More Lessons From “Think And Grow Rich”

You never know just how close you are to your mark, it may have been the day AFTER you have been at your lowest, quit resigned or just given up!!

We’ve all been there!

But plug we must! After all, if we don’t, there’s no telling what fortunes we may miss out on. The story below is an excerpt from Napoleon Hill’s infamous classic, “Think and Grow Rich.” It’s a “golden” illustration of this very subject. (The last two sentences beg to be written down and memorized.)

Three Feet From Gold

by Napoleon Hill

“One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another.

An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the gold fever in the gold-rush days, and went west to DIG

AND GROW RICH

. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his “Dig and grow rich” desire and his lust for gold was definite.

After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the “strike.” They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars of that ore would clear the debts. Then would come the big killing in profits.

Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, the end of of their “Dig And Grow Rich” story and the pot of gold was no longer there! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again— all to no avail.

Finally, they decided to QUIT.

They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Some “junk” men are dumb, but not this one! He called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with “fault lines.” His calculations showed that the vein would be found just three feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling! That is exactly where it was found!

The “Junk” man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up. (maybe he should right an “And Grow Rich” novel of his own?)

Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so.

Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that desire can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.

Remembering that he lost a huge fortune, because he stopped three feet from gold, Darby profited by the experience in his chosen work, by the simple method of saying to himself, “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask them to buy insurance.”

Darby is one of a small group of fewer than fifty men who sell more than a million dollars in life insurance annually. He owes his “and grow rich” story to his stickability to the lesson he learned from his quitability in the gold mining business.

Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them. Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach.”

Respectfully Dedicated To Your Own “And Grow Rich” Success!!

Derek Bayer

Many success experts who have been there and done it repeat a similar idea – luck is the place where preparation meets opportunity. Abundance is flowing all around you. The trick is learning to recognize it and then take the necessary action to attract it into your life. One of the best ways to do this is to surround yourself with people who have mastered the success habits you’d like to see in your own life.

This coming Thursday night, Thursday Jan 27th, opportunity is going to be coming your way on the special community-wide call with Kip Herriage – learn about this call and other ways to prepare for action every day with these powerful training and development events!

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS – THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 – 10 pm EST!

This coming Thursday night, WMI will be hosting the most important call in company history. WMI CEO and Co-Founder Kip Herriage has a message for you with FOUR exciting announcements that impact the entire WMI worldwide community. Stay Tuned for call details! Don’t miss it! Thursday, January 27th, 10 pm EST!

Did You Miss Global Economic Forcast? Access the recording here

To access the complete recording of “Global Opportunity 2011 – Forecasts From Kip Herriage & Gerald Celente” CLICK HERE!

Brick & Mortar Business vs. Virtual Business

If you are looking to break out of the 9 to 5 grind and thinking about starting a virtual business, one of the questions you are probably asking yourself is “Should I start a brick and mortar business on the street or should I launch a virtual business online?” Although the final decision is yours to make, it may help you to weigh out the comparisons of each to help you make an informed decision.

Brick and Mortar Business

If you start up a brick and mortar business on the street it is all about location, location, location. Depending upon where you live this can be an interesting challenge and at the same time a gamble when it comes to making a profit. What’s more is you have to be ready to handle other tasks associated with starting a brick and mortar business such as:

* Market Research: Starting a brick and mortar business means investing a significant amount of time researching the market and demographics for the area where you want to establish your business. This can mean a lot of hours of pounding the pavement doing surveys and other research related to demographics.

* Start Up Costs: Starting up a brick and mortar business usually requires a significant investment with a hefty down payment. For example, if you are starting a franchise it is not uncommon to for the start-up costs to be in the $200,000 range with a down payment of at least one quarter to half of that amount. If you do not have your own money to invest you will go into hock to the tune of $200,000 and who knows if you will be able to match your return on investment and then some.

* Overhead Costs: A brick and mortar business has a lot of overhead costs which include inventory, taxes, utilities, insurance, store lease, and labor, to name a few. For you to make a profit you would have to ensure that you make enough sales to pay the bills with a little money leftover for your salary. It is not uncommon to have monthly expenses in excess of $5000 easy.

* Long Work Week: Many people start their own business to escape the rat race however, it is important to keep in mind that if you own a brick and mortar business you better be ready to invest a longer work week than the 9 to 5 grind.

Virtual Business

With a virtual business strategy you can easily pinpoint your location where you want to offer your products and services. If you want to offer your products to the world that is great. If you want to target specific demographics you can do that instead. You are not limited to a specific location as you are with a brick and mortar business. In comparison with a brick and mortar business some of the other considerations include:

*

Virtual Business Market Research

: Instead of pounding the pavement doing exhausting market research there are a lot of tools available online that allow you to research your market right from your computer keyboard. Tools such as keyword tools, analytics tools, chat rooms, social networking sites, and others allow you to easily research a product niche and get to know your market without ever having to leave your home office.

* Virtual Business Start Up Costs: A lot of online entrepreneurs start up their business for as little as $50 with as little as $100 per month spent on advertising. This is a significant difference when you compare it to the astronomical costs of starting a brick and mortar business. If you spend $100 per month on advertising and sell $20.00 widgets, you would only have to sell 6 widgets to produce a profit. What’s more is there are so many free online tools that allow you to promote your business with a simple time investment instead of a monetary investment.

* Overhead Costs: If you run a business online there is very little overhead costs unless you choose to store inventory. The only other overhead costs are a laptop computer, Internet connection, and telephone and most business users do not even have a telephone. Instead they opt for VoIP services such as Skype which allows you to make worldwide calls for free to other Skype users.

* Virtual Business Short Work Week: When you set up an online business it operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Thanks to automated software you can generate sales with your business even when you are away from your computer and while you are sleeping. Instead of having to limit your customers to specific hours you can be open 365 days year round without having to give up your life. Although you still have to plan and set goals, you have the convenience of setting your schedule as you wish instead of running your hours around a scheduled work week.

So when it comes down to comparison which would you rather do? Pay enormous start up costs for a brick and mortar business and $5000 per month worth of bills or start a virtual business with very little start up costs and low overhead? Each option will require a diligent effort to reach success.

I choose to market my business with an online business strategy. Although the company I market products for has a brick and mortar corporate office, I do not need to have to worry about rents, inventory and payroll. I can employ an internet marketing strategy and run my virtual business from my laptop and my phone. You can sign up for the presentation on this page and see if this is a business model that is right for you as well.

Respectfully Dedicated To Your Virtual Business Success!

Derek Bayer

Money Scams

If you are trying to start an online business it can be very easy and tempting to fall into some of the money scams that permeate the Internet on a daily basis. I hate to burst your bubble but a lot of these scams are very crafty at making it look like a legitimate online business when in reality only the person offering the opportunity is the one making money.

The truth to matter is that an online business takes the same effort to build as a brick and mortar business on the street and there is no quick fix or easy way around it. If you are going to build something worthwhile you have to be willing to put in the effort. Continue reading “Identifying Pyramids, Scams, Pickpockets and Ponzis” »

I love this video!!

Joining Kip on the call will be Gerald Celente, the world’s NUMBER ONE trend forecaster! Here’s what our nation’s top media sources are saying about Gerald’s insights on where we’ve been and where we’re going;

“When CNN wants to know about the Top Trends, we ask Gerald Celente. — CNN Headline News. “You’re always terrific.” — Oprah Winfrey. “Mr. Celente tracks the world’s social, economic and business trends for corporate clients. — The New York Times.

In 2005 we began preparing our Members for the coming economic calamity brought on by unmanageable debt at all levels – global, governmental, corporate and personal. We cautioned everyone to avoid the economic cancer of debt, to resist the risks of speculation in overvalued real estate and stocks, and most importantly, to learn the truth about how money works. Tuesday night, January 18th at 10PM EST I have a critical update for you and urge you to invite everyone you know to call in to hear it.

Your first step in achieving success in your business is to establish your vision for your success. I previously wrote about the importance of having a mission statement and if you haven’t already done so then I would suggest revisiting that exercise (click here) and getting that done. It may seem like an obligatory drill or “necessary evil” but make no mistake that it is a key step toward your success.

Develop a clear picture of what your business is. Ask yourselves these questions: Why does it exist? Who are you looking to attract? What are you passionate about? Set yourself apart from your new venture for a moment and look at what you were looking for before embracing this business. You found what you are looking for and now you are out to attract those looking for the same. You are going to attract those that want the same opportunity you want and are passionate about the same things. Be yourself in your game plan, it’s definitely easier than being someone else. Notice the use of the word “attract” here. Your goal should be to brand yourself and your business to attract people to your opportunity. Cold calling and chasing prospects is exactly what you most likely do not want to be doing. Attracting those already interested in what you have to offer leads to a conversation that is enjoyed by all.

Remember an organization exists to give value to its team members. Your success will come as a result of assisting others to reach their goals. Your passion in your business should be communicated clearly. You will need to be in a constant and persistent pursuit of your goals. Stay on track, communicate clearly as to attract like minded entrepreneurs and share your opportunity. It’s much easier to share an opportunity than it is to sell anything.

So go ahead and identify the reasons your business exists and pinpoint what it is you are passion about. Then set your game plan accordingly.

To Your Massive Success!!

Derek Bayer

Derek & Michael

Do you have a Mission Statement?

It’s paramount to have one written down. You can start with your basic goals and then tweak it as you go to detail your mission statement and encompass all that you are going after. I have used this important tool in every business I have been in, from new restaurant ventures to mortgage operations. Your mission statement should be written, framed and posted on the wall. You and your team members alike will benefit from a well defined Mission Statement.

Here is my Mission Statement:

“I believe we are meant to live our lives in abundance. My own success is a direct result of assisting others with a true entrepreneurial spirit to attain their successes. Learn to treat people as they wish to be treated. Practice this until it becomes second nature. Demonstrate this by listening compassionately and establishing credibility. The foundation for that credibility is this: Always conduct myself in a manner that does credit to the image I wish to project. In order to be trustworthy, I strive to always do what I say. In order to be competent, I gain enough information to make good decisions in dealing with my team member’s goals. In order to be respected, I never deliberately do anything that would cause others to be disappointed in me. In order to be accessible, I ask team member’s about their goals, fears and priorities. In these five steps lie all the wisdom I need to succeed with people. Empowerment is the key to building successful team members. Provide the tools to those that are willing to use them and teach them to provide those same tools to others. Derek Bayer is a “people-driven” leader and if I succeed with people, all other successes will follow!! “

Empowerment is the key in your success as well as that of your team or organization. You can be coached, mentored, trained and taught until the cows come home. In order to translate your knowledge to results you have to act on what you know and learn. You do not receive compensation for what you know. You receive compensation for what you DO with what you know. A good leader gives the tools necessary for team members to create their own successes, then they pay if forward and create success in those that join them. It’s the whole “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime” concept put into motion.

Remember that we are always learning. Once you stop – you and your business will stop growing. The surest way to develop a successful business of your own is develop successful people and empower them to do the same.

See You At The Top!!

Dedicated To Your Success!!

Hope To Read Your Mission Statement Soon!

Derek Bayer

Derek and Sherri in St. Thomas

We all know we need leads to drive our business. The tough part is finding the time to call your leads to find out which ones are qualified prospects. I know firsthand that this is very time consuming! There is a solution.

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Respectfully Dedicated To Your Success,

Derek Bayer