Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners and Online Marketers Must Read

June 30, 2007

It is Saturday afternoon and I'm in the process of reading Rich Schefren's report, The Attention Age Doctrine, and I must say that my brain is starting to hurt and yet I'm excited at the same time.  I'm only 22 pages into the report but the information provided thus far is giving me a feeling of optimism of what the future holds.

I'm balancing trying to keep my 5 year old entertained and trying to focus and understand what this report is saying.  My wife is at work trying to play catch-up and my 12 year old is helping me with my focus.  I’m fortunate that she (my 12 year old) is such a great kid!

I am now on page 34 and I am getting into the meat of this report and find it absolutely refreshing to read and understand.  Up to this point the information I’ve read has not provided an epiphany, but rather a reminder of what is going on in our global society.

Trust me; I’m not discounting this information.  It has helped me put the current state of our situation in perspective and laying the ground work for what lies ahead.  And this is critical to take the next step or align yourself to be successful with your own business.

The Information Age and Paralysis

So here we are…we’re in the information age and it has never been easier to garner the information you need to be informed, or to take action or to capitalize on what we know (or have learned) or is it?

Too much information has increased our unfortunate result of making bad decisions, according to Rich Schefren.  And this leads to adverse effects on our business and personal lives.

The law of diminishing returns comes into play.  The more information we gather then less likely we are to be able to take action, resulting in analysis of paralysis.  The result all of this information has on me is contrary to this thought,  but just as damaging.

Let me explain…

Here’s how it goes.

I discover a new approach to marketing or a new approach to design and I apply it to my business.  So far so good right…

The difference is instead of “analysis paralysis”, I deal with “action and reaction cycling.”

Hey I think I just made up a new term to describe my ability to take action without understanding or allowing the changes to take hold.  Basically, I implement quickly, without allowing the changes to take hold of my business and have the desired effect on my results.

This is also a result of too much information…

Bottom-line, is that information can either lead to “analysis paralysis” or “action, reaction cycling.”  Of course, people that can balance the two are probably the most successful.

But my reality (and yours too, I bet) is that all of this has an adverse effective on my quality of life.

Page 48 and the “Interruption Age"

I’ve noticed that I beginning to stray from my original intention of discussing Rich Schefren’s report, The Attention Age Doctrine.  I guess that’s a focus issue that ironically is caused by what Rich is talking about in this report.

But I digress…

Ok, on page 49 it hits me…”that’s my life!”  Man can I relate.  Not to say that page 1 through 48 aren’t true to me or that this information is meaningless, this is not the case at all.  It’s all led up to this point, the point that it all hits home. 

I agree with everything I’ve read thus far, but being an entrepreneur and faced with what is described starting on page 49 has almost caused me to throw in the towel and go back to work for the corporation.

But in the end this won’t make me happy.  I’m a creator, a builder of sorts.  That’s my mindset and no matter where I am doing my thing, it will require a solution to the problem coined by Rich as the “Interruption Age.”

Technology and the Distraction Vortex

Our technology is advancing at an alarming rate.  And with it so is our ability to be distracted or interrupted.  It’s scary if you recognize it.  Here’s an important point.

When you’re an entrepreneur you’re writing the check for this cost.  If you’re an employee, then your employer is writing the check.  Big difference.  And because of this, I believe that the entrepreneur is more in tune with the damage that this is causing.  Why?  The result is directly affecting his or her pocket book. 

The employee, on the other hand pays in other ways, such as reduced benefits offered, lose of job due to outsourcing, etc.

So, what is the net result?

The more you allow the distractions to happen, the lower your net worth will be.

I just made a huge jump from distractions to financial wealth.  If you read Rich’s report he does a nice job connecting the two.

Have you read this report yet? 

If not I’ve posted the details of how you can easily get his report and for free, on my business blog.  Check it out at Rich Schefren: The Attention Age Doctrine.

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LinkedIn Etiquette: Don't Make This Mistake

May 27, 2007

Have you heard of LinkedIn?

It's a great website that allows you to keep up with business contacts, network and share information.

….you can view my profile on LinkedIn if your interested in additional information.

Recently, I was doing a search for old contacts and I stumbled on an old colleague of mine.  She wasn't in my network so I decided to reach out.

Normally the process works by sending a nice respectful note and asking them to join your network.  Once they read their note they can decide to accept or decline the offer.

I am going to share with you what NOT to do on LinkedIn.

So, I send a very friendly and professional note to this person (She was the VP of HR at a company I had worked for in the past), approximately a month ago.  I hear nothing back.

But then one day I log into my email account and notice I have a request form this person, asking me to forward on their job opportunity to somebody in my network. 

Here's were it gets interesting.  This person is now head of her organization and she doesn't even have the decency or the business acumen to send me a hello, long time no talk email.  Just a note to the person in my network.

This is exactly how you do not want to conduct business through LinkedIn.  It is rude and unprofessional.

You would think that she had more sense.

Now that I think about it, she was trained from an organization that didn't value people and I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. 

This is the age of web 2.0, a time when effective social networking is key.

So, when using LinkedIn to build your network make sure you present yourself professionally.  It goes a long way!

 

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