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Your Best Investment
Your Secret Sauce to Success: 
Your best investment is you…
What do you invest your money in?
I know a lot of business professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and consultants who invest their money in “stuff.” My definition of this generic term means brochures, gadgets, web sites, sub contractors, cars, copy machines, answering services, and peppermint mochas (one of my personal favorites). For a lot of them, professional development is a “nice to have,” rather than a “must have.” Professional growth is not a resource (money/time) issue, it’s a priority issue.
In my role as a school board director, we’ve had to make dramatic cuts to balance a shrinking budget. Part of that is cutting professional development for teachers and administrators. It’s one of the “easy” cuts, but it hurts me greatly. We are doing a tremendous disservice to our ultimate client, the children. As an organization, we often struggle with priorities due to forces outside of our control.
As entrepreneurs and business professionals, we have more control. We have the ability to make judgements and priorities without outside influence. And, we have the ability to dump a large part of or annual investment into the most important asset we have…us!
Here is my simple template for getting the most out of that most important asset in 2013…
- Determine what, when, and how much you will invest in for 2013. Put it on your calendar now. Put aside your money to invest in it now. If you hold off, you may never do it. I know what I’m doing next year, do you?
- Be flexible. Be prepared to take advantage of new opportunities that arise during the year. Never lock yourself in…leave room for the unexpected opportunity.
- Determine your best value. What are the two or three areas you MUST improve on next year? How do you plan on doing it? Where do you look for help?
- Don’t allow money to keep you from growing. If you choose wisely, the return on investment is always worth it.
- Hold your professional development sacrosanct. Don’t cancel out because you think something else is more important. Treat yourself like a client.
- Utilize technology to maximize your time and money. Webinars, teleconferences, Skype, and other advances can be of tremendous benefit to you.
- Always pay yourself first. That doesn’t only mean your bank account. That means your personal growth and development account. The more you invest in you, the better off your clients will be. The better off they are, the better off you will be.
We have to make so many financial decisions in a year. many of them are tough. You always look for ROI. Unfortunately, many of you will not put the ROI of yourself first. That’s a mistake. You are your most important asset. Invest in yourself first next year and watch your revenue and personal growth soar!
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
The World According to Captain Jack
Captain Jack
Hello. My name is Captain Jack and I’m the terribly charming, witty, and intelligent pal of my human, Dan. I’ve been observing human behavior and have come to the conclusion that you all can learn a lot from dogs. Especially me. You see, I’m a Jack Russell and we are unquestionably the smartest dogs on the planet. Welcome to my column…
I hate the rain. I would much rather go for a walk, chase snakes, and bark at squirrels in the sun. Yes, I know I live in the Northwest, but that doesn’t change my point of view. Dan still makes me go out in the rain to do my duty. Yesterday, these huge raindrops started coming down right in the middle of my looking for a good spot. I wanted to go in and he wouldn’t let me. AND, he was the one wearing a raincoat! I was just still in my fur…
I ended up finding a good spot that was under some bushes and trees that allowed me to do my duty relatively dry. Sometimes you just need to be like a dog and show some ingenuity!
Humans often give up too easily. When it rains on their “duty” (things like career, family, losing weight, writing that book, challenges with co-workers, vacations, and endless other things), they become despondent, anxious, depressed, and then quit. All of us (even dogs) will face adversity. We will always find people who tell us we can’t. We will always run into roadblocks and unexpected crisis. Like raindrops in your life. Time to find a big bush and keep going.
Be like a dog. Never quit on your dreams. Always look for ways you “can,” instead of reasons you “can’t.” Dogs do it; so can you.
Captain Jack
© 2012 Captain Jack. All Rights Reserved
Lessons from a Starbucks Store
Yesterday, I visited the original Starbucks store in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. This was the first store set up by founder Howard Schultz back in the 1970s. It’s really small. I mean really tiny. I bet there’s not 1000 square feet. There are no chairs, but one small standing bar that faces out to the market. Two people can comfortably stand there and three would be tight. This was the first time that there was no line. Normally, the place is overflowing. It probably helped that it was late October and rainy.
I chatted with one of the employees who mentioned that my friend and I were fortunate to be there with nobody there. I said that I had never seen it so sparse and that this was rare. He went on to tell me that this little Starbucks store was in the top 5 stores in sales in the world for the company. The top 5 in the world!
It really hit me that such a tiny store could compete in volume with their larger counterparts. So what does that mean for you? Consider these 5 lessons when thinking about your own business…
1. Be unique. This store would be dead if it weren’t for the fact it is the original and can lay claim to a uniqueness that nobody else can own. You are unique. Your methodology may be similar or even the same to others. But no one else can be you! When you are in competition and someone asks you what makes you different, the answer is easy. It’s YOU. Make yourself a unique differentiator.
2. Offer unbeatable service and value. I dealt with three people there. Katie, who took my order (I still remember her name), was the perfect “front of the house” person for the store. The girl who made our drinks chatted with us and shared stories. The guy who told us about the statistics was warm and friendly. How do clients and prospects view you and/or your employees? Do they gain value from your work? Are you a problem solver, or merely a hired hand? Offer unbeatable value and you will never be wanting for clients.
3.Understand small can be good. Size doesn’t always matter! In fact, sometimes it can be a burden. Monolithic corporations can get bogged down in bureaucracy, committees, red tape, and politics. You can maneuver quickly and nimbly. That benefits you and your clients and makes you valuable to others.
4. Create brand. Regardless of whether you like them or not, you can’t argue that Starbucks doesn’t have a powerful brand. They have one of the strongest in the world. How strong is your brand? Are you recognizable in the arena you play in? Do people often say, “I’ve heard about you?” If not, you have some brand awareness to work on.
5. Create evangelists. There are Starbucks on virtually every corner of every major city in the world. Why do they come to this one when they are in Seattle? Because others tell them they have to. Heck, I’m evangelizing for them right now. People talk about how great the experience is, how wonderful the people are, and how they love the ambiance of the marketplace. You need people telling others, “You need Jane for that project,” or “Jim can solve that problem for you quickly.” This tiny little store has created evangelists. Where are yours and are they telling others about you?
As we were leaving, the store was picking up people. When we came in, there were only a couple other people. By the time we left, there were almost 20. Business as usual!
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Weedin 360 Newsletter
Captain Jack says "Read my column..."
Check out my March newsletter. Topics include an article on “perception is reality,” the next Libby & Dan event in June, and of course, Captain Jack’s column.
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
