| REACHING FOR THE BRASS RING | | | | — DEFINE your VISION. Everyone’s |
| | | | got a dream, what’s yours? You are now |
| So, you’ve decided to go into business for | | | | asking yourself the prime number one question in |
| yourself to capture your part of the American | | | | life — What do you want to be when you |
| Dream. Now that that’s all settled | | | | grow up? Personally, I don’t like Oysters |
| where the heck do we go from here? | | | | but, why not make the world yours? You will only |
| Many people wake up each day because an alarm | | | | be limited by your imagination. |
| clock is beckoning them to their same old day in | | | | Let’s get serious for a moment. Now that |
| day out J-O-B (Just over Broke). They work the | | | | you’ve defined your vision, write it down |
| same hours, are in debt past their eyeballs, and all | | | | and expand upon it by considering the following; |
| appear to have that deer in headlights look. | | | | Why do you want to go into business for |
| The real tragedy is that these average people, | | | | yourself? |
| you, and me, your neighbor, can have so much | | | | Do you have or can you get a sustainable |
| more but settle for so much less. Somewhere | | | | customer base? |
| along the line, we lost our vision; we lost our hope | | | | What are your start up costs going to be? |
| and settled for the cards life was dealing us. Wait | | | | *While relatively cheap to start up, all costs need |
| a minute! Who says so? | | | | to be considered. |
| The only thing that stands in the away of your | | | | Mentally, how we doing? Owning your own |
| achieving the American Dream is YOU! | | | | Company versus working for someone else is the |
| Think about that for a minute because it’s | | | | difference between night and day and so are |
| a powerful statement. Who is harder on you than | | | | some of the people you will be dealing with. We |
| you? When you stumble and fall, who will be there | | | | will touch on this further. |
| to pick you up? It had better be you because if | | | | Have you listed what you see your strong |
| you can’t depend upon yourself, | | | | points as being? Your weak points? |
| you’re in BIG trouble. | | | | Are you prepared to step out of your |
| Many people I’ve known have worked the | | | | comfort zone to make this work? |
| same jobs for 40 years, retired and then died | | | | My friends, the list is endless but you get the idea. |
| within the first 5 years of retirement. Pretty bleak | | | | Earlier, I alluded to how you’re doing |
| future isn’t it? There’s got be more | | | | mentally and now I would like to amplify that |
| than this in life so don’t let opportunities | | | | statement. Regardless of how well you’re |
| pass you buy. As children, we all had fantasies, | | | | equipped, no one can do it all. There are literally |
| we had ideas, and we had VISION! What chased | | | | thousands of books to help you understand |
| them out of you? | | | | ecommerce, owning your own business, self help |
| I ask you, why work for someone else, making | | | | and improvement and the list goes on and on. |
| them rich, or have a boss who’s literally | | | | Essentially what I’m asking is for you to |
| making you ill because he’s a manager | | | | think about what you intend to do for you. The |
| wanna be that doesn’t realize being a | | | | very thought of that sends some people into a |
| dictator is no longer acceptable, or have someone | | | | panic because they’ve never given it much |
| else take credit for your ideas because they lack | | | | thought before. If you don’t find a |
| the vision to have their own — why do it? | | | | diversion outside of your office environment |
| It has never been easier than right now to start | | | | you’ll grow stiff and those creative juices |
| your own business but like anything else you need | | | | we’re trying to supercharge will just fizzle |
| to think it through. What kind of business do you | | | | and your business along with it. |
| want? Where are your customers going to come | | | | What do you like to do for fun? Take a walk, ride |
| from, how about customer service issues | | | | a bike, see friends — DO NOT cut yourself |
| — are you ready to deal with people as | | | | off from the world! For me, I perform Tai Chi |
| the owner of a company? Don’t fall into | | | | and believe you me, it helps! |
| the old trap of saying I’m not going to | | | | Afterwards, I feel refreshed, rejuvenated and |
| be anything like my boss or the company I work | | | | ready to take on the world once again but more |
| for This is like saying you’re not going | | | | importantly it preserves my VISION! |
| to be anything like your parents and then one day | | | | The worst thing you can do is to loose your |
| you realize that silently you did! | | | | identity in your business. Keep it you but keep it |
| Define your vision. Let me say that again | | | | separate. |