thinkBIG magazine - issue 12

thinkBIG Le a d e r s B u s i n ess Mindset Wea l t h

$7.95 inc GST Volume 3.2 Apr/May 10

KEVIN SHEEDY The power of dreamtime

RAJ SHASTRI Harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit

PLUS

• How to bring positive people into your life • Learning from the young rich • Motivation is the key to success

BONO AND HIS

UNFORGETTABLE FIRE BURJ DUBAI'S TOWER OF POWER

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Contents REGULARS 6 8 10 16 18 66 71

Editor’s letter Big words As You Think Your story Bigger, biggest Thought leadership: Books to make you think BIG Inspiring stories

SECTION 1: MINDSET 22 24 26 28

Amanda Peros: It's the little things Jenetta Haim: Let's get motivated Bridget Thompson: Do you know your neighbour?

Ron Lee: The 'what I reckon' system

SECTION 2: BUSINESS 32 34 38 40 42 44

Lee DeCoster: The next online giant Kerwin Rae: The new marketing view Damian Kay: Thriving in chaos to succeed in business Angie O'Shannessy: Are you driving a VW or Ferrari?

Tom Petryshen: Managing your personal brand online Michelle Mills: Achieving small business success

SECTION 3: WEALTH 48 50 52 54 56 58 60

Chris Howard: Wealth consciousness Justin Beeton: Can you borrow within superannuation?

Carly Crutchfield: 7 stages of property development Jamie McIntyre: Why I came up with share renting Jack Delosa: Learning from the young rich Lachlan Elsworth: Day trading Q&A Scott Goold: Is the managed fund inudstry dying?

FEATURES

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COVER STORY

Bono:

Two hearts beat as one When his father told Paul Hewson that to dream is a waste of time, he set out to prove his old man wrong. Today, Hewson, aka Bono, heads the biggest band in the world and is the world's mouthpiece in the fight against poverty.

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Unlock your passions – by Daniel G Taylor Passion Test authors, Chris & Janet Attwood, explain that there are five things you need to discover to live an ideal life.

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Dreamtime with Kevin Sheedy – by J Jackson

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Plan your work & work your plan

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Think big in a crisis – by Jonathan Jackson

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Coming up roses – by Marty Wilson

Australian Football League legend Kevin Sheedy is more than an AFL brand: he is a champion for indigenous equality.

– by Jonathan Jackson On his 40th birthday, Raj Shastri resolved to improve his life by becoming involved in the property boom.

Natural disasters and tragedies provide the perfect platform to rebuild infrastructure that ensures these events never again have the same devastating impact.

James Stevens, CEO of Roses Only, explains how childhood upbringing can have a huge impact on success later in life. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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E D I T O R I A L : J O N AT H A N J A C K S O N

Our Team

Publisher Graham Maughan graham.maughan@thinkbigmagazine.com Ph: 02 9925 8000 Fax: 02 9925 8099 Managing Editor Jonathan Jackson jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com

Listen & Learn

B

rian Mackenzie (name changed to protect the guilty) is a 38 year old, 78 kilogram male with a penchant for chocolate. This is an unfortunate predilection because Mr Mackenzie is no longer allowed to eat the precious stuff. According to his wife Brenda, a family history of diabetes and heart problems precludes him from eating anything sweeter than a piece of fruit.

Brian’s wife is a caring woman and Brian knows this, but in defiance of her requests and doctor’s orders he continues to have the occasional chocolate ‘blow out’. He enjoys it, so why shouldn’t he?

Not knowing what the doctor has told Brian (and not being a doctor myself), I can’t necessarily make comment on his medical condition. His situation, however, mirrors that of hundreds of thousands of people.

I’m not talking specifically about people with heart disease or diabetes. Or even about people with chocolate addictions. I’m talking about people who are determined not to listen to the people who have their best interests at heart.

Too many people in life, business, sport…the list goes on, do what they want against the advice of others who may know better and who have the life experience to back their concern or suggestion.

I can list several sports identities in AFL and rugby league who were given numerous warnings to behave but failed to listen to the most basic directives. They are now all facing criminal charges.

Then there are the politicians who have found themselves in hot water lately. I’m not going to lay blame at the feet of any one politician, but the Federal Government’s current problems could have been avoided had they taken the ‘time’ to listen to industry groups and advice groups and read the relevant reports. Instead, the government ignored advice and rushed through a financial package that brought to the surface all the problems afflicting an unregulated industry. For the government this has had a terrible social, political and economic impact.

Ministers only had to listen to their advisors and their sustainability initiatives may have had a long term positive impact.

The most successful people in life are the ones who listen. They are the ones who have surrounded themselves with people whose comments and ideas they respect and thus evaluate.

So I urge people to think before they act and instead of dismissing even the smallest ideas out of hand, listen to them, evaluate them and utilise them in the most positive way that affects their lives and the lives of those around them.

It wouldn’t be too hard for Brian to stop gorging on chocolate, eat it in very measured moderation and accept his wife’s advice. If he does this, there is no doubt he will succeed in staying healthy, taking negative pressure away from his relationship and live longer to do the big things he always wanted to do. TB

Jonathan Editor's note: In the last issue we wrote that our two part entrepreneur series: Serial Entrepreneurs would run in this issue. Unfortunately we had had to postpone this article until the June/July issue.

In the meantime keep your own minds on the job and keep thinking big.

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Subscription/ Business Development Manager Amanda Peros amanda.peros@thinkbigmagazine.com Ph: 02 9925 8000 Fax: 02 9925 8099 National Sales Manager Paul Jackson Ph: 02 9925 8000 Fax: 02 9925 8099 paul.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com thinkBIG Website Manager Mark Robberds Ph: 02 9925 8000 Fax: 02 9925 8099 mark.robberds@thinkbigmagazine.com Directors Ken Wood Reuben Buchanan Contributors Justin Beeton, Carly Crutchfield, Lee da Costa, Jack Delosa, Lachlan Elsworth, Jenetta Haim, Chris Howard, Damian Kay, Ron Lee, Jamie McIntyre, Angie O'Shannessy, Amanda Peros, Tom Petryshen, Kirwan Rae, Daniel G Taylor, and Bridget Thompson Creative Design Abigail Paul, ASourceOfJoy Graphic Design Website/subscriptions www.thinkbigmagazine.com Enquires info@thinkbigmagazine.com Mindset Media Pty Ltd ACN 129 256 300 ABN 94 129 256 300 GPO Box 519 Sydney Australia 2001 thinkbig Magazine ISSN: 1835 7733 Important Message – Copyright and Disclaimer thinkbig magazine is owned and published by Mindset Media Pty Ltd (ACN129 256 300).

The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights in regards to copyright of their work. No part of this work covered by the copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher.

No person, organization or party should rely or on any way act upon any part of the contents of this publication whether that information is sourced from a website, magazine or related product without first obtaining the advice of a fully qualified person.

This magazine and its related website and products are sold and distributed on the terms and condition that: •The publisher, contributors, editors and related parties are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken any person, organization or any party on basis of reading information, stories or contributions in this publication, website or related product.

•The publisher, contributors and related parties are not engaged in providing legal, financial or professional advice or services. The publisher, contributors, editors and consultants disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a purchaser, reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication in regards to the consequences and outcomes of anything done or omitted being in reliance whether partly or solely on the contents of this publication and related website and products.

•The publisher, editors, contributors and related parties shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party.

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s d r o W BIG LET TER S TO THE EDI TOR

Hi thinkBIG,

Hi there Jack, (columnist Jack Delosa),

Dear thinkBIG,

I have just finished reading your current magazine and enjoyed it thoroughly. It is always very informative and offers sound, practical advice, which can be easily used.

I came across your story as mentioned in the Anthill 30under30 competition.

Many thanks!

I'm glad every time my subscriptions arrives, it just a shame it's not released more often.

Keep up the great work.

Dan Sherwood Dear thinkBIG, I recently came across your magazine (the issue with Michelle Obama) on the cover. Having never seen this publication before, I purchased it on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of content!

I would like to congratulate you on creating an informative and uplifting magazine full of inspiring articles and opportunities. I enjoyed it so much I have now become a subscriber.

Can't wait to receive the next issue!

Keep up the great work.

Zanthia Hall

I have recently started a marketing consultancy business (and being a keen entrepreneur myself, also aged 22), I found your story to be a real inspiration to young people such as myself, who are passionate about starting and growing their own business.

I’m sure you would agree that building a business from zero is one of the most challenging things… I could definitely identify with your story, as some aspects have been similar to my own journey.

Your story not only motivates and inspires me, but I’m sure will inspire others who quietly think to themselves “hmmm, my dream is to start a successful business, but I can’t see how it’s possible.”

Stories like yours show it is possible!

Well done for not only being successful in your own business, but inspiring others.

Matthew Chaban

Loved it. I went to read the interview with James Marcus Bach, as always I’m a big appreciator of Richard Bach [James' father and author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull –Ed.].

I am now following James on Twitter, so it has made an impact on my day AND created a new thread of connection to carry forward—brilliant!

Jennifer Liston-Smith Hi thinkBIG, I just discovered your magazine, and must say I love it!

Unfortunately, it was while waiting at the doctors and I can tell you that’s the first time I have ever wanted a Doc to be late…and he wasn’t.

Some useless information for you (whomever you are); I used to have the words “THINK BIG”, as my greeting on my mobile phone years ago; so perhaps you can understand my surprise to see a magazine called this!

Thank you.

Marco Timperio

Editor’s note: At thinkBIG we understand that without our readers there would be no magazine. That’s why we want to hear what you have to say. If you have comments to make about stories, columns and features published within the magazine, if you’d like to make suggestions about how the magazine can be improved or just want to tell us how we are doing, feel free to write in. If the comments are suitable for publication we’ll endeavour to publish your thoughts.

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say, so get those fingers working and email your comments to: jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com or graham.maughan@thinkbigmagazine.com

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When I quote others I do so in order to express my own ideas more clearly.

~MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE

A short saying oft contains much wisdom.

~SOPHOCLES

Great truths are portions of the soul of man; Great souls are portions of eternity.

~JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it.

~LOU HOLTZ

The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.

Well done is better than well said.

~NAPOLEON HILL

~BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday.

You are today where the thoughts of yesterday have brought you and you will be tomorrow where the thoughts of today take you. ~BLAISE PASCAL

If it wasn't for age, I wouldn't know how old I was.

~BYRON PULSIFER

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. ~CHINESE PROVERB

It's easier to apologise than ask for permission. ~ ANONYMOUS

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. ~LEO AIKMAN

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. ~JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETH

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In the 7 areas of your life, are you entirely satisfied, or are you stuck and frustrated?

Give yourself a rating out of 10 regarding your satisfaction levels in these areas: My Career/Business My Family My Intellect/Mind My Health My Social Activities My Spirituality My Wealth The Corporate Ninja Can Help You! In the 1970s and 1980s, Ron Lee CSP, “The Corporate Ninja”, saw every sales and business “guru” available, from Zig Ziglar to Tom Hopkins, to Jim Rohn, and how could you possibly ignore Tony Robbins? In a further effort to improve his situation, he joined some network marketing systems, but nothing helped him to succeed.

What, or who, was the common denominator in all of this?

Ron sought to find what was blocking him; it had to be psychological. Once he found the cause, his quest was to work out how to address it, so in the past 30 years, Ron learned eight forms of martial arts and studied Universal Laws, Metaphysics and Eastern-Western Philosophies and came up with simple ways of helping people to dissolve their self-imposed blockages.

Contact “The Corporate Ninja” to find out how you can free yourself to achieve all that you’re capable of being for yourself and your family.

What if you could: • Demonstrate levels of physical and mental power that you previously thought impossible?

• Reduce your stress levels at any time?

• Know the “Bushido” technique of negotiation?

• Discover the secrets of inner strength and tap into your energy reserves?

• Balance and boost the seven areas of your life?

• Effortlessly cope with the unexpected?

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• Turn negative energy into positive energy?

• Increase the effectiveness of your immune system?

• Discover how to use “chi” energy?

• Advance beyond “going with the flow” to “guiding the flow”?

• Experience a significant increase in your personal power?

• Dissolve all barriers that are blocking you from your dreams?

Want proof?

DEBBIE CARR left school at age 14, was in a routine office job for years and contracted an incurable disease.

Find how The Corporate Ninja helped her to exceed her wildest expectations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dycXFU_O0k RON LEE has long been a “CSP”, a global distinction that is awarded to the very top level of professional speakers. He works with salespeople, managers and executives up to Executive Chairmen level on four continents.

Usually, the only way to benefit from these teachings is to be part of a corporate client group, but here is your opportunity to remove those blocks and accelerate your journey so that your family can live the life you want.

On May 14-15, Ron will be conducting his first public Personal Empowerment Master Class in two years.

The class will be limited to 15 participants, so reserve your place ASAP. The Yellow Belt Master Class (Personal Empowerment) will be one-and-a half days and the Black Belt Master Class ( + Speaking, Presentation & Comedy) will follow on immediately after lunch on the 15th and run until about 11.00pm.

Go to: www.corporate-ninja.com/May2010 for content and registration details.

Failures ask, “What if?”

Winners ask, “What’s next?”

Which one are you?

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• By Jonathan Jackson

O

One of the unwritten rules in life is that politics and

When a man is told by his father “to dream is to be disappointed,” he has two options: dream bigger or not to dream at all.

Paul Hewson, aka Bono, is living proof of what a man can achieve musically, socially and politically when he continues to dream.

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religion don’t mix. There should be no blurring of boundaries, no-one ‘crossing the floor’.

The same rule applies to celebrities and politics. There are those in the ‘glitterati’ who have made successful transitions into the political arena, but for every Arnold Schwarzenegger there is a Peter Garrett whose party-led views are now at odds with the protests that made his music so powerful.

Many celebrities, in particular singers with political motive, stay on the periphery of politics, voicing an opinion that has for the most part been nurtured by upbringing and social circumstance. That is why it is so hard for Garrett’s fans to accept his ideological backflip.

It is also the reason behind Bono’s success.

More than any other artist (save for Bob Geldof, for whom the description of artist is shaky at best), Bono’s involvement in politics resonates with the wider public. When he speaks about world failures, he comes across as a man of compassion; when he sings of world events he is a man who knows his own convictions.

As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both,” Bono says.

Yet, as much as Bono is involved in governments and causes, he is only an influential mouthpiece: when all is said and done he has no impact on legislative change.

And that’s the way it should be. Bono is a smart man. He understands the power he has over the millions of fans who buy his albums and attend U2 concerts. He understands his power would be diminished if he walked away from music. Music has allowed him to change lives, perceptions and values, not least of all his own.

Dream a little dream Hewson was an outspoken child in an unorthodox Catholic/Protestant family. He’d exhibited depth of thought and described himself as a “bit wide-awake, a bit bright, a bit experimental.” He wasn’t an exceptional student but he displayed a flair for history and art and became an expert chess player. His initial ambition was to become an actor, but “being promiscuous with my ambitions and flirting with all kinds of things” led him to respond to a school notice appealing for musicians. Those interested were to assemble at the house of 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Junior.

On the homefront things were going from bad to worse due to the premature passing of his mother of a brain haemorrhage. The relationship between Hewson senior and his 14 year old son was increasingly volatile and those cutting words uttered by his father ‘to dream is to be disappointed” became the catalyst for the teenager’s big ambitious beginning. Bono was walking his own line, swinging to his own melody.

He says, “Sing the melody line you hear in your own head, remember, you don't owe anybody any explanations, you don't owe your parents any explanations, you don't owe your professors any explanations. You know I used to think the future was solid or fixed, something you inherited like an old building that you move into when the previous generation moves out or gets chased out. But it's not. The future is not fixed, it's fluid. You can build your own building, or hut or condo, whatever."

Finding the ability to connect physically and emotionally with an audience, Bono cultivated his reputation as one of the world’s most dynamic frontmen; his love for theatrics becoming more and more apparent. www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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As did his ego. By the end of the 1980s, Bono was acting as if he was the second coming. His politically charged sermonising on stage began to draw criticism. It was time for an image transplant; time for sincerity in place of pomposity. By the time Vertigo was released in 2000, Bono had realised that he could educate audiences spiritually and politically and still entertain them without the sermonising.

"So my question I suppose is: What's the big idea? What's your big idea?

What are you willing to spend your moral capital, your intellectual capital, your cash, your sweat equity in pursuing?"

Thus was born the mature activist.

The art of activism Bono had an impact in the political realm prior to 2000, but were the people who counted actually taking him seriously, or was he just another popstar with a gripe turned cause.

Paul O’Neill who served as the 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury for part of President George W. Bush's first term sums up the feeling of many politicians to celebrity activism.

“I refused to meet him at first. I thought he was just some pop star who wanted to use me.”

After a 90 minute meeting, O’Neill had changed his mind.

He’s a serious person. He cares deeply about these issues and you know what?

He knows a lot about them.”

Knowledge is the key to being taken seriously. It’s one thing to have an opinion, it’s another entirely to know exactly what the problem is and how to approach the people who matter to try and fix those problems.

“It’s not enough to rage against the lie,” he says. “You’ve got to replace it with the truth… In the end you’ve got to become the change you want to see in the world.”

In the 1980s he was involved with Live Aid and Amnesty International and wrote songs such as Bullet the Blue Sky. In the 1990s he co-created the compelling documentary Miss Sarajevo, but it his work in the ‘noughties’ which has provided insight into how mature his activism has become.

Since the millennium he has rallied friends ‘with influence’ to the cause of ending third world debt in his role as

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spokesman for the Jubillee project, later renamed Drop the Debt, as well as trying to end AIDS and poverty in Africa by founding DATA (Debt, Aid, Trade, Africa), a non-profit debt relief organisation.

It is no longer emotional for Bono. He told Time magazine: “We don’t argue compassion. We put it in the 'most crass' terms possible; we argue it as a financial and security issue for America. There are potentially another 10 Afghanistans in America, and it is cheaper by a factory of 100 to prevent the fires from happening than to put them out.”

DATA is loosely modelled on a post World War 2 economic plan called the Marshall Plan which provided Europeans with foreign assistance, debt cancellation and trade incentives to rebuild their economies so they could act as a bulwark against Soviet expansion.

There is, of course, still a certain amount

of ego necessary to pull off this level of activism. At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Bono sat on a dais with Bill Gates to discuss ways in which to save a continent. The following evening he was playing to a television audience of 130 million during the halftime break of the 2002 NFL Superbowl.

Without the ego to back his dream and vision, he may have just been a one Live Aid political wonder, yet he has maintained strong relationships with the Gates Foundation, Bill Clinton, George Soros and Colin Powell among many other powerbrokers. These are all people who share big visions. “The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape,” Bono says.

Lyrically he speaks volumes about human experience; from love to death, to political failings and consequences.

Politically, those lyrics translate into well www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Father Time They say time heals all wounds and as Bono matured, so did his feelings toward his father. This was no more evident than in the song Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own from the 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

The song was written in dedication of his father, whom Bono says he became close with just before Hewson senior died of cancer in 2002. The song puts him at peace with his childhood.

intentioned activism that does actually make a difference.

In 2004 he led a group of anti-poverty organisations to create ONE. In 2005 the group secured a pledge by the G8 to direct an additional $25 billion in effective assistance to Africa by 2010 and in less than a year had signed up more than two million members to create a dynamic political force in support of better policies to combat poverty.

By 2007, DATA and ONE formally merged to combine high level policy depth with grassroots mobilisation expertise. The mission is the same: to prevent poverty and disease where the challenges are greatest.

As he nears 50, Bono no longer sees music as a political force, believing he can do more in the backrooms of political organisations than in sold out stadiums.

He told Benjamin Nugent of Time, “I’m www.thinkbigmagazine.com

tired of dreaming. I’m into doing at the moment. It’s like, let’s only have goals that we can go after. U2 is about the impossible. Politics is the art of the possible. They’re very different and I’m resigned to that now.”

It is a show of Bono’s maturity in the political arena that he is able to have so much influence; unlike politicians who have entered the political arena and forgotten what they stand for, Bono has never wavered from his beliefs. This gives him credibility. He will always be a musician. He will always crave a sense of the ridiculous. He will always be the Fly or Mephisto (two of his 1990’s rock incarnations). For all intents and purposes, Bono is still a dreamer, but he has managed to unite his sense of ridiculousness with a level of responsibility that attracts fans in both the musical and political arenas. TB

Bono says, "It's a portrait of him.

He was a great singer, a tenor, a working class Dublin guy who listened to the opera and conducted the stereo with my mother's knitting needles.

"He just loved opera, so in the song, I hit one of those big tenor notes that he would have loved so much. I think he would have loved it, I hope so."

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One of the most important things people can do in life is to have and raise children. Maggie Lamond Simone casts a comical eye over her experiences in child bearing and what she has learned.

D

"Do you know what you're having?" the salesman asked helpfully. “Sometimes that’ll make your decision for you.” I was looking somewhat doubtfully at a pink snowsuit, wondering how we reached the millennium without having addressed this colour issue.

“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “I don’t like pink. I don’t like it on girls, I don’t like it on boys, I don’t even like it on flamingos, where it actually belongs.

Nor am I particularly fond of blue, come to think of it. And I may as well confess that yellow and mint green don’t really do it for me either. I just want a teeny white snowsuit.

Until this child can provide thoughtful feedback (with supporting arguments in a double-spaced brief) on the merits of pastels, then I believe the choice is mine, and I choose white. I don’t understand why I can’t find it. Are the colour people afraid I’m going to drop the poor thing in the snow and lose it until spring?”

He skulked off, apparently deciding that he could not, in fact, help me. Well, that was certainly smooth, I thought. I’m completely lost in this unknown territory, and I just dissed the first person to offer guidance and support. Weeeeee! Good for me! On to the next department!

"Do you know what you’re having?” chirped the irritatingly perky woman in bedding. “That will help you pick a theme for the nursery! We have Winnie the Pooh, Barbie, and of course all of the Disney

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characters!” There were about a zillion to choose from. This-is-the-fun-part, this-isthe-fun-part, I silently chanted.

"Do you have any plain animals?”

I asked, “I like animals. I watch the Discovery Channel. I’d like a blanket with animals on it. An elephant, a lion, maybe a bear. Normal animals, such as you’d find in the woods. Can we do that?”

"Well, of course,” she stammered, “but, er, what if it’s a girl?”

I was reminded of the Little League World Series announcer who said, “And next up is little Johnny Doe, whose mother is a dentist!” The emphasis was a dead giveaway that the guy was over 90, and so I let it pass with merely a chuckle.

This woman, however, was younger than me. A chuckle was not going to make me feel better.

"Oh my God,” I cried. “You’re right!

What was I thinking? Imagine—a girl surrounded by such masculine images!

What a moron I am! We certainly wouldn’t want her to grow up to be a—gasp—vet!”

There was, thankfully, a nice young man who told me about breast pumps and the advantages of nursing and the paraphernalia involved. I admit I was somewhat uncomfortable discussing such an intimate part of my anatomy with him, until his complete disinterest in me as a woman convinced me that it stopped being an intimate part the day I got pregnant. But then, total strangers rub

my stomach. I should realise that intimacy isn’t what it used to be.

I am realising, finally, that nothing will be again. This really is just the beginning—the car seat, stroller, crib, bassinet, diapers, little tiny bathtubs and washcloths and booties and those onepiece things with the snaps... but what a blast it’s been so far. It’s a whole new world, one that I am, at last, unbelievably thrilled to be invited into.

And every time I get frustrated or scared, I just stop for a few minutes and feel this little thing squirming and dancing and playing with its feet and kicking me for leaning too close to the sink. And I laughingly remember what everyone asks—“Do you know what you’re having?”

Of course I do. I’m having a baby.

If there is one thing I know about childbirth, it's this: It will happen.

Somehow. If you're pregnant and due, the baby will come out. It's a physical impossibility to be pregnant with the same child for the rest of your life.

Of course, if you're having a normal pregnancy, you don't know when it will come. That's not up to you. You can't will it out. You can't bargain with it. You can't reason with it. You can't bribe it. It will come out eventually, when it's ready. This is what I know.

Unfortunately I tend to forget it when faced with the inevitable inquiry, "Haven't you had that baby yet?" It's a harmless enough question to the average Joe, but www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

to the nine-months-pregnant woman it comes out as, "What the heck's the matter with you? What are you doing wrong? Have that baby, for Pete's sake!"

It's almost as painful as hearing, "Did you have your baby yet?" a month after giving birth. Almost. Not quite.

If I were to do this again, I'd probably ask the doctor to lie about my due date, even to me. I would ask her to say that it's actually past when it really is, and then even if I went late, everyone— including me—would still believe I was early. End of dilemma.

Why does the last month seem so long? It's as if time... simply... stops. By this point I've almost completely lost sight of the miracle at the end of the tunnel.

My last appointment went something like this: "I don't care if I'm only 37 weeks.

I'm 170lbs. Induce me."

Ah, well. It's pregnant women like me who give pregnant women everywhere a bad rep.

I also know, however, that I'm very hormonal with way too much time on my hands, and have therefore taken the liberty of providing some possible responses to the inevitable inquiry for future generations of pregnant women everywhere. The question is, Are you still here?

"Yes, and apparently so are you. Now what can we do about that?"

"Well, there's a funny story there.

Turns out I'm not really pregnant after all.

I just wanted to see what it was like to weigh more than my husband."

"You know how it is. The baby and I are still bonding... apparently with some sort of permanent adhesive."

"No, I'm a figment of your imagination. Weeeeee! Look at me! I'm a pink elephant!"

"Yes. And you're still irritating. The difference is, someday I'm going to give birth."

"No, actually you've reached my answering machine. Please leave a message after I—er, the—beep."

"Rumor has it the baby's heard about my culinary prowess. It's hiding."

It's ironic, really, because I have such mixed emotions about the whole thing.

Sometimes I lie in bed thinking, ‘Please let me go into labor’. I want to see the baby, and to get on with life. There was a moment a couple weeks ago when I thought I was in labor and all I could www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

think was, no. No. No. No. No. Not today.

No. No. Please. No. So I guess I know two things about childbirth. First, I know it'll happen. And second, whenever it does. . . I know I won't be ready.

I think it’s time to introduce you to my son. And from all of his squirming and chatting and fussing, I get the distinct impression he’s ready to meet you. Or he has gas. Sometimes I can’t tell.

Regardless, before we make these elaborate introductions, I’d like to make a few simple observations about the whole ‘baby’ experience, now that I’ve actually had it. So pull up a bouncy seat and gather ‘round, kids. Mommy Maggie has the floor.

I will begin by confessing that he is so absolutely beautiful, I spend most waking moments just trying to memorise his face. He has this clear-eyed, innocent look which leads me to suspect that I will deny him nothing. It leads me, as well, to the inescapable conclusion that he was worth it.

Worth what, you ask? Well, that is certainly an interesting and worthwhile question; moms, maybe you can help me out here. How’s this: He was worth nine months of

I don't know

where this journey will take us from here, but I do know that I never again want to face life without this little person by my side.

body-damaging pregnancy, constant worry about his health, and the mental trauma associated with a complete lifestyle change—oh, and THE MOST EXCRUCIATING PAIN I HAVE EVER ENDURED. That about sums it up, d’ya think?

Yep, suffice it to say that calling it ‘labor’ is like saying the Sistine Chapel has ‘pretty pictures’. I still can’t believe people experience that kind of pain and live. Either my threshold is somewhat lower than I had anticipated, or women who know are afraid the truth would result in the end of the world—which, incidentally, it would. Must be that

post-natal amnesia syndrome, which I personally don’t envision happening absent a blow to the head.

Besides, I don’t want to forget, not any of it. Not the nurse who attached my hospital bracelet, to whom I offered my home to plunge her scissors into my chest, or the one who actually recorded the profanities I invented during contractions, or the first words I heard after the birth of my child, the doctor’s consolation to my husband—“Don’t worry; it’ll go down,” talking about his head. I’m assuming.

That said, how can I now explain the miracle of him? How can I describe his little button face, or how he purses his lips into a tiny Cheerio when he’s thinking really hard? I simply can’t, any more than I can convey the look on his face when we met for the first time.

But I’ve gotten better, I think. I mean, look what I’ve learned already! For instance, spit-up, sans obstacles, can actually travel several feet. ‘Leak-proof’ diapers aren’t. Poop, of the proper colour and consistency, can actually be a source of joy and celebration. And sleep, contrary to popular belief, does not come naturally to all infants. But then comes the magical day when you start to differentiate his Hey, I’m starving here! cry from his Could you put a more stupid outfit on me? cry. And he smiles his first real smile (read: unaccompanied by gas).

And one day he’s looking up at you and his head doesn’t flop against your chest, and you realise your little man is growing up. Way too fast.

I don’t know where this journey will take us from here, but I do know that I never again want to face life without this little person by my side. I’ll always try to do the right things, but even when I make mistakes, he’ll forgive me because he knows, somehow, that I love him more than life itself. And I know, somehow, that he loves me back.

So here he is. World, I give to you my son. And my son, I give to you . . . the world. TB Maggie Lamond Simone, author of From Beer to Maternity, is a national award-winning columnist and author. Her essays are included in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution (2008), Chicken Soup for the New Mom’s Soul (2007), and Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause (2007). www.MaggieLamondSimone.com Volume 3.2 3.2 Volume

17 thinkBIG 17 thinkBIG

BIGGER,

BIGGEST

Burj Khalifa

The

Tower

of

power There’s no doubt that in Dubai, they like to do things big and the Burj Khalifa is no exception.

Burj Khalifa facts: Over 800 metres tall • 160+ floors 57 elevators and 8 escalators More than 26,000 glass panels

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Volume 3.2

is the world’s tallest building and a feat of engineering genius. The 500-acre self-contained megadevelopment by Emaar Properties anchors Downtown Dubai and offers luxurious recreational and leisure facilities including four swimming pools, an exclusive residents’ lounge and health and wellness facilities.

At.mosphere is the world’s highest fine dining restaurant at Level 122 and At the Top, the world’s highest observatory deck with an outdoor terrace on Level 124.

Mr. Thomas Dempsey, general manager, Burj Khalifa, says, “The panoramic views are like those from an airplane, such is your height above ground. There is also plenty to take in before you step into the elevators to the 124th floor: interactive displays, montages describing the evolution of the tower, and in-depth information explaining the people and technology responsible for this incredible building.”

The ascent to the 124th floor is by a double-deck elevator, each deck carrying up to 14 people and travelling at an amazing 10 metres per second.

In less than a minute, the elevator reaches the observation deck, the world’s only public observatory at this height with an outdoor terrace. High windows circle the entire viewing platform, and, for AED 10, visitors can scan the horizon and the distant streets below through computerised viewfinders, which also have preprogrammed day and nighttime vistas of the city and surrounding region.

And it’s not just for the tourists.

Residents in the tower will be part of a vibrant community featuring two world-class malls—The Dubai Mall and Souk Al Bahar—and five hotels in addition to the varied amenities within the tower.

The hand-over of homes begins first with the Armani Residences comprising 144 private apartments personally designed by Giorgio Armani. This will be followed by the

much-awaited Armani Hotel Dubai, which occupies the concourse to Level 8 and Levels 38 & 39.

The Residences, comprising 900 apartments, and The Corporate Suites, a collection of high-end offices, began handover to customers in March.

The handover programme will take anywhere from two to six months.

Mr. Ahmad Al Matrooshi, managing director–UAE, Emaar Properties, says, “With Emaar taking charge of the tower from our various consultants and contractors, the orientation programme for home-owners has commenced.

Reflecting the essence of Burj Khalifa, all the homes have been designed to the highest standards and will offer an unparalleled lifestyle choice for residents.”

Armani Residences is developed through a collaboration of Emaar and Giorgio Armani S.p.A. Personally designed by fashion legend Giorgio Armani, the one- and two-bedroom suites are spacious, ranging from 100 to 200 sq metres.

The interiors of Burj Khalifa, including The Residences, are embellished by award-winning designer Ms Nada Andric of Chicagobased Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the architects of the tower. The design elements take cues from the region’s heritage and interpret it into spatial elements with traditional motifs and the right selection of materials. Apart from glass, stainless steel and polished dark stones, the interiors feature Silver Travertine flooring, Venetian stucco walls, handmade rugs, stone flooring and dark, intricate Brazilian Santos Rosewood.

No expense has been spared in this grand vision.

In the next issue, we’ll look at Miami’s attempt to build an eco community—Miapolis—that not only rivals Burj Khalifa, but surpasses it in height and vision. TB Photo supplied by Emaar Properties.

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Volume 3.2 3.2 Volume

www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

W

When Janet Attwood— The Passion Test’s co-author, and former wife to Chris—retook the Test in 2003, she asked herself, “If nothing’s outside the range of what I could do, what would I do?”

She found a passion to spend time with the enlightened. “That was a passion I wasn’t aware of before—each time you take the Passion Test, you go deeper.” The story of how Janet lived this passion, adventuring across India, is weaved through The Passion Test.

THE POWER OF PASSION The Passion Test reveals the findings of a survey of 100 of the most influential, financially successful people in the United States of America. “These powerful, successful people had totally fulfilled the five things that they felt were most necessary for their ideal life.” The Passion Test shows you how to identify those five things and then teaches you how to fulfil them.

On the journey of living their passions, Janet and Chris have changed the world.

Together they’re co-founders of online magazine HealthyWealthynWise (www. healthywealthynwise.com); they created the Enlightened Millionaire Program with Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen; and they’re founding members of Jack Canfield’s Transformational Leadership Council—a result of Jack taking the Passion Test.

Janet works with homeless women in transition and has created The Empowered Women’s Series with women such as Byron Katie, Marci Shimoff, Rickie Byars Beckwith and Lisa Nichols.

Chris combines deep spirituality with compassionate capitalism, having worked as president, chief operating officer, general manager or CEO of 10 companies. He’s also learned the importance of ranking your passions.

"When my wife and I married, she told me it was important to spend four to six months living in Europe [so she can spend time with her family]. In the past it would have been a huge and major decision: Do I give up my businesses and spend time with my wife? Or do I give up my wife?

"It’s not only knowing your passions, but their priority. I knew my wife was more important than my business, and when you choose in favour of your passions, things come together in ways you don’t expect.

www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

"Over the past five years we’ve spent five months each year living overseas, and even during our time away, the business has prospered.”

FIND YOUR PASSIONS Marketed toward people who are yet to create their ideal life, what relevance does The Passion Test have to the seasoned traveller?

“Its simplicity,” says Chris. “It’s powerful and effective no matter where one is on the stream. Whether you’re at the stage of getting a house, getting a car, or you’ve been on the path for some time. As you go on, your passions become more enduring.”

The Passion Test is a two-step process:

the boys engaged like this.

Janet speaks with authority when she says, “Just follow the breadcrumbs and then life begins to naturally be filled with a sense of purpose.

It’s time for each and every one of us to really understand the point that living our passions will lead us to doing something for humanity—and that’s when we’ll know true happiness.” TB Daniel G. Taylor reads 52 books a month to keep his readers and audiences at their peak.

Reach him at daniel@danielgtaylor.com.

• List 10 things that would make you feel full of joy and satisfaction.

• After you’ve got some distance—a few hours or overnight—from your answers, return to them. Now compare the first passion on your list to the second passion, asking yourself, “If I could only have one of these passions in my life, which would it be?”

Continue this process until you have a ranked list of your top five passions.

Simply having these answers will inspire you, but it's not enough to create your ideal life. To make them real requires the courage to choose in favour of your passions—to follow Chris’s trail of breadcrumbs—that is, to live a life that puts your passions first.

“It’s not a lightening bolt but a process,” Janet says. “Knowing our passions matters whenever we’re faced with a decision or opportunity. Will it move me closer or further away from my passion?

"Most people begin to feel a sense of purpose as they make choices in favour of their passions day by day, month after month. You don’t have to know your purpose in life, just act in favour of your passions.”

"One of the things we love about the Passion Test is that it applies to everyone wherever they are,” says Chris. “Whether they’re locked up in a detention centre, they’re a house wife, or they’re a CEO.” As an example, Chris tells of the time they presented the Passion Test to a large group of 13-17-year-old boys in a youth detention centre. After two hours, security came to check on them. Veteran guards said in 20 years they hadn’t seen

THE PASSION TEST • by Janet & Chris Attwood If you want to live your ideal life— where you feel joy and satisfaction—then The Passion Test will serve as a faithful tool on your journey.

The Passion Test process is simple (see the main article). The challenge lies in living your passions and the book provides tools to overcome the obstacles you’ll face.

The second part of the book is stories of people who live their passions in their day-to-day lives, including Stephen M.R. Covey, Jay Abraham, Marci Shimoff, and Dr John Hagelin.

Since reading and applying The Passion Test at the end of 2007, my life has been an extraordinary adventure, that has seen me do the unexpected—spruiking, anyone?—plus many dreams I’d left unfulfilled, including studying Professional Writing at TAFE, restoring my Christian faith and pursuing copywriting.

Ultimately, the beauty of The Passion Test is its simplicity. You’ll revisit it often on the path to your ideal life.

–D.G.T. Volume 3.2 3.2 Volume

21 thinkBIG 21 thinkBIG

M I N D S E T:

R E L AT I O N S H I P S

It's the Amanda Peros has undergone much hardship in her life, to the point where she has become a mouthpiece for getting your life back on track.

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Volume 3.2

Little Things

Amanda Peros discusses the difficulties of opening up and letting love back into your life.

I

f you read my first article, Sometimes It Is Who You Know (issue 2.4), you would be aware that for the first time in over a decade, I am new to being single. For those who missed the article, the relationship I endured with my ex-husband was not what you would call ideal and led to a messy divorce.

My time since the divorce has been a learning experience, particularly when it comes to relationships. Recently, I came to a very profound understanding about how relationships should work.

After being introduced to a friend's flat mate, I discovered the value of having someone who is generous, caring and supportive and how this can improve your quality of life.

Apparently I set the bar quite low with respect to relationship values, but I think the bar I set has given me an insight into the unintentional complacency that occurs when people take their relationships or situations for granted and fail to notice what goes on in day to day life.

One thing I won’t do is take any positive relationship for granted. At first it was unbelievably hard for me to let my guard down and let someone into my life; after being so hurt I was not sure it was a risk I was willing or ready to take. My sister convinced me that, despite the risks, this was a chance that was worth taking if I wanted to move forward.

It is amazing to have someone who genuinely wants nothing but the best for you, who inspires you to be everything you can be and more; someone with whom you can share hopes, dreams and fears. Real relationships are enjoyed with people who you can trust wholly and completely without judgement or criticism: if it’s important to you it’s important to them.

The main characteristic in any relationship is trust, however I think sometimes we take that at face value; we trust the person not to deceive us or betray us in any way, but what about trust in knowing that you can confide

anything to them and that they will always look out for your well-being?

It is only when we don't have the support and respect of our partners that we tend to make an issue of it. Take a moment to think of the small things that actually mean so much, whether it’s a simple note, a dinner, or a call to remind you you’re being thought of.

Now take a moment to imagine how hard it would be if the person you have come to rely on and look forward to seeing each day was no longer there.

If, for example, you only had a few weekends a year to spend together, you should ensure you treasure that time and make a concerted effort to enjoy the time together. Even though most people do not have to deal with the tyranny of distance, it is still important to take time out to remember what’s really important.

Relationships aren’t unique to husbands, wives, girlfriends or boyfriends; most people are blessed to have family and friends surrounding them. I know without my friends and family I never would have made it through my recent period of stress, and for that I can’t thank them enough. The only thing I can do is make sure I take the time to let them know how special they are to me and how much their support and love means to me.

I see people in the position I was in and it breaks my heart. In a nutshell, the message here is you can't miss what you don't have.

As I have said before, it’s easy to become complacent in something that’s not working, the hard part is having the courage to change it. The same can be said for emotional status.

For those who are lucky enough to already have someone who loves, cares and is an inspiration, remember to treasure those values and take the time to show your appreciation.

For those who don't, you deserve the best, so get to finding it! TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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M I N D S E T:

M O T I VAT I O N

Let's Get...

Motivated

Jenetta Haim runs 'Stressfree Management' and specilaises in developing health and lifestyle programs on either a corporate or personal level to suit your needs. stressfreemanagement.com.au

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Volume 3.2

Do you have control of your thinking or does your thinking have control of you? Often it is the latter. How many times have you had good intentions, decided to go for that interview, apply for that promotion, start that business and then deflated like a rubber doll back into your shell?

I

t happens to the best of us and it’s important to keep our thinking positive if we want to remain motivated. Positive thinking encourages healthy behaviour such as eating properly, exercising and generally being happier with life in the office, socially and on a personal level.

It all comes down to what you believe. If you believe in yourself and envision what you can do then you have the capability to make it happen. It’s called manifesting.

Unfortunately the reverse is also true. If you believe you will fail, can’t afford it or will lose a job then you most likely will. It’s called the law of attraction. What you think attracts the same. When you get onto a negative thought trend you usually find a number of things to be negative about. It is that kind of negative self talk that can sabotage even the best of intentions.

The confidence you have in carrying out certain behaviour is called self-efficacy and it is this that can be used to change your behaviour.

Many successful people reach their goals due to coaching in positive thinking. If this has helped them then it can do the same for you. It all starts with believing that you CAN do it! If you can’t do this for yourself then maybe a coach for a while will help. They can teach you how to choose to think positively instead of negatively and this will help you feel better about yourself.

They can also teach you skills in how to relax and de-stress, manage your time better, get in touch with your goals and use these to build on your career and personal life.

It is important to build small goals which are achievable and reward yourself when you

do achieve them. Remember that sometimes it’s okay to step backward before you move forward. Look at the behaviours that sabotage you. Do you use the excuse of traveling for business to slacken off in your nutrition and exercise, or do you have one too many cigarettes using the excuse of being tired?

All this will affect you in a negative way and impact on your personal and business life.

Whichever it is, be honest with yourself and look at how you behave. Take a minute to consider how you might have handled things differently if things didn’t go well. It’s important not to beat yourself up about it.

What is in the past can’t be changed but you can learn and manifest a more promising future. Maybe you could have shared a business dinner at a restaurant instead of eaten at that greasy take-away? Make a mental note of what needs to change.

It is important to admit when you feel frustrated or depressed and not to ignore it.

It is also important not to go into overwhelm.

This makes you less productive. Understand your negative thoughts and feelings and replace them with more positive ones.

So what does it take to keep you positive?

Is there someone out there that is doing what you want to be doing? Look at them as a mentor. It might entail watching how they communicate so you can communicate better or simply bringing changes to your personal lifestyle. Look at what they do, ask them how they do it and you start to do it. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Use positive talk and avoid negative talk. Take a minute to look at all the things you do right. Tell yourself you can and when you get negative tell yourself you are not that person anymore; you don’t have to choose to even go there. You are not the same person who lost the client last week. Now is a new week, a new client and you have had millions of thoughts and feelings and input since then. You will never be that person again and you don’t have to go back. Move on. Have the confidence to make positive changes and believe that you deserve to be happy.

Get support from colleagues, friends and family. Stay around people who will back you up instead of those that silently think ‘there he goes again’.

Reward yourself with the briefcase you wanted, the new mobile phone, or the bubble bath, massage, CD you have wanted to buy.

Make positive plans and schedule them in your diary; plans to eat right, exercise, meet more friends for dinner, join a club and take that difficult client to lunch to build rapport. Write down those goals and make it an action plan to keep you on track.

Most importantly remember that the things you feel you may have done wrong are what you ‘know’ you did wrong.

Build on your confidence and motivation each day and after a few months you will find that your goals have manifested themselves… funny how that happened! TB

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Volume 3.2

thinkBIG

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M I N D S E T:

C O N N E C T I O N S

Do You Know Your

Neighbour?

Bridget Thompson, once overweight and unfit, is now an accredited practicing dietician with a passion and zest for helping her clients to live happier, healthier, and more purposeful lives. newleafnutrition.com.au

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Have you ever noticed how after sharing time with someone special, your spirits are high? When you part (momentarily or otherwise), there is a warmth and sense of love and joy within you.

I

t may have been a while since you’ve had this experience? I know that when I am busy working with clients, I experience this joy. I can be feeling flat, down and low in energy, but then along comes my client. Fast forward an hour or so and after some quality time connecting and talking, I feel alive.

If you take time to reflect upon the quality of the connection fostered during that time, it will give you good explanation as to why you feel as you do.

Recently, I have found myself reading the Dalai Lama’s book, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World. One of the very first things this book discusses is this sense of connection to others. The Dalai Lama, as a demonstration of this notion, poses the very question this article is based upon, “Do you know your neighbour?”

Through the discussion in the book, it became startlingly apparent that the concept of ‘connection’ is simple, yet incredibly profound.

How connected am I feeling to others? How different am I feeling to others?

Take time to consider how you can

profoundly increase your level of day to day happiness (and health) by being aware of the level of connection you are feeling to others, then take action to foster these connections further.

For this to work, it requires a real sense of responsibility; a notion that it is you who can change this experience for yourself.

It is a much simpler concept to approach when you take it down to just one person at a time. By reaching out to connect with another, you increase the happiness of not just yourself but the other. If this person ‘pays it forward’, then you have a domino or ripple effect. We all know how contagious happiness can be and how good we can feel simply being in the presence of someone who is naturally upbeat.

Without doubt a sense of connection to another person makes you feel a genuine sense of happiness that lifts your spirit, heightens your mood, energises your day (yes, even at that 3-4pm slump), boosts your immune system and improves your general mental well being. It really is the best

www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

medicine, psychotherapy and counselling you could ever invest in.

Unfortunately, one of the greatest challenges today is the ability to open up and connect with others. Following are three strategies and ideas to help you open up and improve your level of day to day happiness.

Be aware of your level of connection to other people.

How deep is this connection? How true is the interaction? The depth of connection via social online networks can be limited and not as satisfying as heartfelt connections that come from eye-contact and human presence. You will know whether or not these connections satisfy you at a deeper level, by honestly checking in with yourself.

Become aware of your openness when with another.

Are you genuinely being yourself? Are you allowing yourself to be open? Being open requires you to feel safe as it carries a notion of vulnerability. I have learned that there is no way to be truly connected to another if you do not, at some level,

allow yourself to be vulnerable to the real potential that this person could hurt you. That is also why true satisfaction in human connection can be few and far between as we increasingly feel unsafe to be ourselves. So check in with the number of connections you experience on a day to day basis in which you truly feel free to be yourself. Is there a way to foster and grow this type of interaction?

Take action.

Awareness will do little without action.

Once you become aware, it is time to ponder what you can and will do to change this experience. One of the greatest things we can do as humans to increase our sense of connection to others is to remember that ultimately we ARE all human beings and in many ways similar.

When you make the conscious choice to focus more on what you have in common with others, the better you will feel and the closer bonds you are able to develop. Make it a habit to consciously look for how you are the same as someone else. Foster true compassion, rather than intolerance. As

with any habit, this takes daily practice and reflection.

This perspective will give you many new-found opportunities to connect with others. If you live a relatively isolated life, get out and find groups to join and functions to attend. When you are among people look for the ways in which you are the same. This is not a walk in the park. I didn’t really learn what it meant to open up to another until last year. First at a one-on-one level (in my personal relationship), then at a group level.

All it takes is practice to put yourself out of your comfort zone. Now I feel so open-hearted and so connected that I cannot imagine how I thought I was happy before. No wonder I had moments of great despair and loneliness….

And this is the very reason I felt compelled to discuss this notion today. I have been there. I do know what it’s like and I do know how much more happy, healthy and fulfilled one can feel simply by learning to open up and connect!

As the title implies however…. perhaps all it takes is getting to know your neighbour? Maybe you can start there? TB

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M I N D S E T:

P E R S P E C T I V E

The 'What I Reckon' System for Acquiring The Corporate Ninja, Ron Lee, CSP, uses Eastern/Western

Anything You Want

The Corporate Ninja explains how you can achieve more than you want.

philosophies, universal laws, and practical metaaphysics to achieve outstanding results for corporations. corporate-ninja.com

“N

othing exists and everything is an illusion based on our perspective and perception.”

I said that on the phone one night to a friend who has several science degrees, two of which are in physics. After asking me to repeat it, she said, “Look, I'm a physicist and I know that things exist”.

“Do you really? Tell me what you think exists.”

I heard a knocking sound and Lillian said, “That’s my dining room table. It’s made of wood and I know that it exists.”

“Are you sure?”

“What are you getting at?” she asked with a hint of reservation in her voice, as if she was beginning to doubt her own certainty and wanted clarity.

“If you were an x-ray, would the table exist in the form that you see it now?”

“No, it would still be here, and I would be aware of it, but I would pass right through it.”

“Okay, if you were a neutrino (more than fifty trillion solar electron neutrinos pass through our bodies every second), would that wooden table be in your field of awareness at all?”

After a couple of seconds of deliberation, Lillian said, “No, I would pass through it and it wouldn’t exist at all...Hmmm...Let me get back to you.”

The fact is, whatever you believe to be true from your perspective, according to your perception, is the truth; it’s your reality.

This also applies to your view of yourself, your capacity to achieve and your worthiness to succeed.

I started school in Australia in the late

1950s, in the midst of the White Australia Policy, at a time when the government was encouraging immigration of caucasians and discouraging the ‘yellow hoards’ from our immediate north. Even though my parents and I were born in Australia, I was abused and victimised and name-calling was constant, so my self-worth was very low.

It wasn’t until the age of 37 that I realised I was never going to be a Nordic blonde and that I should do something with what I have, and The Corporate Ninja was born.

This coincided with a major career move.

I had decided that being a self-employed financial planner wasn’t my calling, considering I was going broke, so I became a full-time professional speaker and executive trainer.

In the first year, I earned twice as much as my previous best year, and after focusing on adding value to clients’ experiences, revenue doubled again.

So, was almost going broke good or bad?

BAD, at least at the time.

Now that I’m earning a good living, travelling the world and living my life purpose of helping people to empower themselves to become what they need to become so they can do what they’re destined to do, was that experience good or bad?

Everything that happens to us is based on our perspectives and perceptions.

You can achieve more than you want with less effort. TB NB: Contact The Corporate Ninja for details of the next Empowerment Master Class.

Whatever you believe to be true from your perspective, according to your perception, is the truth; it’s your reality.

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As Australians debate the merits of introducing National Sorry Day into the education curriculum, former plumber Kevin Sheedy can sit back in the knowledge that he was a pioneer in bringing indigenous talent to the fore of Australian culture. And it all had a little to do with ‘Brand Sheedy’.

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When it comes to changing landscapes and social perception, Kevin Sheedy is a man who thinks in global terms. He is an ambassador for the indigenous people and brand champion for the incumbent Australian Football League (AFL) team GWS. In late 2009, Sheedy gave a stirring speech for Image Group International and the Australian Institute of Management about branding and leadership, having just returned from a two-week tour across Australia as AFL ambassador with indigenous Australians.

“You go up there because that’s what leadership is,” Sheedy says. “Every kid in Australia deserves an opportunity.”

Sheedy is talking about the effort the AFL puts in to integrate young Aboriginal children into the football culture and offer them chances in life they may not otherwise receive.

Aboriginal players have been an integral part of the Australian football landscape for many years, but it is Sheedy’s proactive approach that has had the most positive impact in creating interest and recognition and ultimately increasing representation among indigenous communities.

The super coach is also responsible for one of the great highlights of the AFL season, Dreamtime at the G, which celebrates

30 30 thinkBIG Volume3.2 3.2 thinkBIG Volume

indigenous heritage in football. The game came about after another great Sheedy initiative, the ANZAC Day blockbuster.

Thinking it would be a great way to fill the stadium, give brand recognition to his former club Essendon and bring meaning and recognition to such an important day, Sheedy presented the idea to the AFL. "Once upon a time no club owned ANZAC Day. So I thought who could I ring: Carlton, Collingwood or Richmond?

I’m not going to ring Richmond because I love them (Sheedy was a Premiership player with the club).”

He agonised between Essendon’s two most detested rivals. "As soon as I thought I’ll ring Collingwood, I picked up the phone to Carlton. Then when I thought about ringing Carlton, I rang Collingwood straight away. I took the worst.”

Besides the finals, ANZAC Day is now the biggest day on the AFL calendar.

Sheedy puts this down to looking for the “business you can’t see.” It is how Dreamtime at the G came about. It was about finding what people wanted.

Sheedy says good leadership is about creating the opportunities that weren’t thought about or that people were negative towards.

"We got ANZAC Day up and Richmond was upset. They asked what about us, what about the money? I told them it wasn’t about money it’s the thought. They wanted the money I wanted the idea. So we had to find something for Richmond.”

The answer was sitting right in front of Sheedy. The colours that brand

Essendon and Richmond—black, yellow and red—are the same colours that define the Aboriginal nation.

“So we came up with Dreamtime.

The match was sold out for the next two years and the social upshot is that Richmond, in collaboration with the State government, is building a $21 million indigenous college in Punt Rd, so kids from the outback can now go to school in Melbourne.”

The indigenous brand is now one of the most important in the AFL and this is mostly due to Sheedy’s leadership. He believes that branding and leadership is about creating a belief system and adding value.

Brand Sheedy Since his days as a plumber, Sheedy has been looking at ways in which he can add value to the organisations he has worked for and it stems from the days he was digging ditches and laying pipes.

He tells the story of the site manager who came up to the young apprentices and encouraged them by paying recognition to the jobs these apprentices were doing. Sheedy says the encouragement goes a long way to building talent.

"As leaders we don’t miss the effort in the organisation and that takes a specific type of CEO who encompasses the brand of an organisation. Make sure that recognition is an important tool in your organisation and be sincere because if you’re not, they’ll see through it straight away. Recognition is an excellent branding tool.” www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

By Jonathan Jackson Brand Sheedy has been in development for a long time. “I’m 61 and still trying to get better and that’s what leadership is, it’s chasing knowledge and sharing. Don’t go away and lock the information in your own vault. That’s not what it’s about. Really, you should be saying there’s the knowledge now let’s go and get some more.”

In 1974 when Richmond won the Premiership, Sheedy spent six to eight weeks in the US and went to the University of Hawaii just to look and learn. It was the start of his selfimprovement journey.

Later when he took the coaching position at Essendon, he began to apply what his plumbing mentors had taught him and what he’d learnt on his travels.

"No one had ever taken a full time coaching role and when I came on board I found the organisation was, to put it nicely, asleep.”

So Sheedy, understanding that geographical location could be a key to growth, hatched a plan. “I’m an ex tradie.

When tradies go onto a building site they have plans of the area.” Knowing the geographic location means the job can be completed with fewer problems.

Around Windy Hill (Essendon’s home ground), there is Moonee Valley, Flemington and the Zoo. Also, close to Essendon is the Tullamarine Freeway.

What was lacking around Essendon were kids to play football.

"The job told me no kids live near the Tullamarine Freeway, or Essendon airport. The nearest player zone was Sunbury, which at the time belonged to Melbourne Football Club. So what we did was take the brand out of Essendon.

It was important because we changed Essendon and the way people thought about Essendon. Essendon became an www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Australian club. If we had stayed and locked ourselves up, the organisation would be gone today.”

As mentioned before, good leadership and branding is about turning negatives into positives. Sheedy did this via the Tullamarine Freeway, one of only a handful of roads out of Melbourne via the airport.

"The Tullamarine became a positive not a negative because the nearest airport to any club was to us. We flew out every year for practice matches and never played in Victoria. One of the first places we played was a small West Australian mining town called Collie. The treasurer of the club at the time said we didn’t have much money to fly out and he questioned the action. I told him if he sanctioned the trip I’d know he was serious about changing the organisation.”

The trip paid dividends and the club made money via a large attendance of VFL starved fans. Since that time, Essendon has recruited seven players from the region.

The story prompts Sheedy to reiterate his point. “We put a big red sash across Australia and that’s how we sold Essendon: as a great Australian club. So again, don’t only look at what you’re doing, look at the business you can’t see.

That’s what leadership is.”

Within four years of Sheedy taking on the coach’s role, Essendon won the Premiership and made the finals for the next five years. “Not only that, we improved our membership by 300% because what we did was make sure we became an Australian club. What we did was get out of Essendon.”

The circle of life For Sheedy it is all about seeing the bigger picture and continuing to grow.

The next phase of his own personal development was to have an impact

not only on a football club and football society, but society in general.

Having championed the indigenous footballer as a coach and having launched events such as Dreamtime at the G, the next step as development manager for the AFL was to recruit more indigenous players and give teenagers coming out of school, including Aboriginal kids, jobs. So Sheedy hatched another plan.

The plan required that the AFL map out all the places Aboriginal footballers had been recruited.

"What happens is you find out where you’re not recruiting from and you find out why. That’s how I added value to the AFL. There’s lot s of ways to add value in a job, you just have to look for the right angle, no matter what organisation you work for. Adding ideas is your brand.”

After Sheedy’s initiative was put into place the indigenous player population rose from 2% to 11%; this is of particular significance when you consider the indigenous population makes up only 2% of the population of Australia.

The work continues unabated.

In conjunction with the Federal Government, the AFL launched a jobs plan fro teenagers brokered by Sheedy.

"Today, 6,000 kids have had a job because we put one dollar of each finals ticket to go to the training course. The government matched the AFL dollar for dollar, now that’s branding.”

Every year 600 get a job and 100 of those are indigenous.

Sheedy’s contribution to the indigenous population is outstanding, his contribution to the AFL even more so and it all comes down to brand Sheedy; to seek knowledge, to know how to add value, to treat others with respect and to see opportunity where others are restricted. TB Volume Volume3.2 3.2

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BUSINESS:

PA R A D I G M S

The Next

Online Giant

Lee De Coster is the co-founder of Affiliates Australia. affiliatesaustralia.com.au

What are the paradigms that exist to change the way business is done globally? How can we interact and transact with businesses in new and interesting ways, saving time and money?

F

alse economy of search time

We’ve all had the experience of searching for a product, service or business online. We enter our search term in the little box, hit enter, and ‘Hey presto!’ in just 0.024 seconds we have 50,000,000 results. So now what?

On a human level how can we deal with that many results? The time taken to then read through a list, click on search result, find dead end or old sites and wade through adverts that loosely relate to our search represents the real speed of the search. It’s as if you are given the haystack quickly, but then have to find the needle.

There is also the issue of relevance. If I am looking for antique period tables, I don’t really want to get search results full of the periodic table of elements. In our most popular search platforms, the tail wags the dog. Search enquiries for goods and services generate adverts for other products that have spurious relevance to our search.

Geographic search platforms are the future of business search Search platforms in the future will do more than just present business lists. In general the most important aspect of business information is geographic. Where is the product or service that I need? Or where is it in relation to where I am or where I am going to be?

Both Business to Business and Consumer to Business search will be enhanced by the development of better and more intuitive map based searches. Platforms that have the most use and relevance will be those that allow users to directly interact with the map itself and to define the area we want to find. They will list businesses from closest to furthest rather than who paid to be at the top.

Business information will change from a

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confusing alphabetical list to a bird’s eye view of an exact geographic region that we have defined ourselves.

Commodity based searching and e-commerce will increase GDP Technologies will be developed that will allow ultra specific brand based searches in a geographic context.

For example, a consumer will be able to search for three 4-litre cans of white Dulux ceiling paint, within two kilometres of home. The consumer will be able to stipulate the payment method they wish to use and then request offers from businesses that supply that brand under the terms specified, in the geographic area that has been set for the search.

As e-commerce and geographic search platforms merge into one mental construct, there will be a time compressive effect on commerce. The time from the moment a searcher decides to do a search, to when the transaction is completed will be shortened slightly. This means that more commerce gets done, resulting in economic benefits on a national and global scale.

The Holy Grail: advertising free platforms that make a profit The biggest challenge that faces online developers is to achieve everything that I have described above, but to do so in a way that makes a profit.

Searchers will want extremely high specificity search, geographic functionality, next generation e-commerce, and all with no advertising clutter.

The next giant in the online world will be the company that works out how to solve all these problems…and make money along the way. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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BUSINESS:

R E T U R N S

The Kerwin Rae is the founder of Business Mastery International, and one of the world's #1 experts on influence. businessmasteryinternational.com

New Marketing View

When you hear the terms wealth creation or investing most people think of property or shares. Few people would think of marketing as a wealth creation or investment tool.

W

hen you consider the word ‘investment’ it implies there will be a return—after all that’s why people invest. We want to put some money in and get our money back and then some.

Property and shares vs. marketing Most people are happy to average between 3-10% return per annum in the property market.. This does not take into account holding costs, which vary depending on how leveraged you are. To gain these modest returns, much of the time, people have hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes millions, at risk.

The same can be said for shares. You will find ‘most’ traders and share investors generally have similar returns.

Now, I am not saying don’t invest in property or shares, however, when you know what you are doing with marketing it is possible to get returns ranging from double digits to triple digits (cash on cash return) or more and, in many cases, within weeks, not months or years.

It seem crazy to me that so many people are investing thousands of dollars every month into their mortgages to make their five points per annum. If that same money was invested in learning how to become powerful marketers and that knowledge was applied to the products or services you offer, then there is the potential to accelerate your wealth creation.

I have made good money with property and shares, however where I have been able to quickly create large amounts of wealth for myself and my clients is through marketing as an investment strategy.

Finding a good balance My advice is to invest in marketing for shortterm cash returns, then take your earnings and invest in property and or blue chip shares for the long term.

Marketing, for me, has been a short-term cash flow investment strategy that produces returns I can then drop into property and watch grow over the longer term.

Marketing is a business Marketing is not just an investment strategy it is a business.

In my opinion, it is the key to wealth through business. If you look at everyone from Richard Branson to Bill Gates they have made their money because they know how to get people interested in what they do and then sell them on it—that is the basis of good marketing.

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www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

So what is marketing?

Good marketing is like great food. Not much thinking is required. When we taste something great we simply react with an ‘oh my god that tastes amazing’. We react. Great marketing is exactly the same.

It removes the need for people to think and they respond to the offer being made.

Remember this, thinking is the enemy of marketing. The more marketing bypasses people’s need to think, the greater the chance it has to get people to respond and succeed.

Robert Cialdini, author of the best seller Influence—The Psychology of Persuasion said it best: “The best form of influence is the one that bypasses all need for thought, it taps into people’s existing habits by getting them to do what they would already do.”

How do we get people to do what they would already do?

Creating wealth through marketing comes down to understanding the following eight keys: • People. What do you already know about them or what can you find out?

• Values. What is important to the people you are targeting, what are their priorities?

• Language. What specific styles of language does your target market use?

• Problems. What is causing them pain?

What do they want to change or make go away?

• Solutions. If you had a magic wand what would they want you to do?

What do they want?

• Value. Is it compelling enough to motivate them past the tipping point to act now?

• Scarcity. Are you only making available for a certain time to certain people?

• Credibility. Is it believable and have others gone before them and got the results they’re looking for?

One of the most important things to remember when marketing any solution is something that was written in one of the greatest sales books I have ever read, Helping Clients Succeed by Mahan Khalsa. Mahan wrote, “solutions have no inherent value, solutions only derive value from the problems they solve.”

If solutions only derive value from the problems they solve, that means that the real tangible value is in understanding www.thinkbigmagazine.com

the problems. Make sure you clearly understand all the problems you solve.

Will learning how to be a great marketer guarantee me a spot in the RICH 200?

Do you know what every single one of the RICH 200 has in common?

Apart from the fact they have loads of money, they all own a business that markets a solution to someone, somewhere.

So if you have aspirations to be wealthy, I mean very, very wealthy (the kind that gives you access to private jets and your own personal Island) you either must learn how to market your business better or get into business in the first place and become an expert in marketing..

Marketing is the key to wealth creation in business. Richard Branson would not be where he is today if it were not for his ability to market his businesses better than nearly all his competitors.

Where do you start?

The best place to start is exactly where you are right now. Every single successful businessperson and entrepreneur I have ever met constantly invest in themselves and in their business.

There is never an end point as things are always changing.

In 2000, I invested $80k in my marketing education (that was for one program) and it was the best investment I have ever made.

Go to seminars, read books, listen to audio CDs and make sure whoever you are learning from has the results on the board. Most importantly make sure you can relate to them. Learning from someone you like can mean the difference between staying in there and making it work and quitting because even though the information may be there, they rub you the wrong way.

And remember, marketing is all about people. Unlocking your understanding of people will unlock your fortune. TB Volume 3.2

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35

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BUSINESS:

C H A O S

T H E O RY

Thriving in Chaos

To Succeed in Business

Damian Kay is founder Telcoinabox, Australia's leading telecommunications wholesale provider. telcoinabox.com

For a business to ‘thrive’ in a constant flux of change they must become obsessed with being responsive to customers and without fail, constantly innovative.

S

o what is the recipe to a successful business operating in a world of chaos? All thriving industries are inherently chaotic because everything around us is forever changing.

The recipe for success in an organisation can therefore be broken into a number of key areas that need to be addressed to ensure we continue to prosper in the face of the chaos around us. The areas to consider include:

5. Structure—the flatter the better. This will make the business more dynamic and faster to act.

1. Marketing—focus on differentiation and be innovative. The aim is to be disruptive and segment your market. A classic example of this has been Telstra’s marketing of its newest mobile network, “Next G”. We live in a 3G mobile world with faster mobile data and ever increasing mobile applications, but Telstra has successfully differentiated its 3G offering making people believe that it is even better than 3G. This is clever differentiation through marketing.

6. Leadership—if it’s your business or you are a manager of people, start falling in love with change (thrive on chaos), share your value and vision with the business. Be consultative and listen. One of the keys to great leadership relates to point four above: employ great people who will help you steer in the right direction. The secret to managing people is to create the boundaries for them and let them do their job. Mistakes will be made but good people will learn from them.

2. Sales and service—create an atmosphere of absolute obsession for customer service. Be a ‘hero’ with every customer. Listen to your sales people and use them as a source of new products and services; they are in front of potential customers every day so listen to them. Service is a major component of adding value and differentiation. Arguably this is the most important of the key areas.

7. Financial management and control—Every key area of the business should have its own management profit and loss and should be shared and presented by the people to the business every month. Be prepared to share the good with the bad, you will be surprised with the positive response. Also ensure that your management accounts are detailed and allows great reporting and analysis of the key drivers of your business. Too many times I see one line revenue management accounts that tell me nothing about where the business is coming from by product or service. Match the cost of goods sold with the revenue items so you can see real margin by product.

3. Innovation—constant improvements driven by a desire to make small and noticeable enhancements to the customer experience.

Innovation can be in process or product. The key here is ‘value innovation’, that is, it adds value to the customer and reduces costs for the organisation.

4. People—people are the backbone of success. They will drive differentiation and innovation. Listen to them and take action. You can never train or involve them

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too much. Be open and share the financials with them. Give them a financial stake in the outcome of the business every year, for example profit share. Involve them in decision-making and you will be surprised at the outcome. Be prepared to pay more for truly great people, it will pay dividends.

The all-encompassing lesson here is to learn to love change. To master operating a business in a chaotic environment you must be prepared to embrace change and thrive on a good dose of daily chaos. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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BUSINESS:

PA S S I O N

Are You Driving A VW Or A Angie O'Shannessy is a national master coach at The Small Business Gurus, and specialises in marketing and business growth. thesmallbusinessgurus.com

Although there is nothing wrong with having a VW, most of us want a Ferrari. The same can be said of business.

Do you want your business to run like a VW, or perform like a Ferrari?

W

hy do you think Ferraris are so popular?

Are they well built, do they look great… or have you been seduced by the marketing and hype that surrounds the Prancing Horse?

Ferrari is one company with little fear of marketing their product. In fact their brand is so strong, the car markets itself. There are lessons to be learnt here, however many business owners are scared to put together a marketing plan: Where do I start? Maybe I should copy the opposition?

Does this sound familiar to you?

People who succeed in their chosen business do so because they love to market themselves.

Let’s face a fact: everyone is good at marketing, they just don’t realise when they are doing it.

Let me explain… How many times have you gone out to a new restaurant and the service was exquisite, the staff made the experience a joy and the food was spectacular? In

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Ferrari? the aftermath of that experience, who did you tell? Some of you would have texted, tweeted, facebooked or called a friend before you even left the restaurant. See, we are great marketers because the tools at our disposal today mean we market all the time without even thinking about it. However, for some strange reason when it comes to our profession or business we get sidetracked and can’t bring ourselves to fulfil this most fundamental and important of tasks.

So, it’s time to change your perception of marketing. If you do this your business will jump in leaps and bounds, you will gain confidence and might even start having as much fun as you did when you first thought about starting a business.

Remember how excited you were when you came up with your business concept and were telling everyone who would listen what you where doing and how great it was going to be. Wait a moment, you were marketing.

So what’s changed? Things may not have quite gone to plan and your whole perception of the business changed with staff issues and stress. Suddenly all the things you hate to do like taxes, bookkeeping and finding the money to pay the bills all take precedence.

I’ve been in that situation, but I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that! www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

It’s time to take stock and ask some hard questions: Do you love what you do? When you started what was the reason for getting started in the first place, how did you feel then?

Write your answers down. If you find you started your business for all the right reasons, rekindle the fire that you had and fall in love again. Then start a marketing plan. Or sell up and find you passion.

Steps to drive your business like a Ferrari 1. Visualise your business as if it was perfect in every way.

What does it look like? Who works for you and what are they doing to grow your business? How much profit do you make? Who are your clients/target markets?

How does this make you feel?

2. Put a plan together. What’s you point of difference?

Why do your customers purchase from you? A plan will help keep you on track and keep you focused. How much money will this cost to run? What’s your price point? How many sales or customers do you need per month, week or day to reach your target? What’s you profit percentage?

3. When you have considered points one and two it’s time to put your marketing plan together. What are you going to offer to attract the right customers who will be raving evangelists for your business? Don’t copy your opposition, copy the big players… they have spent millions of dollars and thousands of hours researching what works. It has always confused me that people follow others that are equal or less than they are; if you want success in your life and business you need to fly with the eagles and stop playing with the turkeys.

Don’t hold back.

4. Become a learning machine. The best of the best are where they are because they are consistently learning and growing. You can’t grow your business if you’re not willing to grow yourself. The world is moving forward rapidly, if you’re not moving as well you will be gone before you even get started.

5. Start every day with a money making activity. If you’re not taking huge steps to grow your business it will wear you down. You should be starting a marketing campaign, set an alliance that you can both profit from, make the sales calls, get on the phone and call all your prospects, send out some letters and do some sales training with you staff. I could go on all day but the truth is… you already know what to do!

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6. The most important step is to have fun doing what you’re doing! Do you think Richard Branson loves what he does; do you think he’s having fun? You ‘betcha’.

There is always help available to get the job done or the information that you desire, just look around and stop looking in your rearvision mirror. What’s happened in the past no longer exists. The future is bright and wonderful, just stop for a while, look around and take it all in. Then take action and drive your business like the Ferrari that it is. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

The coaching insTiTuTe

1800 094 927

www.thecoachinginstitute.com.au y o u r s u C C e s s . . .Volume o u 3.2 r pthinkBIG assIoN 41

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PA R A D I G M S

Managing Your Tom Petryshen is the chief executive officer and founder of Amplify. amplify.com.au

Personal Brand Online

Whether you’re 15 or 50, you’ve likely messed up somewhere along the line. If you’re lucky, your indiscretions, like mine, are lying at the bottom of the ocean tied to a 10 stone slab of concrete, far away from the prying eyes of family, friends and prospective employers.

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ith the days of instant messaging, smart phones, digital cameras, Youtube, social networks, blogging and viral email, there’s less chance that your bad day will be missed. To make matters worse, if your current misdeeds end up online, there’s a good chance your laundry might be hung out for the world to see.

And while you might have once been able to let time heal past wounds, today, there is no place to hide especially with Google providing an instant record of past deeds to anyone who requests it. Nowhere, has this held more truth than for an account manager at a Melbourne publishing company. After mistakenly forwarding a personal rant about a client to the client, the account manager ended up facing a lot more than just 15 minutes of fame.

The client who was less than impressed with the prose decided to seek revenge by cancelling his business and sharing the experience with his business colleagues. Within days, the email went viral spreading like wildfire first via blogs, then the traditional press in the UK and later by the The Australian and NineMSN in Australia.

The story doesn't end there though. After more than six months, a search for the person's name on Google brings up the sordid details for all to view. To this day, nine of the top 10 listings available recount and provide additional commentary on the specific incident.

As this example shows, if your indiscretions end up online, you might just be dealing with a personal branding dilemma.

So what do you do if you find that the search results for your name leading to less than flattering information? For starters, you need to realise that time will not make it all go away. In fact, the longer you leave it, the longer it may take to deal with later.

To restore your personal brand, you need to act fast and accept that you may never be able

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to quiet all the critics, especially for those with the time and knowledge to dig up your past.

However, with some proactive steps and careful planning you can push the bad news off the first page of Google.

To set the ship right and manage your online brand: • Create your own profiles on social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Google, Naymz, Bebo, and Linkedin and crosslink them to each other. Other sites worth joining include Flikr, Digg, Delicious, and Technorati. Over time, your personal profiles will help push down the less flattering articles.

• Register your own domain name (for example, yourname.com.au) and setup a simple website about yourself using one of the many low cost web services such as Squarespace.com.

A domain name with your name in it can, especially if it's not a popular name will help you get to the top of Google quickly.

• If you like to write, start your own blog on Blogger.com or Wordpress and publish at least once a week until the search engines start to pick it up. Also, register your blog with one of the many blog specific directories such as Blog Catalog, Blogflux and Blogarama.

• Write articles for your kid's school website or local community website and ensure they include a short bio about yourself.

• Donate time to a worthwhile cause and ask that your contributions be made public via the website.

While there is no immediate cure, you should find that your own personal message will start to rise to the top over time. How long it takes will depend on the mountain of bad news you need to overcome. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

WOULD YOU DRIVE YOUR CAR WITHOUT INSURANCE?

So why do you insure your car but don’t insure your superannuation from a market crash?

The majority of Australians insure their car, some insure their house, and others even insure their life – yet only a few savvy investors know how to insure their superannuation! Do you?

The reason the majority of Australians insure their car is because they know if they crash their car the financial consequences can be dire!

The financial consequences in retirement if you do not insure your superannuation could be catastrophic!

In 2008 alone over $300 billion was lost within superannuation due to the global share market and property crash. The average superannuation fund declined by almost 30% meaning many Australians will be forced to work longer or reduce their lifestyle in retirement.

To Discover The Low Risk/HIGH Return Investment Strategy aimed to maximize returns while protecting your capital go to www.jbglobal.com.au/thejbway to request your FREE copy of The JB Way www.thinkbigmagazine.com

(Value $29.95)

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Achieving Michelle Mills has 20+ years experience working with small and homebased businesses.

She is the managing director of Serviced Offices International. serviced.com.au

Success

Small Business

As a small or home-based business owner, you are already well aware of the rewards that self-employment can provide.

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lexible working hours, being located in close proximity to your family, the ability to grow your business on your own terms and the opportunity to improve your work/life balance are all advantages of self employment.

On the flip side, however, small and home-based businesses face unique challenges that larger companies do not. A survey conducted by Serviced Offices International in late 2009 identified the most common issues faced by small and home-business owners included:

• A sense of isolation.

• A perceived lack of support or access to support.

• A belief they must to do everything themselves.

• A sense of feeling overwhelmed by having so much to do,

and often in areas where expertise lacks.

• A feeling of inferiority to the large companies, often

resulting in overcompensation.

• A lack of the funds required to grow the business.

The great news is there are simple solutions for all of the above issues.

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So, what are the solutions?

While image isn’t everything, it is extremely important; and particularly when it comes to small business. Creating a professional image and a perception that your business is larger than it actually is can go a long way towards improving the success of your business.

Let’s face it. Chances are, you started your business because you were good at something specific and highly passionate about it. However, when you start trying to be the bookkeeper, financial manager, money merchant, administration person, operations coordinator and receptionist, all you are actually doing is moving away from your passion and expertise.

The result? Your energy and time becomes drained by these other areas and you stop enjoying your business, which in turn, ceases its potential for growth.

The solution is to know what you are good at and then to seek assistance by outsourcing the other areas.

Such areas typically include: • Management of your telephone calls.

• Picking up and sorting your mail.

• Diary and appointment management.

• Managing routine emails.

• Marketing activities.

• Administration duties.

• Bookkeeping and invoicing.

• Having the use of professional meeting facilities to meet with clients when you need to. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

The easiest and most costeffective way to enhancing your business image and improving your professional image is to outsource these areas of your business that are time-consuming and which don’t actually demand your expertise. And the best part? If you choose the right company to take on your activities, they can be turned on and off whenever you need to.

Understandably, for many small or home-based business owners, the term ‘outsourcing’ can conjure up images of expensive or inefficient outlays; but the truth is, outsourcing can be an investment that saves you significant money, time, resources and energy—all of which, when redirected more efficiently into your business, will result in improved performance and enhanced profits.

The (other) bottom line!

As a small or home-based business owner always keep the following in mind and business success will be yours: • Just because there are lots of things that need to be done, it doesn’t mean you have to do them all.

• Know that you are not alone—ask for help when you need it.

There are solutions available to help streamline your workload and allow you to focus on what you do best—so use them! TB

The fact of the matter...

A survey by Serviced Offices International found that: • More than 50% of home-based businesses would never tell a client they work from home, for fear of looking unprofessional.

• 100% of males surveyed said they do not like referring to their business as 'home-based,' instead using the term 'small business.'

• More than 82.5% of small or homebased business owners enjoy the flexible working.

• More than 50% of small or homebased business owners enjoy being able to juggle family requirements.

• More than 50% of small business owners enjoy the fact they can work from anywhere.

Starting small What many small business owners don't realise is that some of the most successful business people began with a home-based business; think Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson, for example. What differentiates the Gates and the Bransons from the masses, however, is their unwavering ambition and commitment to their vision.

Golden Rule #1: Never let your own excuses or anyone else's stop you from achieving your goal.

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On Raj Shastri’s 40th birthday he began giving his life a lot of thought and realised that with UK pension schemes going nowhere, the next 10 years would financially have a great bearing on his later life. He resolved to change his life for the better.

He had an interest in property, but knew nothing about it. In just five years, Raj left the rented room he was living in and after beginning his career in property with £950 to his name, has built a multi-million pound property portfolio.

He tells his story to thinkBig.

• By Jonathan Jackson 46 46

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Raj's top five books 1. Perfect Vision by Bob Patmore – Teaches you to believe in yourself.

2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki – Every school kid should read it.

3. The Rules of Life by Richard Temlar – Pure common sense.

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y family was very working class.

I was brought up to know right from wrong and with a strong sense of family values. My father gave me some very good advice that I still use today: If you want to do something, find the best person out there doing it and copy them! Or, Whether you think you can do something, or think that you can’t, you’re probably right.

I remember at five years old getting up in the morning before school and picking rhubarb sticks from a field near my house and selling it to the local kids for one old penny a stick from their dinner monies! My father had taught me the value of money; I’ve always had an interest in nice cars but knew I had to earn money to buy them.

I passed my 11+ and went to an all boys’ school. At school I learnt how to cut up a frog once and can tell you where Peru is, but no one ever showed me how to make any money at school!

To me, I feel like those years at school were a waste of time for me and my ambitions. My son is 17 and rather than asking him what type of job he wants (as the school does), I asked him what type of lifestyle he’d like by the time he was 25. I asked him what type of house, what kind of car and how many holidays he’d like to take and investments he’d like to make. This is his starting point. He now has monthly and yearly goals to reach his targets. He knows where he is going! I’ve always believed you should plan your work and work your plan.

It may sound strange but one of the biggest things that moulded my personal growth was at about 19 years old when I started selling American vacuum cleaners.

It was crazy you’d go into the office in the morning, clap your hands and start singing about vacuum cleaners. (It certainly woke you up in the morning www.thinkbigmagazine.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

and put a smile on your face.) This company taught me all about positive mental attitude and no ‘stinking thinking’ (negative thoughts), that’s a great key to success—my glass is always half full.

Belief is what has made my businesses successful. I remember when I was flat broke, I had a picture of a dark blue Bentley on my wall and a thousand times I’d mentally drive it down a road near where I live. I didn’t know how, but I knew one day that I’d be driving it for real and of course, some time later that’s exactly what I did!

I moved into property because I was taught by a very wealthy man how to do property deals without having to put any money into them. If you look at the Time Rich List many of these people are in property and I figured, just copy how a rich guy does it. It’s that simple! To build my portfolio to its present status, I just purchased more and more with the biggest discounts I could find and without putting too much money into each deal.

Money is not evil, it is how you use it that counts. I give back to many charities and am a sponsor to deprived children—it’s important to give something back and I am lucky enough to be in the position to do this.

I have a saying: Every dynasty has its day. This means be aware that economies and markets tend to run in cycles, it’s all about when to get in and when to get out.

A good friend of mine is 74 years old and she’s seen it all before. Listen to the older generation and learn from them, they have a wealth of experience in their lives.

Some property advisors are too analytical. You could have pretty much stuck a pin anywhere in a map of the UK ten years ago and made money in residential property. The thing is to wait it out and ride a trend. Don’t wait to buy

4. The Real Estate Dictionary by Dolf de Roos – An educational read.

5. Read the newspapers every day to keep up to speed with life, but don’t believe everything you read (look behind the headlines and see who really benefits from shock tactics about climate change, bird flu etc).

property, buy property and wait. I look at the predictions of many so called property experts 12 months ago and most were so far out it’s laughable and they’ve still got their jobs. Property is for the medium to long term, a bad property deal is a bit like a bad haircut, give it time and it grows out!

Some people work long hours in their job to climb up the corporate ladder. With each promotion they take on more and more responsibility, work longer hours and generally live a more stressful life. They take on more debt to get a bigger house and a faster car and they have to run faster and faster to pay for it all. Now you tell me, is that what it takes to be successful? I’ve always worked smart not hard. I’m going to live to 106 years old because I’ve always believed I would. Most people think, Oh, I’m 60; that’s getting on a bit. Then at 70, they think, I’m very old now. They have always thought these things and I believe that by doing this, they subconsciously programmed themselves into a selffulfilling prophecy.

The key to overcoming this programming is to keep healthy, work smart, believe in karma and keep educating yourself. From the minute you’re born you are dying, it’s what you do in between that counts and you’re hear to enjoy every minute on this earth. TB Volume 3.2 3.2 Volume

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W E A L T H :

POSITIVITY

Wealth Consciousness Chris Howard is an international speaker and coach, a best-selling author, prominent speaker, and the owner of Christopher Howard Training. chrishoward.com

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A life of struggling won’t help you bring exciting opportunities and positive people into your life. In fact, the opposite is true.

Struggling repels people, resources, and opportunities.

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he ability to channel energy consistently in a certain direction requires sustainable passion. If you have a grand purpose to your life both for today and as a legacy, you’ll be more strongly motivated to succeed in your entrepreneurial ventures. It’s been said many times but it’s still very true: how you live the journey, not just the destination, makes the journey worthwhile.

That’s why really infusing your chosen lifestyle into the expansion of your entrepreneurial dreams is essential to getting wherever you want to go.

Then every moment of every day becomes a moment spent in the embrace of God, and your work becomes a celebration. What could be more important than that?

More specifically, the first principle for making your journey an extraordinary selfpropelling adventure is a state of wealth consciousness. The biggest reason people aren’t wealthy is because they think that wealth is something outside themselves. They think wealth is a dollar number they have to attain.

They say, “One day, when I have one million dollars, or ten million dollars, or one billion dollars—that’s when I’ll be wealthy.”

Those people are still sleeping. They need to wake up rich! Real wealth is an emotional state. It’s not something that comes with the achievement of a financial goal. Once you hit the first goal, you’re just going to set up another one. That’s the nature of goal setting.

So you can’t say, “One day, I’ll be successful, happy, wealthy, or feel like I’ve made it, once I hit this goal.” Instead, chances are you’ll achieve your goal and then say, “Okay, well, what’s the next goal out in front of me?”

In my own life, before I learned any real business skills, the first ‘financial’ issue I had to overcome was actually a spiritual issue that I had around money. I had an inner conflict about wealth: I didn’t know if it was morally right to make a lot of money, and I worried

that I should have a greater intention in life than that. I wondered if my life should be about making a difference, instead of about making money.

I didn’t realise at the time that I could do both at once. You don’t have to choose between making money and doing good. Once I accepted the fact that I really deserved great wealth—because my financial and my spiritual goals of making a difference were actually congruent—the next door opened. I learned the entrepreneurial skills that eventually led me to financial success. Of course, not everybody walks the same path that I did. But to this day, my spiritual connection is a large part of my continued ability to attract people, resources and exciting opportunities.

So when people ask me, “How can I live in a state of wealth consciousness?” my answer is always the same: “Live with an attitude of gratitude.” An attitude in which you focus on the things you already have in your life, for which you can feel grateful every day.

Are you living in a place of gratitude? The first five minutes of your day set the tone for the rest of the day. I urge you, when you first wake up in the morning, to ask yourself this simple question: What am I grateful for?

In particular, when you’re starting your day think about five things in your life that you most appreciate. That thought will establish a strong foundation of wealth consciousness for the day to come. What we appreciate, appreciates—it grows! What we focus on, expands. Make this fact a continual reminder to experience all the wealth you already have. When you do that, you’ll soon have even more. TB This article is from Chris Howard's new book: Instant Wealth—Wake Up Rich! For more information on Chris or to purchase his book, please visit his new blog: www.chrishowardlife.com www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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BUSINESS:

L E V E R A G E

Borrow Within Superannuation?

Can You Justin Beeton is the founder of JB Global Investment Services. Justin's educational qualifications, personal experience, and extensive research into creating unlimited wealth have led to him developing a portfolio of powerful and proven investment strategies. jbglobal.com.au

The Government recently confirmed that superannuation funds were able to be leveraged provided strict rules were adhered to. The rules basically mean that any borrowing must be on a non-recourse basis.

This means that repayment of the loan is not compulsory, which is normally something that banks are not prepared to agree to.

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hankfully, when you buy insurance on your shares using put options, you are paying someone a premium to take the downside capital risk of owning the shares.

If a lender has access to the insurance held then they are prepared to lend on a nonrecourse basis as some other institution is guaranteeing the repayment of the loan.

Indeed the maximum they will lend is the agreed value of the insurance (strike price of the put option), less the cost of the interest until expiry of the insurance.

So why would we leverage our self managed super fund (SMSF)? Simply, we do this to maximise our earnings potential in the same way that we borrow money to buy a house, and the same way businesses borrow money to

buy assets and maximise shareholder returns. If we think that the asset is going to increase at a rate greater than the interest cost, then we would look to obtain as much of the asset as possible using leverage.

How to use leverage within your superannuation fund If you are looking to maximise returns in your super, leverage can accelerate gains as you simply have more money invested. The level of risk you are prepared to accept will dictate the amount of leverage. This is because the more you borrow, the greater the interest cost. Therefore with more interest expense, the greater is the level of risk that you take within super.

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Widget Corp Purchased 20,000 shares $390,000

at $19.50 50% Investment Loan $195,000 Purchased a Widget put $23,000

option for each of the

shares expiring in 9 mo.

with a strike of $19.50 Initial loan $195,000 9 months interest expense $14,625 (at 10%pa interest rate) Total capital at risk $37,625 or 19.3%

Case study Michael and Sue are in their 40s and want to protect the majority of the capital they have worked so hard to accumulate within super. That being the case, they also understand that by using some leverage within super they can accelerate their investment returns.

Michael and Sue chose to invest their superannuation proceeds combined with 50% leverage in Widget Corp in an attempt to accelerate the returns within their SMSF. Michael and Sue also understood the importance of purchasing insurance on their shares to reduce some of the usual risks associated with borrowing.

By combining a 50% investment loan and by buying insurance on their entire shareholding within their SMSF, Michael and Sue were able to purchase $390,000 worth of Widget Corp shares while they only contributed $195,000 to the purchase. The remaining 50% of the share value was funded using leverage.

The more money invested the greater the potential return. This can only be achieved within a SMSF if the investor has insurance as the capital risk has been transferred from their super to the insurance provider. After we add back the total dividend benefit plus the put option expense, Widget Corp share price only needed to appreciate by 1.8% for Michael and Sue www.thinkbigmagazine.com

to break even. The upside profit potential above this point is almost double compared to the return without leverage because Michael and Sue simply have twice as much invested.

Prior to the expiry of the insurance, Widget Corp shares traded at $25.00.

At $25.00 per share, Michael and Sue have made a profit of $102,760 or a return on their initial capital of nearly 50%. This was achieved while only risking 19.3% of their funds as they held insurance.

This perfect investment solution for super combined with borrowed funds gave Michael and Sue the capacity to invest a far greater amount, meaning they had the capacity to reach their investment goals sooner.

One of the key benefits of superannuation is the investment timeframe. For most people it is many years until they will be able to access their superannuation. This means that these investors in superannuation are forced to take a long-term view. If we can achieve the long-term market return of 12% pa and assume an interest rate of approximately 8% pa then the benefit of leverage within superannuation is shown below. The chart assumes constant 50% leverage. This means that a superannuation fund balance

of $50,000 is taken to invest $100,000 in the share market with the balance $50,000 funded using leverage.

The chart on page 50 compares a leveraged SMSF (maroon and yellow section) with a superannuation fund without leverage (yellow section only). As can be seen from the chart above, with an initial superannuation fund balance of $50,000 and annual contributions of $5,000 per year, after ten years our net superannuation balance with leverage is $379,298 compared to $243,036 without leverage. After 20 years our net superannuation balance with leverage is $2,102,792 compared to $842,577 without leverage. With this level of outperformance, ($1,260,000 more in funds) you have a lot more money to enjoy in retirement. This is achieved not by choosing different assets to invest in, but by choosing to leverage.

Within super you can only use leverage if you have insurance on your share market investments. TB For more information regarding superannuation or to discuss whether using leverage is suitable to your individual circumstances contact a licensed JB Global investment adviser on 1300 522 644.

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W E A L T H :

FINANCING (STEP 4)

7 Stages of

Carly Crutchfield is a self made millionaire at the age of 28 and the CEO of several national companies. ccorp.com.au

Property Development I have already shown you how to find a site, conduct a site analysis and complete a successful feasibility, now it is time to buy the site.

This is where the fourth step of property development, financing, comes into play.

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inancing can be a scary topic and is one reason so many people do not get involved in property development. I mean, who has a couple million dollars sitting in their bank account ready to do a development? I certainly didn’t when I first started off, I had absolutely nothing! The magic of property development comes from being creative and finding solutions even when you have nothing to begin with. If you don’t have any money, why not borrow from someone who does?

There is a difference between making money and creating it.

There are many different ways to finance developments. Here, I am going to talk about financing through banks. As we all know, banks have money. However, from a young age we are taught to stay out of debt and save up. However, when it comes to property development, banks are your best friend. You see, if they can fund your whole development, you do not have to use any of your own money; you are then creating wealth with someone else’s money.

If you think about it, this is how banks themselves make their money. So think of the banks as your best friend. Now with that same mentality, remember that banks are also making money from you. Therefore they want you to borrow from them as much as you want to borrow. It’s a win-win situation.

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ensure that you have done all your research beforehand and are completely organised.

You want to be able to answer any questions that may come up and be able to back it up to show that you know what you are talking about. Most importantly, you need to give your lender confidence that you will be able to pay back your debt.

What should be included in my finance application?

• A feasibility study. This is extremely important. It shows all the different costs involved in the development including what the project could be built for, the cost of the land, how much you could sell the end product for and most importantly how much profit will be made on the capital investment.

• A copy of the proposed purchase contract.

This clearly identifies exactly how much you need for the site. It also helps the lender determine the loan structure.

Finance application

• Construction costs. Construction costs are the highest costs of the whole development, therefore the lender will need to know what it will cost. When doing your initial feasibility you will have used rough estimate quotes from builders but when applying for financing, you are going to need an actual full fixed price contract for your loan to get fully approved.

Your first step to gaining finances is, of course, to apply.

When you apply for finance first impressions are everything. It is important to

• Asset and liability statement. These documents help the lender understand who you are and how you manage your finances. For example, if it shows that www.thinkbigmagazine.com

you have a number of assets this can demonstrate that you are a person who can manage resources well. This also gives the lender confidence.

• The type and design. This is usually underestimated, however it is something the lender will look at. Is the design appropriate for the market?

• Marketing plan. A marketing plan shows that you plan to sell the end development sites. A tip is to give some background on the person/ company that will sell your site to show their previous experience and success. Remember, the reason behind this application is to give the bank confidence, therefore any positive information you can provide you should include.

• Sale ability. Will this development sell? Is there any evidence that what you are proposing is something the community needs?

• Council approved plans and DA. These help the lender understand what you are planning to build. They can look at the plans, the council approval and see if there are any conditions on the DA.

• Credentials of the developer. Again the lender will want to track down some history from your previous developments. You will also need to back this up. If this is your first development it may be advised for you to team up with someone who has experience. Banks will still lend to a first time developer however they may charge higher interest rates.

What will the lenders look for in my project?

Different lenders will have different criteria and rules regarding security.

However, no matter which lender you use, you must try to look as professional as you can and you must understand their criteria and know what they want.

Generally lenders will look for the following: • The cost and value of the development.

Will the end value of the whole development cover all the expenses?

• Location, location, location! Have you done your due diligence? Is the area in growth or decline and is it really in need of the facilities you want to provide?

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• Credentials of the builder. This is extremely important. The lender will want to do a background check on the builder. Are they financially stable? The last thing the lender will need is for the builder to go broke halfway through the development.

• How easily they can get out of the development. If something goes wrong, would it be easy to for the bank to take it on themselves and sell it?

• Pre sales and pre lease. Because of the GFC (global financial crisis) banks are asking for about 70-80% pre sales.

This of course depends on your lender.

Some do not require any pre sales, they do however charge a higher interest rate.

Again remember that your main aim is to give banks confidence. By ensuring that all those bases are covered, why wouldn’t a bank fund your development?

Mortgage brokers Your knights in shining armour. If you are not the type of person who likes researching different banks and all their packages and special deals (including all the fine print) then a mortgage broker would be ideal for you to work with.

They have all banks, lenders and all their loans and packages right at their fingertips. A mortgage broker will be able to listen to your situation and what you need and pick the right lender to suit your scenario. They can help you structure a loan that benefits you.

Having a mortgage broker will make the whole application process ten times easier especially if you are a first time developer.

At this stage, you now know that when it comes to financing, banks are not all that big and scary. By borrowing from them, you are both helping each other create wealth. Although banks want you to borrow from them, you still need to give them confidence that you will be able to get out of debt.

Next issue I will cover Step 5, Planning Permission, where it is time to get into action and gain approval to commence construction. TB

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W E A L T H :

SHARES

Why I Came Up With

Share Renting

Jamie McIntyre is founder of 21st Century Group of Companies.

21stcenturyacademy.com

The concept of share renting had been around for years before Jamie McIntyre coined the phrase. In this issue’s column, Jamie writes that while little is known about share renting it can be very profitable.

I

coined the terminology share renting almost a decade ago because I wanted to teach everyday people one of the most profitable and realistic strategies that can, over a period of time, enable the average Australian to replace their income.

The concept has been around for some years, but so few people have heard of it, let alone use this investment strategy; in the past it has been reserved for rich, sophisticated investors.

People such as Rupert Murdoch have made millions by using the share renting strategy, so I thought if it works for the super wealthy it can work on a small scale for the average investor.

Ten years ago if you asked someone if they’d heard of renting shares, their response would have been ‘You must be confused with renting property’.

Not even many stockbrokers knew about the strategy. Actually some are still ignorant about it today.

So I coined share renting as a layman’s term to enable mum and dad investors to be able to grasp it within a few hours of learning the strategy, saving them from being daunted by it.

There are two ways to make money: 1. Working for money, i.e. a salaried job.

2. Having your money work for you.

Renting Shares is one of the simplest ways to get your money working instantly for you.

Since creating the terminology and teaching Australians the strategy for the last decade, it has now become a mainstream strategy and more and more people are becoming less daunted by it. TB

"I coined share renting as a layman’s term to enable mum and dad investors to be able to grasp it within a few hours of learning the strategy, saving them from being daunted by it.”

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W E A L T H :

YOUNG RICH

Learning From the

Young Rich Part 2

Jack Delosa is the general manager of MBE Education. Jack was recently named as one of the top 30 entrepreneurs under 30. mbeeducation.com.au

Previously in thinkBIG Jack Delosa examined the successes of members of the BRW Young Rich List to gain insight into the strategies they use to build their wealth. Here he continues dissecting the lessons that can be learnt from Australia’s wealthiest entrepreneurs under 40.

G

iven that the combined net-worth of these people is $5.7 billion, I think we can trust that they understand how to make money. We pick up where we left off in the last part of the series at point 4. Let’s first recap the first three points.

1. Think big and start small 2. You're never too young 3. Sometimes you have to do it hard to come out on top 4. Fake it until you make it An important skill of any start-up or small business is to be able to look bigger than you are. Entrepreneurs are masters at giving the impression they are a large organisation, when in fact they live in a studio apartment and had to catch the tram just to meet with you.

Stuart and Nicole Patterson started a building repair business when they were 24 and 23 respectively. They started the business in their rented two bedroom apartment. Nicole would answer the phone as ‘the receptionist’ and would direct the different calls to 'different people' in a number of different ‘departments’.

Business is about delivery and it’s also about show-business. Thanks to such a convincing performance, Stuart and Nicole have grown Pattersons Building Group into a company with revenues of $42 million per year and 70 staff.

5. Back yourself While Gerry Harvey, founder of Harvey Norman, was closing down stores throughout the year to cut costs, Nigel and Tania Austin, co-founders of Cotton On, were opening three new stores a week over the '08/'09 financial year. This aggressive approach to capturing market share has paid dividends for Cotton On. This is not to say that had Gerry Harvey opened up more stores rather than shutting

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them down, his wealth would have dropped less than $400 million in 12 months. It is to say that there is always more than one approach and being greedy when others are fearful, can pay dividends in the long run.

Nigel and Tania Austin have seen their wealth jump from $125 million to $156 million, doing just that.

6. Focus on the people Cotton On’s growth is highly aggressive, to the point of criticism by commentators who say that the growth is not sustainable.

However, Nigel says that it’s the people in the business that have been able to ensure they have met their aggressive growth targets. “We spent a lot of money on management training to make sure our people have the right skills to drive growth.”

7. Have clear targets Due to the dip in the economy over the last 18 months, most entrepreneurs have failed to hit their financial targets. However, in business as in life, it’s the goals we choose to set for ourselves and live by, that will influence our direction more than any external factor. It has been said that what lies in front of us, and behind us, is far less important than what lies within us.

As Shaun Bonett, who is number five on the list says, “I’ve found it makes me focus on managing for the longer term. It also helps to make all the challenges you are going through at a time like this feel like a worthwhile learning experience.”

Each person on the Young Rich List started out with a deliberate plan, however small it may have been. Whether they started in their rented apartment or started by doing their own books on their girlfriend’s computer, their achievements came from deliberate decision making backed by action. TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

What do fast-growth companies do that you aren’t doing - yet?

Would you like to grow your revenue and make your business outrageously profitable without working yourself into the ground?

Dear Entrepreneur, We both know that starting and running a small business can be a long, hard slog at times.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve done more than a few 80 hours weeks since you started this journey. And perhaps we’ve both told ourselves, “that’s just what it takes to get a business of the ground and grow it into something truly successful.”

That’s true...up to a point. Few market-dominating, industryleading, wealthy businesses have ever been started without a lot of sweat and hard work by the founder.

But you can only do so much, and there comes a point early on where the business needs to grow beyond your own efforts. At that point you face a choice, with two options in front of you: 1. Leverage through people: you can grow by hiring a lot of employees, and deal with the challenges of recruiting and managing a much larger team—and the much larger wages bill that comes with it.

2. Invest in systems: you can automate your business as much as possible, drive up your revenue per employee and profit margins together, creating a truly scalable business with the foundations for much more growth in the process.

We’ve taken the automated software systems that we created for Universal Events, and made them available to other entreprenurial businesses for an affordable monthly subscription through I.T. on Tap. To date, several dozen entrepreneurs have used our systems for online marketing, sales, operations, and admin to transform their established offline businesses into automated revenue machines.

If you’re ready, we’d like to offer the same to you.

• If your business has 4-45 employees • If you think you could bring in a lot more customers by executing the right Internet marketing strategies • If you’d like to cap or reduce labour costs in your business while still growing revenue rapidly ...then you’ll want to take a closer look at I.T. on Tap—the diagram below will give you an overview.

Of course in time you’ll probably do both, but here’s a secret that most entrepreneurs don’t learn until much too late: Put good systems into your business early—long before you probably think you’re ready—and you’ll set yourself up for shorter working hours, a lot less stress and a ton more profit.

My wife Karen and I have had one of our businesses, Universal Events, ranked on the BRW Magazine Fast 100 list for the 3rd year in a row this year. It’s been one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in Australia in 2007, 2008 and 2009. At one stage that business grew 16 times in only 3 years—that was a wild ride and not always fun either!

Let me tell you that at times it was tough holding the business together while it expanded so fast. We had challenges with hiring and training people quickly, maintaining customer service standards and staying sane while we did it.

The key to making it work for us was an early investment in systems.

Right at the start of our growth, while the company was still only 5 people, we experimented with technologies, we started leveraging the Internet, we spent a fortune with programmers and we made the business highly automated. Revenue per employee (a muchoverlooked metric in my book) increased 2.7 times.

Now you can automate your business in the same way...but without making the mistakes along the way that we did and without spending anywhere as much money to get the same result.

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Contact us and join a free webinar to learn more, have a noobligation discussion about your business, or try us out with a 30 day free trial.

Talk to you soon!

Ken Wood Chief Tap Turner I.T. on Tap

www.ITonTap.com • 02 9925 8007 • info@itontap.com

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W E A L T H :

Lachlan Elsworth is managing director of Traders International Australia and New Zealand. tradersinternational.com

E-MINI

Day Trading Q&A Lachlan Elsworth shares with us some little known truths about the huge advantages of E-mini Futures trading over almost all other forms of trading.

1. What are the key ‘home truths’ that a new trader should consider when starting day trading?

Simply put, there are three. Firstly, if you are considering day trading, try to avoid the fancy ads and the sales hype and instead focus on selecting a trading method that offers you simplicity and complements your trading goals. New traders have many reasons for starting to trade and the most common I find is a second income stream. Traders are looking for a genuine opportunity to make money and the fastest way to this goal is simplicity and great mentoring.

Simplicity will allow you to understand a strategy quickly, helping you to become

educated in the strategy and build your confidence in your ability to use that strategy live in the market.

Mentoring is second. Ensure that your educator provides a virtual one-on-one mentoring function live in the market so that your questions can be answered when you need it most, live in the market.

Thirdly, and most importantly, ensure that the strategy being used has been successful for over three years and that it works across multiple market conditions. A live trading room results record should be publically available on respective websites. If not, ask for it prior to signing anything.

2. Are there some key advantages to look for when considering day trading in the markets?

There are huge advantages if you know where to look. Trading an E-mini Futures contract, when compared to more widely advertised trading instruments like CFDs (Contract for Difference), Options and even Shares, offers multiple advantages to new traders.

When evaluated against other instruments, E-mini Futures trading offers very low entry and exit cost, great earning potential, great leverage, no interest charges, almost 24 hr/day trading, no time delay on your position and minimal complexity.

$2.50 USD Exit and Entry!

Cheap Trading = More PROFIT!

Figure 1

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E-mini Futures trading allows new traders to effectively cut out the middle men and instead trade direct into the market when they choose to. Cheap trading with an entry and exit fee as low as US$2.50 is a smart trading tactic. Why pay retail when you can pay wholesale almost 24 hours per day?

3. So what is an E-mini and why is it gaining such popularity so quickly?

An E-mini is a Futures Contract that allows Day Traders the opportunity to trade the world stock indexes such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones and NASDAQ. E-mini's are traded on daily basis and the contracts start as small as US$1,000.00 USD. These contracts are traded electronically using a trading platform on your computer (see fig. 1).

Daily Trading on the US E-minis exceeds US$40 billion dollars per day. The trading technique was launched by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and is now regarded by leading financial experts as one of the most successful financial products ever launched. One of the key reasons for this is that an E-mini can be traded in both directions, meaning that a trader can benefit from a rising and falling market equally.

signal set will tell you exactly when to get into the market and where to get back out. This kind of mechanical exit and entry has a very positive effect on your trading psychology as it helps to limit your emotions while trading. The more mechanical you can make your trading the better.

I recommend you start with a strategy that has been proven over multiple years and in many market conditions. The last 18 months is testament to how much the world financial markets can change without notice.

5. Should everyone be Day Trading E-minis?

Absolutely! I think E-mini trading offers almost any person the opportunity to make money trading regardless of the background. Day trading allows you to get your life back from the 9-5 grind of a regular job. Good traders get to spend more time with their family and friends, along with having more time to do what they want when they want. Trading is for anyone who is committed to achieving a great goal and is willing to do the hard yards to get there. TB

When you first learnt to drive a car, you had an instructor.

Trading should be no different if you are serious about your success!

4. What does it take to learn a strategy and is a ‘system to follow’ important?

Learning a strategy takes a steady hand and the ability to control your emotions.

That, in itself, is no small feat, but emotions (specifically greed) are one of the toughest obstacles every trader must master.

Smart traders who are keen to be successful will always systemise their trading as much as they can by looking for a well defined signal set, on a specific chart, and they will always do this under the supervision of a professional trader or trading team.

Once a strategy has been tested and has proven successful it serves as a great foundation for a trading system.

Systemising your signal set and trading strategy allows you to inject a degree of certainty into your trading.

How, you might ask? A good www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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W E A L T H :

ETF

Is the Managed Fund Industry Scott Goold works for Lifestyle Investor Services and writes books, as well as developing software and training courses which provide simple principles that help clients invest online with confidence. lifestyleasset.com

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Dying?

Something shocking that consumers don’t know is that fund managers consistently perform worse than the index they are supposed to beat.

I

f you are a consumer investing your superannuation or savings with an active fund manager, then you are probably paying fees to a financial institution that is doing a worse job than if you simply bought and held a selection of stocks.

The latest Standard & Poor’s Scorecard of Managed Funds states: “The S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index has outperformed 63% of active Australian equity funds over a five-year time horizon”.

What about fixed interest or bond funds?

Remember for most conservative investors, this is where they are often recommended to hold the majority of their superannuation. That same report says: “…the index outperformed over 85% of active funds in both the three and fiveyear period.”

These results are pretty consistent over time and across fund managers worldwide if you look into a broad range of support.

What makes me angry is that these managers earn extremely high fees for what anybody would state is terrible performance. The problem is that until recently, consumers haven’t had an alternative. Sure, some fund managers outperform the index, but to find one who consistently does this is difficult and there are so many factors to take into account that you almost need to be an expert to analyse it all.

However, for the majority of us, there is now a competitor that has some serious advantages.

This is the ETF or exchange traded funds.

ETFs are growing at such a pace that in the next few years there will be more money invested in them than managed funds.

Exchange Traded Funds are simply stocks that you can buy and sell every day on an exchange that invest in other companies, bonds or commodities. They are designed to track an

index and have significantly lower fees than a managed fund.

Fees on ETFs are often around 0.5%, whereas for a managed fund you are looking at 1.5%, 2% or even more. Let’s say you have $100,000 invested in super—this makes a difference of $1,000 in fees each year—and what are you getting for it?

ETFs have significant other advantages for most, everyday people. Any good broker should advise his clients to use stop loss orders. A good advisor/dealer will show you precisely how to do this and this will give you a clear advantage over fund managers. If there is a market crash, a stop loss order on an ETF will exit you as soon as the market trades below a certain price. This is an advantage you definitely don’t have with a fund manager.

So why haven’t you been advised of this in the past? Financial institutions make so much money in fees that they actually want to keep you in the dark. There is so much money to be lost from educating you how to invest in ETFs, that only a handful of people in the industry know anything about them.

Overseas investors are already using ETFs in a big way. There are some great ETFs available in Australia, but to get the best returns and have the biggest possible choice, you need to access the US market. Does your fund manager allow you to invest in Small Cap Brazil, Chinese Real Estate or Inflation Protected Securities?

Fund managers simply can’t compete, except by reputation with the new breed of advisor that teaches people how to control their own finances through ETFs. These in turn, result in lower fees, better returns and more choice.

What are you waiting for? TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

“The PercePTion SoluTion”

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• A Virtual Office user can reduce their environmental impact, as well as the personal negatives of a daily commute.

• A Virtual Office blends home and work to gain efficiencies in both. Office expenses are low, while the user’s professionalism retains the IMAGE of a traditional, high cost office.

• A Virtual Office can allow for low-cost expansion with no long term commitments.

• A Virtual Office mostly eliminates the traditional burden of health care, payroll, insurance, and rent also traditional time off (sick days, holidays, personal leaves etc • Expand hiring choices and provide a more comfortable working environment, less stress and a more balanced lifestyle while increasing productivity with time and money saved.

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On 12 January 2010, the small island nation of Haiti was rocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0. The tragedy brought to attention the poverty, lack of water and basic sanitation and desolation in which the people of this once popular nation reside.

Today, as the clean up continues it is important that world bodies think bigger than ever to fix infrastructure and ensure that the human cost of this calamity is never again so severe.

T

he Haiti tragedy brought out the likes of Beyoncè, Bono, ‘Brangelina’ and myriad celebrities who put their names and considerable star power to raising money for medicine, food and building supplies.

Celebrity conscience has its place and in most cases does a great job raising awareness for the ‘cause of the day’, however something more profound needs to be done with the money raised than the stop-gap solutions adopted by governments and world governing bodies. We need to think bigger.

Millions of dollars are needed for the immediate distribution of medicine, clothing and housing; some short term remedies are necessary for immediate survival, yet, when the dust has settled, what will have been achieved?

The problems exacerbated by this natural disaster are deep rooted and while good intentions and fundraisers go a long way to rebuilding basic structures, the world needs to look at long term solutions to issues such as sanitation so that infrastructure is also attended to.

Unfortunately, this is more difficult than it sounds as the World Health Organisation (WHO) maintains strict rules about entry onto a roster which includes

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both specialised training by WHO and an ability to travel at very short notice.

So what needs to be done? Firstly, the delivery of basic services is paramount.

Heading this list is water infrastructure, then reconstruction.

Water sanitation and services are problems that affect many of the world’s poorer nations. 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation, leading to five million deaths per year. The biggest problems are in the rural areas where slum dwellers are deprived of basic city services such as sewage treatment and water delivered through pipes.

Unfortunately, even if water is available through ground, spring or river, there is no infrastructure to farm it. As resource management is a political issue, and with politics in Haiti somewhat undermined, this causes further problems.

According to World Bank chief executive, Robert Zoellick, Haiti ‘remains a country with some of the worst human development indicators in the world’.

Bryan Schaaf spent more than two years, from 2000, working in the Haitian Appalachia with the Peace Corps. Schaaf gained experience with water projects taking note of what worked and what

failed. “Haiti is strewn with water pumps that no longer work,” he said.

In an interview Schaaf conducted with takepart.com he says the “sanitation situation in Haiti is pretty deplorable. If you live in a city you have better access to sanitation without a doubt than if you live in a rural area. Imagine a community that has access to water, but doesn’t have access to sanitation, that’s pretty much a recipe for not having access to clean water.”

Schaaf put this down to the absence of government leadership. He said that while urban areas have programs, rural areas are neglected and there is no sound vision for what water systems should look like.

Mention was also made that if you want to talk about water, you have to talk about sanitation and hygiene. “If you are not doing that you are not getting you’re maximum impact from your water project,” Schaaf says. “It’s important to think about sustainability from the onset.”

This is exactly what aid organisations and governments must do in light of the current Haitian situation. In developing countries such as Haiti, up to 90% of diarrheal illness, a leading cause of death can be attributed to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

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The statistics in Haiti present some calamitous results. Twenty-nine percent of Haiti’s total population (2.3 million) does not have access to potable water and this was before the earthquake. Even when a public water system is available, many have to travel long distances to collect the water and still it has to be purified.

In addition, potable water is not free, for the 80% of Haitians who live in abject poverty the cost of clean drinking water is a significant challenge.

In the past, organisations such as International Child Care have dug wells to provide potable water for entire communities. They have also constructed latrines for individual families. The local community is responsible to provide materials such as sand, gravel and blocks, while the ICC provides the blueprints and supplies such as cement, tin for the roof and PVC pipe. The ICC then pays local labourers to construct latrines under the supervision of an ICC employee.

According to water.org sustainable access to such basic necessities will be the area of greatest need as Haiti recovers.

Underground water and sanitation pipelines and concrete water storage tanks are severely damaged. The response of organisations involves the rehabilitation and expansion of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure.”

They need to hurry. Dr Greg Elder, deputy operations manager for Doctors Without Borders says the “next health risk could be diarrhoea, respiratory tract infections and other diseases among hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in overcrowded camps with poor or nonexistent sanitation.”

World Plumbing Council chairman Robert Burgon says the plumbing community is currently doing what it can despite WHO restrictions.

“WPC members, like the rest of the world, were shocked to see the tragedy which resulted from January’s earthquake in Haiti. Those of us who live in countries where these events rarely if ever take place, cannot begin to imagine the terror and human suffering which arise both at the time of the event, in the days and weeks afterwards and then, perhaps more importantly, in the months and years in which the recovery process takes place.

"In all such disasters, the role of access to clean water and sanitation quickly becomes apparent and Haiti is no

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exception. The reports coming from the aid agencies working there often mention these two issues as priorities. To date, WPC has been unable to find an effective mechanism for direct involvement in such circumstances. We have discussed this on several occasions with the World Health Organization.”

Burgon says the WPC is aware of enthusiastic volunteers in previous disasters just getting on a plane and going to offer their services free of charge but are conscious that such offers are not coordinated and not always welcomed. It would be good to find a way to use the talents of people in the plumbing industry who would be able and willing to help.

Zoellick agrees, but he says the people who can do most good, the donors and builders, need to stick around after the cameras stop rolling.

In a recent Age article Zoellick wrote: “Haiti can’t be reconstructed by wellmeaning outsiders. Donors must work with the Haitian government and people.

And the government and parliament must show leadership and a commitment to work together.”

Burgon believes that one future solution could be to train residents of poorer nations in basic plumbing and construction techniques. It means if a natural disaster takes place, at least infrastructure would be in place and able to be maintained to a certain level during the crisis.

Unfortunately, natural disasters often affect the poorest countries where, prior to the disaster, water and sanitation facilities were possibly at a level considerably below what would be expected elsewhere. It also seems that whatever solutions are put in place

to support countries affected by such disasters are also at a very low level and of a relatively temporary nature. For example, one element which is often missed is ensuring that the people being provided with water and sanitation have access to skilled people who can ensure that such systems remain effective. Basic training for some local villagers should, in my view, always be part of what is done. The ideal situation would be where lasting solutions, based on sound principles, were provided thus taking the country’s citizens to a higher level than that which they had before the disaster.”

Although this is a monumental task, change can be made. Zoellick makes the point that better co-ordinated aid is necessary, with fewer feel-good projects and “less flag planting.” He says there needs to be “strong oversight, transparency and accountability to instil confidence that the money will be used effectively.”

Sometimes it seems that solutions to problems of a disastrous nature have more to do with how much money can be raised by high profile people than viable infrastructure being built for the future. While monetary aid is welcome, the root problems need to be better understood so that funds are distributed to the areas in which they are most required. Tthe more money poured into infrastructure to rebuild Haiti the better this small country will be to deal with future problems.

So let’s think big about how we spend the money raised by our favourite celebrities and let’s fix the present by securing the future. TB

While monetary aid is welcome, the root problems need to be better understood so that funds are distributed to the areas in which they are most required. www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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T H O U G H T

L E A D E R S H I P

• Edited by Daniel G Taylor

No B.S. Business Success in the New Economy • by Dan S. Kennedy Business owners: would you like to know how to make your business prosper in a tough economy? No B.S. Business Success targets entrepreneurs, both start-ups and established-but-waning businesses.

For the start-up entrepreneurs: “The Decision and Determination to Succeed.”

“The Real Entrepreneurial Experience: Code Red.” “How Do You Know if You Have a Really Good Idea?” “Positioning Yourself and Your Business for Maximum Success.”

It then moves into territory any entrepreneur can profit from: “How Entrepreneurs Really Make Money—Big Money!” “How to Create Exciting Sales and Marketing Breakthroughs.” “Why Entrepreneurs aren’t Managers—and What You Can Do About It.” Dan Kennedy is the first author to have two books reviewed in the same issue of thinkBIG. The reason: no one knows business as well as him. He’s one of the world’s best marketers—and has thousands of clients in hundreds of industries.

Whether you’re in business now and wanting to give yourself new energy—or you plan to launch one—use this book as your business success bible.

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Leadership Mastery

Meltdown

• by Dale Carnegie Training

• by Ben Elton

Would you like to learn leadership from the organisation founded by one of success literature’s greatest leaders?

Leadership Mastery first defines leadership, then moves through some of the challenges leaders face—risks and crises—and situations where leadership is used—organisations. In the last chapter, it shows how to bring all you’ve learned into your day-to-day leadership.

Dale Carnegie is a great leader—and not just because his How to Win Friends & Influence People is an evergreen bestseller. Leadership reaches its truest crunch point once the leader is gone.

Dale Carnegie Training remains at the forefront of teaching relationship skills.

After I read the book, I reflected on a time when I led a team and wanted the team to do things my way. We'd have increased our odds of success if I'd encouraged team members to do things their way.

Leadership is as much art as science.

Leadership Mastery is a solid, nonacademic, and highly practical guide to the craft of leadership, especially in a business setting. Aspiring leaders or experienced leaders will grow in influence from using its ideas.

As you start Meltdown, it looks as if Ben Elton will take the view that rich equals greed, which is bad. So why would thinkBIG readers—rich or aspiring to be—enjoy the book?

Meltdown charts the rise and rise of a group of friends, headed by Jimmy Corby.

Through the economic boom the group sticks together.

Then the credit crunch squeezes— and the group unglues. Some are more interested in protecting their interests than in helping their friends. Each faces demons in the form of consequences from choices they made in the good times.

While those choices are behind them, the consequences affect them now and threaten to ambush them in the future.

As times get tougher for Jimmy and his friends, who will make the right choices?

Who will deny all responsibility?

Ben is a brilliant storyteller because— rich or poor—the characters are everyday people. We can connect to them. We’ve all cut a corner here, told a white lie there. If we had to face the consequences, how would we act?

www.thinkbigmagazine.com

Instant Wealth: Wake Up Rich!

No B.S. Sales Success in the New Economy

• by Christopher Howard

• by Dan S. Kennedy

Would you like to discover the secrets of how the rich think? A glance at the Contents page of Instant Wealth: Wake Up Rich! promises to answer that question. “How to Train Money to Obey Your Every Command.” “What 1,000 of the Richest People in the World Know About Success that You Don’t.”

But does it deliver on that promise?

Absolutely, yes.

Someone has already mastered the wealth obstacle you face. Cognitive Imprinting teaches you to find that person, understand how they think, and then subconsciously program your mind to think the same way. Think like the rich and you’ll find your journey toward wealth propelled at warp speed.

Many success writers tell you that real change only happens when you change from the inside out. Follow Chris’s process for changing from the inside out and success becomes effortless. You may find one day that someone wants to know the secret of your success.

Want to know how to sell in a tough economy? Dan Kennedy starts with “15 No B.S. Strategies for Exceptional Success in Sales, Persuasion, and Negotiations.”

He then shows you "How to Stop Prospecting Once and For All."

Does your sales presentation need work? Read “A No B.S. Start to Finish Structure for the Sale.” What if you’re getting in your own way? “Dumb and Dumber: Things that Sabotage Sales Success.”Or perhaps “My Biggest Secret to Exceptional Results in Selling: Takeaway Selling” will skyrocket your sales?

One area, Dan looks at is listening.

Most salespeople—and customers—don’t know how to listen. Keep two points in mind. 1) People love the sound of their own voice. When you listen, people know they matter. 2) People tell listeners outright how to make the sale.

Follow Dan’s advice and you’ll not only sell in a tough economy, your sales will increase.

Mr. Millionaire • by Fiona Jones Would you like to see how millionaires think? All the Aussie millionaires in Mr Millionaire started off broke, chose a wealth creation vehicle, mastered it, and got rich.

The most famous Mr. Millionaire is Steve McKnight, known for his From 0 to 130 Properties in 3.5 Years. A handful of the millionaires are thinkBIG contributors: Jamie McIntyre (who created his wealth through property, business, and shares), Justin Beeton (shares), and Daniel Kertcher (stock market).

Presented in interview format, Jones asks both the expected questions—and the unexpected. “Do you buy lottery tickets?” “No,” answers Peter Spencer. “I am not the sharpest knife in the draw but I can make a good guess at the odds.”

While the question may seem whimsical, how millionaires think about money—even in the small things—could be the clue you need to change your thinking.

One book advised that you take a millionaire out for a cuppa—and that you pay for it. While that’s still sound advice, with this book, for the price of six cuppas, you get the wisdom of 16 millionaires.

Writer and speaker Daniel G. Taylor reads 52 books a month and writes about them in his weekly newsletter.

Subscribe via daniel@danielgtaylor.com..

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Marty Wilson, keynote speaker, stand up comic and best selling author of What I Wish I Kne frankly a little obsessed with using the wisdom of the past to create your future. Here he spe Stevens, CEO of Roses Only, for the first volume in his What I Wish I Knew Business series, w business people about leadership.

Roses

COMING

I

I walk into the enormous Roses Only Warehouse in Sydney

and straight away it feels like there’s a great big dose of happy floating around. A lot of activity, a lot of people, and they all seem to be having a lot of fun—packing hampers, arranging fruit baskets, tying up flowers (lots of flowers) and they’re all talking, joking and laughing while they do it. I meet the CEO, James Stevens, and (I don’t tell him this but) straight away he reminds me of my dad (who’s a pharmacist) in the way he can manage to hold a decent conversation with you and still keep half an eye out for a customer or staff member who needs helping at the same time. We make our way to

Formed in 1995, Roses Only is the best-known part of a family owned business that brings together almost 40 years of retail and floristry experience. Now Australia’s leading premium floral retailer, they also deliver hampers, champers, chocolates, fruit baskets and now even teddy bears all over Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. But their complete service goes even further, on their website they even offer a superb “Guys Guide to Flowers” for all us idiots.

a back office, sit down and I leap in by asking James if his type of leadership has come from growing up in the family business.

He says, “Yeah, the young James Stevens had business thrust on him from a very early age. Mum and dad ran a little flower shop down in Sydney’s Town Hall Station from 1967. I would go along and sell flowers from around nine or ten, then, from about the age of 11 or 12, dad would send me to other shops he’d set up by that stage to collect takings.

"So I’d go in and take out cash from the drawer, cross check with the manager, then bring it all back to dad to be banked.”

In every moment of every day You've got to decide.

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Around the age of 14 or 15, it was a given that James was leading, or at least managing, by asking staff to do certain things, making them aware that there might be a customer at the front that needed serving.

I learnt very early on the importance of customer service. So I knew to say to staff ‘Do you mind going up in the front and serving someone?’ I suppose they were little things, but I learnt early on that you can’t be shy. You have to make decisions and get things done.”

I ask if there were any decisions he regrets during his lifetime in business.

He pauses then says: “I think in every moment of every day you’ve got to www.thinkbigmagazine.com

ew About Love, is eaks with James which asks successful

UP

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decide left or right, higher or lower, yes or no. There’s always decisions to be made.

It all could have gone a million and one different ways. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but I‘ve followed my gut and just gone out there and tried things from a very young age. So I’m not going to die wondering what might have been.”

If you have a dream, pursue it.

If you have an idea, follow it through.

I ask if this has meant making a few mistakes?

"Of course, you’ve just got to have a go. You can sit here and analyse and analyse and analyse all your life. And I bet my bottom dollar the analysis will still be mostly wrong. But, if you don’t go out there and try it, give something a go.

You’ll mature and learn a lot quicker than if your hand is held the entire time. If you have a dream, pursue it. If you have an idea, follow it through. Speak to as many people as possible and get your thoughts together. But have a go."

Is this one of the ways Roses Only has separated itself from the pack?

"We try new things all the time, and it’s okay that some are more successful than others. We’ve moved out of being just Sydney based, we’ve moved out being just Roses Only, now we’re doing hampers and fruit. Then online came along, now we’re in 30 locations around Australia. In fact, I’d argue that even

right now if we operated a business just in Sydney, we would be much more profitable, but we’re doing this to create an infrastructure for future growth. The most costly thing we’ve done is that I decided to take the business to London and set up distribution over there. Cost a bomb to set up, an absolute bomb. Now it’s a business that generates a positive EBIT. We’re also in New Zealand. I just want to go into new things constantly.

It’s like we’ve got itchy feet, it’s almost an ADD issue with me.”

I Don't think you're going to...be successful unless you put it all on the line.

I say that as a Pharmacist turned copywriter turned wine writer turned Stand Up Comic, turned speaker and author, I understand.

James laughs.“I don’t think you’re going to stand out and be successful unless you put it all on the line. You might create a business, but you’re not going to stand out. You’re also not going to be passionate unless your balls are on the line. (Laughter.) Y’know? And that’s not necessarily money. Your reputation’s on the line, your credibility’s on the line, your…”

He trails off and thinks a bit. “I reckon if you ask a lot of entrepreneurs what their biggest fear is, it’s failing.

You almost come to work not because you want to succeed, but because you desperately don’t want to fail. It’s crazy, you come in here and keep ploughing on through all the tough times just to not fail.”

This is one of my pet topics so I warm to it, and ask “What would you, if you were talking to your younger self or to young people, say about leading a team of people through the tough times in business?”

Get rid of the doomsayers.

ul thing, but I‘ve Hindsight’s a wonderf just gone out there followed my gut and a very young age. and tried things from 70

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There’s been two to three times in my business lifetime so far, when I thought that things were totally on the edge, where we could’ve failed,” James says. “And one of those occasions only happened two or three years ago. I think it’s important at those times to get rid of the doomsayers. Try to avoid the guys and the girls that’ll drain you, there’s nothing

more demoralising than being surrounded by people that aren’t positive. And if they have to be negative, at least make them come to you with their negativity and some solutions.

"If you, as the leader, get really down, you have to make sure that the people around you don’t get that vibe.

You’ve got to be positive, to instil some optimism or confidence in your team. You have to absorb the hurt.”

Short-term wins are great, but long-term relationships build a business.

James says that through those tough times if you’re doing the right thing by the customers, making sure they get good quality product at a fair price, doing the right thing by your staff and being fair with them, being conscious of their individual personal situations, and doing the right thing by your suppliers is making sure that you’re not being greedy and it’s always a win-win, then in the long term you’ll be okay.

"I don’t enter into relationships where I’m not thinking long-term.

Short-term wins are great, but long-term relationships build a business.”

I have one final question and it’s the last question I always ask in every What I Wish I Knew interview. If you could go back and give your eighteen-year-old self one piece of advice, just one, what would it be?”

Be humble enough to surround yourself with good people.

"It’d have to be a few things. I’d say ‘Be humble enough to surround yourself with good people. Smart people.’ I wish I’d brought in more smart people a lot earlier. I would actually go as far as saying that there’s a direct correlation between a good, intelligent team of people around me, and our profit on an annual basis. I reckon I could go back and graph it over the years.

"I’d also say ‘If your gut is telling you to do something, just do it and act on it quickly.’ You’ve ‘gotta’ move quickly.

I think if you’re sensing that, if you’re sensing something’s very right, or sensing something’s very wrong, I think 99% of the time your gut’s right.” TB www.thinkbigmagazine.com

INSPIRING STORIES Welcome to inspiring stories. Each month we’ll take a look at people from around the globe whose acts of bravery, courage, skill, determination and even scientific breakthrough have changed and inspired the lives of others.

HOLD ME CLOSER TINY DANCER

KIND SOULS AT SCHOOL LATE IN 2009, a small private school in Seattle offered a kindness class as part of a larger movement that started more than a decade ago.

Offered online, the class consisted of 250 students.

Andy Smallman, cofounder of Puget Sound Community School in Seattle teaches the school's online kindness class.

Andy began the class believing the best way to learn about kindness is by practicing it.

Along the way, students took emotional risks, repaired relationships, improved their outlook on the world, and realised that kindness is contagious.

Signing up for the class "just felt like the right thing to do in order to step outside of myself and see the world as a helpful, kind place, as opposed to a frightening place," said Barbara Kyllingstad, of Seattle, who enrolled

as a way to combat the isolation she's felt since she was retrenched from her job. "I feel a lot more peaceful and positive about the world."

The phrase ‘random acts of kindness’ first showed up at least a decade ago, a play on the expression ‘random acts of violence’.

Puget Sound Community School's kindness class—now in its 15th year—drew a record number of students in 2009.

Class instructor Andy Smallman, co-founder of the school, calls it a "positive virus."

Smallman offered his first kindness class just to the teens at his school, where creating a nurturing environment is central to the educational philosophy.

It was so successful he offered the second class online, inviting anyone, anywhere, of any age, to sign up. 

GREGG MOZGALA is a 31-year-old actor with cerebral palsy, who is benefitting from the an unconventional method of therapy initiated by a determined choreographer.

The choreographer Tamar Rogoff has created a dance piece for Gregg, changing the way he walks. The pair worked on a dance piece called Diagnosis of a Faun which premiered on December 3 in New York.

“I have felt things that I felt were completely closed off to me for the last 30 years,” Gregg said. “The amount of sensation that comes through the work has

been totally unexpected and is really quite wonderful.”

Cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder in which the brain does not send the proper signals to the muscles, affects gait and other movements. Those with severe cases use wheelchairs.

Mr. Mozgala’s caused him to walk on his toes, lower extremities turned in, seesawing from side to side to maintain balance.

"My knees were going in, my hips were totally rotated inward.

Gravity was just taking me down. So my upper body—arms and chest—

overcompensated, curling back and up.”

When Tamar Rogoff saw Gregg in March 2008 playing the male lead in a production of Romeo and Juliet she knew she wanted to help.

“Every time he tried to move in a way that wasn’t specific to his habitual pattern, he would fall down or just not know how to address it,” she said, “because he had a certain amount of patterning linked to his CP, and I was asking him to step out of these patterns. I realised I couldn’t ask him to do that unless I supported it with a lot of body knowledge.”

She introduced Mr. Mozgala to a tensionreleasing shaking technique, and it was immediately revelatory.

My body just really took to it,” Mr. Mozgala said. “I did that for about 20 or 30 minutes, and when I stood up, I was walking completely differently. My feet were flat on the ground.”

Working down from the sternum, sacrum, knees, Gregg’s body and brain opened paths of communication that had not previously existed. 

Editor’s note: If you know anyone who has provided inspiration or hope to others in life changing ways, we’d like to hear about them. Send a brief letter about the person you would like to nominate and why you think they deserve to be mentioned in Inspiring Stories to: jonathan.jackson@thinkbigmagazine.com.au www.thinkbigmagazine.com

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At MBE Education, we have a comprehensive program that can teach you how to become a Corporate Advisor to businesses.

This is not a license or franchise opportunity.

There are no restrictions Income potential is well above $200,000 per annum. In fact many corporate advisors make $30,000 + per transaction.

A transaction can be completed in 90 days and skilled advisors can manage multiple transactions at one time.

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Learn from industry experts and educators who have combined 100 years of corporate transaction experience and have between them completed over $500m in transactions.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal that of the approx 900,000 businesses in Australia, 22% of owners are aged 60 or over. This means that around 180,000 businesses will change hands in Australia within the next 5 to 10 years as the owners seek retirement.

To learn more about this unique opportunity, please phone or email us for a FREE INFORMATION KIT. There is no cost to enquire and no obligation.

Contact Jack Delosa from MBE Education :

1300 858 418 or email jack@mbeeducation.com.au

“As a corporate advisor,my first transaction was a multi-million dollar deal that evolved into a very strategic joint venture. Since then I have signed up another 6 clients and am in discussion with another 4 clients. Typically I charge monthly retainer fees, the amount depends on the work, which they find is a great investment as it gets them investor or sale ready. Then a success fee of 5-10% of the transaction which is always a multi-million dollar deal. We are getting so busy now that we are going to take on more staff.

There are just so many opportunities.”

-Steve Hobbs, Corporate Advisor

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www.thinkbigmagazine.com

mbeeducation.com.au

y of busine ster ss ma preneursh ntre ip &e

Volume 3.2

thinkBIG

75

When Performance Counts