Chinese Bamboo takes 10 years to grow – Would you grow bamboo?

0 comments

Posted on 13th June 2009 by Tony in Business Advice

, , ,

Chinese Bamboo takes 10 years to grow

Chinese Bamboo takes 10 years to grow

We live in a fast-paced world. Everyone wants everything yesterday. We’re no longer willing to wait a 20 minutes for the coffee to brew. Instead we’ll take the Instant Coffee. And when it comes to business it’s easier to take the fast road (even if we don’t know where the road goes), rather than taking a moment to plan.

The problem is that if we, as a business, do not take the fast road, we’ll end up losing business because all our competitors are taking the fast road. We need to be the biggest, the first and the best. Second just doesn’t cut it anymore.

But I don’t know if I can believe in that theory anymore.

I have been involved in Internet Marketing since 2002. That makes me an old-hat at Internet Marketing. In the past there were very few of us, but it seems today that Internet Marketers are a dime a dozen. In fact, they are so cheap that they make my prices look ridiculous. And new customers think I’m nuts.

And then they make all these promises about fast action. Of course, such a thing is possible. I myself made more than R250 000 in one month, and repeated the idea often, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather spend a year or two building a solid foundation so that I earn £20 000 every month on a more consistent basis. (I far prefer earning pounds and dollars instead of rands. Wouldn’t you?)

I was reminded this morning of the stories of Chinese Bamboo Farmers. I don’t know how true the story is but it had deep impact on my life.

The story goes that it takes 10 years for Chinese Bamboo to grow to a height of about 30 metres. For the first 9 years, though, the bamboo will grow barely more than 1 metre (10cm in a year!). Talk about patience! The last 29-odd metres of growth will happen in the last year.

Are you prepared to lay proper foundations? Then again … am I? An interesting question. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Popularity: 8% [?]


If life is a game, do you know the rules?

0 comments

Posted on 12th June 2009 by Tony in Business Advice

, , , ,

I’ve been listening to an Audio CD by Blair Singer called “Little Voice Management” and he often makes references to playing the game.

Everyone is playing a game. The banks have the objective to bankrupt you (they have no desire to see you save or succeed in your business). My Managing Agent (who rent out my properties) has the objective of making sure enough damage is inflicted on my property to send out the repair team (run my her husband) and to make sure the tenant is decent enough for her to collect her collection fee every month.

So what is your objective in the game? What is mine? And do you even know the rules of the game?

I’ll admit. I thought I knew the rules. But I’d been given an outdated copy of the rule book. In my book things like honesty and integrity made sense. Let me tell you, my experience of the banks the last two weeks have nothing honest about them.

This has made me realise. I need to know the rules. I also need a Coach. If you want to excel at a sport, you get yourself a good coach, right?

So that’s exactly what I’m doing. Learning the rules.

My first session with my Business Coach is on Tuesday afternoon. I’ll keep you posted.

Popularity: 7% [?]


No DSL since Saturday. #cybersmart #fail.

3 comments

Posted on 2nd June 2009 by Tony in Random

, ,

I like to think of myself as an easy-going guy. I try not to get in anybodies way as long as you look after me and my kind. I don’t expect too much from you exactly as long as you deliver what I pay for.

Which brings me to my current gripe session: Cybersmart.

I have been with them since 2006. And I’ve recommended their service to countless people, but I can no longer do such a thing. Since October their service has fallen down a deep precipice.

It first started when they reached their capacity. They applied at Telkom and true to form Telkom didn’t deliver. I can understand that. Telkom doesn’t want to see any other ISP grow! Heaven Forbid.

My problem is that my 4MB line (at about R550pm) was performing worse than my mate’s 384kbps line at Telkom (R199pm).

Things got so bad that I eventually took out a contract at Vodacom for 3G (another endless tale of woes, but for another time). Of course I convinced myself I needed 3G because I’m always traveling and it’s a good thing. And everyone I know knows that I use Cybersmart, because well, I’m a walking, talking billboard for the place.

Well, I’ve used my 3G more in my own office than anywhere else … because my DSL keeps going down.

So when your DSL does go down, you end up phoning Cyber-not-so-smart. The first thing you’ll hear is that for some or other reason some part of their network has gone down (yesterday it was their email).

Then you’re put into a queue where some gorgeous sounding American keeps telling me that I’m number X in the queue. Until you reach Technical Support. Which for some reason is some African guy called Jan who for the umpteenth time cannot spell the word Exposure (my username is webexposure).

They will ALWAYS, ALWAYS tell you that it’s Telkom’s fault and this is usually quite believable. I mean Telkom is a system invented by the Apartheid Nazi Demons-Spies who ruled this land before we had freedom.

So we log a call.

Saturday: First call logged. Cybersmart tells me the account is fine, line is fine. Telkom phones and says: line is fine but reporting loss of power from router. Your router isn’t plugged in. Well, it is. I can see the flashy lights and everything. OK, maybe it was the storm and the router has popped.

Monday: Go out and buy new router. Same problem, except this time I’m down. Not only that but my staff (who work from my home office) cannot do work. So I am now officially paying them to play Playstation3 while I try and get the Internet working. (Don’t jeer at me – we’re an Internet Company – it needs the Internet to function!)

I log another call with Cybersmart. Another guy (not Jan) who cannot spell exposure. *sigh* This time they’ll request Telkom to send a technician out, but really – it does say the router is not switched on.

Tuesday: No call/response from Cybersmart or Telkom. Nothing. Nicks. Nada. Staff have now brought an XBOX to work because (apparently) my PS3 games are boring. I’m sitting in the office swinging from cussing to offering up prayers to God, Jehovah and Allah (covering all my bases you see) – hoping for a resolution.

Call Cybersmart again. Apparently Telkom did a line test and found the fault was loss-of-power. Recommended action: Turn on Router.

Well, it’s 9:15 on Tuesday evening. Still no DSL. Only my shoddy 3G and tomorrow the staff may end up at work with a Nintendo Wii. God alone knows. Or Jehovah. Or Allah.

What do I have to do to get a Telkom Technician to come to my office to sort out the d@mn problem?

Afterthought: Will instruct bank tomorrow to reverse the debit order. Maybe we’ll get some action then.

Popularity: 19% [?]


Newer Entries »

Join my Mailing List to learn
some awesome secrets!
* Email
First Name
* = Required Field