Download the MP3. Jeff Stewart needed that done yesterday. Jeff became an entrepreneur when he founded the web consultancy Square Earth in 1995. Only three years later he became a serial entrepreneur by starting Mimeo, a service that lets you send a file directly from your computer to be printed, bound and shipped overnight. Mimeo struggled in the dot com crash of 2000-2001 just as it was getting off the ground. Jeff was able to pull Mimeo though the downturn despite almost running out of cash, which has allowed the company flourish and make $55.4 million in 2007 revenues. Ironically, Jeff didn't have the same success in good economic times with ample cash after he raised $20 million for Monitor110. He discusses the company's shutdown and lessons learned. Now Jeff's focused on allowing businesses to hire good salespeople faster with Urgent Career. He announces on this show for the first time that he's just raised a six-figure angel round to speed up Urgent Career's success. Less

Download the MP3. Last time Derek Sivers was on Venture Voice three years ago he told us he had to "whack 'em [investors] off with a stick". Now we know why. Derek announces on our show for the first time the amount he sold his company for this past summer: $22 million. Derek owned 100% of the equity. Though he might have made more money than most of his fellow music entrepreneurs, Derek's no Gordon Gekko. In this interview, Derek tells us how he put all of his money from the sale into a charitable trust, that he hadn't even visited CD Baby's office once during last year he owned it, and what he's up to next. Want more Venture Voice? Become a Venture Voice member or contact us about sponsoring the show. Less

Jim Benson, SpaceDev, Entrepreneur Bruce V. Bigelow wrote: Jim Benson, an impatient visionary and aerospace entrepreneur, died today of a brain tumor, according to a statement issued by SpaceDev, the San Diego-based company he founded. SpaceDev developed the hybrid rocket engine used to power SpaceShipOne, the Burt Rutan-designed spacecraft, in its historic 2004 suborbital flight, which won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. Benson, who was 63, resigned from an operational role at SpaceDev two years ago, but retained a seat on the board. Comments | Permalink | Share |  E-mail UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS Less

ethanol, Pearson Fuels, Entrepreneur Bruce V. Bigelow wrote: After years of disappointment, Mike Lewis is finding encouragement in small signs that business is coming back to life for Pearson Fuels. Lewis opened Pearson Fuels in a blighted San Diego neighborhood in 2003, with financial backing from the owners of a local Ford dealership, where he had worked in finance. It was part of an ambitious $15 million “Regional Transportation Center” regarded by state and federal energy officials as a model for promoting the use of alternative fuels. The centerpiece was a futuristic automobile showroom operated by Pearson Ford that sold Think electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles then made by Ford. The adjacent Pearson Fuels service station, built and operated by Lewis, sold nine kinds of fuels, including conventional gasoline, ethanol, biodiesel, propane and different grades of compressed natural gas. By 2004, however, Ford stopped making alternative fuel vehicles and the gleaming showroom, which is now empty, lost its reason for being. Lewis continued to operate Pearson Fuels, but the service station sold mostly conventional gasoline. I met Lewis as a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this year, when the price for unleaded gasoline was soaring beyond $4 a gallon. Amid a resurgence of interest in alternative fuels, I described his entrepreneurial quest here. Lewis remains convinced that alternative fuels will prove to be a good business over time. But even as millions of venture dollars pour into the development of new biofuels each quarter, he still sees enormous challenges in developing a viable market. “You have to be very cautious about investing in a government-induced market,” Lewis said. “That’s what we did, and it was a mistake.” Now Lewis is seeing a gradual comeback in what was once a moribund alternative fuels business. Lewis is one of the few ethanol suppliers in California, and he has been working to expand the market by helping new service station owners get the necessary permits to install ethanol pumps. In exchange for his consulting services, he gets a long-term contract to supply ethanol to the station. Yesterday, the San Diego ethanol entrepreneur was in Riverside County at groundbreaking ceremonies for two new ethanol fuel service stations in Beaumont and Perris. The day before, he was in Carlsbad for the grand opening of a new alternative fuel station in Carlsbad—the second in San Diego County. A third is expected to open in Oceanside in two more weeks Next week, he plans to attend similar ribbon-cutting ceremonies at new Chevron stations in the East Bay communities of Concord and Hayward. During the construction of each station, Lewis supervised the permitting and installation of pumps that sell E-85, a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline By the end of October, there will be exactly five service stations in the entire state that sell E-85 fuel. Pearson Fuels has long-term contracts to supply ethanol for all five, and Lewis is working to get E-85 pumps installed at eight more. You might think that puts Lewis in an enviable situation. In California, there are an estimated 500,000 “Flex-Fuel Vehicles” that have the capability of running on either E-85 or unleaded gasoline. But developing this business takes an unusual kind of perseverance. At the Pearson Fuels station in San Diego, the only station that Pearson owns, Lewis sold 38,000 gallons of E-85 in June, when the alternative fuel was at least 90 cents cheaper per gallon than regular unleaded gasoline. Since then, gasoline prices have fallen. Now E-85 is only about 20 cents cheaper per gallon. Lewis says he only sold about 18,000 gallons of E-85 last month. So while soaring gasoline prices have made 2008 the best year ever for alternative fuel sales, Lewis says all that really means is that it’s just been his least unprofitable year—so far.   Comments | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

We won’t name names. However, we’ve all seen it – usually with a celebrity – a person who is on the verge of bigg success, but then they go through a meltdown. ___ ___ We wonder what could have caused it. Usually, it’s a very individual thing but there are some common reasons: #1 – Self-doubt You’re not sure that you can handle bigg success. You worry about what you don’t know. You dwell on what you don’t have (a common worry is not having the right degree). You tell yourself all the reasons why you don’t deserve this level of success, even though you’re so close to it. #2 – Fear of loss If you become more successful than your friends, what will they think? Will they still be your friends? Will they be jealous of your success? You know the answer to these questions already. What kind of friend wouldn’t be thrilled with your bigg success? #3 – Fear of embarrassment This fear is a carry-over from childhood – that adolescent fear of standing out from the group. You’re afraid of what people will think if they see you fail. Which leads us to … #4 – Fear of failure You may think that it’s better to have never experienced bigg success, than to have it and then lose it. Somehow it’s better to never get there. But why do you assume it will be fleeting? The net result is that we talk ourselves out of succeeding bigg. We accept that it’s better to be part of the crowd than to blaze our own trail. We feel more comfortable. It seems less risky. But we’re wrong! How to conquer your fear of bigg success #1 – Self-talk is so important. ___ As a first-time entrepreneur, fear has crept in on occasion. I’ve been lucky to have George around. He’s helped me understand that negative self-talk isn’t going to help you succeed. You have to turn it around. ___ ___ Even as an experienced business owner, I still have to battle that little voice that impedes bigg success. You just have to constantly keep telling yourself why you will do it. ___ Think of all the things you’ve done right to get this far. Remind yourself of the obstacles that you faced and how you overcame them. Focus on the things that have already gone your way. #2 – You don’t have to get it perfect; you just have to keep going. It certainly hasn’t been perfect up to this point, has it? So why would it have to be perfect from here on out? Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the growth you’re experiencing. Every time we reach another plateau, we celebrate our victory. Then we look back and realize the victory had already occurred. We grew. We learned so much. That’s the real joy of bigg success! #3 – Success comes one level at a time. Sure you have to keep your eye on that ultimate goal. But you get there one step at a time. You only have to take the next step. You’ve learned enough to know how to do that. Perhaps more importantly, you’ve already learned how to find out anything you don’t already know. #4 – Surround yourself with people who have made it. We can’t possibly over-emphasize this point. Develop a support network of mentors and coaches. People who were once where you are now, but are now where you want to be. Don’t be afraid to take those little steps that lead to bigg success! ___ Get the tips and tools you need to be a BIGG success! Subscribe to the Bigg Success Weekly – it’s FREE! ___ Evidence shows that more and more of us are running two businesses simultaneously. Next time, we’ll get some tips from an expert who’s doing just that. Until then, here’s to your bigg success! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. Related posts The Single Biggest Barrier To Your Success Climbing The Stairway To Success (Image by scol22) Less

Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks software, conducted a study of working adults [doc] not long ago. They found that 67 percent think about quitting their jobs regularly or constantly, while 72 percent said they want to start their own business. The number one reason cited for this was to be more passionate about their work. ___ ___ The participants were asked who inspired them: Donald Trump (38%) and Hugh Hefner (34%) were the top choices for men; Oprah Winfrey received 66% of the women’s vote. That response made us think – there are misperceptions of what it means to own a business; what an entrepreneur faces day-to-day. There’s the Hollywood version, but it often doesn’t reflect the real world. 5 common myths about owning your own business #1 – I won’t have to answer to a boss. While technically true, it’s not accurate in practice. The reality is that, as a business owner, you answer to every customer by you and your firm. You answer to your banker if you borrow money. The government will require you to do certain things by certain times. As a business owner, you won’t have a boss; you’ll have many bosses! #2 – I set my own hours. You’ve probably seen or heard the ads. Just buy this business opportunity – you’ll hardly have to work and the money will just pour in. If only it worked that way! You may enjoy a great deal of flexibility as a business owner. However, you’ll probably work more than you ever imagined, especially in the early stages of your business. #3 – I can get my employees to do the grunt work. Many new business owners – formerly part of the corporate world – have trouble adjusting to the lack of resources that are inherent in many start-ups. They were used to having “people” who did certain things. Start-ups can’t afford extra people; many can’t afford people at all! You’ll have to get used to doing a lot of things, if not everything, yourself, even the dirty work. #4 – I’ll make more money. Start-ups consume money; there often isn’t much to spare. You may not get a regular paycheck at first. You’ll have to build up the business to afford that “luxury”. ___ When I was younger, I couldn’t find anyone willing to pay me what I thought I was worth. So I started my own business … I quickly realized that I couldn’t afford to pay me what I thought I was worth! ___ #5 – I’ll have less stress than I do with my job. ___ As a first-time entrepreneur, I’ve learned that stress hits from many angles – clients with deadlines, so much work to get done, and worries when things don’t go as planned. I’ve learned to be much tougher mentally and emotionally. ___ All of this reminds us of Jackson Browne’s song, The Load Out …“They’re the first to come, and the last to leave, working for that minimum wage.” In the song, he’s talking about roadies. But we wonder … couldn’t he be describing start-up entrepreneurs? When your business is in the start-up phase, it’s like a newborn baby. You have to nurture it and care for it until it reaches the point where it doesn’t need you so much anymore. Prepare yourself for a five-year horizon before you start. If starting a business doesn’t sound so good anymore, we feel like we’ve done our job. You won’t face the financial, and more importantly, the emotional turmoil that comes with a start-up. However, if you’re now more determined than ever to start a business, you’ve passed a critical test. You can’t be talked out of it. You’ve peered beyond the popular and romantic view of business ownership. You’re starting to see it as it really is. You’re ready to become an entrepreneur! ___ Get the tips and tools you need to be a BIGG success. Subscribe to the Bigg Success Weekly – it’s FREE! ___ Next time, we’ll discuss the art of knowing yourself. Until then, here’s to your bigg success! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. Related posts 10 Signs That You Are Ready To Quit Your Job And Start A Business How Do You Learn To Be An Entrepreneur? Should You Buy A Franchise Or Go It Alone? (Image by ilco) Less

Anita Bruzzese is the author of 45 Things You Do That Drives Your Boss Crazy. We were fortunate to meet her at a conference we attended a few months back. She had a great post recently, where she discussed a game she played with her kids called, “Which would you rather?” —— —— With this game, you present your fellow players with a choice. For instance, I asked Mary-Lynn which she would rather give up for a month – chocolate or her cell phone. —— That was a tough question, but I would give up chocolate. My phone is my mobile device; there’s no way I could live without it for a month! —— Hmmm … Mary-Lynn with no chocolate. I’d plan to be away that month! —— A fun way to keep a conversation going When we discussed conversation continuers recently, we said that games are one way to keep a conversation going. This is a great example of a game you could play to do that. For example, you could ask …  —— Who would you rather work for – a boss who’s super-demanding or a boss who’s never around? Anita posed more great questions in her post. —— If you check out her post, you can see how I answered the questions she asked. —— A fun way to improve strategic decision-making Decision trees are a great way to visualize possible business strategies, since a business can be thought of as a series of either / or options. Sounds like a ramped-up version of “Which would you rather”, doesn’t it? Question 1 leads to Question 2 and so on. For example, let’s say you plan to start a restaurant. Play “Which would you rather?” Which would you rather open – a big restaurant or a small restaurant? Let’s say you choose bigg … with two g’s of course! Which would you rather be – part of a franchise system or an independent? You really want to create your own brand, so you want to be independent. Where would you locate – in a strip center or a free-standing building? You could do some research to determine which one seems to work better for restaurants like the one you plan to start. We could keep going, but you get the idea. The reason you create the decision tree is to see the impact of your choices. For instance, if you chose “franchise” for the second question, they may specify whether you’re inline or free-standing. A fun way to teach your kids critical entrepreneurial skills Play this game with your kids and help them develop critical entrepreneurial skills! Just add the “decision tree” dimension one question at a time. So instead of asking your kids to think of one question, ask them to think of three – the initial question and a follow-up question for each of the possible answers. They’ll be thinking like an entrepreneur in no time! Get the tips and tools you need to be a BIGG success. Subscribe to the Bigg Success Weekly – it’s FREE! Next time, we’ll examine a highly-touted way to pay off your mortgage early. Until then, here’s to your bigg success! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. Related posts 6 Great Ways to Keep a Conversation Going  (Image by sundstrom) Less

Just looking at how easy it is to produce reports electronically or digitally for distribution through a website or via email should tell you why this is one of the greatest ways of earning online. The online entrepreneur need not incur heavy costs associated with the production of the report or the storage of printed copies of it. And it also means that the report can never be out of stock, unlike many unfortunate books that are available in local book stores. Also, the people that form the market have less time on their hands nowadays, and having to read an entire e-Book is a huge turn-off for them. They wouldn’t, however, mind reading up a brief, precise report that will quickly reveal to them all the secrets so that they can be implemented as soon as the readers want to. It is very easy to understand why this lucrative avenue is virtually everybody’s cup of tea.  To start with, everybody has some or the other special skill that others are bound to find useful. Other people can, in many ways, use the information thus gained to earn money. This, then, is the secret of creating a best-selling report. Give people something they can make money with, and they will not think twice about paying you for it, in their turn. “How-To” reports, secret revealing reports really do well. You also have to pay special attention to marketing skills. So ready to write your first report and make some money? Less

One of the most awesome people we’ve met since we started Bigg Success is Jim Bouchard. He’s a black belt turned motivational speaker. He does a great job helping you get in touch with your personal power. Recently, Jim turned the table on us – instead of us being the interviewers, we were the interviewees! But that doesn’t mean we didn’t take the opportunity to send a few questions Jim’s way – we love to hear his fantastic insight! So today we thought we’d share some of the highlights with you. Let’s check into the conversation as we talk with Jim about passion … . . . There’s a lot of rhetoric about getting into a business that expresses your passion. The business I’ve been involved with for a long time is the martial arts business. Most martial artists will go into business – start a school – because it’s our passion, but it’s not always the best way to make money. I think that’s a very important, and often overlooked, factor when entering an entrepreneurial life. Passion is necessary, but it’s not the only ingredient that’s necessary. . That’s a great distinction. It’s the old story – I have a hobby I love that I turn into a business. Now I don’t love my business or my hobby. Think about your hobbies, but also reflect on the elements of that hobby that you really enjoy. Teaching has been my hobby, because I had my businesses full-time. What I got out of it was the joy of helping people and seeing the light bulb come on. Bigg Success fulfills me in the same way. . That’s what people really need to look at. When you open these doors, you find passions that you never knew existed. I didn’t set out to get into the speaking business. I did always have the ambition to write a book at some point, but I never thought I’d go out into the speaking world. Like you, George, I found it was just a natural extension of the teaching that I liked to do – in my case within the martial arts world. . You’re such a great presenter, Jim. How did that happen for you … that you ended up getting into the speaking business? . That’s a great question – it actually came from some of my martial arts students. I was sharing the martial arts philosophies that helped me create an anchor and a sense of value and worth in my life. They found themselves applying these philosophies to their business and personal life. A few of them encouraged me over the years to take my message to a different audience – not everybody wants to learn how to punch and kick, but everyone wants to learn how to develop their personal power, their capacity to act effectively. That’s how it got started. Then one of my mentors told me that I was already presenting every day anyway – I went on the floor and taught! So for me, it was a very natural transition. But I’m going to mark it this way … one of the greatest gifts that I learned from the martial arts was the idea of beginner’s mind. The whole world is open as a learning experience for us and we should never stop to pat ourselves on the back too long. Perfection is not a destination … it’s a never ending process. So I’m going through the same process as a speaker that I went through as a martial artist. I want to learn, I want to grow, and I want to be a better presenter every day. And I know you guys feel the same way! . Absolutely, Jim! The thing that strikes me from your story – you said some of your students made a suggestion. With that one little suggestion, and you listening carefully and then processing it, you found this opportunity. That’s something we all need to be aware of – opportunity doesn’t hit you like a train. In most cases, it’s very subtle. But that’s where you’ll find that thing that you really want to do! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. . Related posts How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be Dynamic Components of Personal Power  (Image from JimBouchard.org)  Less

Bart Jellema is a highly-accomplished Web 2.0 Software Developer, Database Architect and Ajax expert - originally from the Netherlands, now living in Sydney, Australia. Bart’s now put his money where his mouth is and become an Entrepreneur - using his software skills & Internet knowledge to launch Tjoos.com , a new Online Coupon Aggregator & Price Comparison site that (less that a year since its launch) is attracting hundreds of thousands of unique visitors every month. In this lively and informative conversation, Bart discusses some of the fundamental principles of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that he’s successfully utilized to catapult Tjoos.com to commercially viability in just 9 months. WEB LINKS: Tjoos.com - Bart’s new entrepreneurial venture LinkedIn - Bart’s LinkedIn profile Facebook - Bart’s Facebook profile Twitter - Chat with Bart on Twitter Technation - Blog about start-ups in Australia Startup-Australia - Sydney-based events for Start-ups & Entrepreneurs Pollenizer - Web 2.0 Incubator / Consultancy Like this PodCast? Then share it with your network - and show your support by ‘casting a vote’ at Digg.com, or writing a Review on iTunes. And don’t be shy - please leave a Comment . Your feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated. If you’re a Blogger or Webmaster - you can download Embed Code that makes it easy to include this Episode of ‘Connections’ in your web page. Thank you Stan Relihan Expert Executive Search: www.expertsearch.com.au Less

Download the MP3. Attention entrepreneurs dealing with the current economic downturn: This interview is for you. After working as a journalist for Jason Calacanis at Silicon Alley Reporter, Rafat Ali ended up broke in a market with a dearth of employment opportunities. To try to find a new job, Rafat created paidContent.org as an "interactive resume." Luckily, no one hired him. From these humble beginnings, Rafat bootstrapped his blog holding company, ContentNext Media, for four years before taking a small investment from famed media investor Alan Patricof in June 2006. From its inception paidContent has doubled revenues each year and was recently acquired by UK-based Guardian Media Group for a rumored $30 million. Listen in as Rafat outlines the past, present, and future of online media, while sharing his war stories from another uncertain economic time. Less

Today on The Bigg Success Show, we welcomed Denise Griffitts. Denise is the founder and CEO of Your Virtual Assistant, a company that provides highly trained administrative professionals for support, technical and creative services for small businesses, start-up businesses, individuals, and online entrepreneurs. Virtual assistants are in bigg demand Denise talked about the growing demand for virtual assistants, who work for you from their home. They work within your processes and system. If you don’t have processes set up, they’ll even help you do that. A virtual assistant can help you with just about anything that doesn’t require them to be on site. Denise’s niche is serving online entrepreneurs. She lets you take care of the front end of the business by partnering with you and handling the back end. “A virtual assistant takes away all the minutiae from your day.” Denise Griffitts Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Think about what you really need help doing. What’s causing your time seepage? By thinking about the minutiae that’s sapping your creativity and letting a virtual assistant take care of it, you’ll feel a sense of freedom and be able to move forward more quickly. How affordable is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant is a contract employee. You don’t have to pay their taxes and Social Security. You also don’t have to pay for their office space or equipment. Denise has a Rate Calculator on her blog. It allows you to calculate the difference between hiring someone in your office and hiring a virtual assistant. Denise says the savings are considerable. Could you benefit from a virtual assistant? Denise talked about her biggest client, who had a project she needed done within three weeks. This client had a concept and an announced date for completion. That was it! In three weeks, Denise and her team helped her client produce a product. They created a CD, did the art for the CD, created audio, print work and art work. It was in her customer’s hands by the deadline! As Denise says, “Most everybody these days could use a virtual assistant.” Would you like to be a virtual assistant? Denise is looking for people all of the time. If you have online experience and would like to earn some extra money, send Denise your resume to resumes@virtualassistantindustry.com. Denise will review your resume. If that looks good, she’ll interview you. After that, she’ll assign you a project. If you perform well on that project, then she brings you on as a full virtual assistant. So if you want to hire a virtual assistant or be a virtual assistant, check out Your Virtual Assistant! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.    Related Posts Outsource Your Household Chores to Balance Your Life 5 Ways to Determine if a Work-at-Home Opportunity is Legitimate Leaping From Place To Place: See The World While You Work Find Your Fortune Through Promiscuity (Image from VirtualAssistantIndustry.com) ShareThis Less

And why McCain won’t. For more of Mac, including videos, a full comments section, and a great price on his newest book BEAT THE SYSTEM: 11 SECRETS TO BUILDING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE IN A BUREAUCRATIC WORLD visit www.BobMacOnBusiness.com. Less

In management, the more things change, the more they should stay in parallel. For more of Mac, including important links, a full comments section, and a great price on his newest book BEAT THE SYSTEM: 11 SECRETS TO BUILDING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE IN A BUREAUCRATIC WORLD visit www.BobMacOnBusiness.com. Less

If you’re a politician, pick one. If you’re an entrepreneur, pick the other. For more of Mac, including important links, a full comments section, and a great price on his newest book BEAT THE SYSTEM: 11 SECRETS TO BUILDING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE IN A BUREAUCRATIC WORLD visit www.BobMacOnBusiness.com. Less

Bigg Challenge Amy knows she’s not passionate about her career, but she doesn’t really know what she would love to do. She wants to know how to discover her passion. Bigg Advice We recommend that you get a notebook to write down your thoughts and answers to the following questions, Amy. These things all revolve around one simple theme – Look to the past to discover your future. #1 – What did you want to be when you grew up? Now you may think that’s a silly question to ask at this point in your life, but it’s not. Because it leads to the more important question … Why? Why did you want to do that one thing when you grew up? Mary-Lynn wanted to be a singing star. She wanted to be like Cher – up on stage performing in front of an audience with a microphone. Unfortunately, she couldn’t sing! But today, she does perform in front of an audience with her very own microphone. It’s not exactly what she envisioned as a kid, but the elements are there. #2 – What classes did you really enjoy? You probably thrived in these classes. What were they, from grade school all the way up through college? And more importantly … What about that particular class did you enjoy so much? George loved philosophy – learning how to think logically and debate a subject. He’s used those skills his entire career. He has found that the work that’s most enjoyable to him often has to do with problem-solving. #3 – What extracurricular activities did you love? And more importantly, what did you love about that activity? Mary-Lynn loved music. She loved being in the pep band and going to competitions. These additional benefits were a bonus to learning to play an instrument well. It appealed to her competitive nature and fulfilled her social needs. #4 – What jobs or roles have given you the greatest satisfaction? More importantly, what common themes were there? George has been an entrepreneur and a teacher. As his career as a business owner advanced, he found that teaching and inspiring others was what he really enjoyed. He got great feedback about meetings he conducted. He also got positive reviews from his students. Today, Bigg Success gives him that outlet to share knowledge with others. #5 – What is, or was, your favorite hobby? What do you, or did you, do for free? Mary-Lynn has loved writing since she was a kid. It taps into her creative side. That desire to be creative has guided her throughout her career. She once left a job because it didn’t offer creative freedom. Her need for creative control in her job spills over from her hobby. Being in touch with what you naturally do, even without pay, can help you discover your passion. So as you ponder these five questions, think about the elements of the activity, rather than the activity itself, to discover your passion. Thanks, Amy, for sharing your bigg challenge with us. We’re confident you’ll discover your passion soon! If you have a bigg challenge, e-mail it to us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com What advice do you have for Amy? Click on the Comment link below Our bigg quote today is by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who said, “Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.” So find your passion to uncover your greatness. Next time, we’ll discuss what to do if working harder isn’t working anymore. Until then, here’s to your bigg success! Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes.  Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. Related posts Back To The Future: Visualizing The Life You Want (Part 2) Is Your Star Shining Bright? The Greatest Miracle In The World Coping With Life Change Ride The Wave, Dude! Answer These 4 Questions For A Smooth Career Change  (Image by mrceviz) ShareThis Less

Bigg Challenge Kendra started a business six months ago. It’s exciting, but also extremely successful. At times, she really misses the regular salary her old job provided. Lately, she’s even been looking at job openings and she’s seen some great opportunities. Sometimes, she really regrets that she gave up her corporate job. Her question for us: “Is she just not cut out for owning her own business?” Bigg Advice Ultimately, Kendra, only you can decide if you’re cut out for it. However, we’ll offer some guidance on getting through this. Stop tormenting yourself with the job openings. If you reach the point, where you’re truly giving up on your business, THEN and only then should you start looking for a job. Some people might say that it’s a good thing for you to keep her options open. They’re wrong! Once you make a decision like this, you can’t constantly look at what might have happened if you did something else or what could happen if you completely change direction. You have to commit to what you started out to do. If you don’t, you WILL fail.  Develop your own internal process to stop the second-guessing. This is closely related to the point above, but it is such an essential skill for entrepreneurs that we thought it needed to be separated. As a business owner, there will be days when you’re on the top of the mountain and there will be days when you’re stuck in the valley. And there are few days in between! When you’re stuck in the valley, your internal voice is one of the things that will help you get back to the top of the mountain. However, understand that as a business owner, you’ll be back in the valley again before long. It’s just part of the process.  That’s why it’s so important to develop an inner voice that encourages you, rather than creating more doubt. Develop a support network. Friends are great, but you need to regularly converse with fellow business owners. Anyone and everyone who owns their own business will completely understand what you’re going through. They’ll give you that boost when you need it. And that includes us! Thanks, Kendra. We wish you bigg success! Keep yourself fired up by tuning into The Bigg Success Show! Get a lesson and a laugh in five minutes or so! Our bigg quote today is a good one, but isn’t attributed to anyone. “Any belief worth having must survive doubt.” If you stick to your beliefs, there’s little doubt that you’ll win. Next time, we ask, “Who’s in control – you or your Blackberry?” Until then, here’s to your bigg success! Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed. Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. Related posts The Secret to Survive and Thrive in Your Own Business How Do You Learn To Be An Entrepreneur?  (Image by adamci) ShareThis Less

In this episode of Personal Brilliance – Up Close and Practical, Jim Canterucci interviews Serial Entrepreneur Wil Schroter, exploring how he uses the Personal Brilliance catalyst Focus in his succcessful life. Listen here or subscribe via iTunes. Wil will discuss the Personal Brilliance catalyst Initiative next week. Please email Jim Canterucci with your comments on this episode. Click here. If you can’t wait and want to listen to the entire interview click here. Less