We hear all too much about what you have to do to become successful.  I have discovered one proven way to become successful…Fail often.

How do I know this?  Well, we won’t get into that right now.  I have come to terms with distinct character traits that hold back young entrepreneurs and when repeated, will definitely keep you from succeeding in your business and life in general.  I’d like to say thanks to Russell Yermal for his contributions on this article.

Lack of Punctuality

Being on time, every time, is a necessity in business.  If you cannot keep your word, you cannot be trusted.  Successful people will instantly make a judgment on your character through your punctuality.  Once you have a respect for your own time, you create posture and people will start to respect yours.  Purchase a day planner to organize you schedule and make a to-do list every night before bed.  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I used to think there is no such thing as luck.  Actually, I still partially do.  I have come to the understanding that we create our own luck.  I think it was Samuel Goldwyn who defined luck the best when he said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

While reading Jim Collins classic best-selling book, Good to Great, I have learned most of the CEO’s of great companies (level 5 leaders) attribute their success to good luck and the blessing of being surrounded with great people.  Now, we know to get to that level of success that their is a little more than luck involved.  Obviously, these are incredibly talented, incredibly driven individuals, but they don’t seem to take credit for their success.  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

You may know that I am a avid reader.  I make many book recommendations and love receiving them.  In my personal opinion, self-education is a MUST for any successful entrepreneur.  To sum this up, one of my favorite quotes reads “If we are not growing, we are dying.”

So when I recently visited the blog of one of my favorite books, The Go-Giver, I saw that Channel Insider (value-added reseller’s online trade journal) recently released their list of “21 Must-Read Books for Business Success.” The list of 21 knockout classics, includes several of my favorites:

Good to Great
Blue Ocean Strategy
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The Tipping Point
The E-Myth
7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Join us 6/10/09 for teleconference w/ author Stephen R. Covey)

… and of course, The Go-Giver.

 ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

For those who have been sleeping under a rock, I’ll bring you up to speed.  The Go-Giver Tour was a road trip that went down a just over a month ago, in which 9 entrepreneurs made their way from Chicago to Orlando to attend Extreme Business Makeovers, a annual event hosted by internationally best selling author Bob Burg and his business partner Thom Scott.  The vision of this trip started when 4 out of the box entrepreneurs were touched by the message behind the book the Go-Giver.  They conducted a video application process where they selected five young entrepreneurs to join in the cross country journey to inspire, empower and connect with people through the message of this book.

(winners:@davehageman @justinburns @ivanavalos @mikemonty @emanuelavalos)

This was a tremendous learning experience for all of us.  Personally, I built great business/personal relationships with many brilliant entrepreneurs, speakers and authors.  Out of my notebook, here are the top 5 things I learned from the trip:  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We all have challenges as entrepreneurs.  Sometimes we see money as the solution to our problems. But, as the Notorious B.I.G. emphasized is his lyrics, “Mo money, mo problems“.  Did he just quote a rapper?  You better believe it!  There are life’s lessons to be learned everywhere.  Even the most successful business owners in the world are facing similar challenges as you, just on a WHOLE different level.

After a recent phone conversation with one of my friends/mentor, I was able to address some of the challenges in which I was facing.  Then I started to see more.  And more…  And more until I realized, damn I am pretty messed up!  It actually became a bit overwhelming.  I started digging into why I struggle with discipline, which was justified by the juggling of several projects at once, which in turn was in result of my lack of focus.  It turned into a big snowball effect.  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I have never been a religious guy and I don’t plan boring you with a spiritual debate.  When one of my idol’s Frank McKinney mentioned to pick up his new book “The Tap” it sparked my curiosity on what it may be about.

After reading a couple chapters though the book, Frank really challenged me though his words.  He basically tells you to put the damn book down and go apply what I tell you.  And what he told me was a “tap” on my shoulder to go out and find something that gives me life.

Let me clarify.  If you want to be successful, you can’t make it about the money.  You have heard that before.  Having a balance or harmony in your life to be able to go out there and serve for a meaningful cause, regardless of your economic situation, will allow you to have more fulfillment in your life.  When this occurs, you actually allow wealth to come more abundantly into your life because you have taken the emphasis off of it and channeled your energy elsewhere PASSIONATELY.  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Last night I had the pleasure along with many others, to be involved with an amazing conference call discussing “The Power of Words in Work and Life”.  This call, hosted by Nextvoice 247, brought together two amazing authors.  The first (Spencer Johnson) you may be familiar with.  He wrote the bestselling books “Who Moved My Cheese“, “The One-Minute Manager“, and “Peaks and Valleys” which all totaled in over a REMARKABLE 45 million copies sold.  The second up and coming author (Kevin Hall) will soon create a legacy with his masterpiece “Aspire!“.

In the foreword of Aspire, Stephen Covey speaks highly of Kevin:

“Just as I broke new ground in human development over twenty years ago by uncovering the habits that make for a meaningful and effective life, Kevin is breaking new ground by uncovering and revealing the true intent and meaning of the words that make up those habits.”

You make the judgment yourself.  Check out this inspiration conference call:  ...Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!