Author Archives: KenM

By / business smarts / May 12,2016

Niche Markets: Working Smarter, Not Harder

by Ken Matesz

“If you want to be rich, think big . . . think differently.”            Robert Kiyosoki

Last week I went car shopping.

Down one long stretch of a busy road I saw all the typical car brands:  Honda, Subaru, Mazda, GMC, Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet.

What car brands didn’t I see?

Lamborghini

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Porsche

Ferrari

Jaguar

Maserati

Aston Martin

Bugatti

Not only were none of these eight brands represented along that mile-long stretch of car dealers, I don’t even think most of these brands have any showrooms within fifty miles of where I live.  Yet I can name off the top of my head three different Chevrolet dealers in my area.

Why is that?

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By / personal development / Apr 8,2016

Sweep the Floor!

By Ken Matesz

“Be  so good they can’t ignore you.”                     Steve Martin

Anybody else here remember the 1980s version of “Karate Kid?” Maybe you remember, “Wax on, wax off,” or “paint the fence,” and “paint the house.” And, of course, there was, “Sand the floor!”

I’m not teaching karate. I’m teaching some life skills.

If you work at a job – especially if you work at an hourly job – you can benefit from my training:

Sweep the floor!!???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

A lot of people whine and carry on about not earning more money. They wonder why they don’t get a raise more often. They wonder why they earn so little but seem to work so hard. They wonder why it is so hard to work your way up the ladder. My answer?

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By / business smarts, personal development / Feb 18,2015

Cash is King

By Ken Matesz

Had a big mix-up at the store today.  Apparently when the cashier said, “Strip down, facing me,” she was referring to my credit card.

People hate cash.

Isn’t cash just a pain? Takes up lots of space in your wallet, blows away in the wind. It’s just so cumbersome and inconvenient, isn’t it?

Why use and carry cash when you can carry plastic, right?

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By / business smarts / Dec 2,2014

Profiting from Mistakes

by Ken Matesz

“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they’re necessary to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.”

Richard Bach

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

John C. Maxwell

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By / business smarts / Dec 2,2014

Business Is About Profit

By Ken Matesz

“In the state of nature, profit is the measure of right.”               Thomas Hobbes

The only reason to run a business is to make a profit. Period.

If you don’t like that statement or disagree with it, you don’t belong in business and your business venture will probably fail unless it is subsidized by some industry or an outside agency or person. It also might survive a while being subsidized by debt.

When I first went into business about 25 years ago, I did not understand this important fact. I thought I was going into business to help the world.

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