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Articles from John AOV | Selfgrowth.com
- ***Book Smart vs. Street Smart - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVWe all know people who are "book smart" but clueless in the real world, and those who are "street smart" but unable to handle any environment other than the one they're used to. Last season The Apprentice was based on this dichotomy, pitting a team of people with higher education against a team ...
Views: 10021(118 votes) - ***How to Think on Your Feet - Pressure Breeds Success - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVThe best way to have an edge is to live on one. -- Donald J. Trump I’ve already written about complacency and how it can ruin your chances for success. It’s the same as being in a rut and deciding to stay there. That’s why I advise people to live on the edge. It’s the opposite of complacency; ...
Views: 6068 - ***Failure is the Mother of Success - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVMention the word "failure" to almost any group of up-the-corporate-ladder types and you may detect some nervous twitches. For these cube-dwellers, a mistake or setback is often a career-stopper, or, at least, a blot on the record. Playing it safe is seen as the best way to avoid a misstep that ...
Views: 5367(16 votes) - ***Working with People You Like: A Key Factor in Job Satisfaction - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVLiking the people you work with offers personal as well as professional advantages. Camaraderie among coworkers has been shown to increase productivity, job satisfaction, and even life satisfaction. It's a safe bet that most people consider employee compatibility to be an essential requirement ...
Views: 2681 - ***The Purpose of Life is to Live a Life of Purpose - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVIf you are seeking your purpose in life, one that honors your experience and fulfills your dreams, then you have a challenge ahead. You have already begun to ask the necessary questions and act on your answers, which will make the hard work before you that much easier. Perhaps you are wondering ...
Views: 2639 - *** How to Have the Government Pay Your Rent - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOVThe Power of Section 8 Housing How would you like to own rental property where all or most of the monthly rent comes to you by check from the government? If that idea appeals to you, welcome to Section 8 housing! Section 8 is a program setup by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban ...
Views: 2546 - ***Power and Persuasion: the Elements of Negotiation - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVNegotiation is something I refer to often because it is an important aspect of business and life. It's a form of accommodation, adjustment, and diplomacy. It can be a complex procedure, but it doesn't have to be daunting if you take the time to think and apply a little finesse to your ...
Views: 1955(111 votes) - ***Integrating the Fragmented Self - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVThe contemporary world presents us with an oceanic array of choices, stimuli, responsibilities, and distractions that often keep us from achieving personal harmony. Many people either fail to realize or are indifferent to the fact that their lives are really a form of controlled chaos. Others ...
Views: 1855 - ***Positive Persistence - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVhere have been so many books and examples about the power of positive thinking that it seems unnecessary to even mention it. Yet, I still see examples every single day of the power that negative thinking has over people. So, either people haven't gotten the message or they're just plain not ...
Views: 1784(1 vote) - ***Use Knowledge to Your Advantage - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVEver hear the saying, "I am not young enough to know everything"? That's a good one, and something to think about. Fortunately, I had a father who knew a lot about what he was doing, so I could never fall into the know-it-all category. Being humbled by superior knowledge and inspired by it can ...
Views: 1676(1 vote) - ***Entrepreneurial Instincts - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn the business world, the entrepreneur is a different breed. Part of the reason for this is that instinct often plays a big role in what an entrepreneur does and who he or she is. From conception - that "eureka" moment - through development and operations, businesses spawned of personal whim ...
Views: 1671 - My Father's Four-Step Formula for Success - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2009 from John AOVI learned a lot from my father, Fred Trump. I learned about competence and efficiency. One of the best pieces of advice he ever gave me was his favorite formula for success. I call it Fred Trump’s Four-Step Formula for Getting Things Done. The four steps are: "Get in, get it done, get it done ...
Views: 1506 - ***Reinvent Yourself to Reach Your Dreams - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVDr. Arthur Caliandro, the inspirational minister who succeeded Dr. Norman Vincent Peale at Marble Collegiate Church in New York, believes that if you are going to succeed, you need momentum. He has a favorite story about it that he likes to tell. While taking a walk one day, Dr. Caliandro ...
Views: 1500 - ***The Insider's Way to Predictable Real Estate Profits - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVWhen you ask most people how much they are willing to pay for a property, they usually say something like, Well,the asking price is $275,000 . . . maybe I can bargain that down to $245,000. That's how they decide how much they are willing to pay for a property. And that kind of thinking makes ...
Views: 1462 - ***Conventional Wisdom: An Oxymoron? - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn marketing circles, there’s a problem called the “majority fallacy.” What it means is that corporations and business owners often “go with the tide,” seeking the gold that’s in them ‘thar hills, along with everyone else. The problem is the “along with everyone else” part. To be successful ...
Views: 1444 - ***Negotiate to Win - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVNegotiating wisdom from Negotiate to Win, Trump University's new bootcamp course on negotiating While you were growing up, you probably negotiated with your parents about your chores, your allowance and your curfew. If you were like me in school, you negotiated for homework extensions with your ...
Views: 1428 - ***Want Success? Put the Mogul Mindset on Your Side - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOVThrough my practice of law in the fields of asset protection, tax reduction, and estate planning, one of the most common characteristics that I've observed among my wealthier clients is that they rarely pour all of their entrepreneurial energy into just one type of business. While I've worked ...
Views: 1416 - ***Speed Kills (The Competition) - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVHe who will not economize will have to agonize. --Confucius I have to tell you that I can relate to the "agonize" in this Confucian saying. As someone on the receiving end of conversations by people who do not know how to edit themselves, I know what agony means. I think to myself, “How long ...
Views: 1411 - ***What Is It Worth? Secret Strategies for Evaluating a Business - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVRichard Parker, professor of our Art of Buying a Business course, tells me that getting a realistic estimate of a business’s value can be a much simpler process than many professional valuators would like the rest of us to believe. The challenge for you, the buyer, is to formulate a price that ...
Views: 1403 - ***Power Marketing for a Fast-Changing World - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVIn today's competitive marketplace, marketing makes the difference between failure and success. If you doubt that statement, look at your shoes. With millions of different shoes on the market, how did those two particular shoes make it onto your feet this morning? You might say that you picked ...
Views: 1292 - ***Open the Door to Knowledge - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVThe beginning of every government starts with the education of our youth. --Pythagoras Pythagoras interpreted the universe through numbers. As a businessman, that always appealed to me. It makes sense. He was a philosopher and a mathematician and he knew the importance of learning. Pythagoras ...
Views: 1259 - ***Be Tough and Tenacious and Never Give Up - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVSometimes people think I was born with a Midas touch, that everything I think about or touch just somehow turns to gold. I'll admit, I've been very lucky, and I've also had the good fortune to get a great education from the schools I went to and from my parents. But there might be some things ...
Views: 1247(1 vote) - ***Engaging the Audience: The Point Where Learning Begins - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVFor a lecturer, an educator, or even an entire system of education, connecting with the audience is no mere nicety, but a matter of paramount importance. If the message, or learning, is to reach individuals and actually have a positive effect, its content and delivery must be designed with the ...
Views: 1224 - ***Team-Building Secrets for Successful Startups - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVWhen people start businesses, they often hire staff when needed, where needed, with no strategic plan in place. Sometimes they are lucky and it works. But more often than not, it wastes money and hobbles the startup, as these typical scenarios show: Ready, aim . . . wait! A software developer ...
Views: 1222(1 vote) - ***Learning Optimism - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVCan optimism really be learned? Some say yes, and it can make a huge difference in life. No matter how large and intimidating a leadership challenge might be, facing it with optimism is the thing you can do to manage, shape, and eventually triumph over it. The bottom line: Trash the pessimistic ...
Views: 1218 - ***You Can't Become Whole Without Overcoming Adversity - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOV"It's not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties." --Abigail Adams (in a letter to her son, future president John Quincy Adams, when he was 12) When Abigail Adams ...
Views: 1203 - ***Don't Let the People You Work with Kill Your Dreams - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVSomeday you will own your own company, build a fortune in real estate, or head up a major corporation. On that day you will have the luxury of surrounding yourself with people who support you and share your dream. That is someday, but what about today? Chances are that you are working in a job ...
Views: 1166 - *** You Can Do Well by Doing Good - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2009 from John AOVArizona's housing crisis was deepening. Homeowners were losing their houses. But that got Kevin Andrews thinking. Andrews, a Trump University real estate student, started to wonder whether he could help homeowners and help himself at the same time. And then he hit on a way. Kevin heard about a ...
Views: 1159(85 votes) - ***A Key to Success - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVThere is an ingredient for success that is often overlooked, maybe because it sounds out of place in business lingo. But I know for a fact that it is absolutely necessary to achieve any kind of long lasting success, and I know this from experience. That ingredient is passion. Enthusiasm on a ...
Views: 1151(1 vote) - *** Valuing Commercial Real Estate - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOVIt’s Based on Cash Flow, not Comps If you’ve ever bought a house, you know how it works. The value of the house is almost always based on comparable sales. Comparable sales--or “comps,” as they are called--are homes similar in location, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot ...
Views: 1146 - *** Charitable Giving: It's More than a Tax Deduction - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOVSince September 11, 2001, the Trump Organization has always had an annual memorial of some sort. The first year, we forfeited our annual Trump Organization Christmas party in order to give the funds that would normally be used for that event to charity. All of us felt it was the right thing to ...
Views: 1141 - ***Trust: A Critical Factor in Negotiating - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn the Middle Ages, people shook hands to demonstrate that they were empty-handed, meaning they were not carrying weapons and could be trusted to behave honorably. Even today, a handshake before a negotiating session means that you and the other person agree to behave honorably. You might ...
Views: 1138 - ***Different Paths, One Destination - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVMany are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal. --Friedrich Nietzsche There are many paths to a single goal. There are those, however, who confuse a path with the goal. A goal is a destination, while a path is the means to get there. The water in a raging ...
Views: 1103 - ***Results are What Matter - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVMen acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way. --Aristotle We all have different ways of accomplishing things. Some people deliberate for a long time and then move quickly. Some people make a quick decision and then take a long time to act on it. Sometimes the ...
Views: 1076 - ***Make the Phone Ring - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVProperty-selling wizardry from the Trump University faculty The primary reason to advertise a property is to sell it. But there is another reason for advertising too. It is to generate a database of potential buyers for properties you will sell in the months and years to come. This secondary ...
Views: 1058 - ***Go Beyond Money - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVThe first sentence in my first book, The Art of the Deal , goes like this: “I don’t do it for the money. I’ve got enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably ...
Views: 1049 - ***Be Fast, Get Ahead - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVWe live, work, and compete in markets where you must be more like a laser than a floodlight, more like a gazelle than an elephant. In today’s complex and competitive business environment, three critical factors form a mantra for success: “Make it short, fast, and direct!” Our customers, ...
Views: 1046 - ***The Path to Success: A Long, Winding Road - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVJamie Meiselman is an entrepreneur who pursued the idea of bringing the perfect surf indoors through an enterprise known as Surfparks. A veteran of the action sports industry (snowboarding, skateboarding, etc.), Mr. Meiselman nurtured his idea while studying for his MBA at Columbia University. ...
Views: 1040 - ***Unleashing the Power of Self-Directed Learning for a Happier and More Successful Career - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn years past, continuing your education past high school meant applying for admission and taking classes to learn skills that other people said you would need in your career. Today, thanks to self-directed learning, all that has changed. In self-directed learning, you design your own ...
Views: 1034(1 vote) - *** Defend Yourself from Scams and Flimflams - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOV"I went to a foreclosure auction the other day," said a woman who called our offices last week. "And do you know what? There was no point in bidding on any of the houses, because they were the same ones that I had already seen on realtors’ Websites and in newspapers. Other people didn't seem to ...
Views: 1023 - ***Wizards of Wall Street: Market Timing and the Allure of Prognostication - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVSince the dawn of civilization, man has tried to predict the future because knowledge of the future could influence decisions that would greatly affect the welfare of individuals and society. If the farmer knew exactly what the weather was going to be like, he could adjust his planting schedule ...
Views: 1016 - ***Dig Big Profits from Properties that Other Investors Ignore - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOV“I have been doing great during the recent slump,” a Michigan-based developer named Jonathan told me recently. “I buy, renovate and resell one and two-family residential houses in inner cities. Other developers ignore these properties and prefer to work in more upscale locales. But there are ...
Views: 1008 - ***E-Learning Is the Future and the Future Is Now - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVIf you ask 10 people to name the greatest business thinker of the last century, I am willing to bet that at least eight of them, and maybe all 10, will pick Peter Drucker. There's a very good reason. Drucker invented the modern science of management in 1954 when he wrote The Practice of ...
Views: 1004(1 vote) - ***Timing + Good Instincts = Wealth - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVA few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us. --Ralph Waldo Emerson Handling money well requires instincts. It can be learned, but it also requires a sixth sense that needs to be developed. Gamblers know about timing. Some people have it, some people don't. Life isn't exactly a roll ...
Views: 1000 - ***The Trump/Kiyosaki Road to Riches - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVAn exclusive look between the covers of our new book, Why We Want You to Be Rich Why We Want You To Be Rich: Two Men, One Message describes a path to wealth that you won't find in other books. We'd like to share some of our unusual advice today on the Trump blog. You Need to Live Well toGet ...
Views: 993 - ***Technology Blurs the Lines Between Business and Personal - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn the time B.C.--before computers--the separation between home (personal) and work (business) was far more clear-cut. Today, the line between home and work has blurred because of cell phones, e-mail, notebook computers, PDAs, and other powerful communications technologies. In some companies, ...
Views: 987 - *** Real Estate Investing: Beware of Red Flags - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOV“On this April Fool’s day, vow never to become the fool.” - Gary Eldred, PhD Although I love real estate and believe it offers most people their best opportunity to become wealthy, no one should assume that every great-sounding offer actually represents a great deal. In fact, investors are ...
Views: 985 - ***In Real Estate, Knowledge is King - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVFew can doubt that knowledge is crucial in any business endeavor. It's just common sense: the more you know about who and what you're dealing with, the better off you will be. Real estate, though, is arguably the most knowledge-driven of any business. It is all about terrain, and knowing the ...
Views: 981 - ***Seven Reasons Why Buying a Business Is Better than Starting One - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2009 from John AOVI understand that this is the “Spring Cleaning” issue of Inside Trump Tower - all about making a new start. And what better way is there to make a fresh start than to buy a business? Here’s my advice to you. Think about these seven reasons why buying a business is better than starting a new ...
Views: 980 - ***Why Take a Course that Doesn't Offer Credit? - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVI'm not really in touch with the general school-attending public anymore. My kids are no longer in school; I retired from university teaching and am living in Florida among the old folks. So, sometimes I forget why students go to school. This isn't entirely fair. I have always had difficulty ...
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