I Wouldn’t Want To Do Business With Him
Do you know someone who will never tell you what he is thinking? Someone who is circumspect when discussing business? Someone who avoids any conversation about personal feelings? I do. In fact, I can think of several as I write this. They are parsimonious in their language and their speech.…
READ MOREWho Is It That Reads ETR, Anyway?
You know how bad I think most small-business periodicals are. Fortune Small Business might be the worst. Staffed by a boatload of (I’m sure) very smart and capable (mostly) young women, it is full of feel-good stories and equal opportunity reporting. There is also an inexcusable level of innocence when…
READ MORETwo Ways to Innovate
“Continual improvement is an unending journey.” – Lloyd Dobens and Clare Crawford-Mason (“Thinking About Quality”) Consider the two most basic options companies have when they seek to grow their businesses: They can try to increase their market shares by sustaining innovations — by continually improving a product everyone is…
READ MOREThe World’s Easiest Way To Get Rich
When reading (or listening to) a sales pitch, you have to read between the lines. Copywriters and salespeople want to persuade you to act. To accomplish their goal, they need to push your buttons. There is nothing wrong with that. As consumers, we read sales copy, flip through catalogs and…
READ MOREHow I Made 256% in the Bear Market
Today, I’ve asked my colleague, brother and real estate investing partner, Justin Ford, to tell you a bit about his experience in real estate. Justin has not only been making tremendous profits in real estate, as the author of Seeds of Wealth, he has spent years researching and writing about…
READ MOREThe Best Way to Finance Your Business
I’ve had experience raising money in many ways. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Using your own money is terrifying. If you go wrong, you may well go broke. Using OPM (other people’s money) seems like a much better way to go at first — but often ends up seeming…
READ MOREDeal or No Deal
Dear Early to Rise reader, Imagine walking into a room where a very important business deal is about to take place. This deal could make or break your business. Or having an important talk with a family member – one in which you really need to convince the other person…
READ MOREWhat to Do at Networking Events
Each time you attend a meeting, conference, convention, or even an after-hours cocktail party, you should be prepared to network. Before you walk out the door, get into your car, and start driving to the event, you should know what it is you want to accomplish. Your job is to…
READ MOREIn a Nutshell: Why I Like Real Estate
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” – George S. Patton First, I like the tangibility of real estate. When you have $50,000 invested in a group of stocks, you have, at best, a piece of paper to prove it and the reputation of some financial institution…
READ MOREUse These 4 “P’s” To Sell Your Ideas
There are four “P’s” that will help you get people to buy into any big idea you have — say, for example, an idea for a new product or a strategy to improve your business. They are: 1. Problem 2. Promise 3. Picture 4. Pitch 1. Describe the PROBLEM. Start…
READ MORETips for Launching A New Product
It took me years and millions of dollars to disabuse myself from the following: 1. “The customer is interested in me, my product, or what I have to say.” * The customer doesn’t care about you. * The customer cares about himself. * If you talk about anything other than…
READ MOREThe Most Time-Tested Stock Market Indicator
“Times may change, but the human emotions of fear and greed remain the same.” – Wall Street saying Today, I’d like to tell you about Dow Theory — one of the most remarkable stock-market indicators you’ll ever find. This indicator is both amazingly accurate and easy to follow. And because…
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