Howard's comments

I guess it all really gets down to "What is the Purpose" of the network connection tab?

• Is it to show the world that you have some kind of a relationship and can offer a reference or a referral for this person?

• Or is it like your own personal contact database which you BTW are sharing with the world?

I'm sure it means different things to different people, but I'm curious, what's is everyone's perspective on this?

Is your "public network" like a closet, a file cabinet, your high school yearbook, your business associates, your vendors, your clients, your personal contact database, or what?

...Howard

P.S. BTW, when someone who I really like and want to help by supporting their business deleted me, it really shook me up. Now, that is all I can think about every time this person posts a comment or we run into each other at a live event. This can be a real vexing issue.

Leila... I'm actually in the process of making contact with everyone in my Biznik network (touching base so to speak) and I am discovering that I probably should dis-connect from a few.

Why? After my first year on Biznik, I have discovered as many people that I want to do business with as I have discovered those that I do not want to recommend to others or do biz with myself.

This comes from experiencing how people keep their small commitments. You can only realize this over time and through numerous encounters. I am developing a real good list of people I will be putting on my "recommended" list. Those that don't fit anymore, will be jettisoned, but only after one final connection attempt with them letting them know why I feel that way. ...Howard

That is is good advice. Karen is a wise attorney. 38 years ago I had an attorney advise me to file for bankruptcy when I really didn't need to.

In retrospect, I have experienced numerous times that I have been far worse off (and actually bankrupt) and have learned how to work through the situation WITHOUT filing bankruptcy.

My advice today, to anyone considering it, is to first get some help from those who have previously been where you are now. In most cases, you can solve your current situation without the long-lasting effects of a bankruptcy on your record, especially with the help of a good attorney, such as Karen appears to be.

Pamela... Sounds good to me.

Maybe you can give me a little inspiration for my Sense Able Selling column that I write for the Eastside Business Newspaper.

Thanks for hosting. ...Howard

Thank you Paul for a well-done Biznik workshop. It was interesting, informative, and well presented. The exercises were effective and help reinforce the concepts which you taught. I will be a fan for a long time and look forward to future collaboration with you. ...Howard

Annika... I'm looking forward to a great session. Thank you for hosting. ...Howard

Until my book that chronicles my journey on the path of recovery is released, I offer personal free consulting to any Biznik that will message me with a request for a one-on-one meeting before or after a Biznik event, time permitting. ...Howard

Leif... I hang out and receive inspiration and business advice daily at Billionaire U.

I learn practical business tips from one of my favorite mentors. The curriculum is just the ticket for entrepreneurs and it only takes me about 10-15 minutes everyday for my continuing education.

And, I have made some great connections from the monthly teleconferences and a few live events. ...Howard

Barbara... Just wanting to be clear about MY opinion.

Concerning your statement: "And our constitution does say that government exists to provide for the general welfare for its people - which I think does include access to basic health care."

The Constitution says: "...PROMOTE the general welfare..." not PROVIDE. And, I agree that means "access to basic health care", but not funding it.

In my personal experience, I have witnessed two people who made the mistake of choosing to break the law, but otherwise were good people, DIE because of lack of access to basic health care.

They otherwise could have had access but were denied that privilege because they were classified by society as a threat necessary to be incarcerated. For every public example of an inmate receiving "preferential" treatment, there are numerous examples of government malfeasance in providing access to basic health care.

Let's not get into any movement of change IF it starts classifying people as WHO is deserving and WHO is not.

As business people (solo or otherwise) we make the choice as to what business expenses we deem necessary to operation and the setting of our fees to provide our services, just as large corporations can decide if the health benefit expense fits into the price-value of their services.

Let the market determine the price of health care services without over-regulation and let the insurance companies compete for those who do not want to take the chance of personal responsibility, and let the religious and charitable organizations fill in the gap to care for those in need regardless of the reason.

I agree with you that there are alternative methods to take care of ourselves. I think the government needs to let us keep our own money and decide where we want to spend it.

And I ultimately believe that the competition of alternative sources would provide better and more for less. ...Howard

Caroline... This is really a tangent conversation and I would love to discuss with you off-line.

I'm sorry that Buddy was relegated to a lesser position in line. Most circumstances in the world do not comply with the ideal of "fair", and many people in positions to make decisions that affect others do not recognize our own feelings of "justice".

When you ask the question of "why we are paying ...?", my opinion is because WE elected the law makers that make the rules and now WE must live by them. If we want different rules, we need to give more consideration to who we elect to represent our views.

Just the humble opinion of one who cannot vote because he once made a mistake. ...Howard

Judy.. We will always be friends.

On another track, sometime, let's chat (off-line) about the health care situation as it really is in the prison system. Inmates are people too. They just made a mistake, and maybe only one. You might be interested to learn another perspective. ...Howard

Barbara... Your original question was: "How do you meet your health care needs?"

My reply is: I take care of myself in the best manner possible, both physically and financially. I work hard to purchase the best insurance that I can afford. I do everything that I can so that I do not become dependent upon anyone else or the government, wherever I live. And, I contribute to worthy charities that assist those unable to take care of themselves. I strive to be a "responsible" citizen of my community.

Some replies on this thread prompt me to ask: When did "professional health care" become an unalienable right of birth?

And, why does anyone think that a governmental bureaucracy can tax "responsible" citizens and then administer any program better than a free-market society can?

Yes ---- Health Care is a Hot Topic. It's about time we started promoting Personal Responsibility in how we take care of our bodies. Big Government is Not the Solution!

In my humble opinion, all based on personal experience, not on opinion polls. ...Howard

This tread reminded me of this interesting story:

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"

The man below says, "Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field."

"You must work in information technology" says the balloonist.

"I do," replies the man. "How did you know."

"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's no use to anyone."

The man below says, "You must be a corporate manager."

"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."

BTW: I took this from a post on my personal blog from 1998.

Dani... I've encountered similar experiences and had some of the same feelings as you. Now that I'm older, I see a little different.

It's interesting to me, how the comments of other's can affect us in so many different ways. If we were to go through life, without the occasional encounter of something or someone contrary to our expected results, we would probably never gain any wisdom.

Therefore, I have learned to be "thankful" when someone offers me what I used to consider a criticizing remark.

It's my impression that this woman may have provided you a great opportunity by giving you another viewpoint albeit in a perceived rude manner. You may want to consider her "intention", and forgive her approach.

Zita's comment prompted me to take Dr. Dyer's book off my shelf and read it again. It reminded me of a very important principle that if we, "change the way we look at things, the things we look at change."

If ... "things seem to be going pretty well", then you should not question the name of your business, and ignore the suggestion.

On the other hand, an observation from a "prospective client or referral partner" may be worthy of a little thought. I learned a while back that business success revolved around serving the needs of my customers, not my ego.

Networking can help us to acquire better focus in our business if we are receptive to it. If not, we can miss out on some "well intentioned" insights that we may have missed otherwise.

Hoping you received my sincere comment in the way it was intended... Howard

Barbara... With a lot of experience as an employer, I came to learn that it was in my best interest for good employee retention to offer the benefit of health insurance (NOT because I was forced to by the government).

As an employee of my own company, I was also now providing for the health insurance for me and my family. A very good reason to start your own business so you can have better control over your life circumstances.

Now that I do not employee others, the challenge of getting a benefit of the large group policy is gone. So, my wife works for a large company that gives us access to a group plan and a Health Savings Account.

I really like Leila's approach and am going to re-evaluate our percentage of insurance coverage vs. the HSA. Thanks for your informative post, Leila. ...Howard

John... My recommendation would be 123 Social Media. Brian has already put it out there. You should call him. ...Howard

P.S. This is un-solicited praise for Barry Hurd, whom I feel is the best in this field.

Leila... Been there, done that, on all accounts. Life doesn't end with ADVERSITY. What doesn't kill you makes your better.

The main focus of my current work is to help inspire other's that they can make it beyond these business challenges and find a happy and satisfying new career. Anyone looking for support through their journey will have a friend in me. ...Howard

Tia... I have experienced a few similar comments throughout my life. I hope I've learned to "shrug them off" and not take them too seriously. You always need to consider the source of every comment.

I like to remember daily the Serenity Prayer that goes something like this:

"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

There many kind and considerate people in the world you can spend your time and caring with. Just ignore the others. Reacting to the negative, just feeds their fire. ...Howard

Thanks for the head's-up Joe. Colleen has always been one of my favorite Biznik's. Thumb's up from me. ...Howard

Kirk... Thank you for hosting and encouraging us to "sharpen the saw" for a day. It was an inspirational day for me and enjoyable to be with a few Biznik friends. ...Howard

Marty...

The first simple reply:

• Joe Hage puts his dog there.
• Keith Gormezano puts his QuickBooks travel bag there.
• Brian Crouch has a great descriptive image there, but not his logo.

I think you could do a lot better with a relevant and easy to understand image there that would represent how you benefit your target audience.

A more thoughtful reply: I'd really like to get to know YOU better before I refer business to you. WHO really cares about a LOGO other than LARGE companies that need a visual clue to stand out from the crowd because their market and prospective customer base is so huge.

It seems to me, that small biz professional service providers such as ourselves, can serve our target market better by spending more time being seen, and heard while demonstrating what we can offer. WE are our brand and logo.

Just my humble opinion. Your friend. ...Howard

P.S. For some pragmatic, realistic, and FREE sales advice join me and a few other Bizniks to explore how to make more people love you.

Marty... I'm just curious. Why do you think you need a logo? ...Howard

Tia... you are NOT a clueless newbie. You are more visionary than your client. Biznik is not just for Seattle-ites. It is Global. It just started Local. You will eventually have your own strong Local Biznik group if you desire it.

Brian... You are right on. The philosophy and the resulting community culture is the key ingredient that I think will continue to propel Biznik. And I do think that as Biznik evolves it will become a tool for increased local and global networking.

I'm really anticipating the "groups" feature and the effect it will have on local and categorized networking niches. With Biznik's new Ambassador Program, I think you will see local networking events continue to become more popular and I predict the day that local Biznik groups will surpass the BNI types of the world.

The closed clique nature of exclusive "one per category" groups is pass'e in my humble opinion. I have been able to vet and parse my networking partners at light speed with Biznik compared to the old method of meeting the same group of 'specialists' every week.

Think about it; what if one or two members of your local BNI type group are not up to the quality level of services you want to give your referral to? Where do you turn then?

Because your reputation is on the line whenever you give some 'word of mouth' exposure for another, you need to be sure it will reflect well on you. Biznik solves this dilemma with the philosophy of "Collaboration rather than Competition", and the unique blend of on-line presence and live events.

What BNI types consider reciprocal sourcing between members of an exclusive club really turns me off. I believe we need to earn our referrals by quality performance of the service we offer. We can demonstrate that with quality networking interactivity.

With that in mind, I believe that Biznik has the staying power and will eventually take the throne.

In my humble opinion ...Howard