The Profit Prophet

Some time ago I came upon a list of 18 Things Mentally Strong People Do with a wonderful graphic. While it was a great list, it did not give any advice on how to achieve these 18 Things. What I would like to do here is expound upon this list with some insight. While having a list is always good, reasons behind the list are usually better in getting a person to act and grow. As Amelia Earhart’s quote goes, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” So, let’s all decide to act towards being a stronger, better person! 1. They move on I would put it more like they do not dwell on things that they cannot control. They fully understand their limits and realize when the return on effort nets zero (or something less than zero). As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Those people who are mentally tough see those ne...

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...

As a rule, I have been applying the rules of Adam Grant's great book " Give and Take " to the people I meet for some time now. I have intrinsically known about the three types of people he talks about (givers, takers and matches) in his book for some time, as I have stayed away from takers and matchers (people who do you a favor it you do them a favor) for the last 10 years. What I did not know is that givers are both the most successful and least successful people on the spectrum. The difference between the two types is givers is: one type only gives to other givers, or is a strategic giver. The other type, ends up giving to takes and matches and usually gets burned out due in part that you can never fill up either party with giving. I highly recommend anyone who wants to be successful in life to read the book.  Of course my advice to anyone is to stay away from the takers and matchers.  The are usually drama obsessed and only will suck the life force out of y...

While starting a company has never been easier, the same facts still remain.  Most close in six months, and only about 10% will ever get to a break even state.  Still, here are some interesting facts about tech startups (hardware, software or internet based). First, most are started by 1 or 2 people; second they spend less than $1,000 per month on development, and if they make it past 9 months, have a good chance of making it a year.  I hope the infographic below adds some additional light on the subject.

There are many things or factors that can determine a person’s success or failure, but one thing that cuts across EVERY successful person I have met or read about or studied is perseverance, persistence, stick-to-itiveness, and determination. As I say, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. 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." Incredibly, this ONE characteristic is really what makes a true entrepreneur as testimony to these little factoids: Coca-Cola only sold twenty five (25) bottles in its first year of business! They grossed $50.0 and spent $73.96 on merchandising. But they kept on going and never gave up, and nowadays the sell more than one billion bottles per day! Apple Computer co-founder offered the computer design to Hewlett-Packard five times and was rejected by both HP and Atari (the giant at the time) for acquisition. A...

Of course, we all want to be successful and have dreams of ‘making it big’ one day, but how many of us actually take at least one step in the process of following through with those dreams? We make excuses for our lack of success, saying things like, “There was never the right time,” or “I did not have enough money saved,” or “I was too busy,” or “I just was too scared?” But what about you? How can you tell if you are going to “make it” or not? Is there any talisman that can indicate your predisposition to be successful or not? Some of us are on the cusp of deciding if we should take the chance and move forward, and doubt if we got what it takes to make it big. After reading innumerable books and studying hundreds of successful people, I have distilled that there are 7 indicators that might help you decide if you have what it takes to be successful, and can give you a indication now of your chances, even before you get there.. 1. You are able to go it alone (differentiatio...

Sometimes, as we move through life, a few of us get lost..and need a little piece of motivation to show us what it takes to..be the authentic you. For entrepreneurs, this might happen a bit more often than not, but for all of us, we always need a bit of encouragement. Yes, we all go through tough times, and we have a choice.. go forward or to give up.. I pray for everyone .. to keep going. We all want to be something..but to get there ..you sometimes need to just believe in yourself, believe in what you are doing, in the great art you are making, to the world you are changing. Here is a great video and transcription that I hope helps. Where have you been? Why are you here? ..and where are you going? You look at your life, you look what you produce. Is it giving you what you want? Are you living on purpose? Are you living your dream? Are you acting on your ideas? Are you doing all you can do? Have you gotten comfortable? Are you procrastinating? Are you evading your o...

This is a great motivational piece that I stumbled upon.. it is good for athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs.. learn it well... It's 6:00 AM and your hand can't make it to the alarm clock before the voices in your head start telling you that it's too early, too dark, and too cold to get up out of bed. Aching muscles lie still in rebellion, pretending not to hear your brain commanding them to move. A legion of voices are shouting their unanimous permission for you to hit the snooze button and go back to dreamland. But you didn't ask their opinion. The voice you chose to listen to is one of Defiance. A voice that said there was a reason you set that alarm in the first place. So sit up, put your feet on the floor, and don't look back because we've got work to do. Welcome to the Grind. For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. 10,000 streams fan out like a river delta before you, each one promising the path of le...

Recently, I have had to make some presentations about what it takes to be an entrepreneur or start up a company, and what type of people I would hire or be associated with.  When asked, I usually come back with this question:  If you had a choice to sail the seven seas either with the Royal Navy or as a Pirate/Privateer, what would you choose? Incredibly, the answer to this simple question is really at the crux if you can be an entrepreneur or not.  One choice offers the prestige and power of a great power, and known and respected entity, at the price of having to conform to a certain system of rules and regulations based mostly on seniority and position not necessarily performance and merit.  The other offers a high risk lifestyle, but with some freedoms and the ability to join a group of liked minded individuals.  To sail to unchartered, risky lands; to fight for what you believe in, and to seize opportunities wherever you go. How you answer this questi...

Sometimes we think that "getting ahead at any cost" is the best choice for success and happiness, but sometimes, it is the true and steady course, or the long view, that gets you to true bliss. The story below gives a good example on how to do this...  +++++  A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.   Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.   He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO . I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I ch...