It’s the week between Christmas and New Year and unless you’re in retail or a shop-a-holic, not much is happening in your world. We’re sort of standing around waiting for the pistol shot that is New Years to start the race anew.

Oh, I’m certainly keeping busy riding and seeing old friends, but mostly I’m thinking about what I need to do next year. The touchstone to my Navigation Process is the five year vision I’ve set for myself which is rolled out in one year increments.

So in that light, I always ponder a few questions this time of year:

What are the three major goals I need to accomplish this coming year?

Who are the three most important people/roles needed to support me this year?

What are the three things I need to either do or begin in January? (Sets the tone for the entire year)

I find that keeping it to three prevents me from getting too distracted and increases my chances of success.

What are your questions?

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

This past year has been one of great challenge to most of us and we’re all looking forward to turning the page at year end. But do you really know what to focus on?

Whenever faced with a difficult situation and needing to get my bearings I think back to a piece of advice given to me by a CEO friend. Jim was the Chief Financial Officer of his company before assuming the top spot and always said – “The numbers will set you free…”

Most, if not all challenges in business can be solved with revenue. Need to buy a new piece of equipment to compete? Need to branch out into a new territory? Need to launch a new venture? Need to dig out of a financial hole?

The answer to each of those questions is money and money when applied to paper becomes a number.

Therefore the key is to sit down in front of whatever spreadsheet software you have and break your challenge down into numbers. In my case, I’ve often discovered that the enormous problem I was facing would be easily taken care of by acquiring one new client.

It not only relieves the pressure, but let’s you know what to focus on and how to win.

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

One of the great things about writing a book today is the advent of Social Media and the contacts I’m making across the U.S. and the world. I’m continuously getting emails from people talking about how much they’ve enjoyed The Biker’s Guide to Business and that’s certainly gratifying.

But the really cool thing is that most of them are coming from young entrepreneurs who are in the midst of launching their ventures and seeking guidance where they can get it.

One of them is my new friend Rodney who writes this really cool blog and has a great idea where he wants to go in business. We’ve swapped a number of emails and its great getting his perspective on business and the opportunities he sees. That helps to shift my view of the world and is a great reminder that sometimes we can know too much.

Tom Peters once said that the biggest sin in business today is “not trying stuff’. Too often we ‘old riders’ pass opportunities by simply because they’re wrapped in an old package that we’ve seen before and that’s the downside of experience. It’s just wrong.

So, if like me, you’ve been riding this path for two or more decades, its time to recalibrate your perspective. Reach out or open yourself up to mentoring a young entrepreneur who’s just starting out. Your experience will be invaluable to them and their wide eyed optimism along with that can do attitude will be invaluable to you.

And that my friend is a balanced approach.

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

How many times have you look in the mirror on December 31 and said “It’s been a good/great year…but? But this wasn’t done. But that’s not finished. But I should have…

Stop that!

Fact is you lived and performed the best you could under the circumstances and the most important thing to focus on isn’t what wasn’t done, but instead what you’ve accomplished.

That’s the cool thing about year end – its one chapter closing and another beginning. Not a fresh start per se, but rather a pause. More importantly, by focusing on what you’ve accomplished you can better determine what’s possible in the coming year.

So when looking into the rear view mirror of life – focus on the good, stop to celebrate and then turn your face into the wind and go for it!

Besides, if you don’t enjoy the ride, who the hell will?

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

Yea, I know, nobody makes resolutions anymore much less keep them. But here’s mine.

I RESOLVE TO:

Be Remarkable In All That I Do

As Seth Godin says, conversations only happen on the edges. Strive to be remarkable in everything whether it’s my relationships, business ventures, speeches or writings. Leave a legacy.

Ride To Cool Places

I want to find new favorite rides in Florida this winter, ride through Sedona and the rest of Arizona in the spring, ride into Nova Scotia this coming summer and catch the leaves changing along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Dragon’s Tail in the fall. Also meet up with and ride with some really cool bikers along the way.

Hang Out With More ‘20-30 Something’ Business People

This isn’t about ‘staying young’. It’s about hanging out with and tapping into the future of business. Peter Drucker wrote that ‘Significance precedes momentum…’ These young people are for real, making it happen and coming to a business deal near you. Be aware.

Attend More Conferences

Nothing shifts my consciousness better than attending a great conference. You can read their books, but nothing takes the place of being in the same room with a Mark Victor Hansen or Seth Godin and hear their perspectives in their voice.

Teach/Learn/Mentor More

There’s nothing better than creating a learning environment where everyone both gives and receives incredible experiences and knowledge. A dynamic where sparks fly, ideas are born and deals are made. And do most of it from the back of my bike.

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

I’d venture to say that most business men and women will be happy to see 2009 in their rear view mirrors. But as with any experience we need to figure out the lessons learned in order to successfully move forward.

In my case there were many…here are five of the big ones:

Opportunity Is Still Everywhere  – 2009 was a difficult year, but that’s the nature of evolution. In order for new segments of our economy to grow some older segments had to die. How soon you get beyond the loss will determine your ability to recognize the opportunity all around. Sometimes it’s as simple as just turning around.

Who You Are Is More Important Than What You Do – Jonathan Sprinkles, 2006 College Speaker of the Year, once told me that people will not buy from you until they know you. In today’s economy, your greatest differentiator in business is YOU.

Back To Basics – The days of ‘Money for Nothing’ (Dire Straits, 1985) are gone. Those of us who adhere to the basics and learn the fundamentals key to making it in the new economy will not only survive but thrive going forward.

Social Media Is Here to Stay – I know that calculating the ROI on Social Media is akin to determining the dollar value of smiling versus frowning at your customer. You can’t quite put a figure on it, but you know it’s the right thing to do. There’s no better way to establish, grow and maintain a client base or tribe.

The Importance Of The Written Word – A successful impression when meeting someone used to be determined by wearing a suit versus jeans. Now, in today’s Text/Twitter-speak world, it’s your ability to construct coherent sentences and proper paragraphs that count. If you can’t get your information across you’ll never make it.

These are my five…what are you taking into 2010? 

Dwain – The Biker Guy

As always – This is my opinion and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

How cool it was to open up The Miami Herald’s Corporate Gift Guide section this week and find my book #2 on their corporate gift list. Right between Grey Goose Vodka and a hands free set for the I-Phone.

Aside from being honored to land in their Top 10, I ‘m left with one question…how’d they know that’s exactly where I can be found most Friday nights?

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – these are my thoughts on the matter and I look forward to yours.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you. www.bikersguidetobusiness.com

I just read in an article that Florida ranks #6 in entrepreneurship climate. The story touts things like top personal income tax rates, capital gains rates and unemployment taxes. Let me be the first to say that all of those things were top of mind when starting my business here…NOT!

Granted, those are nice perks, but most entrepreneurs I know judge a good business climate by opportunity, facilities, location, resources and the ability to make money.

I’ll take it a step farther by saying that the main reason I stay in Florida is because of the year round riding it offers through some of the coolest back roads in the country. And great riding gives me the space to stop and think so I can make better business decisions.

So, for those intellectuals out there looking for answers in all the wrong places, sometimes a great business climate is simply the one that we both know and feels right.

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – this is my opinion and look forward to yours. So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com I look forward to hearing from you. www.bikersguidetobusiness.com