The Green Wave of Wealth Creation - by Alex Har

I met my old friend couple of days ago. He was a veteran on Direct Marketing. Today, he sent me an article which I like to post it here for people to enjoy. Here goes...

I have given many talks on my “21 ways of Generating Big Revenues through Direct Response Marketing”.

Many people have walked away…probably saying “nothing new”. Others have sought me out to engage me on issues which I thought was “nothing new”.

Often this latter group of people will return to share and thank me for their success, and will be amongst the list of people sending me hampers this Chinese New Year.

Over time I have come to recognize these successful wealth creators as people with a “Green View”. They can see freshness in old clichés…always excited, never seem bored.

“GREEN” when referring to people seems to have somewhat a universal meaning. In the western world, it implies new, inexperienced, likewise to the Chinese. But the Chinese, (Chinese language being more picturesque) have the added imagery of someone inexperienced climbing all over the place constantly and fruitlessly. The word green in Cantonese “tsen” refers to a yellow-green or fresh green” Hence parents will often tell young children “don’t be k m k m tsen” which in Cantonese which means “don’t climb around like a green monster” or “don’t be so fidgety” which takes us to the Key Wealth Attitude discussed in this short essay. “Fidgetiness” reveals not just a lack of focus but more a lack of stillness. I have seen many “focused persons” fail as they lacked stillness.

Some years ago, I attended a Wealth Creation Seminar that changed my life. It was about investing in the stock market but the learning point I took away helped me in all aspects of my life. I only learnt or rather was reminded to do just one thing, “Be still when you make a decision” . I have found that this applies effectively to buying stocks and shares or any other things that I do.

It was then the late 90s and I had lost a bunch of money with the stock market falling through the roof. It was also a period when I just retired from my corporate career of 20 plus years. My six-sense had prodded me to pay attention to my investment portfolio, as it was obvious that things were getting rather dynamic or “hot”. unfortunately being newly retired, and with so many propositions in my face, I did not have the stillness to do it…as a result I lost probably much more than I should.

Some of you may say that this is mere hindsight… every person can rationalize his own success or failure. I will not disagree with such assertions…unfortunately that is what learning is all about. The importance is whether a “rationale” is helpful for the future…and for me it was.

So I do not close my mind to just one thing or other…because that’s dangerous in this highly dynamic world….but within this chaos learn to have a stillness of mind…especially when making decisions. With stillness, the right paths will crystallize.

The imageries I like to use to describe is stillness is encapsulated in one of my postings in the Blog, Paradise Regained.

“A Shaolin monk perched precariously on
one foot on a bamboo pole,
full of potential power,
silent, fully aware of himself and the environment,
ready to strike, and
when he does, he does so effectively
in quick simple strokes
or the blind swordsman who despite his lack of vision
is able detect all movements around him.
He is entirely centered, totally aware
about his self and his relationship with his surroundings”

Returning to my talks on “21 Ways to Generating Big Revenues for Direct Response Marketing”…I have often been asked “which is the most important of the 21”. It makes me recall the Bible when the disciples asked Jesus which of them was most important. Even though Jesus seemingly suggested Peter as the “Rock on which he build the church” ….looking through the Act of Apostle which outline their evangelical mission, one would conclude that different disciples had their time and place in the history of the church….and it was Paul, not one of the 12 who pushed Christianity into empire status.
Asking what or who is most important reveals the “green” of someone excited without stillness. “There is a time and a place for everything” is an old adage which I see people, including myself, repeat so often but imbibe so little in our minds. We keep jumping and climbing, “kum kum tsen into situations where we shouldn’t be (in hindsight).

So it’s good to be excited, to be active, curious and inquisitive, but it is most important to keep our sense of stillness. Apply stillness in every project you do…in all the 21 approaches that you take if we decide it is good for you. Don’t get involved if for some reasons you cannot be still.

How do we gain this stillness? My good friend Eddie Goh speaks about this regularly. I will just mention a few points as a conclusion to the article.

There is the aspect of re-engineering our lives…developing a criteria of what values are important to us…the anchoring framework of our being. For those with a religion, praying routinely is probably the best way. Routinely is the key word. Others will have to find different routines to engage in deep reflection and though meditation, or just get way from everything…go ocean watching or nature hiking with plenty of Greenness around you.

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Entrepreneur Magazine Success Coach, Trump Personal Success Expert

Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump

Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump speak are interviewed regarding a new book they co-authored "Why We Want You to Be Rich".

ARE YOU A NETPRENEUR?

Who is a netprenuer? Actually the word netpreneur brings images to mind of a young geek. A person in his early twenties who has the courage to break the conventional rules to build up an online business from scratch is our netpreneur. There was a time when netpreneurs were thought to be some kind of mythical creatures. They came from nowhere and made millions in the market. And that image is still itched out into the minds of many but to be honest these are just images. The reality is very different.

The majority of netpreneur are still young but they are not some kind of eccentric genius. Anyone can be a netprenuer these days. That is the result of easy access to internet and the desire of people to take some risk and start their own online business venture. Netpreneurs are like any other entrepreneurs. The only difference is that netpreneur as the name suggests is a special class of entrepreneur who has some special technical skills that could be used to earn money online. Actually all the qualities that are needed to be an entrepreneur is also necessary for being a netpreneur and what is more, a netpreneur should have an added skill related to running an online business.

The best thing about a netpreneur is that you don’t need to be some super geek where computer software is concerned. Anyone who wants to earn some money online could be a netpreneur. The only thing needed is your determination to do something worthwhile. If you are currently employed somewhere you can go on with your job and also start a new online business venture in part time. This way the risks associated with starting ones own business venture gets mitigated a lot.

There are many aspects of netpreneurship. It all depends on your skill set. If you are skilled technically, you can offer such services to your clients. If you don’t have such technical skills, you can try to sell products online. For that you don’t need much technical know-how. What is more, even if you think don’t have products to sell; there is nothing to be disappointed about. There are a number of affiliate programs on the net that allow you to sell their products on a commission. There is also an option of auction sites on the internet like eBay. You can sell and purchase products from such online auction sites. The trick is in finding products at cheaper rates and selling it at higher rates.

As this discussion shows, it is just about your skill set that matters. The avenues for a netpreneur are many. It is for you to decide which one suits you the best. What you should always remember is that just because a business is online it doesn't mean it doesn't follow the rules of business. You have to run it as any other business and act as any other successful entrepreneurs do.

So, before you take the plunge ask yourself what is it that you are good at? And when you find the answer you should plan your business venture accordingly. The world of internet is full of information about online ventures and netpreneurship. You need a little bit of research to come out with the exact business plan that could catapult you to success.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A MINIPRENEUR?

Most of us find ourselves trapped in nine to five jobs and even though the desire to do something worthwhile exists but job security and several other such considerations stop us from taking the one step that could change our future forever. And that makes me come to the topic of minipreneur. Who is a minipreneur?

Well minipreneur is our entrepreneur but with a little difference. If you find that you are not in a position to leave your job, you can start some work in your part time without actually quitting your job. And that would make you a minipreneur. Minipreneur is anyone who starts with a small idea but with a vision that could take him to the highest platform of success.

The best thing about minipreneur is that you don’t exactly need to spend all your time at it, in the beginning. After all, you must have liabilities with you and you could not risk it all. So, the best course of action would be to initiate some business in your part time and continue with your job. And the moment you feel your part time business has grown enough to occupy you full time, you can quit your job and start concentrating fully on your business.

And if you are still skeptic about what I am telling you, why not have a look at some statistics that voice the same opinion that minipreneurship is in.

1) Surveys reveal that over seven hundred and fifty thousand American Citizens are getting their primary and secondary source of income from eBay. And what is more over one and a half million persons claim that they augment their income by selling on eBay.

2) About fifty thousand people in the United Kingdom draw a large portion of their income by selling goods online.

3) There are over five million "Web Driven Entrepreneurs" that we call netpreneurs, in the United States. This accounts for about twenty five percent of all small businesses.

Now the next pertinent question must be about the cause of this boom in their numbers.

1) The revolutionary penetration of internet into our households have made ordinary people like you and me realize that money could also be made by engaging in a bit of manufacturing, enterprising, venturing, selling, trading, and auctioning. The opportunities are infinite on the net. The only thing needed is your sincere effort.

2) Being a minipreneur gives you control, independence, and charge of your destiny and that is what all of us want. Who doesn’t want to be one's own boss and earn money too?

3) And one of the most motivating factors is that minipreneurship is in. It's the new rage in the world of internet. And it doesn’t matter how small you have started. You can think big and you can achieve big. You can achieve big by starting small. Be a Minipreneur.

4) Another reason is the risk involved. Yes, the risk involved is very less as compared to slugging it out at some other job. What you must understand is that you need to provide customers with more choice and more variety. You need to find products or services that are different or that are special or that are vintage or customized or something that no big corporation could develop because of profitability concerns. One such product and you have made it!

It is true that talking about minipreneur is really simple but the real work needs to be done to achieve success. And that would involve determination, hard work and out of the box thinking. Once you do that, well you are on your way!

WHO IS A TECHNOPRENEUR AND A MINIPRENEUR?

Most of us have heard of the word entrepreneur and the meaning that single word conveys. Yes, an entrepreneur is the one who is willing to own and operate and take the risk of operating any business. He is the one who manages all the factors of production to carry on with production. But with time, the purview of the word entrepreneur changed dramatically and it became a comprehensive word signifying a lot of different aspects of business.

Two major extensions of entrepreneurship that has resulted due to the changes in the markets are Technopreneurship and Minipreneurship. The words are self explanatory but let's try to have a look at these words in more detail and try to understand the basic essence of these words. Who exactly is a technopreneur? Well, he could be understood as a new age entrepreneur who makes use of technology to come out with something new or to make some innovation. And once he is successful in it, he exploits his achievement in the market to make money.

What differentiates a technopreneur from any other businessman is the way a technopreneur operates his business. His business is generally marked with a high growth potential and high leverage of knowledge and intellectual property. What is more, he always has a viable exit mechanism.

Then we can have a classic entrepreneur. He is the one who starts his own business. Or you can have a multipreneur who starts a number of companies as per his potential. But the maximum number of entrepreneurs falls in the category of intrapreneur. These are the ones who use their creativity, their knowledge, and their drive in a large corporation. And yes, how can we leave aside a minipreneur. Yes, he is the one who doesn’t possess huge capital base to start a large business but is the one who starts a new venture with this limited capital and with the help of that small capital base expands his business to great heights.

If you are thinking of starting a new business venture of your own, you should asses yourself very objectively if you are game for it. For example, if you are thinking to be a technopreneur, you need to have some personal traits that include being ambitious, independent thinking, passionate about your work, self confidence to take bold decisions, commitment to your job, creativity in good doses, having risk taking abilities, and having a vision for future.

So, if you want to be a technopreneur, start with assessing yourself, if you are really for it. And be very honest about it. You can't cheat yourself. What are your interests? Are you really interested in being a technopreneur or are you joining the bandwagon? Do you have the aptitude to be a technopreneur? What are the relative advantages and the disadvantages of being a technopreneur?

You must be very sure of what you want. Another option could be of being a miniprenuer. The best thing about it is that you can continue in your present job and pursue your business in part time. And when you think that you are ready to pursue it full time you should leave your job and do it full time. It all depends on your personal choice and personal willingness.

Why Do You Want To Be An Entrepreneur?

Most of the discussions start with the question, "How can you be an entrepreneur?" and "What should be done to be a successful entrepreneur?" but the first question that must be dealt with is "Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?" Do you really want to be an entrepreneur? This is the first question that must be asked by anyone and everyone before thinking of starting any business venture? This is the moot question. And yes, first of all you would have to understand who is an entrepreneur? What is entrepreneurship per se?

The word entrepreneur comes from Latin. Entre-enter; pre-before; neur-nerve center. Taking its derivation we could understand entrepreneur as someone who enters the nerve center of a business that no one entered before and then makes changes to it that results in a paradigm shift in the whole process. An entrepreneur is the one who is willing to take risk in any business endeavor. Entrepreneurship is the art of finding an opportunity and then pursuing it to success. As a saying goes "brilliant people also see the same things that others do but they observe things that others don’t." It is the same with entrepreneurs also. They come out with ideas that others don’t think about and that is why they become successful.

Another term which has found a lot of popularity in recent time is a technopreneur. Well, a technopreneur could be understood as an entrepreneur in a business related to technology. It is generally seen that a technopreneur generally has some kind of proprietary and patentable intellectual property rights that he commercializes and reaps benefits out of it. Technopreneurship is a term which is generally used for software companies.

Now let's talk about our earlier question. Why entrepreneurship? Why are you thinking of being an entrepreneur? Do you really want to be an entrepreneur or is there some kind of compulsion to be an entrepreneur? Is it because you don’t have any job or you currently find yourself out of job? There are many who get into the field because that is what his father and forefathers have been doing. Well, after all, it is their family business. And there is another category that interests me the most. It is the one where people claim that they want to be entrepreneurs for the very simple reason that they want to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is in their blood.

It is for you to ask yourself. Why do you want to be an entrepreneur? I would like to tell you one thing. Entrepreneurship can really prove very rewarding but and this is a very big but, it is very risky and not easy. Until and unless you are ready to slug it out till the end, the chances of success are very limited. If you are fed up with you daily office routine and want to try your hands in entrepreneurship, let me tell you that the time you would have to spend for your own company would be far more. The effort that you would have to make would be far greater than what you have been making. There has never been any short cut to success and there would never be any. But yes, when you really become successful, the rewards compensate for everything.

The avenues open are many but you would have to make appropriate choices. The present time offers you opportunities where you can earn money and make a mark for yourself without actually investing too much of capital. Yes, we are in the age of "MiniPreneurs" where anyone and everyone can start a business of their own.

If you want to read more, wait for the next article on MiniPreneurs . We would also be discussing on NetPreneurs.