| d="body"> | | | | magazines, newspapers, and... gasp!... the Internet. Do |
| Self-employment is easily characterized as "owning | | | | not tune out yet, though: this is not a permanent thing, |
| your own job" or even more often having a "job that | | | | but call it an experiment instead. |
| owns you" and usually does not come with the time | | | | Take a minute to think about how much information |
| wealth factor attached or even in the same Universe. | | | | you process every day. If you are like me and a lot of |
| This brings us to the basic requirements of | | | | other people, you get a lot of your news on the |
| entrepreneurship - first the business. | | | | Internet, and you also read a lot of blogs. You might |
| 1. One that does not consume the entire day and | | | | also read books and magazines and newspapers. You |
| rewards the participant with a satisfactory financial | | | | probably also watch a lot of TV, where you get |
| return. | | | | entertainment and news. You might watch a lot of |
| 2. That follows an easily "duplicatable" system. Anyone | | | | DVD s, and listen to the radio on the way to work. At |
| can do it. | | | | work, you might get memos and emails and a billion |
| 3. Offers a set of products that are in a growing | | | | other pieces of information coming at you. You might |
| demand (at the very least not a shrinking demand). | | | | be a part of an online forum, or social site, or |
| 4. That can, and often does, reward the participants | | | | newsgroup, or mailing list (or several!). |
| with a complete return of their initial investment within | | | | It is information overload. Our brains are not made to |
| the first year. | | | | process this much information. We can do it, but it |
| 5. That operates "autonomously" at times and allows | | | | gives us a lot of stress, and we cannot think about |
| the participants to enjoy their life. | | | | any of the information long enough for it to give us real |
| The principle idea is to find an existing business model | | | | value. We are in the middle of a vast river of |
| that works for a large number of successful | | | | information, and it just flows by us constantly. And then |
| participants. Creating your own might be okay for you | | | | there is all the time we spend on all this media. Take a |
| if you have a track record of success in business, but | | | | minute to think about how much time you spend online |
| first-timers in a "reinventing the wheel" scenario is not | | | | (typically a few hours), watching TV or DVDs (typically |
| really a good idea. I am not ruling out all kinds of | | | | a few more hours), and reading all the other stuff |
| individual ideas and efforts, just pointing out that | | | | mentioned above (another hour or two). Now think |
| statistically speaking you are better to follow an | | | | about how many goals you could accomplish if you |
| established system than to "roll your own". Other points | | | | cut those activities out of your life. The time you would |
| to consider on the path to your own destiny is to | | | | gain would be tremendous. |
| establish a budget based on a successful business | | | | So what do you do about it? Sometimes it is good to |
| and not one based on "struggling self-employment" or | | | | get drastic. Try a media fast. But is it even possible? |
| the ever popular "shoe string" method of budgeting. | | | | Yes, it is. Here are some ideas: |
| Include in your beginning budget all the tools required | | | | * If you are feeling bold, cut out everything for a week. |
| for your business, any necessary inventory and | | | | Well, everything that is not completely essential - you |
| supplies AND include operating capital and "living | | | | might need things like email for work, but can you really |
| capital" for a period of time until you are generating the | | | | say that reading your blogs is essential? Is TV |
| income to cover your operations and living costs. | | | | essential? Most likely not. Cut it out and see if you can |
| Do not fall into the trap of "selling yourself short" - | | | | make it a week. |
| what I mean is to take less and expect less, because... | | | | * Fast for a day. Cannot hack a week? Try one day. |
| and it does not matter what you want to put in that | | | | Cutting all Internet, TV, radio, and reading (other than |
| blank, it is a chasm you might never climb out of. In | | | | fiction) for a day would be pretty drastic for most of |
| your service or product sales, you might be tempted | | | | us. See if you can last. |
| to make a deal or offer a discount, all on the theory | | | | * Fast on specific media, and take turns. Instead of |
| that "something is better than nothing" and you will be | | | | cutting out everything, try cutting out only TV for a |
| tragically mistaken. If your product or service is worth | | | | week. Then try cutting out newspapers and |
| having, then it is worth paying for... in full... on time. Now, | | | | magazines. Then... if you dare... try cutting out your |
| if you offer a "special" where your customer can | | | | blogs. Then your favorite websites (whether it is Digg, |
| purchase more or bigger than they normally might, then | | | | Netscape, a forum, wherever). |
| an "incentive to act" promptly might be an idea. This is | | | | * When you fast, work on specific goals. Do not |
| not the same as selling cheaper just to make a sale. | | | | replace one media with another, or with another |
| This is adding value to an even larger sale, where both | | | | time-waster. Have a goal that you would like to |
| you and your customer gain by the transaction. You | | | | accomplish for that day, or week. See if you can use |
| make a larger sale and include an additional product. | | | | the time you would normally spend on media to |
| They gain by getting an additional product as part of | | | | accomplish actions that further your goals. |
| the larger package. | | | | * If you are not sold, track your time. Try logging your |
| Find mentors and listen to their experience. On the | | | | time spent on media for one day, without actually |
| subject of listening to advice I suggest an attitude of | | | | cutting back. Add it up in a spreadsheet at the end of |
| "know for yourself" which is the best path. I also | | | | the day. See how many minutes you devote to each |
| suggest that anyone in business operate their business | | | | type of media. It might be an eye-opener. |
| from a perspective of common sense and good | | | | * Once your fast is over, re-think your media intake. |
| business practice and not from a place of ego. More | | | | You may discover that cutting out TV, for example, |
| errors are committed due to ego than from any other | | | | was not as hard as you thought, and that you were |
| thing in history. | | | | able to get a lot done. Maybe you want to stay off |
| Become a student of personal development, if you are | | | | TV for good, or at least cut back on it drastically. |
| not already one. Most of the ultra successful people | | | | Instead of launching right back into your old media |
| throughout history have had the daily practice of | | | | habits, use your media more thoughtfully from now on. |
| self-improvement. To include a quote from Einstein | | | | See if you can live with less, and work on your |
| here "you cannot solve a problem with the same level | | | | personal goals more. |
| of thinking that created it" is appropriate. Every hour, | | | | Imagine the peace of mind that could come from |
| day, week, month will bring along a new and different | | | | shutting off the river of information that comes at you |
| challenge for us to solve. | | | | daily. Imagine the focus you could find without all the |
| Begin each morning with a period of visualizations, | | | | distractions. Imagine that your life can be changed for |
| meditations or just daydreaming about what is or might | | | | the better with this one little edit. It may seem difficult to |
| be possible for you. As your life progresses you will | | | | quit an addition, but do you not think it might be worth |
| begin to achieve some of the things you dream about | | | | it? At least give it a try. |
| and you can dream about bigger things. Set "SMART" | | | | A final word that I offer is: certainty. Live with certainty. |
| goals for yourself (this is a goal achieving system). | | | | Be certain about who you are, what you desire in life, |
| Find people to associate with who make more than | | | | what you will offer and accept in your business, and |
| you and have more than you. Your income level will be | | | | how you will live your life. If you are not sure what |
| the average of the 10 people you spend the most time | | | | certainty is, then I will offer this as an example: Each of |
| with, so spend time with those who have and make | | | | us is completely capable of getting up in the "dark of |
| more. | | | | the morning" and stumbling to the kitchen and making |
| Read empowering books - live in a constant "media | | | | our morning coffee or tea without turning on the lights, |
| fast" - no TV (especially news and talk shows) - no | | | | either in the rooms we travel through to the kitchen or |
| radio talk shows - no endless tv shows. A Media Fast. | | | | in the kitchen. This is CERTAINTY. We know our |
| This is a controversial idea, undoubtedly, as it will ask | | | | house and surroundings and if we bump into a table or |
| you to consider giving up some of the things you're | | | | chair along the way we still maintain the certainty of |
| addicted to most: television, DVD s, movies, news, | | | | knowing our house. |