Re: A once in a lifetime OPPORTUNITY...

Hi Gordon!

> A once in a lifetime OPPORTUNITY...
> comes around about every 24 hours.

> One of my mentors told me that. And he
> proved it.

> It has to do with ACTING on the
> "sense" of opportunity, how do you
> know it is real without testing, trying,
> finding out.

Yes, that's a good point.... I guess one of the best ways to tell a good potential opportunity from one which isn't so promising is through the value of experience.... DOING it, and seeing what works, and what doesn't....

> Ideas abound. In fact, most of us are
> drowning in our own ideas, let alone the
> ideas of other people. It is not a good
> idea, but an idea ACTED UPON that creates
> the opportunity.

That's true.... Just to see HOW MANY ideas they are, check out the "Lazy Entrepreneur - All Talk, No Funding" web site (hosted by Dilbert).... :)

And click here to read what Scott Adams has to say about this topic....

Many people believe that their IDEA alone is worth a lot of money. However, in general, it's not.... until it's put into action in some way. Without action, an idea alone is worth about zero.

> Every frustration YOU face in the course of
> your day is an opportunity. The ones that
> repeat themselves are more than likely
> frustrations for other people.

Yes, that's true.... If you have a frustration, and solve it, and many other people have the same frustration, then that's a potentially BIG opportunity!

As well as Liquid Paper, another product which started this way - as a person's solutions to their own problems - is the story of Einstein Enterprises, maker of doggie treats. Joanna Reeves started it by making doggie treats for her own dog, Einstein. Pretty soon, she started giving them out to her friends with dogs too, and soon they were encouraging her to go into business.

I wrote briefly about this story earlier, and linked to a web page with the full story, but the web page now seems to have disappeared.... So I've included the whole story of "Einstein Enterprises" below....

> Help eliminate these frustrations, you've
> acted upon opportunity.

> It is most often diguised, right in front of
> our faces, like Don Alm's advertising on
> video cassette boxes.

This is what amazes me. An incredible opportunity could be sitting under your nose, and you overlook it....

It's like that story you've mentioned, Gordon - Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell.

> It takes action, and you must be willing to
> find out if it works or not, there has to be
> a willingness to fail. Lord (and many of
> you) know that I've failed at many things
> (thanks for pointing that out now and then,
> appreciated)...

> I've tried a lot of things that didn't work,
> but I never squandered opportunity...

I like that approach....

It's easy for others to point fingers when they haven't done ANYTHING themselves (except advise others).... You can't have a failure if you don't DO anything! But doing nothing is not something to be proud of....

If you think about all the opportunities you're missing, it could help motivate you to grab some of them....

> *******************
> "The credit belongs to those who are
> actually in the arena, who strive valiantly,
> who know the great enthusiams, the great
> devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy
> cause; who, at the best, know the triumph of
> high achievement and who, at the worst, if
> they fail, fail while daring greatly so that
> their place shall never be with those cold
> and timid souls who know neither victory nor
> defeat."
> ************************

Thanks! That's a great quote from Teddy Roosevelt.... :)

I DO think this is an important topic.... A fundamental one! But now, I believe that only a few people know something about it.... Which (I think) could be why there have only been a few responses.... And why those responses have generally been from some of the most successful and knowledgeable entrepreneurs who surf the forums....

But it is important, there's no doubt about it....

Thanks Gordon, that was a great response. I've learned a LOT from you, I believe you're one of the wisest people online.... :) And you're giving fantastic value in the Study Group forum too!

- Dien

P.S. Here's the story of Einstein Enterprises, like I promised.... It's originally from http://www.onlinewbc.org/Docs/success_stories/ss_DogBiscuits.html , but when I tried to access it, it seems to have disappeared.... (In fact, the whole web site seems to have disappeared....) So I've included the story in full below....

Business is for the Dogs

People start home-based businesses for a variety of reasons, and for Joanna Reeves it was Einstein. Einstein came to the Reeves house in July 1997 as a birthday present for her husband, and although they had not had pets in the house while their children were growing up, it was soon apparent that their new beagle was a special addition to the family.

"I wanted to bake dog treats for him, but I couldn't find any recipes," said Reeves. "Finally, my mother found a really old one in a cookbook." Using that recipe as a starting point she began experimenting. She also did some research on what healthy dogs needed in their diet and incorporated some of those ingredients as well. The treats were made in small batches for Einstein; extras were shared with the dogs of family and friends, who soon encouraged her to go into business. Einstein Enterprises was born, with Jo-Jo Bones as its first product.

Entrepreneurship was not new to Reeves, who had opened a small shop called Needle Nook when her children were small, so she had an advantage. To help start her new enterprise, she received a small loan from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture that enabled her to purchase scales, packaging, business cards, and labels. As would be expected, the company's namesake soon found himself on all the business's marketing materials.

She began selling the products to people she knew, including a friend who owned a bed and breakfast in Tennessee. Her markets soon expanded to include specialty shops. She also worked to make her product even better. "My treats are baked fresh in my kitchen without any preservatives. That's what makes them special, but I had to find a way to increase their shelf-life for my retailers." Said Reeves. She worked with testers at West Virginia University and found that by slightly changing the cooking process, the amount of water in the product was reduced and it stayed fresher longer.

Last fall, Reeves participated in her first marketing event when she exhibited at the Center for Economic Options' The People's Marketplace. That experience was very helpful, and it also connected her with two other vendors from whom she is now purchasing products for her business. Appalachian Rags to Rugs is making dog toys for her, and she is purchasing dog bowls from Global Resources, which are filled with dog treats and then sold. The event also connected her to other marketing opportunities - the Capitol City Arts and Crafts Fair, the State Parks Gift Show, and a new buyer, Woof's, a specialty pet store.

Reeves is also expanding her product line. Her newest item is a dry mix complete with bone cookie cutter so customers can make their own dog treats. Its packaging was very important to her, and she worked for several months to get just what she wanted. She is also exploring purchasing natural dog soap from another state entrepreneur and adding that product to her own line.

"I'm really comfortable with where my business is now," said Reeves, whose family has lived on the same street in Carolina for two generations. "I don't want to grow too quickly, and I want to keep it all local. It's important for me to help others out, too."

She is also looking at some other potential enterprises too. Last year, she added a beehive to her yard to help pollinate her flowers. She collected honey from its stores, and is considering adding additional hives and diversifying Einstein Enterprises to include honey products. She and her husband have also spent several years carefully restoring 125 acres of woodland they purchased around a decade ago. The property had been stripped of its most valuable trees and was left environmentally damaged by the logging company. Some oak logs on the property have now been inoculated with shiitake mushroom spawn for the purpose of harvesting and selling gourmet mushrooms.