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FreedomFire
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Posted: Tue Sep 26th, 2006 02:57 am |
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My friend Andrew Berner....a fellow Michigander...shared this with me recently. I thought it was pretty powerful and wanted to share it with everyone here so you could benefit too.
It's a fairly long but highly relative article for any entrepreneur. This article pertains to home businesses, but I think you could apply this to a number of areas. I've cited the author as Andrew did...but no other information (e.g. website link etc.) was available.
15 Rules To Make Your Home Based Small Business A Success
By: Elena Fawkner
Someone sent me an email the other day. Supposedly General Colin Powell's Rules for Success. Now, I don't know whether they really are or not, but as I read them, I thought they really should be called "15 Rules For Success In Your Home Business". So, here they are:
Rule 1 - It ain't as bad as you think, it will look better in the morning If there's one experience universal to ALL home-business owners, particularly those running a business on the internet, it's the occasional feeling that you're just spinning your wheels, and not getting anywhere. The number of people who give up on their businesses just as they approach the brink of success is staggering. So hang in there and remind yourself, when things look bleak, that tomorrow is another day, things really aren't as bad as they seem and things really WILL look better in the morning.
Rule 2 - Get mad, then get over it OK, I concede this is more general advice than home-business advice but it applies in your home business just as it does anywhere else. Resentment and unexpressed anger really don't hurt anyone but the person feeling resentful and angry. Have you ever noticed how completely unproductive you are when burdened by resentment and anger? So feel it, express it (constructively) and then move on. As the man said, "get over it".
Rule 3 - Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls your ego goes with it Over the course of my career I have, from time to time, met people whose identity and sense of self-worth is so enmeshed in what they do for a living that they literally don't have an identity outside of their work. Because they rely on an external source for their self-esteem and confidence, they find it necessary to continually and relentlessly bolster their personal positions, often at the expense of others, often resorting to political maneuvring in the workplace to maintain and improve their supposed 'status'.
These people are the 'empire builders' you sometimes find in organizations. They jealously guard their power base all the while gathering unto themselves more and more responsibility, beyond the point of being able to do everything they take on.
Because their identity and sense of self-worth depends upon their position within their organization, what happens when their position disappears, such as in a corporate downsizing? It freefalls.
Don't let this happen to you. Remember that you are something separate and distinct from your business. Sure, you can be proud and pleased with your accomplishments but don't define yourself through them. Your self-worth is something that comes from inside your human self, not your business.
Ironically, keeping a professional detachment is more likely to secure the ultimate success of your business. Detachment brings perspective, objectivity and clarity, which helps you make better quality decisions.
Rule 4 - It can be done Don't allow self-imposed limitations to restrict what you can and will do. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Well, of course, it must be something that is within your power - you can't just set your mind on growing a third arm, for example.
But for anything that is within human power and capability, the saying "where there's a will is a way" is so true.
Get into the discipline of planning your life and where you want it to go. By setting goals and planning the steps that will help you reach them, you can achieve literally anything your heart desires.
Rule 5 - Be careful what you choose, you may get it Following on from this, it should go without saying that what you set for your goals is something you truly want because if you do practice the discipline of goal setting you will surely get it.
Rule 6 - Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision Keep your eye on the prize and don't be distracted by what's happening on the sidelines. Sure, you may not have entered the marathon had you known there were going to be 1,000 other runners but does that mean entering the marathon was a bad idea? No.
Make your decisions based on quality information and what's in the best interests of your business. If someone else comes along who represents competition for your business, don't be put off your game. Just run your own race. There's ALWAYS a way to distinguish yourself from your competition.
Rule 7 - You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours IGNORE your mother when she tells you you're crazy for chucking in your nice SAFE secure little job to start your own business. Follow your dream, no-one else's.
Rule 8 - Check small things Like the fine print in contracts. Like the URL in that sales letter you've just put the finishing touches on. Like your spelling and punctuation. In other words, pay attention to detail.
Rule 9 - Share credit You've heard the saying, "no man is an island". No woman is either. Remember and acknowledge the people who have helped and continue to help you get where you want to go. Acknowledge the achievements of others.
Rule 10 - Remain calm, be careful Frenzy and recklessness are hardly the prescription for long-term success in your business. In the face of unexpected challenges, unexplained downturns in business or failure to achieve the results expected, recognize that these are just part of the thrust and parry of business life and use a calm, methodical approach to the problem.
Don't just react blindly or chuck away all your hard work and try something completely different unless a thorough, calm and careful investigation convinces you that you are completely off-beam.
Calmly analyze your situation and use your intelligence to correct the situation. Sometimes a one degree turn of the wheel is all that is required to get back on course, not a completely new rudder.
Rule 11 - Have a vision, be demanding This rule goes hand in hand with rules 4 and 5. In order to set goals and plan ways to achieve them you must first set your vision. Think big, be brave. There is nothing you can't achieve so make sure your efforts are going to be for something truly worthwhile.
Rule 12 - Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers All of us have moments of self-doubt or even fear when embarking on a journey to an unknown destination. If what you have planned for yourself brings with it feelings of anxiety, nervousness, even fear, pay attention to them but don't take their counsel.
They are symptoms of grand thinking, of stretching beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone. As the book says, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Rule 13 - Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier This rule is closely related to rule 1. Believe that things will work out, that they will look better in the morning, that everything's going to be OK. Repeat the words to yourself as a mantra if you must but instill a spirit of indomitable optimism in your outlook and you will attract success into your life.
Rule 14 - Sometimes being responsible means pissing people off You can't please all of the people all of the time so don't waste your time or energy even trying. You have a responsibility to the ultimate success of your business and to your own personal success. If that means you occasionally have to say no to people to stay true to your objectives, do it. If it means you have to alienate some people because they don't personally agree with what you are doing, that's their problem.
In other words, stay focused on your plan. If others don't like it or agree with it, too bad.
Rule 15 - You never know what you can get away with unless you try If you don't ask you don't get. And if you don't take you don't get. Leave nothing on the table. If an opportunity comes along, take it. It may not come again. And remember, in chaos there is opportunity. While everyone else is running around like chooks with their heads cut off, you just bring up the rear and clean up on all the opportunities that are just lying there for the taking among the chicken scratch.
Hindsight truly is 20/20, no doubt about it. Perhaps, like me, you're thinking that if you'd known then what you know now, you would have gone a lot further a lot faster. But as with any form of progress, it's the journey, not the destination, that provides the education and creates the experience and, through it, wisdom. And that's something no book can teach you and money can't buy.
God Bless,
Michael
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JenniferL
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Posted: Tue Sep 26th, 2006 03:53 pm |
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Brilliant.
I particularly like Rule 7. But has a slightly different take on it. I read it as: We can't. take responsibility for the the action or inaction of others. As a coach and mentor, I sometimes get wrapped up in the successes or failures of others. It is important to remember we are guides.
Thanks for the reminder. I love the list and it provides a good reminder of things we know but often forget.
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MPieper
Moderator
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Posted: Fri Sep 29th, 2006 07:56 am |
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Hi Michael,
I've seen this article before and love how Elena was able to integrate a 4 star General's view of the battlefield into home business - it's truly genius. There are so many strong leaders in this world, and we shouldn't limit ourselves to only listening to the select few in our industry. It takes some critical thinking at times to apply these lessons to your personal business, but the end result will be well worth the effort.
By far, my favorite 'rule' is number 4:
Rule 4 - It can be done Don't allow self-imposed limitations to restrict what you can and will do. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Well, of course, it must be something that is within your power - you can't just set your mind on growing a third arm, for example.
But for anything that is within human power and capability, the saying "where there's a will is a way" is so true.
Get into the discipline of planning your life and where you want it to go. By setting goals and planning the steps that will help you reach them, you can achieve literally anything your heart desires.
I talk about this a lot, but it's a subject that bears repeating. For some reason, this is a step that quite a few people skip. They enter into the industry with the wrong expectations or wrong level of commitment and wonder at their own failure. They choose not to set realistic goals and wonder when they're not achieved.
Take the time to do it right...treat your business as a business...be a professional.
Yours in Greater Success,
Merideth
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Gery_D
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Posted: Fri Sep 29th, 2006 04:12 pm |
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FreedomFire wrote: My friend Andrew Berner....a fellow Michigander...shared this with me recently. I thought it was pretty powerful and wanted to share it with everyone here so you could benefit too.
Rule 14 - Sometimes being responsible means pissing people off You can't please all of the people all of the time so don't waste your time or energy even trying. You have a responsibility to the ultimate success of your business and to your own personal success. If that means you occasionally have to say no to people to stay true to your objectives, do it. If it means you have to alienate some people because they don't personally agree with what you are doing, that's their problem.
In other words, stay focused on your plan. If others don't like it or agree with it, too bad.
God Bless,
Michael
Oh, brother! How many people have I known that fail to comprehend this rule?
While it is true you can't please everyone, I would like to add that there is a very thin line between staying true to your cause and staying at it too long.
There is such a thing as adjusting your business plan. When things aren't going right you have to review and decide to retain or revise the plan. You can't take everyone's suggestions just because it worked for them but at the same time you can't remain so headstrong that you sink your own ship.
BE Abundant,
Gery
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victorious
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Posted: Fri Sep 29th, 2006 07:26 pm |
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| Great article! Thank you for sharing. Perpetual optimism is hard to accomplish but it sure is needed and will bear fruit in the long run.
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1mindset
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Posted: Sun Nov 19th, 2006 03:37 am |
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Always good to read Inspirational material to aspire dreams!
Thankyou! , Peter
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greet
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Posted: Thu Dec 21st, 2006 07:14 am |
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Great points.
This business is actually simple if we follow the proven system.
It is simple, but is it not easy if you know what I mean
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jschuman
Member
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Posted: Thu Dec 28th, 2006 01:29 pm |
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Good article Michael.
You can usually measure how far you have come by the number of mistakes you have made. I know for me this has been true in learning how to market on the internet. There are so many things that go into being successful online that most people will quit before they learn how. It seems that is true with MLM programs as well and has been for years.
Having a big goal has worked for me. It keeps me going thru all of the ups and downs and motivates me to learn what I need to know to be a success.
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Vibration
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Posted: Sun Jan 21st, 2007 11:40 pm |
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Thanks for that great inspiational post...
Those words are so true..
When your just starting out, it can be tough.
But it all is priceless experience that can't bought...
I believe in holding on to your dreams, keeping very focused and then you'll attract it too you what you resonate with.
Has anyone had success using metaphysical principles to bring wealth into there life, such as "The law of Attraction"??
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incomestream4unow
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Posted: Mon Jun 18th, 2007 07:09 pm |
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Great article! Thank you for sharing. Perpetual optimism is hard to accomplish but it sure is needed and will bear fruit in the long run.
I agree a great article and it is hard to accomplish perpetual optimism.
Here is a great book that has some exercises that really do help in developing perpetual optimism.
The HeartMath Solution By Doc Childre and Howard Martin
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reash
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Posted: Mon Jul 23rd, 2007 10:20 pm |
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Such a nice article. If all home business owner wants to be successful they should follow the rule from 1 all the way down to 15.
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Antonin
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Posted: Tue Jul 24th, 2007 05:06 am |
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Great article Michael,
Rule 3 reminds me a lot of todays politicians and corporate employees.
They often bolster their personal positions at the expense of others in order to improve their status and position, like they use to say in German "er geht ueber Leichen" - He steps over dead bodies.
In the entrepreneurial world when having your own business you have to give the best out of you otherwise you will fall down very fast. No one can survive a long time with an attitude of bad habits as a business owner. If you are a poker-player you might win a lot with bad habits and attitudes.
As Ted Nicholas said "as an entrepreneur you have to give the best of you otherwise you will not stay long in business, because nobody will trust you". You have to have a positive mindset or I would call it a helping-mindset with your customers only than you will inspire trust to your customer.
All the rules imply for almost everything in life, in a marriage, in your family everywhere.
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SylviaVictor
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Posted: Fri Aug 3rd, 2007 06:31 am |
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| I liked almost all the tips given by you.
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JFulker
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Posted: Wed Aug 29th, 2007 03:10 am |
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| I feel the strongest about rule 14. So many people can get in the way of building your business. Friends and family are often the worst. They want you to stop building your business and put time and money into other things. Someone who means alot to me in my life once told me, "think of what would happen if you did not spend your time and money on your business and put that same effort into paying off your debts and saving money for the future." Ironic isn't it!!? That is exactly why I spend time and money in my business, because I can pay off debts with this money, and I can do much more than saving for the future, I will be building a fortune to pass down through generations to come. Sometimes we have to piss off the people we love because we need to take care of ourselves and forget about them (temporarily).
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PeterB
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 07:26 am |
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Great article, brilliantly written!!
Regards, Peter
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JonnyCrone
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Posted: Sun Sep 2nd, 2007 05:40 pm |
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I'm new here and the first post I look at has such great advice. Inplementing these simple and effective rules can only do good for your business.
Thanks for a super article.
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PeterB
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Posted: Tue Sep 4th, 2007 02:37 am |
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And what's also important:
Don't spend too much time on people only half-interested in your story!
If you feel you do constantly more for them than they do for you, go and find others who are serious with it.
Regards, Peter
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GChildren
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Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 12:07 am |
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Wow! These are really great tips.
Number 1 is right on the money. Don't Give Up!
I don't know how many times I have gone to bed at night with disenchantment surrounding me. I don't know how many times I went to bed saying that I was going to quit.
It took my first website over two years to become profitable but it did happen. I am in the process of taking my internet business to the next level and I know that it will be successful. WHY? Because I do not plan to give up on this venture.
This attitude is something that we can take into all avenues of our lives.
Don't Quit!
John
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ojack843
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Posted: Mon Sep 17th, 2007 03:50 pm |
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Cool article thanks we need to be remind that success is not achieve over night but through deligent work. I remember this qoute from my high school history teacher it goes "Great heights reached and kept were not attainded by sudden flight but they while there companions slept where upward tolling through the night" I was never the brightest person but once i was working on something i never gaveup untill i was succeess or the task was completed. You could say i don't know how to quite...
Success for All
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ibizniz
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Posted: Mon Sep 17th, 2007 04:24 pm |
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Excellent tips Michael, thanks for sharing. I especially liked #4 and #11.
Cheers, Maria
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