30 minutes to the Start- wish me luck!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Nervous, excited and now race ready so... lights out!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

My name on the marathon wall at Nike Town w/23,000 of my sister runners! So cool!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Race Weekend Has Begun!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

You have a business plan, but do you have an ACTION plan? Monthly, weekly, daily steps to achieve all of your goals. Measure results too!

Done! 2:49 in POURING RAIN...Yahoo!!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Here we go!!!!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Race morning weather report: RAIN!!! Where's my garbage bag?

Just finished delicious homemade fish tacos at our adorable bungalow. Now it's time to relax and let the body recharge for the big day...

Awesome run/walk running coach Jeff Galloway

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Runners at the Famous Pearl Bakery

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Morning before race morning and it's raining :( duh, it's Portland! Need a plan to keep my shoes dry today so I don't start out on Sunday sloshing @ 5:30am...

Carbo loading at VooDoo Donuts... Bacon & Maple is my fav!!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Beautiful Portland Bridge. Can't wait to run it!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

My Delish Cap from Stumptown!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Portland Half weekend has begun! Just landed. Great running weather & the team @home is busy sourcing buyers for our Hungarian client. Fab!

So much marketing to do, so many buyers to reply to, so many miles to run... Portland, here I come!

Went live with 2 new business. 1)Fun green lifestyle store. 2) Coffee/Tea and Roaster w/$248K in earnings. Sweet! Ping me for an NDA ASAP!

HUGE CONGRATS to our SF GIANTS!!!

GO GIANTS!!

Why wait? "Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.". ~ John Randolph

Call me a princess but BART is NOT for me!! Off to a meeting at the Stock Exchange building on a beautiful San Francisco day- heaven!

Peek at the NYTimes blog "The Deal Professor". Interesting! http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/a-week-of-tests-for-deal-strategy/

Top M&A Story Today: Southwest to Buy AirTran for $1.37 Billion.

I am thrilled to report that I survived my 20 (yes 20) mile run this morning! Feeling not bad- not great but definitely not too bad. Yahoo!

I am thrilled to report that I survived my 20 (yes 20) mile run this morning! Feeling not bad- not great but definitely not too bad. Yahoo!

Yahoo!! IncMagazine: Breaking News! House Passes Small-Business Bill http://ow.ly/2J0CO

Marathons are like business and business is like a marathon...

"Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest, train hard and smart, make time to think & breathe. Be intentional with your time."

-Kristen Armstrong, Marathoner / Author / Mom to Lance's Kids

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

LUV this!! RT@BestSellerBob: As entrepreneurs our purpose is to bring some joy to the world, the way you do it is by what you create.

Putting finishing touches on an Opinion of Value for a 20 year-old company started by a woman w/a dream and now it's worth nearly $1M! :)

Author of No More Cold Calling Joanne Black says create a system/process to stay connected to your contacts. Never leave it up to chance.

Treat your referral sources like gold. Just had breakfast with a wonderful referral friend who presented my services to 60 referral friends!

Just finished 16 MILES!!!! Oh my GOD. I prayed the whole last mile uphill home...

ReThink Your Process?

I really like this:

RT @BestSellerBob: Exponential is an interesting word. It means rapid and massive growth. You'd have to think outside your normal process.

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Health before wealth. Off for a 12 miler. Did you run, walk or gym today? If not, where will the stamina for success come from? No excuses!!

Marketing 101

So many marketing lessons to be learned at a Giants game. Branding EVERYWHERE. Corporate sponsorship EVERYWHERE. Loyalty building through memory building. $5.75 Caramel corn. $4.75 for water. Mom and son at a game on a school night. Doesn't get much better than that and we're glad to go back, and back and back to keep spending money and building a lifetime of memories. Giants understand the ultimate marketing strategy- creating a total experience.

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

I'm sure I've said this before- Sellers, please have your Lease related ducks in a row (I can help). Landlords kill deals- be prepared!

Beloved Oprah

Just watched Oprah's farewell season premier on my home office flat screen. She is the REAL DEAL. A true gift. This is going to be a season not to miss and never to forget. Sigh.

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Selling your business is like running a marathon... Slow and steady wins the race! Ask me again after I run the Nike 26.2 on Oct 17th :)

Life Saving Numbers

Up late tonight watching the Dr.Oz season premier I recorded. He shared 3 numbers that can save your life so of course I want to share them with you! Here they are, write them down NOW!

140 Blood Pressure- no higher
35 Waist- no bigger
175 Weight- no more for women

Pass it on!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Done! Second draft is in the can now on to peer review... Good night!

Labor Day

Sitting in my freshly painted new home office. Hardware is working and pictures are hung. No more excuses. Finishing my book TODAY. What is your labor of love today?

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Just posted 7 new pages to www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com. Kind of a blog/website hybrid. On a Sat night? Passionate or nuts?! Check it out!

Raisin Bran Treats!?

Just invented them... not so good. I better stick to selling businesses!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

www.pinkbizbroker.blogspot.com

Sent Via BlackBerry :)

Roger that Bob! RT @BestSellerBob: 100% of people with a focused dream, a clear plan, & who are willing to to the work achieve their goals.

Best day today: 6mi run, brunch w/a mastermind group member, coffee w/a marketing partner and dinner w/my family. Create your own BEST life!

Tips to get you motivated to run

I get these tips every day. The Nike Women's Marathon (yes, FULL 26.2 baby) is just around the corner on October 17th so I need all the motivation I can get! Click here if you need some too: Tips to get you motivated to run

Beauty and the Brand

The Radio Flyer brand even today represents "happy childhood memories of yesteryear". What an enduring message.

I desire for my brand to communicate "trustworthy and creative" (or... this isn't your grandpa's business brokerage firm!). I also hope to resonate particularly with my tribe- women business owners!!

What are your hopes and dreams for your brand? Share with us now...

(OK, true confessions, I just wanted to share this adorable picture of my nephew! :)

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

Sent Via BlackBerry!

Congrats to my girls! RT @WomenPresidents: 6 WPO members on Inc. 500 list! Inc. recently released the 2010 list. This year, six WPO me... http://bit.ly/aoijmW

Family Biz: 3 Things to Include in Your Buy-Sell Agreement - BLACK ENTERPRISE

JGW in the news again today! Click on the subject for a link to the article>>>

Family Biz: 3 Things to Include in Your Buy-Sell Agreement - BLACK ENTERPRISE

Sell the Product or the Entire Company - BusinessWeek

It's always nice to get mentioned in the media and Karen Klein wrote a great article too. Click the subject line for a link to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek article. jgw.

Sell the Product or the Entire Company - BusinessWeek

Go for the baseball, stay for the CARMEL CORN!!!

Good work today- the Closer Brian Wilson brought us home- 9 to 7!

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
http://www.bluekeybma.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite
Sent Via BlackBerry!

Just saw Eat Pray Love. Wow. I want to wallow in it but not too long and not too deep... Go see it. Not to be missed.

I guess Dell REALLY wants 3Par. HP wants 3P but Dell wants 3P WAY more. Fun to watch a mega M&A deal unfold. What do you desire THAT much?

Are You Living Your Calling?

"A calling is when one's greatest joy meets the world's greatest need."

From the book The Golden Flame: The Heart and Soul of Remarkable Leadership by Keith Merron.

I'm working on mine. If you are too, tell me about it below... J

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

Sent Via BlackBerry!

I like this :) RT@BestSellerBob: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Fw: Seth's Blog : Sell the problem

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Good Seth as usual... enjoy!

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Sell the problem

No business buys a solution for a problem they don't have.
And yet, most business to business marketers jump right into features and benefits, without taking the time to understand if the person on the other end of the conversation/call/letter believes they even have a problem.
My friend Marcia (we've advised each other on various projects) has a very cool idea for large professional firms. As an architect, she realized the firms were wasting time and money and efficiency in the way they use their space. Roomtag is her answer. 
The challenge is this: if your big law firm or accounting firm doesn't think it has a space allocation/stuff tracking/office mapping problem, you won't be looking for a solution. You won't wake up in the morning dreaming about how to solve it, or go to bed wondering how much it's costing you to ignore it.
And so the marketing challenge is to sell the problem.
(Interesting paradox: a lot of people aren't willing to embrace that they have a problem unless they also believe that there's a solution... so part of selling a problem is hinting that there's a solution that others are using, or is right around the corner.)
Imagine, for example, getting the data and publishing a list of the top 50 firms, ranked by efficiency of space use. All of a sudden, the bottom half of the list realizes that yes, in fact, they have something that they need to work on. If you knew that your firm was paying twice as much per associate as the competition, you'd realize that there's a problem.
When a prospect comes to the table and says, "we have a problem," then you're both on the same side of the table when it comes time to solve it. On the other hand, if they're at the table because you're persistent or charming, the only problem they have is, "how do I get out of here."

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• Monitoring your internal monologue
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;) RT @BestSellerBob: Believe in yourself. Believe that you have a task on this earth to do that is bigger than yourself.

Business and back-to-school all mixed up together- Yikes!!

'90% of the game is half mental." -Yogi B.

The BK Way

Here's a note that I recently wrote to one of my team members. It's my firm BlueKey's DNA; is it's why business owners choose us to facilitate their sale. Just thought I'd share. It's an internal document, but what the heck...

"I always lead from a position of service and while the money is a personal driver, I never refer to it with a client because it's the obvious elephant. Service is where we differentiate ourselves from other brokers who are just about the money. Clients want their goals met and to be taken care of (buyers to be found, their deal negotiated satisfactorily and a smooth and seamless closing) and if we do that, the money will follow...J"

Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
http://www.bluekeybma.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite
Sent Via BlackBerry!

Seth's Blog: Avoiding momentum

Do you fall victim to your lizard? I know I have in the past... Keyword: past!

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[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Avoiding momentum

Some days, even the best dentist doesn't feel like being a dentist.
And a lifeguard might not feel like being a lifeguard.
Fortunately, they have appointments, commitments and jobs. They have to show up. They have to start doing the work. And most of the time, this jump start is sufficient to get them over the hump, and then they go back to being in the zone and doing their best work.
Momentum is incredibly useful to someone who has to overcome fear, dig in deep and ship. Momentum gives you a reason to overcome your fear and do your art, because there are outside forces and obligations that keep you moving. Without them, you'd probably stumble and fall.
And yet...
And yet many of us fear too much momentum. We look at a project launch or a job or another new commitment as something that might get out of control. It's one thing to be a folk singer playing to a hundred people a night in a coffeehouse, but what if the momentum builds and you become a star? A rock star? With an entourage and appearances and higher than high expectations for your next work. That's a lot of momentum, no?
Deep down, this potential for an overwhelming response alerts the lizard brain and we hold back. We're afraid of being part of something that feels like it might be too big for us.
Hint: it probably isn't.

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• The fear tax
• How long before you run out of talking points?
• How big is your red zone?
• The right price the first time
• Resilience and the incredible power of slow change

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First lunch at my new location- The Paragon at the Claremont Hotel & Spa with Julie Merrill CEO of Change Catalyst. I'm liking this...a lot!

EXIT! The book...

OK, I am finally coming clean... The book I have been working on for a year is entering final stages of editing and I am working towards an October release (no promises!).  The title is EXIT! How to Sell Your Business for the Price You Deserve. I will start to sneak peek chapters and tidbits here on the blog, so check back often.  Writing is a lot harder than I thought by the way. When I would get stuck, I would re-group by simply typing as if I were speaking to my fellow business owner Nina Cooper (ninadesigns.com).  Nina has build a multi-million dollar enterprise and is always seeking information about how to improve, grow and position her business for the future- whatever that is- so that's who (Nina's everywhere) my book is written for.  Guys will connect with it too but the voice in the text is for my tribe :).  Stay tuned! jgw.

The Worst That Can Happen Is Someone Says No - You're the Boss Blog - NYTimes.com#more-22529#more-22529

I tweeted this the other day, but I just read it again and am posting it again just in case you missed it... Enjoy!

The Worst That Can Happen Is Someone Says No - You're the Boss Blog - NYTimes.com#more-22529#more-22529

The Economy Doesn't Predict Your Future, Just Ask Your Customers

According to one of my favorite small business voices, Verne Harnish of Gazelles.com:

"Economic Predictions 2011 -- what is a person supposed to believe about the economy -- and predict how one should plan for 2011? My serious recommendation (and one I've given to my own personal clients) -- contact your top ten biggest customers this month, especially if they are large firms, and find out what they are predicting for 2011. In many cases, this is all that matters anyway -- their perceptions will drive their decisions and if they are big customers of yours, it will have an impact on you. And August is the very best time to reach the top guys (they aren't busy and likely not vacationing the entire month) -- ask them "so what are you seeing/predicting for 2011." Then plan accordingly!"

Great advice. Let me know what you find out... J.


Julie Gordon White, Principal
BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A
510.812.2233 Direct
License 01347013
www.bluekeybma.com
www.linkedin.com/in/juliegordonwhite

Sent Via BlackBerry!

My Tribe!

Just back from 2 weeks literally in Paradise (Island). I'm fully recharged and re-committed to my tribe- YOU! More tweets, blog posts and valuable tips en route ASAP!

More on Monday... J

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fw: Seth's Blog : Getting to scale: direct marketing vs. mass market thinking

You'll like this...

------Original Message------
From: Seth Godin
Sender: FeedBlitz
To: Julie Gordon White
ReplyTo: Seth Godin
Subject: Seth's Blog : Getting to scale: direct marketing vs. mass market thinking
Sent: Jul 21, 2010 3:19 AM

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]
Getting to scale: direct marketing vs. mass market thinking A mass marketer needs to reach the masses, and to do it in many ways, simultaneously. The mass marketer needs retail outlets and fliers and a website and public relations and tv ads and more more more and then... bam... critical mass is reached and success occurs.
Best Buy is a mass marketer, but so are Microsoft and the Red Cross. Ubiquity, once achieved, brings them revenue, which advances the cycle and they reach scale.
The direct marketer, on the other hand, must get it right in the small. That pitch letter can be tested on 100 houses and if it gets a 2% response rate, then it can be mailed to 100,000 houses with confidence. That business-to-business sales pitch can be honed on one or two or three prospects, and then when it works, can be taught to dozens or hundreds of other salespeople.
The key distinction is when you know it's going to work. The mass marketer doesn't know until the end. The direct marketer knows in the beginning.
The mass marketer is betting on thousands of tiny cues, little clues, and unrecorded (but vital) conversations. The direct marketer is measuring conversion rates from the first day.
That's the reason we often default to acting like mass marketers. We're putting off the day of reckoning, betting on the miracle around the corner, spending our time and energy on the early steps without the downside of admitting failure to the boss.
Of course, just because it's our default doesn't mean it's right. Business to business marketing is almost always better if you treat it like direct marketing. Most websites that do conversion as well. Same with non-profit fundraising. As well as marketing goods and services to the bottom of the pyramid, people who live in villages where mass media and mass distribution are difficult and have little impact.
Get it right for ten people before you rush around scaling up to a thousand. It's far less romantic than spending money at the start, but it's the reliable, proven way to get to scale if you care enough to do the work.
• Email to a friend • • More Recent Articles The paradox of promises in the age of word of mouth The new dynamics of book publishing Self marketing might be the most important kind Is everything perfect? The only possible response... Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.
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It's Always About the Best People

RT @BestSellerBob: True leaders never give up, they eventually became masters at finding and attracting the right people.

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Are you using daily meditation to quiet and calm your thoughts so you can focus on what really matters? Try 5 minutes 3 times a day...

Soccer Love

Cuppa Peet's coffee: $1.75. New Nook eReader in sleep mode on my lap: $199. Mom and keeper-son watching the World Cup together...Priceless!

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My Life In a Nutshell

Excellent manger's retreat yesterday. Find 4 things to focus on and track, track, track. Now off to games, games, games. Call me ExecuMom ;)

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80/20 Rule Tip: Specialize in a very small niche; develop a core skill. Choose a niche that you enjoy and can become an acknowledged leader.

Fw: Sunday Seth: Validation is overrated

Aka: Just do it! Enjoy... J.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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From: Seth Godin <blogmailfromseth@yahoo.com>

Sender: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>

Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 06:16:42 -0400

To: jegwhite<jegwhite@bluekeybma.com>

ReplyTo: Seth Godin <blogmailfromseth@yahoo.com>

Subject: Seth's Blog : Validation is overrated

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Validation is overrated

If you're waiting for a boss or an editor or a college to tell you that you do good work, you're handing over too much power to someone who doesn't care nearly as much as you do.

We spend a lot of time organizing and then waiting for the system to pick us, approve of us and give us permission to do our work.

Feedback is important, selling is important, getting the market to recognize your offering and make a sale--all important. But there's a difference between achieving your goals and realizing your work matters.

If you have a book to write, write it. If you want to record an album, record it. No need to wait for someone in a cubicle halfway across the country to decide if you're worthy.

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• Do you have the right to be heard?
• A bias for scamminess
• What's included?
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Finally a quiet moment in a hectic week. Settling in to begin reading The 80/20 Principle by R. Koch. Remember Pareto? Stand by for more...

USA! USA! Amazing!!!!

Julie Gordon White, President
Business Team / BTI Group, Inc.
www.business-team.com
www.btigroupma.com
Cell 510.812.2233
License 01347013

Gifts

I needed this right about now... Enjoy :)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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From: Seth Godin <blogmailfromseth@yahoo.com>

Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:15:11 -0400

To: jegwhite<jegwhite@bluekeybma.com>

Subject: Seth's Blog : Gifts, misunderstood

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Gifts, misunderstood

What's a gift?

I met a big-shot former Fortune 500 company CEO who explained to me that he used to have three secretaries. One for his calendar, one for his usual work, and one who did nothing but send people gifts.

I think when it's sent by a corporation and chosen by a secretary, it's not a gift. It's a present. Or a favor...

A gift certificate from a rich uncle is a present as well, it's not really a gift.

A favor is something we do for someone hoping for an equal or greater favor in return. (Hence the phrase, "return the favor." No one says, "return the gift.")

A present is something that costs money, sure, and it's free, but I don't think it's a gift.

A gift costs the giver something real. It might be cash (enough that we feel the pinch) but more likely it involves a sacrifice or a risk or an emotional exposure. A true gift is a heartfelt connection, something that changes both the giver the recipient.

The Gift of the Magi is a great story because each person in the story sacrifices to create a heartfelt gift for the other person. And it's gifts--gifts that touch us, gifts that change us--that are transforming the way we interact.

One or two readers asked me why my book Linchpin costs money. After all, they ask, if gifts are a cornerstone of the new era, why not give it away free, as a gift?

Free doesn't make something a gift. Free might be a marketing strategy, free might make a generous present, but free doesn't automatically make something a gift. Gil Scott Heron's new album isn't free, but it's a gift. He's exposing himself. Taking a risk. You listen to the album and you feel differently when you're done... it's not a product, it's a very personal statement. Keller Williams approaches his entire craft as a chance to give gifts, but that doesn't mean he can't charge for some elements of his work. What it took him to create the music is so much greater than what it cost you to consume it that he is giving gifts without doubt.

The way I understand gifts is that the giver must make a sacrifice, create an uneven exchange, bring himself closer to the recipient, create change and do it all with the right spirit. To do anything less might be smart commerce, but it doesn't rise to the magical level of the gift. A day's work for a day's pay is the win/lose mantra of the industrial era. More modern is to view a day's work as a chance to generate gifts that last.

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• Slick
• Amplifying the lizard brain
• Goodbye to the office
• Benefit event/help wanted in Hyderabad, India
• "This better work"

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Fw: Seth's Blog : Hope and the magic lottery

Happy Sunday :)

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From: Seth Godin <blogmailfromseth@yahoo.com>

Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:14:36 -0400

To: jegwhite<jegwhite@bluekeybma.com>

Subject: Seth's Blog : Hope and the magic lottery

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Hope and the magic lottery

Entrepreneurial hope is essential. It gets us over the hump and through the dip. There's a variety of this hope, though, that's far more damaging than helpful.

This is the hope of the magic lottery ticket.

A fledgling entrepreneur ambushes a venture capitalist who just appeared on a panel. "Excuse me," she says, then launches into a two, then six and eventually twenty minute pitch that will never (sorry, never) lead to the VC saying, "Great, here's a check for $2 million on your terms."

Or the fledgling author, the one who has been turned down by ten agents and then copies his manuscript and fedexes it to twenty large publishing houses--what is he hoping for, exactly? Perhaps he's hoping to win the magic lottery, to be the one piece of slush chosen out of a million (literally a million!) that goes on to be published and revered.

You deserve better than the dashed hopes of a magic lottery.

There's a hard work alternative to the magic lottery, one in which you can incrementally lay the groundwork and integrate into the system you say you want to work with. And yet instead of doing that work, our instinct is to demonize the person that wants to take away our ticket, to confuse the math of the situation (there are very few glass slippers available) with someone trying to slam the door in your faith/face.

You can either work yourself to point where you don't need the transom, or you can play a different game altogether, but throwing your stuff over the transom isn't worthy of the work you've done so far.

Starbucks didn't become Starbucks by getting discovered by Oprah Winfrey or being blessed by Warren Buffet when they only had a few stores. No, they plugged along. They raised bits of money here and there, flirted with disaster, added one store and then another, tweaked and measured and improved and repeated. Day by day, they dripped their way to success. No magic lottery.

What chance is there that Mark Cuban or Carlos Slim is going to agree to be your mentor, to open all doors and give you a shortcut to the top? Better, I think, to avoid wasting a moment of your time hoping for a fairy godmother. You're in a hurry and this is a dead end.

When someone encourages you to avoid the magic lottery, they're not criticizing your idea nor are they trying to shatter your faith or take away your hope. Instead, they're pointing out that shortcuts are rarely dependable (or particularly short) and that instead, perhaps, you should follow the longer, more deliberate, less magical path if you truly want to succeed.

If your business or your music or your art or your project is truly worth your energy and your passion, then don't sell it short by putting its future into a lottery ticket.

Here's another way to think about it: delight the audience you already have, amaze the customers you can already reach, dazzle the small investors who already trust you enough to listen to you. Take the permission you have and work your way up. Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly about finding a path and walking it one step at a time.

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Fw: Seth's Blog : Cheating the clock

Excellent idea. Try it! J

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From: Seth Godin <blogmailfromseth@yahoo.com>

Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:17:08 -0400

To: jegwhite<jegwhite@bluekeybma.com>

Subject: Seth's Blog : Cheating the clock

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Cheating the clock

One way to do indispensable work is to show up more hours than everyone else. Excessive face time and candle-burning effort is sort of rare, and it's possible to leverage it into a kind of success.

But if you're winning by cheating the clock, you're still cheating.

The problem with using time as your lever for success is that it doesn't scale very well. 20 hours a day at work is not twice as good as 18, and you certainly can't go much beyond 24...

What would happen if you were prohibited from working more than five hours a day. What would you do? How would you use those five hours to become indispensable in a different way?

Go ahead, try it. Just for a week. See what happens. Even if you go back to ten, you'll discover you've changed the way you compete.

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Ran 10 miles today at the Marina. Big accomplishment but I'm SO tired! Better rest up for a busy week and tomorrows telemarketing workshop.

Short & Sassy

So I've been rocking my new haircut for a week now. My husband is finally looking at me again. He said he told me he thought it was cute but he needed to get used to it. What's with men and long hair? I feel free, liberated mostly from daily hair "doing" and am proud of myself for making a go-against-the-grain decision to something that I really wanted to do. Of course comments like "Wow! Young and sexy!" Helped a lot too :). J

Julie Gordon White, President
Business Team / BTI Group, Inc.
www.business-team.com
www.btigroupma.com
Cell 510.812.2233
License 01347013

Women Food & God

Reading Women Food and God. Provocative thoughts on life beyond the messages on eating. Most things we seek are hidden in plain sight...

Julie Gordon White, President
Business Team / BTI Group, Inc.
www.business-team.com
www.btigroupma.com
Cell 510.812.2233
License 01347013

Control Your Tail!

Great post from Seth:

The Distraction, the Tail and the Dog

Your business has a core, a goal, a challenge and a deliverable. There is probably one thing that would transform your project, one success that changes things, one hurdle that's tougher than the others. What's difficult, what would respond to overwhelming attention? That's the core. Getting from here to there involves making sales, delivering on promises, overcoming the Dip and shipping. Along the way, there are supporting tasks you can engage in, things you can do to make the goal easier to achieve. A popular blog might gain attention and then trust and ultimately help you sell more widgets. A lot of followers online might give you permission to tell a story that gets you better employees. A vibrant party at SXSW can create buzz that gives your salespeople entree to important meetings. These aren't trivial activities. In fact, they're part of what marketing means today. But...But if they give you and your team an outlet to avoid the difficult work of achieving your goal ("I can't go to that sales call, I'm busy uploading pictures of last night's party to the blog and then tweeting out the url") then you're not building, you're hiding. Rich calls this playing with turtles. The thing is, the turtles are alive, and they're going to demand a lot from you. There's a huge downside here: once your side activity gets going, it will lead to crises (we have an urgent email we have to answer), to feelings of abandonment (hey, you haven't been on the forum lately!), to irresistible offers to have the CEO speak or get people involved. There will always be a feeling of sunk cost, of opportunities missed and of things on the verge because these are human movements, not paid ads. Two choices: 1. find a way to make your goal completely aligned with the tactics you use to achieve it. What's good for your blog is good for your business. or 2. Now that these approaches are working, and working incredibly well, it's time to come up with boundaries so the tail doesn't end up wagging the dog. •

Julie Gordon White, President
Business Team / BTI Group, Inc.
www.business-team.com
www.btigroupma.com
Cell 510.812.2233
License 01347013

A message from your friend Julie White

Hello,

Your friend Julie White has forwarded you an email with this personal message:
I need to take a lesson...

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Thank you,
Larrybroughton.com

At a GREAT #vistageallcity presentation on the economy w/Alan Beaulieu of www.ecotrends.org. Bottom line: Sell your business by 2017!!

Watermelon Diet?

Just read that 1 slice of watermelon has a WHOLE glass of water (9.6 ounces)! Tastes yummy, fills you up and makes your skin glow!!

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RT@WomenPresidents: Families are demanding; companies built like families will succeed. Demanding but caring and work better with support.

So true Bob! RT@BestSellerBob: Success is not who gets the bigger piece of pie, but who brings more pie to the table.

RT @IncMagazine: Why LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman loves Facebook's new "like" button. http://ow.ly/1Hlp6

;) RT@8secrets: "In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." Charlie Brown - Steven Hilferty Blog

To business sellers & buyers: If you put yourself in the others shoes, the best solution for all will magically appear.

Happy Friday :)

"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."~ Earl Nightingale

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RT@BestSellerBob: wealth= money freedom. Freedom of Time, Relationships, Physical Freedom, Spiritual and Freedom to Use Your Unique Genius!