Bookked.com

I was recently listening to a Robert Kiyosaki audio book while driving to a meeting. He was discussing the difference between working for money and working for free. It is an interesting concept, but something for every entrepreneur to think about.

When you work for money, you are performing a job. It is usually a job performed one time or per contract. Employees work for money, and they are limited to how much they can make because they are only one person (and the owners will try to pay you as little as possible.) Of course there are highly compensated employees, but what happens if the company shifts strategies or gets bought out? How much security is really there?

Working for free is when you are building assets or systems. In my opinion, products and services should simply be in support of the assets/systems we have created. The challenge is giving yourself enough time to build things correctly - to build the right team and properly plan so that you will ultimately be profitable and sustainable.

Do you feel like your business is an asset or system? Do you have consistent plans to execute for your customers? How much time do you spending working and how much time do you spend building?

When you work with a client, does it make more sense to complete one job, or to continue working with them over time? Going back to my baseball roots, I can compare this getting private lessons. On the first lesson, the instructor will diagnose the poor habits and begin making adjustments. But would you just get one lesson, figure out everything that is wrong, and stop going?

To get sustainable results, we need to commit to a program. We need to follow a path to success. Are you providing your customers with this path? Or are you rushing to tell people their problems without establishing a lesson plan?

I have been working with Dave Charest of Case Ace Copy quite a bit over the last year. Dave will give you an interesting perspective on any aspect of your business, but especially with sequencing. Check him out and tell him I say hello!

Bookked Theory in Practice

I am currently working on a project for another company I own, A.B. Athletic Development, called the College Selection Plan. This plan supports our mission to "Build the Future for Student-Athletes." Essentially, this is a business plan for college selection. We will establish all the key components of college selection. Included in this is athletic development, where we can be part of the team to help improve athletic performance, (a critical aspect of recruiting.) We are doing what we are passionate about, building positive, influential relationships with student-athletes that can last up to 4 years.

I have been involved in baseball since as long as I can remember. My first distinct baseball memory was when I was four. I went to Sea World with my family and the announcer asked who wanted to play baseball with a dolphin. I was on stage before my mom realized what was happening, crushing wiffle ball pitches from the dolphin's tale over the tank and into the crowd. I love the game of baseball. If you've been reading this blog you know I relate a lot of my business life to the game. Here is my next link between baseball and business...

The way amateur baseball is structured, you usually have a different coach each year. Because I played so much baseball (regular season, all star teams, fall teams, AAU teams, travel teams, etc) I was introduced to many different coaching styles. Different coaches had success and failed based on their skills as a leader and a manager. What I noticed the most is the coaches who were passionate and could just be the coach were usually the best coaches.

What does it mean to "Be" the coach? These coaches will lead by example. They do what they say because they believe in what they preach. They don't always have great knowledge over the whole game, but will bring in others to cover their weaknesses. By doing these things, they gain the respect of their players and can then motivate them to perform on the field.

Who are you "being" within your business, to your employees, and to your clients? Who do you have to be in order to be successful?

When I was a junior at UVM, I took a class called BSAD 180 - Managerial Finance. It was the required finance class for all business majors, covering basic financial math and theory. My professor in the class was David Harrison, and he was one of the toughest professors I had at UVM.

The first day of class, he told us all that his class was difficult; that we would need to work hard to earn a good mark. Then he used an analogy of eating an elephant. "I recommending taking small bites each day. You won't be able to finish it all in the last two weeks."

I took his advice and worked very hard. His class was, in fact, very challenging. I went to the library and did finance for a couple hours each day, pushing myself through the material. I learned the information as well as I could and finished the class with a strong understanding of finance.

As I move forward with my professional career, BSAD 180 is a class at UVM I frequently think about. My work now has nothing to do with the class material, but the process helped to define me. What I learned was less about finance and more about the process of working hard and being discipline.

Dave Charest of Case Ace Copy (and a friend of Bookked) recently repeated a cliche during a brainstorm session we had. He said that, "Everything is everything." The process of what we do, no matter what we do, is usually very similar. Challenge yourself to be open to the people and thoughts that enhance your process. And find other opportunities where you can help others with their process.

Tesla Motors recently released images of their new Model S sports sedan. I have been following Tesla since I read about their founder, Elon Musk, in Inc. Magazine over a year ago. The Model S is an absolutely beautiful car - sleek, powerful, fast... and electric. I think everybody can relate to the current energy situation in our country and across the globe. The Tesla mission is to help decrease dependency on oil with vehicles people will actually want to drive.

The mission of Bookked is to work with entrepreneurs and businesses who are passionate about what they do. This means that we are specific about who we choose to work with. Tesla is a perfect example. Last week, I emailed Tesla and told them I want to help support their mission. The result was dialogue via email about finding a way to make that happen.

How would you react if somebody said they wanted to help you? When was the last time you told somebody you wanted to help them?

"It seems that if you want to go anywhere really interesting, you usually have to travel through chaos to get there."
Jim Hensons's Doodle Dreams

The most fun I have with Bookked is when I get to sit down with people and explore ideas. Most people hit road blocks and think about the reasons why something cannot be done. We often dwell on these negative thoughts which in turn become our reality.

There are many different people saying the similar things about thoughts and the energy of the universe and so on. The Secret was a book and movie that millions of people have seen. Dr. Wayne Dwyer has series on the "Power of Intentions." The way I view this topic is simple. We choose our thoughts and attitude and we decide the scope of our ideas. Therefor we limit ourselves as much as we choose to.

I often come off the wrong way to people. They think I'm obsessed with money or that I am arrogant. I strive to achieve great things and I like to talk and share my goals so that I can find like-minded people. I view money as something that affords us time to pursue life. This can mean spending time with family or friends, traveling, or just taking time for yourself to think. I know I enjoy life most when I'm smiling.

I recently attended a Ray LaMontagne concert and the show was amazing. What I noticed the most about the performance was Ray's passion. As I watched him perform, I could not help but think about my own baseball career.

When I played baseball, I always got in the moment. I felt completely free on the field and people who watched me play said they could see my passion for the game. Watching Ray perform, I could see and feel his passion. One of my friends who was at the concert with me called him, "Mesmorizing." If you are a musician, what better way could you be described?

With business, it is often hard to be so passionate about your work. There are so many distractions, fears and barriers that we face every day. Sometimes I feel like I can't get into a groove.

Short of locking yourself in a room, what do you do so that your passion can come out?

(If you've never heard of Ray LaMontagne, there are a bunch of YouTube videos you can watch to get a feel for his music.)

Yesterday, I was scheduled to go to Fenway Park for Opening Day with my friend Brian. Despite weather forecasts, I drove up to New Hampshire from New York City on Sunday with plans to drive into Boston and watch the game Monday. And before I had even taken a shower to start my day, ESPN reported the game was postponed until the Tuesday (today).

My initial reaction was disappointment. After all, I can't go today and I was looking forward to enjoying the festivities of the day with Brian. But instead, we got to hang out and do nothing all day. I haven't just hung out with my buddy for a whole day in a long time.

So how does the communication of the Red Sox front office win? Let me put it into context. When I played professional baseball, I experienced my fair share of rain delays and postponed games. The most frustrating thing as a player was when we knew it was going to rain. We would get warmed up, taking indoor batting practice, stretch and mentally prepare for a game we knew wouldn't be played. And the whole time, loyal fans were rolling into the park, buying food from the concession stand and supporting their home team.

What is your strategy for a rainy day? Do you have contracts with a "Rainy Day" clause? How are you prepared for circumstances you can't control? Talk to your customers and clients. When you keep the lines of communication open and be honest, it will only help when the rain clouds roll in.

I was born in 1983 which means I am technically part of Generation Y. What I notice the most about my generation is our ability to connect through technology, especially through Internet-based social mediums.

I remember in 5th grade when I picked out my screen name in AOL. IMing was the way to go for so many years. I would routinely dial up and have 8 chats going at a time. Whether I was talking baseball or trying to talk to a girl I thought was cute, the Internet always offered a quick, easy, inexpensive way to communicate and connect.

Instant messaging was the king until Facebook came around. The day I signed up, I was in an intro to Entrepreneurship class and I spent the full 50 minutes (pretending to take notes) realizing just how many friends and teammates were signed up. I check my facebook account multiple times per day on my computer or on my iPhone and it is acceptable to talk to somebody about what they post on their profiles. The "Stop & Chat" when home during the holidays is now much more than the, "Hey, so what are you up to?"

Facebook has launched social connecting to new levels. My personal arsenal includes Facebook (personal account plus Pages for all of my businesses), Myspace, Twitter (4 accounts), LinkedIn, and Google Talk.

So what does it all mean? I'm trying to figure that out. I launched Bookked.com on Saturday and posted a short message Facebook, Twitter and AIM I got 50 unique visitors to the site. Again on Sunday (minus the AIM due to travel) and 43 unique visitors. Not bad for a site launched two days ago.

Comment away!