Thanksgiving and Social Networking

What a great networking opportunity Thanksgiving represents!

Now, you may think this is somewhat cynical.  Just the idea of using a holiday gathering of family and friends SHOULD be an occasion free from businesses and sales pitches.  And of course, you are right, somewhat.

After everyone has gotten and given their hugs and everyone is caught up on “family business”, what do we do?  Well, there’s the meal, dessert, then football or conversation.  But, how many times have you gotten into conversations with friends and relatives about some of the challenges they might be having?  How many times in the past have you simply let the topic pass and never give it another thought?

If you are involved at all in “social networking” for your business, I want you to approach things differently this year.  Take your Rolodex with you!  Not (necessarily literally, but maybe) with you.  Instead of trying to sell your own business to your family and friends, try helping THEM by sharing your contacts with them!  What better way to give a gift than to help someone you know than to introduce them to someone else you trust.

What better way to give “Thanks” than by “Giving” your shared friendships to others in a way that helps everyone?  We sell best when we sell least.  People refer to people they like.  So, strive to be the kind of person people like.

In America, we have much for which to give thanks.  Thanksgiving is not as much about celebrating your faith as it is about celebrating life.  Take nothing for granted.  Life is too short and too precious to complain.  Look for the good in all things and in everything.  Remember, regardless of how bad our own situation may be there is always someone worse off.  In all things give thanks.

Gloom and Doom Are For Sissies!

Because of my banking and real estate background, I have an opportunity to consult with chiropractors about their business.

I was working with a particular chiropractor today on negotiating the lease for her new practice. The negotiations had gone well with some excellent concessions on the perfect location for her business. That’s when she started to doubt herself. Apparently, she had heard on the news that the economy was SO bad that there was a 12 month supply of empty office space on the market.  “Should I rethink even starting a practice now?”

While I’m aware of the state of the economy, you should be VERY leery of blanket statements about how bad things are. There is NEVER a better time to start a new business or make the right investment than in a recession, ESPECIALLY a deep recession like this one. Certainly, there are LOTS of empty buildings and space for lease and there are lots of folks going out of business and layoffs and lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! HOWEVER, in the midst of all the bad news there is lots of GOOD NEWS!

Sure, there IS plenty of empty space and folks are going out of business and there are layoffs. BUT, look at it from another perspective. For THIS particular chiropractor, there was only a FEW places that would work for her. The space we found was the PERFECT size in the PERFECT location with a MOTIVATED landlord and LOWER RENT than should EVER have been able to find just a year ago! Furthermore, there is an abundance of highly qualified folks willing to work for almost anything just to have some income.

So, before you buy into the gloom and doom of the recession, understand that it creates great opportunities for small businesses to flourish. So, get to work seeking, even creating great opportunities for yourself TODAY!

Kick BUT and Make Money!

Part of the problem with being a small business is that there always seems to be an excuse for not being able to accomplish what you want. Many times, it doesn’t matter whether there’s a good economy or bad, there is always an excuse. It might be the economy or the Government or our litigious society or the stock market or WHATEVER!

The TRUTH is that there will ALWAYS be challenges and obstacles to doing business. The key to winning is to ALWAYS get back up. My old football coach would say “Keep you head down and your feet moving! Drive! Drive! Drive! Don’t stop UNTIL you hear the whistle blow!” Obviously, what he was telling us was to keep going DESPITE what else might be happening.

One of the key congruences I’ve seen in every successful person I know has been the ability, even INTENT, to Kick BUT! Winners NEVER make excuses. They never need to. IF winners ever use the word “but” it’s to overcome an excuse to NOT do something.

Make a habit of “Kicking BUT” in your business and life. You’ll be amazed at your results.

Networking is about positive, affirmative relationships. Success is about making steady progress toward the realization of your goals and dreams. Invest in good, strong relationships.

SERVE DON’T SELL!

Say “Hello”
Get their card
Follow Up!
Say “Thank You!”
Tell. Don’t Sell
Refer
THEN Receive!

Remember, they don’t care how much you know UNTIL they know how much you care!

Chiropractic: Truth in Advertising

When I heard the call to become a chiropractor, it was NOT necessarily to fix backaches and strains. It was because I had seen lives literally saved, or at least changed, after all hope had been lost pursuing traditional approaches to their problem.  One in particular was a little girl who had suffered from seizures her entire life.

That little girl NEVER suffered a backache.  But, she DID suffer.  Her mother had NO INSURANCE.  And if she had to pay the same fee that folks with insurance coverage paid, she simply could not have afforded the care.  But, her chiropractor had a fee system that allowed her to get the care she needed at a price that was affordable and predictable.

Part of the problem people have with chiropractors is that they don’t always know what we do! Some try to fix back pain, while others sell supplements or various other devices.  Some wear white coats (some even drape a stethoscope over their neck) and exclaim, “We’re REAL doctors, too!”  Most claim that what we do can help you get and stay healthy.  But, FEW can (or will) tell you in a few words what it is we really do.

Here’s the truth about chiropractic! In it’s simplest form, chiropractic is the location and correction of a source of interference in how your body communicates with itself.  Specifically, we reduce stress on your central nervous system caused by slight misalignments of a bone (or bones) in your spine.  Because your nervous system runs your whole body and affects EVERY aspect of your life, that stress can affect your health, thinking and emotions.  When a chiropractor does what he/she is supposed to do, your body functions better. It simply can’t help BUT work better.

Most chiropractors will take your insurance.  But, when a doctor accepts your insurance it usually raises the cost of your care. There are many reasons why.  Just know it does.  I have an article on my blog about “The Case for Cash”.  Feel free to check it out.

At my practice, ALL we do is remove that stress that ONLY chiropractors are trained to find and correct. And because that’s all I do, it allows me to charge a fee that people can afford.  I also believe that if chiropractic is good for helping you GET BETTER it is also good for helping you STAY BETTER.  That’s why we encourage folks to include it in their lifestyle.

So, if I want you to include it in our lifestyle, shouldn’t I have a fee system that will allow you to do JUST that? Of course!  Isn’t THAT what they mean when they say “Put your money where your mouth is!”? A few years ago, I came up with the concept of “The Membership Practice” where you pay like you do for a health club membership.

We offer three (3) types of memberships. 1) Individual Visit Member: You pay a yearly fee of $100 and then you pay a reduced fee each time you come for a visit, a little more if you bring the rest of your family.  2) Monthly Practice Membership is a monthly investment that’s reasonable for almost any individual or family for unlimited care.  This plan is designed to help you fit routine chiropractic adjustments into your lifestyle without breaking the bank.  Yearly Practice Memberships work out to be about half of what the monthly plan would be and offers the same benefits as the monthly plan, only at a great savings.

Why would I offer my services at such a ridiculous value? I’m glad you asked.  At my office, we are dedicated to helping folks achieve their health goals in a way that saves them time, money and hassle.  My goal is to help as many people as I possibly can!  If I help you AND give you a great value, aren’t you more likely to tell someone else who could benefit from chiropractic?  Of course you are.

So, here’s what I’d like for you to do.  Please forward this post to a friend who could stand to feel better and be better TODAY!  The very best time to do something good for someone is when the idea pops into your mind. Thanks for taking time to read this message and for passing it on.

Recessions are GOOD! That’s When We Build MARKET SHARE!

Frankly, it’s easy to get discouraged if you listen to all the news.  And to be honest, the news is mostly BAD right now.  BUT, recessions are GOOD!  Recessions are the market’s pruning shears.  Sometimes, wild growth makes the vine less fruitful.  So, pruning actually helps it grow better, more orderly and more fruitful.  An old real estate speculator friend of mine once told me, “Buy on bad news.  Sell on good news.”  It took me a few minutes to understand fully what he was telling me.  Essentially, he was telling me that the VERY best time to invest is when everyone else is selling and the best time to sell is when everyone is buying.

The same hold true when you think about how you’ll do business through these rough economic times.  But, NOW is THE time to expand your market share.  Lower your price if you must.  Offer specials to get rid of stale inventory while attracting potential new customers.  You’ll have plenty of opportunities LATER to reap your rewards in terms of profits.

So, keep your strategies simple NOW.  KEEP your existing clients and GET new ones.  Be active in the market.  Be enthusiastic about your product or service.  Give people a REASON to do business with you NOW!

The View from Outside the Box: Economic Stimulus

In the midst of our current “economic crisis”, we’ve elected a new President and an activist Congress.  The question on everyone’s mind is “What will the Government do to stimulate the economy?”  The premise with the prevailing angst over the recession is that Government can help us out of this (or any) recession by extending jobless benefits, jobs programs and financial bailouts of failed institutions and industries.

Sadly, this premise can only prolong the suffering instead of correcting the problem.  If we’re going to spend AT LEAST a trillion dollars on trying to get the economy back on track, let’s consider some alternatives to the current thinking.  Here are some ideas to consider.

Free Markets and Bailouts:   There should be NO Government bailout, whether for the financial or auto industries, or any other that will jump into the fray for that matter.  If a company won’t run its’ business in such a way as to be profitable while properly managing risks and preparing for financial calamity, then both the market and consumer are better off with that company giving way to companies that WILL.

Eliminate ALL income taxes, including corporate taxes.  Also, eliminate the IRS. Probably the single biggest impediment to job creation in the United States is our system of taxing away individual and corporate incentives to grow and prosper.  Eliminating the corporate income tax would make the United States a virtual tax haven for companies and investors from all over the world.  The influx of investment dollars would create more jobs than any Government program ever could.  It would also allow hundreds of billions of dollars (now wasted on compliance) to be spent on planning profitable and productive areas of growth and expansion.  As with investment, so too would jobs migrate back to the US.

Eliminating personal income taxes would also spur individual investment and savings.  It would also remove the fear many (most) Americans of the Internal Revenue Service.  It would also eliminate the possibility of Identity Theft at the hands of IRS employees (and private collection agencies) with access to personal information from tax returns.  Americans should not fear their Government.  That is not the case when it comes to taxation.

Adoption of a national retail sales tax could provide all the revenue necessary to run the Federal Government with no negative effect on the public.  A tax rebate (as suggested in HR 25, The Fair Tax)  would ensure that lower income households would not be penalized by the national sales tax.

Decentralize the banking system. Probably more than any single institution (other than the IRS) the Federal Reserve actually distorts and magnifies swings in the financial markets through politically motivated machinations of interest rates.  Milton Friedman advocated slow but steady growth of the money supply to ensure growth while minimizing inflationary pressures and wild swings in interest rates.  Interest rates fluctuate according to the market as a self-regulating mechanism.  Messing with that mechanism only causes problems.

Instead of bailing out huge banks that have in part cause this financial crisis, encourage the development of community banks.  Local banks are much better able to respond to local needs AND cause little or no impact if/when they fail.  Local banks also ensure better service at the consumer level.

Free Trade and Fair Trade. Free trade is good for the American consumer AND our economy.  Because American consumers can buy more with less because of cheaper imports, they have more to spend on their families or even to save for college, retirement or whatever.  However, when I think of “free trade” I assume there are no restrictions on either side and that everyone is playing on a level field.  Unfortunately, American manufacturers are generally held to a higher standard in compliance with various regulations.  Hold importers liable for the same safety and quality standards as American manufacturers and make sure that American exporters are allowed the same access to foreign markets as foreign importers have to our markets.

Greater Consumer Power and Freedom. Instead of giving a trillion dollars to poorly run and managed companies that should be allowed to fail, I would rather give that trillion dollars directly to American citizens.  This could be done in one of two ways.  The Government could just suspend collecting taxes until a trillion dollars is not collected.  This would benefit primarily taxPAYERS.  The other alternative would be to send every citizen a check for $3000.  Americans could decide for themselves how best to spend that money whether it be to pay bills, catch up on mortgage payments, put a down payment on a house or car or even invest it.  Either way, the money goes where it is both needed and can do the most good.

In the final analysis, it was Government that created this mess.  From the outside looking in, the only way to clean up the mess is to have the Government involved as little as possible.  Do I expect President Obama or this Congress to enact these suggestions?  Of course not.  BUT, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be considered.

The View from Outside the Box

Surely you’ve heard the term “Think outside the boc”.  I first heard th term in a business workshop way back in the 70s.  We were told to put the following drawing on a piece of paper and told to connect all the dots with four STRAIGHT lines WITHOUT lifting our pencil off the paper.

It was amazing the gyrations we all went through to get the assignment done.  Well, there were a couple of folks who had seen the exercise done before.  Otherwise, no one had even a clue how to solve the puzzle.  Then the instructor proceeded to show us how the puzzle was solved:

As we all now know, the ONLY solution for the problem was to draw outside the (imaginary) box created by the dots.  What an awesome metaphor for many (most) of the problems facing our society at this point in time, including the economy, world affairs, politics, education and healthcare.  In fact, many of the problems we face have become SO institutionalized and entrenched that they can NEVER be resolved with the same thinking that caused the problem in the first place.

Let’s consider just healthcare.  As far as any of us can remember, healthcare in this culture has been one of fighting disease.  We start at birth vaccinating kids against all sorts of diseases from routine childhood illnesses like chicken pox and measles to diptheria, smallpox, TB and polio.  As we age, the battle is joined against cancer, heart disease and now diabetes.  Now, we’re being attacked by chronic health problems ranging from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia to irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.  And, that says nothing about the proliferation of autoimmune disease.  And lest we forget Restless Leg Syndrome?

In essence, we’ve creasted a “disease managment” system instead of a HEALTH care system.  Drug companies seems to “discover” diseases that they just happen to have a “new” drug that treat THAT diease perfectly.  Unfortunately, that system of “care” has made going to the doctor and paying for it an almost impossible task.  Finally, we’ve reached the point where we’re looking to Government to take over health care.  I take little comfort in knowing that the same folks that are handling Social Security, Medicare, the IRS and Hurricane Katrina will now be taking care of our health decisions.

So, for these and other reasons, I opted out of the traditional Western approach to “health care” a long time ago.  I guess it’s been almost 20 years now that I haven’t taken a drug or gone to the doctor for anything but emergencies.  Well, I DO go to the chiropractor on a regular basis to get adjusted.   But, I don’t go for pain management or any kind of symptom control.   I thought it might be interesting to explain what it’s like on the other side of the healthcare fence looking in.

Even prior to my exposure to the wholistic lifestyle, I was somewhat leery of established Medicine and would only take an aspirin for an occasional headache or when my back problem would flare up.  And, until I got my back problem resolved, there was always a tube of Preparation H in the medicine cabinet.  I don’t rember the last time I took prescription drugs.  The last flu shot I got was in 1975 when Uncle Sam made me get one before letting me out of the Air Force.

The view from outside the box is interesting.  I don’t take drugs.  Period.  I don’t need them.  I don’t get sick.  I also don’t go to doctors.  It’s not that I don’t “believe” in them.  I just don’t need them.  Now, if I were involved in a car accident or broke a leg, I’d be the first to go to the ER because that’s where Medicine shines.  Otherwise, I just don’t need it.  I don’t have a cardiologist, proctologist, orthopedist, neurologist (although I’ve referred folks to a few) or even a General Practitioner.  Are there any of those even left?  Now, quite a few folks have asked me “What if…?”  And, my response is “What if…what?”  The point is I simply don’t live in that “disease” world.  I don’t know what ny blood pressure is or my cholesterol level or my bone density or if I have polyps.  I don’t care.

Because I know that we were designed to be healthy, my focus is on health, not disease.  I know that if I eat right, exercise, drink water, develop and maintain a good attitude and spiritual life, get adjusted and do those things that help build HEALTH, I’ve done all I can do.  And because of my fiath and what I know about health, I am not afraid of living or dying.

When I look inside the box, I see folks living in fear of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc.  Their lives are consumed running from disease.  And, by the time many folks are 60 they have those little boxes with pills for every day of the week.  They run to the doctor every time they have a cold or a symptom.   Some folks I know spend almost a thousand bucks a month on “health” insurance that typically covers far less than people really need.  Health costs has virtually driven American automakers out of business.  Even folks with “good” insurance aren’t immune to the fear of disease.  In fact, I know several millionaires who suffer from anxiety attacks and the same diseases that afflict the poor.

The main difference in the perspectives on either side of the box is fear.  From the inside, fear rules and limits one’s fullest expression and enjoyment of life.  From outside the box, a sense of peace about health is the rule rather than the exception.  Now, I’m not necessarily telling folks to cancel their insurance and shoot their doctors.  But what I am saying is that there is another way to view health and life.  In a later post, I’ll talk more about inspired living.  Until then, consider all your alternatives.

School Books a Safety Hazard?

I could understand when I was a kid having to tote books home.  But in these days of computers, hard drives, MP3 players, etc., isn’t it a bit ridiculous making kids haul 10-20 pounds (or more) of books home every night just a little ridiculous?

Maybe I’m just naive, but don’t most kids have a computer of some sort at home?  And if they do, why would school systems insist on issuing textbooks in lieu of either a compact disk or an MP3 download.  For one thing, it’s got to ba a ton cheaper on the school system to buy a master CD and give copies to their students.  Not only could they save on the literal cost of buying books, they could also save a bunch of trees needed to produce those books

Another (more important) issue is the effect that books and backpacks can have on the bodies and health of young students.  Kids (especially girls) have their growth spurts during their middle school years when homework becomes a ritual.  I’m a big, strong guy.  But I must admit, my 13 year old daughter’s backpack is sometimes heavy even for me.  Yet, she must carry it home and back 5 days a week.

What if she could go home, log into the school’s web site, read her lesson and do her homework online?  Not only is that more efficient for the school, the teacher and the student, it also helps prevent injuries whose effects can last a lifetime.

Scoliosis is a condition that can affect a child’s health for the balance of their life.  And, it’s not known what causes most scoliosis.  However, it is reasonable to assume that unbalanced stress on a young spoine is a major factor.

What can you do to help prevent scoliosis in school-age kids?  Contact your school board members and encourage them to offer kids a set of books that they may keep at home instead of having to carry them to and from school or, better yet, find a way to beging replacing books with CDs or MP3 downloads.  The latter alternative is probably the best.  It’s cheaper for the school systems, easier to replace and would have no negative effect on student’s health, whatsoever.

How might the financial market crisis affect your healthcare?

Good question.  Probably NOT the first thing folks think about when they hear and read reports about the (almost $1 TRILLION) Government bailout of the financial industry.  However, this nonsense will ripple throughout our entire economic sytem with repercussions not yet considered by our “leaders”.

The real estate, banking, securities and insurance industries are all linked in a variety of ways.  In good times, insurance companies are flush with cash and invest heavily in the stock market and real estate.  Also during good times, bankers tend to get a little over-enthusiastic and get very aggressive in their lending.  As we have seen from this “bailout” madness, securities firms speculated on the value of real estae and bought and sold essentially worthless mortgage backed securities in astounding volumes.

As the market turned, all of these entities became less liquid and started pulling in their horns.  If it were just one bank, or securities firm or insurance company, there would be virtually no problem as a result.  However, everybody involved started pulling back at the same time and in a drastic way.  The result is what we are seeing right now,  a liquidity crisis throughout the financial industry.

So, just how will all this affect your healthcare?  Good question.  Specifically with insurance companies, I think you’ll see a few things happen.  As they try to improve their liquidity, I think you’ll see premiums increase while payouts are tightened.  In other words, t’s going to cost you more to have insurance AND it will pay you even less than before IF they pay, at all.  You can expect underwriting criteria to get insurance to get much toughr.  You may see your healthcare providers ask you to pay up front and have your insurance company reimburse ou directly.

So, how might you deal with this scenario?  One alternative might be to purchase a higher deductible insurance policy.  Another would be to think twice about even using your insurance.  Isn’t THAT a heck of a note?  Pay out the nose for insurance and not be able to use it.  Still another might be to seek out providers that operate on a cash basis and offer reasonable fees based on what YOU need instead of what your insurance policy might pay.

However you decide to deal with this situation in the banking and finance industry, you should keep your debt down and try to manage your expenses as much as possible.  Stay healthy and on the job.  If you need to find a good chiropractor to help you stay healthy and on the job, just let me know.  I have friends that can help you stay on the job AND save money while doing so.  Best wishes.

The “next” bailout will be the healthcare (?) industry

Given the current hysteria over the Government “bailout” of the financial industry, we tend to lose sight of other potential problems on the horizon.  Now that the Government has injected itself into “saving” whole industries, we should not be surprised when traditional healthcare systems in this country start clamoring for the government to bail them out, as well.

The following article indicates that one estimate is that problems caused by hospitals (not related to the reason for being in the hospital) accounts for over 12% of total legal liability costs of healthcare facilities in 2007.  As you know, hospitals bill your insurance company for these so-called “never events” AND GET PAID!

As other insurance carriers follow Medicare’s lead and refuse to pay for these “never events”, I think you’ll see these facilities and even the AMA and other groups calling for the Government to intervene.

How did we EVER get to the point where we PAID for doctors and hospitals to screw people up and NOT pay to get and keep them well?

Here’s the article:

Study: Never events major factor in hospital liability costs

According to new research by insurance firm Aon Corp., hospital-acquired conditions accounted for 12.2 percent of total legal liability costs insured by healthcare facilities in 2007. It is perhaps the first study to benchmark claims specific to “never events” affected by Medicare’s new policy of not paying for hospital-acquired conditions. (All four of the never events reviewed by Aon are covered by Medicare’s new policy.)

According to the study, one out of six claims against healthcare facilities were related to hospital-acquired infections, injuries, pressure ulcers and foreign objects left in the body after survey in 2007, according to the company’s 2008 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis. Of these, claims for injuries were most frequently reported of four hospital-acquired condition categories. Pressure ulcers were the most expensive for healthcare facilities, which cost them about $145,000 on average for claims per incident in 2007, Aon concluded.

To draw its conclusions, Aon analyzed almost 78,000 claims, relating to a total of $9.3 billion in incurred losses. The data included information from more than 1,200 facilities from 1998 to 2007.