Customer Perceptions ARE Reality, and you need to be aware of how this dynamic may determine the value that your customers place on you.

3 Quick Tips For Branding Your Business

Hello Unleashed Tribe! I hope that you are having a Perfect 10 day, and that the sun is shining wherever you are in this wonderful world. I am handsomely good-looking host Mitche Graf, and boy o boy do we have a great show lined up for you today! We are going to talk about the 5 Biggest Mistakes that businesspeople make and the main reasons why 80% of businesses are GONE within the first 5 years…..Plus we are going to discuss a fantastic book called the $100 Startup…… AND…this will be a lot of fun……we are going to talk about how to make the perfect cup of coffee at home.

Do you remember when it was you started disliking snakes, or spiders, or flying, or seafood, …. or anything at all that you don't care for? You may not remember a specific incident, but I bet you are ACUTELY aware of the things in life you do and don't like… Most of those precepts, or beliefs, were embedded deep in our psyche from experiences that lasted 5, 10, maybe 15 seconds. Those precepts have been branded into your brain, which is where the term branding comes in business.

When I was younger, I didn't like asparagus and couldn't tell you why or what it tasted like. I just knew I didn't like it. When I became a young adult, I had the opportunity to have some with a meal, and didn't want to be rude, so I scooped up a serving…… and believe it or not, I liked it! I couldn't remember the time I decided asparagus was to be put on my list of things I didn't care for, but my subconscious mind had made up its mind…. I'm sure you can think of several things in life you don't like, but can you remember when your dislike began?

The same dynamic happens when we are exposed to people and businesses. That very first impression infiltrates our mind and a judgment is made very quickly, typically withing the first 5 seconds. In business, those judgments can either mean future success, or ultimate failure.

We are going to be discussing perceptions……. more specifically how your prospective customers…. or CURRENT customers perceive you. In the business world we call this BRANDING, and it is one of the most important aspects of your ultimate success. Perceptions……….

When kids are little, you can tell them just about anything and they will believe you, regardless of how far-fetched the concept is. Sasquatch lives in the forest behind your house; eating your carrots makes you see through walls; your parents are the smartest people in the world. (Of course, this truism shatters when they turn twelve, when they discover THEY are the smartest in the world and know everything!)

Every parent has lists of "stretched truths" they tell their children. They serve as comical relief in an otherwise treacherous job of raising little humans who will someday rule the world.

When my oldest daughter Jaycee was about three, I jokingly told her that I was seven. (I highly recommend you give this a whirl to provide hours of enjoyment over the years) To a youngster who does not have a grasp of concepts like time or age, this is a HUGE number that's very believable.

Well, my next birthday came, and I turned eight. The next year I turned nine.

I turned ten, then eleven; then twelve. That is when my house of cards came crashing down.

One day, Jaycee and I drove to the store alone. She looked over and said,

"Daddy, do you know what's really weird? You are twelve. I have classmates with brothers and sisters who are twelve. You are a lot bigger than them. That's really weird!"

I looked at her and slowly said, "Honey, Daddy has a secret to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell your brother." Her brother Colton was two years younger and had not entered the age of questioning anything I said.

I hesitantly said, "I'm not twelve." Her face turned to complete, utter confusion as she tried to ponder what that meant. I had just shattered one of her deepest belief systems, and she didn't know how to deal with it. I felt closer to her at that moment than I had ever in her entire life because I was about to tell her one of my deepest, darkest secrets and she was an unprepared witness.

"Daddy, isn't twelve, he's fifty-two."

Total silence. More silence. Followed by even more deadening silence. I knew she was trying to think if she knew anyone that old in her mind, with her brain going a million miles a second. The pin-drop moment lasted for what seemed like an eternity. She spoke words I will never forget for the rest of my life.

"Does Mommy know you aren't twelve?"

I said, "I don't know baby girl, you should ask her".

Well, I played the same game with my younger son, and Now, I have started the process all over again with my six-year old daughter. In her mind, I just turned 10-years old! I can tell you one thing for sure … I will enjoy every moment of the next several years until the magic melts away.

Perceptions with our children is much the same as our perceptions for people and businesses around us, and how other people perceive YOUR business, or your brand.

Regardless of your opinion, there is 1 absolute fact… "Your BRAND will determine if you are around in 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years from now."

Crush it and your odds are exponentially increased. Drop the ball and you will be a corpse on the side of the business highway.

Did you know that we as human beings make judgments of people, businesses, food, and other products within 5 seconds? 5 seconds. That sure does not give us much time before a decision has been made about how a potential customer feels about us, and what kind of value they believe us to have. You must always be prepared to be judged.

Marketing, positioning and image creation are much more than Facebook ads and direct mail pieces. It is the expression of who you are and what you do on the deepest levels. It is all about what you wear, how you look, the way you walk and talk, the way you communicate with the rest of the world. It is as much about essence, as it is substance.

The things that make the biggest difference are the littlest of things.

Having a positive image will not only assure your survival in difficult times, it will also allow you to outshine your competition and prosper, even in tough times, because you will be one of the only people in your market place who markets smart. PT Barnum used to say he knew that half of all the money he spent on advertising was wasted if you could just figure out which half….

You can avoid costly mistakes by learning from other people's mistakes or from borrowing valuable lessons from other industries. There is nothing wrong with that. You should study the leaders in your industry and in others and see what it is that gives them the competitive edge.

When you do things the same old way, you should expect the same old results. If you hit your head up against a wall and it gives you a headache… STOP DOING IT! You need to spend time observing and studying the most successful and innovative people. We will take you step by step through this process with the 5-second Image Challenge a little bit later.

As businesspeople and entrepreneurs, we make mistakes every day, but the most successful people in any industry are the ones who learn quickly from those mistakes and make the necessary changes to prevent those mistakes from happening again. "They fail fast and move on."

5 Biggest Business Mistakes

When it comes down to our branding efforts, most of our mistakes fall within 5 areas:

1) Failure to Have a Well Thought Out Marketing Plan - Anyone can captain the ship when the seas are calm. However, a good marketing plan does its best work when the seas are anything BUT calm. 80% of all businesses do not have any form of marketing plan at all… and 80% of all businesses are not around in 5 years. Do you think this is just a coincidence? We have 2 jobs: 1 - to manage our customers and 2 – to market. Everything else is secondary.

2) Failure to Have A Clearly Defined Hook or Message - Without it, you are just a me too, an also ran, another run-of-the-mill business. You will not become successful simply because you are the best. Da Vinci was dead for over 200 years before he became famous. I don't know about you, but I do not want to wait that long!

You need to know what it is that makes you special and unique in your marketplace. What is it that customers can't get from anyone else but you? What is your compelling reason that customers should come to your business instead of all others in your industry? Again, the numbers speak for themselves - 80% of all businesses couldn't tell you what their hook is, if asked. Are you one of the 80%, or do you want to be part of the 20% who make a difference?

3) Failure to Have Professional-Looking Marketing Pieces - It's all about first impressions. Everything you do must match your image. If you want to be known for BMW quality, then everything you do should be consistent with that goal.

4) Failure to Project Your Sales and Goals into the Future

If it's important enough to you, you will figure out a way to make it happen. If you really want it to happen, and you take the necessary steps to accomplish it, it will happen - guaranteed. If you want to increase your gross income for the remainder of the year, you had better start making those plans and projections today. You need to price your products and services to allow for costs, overhead, and that 4-letter word - Profit.

With 4 out of 5 businesses being out of business in less than 5 years, making sure you have a thorough understanding of your cost breakdown on your products, and how much profit is generated from each sale? How many of your products will you need to sell, or what number of service calls will you need to perform in order to achieve your financial and personal goals? What do you want to make this year, and next year, and the year after that?

The biggest problem in most industries isn't that businesses are priced to cheaply, it's that we they are afraid to charge what they are worth.

If you would like to eliminate a certain segment of the business you currently do, then start making a game plan today. Figure out how you can smoothly exit that market and replace it with sales from your more lucrative types of customers. In order to truly focus, you must do LESS. You can practice hand grenade marketing…. Throw a bunch of stuff out there and hope it hits the target…. Or you can use laser beam marketing and hit only what you want.

The old saying…. "If you want to attract a .99 cent customer, get 1 .99 cent customer because if they like you, they will tell all their other .99 cent friends, which means you will have a bunch of .99 cent customers."

If you do a professional job and remember the value and power of the all mighty referral, they come to you already sold.

They understand your quality, your process and your pricing. If a customer comes to you and says, "My neighbor showed me their whatsahoosit, and I absolutely love it, and I want to get one for myself…and oh yea… they said they only spent .99 cent…. I can't wait." Your pricing strategy is an integral part of your brand, so it's something to be aware of.

"It all comes down to what are your goals in life. Sometimes you are better off going fishing then taking a job that doesn't help you achieve your ultimate objectives and goals."

It's difficult to turn down business at first, but in the long run it will be healthier for your business and yourself. Let's face it…some customers are just not worth having. YOU…. have the ultimate say.

There are 2 kinds of people in the world………Ones that work for someone else, and one's that work for themselves. The first type are people who need the security that a job brings to them and will work their entire career working for the man, which is completely fine and is the way that most people are. Then….there's the kind of person that likes life a little more interesting enjoys what I call the "startup" mentality…..THEY want to be the boss, THEY want to be in charge of the creative process, THEY assume the risk of success OR failure. We call these folks entrepreneurs, and they are the ones who forge the way for new companies, new products, new innovations…….and that's what makes the world go around.

In that vein, today's book review is for an incredible book called "The $100 Startup- Fire Your Boss, Do What You Love And Work Better To Live More" by Chris Guillebeau……..basically, it's a book about learning to look….and find opportunities that exist in the marketplace.

He explains that on a ground level, beginning a business should be a straightforward process. If you can start with a basic product or service, you then need to find your audience, people who will pay for your product or service. And finally, you need to establish a payment method, how you are going to receive the money for your product/service. That's all there is to it. Easy right?

Chris describes adding value is like putting happiness into a box and selling it. Anything you can package up and sell as a product or service can be considered value. And he stresses that ideas sometimes come out of nowhere, and I can completely attest to that. there's no rule to finding your 'million-dollar-idea', it's going to come when it comes. However, it's important to keep your eye out for inspiration and opportunities as they are everywhere, you just have to start looking! Here are a few ideas for areas to look at for inspiration:

- Any kind of inefficiency in any market. Something that could be done better or isn't performing as well as it could. - New technologies, these are constantly popping up. - A changing space or platform. - Something already established with an opportunity for a spin-off or side-project.

The book discusses how to get started immediately with 6 steps 1. Commit to a product or service. 2. Build a simple website (Can be a basic template, it doesn't have to be complicated) 3. Come up with an offer 4. Establish a payment method 5. Let the world know what your offering (advertising, start on social media and go from there) 6. Repeat 1-5 over and over until you find success.

It's a fast and entertaining read, and I think it will open up some fresh and new ideas inside of that huge brain of yours. You can find a link to this book, as well as many other great reads at www.PowerMarketing101.com/hotlist.

Well, now it's time for Cooking Corner with Mitche where I share with you a tantalizing recipe that you can try at home this week. Today we are going to go a different route than what we've done before. We are going to talk about how YOU can make the perfect cup of coffee right at home with your pajamas and slippers on.

To me, coffee isn't about getting caffeine into my body as fast as I can…….it about enjoying a short moment of idleness in the middle of all the chaos that surrounds us……….sitting quietly on your back deck listening to the birds, or sitting by a river watching time go by………it's more about the activity that surrounds the coffee instead of the coffee itself.

Even if you are NOT a coffee drinker…. you have to admit that the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans in the morning is a great smell, right? Or as my kids say, I know right? I absolutely love, love, love going into a coffee shop and smelling the freshly roasted and ground coffee wafting through the air. Mmmmmmmm. Can you smell it…...?

We can get very scientific about things like what country the bean was grown in, or what altitude, or what the cleaning process was…..But most people…..just want a good cup of coffee and aren't as concerned with all of those details….so let's create a simple, yet perfect cup of coffee, shall we?

#1, you want to make sure you have the best quality bean possible for freshness and budget. Coffee beans begin to lose their flavor and aroma rapidly after roasting and grinding. You want a bean ideally that's roasted within the past few days.

#2, take the water's temperature. The optimal brewing temperature for maximum flavor extraction is between 195° and 205° F, which means to let your boiling water set for about a minute before pouring it over your coffee…..if you are using the pour over or French press methods. If you are using a regular old coffee pot, it will self-regulate that temperature.

Here's the basic recipe for balancing the amount of coffee to the amount of water that you have in your cup……and this all depends on how strong or mild you like your coffee. You want to use 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 8oz of water, ok? For this example, we are going to be using 1 tablespoon for our 8oz cup of coffee. This will maximize the flavor qualities of your beans, and if you are used to drinking stronger coffee, you may find that you actually enjoy having a lighter, more flavorful cup of joe.

A common misconception is that the darker your coffee, the more caffeine, which is actually opposite of what the truth is. The longer your beans are roasted, the more caffeine that is taken out of the bean.

There's 3 basic ways to brew at home. Percolator, a French press or the pour over method.

Arguably the best method for a delicious, aromatic and complex cup of coffee, the pour-over coffee…so that's how we are going to make our cup today.

First, bring cold water to a boil in a kettle. If you have distilled or bottled water…..that's great. This just makes sure there aren't any impurities in the water before brewing.

If using whole beans, grind the beans to a uniform consistency similar to granulated table salt.

Add the grounds to the filter, making sure the surface is level. When the water is between 195°F and 205°F (about a minute after removal from the heat), slowly and steadily pour just enough water over the grounds to saturate them completely, starting from the middle and working your way outward. Stop pouring before the coffee begins to drip through. This is called the "bloom" pour, which allows the coffee to de-gas.

Slowly pour in the remaining water, keeping the water in the dripper between half and three-quarters full. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully remove the filter, and what's left is a perfectly brewed cup of java for you to enjoy. Don't add creamer just yet……….I want you to actually TASTE your coffee and notice the small little details of how it plays off your taste buds. Let you mind take a short break from the stresses of the world and be transported to that riverbank in the mountains. Now, that's a good cup of coffee.

Well, that will do it for this edition of Business Edge Radio…….my parting shot today is this…

Perception and reality are two different things." Anonymous

Until next time, this is Mitche Graf reminding you to LIFE WITH PASSION…. I'll catch you later.

Plus- For more information on other educational products and service, visit www.PowerMarketing101.com

Marketing Partners- School of Hard Knocks www.SchoolOfHardKnocks.net

Mitche's HitList- www.PowerMarketing101.com/hotlist

In this episode of Business Edge Radio, we discuss the problem with getting into "comfort zones" that suck our creative juices dry and how to get out of a creative rut, the power of your daydreams, plus Mama's Raw Apple Cake that will make you want to do a double batch!

Quick Tips On Controlling Social Media

Quick Tips For Getting Out Of Your Rut

Mitche gives tips on Designing your perfect lifestyle... and just like life, nothing is easy...but, it can be done. A new segment, book reviews, includes Purple Cows? Also, Cooking with Mitche has Basil Pesto on the menu

We ALL are a combination of every single experience we've ever had all rolled up into a nice package we call YOU & ME.

My entrepreneurial journey has taken me places that I could have NEVER imagined back in the days before I made the decision to become my own boss.

Now, when I was very young, I did the obligatory boy thing of having a bike parts business, which I ran out of my garage….as well as selling lemonade in front of my house after school. While all the other kids were selling a glass for .25, I sold mine for .50/glass, BUT you also got a fresh-baked cookie and a table and chair to sit at. Back then I lived in Southern California, so I had a small transistor AM radio that I played Dodger games on. I can tell you that I did MUCH more business than my other friends who were trying to sell their lemonade for .25.

I can remember the very first REAL business that I ever started…..it was while I was going to college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO…and I had an idea to create a business for left-handed people….you….can probably guess that I'm left handed, right?

Well, the name of the business was "Left Of Center" and I had the coolest products you could ever imaging! I had a left-handed black coffee mug with a beautiful gold-foil logo and gold-foil around the rim………I had a glamorous pen and pencil set that had gold-foil, and I had a left-handed paperweight. Now, you probably are saying to yourself…….hey Mitche, those products can be used by EITHER hand…..and you are right. BUT, because it was a new and novel idea that nobody had thought of before, I had pretty good sales. People would buy for their spouse, or their boss, or their best friends who were left-handed….as more of a novelty gift.

Back then, there wasn't any Internet, email or other quick ways to get the word out……so I would do classified ads in the back of classy magazines, put my address in the ads, and would go to my post office box every day to get the orders. I would then go back to my house that I shared with several of my friends, and box up the orders. Then the next day I would drop them off at the post office on my way to classes.

I did this for a couple of summers, then got bored with it and sold it to a buddy for…….not much, and moved on.

After college I had a variety of regular jobs, …ranging from being a sales manager for a medical supply company, to a DJ at a local dance club, to a fitness director at a health club. In the early 90's, I was hired as the National Sales Manager for a pet product manufacturer and distribution company, and suddenly found myself getting sucked into looooonnnnnnngggg hours at the office.

I became a corporate working stiff that had the old-fashioned version of the 24/7 lifestyle…..I would go to work early, stay late, worked weekends and holidays…all the time pretty much……Now, I was handsomely paid of course, but I finally had enough of burning my candle on both ends, and got sick of trading my valuable time for a paycheck……. and decided to give up the rate race in favor of spreading my own wings and trying my ideas on the world. After my "Left Of Center" experience in college, I had owned several companies through the 80-s and early 90's, but never had I went…….ALL IN……..so to speak…..to go out on my own and forge my own way 100%. It was a very scary thought………..but I had just come to a point in my life that I wanted something more than that paycheck. I had tons of hobbies back then….but just didn't have the TIME……and that's the operative word here….TIME.

I was used to trading my precious, irreplaceable time for a heavy workload, major stress, managing upwards 75 people…which bring on a stress all its' own.

So I went out…and my Mom and I purchased a failing drive thru coffee business….and this was waaay before drive thru espresso was popular AT ALL…which is probably one of the reasons why we were able to buy it for so cheap. At the same time I also started a cribbage board company manufacturing boards for local sporting goods stores, gift shops, and we sold them thru telemarketing. I had learned to play cribbage when I was very young, and it was a passion of mine…..actually still is!

And…away I went! We turned the espresso business into a sales juggernaut over about a 2-year period, and the cribbage boards quickly became the hottest new product for Christmas in 1996. After a couple of years, I sold both businesses for 6-figures….and moved on to my next set of ideas.

From there, I started a portable hot tub business where people would rent a portable hot tub for a weekend………..it came complete with carpeted flooring, and side rails, music of course (in the form of 8-track tapes), and FREE delivery. People would rent the tub for the weekend, we would take it over and set it up in their driveway, fill it using their water, add the chemical and fire up the propane heater. Within about an hour it was ready to jump in and enjoy! It was a lot of fun, and I made some good money……until I decided to sell it.

I also have dove into the restaurant industry a couple of times…in fact one of the restaurants was voted a TOP 10 restaurant in of Oregon….. I owned a professional photography studio for several years that also gave me the opportunity to begin teaching the basics of business around the world at various conventions and workshops…….. which did for about 15 years…..until my children starting popping out and I decided I didn't' feel like travelling 20-25 weeks a year so backed off considerably…….. have built several manufacturing companies, owned a couple of different limousines companies that were recognized with National Awards for our branding.……that I started, built and sold……………

But I think the strangest and most unique business I've ever created was a worm company called SureStrike Jumbo NightCrawlers, which is actually a pretty funny story!

I used to live in North Idaho…and one Wednesday in June I decided to go fishing……and went to many, many different sporting goods stores, and convenience stores, and hardware stores……trying to buy a dozen worms. The stores were either "sold out", or they didn't carry them at all. I got a little upset that I couldn't buy a single worm!

So, I went back to my office…made a few calls…found a place that sold worms by the 1000 (yes, there are actually companies that do that!), created a logo, some dynamic packaging, hired the best sales person that I knew…..and we proceeded to hit every potential customer in Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and Western Montana. In a matter of about…..5 weeks, we had managed to pick up a majority of the stores.

What was unique about the product was the size of the container……most worms we buy come in 12's, right? Well, SureStrike Jumbo NightCrawlers came in 18's paks because 12 is never enough and 24 is too many. The word "JUMBO" referred to the size of the container….not the size of the worms!

We were rocking and rolling….and rolling in the dough……when I got a call out of the blue from a guy called "Mr. Bait"…..who informed me that I didn't have the right to sell to these people because HE was the bait supplier in the area. I then informed HIM that I actually did have the right, and that I was now the supplier.

I told him that I really didn't want to be in the worm business, and would be happy to sell him his customers back along with all of my other accounts, for 20k……..to which he abruptly hung up on me…….Well, we kept plugging along racking up sales like crazy….then about another month went by when I received another call from Mr. Bait saying that he would buy the business from me……..Once I told him that the business was now worth an additional 20k, he starting yelling and screaming at me…….and in the end I ended up only adding on another 5k….and sold him his own accounts back.

One thing that THIS business did for me….was that I NEVER had to worry about running out of night crawlers!

Fast forward to 2018, where I was happily owning an very busy catering and events business, a manufacturing company, as well as a publishing company…..but I got bored and was looking for a NEW opportunity. My wife, Tami, says that every 2 years I get bored and have to buy something, build something, sell something, or otherwise give me brain a new challenge. Word had it that the local Class A affiliate of the world champion San Francisco Giants, was looking for a President…..someone to come in and do a sort of re-brand for organization. So, after 25 years of not drawing a paycheck from anyone but myself, I became the President of a professional baseball team!

And to be honest, this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in the entire life! Imagine, being able to be in charge of a professional sports franchise for a period of time after a CAREER of being self-employed. It truly was the opportunity of a lifetime. The challenge of taking a 25-year old brand, and making it NEW again made my brain sweat, but in the end we revitalized the fanbase and enthusiasm for the team….and our attendance shot up over 12%.... which was one of the biggest increases in all of professional baseball in 2019.

Well, after about 15 months of "being a kid in a candy store"…. I decided that it was time to return to running my 3 companies and to be more present for my kids during the summer.

So here I am today…..talking with YOU about my wonderful journey.

And…..That's only ½ the story…….there's another life-changing event that has help mold me into the person I am today…….and I call it the Awakening. I'll share this moment with you, right after a word from our marketing partners…….

Mid-Roll Commercials….

By far, the most valuable asset that you and I possess is time, and the biggest decision we have on a daily basis is how we choose to spend it. We have 86,400 seconds each day. How we consciously choose to spend those seconds determines who we ultimately become over our lifetime.

Each day, we literally make hundreds of decisions determining what kind of successes or failures our businesses will have to endure. Many of these seconds, minutes, and hours are wasted on thoughts and activities that add zero value to our lives or the lives of the people who mean the most to us.

And once that time is spent, we can never get it back.

For the past 25 years, I've had the rare ability to treat EVERY DAY LIKE IT WAS A SATURDAY! It's the best day of the week, right? On Friday, you are excited for Saturday because you don't have to get up early, and you can stay up late Saturday night because Sunday isn't a work-day either. It FEELS different than any other day of the week…..do you agree? I don't get the Monday morning blues or get stuck in the rut of a 9-5 mentality work week.

This life-changing philosophy was instilled in me by my stepfather, Pat Wright, one of the hardest working men I've ever met. He loved my Mom deeply, and that motivated him to do whatever was necessary to keep us safe and secure.

My Mom and Dad divorced when I was eleven, and my Mom worked 2-3 jobs to provide for my brother, sister, and me. We would see Dad on weekends, but the day-to-day raising of us kids was all Mom. Pat came into our lives several years later, and by that time………. we were a tribe of hardened souls accustomed to doing without in many cases, but never lacking in the important things in life.

When I was in my early 20s, Mom and Pat dreamed of owning a boat. Not a big, fancy boat to sail the seven seas in, just a boat the family could take to Hayden Lake in North Idaho to spend our weekends floating off into warm, summer evenings.

With this dream in mind, they managed to set aside enough money to realize their dream. They eventually found and bought Big Red, an old V-hulled Fiberform. The excitement in our family was incredibly palpable. She was an older vessel that needed a paint job and some TLC, but she had class.

We bought Pat his very first captain's hat, loaded the cooler with beer, and set sail.

I distinctly remember to this day how the five of us left the marina with smiles-in-tow on a beautiful summer day. With our troubles behind us, we fell into total silence as we looked around and oohed at the beautiful mountains and shorelines.

We were without a care in the world, at least at that moment. Nobody was going to take away the beauty of that moment from us.

The awesome silence was broken by Pat's immortal words.

"I wonder what the poor folk are doing today?"

Those words hit home. We suddenly felt elevated to a higher plane at that singular moment. We were all in Never-Never land for that tiny little slice of our awesome day that nobody could take away from us. An amazing feeling of euphoria floated in our minds, however fleetingly.

My mother responded, "Babe, we are the poor folk."

Her words were true to the core in the practical sense, but on that day, practicality was out the window.

Pat affectionately looked at each of us, then looked out over the horizon with his chest puffed up, head held high, and said:

"Not today babe, not today."

At that precise moment, we became the richest people on Planet Earth—and it had nothing to do with money!

It was about living in the moment, enjoying the gift of the present. It didn't matter what the following Monday was going to have in store for us, it was all about living like royalty at that very moment.

Pat was a superhero to me and my siblings. Every superhero has a power that emanates from within, that empowers them with a competitive edge and drive against negative and evil forces of the universe.

Thanks to Pat, one of my super-powers is the ability to approach every single day like it's a Saturday!

Several years later, Pat was working as a parts manager for a Toyota dealership and loving his life with my Mom. The kids were out of the house, and they were both living large.

One Monday afternoon, he grabbed his keys, had a quick laugh with his co-workers, and headed home to spend another cozy evening with his wife. But before he had the chance to open his office door, Pat collapsed.

He never made it home for dinner.

Happiness and optimism were in Pat's bones. Maybe it was from his days in Vietnam watching buddies die right in front of him, or maybe it was simply knowing something that the rest of us didn't. His unique way of looking at a miserable situation and making it bearable, in turning lemons into lemonade, making every day a Saturday, was his precious gift to me.

We spent the week talking about the good times, remembering the laughter, and crying until we didn't have any more tears left. As the week went along, our emotions seemed to elevate to the point that we laughed louder and cried bigger. When it was time for us to return to our lives, I can remember feeling like my entire spirit had just been cleansed. Amazingly, I felt like I had been gifted with a renewed sense of perspective for my own life.

I wouldn't trade that time for anything in the world. It's these moments in life that you talk about things you normally don't talk about. It made me realize that everyday can be a perfect "10" for my family, friends, co-workers, employees, and myself. I should never let a day go by that I don't tell the people who mean the most to me that I love them. Life is much too short to not do it!

Realize that every day can be a perfect 10-Day for you as well. The past is history, the future is unknowable. All you have is right now. That's it. You never know what lies around the corner. Of all the gifts I've received, this is by far the most powerful and enduring, indelibly etched in my consciousness.

This is the best gift I've ever received from anyone and I would like to pass that gift on to you during our time together on this show.

NOW…..let's move on to a segment I call "Cooking Corner With Mitche" where I share with you a tantalizing recipes that you can try at home this week! Today's recipe is for "Asiago-Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce Chicken".

You know, cooking for me is a way to escape the craziness of the world for JUST a little while, and allows you to be me to be one with the ingredients. If you enjoy cooking like I do, you know what I'm talking about.

If it's early in the day, you can grab a good cup of coffee, if it's later in the day…you can pour yourself a glass of chewy red wine like a Malbec or a Petit Syrah, or a nice chardonnay or Riesling for lighter fare. Turn on some good music, and YOU ARE IN BUSINESS!

To begin with, I want you to mince up about ¼ cup fresh garlic cloves…or if you don't have that the pre-minced will work, or even some granulated garlic. But this recipe really does best with freshly minced cloves. Drop it in a hot pan that has been laced with olive oil, and let the sizzle begin!

Mmmmm….can you smell it? While that's cooking away, start a sauce pan on medium heat and add 4 cups of heavy cream…..if you are trying to watch your fat and calories, you can use half and half, or even regular milk if that's what you have. Of course, the heavy cream will thicken much faster than……say a 2% milk will, but anything is fine…..

Once the pan comes to a slight rumbling…..start adding 2 cups of shredded or grated asiago cheese….parmesan is in the same family, so that will work also….but asiago is a little bit stronger and really like it when it gets to hang out with garlic….you can use grated or shredded, whichever you prefer. Over about a 10 minutes time, slowly add the cheese while gently whisking in circles so that the cheese becomes ONE with the liquid.

Once the garlic is a beautiful golden brown, pour off the oil, and add the garlic directly to your sauce. Let it slimmer on low, while you continue to whisk it, until it has reduced down to a nice, thick consistency. This is not a 'get er done quick' recipe, so sit back and relax….I call it a 2-glass recipe…….enjoy, enjoy, enjoy…. Also, the longer you let is simmer, the more oils that the garlic can release.

If you want to kick it up a notch, I recommend you try adding some diced sundried tomatoes, or artichoke hearts…..and make sure you give you sauce time to 'GET HAPPY'!

Once your sauce is simmering away, take yourself 4 4oz portions of boneless chicken breast and place them on a red-hot BBQ grill, or you can put them on your stovetop in a pan with a little olive oil in it. Season with some salt and pepper…AND garlic powder of course……until perfectly cooked. Ladle on some of your cream sauce, top with a little more cheese…and you have created one heck of an entrée for tonight's meal!

Grill up some fresh asparagus with brushed on butter, throw a loaf of French bread in the oven….and you are in heaven!

Have some fun with it, get creative….and let me know how you like it.

Well, that does it for this episode of Business Edge Radio. I invite you to like, rate and review TODAY so that other people can discover the show as well.

Today's parting shot is this…..If you never have the courage to leave the shore, you will never have the joy of discovering new lands.

Baseball, Business & Family with 10-time MBL All-Star Steve Garvey

I'm honored to have 10-time MBL Allstar and future HOFer Steve Garvey on the show. He played first base for his entire 19 year career, won the NL MVP award, was a 2-time championship series, MVP, a 2-time MVP of the AllStar game, and to this day holds the record for most consecutive games played at in the NL with 1207……a feat that we discuss in the interview. We all know him as an incredible professional baseball player that played for the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres, but what you may not know about him is that he is quite the successful entrepreneur as well.

Though Garvey's career has taken him around the world, his roots and his family are most important to him. Steve Patrick Garvey was born in 1948 in Tampa, Florida. He received a BS degree from Michigan State University where he was an all-American baseball player and starting defense back on the Spartan football team.

In his career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played.[1]

The playing field has changed from the baseball diamond to the corporate board room, but the intensity and integrity with which Steve Garvey plays his position as President of Garvey Management Group remains the same.

The transition from professional athlete to corporate executive was made smoother because of an insightful Garvey character trait -- the ability to look to, and plan for, the future…..

Steve has been featured in endorsement and promotional campaigns for companies which include Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, Bankers Systems, Chevrolet, Jockey, McDonald's, Nestle, Pepsi-Cola, TransAmerica, Cardservice International, Golf One, among many others.

He has always enjoyed a talent for marketing, advertising, communication, and corporate relations. This coupled with his experience representing numerous products through the years, his interest in increasing his business savvy as he had his athletic ability, and his desire to provide corporations and businesses knowledgeable consulting, inspired his founding of his marketing group.

Another of Steve's unique skills is motivational speaking. For over twenty-five years, he has spoken to groups, corporations, conventions, and universities around the world. His topics include Being the Best You Can Be, Teamwork, Crisis Management, Leadership, Integrity in Life and Business, and The Rewards of Living a Christian Life.

Steve has created several Television series and specials, been a tv host for events like the little league world series, and the Home and Family Show on the Family Channel., Steve has also appeared in major movies, sitcoms and weekly drama series.

Garvey's efforts have not been exclusively focused on building businesses…. Giving back is a also Garvey trademark. He succeeded Frank Sinatra as the National Campaign Chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. In Addition, he assists in a variety of other causes: Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes, The Blind Children Center, United Way, Ronald McDonald House, St. Vincent DePaul Center, Pediatrics AIDS, the Starlight Foundation, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). In his spare time Garvey also holds positions on numerous civic committees and corporate boards. He has served on the boards of Catholic University of America, University of San Diego, and The Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.

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