I think it is safe to say that the days of easy money are gone in the small business world. People are holding onto their money, and so are the banks. So how is a small business to make it in these tough times. Your clients are tights wads now and you have no money to expand or to advertise. Also, don’t forget that taxes are going down either, therefore taking more money out of your pockets.
I think about this often because I run businesses too. Its a concern for everyone at this point in the game. Its important to know where you can go to get help and to know how to keep a positive cashflow to keep your business running. As a new generation arises I am happy to let you know that we have a new perspective and new procedure to get you funding for your business. The details are still in the works but the countdown is on for the LMI Project. If your business is in need of more funds then the Project is for you. Please visit www.jonworkman.com to stay up to date. We look forward to working with you.
-Jon
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Nationalized Prostitution
I bring topics such as this up because they impact your business whether you want to think that they do or not. If you are a subscriber to the “Working Smarter” newsletter you know that I am currently reading “The Naked Communist” by Cleon Skousen. In this book he reviews in depth the principles of communism and debunks the principles, showing why they just don’t work to create a productive and functional society. I’ve never really had a complete and clear knowledge about communism, or capitalism for that matter until I’ve begun reading this book. I always just thought that capitalism was that you like to make money and have a good life and communism was the idea that everything you did was for, and went to the government and you got crumbs from them. It goes much deeper than that.
The communist way first of all basically says that what communism wants, communism gets, not matter the cost. The ends justify the means. If that means killing you or your family for rising against the machine, so be it, as long as it benefits the greater good. Its interesting to note that the ideas of the communists, such as Marx, came about from people that were basically “have not’s”. At least that’s what i’m seeing from this book. So it goes to the old saying of “misery loves company”. If i can’t have it, why can you. But the hypocrisy involved is so apparent. It goes from the private citizen “exploiting” another private citizen to get gain to the State “exploiting” all citizens for its gain.
But you’ll notice that it doesn’t start out with the big things. It starts out small. You’ll read my previous post about being “a nation of frogs” and get the gist. It starts out by calling on all those that are supposedly “less fortunate” and playing on one of their wants or desires. We see it now with health care. Now the government is seeking financial reform to stop investment banks and limiting the size of banks to something like $100,000,000. Where does that stop. IF its risky for you to invest your money in the stock market, and the government is trying to “protect” you from the risk, then what about your own personal business? Isn’t it risky to invest or reinvest in your own business? What if you lose your money? Then what will you ever do? You can never get that back, its just gone. So then we see that you won’t even have the right to run your own business because the “government knows better”.
It doesn’t seem like it could be possible but it is, and if we’re not careful it will happen. If you read this book you’ll see on page 72 that they even applied the principles that everything needed to go to the collective good, to their women. They felt that men were keeping women and “private property” and private property is not allowed in communism. So, women between the ages of 17 and 32 had to go and register with the government and make their “services” available to any man who had paid his due to the workers union, or if they weren’t a member of the workers union they could just pay a fee for the services. Nationalized Prostitution. What a novel ideal.
So, please be aware of how the politics in our great nation can affect you, your business and your family. Don’t sit back and take these things lightly. We all are in this together and we need to stand up for what is right and what keeps us free. We don’t need the government to take care of us. We are big boys and girls and can make our own decisions, wether right or wrong and we can continue to build this Country as the greatest on the planet. No apologies are needed for the past, we just need to move on and do what we know to be right.
The communist way first of all basically says that what communism wants, communism gets, not matter the cost. The ends justify the means. If that means killing you or your family for rising against the machine, so be it, as long as it benefits the greater good. Its interesting to note that the ideas of the communists, such as Marx, came about from people that were basically “have not’s”. At least that’s what i’m seeing from this book. So it goes to the old saying of “misery loves company”. If i can’t have it, why can you. But the hypocrisy involved is so apparent. It goes from the private citizen “exploiting” another private citizen to get gain to the State “exploiting” all citizens for its gain.
But you’ll notice that it doesn’t start out with the big things. It starts out small. You’ll read my previous post about being “a nation of frogs” and get the gist. It starts out by calling on all those that are supposedly “less fortunate” and playing on one of their wants or desires. We see it now with health care. Now the government is seeking financial reform to stop investment banks and limiting the size of banks to something like $100,000,000. Where does that stop. IF its risky for you to invest your money in the stock market, and the government is trying to “protect” you from the risk, then what about your own personal business? Isn’t it risky to invest or reinvest in your own business? What if you lose your money? Then what will you ever do? You can never get that back, its just gone. So then we see that you won’t even have the right to run your own business because the “government knows better”.
It doesn’t seem like it could be possible but it is, and if we’re not careful it will happen. If you read this book you’ll see on page 72 that they even applied the principles that everything needed to go to the collective good, to their women. They felt that men were keeping women and “private property” and private property is not allowed in communism. So, women between the ages of 17 and 32 had to go and register with the government and make their “services” available to any man who had paid his due to the workers union, or if they weren’t a member of the workers union they could just pay a fee for the services. Nationalized Prostitution. What a novel ideal.
So, please be aware of how the politics in our great nation can affect you, your business and your family. Don’t sit back and take these things lightly. We all are in this together and we need to stand up for what is right and what keeps us free. We don’t need the government to take care of us. We are big boys and girls and can make our own decisions, wether right or wrong and we can continue to build this Country as the greatest on the planet. No apologies are needed for the past, we just need to move on and do what we know to be right.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A Quick Update
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Nation of Frogs
As I sit and ponder events that are taking place in our great Nation, I sometimes have a feeling of uneasiness and wonder what is going on. Tonight as I read that this health care issue is close to passing,whether actual truth or perceived by those in the media, the thought came to my head about the story of the frog in a boiling pot. Every one knows the story so I don't need to tell it here. But I wonder how hot it will have to get before the majority of us feel that it's time to jump out and save ourselves, and how many of us are going to just power through the discomfort until we are used to the heat, because we don't feel like jumping out, eventually leading to frog stew for the princes of the world to dine on.
For those who believe as I do, you know that God gave us a right to choose for ourselves what we want to do and how we want to do it, not forcing us to choose the right all of the time, but allowing us to make mistakes. So, it stands to reason that if The Creator of the Heavens and Earth allows us to choose for ourselves, any other option would be contrary to His will and therefore be of the Devil. And so it stands to reason that it would work the same in society. It would seem like a noble gesture to provide everyone everything they needed, but as it stands, to be able to do so, would come at the cost of others freedom to choose for themselves. Punishing someone for not partaking of something that you deem a necessity for everyone, therefore forcing them to have it, is not a principle that builds a strong society. It does, in fact, break it down.
The desire to innovate and to find better solutions is taken away and progress is therefore stomped out. The necessity to create is no longer a necessity, and may actually become a crime. As one freedom is taken away, it gives the ruling power the ability to take away another, and then another, slowly and unnoticeably turning up the heat to the kettle, hoping that none of the "helpless" little frogs will notice that they are slowly becoming dinner. And when one of these little amphibians asks why it's starting to get warm, a cunning but gentle reply comes from the keeper of the stove, "O, don't worry my friend, it's just getting a little cold in here and you can't take care of yourself. You need me to provide your warmth and shelter because you can't do it on your own." And so stays the frog, believing that it is as he says, because when he put his little toad like foot up in the air he could feel it was a little drafty, and it was very convenient to just stay in the warm pot that he didn't have to leave.
I love this country and the ability that I have right now to be able to do as I please. I am an entrepreneur and wake up everyday with new ideas that I hope to be able to implement someday to create wealth, jobs and happiness for those around me. But I think most of all, and it is a strange thought I will admit, I am thankful for the opportunity to screw up. To make mistakes is one of the greatest blessings we have in this country. It is a blessing because it is how we learn. If everything in life happened perfectly every time, we would not ever come close to our full potential and capacity as human beings. As our rights and freedoms are stripped away from us, so goes our ability to learn and progress. Our chances of bettering ourselves become almost zero because the ruling power will take that as well. A well educated and motivated society will not allow a government to take aways such freedoms, so if they can succeed just once, they can start a reaction that can bring down an entire nation as they sit in contentment, believing they are being taken care of.
I heard a speaker recently who spoke of two disturbing situations in the worlds history. I will paraphrase because I don't remember all of the details but it went something like this, when the Founding Fathers did what they did to establish our country and our freedoms, it was against that law set forth by their mother country, but on the flip side, when Hitler did what he did, it was legal according to their laws. Think about the implications that these two situations have and how they could affect your life in the future. It is not beyond ones imagination to believe that similar things could happen in just the right circumstances.
Have we become a nation of frogs, who will allow ourselves to be told that we are being taken care of, when in reality we are just being taken? What will it take to wake those up who are drifting into a delirium from the intense heat that is slowly sucking the life and ambition out of them. Drifting into a sleep that can never be awoken from or overcome because the ultimate outcome of this sleep is death of freedom and liberty. We must remember that we are more than frogs that need to be told what to do. We have the God given ability, but more important, the God given right to expand ourselves and seek to become the best selves we can. When you think of being a frog, just remember that a frog will usually just sit on a log uselessly until it croaks.
For those who believe as I do, you know that God gave us a right to choose for ourselves what we want to do and how we want to do it, not forcing us to choose the right all of the time, but allowing us to make mistakes. So, it stands to reason that if The Creator of the Heavens and Earth allows us to choose for ourselves, any other option would be contrary to His will and therefore be of the Devil. And so it stands to reason that it would work the same in society. It would seem like a noble gesture to provide everyone everything they needed, but as it stands, to be able to do so, would come at the cost of others freedom to choose for themselves. Punishing someone for not partaking of something that you deem a necessity for everyone, therefore forcing them to have it, is not a principle that builds a strong society. It does, in fact, break it down.
The desire to innovate and to find better solutions is taken away and progress is therefore stomped out. The necessity to create is no longer a necessity, and may actually become a crime. As one freedom is taken away, it gives the ruling power the ability to take away another, and then another, slowly and unnoticeably turning up the heat to the kettle, hoping that none of the "helpless" little frogs will notice that they are slowly becoming dinner. And when one of these little amphibians asks why it's starting to get warm, a cunning but gentle reply comes from the keeper of the stove, "O, don't worry my friend, it's just getting a little cold in here and you can't take care of yourself. You need me to provide your warmth and shelter because you can't do it on your own." And so stays the frog, believing that it is as he says, because when he put his little toad like foot up in the air he could feel it was a little drafty, and it was very convenient to just stay in the warm pot that he didn't have to leave.
I love this country and the ability that I have right now to be able to do as I please. I am an entrepreneur and wake up everyday with new ideas that I hope to be able to implement someday to create wealth, jobs and happiness for those around me. But I think most of all, and it is a strange thought I will admit, I am thankful for the opportunity to screw up. To make mistakes is one of the greatest blessings we have in this country. It is a blessing because it is how we learn. If everything in life happened perfectly every time, we would not ever come close to our full potential and capacity as human beings. As our rights and freedoms are stripped away from us, so goes our ability to learn and progress. Our chances of bettering ourselves become almost zero because the ruling power will take that as well. A well educated and motivated society will not allow a government to take aways such freedoms, so if they can succeed just once, they can start a reaction that can bring down an entire nation as they sit in contentment, believing they are being taken care of.
I heard a speaker recently who spoke of two disturbing situations in the worlds history. I will paraphrase because I don't remember all of the details but it went something like this, when the Founding Fathers did what they did to establish our country and our freedoms, it was against that law set forth by their mother country, but on the flip side, when Hitler did what he did, it was legal according to their laws. Think about the implications that these two situations have and how they could affect your life in the future. It is not beyond ones imagination to believe that similar things could happen in just the right circumstances.
Have we become a nation of frogs, who will allow ourselves to be told that we are being taken care of, when in reality we are just being taken? What will it take to wake those up who are drifting into a delirium from the intense heat that is slowly sucking the life and ambition out of them. Drifting into a sleep that can never be awoken from or overcome because the ultimate outcome of this sleep is death of freedom and liberty. We must remember that we are more than frogs that need to be told what to do. We have the God given ability, but more important, the God given right to expand ourselves and seek to become the best selves we can. When you think of being a frog, just remember that a frog will usually just sit on a log uselessly until it croaks.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Investing outside of your business
Invest outside of your business
You wake up one day with a great idea. You decide that this idea is great enough that it is going to make you a lot of money. A lot of money that you are going to use to play with and live the life you have always dreamed of. So you begin the process, get the business going and start to make some money.
So now what do you do with the money? You take some as a salary, then a little to pay some of your business expenses, then, you decide that you are going to take the rest and dump it into your business. What a great idea! Now you have taken your business to another level. You have started to expand it and now it is making you more money than before. So you repeat the process. Take a salary, pay some bills and expand a little more.
This great idea really was a great idea. You are making more money now than you ever thought you would. So now what? You just bask in the glory of your greatness. Then you wake up the next day and that great and wonderful idea has dropped off the radar. Your market, and your niche either has gained a lot of competitors or is no longer needed as strongly as it was when you first began you adventure. You struggle for each dollar and wonder what is in store for the future. Will your business survive? Will you be able to continue to live the lifestyle you have become so accustomed to? What are you going to do?
You should have diversified. You should have taken a portion of the cash you were investing back into your business and invested it elsewhere so that when you did run onto hard times you would have another source, another area that was continuing to grow your wealth as you were working through the hard times with your business.
Is it bad to reinvest in your business? Of course not. You must do it if you want to achieve substantial growth. But you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket. You must be learn the other areas of the money making spectrum and learn to diversify your portfolio so that when hard times do come around, and they will, you are prepared to face them. Otherwise, one small blow could cripple your initial money making abilities to a point where you may be unable to recover, or at least recover very quickly.
You wake up one day with a great idea. You decide that this idea is great enough that it is going to make you a lot of money. A lot of money that you are going to use to play with and live the life you have always dreamed of. So you begin the process, get the business going and start to make some money.
So now what do you do with the money? You take some as a salary, then a little to pay some of your business expenses, then, you decide that you are going to take the rest and dump it into your business. What a great idea! Now you have taken your business to another level. You have started to expand it and now it is making you more money than before. So you repeat the process. Take a salary, pay some bills and expand a little more.
This great idea really was a great idea. You are making more money now than you ever thought you would. So now what? You just bask in the glory of your greatness. Then you wake up the next day and that great and wonderful idea has dropped off the radar. Your market, and your niche either has gained a lot of competitors or is no longer needed as strongly as it was when you first began you adventure. You struggle for each dollar and wonder what is in store for the future. Will your business survive? Will you be able to continue to live the lifestyle you have become so accustomed to? What are you going to do?
You should have diversified. You should have taken a portion of the cash you were investing back into your business and invested it elsewhere so that when you did run onto hard times you would have another source, another area that was continuing to grow your wealth as you were working through the hard times with your business.
Is it bad to reinvest in your business? Of course not. You must do it if you want to achieve substantial growth. But you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket. You must be learn the other areas of the money making spectrum and learn to diversify your portfolio so that when hard times do come around, and they will, you are prepared to face them. Otherwise, one small blow could cripple your initial money making abilities to a point where you may be unable to recover, or at least recover very quickly.
Monday, March 1, 2010
An excerpt from my upcoming book "Modern Warfare: An Interpretation"
7.Those who have the confidence to seek success will be known to all, allowing them to create a greater success and fortune. Those with the lack thereof will stay hidden and have their fortune taken from them.
8.To visualize success and profits only when they are within striking distance is not a sign of a great leader.
9.Others are not easily surprised by the success of a great leader.
10.Just as being able to see your hand in front of your face is not the sign of great sight, or to hear a horn sounded in your ear is not to have great hearing.
11.What makes a great leader is one who not only succeeds but does so with ease.
12.His successes don't give him a reputation, but his reputation gives him success.
13.He finds success by making no mistakes. This is what guarantees his success because he is able to conquer those who have already defeated themselves.
14.The successful leader puts himself in a position where failure is almost impossible and does not let an opportunity pass where success can be had.
15.So it is in business, the great leader executes strategies where a success has been had in the beginning. The poor leader looks for the success after the work has been done. The money must be made before the work is done.
8.To visualize success and profits only when they are within striking distance is not a sign of a great leader.
9.Others are not easily surprised by the success of a great leader.
10.Just as being able to see your hand in front of your face is not the sign of great sight, or to hear a horn sounded in your ear is not to have great hearing.
11.What makes a great leader is one who not only succeeds but does so with ease.
12.His successes don't give him a reputation, but his reputation gives him success.
13.He finds success by making no mistakes. This is what guarantees his success because he is able to conquer those who have already defeated themselves.
14.The successful leader puts himself in a position where failure is almost impossible and does not let an opportunity pass where success can be had.
15.So it is in business, the great leader executes strategies where a success has been had in the beginning. The poor leader looks for the success after the work has been done. The money must be made before the work is done.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Personal Improvement
“The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself.” –Anonymous
Have you ever really stopped and thought of that statement? Everyone out there seems to have an agenda and wants to change the world, but how can you, I or anyone else change the world if we can’t change ourselves? Personal Improvement is one of those areas that could definitely use a lot more attention from all of us on this little blue planet.
It is not a matter of how good or bad, smart or stupid you are, there is always room for improvement. There is only one thing on this planet that will allow you to make better decisions about your life and the things that will affect those around you, and that is education. I don’t necessarily mean a formal college education or degree. Don’t get me wrong, they are important to many, but aren’t necessarily the only way to get a useful education.
The type of education that you receive is completely up to you. If you feel it’s useful to you, then study it! Don’t feel embarrassed, or like you’re wasting your time if you aren’t going to use what you learn every day. Study it if it interests you. You never know when it may actually come in handy. Whether it is in a job, or a conversation, or if something needs to be fixed. If it interests you then study it.
I try to make it a point in my life to try to figure things out. It doesn’t matter what it is, if I have a question about it, I’ll try to figure it out. I take a lot of flak over it too because I bounce from one thing to the next because my brain is so curious. But I love the thought of a new challenge. If there is a book on it, I’ll read it. If there isn’t, I’ll scour the internet trying to find as much info as I can about it. But whatever your interests may be, seek to learn about them.
I recall a conversation I was having once with a fellow who said that if he could do life all over again, he would like to study politics and political science more. I thought to myself, “why don’t you start now. It’s not too late.” He of course thought that it was too late. I thought that this was ridiculous because he wasn’t even 30! It’s never too late to educate yourself further. All it will do is help you to get to the next step quicker and have the ability to help others when they need the help.
I’ve never known anyone who has died from educating themselves in a way that was useful to the world. So just think about the opening line to this article, The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself.”
Have you ever really stopped and thought of that statement? Everyone out there seems to have an agenda and wants to change the world, but how can you, I or anyone else change the world if we can’t change ourselves? Personal Improvement is one of those areas that could definitely use a lot more attention from all of us on this little blue planet.
It is not a matter of how good or bad, smart or stupid you are, there is always room for improvement. There is only one thing on this planet that will allow you to make better decisions about your life and the things that will affect those around you, and that is education. I don’t necessarily mean a formal college education or degree. Don’t get me wrong, they are important to many, but aren’t necessarily the only way to get a useful education.
The type of education that you receive is completely up to you. If you feel it’s useful to you, then study it! Don’t feel embarrassed, or like you’re wasting your time if you aren’t going to use what you learn every day. Study it if it interests you. You never know when it may actually come in handy. Whether it is in a job, or a conversation, or if something needs to be fixed. If it interests you then study it.
I try to make it a point in my life to try to figure things out. It doesn’t matter what it is, if I have a question about it, I’ll try to figure it out. I take a lot of flak over it too because I bounce from one thing to the next because my brain is so curious. But I love the thought of a new challenge. If there is a book on it, I’ll read it. If there isn’t, I’ll scour the internet trying to find as much info as I can about it. But whatever your interests may be, seek to learn about them.
I recall a conversation I was having once with a fellow who said that if he could do life all over again, he would like to study politics and political science more. I thought to myself, “why don’t you start now. It’s not too late.” He of course thought that it was too late. I thought that this was ridiculous because he wasn’t even 30! It’s never too late to educate yourself further. All it will do is help you to get to the next step quicker and have the ability to help others when they need the help.
I’ve never known anyone who has died from educating themselves in a way that was useful to the world. So just think about the opening line to this article, The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself.”
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