A Business Lesson Every Entrepreneur Should Learn
“Competition is easier to accept if you realize it is not an act of oppression or abrasion – I’ve worked with my best friends in direct competition.” – Diane Sawyer A recent Wall Street Journal article about a joint venture in China highlights a couple of ideas that we have…
READ MOREWho Is That Investor Behind the Mask?
“This above all: To thine own self be true.” – Shakespeare “Hi. I’m Andrew Gordon. And I’m an alcoholic.” I was in the car with Ed, my first wife’s father. I was going to my first AA meeting with him. He was driving, but he still managed to shoot me…
READ MOREShould You Charge Vendors for Client Referrals?
“Never underestimate the effectiveness of a straight cash bribe.” – Claud Cockburn For decades, I have made it a practice to refer my clients to vendors who can provide services those clients need… and that I don’t or can’t offer myself. I have also made it a policy never to…
READ MOREThe Optimum Strategy for Acquiring New Customers
“This may seem simple, but you need to give customers what they want, not what you think they want. And, if you do this, people will keep coming back.” – John Ilhan I believe that for every business, at any given time, there is an optimum strategy for acquiring new…
READ MOREBlogging for Fun and Profit
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead & rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin I used to think that blogs were a big waste. A waste of time to write and a waste of time to…
READ MORETips From a Centi-Millionaire Hedge Fund Trader
“I don’t know much about being a millionaire, but I’ll bet I’d be a darling at it.” – Dorothy Parker John Devaney’s personal net worth is about $250 million. Fifteen years ago, he was a flat-broke college kid. Today, he is the manager of a successful hedge fund. (And by…
READ MORECreating True “Win-Win” Joint Ventures
“First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to get on with it.” – David Ogilvy If you are using only one or two methods to market your product or service, you are not…
READ MOREHow to Arm Yourself for the Next Market Downturn
“The key to making money in stocks is not to get scared out of them.” – Peter Lynch The recent turbulence in the stock market has thrown a lot of investors off their game. And if you’re one of them, I bet you want to know why it’s happening. It…
READ MORE11 Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Website
“Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn’t block traffic.” – Dan Rather In the world of direct marketing, a one to two percent conversion rate is standard. In other words, if you have a list of 100 subscribers to your newsletter and you send them a sales letter…
READ MOREOne of the Lesser-Known Ways to (Legally) Give Uncle Sam the “Slip”
“I’m proud of paying taxes. The only thing is – I could be just as proud for half the money.” – Arthur Godfrey It’s tax season again, and that means millions of Americans are reviewing their finances. Ultimately, we’re seeking the answer to the same basic question: “Is there a…
READ MOREThe Most Important Wealth-Building Element of Building Your Business
“If they don’t fail outright, most businesses fail to fully achieve their potential. That’s because the person who owns the business doesn’t truly know how to build a company that works without him or her… which is the key.” – Michael Gerber Reggie T. desperately wanted to start his own…
READ MOREThe KLT Principle
“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you./ Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me.” – Oscar Hammerstein The KLT principle is an incredibly powerful tool. When you understand it and use it in your marketing copy, buyers simply melt in your hands. When you…
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