entrepreneur: six figure solopreneurs: the common link

What do 6-figure solopreneurs have in common? Is there a formula, a secret code for success? Probably not, but I’ll bet that they do have a number of things in common. To discover some of their common qualities, processes, and skill sets, I set out to interview a few solopreneurs whose businesses are bringing in $100,000 or more in annual PROFITS. This series entitled, Six-Figure Solopreneurs: The Common Link, will feature amazing men and women who single-handedly grew their businesses to profitable, meaningful ventures and are willing to share the how and why of it all!

This week’s guest is Sue Berk of Sue Berk Designs, which was founded in 2002 and is based in Dallas, TX. After hand-painting ceramic crosses for several years, the popularity of her products grew quickly, and Sue was overwhelmed with orders. After searching tirelessly for a factory offshore that could duplicate her delicate style, Sue was finally able to mass-produce, and soon was selling her products in over 1000 retail stores and on 20+ websites. New items were added to the collection, such as wood frames, and baby blankets. The collection features 57 ceramic crosses, 6 wooden frames, and 12 baby blankets. Sue Berk Designs products are sold in over 1000 retail stores across the United States, and on 20+ websites.

Q. Do you have a “top strategy” for success that you’d like to share?
A. Don’t ever expect anything to happen without a lot of hard work.

"they always tell me nobody’s workin’ as hard as you
and even though I laugh it off, man, it’s probably true
‘cause while my closest friends out there partying
i’m just here making all of the music that they party to." --drake 'light up.'

entrepreneur: ben huh

while perusing fastcompany's 100 most creative people in business i came across more than several that compelled and inspired me. this one in particular provided a powerful spark and message to and from the young'ns, generation y, the millenials.. about the significance of being an entrepreneur. ben huh, the techie with a bachelors in journalism, explains the parallels between business, creative knowledge + existential philosophy:

Ben is the CEO of the Cheezburger Network, the company behind the hugely popular blogs I Can Has Cheezburger?, FAIL Blog, There, I Fixed It, and more than 25 others. His job is to make the Internet laugh for 5-minutes a day.

this video really helps put it all into perspective for you; well, for me, at least.. first you get the money, then you get the power, then you have the freedom to paint this world a better place.

so..

"i wanna be a billionaire.. so f*cking bad.." --travie mccoy.

100 ppl doing the most.

how to motivate people

the matter of the fact is that we would all love to be purpose-driven. as the video shows, the only way to get there is to no longer be concerned with the money. so like scarface said, first you get the money, then you get the power and freedom to change the world.. my early/mid-twenties age-mates have got to switch up their thinking. we are known as being overly hopeful and optimistic, which i think is great. but first we must get out from under our university debt burdens and become captains of industry to actually start affecting the change we want to see in the world.

"money is the motivation.." --lil wayne 'hustler muzik.'

the happy loser's first sale [the secrets of sales success]

at a party this past weekend i was afforded the opportunity to converse with some friends from high school. of course, inevitably, the subject of selling out came about. this makes perfect sense because most of us are two years removed from undergrad and out in the world or contemplating/finishing graduate school programs. debt and school loans hang leery. my younger brother talked about the choices he had for picking the right law school. another friend explained the $80k per annum pricetag for georgetown law. "suckers.." i thought to myself. im gonna hustle this insurance thing into this empire ive been bullshitting about.. first i've got to close my first deal. "lol."

ever wonder about the psychology of salespersons?? i definitely have. ive found some literature that gives pretty good insight as to the why sales is for me:

Explain the term happy loser.

Salespeople sometimes say to me, "I don't like that you call me a loser." But that's not what I mean. Happy losers are people who see rejection as a challenge. If 95 percent of the time you are rejected, you have to ask yourself, "Why did I choose this kind of life?" The happy loser likes it because 5 percent of the time, he wins. And all those times he loses, he sees as getting to the win.

How did you arrive at the happy-loser archetype?

We always go back to the first imprint: to the first experience in a person's life when he or she creates a mental reference. So we asked salesmen about their first experiences selling -- as children with a lemonade stand or trying to persuade their parents that they don't want to go to school. With the first experience, they feel strong emotion, and emotion is absolutely key to producing the neurotransmitters in the brain that create mental connections. The first time they are rejected is very powerful. What we find with good salespeople is that that first no stimulated them. It didn't make them want to give up. It made them want to find another way.

i knew that i had a bit of masochistic tendencies in my body. im a bit of a glutton for pain/rejection. ask the girl im courting who lives 5000 miles away. anyhow, ive got a few meetings this week. i should open some accounts and close some deals. i am excited.

Beatnik: “You’re in advertising… How do you sleep at night?”
Don Draper: “On a bed made of money.”

entrepreneur: john deal [the supersalesman]

ive completed the prerequisites and am officially starting as an independent insurance agent this week. the last couple of weeks ive been product training, prospecting + strategising. ive got my target market. ive qualified several leads + explored the business connections in my social network.. all that's left is face-to-face meetings + the sales pitch. my goal is $240k in annualised premiums at a commission of 37%. i look forward to working ten-hour days, getting paid same day direct deposit on advanced commissions, helping my family, having free time + finally being able to finance my investment ideas + other entrepreneurial pursuits. i came across this article on inc.com about john deal, the supersalesman..

"You can tell a lot about what you're up against in a sales pitch by the way they serve you coffee," John Deal mumbles to me, as the others in the room noisily take their seats around the conference table at a well-known British engineering and defense contracting company on a dreary day in central England. I take this to mean that Deal has his work cut out for him, given that his prospects have unceremoniously plunked down in front of him a jug of scalding coffee and a stack of plastic cups, with no cream or sugar in sight.

Deal begins making his case to six poker-faced executives, who proceed to blast him with an array of questions that cast doubt on his product, his business plan, his prospects for survival, and possibly his sanity. Every sentence seems to start with, "What I don't get is," or "The sticking point with me is," or "But how can you possibly...?"

Forty-five minutes later, however, the managers have changed their tune. Now they are asking about partnership opportunities and setting up more meetings. Someone has produced cream, sugar, and real coffee cups. It seems like a stunning turnaround to me, but on the train back to London, Deal is less sanguine. "On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means they're handing you a check on the spot, and 1 means they've thrown you out," he says, "that was a 5." Having already seen Deal in action several times, I get his point. Hard-nosed investors, wary customers, skeptical potential partners, distracted politicians -- Deal has an uncanny ability to convert them not merely to interested players but to enthusiastic supporters. And though not all of them are ready to hand over checks, some seem pretty close.

"i have a definite talent for convincing people to try something new. i am a good salesman. when im on form, I can sell anything to anyone." --anonymous traveling salesman.

"im a traveling man. moving thru space and. space + time. got a lotta things ive got to do. but god-willing im comin back to you. im leavinnn-in-in-in-innnn..." --mos def 'traveling man.'

spring = better weather + new gig

think positive.

if you think you are beaten, you are;
if you think you dare not, you don't.

if you think you'd like to win but think you can't,
it's almost a cinch you won't.

if you think you'll lose, you've lost;
for out in the world you'll find SUCCESS begins with a person's will--

it's all in your state of mind.

--anonymous.

it's spring. the long winter is over. ready to get out there and get at. feels like it's been too long coming. that's okay though. i'm once again excited about the future so i cannot complain about none much.