When Others Think Like You

June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I have spent the last two years working to follow my dreams. In that time I have written 245  blog posts (this one included) trying

The $100 Startup in Seattle

The $100 Startup in Seattle (Photo credit: Chris Guillebeau)

to pass on the message that being an entrepreneur is more about who you are and what your life dream is than about the nuts and bolts of business.

I know that the nuts and bolts are important in their own right, but I also know that life is about more than the nuts and bolts. If you are going to live life to its fullest, you have got to live in freedom while creating value for those around you! In business this means to build your business with passion. It means to not settle for what is easily obtained. It means to look at your life as a treasure rather than a drudgery.

After two years of beating that drum, it is really quite fun when you find others that think like you. I have had the privilege this week of reading, “The $100 Startup” by Chris Guillebeau. (affiliate link) The whole gist of Chris’ book is to tell the stories of successful people who, with little if any, previous business experience or training, built successful businesses mostly through the passionate desire to not work for anyone else.

I love it when others think like me (especially really smart ones like Chris)! It allows me to see that all of the “crazy ideas” that I have and all of the passions I am waiting to unleash really can carry me to the places I want to go! And the really cool part of it all is they can do the same thing for you!!!

I you haven’t done it yet, pick up Chris’ book

. Read it with an open mind and heart. See if it doesn’t give you permission to follow your dreams! It surly did for me!

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Filed Under: Designing Success, Entrepreneurialism Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lifestyle Design and Reinventing Retirement

May 24, 2012 by 5 Comments
retirement

retirement (Photo credit: 401K)

Monday I wrote about a TED video by Tim Brown, on the subject design. It challenged me to consider a question that I think is on the minds of many Boomers and Gen-Xers about how they are going to reinvent retirement in this modern world. The question is:

How can Boomers and Gen-Xers enjoy the benefits of retirement while at the same time remaining active, productive, and profitable members of our modern society?

What this question boils down to is a matter of lifestyle design. By this I mean how the whole of a person’s life (family, health, community, dreams, purpose, etc.) fits together in a homogeneous way and provides benefit and blessing both to themselves and to those they interact with on a regular basis.

You see, retirement, by my definition does not mean to stop working altogether (most people cannot/don’t want to do this) but to transition into a lifestyle that allows for you to be more in control of your time, talents, efforts, and the direction of your life travel.

How can a Boomer/Gen-Xer wake up in the morning and engage in activities that they choose, while maintaining an active, productive, and profitable life? What can they do to spend time with family, travel, volunteer, and create in a way that makes them happy, healthy, and a value to their community/society? What is their life-dream and how can they create a design plan that brings all the elements of that dream into fruition every day?

Most people don’t consider such things and as a result end up looking to get back into the workforce shortly after the big “retirement party.” One retiree who is 70+ said, “I am bored to death, I just want something to do.” Another said, “I want to continue to feel useful and valuable in my retirement life.”

Both of these folks retired like they had been told to and found that without some lifestyle design work in place they were doomed to “being retired.” What they really want is to design a lifestyle that will give them the benefits of retirement (slower pace, more control, and the pursuit of what they consider valuable) while still being active, productive, and profitable (financially capable for their own needs).

What about you? Are you planning for those great years of life where you can live out your dreams at your pace and according to your desires? What advice can you give to those who are just beginning the process?

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Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Designing Success, Gen-Xers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Design Thinking and Reinventing Retirement

May 21, 2012 by 4 Comments
TED (conference)

TED.com (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just finished watching a TED Talks video by Tim Brown about the need for a fresh look at the idea of design. He believes (and I agree) that what needs to happen in this age is for innovative/creative people to become design thinkers. Design thinkers, Tim explains are those who, “solve problems and make world-changing innovation.” He went on to explain that this kind of thinking had three basic characteristics:

  1. Design thinking is human centered.
  2. Design thinking doesn’t think to build, but builds to think.
  3. Design thinking shifts from consumption to participation.

As I listened to him, my thoughts began to turn to my passion of helping Boomers and Gen-Xers reinvent retirement. I think that what is needed to accomplish this is for these two groups to engage in this “design thinking.” But if we are going to make the most of this kind of thinking, we have to begin with the question:

How can Boomers and Gen-Xers enjoy the benefits of retirement while at the same time remaining active, productive, and profitable members of our modern society?

We have to decide how our “retirement years” can be lived to the benefit of others while providing us with the time and personal fulfillment we need as well.

We need to be courageous enough to build our retirement businesses in order to think, rather than thinking in order to build. In other words, we need to see our business as a prototype of what it will become as we learn what will and won’t work in response to those we are seeking to serve (our clients/customers).

We need to shift our retirement thoughts from what we can consume or provide for consumption and build our retirement years by looking for ways to encourage active participation in life and innovative thought, by the greatest number of people.

This kind of design thinking will make our retirement years the best of our lives and will allow us to leave a legacy that will far outlive even our best efforts!

What do you think? How would you use design thinking to make your retirement years the best years of your life? What can we do to encourage this kind of thinking in others?

 

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Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Gen-Xers, Retirement Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A Two to Five Year Retirement Plan

May 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Retirement

Retirement (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

One of my first forays into the business arena was with the largest network marketing company in the world. It was a great experience (although not successful by most standards). What made it successful for me was that I learned what was called the “2-5 year plan.

This plan taught what I have come to understand as the basic truth in business that if you are going to be successful, you must be willing to spend time AND resources creating your business.

The point is, that if you are contemplating retiring in the next few years but to do so will need some retirement income from a business (or even worse a job), then you need to start the process 2-5 years ahead of that retirement date.

The benefits off such a move are:

1. You have time to “try before you buy” business options that might present themselves and appeal to you.  If after close examination, anI option looses its appeal, it is easier to move on than if you are already counting on the income it may be producing.

2. You have time to learn and become proficient before this business become your primary source of income. Once you retire, you may feel trapped and that would be a bad way to live out your retirement years.

3. You have time to become a thought leader  in your chosen field. By entering your retirement as a thought leader, should see the income built by your steady efforts, as well as, the growth that come from thought leader (referrals, and new entrepreneurs seeking to work with you).

In the end the choice as to when to start is entirely up to you.  However, the longer you take to start, the more critical it is that you make money right out of the gate, and the more pressure you put on yourself to perform at a level that may be beyond your skill-set.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think is an acceptable time to start developing your retirement income?

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Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Gen-Xers, Second Career Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Helping Boomers and Gen-Xers Design Success!!

May 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Tomorrow (May 15, 2012) I am shutting down two blogs that have been a part of The Doulos Group for the past two years. I am not shutting them down because they are unimportant of because they are no longer relevant. I am shutting them down in order to focus my attention on the things in life and business that I am most passionate about.

Those things are simply:

  1. I am going to help people design a life-style that blends life and business to fulfill their dreams.
  2. I am going to focus my efforts on helping my clients through the process of discovery, design, and delivery of their passion within their definition of success.
  3. I am going to focus my efforts on Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers who are looking for a way to reinvent retirement.

With these simple rules in place I hope that everyone who comes to visit will find something worth while, something that makes sense, and something that helps them design success!

Come back often and let’s get this party started!!!

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Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Designing Success, Gen-Xers, The Dream Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Innovation and Your Business

May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Steve Jobs shows off the white iPhone 4 at the...

Steve Jobs shows off the white iPhone 4 at the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference Español: Presentación del iPhone 4 por Steve Jobs en la Worldwide Developers Conference del año 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Peter Drucker once said, “Business has only two functions — marketing and innovation.” If this is true (and I think it is) there should be more time and energy spent on these two subjects than anything else in business life.

But, if you are like most businesses who do spend time on these two subjects, you might well be making a mistake that made Steve Jobs cringe. That mistake (especially in the area of innovation) is to consider the customer ahead of your own thoughts.

“Steve Jobs avoids most focus groups like the plague,” says tech analyst Rob Enderle. “It comes down to the very real fact that most customers don’t know what they want in a new product.”

Carmine Gallo, who wrote “The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs” said about this thought, “Sure, “listen” to your customers and ask them for feedback. Apple does that all the time. But when it comes to breakthrough success at Apple, Jobs and his team are the company’s best focus group.”

So, as you are thinking about the innovation that is going to make your company special in the market place, don’t count yourself short. Make your thinking more important than your customers because, as Henry Ford once said, “If I’d have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me ‘A faster horse.’”

How innovative are you? How much time do you spend creating the next great thing your company is going to introduce?

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Filed Under: Designing Success, Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Community Involvement

May 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a business owner, you have the opportunity to make a real impact in society through your community involvement. This involvement can be as simple as supporting your area Junior Achievement program, to taking on a clothing/food drive for those in need, to the active and visible support of an area non-profit.

Being an active part of the community declares that your end goal in business is more than just profit. It also shows your clients/customers your heart and causes a level of loyalty that goes beyond the value of your product/services. I makes you a leader in the community as well as an expert in your field.

As you build this reputation of caring (as long as it is genuine) your business is sure to grow because of your reputation of giving and your willingness to make the community important to your business.

How do you get involved? What do you think companies ought to do for their communities?

 

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Filed Under: Designing Success, Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Find an Apprentice

April 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

I met a great young man yesterday at a career fair. He is a foreign student here in the US on a student visa. I was at this career fair to talk with students about entrepreneurship and building a business as another option to “just getting a job.”

This young man is a business major and was fascinated with what I was saying. He was at the career fair looking for a summer “job shadow” opportunity. As we talked, his whole face lit up thinking about what it would mean to him to be able to create his own business and help others do the same. It reminded me of the desire that should burn in every entrepreneur to find an apprentice.

I know … many would say, “What, do you want me to train my competition?” And my answer would be, “No, I want you to bring someone along side you and help them to understand the neuances of business and how it can be done in a fair, ethical, and legal way.” Kind of like what Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad” did for him. If you choose the right apprentice and if you train them correctly, they may go out to create their own business but they will NOT become your direct competitor. You will have taught them better than that! (Do you think for a minute that Kiyosaki’s rich dad worried for a minute that he was going to loose business to Robert?)

Now for many business owners their apprentice is a son or daughter who shows an interest in entrepreneurship and business. For others an apprentice is a little harder to find. Yet, if you look where young entrepreneurs are, they are not that hard to find.

My greatest joy in life is having an opportunity to pass what I have learned on to someone else so that they can move forward in their lives as well. Business owners would do well to consider this idea, not just for the sake of the apprentice, but also for the satisfaction it will bring in their own lives.

What do you think? Do you have an apprentice? Would you consider finding one and helping them find their way in business?

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Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Caring for Your Customers

April 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

We live in a strange time. One in which much is said about customer service and yet as customers we seem to wait longer in lines, are on hold longer on the phones, and we talk to a much grouchier group of people when we do get through. It seems that customer service has less to do with service as it does with just surviving till the end of the day!

And yet, as I said, we live in strange times. In what often seems to be a customer service wasteland, there are more and more businesses that have made a “beyond reasonable measure” effort to meet the needs of their customers and to provide customer service that sets the bar higher than ever before! These companies know from experience that the cost of making new customers is much higher than the cost of keeping customers happy, repeat buying, and referring.

The key to happy customers is how they are cared for after the sale. So, what can entrepreneurs and start-ups learn from these “customer-centric” companies? Here are just a few thoughts:

  1. Great customer service comes from a service oriented business culture. When the overall culture of the company is service oriented from the front office to the care of vendors, to meeting the needs of both employees and customers; great customer service is a natural by product.
  2. Great customer service comes from people empowered to care for the customer. If someone handling a customer’s concerns does not have the authority to take action “right now” the customer may well do business elsewhere the next time. Quick action and empowered employees make great customer service.
  3. Great customer service comes from a genuine belief in the value of your product/service. When something that you believe is best for the customer (your product/service) doesn’t live up to its value, your belief in the product/service should motivate you to make the customer’s experience right!

There are certainly other things that can/do make customer service work well. These are at least a starting point. What do you think? What have you done in your business to make the customer’s experience right? What great service have you been given from other companies that brought you back a second time?

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Filed Under: Designing Success Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Smaller with Purpose

April 17, 2012 by 13 Comments

After nearly two years of trying to woo the internet world to my doorstep, I have made an amazing discovery: I enjoy being a small business and don’t want to be big! WOW …. that feels good to finally say out loud.

The reason that I needed to say that today is because I know that there are many people like me. People who are looking for a business opportunity based more on their life purpose than on how big the business can become or how rich they can get. What they are looking for is the answer to their life’s dream rather than some arbitrary definition of success that equates success only with money earned.

Now, if that is how you define success, it is alright by me. However, if success has a different meaning to you, one that is more personal, more intimate, then maybe you ought to consider building your business smaller with purpose.

In order to build this way you will need to consider three things:

  1. How much is enough? If you don’t have an answer to this question, the allurement of “more” will have a much greater chance of overtaking your dream. You will give up some of life’s most special moments in chasing the dream of more and in the end may well regret what you have lost more than celebrate what you have gained.
  2. How does business blend with your life’s purpose? I heard someone just the other day talking about living out their dream. What made me listen more closely to what she said, was that she is not a millionaire nor someone whose current efforts could lead her to that magic place. However, because what she does moves her in the direction of her life’s purpose, she ends each day having lived one more day with purpose.
  3. Are you selling quality or quantity. Early on in the development of The Doulos Group, I was asked what kind of business I wanted. Did I want to be more like a “discount store” that makes its money through volume sales or did I want to be like a “premium store” that made its money selling high valued products at premium prices. At first I chose #2, thinking that I could work with just a few high end clients and maximize my income in the process. Now, while I am still looking for just a few key clients, I am not so much concerned with maximizing my income potential. I want to sell quality products to an exclusive clientele at a price that makes sense to them, not me! In the end if I live out my purpose, what I make and what I’m able to have will be taken care of!

I didn’t intend to make this post about me, but I am an example of developing the mindset of smaller with purpose. Maybe you are struggling with your business ideas as well. Maybe you are looking at the “rat race” and wondering how to get out of it and still enjoy life’s bounty. Maybe you have a great idea that keeps you up at night and wakes you early in the morning. Maybe you want to build a business that allows you to live your life’s purpose rather than becoming your life’s purpose.

If so, maybe smaller with purpose is the answer for you as well! What do you think?

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Filed Under: Designing Success, Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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