DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SUCCEED?

Running a business, either as an owner or as a commissioned representative requires an effort that most people are not willing to give. Nationwide the gross revenue for small business owners is under $50,000 a year. I believe that many of these owners have reached a survival mode and are comfortable, at least on a day to day basis. This comfort level may even allow them to obtain an occasional item such as the biggest flat screen TV which  provides a measure of “instant gratification”.

One of many overlooked factors is retirement. Let me share a few statistics from an article in Money Magazine.

• One-third of Americans report that they have no retirement savings
• The next 23 % have less than $10,000 saved.

If these figures are not enough to scare you, then I could talk about economic down turns and the lack of a reserve account which have a bleaker picture than the lack of retirement savings.

We are blessed to live in this country where the only obstacle to success is most often due to a lack of personal desire and effort. People live in communities and often take on the characteristics of the people they associate with.

If you want to take your income to the next level and then on to the next, you have  to stay in the company of people that have the same burning desire and are willing to put work clothes on those desires to make them a reality. Yes, this group may be hard to find; they are part of the 5 % of small business owners that really want to achieve their dream and are willing to work for it.

Success can be achieved if you set goals that require a major “stretch” factor, and you are willing to commit to working 10 times harder than you ever imagined.

Today, as I do almost every day, I encountered several small business owners who don’t like what they do, don’t want to change what they do, and don’t want to change the way they do what they do. In most cases these businesses are struggling under mounting debt.

While the overall economic news is good, there is an underground economy made up of people that are barely surviving. The sad news is that they have choices which they are not willing make.