"I've Got a Golden Ticket!"

My friend Gaby just launched a book and needs your support to be on the best seller list. It is actually a book we could all use (though it is a bit geared toward women) and one that would be a great present. A guide to happiness is a perfect start to the new year. She is an amazing speaker and even my friends who are cynics agree with what she says and appreciates her guidance

ADD MORE ~ing TO YOUR LIFE – A Hip Guide to Happiness By Gabrielle Bernstein

My friend, motivational speaker and author Gabrielle Bernstein is bringing happy back with the launch of her book ADD MORE ~ing TO YOUR LIFE: A Hip Guide to Happiness. This fiery, transformational book provides a new formula for a life you’re psyched to wake up for. Gabrielle honed her approach from personal experience – she put the brakes on her unfulfilling and empty fast-paced New York lifestyle and looked within to find ~ing, a method for clearing the mind and opening a pathway for inner guidance.

You can become a glass-half full kind of person with Gabrielle’s “~ing Equation.” It’s a thirty-day adventurous repetition of physical activity, positive affirmations and creative visualization that will bulldoze your negative thought patterns to create constructive change and move you forward. From releasing romantic illusions to stretching beyond your fears, the ~ing Equation can be applied to an infinite number of areas to reach serenity and set yourself free. For more information about this book visit www.addmoreing.com. To buy the book today visit http://www.addmoreing.com/buy-book

ShoeBoxed and Pre Planning on an index card – no joke. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Shoeboxed is the Netflix for receipts and business cards. I do my hustle thing, getting sh*t done, place the receipts and business cards in a big shiny blue Postage Prepaid  envelope and wahla a few days later I get the most amazing organization of accounting and contacts I have EVER seen. I know too.  I meet A LOT of people.  I used to have my assistant scan everything using Neat Receipts. Even bought their super Desktop machine. But still with all the scanning errors it was costing me to have someone go through every contact and piece of paper for accuracy. Then through the golden gates of resources I met the owner of ShoeBoxed at SXSW. It took me close to a year to actually start using the system. My ego was probably stuck on the $500 bucks I spent on Neat Receipts when I could have been spending only 10 bucks a month with ShoeBoxed and no assistant cost!!! I am telling you. If you run a  business, meet people and don’t use Shoe Boxed you are just simply crazy. You want to be wasting time.

And those simple plain boring INDEX cards are a goldmine of productivity. Don’t believe me? Just look at the famous GTD (Getting Things Done) blog . Yea I was going crazy keeping 10 to do lists on dry erase boards in my office, house, sticky notes, JOTT express, RTM (Remember the Milk) until a friend who seemsto get EVERYTHING done said I just write it all on an index card the night before for that day and order them in sequence of priority after I’m done writing each task.  “Come on… that’s it?” I said.  He informed me that keeping multiple to do lists devalues each one and by having to open a to do list in a computer makes it not so accessible. So with an index card in his pocket at all times he just crosses off each task as they are completed.  Then at the end of the day he transfers anything not done to the new index card for the following day and rips up the one for that day.  And let me tell you ITS BEEN WORKING!!!  I complete just about everything.  Only difference. I think I’ll start burning each card when I’m done.  Lots more fun

I read this today from entrepreneur Alex Maroko creator of Basketball Fit. It’s inspiring.

Fear is built to prevent us from being HURT. But IRONICALLY, it’s our FEAR of <insert your fear> that actually HURTS US, while ACTUALLY acting (or taking action) HELPS US.

The reason that we feel fear is that it is our way of psychologically preventing ourselves from having a self-image crash…our ego can’t stand the punishment.

We have to see things AS THEY ARE, and therefore FREE OURSELVES of the threat to our self-image, since we understand that there is no CORRELATION between our self-image and reality.

The more that we acknowledge where we’ve deluded ourselves for the sole sake of preserving a FALSE self-image, the more we can IMPROVE ourselves in the REAL WORLD, and not just IN OUR HEADS.

Step back, let go and live. F fear.

My new friend @Ribeezie direct messaged  me, (also known as “DM”), on Twitter this morning and told me to “Now bring back some of that good stuff and share ” about Zappos Insights inaugural conference.  Zappos, a billion dollar online commerce destination, is known for their leadership in customer service.  Insights was created as an educational forum to guide entrepreneurs to successfully attain milestones. It was a privilege to be a part of their LIVE event, a revolution in leadership and corporate happiness. One of the speakers at the event, social media maven Brian Solis,  said it perfectly, “In the end we’re measured by our actions, not our words.”

Three huge takes aways from the event that will transform the productivity and efficiency in our organizations.

1. Share….Stop self promoting and start listening. Share information that you know delivers value because you have been listening. Whether it be employees, personal relationships, twitter followers or facebook friends. The way to effectively intrigue people to  take action is fueled by being inspired.
2. Discover your foundation before you start building.… The most crucial component in determining success in a company and in your personal development is first discovering what matters to you most.; Your core values.  It starts with you, outside of your professional life. The business owner behind closed doors.  When you look in the mirror what do you see? Integrity, Transparency, Adventure… Deceit…? In order to grow we must be honest with ourselves.  It is so clear to me now that if I had taken the time to discover, write down, and share my core values with my team  it would have reduced management, increased productivity and complimented my company vision. But instead I found ego was something in my company that created road blocks for our success. What’s interesting is ego is so far from my personal values. If I had taken the time to write down what’s important to me, I would have quickly discovered my team mate  strayed from our core values and that situation could have been remedied with eloquence and efficiency.

Zappos Core Values: Direct Link

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

3. Half of the world is searching for the other half of the world, but don’t know how to find them.  Brian Solis emphasizes that before even planning an online marketing strategy establish your identity. Most brands don’t even strategize, they just jump on a band wagon. But lets say you are developing a strategy, before that DISCOVER your identity that you plan to communicate in this strategy. I LOVE that Brian reinforced this. I hadn’t even thought of charting out my brand identity before planning. I figured my identity is obvious. Surf brand means you’re a surfer right? No, not necessarily. You must establish your brand to stand for something. A Cause. Something bigger and selflLESS than selling a pair of board shorts.

Establish your brand identity

I read “The Alchemist” when I was 14 and it was then that I began to make my way of life -  ‘if you believe in something with all your heart and it is backed by good, the whole universe will conspire to bring you the tools you need to achieve that dream.’

No one has any special power or ability over and beyond the next person. Seriously. I know that it’s easy to make up victimizing excuses like lack of – money, connections, experience, resources.  But then explain Oprah, Neale Donald, JK Rowling, Marshall Mathers. Or how about these brands… Have you heard of them; Whole Foods, Coors, APPLE (Yup!) , Nordstrom, DELL.

Here is where I truly believe the magic is…

(be sure to read this article from a Canadian paper that went out last week… “We started with nothing but an open mind“)

• Define your core competency (What’s one thing you are really good at?)
• Explore what your dream professional lifestyle would be (… to be in a music studio? marketing brainstorm sessions? attending networking events? cooking? working on cars?…)
• Consider the possibility that your work CAN be your passion
• Now think up where what you are good at meets what excites you

So for me, what I am good at is networking/connecting/giving and what excites me is business. The structure and growth of an organization is mind blowing.  Effectively orchestrating people, skill sets and innovation really makes a powerful impact on the economy,  individual dreams and the good for humanity. For me, that is true magic.

I apply this by looking within my own company to focus on partnerships that would be mutually beneficial between people and companies in order to compliment the growth of my business and the businesses I work with.

• What’s key is to maintain positivity

What we focus on expands. So lets consider the “possibility” of “positivity” in order to find solutions when it seems as though none exist. At times like these, with our world in flux, it’s hard to keep your head high. I know some of you are worried about losing your jobs or have already. Banks have gone bust. The atmosphere is deteriorating.  But will all these dark thoughts lead to more light?

• Implementation

It’s up to you to make your dream life happen. No one is going to do it for you.

• Keep a quality team surrounding you

The people who surround you, define you.  So in order to reach your desired goals you need a team to keep you strong and support you along the way.  It’s not easy going after a planted seed before it has begun to grow and you can’t yet physically see it.   So one by one start to chose teammates who embody the qualities you desire and make those people your silent mentors and partners in your success.  Maybe one person is amazing at finances and another is great at understanding the investment world and a third is an expert in legal and a fourth is an entrepreneur in the same industry you want to pursue.  It’s important all these people maintain a positive attitude and can be your support during the hard times.

• Giving back

And remember its not a one way relationship. It’s just as important to give back, as it is to believe and to implement.  The energy and productivity that stimulate from giving back is magnetic. If you don’t believe me just read “Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and David Mann.  This book was given to me by a wonderful woman who attended one of my seminars and said that she felt moved to gift the book to me. Thank you Gretchen.

• Lastly, it takes work to live the dream.  Don’t be fooled. In order to become an “overnight success” you need to work at it for a while.

Just read this article that went out last week… “We started with nothing but an open mind“

Halifax News Net
We started with nothing but an open mind

By Lori McKay – The Weekly News

Opening your own business can be a challenge. But at 15, Phil Duffenais of Cole Harbour has decided to give it a go. The Grade 10 Auburn Drive student had been cutting his neighbours’ lawns for the past three years, and this spring he decided to make it a full-fledged business. He started DC Lawn Services and opened it through the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks. “I have three employees under my belt, we are paying them competitive wages, we pay taxes, and we started with nothing but an open mind,” Duffenais said in an email.

He was granted a small loan of $2,500 through the Students in Business program, and he made the cash go a long way. He bought a few lawn mowers and everything else he might need for lawn maintenance, including a truck to transport his equipment.

“It’s not the easiest thing to get a loan when you’re 15, and I’d like other youth to know that there are opportunities like this out there. Maybe some other kid might decide to start up a business, too. They wouldn’t be our competition, there’s lots of work out there,” he said.

Duffenais isn’t old enough to get a driver’s licence yet, so he brought on his friend Evan Cunningham, 16, to work with him. Cunningham is also set to become co-owner of the business next season.

Before this spring, Cunningham had never cut a lawn before, but says he is getting his fill now. They are currently working six hours most days after school and 14 hours per day on the weekends.?After they get caught up and school is out for the summer, Duffenais said they should be able to go down to five hours a day and only on weekdays. Duffenais said next year he’d like to get another crew going with a few guys and another truck.

“But we’re focused on getting a handle on this season first,” he admitted.
At the moment, DC Lawn Services has 35 full-time clients and are on track to make between $25,000 and $35,000 (before expenses) over the summer.

In addition to mowing lawns, the company also does gardening, mulching and lawn makeovers. “We do everything from planting trees and edging to laying sod,” said Duffenais.

The young entrepreneurs have high hopes for the business and are still looking for new properties in Dartmouth, Cole Harbour and Eastern Passage.

lmckay@hfxnews.ca
For information, call 222-5023 or visit www.DCLawnServices.com.

Ahhh the beauty of delegation

I discovered the value of delegating somewhere between reading Four Quandrants by Robert Kiyosaki and The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.  Kiyosaki explained the differences between someone self employed and a business owner (see image below). That if a good business owner leaves their company the productivity maintains. A key owner injects advancement in the organization, not maintenance.  Then in Ferriss’s book he shares that when he stopped being so hands on and started trusting a team by delegating, his company actually increased revenue and he had more time to do other things.  If each owner of McDonalds had to be in daily attendance Mickey Dees wouldn’t be known for the effective automated hamburger franchise it is today.  That being said, each day I think of ways to delegate. This isn’t to be lazy. Not at all. Delegating enables me to scale my businesses more efficiently.  I try to find a common theme in my various ventures that will allow the same team to mimic their core competencies in each project so that I don’t need to find a new team each time I start something new.  Needless to say, its very exciting and allows a lot more time for me to focus on my own core competencies. After all, there is only so much you can do if you try to do everything yourself.

So it’s Saturday. Why I’m in the office – because I won’t take no for an answer and so in order to have more leverage when speaking with clients I need more content. But you know me and everything I do needs to be useful so today I created the “Resource Report“. The show is for you.  I want to share what resources I’ve discovered to be more effective at a fraction of the cost and save you all the time and anguish I spent trying to figure it out.  My first webisode aired today. Please let me know what you think.  It covered managing voicemail.  I discussed the different options I’ve tried out from Jott to Google Voice and how they worked for me. Just let me know the various topics you’d like me to address and I will make a segment about it.

Live Video streaming by Ustream