Tis the season – well, it can always be the season if you want to ruin your health.  We all know what it takes to stay in good health, but what does it take to ruin your health?  Follow these 10 simple steps and you’ll find yourself to ruin…

1. Don’t get a good night sleep.  Do you snore?  Don’t do anything for it.  Stay awake till the wee hours of the morning playing Your Wii, XBOX, PS3 or any other game machine or watch TV?  That’ll do it.  How about sleep in a room that’s either too hot or too cold.  Best of all, ensure you never get into REM sleep or the deep sleep your body absolutely needs in order to get well rested… oh a healthy dose of caffiene will also ensure you don’t get a good nights sleep.
2. Ensure you are overworked at the office.  Don’t take a lunch break, don’t step away from your office, work, work, work.  Load up on caffiene, ensure your BlackBerry (aka crackberry) is always turned and you answer every e-mail within seconds of receiving it.
3. Chores, chores, chores.  Just let ‘em pile up so that you have absolutely NO FREE TIME for anything else, like a hobby or passion of your choice, like maybe yoga, or some other exercise that would help burn off stress.  I mean, why do you need a hobby or even time to relax?
4. Make BAAAAAD food choices.  All the time.  Forget eating right, forget vegetables and fruits.  It’s FAST FRICKIN FOOD everyday!  Hoorah!  Oh yah, just lay down after you’ve eaten – forget about burning off any of those calories.  To make sure you’ve really made a bad food choice – drown yourself in calories.
5. Don’t drink water!  Forget water, dehydrate yourself.  Coffee, and sodas are great!  Why drink water anyway?  Yuuuuck!
6. People.  Surround yourself with energy suckers, you know the ones I’m talking about meddling parents or in-laws.  People that complain all the time.
7. Be the couch potatoe.  No exercise, absolutely none.  Best way to ruin your health.

Technorati Tags: health, how to ruin your health, take care of your health

Here is something that I found very interesting.  It would be great if NASAs’ planetary probes would include microphones so that we could “hear” what it sounds like on another planet.  I mean, imagine a probe from a distant part of the universe landing on Earth, what would they hear – sure it depends on where it lands, but they may hear animals, birds, perhaps the wind or the rustle of leaves.  If the probe was near water, they may hear the sound of water as it flows through a river.

Pay a visit to this site, and listen to the post – http://theworld.org/?q=node/22451

Technorati Tags: interstellar probes, mars, music, space travel, travel, venus

We are living in very tight times – the economy is going all to hell, I just heard on the radio this morning that the TSE dropped 500 pts in the first hour of trading!  Ouch.  My pension is definatly not doing well, so I’m seriously considering putting money into cash accounts instead — yes, I understand that you should by low and sell high; so really that’s my first reaction.  In reality, I won’t be so quick to liquidate but will be watching my investments.

So in turbulent times, what can you do to help yourself?

If you’re working – work harder, but you should always look at working smarter.  The best way to work smart, is to enhance your education.

Here are my Top Ways to Enhance Your Education In Rough Times (or any time…).

Visit Your Local Library

Don’t spend, unless you really have to.  Most libraries in major cities have excellent book collections in a wide range of topics and subject areas.  Before you buy, visit the library to see if they have the book you want.  If they don’t have the book, most libraries will take requests from patrons — ask them if they’ll buy the book!  This has worked for me — and the bonus has been that I got first dibs on the book when it was brought in.

Buy Books

OK, so did I just contradict myself?  Well, yes and no.  If your library isn’t willing to buy the book – buy it yourself.  We all love instant gratification, but did you know that if you purchase a book on-line you could save as much as 40% off the price?

Consider this – in my recent post “To MBA Or Not To MBA” I mentioned that I purchased three books from Amazon online – the cost of the books was around $60.00 — however when I went into the store to purchase them it was around $100.00 — close to DOUBLE!  When I asked the clerk why, they said that there is lower overhead for them to sell online versus in-store.

Even before you consider an on-line purchase, check out used book stores to save even more!  I enjoy science fiction and am not picky about old vs new so usually pick up older books after they’ve been in print for a few years.  A book that is worth around $12.00 can be purchased for as little as $1.00 depending on the condition.

Finally consider posting an ad on Craigslist or other similar service for the books you’re looking for.  You will be surprised as to the responses you will get.  I’ve successfully sold hundreds of dollars of old DVDs that my son doesn’t watch for as much as 75% of he original purchase price!

Number 3 on my list is to look for online courses and other types of services that provide “free” information.  For example, I am interested in learning more about strategic planning — but many courses are often expensive and run at odd times.  So I went to Google and found some great websites – one that stood out was this one – http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/basics.htm - they provide some excellent information which will help supplement what I already know and lead me to other avenues of learning more about this topic.

In the past, I’ve come accross many other sites that offer high-quality on-line learning.  Many of the courses were directed at people in a certain geographic area but after speaking with the manager of the program they were willing to let me in.

Let me give you one more example – I was looking for grade 1 and 2 lesson plans for my son, and found a great website but it was intended only for teachers.  Once again, I e-mailed the site manager and they let me into the site so that I could find and download what I need.

Professional Associations / Hiring Agencies Rock

Many professional associations provide low-cost or subsidised training – look into them!  For example, although this isn’t a professional organization, one of the hiring agencies I used to hire agents frequently offers webinars and free workshops.  These workshops are never “sales sessions” either, they provide solid and very useful information — best of all, they are FREE!

If you are working with a hiring agency, ask them if they offer any type of webinar or workshops for their customers.  Some companies might provide books or other services that you don’t even know about.

Volunteer

This is one of the best ways to gain additional exposure, although in recent times charitable organizations are looking for more experienced and seasoned individuals – it’s worthwhile to ask and see what is available.  Many charitable organizations are able to get training for their staff at low or no cost through government subsidies and grants that only they have access to.  Others also offer their own training, which has been developed by professional organizations.

Volunteering not only opens you to education opportunities, but the chance to network with others.

These are only a few ways you can enhance your education, I’ve got a couple more ideas and will share those with you tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: business education, education, Internet Business

As I progress in my career, and expand my business understanding I’ve often thought about working towards an MBA.  So I spent several weeks investigating school, and programs.  I read about courses and found that much of what courses offered – I knew.

Yes, there are some gaps – areas such as statistics, economics and some finance (yes, I can read a balance sheet and understand what the numbers mean and what the ratios are trying to present) and so I thought, what is the MBA going to get me besides something to add behind my name? 

While I don’t say an MBA is not a worthwhile endeavour, I think that it is particularly useful to someone coming out of University that would like to eventually go into management but has no background or experience on the business side.  It may also be useful to someone that has worked in junior roles that is looking to enhance their understanding of business.

I already know, for example that before I can hire for my team I need to be able to justify the added expense — and it’s not only the expense of their salary but benefits.  I understand the need to generate revenue from resources or equipment; I have an idea of how to calculate how much revenue a particular piece of equipment is generating.

Yes – this is very simplistic, but there are individuals that don’t understand this.  I get into discussions with family members who insist that paying $5.95 for a burger is too much when the patty costs $6 for a box of 12 and the bun is $1.99 for 24.  There is more to the cost of an item than the value of the raw materials that are used to make the item — something called profit and the MORE profit you can make, the better especially in cyclical industries.

You also need to look at what the market will bear, regardless of the industry.  In Internet Marketing (always a HOT niche since everyone wants to learn how to make more money) most products are priced low enough that those selling it know that there will be very few returns – they also know that most people will buy and store.  These same marketers also sell products costing thousands of dollars and continue to sell out for the same reasons.

So back to my main point – as I read course descriptions I found that I already do much of what they will teach in my day-to-day activities so rather than spend the minimum of $25,000 to as much as $150,000 on an MBA why not read about the areas I want to strengthen and apply what I’ve learned?  In applying that knowledge I am gaining significant understanding of the concepts and processes.  This in turn helps me further develop myself and my team, achieve (hopefully) measurable results on projects that I undertake thereby being able to tell potential employers that I do understand what their needs are and I can deliver.

Mind you there are designations that are a must for people in different fields, in accounting if you want to get anywhere you need to be a CA, CMA or CGA.  You can’t practice in certain fields without specific education – however in business, what is needed is a good understanding of various concepts and the ability to get things done – on time and on budget (or under budget).

Had I continued in the IT field and in Project Management, I would have to work towards my PMI certification as more and more companies are looking for this in their Project Managers.

So what’s an alternative to a MBA?  Well a PMBA or Personal MBA.

What is a PMBA?  “Business schools don’t have a monopoly on worldly wisdom. If you’re serious about learning advanced business principles, the Personal MBA can help you master business without the baggage of b-school.” – from the PMBA website.

The PMBA includes a list of 77 must-read books that will enhance your business knowledge in key areas:

• Productivity & Effectiveness
• Psychology & Communication
• Design & Production
• Marketing, Sales, & Negotiation
• Entrepreneurship
• Management & Leadership
• Strategy & Innovation
• Finance & Analysis
• Personal Finance

I’ve started my reading in the area of Management & Leadership with three books:

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman expose the fallacies of standard management thinking in First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. In seven chapters, the two consultants for the Gallup Organization debunk some dearly held notions about management, such as “treat people as you like to be treated”; “people are capable of almost anything”; and “a manager’s role is diminishing in today’s economy.” “Great managers are revolutionaries,” the authors write. “This book will take you inside the minds of these managers to explain why they have toppled conventional wisdom and reveal the new truths they have forged in its place.”

The authors have culled their observations from more than 80,000 interviews conducted by Gallup during the past 25 years. Quoting leaders such as basketball coach Phil Jackson, Buckingham and Coffman outline “four keys” to becoming an excellent manager: Finding the right fit for employees, focusing on strengths of employees, defining the right results, and selecting staff for talent–not just knowledge and skills. First, Break All the Rules offers specific techniques for helping people perform better on the job. For instance, the authors show ways to structure a trial period for a new worker and how to create a pay plan that rewards people for their expertise instead of how fast they climb the company ladder. “The point is to focus people toward performance,” they write. “The manager is, and should be, totally responsible for this.” Written in plain English and well organized, this book tells you exactly how to improve as a supervisor. –Dan Ring

First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently

12: The Elements of Great Managing

From Publishers Weekly
Goldsmith, an executive coach to the corporate elite, pinpoints 20 bad habits that stifle already successful careers as well as personal goals like succeeding in marriage or as a parent. Most are common behavioral problems, such as speaking when angry, which even the author is prone to do when dealing with a teenage daughter’s belly ring. Though Goldsmith deals with touchy-feely material more typical of a self-help book—such as learning to listen or letting go of the past—his approach to curing self-destructive behavior is much harder-edged. For instance, he does not suggest sensitivity training for those prone to voicing morale-deflating sarcasm. His advice is to stop doing it. To stimulate behavior change, he suggests imposing fines (e.g., $10 for each infraction), asserting that monetary penalties can yield results by lunchtime. While Goldsmith’s advice applies to everyone, the highly successful audience he targets may be the least likely to seek out his book without a direct order from someone higher up. As he points out, they are apt to attribute their success to their bad behavior. Still, that may allow the less successful to gain ground by improving their people skills first. (Jan. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

 What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

The other area that I want to read (I hope to eventually read all the books that comprise the reading list of the PMBA) will be in Psychology & Communication, Entrepreneurship and Strategy & Innovation.

Here is a list of some of the books that make up the PMBA:

• Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
• Lead The Field by Earl Nightingale
• The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn
• The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst
• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
• Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz
• The Simplicity Survival Handbook by Bill Jensen
• Cut To The Chase by Stuart Levine
• The Unwritten Laws Of Business by W.J. King
• Making Things Happen by Scott Berkun
• Results Without Authority by Tom Kendrick
• How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
• Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
• Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions by Gary Klein
• Secrets of Consulting by Gerald M. Weinberg
• Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales
• Product Design and Development by Karl Ulrich and Steven Eppinger
• The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
• Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler
• The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt
• Lean Thinking by James Womack and Daniel Jones
• All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin
• Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got by Jay Abraham
• The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer
• The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
• SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
• Bargaining For Advantage by G. Richard Shell
• 3-D Negotiation by David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius
• The New Business Road Test by John Mullins
• Bankable Business Plans by Edward Rogoff
• Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
• How to Make Millions with Your Ideas by Dan Kennedy
• Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss
• First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
• 12: The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner & James Harter
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
• Growing Great Employees by Erika Andersen
• Hiring Smart by Pierre Mornell
• Judgment by Noel Tichy & Warren Bennis
• The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan by George Bradt, Jayme Check, & Jorge Pedraza
• The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig
• The Essential Drucker by Peter F. Drucker
• Ethics for the Real World by Ronald Howard & Clinton Korver
• Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies by Nikos Mourkogiannis
• Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
• Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
• Seeing What’s Next by Clayton M. Christensen, Erik A. Roth, Scott D. Anthony
• Learning from the Future by Liam Fahey & Robert Randall
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker
• Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun
• Green to Gold by Daniel Esty & Andrew Winston
• The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Finance by Robert A. Cooke
• How to Read a Financial Report by John A. Tracy
• Turning Numbers Into Knowledge by Jonathan Koomey
• Show Me The Numbers by Stephen Few
• Marketing Metrics by Paul W. Farris, Neil T. Bendle, Phillip E. Pfeifer, and David J. Reibstein
• Web Analytics: An Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik
• The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
• How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff
• Your Money or Your Life by Joel Dominguez & Vicki Robin
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley & William Danko
• The Lazy Person’s Guide to Investing by Paul Farrell
• The Boglehead’s Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore et al
• Work Less, Live More by Bob Clyatt
• It’s Not About The Money by Brent Kessel
• Money and Power: The History of Business by Howard Means
• Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
• Citizen Marketers by Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba
• The Book of Business Wisdom by Peter Krass
• The Book of Leadership Wisdom by Peter Krass
• The Book of Management Wisdom by Peter Krass
• The Book of Entrepreneurs’ Wisdom by Peter Krass
• Business: The Ultimate Resource from Basic Books
• The Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists edited by Gene Marks
• Every Manager’s Desk Reference from Alpha Books
• Finance for the Non-Financial Manager by Gene Siciliano
• The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert Bly
• Principles of Statistics by M.G. Bulmer

Visit back often for more business, internet marketing and related information!

Technorati Tags: business success, internet business opportunities, mba, personal mba

WOW!  It’s been a VERY BUSY fall.  When my family returned from vacation, I put the brakes on work – going from around 12-hour days (to fill the time) to about 10-hour days, but that was short lived.

As Director of Customer Care and Operations, August/September is my prep time for November, December and January three of the busiest months in our year!  The industry we are in is very competetive and margins are low so the key is LOTS of sales!  As well I lead a small team of customer care agents that are highly specialized so training and preparation is key to ensuring 90% + call answer rates consistently.

I’m in the pre-paid business – think stored value cards, wireless and virtual long distance PINS.  Our company is a distributor of these products for others in Canada and the US.

October and November has proven to be BUSY times for me and my team, we’ve increased our daily call volumes by over 50% (with no increase in staffing) and are still able to deal with 90% + of calls coming in.  On top of that you need to deal with people calling in sick, late (always) and just plain old bad days.

I’ll hopefully be posting more regularly once we’re over the seasonal hump and probably will start up the Blog Carnival in 2009 – just too much to do right now.

Roberts in his “off season” right now as well – as he doesn’t work, he spends the winter months out of country so we’ll see him sometime next year.  When he travels, he doesn’t like to “work”.

Anyway just wanted to drop in and let everyone know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth – with work and sports that my son is taking (soccer, swimming) plus Sunday school plus trying to spend quality time with him (playing, and teaching) and out of a 7-day week, if I don’t give my wife at least 1 dedicated day I’ll probably be seeing divorce papers… well, you get the picture.

Hope you all have a great month – with the economy being in the dumps, do take care of yourself and your families.  I will be continuing the series of posts on ways to make money.

I want to make one quick comment on this – someone had said that they tried a few items from the list and they were not making anything…folks, you cannot expect to do something ONE DAY or ONE WEEK and make money at it.  The only reason why the “big guys” do is that they’ve got mailing lists of tens or hundreds of thousands of people!  If your mailing list is 100,000 people strong and you put out a product or service and you only get 1% of the people buying it – that’s 1,000 people.

Most of these seasoned marketers further divide their mailing list so they know who to target.  For example, they may have a general mailing list that contains 50,000 people then a second list of people who have purchased from them.  This might be smaller – say 10,000 people — but they are HIGHLY TARGETTED!  They are very confident that when they sell to this crowd they will see a huge return on investment i.e., more click-throughs and better response to their pitch.

Whatever you do, it must be long term and you need to focus.  Don’t expect to make thousands with a website you’ve just put up… unless of course, you already have a huge following and massive lists or are willing to spend thousands on buying lists.

Take care friends!

Technorati Tags: call center leader, director customer care operations, Internet Business