How's It Coming?

A couple weeks ago we said we'd get our operating manuals started, so how's it coming? I know, I'm having the same problem. It's hard to figure out all the details of exactly what you do all day, let alone attempt to put it in a manual. My solution has been to keep a journal of daily activities. This helps to not only make sure I stay on task, but to also create a log that can later be transferred into items for the operations manual.

Duplicating yourself is not an easy task. After all, you didn't learn everything you know about your business overnight. My business fantasy is that I will find a partner who knows just as much as I do about business, and more in some areas so that we can build the business together. Because I didn't start my business with a partner, that remains a fantasy. Truth be told, even George has no clue what I do daily and is often taken back by tasks that he deems as unfruitful but are a necessary part of the process. I am a researcher, and instead of reinventing the wheel will often find someone who has done what I'm attempting to do or similar and find out what successes they have had. George, on the other hand, feels that once you have the business idea in mind, you should be able to move forward and start making money the very next day. Our different business models often collide and cause problems that we have to analytically resolve without throwing a stapler across our shared office space. During this season in business, because I have refocused on some necessary fundamentals in business, I don't even venture into our shared office space. I find solace at my kitchen table, coffee table or bed in order to complete all the research items necessary to market our businesses appropriately. Completing a market analysis of your business is a time consuming and challenging task when you are doing it yourself, but can be costly if you hire an outside firm to complete one for you. So I may not have my operations manual draft available by my original deadline of October 31, but that is the beauty of being in business for yourself, you can adjust the deadlines to more realistic ones. Once I am complete with the market analysis of my business model/plan then I can begin to figure out what my immediate course of action should be.

Some days I look at how many hours I spend working my business and long for a regular 9 to 5. When I worked a corporate job, when I left I did not take work home with me. I left the office at 5pm and had the rest of the evening free. My weekends did not consist of me working, but the gratification of being on my own time, working from home, spending time with my 6 year old son Dorian, and fulfilling my God given purpose in life is much more rewarding. Sure it's taxing now, but with good investment strategies and retirement planning, I won't have to work until I'm 65 before I retire. So stay encouraged, continue developing your business strategy, and let me know how it's coming along, I am curious to know how you are doing. Thanks for those of you who keep me informed via Face Book (Shot out to Roni Facaine, not only a follower of my blog but a great business woman and an inspiration for me to continue moving forward).

Birds of a Feather.....

Birds of a feather flock together! My mother would say this repeatedly when she didn't approve of my friends and I would tell her I am nothing like them. I had no clue what the heck she was talking about truly until I became an entrepreneur. When birds are migrating, they often fly in a V pattern. The bird in the very front has the most energy during that time and the wind from his wings will often pass through the birds flying behind him. This pattern of wind flows through the entire flock of birds flying, and the birds towards the end don't have to do as much and are able to sail on the winds of the birds in front of them. As business owners we could learn a lot from birds. Typically the big successful business with the most energy do not lend the wind beneath their wings to the smaller upcoming business behind them. It is up to us to form bonds with one another (as entrepreneurs) that will allow us to lean on one another for strength when we may be lacking in an area.

What does this look like? If you could cut open the brain of an entrepreneur, you would probably find some substances that are foreign to others. We have a certain level of courage that others envy that borders insanity. Our ability to understand the need for security but disregard it for advancement is limitless. We are often misunderstood as being fearless and driven, instead of simply encouraged to overcome our fears by pursuing our purpose. We must engage in tasks that may seem unnecessary to others. Proper analysis that are time consuming, scrapping and redeveloping new business models that may seem as though we are beating a dead horse lead to the outsider's judgement of us. This is why it is so important to surround yourself with like minded people. People that can influence and encourage you to continue pursuing your passion. I know it seems this person should always be your spouse, best friend or close relative, but this is most often not the case. In relationships we confuse our personal life with our business life and it doesn't always mix. While George is supportive of my business ventures, and has his own business ventures, we are two very different people and our business opinions don't always mix well. George is from Mississippi where your word and a handshake has still not been replaced entirely by a solid and well written contract as it is here in California. He is laid back with his work schedule, and I'm a stickler for making certain my clients receive services in a timely manner delivered with excellent customer service. George believes in fixing all the unseen problems of the persons vehicle or computer and I believe in giving my client only what they've contracted for. While we talk business and share our office space (temporarily), we most often do not talk business because it leads to unnecessary issues.

I choose to surround myself with like minded entrepreneurs. They keep me fresh and the ideas free flowing. Although this can be a challenging task at times, it is much easier to find like minded people in this technology age. With Face Book, Twitter, Flickr, etc., there are so many ways to connect to entrepreneurs besides your local Chamber of Commerce. When you get those seminar tickets in the mail to attend a free lunch seminar, go! George and I would attend these all the time. We would both take note pads and pens and we would both get different business ideas out of the same seminar. We'd meet afterwards and brainstorm about ideas to help our various businesses and would have the encouragement and steam we needed to launch the next venture/marketing idea. They are usually a few hours out of your day, often are on the weekend and typically serve free lunch so what harm is it. We have connected with some amazing business people doing amazing things and even had a few clients come out of these seminars. Pick the one you like the most and attend. If you don't receive these types of ads in the mail, get online and search for a free seminar in a subject you are interested in. Just get connected and plugged-in to some like minded people soon, before your light begins to dull and your flame goes out. If all else fails, I'm free for lunch most Tuesdays and Saturdays and would love to hear your business ideas. (smiling)

Education by Failure is Free

Successful people in business understand something unsuccessful people do not (besides the obvious of being successful), they know you must fail and do it miserably. I know you are scratching your temple now thinking I have completely lost my mind, or wondering if the medications from my recent illnesses have not completely left my system, but it is absolutely true. I am currently over 60k in debt in student loans as I attempt to pursue my MBA on through to a doctorate degree, and yet out of all my education, nothing has taught me more than the times I have failed in business. Embracing the failure, accepting the loss, and growing and moving on is the key to helping you understand what to do and what not to do in your next business venture.

I started my first California corporation when I was 19 years old. As long as I can remember, I've marched to the beat of another drum. As a child I never had aspirations to do the cookie cutter jobs that all my friends had. Visions of becoming a ballerina never entered into my head, I wanted to own the ballet company. My first company was a performing arts group. Me and a few friends had the absolutely best time touring and performing. I will never forget our first paying gig. I ran everything with no assistance (my 19 year old peers were little assistance for helping to develop the business side of my corporation). I scheduled for us to perform at a park, but hadn't discussed the payment needs with the event organizer. She had seen us perform at a dance concert, and wanted to schedule us. She had been used to paying such costly prices for performers, and said this year their budget would not allow for it. I told her we could fit her budget (as I was so excited to get paid, I didn't ask what her budget was). We all piled into a friends car and drove 45 miles one way to the performance. After we were done, I went to speak to the event coordinator regarding our pay. She smiled and handed me a check for $65. I was so upset, but realized without written contracts, prior agreements, this was my fault. Needless to say, that lesson taught me a very valuable business lesson, that didn't cost me 60k and an MBA to learn.

My second business venture may have been more successful than my performing arts group, however I began to realize that I still needed the formal education to open doors for me that were closed due to lack of a degree. My ability to write a business plan, develop a well written proposal or project management meant nothing without the acquisition of my degrees. It doesn't make sense to get angry or depressed about having to acquire my degrees (although the pursuit is sometimes challenging) it is well worth the effort. I attempted to assist others in business by developing a program that would generate more clients. It ended with me working independently in their offices as a telemarketer soliciting business on their behalf, but being that I did not negotiate a base salary, nor a retainer fee I ended up working mostly for free. Needless to say my haste in launching this business venture, and without due diligence on on each business client I was unable to determine what their true market penetration capabilities were.

While I could have given up on becoming an entrepreneur, there was this fire and passion within me that would not allow for me to give up. George often refers to me as being stubborn and hard-headed (laughing), but these are the necessary qualities to become successful in business. That is what successful people understand. Learn from your mistakes and move on. In business I have had to revamp several business ideas in order to ensure the further growth of my companies. Sure some have cost me (financially as well as timely) but that doesn't mean that I throw away the entire business idea if there are some credible and workable items to it. Most successful people speak only to their current venture, but next time you have an opportunity to speak to a truly successful business owner (who did not inherit the business but built it from the ground up him/herself) ask them how many business ventures they failed at before stopping at their current successful venture. The question may surprise them, but it will relieve a lot of pressure from your previous belief in that you are not capable of succeeding. Stumbling along the way to your breakthrough in business is entirely different from failing to get back up and work your passion and purpose. You will never be satisfied until you find your purpose and passion and are successful at it, so take the time to learn how to get there.

Take This House & Shove It!

When George and I met, I was fresh out the military, and he had just been reactivated from the US Marine Corps. We were under no pretenses about great credit scores and bills when dating because we understood, SHQWITM (Stuff Happens Quicker When In The Military). Not to say that being a federal government employee isn't a wonderful duty to our country.... okay I can't even finish the sentence it sucks. I wasted so much time in the Air Force at the end of the pay period I almost felt guilty to take a paycheck.... I said almost! George has been screwed over so many times it's ridiculous. He's been in for almost 20 years, so with the ranking of an E-8 (Master Sergeant) he should be well taken care of.

Prior to meeting each other, we led great lives. He had a profitable business in Georgia, had purchased a home, life was great. I myself had just had Dorian, was attempting to adopt a 2 year old girl (that didn't work out) and had a great job with excellent benefits for myself and dependents. After running into some medical bills and legal issues concerning the adoptive child, my funds were depleted and I turned to the Air Force. By the time I left for Basic Military Training, I had worked all my problems out, but was devoted to serving in the USAF. Once completed with my training, I was told my recruiter had not filled out the proper paperwork for my MOS, and I would be given one and assigned to an oversees unit. As a single parent this would have been difficult. Due to stress I developed some physical problems and they signed paperwork for me to go home, or if I wanted to stay in sign a waiver that stated they were not physically responsible for me and I could stay (I later found out the waiver was a fraud, but they were 19,000 over manned and needed to relieve some entry level employees instead of higher ranking officers). I refused to sign, so they put me on the next thing smoking back to CA.

George, on the other hand was doing great, until he was activated. He was told he was being sent oversees, but then later was told they had given him the wrong information and they were shipping him to CA. Most people who have never had dealings with the government assume you are well compensated for your job. Those of us with real experience know that you earn on average 1/3 less of what you could make as a civilian. George has a bachelors degree in electronic engineering technology, which average makes 80k annually as a civilian, yet in the Marine Corps his annual salary is half of that, with two dependents. So imagine going from having your own lucrative business and job, to active military duty. He paid the house note in GA as long as he could, but with rent and obligations in CA, he could no longer afford to live in two places, and the renters he had were destroying the property and not paying rent. After evicting them, the house was not rent ready, and he couldn't afford to hire a property manager. The house has been vacant and on the market for well over two years now.

So now what? I am an avid researcher. I have one of those irritating personalities where I want to know everything about anything that is of slight interest. I want to be able to drive/fly any vehicle. I want to be able to speak several languages (although language acquisition is extremely difficult the older we get I found as a result our brains.... of course some other book I read about brain development). I was told my first word was "why." So we found an attorney to handle the home with the bank, the banks these days are morons, let's face it. Apparently they foreclosed on the house twice, sold it in auction once, didn't notify us, all while George was on active duty (which there are strict legal rights for military personal away on duty). We have been trying to work with this bank and it comes down to this (as we attempt to purchase property in CA), I have decided to pursue a Deed in Lieu on the property with the bank. It will cost us no more than $2,000, but we will be done with the house and take a smaller ding to the credit than a foreclosure. This is why I love research and learning, the more you know the more you are empowered!! Look it up people, don't allow the bank to have all the information on what they will decide for your property and credit. We will have to wait years if we loose the house in foreclosure, but a Deed in Lieu, gets them off our back, and they will not be able to collect any further money from us if the house doesn't sell for what we owe (which in this market whose home isn't upside down).

There was another great thing that came out of being bed ridden for several weeks, endless researching opportunity! Knowledge is the key to empowerment, stop waiting for extrinsic rewards of empowerment, do it yourself now!

Whew! Now That That's Over!!

I suffered through the flu for over a week, followed by acute tonsillitis for two weeks, that had been misdiagnosed twice. Once I finally saw the ear, nose and throat specialists, and the proper procedure was done (without me hitting anyone in the doctors office for the pain they caused me) and the appropriate medicines prescribed I am now feeling 80% better than I did just yesterday. After 28 hours of labor pains and attempting to push out my small 5lb 7 oz 2 week early bundle of joy who is now 6 years old, that seemed like a cake walk compared to having 80% of my throat swelled shut causing excruciating pain and nausea for nearly two weeks. I realized the same thing most mother's, wives and business owners discover when they fall ill and have yet to duplicate themselves in business, I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE SICK!!! I missed blog postings, face book friends, and all other technology like the telephone because I couldn't speak. Sure I attempted to drag the laptop to my bed, but I had to lay in a certain position in order to breath. I would find myself waking up abruptly throughout the night because I had shifted positions and stopped breathing. Even a trip to the emergency room proved unproductive. My herbs weren't working, so I relied on al I could rely on, prayer.

I didn't want to totally coin my husband as useless when I'm ill, but there are some things I'm beginning to realize about his personality that you can only find out over time. First off he's a US Marine, so you can imagine there were days where I felt like I was in boot camp. Days where he felt if I just got up and moved around (despite my lack of oxygen) I would fight the illness better. Then there were those days he would not even check on me at all. One evening around 6pm when I hadn't had any water or liquid or food that day, I simply asked him to get me a bowl of cold cereal, he said if I wanted it I'd have to get it myself. He left the room, came back in a short time later eating a bowl of cereal. Most women at this point would have been calling their attorney, signing on the dotted line, and cutting her loses. LOL I must admit, it did certainly enter my mine (that or slipping him some of my meds into his cereal bowl when he wasn't looking). Then I stepped back and analyzed his behavior, as I mostly do with everything. How many times has he witnessed me defensively ill in the 5 years we've been together? Only twice. I had always worked through my minor illnesses. Even the one major occurrence that landed me in the hospital last year, I still refused to be admitted and was out within hours and the next day back to work. As a Marine, he is used to following specific orders that have a start and an end. This is not the case with illnesses. Each doctor we visited he attempted to diagnose me (with the irritation of the doctors, not really understanding his personality), attempting to get them to determine a time of how long it would take before I was well again. None of them knew, which added to his irritation. Everyday he'd walk over to my side of the bed and ask "Are you feeling better today? You look better today?" Meanwhile I still couldn't talk or breath without my special position. Then it hit me, he's a sprinter! He'll run really well and dedicated for a short period of time, then he becomes exhausted and looses heart. This doesn't mean we are fated to divorce in the next few years. I noticed this about his personality before marriage. I often joke diagnosing him with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), not for his lack of attention, but his attention to everything so much that it is difficult for him to focus on what is important. He has to stay active, doing something or he will become bored. While taking care of me is on his "to do list" taking 100% care of me, including daily needs is a challenge. Marriage is a grooming process that we both have to go through. I have to train him to take care of me the way I need to be taken care of when I sick. We don't like the word "train" as it relates to relationships, but we're perfectly accepting of the word as it relates to a job or special assignment. I watch George read countless manuals on how to fix things, but believes that there is no need to read a manual on how to make a marriage work. Most of us feel that same way.

We often conduct business in this matter. We don't create an operations manual for our businesses, thus if something happens to us, no one is able to step in and take over to keep things going. I'm guilty as well. I have let the lack of funding to hire an associate hold me back from continuing to go through the process of duplicating myself, which should never be the case. So several doctor visits and trips to the hospital later, as well as about 100 bucks down in meds, I get it!!! Whew, it could have cost me more, it could have cost me my entire business if I was down long enough. So let's get to work people! Let's get to work on this immediately. I'll make a pact with you, and you can join and follow my blog to let me know how it's going for you. By this years end we will have the rough drafts of our operations manual in place so that by the first quarter of 2010 we will be able to duplicate ourselves and continue in business no matter what may come. I vow to have the first few pages done by October 31. Let me know how you all are coming along.

I'll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours: Reprograming of Our Business Models

As I read the business headlines I recognize the current financial climate does not lend itself towards further growth and development for business ventures. History (which repeats itself) will however prove once again that the small business sector will save the day by creating the most jobs and revenue, more than can be expected from government bail outs, stimuli, and incentives. Don't get me wrong some of the programs were great, George and I have enough vehicles to bankrupt the cash for clunkers program, but not all affect the lifelong challenge of financial restructuring and redevelopment that desperately needs to occur. While turning a deaf ear to the media hype of our current financial woes is not necessarily the answer, perhaps looking at the thriving business sectors would be more encouraging. Globally we have all taken a financial hit, however this may be the perfect time for joint ventures.

It is said that the oldest profession in the Bible is prostitution, but that is inaccurate, it is farming, after all Adam and Eve had to eat something. Before the exchange of currency for goods and services, the barter system seemed to produce all of the wealth and security anyone ever needed. Somehow, once we began to exchange currency, the true value of our individual businesses and pride began to deteriorate. If we receive enough currency from one market segment, we neglect the others. We have somehow gotten to the point today, where we are reinventing the wheel. Example, the man who invented the round wheel created something everyone needed, but he was not without his needs. He needed a storefront shop, he needed display cases (okay perhaps the modern references don't apply, but humor me), and he needed food and shelter for his family. He gave four wheels to Jim the Farmer, Jim paid him in fresh veggies, grain & meat. He gave four to Joe the Carpenter, Joe built his shelves. He gave four to Julie the interior decorator, she designed his home. Soon his mills ran over with grain because he brought in more than he could consume and was able to cure world hunger. Do you see where this is going? You have something others need, but you need what others have as well. If the dollar were to drop bellow the value of a peso, what would you do to survive? We need to think this way also in business. How do we work without start up capital? Business cards cost money, I can't have them printed for free. Who says you can't? Have you ever asked the printer? Of course not, because we were previously limited in our thinking. Find the mom and pop printing shop that does great business but does not have the exposure they need. Offer them your service as well as advertising space on each business card and brochure if they will print it for you. Find the Joe the Farmer who needs tires and can help you feed your family. You may be able to reduce or eliminate some operating expenses or start up costs.

Certain times call for being a shark in the business world, and other times call for being a whale. While sharks are successful at what they do, everyone (including the shark) knows the whale is no competition. Gentle as they may be, both creatures in the sea and on land see them. It is time we stop focusing on the kill in business, and the next best business deal, and start focusing on the greatness our goods and services provide, who needs them, and how can we get what we want by offering what we have. Stop reading the headlines, and start making them with a new business structure, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) that will rock the entire business world.