Exhale: Success Around The Corner

“Success is… knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefits others.” – John C. Maxwell

            To breathe is to sustain life and to exhale is to breathe out air in a deliberate manner. Well I believe that every significant journey beings with the first step. There are many missteps and pitfalls along the way but its important to always persevere. Through continual growth and endurance one is able to reach their end goal, and simply, EXHALE. Jon Bon Jovi stated that ‘Success is falling nine times and getting up ten.” There is great truth found in this definition of success.

            As my formal education voyage comes to an end there are many questions that arise. The most significant question I am currently facing is, what is success? How do I define and measure success? Through this post I would like to define my own personal meaning of success. The pursuit of excellence is what I am striving towards, but how will I know when I get there?

            Originally, I believed that success solely had to do with winning. We are taught by many sources that anyone can do anything. But realistically our chances of becoming the next Bill Gates are fairly slim. The media is loves selling a rags-to-riches story, but the definition of ‘riches’ and ‘success’ are very skewed in mainstream media.

            JohnWooden, more affectionately known as Coach, served as head coach for the UCLA men’s basketball team for forty years. During a TED talk in 2001 Wooden recalled a piece of advice he received from his father before defining his own meaning for success.  He stated that one should “never try to be better than someone else, and to always learn from others.” He then continued on with his own definition; “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.” Peace of Mind knowing that you gave your best effort. Pretty Powerful.

            Another great American sporting coach was Vince Lombardi. Lombardi defined success as “hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” Giving your all in all you do is vital to achieve personal fulfillment.

            I believe that each of us should take the time to conceive our own personal definition of success. What are the key areas of your personal fulfillment? Take the time to address your core values to and develop your own definition of success.

            If I had to define success it would be ‘Persistent hard work and dedication to achieve the task at hand, while concentrating on attaining your purpose in life. Persevering through the storm to reach a higher height. Giving ones best in all they do, to achieve a personal sense of fulfillment and joy, is success.’   

            With my own personal definition of success, I am happy to say that I have achieved personal success with the communication of this Entertainment Business Masters of Science program.  Now I can exhale, a deliberate release of fresh air!

“….I firmly believe that any man’s finest hours – his greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

- Vince Lombardi

Making Dreams a Reality: The Importance of Goals

“Achievement to most people is something you do… to the high achiever, it is something you are.” – Doug Firebaugh

Many people say that if you want your dreams to be come a reality, write them down. But as simple as that may seem, its not always that easy. For our dreams to become our reality we must have an in-depth plan that requires action. The plan can no longer just be goals and dreams, but also must consist of financial plans and realistic milestones with measurable metrics, that can allow us to improve on life goals. For goals to be achievable they first must be SMART; specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, with a designated time frame for each specific goal.

           

Goals help to give perspective on the situations of life. They are steps on the ladder of personal growth. Therefore self-reflection is a must; it will allow you to see where you are now, where you have come from and where you still need to go. Take the time to develop strategies that can maximize your personal growth.

           

A person must know their identity to achieve goals that lead to sustainable growth. The ability to define ones identity and path in life is critical for personal and professional development. No progress can be gained if you are self-sabotaging yourself, therefore take control of your life and set goals of growth.  Stedman Graham states in his book ‘Identity: Your Passport to Success’ that “life isn’t always outside forces controlling you. At some point, you can get back in control of your life – and the sooner you do so, the better."

           

Goal must be realistic. Start where you are, at your foundation. Begin small, but make it significant. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes; learn from the mistakes, they make us strong and wiser. Through hard work, a useful skill set, and a solid foundation, goals can and will be obtained.

Take a look at these useful tips on setting goals. 

It is important to understand that personal growth doesn’t just happen and that you must know yourself to grow yourself. The goal setting process should give you the determination to achieve what you have set out to reach. Motivation is always useful to get started with the process but discipline is what sustains you and keep you growing. Finally, develop strategies to maximize your growth because the secret of your success is found in your daily routine.

Peace and Blessings

-RB

“If you go to work on your goals, your goals will work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you, whatever good things we build end up building us.” – Jim Rohn

Business Plan Development Advice pt 2.

           Many believe that business plans are an essential element guaranteeing success within the business. But honestly a business plan is an out of date proposal of how one hoped a business would run. No one can forecast or predict the future of a business, but one can get to know their consumers to better serve their future needs. Entrepreneurial expert Carl Schramm believes that one should survey their market to find out who, what, and why a customer will choose their business over a competitor.

            A target market analysis is conducted through research when developing a business plan. But how can a business actually know what their consumers desire with out getting to know them.  To have the strongest and most effective business possible, start-up entrepreneurs should obtain feedback from their perspective client base. The feedback can assist business owners in developing a unique advantage and an impressive following.

            A business plan may be the formal planned that is mapped out but it is not the actual path that you take in business. Therefore we at RB Entertainment Group will take the necessary time to survey and get to know our customer base. With the rapid changes in technology and trends, we understand that our customers’ desires are most important to ensure fruitful longevity.

            Investors are interested in personal character rather than financial projections. Investors must be willing to work with a business owner as a professional individual. Therefore they expect you to be teachable and able to adapt to changes within a business, before one is willing to invest capital within a business. Investors also must ensure that they are making a healthy investment. A start-up entrepreneur that has a reputable name within their market, and a confident grasp on their consumers wants, is more favorable in the eyes of an investor.

            We at RB Entertainment Group fully understand that a business plan becomes out-of-date at the very second of completion. Therefore we see our business plan as a working document that should constantly be updated to reflect changes within the market as well as the company. By doing so, ensures strategic and competitive company growth. 

Business Plan Development Advice

            In anticipation the completion of my Entertainment Business Masters degree, I am currently attempting to complete my companies’ business plan. We’ve all heard the statement “if you don’t plan, then you plan to fail.” Therefore, I choose to explore the validity of this declaration within this post? 

            Planning is an essential element of success. When one has a vision they must set strategic goals to achieve success. Carl Schramm is an economist & entrepreneurial expert and is the former President and CEO of Ewing, Marion, and Kauffman Foundation. Through research I discovered that Schramm is not a huge advocate of the typical business plan model.  He believes that it rarely makes sense to write a business plan in the current day and time. Schramm even revealed that he doesn’t base his investment decision on the plan rather the person.  “Personal Character is most important,” states Schramm.  What most important to Schramm when deciding to invest is the integrity of the person he invests in.

            Most start up entrepreneurs have some of the same characteristics; many are considers to be outsiders because they view business opportunities differently. These individuals are multi competent in a diverse numbers of fields, and have a wealth of knowledge because they are not afraid to ask the hard questions.

            The final element of importance I received from my Carl Schramm research is that a business plan is not always accurate. What most attempt to do is create a formal plan that maps out everything you plan to do and accomplish. But in reality that is never the path a business typically takes.  The plan becomes out of date as soon as it is completed, therefore Schramm suggests that we stick to the minimum; answer the essential questions of who, what, why, and where of the business to achieve success.  Schramm summed it up simply as ‘focus on making the business and not the plan.’

            Bob Dorf is a serial entrepreneur, author, and columnist, who has invested in over 20 start-ups companies. Dorf is also sometimes known as the ‘Midwife of Customer Development.’ Dorf suggest that we ‘throw out the business plan all together, because it’s all fiction.’ Alternatively, Dorf suggests that company founders should get aggressive with customer feedback. Find out if the product or service will even sell and determine a way to develop significant excitement for customers. 

            The final piece of knowledge that I gained from Dorf is that ‘failure is an option.’ Dorf starts “when building a start-up wrong turns should be expected and embraced.” Therefore its imperative to know the essential elements of your business; the who, what, why, where and how you can best serve your clientele’s desires.

For more information on business plan development please take a look at the following links.

http://www.carlschramm.com

http://steinvox.com/blog/2012/04/17/carl-schramm-straight-talk-on-entrepreneurship-why-we-need-it/

http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/advice/business-plans/business-plan-advice/hbd-venture-capital-dos-and-donts-of-the-business-plan/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nyuentrepreneurschallenge/2012/09/30/throw-out-the-business-plan-bob-dorf/

Pepsi and Beyonce for the Super Bowl Win

"Beyonce Half-Time Performance Feb 3rd 2013"

        Pepsi has major plans in the works for the NFL’s big game. Last year the beverage and lifestyle company announced a multi-year deal with the National Football League to sponsor their big game’s half-time show. Although the specific of the deal were not released the partnership seems to be a favorable deal for Pepsi as they have noticeable been gearing up for the February 3rd game.  Pepsi will be like no other sponsor for the 47th Super Bowl, which will take place at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. Pepsi has brought 60 seconds of Ad time for the big day and will also has major plans for its half time show.

            The NFL is not the only partnership Pepsi has for American Football’s show down. The company has joined forces with Budweiser brands as well as a global music icon Beyoncé. Each partnership is a great move for Pepsi as they compete against their rival brand Coca-Cola. PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch InBev have teamed up for joint promotions and in-store marketing. The brands plan to flawlessly present and market Bud Light, Pepsi and Doritos, as a trio in hopes to gain competitive advantage over their rivals through in-store marketing and merchandising. The companies have no plans to have any combined commercial advertisements but Anheuser-Busch does plan to release a new beer during the big game.

            As for the Super Bowl 2013 Pepsi Half Time Show we will see the beautiful Beyoncé grace the stage. The 16-time Grammy-Award winner will be performing on two of the largest stages within the next month, as she will also perform the National Anthem at the 57th Presidential Inauguration. Pepsi and Beyoncé; who have had a professional relationship since 2002, recently inked a branding deal for $50 million dollars, which is expected to include the traditional promotional appearances, a new commercial, and the beverage’s companies investing into the singers creative projects.  Beyoncé stated, it “allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity.”

            We are sure to see Beyoncé and Pepsi’s creativity match up for the February 3rd performance, and so far here’s what to expect for Beyonce's Superbowl Performance:

• Beyoncé will be joined on stage by her fellow Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
• Producer, the Dream, said that we should ‘definitely’ expect a new Beyoncé track by the big game as the singer is ‘gearing up’ for her fifth studio album.
• Pepsi will utilize crowdsourcing photography technology for the fan-incorporated introduction.  Fans asked to submit posed photo for usage in the introduction.
• 100 lucky Beyoncé and Pepsi fans will join her for an on-field experience. (50 winners from the introduction video contest and 50 local New Orleans resident winner from in-store promotions)

           

            The NFL’s big day is expected to be the most watched television program of 2013, as last years half time show ranked in over 114 million viewers worldwide. This years game is estimating around 110 million viewers who will tune in throughout the night not only to see the best of the best tough it out, a spectacular performance, but maybe more importantly to catch the costly commercials.  CBS has been selling the some of the 30-second ad space for well over $4 million, and on average each 30-seconds of ad time is costing around $3.7 to $3.8 million US dollars.

            There are many amazing things in store for this year Super Bowl, although we may not know which team will win, we are reassured that all pockets involved will be winning.

Peace & Blessings,       -RB

Photo Credit  - http://i.huffpost.com/gen/818785/thumbs/o-BEYONCE-SUPER-BOWL-570.jpg?7

Source - PepsiCo, A-B InBev Strengthen Ties With Joint In-Store Marketing - Program. http://adage.com/article/news/pepsico-a-b-inbev-strengthen-ties-joint-store-marketing-program/239105/