Mr. Monopoly Got It Wrong Cooperation Makes More Money Than Competition

Posted on May 6th, 2008 in business money by admin

Monopoly is a zero sum game based on competition. Since the money supply cannot increase, the players can win only by taking money from other players. The fundamental belief behind Monopoly is lack of money. This means that the only way to get more money is to take it away from others.

This zero sum competitive game reflects the economic realities of the Great Depression. While thousands stood in breadlines, a handful made fortunes. For one to player to win, the others must lose.

The rules of the Monopoly prohibit partnership. You cannot create joint ventures. You cannot loan money to another player. You cannot borrow money from another player.

The psychological effect of playing this highly competitive game is that you are a solo player doing whatever you can to force the other players to go bankrupt. The last thing you want to do is to help someone else stay in the game because that person might go on to drive you out of the game.

As an economic model for creating wealth, Monopoly teaches that competition is the way of the world. It reinforces social models based on competition, and the idea that success is a lonely climb over the heads of others.

The belief that success means competition reinforces a whole array of social models and beliefs about the “survival of the fittest” and the “law of the jungle” where only the strong prevail. You can see the same belief behind the American mythology of the self-made man who pulls himself up by his bootstraps.

Even Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” is a model of the individual striving to succeed as an individual. It is all part of the belief that success goes to the individual who wins the competition.

This kind of imagery is deeply embedded in our consciousness about what it takes to make money and what it takes to succeed in business. Monopoly simply reinforces the fundamental belief that the road to success is paved with the bodies of your competitors.

As a success model, what is the effect of a game based on competition for a limited money supply? You don’t have to look any further than the statistic that 96% of the population will reach 65 without enough money to be financially self-sufficient. Instead of congratulating the 4% who somehow manage to create financial freedom for themselves in this economic system, you need to ask, “What is wrong with the game? Why do so many lose?”

The short answer is that our economic models teach competition for limited resources as the foundation of wealth. The model itself demands that almost everyone must end the game broke.

What happens when you attempt to create wealth in business according to Monopoly Money Rules? It’s a highly competitive game and a lonely struggle. You use your own money and do it alone. Will you succeed? Maybe. You might be one of the lucky few who manage to do it all yourself. More likely, you will end up as one of the casualties of those who tried to start a business but never made enough money to succeed.

As a model for creating wealth, Monopoly is stuck in the mindset and money beliefs of the Great Depression. In the Monopoly game, the winner amasses money but does nothing to create money through transactions.

The Great Depression ended more than sixty years ago. It’s time for a new game with a new understanding of money. The fact is, you’ll make more money in transactions than you will in takeovers. Mr. Monopoly had it wrong when he thought that winning meant driving competitors out of business. Yes, I know. The business world is still full of “black knights” and hostile takeovers. And sometimes the worst people seem to win.

When you take off the Depression era Mr. Monopoly glasses, you can see a new vision of money and business. Money is not currency. Money is an idea, and the only limits to money are the limits of your vision. With this vision, you’ll see that you will make more money in transactions than takeovers. In this era, the most enlightened business people understand that you will make more money in joint ventures with others than you will by competing against them.

Copyright 2006 Debt or Alive, Inc

Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Author of “No Money Limits For Real Estate Investors: Are Monoply Money Rules Putting A Lid On Your Real Estate Success?”
Discover The Real Estate Money Secret Hidden in the Monopoly Game.
http://www.nomoneylimits.com/nml-monopoly-ebook.htm
kalinda@nomoneylimits.com

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Save Your Small Business Money How To Conserve Ink & Print Faster

Posted on May 5th, 2008 in business money by admin

Are you wasting ink cartridges and your time needlessly?

If you print on regular settings, you may not only be wasting ink, but you might also be making extra trips to the office supply store!

But don’t worry…There is a simple way to conserve ink, print your items faster, and save paper.

Here’s what to do.

On your start menu, go into the ‘control panel’.

Then select ‘printers and faxes’.

When you see your printer, right click on it and select ‘properties’.

What we are going to do is set the default settings to ‘Black and white’ & ‘Draft’ quality prints.

The reason we are going to do this is to conserve ink.

I find that more than 95% of the pages I print simply don’t require color.

I’d venture to guess that you don’t need high quality for most of your prints either.

You’ll see that the print quality for draft settings is barely distinguishable from full quality black and white and also that your printer will print the pages much faster.

So, you’ll be avoiding the hassles of getting new print cartridges and printing faster!

Watch as your printer zoom through pages with these settings!

This can save you lots of time and money, so I suggest you keep these settings.

If you want print something of highly quality, you can manually set the print quality when you are printing that particular job (which is probably only 5-10% of the time).

Often times I find that I start printing something, only to realize that it is set on regular settings, using more ink than necessary.

By setting the defaults to draft quality and plain paper, you only have to remember to change the settings on those somewhat rare occasions when you want to print color or a higher quality black and white print.

Jay Gilbert is a small business owner and internet publisher. You can visit one of his sites at http://www.mswordguide.com for some interesting tips on using Microsoft Word.

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Investing in Your Business Turning Cash into Cash!

Posted on May 4th, 2008 in business money by admin

Many business owners don’t like to part with their money and with good reason. The constant barrage of vendors who want a piece of your cash pie can cause you to cling tightly to the purse strings. But have you ever considered that you could be missing opportunities to invest in your businesses and turn some of that valuable cash into even more cash?

It’s called Return on Investment (ROI) and many big companies go to great lengths to evaluate the ROI of large expenditures such as technology purchases and real estate transactions. But for small business owners who are worried about cash flow, ROI can be an important consideration when parting with just a few hundred dollars.

The cost of advertising is one area where ROI should be considered. Some business owners view advertising as a business expense when it should really be considered an investment in your business. If done right, the dollars spent on spreading the word about your business should come back to you. Though it doesn’t make sense to spend thousands on an ad that will only generate a few hundred dollars in sales, it does make sense to focus your efforts and spend what you know you can earn back.

For example, if you spent $100 on a classified ad in a publication that reaches your target customer base and your average customer spends $20, you need only five people to respond to the ad to make it worth the investment. And don’t forget about repeat business. If you have a quality product or service, your customers should return again and again so you can afford to invest even more to attract new customers.

Trade associations are another overlooked investment opportunity. Let’s say your local Chamber of Commerce charges $250 per year. This may seem steep but you could actually earn that money back. If you participate in networking events, you could develop partnerships with other business owners that could pay your membership investment ten times over.

Also consider the benefits that come with membership. If the Chamber offers discounts of 20% on office supplies, and you spend $2000 per year on supplies, you could save $400 on supplies alone. Many associations offer discounts for members on a variety of products and services including insurance, copying and printing, shipping, and industry-specific products. When considering joining an association, be sure to evaluate the benefits and opportunity to save. You could find that your membership dues are actually a bargain.

Books, information products, and education provide additional opportunities to invest in your business. If you spend $20 on a book, even if you only learn one new strategy from reading the publication, that strategy could potentially earn thousands in the long run.

Have you ever spent hours struggling with a software program that you don’t fully understand? Investing in a three-hour class could potentially save you countless hours of wasted timehours that could be used to generate revenues.

Speaking of hours, consider what your time is worth. If you earn $100 per hour for consulting, and you spend five hours per week working on paperwork, you’re essentially spending $500 a weekor $2000 per monthon this tedious task. Instead, you could hire a Virtual Assistant or part-time employee to handle your paperwork. If you can hire someone for less than $500 per week, you will actually save from your investment.

So the next time you’re faced with a business expense, instead of viewing it as another nuisance, look at the opportunity. Ask yourself the following questions:

*What is my time worth?

*Will this investment save me valuable time?

*Can I generate enough sales to pay for the investment?

*Are there benefits such as discounts on products and services that will pay for the investment?

*What hidden benefits are involved? Will I be able to take advantage of networking opportunities, exposure for my business, or generate business leads?

Sometimes we have to loosen up the purse strings in order to fill it with even more cash. By evaluating each opportunity to invest in your business, you could reap some tremendous rewards.

Stephanie Chandler is the author of “The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide” (Aventine) and “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, E-books and Information Products” (Wiley, Dec. 2006). Visit http://www.BusinessInfoGuide.com to access hundreds of resources for entrepreneurs.

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