Book Chapters
Coffee Break Wisdom
On Building a Successful Business
by Ron Piscatelli
The following list is of the chapters that are found in this book. Each chapter then has the first full page of the book listed for your interest.
1. Dreaming (chapter one)
When we were kids, we could dream about almost anything we wanted. Life was fun. You couldn’t wait to get up in the morning.
Your life should be the same now. Somehow, somewhere between then and now, we lost that ability to dream. To dream now would make you feel bad, because deep down you don’t know how to get what you want. It is easier not to dream than to feel bad.
On the other hand, if we dream and give ourselves reasons to take actions, we just might find the motivation to act. I have no doubt that if people really realized that by doing certain things they could be rich beyond imagination, they would do those things. They would do things like marketing door to door, 100 homes a day.
A man in real estate in San Diego makes a million dollars a year on commissions by religiously knocking on the doors of 100 homes a day. The amazing part is that he does not speak English.....
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2. Values (chapter two)
A value is an aspect of life that we treasure in our lives. Values differ for everyone. You cannot force your values on others. The best thing you can do is discover which ones are important to you and how they effect your life. Each day you need to live your values. This creates a situation where you can pursue happiness. You are doing what’s important to you. Plus you can discover if you are now following your values and if any are in conflict with each other. For example, if one of your values is freedom, you certainly would be in conflict if you were also chasing fame. You would lose freedom of a private life. If one of your values is quality of living and your definition of that term is I love to golf, then living in San Diego might serve you better than living in a snow climate. If you love the 4 seasons as your definition of quality of living, then you might live in New England. Quality of living would extend...
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3. List one hundred things you want.
(chapter three)
This chapter, like chapters one and two, is about letting go and making a list of any other thing you would like to do. Many things on your list may take time to achieve. Say you want to visit every NFL football stadium in the USA, and want to attend a game. That may take 10 years even if you had all the money and time in the world. As you make your list you will notice items that are simple and can be done now. (Examples: ride a horse, picnic on the beach and watch a sunset, drink a glass of wine, be with your family, make a toast about something and throw your glasses in the fireplace.) The idea is to live in the now, as best you can and to do all you can to enjoy your life. So go to the next sheet and write down all you can think of. Come back when other things pop in your mind....
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4. List your hobbies & business areas of interest.
(chapter four)
In this section you start with hobbies. These are activities you love to do. Maybe you garden or you collect stamps. Many times when thinking of a business to be in, this could be the place to start. You are going to have highs and lows in business. We have cycles in everything. We all do well when we are on a high. It’s when we are on a low that we confront the reality that we still have to perform. It is easier to perform on lows when you do what you like. It’s because satisfaction comes from more than just money. Money is the icing on the cake. Maybe if you were always doing what you like, you wouldn’t have a low? Then in the section after that, fill in business areas of interest. Maybe these things you did in the past and were good at or you like them. Again these are there for reference as you build your plan later in this book....
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5. Write your own testimonial.
(chapter five)
The purpose of this chapter is to discover how you want your life to be. This technique has helped me in so many ways. Imagine 20 years from now and you are at your own testimonial dinner. You are going to say things about yourself you would want others to say about you. For business, you would have an associate say things about you. Your goal here is to concentrate on your business portion of your life. This exercise can also be done on any area of your life. I will add a section where this can be done for other areas such as health/physical, family, social, and spiritual. For example, say on your family portion you would like your daughter to say you were her best friend, that you always spent time with her, that you always listened without emotions, etc. Guess how you need to act today? Act as her best friend who spends time and listens. If you want your business partner to say you helped him become a millionaire, then you need to help him do that now. The point is, by going ahead to your testimonial dinner, it will provide you with a blueprint on how to act today....
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6. Three basic areas of business.
(chapter six)
Business
is basically broken down to 3 areas.
1) Your Product
or Service.
2) The Marketing
and Sales department.
3) The Accounting
and Financial department.
Like a three
legged stool, each area of expertise
must be equal in length or the stool will fall over. So
will your ability to grow your business. If out of
balance, it will fall over....
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7. Write a mission statement.
(chapter seven)
A mission statement is what your company is committed to accomplishing today.
It also declares what the most important aspect of your product or service is, and what your company stands for. Will you be the largest company in town? Will you have the best quality service? A mission statement should be said in one sentence. Let me say that again. A mission statement should be said in one sentence. Here are a few examples. “We give the greatest value... “We are the company with the highest quality... “We provide the fastest service...etc What makes your product or service special compared to your competition? Your statement is the final deciding factor when making business decisions. It is something all employees can refer to when making their decisions.....
For a free mission statement form, hit: Free form now
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8. Write a business plan
(chapter eight)
Writing a plan is simple. It is a plan of what you want to happen and how you plan to go about it. My recommendation, if you are starting out, is to keep it simple. My belief was always that the business had to support itself. I never wanted financing and I never wanted a partner who invested money. I wanted a stress free situation where I made all the decisions and answered to no one. If this is how you operate now or plan to in the future, you should fill out a skeleton plan with emphasis on the marketing plan.
On the other hand, one of the members of my goal achieving group wanted to open a Mexican restaurant. He was 24 years old at the time and of a French background, not Mexican. He never attended college. All he did was work at a Mexican restaurant. He decided to open 5 restaurants, not one. He went out, put a business plan together, and found 2 angels(investors), who put in a couple of hundred thousand dollars. When we first worked together, I asked him how he would respond if investors wanted to know how they would be paid back. At first he said he would say to investors,”When the moon is in the 7th house and Jupiter aligns with mars etc...” In other words, he.....
For a free business plan outline, hit: Free Plan now
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9. Write an organizational chart.
(chapter nine)
Officers and the order of responsibility.
On the following page, is an example of a line of authority in a business. Then on the page after that, is a set of blanks where you can list the officers of the business as if you plan to franchise. The same persons name can be in many boxes, the important part is to know the duties and responsibilities of each position. Then assign a name to the box. Everyone will know their job. Use a pen or pencil, and fill in names in the boxes who hold the corresponding responsibility. This is especially important in a family business or a partnership just as much as a Fortune 500 company.....
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10. How to set and achieve a goal.
(chapter ten)
With a marketing plan or if your duties are to do any other aspect of the business, then you have plenty of areas where you can set goals to accomplish. Goals are short and long term. Goals should be written down. Hopefully you have done that. That is the best way to clear your mind and not forget about what needs to be done.
This goal, is a measurement from a starting point, to accomplishing an effort to a pre-determined destination. On a long term project or even simple projects that may have steps, you should use the following way to organize the steps necessary to accomplish that goal. I use it religiously.
It is a set of blank circles that you fill in. (see the next page) Starting on the far right circle, list your goal. Then moving towards the left side of the paper, list the next logical step to getting to accomplish the goal. List as many ideas as you can, always moving left. No matter if you are setting a goal for a new business, or for an existing one, it starts the same way. Decide on a destination. Then write it on the far right of the paper. Example: Let’s use “writing a book on a business topic” as our model....
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11. Do something every day for your business.
(chapter eleven)
In chapter 10, you set a goal with items you could get done right away. You need to get in the habit that no matter at what point you are, you need to set goals and directions. Then, each day besides doing your normal duties, you have to do something on that goals list. List it in your daily calendar. Treat it as if it is a very important part of your day.
No matter how big the project, working on it this way is the only logical way to approach it. You will always be doing something to move closer to accomplishing the goal.
A great thing happens once you begin. You begin. All projects start with simple steps that lead to other simple steps. Before you know it, the completion of the goal is in sight.....
Start today with buying this book!
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12. Solving problems, with questions and brainstorming.
(chapter twelve).
Ask Questions and Brainstorm. No matter what the problem is, there is an answer. Just Ask! The nice thing about God,(or the Universe), is that we are never given problems we are unable to solve.
The thing about solving problems, is to first place it in question form. Once you put something in question form, the next step in thinking is to answer the question.
It is important to phrase your question so you get answers that effectively solve the problem. Asked improperly, you will get answers that affirm the wrong outcome. For example, Don’t ask, "Why don’t I have more business?"......
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