Chris Doster..."Discovered"

Jeremy Spoke in...the NBA

2012-02-16T09:26:00.007-05:00

If you don't know who he is you probably aren't listening. The "power of one" has been exemplified once again, as a former bench warmer lights up a city, and the stock exchange...

Jeremy Lin, a Harvard graduate and current NBA basketball player for the once lowly New York Knicks, has been speaking volumes. Undrafted out of college, he is the first American player in the league to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

He finally got a chance to play after being ignored by two other teams, and not only does he have his team winning, but the city chanting his name. In fact, his performance seems to be "stimulating" the local economy without federal assistance. Merchandise sales have skyrocketed as has the stock price for the Madison Square Garden Co., owners of the team.

The takeaway from this story is something most of us "discovered" at some point or another in our own careers. You know you can contribute, but you're left sitting on the pines, ignored. For whatever reason, ignorance, incompetence, prejudice or pride, they just wont let you play...

A great band once wrote a song inspired by the tragic suicide committed by a young boy named Jeremy. There's certainly no comparison between a disturbed individual taking his own life and playing a professional sport. But the ramifications of not being recognized can be profound, and some people never rebound.

"Life is difficult at best", (quoting my late Grandmother), so just make the most it. Jeremy Lin is doing just that, not letting his spirit be broken, and ladies and gentlemen, he has spoken...

To be understood

2012-02-12T21:25:00.006-05:00

I've spent half my life pursuing the craft of communication. Professional sales and marketing is really nothing more than that, telling your story. From face to face appointments to the written word, "It's the story that drives Wall Street", and whatever other tale you're trying to create...

I was reminded by one of the first trainers in my career, that the 3 international medical device companies that hired me "spent hundreds of thousands of dollars teaching you how to communicate Chris". He was right of course, from years working in the field with managers to the multiple national sales meetings with recorded "role playing", I should know a little about making myself "understood"...

Yet, as many may have experienced, in today's "sound bite society", it seems increasingly harder by the nano-second to be heard. Try as you may, with all the noise surrounding us with "smart phones", and devices that allow instant access to information around the globe, your voice often gets lost like snail mail...

The great Steven Covey wrote a classic business/self-help book about the "7 Habits of Successful People", where he identified the need to "Seek first to understand". There is no question that listening skills are prerequisite in any attempt to connect with a prospect, or person of any import in ones life. I've certainly spent more time listening to "experts" wax eloquently about all things business, life, or the after life, than I care to admit...

But if you polled divorced couples, failed business partners, or human beings in general, a common denominator will be "discovered". You see it movies, read it in novels, and experience it in your own relationships; "He, she, or they just didn't listen to me"...

Nothing rips at the soul like not being heard, thinking that your words are wasted, trying as hard as you could, failing to be understood...

Private Label - Public Lie

2012-02-07T14:51:00.008-05:00

As a marketing professional and avid shopper, I cant be the only one who has "Discovered" the lie hidden by the label...

It caused some shock I must admit, coming from medical and aesthetic device sales where our manufacturer made the products. My competitors had similar brands, but they were also "made" by their company, with some exclusive features and benefits.

If I recall correctly, I first noticed this slight of hand with topical skin care lines. From the "professional" only to the mass marketed, something smelled funny, and it wasn't just the ingredients. It seemed (as I found out much later), that most of the "proprietary" big names came from one or two of the same formulation labs. The percentages of whats in the jar may differ, but they all came from the same place.....?

So what really made many of these "Lotions, potions, and scum from the ocean" different, was quite frankly...the Label. Registered "Trademarks" was really the only thing separating the "hype" from the hope when it came to topical skin care, and it doesn't stop there...

Flash forward a few years when I'm serving as "Brand Manager" for a "private labeled" product for scar reduction. The base ingredient was marvelous, but also promoted by multiple companies under a variety of brand names. We simply targeted physicians, performed a clinical study, used a special processing, and had better marketing. But like the bottled water industry, the "name" is the game...

So during these past few years, my buyers radar has been on full alert. Case in point, Starbucks has a neat travel coffee mug for $27. I hesitated as the "Starbucks" logo seemed to be nothing more than a sticker. Later that day, during my daily "WalMart walk-about" (3 laps around the perimeter for exercise followed by retail therapy), I noticed something odd. An identical stainless steel travel mug, without the Starbucks sticker; for $9.00, American...

Certainly, I bought the cheaper of the two, but in today's retail environment, its definitely "buyer beware". Even if we do outsource labor and import cheap crap these days, the only thing "Made in America" might be the price tag...

My affinity for bargain hunting has exposed many similar "scams", with labels hiding the true origin, or actual producer of a product. I've discovered briefcases and luggage, golf shirts and shoes, cigars and beer, with the only difference being the name that appears..

The next time you go shopping for whatever it may be, read the labels and observe the competition. I think you will find that its not just the politicians that lie...

Herding Cats...

2012-02-01T21:26:00.014-05:00

I can't think of many business propositions or even personal endeavors that can be successfully accomplished alone. At some point in any project, you have to have a team. The era of multi-tasking has produced a generation of generalists and very few "experts". That is unless you studied a specific profession like accounting, law, or the practice of medicine, just to name a few.

Skilled labor and the "trades" have been abandoned for degrees in history, sociology and political science. Many of those graduates are tending bar, waiting tables, or still living with the parents, as manufacturing companies scramble for qualified workers...

As an entrepreneur myself, after walking away from Corporate America in the late 90's, I can attest to the fact that "no man is an island". Or should I say "person" as our illustrious leaders attempt to drive a wedge between the sexes, the races, and the economic achievers.

If there's one skill that will serve you well in life, it's the ability to motivate, inspire, and manage people. Ask any successful business owner, regardless of the industry; at the end of the day, it's about people. From recruiting the players to promote a business, to targeting prospects, to securing clients, the real game requires that you learn how to "herd cats"...

That's right, those fuzzy and fragile, agile little feline beings, so much like cats. Anyone who has managed people will relate, as getting everyone to cooperate, communicate, and often to participate, is similar to "herding cats"...

As if it's not hard enough handling your own affairs, managing people can even make the shepherd feel like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Hacked in the Act

2012-01-29T21:28:00.015-05:00

During the course of my career I've probably been "fouled" as much as anybody. You know, those outside influences beyond your control, preventing you from "scoring" a sale, marketing deal, or business plan. Not to say that I haven't put up some bad shots of my own and made really poor decisions during a game. The point is, regardless of how well the play may have been designed, sometimes, "life gets in the way"...

For those of you that don't relate to sports analogies, I can promise you from years of experience that much can be learned from competitive athletics. Basic things like camaraderie, work ethic, discipline, delayed gratification, leadership and how to deal with winning, and losing.

Sports, (quoting a golf guru I once knew), "Strips you naked". Character is exposed on the field of play, inner demons are released, and hidden frustrations come bubbling to the surface. Perhaps that's why I'm so proud of one particular sports star I was privileged to watch grow into a man; Jimmer Fredette. A top draft pick of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Jimmer graduated from BYU where he was voted as the "National Collegiate Player of the Year" in 2011.

On the eve of yet another birthday (wow they come fast as you get older), I watched him play a recent game in this his rookie year. As he put up shots, passed the rock, and played as hard as he could, I was inspired by him yet again. This unusual basketball phenom from a little town in Upstate NY, (where we were both born), often displays more class and integrity in one game on the hardwood, than business leaders in the boardroom or politicians in office do in a lifetime...

He loves his family, he lives his life for his religion, and he is a "role model", (Mr. Charles Barkley). Although his first season in the NBA has been a struggle at times, playing with a losing team full of "me first" teammates, he continues to beat the odds.

In his first game back "home" in Utah where his college basketball legend blossomed , Jimmer had the ball in his hands. Down by two with seconds left, he got a shot to win the game for his team. As he launched a 3 pointer, he not only missed, but found nothing but air. The picture above shows the play, as Jimmer was obviously "hacked in the act"....

His post game interview says it all, as not all your shots will fall. He acknowledged his team, the effort, and the competition. Here's to you Jimmer, for not whining about bad calls in basketball or life, and understanding something all of us should recall...

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it" -Charles Swindoll

Fried and crucified

2012-01-26T21:10:00.013-05:00

I've always been fascinated with food. What to eat, what not to eat, how to cook meat, and if I should delete something from my diet. As a health and wellness enthusiast, I truly believe the quote made by the "Father of modern medicine", Hippocrates, 2500 years ago;

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

Several years ago I "Discovered" an intriguing book titled, "Good Calories Bad Calories", by Gary Taubes. Highly recommended for anyone concerned about their weight and nutrition. As an "Entrepreneur", I have a distrust for "national" organizations like the A.M.A., U.S.D.A., F.D.A., or anything ending in an "A" that's controlled by lobbyists or big government. So any credible information that disputes what has been "imprinted" on our brains through the media and commercial sound-bites, has my attention...

It may have been the cover of the book that caught my eye; a slice of bread with a melting slab of evil butter...Yum! Yet as I completed the entire 500 page plus highly researched and well documented work, (that actually reads like a novel), my conviction for questioning the status quo was enhanced...

We've all heard the "recommendations" from the so-called "experts", to reduce fat intake, eat your "5 food groups", and the evils of red meat. Let's not forget the "Salt Scam", misrepresented by modern medicine but disputed by recent studies and promoted by one of my "health hero's", Dr. Mercola....

As nutritional misinformation is crammed down our throats like the never ending regulations stifling our liberty and economy, yet another "myth" is being dispelled. It seems that the Southern delicacy so adored by millions yet demonized by the "food police" now has a new life...Fried Chicken!

That's right "sheeple", as we blindly follow our illustrious institutional "leaders" telling us how to live, how to vote, and what to eat. New research is indicating, (much like Mr. Taubes book), that "fried foods", do NOT contribute to heart disease....

Thank GOD we are blessed to live in the day and age of the "empowered consumer", as the powers that be can be debated and disputed. Perhaps with more Americans becoming educated and informed, we can not only live happier and healthier lives, but we will stop "crucifying the Colonel"; Kentucky FRIED that is....

The "Project" Perspective

2012-01-23T21:42:00.013-05:00

We've all had "Projects" of our own design from time to time. In fact I'll bet my golf clubs that most people derive more satisfaction from the completion of personal projects than those accomplished at their "J.O.B." (just over broke)...

You know, the weekend project you planned while watching the clock at work, or that impulse buy at Home Depot that resulted in a new deck? I can tell you from personal experience that a day doing something that I decided to do, (rather than what a boss dictated), produces a profound sense of creation. That is of course, unless you happen to be "the boss", and you can tell others what to do...

My Grandfather worked at a mill in upstate NY for most of his adult life, retiring with a small pension, and a small gold watch. My Father worked for a while with one company, but then moved on to another, and later another. For the last few decades its become increasingly clear that they day of ONE JOB for life is as dead as the buggy whip. That is, if you can even find a job in this "new recession"...

I think Seth Godin said it best in one his recent blogs, "The forever recession (and the coming revolution)...

"The future is about gigs and assets and art and an ever-shifting series of partnerships and projects."

The little blue collar town where I was born was founded by entrepreneurs in the timber industry, manufacturing, and "Mom and Pop" shops. Those were different times, for our American culture, society, and economy. Many of those industries or careers, just aren't coming back folks...

Yet the good news about this new age of work "Projects", is that they don't last a lifetime, at least not for 40 years like my late Grandfather. Projects have a shorter life span, a timeline that can be perceived. Once they're done, you move on, hopefully to bigger and better things.

Perhaps the age of the entrepreneur is upon us again, as the majority of the population worked for themselves up until the "industrial age". My heritage, (at least that of which I am aware), goes back to rugged individualism, loggers and farmers. People had more control over what they did for a living (pre-corporate America), and what they did with their lives.

If you don't have a few "projects" on the back burner, a side business you can create, your perception might be that it's too late...

Of the same opinion still...

2012-01-18T02:43:00.027-05:00

During my quest for the perfect opportunity, product, woman, friend or business partner, I've "Discovered" an imperative passed down through the ages. I believe I first heard it from a leading distributor in one of the many direct sales organizations I've joined over the years in "Pursuit of the Life$tyle"...

The political correctness of our "advanced" society would probably not permit such a comment to be made in this day and age, but it speaks volumes. Most likely because the author used the word "Man", rather than "person". Regardless, it would have saved me a lot of time and energy if I had adhered to the quote;

"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"

There seems to be some debate over who coined this profound phrase, but whomever gets the credit, many are at fault for not following this sage advice. I am certainly one of millions that think convincing and persuading others to follow in your footsteps is the path to success...

In my soon to be released book, "In Pursuit of the Life$style" - Confessions of a serial Entrepreneur", I detail the wisdom of this "Think and Grow Rich" like advice. Napoleon Hill had it right, Dale Carnegie furthered the thought, and I can tell you from experience, that multitudes of failed business endeavors can be traced back to "dragging people into a business", for then you have to "drag them across the finish line"...

Even with a nationally distributed skin care product in pharmacies across the land, I still found it impossible to "convince" many potential business partners to lend a hand.

If I could offer just one piece of advice to any fledgling business builder, it would be simply this; NEVER convince, persuade, sell or tell anyone about your plans unless they are sincerely looking for someone like you and what it is you do...

As any sales professional will attest, there's nothing like "closing the deal", and the "thrill of the kill". But if your efforts are directed at the wrong prospect, they will be "of the same opinion still".

Brewing up a great business

2012-01-12T09:05:00.010-05:00

80% of all new jobs in the past decade were created by small business. Regardless of what you might hear from the main(lame) stream media, its not about Wall Street or evil corporations. It's all about the "Mom and Pops", the entrepreneurs, the true engine of our American economy...

Right in my own backyard I just "discovered" perhaps the best example of a great small business I've seen in years; Coopers Cave Ale Company. Named after the scene in the historical novel, "Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper, where the main characters hide in a cave under a water fall on the mighty Hudson river. There actually is a cave in Upstate NY along the Hudson that inspired the author upon visiting the area in 1825.

Founded in 1999 as a "Micro Brewery", the establishment now boasts a full service "Pub" serving incredible food, a retail shop, and an ice cream store, in addition to making great craft beers! Situated in the heart of Glens Falls, NY, selected as "Home Town USA" by look magazine in 1944, the "Coopers Cave" business model is impressive.

In this age of corporate downsizing, with many "jobs" that just aren't coming back, sustained unemployment, and bloated government on the state and federal levels, hope and "change" wont come from a President. It will come from the start-ups and the successful small business owners across this great land.

No politician can "Save America", revive our economy and restore the unparalleled opportunities in the land of the free and home of the brave. Its in the hands of the people, the entrepreneurs, and the rugged individuals like those at Coopers Cave...Now Caroline, hand me another beer!

Simplicity and the Steno Pad

2012-01-11T12:03:00.011-05:00

My new "Android smartphone" is an invaluable communication tool for my business and personal life. I sometimes think it might actually be alive, or at least doing a real good job of imitating consciousness. At least as conscious as some of the "Occupy" protesters...

With so many of us glued to our devices, "looking down" into little glowing screens or using the latest of over one million "apps", it's become an addiction. I'll admit that when my Samsung Nexus S 4G (version 2.3.7...sigh), beeps, peeps, or buzzes, I respond immediately.

What in the name of Steve Jobs (RIP), did we do before Wi-Fi and laptops, iPhones and iPads? I mean even the latest and greatest gadget cant do everything, and batteries do die. There has to be something to supplement software in a pinch, doesn't there?

I've "Discovered" a "Pad" so simple it doesn't need a charger, updates, or an "i" in front of its name; the mighty "Steno Pad". That's right kids, step right up and get the fastest operating system known to man, a "steno pad" and pencil!

Introduced to me by a great friend and business partner several years ago during one of our "steno session" meetings. We were accused of being "school teachers" at the bar as we compared notes and jotted away, steno pads smoldering...

The screen wont crack if you drop it, as it "uploads" with the quick flip of the cover in a nano-second. Yet I think what sold me on the power of the "Steno", is that unlike dueling laptops, where you can hide behind your screen, the simplicity of this device forces you to be seen...

Mushrooms in the morning?

2012-01-09T19:53:00.019-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am not a morning person. Never have been and it appears never will be. Even as a kid I was a "night owl" and dreaded those early bus stops and home rooms where the sun was still breaking the horizon as my mind tried to jump start itself.

Yet in college I was introduced to the most widely used "drug" in the world. No not what you may be thinking, this ones legal...Coffee. My "Gate-way" version of caffeine was of the instant variety, hard-core I know. Now I had something to look forward to upon rising...my coffee fix.

Of course, I later moved on to coffee makers and even whole beans that I would grind via an array of devices resembling something out of the food network. From Starbucks to Dunkin Donuts, no drive through was safe when I was in town...

I tried all the combinations, with sugar or cream, exotic additives, or just plain black. Yet in 2005 I "Discovered" something really unique..."Healthy" coffee...?

Yea I know, traditional medicine says coffee is bad for you, how can it be "healthy". Well, as I've discovered, coffee beans have as many "antioxidants" as does other so-called "healthy" drinks, like red wine or green tea. Too much of ANYTHING may not be good for you, but whole coffee beans stack up against many other "natural" products.

So back to my "Healthy coffee" discovery. During my never ending quest for business opportunities I stumbled across an ad that read, "Do you drink coffee? How would you like to make money from Healthy Coffee". Upon further investigation, it was a "Network Marketing" company from California, "Gano Exel". I connected with a top rep and was flown out to meet the owners. Needless to say, I became a distributor as did my friend and business partner "JBFree". He is still a customer of this unique coffee concoction as was I until I began chasing another dream.

What supposedly makes this brand of coffee so "Healthy", is a red mushroom extract, "Reishi", of the species "Ganoderma lucidum". With a history going back thousands of years to the Kings of ancient far Eastern Asian dynasties, this mushroom is claimed to have incredible health benefits.

Don't believe me, check out this new/old version of my beloved coffee for yourself. There are several companies now offering "Healthy Coffee", including one I found that doesn't require you to "become a distributor"...

I stopped buying and drinking "Gano" after a year but my buddy "JBFree" swears by the product, and says he hasn't been sick since sipping on this strange brew. It must be for real as I can always tell if he's "On Gano" or not based on his demeanor. He's never been a coffee drinker until he "Discovered" this "Healthy coffee", and believe you me, he's not a morning person either. Especially if you have to work with him when he hasn't had his "Morning Mushroom"....

The Baby Boomers have spoken...Skin is in

2012-01-08T11:47:00.008-05:00

If you were born between 1946 and 1964 you're classified as a "Baby Boomer". 80 million plus fall into this category, and they (we, as I'm one) create and drive more cultural trends than even our bloated, intrusive federal government...

From baby food to toys, sports cars to real estate, the "Boomers" are like a basketball in a garden hose, pushing their demands upon society. Follow them and you'll "Discover" whats hot and whats not.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to observe how invasive the marketing of "anti-aging" products has become the last decade or so. In fact, based on my years in the "aesthetic" industry, its become an obsession. Like reality shows or "smart phones", the Baby Boomers love them some "Skin care"...

One product I've reviewed and have seen a family member experience excellent results is a brand called "Bio Oil". I actually met some of the marketing reps at a Dermatology trade show in NYC recently, and secured some sample product. Its readily available in most chain drug stores and like most all topical "cosmetics" can be purchased "over the counter".

Of course, having done a little field research of my own with plastic surgeons and dermatologists, I prefer the product I branded back in 2005. But variety is the spice of life, and the options today for skin care is overwhelming at times.

Whatever you choose for your skin, my belief is the more "natural" the better. Perhaps the simplest strategy I've heard is, "If you cant eat it don't put it on your skin"...

The "Baby Boomers" may have spoken, but the "marketers" are screaming, "Buy ME!"

Glory Days; Decades go by in the wink of an eye

2010-08-17T23:44:00.015-04:00

As I was strolling through my local office supply store in search of the latest day planner or anything that would stimulate my desire to be organized and or motivated, the Bruce Springsteen Classic, "Glory Days" (youtube.com) was playing in between requests for "copy center pick up on line 2"...

I found myself singing along, much to the dismay of the staff and my fellow shoppers . What they couldn't hear were my thoughts of the decades gone by, seemingly in the wink of someones eye...

With a career in turmoil and a county in despair, those "Glory Days" of my long lost youth came crashing back like a cold splash of water on a hot summer day. Although it was an unconventional journey, the memories of those times remind me more of the tears than the cheers...

During the drive back to "my office", I began to view my life in segments, or "decades". Perhaps in an attempt to justify the lost potential as a "late bloomer", or at least to shut off the song in my head.

I'm sure many Americans can relate to my story of time that slips away, but noting beats a quick reminder like a song from the past. Funny how music seems to trigger the senses and almost magically transports us back to a former place and time, good or bad. Often the memories include not only people and places, but states of mind.

My "twenty something" decade was filled with attempts to become a man, after coming from a broken home, moving every two years since my Mother remarried when I was only 5, and then living thousands of miles away at the fragile age of 17. Relatives came to the rescue and offered a platform to "grow up" in the deep South. The last year of high school was a blur, and the first two years of college a nightmare. I struggled to "fit in" and battled depression and anxiety, wondering how all the other students seemed to have families and histories that gave them foundation.

Incredibly, after fits and starts with classes, part time jobs, torturous relationships with my first real girlfriends, I somehow graduated with an actual college degree. It may have taken me the majority of that decade, but at least I could say on that day, I had been made...

Prior to my 30th birthday, after stints as a YMCA sports director during the last few years of school, and a short time in business equipment sales, I began my decade in professional health care sales. Don't ask me how, but I blundered into a corporate medical device company, and off I went, into the 1990's dot-com boom years of abundance.

Before I knew it, I was living on a golf course earning more money than my late Father I never knew, step Father I hardly knew, and most people I did know. Although I despised my career, the trappings seemed to draw new friends and foes alike to my inner circle. Try as I may, I was unfulfilled and miserable, as if something was telling me I was not "on purpose".

By the end of that decade, give or take a few years, I had completely abandoned the corporate world, and embarked upon my current "entrepreneurial" path. Walking away from well over six figure incomes, I convinced myself that I wanted to be my own boss, and to get out from under "the thumb" of those that dictated my future. At 39 I began pursuing my own business, commissioned sales and independent distribution as I moved on to greener pastures with the dream of charting my own course...

Moving back to my birthplace in my 40's, I attempted to settle in with "my people" including the family I had abandoned at 17, only to realize that you really cant "go home again". Yet after I had moved back South, with minimal success in that last decade, it was gone, "in the wink of a young girls eye"...

I stand by my decision to follow my dream, yet only wish that those that come after me realize that those "Glory Days" will pass you by. Perhaps its not what we achieve in life , but that you cherish each day, every decade, regardless if it comes with cheers, tears, or lost years....

It takes a Team to reach the Dream

2010-07-22T01:08:00.016-04:00

Ask any successful business owner, coach, or even the members of a traditional nuclear family. Its all about the "Team", and most never make it without having the required members in place and working together...period!

Coming from a broken home, (several times over), I have observed and experienced first hand what happens to "the family" when key players decide its time to be "moving along now", quoting an old friend. It really doesn't matter whom is to blame, what the circumstances might have been, or how it started. If one or more of the "leaders" defect, the rest soon follow...

It seems most of my adult life has been an attempt to resurrect my lost "team", from early jobs in corporate America, to failed relationships with lovers and friends, to past and present business endeavors. Regardless of the idea, the product or service, no man is an island, and no women can make it as a "solo pilot".

I recruited many business partners during the past decade, some by design and others by mere chance. The best times of my professional life were when there seemed to be a common goal, a collective mission, a calling that inspired the group as a whole. It didn't have to be a big team, sometimes it was only me and another kindred soul. But if there was "meaning" behind the madness, a purpose bigger than the individual, and a "dream" that could be conceived, it was magic.

Unfortunately, as is often the case for most of us, "life gets in the way". People have other priorities, things change, the market shifts or attention drifts. As hard as I may have tried to "keep it all together", you cant drag someone into a business, for then you will have to drag them across the finish line...

A "personality" test I took during college identified me as a "persuader", and my career thus far has verified that fact. Yet, those characteristics back fired many times after convincing someone to join me on my journey. They often wander off into the woods if you're not prodding them to follow...

If there is one thing I've learned during this roller coaster ride of chasing dreams, is that there is a big difference between "motivation" and "inspiration". I might be able to get someone motivated to join me, but its like raising a child, it takes constant attention. Inspiration on the other hand, comes from "within", and only requires occasional fueling of the internal flame.

That's where the "Team" comes in, when the spirit is low or the times are slow. It takes a team to win a championship, build a business, or sustain a family. You can have the "Dream" but there is no question that without the cooperation of the team, it could become a nightmare.

It has been said that whom you decide to spend your time with dictates your success or failure more than anything else in life. I've certainly been guilty of causing my own failures in many instances, personally and professionally. Yet on the field, in the boardroom or the bedroom, its all about the "team"...that is if you truly want to reach the dream. Whatever it may be...

Looking Down

2010-07-13T00:11:00.037-04:00

As a "Baby Boomer", I fully comprehend that technology has taken our society by the throat. What I don't understand is how it has evolved to a state where the post-boomers, and even some of my own clan, have fallen prey to "looking down"...

There is no doubt that all that "stuff" we now have at our disposal has improved information retrieval and enhanced communications, but to what extent, and what is the cost to humanity?

When I graduated from college, way back in the dark ages of the great communicator; President Ronald Reagan, we didn't have the "advantage" of cell phones, email, and God forbid; "text messaging". Instead we were forced to speak to each other. Can you imagine, making appointments and taking the time to visit a client, talking rather than typing to a prospect or friend? We answered the phone at appropriate times then, as opposed to in the car, in the store, or anywhere you might get a signal. How inconvenient and barbaric a world it must have been...

Today, we are "found" instantly and often use strange acronyms like "OMG" and "LOL" to express emotion. Online "meetings" and national conference calls have become common place while actual "sit downs" are considered "old school". The lost art of "listening" has been replaced by "following" each other on "Facebook" and "Twitter"...

Yet I must agree, that all these new tech tools have enhanced business and personal communications from coast to coast. But what has been lost in this never ending barrage of new gadgets and gizmo's is the "high touch" that a human being needs. How many times have you called to complain about your cell phone charges, or your cable service, only to be forced into a mind numbing impersonal series of recorded prompts to "press 1 for this or 2 for that"...?

I believe that this "high tech" world we live in has diminished our ability to communicate, or "visit" as they say down South. The proof is evident in our younger generation, as they excel at video games and computers, but lack interpersonal skills or respect for the history that got us here. They may be adept at mastering their new I-Phone, but cant hold an intelligent conversation, particularly when it comes to politics. Sound bites and media driven headlines dictate their comments, with little empirical evidence to back their biased opinions.

So the next time you're out in public, observe those around you. In a restaurant or bar, shopping or even when you're stuck in traffic. Notice the direction of their gaze, oblivious to the world around them, focused intently yet mindlessly...

Odds are they won't even realize that you're watching them. Absorbed by a tiny device and frantically pressing little buttons with a sense of urgency. It seems that with all this new technology, we as a civilization spend more time "looking down" into miniature screens, and have forgotten what life really means...

Fake it till you make it!

2010-06-30T12:20:00.040-04:00

One of the first direct marketing companies I joined over 10 years ago had dozens of successful distributors that didn't have to fake anything. Most of them not only pulled in thousands a month in residual income, but had their own instructional and motivational books or audio tapes (pre-CD). They came from all walks of life and parts of the country. Education was insignificant, as was appearance, experience, or stage presence.

There were a few things they all had in common, and that's where they made their money. It had nothing to do with some secret sales technique or magnetic personality. Most of them had no background in professional sales or marketing. One was a farmer, another a housewife, and even a former minister rose to the top of the company pay plan.

So what was it they possessed that allowed this incredible success, this lifestyle and fame? As I sat focused on every word they uttered, in person or listening to a recorded speech in my car, my "mobile university", they all made it crystal clear..."Fake it till you make it"

Now that exact phrase wasn't used by all of these superstars, in fact I can recall only one particular person using the term to open a presentation. I think he may have had a tape produced under that title as well. But it was certainly "implied" by all, through a series of suggestions.

One key suggestion is a prerequisite for all "self-improvement" seminars, books, and by the recognized "mentors". From the classic by the Napoleon Hill, "Think and Grow Rich", or "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen, to the more modern day authors like Robert Kiyosaki, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", its all about what you "Think" about.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the book/movie "The Secret", "What you think about, you bring about". Quoting almost every self-proclaimed success guru, your thoughts are things, and you will become that which you continually think about. Your dominate thoughts must be of abundance, success, and wealth.

Dreams or goals come next, according to all the avatars, old and new. You must as some have claimed, "set a goal so big it scares you, a dream so profound it makes you shake". Yet is has to be specific, you have to decide what it is you "really want". If its true that "God gives each one of us more than enough talent and ability to achieve almost anything we can conceive in life", than why limit yourself to a low level Dream. Aim high and think lofty thoughts. Quoting Eleanore Roosevelt; "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"...

So you must BELIEVE that you can achieve your dreams. Visualize it, feel it, like you own it, like its already a reality. That new house, car, spouse, bank account, lifestyle or whatever it is you really want, believe you are worthy of acquiring it, and that its on the way. So many people think they aren't capable of sustained success. They allow doubt and dissenters to steal their dreams and lose hope. Belief gives your dreams power and protects you from the slings and arrows of life...

To ACT is the final phase of the success process, where the cognitive transforms into ACTION. This is where most fledgling entrepreneurs fail. You must DO something every day that moves your goals and dreams forward. All the "thinking" in the world will evaporate in the ether without action, and your goals become "pipe dreams". Without action you have no traction...

Over the years I've accumulated a library consisting of practically every success and self-improvement book known to man. It became my passion, my "Plan B", and I've lost count as to how many "business opportunities" I acted upon. I even developed a brand that made it all the way into national pharmacies (Transdermis Scar Therapy), with moderate success. Yet after partnering with a marketing company that had a different agenda, my "dream" died on the vine...

As those that came before me, I too must "Fake it till I make it", working and waiting patiently for my ship to come in. I "think" thats what we all must do if dreams are to come true...

1-800-IGNORE

2010-06-27T13:22:00.028-04:00

Rebuilding a career, a business, or a life challenges us all at one time or another. In times such as these, with uncertainty all around us, its even more trying. The news media is constantly streaming crisis, catastrophe, and criticism at the people on this planet. Regardless of where you live and what you might do, there is no escaping the negative feedback...

After deciding to pursue that "American dream" over 10 years ago, abandoning the "security" of the corporate world, I've been hit with quite a bit of bad news myself. Some of it self imposed, some from outside influences, unfortunate circumstances, or bad business partners. Regardless, as my late Grandmother wrote to me during my college days: "Life is difficult at best"...

As I walked through the days, months, and years on this path I had decided to take, it seemed a distraction, detour, or discouragement met me at every turn. Any entrepreneur will proclaim, motivation is everything. Your "dream" must keep you moving forward, while "ignoring" the detractors and the inner demons in your own mind. Doubt, disgust, depression, are common emotions produced by counter productive thoughts that we all experience. Much more so for the "solo pilot" on a bumpy course towards financial freedom.

Its been documented that you learn the most from your failures. I should have a PhD at this point, with all the ups, downs, and disappointments I've experienced, just in the last few years. From success in medical device sales, to success in independent sales, to several failed relocation's, to branding a nationally distributed consumer product, to starting all over again, its been quite a ride...

If there is one thing I take away from it all, its this simple thought, condensed into one of my favorite sayings:

"1-800-IGNORE"

By definition, if it deters attention from your goal, block it out, "ignore" it! If its something you don't do well, delete, delegate, or "ignore" it and move on to what you can do, now! You cant be all things to all people anymore than you can be a one-man show. Marketing expert and author Marcus Buckingham says it best in his book, "The one thing you need to know - About great managing, leading, and success"(2005):

"Focus on those activities that strengthen you and
avoid those that weaken. Your ability to filter out tasks you dislike and focus on the specific things you do well, will dictate much of your sustained success"

Its tough enough to keep your chin up in this day and age, so if you cant control it, IGNORE it! Focus on that which you can control, your attitude, simple pleasures, your schedule, your time. Get organized; clean you desk, your office, your house, your car. Its amazing what taking control of the intangibles around you can do for your sense of success. If the bill collectors keep calling, and you cant do anything about it right now, put them on your "1-800-IGNORE" list and focus on making money so you can pay them and get rid of the debt!

We cant control the weather, the economy, the government (other than voting the bums out!), the stock market, or other people. So in order to keep your dream alive, as well as your peace of mind, remember to use that God given ability inherent in us all. If you cant use it now, control it, or need it...Ignore it!