To Whom It May Concern

To whom it may concern.

I wish to inform you (the readers) that I will be discontinuing the production of content for this blog.

The reasons are many but it is apparent to me based on what I can see and the feedback I get that the return on my investment of time to write these articles does not justify the effort involved to continue.

I will leave this blog up for those of you who wish to share any existing articles, but until my personal situation changes or until I hear from a compelling number of readers who want more, I hereby tender my resignation so to speak.

Good luck in your endeavors. I hope you are able to develop the mindset of a business owner on your own.

Stand Up!

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If there's one thing I probably hate more than anything else in this world...

It's the limp wristed, rubber spined, sideways talkin, good for nothing, flip floppin, can't make a decision if their life depended on it type of person who allows polls and popularity of ideas to dictate how they think and act on an issue.

I mean, come on!

Quit letting everyone else do your thinking for you.

Make a freakin' decision! Take a stand! Even if it's unpopular. Even if someone will say you're wrong. Even if it means you risk "offending" someone. Quit being so politically correct that you become ethically incompetent.

There's an old country song by Aaron Tippin that says "...you've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything..."

But it's true. You have to know what you stand for. You have to know what you believe in.

Those who know me, know that:

• I'm a believer in the free enterprise system.

• I'm a believer in the sanctity of marriage and that if you make a commitment to another person, that it's a commitment for life.

• I'm a believer in the value of life and, contrary to what some groups would have us think, abortion is not an option.

• I believe that there should be less government intrusion into our lives.

• I believe that our current banking and financial systems are in need of a major overhaul.

• I believe that our healthcare system in this country also in need of an overhaul, but I also believe that the infamous "Obamacare" plan is not the answer and should be repealed. (And believe me, if you knew my family's medical history you'd think that I would be one of first in line to sign up for that plan, but it goes too far in all the wrong areas and doesn't go far enough in the right areas).

• I believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the living Son of God.

• I believe that not only is it a right protected by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, but I believe it is the responsibility of every citizen to own and learn how to properly use a firearm. 

• I believe that it should be unlawful to sell "unsweetened" ice tea.

• I believe it's totally okay to be "random" from time to time.

There are obviously some hot-button issues that I have a very decided opinion about. They are just a few of the things that I feel very strongly about. You don't have to agree with me. But my one request is that either you agree with me because you truly believe the same things I believe, or disagree with me just a passionately for the things you believe and the things you stand for.


Have you ever had to take a stand on an issue, even though people told you that you were wrong to do so? Have you ever changed your position, not to accommodate someone else, but because you learned new information that shifted your perspective on the issue?

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Work Ethic

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

While gathering information and concept material for this post, I googled "How to develop a good work ethic" and of the 59 million search engine results, most of the links I clicked took me to various pages that discussed developing good study habits in school, so that you could do well in class, so that you could get a good job.

What total and utter bull-crap.

It just proves that our education system is teaching our children the wrong things. 

First off, there's no such thing as a "good job" anymore. And the deck is so stacked against you in any job that most people do just enough work to get by and not get fired.

Don't believe me? 

A good friend of mine (let pretend that his/her name is "Sam") works for a local department store. Sam is on commission so the company says that Sam and the other associates in that department are "not eligible" for raises (unlike associates in other departments that are not on commission).

However, come performance review time, Sam is graded on how many store credit card applications that get processed, how many special orders Sam sells etc, etc. 

However, the only thing that can increase the size of Sam's paycheck is the commissions Sam earns which is based on Sam's ability to sell (and upsell) the products in the store. So Sam has decided (I think) to focus strictly on the one thing that will put gas in the car, and groceries on the table.

And that type of thing goes on in all types of companies in all types of industries. Heck, even most managers want you to do "just enough" work to make them look good, but not be such a star performer that they run the risk of you taking their job.

That's one of many reasons I left corporate America and started my own business. And it's why I am such a big advocate of others doing the same thing.

So what IS a good work ethic, how do you develop it and why do you want to?

Some people have it instilled in them by the example of their parents, grandparents, or other person of influence in their life. A generation or two ago, this was the primary means by which the concept of "work ethic" was passed on.

In today's environment it seems that fewer people know what work ethic is and fewer still even desire to develop it.

But having a solid work ethic is still the primary means for people to create a successful life, successful family, and a successful business (or career).

Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that you have to work a "blue-collar" job, sweating your guts out on a production line, 14 hours a day to be known as someone with a "good work ethic."

But a good work ethic is about working smart AND working hard at whatever you are doing.

If you were not fortunate enough to be taught this growing up, you will have to seek out someone who can teach you, coach you, or mentor you. Someone to whom you give permission to (metaphorically) bonk you on the head when you screw up or slack off.

Ideally that person will already be successful in the area you are seeking to develop. Perhaps you own a restaurant and you are struggling with everything that is required of you. Seek out someone who has either successfully built a restaurant business in your city and retired, or seek out someone successful in another city that would be willing to sit down with you once a month to get you on track and help you stay on track.

But whether or not you find someone to mentor or coach you, in the end it falls to you to do what you need to do, regardless of how long it takes, if you are to achieve that which you say you want to achieve.

Good luck out there.

And remember, even if no one else is, I'll be pulling for you.

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