Tammy, a skilled and gifted horticulturist, called me to discuss what she needed to know to start her own florist and landscaping business. She had been in the horticulture industry for 10 years and was incredibly skilled at working with flowers and plants - one of the best. She also had great design skills, as well as good customer service skills. But she had little business management experience and less self-employment experience. ...more
Owning a home used to be the "American Dream." However, this long-standing goal that so many aspired to, and ultimately reached, has been replaced with a new goal -- becoming a business owner.At first glance it sounds perfect: Leave the corporate world behind and become an entrepreneur. No more commuting, office politics, difficult co-workers and demanding supervisors. You'll be your own boss and reap all the financial rewards. It will be...more
Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences manifest is in the corporate meeting room. International meetings are an area where differences in cultural values, etiquette, interpretations of professional conduct and corporate rules are at their most visible and challenging to control. In international business meetings, cultural differences between professionals can and do clash. Although it can not always be avoided, the negative effects of cultural differences can be minimised with careful and effective planning, organisation and consideration prior to meetings.Culture influences what we do, say, think and believe. Culture is different in different countries and contexts. In the context of international business it affects how people approach, perceive and contribute towards meetings. A few examples include:TimeNot all cultures live by the clock. Time orientated cultures such as the British or Germans will have strict approaches to how meetings run. The start time, finishing time and all the different stages in between will be planned carefully. Other cultures will see the start time as an approximation, the finish time as non-fixed and all the different...more
As a former owner of a National Speakers Bureau, I have learned from several thousand professional speakers "How to Give a Great Speech." Here are some techniques that I share with my coaching clients who want to become paid professional speakers or business professionals who want to deliver masterful presentations. 1. Speak from the heart....more
Stories develop themes. The themes chosen to illustrate the possibility of stories are: Relationships, Choice, Creativity, Making a Difference, Celebration. Speakers are ordinarily people, from teachers to grandparents, from mountain climbers to cancer survivors. The platform provides them with a privilege and awesome responsibility to share...more
Wanna know a little secret? There is an ingenious method you can use, to pay off your 30 year fixed rate loan, in 23 years or less. It's straightforward, simple, and easy to understand. In this article, we're going to explore this little known secret, and we'll provide several examples of how it works, a few methods on how to implement, along with some information on where to go and how to get started.1. Accelerated Payments: By accelerating the payment structure on your loan, the life of the loan is reduced: In a normal 30 year fixed rate loan situation, your monthly payment is applied towards principle and interest. It is amortized over the course of 30 years. So any money above and beyond your normal payment is applied solely towards the principle of the loan. By reducing the principle of the loan, you are reducing the total amount of interest that must be paid, and that equates to an early loan payoff.2. An Illustration: You bake a cake (principle), and put it in the oven. Once the cake is out of the oven, you'll need to frost it with icing (interest). Let's say your cake is 12 inches in diameter, and let's say you need 3 jars of icing. But...more
Is the Mutual Fund you build yourself! The perfect Mutual Fund you build should have the objective of owning no more than 12 to 15 companies; owning shares in 12 companies would allow the diversity needed to sleep well at night and would provide a...more
Are there any universal laws that most successful people seem to follow? Great question, huh?With that in mind, I began listing some common denominators in order to share them with others. I've been very fortunate to have had some success in my...more
Have you ever noticed this to be true?The best things in life for me are those things are not things at all. People and experiences make the biggest mark: a wonderful relationship, time with family, or a fantastic vacation that stays in my mind for...more
Not long ago, I traveled back east to Ohio and Chicago. While I was there, I was amazed that the friends I made along my journey seemed to have completely different observations of the state in which they lived. For example, when I asked what the...more
It is important to note that every smart investor wants to minimize risk while maximizing profit potential. Yet conventional investment theory tells us that in order to increase returns, you have to increase risk.You may be surprised to find that...more
For most people, there is a direct correlation between how worried they are about retirement income, and how much they can actually do about it. This is because the more worried you are, the closer you probably are to retirement, and the less time...more