Many great ideas go unexecuted, and many great executioners are without ideas. One without the other is worthless.
Tim Blixseth
Although this quote is unfortunately worded--executioners?--it is apt. So many people have wonderful ideas. And so many of those dreams never make it to reality. It takes a Thomas Alva Edison to bring ideas to fruition. He was someone with not only a dream, but the guts and gumption to make that vision real.
And then we have the people with the gumption to make dreams come true, but who lack the creativity to conjure up a lofty goal. I suspect these are the people who grind away at boring jobs for twenty or thirty years only to wake up one morning and find their life gone.
The solution? For the idea-less: Buy into someone else's dream and make it your own. For the dreamer: Hire others to wrestle your vision into reality.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Success
"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential." --John Maxwell
What John Maxwell said is so true! Say you want to bake pies, have always baked pies, and bake the best pies this side of the Mississippi. Will that make you successful if you open a pie business? Not necessarily.
Why not? Because there's more to the pie business than baking. There's marketing, customer service, quality control, cost analysis... The list goes on and on. If you don't have a strong desire to succeed in supplying pies to the world, you may not succeed in the pie business.
On the other hand, take a man who's never set foot in a kitchen, much less baked a great pie. But, say that man has a burning desire to bring his mother's pies to the world's doorstep. He can buy ovens and hire bakers. His vision for the future of pie baking is likely to put his pies in stores across the country while the person who simply loves to bake is still sitting in the kitchen dreaming as they wait for the pie to brown.
What John Maxwell said is so true! Say you want to bake pies, have always baked pies, and bake the best pies this side of the Mississippi. Will that make you successful if you open a pie business? Not necessarily.
Why not? Because there's more to the pie business than baking. There's marketing, customer service, quality control, cost analysis... The list goes on and on. If you don't have a strong desire to succeed in supplying pies to the world, you may not succeed in the pie business.
On the other hand, take a man who's never set foot in a kitchen, much less baked a great pie. But, say that man has a burning desire to bring his mother's pies to the world's doorstep. He can buy ovens and hire bakers. His vision for the future of pie baking is likely to put his pies in stores across the country while the person who simply loves to bake is still sitting in the kitchen dreaming as they wait for the pie to brown.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
My Story is Out Today!
My flash fiction story, Covered Dish Supper, is available online today. Go to Everyday Fiction to read it.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
More on Financing a Franchise
So many people wonder how they'll finance a franchise business that I've decided to post another article on finance options. Click here to read the article.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Article on Financing a Franchise
Here's a good article on franchise financing in these difficult times.
Click here to read it.
Click here to read it.
Tao Drmmers
We saw Tao, the Japanese drummers, last night at the Peace Center. They were fabulous. A few years ago, in Austin, we saw Koto Drummers and were impressed by them. Tao, though, blew us away. The program said this group of artists lives together. It's obvious their entire lives are devoted to their art.
The deep bass of the big drums, the precise rhythms, and the muscular bodies of the drummers gave the show a sort of artistic athleticism that was irresistible. I was surprised when the show ended; it seemed we'd only been there for a song or two.
Wild hairdos and vaguely primitive costumes gave the show a prehistoric feel. If they come to your area, go see the show and step into a primitive world.
The deep bass of the big drums, the precise rhythms, and the muscular bodies of the drummers gave the show a sort of artistic athleticism that was irresistible. I was surprised when the show ended; it seemed we'd only been there for a song or two.
Wild hairdos and vaguely primitive costumes gave the show a prehistoric feel. If they come to your area, go see the show and step into a primitive world.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Underemployment
Busy Working on My Business
Well, our new business is really buzzing now. I'm having to organize my time a little better. No more two hour breakfasts!
I still have time to do everything I want to do, though. The pace is just a little faster. That's the beauty of a business that fits our lifestyle; we can work on it and still have time for the things we love.
Too bad I still have time for the things I don't love quite so much, like laundry...
I still have time to do everything I want to do, though. The pace is just a little faster. That's the beauty of a business that fits our lifestyle; we can work on it and still have time for the things we love.
Too bad I still have time for the things I don't love quite so much, like laundry...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Spring is Here
Don't be surprised if a cold snap rushes down from the north and plunges the east coast into a deep freeze. It will probably happen in, oh, eight days or so. That's when the seeds I planted yesterday should be most vulnerable.
I worked most of the afternoon, putting dirt laced with fertilizer and "moisture control beads" into pots on (and hanging off of) the lower deck. It should be a riot of color down there in about sixty days, if the seed packets are to be believed. This afternoon, I'll steal out in the dusk and do the same for planters on the upper deck. The bird restaurant we're running up there needs some color.
All that effort generally causes freezing temperatures to hit and kill plants all along the coast. Those bizarre spring cold snaps you read about in the news? I'd be willing to bet they perfectly mirror my sporadic planting efforts. This year, I took a neighbor's advice and waited until after Easter to sow my seeds so as to outsmart old man winter. I've got extras, though. Just in case.
I worked most of the afternoon, putting dirt laced with fertilizer and "moisture control beads" into pots on (and hanging off of) the lower deck. It should be a riot of color down there in about sixty days, if the seed packets are to be believed. This afternoon, I'll steal out in the dusk and do the same for planters on the upper deck. The bird restaurant we're running up there needs some color.
All that effort generally causes freezing temperatures to hit and kill plants all along the coast. Those bizarre spring cold snaps you read about in the news? I'd be willing to bet they perfectly mirror my sporadic planting efforts. This year, I took a neighbor's advice and waited until after Easter to sow my seeds so as to outsmart old man winter. I've got extras, though. Just in case.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Guaranteed Financing Program for Franchises
Click here to read about a new SBA program for guaranteed loans to franchisees.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Bad Day Yesterday
Church was nice, yesterday. Flowers and grass cloaked the world in pastels, the choir did a masterful job, and the hand bell chorus stayed in perfect time.
Then, we came home. I checked my email and found two rather negative messages there, one a rejection from the agent I had most wanted to work with, the other from a recruiter I wanted to network with. The agent's reply I took in stride and even found some brightness in. The recruiter's email was a different story. It made me rethink this email networking. There's just no substitute for good old fashioned, face to face communication, is there?
Then, our newfangled phone system went on the blink and my hubby spent hours fixing it. So, we couldn't go on the boat ride we'd planned.
To top it all off, my husband trotted down to the lower deck, steaks in hand, only to find the grill out of propane. Supper was not on time.
While writing this, I've realized yesterday wasn't so bad. We have so much: computers, a fancy phone system, a boat docked at the end of the lawn, a barbecue grill, each other, a church family as well as a regular family, a sweet dog, wild birds that feed outside our breakfast room window, fish in the lake and the pond, steaks to barbecue. The list goes on and on. Little glitches are just that--tiny bumps in a long road. We could be living in Haiti,surrounded by the rubble of our home and without basic necessities.
Today, I'm not going to let the bumps overshadow the beauty of the journey. It's all good!
Then, we came home. I checked my email and found two rather negative messages there, one a rejection from the agent I had most wanted to work with, the other from a recruiter I wanted to network with. The agent's reply I took in stride and even found some brightness in. The recruiter's email was a different story. It made me rethink this email networking. There's just no substitute for good old fashioned, face to face communication, is there?
Then, our newfangled phone system went on the blink and my hubby spent hours fixing it. So, we couldn't go on the boat ride we'd planned.
To top it all off, my husband trotted down to the lower deck, steaks in hand, only to find the grill out of propane. Supper was not on time.
While writing this, I've realized yesterday wasn't so bad. We have so much: computers, a fancy phone system, a boat docked at the end of the lawn, a barbecue grill, each other, a church family as well as a regular family, a sweet dog, wild birds that feed outside our breakfast room window, fish in the lake and the pond, steaks to barbecue. The list goes on and on. Little glitches are just that--tiny bumps in a long road. We could be living in Haiti,surrounded by the rubble of our home and without basic necessities.
Today, I'm not going to let the bumps overshadow the beauty of the journey. It's all good!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter
Have a Happy Easter everyone!
Enjoy your religious services of whatever denomination and then have a meal with loved ones. Spend the afternoon amidst the wonders of nature and sleep well tonight.
Enjoy your religious services of whatever denomination and then have a meal with loved ones. Spend the afternoon amidst the wonders of nature and sleep well tonight.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Want to Explore Your Options?
To explore your self-employment options, call me at 864-498-4141 or visit my
Esource website
Esource website
A Place for Telling
In the writing community, there is a stigma associated with exposition. New writers--old ones, too--are constantly admonished to "show, don't tell." In other words, write like this: "He took Lizabet into his arms. His lips felt cool on her neck." Not like this: "Ned and Lizabet embraced."
But, lately, I've noticed a backlash of sorts. Expositionists are pushing back. They say, "You can't show everything. Books would be way too long."
Who is right? Neither side. There is a place for both showing and telling. How much of each is a question of style.
But, lately, I've noticed a backlash of sorts. Expositionists are pushing back. They say, "You can't show everything. Books would be way too long."
Who is right? Neither side. There is a place for both showing and telling. How much of each is a question of style.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Book Review: If The Devil Had a Wife
If the Devil Had a Wife: A True Texas Tale by Frank Mills published by Roslyn Group LLC
Written in a journalistic style, this book is--as the title says--a true tale. It depicts Rachel Stark's quest for the truth of her family history. I was especially interested in the story because it is set in my hometown, Orange, Texas, and gives the goods on one of the most prominent families in the state. The fact that I grew up on the same block as Nelda Stark, the wife mentioned in the title, made the story even more delectable for me.
"Frank Mills" hints at serial murder, misappropriation of millions of dollars, spousal abuse, and a paternity mystery. Information is dribbled out slowly, almost forcing the reader to keep turning pages until the end. This would be a good read even if it weren't about my neighbors.
Written in a journalistic style, this book is--as the title says--a true tale. It depicts Rachel Stark's quest for the truth of her family history. I was especially interested in the story because it is set in my hometown, Orange, Texas, and gives the goods on one of the most prominent families in the state. The fact that I grew up on the same block as Nelda Stark, the wife mentioned in the title, made the story even more delectable for me.
"Frank Mills" hints at serial murder, misappropriation of millions of dollars, spousal abuse, and a paternity mystery. Information is dribbled out slowly, almost forcing the reader to keep turning pages until the end. This would be a good read even if it weren't about my neighbors.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My Story Will be Out April 14
My very short story, Covered Dish Supper, will be in Everyday Fiction on April 14.
Put that date in your calendar--it will only run for one day. That is the nature of Everyday Fiction. They put a new short story up every day. If you subscribe, they'll send a new story to your inbox daily.
Put that date in your calendar--it will only run for one day. That is the nature of Everyday Fiction. They put a new short story up every day. If you subscribe, they'll send a new story to your inbox daily.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
