What do you think of this idea? Looking for feedback.....

This is something I've had in the back of my mind for a while, but one of Sandy's posts stimulated this thought again.... What do you think of this?

I'm thinking about trying to do some interviews of VERY successful people, asking them about some of the principles they've used for their success. The idea is for this to be WIN / WIN / WIN / WIN ! :)

• The people interviewed will benefit, as it will help to promote their products or companies or themselves, or it will help those big successes who just want to help others to also reach success....
• Visitors to SOWPUB will benefit, as they will get additional information on being a success from those who have really DONE IT.... Information which may not be available anywhere else.
• Ebook authors who have their works at SOWPUB will benefit, as this will hopefully generate extra traffic to their ebooks....
• Of course, I'll benefit too, as it will make SOWPUB an extra special web site....

However, this is all dependent on it being something that YOU are interested in too.

What I'm thinking about here are EXCLUSIVE interviews of these successful people, not interviews repeated on zillions of web sites like you sometimes see.... These will be unique.

My idea is that some of the people who are interviewed will be people you may know about or have heard of, but others you won't have heard about. But they will all be big successes.... I don't want to limit the area these people are successes in, since I believe the principles of success can be similar even in very different areas....

Now, when I try something, I like to reach for the top, so if I do this I'm going to try very hard to get people who are truly BIG successes if possible.... This doesn't generally mean so-called "gurus," since many successful people DON'T make a living teaching you how to be successful. They are too busy spending their time doing it. Those are the kind of people I am hoping to find, who are also willing to take a little bit of their time to share some of the principles which they have used to succeed....

I'm anticipating that I may get a lot of rejections for every person who agrees (because a lot of the VERY successful people are also very busy). So, the first thing I'd like to do is to get some feedback.... What do you think of this idea? Is this something which would interest you to read?

Please let me know. :) Is there enough interest to make this idea worth doing? Please post or email me....

Thank you,

Dien

Great idea Dien, a modern day Napoleon Hill I presume, look forward to the outcome of your first interview.
regards peter

> This is something I've had in the back of my
> mind for a while, but one of Sandy's posts
> stimulated this thought again.... What do
> you think of this?

> I'm thinking about trying to do some
> interviews of VERY successful people, asking
> them about some of the principles they've
> used for their success. The idea is for this
> to be WIN / WIN / WIN / WIN ! :)

> The people interviewed will benefit, as
> it will help to promote their products or
> companies or themselves, or it will help
> those big successes who just want to help
> others to also reach success....
> Visitors to SOWPUB will benefit, as they
> will get additional information on being a
> success from those who have really DONE
> IT.... Information which may not be
> available anywhere else.
> Ebook authors who have their works at
> SOWPUB will benefit, as this will hopefully
> generate extra traffic to their ebooks....
> Of course, I'll benefit too, as it will
> make SOWPUB an extra special web site....
> However, this is all dependent on it being
> something that YOU are interested in too.

> What I'm thinking about here are EXCLUSIVE
> interviews of these successful people, not
> interviews repeated on zillions of web sites
> like you sometimes see.... These will be
> unique.

> My idea is that some of the people who are
> interviewed will be people you may know
> about or have heard of, but others you won't
> have heard about. But they will all be big
> successes.... I don't want to limit the area
> these people are successes in, since I
> believe the principles of success can be
> similar even in very different areas....

> Now, when I try something, I like to reach
> for the top, so if I do this I'm going to
> try very hard to get people who are truly
> BIG successes if possible.... This doesn't
> generally mean so-called "gurus,"
> since many successful people DON'T make a
> living teaching you how to be successful.
> They are too busy spending their time doing
> it. Those are the kind of people I am hoping
> to find, who are also willing to take a
> little bit of their time to share some of
> the principles which they have used to
> succeed....

> I'm anticipating that I may get a lot of
> rejections for every person who agrees
> (because a lot of the VERY successful people
> are also very busy). So, the first thing I'd
> like to do is to get some feedback.... What
> do you think of this idea? Is this something
> which would interest you to read?

> Please let me know. :) Is there enough
> interest to make this idea worth doing?
> Please post or email me....

> Thank you,

> Dien

> Great idea Dien, a modern day Napoleon Hill
> I presume, look forward to the outcome of
> your first interview.

Hi Peter,

That's a great way to think about it.... me.... Napoleon Hill resurrected....

Thinking about that has got my ego growing.... I better get some cold water to dunk my head in before it gets TOO big.... :)

Thanks Peter for the feedback! :)

Dien

Some (most) of the success stories I've seen lately make my blood boil.

Some person will be held aloft as some kind of knight in shinning armour to the struggling masses of entrepreneurs. And yet, in reality, this person is not an entrepreneur at all. All they are is a lottery winner.

Do you remember Poppy King... the young "entrepreneur" who came from obscurity into the cosmetic limelight?

Fraud. Her parents funded everything and used all the contacts THEY already had in business. She did bugger all to make Poppy happen.

Calvin Klein? Borrows $100,000 from a friend to start. Um, well excuse me, but what's that in today's money? $1M? $2M? And he borrows that from a friend? A friend who is a business partner. So this guy was already successful and lends the equivalent of over a million dollars and does nothing? I think not.

I like reading Ben Suarez's story, bar one part. That part? Where he gets $80,000 worth of free advertising because the ad agency will fund it.

Heard of FUBU clothing label? They started off making their gear in the basement of their house. I love the story of their beginning. But what made them take off was having Ivander Hollyfield wear one of their t-shirts. How did that come about? They sent him a t-shirt. So the question then is, out of all the hundreds (maybe thousands) of companies who sent him t-shirts, why wear the FUBU one? Obviously he liked it and so wore it. But why FUBU in particular?

There'll be some "successful internet entrepreneurs" show. And the show will be about some twenty something person who's the CEO of some 100 million dollar dot com. And there'll be much rejoicing. Question? How did that come about? Oh, mum and dad just happened to have a whole bunch of "connections" and.... well... tell me no more.

All I'm saying is... I don't like seeing someone heralded as a brilliant entrepreneur when their success was either like winning the lottery and had nothing intrinsically to do with them. Or, those who are "heads" under someone else's (mum, dad, already established successful businessman, etc.) expertise.

Do something based on your experience, fine. Work some wonderful deal to do with something, fine. Come from nothing to be a roaring success, fine.

But be a "silver spoon" success, then not fine. That's not what I call true entrepreneurialism.

I like to see the story of the guy who did it all. The one who got off their butt and made it happen.

Something like,

Some guy loses his job, goes and starts a "paint house numbers on gutters" business. Then takes the profits from that and invests them into something else and makes a success of that. And so on.

Okay, so this may come across as a sort of bitterness. It's not. I don't begrudge success not matter what the reasons. But I appreciate true talent. And am sick and tired of talentless people being held aloft as something to aspire to.

Take ELO... they wrote the songs, wrote the music and sang the songs. Heck, Lynn even learned to be a producer. THAT is talent in my eyes.

Some put-together band of people with no singing talent, who are handed songs to sing and whose voices are modified during recording, is not talent.

Form a strategic alliance and leverage from that, fine. You're an entrepreneur. But to take credit for, or be given credit for, things that are not a result of your entrepreneurial spirit, then not fine.

Think Kerry Packer... the media mogul. Sure he's a success. But didn't he inherit the newspapers his father already owned?

I like to read about success which came about from creative-intelligence and not already established nepotism, or flukes that can't be duplicated.

Why?

Because most people don't have those same nepotistic contacts and most people don't win the lottery.

I'm reminded of something I read on a screenwriting website. The site's owner was discussing some of the workshops other writers put on and ran this scenario...

Someone in the audience asks, "So how did you get Steven Spielberg to become involved in your movie idea?"

And the writer says something like, "I was on the backlot at Warner Bros and just bumped into him. We got to talking. One thing lead to another and I gave him a copy of the script I always carry around."

The above sounds good, right? But as the site's owner says... HOW did this writer get onto the backlot in the first place??? It's a situation most other aspiring screenwriters cannot duplicate until after they're a success.

I want to read the story of the guy who starts with $2,000 of his own money and no more. Not the guy who starts with $2,000 and then borrows $100,000 from friends and relatives.

I want to read the story of the guy who comes up with an idea, goes out and forms a strategic alliance and then succeeds. Not the guy who uses already established nepotism, either formed from previous success or parents, to forge ahead.

I want to hear stories like those of Ita Buttrose - starts as the coffee girl come gofer and works her way up the ladder one rung at a time to be the head. Not the one who is given the head job because of a friend of a friend or because the parents own the thing.

Sure I like reading about the guy who bought a $50,000 business and turned it into a million dollar business within 12 months. But, where did the spare $50,000 come from in the first place?

If the spare $50,000 came from real-state profits after a sale, then how did the initial purchase come about?

Was it a "no money down" deal? Was the purchase price funded from retirement lumpsum payments from a previous job? Was it inherited? Can someone else do the same thing?

That's what it really comes down to... can someone else do the same thing? Is it able to be duplicated if someone else sets their mind to it?

All passed on knowledge is valuable. And I do enjoy reading about the exploits of successful people even if their success can't be duplicated by others (like Donald Trump who grew up in the construction business for example). But for mine, the true entrepreneurial underdog is what I enjoy reading about the most.

HA! Migrant Success. :o)

Michael Ross.

Paul Hawkins...
Ben & Jerry's(before the sell out of the business)
Mary Kay(she's heard she had a stroke but still might be open to an interview via internet)
A.G. Gaston(southern entrepreunership)
John Johnson(Johnson's publishing)
Terry Williams(from social worker to one of the
largest minority owned P.R. agencies)
Dave Thomas ( from orphan to major food)
Horace Mars (creator of mars candy)
Spike Lee( film producer, beginning business
financed by credit cards)
Percy Ross( philanthropist)
Iyanla Vanzant( writer, author, seminar leader
from welfare to school to motivational speaker)
Diana Ross
Mark Mathabane( infamous south african author
of "The Kafir Boy" lives in South Carolina)
Maya Angelou

Wally Amos( past owner of Famous Amos cookies;
and doing other things now & might be open to
interview on line)

Anyone else care to offer others...Another thing
I'd like to add is the interview can also be
with people who have overcome great mental,
physical and social obstacles and were able to
become prosperous(not just materially but
spiritually as well.)

Dave Dravecky
Vance Armstrong
Jackie Joyner Kersee
Ronan Tynan( opera singer)
Dr. Ben Carson( infamous children's neurosurgeon)

Maybe this post will spark some others to
offer Dien some names for possible interviews
on this site....

------

Some (most) of the success stories I've seen
> lately make my blood boil.

> Some person will be held aloft as some kind
> of knight in shinning armour to the
> struggling masses of entrepreneurs. And yet,
> in reality, this person is not an
> entrepreneur at all. All they are is a
> lottery winner.

> Do you remember Poppy King... the young
> "entrepreneur" who came from
> obscurity into the cosmetic limelight?

> Fraud. Her parents funded everything and
> used all the contacts THEY already had in
> business. She did bugger all to make Poppy
> happen.

> Calvin Klein? Borrows $100,000 from a friend
> to start. Um, well excuse me, but what's
> that in today's money? $1M? $2M? And he
> borrows that from a friend? A friend who is
> a business partner. So this guy was already
> successful and lends the equivalent of over
> a million dollars and does nothing? I think
> not.

> I like reading Ben Suarez's story, bar one
> part. That part? Where he gets $80,000 worth
> of free advertising because the ad agency
> will fund it.

> Heard of FUBU clothing label? They started
> off making their gear in the basement of
> their house. I love the story of their
> beginning. But what made them take off was
> having Ivander Hollyfield wear one of their
> t-shirts. How did that come about? They sent
> him a t-shirt. So the question then is, out
> of all the hundreds (maybe thousands) of
> companies who sent him t-shirts, why wear
> the FUBU one? Obviously he liked it and so
> wore it. But why FUBU in particular?

> There'll be some "successful internet
> entrepreneurs" show. And the show will
> be about some twenty something person who's
> the CEO of some 100 million dollar dot com.
> And there'll be much rejoicing. Question?
> How did that come about? Oh, mum and dad
> just happened to have a whole bunch of
> "connections" and.... well... tell
> me no more.

> All I'm saying is... I don't like seeing
> someone heralded as a brilliant entrepreneur
> when their success was either like winning
> the lottery and had nothing intrinsically to
> do with them. Or, those who are
> "heads" under someone else's (mum,
> dad, already established successful
> businessman, etc.) expertise.

> Do something based on your experience, fine.
> Work some wonderful deal to do with
> something, fine. Come from nothing to be a
> roaring success, fine.

> But be a "silver spoon" success,
> then not fine. That's not what I call true
> entrepreneurialism.

> I like to see the story of the guy who did
> it all. The one who got off their butt and
> made it happen.

> Something like,

> Some guy loses his job, goes and starts a
> "paint house numbers on gutters"
> business. Then takes the profits from that
> and invests them into something else and
> makes a success of that. And so on.

> Okay, so this may come across as a sort of
> bitterness. It's not. I don't begrudge
> success not matter what the reasons. But I
> appreciate true talent. And am sick and
> tired of talentless people being held aloft
> as something to aspire to.

> Take ELO... they wrote the songs, wrote the
> music and sang the songs. Heck, Lynn even
> learned to be a producer. THAT is talent in
> my eyes.

> Some put-together band of people with no
> singing talent, who are handed songs to sing
> and whose voices are modified during
> recording, is not talent.

> Form a strategic alliance and leverage from
> that, fine. You're an entrepreneur. But to
> take credit for, or be given credit for,
> things that are not a result of your
> entrepreneurial spirit, then not fine.

> Think Kerry Packer... the media mogul. Sure
> he's a success. But didn't he inherit the
> newspapers his father already owned?

> I like to read about success which came
> about from creative-intelligence and not
> already established nepotism, or flukes that
> can't be duplicated.

> Why?

> Because most people don't have those same
> nepotistic contacts and most people don't
> win the lottery.

> I'm reminded of something I read on a
> screenwriting website. The site's owner was
> discussing some of the workshops other
> writers put on and ran this scenario...

> Someone in the audience asks, "So how
> did you get Steven Spielberg to become
> involved in your movie idea?"

> And the writer says something like, "I
> was on the backlot at Warner Bros and just
> bumped into him. We got to talking. One
> thing lead to another and I gave him a copy
> of the script I always carry around."

> The above sounds good, right? But as the
> site's owner says... HOW did this writer get
> onto the backlot in the first place??? It's
> a situation most other aspiring
> screenwriters cannot duplicate until after
> they're a success.

> I want to read the story of the guy who
> starts with $2,000 of his own money and no
> more. Not the guy who starts with $2,000 and
> then borrows $100,000 from friends and
> relatives.

> I want to read the story of the guy who
> comes up with an idea, goes out and forms a
> strategic alliance and then succeeds. Not
> the guy who uses already established
> nepotism, either formed from previous
> success or parents, to forge ahead.

> I want to hear stories like those of Ita
> Buttrose - starts as the coffee girl come
> gofer and works her way up the ladder one
> rung at a time to be the head. Not the one
> who is given the head job because of a
> friend of a friend or because the parents
> own the thing.

> Sure I like reading about the guy who bought
> a $50,000 business and turned it into a
> million dollar business within 12 months.
> But, where did the spare $50,000 come from
> in the first place?

> If the spare $50,000 came from real-state
> profits after a sale, then how did the
> initial purchase come about?

> Was it a "no money down" deal? Was
> the purchase price funded from retirement
> lumpsum payments from a previous job? Was it
> inherited? Can someone else do the same
> thing?

> That's what it really comes down to... can
> someone else do the same thing? Is it able
> to be duplicated if someone else sets their
> mind to it?

> All passed on knowledge is valuable. And I
> do enjoy reading about the exploits of
> successful people even if their success
> can't be duplicated by others (like Donald
> Trump who grew up in the construction
> business for example). But for mine, the
> true entrepreneurial underdog is what I
> enjoy reading about the most.

> HA! Migrant Success. :o)

> Michael Ross.

This is a KILLER idea that *automatically* puts you in a class by yourself, once you do it!

Theres no question this site will be very unique regardless -- however THAT would be almost "too much" (please catch me as I faint :-)

I'm also going to privately email you Dien about this idea.

I think this would be great!

Paul

> This is something I've had in the back of my
> mind for a while, but one of Sandy's posts
> stimulated this thought again.... What do
> you think of this?

> I'm thinking about trying to do some
> interviews of VERY successful people, asking
> them about some of the principles they've
> used for their success. The idea is for this
> to be WIN / WIN / WIN / WIN ! :)

> The people interviewed will benefit, as
> it will help to promote their products or
> companies or themselves, or it will help
> those big successes who just want to help
> others to also reach success....
> Visitors to SOWPUB will benefit, as they
> will get additional information on being a
> success from those who have really DONE
> IT.... Information which may not be
> available anywhere else.
> Ebook authors who have their works at
> SOWPUB will benefit, as this will hopefully
> generate extra traffic to their ebooks....
> Of course, I'll benefit too, as it will
> make SOWPUB an extra special web site....
> However, this is all dependent on it being
> something that YOU are interested in too.

> What I'm thinking about here are EXCLUSIVE
> interviews of these successful people, not
> interviews repeated on zillions of web sites
> like you sometimes see.... These will be
> unique.

> My idea is that some of the people who are
> interviewed will be people you may know
> about or have heard of, but others you won't
> have heard about. But they will all be big
> successes.... I don't want to limit the area
> these people are successes in, since I
> believe the principles of success can be
> similar even in very different areas....

> Now, when I try something, I like to reach
> for the top, so if I do this I'm going to
> try very hard to get people who are truly
> BIG successes if possible.... This doesn't
> generally mean so-called "gurus,"
> since many successful people DON'T make a
> living teaching you how to be successful.
> They are too busy spending their time doing
> it. Those are the kind of people I am hoping
> to find, who are also willing to take a
> little bit of their time to share some of
> the principles which they have used to
> succeed....

> I'm anticipating that I may get a lot of
> rejections for every person who agrees
> (because a lot of the VERY successful people
> are also very busy). So, the first thing I'd
> like to do is to get some feedback.... What
> do you think of this idea? Is this something
> which would interest you to read?

> Please let me know. :) Is there enough
> interest to make this idea worth doing?
> Please post or email me....

> Thank you,

> Dien

> This is a KILLER idea that *automatically*
> puts you in a class by yourself, once you do
> it!

Thanks Paul, that's the idea.... We don't want to be the "same old, same old".... But something fresh exciting and new.

Thanks for the feedback! :)

Dien

> A great idea! You can't go wrong with this.
Bruce Arnold

Great idea,
will give people reason to return to this website, repeatedly. We can always lern from successful people.

Sundeep Singh Shergill
www.ikonkar.com


Sikhism