The Millionaire Mind Support Network

Think and Grow Rich Continues from 07.27.07 blog…

Meditation and Visualization…

… Now is the time to focus on what you wish to attract into your life — health, money, and love. Use your creativity and intuition to feel how would you manage your time talent and treasure if you had complete freedom to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want.

Visualize What You Want

While you are in this state of relaxed meditation, visualize yourself having that which you choose to attract. For example, if you’re choosing to express your passion through a different career or a new business venture, see yourself having this experience.

I envision myself joyfully writing in my office, communicating with clients by phone or email, opening envelops containing checks from happy customers, filling out deposit slips, and taking them to my bank. I visualize my online checking account and seeing dozens of direct deposits from my publishing products websites.

Hmmm… I’m taking a moment… yuppers I’m feeling the love.

Be expansive in your vision, see yourself enjoying the leisure activities your new business venture or career upgrade affords you: visiting and dining with friends in your beautiful home, or a favorite restaurant; spending fun times with your family during weekend excursions or tending your much-loved butterfly garden. Create images that reflect the quality of your ideal lifestyle. If you want a weekend get away spot – see yourself lounging lakeside, reading a book or just basking in the gentle sunshine…feel the lake-cooled breezes on your face.

This type of sense-oriented meditation practice is called “Creative Visualization”.
It’s creative in the substance you’re attracting to you — creating — that which you visualize.

Use Your Senses

In creative writing classes, the active use of the five-senses is always stressed. To really convey feeling, make your vision’s imagery unmistakably realistic, with richly textured, vibrant images. Incorporate how something would taste, or feel to your touch or how would it sound when you heard it.

Visualizations, fully experienced, with imagery expressed through all the senses, bring better results.

There are many paths to creative visualization. Some of us experience our senses differently. Many people have a dominant sense. For some it may be sight, you can see the lakeside getaway; for another, the smell of the pine forest that surrounds the lakeside; others can feel cool lake breeze against their face. Work with the senses that are, for you, most vivid. The more sensual your visualization, the more quickly you bring it into physical manifestation.

Humans are Emotive Beings

Remember the process of manifestation equation —T-> F-> A = R

THOUGHTS lead to FEELINGS, which lead to ACTIONS that yield our RESULTS

Our feelings, these human emotions, intensify our personal power of attraction, so feel the joy, happiness and excitement of your ideal outcome. Live your dream using the strongest emotions available to you. By intensifying the emotions associated with your creative visualization, you are actually experiencing your creation in the NOW — as far as your subconscious is concerned, manifestation, signed, sealed and delivered. The ability to experience the feeling level, to really FEEL the emotion of having IS the manifestation process.

For the Greater Good…

Each of us has an altruistic project of our heart.

Our inner steward longs to do something great — IF ONLY — I had the time, treasure and talent.
You have unlimited time treasure and talent — manifest it through your creative visualization practice!

Many of us are simply not moved to a high-energy, motivational vibration by visions of material possessions. Reaching a high level of positive emotions in creative visualization practice means imagining others who benefit from our ability to increase our universal access to time, talent and treasure. To feel the “Greater Good” energy and emotion, tap your senses. Make the image real. Feel emotions and see others benefiting.

Use your creative visualization practice to express the heart-level vibration you feel when gifting a favorite charity or making a love offering to a source of spiritual inspiration. These feelings are the soul’s way of letting you know you’re in alignment with your purpose and personal passion. Feeling joy in the act of giving indicates an appropriateness in your thoughts, feelings and actions. Creative visualization that centers on helping others, seeing their smiles and feeling their happiness, builds a powerful, positive emotion, that in turn makes the process of manifesting faster and smoother.

This whole process, just about ten-minutes a day, is enough to focus the Universal energy, the stuff of manifestation, to attract the many blessings of your heart’s desire.

However you choose to express out-folding of your dream, when you can feel the experience in every cell of your body, you can manifest your dreams at will.

This creation, this vision, is whom we choose to be, in the moment, full of joy, while expressing our special gifts. In this vibration of manifestation, the action steps need are clearly in alignment and easily accomplished in the HERE and NOW, not somewhere in the great, by and by.

The final step…continued, 08.01.07 blog entry, Think and Grow Rich— Part Three — Take Action

Millionaire Minds Take Action!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

“If you’re one of those that believe that hard work and honesty, alone, will bring riches, perish the thought! It’s not true!”

“Riches, when they come in huge quantities, are never the result of hard work alone! Riches come, if they come at all, in response to DEFINITE DEMANDS, based upon the application of DEFINITE PRINCIPLES, and not by chance or luck.”

— Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

One of the things I admire about T. Harv Eker is his unabashed pursuit of continuous education. In training sessions he often refers to the eighteen months after he sold his business as a time of intense study. He cheerfully recounts how he took every class, listened to every audio book, studied every book he could to help him understand and master the inner game of wealth. Eker often quotes from his teachers and mentors and suggests books to Millionaire Minded students.

One of the books he and is trainers often quote is Think and Grow Rich.

Think and Grow Rich is one of those classic books almost everyone has on their bookshelf. Many of today’s “New Thought” gurus draw inspiration from the writings of Napoleon Hill. If fact, it was after I read Joe Vitale’s “Meet and Grow Rich” that I decided to revisit Napoleon Hill’s masterwork. I got the audio book and listened to one CD each evening. I took notes and contemplated his suggestions and observations, made so many years ago, yet still so relevant today,

Napoleon Hill, T. Harv Eker, Stuart Wilde, Joe Vitale, and the other “Secret “ teachers are saying the same thing:

• Knowing What You Want
• Moving into a Meditative State of Mind
• Creative Visualization
• Taking Definite Action

Journey Starts HERE

NAME IT— CLAIM IT — OWN IT — SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!

Know What You Want

This statement is NOT self-evident.
The first time I heard Stuart Wilde bark, “What do you want?” I just stared at my CD-player. I truly did not know how to frame an answer. The reason Janet Bray Attwood’s “The Passion Test” swept to best seller status, is her approach helps lots of folks clearly defined what they want.

KNOWING what you want is not just about setting clearly defined goals. The big question is, are those goals and the action steps they precipitated, in alignment with you purpose — your true heart’s desire. It is amazing the lengths people go, to deny their special talents and pursuing the one thing that fully expresses their perfection.

Focus Your Intention

Once you’ve identified your goals, write them down — feel the power in committing your goals to paper. If you are like me, you will probably “key” them into a WORD document on your computer. After word-smithing “your heart’s desire” documents, print several copies. Post a few copies where you will see them every day. Keep a copy in your billfold or purse. Place one copy in special folder in your personal meditation or contemplation space.

Lastly, with focused intention, transcribe your document, in your own handwriting. This is for your eyes and your heart. There is something holy about the act of personally writing something with pen and paper. This tactile act of creation somehow connects your mind/ heart energy. To me it seems more tangible than packets of data, thrown in a certain order, against specified matrix of toner particles.

Moving into a Meditative State of Mind

Next, pick a time of the day, where you can focus, uninterrupted, on your “passionate purpose” for about five to fifteen minutes. My best contemplation time is first thing in the morning. I just lay comfortably in bed for a few minutes after I wake-up, and “gift” myself with the time for a daily “meditation” practice. This is when I find it easiest to just “Be” — to relax into a peaceful state where I can connect to my subconscious. I don’t fuss about esthetic meditation techniques, I just breathe deeply and regularly, focusing on the feelings around reaching and enjoying my goals. I smile — mouth, eyes and heart. I feel the joy of having my dream.

Now is the time to focus on what you wish to attract into your life — health, money, and love. Use your creativity and intuition to feel how you would manage your time talent and treasure, if you had complete freedom to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want.

Continued, 07.30.07 blog entry, Think and Grow Rich— Part Two — Creative Visualization

We all have Creative Millionaire Minds!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Time — Hours, Minutes, Seconds…

You committed to getting your latest project in an overnight delivery package within the next hour. Your printer just ran out of ink… you bought extra cartridges…didn’t you? Are they in the office supply cabinet, in the car trunk? No, no, and nada…can’t find them anywhere. Barring Devine intervention, you’re not going to make the pick-up deadline. You have moved from mild panic to High Anxiety.

The clock just keeps ticking…

Most of us have felt swamped at one time or another. With hectic work schedules, family responsibilities, and social engagements, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time for everything we need and want to do. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Although life will always provide us with its little twists and turns, once we learn to manage our time wisely, much of the day-to-day chaos in our lives can be reduced or even eliminated.

The first step in learning how to manage your time is to develop a general work schedule. Your work schedule should include time for yourself as well as time for the maintenance of your business.

After you’ve defined the major elements of your workload, the next step is to prioritize them by identifying critical deadlines, routine maintenance items, and fun/relaxation time. Answering questions like “How much time do I have to make this decision, finish this task, or contact this person?” will help you to start identifying what needs to be done immediately versus what can wait. Setting priorities depends on deadlines, how many people you must call to get the information you need, and whether you can delegate or get assistance from others. If you are involved in group projects, reserve additional time for communication and problem-solving.

Once you have identified your priorities, look at all of your options for achieving them. Evaluate and move forward with the ones you feel are the most useful for you. The only time to consider changing approaches mid-task is when you know the change will save time. If you are in doubt, it is usually best to consider in the direction you started.

By setting up your work schedule and identifying your priorities, you have already started down the road to more effective time management. Other time management suggestions you may find useful for managing both your business life as well as your personal life include the following:

Contract out tasks

Contract out tasks you do not have the expertise to complete. Your client will appreciate your honesty and effort to get the best result.

Start with the most worrisome task.

Start the morning, afternoon, or evening with the most worrisome task before you. This will reduce your anxiety level for the next task.

Complete deadline work early.

Not only will this reduce stress and lighten your work schedule, but it will also give you more self-confidence about managing your schedule.

Know your capacity for stress.

When you are hitting overload, take the break you need (even if it is a short one) when you need it.

Stay organized.

Take time at the end of each day to briefly organize your desk and make reminder lists of tasks for the next day or week.

Take advantage of down time.

Allow yourself some down time between busy periods to review your schedule and reevaluate your priorities.

Get physical.

Physical exertion such as walking, bicycling, swimming, or organized sports activities helps to discharge stress. Stretching, yoga, jumping rope, sit-ups, playing with children, or doing yard work are other types of therapeutic breaks you should consider during times of stress.

Have fun.

Be sure to have some fun while working or playing; a good sense of humor can keep most problems in perspective.

Divide up your time.

Decide how much time to spend on business development, personal needs, volunteerism, and family. Start by allowing 25 percent of your time for yourself. Each time you make a commitment, set a timeline for your involvement. Remember that maintenance takes at least 25 percent of the time you spend on any project whether it’s business, marriage, or serving on the board of a non-profit organization.

Build flexibility into your schedule.

Your availability to family and friends depends on the flexibility you build into your schedule. Female business owners frequently have the primary responsibility for making sure family members are cared for when they are dependent or ill, so it’s necessary to leave some time in your schedule for emergencies or to have good backup resources. Have a business back up buddy that can help out in an emergency. Get to know your neighbors so you know who to call on for help in times of crisis. Note to have a friend is to be one. Be sure your business associates and neighbors know you are there for them if they need help.

In the bigger picture, consider the relationship between your business life and your personal life. Be as realistic as possible when answering the following questions, keeping in mind what is most important to you:

• What are your long term goals? Your partner’s goals?
• Where are the conflicts, and where are the similarities?
• What is it that you really want to do? List all possible ways to accomplish this.
• How long will it take you to reach your goal?
• How do your timeline and goals affect your family (parents, siblings, partner, children)?
• How do your personal goals conflict with or match your business goals?
• How much time can you donate to community programs?
• Have you talked about your personal goals with your business partner?
• Have you talked about your business goals with your personal partner?

Don’t underestimate the toll that emotional stress takes on your physical health and your ability to concentrate on your work or enjoy time with your family.

Make sure you have time for the important people and events in your life.

Just a reminder — I’m a retired SBDC counselor, who knows where to look stuff up — both online and IRL. In this case my time management tips source is a SBA publication (Ohio Women’s Business Network, Columbus, OH, 4/97). For individual business support with any aspect of your business contact the nearest SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center.

Take The Time To Exercise Your Millionaire Mind!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Mind Mastery

Attending the Austin Wellness Expo last spring started an exciting journey. For many of us, it was the first step in our Millionaire Mind Intensive journey. It was also where I was introduced to Robert Tennyson Stevens and Mastery Systems.

The Mastery Systems literature defines “Mastery” as having expert skill or knowledge, as well as having control, authority or power over, in or with something.

As it relates to the Mastery Systems process, “mastery” refers to being master of oneself – having self-control and being subject only to one’s own highest wishes and desires, with freedom to act; living and being our most effective, loving, empowering, and respectful selves, on purpose, and on mission. Mastery Systems gives tools and techniques for individuals to know their own highest choices in any situation, to express their choices with ease and clarity, and to have full-body alignment (head and heart) in their choices.

In the beginning was The Word.
And, according to Robert Tennyson Stevens, it’s the middle, the end and everything else in between.

Mastery of ourselves begins with using Conscious Language™. Imagine installing on your inner “heart drive” a new “Conscious Human Operating System” which keeps you aware, and awake, to self-sabotage before it can act. Imagine a human computer virus-checker, which finds all those pesky viruses and limiting beliefs, lies, doubts and agreements with limitation and offers each limitation to your awareness for upgrading. The virus is called the Babel Virus. The upgrade is called Pure Speech (Conscious Language™).

The Mastery Systems website, course descriptions and supplemental material is mesmerizing. I’m sure each of us has had the experience of reading or hearing something for the first time and just being stunned at the simple “rightness” of the information. The system makes so much sense you simply cannot understand why you have not been more circumspect concerning vocabulary usage.

When questioned as to the best starting point for a new student, Robert Tennyson Stevens offers this general guidance. Each of us comes to life with our own personal agenda. Each of us has current problems, concerns, excitements, health choices and spiritual focuses. In other words, we are all unique and very individual in our natures. The basic tenants of Mastery Systems Tools and Technologies offer a series of human upgrades, human awareness shifters designed to help the individual partner with themselves in establishing a more congruent method for improving many aspects of life.

Robert Tennyson Stevens asks, I were a mechanic and you brought me your automobile for some service or repair I would do some diagnostics and give you my suggested maintenance program.

He suggests taking this short diagnostic test to discover if you have some areas to upgrade.
Answer these questions with your first response.

• Let your inner editor be on hold for now.
• What is your goal for your life?
• Do you want to make more money?
• Are you trying to improve your situation in life?
• Do you hope you will make more money this year?
• Are you committed to improving your health?
• Are you working on relationships?
• Do you have problems with intimacy?

According to Robert, our answers will contain hidden self-sabotage patterns, which will make agreements of limitation. Usually these limitations are unconscious and operate without our knowledge, until we become conscious. We have been using a language system built upon a premise of lack, struggle and separation. This language, which Robert calls the Babel Virus, is full of glitches and blocks to our well-being, health, enlightenment and personal victory in our journey, in our pursuit and accomplishment of happiness.

The basic concept of Conscious Language is:
•

• Our language defines our reality.
• Every word we speak is our Prayer coming into manifestation now and continuously.
• Our sub-conscious is 100% literal.
• “Decree a thing and it shall be established unto you.”
• The more specific we are the more instantaneous the manifestation.
• “Life and death is in the power of the tongue.”
• Ownership of some desire comes through claiming what we desire
• Speaking first person, personal, conscious creative language, here and now is very powerful.
• Words spoken with specificity and feelings equals manifestation.
• In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God.
• “A man who offendeth not in word, the same is a perfect man and able to bridle the whole body.”

I’m studying the Mastery Systems material that delineates what Robert calls the:

11 Domains of Self-Sabotage Language

If anyone else in the network is studying Robert Tennyson Stevens’ work, please let me know.

Millionaires Master Their Minds!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Kind is Cool!

In Joe Vitale’s “Life’s Missing Instruction Manual, The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given at Birth, he discusses the importance of living a good and moral life. As he talked about the importance of kindness as a core value, I felt his energy, the essence of kindness, move through me as I listened to his voice.

As I relaxed into that wonderful, feeling-level of giving and receiving simple kindness, I noticed that although we have called ourselves “Humankind”, and kindness may be simple, it also seems somehow rare.

How can we bring more kindness into our lives?

In one form or the other, we have heard the answer all our lives. Some call it the “Golden Rule”, some the ethic of reciprocity, or yet others recite Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” All of these thoughts suggest we practice kindness in every aspect of our lives.

If we want kindness we must give kindness.

The beautiful “sound thought”, “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, sung in many non-denominational churches, culminates with this stanza:
“Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.”

To me, peace is a manifestation of universal kindness, and the seeds of that kindness are given to each one of us to nurture grow and share with the world.

Synchronicity is always with us. I focused on universal kindness during my morning meditation and on my way to my desk, I noticed a book, “The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness” by Linda Kaplan Thaler, with co-author Robin Koval

You might not recognize, Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO and chief creative officer of the Kaplan Thaler Group Inc., (one of the fastest-growing advertising agency in America) by name or occupation, but you love her duck.

Who doesn’t love the trusty and trustworthy AFLAC Duck?

Kaplan Thaler attributes her company’s success to a corporate culture of niceness. In her 2006 book, The Power of Nice, she shares her winning business strategy — kindness as an antidote to an increasingly ruthless competitive environment. In the book, Kaplan Thaler explores the fallacy of America’s zero-sum business culture: Unless you lose, I can’t win — think survivor-like “reality shows”. She reminds us that deceitful machinations are not the stuff of true winners. The “ME vs. YOU mentality” is simply not a sustainable strategy.

I’m smiling as I write this, and thinking, “Do I find her approach brilliant because she agrees with me or, or because her approach simply makes for a good business practice?”

Linda Kaplan Thaler, winner of dozens Clio awards, explores collaborative success and argues that good deeds are returned, not punished. Her book is well thought out and engagingly written, offering core values, case studies and exercises to help make niceness habitual. Exercises, like turning personal disappointment into positive energy really work and encourage the reader to approach the business of life differently.

The book is written in a conversational style and makes the reader feel like they are part of an engaging discussion that explores the possibility, “What if everyone approached life with kindness?” Kaplan Thaler addresses the Power of Nice Principles; Bake a Bigger Pie; Sweeten the Deal; Help Your Enemies; Tell the Truth; “Yes” Your Way to the Top; Shut Up and Listen; Put Your Head on Their Shoulders; and Create a Nicer Universe.

I love reading something that makes me smile and encourages the feeling of hope and joy. Kindness-centered business — its yours for the sharing.

As my granddaughter Audrey would say, “Mean is so yesterday.”

We all have kind millionaire minds!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

I Model Rich and Successful People

If they can do it, I can do it!”

I Choose To Model Joe and Jack

Since the Millionaire Mind Intensive weekend, I have looked for successful Internet entrepreneurs to model. The movie, “The Secret”, made choosing a rich and successful Internet entrepreneur easy. I just signed up to be on every one of “The Secret’s” teacher’s mailing lists.

As you might expect, each of “The Secret” teachers have an authentic message. I seem to resonate with the message and marketing tone of Joe Vitale and Jack Canfield. I found that I looked forward to their emails, blog entries and special training offers. Their pitches, and this is about developing residual and passive income streams, so these messages are indeed pitches, intrigued me. Not just because I was studying their structure, but I felt that what they were offering would help me improve my business and myself. Of all “The Secret” teachers, they combined just the right amount of spiritual practice with real business savvy. Joe is a marketing maven. Jack is more a process and systems guy. Both have infused spirit into their every aspect of their work. Reading their stuff and listening to their audio programs I felt the energy, passion and joy, it is obvious. I found myself wishing to be like them and that, as I understand it, is the making of a real, live, Model.

I’m starting out my ‘modeling process’ by reading all of their books, haunting their websites, studying every email offer that they send me and I’ve studied their UTUBE videos.

I know that our own Prosperity Guy, Chris Sherrod, models Richard Branson.

Does anyone have any modeling processes they would like to share with the rest of our network? Who have you picked? How are you modeling that person?

Has anyone been using visualization or meditation in his or her modeling practice?

I’ll let you know how my modeling progresses.

Millionaire Minds Model Rich and Successful People!

H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik
Copyright © Serendal Research Institute 2007

All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Do you have a question for any of the Millionaire Minds Team?

Drop me a line at sbatik@mymillionairemind.org and you may see your question answered in an upcoming blog or featured in our Millionaire Minds Forum.

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Where paradigms shift and our heroine and her hero,
master the joy of passive income streams

WOW!

Registration fee, two night stay at a Hobby Airport hotel, two days of “per diem road food”, two intense 10-hour days, seven hours drive time… around $500.
Internet Marketing Center’s “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp” — PRICELESS!!

I set my INTENTION before I signed up for the “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp”
It was my INTENTION to master the skills needed to be a successful Internet entrepreneur. I wanted the motivation of a dynamic training environment (Millionaire Mind Intensive spoils you for anything less than inspirational) and I intended to come away with a definite step-by-step action plan.

Intention Realized

Lead trainer Jason Bax and my Internet Marketing Center’s on-site mentor, Donna meet and exceeded my expectations for this weekend.

I was given the toolset to correctly identify my niche market and specific skill sets to profitably exploit that market. Jason focused on what we needed to succeed…keyword identification, how to build a list; writing compelling copy; defining the “Free bonus” material and the actual product; how to develop the appropriate “price-point” for product and how to design the most effective order placement/delivery system. The training gave some great advice about how to get a website up quickly and how to simplify/ systematize the process.

Other Big–Big lessons — There is a difference between a developing website and developing an online business. Nick has been designing websites for over 15-years. He and about a dozen other profession web developers had what has been called a Profound Knowledge experience.

One of Deming’s(1) fundamental Quality Management dictums was, “Profound Knowledge always comes from the outside.” What he meant by profound knowledge was, information, once imparted, that would change the paradigm of an organization forever, or when new information comes hurtling in with such force, not to change becomes impossible.

When you are working within a business structure, you can’t quite see the opportunity for change. The prevailing management system cannot see beyond its existing structure, it knows only OUR way. Organizational transformation requires a view and new ideas from outside. Deming called this system of information transfer, Profound Knowledge saying, “”The first step is transformation of the individual; who will then perceive new meaning to his life, to events, to numbers, to interactions between people.”

Very much like the Millionaire Mind Intensive precipitated a profound paradigm shift in our understanding of wealth creation, our “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp” provided that outside view—a lens— through which we looked at our web development skills differently.

This weekend gave us an appreciation of the internet marketing system: understanding the overall processes, involving suppliers, producers, and customers (or recipients) of goods and services; and a knowledge of psychology: concepts of human nature and how it all fits together to reach out to our niche market — that group of people who are all searching online for a solution to a specific problem, but not finding many useful results.”

My original inspiration to pursue Internet marketing as a passive and residual income stream opportunity came from listening to The Millionaire File Live Cds. Several of the Millionaires T. Harv Interviewed had started highly profitable Internet-based business. Alex Mandossian’s story was inspiring —he lacked technical knowledge and still developed an innovated a new approach to web sales that has made himself and others millionaires. Another Millionaire Files Live contributor, multi-millionaire Greg Habstritt, started several very profitable Internet ventures.

I would less than candid, if I didn’t admit to being disheartened when I really thought about those Internet based business that generate passive income. I was an early adapter, who used the Internet as a research and communication medium for over 20-years — producing one-off information products. It honestly never occurred to me to look at the Internet as a way to generate a passive income stream by taking the hundreds of business training courses I’d produced over the years and sell them online.
Right about now we all could share a communal DUHHA!

The good news is that I sitting on a million dollar stash of training material.
The bad news is I’ve been sitting on some of it for over twenty years.
The better news, I have the tools to convert an under-utilized resource into massive passive income…You bet I Have a Millionaire Mind!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Monetization — Massive Passive Income

Four months, almost to the day, since we completed the Millionaire Mind Intensive knowing that we would approach every aspect of our business differently, Nick and I are driving to Houston to attend a two-day “Internet Wealth-Building Boot Camp”.

In homage to the Wild, Wild Net, we should slap a banner on the side of our Mountaineer — “Monetize or Bust.”

Before I initiated hundreds of hours of very structured research, I defined one of the requirements as, “find an internet marketing training source that best matches my personal style”

During the Millionaire Mind Intensive, I had a “Personal Money Blueprint AAHAA!”
P->T->F->A = R
Your Programming leads to your thoughts; your Thoughts lead to your Feelings; your feelings lead to your Actions, your actions lead to your Results.

What was my money blueprint flash of insight?

My programming states, “I’m currently uncomfortable with very hard sell, aggressive sales techniques.” To be successful NOW I have honor where I’m at NOW.

1. Acknowledge I don’t react well to heavy, full-throttle, sales pitch.
2. Clearly define the type of sales strategies with which I do resonate — NO SALES NO BUSINESS!
3. As I evolve my money blueprint — adjust my sales tools and market approach.

While studying the various Internet marketing materials and approaches, I learned a great deal about myself, and how much my personal money blue print imposed the requirement “Internet marketing training that best matches my personal style” onto my research results and influenced my final choices

My preference is a measured, information-based marketing approach, sometimes referred to as Counselor selling — relating, discovering, supporting, advocating, and collaborating. Based on my personal financial blueprint, choosing a hard-sell guru wouldn’t work—for me, at this time. However, for another person whose financial blue print is OK with high-energy sales, the vendors I dismissed based on personal preference might be a perfect choice.

During my research, I sought successful Internet entrepreneurs to model and Internet marketing companies to mentor and educate me. I studied thousands of pages of web copy, e-Zines, newsletters, emails and internet marketing training manuals, I’ve read all anyone would ever want to know about Google AdSense, Wordtracker, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’ve sat in on Teleconferences and Webinares and participated in online training sessions.

I’ve organized all the data, reviewed, recorded conclusions and made my decision, developed an internet-marketing education budget and an internet business startup plan, budget and project timeline.

Based on my search requirements, my research yielded four Internet marketing education and mentoring firms that I considered legitimate businesses — physical locations, employees that answer phones, D&B ratings etc. All their training information was equivalent, but with slightly different emphasis or approach.

After investing months in research and study, the Internet Marketing Center is the source of Internet marketing training that best matches my personal style and business model. The self-paced independent study, live workshop training and individual mentoring approach is the self-education solution I need to be successful.

Decision made, budget committed, time allocated — internet marketing project green lighted.

“Monetize or Bust.” We Have a Millionaire Minds!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

How to produce and use competitive analysis

In the July 2nd Blog, The Hidden Cost of Competition, I referred to the type of competitive analysis normally required for the business planning process. However that is not the only use for a well-executed competitive analysis.

What do the following SpeedWealth Power Principles have in common?

• The SpeedWealth entrepreneur starts with the end in mind!
• You will never make as much money running a business as selling a business!
• You come in with the intention to cash out!

— Competition Analysis

If we are to begin our venture with the end in mind, and that goal happens to be selling our business for major dollars, then a finally tuned competition analysis is one of the best tools to use from the very beginning.

Why?

Perverse Forms of Cooperation

I used to tell my business development classes that there was no such thing as competition, just perverse forms of cooperation. Your competitors and their close associates are your most likely Joint Venture partners, and your business’ most likely buy-out candidates.

This is especially true if you have developed patented, proprietary, products or processes or own intellectual property rights that would add value to their business. If your business bids for government procurement contracts, your prime contractor, or their associates might just offer to buy you out if you have built value into your business structure, and you would have to be better than your competition.

When doing a competitive analysis, review the strength and weakness of the major players in your industry. No matter how successful, the big guys can’t do it all. There is always a niche left to target. The smart player finds it, develops it and sells it back to the market leader a few years latter. I was fortunate to serve as a general manager for one of 3M’s divisions. It is part of 3M’s corporate culture to find emerging businesses, with promising technology. If the 3M-acquisition team feels the technology is a good fit, they either license it or they buy the business outright. 3M is a company built on flexibility and innovation and have never been hampered by “the not invented here culture” that has blocked the growth, and stock price of some of their Dow Jones peers.

So now you know why, here is how…

Business takes place in a highly competitive, volatile environment, so it is important to understand the competition. Questions like these can help:

• Who are your five nearest direct competitors?
• Who are your indirect competitors?
• Is their business growing, steady, or declining?
• What can you learn from their operations or advertising?
• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• How does their product or service differ from yours?

Start a file on each of your competitors; include advertising, promotional materials, and pricing strategies. Review these files periodically, determining how often they advertise, sponsor promotions, and offer sales. Study the copy used in the advertising and promotional materials and their sales strategies.

What to Address in Your Competitor Analysis

Names of competitors: List all of your current competitors and research any that might enter the market during the next year.

Summary of each competitor’s products: This should include location, quality, advertising, staff, distribution methods, promotional strategies, customer service, etc.

Competitors’ strengths and weaknesses: List their strengths and weaknesses from the customer’s viewpoint. State how you will capitalize on their weaknesses and meet the challenges represented by their strengths.

Competitors’ strategies and objectives: This information might be easily obtained by getting a copy of their annual report. It might take the analysis of many information sources to understand competitors’ strategies and objectives.

Strength of the market: Is the market for your product growing sufficiently so there are enough customers for all players?

Ideas for Gathering Competitive Information

Internet: The Internet is a powerful tool for finding information on a variety of topics.

Personal visits: If possible, visit your competitors’ locations. Observe how employees interact with customers. What do their premises look like? How are their products displayed and priced?

Talk to customers: Your sales staff is in regular contact with customers and prospects, as is your competition. Learn what your customers and prospects are saying about your competitors.

Competitors’ ads: Analyze competitors’ ads to learn about their target audience, market position, product features, benefits, prices, etc.

Speeches or presentations: Attend speeches or presentations made by representatives of your competitors.

Trade Show displays: View your competitor’s display from a potential customer’s point of view. What does the company’s display say about them? Observing which specific trade shows or industry events competitors attend provides information on their marketing strategy and target market.

Written sources: Use general business publications, marketing and advertising publications, local newspapers and business journals, industry and trade association publications, industry research and surveys, and computer databases (available at many public libraries).

Do you have some suggestions for a research process or type of information we have missed? If so, please send it on. The strength of the Millionaire Mind Network™ is the ability to share our experiences to help each other reach our goals.

I’m a retired SBDC counselor, who knows where to look stuff up — both online and IRL. In this case my source is a SBA publication.For individual business support with any aspect of your business contact the nearest SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center.

In Austin contact:

The City of Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services created the
Business Solutions Center as a resource center for existing small business owners or those considering entrepreneurship. Its hours of operation
Are 8:30-11:30 a.m.; 1:00-4:30 p.m. (M-F) It is located in the One Texas Center
1st Floor at 505 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78704 and the phone number is 512.974.7786

Outside of Austin Metro area:

For our Millionaire Mind Network members who live outside of Austin, there are SBDC offices in every state, in big city’s and small towns. Just Google your State or Town’s name + Small Business Development Center, or contact the SBA for their nearest SCORE office for additional mentoring support.

We all Have a Millionaire Minds! And We can get anything done by working together,

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

As much as we would like to believe that we do not have any prejudices or biases, the fact is that everyone does. The more aware you are of yours, the better off you will be. The main reason everyone has their own way of viewing the world is because our brains simply cannot take in everything, at least not on a conscious level.

Have you ever tried to learn ten new things all at once?

If you have, you know that it is very easy to become overwhelmed and end up learning very little at all. That is because of the way the brain works. Our brains screen and categorize information so that we can understand the world around us without being overwhelmed by it. We get into trouble when we fail to realize that many of the perceptions we hold are based on what society (i.e., parents, teachers, the church, all institutions, etc.) teach us, not what we actually know to be true.

Below is a list of the most common decision-making mistakes.
By learning about these pitfalls now, you will be able to avoid them in the future.

1. Relying too much on expert information. Oftentimes, people have a tendency to place too much emphasis on what experts say. Remember, experts are only human and have their own set of biases and prejudices just like the rest of us. By seeking information from a lot of different sources, you will get much better information than if you focused all of your energy on only one source.
2. Overestimating the value of information received from others. People have a tendency to overestimate the value of certain individuals in our society and underestimate the value of others. For instance, experts, authority figures, parents, high status groups, people who seem to have it all together, and people we respect have a way of swaying our opinion based simply on the fact that we believe they know more than we do. When you find yourself doing this, ask yourself: Do they know as much about this problem as I do? Are their values the same as mine? Have they had any personal experiences with a problem like mine? In other words, keep their opinions in perspective.
3. Underestimating the value of information received from others. Whether we realize it or not, we also have a tendency to discount information we receive from individuals such as children, low status groups, women (yes, believe it!), the elderly, homemakers, blue-collar workers, artists, etc. This is unfortunate since many times these groups can paint a good picture of the other side of your problem. In other words, these groups may use entirely different values and perceptions in their answers to your questions. The result is a larger perspective of what the issues really are. Just make a note that if you find yourself discounting the information you receive from anyone, make sure you ask yourself why.
4. Only hearing what you want to hear or seeing what you want to see. Try this exercise. Ask a friend to look around them and make note of everything that is green. Now, have them close their eyes. Once their eyes are closed, ask them to tell you what around them is red. Almost everyone you ask will not be able to tell you what was red because they were focusing on what was green. Our perceptions work the same way. If we have expectations or biases that we are not aware of, we tend to see what we want to see. Likewise, if someone tries to tell us something we do not want to hear, we simply do not hear them. This is a common mistake that many people make. The key is to be aware of your own prejudices and expectations while at the same time staying open to everything that comes your way.
5. Not listening to your feelings or gut reactions. Have you ever made a decision only to have it be followed by a major stomachache or headache? This is your body talking to you. Our brains are constantly taking in more information than we can consciously process. All of this extra information gets buried in our subconscious. Although we may not be able to retrieve this information, our body stores it for us until it is needed. In moments when we need to make a decision, our bodies provide clues to the answer through feelings or gut reactions. Unfortunately, our society teaches us to ignore these feelings, but by tuning into your intuition, you will find that you will make much better decisions in the long run.

Just a reminder — I’m a retired SBDC counselor, who knows where to look stuff up — both online and IRL. In this case my source is a SBA publications. For individual business support with any aspect of your business contact the nearest SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center.

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!