January 21st, 2010
There is a trend towards increased government controls affecting your business and personal life. You can take two distinct actions while these new laws are passed. First, vote for those politicians having a history of supporting regulations you favor. Second, learn to turn regulations into profits.
To prosper in this environment of increased laws you will need to change your viewpoint and look for opportunities within these new regulations. While managing a seafood business was amazed at the many regulations we had to comply with. I became frustrated with the many rules and regulations, most of which I felt where ridiculous.
It was not until I changed my internal dialog that doors opened leading towards prosperity. Instead of complaining I began to ask myself a new question, “how can I profit from this new regulation”. This is when I discovered new ways to make the business more profitable. The following is a list of the methods you can use to turn government regulations into profits for your business.
Regulations decrease the ease of entry into your business and limits the competition. There are many regulations we where required to comply with in the food business. Licensing alone can cost tens of thousands of dollars, thus limiting the number of businesses that can afford to enter the new business. Less people able to afford the licensing fees equates to less competition. Less price competition enhances profit margins.
Regulatory compliance can eliminate competitors who don’t know the rules. I had a customer who stated on of the main reasons he worked with our business is because of our ability to comply with the variety of state and federal regulations. He had purchased some frozen lobster tails from an importer who was selling at a very low price. What he did not realize is the other importer did not comply with the various rules and did not have the proper permits to carry lobster out of season.
One day local regulators from the fish and wildlife arrived at his warehouse for an random inspection of his seafood. Unfortunately, he had lobster in his freezer without the proper out of season documentation. This caused him to be fined over fifteen thousand dollars that day. After this expensive experience he decided to only purchase from us because of our expertise in out of season licensing. This began a long relationship with this customer simply because we understood the regulations and more importantly we knew how to comply with the regulations.
Invest in those businesses benefiting most from government regulations If you are looking to invest in a business affected by new legislation, it is important to investigate the lobbying groups and companies supporting these new laws. Find out why they are supporting the bill and discover if the bill was written with the possibility of increasing their revenue. This might be tedious work but can reap large rewards for you if you invest in the right type of business.
A few years ago I investigated legislation which funded an alternative energy source. Government money was injected into this business and they where looking to reap the rewards. I thought I would try and share in their good fortune. Less than a year later I sold my interest at four times what I originally paid.
There is an old saying “when life hands you lemons make lemonade”. This axiom can be applied to many government regulations. As any business owner knows the only thing we can be assured of is change. I challenge you to think of this change in a new light. If you or your business is having to comply with a new local, state, or federal law, it as an opportunity. Investigate opportunities withing the new legislation, and turn politics into your profits.
Tags: growwing your business
Posted in Growing Your Business | 1 Comment »
January 19th, 2010
If you are ready to make a positive change in your life but don’t know where to begin I suggest you read Anthony Robbins Awaken The Giant Within. You will learn how to control of your life using your most important asset, your brain, and use it to take immediate action towards your goals.
Awaken the Giant Within will direct you towards achieving your goals and serve as a constant resource while achieving those goals. Learn how to reprogram your mind and change the way you view the world and thus changing your outcomes in life.
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Posted in Financial Success, Motivation, Success | 1 Comment »
January 19th, 2010
I was starting a business and needed a desk. My good friend Bob had an old desk with wear marks and unsteady legs. My friend thought I most likely would not want his beat up old desk but would sell it to me for fifty dollars. I walk out of his house that day less a fifty dollar bill and with a desk in the back of my truck.
Light brown with numerous scratch marks and dozens of black stains in the drawers, the desk obviously saw many hours of use. A few days later after placing the desk in my office, my friend Bob stopped by. He was concerned because he felt my desk should be something more polished. I turned to Bob and said “our customers don’t care what type of desk I have in my office. Our customers care about the price and quality of our products.”
I did touch up the desk to make it neat and clean, but maintained its rustic look. Having owned and operated various businesses, I knew it was more important to focus on the customer than on the furniture in my office. Besides, we had just begun our business and our sales where not even fifty dollars a month.
The business grew from monthly sales of less than fifty dollars to more than fifty dollars every five minutes, changing our financial position dramatically. During this period I became more aware of how old the desk appeared.
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Tags: business finance, grow your business
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January 15th, 2010
When I ask my friends if they are happy with their job I usually receive a resounding “No!”. My second question is “why don’t you find another job you like?”. Usually this is followed by a stare and look of resignation, with the answer to the question coming with a defeated tone “because I can’t”.
Most people can’t change jobs because they have pursued a career which pays them a salary they enjoy but is not fulfilling. And now they have come to a point in their life where they have matched their lifestyle to meet their income and feel trapped. Sometimes they get out of college and realize that they pursued a degree for the wrong career.
Until you realize the truth in the amazing paradox that the road to wealth has little to do with money, you will block your path to becoming wealthy. Bob Proctors audio book “It’s Not About The Money” is a must if you want to pursue a more fulfilled and abundant life.
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October 3rd, 2009
Through my life I have come to realize we become what we fill our mind and bodies with. What we concentrate our time and energy on is what we become in life. The adage “you are what you eat” can apply to our mind in that we become what we feed our mind.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne gives insight into how we can affect our lives through what we read, think, feel and do. Byrne’s book is an outstanding compilation of examples of how you can change your life through implementing simple “secrets” such as the power of positive thinking.
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September 18th, 2009
This important book dispels popular economic myths promulgated by the media and the authors of Freakonomics. John Lott explains through his informative and understandable writing, how and why the free market system works. He further dispels many radical and flawed theories by presenting factual and verifiable statistics.
During discussions of important social and economic issues, such as gun control, we often hear a politician on television espousing the need for more gun control and further restrictions on legal personal ownership of hand guns. Lott demonstrates legal guns in the hands of law abiding citizens reduces likelihood of a crime committed against a citizen. States with concealed weapons laws saw a decrease in crime continuing years after the law was enacted. To my amazement, Lott further proves the assault weapons ban did nothing to reduce crime, with the murder rate actually falling after the assault weapons ban was lifted.
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Posted in Economics, Recommended Read | 2 Comments »
August 31st, 2009
Michael Katz, in his book “It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional”, made me feel as if I was involved in a personal conversation with the author through his journey towards becoming a solo professional. While reading, I laughed and shook my head in affirmation while Katz recounted stories which included starting a business, and the lessons he learned while growing his business. Katz candidly divulges his true feelings and experiences, while letting the reader learn from his trials and successes.
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August 30th, 2009
Scientists and economists are working diligently to determine ways of producing sufficient electrical energy to supply our increasing demands. Electrical energy must be produced both economically and with the least environmental impact.
Awareness concerning the increased production of Carbon Dioxide by electrical generation facilities has spurred new interest in energy sources other than fossil fuels. Carbon Dioxide, an odorless colorless gas is an important part of the carbon cycle which consists of the production and consumption of Carbon Dioxide in our earth. The balance of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere has increased in part due to our expanding consumption of electrical energy.
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February 24th, 2009
During the late 80’s I was a college student with a large portion of my investments in Savings and Loans. Having spent much of my time working and managing small businesses during my college career, I understood some basic principals of finance. Therefore, I could not understand why banks loaned money to people at over 100% of their home value.
Recognizing this lending practice as a problem, I decided it was time to discontinue investing in Savings and Loans. Then the S&L crisis hit and I was glad to no longer be involved in the market. Since most of my money was in cash I was able to purchase stocks and other products at a much lower cost.
The savings and loan crisis was an important experience for me because I learned a valuable lesson. Recessions allow those with money in the bank to buy at bargain prices. Recessions are similar to clearance sales where you can buy businesses, cars, or homes at a big discount.
Using a simple principal that tells me to only invest in what I understand, I was able to get out of the stock market during the dot com bust and the current economic down turn because I did not understand either market. Some of you have been caught in the current economic downturn, and I would like to share with you simple financial principals which helped me increase my net worth over 10 times in the past 8 years, including the current recession.
1. Self Reliance
First, the best person to rely upon for your financial success is yourself. You are the one who determines your wealth and your income. If you make proper choices and take action, you can turn an economic slump into a financial boom for your personal finances.
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December 10th, 2008
Having observed and worked with wealthy people and people with high incomes I have discovered it is not only how much they make, but how much they save that determines their wealth. The book, The Millionaire Next Door, proves this point and teaches us how these people actually acquired their wealth and how they are able to retain it.
This book is for two types of people, those wishing to become wealthy and those who are curious in learning how the wealthy work, what they own, and how they play. You are in for a true surprise when you discover that not all of them are members of country clubs and purchasers of luxury cars. These are places and things that are for those who want to feel wealthy not necessarily for those who are wealthy.
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![](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582701709?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcarlvalerc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1582701709"><img border="0" src="51DNy2eWlxL._SL160_.jpg "TheSecret")
