Posts by Early To Rise
How To Become Wealthy In Friendship
OK, I admit it. I’m rich. Rich in health. Rich in wealth. And rich in family and friendship. Although I don’t know exactly what friendship is, I have lot of friends. I mean dozens of them. And they aren’t just friendly acquaintances but individuals I know well and care about, men and women who could…
Read MoreMust You Be Cutthroat To Succeed In Business?
A young man who is beginning what I hope will be a long and profitable career in business said this to me recently: “But isn’t that the way you HAVE to be in business? Like ruthless and all?” He is climbing up the ladder of success with the grease of this very common but wrongheaded…
Read MoreHow Secure Is Your Business? What Are Your Top People Telling You?
In the months that followed September 11, Bush ordered a bunch of undercover audits of airport security. 783 were conducted. The results, according to an article I saw in USA Today, indicated an amazingly high level of incompetence. The president’s investigators were able to carry knives past screeners in 70% of the tests. They got…
Read MoreTaking The 20-Something Factor into Consideration
Every once in a while, some bright young kid I’m mentoring does something really stupid or really shiftless — something so wrong that it causes me to wonder if I’ve made a mistake committing my time to him. This happened yesterday. PSG temporarily closed a profitable operation so he could take care of some other…
Read MoreBusiness 101: When Change is Bad
For as long as I could remember, the direct-mail publishing industry was serviced by a newsletter titled (very smartly) “Who’s Mailing What!” It was written by Denny Hatch, an old pro, and was full of the wise and pithy observations you’d expect from an experienced insider. Recently, it was sold to a corporate publisher and…
Read MoreHow Well Are You Spending Your Time?
Tempus fugit — and the sands of time keep falling. Faster and faster as you age. What you fail to do today, you may never have the chance to do again. How well are you living your life? How much are you putting off? Take a minute today to give yourself a “carpe diem” self-assessment.…
Read MorePowercharging Your Networking
To solidify an acquaintanceship — that is, to get someone you admire to remember your name — you might want to try something brazen and calculating…such as sending a gift along with a personal letter. I was the subject of such a transparent and disreputable effort last week — and it worked. On Monday morning,…
Read MoreIs Part Of Your Business Broken?
Jack Welch, GE’s famous CEO and the major media’s business guru of the decade, believes that “facing reality” is one of the most important “rules” of successful leadership. I agree. Many of the most gratifying and rewarding business experiences of my career were born with the recognition that things had gone awry. You begin with…
Read MoreDon’t Stop Just When Things Are Getting Good
In a recent e-mail essay, Gary North asks one of the most important questions of my generation: How does an older person get time back on his side? The answer, Gary says, is to give up the will-o’-the-wisp known as the retirement syndrome. You can keep working if you have to. And unless you have…
Read MoreResist The Temptation To Do Less As You Do Better
A crow sat in a tree, doing nothing. A rabbit saw the crow and asked, “Can I also sit and do nothing?” “Sure,” the crow answered. So the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow and rested. A few minutes later, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit, and ate it. So, if you…
Read MoreOne Of The Greatest Success Secrets I Know
JG is a very successful direct marketer. His business has soared while most of his competitors have foundered. About six months ago, I gave him — free — a marketing idea that he since said made him “more than several million dollars.” Yesterday, he invited me to tour his facilities as a “payback.” He walked…
Read MoreAn Amusing Little Management Lesson
A man in a hot-air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.” The woman below replied, “You are…
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