The Millionaire Mind Support Network™

Helpful Business Links For Your Million Dollar Idea

Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks:

The USPTO
The USPTO is the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It is a vast and reliable resource for protecting your idea. From finding the correct forms you need to finding the right patent for you, the USPTO is an invaluable resource. Spend some time sifting through the pages and doing your patent homework!

Inventor Resources and Information

Find a Registered Patent Attorney In Your Area
Protecting your idea is always the biggest first step you can take. The questions everyone has is “How do I protect my idea?” or “Can I even patent this?”… as everyone’s situation and idea is different the best way to get information catered to your idea is to visit a patent attorney. It’s their JOB to give advice and make sure your idea is protected by US and international law, and you can be sure that any USPTO-registered attorney is not out to steal your idea. Also, MOST attorneys will offer a FREE exploratory meeting to determine what sorts of protection you need, how much it will cost and whether there is already an existing product out there. For any personalized patent questions, the best resource for your needs is most likely a skilled patent attorney! Start searching now!

The Library of Congress Copyright Office
A Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

Copyright FAQ

Trademark Central
A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name.

Helpful Resources For Finding Trade Shows:

“The Ultimate Trade Show Directory”

the world’s leading online resource for the trade show, exhibition and event industry since 1996. The Trade Show News Network (TSNN) owns and operates the most widely consulted event database on the Internet, containing data on more than 15,000 trade shows, exhibitions, public events and conferences. It also offers over 360,000 seminars through a strategic partnership.

Biz Trade Shows

It is Largest Online Directory of trade fairs and business events which brings you a comprehensive coverage of exhibitions, trade shows, expositions, conferences and seminars for various industries worldwide. This dedicated platform having more then 1000 tradeshows organizers with their 6000+ live trade events.

Trade Show Week

For over 36 years, Tradeshow Week® has been the voice of the exhibition industry, serving thousands of global companies and business leaders around the world.

Financing Help For Your Small Business:

US Small Business Administration
About The SBA: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation

SBA Grants

SBA Loans

Government Grants

National Venture Capital Association

Helpful Manufacturing Tools:

US Government’s Manufacturer’s Toolbox

Manufacturing and Services (MAS) is a unit of the International Trade Administration, and is dedicated to enhancing the global competitiveness of U.S. industry, expanding its market access, and increasing exports.

ThomasNet

Alibaba.com
An independent website that allows you to connect with international manufacturers to begin production and manfacturing of your product on a larger scale.

Elance.com

Elance is a place where businesses connect with professionals to get work done now. With the largest network of rated and certified business professionals, Elance facilitates the entire work process from hiring to collaboration to payment.Businesses use Elance to achieve more by finding great people and getting work done in a new way.

Popular Business Networking Sites:

StarupNation

StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. The site was created to be your one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success, and we’re thrilled that StartupNation has grown to be the leading online content and community resource for entrepreneurs.It’s our belief that everyone can —and should—own a business, whether full-time or part-time. Our mission is to help you do just that!

Linkedin

Your professional relationships are key to your professional success. Our mission is to help you be more effective in your daily work and open doors to opportunities using the professional relationships you already have.This isn’t networking—it’s what networking should be.

Zoominfo
ZoomInfo is the premier business information search engine, with profiles on more than 37 million people and 3.5 million companies. ZoomInfo delivers fresh and organized information on industries, companies, people, products, services and jobs.

Do you have a favorite business resource? Share it with your fellow millionaire minded entrepreneurs.

Millionaire Minds Support Each Others Business Growth!

Live Well and Prosper

Marketing is all about satisfying customer needs

The following represents a comprehensive list of marketing ideas;
use it to help better understand customer needs and ways to satisfy those needs.

General Thoughts Concerning Small Business Marketing Plans

• Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing activity.
• Determine a percentage of gross income to spend annually on marketing.
• Set specific marketing goals every year; review and adjust quarterly.
• Maintain a tickler file of ideas for later use.
• Carry business cards with you —all day, every day. (Keep extra cards in your car.)
• Create a personal name tag or pin with your company name and logo on it and wear it at high visibility meetings. (These can be ordered from any office supply store)

Target Market Research

We’ve discussed Target Marketing in previous blogs.
Here are a few more small business marketing research suggestions.

• Stay alert to trends that might impact your target market, product, or promotion strategy.
• Read market research studies about your profession, industry, product, and target market groups, etc.
• Collect competitors’ ads and literature; study them for information about strategy, product features, benefits, etc.
• Ask clients why they hired you and solicit suggestions for improvement.
• Ask former clients why they left you.
• Identify a new market.
• Join a list-serve (e-mail list) related to your profession.
• Subscribe to an Internet newsgroup or a list-serve that serves your target market.

Product Development

Product or new services development should be driven by your market research. Customer-centric product development is the holy grail of marketing. (A good rich and successful model is Steve Jobs and Apple product development – IPOD(s)/ ITUNES/IPHONE)

• Create a new service, technique, or product.
• Offer a simpler/cheaper/smaller version of your (or existing) product or service.
• Offer a fancier/more expensive/faster/bigger version of your (or existing) product or service.
• Update your services.

Education, Resources, and Information

• Establish a marketing and public relations advisory and referral team composed of your colleagues and/or neighboring business owners (Mastermind); share ideas and referrals and discuss community issues. Meet quarterly for breakfast.
• Create a suggestion box for employees. (If you are a company of one, you still need a suggestion box. Once a week change hats, and read what insights ‘employee-you’ has to offer ‘employer-you’
• Attend marketing seminars.
• Read marketing books.
• Subscribe to marketing newsletters or other publications.
• Subscribe to a marketing list-serve on the Internet.
• Subscribe to marketing Usenet newsgroup on the Internet.
• Train your staff, clients, and colleagues to promote referrals.
• Hold a monthly marketing meeting with employees or associates to discuss strategy and status and solicit marketing ideas.
• Join an association or organization related to your profession.
• Get a marketing intern to take you on as a client; it will give the intern experience and you some free marketing help.
• Maintain a consultant card file (database) for finding designers, writers, and other marketing professionals.
• As soon as budgets available hire a marketing consultant (mentor) to brainstorm with.
  During vacations or business trips take some time for a creative journey around the city or county to observe and learn from marketing techniques used there.

We will continue “Marketing 101 —Review of the Basics” in the August 15th Blog

As a retired SBDC counselor, I know where to find business-related information — both online and IRL. In this case some of my marketing source is a SBA publication (National Women’s Business Center, Washington, D.C., 4/97). The balance is just years of experience. For individual business support with any aspect of your business contact the nearest SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center.

Millionaire Minds Love to Market!

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!

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!

The Decision Process

This process can be applied to any situation where you need to make an important decision. If you follow these ten basic steps, you will find yourself making wiser decisions in your professional as well as your personal life.

1. Define, as specifically as possible, what the decision is that needs to be made. Is this really your decision or someone else’s? Do you really need to make a decision? (If you do not have at least two options, there is no decision to be made.) When does the decision need to be made? Why is this decision important to you? Who will be affected by this decision? What values does this decision involve for you?

2. Write down as many alternatives as you can think of. Brainstorm as many different alternatives as you can imagine. Let your imagination run free and try not to censure anything; this is not the time to be judgmental. Just be sure to write everything down.

3. Think where you could find more information about possible alternatives. If you only come up with a few alternatives, you may want to get more information. Additional information generally leads to more alternatives. Places where you can look for the information you need include friends, family, clergy, co-workers, state and federal agencies, professional organizations, online services, newspapers, magazines, books, and so on.

4. Check out your alternatives. Once you have a list of alternatives, use the same sources of information to find out more about the specifics of each option. You will find that the more information you gather, the more ideas will pop into your head. Be sure to write these down and check them out too.

5. Sort through all of your alternatives. Now that you have your list of alternatives, it is time to begin evaluating them to see which one works for you. First, write down the values that would come into play for each alternative. Second, look for the alternatives that would allow you to use the greatest number of your values. Third, cross the alternatives off the list that do not fit into your personal value framework.

6. Visualize the outcomes of each alternative. For each remaining alternative on your list, picture what the outcome of that alternative will look like. Here, too, it helps if you write out your impressions.

7. Do a reality check. Which of your remaining alternatives are most likely to happen? Cross off those alternatives that most likely will not happen to you.

8. Which alternative fits you? Review your remaining alternatives and decide which ones feel most comfortable to you. These are your wise decisions. If you are very happy about a decision, but are not as comfortable with its possible outcome, this is a clue that this is not a wise decision for you. On the other hand, you may dislike an alternative, but be very excited about the possible outcome. This decision would probably not be wise for you either. If you feel you can live with both the alternative as well as the possible outcome, this is the wise decision you should follow.

9. Get started! Once you have made your decision, get moving on it. Worrying or second-guessing yourself will only cause grief. You have done your very best for the present; you always have the option of changing your mind in the future. Remember, no decision is set in stone.

10. How is it going? Be sure to review your decision at specified points along the road. Are the outcomes what you expected? Are you happy with the outcomes? Do you want to let the decision stand or would you like to make some adjustments? If the decision did not come out the way you planned, go through the complete decision-making process again. In the process, answer the following questions: Did I not have enough information? What values actually came into play? Were they my values or someone else’s?

Remember, you can always change your mind. Millionaire Minds know they can choose again.

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!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…

Some of us started our Millionaire Mind journey when we decided to go to the Austin Health Conference last March. While there, we decided to sign up for T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Workshop. When T. Harv’s plane was diverted and he missed the talk, he decided to gift about 500 of us with scholarships to the Millionaire Mind Intensive weekend in Fort Worth. About 350 of us decided to go to Fort Worth, about 320 graduated Millionaire Mind Intensive three days later. Of that number, about 100 of us decided to form a Millionaire Mind Support Network™ to help each other implement the many lessons of our Millionaire Mind Intensive experience.

Millionaire Mind training stress business ownership, self employment or being paid by your output rather then by the hour is the surest path to wealth creation and financial freedom. Most of us left Forth Worth knowing that we were facing a number of decisions that would effect every aspect of our lives.

Decisions, decisions, decisions…

It seems like every time we turn around, we have to make more decisions.

The question is, “Are you a good decision maker?”

If you aren’t (or don’t think you are), there is no need to worry. Decision-making is a skill that can be learned by anyone. Although some people may find this particular skill easier than others, everyone applies a similar process.

There are two basic kinds of decisions:

Those that are arrived at using a specific process and those that just happen.

Although both kinds of decisions contain opportunities and learning experiences, there are definite advantages to using a specific process to make a decision. The most obvious advantage is the reduced level of stress you will experience.

Wise decisions are made using a definite process. They are based on the values and perceptions of the decision-maker and include carefully considered alternatives and options along with periodic reassessments of the decision and its effects. Wise decisions may or may not follow societal norms and expectations, but they are right for the decider based on what he/she knows at that point in time about his/her options as well as him/herself.

The next Millionaire Mind Support Network™ Blog entry will review Ten Steps to Wise Decision-Making

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 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!

Model, Model, Model —Who to Model

In The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, Eker encourages his readers to
“Model Rich and Successful People.”

The Wealth File # 7 Declarations say it all:
“I model rich and successful people.”
“I associate with rich and successful people.”
“If they can do it, I can do it!”
“I have a Millionaire Mind!”

But first, I need to figure out whom to model…

For those of us who want to establish or expand an internet based business, identifying the rich and successful Netrepreneurs to model, while avoiding the posers is an interesting exercise. I approached analyzing the various internet-marketing training sources as I would any other research project. I’ve documented my research process here, as most research projects follow the same basic steps that are applicable to any project you might want to examine for your own business.

1. Define your problem or question

• Identify the source of internet marketing training that best matches my personal style and business model.
• Determine the best way to learn the information I need to be successful.
• Develop an internet-marketing education budget and an internet business startup plan, budget and project timeline.

2. Determine likely sources of information and plan steps to acquire it

• Develop a list of the top ten internet-marketing companies as ranked by Google.
• Conduct an independent Google search, including blog entries for each Internet Guru or company.
• Note client satisfaction, indications of unresolved claims unfulfilled warranties
• Review each site to determine if site includes complete contact information
• Call phone number to see if a real person answers the phone and to test the customer support.
• If phone contact is problematic, delete guru or company from consideration.
• Check eBay and other secondary market places to see the amount and price point of the companies training materials.
• — If large amount of training material being sold for $5 or less, delete guru or company from consideration.
• Set-up separate email address and sign up for every newsletter, webzine and free offer available from each Internet marketing company.
• Set up a separate email folder for each Internet marketing training company, so all correspondence and offers are segregated by vendor.
• Review websites that sell e-books or other training materials in my niche market.
• Analyze the top five site to determine what I like and why
• Order product from the top three sites to judge the quality of the product verses price point.
• Analyze the delivery process, customer service and follow-up.
• Review SBA and other industry literature concerning probable start-up costs and applicable metrics for internet based business.

3. Start reading, printing, analyzing and making notes

• Not only read but, study every single page of all the materials received from of various Internet Marketing vendors
• Note the claims, offers and testimonials — if the testimonials include a name and URL, test the website to see if it is a valid business, then look up the contact information and call, see if testimonial is accurate.
• Read the newsletters carefully, is it how to stuff or just fluff.
• Does the vendor’s sales approach match your business style? (When I was reading some of the marketing literature, I kept hearing our Millionaire Mind Intensive trainer Doug, “Remember how you act in one segment of your life, is the way you will act in all the rest.” Lets just say in some cases, I just wasn’t feeling the integrity-vibe.)
• If they are free or low-cost, sit in on some of the teleconference or the webinares conducted by some of the Internet marketing guru’s.
• Use SBA and other industry sources to find the standard ratios for online marketing businesses. It is all about the numbers. No Numbers — No Business

4. Organize all the data you have, review, record your conclusions and make decision

I’m still gathering and evaluating my data sets. I’ll report findings over the next month.

5. Evaluate research process and product, look for lessons learned and what could be done differently next project

The last, but important step, all researchers are temped to skip it, but please don’t. It will help you refine your ability to acquire analyze and utilize actionable business intelligence in the future.

Why Bother?

This type of research is a time consuming, but critical process. Not only do I want to find someone who is rich and successful to model, I’m about to implement a business structure I would not have even considered before my Millionaire Mind Intensive experience. Basic market research and business planning are essential steps to success.

The laws of commerce apply whether practiced in a brick and mortar edifice or in the bits and packets of the Internet — business is business.

To approach any Internet enterprise without a ‘Bottom Line’ sensibility is folly.

Ask any of the dot.bomb survivors. Even businesses with sound economic models, like Amazon and eBay shuttered in the tech implosion, but with sound business fundamentals, they went on to flourish. Their more brash brethren, chasten by the very rude reality of loosing it all, approached their next sip at the golden cup with more temperance.

Like all of the Millionaire Mind Intensive graduates I aspire to Speed Wealth.

Wealth creation is the fruit of our money trees. Sound business planning, based on solid research, are the roots of our inner game of wealth.

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!

Monetize, Monetize, Monetize!

Like everyone else who participated in the Millionaire Mind Intensive, I left that training session with the words, MONETIZATION! RESIDUAL INCOME! and PASSIVE INCOME! etched in capital letters on my frontal lobe.

Those of us with service businesses had that dazed look normally reserved for small animals in the direct path of an oncoming vehicle.

Yuppers, I felt like I had an armadillo expiration date, stamped right across my forehead.

My partner and I own two businesses — a Graphic Design firm, Pleiades Publishing Services and a Market Research group, Serendal Research Institute. Although both these business have supported us for over 20-years, the Millionaire Mind Intensive brought home a sobering fact. We had not built sustainable businesses. No, we had simply provided ourselves with nice paying jobs. After all these years, we came to the realization that we were not business owners — we were self-employed.

What is the difference? We do not make income unless we were producing either words or pictures. Just like a dentist is not making money unless he has his hands in your mouth or a massage therapist isn’t earning income unless she is providing healing touch to a client. A business enterprise works while you are sleeping, or at a three-day, life changing seminar.

Based on the hall conversations, I’d estimate that over 50% of the folks who attended the Millionaire Mind Intensive left with the knowledge that their existing economic model was seriously flawed. The good news was that the trainer did give us with some suggestions for monetizing those models to build both passive and residual income.

Some folks with service business planned to add complementary product lines to their ventures. During informal networking, some participants shared MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) opportunities that could offer both residual and passive income. If you look through the My Millionaire Mind Support Network™ Directory you will see a number of MLM opportunities.
For the more introverted members of our group, those of us not fond of IRL (In Real Life) meetings, finding ways to expand our business though the Internet seemed a more natural fit.

Of course at the very minute I write this I can hear T. Harv’s voice in my head, “You don’t like face to face sales? You’re afraid to make a sales call — YOU’RE BROKE!”

However, he is also a big proponent of “Baby-Steps” as long as you are moving forward, pursuing your goal with integrity.

For a certain percentage of us, an Internet based business may be the best monetization solution for building a passive income stream. Some retail business are expanding their business on the net though venues like eBay or setting up their own e-commerce sites. Some of us, who are sometimes classified as “knowledge workers”, are examining the development of information products, such as ebooks and training courses.

As I started my internet-based businesses research, I found myself humming (if one can hum hip-hop) Will Smith’s “Wild, Wild, West”.

A common business truism states, “When a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with experience ends up with the money and the person with money ends up with an experience!”

One way to avoid such an unsatisfactory exchange is education — the ability to learn from the experience of others.

In the movie the Secret, the teachers often said that abundance liked speed. To make insure the Universe’s fast response is headed in the right direction, Millionaire Minds are very fond of EDUCTION.

Since I’m a professional research analyst who has been working on the internet since it was DARPA Net (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), I thought to document my own internet marketing education and share my findings with you.

I’ll report on my internet marketing research in future “Wild, Wild Net” posts. If some of you are already enjoying success using the internet to build or expand your business model, please share your insights with us. We want to celebrate each other’s successes with the same enthusiasm we had during the Millionaire Mind Intensive.

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!

Success Report!

Millionaire Mind Support Network’s very own Prosperity Guy, Chris Sherrod — has BIG NEWS — his new e-book, The Prosperity Game is now available.

Many of the Millionaire Mind Intensive graduates have attended Prosperity Game potluck parties. Chris Sherrod’s Prosperity Games teaches you how to create amazing unique business ideas based on what you love and have tons of fun.

From Chris…

Do you want to do something that you love and make money at it?

Give me 2 1/2 hours and I’ll show you how to come up with more ideas than you can imagine…all using my guaranteed 6-step easy system…

I’ve come up with so many ideas that I thought about not publishing this book and just implementing my ideas – however – I got such good feedback from both the book and the Game Parties, that now I’m teaching others how to create new business ideas… Want to be next?

Are you happy doing what you are doing? Are you happy with your income and your lifestyle? Do you feel down and can’t think of any ideas to turn into a business?

My passion is to show, as many people as possible that they are in fact FULL of great ideas…because you are the only one who knows what you truly love to do!

So first I help you discover what you love and my system is so successful because you do not use your logical mind…you let your right brain take over and simply follow the guidelines.

And second, most people feel they do not know what to do, or what they would like to do and this stops them from thinking freely. You do not have to worry if you are a “creative” person or whether you have had good ideas in the past; my process helps you generate a dozen or more new ideas quickly…while having fun.

I am convinced these steps work…I have seen people come up with ideas doing what they love right before my eyes. I want you to try them out and feel the joy of doing something you love

So, are you ready for a bunch of new ideas to play with? You are ready for success, aren’t you?

What would you do with ten ideas a day?

Would you like a new business idea based on what you love?

Here are a few of the exciting highlights you’ll read and hear:

Lesson #1: You’ll learn six ways to be more creative.

Lesson #2: Why you don’t have to be a genius and why you don’t want to be a genius.

Lesson #3: Nine ways to be open to new ideas.

Lesson #4: Learn why, no matter what your background, you can create ideas at the genius level.

Lesson #5: Learn ten games to play that produce ideas based on what you love.

Lesson #6: Learn the top ten reasons to listen your way to ideas.

Lesson #7: You’ll find the six characteristics of creative people.

Lesson #8: Unblock the six obstacles to creativity.

Lesson #9: Learn how to track your ideas

Lesson #10: Learn how to rank your ideas.

Obviously, those brief descriptions don’t give you a complete sense of the power in this system. But you get the idea.

Click her to learn more aboutThe Prosperity Game“> Play Prosperity Games.

Congratulations to Chris for living his dream of helping others find their own.

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!

You are attending a business mixer…

Having secured a glass of wine and a dish of nibbles, you paste your smile on and sail forth to network.

Are you psyched? Are you ready?

You may have your game face on, your business cards ready, but are you really ready to answer the charming fellow who just looked you in the eye and asked, “Whatcha Do?”

As a business owner this can be a great opening to tell a potential client why they need you product or service

— OR

The most dreaded gambit since Gallipoli.

When my partner Nick and I were just starting out, we were lucky enough to have our business, Serendal Research Institute, included in the inaugural Fast Track — a fourteen-week business development program sponsored by the Greater Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Group. Seventy-five business (less than fifty of us actually made it to graduation) were chosen from the over five hundred applicants. The Fast Trackers received intensive general business training, individual business mentorship and a crack at low interest loans for seed money to expand our products and services.

It was a big deal.

The exercise that really made a big impression on all of us was the “elevator pitch”.

In front of the class, we introduced ourselves to a facilitator, handed him our card, described our business and pitched our product or service in under two-minutes.

If the review team could not accurately understand what we did and how they would use our product or service, we failed that assignment, but got to try again the following week. In the real world of one-on-one marketing, there is rarely on opportunity to “do-over.”

Believe it or not, it took Nick and I days to wordsmith the “back of the business card” description of our business.

“Serendal Research Institute specializes in the practical application of science and technology to assist business owners, managers and corporate executives with decision-making, policy formulation, or other managerial functions. Our professional researchers and technologists conduct client-sponsored research, product development feasibility studies, competition and market analysis; and provide reports, white papers, press releases as well as copy for optimized websites.”

All of our hopes, dreams and personal savings, summarized in 58-words. I felt more trepidation making our “elevator pitch” in front of that class than I felt delivering a training session in front of 1500 people at a Publishing Conference.

How Do You Define Your Business?

Developing a written mission statement is often a first step in defining your business enterprise. A primary concern in developing a mission statement is addressing the question, “What business are you in?”

Although answering this question may seem deceptively easy — it can be a complex task. Determining the nature of your business ought not be rigorously tied to the specific product or service you currently produce. It should also include the result of your output and the competencies you have developed in producing that output.

A mission statement is a brief statement of the purpose of a company or organization, it summarizes the goals and objectives of the enterprise. An organization’s mission statement defines the company as it is presently; it defines the clientele, critical processes and it describes the desired level of performance. The primary intention of a mission statement is to keep all the stakeholders in alignment with the organization’s purpose. Organizations find that a shared, written mission statement is a reliable tool for maintaining focus on core competencies and enables execution of new initiatives that are consistent with the company’s purpose and values.

And, a well-written mission statement can be used as an effective marketing tool — the elevator pitch.

Take a few minutes, a few days, or maybe a week, carefully craft your “elevator pitch”, then go out and share it with someone in your personal or business network. An acquaintance used the fellowship time after church to fine-tune her presentation. By nature she was shy and was not as intimidated in the supportive environment of her church-family as she would have been during a professional networking meeting. She got comfortable with her two-minute marketing pitch, and by introducing herself and her business is such a friendly and BRIEF fashion, she found some new clients who were happy to hear about her services. Now she works professional, network mixers like a pro and is happily expanding her ability to serve more people.

One last thought about personal and professional networks…

Interestingly, the most lasting benefit of the Fast Track program was the life-long friendships amongst the Tracker grads. Decades later, we still support each other personally and professionally. Over the years we have celebrated business successes, attended weddings, christenings, and unfortunately a few funerals. Your business and personal network is a critical factor in not only in your long-term success, but is a key to your personal health and happiness.

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!