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Confessions of an Entrepreneur

By Hesh Reinfeld, Business Humor Columnist

I told my family that I finally accepted that my passion had become an obsession and you could even call it an addiction. They all laughed. What had taken me 25 years to recognize, they had known for years.

My wife detected my addiction as early as our honeymoon in Paris. All I wanted to do was spend time at the Bourse trading francs on the spot market. She kept on nudging me to see some old picture in the Louvre.

For my daughter it became clear when I demanded that her prom date be an officer in Junior Achievement. I thought it was a good way to ensure that she dated a young man with career aspirations. She saw it differently.

Her younger brother, the violin virtuoso, threw the matter of the addiction in my face when I told him I would not pay for his schooling at Julliard. The curriculum did not have a course in business development or even Accounting 101. How would my son know if his future agent wasn't cookin' the books?

It had been six months since I had read a business plan. And I missed it. I missed it real bad. I salivated when the Wall St. Journal driver came down my block… only to skip my house. My wife had a block on our cable TV- no more MSNBC and it was no better on the Internet, I couldn't access Bloomberg.

Last Tuesday a power stronger then me won out. I don't know how, but I ended up at the Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club. My eyes focused on the booths along the back wall. I immediately saw the signs. A shot of single-malt Scotch, half finished, was being used as a paperweight on a four-color business plan. The reader, a silver-haired executive with monogrammed reading glasses was analyzing spreadsheets as he simultaneously served volleys of staccato like questions at the young man across the table.

This young man was obviously new to the game. His dark blue suit looked like he had not worn it since his bar mitzvah, and the tie must have been knotted eight years ago and never unraveled. He had ordered the latest micro- brew, but had not taken even one sip.

I sat at the next booth and listened in. I promised myself not to say a word. All I wanted was to eavesdrop and savior the rhythms of the conversation. I smiled as I heard the two argue over, burn rates, traction projections, alpha\ beta sites, and most stridently, about valuations.

A cell phone rang, and the single-malt Scotch stood and walked a few steps to take the call in private. I jumped up and got into micro-brew's face. I told him he was under- capitalized. He was giving away his intellectual property. His burn rate was twice as fast as this so-called 'angel' investor was revealing. Big Pharma would pay a much higher multiple for the company if he would listen to my suggestions.

He looked bewildered. I said it again, "Don't make the deal- you'll lose your company to this chamber of commerce man of the year wanna-be in seven months."

The conversation on the cell phone ended and Mister single malt Scotch asked, "Do we have a deal? " Micro brew- looked at him, then me, and said…." No way!" He reached for his beer and slid into my booth.

I don't have to tell you what happened next. You all know it too well. We sat for three and a half hours, re-doing spreadsheets on his laptop, and playing out various pro-formas.

I finally stumbled home, embarrassed and yet delirious with joy over the deal I had structured. My wife could see me hiding the business plan under my coat. She demanded to see my cell phone. Quickly she went through the calls I had made in the last four hours. She knew the area codes, New York, Brussels, London, and my newest haunt, New Delhi. I had been lining up angel investors.

What could I say? I had already used up my inventory of 'I promise it will never happen again's.' She had been going to her own meetings and knew that she needed to go on with her life and not let my addiction manipulate her.

Had I called my sponsor? She had not seen his number in my cell phone's call list. "No," I whispered.

She made me return to Entrepreneurs Anonymous (EA). I had stopped going to my meetings. I had beaten it or so I thought. But the truth is, we never do. I was just like everyone else in EA. I matched the profile perfectly. 80% of members have a relapse within their first six months. I was now another data point confirming that statistic.

My next stop is the 28-day regimen at the Warren Buffett Center for Recovering Entrepreneurs at White Sulfur Springs. I wonder if they will give me my old room back. Wish me luck.

Hopping Into Bed with Someone…Professionally Speaking?

By Stephen Funari Esq., Managing Partner of Funari Levine LLP

The 10 Most Deadly Mistakes Business Partners Make—And How to Avoid Them

One of the best ways an entrepreneur can find the investment money he or she needs to grow their business is by finding a strategic or joint venture partner. In a good partnership, each partner will bring expertise or assets that the other party is missing, but that are necessary for the business to be successful; for instance: CASH!

If done correctly, a partnership can be great a way to grow your company without implementing difficult and time-consuming changes to your business. A partnership can help you increase your market share, gain a new competitive advantage, and help you to respond and adapt more quickly to change in the marketplace.

But, business partnerships can be tough, and getting out of a bad one can be worse than an ugly divorce.

In my practice, entrepreneurs often come to me when it’s too late. In a typical scenario, communications have broken down between the partners, they have been kicked out of their business, money has been stolen, and everyone is about to sue everyone else.

Let me put this into tangible terms for you. What I have found is that when I help my clients outline their relationship with their partners in writing before they get started, it will cost them between $1,500 and $7,500 for a simple partnership. When clients do not do this up-front work and hire my firm to sue their partner (or defend a lawsuit) when things go bad, it can cost up to 10 TIMES that amount in litigation!

What I have found is that when future business partners hash out the terms of their relationship before they get started, they have longer and more successful partnerships, and they save a considerable amount of money on legal fees. To help future business partners get the conversation started, I have created a Business Partners Questionnaire that helps future partners begin to outline their relationship in writing. To get your FREE copy, email me at sfurnari@furnarilevine.com.

Here are a few other suggestions to help keep you and your partners out of court!

1. Go Back to the Basics
Before you even start hunting for a potential partner or decide that a partnership is definitely the way to go, take a look at your business plan. Decide whether such a move is in line with you business goals. What are your organizational goals? Would a partnership help you achieve these goals? Is it consistent with the objectives of your company? A partnership is not a magic bandage that will solve your company’s problems. If you feel that your decision to partner is a defensive move, it maybe an indication of a core problem that should be fixed within your company, not externally. Similarly, don’t rush into partnership because you rely on one to start your business.

2. The Deadly E’s: Ego & Emotion
The deadly E’s can trap you in a potentially awkward situation with your partner. Surrounded by a myriad of official documents and important decisions to be made, your ego can cause you to make claims and opinions that can come back to bite you later on. For example, by distinguishing yourself as the company’s official decision maker, you become responsible for your partner’s decisions too. Just as dangerous are your emotions, which can lead you to form unrealistic expectations or impromptu promises or commitments.

3. Don’t Ignore Possible Opportunities/Stay Flexible
Cash-strapped entrepreneurs have a tendency to stop their search for a partner once they find the first person who demonstrates an ability to write a check. Remain uncommitted until you sign an agreement with your potential partner. Actively cultivating your alternatives can give you a better perspective on the partnership process and allow you to ask yourself, “is this partnership truly the best option?” Keeping your options open can help you compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, including that of a partnership. Not only does this prevent you from devoting excess time, money and effort on the sub-prime partner candidate, but you get the assurance that whatever decision you made was the best one. Also, consider possible opportunity costs. Along with the benefits of a partnership, you also assume liabilities, like your partner’s competitors. Will this fact conflict with potential opportunities in the future?

4. Form an Exit Strategy Before You Get Started
Be realistic. Conflict is inevitable and you never know how severe it may get. Although it seems cynical, you should think of how you’ll exit from the partnership…before you get started. Consider it staying prepared for your next opportunity. While you and your partners are still on good terms, it’s crucial to determine how to allocate your business’ assets in case you and your partner decide not to work together anymore. You should also agree about what to do with the business or assets in case of an untimely termination, such as a partner’s death. Having an exit strategy will help you maintain your autonomy – your fate and that of your business remains in your hands, not your partner’s.

5. Map Out Your Mutual Expectations In Writing
Before you get started, and possibly before you meet with your lawyer, prepare a plain English roadmap of the relationship between you and your partner. Some major advantages are:
• it allows you to draft the partnership agreement with your lawyer before presenting it to your partner’s lawyer;
• its flexible structure enables you to experiment with different relationship configurations to see which one you’re most satisfied with;
• you’ll have a clearer idea of what you want from the partnership; and
• most importantly, you can clearly distinguish business issues from legal issues, and use lawyers only to discuss the latter which will save you money on legal fees. This brings us to the next point.

6. Get Legal Advice Early
Get legal advice from the beginning. Let your lawyer know what your goals are and he or she will let you know what you need to do to get there. A lawyer can also assess how realistic or beneficial your aspirations are. They can help you strategize your negotiations and plan what to ask for and when. Also note that the attorney representing the other side is the one you should look out for. You and your future partner should discuss the business side of your relationship first and, if possible, only introduce lawyers later.

7. Don’t Do Everything Yourself
A good leader knows when to delegate responsibilities. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Assuming you’ve already taken the steps to carefully choose reliable consultants and employees, communicate with those working for you. Lawyers, accountants and managers can provide an objective, specialized perspective and a more realistic tone to what might be an overly optimistic plan. Having technical and expert advisers on hand can also help you understand financial and operational implications pertinent to both parties.

8. Haste Makes (Costly) Waste
It’s true, time is money. But ignoring details and attempting shortcuts will likely cause delays or worse, bad decisions when forming a partnership. Remember, if your partnership blows up, it will cost you far more time, money and heartache than if you do things right from the beginning.

9. Don’t Overlook Details
As an entrepreneur, you already have a knack for seeing the big picture. It’s the details, however, that will add value to your vision in the long run. Covering the following bases will help buffer you against uncontrollable changes in the market, operating costs, and even sentiments between you and your partner. Before you get started: • establish the objectives and expectations of each partner; • determine each partner’s contribution in terms of funds, skill and time; • assess how much revenue will be allocated relative to the amount and type of work done; • assign the roles and related tasks of each partner; for example, decide who will manage the partnership, who will get training and hire employees, etc.; • form evaluation objectives and plan ways to monitor and assess performance; and • determine a procedure to resolve problems when things break down; for example, mediation or arbitration.

10. Trust Your Gut
My present partner excluded, I have been guilty of some bad decisions about business partners. I was involved in a partnership where I owned and managed an investment property in a ski resort with two other people. My partners were social acquaintances whose company I enjoyed very much in that type of setting. However, throw money, emotions, power, and economic risk in the mix, and things quickly got tense.

The first indication that the business partnership might not be a good one was in the very beginning. We were sitting in a quaint Vermont restaurant and one of the partners threw a temper tantrum about making an offer on a property we were considering. What was a very logical and arithmetic decision for me, was a very emotional one for this person. After the outburst, I had a bad feeling about the interpersonal dynamics of the partnership. I decided to go ahead anyway because the economic prospects were outstanding.

Sure enough, in less than a year we were not on speaking terms. Luckily, before we got started, I insisted on an iron-clad partnership agreement that had a mechanism in it for me to get out. I ended up making money on the investment, but not enough to pay for a year’s worth of arguments, stress and distraction from my law practice. I didn’t trust my gut and it cost me in the long-run.

A business partnership is truly a marriage. As all marriages go, when things are good, they’re great, and when they’re not, look out! If you get a bad feeling about your future partner, trust you instincts, they are usually correct.
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Stephen T. Furnari is the managing partner of the Corporate & Securities Group of Furnari Levine LLP. Stephen Furnari helps the young and growing companies develop funding strategies that enable them to raise more investment money, faster and with greater success so they can focus more on growing their businesses and accomplishing their financial goals. He also teaches entrepreneurs how to protect their assets and keep more of the money they make by avoiding costly legal mistakes.

Furnari Levine LLP is a law firm where entrepreneurs, growing companies and the investors who fund them can find sophisticated legal representation performed by lawyers who are also entrepreneurs.

NOTICE: This form should not be considered a substitute for the advice of an attorney. If you require legal advice, you should seek the services of an attorney. 

A Secret to Business Growth is Learning to Trust Your Employees

By Ilir Sela, Founder of Nerd Force

Learning to trust my employee(s) with different tasks and projects has been my greatest achievement as a young entrepreneur. At 23 I started my own computer support business as an owner/operator and shortly there after I hired my first employee, Nick, to help me with the growing number of clients and projects. I felt that I could finally focus more on growing the business while I assigned a lot of the tasks to him.

However, as time passed, I was working 16 hour days and still did not have enough time to focus on overall business growth. I finally realized that as I deferred a lot of the work to Nick, I was still getting involved in every minute decision, task and project he was handling. In short, I had trouble trusting him to complete the work. I was so used to doing everything on my own that I felt as if someone else could not do the job as well as me. Knowing this, I gradually focused on building trust in Nick as well as future employees.

I now ensure that each employee understands their role in every project and trust that they will do the best job possible. This trust has allowed me to focus on the bigger picture of growing my business into a Franchise.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop!

By David Schnurman

"Are you an entrepreneur having trouble sleeping? Me, too.

On any given night I have a million thoughts running through my head, and I simply can’t fall sleep. I’m graduating from law school in 6 weeks, taking the NY Bar exam this summer, and of course am highly focused on growing TrueNYC. This all adds up to nights of endless ideas streaming through my head.

Luckily, I have come up with a few techniques to help me get some shut-eye. Some of these tricks I invented, and others are classics forever etched in proverbial stone. Below are a few strategies that help clear my head, and hopefully will help you get through some of your sleepless, entrepreneurial, inadvertent “think-tank” nights.

DISCLAIMER: these are not foolproof!
Case-in-point: I’m writing this article sometime between 2am and 3am on my Blackberry...as you’ll understand in a minute, it’s all part of the strategy.

Technique #1 – Create A Secure “Lock-Box”
The trick here is being able to clear your thoughts. When I can’t sleep, I imagine a large secure safe, reminiscent of SNL’s caricature of Al Gore’s campaign-platform “lock-box.” I then visualize myself in a room with the box, and I use my hands, or a shovel, and I literally take all my thoughts and put them in the box. I go to each corner, the entire floor, ceiling, everywhere in the room...and shove my thoughts into this safe. By this point, I’ve already started to feel my mind going blank, and the sleep washing over me. Once the box is full, I appropriately “lock” it, and pull a lever so it sinks under the floor. I close the floor board, and by the time I push my bed on top of it…I’m asleep.

Done laughing? When I first told my wife about this strategy she laughed at me too. In fact, she kept laughing…until she tried it herself! Now, not only is she my loving wife, but she’s also a proud member of the Dave Schnurman Sleep Program (“only $19.95!”). So, for all you naysayers out there: stop laughing at me, and give it a shot!

Technique #2 – Get It On Paper (Or Blackberry)
A typical reason behind my inability to fall sleep on any given night is the fear of losing a good idea. I find that I’ll try so hard not to forget this idea that I can't sleep for fear of it exiting my brain, the most minor of remnants of the idea teasing me the following morning, but never really materializing in my head ever again. A Blackberry next to the bed can help cure this problem, but a paper and pen work, too. But that would require me turning on a light and sitting up, and that’s simply too much to ask of this 21st Century Entrepreneur. See Blackberry in Bed for more details. After you jot your idea down, I’m confident you’ll find falling asleep much easier, and that the quality of your ideas will only increase. After all, white blood cells beget clear thinking and good ideas, and the only way to generate those precious white blood cells…is to sleep, and sleep deeply!

Technique #3 – System Shut-Down
This is the opposite of technique #1, and I just recently came up with it. Instead of trying to get rid of all your thoughts, embrace them all. Every single one of them. Let them hang out there, and don't try to process them. Instead of trying to empty the room via Al’s “lock-box,” let the room fill and overflow with your thoughts. The goal is to create a system shut-down because there is too much to process. As a result, it becomes easier not to think of anything, and before you know it you’ll be catching Zzz’s. The benefit of this technique over #1 is that it can happen much faster. The downside is that it’s much riskier, because you could be “overflowing” with thoughts into the sunrise! Therefore, it should only be attempted by people with a lot of experience at Technique #1.

Technique 4 – No Pills! Count Sheep!

If all else fails, just try the simplest technique of all: count those sheep.

I’d just like to say, “Good luck, and we’re all counting on you…” Happy sleeping.

This article is also distributed on PimpWiz.com, a website which offers content to the reader who wishes to symbolize and embody success.

Secrets to Commercial Lease Negotiations

By Mathew J. Weiss, Esq., President of Weiss & Associates P.C.

Many business owners negotiate hard on the monthly rental amount (or cost per foot) and little else.  This strategy leaves both money and other goodies “on the table” and needless to say is not recommended. When preparing for your negotiations, you must consider the entire package. What that means is that there is much more to consider than just price. This article addresses how to negotiate the best package for a commercial lease.

The first concept you need to understand is the meaning of “Additional Rent”. This term refers to monies you owe the landlord above and beyond the basic rent. Additional rent can take many forms, including your pro rata share of electricity, water, tax increases and porter charges. You, of course, want to pay for as few of these items as possible. If possible, you should ask the landlord to put in (at its expense) your own meter or sub-meter so you pay only for your actual usage (as opposed to some artificial percentage).

Your first lease year (“Base Year”) should be free of any Additional Rent for real estate taxes. After the first year, then most leases state that you are responsible for your pro rata share of any increases above the Base Year. Because your lease likely will commence sometime in the middle of the tax year, you should make sure that you get the first full year without any Additional Rent for real estate taxes. Further, on a renewal, you must make sure the Base Year is re-set so that you get the first full year of the renewal without any liability for real estate taxes.

Just as important are rental concessions. Typically, new tenants are able to get one to six months of free rent. The rationale behind this concession is to offset the tenant’s moving costs and build-out expenses. Alternatively, some tenants are able get the landlord to do the build-out to the tenant’s specifications. Needless to say, this is very important to negotiate. If you can find out what other tenants in the building have gotten, you will have a great head start in the negotiations.

Another critical element of the lease is the term. How long a lease do you need? Do you need renewal rights? You have much more leverage to negotiate a better deal now on these points, then when the lease is about to expire. Of course, landlords often will demand that the rent escalate during the life of the lease which could weight against committing to a long term.

Just as important as the term is getting a right to buy your way out of the lease. Typically, after the first year, landlords will grant you the right to cancel if you give them notice and pay a penalty. Six months advance notice is a reasonable time period.

A related point is whether a personal guaranty will be required. This issue is particularly important if you are unable to obtain a right to cancel. Most tenants do not personally guarantee their company’s leases and, barring unusual circumstances, you should not either. If you landlord insists, offer instead to execute a “good guy” agreement. The “good guy” agreement affords the landlord additional comfort that the tenant will vacate if it is unable pay its rental obligations. In essence, it states that you will personally guarantee the rent and additional rent obligations but only until such time as you surrender possession and deliver the keys. Of course, as with any legal document, you should consult with your attorney prior to signing the lease or good guy agreement as they can be drafted in an overly onerous or unfair manner.

The HVAC systems is another critical negotiating point. Try and get the landlord to be responsible for maintaining, repairing and replacing it. Landlords typically can get better rates for maintenance agreements, especially if they own multiple buildings. At the very least, the landlord should be responsible for replacing the equipment if it is uneconomical to repair it.

The security deposit is yet another item which can be negotiated. Negotiate how much you have to give as well as its return (in whole or in part) after a year.

Finally, do not ignore issues such as signage, parking spots, garbage removal, 24/7 access and rights to sublet a portion of the premises. These items are generally of little value to the landlord, however, and therefore should be saved until the end when you have worked out the main terms and the landlord sees that the deal is near completion (aka the “nibble’).

If you do not forget the basic negotiating tactics – such as not giving a point without getting something else in return – you should be able to get yourself a great lease package.

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Weiss & Associates, PC is a full service law firm located at 419 Park Avenue So, Second Floor, New York 10016 and handles corporate law, commercial litigation and real estate transactions. Mr. Weiss also runs 888 RED LIGHT a law firm which defends motorists from traffic tickets. Contact Mr. Weiss at 212-683-7070 or the Traffic Department at 888-RED LIGHT or at its web site at www.nytrafficticket.com

Five Themes of Success: Straight from the mouths of entrepreneurs

By David Schnurman

As many of you know, I am graduating from New York Law School in May. At commencement, the school chooses two students to address the entire assemblage of graduates, teachers, and guests based on speeches that were submitted. Unfortunately, my speech was not chosen. While those attending the New York Law School graduation will certainly miss out, there is no reason for me not to share this great entreprenuerial insight with the rest of you.

2006 Commencement Speech Proposal

Five Themes of Success:
Straight from the mouths of entrepreneurs

This past year I went on a mission to interview as many entrepreneurs as I could to find some important answers. I wanted to learn what these individuals had that so many of us want to emulate. I was looking for the secret answer or the magic formula that they followed to achieve their own success. After almost 100 interviews, I learned what I already knew deep down inside, that no secret answer or magic formula exists. However, I did find some common characteristics that kept re-emerging from these entrepreneurs, many of whom had completely different backgrounds.

I am going to take the next few moments to share five important themes of their success and why each one of them applies to us as we graduate today.

1. Be a Doer.
Too often people think about what they want to do or wish they could accomplish, but more often than not they don’t follow through for one reason or another. Successful people are those that take steps to follow their dreams from day one. Always strive for action.

2. Don't be afraid of mistakes.
Of course, as future lawyers we always have to be on the top of our game, but too often, striving for perfection and neatness can slow you down. I say this because successful people always try to work above their comfort zone to constantly grow. And with growth, you are going to make mistakes because you are always learning new things. One of the biggest factors of success is being able to overcome these mistakes by learning from them. As one entrepreneur put it, you have to make mistakes and try to "turn them into gold."

3. Never forget the importance of networking.
This applies on so many levels. All of these entrepreneurs network all of the time to get where they are today. Even if you work for a large firm, don’t be passive in the office. You must seek out the right experienced lawyer to be your mentor and guide you through the process. Outside the office, these entrepreneurs joined many organizations to connect with other like minded individuals. As lawyers, we must all network inside and outside from day one. It is a competitive world out there, and as people say, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So in your first month as a new lawyer, attend a networking event....don’t wait!

4. Don't Listen to the Negativity of Nay-Sayers.
99% of the entrepreneurs I interviewed had people tell them that their idea or company would never work. These people would say things like, “there is too much competition” or that “the idea is not original enough.” And if they had listened to them, they would have proved these nay-sayers correct. Nobody will believe in you more then you can believe in yourself. When you have an important decision to make in the future, whether it is taking a new job, going off on your own, or taking on a tough client......follow your own convictions first. I look at it as a right of passage that all successful people must overcome the negativity from others, and you should too.

5. Help Out Others Without Wanting Anything in Return
Most of these entrepreneurs always looked for ways they could help others succeed. Many times I saw it first hand when entrepreneurs connected me with others that have benefited my business, such as designing my website for free, or have giving me invaluable advice. When you help out others, you will not only feel better about yourself, but these people will look to you as a resource. Kindness to others is not forgotten, especially when it comes to business. So help out others anyway you can.......as the old saying goes, “what goes around, comes around.”

I have met some great people at New York Law School and look forward to working with many of you on the outside. I hope you will take a little of what I have shared with you on your road to success. Congratulations to the class of 2006.

The Silent Killer

By Matthew Britt, Founder of Network Oxygen

Do you ever notice that little voice inside your heading telling you things like “you can’t do it”, “you aren’t good enough”, “don’t even bother, it won’t work” or “that is never going to happen”.  You know that voice?  Does it ever say things like that to you?  I am sure that you all know what I am talking about.  That pesky voice that is so often negative and unsupportive towards us, and the things we are trying to accomplish.  Did you ever stop to think about that voice and wonder why it never seems to want you to succeed?  I know that I have.  I’ve wondered why it won’t for once just stop trying to kill my hopes and dreams and let me go and accomplish them.  I always just let the voice talk though, never really sure about why or what its reasons for sabotage were and never really knowing I could change its attitude. 

Finally I was exposed to the truth, that I was actually the one who controls that voice, that I could change what was said to me, change its tone and ultimately turn that voice into the most supportive and positive friend I have.  I was exposed to a book called the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, a book that has totally changed my life and one that I would hole heartedly recommend to anyone.  This book taught me that I am the one who controls the voice; I am the one who decides what the voice says about what.  It is me who thinks the negative thoughts and me who can in turn make all those thoughts into positive ones.  It is something that takes work to do because we are exposed to all the negativity of our society through the news, media, friends, acquaintances, and most everyone we come in contact with, so as you see we are just hammered with negativity everyday but there is hope. 

In order to start making that voice become a supportive and positive one there are certain things that must start to happen.  One of those is that you must first realize its your mind doing the talking, so you must begin by reprogramming your thoughts, this is done by being conscience of the negativity running through your brain.  Once you are aware of all the negativity you make steps that will slowly but surely lead you away from the killer.  Start replacing any negative thought with something positive, as soon as you think something bad immediately do your best and toss that thought out and think something good.  Do your best at making sure that all of your thoughts are positive all of the time, don’t worry if in the beginning you are having a tough time just continue working at it and it will begin to make a big improvement on your daily life. 

Once I began to see improvements in my own thinking I started saying positive thoughts to myself periodically through out my days as a way to reinforce the process.  For example I would say things like “I am a strong and confident person, I can achieve anything.” “I am intelligent, I am successful, I am a great leader, and I have a Yes attitude.”  Or my new one is “I am a successful billionaire” What ever it is that you want in your life and you want to accomplish if you are dedicated enough and believe it enough you will make it a reality.  People may think that this stuff is corny and doesn’t work but in order to be successful we can’t allow ourselves to give in to the silent killer in our brains so what ever will get you around that hump of negativity I say give it a shot, it may work for you as it most definitely has for me. 

Most of the time the people who are negative towards things like this are the same ones who hate their lives, aren’t happy most of the time and are the ones who never encourage or support the ones around them to achieve goals and dreams.  I don’t want to be stereotypical but that has just been my experience so far.  I hope that this gives you a little insight into your silent killer and helps you to sneak up and silently kill it.  Until the next one, stay positive!!!

The Power of Passion

By John Follis, Founder of The Marketing Show

While at a networking event the other night I observed as conservative men in conservative suits exchanged their conservative business cards and conservative conversation. I was then drawn to a young Asian woman in a colorful outfit who's face lit up when I asked her what she did. She was a graphic designer with a passion for Japanese comic art. Whenever I prepared to gracefully depart she'd pull out another sample of her work and present it with such enthusiasm that it was impossible not to listen a few more minutes. Although I could see little business potential she was by far the most interesting person at the event.

It's not hard to figure out who loves their work and who doesn't. Those who love their work exude a very positive, attractive energy. And those who don't exude something quite the opposite -- a negativity which often takes the form of rude behavior, arrogance, or just plain boredom. A passionate person is also a powerful person. I'll never forget a comment from ad guru Tom McElligott who was once asked about his secret for his high success rate in selling his edgy creative work to clients. "It's not about selling,'" explained McElligott, "it's about passion. Clients can tell if you truly believe in what you're presenting, or not."

In the new book entitled, "How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success," twenty-one of the country's most successful CEO's, entrepreneurs, and visionaries are interviewed about their path to the top. Some, as you would expect, knew early on exactly what they wanted to achieve. Others, surprisingly, didn't. All, however, shared one powerful characteristic: passion. They were all involved with things they loved doing. According to former PepsiCo CEO, Don Kendall, "if you're not excited as hell about what you're doing, you'd better find something else. There's no way you're going to be successful if you're not excited about what you're doing." John Sculley, former CEO of both PepsiCo and Apple says, "I never really cared about making a lot of money. I was more concerned about doing things that were interesting -- things that would make a difference." Adds Robert Mondavi of Mondavi Vineyard, "You must be passionate about what you do if you want to succeed and live a happy life. Find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life." After hearing testimonies like these is it any surprise that these people are successful?

Whenever I meet new people I'm curious about what they do. But I'm also curious about what they love. Rather than just ask the expected, "So, what do you do?" I often ask; "So, what's your passion?" Try it sometime and see what happens. Those unfortunate souls who have no passion in their life will look at you oddly, mumble something, and then probably get another drink. Those with passion, on the otherhand, will light up and eagerly share their joy of traveling, or gourmet cooking, or salsa dancing, or whatever it is they love doing. And, like the woman at the networking event, a few lucky people will actually talk about their work.

Be the Pilot or the Passenger, It's Your Choice

By David Schnurman

This article is also distributed on PimpWiz.com, a website which offers content to the reader who wishes to symbolize and embody success.

For me it is control...What is it for you?

I personally don't like taking orders from middle managers. Do you? I don't like following someone who I don’t respect. What's the point? I like being in control of my situation, and entrepreneurship is one way to ensure that I always will be.

I love to fly, but get apprehensive on a plane because I have no control over what happens during those few hours. It is all in the hands of the pilot and co-pilots. While I have to accept that on an airplane (until I learn to fly), I do not have to accept that in life and neither do you.

Below are 4 suggestions on how to pilot your own life to become a successful entrepreneur:

1. Your attitude is your altitude.
I have heard this countless times from successful people, as I am sure you have too. But it is worth repeating. So fly high.

2. Make small adjustments
When you are on a commercial plane the pilot doesn't change directions by more the 6 degrees at a time. While most airplanes can bank above 40 degrees, the pilot doesn't want to scare the bajeezus out of the passengers. You should be the same way when piloting your life. Make small steps when changing directions, as not to shock your system. For some that may mean moonlighting your business before quitting your day job. Determine what it is for you, and until you are more experienced, don't exceed it.

3. Strive to create your own autopilot
One reason pilots can easily fly all over the world on a consistent basis is because they put their planes on autopilot. To be successful over the long-term you must also create an autopilot for your own life. You don’t want to burn yourself out. Make sure to structure your schedule properly so you are not working 15 hours a day to make your idea and company becomes a success. Pilots need rest to fly safely, and so do you!

4. Landings are more difficult than taking off
In order to take off on a plane, all you need to do is put the flaps down and increase the throttle. To land takes much more skill and practice. The same thing holds true with starting a business or new project. Starting something is much easier than following through with it. Therefore, before you take off and start a new project, make sure you are adequately prepared. In other words, don't set yourself up to crash and burn.

Bonus Analogy: Create your own flight simulator
Pilots train hours on end in a flight simulator so they can make mistakes without life or death consequences. You should too. How to do that will be discussed in future articles.

Bottom-line, taking control and piloting your own life is very achievable, so get started today.

Turn Your Idea into a Reality - Part II - The power of your own voice

By David Schnurman

See Part I:  4 Steps To Turn Your Idea Into A Reality

David just hit that point that every other entrepreneur dreads when they are starting their business. After uncovering a lot of research in the educational toy industry, he realizes that his entrepreneur game and book for kids is not as unique an idea as he originally thought.

David's first instinct is that maybe he should call it quits because his idea was not original enough. There were a handful of other games out there already. Two of the games were especially good and had distribution in Kmart and Toys R Us.

However, before calling it quits his wife reminded him of two major points. First, the reason he came up with his unique game and book in the first place was because he never came across them in any store he visited. So while the other products had distribution, they were clearly not everywhere.

Secondly and more importantly, he felt that there was a need for his product. David is passionate about entrepreneurship and is even more passionate about making sure children get wind of the entrepreneur "bug" at an early age. Therefore, even though there was more competition in this area then he expected, none of them had his voice. His unique voice is what is going to separate him from his competition. If he believes in himself and truly knows that he can create something that is better and different than what is out there, he will be successful.

While this mindset alone won't guarantee his success, I guarantee David would fail without it.

Like a smart husband, David heeds the advice of his wife and continues his exciting journey to turn his idea into a reality.....and so should you.