2:30 a.m. and my eyes are wide open.
I can always tell when I’m stressed as I begin to see 2:30 a.m. roll across my bedside clock way too often. And I’m in another one of those phases.
This time my head’s running off with things that need to be done – new website, speaker’s kit, existing clients, new clients…on and on. I used to fight it, but know that if I do I’ll definitely see 3:30 then 4:30 and eventually 5:30 as I toss and turn.
So now I just get up, turn on the computer and let it flow because in the end, my stress is nothing more than creativity screaming to get out. Which begs the question, what the heck is going on during my normal workday that’s stifling my creative flow?
I think it has something to do with not taking the time to let my mind run free during the day…to always be thinking about the next thing, the next opportunity, the next challenge. Reality is that we can only accept so much input before we’re filled to overflowing and 2:30 a.m. is my warning sign.
So today it’s time I turn to my bike as there’s truth to the saying that it takes about half a tank to clear the mind. It’s sitting on full and going to be a beautiful day so think I’ll clear the deck and go for a ride.
After all, that meeting will still be there tomorrow…it always is.
D
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
There are many lessons flying around the web concerning the Saints victory in Sunday’s Super Bowl. I’ve read about leadership, guts, playing to win, etc., but the lesson I’m taking from this game is how much the little things mattered.
Side note – I am a native of Louisiana and a life long Saints fan. I do remember where I was when John Gilliam ran back their very first kick off back for a touchdown against the Rams. And I suffered along side my fellow Cajuns all these years as our hopes were dashed again and again.
Aside from the relief, intense pride and realization that hell didn’t freeze over, what has resonated with me the past couple of days are two things – Payton’s explanation of the on-side kick and the interview with Tracy Porter discussing his game clinching interception.
In each, the key to their success was something they’d seen on film. On the kick, it was how their front line tended to get a jump by turning their backs before the ball was kicked. On the interception it was Porter knowing the footwork of the receiver.
Little things…little things that caught the attention of the winner – and fell through the cracks of the loser.
The late, great Peter Drucker once wrote that “Size does not equal significance” and also that “Significance precedes momentum”. Therefore, whether its business, sports or life – the margin of victory often comes from the attention to the little things.
Are you paying attention?
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
My last blog about the difference between a Partner and a Vendor obviously struck a nerve as I received tons of feedback and examples. Now I’m wondering how to find the ‘right’ Partner in those times when we can’t do it alone.
I’m at a point in the evolution of my business that a partner makes sense because the current heavy lifting is more than I can manage. And quite frankly, after ten years of flying solo I could use a dose of enthusiasm every now and then.
I’m somewhat open as to the definition of partner as it can range from a project partner to a full fledged revenue partner. But true part ownership in the business is not on the table and honestly would take years to earn.
The process I’m following is to network with other business men and women to seek their feedback and counsel. To a degree I’m clear on what I need and where I want to go, but the real problem is finding someone who’s on my wave length. Someone who is farther down my beaten path than me and can therefore give me advice that comes from experience rather than opinion.
I’m reaching out for any ideas you may have as my suspicion is that this issue is pretty universal. Send them on and I’ll post them in a future blog.
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
It’s a fact of business that we cannot do it alone. Tom Peters once said that “if you’re currently doing something internally and not world class at it, outsource it to someone who is.” Sounds easy enough in theory but in reality is very hard to do and at times, costly.
As an optimist I don’t look at the thousands of dollars spent the past few years on trashed websites or failed PR strategies as wasted but instead tuition. And one of the lessons I want to share is the difference between Partners and Vendors.
A Partner is someone who actively works on and oversees your project to completion.
A Vendor replaces the designer you bought into with a younger, cheaper one that sends you endless mock-ups in an effort to wear you down and have you settle for.
A Partner charges a fair price while continuing to look for ways to save time and increase quality.
A Vendor sees only the check and the finish line.
A Partner returns calls or emails within an hour or two of leaving a message.
A Vendor doesn’t return calls or emails for days or sometimes weeks feigning one excuse after another.
A Partner is someone you continue to talk to and brainstorm with long after the check is cashed.
A Vendor is someone to whom you become a non-entity once the check is cashed.
Do you have any other examples? I’d love to hear them.
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
Why is it that the specter of death always reminds us to live?
Sunday night I received an email from my buddy Mark with the not so subtle subject line – Richard is dead.
The person he referred to was Richard Frohlich, who for the past couple of years fought the demons associated with a debilitating disease that ultimately won.
Richard was a wonderful character in my life and came into it at critical time when starting to write my book. An extraordinarily talented man whose intellect bordered on genius, he always showed up with energy, enthusiasm and support – even after we parted company professionally.
At all times one of the smartest guys in the room, I could count on Richard to laugh at the wrong moment or too hard at a bad joke, but that was just his way. He saw things differently and recognized the absurd in even the smallest of circumstances.
But isn’t that what it’s all about? Isn’t it about going through this world on your own terms and painting it the color of your choice?
Richard did that and then some as he walked into your world and lay down a bit of color to remember him by. And as one of the privileged few he did that to I am forever thankful.
I only wish he’d have stayed around a bit longer to see the finished tapestry…
Dwain
The Biker Guy
As always – These are my thoughts and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
I just read a New York Times article that scared the crap out of me. Not so much the topic, but instead the underlying theme to the piece – that while we’re fixing healthcare and trying to fix Afghanistan, the rest of the world is doing business…and maybe leaving us behind.
Which led me to bring that premise down to a more personal level, thereby begging these questions –
Am I focused on the right things in order to achieve success in the new decade?
Am I still fighting old battles that are better left alone?
Hell, am I even on the right battlefield?
There’s a wise old southern saying that goes (I paraphrase) – “It’s difficult to remember that you came here to drain the swamp when you’re up to your ass in alligators.”
Or better yet as Sun Tsu put it in his masterpiece The Art of War – “There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked…”
Remember your purpose and that it’s OK to leave some battles not won because the ultimate goal is to win the war.
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
It’s the week between Christmas and New Year and unless you’re in retail or a shop-a-holic, not much is happening in your world. We’re sort of standing around waiting for the pistol shot that is New Years to start the race anew.
Oh, I’m certainly keeping busy riding and seeing old friends, but mostly I’m thinking about what I need to do next year. The touchstone to my Navigation Process is the five year vision I’ve set for myself which is rolled out in one year increments.
So in that light, I always ponder a few questions this time of year:
What are the three major goals I need to accomplish this coming year?
Who are the three most important people/roles needed to support me this year?
What are the three things I need to either do or begin in January? (Sets the tone for the entire year)
I find that keeping it to three prevents me from getting too distracted and increases my chances of success.
What are your questions?
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
This past year has been one of great challenge to most of us and we’re all looking forward to turning the page at year end. But do you really know what to focus on?
Whenever faced with a difficult situation and needing to get my bearings I think back to a piece of advice given to me by a CEO friend. Jim was the Chief Financial Officer of his company before assuming the top spot and always said – “The numbers will set you free…”
Most, if not all challenges in business can be solved with revenue. Need to buy a new piece of equipment to compete? Need to branch out into a new territory? Need to launch a new venture? Need to dig out of a financial hole?
The answer to each of those questions is money and money when applied to paper becomes a number.
Therefore the key is to sit down in front of whatever spreadsheet software you have and break your challenge down into numbers. In my case, I’ve often discovered that the enormous problem I was facing would be easily taken care of by acquiring one new client.
It not only relieves the pressure, but let’s you know what to focus on and how to win.
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
One of the great things about writing a book today is the advent of Social Media and the contacts I’m making across the U.S. and the world. I’m continuously getting emails from people talking about how much they’ve enjoyed The Biker’s Guide to Business and that’s certainly gratifying.
But the really cool thing is that most of them are coming from young entrepreneurs who are in the midst of launching their ventures and seeking guidance where they can get it.
One of them is my new friend Rodney who writes this really cool blog and has a great idea where he wants to go in business. We’ve swapped a number of emails and its great getting his perspective on business and the opportunities he sees. That helps to shift my view of the world and is a great reminder that sometimes we can know too much.
Tom Peters once said that the biggest sin in business today is “not trying stuff’. Too often we ‘old riders’ pass opportunities by simply because they’re wrapped in an old package that we’ve seen before and that’s the downside of experience. It’s just wrong.
So, if like me, you’ve been riding this path for two or more decades, its time to recalibrate your perspective. Reach out or open yourself up to mentoring a young entrepreneur who’s just starting out. Your experience will be invaluable to them and their wide eyed optimism along with that can do attitude will be invaluable to you.
And that my friend is a balanced approach.
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
How many times have you look in the mirror on December 31 and said “It’s been a good/great year…but? But this wasn’t done. But that’s not finished. But I should have…
Stop that!
Fact is you lived and performed the best you could under the circumstances and the most important thing to focus on isn’t what wasn’t done, but instead what you’ve accomplished.
That’s the cool thing about year end – its one chapter closing and another beginning. Not a fresh start per se, but rather a pause. More importantly, by focusing on what you’ve accomplished you can better determine what’s possible in the coming year.
So when looking into the rear view mirror of life – focus on the good, stop to celebrate and then turn your face into the wind and go for it!
Besides, if you don’t enjoy the ride, who the hell will?
Dwain – The Biker Guy
As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you.
