AUGUST 2005
Greetings & Salutations:
It seems all of you ... well, a ho'bunch of you ...
liked the Q&A format from last month, with answers I had
given to interviewers last year.-- So, I'll do some more
this month.
Q: What are the biggest mistakes you've made in your
career?
A: Mistakes? Who, me? Never! But,
there was this one time ...
All kidding aside, there are really no mistakes that I've
made that stick-out as being "the biggest" or even
the most important.
Babe Ruth was known as the "Home Run King" - but
- he had more strike-outs than he did home runs.
I can count my successes on my fingers - but - when it comes
to mistakes, I couldn't count them on all my fingers, toes and
hairs on my chest.
The secret to real success is to make mistakes. -- You don't
learn anything from your success but mistakes teach you valuable
lessons ... IF you don't make the same mistakes over & over
again.
It's like the one-time wonders who hit one big success, then
never do it again. They couldn't learn anything from their
success, so they are locked-in to telling the story of their
one big success over & over & over; ad naseum.
Q: What would you say are the best offline opportunities?
A: Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?? --
Depends upon who's looking, doesn't it.
Look around you. There are millionaires in every field
of business endeavor. There are millionaire garbage collectors
... millionaire bankers ... millionaire shop keepers ... millionaire
day-care operators ... millionaire internet marketers ... etc.,
etc., etc.
As Albert Einstein said, "Anyone can be a genius, if
they pick just one specific subject and study it diligently just
15 minutes each day."
The same holds true in business. -- Just pick one specific
business. Do it every day until you do it successfully.
Most people don't fail, they just fail to stick with any ONE
thing until they have mastered it.
Q:What do you see as the best opportunities online at present,
and in the next 2 years?
A: Again, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
There are very, very few opportunities that couldn't be the
"best" for someone. It is all a matter of persistence.
As Benjamin Disraeli said, "The secret to success is
the constancy of purpose."
What would be "best" for me ... since I have a very
high risk threshold ... wouldn't be the "best" for
anyone seeking any kind of security; or privacy.
To succeed in business, you must leave your comfort zone and
tread into untried waters ... willing to take the risks.
Q: Do you treat your online business as you would a
brick and mortar business?
A: Yes. -- As Benjamin Franklin said, "Keep your
business and your business will keep you."
Unfortunately, all too many online business people treat their
business on a catch-as-catch-can basis. They don't establish
office hours or keep with any established schedule ... worst
of all are the ezine publishers who set a circulation date for
their publication then allow almost anything to keep them from
meeting their own deadlines. -- Even while I was in the hospital;
after my heart surgery, my publications went out on schedule.
If you are going to have a business; any kind of business,
you MUST establish all the "rules" you will follow
... then, follow them.
Q: In the respect of customers there is a kind of unwritten
rule that says the customer is always right. Does this apply
in the online world as well?
A: The customer may not "always" be right
- but - a customer is always a customer.
Too many wannabees want to "make sales." -- Those
of us who succeed "make customers" ... then, we do
everthing in our power to keep those customers. Our customers
are our only real asset -- BUT ...
Unfortunately, there are some customers who become a liability;
rather than an asset. When a customer costs more than that
customer is worth to keep, it is best to drop that customer from
your roles.
Q: How important is a business plan if you don't need
to raise funding to start your business?
A: A business that doesn't plan, plans to fail.
Even when financing is not required, a wise business person
writes a plan ... even if it is just a list of gonna do's ...
to keep track of what they are doing; what they are going to
do - and - what results they anticipate. -- Of course, the plan
is subject to change at any time.
Can you stump the old master? --
Betcha can't!
Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles
of money in direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising,
entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist
& Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail
merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing,
finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business
consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore
banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the
case ...
No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just
starting, well on your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've
probably been where you are, done what you are doing. -- So ...
Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something in
your business - or - if you have any comments about anything
I've said in issues of this e-Letter; or if you want to add your
2 cents worth ... just "ask" me or "tell"
me.
Send your Questions, Comments or 2 Cents Worth
to ...
with "Question" - "Comment"
- or, "2 Cents Worth" in the SUBJECT.
If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you
may ask, I will contact some of the professionals in your field
of endeavor (I will probably know one or more personally) to
get the real 'skinny' for you.
Note: If you want to ask a question anonymously
just tell me so when you send in the question. -- Nobody but
you and I will know who asked the question.
Copyright - 2005, J.F. (Jim) Straw. All rights reserved.