The Age of the Entrepreneur – 18

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 18

           

1.      Entrepreneurs change the course of history. They start by changing themselves, and then they change industries, create new industries, and change many lives.

2.      Entrepreneurs live for love, excitement, thrilling, and fun. These things propel them to overcome any obstacle that comes their way.

3.      Entrepreneurs invest large amounts of time in a few years so they can have their time back later. They know that their success will bring allow them to have free time to pursue what their hearts desire.

4.      Entrepreneurs are disciplined. Their obsession with significance requires discipline, a systematic approach, application of principles, processes, and methodologies.

5.      Entrepreneurs leave all they got in the field of battle. When it is all done they are spent and maybe even collapsed.

6.      Entrepreneurs live the life they always wanted to live. They chase the life they always dreamed of, the live they were born to live.

7.      Entrepreneurs have “the love of the game.” They win because they don’t stop playing the game until they win. When the why is big enough the how does not matter!

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 17

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 17

Belief is the fuel burned by entrepreneurs to produce energy and action.

1.      Entrepreneurs turn intangible belief into tangible assets. They know their thoughts are real and they turn them into action to create assets producing their desired lifestyle.

2.      Entrepreneurs are obsessed about their freedom. They know they will never get good at anything unless they are obsessed with it.

3.      Entrepreneurs are obsessed about a good cause. They enlist others to help them create a future that benefits many others.

4.      Entrepreneurs know when to give their brains a rest. They take the time to do something completely different to re-energize them.

5.      Entrepreneurs use their obsessions to prevent getting distracted. They know they cannot be good at everything so they can be great at a few things.

6.      Entrepreneurs get inspired and energized by their obsessions. They know to study other great entrepreneurs, to study someone else’s journey to greatness.

7.      Entrepreneurs have a glow from the fire burning inside them. Belief is the fuel that provides the energy to produce motion. They know how to set themselves on fire so others can see them burn. While the common man finds many excuses not to pursue something great, entrepreneurs find reasons to be fully committed to something much great than themselves.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 16

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 16

1.      Entrepreneurs use the power of visualization. They use the power of thought to create future realities in their lives. They know that imagination creates new neuropathways to replace ineffective ones.

2.      Entrepreneurs know how to change their brains. They know their brains can change their thoughts and their thoughts can change their brains.

3.      Entrepreneurs use the power of concentration. They know that constantly learning new things requires intense concentration for long periods of time, especially when faced with new challenges.

4.      Entrepreneurs don’t just give up and walk away. When faced with difficulties they grow and become stronger. In order to achieve their goals they must become and focus on something bigger than themselves.

5.      Entrepreneurs know that talent is not enough. They know they need coaching, mentoring, self-discipline, focus, and repeating tasks over and over until the impossible becomes possible.

6.      Entrepreneurs know how to think and how to look. While the secular world teaches what to think and what to look for, entrepreneurs live in a very different world, created by their own, where their eyes feed their brains and their brains feed their eyes.

7.      Entrepreneurs pay little attention to credential education. They know success has little to do with credentials. They know the credential education is a killer of creativity and innovation. They discipline their minds and bodies to practice daily what they learn from reading, listening, association, mentoring, observation, and experimentation. Their heighten awareness allows them picking up the signals needed to connect the dots and see patterns never seen before. Mental creation is one of the most powerful resources.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 15

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 15

1.      Entrepreneurs are passionate about accumulating skills. Skills are what separate the great entrepreneurs from others. Skills come from continuous repetition of the application of knowledge.

2.      Entrepreneurs see solutions others don’t because they are actively creating them. They create more options when they are out of options. They know that the more options they have, the more likely they are to thrive in any set of circumstances.

3.      Entrepreneurs know purpose, mission, and vision better than anyone else. These are the things that keep them grounded every day, little by little getting better and better to deserve their victories.

4.      Entrepreneurs know their biggest obstacle is to overcome themselves. They know that change does not happen until the pain to stay the same is greater than the pain of change.

5.      Entrepreneurs see opportunity in the mist of adversity, change, and uncertainty. They know that if they want things they never had before they have to do things they have never done before.

6.      Entrepreneurs have a high tolerance for discomfort. They will never surrender their dreams for short term comfort because they understand the high price of living with regrets.

7.      Entrepreneurs exercise their brains more than they do their bodies. They know that the process of learning increases the brain capacity to learn more and more.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

Entrepreneur’s Dream Story

Entrepreneur’s Dream Story

This is a story of Juan and Naomi Meléndez, owners of the Hacienda Tres Angeles, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. 

While in Puerto Rico, as a guest speaker for AgriGold, a corn seed brand by AgReliant, I had the opportunity to visit the Meléndez’s Hacienda. We left Ponce in a small bus and climbed the mountains to get to the coffee farm. It was worth every minute of the exhilarating journey to get there, tour the farm, drink one of the best coffees in the world, and eat a great lunch along with plant ripened bananas. Hacienda Tres Angeles is the first Agro-tourism Certified farm by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The farm is located in the town of Adjuntas, better known as the land of The Sleeping Giant. Its cool climate and high mountains is an ideal setting for producing one of the best coffees in the world. The farm has available green coffee of Single Origin Arabica/Caturra. The high standard for growing and producing coffee is the key in preserving and maintaining the quality of our beans from crop to cup.

The Hacienda Tres Angeles Tour represents the purest essence of the coffee tradition.  Surrounded by 100 acres of premium coffee, the ranch offers visitors the true story that encloses a steaming cup of coffee.  The tour lasted about 3 hours. The coffee tour started at the coffee field where we were be able to learn about coffee growing methods and practices, market economy, bean selection and history. At the end of the field tour, chased by a light cool rain, we arrived at the "Beneficiado" or Coffee Mill where we learned how the Meléndez process their coffee in the most modern ecological coffee mill in Puerto Rico. We were able to see the roasting process in the Coffee Shop and enjoy a delicious cup of Café. Along with the great coffee, Naomi served us cakes, and there we were enjoying life and observing the beautiful mountains in a wooden deck called the Visitors Center. We lived an unforgettable experience in a natural environment with the Juan and Naomi. We were thankful being able to live one of the most gratifying experiences in Puerto Rico! To know more about their operation, please visit www.haciendatresangeles.com

1.      Dreams do become reality. Naomi had a dream of living in a farm in Puerto Rico. Naomi is descendent of Puerto Ricans and born in Manhattan, New York. She worked as a phlebotomist in New York. Juan is a Purto Rican Mechanical Engineer. Naomi was introduced to Juan by a friend. She smiles when she says she got a bargain in Juan. They are now married with three girls and living their dream in a coffee farm at the heartland, the high mountains of Puerto Rico. They chased their dream of owning and operating a coffee farm. Now they are living their dream.

2.      You’ve got to be crazy. Imagine knowing nothing about coffee and telling your friends you are moving from New York to Puerto Rico to run a coffee farm. Are you crazy? That is what most entrepreneurs hear when they tell others what they are about to embark on. In a short two years, with help from many, including the Puerto Rican Government, Juan and Naomi took the crazy journey to make their dream become reality. Being in their presence, listen to their story, and learn about their journey is an entrepreneur’s moment of inspiration.

3.      Attitude of gratitude. Juan started his explanations saying, what you see here is a gift from God. We have all heard that faith can move mountains. The Meléndez faith and attitude of gratitude became a blessing for the couple, their three girls, their angels that gave the name to the Hacienda, and all those who visit their farm.

4.      Chasing the dream. Imagine the obstacles they had to overcome to get to where they are today. One can see in the demeanor the love they display for who they are and what they do. Their attention to detail and serve the visitors is something every human being should experience. They bought the run down farm about two years ago and today give full employment for 15 people and part time to another 80 during the harvest season that starts in August. Little by little they are improving their operation.

5.      A business attached to a purpose. The Meléndez’s business was attached to their purpose of earning a living so they could raise their three angels on a farm. Naomi drives the girls to schools, taking her 40 minutes to cut through the mountains of Puerto Rico, to the coastal town of Ponce.

6.      Succeeding at something that matters.  Ideas have consequences and dreams are real. Juan an Naomi chose to chase a dream that matters a great deal; a dream that matters to them, their three girls, their employees, and all those blessed by their giving hearts. Juan and Naomi are not just in the coffee business, they are in the education business, educating others about living a life of service and education to others.

7.      Giving it back to the world one coffee bean at a time. The Meléndez couple is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the veins of great entrepreneurs. Their enthusiasm is contagious. The love they display is something we all can benefit from. Leadership is influence in a positive direction. Juan and Naomi are already influencing many people around the world.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 14

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 14

1.      Entrepreneurs become a new person in order to fulfill their dreams. They are willing to change the way of being in order to live a fulfilling life.

2.      Entrepreneurs end up someplace else. They seek all paths of least resistance and run a course until it makes sense.

3.      Entrepreneurs are focused on the target. They know they cannot hit a target they don’t have. They keep the eye on the target and keep shooting, improving their performance until they hit the bull’s eye.

4.      Entrepreneurs know a sure way to get run over is to stay put.  They know they must be moving forward in the direction of their vision.

5.      Entrepreneurs change who they are. Success is the freedom to be who you are. Are you free to be who you are or is someone else telling you what to do and where to be?

6.      Entrepreneurs find the crack and get in through them. They get in those crack like water, then change the state of being, they expand, so they can crack the foundation of existing things go give birth to new things.

7.      Entrepreneurs are solution hungry. They know the solutions can come from anywhere or anyone. 

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 13

The Age of the Entrepreneur – 13

1.      Entrepreneurs build fun businesses. They love doing what has never been done before. They go against conventional wisdom and swim against the current. Their reward is the fun, the thrill of creating something new.

2.      Entrepreneurs are responsibility for protecting our freedom. They don’t believe in laboring just to pay their bills. They create value and wealth; the progress in a society.

3.      Entrepreneurs leave the comfort and security to find an adventure. They find their comfort in creating new businesses and create work for others. The hamster wheel is not appealing to them. They drop out of school and corporations to chase their dreams.

4.      Entrepreneurs use common sense. They are malleable like water. They seek all paths at the same time so they can arrive and develop new grounds. They use common sense. Common sense is no longer common. Read this headline - “In first-of-its-kind study, MSU researchers found that workplace negativity can hurt productivity.” Wow! I wonder how much was spent to fund this one-of-its-kind study. Amazing how far we have gone. No wonder we are losing our competitive edge! Entrepreneurs will have a field day in the education field. A leadership revolution in needed in education.

5.      Entrepreneurs visualize all possible solutions. They choose to believe before they see. They are masters of mental creation. They create pictures of the perfect solutions and keep chasing them until they become reality in the physical world.

6.      Entrepreneurs take time to see the possibilities birthed from their beliefs. They know that in the hamster wheel there is not enough time for their brain to regenerate energy and make time for new creations.

7.      Entrepreneurs know when to abandon the ship. They know when the time comes to give up the ship they are on and move onward to something new and more exciting. They realize that a ladder leaning against the wrong wall will not take them where they want to go. They know when to abandon the blind persistence of climbing the corporate ladder for creative persistence in climbing a ladder with no ceiling.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy