Business Instrument

Archive for November, 2009

The Entrepreneurial Spirit Burns Brighter Than Ever

During a recent quick business trip to New York City a normal everyday travel occurrence ignited a recurring observation I enjoy more and more frequently. The Entrepreneurial Spirit is booming in America!

While sitting in a dank Yellow Cab crawling in the normal snail paced city traffic I struck up a conversation with my driver. His name was Aquil and he was a native of Pakistan. After the normal chatter I asked Aquil how long he had been driving. “Three years” he said “but I am really not here to drive I am setting up animport/export business“. We talked about his goals and dreams why he chose America likes and dislikes until I reached my destination. I left a business card with Aquil and told him to call if he needed any guidance and to keep me posted on his progress.

Upon leaving the cab I realized again that in this brief meeting I had met the heart soul and future of America. And it has always been so. No other country in the world provides the energy creativity and resources necessary for its citizens and those from the worldwide Diaspora to make unlimited attempts at the pursuit of opportunity prosperity and fulfillment.

I enjoy a variant of my chat with Aquil on an everincreasing basis. The volume of exciting business opportunities inventions new products and product enhancement available in the 21st Century marketplace is stunning. While success is not a given result the opportunity to try is. Real entrepreneurs keep trying work harder and do not flee upon hearing the dreaded word: NO! They are inevitably optimistic positive and see the glass as always more than halffull.

Unexpectedly I received a call from Aquil about two months after our brief taxi cab meeting. He quickly brought me up to date on his progress. He had incorporated negotiated an exclusivedistribution agreementproviding his new business the exclusive rights to distribute a line of artisan crafted marble tabletop accessories for the United States market. I was able to introduce him to a showroom that has undertaken sales of his beautiful products. He is still driving the cab but each month he comes closer to being in position to devote all of his time to his new enterprise and achieving his dream.

One of Americas first great entrepreneurs was Ben Franklin. Today we mainly remember Ben Franklins staggering importance as a Founding Father of our nation. Though born into poverty and a family of 15 children he achieved great wealth from hisinventionsand business acumen and retired from commerce at age 42. He devoted the rest of his long life to statesmanship. We still enjoy the benefits of his creativity publications and ideas both commercially and politically.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Geoff Ficke has been a serial entrepreneur for almost 50 years. As a small boy earning his spending money doing odd jobs in the neighborhood he learned the value of selling himself offering service and value for money.

After putting himself through the University of Kentucky B.A. Broadcast Journalism 1969 and serving in the United States Marine Corp Mr. Ficke commenced a career in the cosmetic industry. After rising to National Sales Manager for Vidal Sassoon Hair Care at age 28 he then launched a number of ventures including Rubigo Cosmetics Parfums Pierre Wulff Paris Le Bain Couture and Fashion Fragrance.

Geoff Ficke and his consulting firm Duquesa Marketing Inc. www.duquesamarketing.com has assisted businesses large and small domestic and international entrepreneurs inventors and students in new product development capital formation licensing marketing sales and business plans and successful implementation of his customized strategies. He is a Senior Fellow at the Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Business School Miami University Oxford Ohio.

The Cowboy Creed
The Cowboy Creed

Ever since my kids were little I have had The Cowboy Creed posted on our refrigerator door. It reads: If it ain’t right don’t do it. If it ain’t true don’t say it. If it ain’t yours don’t take it. I came to know this old saying from a very dear friend of mine who is a very talented bronze sculptress named Buster Jones.nbsp; nbsp;

nbsp;

I recently attended a Get Motivated Seminar featuring wellknown speaker and author Zig Ziglar.nbsp;nbsp;If you have never seen him speak or if you have never read one ofnbsp;his many books I encourage you to do it today.nbsp; His wisdom will change your life.nbsp; nbsp;One of the many bits of wisdom he encourages is that if you don’t lie you don’t have to remember what you said.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;

nbsp;

nbsp;
On the highway of life The Cowboy Creed is a great road map for personal success as well as business success.nbsp; It applies to anyone from any walk of life.nbsp; Whether you live in the middle of New York City or on a Texas ranch The Cowboy Creed is what success is all about. nbsp;I have seen many many businesses in my career fail because they didn’t enforce integrity in their business dealings. Practice The Cowboy Creed in your business and personal life andnbsp;you can benbsp;guaranteednbsp;your profits soar and your personal life will benefit immensely too!

nbsp;

I hope you’ll memorize these important words and teach them to your kids your employees and your family.nbsp; It will make all the difference.

nbsp;

About the writer:  Rockin W Productions Creative Advertising www.rockinwproductions.com cathyrockinwproductions.com 8067787911

The Benefits Of Reciprocity

Recently I severed a business relationship that I once valued. It was not something that I did impetuously; on the contrary I had been contemplating this move for quite some time. The delay was not in the deliberation but in maintaining the hope that things would get better which it didn’t.

At the heart of the matter were my deeply entrenched feelings of being used i.e. taken advantage of. We’ve all been in situations but to be in a relationship personally or professionally where you constantly feel this way is a telltale sign that reciprocity or a lack thereof is missing.

When I first entered the business world I was greatly inspired by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar who was quoted in his famous book How To Win Friends amp; Influence People as saying “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” That was the creed that I lived by as a professional.

Many years later I incorporated Zen into my life. One of the basic tenets of Zen philosophy is giving without the expectation of receiving. As a person and as a serviceoriented business professional my path and mission were clear: give more than is expected.

While munificence may go a long way toward building good will and being liked in business it will have an adverse effect on the bottom line. Personally it’s important to note that people rarely give without the expectation of receiving something in return. It’s just human nature. Zen practice attempts to make you aware of that so that you can give freely without expectation.

In business this is where there is an abrupt departure.

Robert Cialdini a Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University elaborates on what he calls “the Rule of Reciprocity” in his book Influence:

The Rule of Reciprocity requires that one person try to repay what another person has provided. By obligating the recipient to an act of repayment in the futurethe rule for reciprocation allows one individual to give something to another with the confidence that it is not being lost.

This sense of future obligation according to the rule makes possible the development of various kinds of continuing relationships transactions and exchanges that are beneficial to society. Consequently virtually all members of society are trained from childhood to abide by this rule or suffer serious social disapproval.

Cialdini’s Rule of Reciprocity may be misnamed if reciprocal thinking is human nature and business relationships and business itself depends on it. Instead of viewing this as a give/take situation we should focus on the benefits of reciprocity.

These benefits are not only experienced when we receive but also when we give. They are predicated upon actions reciprocal actions and interactions which have a positive domino effect. It’s true that in a community in which we take care of each other everyone will be taken care of.

But when the benefits received on behalf of one party far outweigh the benefits of the other or elude you altogether you feel shortchanged. Such an imbalance will ultimately result in discord or as was the case in my situation dissolution.

To avoid this situation and to prevent others from experiencing it you must think proactively about present and future benefits e.g. what’s in it for them what you have of value to offer and how they can profit. This is the foundation for the proverbial “winwin” scenario.

Often people don’t see or realize what reciprocal benefits there are to be offered to others because they are instinctively focused on their own. It’s best to be upfront about these matters in the beginning and during the course of any longterm working relationship. The phrases “I owe you” or “I can’t wait to return the favor” are checks that you can cash at a later date.

In the end you have to be able to hold people accountable to the benefits that they advertise to you with diplomacy and tact. If they are not advertised and are only perceived by you or the other party then they must be articulated. This serves as a form of documentation that can be acknowledged and measured at a later date if necessary.

By learning to be mindful of reciprocal actions you inevitably increase the abundant benefits of reciprocity for yourself and others in a way that Zig Ziglar would surely be proud of.

About the writer:  Gian Fiero is an educator speaker and consultant. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor and the United States Small Business Administration SBA as a business advisor where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as business development career planning public relations and personal growth.