I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what I want my legacy to be. What do I want people to say about me when I’m gone?

What kind of influence will I have on my kids, in regards to how they create opportunities and shape their own lives?

A little morbid, perhaps – but, lets face it… We’re all only here for a certain period of time, right?! Are we happy to just waffle through life, fundamentally wasting it? Or do we want to create something, do something that will make a difference – in any way. Doesn’t matter if it’s business related, or not.

In an effort to get to know you, my readers, viewers, visitors, etc., better than I already do (some of you more than others, obviously), I’d love to be able to hear from you on this topic. Ask yourself the following questions:

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New Business Manifesto

Throughout the course of a normal week, I’ll receive hundreds of questions from small business owners and startup entrepreneurs on the subject of starting and growing companies in today’s incredibly fast moving business world.

A lot of the time they are via our Facebook Community, and I’ll reply there directly. Sometimes its on Twitter, and some times via email. Bottom line: I freakin’ love hearing from you – regardless of how you reach out. So, please don’t stop!

One thing that I really love is the fact that the large majority of these messages come in from people that have already taken and finished my free training course, the ‘New Business’ Bootcamp, giving them a great kickstart in the process!

But, growing a business in today’s market is not just about learning how to blog, podcast, how to utilize online video, or work with virtual assistants (to name a few of the subjects tackled in the bootcamp). It’s also just as important to have the right mindset, than it is to have the skills!

We need to encapsulate EVERYTHING that we should ALL be about, in regards to changing the way we startup, market and build our businesses in today’s economy, so I bring to you, the ‘New Business’ Manifesto!

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Thought Leader, Public SpeakingEvery entrepreneur in their right mind should be working their tail off to be seen as a thought leader – someone who innovates and leads – in their industry.

In the ‘olden days’ of business, this would have meant putting in those 10,000 hours that everyone assumes you need to clock-up to get yourself to ‘expert status’ in a chosen niche. However, as I’ve been saying time and time again recently – things have changed.

We’re no longer in the 80’s, where the thought of small businesses having a client base all around the world was just as far fetched as the idea of being able to converse with those customers using something as ridiculous as ‘electronic mail’ – even though email is now the number one ‘tool’ used in business every minute of every day.

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I’ve been knocked sideways by how fast some entrepreneurs create, launch and catapult a business to success in recent years.

They seem to be fully immersed in the New Business Manifesto way of life!

All you need to do is flick through the pages of Entrepreneur magazine, or tune into ‘Tech Stars’ on Bloomberg to see how the movers and shakers of the new economy are getting shit done in todays business world.

As an entrepreneur, it’s incredibly exciting to see!

So, I decided to go out and grab ahold of the people that are making a difference in what they are doing in the business world, and more importantly HOW they’re doing it. What follows, in no particular order, is their answers to one very simple question.

I’ll kick things off, if thats okay with you…

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How to Update to the New Twitter Profile DesignRecently, Twitter announced not only an update to their iPhone and iPad apps, but also the Android, too. Awesome! Part of the New Business Manifesto is to update ourselves constantly as entrepreneurs.

However, by far the biggest change was the introduction of a new header photo, which gives all of us instant brand building potential, with some decent real estate being utilized to help us express ourselves, our businesses and our brands a little easier.

The funny thing here is that I just went live with my new Twitter background a couple of days ago, and here I am completely redesigning and putting together another image. Actually, another three images – which we’ll go into a little more in a minute.

So, without further ado, lets get to it…

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Thanks for dropping by on this important day for me. After weeks (in fact a couple of months, lets face it!) of hard work, lots of tweaks and even a few sleepless nights, we’re finally here with the launch of my new site, and my free ‘New Business’ Bootcamp course.

I would like to say, right here and now, a massive thank you to everyone for their support over the last couple of months, and for being so patient with me as I put together the final touches to the site, the bootcamp and everything else that went along with reinventing my online brand.

I think it came out pretty good – what do you think?!

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When was the last time you said to yourself “I really LOVE doing this…”? If it wasn’t at some point in the last 4-weeks – its time to take stock.

Here we are in mid-2012 and I know one thing for sure – there is absolutely no reason why we should be doing ‘stuff’ that we hate, or dislike in anyway.

Our world has come a long, long way in the last 5-10 years, and I’m not talking about the launch of the iPad, or the fact that Virgin America has the coolest cabin lighting in the world of aviation!

The fact is that there are now more entrepreneurs on the planet today, than ever before in the history of western civilization. 

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Focus on Social MediaI’m in the process of putting together some pretty major changes to my blogging focuses, schedules and over all online strategies. All will be revealed here shortly, I promise.

One of the main things that I’ve been looking into recently has been that of my efforts to build an online community, away from blogging, for everyone to come together, converse, network and help each other.

When you’re doing something like this, as far as I’m concerned it comes down to a very simple question…

Facebook, or Google+…?

I believe that *most* people have a clear picture of their answer and certainly favor one of the social networking giants, over the other.

Facebook certainly has a bigger number attached to it, in terms of users. However, Google+ is being seen as potentially more authoritative, for the obvious reasons, as well as slightly more ‘entrepreneurial’, too.

So, I’d like you to take 10secs and comment below with your answer.

If you’d like to elaborate, then feel free – but a simple one-word reply is also very much appreciated.

GO!

Start UP Mentor 2012

Over the weekend, I took part in Cebu’s first ever Startup Weekend, and played the role as a Mentor to the many highly talented individuals and teams that came to the event to make a difference. To affect change in their lives, by doing something amazing.

It got me thinking myself.

So, today I have a very short, simple and direct post for you.

Simply look at the five questions below and answer them. When you’re done doing that, get to work on making the most out of the answers – even if it means making drastic changes.

The Questions

  • Are you enjoying what you do everyday?
  • Do you spend the amount of time you want to, with the people you love?
  • Are you focused on working on something you feel makes a difference?
  • Does discussing what you do for a ‘living’ get you excited?
  • Where do you see yourself in 10-years?

If you’d like to share your answers below, please do.

If you’d like to share your Action Plans, please do.

And if you feel answering these questions would help a friend today, please go ahead and share this post with them, by clicking on the floating ‘social’ buttons to the left!

Traits and Characteristics of a Successful EntrepreneurOver the weekend of May 11-13, 2012 I was surrounded by hard working, existing and wannabe entrepreneurs. I was mixing it up with the best that Cebu (along with neighboring islands, and countries for that matter!) had to offer in the tech startup game, as we all celebrated the first ever Startup Weekend in the Queen City of the South!

I was asked to be a Mentor at the event, which was rather coincidental, as I picked up the Startup Weekend book on my way back from BlogWorld Expo in LA, in November 2011, where I spoke on the subject of bloggers working with virtual assistants to build their online brands and businesses – but, I didn’t get the chance to actually read the book until the beginning of the new year.

No more than a couple of weeks after I had finished the last page of the book, I was invited to take part in the first event, right here in my adopted hometown of Cebu City. Of course, I accepted.

The festivities of the weekend business opportunities got me thinking…

My Question

Throughout the course of my preparations for the weekend, I got to asking myself ‘What does it take to be an Entrepreneur?’, or more specifically, what are the ‘Important traits and characteristics of a successful entrepreneur?’. Hence today’s post…

If you have a strong opinion on this already, comment at will below (after reading my opinion, obviously!) – if not, then check out the video below, from the team behind Startup Weekend, for a little inspiration.

My Opinion

As far as I’m concerned, to become a successful entrepreneur you need to be someone that isn’t looking to make a quick buck. You need to be ready and willing to work your ass off – for years, quite frankly – to be able to achieve your dreams. You also need to truly understand the way people (your prospective customers!) think, as well as understanding what they want and need; the problems they have – and more importantly – how to create, package and present products and services that solve those problems.

However, without a doubt, the single most important trait of a successful entrepreneur, in my book anyway, is of originality.

If you’re not original you can forget it. If you’re not willing to brainstorm and mind-map until your ears bleed to come up with that one original idea that you know will solve a problem for a certain demographic, then you can also forget it.

Likewise, if you’re looking for a fast-track to success, diving in on a whim, potentially second-guessing things or worst yet, copying other peoples ideas, then you can also forget it. You’ll never be a successful entrepreneur.

Think about it. When was the last time you saw an insanely successful entrepreneur who wasn’t original? Who wasn’t innovative?

I’d love to hear what you have to say on this topic, so please comment below, and as always, thank you for getting involved and making the community here the hustlin’, bustlin’ entrepreneurial tribe that it is!