Big and Bigger

You can achieve as much as you can envision. In 1940, a father and his two sons, Richard and Maurice, opened a restaurant. This restaurant did fairly well. So well, that 10 years later the sons decided to start franchising their restaurant. Their goal: they each wanted to make a million dollars. This would be a heck of an accomplishment, especially in the 1950's.  The brothers successfully franchised about 20 restaurants and were well on their way to reaching their goal.  At this point, they met someone that would introduce them to an even bigger vision. The gentlemen that they met was Ray Kroc. He believed that they could duplicate their restaurant all over the country. The 3 men partnered up in 1954 and franchised a few hundred more restaurants. Ray believed they could do better and urged Richard and Maurice to think bigger then their original goal. In 1961, after failing to convince the brothers to think bigger, Ray Kroc bought the restaurant company from the brothers for  2.7 million. After taxes, each brother had 1 million dollars.

Here's where it gets really interesting. By 1963, there were 500 restaurants.  In 1965, the company went public and Ray Kroc made 3 million dollars.  In the next 10 years he grew his net worth to an amazing 500 million dollars.

If you don't know by now, I'm talking about McDonald's restaurant.

Richard and Maurice McDonald, are regarded as pioneers in the fast food industry.  McDonald's was the first restaurant of its kind.  They used a business process, the assembly line, that was revolutionary for the auto industry to literally change the way the world operates fast food restaurants.  They stayed true to their original goal and didn't stop until they reached it. The only flaw - they didn't reevaluate when the situation changed. They had meager beginnings and are a real American success story. However, had they thought it through, their legacy could be far greater.

In 2012, McDonald's corporation had an estimated worth of 91 billion. This was the possibility that Ray Kroc saw. He worked hard and created multi-generational wealth.  

Think big! We all should! Think as big as you possibly can; and reevaluate as you begin to reach your goals. As your eyes are opened to new realities, you may need to think even BIGGER! Ray Kroc did...so can you! 

Last thought...it's never too late. Ray Kroc was in his 50's when he began his McDonald's journey.

Conquering "time stealers"

As I am writing this blog post, I am literally being bombarded with emails, text messages, GroupMe notifications, calendar notifications, and the occasional phone call.  If this wasn't enough of a distraction, I am online.  Whenever I write a blog post, I like see what other bloggers are saying about the topic.  Sometimes this is a good thing, other times it is a black hole of reading articles that have nothing to do with my topic - but they're interesting, lol.  Of course, I have to make sure that I don't visit my favorite sites like ESPN.com or Facebook...I could basically kiss any chance of finishing my blog post goodbye.

Blogging is a release.  It's my opportunity to have a personal pulpit.  Honestly, it's more for me than it is for anyone who chooses to read it.  With that said, I only write about things that I have passion for.  And even though I have passion, I am still easily distracted.  You can only imagine what happens when I am doing something that I don't have passion for.  The distractions win out every single time!  When I was growing up, my Dad used to always tell me to avoid "time stealers" like the plague!  That's exactly what distractions are...the ultimate "time stealers".  Time is a commodity that most people carelessly waste; one way to leverage your time more effectively is to conquer "time stealers".  

Here are some common "time stealers"

• telephone calls/text messages
• emails
• unwillingness to say NO
• Procrasination

When you consider your career or business, it is even more detrimental to allow these "time stealers" to win!  How often do you hear people say, "If only I had more time?"  If you don't have Micheal J Fox's Delorean -  than there really isn't a way to get more time.  The best plan is to better utilize the time you have.  Here are a few strategies that you can use to slowly but surely win the battle for "more time".

• Set aside the time that you will check email and voice-mail.  In today's world, whether you are a business owner or an employee, you are constantly receiving emails, many of which are important.  The sad fact is, just as many are not important and are just "time stealers" in disguise.
• Put away your phone.  A long, long time ago...in the 1990's, people didn't send a text message every other minute, they didn't have to have the news at there fingertips, there wasn't any social media.  Amazingly, they survived.  Put your phone away while you are doing something important and concentrate on what you are doing.  Thank me later!
• Here is another tip...say No.  Sometimes you are invited to lunch, you may have a client ask you for a "quick favor", a coworker may ask you to do something that really isn't a priority - just say no.  This simple trick could save you tons of time!
• Here's a way to avoid procrastination. Either at the beginning of the day, or the end of the prior day write a very specific "must do" list.  This is different than a "to do" list - only put things on the list that you are committing to completing that day. Hold yourself accountable to actually completing the list daily.
• Do 1 thing at a time.  Why do you have 17 internet explorer pages up?  If you are checking email, check email.  If you are doing data entry, don't do anything else until you are finished.  To often, we consider multi-tasking effective - when it is actually pretty inefficient.
• Last tip...take control of your day.  If you are setting an appointment, give 2 or 3 options; all of which allow you to complete all the tasks that you need to...besides the appointment.  Not only does this help you to be more efficient, but your clients or coworkers will appreciate you for it.  A great unintended consequence is you appear to be more busy...in time you will be!

Conquer "time stealers" and you will be more successful.  Believe it or not, you will be able to accomplish MORE with LESS time.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, comment and share!

It's all your fault David Stern (for basketball reasons)

I'm not gonna lie.  As a die hard Lakers fan, I've rooted hard for my team the last 2 years.  But I can't help but think about what could have been.  I remember it clear as day.  I read rumors that a Chris Paul trade to the Lakers was in the works.  This couldn't possibly be true!

The Lakers had won the chip 2 years in a row, but had a down year (by Lakers standards) in 2011.  Lebron had just "taken his talents to South Beath", but lost in the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks.  The Chris Paul trade was the "big splash" the Lakers were known to make. (Think acquiring Shaq from Orlando)  The Lakers were losing Pau Gasol and Lamar Kardashian, but were able to keep Andrew Bynum.  This would set the stage for a trade for Dwight Howard.  At the time, Bynum was the only player that could have been traded straight up for Howard.

So I'm scrolling down my Twitter timeline and I saw it:
"Lakers acquire point guard Chris Paul in 3 time trade"

I went and put on my Kobe jersey.  I sent text messages to every "Laker hater" that I had encountered over the past 10 years.  I changed my Facebook profile picture to the picture above. I went on ticket master to see if it was too soon to buy Lakers vs Bulls tickets!  So 45 minutes later, one of those "Lakers haters" texted me back and said, "ESPN is saying the Chris Paul deal is falling apart".  I laughed it off...this couldn't be true.

Then I saw it:

UPDATE (9:27 p.m. ET): The Chris Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers has been killed by the league.

The next day, the only explanation the commissioner gave was...for basketball reasons.

The rest is history.  

• Subpar year with the Gasol and Bynum
• Swept by OKC
• Traded for an injured Dwight Howard (slowly rounded into form and should eventually pay off)
• Traded for a 47 year old Steve Nash
• Mike Brown fired (Good coach, bad fit for the Lakers)
• Phil Jackson passed over for Mike No'defense (still scratching my head over this one)
• Steve Nash breaks his leg (apparently due to old age)
• Have a combined 80+ games missed by key players due to injury (also due to old age)
• Have to fight for a playoff spot with 5 "must win" games to end the season
• Swept by Spurs

AND WORST OF ALL:

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti confirms its a ruptured Achilles tendon and Kobe Bryant will be sidelined 6-9 months.

And for all of this, I blame one man and one man only.

It's all your fault David Stern.

Do you have to sell your soul to be successful at selling???

I have had at least 3 people on separate occasions over the past few days tell me, "I am not a salesman". They said that they didn't like it, they were bad at it, or they didn't like rejection.  I can relate.  Until about 6 or 7 years ago, I didn't consider myself a salesman. Looking back, I've probably always been a salesman.  To a certain extent, we all are.  Job interviews, first dates (and subsequent dates for that matter), and school elections are all a form of selling yourself. Selling in its most basic  form is simply persuading someone to make the decision you think is best.

When I became a salesmen as a profession, my worst nightmare was being viewed as a sleazy car salesman(check out the picture). This fear, actually slowed me down quite a bit. Most people would say this is a good thing. Who wants to sell their soul, lie, cheat, or steal just to make money? 

When I finally realized that I didn't have to compromise my integrity to sell, things started to change.  There was an art to being a good salesman.  If you were able to master this art while still operating ethically, you could find great success.  A great sales person wants their customer to believe that they have their best interest at heart. Some may ask, how do you do that? 

It's easy - actually have their best interest at heart. Talk to your customers. Find out what matters to them. What are their needs? 

Highlight what makes your product different from your competition. Describe how your product meets their needs. Present options.  Make it easy for them to buy.

So rather than sell your soul by doing something unethical or immoral; sell from your soul! Treat your customers with decency and respect. Know your product and be your clients trusted adviser.

One last thing - in sales there is always a fine line between doing what is best for you and doing what is best for your company.  It is a difficult balancing act; but it is more than possible.  Great sales people are able to toe the line, without crossing it.

Happy Selling!

Scandal-Free living

So it's Tuesday afternoon; this is usually the time that I begin to get excited about this weeks episode of Scandal.

Now I could tell you how my wife makes me watch Scandal, but that would be a complete lie. I make sure the kids are not only in bed, but sound asleep. We watch new episodes from the DVR an hour after they actually air; that way we can avoid commercials. And most importantly, you are not allowed to speak except while we are fast forwarding thru commercials.

Ok, back to the story- This week is different. I was ok with missing a week because of the Presidential debate. I was eveb ok with missing 2 or 3 weeks here or there, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I even managed to make it thru the holiday drought after the mid season finale. But to use a phrase from my wife, "Now this getting ridiculous!"

Not only are fans going to have wait until the fall for their next Scandal fix, but Shonda, (creative force behind Scandal) was kind enough to drop 2 bombshells...in the last 30 seconds!

1st - everything that happens in the dark eventually comes to light. The Fitz and Liv  secret is out! But who let the cat out of the bag?

2nd - Dad?!?! Did this maniac really try to assassinate his own daughter? Is Liv's relationship with her father why Huck is alive?

 

I'm not even going to waste my time giving you theories, because in Shondaland you learn to expect thee unexpected; and thee unexpected would be normal when compared to Scandal.

Last thing, for all the guys saying they can't watch Scandal - I dare you to give it a shot and not get hooked.

It's gonna be a love summer.

Why weight?

Why Weight?

The other day, my Dad told me that he was looking at a picture of me at 19. I told him that it should look familiar because I look the same. (Don't laugh!) He jokingly told me "yeah, add 20 pounds...maybe 30!"

Sadly, he is correct. I used to be able to eat practically anything I wanted and not gain an ounce. Now...whenever I look at a Big Mac I gain 5 pounds! The worst part about my weight gain is I know exactly what to do to prevent it.  Some days, I'll start off great and by dinner I'll be back to my old unhealthy ways.

I've tried weight watchers, calorie counting, intermittent fasting, and low carb diets. You name it - I've tried it, seen a little success and eventually failed.

I've witnessed a few people win the battle of the bulge! It took determination, a strong will, and consistency! They didn't cheat and it wasn't a diet. They literally changed the way that they lived!

Here are my nephew Randall "Hustle Hard" Moffett's results:

So that's it! I'm all in! I'm going to eat healthy and exercise every day...right after I finish this bowl of Haggen-Daz Vanilla Bean ice cream! You know...why weight?

Leap of Faith?

I've been having some interesting conversations lately about why people refuse to take the risk of either A - pursuing new employment opportunities (more money, better opportunity) or B - starting their own business. The general consensus has been that they don't want to fail and they can't risk losing the "stable job".

A couple sayings come to mind, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" and "the grass is always greener on the other side". 

To break it down, are you willing to trade 40k-50k plus benefits for a chance at making 6 figures?

If you have a passion for something that can make you money and help you provide a better life for your family...why not?

I love risk takers! (I married one!) A friend of mine recently decided to take the leap of faith and was able to build a reputable small business that generated 75k in 2012.  Now he is using his success as fuel to push others to take the same leap!

Leapers beware! Timing is everything. Make sure the risk that you take is a calculated risk. Have a plan and work the plan!  Find someone that has been successful. Interview them! What did they do to successfully start a new career or start a new business? Most successful people enjoy sharing their personal keys to success.  Give it some thought, put your ideas on paper and move forward. Don't look back!

These are just my thoughts, I'd love to hear yours!