Information age

I'm sure that many of us have heard that we are in the information age? This modern world where we use the internet to learn and gain so much knowledge. We are filling our minds with so much information each day and can not seem to satisfy the hunger to know more.

We as people have become like the office gossip, who wants to know the office gossip just so that they don't feel left.

What is interesting to me as I look at the political climate around the globe, this information age becomes very apparent quickly. Any person you speak to knows so much information about the candidates, the issues, and based on the information has become convinced who is the correct candidate for the job. So convinced that we as a community have become so very polarized politically.

I though do think that we as the general person or business operation are truly aware of either all the information available to us, and if we are, how to use that information effectively to build our business and become stronger and more profitable. I heard a political analyst saying the other day that before social media, a political campaign would have roughly 80 points of interest known about each voter. They would use this information to understand the voters likelihood to vote for their candidate. Now in this information age and with social media, the political campaigns have closer to 200,000 points of reference to make the same decisions. This reveals how the information age is burgeoning and overflowing with data for businesses to captcha, but as I said most either do not know how to obtain the information or how to use this information to benefit themselves.

The question to ask yourself as an entrepreneur is, what information do I need to know about my present customers, my past customers and hopefully new customers? How can I learn from my previous customers and our mistakes that made happy customers walk away, What am I do successfully now that makes my present customers happy with our service and products, and What do I need to change to make my company more relevant to the people in the great unknown to know about our presence, our services and products.

If you found diamonds in a far off land, not knowing the value of the rocks you hold in your hand, you would merely discard.

Perhaps you are discarding or not looking at the information you have the right way. Information is valuable, but knowing how to use that information is worth so much more.

Looking through the headlines.

This post is intended to be not only an encouragement to all that read, but also as a warning to those that read all the news headlines of doom and gloom that we are faced with every day.

"Sometimes fiction painted on a canvass appears to be more realistic than fact!"

Skepticism is sometimes an important trait in business! Being skeptical forces you to keep asking questions and digging for more answers, especially when those answers appear to be too good to be true!

When hearing some of the headlines these days, I have to wonder and question what the back story is to the headline. Who is making the claims and what do they stand to benefit from the news that they are sharing. Just as I am starting to get very tired and frustrated with all the 2016 Presidential campaigns, I am sure that there are many people out there starting to just block it all out, we need to be sure to skeptically read and listen to the news and claims. It is easy to get exhausted and give in, after all we have had all this shoved down our throats for more than a year already!!!

So yes, not only am I trying to drown out all the presidential campaign claims, I am cautiously looking through and keeping my eye on all the information from the various statistical producers. I have been maintaining a very skeptical view on all the data that the government spews out about employment rates and the economies health. I remain skeptical and this is justified by the number of people that I speak to on a day to day basis who share a completely different picture with me about the countries and global economy than what I keep getting told by the government.

Years ago, economists used to use the stock market as a leading indicator to the markets overall performance and state, so wall street would lead the main street! If this was true, then based on the Bull run that we have witnessed since 2008, the governments claims and statistics match 100%, but perhaps since the man on the street tells a different story, this is why the government has been so adamant on pushing up the stock market and valuations through quantitate easing. They keep pointing to the great run, as if to say that the poor perspective that you hold individually is not one that is being experienced by the majority of people in the economy.

I was listening to an economist talk about the Australian economy and it hit home really hard, we are seeing the same things here in the United States as they are in Australia, South Africa, England and most of the world. Governments keep telling us how well the economies are doing and to just get over the "feelings" of insecurity, when in fact the reality is that the distortion of numbers and manipulation of numbers paint a worse picture.

This is meant to be an encouragement I hearing you saying? Well although the economists and government agencies will paint a picture for you that they want you to see, look through the headlines and see the facts. Dig a little deeper to see not only the truthful reality, but the opportunities, because opportunity knocks at every door and occasion. Keep your eyes open and look at the "Real" opportunities that lie behind the stories and headlines that you may read, this way you won't get caught off guard!

Focus on winning the battles, the wars take care of themselves

We are all aware how military's would think strategically, thinking through how and where to attack the enemy, successful military endeavors have not merely been successful due to the the holder of the biggest gun, but the military who has strategically plotted their plans to slowly weaken their opponent. Weakening them till they fall to their knees in surrender.

I wonder how many business owners and entrepreneurs like I , try to win the battle with a large atomic bomb. Entrepreneurs tend to spend a lot of money, building the finest, most powerful and greatest weapon to win the war in one foul swoop. Not only does this draw on many resources, but also takes a very long time to launch. Sometimes the war is already over before the bomb would be completed!

I would like to compare building a business as an entrepreneur, to one of the army major strategically planning a war made up of many battles. So as you set about attacking each battle individually, you move the company slowly towards the victory of the war - not that any business ever gets to a finish line. So on a macro scale of building the business, I encourage entrepreneurs to take the long term view, investing into the infrastructure to stand stronger as the war heats up with competitors.

Entrepreneurs sometimes get discouraged for not securing the large contract with the major customer, because they asked for the whole farm, house and animals at one time. Instead looking at the micro scale, as you approach a client or customer, you should be looking to get a small battle victory. Choose the battle selectively and strategically so that as you gain traction with that first battle, it draws you closer to a position that allows you the advantage for the second battle.

Build a battle plan that secures your business as a life line that your clients or customers can not live without.

Knowing your strengths

I have written before about how an entrepreneur needs to assume the role of CPS "Chief Problem Solver" rather than CEO "Chief Executive Officer" in their small to medium size business. You would think that entrepreneurs would understand this. The business that they have created was born from their ability to solve a problem in the market.

All businesses need to resolve a need in the market place, either by feeding the consumers human bodily needs, or feeding the consumers perceived needs and desires. When a businesses ability to relevantly solve problems faced by the market place cease, the business becomes redundant. Without evolving the company and making change to morph the company into a more relevant organization, it will no longer survive, dying the inevitable death.

There have been many examples of companies that have evolved, changing focus and industry sectors to survive. After all the skills required to see opportunities, lead a team of people to fulfill the needs of the market place are transferrable from industry to industry.

I have often been told how amazed people are at how quickly I have learnt new industries, learnt new skills and knowledge. Not only learning to know, but learning to teach. As a side note, by teaching something to a team or individual teaches you personally more about what you are teaching! When I built Jireh Optoelectronics LLC from the ground, I submerged myself into the industry, learning lighting design, electronics design and built upon my ability to transfer a message from one to another, by building a trained sales force of distributors nationally and internationally.

In order to transfer your knowledge and skills from one industry to the next though requires the person to know what they lack in knowledge and what they need to learn from experts. One of the skills I have developed over my business years and career is how to listen and then ask questions. I know that I need to learn enough to be dangerous, but that is the problem I am still dangerous.

I need to be open to the experts and bring them into the fray to do their job. I know my strengths, I know that I am a visionary person and knows the supply chain and marketing of products, but I also know my weaknesses and when to look around for the next person to guide my thoughts and decisions.

In operating or getting your business off the ground, there are many ways to get expert advice and input, just ask!