Entrepreneurs Create Their Own Circumstances

Posted on January 24, 2015 by MarleneMB

Many people dream about starting their own businesses, but they haven’t started planning for theses dreams to become a reality. Others are stuck in the planning stage. They keep waiting for the right situation or hoping for the right person(s) to come along and help them. My son, Tarik, and his friend, Daniel decided not to wait on others or for the perfect situation.

Instead they started from where they are with what they have. Tarik and Daniel met at the University at Miami during freshmen year. They bonded right away. Tarik attended school for acting, but he also loves writing and directing. Daniel went to school for film production and editing. They are now living in LA working hard to get into the entertainment business.

As most of us know, it is a very difficult industry to break into. The competition is very strong. Here is the interesting thing. Daniel and Tarik isn’t waiting to be discovered. They are not sitting around hoping that someone will give them an opportunity to act or to produce movies. They started their own business on a shoestring budget. They enlist the assistance of their friends who are fellow budding actors.

This cuts down on the need to spend large sums of money for actors. This gives the others opportunities to showcase their skills in these mini-videos that Daniel and Tarik create. Working with their small budget, Tarik and Daniel also learned to film in areas such as their apartment, public places, etc. I’m happy to see that these young entrepreneurs are creating their own opportunities. They are not waiting for the right circumstance, they are creating their own.

Do you dream of starting your own business? Learn from my son and his friend. Don’t get stuck on dreaming or planning. Create your own circumstances. Give it a try. Here are some suggestions to get started:

1) Create a Business Plan – Yes. Although it is not a most, it is recommended that you put together a business plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated. The business plan should help you

figure out what it is you will be offering
what are your costs
what will you charge for your product or service
how you want to market your product or service
who is your target audience
who are your competitors

2) Create a name for you business. Purchase the URL for the business name. The fee is low of this. You don’t have to establish a website right away. Yet there are lots of free sights such as WordPress that you can utilize to establish a website.

3) Marketing Materials – You can have someone create marketing materials for you on websites such as fiverr.com or elance.com for relatively low cost.

4) Network with Complementary Businesses – In my speaking business I reach out to event planners or organizers as a part of my networking circles. They are a great lead source for my speaking business. I also provide them with names of speakers for their events. Always work to have it become a win-win relationship. If you are constantly taking and not giving you will lose your contacts.

5) Tell everyone (not necessarily your boss; if you are still working a full-time job) what you are doing. Word of mouth is still one of the greatest way to get the news out about your new endeavor. My friends and family are my biggest advocates. I get referrals from them. They also send me leads and give me great suggestions for making improvements in my business.

Starting a business can be scary and exciting at the same time. Yet as I observe my son and his friend in their pursuit of building their business, I’m proud of their efforts. Although they are both working jobs to fund their business, they continue to work at making their dream a success. My son called me the other day to tell me he is working three jobs. I said: “Great! Now you are a true Jamaican! Your grandmother will be proud of you.”

Both he and Daniel wants to succeed and they are doing the things that will bring them closer to achieving this. Here is the latest video they made. I hope you enjoy it.

The Girl:

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Entrepreneurs: A Major Lesson Learned from the Academy Awards Committee Faux Pax – Diversity

Posted on January 16, 2015 by MarleneMB

OSCARS DIVERSITY.001 — Image from cloudfront.net

The envelops were opened to announce the nominations for the coveted 2015 Academy Awards. Generally, this is a highly visible occasion to help build the excitement leading up to the televised Academy Awards event.

But something seemed amiss. None of the nominees were people of color. Also, a majority of the behind the scenes categories excluded women. The “Twitterverse” exploded with tweets of condemnation. YouTube lit up with videos of people ranting in disbelief. Not has something like this (exclusion of people of color) happened since 1998!

You may think: “What does this have to do with my business? I don’t care about the Academy Awards.” It does have a great lesson to offer you in your business decision making: Make Room for Diversity.

The Academy Awards Committee members are estimated to be close to 6000 people. According to an article in the LA Times 94% of these members are Caucasians and 77% of male. Only 2% are Blacks and 2% Latinos. This does not reflect the audience that view movies in the United States, let alone across the globe. Hence, the greater probability a situation like this will occur.

Here is some of the things you can do to avoid making the same mistake:

attracting-a-diverse-audience — Image from Soapboxsample.com

1) As an entrepreneur, it is critical that you think of the demographics of your target audience. Include folks on your staff (if you have employees) or in your circle of advisers (especially if you are the sole-proprietor) that reflects your target audience. We are told that one should diversify one’s financial portfolio to maximize the gains in the marketplace. The saying is true if you want to maximize your probability of the success of your business.

older-worker-handshake — Image from medreps.com

2) Oftentimes I have witnessed older workers being pushed out of corporations or not hired due to their age. This is not a great practice in my opinion. Some of my best advisers have been older workers, or as I liked to call them “seasoned workers.” They have years of work and world experiences that I can harvest to help me solve problems that I encounter.

Technology changes. Usually, people’s emotions and some behaviors remain the same for generations. Some of my seasoned advisers have helped me avoid bad business decisions that have saved me money. They have also given me great advices that caused me to earn more money.

3) In the same breath, don’t excluded younger workers because you perceive them to have less experience. I would rather take a chance on someone with less experience that have the willingness and the ability to learn quickly; than someone that has the experience but has no enthusiasm for the job.

A friend of mine was being considered to speak before a particular group. The event planner told someone that she (the event planner) thought my friend wasn’t seasoned enough in that particular area. Yet my friend helped her clients take their income from 5-figures to 6-figures in a matter of months! Obviously to me and my friend’s clients, she was doing something that was working well and could offer great information to the event planner’s audience. But the event planner had blinders on that state one has to have certain experience over a length of time to be considered “seasoned.” How unfortunate for this event planner and her audience.

Large group of ethnicity — Image from Mitchcommongroup.com

4) Include women, men, and minorities on your staff and in your circle of advisers. We all have our individual experiences that may limit our views that also limit our marketing reaching. Having a well-rounded source of viewpoints from various backgrounds (regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation) may give your business the spark it needs to attract more clients on a local, national and global level.

I thought my target audience were immigrant women. The more I deliver my keynote speeches or sell by books, I find that my message resonates with a lot of men from various backgrounds. It was a wonderful surprise. Now I include more men on my lists of advisers. This gives me a greater opportunity to spread my message and to earn more income.

globe450 — Image from smallbiztrends.com

5) Include people of many nationalities as you can; if you want a global reach. As you know, the explosion of the internet has allowed entrepreneurs to have access to international markets. It seems wise to include people of different nationalities in your circles.

My circle of associates, advisers, and clients hail from many different countries with different cultural experiences and spoken languages. I revel in this diversity, because it has enriched and enlightened me in so many ways.

Did the Academy Awards committee miss a great opportunity to promote its brand in a golden light? Only time will tell. It seems that the uproar from the lack of diversity of the 2015 nominees has dulled the shine on this body of decision makers, and unfortunately taken some of the spotlight off its nominees.

Avoid the faux pax of the Academy Awards Committee. Include diversity in your staff and circles, professionally and personally. Let the tweets award your business with praises for its inclusions and successes.

Find out how I learned these tips and more from my Diamond Cutters, my mentors and coaches, pick up a copy of Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters today.

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Beat the P.I.P.

Posted on December 2, 2014 by MarleneMB

There is a reality show on CNBC called “The Profit” that I occasionally watch. Marcus Lemonis, the star of the show, helps struggling small businesses to improve the profit of the businesses. Marcus invests his own money into the rejuvenation of them. In the last episode I watched, Marcus is trying to help a floral business get back its footing.

One of the issues Marcus identify was that the general manager (GM) was not performing the role of the GM to the level that was expected of her. He recommended that the GM be demoted. Marcus told her what her new role was and what was expected of her. She was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (P.I.P.). She was obviously hurt by the demotion as evident by her tears.

But what really impressed me was that she didn’t toss in the towel and quit. She stayed on and actually earned Marcus’ respect. She showed up each time with a positive attitude and did what was asked of her. In the end Marcus told her that he believed she should be the person in charge of the business at all times…even more so than the owner should be. The owner on the other hand was mostly negative throughout the episode.

As a manager, it was not pleasant for me to put an employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (P.I.P.). At this point of the decision, I found that the employee was performing his or her job way below expectation. In this case, I would work with the Human Resources representative to create a 30-60-90 day plan with measurable goals. Goals that were fair to the employee and the company.

Are you on a Performance Improvement Plan? Here is what you can do to Beat the P.I.P.

Understand what is required of you:

Review the Performance Improvement Plan with your manager to ensure you understand each goal and what is expected of you.
If there is something that is not clear to you, ask questions.
If the Human Resources representative is not present (in person, on video or on the phone) ask if you can have that person involved in the discussion.

Take it seriously:

Don’t take a P.I.P. lightly. If you want to keep the job, then seriously take stock of what you need to do to meet the goals. Create your own plan and start implementing the activities that would get you there.
Your feelings may be hurt, but this is an opportunity to show that you can rise above this low point. Put some sweat equity in. Action is what gets the job done…not sitting around and wishing things will work out.
Like the general manager in the opening story, don’t quit. Reach out to those that may be able to help you meet your goals…whether it is an existing client, a co-worker or a mentor. Be open and willing to do some of the things that they advice you to do.

Maintain Positive Attitude:

Be positive. I’ve seen so many people get put on a P.I.P. and immediately their attitudes become negative. This is not going to improve your manager’s opinion of you. It will validate that he or she is right about putting you on the P.I.P. in the first place.
Start your day off with something that inspires you to push through. I sometimes like to watch an inspirational video on YouTube or read a quick affirmation statement to get me in a great frame of mind.
Encourage others around you. The demoted general manager did not take her demotion as a defeat. Instead she maintained a positive attitude and started to encourage her peers and her direct reports. She provided positive feedback to them.

Being on a Performance Improvement Plan doesn’t mean that you cannot do the job. It simply means that you may need to make some adjustments that would move you to a higher level of performance. Just remember: understand what is required of you, take it seriously and maintain a positive attitude.

Many of my mentors have helped me and continue to help me attain my goals. Learn how they helped me in my book Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.

I leave you with a short video that inspired me today:

GET INSPIRED – Never Give Up On Your Goals!

Remember the Diamond is within you on Timeless Tuesday!

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Relax and Enjoy It

Posted on November 25, 2014 by MarleneMB

Learning to drive at an early age in New York City was a challenge. Unfortunately, I picked up the bad habit of being an aggressive driver. I can be one of the calmest folks you meet until I get behind a steering wheel! It took me a while to learn to relax and enjoy the ride instead.

Many of us are hitting the road to visit family and friends for the Thanksgiving Holiday in the USA. If you driving to your destination, I encourage you to relax and enjoy the ride.

Here are a few tricks I’ve learned:

Audiobooks: It is amazing how time flies by when I listen to audiobooks. I love mystery stories, especially ones that keep me at the edge of my seat. Sometimes I get to where I’m going and I sit in the car just to hear the ending!

Educational CDs or Podcasts: Driving gives you a great opportunity to improve your knowledge by listening to CDs share valuable information with you. Listening the experts in my field teaches me ways to make improvements in my business. They also generate new ideas that I may implement in my workshops.

Music:
There is no way that I feel aggressive when I’m listening to Neil Diamond, Luther Vandross or my faith based songs. But if I hear certain Rock, Reggae or Rap music…Uh oh! I leave these type of music for when I’m out of the car!

Silence: There are times when I roll up the windows and simply enjoy the silence. I use this time to meditate and reflect on something that I want to better understand or master.

Leave Early: Heading out on the road with more than enough time to get to my destination, makes it less stressful for me. I don’t like being late; therefore, it makes sense for me to get a good head start to avoid being late.

Let the other guy or gal go by: If someone is riding my bumper, I no longer feel the need to let the New Yorker Marlene out! I just move over to the other lane and give them room…I also say a silent prayer for them and the rest of us on the road.

Now, I’m not saying that I have mastered being a great driver, but the more I practice these methods, the more I’m enjoying the drive. I hope these tips help you on your next drive. Drive safely!

If you don’t have a mentor or coach, learn about finding great ones. Pick up a copy of my book Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.

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Until next time, keep Living a Diamond Life with much gratitude on Timeless Tuesday!

Great Leaders Need Great Coaches

Posted on November 24, 2014 by MarleneMB

Do you want to be a great leader? Include great mentors and coaches in your life. Having mentors and coaches that can sharpen your leadership skills is imperative in your growth. I had two great coaches, Pete Fasulo and Russell (Russ) Remy, early in my sales career. Their titles may have been trainers, but they were truly two of my best coaches, my Diamond Cutters. The lessons they taught me helped me as a manager and a leader.

Pete Fasulo was my very first sales coach. When I started my two-weeks of training as a telemarketer at Sprint, I had no idea what telecommunications entailed. Pete bounced into the training room with so much energy and a big smile on his face. He immediately captivated us, his trainees. He skillfully took a subject that is technical and at times boring and made it exciting to learn. Pete also taught us how to be successful at selling a product over the phone.

Here are a few pointers I got from Pete:

Telemarketing sales is an art – Be polite, be confident not rude.
Put a smile on your face – People can hear you smiling on the phone. I kept a mirror at my desk to remind me to smile before I dialed.
Give them value – You’ve got to give them a reason to listen to you or they will hang up the phone.
Learn to listen well – By listening to your potential client you will hear her objections; then, respond to each objection with your product knowledge.
Don’t take it personal – If someone says no or hangs up the phone, shake it off. It is not a personal matter. Move to the next call. The more “No’s” you get, the closer you get to a “Yes.”

Pete’s instructions to us, helped me to realize that although sales is a numbers game (there is no magic in sales) being personable, being emphatic towards the client, belief in myself and the products and services I sell are parts of being a successful sales person. The first day I stepped onto the sales floor, I made a sale using Pete’s methods. In fact, his tutelage allowed me to be successful enough to get a promotion with a higher salary into another department!

While Pete was a bundle of energy, Russell Remy was a easy going trainer that had a quick sense of humor that disarmed you. Russ was my trainer when I started at MCI as a Customer Support Consultant. My duties included providing customer service to existing clients and up-selling them more products and services. I met with these clients mostly on a face to face basis. This required different skills than being a telemarketer.

Russ shared with the group the importance of learning good body language. Your body language says more than you thing. Good body language starts with how we behave in the sitting area while waiting to meet with the client. Russ demonstrated the proper way to shake hands with our clients. He videotaped our interaction with mock clients and then had us review the videos. Russ instructed us on what we did correctly and what we needed to improve upon. He also showed us how to read our clients’ body language.

Russ taught us about the products and services that we needed to master in order to be effective at our jobs. Russ included the LEAR (Listen, Explore, Acknowledge and Respond) method as a part of the training program.

This is what Russ taught us about the LEAR method:

Listen – Don’t just walk into the client’s office and start speaking. Let him tell you about the company, his role in the company and the goals that he has to meet.
Explore – Learn to ask probing questions and genuinely listen to your client. Ask permission to write the answers down before you start to write.
Acknowledge – Let her know that you hear her. Repeat what she tells you. This will give her the opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding at this point.
Respond – This is the time that you would share how your company’s products and/or services that meet the requirements of your client.

These are just a few of the beneficial information that helped me in my leadership roles. I believe one of the best take aways I got from Russ is to FOLLOW UP! While you are with the client ask for the next appointment. Strike while the iron is hot. When you get back to the office, follow up with an email – give a recap of the meeting. Often time, your client will welcome this. Not many people use follow up as a tool to help them gain and retain customers. This will give you a great edge against your competitors.

By adhering to Russ’s guidance, I went out and upgraded quite a number of my clients on a new product the company was offering. I did so well that I won a contest I didn’t even know the company was conducting. My mother called me at work wondering why MCI sent me a big SONY television. I asked my manager about it. She said I was the top Customer Service Consultant for the quarter. The TV was one of my rewards.

To say that I appreciate the lessons Pete Fasulo and Russell Remy taught me is beyond words. These coaches imprinted their knowledge and talents on me. After the training sessions ended, they continued to be accessible for me to ask questions. They were always pleasant and patient with me. In this week of Thanksgiving, I am truly thankful that they were a part of my development as a leader. Thank you Pete and Russell for being two of my best Diamond Cutters!

As mentioned above, great leaders need to include great mentors and coaches in their lives. If you have great mentors or coaches, appreciate them. Learn from them. Most importantly apply the lessons they teach you.

If you don’t have a mentor or coach, learn about finding great ones. Pick up a copy of my book Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.

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If you liked this post, please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page. This will allow me continue to write and share with you on a variety of topics.

Until next time, keep Living a Diamond Life with much gratitude on Invincible Monday!