"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."
David Brinkley
Udderly Fascinating Business
by Michele Miller
Some experts will tell you that a successful business comes from being remarkable. Others will tell you it comes from efficiency and productivity. Bill Timmons figured why not do both, and he’s reaping big rewards from it.
While most dairy farms keep cows standing for hours on end to produce milk, Timmons knows that cows do best when lying down – lying prone eases digestion and increases blood flow around the udder. So what did he do? Invested $40,000 in… waterbeds.
Advance Technology’s Dual Chamber Cow Waterbed has taken knowledge about how cows produce and combined it with a technology that might make most farmers snicker. But Bill is the one laughing all the way to the bank. In the first two weeks after installing the waterbeds, milk production increased 20%.
Are you doing things the old-fashioned way, just because that’s the way it’s always been done? Is there knowledge you have that could be combined with an outside force to increase your bottom line? Give it some thought.
Have Fun, Make Money
by Clay Campbell
Are you pursuing what you really want?
I'm doing personal research Googleizing the people who are having fun doing what they do for a living. My research shows they tend to make a lot more money than those who are not. Plus they are happy.
I get up each day with a list of “things to do” that I made the night before.
On that list are things that I love to do. Do you have a list like that?
A favorite quote of mine:
The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. James Michener
Even if you have a bad day you can still try to make it fun.
For example:
To my dismay, I discovered Saturday afternoon at my Country Music Theatre that I had a hot water tank leaking in the girl’s dressing room. About an inch
of water was on the floor. We put an out of order sign on it. Thirty minutes
before show time someone sat on a sink in the ladies restroom. The sink came
down off the wall, and broke the water line and a stream of water about the size
of a half dollar was shooting straight out about ten feet. I ran to get a ladder;
I scrambled to the attic and shut off the water. We had about 400 customers in
the building and only one potty that worked. (The one in my dressing room!) I
came down and stared in disbelief at the mess. I said what any rational thinking
person would say, “Oh sh--!” Fortunately… some guys that knew plumping 101 helped
me out. They cut the pipe put a cap on it and about an hour we had the ladies
room functioning again, minus one sink.
When I got on stage for the show I was
exasperated! But I joked around and said, "If you ladies can hold it long enough; I gotta get in my dressing room and change clothes." The audience laughed.
After intermission on the second half of the show, I said, “Ya know, only in plumbing does a straight flush beat a full house.” Everybody roared.
As people were leaving that night many proclaimed what a great show it was. No one complained of the mess of water, bathrooms not working, and the wait that some ladies had.
Many laughed and remarked how funny it was. I remarked that it wasn’t very funny at the time. Everyone said I handled it well.
The point is: I love what I do. Whether advertising and marketing consulting work, SEO work, or my hobby of playing music with the Opry Performers and my three sons, or speaking. Whatever I do, I try to have fun. I’ve had plenty of difficult days, but over-all my main concern is that I’m doing everyday my own definition of success. And that is: The active pursuit of pre-planned, worthy ideals and goals I set for myself years ago. Are you pursuing what you really want?
The business owners and professionals I meet who are happiest and making the most money are always doing something they love to do.
Please contact me if you would like to share what you do for a living that you love to do.
Perhaps now would be a good time to have a complimentary meeting with a Wizard of Ads Partner. Links to their websites and blogs are listed down the right side of The Wizard Times. Hundreds of their articles with free insightful advice can been seen at www.americansmallbusiness.com 2009 would be a great year to attend a class at the Wizard Academy 21st Century Business School in Austin Texas. What is the Wizard Academy?
See you next week.
Clay Campbell
Wizard of Ads
PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business?
