My dad always said, “You can play now and pay later or pay now and play later. If you play now, it will always be more expensive down the road.” What he was teaching us is that you need to put the work in BEFORE you reap the rewards. With the credit/housing crisis here in the US, it shows that many people tried to ‘live the lives they wanted’ before they had earned them. Buying houses they can’t afford, cars they can’t service, and vacations that they pay on their credit cards. People are being wiped out because they didn’t do the work first. They wanted to ‘pretend’ that they had arrived before ever paying the piper.

I’m spending a month in the tropics which feels both relaxing, but more important, gratifying. While my friends were all getting the big homes, the big cars, and taking the big vacations with the impressive pictures…I was building. I didn’t vacation, I didn’t buy the big house, I didn’t buy the new cars, and I didn’t jaunt all over the map to party. Instead…I worked. I know that paying now, would allow me to play later without worry. Here I am. The stuff in your life will not make you happy just by having it. You can go run up your credit cards and live like a rock star and that will bring you momentary happiness. Then the dread will set in when you realize the Visa bill is coming tomorrow and you are paying 19% interest on a balance you can’t possibly cover.  A friend emailed me bitching that I get to take “all this time off” and he gets two weeks of a year. I told him that it isn’t unfair, it is that we have made different decisions. He chose the ‘security of a job’ and I chose to build an asset that created revenue. Remember that security that you crave may keep things out (unemployment, no money, etc.) but it also keeps you in (doesn’t allow you time to explore things you are passionate about, spending time with people you enjoy, having the freedom to choose.

Building a business is the single most important time investment you can make in your long term ability to ‘play’. It will generate revenues that allow you to sneak away without financial hardship. You may work very hard for 1,2,3,5 years, but in the end, that investment will return to you over and over again. When you see people enjoying the spoils of their hardwork, don’t feel sorry for yourself. Instead, find the inspiration to model what they have done so that you can enjoy what the enjoy. It isn’t about taking risks, it’s about getting past instant gratification (which we are all to focused on). Stay your course, build your model in a sustainable model, and enjoy all that being a business owner has to offer. We all start with the same options. How will you leverage yours?

For me…I’m needed back at the pool. There’s a drink waiting…

Over the last month, I keep on coming across women who are miserable in their jobs. They don’t feel acknowledged, they feel overworked, underpaid, not appreciated, they work with idiots, their bosses are idiots, and they start to dread Sunday nights. This is not good. THIS IS NOT GOOD! Life is to short to spend time in an environment that you hate. I decided over a decade ago to leave the corporate ranks and start a business. I gave my notice at 1:26PM on a Friday and never looked back. That….was….stupid… I left without a plan and nearly killed myself getting the company up and running. I made it harder than it needed to be because I let my job take me to the brink of desperation. I was in a place where I’d rather lose everything than go into my office another day. Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back now, there were a lot of things I would have done differently. Below is the advice I would have given to my decade younger self when in a position moving towards total desperation in a job.

1. Take some time to ponder what it is that you want to do and then how you can make money doing it. I left my job and started a research firm because it was the only work I knew I could do well. I wanted to do a bit of traveling, learn a lot more about business, and see my work create change. I moved into the realm of Economic Development almost immediately because I followed stories closely (in the media) of things that were happening in my home town. If I had known what the hell I was doing, I would have started getting curious about the role I could play in Economic Development (while I still had a job) and look to create initiatives in the workplace that would serve my boss AND give me skills that I could transition out. I never took time to be curious in my job because I was too busy hating it. I let the situation control me rather than controlling the situation.
2. Talk to people doing what you want to do. The best place to get information on what you are interested in doing is to look at those doing it. Anything from going to conferences, reading websites of those in the market space, doing media queries, attending networking events, and even extending coffee invitations can all give you the necessary pieces to get clear on what you might want to do. Remember though that people lie. If things are crappy, they will make them out better than they are; if they have found a ‘goldmine’ in the market, they’ll play it down. You have to be an ‘investigator’. Put a ‘case’ together on what is happening in that market you are targeting and cross reference, validate, fact check, and do some primary research (where you collect the data firsthand) and start putting the ‘real’ story together in your head.
3. Change your language. I used to say, “How the hell am I going to have the life I want working in this job?” That was the wrong conversation to have with myself. What I should have said was, “What is the ideal life I have in mind for myself and how can this job (in the short term) help me get what I want?” I was so busy being negative in where I was at that I forgot that the company I worked for was riddled in opportunities, I was just to mad/blind/pissed off/head in ass to see them.
4. Make a plan. You control the timing. If you have ever seen the movie “Sleeping with the Enemy” with Julia Roberts, you’ll know what I’m talking about. She is married to an abusive asshole and thus decided to make her leave. She starts stashing money, takes swimming lessons, and prepares to make her move when the timing is right. Then she creates all the opportunities required to make the transition. This is smart and something I didn’t do. I quit and then figured out what I was going to do, how I was going to do it, who I was going to do it for, how I was going to fund it, etc. I made it harder than I needed it to be because I didn’t take time to plan. If you are so miserable where you are at, then put in some time to coming up with a plan to make your exit. When the plan feels right, the planets align, you get a ‘sign’, whatever, you can make the leap knowing where you are going to land.
5. Put your plan into action. Start taking the steps to make it a reality. Good ideas are a dime a dozen and there are many poor souls that are retiring at 65 (from jobs they hated), that had a great idea in their 20′s. The difference between a visionary and a dreamer is a visionary puts their dream to work.
6. Find an adviser. Find someone that can quickly push you to the right model and guide you over the speed bumps. I hear women say all the time, “I can’t afford to have a business coach/personal coach/business adviser work with me.” Ummm….you are selling your soul each day you go to a job you hate. A couple of hundred dollars a month isn’t worth it for you? Getting good support isn’t thousands of dollars a month. It’s a couple hundred dollars. Probably less than you are spending self-medicating your shitty situation with shopping/martinis/travel/Jimmy Choos. What’s your life worth?
7. Start today. Women are too loyal. I recently had a colleague that was thinking about jumping from a shitty job into her own business, but her nerves/fear/life got in the way of it. She decided to forgo the dream and stay in her shitty job because she is: loyal/responsible to her family/nervous it won’t happen/etc. None of this is wrong but I know in time, it will be a decision she will likely regret. Shitty jobs and business situations rarely fix themselves. When women are considering a change in life, they think of how it will effect everyone else first and then themselves. This is a dangerous game to play in that you always come in last and it’s from your own doing.  I hear women bitch and moan about their jobs and I always ask, “What are you doing to change things up?” The answer always is, “Nothing right now…” Well princess, life isn’t shit and giggles. It is up to you to make it what you want it to be. With the right plan, passion, direction, guidance, and effort, it can be exactly what you want, if you claim it.

Take a step today. Don’t waste your bosses time googling stuff when you are supposed to be working, but look at how you can best use your time/resources to move yourself to the next level. Here are some quick suggestions on how to make that happen:

• Start attending and and all networking events with an intention to build your professional network
• On your lunch hour, start doing some research surrounding your ‘dream work’ and start making a business case for yourself on it. Be discreet!
• Start learning everythign you can about the thing you want to do. If you want to be a professional speaker, go see speakers, read the blogs of speakers, talk to event planners about how they hire speakers, read books on building a speaking business, track speakers that you would most like to model, work on topics you would like to speak about, make a list of the top characteristics of a great speaker, and so on.
• Commit 4 hours a week to developing your plan. This could be sitting in a coffee shop, talking with mentors, interviewing people in the market you want to enter, reading websites of companies doing what you want to do, etc. Invest in you and you’ll always get a return.
• Find a coach. If you have personal shit in the way, work with a personal coach. If you want to build a business model or make a career leap, find a business coach. It is  important that whatever model you consider, it must feel ‘right’ for you. Sometimes a coach might be the only person you are completely honest about your goal with. Interview a handful of coaches and choose the one that ‘feels’ right for you.

It isn’t about you ‘cheating’ on your job. It is about you cheating yourself out of the life you want. Time is precious and you are never going to get today back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Consider how you are going to make 2010 exceptional for you and what you need to have in place to make it so.

Best,

Chris.

I’m in the process of forming five new profit models right now. I was corrupted, long ago, by the sweet, sultry seduction of Capitalism. More is more and less is less. In a market like this, the strong rise to the top and the weak wither. I’m okay with this. There hasn’t been a more constructive, affordable, and exciting time to start a new business, or re-work an existing model. In upcoming weeks, I will show you my new ‘babies’ and give you details on what they do, how they make money, and the big picture for them. My partners have varying levels of skills they bring to the table. Some what to have a company that can feed the ego, others want one that will make them wealthy. I want both.

I have a lot of interest from people wanting me in a new venture. Some want the start-up costs, but most want the direction to take it to a big level. This is good for the ego, but what I must watch myself with is deciding if this partner can make things happen as well, or if they are going to limp into the business expecting me to chew their food for them. I think I have gotten better over the last few years stripping the mud out, but it can still seep in. What’s exciting is I have two good friends that I’m exploring a working model with. Doing business with friends is traditionally a bad idea, but having worked with one for 10 years and the other for 7, I’ve seen how they do business and I’m comfortable. What I love is that I’m a starter and they are finishers. I get the fire going, and they keep the fire going. That’s a good partnership for me. When partners want me to start it, manage it, tweak it, fix it, and they watch it and tell me what else it needs, it’s like having someone in the kitchen telling you how to season your food. If you aren’t a chef, get out of the kitchen. If you want to be a chef, get your pots and pans and get cooking!

Here are some questions I ask myself and you should too, if exploring new business models:

1. What role will each of us play?
2. Who brings what to the table?
3. Why are either person interested in the arrangement?
4. What type of investment (money and more importantly time, is required?)
5. Can either side keep their word and their end of the bargain?
6. Who has the most to gain/lose from the relationship?
7. Is this worth my time to be involved?

• I have one partner who moans that “he didn’t get enough time with me when we first started our model.” When asked if he called when he needed help, he replies, “No, I knew you were busy.” Well Tiger, if you want something, you need to ask for it. I’m in business, not mind reading. When he tells people this, it makes him look old and weak. Especially to other people I work with who know I return their calls.

• Another partner calls all the time with opportunities and I say to her, “What the hell do you want?” when I pick up the phone. She says, “To make you some goddamn money.” Then I say, “Please continue, I have all day for you.”
• A third partner is an amazing closer. He brings in big deals, but consistency is a challenge. We fight over breakfast, come up with a plan, follow the plan, fall of the wagon, fight over breakfast, come up with a plan… It might sound stressful, but it’s fun because he has potential and I think I beat a work ethic into him. Might be a losing battle, but I’m confident. There is no one better at engaging people than he is. I’d like to bottle it and sell it.

When both parties are coming to the table, business is fun. When one is hauling the other along, or a model is stalling, that’s not a lot of fun and it isn’t going to get me fired up to focus on it. Now with over 20 companies under my belt, I get how this song goes. I’m not a big fan of sharing my pie, unless the person coming to the table is bringing some ice cream. When you are looking at joint ventures, consider the personality first, the business model second, and finally the profit model. If all of those make sense, give it a go. If it’s a great model with the wrong person, get out. If it is the right person with the wrong model, get out. And be clear with what you want from the relationship. I’m in a position now where I’m very clear what I want out of a model and then I ask for it. The strength in this style of negotiation is I’m not focused on doing the deal. If I get what I want, I’m good to go (granted it’s the right person, model, and profitability), and if it isn’t a model that works for me, I wish them the best and bow out.

I will do business with almost anyone if the model interests me, the person can get it done and can be trusted, and there is money to be made. I’m open to hearing about any opportunity but unless I can answer the above questions effectively, I don’t put the model into play. Follow my advice friends and make sure of what you are doing, who you are doing it with, and how it is going to roll, before you commit. Remember, you can always back out if it isn’t working. Only death is forever and working with a boat anchor is death, trust me.

C/

I’m taking some time away from the dreaded blackberry this week. I remember back in 1995, I was working on a political campaign and I had a cell phone. I thought I was hot shit and would have it in my hand all the time. It was status back then. Now I have two cell phones, a blackberry, and a monthly bill that circles $500.00 That cool toy has become a leash in business. People assume that because you have a blackberry, they can email you any time of day or night and you should respond in seconds. No, I will not imitate Pavlov’s Dog and bark every time that annoying little red light starts to flash. Instead, I will stop forwarding my email to it, use it only to check restaurant reviews, and give it an overdue ‘time-out’. Will the businesses come crashing down? Will partners revolt and start burning crosses? I don’t think so, but like anything in business, you need to see if things ‘hold water’ by testing them. Let the testing begin…

Who am I kidding. I LOVE criticism. I know that might seem weird. With the touchy-feely world the way it is, we aren’t supposed to criticise nor are we supposed to be happy to get criticised. With the book, I had my share of critics and praise. The praise is nice, but the critics made my day, especially when they were angry. When the reviewer from  Business Week called me the ‘Shock Jock of Business Management‘, I think she meant it as an insult. I took it as a compliment. I love that title and use it in different promotions.

I grew up in a home where scrutiny  and criticism were the dishes of the day. I was expected to be my best, or get called onto the mat to answer for it. Criticism, if served with the best intent, is a tool for development. The only thing is that the person giving the criticism has to have the expertise to do so.

When I watch American Idol, America’s Got Talent, or any of the other white noice on television, I’m not watching the talent and neither are you. I’m watching for the horrible singers to get destroyed by the judges. My question is always, “Don’t they have any friends or family?” When you sound like a cat getting murdered,  and your family encourages you to get up in front of millions to showcase your talent, they are either:

• tone deaf
• in-bred
• scared to tell you how horrible you are
• sadistic bastards

If I had a family member that brutal that wanted to get up on stage, I’d lock them up in the basement until the show is over. I love it when the horrible ones look at the judges and say, “Well I don’t agree with you. I think I am good and you don’t know everything.” Well Tiger, these are the people that control your destiny in the palms of their hands. In the example of American Idol, you have a best selling artist, a song writer, a music producer, and a record executive. I think they know if sound like a whale in heat. I’m not expert and I know that they suck and that their families have abandoned them and common sense.

With anything, take criticism with a grain of salt. “Never take compliments to your head and criticisms to your heart.” I welcome criticism from reliable sources. But…that person has to instill credibility that they have the expertise to criticise. If you are at work or in your business and someone makes a ‘suggestion’ on what you could be doing better, ask them ‘when they have done it that way and why?” You’ll often see a deer-in-the-headlights look back. They haven’t done it, but consider themselves an expert. If you are an A-Personality, you are likely your greatest critic (this is true for me). Only truly accept criticism if that person:

A) Have the knowledge base to critique

B) You’ve asked them for the feedback and

C) You are going to actually do something with it.

I believe that we all know when we hit a home run or when we strike out. But if you don’t, ask someone you trust who has your best interest at heart. And then take action to get better, stronger, or in-tune and give it another shot. We learn the most from our mistakes, not our victories.

C/

Long story short, in Game 6, Vancouver blew up and like the games throughout this series, were out manned, out played, and out worked by a younger, hungrier team. Pissed off after watching the game, I decided to look at the lessons we can take, as business owners, from how the series played out. Here is what the Canucks can teach us:

1. You can’t lead from the back.

Vancouver in their questionable wisdom, decided to choose their goaltender, Luongo, as the team captain. Chicago had Toews, their 21-year old dynamic captain, who happens to play centre. During the plays, Luongo’s team was figuring out things without the benefit of their captain being right there with them. Chicago has their captain leading from the ice beside them. Choosing a goaltender as a captain is ego driven and ridiculous.

“With the departure of Naslund to free agency, Gillis announced on September 30, 2008, that Roberto Luongo had been named team captain, marking the first time since Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens in 1947 that a goaltender has been named the captain of their NHL team.”

Lesson: In hockey, as in business, you need a captain who works along side their team. A leader removed from their team who sits back in the corner office and waits for people to ask for advice will have a wonky team who doesn’t win big.

-

2. Just because someone was a star on one team doesn’t mean they will be a star on every team.
Mats Sundin, a star and the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, accomplished almost nothing as a Vancouver Canuck. There was a lot of hype about him coming to play in Vancouver, but he performed at his worst that I had seen since I first started watching him years ago. He scored the odd goal, but he could not lead like he had in Toronto and it was painful to watch him try. (Note: Mats entered the NHL when the Blackhawks’ captain was one year old.)

Lesson: Just because someone is good in one job doesn’t mean that those abilities will transfer with the next job, position, or location. I see this time and time again with sales people. They rock in one job and when selling a different product, service, or themselves, they perform at a sub-standard rate. Every day you have to work like it’s your first day at work. You don’t get to ride on your reputation. If you do, you are likely to disappoint yourself and others.

-

3. Everyone can start, but not everyone can finish
The game of hockey is 60 minutes over three periods. The Canucks played well in the first periods, okay in the second periods, and completely lost it in the third periods. They blew more leads in this series than I have ever seen before. As soon as the third period would start and they would be leading, I’d be waiting to see how long it would take for them to give up their lead and have to fight to stay in the game.

Lesson: Every day, week, month is a money day, week, month. Don’t work hard in the first part of the month and once you have earned your nut, start to coast. It doesn’t take much to throw you off cash flow so you need to work each and every minute of your schedule. Can you take a break? Yes, when your market is breaking. Don’t take time off when there is money to be made. If you market wants to buy from you Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM, then that’s when you are on. If they want to buy from you every other night from 6PM to Midnight, then that’s when you are on. When the game is on, you are on.

-

4. You only stop playing when the game is over.
When Vancouver would blow their leads, you could see in their faces the frustration, anger, and disappointment. More times then not, they gave up. They didn’t bring their best selves. Instead, they went on the defensive so they didn’t get beaten too bad. If you focus on failure, you get failure. Chicago on the other hand was spurred on when things were bad for them. The players got bigger, more driven, finished their checks, and got it done. When the time came to step up, they did.

Lesson: In business, the only thing you can count on is problems. You will get sideswiped when you least expect it. The question isn’t if it will happen; it is what you will do when it happens. Will you shrink, count your pennies, and heal up. Or, will you put on a smile, wipe off the dirt, pick yourself back up, and get it done. The measure of character is what you do and how you handle adversity. For the Canucks, as well as many business owners in this economy, the way they handled the situation determined their failure.

-

5. In hockey as in business, you need to play the body, not the puck.
Chicago is a physical team. In hockey, a player on his ass is not likely to score a goal. When a player has the puck, he can be hit by another player legally. Chicago finished their checks, hit the hell out of the Canucks, and opened up scoring opportunities because of it. Vancouver slipped their checks (didn’t go full in), were man-handled, and in my opinion, physically dominated by a team they should have been able to war with. The Canucks didn’t focus on the fundamentals, knowing that by doing so, they would get the chance to score. Instead, they focused entirely on scoring and forgot the game they were playing.

Lesson: In business, you need to focus on building your business model, not the money. If you only focus on the money, you’ll never have a model that create money. You’ll keep on looking for the golden ring and get disappointed when you don’t get it. Focus on the model, not the money!

-

6. Age means nothing. Experience means little. It is about the hunger to be the best.
The big lines for the Blackhawks are in their early 20’s. The Canucks have proven veterans on their team that have a lot of winning experience. The young guys played like the veterans should and the veterans played like you would expect the young guys to. The Blackhawks were disciplined, focused on fundamentals, and played in unison. The Canucks played like rookies, made fundamental mistakes, and didn’t play like the team they once were.

Lesson: Just because someone is older, done business longer, or has more experience doesn’t mean they are going to be the best performer. In my experience, the young business professionals are hungry for success and have the ability to ‘lap’ their older counterparts. The old guys (and gals) try to give advice to the younger ones, but they themselves can’t follow their own advice. In business, what you know is less important than what you can get done. I see the ‘veterans of business’ trying to give advice to younger professionals who are doing more, billing more, and building more than their senior counterparts.  Money and cash flow is the ultimate measurement for your effectiveness in business.

-

7. Everyone wins or everyone loses.
The blame game is on high output right now. Players either contributed directly to losing the game for their team or they didn’t play up to their potential, hence didn’t produce for their team. There are a lot of Canucks who should be ashamed of their performance, or lack there of. The ‘team’ didn’t do what it was intending to do. The ‘team’ didn’t play as well as they could have. At the end of the team, the win or loss for any team in the NHL is based on the collective efforts, not the efforts of a handful of people.

Lesson: In business, everyone plays a role. The mail clerk enables the CEO to do her job. The janitor enables the sales team to hold meetings in clean boardrooms. Losing and winning is shared by everyone. When a company (or team) starts blaming one person over another, the ‘team’ part of the picture dissolves.

In the book, I talk about how Alphas are trained to not only avoid taking the blame, but ensure that they have people in place to take the ‘hits’ should the fire come. There needed to always be a scape goat in the old model, but as things change and a reformed Alpha leads the US, accountability is back to the forefront. I like how he says that regardless of the situation, “it’s his problem”. He steps up to the bat, makes the hard decisions, and sticks to the right choices, even if they aren’t always popular. As well, he calls people out on their stuff when they don’t pull the party line. This has historically happened behind closed doors. Yesterday, while giving an update on the Chrysler situation, he called out the financial institutions and hedge funds that were not part of the solution. “I don’t stand with them,” Obama said at the White House event. This is the reformed Alpha’s way of saying…”you are going to get Deep Sixed you greedy suckers!”

“I was so inspired yesterday as I walked out of what was one of the most productive meetings this year. We’re being bombarded with messages of FEAR, whether it’s the report on the economic climate, the political parties of the Province cutting each other down or as I was told a few weeks back by a small thinker – “it’s the worst time to start a business”. And yet, four of us sat together yesterday for an hour, hashed out a collaborative business arrangement in which all parties benefit, everyone sees the value, and we are all excited at the opportunity to work together. How refreshing!

There are SO many opportunities for companies to grow and prosper under the current market conditions. Like a forest fire burning off old growth, this market is burning off old mindsets. As a business coach I’m advising clients to:

1. Streamline their offering

2. Explore strategic partnerships

3. Get clear on their niche markets

4. Put systems in place rather than hire staff

5. Be clear on their cash position on a daily basis

This correction of mindset would have never happened without the market getting in to trouble. Companies are now forced to systemize and streamline AND COLLABORATE or they won’t survive. This market, in many ways, is just what business needed. If you’re open to working together – the results will be exponential!”

All the best,
Heather

—-

Heather’s Blog can be found here.

In the economic climate we all share, you can either sit back and hope things turn around, or plant Winter Wheat. Winter Wheat is a wheat that you plant after your last big harvest. It has a long growing time, much of which happens as the soil is covered with snow. It isn’t rushed like spring planting and you can take your time putting the seeds in.

In business, there will be some target clients that will work with you when things brighten up a bit. Don’t wait for things to turn around to plant your seeds. Do it now. These long term clients (>12months to decide) are Winter Wheat clients. You don’t have them now and you likely won’t have them for the next 12 months. If you plant the seed with them now, knowing that it is going to take a long time to incubate, then you can reap the rewards when the ‘thaw’ comes. Remember that it is all about mindset. The problems most businesses are facing are directly related to ‘not doing the work’ required to sustain a healthy profit model. You need to be constantly planing and harvesting your markets. If you take off a season, it will take you a season to catch up.

Although it took many rounds for this lesson to sink in, I now approach golf very differently. I still get myself in as many ‘challenging spots’ as I always have, but now I approach it without judgement and am curious if I’ll be able to get the ball back on a better path.

In business, you are going to find yourself in the ‘rough’ from time to time. You might be like me in that I’m quick to criticize my actions, but instead of going there, I’d encourage you to be ‘curious’ about how you can fix the situation to make it better. In business, like in golf, the more times you get into trouble, the more times you get to practice getting out. When you wake up each morning, look at where you ball (business/career) lies and rather than judging it, be curious on how to get it on a better course.

Remember, Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer or our generation, but he doesn’t win EVERY tournament.