Why there are a few entrepreneurs who are well funded before choosing to start their business from their home, the majority of home based business owners do so partially, or fully, because they cannot afford to rent another space for their business.

If the headline of this post caught your attention, then chances are that you are one of these people.  It’s probably safe to say that you are a sole proprietor – a business of one.  If you have been in business for very long at all, you have figured out that even a business of one requires many of the same functions as a business of thousands.

You try to automate as much as possible, but even that takes time and often costs money – neither of which you have to spare.  To make matters worse, if you’re human (I hope you are), you will find that you are terrible at some of these functions.

So how do you run your home business with no cash to spend on these functions?

The Resurgence of the Home Based Business

With the recent economic woes, and the forecast that it is going to take a while to get out of this global recession, many people are saying never again to being an employee.

Many who have lost their jobs due to a business closing or layoff are finding a new reason to reach for the proverbial brass ring.  Having more time to spend with their families has made them realize what they were giving up while climbing the corporate ladder.

You might be thinking that this is touching, but what in the world does it have to do with me running my business with no cash?  Well, everyday that passes by there are more and more home business owners in your exact same situation.

You are not alone!  The great news is that some of these entrepreneurs are really great at what you, well let’s face it, suck at doing; however, you are really great at what they suck at doing.  Do you see the opportunity?

Katy, Barter the Door

You aren’t really taking us down this path are you?  Didn’t bartering go out of style back in the days of the old west?  This is not Little House on the Prairie where Doc Baker would accept payment in the form of chickens and vegetables.

You may be surprised to find that the oldest form of business transaction has never gone out of style, and it’s actually been gaining in popularity even before the recession.  I doubt that we are heading back to the days when wealth was determined by the number of livestock you owned, but bartering can provide many nice benefits.

Benefit #1 – Survival of Your Home Business

Let’s not forget that the most important thing for your home based business is that it survives.  When you have no cash to support it, bartering provides the answer by exchanging your services for those of others. 

Benefit # 2 – Better Quality

Remember, you really suck at some things (or maybe you just hate to do them).  Bartering is a great way to get better quality results from someone who is great at something you’re not which enhances the quality of your home business.

Benefit #3 – Word-of-Mouth Referrals

Just because the person you are bartering with is also strapped for cash doesn’t mean his clients or network of people are.  Do a great job providing your bartered services and he will spread the word.  Don’t forget to return the favor.

Benefit #4 – Building a Networking Group

Nothing forms stronger bonds than struggling through hard times with someone.  Relationships you make through bartering will be some of the most profitable, encouraging, and supportive you can make.

Bartering Even When You Have the Cash

I encourage entrepreneurs to always keep a small percentage of their business as a bartering relationship.  Besides the benefits I listed above, it gives you the opportunity to help someone else out that may be struggling worse than you.

I’ve also found that other business owners are more receptive to joint ventures with bartering than if they are required to fork out the cash.  This is especially true in chamber of commerce type relationships.

Finally, don’t forget to offer your services as prizes for raffles, silent auctions, etc.  Many people appreciate this more than the flat screen television, but few will tell you that.

Related posts:

1. 7 Ways to Kill Your Home Based Business
2. 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Shark Tank
3. How Plastic Surgery is Helping Small Business Entrepreneurs Succeed

Staying in the spirit of Halloween this week, I started wondering what home based business owners would list as their number one concern, problem, or nightmare related to operating a home business.

What is the one thing you have experienced that made you rethink working from home or made you seriously consider moving your business to a traditional office space?

There are many traps we can get ourselves into when working from home.  I wrote about the worst of these in 7 Ways to Kill Your Home Based Business.  These can certainly be a nightmare, and may be at the top of your list.

For me though, it has to be … the unscheduled, after-hours pop in by the client.  If you meet your customers at your home office then you have most likely dealt with this.

There’s No Place Like Home

One of the dangers in turning part of your home into a place of business is that you lose the sanctuary that comes with being at home.  If a customer misses you during normal office hours at a traditional office they have to wait to see you until the next business day.

That isn’t the case with a home business though.  Most of my clients respected my office hours, and if they needed me after business hours they would call first to make sure it was okay to stop by.  There were many though who didn’t think twice about interrupting my family’s dinner or weekend.

I posted my business hours outside my front door.  I put up a locked night drop box and always kept it well lit.  I posted my business telephone number, my fax number, my cell phone number, and my email on my website and stationary.

I talked about business hours during the initial client interview.  I even let my clients know that I carried my Blackberry telephone with me at all times so I could get their telephone calls or emails any time, anywhere.  Unfortunately, this still did not stop some people.

At least, they were respectful enough to not come by late at night.  Well, all except for this one client.

October 15th – The Final Tax Filing Date

It was October the 15th – the final deadline for tax returns to be filed with an approved extension.  Unlike most CPA firms, I seldom had a last minute rush of clients filing tax returns on the due date.  I scheduled my time well and had a very fast turn around for tax returns.

There were a few clients though that always drug there feet.  I had a great series of reminders set up that gently pushed most of them along to file their returns on time.  I had made my final phone calls to the couple of clients that had not brought in their information to let them know that I would not be able to finish their returns in time for the deadline.

All of them understood, and it was not a surprise to them.  Having checked in with all my clients that had open returns, I decided to attend a chamber of commerce function that night (which they seemed to inevitably schedule on tax deadlines).

There’s a Noise in the Bushes

While leaving the event, I received a phone call from my wife at a little after 9 pm.  She frantically informed me that someone had been banging on the front door and now they were in our bushes trying to peer into the windows.

She had hidden in the master closet with our two year old son.  I asked her if she had called the police, but she said that all the noise had stopped shortly after calling me.  I stayed on the line with her and sped home.

When I approached the front door I noticed a note on the door.  It was an irate note from the wife of one of my clients that I had talked to earlier in the day.  She was furious that I was “hiding from her” when she knocked on the door.

I went inside to find my wife and son still in the closet.  My son was wrapped in a towel because this had started when my wife was giving him his bath.  It was at that moment that I knew something would have to change.

The End of My Home Based Business

That night it was just a communication error between my client and his wife.  This one incident though was enough to make me rethink operating my CPA firm from my home.  It wasn’t worth the potential risk to my family’s safety or even the disruptions it had caused on other nights and on the weekends.

Thinking back on it now, I wonder if it is ever wise to meet clients in your home.  There are so many safety issues – especially when you have young children.  For me, I have decided it isn’t worth it.  Thankfully, my nightmare story was not worse.

So what is your Home Based Business Nightmare?

Leave a comment below and share your story.

Related posts:

1. My Proven Client Referral System – Part 1
2. Just How Valuable are Customer Referrals Anyway?
3. Is Your Small Business Kissable?

Ever feel like when you are at work that you should be spending more time with your family, but when you are with your family you start thinking that you should really be out working for your family?

It’s that classic paradox between being too busy making a living to be able to spend the time enjoying that living.

Have you ever lifted up your head at the end of the day, the week, the month, the year and ask “How did I get here?”  Does it seem that you are always too busy?  Ever feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day?  Listen to what Zig has to say on this topic.

Zig Ziglar: Setting Goals (part 2 of 3)

The Featured Video this week is from one of my favorite motivational speakers – Zig Ziglar. It is an excerpt from his course on setting goals, and it is the last video in a three part series. The video series is a little dated, but don’t let that fool you – the advice Zig provides is timeless.

Selected Highlights from the Video

Listed below are some of the quotes and other information from the video that I found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

I Don’t Ever Have Time to do Anything!

You see the basic problem is that most people when they’re working on their job start thinking, “You know, I really ought to be spending time at home with my family”.  And then when they’re at home with their family they start thinking, “I really ought to be out there working for my family.”  – Zig Ziglar

You see the basic problem is not lack of time.  It’s lack of direction.  We all have the same amount of time whether we are a millionaire or a pauper. – Zig Ziglar

What Goals Can Do For You

• Goals chase the blues away.
• Goals create activity which creates excitement.

Zig points out that “Logic will not change an emotion, but action will.”  How many times have you thought your way out of a bad mood?  Isn’t it doing something that changes our frame of mind?

College Dream Experiment

In the experiment, they hooked students up to monitors where computers recorded their brain waves.  The students went to sleep, but when the computer recorded that they were in a dream state the students were awakened.

Then they were allowed to go back to sleep, but the same process was repeated throughout the night.  The students received a normal amount of sleep, but were not allowed to dream.  Here are the results:

• After Night #1 – Many students felt nervous and fidgety.
• After Night #2 – Students felt irratable, short, and cross.
• After Night #3 – Experiment aborted due to concerns for student’s mental health.

Twenty-four hours later, most students had returned to normal.  Within a week, all the students had returned to normal.

Conclusion: When you are asleep, you need your dreams.  And Zig adds…

“I’m here to tell you that when you’re wide awake you also need your dreams.  You nust have your goals.  You’ll never make it as a wandering generality.  You must become a meaningful specific.”

Are You a Processionary Caterpillar?

Processionary caterpillars received their name because they follow their leader in a procession.  Jean Henri Fabre wondered what would happen if he lined them up on the rim of a flower pot without any gaps between them.

The caterpillars kept moving in a progression around the rim of the flower pot for several days without stop.  He put pine needles (their favorite food) in the center of the flower pot, but the caterpillars kept marching around the rim of the flower pot.

Seven days later some of the caterpillars died of starvation, which broke the circle creating a leader that led them to the food.

They confused activity with accomplishment.  You’ve got some friends that are in this same shape.  They’re busy, busy, beeing all the time.  They’re going, going, going, going … and they’re here and they’re there or they’re somewhere else.  But they never really accomplish anything because they don’t have those specific, clearly identifiable objectives.  You’ve got to have those goals. – Zig Ziglar

Missed part of the series?  Find the prior videos here:

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (2 of 3)

Related posts:

1. Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (2 of 3)
2. Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)
3. How SMART are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

It used to be that if you wanted to find information online you would grab your keyboard and “Hang 10” as you surfed the net.

Sure there was not much to see, but it was still fun since it was a novelty.

Surfing the net was much like having an ocean view with small regular waves of static home pages gently lapping against your computer screen.

With the exception of the some major news media, there were few players creating the gnarly waves of fresh content coveted by web surfers in this otherwise placid digital ocean of the World Wide Web.

Back then, to have an online presence, a small business owner just had to show up and pitch their virtual beach umbrella in the form of a few web pages about their company.

Then something came along that changed the online landscape forever …

Web Popularity is a Real Beach!

Soon it was common place for businesses, no matter how small they were, to pitch their umbrella on that same beach for very little cost.   Gone were the days where a leisurely walk along the beach would be enough to attract the affections of one of the myriad of search engine beach bunnies.

To make it worse, one beach bunny, the bikini-clad Googlebot, won the affections of most web surfers and rose to become the undisputed queen of the beach – and she liked to party.  It didn’t take long to figure out that if you wanted to be noticed on the beach now then you would have to get an invitation to her beach party.

Wooing her was a problem because she preferred only one type of suitor – the popular and ripped hunk.  Savvy webmasters discovered that the fastest way to become popular was to make agreements with other would be suitors.

Each would vouch for the other’s popularity by proudly displaying the other’s links on his website.  Then all that was left was to work out by doing keyword repetitions on their home page to really bulk up their meta tag physique.

Googlebot went nuts for them and she gladly shared her popularity introducing them to her web surfer friends.  In fact, they were all that she seemed to want to talk about.

The small business websites with their few static pages that she used to notice were quickly buried beneath the sand kicked on them by her new muscle-bound hunks.

Googlebot Grows Up

One day Googlebot’s father struck it rich and moved his family to Wall Street.  Gone were the days of the beach parties showing off all of her hunks.

While traveling to her new home she noticed something.  While she had been partying at the beach, someone had been busy planting the seeds of content all over the web.

The online landscape was changing before her very eyes, but this time it was living and constantly evolving.  She quickly fell in love with all of the new content that surrounded her.

She still liked to party, but she had grown wearing of web pages that kept flexing the same meta tag muscles.  In fact, she ignored them all together now.

She still wanted suitors that were popular, but that were also deep with original content.  She found her suitors among a new type of web page called a blog.

Bloggers soon carved out niches in the newly forested online landscape, and then diligently served up fresh original content with frequent updates.  Like before, Googlebot loved it and rewarded bloggers with superstar status and told all of her web surfing friends about them.

It was harder to be the queen in the midst of the forest because these bloggers weren’t interested in all of her shallow friends.  They just wanted a certain subset of them.

And to make matters worse, they were starting to just use her and then throw their own parties without her.  They started spreading word about themselves through email newsletters and RSS feeds behind her back.

It’s Hard to Surf Amongst the Trees

Well, Googlebot would not be dethroned that easily.  She still had some tricks up her sleeves.  Her first was a commandment sent throughout the land stating that “Thou shalt not follow.”  And suddenly, many of these bloggers were no longer popular and she quit talking about them.

She realized as she strolled through the forest that these bloggers were popping up everywhere – like toadstools after a good spring rain.  Their niches were quickly becoming overpopulated and their content was become less unique with every passing day.

She also heard a familiar sound amongst all the trees.  It was the unmistakable sound of parties being hosted by social media networks.  She quickly made allies by providing them with her coveted PageRank and the web surfers started flocking to them.

The bloggers now had to compete with these social media networks with their instant updates of 140 characters or less.  At the same time, they were being drowned out by the cacophony of bloggers that were causing the blogosphere to burst at the seams.

Some web surfers traded in their surfboards for walking sticks finding it difficult to be able to surf amongst the trees.  They started blog walking; wandering from blog to blog in search of content that was fresh, original, relevant, and credible.  Others joined the social media network parties.

Where Did the Small Business Owners Go?

This is pretty much where the landscape stands today.  So what happened to the small business owners?

Still Buried in the Sand

Many have never uncovered themselves from all the sand kicked on them years ago.  Their websites remain virtually unchanged and are all but invisible to online viewers.  They use the lack of web traffic as an excuse that online advertising does not work for small business.

Pumping Iron at the Beach

Some dusted off the sand, and became the new bullies on the beach through link building and excessive use of meta tags.  Their efforts were largely spurned by Googlebot via PageRank penalties or website bans.  They failed to notice that their beach was vacant and the bullies of the beach were now just beach bums.

Being Squeezed Out of Their Niche

A few tried to become bloggers, but discovered that all of the niches were extremely crowded.  They could not find a following among the masses for their voice to be heard.  Most have become disheartened and walked away from their blogs in defeat.

Shouting at the Top of Their Lungs

A handful tried various social media networks, but failed because they did not understand how to properly utilize them.  They either could not build a following or built a large untargeted following that was uninterested in the spamming they called networking.

There are some small businesses that are thriving online, but the vast majority has turned its back on the internet at a time when traditional advertising and marketing are rushing in.

Taking the Googlebot by the Hand

How will the online landscape change in the future?  Who knows?  Technology has outpaced our ability to keep up it.  I’m betting that it is going to be a wild ride though.

In the next few years we will see traditional media sources like television, radio, magazines, and newspapers continue to pour into the online realm while phasing out their existing offerings.

Social media networks will continue to grow, some will merge with other types of outlets, and some will fall by the wayside.

Bloggers will likely remain nimble enough to take advantage of the shifting trends, or they may be absorbed into something new.

Googlebot is not worried though.  She realizes that this turmoil will only make her more powerful.  Given her track record, I am going to be right there beside her – holding her hand as tightly as I can.

I encourage you small business owners to grab hold with me and not be left behind this time.

Confused about how small business can compete online?

Discouraged at your social media and blogging results?

There are two new series launching this week:

Social Media for Small Business (SM4SB)

&

Blog Walking: In Search of Small Business Success Online

Related posts:

1. Is Small Business Saying No Thanks to Social Media?
2. What are People Saying Online About Your Small Business?
3. 5 Ways to Tell if Your Small Business is a Social Media Lemming?

Should Christian entrepreneurs be concerned with making a profit and generating wealth?

That’s the question we left unanswered in Christian Entrepreneurs: I Said Prophets, Not Profits! – GOD.

In that post, the “big guns” were brought out; those passages in the Bible that appear to be the most negative on this subject.

If you are still standing – that’s good.   Hopefully, that means that you understand and appreciate the warnings in those passages and still have a desire in your heart to be an entrepreneur.  Okay, but why?  Why are you willing to risk it all?

It’s a Tight Squeeze Christian Entrepreneur

Do you really understand what is at risk?  Christ illustrates the dangers of wealth in this passage.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:23-24 (NIV)

Now that’s a tight squeeze!  I would hate to be that camel!  So is this it?  Become wealthy and you can’t enter heaven?   Notice that Christ did not say it was impossible, but that it is hard.

A Needle By Another Name?

This is why some believe that the needle He was referring to was a night entrance gate into the city called “the needle.”  It was much smaller than the normal gates and a camel would need to be unburdened of its load to fit through this gate.

Imagine it.  Your caravan pulls up to the city during the night after a long journey and the main gates are closed.  If you want to enter you will have to unload your camels, lead the camels through the gate, unpack the cargo, carry the cargo through the gate, repack the cargo, and then reload the camels.

This could easily take hours, and by then it would be daylight and the main gates would be open.  Rather than enter in at the small gate, wouldn’t you just camp outside and wait?

Critics point out that there is no evidence for the smaller gate being called “the needle,” and that the disciples would not have reacted surprised had it simply been a gate nor would Christ have said that “with men this is impossible.”

Christian Entrepreneurs Must Be Willing to Lose It All

Backing up just a little, Christ had been talking with a rich young man answering his question on what he needed to do to gain eternal life.  Interestingly, Christ did not refute the man’s claim that he had kept all the commandments, but He went straight to the heart of the matter.

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Matthew 19:21 (NIV)

Sadly, the young man turned and walked away.  Why, “Because he had great wealth.”  He had laid up his treasure here on earth along with his heart.  He was not willing to unburden his camel so that it could fit through the small gate and he could enter in.

Perhaps, it is this “perfect” young man turning away that caused the disciples’ reaction.  Christ did not say that the rich man entering the kingdom of God was impossible for man, but that salvation is impossible for man to earn.  It is through God that all things are possible – especially salvation.

Christian Entrepreneurs Receive a Higher ROI

Peter asked Christ, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”   Christ told him that he “will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”  Wow, what a return!

God never asks you to give up something that He is not willing to pay back to you many times over.  We must be willing to make that investment though when He calls for it.

The distinction of being a Christian entrepreneur is that we accept our roles as mere stewards of what God has put us over, and because of this, we act in accordance with His will as we operate our business.

Being a Christian Entrepreneur is a Calling

Paul taught us that we are all members of one body.  It makes sense, therefore, that part of this body is comprised of Christian business men and women who generate wealth that is used for His purposes.

The Bible is filled with Christian entrepreneurs who used their wealth for God.  They are instrumental in God’s plans and yet their roles in fulfilling His will are all too often glossed over while their faults are highlighted like front page news.

Where would they have put Christ’s body if it weren’t for a wealthy merchant named Joseph?  Where would the church at Philippi be with Lydia, the seller of purple?   Where would Christ have had the last supper had it not been for the unnamed man who lent his home and prepared the dinner?

In fact, I challenge you to list both the poor and the rich in the Bible and see how many more wealthy people there are on your list and what their contributions were.

The Few, the Proud, the Christian Entrepreneurs

This calling is not for everyone.  It is more than just having good intentions.   It is more than just tithing or helping the poor.

It takes special people to be able to risk walking down the road to wealth without succumbing to it.  To have at your disposal resources that could bless you or bless someone else and be able to discern their appropriate use.

So my answer is yes, Christian entrepreneurs should be concerned with making profits and generating wealth if that is their calling.  But first, and always first, they must seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness knowing that:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  Luke 12:48b (NIV)

Did you miss the first part of this post?

You can read it at

Christian Entrepreneurs: I Said Prophets, Not Profits! – GOD

Related posts:

1. Christian Entrepreneurs: I Said Prophets, Not Profits! – GOD
2. What is a Christian Entrepreneur?
3. Wanted: Christian Marketplace Bloggers

Have you seen those billboards with one line messages from God?

Whenever we return home from my wife’s parents house we pass by a couple of these billboards. It is a very clever marketing campaign.

At first you chuckle, but then a sense of guilt begins to creep in.  As a Christian entrepreneur, I have had my fair share of guilty feelings as I slid an invoice across the table to a client.

It is something that we, as small business owners, have a tendency to dread regardless of our faith.  For the Christian though, there is an added dimension of whether we should even be making a profit.

With the rise of mega-churches preaching a prosperity gospel while selling everything from Bibles to Starbucks coffee in their lobbies, this issue is causing some Christians to wonder whether we have stepped over the line.

Whatever happened to “blessed are the poor” they ask?  Christ taught us to pray that God would give us our daily bread, so how is it that we can ask Him to make us wealthy?

Making a Profit – The Root of All Evil?

Well, let’s look at what the Bible has to say on the topic.  I think that the first verse that will pop into most people’s head is …

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. – 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

It is such a great verse, but too many people misquote it as “money is the root of all evil” leaving out the “love of” part.

This verse does not say that making money is evil, nor does it say wanting to make money is evil.  It is loving money, or greed, that is the root of all evil.

Despite what Gordon Gekko says in the movie Wall Street, greed is not good.  In that movie, as in real life, those who chase after money and are consumed by their greed have indeed “pierced themselves with many griefs.”

How Secure is Your Vault? Storing Up Your Treasures

Okay, so it’s okay to desire to make a profit as long as I am not greedy?  Let’s hold off on answering that question and look at another verse from the Bible.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

It is interesting that this advice is preceded by Christ teaching us to ask daily for our bread, and it is followed by His call for us not to worry because God would provide for all our needs.

I believe that it isn’t so much the storing up of wealth that Jesus is concerned about, but that we begin to rely upon this wealth rather than in the true source of the wealth.

There is no real security in wealth, nor may I add, any real happiness.  We don’t really need the Bible to show us this though; just look at those who have it.

Wall street giants are being shook from their silver-lined clouds by the thunderous clap of the stock market crashing through the floor hoping their golden parachutes won‘t fail them.  Hollywood stars and professional athletes live out their day-to-day drama in the tabloids one ruined relationship after another.

Serving Two Masters

Somehow though, Madison Avenue breaks out the air brushes, paints over the bad parts, and sells it to us wrapped in a pretty bow.  This is where the dilemma enters the pictures.  Christ says:

No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money. – Matthew 6:24

As Christian entrepreneurs, we know that the emperor is not wearing any clothes but do we tell him?  Or do we look the other way, take a shortcut here and there, to stay competitive and preserve our profit?

I pointed out in Should Your Small Business Advertise as Christian Owned? that when you slap the Jesus fish on your business cards or advertisements there will be those that try to use your faith against you.  Even if you choose not to be a fish slapper, you must remain vigilant against the temptations you will face.

There are just some roads that we as Christian entrepreneurs should never go down regardless of how profitable they may be.  There is a real danger when profits add up to become wealth that the temptation to rely upon that wealth rather than God becomes too great.

The Results After This Brief Commercial Break

So how are you doing so far?  Are you asking yourself why you want to be an entrepreneur?  Good, I think it is something that we all should ask ourselves from time to time.

Are you seeking wealth?  Why?  What will you do when you have become wealthy?  Will you be able to handle the temptations?

There’s still more to look at before we have our final answers.

Read the conclusion of this post in

Will Christian Entrepreneurs Be Able to Squeeze Through?

Related posts:

1. Will Christian Entrepreneurs Be Able to Squeeze Through?
2. What is a Christian Entrepreneur?
3. Wanted: Christian Marketplace Bloggers

Have you ever met someone who is always going to do something, but never seems to get started?

Perhaps you see that person in the mirror each morning?

Last week we learned that the first step in setting goals is to actually make the choice to sit down and write them out.

Have you made that choice yet?  Or, is this something that you always seem to be going to do?

Zig would tell you to get started or you might get “Cooked in the Squat.”  Listen as he explains what he means.

Zig Ziglar: Setting Goals (part 2 of 3)

The Featured Video this week is from one of my favorite motivational speakers – Zig Ziglar. It is an excerpt from his course on setting goals, and it is the second video in a three part series. The video series is a little dated, but don’t let that fool you – the advice Zig provides is timeless.

Selected Highlights from the Video

Listed below are some of the quotes and other information from the video that I found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

Getting Cooked in the Squat

“The people who wait for Aunt Matilda to move out, or John to get on the day shift, or the new models to come out, or the new mayor to come in, or for the new advertising campaign to get started … The people who wait on the new senator in Washington, or until inflation slows, or the rate of interest comes down, or the people who wait for changes to take place out there, before they do the changing in here, are flat gonna end up getting cooked in the squat.” – Zig Ziglar

Procrastination

Procrastination is a cancer that will eat at the dreams of the small business owner.  The danger in putting it off another day is that we are not guaranteed another day.

This is what the Bible tells us about putting things off until tomorrow:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:13-14 (NIV)

Now is the time to start accomplishing your dreams.  Successful entrepreneurs do not wait around for things to change – they change things.

Zig finishes with part three of this series at

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (3 of 3)

If you missed part one of this series you can find it at

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)

Related posts:

1. Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)
2. Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (3 of 3)
3. How SMART are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

You have no doubt heard the statistic that four out of every five businesses fail within their first five years.  Sadly, many do not make it past the first year.

Why do entrepreneurs continue to start small businesses every day knowing these odds?

They dream of being their own boss, attaining financial freedom, and spending quality time with their families.

Like the seafarers of old, they crash their boats into the jagged rocks of reality while under the spell of the mythical siren’s song.

Hmmm … I think I will Build a Tower

As entrepreneurs, we know this song very well.  It tops the charts in our minds and quickly becomes the song that we can’t get out of our head.  It becomes a driving force in our life – our passion.

When the song is loud enough to drown out all of the fears, doubts, and naysayers we jump in and start building our business.

I wonder if this is what the man Jesus asked us to imagine in his parable must have been feeling.

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” – Luke 14:28-30 (NIV)

I can almost picture the abandoned unfinished tower in the background as Jesus spoke this parable.  Do you think it was effective because such a sight was so rare or because it was common enough for the listeners to relate to it?

How many times have we seen such “towers” as we drive down the streets of our own town?  Today, boarded up shops, going out of business signs, and foreclosure sales serve as a reminder of another entrepreneur’s hopes and dreams being crashed upon the rocks.

A Body in Motion …

In physics, Newton’s first law of motion states that a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an outside force.  How can we apply this same law to our small business?

If we just jump into the entrepreneurial waters with a sink or swim approach the odds are that the motion we experience will be sinking and the outside force will be the bottom of the lake abruptly stopping us with a thud.

There is no better time to sit down and count the cost than before we launch our business.  Once the business is launched, the motion of the day-to-day operations makes it very difficult to be able to stop and do this.

Counting the Costs

Despite all of the “get rich quick” schemes and “easy money” claims we see on the internet every day, there is no free ride.  Building a successful business is neither quick nor easy.

There are many costs to consider.  The most obvious cost is the financial resources necessary to fund and sustain both us and our business.

The number one reason businesses fail is that they are undercapitalized and are forced to rely on an ever increasing amount of debt to keep the business afloat.

Don’t confuse projected earnings with reality –projections, in terms of dollars or timing, rarely pan out as they are drawn up in your business plan.

Many entrepreneurs discover this too late and pour all their savings, mortgage their homes, and max out their credit cards attempting to postpone the inevitable thud approaching from their outside force (all too often a debt collector).

Dip Your Toe In Before You Dive

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you gave up a full-time steady paycheck to start your business.  Don’t underestimate the strain that this will put on your family.

Adjusting to a lower standard of living is not as easy as you might think.  It will take time to transition, but too many entrepreneurs wait until after their business is launched to start trying to make this transition.

If you have a two incomes in your family, try living off the paycheck you will keep for a full year before starting your business and put the other paycheck into a savings account.  If it’s just your income then live off the amount you would pay yourself during the first year of your business and put the rest in a savings account.

If you cannot make it during that year then chances are slim that you will be able to do so launching your own business and you will have saved yourself the embarrassment of the unfinished tower.

For Everything Else… There’s MasterCard?

The temptation will be great to finance your old standard of living via credit cards.  The sheer volume of advertisements your family faces will be a daily reminder of what they have given up.

Having to tell your family “no” is difficult, but it will be a recurring conversation.  This can lead to a tremendous amount of guilt that credit cards are all too willing to help you avoid.

Telling your family “no” now is only so you can tell them “yes” later to something much better.  This is something you want to make sure you discuss with your family before launching your business.

Recognizing the Signs

If your credit card debt is mounting then it is a sure sign that you are undercapitalized.  Take it as an opportunity to sit down and count the costs.  Remember, the day-to-day activities make this incredibly difficult to do, but recognize you may be one of those entrepreneurs who lose everything if you don’t.

Are the costs too great?  The only thing worse than being scoffed at because your business failed is being completely broke and in debt when you realized why all the others were scoffing.

Maybe it’s just a lifestyle adjustment that needs to be made?  Debt is a tool, but it comes with great risks.  It’s far easier to adjust your lifestyle before you get into debt than it is because you are in debt.

Finishing Your Tower

Owning your own business can be a great joy.  You can be your own boss, attain financial freedom, and spend more time with your family.  You can finish your tower.  It takes hard work, planning, discipline, and perseverance.

Just like Odysseus, you too can avoid the jagged rocks of reality where many entrepreneurs have shipwrecked their dreams.  You can listen to the siren’s song confidently knowing that your business is bound to the mast of a solid business plan because you took the time to sit and count the costs.

Related posts:

1. How Plastic Surgery is Helping Small Business Entrepreneurs Succeed
2. 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Shark Tank
3. How to Get Paid by the Church