Work Smart and Make Lots of Money!

Internet Connection Sharing Now Working on Blackjack II

2007-12-14T01:50:35-08:00

I have upgraded my Samsung BlackJack for a BlackJack II. So far so good:

I can now use MS Voice Command to lookup a phone number without waiting 10 seconds for it to search my contacts (I have about 2,000 contacts in my phone because I sync my sales contact database to the phone).
The bluetooth stack has been improved. Now I can redirect podcasts and streaming radio via bluetooth to my Jawbone headset using a free application called BlueTooth Audio, or you can install my favorite media player, PocketPlayer (not free) which has built in support for redirecting to a BlueTooth headset.
The connector for the cable is different that the BJ connector which means that I have to replace all of my cables, chargers and my wired headset. Very frustrating!
I was upset that AT&T disabled Internet Connection Sharing, but a hack is now out that will enable Internet Connection Sharing. Now I can now connect my Laptop to the internet via USB or Bluetooth via my BJ2 at 300 - 500kbps. The instructions and files can be found on this post at Howard Forums, but I have cleaned up the instructions for you here (note that I am running WM 6, I have not tried this yet on WM 6.1):

Download the SurrealNetworksAppUnlock.cab file. (UPDATE: The link to the original appunlock.cab file was broken, so I have updated the link with a new file. I haven't tested this new file, so let me know if it works.)
Download the secpolicies.cab file.
Download the BJ.WM6.ICS.Enable.cab file (WARNING: If you download this file using IE, it may incorrectly name the extension .isc be sure to rename it to .cab before saving it.)
Transfer all of these cab files to your BlackJack's \My Documents folder.
Install the SurrealNetworksAppUnlock.cab file and reboot.
Install the secpolicies.cab and reboot.
Install the BJ.WM6.ICS.Enable.cab and reboot.
Navigate to \My Documents and click on Certs.cab to install and then reboot.
You should now be able to run ICS from the Internet Sharing Icon in your Start Menu. (Make sure your Network Connection in Internet Sharing is set to MEdia Net.)

Thirteen Ways to Frustrate Your Employees

2007-01-26T01:36:13-08:00

How good are you at frustrating your employees? Check out "Thirteen Ways to Frustrate Your Employees" by Michel Hyatt.

21 Suggestions for Success

2006-07-10T01:13:01-07:00

Believe it or not, I saw this years ago on a poster on the bathroom wall in Party Time Doughnuts, a breakfast joint in Sacramento. I was having breakfast with my parents (we were eating in the restaurant, not in the bathroom :-). I borrowed a pen to write it down (paper wasn’t a problem). It’s always stayed with me. It’s amazing where you gain inspiration.

21 Suggestions for Success

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Be generous
Have a grateful heart.
Persistence, Persistence, Persistence.
Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Commit yourself to quality.
Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
Be loyal.
Be honest.
Be a self-starter.
Be decisive, even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
Take good care of those you love.
Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

Taking Notes

2006-07-08T15:29:27-07:00

I can't emphasize enough the importance of taking notes. Take notes whether you are with clients, friends, coworkers, your boss or you are on the phone. Take notes if you are in a one-on-one meeting or you are just walking down the hall and someone suggests and idea or you agree to a task.

Taking notes increases your retention and shows others that you believe what they are saying is important. It also gives you a method for capturing ideas and tasks that you can review later and add to your task list, project plan or list of great ideas.

One thing that is incredibly unproductive (and really gets under my skin) is when people forget ideas or follow up tasks after a meeting or conversation. You need to be accountable for tracking and managing everything that comes your way. Regardless of whether you are in a meeting, walking down the hall or on the phone you should:

Immediately write things down. Its best if you can jot it down during the conversation. If you can't, then write it immediately afterward so you will not forget.
Review your notes as quickly as possible. Follow up and enter any tasks in your to do list or appointments in your calendar.

Read Michael Hyatt's post on Recovering the Lost Art of Note-Taking for reasons why you should take notes and how to do it better.

To ensure that you never forget an idea or task, try carrying a Plain Pocket Moleskine Notebook with you wherever you go, and check out these links on how you can use your Moleskines more effectively:

How the Moleskine Rocked My World by Omar Shahine is great read on how he uses Moleskines and Microsoft OneNote to get things out of his mind and into his productivity system.
21st Century PDA: Moleskine. This blog has links to some great ways to use your Moleskine to keep organized and to never forget an idea or task.

Want to leave a good impression with your clients and colleagues? Leave the Office Depot notepad and spiral binders at home and bring a leather bound portfolio or a large Moleskine notebook to your meetings. Also, toss your Bic pen and use a nice pen such as a MontBlanc or Waterman. (My dad, a woodworker, carved a very nice pen and pencil set for me. I filled the pen with Pilot G2 .7mm Gel ink which glides over the pages of my Moleskine. It looks great and it feels great using it.)

Effective Communication Using Email

2006-06-19T03:59:00-07:00

Due the huge volume of email we get each day at my company, I have compiled some ways in which we could use email more effectively. These recommendations may help to reduce unnecessary email and help you review and respond to emails in a timely manner.

Unsubscribe from unwanted mailing lists and distribution groups.
Review your email only 3 times a day. Email is a distraction and a huge time waster. Don’t spend all day on email! Email should be used only at scheduled times (unless there is an emergency or you are working in real-time with others -- such as when doing QA). Do not interrupt your work time and fall into the trap of responding to email immediately as it comes in.Turn off all email notifications. (pop-ups, sounds, etc.)

Turn Off all IM & chat software and IM notifications (pop-ups, sounds, etc.)
Minimize Outlook
Don't look except at scheduled times, such as 3 times each day (Morning, before lunch and afternoon (say at 9 AM, 12 AM and 4 PM).
Let people know that if they need to get a hold of you urgently, call.

Don't review email when you are communicating with other people (on the phone, when others are in your office, etc).

Learn to write effective email messages.

Use effective Subject Lines.

Never use a blank subject line. Always use very specific and descriptive subject lines so that the purpose of the email may be understood without having to read the content of the message.
Create abbreviations in your Subject line to use in intra office emails to signify what the email is about or if it requires an action (e.g., AR = Action Required, ANO = Announcement, MSR = Monthly Status Report, DNR = Do Not Respond, EOM = End of Message - The message is the subject, there is nothing in the body of the email). When using abbreviations please put them in UPPERCASE. If you have a short request just use the Subject and leave the Body of the email blank. If you do this, just end your subject line with "EOM" this will let us know that we do not need to read further.
Updating subject lines so that they are relevant (e.g., PLEASE REVIEW:, FEEDBACK NEEDED: or ACTION NEEDED:, etc. are helpful).

Keep your emails short. Write at most 3 to 4 paragraphs in an email with each paragraph containing 2 to 3 sentences MAX. People will not read more! If you need to say more use voice mail, or face to face.
Use the TO: line effectively. In general, the TO: line should include only the individuals to which you are directing your email. TO: recipients are people that you want to review your email fully and respond if required.
Use the CC: line effectively. In the CC: line include individuals that may be interested in your email or may like a copy of your email for reference. Assume that CC'ed recipient will often not review your email as thoroughly as TO: recipients and most often will not respond.
Don't respond to everyone who has been cc'ed in an email with unnecessary comments (such as "Thanks" or "OK"). Just respond to the particular person you are answering and then only respond with relevant comments (such as "Done" or "Will have it on Wednesday at 11 AM", etc.)
Attachments don't get read. If you must send one, tell the reader to look at page 2 and page 9, those are the key parts, for example or highlight the most important points in attachment.

Use the GTD method to mange and organize your email and your email folders, and to be sure your inbox is empty. (I spent a lot of time creating and changing my email hierarchy until I found a really effective folder and naming structure.) Keep a very flat directory structure to store your reference emails. Use these fantastic programs:

The GTD Outlook Add In
ClearContext
The MSN Desktop Search
Outlook Junk E-mail Filter (Set to High)

Priority of Communication (From best to worst.) If you can, always try to communicate to others in the following order. Email is the last (least rich) method of communication.

Face to Face
Phone
Voice Mail
Email

For more tips on how to use email effectively, listen to the Got-Email? podcast from Manager Tools.

Work Smart and Make Lots of Money!

2006-06-19T02:41:00-07:00

My parents instilled a strong work ethic in our family. To this day, every time my mom hears that I am heading off to work she says, “Work hard and make lots of money.” Whether it was to leave the house for my first lawn mowing job or to fly to New York to negotiate a new contract for my company, she would repeat the phrase, “Work hard and make lots of money.”

Over the years I always worked hard, but I rarely made the windfall she predicted. And it wasn't until very recently I learned that there was a simple flaw in her philosophy. Her intentions were good, but her execution was off on one fundamental point... Working hard is not the way to make lots of money. Sure it seems correct, but working smart, not just working hard, is the key success.

Believe me, I have been running small business and working hard for over 20 years (and I mean really hard, as in 18 - 24 hour work days and over 100 hour work weeks), and no matter how many hours I worked, there was always more to do. It wasn't until recently that I learned that working effectively is more important than working hard.

I now believe that as an entrepreneur, if you truly want to achieve success you need to implement steps to make you, your employees and your company more effective. By working smart you can increase sales, productivity and quality. And over the last few years, I have learned some fantastic lessons, and implemented some great tools, that have helped me and my company work smarter and more effectively, and have allowed us to make more money.

This weblog is my way to document the things I have learned and the steps I have taken to "Work smart and make lots of money." If you are an entrepreneur, or just someone who would like to learn how to work smarter, I hope you find this site helpful.