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Business is Business, Friend.

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Why is it so hard to go into business with friends? I have somewhat mixed feelings when it comes to going into working business relationships with friends and family.

I’m convinced that it is somewhat reminiscent of the whole “pride” element that families and friends share and in a lot of cases stubbornness and unwillingness to concede to someone they consider direct competition, either physically or intellectually.

I’ve had the opportunity to work on the grounds floor of one of the largest limo companies in Scottsdale, AZ as well as a privately owned small business in Grand Haven, MI. I have also worked on the corporate level for large companies. So, I have a broad range of experience in the world of business. Corporations can go to hell for all I care. The business structure of corporations, while efficiently run in most cases, are far too nuanced and their focus is too convoluted, and as a business structure they are far more concerned with adhering to a code of ethics that is intended to avoid possible liabilities and resulting law suits they always assume are impending.

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Life Is Not a Monopoly Game

It’s somewhat comforting that politicians are starting to take up the side of the everyday citizen as it pertains to outrageous price gouging by monopolized services that the majority of Americans use, namely cell phone service providers.

If you go ask the average person on the street to name cell phone service providers off the top of their head, there are most likely 4 that they will name first before they taper off. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, almost always in that order.

I understand when a business uses one of these services, whether small businesses like cleaning services or larger businesses like a taxi cab service.7895616412_36654b8a76_o_d

It is these four companies that have dominated the marketplace and have absorbed any up and coming competition to their services. Beyond these 4 major service providers, the rest are mostly off-shoots of them or have very limited coverage areas, unreliable signals in more rural areas, and poor customer service.

I have used Verizon for several years now and it has only recently become affordable, but that is because my contract has expired and now I am paying month to month. It has proven to be a significant difference in pricing now, but for years I felt like I was paying a lot more than what I was receiving. On top of that, for all my loyalty over the years, the rewards given in return are pretty shabby.

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Entrepreneurship is the New Black!

There are so many people in our current modern day society that are just okay with their jobs of servitude to big corporations and businesses and have just succumbed to the idea that “this is it for me”. I call this sort of apathetic ideology as “working on someone else’s goals and dreams”. While this may work for these people, and it has obviously been accepted by the vast majority of people out there, there happen to be plenty of others that have a higher level of expectation set for themselves and these people have an insatiable drive to reach those expectations and to exceed the goals they set for themselves…and to do it how THEY see fit!

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With technology growing by leaps and bounds every day, anyone with the kind of drive that these people possess has all the tools they need to succeed in a competitive marketplace. I personally have a lot of business owner friends that have utilized the tools available to them to gain great success. They started out with rather marginal results, but they stuck with it because they continued to work at it and all that time and effort, all those “little” things added up to massive success. They have every faith in their ability to succeed with the use of these tools. One of my closest friends owns a window tinting service and he has very effectively employed the use of social media marketing to gain exposure and recognition in his particular niche. He has seen amazing results, and all because he was determined to do it for himself; to achieve HIS dreams, not someone else’s dream.

Talk about EMPOWERMENT! Entrepreneurship is all about empowering the individual to achieve their own goals and have their own success.  For the persistent individuals with a burning, insatiable drive within them for success, the results are nothing short of RICH. In this day and age, there is most certainly a far greater amount of indicators pointing people to achieve their own success. To have a high standard of merit and to achieve that high standard and to see the rewards that follow should be motivation enough! Knowing your dream and having a clear sight of your goals and possessing the determination to outlast any adversity it how you succeed! I personally love that I do what I WANT to do and not what someone ELSE wants me to do for THEM. And if I’m going to be completely honest and blunt, screw punching a clock! I am highly productive and have MY routine solidly in place. I set weekly goals and it doesn’t matter how I achieve them or on what day of the week I do, as long as I do. That requires a lot of self-starting and discipline, which I have, but some people just don’t have. I do believe it can be taught though, so there’s still hope for you undisciplined saps.

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The Importance of Maintaining a Clean Home

Ok, so I think we can all agree that the worst thing about visiting friends or relatives is that some of them just don’t have the same standards when it comes to cleanliness as the rest of us do. I’m not anal-retentive about my house being spotless, and I don’t do the dishes immediately after finishing a meal, although I normally do at least put them in the dishwasher. Doesn’t everyone?

But seriously, I maybe vacuum my floors once a week or once every other week, and I can go to bed not having done the dishes. I just do them the next morning. I do have my favorite carpet cleaners clean my carpets at least once every 6-8 months. THAT I am a bit anal about. It makes such a huge difference though!

I went to college. I lived the young bachelor lifestyle that consists of always going out and rarely being home. When I was home, there was a party to be had at my house any opportunity available! Which does not help matters in the least.

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Let’s just say I grew out of that phase…thankfully!

Not everyone does, so I see my graduation into adulthood as an indication that I’ve matured…at least on some level. There may be some work to be done in other areas, but at least my home LOOKS like a place that a fully realized adult would live.

I have my ex-girlfriend to thank for helping me become a more organized, more presentable person. SHE was anal! But not in an aggressive way. More like when I left my shoes in the middle of the living room floor or under the dining room table, she wouldn’t say anything about it but would subtly and quietly pick them up and place them by the door where they belonged. Most times I didn’t even realize or witness her doing it. She wasn’t one to harp on me for much if anything. She was cool….wonder what she’s up to tonight?

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Gay Marriage is Legal and it’s Good for Business?

Today is one of those historic days in American history. We have had many lately. Most recently was last week when a black church in South Carolina saw 9 members of their congregation gunned down by a white supremacist with his heart set on performing some kind of evil. The worst part about this was that he sat in on the prayer meeting being held with the church members before he exacted his evildoing.

It is my belief that if there is a place called hell, these kind of people will be condemned to the deepest, darkest corners of it and be subjected to eternal pain and suffering at the hands of Satan himself. It is very hard to understand how depraved a man or woman could be to perform such an evil deed and in such a way as he did. I do not care to understand these people. Attempting to understand them only gives credence to their existence, which they are clearly not worthy of, let alone existence at all. But, just like ISIS, there will always be evil in the hearts and minds of some men and women. We cannot change it, but we can do our best to make sure they remain on the opposite end of the majority.

Our country’s psyche and morale has been in a very low place over the last week or so. From the shootings to the sad, sad debate over whether the confederate flag should be removed entirely from all government institutions in the south. The fact that there were defenders of keeping the flags in place just goes to show that our country, as a whole, has a long way to go when it comes to changing our level of acceptance.

The idea of respect and acceptance is one that a lot of people share and one that I’d dare to say the majority of people possess, at least by a small percentile. A good family friend of mine who lives down in Arizona makes it a point to hire minorities to work for his towing service because he has a firm belief in the founding principles of our country.

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That being said, there is still an element of hate and bigotry in our society that cannot be ignored. The shootings last week should reaffirm to us all that there is still a lot of racism in our society and that there is still a lot of work to be done. Though these people (or more accurately, scum) may be small in numbers, they have the ability to affect the larger body of consciousness when they decide to take out their hatred on innocent minorities.

It is sad and disheartening to see this happen and my heart is crushed for the victims and their families. BUT……!!!!

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Quality Will Make You Reign Supreme In The Marketplace

It goes without saying that delivering a better value or service at a higher price is better than delivering a cheap one at a higher price.

Cheap service at a high price

You want to stand out from what others are doing in your industry. The trend is commonly to make a cheap product and sell it for as much as possible.

Boo this model. Boo it.

Make the best quality product you can and sell it for as much as possible. Quality makes people come back over and over and over again.

What do you, or can you, provide better than your local competitors?

Start locally, for sure. Focus on who and what’s around you for now.

This allows you to insulate yourself from your competitors. Because the way competition works is this… if you and your competitors are both selling the same thing, the only factors that can differentiate you are A) Service and B) Price.

So you either operate at a better price or improve your service to set yourself apart.

Orrr… or you make your own superior, higher quality product or service to offer to the marketplace in order to differentiate yourself.

This will allow you to insulate yourself from the competition.

Because, then, because your customers will like your product/service better than the others. Quality naturally stands apart from the rest.

Those that love what you have to offer must come to you to purchase what they want… because they can’t get it anywhere else!

This gets you out of the price war with your competition. You then are insulated. Owning your own superior product or service is simply the best! This is how you can dominate your market. This is how you win.

Take for instance a five-star carpet cleaning company. How does a company like this set themselves apart from their competition? How do they get noticed and have people come to them again and again.

In this case, it really is superior service. These guys have a whole slew of repeat business, both corporate and residential, because they do a great job.

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How To Enjoy the Process of Building a Business

What’s one of the best things you can do to enjoy success as you’re building a business?

Enjoy the process. Don’t be in such a hurry to get through the process.

I know you’ve heard this a million and one times, but it’s true.

Think about it… what are your other options?

Digging holes? Waiting tables?

Spending years and throwing a ton of money to go to college? Again?

Or to get what kind of a job?

Self ownership is the ONLY way to go, but you gotta stick with it. What are the alternatives?

Embrace suffering. Embrace suffering in the name of doing what you’re doing and producing what you’re producing.

Here’s a big paradox, though, because I’m of two minds about it: Don’t be in a hurry, yet money loves speed. The faster you work, the better.

But the big difference is… don’t get anxious if you’re not getting results from your big, consistent efforts. Patience is as important as working hard, working big and moving fast. It’s a vital ingredient.

But enjoying the process is vital. Everything takes time.

It’s a great paradox… everything takes time yet the moment is the only thing you have… it’s always the eternal now.

Interesting, eh?

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Taxis vs Uber vs Limousine Service

Convenience is beginning to challenge Excellence when it comes to rogue apps and limousine services. Corporate travel, bolstered by economic growth, is steadily increasing. But given the choice, business travelers are still opting for professional Chauffeured Services.

Though it may be an issue of convenience to order an Uber or taxi cab, price still holds stronger for the Limo companies. According to www.taxifarefinder.com/ the average cab rate in major cities is $3.50 per mile with a set airport fare ranging from $67 – $88 and as high as $173.

Uber rates tend to be competitive with cab rates or more expensive. There is a base rate from $7-13, city depending, plus average of $2.31 per mile (plus surcharge that is included in fine print upon joining).

Limousine companies, like this one we used in our case study, charge $35-85 an hour and most offer a package rate including multiple stops and return service for as low as $100.

The topic of confusion pertaining to Uber cannot go without mention. “A recent review of Uber’s complaints was done in March 2014. Consumer complaints allege misunderstanding Uber Technologies’ pricing, being misinformed about the overall cost of the services rendered, and not being made aware of “surge pricing,” or temporary increases in the company’s charges. Some consumers claim that they were told the final cost of the transportation service the company provided (through Uber Technologies’ phone app, the driver, and the consumer’s receipt), only to be subsequently charged a substantially larger amount,” – bbb.org.

This is the type of complaint found across the web. As well as drivers not knowing the city or good, efficient directions, they often don’t heed the route suggestions offered by their passengers. (Of course taxi drivers do this, too.) Uber does not cater to their customers. The independent drivers are not looking for repeat business. Simply making an extra buck because they own a vehicle.

Bottom line, when it comes to rates, all are in the same ballpark. Opting for excellent service from professionals that are trained in customer service and possess a chauffeur’s license, ensures the extra time spent on securing exquisite service is worth it. “For example, the fact that a chauffeur has been entrusted with an extremely valuable vehicle indicates that he or she is a very experienced and knowledgeable person. The chances are that they are also local to the area and will know the surrounding districts like the back of their hand,” – Travel and Leisure – Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8936378.

The true value is in the experience. A Limo Service is there to serve their customers and treat them superior to the run of the mill taxi fare. As Registered Certified Licensed Drivers, professionalism is a common practice. They are trained to meet expectations and keep their clients safe and satisfied. There just isn’t a comparison.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?