10 Things men really Should/Should not be doing

This post has little to do with business directly but it has been bouncing in my brain for months so I have to let it out before it does more damage. Warning, this is some seriously opinionated shit. The fact that is is true does not make it less opinionated.

1- Quit playing video games so much. I get it. Video games are a nice release. They can be fun. That said if you spend more time playing video games than you do sleeping you have issues. I play maybe….maybe a couple hours a month and most of that would be WITH my children. As long as you sit there pretending to be bad-ass and cool you will never be bad-ass and cool. I have seen “men” with set ups they have spent thousands on all to pretend they are bad ass warriors while ignoring everything else in their life. Grand Theft Auto made 800 million dollars in its first day released. That is pathetic.

2- Get in shape. Yes your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband will love you for who you are. Yes they probably will not leave you for getting fat and squishy. That said do it anyway. Eating too much and laying around too much is unhealthy and unappealing. You do not have to shape your body into marble but at least give a shit about what you look like without a shirt on. It also shows discipline. Something most people lack. It builds energy and makes you better at what you do

3-  Quit getting drunk and high all the time. You know what everyone loves? Yup that wasted idiot that makes a giant fool of himself and his significant other. Show some fucking discipline and make it a rare occasion that you do this.

4- Be a damn father. FAR too many men in this country think it is their job to spread their worthless seed around. If you get a woman pregnant you need to become a father. This also applies to dads that do stay, but spend no time with their children at all. You are a father, spend time with your children and actually give a shit. Either yours did, and you love him for it, or yours didn’t and you hate him for it. Either way you should. I always wish I did more with my children.

5- Get a fucking job. No it is not beneath you to do that. No you are not over-qualified to do that. No you are not better than that. I walked into work one day for a store meeting. The BIG owner was in town so this was a rare meeting. This owner was worth millions and had 20 some stores under his belt. I went back to use the toilet before the meeting and there was the big man scrubbing the toilet. He said hello and that it was good to see me. He was scrubbing the fucking toilets before the meeting. Not his job? Bullshit. Give a fuck about the place you work and realize that nothing is beneath you and supporting your family. Your job DOES NOT define who you are. Also you do not need to love your job. That is why they pay you to be ther. If you loved it they would not have to pay you to be there.

6- Quit farting in front of women. Seriously. Knock it off. You are not in high school. Try and show some class.

7- The t-shirts and tennis shoes are NOT everyday wear. Go pick up a decent pair of shoes and stop dressing like a slob. Have some respect for the way you look. There is nothing wrong with wearing a suit once and a awhile.

8- Learn a damn skill. Getting a college degree is not a skill. Learn carpentry, how to weld, or even grow a garden. Become useful in some way that does not involve a keyboard. There is NO feeling in the world like creating something with your bare hands.

9- Quit watching so much TV. My TV is almost always on when I am in the room so I am also guilty. However I am barely paying attention most of the time. It takes everything I have to sit through a movie and not be doing something else. I am online reading articles, responding to emails, planning business. My wife actually has to ask me to stop working.

10- Give. Give of your time, your skills, your knowledge, and your money. Give to those who need it. Quit being stingy. Quit saying your time is worth XXX. Quit being a dick. Giving of your skills costs you nothing. Giving of your knowledge costs even less. If you know something that could help other people share it and share it freely. If you have extra money give it away.

Bonus- 11- Treat the woman/man in your life as though they are the most special person in your life because they are.

Question answered

Question:
Hi Mark, Great RAW Mixergy interview. Awesome.
Question please… you mentioned you had a lot of success with marketing on Facebook. Where do I go to learn how to market a business effectively on Facebook? Like a step by step system.

– Toby
New Zealand

 

Toby,

Lou Abrownowski has a class on Mixergy on doing exactly that. I would watch that. I did it the stupid way which was to keep trying things until I saw something that worked. Then I poured fuel on the fire. Pretty dumb, but that is how I do most things. Keep trying till something works and then hit it hard.

 

Good luck

Mark

Holy shit I take forever

Been gone forever. Mostly because once you get behind it is hard as hell to get back on it.

So here I am and I am thinking about attitude.

My attitude about everything is brash and very direct. This works to both my advantage and disadvantage.
There are MANY times where patience and a slow approach are the best method and I just come in swinging hammers and singing opera. I have never been one to slow down and beat around the bush. It seems fake and full of bullshit to me. I hate people talking to me and buttering me up just to ask for something. Just ask. I do not mind being asked for things. I hate being bullshitted to beforehand.
It is a major reason I hate networking. It is a bunch of people pretending to not want something from each other. People chit chatting away to see if they want to like you or meet with you again. I have always known within seconds if I like someone or not. No reason to hear everything over drinks. Also I do not drink so networking events are super dull to the sober guy who just wants to get to work. There are two types of people at networking events. Those looking for something and those looking for something. Same thing right? Well not really. Part A is searching for someone to help them. Part B is searching for someone to help. Why not just get that shit out in the open and skip the beer and desert.

Being aggressive helps on ways because I go forward when most would stop or pause. I also push harder than most on things.

Ot’s just not always the best fit swinging hammers and singing opera.

Where the hell have I been?

I started writing this to be helpful. To answer questions and hopefully provide some answers. Over the last few months I have been crazy busy and not been able to think of anything to write at all that would be helpful to anyone but myself.
So today I stumbled upon this. It is an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Now I hate most reality TV. I hate it because it is made up to be sensational. That does not mean I do not watch it, it just means I hate it.
This episode, and all the attention after, however captures something that every single entrepreneur should see and know. The owners of this bistro are completely oblivious to their own faults. They blame the staff, the customers, the internet, and anything else around them. I have seen a lot of this is business. Owners and employees who can not believe how stupid the customer is for not taking their shitty product and their shitty service. Anyone who does not like their food is a “hater”. It is amazing.
Her husband invested 1 million dollars in opening a bistro. A million dollars.

There is an old saying in business that “The customer is always right”.  Damn near everyone reads this wrong. People assume it means that what the customer says is always right. That what the customer demands is always right. They are completely missing the point of this simple statement. The reason the customer is always right is because without customers you have no business. No one will pay you for your product or service. In other words the customers choose with their money. The reason the customer is right is they will choose whether to do business with you or not.

DO not worry about pleasing everyone. It will never happen. Worry about doing things right and listening  to your customers.

More Questions

Question:
Hey Mark, I read one of your comments on Mixergy and you said…

“You can’t make employees happy. They either are happy people or people that are not happy. Get rid of the unhappy people because they will ALWAYS find something to be unhappy with.” 

If that’s the case then is trying to motivate people a futile exercise? 

I’m wondering what made you say that and what led you to an absolute belief that people are either happy or they’re not, and you can’t make them?

Rick

 

Rick,

It has been my experience that you still try to motivate people, BUT there are certain people that are just never happy. People make themselves happy or not. I read comments from people all the time complaining about their jobs. People that make great money, have spectacular benefits, get 6 weeks paid vacation, and work in a safe and clean workplace that there is no abuse. What are they whining about? Their employer is paying them to be there. They pay you because OF COURSE you would rather be somewhere else.
These are people that constantly complain about their life and job. You do not have to love your job but people that whine and complain about everything bring everyone down.
So yes you put incentives out there  for the good people but do not think for a second you can make someone happy who just lives to complain and whine. There is a sect of people in this country who NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO they will always think the boss is trying to screw them and that they are being taken advantage of. You can not make those people happy. Trust me, I have tried. 

hope this helps and clarifies things. If not follow up.

Good Luck out there
Marks Brain