Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
The False Power of Authority
In the sixties, there was a black and white TV show about a talking horse. Recently, a friend told me she read that the horse – Mr. Ed – was really played by a zebra.
Read MoreDon’t Be a One-Hit Wonder
In 1982, members of the pop band Tommy Tutone wrote “867-5309/Jenny,” a song about a guy desperately trying to get in touch with a girl named, of course, Jenny. It was at the top of the music charts for 40 weeks and made the band members rich and famous. At least for a while.
Read MoreGetting Your Inventions Patented and Sold
Protecting your idea or invention – We got a letter from “Kellen,” who has invented something he thinks can change the world and make him a lot of money.
Kellen is currently a business owner and founder of a men’s fitness franchise. He said he had tried to be the “Curves for men,” but is finding out that “men don’t take to fitness like women do.”
Read MorePay Yourself First
Many financial advisers recommend sticking to a budget. By categorizing expenses and limiting spending, they argue, you can have enough left over every month to save money and grow rich…
Read MoreWhy Two-Headed Businesses Grow Faster
The popular image of the successful entrepreneur is that of a hardworking risk taker who acts on his own. The reality is different. Successful entrepreneurs work hard, but they are not risk takers and they seldom act alone.
Read MoreI just want a job I love… What should I do?
I am interested in copywriting, marketing, and product creation, but there is no such thing at my current company. I study copywriting and marketing on the side, and have made some money as a freelance copywriter, but I have serious doubts about my ability to do so over a long period of time. My attempts to market my services to high-dollar prospects has been met with silence, and people who do contact me are only concerned with how much – or, rather, how little – I charge
Read MoreMatch the Business to the Market
Today, her business is thriving. She employs 25 people and produces 55,000 pairs of cotton panties a month. With the income she’s earning, she has bought and renovated a house for her family and a car. Her daughter, who is studying nursing, will be the first family member to finish college.
Read MoreThe Challenges and Rewards of Being a Business Builder
I am living proof that you can do well as a business builder, even if you hate hard work.
For me, hard work boils down to one of two things…
Read MoreStop Selling When You Are Ahead
If you have made a good presentation and the prospects are satisfied that the benefits offered will improve their situation, and are believable, any further presentation is overselling. Overselling can create, in the mind of the prospects, a feeling of disbelief as to the validity of the owner benefits.
Read MoreManaging Customer Criticisms and Complaints
If you find that you are failing to follow that protocol, you must ask yourself why. Why are you pitting yourself against them?
Based on my own experience, it’s probably because you’re taking their comments personally. You’re upset. You want to defend yourself.
Read MoreAre You an Information Addict?
I hadn’t seen Dave in almost 20 years. He was my dentist when we moved to Boca Raton in the early 1980s. He continued to take care of K and the kids after we moved to Delray Beach 10 years later, but I opted for dental care closer to home.
Read MoreDear ETR: Should I stay in school or start a business?
I am a student currently attending university. Between school and my job, I have found very little free time to dedicate to the things that I really see as beneficial to my future. The question is, with the doom and gloom market we are in, coupled with the constantly diminishing value of a college education (even from a private university), would it not be better to focus on starting a business now?
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