Fire Up Your Cash Flow

8/3/2019 Fire Up Your Cash Flow

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Fire-Up Your Cash Flow

Over A Donut And Coffee

In 10 Minutes Or Less!

By Wally Conger

www.wallyconger.com


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Fire-Up Your Cash Flow Over a Donut and Coffee

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Copyright Notice

Version 1.0

Copyright 2009 by Wally Conger.

All rights reserved worldwide.

Legal Notice

This eBook is designed to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter

covered.

While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this book, the author

does not assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the

subject matter herein. This book is not intended for use as a source of legal or accountingadvice. The author wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to

varying state and/or local laws or regulations. All users are advised to retain competent

counsel to determine what state and/or local laws or regulations may apply to the user'sparticular business.

The purchaser or reader of this eBook assumes responsibility for the use of thesematerials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, both federal

and state and local, governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising and

all other aspects of doing business in the United States or any other jurisdiction is the sole

responsibility of the purchaser or reader. The author assumes no responsibility or liability

whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.

Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations is unintentional.

This eBook may be distributed freely to anyone. But

you may do so only if the book remains unchanged.

To contact the author of this book, please email [email protected] or visit his

website at www.wallyconger.com


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This book is dedicated to Charles II (1630-1685), who tried to

suppress London coffee houses as places where the disaffectedmeet and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His

Majesty and his Ministers. His efforts only strengthened the

resolve of people to flock to them.

Likewise, it is dedicated to the gracious owners of every coffee

house and donut shop I have had the pleasure to make my

business office for the past few years.


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To make a lot of money, you will have to decide

to become somewhat abnormal.

Stuart Wilde


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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Watch the Herd, ThenRun (in the other direction)

Chapter 2: Is 10 Minutes or Less a Loada BS?

Chapter 3: Your Businessor Your Life?

Chapter 4: Loafing Can Make You Rich

Chapter 5: The One Book Youve Absolutely GOTtoRead

Chapter 6: The Million-Dollar Secret to Profitable Conversation

Chapter 7: JustAsk!

Chapter 8: Excuses, Excuses

Chapter 9: Get Paid What Youre Worth

Chapter 10: 31Places to Fire-Up Your Cash Flow

Chapter 11: Closing Thoughts


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Chapter 1

Watch the Herd, ThenRun

(in the other direction)

Believe me. If you're strapped for cash, I feel your pain.

You wonder:

How will I tackle this week's bills?

Will I be homeless?

Will my spouse dump me?

You've built a staggering pile of scenarios, right?

Well, knock it off! You'll pull through. Honest.

I know, becauseIdid.

So listen.

A few years back, I lost my slot at the white-collar corporate

trough Id fed at for 15 years.

Of course, I panicked.

But I didnt P*A*N*I*C. (Get the difference?)


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I took a deep breath. One, two, three, four, five... And I followed

an old piece of advice credited to J. Paul Getty:

Watch what the herd does...and do the opposite.

Most of my newly unemployed comrades and there were a

crapload of us, since this was a massive restructuring kicked

into high gear.

They dug up and rewrote dusty resumes.

They lined up embarrassing job interviews. (And you left your

old job why? I, uh, was laid off. Oh, Isee.)

Me, I rolled out of bed on my first jobless Monday. I pulled on a

pair of jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. I grabbed a good sci-fi novel.

Then I moseyed down to the local coffee house, a spot called Bean

Town, and sunk into a comfy old sofa.

I had no plan, no agenda. Other than to drink coffee and read my

book.

I did the same thing the next day.

And the next.


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I guzzled gallons of dark roast. I pounded down trays of pastries. I

plowed through stacks of Heinlein, Vance, and Bester.

Eventually, this happened:

Good morning!

How's the book?

You come here every day?

You know, my brother told me I'd enjoy The Moon is a Harsh

Mistress. Did you read that one?

I met a lotta locals. By sitting. And drinking coffee.

Many became nodding acquaintances.

A handful became friends.

And a few became clients, customers, and business associates.

I started making money.

All this from kicking back at a coffee house.

Whod a thunk you could fire-up your cash flow so effortlessly?

Well, it worked for me.

And it can work for you, too.

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Chapter 2

Is 10 Minutes or Less a Loada BS?

Well, is it?

Nope. You can fire-up your cash flow in 10 minutes or less.

But theres prep work you might need to tackle first.

You might need to read this book a few times.

You might need to adjust your attitude.

You might need to learn patience.

You might need to conquer a fear of people.

You might need to learn new communication skills.

You might need to read one other book, which Ill talk about in a

few minutes.

You might need to overcome an aversion to loafing.


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Or maybe not.

Maybe youre ready right now to carry out my formula.

Everybody starts from a different point. I dont know where that

point is for you.

What I know fordamn sure, though, is that with the right attitude,

proper focus, and some halfway decent people skills, you can

fire-up your cash flow in the time it takes to enjoy a single cup of

organic Bolivian blend and one of those cake donuts with the

chocolate icing and colored sprinkles.

Lets move on.

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Chapter 3

Your Businessor Your Life?

Ill never forget something direct marketer Jeff Paul said at a Dan

Kennedy super marketing conference in Phoenix. Im

paraphrasing, but get ready with your yellow highlighter anyway.

Aw, hell, Ill go ahead and highlight itforyou.

Figure out what you DONT want. Then design and buildyour business using those donts as a guide.

When I lost my corporate job, I swore that my future WOULDNT

include...

alarm clocks.

long commutes.

wearing a tie. inflexible work hours. working weekends.

office politics.

sucking up to clients. sitting in pointless meetings.


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hours of boredom. doing freebies.

Whether I work as an editorial copywriter, an advertisingcopywriter, a marketing consultant, a newsletter editor, an internet

publisher, whatever hat I wear for whatever project I pursue, I hold

to those conditions.

I once created a direct mail campaign for a client who was

launching a new business. I was paid very good money, and the

campaign was a big success. But we hadnt spoken for a month or

two when he called.

Whatcha doin Tuesday? he asked.

You got something in mind, Matt?

Well, I was noodling over a few sales ideas with my partner Jim.

Thought maybe youd come down and we could pick your brain

over lunch. Our treat.

Matt and Jim were more than 200 miles away.

Sounds good, I said. But Ill be on the clock, including drive

time. Thatll run you, oh, three grand or so.

Oh. I knew Matt hoped my lunch tab and maybe the promise

of future projects would be ample payment for both my travel

and noodling time. Lemme get back to you.

I never heard from Matt again. No surprise.

His wants and my list ofdonts didnt fit.


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To repeat Jeff Paul: Figure out what you DONT want. Then

design and build your business using those donts as a guide.

Now, when I abandoned Corporate America, I also decided my

future WOULD include a few things. Three of them were

more reading. plenty of good coffee. more loafing.

I didnt know how those would fit into my money-making efforts.But I pursued them anyway. Diligently. And I made money.

Let me show you how.

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Chapter 4

Loafing Can Make You Rich

Thats the provocative claim of Jerry Gillies, author of the

prosperity classic Moneylove.

When I first heard Jerry say at a workshop that loafing is one of

the most creative, money-producing things you can do, I was sunk

up to my neck in corporate claptrap. I was busting my ass to getahead and stay ahead. (Actually, I was busting my ass just to stay

even, but I wouldnt admit that even to myself.) So I thought Jerry

was full of bunk.

But after my job went bye-bye, I became a believer. I began to

understand that loafing

frees up time to sit for ideas. Napoleon Hill wrote about

teacher and prolific inventor Elmer Gates, who made a habit of

sitting for ideas. What resulted were such inventions as the foam

fire extinguisher, an improved electric iron, and many other

mechanical, scientific, and educational devices.

allows time for self-education.Anyone benefits from dipping

regularly into positive, motivational, inspirational, and

instructional books and tapes, during both good and bad economic

times.

is vital to your spirituality. Chinese scholar Lin Yutang wrote

an entire chapter on The Importance of Loafing for his bookThe

Importance of Living(1937). He wrote that we are so cramped in

our life that we cannot enjoy a free perspective of the beauties of


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our spiritual life. Lin Yutang argued that too many people cheat

themselves of many a good, idle, and beautiful afternoon, and

suggested that we should claim our inalienable right of loafing

and learn to be idle.

Most important to our purpose here, though, is that creative loafing

is vital to my system of firing up your cash flow.

So lets get on with it!

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Chapter 5

The One Book Youve Absolutely GOTto Read

Two crucial things happened when I toiled in Corporate America.

One, I took a Dale Carnegie training course on effective

communication and human relations.

Two, I read Carnegies classicHow to Win Friends and Influence

People.

How to Win Friends and Influence People may be the most

essential business book ever written, I told a business networking

group in Los Angeles.

Does anybody still read that thing? one guy snorted.


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I wanted to spring across the lunch table and shove that twits face

into his Cobb salad.

But Carnegie taught me better.

How to Win Friends and Influence People has been in print since

1936. It changes lives.

If you havent already, read it now. If you have, read it again.

Heres an idea:

ReadHow to Win Friends and Influence People cover to cover,once a month. For a year.

No kidding. Ive done it.

My copy ofHow to Win Friends and Influence People is 275 pages

long. Thats just 10 pages a day. The first two days are a snap

title page, copyright page, table of contents, a few blank pages.

Youll finish on the twenty-eighth day of each month. And youll

get a break for two or three days, except in February.

Twelve times through the book will drill its lessons into you.

Youll notice changes in the way you react to people. And in the

way they react to you.

Here are six of those lessons:

1.Become genuinely interested in other people.2.Smile.


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3.Remember that a persons name is to that person the sweetestand most important sound in any language.

4.Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk aboutthemselves.

5.Talk in terms of the other persons interests.6.Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

There are 24 more rules in Carnegies book. Each ones a gem.

And none are hard to master. Heck, let me throw in three more:

1.Dont criticize, condemn, or complain.2.Be sympathetic with the other persons ideas and desires.3.Show respect for the other persons opinions. Never say,

Youre wrong.

OK, now there are 21 more rules left in Carnegies book that I

havent mentioned yet. Check em allout.

Go ahead. ReadHow to Win Friends and Influence People.

Read it 12 times in the next year.

After that, re-read it once every year or two. Just for a refresher.

Itll change your life. And your cash flow.

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Chapter 6

The Million-Dollar Secret

to Profitable Conversation

Success teacher Earl Nightingale told a story about an old fella

named Charlie. Charlie liked to talk to himself.

Why do you do it? a friend asked.

Two reasons, Charlie said. First, I enjoy talking to an intelligentman. And second, I enjoy hearing an intelligent man talk.

Everyone enjoys good conversation.

In fact, everyonestarves for it.

But get this: most people enjoy conversation best when they do the

talking. As James McNeill Whistler, painter of the iconicWhistlers Mother, quipped: If other people are going to talk,

conversation becomes impossible.


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The best conversationalist is the best listener.

Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard a century ago, was like that.

Novelist Henry James recalled:

Dr. Eliots listening was not mere silence, but a form of activity.

Sitting very erect on the end of his spine with hands joined in his

lap, making no movement except that he revolved his thumbs

around each other faster or slower, he faced his interlocutor and

seemed to be hearing with his eyes as well as his ears. He listened

with his mind and attentively considered what you had to say while

you said it.

Ive sat silently with hands folded while a woman yammered about

her sons girlfriend. Later, she said shed enjoyed our stimulating

discussion.

I once listened without comment to a guy blather economicnonsense for a half-hour. When we parted, he told me how astute

I was. I hadnt said a damn thing.

Listeners, by staying quiet, appear wise, clever, and incisive. Big

talkers who dominate conversations appear, well, boorish.


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Listeners win. Big talkers dont.

Albert Einstein was asked about success. He replied: If A equals

success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y plus Z. X is work,Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.

Good conversation can put money in your pocket. If you keep your

trap shut most of the time.

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Chapter 7

JustAsk!

But when youDO open your mouth and you must occasionally

to keep conversation alive you should do so to ask questions.

When you ask peoplesincere questions about themselves, it

engages them. You make them feel important. They warm up to

you.

How did you meet your spouse?

What do your kids like most about their school?

What made you move to this neighborhood?

Whats your line of work? Do you work nearby?

Ask them what they desire most.

When they tell you, give it to them.


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Then send them the invoice.

Ask them what problems theyre grappling with.

When they tell you, offer them a solution.

Then send them the invoice.

Pretty simple, huh?

Ask and it shall be given to you Matthew 7:7

OK, I can already hear you bitching.

Business isnt that easy!

Making money isnt that simple!

Im not qualified to do that!

I dont have the proper licensing!

I dont have the right education!

I need an office!

STOP IT!! Take a breath and pay attention.

It can be that simple.

Just think about it.


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Every problem is a market for a solution.

Keep alert to the problems of people youre talking to anyway. If

you can provide solutions to any of those problems, thats cash in

the bank.

Id built a casual, hey, how are ya? relationship with Jason, who

owned a local mailbox rental service. One morning, I asked how

business was going.

I just wish I could get people to sign longer-term contracts, he

said. So much of my business is transitory. A guyll rent a box

month-to-month for three or four months, and then move on.

Maybe I can help you with that, I told him.

Really? How?

I offered to create a customer retention program for him. We came

to an agreement. Within a month, all of his boxes were not only

rented, he had full-year contracts with every customer.

Another time, I chatted over coffee with Kate, who worked as a

color consultant and sold cosmetics.

I live or die on referrals, she said. And those are hard to

generate.

I know nothing about cosmetics, I replied. But I can help you

amp up your referrals.

I not only developed a sparkling new referral program for Kate, I

wrote her direct sales pieces and advertising for more than a year.


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Opportunities like this are everywhere, in good economic times

and bad. You may not have spotted them yet. But when you do

become a real problem-finder, prospects fall into your lap faster

than you can handle them.

Believe me. Youll stay busy.

And whatever the economy is doing, youll make money without

relying on a job, a salary, or an hourly wage.

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Chapter 8

Excuses, Excuses

ButIm not qualified to help people with [fill in the blank]!

I dont have the required training!

I havent got the credentials!

I hear this kind of stuff all the time. My response is, Phooey!

Of course, youre not qualified to solve every problem that comes

your way. But open your mind, and youll be stunned at the

amount of untapped skills and knowledge you do have.

And if youre a quick study, thats even better!

My friend Dan was assigned to find a speaker for a Chamber of

Commerce breakfast.

On what topic? I asked.

The president wants someone to talk about time management.

Now, at the time, all I knew about time management was contained

in a teensy-weensy booklet that came with my Daytimer.

Id be happy to help out, I offered.

At the local library, I found a shelf stuffed with time management

books. I picked two that looked good and skimmed through them,


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using their tables of contents to build an outline and jotting down

enough info on note cards to fill 20 minutes. Four days later, I was

introduced as a time management expert at a meeting of the

Chamber of Commerce.

Was I a phony? Nah. After all, an expert is just someone who

knows a little bit more than his audience. My audience was

delighted. And I got a free breakfast plus some terrific business

contacts out of the deal.

But lets get back to the skills and knowledge that lie untapped

inside you.

To help build your confidence, make three lists.

First, list all the skills youve gained from personal experience, job

experience, hobbies, whatever. Write down everything that occurs

to you.

Second, inventory your knowledge. What life lessons have you

learned? In school, what subjects did you excel in? What

information do family and friends come to you for?

Third, list all the people you know.Everybody. Dont discriminate.

If you dont personally possess a skill needed to solve a problem,

maybe a friend, or acquaintance, or family member does. Maybe

you can broker that persons skill, and both of you can make some

money in the deal!


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Take plenty of time to build these lists. Spend an afternoon, a

week, or a few months. Keep the lists handy, and add to them as

new items or contacts pop into your mind. This exercise will

strengthen your confidence to solve peoples problems and expandyour thinking.

And dont worry about college degrees and credentials. Few

successful entrepreneurs actually possess the proper background

to do what they do. In college, I majored in journalism. But I work

mostly in sales and marketing fields in which I have no formal

training.

Trust me. If your clients are serious about getting their problems

solved, theyll care more about results than diplomas or

credentials.

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Chapter 9

Get Paid What Youre Worth

I goofed big time when I took on my first freelance projects.

I charged by the hour.

And I got screwed every time.

Why?

Well, Im a fast worker. I dont meet deadlines, I beat em. And

what I got done for clients in a short amount of time back then was

worth much more than I felt I could reasonably charge per hour.

So heres my advice:

ALWAYS work for a fee, not for an hourly wage.

Never expect your client to pay for something unless they see its

value. Ask them what they think its worth to have a problem

solved. If their number seems too low, you might ask


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How did you come up with THAT figure?

Their answer will help you decide how badly they want their

problem eliminated. If they wont budge, and you feel the money

they offer isnt worth your time, move on. Find someone whobetter values you.

And always, always, ALWAYS contract in terms of results.

I cant stress this enough.

Its the most fair and honest way to do business.

If you solve your clients problem, you get paid the fee you both

agreed upon. If you dont solve the problem, you get zero.

Sound fair?

It does to me, too.

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Chapter 10

31 Places to Fire-Up Your Cash Flow

My base of operations for creating cash flow was a coffee house.

But this plan can be set loose anywhere, if the time is right and you

keep alert.

Just be where the people are!

And if it feels right, strike up a conversation.

Consider:

1. the line at the ATM2. the line at the bank teller window3. the line outside the movie theater4. the line to the mens room5. the line to the ladies room6. lines at amusement parks7. lines at airports (check-in, security)8.airport boarding areas9.a flights first class section


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10. a flights coach section11. trains12. buses13. subways14. Christmas parties15. kids birthday parties (plenty of bored parents there)16. anniversary parties17. beach parties18. karaoke parties19. car shows20. antique shows21. before or after church services22. church events (picnics, potlucks)23. doctors reception areas24. dog parks25. sporting events26. waiting for a table in a restaurant


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27. waiting to get your tires rotated28. funerals29. memorial services30. amusement parks31. the zoo

Cmon! You know the possibilities are endless.

Now notice I havent listed any traditional places for businessnetworking, like chamber of commerce mixers, business expos,

and other such spots.

Heres why

Those places arent conducive to good conversation. EVERYONE

has their sales hat on. Theyre all in self-promotion mode, shoving

business cards into every face they see.

The secret to firing up your cash flow is to uncover

opportunities during the natural course of your day, in low-

pressure, non-business situations.

Youll find more money-making projects (i.e., problems to solve)

chatting with a stranger at the gym than you will at any trade show.

You can take thatto the bank.

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Chapter 11

Closing Thoughts

Several months after I left behind my corporate office and rubber

plant, my late mother, bless her heart, pulled me aside.

When people ask, what should I tell them you do for a living?

That brought me up short.

What didI do for a living? My work was, well, a kind of crazy

quilt of different projects.

Lets see. I wrote direct sales copy and advertising. I edited a

handful of newsletters for business and affinity groups. I produced

packages of marketing materials for caterers and smoke shop

owners. Occasionally, I was a public speaker. I produced businessbrochures. I wrote recruitment materials. I consulted to small

businesses on marketing and management practices. I even worked

as a technical writer when the money was too good to pass up.

I wondered, how could I best summarize what I did for a living?

Whatshouldmy mother tell her friends?

Tell them, I said finally, that I make money chatting with

people at a coffee house.

After that, I think Mom dodged her friends questions altogether.

But that didnt discourage me from practicing my cash flow

formula.


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And it shouldnt discourage you, either.

Go ahead. Give it a try!

And good luck!

Wally Congerwww.wallyconger.com

P.S. If you have questions, comments, or would like clarification

on anything in this book, please let me know. And, of course, Id

love to hear about your successes. Write me here:

[email protected].


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About the Author

Wally Conger is a lover of dark roast coffee, cake donuts with

sprinkles, good scotch, good cigars, and good barbeque. He spent

15 years as a writer and editor of employee and retiree publications

for a big oil company in Los Angeles. Now a working early

retiree, he lives very comfortably on the central coast of

California with his wife Debbie and their faithful hound.

Documents

Fire Up Your Cash Flow