Posts by Early To Rise
Transform Your Debt Into Wealth in 5-7 Years
“I have had a taste of it myself, and it’s mighty bitter. A debt is a debt, whether it’s margins or mortgages; and debts are all the same, no matter how you try to camouflage ’em. You never get much out of ’em except trouble. On the farm or in Wall Street, if you…
Read MoreReality Management: Keep Your Praise Sincere and Focused
“Thank not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults.” – Socrates At a meeting to review the results of one of her profit centers, DDB began by talking about how “wonderfully” the profit-center manager had done this and what a “sensational job” he’d done on…
Read MoreIs It Really Possible To Leave the Office at 5 O’Clock?
Way back when TT was a Lt. Col. U.S. Army Action Officer in the Pentagon, he was criticized by his superior for leaving work everyday at 5 o’clock (as Gen. Westmoreland had “ordered” them to do at the time), while everyone else stayed until 7 or 8. “Your problem,” he told the colonel “is that…
Read MoreYou Can Sell Just About Anything Through Direct Mail
“Hell, there are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something.” – Thomas Edison You can sell books through direct mail. And newsletters. You can sell audiotapes and videotapes and seminars. You can sell jewelry and perfume and radios. You can sell clothing and furniture and flowers. Direct mail is the largest single…
Read MoreThe Best Way to Finance Your Business
I’ve had experience raising money in many ways. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Using your own money is terrifying. If you go wrong, you may well go broke. Using OPM (other people’s money) seems like a much better way to go at first — but often ends up seeming like a miserable choice later.…
Read MoreBecome Happier By Giving and Sharing
“A happiness that is sought for ourselves alone can never be found: for a happiness that is diminished by not being shared is not big enough to make us happy.” – Thomas Merton (No Man Is an Island, 1955) ETR is modeled on Ben Franklin’s goals of becoming healthier, wealthier, and wiser. We’ve added…
Read MoreWhat Is the Biggest New Idea in Your Market?
“Who in Europe could have thought of the disappearing bed, a bed during the night, a handsome wardrobe during the day? Where else [than in the United States] could the rocking chair have been invented, in which a man could move and sit still at the same time?” – Luigi Barzini (O America, 1977)…
Read MoreA Productivity Tip You’re Not Going to Like
“Formal learning can teach you a great deal, but many of the essential skills in life are the ones you have to develop on your own.” – Lee Iacocca (Iacocca: An Autobiography, 1984) If you’re lucky enough to have an assistant, one of the tasks you’re probably tempted to delegate is the process of…
Read MoreMake Your Performance Reviews Frank, Positive, and Specific
“It is always the best policy to speak the truth, unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar.” – Jerome K. Jerome (The Idler, February 1892) In “The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book,” Dick Grote recommends that companies change the nomenclature for describing “mid-level” performance ratings so that they don’t seem like…
Read MoreWhat You Need To Be A Good Leader
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon (Maxims, 1804-15) Successful leaders want to achieve their goals, and they want to do so quickly. They see a goal as something good for everyone, but they understand that not everyone will immediately recognize its value. They also know they have a talent that most…
Read MoreThe One Type of Insurance You Must Buy
Imagine buying a home and then discovering after you move in that the person who sold you the property didn’t own it. Impossible you say? Think again. Forged deeds are a real problem and just one of many problems you can run into as a buyer of real estate. That’s why it’s important to have…
Read MoreETR’s Annual Warning About Theft, Pilfering and Embezzlement
“The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult it is to bring it home.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (“The Boscombe Valley Mystery,” The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1891) Are your employees stealing money from you? Are they swiping cash? Are they bringing home products? Or are they bilking your business…
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