1,000 Post

Okay...

I consider myself more of a businessman than a SEO, and as such I'd prefer to offer some success tips that extend past SEO -- remember not to focus so blindly on one operational expertise that you lose sight of what you're trying to do. This isn't in any particular order; I'm just jotting it down -- I hope some find it helpful.

1. Make three lists nightly. Figure out the most important tasks you could possibly do to increase revenue for the first list, everything you could do to reasonably cut costs on the second list, and everything else that you'd "like" to do.
2. Only focus on list one and two.
3. Hire people smarter than you and give them incentives to succeed -- ego doesn't matter when it makes you rich. You don't need to own 100% of a company if it is a mediocre firm; having 60% of a company that is partially owned by your employees will more often that not produce better results.
4. KEEP LEARNING. If you feel that you're getting complacent, take a class, go to a conference, join a new networking group...anything. Even at the risk of becoming a peskateer, you got to keep moving and stay fresh.
5. According to BA Dalton for "Lions Don't Need to Roar", it is best to specialize initially in your career, but then to become more of a generalist...I did it by accident, but it is something worth repeating. SEO expertise is great, but then becoming a general marketer and then a general business strategist is even better.
6. Think big and take risks (smart risks that is). I can't emphasize how important this is...your palms might be sweating over the prospects of starting your own business (after you researched it of course), but you might as well. As the saying goes: If not now, then when? If not me, then who.
7. According to an old Apple VP (thanks for my old economics professor Dr. Swanson for remining me); when it comes to information, eat like a pidgeon, poop like an elephant. Pidgeons consume more than their bodily weight daily -- consume as much relevant information as you possibly can, and absorb, and then spread it around to your employees and staff...hording company information won't help the company if the employees don't know about it (remember, they now own a part of it too).
8. Having a fixed schedule can help you to free up time. How many hours do you lose doing tasks that you can't really remember doing? Granted, I'm a temporal freak, but if you can look back on those lists from item #1 and schedule out getting them done, you'll end up with more free time. Remember, a task will always expand to the amount of time given to it. Challenge yourself, squeeze your time requirements, make a game of it...you'll accomplish more, and have more time to spend with your loved ones.
9. Every now and then, question your entire business model, your operations, your people. I don't mean to become beligerant about it, but play devil's advocate...do you really need that extra copier? Does Jim really pull his weight (ask him)? If anything, it may spur some ideas on some items for the first two lists back in item #1.
10. Be philantrophic. Get behind a cause. Some of us were brought up to feel guilty for being successful (self-defeating, but some religious beliefs can be hard to shake). Whether or not you have that guilt, think of how you'll be remembered on this planet and make a difference. The more successful you are, the more you can do. My philantrophic goal will require trillions over my lifetime, so I have some work to do...gotta keep the success train rolling.

Cygnus aka Joe Sinkwitz

Cheers Cygnus

You made me wish I was a businessman ;)

Congrats my friend... tried to give you some rep, but been giving you too many treats too often. Nice post.

Nice post. Congratulations on the 1,000 posts here.

Good one. Congrats!

I like your thinking and I will read the post a few more times more carefully later when I have more time. I wish you do posts like this more often. But I don't agree to #3. I still never met anybody who is smarter then me. And what smart means anyway? Smart to bring you money? Ok. But then you are smarter then him/her since they are making money for you.

I'll stand by #3; I too can get a little full of myself on the intelligence, but it is important to suround yourself with inteligent, hard-working people. Some managers are intimidated by people they feel might "overthrow" them...dispel this from your mind. Hire the best programmers you can find, the best salespeople you can find, etc. Don't be the best in your own company, hire the best.

2000th post? Goodness, it took me nearly two years to hit 1000 -- this still isn't my full-time forum anymore since I started modding at SEOguy...posting in forums constitutes part of the educational goal, but usually makes that third list, which is why the posts come in spurts.

Go make money!

a good businessman is smarter in finding smarter people who're smarter in making money for the smarter businessman who found them.

Very interesting and educational post. I wish more people including myself do this more often. I think you should make SEO chat your full-time forum.

I see your point, and you don't have to wait until 2000th post. You obviously have interesting things to say, why wait.