I think it all began with self service gasoline stations. Not only do I remember 55 cent gasoline, but I recall the days when there were service station attendants who would check the oil and scrutinize the tires while filling your tank. Sadly, those memories are now shrouded in the mists of history. At first it was a charming novelty and a time saver to pump your own gas. They even discounted the price! Now we are the hose handlers, there are no discounts and the only people you see are behind a bullet barrier.

In the early 1980s I was an early adopter of an ATM card from my bank. It was both cool and great to be able to replenish my cash supply at times when the bankers were asleep. But as time went on it became obvious that the bankers really wanted us to use the ATM all of the time so they could get by with fewer tellers. Have you tried navigating the “customer service” phone prompts when calling your bank? In a counter move a couple of years ago, at least one bank began offering concierge service in their branches to get a competitive advantage.

Supermarkets are now joining in that game with some featuring self-check-out. Do you really want to be stuck behind the person with 40 items in their cart the first time they use that service? I’d rather have to take close up pictures of a rattlesnake! I like what comedian George Carlin had to say on the subject of getting out of a supermarket. “I’m not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing ‘Enter,’ verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don’t want Cash back, and pressing ‘Enter’ again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.”

One of the things we most easily connect with and sometimes yearn for is the sound of a human voice, especially one that is able to respond to your questions. It is OK for me to tell my Blackberry to “call office” and have it do just that, but when I get the office, I want to speak with a real live person. Customers should be warmly greeted and treated with respect. Too many managers and employees loose site of who is really paying their salaries.

Everywhere we look, businesses are beating the bushes in search of customers, but the same enterprises are pinching and squeezing on customer service. Yes, it is challenging to find good people and even more so to train them well. Sadly, service from a live and knowledgeable human being is becoming the new luxury, soon to be afforded only by those who demand it and are willing to pay more. You can now book a plane trip, print out a ticket, endure the security screening and be on your way to the destination without anyone paying attention to your needs until they offer to sell you a sandwich onboard! And airlines wonder why they are sliding toward post office territory on the scale of experiences we dislike.

No, I’m not against progress but I am also a true contrarian. In my own business the phone is answered by live people between 9am and 5pm. We don’t ask you to choose languages or have a trap door behind the pound key leading directly to voice mail hell.

If I’m dealing with your business as a customer, then I really want to be treated like a customer, not one of your associates who works there and gets paid for it. My money should buy service and the attention of a human being even if fleetingly. Give me a human experience and in return I’ll give you loyalty and more business. Anybody can install an automated phone system and other electronic “service” devices. They are now just another commodity and a maddening one at that. If you want a competitive advantage in this marketplace, bring a human face and voice to what you do. It will be appreciated and we know that can lead to sales and growth. Give me a reason to be a good customer by treating me like a desired customer. It is the customer experience that is the true definition of any brand.

Dick started in radio and so did I. He began hosting TV programs and I’d gotten to do some of that as well. During a visit to LA, I saw a sign on an office saying Dick Clark Productions on the Sunset Strip. That switched on a light bulb for me. After that I wanted to have a business that produced what is now referred to simply as content. My eyes were opened to two new role models. Dick and Merv Griffin were leaders in leveraging their on-air presence into access to the offices where TV programming was being purchased. Where do you think Ryan Seacrest learned his empire building skills?

In the early 1980s I finally met Dick and found him just as easy to relate to as the personality I’d grown up with on television. By that time I was an executive at the NBC network and Dick Clark productions was one of the companies that regularly called on us to pitch program ideas. I made sure that we met and it wasn’t long before I peppered him with questions like any student would when given some attention by a master. Lesson number one was “Nelson there are very few bad program ideas; there a just ideas waiting for the right time.” For example, do you remember “TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes” from its birth in 1982? Dick Clark Productions had a hand in that one.

Dick’s interest in owning media content really began when he was just the host of American Bandstand broadcast from WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. I wouldn’t be surprised if Clark got some entrepreneur lessons from the owner of that station, the late Walter Annenberg who went beyond being a media mogul to become one of America’s best known philanthropists. “Bandstand” was a sensationally fast developing hit TV program which transformed Dick into a famous personality who controlled major access to the eyes and ears of the teenage population! That kind of leverage enabled him to develop ownership interests in record companies, distributors and even the songs themselves. Dick said “my tentacles went in every direction.” The lesson here is leveraging what you have into ownership positions in other products and services. A modern master of that art is Donald Trump.

Some years after I first met Dick, he told me a story about how excited he was taking a train trip from Philadelphia to New York with a serious amount of cash stuffed in his pockets. Though I don’t remember which business (it may have been a movie) it was in, he had been offered the chance to invest in something and it thrilled him. Even at age 70, Dick displayed that youthful enthusiasm for business ideas. We were together in Florence Italy back in 2001 for a mutual friend’s birthday celebration. Because he wasn’t as recognizable in Italy as here, we had a nice business conversation while standing near the Duomo as hundreds of people walked by! Dick and his wife owned some property in the Caribbean, and he talked about starting a shrimp farming business. After I teased him with a reminder that shrimp don’t sing or dance, came a simple confession. He said “Nelson, you know I’ve always got to be doing something.” By that time, Dick was very wealthy, famous and accomplished, but he still loved working and ideas more than lavish spending or an exorbitant lifestyle. Unbridled enthusiasm is a success magnet. While many people of his age were eyeing a rocking chair, Dick was fishing for opportunities.

Dick Clark was a personality and entrepreneur for the ages. He knew how to make people feel at ease. By helping others shine, some of the light fell on him and helped power his fortune. Though he was a firm and sometimes blunt boss, he had some loyal thirty-year employees. He probably sent more thoughtful congratulatory notes and gifts to various people than a head of state. I’m amazed and impressed by how long and well he did it. I’m still delighted that I not only got to meet one of my business idols, but that he shared some great lessons with me. With apologies to James Brown who was nicknamed “The hardest working man in show business,” I now nominate Dick Clark for that role.

In my world, the three basic tools you need are these: The most fundamental is a sincere interest in other people and their businesses. Without that, your moves have a hollow ring. The most necessary trait is having a real interest in helping others. Your physical tools should include lots of well designed business cards plus a stack of good stationery note cards back at the office. Yes, you should have a well sharpened “elevator pitch” to effectively tell people what you do in thirty seconds or less. Here’s what I say. “In this digital era, every company needs to see itself as a media company and my business is to help you make video one of your most effective communication tools”

Those note cards are very useful in our e-mail saturated world. Each day I find myself wishing for a special shovel just to dispose of the deluge of incoming e-mails and I presume that a lot of other people have the same problem. If you really want to follow up with someone who has met you just once at a crowded event, an e-mail may be the worst way to break through the daily clutter. The counterintuitive thing to do then is send a hand written note or letter on nice stationery. Handwritten notes get read while e-mails are often victims of the delete button. That simple step has enabled me to build relationships with the presidents of two Fortune 100 companies who now do business with us!

At networking events I suggest you listen more than you talk. My favorite question to business people I meet is “What is your most persistent business problem?” The goal is have them give me a clue as to whether I can help them or suggest someone I know who may be able to help them. Yes, you should exchange business cards. There are phone apps now that will take a picture of the card and add the information to your contact list! If you promise someone to follow up with information or a web link, do it within twenty four hours. Nothing says you are serious and noteworthy like timely delivery on a promise.

If you feel a connection has been made, going into the intelligence mode is an important next step. You should have some sort of software to allow building a Customer Relations Management (CRM) system. There are several, some of them cloud based. Quick Base, Netsuite, Salesforce and ACT are among the most popular. They allow you to make detailed notes about people you’ve met and to track any further contact. I feel pretty good when I can tell a prospect in some detail what we discussed last year; know that her husband’s name is Bill and that she enjoys reading Danielle Steel.

Of course no system works well unless you use it well and regularly. Calendar reminders prompt what I call “KIT” calls. That means “keep in touch” outreach via the phone or e-mail. Before calling or sending, I Google their name, company name and their industry category to see if there are new developments that can be mentioned. Of course you’ll check Facebook and LinkedIn to see what’s listed there for them. You have to show you care if you want them to care. Today’s electronic tools can give you access to volumes of information that only a spy agency could have a decade ago.

If you are now networking with a capital “N” the benefits start to show up pretty quickly. That doesn’t always mean that your order basket fills up instantly, but that your network of prospects and fellow business people will grow exponentially. Every successful person I’ve asked says that you are only as good as your network. There are two books on the subject that I give people. They are “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty” by Harvey Mackay and “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. Like a great fisherman, what every business owner wants is a well stocked lake to toss their hook into.

But alas, in the real world even the smallest business owner needs to realize that we are in a co-dependent relationship with office holders in our cities, counties, states and even at the head office in Washington DC. Many naive ago, I was surprised to learn that some of the biggest and most successful entrepreneurs had donated funds to both of the major parties regardless of what they thought of the candidate’s talents or prospects. An odds maker would call it hedging your bets. The guiding principle for the donors seems to be it is better to have friends and not need them than to need friends and not have them.

My issue with most politicians is a feeling that they don’t really understand the life, struggles and community benefits that small business owners bring to the table. Here in the greater Los Angeles area, there is only one remaining Fortune 100 company head office and that is one of our electric utilities! Obviously the quilt of our economy is made up of many smaller patches. In the world of politics, fund raisers prefer the biggest patches for obvious reasons.

I suggest that you consider inviting your City Council representative to visit your place of business. If your enterprise is very small, consider collaborating with other owners on your street or neighborhood so that Mr. or Ms. Politico finds the offer of hospitality more interesting and attractive. Don’t ignore the fact that in addition to the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that you serve, a donation to their upcoming campaign or to their favored charity should be part of the larger process. Expect that if you are building friendships at the state or federal level, may involve more zeros after the first two digits. Unlike the movies, you won’t be slipping them an envelope stuffed with Benjamins! There are laws and rules governing political donations.

I’m not a cynical person and believe that some wonderful mutually beneficial relationships can be built between the small business community and those people who preside over the public purse and regulations. The combination of taxes, fees, regulations and campaign costs are a complex brew that should bring you together with officials on a regular basis to learn more about each other’s worlds. We have to be proactive by inviting them to dance because they are constantly being wooed by the folks with nicer suits and bigger checkbooks.

Just sitting in the audience watching world class or even fine amateur dancers I’m impressed by their elegant form and disciplined movements. I used to wonder how long it took them to master those soaring leaps and dizzying spins. In truth, my first adult romantic relationship was with one of those dancers and she provided insights into a world of hard work that successful entrepreneurs would likely understand. The dancers have to be relentless in shaping their enterprises (bodies and minds) in pursuit of the results they envision.

In the interview Baryshnikov said “In dance you are trained to identify the wrong stuff and get rid of it: the line of your body, or a clumsiness of movement” Wow, I said. These days I’m working hard to take my business into several new product areas and it has been a struggle at times. But those few words from a world famous dancer gave me a clue as to what you and I as business owners have to do with things that don’t serve us well.

Which of your products, services and people are generating the most sales? What software programs on your office computer system are being used the most and proving to help you run the business better? What customers or clients do you rate as being the best and most enjoyable to work with? Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff” said that the first American Astronauts had to possess the mindset and skills known as the right stuff’ to make it into the space program. I love the notion from Mikhail Baryshnikov that if I get rid of the wrong stuff, the desired right stuff is what will remain!

Years ago I read about a business principle that helped sort out the good stuff from that which was destined for the trash bin, thrift shop or another job. If you’ve never heard of the Pareto principle (the 80-20 rule) it is worth paying attention to. It is named after an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto who back in 1906 noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas! Like Pareto, the Occupy movement in our country will likely rally around the idea that 80% of our resources are owned by 20% of the population. In business, it makes sense that 80% of your sales likely come from 20% of your clients.

I suggest that you and your employees devote one hour per day for at least one week having a frank and honest discussion about what has become the wrong stuff in your business. For example, I have a small client that has so many rules and procedures for creating a contract that I regularly refer to them as our PITA customer. You can easily guess the meaning of that acronym. The energy sponge clients deserve your help in finding another place to spend their money.

In the same interview, Baryshnikov also said that “In the second part of life, you get rid of stuff you’ve accumulated.” That is great advice. There may be a product or service that served us well and that we lovingly hold onto for old times sake. You have to decide if it’s time is near an end. I remember the day when we stopped offering VHS tapes of our TV shows. Clients welcomed the move to DVDs, beginning with the fact that they were easier to store. Last year I ended a successful 21 year run of our weekly small business show Making It! on broadcast TV because the marketplace pointed to a different distribution method, the Internet. The transition is fraught with many of the same challenges as getting a raw startup off the ground, but I’m excited about the prospects.

Whether in the world of dance or your business, it all comes down to your personal vision and its clarity. Do you really need 2000 square feet of expensive office space or the shop on Main Street to deliver you product or services? Is that the wrong stuff to shape the business as it exists in your vision? Those things may be exactly what you need but deciding what is right and dispensing with what isn’t right is the key to moving forward and upward. Those decisions are often difficult, but necessary. Another legendary artistic figure’s advice sends us down the same path as Baryshnikov. Michelangelo said. “I saw an angel in the block of marble and I just chiseled ‘til I set him free.” Make this a week to take your hammer and chisel to the wrong stuff.

Infographic Source: BusinessNewsDaily Sponsored by: Business Plan Software

One of the top three questions people ask me about launching their first business is “When is the best time to start?” My reply is “when your frustration or anger with present circumstances rises to be even just one degree greater than your fears.” Sometimes it’s a bit like planning to have children—Surprise, the moment is here! In business, there are two real start dates. The first is when you open a bank account in the business name. That means you’ve done the preliminary housekeeping with a name, registering a URL for your web site, even a rudimentary business plan and put together some amount of start up money. The second start date is when you receive the first dollar from a customer! That really propels the process of marketing, sales, bookkeeping, client relations and all the other stuff that leaves you tired but satisfied with your decision.

Every time I read about people being laid off from jobs they’ve held for many years, I feel that it could be the right time for them to start a business! Yes, when you are emotionally shocked, a bit unsteady on your feet and worried about the future may be your entrepreneurial moment. If you’ve been nourishing an idea for a long time and muttering about how you could do better than your boss or the company owner, you’ve just been given a fresh sheet of paper to write your own success story. Benjamin Disraeli said that “Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius”

So, if you are at the yearning to get started phase, January 2012 can be the month for your first stage. Anywhere from month four to ten can be the time to yank the cork of a bottle of champagne to celebrate the first customer and dollar of income. Now is the time. If you are looking for inspiration, small business enterprises are all around us everyday. For instance, I became curious about the Christmas tree business a few weeks ago while enduring mall madness and learned a couple of things. There is a national Christmas Tree Association and they tell me that Americans bought about 27 million fresh cut trees last year and that amounted to over $976 million in sales. In fact, more than half of those dollars went to small business owners. The point is that you don’t have to look far to see the entrepreneurial spirit at work.

With the oldest Baby Boomers facing shrinking retirement prospects and a fresh wave of well degreed college graduates rolling into the job market, a lot of people have to be thinking of creating their own jobs in enterprising ways. Don’t let the media picture of the state of the economy discourage you. Every hour of every day, things are being made and sold, businesses are being started and money is changing hands. Age, formal education and ethnic background don’t really matter. You can begin whether you have chump-change or big money. There is no practical reason that this wind of opportunity and commerce has to blow past you. Time Magazine and Federal Express were both started during dull and discouraging economic times. This could be your time.

Here is a brief self diagnostic exercise for you to answer a few questions that will help you get started. Ask what you can deliver that offers value to another person or a company. My bookkeeper started part time on her dining table offering simple bookkeeping services to interior decorators! How much time are you willing to devote to getting started? It is worth five to eight hours per week in preparation to change your future for the better? How much money do I have to begin this adventure? Many years ago a partner and I started a Submarine Sandwich shop with just $500 between us by taking over some space in an existing pizzeria. The lack of overhead made a difference and the business grew to multiple locations. Who can help me? Start by seeking the help and understanding of your significant other, friends and relatives particularly if they have some ownership experience. Their help can come as emotional support, skills and even dollars. There are low cost and free classes in most cities across America where you can get expert information and spend face time with other business owners. That peer to peer contact is very nourishing. You can see self diagnostic forms on the Making It! TV web site.

Some people advise that the business plan must be your first document but I feel that you really should write out a detailed description of your dream situation before that. This “vision document” has to be so real in your mind that you can walk into that picture. I advise that your dream document include descriptions of the product or service, the office, and the people who will work with you. You should picture yourself making deposits at the bank, and the approving smiles of those who supported you. See yourself as an accomplished winner. Now really is the time.

It may not seem so smart to start a business in a down economy, but I’m in the school of thought that says the time is never perfect, but action overcomes obstacles. Getting your great idea out of your head and into reality is one of life’s most satisfying experiences. Right now people are a lot more receptive to entrepreneurs because of the fragile state of things. We are living in a nervous, amplified and urgent environment, even without the predictions of the Mayan calendar. Now is almost always better than later. If there are some rough seas ahead, do you want your hands on the tiller or someone else’s? I’m voting for you—right now!

When I was about 12 years old, I met the then Reverend King when he came to speak at our church in Niagara Falls New York. He was then a preacher on tour to raise funds to help support the nascent Civil Rights movement. You see, I was born in Andalusia Alabama which is near Montgomery where the MLK era in the civil rights movement began. My Grandmother lived near the bus line where the famous 1955 boycott led by Reverend King began. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the players in that movement. They include Rosa Parks who’s refusal to move to the back of the bus sparked the bus boycott along with Coretta Scott King and other members of the King family.

Since I launched my TV production business in 1988, I’ve celebrated the life of Dr. King by being open for business because I believe that he and his fellow activists put themselves in harm’s way so that I could lead a life rich in opportunities. They didn’t face police batons, dogs and fire hoses so that I could sleep in and go to the mall. My professional life has been enabled by dreams and if I had to choose one Dr. King speech to chisel in stone, it would be the “I have a dream” speech which he first delivered in 1963.

Most of the people he stood before at our church that day in the late 1950s either worked for small businesses or owned them. America was hitting its peak as the world’s dominant industrial giant but small town residents and to some degree black communities knew a different world. It was much more about self reliance and businesses with less than 500 employees; in other words, small. I don’t remember specifically what he said during the sermon but I was glad to be there. It took some convincing by a family member to get me to remain after the sermon to meet the traveling preacher. After all, for a twelve year old boy, getting to the playground for a baseball game had a lot more appeal!

We don’t always know when we are living historic moments. I’m confident that Reverend King had no idea that becoming the pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist church in Montgomery would change his life and the course of American history. As a result of his consciousness altering leadership, the halls of corporate America became a clearer pathway for aspiring blacks. Farming and other small businesses faded into the background as more employment opportunities became available. Many black owned businesses had been created simply because the owners operated in a segregated world and desegregation took away their reason for being.

My sister was among the marchers at the Lincoln Memorial that day in 1963 when Martin Luther King uttered the words “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American Dream.” Though he conveyed many messages during his tragically brief time at the visible edge of a true movement in America, the one that is permanently embedded with me is that we can all live our dreams. So many people are afraid to live their dreams, to walk into them boldly. How many of us look up to see that someone else is living the life that we want to live? No doubt Dr. King had to manage and reject his own fears and trepidations to do what he did. Just about every business owner can easily identify with that! So, each year when media throws a spotlight on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King around the national holiday, I celebrate self reliance, the dream of unity and the possibilities yet to be realized.

A dear friend of mine, John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation Hope often speaks of the Civil Rights movement having morphed into what he calls the “Silver Rights Movement.” Business and commerce are at the center of that thinking. I’m privileged to have a business and since Martin Luther King’s shoulders are among the many that I stand on, I’m open for business on his day.

Lavetta Willis went to law school to become a sports agent. However, an interview for an internship changed her life. She was told that women often encounter many difficulties breaking into the sports industry, and she should explore athletic apparel. She was shocked and reluctant to give up her dream. But a few days later, she began remembering her days playing basketball at Notre Dame, and not being happy with the uniforms. She thought they were designed for men only. That’s when she decided that maybe the advice that made her angry, was not such a bad idea after all. That was the beginning of Lavetta’s designing career, which eventually landed her as the co-owner and President of LL International Shoe Company (Dada Footwear) (www.dadafootwear.com.) Known for its “fashionable” tennis shoes, Dada’s products can be found nationwide at Footlocker, Lady Footlocker, and Foot Action.