by: J.F. (Jim) Straw

Have you ever wondered …

"What is the major difference between people making an extra $1,000 per month and those who are making the really big money?"
The answer is simple. — Well, maybe not so simple - but - over the years, I have observed that one of the greatest differences between those who achieve mediocre results … or no results … and those who start a small business and build an empire is that they have developed a …

Tunnel Vision Approach!
Although "tunnel vision" … represented by a closed-in and very narrow view of the objectives of the company; like looking through a tunnel …i s one of the curses of big, bureaucratic businesses, it is an absolute necessity for the beginning entrepreneur.

Too many people who want to become rich and successful never reach their goals simply because they do not develop a tunnel vision approach to their goal. Instead, they are constantly searching for that one perfect business; that one BIG deal, that will put them on Easy Street … overnight … for the rest of their life.

One week they are trying to get into the export business. The week after they want to own a franchise, or buy an apartment building, or start a mailorder business. Each new book they read creates a greener pasture for them to explore. They don't miss out on trying any, and every, new opportunity. They manage to eke out an existence, or even achieve a modicum of success - but - they never make any real money.

Most of them keep their "day-job" while they explore opportunity after opportunity…never making a true commitment to any business…just dabbling in the business world; looking for that one big deal to give them "overnight success." — If it wasn't for their "day-job," they…and their family…would starve to death.

The beginning entrepreneur who, on the other hand, develops a tunnel vision approach to making money usually makes it.

As an illustration, let me tell you a true story about my first successful full-time business…the business upon which I began building my empire.

Since the age of nine, I have been an avid reader of "how to make money" books. — Each time I read a new book, I discovered a new opportunity and chased around trying for a time to make my fortune in that field. The grass was always greener in this new pasture. After all, I had been trying my current business for a couple months and hadn't yet made my fortune.

Back in the mid-1960s, as a result of some of my reading, and with my wife's urging, I had opened a small retail Women's Wig Shop. — There was supposed to be a real fortune to be made in that field.

In a few months, I had read another book and was ready to get started on yet another quick fortune. After all, I had opened the Wig Shop, like the "book writer" told me, and the world had not beaten a path to my door.

While I was explaining my proposed plans to my wife, she nearly floored me when she said, "Why don't you just give up and let's try to at least make a living from this Wig Shop." (By the way, nobody ever becomes rich and successful until they "give up" and quit chasing non-existent rainbows.)

Her comment cut deep into my male ego. It intimated that I was less than a good provider and hadn't really earned a living for us. It made me mad … mad enough that I told her, "All right, if that's what you want, I'll do nothing but run the Wig Shop. If it fails, we can starve together."

In other words, I was going to show her that we couldn't make it in the wig business. I would be right, and she would have to agree that we should have gone ahead with my latest plans.

Since I was no longer spending my time developing or investigating new plans, I had plenty of time to get involved directly in the sale of wigs in the shop.

In no time at all, I learned that I couldn't answer the questions the customer were asking about the wigs. This led me to start reading everything I could about wigs. How they were made. Where they came from. The differences in construction. The tests of quality…what made one wig worth more than another. — All so I could answer the customers' questions.

While I was learning these things, I also discovered that I was buying from third and fourth party dealers, and was paying entirely too much for my inventory…only allowing me a gross profit of from 25% to 40%. I found purchasing directly from the importers and manufacturers reduced my costs, and increased my profits.

Every time I got side-tracked and started working on a "new" project (outside the wig business), my wife would put it down by saying, "Look, we're making money in the wig business. Let's stay with it." — Slowly but surely, with my wife's urging, I developed that all-important tunnel vision.

To make a long story short, in less than three years I was one of the largest wig dealers in the southeastern U.S. My fortune was made. — I had bought a new Cadillac, a 14-room mansion with five bathrooms and a 20'x60' swimming pool.

If you are now, like I was then, I can just about hear the comments running through your mind. — Hey, I've been there. I know what I was thinking at the time. — If your reasoning follows what mine was back then, your thoughts are probably something like this…

"If I put all my eggs in one basket, I could lose everything."

Or…

"What if I get so involved in only one business that I miss that really big, one-time break that might come along?"

Or…

"What if the business only pays me a living wage? I'll be trapped. I want to make a fortune, not just a living."

Set your fears aside. If you develop and use a tunnel vision approach in any business, you will eventually make your fortune through a logical progression of accumulation, leverage and natural diversification.

I didn't make my first fortune by only operating one wig shop. In less than six months, after I started really concentrating on, and dedicating my time to, the wig business, I had two shops, then three, then four. Each one producing more revenue, income and profit.

Then I discovered that I could buy-out whole wig shops that had bankrupted for pennies on the dollar and resell the inventory through my wig shops…at full retail prices. — I even exported some of the wigs…made in the orient…to wig dealers in other countries (at prices lower than what they would have paid if they had bought the wigs directly from the manufacturer).

Later, I began selling the bankrupted inventories to other wig dealers before I ever owned then. I didn't even have the wigs shipped to me. I bought them on the West Coast, sold them on the East Coast, had them shipped direct, and pocketed the difference in prices. — In some cases, I just introduced the buyer to the seller and pocketed a fat finder's fee…without ever buying or selling anything.

What I did was to take the techniques and ideas I had learned about in other businesses in which I had been involved and applied them, while staying within the scope of my tunnel vision…the wig business.

If you've been reading "how to make money" materials for any time at all…whether you realize it or not…you have soaked-up literally hundreds, upon hundreds, of business ideas, techniques and applications you can use in your business (no matter what that business may be).

As an example: At one time, I had thought about getting started in a "Party Plan" business. It didn't pan out, but I applied the party plan idea to the wig business by going back to the party plan book and adjusting everything to fit my wig business.

It wasn't unusual for one of my "wig parties" to produce from $300 to $500 in one evening. — More that a month's salary back then.

Another book I had read told how a restaurant had increased its business by painting its building bright colors, adding banners and hand-painted signs.

So, I had the outside of one of my wig shops painted yellow, orange and red…using "day-glo" paint. The windows were painted red, green, blue and yellow in a carousel pattern. Hand-painted, brightly colored signs were everywhere…inside and out. — The business doubled overnight.

Reading about a novelty shop franchise, I had learned that they used a "loss leader"…an item they offered at cost; or less…to bring customers into the store.

Beauty salons in our area, at that time, were charging from $7.50 to $15 to style women's wigs. So, wig styling became my "loss leader." We did wig styling for $2…if the woman bought at least one wig from our shop.

When a woman left a wig for styling, or picked one up, we could show them new styles. They just kept buying. One lady bought over 50 wigs from us in less than 2 years. — We did all of her wig styling at $2 each…saving her a fortune in stying charges alone - plus - she was a walking advertisement for our wig shop and referred countless new customers to us.

Once I learned, developed and used a tunnel vision approach in my wig business, I made my fortune through a logical progression of accumulation, leverage and natural diversification.

"Natural diversification" catapulted me from a successful business as a wig merchant to world-renown as a writer, publisher, mailorder marketer, when I began writing articles about making money in a Wig Shop…for publication in trade magazines…then, getting paid to write similar articles for other wig merchants to help them market their wigs.

Throughout the years, I have observed that all successful business people have developed that all-important tunnel vision approach in their businesses.

So, the major difference between people making an extra $1,000 per month and the ones that make big money … the difference between beginning entrepreneurs who just eke out a living in business and those who build empires …i s that, those who succeed are those who develop and use a tunnel vision approach. The others keep thinking there has to be something else … better, more profitable … that they could be doing, so they keep looking-for it, instead of using what they have to achieve the success they want.

Give up on finding a better, more profitable opportunity. Apply yourself to the opportunity at hand…whatever it may be (selling my products, or somebody else's). — Give-up spending your time developing or investigating new plans. — Make what you have work for you. Accumulate, leverage and diversify logically. — You won't succeed in anything until you develop and use a tunnel vision approach in your business endeavors…as all successful business people have.

When you have learned that 2 + 2 = 4, you have gained a useful piece of "information." - When you have learned that 2 apples + 2 apples = 4 apples, but, that 2 apples + 2 oranges = 2 apples & 2 oranges, or 2 pairs of fruit, or 4 fruits, you have gained all-important "knowledge."

Information is nice to know. It lets you answer the questions on tests (or when watching TV game shows). But, until you learn to use that information in a practical application, it isn't knowledge.

Any child of 2 or 3 years of age can tell you that 2 + 2 = 4. They have heard it repeated, over & over, until they can repeat it themselves. But, when confronted with 4 apples, they are at a loss to apply that information.

The same holds true for older students (and even adults) who can readily tell you that Einstein's Theory of Relativity can be expressed by the formula, E = M times C squared. - Until they know what the E, M & C stand for and can use the formula in a practical application, it is only information, not knowledge.

A fine line exists between information and knowledge. That fine line is nothing more than "use." — You can memorize bits and pieces of information all day, every day, but, until you actually use that information, it is not knowledge. Once used, information becomes knowledge and, thereby, power.

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE; whether they be self-employed or wage-earners, executive or common laborer, are seekers after knowledge. They absorb information from every direction. The information they can use becomes knowledge, while the information they have no apparent use for is simply stored on the chance that someday it may become useful.

UN-SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE, on the other hand, claim to be seekers of knowledge, but, they believe that knowledge itself can be imparted. Because the books they read, the courses they take, and the plans they buy contain only "information.," they are forever disappointed. Because it is ONLY INFORMATION (not the "knowledge" they thought they were going to get), they never use the information and, thereby, the knowledge they sought is lost to them forever.

Since I am the author of a great many books, booklets, reports, articles and editorials about success and making & using money (somewhere over 300 so far), those people stick-out like sore-thumbs on my customer lists. They write me long letters detailing their trials and tribulations and explain to me just why the information won't work for them. But, not one ever writes to say "I used the information and it didn't work." - Had they ever used the information, that information would have turned into knowledge and they could have reaped the rewards they have coveted for so long.

If there was a way I could "force" those people to use the information they have, I could literally GUARANTEE their success. And, in those few cases over the years where I have been able to shame or intimidate people into actually using the information I have provided, those people have achieved successes they had only dreamed were possible.

The RULES OF SUCCESS used by successful people & businesses since the beginning of time have never really changed. Those rules have been written-down for all to read, learn and use, but they appear as "information" only and can only be changed to "knowledge" by use. If there were a way to "force" every person and every business to "use" those known and proven rules of success, there would be NO UN-successful people or businesses in the world.

Statistically, 90% of small businesses fail, and 90% of people live a life of sustained mediocrity, simply because they will not "use" the information available to them.

In your quest for financial independence you MUST learn to force yourself to use the information you have at your disposal. — No one (but YOU) is going to force you to assume that responsibility.

Of course, some smart aleck reading this is going to say, "Yeah! But, I'm not going to use any bad information."

Granted, there is bad (counter-productive) information out there. BUT - there is NO WAY of telling good information from bad information, UNTIL YOU TRY IT. Judging the value of information without using it is like trying to judge the flavor of a pie without ever tasting it.

If you learn nothing else from life, learn that information only becomes knowledge when you use it - and - the information you have used or failed to use in the past is the reason you are where you are today.

YOU can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. No one forces you to be what you are, or do what you do (or don't do). - What you have today is a direct result of what you did yesterday. What you will have tomorrow will be a direct result of what you do (or don't do) today.
It's up to you!

Having spent over 50 years in business; doing business successfully, J.F. (Jim) Straw now shares "Practical Instruction in the Arts & Sciences of Making Money" at the Business Lyceum. — http://www.businesslyceum.com

Long Distance T1

Corporate Long Distance

Commercial Long Distance

The professional organizer has plenty to offer the small business. First and foremost is the basic design of the office area. The organizer will help to locate the best spaces to put desks and cubicles for maximum efficiency. Planners are familiar with the latest in desk designs as well as desk accessories that can help to create a proficient work environment.

Many things that the ordinary small business owner would not think of are often part of the list of functions that the professional organizer performs. For example, the color of the walls, carpet and fixtures are all important considerations in planning the best office. Some colors create a better work atmosphere than other colors do.

The professional organizer will also help to determine the most efficient use of existing space. Many times the small business owner has not planned properly and has allowed disorganization to take over. The organizer can help find the best storage solutions as well as set up organized areas to help create an organized and efficient office space.

A professionally organized office is particularly important when clients are involved. When the office is a place where you meet with clients it is important that the space be kept extremely organized. Organized closets, even at work, can help to keep the office looking good and running well.

There are other important factors that may be overlooked when designing an office space for your small business. One such area is communications. Take into account the type of communications system you need for your office. Think about the types of calls that will be both made and received. Allow for speaker phones in conference rooms so that meetings can be held effortlessly. Allow an area for visiting clients or employees to use where they can leave their briefcases as well as make important phone calls.

The communication plan should also include a well-designed calling plan. Small and medium sized companies may benefit by using a T1 service for long distance or a T1 internet connection. Be sure that the wiring in the offices and desk areas is sufficient to run both a computer and telephone.

Common areas should be designed for specific uses. For example, a copy room should have copy and fax machines as well as house the paper and other supplies needed to use them. A good work surface or counter in these areas helps employees stay organized when they use these services. This helps them save time.

Other ways the professional organizer can help is by giving you methods to stay organized. While it’s one thing to start out organized most people and businesses don’t stay that way for too long. What helps is when the organizer puts specific methods in place to help keep things organized. This can mean the difference between an office that gets messy and one that stays organized.

The well-organized office should account for things such as recycling, paper distribution, refuse and supply storage. Special locking cabinets should be in place to house important supplies or equipment such as spare computers. Organized closets with shelving helps to maintain an uncluttered work area.

The professional organizer can be well-worth his or her costs. The improved work environment makes for an enhanced work experience – one where the employees are both happy and efficient.

"Vonage has a new patent. It’s for something called “Method and Apparatus for Enhanced Internet Telephony.” According to the company, “The invention, which was filed for patent in 2003, makes it less likely for customers to encounter dropped calls, incomplete attempted calls or other communication problems resulting from typical router function and behavior.”

Does anyone believe this will help them actually turn a profit?? I'm not holding my breath.

So what happened? What clipped the wings of so many VoIP hopefuls can be boiled down to five things:

# Death by Deliberation: The incumbents and cablecos were identified as early targets for the equipment vendors, however their engineers quibbled about curbside protocols and QOS and fiddled with VoIP in the labs, delaying launches by years — far outside of the fundraising cycle of most of the VoIP startups.

# Competition Attrition: The implosion and autopsy of WorldCom signaled to most of the industry that being a competitor in telecom is not a healthy business. Those high prices were largely arbitrary, and as soon as the market pressured incumbents to reduce them, they did.

# Evolution vs. Revolution: Companies like Nortel, Siemens and Ericsson rank among the top VoIP equipment vendors today, not startups. Technologists completely underestimated the sway and leverage that the traditional vendors held over their customers.

# SIP in a Box: SIP might be an open protocol, but networks were built proprietarily and have not been bridged together. Most telecom services still communicate with each other via public switching, meaning that the wonderful possibilities that SIP might enable are limited by the capabilities of the plain old telephone system.

# Landline Decline: Even as networks were evolving, the number of landlines around the globe was shrinking. People found more convenient ways to communicate via wireless, SMS, instant messaging or pervasive email.

VoIP technology has clearly been successful in making inroads into traditional telecom networks, but in doing so, the revolution that SIP in particular, and VoIP in general, enables has been largely cast aside and the entire industry has coalesced in a race to the bottom. With this revolution went the volume of equipment and software sales that could have revitalized the supplier business and stimulated more innovation.

"Kalimat Telecom, Iraq's national telecom network launched the first WiMax network in Baghdad. The $500 million project is the national Fixed Wireless Local Loop (WLL) Telephony and Data provider aiming to serve 28 million Iraqi citizens. Barely five percent penetration in Iraq for obvious security problems there in the past, but with the improving situation, Kalimat Telecom is now poised to take off and plans to secure 60 percent of Iraqi subscribers in the next two years."

Very interesting to see how Iraq is building up and the infrastructure that's in place. I wonder how their over telecom situation is moving along?

Technorati Profile

"This is the season when presidential candidates are busily proclaiming that they won't raise your taxes.

But across the country, consumer watchdogs are outraged that the Federal Communications Commission will meet on Election Day and could vote to raise your monthly phone bill.

The increase would result partly from increases in federally mandated fees."

And do not be suprised if rates start to rise over the next 6 months. Tough economy will hit the telecom companies and raising rates is one sure way of increasing revenue. We are already seeing it in the wholesale long distance arena.

"The hackers can intercept VoIP calls made to the Vonage customers. The shocking revelation may put the VoIP startup into trouble, which is already down with legal controversies."

Vonage has refused to comment on this new revelation.

So now I ask all Vonage users, still feel good about using them? Actually, most of the people i have spoken with discontinue using Vonage after a few months.

One more tidbit is they only lost 7 million for the 2nd quarter this year.

Hey, it's progress, compared to the 23 million they lost in same quarter last year.

I won't even start a rant on their business model. That may be saved for another date.