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Mar
09

Top 10 Lessons for Small Business Success… As learned from my Twin 4 year olds

By | Entrepreneur, Success, Wacky marketing ideas

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Small business success is very similar to learning to walk, talk and spell. The basics have to be understood before moving on to the next step.

I am blessed to have twin 4 year old girls in my life and am amazed constantly how much I learn from them on a daily basis. As I watch them run around and explore, I find myself realizing just how much my observations apply to being successful and happy in life and in business.

So take heart in the following tips … they may come from little people but they have the power of giants.

1. No matter how small you are you can change lots of lives - your goal for starting your business should be to change lives in one way or another. Remember this in everything you do – how can I change my customers lives?

2. Climb that wall – no matter how big the wall is – persistence pays off in the end. Never give up on your dreams and keep on trying.

3. Times when you appear small and frail are when you can surprise everyone with your hidden strengths. Everyone in business pays attention to what the big boys are doing and how they became successful.  What they miss though is the small businesses that quietly make substantial profits every year. These companies go about their business quietly and draw attention from the customers – not the competition.

4. Act like a silly goof whenever and wherever you want…people will never forget you – and that is what every business owner should dream of – sticking in everyone’s mind.

5. Remember to share - People can get very protective of what they learn and how they achieve success.  When you have something of value that would benefit others – share! IT will come back to you one hundred fold.  You do have you rights also – protect what is not to be shared and make sure others know it is yours and yours only.

6. Run naked every once in a while.  Well ok, you don’t have to be naked but run…have fun, be free and try to be a kid again. Having kids gives you that chance again and it is incredible to relive the fun that you used to have…when you weren’t so serious about life and business.

7. Lay back on the grass and watch the clouds go by whenever you have a chance. Reflection and relaxation can be one of the most powerful combinations that you can ask for in your personal and business success – use it!

8. Put on a fancy hat – dress up for the day.  Nothing can make you feel like a new person more than a complete change in clothing.  Wear something you usually would not wear…or something you have always wanted to wear but were afraid to. In business this one little point can make you stand out from all of the rest. Wear a tacky tie, or a purple shirt, or a new hat every day…your customers will never forget you.

9. Silence is not always a good thing.  Usually it means something big is brewing and trouble is near.  If you find too many of your competitors are quiet or your clients are quieter than usual…figure out why!  Something serious could be happening out there and you better find out what it is.

10. Find some sand and let your toes dig in.  Sand has an amazing soothing quality to it.  If you do not have sand near your house or business…go buy a bag of sand at your local garden center and put it in a small box you can dip your feet in.

Try this when you are working on a tough problem…new ideas will pop into your head in no time.

To your success,

Troy


Dec
03

Failing your way to success

By | Entrepreneur, Success, Time management and productivity, Wacky marketing ideas

What will you do if things don’t turn around fast?

Bad trend. Bad trend. I feel like scolding the economy right now.  More like the sorry state of government intervention and corporate lowlifes stealing yours and my hard earned money.

But, hopefully we have all learned by now that the goveernment could care less what you and I think, and that lowlifes will never go away.

What really scares me is the shear volume of people I am talking to these days that are having an incredibly tough time getting their business to work.

Lack of leads.

Low conversions.

Price shoppers.

Refunders.

Lack of interest all around.

Low motivation.

Feeling beat up and down in the dumps.

We have all been there at one time or another. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just NOT telling you the truth.

But the difference is that those who have been through this before, and made it through bigger and better, DID something to alter the path they were on.

They didn’t continue to ask for bailout money.

They didn’t stand in line for food stamps.

They didn’t buy the newest video game to “pass the time” while they wait for business to pick up.

They stopped whining.

They took a serious look at their business model.

They looked at what WAS working for others.

They factored in the economy and the fact that it will be slow for months, years, to come.

…and they got real BUSY doing something about it.

They changed their product bundles.

They got more aggressive on their marketing.

They targeted a new type of buyer.

They even started up new businesses that were more in line with what today’s buyers want.

MOST IMPORTANT: they doubled, tripled, quadrupled the amount of failures they had.

You know as well as I do… anyone who says they got their business to a successful level without failure along the way is full of crap.

They are hiding the truth.

They don’t want to share with you the failures.

They let their ego get in the way and pretend they are something they are not.

…During times like this, what you need to do more than anything else is to get you butt out there more.

Do more things.

Mail more stuff.

Try more unique bundles.

Put together more thorough marketing campaigns, with more steps in the sequence.

If you have twice as many failures in the next month… you are right on track.

I realize it is painful to do this.

You have to suck it up and be willing to accept the criticism others will be throwing at you while you do this.

But whoever told you entrepreneurship is for thin-skinned folk?

You need to develop a shield around you that makes you impervious to all the energy and time vampires that surround you.

They are there.

And they would HATE to see you succeed.

For whatever their reason is.

You know what the best thing you can do to them?

Succeed.

Then block them forever out of your life.

Even if they are family or friends, find ways to eliminate their crap and negative attitude from your personal and business life.

Again, it might hurt.

So would bankruptcy.

I have never been in bankruptcy, but I have certainly gone through tough times.

I remember one of the first summers in my business.  Money was tight (my wife was a stay-at-home-mom, and had zero income coming in).  Food was scarce.  We had a visitor for the entire summer (unexpectedly), who showed up without a dime to their name.

It was not easy.

But we made it through as better people than going in.

Today’s economy is one of those times that I am having to change things, do things differently, and market to an entirely new type of buyer.

But it is working and I am making the headway I want.

Yes, I failed many a times along the way.

Yes, I had, and still have, lots of critics who want me to fail.

Yes, I have developed a base of people who do appreciate the work I do and the advice that I share.

Yes, when the economy finally does take a turn for the better, and people start loosening up their wallets, I will be in a much better state than I was going in.

I had taken some things for granted.

You probably did too.

Almost everyone did.

Very few people saw the disaster coming, or were prepared for any form of downturn.

Despite us all knowing better.

Nothing continues to go up like it was.

It always comes crashing down at some point.

If you are prepared to make quick decisions and try new things, you can absorb the impact and do what you need to survive.

If you aren’t prepared, you end up as one of the statistics you hear about on the news.

Try harder… faster… with thicker skin… with the goal front of mind to fail 3 times as much as you have.

That is the path to success in business.

NOT standing on the corner with your hand out expecting everyone else to pay for your lack of initiative.

That’s what average people do.

You are not average.

So don’t act average… do what others are too lazy to do.

See you on the other side!

To your inevitable success,

Troy


Oct
15

How’s YOUR Entrepreneur MoJo?

By | advertising, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Success, Wacky marketing ideas

The Wikipedia definition of MoJo is… possessing a “magic touch” of creativity or charm.

When it comes to business; if you can’t be creative, and don’t have the ability to charm (or win over) your prospects and clients… you are dead in the water.

Entrepreneur MoJo, to me, means that you have the ability to see, feel and be in the right place at the right time… while showing those you want to show… how and why you have something they want.  Long winded… needs work… but you get the point.

If you don’t have the ability to persuade others that your offer is the one they want… we need to talk.

My business associate and friend, Trevor ‘Toecracker’ Crook, and I are just about ready to bring out our Entrepreneur MoJo program on October 31st.  Between the two of us, we have made many millions of dollars for our clients in the past feew years.  Our marketing techniques have turned business failures into million dollar per year machines.  And we have decided to join forces (and MoJo) to bring out the best and most informative training for entreprenuers.

Have a look at Entrepreneur Mojo and sign up for our pre-launch list.

You will get some informative videos that reveal some powerful ways to make more money in less time.  You also get to see us goof balls hamming it up in our Austin Powers outfits, Trevor being the perfect Dr Evil as well with his shaved head.

This program will be guaranteed to give you marketing breakthroughs.

And all you need to do now is test it out for free.

Sign up for www.entrepreneurmojo.com on the prelaunch list and start getting your MoJo back!

Ya Baby!