The Success Professor

Site Moved!!

2008-07-24T20:03:00.002-06:00

I've moved this blog!

Please visit the new site at:

http://www.successprofessor.ca

Danny

When to Start Giving?

2008-07-20T22:28:00.003-06:00

Tim Ferris, author of "The Four Hour Work Week", recently answered the question: when should I start giving: right away or wait until I'm rich?

I really enjoyed Tim's post. You can read it here:

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/10/04/karmic-capitalist-should-i-wait-until-im-rich-to-give

Danny
PS. If you haven't read his book, it is well worth it. It is guaranteed to get you thinking.

A Wicked Example of Customer Service

2008-07-18T19:54:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone,

I'm back from our vacation time and I'll be posting regularly for the next couple of weeks before I leave for the Olympics.

One of the things that we did on our vacation was to take in the musical Wicked in Chicago. http://www.wickedthemusical.com/ The musical itself was phenomenal and I highly recommend it. Before the musical started there was a great illustration on the importance of customer service and taking initiative.

When we got to our seats my wife and I noticed that there was a railing obstructing our view. This was frustrating as we had paid for full-price tickets, not obstructed view seats.

I spotted an official looking attendant who was clearly supervising the ushers. I approached her with the situation. She immediately went into blame mode putting all of the responsibility on the box office. She explained that the box office determines the seats. She stated that she could not do anything for me and that I would have to go to the box office. With only a few minutes before the start of the show there was not time for this if I wanted to catch the opening scene. I went back to my seat even more frustrated.

A couple of minutes later I saw another official looking lady who was also clearly a supervisor. I approached her with the issue. Her reaction was the opposite to the first supervisor. She immediately checked out our seats and apologized for the blocked view. She not only sympathized with us, but agreed that the seats should not have been full priced seats. She left us for a moment as she looked for other alternatives. Quickly she returned with two alternative seating options, both lower and better spots. Finally at the intermission she came and checked to make sure we were happy with our new seats.

The difference in how the two supervisors handled the situation was amazing. The first one left us with now solution, and increased my frustration level by how dismissive of our concern. The second supervisor made us extra happy with our evening and with how she resolved the situation. The theater is lucky to have the second supervisor. I've been recommending the show to everyone, something I may not have done if we hadn't had our seats changed.

How is your customer service? Do you go out of the way to take care of your customers? Do your employees? Employees need to be empowered. If you are employee, you can distinguish yourself and make yourself invaluable by providing great customer service.

Whatever your role, customer service needs to be your priority. Great customer service will create fantastic word of mouth for you and your business.

Danny

Motivation Through Procrastination

2008-06-25T12:58:00.003-06:00

Another issue related to motivation comes when there are tasks you procrastinate on because you don't enjoy doing them.

Procrastination becomes a problem when you are procrastinating on projects that are important. Projects that are not important should be delayed or outsourced. The key is using the motivation tips you offer to get away from procrastinating on these important tasks.

If tasks are both important and unpleasant then moving through them quickly is key.

The following article has some great ideas:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-find-motivation-for-the-things-you-hate-doing/

Other ideas to beat this kind of procrastination:
1. Provide a small reward for yourself when you finish.
2. Do it first off in the morning before you move on to more pleasant tasks.

What other ideas have worked for you?

Danny

Develop a Marketing Plan For Your Business

2008-06-23T04:57:00.000-06:00

Last month I wrote about having a REAL business plan for your business. (ORIGINAL POST HERE)

Part of your business plan should be a marketing plan. John Jantsch is the expert on small business marketing. Here are his thoughts on what should be included in a marketing plan:

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2008/06/18/how-complex-should-a-marketing-plan-be/

Danny

Self-Motivation

2008-06-21T11:12:00.000-06:00

Motivating yourself is the key to many areas of life. If you are self-employed it is even more important.

Here is a good post on how to sustain your motivation over the long haul:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/sustaining-motivation/

Danny

The Secret - It's wrong, but it works.....

2008-06-19T10:20:00.000-06:00

The Secret has been a powerful Best Selling book. It has also sparked lots of controversy. There are some things about the Secret that I like, but a number of things that I have a real problem with.

This post is a good explanation of why The Secret is wrong, and yet still works. You can read it here:

http://zenhabits.net/2008/06/why-the-law-of-attraction-is-wrong-but-why-it-still-works/

Danny

Why I Love My Home Business

2008-06-17T10:16:00.001-06:00

One reason that I love my home business is because it gives me the ability to travel more. The residual income comes in whether I work or not, and it provides extra funds to travel more.

Here are some recent photos from our travels:

Prague

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126002&l=799ff&id=826085649

Cesky Krumlov – A UNSECO World Heritage Site in Czech Republic.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126004&l=dc003&id=826085649

Auschwitz & Krakow, Poland

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126012&l=5d5c6&id=826085649

Danny Gamache
PS. Because of the ability to delay posts, this post is going out while I'm sitting on a beach in Southern Turkey... :)

Urgent Personal Financial Advice

2008-06-15T06:54:00.002-06:00

Seth Godin has a GREAT post titled "Urgent Personal Financial Advice". Some of it is pretty obvious, but his urgency is important.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/06/urgent-personal.html

Danny

5 Steps For Becoming a Better Networker

2008-06-12T00:39:00.000-06:00

Here is another great post from "The Dumb Little Man" blog.

Follow these five steps and you will become a better networker. If you are a better networker, you will grow a better business.

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/11/5-steps-to-becoming-better-networker.html

Danny

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Facebook

2008-06-10T00:32:00.000-06:00

Guy Kawasaki has a great guest post from Jesse Stay, co-author of "I'm on Facebook--Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook".

I'm a big fan of Facebook and this article shares some great tips:

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/04/ten-things-you.html

You can find me on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=826085649

Danny

Three Steps to Financial Independence

2008-06-08T00:07:00.001-06:00

The "Simple Dollar" blog has a good post about the steps to financial independence. Following these steps can be a great strategy for growing your home business.

Step #1: Freedom from financial reliance on loved ones

Step #2: Freedom from financial reliance on creditors

Step #3: Freedom from financial reliance on employment

By building a part-time home business that provides residual income you can use the residual income to complete steps #1 and #2 all the while developing your future income through step #3.

Personally I like adding an extra step between steps #2 and #3. Step #2 could be freedom from reliance on creditors other than your mortgage. Step #3 could be freedom from your mortgage including an emergency fund.

You can read the article here:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/06/01/financial-independence-as-a-goal/

Danny

Free Copy of Duct Tape Marketing & Free Webinar

2008-06-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

John Jantsch, author of "Duct Tape Marketing" is offering a free webinar for small business owners. This would be newsworthy enough on its own, however it gets even better! Not only do you get the webinar training, but you also get a free copy of his book.

The website is here:
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2008/06/04/the-best-things-in-live-are-free/

Unfortunately I'll be on vacation and away from internet access at the time... :(.

Enjoy!

Danny

Beware: Gifting Programs

2008-06-04T05:05:00.004-06:00

One type of home business that you need to beware of are often called "Gifting Programs". While these programs vary significantly, they generally involve receiving tax receipts for your initial "gift" (or investment), and you can also earn money by referring others and helping them "give" money. These companies are (almost ?) always illegal.

A recent version in Canada involved a company which gave tax receipts for much larger amounts than the donations that were given.

You can read the story:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/30/f-banyancharity.html

Whatever the case, beware of these "opportunities" that makes "giving" sound like it can make you a profit.

Danny

Seth on Persistence

2008-06-03T07:15:00.002-06:00

Seth Godin has a great quote on persistence. He write:

"Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. That's just annoying.

Persistence is having the same goal over and over."

Very powerful.

The original quote is here:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/03/persistence.html

Danny

Creating A Timelog

2008-05-31T03:33:00.000-06:00

Time management can be very difficult for people who work from home. It is easy to get distracted, to get caught up working on things around the house, or to let interruptions get to you.

One way of improving your time management skills are to keep a timelog If you keep a timelog for a week, you'll find many ways you can improve yourself. I've done this a couple of times in a past and have always found it useful. I'll be doing it again shortly.

Here is a very good post on how and why to run a timelog:

http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2007/11/19/why-you-need-to-run-a-timelog-and-how-to-do-it/

Here is the original source post:

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/11/do-you-run-timelog.html

Danny

Staying Motivated and Productive

2008-05-29T03:26:00.002-06:00

Here is a very good article about how to stay motivated and productive. For most everyone in a home business this can be a challenge and this article provides some wonderful tips.

As you'll see if you read my comment in its comments section, I have a few problems with point #4, but the other 9 are gems!

http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/10-lessons-every-successful-freelancer-has-learned/

Enjoy
Danny

Be Interested in Others

2008-05-28T01:50:00.003-06:00

A while back, my wife and I went for supper with one of her friends. It was someone she hadn't seen in a long time (several years). During that time my wife's life has changed significantly. She has changed jobs, moved countries, and gotten married to name a few things. We spent a couple of hours with her friend visiting. The entire time we talked about him. He told us all about his life, job, and relationships. Not once did he ask about my wife's life, her job or her move. Not only that, but he never asked questions about me - someone he had never met. Now thankfully my wife and I (especially my wife) are good at asking questions, so we actually had things to talk about the entire time (well he had things to talk about.... ).

How would you have felt if you were in our place? Chances are you would be a little surprised and disappointed. My wife's friend didn't show any real interest in her at all.

If you want to win friends, develop good relationships and a network, one of the most important tips is to be interested in others. Ask questions, learn about them, and show genuine interest in who they are. Following this tip will go a long way towards success.

Danny

Getting Ahead

2008-05-27T01:43:00.002-06:00

Seth Godin has a great post about the difference between trying to get ahead by beating the system and trying to get a head by working the system.

We see this all the time in the home business world. People start a new business and try to re-invent the wheel. They look for any shortcut to get to the tip. These people think that they know how to do things better than those already successful in the company.

The thing is, sometimes these people do get some quick success, however it is always short lived. Those who want do develop a long-term residual income will work within the system, following the path set forth by others. If and when you pass the people who at the top of the company then, and only then, have you earned the right to blaze a trail. Until then, work the system that exists and you will achieve the results that others have.

Here is Seth's Post:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/05/the-spirit-of-t.html

Danny

Tip For The Frequent Traveler

2008-05-26T08:37:00.002-06:00

If you travel long distances frequently, this will be great news for you: Fasting can eliminate the effects of jet lag!

I know I'm going to try it.

For the full article go:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2252042720080522?sp=true

For a short version, and my source go to Boing Boing:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/26/fasting-may-prevent.html

Danny

Improving Your Social Skills From History's Greats

2008-05-25T00:09:00.002-06:00

I came across this great post at The Positivity Blog. It goes through history to find great quotes that teach a lot about social skills - and I might add about leadership. The article is well worth reading, but if you don't have time at least read all of the quotes.

Article is here:
http://www.positivityblog.com

Danny

7 Steps To Improving Your Leadership

2008-05-24T05:11:00.002-06:00

Here is a great post!

What amazes me is how many this list will work for people in any business, career, or avenue of life. I think people should print out this list, and post it in front of their desk. Following that take 2 minutes every day to skim the list and remind yourself of things that are important!

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/11/7-simple-tips-that-will-turn-you-into.html

Danny

A Real Business Plan

2008-05-23T00:18:00.003-06:00

Most people who have a home business do not have a business plan. Even the people who have a business plan often don't have an active business plan. These people may have created a business plan when they started their business but likely haven't looked at it for a long time.

An active business plan is a plan of attack that you can work from on a daily basis. To do this you need to have an overarching business plan. You should develop the overarching business plan and then review it AT LEAST once each year, perhaps two or three times a year.

From your overarching business plan you should be able to plan your week and from your weekly plan you should be able to plan daily.

This also clarifies your planning time. You should spend about one day twice per year focusing on updating your active business plan. This should be in a private location where you can think, reflect and not be interrupted. Then you can spend about one hour each week planning the upcoming week, and lastly spend about 10 minutes each day planning the following day. Keep focused on the activities you have planned in your overarching business plan.

This should keep you on track!

Danny

7 Steps To Small Business Marketing Success

2008-05-22T05:04:00.004-06:00

Here is a great podcast from John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing. It provides great ideas that are applicable to pretty much every type of small or home business.

You can read his full post here:

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2008/05/21/7-steps-to-small-business-marketing-success/

Danny

What if the Pope Was Coming?

2008-05-21T00:19:00.002-06:00

What would you do if you received a phone call that the Pope (or the Queen or Tiger Woods.... etc.) was coming to your business TODAY? What would you do? What you do differently? What would you do the same? How would you get ready?

Take a few minutes to think through those questions and then read the great post by Seth Godin here:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/04/the-pope-is-com.html

Danny

Working Around The World

2008-05-19T23:54:00.003-06:00

A very interesting and valuable read is "The Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss.
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/

While I hold a higher value to "work" than Tim does, I really appreciate many of his ideas.

One of the best concepts is that in today's world you can often work from anywhere. That means you can work from home instead of the office. It also means that you can travel the world and work while you do it.

For the month of May, my wife's work has taken us to Istanbul, Turkey. Thankfully, my job and businesses are such that I can accomplish a lot on the road. In fact I will likely accomplish more in May than I would have if we had stayed at home. On top of that, I can use spare time to visit the wonderful sights of this historic city.

I still need to get better at working while traveling. I didn't bring our VOIP phone, and having it would have been helpful. I have missed out on the ability to pick up the phone a few times. Thankfully between email, Facebook and instant messaging I'm getting the communications I need out.

Where would you like to work from? Is it from home, or around the world? Does your job allow you to do that? If not, what could you do to supplement or replace your income?

Danny

Get Started Now

2008-05-19T00:59:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted too much lately. That needs to change. As with anything the biggest difficulty is getting started. The only time to start is now! So I'm starting now.

What are you starting now?

Here is an article to help you get started.

http://successfromthenest.com/content/the-only-time-you-can-start-is-now/

Danny

Money Can Buy You Happiness

2008-03-24T10:31:00.002-06:00

A recent study from researchers at UBC and Harvard found that money can buy you happiness, but only if you do one certain thing with it.

Do you know what that is?

Read this article to find out:

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/03/20/happiness-money.html

Danny

Get Out Of Your House and Make Some Friends

2007-11-23T18:11:00.000-06:00

One challenge for people who run a home-based business can be isolation. Sometimes home business professionals can end up becoming hermits. Even if you are not a hermit, chances are a major part of your business relies on referrals or some other form of networking.

In this great post, Jon Morrow, talks about how to avoid being a "home business hermit".

Enjoy:
http://successfromthenest.com/content/home-based-hermit/
Danny

Differentiate or Persih

2007-11-17T08:43:00.001-06:00

One of the keys in any business is the ability to create a differential advantage. A differential advantage is the thing or mix of things that cause customers to choose you over your competitors. It must be something that shows how different you are from everyone else. Having a differential advantage is vital in business and is becoming more important in the age of the web were customers can search between hundreds of customers very quickly.

Jonathan Fields has a great post about how important it is to be different, and gives some great ideas. If you can't answer the question, "How is my business different from anyone else?" then you need to read this article:

http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/differentiate-or-die-marketing%e2%80%99s-magic-bullet/

Danny

SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM

2007-11-16T22:34:00.001-06:00

One key for any entrepreneur today is to avoid Spamming. Spam is most frequently referred to as unwanted and unrequested emails, however the name can really go much deeper. Spam can be emails, but it can also be phone calls. It is important to build permission assets instead of using anything that might be considered spam.

Seth Godin has a great post about how even companies like Dell and The Better Business Bureau are engaging in spam practices. Practices that can only hurt their reputation.

Here is the link:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/11/spam-they-still.html

Danny

Cheap Audio Books By Download

2007-11-12T07:39:00.001-06:00

One of the very best ways to continue to improve and develop is to listen to audio books and trainings. You can listen in your car, while you exercise, or even as you are doing basic work around the house.

Today with digital technology, music and even audio books can be downloaded very easily. For audio books that can often mean a substantial price reduction. One company that you can use for purchasing audio books at a good price is called Audible. I haven't been using them long, but I am impressed with what I have found.

One of the neatest things is the ability for authors to have their own partner page, where they can feature their books and recommend others. Seth Godin's page is excellent. Not only are his books excellent but he recommends some important books as well.

You can check out Audible and Seth's page here:

http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/template/ext/landing.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&pac=Seth+Godin

What are your favorite audio programs?

Danny

Advice on Free Marketing

2007-11-10T14:02:00.000-06:00

What is the best thing you could do to grow your website, blog, or business, if you had 2 hours a day but no money? Recently a number of top bloggers were asked how they would market their site for free if they had 2 hours a day. The resulting comments were very insightful.

You can read the article here:

http://jonathanfields.com/blog/top-bloggers-reveal-how-to-build-traffic-off-blog-without-spending-a-dime/

Danny

Zig Ziglar for Motivation

2007-11-05T07:28:00.001-06:00

One of the most inspiring and motivating speakers is Zig Ziglar. Zig's web site is a great resource of materials. There are free podcasts and you can also access hundreds of hours of audio and video training. These trainings are part of the "Ziglar Vault", which does have a small monthly fee - however there is one month free available.

Check out the site at:

http://www.zigziglar.com/personal_development.php

Danny

Using Your Home As A Tax Deduction

2007-10-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

One of the big advantages of having a home business is the ability to use a portion of your home expenses as a tax deductible write off. This is a great benefit. Unfortunately many people do it incorrectly.

Here is a great article from CNN about how to correctly write off your home as a tax deduction:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/10/12/home.office.taxes/index.html

Blessings,
Danny

Work With The End in Mind

2007-10-11T10:32:00.001-06:00

Here is a great post by John Jantsch from the Duct Tape Marketing Blog about having a clear picture for what your business will be like when it is done.

I think it brings up two interesting points. First of all, having a clear picture of the outcome of your business is valuable - it will help you work harder and smarter. It will give you a deeper motivation and help you work in the proper direction.

Secondly, it means that your business should have an end goal - that doesn't mean you have to stop working your business - but if you know your end goal you can work towards it AND be happy when you get there. Too often one goal is replaced by the next and by the next and no one is ever satisfied with the work they have done. While you should always have goals in life you also need to be content and satisfied when you achieve the goal you are working towards.

This is a tough balance to achieve - having goals to propel you forward, and being content and able to celebrate goals that are achieved. Any thoughts?

You can read the article here:
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2007/10/03/whats-the-picture-of-your-business-when-its-done/

Danny

Gratitude

2007-09-27T11:59:00.000-06:00

Are you thankful? If you are thankful, do you live like it?

Today we are often victims of two forces that push us towards unhappiness and living a life without gratitude.

#1 - Always striving for more - Now setting goals and working towards more is not a problem - in fact it can be very healthy - however, many people do so at the expense of forgetting all of the great things they have today. Is your goal to grow your business so you can experience more with your family? If so, then remember to appreciate the times you are able to spend with your family now.

#2- Taking things for granted - We also often take many things for granted. If we would stop and think through how much we already have we will be filled with gratitude and be more happy.

Taking the time to be grateful leads to happiness.

Here is a great post about the topic:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/09/living-in-grati.html/

Danny

Characteristics of an Effective Leader

2007-09-19T15:19:00.000-06:00

Here is a great article about having the characteristics of an effective leader. Do you have these characteristics?

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/do-you-have-the-characteristics-of-an-effective-leader/

I especially like the quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower

Blessings,
Danny

The Cost Of Your Commute

2007-09-11T12:18:00.001-06:00

One of the biggest benefits for having your own business relates to the cost your commute takes on you. Many of the costs you do not even realize. Tim Ferris has a great post today on determining the cost of your commute. He emphasizes the ability to work from anywhere at any time. I love my home business because I can move and it moves with me, and because I can travel and still keep things moving.

Here is the article:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/

Danny

Simplifying Your Online Life

2007-09-06T15:02:00.000-06:00

It is easy to let your internet control you. Instead of being a valuable tool for productivity and connectivity, the internet can zap your time, and overload you with information and activity. The internet may be controlling you if your inbox is filled with more than a hundred messages, or if you have so many sites that you need to check each day that you lose an hour of your day before you are done.

I've been there. Fortunately, I've been working to simplify my internet usage. Here is a great post to help you do just that.

http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/08/01/how-to-simplify-your-online-life/

Danny

Chasing Time Not Money

2007-09-04T10:23:00.000-06:00

Tim Ferriss, author of "The Four Hour Work Week" (which I'm currently about 1/2 way through), has a great post on his blog today about the problems with chasing after the American Dream through the corporate world - you end up with money but no time. I really like his focus on the currency of time.

One of the things I love about network marketing home businesses are that many of them can create true TIME FREEDOM - through passive or residual income. Consider the time freedom you can earn through passive income as you read this article:

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/04/new-research-and-a-dirty-truth-read-this-before-chasing-the-dollar/

Danny

What is Web 2.0?

2007-09-03T07:41:00.000-06:00

Seth Godin, the marketing expert, appears in this short interview (6 minutes), about how Web 2.0 is changing marketing. I think this is a great video for people in a home business to watch. It is amazing to see the parallels between the way Web 2.0 works and the way that networking home businesses work. It also gives a number of tips that will be helpful to think through as you work to grow your business.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/09/talking-about-w.html

Danny

Do What You're Paid For

2007-08-31T12:06:00.000-06:00

Too many of us spend a lot of time doing things that don't bring the value we are worth. In life, we spend time doing things we think we half to do - not because we want to, or like doing them. What we don't often think about is the fact that we could likely pay someone to do the "things we half to do", and use that time to make far more than what we are paying out.

The Duct Tape Marketing Blog has a great post on that:
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2007/08/14/are-you-worth-more-than-you%e2%80%99re-making/

Another side of this is in our business when we get stuck doing busy work. This might be things like paperwork, sorting information, filing etc.. You don't get paid your for these things. You get paid for setting appointments, sharing your business and products with other people, and leading your team. Do the things you get paid for. Other things should either be skipped (if not important), passed on (to someone who can do them also), or hired out (to an assistant - even a virtual assistant). This will give you more time to focus on what you get paid for.

Now if you enjoy doing some of the "busy work" activities then by all means continue to do them, however don't call that business time and effort. Call that your fun time.

Danny

Send Out More Cards

2007-08-29T09:21:00.001-06:00

I want to get better at sending out cards. Today it is so easy to send out emails and e-cards that they have lost a little bit of their value. At the same time, the value of perceived value of receiving physical mail has increased. Sending out birthday cards, post cards, and other cards can be a valuable way to increase your exposure and the favorable attitude towards you and your business. Think of how nice it is to get a real birthday card in the mail when everyone else is sending you e-cards or Facebook messages. As such, I'm going to work on sending out more cards, and you should as well.

Here is a great post with some helpful hints about creating an easy to use system for mailing more cards:

http://unclutterer.com/archives/2007/08/birthday_cards_and_reminder_sy.php

Danny

Make Three Daily Business Commitments

2007-08-28T07:10:00.000-06:00

Probably one of the absolute keys to building your home business (once you have found a good company), is to be consistent in your daily activity. Consistent growth will always outlast quick spurts followed by complete stops. You need to be doing activity each day to grow your business.

The first thing I ask every team member to do is to commit to 15 minutes a day of professional development related to their business. This should be reading the company magazine or listening to an audio training. This is vital to keep your head in the game - to keep you focused on developing yourself and your business.

After that I recommend making three daily business building activities. These should be three things that you will commit to do each day - no matter what - that will create growth in your business.

For this list you can include things like the number of approach calls you will make every day; the number of follow up calls to your teammates; the amount of time you will spend on online marketing etc. etc. In other words choose things that will create growth - and then do those three things every day.

It works best if you put down things that will help you create momentum for your day; things that you may not want to do at first, but once you get going you don't have a problem. For me, one of these things is phoning prospects. It is always easier not to do it, however not much grows your business like finding a new business partner. As such I commit to making at least 5 dials each day. Normally I make many more than that, but by making the first 5 I create personal momentum and activity.

Tony Robbins teaches that your body always wants to stay in the "state" that it is in. This is why your comfort zone is so powerful. By getting started on an activity, like dialing the phone to call potential customers, you get in a new "state". You get in the "state" of action and start creating results.

So choose three activities that will create growth in your business. These activities should all relate to the critical activities need to grow your business, and doing them should lead to further growth for your business.

Danny Gamache
(Professor, Coach, Entrepreneur)

Great Videos to Help You

2007-08-25T12:52:00.001-06:00

One of the keys to any home business is to be continually involved in personal growth and professional development. Personally, I commit to at least 15 minutes a day of professional development related to my business.

Here is a great site that has links to a number of great videos to help you grow.

http://www.squidoo.com/videosthatchange/

Danny

The Marketing Potential of NEW MEDIA

2007-08-24T14:09:00.000-06:00

New forms of communication are taking over the internet!

The primary examples of this include social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, and update sites like Twitter. Through these sights people provide a lot of information about what is going on in their lives. Marketers are just starting to get a grasp of how powerful these sites will become for marketing.

This article from FAST COMPANY will give some thoughts:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/the-next-email.html

The article, however, does not talk about specifically about home businesses. I think that home businesses, and direct marketing in particular, can benefit from these sites. While I have some thoughts, what I really want to do is start a discussion about how you are using these sites to build your business? Please add a comment and share your perspective.

Danny

Creating Your Own Personal YouTube

2007-08-22T13:41:00.000-06:00

Our attitudes and belief systems have a huge effect on anybody building a home business. We need to keep focused on our goals, and be positive as we move towards reaching them. We need to believe in our company, our business and most importantly ourselves. The last one is where most people fall off as it is easy to get discouraged and not believe in your own abilities.

Tony Clark has an excellent for suggestion for helping with this. He suggests we take positive successful moments from our past and develop clear images of them in our mind. These then become the mental images we can play to reconnect with who we are and remind ourselves of our ability to be successful.

You can read his post here: http://successfromthenest.com/content/eternal-playlist-of-the-successful-mind/

I've really been enjoying his blog and I would recommend adding it as an RSS feed or checking his site from time to time. The posts have been insightful and inspiring.

Danny

Business Cards

2007-08-21T11:47:00.000-06:00

If you have your own business from home you need business cards. Unfortunately, too often I run into business owners who do not have business cards or only have home made business cards from their printer. This will not be sufficient. You need to have professional business cards that demonstrate your creativity and your leadership.

Seth Godin has a good post today about effective business cards. You can check it out here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/08/business-card-m.html

Take action today and get some good professional business cards. Keep them on you at all times and be prepared to share them well. It will help your business.

Danny

Mark Twain's Marketing

2007-08-17T07:59:00.001-06:00

With the growth of blogging and social networking sites the idea of "self promotion" has been talked about frequently lately. It is the idea of making your name your "brand". Getting the word out there about who you are and what you can do - becoming an expert at something. At times this seems like it might be a new phenomenon, however it certainly is not. It goes back to before Mark Twain. In fact, you may not know that Mark Twain used self promotion very effectively early in his writing career.

Here is a great article from Fast Company about how Mark Twain did it!

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/column-final-word.html

Danny

Build Your Home Business With Stories

2007-08-16T14:22:00.000-06:00

One of the most important skills for you if you are building a network marketing home business is the ability to tell stories. Stories will help you in all areas of your business. If you tell effective stories about your experience in your company you will attract more people to enroll. If you tell effective stories about your products, you will have more customers who will be more loyal. If you tell effective stories about how you build your business you will have better duplication. If you tell good motivational and inspirational stories you will be a better motivator. So become a great story teller.

Here is an article from Tony Clark that might be useful to you:

http://successfromthenest.com

Have a great day!

Danny

Don't Count Your Chickens

2007-08-15T11:12:00.001-06:00

In some home businesses, people are told to "fake it to you make it", or to live as if they are already successful. This can have a very negative effect, and has been a major reason for giving network marketing businesses a bad name. It is important that we teach people to be wise in how they spend their money, to not spend what they don't have, and to not spend like they are successful when they still have a ways to go.

While not directly related to network marketing or MLM, this article gives a clear example of how people can get into a lot of trouble by spending money they don't have.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-08-13-briny-breezes_N.htm

Danny

Personal MBA

2007-08-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

I came across this sight today, and I'm planning on digging deeper over the next while, but I wanted to let you know about it. It's called the Personal MBA, or PMBA. It is basically an online reading list along with an accompanying message forum. It looks like a great place to learn more, read great books, and discuss them with others.

Business Week wrote an article about it, and you can read that HERE.

You can also go directly to the site and read more about it HERE. The site is free although they do offer coaching and consulting for a fee.

Danny

Work/ Family Balance for your Home Business

2007-08-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

I was exploring blogs today and I came across a wonderful post about creating a balance between your home business and your family. This is one of the greatest challenges for people who work from home. Too often you can neglect your work and spend all of your time with your family, or you can neglect your family and spend all of your time doing your work. Neither option is ideal. Further your family needs to know when you can be interrupted and when you can't.

Here is the link for the full article: http://successfromthenest.com/content/balancing-work-and-family-as-a-home-based-entrepreneur/#comment-12929

Danny

Getting Referrals For Your Home Business

2007-08-05T07:35:00.000-06:00

One great way to build your network marketing business is to get referrals. There are many sources of referrals, including your own customers, and prospects who turn you down. It is also valuable to develop a network of business owners in your area. As you get to know business owners (a local accountant, gym owner, painter etc..) you develop a group who can truly share prospects together. The more you refer people to their business, the more they will refer people to you.

Here is a great post from Duct Tape Marketing about the value of the network.

Danny

Photos From China

2007-08-04T22:55:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

Darla and I returned last night from our 6 weeks in China. We were leading a great group of students as they taught English as a second language to students in China. It was a great time.

Here are four sets of photos. I hope you enjoy them:

Beijing

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41674&l=98e6e&id=826085649

Changbai Mountain

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41679&l=2548d&id=826085649

3 Borders

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41682&l=49de7&id=826085649

In and around Yanji

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41686&l=d6fbb&id=826085649

Danny

Photos From Our Recent Trip to Turkey

2007-06-24T08:41:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

Darla and I just got back from Turkey. We had a great time exploring ancient cities, visiting Istanbul, and spending time with Darla's brother and his family. You can check out a selection of our photos at:

Photos

Tomorrow we leave for nearly 6 weeks in China. We are leading the TESOL internship class, which is 8 students who will be teaching English. Please pray for safety, good health, and that God will use our team.

Danny?

Powerful Video on Teamwork.

2007-06-24T07:32:00.001-06:00

Wow, check out this video on teamwork. Make sure you watch until the end.

Top 5 Things to Look For In a Home Business

2007-05-09T10:37:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

Often people ask me about home businesses. Usually these people are just wanting confirmation on a decision they've already made, however some are really looking for a good home business. If you are looking for a home business, here are the top things to look for.

#5 - Low initial start-up investment - Most home businesses do have a start up fee - in fact for it to be a business there is going to be some investment (otherwise it is likely a job). These start up fees do not have to be high. You can find many good home businesses that require less than $500. Even better look for a business where you can get started for between $100 - $300.

#4 - No inventory - Watch out for home businesses that require you to purchase inventories. In these businesses you're often a distributor and you will need to sell those inventories to friends, neighbors and others. Certainly some home business companies have become successful by running these sorts of business, however many people are left hurt along the way. Many distributors buy big inventories and are never able to sell them. With technology today there is no need for anyone to stock inventory.

#3 - Strong Management - Unfortunately many home businesses start each year under inexperienced management. Often these are people who were top distributors with one company, and decided to start their own company and recruit distributors themselves. Generally these people are successful at marketing, networking and sales, however few of them have any success in management. Look for a company to work with that is run by people with Fortune 500 management experience. These people know what it takes to grow a business, to manage a workforce, facilitate product manufacturing etc. If you are looking for a business that will last, find a company run by these sorts of people.

#2 - No Risk - Look for a business without risk. You should find a business where everything you spend to get started with the company comes with a solid money-back guarantee. Look for 60-90 days to try out the products and the company and be sure you can get your money back after that time.

#1 - At Least 10 Years Old - Very few home business companies last five years, and out of those companies many more do not make it to ten years old. There is nothing magical about the ten year mark, however most companies that make it ten years will continue to survive for sometime. Anytime you hear about a "Ground Floor Opportunity" you should run. This is a sure danger sign. Many companies today are trying to get around this by partnering (or purchasing) a shell company that has been around for a number of years. That way, instead of admitting that they are a new company, they will claim that they are a 10 year old company. In reality, only the shell company has existed for 10 years, and they are very new at running as a home business opportunity. These companies have just as much risk as any new company. Look for a company that has been involved in the home business industry for a full ten years or more.

Hopefully these tips help. Feel free to share other tips that you have found useful.

Danny Gamache

The Power of Perspective

2007-04-25T15:24:00.000-06:00

This is from a speech given by David Foster Wallace as the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address - May 21, 2005.

The full speech can (and should!) be read at:
http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html

"The plain fact is that you graduating seniors do not yet have any clue what "day in day out" really means. There happen to be whole, large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about in commencement speeches. One such part involves boredom, routine, and petty frustration. The parents and older folks here will know all too well what I'm talking about.

By way of example, let's say it's an average adult day, and you get up in the morning, go to your challenging, white-collar, college-graduate job, and you work hard for eight or ten hours, and at the end of the day you're tired and somewhat stressed and all you want is to go home and have a good supper and maybe unwind for an hour, and then hit the sack early because, of course, you have to get up the next day and do it all again. But then you remember there's no food at home. You haven't had time to shop this week because of your challenging job, and so now after work you have to get in your car and drive to the supermarket. It's the end of the work day and the traffic is apt to be: very bad. So getting to the store takes way longer than it should, and when you finally get there, the supermarket is very crowded, because of course it's the time of day when all the other people with jobs also try to squeeze in some grocery shopping. And the store is hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop and it's pretty much the last place you want to be but you can't just get in and quickly out; you have to wander all over the huge, over-lit store's confusing aisles to find the stuff you want and you have to maneuver your junky cart through all these other tired, hurried people with carts (et cetera, et cetera, cutting stuff out because this is a long ceremony) and eventually you get all your supper supplies, except now it turns out there aren't enough check-out lanes open even though it's the end-of-the-day rush. So the checkout line is incredibly long, which is stupid and infuriating. But you can't take your frustration out on the frantic lady working the register, who is overworked at a job whose daily tedium and meaninglessness surpasses the imagination of any of us here at a prestigious college.

But anyway, you finally get to the checkout line's front, and you pay for your food, and you get told to "Have a nice day" in a voice that is the absolute voice of death. Then you have to take your creepy, flimsy, plastic bags of groceries in your cart with the one crazy wheel that pulls maddeningly to the left, all the way out through the crowded, bumpy, littery parking lot, and then you have to drive all the way home through slow, heavy, SUV-intensive, rush-hour traffic, et cetera et cetera.

Everyone here has done this, of course. But it hasn't yet been part of you graduates' actual life routine, day after week after month after year.

But it will be. And many more dreary, annoying, seemingly meaningless routines besides. But that is not the point. The point is that petty, frustrating crap like this is exactly where the work of choosing is gonna come in. Because the traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to, I'm gonna be pissed and miserable every time I have to shop. Because my natural default setting is the certainty that situations like this are really all about me. About MY hungriness and MY fatigue and MY desire to just get home, and it's going to seem for all the world like everybody else is just in my way. And who are all these people in my way? And look at how repulsive most of them are, and how stupid and cow-like and dead-eyed and nonhuman they seem in the checkout line, or at how annoying and rude it is that people are talking loudly on cell phones in the middle of the line. And look at how deeply and personally unfair this is.

Or, of course, if I'm in a more socially conscious liberal arts form of my default setting, I can spend time in the end-of-the-day traffic being disgusted about all the huge, stupid, lane-blocking SUV's and Hummers and V-12 pickup trucks, burning their wasteful, selfish, forty-gallon tanks of gas, and I can dwell on the fact that the patriotic or religious bumper-stickers always seem to be on the biggest, most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest [responding here to loud applause] (this is an example of how NOT to think, though) most disgustingly selfish vehicles, driven by the ugliest, most inconsiderate and aggressive drivers. And I can think about how our children's children will despise us for wasting all the future's fuel, and probably screwing up the climate, and how spoiled and stupid and selfish and disgusting we all are, and how modern consumer society just sucks, and so forth and so on.

You get the idea.

If I choose to think this way in a store and on the freeway, fine. Lots of us do. Except thinking this way tends to be so easy and automatic that it doesn't have to be a choice. It is my natural default setting. It's the automatic way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of adult life when I'm operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that I am the center of the world, and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world's priorities.

The thing is that, of course, there are totally different ways to think about these kinds of situations. In this traffic, all these vehicles stopped and idling in my way, it's not impossible that some of these people in SUV's have been in horrible auto accidents in the past, and now find driving so terrifying that their therapist has all but ordered them to get a huge, heavy SUV so they can feel safe enough to drive. Or that the Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he's trying to get this kid to the hospital, and he's in a bigger, more legitimate hurry than I am: it is actually I who am in HIS way.

Or I can choose to force myself to consider the likelihood that everyone else in the supermarket's checkout line is just as bored and frustrated as I am, and that some of these people probably have harder, more tedious and painful lives than I do.

Again, please don't think that I'm giving you moral advice, or that I'm saying you are supposed to think this way, or that anyone expects you to just automatically do it. Because it's hard. It takes will and effort, and if you are like me, some days you won't be able to do it, or you just flat out won't want to.

But most days, if you're aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she's not usually like this. Maybe she's been up three straight nights holding the hand of a husband who is dying of bone cancer. Or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the motor vehicle department, who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a horrific, infuriating, red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness. Of course, none of this is likely, but it's also not impossible. It just depends what you what to consider. If you're automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won't consider possibilities that aren't annoying and miserable. But if you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down."

Not that that mystical stuff is necessarily true. The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're gonna try to see it."

Danny

Great Resource

2007-04-24T22:25:00.000-06:00

I want to recommend a wonderful resource for those of you in a networking home business. The site is http://www.greatestnetworker.com/ and it is a site for John Milton Fogg, author of "The Greatest Networker in the World". On the site you can listen to a sample training call, and you can read, or listen to the book "The Greatest Networker in the World". I strongly recommend checking this out.

Danny

MySpace & Facebook

2007-04-19T17:34:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone,

Now you can find me on both MySpace & Facebook. It has been fun using both of these systems. I think they are important for the new face of business. I prefer Facebook, but come find me on both!

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=826085649

MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/dannygamache

Danny

The Reason for the Exile

2007-04-14T09:18:00.001-06:00

Ever think about why God sent Israel into exile? Probably the most popular answer to that question would be their idoltry, and certainly God was not happy with that. However, when you look at what the God says through Prophets in warning before the exile (read Amos 5:11-17) to start with).

Also, look what God says through Zechariah about the reason for the exile. It all has to do with justice for the poor and the oppressed.

Zechariah 7:9-14
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. in your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.

When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the Lord Almighty. 'I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers."

How do we live our lives today? Do we take care of the poor, the orphans, and the needy? Obviously this is a priority to God, and so it should be a priority in how we live our lives.

Danny

Quitting

2007-04-12T07:59:00.000-06:00

Read this great post from Seth Godin on his new blog.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/2007/04/the_seven_reaso.html

Powerful.
Danny

Have You Read Jonah Lately?

2007-03-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

Have you read the book of Jonah lately?

What a powerful little story. I would encourage you to read it again if you haven't read it for sometime, it only takes a few minutes.

While there are some amazing messages about repentance in this book, what struck me as I read it this week were the lessons on attitude. Jonah is a great example a bad attitude.

First of all, he does not have an attitude of love. His attitude is very selfish. He doesn't go to Nineveh because he doesn't want them to receive God's forgiveness (Jonah 4:2-3). He is very selfish. This is the opposite of that attitude that Christ calls us to live in. An attitude of self-sacrifice and love (Philippians 2).

Secondly, Jonah is very stubborn. First of all Jonah, stubbornly runs from God. Then, after getting swallowed by the giant fish it appears that he takes three days before he is willing to pray to God (Jonah 1:17-2:1).

Finally we see that Jonah's attitude is shaped by circumstances. In Chapter 4 we see that Jonah starts off discontent, angry at God. After a God provides a vine, Jonah is happy (4:6). The next day God takes away the vine, and his attitude slinks back into a negative attitude (4:8).

Our attitude has significant influence over the way we live our lives. It has an impact over our relationship with other people, and above all our relationship with God. Let us all live an attitude filled with love and sacrifice. Don't let circumstances control your attitude.

Danny

Seth's Blog

2007-03-08T08:30:00.000-06:00

I really recommend checking out Seth Godin's Blog on a regular basis. It contains many insightful comments on marketing, customer service, and just plain interesting thoughts.

In particular, check out recent posts on "Where Do You Park?" and "Time Machines".

Danny

Christian Networker's Perspective - Story of Technical Problems

2007-03-07T21:15:00.000-06:00

So, our newsletter is finally back out today. Unfortunately to a smaller subscriber base after the technical difficulties we've been having. That is why it has been so long since we have had an issue.

This fall I was getting ready to send out an issue, when I discovered that without any warning the autoresponder broadcast system I was using (Pro Autoresponder) had shut down. They simply went out of business, and I was left with no way to get my newsletter out.

I thought it would be fairly simple to switch over to a new company. I new it would be a pain, but it ended up being more difficult than I thought. I switched over to a new company, only to find upon testing that it would not work for my needs. It would not send out the broadcasts of the newsletter the way I wanted it to, and further it had a very hard to use control panel.

I eventually found another autoresponder system that has worked. Unfortunately it means that all of the subscribers have had to reconfirm their subscription. As such, we have only a small fraction of the original subscriber base. Hopefully many will confirm their subscription still.

Anyways, it took a few weeks of testing to be able to configure the newsletter for the new autoresponder. Even then we have been having problems with the HTML version. As such, this first issue back is in text only. Hopefully our next issue will work smoothly in HTML. Thank you for being subscribers.

If you are reading this blog and you are not a subscriber of our free newsletter, "A Christian Networker's Perspective", I would encourage you to email me to subscribe. Send me an email at danny@secondincometeam.com and ask to subscribe.

Blessings,
Danny

MySPACE

2007-03-05T13:25:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

With the huge growth of the MYSPACE world, I decided (rather late I know) to join the crowd.

Anyways, check out our MYSPACE site at
http://www.myspace.com/dannygamache

Enjoy!
Danny

Poor Customer Service

2007-02-22T19:59:00.001-06:00

It's amazing how some companies are terrible at customer service. I had an awful experience this week with AOL Canada.

I used to have an account with AOL Canada and I cancelled it several months ago. I used it for the bring-your-own access service. In December I got a letter from AOL introducing their "now for free" program where the bring-your-own service is now free.

I reconnected to AOL assuming that my existing software would allow me to use this new free service. Unfortunately I didn't read all of the complex material and learn that to get it for free I had to have a different software. I didn't realize until the I got my credit card bill that I was being charge. By that time, I had two separate charges for two months of connection.

I phoned AOL Canada and expected a simple call to get a refund for the whopping $22 that I spent. A simple refund, would have kept me happy and I wouldn't be telling the world through this blog about how bad they have treated me. They absolutely refused, in fact (laughingly) denying any ability to give a refund.

This is an example, of how not to treat your customers.

Danny

The Power of Personal Momentum

2007-02-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had an assignment that you had a hard time getting started on? Or perhaps you have tried to get started on a something new in your life, like adding a workout to your schedule, and found you easily got off track? What you are experiencing are ways that the power of momentum can help you get started.

I have had a project that I have needed to do for the last couple of weeks and I have had the hardest time getting it done. It sure is easy to procrastinate. The problem was that I had no momentum. Personal momentum is like a train. The most energy is used is in getting the train started. Once the train is started it is very difficult to slow the train down. However, if you stop the train, you once again have to work hard to get it started again.

For my project this weekend, all it really took to get momentum was to get started. I committed a half hour to getting started, and by the end of that half hour I had momentum. That momentum carried me through the rest of the work on the project over the next couple of days. All told I spent about 7 hours on this project. The hardest was the first few minutes - the process of getting started.

I also noticed the effect of momentum in my personal exercise program. I have been attending a 6:30 AM fitness class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this semester. Last week I had a bad cold and missed Wednesday and Friday's workouts. I really noticed it when I thought about getting up and going to the workout this morning. It is much harder to restart than it is to continue. Thankfully I did drag myself out of bed and started the process of once again creating momentum.

Use this power to get you moving towards success in your business. It is easy to procrastinate, but commit yourself to a course of action and get started. Once you get going, don't stop. Momentum can easily get away from you.

Danny

Do SuperBowl Ads Work?

2007-02-04T13:06:00.000-06:00

Here is a great post by Seth Godin.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/02/understanding_t.html
Danny

Look Like You're Not Trying

2007-01-26T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here is an excellent post by Seth Godin.

I think this is especially valuable for people in a home business. In particular, take a look at his critique of Multi-Level Marketing in the section "Too Much Effort". This is important. It is often the case where people in their own home business try too hard, thus offending many. The way to build a successful home business (for the long run), is to tell authentic stories.

Make sure you read the post.

Danny

Quote to Ponder

2007-01-24T08:31:00.001-06:00

I'm reading a book called, "On Earth as it is in Advertising?" by Sam Van Eman. Within the book he quotes Frederick Buechner on the idea of a calling. Buechner writes,

"The kind of work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but ifyour work is writing TV deoderant commercials, the chances are you've missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you are bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only by passed (a) but probably aren't helping your patients much either.... The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

Danny

The Success of American Idol

2007-01-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

American Idol continues to amaze me. Yes I enjoy the show, but I am always impressed by, and curious about how successful the show has been. In the start of their sixth season the show is breaking records with over 30 million people in the US watching each episode. Almost every TV show that has early success drops in viewers as the years go by and people get either tired of the show, too familiar with it, or excited about new shows. Not so with American Idol. So what is different - what has made the show so successful. Here are some thoughts:

1. American Idol only runs one season each year. You watch a full season of American Idol from January until May and then it is over. They don't try running two season during the year, like Survivor, or The Amazing Race. They also don't interrupt the season for a long Christmas break, or for reruns. They capture an audience right at the start and keep them until the show is over. In your business, this might relate to how you run special promotions. Create a short-term promotion that creates a sense of urgency for your customers or business partners. Don't be too repetitive. Create excitement for a focused period of time, and you can create momentum.

2. They let the audience have a role in the show. American Idol is truly the most audience focused show today. After the judges choose the top 24, the entire set of decisions is made by the audience. Fans have a vested interest, being able to cheer and support their favorites. They are able to vote and vote and vote some more. By allowing people to vote as much as anyone can in the two hour time period creates more passion in fans as the invest in supporting for their favorites. How can you get your customers more involved in what is happening? With the Internet and conference calls and message forums there are many ways of allow your customers to share their feelings, give advice and connect more with your product or service.

3. American Idol appeals to the whole family. While some may argue that the in the early episodes each season the judges comments need some filtering, for the most part the show is suitable for all ages. From children to seniors, everyone can enjoy watching American Idol. American Idol has filled a void that hasn't existed for some time - a show the family can truly gather together to watch. For your business, know who your target market is. Appeal to that group and allow that group to bring others to your business.

4. Good promotion. The American Idol team does a great job promoting their show. All of the judges, plus Ryan Seacrest the host, and even past winners have been all over the television circuit over the past few weeks significant excitement about the show. How can you do better at promoting your business? Are their more ways for you to get your name out? Look for ways to create massive promotion for your business.

Yes, I enjoy watching American Idol. The success of the show has been amazing to watch. I look forward to finding someone to cheer for as the current season evolves.

Danny

Curiosity, Excitement, and Urgency

2007-01-15T08:18:00.000-06:00

These are the three most important things to keep in mind when making approaches for your home business. Whenever you are talking to a prospect, if you can create curiosity, show excitement, and establish a sense of urgency, you will be more than likely to set up the appointment.

The first of these is curiosity. Curiosity is what will get your prospect to show up at your appointment to hear what you have to say. There is one clear way to ruin the curiosity - that is to answer questions. Instead create curiosity and do not satisfy it. Get the prospect asking questions and then deflect the answers. Ensure your prospect that you'll answer all of their questions during the presentation, and then deflect the answers. Remember you are not hiding anything here, you just know that your prospect needs to hear everything at once.

The second is to show excitement. This comes in the tone of your voice and the way that you talk. You'll want to add a couple of notches to your voice. The person you are talking to will hear that you are excited and that will add credibility to what you are doing. Be sure to smile as that will also make a significant difference.

Lastly, you need to create a sense of urgency. I think this might actually be the most important of the three. To do this, there are a number of tips you can incorporate. First of all make sure you are trying to set the appointment for a time as soon as possible. You could say, "which is better... today or tomorrow?" In other words don't set appointments for a long time ahead, that doesn't show urgency.

If you can add curiosity, excitement, and urgency you will in crease the number of appointments you will book.

Danny

Wealth & Poverty

2007-01-08T08:11:00.000-06:00

"One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." Proverbs 13:7

I read this Proverb this morning in my quiet time and was struck by how important this is in so many ways. This is especially true in home business world where some businesses have a "fake it, till you make it mentality". Some companies actually tell you to look and act successful before you are. While this may be important on the attitude front it is foolishness when you treat your purchases this way. You should not be buying cars you can't afford, homes you can't afford etc.

So how come the man who pretends to be rich has nothing? In today's world it is very common, people who look rich own nothing. These people spend money they don't, run up credit card bills, and try to look good on the outside. These "rich" are more concerned about looking good and keeping up with the Jonses'. In the end, there is very little about their net worth that is actually rich.

The people who "pretend to be poor" stand for people today who are not worried about outwards appearance. They live below their means, saving and avoiding consumer debts. They don't spend what they don't have, they make saving and giving a priority and have no concern about how they compare to others. These are the people who are truly wealthy today.

Which will you be?

Danny

The Pursuit of Happyness

2007-01-06T21:42:00.000-06:00

We went to see the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith. It is based on a true story of a down-and-out medical supplies salesman who decides to pursue his dream of becoming a stock broker. The movie is a very touching and inspiring movie.

The story traces the life of Chris Garnder and shows how he fights for his dream, the ability to have a good life for him and his son. A life filled with "happyness". What is most inspiring is the depiction of the perseverance and focus that Chris pursues his goals. It seems like he must work against every possible obstacle.

This is a great movie to watch if you want to be inspired. You'll be inspired to fight for your dreams, pursue your WHY, and do everything possible to grow your business. I strongly recommend this movie for every home business professional.

Danny

What Marketing is all About

2007-01-03T07:14:00.000-06:00

This post from Seth Godin is one of the best descriptions of what is truly needed in marketing today: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/electable_vs_ma.html

How does this apply to your home business? Ask yourself, who is the 1% you are really trying to be remarkable to. Don't try appealing to everyone. Focus on the 1% and make yourself remarkable in that area. You will offend people. You will have people say "NO", probably often. However you will bring more passionate people onto your team. You will create excitement and energy, and loyalty. You will have a passionate and loyal following who will spread the word about your business.

Danny
PS. If you haven't read Seth Godin's book, "Purple Cow", I strongly recommend it.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T08:27:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I wish everyone an exciting, and prosperous New Year. I hope you will all use this time of year to think about your mission in life, and set goals for the next year. Set goals that are specific, measurable, and realistic. Write your goals down, and post them everywhere. Then get started. Don't wait for long to get started. Time moves quickly, and you need to get started on your goals right away.

Danny

Entrepreneurs

2006-12-31T10:23:00.000-06:00

I've been reading a book called "Banker for the Poor" by Muhammad Yunus, who is this years winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus discusses the use of micro-credit lending to the very poorest of people allowing them to start small businesses and pulling themselves and others out of poverty.

Here is a quote:
"To me, an entrepreneur is not an especially gifted person. I rather take the reverse view. I believe that all human beings are potential entrepreneurs. Some of us get the opportunity to express this talent, but many of us never get the chance because we were made to imagine that an entrepreneur is someone enormously gifted and different from ourselves." P. 207

This is an important thought for people in the home business world. It fits very well with what most home businesses promote - the opportunity for every individual to start a home business at a minimal start up expense.

Unfortunately many people still believe today that they don't hhave what it takes to be an entrepreneur. People believe that it is only the very gifted who will succeed and that they themselves could not achieve their goals.

Of course this is rubish. Everyone has within them the ability to achieve their goals. They may need to grow and develop, but they already have the most important skills - the ability to be persistent and consistent in working towards a goal.

If you are not in a home business, check out the links on the right side of this blog. You too can be an entrepreneur.

Danny Gamache

Keep Booking Appointments

2006-08-10T07:08:00.000-06:00

"If you are not setting appointments you are going out of business." - This is a quote I heard at a recent training session.

It is such a good quote, the concept is vital for your business. You must consistently be setting appointments, every day or at least every week you need to be booking new appointments. You can't stop booking appointments just because you have a couple booked. You need to keep on booking and moving forward. You can't stop booking appointments just because you got a new enrollment you need to work with. Yes you need to work with them, but you must keep on booking appointments and moving your business forward.

My favorite approach is the help approach:
"Hi.... Listen can I get your help on something? I've just started a new business and I’m really excited about it. I was wondering if I could run it past you and get your thoughts on it. It might be something you are interested in, and if not you might know some people that can help me out. It would take about 45 minutes. Would you have time Monday or would Tuesday be better?"

Danny

Are you already where you want to be?

2006-05-29T13:50:00.000-06:00

I hope you enjoy this story. It is a reminder to make sure that you know what you want in life, and how sometimes there are easier ways to get there!

"A boat was docked in a tiny seacoast village. A tourist from another country complimented the fisherman in the boat on the quality of his fish, and asked how long it had taken him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the fisherman. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the tourist.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The tourist, a successful businessman, then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The businessman interrupted, "I have an MBA from a very prestigious university’s business school. I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

“And after that?" asked the fisherman.

“With the extra money the larger boat will generate for you, you will be able to buy a second one, then a third one and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a big city anywhere in the world! From there you can direct your huge new fishing enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman. "Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the businessman, enthused about his wise counsel.

"And after that?"

"Afterward? Well, my friend, that is when it gets really interesting," answered the businessman-tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" inquired the fisherman

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.""

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............................
Danny

Taking Care of The Environment

2006-05-28T13:20:00.000-06:00

The following is a quote from the book "Adventures in Missing The Point" by Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo. Tony Campolo writes,

"Christians have let new agers hijack the environmentalist movement and make it their own domain. Environmentalism should be a Christian concern.

All creation is waiting for the sons and daughters of God to rescue it from the painful suffering it has had to endure at the hands of those of us who have been neglectful and discouraged, wrote the apostle Paul in Romans 8........

The two biggest reasons why Christians should make environmentalism a high priority, however, are that Christian stewardship requires it, and that the descruction of the earth's natural beauty impacts the worship of God." P. 187

This is important for Christians. We should be at the front of the environmental movement. In our home businesses, there are many companies that promote products that are better for the environment (including me! Check out http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com).

If you promote environmentally friendly products you are doing an important task. Something that I am sure God is happy with.

Danny

Inspiration

2006-05-25T08:09:00.000-06:00

I want to encourage you to check out my friend's blog. Shantelle is a co-worker who is fighting cancer. In November, doctors told her she was not going to make it through the night. Friends and family entered into prayer, and a few hours later doctors came back and told her she may have a chance. God stepped in and Shantelle did not die that night. Since November she has been couragously fighting. Please pray for Shantelle, and read her inspiring blog.

http://spaces.msn.com/prairierascal/

Danny

Create Habits

2006-05-08T08:07:00.000-06:00

One of the best ways to improve your life is to create better habits. Habits allow you to do things with less effort, even automatically. There are many good habits you can create in your life that will make a significant improvement in creating balance in your physical, spiritual and emotional life.

Top 10 Habits to create

1. Exercise
2. Pray
3. Read scripture
4. Read personal development books
5. Return phone calls and e-mails promptly
6. Make business calls every day
7. Take time with your kids
8. Take time with your spouse
9. Weekly goal setting
10. Daily planning

Creating a habit takes consistent effort. Experts say that 21 straight days of activity will create a habit. Initially some of these may be hard to do, however the rewards are great. If you push forward, create the habit, you will significantly improve your life.

Danny

Get Active!

2006-04-30T16:59:00.000-06:00

I recently started running. I've run before, but I hadn't run for a long time. Let me tell you it is great. It is amazing how much better I feel after exercising for a while. I feel stronger, more energetic, and more focused. Exercise clears the mind allowing you to think better. Not only will you be healthier, but you'll feel better too.

Get out and get active!

Danny

"The Millionaire Next Door" - book review

2006-03-18T12:08:00.000-06:00

Last week I read this book written by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. If you are a numbers person like me you will certainly enjoy this book. If you can't handle numbers it is likely still worth reading about the first 80 pages to get the main thesises of this book, however you may struggle through the many statistics throughout the rest of the book.

The book is the result of a study conducted by the authors of the wealth people (net worth of more than $1m) in America. Their findings were some what unexpected. The wealthy are NOT the people you expect them to be. The wealthy people live in average homes in modest neighborhoods. They drive modest cars, and generally are not distinguishable to the eye from their middle-class neighbors. These people become wealthy by hard work, wise investment and money mangement, and especially by being very frugal.

For me, this book was a powerful reminder of how average people can become wealthy. It was valuable to think through the importance of living a frugal life, and it allowed me to reevaluate what my money-spending goals are.

On the downside of things, there are certainly some elements of this book that are at odds with the Chirstian faith. The book certainly makes wealth building the number one priority. We are warned in Scriptures against making wealth too high of a priority. Proverbs 28:19-22 says, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good-- yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread. A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him."

Another philosophy that the book gets wrong is in its view of charity and giving. The book seems to promote a stingyness in how much you give away. The authors do speak positively of giving money away in retirement, but little until then.

Anyways, it is certainly a worthy read, especially the first 80 pages!

Danny

Olympics and a Cruise and more!

2006-03-14T18:42:00.000-06:00

So, obviously it has been a long time since I have posted. That is primarily because of the amazing adventures I have had over the last month. In the last month I have had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to the Olympics, and a couple of weeks later I was able to go on a cruise through my home business! Talk about an exciting time. BUT IT GETS BETTER! While in Italy for the Olympics, I got engaged! My girlfriend Darla agreed to marry me!! So it has been a very exciting time. I am back and focused and ready to go!

I want to quickly reflect on the last couple of months. First of all, the Olympics. This was my third mission trip to the Olympics. I also went to Salt Lake City, and Athens, all with Athletes in Action. Athletes in Action is Christian sports group that works with athletes from around the world. At the Olympics we work with athletes and sharing the Jesus film on DVD with them. Hopefully through the DVD they will learn about the love of Jesus.

I want to share a portion of my thank you letter about this event:

"In this Olympics, venues turned into a great place to meet athletes. A good example of this was at the womenÂs skeleton event. We worked our way to the start line to watch the first run of the event. It seemed that when we got up there everywhere we turned we were running into athletes who were there to watch their friends perform. We were able to talk to members of the Swiss bobsleigh team, skiers from New Zealand, and a member of the US menÂs skeleton team.

It was later during this same event that one of the neatest experiences of the games occurred. Due to some of the Canadian clothing that a couple of us were wearing, a girl came up and approached us, asking us if we were from Canada. It turns out that this was girl was the third member of the womenÂs skeleton team for Canada. Unfortunately Canada was only allowed to enter two athletes in this event and she was left out. Clearly this had to be difficult for such a world class athletes (she had been 3rd at the 2003 World Championships). It was neat to hear her story, and to be able to share our DVD of the Jesus film with her.

Throughout the week these kinds of experiences continued. I was able to give DVDs to athletes from many countries. These included athletes from Russia, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Ukraine, Japan, France, New Zealand, Italy, the United States, and Canada. Some of the most encouraging of these conversations was with people who spoke very little English. They were often extremely excited to be given a DVD when they were shown that it was in their own language. They were often thrilled for such a gift."

Clearly this was amazing opportunity. However, the blessings didn't stop there as less than two weeks later I was off to the Caribbean for a cruise. My home business company had chartered tmagnificentant ship. Everybody on board was part of our company, and had to earn their way onto the boat. The trip was amazing. It was a great chance to relax, to enjoy the sun, and to spend time reading and praying.

We had stops in Belize, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. It was a wonderful time. In Belize I had the opportunity to go "tubing" down a river through caves and rain forests. It was unbelizeable. On top of that we got amazing seminars and were able to learn a lot about building our business.

Well I'm ready to go and keep moving forward with my newsletter, my business, and this blog. Watch here for more posts soon!

Danny

Quote on Stress

2006-01-17T17:29:00.000-06:00

"Stress comes from making things more important than they really are" - Tony Robbins

This quote is very powerful, and remembering it helps me to reduce the stress in my life. It is so easy to make things more important than they really are. After all most of the things that stress us out are things that really will never happen. Others, have very small consequences if they do happen - they are far from life and death situations. So, if you are stressed, I want you to ask yourself if what you are worrying about has any real probability of happening. If it does, I want you to ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen is. Chances are, that worst thing, if it occurs, is really not very important in the wider view of life.

I hope this helps! Have a great day!

Danny

Amazing Honour

2005-12-10T19:55:00.000-06:00

I have great students!

As a professor I believe that I have the best students. Yesterday I hosted a Christmas party for those students in the program I am coordinator for. It was great. Even though a number of my students were away we had moments with over 20 people in my house. It was a lot of fun, and the end amazed me more. The students had gotten me a few Christmas gifts. Certainly they didn't need to do this, but it sure made me feel special. I hope the students know what an honour it is for me to be able to teach them. I am so happy to be working for a school where God is the focus, not just of the faculty, but also of the students. Being able to teach them business from a Christian point of view is a very special opportunity. Even though there are some times that I'm frustrated when they are not listening as well as they could, or if they don't live up to their potential, overall it is a great experience. I treasure my job and the opportunity to make a difference.

Danny

God Owns Everything

2005-11-29T18:36:00.000-06:00

This may seem like a simple reminder, but I believe it is something that we as Christians need to hear from time to time. God truly does own everything. He created everything, and has full ownership rights to everything.

In Psalm 24:1-2, David writes, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Everything belongs to God. Everything we have, we have because God provided.

What is included in everything?

The answer should be obvious. There is nothing that does not fit in this category. All of your money, all of your possessions, all of your skills and all your businesses, ALL belong to God.

As such, we should leave everything in God's hands and work to steward them with the best of our abilities.

Danny Gamache

Is All Economic Progress Good?

2005-11-21T19:54:00.000-06:00

The following quotes are from the book "Bible and Mission" by Richard Bauckham.

"Christians must not be seduced by the enticing notion that economic growth as such is self-evidently a prim good for humanity. We must probe the facts behind this glib assumption and ask questions about who and what is benefit or damaged by the actual economic growth that we are considering. About economic growth we should be asking at least three very testing questions (a) Does it benefit the poorest people? (b) Does it destroy the environment? (c) Does it destroy other (traditional) values which are at least as important as economic prosperity?......... Economic globalization as it has recently occurred and is currently occurring is surely blatently guilty of impovershing and vandalizing God's world." - P. 96

I look forward to hearing your comments on this quote. It is unfortunate how economic growth has recently missed the target. The poor keep getting poorer, the environment is being damaged and value systems are going by the wayside. Somehow, we need to focus on economic growth that avoids these "spillover" effects.

Witness to a Miracle

2005-11-19T11:44:00.000-06:00

Our God is a healer.

Over the past two and a half weeks I have had the amazing opportunity to witness a miracle. Three weeks ago one of my co-workers, Shantelle, was diagnosed with cancer. She had a tumor on her spine. Three days later she had two new tumors in her brain. Very dangerous. The cancer she has is obviously a very very agressive cancer. In fact by Wednesday night (two and a half weeks ago, only five days after initial diagnosis) the doctors were suggesting she likely would not make it through the night. The doctors had Shantelle and her family sign a Do Not Resusitate order, basically telling her there is no hope.

This is where I had the privilige of coming in. One of the VP's at our school came around late the Wednesday afternoon. He gathered a team to go into the hospital. Our goal was to pray, but primarily to be there for Shantelle's husband Joe. Upon arriving at the hospital you could tell that the mood was very grim. A number of people from their church, and the team from our school gathered around each other to pray. We prayed and we prayed. After about 5 hours of being there with the family - both visiting and praying, everything changed. I belive this was the start of the miracles that God has done in Shantelle's life. In this case God used a doctor. The doctor called in and asked for the the DNR order to be removed. The doctor had been communicating online with other doctors and had came up with an idea.

From there hope started to return. The saints returned to their prayers with renewed energy. Shantelle needed to fight hard to make it through the next couple of nights. It took the doctors another five days before they were ready, but Shantelle held on and eventually they were able to perform surgery on the tumors in her brain. Shantelle could not have held on for so long without God. God gave her continued strength to fight for those five days.

The surgery was another miracle. God allowed for a very successful surgery, and for a recovery from surgery that astounded all of the medical professionals. Shantelle has gotten stronger and stronger each day, and a week and a half after after surgery Shantelle was released from the hospital. Yesterday she even came back to work for a visit. Shantelle still has the cancer on her spine and also a tumor on her shoulder. She is waiting for treatment to start on this, but she will be starting with signficant strength, both physically and spiritually.

So yesterday I was priviliged to be with a group that had lunch with Shantelle. Two weeks and two days from when she was supposed to die. WOW! God is so good. The doctors said she would not make it through the night but through God's power we were able to celebrate. There is still much to pray for. Shantelle still has a fight ahead. We still need to pray. If you want to read more about this miracle from Shantelle's own words, feel free to visit her blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/prairierascal/

Prasie to God!
Danny

Satisfaction

2005-11-14T19:53:00.000-06:00

One of the things that gives me the most satisfaction in my home business is watching people grow and develop. I love it when someone I have been training starts to step out on their own and sees success. This happened today.

I am teaming up with a great lady who is working hard to build her business. I have helped her enroll a couple of customer, and trained her on how to do her own presentation. She has also started to focus on building a business through a cold market. She is calling people that she doesn't know and who don't know her. I have trained her to do presentations over the phone to people thousands of miles a year. Well today she enrolled someone all on her own. It was someone she never knew, and a presentation by phone (which is much more difficult than in person).

I'm very happy for her, and it makes me feel very good about my activity. Helping someone build a business, allows them to gain skills they can use for years to come, and earn a residual income that will pay them for years to come. I guess this is a reminder of how great it is to work hard in helping people to build their own home business. It is very worth it.

A Christian Economic System

2005-11-12T17:18:00.000-06:00

What does a Christian Economic System look like?

This is something I have been wondering about for some time now. There are few things I am certain of, and much that I am uncertain of. A Christian economic system is not a system of capitalism. Capitalist's foundations are not Biblical. They are based on 'rational self interest'. This statement doesn't sound bad, but rational self-interest is manifested in greed. It is seen as people want more and more and are never satisfied. Capitalism is based on "unlimited economic wants and limited resources." Unlimited wants are not following the Jesus-model where he calls a rich young ruler to "sell your possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21)". A Christian economic system would not have unlimited economic wants. They would be limited, and equal amongst all groups of people.

I'm not even sure if "limited resources" would adequately reflect a Christian understanding. After all Jesus is able to turn water into wine, and feed thousands with only a few fish and a few loaves of bread. God is able to do all things and provide for all of our needs.

I am also certain that A Christian economic system is not socialism. Socialism does sound Biblical. It sounds, in theory, very much like Acts 2:44-45: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." In practice however socialism is very different. Corruption becomes quickly prevalent as the leaders are able to grab hold of significant power. Further, amongst the people laziness takes over. People know their needs will be provided for, and as such they don't put in the effort they need. Innovation and growth are slowed and everyone falls further and further behind together. This kind of idleness is warned against in the Bible. Paul writes, "we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according the the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we should not be a burden to anyone of you." (2 Thessalonians 3:6-8)

So a Christian economic system is something different. I don't fully know what this looks like yet, but I know it is radical. It involves limiting our wants, a deep caring for others, and sharing what we have with others. It also involves work. God created work. Work honors God. Another purpose for work is giving to the needy: "He who has been stealing, must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." (Ephesians 4:28)

A Christian economic system also removes the concept of status. God made it a habit of choosing the least over the most to illustrate the need to break down these status barriers: "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one may boast in the presence of God." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) In his book, "Bible and Mission", Richard Bauckham talks of this, saying, "The God who chose the first Corinthian converts is the God who chose the least significant of all the peoples (Israel) for his own (Deuteronomy 7:7)...... This is the God who chose the youngest of Jesse's sons, David, the one no one had even thought to summon (1 Samuel 16:6-13). This is the God who habitually overturns status, not in order to make the non-elite a new elite, but in order to abolish status, to establish his kingdom in which none can claim privilege over others and all gladly surrender privilege for the good of others.

So, while I do not have the answers to all of the questions about what makes an Christian economic system, we have a start. It is up to us to start living our lives in ways in which give examples to these factors. We are to live our lives in ways which demonstrate limiting our wants, giving to the poor, sharing with others, and rejecting the arbitrary differences that come from status.

Lets keep thinking about this topic!
Danny

A New Year - New Energy

2005-09-12T16:28:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

I know it has been a while since I have written. I have just made it through our first full day of classes of our new school year. My classes today went very well, it is fun to see the life and excitement in the eyes of the students.

I wonder if we should from time to time think back to something fresh and new. Think back to your first day of university or your first day on a new job. What did it feel like? Visualize how you acted during this time. Chances are you had some nerves, but mostly you were excited to get started. You wanted to see how things would turn out. This excitement likely gave you a lot of extra energy. I know that at our students many students in the dorms have stayed up way too late for many days as they have so much energy from the start of their new adventure.

Can you capture some of this energy? Imagine you are new at your business. Try to capture some of that energy and use it today. Use that new energy to propel your business forward. Combine the knowledge and the experience you have gained plus recapture the energy of being new. You will see great things happen.

Danny Gamache

A Quote To Pondor

2005-07-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a quote with you. It is actually a few seperate passage from a book I am reading, called "Renovation of the Heart" by Dallas Willard. I think it is important as we think about the role of the church today.

"A fundamental mistake of the conservative side of the American church today, and much of the Western church, is that it takes as its basic goal to get as many people as possible ready to die and go to heaven. It aims to get people into heaven rather than to get heaven into people.....

It implodes upon itself because it creates groups of people who may be ready to die, but clearly are not ready to live. They rarely can get along with one another, much less those 'outside.'.....

As a result they actually fall short of getting as many people as possible ready to die, because the lives of the 'converted' testify against the relaity......

The way to get as amny people into heaven as you can is to get heaven into as many people as you can - that is, to follow the path of genuine spiritual transformation or full-throttle discipleship of Jesus Christ. When we are counting up results we also need to keep in mind the multitudes of people (surrounded by churches) who will not be in heaven because they have never , to their knowledge, seen the reality of Christ in a living human being." P. 238-239

I think there are some good points here. It teaches us that the church needs to focus on true spiritual development of its people. This will naturally lead to evangelism, and much more effective evangelism. It moves us a way from a focus on NUMBERS and turns us to a focus on QUALITY. This increase in QUALITY then naturally leads to more NUMBERS.

- Danny

Real Stewardship

2005-07-14T14:01:00.000-06:00

Here is another powerful quote from "Mustard Seed versus McWorld" by Tom Sine:

“Understanding the Old Testament origins of the tithe, a growing number of New Testament scholars tell us that there is no basis for ten-percent stewardship in the New Testament. The call to follow Christ in the New Testament is a whole-life proposition.

Dualistic Christianity typically teaches that after you bring your tithe (or some part of your tithe) into the storehouse, you can pretty much do what you want with the rest. You can buy whatever toys you want and live as lavishly as you want, as long as you don’t get a materialistic hang-up with all of your things. It is amazing how many American Christians seem to be able to live palatially without ever getting hung up with materialism. Too often our Christian leaders in the United States are the pacesetters for this upscaling…..

There is something profoundly wrong when some of us live lavishly and other Christians in our world can’t keep their kids fed.” P. 202

What are some things we can do to keep this kind of whole-life giving?

Danny

What is Most Important?

2005-07-06T11:21:00.000-06:00

In life today, economic growth (both individual and national) is considered as the most important thing. It is how we measure the success of our country and the success of us as individuals. This impact doesn't fit with a Christian world view. As Tom Sine writes in his book "Mustard Seed versus McWorld", “from a Christian perspective, I will never be able to define what’s best or what’s ultimate in terms of economic growth or efficiency. ” P. 50

What do you think? Should we measure success by economic growth? If not, what else?

Danny

Mustard Seed versus McWorld

2005-06-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

So, I haven't been so good at updating this for June. So I'll through in a new quote for everyone.

“The architects of McWorld define the ultimate in terms of economic growth and economic efficiency and would have us believe that ultimate satisfaction will come form our increasing consumption of things. The mustard seed movement defines the ultimate in terms of God’s kingdom breaking into the world to redeem a new global community from every tongue, tribe, and nation. And Jesus tells us that we will find our ultimate satisfaction not in seeking life but in losing it in service to others.” P. 22 - from Tom Sine in "Mustard Seed versus McWorld."

I don't really think I need to add anything to this quote. It tells the whole story. God's plan is ultimate joy and satisfaction based on what we give and how we serve, not on what we have.

Danny