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Contents
Evolution
In This Edition
Page:10: Page 22: Page 24: Page 28:
Guest Editorial Ask Michelle Secrets of Successful Writers Everyday Healthy choices
ON The Cover
Page 14: Matthew Lee Power Player Under 40
Evolution
Evolution Magazine - January 2014
Published By Evolve Media Group Inc. Evolve MEdia Group Inc. DARNELL G DAVIS - CEO
EVA LOUIS - COO Staff Editor KEVIN BAHLER Web Development BLAKE JACKSON Video/Photography DARRIN DUNCAN Hyper Local Managing Editors Dallas, TX Phoenix, AZ DC- Metro Columbus, OH Salt Lake City , UT EVOLUTION TEAM EVOLUTION TEAM SUSAN BAKER PRECIOUS MOORE HEIDI TOTTEN
Graphic Designer EVOLUTION TEAM Evolution Contributors DONNIE BRYANT ANGEL TRUE MICHELLE DAWSON SCOTT GINSBURG DEBI SILBER KEVIN WILSON
Evolution Magazine is a trademark of the Evolve Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in full is strictly prohibited. Evolution Magazine is a monthly digital publication with limited print copies available in designated markets. Evolution Magazine welcomes all contributions. Evolution Magazine assumes no responsibility for content or advertisement. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is produced subject to errors and omissions. 29 South Law Street - Allentown, PA 18105 Phone: (347) 669 2EVO Email: info@EvoMag.co Online: www.EvoMag.co
*Unless otherwise noted all stock photos are provided by Deposit Photos www.depositphotos.com.* IStock Photos www.Istock.com * BigStockPhotos www.bigstockphotos.com
Evolving Concepts
To establish your vision and achieve your goals in 2014, you must uncover your Why: the specific benefits, and the value of reaching your goal. Key 4: Break It Down Take time to brainstorm all the steps you will need to take as you progress forward. You should concentrate on the What and stay away from the How during this stage, as that would slow you down and frustrate you. As part of the process, you will identify what resources and help you will need through this process, which you can address later. Key 5: Put it on Your Calendar The proof that you are serious about establishing your vision and achieving your goals in 2014 is very simple put a date on it! Creating a timeline and giving yourself specific dates will ensure you stay focused and move toward your bold goal. It will also highlight if you have allowed too much or not enough time for each step, so you can easily make adjustments. Key 6: Get into Action It would seem like a logical point, but visionaries often find themselves at this point without action. Fear and doubt try to creep in, and if we forget our Why, we never take action. Today, take some time and Just Do It. Failure is not an option on progress. If you wait to make sure that everything is perfect, you may find yourself on the losing end of the time exchange. Pursue
progress over perfection. If you constantly wait for the time to be perfect, it may never come. However, if you pursue progress, you can reach perfection one imperfect step at a time. Key 7: Celebrate Entrepreneurs tend to find themselves pursuing their vision and reaching their goals, but rarely take the opportunity to celebrate their successes. Interestingly enough, you will find them celebrating their failures by beating themselves up over the smallest negative review or bad PR moment. Take some time to celebrate your successes as you establish your vision and achieve your goals. Celebrating will serve as a healthy reminder why you set your goals in the first place and motivate you to take on the next project with more intensity. Give yourself a big pat on the back and truly recognize and reward yourself for your achievements. In fact, you should make that a preliminary step. Before you even take step one and decide on what your bold goal is, think up a juicy reward and pin that on your vision board - then take that first step. Welcome to 2014 my friends! I am looking forward to sharing our vision with you as we progress into this New Year. One of my goals is this series: Evolving Concepts. It is my desire to share challenges that many business owners are facing and solutions that may assist you with achieving your success goals.
Guest Editorial
Speaker, educator, author, performance coach, and motivator, Joseph Facchiano, principal of JoFash Enterprises, has influenced thousands of professionals with a message of alignment, mission, and purpose. He consults internationally and with diverse Fortune 500 firms, and as an entrepreneur, understands the challenges of small businesses. Joe currently serves as an advisor with numerous business councils.
Evolution
Coming Summer 2014
Speakers Network
www.Vision-Weekend.com
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Name: Matthew Lee Age: 35 Occupation: Author, Business Coach, & Entrepreneur Location: Chicago, IL Affiliations: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Describe your work ethic and why you are a power player. My work ethic has been developed since I was a kid. I realized that through hard work I could go from being an average student to a great student. My work ethic in high school took me from an average basketball player to an All-State player, Mr. Basketball candidate, and it allowed me to earn a Division 1 scholarship to play basketball. As a business person, I have matured with experience. I spend less time working hard and I instead work smarter. As a result, my work ethic is solely focused on further developing and optimizing my strengths. What makes me a power player? Thats a good question. Id like to think I know best what makes me a power player, but I think it is even better to share what others have had to say: - Matthew is a visionary person with the ability to create a line of sight for almost any area of business. Matthew has a mind that creates a cascade of events/activities based on a person's objective. He also helps create clarity for individuals regarding what their goals should be. Gia C. - In one moment, Matthew instilled in me the confidence to go for it. That gave me the push to get in the door with a Fortune 100 company to pitch them on my services. Julie C. - Youre a great teacher of marketing and business growth ideas and concepts. In addition, you are excellent at adding value. You can instantly give any business owner 3 ideas to grow their business. You are also a great connector and networker and have a lot of good relationships with others. You are also professional, organized, and good for your word. Jose C. - I believe his unique ability is being a true visionary. He has an ability to create campaigns that will explode anyone's business. He has a marketing and creative sense like no one I've ever seen. He has helped me tremendously with my business. He is extremely passionate about real estate, and making sure the people around him are successful. Matthews highest and best use of his time is developing million dollars ideas. Kadeesha K. In addition, I am a bestselling author and co-founder of The Path To Home Ownership Blueprint. The Path To Home Ownership Blueprint is the only program of its kind to help renters fix their credit, supercharge their finances, qualify for up to $16,000 in down payment assistance and government grants to buy a home. We do all this while helping renters establish a foundation on which to build wealth. Tell our readers what motivates you to go above and beyond peoples expectations. I am selfish. I really am driven by my goals, and Ive consistently raised my own bar and standard of success higher than what others may have had for me. I am motivated by the desire to inspire other people to achieve greatness in their lives. I know that my success will open doors for other people that have had similar struggles. I am motivated when I see peoples lives change as a result of my help. Photo Credits: Amie Hana www.AmyHana.Photography.Com
We hear that you are a power networker. Tell our readers why networking is important to you. I was originally taught, ABC = Always Be Closing. I re-invented that by saying, ABC = Always Be Creating (Value). Networking is only important if you know how to do it correctly. Most people are networking solely for the expectation of something in return or simply to make a sale. I call that slinging business cards. And most business owners treat collecting business cards as if it is a game. I encourage people to imagine that the solution to any business problem or challenge could be solved through a contact in their network. Now based on the contribution youve made to those in your network over the last 90 days- how likely is it for you to find the solution you need in your network? The answer for most business owners will shock you. Most view networking based on how much can I get, but when forced to focus on giving and creating value for others, they are at a loss. Networking is important to me because it rewards the givers. With my approach of creating value for others, networking allows me to access their network with opportunities. In order to gain access to someones network you must have their trust. I would almost liken that to them giving you their PIN code for their ATM card, because they are staking their reputation when introducing you to their network. I am able to create credibility and trust more easily, while also getting referrals because of my network. Business is all about identifying competitive advantages and exploiting them. Networking is a competitive advantage that makes going from point A to point B so much faster. I personally subscribe to the belief that any business need or challenge I am faced with can be solved by someone that is in my network. The only thing that limits me or any business from any vital resources needed to grow our business is our ability to be creative enough in offering more value to the people in our network. What could you accomplish if you took the ABC approach of Always Be Creating (Value)? www.evomag.co
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E
Seven Strategies to Seven Figures
I love businesses, and I love entrepreneurs, and working very closely with the two, I've realized that there are distinct characteristics that separate six-figure entrepreneurs from seven. I want to share with you seven distinct characteristics Ive noticed that separate the best from the rest. These seven characteristics are developed over time, and are accessible to everyone, but very few choose to implement or follow the game plan of a seven-figure earner. Seven-Figure Entrepreneurs: Delegate everything but their genius, freeing up their time and giving them more effort, energy, and focus to do what truly matters most to them, which makes the biggest impact. We can all agree that most of us spend a significant amount of our lives doing things that bring very little to no return. Things such as dishes, laundry, cleaning, traveling, cooking, grocery shopping, these are the very things seven-figure entrepreneurs dont bother with because they know that time is money and paying people to do these tasks for them gives them more time to make more money. Take a minute and think about your regular routine. I would venture to guess that more than 70% of your day is spent doing tasks that could easily be delegated to someone else. It is these same tasks that drain your energy, make you cringe, and cost you both time and money. What if you realized the potential you had? What if you used that time to focus on your genius? What if you disciplined yourself to do the one thing that had the most impact? You would be happier, healthier, and wealthier. Focus on building strategic long-term relationships with specific individuals. Relationships are the backbone of business and one of the greatest assets a person has. Sitting with some of the greatest minds in the world and having a conversation, its evident that they didnt get to where they are on their own. In fact, if youve ever been to their office or home, you will notice a huge rolodex with prominent names most of us wish we had access to. The truth of the matter is that their
Melissa Krivachek, has been captivating, inspiring and motivating entrepreneurs across the globe since her early twenties. Featured on CNN, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and receiving dozens of other accolades, Melissas passion for personal growth resonates with audiences looking for more fulfillment in all aspects of life and business. You can have it all, all at the same time. Love, Success, & Happiness. Melissa Krivachek www.briellaarion.com
entire success was built around hard work and great relationships. So why should you care? As a small business, your greatest asset isnt your time, effort, energy, or the amount of money youve put into the business; its the relationships youve built with the people who support you. I want to challenge you to go through the assets you currently have available such as your Facebook friends or fans, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers, YouTube subscribers, phone contacts those individuals who are connected to you because they have a vested interest in the value you bring to the marketplace. As you go through this list of individuals, build strategic relationships with those who have the largest impact in your specific industry. Over time, you will realize the significance of your investment; the return is far greater than you anticipate. Ask for help. You could have the greatest business in the world, or the most brilliant idea, but execution is everything. While you might believe that you can do it on your own, I promise you could do even better if you asked for help. While we are taught all our life that asking for help isnt a good thing, when you realize how much youve lost and realize how much it continues to cost, asking for help is the most effective solution to getting what you want quicker and easier than you could doing it on your own. Hire a coach. This is one of the best decisions, if not the best decision you will ever make. I was speaking with a high six-figure entrepreneur the other day and there were certain things in his business that he wanted, such as more media attention, doubling his income, qualifying and closing corporate clients sooner, so I asked him a simple question: Do you have a coach? His response was, No, I go to a lot of events. Im involved in some masterminds, listen to audios, read books, go to seminars/webinars. Ive worked on marketing campaigns for Nike, Tiffany, Eastern Bank Limited, Reebok, and Chevron among various others. Then you know the best investment you can make is the investment in yourself, I countered. He was still hesitant because hes rarely on the other side of the table. He pitches 13-14 times a week, has a successful business, invests highly in personal growth, and is doing really well. He says, Ok, no ones ever pitched me on coaching. I get pitched daily for lots of things but not coaching. I meet coaches at events at least once a week, and last week I met one who tried to pitch me, but backed down. So as I continued to listen to what he was saying, and continued to take notes about what he wanted, I took the opportunity to pitch him and he became a really highpaying client. This is important for several reasons: No one is too successful to have a coach. Value is an exchange for money and there is no reason to back down on what you know you are able to deliver. Confidence is irreplaceable. You cant get to where youre going without accountability, clarity, and a roadmap. It costs money to stay where you are and it costs more money to go back to where youve been. Implement systems and disciplines to work less and get paid more.
Ask for help. You could have the greatest business in the world, or the most brilliant idea, but execution is everything. While you might believe that you can do it on your own, I promise you could do even better if you asked for help.
Systems are everything when it comes to life and business. From social media to financial analysis, traveling, speaking, writing, and everything in between, seven-figure earners create systems and disciplines around absolutely everything. From the moment they wake up to the moment they lay their head on the pillow at night, they follow a systemized routine, which gets repeated daily with the same disciplines that have created their success. Its no surprise that morning workouts, followed by an early breakfast and a couple hours worth of money making activities are normal disciplines for this type of entrepreneur. Before the sun even rises, they are pulled out of bed with passion in their step and enthusiasm in their voice. Extremely conscious about where their time and money is spent, many millionaires are far more frugal than the average person realizes. Millionaires know where their money is being spent, how much of its being spent, and in what category its being spent. In fact, millionaires only invest in the things they value, and most of the time, it has nothing to do with fancy cars, or million dollar properties, but their ROI on the money invested. Its amazing to drive a Tesla; there is no other car like it in the world. Its great to have a huge property in an exclusive community and to give off the vibration that you have money, but people dont invest in millionaires because of their status or wealth; they invest because they bring massive value to the marketplace, which has equated to material possessions. Next time you think about making a purchase, consider the perspective of a millionaire. Unless its something you highly value and theres a significant return, is it really worth investing in? Chances are probably not. And most importantly, they LET GO OF CONTROL!!! The one thing we all fear is letting go of control, of letting someone do something for us when we think we can do it better ourselves. Letting go of control is the number one characteristic of high performers. They know they cant control everything, and the most important thing they can control is their integrity, actions, and results, and there is nothing in the world that speaks louder than those three traits. So next time you make the assumption that being a millionaire is easy, remember that being a millionaire takes far more discipline then you realize. www.evomag.co
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