Business Partnership at its Best

Partnership at its best… my business partner, Janet Cook, and I complement each other in that we are like and unlike each other. We are alike in our passion for helping people, learning new skills, being entrepreneurs and loving life. We both appreciate how magnificent people are and look for it. For us, the glass is always half full, even in the face of circumstances that might say otherwise, like bill collectors or a broken furnace. We dream and act to reach those dreams. People close to us have said at times that we are unrealistic (or even a little crazy). But we aren’t.

We are unlike each other in that Janet is more outgoing and I have to deliberately be accessible. Naturally, I am shy and could happily sit in a corner and read. But I can’t have the voice I want in the world if I don’t learn to interact in crowds, even when I am uncomfortable. I am married 14 years to an amazing artist, David, and Janet dates so I live vicariously on that front. I had almost forgotten about the dating world. Janet is more playful and I am more serious, tall and I am short. I am great with marketing, systems and online tools. She has owned successful businesses, including now. I have a job with businesses on the side. She is more organized about prospecting, following up and closing. I struggle to fit all my activities into my schedule. We complement each other, learn together, are brilliant models for each other, and consider ourselves lucky in our business partnership. Who are your business partners and what, together, do you bring to the relationship?

Great Upcoming November NYC Networking & Business Meetings

Consider what you are looking for and find a group that matches that need. This listing of events demonstrates the rich variety of education, information, networking and fun available in NYC. I recommend www.meetup.com in any city as a start place to find great resources. NYC folks, many of these are meetings I attend monthly and I will not list those every month so make a note of meetings that appeal to you. Some are free and others have a nominal fee. Some require reservations or prepayment to attend. I have included the sources so please do your own research.

Monster NYC Job Fair (monster.com)
November 6, 2009 from 9am to 3pm
Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, NYC
Register at monster.com (upload resume on site) or just show up

Sales Partners New York One-day Income Explosion Workshop
November 6, 2009 from 9am to 3pm - $297 except I have secured a special price of $97 and terms with ONEDAY code: Must register by Wed, November 4th at http://onedaytraining.eventbrite.com/
6-hour training on sales and building a team
1-hour one-on-one coaching with Ben & Dano of Sales Partners New York
Bring a colleague or friend with you
Get Little Voice Mastery book by Blair Singer, Rich Dad Advisor & business coach

Learn the # 1 Rule of Entrepreneurship
Know How to Make Millions Using Leverage
Have Complete Command and Understanding of the Marketing & Sales Process
Have A Bullet Proof Process For Identifying Your True Wants & How To Get Them
Learn Why Highest Energy Wins In Any Negotiation
Learn the Hidden Art of Negotiation:
The Ability to Handle Any Objection - Anytime, Anywhere, From Anyone
Have a 90-Day Cash Flow Explosion Plan To Implement Immediately
Receive an Exclusive Offer to Qualify For Our Wealth Warrior Program – the upsell

New York Entrepreneurs Business Network led by Andrew Ran Wong (Meetup.com)
November 4, 2009 from 9:15am to 1pm
Speaker Series 1: Skills You Need to Succeed in Your Business
Event Registration: $10/Person in advance or $20/Person at the door
Barnes & Noble, 3rd Floor, 1972 Broadway Ave, New York, NY 10023
How to find us "Find Us at the Registration Table"

November 12, 2009 at 6pm
NYEBN "Small Is the New Big" Networking Reception
$5.00 in advance/$10.00 @ entry
Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

WS13 Viral Marketing Group led by Andrew Ran Wong (Meetup.com)
November 17, 2009 at 6:30pm
Almost Economically Viable with Personal Branding Guru, William Arruda
Price: $10.00 per person
Bongo West Village, 395 West St, New York, NY 10014

NYC BizNet Members led by Ilana (Meetup.com)
November 4, 2009 at 2pm
FREE WEBINAR ON "TWITTER FOR BUSINESS"
Online – register at https://www2.gotomeet...

November 11, 2009 at 6:30pm
NYC SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEUR NETWORKING RECEPTION
Madame X Lounge, 94 West Houston btwn Thompson & La Guardia Pl, NYC
This is a private home or office. "I'll be helping to check people in"

November 19, 2009 at 8am
2 FREE EMAIL MARKETING CLASSES WITH CONSTANT CONTACT
3 West Club, 3 West 51st St, NYC. This is a private home or office

Rich Dad Education - Launch Your Business
Two meetings a day, November 2-6, 2006
www.launchyourbusinessworkshop.com – Register for NY or NJ
How to raise capital for your business
Which business structure is right for you?
Powerful negotiating techniques
How to pay fewer taxes
Effective leadership styles
How to turn profits into more profits

GW Networking led by Phil Andrews & Georgia Woodbine
November 12, 2009 from 6:30-9:30pm
Admission $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at Door
Dallas BBQ, 27 W 72nd St, New York, NY 10023

The New York Small Business Breakfast Club (meetup.com)
October 29, 2009 at 7:30am (generally the 4th Thursday of every month)
$12 plus tip for breakfast
Chelsea Square Restaurant, 368 W 23rd St btwn 8th & 9th Ave, NYC

Savor the Success (www.savorthesuccess.com)
Tuesday, November 10 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm EST
Six Degrees of Separation NYC - TBD
Our popular Six Degrees of Separation events are fun, fresh, and focused events designed for the busy entrepreneur who doesn't have time to waste. Learn from a panel of experts and then connect through our Mastermind break-out groups where you get 7-8 minutes of the group "think-tanking" on YOUR behalf.

Savor the Success Holiday Party
Tuesday, December 8 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm EST NYC - TBD

Rich Dad NYC meetings led by Duane (www.RichDadNYC.com)
3rd Saturday of every month from 1-5pm usually
Monthly real estate investing meetings with education and assessment of deals
NY Junior High School 99, 410 E. 100th St (1st Ave btwn 99 & 100 St), Rm. 211, NYC

3rd Thursday of every month prior to Saturday meeting at 6pm
Cashflow 101 Game Night led by Al D
Sony Building, 550 Madison Ave (55th St), New York, NY 10022
Look for group in Public Atrium Area.hosted by Al D - visit NYC Cashflow for info

The REIA NYC Membership led by Ayeshah Lacey &Teresa Martin
November 7, 2009 – 9am to 5pm
Credit Education, Asset Protection & Networking
Member Price: $49.00 / Non-Members Price: $69.00
New York Marriott Marquis Times Square , 1535 Broadway, NYC
How to find us "I will be in the Gilbert Room with the big smile!!"

November 16, 2009 at 6:30pm
REIA NYC presents Short Sale & Marketing Workshop
Early Bird Price: Member: $69.00 / Non-Members: $99.00
Regular Price: Member: $89.00 / Non-Members: $119.00
TRAINING CENTER , 305 7TH AVE, 11TH FLOOR, NYC

November 19, 2009 at 6:30pm
REIA NYC - Mortgage Financing for Real Estate Investors
Early Bird Price: Member: $69.00 / Non-Members: $99.00
Regular Price: Member: $89.00 / Non-Members: $119.00
TRAINING CENTER , 305 7TH AVE, 11TH FLOOR, NYC

Pet Peeves of an Out-of-Town Landlord

Real estate investing long distance was much harder than I expected in real life. I have known for a long time that being a real estate investor, business owner and entrepreneur was my chosen direction in life. In today's economy, it is essential for every individual and family to build a financial net for themselves because working for a company in a job is a potentially precarious situation. I have become a strong advocate for creating multiple streams of income.

I began learning about how to buy real estate in January 2007, reading, listening to CDs, going to boot camps, joining my local REIA and taking bus tours out to nearby markets to look at houses because the NYC market was so expensive. In August 2007, I bought my first investment property, a single family 3 BR, 1 BA house in North Philly, PA, in what turned out to be a war zone area. I bought my second duplex (1 BR, 1 1/2 BA & 4 BR, 1 1/2 BA) and third duplex (3 BR, 1 BA & 4 BR, 1 BA) properties in Syracuse, NY in October 2007 and Countrywide collapsed that month. It's called the school of hard knocks for a reason...

Pet Peeves
1) Acquiring an Effective Property Manager - deciding whether to choose a single person manager or a team; staying informed about tenants, houses and repairs in a timely way; getting accurate accounting of repairs and expenses for tax accounting, preferably beforehand; being overruled on direct orders; not being close enough to keep an eye on things myself; being told something has been completed only to find out it wasn't; getting rental payments; figuring out what systems I needed to put in place (communication, reporting, payments, invoicing, etc.).

Building a Power Team at a Distance - realtor(s), lawyer, property manager, appraiser, property inspector, handyman, painter, contractor, plumber, electrician, etc. Who do you ask for referrals when the property is outside your backyard?

Knowing the Neighborhoods You are Investing in - It's much harder to walk the neighborhood in the daytime, at night, when kids are getting out of school and weekends to see who lives there when the property is 2-6 hours away.

Knowing Who to Trust About What - Lacking confidence in my own competence in investing in Philadelphia and Syracuse, I trusted what others said when I did not know what questions I needed to be asking.

That said, I belong to a group of eight women entrepreneurs who are also real estate investors and, by sharing our real estate experiences, trials and tribulations at least twice a month, we help each other find solutions to our long-distance investing challenges. When it isn't you, the answers seem so clear... Ha ha!

Easy Free Business Plan Template

I read a book by Scott Fox called e-Riches 2.0 that I thought was exceptional so this is a clip about creating a basic business plan from his blog at www.ScottFox.com. Enjoy!

My Easy 10 Question Free Business Plan Template by Scott Fox
Last week in my new Click Millionaires Forum, a member named Tony asked me for a free business plan template recommendation. My response? Most entrepreneurs spend way too much time on writing business plans. I’d rather see your creative energy invested in product development or marketing, things that will directly lead you to more revenue.

So I sat down and thought about all the business plans that I’ve written and seen over the years. I think that they all boil down to a few basic questions that apply to any startup business.

Here are my Top Ten questions I think are most important for you to answer when starting a new business. You can use these to focus your thinking and to impress potential partners or investors (like your spouse!). This basic business plan template doesn’t cover everything, but if you can answer these questions solidly, you are on your way. (Conversely, if you spend much time beyond answering these fundamental questions, your business planning process may be too much.)

Scott Fox’s Top Ten Business Plan Template Questions

1. Who is your target customer? Be specific.
2. How does your product or service solve a problem for them?
3. Will your solution to the problem be unique and valuable enough that these customers will pay you a good price for it?
4. How can you reach this target audience cost-effectively?
5. Will satisfied customers naturally tell others? If so, how can you encourage them to do so?
6. How much time and money can you afford to invest in this new business before you need to stop? (Set a time and money cut-off.)
7. What will it cost you to get started? Why? How can the Internet reduce those costs?
8. If you make conservative assumptions about the number of people who buy, and how much it costs you in both time and money to sell to them, can you make enough money to achieve your goals?
9. How can you differentiate yourself from the competition?
10. What are the 3 key assumptions you are making that are required for you to succeed? Are they reasonable and probable? If not, what could you do to change them?

Bonus Question: How can you systematize your new business so it takes proportionally less of your time as it grows but makes as much or more money? (Creating a business that will grow without you can lead to a true Click Millionaire lifestyle!)

[Note: These questions are for a solopreneur considering starting a new venture. If you are planning a larger venture or looking to raise money from investors, you’ll need to be a lot more thorough, especially with financial analysis.]

An Easy, Instant Business Plan!
If you can write just a couple of solid paragraphs answering each of these questions, you will be well on your way to creating a respectable business plan, as well as clarifying your own strategy. Don’t fall victim to “analysis paralysis” by over-indulging in business planning. I recommend emphasizing “doing” over “planning”. It pays the bills much better!