TheBusinessCommandos.com

Beware… The 5 minute experts are circling.

I’m sure you’ve experienced it, as there are so many business mentors, business coaches, many different people coaching and consultants out there today and some of them are very good at what they do.

However if you dig a little deeper with most to see if they have any substance behind them, experience or runs on the board, in most cases they fall dramatically short.

It reminds me of a business group I was once involved in for a few months, there were so many 5 minute experts getting around in this group spruiking how good they were and funny thing was they were so full of their own manufactured importance they would only talk to certain people…

And the most interesting part of it all was that most of these people had attended a couple of business seminars, read a couple of business books or completed a 2 week business coaching program and BINGO, they were the new expert on the block!

…And not scared to let everyone know about it I might add. 

5 minute experts are present in every industry, I’m sure you’ve seen them… right?

The crucial thing for us budding entrepreneurs is that we don’t fall victim to 5 minute experts… Can you imagine what could happen to your business and personal life if you took advice from one of them… Ouch!! Scary stuff.

I remember a small example for myself falling victim to an accountant who was playing out of his depth. It was only a small deal I took to him about 7 years ago and it cost me a little over $10,000 for his totally useless, totally wrong advice… And to rub salt into the wounds I paid him for his wrong advice. How embarrassing!!

The thing that we all need to take on board is that if you get the wrong advice for your business it will cost you big time!! Possibly even bankrupt you.

So beware and do your recon when consulting an expert to ensure they have the goods to get you your desired result. Look at what they’ve helped others achieve, their experience, credentials and what they’ve personally achieved.

A lot of business owners and entrepreneurs fall victim to their own “5 minute expert” thinking… I’ve seen it too many times where as soon as someone goes into business for themselves, they know everything there is to know about business.

Interesting thinking when you look at the most successful entrepreneurs in the world like Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, etc… They surround themselves with a team of experts.

I do the same myself and have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in my own education and continue doing so today… It doesn’t matter who you are you can’t achieve great things by going it alone!!

Quite often I see employees falling into their own “5 minute expert” coma, as they see what the boss is doing and think they know better… Most don’t have the guts to take the entrepreneurship path and the ones that do quickly learn it’s not as easy as it looked when they were spectating.

Bottom line anyone can all fall for the “5 minute expert” thinking, but beware if you want to play a bigger game and go to a whole new level faster than you ever thought possible, you must seek the right advice, coaching and support.

I find it amazing how fast a lot of people are jumping on the recession band wagon. A business owner just the other day was sharing with me how tough things were and how it was going to get worse and on and on…
When he asked me how I’m finding it at the moment, I didn’t want to tell him that business is booming for us, so I tamed it down and shared with him that if he wasn’t getting his desired results maybe he should try doing things a little different…
He snapped, I don’t care what anyone says there’s nothing you can do to make someone walk through that door. I felt sorry for this person, but until he’s prepared to remove the blinkers and have an open mind, he’s un-coachable.
On the flip side I hope you can see why I keep going on about the massive opportunity’s out there in the market place for those who invest in themselves first, learn how to play the game of business and the world is your oyster!!

Here’s a great example about a shoe salesman focusing on opportunity … (more…)

Congratulations to all those who made The Ultimate Entrepreneur Boot Camp at the weekend… What a big 3 days it was and thank you to everyone for their kind words and testimonials.

Together we raised $3,010 for The Kids Under Cover Charity, with the majority coming form the Crunchie auction, when we blew the price objection theory right out of the water… The Crunchie was sold to David for $2,010, which in actual fact was an absolute steal for David - well done mate.

The point I was making with the auction was to make price the size of a 20 cent coin and the value the size of a family Pizza… And followed up with a range of strategies to achieve this outcome.

As for the money we raised, it was an example of the benefits a business can offer when you follow the right formula… not only can you have what you want, you can also help others you care about to get what they want.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the event and I’m sure those of you who made it are busy implementing the strategies from the 31 page workbook.

Due to the success and positive feedback we got from the event, plans are already underway for a bigger and better one in 2009… so stay tuned.

Yours in success,

Aaron Parsons.

With all the negatives flying around at the moment who better to listen to than the worlds greatest investor… Here’s an article I’m sure you’ll find valuable from Warren Buffet.

Buy American. I Am. by Warren Buffett

The financial world is a mess, both in the United States and abroad. Its problems, moreover, have been leaking into the general economy, and the leaks are now turning into a gusher. In the near term, unemployment will rise, business activity will falter and headlines will continue to be scary.

So … I’ve been buying American stocks. This is my personal account I’m talking about, in which I previously owned nothing but United States government bonds. (This description leaves aside my Berkshire Hathaway holdings, which are all committed to philanthropy.) If prices keep looking attractive, my non-Berkshire net worth will soon be 100 percent in United States equities.

Why?

A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. And most certainly, fear is now widespread, gripping even seasoned investors. To be sure, investors are right to be wary of highly leveraged entities or businesses in weak competitive positions. But fears regarding the long-term prosperity of the nation’s many sound companies make no sense. These businesses will indeed suffer earnings hiccups, as they always have. But most major companies will be setting new profit records 5, 10 and 20 years from now. (more…)

Who better to listen to in the current economic environment then the great man himself… Warren Buffet. Watch this video and pass it on to your friends.

Yours in success,

Aaron Parsons.

Retaining team members in the 21st century is a large problem for a lot of businesses. Business owners are required to be more entrepreneurial in this area and embrace out of the square creative thinking to retaining team members and maintain an entrepreneurial culture.

In this segment we will cover some keys to retaining and attracting quality team members. It really comes down to marketing, but on an internal basis, rather than an external basis as the case with clients.

Start with the basics:

• What are your target markets (teams) needs and wants?
• How do they currently feel about the organisation?
• What can the organisation offer them?
• How can the organisation translate what they have to offer into benefits for team members?
  And finally the big one…
• What is your team marketing USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? – Why are team members going to want to work for you rather than someone else?

Richard Branson’s Virgin Blue are a great example of what we are talking about (at the time of writing). Generally Qantas staff get paid substantially more than Virgin staff, however Virgin have created a fun and happy environment to work in, that people want to be a part of and are happy to be paid less to be a part of that culture.

The truly great Entrepreneurial organisations satisfy the 3 key attributes to attract and maintain team members, which is summarised as GEL;

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES – Growth is one of the 6 human needs, hence their must be growth opportunities for team members within your organisation to keep them happy. Everyone wants to grow in one way or another.

ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE – Team members want to work in a fun, happy and healthy work environment with good conditions and be a part of an entrepreneurial culture.

LEADERS CHARISMA – Team members want to work for charismatic leaders. If team members respect and like who they are working for, they are more productive. The days of the army sergeant major type of leadership are long gone.
Make some notes on how you can improve in making your business the work place of choice for team members.

Yours in success,

Aaron Parsons
http:/www.BusinessGrowthGuru.com