One of the benefits of being an Entrepreneur and being in EO is that you get to hang out with interesting people that are creating new and better ways of doing things that make the world a better place. I am in Grand Cayman with internet guru Ridgely Goldsborough who is doing some super cutting edge stuff online.  Take a look as I pick his brain on the special sauce that makes it all work:

I am currently at the EO Amsterdam University, which is a 5 day conference packed with amazing speakers (even 2 Nobel Prize Winners), incredible, fun loving, successful entrepreneurs and exciting activities and venues.  One of the most interesting things we’ve done is take a canal ride through the city, making our way through the canal system and on to dinner, where we wore Dutch Clogs.  The really cool thing about this conference, though, is that it’s centered on changing the world and how each of us can do our part to make a difference.  The only thing stopping us is our own self imposed limitations.

Before I go any further, I first want to send out a thank you to those of you who sent me email, texts and Facebook messages about my 9/11 experience.  Your thoughts were very heartfelt and appreciated.  Something I wanted to add to my story is that the following day I rented a car and drove to Rochester, NY to see my family.  I arrived about 30 minutes after my brother Mark delivered his 3rd daughter Ava.  After witnessing so much death and destruction, it was incredibly uplifting to walk into the hospital room and be greeted by my entire family, including the latest addition, baby Ava.  Happy Birthday Ava, and thank you for spreading so much light on all our lives!

Now back to change. I’ve talked a lot about the social aspects of entrepreneurialism, how to approach change and make a positive difference, both personally and professionally.  What we’ve done at the conference is break out into groups to do some creative brainstorming with creative specialists, which proved to be a very stimulating and educational process.  We focused on what brings about change in our lives and what experiences we’ve had that caused major change to take place.  We then discussed what kind of change we would like to see for future generations.

On the topic of change, Dr. Muhammad Yunus spoke to us about change that benefits and empowers poor people around the world.  Yunus is founder of the Grameen movement and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.  He’d heard some years back about people in Bangladesh working with loan sharks in order to purchase things needed to run their businesses and just survive.  The loan sharks were charging interest as high as 1500%.  Yunus went to Bangladesh and pulled together a group of business owners.  When he asked them the total that they had borrowed, combined it came out to be the equivalent of around $43.  He proceeded to loan them the money to repay the loan sharks at no interest.

Once they all paid him back, he gathered others to help raise money to loan the people, who continued to repay him around 98% of what he’d lent.  This was the catalyst that started the Grameen Movement that has raised millions of dollars to be lent to thousands of people as they seek to change and better their own lives.

You might recall my mentioning a desire to start a microfinance opportunity in Pondicherry, India where Efficience has our software development office.  I spoke to Dr. Yunus, who gave me his card and offered to help me.  If you’re seeking something, the universe might just put the right people in your path to help you, so keep your eyes peeled.

I will use this opportunity to do my part and try to create a positive change in the world, to try and help others have better opportunities and hopefully better lives.

How are you changing the world?

How to Communicate, and after sitting on shelf for who knows how long, I finally picked it up and started reading it. I might as well have picked up a sling shot and turned it on myself because it pegged me right between the eyes.

It starts with a lesson on how listening is key in good communication. When we listen, we have deeper relationships, friends are drawn to us, and we are able to learn valuable information for business. The book moves on to the Blocks to Listening. There are 12 of them: Comparing, Mind Reading, Rehearsing, Filtering, Judging, Dreaming, Identifying, Advising, Sparring, Being Right, Derailing, and Placating.

Advising is a block that, as a strategic thinker, I am guilty of because I am trying to figure out the issue being shared and solve it instead of getting deeply involved in what the person is feeling and acknowledge their pain.

It makes me pause and wonder why it bothers them at times or why they joked about it, because I see it as something so natural that everyone should do it.

When you run a business, various opportunities often present themselves and persuade you to run off in different directions, pulling you away from your focus.  This happens to me frequently, and I find it difficult to avoid being sucked down a path that sounds like the next great avenue for huge success.

Thankfully, my partners, EO Forum,  or my team usually slap me back into reality.  Taking a closer look at what you are doing can also help you discover if these opportunities are worthy or if the current focus is best.

As my success coach Steve D’Annunzio asks:  Where have the most profitable clients come from over the past 3 months?  What is the common theme across those clients and what is it you are providing that makes the clients happy to pay you?  What is the common size of these clients?  What category are they generally from?  What are their locations?

If the answers point towards the companies paying me the most profit, why would I not want to go get more of the same?  Why would I not want to build on this synergy and find a way to get the most scalability possible by giving the clients what they love while also getting paid at the most profitable level?

Steve tells me that when those things happen, you are in “FLOW.”  When it’s right, you notice it in the areas of time, energy and currency because they will all be jamming together like a great jazz band or orchestra.

As we close in on the end of the year, many businesses are looking deeper at what they are doing and may be considering these same types of questions.  Another beneficial exercise that can help to open your awareness to all the options is the basic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats or SWOT analysis.  We utilize this every quarter to challenge our business and ensure we are considering all possibilities and are not about to get eaten by something sitting around the corner waiting to pounce.  Remember the Software Monster.

We found that we spent too much time gathering data from all the participants for SWOT, leaving us little time to really dig into the data we had pulled out.  To fix this, we built a tool that has helped us ramp this up before we start our planning meeting and has given us much more time to go deeper.  This tool, called MeetingHabits, can now be utilized for free, and it may stay that way as we study how it benefits us.  We would also like hearing how it helps you if you would like to share your experiences.

As you work to focus more on bringing the most value to a core group of clients that will put you in the best FLOW, what are you doing to make sure your business is harmonizing the best tune?

What an interesting week!  Last week, I traveled to New York City to participate in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Injected Campus event, which brings the regional EO Forums together.  We met in lower Manhattan to be close to the New York Stock Exchange.

This year during our event, the NYSE opening bell was rung by InvenSense, a company that makes the motion possible in the Wii and in smartphones.  InvenSense was launching their IPO and was going public.  I had always wanted to be there in person to see the opening bell, but it also made me think of my own dream of being up there to ring the bell with the IPO launch of my own company.  That evening, it felt a little closer as my friends on the Global EO Board got to be on stage and ring the closing bell!  WOW!  Click here to see the video I took of the opening bell.

Along with going to the Stock Exchange, we enjoyed a wonderful evening dining and socializing at the Harvard Club in Times Square.  We also heard from three great speakers and spent time with EO members that have really invested time and resources into the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, thus getting a lot in return.  This entire event was extra special! 

Matthew Kelly spoke to us at the NYSE for one of the events.  He does business consulting and wrote the book The Dream Manager.”  His talk resonated deeply with me, so I wanted to share it with you.  Matthew told a story about one time when he was playing golf.  One of the guys he was playing with seemed really down, and when Matthew asked him about it, he mentioned he was having business problems.  After digging, Matthew finally got him to reveal that he has a janitorial company with more than 400% turnover.  This man was spending all his time hiring people and had no time to work on business strategy.

Matthew inquired, “Have you asked the employees what is the problem?”  The man had not and wondered if they would even know, so Matthew said, “Let’s find out.”  They conducted a survey and realized that transportation was the main problem.  They decided to get buses to help the employees, and the business changed significantly.  The turnover rate dropped to just over 200%, so they did the survey again.  This time, they discovered the employees had dreams and desires.  They decided if the employees were helped to realize these dreams, then their respect and loyalty to the company would grow.

They hired a full time dream manager to discuss dreams with the employees.  The dream manager assisted them in creating plans and processes to put them on the path to realizing their small near-term dreams, such as purchasing a laptop or planning a vacation.  Additionally, He helped them work towards their long term dreams of buying a house or getting the proper education toward a new career. 

This approach resonated with me because I am of the type that is always strategizing about working towards the things that make the future better.  I have often asked my team what it is that they are working for and want to have in their lives as they increase their incomes.  It is astounding how the culture of a company can change and how your employees’ perception and loyalty toward their employer improves!

I am working toward my dream of building a company that can go IPO.  What are you doing to invest in the lives and dreams of those around you?

Many people say they are happiest when they are creating.  Maybe it’s because we are made in the likeness of our creator and are doing what comes naturally.  Just like an artist or musician, entrepreneurs are creating and bringing things to life, out into the world and the marketplace to solve problems.

I’ve spent the last few days in Asheville, NC on an EO Forum retreat with my long time Knoxville Forum.  Asheville is known for its community of artistic people, and like artists and musicians, we like to be in places that stimulate us to create.  Many of us know that being in environments like the islands or the mountains stimulate us to create, but do we know why?

One of the reasons is negative ions.  These are invisible molecules that are generated in abundance around beaches, waterfalls, and mountain environments.  What they do is stimulate the brain with higher oxygen and blood flow, which in turn can provide that boost that we may be looking to generate.

Our Forum went on a zip line tour called Navitat high up in the mountains.  Over a 3 hour period we climbed, harnessed, zipped and repelled through the most picturesque mountain environment.  Why do we do this? One reason is to get us out and experiencing new things that allow us to connect and bond, which opens us up to sharing at a deeper level.  Another reason is that new experiences create new awareness.   New awareness can open the way for more synapse connections in the brain, once more stimulating new ideas and new ways of thinking. 

EO events and gatherings are about exposing people to places and thought processes that they have not experienced before.  What we like to call once in a lifetime experiences.  These past few days have been a creative stimulant for me.

I am constantly trying to open myself up to new things, experiences and environments that will encourage my own creativity.  What are you doing that will open you up to discovering that next brak through solution or idea? 

Tony Hsieh (Zappos), John Assaraf (from the movie The Secret, and author of The Answer), Guy Kawasaki (Apple), Sir Richard Branson (Virgin) and even George W. Bush (need I elaborate?). All of their messages were very educational and insightful, but there is one in particular I want to share with you.

(a marketing firm) and CEO of The Purpose Institute. This was timely given my recent blog on core purpose. His story was about the power of focusing on your purpose.

Roy has worked with Herb Kelleher (former CEO and Chairman) of Southwest Airlines for decades now, and over the years has helped to support their purpose around freedom of the airways.

Roy showed this video called Hallelujah to help us understand what purpose feels like:

He said when you have these 4 things you will know purpose.

1) You have to know the words to the song

2) You have to listen to one another

3) You’ve got to step up when it is your turn

4) It really sounds good when you sing together…

I was born an entrepreneurial spirit, an inherent desire to create opportunities and realize them. My journey has led me around the world, given me the opportunity to learn from some remarkable people, and experience leadership on a whole new level.

In my life I have gone from pumping gas, delivering newspapers, and making clown shoes to creating a mutual fund from scratch that helped carry my firm to $1Billion in assets. I then created the first mutual fund in the world run solely by its shareholders. I have seen my ideas and investments flounder, and I have also seen them thrive. I have felt stupid and genius at the same time, and discovered the world of Dyslexia. I have identified the difference between my strengths and my weaknesses, and learned to use them to my advantage. I have found a world of people who share my entrepreneurial spirit within the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), and with them I have been everywhere from the Pentagon to the Playboy Mansion.

Today I run a custom software development company called Efficience, with offices in both the United States and India (Effindi). My team and I have realized success and failure, and from that have developed an effective form of execution that we call FlockGPS.

I know that I did not get here alone, and I feel that my path to success is ongoing. My point is this: I got here from what I learned from other people, and it’s only fair that I pass along my awareness and experiences. Our economy suffers right now. We are the only ones who can fix it. I want to succeed, and I want to see Entrepreneurs around the world succeed, as well. We are the ones providing the innovation and job growth in our economies.

I was told a long time ago that if you really want to know something, you teach it. So if sharing this blog exposes you to ideas that will help you grow your business and inspire the entrepreneur inside of you, then I think they refer to that as a win-win.

More and more we hear the term Entrepreneur in the media and from politicians these days. They are saying that Entrepreneurs are the primary creators of jobs in the economy, and I agree completely. But what is it that these Entrepreneurs are doing different? What is an entrepreneur made of and what really describes one?

Growing up I was always looking for opportunities, and I thought it was just because I wanted to be successful and make money. I didn’t realize until later in life that what I was really seeking was more than just money and success. I was fulfilling an inner desire to take an idea, mold it, push on it, worry about it, get excited to tell others about it, and jump up and down at each sign that it was slowly manifesting into existence. Creation seems to be the key here, just like an artist or musician.

How do I know this? Ask anyone who has sold a company for big money, and then ask them what they did after that (I have asked plenty). They may have traveled the world or enjoyed the beach for a while, but they usually revert back to that inner desire to create and manifest. Money was not the answer. Now, especially with the freedom of money, comes a desire to manifest at an even higher level.

This is what Steve Wynn called the Dark Side of Entrepreneurism and spoke to us about at the EO 20 yr celebration in Vegas. You risk it all so that you can continue to create and manifest at the expense of the fortune you have already created. Steve did this when he opened and created Wynn Properties.

The one word that encompasses being an Entrepreneur is the magical word “Freedom!” When you run a business you are free to be who you want to be, to go the direction you see fit and to manage people the way you think best. From that the market place is your gauge for success.

So when you have freedom to create, share and grow (one of our core values) in the areas that you are most passionate about… out of you comes the highest expression of who you are. When you stir this soup, what you get are people running high growth companies that create jobs. These jobs also allow for self expression and living a purpose, which in turn attracts high caliber people generating a positive feedback loop, which leads to more growth and jobs.

Entrepreneurs of the world: We thank you all for your desire to create and manifest, making the world a better place!