Have you ever had a desire to assist other people in their Entrepreneurial ideas but never really knew how to do it? While surfing the net for Entrepreneurship communities, I stumbled across a site call Kiva.org. It is a social site that allows anyone to sign up and ask for or give loans of any size to specific individuals from all around the world.

The slogan for this website is “Kiva – Loans that change lives!”

Starting at the top left, you can click on “Lend” and are able to surf through thousands of people from around the globe who are looking for funding for their Entrepreneurial ideas. It tells you the amount they are attempting to raise and how much of it they have raised so far. Very cool! People are raising funds for call centers, cattle businesses, motorcycle transportation, retail, grocery stores and all kinds of things.

So if you have always wanted to contribute to the spirit of the Entrepreneur globally, this is a way to give. It doesn’t matter how much you give. Give what you want  and give to those who you specifically choose. That’s the beauty of it.

Check it out sometime! Kiva.org

It has been amazing to see the effect that our decision over four years ago to become entrepreneurs has had on our children. It has always been known that children are sponges! They soak up everything they hear, see and at times, touch. They are, with all of their individuality, a splitting image of who their parents are being. If Dad raises his voice at someone, they will in turn raise their voice at someone. If Mom and Dad fight, they will fight. On the flip side, if Mom and Dad are very loving and give lots of hugs, that will reflect in their children and if Mom and Dad are Entrepreneurs, guess what the kids want to be.

So yesterday, my daughter comes up to me just thrilled. She had been exploring in the back yard and had found some tadpoles floating around in a pool of water. So, being the kid she is, she scooped them all out and kept them as pets, until today. Today she has decided to sell her precious little swimmers for profit and has conned her sister into her scheme of making money! I love this!

Now, we don’t live on a very busy street at all, so my initial reaction was to tell her all that she did NOT have going for her and her little business. Before I spoke out my negativity, I caught myself. I was about to destroy my little girls enthusiasm about her idea. Shame on me and anyone else who does not encourage their children when they want to sell lemonade, cookies or tadpoles. This is the spirit of the entrepreneur and the back bone of the world. Encourage away and ASSIST in the process by giving suggestions. Never destroy! I think that if we as adults would sometimes act a little bit more like children, the world would be a very fun and prosperous place.

So far we are about 30 minutes into it and their profit margin is growing. They have sold a total of two tadpoles for a profit of $2, a bag of M&M’s and some chips from Grandma!

So if you would like to purchase yourself some tadpoles and are in Payson Arizona, swing by. The big ones are going fast!!

I think it is fair to say that in order to grow or progress in an accelerated rate, one must get into the habit of taking risks. Am I right? Without risk, how can there be victory? How can one experience a win? Think about it. The person who reaches the top of Mount Everest doesn’t do so by not taking risks. The child who is just learning to walk doesn’t learn without the possibility that he might fall and hurt himself. Starting a business involves taking an initial risk right up front and then taking consistent risks on a regular basis. Every decision made has a level of risk to it. The degree of the reward most likely depends on the degree of the risk. The greater the risk the greater the reward.

Have you ever looked at someone who was extremely successful in business and thought that everything must have been as smooth as can be for that person? If you’re in a home based business, have you ever looked at the top income earners and thought, “Man, they just had the money sitting around to get started and everything was so easy for them?” Be honest! I know most of you have. I can tell you this much, you are absolutely wrong. Ninety percent of the time, it was a rough, risky, faith teetering journey for them. I know it was for me!

If you look at starting a business, whether traditional or home based, there are start up costs. Every legitimate business will have costs. Don’t ever expect to get started in your own business without forking out some money. Most people do not, I repeat, do not have the capital to get started. That’s why most people aren’t successful entrepreneurs. There’s risk involved right!? People run at the sound of risk. Well, most people do, but not the successful ones. They step up to the challenge and use what resources they have available to them to get to where they want to be.

A resource is anything of value that can be used or sold, available source of wealth, a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed.

Most people actually think that they don’t have these so called “resources!” You do! When we got started, we required a good amount of revenue. We were short in income every month as it was, how would David Allred come up with the money? I used my resources. What were my resources? I had stuff! I sold my jeep and made it happen. Did I love my jeep, YES! But what was I more passionate about? My jeep or my goals of financial freedom? My goals of course, so away with the jeep. Later on down the road we decided to take our business to the next level and required more funding. We looked to our resources again and saw that we had credit! What were we more passionate about? Zero debt or our goals of financial freedom? Financial Freedom!

Now, a few days ago I wrote a blog post on what it takes to be a Big Thinker. A Big Thinker has a different outlook than most people when it comes to making things happen. It’s just the way we think. Big Thinkers, leaders and successful entrepreneurs see 401K’s, credit cards, jeeps, cars, homes, savings accounts and banks as part of their own personal resource center. These are all things that we can use to propel our success. Sure, there is risk in using our resources, but what are you going to do, look at them and think to yourself, “Wow, those are some nice resources!” Do you want to set your 401K up on your mantle, all nice and pretty so that one day, one glorious day you can use it in your retirement. I’ve got a much better retirement plan than what a 401k can provide and you should too.

Everyone else views all of these things as their so called “Safety Nets!” These are things to fall back on in case things get worse. So what do they do? They hang on to them, save them, store them, don’t even think of them as being a tool that will move them closer to their dreams. So these resources just sit there, un-resourceful and useless.

So what are these things to you? Are they safety nets or resources?

In my eyes, one day lived passionately following my dreams is better than a thousand days lived wishing I would have! Use the many resources you have to make that happen!

What is a phrase or term that can be used in both praising someone and insulting someone depending on the circumstance? When spoken, most people really don’t understand what it means. They think they do, but really don’t. Sometimes it is a term used in conjunction with and has virtually the same meaning as “Think outside the box.” It is something that defines those who succeed and used to educate those who have not yet succeeded. It is a concept, that if truly understood, could propel anyone to new levels in business and life. It is something that some people are just born with and others can work to become. It is a title, a status.

No literally! It’s a title, the title of this post, “Big Thinker.” Not only is it a title for this post, but is also a title for the leaders in every industry in the world. In order to truly experience the level of success you dream about and have envisioned for yourself, you MUST become a BIG Thinker. I capitalize it for what it represents.

Are you a Big Thinker?

Let’s put it in black and white, simple to understand terms for everyone else out there like me, simple minded. It’s two words. Big + Thinker. So, in order to be a thinker, you must use your brain and produce what every person in this world is capable of producing, a thought! Not just any thought though. It’s easy to have a thought pop into your head. Every time you look at something a thought enters your head. A true thinker produces his or her own thoughts. They don’t require an outside source to spark and idea. They just come up with random, creative thoughts and they entertain those thoughts. After a while of entertaining those thoughts, BAM, they get an idea. An idea is something that can be put into action.

The definition of “Big” is: Of considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude, or extent. So a Big Thinker is thinking at a considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude or extent. In other words, normal thinking is me, Big Thinking is Andre the giant. Normal thinking is having enough money to make your bills. Big Thinking is Financial Freedom.

So here are three ways that you can determine whether or not you are a big thinker:

1. When you see someone do something amazing, do you think that person is just amazing, or do you think to yourself, “If they can do it, I can!”
2. Do you constantly rely on others to bail you out, help you out, give you ideas or do things for you…..or do you have others calling you for those same reasons?
3. Do you find yourself overly excited about things that haven’t even happened yet or can you even see past the here and now, dwelling on and constantly think about your current situation.
4. Do you view the cup as half empty or half full?
5. Do you call your mentors to bounce around ideas you have or do you call expecting them to give it all to you, when in reality, all you get is a bunch of dead air?

So what are you? Once you have arrived at the status of being a Big Thinker, it rolls into every aspect of your business, and your life. It is a constant thing. It is a change in the way you think. You can’t just turn it off when you want, it’s you. It’s the way you operate. I believe it was Oliver Wendell Holmes that said, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to it’s original size.” Once a Big Thinker, always a Big Thinker!

Yes, if you are currently in a home based business, you are a business owner. You own and operate your own successful or unsuccessful business right out of your home office. For some, that home office can be where ever their feet take them, just as long as they have their phone. For others, it’s right at home in their office.

So what do business owners do? Well, they do business, and doing business means that they make money! Now, in a home business, it is just as easy to make money as it is to “not” make money. It takes the same amount of effort to succeed as it does to fail. The difference between success and failure is smaller than you think. Very small actions taken during the day, every single day, will move you closer to or farther from success.

Here are ten mistakes home business owners make that will obviously move them closer to failure:

1. They give themselves a back door, a quit date, an ultimatum or an excuse.
2. They treat it like a hobby instead of a business. When I think of a successful business owner, I think of someone who is his business. He is always thinking and looking for ways to increase his business. When I think of someone with a hobby, they tend to get to it when they have a little extra time. I can tell you this much, unless your home business is a priority, it will fail and produce “hobby” income.
3. They play small. They place a little tiny ad, they market a little bit, they call a few people, they don’t think big enough. Their decisions are most likely being driven by fear, instead of ambition.
4. Half invest themselves. In most network marketing opportunities, there are income levels. If you are not playing at the highest level you can, you are playing small. You can’t catch the BIG fish by fishing in the two foot wide aquarium.
5. Don’t use the products. This is huge! I know in my business, I suggest to everyone I choose to mentor, to purchase the products. Purchase whatever products you would like to be paid for. Know your product! A Nike shoe salesman better have owned and used a pair of the shoes he is selling. Otherwise, he is going to look a little foolish when someone asks about the product.
6. Inconsistency. It takes more than a few drops in a storm to soak a driveway. Instead of working their business, doing income producing activities every single day, they choose to skip it here or there. Skip your business, skip your goals!
7. Play the blame game. It’s their mentors fault, the companies fault, the compensation plans fault or their teams fault that they haven’t had the success they came here for. Personal responsibility is a myth.
8. Don’t follow the system. This is called “re-inventing the wheel.” In other words, thinking that their way is better. The system is in place because it works. Why re-invent something that isn’t broken.
9. They are dishonest. You have all heard of the term, “fake it til you make it.” In my eyes, that’s a lie. Standing in front of that Mercedes and that huge home, all of which belongs to someone else, is dishonest. If it’s not yours, don’t claim that it is.
10. Failure to mastermind. There is no other industry in the world that operates like Network Marketing. You don’t see McDonalds willing to share their marketing techniques with Burger King. Home business owners, yes that’s you, are willing to share with others the things they are doing to create success. Believe it or not, this part of the system.

Do you see? It takes just as much effort to not do things as it does to do things. Yes, you may miss a few of your favorite TV shows on your trip to success, but what would you rather have….an evening with House or an American Idol or a successful home business? One provides you with time freedom, financial freedom and a lifestyle of your design. The other is just a pastime.

Don’t fall short of the goal by making these simple, yet devastating mistakes. You are a business owner. Act like one!

I would like you to fill in the blank as you say this sentence to yourself: I am _________ by the people in this world. Just fill in the blank with the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t try to think it through, just do it as it comes in flow. The first thought that enters your mind is the one that fills the blank.

What did you put in there? Are you disgusted by people? Are you amazed, set back, motivated, threatened, deranged? Depending on your answer, this is a great way to determine whether you are being at cause or being the cause.

Now, let’s rephrase that sentence a bit: I am _________ by those I associate with everyday. I am _________ by my family members.

What did you put in those blanks? Whether good or not, listen to the words your mind places there. Sure the word may change from time to time depending on how you allow your circumstances to effect your mindset, but ultimately, you choose the word to fill in the blank.

I once heard a phrase that went something like: If you would like to see more kindness in the world, become kind. If you would like to see more success in the world, become wildly successful. Become exactly that which you would like to see in the world. Only then will the world, in your mind, become what you would like it to become!

For me, I am “inspired” by the people in this world. I am “inspired” and “motivated” by those I associate with everyday. I am “empowered” by my family members!

Have you ever heard of TOMS Shoes? Here is an example of someone that inspires me in this world. This guy decided that he was going to start a company that made shoes and for every pair of shoes that someone buys, a pair is also given to a child in need somewhere around the world. TOMS Shoes is an example of someone deciding to be “At Cause” instead of “the cause.” He is making a difference in the world with his idea.

Do you think that it was easy for Blake Mycoskie to start this company? Do you think everyone thought it was a great idea, to start a company that gave away shoes? If you have read any of my articles or blog posts, you will know the answer. He was laughed at! People thought he was crazy and foolish. There were nay-sayers. There were people who didn’t want him to succeed because they wanted him to stay just like them, “the cause.”

Blake is part of the 3% of people that achieve their dreams. My hats off to him and the thousands of others like him who passionately follow their goals regardless of fear or opposition. I am INSPIRED by the people that surround me! You should choose to be as well! Here is a link to their site.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/

Be part of the ones that make a difference. It’s very difficult to make a significant difference in the lives of those around while sitting in your cubicle at work all day. Become an Entrepreneur. Start a business that inspires you! I have…..and I teach others, who inspire me, how to do it as well!

Enjoy the video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt3BQQ6dQaQ[/youtube]