My Birthday Blog

Happy Birthday to ME!! Today is the day. I am 45. Odds are I am half way through my life and if you count in 5-10 final years of dementia and incontinence, I probably only have about 30 lucid years left! The thing is, I was supposed to be a millionaire by now. Last time I checked my portfolio, that was not the case. So it's time for my half-time review. What has happened that has kept me from this goal and what can I do to reach it by 50? (Since 50 is the new 40, I will technically beat my goal by 5 years!) So I weighed my life's pros and cons and am definitely happy with my life as the pros outweighed the cons.

Pros:
Wonderful Family, A Son who beat Leukemia, hundreds of loyal friends, a great Church Home, My own Company, which is in it's 8th year, a Family Shore Home, flashes of decent musical ability, and a great charity - Tommy's Gifts for Kids.
Cons:
I need to be in better health if I am going to reach 90! I am not a millionaire. I am not close to being a millionaire.

Is being a millionaire THAT important. No. It is not. But I DO want to be able to provide for my children and wife, pay for the kids' college, buy the home that I will spend the rest of my life in and I want to never need the phrase "overdraft protection" in my life again!

How will I achieve this?
By continuing to give customers a great value and great service.
By being more consistent with maintaining rate integrity and collections.
By consistently reviewing my monthly, quarterly and annual goals.
By keeping my priorities in order.
By just plain continuing to work my ass off.

So Happy Birthday to me and thanks for checking in.
Future Millionaire,
Pete

Summertime!

Summer's here and the time is right for dancin' in the street! The time is also right for preparing for the Fall business surge. Most businesses experience a lag in the Summer and a big bump leading into the year's end. So what can you do now to best prepare yourself for the busy season? Here are a few tips:

1. Update your website. Making frequent changes to your site will help with search engine optimization and keeps your content fresh.
2. Organize your contacts. Prioritize your contact database by category and importance. Make sure to reach out to clients who have used your products or services previously at this time of year and see if they need you again this year. Remove dead contacts and clean out your e-mails!
3. Start a blog! A blog is a great positioning tool and a great way to reach out to potential clients. Linking your blog to FaceBook, Linkedin and twitter will optimize the effectiveness of the blog.
4. Clean out your files, desk and office space. Reducing the clutter in your life will make you a better organized and more efficient professional.
5. RELAX!!! Even if you don't have the time, MAKE the time to relax, recharge and have some fun. You only live once and there is no substitute for the value of spending time with Family and Friends and enjoying some quiet time of reflection.

So enjoy the rest of your Summer and if I can help you with anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me!