Just Do It (Question #21 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

Can you get it done now?

Carpe Diem, Latin for seize the day, a phrase that many of us are familiar with and see or hear on a fairly regular basis. I was first introduce to it in sixth grade by my science teacher, Mr. Ordell (funny the things you remember sometimes). It's a simple enough phrase to comprehend, at least on a mental or academic level; but what does Carpe Diem really mean and how do we effectively seize the day. How do I turn this cliche-ish (please note cliche-ish is not an actually word I made it up for literary effect) and seemingly abstract phrase, into to something more concrete and palatable. For me (because I'm not the smartest man in the world) I try to stick with the KISS princple (Keep It Simple Stupid). It's all about setting long-term and short-term goals and prioritizing daily activities that will help you achieve your short-term goals in the time set forth and if there is time left over to do anything else then do that. Everyone has different goals and aspirations, therefore everyone's path and priorities will be different. Sometimes my priorities don't make sense to my parents (esp. my mom), and sometimes my sisters priorities don't make sense to me but that is perfectly okay as long as everyone keeps the main thang (once again literary effect, I know the spelling is off) the main thang and everyone inches towards there goals I believe it's all good. Set goals (long and short-term), prioritizing tasks based on importance, and then git'er done (in my Larry the cable guy voice).

The Nitty Gritty (Question #20 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

What are we talking about? What problem are we solving? 

"Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Understanding is one of the greatest things in the world, misunderstanding one of the worst." I often hear my dad and my grandfather saying these to me in the back of my mind. Far too often, I think, we as people assume that others know what we are talking about as implicitly as we do, often times this is not the case. In my years of with and negotiating with other businesses I find that because of differing backgrounds, company cultures, & etc. there is often a language barrier between individual persons and/or groups of people. Often because of these barriers the parties of interest are talking about different things and have differing concepts in mind. So how do we get past these "language barriers" and begin to speak the same vernacular and get on the same page, so that everyone knows what is being talked about? Fortunately many people are have studied this phenomena and come up with systematic ways that conversations can be structured so that all parties involved have a mutual understanding of everything being conveyed. I personally have used some of these myself and must admit that most are effective, nevertheless no matter how effective a style may be some modifications must be made to fit your style of speaking and the audience you are speaking to. But something that works for me 100% is something so easy and simple to do that a 5th grader is capable of it. I know that I am not the smartest man in the world so I try to keep things as simple as possible (the KISS rule). When I am attempting to convey an idea or concept to another person I try to explain in a fashion that if I were to explain to a 5th grader that they would be able to explain it to another adult and it be understood. If I can't explain it that simplistically then my explanation is to complicated and I need to go back to the drawing board.

Another issue that I have recognized is that people are are always coming up with solutions but never really identify the problem that is being solved. Often times from the outside looking in others can see the inefficiencies, ineffectiveness of what is going on within an organization (eg. external auditors), that those within the organization are to close to see. Therefore outsiders will present solutions before insiders have conceded that there is a problem that needs to be solved. "If it ain't broke don't fix" is the mentality that many insiders have and rightfully so, would you fix a watch that wasn't broken, I think not it would be a waste of time and money. Therefore a problem must be clearly identified and agreed upon before a solution(s) can be presented.

Business Decisions (Question #19 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

What’s the potential upside? What’s the effort involved? What’s the likelihood of success? What’s the strategic value?

To those of you who may not be aware I have started my own Personal Training business (EnMotion Training) and prior to starting any business or pursuing a new opportunity a cost-benefit analysis should be done. Simply put the cost-benefit analysis is just a way to quantify how much benefit you receive from a particular pursuit in comparison to what has to be given to receive said benefit; every opportunity has a cost associated with it and it’s not always measured in dollars and cents. 

The formula I am using is [(A x B) / C] x D:

·         A = Potential Upside: 1-5 pts

·         B = Likelihood of Success: 1-10 pts

·         C = Effort Involved: 1-10 pts

·         D = Strategic Value: 1-3 pts

Starting a Business (Question #18 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

What questions must you consider before starting a business?

• What is my product or service?
• What makes my product/service different or better?
• What is my market opportunity?
• How do I make money?
• Who is the management team?
• What is the strategy?
• How do I sale or market my product/service?
• How much capital do I need/intend to raise?
• What are the projected financials for the company?
• What is the preliminary valuation for the company?

Please note these questions are not from the top of my head. However, there is no need to re-invent the wheel.

Just Do It (Question #17 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

What's the one most important thing to get done today/ this week/ month?

The answer(s) to this question(s) is very fluid, therefore I'm not going to answer this one as directly as I have previous questions. I'm a post-it, sticky note kinda guy so things that I are important and need to be done with a certain time frame are usual found on a sticky note. Now that they have created a sticky note/ post-it note app the desktop on my computer is loaded with them (and not my office, bedroom, kitchen, etc.) Also my google calender is the best thing since sliced bread, I enter my appointments, add comments, and comments, invite guests, set reminders and etc. Google calendar is really a God-send for me as far as staying organized.

What is My Why? (Question #16 of 35)

Business / Entrepreneurship

What is My Why?

"If you have a big enough WHY you'll always figure out the What and the How. If you don't have a BIG WHY, you will always use the What and the How as an excuse for not doing that thing you said you were going to do."
-Jason Nazor (CEO/Founder of DocStoc)

My WHY is I want to do things my way. I have come to realize that I value the ideas and concepts that others may have but at the end of the day I want to do it may way. Now my way may intersect or converge with someone else's, but when the dust settles I want it done my way. This is not to say that I don't work well with or get along with others (I believe most would say I have good interpersonal skills) however I'm not designed to work "for" others. It more or less irritates me to have someone (or group) tell me what I can or can't do, or how I can or can't do it. Also it irritates me to be the "someone" whom is telling people what they can or can't do. The way I view things is that we are all grown, and have goals we would like to obtain. If we have common goals I'm open to forming a mutually beneficial alliance/partnership/etc, so that all parties involved can/will prosper and no one feels cheated.

I am not a slave, nor am I an overseer, therefore I don't work on a plantation. I enjoy networking and working with others, I am not a fan of working for others. And let's not get things twisted, this doesn't mean I can't work on a regular "9 to 5" job that has a standard set of rules, regulations and a hierarchy, but what truly matters to me is the atmosphere and environment in which I am working. The core mentality of the organization & its employees. However I'm not going to go into deep detail with all that, I can write a book on that subject (possibly several). But that's my WHY, doing things my way, take it or leave it I guess.

1% Everyday (Question #15 of 35)

Influence / Achievement

What can I do today to improve?

The person that I am today is the sum total of all the decisions that I have made in the past, no matter how big or how small. When I was in college one of my coaches used to say "make sure you get 1% better today." Another one of my coaches, Coach Sloan (my position), would always say, "take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves." Words of wisdom that I have never forgotten, maybe not adhered to as often as I should, but nevertheless the wisdom imparted within me is still there. Even now as a personal trainer the first thing I express to a potential client is incremental changes. The small changes made constantly and over time become apart of who we are as a person and changes our lifestyle (the big change).

Today I will be/am contacting persons who can help me get rolling with creating & manufacturing EnMotion Training apparel. Also I will be writing a letter to the NFL that will express my interest in becoming an NFL official and asking what are the eligibility requirements, prerequisites, & etc. Next is sending a proposition to a person that, I hope, will help me acquire more personal training clients. And last but not least STUDY, STUDY, STUDY and when I get finish STUDYING go and STUDY some more.