This Issue: Be Positive Every Single Day

With more employees getting shoddy treatment or worse from their employers these days, there is little doubt that it really is better to be the boss today. And for mostof us, the best way to become the boss is to buy a business.

Within the last week alone, I have read three disturbing articles at cnn.com.In different ways, each one tells me that it does not pay to work for someone else. Let's take a closer look at the facts.

Fact # 1 - You're Not Being Paid for Your Contribution

In her article, "Workers Lose Traction over Last 10 Years," Jeanne Sahadi writes that "Between 1995 and 2005, productivity - a measure of the quantity and quality of what workers produce per hour - grew 33.4 percent. But hourly wages rose only 11 percent, with almost all of that increase coming during the late 1990s according to EPI [the Economic Policy Institute - ed.]."

The author points out that wages have been flat for college grads and that benefits, pension and health coverage have all been slashed over the last few years. She also quotes economist Jared Bernstein, a co- author of the EPI report, who stated, "The economic expansion continues to bypass most working families." That's you and me, by the way.

It all means that workers are doing more, but not getting pay that is commensurate with their production. Have you ever thought that you're not getting paid what you're worth? Now there's proof! And guess what? The trend will continue.

Fact # 2 - Compensation Is Going Backwards

In the CNN article, "Job Growth: Just Right," Chris Isadore notes that " . . . worker pay is still not keeping up with inflation. The 3.9 percent year-over-year rise means wages trailed the 4.1 percent rise in prices over the 12 months ending in July."

So not only are you working harder and not being paid for what you produce, you're actually falling behind even the most basic barometer of inflation. I don't know about you, but if I were slipping farther behind every year, that would start to get depressing.

Fact # 3 - The Big Layoff Season Is Coming

In "Layoffs Loom: How Safe Are You?" author Jeanne Sahadi notes that "Typically, the heaviest months for layoff announcements have been October, December and January, according to John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas."

She also points out that "Over the past 10 years, 9.7 million jobs were cut, 38 percent of which were announced in the last four months of the year."

So job security is slipping too. Not a pretty picture.

But When the Going Gets Tough . . .

It all sounds grim to me. But as the old saying goes, "When the going gets tough . . . the tough get going."

And one of the best ways to move ahead today is to stop working for a company that undervalues you and buy a business of your own. I'd encourage you to consider buying a business of your own. Our newest home study course, The Art of Buying a Business, can help you leave your unrewarding job behind and chart your way to financial independence and wealth.

Michael Sexton is President of Trump University.

Editor's note: To learn more about whether buying a business is right for you,click hereto get a copy of our free report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business.

Critical knowledge from The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business

In my blog post of August 30th, I explained why buying a business can be the smartest step you will ever take toward becoming a wealthy and successful entrepreneur.

Today, I'd like to take the process one step further by sharing more detailed information, drawn from the free special report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business, which I wrote for the students of Trump University.

What are The 10 Commandments? Let me give them to you in condensed form:

• Commandment # 1 - Pay for the past, consider the present, but buy for the future. The past financials about a company you are buying help you determine the purchase price, but they do not tell you what the business will look like under your management. You have to evaluate it carefully to know what it can yield after the purchase.
• Commandment # 2 - Buy a good business that you can make great. Buying a cheap business is like buying a bad used car. You'll spend all of your time trying to patch "leaks" and have little or no time left to build it. Buy a solid business instead and grow it from there.
• Commandment # 3 - Remember that ingredients are nothing without a recipe. After you purchase the business, can you put all of its parts together into one cohesive unit? What is your plan to make it grow?
• Commandment # 4 - Fall in love with the profit, not the product. If you get too emotional about the business before you buy it, your judgment will be clouded forever. Stay objective.
• Commandment # 5 - Buy a business that lets you do what you do best. It should use your greatest strengths, not pull you away from them.
• Commandment # 6 - Look for a company that offers "autopilot" and "cruise control." To a greater or lesser degree, the business should be able to run on its own so you can focus on building profits. If you have to be too hands-on, your business will get stuck in place.
• Commandment # 7 -Find the hidden gold. Nearly all businesses possess components that the current seller has not exploited. Identify and exploit them.
• Commandment # 8 - Buy a business you can talk about compellingly. It must make you proud.
• Commandment # 9 -Identify what is not perfect yet. Every business has faults. But there is opportunity in those faults, because the smallest improvements in them will yield the greatest results.
• Commandment # 10 - Know specifically what the business is worth to you. After all, there are great businesses that should not be bought by you, but by someone else. You need to objectively identify them.

My 10 Commandments are called Commandments because they cannot be bent, avoided or broken! Any business you buy must pass muster against all of them, with no exceptions.

But if you find a business that meets all 10, it represents your golden opportunity. With you at the helm, it is certain to grow and flourish. But remember, the advice I offer in this blog post is just the tip of the ice burg. To get the information you need to know before buying a business of your own, I urge you to order my free report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business.

Richard Parker is author of the free special report, The 10 Golden Rules for Buying a Business. An authority on business acquisition, Richard is developing a soon-to-be-launched new home study course, The Art of Buying a Business for Trump University.

Life-changing advice from Trump University's course, How to Build a Fortune

"You have to be positive every single day. You have to put effort into it daily, because no one else is going to do it for you."

Get out of your own static comfort zone by moving forward with momentum and power that positive thinking can give you. Every time a negative thought comes at you, zap it. Replace it with a positive thought. That takes energy, but the result will be stamina - positive stamina, a necessary ingredient for success.

Sometimes you just have to be tough. I use the example of a brick wall. Is there a brick wall in your way? Fine, that happens. But you have a choice. You can walk away from the wall. You can go over the wall. You can go under the wall. You can go around the wall. You can also obliterate the wall. In other words, don't let anything get in your way. Get a balance, and then let the positive outdistance the negative. Be positively persistent.

Optimism can be learned, and it can make a huge difference in life. No matter how large and intimidating a challenge might be, facing it with optimism is the thing you can do to manage, shape and eventually triumph over it.

The bottom line: Trash the pessimistic attitude.

Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University. This blog post is adapted from his self-instructional course, How to Build a Fortune.