Archive for May 2012
When We Crash, Are You A Taker Or A Giver?
This morning started early, 4:30AM, nothing unusual or earth shattering happens here at this time of day, not until 8AM when school starts to create traffic. Today however, something did happen, and I was lucky to be here, you see….a young high school boy crashed into the neighbours car, flew over the hood and took a nasty tumble.
The young man was able to make his way to my door, I never knew it happened, he was bleeding pretty good from his head, just over the left eye. He had a helmet on so he seemed OK, but lots of scrapes and cuts, he’ll bruise up before long, but definitely shook up. He tried not to cry, but would break into a fit and then pull himself together, he was scared mostly.
His bike actually survived, handle bars need some work, probably should give the bike a good going over to make sure all is healthy. I sat him down on the stairs, got him a glass of water and then I got the nice warm clothes to wipe the blood and such. He was worried about being late for school, I said, you already are so don’t sweat it. He eventually calmed down, until Dad arrived, he got worked up again…I’m thinking he is the drama queen in the house : )
Dad arrived, I put the bike around back so they could pick it up later, off to the hospital to get the young mans head checked. You are probably wondering why I’m sharing this, I think I have a point.
Do you try to help people when they come knocking, when they call you up and say hey can I pick your brain? I have to say I do, often, and many times, for nothing in return. You see, doing the right thing is hard, it’s never convenient, and it always takes effort on your part. We talk about community, we talk about followers and fans, but do we serve them without attaching some kind of reward to serving them? Yes we have to make money at some point, but where is your paywall, is it up front, or is it a number of levels deeper and can’t be seen on first glance. Mine is both, some things have a price up front, but most don’t, I practice the 90 / 10 rule. I give away 90% and charge for 10%.
Now, some people / businesses say they want help but are reluctant to pay for the help. Some always try to take what they can from you for free, and some have integrity, and always try to pay before receiving anything, even advice. There will always be takers, and there many givers, if you look hard enough, they are the ones that volunteer and show up to causes they are passionate about.
I think we all have a responsibility to help each other regardless of reward, I have found that giving away more than I charge for has many rewards, not only financially, but personally. Which one are you, are you a taker or a giver, and which one brings the greatest rewards?
When someone is crashing, or struggling, and failing, where do you stand? I have a passion for the business community, but I care even more about people, without them, you have nothing but loneliness, and absolutely no business. I challenge you to help people and business without expecting something in return, you will grow from it,and you will be or become a human business. Be strategic about where you put your paywalls, and serve…simple isn’t it? Not really, because we are all wired to be in control, and to make sure we get paid first, I’m suggesting anew model, an Open & Free Business Model.
So which are you, a taker or a Giver?
Searching, Seeking And Belonging
We all have this in common, we all are searching for something but we don’t know what it is. We all are seeking something, and we don’t know what that is either. And in the end, we all want to belong to something. Does this sound like you?
SEARCHING
We are never really clear on what it is we are searching for, we give it a name though, we call it happiness. Some of us will go for days, months, years, and even a lifetime searching for this unknown feeling we have. This feeling is like a call to nowhere, we hear a howling wind calling us, so we follow the howling wind only to find ourselves right where we were when we heard it. We go in circles.
Some of us think this search is about our jobs, our homes, our cars, our friends, and even our spouses. The truth is, when you make those changes, you are usually exchanging one set of problems for another. But that’s the way life is right? We have this emptiness inside each one of us, you describe it differently each time, but it’s the same void we keep trying to fill with things that make us feel good. That’s one of the gravities of human behaviour, we like to feel good all the time, so we search for that which gives us that emotion.
We are searching for the wrong thing, we all are spiritual beings, we are searching to fill a spiritual void! There is nothing you and I can buy that will fill that void, I know, I’ve tried. We do the same thing with our businesses, we think we can buy, trick and cheat our way into making huge sums of money just to be called a success. That’s not going to fill the void you feel every waking minute of your life.
SEEKING
Seeking is not much different than searching, except it’s deeply personal. Here you feel your searching has failed you, and now you are seeking because you are hurting at a much deeper level. The void feels even more empty, and bigger, to the point at times, you feel actual depression. This seeking takes on many looks, it shows up when you unexpectedly lose your job, your spouse, a child, and even your home or business, it runs deep.
We continue to live like we can buy our way out of it, you can’t, you have to work your way through it. You truly have to look in the mirror and admit you are out of control, you really don’t have a clue, a clue of the big picture, why you are here, and what your purpose is for living. You do have a purpose, you do have a role to play, you do matter, and your voice needs to be heard. But more importantly, you have to listen, and that’s where we as people get it wrong.
There is a spiritual voice calling to you, talking to you, but you can’t hear it, because you don’t know how to listen for it. You see, each one of us was created and designed for a purpose, a plan was designed for us, but the only way to understand what those are, you have to listen and admit your destiny is not in your hands. We all ask the same question to, what am I supposed to do with my life? I can’t tell you what that is, but this I can tell you, when you do what you were created and designed to do, you make the world a better place. You don’t make the world a better place because you made money from it, you make money because you helped other people. if you help enough people get what they want, you’ll probably be OK.
Your business has the same problem, who decides if your business is successful financially? You? If your product or service truly solves a problem, your customers will decide for you, after all, they are the ones with the money. You can follow a system like a franchise, but in the end, the product or service has to useful, it has to solve a problem, or that system fails. Your business has to help people, not always sell people something.
We all seek to be liked, loved, and important. We tend to seek it from other people, therefore, we need to be validated, given permission, or wait to be picked. That system is why we hurt more often than we don’t. What we seek doesn’t come from people, we just think it does.
BELONGING
Another gravity of human behaviour, we crave to be accepted, to belong. I don’t have to say much here because we all like to be a part of something larger than our selves, to be in a tribe if you will. We want to be where people are, do what they do, and feel useful within that environment. We sometimes think we will find what we are searching and seeking for in these groups or tribes. You might find something, but you won’t fill the void here either, unless you all understand that you are seeking something spiritually, and not physically, something way bigger than you & I.
If you need more evidence that we need to belong to something, just look at the industrial age system, why do we have a Chamber Of Commerce, or hundreds of thousands of non-profit organisations. They all have something in common, they all try to build tribes, pull like-minded people together for a cause. So admit that you are in these groups, but not for them, for you! You need it, those organisations will and can survive without you. I’m not saying you shouldn’t belong to any of these groups, I’m saying, admit the truth as to why you are involved. The truth shall set you free, it always has.
Searching, seeking and belonging feels different for each one of us, but yet it’s the same for all of us. We all want the same things, we just go about it differently. I’m no different than you, I have to admit the truth, the truth about my motives, how I feel, and why I do what I do, even if I don’t make money from it. Money is not the answer, it’s a tool, we all need it, but our purpose, our role, and our happiness does not come from having lots of it. If money is your motivation, you will eventually tell an untruth, you will eventually stop caring about people, you will only end up caring about yourself.
So, amongst all the searching, the seeking, and the belonging, listen to your spiritual voice, it will tell you what to do, and where to go. I challenge you to join me on this journey together, one where we together make the world a better place, we will go on a faith walk to figure out what we were meant to do with our lives. The future of business, no, the future of your business is at stake, are you up for it?
Get started by signing up for my updates (on the right side bar), you’ll be able to download my 1st attempt at writing a book, and you will be the first to hear about my new venture, one where you may discover how to be free and make a living.
Related articles
- Freedom At 50! (owengreaves.com)
Freedom At 50!
I have a confession to make, sometimes, I just don’t know how to help you. Why? It’s because you don’t know what I know, and you can’t see what I see. It’s not your fault, you have been conditioned, blinded, and even had the wool pulled over your eyes by the industrial age of business. But today, you don’t have anywhere to hide, you already know too much, and that’s why you are afraid.
I was asked why I do what I do, why do I work so hard to help business owners and entrepreneurs that don’t seem to want to be helped? My answer was a little confusing to this person, I said, it’s what I do, I don’t really have a choice. You see, I feel it’s a calling, a voice in my head, my conscience, my deep concern for the business community, and my heart for people. I can’t not do this blog, I can’t stop reaching out to my business community, and I have to continually share what I know and see. You see, it’s not about me, it’s about you.
In my workshops, I do an hour long presentation, a look at what’s happening, and then I share what I see happening, and then I try to teach what to do about what’s happening. I try to help you create new ideas or deliverables for your business, maybe help you find the business you want to start, or one of the many passions fighting like hell to be let out of yourself.
I’m turning 55 this November, not sure how I feel about it but, 5 years ago I found myself suddenly free, yep, freedom at 50! It wasn’t because I was financially independent, it was simply this, the industrial age had spit me out on the curb, it was a blessing, although at the time it didn’t feel like it. I had a choice, pay attention to what was happening and figure out how to adopt it, or…be comfortable in the industrial age cocoon and the lie it is, was, and had told me. The truth was talking to me, and I was fighting against it.
I knew that day was going to come, January 27th, 2007. The harder I ignored what I knew was happening, the direction business was headed, the work situation seemed to get worse and worse, until one day it came to an end. You see, it wasn’t working for them or for me, I just couldn’t tow their party line another day. There was a lot going on behind the scenes I didn’t know about, and that’s fine, on February 1st, 2007, the company I used to work for, was sold. It was a kick in the butt, and seat on the curb. I even felt used, taken advantage of, but that’s not what this story is about.
So why am I sharing my story, its simple, I know many of you have similar stories, and you’re afraid just like I was, but I knew I was going to be OK, I didn’t know why, but I did. I know you will be too. Like you, the call in me was strong, that force was very strong, my passion was screaming at me to let it out, to take a chance and learn how to live with ambiguity. There I said it, ambiguity. That’s what most of us fear, we have this deep need to know what’s going to happen next, where the next meal is going to come from, and worse yet, when is the next payday going to happen. And it needs to happen religiously every two weeks!
The problem wasn’t doing it, the problem was, how do I do it? When you step outside the industrial age system, pay days are a reward for your faith walk, for your commitment to the call you feel inside, there is nothing the industrial age can offer that matches the reward of heeding your call, and the feeling of freedom you possess.
Freedom at 50 is hard when it doesn’t come on your terms, and most of us will have to work at something well past the age of 65 and even 70, what will you do, and what will it be. Will it be what the world and the industrial age tells you it should be, or will you learn to live another way, learn a new business model. Whichever you choose, you will have to work, it’s part of the curse of having the life you want to live.
I am writing this to you because my heart is aching, it’s even breaking, because you are struggling just as I did 5 years ago. You should know, I still struggle, but I am not controlled by it, my call and my passion make the struggle fade away.
So if you find yourself sitting on the side-lines (curb), or you know you have to make a change, don’t let fear control to call inside you, it could be the call is telling what to do and you’re simply ignoring it. If you do anything do this, always seek counsel from someone you trust, someone with perspective, from someone who can teach you how to live in the new age of business, from someone who is doing it, from someone who can show you how to become the passion inside you.
For years I fought against my passions, my desires, and simply did what the education system industrial age told me to do, I was wrong to listen. I teach an open & free business model because it works, it takes commitment, it takes patience, and it takes work….but it works. I’m selling ideas, I’m selling you the truth about what’s happening, and I’m selling a message of freedom. Freedom at 50 wasn’t my choice, but I’m grateful that it happened, it’s like Morpheus pulled me out of the Matrix. Which pill will you take, the industrial age lie, or the open & free business model
I hope sharing bits of my story helps you, will you have freedom at 50? If so, what are you doing, what do you want to do, and do you plan to do it?
Related articles
- The Future Of Business – If I Were A Carpenter (owengreaves.com)
- The industrial age has finally run out of gas (Don Tapscott) (mediafuturist.com)
- The forever recession (and the coming revolution) (sethgodin.typepad.com)
The Future Of Business – Online & Offline
These two are not the same, they don’t provide the same results, and they can’t be measured with the same metrics, apples to apples so to speak. Many people believe that online is merely taking your offline onto the Internet and expecting the same results, really? Profit is profit, whether it be online or offline, that’s true, but both online and offline require work, there is no short-cut.
There is much confusion, we are lead to believe, that making money online is actually easier, and you don’t have to work as hard, not so. The digital world is a very foggy landscape for the masses when it comes to making money online. In an ethical, human caring way. It is my opinion that the Internet Marketer’s of the world only care about your wallet, how much they can get from you. They don’t really care if they solve a problem or help you in some small way. That is a huge generalization right? Think about it, almost everything on the Internet can be brought down to a small community, just like your offline world.
You & I can only meet or interact with a small group of people in real life, you know, going out and meeting face-to-face, to do business and stuff. It took time, it took effort, it was actually hard work, and you felt like you got nothing done sometimes. Online, where do you start? You actually have to have a plan before doing the same thing as you did offline, why? You don’t know the people, when you met someone face-to-face, you probably already had a relationship with them, that took the pressure off. Online, you can’t tell who’s attention you have, or if they are even looking you in the eye. Oh the two worlds are very different, but there is one common denominator, we all seem to want the same thing. Some go about it in an underhanded way.
I like the fact that these two are different, they are only the same to me because they both have people at the end of it, and that makes it easier. Selling offline works differently than online, you would think it wouldn’t but, it just is. Online, we don’t want to work as hard, we have been sold down the river, we have been lead to believe it’s easier and less work, NOT!
I’m not trying to rain on your parade, I just want you to be realistic about what you are trying to do, you are trying to push a square peg thru a round hole, plain and simple. The online world does think differently because it believes you don’t have to work hard, just setup this and that and watch the cash pour in. Those who tried that offline didn’t make it any better than those online, it’s just different.
What is different, if you fail online, you lose nothing….offline, you can’t get away in the same manner as the online world. So don’t get sucked into the online & offline are the same game, they aren’t, they are two very different worlds, both are capable of being very cruel, and both can be very rewarding.
I prefer the online world for one reason really, I can reach out much easier, I can reach more people in seconds than I could in a lifetime doing things offline the old fashion way….face-to-face. Don’t get me wrong, I like meeting people, alot…I’m a highly relational guy so I need to be around people. But if you are anything like me, and you have a vision to reach as many business owners & entrepreneurs as you can, online does provide a better way of accomplishing that vision. The mission on the other hand takes a balance of both online & offline.
The Future Of Business is a balance of doing both, one is not easier than the other. What do you think?
Do you think it’s easier to build and run an online business?
Do you think it’s easier to build and run an offline business?
Do you think business online is the same as business offline?
Related articles
- How to make money online (sethgodin.typepad.com)
The Future Of Business – The Consumers New Found Power
The Future Of Business – The Consumers New Found Power. It’s been said forever, the customer is always right. So why doesn’t business believe it, why don’t they practice it? Greed? Probably. I as a consumer, more than anything want accurate information, pure uninterrupted support, ease of access, and above all, the freedom to make a decision without being coerced, or sold.
It’s also been said, that a customers experience with a brand (product or service) is what determines the life span of a business. If it’s good, you get another day. If it’s bad, your days are numbered, it’s really that simple. It’s called Word Of Mouth, people talk, and now they talk to millions at the stroke of the keyboard.
The future of business is like the threat of an avalanche, a business can be wiped out as quickly, and it can grow equally as fast. Why? Word Of Mouth. The Consumer has new found power, many will abuse it, that’s human nature, but many will tell the truth. It’s the truth that’s the problem, it’s harder to deal with, it’s harder to make corrections when the truth is revealed. Those who abuse this new found power will be found out, and then will have to deal with the truth, it goes both ways doesn’t it.
Gerd Leonhard has said it, I have said, and many others have quoted it, we will have to learn how to trust the people formerly known as the consumer. Why? Because they have the new found power. Whether you believe it or not, that’s the truth in a nut shell, they can and will determine the future of your business. They don’t need to qualify, they don’t need permission, they only need an opinion. You and I have absolutely no control on how they will share that opinion. As a business owner, we have the opportunity to ensure it’s a positive opinion, there in lies the rub. We have to work hard for that positive opinion, and most of us don’t want to. We want to do just enough to reach our objectives, then get out before we have to work too hard.
I can only offer this, in order to build a legacy, to build a business that makes the world a better place, you have to plan and work hard to ensure that happens. If it’s just about making money, you’re looking at the wrong metric. Money is merely a means to an end, but the legacy, the world, it wants more from you than just handing over money. The new found power of consumers wants more, and will demand it, it will force you to be accountable, you will comply or pay the price of ignoring the new found power consumers have today. Their opinion matters, and you need to pay attention to it.
And that’s why telling the truth, honesty, sound products and services that deliver, and your integrity matter, it is the foundation that will help you build a legacy, a strong successful business. It sounds corny, and it sounds like hard work, that’s because it is. If it was easy, well you know the answer to that one.
The future of business will be built on this new found power of the consumer, they will determine whether you service or product is any good, they will determine if your recommendations actually solve their problems. Plan, work hard, and deliver. That’s how you will get on the good side of the consumers new found power.
