Archive View (November 2006)

"You cannot teach a man anything; You can only help him find it within himself." - Galileo In a recent issue of Business Week magazine, I was voted, by their readers, as "the world's most competitive businessperson" and voted by the staff and writers of Business Week as one of the top 10 most competitive businesspeople on the planet. To me, that is a great honor. It also underscores why I emphasize taking the initiative in order to "make it happen in your life." I am a competitive person and to me that's a good thing, because it's the opposite of being complacent more...

 Several weeks ago I had a conversation with Larry Gessner, a very active member of the Trump University community. Larry told me about an inspiring quote that he keeps posted on his office wall. It comes from a speech that Theodore Roosevelt gave in Paris on April 23, 1910. I'll share it with you in a moment, but before I do, I'd like to point out that if Roosevelt were around today, he would address comments like these to women as well as to men. Times have become less sexist, and I believe that Teddy would have changed too. But here's the more...

An art teacher in Dallas got in huge trouble for taking her students on a field trip. The veteran elementary school teacher took a group of 89 fifth-graders to the Dallas Museum of Art where they saw classical works of art including paintings, sculptures and statues. The problem was, however, some of them happened to be naked. Apparently, at least one kid went home and told his or her parents about the nudity and the parents went crazy and called the school. Now teacher Sydney McGee probably won't have her contract renewed by the school board. I'm not sure what these parents expected their more...

I saw an amazing piece in USA Today just a few days ago. It was in the lower left corner of the front page of the business section called USA Today "Snapshots."Here's the exact quote:"Most employers don't share company strategy - Of the companies with a formal strategy in place, 70% describe their performance as better than their competition, compared with 27% of those without it, according to a survey. Percentage of companies that tell their employees what the strategy is: 95% don't tell, 5% tell."The survey, entitled "Making Strategy Execution a Competitive Advantage," was conducted by the Cognos/Palladium Group and more...

An Interview with Carbonite's David Friend I stress about losing computer data, don't you? That's why I have tried a number of online backup products in the last year. Most of them stank. They were impossible to set up and didn't perform the backups I scheduled. So a month ago I decided to try just one more, Carbonite.The Carbonite Website answered a lot of questions, had a friendly "feel" and didn't ask for my credit-card info before letting me take a test drive. So I signed up for a free trial. I was pleasantly surprised. The product, as promised, backed up more...

You always hear about how looking at photos of gorgeous models isharmful to average-looking women. Some people say it's bad for women's body image and can lead to eating disorders and emotional issues. Now, some researchers are saying don't forget about men. When normal-looking guys see photos of male models with chiseled muscles and washboard abs, it hurts their self-esteem too. And those negative feelings can hurt a man's sexual well-being. But researchers say there is a bright side. If average men look at all those lean, muscular guys maybe it will inspire them to get in shape. Unlike female actresses and models, more...

I have never seen an advertisement that said "Great Jobs for Sale," and I bet you haven't either. But if someone offered to sell you a great job, for a reasonable price, wouldn't you say yes? Imagine receiving the additional job benefits of having a new job with a healthy income stream that would exceed your current salary. To make the deal even sweeter, it would be a job where you would personally receive 100 percent of the income that your ideas and work generated for the firm, not just a small percentage. And once you built the value and equity in more...

The Trump International Hotel & Tower Waikiki Beach Walk just set a world record for one-day property sales in a single development. All 464 of the development's residences sold on the first day they were offered, bringing in more than $700 million.Despite the price range of $450,000 - $2,740,000, it's no wonder these residences sold out that fast. Just look at what the Waikiki Beach Walk offers: A spectacular design blends Deco and traditional Hawaiian design elements. There's an indoor waterfall too. Luxury amenities include a full-service spa, an infinity pool, an extensive wine cellar and a library reserved for the more...

In today's competitive marketplace, marketing makes the difference between failure and success. If you doubt that statement, look at your shoes. With millions of different shoes on the market, how did those two particular shoes make it onto your feet this morning? You might say that you picked the shoes with the most innovative design. But is that really true? If you browse a footware website like Zappos.com, you'll find thousands of highly innovative designs. There are sandals that look like sneakers, loafers that look like hiking boots, perforated shoes that let the air in but keep the water out and sneakers more...

When it comes to money, churches are getting smart. They know that people don't always carry around a lot of cash - or at least that's their excuse at collection time. So some smart ministers are forgetting about the collection plate. Instead, they're installing ATM-like machines in their lobbies. One minister calls it "an ATM for Jesus." These machines allow churchgoers to use their bankcards to make donations. No more excuses about not having any cash or leaving the checkbook at home. Because nobody travels without plastic anymore. So far, most of the churches that have picked up on the money-making trend are Protestant more...

A home office is great if you are working remotely for your company. But if you are an entrepreneur, working out of a home office can stifle your growth and actually cost you lots of money in lost opportunities.Reason One: A home office is not conducive to hiring employees who will help you substantially increase your income This is basic. To grow your business and your income, you need to hire employees who can handle your lower-value work so that you can concentrate on the bigger picture and the bigger deals. If your time is worth $500/hr, you shouldn't be doing more...

In my post of November 3rd, I promised that I would follow up in a few days with a post about guerrilla advertising. Here it is - a packet of ideas on how to create high-impact advertising on a low budget. Use newsletters to stay in touch with customers or clients. Your publications should have the same look as all your other communications and contain information of value. If you own a hardware store, for example, give advice to do-it-yourselfers. If you would like to use mass media such as print or broadcast advertising, keep in mind that some print and broadcast advertising more...

Last week I had lunch with a CEO who had just asked his Website team to re-optimize his company's site. "We've got to get more traffic to our site," he told me, "or else we're never going to sell more product." Of course, he's right. To sell on the Internet, you need traffic. But getting traffic is a lot harder than it used to be, given the staggering number of companies doing business on the Internet. The greatest optimization in the world will probably land your company mid-pack in search results and when those visitors arrive, they better find something pretty more...

  My friend, Robert Kiyosaki, and I recently came out with a new book -- Why We Want You to Be Rich - and it's already a huge bestseller. Some of the points we make in the book are sure getting a lot of attention. We say the middle class is shrinking and America is becoming a two-class society. Soon, you will be either rich or poor. So in the book we offer readers a way to be rich. People also have an entitlement mentality. Too many people assume that the government will take care of them. And our government has gone from the richest more...

Powerhouse marketing strategies from Trump University's Marketing Mastery ProgramWhen you start a new company, chances are you do not have the marketing budget of a Toyota or Procter & Gamble. How can you attract new customers?It might surprise you to learn that you need to apply the same marketing principles usedToyota and P&G. Just like they do, you must target your market and position your product. The difference is that you need to be more creative and strategic about how you do those things. Irecommend an approach called guerrilla marketing. It relies on the basic tenets of marketing, but is more more...

You face a lot of challenges when starting a business. You have to secure funding, get a marketing plan in place, obtain patents and other protections - and on the list goes. Like many new entrepreneurs, you probably think that you can worry about staffing later on. When you need employees, you will be able to find them.I would urge you to set that kind of thinking aside and begin to think strategically about staffing now. The plans you make today will determine the success you can achieve tomorrow. The Coming Workforce ShortageAt Age Wave, we recently completed a yearlong research more...