Soar Above The Rest By Design

You're familiar with the myth of the phoenix, the legendary firebird that dies every 500 years only to be reborn from its ashes, more beautiful and resplendent than ever before?

That's what you're looking to do, isn't it? Rise from the ashes of your old life and be reborn as a successful businessperson?

Fortunately, the way has been traveled before. Many folks have had to start from scratch and grow a business from the ground up. I call them the Phoenix Entrepreneurs.

The Phoenix Entrepreneur Rising From The Ashes

Just like the bird, Phoenix Entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of an old life, a life that was no longer viable.

In the beginning, they felt just like you probably do now: scared, unsure, and probably pretty alone.

Yet they made it.

They created businesses that have withstood the test of time and nourished not only their own families, but the families of hundreds (if not thousands) of employees. If you don't believe me, just read No, You Don't Need a College Education to be Successful And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There are Phoenix Entrepreneurs all over the place. It's an illustrious group and one you can join! All it takes is following a few simple steps and thinking a certain way.

If you need a point clarified, just ask. Leave a message on the blog and you'll get not only my years of experience, but the experience of all the others who respond to your question.

Ready?

Keep reading to find out how Phoenix businessmen and businesswomen think and act to grow a successful business.

Think Like The Phoenix Entrepreneur To Succeed

The Phoenix understands that his/her thoughts create reality. He uses his thoughts and feelings and the power of visualization to create the reality he wants.

The Phoenix knows that if she holds in her mind a picture of the end result she wants to create, the Universe will find a way to make it happen.

Quite a concept, isn't it?

What if life were really that simple? Just hold the thought of what you want to create in your mind, and viola. There it is.

When you think about it, you realize we do this hundreds of times a day, don’t we!

• You want a sandwich and either make one or go to the deli. You don't think twice about it.

• If you need fuel in the car, you drive to the local gas station, hand over the credit card, and fill'er up. No biggie.

• If you want some fresh flowers on the table, you go to the garden and cut some. Mission accomplished.

So why is creating a business any different from eating a sandwich, filling up the car, or picking flowers?

What are your thoughts on this? How have you intentionally manifested something in your life? Leave me a comment below.

The Phoenix realizes downtime is important. He knows a rested mind is a sharp mind. Days off are a chance to see things from a different perspective, to get a different slant on situations and life in general.

Downtime is also crucial to family time.

When you spend time with your family, be with your family. Don't think about business. (This is one of the BIGGEST challenges I have! I think about marketing and business ALL the time.)

Listen to your wife. How is her life going? She probably needs you as a sounding board, someone to bounce her problems off. Or listen to your husband and show interest in what he’s doing – to know you care is very important to him.

How's school going for your daughter? She needs her dad's shoulder to cry on sometimes. She needs her mom’s understanding. Be there for both of them. Completely. They are much more important than any business could ever be.

Do you do anything special to unwind? Have a special place to go with your family so you can just enjoy being together? Share your thoughts with us in a comment below!

The Phoenix learns at every opportunity. She knows that life moves fast, and if she isn't careful, an important development could pass her by.

Keep up on the latest tech news, on any developments that could impact your business and services. If you have kids, ask them to let you know about Bluetooth innovations, or new apps that could make your life a little easier and speed up your supply line. They'll feel good if they get to help their dad or mom and it will get you two a little more time together which is never a bad thing.

And find a few blogs (like this one) and people on Facebook who clue you in on new technology changes – learning from others saves you SO much time.

What's your favorite way to keep up on current events? Do you subscribe to a favorite blog (like this one!) or news feed? Do clients help you keep up-to-date? Are you using Facebook to learn from an expert?

The Phoenix knows herself and doesn't oversell her products, services, or abilities. She is well aware of her strengths and weaknesses and represents herself honestly.

If there's a possibility she can't deliver on the client's needs, she's upfront about it. She will never agree to assignments just to get a sale if there's even the slightest possibility that his client could be inconvenienced.

The Phoenix knows that this brutal honesty will always benefit him and his business.

Do you have any special tips or tricks for hiding your weak points? Do you have an assistant that files or delivers product for you? Let us know how you're operating!

The Phoenix prepares for the workday. He never waits until the day of the meeting to gather paperwork, brochures, and presentations. He is always prepared well ahead of time so he can calmly walk into the meeting and sell himself and his business.

Being prepared speaks well of the Phoenix and his business.

The Phoenix commits to her work and her life. That commitment is obvious and contagious. She's totally passionate about her service and her clients and sees them as two sides of the same coin. She can't have one without the other.

How about you? What are you passionate about? Your family, a community cause, a baseball team? Let us know how you feel. Leave a message and let's talk about it.

The Phoenix works hard and knows that all the effort he puts into his work will pay off in the end. He knows that getting a business off the ground is difficult and will require many of hours of work per week. Probably more hours than he ever worked at XYZ Company.

Just like buying a home, the Phoenix knows that each hour he puts into his business builds equity and is really money in the bank.

How many hours do you work in a week? Have the hours lessened as your business becomes more established? Let us know how you're doing and how you’ve been able to cut back on hours.

The Phoenix embraces change. She knows that nothing is written in stone and that life is in a constant state of flux.

She sees herself as a leaf floating along a wide river. Always moving, twisting, and turning, but always on top of the situation, never inundated by the flood.

How about you? What self-talk do you have that helps you handle the changes in your life? Any thoughts and techniques you can share with the rest of us?

The Phoenix thinks positive thoughts. He only thinks about the best that can happen, the reality he wants to create. He doesn't allow negative thoughts and doubts to linger. When they do appear, he knows it's just a reminder to think positive!

Thinking positive thoughts also helps him feel happy. When he's thinking about all the good things that can happen, his mind is filled with happy thoughts and he SEES happy things (that can then be passed on to others). And happy thoughts generate more happy thoughts.

Always focus on what you're grateful for and happy about. These thoughts make you feel good, and when you feel good, you're ready to conquer the world.

Do you have a favorite saying or mantra that you rely on when times are tough? Something that gets you in a good mood immediately? Share it with us.

The Phoenix remembers that the client is king. The Phoenix knows that happy clients are the key to success. Happy clients mean good word-of-mouth advertising. Happy clients mean referrals. Happy clients make the world a better place.

The Phoenix always visualizes smiling clients shaking her hand, placing more orders, and telling their friends how great her business is.

Do you have a great client story to share? Tell us about the last client who left your office with a smile on his/her face.

The Phoenix honors himself and others. He knows that his word is his reputation. He honors others' time by being punctual to meetings. He honors his business by being professional and reliable. He honors his clients by timely payments and timely delivery of goods or services. By honoring himself and others in this way, he makes his little corner of the world a better place.

You, Too, Can Become The Phoenix Entrepreneur

Some of these habits will be hard to learn. It's challenging to teach yourself to think differently.

But it gets easier the more you do it. And it's really the key to becoming a Phoenix Entrepreneur.

Always think about the best that can happen, the perfect business, the perfect life. Take steps every day to make your dreams reality.

By remembering these few behaviors, you'll be well on your way to soaring above the crowd and truly creating the life of a Phoenix Entrepreneur.

And be sure to leave us some comments. Thanks.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Keep this with this article, please:

Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and success-marketing coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and personal-touch marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, Facebook, and Twitter applications. Visit his blog at Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog to learn more about his successes.

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Successful Entrepreneur – The Phoenix Way to Unlimited Success And Happiness

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Ten Ingredients To Your Success

Success in business isn't a magic spell you can learn at Hogwarts nor a secret that's passed down among the world's elite.

Success is a recipe that has a few proven ingredients. When you mix those ingredients with love, thought, and care, you'll create something that will nourish you and your family for years to come.

Here Are Some Of The Ingredients I Find Important In The Recipe For Success

1. Happy Customers and Clients. Yep, that's the number one ingredient that successful businesspeople have in their entrepreneurial cupboard.

No matter what service you provide, it's all about the customer. If the customer isn't happy, she might not be back to buy another record, designer handbag, case of wine, your marketing service, or your web design service.

Whatever you do in your business, you should always think about the customer. Each and every action you take should be geared toward providing the best customer service possible.

Imagine yourself as your customer and visualize how you'd like to be treated. Use that as a beginning to establish your business's service guidelines.

One other thing to consider: if you don't know who you're selling to, you can't market properly. And if you can't market to the right audience, the folks you do reach probably won't have much interest in your product or service. Know who you're selling to so you can reach the places where they hang out.

2. Results. People expect things quickly these days.

Our attention span isn't what it used to be (darn all those TV commercials with 27 edits for each 30 second commercial!), so when customers come to you with questions, you've got to be Johnny-on-the-Spot with answers.

When they call with orders, you'd better have the product to them yesterday or they will go to someone who can get them what they want when they want it.

If you always have answers and products/services for customers/clients, you'll become the go-to-person, something money just can't buy.

3. Follow up. Part of keeping your customers happy is following up on an order, especially if there's some sort of snafu.

(Let’s face it – no matter how hard you try, no matter how conscientious you are, SOMETHING will go wrong at times.)

As a customer, it makes me smile when I get a call or email asking if I've received the order and if I'm happy with the product. This will only take a couple of minutes on your part, but will do wonders for your reputation.

Now, when your business really gets cooking and you've got dozens or hundreds of orders to follow up on every day, you might need to consider getting some help. But isn't that a great “problem” to have?

(And for those of us working online, drop-shipment houses and auto-responders help immensely!)

4. Reputation. Your reputation is something that will grow when the first three ingredients are blended successfully.

This might take a little time, but it’s well worth the effort. A good reputation is crucial to any successful business endeavor.

(Hey, if anyone has ever talked to you about “branding” then THIS is branding – earn a stellar reputation and keep it!)

Just remember – once lost, your reputation will be very difficult to get back. (It’s like flushing something down the toilet – “possible” to retrieve but REALLY difficult!) Make sure your product is as it's advertised to be. Make sure you follow up on promises. Make sure your customer is happy.

When you do those things, your reputation will grow and your business will flourish.

This also includes your relationship with your distributors and joint-venture partners. Make sure you pay your invoices in a timely manner. If you can't get the money to them on time, let them know when to expect payment. Keep the lines of communication open.

5. Promotion. Nobody is going to promote your business for you (unless you're paying them).

Take advantage of every opportunity to talk about your business and promote what you do.

Now, this doesn't mean jabbering at your neighbors until their eyes roll back in their heads. Just mention in passing that you can provide a service that they might need. Discreetly drop little tidbits of info into the conversation. Maybe one day they'll ask to know more about your business.

When you are tooting your own horn, it's imperative to keep an eye on your audience. Nothing turns people off faster than a self-promoter who doesn't know when to quit.

6. Selling. An important thing to remember is don't sell the product, sell the lifestyle.

In their TV ads, Apple doesn't tell you about the storage capacity of their computers, what motherboard they're using, or the size of their monitors.

No.

They show a hip guy (representing Apple) outsmarting a nerd (representing PCs). People don’t see themselves as the pocket-protector guy who can't hold up his end of a debate. Everybody identifies with the hip, laid-back lifestyle and Apple computers.

(Well, OK: not EVERYBODY – I know a few who live the life of the PC nerd – but there aren’t many like that – and the ones who are: I’m not aiming at nor attracting.)

When you're selling your product, imagine the perks your customer will get from using it. Sell the party where the wine will be poured. Sell the exclusivity of the designer handbag. Sell the eco-friendliness of the low-flow toilet. Use the customer's dreams to set the scene for your product and you'll see your sales climb as a result.

And while we're on the subject of sales, be sure to Ask for the Sale.

Customers generally don’t throw their money at you: at least I don’t know any like that. You need to lead them to the sale. Be like the little boy, Oliver, and ask for a “sale, please.”

(And while we’re on Oliver, always encourage him to come back to buy more so he says, “Please, sir, I want some more.”)

7. Volunteerism. If you volunteer with local organizations, you'll accomplish two things: you'll make valuable contacts and you'll show yourself as a competent worker.

Before you know it, you'll be getting business calls from folks you met at fundraisers who liked what they saw. It may be difficult finding time to volunteer, but it will pay great dividends in the end.

I know that I found that while I was my busiest, while I was most involved with community organizations or our local theater, I was most successful. See if that works for you too!

8. Professionalism. It's one thing to work in sweats when you're staying at home, alone. But if you're meeting with a client, dress for success.

Business casual is appropriate in most situations. Always be well groomed. Speak well, with carefully chosen words, and really listen to what your client is saying.

When someone who looks great enters the room for a meeting, you notice, right? They will notice YOU, too, when you look your best!

Take what you do seriously and others will do the same.

9. Bookkeeping. Know where each nickel goes and the dollars will take care of themselves, especially when you're just getting your business off the ground.

Can you reuse that paper? Do you really need to print that flier in color or can you save a few bucks and go with black and white? Is the ad you’re running providing great results or just taking up space (because you feel you need to be there because all of your competitors are there)?

I know a man who reuses price stickers in his California record shop. Yes, he's a penny-pincher, and his business is still thriving after thirty years and some pretty serious economic slumps in the area.

When it’s time to spend money, do it (and do it well). At other times, watch carefully where it goes and how it grows for you.

10. Relevance. Make sure you know what's going on in the world. This includes keeping an eye on the latest technological advances as well as marketing ideas and advertising strategies.

Subscribe to a few blogs, like this one. You'll get timely articles on the newest business trends and get to discuss issues with other blog members. (And be sure to check out AllTop.com, which I highly recommend – great blogs all in categories so you can find your niche quickly.)

Another easy way to keep up is join a business club or professional organization. You can pick up a lot listening to others, and let's face it: you just don't have the time to read every trade publication out there. By attending meetings, you'll get the condensed version of the latest issue of Business Week and be able to ask questions about it.

And you’ll be rubbing shoulders with others who, once they get to know you and what you do, will be open to working with you.

While you're garnering all this information, remember to offer something valuable in return. Ask if the latest Chinese embargo will hurt sales of frozen chicken parts. Then remark on how the latest mobile phone app has really saved you time on follow-up. Comments like these will get a conversation going and inform others without coming across like a know-it-all.

Focus On These Ten

There are other ingredients, but these are the one's I've found valuable. I'm sure you'll add some of your own to this list.

This isn't a complicated recipe, though it does have quite a few components. With time and practice, you'll know each one by heart and know exactly the right amount to add to your own personal recipe for success.

Great, you say: I've got all the ingredients here, but how do I put this together? What tools do I need to make this recipe work?

Glad you asked! Successful entrepreneurs have a few tools or traits in common. If you want to learn more, leave a comment here and then read my article Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur? which is here on my blog!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Keep this with this article, please:

Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and success-marketing coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and personal-touch marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, Facebook, and Twitter applications. Visit his blog at Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog to learn more about his successes.

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Successful Entrepreneur – Recipe For Success

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Be involved with your community and then get away from work to see yourself better

Why was it so inviting?

* I'd be sleeping on a church floor for five days with nothing but the thin padding of my sleeping bag to comfort me.

* I had so much work to do for my marketing consulting and blogs to write for my UltimateWorkAtHomeDads.com website and wouldn't be near a computer to do it.

* I'd be surrounded with middle school kids, helping to guide them, lead them, drive them (and the more I drive the easier it is for me to fall asleep).

* I'd be away from my home, my wife, my bed, my air conditioning while cleaning driveways, feeding hungry people, walking around a rainy downtown area looking for "good" and stopping to pray.

Oh, sure… there were plenty of reasons to say NO, but still I was called to help, to lead, to grow, to be taught.

And so I went.

Now my 5-part video blog is ready. And it's on my website RaisingGreatFamilies.com and can be found here: See Charlie Seymour Jr's video blog about Mission Possible 4 in Nashville – Click Here!

My THREE photo Albums are already on Facebook and all the images are provided for use by anyone who went on the trip. The first Album starts here (viewable to all Facebook members who friend me): http://www.facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr#/album.php?aid=27033&id=1079948815

SO…

* What changed over the week?
* What impact on others did we have?
* How were everyone's eyes windows into their souls
* To where does our journey continue?

I can answer SOME of that… but YOU have to answer the rest.

This was a meaningful week – I hope you can share some of it with us and I hope you get something out of it: I know I have.

Charlie

PS: The video blog gives my thoughts, feelings, emotions during the week in Nashville. View this now on my family-site, RaisingGreatFamilies.com here: See Charlie Seymour Jr's video blog about Mission Possible 4 in Nashville – Click Here!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

http://twitter.com/UltimateWAHDads

http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesseymourjr

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Salesmanship – Sell Yourself FIRST To Win New Business

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Work At Home – Get Some Help And Your Dream Can STILL Come True

Successful Entrepreneur – It's been your dream for SO long.

Remember your parents saying, “If you work hard enough, you can have anything in this life.”

As you were graduated from high school, then college, and pursued that six-figure job, “work hard, play hard” became your mantra.

Nothing ever got in your way as you pursued the American Dream.

Until now.

And with the World-wide Economic Meltdown of 2008 – 2009, it's gotten pretty tight around your place.

That pink slips in your friends' paychecks were like an electric shock to your heart. People down the street. Those you see in church. One of your grown children.

And fewer people are now on the golf course and tennis courts as they've stopped paying the fees to belong.

Sure, you knew the economy was lousy. You knew thousands of other people were losing their jobs.

But it wasn’t supposed to happen to you or people you care about.

What do they say: It's a recession when someone else is out of a job; it's a depression when YOU are out of a job.

And you know exactly what they mean as you see the scared look deep in the eyes of your friends.

Your life was all planned out! Get an education, get a great job, marry a wonderful woman, and raise a terrific family. Take memorable vacations to exotic locations. Send your kids to top colleges, and enjoy all the sentimental, inspiring moments of your childrens’ budding lives while simultaneously saving for your retirement, where you and your wife would slow dance off into the sunset of old age, reflecting on the deep meaning of your lives together.

SPLAT@*#+! Dream over! Vanished. Where did it go and what went wrong?

That trickle down economics you heard about for years was finally trickling down… and it was blood of vanquished employees and businesses heading your direction.

And this is personal.

What do you tell your wife and family? What about your mortgage, your health insurance, your retirement fund? How can an entire lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears be destroyed by outside forces like this?

Where did the dream go? Worse yet, how can you recover in this difficult economy?

Did you see the CNN.com report, “Employers slashed another 598,000 jobs off of U.S. payrolls in January, taking the unemployment rate up to 7.6%… The latest job loss is the worst since December 1974, and brings job losses to 1.8 million in just the last three months… the biggest 3-month drop since immediately after the end of World War II. The unemployment rate is now at its highest level since September, 1992.”

CNN went on to say, “The report also showed that 2.6 million people have now been out of work for more than six months, the most long-term unemployed since 1983.”

And they're talking over 10% unemployment in the West until deep into 2010 – and who knows if California will completely implode and fall off the Left Coast.

And that number only counts those unemployed who are still looking for work! All those discouraged sitting at home aren't even counted.

Like so many other successful, capable, hardworking men thrown callously onto the heaping human landfill of unemployed Americans, nothing could be more frightening. And though you have your own business, you can feel the wolves nipping at your heels.

You have no answer for your wife when she looks at you with fear and panic in her eyes.

The thought of not-making-it-on-your-own almost makes you sick to your stomach. You can't turn back and work for "the man" with that long commute, doing things "the way they've always been done" simply because someone with a pencil behind his ear tells you to.

What can you do to pick up the pieces created by so many others?

Experts suggest those who have the innate ability to recalibrate their goals and dreams have a better chance for survival. Think about it. You have incredible skills and a lifetime of achievements! Maybe you simply need to rethink how to use your talents.

Working from home is the right answer for millions. According to the New York Times, “Democratic pollster Mark Penn’s book, Microtrends, notes that 4.2 million Americans now work exclusively from home (a nearly 100 percent increase from 1990).”

But as we know from the rapid evaporation of the American Dream, you need a realistic plan.

If you’re ready to think about a new journey toward personal and financial freedom, look here: http://TurboChargeMyWorkAtHome.com.

Help is out there. Refocus. Get some outside help to have you see how you can succeed. Let me know how we can help.

And then let NOTHING stand in your way.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: Do you have trouble writing? Maybe you just simply haven't learn the tips, tricks, and secrets that others have kept from you. Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

Follow Charlie Seymour Jr On Twitter!

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment, join our email list to get updates sent to you, and retweet it. And I've made it easy to retweet – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

Successful Entrepreneur – Work At Home

Marketing Power – A Good Theater Background Helps!

I was six and it was my first theatrical production. OK, so I sat quietly licking a lollipop in one courtroom scene at the local Little Theater, but I must have done something right because they asked me back year after year and I went on to create a musical theater group at Tufts University (Torn Ticket, now with the name Torn Ticket II) and worked professionally in theater after earning my MBA from Wharton Graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Theater – that team sport of people in the spotlight. And whether directing or acting, it taught me some very important lessons that I use in my marketing today.

Sing Out, Louise

That classic line from the Broadway Musical, Gypsy, is instructive for all of us:

You must stand out for people to notice you!

Have you ever taken the Sunday newspaper (well, it's like that here in the USA) and flipped to the real estate section. Squint a little so it goes out of focus and what do you see?

Nothing.

Everything is exactly the same. It's as if no one wants to stand out and get noticed. It's just a blur of black and white with no stars singing out.

If you make a presentation along with other people; if you give your 30-second "Elevator Speech" of introduction at a business meeting; if you make a proposal to earn some local business and you look like everyone else you will get what everyone else gets: normal results.

Normal. The norm. Average.

And who the heck wants THAT?

Timid you say? Then ACT the part of someone who is not.

Hey, I really don't care that Donald Trump jumped all over one of his Apprentice candidates who said something like "fake it" until she was ready to make it.

Create a character for yourself if you are timid. LIVE through that character. Hey, be true to yourself in what you do and the ethics that guide you, but to blend in, to be a wallflower, to get no attention means you'll get no business.

How Do You Stand Out From The Other Marketers

Dare to be different.

If everyone is presenting his/her Elevator Speech and starting off (as way too many people do) by stating their full name and company (as if anyone cares until they learn something about you), start off with a question!

"Do you know how people visit a website and give their name and email address when they feel they can like and trust the person who owns the site, well… I create such websites. My name is…"

Try it.

See how a question engages your audience (even a very small audience). People stop listening when other people drone on, but asking a question connects with their ear and brain and gets them to pay attention.

And before you even open your mouth, know what outcome you want to achieve. WHAT do you want people to know about you.

STOP…. OK, so you can tell them your life story and bore them.

Don't.

Select one or two main points and present yourself in an exciting way. Just as if you were writing a novel and describing the main character, that attractive, talented, clever person that you are!

Are You Saying I Have To Be Entertaining?

I didn't say it because YOU already thought it.

Yes. Entertain, educate, inform, question.

And do it through the persona of the character you want your prospects to see.

What do you want them to remember about you? How do you sound? What words do you choose?

And never waste any opportunity, because you don't know when you'll get another one.

Were You Ever Told To Fit In?

Did you use to work at a corporation where they told you to "fit in"? Be like everyone else? Tone it down a bit?

Those days are over for us entrepreneurs. People must remember us or they'll never call again.

So if you left the Rat Race of the corporate world, don't jump right back into it by mirroring all the things you used to do and didn't like!

Take some risks. Find the kind of work you love and make money with it. Don't set up a corporation, get yourself an office, parade around the same way you used to when someone else was calling all the shots.

When you make it as a successful entrepreneur, you'll do so because you left those old habits behind and took the road less traveled… the path in the wood you've always wanted to take.

And Think Big

Have you ever seen someone accomplish Big Goals by thinking small?

How do you grow your business to a million dollars a year if you are just starting out? I can assure you thank thinking small, thinking incrementally will NOT work.

Think Big. Think multiples, exponential growth. Dream, Plan, Scheme and always think, "What is next."

No billionaire ever achieved success by doing things the way everyone else did things, right?

Think through what you want to accomplish, make your own road map of how you will get there, and then let no one stand in your way.

Share your ideas, your goals, your vision with trusted advisers. Mastermind with people smarter and more experienced than you are (that is IF they will have you – they, too, want people smarter and better than they are).

It's been said that we are the average of the five people we spend most time with – is it time to break away from your comfortable friends and seek others who will stretch your thinking?

Get moving. You won't achieve your goals at the dining room table, on the couch, in front of the TV. Forget those who say "it's easy" to do all of this and know that Nike has it right: Just DO It.

Focus, Focus, Focus. Do one thing REALLY well and get known for it. (I admit I don't do well with this one: there are SO many things I enjoy doing and have abilities to accomplish. But you must get people to think YOUR NAME when they have a need.)

Create a name for yourself like this: Charlie the ______________. Make it short and sweet. If you can define yourself this way, others will be able to do that too. If you CAN'T, neither can they.

Like Charlie the Social Marketer. Charlie the Photographer. Charlie the Marketing-Success Coach.

Charlie the guy who does marketing for individuals, corporations, and nonprofits will NOT get me noticed and remembered. See what I mean.

And then select the best "title" depending on the circumstances.

If you are great at copy writing, web marketing, and photography, choose which label you will use depending on the audience to which you are speaking.

And then NEVER give up.

It's ALL In Your Attitude

Your mindset – THAT is what is most important about the way you project yourself and deal with difficulties and assignments not gained.

Some people, if they don't get that next, prized assignment, feel they have failed. Others take it as feedback and learn from what they just went through (and are back "at it" as soon as they can be).

So… stand out; create the character you want to project; dream, plan, scheme about what you want to achieve; and then let nothing stand in your way.

And I'll see YOU at the top!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad, succeeding in this economy

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Opportunities Abound For Work At Home Dads, Even In THIS Economy!

How often do we have to hear it from or read it in the news? The economy is the worst since our parents (and for some of us it's our parents' parents) were young. It's really awful.

All indicators are down. My personal retirement fund has shrunk by about 50%. Unemployment is rising (about 6.5% in my county), and if it hasn't touched your family, you KNOW a family it has struck.

What do they say: it's a Recession when your neighbor loses his job: it's a DEPRESSION with YOU lose your job! It sure feels that way! (Seems to me the only time you feel worse is when everyone tells you that the economy is GREAT but you just lost your job – that happened to me once and that feeling is burned into my brain and heart, still searing my insides.)

And the effect ripples through our town, county, state, country, and world. You can't escape that we're part of a SYSTEM, not a series of individuals. Someone losing a job in Maine doesn't buy as many groceries so the farmer in Texas doesn't plant as man crops and the family in California has to pay more. And on and on and on.

And Bernie Madoff can only account for about $67 Billion of this, so there are many other factors at work.

And when I was a kid, I remember my Dad talking about the economy (he later ran a major real estate firm and was on the Board of the Philadelphia Fed… so he had learned a thing or two).

And if there was one major lesson I learned from him it's that OPPORTUNITY is just as great in any part of the cycle (for indeed, economies are cyclical).

So… that means that there are opportunities abounding right now.

And if you follow Internet Marketing (especially Information Product Marketing), perhaps you just witnessed Frank Kern (one of the really good guys) sell more than $4,000,000 worth of CDs and booklets, teaching people how to succeed in today's economy. And this was in about 26 hours.

But For Many, Where Did The Dream Go?

But for people watching their 401(k)s being drained or their IRAs tumble, it certainly must feel like the sky has fallen. And if you're sitting at home instead of going into that job in an office, store, warehouse, or factory, the pain can be intense.

Or Perhaps You've Been Saying, Take Me From The Rat Race

Or, perhaps you still have a job but are nervous that you might be next to go. Here in the Philadelphia, PA USA area, apartment developer Steve Korman has pleaded with companies (many of which he owns stock in) to remember that firing people leads to more firing. He'd like to see a corporation earn less, but keep all of its people working.

Not many corporations share his thoughts.

Or, You're Already Working At Home And Think, How Can I Turbo Charge My Work At Home

You know how it is to have the freedom of working from home. No commute. No expensive lunches out. No boring meetings that take up so much of your time.

But with the way the economy is now, you really need some help to turbo charge your results. Going back to an office job just isn't in the cards for you, even if the economy had any jobs available.

I've Been There Too

As a Work At Home Dad since 1991 (longer, really, since from 1977 – 1991, I sold $247,368,657.97 worth of Investment Real Estate and though I worked for a large real estate firm, I did much of my work from home), I recognize each of these stories… and each of the opportunities they bring.

Oh, it may not FEEL like an opportunity when you're faced with being fired or the potential of a layoff, but it can be.

So, I've dedicated myself (with the help of some of my very smart friends) to help Work At Home Dads.

Dads Have Been Forgotten – But NO MORE!

When you search the Internet, there are all kinds of opportunities for Stay At Home Moms, but the Dads have been forgotten. And with the economy the way it is, we Dads can use all the help we can get. It's said that 82% of all the recent layoffs were to men!

I have created several family-centric sites (RaisingGreatFamilies.com, ILearnedItAllFromMyKids.com, FathersAndTheDaughtersTheyLove.com among them) and my professional photography business was all related to families (Family Portraits, Weddings, Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, Theater).

Over the next few months, I will openly share information to help Work At Home Dads. The site just starting, so be sure to enter your name and email address and I'll be sure to let you know when those resources are available.

Time We Banded Together, Men: Form Our Own Mastermind Group!

There's nothing like the power of when creative and hard-working men join together. Hey, not being sexist – my wife would smack me if I did that (to say nothing about my two successful daughters), but it's time for us men to band together to make the family economy work for each of us.

I look forward to hearing from you – hearing your ideas, your greatest concerns about working from home, hearing about some of the solutions you have come up with. Let's share this information to help all of us.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad, succeeding in this economy

Friends, if you like this post, please leave a comment and retweet it. And I've made it easy – just click on the icon below. Thanks!

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