Most Important Business Questions – Pitfalls and Failures?
Published February 17, 2011 | 
How to Avoid Common Business Pitfalls and Failures?
Most of us are aware of one of the most common pitfalls that cause business failures, undercapitalization. But let’s look at a few other frequently overlooked common pitfalls important for you to be aware of and avoid.
Ill-considered business plans – Okay, it is extremely important to understand that there’s nothing as bad as entering a funding or money meeting unprepared. By “unprepared” I mean if you haven’t taken the time and put the effort into creating a complete or “full-blown” business plan.
If your plan is missing crucial essentials such as a convincing business description, coherent financial projections and a competitive market analysis, then the people you are meeting with, the ones with the cash won’t commit their valuable time to evaluate your proposal.
Focusing too much on the idea and not enough on the management – 
Although you might have the greatest idea since the light bulb, it’s not enough to simply persuade prospective backers and stake-holders that you’ve developed the next must-have gadget or greatest business concept.
You can never, never overlook the critical nature of the need for a team that can successfully execute the specifics of the business plan, generate the level of revenues required to fully repay a bank loan or just as important accomplish an exit strategy for an angel investor or VC. I find that many business neophytes or novices pay no attention to this vital element of the equation. Without question that can destroy their pursuit of funding and approval.
Understand that showing you have engaged a highly-successful salesperson, a skillful marketer, an accountant with startup experience, and other key personnel and professionals who can provide guidance, is essential to finding funding sources.
Failure to achieve the proper legal agreements and documentation – 
This is arguably more important than a prenuptial agreement for a couple with significant individual assets. Legal documents cover everything from agreement terms to time-lines and can avoid serious acrimony or bad blood.
Inadequate cash flow management – Way too many Entrepreneurs and new business owners burn through seed money too quickly, failing to reach positive-cash flow standing in a well-timed manner.
Some contributory factors, such as economic downturns may be beyond control, but you and your executive team are might be unmistakably at fault for others, such as unnecessary spending and overly optimistic forecasts. Financial stakeholders never look kindheartedly at mismanagement of that nature.
No Website – Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website. Period.
At the very least, every business needs a professional looking and well-designed website that enables users to easily find out important information about their business. Later, additional ways to generate revenue on the website can be added including ad space, drop-shipping products, or recommending affiliate products. Remember, if you don’t have a website, you’ll most likely be losing business to those that do.
Of course, there are many more mistakes and pitfalls to avoid, and understanding how to both identify and prevent them greatly increases your chances of achieving the goals you set for business success.
The Zen of Success – Visualize the Achievement of Your Success
Published August 17, 2010 | 
Although most people understand this because the concept isn’t new, it can be difficult, if not impossible for some, the importance of being able to visualize not only your success at reaching goals, but how you are going to achieve them. Of course, it takes time for many to develop the level of understanding of the components of your success you need to see the success. After all, how do you know when you reach success if you don’t know how it is going to look?
Now unless you have had some experience with developing insight into success, a technique you can use to start the process is to begin by writing about the general idea you have for success, and don’t worry about writing much detail at this point, as you will start to think about it more and more. This is a direct result of you taking the first actions toward defining your success, and you might even make changes as your visualization becomes clearer before you go on to the next step.
To continue the process, sit down and write everything on paper in as much detail as you can possibly come up with, and should find that you will continue to add to the detail and it might even take you a few hours to a few days, or even a few weeks to complete. 
The length of time does not matter to the success of defining your visualization of success. You must understand that here’s what you’re doing…
By allowing yourself to get VERY clear, concise, exact and thorough, you are going through the process of complete immersion in this new reality. If you can relax and not try to force what you are trying to accomplish, you might notice that a deep spiritual ability we all share to make the real world match the reality which WE create for ourselves. The truth is most of us never realized or just forgot we have the ability within each of us, and some are able to develop it more than others.
You must understand the exterior world is a collection of illusions that our senses experience every day, but individually WE can create our own worlds that we can exert great control over, and through this extremely important exercise, YOU are creating your world and doing it thoroughly.
With time and will power to continue, you will begin to THINK in this new reality, and it will become a part of your spirit, who you are, and the tapestry of life YOU weave.
And then one day in the not too distant future, you’re more than likely to pull out that sheet of paper, read exactly what you wrote, and simply be amazed at just how much of it happened as you visualized. But, you won’t be surprised, and you will know very well it wasn’t luck, because YOU created the world around you, and you just did it according to a design spec which YOU made.
The Zen of Success – Successful Thoughts on Focus
Published August 1, 2010 | One of the most important and effective ways to gain knowledge and enlightenment about FOCUS and the importance of it to our lives, is to learn from Successful people in history that have gone before us and become a priceless part of our past and present, and who were and are generous with their thoughts, experience and understanding.
You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. – Mark Twain
One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular. – Tony Robbins
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. – Tony Robbins
The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. – Brian Tracy
My idea of a good picture is one that’s in focus and of a famous person. – Andy Warhol
When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. – Ansel Adams
We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what’s wrong in your life, or you can focus on what’s right. – Marianne Williamson
Focus on your problem zones, your strength, your energy, your flexibility and all the rest. Maybe your chest is flabby or your hips or waist need toning. Also, you should change your program every thirty days. That’s the key. – Jack Lalane
My focus is to forget the pain of life. Forget the pain, mock the pain, and reduce it. And laugh. – Jim Carrey
The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention. – Alan Watts
Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. – Denis Waitley
Goals provide the energy source that powers our lives. One of the best ways we can get the most from the energy we have is to focus it. That is what goals can do for us; concentrate our energy. – Denis Waitley
I adore the challenge of creating truly modern clothes, where a woman’s personality and sense of self are revealed. I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman. – Vera Wang
Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive. – Matt Cameron
It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses. – William Arthur Ward
If you want to be truly successful invest in yourself to get the knowledge you need to find your unique factor. When you find it and focus on it and persevere your success will blossom. – Sydney Madwed
The Zen of Success – Focus on a Goal
Published July 13, 2010 | Experience has taught us that focus is the key component in the determination of whether you’ll achieve a goal or stick to creating a new habit, not what most people would rank as most important, not self-discipline, not rewards, not even sheer willpower or motivation (also an important ingredient, however). 
Understand that if you can maintain your focus on a goal or habit, you will more often than not achieve that goal or create that habit, and the simple fact is that if you can’t maintain your focus, you won’t achieve the goal, unless it’s such an easy goal that it would have happened anyway.
Let’s examine why focus should matter so much, and say you decide that you want to cleanup your house, and that’s your big goal for the month. So on the very first day, you’re completely focused on this goal you have set, and you get boxes and trash bags and fill them up with junk. The next day, you’re still focused of course, and you fill up even more boxes and you manage to clear most from a couple of rooms while making progress on the rest. Your routine goes on for a few more days, with your main focus being on this goal, and you make a lot of progress.
Now everything seems to be going well for you, but let’s say that a week into cleaning, you make the decision that you want to become a runner, so much so that your focus is now shifted to running, and not only do you go out to jog for a few days, you buy running clothes and an iPod with a running app and start reading running blogs and magazines. 
Meanwhile, your original focus on cleaning has shifted, and soon you aren’t doing much of it, because your focus is now on running, and to take one big step back, you’ve actually added more to clean up, because you’ve bought all the running equipment and magazines and books.
Meanwhile, if you would have been able to maintain your focus on cleaning the entire month, by the end of the month you would have achieved a nice clean house, and all as a direct result of your focus.
This is why I constantly advocate focusing on only one goal at a time until you build experience achieving goals. An important point to remember since having multiple goals actually spreads out your focus, and makes it less likely that you’ll complete any of the goals. Although it’s possible, with a diffused focus, it proves to be much more difficult.
You must also understand that even with experience and only one goal, maintaining focus can be difficult to master. You need to find ways to keep your focus on that goal. 
Here are some good focus training tips that continue to work for me:
- Research and read about your goal as much as possible, on websites, blogs, books and magazines.
- Create visual reminders everywhere including your walls, refrigerator, and computer.
- Create a schedule with timeline, and remind yourself regularly.
- Dedicate time each day to work on the goal, with reminders in your schedule each day.
- Record your progress daily.
Maintain your focus on your goal, and you’ve won half the battle to successfully achieve it.
Shakira – Waka Waka! FIFA World Cup 2010 Celebration!
Published June 13, 2010 | Team Altman Awesome Shakira Video – Waka Waka – FIFA World Cup!
Soccer fans the world over are celebrating the beginning of the FIFA World Cup 2010, and Shakira took part in the opening celebration concert with the official 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka This Time for Africa!”
As always enjoy, and share Waka Waka This Time for Africa!
Blazing lights, lush green field, rocking music, jaw-dropping football squad and prominent stars – the sweltering, breathtaking extravaganza of football is good to go! Add to this a larger-than-life opening ceremony and audience is sure to get a taste of the most magnificent sporting event of the year. FIFA World Cup 2010 carnival is all set to put the stage on fire, with Johannesburg acting as the key host city. The World Cup opening ceremony is anticipated to be a real treat to the soccer-loving souls.
This year, FIFA World Cup will have an extraordinary feat with players and audience enjoying a “2-day opening” that would start on Thursday night. Tonight, witness the biggest pop extravaganza in the continent’s history with 1,581 performers across the globe. Shakira will perform the official 2010 World Cup song, “Waka Waka This Time for Africa”. She will team up with a local South African group, Freshlyground, to sway the spectators with a heart-throbbing performance.
Also, rocking the stage in the grand ceremony will be distinguished artists, John Legend, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, and Colombian heart-throb rocker Juanes. Top African musicians such as Amadou and Mariam, The Parlotones and Angelique Kidjo, will also be performing. Best part of the Thursday night concert is that the profit earned will be donated to “20 Centers for 2010″, a charity campaign dedicated to enhancing public health, education and development across Africa. FIFA opted to keep the Friday’s actual opening ceremony, before the game between the hosts and Mexico, performances somewhat a secret. This is mainly done to sustain the pinnacle of expectations and excitement!
الاحتفالات بفتتاح كاس العالم في جنوب افريقيا الفيافا موسيقى شكيرا وكا واكا live on stage HD
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“Waka Waka” Shakira released “Waka Waka” as the FIFA World Cup 2010 Official Anthem