Why Richard Branson Threw Out the Rule Book (and you should too)

Following on from my last Blog "Risk" seems you also have to have a measure of Luck

By Hans Balmaeker

“Many millions of people proudly claim the title ‘entrepreneur.’ On the other hand, a title that hasn't gotten nearly the amount of attention it deserves is entrepreneur’s little brother, ‘intrapreneur’”

Success in business can be the result of great visions and thoughtful strategies, but Richard Branson has revealed that the success of Virgin is, at least in part, owed to a stroke of luck. Before Virgin Mobile had taken off, and while the Galactic project was only a twinkle in Branson’s eye, Virgin Travel provided an experience that would come to guide the entire brand’s business ethos.

By hiring an ambitious young designer, Joe Ferry, for an open-ended design project, Branson unwittingly realized the potential of ‘Intrapreneurship’. The intrapreneur, or entrepreneur in residence, is given the run of a company’s resources without the constraints of protocol and routine. This freedom can result in the kind of left-of-field ideas which inspire both cultural change and amazing business opportunity.

The success of this experiment was huge and as a result, Branson has incorporated Ferry’s intrapreneurial role into the infrastructure of the ever expanding Virgin brand. He has, in fact, credited intrapreneurship as the essential element of his success:

“Virgin could never have grown into the group of more than 200 companies it is now, were it not for a steady stream of intrapreneurs who looked for and developed opportunities, often leading efforts that went against the grain.”

Since then, Branson has been calling for a complete reassessment of how his, and other, business’ are run. He suggests that if management were to actively encourage intrapreneurship across the board then employees would have the freedom necessary to truly invest in their work.

Some other well-known companies have also embraced this thinking. They adopted policies enabling employees to play and tinker for up to 20% of their time, leading to some great new and successful products.

Would you like that freedom – the ability to act as if it were your own business? That feeling of being so much engaged in your work, that time slows down and everything seems to be going exactly right? How is that compared to your current corporate life – isn't there a big gap for most of us? 

As students, with no real understanding of the corporate world, most of us had big ideas, dreams and visions. We thought about how when we entered that world we would make a difference, how our generation would be leaders of change. Three years later, we are dragging ourselves out of bed and into work, and hoping to win the lottery so that we can have an early retirement. When you start intrapreneuring, you will do meaningful work, grow your impact and boost your career. It will ignite that spark again.

The intrapreneurial road isn't the most obvious one and for sure not the easiest. In fact, while entrepreneurs have the luxury of setting the course on their own, as an intrapreneur, you are part of a running business, which requires you to stay connected to and aligned with the influencers and decision makers in your organization.

As many impactful intrapreneurs have shared, the key to their success has been that they were able to combine their entrepreneurial thinking and mindset with some corporate-savviness. Above all, it’s not something just available for Richard Branson and the likes – it’s possible for all of us, you and me. It requires the decision to start and the commitment to succeed, which all of you at this blog have, right?

For young professionals looking to do more meaningful work, have a bigger impact and boost their careers, I suggest you follow Richard Branson advice: start intrapreneuring! If you’re not sure where to start and how to do it, have a look at our upcoming course. It might just be your ticket to corporate freedom.

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How a Squinting Dog Inspired a $3 Million Company

Doggles for Doggies! Yes our faithful friends suffer from sensitive eyes too and Midknight their Pet Collie was their inspiration and light bulb moment that has gone on to make their company over $3 Million in revenue - A great story and well done to Roni & Ken Di Lullo   

Roni and Ken Di Lullo knew something was off when their dog Midknight kept missing the Frisbee during a game of fetch. In 1997, during a visit to the dog park near their San Jose, Calif., home, the couple noticed that Midknight was squinting. "He seemed to be sensitive to sunlight," Roni recalls.

On a lark, Roni retrofitted sports goggles to fit the border collie. In addition to improving his Frisbee performance, Midknight became the talk of the dog park. People were so amused by the goggles that Roni created a website to showcase photos of the pooch modeling his eyewear. "People love to see a dog wearing glasses," she says.

To her surprise, requests started coming in from other dog owners. "I had a full-time job [as a software developer] and never planned to do this as a business," Roni says. For each new order, she purchased a pair of sports goggles and revamped them to fit the four-legged customer of the moment. As sales grew, she realized her DIY method for creating what she had come to call "Doggles" was unsustainable.

The Di Lullos consulted eyewear manufacturers about developing prototypes, but the sizing didn't work for dogs.

Then a company in Taiwan agreed to make a custom product with a wide nose bridge and deep lens cup. In 2002 the couple placed an initial order for 30,000 pairs. In the midst of product development, Doggles were featured on DailyCandy and CNN. Soon after, PetSmart agreed to stock them in its stores. "That gave us the push to really make a go of it," Roni says.

Doggles makes two models: Originalz and ILS with interchangeable lenses. Both are designed to fit a range of pooches, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. The designs have shatterproof, anti-fog lenses that block 100 percent of UV rays, and adjustable head and chin straps that keep the goggles secure on the dog's head.

In addition to PetSmart, Doggles sell for $16 to $20 per pair at Petco, Amazon and Target, as well as at 3,500 pet boutiques. The company also produces pet toys, clothing and other gear.

The cute factor aside, Doggles aren't just a novelty item: A consultation with a veterinary ophthalmologist helped the Di Lullos see that dogs could benefit from protective goggles following eye procedures; Doggles even makes prescription lenses for those who have undergone cataract surgery and lens removal. Doggles are also part of the uniform of many service animals, including those used by the U.S. military, which has purchased more than 1,000 pairs in the last decade. "Their handlers aren't dressing them up to look cute," Roni points out.

Expanding its vision helped Doggles reach revenue of $3 million in 2012. The growth has posed a challenge for the Di Lullos, who want to maintain a small-business culture while embracing new opportunities.

But that concern is a walk in the park compared to the challenge they face every spring and fall, when Doggles introduces its new products and colors. In an effort to entice fashion-forward dog owners into buying, Roni lines up canine catalog models for a photo shoot. And getting the dogs to sit still is, as we know, harder than herding cats.

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http://www.doggles.com/dog/eyewear

How Thinking Positive Thoughts Attracts Success

You know yourself if you think positively, positive things happen around you. The secret is staying positive "sometimes difficult" But keep a Positive mindset must be beneficial to body & soul 


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Think Positive Thoughts and attract positive things. What does it take to find real success in life? What is a positive attitude?

For most people finding success is difficult. There’s one KEY that can bring success to your front door and that’s the power of positive thinking.  But it’s not all about upbeat thoughts and a rosey outlook. It’s a mixture of thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that brews up the most amazing mindset to magnetise whatever you want in life.

You’ll be amazed how thinking positive thoughts positively improves your life. Let’s try it now. I want you to think something negative. Anything negative. Hold it in your mind. Keep the negative thought in your mind for two minutes. Dwell deeply on that negative thought. That’s good. That’s really good. Now tell me, how do you feel in your body? Many times negative thoughts create stress and anxiety within our bodies. Your jaw clenches and your stomach muscle become tight. Or you could feel nauseous, get a headache or just feel absolutely miserable, sad, angry, and so on.

Now, let’s flick those thoughts as you would a light switch. Imagine the negative thought and then change it to something positive. Thinking positive thoughts. Creating a positive attitude. Hold that positive mindset for a few minutes. Thinking about all the different layers of that thought pattern that make you happy. Does it make you smile and feel lighter? Do you feel happier? A positive mindset makes you feel good.

Think about it. You feel good thinking positive thoughts. How do you think others will feel around you when you feel happy and satisfied? And if you build on that positive feeling you start to magnetise what you desire…… and in this positive mindset you have the power to create your dreams and goals… to create what you want to be successful in life.

Why You Need to be Positive

Climbing the ladder to success has a lot of pitfalls and setbacks. It’s a huge challenge to go from nothing to real success, but it can be done.  To be successful you must be very focused and determined to reach your dreams and goals. For instance, if you want to own a business and work for yourself you would need the motivation to do some inner journey work to discover what sort of business would suit your personality and values, align your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes towards your overall goal and create a positive mindset of success. And then you would be eager and ready to do some outer work to expand your knowledge of business regulations, licences, expenses and so on is needed to start-up your specific business. You need to be focused on every step along the way.

If you look at successful people in business they all work very hard at what they do. They are focused and don’t back down. If they come up to a brick wall, stumbling block or something that’s stopping them from being successful they figure a way around it by asking colleagues, taking a course, doing their own research, and so on. They don’t stop until they are running a successful business.

To create success you must be focused, but you must also have a positive mindset because this is the only way to get beyond the challenges that come up.  For example, if you make a bad business deal what good does it do to dwell on this deal for months on end?  What is a positive attitude going to do for you in this instance? You need to accept that you made a mistake and you have to move past the mistake to push your business forward. Thinking positive thoughts. If you were to think negatively and fold your business you would be making a huge mistake based upon negative emotions.

If you were to learn from your mistake and pinpoint exactly what went wrong you could learn from the mistake and turn it into a positive learning experience. No one is going to be perfect and we all make mistakes in our life, but this is how we grow. If you dwell on mistakes then you surround yourself with negative energy and you will have a difficult time pushing and struggling towards success. The power of positive thinking changes your overall energy, focus, motivation and you gain the ability to think ‘outside the box’ and seek new possibilities and opportunities.

Being Positive Will Open Doors

When you are positive and feel energetic and passionate you will find many doors of opportunity opening up for you. Suppose you were positive and full of energy at work. Your boss would see this and you might get promoted or be given a special assignment. People want to be around positive, energetic people and when you are this way it can pay off in a big way. Focus on the positive things, remain focused and motivated towards your overall goal in life and you will find doors opening up for you.

Success is Attracted to You

If you can focus all your energies in a positive light you will magnetise positive events, situations and people to you.  Surround yourself with people who support, respect, understand and appreciate you.

Thinking positive thoughts definitely attracts success to you. The way you think and act has a big influence on the success you can find in life. When you say “I will succeed“  you will, but if you focus on the “I never will” then you are going to struggle. Can you imagine thinking to yourself “Change is difficult, it’s nearly impossible” and then actually trying to generate the change you desire. NO. It doesn’t work that way. Change your thoughts so they align to what you want in life. If you want change make sure your thoughts are focused on “Change is easy for me” or something similar.  You need to put a positive spin on everything you do because being positive magnetises success right to you. That’s the power of positive thinking. And that’s how a positive mindset attracts success.

http://www.personaldevelopmentinsights.com/blog/how-thinking-positive-thoughts-attracts-success

The Top 10 Entrepreneur Teenagers Who Made Millions

Young Dudes who have the ideas and wherewithal to Go For It  


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It seems a lot more people are joining the growing list of teenage millionaires nowadays. In fact, these young millionaires made their first million dollars before reaching the age of 20. This goes to show that age really is just a number and that anything is possible.

Below is a list of those who made their first million during their teenage years, how they made it and a figure of their current net worth.

10 Teenage Entrepreneur Millionaires

Adam Hildreth

In 1999, at only fourteen years old, Adam Hildreth together with his six friends launched the famous English social networking site Dubit. Dubit became one of the most popular websites in 2004. By 2005, Dubit had a net worth of more than 3.7 million dollars. Adam later founded Crisp thinking, which developed software that protected people from online predators, online harassment and spamming. He is ranked 23 in the top 100 richest young people in the UK according to the 2011 Sunday times rich list.

Adam Hildreth is estimated to have a net worth of 38 million dollars.

Sean Belnick

When he was only 14 years old, Sean Belnick created bizchair.com, an internet retailer for all types of furniture. Sean Belnick began with an initial investment of 500 dollars and ran his business operaions from his bedroom. In 2004, he moved into his first warehouse and by 2009, he had more than 702,000 square feet of warehouse space from the initial 40,00 square feet. In 2010, bizchair had sales of more than 58 million dollars.

Sean Belnick’s net worth is reported to be 42 million dollars

Fraser Doherty

Fraser Doherty is the CEO of Super Jam. This Scottish young star was taught jam making by his grandmother when he was 14 years old. He started producing jam and selling it in the neighbourhood. He left school at the age of 16 to fully concentrate on super jam. In 2007, he began supplying super jam to 184 Waitrose stores. Nowadays Fraser Doherty currently supplies to all major UK stores and had sales of over 1.2 million dollars in 2011.

Fraser Doherty is worth 2 million dollars.

Cameron Johnson

In 1994, at only nine years of age, Cameron Johnson began making money by selling invitation cards. By eleven years old he had saved up enough money to form his company, Cheers and Tears. Cameron then participated in several ventures including creating EZ mail, an email forwarding software, surfingprice.com, an online advertising company. By fifteen years old, he was receiving monthly cheques of up to 400,000 dollars.

Cameron Johnson’s net worth is currently 3.2 million.

Ashley Qualls

Ashley Qualls is an America entrepreneur who made her first million at the age of seventeen. She did this by taking an 8 dollar loan from her mother and creating a website,whateverlife.com in 2004.The website focused on providing HTML tutorials for young people and providing free My space layouts.

Ashley Qualls is valued to have a net worth of 8 million dollars.

Chris Phillips

Chris Phillips made his first million when he was only 17 years old through dot5hosting. This website was used to register domain names, supply hosting space and hosting several e-commerce sites. By the time he was 19 years old, this British teenager was making over 10 million dollars annually.

Dot5hosting currently has a net worth of 2 million dollars.

Juliette Brindak

Juliette made her millions after launching the website Miss O and Friends when she was still only 10 years old. The site, which targets mostly teenage girls, is filled with celebrity gossip, games, quizzes and lots of feature articles. She has also launched a line of Miss O and friends books.

Juliette Brindak is currently the CEO and editor of her site and book line and has a networth of 15 Millions Dollars.

Catherine and David Cook

At only fifteen and seventeen years respectively, Catherine and David Cook came up with the social networking site, My Yearbook in 2005. The site has over 5 million users and has survived the Facebook domination.

My Yearbook has a net worth of over 20 million dollars whereas this brother and sister duo have a combined net worth of 10 million dollars.

Tyler Dikman

When the internet was still picking up, Tyler Dikman who was only 15 years old founded Cooltronics in the year 2000. Cooltronics’ main purpose was to provide lessons to computer and internet users on how to get rid of computer viruses and how to upgrade your home PC. Subscriptions and advertising brought in the dollars for this lucky little man.

Tyler Dikman is currently valued to be worth 3.7 million dollars.

Farrah Gray

Farrah Gray started selling body lotion at the age of 6. At 13 years old he founded Farr-Out Food which in a period of one year had received food orders of over 1.5 million dollars making him a millionaire at 14.

Farrah Gray is the youngest person to have a Wall Street office and is estimated to be worth 20 million dollars.

http://tiny.cc/iswlww  = More Interesting Stories & Topical Posts 

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-top-10-entrepreneur-teenagers-who-made-millions/