Have you ever wanted to own and operate your own business? Do you fancy yourself as an entrepreneur? Do you dream of being your own boss? Well, if you said yes, then this article is for you. I admit, it does represent a deviation from our usual format but I think you will find the information extremely useful.

This article is actually part 3 in a series about the 7 ages of a business, an entrepreneurial perspective, initially published at eDragonu.ro. The remaining 6 articles have all been published simultaneously as guest posts on 6 other fine personal development and business blogs. You will find links to each of them at the end of this article.

Learning To Fly

The 3rd age of a business, the attention age, is usually the only phase when you are actually doing most of the stuff a business requires you to do. You start identifying processes, you understand your products or services and your market, you attract clients and beneficial partnerships. After the enthusiasm and naivety, attention is like a deep breathe and a count to 5.

During the attention phase you undergo a slow transformation. At least I know I did. I started to become more focused, more relaxed and more effective. If you are a serial entrepreneur, chances are that you can start most of your businesses directly into this stage. It’s the skillful and ambitious stage. It’s also the first one in which you actually enjoy benefits.

The most important sign that you are into the attention phase is your constant flow of good deals or contracts. Whenever you experience a non-interrupted flow of moderately good contracts for more than 6 months, after the naivety and enthusiasm period, you’re usually there. In this stage you’re actually stopping the loss. Not too much of a profit at this stage, but you’re covering your expenses.

What To Avoid

Although you’re entering a very stable period of your business, there are still some things you can do in order to avoid some common pitfalls.

Excessive Analyzing

During the attention phase your analyzing skills are heavily strained. It’s a demanding process in which you are both learning and applying what you learn. If you’d be a surgeon, it’s like operating on an opened patient with a surgical knife in the right hand and the manual in the left hand. You have to act, otherwise the patient can enter a coma. Excessive analyzing is not for you at this stage. Entrepreneurship is about doing in the first place, and that’s the
time when you should really act.

Expansion

It’s easy to get with the flow, but you must first cover your losses. If you start expanding at the first sign of success, without solid partnerships, solid team background and solid cash-flow behind you’ll most likely fail. The expansion temptation is always there, during all phases, and in my experience it was the most frequent cause for business failing. It’s like in military strategy: It’s crucial to first master your surroundings and then go conquer new territories.

Routine

If it’s working, don’t break it, goes the saying. It’s OK to keep the same successful approach but don’t allow yourself to be caught in a routine. Once you start doing the right stuff, you will want to repeat the process over and over. Repetition helps you fixate the learning but can lead to boredom. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck into a narrow decision corridor. Do apply your best knowledge and keep your business growing but pay attention to other details too.

What To Do

The attention phase will give you some necessary and creative distance and will increase your control level. Here are some enhancers for this stage.

Innovate

The attention phase is the most appropriate stage to start innovating. Start adding new features to your products, improve your services or marketing strategies. It’s quite demanding to do this in this stage because you won’t have great resources. Although steady, your cash-flow is still fragile. Your employees are just beginning to get a sense of security with you. But if you manage to stretch a bit, it will give you a highly competitive advantage in the next ages, maturity, expansion and leadership.

Long Term Planning

Take time to make some plans. You have reached a stable point in your campaign and it’s time to establish long term goals. You have all the tools and most of the desired knowledge. Planning long term will also give you a sense of confidence and self-worth. Being in a positive trend will also help you make moderate yet inspired decisions. I remember that during this phase I made my first 3 years plan, including cash-flow, employees and products enhancements.

Learn

Do it consciously. Keep a diary. Take notes. Track your winnings, assess your losses and put them in a system. Identify what’s working and what’s not. It’s the best time to start learning from what you are doing. I still have a box full of copy books with all sort of plans, meeting notes SWOT analysis and employees records from that period. Looking at it 5 years later was enlightening. Entrepreneurship is not learned in schools. You are both teacher and student.

From Attention To Maturity

The next stage of your business is maturity, a stage in which you really master your business process and start enjoying long term benefits. My attention period lasted around 1 and half year and I finally considered myself out of it when I was able to predict my profit for the next 2 years with more than 90% accuracy.

The most important thing from the attention period is the experience. This can’t be learned, it must be experienced. The feeling of putting together various pieces of knowledge, intuition, risk and business processes, and seeing at the end of this chain a positive result is fantastic.

As always, none of this stages is set in stone. In my experience none of the described business ages was 100% present at any time in my activity. There is some enthusiasm, naivety and attention in each stage of your beautiful journey as an entrepreneur.

Want to Read the rest of the series?

You can find the remaining 6 ages of your business on these fine personal development and business blogs:

1) The Enthusiasm Business Age… Attraction Mind Maps
2) The Naivety Business Age… Small Biz Bee
4) The Maturity Business Age… Steven Aitchison
5) The Expansion Business Age… Rat Race Trap
6) The Leadership Business Age… My Wife Quit Her Job
7) The Exhaustion Business Age… Learn This

Editors note: All 7 of these articles were written by Dragos Roua of eDragonu. The related articles emerged as a spin-off series from one his most popular articles: The 7 Ages Of A Business. This coordinated effort is part of Internet first called Massive Guest Posting. My thanks to Dragos for his hard work and dedication, and to all of my fellow bloggers who made this project possible.

With identity theft and fraud on the increase, I wanted to give you some practical ways to protect yourself both online and off. One of the keys to enjoying life to the full is taking reasonable steps to avoid painful situations where ever possible.

A few months ago my computer was compromised and I am still picking up the pieces from that little episode. In today’s world there are so many different ways for unscrupulous people to invade your life, that it is the course of wisdom to take some preventative measures. The following 17 points are designed to help you do exactly that.

Avoid Identity Theft: Ten Preventative Measures

Tens of millions of people have fallen victim to some sort of identity theft. They face not only the expense of resolving the situation, but also may have problems with their credit history for years afterwards.

However, there are quite a few steps you can take to protect your own identity:

1. Shred sensitive documents
Shredding any documents with your financial information, Social Security number or other sensitive information is a bare minimum to protect your identity.

2. Use a locking mailbox
For an identity thief, getting their hands on your paperwork can be just as easy as opening your mailbox and pulling out a few envelopes. Having a lock on your mailbox can protect you.

3. Contact the post office if there’s major changes in your mail
If you suddenly stop getting mail, check to make sure that no mail forwarding was set up without your knowledge. You should also contact the post office if you think your mail may have been stolen.

4. Put your cards, passports and other documents somewhere safe
The fewer pieces of sensitive information you carry around with you every day, the less chance you have of losing something.

5. Change your PINs and passwords regularly
It’s rare to find someone who changes their passwords on a regular basis, but it’s important. And that goes double for your bank and credit card accounts.

6. Protect your computer
Keeping your anti-virus software and spam filters up to date should be a priority no matter how much or how little you use your computer.

7. Keep in mind how much information is already out there about you
When you’re setting passwords and security questions, remember that information like the name of your high school, your mother’s maiden name and even your first pet are probably out on the internet somewhere.

8. Minimize who actually has your information
Many of the forms that ask for your Social Security number and other personal information don’t actually need it. You’re well within your rights to ask how a particular organization plans to use particular bits of information before handing them over.

9. Check into security breaches
If you hear that your information could have been included in a security breach, it’s worth checking into. Banks and other companies with access to your information will usually be able to tell you just what information got out and what sort of problems to look for.

10. Beware of emails from eBay and banks
Even I have been fooled in the past when I was rushed and responded to an eBay fishing scam (I knew I had something up for auction under my name, and someone else had posted it for me). Fortunately I realized that it was likely an identity theft scenario shortly after I did it, but I still had to go through all the paperwork and security precautions as a follow up.

So as number ten, I would advise you to make sure that you are VERY careful about responding to any bank or eBay requests, and NEVER enter your password and username in response to an email they send unless you first call them to confirm it is an authentic email.

Source:  Lifehack January 27, 2009

7 Online Blunders That Threaten Your Identity

There are many ways to invite identity theft, and certain online blunders can render your computer an inoperable mess. Here are the top 7 most common mistakes you don’t want to make:

1. Assuming Your Security Software Is Protecting You
Security software is fully effective only when activated and frequently updated. Renew the subscription when the software prompts you, and make sure your security software is active when you’re online, and that it has been updated within the past week or so.

2. Accessing an Account Through an Email Link
No matter how official an e-mail message looks, trying to access a financial account by clicking on embedded Web links is risky. If the e-mail message is fraudulent, a cybercriminal could use the account number and password you enter to steal your identity or empty your bank account. Access your online accounts only by using your existing browser bookmark or typing in the institution’s Web address.

I was actually nailed on this one when I was in the middle of selling something on eBay and clicked on a phishing scam that I thought was related to an active auction in progress, which one of my assistants had done for me.

If you suspect that an e-mail is a phishing attempt, forward it to spam@uce.gov and reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

3. Using a Single Password for All Online Accounts
Nine percent of home Internet users designate a single password for all their accounts. That practice lets someone who gets your password and steals your identity easily access all your accounts. Using different passwords need not be burdensome. Use slight variations on one password.

4. Downloading Free Software
You couldn’t resist that neat, free utility. Now your computer runs slower than ever. That’s because spyware was probably packaged with the freebies. Download freeware only from reputable sites such as SnapFiles.com and Download.com. Eliminate most spyware by downloading the free Microsoft Windows Defender and scan your PC.

5. Thinking Your Mac Shields You from All Risks
Mac users fall prey to phishing scams at about the same rate as Windows users, yet far fewer of them protect themselves with an anti-phishing toolbar. To make matters worse, the browser of choice for most Mac users, Apple’s Safari, has no phishing protection. Until Apple beefs up Safari, use a browser with phishing protection, such as the latest version of Firefox or Opera. Also try a free anti-phishing toolbar such as McAfee Site Advisor or FirePhish.

6. Clicking on a Pop-up Ad That Says Your PC Is Insecure
Fifteen percent of respondents to our survey who saw pop-up ads clicked on them. But that’s never a good idea. Even if you know such pop-ups are phonies, they’re still dangerous. It’s easy to click inside the ad by mistake and be transferred to a spyware site or, worse, have malware automatically downloaded onto your computer. When closing a pop-up, carefully click on the X on the upper left or right corner, not within the window. To avoid pop-ups altogether, enable your browser’s pop-up blocker or use a free add-on blocker such as Google Toolbar.

7. Shopping Online the Same Way You Do in Stores
Online shopping requires special precautions because the risks are different than in a walk-in store: You can’t always be sure who you’re doing business with. You must disclose more personal information, such as your address, to the online retailer. Thieves can sneak in undetected between you and the retail site. Use a separate credit card just for your Internet shopping. Don’t use a debit card. Sites that display “https” before their address when you’re entering sensitive information and those displaying certification symbols from TRUSTe and other organizations are usually safe, but there are no guarantees.

How to Regain Your Privacy Online

In addition to these seven valuable tips, I highly recommend checking out Regain Your Privacy Online. It’s a great resource where you can learn more about how to protect your personal information against free distribution.

For example, did you know your personal information is listed in at least 49 FREE online directories that are accessible to anyone? With nothing more than your name, someone with less than good intentions can access these directories and compile an astounding amount of information about you, your family, your home, your work, your social network and more, making stealing your identity, planning insurance fraud, planning a robbery, or worse, easier than ever before. RegainingPrivacyOnline.com has done all the leg work and heavy lifting to make it easier for you to take back control of your private information and protect your privacy.

Source: Yahoo Finance August 1, 2008

An Ounce of Prevention

A few months ago, someone hacked into my banks customer files. They sent out emails telling everyone that they needed to change their PIN number for their ATM access because of a security breach. Thankfully, the bank was quick to detect and remedy the problem, and no one lost any money. But I live in a very small rural town in Oregon, which illustrates how widespread the problem really is.

Friends, as we all work toward a life of exceptional quality we want to remember the old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I hope you found this information useful and informative.

If you have any additional pointers please share them by leaving a comment.

In this short (5:42) video Mark Joyner shines a totally different light on the current economic situation . It’s called: Shocktails [Episode 1] The Only Thing You Need to Know About the Recession

Your Shocktails “secret toy surprise” for Episode 1 (only open after watching the above video) is here: http://www.simpleology.com/courses/free

Think about the fact that the money we exchange is nothing more than printed-paper. It doesn’t even have any value except the value that’s been assigned to it. Why would we want to measure our personal worth against printed-paper that has no value? And yet this is the fallacy that millions of people have bought into.
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People’s sense of self-esteem goes up when they have money, when they can earn more money, and when they feel like they’re worth more money.  It makes them feel like they’re worth more as a person, but is that true?

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Let’s change the picture!
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Imagine if the whole system had been built on something like strips of red ribbon. Oh, I’ve got more red ribbon then you so that makes me a more valuable person.  It’s so absurd it’s laughable.  And yet, in reality a strip ribbon is probably worth more than a dollar bill. 
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A long time ago money was intended to represent some commodity like gold or silver, but is that true anymore?  No! There is no commodity to back up money – they print it at will.  The whole economic picture is just an illusion. But it’s a picture that were all involved in, so what can we do?

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Obviously we need money in our lives. But the way we’ve been programmed to attract money is not the most productive way to satisfy that need.  Let’s go over several false notions about money and it’s place in our lives, as we consider some alternative approaches. 
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Conditioned to think this way?
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From early childhood were conditioned to think that money makes the world go around. As a little kid we might look at our parents and say, “Can I have a dollar?” And of course they would say, “Well, what are you going to spend it on?” Then we reply, “I want to get one of these.” So right away, we learn to recognize that everything we want in life has a price tag on it. 
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As we get older we’re trained to think that, if I can earn this much per hour, then this is what I’m worth. But if I can earn 10 times that much per hour, then I’m worth ten times more. So our personal value gets all wrapped up in what we are able to earn per hour.  Is this an accurate way to estimate our own value?

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It’s a crazy way of looking at things, and yet money is something that everybody strives for, and yet, very few people are able to lay their hands on these days. Initially money had value because it represented what we could buy with it.  But then money took on a personality of it’s own. 
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Emotionally supercharged

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People want money! Sure, they want it so they can pay their rent and put food on the table. But their emotional attachment and their sense of self-worth are wrapped up in the almighty dollar.

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Now, with the economy floundering and personal assets evaporating many people are on the verge of panic.  It’s the kind of situation that leaves people wondering how in the world they are going to cope.

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Regardless of the financial crisis, a change of perspective can really help us to deal with the current situation.  Maintaining the right mindset will not only help us to get through the current financial crisis, but will help us to prosper now and in the future.

Let’s try looking at money from a more empowering point of view.  We can do this by ignoring the negative press, and considering our personal relationship with money.

Here’s a list of 7 ways to look at money differently.
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1. Don’t entrust your money to others.  Have faith in your own ideas and take control of your financial future. Stocks are not as secure as acting on productive ideas. If you come up with a sound moneymaking idea, consider it a blessing and act on it promptly. Don’t allow limiting beliefs to stifle your creativity.
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2. Dare to operate from abundance instead of scarcity. Giving is a powerful way to attract money, and generosity opens the flow of abundance. I’m not saying you should give away your last dollar. But hording is a sure way to create scarcity. This is not just true of money – you can also give your time to helping others.

3. Don’t put of enjoying your life and your resources. Planning for your retirement isn¹t as powerful as living now with an awareness of your future. Putting enjoyment off until a future time of life is like pushing away your current prosperity. When you delay enjoying your life, you do yourself a disservice

5. Let go of limiting beliefs about money. A belief such as, money is the root of all evil will only block your prosperity. There is no shame in a modest lifestyle, but there is also nothing noble about lacking money or anything else. Being respectful but emotionally detached toward money will help you attract it.
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6. Don’t be afraid to chart your own path. Scarcity is a function of the mind and so is abundance. Human creativity can solve any problem and find ways to profit along the way. If you can block out the negative media and what the masses are thinking and doing – you may be surprised what you can accomplish.
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And finally…
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7. Spend some money on things that make you feel good. Practical spending is valuable and prudent, but you deserve to enjoy the fruits of your labor. When you buy something that helps you feel good, you increase your positive energy. When you feel better about yourself, you naturally tend to be more productive.
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So…
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If you find yourself stuck and feeling powerless in the midst of all this financial chaos, and want immediate help to get yourself back on track financially – grab your free copy of my 63 page book, “Accept Success and Nothing Less.” Just fill in the newsletter subscription form at the top of the page and download your copy.
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Related Articles:
Why Dream Little, When You Can DREAM BIG?
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With economic hardship on the increase and a growing lack of financial resources, it can be easy to slip into temptation. What kind of temptation?
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There’s a temptation to try and make money as quickly and easily as possible. This is a mentality that can leave you vulnerable to all kinds of schemes. The lure of quick money can be hard to resist.  This is especially true when bills are piling up and the pressure is on.
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If we allow ourselves to focus on chasing money, we become easy prey for every get rich quick idea that comes along. This kind of desperation is accompanied by the tendency to throw reason out the window.
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Fear and pain are closely related and it is our natural tendency to move away from pain.  The more desperate we become for money, the more likely we are to make irrational choices that just compound the problem.
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When fear takes over, rational thinking gives way to impulse.
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So what can we do if we find ourselves in this situation?
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Ask questions of yourself, as if you were helping a friend to avoid making a foolish mistake.  This will help to reintroduce reason into the equation.
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Do I know anyone else who has succeeded using this approach?
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Have I done any research to determine if this is a scam?
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How much would I have to invest, and can I really afford to do that? 
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I’m reminded of the question: “How come we never see the headline, psychic wins lottery?”  Asking the right questions is a way to bring us back to reality while allowing us to use our resources in a more creative way.
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Yes, these are uncertain times, and sadly there are unscrupulous people who will try to leverage the situation.  They will see your fear as an opportunity to take advantage of you.
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You become most vulnerable to these kinds of situations when you are looking for a solution outside of yourself. True success and stability come from within.  Having a successful mindset is the best defense against fear and insecurity.

Your mindset doesn’t change the fact that you still need an income, but it does change your approach to that challenge.  If financial uncertainty and fear are starting to get the best of you, it’s time turn things around right now.  As soon as you sign up for my bimonthly newsletter I’ll send you a complimentary copy of, Except Success and Nothing Less. As in every other area of life, attitude is 90% of the battle.
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P.S. If you haven’t yet signed up for our RSS feed, I’d like to encourage you to do so.  I’ve added a new link at the top of the page called “Why RSS” to show you your options and answer your questions. This really is a great way to go!
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Related Articles:
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