The Profit Prophet

Peter Drucker once noted that companies that seem to have the most success “invent the future that has already happened.” Nice quote, but what does that mean exactly? How can you invent an unknown future that has already happened? I think what he is trying to say is to look for successes in other industries or processes and copy them in yours. Some call this ' translation ' of an idea or concept. Case in point, Dell took made-to-order and catalog sales (what Sears used to do with their Craftsman houses in the early 1900s), and applied it their computer manufacturing. Or how Keller Williams combined the success of ERA with Mary Kay’s multi-level-marketing (MLM) approach to become one of the largest realtors in the nation. Essentially, how you invent the future is to take something that worked well in one industry, and see if it can be translated (moved) into what you are trying to do in another. Great companies are able to “steal” ideas, methodologies, and processes th...

Yes, yes, yes we all want to be successful and have tried multiple ways and means to get there, but in actuality, success comes from three things: a goal, a commitment to action, and service to others.   In 1908, Napoleon Hill , (the famous motivational author whose book “ Think and Grow Rich ” became all-time best-seller in the field) conducted a series of interviews with 500 successful men and women and discovered and publish the formula for success. The book “Think and Grow Rich”  was the result of 25 years of study by Napoleon Hill, under the guidance of Andrew Carnegie. Later in 1956, Earl Nightingale, the Dean of Personal Development, recorded a concise version of the book “Think and Grow Rich” into a record known as “The Strangest Secret”. This record sold over million copies and continues to motivate thousands of people to move towards success. The Strangest Secret   is a ‘secret’, because there are only few who understand it and use it to be...

I love lists of things...and this one makes me stop and think...hope it does for you too? Number 10:------Life is sexually transmitted. Number 9: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. Number 8: Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich. Number 7: Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks. Number 6: Some people are like a Slinky....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs. Number 5: Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing. Number 4: All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. Number 3: Why does a slight tax increase cost you $800.00, and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00? Number 2: In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world ...

You know, the BIG NEW thing nowadays is creativity in the workplace. Companies of all sizes are asking how can we come up with new ideas, or get our employees to be more creative, or somehow come up with more ideas on how to solve problems...And that's the rub! The more you try to FORCE creativity, the less creative you are..but have you ever noticed how children have NO PROBLEM with being creative? In any case, I thought this little story about how a father sees his kids seeing the world might shed a little light on the subject. Through Their Eyes - author unknown When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff, you can wish on. When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back. When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don...

You know in business as in life in general, adversity hits. We are all met with adversity from time to time, but how we handle it makes us or breaks us. As Ben Johnson once said, "He knows not his own strength that has not met adversity." So in saying, I thought this little story about how some friends' adversity changed them might shed some light on how you might handle the next hurdle you come across. Four friends went fishing. They found a perfect campsite in a pine grove next to a river that shimmered with promise. As fast as they could, they set up their big tent, stowed belongings, and set off eagerly down the river with their rods and reels. When they returned to their campsite a few hours later, tired but happy, they stood open-mouthed in disbelief. There was a big empty space where their tent had stood. It was gone! A quick search showed that everything else was still there -- stove, tools, food, sleeping bags, etc. Their stunned confusion soon changed ...

My son sent this video clip to me some time ago. Even though I am an engineer, I do not why no one has picked up this opportunity to convert water into fuel? Maybe I am missing something here? Is it really expensive to convert an engine? Is it too volatile? Or is it just too simple to comprehend? In any case, I hope this guy gets his patents soon and starts bringing it to market. I sure as shoot will invest.

It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich that they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friends. It is a rest for the weary, daylight for the discouraged, sunshine for the oppressed, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble. It cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, stolen, or coerced for it has no earthly good to anybody until it is given away. And if you should meet someone who is too tired to give you one, can you please leave one of yours? For no one needs it as much as those who have none to give. Smile!

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, grit, and determination alone are omnipotent. The desire and ability to press on has and always will solve the problems of the human race and divide those who achieve from those who might have been.