Is A 4 Hour Work Week Possible - Maybe So ...

Could you change your current working reality so that instead of a 60-70 hour work week, you spent 4 hours a week working your business?

It seems that this may just be possible!

While listening to the Internet Business Mastery podcast I was introduced to the concept of a Four Hour Work Week. This was put forward by Tim Ferris who has made this his lifestyle and heads up a very successful business. Does this seem impossible to you? It certainly did to me. However take a look at these case studies of people who have implemented a reduced hour work week posted on YouTube. See this post on eSoup to read another account of how a reduced hour work week has changed the author's life.

The website of Tim Ferris, author of The Four Hour Work Week, espouses the idea of "outsourcing your life". The site gives great insight into this concept and is well worth a visit. There are also chapter samples available to read to get an idea of what Tim's book is about. The book has been a New York Times bestseller and is based on a series of controversial lectures at Princeton University.

It is clear though that embarking on the journey towards chronological freedom entails risk taking, making sacrifices initially and the willingness to back yourself to win. That all seems perfectly acceptable to me - short term sacrifice, long term gain. Isn't that a principle of life? It seems that all successful people understand that.

I must confess that I have not read this book but having heard about it, listened to the testimonies around it and having explored the website, I am now dead keen to go out and purchase it!

Once I have read the book I will post my review. If you've already read it, please send me a review to publish as well.

If you know of any South Africans who utilise this type of work lifestyle, please do let me know. I would love to feature them (interview them) for this blog.

To find out more about the book or to purchase your own copy, please click on the cover below.

The World Is Ruled By "C" Students

Let me start by saying that I am a great believer in education. I believe that essential skills such as critical and strategic thinking are borne out of further education. Sometimes it is not so much the content of the courses but the journey towards the diploma, certificate or degree that is significant.

That said I was fascinated to read a great blog post written by Scott Bradley, a young Boston-based entrepreneur. His assertion is that those who sit as average "C" students have a far better chance at succeeding in entrepreneurial ventures than those who consistently top the "A" student list. His arguments are sound and seem to make good sense. However I would still not want this argument to be an excuse for steering clear of furthering your education.

What I do think is that as small business owners looking to increase staff complement, we should be careful of falling into the trap of hiring based on the number of letters behind an applicant's name. Our hiring of staff should also be taking into consideration issues such as competence, chemistry with the existing team, character and so forth.

Take a look at Scott's post and leave your comments for others to consider.

Practical Marketing Newsletter

2B Marketing's electronic newsletter, The B2Be-zine, is a free fortnightly publication produced with the aim of assisting the smaller company or organisation with their marketing endeavors.

What's in it?

Each edition is uniquely aimed at the South African entrepreneur and is packed with interesting articles, ideas and insights including :

- Observations from the editor.
- An article written on practical marketing for the smaller business
- Practical article/s written by contributing writers.
- Links to the 2B Marketing Blog entries
- A book review or summary.
- A link to a website with useful information, programme or other resource.
- Loads of useful information, from what's happening, relevant links, and applicable directory listings.

This is a great resource. I urge you to subscribe and explore their website. I am sure you will some great ideas, insights and opportunities.

And no, I receive no commission for this blog entry! I just believe it is a really good resource!

Your Teachers Were Right - Spelling Does Count!

Over the past few weeks I have become very aware of how little attention is paid to accuracy of spelling or use of language in the blogosphere. Now don't get me wrong - if your blog is one of a personal nature or one which is a personal commentary on the world around us, I can live with the use of poor spelling or bad grammar - after all, its your blog!

Where I do have a problem though is with those blogs which deem themselves to be authoritative on a particular subject. These are blogs which tend to have a theme or who market themselves as 'experts' or 'commentators' on a particular subject.

Some authors of these blogs seem to think that their spelling doesn't matter. I want to say that it does. I can be very impressed with the aesthetics of a blog. When thought and planning have gone into the presentation of the template or design, I am impressed. However it is the content that will make me want to come back again and again. When the posts are riddled with poor spelling and grammar I am less inclined to do so. A quick spell check on the computer would suffice and for those professional bloggers out there I am sure a dictionary on the desk (or a visit to Dictionary.com) would be part of their work tools.

Professional presentation in our business correspondence is as important. A letter sent from your business which is filled with incorrect grammar and poor spelling sends the message that the recipient was so unimportant that you could not be bothered to take time to run a spell check or have the letter proof-read. It needs to be remembered that the presentation of your business runs much deeper than just the way your office is laid out, your dress code or the presentation of your product or service. Everything that comes from your business, including correspondence, needs to reflect a level of professionalism.

So if you don't know the difference between "stationery" and "stationary" I suggest you start finding out sooner than later!

An Entrepreneurial Blogger

I recently discovered New Business Blog developed by Matt Coddington, a 22 year old web developer from South Carolina.

What interested me the most was the incredible story of growth experienced by this blog. Launched in January 2007 it has gone from 2-300 hits per day in its first week up to over 110,000 page views in the month of February. The blog has continued to attract readers from all over the globe, all who hope to make a living online.

To have accomplished this growth in such a short time frame is a remarkable achievement. His knowledge of the blogging world and techniques to improve traffic to blogs is impressive.

Matt's entrepreneurial spirit and ability is an inspiration to all those who desire to make an impact but find themselves constantly making excuses.

I wish him all the very best in his endeavours.

Now - please send me links to South African bloggers who have managed to emulate Matt's success. I would love to feature them on this blog.