Business Planning Software

Business Plan for Distributing Food Packets Wins

2009-03-07T10:32:00.001-08:00

Slum dwellers in Mumbai to get nutritious food at Rs 5 7th March 2009
Business Standard - Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
PTI / Mumbai March 06, 2009, IST Five students of city college have come up with a business plan that aims to distribute food packets among slum.

According to the plan, healthy food will be distributed to slum dwellers at a nominal cost of Rs 5. ...

Developing Specific Business Plan and Spell-out your Goals Concretely

2009-03-07T10:26:00.001-08:00

Entrepreneurs discover business opportunities in down economy 7th March 2009
Westport Minuteman - Westport, CT, USA
... Develop a specific business plan-Spell out your goals concretely, your management team, how will you market and distribute your products or services. A business plan will also be necessary when seeking funding. ...

Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest

2009-03-07T10:20:00.001-08:00

$25000 going to Rochester-area startup with top business plan 7th March 2009

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, NY, USA
Startup companies in the Rochester area have a shot at $25000 in the 2009 Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest, which begins accepting contestants today. ...

Five Week Business Plan Course

2009-03-07T10:11:00.001-08:00

Business planning course to support chamber's start-up competition 7th March 2009
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC, USA
CLYDE – Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) will be offered 6-9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays March 23-April 23. This five-week course will be held at Haywood Community College in the Freedlander Building in Room 204.

This course is a timely offering as the Greater Haywood Chamber of Commerce sponsors the fourth annual Business Start-Up/Business Plan Competition with an award made up to $10,000. ...

Online Tool Combines Cash Flow Planning and Goal Planning

2009-03-05T09:08:00.001-08:00

US financial planning software lands in UK 5th March 2009
CityWire.co.uk - London, England, UK
American software provider Voyant claims its new tool will help advisers' clients think about tricky financial decisions and get them involved in the fact-find process.

The online tool combines cash flow planning and goal planning to help advisers and clients make financial plans. ...

A Business without a Business Plan is Antonym for Success

2009-03-05T09:01:00.001-08:00

Antonym of Success

Road map to success 5th March 2009
AsiaOne - Singapore
SOMEONE once said that 'a goal without a plan is just a wish'. It would be reasonable to add that a business without a plan would be a very costly failure.
It is not surprising then that lenders, such as banks, pore over a company's business plan before deciding whether to extend credit, and on what terms.
So what makes for a good business plan?

SCORE Helps you Start a Home Based Business from Scratch

2009-03-05T08:45:00.001-08:00

SCORE helps entrepreneurs chart course for business 5th March 2009
Charleston Post Courier - Charleston, SC, USA
... "They give you an idea of what to do: make a business plan, a financial plan," Pinckney said. "It was a huge mountain (starting a business from scratch). They kind of gave me a road map of what trails to go on." ...

New Clinical Trial Portfolio Planning Software Launched

2009-03-05T00:09:00.001-08:00

ClearTrial launches clinical trial Portfolio Planning software 5th March 2009
PharmaLive.com (press release) - Newtown, PA, USA
Chicago, IL – March 3, 2009 – ClearTrial (http://www.cleartrial.com), a leading provider of clinical trial software for clinical trial operations planning, budgeting, and outsourcing, announced today that it has released version 2.7 of its market-leading ClearTrial clinical trial software, which helps biopharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations (CROs) accelerate and improve the planning and execution of their clinical trials. ...

Marketing Plan Starts with Simple Farm Product List

2009-03-04T23:58:00.001-08:00

Marketing Your Farm 5th March 2009
HobbyFarms.com - Mission Viejo, CA, USA
Agritourism, breeding stock, fiber, yarn, fresh or prepared food products or farm related services-the list of potential income streams for your farm is only limited by your interest, time and imagination. Your marketing plan starts with a simple list of all of the products and services you offer currently or want to offer in the future. A successful plan can help expand your customer base and lead to additional revenue. ...

Business Plan Competition Announced

2009-03-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

UWM senior wins business plan contest 3rd March 2009

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI, USA
By Megan Hupp University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Kevin Schmoldt has won the Lubar School of Business New Venture Business Plan Competition. ...

Rice Alliance adds new prizes to business plan competition 3rd March 2009
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, NC, USA
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has added $173500 in new prizes to its 2009 Rice Business Plan Competition. ...

Business Planning at the Click of a Mouse

2009-03-03T09:43:00.001-08:00

Web sites offer insights into early business planning 3rd March 2009
Jefferson Post - West Jefferson, NC, USA
Information on how to organize and cultivate a successful business for prospective entrepreneurs can now be easily accessed through the click of a mouse or the stroke on a keyboard. ...

Planning Starts with a Plan a Business Plan to Run your Business

2009-03-02T08:36:00.001-08:00

SCORE: Why you need a business plan 2nd March 2009
Naples Daily News - Naples, FL, USA
... with the economy spiraling downward, now is not the time to neglect business planning. Perhaps you are making too big of a deal out of developing a business plan. Your plan should only be as big as necessary to run your business. In simple terms, planning starts with a plan. ...

Components of a Successful Business Plan

2009-03-02T08:24:00.001-08:00

6 Components of a Bootstrap Business Plan 2nd March 2009
Alibaba News Channel - New York, NEW YORK, USA
Now's the time for bootstrapping--as in starting a business without outside investors. Despite the big downturn, and a tougher time finding investors, there are still businesses to start based on goods and services people need. ... But here's a question for you: If you're not looking for investors, does that mean you don't create a business plan? Not if you're smart about starting up; not if you want to minimize uncertainty and maximize your chance of success; not if you want to give it your best shot. ...

Join the 2009 Best Business Plan Competition

2009-03-02T08:18:00.001-08:00

Search on for Best Business Plan 2nd March 2009
Cebu Daily News - Lahug Cebu City, Philippines

Undergraduate college students, young professionals and entrepreneurs below the age of 40 are invited to join the 2009 Best Business Plan Competition, an award-winning annual program of the Junior Chamber International (JCI).

This year, the Manila Jaycees Inc., in cooperation with the Zugbuana Jaycees, is bringing once again the competition to motivate the participants to compose a business plan that involves a significant impact to society. ...

Well Researched Business Plan Secures Funds

2009-03-01T13:45:00.001-08:00

How to research your idea and write a business plan 1st March 2009
Startups.co.uk - UK
If there's one thing life teaches us, it's that you can never plan for everything. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Having a well researched and logical business plan will not only get your venture off the ground but keep it on track when it is up and running. ...

A Business Plan Gives You The "how to" Conduct Business

2009-03-01T13:39:00.001-08:00

Why is a business plan important? 1st March 2009
Examiner.com - USA
A business plan is important for both start-up and established businesses. A business plan gives a company a game plan on how to conduct their business. It provides a company with a measuring stick, a way for an organization to look at what their projected versus their actual costs, expenses, profit and loss. ...

Scammers' Stimulus Business Plan

2009-03-01T13:27:00.001-08:00

Scam artists already using the stimulus plan as bait 1st March 2009
Boston Globe - United States
Scammers being who they are - those with a business plan built around conning others out of their money - are now seeing the federal economic stimulus plan as a hook to rip you off. It is an ideal setup: everyone knows the government is putting gobs of money out there, but most people aren't too sure about where it's coming from and how to get it. ...

Life Trick

2009-02-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

Life Trick
Burke Franklin Blog
The man who didn't stop three feet away from gold, went on to build a business for himself. Empowered with a business plan building software for all fields.

Business Plan Secrets to Succeeding in Troubled Business Times

2009-02-27T14:21:00.001-08:00

Developer of the Certified Business Plan Gives Secret to Succeeding in These Troubled Business Times 28th February 2009
PR Web (press release) - Ferndale, WA, USA
February 27, 2009 -- The experts may agree that we are in a recession. But when it comes to business Tony D. Smith, Founder and CEO of SoCalBizOps (www.socalbizops.com) and creator of the "Certified Business Plan" (www.certifiedbusinessplan.com) disagrees. And Mr. Smith shares his thoughts for moving ahead in the current business environment.

Importance to have a Marketing Plan

2009-02-27T14:12:00.001-08:00

Lessons Learned: Yoursleepstore.com's Jonathan Juriga 28th February 2009
Practical Ecommerce - Grand Junction, USA
"It is so important to have a marketing plan. Too often I hear of people who fail at the marketing aspect of business because they didn't formulate a plan. But remember, once you make a plan, you have to follow it. ...

Marketing Plan During Down Markets Equals Fortunes

2009-02-27T14:07:00.001-08:00

Starting Up: Tough times are the right time for an integrated marketing plan Liney Liney 26th February 2009
IdahoStatesman.com - ID, USA
One of my favorite mantras is, "The greatest fortunes are made in down markets." A reason for this is that as an economy decelerates, the cost of goods and services required to build a company correspondingly decreases. Among these costs are the media space and advertising services required to market your company. ...

Contents of a Business Plan

2009-02-25T23:43:00.001-08:00

What's in a business plan? 26 February 2009
SmartBrief - Washington, DC, USA
Experts say a good business plan should include an executive summary, a description of the company, biographies of key team members, a market analysis, strategies for marketing and growth, and potential funding sources. ... Business Plans: Your road map to success

Selling Businesses New Software Systems During Downturn Economy

2009-02-25T03:37:00.001-08:00

Hawking Open Source in Tough Times 25 February 2009
TechNewsWorld - Sherman Oaks,CA,USA
When budgets are tightening pretty much everywhere, selling businesses on new software systems is not an easy job. However, open source development and support firms are using the world's economic malaise to underscore their value propositions, hoping cash-strapped companies may give free software a closer look. ...

Business Planning Crash Course

2009-02-24T09:28:00.001-08:00

Business Planning: Look Before You Leap 24 February 2009
Entrepreneur - USA
"Building a business plan is a lot like planning a long cross-country flight as a pilot. You have data that you know for certain such as where you are going, the route to be flown and the basic performance of the aircraft. You are also faced with a set of data that is less certain–the forecast weather, potential equipment failures, your own fatigue level, etc. ...

Torrid Technologies 2009 Retirement Planning Software

2009-02-24T08:55:00.001-08:00

Torrid Technologies 2009 Retirement Planning Software Lets Individuals Verify Retirement Finances 24 February 2009
Send2Press (press release) - Torrance, CA, USA
The Retirement Savings Planner 2009 from Torrid Technologies (torrid-tech.com) is now available in versions both for professional advisors and for individuals or couples who want to be personally involved with managing their personal retirement planning scenarios. ...

Your Business Plan is the Road Map to Success

2009-02-23T12:57:00.001-08:00

Business Plans: Your road map to success 23 February 2009
MiamiHerald.com - Miami, FL, USA
If you are launching a company, you need a business plan. And to enter our contest, you need a shortened version of the plan.
So let's get started.

You wouldn't run a marathon without doing the proper training, right?
You also shouldn't start a company without writing a business plan.

On the surface, a business plan is a tool to help you pitch your company to potential investors, bankers, employees or suppliers. It helps you say I can do this.

But a plan is also a development and organizational tool for you, because it generates a list of goals to keep you on track. It can help uncover unexpected obstacles. ...

Business Planning Training Courses for Starting Profitable Business - 23/2/2009

2009-02-23T09:22:00.001-08:00

Tri-State in training: Business planning courses offer resources, checklists
Huntington Herald Dispatch - Huntington, WV, USA
Business Planning for Profit is a 12-hour course that teaches the steps of starting a profitable business. The text for the course is filled with checklists, lists of important questions to ask, worksheets, Internet resource guides and more.

One of the main focuses of the course is to help people understand how to acquire funding so that they can get their business started the right way. ...

Business Plan Reporting is Launched - 22/2/2009

2009-02-22T10:03:00.001-08:00

Networked Online Alternative to Business Plan Reporting is Launched, Speeds Funding Process
PR.com (press release) - Levittown, NY, USA
Unismart Capital Software Inc. has launched Funding Roadmap™, the first fully compliant online business plan and due diligence reporting platform for entrepreneurs and small business owners. This revolutionary software is for those individuals and companies that are looking for easy to use web-based funding and reporting solutions. ...

Compare Funding Roadmap to the original Business Planning Building Software!

Take this Business Plan for a Bank Loan

2009-02-22T09:21:00.001-08:00

Have a business plan when seeking a loan
Statesman Journal - Salem, OR, USA
The Small Business Administration does not make direct loans. It does, however, provide loan guarantees for small-business owners.
The process is straightforward, although not without a serious amount of research on your part.
You should take your business plan to a commercial bank for initial review. ...

Check the original business plan builder software to help you out.

How to Start Writing your Business Plan - 20/2/2009

2009-02-20T00:10:00.001-08:00

Critical Steps to Writing a Business Plan Mayer Consulting Services Ltd.
By robmayer
Writing a business plan can be an overwhelming task. These feelings often translate into immobilization or confusion as to how to start the business plan. Starting a business plan begins with the first step:...
...These files can be: paper-based, computer files or set-up using business planning software. As you start the research and collection phase of planning, fill your files with notes and printouts.4. General Industry Overview: Begin the ...

Marketing Plan Software Brief - 20/2/2009

2009-02-20T00:01:00.001-08:00

10-Q: GENEMEN INC.
MarketWatch (press release) - USA
... months our primary objective will be to complete development of our proposed anti-fraud software program, develop and establish our marketing plan, ...

Marketing your firm: A proven process for contractors
SmartBrief - Washington, DC, USA
... As an added benefit, the software allows the user to save the newly developed components of the marketing plan, creating one convenient place for

CrownPeak Launches New Application to Make Landing Page Management Simple
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA
CrownPeak, the market leader in on-demand Website management software announced today the launch of its newest product, CrownPeak Landing Page Manager™ (LPM). ...

Interactive Austin 2009 Educates on the Use of Social Media
PR Web (press release) - Ferndale, WA, USA
Austin, Texas (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 19, 2009 -- Business District Magazine announces Interactive Austin 2009, ''How Social Media Can Enhance Enterprise Profitability,'' a regional forum to discover how to integrate social media, Web 2.0 tools and digital media into the corporate marketing plan to improve profitability. This is the second year that the digital conference is being held. ...

ion interactive Demonstrates Rapid Adoption of Post-Click Marketing With 92% Growth in 2008
PressReleasePoint (press release) - Madruai, Tamilnadu, India
... With growth like this, it's clear marketing professionals in industries across the board recognize the value of a cohesive post-click marketing plan, plus need the tools and expertise to carry it out." ...

Venture Vendors

2008-09-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

In the early days at JIAN, we put our manufacturing out for bid with the up-front requirement that we got 90-day payment terms. We didn’t have the luxury of a line of credit at the time, so our vendors were going to have to carry us. We figured they were motivated enough to get the business and that we could convince them to extend an outrageous credit line to us. It worked, and it turned out to be worthwhile to our vendors. In a sense, our vendors were our partners in our venture.

Two things are important about this arrangement. First, we were up front by saying that we couldn’t pay for 90 days. Some people wouldn’t be honest about their ability to pay, yet they would drag their payments out 90 days anyway. That’s not fair to the vendor. The other important thing we did is that we knew we were going to be a good customer for our suppliers for a long time, not constantly shop around to chisel their prices. Both of these issues were driven and have been rewarded by karma.

Many people have developed a perception that business is evil; profit is evil. Someone gets rich at the expense of someone else. Given that thinking, when I become wealthy, a lot of people are going to think I ripped somebody off. You can become wealthy, feel good about what you’ve done and have other people feel good about you as well. An example: I agonized for quite a while about whether or not I should buy an airplane. I’d wanted one since I can remember, I had the money, and I could even legitimately use it in my business.

If I bought a plane, I thought everyone would think, “This guy’s got no brains. We need to spend the money on practical things for the business. What’s he doing buying an airplane?” But the actual response from people was, “We have the money, we can make more money, go buy an airplane.” (One person told me, “You’ve been killing yourself for seven years—you deserve an airplane.”)

I was the one thinking that I should be more practical. I was the one embarrassed that buying an airplane seemed decadent. The truth is that people want to associate with other successful businesspeople and they’re happy that I have an airplane. The perception becomes “This guy worked his ass off so he bought himself an airplane. He must be successful.”

So it’s crucial that you live your life with integrity—day in and day out, moment by moment. As the years go by, you’ll develop and maintain your reputation, so you might as well build a reputation for integrity. Down the road, when someone wants to make a deal and must decide who to do business with, you’ll be the one likely to be chosen because that person trusts you. Wouldn’t you rather be bitten in the butt by a future like that?

Business Black Belt Notes

When ‘shit’ is happening, consider it a loud message upon which you must take immediate corrective action.
Integrity is what you do, even when nobody else is looking.
The universe eventually gives you what you deserve.

Click here to learn more about Business Black Belt or to order a complete hard copy version for yourself or a friend.

Continue... to Chapter 7: Focus on Your Goal, Not on How You’ll Get There.

Sometimes Karma is all you’ve Got Against Insurmountable Odds.

2008-09-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

JIAN has had some big companies take a run at our products and even try to put us out of business. They failed. I think it’s because we were doing the right thing and they weren’t.

It is tempting to take shortcuts, such as making something cheaper, because they surface all the time. You think you can make a bigger profit by taking something out and people won’t notice. Big mistake. People do notice. God is in the details. I want people to say about JIAN’s products and service, “Oh, they put [x] in there—that’s good. I like these guys.

”Subtle and simple things are powerful. These are the very things that compel people to tell their friends to buy your product or use your service: The investment in quality will make your marketing efforts go 10 times farther. That experience of doing the right thing is underneath it all. I think the fact that I haven’t been blown out of the water or had things go wrong is because possibly Nature is in support of that fact.

Contrary to the cliché, genuinely nice guys always finish first or very near it.

— Malcolm Forbes, publisher

You win and you win big when you play straight. There’s always trepidation when someone buys a big ticket item like a car or a house. But if you’re the salesperson with the good reputation, people are going to buy from you. In the past, it has seemed like only the bullies and liars got ahead, but now we’re seeing that that’s not true anymore.

As a buyer at The Sharper Image, I always went with the salesperson who was straight with me even though others had what looked like better deals. When push comes to shove in a competitive field, people will go with the ones they can trust (or wish they had). There’s too much at stake.

Continue... to Part 3: Venture vendors

But Could you Get Away with it?

2008-09-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

I grew up watching the same kind of TV shows everyone else did. The good guys always catch the bad guys in the end. But I couldn’t help thinking, “If the bad guys hadn’t done [x], then they might have gotten away with it.” For the longest time, I saw myself with some of the capabilities of the bad guys. Although I’d never done anything really bad (let alone worth a TV script), I was sure I could get away with a lot. As long as I didn’t get caught, I thought it would be OK. But then I began to wonder why things would go wrong for me. I started to trace whatever it was that went wrong back to a time when I did something similar or was somehow responsible in some way—something I did or didn’t do, something I said or should have said. Only then did I realize that I actually was responsible—was the source—for what happened to me. I realized that I’m always getting caught. No matter what, somehow Nature is always working to keep track of me and my actions.

Your integrity is really what you do when nobody is looking. “If I don’t get caught, maybe I can get away with it” is not the point. It’s up to you to monitor your own integrity because, if you don’t, people may get a bad feeling about something you’re doing even though they may not be able to put their finger on it or tell you they don’t approve (especially if you’re the boss). So it will seem (only to you) as if you’re getting away with it, but eventually your evil deeds will reach critical mass and ‘shit will happen.’ You’ve seen this happen before. Some businesses go down the tubes because the people take too much advantage of their position (sexual harassment cases are simple examples). Actually, people are looking or will eventually discover the truth. Most people are onto these guys and eventually karma comes to bite them on the butt. Your choice is future respect or shame. And, once you are shamed, can you ever really get your integrity back?

Continue... to Part 3: Sometimes karma is all you’ve got against insurmountable odds.

KARMA: Your Cosmic Credit Report

2008-09-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

It takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.

What goes around, comes around. It starts with you-—even if nobody else is looking.

A poor credit report stays with you for seven years no matter how good you’ve been lately. Eventually, you may catch up with your bills and develop the habit of paying everyone on time. Eventually, the old you and the evil things you did and said will wear off. However, each new infraction goes on your credit report and stays there for another seven years, so it’s crucial to keep this thought in your consciousness at all times.

kar •ma (kär’mõ) n.

(Hinduism & Buddhism) The total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person’s existence, regarded as determining the person’s destiny.
Fate; destiny.
Informal. A distinctive aura, atmosphere, or feeling.

I use the first definition of karma, although much of the world probably uses the second—which seems like so much is out of your control. I think you have tremendous control over the quality of your destiny.

I think we are here on Earth to learn and to advance our spirits. I’m using my business as my primary learning ground, but learning is everywhere and in every situation. Learning is not better or more meaningful if it is painful or requires more effort. Pain and effort are merely side effects of avoiding your lesson. Do you need a quadruple bypass to change your eating habits or can you begin eating healthier foods and exercising right now? Must you go out of business to learn how to run a business? These messages and lessons just seem to get louder and harsher until we catch on. If you learn immediately (and that means apply the knowledge), there is no reason for increased pain.

In life, “shit” doesn’t just happen. Shit happens when you’re off the path and not looking at where you’re going. Shit happens when you need to learn something. It’s just a message that’s gotten louder so that maybe this time, you’ll get it and act upon it.

Continue... to part 2: But could you get away with it?

Opportunities Await you.

2008-09-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin.

Many outrageously successful businesses are founded simply on a paradigm shift. Likewise, many golden opportunities are missed simply because of a knowledge block. Look to understand the premise on which someone is presenting a concept to you. Just ask, “What paradigm is this based on?” or “Where are you coming from on this?” Then you’ll have an idea for his or her basis of thinking and you can begin to understand the person’s position.

To really be ahead in the marketing game, you need to know which paradigms your customers believe. You’re not going to readily unstick them, but you can build perceivable bridges from your product to their needs. The tubeless tire, cordless phone, and business plan on diskette all created a bridge between a perception, a product, and a need.

Share this concept (and this book too) with your friends and associates. Remind each other of potential knowledge blocks when you don’t openly accept and consider each other’s ideas.

Shifting paradigms doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with or accepting something, but at least you’ll be able to grasp its meaning. As you read on, you may need to shift your paradigms as we get into some other interesting subjects.

Business Black Belt Notes

Knowledge blocking is the learning disorder of the very intelligent.
The more people know, the less receptive they may be to new information.
To get through to someone, say, “Let me shift your paradigm.”
How does new or different information contribute to or update what you already know?
We believe lies because they are what we want to hear.

Use your assumptions as the basis for pointed questions to find the real truth.

Click here to learn more about Business Black Belt or to order a complete hard copy version for yourself or a friend.

Continue... to Chapter 6: KARMA: Your Cosmic Credit Report

Learning is not a Zero-sum Game

2008-09-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

You don’t forget one thing for every new thing you learn.

You’d think that. . .

Paradigm paralysis and knowledge blocking are also responsible for our belief in lies. We can be so caught up in how we think things are or should be that we overlook obvious evidence to the contrary. Think about it. People could tell us anything as long as it went along with our preexisting notions and we would believe it. How many times have you asked a salesperson a question and they responded with a knee-jerk “Yes, it will do that.” Did they even hear the question? Was it important that they respond accurately? Do they want to make the sale? Do they care about their credibility? What do you want to hear? Usually, I have something at stake when I ask a question and it’s important to get a good, accurate answer. Don’t be too quick to accept an answer just because it sounds right. You might ask, “Where does it say that in your literature?” Brochures have been carefully written and reviewed. If a product or service will do something, the brochure will most likely state this. (Incidentally, your own literature should keep your own salespeople honest. Also, contracts should contain everything you, as the customer, have been told verbally.)

Continue... to part 7: Opportunities Await you.

The Learning Disorder is a Double-edged Sword

2008-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

You may be the person blocking new information. You may also deal with someone who’s blocking information. To understand that you’re blocking ideas is great—you’re now aware of this “knowledge block” syndrome. But now you’re dealing with 99.9 percent of the planet who are blocking information like crazy and you’ve got to get through to them. How do you do that? It’s almost impossible, because they don’t see things the way you do. I think I’ve have found a simple and effective solution.

If you say, “Let me shift your paradigm (or assumptions) for a moment.” The listener may realize that you are coming from an entirely new angle. His or her defenses will temporarily stand aside. Your listener’s shields can come down and he or she can be open to hearing you. If the person doesn’t understand what a paradigm is, explain it. Now, your listener is prepared to look at things in a different way. He or she doesn’t have knowledge built up in your paradigm, clogging receptivity to you, it’s only built up in his or her own. So when you offer the opportunity to see things through a new lens, nothing will block the view. (Be sure you wait for the person to get with you. Listeners need a minute to disassemble their knowledge blocks when shifting paradigms. Then you can get through to them.)

Sometimes paradigm shifting means breaking the rules. Are these rules really hard and fast? Is this really a law of physics or nature we are limited by?

In BizPlanBuilder, we followed the general layout for financial projections, but by using the power of spreadsheets, we could include many more useful percentages, ratios, and projections. Why not provide the analysis investors and bankers are looking for? Before the power of spreadsheets, this work seemed more trouble than it was worth, but now it’s easy to do—so we pushed the envelope.

In many cases, paradigm shifting has turned out to be very profitable. A world of opportunities lies out there in other paradigms that most people will never allow themselves to see. After reading this chapter, you can make more of an effort to unblock new knowledge and free your mind to learn and absorb new ideas. And now you’ve got a tool to help you deal with the 99.9 percent of the planet who are using what little they know to deflect anything new.

Continue... to part 3: Learning is not a zero-sum game.

Business Planning was a Bitch

2008-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

The next paradigm hurdle we needed to jump was that writing business plans usually involved reading many books on the subject, gathering a number of actual business plans, highlighting the best parts, taking notes, writing—just getting ready to start writing your business plan was a monumental task. No wonder nobody wanted to write them!

The concept of using a software package to write a business plan was a new idea. I had to convince people that finally it could be easy, even fun.

Thinking with a new paradigm might make something better or provide a solution to a problem. Perhaps you have a product or service that people can really use. Maybe you’ve identified a need and you can clearly see how to fill it. But it’s possible that your potential customers are so caught up in their way of thinking and their way of problem solving, they can’t see what you’re offering them. People who invent or sell something new often face this sales challenge.

Today’s fact becomes tomorrow’s misinformation.

— Alvin Toffler, Author

Continue... to part 5: The learning disorder is a double-edged sword.

Show Me.

2008-09-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

What people really want in order to write their business plans is an example to follow. Their biggest problem, they told me, is staring at a blank page not knowing where to start or what to say. My concept was almost too obvious. Having been in the computer business for many years, I almost missed it too. When I sold computers early in my career, many customers complained that they had just learned how to use their electronic calculators, which are not much older than PCs. So I thought about what people were most familiar with now—word-processing and spreadsheet software. Most people had just learned how to use them and they were familiar applications. Why not give businesspeople something they could use that would take advantage of the software they already knew how to use? My product would work with any brand of word processor or spreadsheet. Earlier in my career, I constantly dealt with compatibility issues. “Is it Macintosh or PC compatible?” My templates had to work with both systems so the answer could always be “Yes, just tell me which one you want.”

Continue... to part 4: Business planning was a bitch

History is Full of Examples

2008-09-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

In 1967 the Swiss actually invented the electronic watch. But the big watchmakers of the world (in Switzerland) at that time dismissed the mechanism because it had no hands, no main spring, no gears, or no winding. According to the watchmakers, it wasn’t really a watch! Tragically for them, the Japanese, who had no ingrained paradigm for watch making, stole the market share for electronic watches.

When it dawned on me to create a business plan template to enable people to use their computers to develop their business plans, a number of business planning professionals told me it would never work. No expert system software could really make the decisions to write a business plan for you. That was and still is true, because the previous software people were trying to use a computer program to write the business plan. Their paradigm involved complicated computer programming and they couldn’t see how you could effectively create a business plan with it. My paradigm was different. Why not just give people a complete sample business plan already typed and formatted in word-processing and spreadsheet files? Our programming simply helps users select the section they want and prompts them through filling in all the information specific to their business. They could use any word processor or spreadsheet program to simply import my text files, and then edit them any way they want, but my method works in spite of the previous experts’ warnings. And since they weren’t originally my customers, it didn’t really matter.

Continue.. to part 3: Show Me

There are a Variety of Ways to Look at the Same Thing.

2008-09-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Imagine the starship Enterprise, in anticipation of an attack, with its deflector shields up. It takes a lot of energy to maintain the deflector shields. We often use our existing knowledge as our own deflector shield, defending our knowledge, paradigm or opinion. And that requires energy potentially useful for other things. It may be difficult to realize that the basis for your existing knowledge may have changed or may have been incomplete when you drew your original conclusions, but remember to consider it as a possibility when you see an argument brewing—and use that energy instead to enlighten yourself.

Look at it this way: Often, you’ll have pieces A and B of a subject and someone else will have pieces C and D. You’ll both argue the differences of A and B versus C and D instead of sharing each other’s information to end up with A, B, C, and D. Instead of thinking “I already know that,” think “How does that contribute to or update what I already know?” The idea is to expand each other’s wealth of knowledge and experience, not to negate it.

Continue... to part 2: History is full of examples

Why Smart People Don’t Learn So Well?

2008-09-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

At a certain age, people’s minds close up; they live on their intellectual fat.
— William Lyon Phelps

Learned people often unconsciously use their existing knowledge and data to block anything new coming in. This keeps them stuck and makes them a challenge to communicate with. Here’s what to do.

Are you or anyone you know too smart to learn something new? Let’s deal with this subject right up front in case it applies to you. If you’re reading this book, you’re obviously looking for some answers and good ideas you can use and you’re probably pretty bright. But you may have a problem.

Smart people gather information and remember it. And usually what we are taught is based upon a particular premise or set of facts. As we learn and master the information, the original premise for that information remains as its foundation or paradigm.

Believe it or not, smart people are often afflicted with a severe learning disorder. You’ve seen it before. I call it the learning disorder of the very intelligent. The existing knowledge on a given subject blocks the new knowledge from coming in. And knowledge blocks are due to stuck paradigms.

For example, I have a degree in economics, the science of efficiently allocating scarce resources. The paradigm of economics is that resources are scarce. With that fundamental premise, how can someone talk to me about unlimited prosperity? I’ve been trained to believe that resources are scarce!1

If you were to tell me, “You have plenty of resources,” I filter it through what I already know about economics. The more I think I already know, based on my knowledge of economics, the less receptive I am. “Waddayamean? Resources are scarce!” I resist your point of view as well as any evidence to support it. I don’t (won’t) learn from you. Instead we argue. My existing knowledge has become the basis for my inability to learn—my learning disorder. I’ve built my knowledge on my paradigm of how I think things are or should be. That information clogs my filter and prevents new information from getting in.

Continue... to Part 2: There are a variety of ways to look at the same thing.

Does this Happen in Business?

2008-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Does this happen in business? All the time.

Most people stop asking questions too soon. “Let’s get to the answer. Let’s cut to the chase.” We have answers to all kinds of things, but we don’t ask enough questions. We don’t spend enough time finding out what the problem really is. If you have an hour to solve a problem, take 45 minutes to figure out exactly what the problem is. If you ask enough questions, you’ll get a look at the whole situation. You’re not just holding onto the elephant’s trunk, you’ll have gotten a good feel for the whole animal. Given a clear understanding of the problem, you’ll be surprised how the answer appears almost like magic in the last 15 minutes.

I find this to be true in devising our marketing strategies and developing our products. We go through everything and really lay out the whole problem. Amazingly, the whole answer just develops itself and a consensus evolves naturally so everyone can buy into the solution.

In the past, I would explain a problem to my family, friends, or business associates, and they would immediately leap in with a solution. How could they know the answer when they hadn’t gotten all of the problem? As a result, I learned a variety of techniques to get people to listen to me before they interrupt:

“There are several facets to this problem. Please listen to all of them so you will understand.”
“I haven’t explained this out loud yet. Please let me stumble through it completely so I don’t lose my train of thought.”
“I need you to allow me to fully explain the situation before you consider the possibilities.”

Clarifying questions are OK. In fact, they’re encouraged. At least someone is trying to better understand the situation.

This process doesn’t have to be time consuming. If you’re bashful about asking tough, probing questions, you’ll waste more time second-guessing yourself and your assumptions than you would take to just come straight out with your questions.

You wouldn’t want your doctor to start operating before he or she was certain what was wrong with you and had considered the options. The doctor could diagnose many things but first must narrow the problem down precisely. The time it takes is worth it.

Business Black Belt Notes

Spend 75% of your time asking questions and clarifying the problem.
Explore all angles of a problem.
Request that others allow you to complete your explanation before asking questions or making suggestions.

Click here to learn more about Business Black Belt or to order a complete hard copy version for yourself or a friend.

Continue... to Chapter 5: Why Smart People Don’t Learn So Well?

We’re Full of Solutions Looking for Problems

2008-09-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

A good answer evolves from many good questions.

If I had two hours to solve a problem, I would spend the first hour and a half asking questions and questioning assumptions—mine and those of everyone involved. I’ve found that often the solution will reveal itself easily once the problem has been fully and properly identified.

Let’s take the question thing a step further. When our grade school teacher asked a question, we were rewarded for being the first to answer. We knew that whoever was the fastest would get all the credit and look the smartest. Many of us are still racing to be the first with a solution so we can get all the credit for solving the problem. In doing that, however, we make many mistakes and overlook potential problems.

Most of us are too quick to come up with answers. We kick ourselves later for wasting time and money. We don’t spend enough time and effort unfolding the whole problem. We’re too busy trying to quickly find any solution.

In our haste to do it fast, we stop asking questions too soon. If you’re really in a hurry for an answer, you’re not going to explore all the angles of a problem. Take more time to ask more questions.

Remember the story about the five blind men and the elephant? One leaned up against his leg and thought the elephant was a tree. Another grabbed his trunk and thought he was a snake. The third man held the elephant’s ear and thought he was a bird. The fourth one felt his huge stomach and concluded it was a whale. Finally, the fifth man caught the elephant’s tail and thought it was a rope. They each touched only one part of the elephant, and because they were blind, they were unaware that the rest of the elephant existed. They argued among themselves, each certain that the others were wrong, none of them aware of the complete animal.

You can’t just touch the trunk and blindly come away with a complete understanding of an elephant. To get a good idea of the whole animal, you’ve got to walk around it and touch it in many places. And don’t just assume that the elephant is gray. Ask someone who can see from a distance. Making assumptions and jumping to conclusions could land you in a heap of elephant dung.

Continue... to Part 2: Does this happen in business?

What do you mean by that?

2008-09-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

What do you mean by that:

My favorite question to ask is: “What do you mean by that?” We all use the same words, but sometimes with different meanings behind them, especially when somebody uses a 'three-dollar' word. The person may sound very intelligent, but I’m not really sure he or she even understands what the word means. Maybe the word stands for definition number one in Webster’s Dictionary, and I’m thinking of definition number two or three. What does he or she mean by that word in the context of our conversation?

Take for example, the word "cost." A friend of mine told me, “I bought this at cost.” I wondered, whose cost? The manufacturer’s cost? The distributor’s cost? The retailer’s cost? What does cost really mean here? There are many price points and middle parties in the product chain, so what price and cost are we talking about here?

In business, I believe that just about any question goes, except, of course, the illegal questions that you can’t ask in interviews. But when talking about how you’re going to do something with a contractor, partner, whomever, you need to ask a lot of questions.

You might want to ask someone, “How do you make your money on this?” It’s amazing how people find ways to make money or make deals that will generate income in different ways for different parts of their business. In a business deal with someone, this question is very appropriate. You want to know what someone is going to do or how he or she will respond in a particular situation.

It all has to do with where your question is coming from. If you really want to know because you find it interesting or the knowledge would be useful, that’s OK. Avoid asking questions just to make someone look bad or to embarrass them. Use that as your gauge to know if your question is appropriate or not. You can ask or say just about anything as long as your motive is clean.

Business Black Belt Notes

If you need to know, you must ask the question.
Use assumptions—yours and theirs—as the basis for your questions.
If you’ve got a question, go ahead and ask it.

Click here to learn more about Business Black Belt or to order a complete hard-copy version for yourself or a friend.

Continue.. to: We’re Full of Solutions Looking for Problems

About the author and reprint permission

Burke Franklin is the originator of the popular BizPlanBuilder® business planning software and the founder of JIAN (jee’on), the company behind a suite of successful business development software tools for Windows & Macintosh. Burke was elected to White House Conference on Small Business and nominated for Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Burke is also an instrument-rated pilot, and a second-degree black belt in TaeKwonDo. Burke’s highly praised book, Business Black Belt draws parallels from the martial arts and is rich in hard-won advice for building and running a business today.Permission granted to reprint this article in its entirety with no text alterations. You must include this byline in its entirety, plus, if it's to be posted to a web site, an active hyperlink to www.JIAN.com. (However, you may become an affiliate and insert your affiliate link to JIAN.)

I Can’t Believe You Asked That

2008-09-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

You can ask or say just about anything as long as your motive is clean.

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Asking the right questions is the key to getting the most useful information and validating assumptions. First, let’s identify a simple problem most of us are afflicted with: the need to be polite. When I was a little boy, my grandmother told me that there are three things you never ask a woman:

how old are you?
how much do you weigh?
how much money do you have?

I learned then that you never ask people certain questions. Of course, these became the three most important things I wanted to know. The subject probably surfaced when I asked one of my parents’ friends how much she weighed. She must have been huge and I just wanted to know... (It’s amusing how kids have no problem asking questions, until they get the idea that it’s bad.) We grow up learning that there are questions you don’t ask and things you don’t talk about. In fact, over time you learn that you’re better off not asking any questions at all for fear of making a mistake, committing some kind of social faux pas, or causing an embarrassing situation.

In business, the inability to ask probing questions can kill you if you don’t ask crucial questions for fear of offending someone. You really have to ask the kind of questions that may seem offensive or distrusting:

“What’s your experience on this project?”

“How do I know you can come through?”

“What is it about your experience that makes you the best person for this project?”

“How can you prove to me that you know what you’re doing?”

When I was hired at The Sharper Image to be the electronics buyer, I had to prove that I had a sense of what would sell. The VP of Merchandising simply handed me a copy of the catalog and asked me to look through it and guess what sold. He had the sales reports so he knew exactly, but all I had were my instincts. There was no bluffing here—either I had a feeling for it or I didn’t. He was making an important hiring decision and couldn’t afford to fool around. As it turned out, my guesses were very accurate and I even singled out the worst selling item in the catalog. I passed the test and got the job. If your prospective employee is for real, he or she won’t have any trouble answering tough questions.

“Have you done this project somewhere else and been successful?”

“Who can I call as a reference for you?”

“What happens if you die?” (I ask this of contractors.)

That last one usually draws the response “Why are you asking me that?” Here’s my reason: We were using an accounting software package and, while waiting for version 2.0 to be released, the programmer dropped dead of a brain aneurysm at his desk. No one else knew how to complete the project! Now I always ask, “What happens if you die?” We even include provisions for death in some of our contracts.

They may seem like questions you’re asking because you don’t trust the person, but you still need to ask these questions to fill in the background. Plus, you want to hear how someone else answers—so you’re not specifying how you want something done.If you have a problem or an interesting project, ask someone how he or she would handle it without your direction. Get a feeling for how the person would do things if you weren’t there watching or giving direction. (Remember: The idea is to someday be at the beach while other people are managing your business the way you would, or better!)

If we’re afraid to ask questions, we end up making assumptions. You have probably already heard that, to ASSUME means to make an ASS out of U and ME.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary:

as•sump•tion (a-sump’-shun) n.

The act of taking to or upon oneself.
The act of taking over.
The act of taking for granted.
Something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof; a supposition.
Presumption; arrogance.

I hate it when I make a deal with or hire someone only to find out that their work ethic or sense of quality isn’t even close to mine. Now I ask beforehand, “What’s your motivation on this project? What does a good job look like to you? What will this look like when it is complete?”

An assumption is a thought about the way something is or what someone thinks without any specific evidence. The trick is to recognize an assumption when you make one. Ask yourself if a fact has been specifically stated or specifically written somewhere. If not, you’ll go off half-cocked thinking a certain way. This is dangerous, but you have a simple way out. When you find yourself making an assumption, stop and turn the assumption into a question. (“I’m assuming you will build this gizmo using 4130 Chromoly steel, is that right?”) That way, you’re not mistaking an assumption for something real.

If the assumptions are wrong, all that follows is wrong.

— Mark Affleck, author & business consultant

Continue... to part 2: What do you mean by that?

Beware of extremes

2008-09-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Beware of extremes

In the past, I’ve often used examples of extreme situations to illustrate a point. The mistake I made was not to state that it was an extreme example of how something is or might be a worst-case scenario that only happens one percent of the time, or has a 1-in-10,000 chance of happening. Instead, I used an extreme example without qualifying it, mostly just to be funny or gross. The problem was that people mistook me or developed a perception about me that I was negative or off the wall.

While we’re on the subject of credibility, I’ll address sarcasm. You may use sarcasm to be funny. Maybe you think that you’re above it all; your off-handed sarcastic commentary demonstrates such mastery of the subject that you can afford to be funny. The danger with sarcasm is that people often cannot distinguish it from your true intent. They may take you seriously, with detrimental implications, or perceive that you’re a jerk. I discovered this when someone was sarcastic with me. I wasn’t sure what he meant. I didn’t get it. From this experience, I realized that I was sarcastic a lot of the time, and I realized why people weren’t paying attention to me or understanding what I really meant. If you’re always joking, when do people take you seriously? Besides, sarcasm is usually negative and puts people off.

Remember, qualifying your advice will keep you conscious of the quality of the advice you are giving; if you can’t qualify it, then it’s probably not worth mentioning. This will prevent you from steering people wrong, being taken seriously when you are joking, or being perceived as a fool when you are serious.

Business Black Belt Notes

Question the source of people’s advice. Are they credible?
Ask, “How do you know that?”
Choose advice givers carefully. Don’t ask everyone for their opinions.
Did the advice giver have a direct experience? How well did it work?
Is this person successful in general or successful with the recommendation?
Pass along the source of your own advice to build and preserve your credibility.
When you are doing the advising, play it straight.

Click here to learn more about Business Black Belt or to order a complete hard copy version for yourself or a friend.

Continue... to part 3: I Can't Believe You Asked That

How I Rate the Quality Levels of Advice

2008-09-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Here’s how I rate the quality levels of advice

Direct experience—the advice-giver was successful, has been doing it for years, offers many variations, and can distinguish many nuances in the situation
They were taught by a known expert
They talked to someone with expertise who learned through his/her own direct experience
They observed someone else apply it and succeed
They read it in a book
They overheard a conversation
It seems like a good idea

Above all, the advisor must clearly understand your situation and objectives. A good sign is that he or she takes the time to ask a variety of questions. The ease with which the advisor asks uncomfortable-to-answer questions is a plus. One who leaps to solutions is dangerous.

If they share an experience with you, most people will tell you how well it went. Nevertheless, always ask, “How well did it work for you?” Even if they weren’t totally successful, you can still benefit from the experience they did have by asking, “What do you think would have made a difference?” and “Why do you think that would have worked?”

Your ideas will be accepted more readily if you’ve already demonstrated success by using them yourself.

How to offer advice—-an investment in credibility

Credibility is one of your most important assets in business and in life. Not only do you need to trust others for the information they give you, it’s equally important that others know they can trust you too.

I recommend that when you offer advice, follow it with a statement of how you came by this knowledge. That way, regardless of whether good or bad results come from the advice you give, your integrity is always maintained. “Here’s something I learned from my own personal experience and it might work for you.” At least he or she knows where your information has come from. If you give advice that is just an opinion or something off the top of your head and it doesn’t work, he or she will look at you and say (or worse, think and not say), “Your advice sucks.” “You’re a loser.” However, if you say, “I read this in a book and it worked in this particular context, so it might make sense for you,” at least if it doesn’t work, in all honesty he or she will know that you read it in a book. You’re really not on the hook for this one.

When offering advice, state, “Here’s how I know this. . . .” If you don’t know what you’re talking about, do everyone a favor and keep your mouth shut. Maintain your credibility for the future when it counts. You don’t need to be temporarily impressive at the cost of your reputation that follows you forever.

Continue... to part 3: Beware of extremes

2) Qualify Your Advice

2008-09-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

The Advice You Get and the Advice You Give

A significant component of 'listening skills' is your choice of who you listen to and what you believe.

I recommend that you qualify the source(s) of your advice and in so doing, qualify the advice you get as well as the advice you give.

The cobbler’s kids have no shoes

I learned a few years ago never to take advice from someone who hasn’t been there before. You wouldn’t hire a fitness trainer who is fatter than you are, would you? Leaders must set an example in the area they claim as their expertise.

You’ve heard the saying about the cobbler whose own children have no shoes, meaning he doesn’t practice what he preaches. If the cobbler’s kids go barefoot, obviously he doesn’t care about them, so why would he care about you? And if his shoes aren’t good enough for his kids, why should you buy them? There’s a real problem if someone doesn’t use their own stuff or follow their own advice—especially when they’re offering or selling it to you.

It’s important to get the right advice only from the right people. Unless you’re doing market research, where every opinion contributes, remember to weigh the quality of your advice according to its source. Ask someone in a position of leadership—an active expert in that area. Also, ask more than one expert (a second opinion). And whatever information you gain, be sure to filter it through your own experience and knowledge. In other words, don’t deny or discount your own direct experience. Often, business leaders ignore their intuition in favor of conflicting opinions and, usually, regret it.

In the past, when I had a question, I would seek advice from everyone, regardless of their qualifications on the subject. For example, I would pose a technical marketing question to lots of people. I would weigh their opinions equally no matter what they knew or how qualified they were. On the other hand, I used to give my opinion about all kinds of things only to be upset when people didn’t believe me (even though I might not have known what I was talking about anyway). I should have said, “Look, I don’t know about that subject. I’m not an expert. But if you still want my opinion...

”Unfortunately, many people who have no idea what they’re talking about are happy to give you their opinions anyway. The ones who really make me laugh are the “consultants” who’ve just graduated from school but have yet to get a real job. Don’t ask everyone for their opinions. Just because someone has a college degree, has written a book, or leads a seminar doesn’t mean he or she is an expert. In fact, you may have more expertise than they do!

Asking the wrong people for advice is a big waste of time. And if you take their unqualified advice, it will be a big waste of money too! The time invested in qualifying your source far outweighs the time wasted in recovering from a mistake made with bad advice.

There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.
— Stephen Wright, comedian

There’s a BIG difference between opinion & experience

You must distinguish between opinion and fact. Often, a person offers an opinion but states it as if it were an experience. Many people give advice without distinguishing its quality. You can determine the quality of the advice you receive by simply asking:

How do you know that?

The explanation should give you a good idea as to where the advice sits between opinion and experience. If someone has been through the same situation and appears to be honestly successful, then you can make a pretty safe bet the advice is based on fact.

Continue... How I rate the quality levels of advice

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book (6)

2008-09-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

We enjoy the same problems

This book is written from my experiences, from my perspectives and as I perceived them—the solutions I describe have nothing to do with others. What I write and describe are not about them. They’re about me and my contribution to the situation—good and bad (if you are making those judgments). This book is meant entirely to assist you (if and/or when you might be in a similar situation) to consider some alternatives to maneuver effectively through potentially painful and expensive situations. The reader (you) must not make any assumptions about who or which company I may have referred to as a source of any wrong doing—I make no accusations. No one person or organization can claim credit for providing the scenario I use as my example. (If you think or perceive that it’s you I’m referring to or embarrassing in some way, it’s not; however, I do appreciate any contribution to my learning.) Unfortunately, it often took several situations before I got the message.

Business Black Belt is an outlet for me to share the not-so-obvious and the obvious-if-recognized things I’ve learned or seen in business. I’m going to assume that I’m not much different from you as an ambitious businessperson. I’m sure that my experiences, with variations, will somehow benefit you. To make the most of this book, see how the information, anecdotes, and situations indeed apply to you and your situation.

I’m looking forward to doing business with you some day soon.

All the best,

Burke Franklin

All you need is a good idea...
sell it...
make millions...
and live happily ever after.
— A common belief

Continue... to Chapter 2: Qualify Your Advise

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book (5)

2008-09-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Where the rubber meets the road

This is not a management analyst’s look at business from 10,000 feet. Instead, I look at things likely to happen day to day, Monday through Friday (usually Saturday and maybe part of Sunday), that are going to bite you on your butt and cost you a lot of money—if you overlook them. If I’d had this foresight to do some things differently from the beginning, I’d have saved myself thousands of dollars and many headaches.

At the end of the week when I’m signing a pile of checks with hundreds and thousands of dollars going here and there, I know that every one of them is the result of my past attitude and actions—what I was thinking and doing in a previous moment to create that expense. I’ve enjoyed learning some very expensive lessons. In fact, each chapter in this book cost me from at least $1,000 to as much as $350,000 apiece. After reading all of it, I hope you’ll have profited from my investment.

Continue to Part 6 of : Introduction to Business Black Belt Book

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book (4)

2008-09-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Compete without fear

When you have the wisdom to do business without fear, you also have much more time to think because your mind is not locked by fear. Why fear your competitors? Instead, use them for training, focus, and motivation. Why try to beat up your competitors? Just have the strength not to get beaten up by them.

What I see in business is very much like what I see on TV. Some guy gets beaten up or a woman is molested before the martial arts hero shows up. If the victim had just known some slick moves, he or she could easily have defeated the attacker. In business, you can get mugged, but why not turn the attack into a victory for yourself?

Everyone is in business one way or another. The insights in this book should help you run your business more efficiently, and be street-smart on the job. This book is dedicated to promoting the idea that people work together and do the right thing. How can that not be successful?

Continue to part 5 of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book (3)

2008-09-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

A black belt for you?

I believe that everyone should practice a martial art of some kind—even if you don’t go as far as black belt. The martial arts are a safe channel for aggression and frustration, to train your mind with your body, and to enhance your skill and mental acuity in every other sport and physical activity. You can practice it for the rest of your life. You also won’t be afraid of the dark or anyone in business meetings, big cities, and foreign countries.

You’ll find many parallels between the martial arts and business. To earn a black belt, you must train, persist, and be prepared. You must know what to look for, what to do, when to move in, and when to back off. When you apply the martial arts philosophies to your business, you’ll protect yourself as you practice a healthier, longer lasting approach to successful business. The world at large may not quite be ready for businesspeople who “do the right thing,” so you need to watch out for yourself. But if you do the right thing to make sure that all parties win and generate a nice profit, you can avoid getting beaten up in the process.

Many times in martial arts, the subtlest move can have a major effect. This can be a helpful concept in management, marketing, and sales. Some moves are indirect, some are counter-intuitive. Your opponent zigs, expecting you to zag, but you might zig too. Instead of blocking and moving back, you sidestep and move in. Sometimes you need to be consistent, sometimes you need to be unpredictable. Flow with what’s happening at any moment in time and look for the openings, the opportunities. Sometimes you need to do nothing and let your opponents just wear themselves out. A true master is aware of the dirty game and can defend against the cheaters with dignity. In my Tae Kwon Do (tie´•kwon•doe´) school, we were taught to watch our opponent when we bow in the unlikely event that he or she might try to kick us in the face during what is supposed to be a gesture of respect. When you think, feel, and act like a Black Belt, you’ll have more control of the game and play it your way.

Continue to part 4 Of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book (2)

2008-09-26T04:10:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt: The universal sales pitch

Scare the hell out of your sales prospects and they’ll buy your product or service. How is your underarm deodorant working today? Are you driving the right car? Are you spending too much money?

It occurred to me that many people around me are trying to scare me. Scare me into buying their product or service. Give me bad enough news and I’ll do what they want.

I’m already motivated to take action when something needs to be done. Like most entrepreneurs, I’m not predisposed to sit around, but when I decided not to be afraid, my mind became clearer. I knew what I wanted and how to go about getting it—without being at the mercy of other people’s fears or their projections of fear. The elimination of my unconscious physical fear on my way to becoming a black belt is largely what led to these invaluable insights.

Continue to Part 3 of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book

Introduction to Business Planning and Business Building Book

2008-09-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin

We are limited more by our own thinking than by reality.

I’ve earned a black belt and I’ve built a business. Coincidentally, I started the process for each at the same time. What’s behind the nuts and bolts of success? Much has to do with willpower, luck, and some fortuitous technology, but only a few people have successfully built companies on those things alone. What else does it take, and can that be learned? I think it can.

Since 1979, I’ve participated in over 100 seminars—business, personal, sales, corporate. Some were touchy-feely, some involved screaming, yelling, and crying. I’ve read many of the popular books, listened to speakers and their tapes and videos, but only after building and running my company could I synthesize them into actual, usable direction for you. I’ve applied much of this knowledge and experience to building my own company, and I share with you what actually worked for me. I share selected processes that, from my experience, have had a profound impact on the success of my business. You will be more effective with people and your approach to building your company. These concepts will benefit you as a manager of a start-up as well as a mature company. Also, we’ve built much of this information into the JIAN line of software packages.

The ‘90s are very different than the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, but these years are only a warm-up for the coming millennium. Something big but subtle happened when we turned that last corner. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to apply new ways of thinking—doing the right thing, being supportive of people’s well-being, and paying attention to karma—to business in the ‘90s. (I use the definition of karma from Hinduism and Buddhism. Karma is the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person’s existence that determine the person’s destiny.) No more hype and get-rich-quick schemes. They seem to be back-firing in record numbers. People are smarter and less victimizable. No more anxious pushing to close sleazy deals. They end up costing more in the long run and the lawsuits aren’t worth the trouble and the cost. Any form of harassment is intolerable. Crooked financial schemes are unraveling. Anything less than excellent workmanship is unacceptable.

Continue to part 2 of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book

Business Planning Quote of the Day:

Business plans are nothing … business planning is everything

John Baker