Normally I write about small business marketing, systems, finances, goal-setting, etc. but today I’m particularly inspired to write about life changes and the need to prepare. Allow me to explain.

This past January, my kids informed my wife and I that they are going to move out of our house.

They assured us their decision had nothing to do with the dictatorial rules that my wife and I have instilled upon them such as picking up after themselves, washing the dishes from time to time, vacuuming a couple of times a week when it’s their turn.. you know – stuff only evil dictators burden upon their subjects.

Remember when you first moved out? I did. I was 17 and knew I could take the world by storm. I joined the US Air Force right out of high school and I reported to Boot Camp exactly 2 weeks to the day after high school graduation.{++++}

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Scott – Big Banana

PS – might as well be known for something GREAT!

Last month John Braun from Hitman Advertising did a teleseminar interview with me about surviving and even thriving in a down economy. As you may know, my cleaning and restoration business is located just outside of the Detroit area. This past December, Detroit recorded an incredible 21% unemployment rate! That’s depression-era numbers there, folks.

Despite the bad economic news here locally, we’re holding in there and some of our company service categories are even growing. How? It’s all in the free interview below.

I’ve also included an extensive “mindmap” which shows how to overcome the financial problems and thrive. It’s all organized and easy on the eyes. Please let me know what you think!

John Braun interviews Scott Rendall about thriving in a down economy (.mp3 file)

Thriving in a Down Economy Mindmap (.pdf file)

*Important Note: The attached .PDF requires Acrobat Reader 9.x (or newer). If the file says “buffering” for an extended amount of time, you need a newer version of Acrobat Reader. It’s free and can be downloaded here: Acrobat Reader Update

Enjoy!

Scott – Big Banana

Scott – Big Banana

Hey there fellow cleaner, restorer, or service business owner – welcome! Here in my blog I will share with you ideas, stories, goals, and other success-oriented info. Feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line if you have comments or questions. I truly believe my God-given purpose of existence is to help others succeed. NOTHING makes me happier than the great feeling I get when people I’ve assisted smash their goals and accomplish great things in business and life.

I think it’s important to tell you a little bit about what to expect, and not expect about Banana Profits, this blog and myself:

• Please contact me if you have questions about your business, my programs, others programs, etc. You can be assured that 100% of the time I will give you my God’s honest answer. My integrity is more important than a quick buck.
• I will update this blog as time allows. I am EXTREMELY busy with running my businesses, creating new systems, and working with students in my mentoring program.
• I prefer to use email because it’s very likely I’m in a meeting or holed up somewhere creating/implementing marketing, sales, and business systems at just about any given time throughout the week.
• But if you do need to get a hold of me on the phone, please feel free to call me at 517-618-3038. I can’t promise I’ll be immediately available since I’m in meetings with my students and staff, or developing/improving systems and plans throughout most of the week, but ya never know. If I don’t answer please leave me a message and I will call you back.
• I don’t make any apologies that I’m sometimes a little blunt with my answers and comments. I’d much rather get to the point than wax on with 1,000 word replies only to arrive at the same answer. I don’t think you’ll find my occasional bluntness disrespectful, but if you do please understand that I’m extremely busy and productive time is of utmost importance to me – just as it should be to you. Time is the one thing we can never get more of so we all might as well use it wisely.
• I respect you too much to use hyperbole and fluff that some of the other experts are famous for. You won’t ever hear me say things like “world’s greatest”, “my way or the highway”, “I made thousands of people successful”, etc. It’s not my style to brag. My belief is that if I over deliver on value others will naturally say good things about me w/o me having to prop myself up.
• If you’re not successful it’s your own fault! Own up to responsibility and quit pointing fingers. The faster you take responsibility, the faster success comes.
• I respect the privacy of all so please do not ask me to share private information about others because it’s not going to happen. (and yes, I have had several ask to share my lists – the guilty know who they are)
• I will be the first to tell you that there are absolutely no new “big ideas” under the sun. Everything that we learn does not come from within but rather is an amalgamation of bits and pieces of information learned from others that we string together that make sense to us. There are no fancy marketing packages from ANY experts, myself included, that aren’t picked up from someone else. Yes, there are new technologies (like this blog, social networking sites like Facebook, videos, websites, etc) that make marketing and systematization easier and more productive, but these are not new ideas, just different delivery mediums. If you hear a guru say “I created this new form of marketing”, I’m sure that if you did your research you’d find someone else who already did it but in a different way, using a different medium, or both.
• Having said that, there IS a HUGE difference between effectiveness, style and creativity of all programs. There are effective ways to get and keep customers without having to brag or fluff yourself up. It’s true that we can’t afford to be the best kept secret around, but we can and should also keep our integrity in doing so, no matter what.

As you might have noticed I’m brutally honest. You deserve nothing less. Hopefully that’s refreshing to you because there is a lot of hype out there and it’s tough to figure out who really is in it for your best interests.

If you haven’t done so already take a look at the Pages to the right:

• Banana Profits: created for YOUR success!
• Banana Profits? Why the Funky Name?

Once again, welcome! I hope you’ll join me in the journey to the top!