SLOW GROWING

Today we live in a world of speed. Technological advancements have
made obtaining what we want as simple as pushing a button.

We don't have to wait long to eat - just pop the food into the
microwave and click start. In minutes we have a full meal.

We don't have to wait weeks for communication back and forth - just
type and click the send button in e-mail. In seconds, information is
sent and received.

Because of this "instant" mentality we have grown accustomed to, we as
a society have come to believe that if we can't get what we want in a
matter of minutes, it's not worth having. Waiting is becoming a thing
of the past.

I have found this to be especially true when it comes to internet
businesses. Because everything is available at the click of a mouse,
slowly growing an internet business never enters our minds. We try to
find the quickest and easiest route to the automatic $5,000 per month
promised to us at every turn.

Without careful thought, we plunge into several affiliate programs
(sometimes unrelated to each other), throw up some free websites, blast
our "open for business" announcement to 4,000,000 people, and then sit
back waiting for all 4,000,000 to beat a path to our electronic
doorway.

We watch the calendar, and when, in 7 days, we haven't made our $1,500
or we run into technological difficulties, we throw up our hands in
disgust, claiming that the entire internet is a hoax, and walk away.

Let's pause for a moment and take a look at the weed and the oak. John
and Jim are young, newly married, and have just moved in next door to
each other. Both yards need work in order to gain the "Good
Housekeeping Seal of Approval."

John runs out to the local nursery, buys a bunch of seeds, never really
paying attention to the type of seeds or to their care requirements.
He goes home, spreads his seeds all over his yard, and then sits back
waiting for the lush, beautiful lawn. It isn't long before his yard is
covered with weeds. The weeds quickly spring up and then die under the
heat of the sun. His yard is full of dirt holes.

Jim, on the other hands, talks to several landscaping experts. He
draws out on paper what he wants his yard to look like, carefully
grouping plants to give year-round beauty. He goes to a couple of
different nurseries and purchases the best plants and lawn care
products. He buys an oak tree for his back yard. He plants his
purchases and follows the directions and advice he has been given to
care for his lawn. He works on it a little bit every day, and slowly
builds it to a prize-winning yard.

Year after year, John has an ugly lawn because he doesn't want to put
in the time and effort it takes to build a well-kept yard.

Thirty years later, Jim's yard is still the best looking yard on the
block, and his grandkids are building a tree house in the oak tree in
the back yard.

What kind of a business are you building? Are you looking for the fast
buck? Are you joining everything and anything you can without any
careful planning as to how it all fits together? Are you sitting back
just waiting for everyone to come, buy your products, and make you a
millionaire without any effort on your part?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then all you're going
to get is a yard full of ugly weeds and dirt holes.

Take some time and put together a business plan. Figure out where you
want to be in 30 years. Talk to experts to find out what works and
what doesn't. Work a little bit every day taking care of your
business.

If you do these things, your business may grow slowly, but it will grow
solidly. Your business will be able to withstand the storms that come
along. And in 30 years, you and your family will still be enjoying
what you've built.