Ever wanted an entourage?

You know what I mean.  You see it on TV every so often and even in real life from time to time.  You see the celebrity walking through the airport surrounded by assistants doing everything from confirming their travel schedule to fetching them a latte (I said 3 shots of espresso!!).  For most of us, this is just a fantasy.  Or is it...

The truth is that I have an entourage.  OK... maybe you won't see them surrounding me at the airport fetching me coffee, but it's an entourage all the same.  Better yet, it's not a fluffy, egotistical entourage... it's a practical group of experts that are on call just waiting to provide me with the best advice available.

When a friend of mine couldn't get health insurance at work and wanted options, I called one of my experts and he found her an affordable plan.  When one of my organizations faced a legal question, I made a quick call and received expert advice that put the issue to rest.  When the stock market started it's roller coaster ride last week, I didn't worry because my team of experts carefully watched the market. 

My team is amazing.  They managing my branding.  They keep up on tax codes.  They watch my income and expenses.  They go to conferences looking learning about more ways to protect my business.  They research products looking for new forms of insurance to protect my family. 

Does this sound good to you?  Would you like to have your own entourage? 

Come check our Strategy Mastermind Group on August 19th to learn how you can have your entourage (or to learn that you already have one and aren't using them!).  While I prepare for Friday, my entourage is scanning credit agencies making sure that my identity is safe and reading articles on the best investment opportunities.

Bring a friend!  They'll be impressed!

I have said before that successful entrepreneurs are humble.  The reason is that successful people are successful because they didn't do it alone.  They got a lot of help and they know the value of collaborating and utilizing the strengths and experiences of others.  The famous quote "experience is the best teacher" is actually incomplete.  The whole quote (attributed to Ben Franklin I believe) is "experience is the best teacher, but only fools learn from experience".  In other words, there is someone out there that has been through the things you have been through and knows the things you don't know.  

This is a reason to be very thankful during holiday season. 

One of the best things about what I do is that I get to hang around a lot of smart and passionate people who share their strengths and wisdom.  The Strategy Mastermind Group is just one example of this. 

Take a moment today and thank the people in your life who have made an impact on your business and in your life.  If your list is short, you are missing out and you need to learn to ask for help.  If your list is long, you know how blessed you are. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

If you don't like meetings, you aren't doing them right.

Meetings are your opportunity to create something that is bigger than any one person.  It is a time to utilize the strengths, talents, and passions that can't possibly reside in any one person.  It is a time to built in buy-in to a cause, solution, or opportunity and avoid all the time and energy it takes to "sell the idea" after the fact.

Meetings are good.

Use the People-Centric Cycle to run "good" meetings.  First, obtain the engagement from everyone involved.  Then, as a team, find some focus or clarity in the issue at hand.  Finally, make sure that you create accountability within the team by ending every idea with an assigned action plan. 

A great meeting ends with CLARITY, not frustration and empty coffee cups.