Creating Value

College Program Testimonial(s)

Just a couple of comments I had on my program this week (people saying nice things about me!).  All of you Student and Career Services folks looking for someone who is going to make a difference in your students lives need to listen up!

“… another instructor and I were discussing what we liked best about Mark’s talk to (the Business Club). We both agreed on how grateful we were that he encouraged the students to add value to everything they do….whether they are presently flipping burgers or someday going to be pushing numbers as accountants.

Mark was the perfect person to make this suggestion because he was doing it as he spoke to our students. Mark exemplified value as he shared his knowledge, time and energy with 110% enthusiasm, spirit and soul.”

- Professor Elaine Bienvenue, Business Department, Sierra College. [Read more...]

Identify Your Inner Expert

Your Inner Expert at College

I did a free program for a local community college the other day.  It was my main talk that I give on Why Choose a Career, Choose a Life with some modifications I am seeing a need for based on the chaos in the economy.

My platform to date has been:

1. Understand the Rules
2. Understand Yourself
3. Understand what you want
4. Understand what to do - apply Your Inner Expert to owning your own business or investing

At the end of the day, it’s about creating value and building wealth.  That is where the business owner and investor part comes in as a part of the applications noted in Number 4.  However, with the recession we are now in (tell me this is not news to you … please!), I have added a couple of elements to the program.  As a side not, I pretty much did this in real time during my presentation the other day - kinda scary but that’s why I am an entertaining speaker! [Read more...]

Monetize Your Inner Expert

Making Money

Is that title clear enough?

OK, well forget it for now. You dont want money. I have said this before but it is very relevant now and I am going to say it again: You Dont Want Money.

You want what money gets you: food, shelter, security …. the basic survival stuff but also better education and health care, funds to contribute to those things you want to support, resources to go off into the world and explore and learn. Etc. Etc.

Yes, money is useful BUT considering that an obsession with more and more money, greed in the most insidious sense of the word, is what got us into this mess we are currently in here in the first month of 2009, we need to REALLY think about what is important to us and our lives beyond money.

Get back to the values that (most of us) were brought up believing: integrity, an honest days work for an honest wage (or, in my verbiage, an equitable exchange of value), family, giving back, etc.

More on this later. And more on making money too (oh yeah, forgot that this is where I started).

Market Your Inner Expert

Why Marketing Should Matter

Seth Godin is one of the most inventive and down to earth marketing guys around.  He has written various books with titles that might lead you to conclude he looks at things a bit differently:

Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

This latter example discusses his purple cow theory which, in a nutshell, is that you can take your business (or blog) to new heights by differentiating yourself from your peers.

In any event, one of his latest posts reflects on the concept of marketing budgets and whether ads work.

His blog is always brief and hits home with often a truly compelling message.  I personally am better at the latter than the former … still have not figured out how to come up with a short blog post.

Maybe next time.

Read Seth’s blog.  That’s all I really needed to say!

Entrepreneurship

Slugs and Bodysnatchers: A Means to An End in the HOV Lane

I traveled last week to Andrews Air Force Base for the new job I have decided to include in my life (more on that later).  I was with a co-worker who used to be in program acquisitions with the Air Force, who, for many years, commuted to the Pentagon from Virginia. 

Like a lot of states, the Virginia/DC metro area have lanes dedicated to those commuters who car pool (3 or more persons for the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes here).  In a classic case of a high value need demanding an innovative solution, there were different car park areas that started to function like the Home Depot in the early mornings except instead of day laborers looking for work, people like my friend Charlie would hang out looking for someone who needed another person in there car to meet the HOV limit.

Riders are called ’slugs.’  Drivers are called ‘body snatchers.’  Slugs get to ride for free, body snatchers get to drive in the  rock and roll lane.  Everyone gets to work quicker.  Apparently the protocol is such that if the body snatcher strikes up a conversation, communicating is encouraged.  If they say nothing to you, you can go back to sleep and it is understood by all that’s the way it is.

This is an innovative solution to a need with benefits to all.  Unfortunately for many people, they are both slugs and body snatchers, driving their own numb bodies off to a job they disslike and get little more than a paycheck for their efforts.

It doesnt have to be this way; that is what The Wealth Manifesto training program is about, making a connection between personal fulfillment and how you make money.  Enjoy what you do FIRST, then figure out where your expertise can generate income.

It can be done.  That’s all for now .. ‘Sluggo’ (you know who you are).

Success Skills

Time Management 101 Part 2

Last month I wrote a post about some basic Time Management techniques that work for me.  I just had another epiphany that I thought was worth sharing.

I dont know any “perfect” people.  I dont care how self-aware, self actualized, together, integrated, synergized, etc you might be, just about every conscious person is regularly working on themselves, working to improve on who they were yesterday.  Richard Branson is no different. Jack Canfield is no different. I’m no different.

So, today I noticed something different about my own productivity.  It is President’s Day here in the US and  the stock market, schools, banks and many businesses are closed.  In my world, that means two things:  I am not paying any attention to my portfolio and I have way less emails to “deal with.”

I got into my office this morning and just dove into work, productive and (theoretically) income producing work.  Not the usual time sink I find myself in for a typical Monday through Friday.

Often dominated by the markets and email.  Most books on trading I have read suggest that you really can spend only a few minutes a day (unless you are day trading) managing your portfolio.  You must have a system (which takes time to establish and discipline to implement) that includes taking profits and protecting losses with limits and stops.

Email should be addressed ruthlessly and quickly and only a couple of times a day.  I am “usually” good about this but not always (refer back to my comment about everyone can improve).  Somedays I am more “lonely” than others (working by and for yourself has it’s own drawbacks) and really am looking for someone to talk to.

The whole point of this is that because of an outside condition (President’s Day), I am able to free myself from distractions that I should be able to do on my own any darn day I want to.

Something to think about.

Of course, I could always do another blog post.  Or no….WAIT!  The spot market for gold is open in London.  Let’s go there!

• Recent Posts

  • Lifestyle Vomiting
  • Slugs and Bodysnatchers: A Means to An End in the HOV Lane
  • Time Management 101 Part 2
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