Possibly the Best Business/ Career Advice You’ll Ever Receive!

Because some of my freelance writing through e-zines and my blogs, I received several e-mails from people asking for some business advise. The six months ago, I begin really stretching myself way outside my comfort zone personally and professionally. Now some people noticed and asked me for advice.

The main question is “how do I make more money?” I must say I am very jaded in my opinions about this – almost a renegade. Every time I talk about business matters, people tell me that I am crazy. I have heard so many people say that “I can’t do that” or “It won’t work”. Only to find that it does work.

So what is the secret?

Don’t think about making money – think about creating more free time.

Yes, it’s that simple. What most people are looking for is not more money but more time. We think that more money will equate to more freedom and time. Not so!

The problem, you see, is that most people have a 9 to 5 attitude towards making money. To make X amount of money, I need to work X amount of hours. This is far from true. When I worked as a Customer Service Manager, I discovered that people tend to grow into their day. I know that to perform most mission critical activities at work takes about 2 hours and they fill the rest of the day with meaningless activity so that the boss will think you are a good worker.

How to free up more time and make more money

• Refused to perform useless daily tasks
  
• Concentrate on the most important tasks – I can almost guarantee that the tasks you avoid are the important ones. Discipline yourself to do them first… especially if they are money-generating activities.
  
• Set time limits to perform the important tasks – jobs seem to grow exponentially according to the time limit set. I prefer setting small time-limits for completion and break large jobs in the small task possible. For example, write a 400 word article in 30 minutes
  
• Automate everything – anything that you can put on autopilot, do it today.
• Turn off your e-mail - E-mail tends to manage your priority instead of you. E-mails stuck you into urgent but unimportant requests. I suggest turning off your e-mail while working on the important tasks.

Freeing up time will not only give you a piece of mind but it will also force you to make more money. I know this works because my business income continued to rise higher as I seem to work less.

Do you think I am crazy?

Breakthrough Psychological Barriers

For October, a made the goal of reaching $9,000 in income which is $1,000 higher than my best month. I focused on the right things - new enrollments, and upgrade. Last week, I smashed that goal and $50 away from making $10,000.

I have three days to find $50. Why is it so important to achieve $10,000? Because… $10,000 represents a psychological barrier and a huge landmark. One year ago, it seemed almost unachievable, and now it seems inevitable. I find once the landmark is achieved it’s easier to repeat the results.

On the other side of the coin, last month was the most expensive month. I had some huge unexpected added expenses. My business landlord back charged us for all of the additional maintenance for the last year. The cost was an additional $1500. One of my goals is to buy commercial property so that this stuff will not happen. Plus, I had some lawyer fees to pay in the amount of $500.

Next month, my goal will be to maintain the $10,000 in income and reduce my business expenses by $2000.

Filed Under Simple Living

Cutting Out Coffee

Okay, I am not quite cutting out coffee, but I am cutting out purchasing coffee from the Bagel Shop next door. Every morning, I stop by and grab a cup of coffee there. I decided to save the Styrofoam and make my own coffee instead.

I figured out that cutting out one 16oz cup of coffee per 5 day work week saves you a whopping $438.20 per year. I bet many of you are drinking more than one cup a day. Thats almost $1000 per year. For someone making $50,000, that equals 2% of your yearly salary. Can you believe that!? 2 PERCENT in coffee.

For you scientists out there, check my calculations yourself.

(Cost of one 16oz coffee per workdays
$2/day) X (5 workdays) X (52 weeks) = $520 per year

Cost of Coffee at Home
One pound of coffee makes 600oz of brewed coffee or 37.5 - 16oz cups per pound

Ground Starbucks from the grocery store costs about $12 per pound.
($12 per pound) divided by 37.5 = $0.32 per cup
($0.32/day) X (5 workdays) X (52 weeks) = $83.20 per year

Grand Total: $438.20 per year

Its interesting how expenses can add up everyday like doing 150 pushups for a year adds up to 52,000. David Bach"s Latte Factor in action.

9 Interview Tips for a Great Radio Show Appearance

Yesterday was my first radio interview with Bruce Barber. His new weekly show, airing in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York called “The Real Life Survival Guide”, features useful tips for living, based on interviews with people from all walks of life, sharing personal experiences and advice. Check out his new website at http://www.reallifesurvivalguide.com/. The interview stemmed from a blog I posted on “Halloween Safety Tips” at my other blog at timrosanelli.blogspot.com.

How did he find my blog? You guessed it, Google! I am starting to see the dividends for my work on Article Marketing.

I hate to go into things blind so I researched how to be a Radio Show Guest and wanted to share these tips with my audience.

9 Tips for keeping your composure during radio interview

1. Write down 3 points – You should write down three points in advance that you want to slip into the conversation. Instead of writing a whole paragraph, just write one or two words to remind you of each point. This way you can free talk about the point instead of reading it off a cue card.
   
2. Remain calm and focused – If you tend to get over-excite in these situations, consciously attempt to slow yourself down. If you start stumbling over words, it helps to stop for a second, take a quick breath, and continue with your point.
   
3. Watch your body posture – If it’s a phone interview, I prefer to stand over sitting because you tend to project and communicate more assertively. If you are sitting, find a comfortable chair and sit with good posture – no slouching. In fact, you should try to sit on the edge of the seat and lean forward slightly.
   
4. Give more than yes or no answers – When the interviewer asks a question, avoid giving just a quick yes or no, or a short answer. The interviewer asks questions to engage your topic. The audience will view short answers as dull. Talk fully about each point.
   
5. Talk enthusiastically about your topic – Nothing can ruin an interview more than not sounding enthusiastic. People respond positively to enthusiasm -- It’s contagious. So in turn, the audience gets enthusiastic about your topic, too. Don’t be afraid to show that passion you have for your topic.
   
6. Stay on topic – When the host asks a question, staying on topic is very important. By drifting too far off topic, the audience will label you as flighty. Give a sufficient answer to each question then let the interviewer engage the next question.
   
7. Use lead-in statements – Some examples of lead-in statements are “That’s a great question” or “I am glad you asked that”. Lead-in statements give you time to formulate a precise answer and further engage the host and audience.
   
8. Keep the tone conversational – Talk to the interviewer as if you are carrying on a conversation with a friend -- forget about the fact that an audience is listening. Occasionally, you should throw the host’s name into the conversation. It shows respect to the host and makes the conversation appear more personal and genuine.
   
9. Be graciousness – Let the host and audience know how it’s an honor to be guest and your excited to talk to them.

By observing these nine simple tips to performing a great radio or TV interview, you will project that confident and enthusiastic image that will make your interview shine. After the interview, follow the interview up with thank you note to the producer. Who knows? Maybe, you’ll become a regular guest.

The Scariest Movie This Year

Autumn arrived and the leaves are changing with the coming of cooler weather. With Halloween just around the corner, we watched some horror movies, but last night, I watched possibly the scariest movie ever. No, it was not the new Rob Zombie version of Halloween or John Carpenter's 1408. No, these didn't come close.

What's the movie that scared this tough Martial Artist.

MAXED OUT!

Maxed Out is about the rising consumer credit card debt in America. I swear this movie had me tossing and turning all night.

I felt empathy for the poor that these credit card companies victimize.

I felt sad how the people at collection agencies thought of peoples lives like a sport, laughed and turned a blinded eye on the damage they inflict.

I could not believe that credit card companies extend credit to people they know can't afford it because "they are the most profitable."

Folks, I barely watch TV but this is definitely worth the education.

So what to do?

• Become an strong advocate of simple living-- to live a Spartan lifestyle by choice.
• Kill all consumer debt -- I have some small business debts that I am going to destroy.
• Become more frugal with my business spending

If you have debt, please watch this movie. It's an eye opener