Most of educating yourself in being successful in business is in changing your thinking. Smart business owners realize they need to rethink their previous education and think like a business owner. The key to successful small business ownership is in how you think.
There are so many low cost business opportunities just waiting to be grabbed thanks to the internet. Yet, if we aren’t retrained to think in the right way about money and ownership then it will all be for naught. I have recently heard in two very different places the same message (when I hear a message from two different sources that are almost identical and near the same time frame, I heed) the message is that over 80% of lottery winners walk away broke in less than five years. We’re talking about multi- millions. What most of us say is that well I wouldn’t be broke that soon, I’d be smart with my money. Oh, really? Then how come we can’t manage the money we already have? What difference is there between an financially uneducated millionaire and a financially uneducated middle class person? None. In the end, they will both most likely end up at the same place – broke, and perhaps the millionaire will have far more problems than the other person due to the magnification wealth causes.
To start thinking outside the box in terms of business and revenue I had to find new friends. I know that sounds crazy, but really I did. Not only did I begin to hang around folks that didn’t think like me, I began to read books that they recommended. I have just a couple that I think will help you open your mind to a new thought process. Personally, I would make these titles required reading in my home school high school.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This book is a classic in learning to think in the new generation of how to make money. It’s particularly applicable with online marketing since many of the business principles are ones we apply while working online. The educational process is way different than what we learned in college before the internet. Although this book was written for a business in a brick and mortar fashion its principles apply in the essentials of changing how we educate ourselves to own a business.
The Millionaire Next Door is a book which will get you thinking how to live within your means even if you have a whole bunch of money. Most millionaires are quite money smart. This means not making extravagant purchases just to show off their wealth. Thus, the title of the book.
The eMyth Revisited by Michael Gerber. This book is about having systems in place so when you do become wildly successful you will know how to work on your business rather than in your business. Tip: Delegation is a huge part of that, but it must be a doable working delegation process or all your time will be spent training.
