don’t know what residual income is, its when you do something one time and  get paid over and over again. Some of these network marketing companies have great compensation plan and all you have to do is pick the one that can bring money to you quickly. Network marketing is some what of a team based opportunity from home because when you do good the business, you help who ever is on your team. They explain the way you make cash from other people as well as make money off the product and/or services that they acquire.

Affiliate marketing is where you get paid for bring traffic to a website and someone else to do the same. But with this it’s a little harder to make money as fast as network marketing because this marketing only offers traffic to a website which can be good it you are in a business and you are looking to make sells, then this for you. I have try this and it brings me plenty of traffic to my website, so that I can make an income from online and cut down on less advertising outside of home. Some companies that do this build a team for you, but you are not rewarded as much you would if you were in a network marketing company, but can be good in the long run.