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8/10/2019 Thoughts of a Predicate Hustler Collection Vol 1
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Thoughts of a
Predicate Hustler
Collection:
Volume One
16 insightful tips on how to better the hustler inside YOU!
Copyright 2009 CZA Industries, All Rights Reserved.
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P: O P B, O P , A G ................... 4
PH #1: O D ........................................................... 6
PH #2: I F ......................................................... 9
PH#3: H H NAD I L C ................ 12
PH #4: N H A D ........................ 19
PH #5: H I A D O? ................. 22
PH #6: ............................................. 26
PH #7: O B ..................................................... 28
PH #8: K P ............................... 32
PH #9: E M .......................................................... 35
PH #10: L D C ......................................... 38
PH #11: F ..................................................... 40
PH #12: L . M ................................... 43
PH #13: M P K ................................... 46
PH #14: D I ............................ 48
PH #15: N B D P. 1 ..................... 53
PH #16: N B D P. 2 ..................... 59
E: H H C! ............................ 63
A A .................................................................. 64
.............................................................................. 65
E
............................................................ 67
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O: B H .................................................. 67
? .................................................. 67
A ? ............... 69
C ? ........................................... 70
............................................ 72
D ? .................... 73
.......................................... 74
.................................. 76
.............................................................. 77
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P H, I M
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I
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, .
CA
#1:
I hope everyones had a productive week and now
that its the weekend, are looking to blow off a little steam
by whatever device is at your disposalmine just so
happens to be a little Xbox 360 and Fallout 3. As I sat here
and blasted away at Ghouls with a ridiculously big missile
launcher, something came to mind that I felt I needed to
share with all yall.
How much time are you spending NOT being
productive? Not the celebratory drink after work or the re-
watching of Steel Magnolias (hey, its somebodys thing)
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on Friday night, I mean the valuable time during the day or
night you know deep down you SHOULD be doing
something conducive to your future, but arent. I cant
throw stones because Ive done it, and theres no guarantee
that I wont ever do it still, but all my CEOs know that
theres a time and a place for everything and theres no
time during go time for nothing.
Nothing has helped me more in the past couple
weeks than the realized notion of buying and using a daily
planner and if you dont have one already, I totally
encourage you to pick one up for yourself because they are
invaluable. Coming from someone who used to fly by the
seat of his pants and wait for the thought to come to mind
before it came to grind, the time saved is more than worth
the $3.00 I paid for it. (Thanks LJ for the idea.)
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Of course, if you dont want to go buy a physical
one, there are many other applications that do the same
thing for free: Gmail has a calendar and to do list that you
can use pretty easily as well as Ta Da List
(www.tadalist.com) which is pretty dope and worthy of a
checking out. Lifetick (www.lifetick.com) isnt free but its
a good look as far as goal setting goes, and you can try it
out without laying down a dime. Its in-depth, easy to use
and you can opt for an email reminder.
Alright yall, Im going to get back on the game but
I want all my CEOs out there to keep in mind that now is
for the taking and the game dont wait (Facet #8 if youve
read my bookwhich I hope you have) so get on the ball
and get all your ducks in a row.
Stay up. Stay focused. Stay grinding.
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-CZA
#2:
Whats the biz, yall? All my NBA heads are sure to be
neck-deep in action and I cant blame them because Im
pretty sure that this is what Sundays were made for. Ima
keep this one kinda short because Im bumping some that
Bubba Sparxxx Deliverance album right now and its got
me in tier two of my grind mode and Im tryna make as
much use of it as I can before I lay it off for the rest of the
day
I find that, in life especially, there are certain things that
were just born naturally with the penchant to do, some call
it natural ability, others call it a gift, me, I just call it a
natural grind. Some spend their whole lives trying to find
what it is that they were meant to do while for others, it
just clicks when the opportunity arises for the first time to
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do it. Notwithstanding the essential need to practice and
further develop and hone your talents, everyone has
something that they can use to get on.
Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was be a writer, you
know, being 15-16 and heavy into the literary classics like
Bacon, Shakespeare and, I didnt know what my calling
was, but I knew it had to be something with the written
word. At one point I thought it was being a journalist with
the biggest hip hop magazine in the world, but the thing
was, after I did it, after I got on and worked with them, I
wasnt as content as I thought I would be. Writing for the
hip hop bible wasnt everything I had imagined it would
be. For too many, reaching the highest height is as good as
it gets but I couldnt let achieving my boyhood dream slow
my progress.
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I considered everything from public relations work to a
fiction novelist but at the end of the day, I turned to what
most people knew me for havinga very solid mouthpiece,
conviction and a self-made understanding that the basic
principles in life were applicable to hip hop and people
would want and need that in a manner they loved.
Long story short, every person Ive met, will never meet
and havent met yet has a quality about them that is special,
not just to them but the world around themand more
importantly, can be used to financially make themselves
independentbecause not only are the traditional 9-5s
scare (thanks to big brother recession) but unattractive (do
you REALLY want to be chained to a desk all day?) as
well.
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Facet #5 (Keep Your Options Open) deals with this in
detail and would be a good way to brush up on the idea.
Now I return you to your regularly scheduled Sunday
Stay up, Stay focused. Stay grinding.
-CZA
#3:
5 things I can see hip hop do without in 2009:
5. iBeef on Monday, cool on Thursday, new diss tracks out
on Friday.
Do people really get that much entertainment from
rappers pawing at each other digitally? The first response to
that is usually it goes back to battling, a foundation in hip
hop to which I say you never see country or techno artists
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beef with each other. So either pop off when you see each
other (if indeed it is genuine) or shut up and make music.
4. fans/rappers being overly critical of an artist. Soulja
Boy is the reason
Attention hip hop: Soulja Boy did not create the poor music
vacuum that has sucked all the good from the game. He
isnt an instrument of the devil to body snatch us nor is he a
product of the nwo trying to control our minds. Hes a kid
who got on using what he could. Those that feel this way
secretly wish theyd come up with Superman or Turn
My Swag On and rake in a lil cash. If KRS-One can
extend a hand, why cant you?
3. Rappers dropping a single, getting a deal and then
starting their own boutique labels with no product or artists.
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I wont name any one rapper in particular but its a
growing trend it seems for rappers to have a semi-hot song
out that gets them effectively on, and then turn around
wants to start up a boutique label. While that in itself could
be a good move, for young artists, it may not be the wisest
choice. in an industry where longevity is the single greatest
yardstick for success, having a 2 deep or 3 deep label under
a universal or Interscope usually means little to no support
in the marketing promotion. Especially when you have a 50
cent on the roster who commands almost the whole
building for his projects. Youll be so wayside youre
kicking it in bayside.
2. People reflecting on the good old days with bitterness
at the new school.
Im sorry that acts like Big Daddy Kane,
Granddaddy I.U. and company are 2 decades removed from
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what hip hop is now and you cant quite relate to whats
going on. Im sorry that youre more into a rhyme scheme
than swag and you preferred when sampling consisted of
more than one sample in the songactually, no Im not.
There are plenty of choices for people who grew up on the
old school stuff; you just have to search for it. If it seems
like theres no new music coming out that fits your tastego
back in time to your favorites then. Much like the
regurgitation answer youve heard time and time again, the
industry is a business and unfortunately, there are way
more kids to sell to then adults when it comes to hip hop.
Sure, Id like to see a more balanced playlist, but as long as
PDs have to eat (and want to eat better), payola isnt going
anywhere soon. There are plenty of backpackers who do
odes to the old school out right now so if you can
compromise a little bit, you can still be part of the current
state of hip hop.
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The #1 thing I could see hip hop do without in 2009 is:
Hip hop elitism.
seems like no matter where I turn Im seeing
disgruntled rappers, fans and stans crying because the
music they specifically like isnt getting as much shine as
theyd like and saying that all of the worlds ills comes
from the southern region. Being that Im from Texas, I
have to throw my two cents in about this one. I have friends
all over the world but really what stirs my soul is the
bigotry and hatred I see from my very own constituents!
People who claim hip hop as their lifeblood speaking ill of
southern artists as if were all out to get them or something.
Nothing can be further than the truth.
I remember hearing Phonte of little brother talk a
little on the DJ Drama mixtape Separate but Equal about
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how its just music and how people tend to have a
misconception on what southern music and artists are
supposed to be about. Sure, we have dances, snap routines
and a love of the 808, but were also driven to make music
reflective of our mind states at that moment.
For example, Rocko had the album self made
come out a while back and people started the Jeezy
comparisons right from the gate and wrote him off as a
clone. He dropped Umma Do Me and people wrote him
off. He dropped Dis Morning and people wrote him off.
This is one of my favorite albums right now because of not
only the banging beats, but the message he has in a lot of
the material on the album which is hustle because you can
succeed. Its motivational to me, and Im sad that more
people didnt give it a chance. In the south, our delivery is
different but the struggles and strifes we face are the same.
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Our lights get cut off too. We have a new president just like
you do in New York and Cali. If anything, the one thing
that makes us better than the other regions is our sense of
family. Sure, we have tiffs down here too, but beyond that,
theres a sense of brotherhood that extends past the silliness
of theatrics. Bar none, if you hate on the south, youre weak
and jealous or a follower and in all three cases, I feel badly
for you. You have Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, we have
Scarface and UGK. We appreciate the other regions
because it sounds just as good screwed and chopped and
Juelz Santana sounds good next to Lil Wayne. The next
time you prep your mouth to say something derogatory
against the south (or Texas for that manner) remember this:
Preemo was born in Houston.
Stay up, stay focused, and stay grinding,
-CZA
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#4:
I gotta admit that today is my favorite holiday of the
year even though most people have never even heard of it.
Better than Christmas. Better than any holiday that got me
free from the shackles of paid wage servitude and even
better than 4/20 (for my tokers out there, a brother dont
smoke) all rolled in one. The little known holiday is one
that Ive been celebrating since, well; I made it up about 20
minutes ago.
You wont find it on any calendar or text book but
to me, I couldnt think of a better day to show my
appreciation to the moguls, entrepreneurs and hardship
endurers who paved the way so that I can get paid for my
own creativity and not for my physical labor. With each
passing year, I notice theres one or two who fall into this
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category, which go far beyond the call of duty in creating a
property, whether intellectual or tangible, that expands the
mind of the world around us. I couldnt possibly list all of
my heroes here, but there are a few that I do want to make
mention of.
George Washington Carver is someone I admire
because he took something as simple as the peanut and
soybean and found hundreds of different uses for them.
Ranging from axle grease to linoleum to paper, I would like
to think of him as the archetype for 50 Cents
diversification strategy.
Another hustler Id like to recognize (this time a
little more forward in time) is television writer/producer
Michael G. Moye. Chances are, youve never heard of him
by name, but you have heard of some of the shows hes
been behind such as The Jeffersons, Diffrent Strokes and
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most importantly MarriedWith Children (by far the
funniest sitcom that Ive ever seen, even 10 years later
there hasnt been a show as good) which is important to
note because that was the show that jumpstarted the FOX
network. If that show had failed, the network probably
wouldnt be around today.
The last person I wanted to talk about today is
somebody youd easily recognize if you happen to have
your television dialed in on the USA network Monday
nights around 8pm. This guy took his fathers small time
business to one worth hundreds of millions of dollars and in
the process decimated almost all of the competition. Yep,
Im talking about Vince McMahon, the chairman of the
World Wrestling Entertainment conglomerate. Its not me
being a fanboy (although I was back in the day) that has me
admiring this mans hustle, its how he is constantly
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evolving his game and updating his business skills to stay
on top. Im sure he has advisors, but it all came from his
mind. He literally has built an empire, and I consider
myself lucky to have been able to soak up some of the good
game I learned from him.
Who are some of your favorite hustlers? Who tread
the way for your grind today? That, to me is what this
holiday is about and I hope that it spreads so that we can
celebrate it every year.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
#5:
?
First off, good Saturday morning to everyone out
there (speaking relatively of course, its 4:13 in the
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morning over here in LA as I write this) and I hope you get
a moment to reflect on the week past as well as soak up the
day and get some relaxation in. This time around, I want to
address something thats critical to your success but the
way I want to do it is a little different (all my CEOs can
pick it up pretty easily Id think) than the norm. I want to
use a metaphor to talk about whats on my mind right now.
Youre a drop of water in the Pacific Ocean.
As a drop of water, in what way are you different
and unique from the others? What sets you apart and gives
definition to your individuality and recognizes your
singularity? You are all the same color unless influenced by
outside materials, you weigh about the same and act in just
the same manner as your brothers and sisters, so what
makes YOU stand out? From the onset, absolutely nothing.
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When thinking about it like that, it takes your mind
to a new plateau, one that you probably havent been to
before or in a while (when you were younger and clueless
to what a brand was) but its a very necessary perspective
to attain because it will help you shape how the world sees
you. Your main objective is to make the world see you as
you want them to see you. Sound confusing? Keep reading.
As a person who is striving to step into the arena of
business, there are two things that must be fundamentally
understood from Jump Street. The first is that no matter
what youre doing, youre a salesman. (A topic well cover
later.) The second is creating and maintaining your brand or
persona (Facet #1 in my book for a reason). Having a
persona is good because it clearly states the boundaries of
who you are and what you stand for as well as what your
products are for. It creates a sense of tangibility to your
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name and makes it easier for those that would use your
product to remember to use it. Kleenex is tissue-in-a-box
and Maybach is every rappers fantasy car. See how having
a brand can help?
My brand is about empowerment and advancement
through hip hop motivational products. Its simple yet
complex enough to leave the door open for future additions
to that. I know that I cant be everything that is in my head
right now, so I focus on one core component and bring that
to life in a way that potential investors and sponsoring
companies can see and deal with. By the way, 10facets.com
is coming super soon so be on the lookout. I think Im
going to get my zazen on and will catch up with yall in a
minute.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
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-CZA
#6:
The reason for this title is for most people, the one
thing that scares them the most about anything is being
decisive (myself used to be included) and dealing with the
consequences of said decisions so they straddle the fence
not going one way or the other. Its the urge to not want to
make a wrong choice that fuels that fear and in truth it
limits more than it helps. Someone on top of their game
realizes that theres only few circumstances that cant be
rectified somehow and even then second-guessing yourself
should be done sparingly.
Shoulder to the wheel is a saying that I picked up
from an episode of one of my favorite shows right now
Dollhouse and in the scene where it was said, a psychotic
huntsman chased after Eliza Dushkus character for sport
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after being romantic with her earlier. As he chased her, he
kept saying it and even though he eventually got knocked
off, the saying stuck with me. If you can paint a mental
image of driving an old school big, bulky 18 wheeler with
no power steering and having to turn, youd have to put
everything you had into it and literally put your shoulder to
the wheel to turn it. My interpretation of the saying is that
you have to commit yourself to your decision 100% or it
wont happen the way you want it to.
One of my favorite books Hagakure, written by
Nabeshima Mitsushige, speaks on the process a samurai
might use when facing choices (paraphrased mind you):
think deeply and within the span of seven breaths decide.
After the seventh breath, whatever your decision is the one
you stick with. In practicality, seven breaths may not be
long enough but I remember Jay-Z saying something along
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the same lines with pondering something for a while and
deciding quickly without worry of second guessing. When
you practice this, it becomes easier to do and you learn to
trust the inner CEO speaking to you. The line that Launch
pad from the show Duck Tales said best, Any good crash
is one you can walk away from. You live; you learn and
you learn to live with your decisions. Always waiting for
the sure thing is the sure way to not get anything done.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
#7:
I just wanna say good morning to all my fellow
hustlers and CEOs out there getting it in mad earlyits
3:13 am out here in LA and Im getting my second wind
right now. Quick updates are 10 Facets of a CEO has
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broken the 200,000 downloads mark and Im seeing a lot of
love for what Im talking about in it. If you havent picked
it up yet, go ahead and do so now. (Heres a new zShare
link: http://www.zshare.net/download/571777448c09ed68/)
My second bookHustle Harder: the Definitive Guide to
Upgrading Your Grindis on the way.
Shameless plug aside, I hope everyone had a great
weekend and is looking forward to a productive week filled
to the brim with grinding and success. With most people
that we collectively look up to, they werent given a silver
spoon and had to claw their way up to where they are today
and that in itself is a reason to respect them but at the same
time sometimes I believe people forget what their influence
is really capable of. Let me explain.
Back when I was a simple journalist for The Source
magazine, sometimes Id be awestruck by the rappers,
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actors and executives Id get the opportunity to meet and
interview. Being a (somewhat) professional guy, I kept my
eagerness in check when I spoke with them and conducted
the interview like I was supposed to. Id ask all the
questions required of me and a few extras that wouldnt see
the light of my keyboard and more often than not, they
would recognize that I genuinely wanted to learn how to
get my foot in the door. Most of the time it was the same
recycled work hard or meet people response I got,
which was cool, but not helpful because Id already been
doing both to no avail.
One person who gave me something I could really
use was Bun B when he told me that Simply working hard
isnt enough anymore; they have machines that can work
faster and more efficient. Work and be smarter than the
algorithm and you have an edge. While the context of the
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question and response wasnt in line with the article here, I
took it to heart regardless and adapted it to my
circumstances. I saw that there were a billion other writers
out there trying to get into hip hop journalism and I was
fortunate enough to see the proverbial glass ceiling before I
hit it. Me thinking outside of the norm helped develop the
path Im on today with being the first ever hip hop
motivationalist. No matter what your industry, try thinking
in an unorthodox manner every once in a while to see a
different perspective on things. The change may not be as
dramatic as mine where youll leave your chosen field (Im
sure mom and dad arent happy about shelling out all that
cash for school and I dont use the degree!) but it will
definitely help solidify what youre doing.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
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#8:
Its Friday and maaaaan am I looking forward to the
weekend. I know all my CEOs out there are feeling the
same way and I want yall to loosen your ties or flip your
hoodies up as we get into more real spitIn any
organization, from the legion of car window washers to
multi-million dollar conglomerates, there has to be a level
of trust in the next man within it. There has to be a sense of
brotherhood and camaraderie between Co-Ds, affiliates,
employees and the people they serve. Without it, the
predatory instincts that the average person possesses would
rage unchecked and eventually the whole operation will
begin tumbling down.
I happened across an article about Alfa Mega co-
operating with the DEA while he was in prison some time
ago and thought to myself, Oh yeah, its about to go
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down. No sooner than the very next day did I see not only
DJ Drama but T.I. himself made a statement about it, the
latter saying that Alfa was getting the boot because he
wasnt honest about his past dealings. If you read into what
dude was saying beneath what he said verbally it was
something like We dont associate with snitches. but in a
politically correct manner.
There are always two sides to every story and I
cant judge Alfa really, I havent ever caught a 110 month
bid before (knock on wood) and I cant say that diming the
other guy out for a reduced jail sentence was right or wrong
because there had to be other factors involved but when it
came to getting signed, he messed up by not divulging all
the facts.
He mightve thought that it was just going to go
away or get swept under the rug and unfortunately for him,
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it didnt. For T.I., hes in a predicament already by himself
with people looking at him sideways for having those types
of guns and just receiving a year so hes got to hang on to
what credibility he has and oust anyone that would make
his organization look bad. Rick Ross was a CO but narcing
is about the worst thing you could be in hip hop and Id be
surprised if this doesnt roll into something bigger. If Alfa
had told everything up front, he might not have been signed
but at least he wouldnt have been so unceremoniously
fired.
Back to what I was saying before about trust and
this situation fits that perfectly. Know your business
partners as well as your homeboys (Mike Jones got
robbed by his) and know the type of character they have.
Loyalty is a frivolous as the paper checks are printed on
and can be gone just as fast if youre not smart. Watch your
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circle and get rid of anyone playing by a different set of
rules. Its too costly these days to be naive.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
#9:
Top of the game to all my hustlers, bosses and
CEOs out there, Im checking in live from the block for this
one so bear with me, this is straight from my thoughts to
your ears with no spell checkalways trying to get it, right?
I stopped by a local bagel shop (one that Ive been
frequenting for the last year or so pretty regularly) and got
my good morning jumpoff of a toasted bagel and a
Monster energy drink. When I first went in there, it was
empty except for a couple school kids so I was pretty quick
on getting my order taken.
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Seems like no sooner than that happened 15 million
people walked through the door at the same time, and the
cat behind the counter didnt even bat an eyelash. Im sure
he was used to the rushes but this one looked EXTRA thick
and the general consensus was that they probably needed
their jumpoffs a little bit more than mine. Still, dude didnt
trip at all; in fact his service got faster AND better! Dude
was by himself back there but in a matter of minutes he had
all the orders taken and half of them back out, including
mine. Thats what made me think of this entry youre
reading today.
Nothing beats having good customer service from
the jump because thats the first thing your customers will
notice when interacting with you besides your presentation
and keeping them happy means youll keep them. If dealing
with a service is problematic, whod honestly care that
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youre giving stuff away for free? All theyd remember is
how crappy it was when they wanted to buy something.
Once you set up your customer base, the focus
moves to retention and keeping them in your pocket. You
can do this by doing a little more than what they expect or
faster than they expected. The term is under promise and
over deliver and 90% of the time itll keep heads on the
rebound and even bring MORE people in because of word
of mouth. Im sure you know of a dope restaurant that isnt
all over the newspaper or on TV. That youve been going to
for a minute because the food was good and the prices were
better. Same ideal. They had a good product that was under
promised (no network advertising) and over delivered
(bomb grub).
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding,
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-CZA
#10:
What up to my fellow CEOs, hustlers and grinders,
its your man CZA with another edition of TPH and I came
up with another nickname yall can call me: Mr. Better
than Christmas because Im dropping gifts all throughout
the year. Aight, DJ Drama moment aside, I wanted to talk
about something really important when it comes to your
grind.
Im not talking about that dope joint 9th did (and
subsequently Jeezy did) when I say let the dollars circulate;
Im saying that you have to spend money to make money
and in an age of free social networking and with the
guerilla marketing explosion people are always looking for
free means to pop off with. Im not mad at that whatsoever;
matter of fact its best for the young entrepreneur to keep a
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low profile but you gotta have the realization that
everything isnt going to be free and you will have to drop
some duckets.
Sit down and draw up a realistic budget of your
finances and what you can afford to spend. If youre using
cash from your regular 9-5 to power your dreams, make
sure that youre not dipping into the bill money too much (I
know, Ive been there) and if you do, know that you have a
way to get that back before the first of the monthyou cant
be successful without a base of operations.
Now that you know youre gonna plant a few beans,
the next logical question would be about quality over
quantity and how to get the best deal for your buck. The
best way to do that is to compare as many outlets as you
can and go from there so crack open the yellow pages or
pull up Google and look for suppliers. Got your list right?
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Contact them and see what kind of offers theyre working
with. Most of the time you can get materials cheaper in
bulk and for being a repeat customer. Definitely something
to check out to save some money.
Once you have a dba up and going, be sure to save
all of your business related receipts for tax time and also
look into using the tax-deductibility of some of the stuff
you buy anywaysif youre operating out of your apartment
or home theres a good chance you can get some love from
it.
Stay up, stay focused, and stay grinding.
-CZA
#11:
Memorial Day is the day to honor all our fallen
soldiers and reflect on the fact that freedom aint that free
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to begin with. Not to mention fire up the grill and get it in
with some burgers and suds and love the fact that you
arent in the office right now (I feel bad for those that are).
Either way, itd be a good idea to think about applying
some of the good game that those that fought and perished
gave to us.
The game that Im referring to is having the ability
to face their biggest fears and overcoming them. Leaving
loved ones to travel to distant locales with less than
hospitable conditions in order to protect an ideal (Im not
going to get into the political aspect here) and fight for
freedom. Thats a very big and a very hard thing to do but
it gets done and so can you getting the best out of your own
particular situations if you apply the same techniques.
I learned of this technique from a homeboy of mine
who came home (and subsequently AWOL) from Iraq and
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Ive been using it ever since because it works. He called it
OPW or Organize, Plan and Work. When approaching any
obstacle, organize all the tools youll need to solve the
problem in small, bite-sized steps. The next step is to set up
a realistic timeframe that you can follow to the end. Life
doesnt really care too much about your plans and will
interject itself all throughout but with a plan at least you
have something to get back on track with.
The last part of the OPW method is to work it.
Sounds simple and it can be if you work at working
faithfully. Nothing about OPW is new or revolutionary; it
just outlines the thought process that many dont connect
together. My boy told me that this is what is taught in the
Army to increase cognitive awareness and to help the
troops react better in stressful situations (like being dumped
at).
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Facing your fears is invaluable to becoming that
CEO that you need to be and doing that should be on your
to do list. Crack a brew for ya boy and make my burger
extra juicy (pause).
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
#12: .
Jermaine Dupri has the Lifers and I have my
CEOs. What up to everybody out there on the grind tryna
get it in early this Monday morning! Looks like its gonna
be the Lakers AGAIN this year, huh? Im glad we get to
see some new talent get a ring but man I dont need to see
another reference of Kobe to MJ; thats just not balling to
me. The world thrives on competition, comparison and
contrast, I get it. Moving on
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The focus of this THP is knowing the difference
between short term and long term money. While both arent
bad if you can get it, you should be able to recognize which
is which and plan accordingly. The old school mobsters
used to know this and because they knew this, they could
plan an exit strategy for themselves. Even now, you see
guys on the corner trying to pitch until they get pinched by
the laws because they arent thinking about the long
game.
I used dboys and mobsters as examples (I hope yall
arent on the illegal tip) for what every CEO should be
thinking about when getting your respective hustle onIs
what Im doing going to help me in the long run? Or should
I get this little money and make tracks? If youre planning
on hitting a stain and getting ghost, know that from the
jump and plan for what youre going to do next. Theres
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nothing worse than doing good and then landing into a dry
patch due to no forethought. Short term hustles are usually
easy to set up and require little resources but after the initial
return, dont expect too much more. A good example
would be the IGetMoneyBlog.com scam that is floating
around the internet claiming that you can make money
from posting ads on Google. Its a 2.0 version of the classic
pyramid scheme and while I dont recommend you using it,
it can be profitable. Hey, I cant knock anyones hustle.
Long term hustles are a little harder to get into
because they take time to set up, more resources and some
know-how. Home-spun businesses would fall under this
category and can get you broke off if you know what
youre doing. Youll have to deal with state and federal
laws to get the business end set up right but once you do,
getting to the money will be that much easier.
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Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
#13:
What, you thought I wasnt going to hit you again
with a new episode of TPH? Come on, now! Right about
now its 6:31 in the morning and since Im such a strong
believer in the old adage about early birds getting worms, I
had to get it cracking ASAP. Congrats to the Lakers for
taking the NBA championshipagain and I hope next year
we can get a new set of colors in the finals besides the gold
and purple.
In our day to day lives were bombarded with
sounds that are a little too loud and images a bit too graphic
in hopes that well curve our spending to that particular
brands product. Specific colors are supposed to illicit
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different emotions and certain sounds get associated with
actions. Why is every food commercial you see insistent on
using red when they drop their fat burgers down in front of
the camera? Why do we think of Michael Myers every time
we hear chee-chee-chee-chee-ha-ha-ha-ha? Because of
brilliant marketing.
When it comes to us, we dont have the million
dollar budget or the extensive catalog of talented marketing
people so we have to do what we can for ourselves by
ourselves. That is why branding is so important; without a
proper way to display yourself to the public, you will get
slept on absolutely. Even if you have a decent brand image,
if you have poor customer service every potential sale you
might have will evaporate because no one wants to deal
with you. You have to make the people know you, simple
and plain.
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How do you do this? By doing the two things
mentioned above and also by actively engaging the people
whenever you can. Host events in your area in which you
have expertise. Contact non-profit organizations that could
use your skills. There are plenty of free ways that you can
get the multitudes to understand what youre about and not
break the bank and do more than sit around twittering all
day (unless its business related.)
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding,
-CZA
#14:
Its not often that I touch on a particular person
when I write (outside of interviews of course) but Drake is
a different kind of artist and one that definitely caught my
attention. Sure, he works closely with Lil Wayne and hes
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been co-signed by everyone from Jay-Z to your babys
mother but thats not what is so intriguing to me about
dude. He sings, he raps and is currently one of the hottest
commodities in the industry right now because of how he
played the game and thats what I wanted to go in about to
highlight how all my CEOs can use the same techniques to
get further along.
Create a Hot Product
The first and most important thing Drake does is
create hot product. In his case its music but this same rule
can be applied within any industry, you can dress it up
however you like but if your product isnt quality your
customers will know it and keep it moving. You should
spend time honing your hustle to the point where you can
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make something of value to someone else. A good looking
package is cool but people know when theres no substance
beneath and in all honesty would you pay for something not
worthy of your buck? Me either.
Have Your Persona Right
I talked about creating your persona in 10 Facets of
a CEO and its evident that Drake knew something about
that rule because he did exactly what I outlinedcreated
himself the way he wanted the world to see him. Sure, he
was on Degrassi and some may not call that gangsta but
thats okay because he never put himself out there like that.
The reason why we have so many copycat rappers out now
is because they came to their respective labels just wanting
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to rhyme. Many of them had no idea of what image they
wanted to portray so the label might suggest sound like
Young Jeezy or dress like Jim Jones which effectively
kills all the creativity the artist may have had because they
didnt take the time to understand who they are and instead
opting to jump on the swag wagon.
Drake looks like he is his own artist with his own
style, something that people can appreciate. His dress is
different, his flow is different and even his songwriting is
differentdude freestyled from his blackberry and cats
couldnt even get madthats what I mean by having his
persona right. He took a taboo thing and made it cool.
Dont believe me? YouTube how many other cats whip out
their pda and go in.
Consistency is Key
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Once you have hot product and a dope brand image
whats next? If you want any type of lasting success you
have to keep the people happy and nothing does that better
than by having an ample amount of quality goods for them
to check out. Drake has a catalog already because of the
mixtapes that hes put out (I dont even know if all of them
were put out by him but in either case hes good) that line
many an iPod.
He consistently hustles by working with different
artists, writing and recording songs and while doing this,
building his buzz even higher. A regular artist at this point
in their careers wouldnt have the pull to work with a Jay-Z
or a Lil Wayne but Drake has proven time and time again
that if youre on a track with him, youre going to not only
have a good song but someone wholl push you to be better
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because he isnt going to slack on his part. Whats crazy to
me is that without a record OR a record deal dude is on tour
with some of the biggest acts in hip hop. Thats simply
unheard of in the current state of microwavable artistry
were in. Be consistent and people know that they have
someone that if no one else is on their job, you are and that
will make you the go-to guy. In his case itd be the guy to
feature.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding,
-CZA
#15: . 1
Before I get into the topic at hand, before I even
give praise and honor the King of Pop I want to give a
special shout out to all the rappers, authors, businesspeople
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and analysts who feel that this is the most opportune time
to cash in on his passingfeel free to feel ashamed of
yourselves. As I bounce from one of my favorite blog sites
to another or glance at the new press releases made
available I cant help but feel a little nauseated at just how
far people will go to capitalize on not just a celebrity but a
person passing.
I see myriads of Best of compilations filled with
Michaels music with some asinine DJ yelling or tagging
all over the songs or internet rappers dropping tribute
mixtapes supposedly in honor of dudethats bogus
because you couldve just as easily done this when he was
alive but now its Im going to drop this and slap his name
on it, hopefully itll make my name hot too. Nah man, it
simply doesnt work that way in my eyes. Thats just one
side of it, Ive seen (and I kid you not) companies
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advertising how you should learn from MJ and buy
software that will allow you to preserve your legacyare
you serious right now? I mean, really, are you serious right
now?
I completely understand grieving for the man, he
was one of the biggest influences to a lot of peoples
childhood but if you are trying to market, sell or otherwise
garner attention for yourself through him dying, do us all a
favor and look up the word morality because its obvious
youre deprived.
Okay, post-rant status and flight on schedule, I
wanted to break down the core components of network
building. Being that my background is entertainment
journalism, I know a thing or two about relationships and
have made tons more than I lost because the first thing you
have to understand about having a relationship with, and in
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this aspect I dont care who, anyone you have to understand
what it is that you both are getting out of it. It could be
exposure, money or some other gratification but without
some end result youre going to quickly forget them and
vice versa. If they can somehow help you out, you dont
want that. To help you not burn a bridge that you might
potentially need later, Im going to walk you through some
of the more intermediate rules of the game (assuming that
you have already been introduced to the contact
beforehand).
Besides the end result, you should understand that
there are certain limitations that come along with knowing
someone, especially if theyre a little further on in their
career than you are. For one, dont blow up the contacts
phone, Twitter and Facebook about updates on whatever it
is you want them to do for you. The fact that they are even
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considering what you asked should be a confirmation that
you did things correctly so dont mess it up by dropping
notes every few days. One follow up should be enough,
given about 3-4 days and if really necessary, one more a
week afterwards. If theyre as interested in what youre
saying as you think they are, they will find time to hit you
back. In rare cases it may take a little longer but if two
weeks goes by with no response, push that aside and pitch
elsewhere. Theres never one way to do anything and
theyll remember you once you can do something for them.
The next thing to remember and it goes with the last
point perfectly, is that in networking you have to be honest,
reliable, accessible and willing to do exactly what it is you
said you would. Nothing will sink a partnership faster than
overstating your abilities and under-delivering, being
harder than hell to get in touch with or not holding up your
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end of the bargain. Perfect example: a good friend of mine
who does publicity was working with a young artist who
had a somewhat moderate hit out a couple years back and
was looking to bounce back with a vengeance. He dropped
a new record (which Im sure you heard if you hit a club in
the past few months) with a music video featuring a larger
artist from NY and it was looking very good for him. He
landed some face time with the possibility of him having
his own reality show with the networks and everything
looked like it was going to roll, right? Not long after he
dissed one of the games living legends, got ghost and
pissed her off so badly she didnt want to work with him
anymore. Long story short, he didnt do what he was
supposed to and it definitely hurt his comeback chances.
Treat your contacts like royalty and if theyre quality,
youll get the same in return.
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Check back next week for part two of Networking for
Dummies.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding
-CZA
#16: . 2
Thanks for checking back in with your man as we
knock off the second part of Networking for Dummies and
for those that are just tuning in, heres part oneto get you
up to speed. Sometimes I think people either forget or
theyre just unaware that every single successful person in
the industry is successful because of their contact list. You
can put in the hard work and the dedication to get you
noticed but if you dont know the right person to get you
through that door and into those meetings youll soon grow
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stagnant because there is realistically only so much that you
can do by yourself. Be at the right functions for your
industry and dont over promote yourself; DO have sample
material ready if asked for it but dont be that guy who
ruins moods for the sake of business. Business cards (yes,
even rappers can have business cards) are the general
standard as you can strike up a conversation, hand them a
card, wish them an enjoyable evening and keep it moving.
Something else that you have to take into account
(and I said this before in my Drake is Important for a
Reason special) is that even if you treat your contacts like
kings and queens, if you have mediocre product you are
doing yourself a big disservice because they arent going to
want to attach their names and reputations to something
that could be haphazard to the hard work they put in
becoming taste makers or the go to guy. When I say hot
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product, I dont mean just co-signed by your crew or your
moms, I mean verifiably hot. Selling thousands from your
trunk hot. Packed shows hot. Rave reviews from reputable
people hot. See the difference? When people that you dont
know personally are as excited about your project as you
are is what begins buzz and more importantly, more people
wanting to work with you, which brings me into my next
point
When you have a buzz going, it makes it easier for
people to pay attention to what youre trying to do and
makes them want to see how they can help (and profit
from) you. I know it sucks and the game shouldnt be this
way but it is and the sooner you realize how it works, the
sooner you can harness its power. When you become a
commodity to someone else, they can tangibly estimate
your worth and that will get people on board faster than
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anything else. If youre MC Nobody with a hot song and no
buzz, it doesnt matter if youre the greatest rapper ever
because people will pass you up for someone whos shown
they can fill seats and sell CDs.
Finally, one of the most important (and similarly
often overlooked) parts of the game young cats mess up is
staying humble even if they personally feel like Kanye
should be their number one fan. Nothing and I mean
absolutely nothing, turns people off faster than dealing with
an over-bloated sense of self and foul dispositions. Ive
come across many an entrepreneur who had promise only
to have it fly out their mouths, right along with every praise
they deem worthy to bestow on themselves. If you ever met
me, I dont brag or boast much even though my resume is
pretty robust I understand that trying to hype myself
doesnt add anything to the fire, it makes people want to
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shield their eyes. Attention is what a great publicist is for.
(What up Dylan and CJ!) I didnt want to delve too deeply
on this networking issue, only scratch the surface hard
enough that all my young CEOs can digest it and get back
to the grind.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
-CZA
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Im going to keep it brief, I promise. If youre
reading this, thank you because most never take the time to
read them and these are the people responsible for helping
me write in the first place. Mom, Dad, April, WendyBest
fam ever. Darrious, keep those notes playing homie, youll
make it just fine. LJ, thanks cant really describe it but its a
start. To the haters, thanks for making this look good,
couldnt do it without you! Thanks to the creator came last
because I wanted to do it on its accordtoday is the best
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day because you have allowed it so. Cant fit everybody
here but to anyone and everyone,
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding.
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