Ten simple things that helped me make Millions

I had my business since I was 9 years. I have started, bought, sold and helped in many different types of business over the thirty some odd years since then.

I did everything I ever wanted to do, and I had a lot of fun. Some of the highlights: I worked on Wall Street, I helped take a company public and I threw one of the biggest names in VC in the country outside my office. I worked with some of the biggest names in online and offline space, and saw the interior of many of the largest companies in the United States.

I made my first million the old fashioned way - I worked my butt off. And I have much to show for it, so I am humble and grateful. Understand this - I am a successful businessman and I am proud.

Why am I sharing all this with you? I'm getting there.

People always ask me if I have any advice for success. They ask if I could name things that I think have contributed the most to my success. Let me share my observations from thirty years of business experience. Are applicable to both online and offline.

Here are my top ten tips for success:

1. Always make sure all your emails and phone calls are returned. I do a lot of contacts and inquiries by e-mail, phone or in person. I am absolutely shocked by the number of people who do not bother to return the request. And 'the classless and disrespectful to ignore the request of someone, and it makes them angry. Angry people telling others how they're wrong. Fewer people out there to speak ill of you, the better.

When I was in support of the modem I had between 1000 - 3000 emails a day. I've been buried in e-mail. My assistant went to e-mail is deleted and when he could, forwarding those who knew her or one of my subordinates can handle. But he left the rest for me. I want to spend at least an hour a day to return them. Sometimes all I said was called so and so o Thanks for the heads-up, but most of them answered. The priority has been customer, then managers then normal people. If you're not going to respond to correspondence from customers or colleagues, do not give anyone your email address. The funny thing about most of us ... If you have an e-mail and invite us to use it, we expect an answer. I wrote three e-mail to Darren Rouse at ProBlogger.net. He has not answered a single one. While I think some of his stuff is good enough, I find his lack of response is disappointing and I'm not as authoritative as I did.

I sent an email to the President of Staples (the office supply chain) in a Saturday afternoon a few years ago. I received a personal reply from him the next day (Sunday), and we've solved my problem with the help of one of its EVPS. If you can answer one of my e-mail, so can Darren Rouse. And so can you.

2. Help anyone who requests it. No matter what it is - if someone asks you to help them and you can do it. Whether it involves rolling up your sleeves, write a check, or simply giving valuable time responding to a question from someone who does not know how much you suck it up and do it.

3. Always know more than most people in your industry or business. I've always been a technician, so this is ingrained in me since I was 16 years. Read the things in your field every day. Vai a seminar or trade show from time to time. Participate in discussion boards, on or off-line. It will keep you connected with the people in your industry and make you a guru. The Internet is a great tool to get this done.

4. Treat your employees like gold, so I am. In my own business my employees get away with a lot. They are well paid, get benefits as a surprise to all the time and can come and go as they please. Some take advantage, but do not last long. Being a jerk to your employees will always come back to bite. This also means that you hosed a couple of times, but probably would have anyway.

Make the workplace fun, comfortable and casual as you can. Show your employees such as you want them to treat customers and employees. They are going to follow your example. I hate coming to work will be shown in what they produce.

In support of the modem I have organized an annual barbecue in the parking lot in front. We had pork, barbecue sauce from Texas and lots of other fun things. It 'was a small gesture but it went a long way.

5. Acknowledge everyone who helps you move forward, especially those who did not draw from it. This is another thing I'm shocked more people have not begun to understand. I mentioned in a previous article that I regularly comb my log files for people who have social bookmarks that link to my blog site and send them a quick email to thank them. I stopped counting the number of people who email me back shocked that I took the time to thank them. Why should not I? They took time to help promote my blog, and got nothing in return. Thanks recognizes their time and effort and solidifies as an ally. Trust me ... you need all the allies we can get.

6. Friends with your competitors. This is another that should be second nature. Yes, you are all competing for customers, but you're all frogs in the same pot of boiling water. I own the largest wine store in my hometown. If we do not have a customer wants something that will call another store and see if the customer can get. It 'was a shock to both customers and competitors who would like to send customers to another store. I say it's good for the customer, so it's a good deal.

7. Keep your sense of humor ... is enormous. My second day in support of the modem I was sent to John Hancock's Boston HQ. Modem worked on strategy online / offline Hancock for months. It was not over and there was a lot of tension. After two days me and the runt of the marketing heads have been called on the carpet by a central manager screaming.

He said it was disappointing for me two months! and continued reaming us. I waited a few beats and said: Excuse me ... I've only been disappointing for a couple of days. Color drained from the face of marketing weenie, but I could say the client was everything to avoid bursting out laughing.

8. Overdeliver to your customers, let them know that you are looking out for their business, and treat them as friends. I spent a lot of time on campus Compaq in Houston. We were competing with Price Waterhouse for direct technical work Compaq and PW had the ear of the CTO and CFO of Compaq or some such person.

But I had the confidence of the person directly under exec, and was doing the work. My team was on top of everything, and we covered the shoulders. He knew he could count on us, and knew that we could help him navigate the jungle. We lost track for a while ', but we still had a catch for me to fly in once a month to help. I would fly out there, we would have lunch and I return flight. Sometimes the conversation is technical, marketing was sometimes connected and sometimes it was purely personal.

Finally we have the contract back because my boy knew that were part of his success, and he knew he could count on us.

9. Get a hobby, hot tub, bikes, drag race car, whatever. You need a company to transition from something else. Make sure you have one. It will give your mind a chance to disengage and allow you to process in the background all the things you're thinking. Moving from the conscious mind to the subconscious mind is like the exercise using different muscles - which will help achieve results. I can not tell you how many times I have solved the problem while driving on my motorcycle.

10. Be very careful who you choose to advise, but have a go-to team, and always defer to someone smarter than you. People mean well, but it takes far less courage to poke holes in the idea of ​​someone not to accentuate the positive. Keep some solid advisors around you. I have a team of all stars that includes my wife (very handy), my attorney (one of the best business lawyers in the U.S.), my lawyer the other (one of my good friends and another guy practice), and my accountant (very severe, but very skilled financially).

I think I know everything and I fiercely defend my positions. All my advisers are smarter than me something, and often can convince me to go with them, because I remember that.

One final observation - do not give up.

Regardless of the shit reads on to enrich in a hurry, it does not happen in this way most of the time. Some of us make it look easy, but it is not. This does not mean that you can do .......