THE ART OF WAR

Two Grown Folks- One Income- In the City Tip:

Identify and pursue enjoyable opportunities with low costs of entry, minimal time committments and minimal risk of loss.

Do not allow the limitations of others to limit you. You CAN!

Where ever you go, there you are. Right next to you is an opportunity. The decision to reach for the moon and risk falling amongst the stars is personal. There are many risks, someone might come along and shake the ladder, fierce winds might blow, it may storm, you climb so high and the higher you go the harder you realize the fall will be if you lose balance. Those are the times drive kicks in, those are the times you reassess if want you want is worth the challenge. Is this your passion?

My mother always told us that we could do whatever we wanted to do and be what we wanted to be, where ever we were. I took that to heart. I took that to mean I can succeed anywhere I am and in any situation. Hard does not mean impossible. It means the field won’t be crowded. I’m not adverse to struggle, if the goal is worth it. I enjoy and grow during the challenge. It is during the challenge that I develop the skills and lessons to do well in my position.

I have the opportunity and ability to live the life of my dreams and if I don’t live those dreams it’s on me, and not to be blamed on what is going on around me. The limitations of others are not my limitations. It just means I need a better strategy. The timing of others is not my timing. This is my journey, I must live it to my satisfaction.

Mr. A’s friend had 2 clothing stores in a location that got great foot traffic. One of the stores was for women, the other was for men. The stores were next door to each other. The men’s store did horrible business, while the women’s store did great business. The buyer for the mens store was purchasing clothes that didn’t suit the demographic of the foot traffic. The men’s store also kept hours that missed the heaviest business times. It would have been easy for the owner to say the location as the problem but he didn’t. He realized that his strategy was out of wack and that his efforts needed improvement.

It is wise to have a marketing strategy and determine if similiar establishments have failed in similiar or the same locations, but you can’t end there. Sometimes the business practices previously used might be the problem, you have to research to find out. The failure of those in the past does not speak failure for me. It may be an indication of difficulty but not impossibility.

I see opportunity all the time. Every opportunity isn’t something I want to pursue but I can see it. I went to the Garment District and saw an opportunity. Everytime I pass the jewelry district I see opportunity. The opportunity to resell on Ebay, the cost of entry is low, the time commitment is minimal, the risk of loss is also minimal. At the worst I’d have clothes to give away and a tax deductible business loss.

I’ve pondered doing that, and haven’t totally given up the idea. I could do the shopping, post the pics but the packaging and mailing is where I’d break down. I have a NWT (new with tags) Tahari Suit I might list and see what happens. Finding an opportunity in something you enjoy is key, if you don’t enjoy it or find fulfillment in the task, it is just a job. The greater the passion, the greater the drive to reach your goal. We can find fulfillment in our professions and careers.

Mr. A and I went to an RFP meeting last week. We realized the project wasn’t suited to our business. We try not to waste moments so we left the meeting with a couple of new opportunities. We went there to get something and we got something.