1. Never miss a good chance to shut up. As the saying goes, you never learn anything while youre talking. Make sure to listen moreto your customers, employees and advisors.

2. If youre riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure its still there. Always remember, the definition of a leader is someone who has followers.

3. Youve got to go out on a limb sometimes, because thats where the fruit is. Always playing it safe will keep you from achieving all youre meant to in your small business.

4. Dont let yesterday use up too much of today. Whats done is done. Learn from the past, then let it go, so you can accomplish greater things tomorrow.

5. You must judge a mans greatness by how much he will be missed. Obviously, America missed Will Rogers tremendously. If tomorrow never comes, what will friends say about you?

6. Lettin the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier n puttin it back in. New initiatives. Great opportunities. More products/services. Consider them all, and never lose your primary focus.

7. Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction. Many small business owners get trapped in Ready, aim, aim, ready, and never fire. Dont just sit around. Go flyin instead.

8. We cant all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by. This is a good lesson for you and your small business employees. Somebody has to do the work.

9. An ignorant person is one who doesnt know what you have just found out. Knowledge is an advantage, especially in selling, where you should always know more than your competition.

10. Its not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts. Hiring someone for less than market value sounds like a good ideauntil you hire the wrong person entirely.

11. We are all here for a spell; get all the good laughs you can. Everyone should see life as Will Rogers saw itfinding humor in all we observe, and still making a difference in the world.

Copyright 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

David Handler

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, LLC, and specializes in helping franchisees, franchisors and business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he’s been there – as a franchisee, franchisor, business owner, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

There are two “I’s” in accountability – You and Me! Together we will achieve your destiny.©

David worked with ABC Sports, ESPN and regional sports programmers HSE (now Fox Sports Southwest) and Raycom. He produced more than 700 live events, including NFL football, NCAA football and basketball, and Major League Baseball. Career highlights were broadcasting Nolan Ryan's 5,000th career strikeout and two of the 15 perfect games in MLB history (Mike Witt-1984 and Kenny Rogers-1994). The second earned a national Telly Award for best sports production and was nominated for an ESPY.

In 1988, David awoke in the middle of the night from a dream and wrote down four words: "Notre Dame, football, travel." Partnering with two lifelong friends, David helped Anthony Travel become the Official Travel Service of the University of Notre Dame, Disney's Wide World of Sports¨ complex and several other universities. Over one five-year period, Anthony Travel was named one of the 100 fastest growing privately held companies in Dallas on three occasions.

After selling his interest in the travel company in 1998, David joined the International Center for Entrepreneurial Development (ICED) - a family of franchises with nine brands and more than 1,000 locations around the world. As senior VP in charge of marketing, he developed creative programs that franchisees used to gain new customers and increase profits.

David founded Success Handler to utilize the skills gained during his 23-year business career in a coaching capacity with franchisees, franchisors and business owners.