It’s not about Money. Patience is your most important asset.

February 5, 2012 by Raul Colon

Photos of Raul Colon Web Developer Puerto Rico — Gary Vaynerchuck & Me SXSWi 2011

The past few months have been very challenging since I have not brought my business where I want it to be and assuring myself that I have to trust my gut feeling can get complicated when you have a family to feed and bills to pay and the Money is just not coming in.

It’s not about Money; Patience is your most important asset.

On the other side it is easy to give up when you are not seeing results quickly but over time and after running my own business over the past 3-½ years I have learned that Patience is an asset that can be lost easily. Patience most be nurtured every day. I have been working on it seems I like to react when my intuition tells me something is wrong. I also like to make on spot corrections where I see a fault but this can drain you of energy especially when you are around people that don’t truly want to better themselves or the environment around them.

I had the opportunity the previous march to meet Gary Vaynerchuk at SXSWi and talk with him for a few minutes at the Samsung Bloggers Lounge. I also got a signed copy of his book Thank You Economy and out of the many interesting successful people I have met I have to say he is one the few, that just like my good friend Chris Brogan, you can feel he cares about others.

Last night looking at my Google Plus I found this video Gary shared where I agree on many of this thoughts when it comes to being in entrepreneurial mindset.

Can’t See Video Click Here

The past week has been evidence of what I really believe in and Gary is speaking about very clearly in the previous video. I find it curious how Gary created this video based on all the emails he received of questions entrepreneurs ask him so they can move on and be successful. If you watch the video I interpreted how Gary breaks down his advice in a very practical way.

Confidence

You need to be confident of what you are doing and go with your gut feeling. Like Gary said there is no Lost in Going for it.

Many years ago when I was in the Army Reserve Drill Sergeant school during the second phase I had one of my instructors who clearly called me out and her words pretty much changed how I approached life from that moment off.

Drill Sgt. Instructor Deb Hancock congratulated me on doing an awesome job at the task at hand but seconds later told me that I needed to adjust the way I reacted because I was so confident in everything I did that other people where perceiving it as if I was cocky.

Reality was that everything I do I give it my best and at that moment although I had lost my interest in being in the Military I was still giving it my best when others where just dragging their feet and calling me out because I was celebrating my wins. I thank Deb Hancock for giving me such great advice which I have applied since and almost 8 years later I keep it in the back of my head to control how I show my passion (I am still working on it) towards everything I get involved in.

Thick Skin

At that time remember I was 23 and a lot younger than most of the folks training with me. For some reason that made me celebrate what I had accomplished in a wrong way. Like Gary states in the video we evolve and get better, when I was 23 and younger I was clearly concerned on what others would think of me. Over the years I have gotten better on staying focused on the tasks at hand. I also have situations where I might lose track and I have Lucy (@lucymfel) and friends that remind me that I need to keep working on my goals.

Working Your ASS Off

I work ridiculous hours and many people might think I am crazy. Some might even go to the extreme of telling me I am not enjoying my life. In that case I don’t care because it is in my genetics. Two of my brothers (Luis and Javier -@javierrcolon), My dad (Don Tito), my Uncle’s (Tito and Rey), my best childhood friend Alex, and other good friends like Moises and Rick also work very long hours. I never see them complaining about missing out on a party, working on a Friday night, or missing out on a holiday. I usually see the opposite in them talking about the next thing they will be working on.

I surround myself around people that are constantly creating and working towards their goals. In my case my normal weeks involve at least working 70 hours when many think they did a full week with 40 hours. Yes I would love to work only 40 hours but when I am not getting the results I want I have to work at lot harder at it.

So if you think that working hard for 70 hours a week is not living life take a look at the people around you that work fewer hours and are always complaining on how crappy their job and life is.

Sticking To It

I have had a tough 2011 and the past few months have been harder. My hardest job is keeping myself focused even when I am not able to see results. It takes lots of patience and discipline to keep on going when things in the surface don’t look right. A few months ago I was invited by Joe Sorge (@joesorge), someone I consider to be very successful business owner, to the Kitchen Table Talks show. He wanted me to talk about how I Stick with Things and don’t give up. People like Joe and my other good friend and business partner Rob Hatch @robhatch remind me that sticking with will pay off in the long run.

Celebrating and Sharing Results

This past week I have seen results on many aspects. I was able to land a sponsorship (I will be mentioning the sponsor soon) to go to SXSWi in helping me cover the cost of the Badge, Airfare, and a few other expenses. I still have a few more sponsor packages if anyone is interested in supporting my trip feel free to reach out.

My team and business partners at Human Business Works are in the process of closing and winning a project in Europe helping some folks with Social and Online presence. I have also gotten many replies from a few leads that seem to want my help on a few other projects.

As I am finally seeing the results of the many weeks of hard work, I take the opportunity to thank each and everyone of you that has kept my spirits up by supporting me in many ways (saying hi, sharing a post, commenting on a post, or just sending us good vibes).

What things are going well on your side make sure you celebrate each and every win (no matter how small it is)?

How can you lose the fear in loosing and come out swinging in spirits to hit a home run?

5 Simple Steps to Reach Long Term Goals

January 16, 2012 by Raul Colon

Many of us are living through tough times where we are clearly doing are best to stay afloat financially. Like in any economic stage there are winners and losers. If you are a winner then you might be looking at ways to leverage your resources and make the most out of it. It might be focusing on growing your business, getting better opportunity, making the best out of the existing opportunities.

On the other side if things are not going as you wish you might be trying to shift gears, looking for a career change, wanting to start a new business, searching for opportunities that will get you to be on winning side.

My Approach on Reaching My Goals and Dreams

I am working my ass off towards getting toward the winners Circle, but it is more of hanging on during a marathon than a quick sprint.

1. Laying out a Plan and executing

One of the things I see many people fail at when trying to go after their dreams is excessive planning. If you Plan too much and execute very little this will eventually work against you. The whole purpose of a Plan is to increase the probability of being successful at an effort. If you are using and investing in resources to plan it is critical that you execute on what you planned for. Many people continue to stay in the planning stage and are too afraid to implement anything until they feel it is perfect. Therefore they continue to plan and stay in that loop of improving their plan without ever putting it to work.

Sometimes there is no better opportunity than implementing it right now. Give it a chance and tweak along the way.

2. Understanding Your Strengths and Weaknesses

If you can’t identify your strengths and weaknesses then you are only making harder on your self to reach your goals. Try to make a list of things you are really good at that go along with what you are planning to do. Once you have that list it is even more critical to identify what you are not good and will hand off to someone else .

Examples:

If you are not good at budget planning or keeping your finances up to date then you might need to consider hiring an accountant for that part of your business.
If you are not a creative type then you might want someone to take care of creating your logo other creative documents (someone as awesome as @ricklipsett might be a good choice).
If you are not tech savvy and you are in need of website find professionals to take care of that part of the plan and build something that is functional.

3. Finding & Identifying Adequate Resources

If you are not able to identify or find proper resources then ask for help from your networks of trust (friends, families, and peers). If you don’t have an idea of where to start your best bet is looking for professional advice on how to get things running.

Example:

Companies like CIMA IT (my company) and Human Business Works (strategic partners) can coach you through the process of setting up any business online. If not their resources are more than willing to point you towards the right direction.

Since I started CIMA IT in 2008, I can clearly say I have gotten better at identifying the best resources possible for my clients and my own efforts.

4. Guidance in Implementing

If you are looking for help identifying resources on the personal side then you might want to hire a coach like my good friend @bernixiong. A person like @bernixiong can clearly help you set your mind straight and hold your hand through the process of hitting key milestones. Not only will her energy motivate you to get more done and do your best but she is also a very business savvy individual which can be a great asset for anyone in need of coaching.

5. Alliances and Partnerships

Finding individuals that will stick with you as business partners like we also do for our clients is critical. For example we implemented the web presence of Romybaez.com where he sells insurance for small businesses.

In our company we try to create packages of services either of creating and maintaining your online presence. We do the heavy lifting for you. Instead of you having to worry about how to approach twitter, Linked, Facebook, and now Google + we make sure we hand you all the possible shortcuts that can make you successful.

Our partners like Chris Brogan (New York Times Best Selling Author) and his company Human Business Works also helps us serve our clients with the best resources available. On Human Business Works Projects using the guidance of someone as experiences as Chris clearly sets us apart and puts us at another level. If you are interested in improving your online presence with the guidance of one of the top professionals in that field globally head over to Humanbusinessworks.com or contact us directly.

Making My Dreams Come True

Execution is critical in making your dreams come true. Without good planning the adequate resources it might be difficult for you to get closer to your dreams.

What stops you from achieving your dreams?

It is a business idea you have not been able to completely form. Do you have an idea of doing something you are passionate about but can’t figure out how to make it a moneymaking efforts. Or is it that you have the idea and don’t know where to start.

I will be offering also a few simple business assessments where I get an understanding of your plans and help you sort them out in a way where you can reach those initial goals and get you closer to making your dreams come true.

If you are interested in knowing more about the business or personal assessments contact me directly.

How do you get closer to your dreams what formula work for you?

5 Things I wants lots of during 2012!

January 1, 2012 by Raul Colon

Last year for my first post I wrote about abundance and I clearly think that post set the tone for the rest of the year, although I did not meet any business financial goals on the personal side I did have lots of abundance when it came to many aspect and most importantly a small group of people reaching out to help me in many different forms.

I guess when we define abundance it means something different to all of us. I clearly wanted to make this one of my 2012 three words but after thinking it over I decided that we should always have abundance as a word to guide us.

In 2011 I had abundance of the following:

1. Topics to Write About

I kept a pretty steady pace of writing for multiple blogs including my own blogs papaheroes.com, Veglatino.com, and my corporate blog. From 2011, I still have many blog posts I have not published and many other topics I wish to write about. I use my daily experiences and the conversations I have with my contacts online and offline as inspiration in many of these posts I wrote. I also use my blog and morning pages exercise as a way to clear my head and get ideas for future opportunities. If you are in need of a topic for your business blog or blog feel free to reach out I might be able to collaborate with you in creating content.

2. Giggles, Laughs, & Smiles

My first year as a Dad has given me a fair share of laughs, smiles and giggles. My daughter loves to giggle especially when she sees something that she calls her attention. Since she is just one year old she mixes giggles with a squeal that makes me smile and lets me know she finds something amusing. On many occasions walking in public my daughter also has a unique way of staring at people and calling people’s attention. Thanks to her many people end up smiling at me given how my daughter hypnotized them with her look (she also has a very unique way of sitting in her stroller which looks like she is relaxing at a spa).

Many of the funny events I have had during the year that made me laugh where created by my family. Every time my daughter dances to a beat and does something silly it will make me smile. Each visit I have to Grandma’s house my Uncle Tito will surely do something silly making my daughter and everyone laugh. Even when she does things I know she is not suppose to do but I find silly and funny I might want to laugh although In some occasions I able stop myself from laughing.

3. Health

I have been blessed with a healthy daughter in one year she still has not gotten sick other than when they put her shots that I consider a reaction towards the virus she was injected with. Although my dad was diagnosed with Cancer (thankfully at early stages) different to other years 2011 was full of a healthy year for most of my family. The previous year was full of many financial gains but many health related set backs in the family (I rather lose money than having my family members ill). I can deal pretty easily with having financial issues but having family members that are ill really affects my performance and my being in the personal and business sense. The only major set back was losing Grandma America to Cancer in 2011 but she is in a better place now may she rest in peace and it motivates me to carry out what she expects of me with more motivation.

4. People Who Care

I have bumped into people who truly care about my family and me and are always extending a hand in however they can. Sharing advice, sending business my way, or just sending a gift at the right time where I can continue to build or keep my business afloat.

5. Put Your Thoughts On Identifying Resources

I see how many organizations, people, and businesses fail because they are focusing on cutting costs and not focusing on bringing revenue, which I will leave for a future post. Not thinking of the resources you have and trying to acquire better resources will always put you in a difficult position for you to succeed.

For 2012 I want to think there will be abundance and how I should never forget to appreciate it. If we put our minds towards thinking on how we can accomplish things and how they will be there we can clearly align ourselves better so we can accomplish our goals.

Think of the many things you have and don’t focus on those you don’t have. Appreciate everything you have and make the best with it.

How will you bring abundance into the lives of those around you and most importantly your own?

Looking Back when You are Running

October 14, 2011 by Raul Colon

I remember the first time I ran a race my dad kept on telling me to focus on myself and my pace and not look back at the other runners. I guess I should have listened to my dad which I did not. On many occasions while I ran as a teenager I use to look back. Even when I went into the military I had the bad habit at different stages of a run or race of looking back.

One day I remember I had the only hispanic in same company as me during Basic Training who was from Mexican Descendency last name Farias. Farias grew up in the rough street of Los Angeles and joined the miltary looking for opportunities. He was a bright kid but I will never forget Farias was because he had a great heart to accomplish every goal he set himself to do. Farias and myself where brought up in the mentality of not working ourselves to hard and not giving 100% just being able to meet the requirements. However both of us where hungry for more.

At the beginning of Basic Training we ended up realizing we had to change our attitude quickly. I was always a runner Farias had never run long distances. At the beggining I remember Farias coming in just barely making the times on our PT (physical traning) Tests and I was a bit above average. Farias realized that if he gave it all he had he could come in with me. At one moment Farias realized that the opportunity of making a better time running was really in his head. Farias became the person I wanted to beat at one point because he was a natural runner in week he was able to bring up his time from doing two miles in 17-18 minutes to doing two miles in less than 11 minutes.

The Underdog Mentor

When I saw how quickly Farias improved his time he really motivated me to do the same. Although Farias was a lot lighter (skinnier) than I was he made me improve my running by a lot. Farias taught me on how to focus on the next guy in front of me and just trying to beat him. Running became fun for me because all I had to do was not allow anyone to pass me and grab the person in front of me. When I felt tired I just focused on moving one leg in front of the other and relaxing so I could make sure I passed the next person. I was also able to make my time a lot better running the two miles under 11 minutes on a few occasions something that now days would really be out of my reach.

One foot in front of the other

I guess in business and other personal matters sometimes we are trying to get in first without taking it one step at a time. When trying to come in first without pacing ourselves and looking at who is behind of us it can only makes us lose focus.

By using Farias example I was able to focus on my targets towards the front and forget at who was behind me. I also paced myself to make sure I was running a comfortable pace for me to finish the distance. I use to have the bad habit of running in front of everyone and then hitting a wall running.

In business I try to make sure I serve each customer in the best way I can. I make sure each projects gets completed with positive results. If I already reached a milestone I forget about that one and focus on the next one to reach.

How do you make sure you are running a race that you can al least be satisfied with your results?

What should you focus on?

Trying Vs. Wanting

September 2, 2011 by Raul Colon

Every day I try my hardest to get to where I want to be on professional and personal basis. Seeing all seven days of the week as an opportunity to get to where I want to be is something many are not willing to understand.

Wanting Material Things

There is a big difference when you want things that are material. Most of them are easily obtainable but at a cost. The problem is by wanting something material and having it, could lead to losing it one day.

There is nothing wrong with wanting material things. Some things might be more of a luxury. If you investing your time and working hard my advice is ot make sure that you are focusing on the more important things in life that are not material.

Victims of Shiny Object Syndrome

I have seen someone obtain something material because they thought it they really needed it. In most cases it is someone wanting a luxury car, a boat, jewelry, or any other shiny object. The problem is that as human beings we want a material thing and go after it. Once we have it we are on to the next new thing. I personally set up a budget for shiny objects. If I meet my sales and profitability goals (and saved money) then I allocate a small amount to a small little luxury. If I don’t meet them those goals, I keep working hard until I get to where I want to be.

Your Goals First

I put my business and personal goals over any material object. At one moment in my life wanting material things took over me and I ended up helping many other meet their goals. For example, I worked for a large accounting firm where I worked for the Partners goals not mine. I had the opportunity to travel and I had a steady stream of income coming into my pockets. This steady stream of income allowed me to buy some really awesome shinny objects. The problem was that once I had them I was looking for a newer shiny object or the latest model.

Trying My Best To Meet My Goals

At one point I stopped wanting things that where not in line with what I was trying to do. I was trying to be independent and go after my passion of solving complex business problems with practical, technological solutions but I was a slave of many shiny objects. Once I let go of my safety blankets like a salary, vacation time, and other perks of working for larger corporations as an employee I became happier even with less material things.

Bumps in the Road

Going after what I wanted gave me more options and decisions I completely controlled, but it also involved more sacrifice. Since I went on my own I did let go of many of the shiny objects I had acquired even my home. After not having income for a period of time which made it impossible to pay my mortgage, it put me into a tough position. I paid my mortgage out of my savings a year after being unemployed and not bringing any extra income. Later on when I got on track, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico decided to hit me with such ridiculous large fees and had me running in circles for almost a year. Yes they reached several agreements that they later backed off from. At one point I got the message that the greedy folks at Banco Popular wanted the house more than I did. This was the most difficult item to let go, but after all it was only a house not my home.

There is a big difference in trying and wanting. You can want many things but there is very little effort involved around wanting. Now trying to achieve those things is a continuous exercise that should be repeated day by day.

Make sure to have short-term goals towards having a better life, enjoying time with family, building something for your own self. Once you are able to get it through your mind that trying is something you will continue to do until we are no longer here on earth. I am more than sure that you will be a lot more conservative with the wanting of many things.

My experiences have taught me to only want the great things in life; making sure my family is healthy and that I have enough to survive until the next day.

If you are trying and giving it more than 100% you are doing a great job so far. Don’t give up and count on me for support!

photo credit by Christian Haugen