From now on, you have to think like an Entrepreneur.


I can hear you saying, “But Bo, I’m an Employee!”


And you’re right. You may be an Employee in a bankor a call centeror the corner bakery down the street. But your entire world is changing. Even if you’re working for someone else, you still have to think like an Entrepreneur.


Think this way. If your name is Rudolph Reyes, then you’re the Chairman of the Board of Rudolph Reyes Personal Services Inc.

Why the shift?


Because I’ve met so many people who are miserable in their jobs and all they do is complain the whole day about their crummy boss and their crummy salary and their crummy company.


Listen.


Complaining accomplishes nothing.


Complaining is useless.


In the time of Moses, the Complainers got stuck in the desert for 40 years. They never set one foot on the Promised Land.


Instead of complaining, take charge!


God made you responsible for your career.


Unless you take responsibility, nothing happens.


Times Are Changing—Adapt Or Die


My Dad worked for the old San Miguel Corporation for 37 years.


During his prehistoric era, companies were large benevolent, loyal, doting families. The Owner was like Papa and all his employees were his kids for life. And people coasted along.


Let me give you an example. When Dad retired at the age of 65 as Assistant Vice President, the company gave him 100% health benefits until his dying breath. Can you imagine? Until he died at the age of 88, San Miguel paid for all of his medicines and hospital bills—which totaled to millions.


Question: Do you think San Miguel still does that sort of thing?


No way. They threw that policy away in the 80’s. In fact, no other company does that anymore.


I’m not pontificating or telling you what is right or wrong. I’m merely describing to you the very different world that you and I are living in today.


You live in a world where companies hire contractuals every 6 months and replace them again with a new batch. (I repeat. I’m not saying it’s right. I personally don’t like it. But that’s just how the world is operating right now.)


You live in a world where companies are shrinking via outsourcing. Your entire department can be axed tomorrow and the work given to companies in China or India or Davao or Cebu.


You live in a world where companies are bought or merged with other companies the way your sister changes her shoes. Every time it happens, you get (1) bumped up, (2) bumped down, or unfortunately, (3) bumped out.


In other words, you’re living in a world where only Entrepreneurs survive.


How Do You Think?

Like An Employee or An Entrepreneur?


Find out if you think like an Employee or an Entrepreneur.


If you think like an Entrepreneur, you just don’t understand what you do.


You understand why you do what you do.


Even if you’re just a messenger. You’re thinking of how to increase profits and lower down costs. You’re thinking of how to wow the customer and keep him for life.


Here are three examples of Employee Thinking:


“My salary is so small, its just enough for my daily transportation and lunch! I’ve been stuck in my position since Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan.”


Then why are you still working there?


Don’t say you have nowhere to go. When you say that, it becomes a reality for you.


Hey, I’m not asking you to resign. I’m asking you to look for a solution. Take responsibility. Make things happen!


Let me introduce you to a few options of the Entrepreneurial Mind…


Option #1: Get more training and get promoted


Option #2: Look for another job within the company where there’s more growth


Option #3: Become a Supplier to your company (My favorite! Look at what your company needs and create a business by supplying this product to them.)


Option #4: Keep your day job and start a business on the side


Option #5: Look for another job at another company


The choices are endless!


2. “My company is Prehistoric. It hasn’t developed me. I don’t receive any training!”


This is classic Employee thinking: They wait for their HR Department to tell them to attend seminars, arrange training programs, and supply them with books to read.


But Entrepreneurs take charge for their personal development. They keep reading. They keep learning. They keep innovating. They attend internet courses, correspondence courses, and night classes. They get the best mentors they can find. Because Entrepreneurs know that if they don’t innovate, they’ll become obsolete one day.


Question: This year, what have you been doing to develop yourself?


3. “Me, save? Nah. My company will give me a nice retirement package…”


Readers of my blog are young. Average age is 30. (Perhaps because the writer looks 30. Haha!) So talking about retirement seems strange, right?


Wrong.


Believe me, even if you’re 16, you should start building your retirement.


Here’s my harsh message: Don’t depend on your company to give you a retirement package. Even if they will give you one, trust me, it won’t be enough.


As I told you, my father retired at 65 and died at 88. That meant he lived for another 23 years. Do you think your one or two or three million will last for 23 years?


Don’t count on it. Perhaps three years. Perhaps five, tops. After that, you’ll be poor as a rat.


I urge you to take charge for your financial future. How? Build a separate retirement package on your own!


Here’s what you do. Starting today, set aside 20% of your income every month.


Next: Invest it. Don’t put it in the Bank. Learn how to use Bonds, Mutual Funds, Equity Funds, and Stocks. It’s not as difficult as you think it is. Grow!


Friend, be an Entrepreneur.


No matter what you do.


Take charge.




May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez




PS. Take Responsibility For Your Financial Future NOW! Once upon a time, I didn’t know anything about money. But when I learned how money worked, I opened myself to God’s financial blessings. Learn the same spiritual and financial principles that changed my financial life! On August 2, I’m giving my powerful How To Be Truly Rich Seminar.


PS2. Mentors may be your missing link to your success. (It definitely was mine.) I needed multi-millionaire mentors to teach me how money works. To learn more about my Truly Rich Financial Coaching Program on August 8 and 9,


PS3. Have you ever thought earning through the internet? On August 29 and 30, join our Truly Rich Internet Marketing Workshop. This “hands-on” workshop will guide you step-by-step how to create a website that will earn dollars for you while you sleep.


PS4. Empower your Prayer Group! Join two fantastic seminars with KerygmaPreacher Arun Gogna that will make your prayer group grow, blossom, and be on fire!

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Here's the key to attracting the people that you want in your life, whether it be personal or business relationships. I've summed it up in one sencentence:

"Devote yourself to becoming above average"

Become an above average entrepreneur, an above average marketer, an above average business owner.

Your proably asking why would I want to do that? Well let me explain.

If you do this, you will never have to recruit anyone ever again. That's worth repeating, If you do this, you will never have to recruit anyone ever again. They will just come to you naturally.

The days of hassling friends and family to join your network marketing business are loooong gone. People will want to do whatever it is you're doing.

Why?

Because your above average and you'll seem like the obvious leader and above average people attract more above average people.

You'll never again have to keep your downline motivated to generate sales for you and themselves.

The network marketing industry has always told us that this is a business designed for the average person, due to it's simplicity.

There is a huge problem with this message, because it very subtly tells people that they're never going to have to be anything more than just average and they'll still be able to earn a six figure income.

Some experts even tell you that if you are above average you will not be a good fit for the network marketing industry. They say that the above average person can't duplicate what the top income earners are doing.

This type of logic might be okay if your willing to get down and dirty, I'm mean really dirty and engage in the nasty art of chasing prospects down for the rest of your life. If been there and it's not fun, my friends would avoid me like the plague and needless to say my social life was drying up very fast!

By following the notion of staying average you'll never be able to attract anyone to you by remaining an average marketer.

Guess what people? We're all beginners when we start out in this business, but our ultimate success is determined by how dedicated we are to developing ourselves.

So end it with this. Strive to be all you can be in this lifetime, somebody somewhere is counting your success to pull them out a rut when you become that prized leader for your business.

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Ok! I am not saying that everyone should go for entrepreneurship or it is the only way to Nirvana. Every person is different and has different qualities which may or may not make him suitable for entrepreneurship. Besides if everyone will become an entrepreneur, then who would work for them! ;)

That’s been said, there are several reasons for a person to go the entrepreneurial way. One reason, purely logical and objective, which could be thought of is the following.

If I am employed by an organization and is paying me $1, then surely it would be making atleast $2 out of me. Hence I am losing out on that extra $1 which I could have made for myself if I was working for myself.

Moreover everyone of us is familiar with 80-20 rule which could be interpreted in many ways. One variation of the rule could be that 20% of the people in an organization are doing the work for rest 80%. Now if we go by that interpretation, then the company would be funding those 80% of the personnel by generating profits out of those 20% who does all the work. Now if we assume ourselves to be good enough to belong to that 20% bracket, then essentially we are the guys who are funding the whole organization. Therefore the minimum, the organization is making out of us is $6 (4 for 80%, 1 for itself and 1 for us).

One doesn’t need any super mathematical skills to see it through. If anyone of us were to be an entrepreneur then we would be making $6 for ourselves whereas if employed $1 hence a profit of $5.

Cool! Isn’t it! Just imagine the kind of wealth that would be amassed!

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On August 15, 2008, much of the world cheered as Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson of the United States won the gold and silver medals in gymnastics at the 2008 Olympic Games. Watching their victory unfold from the unsettling start both women had at the beginning of the Games was awe-inspiring.

The drama began at the qualification round five days earlier when team-favorite Samantha Peszek injured her foot minutes before the competition began. The team was thrown-off by Peszek's injury, finishing a shaky second, with only Johnson and Liukin advancing to the individual all-around finals.

As a small business coach and consultant to entrepreneurial women starting up a business worldwide, I've seen this kind of thing happen to women business owners, too. One moment, everything is going along fine. Then, boom! Something unexpected happens that impacts them and their business.

There is much today's woman entrepreneur can learn about staying strong and focused when faced with the unexpected from the women of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team.

How to stay strong and focused when the unexpected happens.

1. If you start out a little shaky, re-group and go on.

"With Sam’s injury at the last minute, it gave a tiny bit of disturbance mentally to the girls,” said Martha Karolyi, women’s national team coordinator. “We did all we could in a few moments to bring them together.”

2. Reaffirm your commitment.

“Going into team finals, there are a few things we need to correct, but we have two days of training left,” Liukin said. “I’m confident that we’ll get those out of the way and we’ll be ready to go.”

3. Remind people of why you do what you do.

“We want to focus on the competition and go out there and do our very best,” said Chellsie Memmel, regarding the team finals.

4. Let people know what's next.

“Even though we did have some mistakes, we’re going to go back into the gym tomorrow and fix those few kinks,” Alicia Sacramone said. “We’ll be ready for team finals.”

5. Unify and support.

“I feel proud of the U.S.A. and our team,” Johnson said. “We are proud of each other no matter what. I think that we represented the U.S. very well.”

6. Recognize your accomplishments.

“Leaving Beijing with a silver medal is such an honor,” Peszek said. “To have a medal hanging around my neck from the Olympics is remarkable.”

7. Keep things in perspective.

“You have good days and bad days, and I just wish that today was a good day for me,” Sacramone said. “My teammates were amazing today, but I just wish that my performance was a little better.”

8. Come back strong.

“We’ve overcome so many obstacles, but we came out here today and showed the world and every team out here that we can come back strong,” Johnson said. “We’re going to come back even stronger in the team finals."

9. Give it your all.

“It’s been a really long road and I’m just so proud to be here,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to be representing the U.S.A. I had a great meet today and finishing on floor was probably my favorite moment because I knew I’d given it my all.”

10. Have no regrets.

“My goal was to come out and know that at the end of the competition, I’d have no regrets,” Liukin said. “I definitely have no regrets. I’m happy with how everything went and to say that you have an Olympic medal is just amazing.”

No whining over silver for the U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team or wasting energy on what might have been, that's for sure! Instead, the entire team exemplified how to hold up under pressure by coming together as a team and supporting each other, no matter what. By their actions, the U.S. Women's Gymnastic Team exemplified for women entrepreneurs worldwide how to stay strong and focused when the unexpected happens.

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Some successful affiliate marketers earn revenues in excess of $200,000 every month. They use techniques that are seldom divulged to others. Let us look into some of these secrets learn ways to improve our own revenue.



First of all, you need to choose the right products; otherwise, you will never generate any substantial profits. Do your homework before promoting any program. Is it generating sales daily? Find out what sort of customers are interested in the product. How do they find the product? Are they using search engines to find it or are article directories more effective? Which keywords are working and which ones are not? To be a successful Internet marketer, it is important to do this research.

You also need to advertise to develop traffic. Placing ads on related sites (either your or someone else’s) can be very effective. Ad location is also very important; an ad in a prime location will out pull poorly placed ads by 10 fold. Placement plays a pivotal role in the success of any advertising campaign.



The most important technique that successful marketers use is email. Most of them have very large lists that are constantly updated. They use software that ensures that their email reaches the intended recipient and does not get marked as spam. You need to develop your own list if you want to make money.



Another successful technique that successful marketers use is joint ventures. They enter into deals with other super marketers who have huge lists.



Multi tier programs are also widely exploited by the super marketers. They make use of different types of commission structures. They get paid when some one buys a product through their referral and they also get paid for the sales of those below them. They get paid twice (or more) through one advertising campaign. Using their large lists, super marketers bring thousands of people into these programs and make massive amounts of money.



Try out the techniques above and you too may become the next super marketer. Looking for other secret techniques to make money online? Get my free e-book and you can start making money right away.

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Superior business leader and American investor Warren Buffett is often called “Oracle of Omaha” or the “Sage of Omaha” and philanthropist. (Wikipedia, 2007) Buffett is the CEO, and the biggest shareholder of the Berkshire Hathaway Company. Buffet's has an estimated current net worth of approximately $52 billion in US funds. Forbes Magazine ranks Buffett the third richest person in the world in September 2007 behind Carlos Slim and Bill Gates.


Warren Buffett is known for his economical and plain lifestyle. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house that he purchased in 1958 for $31,500 with a current value of $700,000. In 1989, Buffett spent $9.7 million of the Berkshire’s funds on a corporate jet. He jokingly named it “The Indefensible” because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs. (Wikipedia, 2007)

Warren Buffett decided to make a commitment to give his fortune to charity back in June 2006. Buffet's charity donation is approximately $30 billion, which is the largest donation in the history of the United States. The donation was enough to more than double the size of the foundation with 83% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett believed that his family had enough money to get started in life so Buffett decided to give his fortune to charity. Buffet's annual salary in 2006 was only $100,000. In 2007, Buffett was listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. (Wikipedia, 2007)

What makes Warren Buffett a good business leader? This is what everyone wants to know because Warren buffet is so successful. It all starts with leadership. Warren buffet is a true leader where his leadership makes a difference in the world. Leadership is very much related to change and Warren Buffett has the capabilities of leadership change to fit the changing world. Warren Buffett has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to map read in the irregular waters of change. Is Warren Buffett born a leader? The authors of this paper believe not. Experience and research has shown little evidence that an individual who comes to power is a “born leader.” Warren Buffett took the falls that any other leader has to take. Warren Buffett learned from his mistakes and turned his mistakes into a positive thing. Warren Buffett shares his leadership at all organizational levels and Buffett is empowered to share leadership responsibilities. In the world of business, many titles related to leadership roles are actively used in business and Warren Buffett wears those titles to make him effective in multiple leadership positions in business. Distinction between good leadership and good management is made often. Managers are made to be organizational, controllers and budgeters. Warren Buffett has leadership in all three departments and one must have these traits to be a good business leader.

Another important trait in Today’s business leadership is communication. Warren Buffet is a skilled communicator in all aspects of life. Communication is the real key of leadership. Skilled communicators have an appreciation for positioning in the business world. Warren Buffet is experienced at positioning himself at the right place at the right time. Warren Buffet has the understanding of the people he is trying to reach and what he can and cannot hear from the people. Knowledge of audiences’ needs and wants gives the orator the ability to listen. Warren Buffett is an excellent listener with the ability to convey his understanding.

When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. Warren Buffett can send a message through an open door and does not have to push the message through a wall.

Leadership is crucial to any successful business and good leadership is what Warren Buffett is all about. This is what makes Warren buffet a good business leader.

Mr. Warren Buffet's investment strategies and course of leadership are shining examples of characteristics shared by cognitive theorists. Cognitive theory is an approach of explaining behavior through perception, anticipation, and thinking. Mr. Buffet's continual approach of analyzing both possible investment choices, market trends, and the ability to place management resources of the right caliber in the right position has consistently brought this investor to the forefront amongst peers and the marketplace. At the core of every sound investor is a creative innovator.

Innovation demands creativity. Creativity in turn draws on our cognitive faculties, across the full amplitude from emotion to reason. In the number-heavy world of global investing, innovative thinking is critical. Innovative investors decipher future trends, spot likely winners by combining science (financials) with art (acuity and perception) and continuously mitigate risk. They assess user needs, product features, the proper deployment of money, professional organizational structures and risk management. (Kore Kalibre, 2006)

Mr. Buffet's instinct and ability to interpret market trends is also held by tight reigns. Despite over 50 years of growth, Mr. Buffett always adheres to one of the most basic business principles: “…only compete where you have a competitive advantage. Warren Buffett refers to staying within your circle of competence. Social psychologists tell us, though, that we are prone to overconfidence when it comes to assessing our abilities…” (Arthridge, 2006) A man of Warren Buffett’s position and track record could easily be derailed to a sense of over confidence. The principle of only competing within your range of competitive advantage is a principle that can be applied to many other areas in life, and Mr. Buffet's ability to work and live by this idea has allowed him to continue forward with minimal bruising.

By establishing the previous examples, the authors can reinforce the principles of cognitive theory in that Mr. Buffett behavior patterns are clearly dictated by thought processes, which include interpretation, analysis, and foresight. “As experiences and events gain meaning and value, the process becomes increasingly top down as the mind in (a) attempt at an orderly process influences perception though beliefs, goals and external process” (Gardener, 2007)

Warren Buffet's is a self empowered leader, because he is loyal, sets goals, plans a strategy for achievement, and stays committed until he accomplishes his purpose. Up to date, he is the greatest stockbroker of all-time. He is a very conservative investor that prefers to invest in companies that sell name brand products that he uses. For example, Coca-Cola, Gillette Razors, See’s Candy, Gulfstream Jet, and GEICO are the major companies he invested in. In the nineties his assets quadrupled in less than five years. He is a smart investor that usually does not take big investment risks. For example, he will not invest in internet stock, because the return is unpredictable. He likes to invest in companies that he is sure will be successful 20 years later. He buys the company with the intentions of keeping it forever. Usually, the management team of each company is the same staff that sold it Warren Buffett from the beginning. He stays loyal to his partners, and the team works their best to keep him happy.

After Warren Buffet's wife died, he decided to donate 85% of his money to charity. However, “he wants his money to be used the same year he donates it". (Harris, 2006) The requirement will accelerate the process to help the world. According to Fortune magazine, five-sixths of his money will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This foundation which focus on finding cures for diseases that are common in poor nations. The rest of the money will be split among four other charities, that are each run by his three children and one that is in his late wife’s name.

Warren Buffett is not a huge spender. In fact, he still lives in the same house he bought 40 years ago. Warren “told ABC News “Nightline” that being born into wealth did not entitle his children” (Harris, 2006). In addition, he told Fortune magazine that, “A very rich person would leave his kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing." (Harris, 2006) In other words, he wants his children to work earn their money and value hard work and smart choices.

In the year 2006, Warren’s first annual donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was $1.5 billion and the rest was divided among the four charities. He was the first person to make a donation better than Bill Gates, the richest man in the world. It seems as if Bill Gates and Warren Buffett set a good example and lead others to be more generous, because now the Barron Hilton has committed to donating half of his fortune to charity also. Barron Hilton is the founder of the Hilton Hotels and is worth $2.3 billion. Hopefully, a trend started among the fortunate to give to the less fortunate.

The personality of Warren Buffett ties to the Social Cognitive Level, because he tries to understand and make sense of other people. He observes the differences in social knowledge when dealing with people. Social cognition refers to making sense of ourselves, others, and how the information is used. In the sixties and seventies Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel were psychologists, studying personality development. They found that social learning and cognitive principles improve ones abilities to self-regulate and to follow goals. Warren investment choices were successful, because he conditioned his the way he processed information, choices, and expectations.



References - Do Not Strip Article References

Gardener, J. (2007). Cognitive Behavior Theory. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.cognitivebehavior.com/theory/index.html

Harris, D. (2006, June 26,). Warren Buffett's Unprecedented Generosity. Retrieved December 31, 2007, from http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2118501

Kore Kalibre (2006, March-April 2006). Warren Buffett’s Innovation: Staying away from Rapid Product Innovation. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.korekalibre.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&task=show_magazine_article&magazine_id=26

Legg Mason Value Trust (2006, October 26). Legg Mason Value Trust (LMVTX) Letter to Shareholders. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://markets.kiplinger.com/kiplinger?GUID=323448&Page=MediaViewer&Ticker=LMVTX

Wikipedia (2007, December 25). Warren Buffett. Retrieved December 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett

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We all have someone whom we admire and respect. For me one person on my shortlist is Warren Buffett who is sometimes referred to as the "Sage of Omaha". I first heard about Buffett back in 2001 when I first started getting serious about investing and so I started reading all the titles with his name on it. Off course Buffett hasn't actually written any of them but they were priceless none the less.

If you have never heard of Buffett, Forbes currently ranks him as the third richest man in the world and he is arguably the world's greatest investor. He has amassed his fortune by making astute investment decisions and investing in businesses. Here is what I have learnt from Buffett:

1. Rich Is A State Of Mind
"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute." - Warren Buffett

The difference between being poor and being rich is really just a state of mind. Poor people think thoughts of poverty and lack, rich people think thoughts of abundance and prosperity. Your beliefs are going to determine the way you perceive wealth, the decisions you make and the way you act towards it.

2. Success Is More Than About Your Bank Balance
When asked by CNBC what is the secret to success, Buffett replied "If people get to my age and they have the people love them that they want to have love them, they're successful. It doesn't make any difference if they've got a thousand dollars in the bank or a billion dollars in the bank... Success is really doing what you love and doing it well. It's as simple as that. I've never met anyone doing that who doesn't feel like a success. And I've met plenty of people who have not achieved that and whose lives are miserable."

3. Spend Less Than You Earn
"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." -Warren Buffett

It seems like common sense advice and you've no doubt heard financial experts preaching about it for years. You can't possibly get ahead financially if you're spending more than your paycheck. Buffett is famous for living a simple and frugal lifestyle. He is the only billionaire I know that still lives in the same house he bought back in 1958 for $31,500. He drove a 2001 Lincoln Town Car for years which he bought second hand. Buffett has a net worth in excess of $52 billion and yet lives off an annual salary of $100,000. The relative percentage of his spending based on his overall net worth is minuscule.

4. Avoid Consumer Debt
The sooner we realize that consumerism is a social plague that has been propagated by billion dollar marketing machines to keep you shackled to your job, the sooner we can stop spending money on useless stuff. It is a fool's game to spend today so that you can work tomorrow to pay it off. It is a losing proposition because one day your working days are going to be over but the debt is still going to be hanging over your head. Clever marketing has convinced our society that to be happy you have to have more, be more and do more. Buffett abhors consumer debt instead choosing to use debt wisely by leveraging it in investments.

5. You Are Who You Associate With
"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction." -Warren Buffett

If you want to succeed financially you need to associate with people who are most conducive to encouraging and cheering on your financial journey. If the people you associate with see money as evil, object to capitalism and find wealth a foreign concept then your financial health and well being is going to be influenced by their views. Whether we like it or not we are all influenced to some extent by the people we spend our primary time with. If you aspire to achieve financial security then you need to find a mastermind of people in your life whom you can all encourage and help each other.

6. Gambling Is A Fools Game
"Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1." - Warren Buffett

While we are young and naive we choose to take risks with our money that are dumb and stupid. Trying to hit a home run with your money every time is a losing proposition with long term consequences. To chase investments that offer a high rate of return you must also assume that it also comes with a higher rate of risk. Bill Gates once quipped "Warren's and my betting has always been confined to $1 bets" when talking about them paying poker together. If two billionaires take risk management this seriously, it's time we average punters did the same thing.

7. Give Back To The Community
"Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars." - Warren Buffett

They say that to have more you need to give more. A contradiction in terms, maybe, but it's a simple truth that is as enduring as time. As the bible says "It is more blessed to give than to receive -Acts 20:35". Buffett has announced in 2006 that he was giving away over $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation making it at the time of writing the largest charitable donation in history. He also contributes large sums to his children's charitable foundations.

8. Generosity and Abundance Goes Hand In Hand
"Even though Ben Graham [Buffett's mentor] had everything he needed in life, he still wanted to give something back by teaching, So just as we got it from somebody else, we don't want it to stop with us. We want to pass it along too." - Warren Buffett

A famous bible quote goes: "What benefit will it be to you if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" - Mark 8:36. The path to wealth isn't a solo endeavor. How sad would life be if you come to the end of your life and there is no one to share it with. So as you journey on your path to financial abundance remember that there will be many people who generously helped you on your journey so it is only fitting to pay it forward when the opportunity arises. Generosity with your time, with your money, with your resources are great virtues to have. The greatest ally to building a strong friendship is to help others achieve what they want from life.

I leave you with this last quote "You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong." - Warren Buffett

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There is no doubt that many people would like to know exactly how to become a successful online entrepreneur

For a start let us take a look at the dictionary definition of entrepreneur. I think we need to be clear about what exactly an entrepreneur is before going any further.

Cambridge dictionaries online define an entrepreneur as someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves risks

So there is no confusion here. It is very clear. If you start your own business you are an entrepreneur but it does seem to have to also include an element of risk.

You could argue that any new business involves risk and that is certainly true, but successful entrepreneurs are willing to take much greater risks than your average new business starter

How exactly do you become a successful entrepreneur?
Well that has to be the million dollar question. If there were a prescribed and reliable formula, we would all be multi millionaires. There would be no risk and so paradoxically, perhaps no more entrepreneurs!

There are certain characteristics that successful entrepreneurs seem to possess, such as total dedication.

So what drives an entrepreneur and what makes them different to most other people? What is their vision compared to mere mortals?

For certain there are a number of qualities they all share and without them, they would probably not be entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial qualities
You could say that any person willing to work hard at their own business is an entrepreneur but it has to be more than that. Many people try unsuccessfully to make it on their own, and many, in fact most fail, often just giving up because their efforts do not produce the hoped for results quickly enough

The true entrepreneur is remorseless in the pursuit of their goal. It is as much about achievement as it is about money but the money, as you might guess, is the real proof of success.

Entrepreneurialism has making money at its heart but the means to achieving this is almost incidental.

You could sum up the major qualities of a successful entrepreneur as follows

A successful entrepreneur thinks outside the box and is never satisfied with mediocrity in any part of their life

A successful entrepreneur is not necessarily obsessive, but is extremely highly motivated and committed to achieving their goal

The journey will be determined by its likelihood of success, not because it is enjoyable or laudable (although it might be either or both). Ultimately the enjoyment is in the success

All successful entrepreneurs leverage the efforts of others. This is a good and beneficial thing as long as it does not involve exploitation

No obstacle (short of death maybe) is too difficult to overcome. Where there is a will, there is a way. It is all in the mindset!

There is no giving up even when the way is fraught with setbacks. Expect them

The successful entrepreneur will do whatever it takes to reach the goal even if it means starting again

The successful entrepreneur must be able to handle both risk and stress. If not, burn out is extremely likely

So where does that leave you?
It seems clear that the entrepreneur is a special breed

Is it your intention to become one or are you already an entrepreneur?
Do you think you have at least some of the above qualities? You will probably need them all unless you just happen to get lucky in some way
Are you or have you already been successful? This will help

The new Entrepreneur
I believe a new breed of entrepreneur is emerging. They have all the necessary qualities of determination but are of a different mindset and they want success quickly. Most of their business is conducted online often utilising powerful software and the opportunities provided by Web 2.0 (at least at the time of writing)

But it is not just about making money for many of them. Many are also dedicated to helping others and often set up and fund special projects to achieve this. This is not a show of wealth but a genuine act of benevolence

With this in mind, perhaps there is a further quality we should be adding to our list of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur

Sharing success with others, and especially with those whose lives are deprived or impoverished in comparison to our own

The new successful entrepreneur is most likely an online operator because it is more than possible to have a great deal of success, even just working from home

The risks are much smaller working online and it is a relatively inexpensive start-up compared to most traditional businesses

The secret of how to become a successful online entrepreneur is quite simple. You need a proven system that can easily and quickly be tapped into where all the hard work has already been done for you. You just buy into the ride

There are many offers available but the best solution has to be a top tier, high ticket, business in a box, with a minimum commission of around $1000 (one thousand dollars).

I would not involve myself in any other kind of business. Why bother when it takes no more effort to make a thousand dollars than it does to make a hundred

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I got an e-mail from someone who had just read a 651-word e-zine I wrote, to say that he enjoyed the message and had actually printed and filed it. Ten minutes later, I got an e-mail from someone who had noticed three grammatical errors and a spelling mistake in the same document. The first person (the one who liked the message) is a millionaire and the one who discovered the horrendous mistakes is currently unemployed and living off her father’s pension. I had a question for this wanna-be teacher: “Tell, me, how many books have you written, how many did you sell, and how much money did you make?” Of course, she has never written anything that anyone read and never made any money, but she did study English. Big deal!

Here’s the truth: I make grammatical errors and I make spelling mistakes and I DON’T CARE. I am not interested in grammar; I am interested in getting a message across. Some parrot that used daddy’s money to study for years does not impress me – I am impressed with someone who gets real results in the real world. There are many educated derelicts out there. The only MBA that counts is a Massive Bank Account. I recently had someone e mail me and ask me to mentor her. She proceeded to tell me all about how well educated she was. I said I wasn’t going to mentor her but I gave her three things that she could do to achieve her goals. Guess what? She never got back to me after that. Education is great, but results in the real world are more important.

The bottom line is the bottom line. A = A. If you are able to apply your education, that’s great. However, education in itself is useless. The university or college made money and you feel important for getting your degree. That’s the beginning. That’s the starting line, not the end of the race. I don’t like promises and pie in the sky – I like real world results. Don’t pay for promises and words – pay for results. When Colleges start offering courses by real entrepreneurs who actually run businesses and make money, the courses will be well worth what you spend on them. Education that works in the real world is what we need. We’re working on creating just that. Theory is great until you hit reality. I have been reading a wonderful book by Brian Klemmer. I really learnt a lot from it. When I saw that a word was missing from one of his idea boxes, I had to laugh. I could just imagine some loser contacting Mr. Klemmer to try to sell him some editing service. I’m going to call him right now and tell him what a great book he wrote.

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On September 10th, 2006, I guest speaker at a gathering of around 500 Islamic men and women in Bankstown, raising funds for war-torn Lebanon. Unfortunately I was nervous and forgot to switch on my audio recorder, so you've only got the written transcript. This is a shame, as the group were very responsive - laughing at the appropriate points and applauding warmly afterwards. It was a great night.

We live in dark times, my friends, and the recent tragic violence in Lebanon is an indication of just how dark things have become!

It is hard for us to conceive, from this distance, what it must have been like for our sisters and brothers in Southern Lebanon, who endured a month-long military bombardment! The carnage, the destruction, the misery and the inhumanity have left none of us untouched, and yet ... we realise that this is only a short chapter in a much larger and more miserable story that has not yet reached its conclusion!

The immediate future is unknown, but the indications are in no way encouraging. Somehow Israel has proclaimed its attack on Lebanon to be a victory, while the USA continues to posture for an attack upon Iran. And fuelling this insanity is an increasing amount of propaganda, coming from a number of directions, depicting this conflict as a war between religions - God forbid!

I'm not sure when this transformation happened, as in the case of the attacks on both Lebanon and Gaza, the initial issues were reasonably clear. Both conflicts concerned disputes over the integrity of territorial boundaries and the release of prisoners - a total of three Israeli prisoners on the one hand, and around 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, plus a number of Lebanese prisoners, on the other.

These were the issues. I'm not saying that they are easy issues to solve, but they are not hard to understand. They are significant issues - politically and historically - but they are not religious issues, except in so far as the level of human abuse involved is an offence to all religions!

How is it then that the violence in the Middle East has become a war of religions? It is my belief that the only explanation for this is that there must be some powerful groups with a vested interest in dividing Islamic people from Christians and Jews.

I believe it is deliberate, as the rhetoric and the propaganda and the way the media has twisted events, even in this country, is just too well-thought-through and too systematic to be the result of a simple misunderstanding.

I believe that there are forces at work - powerful and well-financed sources at work - trying to divide Christian people from their Islamic sisters and brothers, Christian from Moslem, Moslem from Christian, Moslem from Jew. And the truth is that these forces are currently proving to be very successful.

As some of you will know, I run a number of websites, and have a number of subscribers to my websites from all around the world, most especially from the US - around 5000 in all. Every day, it seems, I receive emails from some of the people on my mailing list, telling me that Moslems want to kill them!

Every day I receive these emails, and every day I write back: ‘brother, please tell me which of our Islamic brethren is trying to kill you? Brother, do you actually know any Islamic people? If so, have you asked them why they want to kill you?’

The answer I get back is always basically the same: ‘no, I don’t personally know any Islamic people, but I have been reading a lot about Osama Bin Laden!’

‘Brother’, I reply, ‘if we were Islamic, I think we would have much better grounds for believing that the people of the West are trying to destroy us! Afghanistan did not declare war on America. It was not Iraq that invaded the US. It was not Lebanon nor Palestine that invaded Israel. And I personally do not believe that Iran is about to initiate violence against anybody!’

Somehow everything has been twisted! Everything has been turned upside-down! Israel, the most militarily aggressive country in the Middle East, is somehow always seen as the victim. America, the most powerful country in the world, is somehow seen as being terribly vulnerable to attack!

It is rhetoric, propaganda, a twisting of the facts, and a number of downright lies that have brought us to this point. And we know full well where this path is going to take us if we continue on it - into further violence and bloodshed.

For this reason, I appeal to you tonight, my Islamic sisters and brothers, to please resist the temptation to cut yourselves off from your Christian friends. I ask this humbly, recognising that so many Moslem people in this community feel themselves to be under siege and the victims of prejudice, and for good reason. Even so, I ask you, please do not give up on us.

Please be patient with those amongst us that are struggling against the weight of propaganda that is aimed at dividing us. Give us another chance, so that we might stand with you against this violence and inhumanity that threatens to engulf us all.

As I said, it is not our respective religions that led us into this violence. Ironically though, I do believe that our common religious values may be able to lead us out.

Christians, Moslems and Jews, at a faith level, are all ultimately committed to peace - to peace and mutual respect. These are values that are sacred to all of us. Perhaps some of us have forgotten this. With all the violence and inhumanity, we have forgotten who we are and what we believe. Please dialogue with us and help us to remember.

I was fascinated to read about some recent research done by a Professor Pape of the University of Chicago in the US. The Professor did a detailed profiling of Hezbollah suicide bombers, following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. What Pape found surprised many - namely, that out of 38 suicide bombers he studied in detail, only 8 were Islamic. Three were Christians. The vast majority, it seems were people of no faith. What united them was not their common religion, but a common commitment to resist the occupation.

The study reminds me again that these wars are not about religion, and yet, as I read about Christian and Islamic people working together there in violence, I think, how much more should we be able to work together for peace - for the rebuilding of Lebanon, for an end to the Palestinian occupation, and for an end to all this bloodshed.

Salam Alaikum. Thank you for the hospitality you have shown me tonight.

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