I try to give everybody I meet the benefit of the doubt and anybody who really knows me or has ever worked with me I’ve said this to them at least once.

-You’re a Good Person, I Don’t Care What Nobody Says About You

No matter if I’ve heard anything  previous to meeting them or not…plus it makes for a good icebreaker during a first time conversation.

Depending on the type of person you’re dealing with you will get one of two responses:

“A light nervous laugh with continued conversation”

or

“What the h^ll they say about me?”

Who Wants to be Likeable?

More than anything people are self-conscious about what others think of them whether you choose to admit it or not we all want to be “liked”.

Its the reason guys lie about how much money they make & where they work and women spend 3 hours in the bathroom getting ready and the media is able to push them products like this >>> Booty Pop Panties that are actually selling millions of units.

Because it has been driven in our heads by our peers & the media that this is what people like and likeable people get their ass kissed and everybody wants to associate with them and being in demand is good for business. Goes back to the saying “Sometimes its not What you Know, its Who You Know”.

Benefits of being Likeable

People who are “likeable” are more popular and are good with the “in” crowd. Basically the movers and shakers of their industry, city or state. They get invited to all the events, mingle with the rich folks and rub shoulders with people in high places all because they are easy to like.

We all have that one friend (could be you) that was always capable of keeping a job? Or always had the hookup at the mall, movies, and or good with the security at the door of any club in town. They have these advantages, because they have a strong network of people who “Like” them. Everything comes easier when you’re “likeable” even networking.

In Conclusion

Not to confuse “likeable” with people actually thinking you’re a good person, but more of a good conversation piece and/or its beneficial to them to be around or associate with you, because it increases their chances of being liked.

Its partly due to the bandwagon effect meaning that people often do and believe things merely because many other people do and believe the same things, but deep down they may have a completely different personal opinion. Simply put it pays to be popular, because popular people are “Likeable”.

My questions to you

Are you “Likeable” or aka a Peoples person? If not don’t be the first face a person sees when they come in contact with your business and hire somebody who is “Likeable” to handle your dirty work.

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Let me explain this famous quote by Benjamin Franklin: “Never Confuse Motion with Action”

equates to:

“Just because you’re moving or busy doesn’t mean you’re taking action and doing anything productive and /or of necessity.”

Were all guilty of it…bragging about all the time we were in the house or so-called working on our BIG idea when really we were there physically, but how much work actually got done! Not so much right? Ive seen and done it plenty of times and its even easier for me with the line of work I’m in I can easily go from sharing an article on Facebook to chatting and catching up with an old friend and next thing you know a good hour has passed me by. Not saying you shouldn’t catch up with friends, its motion but it isn’t getting work done.

When starting a business (this is the ONLY time you will hear me say this i promise) you should treat it like a job in the sense of respecting your work schedule aka Getting Things Done. I tried the whole set time apart (12-5, 9-12 or whatever) for  work so that you will finish things during those hours, but that hardly ever worked for me with so many things being an interruption at times. I found that setting an amount of hours that you will work weekly does a better job of getting things done, because it doesn’t tie you down to any certain day, but lets you know that “X” amount of hours must be performed this week in order to get what you need done…DONE.

How many of you are guilty of confusing your constant motion with actually getting things done on a business or goals level and taking action? How many are going to change that motion to action?

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I found myself at first finding inspiration by accident and now purposely not only for articles on this blog, but for new sites to launch and business in general from the most awkward situations, places or people. Just because a book, article, or person has nothing in common with your goals doesn’t mean they can’t help spark an idea that may take your creative juices to another level.

In no way am I saying go out and commit a crime, but there is something to be learned from a criminal mastermind and this is how you can apply it to your everyday goals and/or business.

Having a plan & an exit strategy

You’re less likely to make mistakes if you know the stakes are high. Why do you think criminals carefully plan out bank heist and robberies, because they know the risk that comes with performing such an act. They could go to jail or even worse somebody could get hurt or killed. The more careful they plan it is less likely that something will go wrong and they will have a smooth getaway so to speak.

Same with any business or goals you have to plan your entry into the market and your exit while preparing for any hiccups in business that may come along the way, because things will not always go as you hope they do. Even if you plan you will still make mistakes and have to be willing to adjust at the drop of a dime. Also if things don’t go right you must have an exit strategy where you can lessen the risk involved with having to close up shop and God forbid go back to that 9-5 job you hate so much.

Have other people do your dirty work

You ever watch a movie about some mobsters and see how the boss just sits back and gives orders while the workers are the true muscle behind the whole operation, but are just that workers, NOT bosses. You always find yourself asking why don’t they just turn on him and keep all the riches for themselves, but that never happens does it? You know why, because they’re afraid of taking that risk.

This is because everybody isn’t made out to be an entrepreneur aka the boss, because all risk falls on you when things go wrong or get out of line. Everybody knows in most cases the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. You can lessen your risk of failure by surrounding yourself with people who can do what you don’t do well. If you’ve read any business book worth its weight than I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the phrase hire people smarter than you thats exactly what it means. Find people who like structured environments and like being apart of a team and getting things done in a timely and controlled manner thats what a job is and it may sound dirty, but its the way of the world. Basically you’re finding people to strengthen the points in your business where you are weakest. I still think its best to have an overall basic understanding of all tasks that go on within your operation, but find a smart person that has it perfected.

Less Invested More Gained

When a person chooses to perform a criminal act its because they want what another person has worked hard to attain. Its as simple as that, because they could easily go out get a job and acquire whatever it is that they are wanting to take from a person or organization, but we know that takes more dedication,  more time, & sweat, blood and tears.

Its also the main reason why crime pays, because you have less invested, but your gains or for the sake of business ROI (return on investment) is higher. You put in little to no investment when performing a criminal activity financially or physically. Robbing a bank or stealing other peoples money requires nothing more than a carefully planned and timed attack usually as a team. Imagine one person sticking up a bank by themselves! What is the chance of them getting away with the money? Slim to none. Somebody has got to play hostage, one person has to bag the money, while another plays look out in the get away car.

Same thing goes when starting a business or putting an idea in motion. Get in with the smallest investment possible and put the least physical/mental strain on yourself. Have other people put up the majority of the money to front your business and put less stress on yourself by delegating responsibility. You can’t do it all by yourself! Believe me I tried and with any idea you will need financing at one point or another to expand. Whether a bank or an investor, a 50/50 split between you and a partner or a loan from family members. You might be left with a smaller percentage of ownership, but you also will take a smaller hit if the idea as a whole was to fail.

So whenever your thinking about that next BIG idea or need some inspiration try to think outside the box and drift away from the normal surroundings in which creativity from your thoughts usually reside. You never know the wild idea you may come up with.

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KISS “Keep It Simple Stupid” Well its as simple as it sounds.  I work with a lot of interns and people just getting started in business and well we know how exciting it is when we stumble upon a new idea or concept. We spend countless hours trying to perfect it and by the time we get around to actually executing anything the market has changed or the sound/idea/concept just isn’t as relevant anymore.

Kind of like how you write a song or idea that seems GREAT at the time, but then years or months down the line you listen to that song or read that quote or message and ask yourself “What the F^ck was I thinking?“. Thats why you should always KISS, because times change and the market goes along with it. So get out there start that business and make mistakes. You have to be able to multitask don’t worry about all the variables just do it and make the necessary changes along the way. “Keep It Simple Stupid”.

If you agree with this quote don’t mind ReTweeting it or Liking it for your friends consumption on Facebook or Twitter .

(This is an introduction of bi-daily quotes that I live by and will keep you busy in between my LONG drawn out articles that you all love so much) If you have any that you live by feel free to submit them to fred [@] blackmediaproperties . com

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How many of you wake up in the morning and HATE GOING TO WORK ? *Everybody raises their hand* Now how many of you hate your job and actually are doing something to change that? *blank stares*…Exactly. No matter how much you hate something in your life its very seldom that we actually take the time to change ourselves or the surroundings that we hate so much….you must admit its mentally frustrating.

I was once in that position about 4 years ago or less, but I still remember it like it was yesterday and its still one of the motivating reasons for me to keep doing what I love to do day after day. I was stuck working paycheck to paycheck hopping from job to job even though at this point I never had what I would call a financially successful venture I knew working for somebody wasn’t for me, because honestly (and this is a BAD trait), but I hate to take orders one of my flaws…I’m sorry .

Coming to a realization that you need to make a change

The last job I had was at a gas station (Little Generals I think) working the cash register on 3rd shift 11-7am and I hated it! The hours were terrible, the people sucked and the pay swallowed ($7.35 an hour :/), but whatever thats besides the point. My point is that I hated my job! I knew I could do better and instead of quitting and doing something about it (leaving myself with no money..aka NOT SMART) I took advantage of all my SPARE time and worked on building something I loved that could also support me financially…I made a change.

First thing was I figured out what I loved to do and that was fashion. Yes I love clothes and shopping and art I can draw, but thats one of my talents I don’t show very often mainly because, its too time consuming. I was already doing a clothing line on the side and anybody will tell you its not the most profitable business in the early stages, but I liked it so I stuck with it. Things started to happen for me in the fashion industry around this time and I was receiving interest from a few local newspapers. The main question they would ask was “How did you start a clothing line”. I was all about helping others so I would put my phone number in any publications that took a chance and wanted to interview me. The more the merrier right?

My Wake Up Call

So its been some weeks and I’ve done over 6 interviews in newspapers locally and my phone is starting to ring and my email is reaching spam status with people wanting to know “How to start a clothing line”. I still wanted to help, but not to the point to where it was jeopardizing my own progression and thats when it struck me! Why not start a website where I could write when I want and just direct everybody there? That way it doesn’t directly affect my work time and I could write the articles whenever. As you can see I kind of fell into what I do now by accident, but it wouldn’t have happened for me at all if I never followed what I loved to do.

Planning for mistakes

As I told you earlier don’t just quit your job and start working on your goal. Be smart and remember what we talked about in the last article on how you should take advantage of all spare time. While I was working at the gas station they allowed me to have my laptop (since I worked 3rd shift) and I would work on my website while at the 9-5 making money to keep the lights on so to speak. I had a plan that if I could supplement my income then I could quit my job so that was my first step. Once I done that I would then focus on developing more sites therefore increasing my overall income. Things don’t always work out so just jumping out there with no plan or no backup is just as bad as NOT making a change in the first place…either way you might end up miserable.

Why you won’t give up

This isn’t a Get Rich Quick scheme…sorry! It didn’t happen over night, and it was a lot of work, but it didn’t feel that way because I was doing things I liked to do. Writing about fashion, running a fashion business and on top of that making money. In my mind that has always been my key to success, because otherwise I probably would’ve gave up we all know thats so much easier to do.

The excitement of choosing your own destiny is exciting enough for some and doing what you like is just the icing on the cake. I know its cliche saying if you do what you love the money will follow, but in my case it did. Many let money be their only deciding factor to stick with a job and thats fine when its a JOB, but not when running your own business you need more. What about when times get tough (your not making much money) you will still have that passion for what you’re doing in order to keep going.

If money is your only motivation when it doesn’t come you will jumpship and move to the next idea not giving it the necessary time it needs to grow into something sustainable or at least get you through the learning curve that comes with taking on any new venture.

Closing Thoughts

When you work/start a business for money you will make decisions based on money and with any business or service whats the idea? Provide a valuable service to your customers right? This plays the same no matter if you’re a rapper, actor, event planner, cashier, entrepreneur or a janitor at the end of the day you have a crowd to please and if you’re all for self  and monetary gain then you will be the only person being pleased by the outcome of the final product and therefore NOBODY will invest in you or your product.

So what happens next? You’re idea fails or you miss your goals. You have to find a balance of what you like and how it can financially support the lifestyle you want to live. Therefore increasing the odds in your favor when times get tough and once you do you will never work another day in your life, but spend the rest of your days doing what you love.

My question to you

What do you love to do and how could you make it into a business that supports your life style? Leave your thoughts in the comments area.

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Unfortunately most of us will never be successful and yeah it sounds harsh, but I believe it has nothing to do with not having enough luck or growing up in a poor environment or where you’re from or how much money you currently have or who you are, but more of what you choose to do with the time we have while were here. Being successful is as easy as JUST DOING IT..yeah just doing what it takes to get the job done and progress. These are 10 of the most common reasons people end up failing at what they want to be successful in.

1. Because You Procrastinate- Yes this is one of the more common reasons for most people to never excel in fulfilling their chosen field or business. Instead of taking advantage of every waking moment you make excuses on why you can put it off until tomorrow or put the “grunt” work off until later, which is usually the most important of your daily task. Many will complain about why they’re not successful, but continue to put unimportant events ahead of what really should be a priority to anyone trying to better their situation or build a successful business and the answer is right in front of you and the sad thing is most know it, but fail to do anything about it.
2. Because You Blame What You Lack as your Reasons for  Failure- Nine times out of ten if you ask any person or entrepreneur why they have failed in finishing or accomplishing a goal their sentence will begin with Because I don’t…. Depending on what field of business they’re in many of us could guess how that snentence will end. The sad reality is that most of us lack one thing or another and many of our predecessors have overcome many obstacles and proven time and time again that where you live, your financial status, your race, location, height,  and/or belief has no take on whether or not you will be successful and it is ultimately up to you.
3. Because your idea isn’t as Brilliant and Unique as you think- I know this doesn’t come as a a suprise to most of you especially if you have ever started a business or had an idea that you thought was just revolutionary or unique with no competition, but once you do a little research or decide to launch you see ten other businesses doing the same thing. As I’m sure you have heard this before, but it is obvious most need to hear it again a successful business begins with a great execution and a failure is well… lack there of. Most ideas have been thought of or tried and tested, but many failed because of their execution and how it was brought about. There are many reasons why the same businesses fail while others succeed timing has a lot to do with it, capital, the person or entrepreneur, knowledge on the subject and much more.
4. Because some of your Best Ideas are just Memory or Were Never Brought to Life- I definitely think this is one of the biggest reasons most are never successful. Many of our best ideas that would have spread virally or been a necessity in life were never brought past the brainstorming process or seemed like one of them unobtainable goals, because most of the tiem the brilliant ideas are the hardest to accomplish or will have you facing the most obstacles to see them come to life. I read an article about how almost everyday people think of at least two million dollar ideas on their way to work during a 5day workweek, but over 90% never put any of them into action pass the the thought phase and without reasonable doubt I agree.
5. Because you’re not patient- Many of us fall into this category and I was once a very impatient person (still am at times) when it came to seeing results with a new venture or goal I wanted to attain. I think the above title is why many of us fall victim to all of these get rich quick schemes we see in our email inbox everyday or on late night TV infomercials. In reality there is no quick-legal ways to get rich or becoming successful anything that is worth attaining will take time to acquire. Many of us abandon a business before we give it time to get over the first years slump or automatically mark it as a failure before it has time to reach its full potential.
6. Because there is always somebody working harder than you- This article goes back to the first reason on procrastinating and reinforces that you’re not taking advantage of every waking moment. Every moment you sleep or take off for a break or make time for anything other than the goal you want to accomplish or the business you want to be number one there is always another team of people or a person working toward the same goal. I think every time you decide to tackle an objective or start a new business that you want to succeed in that you should keep in mind…there is always be somebody putting in harder work and longer hours than you. Remember the number one spot or your accomplished goals wouldn’t feel so ggood if you were the only one going for it, because it wouldn’t be worth attaining.
7. Because you wait on Luck or Opportunity (Meal Ticket) to be given to us- In most instances opportunity is not given to you it is created and you’re lucky if you are prepared. That is why it is important to always be prepared for the unthinkable, because opportunities usually arise when you least expect it and that is why in most cases we’re not prepared and that is what we call bad luck. You can’t wait fo rANYTHING to come to you or for somebody to hand it to you. If you want financing for your business go out and get it, if you want to relocate to another city go do it, if you want to be a millionaire before 25 get to work today not tomorrow anything is attainable with hard work and being persistent no matter how small or large the obstacles to success may seem.
8. Because the odds are against you- In most cases people want to be successful from starting a business whether it is online or offline. The reality is over 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years and out of all businesses started 85% fail within the first five years as you can see the odds are not in your favor to succeed. Many people who have weight loss goals will most likely not meet them considering that more than 65% of the United States population is either overweight or obese and it was up more than 16% from the year before. Your chances of being a millionaire are not as bad when compared to the other odds, because the average American has a 1 in 13 chance of becoming a millionaire and more than 741,666 become new millionaires every month. Will you be next months millionaire??
9. Because life is too short- This reason basically takes into mind all of the above reasons for reaching success, tried and failed and taking time for granted for when opportunity is presented to you. You should take advantage of every SOUND opportunity that is presented to you, make use of every free second you have available, read up on any topic relevant to any goals you want to accomplish, make no excuses for tasks or goals not completed, and realize that you have nobody to blame, but yourself for any failures that you have or goals that you didn’t accomplish within your lifetime.
10. Because you will NOT make a change today- Even though this article stated in the beginning that “you will never be successful unless you make a change today” most of us will read it in its entirety and actually agree with its content, but will still go back to our same habits of procrastinating, blaming what we lack, putting together half-thought out ideas with poor execution, never bringing our greatest ideas pass the brainstorming process, being impatient and not persistent, letting someone work harder than you for that number one spot, waiting on our meal ticket, still understanding the odds are against you, but not working harder to overcome them, not taking advantage of all our time on this earth to see our dreams and goals manifest into something greater than we could ever imagine.

It is still in your hands whether or not you will become successful and defeat these odds. Just don’t become victim to one of these common mistakes and reasons for not being successful within your lifetime.

What steps are you going to take to make sure you become a success in your chosen occupation or business??

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This is the official Launch of my Personal/Business blog by me CREAM of Black Media Properties. On here I will talk about everything from my personal adventures and what/how I do what I do for a living and keep you updated every step of the way through my failures and my successes. Check out the About Me page to learn a little about who I am.