Have you ever tried to start a project without having everything in order? It's pretty difficult, no? Ideas are everywhere, in notebooks, on post-it notes, in your head. And for some reason, you can never seem to get your ideas off the ground. I wonder why that is...
This past week, the United States made a valiant effort to rid the world of mastermind, Osama Bin Laden. Do you think they didn't have a plan in place? Of course they did, and it was calculated. Why? Because they wanted to win and wanted to minimize any opportunity for error.
The same holds true for business and also for yourself. In business, it isn't just about having an idea. It's about having an idea and then organizing it into a plan so that you can get from point A to point B. If your notes are everywhere, how do you expect to connect the dots and see your plan through to fruition? The same holds true for your personal life. Think about it. If I want to become a Lawyer or a Doctor, there's a plan, it's called a curriculum, that you must complete in order to graduate with the necessary classes to go on to become a Lawyer or a Doctor.
Learn to develop a well-formulated plan for your business. In your personal life, create a goals statement, and stick to them. If you run into obstacles, know how to overcome them. By having a plan in place, it will also help you learn to minimize risk and help keep you focused on reaching your hopes and dreams (goals).
Remember, every idea starts with a plan. Those that are successful are those that stay focused and stick to the plan, regardless of if things get bumpy along the way.
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR
You've probably heard this saying before, but "you're only as strong as your weakest link." Having a weak link, whether in business or even in your life, can mean the difference between success and failure.
So how many of you are aware of your "weakest link?" Is it a friend that's always holding you back from doing things, not having a certain skill, money problems, even yourself? Once you've identified who your weak link is, it's time to then map out a plan to get you away from that weak link. Here's a brief list of things you can do to fix your weak link and strengthen yourself in the process.
- If you're lacking certain skills for a job, consider going back to school, read a book, or network with other professionals who have that skill you're looking for so that you can learn from them.
- If your friend is always holding you back, consider spending less time with them and focusing in on YOU for once.
- Is a team member always critical? Distance yourself and consider "linking up" with others who share your same passion.
- Someone that is always strapped for cash, should take the time to assess their budget and set savings goals to save more.
- If you're your weakest link because you can't get off the starting line, reach out to others that were in that same position and got past it for help.
Remember, you can always fix your "weak links." The biggest challenge is admitting you have a weak link. We're all not perfect, we all have weak links. Take the necessary steps to eliminate weak links and build them back with newer and stronger ones. You'll not only feel better about yourself, but you'll also put yourself on the right path, void of distractions that try to hold you back.
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR
Success can mean something different for each and every person. For some, success can be dropping a size in clothing, running a mile, or taking that first step towards building a residual income. For others that have been stricken with a disease, it can be their ability to take a breath without tubes or the need for an apparatus.The list really can go on and on. Regardless, it's important to be there for others and to give back.
Last year, I was fortunate to win the Rally for Kids with Cancer scavenger cup, with Eva Longoria as my celebrity driver. On April 29-30, 2011 (that's this Friday), my wife, Loren Ridinger and I will again be participating in the Rally for Kids with Cancer scavenger cup in Miami along with Eva Longoria and a host of other celebrities.
Growing a business is no small feat. In fact, it is often one of the biggest failures for small businesses -- trying to expand too big, too fast. Fortunately, my company, Market America, has been able to weather the growing pains that are often associated with an expansion. Just this past weekend, we made global history in Taipei, Taiwan, where we had 18,000 UnFranchise® owners at our Taiwan Convention.
Not only were we able to use Skype to communicate with the 18,000 attendees, but we also announced a number of new updates. We launched a redesigned Market Taiwan web portal, we also rolled out ma Network, an app for the social networking site, Facebook, to make social shopping easier for Taiwan customers.
Home based businesses on the rise, Market America has the answer
Written by JR Ridinger
Did you know, lead generation sites for Unfranchise owners with Market America are taking the country by storm! Google alone has over 5 million searches a month for people looking to find anything related to a home based business, and Market America has the best solution for entrepreneurs looking to get started by leveraging a proven plan for success in building an Internet marketing business for themselves. Now we have an incredible new tool at www.explorema.com to help all those people searching on Google to help find Unfranchise owners anywhere in North America, that can help them achieve their goal of owning their own successful business, and working to achieve financial freedom for themselves. This is powerful folks! Leverage the power of the Internet to explode your business, go to www.explorema.com today and get started with this amazing new tool to help you find entrepreneurs that are looking for the incredible business you hold in your hands with Market America!
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR
A lot of people have to me throughout the years and asked me, how they can be successful. One important thing to know about success, it isn't something that you're born with. Think about it, Eminem became a famous rapper only after he hit a low-point in his life. The same can be said about Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, even George Clooney, who struggled before he finally got a major part on television.
So what makes these people different from everyone else? It isn't the fact that they are celebrities. Rather, they have been determined their entire lives. If you believe you will be successful and work hard at getting yourself there -- you will. Now I'm not talking about putting in 100+ hours in a work week, working two dead-end jobs, and struggling. Instead, these individuals (any many others like them), put themselves in the right positions by first setting goals.
Jay-Z found his passion -- music. Once he had his end goal, he networked and sought out others who were already successful. When he wasn't networking, he honed his craft, his music so that he could be the best that he could be at it. In doing this, he began to gain credibility with others and has since not only made music and won awards, but created a clothing line, restaurants, clubs, and bought part of the Brooklyn Nets.
While these are just a few examples of people that have achieved personal success, it gets me to my main point. All you need is one idea to make it big. Once you have that one idea -- the sky's the limit. In the case of Jay-Z, it was music. Once he reached the pinnacle of music, he branched out and created a second channel, a third channel and so-on.
Google, Twitter, even my own company, Market America, had to start somewhere. The same principles hold true for anyone looking to start their own business. It all starts with one thing, an idea. While having an idea won't guarantee that your business will go on to become a success, think of it like a fledgling plant.
Plants start as seeds - some take a long time to grow, others can grow very rapidly -- just like any business. The key thing is to cultivate it. For plants, this means providing it with proper amounts of sunlight, water, nutrients for the soil, even determining the right plant for the space. These same principles holds true for a business. You need to have an idea, determine what kind of nutrients (employees, equipment, etc) it needs to grow, then determine who your customers are and then ask yourself if your business can (not will it) grow in the environment where you plan to open it at.
It doesn't become a question of will it grow (that's where YOU come in), it is a question of can grow in the environment you put it in. If you open the business and don't nurture it, by feeding it the things it needs to thrive, then it may not grow as fast as you would like it to (or even at all). And like any plant (or business), you need to be prepared to readjust. Maybe you get too much rain -- which can drown your plant. From a business perspective, this could mean having too many employees or too many expenses. Over time, this can put it at risk of failing.
Remember, growing your business is like growing a plant. Determine all of the initial things that your business needs, provide it to your business so that it can have the opportunity to grow, and adjust accordingly. When you get that right balance, your business can thrive. Just keep in mind that you need to be ready to adjust at any given moments notice.
So tell me, what items does your business currently need and which items do you need to readjust?
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR
Does your life often look like this - one speed bump after another? Sure, life isn't always smooth sailing, but as we are all aware, one bump can jar us from our current path and throw us off-course. While there is no magic formula that will help keep us on the right path, there is one thing key factor, YOU, that can help maintain control as you hit those speed bumps.
You're probably wondering - how can I possibly influence if I stay on-course or not? Simple. It's all about determination. How strong-willed are you, do you hit those bumps (obstacles) head-on and tackle problems as they come at you or do you take more of a passive approach to them and let them derail you from achieving your hopes and dreams?
If you're currently sitting back, letting each bump get your further and further from your goals, it may be time to put on a seatbelt and start to tackle them.
The road never really straightens out - that's why you need to be ready to embrace each bump and take them in stride. By learning to embrace them, you'll become a stronger person in the process, ready to tackle any task that comes at you.
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR Ridinger
Being an entrepreneur at times can be a difficult task. You can feel like you're being pulled in a million directions one minute with many people wanting your time for various things. For example, to attend a charity function or to send a tweet to their friend. Other times, people want your approval on things or simply want to occupy your time with what they think is the greatest thing ever to hit the Internet!
As an entrepreneur, it really is something that becomes a fact of your life. That's why it is important to give back to those people that have helped you to get where you're at along the way. It is also a time to give back to those during times of need as well. Just last week, my wife (and marketing genius), Loren Ridinger, came to me with a great idea that our good friend, Eva Longoria-Parker was instrumental at pulling together.
The concept is simple -- tweeting for change via Twitchange.com. Celebrities donate a mention, retweet or follow that can be bid on via an online auction. The proceeds from the winning bids go to help Haiti. As an entrepreneur, this is an excellent way to not only get your name out there by supporting a great cause, but also a great way to give back in the process.
Not only you giving back to your fans, but you're also helping to support those that need your help -- kind of like when you first got started in business -- you needed someone's help to keep you going and motivating you to keep pressing forward when things got tough.
In addition to offering tweets for change, it's nice to see a number of our celebrity friends like Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys and Kim Kardashian also donating tweets. I also like the fact that others are not just donating tweets.
Loren for instance, is giving additional incentives to those that win her auctions - in return, she is giving the winning bidders the following:
Includes a follow (for up to 90 days), ReTweet and mention from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives two (2) tickets to the Vogue event in Miami, Florida.
Includes a mention in a tweet from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives a Motives Autumn/Winter kit.
Includes a ReTweet from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives a 30-minute mentoring session with Loren.
Includes a follow (for up to 90 days). Winning bidder also receives a diamond Macrame bracelet from the Loren Jewels collection.
Make a difference in someones life and get rewarded in the process. You're giving to help Haiti. In return, you're getting a tweet, follow or mention (and in Loren's case, more) from your favorite celebrity. A big congratulations to all of the celebrities participating in the first TwitChange and a huge thank you to those bidding to help Haiti out.
As entrepreneurs, we've also struggled to get where we're at. Take a moment and give back. As it typically works out, you'll be rewarded many times over in the end.
Keep growing. I believe in you.
JR Ridinger
I wanted to share with all of you Loren's radio interview from yesterday on blog talk radio. It was inspiring to see how many people love and adore her and she is helping others succeed! It's a great example that passion and persistence will take you a long way. Amber and I are very proud of you Loren.
Click on the link: http://bit.ly/dvXmXA or download the MP3
