3 Business Lessons from Honeybees

I have often admired the diligent work of the honey bee. Just stand in any garden for a few minutes and very soon you will see one or two honey bees foraging for food within the flowers.

These insects never seem to get tired of working, so it’s obvious why an industrious person is said to be as ‘busy as a bee.’

On deeper reflection, I realised that there are many insights that this tiny insect can give us about being successful in business. I did a little research on the practices of the honey bee and I was quite impressed with the systematic way that it goes about achieving its life’s work.

Here are some of the business lessons that I gained from studying the honey bee:

Create products that are highly valued

The honey bee is the only insect that makes food that can be eaten by humans. Honey is also the only natural food that contains all the vital ingredients for life – vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fatty acids and water.

Bees also produce other things that are of great nutritional, medicinal and economic value to people such as bee pollen, bee wax, bee venom and royal jelly. These insects are also self-sufficient as they create everything needed to sustain the entire colony.

Are you customer-focused when creating the products or services that are provided by your business? Do your offerings bring excellent value to many people?

Design efficient business systems

The honey manufacturing process is a perfect example of how an efficient production line can create consistent, predictable results.

Worker bees collect nectar from flowers; store it in special stomachs; deliver it to other bees in the hive; these chew on the nectar to break it down; drop it into combs in the hive; beat their wings on the combs to thicken the honey for long-term storage; then cap each comb with wax to preserve the food, and start the process again.

Have you created proper systems for all your business processes such as product development, manufacturing, sales, marketing, accounting, and human resource development?

Be persistent in your work effort

A honey bee will work diligently to fill its stomach with nectar; it may have to visit over 100 flowers before its task is complete. To produce one pound of honey, about 500 honey bees have to fly more than 35,000 miles finding nectar and taking it back to the hive.

This distance would be the same as travelling over three times around the world! In fact, the phrase ‘working to death’ is a reality for these bees as many pay the ultimate sacrifice to get the job done.

How committed are you to developing your enterprise? Are you prepared to give up leisure time and do whatever it takes until you have created a successful business system?

At Fire Inc Atlanta, we believe that by hiring the most talented individuals in the area and providing them superior training, we will become the Nation’s leaders in outsourced marketing and sales. Read more at fireincatlanta.com.

 

Creating Personal Relationships that Last

Building healthy relationships with others is one of the most important things to focus on in business and everyday life. Sometimes it is hard because people go about it the wrong way and wind up breaking relationships instead of building them. A lot of times, something unintentional causes this breakdown, and irreparable damage is done. People are not going to get along with their family or friends all the time, but if the relationships have a good foundation, small rifts can always be mended.

Part of the training at Fire Inc has to do with creating personal relationships with customers and clients. In order to do this effectively, one must understand the basics of a good relationship in the first place. A relationship takes two people. It does not matter who those two people are: two business partners, a husband and a wife; a parent and a child; a boss and an employee. In any relationship, there are key elements that must exist in order to make this relationship strong.

One is mutual understanding of what is important to the other person. You may be working on something important at home, but what if your young child interrupts you and wants you to look at something great that he has built out of Legos? Do you tell him that you are busy and that you don’t have time to look at it now? Or do you take a few minutes and let him show you his masterpiece that he is so proud of? If you chose the latter, you are telling your child that what is important to him is important to you, too. That goes a very long way in building your relationship with your child.

Little things that you do for each other in a relationship is important. Small acts of courtesy and kindness add up to a big deal. It shows that you are paying attention to each other’s needs, no matter how small.

Always keep your commitments. This is a very important element in a relationship. Keeping your promises build up trust. Broken trust is one of the toughest things to heal, and sometimes it never does. Take your commitments seriously. A relationship built on trust is one of the strongest that you can achieve.

Communicate and be clear of your expectations from each other. So many relationships break down because of misunderstanding and a lack of communication. When expectations are not clear, they are usually not met, and this leads to disappointment. Disappointment lead to a loss of confidence in the other person. This is not good in a relationship.

When you make a mistake, be sure to apologize with sincerity. Do not try to justify why you did it. Pride is often the culprit behind the lack of apologies. Some people feel like apologizing will make them look weak. On the contrary, it takes great courage to apologize. It shows that you are not hiding behind any excuses.

Maintaining strong and healthy relationships will give you rewards many times over. Remember this advice. Build up the relationship with the people whom you care about, and your life will be rich beyond measure.

 

Change Your Mind Change Your Life

You don’t have to be the best at this particular moment in order to succeed greatly in life and business. At Fire Inc, we believe that the greatest power we all possess is the power of choice. Every day we wake up and make choices that impact our lives. From the small choices to the big ones all of them play a major factor in how we develop in our lives. When you have made the choice to transform yourself into a better person then you are making one of the most impactful choices of your life. Improving the way you function can help you live a more productive and fulfilling life. To change you must first prepare your mind so that your body and actions will follow your desires.

Figure out a way to motivate yourself mentally for a positive change in your life. People trying to lose weight should picture an image of their body a few months from now when they take off a shirt. Anyone that wants to become more cultured and travel should look forward to any upcoming trips they have planned for the future. Whatever you have to do to motivate yourself mentally do it. You cannot hope to change if you do not change the way you think. Get rid of any negative thoughts you have in your head and focus on the positive. Positive reinforcement can go a long way in motivating you to stick to your goals.

What is it that you want to change about yourself? Do you want to make a significant change in your body type or the way you act? Are you interested in making more money? Sit down and actually think about the type of person you want to develop into. Personal development relies heavily on the goals you set forth. Clearly outline your goals to ensure that you have a clear understanding of what type of person you wish to change into.

Devise a strategy towards personal development. A lot of people that want a positive change in their life get a life coach. A life coach is someone that motivates you in every aspect of life. This person acts as your guide and disciplinary measure should you stray from your path towards development. Your life coach does not have to be a professional; a friend or family member can be your life coach. Consider talking to someone you can rely on to keep you motivated through every step you take as you try and develop into a better version of yourself.

Every day write down what you are going to do to change. Put a quick note on your phone so you have access to it at all times. Constantly remind yourself how you are going to change as the day progresses. At the end of the day rate yourself and then reflect on the good things you did and then on some of the things you could have done better. Work towards changing who you are every day and before you know it you will be a much better person. Even if you don’t feel different everyone else around you will notice a difference in you.

Read more about the thoughts and philosophies that make Fire Inc Atlanta the leading sales and marketing company in the Southeast at our website http://fireincatlanta.com.

 

Get Your Dream Job: 4 Tips to Marketing Yourself

Once you’ve decided which jobs you want to apply for, and hopefully which career is going to take you where you want to go, it’s time to get your resume together and try to get an interview. During this whole process, potential employers are going to be going over your previous work history, calling your references, and sifting through piles of other candidates’ resumes. You can be one of the people in the “potentials” pool or you can be the hiring decision that’s a “no-brainer”.

To do this, you have to think like a marketer. Here are four tips on how to make yourself the “no-brainer” choice when companies come to making a hiring decision.

1. Highlight your strengths – with a giant highlighter. If you want hiring managers to understand that you’ve got what it takes, you can’t simply be “good” at something. You have to be the best, or at least one of the best. For example, don’t just say that you were great at leading a group in your last position. Give stats and subliminal testimonials in the form of a short story. By mentioning your aptitude for one thing or another in this way, you won’t come off conceded, but you will set the framework for a lasting impression.
2. Downplay your weaknesses. Think about how marketing campaigns work. They never mention what a product or service doesn’t do. They only highlight the benefits and features. So, unless someone asks you directly what your weaknesses are, don’t mention them. After all, most of our weaknesses are a matter of perspective anyway. So, what you consider weaknesses might not be so from another person’s perspective. If a hiring manager does, in fact, ask you directly. State something with confidence, but also say what you’ve done to work on it.
3. Be attentive when interviewing. From a marketing perspective, the ads the do the best are extremely engaging with the target audience. They give a message that hits home and they have you enthralled the entire time. This shouldn’t be any different when marketing one’s self. Make great eye contact. Smile a lot. Be enthusiastic with your answers.
4. Be genuinely interested in the position you are applying for and the company itself. Some of the best sales pitches involve utilizing a “needs assessment.” In other words, you’re going to be finding out where the company is now, and the needs they have. This is just the basic setup to allow you to sell yourself based on those specific needs.
Do these and you can be sure that you’ll be the “no-brainer” choice when it comes to hiring decisions. Learn more at Fire Inc.

 

4 Tips for Business Owners in Training

There are a lot of things that I could mention in this article that will help people become successful business owners. After expanding our organization into several different cities throughout the United States by developing our people into managing partners, we’ve acquired a keen sense of what it takes to be successful. Don’t just keep pulling your hair out wondering if you’ll be a success or not. Just follow these 7 tips for success and you’ll be head and shoulders above the competition.

Be Nice to People

Granted, not everyone will be nice to you. In fact, most people are going to think that you are crazy for wanting to run or own a business. Customers are going to be rude to you. People are going to tell you that you should be ashamed of yourself for soliciting your services. You can tell yourself whatever you want to make yourself feel better, but at the end of the day, your success or failure will be influenced by your audience’s perception of you. It always makes things worse when you are disrespectful or make snide remarks. It never makes things worse if you are nice. People will come around, but not if you don’t give them a reason to.

Immerse Yourself in Your Industry

Don’t just wade in the shallow end. Don’t just dip your toes in and test the waters. Jump in. Immerse yourself in the industry in which you are going to be running your business. No one ever made any progress by just ‘trying it out.’ In order to make waves in an industry and really be a success, you have to know what the other leaders of the industry are doing, what they aren’t doing, and what they should be doing. Have your thumb on the pulse of your industry, know more than your competitors, and focus your daily actions around beating them.

Cash is King

It doesn’t matter how great your business idea sounds if you don’t have the money to back it up. There’s a saying about rainy days and saving money, and it rains more frequently if you are a business owner. There are a lot of expenses, some of which you wouldn’t expect, that you have to have liquid funds for. Don’t tie up all of your money in leasing a brand new office space, buying a company car, or other frivolous ideas. You haven’t made it yet. You haven’t even started. Save your money, build a bank roll, and stay profitable.

Prepare for the Long Haul

Some people are known to become overnight successes. Recently on Live with Kelly and Michael, Amy Schumer mentioned that she has been called the fastest-rising comedian. She also went on to say that she’s been called that over the last decade or so. There’s no such thing as an overnight success in the real world. It takes several years of hard work, working for peanuts, and filling your pockets with knowledge and experience instead. Only later on will your knowledge and experience turn into dollars.

At Fire Inc, we’ve expanded into several different cities throughout the United States by training motivated individuals into business partners. Not one of them has been an ‘overnight success,’ but several of them have been able to get promoted into these positions within a year’s time. For more information on our training, click here.

 

Fire Inc. Atlanta wants to know what are

Fire Inc. Atlanta wants to know what are your Dreams?
Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan
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The battles that count aren’t the ones f

The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at. –Jesse Owens
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Never give up… We hope you had a great

Never give up… We hope you had a great week lets finish this Friday strong!
It is never too late to be what you might have been. –George Eliot
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Happy FRIDAY from all of us here at Fire

Happy FRIDAY from all of us here at Fire Inc. Atlanta!!!!!
Each of us has 86,400 seconds of daily once in a lifetime opportunity to be thankful. Every second is precious and unique. And we only get one shot at that precise moment in time. Why not make them grateful? Gratus is the Latin root word for gratitude; meaning appreciativeness, thankfulness and gratefulness. Gratitude is positive acknowledgment for what we receive; albeit, tangible or intangible. Being gracious with our thankfulness is one way to validate the goodness in our lives. It is a profoundly simple process that allows us perspective in recognizing the source of our goodness is oftentimes derived externally…
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Limitations live only in our minds. But

Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. –Jamie Paolinetti
#fireincatlanta #fearless #nolimits #believeinyourself