Shortly after leaving work today, I was driving in an urban, residential area on a street with five lanes and a posted speed limit of 35mph. I was in the “fast” lane going my usual 5-8 mph over the speed limit when a white SUV swerved out from behind me into the right lane, sped up well over 45mph, and swerved back in front of me. It proceeded to weave between another car and into the turn lane.

Normally, this wouldn’t have stood out to me. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But this particular vehicle had a huge sicker on the back window – a picture of children’s smiling faces, a phone number, and the words “Precious Cargo On Board”.

I certainly hoped not!

I wasn’t familiar with this particular child taxi service before today. But now, I’m fully aware of who they are, what they do, and why I’ll never use them.

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Your business may provide the absolute best service in a 100 mile radius.

You may manufacture the most incredibly useful widgets known to man.

You may know more about your area of expertise than 99% of everyone else in your field.

Your skills may help save lives, educate children, feed the poor, spread hope, train leaders, or heal the sick.

But, if you don’t tell people…

If you don’t spread the word…

If you don’t market that business, product, knowledge, or skill… you may as well just stay in bed tomorrow.

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It’s March. College basketball is everywhere. I’m not a big sports fan, but I really enjoy college basketball.

I’m always struck by the number of poor free throw shooters there are on most teams. Some shoot as low as 50-60%.

When games are often decided by less than 5 points, free throws can easily determine the winner.

And if that’s the case, I wonder why more players don’t do what’s necessary to excel at free throws.

Players know they’re going to have to shoot them in almost every game. They know exactly what the conditions will be – where they’ll stand, where the goal will be, what ball they’ll be using.

In other words, free throws are gimmies, they should be made 90% of the time. Games shouldn’t be lost because of missed free throws.

What’s your “free throw”?

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There are over 111 million households in the United States, earning an average of $50,000 per year.

Approximately 75% of Americans consider themselves Christians.

I doubt that 75% of households are Christian, so let’s cut that down to 50% for arguments sake. 50% of 111 million equals 55.5 million Christian households.

If the average Christian household’s income is also $50,000, and each of those gave 10%, a tithe, to their local church, they’d each give $5,000/year.

Still with me?

If all 55.5 million households gave $5,000 to their local church, the Church as a whole would have $277.5 billion annually.

Let’s assume there are 40 million Americans without insurance. If that’s true, the Church could buy them each a health insurance policy at $7,000 per year.

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We are creatures of habit. Who you are today is due, in large part, to the habits you’ve created and maintained over the years.

Want to change your life?

Change your habits.

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If you’re in a service or client-based business, you know that it’s tempting, from time to time, to lower your rate. On a rare occasion, you may even be tempted to do something for . . . free <gasp>.

You have good intentions. In fact, you’re probably telling yourself that this will pay off in the long-term. That we’ll give a little now, so we can get a little more down the road.

Sometimes you face this temptation when courting a new client. You want to be sure you remain competitive, so can close the deal.

Other times, this situation arises when you get the sense that an existing, valuable client may be looking at other firms. You want to give them reason to stay, again, so you can make more money on the back end.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with lowering your rate, or doing work for free. But, if you’re doing it in order to “win” down the road, there IS a problem . . . tomorrow is never guaranteed.

The client may never allow you to raise your rate. In fact, they may ask you to lower it again later, or do more work for free.

The client may find another vendor. They may bring your work in-house. They may send work overseas. Or, they may simply close.

The future is uncertain. Don’t bet on it.

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I’m VP of a small business. I’m also the father of a two-year old. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that these two positions are quite similar.
Here’s my list of 25 ways running a small business is like raising a child.

1. Neither come with instructions.
2. They’re both messy.
3. Maintaining a positive attitude is critical.
4. Prayer helps.
5. Patience is a virtue.
6. You learn to deal with stinky stuff quickly.
7. You can never be fully prepared.
8. You learn something new every day.
9. Advice, from others with experience, is important.
10. Both experience growing pains.
11. They both go through phases – good and bad.
12. You can’t clock out.
13. No two are alike.
14. What works for others may not work for you.
15. You wish they came with an owners manual.
16. It’s fun to celebrate milestones.
17. You always want them to succeed.
18. The ultimate goal is to get them to be self-sustaining.
19. You have to be careful not to let them come before your spouse.
20. You always wonder if you’re doing the right thing.
21. Vacations aren’t really vacations.
22. It looks a lot easier than it is.
23. You’re amazed when they begin loving you back.
24. They make you a better person.
25. You wouldn’t trade them, or the experience, for anything.

What can you add?

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We have no way of knowing who was successful at the Oscars.

Sure, we know who won. But the only award winners that were also successful were the ones who’s ultimate goal for their work was to be recognized by the Academy with a trophy.

In fact, I wonder how many people in the movie industry allow bright, shiny objects and flashing lights to preclude them from true success.

Here are some potential benchmarks for success in the movie industry:

Fame
Power
Wealth
Approval
Personal Satisfaction
Creative Expression
Social Impact
Influence
Inspiration
Motivation
Popularity
Admiration
Honoring Someone
Security
Sense of Accomplishment
Promotion of an Idea or Cause
Gaining Experience
Making History
Imitation
Escaping
Demonstration of Expertise
Teaching

What are some benchmarks for success in your industry? What awards or trophies serve as the greatest distractions?

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