Well um…sort of!

School smarts (formal education) are great, got nothing against them at all. They award certificates that look great on a CV. They teach you concepts and principles that you might not find elsewhere as easily. They can even make your name look better on paper and help establish your credibility – after all, if your life depended on it, who’d you prefer to meet at the operating table in a hospital…

Dr Max Soutter or Mr Max Soutter?

If you’re a professional climbing the corporate ladder and that’s your goal, then you should know that there are many doors that a piece of paper can open for you – rightly so, for the most part.

BUT and it’s a big but…in business, for entrepreneurs, the world works differently.

In business more academic qualifications don’t equate to you being more intelligent, better equipped or more likely to succeed…sometimes it can even mean the opposite. The most important qualifications, knowledge or skills in business aren’t gained in any formal academic system.

For those my friend, you’ll have to go to the Street University!

The street university is where your theories, ideas and ‘the stuff you’re made of’ is tested. The street university isn’t looking to see how many books you’ve read or how many degrees you have. Rather it’s looking to see how determined, focused and courageous you are. The Street university is also where we find out if your idea, that looks amazing on paper is actually practical or if you are in fact the man to pull it off.

The difference between these two is why career professionals (or long time employees) often have a very hard time making the transition from employee to entrepreneur. The two world’s work very different

For example

• Employees are rewarded for following instructions, conforming to established systems and expectations (just like in school)
  
• Entrepreneurs are most rewarded for standing out, going against the grain and creating their own systems
• Employees are expected to perform to the degree that they’ve been equipped with support systems to perform (like school).
• An entrepreneur needs to perform no matter what.
• Most employees get paid even if they have a bad week – or month. Some get paid even to do close to nothing (in school, besides major exam years, you get to progress from one grade to another, even if you don’t ‘deserve’ to.)
  
• Entrepreneurs get paid accordingly to the value they create. Bad performance will almost always affect your pay-day.
• Employees will tend to focus on their job security.
• Entrepreneurs will tend to focus more on financial freedom…and the job security of others.
• Employees are often given a daily agenda and initiative often hindered (Just like teachers dictate the agenda of most students).
• When an entrepreneur wakes up, he has to design his own agenda and initiative is a must.

‘Street university’ or the school of the practical is a very different world to the world where you’re given all the rules, a pre-thought out syllabus, a teacher to guide you through it and a fairly predictable exam. BUT

Street University doesn’t have to be a School of Hard Knocks!

School of Hard Knocks implies that you’re only learning the hard way, but you can be smarter than that, right?

• Learn from people who have already made the mistakes you might have made and are already achieving the goals you’re setting for yourself.
• Learn by acting on your goals and ideas. Don’t let perfectionism keep you from acting.
• If you make a mistake, get back up fast, learn the lesson and move on.
• Increase your EQ (emotional quotient)
• Develop your leadership skills

If I could only have one, I’d choose street smarts over school smarts.  Fortunately it’s not either or. The street university is often turned in the school of hard knocks when you start out with stupid theories or just plain ignorance of basic concepts. Concepts that are taught in formal educational setups.

So Both is best as long as you know which is which I guess.

Stay smart.

Heaven is not for sinners of any kind – yet that is all any of us is without Jesus. God will not allow anyone who is of that first Adam…that natural man, into Heaven, but he will allow all of us, who are in Christ, the last Adam. You see the thing is to stop thinking of someone Else’s sin as greater or less than your own. Whatever are the ‘big sins’ in people’s eyes are all small in comparison to the blood of Jesus.

The issue first and foremost and by far is not which particular sin have you committed, how many times and is it better or worse than mine – no the issue is, if your faith in Jesus and his GIFT of righteousness or in yourself. If you are in Christ, you are free from judgement and free from the chains of sin and heaven bound…even if you fail in a certain area.

That’s why it’s called a gift of grace. You can’t earn it, or deserve to keep it. It’s by grace…so lets take our focus off of our own selves and back on to Jesus. Jesus is enough.
Filed under: Marketing Advice Tagged: grace, Heaven, Homosexuality ]]> http://bizsetup.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/homosexuals-in-heaven/feed/ 4 0007 Image http://bizsetup.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/how-social-media-marketing-works/ http://bizsetup.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/how-social-media-marketing-works/#comments Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:49:08 +0000 Max Soutter http://bizsetup.wordpress.com/?p=6167 Continue reading →]]> Everyday in Zimbabwe, and really, all across Africa, businesses are finally waking up to the opportunity of social media marketing. Facebook especially. Problem is, most people and companies just have no real clue about how it really works, so that even large brands with large followings on Facebook or Twitter for example, just don’t really see much in the way of bottom line results. So…what to do? How does it work? What’s the best strategy?

I’ve had the opportunity in the last few months to be on the receiving end of some very generous people. People who have given and forgiven me even when i couldn’t give back. It’s a truly humbling experience, and it’s also the secret to making social media work short and long-term – In one word…

Generosity.

Social media is about relationships, not ‘likes’ or fans or followers and so on. I’ve found that the vast majority of so-called ‘social media experts’ in Zimbabwe are nothing more than ‘collectors’, not marketers. They collect likes on Facebook and connections on LinkedIn and followers on twitter, but they don’t actually develop any relationship with their market. It’s one thing to get your number of likes up (even this most fail at), but another thing to actually get any results from those likes. So…what to do? Again that one word

Generosity.

Social media, like all real marketing, is about leadership. Not popularity or useless attention. It’s about positioning yourself so that you’re able to influence thoughts, ideas, conversations and buying criteria. It’s about being the someone who people look to, to help them get to their goals, to mentor them, to support them.

So how does generosity help?

When you’re generous with valuable information, resources, ideas and even discounts and actual products people want to engage with you. They want to be in relationship with you, they want to recommend you and help you achieve your goals – why? because you care. Because you’re not all about your product or service. because you’re genuinely out to help. Someone like that is easy to follow, be loyal to, learn from.

We all have a tendency to concern ourselves only with our own needs, point of view, problems and so on. That’s why most of us find it so hard to give out, forgive or really do anything without thinking first about how it benefits ourselves or without someone having to ‘deserve it’ first. The funny thing about social media though, is that it rewards the few who can and do. It rewards the generous.

There are a lot of ways to fast forward your results online, but without a generosity mindset as a foundation…it’s all just short-term, low leverage hype and noise that doesn’t translate to much in the end.

I guess Jesus was right (again) “Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will men pour into your bosom.” Luke 6:38

He has no sharp teeth, no long claws, no battle armour and no scary growl to scare off hungry wolves. He doesn’t run fast or jump high and he cannot camouflage his white wool against the green grass – He is an all together easy target for any predator.

Oh and if that wasn’t already bad enough…

The only thing a sheep is really good at, just so happens to be the EXACT OPPOSITE of the trait we admire most in people. We love and admire leaders, the bold and self-confident, multi-talented, head strong “i know where i’m going”, super alpha-male type people! But the sheep has none of these qualities.

The sheep’s only real talent is being a good follower!

Despite all this we find one of history’s greatest leaders, a King, a hero – proudly describe himself as a sheep. He says…

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides the still waters…and though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil…for thou art with me. Thy rod and staff, they comfort me” Psalm 23

The one thing the sheep is good at is following the voice of the shepherd, and relying on him for everything.

“My shepherd knows where the green pastures are, he knows where the still waters are. He will make sure I do not want, that i’m safe from the wolf, and if i ever get lost…He will drop everything to come find me and bring me home! He says…

“I have no ability of my own, but the ability of my shepherd is all that i need”

We make way too much of what we can and cannot do, and too little of OUR good shepherd can do for us. We have filled our heads with so much self-help philosophy that we don’t believe we have anymore need for a shepherd…at least not all the time.

We live as sheep in wolf’s clothing. Sheep that think they can, think they have sharp teeth and claws…but we do not. We have no real strength of our own, fortunately though, we do not need it. The good shepherd is sufficient for all our weaknesses and limitations. Our job is simple to follow his voice.

So who wants to be a sheep?

I do. If Jesus is pleased to the shepherd, then i am most pleased to be a sheep. You?

‘Hard’ is a measure of difficulty. A measure of the effort it’s going to take to get through to the other side. Hard is a test – hard times show you what stuff you’re made of, what makes you tick, how much you want it. However, let’s be clear, If something is hard, then it’s possible, with the right type and amount of effort and training.

Hard is the opposite of easy, but ultimately, hard is doable.

It’s ‘hard’ to climb the mountain because it’s high’, it’s ‘hard’ to win the lottery because the odds are one in a million…yet both are doable.

‘Impossible’ is a completely different thing.

Impossible does not mean ‘really difficult’, it does not mean ‘highly unlikely’, it means “Stop brain storming and quit trying, you can’t do it, no matter what and no matter how!’ It’s with that understanding in mind that for example the bible says,
“Without Faith, it is Impossible to please God”.  It’s not even worth trying. Don’t bother.

Now the problem of course is that with all the self-help slogans of “you can do whatever you set your mind to”, “screw it lets do it”, “nothing can stop you”, “many people just don’t really believe that anything is genuinely impossible. They’ve heard the hype about the incredible power of the human brain and how a positive attitude is the key – So when they finally do encounter something that is genuinely impossible, they don’t know it. They simply apply more and more effort or yet another approach. And then another and then another. And still no success.

Naaa, there’s a better way.

The best thing to do about an impossible situation is to stop treating it like a possible one. Stop trying harder, faster, longer – just stop. When something is genuinely impossible, none of that will help – not one bit. Even when it seems to be working, it’s really not.

So what to do?

To change a genuinely impossible situation, I must rely on the one who can do for men, what it is impossible for men to do for themselves. 

God.

So I let Him do it and then I rely on what he says he has done. I do not try to add my possible to His impossible, Spiritual power is not made more powerful by the flesh. I rely fully on God. In this way I discover the truth of that bible verse that says;

“His grace is sufficient for me, His strength is made perfect when I am weak.”

I could do nothing to save myself, and i can do nothing to make myself righteous – it was and still is impossible. I could but only accept what he has done about it, and receive it as a gift. If what he has done is even just one millionth of a degree inadequate, then I am sunk, because I can add no righteousness of my own.

If however, Jesus and the work of the cross is enough to secure my forgiveness and make me righteous, then I am safe. I don’t try, I rely. I do not achieve, I receive.

So what about your situation? Do you really consider yourself able without the help of God to produce the right results in your business? In your character? In your career? If so, then go a head and do it, let’s  see. 

However if you believe as I do, that without God, godliness is impossible, then ‘cease from your works’. Stop trying and start trusting. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot do both at the same time.  He must work it in and through you, or it will not be done. What i can do for myself has only the appearance of Godliness…but He can do the impossible.

Not by might…

Just a little while longer and ‘The Year From Hell’ will be over! Well that’s at least how a couple of people I know would describe it. I was close to that too. I’ll admit, on ‘Wonderfulness-Of-Life-Ometer’, this has not been one of my best – not even close.

In 2012, I made more mistakes, failed in more ways than probably any year I’ve had since 1996 when I spent every waking moment playing video games and wondering why I didn’t make progress! Never was a year so full of heart breaks, secret tears, sleepless nights, unproductive days and reoccurring failures as was 2012 for me. A lot of really heart breaking experiences and all for one mega important lesson.

A lesson so important that it’s revolutionised my whole approach to life, Christianity, business, family – everything. And this is the lesson – “It’s not by might, nor power, but by my Spirit says the Lord”. Zach 4:6

Practically every Christian human being on earth knows that you’re meant to rely on God’s strength, not your own, but probably only one in a million actually lives that way – really. We pay lip service to it, and hardly anyone really knows how to do it, or even why… until you come to the very end of yourself.

Having being confronted with the limitations of Max Soutter in 2012 like never before, i found myself for the very first time forced to dive into a way of life that i had previously only really dipped my feet in. A life fully reliant on the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as my source. Not my own cleverness, talents & resources. Not my own righteousness or moral fortitude. Not my own years of learning and studying – all of which I relied on far too heavily in times past.

Yep in 2012, I have seen every one of my own strengths fail me in small and sometimes in massive ways. The results have been disappointment for both myself and others. I did my best, but my best was not enough. But i don’t want you to think I’m  for me, naa…

It was a beautiful letdown.

Beautiful because in those painful, scary and sometimes surprising disappointments I have learned so many ridiculously wonderful things about how much God really loves me, about just how vital it is to look to Jesus and be led by the Holy Spirit and to receive God’s unmerited favour as the basis for my success – whilst extending massive grace to others who did not and could never deserve it. It took a while but HE finally got it into my skull, that he can do more, do it better, faster and with more style than I can, every time! 

So really, for me a year from Hell has become the most Heavenly year I have every had. You might not have been able to tell by looking at me – I didn’t make a million dollars, I didn’t break any personal records, I didn’t become customer service King of the century – but 2012 has been the most transformational year I’ve had.

It’s difficult in just this one post to articulate the change in perspective and approach to life… but you’ll see it from now on the blog.

Hate to see the name of Jesus? Don’t believe He is the most critical facet of your business (and life) success? Have a phobia of over zealous Christians? Then get ready to unsubscribe! I hate to lose you as a reader, but I’d be lying to you to blog in any other way.

On the other hand IF you’re at the end of yourself. You’ve worked, and tried, and pushed and resolved and everything as hard as you can in your own strength – and you’ve not satisfied with the results. You’re going to fall in love with Jesus reading this blog.  And if I can show you whats been shown to me…2013 is going to be the best year of your life – not because of my brilliance…because you’re going to learn exactly how to tap into a genius like you’ve never seen anywhere else.

Oh and if you’ve had the easiest year of your life…the best business or financial year ever, and everything seemed to come together…then you may need this more than just about anyone. Never are we so tempted to trust in our own strength for our lives as when it actually seems to work!

So anyway, yes – you’ll still get great ideas and resources for your business, more than ever – but this time I’m going to nudge (and nudge) you in the direction of leaning much less on [insert your name here] and much more on Jesus. I’m not guru in this, it’s just something I’ve learned and am still learning…and i’d love for you to join me.

Oh ya – Merry Christmas!

Are you into multi-level marketing? Whether you’re in Forever Living selling Aloe Vera products, or promoting holiday packages through World Ventures – whichever network marketing opportunity you’re involved in, I want to show you how to finally start building a real income stream, and how to do it quicker and easier than you may have thought possible, right here in Zimbabwe.

You’ll have to be open to new ideas though.

Now, I’ll admit, for a long time I was a skeptic of multi-level marketing opportunities and their viability as a business opportunity. However, after I began to do the research (and I did a lot) I began to discover that there are in fact some viable opportunities in the industry and some multi-level marketing companies do in fact offer great products and value.  Some have great compensation or marketing plans and some even offer great support and training.

BUT, the truth is…

Despite all those benefits, very many people are still struggling to turn it all into an income that is actually worth the effort and money they’ve put in.

Is that you?

You work hard, you put in the time, but nothing seems to be happening, seems just to hard to convince people. Or perhaps you’ve already given up on the idea. Whatever the case, if you will allow me, I would love to show you how turn things around (also I have a free gift worth hundreds if dollars I want to give to you).

Yes, there is a way to build a real genuine (or a greater) income stream from multi-level marketing, right here in Zimbabwe, even if you’ve been struggling for years and failing.

If you’re involved in MLM or have been in the past, and you’re open minded and you’re open to new ideas and results driven strategies from years of research and study, I want to talk to you. No matter which multi-level marketing company you’re into or were into, I am convinced that I can show you a way to take a giant leap forward.

Contact me now.

If you’re one of the few who is already making good money, then you can make more. However, if you’re the majority that has been struggling, this could be that missing piece you’ve been looking for.

Get in touch with me ASAP.  Use the form below to reach my personal email, or connect with me on Facebook. IN BOX – www.facebook.com/maxsoutter or EMAIL maxsoutter@facebook.com

When some people hear Multi-level marketing, they think, “oh this must be a pyramid scheme”. Sad thing is very few actually have any idea of what a pyramid scheme is. Truth is 99% of companies in Zimbabwe are pyramid schemes!

They look like this (See picture).

Notice how the people at the bottom have probably 0% chance of getting the benefits that the people at the top get. You can resent it, but really, it’s just a fact of life. It’s not the founder’s fault.

Do you think anyone at Econet get’s paid the way Strive Masiyiwa Gets paid? It’s not Strive’s fault. It’s just how business works.

However, this is where multi-level marketing often differs from most jobs. Instead of being a victim and a slave to the system (the rat race), your rewards are based on your own efforts, not what the boss thinks you’re worth. In fact, if you do it right, after a while you start to get the same benefit the boss has, the ultimate benefit – getting paid for the hard work of others! It’s called passive income. You don’t have to own the company to do that, you don’t even need to be an employee, you just need to get plugged into the right place.

If you’re looking for a great place to start, here’s what i recommend.

They’ve recently come into Zimbabwe with a great product. It’s set to make life a whole lot easier for a number of people. I hope one of those people will be you. If you’re interested in finding out more about passive income opportunities , use the form below, or connect with me on Facebook. In box me, and I’ll send you the info you need (oh and in case you’re worried, believe me, you can afford it) – just $30 to start!

Money to hire help, money to market yourself, money to setup the office, money to buy the machinery…and so on. No matter what anyone tells you, it takes money to start up a business (unless) – fortunately, though, it’s not always your money. I’m not talking getting a loan, even business plans written and scrutinized the best consultants in Zimbabwe, can no longer guarantee you a loan…not even close. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or smoking something, or both.

So what to do? Give up and settle for the rat race?

Naa. Not you!

I’m constantly on the look out for great opportunities that you can take advantage of, and recently I came upon what is one of the best, and most practical approaches to making money in Zimbabwe I’ve seen in a long time.

It’s called Balltron, and yes it’s multi-level marketing. Granted MLM has been a disappointment for a number of people in recent times – but there’s a reason for that. It’s not because multi-level marketing doesn’t work, in fact few models work as well. It’s because many of them really weren’t specifically designed to fit the Zimbabwean context.

They’re either too costly to join and maintain, or else they require people to change some of the life time habits of spending and living…not an easy way to build a business. It’s worked for some, but many have struggled. It’s not impossible, but it’s not exactly easy either.

Enter Balltron!

Balltron is an international company that’s been involved in multi-level marketing now for almost 20 years. In coming into Zimbabwe, they’ve done something that no other network marketing company in Zimbabwe has done as well (far as I can tell). They chose a product that is 1) Not hard to sell, 2) has a huge market 3) Is easily affordable to many 4) Doesn’t require you to change you lifestyle 5) Of ‘tangible’ (real) benefit.

The product is called Nhakatron and it’s a high quality, competitive offer in it’s industry and practically everyone you know will make use of it or a service like it sooner or later! Everyone.

It’ll cost you just $30 to get started, but the potential to grow your income, passive income is huge. It’s not get rich quick scheme. That doesn’t exist, but if you’re on a small budget, and you want the opportunity to earn up $5000usd a month (and more), then this is the best way I know how for most people. In fact I have personally gotten involved in it, which I rarely do, so I believe in the idea.

Contact us if you’re interested and would like more details. I have a special bonus I’m throwing in that will give you potentially hundreds of dollars worth of free marketing services, if you get in (under me) early enough.

You can also get details by connecting with me on Facebook, and in boxing me.

When government does launch these online company formation services, here’s what all you can look forward to;

• Online deeds search
• Online company registration
• Online land application
• Online Supplier registration with state procurement board
• Online liquor license application
• and other citizen services

So good-bye to ques and crazy red tape, something I know many people will be very grateful for.