Life is What YOU Make of it!!!

This week

This week was a good week for a couple of reasons. First, monday was my birthday(however I made the mistake to start work at my new job on this day also, but didn’t do much). Secondly, I am getting paid for something that interest me (hydrology), I have come up with another realization, but will start a category topic next month. Ran 2 miles for 3 days and have picked up my time of where I now run a 8 minute instead of a 9 minute mile. And perhaps the biggest reality check is that I have to change the course of my current business venture.

Marketing is magical, but makes you look like a dumbass if your business isn’t ready for the “target market”

Last week my business partner and I came up with a couple of marketing strategies and implemented just “1″ and our website got rocked pretty good. I would say 20-25 hits per minute, half hour, hour, or who knows for a 3-5 hour span. I didn’t know what to think of the instant exposure we were getting and was amazed at the little brainstorming we did, but it worked. The bad news no one at all, no one registered to become a member. It was laughable, but it was a huge eye opener. Also, we just don’t want people to register, we want people to post and give their opinions on work related issues.
The Verdict…

Instead of waiting later in the game of being a social network and then having a magazine tied in, we are going with a full fledge online and physical magazine. We are of course going to have our own twist on the whole magazine idea and we can still do all of the special features and benefits as we stated in our business plan for the social network. So do expect a total redesign of the website and our approach on the matter. The main reason for this change of direction is the pure enjoyment of this type of business model. It is not that our strengths wouldn’t shine in the social network model, it is that we were too involved in everything. The business became frustrating at times just to get the website to be functional and looking presentable. Furthermore, the idea fits a magazine better due to the type of impact we want to have in the Corporate America World.

Lessons learned

1) One lesson learned that is still ringing in my head is to qualify the people that do work for you. We have got ripped off big time with supposedly a website that turned into only a skin design. If it takes time to find the right person for the job the way you envision the look and feel of the idea then it is well worth it. 2) By all means go with a professional. The professional knows what they are doing and most of the time the prices are very reasonable, remember that, “The only good thing(money) it is good for is to make things happen”- Richard Branson. More importantly, this will free you up to do whatever else there is to grow your business and not stress over things that you are not good at. 3) Sometimes you have to fire yourself and you never really know where it will take you.

Today was a good day. Just been really busy. I will be writing something tomorrow.

My reading addiction

We can’t get any where without learning from others, reading is one form of that. Reading can be an addiction that can hurt just like any other addiction. I have no clue how many books, blogs, magazines, or whatever I have read since I have gotten out of school, but it is really crazy. Most of the books that I have read are non fiction, which isn’t the problem just a realization that I have noticed. I am not the fastest reader, but can really get into a book by the first couple of pages. As I sit here now I feel a void after finishing my last book. I am always trying to grab something to read, but now that simply has to stop.

Lol, School has actually taught me something useful

To tell you the truth I have learned quite a bit from school. None of the things I learned really dealt with the curriculum, just mainly about myself and life. But reading has really taken over and I need a balance. I really never knew how important reading was until I started to read things that interest me. The first actual genre was automobiles, I couldn’t get enough and once I was done reading all that I could I started messing around with cars and became more involved.

The bad of reading too damn much

Reading can cause a person to keep to themselves and not interact with the outside world. Reading can be more effective if the reading is interactive, meaning that the material that one reads is talked about and discussed with other people. This will help you learn something about the material and the other person(s) perspective.

Key quote from a book that I will remember forever

After reading The Art of the Start I read a quote that really got me thinking. I have been thinking about this same thing that I had to do something different and it just was right there in plain text.

“Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless substitute for living.”

- Robert Louis Stevenson

With that I am going to change up my way of reading, living life, and focus on other things. I am looking forward to the new look on life.

I have been reading quite a bit lately and want to let people know what kind of books that I am reading and to get your take on some more reading that I can do in the near future.

Secrets from the Lost Art of Common Sense Marketing:

If I was in a book store and picking a book to read about marketing this one wouldn’t have been my choice. However, I am so glad that it was in my garage (ironic isn’t it). Just reading the introduction I quickly became hooked and learned tons about customer service and how to keep a customer buying from you and get those frequent customers to spread the word of mouth about your business. The title was right about how common sense the marketing tips are, but it really boils down to the owner/entrepreneur of the business to use and help his/her customers to make life easier for both parties. I also learned so many perks that I can use for my current venture and future ones. I rate this book an A-.

The Fine Art of Small Talk:

Great small book, just simply great in so many ways. This book is of course about creating small talk with old and new people that you know. Whether it is in a business setting, social event, or simply someone on the street The Fine Art of Small Talk gives you the confidence and question database to talk to people. However, after reading it one can become frustrated because they are not getting any better at talking to people. That can happen if you are not practicing the questions in the book on family, friends, and strangers and most importantly breaking out of your comfort zone. I rate this book A-.

The Art of the Start:

The Art of the Start was the last book I read. This book was a roller coaster ride for me. In the beginning it was great because it explained the art of just getting started. However, the next couple of the chapters that came focused on venture capital and angel investors. It quickly made sense to me that Guy Kawasaki was writing from his experience as being venture capitalist. At the current stage that I am in with my business venture this book didn’t suit me well. However, it was good to see business from a different person’s perspective. My favorite chapter of The Art of the Start was Branding. Branding is very important in business and Guy Kawasaki gave valid points such as creating a contagious product/service, listening and implementing on your customers feedback, foster a community, and creating a buzz about your business. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I rate The Art of the Start a B-.

Lol, the Art

“By its original and broadest definition, art (from the Latin ars, meaning “skill” or “craft“) is the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge”

Knowledge is something that everyone has. One may have a little or a ton of it, but there are so many was knowledge can be acquired. Whether it is reading a book, talking to friends, watching a movie, listening to music, thinking about life, knowledge is gained. So with that said, go create your own Art.

This statement may be misleading, but it makes perfect sence. Well it really depends on the type of business that you are starting up. If most of your marketing structure is based on word of mouth and viral marketing than starting out small is the way to go. However, there are tons of other reasons why this method is important when you do eventually go big.

Reasons why small is grand.

1. Size is manageable

The growth of your business will help you determine how many people you will need to staff your business when you have more clients/customers/members. That sounds like common sense, but think you had a business that grew like a wild flower and you were greatly under staff. You would be really fucked and it will result in you to lose your leavage and will possibly make a quick and shitty decision.

2. Easy to connect with your target market

When I talk about going small I mean start locally. Going local will get you out there interacting with your market and seeing how they think, live their lives, and their direct concerns and reactions to your business. You still have the internet to do alot of your communication, but nothing beats talking with people about your product/service. This will also put a good feeling in your market’s heart that you are doing something for them to make their lives better.

3. If it is good enough this will tell you so

This step will help you discover if your product/service is good enough for your target market on a smaller scale and will help you determine if it is good enough on a larger scale. This realization will save you time, money, and frustration in the future.
4. Feedback on what is good and bad about your business and how to improve it.

A company should always be improving to meet their target market needs. However, it can get out of hand when you have a large market that is all over the place. First of all you can ask for constant feedback from your members about the product. You can also hold a free dinner feedback session for what you plan to change to the company. This will let your target market know that you appreciate their time and feedback of what can be done better. Because ultimately it is your market who determines the direction that the company goes.

This past week was great. I learned alot about myself, other people, and what I see myself doing in the near future fulltime.

Week of Business

As some of you may have already known I have been going full speed on my current business, cubeweek. I have been talking to a couple of friends, getting the website viewable and functional, and working with my business partner/best friend on some loose ends. My brother has even mentioned to me that that is all that I have done. I don’t think that is true, it seems that way, but I have been doing alot more thinking of the future of the business than what I have done for the week.

Planning sucks, just start fixing the solutions

No one knows when things are going to get bad. Something can happen to someone’s family that you are counting on to finish an important task for you. Day to day task can be taking a hold of you and cause your work to be sluggish and not getting anything done. There could be tons of bugs on your software or website that will take quite a bit of time to finish. It doesn’t matter, life goes on and something has to be done about it. Never do things half ass, because it will hurt you quicker than you think.

I read this article that really hit me later in the week about looking ahead when you think that you don’t have to. I hope that yall read this article and apply it to your life, not just business. Situations always happen and it only really matters of the way you handle them which will determine how much you grow or decrease in knowledge as a person.

In the beginning you will be hats of ALL trades, get out of that role as quickly as possible and…

As you start on the road of being an entrepreneur you will be busy writing a business plan, making contacts, making sure the website looks nice and functional, generating a marketing plan, and whatever else to run a business. This may be fun in the beginning, but will drain the hell out of you because you will be too busy to grow the business with your strengths. Someone might ask that “I am good at alot of things”, but there will always be someone that is better at certain things that you feel that you are king at. That is perfectly okay, because there are tons of people out there ready to do that task, which will ultimately free you up to do a more meaningful role in growing the shit out of your business.

Yesterday was a good day. I actually got some things done that I wouldn’t have probaly done if I planned them. However, I did feel that I was forgetting to do something that was important.

Things done yesterday.

1. Finished up my brothers front brake job.

2. Took the intake manifold off my second car while listening to The Millionare Mind.

3. Told a couple of friends about cubeweek.

4. Read TOO many bogs.

5. Did some reading in the two current books that I am reading.

6. Ran for 2 miles.

7. Viewed cubeweek and wrote down some changes that need to be done.

The Verdict…

This day was greatly needed for a couple of reasons. We can get side tracked with having a to do list where it runs our lives. It makes life feel that if I don’t have anything planned then I am simply wasting every precious moment doing nothing of value. But that is not the case because life can’t be all about keeping busy, there must be a balance.

So what I suggest is that you set several goals. One is Life Goals that you set a timeline to complete. Then a yearly goal that pertains to some of your life goals and also things you want to change about yourself in general from the previous year. Next, monthly goals that will help set accomplishments for the weeks to come. Weekly goals set the table for the week(well duh), however you want to set daily goals so that you can achieve the weekly goals. Also to also set a day or two where you don’t set any goals, you simply just go with the flow of things.
If done properly it will be a domino effect where things get done without you really wondering about. After awhile you will not feel that you are setting goals or task, it will feel natural getting things done.

Well my day goals yesterday didn’t go as planned. I didn’t read 30 pages each in the current books I am reading right now (The Art of the Start and Small Talk) nor did I run my 2 miles. But I did quite a bit of work for my current venture which launched today. You can find the website at: www.cubeweek.com. Let me know what yall think. I will provide another entry of the business in a week.

Goals and Task can be misleading…

Yesterday I realized that alot of my task for the day or for the week have been mixed with important task for my business, routine activities, growing as a person, maturing and establishing relationships, and distractions. Some of the things that I put as priority are really not priority. They are things I want to do that don’t really amount to anything but alot of time. I am simply stating that if things are important then take care of them and not let the little things that start to add up in time be a distraction.

Today… No Goals or Task

Today I am going to do things that I feel that are important. But simply won’t know what they are until I feel a need to get done. I am not going to sleep all day, but let you know of my progress tomorrow. I think that everyone needs a day where they don’t plan anything at all, just go with the flow of it and see where it takes you.

Ja Mata

I have been planning goals for quite sometime. They range from long term goals to short term goals. In a couple of weeks I will list my life long term goals, however this entry is about short term goals. Planning goals in life is essential to getting things done and gives a person a sense of accomplishment. I have been using iPrioritize for a couple of months now to keep me in check on day to day and weekly activities. However, just today I have switched over from a weekly to do list to a daily and so far have witness great improvement throughout the day.

Planning for the week…

This type of planning is vague, but can be effective if you have big goals for the week. There can be many components that are involved into a particular goal for the week. However, when I was planning my goals for the week they would be task that wouldn’t at all take a week to complete, probaly an hour here and there. But wouldn’t warrant a valid point as a priority and easily forgetting the task for the week all together.

Planning for the day…

After one day of trying this to do list I have seen myself more productive. I am constantly looking at my task for the day and making sure I complete them. I have made goals that are indeed attainable and also important that I get done for the week. Whatever that wasn’t on my list of goals for the day I didn’t feel bad about I simply put it on my task for the next day.

The negative of the Two

Weekly- Many small goals need to be completed before the acutally goal is completed.

Daily- Small goals probaly won’t amount to a large goal for the week. The small task may be getting things done, but not necessarily getting things done to complete a large task.

Solution

Plan for the week with emphasis that there will be small task that will have to be completed in order for the larger ones to be accomplished. Also, plan smaller routine task that will help you grow as a person. Whether it be reading 20 pages a couple of times during the week, exercising 3-4 times a week, spending time with friends, giving yourself rest from the daily grind, and etc. It is up to you to get things done.

The Chicago trip was a great trip that was feeled with excitement, friendship, and an experience. I met up with a couple of college buddies that I haven’t seen in awhile. This is the first and certainly not the last trip weekend trip we will take with each other. The first night we went out on the town. Second day we went to a museum, talked to various people, went to a free jazz concert, and ended up a club that R-Kelly was at. The third day had to be the most exciting because we rented a car and explored the great city of Chicago and made a mistake to travel to Milwakee.

However, I got the much needed rest to clear my mind and focus for weeks to come. There are tons of things that I plan to do for the upcoming weeks that will shape out the rest of the year. I also thought of a sick idea, that I will implement once I get more capital and get some of my current ventures started.