How to Build Billionaire Habits

By Nick Papple

Picture yourself having coffee with a billionaire. Just imagine what you'd learn. One of my friends recently had this opportunity. In fact, he had the chance to have dinner with several billionaires at the same time. One thing he noticed was every one acted the same: They gave their complete and undivided attention.

It didn’t matter who was in the room. If someone was talking, they were listening. They weren’t distracted, checking email or text messages on their cell phones.
Ten years ago, this kind of behavior might have gone unnoticed. Paying attention was good manners. Something our parents, teachers and even strangers taught us, “pay attention.”

Today, you'll discover a simple four-step formula for overcoming a short attention span. It even works for teenagers.

Next time they say you are too expensive...

In this issue, I will be sharing 3 ways to overcome fee sensitive clients!
If you are sick of talking to fee sensitive prospective clients, you are making 1 or more of 3 common mistakes, which I am going to share with you right now — along with the solution.
Let’s get started!

 

A quick look at value
I want to start by looking at the way your prospective clients think about value:
• It’s always too expensive, when the price or fee is considerably greater than the value.
• It’s always great value, when the price or fee is considerably lower than the value.

To get that price / value balance right, we have 2 options:
1. We can pump more value into the product or service.
2. We can lower the price.

7 WAYS TO BE SEEN AS A LEADER IN THE NEXT 30 SECONDS

Nicole Brown, edited by Solomon Ojeagbase

NEXT: Think Outside The Cubicle: Photos Of Jobs Anywhere And Everywhere Around The World

Connecting with others, making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure the impact lasts are at the heart of leadership.

But the problem is that leaders tend not to have a lot of free time on their hands. So how can you engage in meaningful and memorable leadership with zero hours in the day to spare?

That’s where the 30-second challenge comes in. According to The Muse, it turns out there’s a lot you can do with a tiny sliver of time.

7 Management Traits That Will Make All Your Employees Stay

A few days ago, I published an article titled, "7 Management Traits That Will Make All Your Employees Quit." Now it is time to look at the other side of the coin. The previous column sparked a tremendous conversation surrounding leadership. Several commentators made the point that they don't think bad leaders are capable of change. I'm not so sure about that. I think people can evolve professionally and as a leader, just like they do elsewhere in life. Consider this quote from, Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers, "leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." I believe that with some effort put forth everyone can improve their leadership skills. That said, here are some managerial traits that good leaders exhibit that I think will encourage employees to stick around for the long haul. 

Be Supportive

A good manager gives his/her employees the tools they need to be successful. A bad manager assigns tasks with little or no direction, and then becomes upset when the employee doesn't meet the expectation. Remember the Seinfeld episode where George doesn't hear his boss' instructions, but he is too afraid of what his boss might do if he asks for clarification? He spends the whole week pretending to know what to do. Two words come to mind here, lost productivity. Be approachable so your employees feel they can ask questions.

How to Become a Millionaire

By Jeff Schneider

You’ve wondered what the person sitting at the desk next to you is making. How they afforded that all-inclusive trip to the Bahamas and still afforded a new car. 

But did that person sitting next to you just inherit some money? Are they bleeding through an old trust account? Or maybe just burning through savings? Or worse, one of those horror stories you hear about racking up $60,000 of debt on credit cards. 

Perhaps your boss is giving them all those raises you’ve been missing out on the past few years. 

You can’t ask… 

Money is a taboo subject. 

It’s personal and you’d be better off ignoring those neighbors. 

Instead, we are influenced by these neighbors and it has left many people broke just a few years before retirement. 

A recent study of Americans between the ages of 50-64, showed that about 51% didn’t even have a retirement account. And those that did have an account, the average balance in all of their retirement accounts was $46,032. 

AAYMCA Statement: Farewell son of Africa

The Africa Alliance of YMCAs today are united in grief as we mourn the loss of a

true African visionary, former South African President, Rolihlahla

“Nelson” Mandela. As a young boxer, Mandela would frequently train at his local

Soweto YMCA. During this time the centre was frequently used for

ANC political meetings, serving as a safe place for discussions which would

ultimately shape Mandela’s young mind, and South Africa’s future.

Decades later, his influence is still felt within those historic walls as youth

continue to visit the centre and shape their own thinking and

development.

Mandela led South Africa through her greatest challenge, ensuring that the

revolutionary end to institutionalised discrimination and repression,

Apartheid, was met with relatively little conflict and welcomed with a determined

spirit of peace and reconciliation.

While the world will feel the loss of such a remarkable man, Africans have lost a

leader who steadfastly worked to prove that the continent is capable

of peaceful conflict resolution through leadership that aspires to moral honesty,

tolerance and acceptance.

Born on 18 July, 1918, to the Madiba clan of Mvezo in the Transkei, Mandela spent

much of his life striving to educate himself and standing in

political opposition to an unjust system. His stand against seemingly insurmountable

prejudice is a cause for which he sacrificed much in the face of

great threat to his life and freedom. Following a conviction for sabotage and

conspiracy to overthrow the government, Mandela spent 27 years in

prison, but throughout this time maintained a strong loyalty to peaceful resistance

and the unconditional repealing of the Apartheid system. Following

his release in 1990, Mandela guided South Africa through her first democratic

elections and stepped in as South Africa’s first African statesman

when he shouldered the presidency in 1994. Perhaps his most significant contribution

to African politics is the implementation of South Africa’s

first constitution which is perceived world-wide as one of the most forward thinking

constitutions in global governance today.

Since then, Mandela has received more than 250 awards, many for his humanitarian

work, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Soviet

Order of Lenin. His work has been internationally recognised through his awarding of

the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize which he shares with former Apartheid

president F.W. de Klerk.

The contribution Mandela played in African politics will forever stretch far beyond

the current South African landscape. His legacy to Africa is true

leadership that is both thoughtful and honest but does not prize retribution and

corruption. Mandela ensured that the African Renaissance has a

framework for peaceful conflict resolution and that in all things, human rights

becomes a principle of long-lasting social evolution.

We mourn together as Africans, in much the same way that we celebrated together the

achievements that Madiba brought through his actions. We are a

better continent today through his determination, sacrifice and unflinching faith in

an Africa capable of peaceful change.

Nelson Mandela never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning.

Despite terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism.

His life has been an inspiration to all who are oppressed and deprived, to all who

are opposed to oppression and deprivation.

Mandela is survived by his wife, Graca Machel, 3 children, Pumla Makaziwe Mandela,

Zenani Dlamini and Zindzi Mandela, 17 grand-children and 14

great-grandchildren.

Our thoughts also go to the extended family of his late former wife Evelyn Mase and

his former wife Winnie Madikizela.

As we mourn our deep loss, let us pledge to ensure that Mandela’s legacy lives

through us and that our children are able to fully appreciate the

freedoms he and his peers fought so hard to attain.

Carlos Sanvee, AAYMCA General Secretary

Sipho Sokhela, South Africa YMCA National General Secretary

The Africa Alliance of YMCAs (AAYMCA) is a leading pan African youth development

network on the continent, representing national movements in 20

countries, 16 of which are very active. The first YMCA in Africa was established in

Liberia in 1881, and the AAYMCA was founded in 1977 as the

umbrella body for all national movements on the continent. www.africaymca.org

Are you overspending and under-saving, just like the rest of the nation?

 “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” – Helen Keller

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average American household spends 36.9% of their gross annual income on rent/mortgage and utilities!

 

So let’s do the math…

 

If your annual household income is $50,000, you’ll spend $18,450 on rent and utilities and will have $31,550 to cover all of your other remaining expenses.

How about this one: an average American household spends 5.7% of their annual income on restaurants – not counting regular grocery items. That’s $2,850 a year, or $237.50 per month, based on the $50,000 annual income.

Rethinking The Responsibility Of Business Leaders

What is the primary responsibility of business leaders today? Is it to make a financial return for their shareholders? Or is it to contribute more broadly to the welfare of employees and society as a whole?

This question has always been important, but it takes on greater significance as we seek to recover from the worst contraction since the Great Depression. How business leaders respond, and how they prioritise different stakeholders, will have a major impact on the speed of recovery.

Women’s Idea of the Perfect Man Changes Drastically as They Age, Survey Says

Have you ever looked back at an ex-boyfriend and asked, how did I ever date that person when we were so obviously incompatible?

It's not necessarily that you were incompatible...then. According to a survey conducted by Match.com over the past year, your tastes have simply changed over the years.

Is your family keeping you single?
Men must possess certain qualities to be considered "the perfect man," and those parameters change drastically as women age. In the survey, called "The Ages of Man," what women want from their relationships with men is broken down according to age range.

The Age of the Entrepreneur

Richard Downs is founder and chief executive of the ski, cruise and family holiday company, Iglu.com. Richard graduated from London Business School in 1998.

Small is bountiful: I had the idea for Iglu back in 1998. We have been in existence for over a decade and have grown but we are still small and nimble in the way we think. By nature we are very anti-corporate. We are still nonbureaucratic and not meeting oriented even though we now have 120 people.

Have faith: For an entrepreneur, belief is seven-tenths of the job.

Additional funding: At the end of 2009 Matrix Private Equity Partners invested £4.3 million in Iglu.com. This bought them a 35 per cent stake. This enabled us to buy out two of the initial institutional investors and gave us a much clearer run into the future. Now we are entirely debt free.

Patience: It has taken much longer than I ever thought it would to reach this stage. But, in other ways we totally under-estimated where we would be in 2011. After all, when we started out there was no Google or Facebook. The world has changed. Now online commerce is bigger than the UK construction industry. Even the government now appreciates the importance of online commerce as a sector.

The glass?: Entrepreneurs are optimistic by nature. They want to change things. An education: My previous experience was all about finance. What I have learned is the importance of people. You have to get the right people and then keep them motivated. It can be highly destructive if you get it wrong. You really need a complementary combination of skills. It was one thing we took for granted early on in the businesses’ development.

Toddling: The other lesson I have learned is not to run before you can walk. We expanded into France and elsewhere without having the right people.

Growing up: Businesses and entrepreneurs grow up. Your working style and the balance of what you and the business do evolves. The first two or three years are totally full on. But that’s not sustainable. You can only ignore your friends and family for so long! You eventually need to get things in balance so you can recognise when you’re near the edge and then do something about it. I found that taking a holiday can allow other people to grow.

Topic: Describe a magazine/ book publication process.

By: Solomon Ojeagbase

There are various processes in publishing a magazine/book if it’s a book for academia, entertainment, financial, infotainment or sports. A magazine/book is generally supposed to share information or enlighten people on issues which are public knowledge or to bring something to the fore. Take for example a story about a teacher who knows very well firsthand how to communicate a topic to her students; a book about this individual will bring the awareness of people to the person in question. That is why we have to be conscious about what we write because once it is written there’s no going back.

We have about ten processes involved and first on the list is research. In research the publisher has to do a thorough evaluation of other magazines/books already in circulation in same genre as his/hers, and map out a plan to outwit them. Also he/she has to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this other rival publications, in doing this the publisher would have to carefully read the magazines from cover to cover to be able to adequately sift out the flaws. This enables the publisher the convenience to bolster the strengths of his/her own publication.

Given the fact that the publisher is doing a synopsis of other magazine/book from his/her genre, he/she may also want to sketch out his/her target audience and age group; this could mean the people you intend to buy – read your magazine/book. In this case we may be looking at the youth cadre which is from eighteen years to thirty five years or the older cadre which is from 40 year and above. All this information is what will be in the market penetration strategy under research.

Secondly, consider your options and costs. In publishing cost is very important hence you have to consider