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Show Sunday. August 1ft 2007 DAILY HERALD CIO Continued from C12 - your instincts and take a few risks is almost as important. I Make like a sponge. The concept hare is pretty simple: Your business is going to be supported by customers, so it makes sense to listen to what they want. Touby says some of the most nnpitar features of mediabistro.com, like the jobs and classes, were spawned from requests made ieariy on by the site's users. As the owner, it's hard to look at your business your baby objectively, so suggestions from outside parties are priceless. Soak them up. You cant make everyone happy, but you can sure try. ' I Get some help. You can launch your business in your bedroom; solo, like Touby did, but once it starts to grow, do yourself a favor and bring id some reinforcements. There is sometimes a real reluctance to reach out for help, and people tend : to wait too long often until there is a crisis, explains Mark LeBlanc, author of Growing Your Business!" (Expert Publishing, 2003) Face up to the fact that you're hot going to be good at every-thin- g, and even if you are, you won't have time to do it all well once success Hire a pro, its the best way to go A of some pot at the end of the rainbow, then work around the clock for little to nothing and burn out, or they drain the business of cash." It's true that you may have to make some sacrifices to keep the business afloat, but don't the deprive yourself for too long.-Bsame token, too many people leave higtvpaid jobs to start their own businesses, and then expect to replace that income right off the bat. That's just not realistic. I Network. Get out and tell people about your new venture, then find out how they can help. Touby says she raised the capital to start mediabistro. com through investors she met while working the room. But while most of the people you talk to won't he willing to hand over a check, many can offer something thats even more valuable. Don't be shy about asking experts for free advice," urges Touby. Law-yeaccountants and an kinds of ; experts will give you free advice if you just ask them." Invite them to lunch, then spend the hour picking their brains. I Have an end goal in mind. Do you want to eventually sen, like Touby? (She knew selling out would be the .. endgame as soon as she took on investors.) Would you. rather start a franchise? Buy up the competition? No matter how you envision things pan- ' ning out, its important to have a set strategy to keep you focused. Chatzky . ' . me." Not so in many cases. These top professionals didnt get where they . . ' . ge . . 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Forms: Registration Registration Forms can be printed off by going to , www.prouofdundatioH.org, ; dick on Provo Senior Games located on the bot- - ' Run tom of the Home Page, then click oh :. Fitness Walk Senior Gaines Registration Form (two ' Horseshoes Singles parts) located in the left column. Forms Doubles can also be picked up at the City Center in the Parks and Recreation office and Racquetball A Athletic Events: . i Basketball Skills : Softball Skills Table Tennis ' . - ' Singles Doubles Open Tournament - f".' ' 5-- K r ' The r pt V .1 Prpva j f . Senior G a m. e s welcomes all seniors 50 and better to join in die excitement of athletic competition. Our goal is to assist seniors in developing life long healthy lifestyle skills through fun competition. The physical mental and sodal benfits are well Worth the endeavor. We challenge you to make the ' y - ' 1 J. f ; Games! 0PHA(tMANEX-- ; psaQ Dbluehost . t 5 . - 801.556.4648 . . L l'fei. LIKE NEW: A .755.9333.a) t I : - A HOMES TftUUN BTanTMOMOMITHI LOW 300,000'.' CAU. TODAY FOR EXCLUSIVE INCENTIVES "7"- Kirn McKINLEY -Angie GOLDBERG . . if ONLY . Harvey Mackay is the author of The New York Times No. 1 bestseller Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.' . - .v- : . . a d . . . -. . . AOL'i official MoneyCoach. She is the personal finance editor for ' NBCs Today Show" and is also a columnist for Life Magazine. She is ': the author of four books; including 20O4s Pay it Down! From Debt to Wealthon $10 a Day" (Portfolio). ' , I Watch your paycheck; When you set your own pay, it can be pretty tough to strike the right balance. Owners tend to either take too little or too ' much, too soon," says LeBlanc. They either sacrifice themselves in the hope .. . Seek-ou- t professionals every,, chance you get. I dont rare if it's for business advice, recruiting, taxes, plumbingheating or body piercing. Good advice, service and workman-shi- p is worth every penny you pay. On the other hand, youl pay dearly for poor advice; no matter how it was in the. cheap or beginning. Don't risk your business or career by trusting an amateur. Your best friend's brother may have an Ivy League degree, but unless he has some experience and battle scars to bade up his title, you aren't dealing with a real pro. A work in progress, perhaps, but not someone on whom you should bet the farm. Mackas Moral: Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong. Struggles I Jean Chatzky is an at Money Magazine and serves as editor-at-lar- Harvey Mackay are by gouging clients or by bePositive ing snobs. They succeeded using the same formula that has always worked fat this country giving mer good value at fair prices. Although "Well, you sell advice, don't you, their professions may be more inteland I'm told you give excellent ad-lectually demanding, they're no difvice." ferent from hungry fighters in any other business who clawed their way .. "True enough, but what kind of advice do you want? tothetop. I want the best advice available. They started the same way others I want to know if Im on the right in their professions did, but along ' the way took a different path. They ' track here, or if I'm heading for (b-saster. I want to be as good at what I worked harder and smarter. They. do as you are at what you do. Do you took an jobs no one else would . touch. They took calculated risks think you can help meoris there ;. someone else I should be asking? rather than playing it safe. Most importantly, they learned, from their ' If you (day your cards right, you'll not only make a friend of one of the mistakes as well as their successes and figured out how to apply their moat influential and powerful people in town, youl also end up with a lot knowledge to other situations. After all, they didn't reach the top more than 30 minutes worth of time by being wallpaper. Can you imagine and advice. You might also be surprised at ' yourself calling the fanciest hotshot , lawyer or doctor or financial adviser how many of the people who seem so in town and saying you want to hire elevated above the cares of everyday him or her? The conversation might life actually enjoy talk jng to real peo' ple. It can get tiresome just talking to go like this;. n, sets in. The sooner you surround yourself with a team that can tackle things like the bookkeeping and legal the better off you'll be. Consider it an investment instead of just another the endless stream of fellow big shots that inhabit their lives. They also enjoy using their influence and seeing their advice acted upon. ftos can be any age. I've rdied on the advice of people 30 years younger than I, and 30 years older than I. My only concern is their ability to steer me in the right direction. Particularly in technology fields, the nuniber of young professionals is astounding How old was Bill Gates when he masterminded Microsoft? How about Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they started Google? founder of a large law firm used to tell potential clients who were somewhat intimidated by his outfit's size and btoe-chi-p reputation that "we didn't get this way by overcharging people." Mast of us fear hiring the best lawyer, doctor or financial adviser in town not because we think they will be too expensive but because we think "they wouldn't want to work' for some small-tim- e operator like . i . m Utah uJ .. I |