Do you feel fulfilled in your life?

It started with a plea to work overtime. That request turned into a few more hours here, a few more hours there. Your boss gave you an insane deadline, you had to take work home to complete it by morning. Now, you find yourself less productive, more tired, and highly stressed. You haven’t done something for yourself in months. Recharge yourself and your productivity by finding personal fulfillment.

Brain Banking

Think of your brain like a bank. Instead of money, your brain works on energy. When you are working long hours, doing something that bores you, you are depleting energy from your account. Soon, you have trouble affording even the most simple work tasks. Your energy and motivation levels drop. Your inclination to perform your best work goes to the wayside. When you do things that you love, you are refilling your account with energy. This allows you to be more productive.

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness

More money does not buy more happiness. You might temporarily please your family with trinkets or other material goods, but the real contentment comes with sharing and interaction. Advertisers will convince you that you need to purchase that new car, but the delight fades after a few weeks. True contentment comes from personal fulfillment. Many rich people will tell you that their contentment does not come from the money that they make.

Life is Short, Enjoy It

Life is short. Take advantage of every available opportunity to enjoy it. Go for a walk and enjoy nature. Experience a full moon on a pitch-black night. Instead of looking toward the future, take a moment to appreciate each second which has been made available to you. Stop multitasking. When your children want your attention, do not tell them that you are busy working. They are more important than the latest crisis.

Passion and Productivity

Have you noticed that you spend hours doing the things which you love? You might research new techniques of painting miniatures. You might take time at the golf course to develop that perfect swing. When you are doing things in which you have no interest, they tend to be easily forgotten. When you are doing loved activities, you remember every moment. Both passion and apathy are infectious. When you are passionate about an activity or hobby, you want to return to it and further progress. That passion leads to great productivity.

Do What You Love

When you do things that you love, you are more productive, happier, and more fulfilled. Does your work give you that spiritual incentive and make you feel worthwhile? If it doesn’t, you might wish to consider another career. Life’s too short to dread your workplace. When you change careers, you will find that the worst days of your new profession are better than your best days at your old job. Start your own business. Look for another job. Life is for experiencing, not slogging.

The secret to productivity is personal fulfillment. That fulfillment can take you on paths which you might never have dreamed possible. You can smile more readily, spend time with your family, and delight in activities which are much more fulfilling than the pursuit of money. Refuel yourself and achieve your dreams.

About the Author

James Adams is a full time in-house writer and product analyst at a leading print cartridge supplier based in the UK who specialize in providing franking machine ink to businesses.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Linkedin 4 Blogging?

We all know the power of LinkedIn. It’s used to:

• Build a network
• Further a career
• Be seen as an expert
• Raise funding
• Acquire new customers
• Find answers to business questions

And though I have used it for some of these reasons…I recently found out the opportunities it held for my blog. I have seen first hand how I was able to generate an average of 50 comments per post.

I kid you not.

So in this post, against my better judgement,  I’m going to step-by-step instructions on how to build engagement and conversation around your posts.

Disclaimer: though what I’m about to share with you will bring shares and views it may not bring actual comments to your post. The comments will be reserved for the groups that you’re in. People will make most of their comments in the group…not on the blog posts. I hope you’re not too choosy about WHERE they comment.

So here they are…the steps:

Find the Right Group

This of course depends on your expertise. For instance my blog deals with Biblical Strategies for Startups so some of the groups I use are:

• Small Biz Nation
• Startups and Entrepreneurs Get Funded
• Christian Business Leaders Network
• Lead Change Group

Remember: pick the group based on your expertise.

Start Small Talk

If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years with social media: you have to GIVE in order to GET. Comment on other posts, join in conversations, and interact with members. You don’t just go into a building, look at everyone, and shout, “Hey everyone!! Look at me!!” They’ll look at you…but probably not the way you want.

Focus on Your Content AND the Title

Though great content is the backbone…a lot can said for great titles (or headlines). When I looked at the most UNPOPULAR blog discussions in my group these were some of the titles:

• Purposeful Leadership: Thoughtful Thanksgiving
• LinkedIn to Business: Talk Amongst Yourselves
• Project Managers Must Fight for Time to do Things Right
• Helpful Article on B2B Marketing
• Celebrating a Sadness

Yeah…I know…riveting titles huh? Makes you want to stop what you’re doing to read them?

Not!

The funny thing is…those are probably some great and insightful articles…but without a catchy title…who wants to read them?

The articles I’ve had the the most success with were:

• How One’s Man Purpose Turned Apple Into a Powerhouse
• The 5 Mind-Blowingly Simple Strategies Any Startup Can Learn from Lady Gaga
• The Frustrations of Being a Startup: Lessons from King David
• What Do You Do When Your Church Sucks
• How to Prospect Like Jesus
• What is the Purpose of Social Media for the Believer
• 5 Ways to Turn Customers and Prospects into Apostles and Evangelists

Make the headlines sticky!!

Share Your Stuff and Fan the Flames

Once you have the content ready with a sticky headline its time to share it. An easy way to share your stuff through multiple social sites is by using the Share-a-holic plugin. It is awesome!

Once you shared the post and start to get comments…jump on them immediately!! One mistake I used to make with my earlier posts was not getting in on the great conversations people were having about my posts. By getting in on the conversation you are fanning the flame for viral exposure.

Reply to each comment, answer each question, and fan the flames!

Use the comments to Make Another Post

I did this recently with two guest posts. I wrote a guest post entitled How One Man’s Purpose Turned Apple into a Powerhouse. The post went nuts on LinkedIn and brought dozens of comments (many from some very high profile people–including the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and a best-selling author). I then used their comments (with their permission of course) from that post for another guest post entitled How Important is Purpose to a Startup. Their comments not only added huge credibility…they helped in getting that post to go even further!

There you have it! My 5 step strategy to build engagement…is there anything I missed?

What do you think?

About the Author

Mike Holmes

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Flickr image by homesbythomas

Christian businesses are expected to have high standards of integrity, but often fall short. In reality, the lapses in integrity among Christian business owners probably don’t surpass the overall average, but they seem to get noticed more because of high customer expectations.

As a Christian, you should understand the importance of integrity in your business: 8 ways to benefit from honest business practices are listed here.

1. Your conduct affects your reputation and that of other Christian businesses

When you use your “Christian” label as a means to scam others out of their money, you hurt people who will spread the word that you are a fake and, more importantly, your faith is fake.

2. Get your priorities right

Christianity teaches that people should live good lives first, regardless of what it costs them. This means that when you’re in business, you do what’s right. If you make a mistake, sell a faulty product, or misrepresent a service, you should make it right even if it costs you more money than you earned on the transaction. Hard work and honestly help you become a better person. Your chance to earn that money back will come later.

3. Integrity is good publicity

Any business should learn the lesson of Christianity: by being a good person and helping your fellow man, you not only please God, but you attract the loyalty of those whom you serve. When you operate according to moral principle, the word will get out about you and business will come to you as a result.

4. Do it for the children

If you have children, you want them to be honest, don’t you? There are so many bad influences they face already, they sure do not need to see their parent lying, cheating, and stealing. Children know that dishonest behavior hurts people, so don’t hurt them by being a poor example of a Christian.

5. You will answer to God

People who do not share Christian values may not be concerned about what God thinks of them, but Christians should be concerned because they will ultimately answer to God for what they did during this life. God will likely not be impressed with the excuses you give Him for why you swindled innocent customers out of their money. In fact, He may be very displeased with how poorly you reflected His character to others.

6. Your employees are watching

The greed and win-at-all-costs mentality of modern business sets a disturbing tone at every level of the economy. The selfishness of some and disregard for the rights, feelings, and needs of others is largely responsible for the economic mess our nation has been in. Unethical behavior is so wide spread that more than half of employees admit to behaving immorally or illegally while on the job. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. When your employees see you acting with integrity, they are more likely to follow suit.

7. Regulations are no substitute for ethics

Look at the volumes of regulations in place that affect the banking, real estate, and insurance businesses, yet they were ineffective in preventing the bilking of hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers to bail them out. In response, the government passed even more laws and made more regulations: will that end all wrongdoing in business? As a Christian, it’s your job to make sure everyone that works for you undergoes ethics training. After all, integrity is for all people, not just of those who share your faith.

8. Leadership

As a Christian business person, integrity is important because of your commitment to God, but it is important because of your duty to humanity. The business world needs leadership that is willing to stand up and say that it’s OK to put God and people first and money second.

Take the lead and show those around you that if you can’t do business with integrity, you would rather not do business at all. If you will lead, other businesses will follow and the whole world will be a better place. Recognize the importance of integrity in your business: 8 ways to benefit from your faith will benefit those around you as well.

About the Author

James Adams is a full time in-house writer and product analyst at a leading print cartridge supplier based in the UK who specialise in providing franking machine ink to businesses.

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Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

This is a guest post by Ralph E. Plaskett

Are Your Marketing Dollars Going into the Trash?

Do you remember the last piece of mail that you received? Do you remember what it was about? If you are like most people, you don’t. You probably considered it to be junk mail because it didn’t pertain to you or your interests. In the online world, this would be called spam – unwanted or unsolicited mail (or email). This type of mail is what I like to call name, rank, and serial number mailings, otherwise known as traditional marketing.

Traditional marketing is far from being effective because it doesn’t appeal to the wants, desires, and interests of the people. As humans, we often think that something works when we see an abundance of it. Unfortunately, we see even more bad marketing because many businesses owners feel that because they see an abundance of a particular marketing piece that it must be effective. Well the secret is that they are often not effective for the reasons mentioned above.

So how do we turn from marketing that wastes money to marketing that provides a solid return on investment? The answer to this question is quite simple yet difficult for so many business owners and entrepreneurs to understand. If you have ever worked in retail, your manager probably told you “The customer is always right”. Although this isn’t always true, the philosophy behind this popular saying is true. ‘The customer is always right’ takes the focus off of self or
the company and raises the interests of the customer in the employee’s mind. People-focused marketing does just that; makes the marketing about the recipient, not the company or its products/services.

If you have ever spoken with someone that only talks about themselves or their interests, then you know how annoying it can be. Your marketing is no different. The challenge that small business owners face is turning their marketing from self-centered marketing to people-focused marketing. To accomplish this, small business owners need to understand who their customers are. Here are a few questions that will help you figure out who exactly are your customers.

•       What are their interests?
•       What are their fears?
•       What kind of periodicals do they read?
•       Do they have their own lingo?
•       What is their education level?

As you can imagine, this isn’t even close to a complete list of questions that small business owners can ask to gain a better understanding of their customers. Each industry, product, and service has its own questions that can be asked to become familiar with customers who may be inclined to purchase. Far too many small business owners do not do the necessary research to truly know their customers. It is much easier to put their name, rank (years in business), and serial number (street address) than to do the hard work of understanding who is the customer and how that relates to their product or service.

Once a solid understanding of the customer is discovered, the creation of a message that is tailored to that ‘ideal customer can be created. This is known as message to market matching. What many small business owners don’t understand is that their product or service is a solution to someone. They also don’t understand that everyone isn’t their customer (which is a totally different article). Your product solves a problem that the customer is facing. The challenge of the small business owner is to discover how many solutions/benefits their product or service provides. This is why it is critical to understand who the customer is.

Making marketing that is centered around the customer and the benefits they will obtain from a product or service is admittedly difficult, time-consuming, but very rewarding. Not only are you providing benefits and solutions to your customers but your will also increase your revenue 10-fold.

Proverbs 13:4 (NIV) says The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. So which one will you be, the sluggard wishing and hoping for greater success in your business or the diligent who is fully satisfied and seeks greater achievements?

———————–
About the Author
Ralph E. Plaskett is known as the Peculiar Marketing Expert for peculiar people, the go-to resource for action-oriented information where readers can take the words right off the page and put them to work immediately! His effective strategies develop, grow, and expand businesses for Christians. Visit his website at
http://www.PushingKingdomBusiness.com

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Want to Present with Poise?

Speaking engagements are great marketing opportunities. To be a successful business person, you have to be able to clearly and effectively communicate about your offerings to potential clients, investors, and partners. One way to generate buzz for your business is to create and give presentations that highlight various aspects of your business. These presentations can help you seal opportunities for more sales in strategic areas.

I had the chance to see Ed Tate, the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking, present at a Toastmasters conference recently. He said that public speaking is the only form of marketing where you can build an emotional bond with your potential clients. Are you ready and willing to give a speech about what you do and the services you provide?

Preparation and practice are the keys to a poised presentation, but there is much more to giving a speech than just presenting your information. To showcase yourself and your business in the best light, follow these 20 principles to prepare a powerful, polished presentation with poise and purpose.

Purposeful Preparation

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)

1. Audience Analysis

DON’T: Give a canned speech without modifications.

DO: Consult the meeting planner/event coordinator to discuss your topic and tailor your presentation to a specific audience. You should consult with her well ahead of time to find out the audience’s needs, problems and concerns instead of just looking at things you can sell to them. Think of it as part of your ministry of service. If a group goes to a park for ministry to the homeless, they are likely to feed them and distribute supplies before talking to them about God, praying with, and reading Scriptures to them. Likewise, you have to meet people where they are, and speak to them on their level before you attempt to discuss any offerings. Once you build a rapport in this way, without a sales pitch, they will be more open to learning about your product or service.

A pre-event questionnaire is a great tool to gather information if you’re speaking to a company or organization. You can give the meeting planner the questionnaire to fill out well in advance. The details you learn from her answers will help you customize a speech, and build trust and credibility with your audience—the emotional bond that Ed Tate mentioned. Review their website, annual reports, newsletters, press releases, and brochures. Then check with the meeting planner to ensure that your stories and ideas are relevant to your points and not offensive. When in doubt, leave it out.

2. Figure Out Where You Fit

DON’T: Prepare your speech in a vacuum.

DO: Find out and consider the logistics of the event where you will be speaking. What is the specific purpose of the gathering? Will you speak from a raised platform, or be at the same level as your audience? How much time do you have to get your message across?

3. Start With a Bang

DON’T: Open your speech with something dull such as, “Hello everyone. Today I’m here to talk to you about…,” a long-winded thanks to numerous people, or an irrelevant story about what happened to you on the way there.

DO: Get your audience’s attention right out of the gate. Use a question, anecdote, startling statistic, paradox, or controversial opinion to draw in your audience and capture their attention. You want them to forget whatever is on their mind and focus on your message. You can also include an icebreaker to loosen up the audience and get them curious about what you will present.

4. Mix It Up

DON’T: Read to your audience or stick to one monotonous format.

DO: Use different elements such as humor, facts, quotes, and anecdotes. You can also engage your audience by:

· Telling stories. You can use a case study, a personal testimony that conveys how your business helped solve a problem or make someone’s life easier.  When you tell stories that involve more than one person you can make the scenes come alive by:

- Using dialogue (don’t speak in third person, speak as if you are each character)

- Using body language and gestures (make faces and relive the story)

- Varying your voice, tone, and pitch (don’t be like the teacher in The Wonder Years)

· Taking an audience survey by show of hands or applause, or use a white board, easel, or overhead transparency to write their responses.

· Doing a partner/small group exercise.

· Doing a skit using one or more audience members.

· Encouraging them to finish some of your sentences or repeat a phrase you use throughout.

· Use props. For example, you could toss an object around the room, and whoever catches it has to answer a question (and possibly gets a prize).

5. Beware of Information Overload

DON’T: Cram too much information into your presentation.

DO: Leave them wanting more. Consider your allotted time purpose when you design the breadth and depth of your speech. Is it a high-level presentation or an in-depth seminar? Do you have 15 minutes or an hour? Craig Valentine, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, advises that you discuss no more than one main point for every 10 minutes of your speech. This is one of the rules I’m guilty of breaking. Take it from me—your audience will get frustrated if you try to pack in too much information in the time allowed, or skip over information because you’re running out of time.

If you want extra “insurance,” you can have color-code your speech or mark your notes in a certain way so you know which elements to add or delete as you go along, to fill the needs of your speech. If you find that your time gets cut short, you’ll know which key points to make, and if you gain time, you know you’ve got relevant stories and exercises available to fill it up.

6. PowerPoint is Not a Crutch

DON’T: Read your PowerPoint slides or cram them with too many words.

DO: Create only as many slides as you need to make your points, or scrap the slides altogether. Choose a prop or other visual aids.

7. Leave Them With Something To Remember You By

DON’T: Conclude your speech with a question and answer period.

DO: Prepare an actual closing to your presentation. You want to make a powerful, lasting impact on your listeners, since they won’t remember most of your speech. You can have Q&A, just don’t make it THE ending. Instead use a story to drive home your core message, or just a summary that brings your points together. You could also choose to end with:

· Advice

· An anecdote

· A call to action (signing up for email updates, inviting people to make a donation, visiting your website, buying your product, or supporting a cause)—just don’t make it a pitch

· Asking volunteers to tell what they learned and how they will apply it in their life, or to voice their objections or concerns about carrying out the advice presented.

8. Practice!

DON’T: Skimp on rehearsals.

DO: Rehearse several times, even if you have given the speech before. If this audience has not heard you speak about this topic, and you tailored it for them, you need to incorporate your “tweaks”. Record yourself and/or speak in front of someone if you can so you can check your performance.

Beware of filler words, such as “um”s and “uh”s, which may come about if you don’t practice your transitions and pauses during rehearsal. Pauses allow you time to think about what you will say next, and they give the audience time to think about the last thing they heard, which provides emphasis to it.

9. Oration is Not Necessary

DON’T: Push yourself to memorize your entire talk.

DO: Familiarize yourself with the speech enough that you don’t have to rely heavily on notes (although it’s a good idea to have them close by in case you lose your place). Rehearsing and practice will help you memorize most of your talk, but you can still flow naturally and not feel pressure to remember your speech word-for-word.

10. Consider Evaluations

DON’T: Underestimate the importance of feedback.

DO: Create speech evaluations that people can fill out anonymously to gauge your effectiveness and make improvements for your next presentation.

Poised and Polished Presentation

“You are the light of the world… In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14a; 16 (NIV)

11. Let Your Light Shine

DON’T: Wear clothing or flashy jewelry that detracts from your presentation, however nice it may look on you. Image and first impressions are important.  Clothes that are wrinkled, too big, or too tight are not right. You don’t need to create any distracting visual barriers for the audience to overcome. And ladies—if you would find it questionable on another woman, then don’t wear it yourself. Modesty is never offensive. You are representing yourself, your business, and Christ.

DO: Dress for success. When you look good, you feel good, and your confidence will help you shine.

12. Stay Alert to Logistical Changes

DON’T: Assume that all your technical requirements will be good to go when you arrive.

DO: Arrive early and bring your own equipment. Stuff happens. Even if you requested specific equipment to be set up for you, arrive with ample time to set up if you are using PowerPoint slides, handouts, or other props, just in case “Murphy” shows up. Chairs may be set up differently than you’d like, or you may have to move to a different room. If logistics change, be flexible, and make do the best you can and work with what you’ve got.

13. Relax

DON’T: Be too serious.

DO: Smile. Regardless of the topic, there will be a time to smile.  Show your personality. If you’re nervous, everyone doesn’t have to know. Sometimes you have to fake it ‘til you make it, and besides, smiling is contagious. Let your light shine!

14. Pace Yourself

DON’T: Talk too fast.

DO: Take your time as you speak. It’s easy to talk too fast if you’re excited about your material or nervous, but try to keep a poised and relaxed or energetic composure—depending on what your topic calls for. If you’re concerned about time, keep a timepiece on the lectern or have someone signal you.

15. Keep Your Composure

DON’T: Get off track or get discouraged if something goes wrong during the presentation.

DO: Recover gracefully (or make a tactful joke) and keep it moving. It’s OK if you mess up or lose your place. The audience is on your side—they really want to see you succeed! They’re giving you their time and attention, hoping to get some important insight and information in return. Don’t let them down!

Powerful Presence

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40)

16. Move Around

DON’T: Stay in one spot or favor one side of the stage for the entire presentation, pace, or turn your back to the audience.

DO: Move naturally from time to time, with purpose, but not from nervousness or an abundance of energy.

17. A “Know-It-All”? Not!

DON’T: “Talk down” to your audience or position yourself as a person who has “made it” without any struggles.

DO: Demonstrate your expertise in a way that engages the audience and answers the question, “What’s in it for me?” Be relatable and show your commonalities. Why do you believe in your product or service? How has it helped others?

18. Take Charge

DON’T: Ignore a heckler or disruptive audience member, or respond with a rude or coarse remark.

DO: Stay in control of the room. Once you start your presentation, you are in charge. Ignoring disruptive audience members is not usually the best way to handle them. Address them tastefully without embarrassing anyone. People will respect you for taking control, and for your calm, cool attitude.

19. Hang Out for a While

DON’T: Do not make a long or pressured sales pitch. Once you turn off the audience, they’ll shut down and there’s no coming back.

DO: Remain accessible and approachable after your speech. Let people know a little about your business and how they can reach you. Give them just enough information to leave them wanting more. You can negotiate with the meeting planner to offer a service such as coaching sessions or back of the room sales for your products after your presentation has concluded. If you educate the audience and provide them with value, you can convince them why they need your services and convert some of them into paying clients.

20. Keep At It

DON’T: Let too much time elapse between speaking engagements.

DO: Continually seek out places to gain more exposure for your business. Get in where you fit in by checking out your local Chamber of Commerce meetings, Rotary clubs, Kiwanis clubs, and other associations and nonprofit groups related to your target audience.

Find Your Rhythm and Put Yourself Out There

As you can see, much of the work that goes into presenting with poise is due to preparation. You have to find a rhythm when presenting information and it helps to start preparing BEFORE you see an opportunity to speak. Experts in their fields are often asked to speak at conferences and special events, but it’s better still to create your own presentations and opportunities as you network.

If you want to get more comfortable with public speaking on a regular basis and build confidence, join a Toastmasters club near you. It’s the most economical professional organization I’ve ever belonged to for the value I’ve received (it’s about $30 for a six-month membership at my club).

Who needs your products and services? I encourage you to share your expertise with them because no one can tell them about it better than you. The more you often speak, the better you will become, and the more personal success and business growth you can realize.

About the Author

Daree Allen

Daree Allen is a technical writer, freelancer, and motivational speaker. She is currently writing a self-help book for teen girls.  You can reach her at her website, “D.elivering A. R.ich, E.mpowering E.xperience” at http://DareeAllen.com, and her personal development blog, “Daree’s Insights” at http://dareesinsights.wordpress.com.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

What Could You Learn from Him?

Update 10/05/2011: Sadly, one day after the iPhone 4S announcement, Apple announced that Steve jobs passed away on Wednesday 10/05. He was a creative genius and someone who changed the scene of technology as we knew it.

Our prayers go out to his family, friends, and co-workers at Apple.

Note: The article below was originally published on May 4, 2010.

In 2009, Fortune name Steve Jobs CEO of the decade; beating out Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, and Carlos Slim Helu (currently the world’s richest man).

Why him?

• Could it be the fact that he reinvented the music, movie, and telecommunications industries
• Maybe because a $100 investment in Apple stock on Dec 30th 1999 would’ve grown to $7,898 by early 2008
• Maybe when Apple launched the iMac in 2001 it had only 2% of the US PC Market, but by Nov. 2009 it dominated the high-end computer market (accounting for 90%)
• Or what about the fact that Apple was responsible for 99.4% of mobile apps sales in 2009

Oh…let’s not forget that Apple sold 300, 000 iPads its first day out (roughly $150,000,000).  Have you heard of a product selling $150,000,000  on its first day??!!

No…me neither.

So it’s safe that say that Christian Entrepreneurs might be able to pick up a few tips.

So here they are…some Job-isms for the Christian Entrepreneur:

1. Have a Purpose Beyond Making Money

I can’t stress this enough. Great entrepreneurs have a purpose that goes beyond making money. Don’t get me wrong–they make money but also set out to change the world in some way. The purpose embedded in Apple’s DNA has always been ”to democratize technology.”And breakthrough technology has been born out of that purpose.

The Bible says, “The noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.” (Isaiah 32:8 The Bible in Basic English)

When Apple was under the leadership of John Sculley (after Jobs was ousted) it focused more on marketing than engineering; on pointing out past successes than looking for future opportunities. That set the tone for a very expensive downward spiral. It lost sight of its purpose. It needed its purpose driven founder to take it from bad–to good–to great.

2. Pay Attention to Details

Right before Apple was set to release the iPhone in 2007 ( the riskiest project to date), Jobs came in one Monday morning and told his team:

“I just don’t love this. I can’t convince myself to fall in love with this. And this is the most important product we’ve ever done.”

Think about that for a second: millions of dollars have been allocated, dozens of hours have been logged, sacrifices have been made, and the CEO comes in and says: “I think we can do it better…let’s start over.”

And yet this isn’t new.

When Pixar (his former company–now owned by Disney) was making Toy Story there was a point when they realized the story wasn’t that good. So they shut down production for five months, while they perfected the story. They could have just left it at good, but Jobs knows, that good is never good enough.

Jobs tends to view products in one of two ways:

“Insanely great” or “s#!t”

He is a stickler for details.

He understands that form is just as important as function.

Gordon Ramses (the chef on TV who’s always screaming at people) expressed his philosophy of detail:

“It doesn’t matter how amazing the steak is, if it’s served on a cold plate it’s crap. If it’s served with a dull knife it’s crap. If the gravy isn’t piping hot, it’s crap. If you’re eating it on an uncomfortable chair, it’s crap. If it’s served by an ugly waiter who just came in from a smoke break, it’s crap. Because I care about the steak, I have to care about everything around it.”

Jesus was a stickler for details. He never cut corners, and whatever He did was done with excellence. In fact, in prayer, He told God:

“I glorified You on earth By completing down to the last detail what You assigned Me to do….I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women You gave Me.” (John 17: 4,6 The Message)

Whatever you’re building be as concerned (if not more) about the little things. Because the majority of people aren’t. That “attention to detail” mindset will push you light years ahead of those “other people.”

Remember Jobs: “It’s ‘insanely great’ or its ‘s#!t!’”

3. Strong Leaders Need Strong Leadership

After Jobs became Apple’s CEO one of the first things was replace his supporting leadership with people from NeXT (his former company). He understood a simple truth: a leader is as strong as its supporting leadership.

When I say “leaders” I mean just that: leaders!

Not “yes men”, but strong men. Not soldiers, but generals. Not just followers, but leaders in their own right. John Maxwell calls this The Law of the Inner Circle:

“A Leader’s Potential is Determined by Those Closest to Him.” (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, p.109)

Early in his career, Jobs’ been obsessed with getting the most talented and competent people possible. In fact, at NeXT, he once braggedthat even his receptionist had a PH.d!

Saul and David were very strong leaders. But David, unlike Saul, was comfortable with having Mighty Men around him and as a result his kingdom grew to awesome heights! Saul, however, was intimated by having any one around him who could possibly upstage him (i.e. David).

Jobs found the best, was the best, and therefore created the best.

4. Customers Are NOT Always Right

Apple does no market research. They scoff at the notion of target markets. They hire no outside consultants to see what customers want.

Why?

Because Jobs understands a simple truth about people: people don’t know what they need and they think they know what they want.

He subscribes to the philosophy of Henry Ford:

“If I’d have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me ‘A faster horse.”

In his words:

“There’s a certain amount of homework involved, true, but mostly it’s just picking up on things you can see on the periphery. Sometimes when you’re almost asleep, you realize something you wouldn’t otherwise have noted. I subscribe to a half-dozen Internet news services, and I get about 300 e-mails a day, many from people I don’t know, hawking crazy ideas. And I’ve always paid close attention to the whispers around me.”

Those “whispers” have created some of the greatest products the world has ever seen!

You have to constantly keep your ear to the street: looking for things that others haven’t yet picked up on.

Truth be told, great entrepreneurs are like prophets: they see things others don’t see, listen to that “still small voice” or “the whispers”, and pounce on the opportunities immediately!

They constantly keep their ear to the street.

Jesus kept His ear to the street:

“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’” (Mark 8:27 New King James Version)

AND He understood the changing (and fickle) desires of people:

“Because of the miraculous signs He did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that He was indeed the Messiah.  But Jesus didn’t trust them, because He knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell Him about human nature.” (John 2:23-25 New Living Translation)

Jobs understands that what people want today will not be what they want tomorrow. And as result, of that knowledge he’s positioned Apple as a global phenomenon.

5. Failure is a Stepping Stone to Success

In light of Job’s successes it’s so easy to over look his failures:the Lisa, NeXT, Motorola ROKR, Apple TV. That said, 8 of the Top 10 Apple Products  Which Flopped were designed during the Jobs absence, when Jobs was not with Apple (also check out Steve Jobs’ 5 Biggest Mistakes).  That being said: failure is an inevitable step to success.

There’s no way around it.

But let me say this: mistakes aren’t bad, not learning from mistakes is bad. But the benefits of mistakes will only be learned through persistence and trying different strategies.

Jesus taught the disciples the value of trying different strategies. Both were when they when they were fishing and caught no fish:

“When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, we’ll try again.’ And this time their nets were so full they began to tear!” (Luke 5:4-6 New Living Translation)

“At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn’t see who He was. He called out, ‘Friends, have you caught any fish?’ ‘No,’ they replied. Then He said, ‘Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of fish!’ So they did, and they couldn’t draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.” (John 21: 4-6 New Living Translation)

The message was simple: “Keep doing what you’re doing, don’t quit, just change this.”

To succeed you’re going to have to persist in spite of failure.

6. Success Comes Through Focus Not Through Diversity

When Jobs took over as “interim CEO” the company, according to him, “had a zillion and one products.” He immediately set out to reduce that number drastically. Now to be fair, the previous CEO, saw this and cut the number from 350 to 50. Jobs finished it up bycutting it to 10.

That ability to focus, according to Jobs, had helped Apple drastically:

“Apple is a $30 billion company, yet we’ve got less than 30 major products. I don’t know if that’s ever been done before. Certainly the great consumer electronics companies of the past had thousands of products. We tend to focus much more. People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

Great entrepreneurs have the ability to focus on things that matter (or that bring the most return).

For instance, while most fund managers spread their bets among dozens if not hundreds of stocks, Warren Buffet (arguably the worlds greatest investor)  has been known to allocate tens of billions to only a handful of stocks. More surprising is that his top 10 account for 90 percent of his portfolio!

How has this strategy worked for him?

Well… if you invested $1000 in 1956 in the DOW/S&P by the end of 2007 you would have made $139,131

But…if you invested that same $1000 in his company at the same time you would have made $30,649,493

Wow! Crazy isn’t it?

Jesus understood the power of focus. Though He spent time with thousands of people, He revealed Himself the most to the 12 disciples. When He left it was the 12 (Matthias replacing Judas) who spread the Gospel and turned the world upside down! He focused His efforts and as a result got His Message into the hearts of billions. Would He have gotten such a result spreading Himself so thin? Probably not.

But…don’t get me wrong…diversity has its benefits too. Especially when you’re just starting out and not sure of what you’re doing. But after a while, you should see where the most returns are coming from. When you do focus your efforts there.

Well that’s all I got! I tried to keep it short (wink wink). But its obvious there are a lot of lessons to be learn. It just takes the right entrepreneur who’s willing to go to school.

What do you think?

Mike Holmes

Mike Holmes is a blogger that writes on business and leadership development from a Biblical perspective. When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Image via Soulpurposeministries

Entrepreneurs are more than those actively involved in building a business enterprise. Truth be told, an “entrepreneur” is someone who takes possession of a venture or idea and assumes responsibility for the outcome; it’s someone who takes control of his or her life and assumes responsibility for it. A “Christian entrepreneur” does that to the Glory of God.

But one of the defining characteristics of great entrepreneurs is that they have a purpose that goes beyond just making money.

“Purpose? Are you kidding me,” you might be saying. “Who has time for ‘purpose’ when I’ve got sales to make, expenses to meet, market share to increase, marketing to do, prospects to convert, social media to use, great service to give, and endless hours to spend doing it??!! Not to mention some months I’m not even profitable!! Who has time for ‘purpose’”?!!

But regardless of what you believe, great entrepreneurs ALWAYS have an underlying purpose:

Whether it be a Coca-Cola:

“To refresh the world; to inspire moments of optimism and happiness; to create value and make a difference.”

Or the early Ford:

“To democratize the automobile.”

Or a Google:

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Or what about Apple? Steve Jobs was so driven by the purpose for his company he lured away John Sculley (then Pepsi CEO in 1983) with these now famous words:

“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?

Other great organizations such as Wal-Mart, the U.S. Air Force, Southwest Airlines, Charles Schwab, and BMW  are all purpose-driven. In fact John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, recently stressed the importance of companies having a core purpose.

These entrepreneurs do more than make money…they “change the world!”

What is Purpose?

I’m glad you asked! It’s defined as:

“The object toward which one strives or for which something exists.”

We’re all guided by it. Everyone one of us.

The Bible says,

“The noble-hearted man has noble purposes, and by these he will be guided.” (Isaiah 32:8 The Bible in Basic English)

Without it, we’re like children “tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine.” (Ephesians 4:14 The Amplified)

In other words, where there’s no purpose, we go everywhere and end up nowhere!

Entrepreneurs of Purpose

Entrepreneurs that have a core purpose do more and go further than their counterparts. These “Purpose-Driven entrepreneurs” (please don’t sue me Rick Warren)  know who they are and where they’re going. They’re internally driven.

But let me ask you: how important is purpose to you? Do you have one?

What are your thoughts?

Rod’s Recommended Video: What’s Your Entrepreneurial Purpose in Life?

Mike Holmes

Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on business and leadership development from a Biblical perspective. When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here. Mike is also working on his second book: “Biblical Stratgies for Marketing Success.”

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

How Focused Are You?

photo credit: Ratatosk at Flickr

I grew up as the son of parents who were missionaries, dedicated to living at low wages and giving much of themselves in return. My father and mother were born during the Great Depression, and they never forgot the lessons that their parents impressed upon them regarding saving money, and the dangers of going broke. I was never taught much about money, except for the fact that we needed to scrimp and save as much as possible, and that wanting money was wrong. Furthermore, there were some unwritten expectations (my own) that true service really was best rendered in full-time Christian ministry.

As a result, as a young adult I was somewhat confused about my desires to be involved in business, building wealth, and being prosperous. I had learned, somehow, to be suspicious of preachers and teachers who stated that Christianity=making lots of money and being happy. On the other hand, I did not entirely agree that a vow of poverty was the only way to make an impact in life.

So, how can a Christian who is committed to following Jesus, the Word, keep her/his integrity while engaging in successful business practices?

The answer is found in Scripture and in the lives of those whose legacies are recorded therein, particularly a young Jewish man who was, in effect, the Vice President of all of Babylon. He had been promoted over all of the rulers of the empire. Therefore, we can assume he was a very successful executive.

Daniel’s underlings were jealous of his success and prosperity, so they first looked for any areas of his conduct of business that could disqualify him before the king. They were unable to do so. Then, they figured it out: he prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem. They would use his devotion to God to get him disqualified from his job. It came down to an edict from the king that anyone who prayed to a God other than the King himself would be put to death. Check out Daniel’s courage and tenacity in the face of death: he continued to pray openly three times a day. In the end, we know he was thrown to the lions, but God shut their mouths, turned the situation around, and promoted Daniel to an even higher position than before. You can read the whole Biblical story here.

Daniel’s life was an example of keeping the main thing the main thing through his motives and his mindset. And it is out of those that his legacy setting actions flowed.

Motive:

Jesus teaches us that we are to put Him and His purposes first and foremost. In Matthew 6.33, he tells us to seek first His priorities in our lives. In other words, “It’s not about me.” This is, perhaps, one of the most subtle temptations when we engage in business. An immature perspective is one that is all about my agenda, versus all about His agenda.

How can we make sure that our motives are pure? By spending time in His Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers. And by deciding that we will conduct our business by the Book.

Mindset:

As Christian entrepreneurs we can be focused on many things in our minds. We can be focused on our circumstances, on our customers’ and employees’ demands, on our families, on ourselves. We can be focused on building wealth, being able to tell others about our achievements, and on our egos. But Scripture commands against letting our hearts get focused on these mindsets.

So what is the solution for attaining the correct mindset? The answer is found in Romans 12:1-2.

“1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We are to totally surrender, on a daily, moment-by-moment basis, our agendas and our businesses to God. We ought to be praying over every business relationship and business decision. And, we need to make sure that our business decisions are aligned with the Word of God.

Do a gut check: Is Your Motive and Mindset conducive to Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing?

Stephen Borgman

About the Author

Stephen Borgman’s mission is to help others reach their full potential through weekly success tips and strategies. He grew up in Brazil, South America, to parents whose legacy of serving and helping others he hopes to carry on. You can find out more about him at his Success Factors blog or his Personal Growth Development website.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Guest Post by: Mike Holmes
Image Source: soxfirst.com

Bad Business, Bad!

It’s amazing the amount of people that see business as bad. Even those in business or those wanting to start a business are stuck with the stigma of “business is evil.” But business at its core is not bad. How could it be? God created it.

Huh??!!

You heard me: business is not bad because God created it!

The Bible says, “For everything, absolutely everything…got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.” [1] That “everything” also includes “business.” It may have been distorted by evil men but, at its core, it is not evil. Business began with Him, ends with Him, and finds its true purpose in Him–period!

Business minus God equals Big Problems

For instance, Entrepreneur Magazine recently had an article that spoke about the necessity of having a “moral compass.” AND how the problems we now face stem from a lack of that compass. Ironically, it wasn’t a lack of business that destroyed some businesses–but a lack of business character and questionable business practices.

One of the main reasons (if not the main reason) for the fall of our economy was a willingness to ignore or gloss over principles. By “principles” I mean those timeless, timely, immutable laws of God that endure from generation to generation. In fact, Stephen Covey in an interview with Success Magazine delved even deeper:

“Financial success—prestige, wealth, recognition, accomplishment—will always be secondary in greatness…Primary greatness is about character and contribution. Primary greatness asks, ‘What are you doing to make a difference in the world? Do you live truly by your values? Do you have total integrity in all of your relationships?’ And when correct principles are not followed or ignored, the result can be catastrophic as we have witnessed… in the financial markets.”

God needs businessmen…

But this stigma isn’t new.

R.G. LeTourneau founder of LeTourneau Technologies was a great industrialist and was often referred to as “God’s Businessman.” But in his early years he questioned if he could serve God being a businessman (those awful people). So one night, after weeks of praying and searching, he paid a visit to his pastor. And after another session of prayer, his pastor told him something that forever changed his life:

“God needs businessmen as well as preachers and missionaries.” [2]

And that’s the same thing I want to say to you!

Are you called to business? Good. Be diligent “to make your calling and election sure.” [3]

More than ever, we need a new generation of leaders with the insight to see the Biblical principles for business, the wisdom to use them, and the courage to tell others about them. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few!

What do you think? Your thoughts…

Scripture References

1. Colossians 1:16 (The Message)

2. Christian Business Legends, p.37

3. 2 Peter 1:10 (King James Version)

About the Author

Michael Holmes

Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on business and leadership development from a Biblical perspective. When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Archive Spotlight: I thought it would be a good idea to start spotlighting a couple of posts that are buried in the archives. Some of you are fairly new to this site and others are lifelong followers (you are, aren’t you?). No matter what category you fall into, I’m sure there’s at least 1 article here you haven’t read. Enjoy!

The Top Five Tips for Office Fashion

Getting dressed for the office can be daunting when dress code guidelines aren’t clear. With the advent of vague descriptions like “business casual”, “relaxed dress”, and “smart casual”, deciding what to wear can be downright confusing! Here are five fashion tips to help you get out the door looking your professional best:

Get it tight, get it right!

1. Tailoring counts! I cannot stress this enough: Tailoring makes all the difference. Even a $10 suit from Goodwill can look expensive if it’s properly tailored to fit your body. If you don’t have a tailor, please Google “(Your City) tailor” and find one immediately! Here’s what to talk about when you get there:
Shirts & jackets: The armholes of your shirts and blazers shouldn’t be too high (this makes it difficult to raise your arms) or too low, and the shoulder seam should hit at the point where your arm and shoulder meet.

Pants: Pants should fit your waist smoothly with no gaps. Avoid trousers that create visible “pull lines” from your crotch to your waist–this means they’re too small. Donate them to charity. The pants should be long enough to create a nice “break”, but not bunch at your ankles.

Dresses and skirts: Dresses and skirts that hit at mid-calf are only flattering on supermodels. For us regular folk, just below the knee length is best for the office.

Christian Louboutin shoes

4. Don’t forget the details: Remember to accessorize! The right accessories can add interest to an otherwise plain ensemble. Great shoes are vital to a well-executed look, and the right ones can make or break an entire outfit.

Ladies can also experiment with earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, leg wear, and scarves (though not all at once!), while men can play around with ties, pocket squares, and cuff links. I’m a huge fan of scarves for both sexes, and there are plenty of online resources for ideas.

5. Mix classic and unique pieces for a look all your own Have fun with your look! Clothing can be a very effective form of self-expression as well as an indicator of professional status. Wear things that make you feel good, powerful and confident and you’re already halfway there.

Tamia Stinson

About the author:
Tamia Stinson is a Marketing and Operations Specialist by day, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Style Sample Magazine and fashion blogazine The Style Sample by night/early morning/weekend. When she’s not online catching up on the latest fashion and technology trends, she enjoys dancing, traveling and learning foreign languages.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.