In The Beginning As A Small Business Owner
You start your small business by wanting to make money and then more money. In the beginning everything is new to you. Like a baby learning to walk, you make mistakes and fall. But for an entrepreneur, every time you fall you get back up. Fall down 7 times get up 8. The pursuit of money, more than most people think is possible, that is the mindset of an entrepreneur. Now you are a small business owner.
It really is like an “Rocky” Movie. This is where most people start. Just like Rocky Balboa, you have to have the eye of the tiger, you will get beaten up, and the ones that get back up, no matter what, make it to our community of leaders and successful people.
When you start, You are a little bit nervous, you’re a little shaky, and unsure of yourself. You sound like you are, and you even talk to yourself that way. This is a normal part of the process, because you do not know what you do not know, at first. You do not even know that, that mindset, that kind of thinking, and talking(to yourself out loud or internally) is what is keeping you from being successful. STOP IT. Be good to yourself. put positive thoughts in. See what you want as if it already is. In the Bible it says, “Ask and You Shall Receive. In the Secret, it says Thoughts Become Things. Whatever, you believe. You have just been given the most powerful force for your business and life.
There are two videos I started with, back in 2005 when I REALLY STARTED HAVING SUCCESS IN MY BUSINESS back in 1995.
1) The Secret to You..A Gift From The Secret Scrolls
2) The Secret Richest Visualization Tool
Watch both these(takes about 5 minutes a day) for the next 31 days. Caution: Use what you learn only for good. You have just been given the keys to the power inside you that you’ve never had before. It is a wild ride.
Next, you learn about personal development and you get a mentor or two, or in my case many over the years, I have been in business since 1993. Actually, I started my first business selling a book(pamphlet) I wrote and sold, with direct sales methods I learned from a course, I saw on TV late at night. It was my first success of 2 books sold at $15/book.
Now That You Have A Business
Now that You have a business, you start to work your business, you make sales, until you get stuck. Stuck is a terrible place to be. It is like getting hit, and knocked to the canvas, just like Rocky Balboa! You get back up and you train, you learn what you are good at, and unfortunately, or fortunately, as it depends on the way you think about it, you learn what you are not good at.
What You Are Not Good At?
Yes, that is what you need to improve on to be able to provide value to others. That is when you get paid.
For example: I know my writing can improve, but I do not care about my mistakes, because I learn from them and get better. Writing is my passion. I love it! I finally have a way of channeling the, what seems like, 2147 different thoughts that happen in my mind(or seem to happen there to me) at the same time.
Blogging helps me get very clear about my business. You will find the way that works for you that helps you communicate with:
1) suspects – people you think will buy from you(and no it is not everybody if you have a traditional business, network marketing or affiliate marketing business, you always think it is everyone when you start being a small business owner)
2) prospects – People that have one of four different things or states of being, going on with them and their life. If they do not have one of these basic things happening to them, they will not buy from you.
- pain they need to fix right away
- fear they will be in pain and they want to prevent it
- gain, goal or outcome they can not reach on their own
- or it may look like an impending event
3) customers – or people that have bought something from you or similar to what you sell in the past.
Your Only Path To Success
The good way to look at it(which is the only path to success) is that now you know what to work on. You learn from your mentors. You learn from failing infinite amount of times while you are in the different phases of your business:
1) Your learning phase – everything is new. You buy everything you can afford to buy to find “the secrets” to success, until you finally realize there are no secrets, just good marketing and sales tactics and strategies that provide the value of solving your customers problems.
They will always have a problem or they are not your customer. That was one of my biggest breakthroughs early on.
Find the right people(your mentors) that truly want to help you succeed, and you keep going. I know I spent time and/or money with people whose time was worth, $2,000, $5,000, $21,000 and $40,000 and one individual that has Gold and Silver Effies, that he would not work with you unless you paid him a minimum of $35,000 per local market for his knowledge offline and online.
I also spent a lot of money and wasted a lot of time getting around the wrong people and buying the wrong products.
I worked with these sales and marketing mentors until I figured out I was in the right place for me…funny thing is I was in the right place all along for a small business owner
2) You start to sort out what works for you in your business and you keep going
3) You test, measure and tweak the results( your sales) you are getting until you like the amount you are getting daily.
4) You Monetize,meaning you scale up your actions(massive actions) and you sell your product and service(or I prefer help them buy because it is really what any sale person does) at the level that is of a greater value than people are willing to pay for it.
5) You teach others to do the same and you are a paid for your value you provide the marketplace.
If you are a small business owner this is your path.
This is your life, and it is a wild and wonderful ride, this adventure you have chosen to be part of, if you are truly meant to be an entrepreneur. If you really want to own your own business you understand.
Most people 98% do not in this World. Welcome to the most amazing decision of your life. Congratulations for wanting more than “The Matrix” says you can have.
Now, go learn how to help as many people as you can because that is how you get paid. That is how you pay the mortgage, and your insurance, and how you take your vacations and have all the things you want for yourself and your family.
You sell a product or service or both. That is what being a small business owner means. Do not get caught up in all the non-income producing activities. This is your JOB, being an entrepreneur. People in the JOB world will not understand. But, we do. You are one of us few. We are always sorting through the many that say they want better results in their business, to find the few that really are serious and wiling to invest in growing their company by learning new skill sets. Then we teach those few to do the same. Our products and really fun community do that for you.
Before You Get Carried Away and Go Broke in Your Learning Phase
Now hold on, You may have to keep a part-time job while you are in a learning phase. Most small business owners( network marketing, affiliate and traditional businesses) start this way.
Or, you will have to have enough saved up to pay for the expenses of your business, plus your living expenses, that will allow you to keep your acquired lifestyle.
Or, get ready to lower your standard of living for a time, as long as it takes, to get your income back up, way above where you left your JOB.
Your results will vary. To see average earnings go to http://yourlastjobever.com/income/
This is the focus and kind of persistence you have to have if you really want to be a small business owner. In most cases you are an expert of some sort. You are really good at one or two things in life
Depending upon who you are this will vary from person to person. Whatever you do be You. Do not lose yourself. Remember your business is not who you are. It is a role you play in life. Remember to enjoy the things that make you happy each Week you are in business. It will remind you to stay grounded. Be You.
Robert Kiyosaki Said I Needed To Learn How To Sell So I Did
In the book, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki he said that I needed to learn how to sell if I was to be successful in business.
In most cases you hate the idea of selling and being sold anything, Right?
Understandable, sales has a bad image. Now you want the truth about sales? Can you handle the truth?
94% of sales made are made by 4% of the people selling in Corporate America or in a small business.
The good news is that figure goes up in online businesses(from The Costa Rica Mastermind Retreat Series)
When interviewed by Chally Group Worldwide, most CEO’s said it was not the features and benefits of the products that was the reason they made their buying decision and bought what they needed and wanted. It was the sales person. Period.
I learned this from my mentors Dan Kreutzer and Robert Lambert of the Samurai Business Group. I have to give credit where it is due. You must learn how to sell or outsource selling if you are going to be a successful small business owner.
Luckily, we have a 4% ‘er as the founder of our company and he sells for you many, many, many, many, many, many times. He is really good at handling both of the two areas of your business online and so are many others in our growing community of online and network marketers. We have a nice mix of both from around the World in our community. We meet every 90 days and we have a blast. But back to Dave he is exceptional at:
1) Driving traffic to your offers
2) Conversion – converting the people that find your offers to sales eventually. This is the one thing that David Wood is an artist at!
The system he set up, does all the selling and telling for You. You help get people who are serious customers into the system.
Oh, by the way the system and products is the training to teach you how to be a 4% ‘er and have a life while doing it! We call it building a business while having a life!
Love that idea, after running my business the hard way from 1993 until 2013. In 2013 I tripped on this system that has changed my life! Thank You Mack Mills and Chuck Marshall. They are my online sponsors and mentors by example. The best way.
What Are You Good At?
Everyone is an expert at something.
How many people do you know that have a business and are really good at one or two things in life? Think about it, everyone is good at something.
When you find the one thing that you would do even, if you did not get paid, it is at this point that you have found your passion in life.
Celebrate that point like I am celebrating today. That celebration alone will bring you more celebrations. One builds on the next and the next, and eventually you get happy. You bust out laughing all the time. it is fun! People will think You are nuts and you are for thinking of starting your own business( just kidding…no really you are) but, you’re my kind of nuts, and I will gladly lock arms with you and help you become successful.
Not by holding your hand. But remember, success leaves clues. I will guide you in the right direction. What you do with it is up to you. It is your business and you can run it any way you see fit. You want to have my personal attention, get to every event. Show you are serious.
It came to me in a dream as I was in a dream-like, almost lucid-dreaming, state as I was waking, yesterday morning, around 5:15 a.m. Bang! It just popped into my head and I woke up.
One million blog posts for our team Da Vinci Marketers/Prosperity Team by March 27, 2027 or sooner. Why do I say or sooner? Because you never want to tell the Universe or whatever you believe in, what you are going to do.
It or they, will just laugh at you and do what it or they, or whatever force you believe is at play. we’ll call it, “It,” for simplicity sake.
“It”(this unknown force) will do what it was originally going to do anyway.
Set your intentions, and get out of the way. Do the work to improve yourself daily. That is what I did in 2005 and it was not until 2015 that the path became crystal clear.
But the good news is, most people never get clear and hate their life. I do not hate mine. I am now happy most of the time, unless I am pulled back into negative thinking from the “Matrix World”
I have a plan that has worked for many before me, and it will work for everyone, that is already a business owner,.
It is too big a jump to get someone that has worked a JOB(The Matrix) all their life.
I have only done it for 10 years of my 53 years on this physical plane. To jump to being an entrepreneur and give up all the security of a paycheck and benefits away is too much for most people.
Despite what traditional network marketers say, while preaching the dream and living the nightmare, people in the 9-5 JOB(Matrix World) are not your target market. They will not understand what you now understand.
They will not listen more than likely. Do not be surprised when your friends and family look at you like you’re nuts. You probably are, now go make some money! LOL! But, You can do this if they really want to be successful and free in life. I mean true freedom to be able to do what you want, when you want, with the people you love. Many of us have experienced this phenomenon in our careers and there is nothing like “time freedom” Nothing 🙂 Once you taste it, you will do whatever it takes to keep it.
The Plan For Your Success
1) Blog Daily every day of the year, regardless of what else is going on, make it your outcome to blog everyday for the rest of your life. Even if it is only a Speed Bog. Ask me about this after my assistant contacts you and sets you up for a coaching session with me. Each customer I work with gets an initial one on one coaching session to get you off on the right foot.
I am blogging daily and sharing my blog with the World, daily. That is my outcome.
You can too if you realize how powerful having that many sales robots on the Internet working for you 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a Week is to the sales in your business. They never get sick, or want more money they just keep selling
We get to help people solve their sales and marketing and their personal problems(sometimes you can not help them as they are in too much trouble always keep them safe) and get paid to do it!
2) Get ALL IN. Why? Because you will have to learn some things. The more you learn from people that already have learned how to sell and market online and offline, the more value you provide the marketplace, the people you help buy.
Remember, unless you help people buy what you are selling you do not have a business. You have a hobby. Get ALL IN in spirit, as well.
“You have to be ready to do whatever it takes, and want success more than the air you breathe.” Jon Penbernathy
Now you are an entrepreneur and I am proud to call you my brother or sister in this adventure.
3) Market Your Blog Daily and/or your business daily. Either in a reduced cost method(nothing is truly free in business there will always be monthly or yearly expenses) or in a paid method. I use a bit of both and always will. Being in business is like a marathon, with sprints throughout.
4) Read Daily…Where do you think you will get all the value you will provide people? By reading and becoming the person that people want to follow and be around. Readers are leaders throughout history. All the high-net-worth(HNW) individuals throughout history are leaders and readers. They pass down “their secrets” in books. Read those books. What books ask me at an event 🙂
5) Listen to audios daily. What audios? The Inner Circle Audios. And, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Bob Procter. Also, if you are in network marketing company then your favorite leader.
If not, your favorite role model or mentor. Why? because that is how you will absorb the habits, traits, tactics and speech patterns of people that already have the success you want.
When you put in enough time into doing this for you, you will start to see a transformation take place inside you. You will begin to communicate in a manner similar to them, that is modeled with your own personality.
6) Get on an industry call every Week or as often as possible. Why? To stay current. If you do not have an industry call get on mine every Monday at 9 p.m. EST at Ph: 209-255-1040
You can listen in on 5, 6, and 7 figure earners each Monday. They say you as an entrepreneur, will earn an average of the 5 people you associate with and learn from.
I choose to learn from billionaires and millionaires. You see the leveraged power of the Internet plus the leveraged compensation plan of the network marketing industry is absolutely amazing. See what I mean below
7) Help two people join Your business daily – Learn how to get enough leads a day, by using the products you buy all the products in our series. This is called being ALL IN, to produce 30 leads a day, and help two people for your workout partner(as they will be doing the same for you each day) get clear and help them get ALL IN and get them to buy a ticket to the next event.
30 leads a day and 2 sales of the front end $25/month, viral blogging systems a day and you are free to do what you want, when you want, with the people you love.
Isn’t that why we all started our businesses? So we could retire that way. It can happen sooner than you think. Regardless of what business you are in using method.
You see you can blog about any business. Get them in the front door, or what we call in marketing your marketing funnel. Now you can get to kow them with follow up emails, they get to know like and trust you, and eventually they will buy from you or get off your list, which is how you segment your list into buyers and non-buyers. All on autopilot while you are doing something else.
8) Then move all heavens and Earth to get yourself and your customers to the next event you have for your company. Lives change at events. People have breakthroughs at events. People meet at events.
You want to meet three types of people at events
- your workout partner – you call their customers(not leads these people have already bought your front end offer) daily and then schedule an appointment with your workout partner with their new customer(we use Facebook Chats or Google Hangouts for these coaching sessions and it is best that they happen within 24-48 hrs of them becoming a customer for them)
- your accountability partner – this is a separate person that holds you accountable to your outcomes you set with them for you and they set them with you.
- leaders…success leaves clues.
Do what you see leaders doing? Who are the leaders in your industry on the web? The people you see on stage. Talk to them or at least ask for a picture with them, when they are not busy. Friend them on Facebook, edify them respectfully in comments and posts. Do not interrupt them. Be aware they have many people that want their time. Respect it and they will respect you.
When these 3 things happen in your business your life changes and you change into that person I mentioned above, that people want to follow and eventually buy from You, you work with your team at events, because you have learned how to solve people’s business problems and help them. You are a leader. That is my vision for You.
Always follow your numbers in your business. Use them for planning and tracking and measuring your results.
Here is our outcome as a team
1,000,000 blog posts / 365 days a year means we will need 2740 people across this globe doing that simple 8 core commitments each day until we hit 1 million blog posts. I believe we can do it.
You see I love blogging and bloggers. Written bloggers, video bloggers(vloggers) audio bloggers(podcasters. )Why? Because it allows all business owners regardless of who they are and what they’re trying to accomplish in life to be themselves, while making money online for their business and it’s cash-flow.
- Moms and Pops
- geniuses and people not as smart
- people that are great at traffic and that are not
- people that are great at selling and scared to death of it
- the class clown
- women who are great at forming communities of engaged team members
- people with addictions
- corporate executives
- single men and women
- married couples
- gay and straight
- people with brain disorders
- and other physical pains
- regular, normal people
- The most unique people you will ever meet
- caring people
- executives
- stock brokers
- real estate agents
- network marketers
- affiliate marketers
- actors
- singers
- dancers
- engineers
- scientists
All are business owners (because when you own the rights to use this blog you immediately out of the box have a business)
Business owners, consultants, sales people can have the same level playing field when they start blogging, start sharing their wisdom and their value with their local town, state, country and eventually or right away the World. It all depends on the actions you take in your business.
A Crazy Idea? Blog It Out!
Here is an idea. What if every School-aged, child was taught what they needed to do to be a blogger(the 8 core commitments above) every day of their lives?
What would happen? Imagine what great communicators they would be in a short time! What kind of a leg up in life would they get?
Imagine what would happen if people did not fight, but instead “blogged it out,” settled their differences by writing about them, and letting the world traffic to that post determine what we all saw and did as a society, as a World.
No wars, no verbal fights, no physical fights, all handled on the blogosphere?
Well, first people would begin to read again and listen to inspiring audios. Innovation would take off, because people would begin to use their minds again, instead of dreading their existence walking around like automatons during the Week.
Here is Your Homework Alice Before You Come Down The Rabbit Hole All The Way
Watch people, pay attention to people for the next 31 days, as an observer only. People complain all the time:
- at work
- at home
- in the store
Anywhere you find or talk to people you will here “complain-speak” – STOP IT. Don’t be apart of it anymore. Make that one of your first outcomes on your journey as a small business owner, whether you work with me or not.
It is imperative if you are going to be a successful entrepreneur, a successful small business owner, that you learn how to stop complaining for the next 31 days. Why? Because it becomes a habit. When you stop complaining, people who are “normal” will try to pull you back into complaining because they are not OK. Just watch the news at night to listen to how much they are not OK. When you do this people will start to be attracted to you, because you are different in a good way. It is almost magic. You seem happy! They will start to smile around you more. Try it what do you have to lose 🙂
Stop watching television. It is how the leaders of society are trying to keep you not OK. Think about it. If you are not OK, you need them.
If you are OK, you can start to learn how to be successful. You will not need them. You can have a life that You design. But, you have to break free from all the things that are trying to keep you unsuccessful. Once you start to become successful then go back to an occasional TV program or if you want. Then, when your sales are coming in you can do whatever you want.
Isn’t that why you are in business? To do whatever you want with whomever I want, whenever I want.
The only reason I can blog as much as I do(and I need to step it up a bit if I am going to hit that outcome above) is because I read something every day for at least 15 minutes and some times I read for an hour and a half.
Now, all you have to do is figure out what your passion is, and a way to get paid for doing it.
The nice thing is that this is already taken care of for you in your blog automatically. You can blog about whatever you want.
Our products and the people in our community of bloggers will help you learn how if you are willing to do the work.
You say, “Oh. I already have a blog.” Great! How much money is it making you? None? Keep reading. If you are making money already why are you reading this? Stop, and go be happy.
For me it has always been teaching. That is truly my passion and sales, since I was a little kid selling light bulbs door to door. I have always liked selling and helping people.
Problem is, the way that teachers are treated in society. You are always spending your own money or running out of money, and then other people telling you how to teach and what to teach…Nope! Not for me.
But, now I have found a way to teach, help people, and get paid. And you can too. How much? It always depends on the number of people you help. Want more money? Learn how to help more people. Simple, but not easy.
You see there are all sorts of people that you will run into in business and you must already know, or you must learn how they think.
Why? because in one way or the other you will always be dealing with people in your business, whatever business you have. Remember, you are in business to make a profit, to sell your products or services or both.
Never lose touch with that. A successful business is one that sells to many people or they charge a lot to less people. Period. There is no other way to earn a living in your own business.
You May Have No Time
Some people have lots of money but they have no time to be with family and friends because they are always working.
Others have lots of money, but they want more. You will need to decide what kind of people you want to help.
You May Not Have Money
You may not have money. My heart goes you to you. I understand. You will have a tougher time being in business. Businesses have expenses. You will need to invest in yourself and your business education somewhere. If you have absolutely no money then you will need to learn how to make money first, before you can own a business. You may need a job first, read daily, listen to audios daily, watch the videos above daily, learn to meditate. That is where I started from less than zero. It has been a wild ride! Believe in yourself! I believe in the power inside You!
You can not avoid this fact, you always need money to own and run a successful business. If you do and you are ready to start and you just want to make more, fantastic! Sign up for your business here
There are other people you will run into that can not for whatever reason, hit their goals or financial outcomes. You see to them it is very important that they solve that problem. More important than holding on to their money.
Then you realize the leveraged communication ability of the Internet.
People just start finding you at all hours of the day and night interested in what you are doing.
Your engagement starts to go through the roof. People start asking to be your friend on Facebook and they do not try to sell you anything! You are gaining traction in the marketplace. Keep going.
Leaders will start to recognize you, keep going.
Then, you have a breakthrough, after breakthrough, after breakthrough, keep going.
Everything about your business starts to make sense, keep going.
You become at peace with yourself, keep going.
You start to inspire leaders of different industries and cultures around the globe, keep going.
That is my vision for you 🙂
Does your vision fit into that? Do you do the right thing, not because of the compensation, but because it is the right thing to do?
Of course no one is a saint. We all get paid when we provide value in excess of what people are willing to pay for it.
So what should you buy? Everything. You deserve it all. The more you learn, the more valuable you become to others.
The more value you share with your target audience, the more they will begin to follow you and try what you are doing at small levels at first.
Then, they will start to believe. They will see their own vision aligned with yours. You will inspire leaders. The more you do that, the more you earn for yourself and your family, friends, and the World if that is your adventure in business.
You are a business person. It is in your blood, in your DNA. Your desire to be successful, and that one special factor in your life is more important to you than the air you breathe.
Or, you may want to just pay some extra bills, have a little extra at the end of the month. Your adventure is your adventure. There is room for us all. This is called living in an “abundance mindset.”
Mindset is 99.9% of any business
It is more important to be unified than to be right. David Wood said that in many trainings I have watched. Together everyone achieves more. TEAM This is important to you. Right? Then you are one of us. Welcome!
So what do you want to do next?
Work for someone else’s dreams? No not You
Whether you are a leader in industry, or a network marketing company, or you are an affiliate that just wants more out of life, blogging maybe the answer for you.
It will take time to build up enough of a following that people start to listen to you. It will take time for you to build up enough of an awareness in their mind that they start to know, like, and trust you. When they do. They will buy from you.
What if everyone had only one rule in life. No fighting physically or verbally, blog it out.
What if the World leaders all had to live by this one simple rule.
You say, Well not everyone can write?” I say, “Why not?” As you read this, you can see I am not a great writer. I am getting better and better every day.
How? By writing and learning what to do an what not to do. I am just a regular guy. This works for ladies too.
All humans should start this amazing journey learning how to communicate in a blog.
Now not all blogs have to be this long. This is being written for my team for generations to come. I will pin this post on my team page.
LinkedIn just hit 1 million business blog posts. Interesting. Why do you think they did that?
Take a look at the top websites on Alexa.com
Lets Do It together:
Start with this list and look at every website. Find the sites that allow paid traffic, that have blogs, that have activities you can relate with. These are sites that you will find people like you. These will be the customers that are easiest to work with.
Then look at the next 100. What do you find? Value, Right. They provide different kinds of people value. This is what you want your business to do for others.
Hopefully, you have gotten some value from the longest blog post I have ever written. We’ll see how it does. If you would like your own blog so you can share your value with other business owners click here to get your own for $25/month.
Inside you will be “funneled” into awareness of other products. If you are really serious about being a small business owner get your mind right and get them all. Get them all here
The more You have, the more learn from one, do what it says, and then blog about it. Do a video about it.
The more value you can provide others who are just getting started where I started off in 1993, breaking free from a JOB(The Matrix) the way society wants You to be.
You are an entrepreneur and I will believe in you being successful until you can believe it Yourself.
Now, go get to work! As a business owner you really do only get to eat and pay your living expenses and business when you earn money.
I am not saying it is going to be easy, just worth it. If you have read this far. I really believe in You! Welcome!
Awesome Stuff Tom, I love the detail you put into this pal….and its some solid content. I picked up a ton of golden nuggets from this post. Thanks for sharing.
Coming from a Master like yourself Gary, that is an honor. Thank You!
Hi Tom, Wow this must of taken a while to write, I totally agree, you provide value to people and just be you.
Thank You Debbie!
What an incredibly detailed post Tom. The path of an entrepreneur is a process that you lay out here very well. Anyone even considering to jump in as a small online business owner must be aware that it will require a serious desire to want to become your own boss, creating your own income and being responsible for your success. I believe it is the best thing I have ever done, once I made the decision a little over 2 years ago. And as I continue to learn and build my online business, I’m always grateful to meet amazing people like yourself, that keep us inspired and motivated. Thank you for your wonderful insight!
Thank You Lynn!