Robert Kiyosaki Archives - Isucceedbook.com

success tools: choosing the right weapon to go into battle

Success Tools

May 102013

Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes

Life is war…

I’m speaking metaphorically naturally but it is true that we must fight for what we want in life.

The woman of our dreams, the job we seek, the credentials we desire, success, money, fame…none of these just fall out of the sky. We must fight for them.

The other day I came across this post by Jeffrey Gitomer, the preeminent sales guy, entitled “A Dozen Books to Own and Read – at Least Once.”

After reading his list I was inspired to come up with my own dozen.

I have talked about some of my favorite novels and self-help books on here from time to time but I thought it worth writing a new list that I would say are “must-reads” for anyone going into battle in business in the 21st century.

How to Win Friends and Influence People
The 4 Hour Work Week
The Magic of Thinking Big
Lessons of History
Animal Farm
Atlas Shrugged
Living an Inspired Life
He Who Thinks He Can
Prophecy
Conversations with Millionaires
Scientific Advertising
The Compound Effect

Many of the books on the list fall into the self-development category because we can all use a good kick in the pants every now and then, but let me explain why I choose each book on this list.

For anyone looking for simple, applicable concepts that can be implemented almost immediately (that work just as well at the office and at home) you can’t go wrong with How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s a great place to start.

The 4 Hour Work Week is a new addition to my best books’ list. To me it’s a critical book for anyone working in today’s environment. Whether we want to accept it or not, the rules of business have changed and this book will help you get the most out of those changes.

David Schwartz’s classic, The Magic of Thinking Big, is all about the importance of going for it. It’s hard to walk away from this book and not feel inspired to go out and chase your dreams.

Lessons of History is what I consider the best history book ever written. It’s short and so well thought out. I have never read three-page chapters so filled with knowledge. And the best thing about it is it links everything together. This book is one of the three books that actually laid the foundation for my financial seminar though I didn’t realize it at the time.

It’s an absolute mystery to me why no history teacher ever introduced this to me.

Animal Farm is one of the two novels to make the cut. It was the first book I ever read that I thought got it right. Its premise is simple, clever and helps explain a lot about the world. It’s one of those books that you won’t be able to put it down after the second chapter.

Atlas Shrugged is, in my humble opinion, the finest novel ever written (and Ayn Rand’s masterpiece) but it also one of the longest. This is a book for the serious student, and an absolutely incredible read. 10/10.

Living an Inspired Life was written by my mentor, Jim Rohn, and the man who got me started on this journey of self-improvement. It’s a great read and a book you’ll want to come back to time and time again. A timeless classic.

And speaking of classics, no success library would be complete without He Who Thinks He Can by Orison Swett Marden. Written way back in 1908 you’ll no doubt find some parts slightly funny but it’s amazing to see just how little we have changed, in spite of the fact that our society as a whole has undergone such incredible change over the past 100 years. It will also give you great respect for great minds of the past.

While Robert Kiyosaki is known best for Rich Dad, Poor Dad (another great book for many people looking to get started) but I went with Prophecy for this list. Kiyosaki met with a lot of backlash for this book and reading it today I have no doubt many people would say he was way off with his predictions. But from what I have studied, I can say it’s still early days and much of what he talks about could yet come to pass. Considering the economic situation we find ourselves in today, I feel this is a book not to be missed.

Conversations with Millionaires is a great little book that is just that. Interviews done with nine incredible individuals put together in one book. Very easy read and many powerful ideas to be had from this little gem.

When one wants to study marketing one book that is mentioned time and time again is Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins. It, along with a few others, is the book that many marketers consider the holy grail (much like Think and Grow Rich is the book most people attribute to their success to). Though it may be a book on advertising, it has incredible insight into the human mind and how it ticks.

I started the list with a simple, yet powerful book. So I felt it only fitting to end it with one as well. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is nothing earth-shattering, but actually just a single idea. However, applied properly and continually will lead to incredible results no matter if you are a marketer, an athlete, a CEO, a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer or an entrepreneur.

What books didn’t make the cut this time?

Think and Grow Rich – simply because it’s not the easiest book to read and the ideas contained within it will take more thought than the books above.
Awaken the Giant Within — most people will be too intimidated to start this incredible book.
The Success Principles – ditto.
iSucceed – didn’t want to toot my own horn.

So there you have it. Some great books that are worth their weight in gold…if applied.

Remember, it’s not good enough just to get the books. Or even read them.

It’s the application of the ideas contained within them that will change your life, and maybe even the world.

Get reading.

Adrian Shepherd

ps. I wholeheartedly agree with Gitomer that there are some essential non-book materials that should be on everyone’s list. In no particular order, here are just a few to look into: The Art of Exceptional Living, (CDs) by Jim Rohn, The Black Swan of Cairo by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Zig Ziglar’s How to Stay Motivated (CDs), Brendon Burchard’s Expert Academy (if you can get your hands on it), and Piranha Marketing by Joe Polish (CDs).

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success principles: 9 financial tips from the man himself, Warren Buffet

Expert Perspective

Apr 102013

Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes

My son turns five in just a little over a month.

A few years ago he could barely walk and now he’s challenging my authority. How times have changed.

Soon, as he begins to better understand numbers and, more importantly, money, his real education will begin.

As he’ll attend a Japanese elementary school, his English learning is my responsibility and we’ve already got him enrolled in a Karate Dojo to teach him how to protect himself, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the things I am keenly aware of is the importance of educating him financially, especially from a young age.

The sad truth is that so many adults get into financial trouble, in business as well as in their personal lives, because of bad decisions. Decisions that to a large extent can be avoided.

The problem is that financial problems don’t just stay financial, but manifest themselves in our daily lives. They affect how we talk, how we think, how we interact with our family and I don’t believe I’m out of line when I say that somewhere in the realm of 70% of problems in a marriage are in some way linked to money.

Now for most of my life I thought I understood money, I was wrong.

Five years ago I made the decision to educate myself on the financial markets it really opened my eyes.

So much so now that I have made it a mission of mine to help educate others in the form of the FFS, the Financial Future Seminar, as some of you may already be aware.

As a result of making finance important in my life I read pretty much everything I can get my hands on when it comes to money, just like success and marketing.

Just yesterday I came across an article by the world’s most successful investor, Warren Buffet, in which he talked about his new TV show for kids (Secret Millionaires Club) to help teach them financial education (something Robert Kiyosaki also strongly believes in).

In it he mentioned just a few of the lessons that children would be taught over the series.

Reading them I realized that a whole lot of people I know would benefit from learning these lessons so here I am. Let’s quickly go over the lessons and then I’ll share some insights afterwards.

The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself.
The more you learn, the more you’ll earn.
Learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others.
Great partnerships make any job easier.
Fail to plan, plan to fail.
With business as in life, get to know people before you judge them.
Learn not to spend more than you have.
Save for the unexpected.
It’s never too early to start.

Some of these are pretty self-explanatory, but it’s amazing how easily we forget them.

For some reason, people are happy to fork over anywhere between $40,000 and $100,000 for college education, but not $2000 for a 3-day workshop with a living legend.

In fact, once people leave school people feel their education is over, but there’s a reason the final ceremony at college is called a “commencement” ceremony, because it’s really just the beginning of our education.

Let’s face it, whether we choose to study or not, life will teach us many lessons.

That’s why I spend, on average, $100 a month to purchase new books, audio lectures or DVD trainings (I usually have to save up for these) because I know that my success largely depends on who I become as a person, from studying then doing.

Education also directly links into the third lesson on the list which may be the most valuable.

Our mentors, whether they are in books or in person, are people who have “been there, done that.”

So when they share their mistakes with us, we should take notes…copious notes.

Naturally, we’ll make our own mistakes along the way no matter whose plan we follow, but mentors can help us sidestep some major land mines.

Knowing what NOT to do can often prove even more valuable than what to do.

I realize my son is only four, but often times what we learn at a young age is the foundation upon everything else is built.

School will take care of subjects such as Japanese, science and PE.

Money, love, success and life are up to us (my wife and I) though.

So many parents leave education up to the school system, but I think back to the words of my mentor, Jim Rohn, when he said, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

One day my son will have to choose his own path, but till that time I’m going to do my darndest to help him see the value of learning.

Wish me luck.

Adrian Shepherd

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success principles: the lost art of reading

Expert Perspective

Mar 112013

Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes

The world has changed a lot…

This isn’t much of a surprise to any of us, but to think about just what the world was like just 100 years ago and today is like night and day.

We have gone from horses to cars to airplanes to space travel.

Phones turned into cell phones and now smartphones.

Business has gone global with China, almost non-existent just 40 years ago thanks to communism, taking center stage in the 21st century.

Letters were replaced with emails and now FB has made emails somewhat of a so-last-decade sort of thing.

We had two world wars, a cold war and now the makings of a currency war.

Books, then radio, then TV, video, DVD and now Bluray and 40″ high definition TVs being common place.

Yes, a lot has changed.

But not all change is good.

Today we’re more interconnected than ever before and yet so distance with our friends and family.

Family dinners aren’t as sacred as they once were.

I find myself constantly scratching my head as to why people aren’t getting happier in spite of our incredible technological advancement.

Life is easier, and yet it seems harder.

So many more opportunities and yet people are struggling…

I grew up with TV.

I loved it.

I could never understand why my father would sit in his chair night after night and read a book when the TV and video tapes were there.

But when I ran into trouble a few years back, I turned to books because I didn’t know where else to look.

I did it out of desperation.

I started with authors such as Robert Kiyosaki, Keith Cunningham and Steven Covey.

These authors introduced me to others.

Today I am shocked when I look through my library — hundreds of books and 100o ebooks, over 200 audio programs and tens of DVD trainings.

They cost a small fortune, but they’ve been the best investment of my life.

And one day I’ll be able to pass them to my son. (many of them become more valuable with time)

I think it’s fair to say I taught myself to like reading.

I just wonder why twelve years of school, four years of college and all the teachers I had failed to do this.

I know you can’t make anyone like anything…but having read the books I’ve read, now I realize it depends on what books you read.

For every great book like Jurassic Park or Animal Farm, there are so many that just bomb.

Agatha Christie’s books are still better than nearly every other mystery writer’s out there.

But today, books have got stiff competition and they’re losing out to video games, texting, violent sports, gossip magazines and silly video clips.

NOTHING beats a good book.

The key word being good.

It’s so easy to make a mistake, but here are some novels I would consider GREAT.

Atlas Shrugged
Animal Farm
Jurassic Park
Master of the Game
Rage of Angels
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Peril at End’s House
If Tomorrow Comes
Shogun
The Power of One
Angels and Demons
It
Life’s Golden Ticket
1984
The Invisible Man

And for those who are looking for answers to improve their life or business I suggest you start with one of these. I assure you the ideas contained within them won’t simply help you improve your bottom line, but your inner you.

Cashflow Quadrant
Talent Is Not Enough
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 5 Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle
He Who Thinks He Can
Conversations With Millionaires
How to Win Friends and Influence People

I never thought I’d find myself itching to get into a new book, but I’ve gotten older…and hopefully wiser.

These days I’d be hard pressed to think of anything more enjoyable than just sitting down, reading a good book and thinking.

Like father, like son…

Reading is a skill, one that can unlock more information than anything else.

The answers to everything you want to know are out there.

It’s up to us to go search for them.

It is my sincere wish you will.

Adrian Shepherd

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success secrets: success, as defined by 14 mega-successful books, in 10 words or less

Expert Perspective

Jan 292013

Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes

Sometimes less is more…

I have been studying success and finance for close to 6 years.

At first my focus was on success, today it’s finance.

But whether I’m reading a book on time management, listening to a financial expert’s podcast, watching a seminar on copywriting or reading up on marketing strategies what I have found is that many of the same concepts appear.

And no matter how long a presentation or book may be, the underlying concept behind them can usually be summed up in a few words.

In school, teachers often teach us that more is better but I remember one college professor telling us that in his class no assignment could be longer than 4 pages.

His reasoning, if we were writing more than 4 pages we were wasting his time.

He wanted to present our thoughts and ideas concisely…and it was tougher than I thought.

Writing a few thousand pages on the history of the world is easy.

There’s no lack of information out there.

But try condense 6000 years into just 100 pages, now that takes skill.

So today I thought I’d stay along these lines.

No philosophical concepts. No funny stories. Short and sweet.

So here goes…success, as defined by 14 mega-successful books, in 10 words or less.

Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People – LISTEN. Buy people a drink and ask lots of questions.
Jim Rohn’s The 5 Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle- Whatever you sow, you reap.
Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich – We become what we think about.
Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Build once, sell hundreds of time.
Brian Tracy’s Focal Point – Knowledge is valuable.
Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow Quadrant – Systems are everything in business, just look at McDonald’s.
Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Self-mastery. Teamwork. Balance.
Kim Kiyosaki’s Rich Woman – Don’t rely on a man for your success.
John Maxwell’s The Difference Maker – Attitude is everything.
George Clayson’s The Richest Man in Babylon – Get out of debt. Divide your investments into 2 groups (passive and active).
Joseph Michelli’s The Starbucks Experience – People are willing to pay more for a quality experience.
Joe Montana’s The Winning Spirit – Even the best of us need help sometimes.
Timothy Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Work-Week – In today’s world, outsource every task you can.
David Schwartz’s The Magic of Thinking Big – Dream BIG then take actions to achieve them.

These are all great books and well worth adding to your library.

At a cost of less than $20, I honestly can’t think of a better investment in ourselves.

I find it interesting that people today are willing to invest upwards of $100,000 for a college education but question whether a book is worth a measly $20.

Textbooks, $70 no problem…but a book that we can borrow from the library, hmmm…

In the end, a book is only as valuable as we make it.

Buy it, read it, and finally, apply it…that’s where the magic is.

Adrian Shepherd

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success principles: the risk-free lifestyle is a myth

Expert Perspective

Sep 142012

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

“It’s too risky.”

This is something that I often hear from clients and friends when I talk to them growing their businesses or investing their money.

I get it…believe me I do.

But think about it for a second, just what isn’t risky today?

Buying a house 5 years ago was considered as safe as it got…and now there are foreclosures everywhere and house prices have plummeted.

Even more amazing is America, Japan, Europe and many of the leading nations of the world struggling to deal with unemployment, deflation, inflation and other destructive forces.

Heck, just waking up and heading to work is risky.

It’s all risky.

That’s what we need to remember.

Investing is always risky, even if we don’t invest.

Even the so-called “safest” investments (Madoff, Enron, Lehman Brothers) can come crumbling down.

Just the other day a lady commented on my previous post asking how does she know if an idea is good enough to pursue?

The truth is we don’t. Until we try that is.

People make the mistake of thinking an idea is all it takes when in actual fact the idea is just one factor in its success.

The people involved, their commitment to the idea, their attitude towards it, the marketing done for it, and so much more all play a part. Robert Kiyosaki’s B-I triangle (just Google it) is something worth studying for anyone who wants to turn their idea into a business.

There have been fantastic ideas that have never gone anywhere…and other seemingly silly ideas (think pet rocks) that made people fortunes.

An idea is just one piece of the puzzle.

What I do believe is that you’ve got to give it a shot. Nike said it best with their “Just do it.”

While I do encourage people to chase their dreams 110% as I stated in my previous post, I do understand the dangers involved (having experienced failure more a few times) which is why I think people should chase their dreams one step at a time. This is the best 3-step formula I’ve come across:

Work full-time at your job, part-time on your dream (even if it’s just one or two hours a week at first)
Increase time spent on your dream
Once you know you have a winner, quit your job and work full-time on your dream

And even then, it’s still risky…but it’s a manageable risk.

Some people prefer the cold-turkey method: quit their job and hope that everything works out for them.

With no safety net, they’ll have no choice but to succeed. I get the strategy, but to me it’s a little too scary for most people.

The truth of the matter is most people (I have found) just don’t have the willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve their dream. They want it, but they just don’t want it bad enough.

Sleepless nights, working 7 days a week and all sorts of other “good” stuff await many of those people who choose to go cold-turkey. And for many, it’s just too much.

I’ve done it before, and I can honestly say that I have no intention of doing that again.

I learned the lesson – plan ahead.

If you’re going to quit, be sure that you have been 3 to 12 months money set aside to cover you (including any investments needed to pursue your dream). That way you have a buffer zone.

I think the benefits of playing it safe till you know you’ve got a winner is a whole lot easier on our system, even if it means you have to wait a little bit longer.

Risk is a misnomer.

There is no such thing as a sure thing, especially in the business world.

Our health, our attitude, family, friends, rules, taxes, even the weather all play a part and we can only control a very small part of it – ourselves. The rest we just have to roll the dice and play the odds.

The goal is not to make things risk-free, but rather to stack the odds in our favor.

That’s where education comes in. That’s where mentors help. That’s why sites such as this are so valuable.

People like to think that success depends on talent or hard work alone but I believe Jim Rohn said it best when he said, “Income seldom exceeds personal development.”

If you want to become a millionaire, first we must develop the right mindset.

Here’s another quote to think about, Harry Truman said “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

Education is where it all begins.

But ask any millionaire and they will tell you that even the best fail.

Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, Thomas Edison, Lebron James…they all understand that each decision they make comes with a certain risk.

Many people today go through life playing it safe, hoping they can avoid risk.

In just the past 7 years alone, I’ve had 3 bike accidents of which none of them I caused and yet I was the one who bore the brunt of the damage. Go figure?!

In business and in life there’s only so much we can do, the rest we just have to hope that things work out.

So the next time you hear someone say they have an investment that’s can’t fail, walk away.

Successful people know that any venture comes with an inherent risk. And the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

So don’t avoid risk, embrace it.

Adrian Shepherd

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success principles: Steven Covey, author of ’7 habits,’ leaves behind a legacy

Expert Perspective

Jul 182012

Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes

Who’s your favorite author?

J.K. Rowlings? Stephen King? Or perhaps George Orwell?

Obviously your interests will place a big part in who you’d choose as your favorite author but if you’re interested in business then there are a few authors that stand out.

There’s Robert Kiyosaki and his Rich Dad series, there’s Dale Carnegie’s and his famous “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and then there’s Steven Covey and his 7 Habits who sadly, passed away earlier this week.

Steven Covey’s book burst onto the scene back in 1989 and has remained on the best sellers list ever since and in 2011 was listed as one of Times “25 Most Influential Business Management Books.”

If you haven’t had a chance to read this excellent book then I highly recommend you do. You’ll find it in most used book stores but it’s worth its weight in gold.

And it’s not just for people who are managers as the principles apply in achieving success in our relationships and in our success.

You’ll find many incredible insights in the book that will, simply put, floor you.

And if you think the book is good, the audio program is even better if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on it.

The truth is that most of us, myself included, for most of our lives have been applying IN-effective habits and just not realized it.

Why?

Because most of us learn by trial-and-error which leads us to some pretty costly errors.

I’ve been there. But when I decided to make success a study 5 years ago, I realized that so many people have kindly taken the time to put their stories and experiences down on paper to share with us. There’s no reason we need to repeat their mistakes.

Studying from people who have been there and done allow us to cut down the learning curve. There’s less guessing and a higher chance of success. That doesn’t mean you won’t run into trouble but, speaking from experience, I sure wish I had read those books before I plunked down $20,000 in a partnership or $4000 on a pyramid scheme.

Steven Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” brings in lessons learned with his children, at work, from seminars and in business. You’ll find yourself laughing, thinking, wondering and hopefully, applying some of the ideas contained within it in your own life.

For me, one I try and do each and every day is “sharpen the saw” which refers to keeping ourselves sharp mentally and physically.

When our health suffers, our work suffers. When our work sucks, our relationships suffer. Everything’s connected so we can’t let one area of our life suffer otherwise we’ll have to face the consequences sooner or later. Unfortunately, most people are so focused on doing that they forget to take time to THINK, PLAN and PREPARE for tomorrow.

Steven Covey he has left behind a legacy that will forever change businesses and people for many years to come.

Thank you Dr. Covey, you will be missed.

Adrian Shepherd

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success secrets: 15 tips from Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com

Success Secrets

Apr 162012

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

Ask Mark Zuckerburg. Ask Bill Gates. Ask Warren Bufftet.

You’ll pretty much get the same answer.

The question - What’s the secret to success?

Time and time again I’ve talked about the different elements of success and if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, I’m sure you’ll have noticed that I touch on the same topics again and again.

I even got a nasty email from an anonymous reader who said that my stuff was repetitive and a big waste of their time. Ouch.

All I can say is this – despite having studying success for 5 years now, devoting anywhere from 30mins to a few hours a day…I still need reminding.

I write these blogs as much for you as I do for me.

We all forget. We all get busy. We all could use a little reminding. Myself included.

I wish all these success principles and concepts were second nature to me but let me tell you, it’s a constant battle.

Each morning, just like everyone else, I have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, both constantly vying for my attention.

The devil goes, “Hey, why not go back to bed. You deserve it. You work too much. Relax.” while the angel says, ”Keep at it. You’ve got work to do. There’s so much that needs to be done. You can do it. It’s not that hard.”

And sometimes, like this morning, the devil does win. Thankfully, more often than not, I’m able to keep him at bay.

So my apologies to those out there reading this thinking, “I’ve heard this all before.”

As some of you might remember, my goal is to share good ideas. But for me, it’s not enough simply to share them.

What I love is hearing that people took action, ie. made some changes in their life and it’s paying off for them.

That’s why I teach. That’s why I keep writing these posts and that’s why I am working on my next big project, my financial seminar.

The problem is that even after sharing good ideas, most of us forget to take action on them. We read them, maybe even think about doing something…but then that’s it.

My sincere hope is that you’re one of those people who isn’t just a reader, but a doer, an implementer.

With that said, I’m here again with some success secrets. This time by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

I came across an article on Zite (one of the best apps on the iPhone) regarding his 15 tips for success. I jotted them down in order to share them with you today. Here they are:

Act
Minimize Regret
Grow Slow
Encourage Word of Mouth
There is Nothing More Important than the Customer
Charge Less
Never Stop Innovating
Be Flexibly Stubborn
Be Realistic
Imitate
Work Backwards
It’s Good to be Misunderstood
Be Picky about People
Be Far-Sighted
Make History

Most of them are pretty cut and dry but a few stood out to me so I thought I’d address them.

Number 8 is somewhat of an oxymoron but here’s what Jeff Bezos had to say about this “If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.”

Simply put, you’ve got to know when to keep going, and when to call it a night.

Thousands of good ideas, even great ideas, have gone the way of the dinosaur. Successful businesses know when to cut back and when to go full force. Another expression for it is “calculated risks.”

As for number 10 people might get the wrong impression. It has been said that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Not only that but we can learn a lot from our competitors – what works, what doesn’t. We don’t have to do all the heavy lifting on our own.

Sam Walton, who built one of the biggest corporations in America (Walmart), was famous for spending more time in his competitors stores than his own. He was always seeing how he could improve his stores by simply walking around his competitors.

The last one that I feel needs explaining is number 11. Here’s what Bezos had to say about that, “There are two ways to extend a business. Take inventory of what you are good at and extend out from your skills. Or determine what your customers need and work backwards, even if it requires learning new skills.”

One of the simplest ways of looking at business success was created by Keith Cunningham, close friend and mentor of Robert Kiyosaki. Here’s what he said.

Success in business can be broken down into a 3-step formula: “(1)FOWTW (2)GAGI (3)GITT.”

Find Out What They Want
Go And Get It
Give It To Them

Remember, the key to success in business is having a market to sell to. Always look to fill a need.

So there you have it, some tips from one of the best in the business, Jeff Bezos.

Hope you find them helpful.

Adrian Shepherd

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success principles: being an entrepreneur isn’t easy but it’s worth it

Expert Perspective

Mar 272012

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

I love being an entrepreneur.

That being said, it’s not for everyone.

Many people out there seem to have the wrong conception when it comes to running your own business.

Sure, it sounds like heaven. Being your own boss, deciding your own hours, making the rules and so on.

But make no mistake about it, being an entrepreneur isn’t easy.

There are times when you’ll want to quit and in fact many people do. That’s why 50% fail in the first year and a whopping 95% of new businesses fail within 5 years.

Being an entrepreneur means the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

If your business fails, regardless of the reason why, it’s the entrepreneur’s responsibility and they will bear the brunt of the collapse.

While my life is pretty much stress-free these days, it wasn’t always the case.

There was a time when I couldn’t pay my health insurance because I barely had enough money to pay for my rent and food.

Forget eating out. I survived on tacos, yakiniku (meat cooked on a hot plate) and shabu shabu (essentially a hot pot) for about a year.

I was scared.

I had quit my job too soon and though I had money in the bank I started burning through it at an accelerated rate.

No more alcohol, no more rock climbing. Just computer games at home or board games at a friend’s house.

It was a wake-up call for me.

Somehow I survived.

I have to thank my father for “loaning” me some money to help me get through that dark patch.

And yet, here I am.

Years have passed and I’m a stronger, more capable person today, in every sense of the word.

I fell in love and eventually got married to a wonderful woman. We were blessed with a boy 4 years ago.

There were also two failed partnerships and a pyramid scheme along the way.

I lost friends.

And as most of you already know, I survived the tsunami that ripped through South East Asia back in 2004.

Today most of my time is devoted to my businesses.

I’m either writing a blog, creating a vlog, working on future ideas, developing marketing plans, offering advice to clients or studying my butt off.

How did I spend my Monday (my day off)? I started out by taking my son to daycare, then it was on to the chores.

After an hour of cleaning, laundry and vacuuming, it was yoga time.

I popped out for lunch during which I finished “The Midas Touch” by Robert Kiyosaki & Donald Trump (quite a good read I might add). After getting back home I proceeded to script a video I’m creating for a new website I’m in the process of developing.

To keep me from getting too bogged down, I watched three episodes of a show I like while doing so.

Then I listened to an hour of interviews on the financial markets and then went through another 40 pages in another book.

6pm I was off to pick up my son.

Now it’s 1am and I’m working on this post which wasn’t one of the twenty other posts that I started last week.

And how much am I actually making from this site…very little, so far.

But that’s the life of an entrepreneur, they stay with it because they have the vision.

Mine is starting to take shape nicely.

Would I recommend people take my path? Not at all, there are faster, better ways to do what I’ve done…but I’m here so I just have to keep at it.

I’m not a quitter…and that is the quintessential element every entrepreneur must have.

To keep at things no matter how bleak they may look.

Malcolm Gladwell in his best selling book, Tipping Point, talks about how companies go from being small to big seemingly overnight but the fact is that they had been working a plan for years before it paid off.

There is a point of saturation when people begin to take notice of a company, a brand or a website.

That’s what I’m doing, saturating the market, in the belief that if I have a good service to offer that it’s worth doing everything else.

I believe I can make a difference in people’s lives.

And that’s why I keep at it. Because helping people is a good thing.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone, but I love it and that’s why I keep at it.

If you’ve got the itch, I recommend you start slow.

Me, I jumped in head first in the deep end…and almost drowned.

Keep your day job and build up your business on the side till you reach a point when it makes sense to move completely over.

The best thing about being an entrepreneur is that it gives you options to live your life the way you deem fit.

It’s still a lot of hard work but in the end, if you do what you love, it’s well worth it.

Adrian Shepherd

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success principles: the ordinary versus the extra-ordinary

Business Philosophy

Feb 012012

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

You’ve got an idea – great.

You put together some money – great.

You get a team together – great.

You get to work on your idea with your team – great.

Things take off – great.

The money starts pouring in – great.

A new car, a new house, new friends – great.

And then something happens.

Maybe a disagreement with one of your key team members causes them to leave. Maybe a slight oversight in the books. Maybe a blunder by a partner.

It could be any number of things and suddenly, it’s all gone.

Ideas are a dime a dozen.

What is harder to find are good ideas.

Great ideas are even rarer.

But ideas are just one part of a business. Robert Kiyosaki talks about a B-I Triangle which breaks up a company into 8 areas, of which “product” is the smallest.

If I were to sum up a what about 70% of the triangle is, in one word, I would say SERVICE.

Think about your favorite restaurant, why do you go there? Is it for the food? Of course. Would you still go if the service was lousy? If they were disorganized or rude? No.

Assuming you have a decent product to offer clients, service becomes king.

People like to know they are, as All-State’s motto states, “you’re in good hands.”

What’s amazing is that most businesses fail at the service end, not with their actual product or idea.

They let the product do everything and forget to create a memorable experience that distinguishes them from their competition.

Ever since I decided to walk away from the corporate world 11 years ago I realized that my success depended on one thing – me.

My competitors had better locations, larger teams, large marketing budgets, as well as many other advantages.

What they didn’t have is my passion and desire.

Fast forward to today and I’m still here while many of my big competitors have closed up shop.

It wasn’t easy but I worked hard to differentiate myself from the bigger firms and it paid off.

I admit that when I started out I wasn’t quite as well informed or prepared as I would have liked to have been, so I made up for what I lacked by going the extra mile.

As my clients’ needs grew, I knew I had to, too. I stayed one step ahead of them by educating myself.

I started out studying business ideas, then I moved onto success principles and now am focusing my energies on to marketing techniques and finance.

Thanks to investing in myself I have be able to pass along so many ideas to my clients and give them an extra-ordinary experience.

What’s the difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary?

First the ordinary:

A Website
Yellow Pages Ad
Magazine Ad
Telephone number

In today’s world a website is ordinary. In fact, if you don’t have a website you’re living in the dark ages.

No need for anything fancy.

A website needs to be two things above all: simple and useful.

You want to make it easy to navigate around your site. Assuming you’ve done that then the next thing you need to provide is valuable information that keeps them coming back to it and telling others about it.

How do you do that?

It doesn’t take a lot. People coming to your site want what you’ve got.

If you’re in the health business then share tips on how to lose weight, what equipment to choose, gyms to attend, coaches to keep an eye out for, whatever.

And you do this is in as many ways as you can. Here are just a few simple, yet extra-ordinary things any business can implement to enhance their service to their clients.

Blogs
Toll-free number
Create PDFs to act as consumer guides
Interview people of interest
Coupons
Bonuses
Create a private area for your special clients. (Something I just introduced myself)

Sound pretty ordinary, right? The problem is that most companies don’t do them which makes the few that do, extra-ordinary.

Some companies do start a blog but fizzle out. Most can’t be bothered to create a consumer guide. And even less interview people in the know of their industry. Why? Because they’re too busy selling or working on some new deal.

What about aftercare? What about appreciating the clients you already have? The key is doing both, not either.

Two things regarding websites that so many companies mess up.

Number one – companies confuse stylish with good.

Consumers today are better educated and want valuable information, not fluff.

Number two – not updating their site.

A good friend of mine is guilty of this; he doesn’t update his site regularly enough to reflect his company situation which misleads potential clients.

There are hundreds of ideas that are seemingly ordinary but are extra-ordinary.

Why be ordinary when all it takes is a little effort to be extra-ordinary.

You don’t have to do extra-ordinary things, just do ordinary things extra-ordinarily well.

Go the extra mile! Your clients and bottom line will thank you.

Adrian Shepherd

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lifestyle: timeless business classics in books, audio and dvds (as well as a few just for fun)

lifestyle

Jan 082012

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

A few years back I was into magic in a big way.

I had a lot of free time as I wasn’t into studying and didn’t have time to play sports but I did want to put my time to good use.

It so happened that magic filled that void.

So I started studying.

First I went out and bought lots of cool looking tricks. They were clever but most of them were gimmicks. Anyone could pick them up and do them within 3 minutes.

That didn’t interest me. While a few clever gimmick tricks are nice it’s more impressive to people if you can just perform a trick at the drop of a hat.

So I changed tactics.

I started gathering magic DVDs by some of the best names in the business; Sankey, Banachek, Ammar, Osterlind, and Green.

It was tough going. I can’t tell you how many times I dropped cards or forgot tricks. But the more I practiced, the better I got.

I got more DVDs, and learnt more tricks. I lost track of how many I learnt.

I got as good as many street artists and then made the conscious decision to stop and challenge myself in other areas namely investing and success.

It wasn’t until recently that I noticed something.

When we get into something we tend to keep buying more and more material on the subject.

I have read over 300 books on the topics of business, self-development and marketing and I enjoyed most of them.

I have listened to over 150 audio sessions on pretty much the same topics.

I have watched over 5000 DVDs (estimated) from all different genres as well as another 150 DVDs on the topics I just mentioned as well as another 100 DVDs on magic.

But is more better?

My answer – no.

But you only find that out from reading, listening or watching a lot. Ironic huh?!

It is far better to find the best material and simply study that over and over again.

So how do you find out what the best material is?

Two ways:

You study a ton of material and decide
You listen to the recommendations of people who are in the know

I vote going for number 2. The problem is that most experts out there don’t come out and tell you what the best material is.

Many authors drop a few names of books they like in their books but it’s rare to find a suggestion of 20 or more books that are their must-reads.

In my book, iSucceed, I mention three men that I feel are the best of the best – Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn and Robert Kiyosaki.

To save space I supplied a link for people to check in order to find which of their materials I found to be the powerful.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many fantastic books, audio lectures and DVDs out there. So today I thought I’d share with you a few more of my favorites.

First off, novels (might as well start off with something fun):

The Harry Potter Series
Animal Farm (the best short novel)
Atlas Shrugged (a towering novel but simply amazing)
Master of the Game
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Rage of Angels
Jurassic Park
If Tomorrow Comes
The Shack
The Name of the Rose
The Ultimate Gift
The Alchemist

Second, business books:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Conversations with Millionaires
Influence
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Crush it
The Success Principles
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
He Who Thinks He Can
The Tao of Warren Buffet
See You at the Top
Rich Woman
The 12 Pillars

Third, audio series:

Choose To Be Rich
Live an Exceptional Life
Top Performance
The Psychology of Selling
The Strangest Secret
Keys to the Vault
The Psychology of Achievement and Success
Get the Edge
Presentation Power

Fourth, business/self-development DVDs:

Bob Proctor’s The Science of Getting Rich
Brendon Burchard’s Expert’s Academy
Jim Rohn’s Leadership Event 2004
Tony Robbins’ Ultimate Business Mastery
Brian Tracy’s Effective Manager Series
Robert Kiyosaki’s How to Predict the Future

And fifth, good old-fashioned movies (my favorite pastime):

The Shawshank Redemption
Gladiator
Remember the Titans
Aliens
Die Hard
Saw
Groundhog Day
Love Actually
Inception
Cool Runnings
Backdraft
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
My Cousin Vinny
Brewster’s Millions
Bridesmaids
Taken
Shall We Dance (Japanese version)
The Abyss
Stripes
Transformers
Frailty
Speed
Overboard

Keep in mind that time is your enemy. These days we don’t have enough time to go through all the good, so do yourself a favor and go through the best stuff first.

If you have a chance to check any of these out do let me know what you think.

Adrian Shepherd

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