BAH! HUMBUG!

When it gets lonesome at the top… 

Are you talking 

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “F”…FANTASYLAND

N O W  is

the only time.

The past is over.

It cannot be changed.

The future hasn’t come yet,

and may never arrive anyway.

~~~~~~~

Our “here-and-now” present moments are all we really have to work with, live in, enjoy, control, and make a difference with in our lives and in our businesses. They open the path to creativity . . . to creative personal, professional, and business development!

Using the past productively from our present-moment mindset can be rewarding and –in many cases– necessary. Recalling a pleasant experience, for example, can be physically relaxing, enjoyable, and neurologically soothing in our present moment, especially a present moment filled with extra stress.

Oh, and where would detectives and accountants, historians, scientists and lawyers be without being able to rely heavily on events and records of the past in their present life’s work?

BUT, when thinking about the past gets to a point of dwelling, those thoughts threaten our very well-being, and often impair the well-being of others around us. We can get ourselves (and our businesses) in trouble.

[Examples: the 50-year-old who constantly re-lives his high school championship game touchdown; the 60-year-old woman who recounts her childhood poverty or illnesses to everyone she meets; the family locked into day-to-day sadness over a child’s tragic death 15 years ago.]

Circumstances like those put us at risk; they block the road to mental, emotional, and physical health. We all go through bad times. Being able to be productive and rise above them is a measure of personal strength and courage.

It is always easier to escape to fantasyland,

but –realistically– not always wiser.

The trick is to stay “tuned-in” to where you are and what you’re doing at any given moment, as much as you possibly can, every minute and hour of the day. Your reading of the top of this post, for example, is already in the past!. And be aware that all of this applies equally to future stuff as well.

Just as dwelling unproductively on the past wastes time and energy, so too does worrying about the future. We all need to plan, but when plans turn to worry, we are also headed off to fantasyland. Creative professionals visit fantasyland intentionally for inspiration, but then return to reality to apply the fantasy experience.

Business owners can rarely afford that luxury –and risk– of getting lost in reveries, hopes, dreams, and wishes. Solution: Save up for a vacation and go somewhere that minimizes contact with reality. In other words, it’s a good thing to periodically get it out of your system. Then, when you get back: Get back, really!

Prolonged stays in fantasyland can earn prolonged stays in the loony bin, or the log-term wearing of a straight jacket, not to mention big-time bankruptcy of both your business and your brain. Happy reality!

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hal@businessworks.US

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Go for your goals, thanks for your visit, God Bless You!

Every entrepreneur falls

and needs to get back up.

 There’s no doubt about it . . .

If you haven’t failed at business,

you’ll never be successful.

Implicit in that bit of wisdom is that you must make a strong recovery after being knocked down. And that takes guts and gumption.

Though some upstarts and some do-nothings may get themselves fired and need to find new jobs, corporate employees know little of this “Comback Trail” pursuit, or what it takes. Government employees? Their heads fall off when they try to even think about reinventing themselves.

But entrepreneurs? That’s what small business is all about. It’s a calling. It’s the excitement and challenge of being successful –making a success of your idea– against the odds! In other words, for an entrepreneur, reinventing yourself and your idea and your business –the action– is a way of life.

Unfortunately, some corporate muckity-mucks and top-ranking government officials who see themselves as voter-mandated, or hand-picked by those who consider themselves voter-mandated are often in the way.

They block entrepreneurial efforts to get back into the free market competition fray by throwing up roadblocks to economic progress under the guise of social reform. I mean hey, remember we’re talking about the same political types who think they need only to change their appearances and messages to make comebacks.

Small business owners know better. They recognize that it takes more than a haircut and flamboyant (or –as long as we’re onto “flam”–  inflammatory) oratory. Business comebacks demand changes that are grounded in substance. Putting a blue spotlight on the outfit doesn’t make it a blue suit. Talk does not cook rice. 

It is more important, say some misguided politicians, to make the whole world wonderful for every living soul no matter how much that state of bliss is earned or not earned, than to encourage small business growth and job creation.

The problem is

that the economy is the problem,

and 

only small business job creation

can solve that problem,

and there’s not enough TRUST

in government to convince

small businesses to create jobs!

And, yes, that problem has to be solved before we can address other world needs from a position of strength.

The bottom line is that there’s nothing wrong with reinventing yourself and/or your business in order to get back up off the floor and revitalize a staggering or TKO’d business venture. The world’s most successful entrepreneurs have all done that repeatedly.

What IS wrong is to make a half-hearted effort at it, or an intentionally deceptive or manipulative one. You’ll never “dance with the stars” or get back up on your feet if you’re wearing cement shoes (an old Mafia saying). To put yourself on the comeback trail, focus your energy on the here-and-now present moment, not the finish line.

A map is useful, but always be prepared for detours. And never give up your ideas, your pursuits of them, or your sense of integrity. The trail you seek is just around the corner. It will all work if you will. 

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open Minds Open Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Operating

a small business in 

times of personal trouble…

The most frequent consulting calls I get are from business owners who are experiencing personal emotional trauma, and who are trying to either ignore or bull their way through the upsets without acknowledging them.

Many talk and act as if they’re sizing up my marketing experience, but what they really want to know is if I can help them personally.

They throw little test questions out: “Uh, have you ever worked with partners who don’t always get along?” or “Have you had to deal with older family members who started a business, then turned it over to younger relatives?” or “How would you increase sales in a business where the boss’s wife had alcohol or drug problems?”

Some, of course, cut right to the chase: “I just got out of rehab and still have panic attacks, but nobody else can run the business; what can you do to help?” or “My partner is the money behind this business, and he’s an idiot and we’re on the verge of breaking up; can you help pick up our sales while we divorce?”

I have a little reminder note pasted on my workstation:  “Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” You may have to become as old as I am to really appreciate the truth of this, but if you ARE less than 150, I can assure you that truer words were never spoken.

And there’s no discrimination that disallows business owners. We all carry our own burdens through life. How we strike a balance with the businesses we run makes the difference between success and failure. Dealing effectively with the whole mess, time after time, depends on how effectively we balance our own emotions.

Dismissing, or disregarding the reality of what we face accomplishes nothing, and often makes things worse. Jumping headlong into upsets is a get-screwed-up-quick formula that can wreak havoc on both the business and your personal life. Balance means holding the ship steady through stormy weather regardless of preferences.

In other words, this isn’t football,

and acting headstrong can get

 us sacked on the one-yard line 

We need to be able to put aside our emotional attachments; we need to be able to let go of some of the ties that bind. We need to accept that we don’t always have all the answers and be willing to go with the flow when problems overwhelm us. Can it be God or an inner spirit challenging us to rise to the occasion? Is it a test of your mettle?

“If you can get through this, you can get through anything,” my wise old uncle used to say, but he never mentioned that there would be a least hundreds of “this” times.

Life is about challenge. So is entrepreneurship. Just make sure you keep your personal life in balance with your family and those around you. If you stand tall in troubled waters, the business will heal itself. Where to start? Try some deep breathing for openers, and then begin to sort out and prioritize before you take action.   

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open Minds Open Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

You already know this, but

perhaps you’ve forgotten:

  You and your business are

here on Earth to make a

d  i  f  f  e  r  e  n  c  e  !

Does that mean you need to revamp your food business to offer only organic produce, fruits, meats and poultry? No. You may want to consider a direction like that for business reasons, but making a difference for others is not a pursuit that –unlike government bills and riders– has restrictions attached.

Making a difference with your business doesn’t mean you must suddenly be a better Boy Scout or Girl Scout. It does mean holding to a higher integrity, and offering goods and services that don’t inherently harm people. Cigarettes come to mind. Oh, and don’t rationalize with raves about all the tobacco industry jobs and good deeds.

That’s a big business/government style-defense. Drive responsibly, say the alcoholic beverage companies. We grow forests, say the paper mills and logging companies that strip mountainsides bare of trees. You can add your own examples here. Hypocrisy has become a mainstay of corporate marketing, PR, and government control.

You can’t make a difference on Earth

by being two-faced.

(Politicians take note.)

And —TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK— time marches on, so the amount of time you have to improve the business and personal lives of those around you and those who come after you are perhaps a whole lot less than you might have imagined (or maybe never thought about!) when you rolled out of bed this morning.

Bottom line: The time to act is NOW!

Start thinking about your legacy as you’re reading this, and take just one step in the direction of putting those thoughts to work by the time you walk away from your keyboard. Carpe Momento!

Recommended guiding words:

The old hit song lyrics from Seals & Crofts —

We may never pass this way again.

“There’s no time like the present,” my father always said. “Time and tide wait for no man,” my mother always said. “DO IT” says Nike. Now, entrepreneurs seem to know this instinctively, but they also seem to limit their hurries to business deals instead of to their own internal missions. Those little voices that point to reality.

What speaks to your ears from inside your gut? It may be different than the words that come from your brain. Words from the brain can be easily over-thought, manipulative, too rational, too unemotional, too logical — the stuff that corporate and government analysis paralysis is made of — What comes from your gut has no limits.

So maybe your gut instinct to meet your down-deep-inside legacy goals isn’t finding a platform in your business pursuits? Then set up something separate to make it happen. A new division, revenue stream, referral channel, product or service line extension . . . something that addresses your true life purposes.

Running a successful business is problematical enough; why saddle yourself with yet another entity? Because if the business isn’t satisfying your inner needs to, for example, help needy people and organizations, a nonprofit charitable or educational family foundation might. What’s the worst possibility?

You start a foundation and can’t make the time to run it? Find someone who believes in your purpose to step in, and you simply provide the guiding light. You start a foundation and the goals or mission become obsolete? Redefine them. You’ve already re-invented yourself and your business at least ten times over. Well?

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US   931.854.0474

Open Minds Open Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

 A marriage,

  a partnership  

…your business

on the rocks?

No need to contend for an Academy Award. Don’t get me wrong. acting isn’t always a bad thing if it serves to entertain or educate. Besides, theatre is in my family’s blood going all the way back to early Armenian and early Irish performers. (More on this some other time :<.)

The point is that acting to maintain or

enhance an image rarely serves the purpose.

Keeping up appearances only works for limited periods of time with limited audiences. With crumbling marriages, acting may not be a bad thing with young sensitive children who need to know –no matter the cause– that it’s not their fault. The same can be said for employees and customers when a business partnership goes south.

When a business stands firm in the face of a tsunami, the tsunami will prevail. It’s best to not pretend all’s well to those you do business with when it’s not . . . unless you’re certain a short-term BandAid will not prevent forward motion once the air clears, and you’re mentally prepared for any worst case scenario.

If you’ve been pretending things that are terrible are really great, be alert for reality to take its toll. A little snack for thought: Consider taking periodic mental inventory of where things are and where they’re headed. Step back. Take a break. Go for a walk, a drive, a ride, a swim, a vacation. Breathe. Get your brain unwound.

Accept that the stress these acting roles

produce is simply not worth all the pretenses.

Failing to own up to perceived threats of reality often puts businesses and their owners under. You are, you know, after all is said and done, a human being. And your body may, as some say, be a temple, but it is also (regardless of fitness level) a fragile temple. 

In a business tsunami, you are as susceptible to psychological trauma as you are to physical and emotional assault.

You may not be able to prevent accidents simply by staying out of harms way, anymore than you can avoid business upsets by just dressing things up and acting the part of conquering hero.

Even when you might think you are on track to a best actor or best supporting actress Oscar, when you begin to see that all the affectations, costumes, makeup, props, and mastering of character study you can muster are just not going to bail you out, face the reality head on. Be honest and direct.

Remember that –while you might think the situation at hand is the most humiliating and crushing life experience possible– others who are not as good as you have survived it, and most have become stronger for it. So, don’t shut it down. Put it out on the table.

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

  Open Minds Open Doors 

   Thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

  Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

If I had my life to live over

If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously.

I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it over again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.”

   

— Nadine Stair, 85 years old (in 1968), Louisville, Kentucky

(Links inspired by these words were inserted by Hal)

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

  Open Minds Open Doors 

   Thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

  Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

Big-mouth

media muckity-mucks

bullying your business?

Is it just me or are you as fed up as I am with all those annoying, pestering, mean-spirited, arrogant, nasty, intolerant, rude, feeble, badgering excuses for news reporters and interviewers that we see on mainstream media TV?

1) They are stupid!

2) They need to shut up and listen!

These people –and “these” includes nearly all of the biggest network news anchors and interview specialists– should be (willingly of course, in the interests of media integrity) duct-taped to the wall (nicely, with no circulation cut off), socks (clean ones you can breathe through) stuffed (gently) in their mouths and made to listen for just a minute or two to the answers that the objects of their insults provide to their printed questions. 

(Gee, Hal, say what you really feel. Hmmm. Well, no need to call out the ACLU, Law & Order’s SVU, or a friendly neighborhood SWAT Team, but it is a way to finally hear someone’s complete uninterrupted response; hey, you can un-duct them and give them lemonade after the questions are answered; how’s that?)

TV interrogations (er, interviews) are so relentlessly overbearing and obnoxious that audiences never get chance to hear responses that could make a difference. Have you seen or heard a single interview of any politician who’s not part of the Obama regime who has not been talked over and pummeled in the questioning process?

Even waterboarding might be kinder. 

Are you unconsciously absorbing media badgering techniques and integrating them into your dealings with partners, investors, employees, suppliers, customers? Are you sure?

I have yet to hear a talking-head question that’s not a camouflaged accusation. Is that little bit of manipulation finding its way into your business dealings? Are media people making it seem like an okay way to conduct yourself?

I mean we’re not talking about the sharpest tools in either shed when it comes to news people interviewing politicians, but come on now; someone’s going to be representing us, and it won’t be a media prima donna, right? As for your business . . .

If you are buying into these methods, you’re being psychologically bullied.

If your ego is as big as the TV puppets you know we’re talking about here, so big that you have had to reduce yourself to bullying and badgering in order to create controversy and get industry or professional attention, for example, you are probably missing the defined purpose of your career.

News “Reporters” are. It’s their job to illuminate and enlighten . . . to report what happens. How many actually make that a priority? (I can name two out of thousands.)

The media people I speak of should only know what bitter, uninformed jerks they look like to their viewers. Clearly they have no regard for their own self-respect or anyone else’s who happens to disagree with the producers and owners who pull their puppet strings in order to win audience shares that attract corporate advertising dollars.

Too bad they’re so dependent, and so blindly convinced that they are digging for “the truth.” Nothing could be farther from . . .

Sure, everyone has heard their parents and grandparents start a sentence out with: “When I was growing up . . .”

And you know what? There’s enormous wisdom locked up in statements that start that way. 

But discovering those gems requires listening — opening ears, and minds, instead of rolling eyes.

So try this on: “When I was growing up, a “Reporter” was a respected observer, not a wise-guy loud-mouth more invested in self-promotion than in bringing enlightenment to reader/viewer/listener audiences. When Walter Winchell reported the news, he didn’t put an egotist spin into every statement. He was a professional.

Of course there were others. Just go to Bing and Google and find them. Start with Huntley and Brinkley, and Mike Wallace, and Paul Harvey. Oh, you say, but they weren’t 100% ethical either. Who says? Who is? And isn’t 90-something percent a whole lot better than single digits? What percent are you? What percent is your business?  

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

  Open Minds Open Doors 

 Thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

  Make today a GREAT day for someone!