Posts Tagged ‘Owen Greaves’
March 4th, 2001 – 12 Years Ago Today I Survived…
I just wanted to drop a note to all who consider visiting this blog, those who have signed up for my email updates, I wish to convey a heart felt thank you. Today I am celebrating 12 years since suffering a heart attack, yep, Match 4th, 2001 I suffered a broken heart, and I still get to tell the story.
It was 6 years ago Feb 1st I chose to become self-employed, it was a difficult decision, but it was the right one in my humble opinion. My wife might tell you something different : )
I’m dedicating this day to my family, and to you the reader, to you the visitor, it is you I can’t wait to share with, speak to, and most of all, help you. I am grateful that you allow me to speak to you in the direct manner that I do, I do this because I have to, I care about you and your business more than my own.
I hope and pray you will continue to travel on this journey I’m on, it is an honour and privilege to have you with me, thank you from the deepest part of my heart.
Remember, Agenda’s Are Flawed
Remember, agenda’s are flawed, it’s true, there has yet to be an agenda that didn’t have a negative impact on any group or organization. For every special interest group, the chosen ones, power brokers, no matter what you call them, that’s are where the flaws live. Very rarely does the interests or good of others come to mind by those with an agenda, even if they believe their agenda favors everyone.
Agenda’s typically come from a person, or person’s, who want a specific thing to happen, or a desired outcome, they truly believe this is the way to achieve it. Agenda’s tend to be self serving, they come from a sense of power to drive the wants and needs of an individual.
The flaws are human in nature, they are power hungry, and normally short sighted, unless the agenda is determined through a process that sees it is good for everyone. Every group and organization wrestles with this demon, there is no permanent cure.
Tactics and strategy are the clothes of the agenda, we hide behind them, as we do in our personal life and our work life. Everyone has an agenda, we dress it up to prevent the truth from being revealed. Agenda’s are what makes us human, it’s what makes our business human.
If we claim to question the status quo, but never the motives of an agenda, what good is in the agenda, we set ourselves up to fail. But failing is good right, yet another set of clothes to hide the truth. We justify everything, even our agenda’s, so remember, agenda’s are flawed.
The Future Of Business – Deliver.
It seems rather obvious doesn’t it, at some point you have to deliver, you have to deliver something. You don’t start a business or any kind of venture without eventually delivering a product or service. Without delivering you don’t really have a business do you. Why would you go through the process of creating something if you didn’t want someone to see it or know about it. Sure you could create something for you and you alone, but you’re still delivering, you’re delivering to yourself.
If you’ve created something awesome, and you have a plan to differentiate your creation, you must deliver it to someone. How will you ever sleep at night if you don’t?
The only way to change the world, to make a difference, to influence others, is to deliver. Delivering can be as simple as showing up, but you will deliver something when you do.
This equation can be applied to anything, the only way to get good at it, is to do it. Read it, learn it, live it.
Create. Differentiate. Deliver.
The Future Of Business – Differentiate.
Being creative can be fun, it can also be exhausting, it all depends on how you’re wired, what’s you favorite part of being in the creative zone? For me, it’s trying to find the right message, or to make my product or service different. How do I relate my product or service so that it isn’t like anyone else’s, I want it to be different. Hence, Differentiate.
It’s one thing to create something awesome, it’s another to differentiate it from anyone else selling the same product or service. I believe this is the secret sauce of any product or service you try to sell. How do you differentiate it from all the others that look, smell, and feel just like your product or service. This is also why there are marketing firms in the world, it’s the one area most struggle with, it’s not that easy for most business owners.
The biggest difference between you and everyone else, is you! You are the scarcity, there is only one of you, no one can steal that or duplicate it. Someone can steal your identity in terms of identification, but they can duplicate your personality, you are the genuine you. This genuine you creates another problem, you don’t know how, and you don’t want to promote yourself, it’s uncomfortable, and that’s why you need someone from the outside looking in to handle it on your behave.
I hate pumping my own tires, you know, promoting myself, telling the world how awesome I am, how incredible my product or service is. There are those who love it, but most don’t. Having said that, we need to find a way to fight through uncomfortable feeling, because it’s holding us back from success, no matter what the venture might be. It’s a stronghold in your life, it’s bad self-talk and it needs to be stopped in it’s tracks. I’m not suggesting you be arrogant and egotistical because it doesn’t work. And you most definitely do not want to call yourself an expert or guru.
Surround yourself with creative people who know your work, like your work, even love your work, even if they are spread all over the world. Skype is a beautiful thing. Put those creative people to work on marketing you and your product and services, if you don’t know any, you will find some with a little work. If you have built a following online or in your community, someone in that following is creative and loves your work. Build your team and change the world, differentiate yourself from everyone doing the same thing you are, be the best you can be and let the chips fall where they may.
The same rule applies here as it does with creating something, don’t analyze, just do it, do your due diligence and deliver when ready. Build your team, then get to it. Remember, novelty always sells, but it has a short life span, because novelty tends to wear out fast, sell what differentiates you, that has a longer life, especially if your product or service has a level of need.
The Future Of Business – Is To Create!
The greatest of creations ever made, were you and I, we’re amazing! We can do things no other creature or animal on earth can do, we can stop before we respond, we can decide how we want to respond to stimuli. We have so many abilities, one of them is the ability to create, we can create incredible solutions to world problems, we can see things through our ability of foresight, the list is endless.
This blog’s tag-line is: Create. Differentiate. Deliver.
These three words sum up what the business of the future will need focus on.
All of us have ideas, we’re spiritual creative beings, we strive to conquer, we survive, we overcome, we’re passionate, we love, and we have a desire to help one another. Mostly, we like to create, we like to build and conquer. The problem many struggle with, fear, and what to create. A good place to start is, what drives you, what energizes you, what you’re true passion is, listen for the voice within. Many search external clues, the true passion is in you, create that. Seth Godin calls it “ART”, the art each one of us carries within but is scared to let out. Mostly because of fear.
It doesn’t matter what you create, what matters is that you do something, let the art in you be heard, seen and found, you will change your world. So create, make something, solve a problem, eventually you will find a way to monetize your creation. Let the world do the marketing for you, you just let the world know where to find your creation.
The fear of failure is a powerful force, the cost of doing nothing is far greater than failing, so create and fail as often as you can. That failing will teach you more than you will ever learn doing nothing. Don’t analyze, just do! Create!
