A FREE electronic magazine... September 24, 2002
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B I G B U C K S I N A B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
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Publisher: Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
"David made over $5 million at home and wants to help you
do the same or more"
Mark Victor Hanson, co-creator of the #1 best selling
"Chicken Soup for the Soul" series
(To be added or deleted from this list, scroll to end for link.)
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http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/secrets/mine1.htm
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TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, DECEMBER 4!
If you have ever wanted to see a total eclipse of the sun, now's the
perfect time to go. It's the last one visible from land until 2006!
If you'd like to look into an exciting African safari and/or cruise
with the added bonus of a total eclipse of the sun, drop me a note!
I can hook you up! mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com
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I n T h i s I s s u e . . .
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1. A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
2. Feature: Article
"THINK!"
3. Feature: "Ask Dave" - Can I help with a business problem?
Staying motivated
4. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
Barking in the middle of the night
5. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
6. Who the Heck am I, Anyway?
7. How to get on or get off of this list
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS to each of your friends who have
small or home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!
(Be sure they know it's from you, or they'll think I sent
it without asking them!) Thanks!
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Copyright (c)2002, A Few Good People, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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11111 A "Quickie" - Personal Observation
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I was feeling a little blue today; it happens sometimes.
Kate had been making some follow-up phone calls to gauge the
effectiveness of my "Be a Nut!" program (see today's "Ask
Dave column"). She got some very nice comments and, when
she told me, I suddenly felt better!
It doesn't take much, does it? Just think, next time I'm
feeling like that I could do something similar ON PURPOSE.
So could you!
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22222 A r t i c l e "THINK!"
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by Dave Balch, The "Stay-at-Home CEO(tm)"
About a month ago, FedEx arrived at our door with a package.
We were busy, the package was sent "Ground" so it didn't
appear urgent, we didn't recognize the sender, and we didn't
think too much about it; we got around to opening it about 4
days later.
It was a box of fruit. Spoiled fruit.
Why are we getting a box of fruit? We didn't order any
fruit, so we figured that someone must have sent it as a
gift. We looked through all of the packing material for
some sort of document but there was none. No clues on the
outside of the box either. There WAS, however, a customer
service number on a bright green sticker.
We called the number but they wouldn't tell us who sent the
package! They said it was for security reasons or some
nonsense like that, so we asked them to find out and let us
know and, by the way, since there was no indication
whatsoever on the box that the contents were perishable, the
fruit was all spoiled.
"We're very sorry, we'd be glad to send another."
One week later they called us back (surprise!) to tell us
who sent the fruit. It was a good friend of mine, so I
wrote to him to thank him for the gift and to explain why we
hadn't written sooner.
Today, about three weeks after we asked for a replacement,
another box arrived. This one was no different from the
first box: there was no indication that the contents were
perishable, and there was no indication that it was a gift
or who it was from. It was just a box with a
customer-service sticker on the outside and fruit on the
inside.
We can all learn from others, right? Here is the lesson
from this one. Ready??
THINK!
THINK about your product and your customer.
These people should THINK about what happens when their
package leaves the shipping plant. This is a perishable
item: they should mark the outside of the box accordingly.
Why? Because both the shipper and the customer need to know
so it will be handled properly. The driver wouldn't leave
such a package in the sun, for example, and the customer
would open it immediately and store it in an appropriate
manner.
They should THINK about what happens when it arrives; what
about the poor soul that ordered this, expecting to be
giving a lovely gift? The recipient was never given even
the slightest clue about who sent it, so it was a big
mystery. The giver never heard from the 'giftee'... what a
way to run a business!
Now let's talk about you... THINK about your product or
service. Really think about it, from your customers' point
of view. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine doing
business with you without knowing all you know about your
product or service.
Are all the bases covered? It is labeled clearly so that
someone who doesn't know what it is will know enough about
what it is to open it?? Your customer may not even remember
ordering it; will they know what it is when they get it?
Maybe your product isn't a hard product but a service. Are
you giving your customers what they are expecting? If the
service is late in it's completion, does your customer know
that and know why it is late?
Put on your thinking cap. It's pretty important, don't you
think?
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33333 "A s k D a v e"
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(Can I help you with a business problem? I will field
business questions in every issue. Send them to
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com )
Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.
Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will help you make "Big Bucks"!
(Maybe not!)
Today's question:
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My question is one of motivation. How to stay motivated
between the time of start-up and the time of real income? I
started my judgment enforcement business in April of this
year and it has stalled. I love the work, I see the
potential out there, but I lost motivation after working for
a few months with no income from the work yet. I must get
back on track with the business. I am wondering if you have
any suggestions.
D.M., California
Dear D.M.
Some thoughts:
1. Sometimes the best way to get more involved in your
business is to get less involved for a while. Take a
break, if not a physical break at least a mental break.
I have found that pursuing my passions OUTside of work
has generated energy FOR my work. Case in point: my big
passion in life is total eclipses of the sun. I love
thinking about them. I love talking about them. I love
THINKing about talking about them! When I don't feel
like doing what I have to do, I just whip out an eclipse
book and thumb through it; suddenly I'm all charged up
and the work is somehow more interesting.
NOTE: I offer a speaking program on that very topic called
"Be a Nut!", where I encourage my audience to pursue
their passions as a way of generating energy in all
parts of their lives.
Do you know of a group that would find it inspiring?
Read the program description at
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/moonnut.htm or order
the audio tape in the Big Bucks Boutique:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm#audio
ANOTHER NOTE: The next total eclipse of the sun is
December 4, 2002. It can be seen in Africa, the Indian
Ocean, and Australia. If you would like to see it,
drop me a note and I'll hook you up!
mailto:Dave@DaveBalch.com
2. Remind yourself what it is that you love about what
you are doing. Be specific. And then concentrate on
doing just that part. One of the things I love about my
work is the technology, so I can get excited by finding
out about the latest gadgets and how they could help me
to do what I do.
3. Visualize your success. Be specific about that, too.
Define what would be success for you and then concentrate
on that image. Sometimes I think about winning the
lottery. I don't play the lottery but it doesn't matter.
I imagine what I would do with all that money and it
perks me up. Weird how that works, isn't it?
4. Can you specialize in collecting certain types of
judgements? I don't know too much about the business,
but perhaps you could pick a particular area such as
dead-beat dads or something like that. Doing that will
make it easier for you to target a market and may
re-kindle your interest because you can focus on learning
that niche and the tricks to collecting from that niche.
5. Be honest with yourself: is there some other area of
your life that needs some work? You might be a little
deflated because of that. Take some time to work on it
and see if you can make it better. If you can, you may
find that everything else is better as well.
6. Offer yourself a reward for doing something that you
need to do but don't feel like doing. It doesn't have to
be big, just a quiet walk would do the trick.
7. Give yourself something to look forward to.
8. Tell someone about your business... talking about
something that you are enthusiastic about will generate
all kinds of energy
9. Review past testimonials or praise from a customer.
That's a good way to remind yourself that you DO do a
good job!
Good luck!
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44444 "M e a n w h i l e, b a c k a t t h e r a n c h..."
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A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"
(Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )
It started about 1:20 in the morning; the dogs started
barking hysterically from the deck. Chris happened to be up
and went outside to see why they were barking and took our
handheld spotlight with her. This spotlight is 1,000,000
candle power - it's pretty bright. (If you shine it at the
moon, the moon gets brighter... I'm talking BRIGHT!)
She was startled at what she saw so she ran in to wake me up
and haul my sleepy you-know-what out onto the deck. She
turned on the light and there they were... three bears!
There were two babies and an adult and they were drinking
from the bucket of water that we placed just outside our
perimeter fence for the wildlife.
They didn't like "being in the spotlight" (sorry...) so they
sauntered off into the forest, but we were pretty excited. In
four years at this location this is only the second time we've
seen bears.
It's a good thing we didn't have any porridge in the house...
Here's an update on the "Great Toad Mystery". (You can read
about this great mystery at:
http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/Newsletters/bucks020910.htm )
Only two nights ago I went to the barn and Barnice was
there. I called Chris and she went out front and there was
Marilyn! Mystery solved: two toads.
-------------------- CHRIS' CANCER UPDATE
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have written with good
wishes for Chris. Her fourth chemo treatment was September
12. It took almost 11 days for her to feel relatively
normal again. We were told that each treatment would be
harder than the one before, and they were right! Besides
the shingles and mouth sores she has been dealing with, she
had extreme fatigue and did a lot of sleeping. Her spirits
are still good and her attitude is amazing. Next chemo is
Oct 3. After that, only one more!!
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55555 A b o u t "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" N e w s l e t t e r
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Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
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My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
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-answer specific questions asked by readers
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66666 W h o t h e H e c k a m I, A n y w a y ?
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I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own home-based
software business and I have a lot to share with you about how I
did it and what I learned along the way. Now, as a professional
speaker, I offer programs that will help you and your employees
"Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your small or home-based
business!
Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions of
the programs and educational resources that I offer.
The "Big Bucks Boutique" offers resources and materials that will
help you "Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your business.
Take a look at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm
AOL users:
<A HREF=" http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/boutique.htm ">GO!</A>
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77777 H o w to S u b s c r i b e / U n s u b s c r i b e
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A Few Good People, Inc.
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Twin Peaks, CA 92391
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