The face of a company

I want to compare a house with a company. We usually like the thinks that we can see or perceive. When we see a beautiful garden with pretty flowers and green foliage we imagine that the house is as pretty as the garden. The same happens in a company when we are treated respectfully as customers and our needs are fulfilled we assume that the company is reliable. The companies need to invest in their employees. When an employee is happy and satisfied with his or her job they feel like part of it and they give their best. When an employee doesn’t feel part of the company he or she does not adopt the company culture and that is reflected with the clients. Companies can lose a lot of money if they treat their employees as slaves that have to obey because they are being paid, someone happy works better than an unhappy person.  Companies that invest in their employees have more benefits that the ones that don’t.

Customers are the blood of a company. If a company wants to have an income and be profitable it needs customers. It is easier to keep a customer than to find a new one. We live in a world of constant competition if we don’t provide the quality of service or product that the customer need they will find a new and better place that will provide what they want or need. So if we want to succeed we need to listen what the customers want and provide a good and happy environment to our employees.

I am learning through my $100.00 challenge that keeping a customer is easier than find new ones. I am selling my banana bread. And my customers love the home made taste. It is just different that the one they can buy at local stores or bakeries. Sometimes I feel like I am persecuting my clients. They love the product but I need to find better strategies to offer them the product without being pushy. WhatsApp it is helping me a lot to find new customers and to retain the ones I already have. Instant messages are a blessing for me!

Keep the customers!!

This week I realized that it is much easier to keep a customer than to find new ones. A happy customer will return to you again and again. I am working hard on my $100.00 challenge. I am selling homemade banana bread, it is delicious, but I have found out that, it is not a primary need for the people. Each week I try to look for new customers. I have to sell over 500 units to fulfill my $100.00 challenge. It is not easy, but I realized that my happy customers are buying banana bread each week, and it has been harder to find new customers. So I want to keep them happy until I finish my project. As I mentioned before, one dollar for me means eight times more work. One Quetzal which is my currency is only worth an eighth of the dollar. I also learned that my product needs to be a purple cow. I don't have too many competitors. It is not that easy to find banana bread in the bakeries but I have to make my product especial and different from others. I will try to find the purple in my product.

I also learned something very special this week. We have to appreciate our life and take the best of each day. I understand that sometimes we just feel like sleeping all day, but we all have a great potential. We didn't come to this earth to rest. It is our time to work hard and succeed. The opportunities are out there we just have to find them. We have to learn how to believe in ourselves. Sometimes we are the ones that stop us from achieving our best. Our fears need to become our motivation not our stop. When we are not healthy, we wish for health to be able to do whatever we want, but when we are good we just accommodate ourselves and forget to keep going. I have wondered what does it mean to succeed? For each one of us will be different, but we need to set a goal and know where we are doing. Every day we can have little successes. Just even trying can be a success. But we will never succeed if we don't try!

Tithing

Many people experience money troubles at least once in their life. God has given us the opportunity to learn to trust him. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor. Tithing is the same for everyone and it is a principle of faith (action). When I had a regular salary I always paid my tithing first and it was amazing how then I had more than enough for all my needs. God doesn’t need our money, instead we need his help. God is always there for us. Sometimes we move away from Him. We trust more in men than in His hand. God gives us our health and intelligence to have a job so everything belongs to him and He only ask a small portion and it is not for Him. It is to help us have even more than He has already given us. We do have a loving Father.

This week I have learned more about how to raise money. It is not easy to convince people to trust in you and your ideas. We need to learn how to sell ourselves. I am lucky to start my initial capital for my $100.00 challenge with my own money. I trust myself and I know that hard work will give good fruits. I know that God will help me. And I also know that by paying my tithing He will provide even more to help the people we will donate the money from the challenge. I feel extremely motivated because I am not working for my benefit. I feel good to help people that need more the money than me. New entrepreneurs that are asking for help to keep working. I am grateful with God because I’m recovering well from my surgery and I will be able to achieve my goals!

                

Learning from our mistakes…

This week I learn about the importance of learning from our mistakes. Many times we have to experience failure in order to succeed. The best entrepreneurs and successful people have failed many times, but they have not surrendered. We only have to win once. Failing is a good tool to achieve success if we learn from it. Every time we make mistakes, we have to learn from them and become stronger. Spencer W. Kimball a prophet of God said “Where there are challenges, you fail only if you fail to keep trying!” We need to learn how to keep trying. We don’t have to surrender because trials come to our life. They come to us to make us stronger and better people if we take advantage of them and learn from them.

The entrepreneur Paul Robshaw learned from his mistakes after losing everything in his life he got back on his feet again.  Money is not everything but it gives us more tools to help the people around us.

After being two weeks in bed because of a surgery I learned a lot the value of good health. I am excited to feel good again and I am ready to start my $100.00 challenge.  I know that it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. At the end of the challenge I will realize that after a hard work we can finally obtain our reward!

Challenging week!

This week I had an emergency. I had a surgery where my gallbladder was removed because I had gallstones. I am in a lot of pain because this week I realized that I also have a gastric ulcer. I am a good student and I tried to give my best. This week I learned a lot about Tom Monaghan. No one can say that achieving dreams is impossible. Everything is possible but we need to work hard. Dreaming is easy but becoming our dreams true will really prove our desire to accomplish them. I admire Tom Monaghan because after becoming rich he decided to devote his life to serving others. Even though he is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints he followed the teachings of Jesus Christ the we found in Jacob 2: 18-19 “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” He also did what the rich young boy couldn’t do in the bible. He left his riches behind and followed Christ.

I also learned that it is good to have different ways of thinking and different skills in a group. I always thought that the best working groups were those where the people had similar ways of thinking, because there was no conflict and things could be solved easily and in a good and happy environment. This week really opened my eyes and helped me understand why diversity works in a team that want to solve problems or find different solutions. 

Last thing... this week I discuss with my classmates ideas to reach our $100.00 challenge. I realized that if we think negative any good idea will be impossible to make. We need to have a positive thinking in order to achieve our goals.

My first attempts…

I am starting a new adventure. I have a challenge of making a small business that can generate a profit of $100.00. Probably is not a lot for many people but for me it means 8 times more. I live in Guatemala and our money is worth 8 times less than a dollar. That means that making a dollar is 8 times harder for me. I decided to sell delicious banana bread. I am working on the logistics and I am excited about it. The cost of the banana bread will be $.0.38 and I will sell them at $0.62. I cannot ask for more because people won’t pay it.  $0.62 means Q.5.00 in my currency. It is an attractive price. I am motivated because it is really a challenge. I am also motivated because I have chosen to donate the money to a 69 years old lady from my country. It feels good to know that I will help someone with my effort. I am reading the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. I understand that in order to achieve good things I have to work hard and give my best. I have to think that I can achieve my goals and I have to work with a plan. I know that is it possible to reach my goal of $100.00 and I hope I can make more.      

                It is good to know that in a few weeks I will have the opportunity to look back and realize that today something that seems like a huge mountain difficult to climb will still be a mountain but I will be stronger and I will have a better perspective of business from the top.

Last Entry...The value of life!

I have been extremely sick this week. I have a terrible infection. I am still sick. I feel weak. I know that I will get better and hopefully before Christmas day! The good thing is that I know that there is a cure. My kids are sick too because of me. But we all eventually get better. This week one of my friends had an accident. I don’t know the details but she is in comma. Her family is waiting for a miracle to happen. We have all united in prayer for her. This week I have realized that our lives are so delicate and precious. We need to take advantage of each minute of our lives. We don’t know when it will be our last day here on earth. We can make a difference in the world and in our lives but we need to start right now. There is no tomorrow to be better. Today is the day. Right now is the time. We all face trials and obstacles during our lives but we can make the difference. Our attitude is the first thing we need to change if we want to improve. Sometimes we become our worst enemies. Many times we establish limits and boundaries with our minds. We set barriers that no one except us can open. As future entrepreneurs we need to decide now how are we going to live our lives. There is no tomorrow to make good decisions. This is a good season to help others and also to help ourselves. We need to set high goals and work hard to achieve them. Good things are not given free. The best things in life are achieved by working hard and giving our best every single day. I know that eventually I will recover my health and I want to think that my dearly friend will recover her health too. Life is a gift. In these wonderful season we need to remember the greatest gift of all given by our loving Heavenly Father. He sent his son Jesus Christ so everyone can repent and return to Him.  Our life is full of possibilities. We need to write down all our goals, hopes and dreams. And write down how we will achieve all of them. Our real goals need to be written on paper if not they will be always just dreams. We have to work hard to become better. Everything is possible if we work hard to achieve it. Sometimes during the path we will realize that some decisions were not the best. Don’t worry, learn from it and you will succeed! Remember our life is a gift!

 http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529