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Entrepreneurs, dreams, and discipline
In the fall of 1985, my father retired at age 62 to start his own business. He was an expert in the field of pipeline controls, and he chose to retire early to become a consultant. I remember his fresh set of business cards in the gold-plated holder. It was exciting. Unfortunately, 20 years later, he passed away without having gained a single client.
The hard side of “warm and fuzzy”
One time I was at a social setting and happened to encounter a seasoned school teacher who I greatly admired. I asked her the secret of her success, and she answered simply by saying, “Never smile until Thanksgiving”. At the time, I thought that was a clever remark. Since that event, my mind has gone back to that statement countless times as I frequently encounter one of a manager’s most haunting problem…CONTROL.
True-spirited entrepreneurs like a take-charge culture
If you are a successful entrepreneur, you probably like to hire “take-charge” people who own their actions and make good decisions. The challenge is that this type is hard to find and also challenging to keep. Why? Because they want to be an entrepreneur.
You can learn a lot from a Beatle
“The problem with success is that too often it comes disguised in overalls and hard work” – Mark Twain
About 40 years ago the Hall family (Hallmark Cards) opened a luxury Hotel in Kansas City that was the talk of the town. Built on a rock formation, the urban gem had waterfalls and landscaping that gave a renewed ambiance to KC. I remember when they interviewed the general manager: They asked him his success secret. He said, “I started my career as a bellhop, and I never used the luggage cart…People like to see you earn your money” He’s right.
How to warm up cold calls
If you took a survey of personal preferences, most people would probably say they much prefer a warm shower over a cold shower. I have found the same rule applies to cold calling. Most (not all) of us would prefer a warm call to a cold call.