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AMERICAN SUCCESS INSTITUTEA NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

How AmericansGet Rich

How AmericansGet Rich

BILL FITZPATRICK

VisitBillFitzPatrick.com

Table of Contents1. Set Goals......................................................................62. Divide and Conquer ...................................................73. Write A Personal Mission Statement ..........................84. Follow Through ..........................................................95. Embrace the Hard Work...........................................106. Don’t Complicate Matters .........................................117. Commit to Never Ending Improvement..................128. Be Frugal ...................................................................139. Make Today Special ..................................................1410. Record Your Thoughts..............................................1511. Persist to Win ............................................................1612. In Business, All Are Not Equal ................................1713. Risk Failure ................................................................1814. Get Tough..................................................................1915. Be the Valued Employee..........................................2016. Find Another Job.......................................................2117. The Wide World of Business ...................................2218. Stop Wasting Time ....................................................2319. Spread Your Enthusiasm...........................................2420. Applaud the Beginner ..............................................2521. Give Yourself the Gift of Self-Reliance....................2622. Lead by Example ......................................................2723. Control Conflict .........................................................2824. Listen to Your Instincts .............................................2925. Keep Pushing ............................................................3026. Style and Attitude and Work Matter ........................3127. Donald J. Trump: Get Tough ...................................3228. Buying and Selling Businesses.................................3329. Be Proud....................................................................3430. Be Decisive................................................................3531. Three Rules for Business Success............................36

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32. Embody Integrity.......................................................3733. Stay Centered.............................................................3834. Love Many Things.....................................................3935. Forget Everybody ......................................................4036. Maintain Your Presence............................................4137. The Business Doesn’t Matter....................................4238. Appreciate Your Appeal ...........................................4339. Develop Your Sense of Humor................................4440. Create a Winning Team............................................4541. Show Loyalty .............................................................4642. Advance Your Career................................................4743. How to Delegate.......................................................4844. How to Manage Projects ..........................................4945. Develop Your Special Talent....................................5046. Copy Success.............................................................5147. Develop Winning Habits ..........................................5248. Salespeople Rule .......................................................5349. Accept Hard Work ....................................................5450. The Boss is The Rainmaker .....................................5551. Communicate with Ease ...........................................5652. Helping Troubled Employees ..................................5753. Imitation before Innovation .....................................5854. How to Choose a Partner.........................................5955. Invest In Your Future................................................6056. Retire Early ................................................................6157. Have Faith .................................................................6258. Your Core Values ......................................................6359. How to Build a Team...............................................6460. Look in the Mirror.....................................................6561. Imagine ......................................................................6662. Hold Sacred ...............................................................6763. Focus on Your Strengths ..........................................6864. Understand Courage .................................................6965. Sandra Day O’Connor: Aim High ............................7066. Run the Short and Long Roads................................71

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67. Advertising Basics .....................................................7268. Close the Door on Regrets.......................................7369. Raise Your Prices.......................................................7470. The Typical American Millionaire............................7571. Act With Boldness.....................................................7672. Aim for the One Percent ..........................................7773. Do What You Love Doing........................................7874. Appreciate Your Customer .......................................7975. Build Networks ........................................................8076. Hire Slowly...............................................................8177. Fire Quickly .............................................................8278. The Example of Wal-Mart .......................................8379. Jack Welch: Self-Confidence ...................................8480. Learn.........................................................................8581. Ask a Lot of Questions............................................8682. Read Biographies.....................................................8783. Be Open to New Ideas ...........................................8884. Heed the Warnings ..................................................8985. American Business Slogans.....................................9086. Read, Read, Read.....................................................9187. Write Your Elevator Pitch ........................................9288. A Few Important Words ..........................................9389. Go Green .................................................................9490. Start a Business Now...............................................9591. Thank Your Ancestors .............................................9692. Supervise ..................................................................9793. Go for the BIG Fish.................................................9894. Magnify Your Effectiveness .....................................9995. Deal With It............................................................10096. Embrace Technology .............................................10197. Invest in Commercial Property .............................10298. Start Your Revolution.............................................10399. Become an Action Principles® Champion.............104100. Your One Life ......................................................105

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How AmericansGet Rich

How AmericansGet Rich

As you read How Americans Get Rich, you realize thatwhat successful people have done and are doing inAmerica, you can do wherever you live, in Hanoi or Havanaor Halifax.

There have been self-made successful people from everyera of history and from every country. They offer a productthat people want to buy. They charge a fair price. They buildrepeat business from a satisfied customer base. They copythe leaders in their industries. They keep their businessesmoving forward, always improving. They make money andthey invest, usually in real estate. You can do this.

I will not wish you good luck. If you are an ActionPrinciples® Champion, a tough, thoughtful, spiritual personof action, you don’t need luck. Write down your goals, workhard, learn from your mistakes and persist. You can have aprosperous life and make a difference in your community.Appreciation and respect will be yours. Follow the ActionPrinciples and these How Americans Get Rich principles.Watch my free instructional videos. You can do this.

I will be honored to be your teacher.

Bill FitzPatrick • Bill FitzPatrick.com

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1Set Goals

You have one life. Set a goal right now to rise abovethe average and live an extraordinary life. These areyour goals, so don’t be shy. Dream big. What you plan,or don’t plan, is where you’ll go.

You need the time and the resources to developyour individual potential and special talent. Plan for it.Write it down. Commit your mind and actions to dowhat it will take to succeed.

Average people work forty hours a week. Set a goalof working 20% more, working fifty hours and usingthe extra income to invest.

Average people buy one house, hoping that this sin-gle investment will ensure a comfortable retirement.Plan to do what the average person has done once anddo it again and again until you become a millionaire.

Average people watch twenty hours of televisioneach week. Set a goal to watch ten hours and use theother ten hours more constructively.

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2Divide and Conquer

Initially, many of the goals you set will seem ambitious.This is good. Reach for the stars. Now, with your feet firm-ly planted on the ground, make your plans. Take your goaland divide it into meaningful, realistic, achievable objectives.

You want to own several McDonald’s franchises. Youstart by owning one.

You get a job at McDonald’s. You volunteer to do thejobs that average employees avoid. You mop floors, cleanrest rooms and empty grease traps. You pick up litter inthe parking lot. You react with an understanding smilewhen a child spills a milkshake. You willingly work extra hours.

You become the irreplaceable employee. You becomea shift supervisor and then assistant manager and thenmanager. You network with other store managers andstore owners. You learn the fast food business from theground floor up and inside and out.

You are known and liked by the national corporation.You confidently borrow the money to buy your first store.Then, you invest in a second and third and fourth store.

On the road to your future, divide your journey intoshort trips.

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3Write a Personal Mission Statement

There is an ideal you. You are a tough, thoughtful, spiritual person of action.

You are prosperous. Everything about you spells successfrom your home and your car, to your office. Some luckyfew are able to call you parent or boss. Others are proudto call you friend. You have much and are able to shareoften. You are admired and respected.

Be the confident, ideal you. Every day, stop to think about who you were, who

you are now and the ideal you. What mistakes did youmake? What slights did you commit?

Are you enjoying your days? Did you stop long enjoyto savor your tea? Did you stop to smell the rose? Didyou see the children laughing?

You can describe the ideal you. You can keep a diaryor scrapbook. Or, you can simply write a page or a para-graph. Keep writing and refining and living. While aver-age people are idle, you pursue your ideal.

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4Follow Through

Follow through is the secret weapon of the highly suc-cessful businessperson. It is bettering the standard. It isdoing the optional. It is always performing above andbeyond expectations. It is the wow factor.

It is openly and honestly talking with a customer whohas a problem and doing your best to correct it.

It is the contractor who cleans up, not just at the endof a job, but every night. It is the restaurant manager whovisits every table after every meal. It is the florist whocalls the week after the wedding.

It is the car salesperson or the real estate agent whodoesn’t treat you like a one time opportunity but as a life-time customer. It is appreciating and respecting your cus-tomer. It is making the customer feel special and impor-tant.

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5Embrace the Hard WorkYou excel by not being an average worker. You excel

by working hard at the harder aspects of your job. Whatthe average worker avoids, you embrace. Think follow-up, clean-up, dealing with problem employees, solvingcustomer complaints and soliciting new business.

Many average workers are clock watchers. They arefocused on avoiding criticism while waiting for theirnext paycheck. Often, the workplace is not a provingground, encouraging an individual to personal excel-lence. Rather, some see it as a comfortable meetingplace where friends co-mingle in a commercial environ-ment. The business becomes incidental to the social.

If you actually concentrate on working while you areat work, you give yourself a competitive advantage overaverage workers. If you are working for the right com-pany, your bosses will acknowledge, appreciate andreward your hard work.

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6Don’t Complicate MattersAverage people often complicate business matters

because within those complications, they can find excus-es for inaction.

Following The Action Principles®, you are a tough,thoughtful, spiritual person of action. What others havedone, you can do. You don’t sit around sharing ignorancewith your friends. You find knowledgeable teachers andmentors. You listen. You find a way. You research, youthink, you plan and you act.

Running a business is not complicated. You offer aquality product at a fair price. You appreciate your cus-tomers. You identity the leaders in your industry and youdo what they are doing.

Becoming financially independent is not complicated.Average people buy one house in the hope of a com-fortable retirement. You buy six properties, pay off yourdebts, and create a family financial empire.

There are those who talk accomplishment. There arethose who listen, learn and accomplish.

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7Commit to Never Ending

ImprovementIt’s fun and exciting to plan and open a business but after

a few months, reality starts to kick in. Ownership and man-agement responsibilities are demanding.

Perhaps several vendors should not have been so highlyrecommended. Maybe the work ethics of some recruited staffdo not match expectations. After the novelty wears off, somecustomer interest will wane.

With the slow creep of discouragement, average peoplequit and settle for mediocrity. It’s seems a small fact that theflowers in the beds outside the office are dead. It gets easy tooverlook the smudges on outgoing correspondence. Youallow discontent among staff to fester. Suddenly updating thewebsite is no longer a priority.

For the extraordinary, second rate and quitting are notoptions. You can’t yawn and shrug your shoulders. You are theboss. Through your example, you are responsible for the ener-getic or toxic atmosphere in your workplace. You attend to thedetails. You maintain the standards. You don’t turn a blind eyeto anything.

If you need to find new suppliers and new employees andnew ways to promote your products or services, you do that.

To keep to a steady course and strive toward excellence,you may have to make improvements again and again.

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8Be Frugal

Employees understand that your company is in businessto make money. You make money by generating revenueand by looking for ways to reduce the unnecessary; espe-cially frivolity and waste.

An effective manager sets the example for employees.You can fly coach. You can eat in the company cafeteria.You don’t need a private bathroom or reserved parkingspace. You see litter and you pick it up.

Get everyone involved. Corporate frugality is a team effort.

Everyone should be engaged in looking for ways to cutcosts and rewarded for sharing their suggestions.

Think before you make major corporate purchases. Don’tbe impulsive. Give yourself a day or two to consider the pur-chase and if you can still justify the item, then buy it know-ing that you will use it.

No one likes a cheap person. Everyone will accept aleader who sacrifices along with the troops for the good ofall concerned.

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9Make Today Special

You list and tackle your responsibilities head on. Youembrace hard work. Every day, you choose a new chal-lenge for yourself. You make yourself tough by doingsomething that is personally difficult for you to do.

If you want to generate additional business, you followup with your old clients and make the effort to reconnect.

If you have been neglecting your health, today youwill watch your diet and take a short walk.

If you have been putting off making personnelchanges, just do it.

If an employee has done an exceptional job, make thesmall effort to publicly praise him or her.

Order pizza for the office, bring a rose home for thewife and a movie for the kids.

You must never allow yourself to fall into a depressingrut of sameness. Life doesn’t just happen to you. Youhave planned to make today and every day special. Atthe end of every day, you sleep well with a feeling ofaccomplishment.

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10Record Your Thoughts

You will have lots of ideas. Make a habit of writingthem down. Review your notes. Have your paper andpen and pencil and marker available. Circle, underline,highlight, cross out and expand your thinking.

You can’t help it. You are exceptional. When youaren’t at your desk working, you are probably still think-ing about business. Take some notes. It is who you are.You are focused on success. You are always alert andaware and your subconscious mind is always churningout new ideas and new possibilities for increasingincome or decreasing expenses.

Your mind is focused on improving your business.What catches your eye? Is it the layout of an ad or a retailfloor plan or a combination of words or colors? Is it anew piece of equipment or a website? What do you seethat is efficient or smart or high tech? Record yourthoughts

You aren’t just a person of action. You are a thinkingperson of action.

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11Persist to Win

You will be successful. Of this, there is no doubt. Youwill never give up. It will never be over until you say thatit is over. Keep trying. Be good. Get good. Or, give up.

Any particular day may be tough and demand yourbest effort and concentration. To walk ten miles, you takea step and then a step. After six miles you are tired, butyou take another step. After eight miles, you are in pain;you take another step. It would be easy to find an excuseto stop and few average people would blame you.Winners persevere and take another step.

You face a pile of papers on your desk. You pick up thefirst paper and deal with it. You pick up the next paper.

You want to make ten cold calls today. You make thefirst call.

You have twenty emails to answer. You respond to thefirst email.

Take a deep breath; suck it up and do it. Do it know-ing that what you are about to do may advance yourcause only slightly or have no effect at all. However, withpatience and honest hard work, the rewards of persis-tence will burst forth or slowly emerge. Either way, you win.

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12In Business,

All Are Not EqualIn business, in all countries and throughout all of his-

tory, you will find that workers are divided into three cat-egories: 10, 70, 20.

Through their own fault or no fault of their own, tenpercent of workers are self-absorbed by their own non-work related problems. It is difficult for them to concen-trate on doing their jobs. Their performance is marginalat best.

Seventy percent of people are average. They workhard enough to not get fired. They are risk averse, reac-tive and let circumstance and events shape their futures.They are content to be promoted when someone in frontof them is fired, quits or dies. They spend what theymake and have little if anything saved for investment.

Then, there is the top twenty percent of pro-activeachievers. These are self-reliant people capable of deci-sive action. They are ambitious. They research, study,plan and act. They dare and attempt and sometimes failand learn and try again. They are moving forward. Theyare in control. They are the corporate leaders and suc-cessful entrepreneurs.

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13Risk Failure

Average people are risk averse. They will cling to theperceived safety of the status quo. They delude themselvesinto believing that big companies will always be there toprotect them. Sadly, many have learned otherwise.

The extraordinary person accepts the fact that the realeconomic protection for themselves, their families andtheir futures lies in their self-reliance and, often, theirwillingness to change, to face the unknown.

You are alert and aware to problems. You are workingfor a poorly performing company. You don’t ignore thewarning signs. Sales are dropping. Your suggestions forcorrective action are ignored. Get out now. Take the risk.Find another job or start your own business

You are alert and aware to opportunities. Your boss atthe flower shop announces that she will be retiring andselling the business. You love your job. Take the risk.Make an offer to buy the company.

If it were easy, everybody, the average majority woulddo it. It isn’t always easy to try new things without provenguarantees. Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zonemay be difficult but it can also be exhilarating and prof-itable. Research, plan and then take the risk.

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14Get Tough

On your way to extraordinary, you might be passedover for promotion. Partners and employees may disap-point you. You will lose a big deal. For no good reason,customers, clients or patients will switch to your com-petitors. You will introduce products or services that willfall flat and cost you time and money.

You have hit the wall. Push over because all self-madesuccessful people have been there. You are being tested.The world of business is not waiting anxiously for youramazing personal contribution. The time to prove your-self is at hand. Get tough.

This is the wall. You need to climb over it. You maybang your knees and skin your knuckles. This is the pricethat you are being asked to pay. Pay the price. Climb overthe wall. Others have gotten over that wall and you canlearn from them. Without whining, second guessing orcomplaining, suck it up and do what you know you haveto do to succeed in business. And, yes, there will be otherwalls blocking your path. So, get ready and get tough.

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15Be the Valued EmployeeThe status quo may be comforting, but for there to be

growth, there must be change. Since you seek growth,you must seek change. You must see yourself and yourenvironment not only as it is, but also as it could andshould be. You seek the changes necessary to reach thebetter you so that you can play your part in being a bet-ter sportsperson and role model.

First, you change yourself. Can you change your dayand spend more time with your family? Can you changeyour standard lunch routine and take a walk? Can youvolunteer to coach and mentor those behind you who arejust learning the game? What are the possible conse-quences of not changing?

Realize that many people don’t make plans becausethey don’t want to risk any change. Doing little with yourlife is much easier and safer than taking risks, but thenyou will be a small person. Instead, seek the changeswhich will allow you to be all that you can be as an ath-lete and a person.

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16Find Another Job

It may be time to look for a new job if:

Your current job lacks challenges and is boring

Your co-workers aren’t achievement oriented

The company isn’t ethical

The quality of your products or services is declining

Your extra effort is not recognized, appreciated and rewarded

You and the boss’s son are vying for the same promotion

The atmosphere is chaotic, tense and always in crisis mode

The economic outlook for your industry is poor

Upper management is jumping ship

The company is not continually upgrading andinvesting back

Of course, being an extraordinary worker, a superstar,you may be highly recruited and can’t resist the pay, ben-efits and perks offered by another company. Go for it.

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17The Wide World

of BusinessFrom anywhere in the world, as you read The Action

Principles® and the How Americans Get Rich tips, youwill have a positive response. You will be able to think,“yes, this is what I believe.”

Yes, in Nairobi, the shopkeeper who offers qualitygoods and appreciates his customers is successful.

Yes, in Hanoi, the salesperson who follows up withcustomers to be sure that the product has met theirexpectations is successful.

Yes, in Lima, the apartment building owner who insistson a high standard of maintenance will have her unitsfilled with happy tenants.

Yes, in Sydney, the real estate agent who patientlyshows a young couple twenty houses and then anothertwenty houses is likely to sell them a home.

We may be different in very small ways but, as humans, we are remarkably the same with the samefears and dreams and aspirations. To think otherwise is a mistake.

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18Stop Wasting Time

As a business executive, you appreciate the value oftime. Time wasted is gone forever. To improve yourown efficiency and that of your valued staff, as well asto root out the do-nothings and the perfectionists, youshould be aware of the following time wasters:

Not planning or prioritizing tasksMisaligned prioritiesMistakesPerfectionismEquipment failureNot listening or ignoring instructionsPointless meetingsLack of self-discipline, motivation or interestSocializing during work timePersonal business on the InternetInability to make decisions, delegate or to say “No”ProcrastinationInattention or dozing off

In the short run the time wasters may seem like theyare beating the system. However, time waster have fewfriends except each other and no respect. Focused hardwork is the honorable path and the sure path to success.

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19Spread Your EnthusiasmAfter a few months of reading your Action Principle®

and How Americans Get Rich tip every day, somethingwonderful is going to happen. You are going to startbelieving in your own wonderful financial future. Afteryour twenty minutes of quiet time each day, you will feelrecharged and ready to take on the challenges on yourroad to success.

Enthusiasm, motivation, passion, optimism, a zest forlife and a positive mental attitude fill you with energy. Youwill know that the only thing that stands between you andthe accomplishment of your goals is a bit of time.

This is really going to happen. You really are going tobe financially independent. You really are going to besurrounded by wonderful family and friends. You reallyare going to be appreciated and respected. This is allgood.

Now, when you see and believe all that you can do, itis much easier to reach out and help others. Show themthe potential that they have to live full lives of prosperi-ty and peace.

Smile, give, encourage, support and spread yourenthusiasm.

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20Applaud the Beginner

Beginners make lots of mistakes. They can lookridiculous and they can be annoyingly frustrating. And, atone time, that beginner was us. Every self-made, suc-cessful person has had his or her own beginning.

A beginner makes a rookie mistake. How does thebeginner react to your correction? Does he act defensive-ly? Is he angry, frustrated and more interested in makingexcuses than making amends? Remember, it would bedifficult or impossible to change this type of person.

Your job as a business leader is to recognize potential.Who is a good listener? Who appears to learn quickly?Who shows talent? Who volunteers? Who could youstand to work with all day? Who is a younger version ofyou? This is the beginner to nurture and applaud.

21Give Yourself the Gift of

Self-RelianceChange happens. Be prepared. Economies are global-

izing. The Internet is changing everything. If you arestanding still, you may get passed by or even run over.

You may be saved by the action of others. You maynot. Give yourself the gift of self-reliance and you won’tbe taken for granted. Take responsibility for your owncareer. Open your eyes and your ears. Alert and aware,prepare yourself. In the real world of business, it is naïveto believe anything except that you work for youself.

You must know your industry, where it is headed andhow you can profitably find your place. What are the bestin your business thinking and doing? These leaders arewriting and speaking and you should be reading and listening. Get involved and you may put yourself aheadof the curve rather than find yourself dragged alongbehind it.

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22Lead by Example

If all you do is talk, employees are apt to dismiss yourwisdom or completely ignore you. All your motivationalslogans and rallying cries will go for nothing.

Lead by example.

Show how it’s done. As a teacher, counselor, coach ormanager, when you’ve been in the trenches, walked thetalk, gotten a little banged and bruised yourself, you’veearned the right to be taken seriously. You are a veteranand carry the status necessary to command.

You don’t hide in your office. Sometimes, it is impor-tant to walk the factory floor and get out into the field.Get to know your employees, ask for their ideas andunderstand their concerns. This is how a leader acts.

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23Control Conflict

Welcome to modern living. At any time you mayencounter the rude, the crude and the obnoxious.

In the workplace, you may be subject to those whogossip, cut corners and take unfair advantage. Since youare ambitious, some may be jealous of your progress andultimate success, seeing in you what they were unable orunwilling to do.

At home, your contribution may be unappreciated andyou may suffer disrespect.

Your first instinct is to retaliate but never retaliate inanger. Relax, release the pressure and consider youroptions. Is the conflict personal or permanent? You don’twant to get bogged down by pettiness. What would beyour best course of action to defuse the situation so thatyou can move forward?

You must be the example, the rock in the middle ofstream allowing everyday frustrations and stress to washby you. You do this for yourself, your employees andyour family. Release the stress from your feet, legs, trunk,arms, hands, neck and your head. Breathe deeply and letit go.

You may not always like what is happening but thistoo will pass.

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24Listen to Your Instincts

As your knowledge base grows, you instinctivelyknow what will work and what won’t.

There may be family pressure to hire your troubledbother-in-law. You know this is a bad idea. You are abusiness person and not a social worker. Find some otherway to help him. Do not hire him.

You drive by an old building and you immediately seethis building transformed into your next successful busi-ness location. While others are skeptical and hesitant,you know it will work.

You observe an enthusiastic young woman working atyour local coffee shop. When a customer has a problem,she smiles and solves the problem. When business isslow, she finds chores to do. She is a good worker. Youmake her an offer to work for your company.

Many times you don’t have to do lot of soul searching.You don’t have to call a committee meeting before youtake action. You get the facts. You know what to do. Youfeel it in your gut. If you do feel it, know it, then goahead and do it. Odds are, you’ll be right.

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25Keep Pushing

To push yourself beyond your comfort level is a mustas you travel up the ladder of success.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. If it were easy,the rewards for success wouldn’t be as pleasant. Averagepeople don’t want to push or be pushed. They are con-tent with the sameness of today being like yesterday.

If you want to take the easy road, you will find manyto support your reasoning. Because you validate theirown inaction, average people will agree with your choiceto delay or avoid.

You put your name forward for that raise or promo-tion. You are that somebody willing to take the risk ofstarting a business. If ten customers tell you no, and youstill believe, you ask another ten.

Understand that no one wants to face rejection againand again. Yet, it is persistent effort that separates win-ners from losers.

You may not succeed immediately. You may take afew lumps as you move along the learning curve.However, with each challenge faced, you gain strength.

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26Style and Attitude and

Work MatterFollowing The Action Principles®, you can be a waiter

or a taxi driver or a shop keeper or a contractor or a com-missioned salesperson and achieve financial indepen-dence by working hard and investing.

An exceptional man or woman will succeed at anybusiness any where. They always have. They always will.It is a style and an attitude. It is having a goal and work-ing passionately toward that goal.

The ambitious young office cleaner with a plan tobuilding a building maintenance company is a much bet-ter prospect for financial and personal success than thedepressed middle age lawyer whose office he is cleaning.

The man of confidence wearing a two hundred dollarsuit will look much better than the slouching weakling inthe two thousand dollar suit.

Stand tall, smile and get busy.

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27Donald J. Trump

Businessman

Get Tough

Toughness is pride, drive, com-mitment, and the courage to followthrough on things you believe in,even when they are under attack. Itis solving problems instead of lettingthem fester. It is being who you real-ly are, even when society wants youto be somebody else. Toughness isknowing how to be a gracious win-ner … and rebounding quickly whenyou lose.

For a nation, toughness means avoiding complacency,meeting and solving problems head-on, while keepingthe big picture in mind at all times.

In business, toughness means playing by the rules butalso putting those rules to work for you. It is looking atan adversary across the desk and saying, simply, “No.”

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Donald J. Trump

28Buying and Selling

BusinessesYou don’t have to crush your competitors. Since there

is usually enough new and underserved business to goaround, the odds are that you can peacefully co-existwith others in your industry. Not always, but at times,there may be opportunities to share ideas and ways tocombine your strengths for mutual benefit.

Perhaps on your path to wealth, it may be advanta-geous for you to acquire your competitor’s business or, atsome point, to sell your business to your competitor.Since there are economies to be gained from greater size,successful businesspeople are always thinking aboutinvesting and divesting. When you are known as a capa-ble, honest and respectful businessperson, these oppor-tunities do materialize.

In business and in life, if you are following The ActionPrinciples® philosophy of self-improvement and serviceto others, you probably aren’t going to be working for-ever. This is the plan. You may wish to retire early andhave the time and the resources necessary to fully devel-op your special talents to better the world.

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29Be Proud

You exercise and watch what you eat and how youdress and how you treat others. You study and workhard. You are a listener. You are a volunteer who isgenerous with your time and resources. You delaygratification and invest. There is no secret to your suc-cess; you have more because you do more whenmore is needed. Be proud of who you are for goodreasons.

You are a demanding employer. You set the barhigh for yourself and you expect the same from yourworkers. You are ambitious and goal oriented. Youare a leader in your industry. You employ a staff thatwants more than being ordinary and they expect andreceive above average compensation.

Many employees can’t stand the pressure of work-ing in a competitive, dynamic work environment.These average employees, often working just hardenough to not get fired, perpetually waiting for thenext paycheck, can find employment elsewhere.

Take joy in doing an exceptional job. Be proud ofyourself and your company or keep changing untilyou are.

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30Be Decisive

The United States Marines are a rapid deploymentforce. They train every day to face all types of scenar-ios. When a dangerous job has to be done quickly, thegenerals frequently call them. The Marines have to beready to fight anywhere under any conditions. Theyhave to be adaptable and decisive. Marine battle plan-ners look for a seventy percent advantage and thenthey go, go, go. In combat, you can’t plan for everypossible eventuality; you’ve got to take action andadapt to the environment and the circumstances asyou find them.

In business, you have to train every day to be pre-pared to meet the challenges of the marketplace. Noone is going to come up to you and hand you a bagof money. You have to plan and take decisive action.Don’t over analyze. Don’t procrastinate. You canbecome a perfectionist. Take action. Do what needs tobe done and get it done.

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31Three Rules for Business Success

You can spend years in business school studying com-plicated economic theories. You can search the world forhidden secrets. Or, you can start a business and get towork.

There are three simple rules required of all successfulbusinesses:

1. Offer a quality product or service that the marketdemands at a fair price.

2. Appreciate your customer. Say thank you. Ask formore business.

3. Copy success. Find the leaders in your industry anddo what they are doing. If possible, make them yourmentors.

You can do more. You do not need to do more. Verysimply, as an alert and aware consumer, you alreadyknow what characteristics make a business successful.Don’t fool yourself. Simply start and continue to do whatyou know you should be doing.

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32Embody Integrity

You can take advantage of customers who aren’tknowledgeable or particularly sophisticated. You can cutcorners on your products. You can recommend unneces-sary services. You can be deceptive in your advertising.

In the short run, you may think that taking advantageis an advantage. In the long run, others will have noticedyour duplicity and may plot against you. You will be richbut reviled. Eventually, many will relish your demise.

It is much better to be a serious person who takes hisbusiness seriously. It is much better to live by a code ofhonor and core values.

You can decide to set the standard for your industryand maintain your core values. You can feel good aboutwho you are and how you earn a living. Your word andyour handshake should mean everything. You know theright thing to do.

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33Stay Centered

As a successful person, there will always be demandson your time from competing interests. As a successfulperson, your natural inclination will be to try to do more.However, there comes a point when enough is enoughand when you must save yourself and say, “no.”

If you are overworked, need sleep and are stressedand angry, your efficiency and productivity will diminish.Your health will be affected. All those forced to bearound you will suffer.

At times, you’ll need to leave work alone, forget the e-mail, put away the cell phone and just retreat to whereyou can find your own way to relax. You need days offand you need vacation time. Whether that’s playing golfor sailing or lying on the beach or gardening or doingnothing, do it. Naps aren’t only for children and medita-tion isn’t only for monks. Find your calm center whereyou can recharge your batteries. The work and the prob-lems and the opportunities will all be there tomorrow.

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34Love Many Things

Being a successful businessperson, you can find a lotto love.

You can love the high standard of living resulting fromyour hard work. You can love the feeling of power thatself-reliance gives you. You are in control. You can makethe choice to take early retirement, develop your specialtalents and build a solid financial estate, laying asmoother road for your heirs to follow.

But, success in business can mean more than money.

You can love the opportunity to be a leader to youremployees and a positive example for those in yourindustry. You can love the challenge of creating andbuilding your business. You can love the feeling of pridethat comes from offering a quality product or service toyour valued customers. You can love that you are pro-viding good jobs, benefiting the local economy and com-munity while allowing your workers their chance to livehappy and productive lives.

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35Forget Everybody

Rather than trying to reach everybody, many with lit-tle or no interest in your product or service through tra-ditional mass media advertising; newspapers, magazinesand television, you might be much more effective byfinding online niche markets. Introduce yourself andcompany to the individual websites and blogs andreporters with a specific interest in your field. Find waysfor those with influence to sample your product and talkabout it. Start the buzz.

You can never be all things to all customers. All cus-tomers are not always right. Some have unreasonableexpectations. You are in business to make money.Sometimes your better course is severing ties with a per-petually disgruntled customer and finding a new one.

Not all employees are created equal. Some bring to theworkplace personal issues far beyond your control tocorrect. You are in business to make money. Sometimesyou have to make personnel changes.

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36Maintain Your PresenceYou are a successful business person with a nice house,

car, clothes and jewelry. You have diplomas and awards.However, it is not the trappings of accomplishment andwealth that will bring you respect. It is your confident pres-ence that says that you belong where you are.

You have strong quiet, hands and steady eyes matchedwith a gentle smile. You act naturally and relaxed. Youare curious, open minded and a good listener. You will-ingly share your enthusiasm and good fortune.

You work hard and you appreciate those around you:employees, vendors and your customers. You have stud-ied your business inside and out. You have nothing toprove or defend. Praise or criticism does not affect youbecause you know who you are. You are like a steel barwrapped in cotton.

You are a proud example of a leader.

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37The Business Doesn’t

MatterThe business that you choose doesn’t matter. There

are five thousand different types of businesses and peo-ple have gotten rich from all of them. You can sell winein Buenos Aires or tires in Nairobi or arrange lunch datesin Yokohama. There are wealthy lawyers in Clevelandand prosperous sports therapists in Moscow.

The moral is that if the business doesn’t matter youshould choose something that you love doing. When youlove your work, work doesn’t seem like work.

The business doesn’t matter but your style and attitudedo matter. The motivated cab driver in Caracas will makemore money than the lazy lawyer in Caracas. With TheAction Principles® and the three simple rules of businessas your guides, you will soar far above the average.

38Appreciate

Your AppealLikeability is an important business asset. Consumers

have a choice to whom to give their money. Let themgive you their money because they like you.

As much as possible, learn your customers’ names anduse their names when you see them. Greet them with asmile and a warm handshake. All of your customersshould be continually reminded that you appreciate theirbusiness whether that’s selling pizza, fixing their car, selling their homes or teaching them yoga. Always, fol-low up.

Your appeal pays dividends. Satisfied customers knowyou, trust you and are the easiest to sell additional prod-ucts and services. Satisfied customers are also your bestsource for testimonials and referrals.

Be charismatic. Appreciate your appeal. Enjoy theprofits.

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39Develop Your Sense

of HumorBusiness is serious. You need to make money to pay

your bills and for investment. If you have employees, youare obligated to stay financially solvent for them as wellas yourself.

What’s funny about this? Probably a lot.

You will experience weird customer requests, ordersthat are completely bungled and misinterpreted direc-tions. There are times when all you can do is throw yourhands up in the air and have a good laugh. And, some-times good humor is the best method for getting every-one back on track. It’s great when the boss knows howto take a joke on himself.

Together as a team, you work very hard to get animportant job done. When you are finished, you exhalein relief, let the tension go, feel good and you want tolaugh. This is the basis of camaraderie. Everybody shouldgo for a meal together to celebrate.

There are times to be serious and there are times whenyou can lighten up. Let’s not fool around here. Well,maybe just a little.

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40Ross Perot

American Business Leader

Create a Winning TeamYou can do a lot by yourself but

much more by assembling a winningteam. Start by being the example. Beready to work harder than anyoneelse. Accept that all people havestrengths and weaknesses.Understand that talent comes in allshapes, sizes, races, religions, andboth sexes. Be aware. You arealways looking for talented, enthusi-astic people to hire. Surround yourselfwith people who accept challenges and aren't afraid tocarry more than their own weight. Seek people who aresmart, tough, self-reliant and who hate to lose. Look forpeople who were achievers since childhood.

As you must keep training and improving, give youremployees the same opportunities to develop and honetheir skills.

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Ross Perot

41Show Loyalty

Build employee loyalty through fair dealing. Letemployees know that you appreciate their efforts.Reward them. With good news or bad, keep theminformed and in the loop. Make everyone feel that theyare a part of an important team doing honest work. It ismuch more cost and time effective to retain loyal employ-ees than constantly hiring and training new employees.You need your core of loyal veteran workers to set theexample and lead the way for new hires.

Most consumers are not natural risk takers and will remain loyal to brands that consistently deliver aquality product or service. Thank them. It is much morecost and time effective to keep existing customers satis-fied than to search constantly for new business. It is eas-ier to sell to a loyal repeat customer than to try to sell tosomeone new.

Loyalty is a two way street. To get it, you have to giveit first.

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42Advance Your Career

You are a self-reliant, take-charge person on a missionto build your career. You have your goals and objectivesand to-do lists. You know who you are and where youare going. Good things will happen because you makethem happen. You don’t sit still and hope that some luckyopportunity will befall you. You are hard working andopportunistic.

You are alert and aware. To get ahead, you can readbusiness books, blogs and journals. You can take cours-es and join and participate in trade associations. Youhave identified the leaders in your industry and youknow what they are doing. From your research, youknow what it will take to reach the next leadership levelof responsibility and income.

Self-promotion is a good thing. Let your bosses knowthat you aspire to greater things. Always be on the look-out for people who can advance your career, such as:executives, teachers, partners, consultants, vendors,politicians, clerics, financiers, investors and other busi-nesspeople. Seek their counsel and ask for their help.Listen, and thank them. This is how you’ll get ahead.

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43How to Delegate

You can get more done with others’ help, whichmeans learning how to delegate assignments. This willhelp you to concentrate on what you do best and allowsyou to think, plan and improve organizational efficiency.You assign tasks that are cost and time effective for oth-ers to do for you. You also delegate tasks that employeescan do better than you.

Match the right person to the right task.

Precisely explain your expectations for the task.

Establish a realistic completion time.

Be sure the employee understands the requirementsand due date.

Ask the employee to assume responsibility for the task.

Encourage feedback if problems arise.

Periodically, follow up.

Say thank you.

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44How to Manage ProjectsUnaccomplished people are aimlessly content to

watch their lives drift by. This is not you. You have spe-cific projects to manage and complete as you steadilyprogress along the path to your ultimate career success.

For each specific project, ask yourself these questions:

Exactly what has to be done?How important is completion to me and/or the company?Who is responsible for completion of the project?Is there a start date or a deadline?What is the estimated time allocated to complete the

project?What is the cost and is sufficient capitol available?Besides money, what other resources are needed?Which team members are needed to complete the project?Do all team members understand their specific tasks?Is there any flexibility in the completion of the project?How will progress be monitored?How will final completion be measured?

When you have these answers, you will be on the roadto project success, which is your success.

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45Develop Your Special Talent

There is something special about you that makes youone in ten thousand. You have a special talent which, ifused, will better mankind. The vast majority of peoplenever find the time or have the resources to identify anddevelop their special talent. This is sad.

This does not have to be you.

In the corporate world, you are going to rise quickly tothe top twenty percent of your profession. You will knowwhat your leaders do and how much they earn. It will beyour goal to join this elite group. With your work ethic andcore values, your entry is almost guaranteed. If you ownyour own business, you are even better positioned todefine your own financial future.

You will have the time and the resources necessary tofind and develop your special talent.

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46Copy Success

You learn all you can about your product and your cus-tomers’ needs. You learn all you can about sales and youfind the leaders in your industry.

To find the superstars in your industry, read your tradepublications and identify all trade websites and blogs. Joinall applicable trade associations and participate in meetings,seminars and conventions.

When you find suitable role models, take them to break-fast or lunch. Find out what they are doing and do whatthey are doing. Ask and listen. What are their thoughts onwhere your industry is headed? What do they see as futurechallenges in the industry? Who were your role models’role models? And, maybe most importantly, what wouldthey do if they were you? This is called copying success.

Don’t be shy about asking for advice and networkingassistance. Most successful people will be flattered and notannoyed by your attention. Of course, you must follow-upwith a thank you and this is also copying success.

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47Develop Winning HabitsEvery day, you stop to think about where you have

been, where you are now and where you are going.What can you do to make more money and advanceyour career?

You work from a prioritized to-do list. This list helpsyou to separate the urgent from the important from theroutine. Every day, you look for small ways to challengeyourself and spoil yourself.

No one knows you better than you. Be honest withyourself. No one is perfect. There are personal areas thatneed improvement. Should you be dieting or exercisingor reading more? Should you be spending more qualitytime at home with those who truly love you? Today isday one of your thirty-day quest to develop a new win-ning habit.

At work, what tasks are you avoiding? Should you becold calling or following-up or soliciting new business ormaking personnel changes? Today is day one.

In this defining moment, you can choose to invest onemonth in the formation of new, positive habits andbecome a better, happier and more successful person.

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48Salespeople Rule

Every company relies on its sales force. All the jobsin the company depend on the sales force’s ability tosell. A person who can bring in business is a very valu-able asset. This is why sales people are highly paid pro-fessionals. Most people can’t do this job. They can’twork alone. They can’t knock on doors. They takerejection personally.

If you have the courage to talk to customers aboutbuying a quality product or service at a fair price, yourfortune is make. You don’t need advanced collegedegrees, partners or venture capital. You are among theelite. You are your own business. You have all youneed – you.

If you can understand and accept the following littlereality of marketing, you can be a successful commis-sioned salesperson. “Some will. Some won’t. So what?Next.”

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49Accept Hard Work

You know and accept the value of hard work. Becauseyou are goal-oriented, you don’t need a lot of motivating.You want to work at work. Many people don’t work veryhard at work. Some people are productive only half ofthe time. The rest of the time they are engaged in non-business activities.

Almost all jobs have tedious or arduous aspects tothem and it’s human nature to avoid these more difficultjobs, even though these are the tasks which may be themost productive for the company.

The salesperson doesn’t want to take the extra time toexplain the extended warranty. The auto mechanic is toobusy to follow-up and check if his customers from lastweek are satisfied. The real estate agent doesn’t want toshow a house on a Sunday night. What others avoid canbecome your opportunity to profit. Over time, this willingto work harder and attend to details can make a big dif-ference in your career advancement and ultimate success.

Appreciate that some may praise your hard work whilesome, especially less ambitious co-workers, may resentyour willingness to do more than is required or expect-ed. You have accepted hard work.

50The Boss is The RainmakerIn a small company, someone has to bring in the cus-

tomers. Guess who? It is the boss who has the responsi-bility of making it rain with a steady stream of business.

The owner of the landscaping company may enjoymowing lawns but someone has to find the lawns tomow. The law office needs clients. The chiropractorneeds patients. The caterers need functions.

If you own a house painting company, you may wantto work on the crew but your real job is knocking ondoors and always, always trying to get the next job. Ifyou own a restaurant, you may fancy yourself a chef butyour real job is to make samplers into regular diners whowill also recommend your great food to all of theirfriends.

As the boss, until your business is well established,your primary function, perhaps your only function, willbe as the rainmaker. Without customers, you have nobusiness.

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51Communicate with Ease

Body language is important. Before you ever openyour mouth, your body is communicating your interestand your power. Stand up straight. Keep your chin up.

Take a deep breath and relax your body from the topof your scalp, forehead, eyes, cheeks, mouth, chin, neck, shoulders, torso, arms, fingers, legs and toes.Breathe and relax.

Smile. Have a comfortable yet firm handshake.Introduce yourself.

Listen and don’t interrupt. Nodding your head showsthat you are listening and are interested. Keep yourhands open and exposed. Respect others’ personal space.People who are in agreement with each other will usual-ly be mirroring each other’s moves.

Before a big interview, speech or presentation, youcan mentally rehearse and practice, using the theater ofyour mind. Plan what will you wear, how will you sound,how will you stand and sit and how will you be warmlyreceived.

When you are giving a presentation, create a betterrapport with your audience by coming out from behindthe podium. Make your speech short and conversational.Don’t preach. Tell stories.

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52Helping Troubled Employees

One troubled employee can poison a work environmentfor everyone. If an employee becomes self-absorbed by hisor her own personal, outside problems, you can have com-passion and you can offer some therapeutic suggestions butindividuals must solve their own problems. You are runninga business.

As an owner or manager you must remain aware of all ofyour leadership obligations. Be fair but be firm and, for thesake of all, don’t allow the situation to fester or linger. Actsooner rather than later.

Have a personnel policy in place to deal with troubledemployees. At the first sign of concern, bring the employeeinto the office and have him read the policy. Answer hisquestions regarding his rights and responsibilities. He shouldunderstand that he will be treated with respect in turn forrespecting your role in the counseling process and his pos-sible termination.

You must be alert, aware, compassionate and decisive.

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53Imitation before InnovationSee what others have done. See what you can do. In

general, when starting your own business, you are anentrepreneur and not an inventor. You want to researchand stick closely to the tested. If it works, don’t fix it.Copy it.

When you invent something, you double your chal-lenges. You first have to convince customers that theywant your new or better something. Then, even if yousucceed at the convincing, you have to make them buyfrom you.

After your business is established, there will be plentyof opportunities for you to innovate and try new ideas.Again, this is best done after your business is established.

As you think about entrepreneurial opportunities,don’t forget any networks or connections that may giveyou an advantage in starting your own business. Did youacquire skills working as a child in a family business? Canyou take over an established family business? Does youruncle or your neighbor or your brother-in-law or a for-mer classmate have connections to assist your business?

There is a proven path to follow. Follow it.

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54How to Choose a PartnerA partner is someone joining you on your journey to

financial independence. You should expect that yourpartner would be a professional who would support TheAction Principles®. Allow these core values to provide aframework for working together.

The idea is that you both stand to achieve more withthe help of each other. You have complimentary skills.You will meet regularly and exchange information in asupportive environment of mutual respect and trust,always offering each other objectivity and positive rein-forcement. You should feel secure when bouncing ideasoff your partners and you should never feel hesitant topush one another.

Select a partner whose style and attitude is compatiblewith your own. If you are an ambitious hard worker, yourpartner should be likewise. There must be a sharedvision and a comfortable balance of power.

Partnerships are a two way street. Good partnershipsare a blessing. Partnerships that go bad can be a night-mare. Choose wisely and benefit.

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55Invest In Your Future

Regardless of their annual income, average peoplespend every dime with nothing reserved for retirement.They hope that their companies or the government willtake care of them in their old age. Average people thinkin terms of immediate gratification, wanting what theywant now.

A self-reliant person thinks differently. They are for-ward thinkers. They realize the time value of money andhow sound investments made today can have a com-pounding return tomorrow.

Average people typically work forty hours a week andfeel satisfied and exhausted. Self-reliant workers typicallywork fifty hours a week and use the extra twenty percentin income to invest in a mutual fund or real estate or intheir own businesses.

The rewards of hard work and investing can be pow-erful. Average workers without investments may have towork until the day they die. In marked contrast, self-reliant workers may be in a comfortable financial positionto retire in only a few decades.

Average people will wonder, but too late, how the self-reliant accomplished what they did. They will assume itwas through inheritance or luck and they would bewrong.

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56Retire Early

Kirk Kirkorian kept building Las Vegas hotels into hisnineties. Summer Redstone was one of the most influentialmen in Hollywood into his eighties. The average age ofUntied States Senators and Supreme Court Justices is near-ly seventy. These men and woman love their jobs. Youmay love your job enough to never retire. Or, maybe not.

It’s tough to launch a singing, writing, acting or artisticcareer, but not if you are young, rich and retired.Volunteers can assist with many problems in the world.It’s easier to give your time if you already wealthy. Maybeyou’d like just to relax and play golf or be more involvedwith your grandchildren. These are nice options for thosewith sufficient investment income.

Retiring early doesn’t just happen. If you work forsomeone else, early retirement might never happen.However, if you work for yourself as an entrepreneur,early retirement can be your specific goal. You will workhard for fifty or more hours a week for twenty or thirtyyears. Invest, sell the business and retire. This is the plan.It is a young person’s plan to make.

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57Have Faith

Anyone can be hard working and motivated for a lit-tle while, but only those with faith can sustain theirefforts for the long haul. Only those with faith will try andtry again.

Will your new business succeed?

Will your investments prove wise?

Will you retire early, and will your special talents bedeveloped and recognized?

Have faith.

When you venture out beyond where average peopleare comfortable, when you dare and challenge and test thestatus quo, you will meet many doubters. Some doubterswill be your family members, trying to protect you. Somewill be skeptics who are jealous of your courage and yourwillingness to take risks. Some will be pessimists whoalways look at the bad side of everything. You may needa thick skin to listen and then, proceed anyway.

Have faith in yourself. You research, observe andstudy. You have seen what others have done and you seeno reason why you can’t do the same. Persist. Believe inyourself. Go for it. Have faith.

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58Your Core Values

As a successful businessperson, a self-confident indi-vidual and a decent human being, you will:

Embody professionalism

Perform confidently

Face fear and danger

Accept adversity

Work hard

Focus on results

Remain alert and adaptive

Take responsibility

Lead by example

Commit to self-improvement

Seek knowledge

Maintain a positive outlook

Stay faithful and loyal

Display honor and integrity

Act respectfully

Volunteer selflessly

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59How to Build a Team

To build a strong business team, each individual mustsubscribe to the principle of putting the team first. Eachmust be willing to make occasional personal sacrifices,respect one another and share the credit for the greatergood of all.

The team’s mission must be outlined and understoodthrough clearly defined goals. Individual strengths mustbe identified and appropriate roles assigned.Responsibility and accountability must be accepted. Ideas,suggestions, reasoned criticism and questions must beencouraged. Those with experience must be willing toteach and assist beginners.

Everyone commits to doing his or her individual bestto work to a high standard. Consumers have a choice.Everyone should take a personal and team pride in beat-ing the competition and being the choice.

When mistakes are made and business is lost, everyoneshould band together to figure out what went wrong, sal-vage what you can and make amends. Then pull togeth-er to leave the past behind and move on to new chal-lenges.

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60Look in the Mirror

Look in the mirror. You are who you appear to be. Doyou see an Action Principles® Champion? Do you see atough, thoughtful spiritual person of action? Do you seea fit, confident person capable of taking immediate actionto achieve a worthy goal? You should. Like what you see,or change until you do. First impressions are lasting andall impressions are important.

You must know what characterizes the style and atti-tude of a winner in your profession. Whether you are asoldier, farmer or bank president, you can look wellgroomed, well dressed and confident. Your mannersshould be impeccable.

Go through your trade publications, stay alert at indus-try meetings and find the people who have already donewhat it is that you want to do. Copy them in manner anddress. When you are successful, others will turn to you asthe good example.

Look the best that you can look. What is your best hairstyle and fashion style? Are you too flashy or too plain?Ask knowledgeable friends you trust. Set the example.Keep improving.

Be yourself, your best self.

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61Imagine

You are what you think about all day long. You havethe free will to choose who you will become. So, thinkof yourself as an Action Principles® Champion, a tough,thoughtful, spiritual person of action.

See yourself as a successful businessperson, a leaderin your industry. See yourself earning in the top twentypercent of your profession. See yourself as a hard work-er with enough money to pay your bills, live comfort-ably and still have 15% - 20% extra to invest.

See yourself as appreciated by your family andfriends because you are strong and confident enough tobe selfless.

See yourself as a respected member of your commu-nity. See yourself having enough to give back to thosedeserving who are less fortunate.

Now, stop imagining and do it.

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62Hold Sacred

Your word is your bond. When you make a promiseto a customer, you will do everything in your power todeliver what is expected and more.

You will do your best to offer the highest qualitygoods and services, which means not just perceivedvalue, but real value to your customers.

When customers put their trust in you, you will neverbetray that trust. You will give honest recommendations;whether that means more business for you or not is notrelevant. You will be truthful.

You will lead and insist upon on a team effort to pro-vide a clean, safe work environment where all employ-ees can prosper.

You will probably be so successful in business andinvesting that you will have the option of early retirementafter twenty or thirty years. You will still build your busi-ness for the longer haul based on honesty and integrity.Your good name and your solid reputation will be heldsacred.

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63Focus on Your Strengths

You are not some little grey man hiding at a desk inthe corner trying to avoid notice and additional work.

Your strength is that you know what you want toaccomplish. You are the person who will stand for whatis right. You are consistent. Others know what to expectof you. You have goals and objectives. You have a per-sonal mission to complete. You are determined to makeyour one life meaningful.

Your strength is that you are willing to learn. You willfind the leaders and in your industry and you will listento them. You will read books related to your industry,surf websites and will participate in trade-related blogs.

Your strength is that you are an ambitious, hard work-er who will concentrate on the difficult aspects of yourjob and who will, when necessary, volunteer

Your strength is that you are not greedy. You don’tgrab more than you need. You are able to step back. Youwill share.

Focus on these strengths. They put you among theelite.

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64Understand Courage

Rarely will you find a perfectly smooth straight roadto financial success. More likely, the road will be curved,with plenty of pot holes and boulders to avoid. You willbe delayed. Your faith may be tested.

With the best of intentions, you will risk and fail. Manyaround you will be quick to say, “I told you so.”

It will be perfectly natural for you to second guessyour own decisions? Did you do the right thing by choos-ing the more difficult path? It would have been so mucheasier just to have just stayed at home. No one expectsyou to be more than you expect for yourself.

When you hit a wall, it will be easy to quit, as mostdo. It will take courage to be a contrarian, to carry onand persist. You may try again and still meet defeat.Now, you may feel crazy to keep going. If you are mak-ing the same mistakes again, you are crazy. However, ifyou are learning from your mistakes, then, with courage,you will become a seasoned veteran and your persis-tence will pay off.

Have, courage, face your fears and do it.

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65Sandra Day O’Connor

Former Assoc. Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court

Aim HighThe habit of always doing your

best regardless of how unimportantthe task is a habit of the successful.As Abraham Lincoln once said: “Ialways prepared myself for theopportunity I knew would come myway.” As his career attests, devotionto excellence in all things, even whenit seems that the world will little notenor long remember the small tasks inwhich you find yourself engaged, canhave its rewards.

The individual can and does make adifference, even in this populous,complex world of ours. The individual can make thingshappen. It’s the individual who can bring a tear to oureyes and cause us to take pen in hand. It is the individualwho has acted or tried to act who will not only force adecision, but have a hand in shaping it. Whether the indi-vidual acts in the legal, governmental, or private realm,one concerned and dedicated person can meaningfullyaffect what some say is an uncaring world.

So be a full participant in life’s opportunities. Aim high.If you strive for excellence you can and should have asubstantial impact on the world in which you live.

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Sandra DayO’Connor

66Run the Short and

Long RoadsToday is the short road. Your life is a succession of

days. You must do your best to make the best of eachday. You don’t have to wait for a promotion, to get mar-ried or to graduate. You can decide to be positive, opti-mistic and happy today. Success is not a distant goal.Success is lived today and every day.

Starting today, you can make the choice to tacklesomething personally challenging that you have beenavoiding. You can decide to change poor habits into win-ning habits starting today. Do it and feel good aboutdoing it, today.

Your future is the long road. Your future will be basedon the decisions you make today and live every day. Youcan decide to be fit, well groomed and well spoken. Youcan decide to be well read. You can decide to work hardand share. On the long road, the cumulative effect ofgood days will be a wonderful life of respect and accom-plishment.

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67Advertising Basics

Know your business. What is your Unique ValuePerspective [UVP]? Your UVP is the single compelling rea-son why a consumer would choose your product or ser-vice over your competitors.

Know your target audience. No business can be every-thing to everybody. Focus. Find your niche and the mediathat targets your niche. Talk to your customers about theirpreferences. Talk with and not at your audience.

Know your brand. Your logo, colors, slogans, station-ary, website and advertising should be simple and direct.They should compliment each other. At a minimum, itwill take 7-12 consistent impressions before you arenoticed and more to be memorable.

Know the media. Do your research. Find the leaders inyour industry and design your advertising campaignaround their online or offline strategies.

Keep it clean and honest. If you have to worry if yourmessage is in good taste, it isn’t.

Set measurable objectives. When you produce an adthat delivers the desired result, keep running the same aduntil it stops working.

Satisfied customers are your best advertising, so ask fortestimonials and start the buzz.

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68Close the Door on RegretsSmart people still do a lot of dumb things. Successful

people still make a lot of terrible business decisions.

The building that you didn’t buy or the domain namethat you didn’t register or the excellent worker that youdidn’t hire could all be big regrets. With hindsight, youmight want to shake your head in disbelief at how goodthose missed opportunities look now. Well, you can kickyourself forever, or you can simply get over it. You canlearn from the obvious signs that you missed and do bet-ter at your decision making the next time.

The important point to remember is that you aren’t abystander who will never know victory or defeat. You aplayer in the game and you have had successes. Youcan’t do everything, but you can and have done some-thing. Stop to look at all that you have accomplished.Close the door on regrets. The past is the past; timemoves on. Stop looking back and keep looking forward.

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69Raise Your Prices

Being an entrepreneur, you can’t be shy. If you wantmore, you’ve got to ask for it. Raise your prices. Raiseyour prices and be seen as a premium brand in yourindustry.

Bargain hunters will balk at the price increases butbargain hunters are probably not your target audience. Ifthe bargain hunters are also cheapskates, they will grum-ble about everything and, in most cases, produce thelowest profit margins. Let them go. You want to deal withthe consumers who insist on dealing with the best.

Raise your prices, give yourself a raise and then provethat you’re worth it. Follow the advice of the luxurygoods maker, Gucci, “Quality is remembered long afterprice is forgotten.”

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70The Typical American

MillionaireThe typical American millionaire actually has a net

worth of $3.7 million and an average annual householdincome of about $250,000.

He is a fifty-seven year old married male with threechildren.

Eighty percent are first generation affluent, have a col-lege degree and are still working. Eighteen percent havemaster's degrees. Eight percent have earned law degrees.Six percent hold medical degrees. Six percent are Ph.D.s.The majority of millionaires never received even a singledollar in inheritance or any money for college.

Ninety-seven percent own a home.

Two-thirds of millionaires work for themselves. Mostare entrepreneurs who own their own businesses.

Two-thirds of millionaires work between 45 - 55 hoursper week.

Half of millionaires’ wives work and most are teachers.

Most invest 15% - 20% of their income.

There are over eight million millionaires in the United States.

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71Act With Boldness

If you want to be in the elite, you have to be self-reliant,make a plan and execute that plan. Every day will bring youone day closer to your goals.

If you like your job, figure out how you can advance yourcareer and act. If you dislike your job, figure out an exit strat-egy and act by getting another job or starting your own busi-ness.

If you are a business owner or salesperson, rememberthese ten important words: “Know your customer; knowyour product; ask all to buy.”

Rich people own real estate, so figure out how you aregoing to raise downpayment capital to acquire investmentreal estate. If you have to work fifty hours per week ratherthan forty, you are prepared to do that. You do what youhave to do.

Average people waste a lot of time. If you are well orga-nized, you can work to pay your bills. You can work to raisemoney for investment and manage your investments. Youwill still have time to fulfill your family, social, health andspiritual needs. It takes a plan. It takes a will. It takes sacri-fice. It takes boldness.

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72Aim for the One PercentSuccess writers from Napoleon Hill to Anthony

Robbins have freely admitted that most people will neverread their books and, of the few who do, only one per-cent will ever take the action recommended.

One Percent! What about the other 99%?

Good, bad or indifferent, the 99% simply continue todo what they've always done: the easy, the convenient,the known and the predictable.

The status quo, which means “things as they are,” hasan extremely strong pull. Routines are hard to change.You may make a change and, then, have to change againand once again. You will feel the pull drawing you,tempting you back to your old ways of easier days. But,as the U.S. Navy Seal Commandos say, “The only easyday was yesterday.”

What do you really need? If you are in the elite top20% of achievers, you should attain all of the materialwants and needs for yourself and your family. You willenjoy a comfortable life. By aiming at the top one per-cent, the top twenty percent will seem like a very easytarget to hit.

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73Do What You Love DoingThere are a few people making a lot of money as pro-

fessional soccer stars. There is an entire world wide indus-try of people making a good living from the sport of soc-cer. They are coaches and trainers. They are salespeoplewho sell equipment. They are: announcers, writers, pho-tographers, promoters, advertising reps, groundskeepersand team executives. If you love soccer, you should beable to work in the field as many people do.

You hate being a bus driver but you’d love being aportrait painter. You don’t like working in a hardwarestore and you’d love working in a bird sanctuary. Youmade a mistake going to law school because you’d lovebeing a personal trainer. Would you love to be an actoror arrange adventure travel trips or design jewelry? Thereare people successfully doing all of these things.

When you do what you love, work doesn’t seem asmuch like work. You have one life. Find the work youlove and go for it.

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74Appreciate Your CustomerPeople have money and they choose how to spend it.

As a businessperson, your success relies on your abilityto convince them to choose to spend their money withyour company.

When they do choose you, smile and be appreciative.

As a consumer, you know how successful businessesoperate. You know that too many businesses treat youlike they are doing you a favor. Every day, you mayencounter the grumpy plumber, the disinterested clerk orthe rude secretary. The larger the company, the moredetached the employees may be from service to the indi-vidual customers. This is a mistake and a sign that thelarge company may be losing touch and business.

To build your customer base, listen to your customers.Pay attention to complaints. Make good on mistakes andreward loyal customers whenever possible. Thank themfor their honest input.

Keep reminding yourself that without customers, youhave no business. Appreciate the customers you have.

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75Build Networks

One hand washes the other. You are not a monk liv-ing alone in a mountain cave. You are a businesspersonin the real world. You need to form satisfactory relation-ships and connect with lots of people: customers, suppli-ers, shippers, technicians and even competitors. It shouldbe a long list.

All networks begin with you as a strong link. Youshould make a solid impression on those linked to you.Think likeable, competent and helpful. Networking is atwo way street. You get what you give. If someone givesyou a prospective lead, he will expect you to reciprocate.

Don’t make people have to guess what you do andwhat you’d like them to do for you. Speak up. Be able toexplain clearly what you do. Hand out lot of impressivebusinesscards. Ask for the business. Ask for testimonialsand referrals.

Join trade associations. Become involved in local busi-ness groups. Volunteer for committees. Learn who thepowerful people are in your community and court theirsupport. Cultivate relationships. Practice rememberingnames. Keep in touch.

If people smile when they see you enter a room, youare a good networker.

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76Hire Slowly

Hiring, which is giving people money, is a lot easier thanfiring, which is taking money away from them. Hire slowly.

You want to hire people with the right qualifications forthe right job. You want workers who will comfortably co-exist with present staff. Ideally, you want new workers to besmart and hard working. They should not need a lot of handholding and can either hit the ground running or learnquickly.

You want front counter staff to be pleasant and accom-modating. You want sales people who are knowledgeableand ambitious. You want customer service employees whoare problem solvers and who follow up. You want execu-tives with good communication skills who will get up frombehind their desks and lead.

Frequently, your best new hires will come from the rec-ommendations of existing employees and from your ownnetworking.

If you want the best, you have to be the best yourself.When you have acquired a winning staff, you want to retainthem by offering competitive salaries, benefits and perks.

Between the first and second interviews, ask prospec-tive employees to read The Action Principles®. What doyou think about what they think?

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77Fire Quickly

There is a difference between laying off and firing anemployee. A laid-off employee is released for business ratherthan personal reasons. The business may be in a slump or theemployee’s position may have become redundant. This personmay be given an excellent reference, severance package andgrace period to find a new job.

You fire employees for personal reasons. These workersmay have been involved in unsafe, deceptive or dishonestpractices. Their image or manner may be unprofessional.They may be missing during work hours or, have shownrepeatedly that their job performance was unsatisfactory.

The termination should not come as a complete surprise.The fired employees should have received prior writtenwarnings regarding their behavior or performance.Normally, a final warning will carry a thirty-day grace peri-od to correct the problem or be terminated.

Do not disparage the problem employee. Call him to theoffice and be short and to the point. Explain benefits towhich the employee may be entitled and how referenceswill be handled. He should be escorted to his work area tocollect personal items and immediately escorted out of thebuilding. Document everything. If you expect trouble, havea witness present.

This is a difficult part of a manager’s job. Don’t linger. Do it.

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78The Example of Wal-Mart

Here is the ethical behavior expected from those whowork for the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart:

1. Follow the law at all times.2. Be honest and fair.3. Never manipulate, misrepresent, abuse or conceal

information.4. Avoid conflicts of interest between work and

personal life.5. Never discriminate.6. Never act unethically, even if someone else tells

you to.7. Never ask someone to act unethically.8. Seek assistance if you have questions about ethics.9. Cooperate with any investigation of possible ethics

violations.10. Report ethics violations.

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79Jack Welch

Former Chairman of General Electric

Self-Confidence

Arrogance is a killer, and wearingambition on one’s sleeve can havethe same effect. There is a fine linebetween arrogance and self-confi-dence. Legitimate self-confidence isa winner. The true test of self-confi-dence is the courage to be open – towelcome change and new ideasregardless of their source. Self-confi-dent people aren’t afraid to havetheir views challenged. They relish the intellectual com-bat that enriches ideas. They determine the ultimateopenness of an organization and its ability to learn.

How do you find them? By seeking out people whoare comfortable in their own skin – people who like whothey are and are never afraid to show it. Don’t ever com-promise “being you” for any job in any institution.

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Jack Welch

80Learn

All education is ultimately self-education. Keep repeat-ing this fact to yourself and you may save yourself a lot ofeducational time and money. The job of the teacher is toguide and motivate. You must do the studying. You mustmake your diplomas and degrees worth more than thevalue of the paper.

Going to a prestigious university used to mean that youhad privileged access to the world’s best teaching. Youhad an advantage. Those days are gone forever. Todayanywhere in the world, a motivated student equippedwith broadband can get a better education than a lazy IvyLeague student.

Your life must be a never ending thirst for knowledge.You are curious to know how and why some people getrich. You question why civilizations rise and fall. You tryto understand why happy people are the way they are.You want to know lots of things because you want to dolots of things.

You read. You listen. You question. You hang out withsmart people. You learn. You contribute. You are proudand confident in your self-education.

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81Ask a Lot of Questions

You are a clerk working in a bank. You want to bethe head teller. There is no book to tell you how to dothis. You must do your own research, observing opera-tions and asking a lot of questions. This is your career.There is no time to be shy; ask. When you are the headteller, you want to be the manager and then the presidentof the bank. You have a lot of questions to ask and a lotof listening to do. Based on the information you receive,you will take action.

You are a student taking a course. Average students sitlike stone statutes in class trying to avoid making eyecontact with the professor. You are the opposite. You areasking lots of questions and tailoring the course to suityour objectives.

There is no such thing as mental telepathy. People arenot mind readers. If you want something, ask. Most suc-cessful people are happy to assist enthusiastic studentswho approach them with respect and say thank you.

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82Read Biographies

The lives of the greatest people ever to walk the earthhave been documented. From Confucius to Caesar toJesus to Leonardo Da Vinci to Abraham Lincoln to MotherTeresa, their lives, their style and their attitudes havebeen researched and recorded. Why and how did theydo what they did? You can choose to read all about itand be inspired

From all countries and in all times, there were heroeswho shaped the world. Who are your heroes? Who arethe people who have already done what it is that younow want to do? Learn about them.

There were also dictators and despots but we can begrateful that the good of the human spirit usually doestriumph. You can read the history, heed the warnings andstand on guard.

As a business person, you are lucky. Besides biographies,most famous business leaders have written autobiographiesto show you the way to achieve your own success.

The work is there. In the libraries, in the bookstores,on the web, it is there. All education is self-education.Take advantage.

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83Be Open to New Ideas

The implementation of knowledge is what separatesyou from the average and is a straight line to your success.

Average people are waiting in hope that good fortunewill find them. You, an Action Principles® Champion, arenot waiting. You are identifying the next step towardyour goal and you are taking it.

You aren’t afraid to hear the truth and learn. Talk toyour customers and vendors. Go to local business meet-ings and industry conventions. Read your trade publica-tions and blogs. Listen to your mentors. Learn from yourcompetitors.

We are at the dawn of a new Industrial Revolution.The business world is changing at lightening speed. Ifyou snooze, you lose.

Find out about the new products and services beingoffered by the innovators in your industry. Stick to yourthree basic business principles but also look for newideas and ways to adapt those ideas to further your enter-prise.

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84Heed the Warnings

As an Action Principles® Champion, you will be curi-ous, always researching and learning. You will have lotsof ideas. Many of these ideas will be good and willimprove your business and advance your career.However, some of these ideas will be bad, some verybad. Heed the warnings.

You spend a lot of time and a lot of money opening anew location. You have high hopes but hope doesn’t paythe bills. After a few months, you realize your error. Youmade a mistake. Yes, your wallet may be lighter and yourego may be bruised. Do not throw good money after badby trying to save a failed strategy. Even the best and thebrightest make mistakes, lose time, lose money and feelhumbled.

If you find your products are inferior or your staff isleaving on masse or your few customers are complaining,heed the warnings. Pull the plug. Bite the bullet. Takeyour medicine. Get out.

Be real. Be smart. Be tough. Survive to succeed anoth-er day. Heed the warnings.

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85American Business Slogans

Ford. Built for the road ahead.Pontiac. We are driving excitement.Chevrolet. The heartbeat of America.Cadillac. Creating a higher standard.Apple. The power to be your best.IBM. Solutions for a small planet.U.S. Marines. The few. The proud.U.S. Army. Be all you can be.N.Y. Times. All the news that’s fit to print.Verizon. Make progress every day.Microsoft. Where do you want to go today?Visa. It’s everywhere that you want to be.Hallmark. When you care enough to send the

very best.Gillette razor. The best a man can get.Walt Disney World. Make the dream come true.Holiday Inn. No surprises.Wal-Mart. Always low prices.Target. Expect more. Pay less.Home Depot. Where low prices are just the

beginning.

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86Read, Read, Read

There is one significant characteristic that separatessmart people from the crowd. They read.

The average person reads one book a year. This is avery good reason why the average person is goingnowhere fast.

If you are going to set a new goal for yourself, makethat goal to do a lot more reading. Read every day. Neverwaste time. Never be bored. Never be alone. A-B-A-B,Always Bring A Book.

Educate yourself. Everything you need and want toknow is in books, e-books, newspapers, magazines andon the web for you to read.

Read forty books on a subject and you will be a worldauthority on that subject. Read forty books on small busi-ness. Read forty books on real estate investing. Read fortybiographies. Read forty books for pure enjoyment.

No excuses. Smart people read. Read.

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87Write Your Elevator Pitch Imagine being caught in an elevator alone with a top

executive from your firm or that one client that you’vebeen trying to reach. What would you say?

Many times you will have an opportunity to expandyour network by pitching new prospects on exactly whoyou are and what you do. Your favorable first impressionmust be professional: simple, direct, impressive, interest-ing and brief. Hence, you need an elevator pitch.

You have two minutes; 80 – 200 words is a goodlength. Write your elevator pitch before you need it andkeep rehearsing it until it sounds warm, friendly, conver-sational and unrehearsed.

What do you do? How do you do it? What is yourUnique Value Perspective that separates you from theaverage? What benefit will the listener derive from furtherassociation with you? Move quickly from who you are tohow you can help them. Your objective is to exchangebusinesscards and, perhaps to arrange a follow-up com-munication.

It may take you a few tries to get the proper words andtone. You may want to write different variations for dif-ferent prospects and situations. All the writing and editingand practicing is worth the investment.

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88A Few Important WordsGood manners open doors and are welcomed any-

where. Be sure that your manners and language areimpeccable. It is easy to say, “Please,” and “Thank you.”Say them. It may be more difficult to say to say, “I’msorry,” and “May I help you?” and “What do you think?”Say them anyway.

You establish an immediate, positive rapport with peo-ple by remembering and using their names and thenames of their spouses, children and company.

Be that one person who will step forward, volunteerfor a hard job and say, “Take me.”

Remember the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as youwould have them do unto you.”

Live by these important ten two-letter words, “If it is tobe, it is up to me.”

Any time you give your word, mean it. That’s important!

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89Go Green

It’s good for you, your family, the world and your busi-ness’s bottom line. Being environmentally conscious canbe referred to as eco-capitalism, sustainable business orsimply called going green.

Many small businesses have reported energy savings of20%-30% simply by becoming more conscientious. Thismeans adopting measures, such as using more energy-efficient lighting, turning down the thermostat, turning offlights, and recycling.

Being green is a team effort. Encourage everyone to par-ticipate. Buying new appliances is a smart strategy, sincemany new models are significantly more energy efficient.

Easy first steps might be using water filters rather thanplastic water bottles and reusable coffee cups rather thanpolystyrene foam cups. Making electronic copies rather thanhard copies and using email more than snail mail are goodoptions. Choosing to drive hybrid corporate vehicles is anincreasing popular corporate choice. Supporting vendorswho are supporting the environment is always a smart idea.

Today, half of all consumers don’t care about green butthis number is changing as people become more aware ofman’s impact on Mother Earth. The good news for busi-nesspeople is that half of their buyers do care and half ofthat number or 25%, a huge niche market, would specifi-cally select a product or service because it was environ-mentally friendly.

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90Start a Business Now

You can’t just think about starting a small business. Atsome point, you need to take action. You need to find away. Here are some suggestions:

You can start a business at home.

You can start a business on the Internet.

You can start an eBay business.

You can start a business with a mall cart.

You can start a business on the street.

You can start a business at swap meets.

You can start a business at flea markets.

You can start a business with garage sales.

You can start a business by sub-letting part of a store.

You can start a business part-time.

Expand your thinking. You can put yourself in busi-ness as a taxi driver, waiter or commissioned salesperson.Find yourself a lawn mower, and start knocking on doors.

With the mindset of an Action Principles® Champion,you can start many businesses right now! Select choicesover excuses.

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91Thank Your Ancestors

Whatever country you are from, whatever race, what-ever tribe, whatever religion, give thanks. You are a sur-vivor. You come from strong stock.

Your ancestors weren’t weak or lazy or stupid. Yourancestors were strong, hard-working and intelligent.They survived. Over the last decades and centuries andmillenniums, living was difficult. Yet, your ancestorsdodged all of the arrows and bullets, bowed when theyhad to bow, fought when they had to fight, met all of thechallenges of getting food, clothing and shelter. They sur-vived.

If you are an Action Principles® Champion, you willfeel obligated to honor your ancestors by working hardand adhering to your core values. You will be a stronglink, furthering the course of mankind by continuing toimprove as you survive. Do good work, live an honestlife and pass it on.

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92Supervise

You can’t become so preoccupied with your ownwork that you presume that others are doing their jobs.You’re the boss and supervision is an important manage-rial responsibility.

Do the employees appear cheerful and helpful andready to help or bored, rude and self-involved?

Are customers greeted with a hello when entering thestore?

Are customers thanked following a purchase?Are the employees attractively and appropriately dressed?Is an apology offered if a customer has had to wait or

for any other inconvenience?Do the employees appear knowledgeable about what

they are selling?Do employees care enough about their jobs to offer

feedback?Do employees make an effort to increase sales for the

company by suggesting complimentary items orupgrades?

Following your continual observation, you shouldimmediately take corrective or supportive action. Inprivate, give suggestions or warnings to employees need-ing remediation and in public, praise exemplary behav-ior.

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93Go for the BIG Fish

Tf you are fishing for minnows, chances are you’ll catchonly those little fish. If you want to land the big fish, you’vegot to go where the big fish swim and have the correct bait.

Some salespeople sell house trailers and some salespeo-ple sell shopping malls. The sales volume of your entirehouse trailer selling career might not equal the sale of oneshopping mall. Don’t sell yourself short. You may be des-tined to succeed in the big leagues but you have to putyourself in place to make the big deals.

Copy success by finding the people who are making thebig deals. Start hanging out with them and looking like theylook, sounding like they sound and doing what they aredoing.

You may find your best prospects while playing golf atthe country club, enjoying the museum, and having apower breakfast at the right restaurants.

You may look like you belong if you drive the right car,wear the right clothes and carry the right accessories.

This is not all superficial. It is how big business is done.You want to be at right place at the right time to make yourelevator pitch for your next big deal. Somebody is going tomake the next big deal, why not you?

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94Magnify Your Effectiveness

As a successful businessperson, you accomplish a lotand with a personal assistant you can do even more. Anassistant frees you to do the more difficult parts of yourjob, that twenty percent which is often the most produc-tive. An assistant can free your time, helping you reclaimmore of your personal life.

Hire an assistant carefully because you will be spendinga lot of time with this person. This person represents you.An assistant’s style and attitude are at least as important asan impressive resume. You can teach an assistant your job.You can’t teach someone to be intelligent, pleasant, wellmannered, ethical or hard working. The best time to hirean assistant is before he or she is needed and not in themiddle of a crisis.

During the interview process, you must clearly outlineyour expectations with a detailed job description. Are youhiring someone to answer your email or willing to pick upyour dry cleaning or both? How many late nights or howmuch travel may be required?

The right assistant is a valuable asset who will magnifyyour effectiveness.

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95Deal With It

As an Action Principle® Champion, you won’t be abusiness owner without problems. You will be a businessowner who knows how to deal with the problems youhave.

How serious is the problem? Is it permanent or per-sonal? Can you handle the problem yourself or shouldyou enlist the support of others? Have you dealt with asimilar problem in the past? How would your heroes andmentors resolve this problem?

Use your quiet time to clarify the exact problem, elim-inate extraneous aspects and develop possible strategies.

Begin by precisely defining the problem.

Analyze the problem from different perspectives.

Consider solutions. Brainstorm, if necessary.

Project the consequences of different strategies.

Choose your best option and take decisive action.

Review, follow-up, adjust and move on.

Don’t let small problems linger and fester into unman-ageable crises. Take the lead. Make a decision. Deal with it.

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96Embrace Technology

Don’t be left behind. Modern technology is evolvingquickly making the entire world your marketplace. Getthe right hardware and software and stay in tune with thechanges. What are the best and the brightest innovatorsin your industry imagining and doing? It’s probably some-thing that’s wireless and probably involves video.

Sites like YouTube and Facebook and MySpace arecreating social networks of thousands, sometimes mil-lions, linked through a common interest or event. Bethere. Start some international buzz.

Yesterday, the Internet was the secret world of thenerd and the hipster. Today, your company website orblog or podcast can reach potential buyers anywherefrom eight to ninety-eight.

The world is listening. Say something.

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97Invest in Commercial Property

If you are an entrepreneur, you are in an excellentposition to supercharge your financial plans. You can buycommercial property, a store, retail block, office buildingor warehouse for your business. You will have an invest-ment with a great tenant, you.

As an Action Principles® Champion, you aren’t contentto work in a jewelry store or muffler shop or beauty salonwhen you can own the businesses and the real estate.The retiring employee may be left with little. However,with ambition, forethought and action, the retiring entre-preneur/real estate investor may be wealthy. It is notunusual for a retiring entrepreneur/real estate investor tofind that the value of his commercial real estate invest-ment far exceeds the value of his business investment. Besmart; it’s great to have both investments.

In your local business networks, being alert andaware, you may find up and coming entrepreneurs.Perhaps, you can be their commercial real estate link andsecure solid, long term tenants for your properties.

If you are living in a foreign country, study Americancompanies, such as Starbucks and McDonalds. Contactthese companies, find their location requirements andoffer your local expertise as a commercial property devel-oper for their franchisees.

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98Start Your Revolution

Gandhi said of the revolutionary, “First they ignoreyou. Then, they laugh at you. Then, they fight you. Then,you win.”

Starting your own business, you are a contrarian, a rev-olutionary. Every business starts with one person’s ideathat sounds crazy to the risk adverse. But, you will dareto challenge your status quo. You will research, and findthe supporters and the money to proceed. You will per-severe as you are banged and bruised along the learningcurve. Through trial and error, ever self-reliant, you even-tually win.

Of course, once you succeed, everyone will swear thatthey were on your winning side from the beginning.

See what others can’t. Do what others won’t. Succeedlike few others.

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99Become an ActionPrinciples® Champion

Action Principles® Champions are working together inan international effort to change the world. Please join us.

As a person of influence, online, offline, in print or onyour blog, if you can interest others in reading and dis-cussing The Action Principles®, thank you. If you canadvertise this non-profit work on your website, thankyou. And, don’t forget to write and post your own ActionPrinciple®.

The Action Principles® have been translated into overtwenty languages. If you have the expertise to add to thislist, please do so and thank you. Also, we need assistanceto translate the “How Americans Get Rich” segments andto subtitle our video lessons.

If you work for or own a business willing to advertisein or sponsor a printing of The Action Principles®, thankyou. Not everyone has Internet access, so we distributetens of thousands of Action Principles® books each yearthrough schools, churches, correctional facilities and socialagencies. Your donations are needed and appreciated.

We welcome your promotional ideas and your hardwork. Visit BillFitzPatrick.com for further information.Thank you.

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100Your One Life

You are an Action Principles® Champion. Because ofwho you have chosen to become, in business and in yourpersonal life, you are an accomplished person.

It is your blessing to share your resources and timewith those deservedly in need. Having more, while want-ing and needing less, is life enhancing. Success allowsyou to free yourself from the endless treadmill of con-sumerism. It is liberating. You are free to be happy.

Money will be a smaller reward of your success. Youwill receive gifts that money can’t buy: love, appreciationand respect.

This is to be your legacy. You worked hard with whatyou had. You shared. You made a difference. Your onelife was exemplary. Your one life was important.

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