Episode 3 Pillars of Success with Steven J. Manning
Don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth. Steven’s take: never ignore a horse coming your way!
Ignore this nonsense: opportunities are just around the corner. Nonsense. They are right in front of you or you find those when you actively seek them!
Opportunity will not knock on your door. It is not around the corner.
If you don’t believe that, give it a try standing outside, close your eyes really tight and wish to be taller, better looking, richer? Not going to happen.
However … there is always a “however”, is there not?
Some of the stuff he sold makes him think of that great lyric made famous by Ray, Goodman & Brown — even more famous years later by the Beegees: how can love so right be so wrong. seems i turned that upside down often: how can love so wrong turn out to be so right!
Steven mentioned to an event he was asked to speak at in Lausanne, Switzerland. this was a two-day gathering of relevant marketing executives and CEOs from around the world. some 1,300 people. the topic of the day was developing markets: how to launch your business in developing markets.
He was one of 11 speakers. And had the enviable task of being the last speaker and the only one who actually spent his own money to start a business in a developing country. All other speakers worked for major, multi-national enterprises. in other words, he was fed to the wolves. Everybody else talked about being selected to go in country, with multi-million dollars budgets, assembling a team and spend a year or two or three studying the market. THEN – get this – write a comprehensive reports.
All that speaks to well researched, focused and well-funded grand plan.
His? What plan? What goal, what grand idea or business proposition? it started with his mother calling him, you know, one of those calls: Oh honey, can you help?…