How To Make New Years Resolutions That Work.

A friend of mine once said if you want a New Years Resolution that you will stick to, it is easy, don't make one.  Every year we make new years resolutions that stick like a post it note on your windshield going through a car wash.  We all know it and yet studies indicate that we continue to make resolutions and fail to keep them.

Have you ever wondered why?  Do you even really care? Why do so many resolutions end up broken and forgotten?

Psychologists tell us that unachieved goals are more dangerous than no goals at all.  When it comes to running a business I couldn't agree more.  I have seen parts of my business life that quite frankly have been a complete failure.  After I messed a few goals, I came to expect that I would miss more.  It is like a cancer to the positive thought  and energy that entrepreneurs need to have every day. 

Entrepreneurs are a different breed.  Most of them that I meet have an addiction to running their own show.  They have an enthusiasm for whatever it is they do and love to see their customers enjoy the fruits of their labor. The underlying reasons are a little different for each of us.  Liberty, Freedom and Happiness rank up there for a few of us.  Some have something to prove, which is perfectly fine.  In fact Bill Bartmann believes that having something to prove and someone to prove it too can be a great motivator.

Watching my chef friend and neighbor work is amazing.  She is up at 3am or so baking so her clients get the best baked goods she can deliver.  When she has a new flavor she yells across the street for me to go to the store and try it.

So how do all the pieces of our minds come together and create New Years Resolutions that work?  Isn't that what we really want?

While doing a little research on the subject, I found a study about exercise and weight loss.  Having lost over 30 pounds this year it was very interesting.  The study said that our spouses/partners are not good enough as motivation to lose weight or exercise.  It is easier to put off exercise if we are only doing it for us, or our spouse or partner.  Why?  Because we know that they will love us anyway.  I think that is true of our businesses too.  If I don't make my next goal, my wife won't leave me or love me less will she?

My weight loss success came from a bet with my friend and business partner, not my desire to impress my wife.  As wrong as that sounds it isa reality.  By making it a challenge, I didn’t want to lose (the bet that is) and so I made the effort and stuck to it.  Suddenly switching from Ice Cream to Yogurt was easy.  Cutting out all grains, not that difficult, eating less became tolerable and finally I got off my chair and hit the treadmill or the road for a good run.

At first the run was literally a couple of blocks, this morning it was an easy three miles in 24 minutes followed by a quick upper body strength session.

I have to wonder if having a partner that keeps the other person engaged isn't the reason behind such great companies as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Apple, all of which started out as partnerships of two very different minded people. 

New Years resolutions have all of the same challenges as losing weight.  More so if they are business related challenges.  

No matter what you choose to do, make sure you find a way to make it important enough to you to actually do it.  If you want to lose weight, you have to want to lose weight more than you want to eat, avoid exercise and watch TV.  If you want to grow your business, you have to want to grow your business more than the alternatives.

The holidays are especially tough on entrepreneurs.  Many of us have a narrow window of opportunity to take advantage and make some big changes to set our businesses up for 2013.  At the same time, our families are almost demanding more of our time because “it’s the holidays”.

Being an entrepreneur is complicated by our social desire to please everyone.  After all we solve problems don’t we.  The holidays are simply a problem we can solve or are they?  It has taken years for my family to understand that I work when others play, and I play when others work.

When they do get a glimpse into my life, they are amazed at how much more this allows me to do.  Less standing in line at both ends of the deal.  Quieter and less expensive vacations, shorter lines at the Orlando attractions and shorter lines at the airport are just a few of the benefits of working this way.   I don’t feel like I am making progress in the areas of Freedom, Happiness or Liberty when I stand in line for three hours anywhere.

As you look to 2013, before you make those resolutions, think about what is really important to you first.  Instead of making resolutions, how about making a road map of your perfect life?

A few years ago a family health issue made me take a long hard look at my life.  I realized that I was missing a lot of my “goals” because they really weren’t my goals or didn’t fit the image of my life.  Those missed goals were creating stress and anxiety while preventing me from achieving other goals.  I realized the psychologists were right about goals and resolutions.

After a spending two days in front of a white board I mapped out everything I really wanted and didn’t want.  The next step was getting my wife to sign off on.  Of course that happened after a couple of changes from her input.  Today I live a very different life than I did just three years ago.

Instead of making a resolution this year, make a change.  Whatever you decide to do, find a reason to do it, and a reason not to avoid it.  Figure out how the obstacles you might encounter first, and how you are going to get around them before you try and make a change in your life.  Make the decision that what you get is worth whatever it is you have to give up and get other people in your life to agree to let you do it.

Write out the changes that you want to make, remind yourself every day what you are willing to give up to get there, and you will be there before you know it.  

Happy New Year

Internet Presence = Internet Marketing + Social Media ++

What is your Internet Presence?  Do you know?  Do you even know what it means?

Every business in the US, and for the most part, every business in the world has an "Internet Presence" whether they know it or not.  If one customer stops by your business and posts information about you on their Facebook page, that is your Internet Presence.

At the end of the day, your Internet Presence is the sum total of all of the information about you that is published online.  If you don't add to that information, then you have zero control over your Internet Presence.  The more information you add, the more you control.  At least that is the idea.

All told you actually can control a lot more or a lot less of the information based on how you deal with your customers.  You can actively seek reviews on Yelp! or Google+.  You can also ignore them.  It is your choice.

As part of your complete marketing plan, you should have a plan and a direction for Online Marketing, Social Media and digital PR so that you can at least influence the Internet Presence of your business.

If you feel like all of this is overwhelming, and you just don't know what to do about your online marketing, you can of course hire an online marketing business like the Bourquin Group, and for a fee, we'll be glad to go to work for you.

If you want to watch your budget, another option is to get a copy of The Easy Guide To Internet Marketing, and follow the step by step guide to build your Internet Presence on your own.  It is something that any business owner can do in just a few hours each week.  You don't have to give up your life to monitor Facebook and Yelp!.

Even if you are going to hire someone to take over your online marketing and help you improve your internet presence, getting a copy of The Easy Guide To Internet Marketing will help you understand how to hire better and how to decide if your marketing and internet presence plan are going in the right direction.

Don't ignore your customers on the internet, engage them and win them over today so your business can grow tomorrow and you can enjoy the freedom that you were looking for when you started your business.  Get your copy of The Easy Guide To Internet Marketing today.

Checklists for Success

As a pilot, we need to get a check ride every year if you want to keep flying.  The bigger the plane the more difficult the check ride is the rule of thumb. The truth is a lot easier than that.

There is a saying in aviation, when something happens either "wind your watch" or "sit on your hands".  The reason is simple. The knee jerk or impulse reaction is usually the wrong reaction.  I see it in aviation and I see it in business every day.

Would You Like A Little Freedom With Your Business?

It is almost an irony of the jet age and the information age that going faster isn't always the best method.  Big jets get places fast, but don't change trajectory quickly.  Business is much the same.  When an engine catches fire in an airplane, specifically a big airplane there is an impulse reaction to shut the engine down and use the fire extinguisher.

While those two steps are on the checklist there are other things to check first.  For instance, you want to make sure it is a real fire, not a false alarm.  Shutting down an engine that really isn't on fire makes things worse when you are halfway between New York and London or Los Angeles and Honolulu.  We call this a self induced emergency.

In business the same thing can happen.  I see it in my office and I see it in my clients offices.  The big difference between flying and business, is pilots have a checklist.  Our "checkride" is really a reminder to use the checklist.  Unfortunately, business owners don't get to practice emergency procedures and test out their checklists.  Many big name franchises have excellent training manuals that include these checklists.  If you are a small business, and didn't work for a competitor and "borrow" the checklists, you have to build yours by trial and error.  That can be an expensive checklist.

A business coach can be like the flight instructor on a check ride.  The business coach can ask you questions about scenarios that are likely to happen and you haven't seen yet.  Then you can build the checklist for your staff before the business is actually on fire.  Teachers even have a checklist for fire drills and yet most business owners don't.

Many things that you as the owner do every day can be handed off to your staff very effectively by just building a simple checklist and training your staff to use it.  The key to success here is followup.

When you hire a really good business coach what you are really hiring is someone to hold you accountable for achieving your stated goals and reaching that next level of freedom and success in your business.  Your mission is to find tasks that you can shed to your staff and hold them accountable in the same way.

As you build your checklists and your staff begins to take over your tasks, you can focus on your business instead of working in your business.  Need help?  For $297, I'll send you a copy of the "Easy Guide to Internet Marketing", and for the first ten people, I'll add a $100 Google adwords coupon if you don't already have an account and we'll spend an hour going over how to create the right ads and create a checklist so you don't have to do it.  That is a $1,675 value for $297.

Not convinced. I'll do one better.  How about a money back guarantee.  If you don't think you got a deal, I'll refund your money, you keep the book.  email me at scott@ownersplay.com and I'll send you the questionairre and a paypal invoice so when we get on the phone we can get you started right away.

Living With Windows 8, Is It The New Coke of The PC World?

Our office computers are now pushing four.  In business computer land that is an unheard of age.  Weekly crashes and blue screens have been the norm.  Clearly the hardware can’t keep up.  

After a week of looking around, we ended up in the Microsoft store and started to really like the idea of Windows 8 and the instant information on the home screen using “tiles”.  Maybe it should be called Windows Tiles Instead of Windows 8.

Eventually, we were convinced to buy a Windows 7 PC and upgrade to Windows 8 Pro with Media Center.

The initial installation to Windows 8 was the easiest upgrade I had ever done.  Literally just insert DVD , click three agree boxes and off it went.  The PC was a brand new HP AIO with a 23” screen.  The plan was to get a serial adapter and then use a second 22” HP screen we already had.

Not one single glitch or hardware error during the upgrade. Everything appeared to work perfectly.

Setting up email with Windows Live Mail was pretty straight forward.  It did ask if our server was POP or IMAP and then when we chose POP a window appeared that says “Windows Live Mail Does Not Support POP, Please contact your provider for IMAP”.  Why not just say that on the previous screen?  

After setting up the initial screen “Tiles” on Windows 8, we really liked the ability to see a snapshot of your world on one screen.  This is the perfect solution for a kitchen tablet, or shared family PC that isn’t used for work.  Much better than the small screen iPad and since the tiles updated, you always have the latest information, at least that is the idea.  With HP AIO computers starting at just $799 for the touchscreen models, it makes sense to have a 20” tablet in the kitchen for controlling lights and easily reading recipes.

This is also the failing of Windows 8.  Windows 8 might just become the catalyst of change in our office, and not one that Steve Ballmer is going to be happy with. 

Knowing there were major changes to the thought process and operation of Windows 8, I let a lot of things go in my two initial articles about Windows 8.  I assumed the problems I was having were simple user errors and I would learn how to do it right later.

Wrong.

After setting up Mail, the next thing I wanted to set up was our server access.  It took a while but I found a help file article to map network drives.  The “Desktop” tile quickly became my tile of choice.   I couldn’t “Map” any of our music or photo folders on the server to the “libraries” on the PC as I could in Windows 7.  While I was going back and forth between the “desktop” and the “home” screens I noticed the weather wasn’t doing what I expected.

With our old PC’s we had several “gadgets” on the right side displaying time and weather in several cities.  Calling Tony at Renew Services in Indianapolis during a major snowstorm would just be a waste of time.  I set the tile up to monitor five different cities.  Instead it only showed New York, New York weather.  New York wasn’t one of my five choice.

I got sidetracked here and tried the weather channel ap and the weather bug ap, and neither of them would display more than one city.  I expected it to rotate through the cities so in 45 seconds or so I would get to see all of the information.  That didn’t happen.

Since I had a pretty big screen I tried to load several tiles.  Windows 8 wouldn’t let me load the same tile twice.  I could only see the weather in one city without clicking the tile.  WeatherBug said they were working on a fix.  

Back to drive mapping.  In Windows 7 it was a two step process of mapping a drive and then adding the folders in the drive to the library.  In iTunes it was worse.  Again I assumed Apple wants me to buy their toys.

In Windows 8 it can’t be done easily.  At least no way that I found.  Next of course was mapping the photos drive so we would have easy access to them for creating customer websites.   This is where the big problems started.  I still haven’t found media center, even though we bought “Windows 8 Pro with Media Center”.  What we found were tiled versions of pieces of media center, that wouldn’t allow mapping of our server for media access.  I tried the XBox music interface, and no luck there either.

Finally it was time to simply work.  We tried to Upload the latest non-cloud based versions of Office and Expression Web.  We also tried to set up mail.  POP is no longer supported.  

Using iMap we were able to get Windows Live Mail to work.  We couldn’t get mail to tile though, only “fence post”.  I say fence post because it takes a full vertical slice of your screen.  Instead of a 3x3 tile or “window” that can hide behind a word document, mail is displayed as a 3” wide vertical stripe on the screen.  

Even in “desktop” mode, the fence post was all I could figure out.  We couldn’t open a document, two browsers and an email window or tile on one desktop to do basic research and write copy for a web page.  Microsoft has trained us to work this way for 20 years, Apple and UNIX followed suit.  Tiles or “Windows” overlapping on a screen are how most business computers are operated.  It is how screen manufacturers sell bigger screens.

Much of Windows 8 is designed around working in "the cloud".  While I see the "cloud" as a great tool, it is also a scary bet for business.  When there are 4 major accounting software packages, and all the data is on your computers, if your vendors goes under, your company keeps running until you get new software and migrate the data.  With over thirty "cloud" based accounting systems charging monthly fees, what happens when they shut down and your accounting goes with it?  I want my business software on my servers in my office with no service fees.  The cloud is a great backup or mirror service for my data, but not a primary source.

Also I am too cheap to spend $14 every flight to connect.  Why not get all of my email while sitting in the airport on free WiFi and respond while flying, then sync up when I land.  Do we really need to be that connected?

Enough about my thoughts on the cloud.  Eight hours after the box was opened and Windows 8 loaded, we decided that Windows 8 isn’t ready for business.  It was the New Coke of Operating Systems.  We attempted to go back to Windows 7 using the DVD we created in the beginning and the PC failed.  It turns out Window 8 installs easily because it eliminates your ability to go back.  The only way to return to Windows 7 is some command prompt work, formatting hard drives and reloading from a complete set of Windows 7 OEM discs according to the phone support people at HP.  Back in the box it went, and back to the store.

As Apple narrows the price gap with $599 Mac Mini’s packing all the power of a desktop, Microsoft has reason to be concerned.  Apple didn’t make iOS separate from OS X because it was cheaper.  They did it because it is what people need to maximize the devices they have.

As an alternative to Apple OSX for the home, Windows 8 is a great information center.  As a tablet interface, Windows 8 is the best available.  As a phone interface.  Same.  As a PC in a work environment, it hands the keys to Apple, which is where I am going today.  Tomorrow, the Mac Mini will be the first Apple desktop in my office ever.  

Mobile might be growing in leaps and bounds, but desktops still are the foundation of the machine that mobile is built on.  Windows 8 isn’t a foundation, OS X is becoming one quickly.

Act Like The Person You Want To Be

“Act Like The Person You Want To Be” is some great advice or is it?

This is a little phrase I have tried to follow all of my life.  When I was young and wanted to be a Rockstar, I acted like all the Rockstars I saw on MTV.  As I moved into my teens, and decided maybe racing cars would be a great life, I acted like the guys on TV.  

When I joined the military I quickly learned that I didn’t like walking around airplanes as a Security Guard at 2 am in weather so cold my jacket literally turned to ice.  I noticed there were a few guys who had better schedules.  They were the base shooting team.  So, to try and get out of the all night duty, I acted like the guys on the shooting team. 

It didn’t take long before it worked and I was moved off of “guard duty”.  In fact, acting like the other guys on the team got me quickly accepted to the team, and brought a box of awards and medals home that I still don’t have a house big enough for.  That team was a dominant force for four years running.

When I got commissioned as a second lieutenant, I needed to finish college in order to go to Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training or UPT.  While I was finishing college and waiting to leave for UPT, I hung out in a fighter squadron with F-16 pilots.  Once again I followed the sage advice, and everyone wished me luck when I finally left for UPT.  

At UPT it was a different story.  I was still acting like an F-16 pilot, not like a top student.  My “attitude” landed me a letter that cost me my F-16 slot.  Ironically the letter said “Lt. Bourquin does not have an attitude conducive to flying a fighter.”  

I left UPT to fly a C-26 and spent the next five years as a “wanna be” fighter pilot, in a fighter squadron, hauling people and parts.  I acted like the guys in the squadron and eventually things were looking good I would get that one in a million second shot.  Instead of waiting for a slot at the base I was stationed, I found a reserve squadron in Austin Texas willing to take a chance.  The base was closed before I could even start F-16 School.

The difference in the two scenarios has played out in my life several times and in several different areas.  Do you see the difference?  In simple terms, when I was acting like the person I needed to be in the place and time I was living, I experienced almost effortless success.  When I was acting like the image I wanted to be, I experienced failure no matter how hard I tried.

I wish I could say there was an “epiphany” or “aha moment” where I realized the difference and suddenly my life changed.  Regrettably, I am not that quick.  It took many years and a lot of coaching coupled with self reflection to see the difference.  Now when I talk with someone I can see it in minutes.

As a coach, my most difficult task is to teach people the difference between an image  of a person and the real person.  

I have been blessed with knowing several real “Rockstars”, Race Car Drivers, Actors and CEO’s.  All of them have one common trait.  They act like who they are, not the image people see of them.  It is when they start believing the PR and acting like the image that they fall from grace.

The Rockstar in my neighborhood isn’t currently recording so he built a company.  Most of the day he acts like a hard charging PHD entrepreneur.  That is Poor Hungry and Desperate PHD type by the way.  The rest of the day he still acts like a Rockstar.  He has a full studio in his home and although he’ll never say so, I have met his guitar coach twice just walking by with the dogs.  He is and always will be a Rockstar.  If you followed him all day, you would likely be confused because his lifestyle hardly fits the image you would expect.

The same is true of my Race Car Driver, CEO and Actor friends.  They are always acting like the person they want to be.  Sometimes it is a better version of themselves, other times it is someone who is just above their level.

Who are you acting like?  

If you aren't sure who you want to be check out:

Profile or Page - What Should Your Business Have

As Social Media morphs into it's next phase, Google + and Facebook have a couple of similarities the market is coming to expect.  Simply put, people have profiles, businesses have pages.

So what is the difference.  On Facebook, a profile is supposed to be a website for a single human.  You are limited in how many friends you can have, however you can have a lot of subscribers.  A subscriber is a follower you don't necessarily know.

A page on the other hand is designed for business.  On both Google + and Facebook a page has several business friendly features such as displaying hours, phone numbers and a map in a mobile friendly format.  Every business owner should have a page for their business.  After all they are free.

If you want to know more, check out the book "How To Market On Facebook For Free" or "How To Market On Google + For Free".  Both available as an e-book on Amazon.

Are You Missing Out On Free Facebook Marketing?

One of the questions I get more often from potential clients and new clients is related to Social Media Marketing.  Initially when they become an SEO client they want to know how they can save some money and do the Social Media Marketing on their own.  After all their kid is on Facebook for eight hours a day.

Just like running a successful SEO campaign, all Social Media Marketing has to start with a solid foundation.   Last year we introduced a Social Media Marketing Plan to our clients, and it has been a success.  In some cases it has been more cost effective than SEO efforts so we have moved more of their campaign effort to Social Media.

Clearly Facebook is the king of Social Media, so it is probably the best starting point to build a foundation for Social Media Marketing.  It depends on the kind of business you have where you’ll go next, but just like building a good house, the longevity aspect starts with a good foundation.

Learning how to market on Facebook, starts by learning how to build your Facebook foundation or presence correctly. Once that is done, you can market on Facebook for free if you have the time to dedicate.  Free marketing on Facebook is pretty straightforward but there are some big mistakes you can make early that can cost you.  While your kid might be on Facebook for eight hours a day, Facebook marketing isn’t a place to let anything go.

Once you have a foundation on Facebook properly built, then you can use your marketing strategy to build your plan for Social Media Marketing beginning with Facebook.  In order to make sure you get it right, I wrote a book with a step by step guide to get your foundation built correctly.  Included in How To Market On Facebook For Free is several strategies that you can tailor to your business, along with a few things not to do on Facebook or anywhere online.

If you want to grow your business using online marketing and don't want to break the bank, how about starting with free.  doesn't growing your business for free sound pretty good?  Why not invest a little time to get your foundation in social media and on Facebook started today.  

Currently you can get How To Market On Facebook For Free at Amazon only on the kindle.  The paperback should follow shortly.  If you get it before the five days are up you can check it out for free too.  After that, it will be under $5 for the kindle version and under $15 for the paperback.  It will be money well spent.