So this is Thanksgiving week. The All-American tradition of fighting for a TV at Wal-Mart (I’m looking at you El Paso…) is very much alive. It is a sad statement on society and more a horrific example for future generations on what the meaning behind Thanksgiving is. But oh well, life goes on and people will never stop and question their behavior and primitive attitude towards their fellow-man, that I know.

So let’s move on to this week’s topic, be thankful for…..

I am thankful that I have a loving, supporting and healthy family. We take for granted how much those 3 words really mean in a person’s well-being, but when any of those are lacking, life careens (which reminds me: I bingoed at Scrabble by using ‘careener’) out of control. Picture yourself in a movie with prancers (another word that I bingoed with in Scrabble) and dancers and then the music abruptly stops – that is what happens when one of the above traits is missing.

I am thankful for being creative, courageous and confident in starting a new business from scratch. Our young company just got its first payments this week! It only took us over 100 days to start collecting fees, and that does not mean we will continue to get them every week. Every day is a challenge to stabilize the business and when you start with 0 dollars, 0 sales and 0 prospects your creativity, courage and confidence is quickly judged as stupidity, ignorance and uncommon. The real gift, though, is that you know that you are taking a risk 100% in yourself and not using any one’s time to build your business. Most people will not do that because, let’s face it, it is the easiest way to figure out if you have a chance, Well, I am not most people and I like to make things difficult for myself, and…..I will not compromise my morals.

I am thankful that I have supporting partners in my business. These are three individuals who have taken a risk and believed in my ideas and said “We will be along the ride with you.  We know its no’t that good right now, but we all know we can make it great.” These people are admirable in my opinion and anyone who puts their faith and blind trust in you deserves the best from you. 100% everyday in work and in attitude. They are motivators. I used to work for companies, now I work for people. I thank them for believing in my abilities and although as anyone knows all new business have a high chance of failures, they decided to succeed or fail with me, priceless.

So just when you are about to bash your co-shopper in the head for that iPad or when you are screaming at the checker to hurry up, think about these sad first-world problems and let us really value what is important and be humble enough to recognize that we all need each other.

Keep calm and stay humble!

Yesterday I was talking to my wife and partner (same lady,  by the way) and she was asking me about how I could have so much pressure always and always look calm. Now before I let you in on my superpowers and talk blatantly about my immense capacity to deal with stress, I want to let you know that it is not that complicated and that I am not as cool as James Bond.  I crack just like everyone else, and those that know me, know I do.  But, there is always a good poker face that you have to give for hard or good situations.  Even if you are frustrated, we have to remember that it is all part of a cycle and it really is not that crucial. Unless you are dealing with a life/death situation, business is just another aspect of life.

What I told her might surprise you, because it sounds so simple and, to be honest, it might sound irresponsible.  But I told her that all those years that I have worked for someone else and now that I am working for myself, the best way to deal with the pressure was to make a decision and immediately forget about it and move on to the next thing.  Crazy as it may sound, this is the way I have always been able to multitask, work on multiple projects, travel 80% of my time and balance a beautiful family life.  I am not saying you should do this, but this is what works for me.

The reason is that I follow my mother’s advise. Trust your instincts.  And I do.  I might think about something 1 hour or 1 week, but about 90% of the time, what I thought at first is usually how I handle a problem.  Your instinct is shape and molded by experience, education and knowledge, I am not talking about survival or primal instinct (save me the psychology lesson please).  As part of my ongoing education in life, we get to learn every day and mess up every day. So there are somethings you will never forget, and there are somethings you will do over and over (hitting yourself at the corner of that table perhaps?) Once you make a decision, it’s done, you really can’t do much about it, unless you decide to change it quickly and then, you start guessing, did I do the right thing? what if I… you get the point.

So in my infinite wisdom and super wise ways I told this to my wife, who promptly laughed and changed the subject.  Prophets are never welcomed in their own home…. So, if you are feeling the crunch, like I am right about now, and your family knows it, don’t hide it, talk to them and be humble enough to admit that fear, insecurity and doubt also hounds you and when you recognize that you do not need to be superhuman or appear to be so, you will look at yourself in the mirror and look at the guys that your family loves and respects, a hardworking and loving man, at least in my case.

Keep calm and stay humble

Before I started the company in September, I received a call from a good business friend, we will call him Dave, (because that is his name) and one day laughing he told me that I was the busiest unemployed guy he knew.  I was already working on ideas of what to do, and I was helping a couple of people with ideas, no charge.

Dave, in his infinite wisdom, was correct.  At that time, I was still unemployed and had not really decided what I was going to do and I was constantly busy.  That is what happens when you are used to being a self-starter.  My wife would go crazy on me because I would wake up at 5 or 540 and start figuring out how I was going to spend my day at home and supposedly without doing anything.  I failed miserably at being unemployed.  Can’t stand still!

Anyway, I was thinking about that today because this week was one of those weeks that I was real busy, applied myself and then finished most of what I had pending in really good time. But then it happened, now what do I do?  This is where being an over-thinker and can’t stand still really helps.  I started thinking about a particular project I was developing and I can see that the results are not going to be as expected, so I thought out of the box, applied myself and started acting on impulse and instinct and lord and behold, a problem, became an opportunity and the opportunity became a great solution.  I am looking very much forward to this new business we just got.

You have to think on your feet and be always ready to pounce on opportunity.  You have to believe that your instinct is correct.  You can’t force deals, it called in statistics over-fitting.  You mess with a model too much and it becomes too perfect, and then it does not work.  Deals are like that too, if you tinker with them too much and try to make it work, it is destined to fail.  If a deal is difficult, then work at it, but don’t over fit it. When you recognize that is time to let loose of your anchors and sail again into uncharted waters, but with the business impulse pushing you and the personal instinct pulling you, you will be able to come out dry after going thru a waterfall.

Believe in yourself and believe in your experience.  And as Dave told me keep busy even if you are not getting paid, because eventually you will get handsomely rewarded

Keep calm and stay humble

Well it had to happen eventually.  We are getting busy, so busy I forgot to write this blog.  To talk a little business, we have secured our first contracts and are working on developing them.  It is an exciting time and time is short.  I have Friday’s off as you know, but it is getting to the point where I need to work some hours so I can finish.  Decisions, decisions, decision….

If you think about it, I have said that the four-day work week is what I want for me and whoever works with us. Our goal is that in five years we work 180 days and rest 180 days.  When things get busy, you start trying to figure out how the heck do I do this without failing our Principals and actually working on Fridays?

Well, very honestly I think I  will tell you.  For one, my week has to be more productive.  Less time has to be spent in things that are not productive or in things that someone else could do.  Second, I need to make sure things continue to be well-organized and defined as they have been in the last 7 weeks since I started the company. It has been very well-disciplined but now it needs to be extremely well-disciplined, that way time is sufficient.  My afternoons have been a bit long. I was usually out by 4:30pm, now I am out at 6:30pm.  Not really a big deal, as I am still able to walk my little one to school and have a good breakfast at home with my family.  I do not go out to lunch, as I pack one and eat in a rest area in my office building.  And, third and last, I have to make sure that my day is fun. If it is fun 8-10 hours goes by quickly, if it is not, then it is 8-10 hours.

So far it has been a blast and I am happy to tell you that I am making progress. No life lesson today, just a simple business update for those who know me. I will probably get you another one like this in about 7 weeks, and then we will see if we really are getting busy….

Stay calm and keep humble!

So, picture your business and your tools and assets. You have knowledge and a whole bunch of contacts. This is what years of experience give you. The way to do it is to use your contact network in order for you to provide the services or goods that your clients require.  Your customer needs X product; you have a couple of sources of where to get it.  You contact the source, you work out an arrangement good for all and you make fees.  Your customer needs advice on Y issue; you provide them services based on your experience and vendor contacts and you get another fee.  The secret I guess is to keep renewing your contact base and make sure it is well guarded.  Your clients and your vendors meet; you are out of a job.

Well, I kind of hate that model.  Although it is a logical and used everyday by mostly everyone doing this type of work. I don’t get why I have to hide one from the other.  The intelligent and practical, as well as experienced business persons will tell you:  because those are your contact and they have value, because if your customer talks to them directly then you have no value, because if I know them, why would I need you.

Well, I think that is precisely why I don’t like it, even if everyone does it. I feel that my value should not be defined by what companies I know or what people I have in my little black book (for those millennials who do not understand this term, refer to Contacts in your iPhone, and then think of it as a printed version with a black cover on both sides).  If the only thing that I have is a list of contacts and people who I know, and that is feeding me and my family, then I better start planning something else.  These models are outdated, and so are the professionals who use it.  Technology has made it possible for you to connect or search anyone on your own practically.  All you need is a Linkedin account and a good Google session.

It’s like in “Something about Mary”, when the hitchhiker gets in the car with Ted and tells him about the 8-minute abs workout and how he will revolutionize the industry by introducing the, wait for it, 7-minute abs workout!  And if you are not satisfied we will send you the extra minute for free!!! Then Ted tells him, right but what if someone comes out with a 6-minute abs workout? The guy could not see it…. no man it’s the 7-minute ab not 6, who works out in 6 minutes, 7 is the number man!  Someone will always beat you on price or someone will find a way to undercut you.  Unless your offering is not based on something as simple as contacts or prices.

I think that we should have companies meet our clients everyday, I think that if you are so worried about them sidestepping you, it is because you are not confident in any extra value you bring to the operation, and if that is the case, well my friend, you deserve to be jumped.  If you provide your manufacturers a strategic approach, professional behavior and solid customers, fight for them and for their pricing, you might become an important ally for them, and more business will come your way.  If you are the guy that is clinging on to contacts, dude, you are or will be done in the short-term, I am sorry to say.

So be transparent and let everyone know who is involved.  I particularly want to know who is going to sidestep me as quickly as possible,  People who do this, will usually do it ASAP.  For me it is the best thing in the world.  It releases you from any moral obligations and it basically helps you by removing these people from your business and your life, and you can’t be luckier than that. I  invite all the ones who believe they can take advantage of me to do so, because at the end, they will do me a great favor.  And I choose to let you take your business somewhere else, that is why I provide an easy out for you….

No man, it’s the 7 minutes, not 6!!!!

Keep calm and stay humble

It eventually has to happen. That call or email you get that lets you know the deal has been closed. So I got that call this week, actually two. And three more pending as I see it. It is very rewarding to have this happen to you.

I believe that the natural progression of things will bring excitement and then some disappointment. Some deals won’t go as planned and some will surprise us. But no matter what happens, we can’t lose sight of staying grounded and humble.

I also made the very worthy decision, along with my wife and business partner, to give 33% of our shares to two new partners. They need it more than we do, if not economically, more emotionally. These are hard workers who deserve better, and if you remember what I have said these last few weeks, you can’t preach if you don’t teach. So I am acting out and throwing a bold challenge to all the complainers out there, you don’t like where you are at, put your money where your mouth is and go make a difference in someone else’s life, not yours. That will display your true intentions when you complain. You are either a hypocrite, because when you have the chance you don’t act or you are a person of principle, because you act when you don’t have to. Which one are you? I am a man of principle and I am proud to say I now have honest and hardworking partners who will share with me whatever we make of this business, and I did not charge them 1 cent for their share……

I say this humbly again not to brag but to encourage you to do the same and help those that deserve your help and I promise you, things will then really make progress.

Keep calm and stay humble

I am not embarrassed to say that my new venture has produced exactly $0 to date, and I am actually pretty proud of that!  I do not need to check myself into a mental institution, but you have to think it twice though….

As an executive working for other companies, I was always patient when making a deal.  Deals take time and usually change from beginning to end. Not by design, but because a lot of things change that you can’t control.  Competition, weather, a bad business relationship, whatever.  As I stated a few weeks ago, when you are working for a company, your responsibility is to get the company the best deal possible always.  This is where the executive makes a difference, either you fight for everything and leave nothing on the table, or you give away everything and get a lousy deal, or somewhere in the middle.  The usual technique is the first one and that is how you get the reputation of being a jerk.  I had that for many years.

It was until I realized that many vendors can actually help you more if you are not such a jerk, and you do not have to leave much on the table as well, this way your commitment to you employer is untouched.  It is about working together and for a cliched win-win.  The results are better relationships, more help when actually is needed and certainly more respect when it comes to coming to the table again.

So the deal making process does not change in effect when you are an entrepreneur. The slight and minimal exception is that when you wait for a deal, and take your time and play the mind games (which we all think we are very smart at playing) you are still getting a paycheck.  Not bad, huh.  When you are an entrepreneur, you are not, so what do you do, you hurry up the deal and settle for everything they offer (and you are glad they did)  That is the worst thing you can do for your company and for yourself.  Strategically speaking, it means you did not plan and foresee rejection as well as you thought, and that probably you are not financially ready to start your own business.  If you settle for anything that comes along, your business changes and so will your enjoyment of it.

I will not settle for anything, I will negotiate what I need, and if do not like it, I will not make a deal. I would rather leave a bad deal on the table than lose respect for myself or get myself into an unwanted situation.  I might run out of money and savings, but you can’t compromise your value and your future because you did not plan well or can’t take a strong and definitive NO. It’s on you if you do! So think about it well, before you decide and take the jump into the business owner abyss, and mostly remember that it takes discipline and confidence to close the deal.

Keep calm and stay humble, talk to you next week.

As I talk to many friends and business associates whom I have worked with over the years I find one thing in common: they all are glad to hear from me. I find that great, it means a lot of people appreciate me. But, and very respectfully to all my colleagues and not complaining, but with purpose of being a realist, we hang up and life goes on. We reply an email, and life goes on. Its natural, its correct and its business. I do the same thing probably.

I say this not because I am implying that friends do not help, but i say this because friends can’t help. They have problems and activities of their own. You do not want to overburden friends because you made a tough decision, that is all on you! Some people do not help because they can’t and the person either gets offended or doubts friendship. Do not confuse friendship and loyalty with the power or willingness to get you out of a jam you created. I certainly don’t and do not expect, in a good way for people to do so.

As a friend, YOUR obligation is to understand them, you are the one calling or emailing them! You are the entrepreneur, you are the one who is broke, or soon to be, not them. So friends, when I call you and tell you about my new venture, don’t worry or feel pressured to say yes, true friends should understand that you can’t help and I do, and that is just fine, because next time I see you I will say thanks for listening and catch up as friends should. And so, life goes on…….

As I have already begun with the actual business, I had to rent an office and have all those nice expenses to begin with. Any good administrator will tell you that you have to make more than what you spend.

I remember the movie in the 1980s called the Secret of my Success. It started Michael J Fox as a small town College graduate going to the big city and getting a job in his uncle’s company. There is the scene there where he is arguing with senior executives and his love interest about making the company successful as they are going thru hard times because a competitor is making a bid for a hostile takeover. She believes that they need to cut costs immediately and he tells everybody that they need to spend more money. I guess this is a classic case of management by cost-cutting vs. management by expansion. In the movie, he is told that they can not do it.

Well, I kind of agree with Michael J Fox’s character. When you are looking to grow, a stable or a startup, you have to invest. You can work from your home, use your cell phone and use your existing utilities. I think that this is similar to the cost-cutting approach. Or, you can do what I did (People tell me I’m not all there BTW) and go out and rent office space, get into contracts and increase your expenses without having any revenue. I would say this is similar to what Michael J Fox was doing. Now I must warn you, I do not take business nor academic advice from trendy Hollywood films, with the exception of the “Back to School” classic, but in my point of view, you need to force yourself to make hard decisions so that you are committed fully (not to a mental facility) to a project.

By working from home, you always have the low expenses base and the option to go do something else, by signing contracts you willingly take that option away. Risk tolerance must be high, as well as confidence, planning capacity and let’s be truthful luck as well. Do not be afraid to go into a compromise if you are fully secure in your abilities. There will be hard moments, like right now that I am starting at zero, but you know what, I could not ask for more, because I have the opportunity to do what I believe in and to help others. Let’s see what happens when the bills start coming in…..

Stay humble my friends