The Business PLAN /SYSTEM

My business is an Internet and face- to- face business in Zionsville, Indiana that provides youth workers and the youth they serve with supportive services. By offering webinars, print media, and engagement training, The Group works to improve the connection between youth and youth workers that serve them. The Group was created as a solution for youth workers that became burnout in their fields. The goal of The Group is to increase the number of supportive adults that are available for our future leaders.

What I learned the most regarding Chuck Blakemon's thoughts on business plan’s, is the important factor of business systems. Though writing a business plan is the most exiting element of developing a business, the more I researched more experts are suggesting moving towards systems that yield predictable results. Systems that are concrete in business plans may therefore change as trends with customers stray from the original plan.

With the intent of supplying courses delivered in an online format, it appears to be wise to follow suite in order to develop business systems. Developing an Online Business is very lucrative within the industry that is always evolving into faster delivery, building community amongst customers, and innovative support.

Because of this insight once my traditional business plan is complete I will proceed to setting up systems that are relevant and evolve with the change of technology.

I will seek investors that are of the same philosophy as my new mentor Chuck. Investors that are interested in a virtual business set up on systems to engage and promote evergreen content to customers will enjoy the emphasis on systems in the Skye Berger Group Business plan.

Research has led me to discover Josh Kaufmann who is a one man show yet and international best seller. Josh uses systems to connect with his customers and create information products. My business plan will follow some the techniques discussed in the Personal MBA.

My Mentor Chuck believes “Business plans are a disease”. I am interested to see how his thought leadership infects the rest of the industry with this system movement.

I’m in.

What about you?

Confessions of a Pinner: This is not my Dog

Confessions of a Pinner

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/indi/
This is not my dog 

I have yet to enter a room with coffee, snacks and pamphlets that provide support for the addiction that is called Pinterest. I am however able to recall recent behavior that can be categorized as addictive.

I search. I am intrigued. I create.  I repeat.

The above is the sequence that I follow on my pinning binges. I get an idea in my head and I think, “What does Pinterest have to say about this?”

I search through the boards of fellow pinners until I find what I am looking for.

There is no limit to my range of interest.  I search for pictures to assist with the attempts to increase my swag, either with unnecessary scarves, or to design with a hot glue gun. I re-create my finds and repin them on one of many boards.

Recently, I came upon this post from DDK Portraits. This post from a fellow pinner, details some surprising specifics regarding the use of Intellectual Property on my favorite site.

Some people believe that Pinterest is violating copyright law by allowing the post of intellectual Property without license.

Is Pinterest the next Napster?

In my opinion,  probably not. I use Pinterest to see what other people’s views are, and to connect with those possessing similar interest as myself. When I see a pin with a model posing, I can also see that she is wearing a Dolce & Gabbana Blouse. Since the runway is clearly not my cousin’s, who is the pinner’s, back yard. Additionally the trail of pins is evident is you scroll down on the board giving credit to the originator.

I am more likely to go to the Dolce & Gabbana site to window shop than to think that my cousin, the pinner, has turned into a professional photographer.

I love the exposure Pinterest provides to users as a great marketing tool. I am interested to see where this goes.   

According to the Intellectual Property Brief, Pinterest is protected under the Safe Harbor Provision which under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, protects websites from litigation due to the behavior of its users.

This protects Pinterest but not me as a user.  DDK Portraits deleted her boards. I may do the same. Knowing that I may be breaking the law by sharing a beautiful blouse with my followers, makes me not want to pin anything.

Eat or Learn

While we are on the subject of using other people’s intellectual property improperly, I read this article regarding a student trying to make a few dollars, which turned into a fortune that cost him greatly.

A student from Thailand bought college textbooks from his homeland and sold them on eBay.

Yippie for cheap books, right?

The courts say this young man has to pay the publisher $600,000 because of specific laws limiting the sell of such copyright protected Intellectual Property from being purchased in one country and resold in another.

I am also interested to see what happens since this case has been appealed and will be heard by the Supreme Court.  The question is, if I by a book in Bangkok and sell it in Brooklyn, should I have to pay the publisher for the sell of the book?

I don’t think that I should. I believe in the term loophole, it sounds to me that my friend has found one and the publisher would love to have the additional revenue from the college students that will purchase only books and Ramen Noodles to survive.

Protect your goods people!!!! 

"Manage U"

Years are sectioned into months. Months are divided into weeks. Weeks are split into days. Days are parted into hours. Those hours are organized into minutes. Minutes are fragmented into seconds. Seconds are regarded as precious and we strive to make them count.

I have been a reader of Jeff Goins Blog for a while. I have subscribed to his feed and I have purchased his books and participate in his e-course.

How does this dude manage all of this? We’ll he simply started.

Conversations with diverse individuals have led me to believe many of our problems, and many of our set backs, originate with us. As in you and I.

Why have we not graduated from our current situations in order to move on and attend the “School of Manage U”?

I have been putting out fires many of which could have been avoided. I have spoken with you and you experience the same thing.

Many of my readers have ambitions to become writers, producers, and artist managers.

I believe my friends can. I believe my friends will.

I believe that they are now attending the School of Manage U and have a plan to get themselves in order to full manage their lives, that they will manage their passion careers.

I mentioned Jeff Goins because I greatly respect his regular guy persona. He has become very successful at living his passion. He success is due to living and acting out on what he loves.

I recently emailed Jeff to ask him a few questions. Below are the questions and responses. 

Skye: Already having a very successful platform, how did your tribe play a role in negotiations with Moody?

Jeff: My tribe helped me negotiate a better advance and helped me get more resources (i.e. marketing dollars). It gave me a leg to stand on and negotiate from.

Skye:  Was getting a book deal your goal or did you have a continued back up plan to self publish? 

Jeff: I just wanted to write a book and have people buy it. If Moody didn't publish me, I would've self-published.

Skye: Can you provide an example of the way you and your agent worked toward mutual benefit with your publisher?

Jeff: Not really. The publisher contacted me, then I got the agent, and he negotiated a better contract for me.

This is an example of someone who is managing himself. Your life is a circle, inclusive of all of your activities.  If one area is off balance, your circle will cease to roll.

Are you able to recognize whether or not you are in the “

School of Manage U”?

Skye 

Healthy Her Fitness: Giavonni Nickson Interiew

Healthy Who?
Insights from Healthy Her Fitness with CEO Giavonni Nickson

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with a good friend, Giavonni Nickson.

There are many reasons it is appropriate to interview Giavonni at this time.  The one with most weight for you and me is that she is living her dream through her company Healthy Her Fitness.

I have known Giavonni since middle school I can truly say that she has always been very passionate about fitness. I was always the non-athletic friend in our bunch and Gina never pushed the issue to be fit by her words but she showed through her lifestyle and commitment to fitness.

 

Giavonni Nickson is a Certified Personal Trainer. She has worked with athletes at every level, pushing them to physically excel.

Please join me as I speak to Giavonni regarding entering into agreements.

Skye:  Giavonni, can you share with me the method in which your clientele come to Healthy Her Fitness.

Giavonni: Many of my clients come to me by referral either through a current client or if I make contact at a speaking engagement where I am discussing fitness.

Skye: Do you find that those potential clients have to be sold on the idea of a personal trainer?

Giavonni: Sometimes I have contact with clients that want a personal trainer but they are not sure what all it entails. For example some people may think a personal trainer costs less than what my service goes for.

Skye: How do you negotiate your prices with your clients when they feel as though they want or need your services but are not sure what the costs are? Or how do you separate the people from the problem.

Giavonni: I still have to sell my services when they come to me. I explain the benefits of the services and the price associated with it.   A Personal trainer is going to cost more than $10. I have to show my benefit by pointing out the potential I have to assist my clients in reaching their fitness goals.

Skye: I see that you have been able to secure clientele with your excellent services. Have you had any struggles with proposing mutual benefit to your potential clients?

Giavonni: When negotiating services prices, I listen to my client’s goals. With their goals as a focus we are able to set the value for the service Healthy Her Fitness Provides.

Skye: Do you find that you have to utilize objective criteria as related to the Fitness industry as a whole when negotiating with your clients?

Giavonni: I have had clients come to me with objective criteria in their favor when they realize that not only is Healthy Her competitively priced but often below industry standards.

Skye: How can my readers get in contact with you to start making steps towards being healthy?

Giavonni:  I hold fitness workshops, and I am also available for individual coaching. HealthyHerFitness.com has all of my contact information.

Skye: Thank you Giavonni! Your story is imperative to my readers that are anxious to do something about their fitness goals. I recently read that October is the new January. So why wait to get fit, when you can start today!

This concludes my interview with Giavonni Nickson of Healthy Her Fitness LLC. 

So are you still in??  I still want to hear about the changes you have made!

Skye 

Procrastination Death: Just Start Yesterday

Just start yesterday 

Procrastination

It has been apart of our lives at some point. Whether we choose to admit it or not, you too have procrastinated. 

Procrastination by Rennet Stowe(Creative Commons) 

Procrastination is a Bully

For a substantial amount of time I was the reigning queen of procrastination. I would mutter such phrases as " I work best under pressure" and " I will have more time to do it later".

 These statements are false!

I was seated on the thrown of procrastination. High and mighty I reigned, yet very unproductive. I was truly busy. I have always had a family, and a job to maintain.

While being busy, I wanted more. Perhaps  wanted is an understatement. I yearned for more. Not for more busy ,but for more of life. I truly wanted to participate in life. I wanted to start living my life the life of my dreams.

When thought of researching my dream would boldly show up, I would always talk myself out of it. As if I had the nerve to think I could add fulfillment and satisfaction into my busy.

I beat myself up each time I thought about devoting time to my dream. Until the day I stood up to myself and my busy and I started!

Just that simple, I began typing out my ideas and devised a plan for the rest of my life.

Enduring Postponement

Standing up to myself meant a lot . I worked on an action plan for two whole days. Soon, I thought I deserved a break. After all, I had done so well the past two whole days.

Jeff Goins speaks about reverse procrastination. This post was a few years late for me. According to the journal dates of my action plan that break lasted approximately four months.

The procrastination bully returned. I invited procrastination back in and it took over.

Reviewing my mistakes, I realized I did not deserve a break but I did deserve to pursue my dreams. I have turned those dreams into goals that I plan on achieving. I have committed the next few week to a series of steps to unveiling You.

You as in …

                        Who you are.

                        Where you want to be.

                        What is your plan to get there.

It’s not enough to commit to someone else without committing to you first. If you would like to beat procrastination, feel free to join me by responding, “I’m in”.

SKYE

P.S. Life is a journey of progress, lets go!

Photo Credit: Rennet Stowe