TNNWC Publications: entrepreneur

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Have doom and gloom taken a temporary holiday? | A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

Have doom and gloom taken a temporary holiday?

by Adam J. Kovitz

Entrepreneurs, by nature, are used to the wild up and down nature of being in the business of high risk/high reward, but even those amongst us with the highest of intestinal fortitude have been challenged in recent weeks due to several factors:

1.) The knock-down, dragged out legislative battle over over the raising of the U.S. debt ceiling

2.) The unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. treasury bond rating from AAA to AA+ by one of the three major ratings agencies (S&P)

3.) A deflated housing market that is showing slow (if any) signs of recovery

4.) Unemployment averaging 9%, which does not include underemployment, recently graduated from college but not employed and those who have just given up looking

5.) China, the up-and-coming economic world power who holds on to a substantial portion of U.S. debt warning us to watch ourselves and our "addiction to debt"

6.) The major earthquake and nuclear disaster in Japan a few months ago

7.) Europe has been having their own economic instabilities and there's rioting in London.

But I've been shocked over the past few days, things haven't looked as dark as they have in the news and media. It's almost as if we've been conditioned to take our daily dose of doom and gloom and simply eat it, but now it's being withheld from us. What the heck?

Just when I expect to see a major environmental, meteorological, political and/or economic catastrophe in the news, I am seeing that perhaps hell, has indeed, been frozen over:

1.) One of the world's wealthiest men begging Congress to tax him and "his kind" even more (Stop Coddling the Super-Rich)

2.) Consumers are getting better at curbing their own addiction to debt (Household debt falls slightly)

3.) Foreclosures rates are falling (Foreclosures fall for 10th straight month)

4.) China and the U.S. have more of a symbiotic relationship than either would care to admit (China's not doing us a favor)

5.) There are less people claiming unemployment (Claims for unemployment aid fall to a four-month low)

Is this the start of the major turnaround in our global economic crisis? Can we all start breaking out in "Happy Days are Here Again"?

Or...

Are doom and gloom just doing the summer thing that most everyone else is and simply taking a temporary holiday? Perhaps with the economy the way it is, they might even be taking a "stay-cation".

Either way...it's a nice change of pace after the long rash of doomsday-esque headlines.

As entrepreneurs, we need to find victories, no matter how small or seemingly-inconsequential, wherever and whenever we can.

All my best,

Adam

www.TNNWC.com

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

http://adamjkovitz.blogspot.com

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What Entrepreneurs can learn from Harry Potter

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Fight or Flight?

Occam's Razor and Business Communications

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For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to the Advisors and Experts at TNNWC Group, LLC. We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally. We don’t just “coach” you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your scale of operations and your budget to: (1) create your optimal tool kit , and (2) work as your partner (with our sleeves rolled up) to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool. Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com To receive your Free Subscription to our critically- acclaimed business newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Two of our most widely-read publications include The National Networker (TNNWC) Weekly Newsletter, and The BLUE TUESDAY Report. Every Subscriber automatically receives Free Membership. Membership will grant you access to our unique suite of business planning, business-building, business promotion, business cost-reduction, business capitalization and strategic planning services, as well as entry to our expert management consulting services. These benefits are unequalled anywhere. Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button. Find out about what WE can do for YOUR growing enterprise -- we are recognized advocates, champions, thought-leaders, writers and keynote speakers on such timely subjects as social networking and relationship-building, traffic -building, social media buzz, branding, developing international trading and joint venture relationships -- and structuring and obtaining alternative forms of capitalization. We are on top of every significant business, regulatory, technological, social and consumer trend worldwide. At TNNWC, we have a specific orientation: We Solve Problems. We Help Our Clients To Achieve Their Goals And Objectives. Prosperity. Peace. Collaboration. Sustainable Solutions For Continuous Growth™. Subscribe. Join Us. Visit Us. http://www.tnnwc.com/. You can access our free supplemental RSS FEED by clicking *HERE*

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Three A's to Entrepreneur Equilibrium | CONVEY YOUR MESSAGE

Convey Your Message with Jessan Dunn Otis

QUESTION: Entrepreneurs, is your "message" the only thing you're selling?

Step back from whatever you're selling - be it services and/or products - and take a hard, long look at who you are and what and how you're conveying your message.

Consider this - if you're a self-employed entrepreneur, everything you do, say, participate in and don't do, say and participate in conveys something about you, your business and your "message". In other words, if you are your business, you are your message.

Does this mean you always have to be "on"? No; and, yes. No; because being able to discern between "up time" and "away time" is essential to your work/life balance. Yes; because, if your passion is your business and your business is your passion, then some part of you is always connected to and focused on that passion and that business.

If this resembles you, what's an entrepreneur to do? Try these three A's to entrepreneur equilibrium.

* ACKNOWLEDGE - recognize and acknowledge that you require a balance between you, your business and your public and private life

* ACCESS - access your needs, requirements and responsibilities and the needs, requirements and responsibilities for your business

* ACT - act upon what you've learned about who you are and how you are and what's needed to sustain your equilibrium and your business equilibrium

What say you, please?

For more information, please visit Jessan's TNNWC Bio.

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Monday, July 18, 2011

What Entrepreneurs can learn from Harry Potter | A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

What Entrepreneurs can learn from Harry Potter

by Adam J. Kovitz

The final episode in the Harry Potter series "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II" debuted recently for a record-breaking weekend opening at $168.6 million. And while the franchise today is ubiquitous (as a series of widely-read books - available in 67 different languages, critically-acclaimed movies, as well as other merchandising), it wasn't always so. At one time, it was the dream, vision and idea of Joanne "J.K." Rowling.

Rowling, a newly-divorced and jobless single mother from the U.K., and educated in the Classics, never intended to become an entrepreneur until a fateful 4-hour delayed train ride from Manchester to London in 1990. It was on the train that Harry Potter was born.

From an advance from a small British publisher and a grant from the Scottish Arts Council, Rowling fleshed out the world of Harry Potter. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.) was published in 1997 and won several awards. In 1998, Warner Brothers bought the movie rights, and by 2000, the franchise was truly becoming the franchise that we know today.

So what can we learn from the success of Harry Potter? Here are just a few:

1.) Appeal to a mass audience - As the saying goes, you can't be everything to everybody, but some do this better than others. I call this the "Bullwinkle Effect", named after the 1960's cartoon, Bullwinkle. Kids loved the show because it was an animated cartoon and featured wonderful voice talent to go along with it, while parents appreciated it for the fact that the humor aimed to a more adult audience, not that there was the innuendo that you might find today, but nonetheless, the jokes would often "fly over the heads" of the younger audience. While other animated movies do this today, the Harry Potter stories take the oft-taboo theme of death and turn it into stories with suspense and dread, but also with humor, fun and adventure, especially the first three books. This approach caused an enormous resurgence in children's reading as well as interest from the adult crowd as well.
2.) A little planning goes a long way - Within one train ride, Rowling decided upon the premise for the books: each book would cover one year at the seven-year school of wizardry that Harry and his friends would attend, and we would follow them as they grew into accomplished wizards. Simple, effective...easy to understand and to follow.
3.) We are what we know and experience - With her background in the Classics, her love of fantasy and her real life experience - tragic and otherwise, Rowling was able to synthesize elements of mythology, mystery, romance as well as her real life bout with depression into a story that keeps readers and audiences' attention.

Rowling's own rags-to-riches story is also appealing to those of us who aspire to change the world and leave our own impact upon it. Here is a person that so many of us can relate to, given her one-time circumstances. Many of us try to rise above such adversity and few make it, but the story of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter is another shining example and inspiration for all entrepreneurs. It is possible for us to fulfill our dreams and achieve success, no matter our backgrounds.

Here's to your dreams and success.

All my best,

Adam

www.TNNWC.com

www.TheNationalNetworker.com

http://adamjkovitz.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Your Entrepreneurial Leap-Idea: Back to Basics | CONVEY YOUR MESSAGE

Convey Your Message with Jessan Dunn Otis

Maybe you thought you were going to be a mechanic or a doctor or a teacher or a whatever-it-might-have-been. Nevertheless, here you are; and, you're trying something new.

Perhaps someone else planted the thought or the idea or the possibility. Or, you've been down-sized, passed over, left behind, offered an early retirement or, simply, "let go"; and, you still have to make a living - right?

Another scenario might be that you've done what you've been doing for "x" amount of time; and, now it's time to take your leap-idea and venture into brand new territory - to become an entrepreneur.

* Now what?

To respond accurately to this question depends upon what it's going to require to make that leap of yours land in the right place.

Sometimes it can all fall into place almost effortlessly. Sometimes it can take years of batting your dream against a dry wall where not much seems to stick.

* Where to begin?

Quick answer: begin at the beginning. Seems obvious? Perhaps, however, it's not so obvious. Sometimes you're going to have to find your way back to the genesis of your entrepreneurial vision. If that's what you have to do - take notes. Keep a journal, notebook, folder or whatever it takes to gather and hold all those ideas that circle and accumulate around your leap-idea.

* What then?

After you've generated enough synthesized information, you might pass your ideas by a few valued friends, relatives and/or business confidants. Listen to them. If you feel they're offering constructive advice, opinions and points of view - take more notes. If you feel they're offering destructive criticisms - stop taking notes; but, consider their points of view, as well. Even "destructive criticisms" can have value.

* Next?

Let your entrepreneurial leap-idea, all notes and advice rest for awhile. You've begun to do your necessary work. Take a break. Do something completely different. Part of your mind will still be dwelling on all that you've done. However, you've earned some time off.

* ...and, after that?

Continue to integrate, to research, to clarify and to focus your vision until you feel and believe that you've asked enough questions and have enough pragmatic answers and evidence to take your next steps.

Some consideration might be: are you going to bootstrap your new entrepreneurial venture (all the glory and all the risk); or, are you going to look for an angel investor or take out a loan?

Begin to develop a basic business plan, a mission statement, your goals, objectives and more formalized business venture documents.

Through these initials steps, you're learning how to begin to talk about, think about and to move your dream into reality. Throughout this process you're, also, learning how to begin to create the entrepreneurial "vehicles" to convey your message to the right folks, in the right terms to continue to pursue your dream and to be able to make your entrepreneurial leap-idea come alive.

Either way, you've taken some essential steps to create your own new path. Sit back for a few and feel somewhat satisfied with yourself. But, don't sit too long - you've got a lot more work to do.

What say you, please?

Jessan

For more information, please visit Jessan's TNNWC Bio.

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.