I love this post from Perry Marshall. Enjoy!

Entrepreneurs and our insatiable GREED

Have you ever….

* Tapped a line of credit or 2nd mortgage so you could give your employees their paycheck?
* Paid off all your vendors and creditors, even though it meant canceling a long-awaited vacation?
* Heard about someone in need and helped them out, even though you knew you would eventually end up borrowing the money – you didn’t have it but you gave anyway because it was the right thing to do?

With that in mind….

…When’s the last time you turned on CNN and heard an encouraging story about business owners doing good in the world?

When’s the last time you heard somebody in the media or education system say, “We need to build up entrepreneurs, because new businesses are foundation of our communities” ?

For all those who assume us money-grubbing entrepreneurs are driven by greed, selfishness and ego, let me share with you the results of a study by the Center for Data Analysis and the Heritage Foundation:

Charitable Giving by Household Income, based on IRS data:

Income Class         Entrepreneurs      Non-Entrepreneurs
$65,480+                          3.23%                         2.42%

$37,381-$65,480              3.47%                          1.84%

$21,661-$37,380              3.29%                         1.14%

$10,661-$21,660             2.25%                          0.74%

$0-$10,660                     1.55%                          0.35%

Average                       2.53%                          1.27%

Looks like entrepreneurs are TWICE as generous as everyone else. ESPECIALLY the ones with low incomes.

Why is that? What’s going on here?

It’s real simple. Most people only understand scarcity.

Entrepreneurs understand abundance.

My experience of entrepreneurs is we overwhelmingly tend to take care of everybody else before we worry about ourselves.

My friend, if you tapped every resource to pay everyone fairly, and you went to bed not knowing how tomorrow’s bills were going to get paid, then at least you had faith in the goodness of providence and the power of imagination and resourcefulness to find a solution.

THIS is why people in the modern world have three meals a day and microwave ovens and beds to sleep in and health care and straight teeth and computers and movies and modern music.

Because… somebody had faith in the power of ingenuity. They dreamed and schemed and innovated and gave until it hurt. Believing that somehow, somewhere, success would show up when it was most needed.

None of us can ever predict when or how solution to some vexing problem will present itself. We just have faith that it will.

I don’t know what problem you face today, but I know that one of two things is true:

1) Someone somewhere has already solved it, or
2) The ability to solve it WILL be given to you

Most of all I want to salute you in pursuing a journey that most people never even have the courage to undertake.

When you find the success you seek, you deserve it.

The talking heads on TV may not appreciate us. But we appreciate each other. And I appreciate you.

Seize the Day.

Perry Marshall

If you didn’t happen to catch last night’s episode of Celebrity Apprentice, you missed some seriously ugly reality-show moments as Melissa (and mom, Joan) Rivers reacted to Trump’s latest firing. Check it out:

“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”
~ Thomas Jefferson

In the game of The Apprentice and in the game of life, poise comes through maturity. When we get it, and can keep it under pressure, we will have a decided advantage over others. John C. Maxwell once wrote that panicking or acting out usually has a negative effect on a situation, but remaining calm and cool enables us to think and act more intelligently. The Rivers duo clearly let the best of their emotions get to them.

Melissa’s firing should come as no surprise, however, as she plainly declared what her fate was going to be well before the boardroom scene. Let’s go back to scenes from the task:

She is proof that what you say about comes about. She speaks about what isn’t, as if it were. And, as you know from the ending, she continues to act as if and goes until that which she spoke about became reality!

Her “woe is me” banter and circumstance-blaming got her exactly what she deserved. There is no such thing as circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want. And if they can’t find them, they make them.

Melissa: Stop playing victim. Stop proclaiming entitlement. Stop seeking to be rescued. Stop blaming.

Bottom line? Get out of your own way.

JM Smucker Co, which recently acquired Folgers from Proctor & Gamble, is launching an immediate price reduction plan in their Folgers Ground prices as well as their Dunkin’ Donuts retail roasted coffees which it manufactures and distributes.

The aggressive price reduction strategy is in response to the pressure of the worsening economy and consumers’ growing propensity to forgo pricey café brews in favor of home brewing and less-expensive cups of coffee. In order to stay competitive, passing savings onto customers is their way of gaining customer loyalty, especially in a sagging economy.

With ever-increasing competition from McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, do these kinds of price reduction moves necessarily mean bad news for premium brands like Starbucks?

What really happens to consumer loyalty in a recession? When we are forced to cut back on our spending, do we automatically downscale? Instead of Starbucks, do we opt to go with the more cost-effective means of having coffee by brewing Folgers at home?

According to Eric Anderson, VP of Emerging Media at Whitehorse, consumers will, indeed cut back on their spending, but not necessarily in the way most of us might think. Instead of making decisions between brands, consumers will make decisions between the types of luxuries that they enjoy. So, instead of Starbucks versus Folgers, for example, the decision is more likely to reside between Starbucks and say, Netflix.

If this is true, then this can make it more difficult for traditional marketers to keep customers since their brands may be competing against a completely unrelated product or service.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told analysts last week that it’s critical that Starbucks not undermine its premium brand position in the face of economic pressures. Starbucks is not “a fast-food operator” or “discount business,” he stressed.

True. Starbucks is, in fact, built around a community and the brand, itself, is a part of people’s lives.
Watch this.

It’s no wonder that in the face of tough economic times, their new Gold Card program which carries a $25-per-year fee and offers benefits –notably, 10% off on most purchases–drew 350,000 sign-ups in the first four weeks after it began to be promoted in stores in November, Starbucks reported.

Clearly, some folks are not willing to forego their beloved coffee of choice for its lesser-priced counterparts.

So, what can we learn from this? What can businesses do to maintain customer loyalty in times like this? Anderson suggests we need to have a deeper level of engagement with our consumers about where our brand fits in their lives. Advertising alone will not achieve this, but social media might. Why? Because the impact of social media is a matter of trust. It’s about connecting with people in their daily lives and engaging them.

With the web consisting of a giant network of humans interacting and a mass of conversations, Anderson believes it is communities that will drive brands and inspire brand loyalty. And because of this, businesses can’t afford to ignore the importance of the social media space.

Bottom line: Increasing loyalty, which can be leveraged through communities (esp. social media), is a key way to recession-proof your brand.

In this video, Gary discusses the importance of embracing who you are and pumping out great content as being the key to building a business. He says that whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, it really doesn’t matter. It all boils down to what you bring to the table.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Gary pumps out great content. I love watching him and listening to him speak. But, what is it about Gary Vaynerchuk that draws so many people to him? Is it really JUST his content at the end of the day? In my humble opinion, the answer is no.

Even if you’ve never seen or heard of Gary before, you can gain a lot of insight into what really makes him the true, charismatic leader that he is, just by watching this 3 minute video. Take a look.

He leaves us several clues:

He loves and accepts who he is (he loves his own DNA).
He works ridiculously hard.
He connects with people.
He talks to people.
He helps people.

He cares.

The bottom line is no one will care about how much you know until they know how much you care. When your words match what’s in your heart, people will find you authentic, real and yes, someone who possesses the “IT” factor.

Even though he has an in-your-face personality, he’s NOT a jerk. Whether you realize it or not, he lifts you up. He speaks positivity into you. His focus is consistently on YOU, and not in selling himself.

By doing this, he has achieved a position of power, authority, and influence all the while bringing everyone within his reach up with him every step of the way.

He’s right when he says it’s not about being an introvert or an over-the-top extrovert. But it’s also not just about your content. It’s a bit more.

When he asks, “Do you have the Chops?” He’s asking you if you have the SPINE to consistently mean what you say and say what you mean and in doing so, leave a legacy behind? As simple as it sounds, doing such takes a conscious effort. Gary does this. He made the decision one day to be an alpha leader and practices his discipline of truth everyday.

Are you doing the same?

NO ONE, NO BOOK, NO FORUM, NO GROUP or anything can take you where you want to go without your own desire and action.

Sometimes people say, “just make the decision.” But a decision without massive action and discipline amounts to NOTHING. It’s a hope-dream.

So take action today. Start now. Take one physical step. Because that one step will lead to another and when something is set in motion, it is more likely to stay in motion.

Take a look at this video:

Blast through your obstacles. Do what it takes to be unstoppable. And if you happen to hit a wall, no worries. Just pick yourself up and start over again. This is our world. This is what we entrepreneurs must do every day. It’s what we live for. And we LOVE it!!!!!