
Are The government and Your Employer Responsible for Your Financial Well-being?

06/20/2019 03:53am
Are The government and Your Employer Responsible for Your Financial Well-being?The best thing about history is that it helps us predict the future. In the last 100 years, there have been several recessions across the globe. The well-documented facts show us that employees were laid off and unemployment shot up to high double digits. Employers who had to let go of their employees never thought they were responsible for the financial well-being of those laid-off employees. To me, no job looks secure. On the other hand, governments across the world have genuine obligations to improve their economies...

Is Debt Good or Bad?

06/20/2019 03:55am
Is Debt Good or Bad?It was considered a privilege to carry a credit card back in the eighties. Nowadays, credit card companies harass people who have steady incomes to offer them free-for-life credit cards. Things have evolved in a manner that you can take a cash advance with zero down payment and zero interest for a number of months. The trick here is that most people will fail to repay those credit card loans within the few months window and then get penalized with huge interest rates that can range anywhere between 24 to 36% per year. This is when the...

Did You Ever Make a Self Talk to Understand the Current State of Your Finances?

11/16/2018 09:33am
Did You Ever Make a Self Talk to Understand the Current State of Your Finances? When was the last time you have evaluated the current state of your finances? Whether you are in a financial disaster or in a financial health, have you ever asked yourself a question such as: "Why Am I Here?" When I examined my poor financial situation back in 2008, dozens of questions and ideas came to my mind. In some instances, I comforted myself with some irrational justifications about my financial ruin. It was like covering a bad story with...

Armor Up: What’s Holding You Back as a Leader

11/11/2018 10:41pm
A great deal has been written about entrepreneurs and organizational leaders dealing with their fear. Ive written about it myself. I have to admit, I always thought that it was fear that holds us back from being the leaders we want to be: bold, courageous, inspiring. Not so. Brene Brown, everyones favorite vulnerability expert, reports from her research in her latest book, Dare to Lead , that its not fear that holds us back as leaders. Its the response to that fear. Its your thoughts, feelings, and your behavior in response to your fear. Its your armor. Brave leaders...

You Can Almost Never Become Wealthy Without Incurring Good Debt!

10/31/2018 10:19am
During my five-year assignment in the Philippines, I met a Lebanese-American businessman who lived most of his life in Asia, between China and Philippines. He was in the business of producing clothes and garments in China and the Philippines and exporting them to the US. He was also a landlord to many residential and commercial properties in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, UK, and the US. He was well connected in the Philippines to influential people. His employees and business partners treated him and respected him like a father figure. He became my personal coach and mentor and helped me...

Stop Arguing for Your (and Your Company’s) Limitations

10/20/2018 01:47am
Your choices are very powerful. When you make choices that are world-class, youll get world-class results. Mediocre choices? Mediocre results. Most of us spend a lot of energy justifying bad behavior. How many times have you ignored your best self and gone ahead and done that thing you swore youd never do again, making an excuse? I was in a rush. It doesnt really matter its only this one time. Chances are, its happened already today. When your actions arent congruent with your values, it creates instant dissonance. Stress. And since impact is anchored in your values, reduced...

11 Ways Investing in Impact Helps Your Business

10/07/2018 10:47pm
Youve bought into the idea that investing in your business is a good idea. Youve seen the results in action, the return on investment. ROI is by no means a guarantee. It never is. You do your due diligence and research, and then you decide if its worth the calculated risk for the return you want. What is guaranteed, though, is that without investment - of time, energy, and money - there is no return. The decision to invest in a strategic shift can be most challenging, because the benefits are often delayed. Why do it? Because strategy drives everything in...

5 Business Lessons I Learned From My Mom

09/17/2018 12:38am
Who would you expect to be Shark Tank investor Barbara Corcorans most important mentor? Barbara says in her new podcast, Business Unusual, that her mom was her best teacher when it came to business. Ive been fortunate to have had several mentors (I always have at least one coach, usually more), and I value them all. But Barbaras podcast got me thinking. How did what my mom taught me influence me in my business? My mom wasnt a businesswoman, but she should have been. She managed money like a champ. She worked miracles with a small budget. She was a...

How to Go from Overwhelmed to Productive

09/08/2018 08:14pm
When youre in the middle of overwhelm territory in your business, its hard to find the map or GPS to find your way out. Here are 3 strategies to guide you: 1. Ask yourself: Is my overwhelm a stand-in for something else? Overwhelm can mask other things, like fear. Are you starting something new? Do you have a big undertaking and you dont know whats next? That fear of the unknown can pop up when you least want to see it. Knowing that fear is going to rise up, find ways to calm...

10 Profound Insights from Impactful Entrepreneurs

08/24/2018 11:13pm
Wouldnt you love to have Seth Godin, Marianne Williamson, and Prince Ea give you advice about your impact? You can! Those are just three of the impactful entrepreneurs Ive interviewed on the Work Alchemy podcast. And every time, I ask them: what advice would you give an entrepreneur who wants to make a difference, to contribute more, to have more impact? So here are 10 profound insights from the famous and not-so-famous, all impactful entrepreneurs and leaders. (Note: slightly edited to make the conversion from conversation to the written word more easily understood, but its as close as can be): 1....

Share This to Build Customer Connection

08/13/2018 07:56am
Truth #1: Every buying decision begins with a connection. If you want to increase your income, build connections with your customers. Truth #2: People want to be part of something bigger than themselves. We all want to contribute somehow, and most of us what to do so in a way that makes the world a better place. The happy place where those two truths meet is where youre able to connect with your customers around something bigger. Businesses that are built around impact, around making a positive difference in the world, do 12-14 times better financially. So how do you find...

How Being a Disruptor Can Serve Your Business and the World

07/28/2018 12:56am
Were all living through a period of significant disruption. When the seas are rough, the temptation is to hunker down, batten down the hatches, and hope you survive until it all blows over. But what if disruption represents an opportunity, an opportunity for your business? Then it makes sense to let go, expose yourself to the wind and waves, and see where the opportunity takes you. Big-time disruptors like Richard Branson sure have rocked the business world with his unorthodox approach, being a sometimes outrageous voice and defying all predictions that excelling in multiple sectors would never work. Hes...

I Want To Quit

04/12/2018 09:22pm
What a wannabe entrepreneur might say: I want to quit. Its too hard. Im not making enough money. I dont like marketing. Im afraid Ill fail. I want to quit. What a real entrepreneur would say: I want to quit wasting my time on unimportant things, and focus on the impact that my business and I could have instead. I want to quit reinventing the wheel, and instead invent systems that will help things run smoothly in my business. I want to quit worrying about the people who dont like what Im doing, the naysayers, and instead focus on the people...

Is the D Word Holding You Back? Discipline and Your Business

04/05/2018 10:38pm
Even disciplined people say they cant do discipline well! What is it about self discipline thats so scary?Entrepreneurs tend to be motivated at least partially by self-determination, our ability to decide how our time and energy will be used. Thats a premium level perk of entrepreneurship for me. And I suspect for you too. Discipline can feel like somebody making you do something when you dont want to. Discipline can suggest a rigidity that is the antithesis of creativity. Where will we get our great ideas if were not following that shiny object?Being free-flowing and responsive to opportunity is a...

10 Small Steps That Make a Big Difference

03/16/2018 12:14pm
In your business, it can seem like big decisions are all-important. In truth, its the small things that can trip you up. And its the small things that add up to create big change and enormous benefits. Like money invested over time, small steps have a compound effect. Your choice to take small steps that benefit you, your business, and your impact really do shape your destiny. Here are 10 small things you can do that will make a big difference in your business: 1. Thank people . Your team, clients, suppliers, family, friends....