It was about Seven years ago when I first heard about the boardgame Cashflow 101, which was masterminded by Finance Guru Robert Kiyosaki. Tomorrow will be the first day I get to play the game.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Chinese Bamboo takes 10 years to grow – Would you grow bamboo?
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?
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% [?]
