The Millionaire Mind Support Network

Power Principle # 3 — Success is a Learnable Skill

T.Harv Eker is fond of saying that “Every master was once a disaster.”

He wrote his first book SpeedWealth, to help readers get to the “Master” level with less opportunity to meet delay and disaster. Although Eker and other prominent business mentors note that traditional scholastic achievement is not a reliable marker for entrepreneurial success, all agree that continuing self-directed education is a critical element to long-term business success. Millionaire Minds identify mentors and ask for help. We are life long learners who read constantly, attend professional development courses and most likely listen to an extensive library of business and motivational CD’s.

Whatever your type and size business enterprise, building a successful business is a team sport, even if you work home alone — especially if you are home alone. Dr. W. Edwards Deming, father of the modern quality management movement, famously stated that, “All profound knowledge comes from outside the organization.” What does that mean to you? Think about how energized you were during the Millionaire Mind Intensive. Think about the scores of new insights that came to you over those few days. All of us need someone to share and analyze business solutions. We all need an energized business network.

In a time not so long and not that far away, I was a Small Business Development Center Circuit Rider for the State of Colorado Small Business Development Office. A Circuit Rider is a business specialist that visits the various SBDC sites to help their identified constituents. My specialty was Minority and Women’s business enterprise start up, state and federal procurement systems and SBA funding processes. As retired SBDC counselor I often recommend this great FREE resource to business owners. For those of you who feel like they might need some support starting or expanding a business, there are great SBDC counselors though out Texas waiting to support your dreams.

Central and South West Texas SBDCs

The Texas State University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) works with existing and startup small businesses to help them grow and compete in today’s global economy. SBDCs are available to provide assistance during every phase of the business life cycle. The improvements that result from our direct support of our client’s activities lead to job creation, investments, and economic growth for communities throughout central Texas.

The SBDC’s professional staff of counselors, trainers, and researchers provides comprehensive, confidential business counseling services that are at no cost to the client. The SBDC is funded in part by the U. S. Small Business Administration, Texas State University at San Marcos, and an extensive network of banks, chambers of commerce, and other economic development organizations. The Texas State University SBDC serves 12 counties within the 79 county service area of the South-West Texas Border SBDC regional office. This regional office, located in San Antonio, directs the activities of 10 satellite SBDCs, located as far west as El Paso and as far east as Victoria. To find the SBDC office closest to you go to: http://www.business.txstate.edu/sbdc/

Counseling Services

Texas SBDC offices provide confidential business counseling services that are free of charge to all clients. Areas of assistance include: Annual Business Checkup; Marketing and Advertising; Strategic Planning; Business Planning; Market Research; Product Development / Engineering; Research Services; Manufacturing; International Trade; Capital Acquisition; Cash Flow; Financial Analysis; SBA Loan Guarantee Assistance; Minority Business Development; SBA 8(a) & Other Programs; Women’s Business Issues; Government Contracting and Tax and Regulatory issues.

SBDC counselors can also provide their clients with targeted research assistance through the SBDC National Information Clearinghouse. This program provides research data and analyses and web-based information that enable SBDC clients to make sound business decisions. The Clearinghouse web site also has extensive on-line resources and links that are accessible to users: http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu

Professional Business Consulting

Our business consultants apply their skills and experience to assist you in making better decisions about your small business. Consulting services are confidential and available to anyone whose business is more than a year old. If you have been in business less than a year call our office for guidance.

For more information about the Texas State SBDC:
Phone: 512-716-4800, Monday-Friday: 8:30AM-5:30PM
Email: SBDC@txstate.edu

Austin Area SBDC Locations:
Round Rock (Main Office)
1555 University Blvd, Suite 265
Round Rock, TX 78664

Austin (Satellite Office)
314 E. Highland Mall Blvd., Ste 304
Austin, TX 78752-3735

San Marcos (Administrative Office)
601 University Dr.
McCoy Hall 322
San Marcos, TX 78666-7756

SBDC Support for North Texas Millionaire Minds

The North Texas Small Business Development Center (NTSBDC) network serves the needs of established and start-up small businesses in northeast and north central Texas. It is a partnership program between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Dallas County Community College District. The regional office is located in the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro Community College, just south of downtown Dallas.

The NTSBDC Network promotes small business success by providing management education. With 18 centers in 49 counties, we assist small businesses in creating jobs and economic growth by utilizing the elements of quality counseling and training, community involvement and the leveraging of resources.

The Main North Texas SBDC Office:

North Texas Small Business Development Center
Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro Community College
1402 Corinth Street
Dallas, TX 75215
Phone: (214) 860-5831
or (800) 350-SBDC (7232)
Answered 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday (CST)
Fax: (214) 860-5813
Email: ntsbdc@dcccd.edu
To find the North Texas SBDC Office Closest to you go to: http://www.ntsbdc.org/sbdc_list.shtml

SBDC Support for South East Texas Millionaire Minds

Serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas through 14 business consulting and training centers, the Small Business Development Center Network contributes to the growth and prosperity of the Texas Gulf Coast communities by delivering entrepreneurial education and training to business owners and their employees. Our continued commitment to helping small businesses thrive has resulted in a reputation of quality and expertise along with impressive growth of our clients’ businesses. All of our services are available at low-or no-cost because of the support of our funding partners throughout the region.

The SBDC Network offers affordable training seminars on business topics including marketing, finance, management, computers, taxes and executive skills enhancement. Our instructors share their real-world experience with you in our state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs. Our training seminars are designed to help broaden your business knowledge, no matter if you are new to entrepreneurship or a seasoned CEO.

Our network consists of 15-business consulting and training centers working together through various funding partners to bring you quality assistance and resources throughout our 32-county service area. To locate the South East Texas SDBC center nearest you, please go to: http://www.sbdcnetwork.uh.edu/centers.htm and click on one of the 15 center locations.

The South East Texas SBDC Network Regional Office
2302 Fannin, Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 752-8444 General Information
(713) 756-1500 Fax Number
sbdcnetwork@uh.edu

Online SBDC Resources

The mission of the Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNET) is to meet the information needs of the SBDC community in the United States and its territories. SBDCNET serves as a resource providing timely, relevant research, web-based information, and training to SBDC counselors and their small business clients. The goals of SBDCNET are to:

• support the SBDC Counselor with research and relevant analyses.
• empower the entrepreneur with business information.
• educate through on-site training and distance learning.
• facilitate the exchange of SBDC best practices and program ideas.

The Clearinghouse web site also has extensive on-line resources and links that are accessible to users: http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu

Contact SBDCNET:
E-mail: sbdcnet@utsa.edu
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Fax: 210-458-7840
Phone: 1-800-689-1912
Address:
SBDC National Information Clearinghouse
501 West Durango Blvd.
San Antonio, Texas 78207

Texas is a great place to start and build a business. There are good people waiting to help you just one commuter click or phone call away.

As you plan, initiate and grow your business remember

T. Harv Eker’s Power Principle # 5

“You can always be more, have more and do more —
because you can always learn more.”

The Texas SBDC system is here to help you be and do more. All SBDC locations offer classes, and other business support services.
To find the nearest SBDC office:
http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbdc/sbdclocator/SBDC_LOCATOR.html

Live Well and Prosper,
Sandi

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2008
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!

The Cash Flow Game and EFT

I and sixteen other intrepid souls played the Cash Flow game yesterday.

John and Loraine Boyden hosted their ninth Clash Flow Game afternoon. It was indeed time well spent. The whole afternoon was designed to give the participants some insight into their personal money blueprint, and some tools to change beliefs that are holding you back.

We played for just a little over two hours. It is amazing how the issues that seem to bedevil you in your real world business and financial life seem to mirror for you during the game. It is a timed activity you have to make decisions quickly; you get to see the outcomes in minutes rather than years. Financial strengths and weaknesses quickly make then selves known. After the game was over we had a discussion about out insights.

The Boydens invited Kay Christoper lead the group through several EFT exercises both before and after we the Cash Flow Game. EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques is a group of simple but powerful procedures, developed by EFT founder Gary Craig, that bring relief from undesirable emotions and the related problems they cause such as anxiety, pain, and stress.

Kay Christopher, MA, EFT-ADV, has been a professional in the healing arts for over 20 years. She was a psychotherapist in private practice for 12 years with an expertise in the synthesis of Western psychotherapy and various spiritual and philosophical healing traditions of the world. More recently she has been providing Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) presentations, workshops and individual sessions.

EFT is useful for a large variety of issues because it addresses the energy system of the human body. Based on tapping acupressure meridian points with the fingers, EFT is a “universal healing aid” which not only solves problems but also positively impacts human performance in areas such as sports and business. (To learn more about EFT and Kay Christopher go to http://www.eft-austin.com and http://www.KayChristopher.com)

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2008

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!

CASHFLOW® 101 is an educational board game that teaches accounting, finance, and investing at the same time – and makes learning fun. Use this game to practice real world investing with play money! Learn how to get out of the Rat Race and onto the Fast Track where your money works for you instead of you working hard for your money.

From Our Friends at Internet Marketing Center

The jury is in.

After January 24th, 2008, making money on the Internet will never be the same.

A bold statement, I know, so let me back up for a second…

I’ve just received a private press release from Derek Gehl
and the folks at The Internet Marketing Center, and I’m
absolutely ITCHING to tell you what it says…

But I can’t!

The door to this groundbreaking announcement isn’t cracking open
to the public until January 24th at 10am.

But I CAN tell you this:

On this day, prepare for the unveiling of a full-on revolution
that will finally level the playing field for regular people
who want to escape the rat race, strike a clean slate in 2008, and make REAL money online.

I’ll reveal more closer to the date as information trickles out of
The Internet Marketing Center…

For now, watch a short video and get yourself
a sneak peak here:

To your success in 2008,

Your Viral eBook Campaign

There are two key “pieces” missing from nearly all viral eBook campaigns… and if YOUR eBook is missing either of these, you’ll be settling for a fraction of the results you could be getting!

Here’s the problem: Most marketers who write viral eBooks format these as text files, Microsoft Word documents, Adobe Acrobat PDFs, and in other common formats. These formats are pretty universal, so most people will be able to read them… but they’re missing two HUGELY important features:

Track the number of copies distributed: Once you start letting people share a text file, Word document, or PDF you’ve created, you’ve got no idea whether it’s been read by 10 people or 10 million people!

This might be acceptable under the name of “branding” if you’re a big-name company like Coca Cola or Nike — but if you’re a small business owner, you’re looking for hard proof of results! That means that you’ll want to know EXACTLY how many people have downloaded and registered a copy of your eBook.

Capture reader contact information: Say someone downloads your eBook “101 Resources for Customizing Your Golf Cart” as a Word document or PDF. They really enjoy the eBook and would definitely be open to hearing from you with related offers or information, such as a limited-time discount on golf cart accessories.

Your eBook has just won you a highly targeted potential customer for your products and services… but you’ve got no way to know who they are, so you can’t follow up with them! And unless they happen to see your other marketing efforts, they’ll probably never make a purchase from you!

When you think about it, distributing a viral eBook that doesn’t (1) track the number of copies distributed and (2) capture reader contact information is like going to a party and introducing yourself to lots of new people… but not listening when they tell you their names!

So when we added viral technology to the latest version of eBook Pro, we made sure to include features specifically designed to fill in these “missing pieces” in any viral marketing campaign.

When you create a viral eBook using eBook Pro, you can specify exactly what contact information your readers will be required to enter before they can “unlock” their copy of your eBook. If you want to keep things simple, you can request just their name and e-mail address, or if you prefer, you can request their postal address, phone number, or other information as well.

This information is automatically stored on the eBook Pro web server, where it’s available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if someone registers their copy at two in the morning, their contact information will be available to you instantly. At any time, you can see exactly how many people have registered your eBook — and view contact information for each reader.

Armed with a growing “opt-in” list of contact information, you’ll be able to get in touch with your readers at any time to let them know about other products and services you may offer that are related to the content of your eBook. And if they enjoyed reading your eBook, there’s a very good chance they’ll be receptive to any other offers you send them!

And you may be surprised to learn that collecting contact information can actually result in an eBook that’s far MORE likely to be shared!

Think about it: If your eBook DOESN’T collect reader contact information, your only hope for getting your readers to take action is by including a sales pitch right in the body of the eBook. This can work — but in the end, readers are far less likely to share it with friends if it looks like a sales pitch.

By using eBook Pro to collect contact information up front, you take away the pressure of having to get your readers to take action right away. This lets you skip the sales pitch in your eBook and focus on simply providing quality information.

Your readers will appreciate not getting a “hard sell” in your eBook… and as a result, they’ll be far more likely to pass it on to a friend! Then, since you have the name and e-mail address of everyone who downloads your eBook, you can easily follow up with a product offer later!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he’s used to grow $25 into over $60 Million in online sales, visit:Internet Marketing Center’s Marketing Tips

Information — in the form of eBooks —

is THE best thing to sell when you are starting an Internet business

After all, when you sell an eBook you can make countless duplications of it at NO additional cost. Your manufacturing, stocking, packaging AND delivery costs are non-existent.

That means your profit margin is 100%!

But did you know that you can multiply the profits of an existing business by giving an eBook away — for FREE?

“How can you make money by giving something away for free?” you ask?

It’s simple… you create a free eBook stuffed with tons of valuable information, and then use it as a VIRAL marketing tool, encouraging people to download it, read it, and share it with their friends.

Once people see the value you’re giving away for free, they’ll want to pass it on to their friends – and word about you and your business will spread like wildfire through the online community.

Done right, this strategy can give you a strong personal AND professional reputation online, while creating plenty of visibility for you and your business.

And it can drive a ton of new visitors to your website… resulting in a huge increase in sales of your product!

(In fact, you can even use a free viral eBook to promote the eBook you’re selling. The quality of the information you offer in your viral eBook will go a long way to persuading potential customers that your main eBook is well worth the price.)

Best of all, a viral eBook is a FREE advertising tool.

You don’t need to pay to get it in front of potential customers, because they’ll already be sharing it with each other. They’ll email their friends a copy… or send a copy to a coworker through instant messaging… or post it on a blog or forum… and your message will spread across the Internet while you sit back and watch.

Your viral eBook will help you gain a “sales force” of thousands of
enthusiastic people who recommend your eBook to everyone they meet…
helping you build a rock-solid reputation for yourself.

And you can bet that when these potential customers are in the mood to make a purchase that’s related to the subject of your eBook, you’re one of the first sources they’ll think of!

Okay, so you’re excited about using a viral eBook as a marketing tool, but you still have one main question:

… What on earth can you write about???

Here are seven proven ideas you can use to get started creating your own free viral eBook today:

Idea #1: Industry update report

If major changes have recently happened in your industry — or if there are any major developments on the horizon — an industry update report can be a great way to get your name associated with these hot new trends and developments.

This is a great way to make a name for yourself within your industry. And when the trend heats up, you can bet that the number of people reading and sharing your eBook will skyrocket, too.

Idea #2: Industry resource guide

A resource guide can be really helpful to people who are just getting started in your industry, or who are looking for new contacts, ideas, or opportunities.

By writing this type of guide, you can develop a strong reputation for yourself as a reliable “industry insider” whom people can approach when they’re looking for resources. And when the time comes for them to buy a product or service, you can bet that YOU will be the first person they turn to.

Idea #3: Interviews with industry experts

Everyone loves to hear what the leaders in their industry are doing. After all, one of the best — and fastest — ways to become successful is to follow in the footsteps of those who’ve already achieved incredible success.

It’s easy to create an eBook that’s made up of a collection of interviews. All you have to do is send out a few emails to people in your field and ask them to share their experiences with you. People love to talk about what they do.

Plus, with this type of eBook, you’ll have 100% exclusive, original content – which is sure to appeal to your potential readers!

Idea #4: Special tips from industry insiders

This variation on Idea #3 can be another great source of valuable content. Instead of interviewing experts, you simply contact them and ask for their tips on how to solve common problems and overcome obstacles in your field. Then, group the tips by topic and you’ll have a book of “insider tips” that’s sure to be a hit.

Idea #5: “How-to” instruction guides

Of course, if you’re something of an expert yourself, there’s no need to consult with other experts to create your eBook! Go ahead and write your own eBook that teaches people a hard-to-learn skill or helps them get started in your field of expertise.

Idea #6: User manuals for hard-to-use products

If you have expert knowledge or lots of experience with a product that’s hard to use, you could create a start-to-finish user manual or beginner’s guide that helps new users get up and running with the product. If it’s a product that’s just starting to grow in popularity, your eBook will be sure to create a buzz.

Another variation on this idea is to create an eBook that lists alternate uses for common products and explains how people can start using them in new ways. For example, you might write a guide that lists 10 little-known uses for iPods, or 10 creative ways to recycle your old computer equipment.

Idea #7: Reviews of industry products

Product reviews are becoming indispensable resources in the online shopping community. People love to read reviews of products before they buy them – so if you’ve tried out some popular products that would appeal to your market, you’ve got some great information to include in your eBook.

So there are some ideas to get you started… Choose the one that appeals to you most and run with it!

Just remember that when you create your eBook, you’ll want to use software that allows you to…

1. Track the number of copies distributed

– and –

2. Capture reader contact information

After all, you’re going to want to know how popular it is with your audience, and how many people end up sharing it with others.

And of course, you’ll want to stay in contact with the people who have downloaded it. They’ve demonstrated an interest in the information you have to offer — and that means they’ve just identified themselves as great potential customers!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he’s used to grow $25 into over $60 Million in online sales, visit: Internet Marketing Tips

If you’re currently running a business —

whether it’s online, offline, or both you’re definitely aware of the costs of letting potential customers know about your business.

Maybe you simply purchase advertising space in the Yellow Pages every year. Or maybe you print flyers to distribute, or take out ads in newspapers or magazines that are read by your target market.

If you’re marketing your business online, you might be placing ads on relevant web sites or in e-zines… or purchasing pay-per-click advertising on major search engines… or paying a search engine optimization (SEO) company to bring your web site closer to the top of the search engine results pages…

Whatever strategies you’re using, one thing is for certain — if you’re serious about growing your business, a substantial portion of your budget is probably going toward advertising!

The concept behind viral eBooks requires a bit of a shift in thinking from more traditional advertising models. (It’s definitely worth the effort to grasp the concept, because it could easily save you thousands of dollars in advertising expenses while generating just as many — or even MORE — new customers for your business!)

Here’s the difference:

• With traditional advertising, you create an ad, then pay to put it in front of potential customers, with the goal of getting them excited about your product or service so they’ll visit your web site or offline business and make a purchase.

• With a viral eBook, you create a free, information-rich product that’s packed with value, then encourage people to download it, read it, and share it with their friends. When these people see the value you’re giving away for free, they naturally tell their friends about this great resource — and word about you and your business spreads like wildfire through the online community!

Done right, this strategy can give you a strong personal AND professional reputation online, while creating plenty of visibility for you and your business. By creating a message so compelling that people actually WANT to pass it on to their friends and associates, you’ll create a lasting impression as a valuable source of information, entertainment, or whatever else you decide to give away.

And after you’ve created your viral eBook, your “advertising” is FREE! You won’t need to pay to get it in front of potential customers, because they’ll already be sharing it with each other. They’ll e-mail their friends a copy… or send a copy to a coworker through instant messaging… or post it on a blog or forum… and your message will spread across the Internet while you sit back and watch!

How powerful can viral marketing be when combined with the ease of use and instant “shareability” of eBooks?

Here’s an example: In September 2001, Internet marketer Seth Godin published an eBook called Unleashing the Ideavirus, which detailed a new marketing paradigm. In the eBook, Godin gave away plenty of great, useful insider information about the marketing industry and new online trends.

Godin invited readers to send free copies to their friends… download more copies from his web page… print out as many copies as they liked… and if they wished, buy a hardcover version of the eBook. In the end, Unleashing the Ideavirus was downloaded by more than 1,000,000 people!

The success of the Ideavirus eBook illustrates the “contagious” power of valuable information on the Internet. This eBook wasn’t a long sales pitch for another product, and Godin wasn’t interrupting readers every two minutes to remind them to pass a copy along to a friend. Readers were compelled to share this eBook for one simple reason: It was filled with useful information that readers felt compelled to share with people they knew.

In other words, if you’re going to use viral eBooks as a marketing tool for your business, you can’t approach writing them the same way you would approach writing an ad. You’ll need to give readers a lot of value up front to gain their attention, rather than tease them with promises of what they’ll get when they buy another product.

By creating an eBook that’s packed with information that your potential customers are looking for, you’ll not only gain a “sales force” of thousands of enthusiastic people who recommend your eBook to everyone they meet… you’ll also build a rock-solid reputation for yourself.

And you can bet that when these potential customers are in the mood to make a purchase that’s related to the subject of your eBook, you’re one of the first sources they’ll think of!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Derek Gehl specializes in teaching real people how to start profitable Internet businesses that make $100,000 to $2.5 Million (or more) per year. To get instant access to all his most profitable marketing campaigns, strategies, tools, and resources that he’s used to grow $25 into over $60 Million in online sales, visit: Marketing Tips

Small Business Check List

These are just some general tips to keep in mind as you design/operate your small business:

1. Take the time out to explore and understand whether or not you are compatible with running your own business. Some people are just plain happier and better off financially on the other end of the paycheck.

2. Get your personal finances in order. Before you jump into the entrepreneurship world, get your own money matters squared away.

3. Pick your niche. Many small business owners succeed in businesses that are hardly unique or innovative. Take stock of your skills, interests, and employment history to select the business that is best suited for you.

4. Benefit from your business plan. The exercise of creating a business plan is what pays the dividends. Answer the tough questions now before the meter starts running.

5. Do not think you need bankers and investors at the outset of your business. The vast majority of small businesses are bootstrapped.

6. Acquire the proper background. In the early months and years of your business, you will have to acquire many skills. Gain the background you need to oversee all facets of your business well, but determine what tasks you should outsource or hire employees.

7. Remember that nothing happens until a sale is made – How many good products go nowhere because they do not reach the shelves? Sales drive your business. You will need a good marketing plan to sell your product or service.

8. You have to see a customer to know one. No matter how busy you are, spend at least 25% of your time with customers. You cannot make the proper business decision without understanding their viewpoint.

9. Solve your customers’ problems. The best way to satisfy your customers is not by selling them products but by giving solutions to their problems. There is a big difference.

10. Quality takes minutes to lose but years to regain. Quality is not a destination; it is a never-ending journey. After you have strayed from quality’s path, your journey maybe sidetracked forever.

11. Put profitability first, rewards seconds. In small businesses, profitability must come first. Find out how to measure your cash flow and understand key financial ratios.

12. Hire supporters. If you intend to create a growing business, your number one duty is to assemble a great team of employees.

13. Do not do it alone. Find such help from small business peers, a mentor, even trade associations. They can help take some of the trial and error of beginning your business.

14. Vendors are partners too! Treat your vendors like customers and watch your partnership grow.

15. Make use of benefits. Understand how to provide insurance and other benefits for your employees and cut your tax bill at the same time.

16. Ignore regulatory issues at your peril. Federal, state, and local governments require licenses, registrations, and permits. Obey them or face losing your business.

17. Know the tax laws. Invest in understanding tax issues that affect your small business.

18. It’s the people! Whatever happens to a small business happens at the hands of the people who work for it. The evolution of the business is a result of their efforts.

19. Fast, good, cheap. Pick any two. Serious trouble awaits those who attempt to be all three in the market place. Stick with what you do best.

20. Develop a passion for learning. As your business grows, you need to change and grow along with it. The common denominator of all successful entrepreneurs is a commitment to life-long learning.

“You can always earn more, because you can always LEARN more.”

– T. Harv Eker

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2008
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!

Industry News and Trends

Intuit eyes younger customers with Quicken Online

By Mark Schwanhausser
Mercury News

For years, Intuit’s Quicken desktop software has dominated the market for affluent baby-boomers fixated on tracking their spending and investments. Tuesday the company set its sights on a new audience: twenty- to thirty-somethings who live paycheck to paycheck and might never have balanced a checkbook.

The Mountain View company rolled out Quicken Online, a stripped-down Web-based version of Quicken that will primarily download banking transactions and automatically categorize them so users can identify where their money disappears.

“They want the answer to the question, ‘Am I living within my means?’ ” said Jim Del Favero, product manager for the new $3-a-month subscription service.

The software Goliath’s move is rumbling through a competitive territory populated by start-ups such as Mint.com, Wesabe and Geezeo. Those companies already have devised eye-catching tools that combine colorful Quicken-like pie charts with elements of social networking and cell phone alerts – but for free.

The choices for consumers will get even better when mighty banks invade the market – and add the ability to transfer money among accounts, predicts Emmett Higdon, a senior analyst with Forrester Research in New York. Wells Fargo, Bank of America and others recently began targeting young consumers with banking services through their cell phones.

“I would think the bigger banks would be hopping on this bandwagon fairly quickly because they already have that (transaction) data,” Higdon said. “Banks were kind of sitting on the sidelines, thinking this is neat stuff, but this is No. 42 on the priority list. What this may do is get this bumped up the banks’ priority list more quickly.”

The services all start with a basic common procedure: They collect all the transaction data from your savings, checking and credit card accounts into one place. Immediately, you’re given a quick reading on whether you’re on the verge of ringing up hefty bank fees by bouncing a check, draining your debit account or exceeding your credit card limit.

The services also automatically categorize how you spend your money, enabling you to see at a glance whether dining out is eating up the cash for your utility bill. It’s even possible to drill down to measure how much you’re spending at specific stores, such as Starbucks vs. McDonald’s.

Beyond that, the services begin to diverge a bit. For instance, Quicken will alert you when your Visa bill is due. But Mint.com , a crosstown start-up, will also send a variety of alerts to your cell phone or e-mail when, say, your balance draws precariously low, if you exceed your credit limit, or when large purchases or deposits land.

Likewise, Mint.com’s software examines your data to recommend institutions where you could save money by shifting idle cash to a higher-yielding savings account or by applying for a credit card that pays rebates. Rather than recommending products, however, Geezeo of Framingham, Mass., aims to establish a vibrant social-networking “supermarket” for financial products where consumers can compare products and rate companies.

Meanwhile, San Francisco-based Wesabe hopes to stand apart by developing a social-networking site where users can log on for advice and support from others as they tackle personal goals, such as paying off a credit balance or saving up for a car.

All of them, including Intuit, downplay fears that concentrating all your financial data in one service could make them ripe targets for hackers. Though their answers vary in the details, each claims they’re using state-of-the-art encryption, that users can log in using anonymous e-mail names, and that financial data is kept separate from anything that can identify users. Wesabe goes so far as to say it couldn’t even match up a user’s name to financial data even if subpoenaed.

In this regard, Quicken Online‘s entry into the field is good news for the little-known start-ups, said Geezeo co-founder Shawn Ward. “It validates that maybe this isn’t as risky as people were thinking.”

Ward also sees an advantage because Quicken Online charges a monthly $2.99 subscription fee. In contrast, Geezeo, Mint.com and Wesabe are free. The start-ups have varying strategies for making money, such as generating leads for financial institutions, selling advertising or charging for premium services.

“This is the Facebook generation,” Ward said. “They’ve grown up in a culture that if you can’t figure out how to deliver what I want on the Web for free, shame on you. I think it’s already ingrained in people that if it’s on the Web, it should be free.”

Reprinted with permission:
© Mark Schwanhausser
mschwanhausser@mercurynews.com
(408) 920-5543.

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!

The simple blessing of forgiveness

The New Year is a natural time to think about our personal financial blueprint and how it has, and continues to affect our lives. Since graduating from the Millionaire Mind Intensive and with the insights gained from our 90-day follow-up program, I find that I am thinking more and more about the simple blessing of forgiveness.

T. Harv Eker often states, “You can be right, or you can be rich.”

Releasing the NEED to right is an amazing experience. What I am learning in the process of giving up being “right” is that I am giving myself a richness of life I have not previously known. Not being “right” offers freedom. I find I’m smiling more. I feel lighter. I’m enjoying my daily tasks in a simple and deeply fulfilling way. I find that I’m releasing the need for perfection. Doing my loving best on any given day is all I can ask of myself. I’m focusing on the joys of my day. I give thanks often.

I am a “Peace of Mind Magnet”… and with that, other abundance is finding its way into my life.

Some days, when I start to get wrapped around the tree about something, I ask myself.
“Is this really worth my peace of mind?
Do I really, actually care about this issue?

After I use Joe Vitale’s four-step, Zero Limits process —

“I love you. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

I find that I’m able to reel myself back in to find my place of peace.

A dear friend, who knows that experiencing the fullness of forgiveness is my heart’s quest, sent me the simple, moving lyrics to this song, written by Carly Simon, for her “Christmas Is Almost Here”, CD released in 2003. I believe she found it on ‘More Or Less Church from GeraniumFarm.org.’

The liner notes by Carly for this song speak for themselves:
“Forgive is more of a hymn than a Christmas song, and it should be sung or expressed every day…”

Forgiveness

Copyright © 2003 Carly Simon and Andreas Vollenweider

Let me be before the world
what I am when I’m alone
And when my vision falls below
let there be forgiveness.

Let me answer when I’m called
let me know the voice is right
And when it’s deep inside my soul
I’ll know it by it’s light
And when it’s deep inside my soul
I’ll know it by it’s light.

Help me to make the loving choice!

Let me answer when I’m called
by the mighty and the small
In the service of my soul
Let there always be forgiveness.

Forgive.

To hear parts of this song, go to www.amazon.com, search for the album and scroll down the page to where you can listen to a sample of each track.

Ho’oponopono,

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2008
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 just read this great article in Jack Canfield’s newsletter, Success Strategies and wanted to share it with the Millionaire Mind Support Network™.
I hope you enjoy it and get as much inspiration from Jack’s approach to defining the WHAT and strategizing the HOW of our dreams and aspirations as I did. — Sandi

Decide What You Want

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want — so they don’t even let themselves want it.

Don’t sabotage yourself that way!

What scientists now know about how the brain works is that you must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it. Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.

Are you ready to get started?

Be Willing to Dream BIG Dreams

As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You’ll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

Set Goals That Will Stretch You

Another value in giving yourself permission to go after the big dreams is that big dreams require you to grow in order to achieve them. In fact, in the long run, that is the greatest benefit you will receive from pursuing your dreams — not so much the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream (an expensive car, impressive house, loads of money and philanthropic opportunities), but who you become in the process.

As I’ve seen many times over, the outer symbols of success can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned, and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher, Jim Rohn advises “You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”

Service to Others

Something else you’ll discover is that when your dreams include service to others — accomplishing something that contributes to others — it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Turn Your Dreams into Goals and Objectives

Once you are clear about what you want, you must turn each item into a measurable objective. By measurable, I mean measurable in space and time — how much and by when. For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you, but you would probably protest, saying “No, I meant a lot more money — like $20,000!” Well, how am I supposed to know unless you tell me? Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain — God, the Universe — can’t figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What do you want — exactly — and when do you want it by?

Write Your Goals Down

Write your goals down in detail, and read your list of goals every day. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, “What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?” Write down your answers and take those actions.

I recommend writing down a minimum of 3 goals in each of the following 7 areas:

1. Financial Goals
2. Career/Business Goals
3. Free Time/Family Time
4. Health/Appearance Goals
5. Relationship Goals
6. Personal Growth
7. Making a Difference

To help your reticular activating system begin finding YOUR wants in unexpected places, take time now to decide what you want and start writing!

If you want help getting started, I have a handy worksheet for you that model this formula, including examples. Click here to download this free resource and start creating all that you want from your life this year.

Jack Canfield – The Science of Getting Rich!

Remember, don’t hold back!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com