Tuesday, May 29, 2012
War hero to Entrepreneur!
As was reported in the IFA online newsletter:
Mark Kelly spent 25 years as a fighter pilot and served in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2009.
After entering civilian life and earning a master’s degree in engineering management, the retired colonel started looking for opportunities to run a small business and asked a franchise consulting company like mine, to help him with ideas.
One of those ideas was computer services franchisor TeamLogic IT. TeamLogic is one of hundreds of franchises that responded to the International Franchise Association’s “Operation Enduring Opportunity” campaign, which urges franchisors to hire and recruit 75,000 veterans and spouses and 5,000 wounded vets by 2014. It is one of the 400 plus franchises I represent.
On May 1, Kelly, 51, and his Air Force veteran-wife, Dawn Kelly, 50, opened their first franchise in Colorado Springs, Colo. The couple felt the chain matched Dawn’s “strong skill set” as a former Air Force computer analyst with multiple professional IT certifications, husband Mark says.
No matter your talent, I believe there is a franchise for everyone. Do you have the desire and passion to be an Entrepreneur? If you do, call me.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Going undercover?
Inc. magazine did an article talking about “Great bosses don’t need to go undercover”. It is well worth reading and entrepreneurs can learn a lot about how to be a great boss.
Go to this link and enjoy.
http://www.inc.com/jay-steinfeld/great-bosses-dont-go-undercover.html
Monday, April 30, 2012
Can I be an Entrepreneur?
More times than I can count I hear comments like: “I would love to own my own business but what if I fail.” “It has always been my dream to do my own thing and be the boss but how do I dare quit my job and lose my paychecks?” “I know more about this business than the owner and I should just quit and compete against him.” “I hate my job.” “I hate my boss.” “This job is taking me nowhere.” “The owner is not utilizing my skills and my talents are being wasted.”
Every “want to be” entrepreneur have their own reasons why will never be a business owner. To be an entrepreneur there has to be a passionate reason to become one. If you do not have a great reason or a deep passion for being the owner, a person will just float through life doing today what they did yesterday and again tomorrow.
Find me a successful business owner and I’ll show you a person who is passionate about his/her product or service. I’ll show you a risk taker who knows how to work hard, gives customer service and most importantly had a good reason for getting out of the corporate grind.
Everyone has fear of the unknown, but an entrepreneur controls the fear by doing the homework needed to satisfy the unknown and then taking a calculated risk. But most importantly they never give up. Give me a successful entrepreneur and I’ll show you someone who has had a few failures, but they have learned from each.
In the end, in my opinion there is nothing more enjoyable than running your own successful business knowing it is your own baby.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Hope with Change!
For almost four years now we have heard of Hope & Change. From what I can see the world of entrepreneurship has been changed for the worse. Small business and small business creation is and has been struggling like never before. Financing for small business is harder than ever before. Entrepreneurs who struggle, risk everything hoping for rewards of getting rich are vilified and made to look evil.
Rich job creators are punished for being wealthy. We are told by the press and some that the wealthy are not paying enough. I have NEVER seen a poor person create one job. I have never seen one person on welfare pay 5% of their income for taxes let alone 50% of their income to the government. Some want the rich to again pay 70% like they did at one time.
If we want entrepreneurship to succeed, we need to make “Change” happen. There is nothing wrong with wanting to become rich. Those individuals are needed to make America prosper again. Those are the real job creators, not the government.
I do have “Hope with Change.”
Rich job creators are punished for being wealthy. We are told by the press and some that the wealthy are not paying enough. I have NEVER seen a poor person create one job. I have never seen one person on welfare pay 5% of their income for taxes let alone 50% of their income to the government. Some want the rich to again pay 70% like they did at one time.
If we want entrepreneurship to succeed, we need to make “Change” happen. There is nothing wrong with wanting to become rich. Those individuals are needed to make America prosper again. Those are the real job creators, not the government.
I do have “Hope with Change.”
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Blind Men & Elephant
I do not know who wrote this poem, but they were wise. It tells of the importance of not making assumptions and doing your homework before judging.
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me `tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
If you are looking at a franchise, new business venture or joining a new religion, get all the facts before rendering a decision. Making snap judgments can cause bad decisions. Getting all of information can tell you if you are looking at an Elephant or if it is in your imagination.
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me `tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
If you are looking at a franchise, new business venture or joining a new religion, get all the facts before rendering a decision. Making snap judgments can cause bad decisions. Getting all of information can tell you if you are looking at an Elephant or if it is in your imagination.
Monday, March 19, 2012
3 Words Guarantee Failure
SALES SOURCE | by Geoffrey James
Mar 19, 2012
3 Words That Guarantee Failure
People who fail to achieve goals signal their intent to fail by using this common phrase. Make sure you aren't falling into the same trap.
People who fail to achieve goals almost always signal their intent to fail by using three little words:
"I will try..."
There are no three words in the English language that are more deceptive, both to the person who says them and the person who hears them.
People who say "I will try" have given themselves permission to fail. No matter what happens, they can always claim that they "tried."
People who hear "I will try" and don't realize what it really means are fooling themselves, by thinking there's a chance that the speaker will actually succeed.
People who really and truly achieve goals never say "I will try."
Instead, they always say "I will do" something–or, better yet, "I must do" whatever the task is.
As a wise (though fictional) guru once said: "Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'"
Mar 19, 2012
3 Words That Guarantee Failure
People who fail to achieve goals signal their intent to fail by using this common phrase. Make sure you aren't falling into the same trap.
People who fail to achieve goals almost always signal their intent to fail by using three little words:
"I will try..."
There are no three words in the English language that are more deceptive, both to the person who says them and the person who hears them.
People who say "I will try" have given themselves permission to fail. No matter what happens, they can always claim that they "tried."
People who hear "I will try" and don't realize what it really means are fooling themselves, by thinking there's a chance that the speaker will actually succeed.
People who really and truly achieve goals never say "I will try."
Instead, they always say "I will do" something–or, better yet, "I must do" whatever the task is.
As a wise (though fictional) guru once said: "Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'"
Monday, March 5, 2012
Follow your Dream!
Successful entrepreneur Alan Hall listed his twelve traits to become an entrepreneur. The first trait he suggested and maybe the most important was to “follow your dream.” Over a few months Alan goes into more depth about each of those he listed his Deseret Newspaper articles. It would be worth getting on line and reading his comments as he wrote them starting in January of 2012 from the newspaper in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I am giving my own take on his 12 entrepreneur traits. First was to follow your dreams. Personally I do not think the dream has to be specific to any one idea. Dream about becoming an entrepreneur, owning your own business and controlling your own destiny is your first step. It is never too early to start.
Most of us were introduced to becoming a small business owner when we were young. I started about at the age of 6 when I learned collecting pop bottles was a real money maker. My parents encouraged me and by age eleven I had advanced into selling Christmas Cards door to door. Most little kids sell lemonade, candy or vegetables from the parent’s garden. We all have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can start early in life.
Usually pressure is put upon the children and they are told education is important for us to get a real job. If parents are smart they would teach the children to cultivate their entrepreneur talents as they get their education. I was once told by a very wealthy person, “the richest people in the world are entrepreneurs but with an education.” If we don’t develop both talents, we will just become educated persons working for entrepreneurs.
Don’t hold yourselves back and for sure don’t hold your children back from achieving everything that can be had. It is never too late or too early to start.
I am giving my own take on his 12 entrepreneur traits. First was to follow your dreams. Personally I do not think the dream has to be specific to any one idea. Dream about becoming an entrepreneur, owning your own business and controlling your own destiny is your first step. It is never too early to start.
Most of us were introduced to becoming a small business owner when we were young. I started about at the age of 6 when I learned collecting pop bottles was a real money maker. My parents encouraged me and by age eleven I had advanced into selling Christmas Cards door to door. Most little kids sell lemonade, candy or vegetables from the parent’s garden. We all have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can start early in life.
Usually pressure is put upon the children and they are told education is important for us to get a real job. If parents are smart they would teach the children to cultivate their entrepreneur talents as they get their education. I was once told by a very wealthy person, “the richest people in the world are entrepreneurs but with an education.” If we don’t develop both talents, we will just become educated persons working for entrepreneurs.
Don’t hold yourselves back and for sure don’t hold your children back from achieving everything that can be had. It is never too late or too early to start.
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