C12 - Hidden Treasure
You have understood that you too can make money through self-employment. You are free from myths and know how to protect yourself from unscrupulous people. You have created a money atmosphere around you by using money magnets.
You have learnt a few Life Response techniques and started to apply them to your life. You have read how ordinary people became financially independent with ordinary skills, internet and computer. You know more than seventy strategies to create income opportunities.
But, of the millions of opportunities around you, which one will be the best for you? It's true that you can do many businesses at the same time. You have that capacity. However, it is a good idea to find out the best one that will give you positive results in the shortest possible time. When you are successful in one business, it is easy to replicate the success in any number of other businesses with your experience and knowledge.
To discover the best opportunity, you must look within to discover your talent and skills. When you complete the exercise in this chapter, you will have a list of skills that have the potential to earn money.
If you have not already bought a new note book as suggested in the earlier chapters, get now a new note book for writing down the ideas that pop up as you read this chapter. Once you have answered all the Treasure Miner questions, you will find out a pattern or a set of repeating elements in your life. Use the pattern as a starting point and read the chapter Income Strategies again. Try to come out with business ideas.
Once you have business ideas, go through the chapter Reality Check and validate your business ideas using the Reality Check questions.
If the idea is realistic and achievable, then prepare a business plan and execute it. You will make money.
If your idea is not realistic, then take another set of elements from your answers to Treasure Miner questions and follow the above process.
These ideas, methods and processes have been used by many people in one form or other. All of them had a serious trouble when they completed the exercises.
They had overflow of ideas that could keep them busy for several births.
It is impossible for anyone NOT to come out with income ideas after going through the whole book.
Don't bother about the negative side now. The truth is the negative aspects usually hold better opportunities. But, it is wiser, safer and easier to first exhaust positive points, gain experience and knowledge, and then take up more challenging ventures.
Concentrate on and give attention to positive points. Your innate talents and skills are hidden in the (1) Activities you perform easily and (2) Activities you love doing. They may not even be remotely connected to your education or your occupation.
Treasure Miners
Now get ready to discover the hidden treasure. Don't try to ignore, reject or conceal anything from yourself. Don't try to twist the truth.
When you write down negative points of people around you, take them as your negative traits and think how you will solve them.
Discuss with your friends or relatives who have goodwill for you. In case you don't have friends, you can use the list of topics at the end of the chapter to help you identify your areas of interest. The list is only indicative. Add as many items as you like.
Treasure Miner #01
What do you believe to be your natural skills and talents? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #02
What do your friends or relatives believe to be your natural skills and talents? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #03
What do your adversaries believe to be your natural skills and talents? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #04
What do you enjoy talking, learning, reading, writing, doing or thinking about? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #05
When you sit alone, what type of thoughts come to you again and again? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #06
What specific activities do you enjoy about your present occupation? Even if you are unemployed now, what are the things you like about job hunting? If you are a housewife, what activities make you happy? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #07
What are your hobbies? If you don't have any, how do you spend your leisure time? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #08
What type of movies or television programs do you like to watch? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #09
If you had to pick 4 ideal businesses or jobs, what would they be? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #10
If there were no social or legal restrictions, what would be the first 4 things you would do? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #11
What types of skills, talents, hobbies and knowledge did your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters have? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #12
What activities brought money to your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters? The skills that brought them money have their seeds in you. Write them down.
Treasure Miner #13
What do your friends and relatives enjoy doing? What types of skills, talents, hobbies and knowledge do they have? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #14
How do your friends and relatives earn money? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #15
What do your adversaries enjoy doing? What types of skills, talents, hobbies and knowledge do they have? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #16
How do your adversaries earn money? Write their money making activities down.
Treasure Miner #17
Did any of your friends and relatives get money opportunities? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #18
Did any of your associates give you money making ideas? You must take them as real opportunities that Life presents to you. Write them down.
Treasure Miner #19
Did you hear anyone discuss money making opportunities in your presence? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #20
Did you notice any opportunity in newspapers, televisions or magazines? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #21
Did you read any story or see a movie in which some character made money? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #22
In your area, are there big companies or organizations? What products or services do they need? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #23
What type of community is in your area? What do the members of the community like doing? What do they do for a living? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #24
What are the new technologies you and people around you are influenced by? What new needs are created by them? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #25
If you want to focus on something, find out what products or services come before that something. Can you sell them to others? For example, if you are a tax consultant, books of accounts must be written before tax computation. Many tax consultants will need your services. Write them down.
Treasure Miner #26
What products or services come after a product or service? You can sell them to your customers. For example, if you are book-keeper, can you offer sales tax representation services? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #27
In the above situation, will you be able to enter into an arrangement with your competitor? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #28
In the above situation, will you be able to buy from competitors at a discount in bulk and sell at some other place? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #29
Will you be able to improve the profitability of noncompeting products of your competitor? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #30
Observe complete silence for a few hours. During this period don't try to think about anything. After some time or during your silence, did you get any idea or sudden inspiration? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #31
You have always liked some business or activity in your mind. There will be products or services directly that oppose it. What are they? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #32
Observe everything in your life for a week. What are the things that give you monetary gains or just make you happy? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #33
During the above observation period, did anyone bring good news or money to you? What are his positive points? Will you be able to capitalize these positive points? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #34
Take any idea that you love. Break that idea into its smallest possible components. Observe the idea and its components from start to end. Do you find any opportunity? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #35
Take just one aspect of the idea. Analyze that one aspect thoroughly. Write them down.
Treasure Miner #36
Can you think of a product or service that has never existed before but you always wanted to have at any cost? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #37
Can you think of a product or service that exists and that you need, but you are not able to buy for some reason? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #38
Can you modify something that exists near you and everybody likes? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #39
If you are married, what are the things you like and dislike about your spouse? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #40
If you are married, what are the products your spouse likes and dislikes? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #41
If you have children, what are the things you like and dislike about your children? What types of skills and knowledge do you want your children to have? Write them down.
Treasure Miner #42
If you have children, what are the products your children like and dislike? Write them down.
Common Elements
Now, you have a long list of responses. Go through the list a few times. You will be able identify common or similar items from your responses. They hold the silver or golden key to your prosperity. Write down the common elements on a separate page. Call it the first set. Again go through the list and come up with a second set of elements.
For example, if you discover that your father and grandfather were experts in tennis and that you have accompanied them to tennis court countless times, there is a great potential for you in it. Tennis is not an alien to you. Think of becoming a tennis coach, dealing in tennis gear, starting a tennis club or building a website dedicated to tennis. Your retired father or grandfather will be great sources of help and knowledge. You will use the first set to generate business ideas. If you are not able to come up with a good business idea, you will use the second one. The author believes that you will never need the second set.
Idea Prompters
All of us get mental blocks from time to time. When you want to develop a business idea, you will feel like a river that could not find its sea. Here is a list of common topics. Please add as many items as you like.
Advertising Antiques Agriculture
Collectibles Apparel Building
Fashion Arts Automobile
Auction Trade Chemicals
Books Cleaning Children
Computer Design Communication
Education Weather Electronics
Consulting Sports Construction
Games Food Employment
Home Health Entertainment
Hobbies Romance Environment
Law Finance Engineering
Love Research Ergonomics
Science Real Estate Government
Mineral Software Manufacture
Music Transport Information
Toys Security Hospitality
Retail Publish Spirituality
