April « 2009 « Be Innovation

Book Review: Fortune and Freedom

April 3, 2009

476 The basics to a happy life: define success, work towards it every single day, balance work and social life. That is the basic philosophy behind the teachings of Jim Hirschfield, lifetime entrepreneur and author of the book, Fortune & Freedom: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Success.

Too many books on entrepreneurship have the same cliché advice and false promises. This book challenges conventional wisdom about owning and operating your own business by approaching it from another direction.

Throughout the book, you are reminded that success is something that you have to define for yourself. It is not something that can blindly seek and stumble upon. It is about setting goals, and working each and every day to accomplish those goals. In a sense, those people who are truly successful and happy in their success get to where they are on purpose, never by accident.

In addition to some fine business planning and strategic advice, the book ties in some personal advice for your life outside of business. As Jim defined success for himself, it was a successful business alongside a balanced personal life, where family events were just as important as business meetings. The happiness of his family and friends was held just as high as the success of his business. With this philosophy, Jim preaches finding a steady balance in all your endeavors to attain true happiness.

As you read the book, you feel as if you are sitting down with an old friend and discussing the many joys of life. You get a good sense of who Jim is, and what kind of life he lived. As the reader, you can view a successful entrepreneur’s experiences up close and personal, and feel comfortable knowing that everything you read is attainable.

One of my favorite sections of the book focuses on the definition of success as freedom.

If you have your long term goals in mind and you are progressing toward them, then the other day-to-day stuff is an irritant with which you can deal. Defining success is crucial in almost anything you do, including business deals, working with people, and the many day-to-day decisions involved in business. How can you be free if you do not define what that means?

We are all working towards freedom. Whether it’s the freedom to travel, the freedom to spend more time with our families, the freedom to work in whatever industry you want, or the freedom to just do nothing. This book will help get you there by offering some real life advice on passion, commitment, and decision-making. By the end of this book you will feel like all your goals are that much more possible, and your eyes will be open to new opportunities to improve your life.

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Posted by Zach Heller

April Fools, Why Joke with your Customers?

April 1, 2009

april-fools-8 Today is the first day of April, April Fools Day as it is traditionally called. And more and more, most likely taking a page out of Google‘s book, companies are playing April Fool’s Jokes on their customers. But why? What is the point of playing a joke on people who trust you to deliver, or serve, or help them? Why risk upsetting people?

Because a good story is fun, and something fun and different can spread. Ideas that spread lead directly to success and, if you are a fan of Seth Godin, you know that is his rallying cry. True word of mouth marketing exists when customers are so intrigued by your story or your beliefs that they tell their friends, they blog about it, they Tweet about it, etc. When a lot of people do this in a short period of time, the impact is instant.

In many industries, a shift has occurred from the traditional relationships between business and customer to a new “friendly” relationship. Whereas before it was very important for companies to appear extremely conservative, respectable, and professional at all times, nowadays more companies are appealing to customers on a more personal and familiar level. Having fun with customers is something that has developed from this “we’re a friend” methodology.

What better way to have fun with your customers than on a day when playing pranks is built right into the calendar. I think its a very innovative way to create a buzz, and relate to your customers on a more personal level.

But here’s the catch…be creative. Do something different and unique. And make people appreciate the effort. If you do something that takes no effort, and is not that creative, most people will just be annoyed. The goal is, when a person realizes it’s an April Fool’s joke, they laugh and carry on with whatever business they have with you.

It’s already too late this year, but April Fool’s day is not the only time of year that you can have fun with your customers. Contest and promotions built out of the same methodology can be a creative way to connect with the public. But if April Fool’s day sounds like the sort of thing you or your company would like to work towards next year, you don’t have to wait to start the planning now.