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First, let me share briefly what I do for a living—and a very good one at that. As a BizzBooster, I help businesspeople to become crystal clear about the benefits they provide, and to use that knowledge to market themselves and their businesses more effectively—resulting in less work & more time, less waste & more money, less stress & more joy! It’s what I do. I love what I do, and I’m very good at it! Ok, enough business talk for now (more later).
You know, I deplore the fact that most businesspeople only talk ‘bizzniss’ in their bio. Personally, when I’m considering whether or not to do business with someone I don’t know well, I’m much more interested in their personal philosophy and statement of purpose, and some of their hobbies—where their real passion often is—than to find out about all their certificates and degrees, often totally irrelevant to the project at hand. In other words, I’m way more interested in the people part of the word ‘businesspeople’. As I repeated throughout my book A First Serving of Milk & Cookies For Success, “The dictionary is the only place where it is okay for business to come before people.”
So, let’s talk about some ‘personal’ stuff. In a recent interview, a journalist asked “If you were a car what kind would you be?” My answer was: “That’s too easy, no hesitation on my part; a red Dodge Viper GTS Coupe! Why? For starters, it’s not the most ‘refined’ car, a bit rough around the edges. It’s easily recognizable, because it’s unique, nothing on the market quite like it. It’s loud, powerful, rare and ‘eccentric’. It has plenty of style; it’s not for everybody, and it’s definitely politically incorrect! That’s me!—especially when I turn into Goyan Goads, my alter ego…”
That’s what I say about me. Here’s what another person in the room said about me: “Daniel is a master networker. He has an incredible memory for names, dates and events. He knows how to make a person feel special. He has quite the imagination, is exceptionally observant, and extremely industrious. This guy is Mr. Energy. He doesn’t hold back. Enthusiastic, but self-disciplined. Sure to be there when it’s going great, but also there when the going’s a bit tough. Cool guy, eh?” (That was a Canadian talking…).
On the romantic side, I am blessed. I met Laurel Simmons in March 2003 at a monthly meeting of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. I said three little words to her, she was ‘electrified’, and six and a half months later, we were married. We’re still on our honeymoon.
My ‘other’ personal interests include watching movies (with Laurel), listening to music (with Laurel), walking on nature trails and biking (with Laurel), traveling (with Laurel) and eating cakes, pastries and rich ice cream (not with Laurel—she’s wheat and lactose intolerant... More for me…Hahaha.).
Now, back to the business side of me. When that same journalist asked about the meaning of my “MBA”—even though I have never attended university, I DO have an “MBA”—I explained to him that mine stands for Master in Bullshit Avoidance. Don’t like receiving any; don’t want to give any either. I call it the way I see it.
This may not be appropriate language for a business bio, but I wouldn’t be congruent if I were to say instead ‘Master in Doodoo Avoidance’. Not only that, but who ever heard of an MDA? Perhaps people will understand this a bit better when they learn who my role models are: Tom Peters, Robert J. Ringer, Herb Kelleher, Al Neuharth, Hugh Hefner, John Peterman, Mark Victor Hansen, Wilson Harrell, Sir Richard Bronson, George Carlin, and others like them who are never at a loss for words, and not afraid to “call a spade a spade”. So, like it or not, this is me. And I’d rather people dislike me for who I really am than like me for who I appear to be through an image I’m projecting.”
Ok, back to business! What’s my business background? I have been in “sales & marketing” in one form or another for over 30 years. And in the last 25 years, I have bought, started, sold, or lost, eight different businesses. In my lifetime, I’ve been a professional photographer, a tutor and a coach, the publisher of educational material, the owner of an art gallery, a professional tour guide, an independent distributor of health products, a speaker, a trainer, and a teacher. Currently, I’m a BizzBooster, and a Professional Real Estate Investor (with Laurel, I own Safe & Sound Real Estate Investment Group.
I’ve written a slew of eBooks, and two published books; my first one became a Canadian bestseller in 1992. The first printing of my second book—A First Serving of Milk & Cookies for Success—was released in September 2004 and is almost sold out. I’ve also co-authored an eBook with Laurel (my wife & business partner) entitled WHY Should They Do Business With YOU?, and one with other authors that included Jack Canfield, John Gray, Richard Carlson entitled 101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life-vol. 2.
I have been a member of numerous Chambers of Commerce (in 1990 my retail business won a Chamber of Commerce award for Best Customer Service) and I’ve sat on many of their committees. I have taken close to a hundred courses, workshops, and seminars, on all aspects of business, particularly in the spheres that interest me most, like marketing (online and off), networking, communicating, branding, as well as anything to do with professional development. And I’ve read well over a hundred business books…
I’m constantly exhorting people to be different, creative and original. To me, the cookie-cutter, which produces ‘same-old same-old’, is public enemy #1. Because I walk my talk, I’m constantly trying new things, taking risks, and building the kind of life and business that Laurel and I want. I believe in working smart and having fun... and in sharing the wealth that we create.
When the journalist asked about my Business Purpose Statement, my answer was: “As a wave-maker, I like to ‘whack people on the side of the head’* by showing them alternative solutions and different ways of doing things. As a spark plug, I like to ‘kick them in the seat of the pants’* so they actually DO something with this new knowledge.” (*These are the titles of two of my all-time favorite books, by Roger von Oeck, of Creative Think. A MUST read!)
Now, if you visited my office, you’d notice that the walls are covered with my favorite positive quotations and images. They represent my philosophy, and my guiding principles for my personal and professional life. I have eight—my lucky number. Here they are:
- “First you jump of the cliff, and you build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury
- “I will cross that bridge when I get to it.”
- “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
- “Don’t do to others what you don’t like others doing to you.”
- “Grain by brain a loaf; stone by stone a castle.” – Yugoslavian Proverb
- “You can get everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar
- “We will either find a way or make one.” – Hannibal
- “When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail. If you’re going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
One of my favorite activities is creating new words: business words like Connectworking, Communicaetiquette, BizzTool, BizzBuilder & BizzBlocker. And adjectives like awesomsational, splendelightful, and wonderFUNtastic. (Those all describe Laurel by the way)
My favorite made-up word is Successerenity—attaining it is my ultimate goal in life. I define it this way: It’s the peace of mind experienced by people who are comfortable with the choices they’ve made, and who are contentedly enjoying success, with success defined as making their life what they want it to be, their better life for THEM, the design they give it, the dreams they accomplish.
That’s precisely what Laurel and I are experiencing at the moment. And because it feels so right, we try our very best to help as many people as we can experience that too.
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