Google me and you’ll discover that I am an entrepreneur with over 350,000 social media followers, an author of 14 books, and an instructor of over 20 training courses.

When I first became an entrepreneur, I wanted to become successful, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the teenage lifestyle. I didn’t want to sacrifice my friendships, running, my grades, or anything that constituted my life excluding entrepreneurship.

It’s time consuming but very fun. The fun part is getting paid for doing what you love to do.

To grow as an entrepreneur but continue living like a teenager, my primary goals were to get more time and to use that time more efficiently.

I wish I could read a blog post like this when I started as a middle schooler (I wasn’t even a teen yet). I would have had more time to pursue more opportunities earlier.

The purpose of that blog post is to show you that you CAN become an entrepreneur regardless of your schedule.

It doesn’t matter what your practice schedule or midterm week looks like. I’ve been there and I’ve made it work. You can too. Here’s how:

#1: Squeeze In Some Time

You don’t have to commit hours upon hours of each day to become a successful entrepreneurs. On some days I can commit an hour, but on other days, I’m lucky if I get 15 minutes.

No matter how much or how little time I have, I always do something for my business every day except on vacations.

If you do some work for your business each day, you’ll eventually have an unbreakable habit. According to science, it takes 66 consecutive days of doing something (i.e. turning your passion into a business) to make it a habit.

If you hang in there for the first two and a half months, it will be very easy for you to get and stay strong for many years to come.

#2: Instant Pleasure VS Long-Term Benefit

I could have named this section “Don’t Procrastinate,” but before I became an entrepreneur, I didn’t like the way “Don’t Procrastinate” sounded.

I prefer to use “Instant Pleasure VS Long-Term Benefit.”

I used to watch hours upon hours of TV each day. Once I started my business, all of that changed.

I suddenly became conscious of my lack of fulfillment after watching the TV. Don’t get me wrong. I’m laughing with everyone else during the comedy.

But there’s no feeling like the one you get after turning off the TV after watching a bunch of rerun episodes. The pleasure suddenly vanishes.

I still watch TV, but not nearly as much. I enjoy working on my business far more than watching TV.

We naturally respond bad to change, so make a gradual change first. Try out turning off the TV 15-30 minutes earlier and working on your business.

If you keep doing that day by day, you’ll have a habit that will make the work come easier to you.

#3: Start With A Friend

If you are worried about how much work this will involve, you can start out with a like-minded friend. If you create a blog, you can write half of the content and have your friend write the other half of the content.

I write about half of the content on this blog. My brother writes the other half. Working together has made the workload of content creation much easier for the both of us.

Having a friend will also help out with accountability. When your friend writes a blog post, it’s your turn to deliver. If you need more help, ask additional friends to help you out with your business.

#4: Use Your Current Time Wisely

The way you use your time determines what you become in life. The more of your time you pursue to your dream business, the more likely your business will live up to your dream business.

I always look for ways to get the same tasks done in a shorter amount of time and cut back on doing things that leave me unfulfilled. I do as much homework as I can during my free periods so I don’t have to do that homework when I get home.

This approach with time has allowed me to expand my business while preserving and growing my teenager lifestyle.

In Conclusion

Anyone, regardless of their age or schedule, has the time to become an entrepreneur.

The story you tell yourself determines what happens next.

If you tell yourself you can’t, then you won’t.

If you tell yourself you can make it work and then take action, you’ll have a business based on your passion.

If you are a teen or approaching your teen years and want to start a business, why not start now?

And while we’re at it, make it easy for you to start your business. You can use WordPress to create a blog in minutes if that’s the direction you want to take.

Take the path of least resistance and commit to your passion for a long period of time. Soon enough, you’ll have a business that won’t impede on any of the important parts of your teenager lifestyle.

The methodology to spur such massive attention is congruent across the activewear titans. Inclusion of athletic achievers, celebrities and occasionally the average person provides for company-to-consumer rapport. The initial 1988 Just Do It ad featured Walt Stock, the then eighty year old running icon (2). Lumbering across the Golden Gate Bridge, the shirtless legend describes his daily seventeen mile workout. The color contrast of such commercial adds to the distinct edge the lightweight footwear provides a person; the advantage is simply black and white, which remain the branding pigments that grace the performance logo’s Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, and Pinterest profiles. The blatant nature of Nike’s commitment to convert top performers to brand ambassadors is exemplified in their immediate 1985 partnership with then rookie stand out Michael Jordan. Their 1988 commercial pitting Jordan with an extremely curious Spike Lee demonstrates performance psychology, with Lee searching for Jordan’s success secret by constantly questioning  “Is it the shoes, Michael?” (2). The same year, Bo Jackson emerged as the world’s top athlete, and shortly thereafter starred in a Just Do It Bo Knows ad (2). Mixing lyrical and sports culture, Nike amalgamated rebellious tennis player Andre Agassi with The Red Hot Chili Peppers to enlarge viewership interest. Two years later, Charles Barkley’s I’m Not a Role Model ad demonstrated the pitfalls of societal athlete glorification, revealing a realist company view (2). The basketball legend’s quote, “Just because I can dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids,” established Nike’s edgy authenticity. The company furthered its humanitarian image when Agassi and tennis rival Pete Sampras set up an impromptu tennis court in the middle of New York City, and in the 1995 If You Let Me Play video highlighted how female inclusion in sports reduces breast cancer and partner abuse probabilities (2). However, instances of athlete regression and consequent societal resentment can make a Nike endorsement seem out of place. Nike’s alignment with Tiger Woods in 1996 fostered years of successful branding until his scandalous affair, which occurred the same year that brand superstar Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, disgusting basketball loyalists. Company damage control re-oriented public opinion from the athletes’ life decisions to their sports performance with the phrase, “winning takes care of everything” (2). Fortunately, Derek Jeter’s impeccable image and 8.7 million retirement video views brandishing the Swoosh logo atop his uniform ameliorated the company image in 2014 (2). Novel emphasis on real world experiences demonstrated in the Find Your Greatness video featuring an overweight male jogger struggling to trudge down a remote road also garnered public favor (2). As the words, “Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We’re all capable of it,” echo through the tape, Nike appeals to the average person fighting to get in shape, a demographic encompassing its consumer majority (2). Supplementing their four years of relatively strong ads, the company published its Bradley Cooper voice-over Possibilities video featuring ordinary people completing against Lebron James and Serena Williams (2). Product-result association via alignment with celebrities and top athletes encompass effective marketing strategies for such activewear companies.

Works Cited

1. “Under Armour Inc.” Under Armour | Mission & Values. EOE, Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

2. Taube, Aaron. “25 Nike Ads That Shaped The Brand’s History.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 01 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

On the beginning of this journey, I did not see myself as the most productive individual. My brother Marc is the model of such ideal as he manages emails, coaches individuals on how to build a social media empire, prospers incredibly in junior year of high school and provides peak content for his 181,000 Twitter followers. His twelve Amazon published books supplants his legacy as an ultra-productive Business Whiz Kid. On the other hand, I entered the business-academics balance with my familiar tactics for accomplishing tasks, only to learn they no longer suffice. In order to balance both entities, I had to become more mentally and physically than before. As the demands mounted, I learned the power of simple resource management systems. For example, penning my responsibilities on an index card linked me to a past association that empowered my mindset in the present. I linked index cards to productivity as a child. They were my tool to study for quizzes and tests, bearing strong results in middle and high school. Embedded from years of effective use, an index card became the place to write down my activities that needed attention. In retrospect, the intellectual tie between these cards and action propelled me.

However, I can learn many methods to accomplish my tasks, but if I lack the mindset, my efforts will be fruitless. This realization spawned a mental evolution of how I must see myself. Originally, the dominant belief was, “If a business demands you to perform four times as many items as usual, you must become four times better than you are now.” I still occasionally revisit this belief as it has served me before (again I gather comfort from a past understanding that I associate with success). Now, the focus has evolved into, “If I could only complete one task today, which would it be?” Singularity of focus provides for uplifting direction when reviewing the tasks one must complete. Rather than start six projects and have them idle half-baked, I dedicate myself to one. This can be difficult since old patterns of lesser productivity try to invite watered down performance. The most potent temptation of the antiquated frameworks is familiarity. It is easy to wade down into the comforting pit of complacency where the notion of challenge has no residence. However, just as atrophic muscles are born from non-activity, weakened productivity arises from the absence of challenge. Hence, I strive to manifest stellar results in the two fields.

Nuancing into principles, I discovered that intellectual limits are self-imposed. Years ago, I believed that there was a number of tasks I should complete in a day, and past that threshold, my quality of execution would only decline. I relied on my body to cue the peak. Afterwards, motivation to continue was neutralized so as not to compromise effectiveness. This is not an empowering sentiment. Through reflection, I discovered that mental growth is a requisite for higher performance. Just as an individual reorganizes furniture in a room, I redesigned my mental beliefs lest I snare myself in outdated intellectual paradigms. The process of uncapping my daily potential empowered my mind and body. Sensing a conceptual and corporal shift, I began acting in my novel belief. My productivity has increased as a result of mentally unhinging my hindrances. “I Choose” became and remains my psychological center. I decide to be tired, energetic, fearful, upbeat, or beat up. Negative information can be interpreted as positive, while positive information can be viewed as disempowering. Each individual makes these choices; anyone believes that they do not have free will does not, and has simultaneously given up the most powerful attribute they could have possessed. My lifestyle is rooted in self-improvement, which others may view as painful, intellectually tedious or a “sticky situation”. Their perception is strengthened by the fact that I must balance scholastics with business responsibilities. In their eyes, I “get out” of that sticky situation by adopting new practices and beliefs that empower me. In my view, I just choose an elevated life, the mindset and methods of which I teach others through my business Business Whiz Kids.

Meetings often get a bad wrap. However, are there strategies to improve the ones that you have with your team. They are:

1. Keep on track. Most tangents and useless topics of conversation should be slashed from the interaction. You could be using your time to complete more important tasks. This is not to discourage casual, light-hearted chatter on occasion, just remember to keep it on occasion.

2. Set a structure for the meeting beforehand. Last week, I was privileged to be part of a great meeting where my business associates set weekly goals. We constantly raise the bar for each other, as well as sit back and honor our achievements thus far. This mix of gratitude for what has been and striving for what will be is uplifting.

3. Allow others to talk. Have you ever been interrupted in the middle of a passioned conversation? It is like stopping a car dead in its tracks that was going full speed ahead. Now, you might interrupt the other person to repay the favor, which will anger them. Increased agitation can combust meetings rather quickly.

It is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will foster better meetings, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

I know a person who was recently reminded of a past business disconnect. Sadness overwhelmed them initially, despite a strong physical facade and good-willed intention. This mental issue persisted for one hour. I noticed that this person’s conversational engagement dulled. Such parasitic thinking and resulting deflation was depressing to view. Fortunately, the individual turned it around through conscious thought and intelligent action.

Five methods to implement when you are suddenly pulled down by the past are:

1. Drink more water. “Stress management relies, in part, on staying hydrated.” The more H20 that you consume, the better you feel, and the more your sugar cravings decrease.

2. Work out. If you are angered because you were reminded of a painful past occurrence, work out hard. Put your full force into this corporal regiment. Activate your endorphins, thereby changing your physicality, and your body will feel better. Then, demand that your mind feel as empowered and elevated as your body.

3. Look at how far you have come. In the past, this event may have thrown you through a loop for weeks. Now, its potency has decreased, and because you recognize the positives in your encounter, you still maintain your happiness.

4. Search out the positives. In a high-stress, turmoil-filled intellectual situation, look for what went right, rather than what went wrong. You will strengthen your focus, and your mindset is boosted.

5. Ground yourself back in gratitude. Your problems are nothing as compared to a less fortunate individual. You are a superhero to them in terms of your resources and mindset. Other people wish they could be you, and in times of turmoil, focus on why. You are well-equipped.

It is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will beat back past pains, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

Works Cited

1. “10 Simple Ways to Leave Stress Behind.” Top 10 Tips to Relieve Stress to Keep a Healthy Heart. 12 Jan. 2015.

How can you channel your focus into your present needs, regardless of a future attention-grabbing subject? After you enter a contest, take your mind off of it. It is no longer important. As some would say, your application or submission is “in the air.” After you order an item from Amazon, you continue with your normal responsibilities. Anticipation of that item may be strong, but it should not be strong enough to subordinate the rest of your thoughts and actions.

Four strategies to strive on in your work despite anticipation are:

1. Realize how good you will feel after you complete your current responsibilities and the package arrives! The diligence of a job well done with meet with the enthusiasm of your awaited present.

2. See the victory at the end of the road. You will be laying down on your couch, resting comfortably, basking in your greatness and the gratitude for having been able to prosper.

3. Practice the power of restraint, and reward yourself for it. High willpower can set you apart from many individuals. Cultivate it.

4. Set yourself on a mission. Challenge yourself to complete this task before the exciting event. Put some self-dignity on the line, and prove to yourself that you are not easily distracted by the shine of an energizing gathering or prize.

It is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will remain focused in the midst of your anticipation, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

When I wake up, my goal is to orient my mindset towards success, and spark corporal alertness. I kneel in gratitude for the new today, set an intention for my day, and then make my bed. Lifting the sheets, placing the pillows, and folding the blanket warm up my eye-hand coordination. Next, I brush my teeth, which sparks facial awareness. By then, I have strengthened my health, cleared my mindset and cleaned my room. Then, I have built up enough incremental awareness to transition into the strongest awakener—the shower. The entire corporal body is reached during this process. At its conclusion, a cool midst covers my body, my eyes are no longer heavy, and I am physically alert. My psychological and somatic facilities are ready for the day.

Four strategies to equip your mind and body for success in the morning after you awaken are:

1. Think about the grace bestowed upon you. This is a new day. We can stand up, walk around and make your bed. Such privileges are not common to all humanity. Perhaps, in the sentiment of appreciation, ground yourself by kneeling and accepting the greatness of today’s grace for about ten seconds.

2. Set an intention, or direction for the day. It can be a few words, and often, because of a succinct syllable count, you recall the sentiment throughout the day. Thus, you can readily call upon the emotion when needed. For example, your direction for the day can be “to give praise to the grace bestowed upon me.”

3. Make your bed. This task heightens your coordination skills, and prepares them for the day ahead.

4. Brush your teeth. Banish overnight plaque and wake yourself up simultaneously. This also orients your activities towards self-care.

5. Take a shower. Coupled with making your bed, summoning the motivation to perform this activity can present a significant challenge. However, if you set out to this task the night before, and manifest that intention the following morning, you will receive a stellar sense of congruence. It is empowering when “you do what you set out to do” as one songwriter portrays.

As always, it is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will prime yourself in the morning for a successful day, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

Many people do not enjoy cold calling. Society seems to echo that sentiment with underlying themes of its difficulty. As a business owner, an individual will have to learn to cold call at some point. That “point” is not one of eager anticipation for most people. They try to shun it from their checklist as long as possible. Until they need it, they do not learn it. When business owners or employees need it, their mindset will determine their effort and enthusiasm.

Six steps to get yourself to do something that you do not want to do are:

1. Write down the positives. You must find a positive meaning behind what you do. If you do not, you have decided that this is a task to dread. List out the positives.

2. Find fault with the fears. Write down the exact reasons for your anxiety. Target these self-made demons. Slay them by proving why they are wrong. Mentally beat up your fears (amping yourself up in the process).

3. Physically beat them down with the sledge hammer of action. Enjoy stepping on your fears, and accomplishment will follow. Take a cue from Mark Twain, “Do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain” (1). Incredible advice from a better man. Apply it, and watch your life success soar.

4. Research your topic. This tremendously helps individuals gather certainty around a topic. If you do not enjoy cold-calling, search the top strategies to successful cold-calling. Go through all the articles on the front page of your search engine’s results. Synthesize them by recording them on paper.

5. Act incrementally. For example, make one phone call. Stand up and walk around. Come sit back down, and begin again. This is similar to a video editing strategy. Edit one video, stand up, walk around, look around the house or environment, and then return.

6. Adapt to successes and failures. Notice what works for you. The success validates your brilliance, and the failures get you closer to it. The father of Spanx founder Sara Blakely celebrated her failures every night at the dinner table. “If there were no failures, Dad would be disappointed.” This taught Blakely to enjoy trying new things. Her willingness to try fostered phenomenal success since the fear of failure lost its potency.

As always, it is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you complete the tasks that are a “bear”, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

Works Cited

1. Jones, Dennis Merritt. “There Is Great Power to Be Found in Doing the Thing You Don’t Want to Do.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2015.

2. “10 Lessons I Learned from Sara Blakely That You Won’t Hear in Business School.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2015.

Once a week, I choose to calm my efforts. I remain productive at a basic level, and evaluate my week’s performance. Literary immersion is common during this time. My normally action-oriented mindset is relaxed, thereby resetting me for stronger performance the following week. Relaxation is possible during times of work as well. Deep breathing during your projects, or a settled mindset as you work can lead to more enjoyable productivity. Writing down your emotions and expressing them in some positive form can help foster a calm in the storm.

Four strategies to remain or foster relaxation are:

1. Take in the beauty around you. Often, our fast-paced nature will negate appreciation of marvelous normality. As I type this message, I am graced with the ability of sight. All other nagging feelings of fear or worry dull in the face of appreciation.

2. Begin to recognize your breathing. Unconscious cardiovascular tension is common to many individuals. Take deeper breaths more often, and you will notice holistic bodily improvement.

3. Loosen the muscles around your face. Release your clenched teeth and squinted eyes, and feel the tension melt off your face.

4. Smile and take stock of where you are. For example, if you are on a stressful business call, look around the room you are in. You can perform this activity while you are still on the call. Notice the room features, where you are standing, the floor or carpet and then focus back in on the call. That brief respite can aid you.

5. Heighten your hydration. “Staying in a good hydrated status can keep your stress levels down,” states Amanda Carlson, director of performance nutrition at Athletes’ Performance, a trainer of world-class athletes (1). Water can wash away anxiety.

As always, it is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will foster self-relaxation, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!

Works Cited

1. Feature, Gina ShawWebMD. “Water and Stress Reduction: Sipping Stress Away.” 2015.

Many opportunities and situations surround a business owner. One message can spark a series of memories, each with positive or negative associations. An unexpected email can spark or derail motivation in a high strung person. Hence, the ability to remain grounded through both the highs and lows of your journey is pivotal. Consistently working to remain diligent and focused, humble and happy, devoted yet relaxed is the battle numerous business owners face.

Five strategies to stay centered and keep all situations in perspective are:

1. Understand that certain individuals would love to be in your situation. Regardless of your current frustration level, there are people who would trade places with you in a minute. This perspective shift re-aligns you with the soothing nature of calm.

2. Take a brief intermission. Walk away from the situation before you act out. Your true self would handle this tough incidence with brilliance. Channel him or her back to the battle.

3. Drink water. Dehydration may be a cause of your anger. Remember to fuel your body with the substance that makes up about 60% of it—water.

4. Remember to act humbly and avoid condescension. If you are condescending, you are just are a con who is descending. Be humble as per the examples set by major figures of religions and belief systems.

5. Offer up this struggle. Have the mindset that these incidents happen for a reason designed to aid you. Envision how this will benefit you, thereby shifting your focus. Furthermore, dedicate this battle to a person or organization that you value, and win it for them.

As always, it is my hope that these strategies elevate your life. Please comment below describing how you will consciously stay centered, and to join our community of conscious motivators and entrepreneurial achievers.

As always,

Dream Big.

Achieve Greatness.

Unlock Your Potential TODAY!