Yet every day we continue to sacrifice the freedom we have been so graciously provided.  While each day we debate how current or past political climes have diminished our freedom, it is not the purpose of this writing.  It is time to take a serious look at our individual freedom and how we willingly give it away when we become dependent upon a job.  According to a recent article Why Americans hate their jobs, “A majority of Americans now say they are unhappy at work.” (The Week January 7, 2010)

The greatest loss of freedom in America happens on Monday morning.  Millions of people climb into their cars and funnel into the rat race.  There they fight and struggle to maintain a lifestyle they have built based on the income provided by the job they have selected. Whether by ignorance, influence, or indifference, most employees have built an invisible yet totally effective cage they now live in.  They are imprisoned by their jobs, trapped by the need to provide for a family and maintain a lifestyle.

The idea that each person is free is long forgotten.  Each week many will fear the loss of “their job” not realizing it isn’t theirs, it belongs to the employer and he or she has full control over who will own “their job”.  Sadly, many will find that even their employer has little or no control over who will stay and who will go as companies we never imagined would go out of business disappear from the landscape.  Circuit City went from good to great to gone leaving thousands unemployed.

There is hope.  We still enjoy individual freedom in this country and we should exercise our freedom with great vigor.  We are free to choose where and if we will work and we’re free to create our own work should we choose.  Here are four steps to ensure you maintain your freedom:

1. Find your passion.  What is it that you were uniquely designed to do?  Many will have to spend hours sifting through the years of work they have done for the money to get to the essence of who they really are.  Everyone has a purpose.  What is yours?
2. Remember that you are the CEO of your own personal services corporation.  You have the option to choose to sell your services to one client (your employer) or to open up your own shop to serve many.  Entrepreneurship is the single greatest tool to ensure independence.  The first step is to realize that you are already in business for yourself.  Who do you choose as your customer?
3. Examine your current line of work to find an opportunity.  While you may not believe your current work is your passion, there is likely a good reason you chose to work in the field you are in.  Is there a place where your passion and your experience intersect?  That’s where opportunity lies!
4. Exercise your freedom.  Don’t remain trapped by the current situation.  Think of the countless hours you likely waste each week that could be put to good use developing your own business that will provide added income, opportunity, and freedom.

Every person in the United States (the world for that matter) should approach his or her work as a business owner.  How well are you using the resources you currently possess?  Everyone has time, talent, knowledge, experience, expertise, passion, and property they can leverage to create greater value for their customer(s).  That may mean becoming more valuable at your current job or opening a small business to serve others.

Honor the sacrifice made on your behalf by those men and women who provided you with freedom by approaching your work as a business owner.  When you work at a job for one employer, give it your very best.  No one ever created a better life by giving it anything less.  You made the choice to work where you work.  Remember that you are selling your services to your employer. You receive both money and experience as payment for your services.  Learn how to do your work better than before and your services will be more valuable to your current employer, future employers, and future clients.

Treat your work as a business, and treat your business as an opportunity.  Entrepreneurship is the greatest exercise of freedom.

Buggy whip manufacturing still exists today. But it’s safe to say the market for buggy whips isn’t what it used to be.

Many people believed the internet would be the end of printed newspapers. Again, not true. Many fine newspapers still exist, although they are under increased pressure.

What do buggy whip manufacturers, newspapers, and your business all have in common?

They all must understand the business they are in.

Some argue that buggy whip manufacturers could have survived and thrived if they had noticed the changes and responded more quickly. But if they continued to believe they were in the buggy whip business they never could. The only way they could have made the transition would have been if they knew they were in the transportation initiation business.  A buggy whip initiated the motion of the horse and buggy.

Buggy whip manufacturers are not needed unless you want to initiate transportation via horse and buggy. For buggy whip manufacturers to truly survive they would have needed to fundamentally change their focus of manufacturing to starters for internal combustion engines.   This would have resulted in a new target market for their products.  Nonetheless, buggy whip manufacturers could have survived had they focused on their core business of transportation initiation.

Newspapers are not needed without advertisers (with all apologies to fine reporting and information dispersion).  Newspapers are more likely to survive and transition with the times because they recognize they are in the business of aggregating audiences for advertisers. The delivery of news and information is a by-product of the need to bring audiences together for advertisers.

According to Peter Drucker, “The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer.”  I would argue that is only partially true.  The actual purpose of a business is to create and keep the right customers.  While newspapers create subscribers who are customers, they would be hard pressed to survive on subscribers alone.  They bring together two groups of customers to create a value.  Subscribers receive value from the information from the publication.  The advertisers receive value from the exposure to the subscribers who are likely candidates for their products and services.

Regardless of the eventual outcome of the changes in the newspaper business, it is safe to say that many will survive and transition to a new model because they understand the business they are really in, aggregating an audience for advertisers.  The subscriber base is essential to the advertisers and monetizing it is an added bonus.

What about your business?  Are there ways to increase the value you bring to your “right customers” that would increase your business value? What is the real purpose of your business?  Who are your “right customers”?

By answering these questions you can answer the ultimate question, “What business am I really in?” When you identify this core fact you’ll be in a position to dominate your marketplace.

It’s called The Million Dollar Question because it can literally make you a millionaire.  People from all walks of life find this one question to be so different from anything they have ever learned that they just can’t stop talking about the impact it has on their careers.

The Million Dollar Question cannot be asked as a stand alone question.  It is used in the context of a conversation and only after a considerable amount of questioning skillfully and listening carefully.  As your conversation continues, ask the person you’re speaking with for their card and be ready to write notes on the back as you ask questions.  Genuine interest is required to use the question wisely.

So what’s The Million Dollar Question?

“I’m in the public quite a bit, tell me (insert name), in the course of my day, how will I recognize a good prospect for you if I see one?  (Yes, WOW is an appropriate response right now!)

You see, most people are so busy thinking about themselves and how they will benefit from this relationship that they fail to recognize that it is NOT about them, it is about the person they’re in front of.  The person you are talking to will hesitate at first because this kind of question is so rarely asked.  It shows you truly are interested in them.

Often people who are asked this question appear puzzled at first since they rarely come in contact with people who are genuinely interested in helping them.  Do not despair.  As you build your skill asking questions and listening to answers you’ll become adept at discovering ideal clients and prospects for the people you meet too.

Clearly you can see the benefit of asking The Million Dollar Question but remember that you must take care to record what you’ve learned.  Be certain to record what you’ve learned about the person you just met on the business card you asked for earlier.  While you don’t want to promise that you’ll be on the lookout for referrals, you will have implied that you are.  And subconsciously your mind will go to work seeking a solution.

That’s it.  While it seems simple it is rarely done and rarer still are those who do it regularly.  If you do you will stand out from the crowd, be known as a caring connector, and people and resources will magically appear in your life.

Sponsoring an event is different from hosting an event.  To sponsor an event usually means that you are providing financial or in-kind support of an event produced by others.  A good example would be if you sponsored a local chamber of commerce luncheon.  You could provide financial support that would assist in promoting the event or paying for the lunch for the attendees.  Perhaps you could provide meeting space for a chamber mixer.  Or you might provide the printed invitations to the annual dinner.  In these examples, you would provide financial support either directly through cash payment or indirectly through in-kind service.  Both are important to the success of the event and you would be recognized as a sponsor of the event.  The chamber would do the rest.

Hosting an event is similar in that you would provide financial support through cash or in-kind service, but then you would also be producing the event.  You would invite the attendees, coordinate the venue, food, parking, and all the other aspects of the event to ensure it’s success.  Hosting an event is not for the faint of heart but the rewards often can be greater.  When hosting an event, you control who comes to the event since you have invited all the guests.  You can create the atmosphere that works best for the attendees and for you.  Done well, hosting an event can pay off in a big way.

Whether hosting or sponsoring, the exposure you and your company receive is invaluable.  Most people assume that sponsor and host companies are better established, more financially sound, and therefore better able to serve customers and clients.  Many companies use sponsorships to position their brand as a player in key markets that matter to them most.

A local bank is usually a big supporter of the local chamber of commerce while an energy or gas company may be a big supporter of green initiatives and programs.  The key is to find the group of people you wish to influence and target them with your sponsorship.  Often companies recognize that other organizations produce events better than they can and that they can gain influence through sponsorship of chambers and other cause centric groups.

Hosting events gives you the opportunity to reduce the target group to the key people you choose.  While sponsorship provides exposure and the opportunity to influence, hosting provides the opportunity to interact.  Often the cost of hosting an event is not much different than sponsoring an event, but the cost in hours of planning and executing can easily exceed the financial investment.  Nonetheless, if you or your staff have the ability to host an event, your investment will be easier to track than it will be when sponsoring events.

Most people and companies begin by sponsoring events.  This is a good place to start establishing your brand presence.  You will get noticed and we highly recommend sponsoring events that are congruent with your company mission and that attract your target market.

But we can’t urge you strongly enough to try hosting an event as well.  Start with a goal that is small and easily managed.  Perhaps you could invite six clients, prospects, or potential networking partners to a get together over coffee at your office.  Start small and learn through the experience.  Then expand your events to include more people, different formats, and different venues.  You may find it easier to spread the responsibility by co-hosting with a few friends, partners, or vendors.  And remember, vendors who sell you products that you ultimately sell to others are good prospects for sponsoring your hosted events.  You will need to have a few successes under your belt before you will get vendor co-op dollars.

A bit of caution:  While it does happen, rarely do people hold sponsors accountable when an event isn’t a total success.  But when you host an event you will be the sole party responsible for the experience of the attendee.  If it goes well or if it goes poorly, you will receive the credit.  So plan well.  Additionally, people are becoming event-fatigued.  Unless your event has a unique twist, you may have trouble succeeding.  That’s why putting a few people together that have a common interest is key.  If you are unsure how to put the right people together or what to do to make the event appealing and different, we can help.  Just email us.

Sponsoring the right event or series of events can put you in front of your target market in a way that no other advertising can but it is hard to measure.  Hosting an event with the right invitees can position you and your company as the industry leader regardless of your experience.  Remember, people do business with people they know, like, and trust.  When they attend a well-run event that you have produced, they will get to know, like, and trust you much more quickly.  Try sponsoring or hosting events to make your business grow.