If you're familiar with Star Trek then you know of The Borg.  The Borg were a pseudo-race of cybernetic beings, half human - half cyborg, that were focused on capturing their enemies and forcing them to assimilate.  Assimilation consisted of turning their captured prey into a kind of half human - half cyborg type that only took direction from the mother ship. As they captured their enemies and prepared to turn them into Borg's they repeated "Resistance is futile" .  Why is it that many businesses treat their employees this way?

You and I are 99.99% the same! In fact not just you and I but the entire human race. The code that makes up our DNA differs from one person to the next by only .01% . If that's the case then why are we so different? It's amazing to me to think that 99.99% of the DNA that makes up LeBron James or Steve Jobs is the same DNA that makes up you and I.  Think about that for a minute.  If that's the case then really what is holding you back from achieving the same thing? If we are essentially the exact same then logic would suggest that we should be able to perform, excel and achieve similar status as any other human. Now I realize there are a whole host of things that influence, shape and mold us to be different from one another.  It's not just about DNA. I also know that I am never going to play in the NBA and more than likely will never be the CEO of Apple computer. However if I possess the same "building blocks" as those that have, then I should be able to achieve whatever anyone else has. Whats Holding You Back With so much in common it should be hard not to have a mind set that you can accomplish anything.  But alas that's not what the voice inside your head tells you. You know the voices, the one's that tell you "you can't" , "you're not good enough", "that's been done before" or "that won't work" .  It's those voices that we hear which allow the seemingly inconsequential .01% difference to become a mountain we cant overcome. It's time for you to get up, get out and go after your dreams.  That person you aspire to be like or emulate, guess what, you're already 99.99% of the way there.  Focus your dreams, your goals and your efforts to achieve the things you want. You're already closer than you think. photo credit

Flashing, Flashing, road block ahead! We've always done it that way.  Oh that will never work. No one will pay for content. As an entrepreneur each of is faced with trying to formulate ways of bettering our business. Whether it's increasing revenue, attracting more leads or monetizing new endeavors it's a constant challenge to improve. The problem is we tend to let things get in our way. Many fall prey to the belief that "the past dictates the future" or  the belief that they just can't come up with ideas, however that's not the real issue. Your ability to change, evolve and grow your business has nothing to do with good ideas.  In fact if listed the ideas you'd probably have so many that you'd get overwhelmed at where to start. Your lack of evolution has more to do with the culture of your company (and industry) then your ideas. Whether your a lone entrepreneur or a small business there is a culture ingrained at your company and within your industry.  Your ability to constantly push, lead and evolve that culture is paramount to your success. The Last Breakthrough Idea Print media is facing a complete metamorphosis of it's an entire industry.  Here is paragraph from a recent article by John Byrne, past executive editor of Business Week As John Gardner once observed, most of the things that prevent the renewal of an organization can be found in the mind. It's not a matter of new ideas. "There is usually no shortage of new ideas," wrote Gardner in Self-Renewal. "The problem is to get a hearing for them. And that means breaking through the crusty rigidity and stubborn complacency of the status quo." Yet the rules, customs, and procedures in organizations always favor the past. That's why culture trumps strategy all the time. The cultural cues are that print (the past) is more important than digital (the future). Read that paragraph again and ask yourself if your allowing the status quo to derail you from your goals. It may be a bitter pill to swallow but the road block you face may be yourself . The Next Breakthrough Idea Face it, we all harbor old habits. We tend to hang onto things of the past and sometimes that clouds are ability to really breakthrough to that next level.  Stop that kind of thinking today and embrace a culture of change.  Weaving a culture of change into your personal and companies DNA is core to embracing new ideas and avoiding road blocks.   The business world evolves at such a blinding pace you have to not only be prepared for new ideas you have to completely embrace them. Hanging onto something just because "its always been that way" is a sure sign of future failure. What do you think? photo credit

Sometimes when I'm in my car If I'm not listening to podcasts, audio books or talk radio I will turn on a little classical music.  It helps me stimulate my creative thinking.  Now I know absolutely nothing about classical music I just happen to like listening to it. The other day I was driving and listening and the radio host announced that the next piece would be from Mozart who composed it in 1786.  Are you serious, 1786!? I told you I know nothing about classical music.  To think that I'm driving down the highway listening, and enjoying I might add, content that was produced nearly 225 years ago is amazing to me! It got me thinking, is there anything I'm creating that will be of value in the year 2210? The answer is yes and no. I'm certainly no Mozart and therefore I'm confident that people will not be reading this blog or watching my videos as a point of reference some 200 plus years from now.  However I can say yes, everything you do affects your legacy and focusing on your legacy leads to success today and value for tomorrow. Why Legacy Is Important It's how you will be remembered when you're long gone.  It's your opportunity now to do things that will last for much longer. So make your decisions, create your ideas and operate your business with the long term in mind.  Many businesses and entrepreneurs focus on short term gains at the detriment of long term legacy.  Many are interested in quick results and instant gratification. Whether it's growing your business, generating wealth or just growing your social media presence you should be approaching each with a long term vision. In fact a very long term vision.  The daily decisions and actions you put out into the world add up to determine your legacy.

A group of inmates in Tampa, FL (coincidentally my hometown) have started a company making hot sauce aptly named Jailhouse fire.  I'm not sure what excuses your using for not having started that business idea you have, but my guess is incarceration is not one of them. Besides the fact that this is a unique business I believe there are several things that we can take away from this example to use in our own business ventures. 1) Use your differences to your advantage. What makes this hot sauce different from the rest is that its made by inmates.  They are obviously using this difference, even highlighting it, to gain an advantage over the competition. 2) Don't let your circumstances stop you. We all have challenges that keep us from going and doing exactly what we want to with our business ideas.  However, don't let those derail you or worse stop you.  Most things can be overcome with some creative thinking. 3) Turn you negatives into positives. There are going to be negatives that we all have when compared to our competition, turn them into positives.  Smaller than the competition? That allows you to move quicker.  New kid on the block compared to the entrenched competition?  You bring a new fresh perspective to the industry.  Not as much money as the competition? Requires you to be creative, find cheaper ways, work harder with less. 4) Have a story. This is a must if you are going to succeed as an entrepreneur. You must have a story.  How you came up with your idea, what make you different.  People remember stories and yours needs to be an integral part to your success.