Reinvention: Your Only Job in a Different Economy



Whether the market has outgrown your product, or you have outgrown your position, deciding to reinvent your companies, your life, or yourself can mean the difference between success and failure.  Sometimes that decision is forced by the hand of the economy, other times it is offered by the hand of opportunity, and it can also come out of the ashes of great loss and tragedy.  Regardless of the circumstances that bring you to that crossroads, reinvention is the choice that opens new doors, offers the promise of potential, and optimizes your chances for success.

Learning happens best when we learn by example.  You can often find something in another’s experience that provides the spark of inspiration you need to light our own fire.  Here are some great examples of people and companies who chose to reinvent themselves by opening the door to potential and who found success on the other side.

Tippi Toes Franchise – Broken Arrow/Owasso, OK

Karri Jones is many things, but the most important things are being a wife, being a mother, and being present and available for her family.  After building a successful career in the financial services industry, she found herself at a crossroads after the birth of her daughter.  Faced with the choice so many families must make, should she sacrifice time with her child so she could continue to bring money into the household or find a way to survive without her income so she could stay home to raise her child, she decided the only option was to find a way to do both.

In mid-2010, Karri and her husband became the owners of the Broken Arrow/Owasso Tippi Toes children’s dance company franchise.  With no background in dance or experience running a small business, Karri’s decision to reinvent herself through her work was a true leap of faith inspired by her desire to make a difference in the lives of children, including her own.  She choose this particular franchise because the values of the company aligned with her own which opened the door for her to have her daughter with her, bring money into the household, and find fulfillment in her work as she watched self-esteem and creativity blossom in each of her dancers.  With the support of the franchise, her fellow franchisees, and her husband, Karri conquered a challenging learning curve and finished the first year a solid success.  In her own words, Karri explained what reinvention has meant to her.

“I never could have imagined being here, but I’m so glad we took the leap.   Nothing but great things ahead!  My daughter has her mom and my husband has a wife who is fulfilled in her work and therefore a much better partner.  Change is scary but the rewards are priceless.”


Lijit Networks – Boulder, CO

When it was founded in 2006, Lijit Networks offered free search tools that websites could use to provide search capabilities within their own site.   They built a strong customer base accumulating user base of more 12,000 online publishers and bloggers in the first three years.  Sounds like a smashing success, right?  It was, just not at making money. In 2009, after several failed attempts at using display advertising to generate revenue, CEO Todd Vernon was faced with a tough decision, find a way to reinvent Lijit into a profitable business, or watch his company die.

Vernon started by completing changing the direction of the company.  By letting go the original vision which could not be monetized, he was able to reposition Lijit as a value-added partner in the mid-size online publishing market who delivers products that facilitate channel ad delivery and offer insight into audience analytics.  The result?  The company increased revenue from $60k in 2009 to $2.8m in 2010.  On track to top $10m in revenue by 2012, Lijit serves an average of 100 million ad transactions per day and boasts a publisher network of more than 40 million sites.

 

Crucial Vacuum – Spanish Harlem, NY

Chad Rubin had always been looking for a way to get out of finance and when the economy tried to make him a victim and he was laid-off from his job as an equity research associate on Wall Street, he saw opportunity rather than loss.  Chad saw a niche opportunity in the online retail sector and using his previous skills and experience, reinvented his career, building ecommerce business, www.CrucialVacuum.com, from the ground up. 

Rather than becoming the middle-man and acting as a value added reseller of other companies vacuum cleaner components, Crucial Vacuum got rid of the middle-man.  They manufacture and sell their own brand of high quality filters, bags, and belts made to fit the top models of most major vacuum cleaner brands.  The company sells direct to the consumer, focuses on customer service and satisfaction, and has grown to a five-person operation.  When asked about the results of reinventing his career, this was Chad’s response.

“Phenomenal growth on the top-line and bottom-line, along with a much better positive spirit.”

 

 

Jim Mathis, CSP is The Reinvention Strategist™ , an international Certified Speaking Professional and author of the soon to be released book, Reinvention Made Easy- Change Your Strategy, Change Your Results. To subscribe to his free personal and professional development newsletter, please send an email to: subscribe@jimmathis.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject. An electronic copy will be sent out to you every month. For more information on how Jim and his programs can benefit your organization or group, please call 888-688-0220, or visit his web site: www.jimmathis.com.

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This Guy Quit His Consulting Job To Haul People's Junk, And Is Now Making Millions


Nick Friedman

Nick Friedman has made millions on what he says has been done since the Stone Age: hauling junk.

When he was 22 years old, Friedman and his schoolmate, Omar Soliman, became the youngest franchisors in the U.S. by starting College Hunks Hauling Junk. In six years, the national hauling and moving company has expanded to 35 franchises and more than 200 people. 

"We took a very simple concept that’s already been done, put a very catchy angle on it and a big emphasis on customer experience," Friedman, now 30, told us. "It had a bit of sizzle with the name and the colors."

After graduating from Pomona College, Friedman started working at a Washington, D.C. consulting firm that he had built up his resume for, all the while feeling "very disillusioned with life after college." He always thought about his job the summer before, when he and Soliman "were literally hauling junk in a cargo van making money."

Friedman then decided to abandon his cubicle and invest all his time in College Hunks Hauling Junk. He's since been named one of the top 30 under 30 by Inc Magazine alongside Mark Zuckerberg, and has been featured on shows like Shark Tank and Oprah. System-wide revenue is expected to reach $10 million this year.

"There’s always going to be a need, or a pain, that can be improved upon," says Friedman. "Anything that solves somebody’s headaches or frustrations is a solution, and solutions are businesses."

Recruit for talent, but hire for attitude

Friedman told us that when they first started their business, they would hire the first person that filled an application. Now, they hire based on skills, but they also look for the "intangibles," like honesty, integrity, and personality.

His favorite interview question to ask: "On a scale from 1 to 10, how lucky are you?”

Why? "People that consider themselves lucky tend to create good things for themselves, and if you're unlucky, we don't want you in our company."

Don't be afraid because others are afraid for you

"Four out of five businesses fail in the first five years, and your friends and family are going to tell you not to start a business because they would rather you follow a safe and secure route," says Friedman.

"You have a vision and you pursue it no matter what."

Think big from the start

Friedman in inspired by Subway's co-founder, Fred DeLuca, who from the start used to print napkins in his restaurant that read: “soon to have 5,000 restaurants." 

Now there, are more than 25,000 Subways in the US.

"He could visit a different Subway every day for the rest of his life and never see them all," Friedman says.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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The 22 Worst Sports Movies That Have Ever Been Produced


Caddyshack II

Sports movies have been a genre of film for almost as long as there has been film.

Ever since the concept of a sports film was thought up, about thirty of them have actually been good.

The rest of them are either mediocre or way worse than that.

To further illustrate just how bad these movies are, we've included the aggregate critics score as determined by "Rotten Tomatoes."

Matilda's plot centers around a kangaroo that has some boxing ability

Year Released: 1978

"Rotten Tomatoes" Score: 40% (Audience)

No, it's not that Matilda. This movie is about a kangaroo that learned how to effectively box and it has nothing to do with a Rolad Dahl book. The movie's theatrical debut was not in the United States despite the fact it was filmed there. It debuted in Finland before it went anywhere else. 

 

The Bad News Bears Go To Japan is about exactly that

Year Released: 1978

"Rotten Tomatoes" Score: 0% (10 critic reviews)

The Bad News Bears Go To Japan was the third movie in the "Bad News" series and it was also the most bad overall.

The first two films about the Bears were dependent on the fact that the Bears were a surly and foul mouthed group of people. No Little League in their right mind would want them representing their brand.

So why on Earth did this team to go to Japan as de facto ambassadors?

 

The Main Event was a true "Glove" Story that finally married boxing and Barbara Streisand

 Year Released: 1979

"Rotten Tomatoes" Score: 38%

Barbara Streisand's character in this tour de force is a perfume mogul named Hillary Kramer that has most of her assets stolen by her former accountant. One of the remaining things that the accountant left behind was a boxer named Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon (played by Ryan O'Neal). 

In an effort to get her money back, she invests her time and energy into making a Scanlon a champion. One of the biggest problems Scanlon has is a fear of getting hit. How awesome of a plot twist is that?!

 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Peace in the Midst of the Storm

On May 22, 2011, the Gilbert family?s lives changed forever.

As residents of Joplin, Missouri, Eric and Amy and their two daughters lived through the string of tornados that ripped through the town. Their house was demolished, but that hasn?t dampened their spirit of hope.

Shortly afterward, the family was in Nashville and stopped by Dave?s office to personally tell him how the Financial Peace principles are changing their lives. They have bounced back from this horrible experience incredibly fast and are able to help their neighbors rebuild their lives and provide them life-changing tools.

Here are some things they wanted to share with fellow Financial Peace fans:

You prepared as much as you could for the unfortunate situation of a devastating tornado. How has doing so allowed you to help others during this difficult time?

When people would ask us what we needed, honestly, we were good. Because our family was okay and knowing that we had an emergency fund in place, our needs were not as severe as others. We used what we could and contacted other families that might be able to use what we couldn?t and passed it on. We have an amazing support system of family and friends and that has afforded us the ability to have them help others who might need more assistance.

We can?t emphasize enough to people we know or meet that three years ago, our lives changed. And on May 22, 2011, our lives changed forever again, but we were prepared and being prepared made this situation a lot easier.

What started you on this road to Financial Peace three years ago?

We were introduced to Dave Ramsey from some great friends who were taking Financial Peace University at their church. She loaned me The Total Money Makeover, I read the book and got excited. My husband was going on a business trip shortly thereafter, and I stuck the book in his carry-on, then texted him that he needed to read it on his flight. He isn?t a big book reader, but he said he couldn?t put it down. When he got back home, we immediately started our emergency fund and envelopes, and the rest is history!

What were some of the practical steps you?ve taken over the past three years that have eased your money concerns now?

First, creating a budget and sticking to it. Then having an emergency fund and asking ourselves if we could afford to replace it?and that led to getting plenty of insurance for our house, personal belongings and cars. Learning to live within our means and not spending every dollar we make. Learning that it was okay to save for something you wanted and not have the mentality that, ?Oh, I get paid next week. I?ll just put it on a credit card now and pay for it later,? because in reality, we were not disciplined enough to do that by the time that next week rolled around. Something else always came up that needed to be taken care of.

What have your daughters thought about the Baby Step lifestyle?

At first, they weren?t very keen on the subject. With such an age difference (daughters are 19 and 8), we had to break it down for them in their own ways. Their needs were different, but they both grasped the idea quickly. However, Lexi being so young, wasn?t a fan of Dave in the beginning. She got tired of listening to Dave every afternoon on the ride home from school and when she wanted something, always hearing, ?It is not in the budget!? Get tools for teaching your kids about money.

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned so far?

Our faith and family are strong. We know firsthand the importance of being prepared. All of our sacrifices have paid off. It is so important to have an emergency fund in place and to be responsible not only for ourselves but for our girls. If something like this were to ever happen again, we will pick ourselves up with our faith and what we have learned from the past. We were a tight-knit family before, but this has brought us even closer and more in tune with what is important.

We were fortunate to have survived this F5 tornado, and we want to spread the word about Dave and his teachings, how it changed our lives and made us able to rebound so quickly after such a horrific experience. We believe there is hope?hope that something good is to come out of this tragic situation. We thank God every day for this opportunity! We are good, our community will rebuild, and we will all be better than we were before!

Take it from the Gilbert family?it?s worth all the sacrifices to have peace in the midst of the storm.

This can be you! Check out Dave's Seven Baby Steps to get started on your journey to freedom now!

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/peace-in-the-midst-of-the-storm/lifeandmoney_other

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