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Showing posts with label business tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business tips. Show all posts

Saturday, May 20, 2023

The Dancing Chicken Machine True Story - A Great Metaphor

 


I am a Generation X'er and grew up in the seventies, and eighties. One day my mom said we were going to the county fair. At the time I lived in East Texas. Needless to say my younger sister and I were very excited. I went to bed thinking about cotton candy and corndogs. I thought about all the rides I would attempt with bravery. Hopefully, they wouldn't make me sick after taking a whirl.

The county fair was your average fair. Food carts were set up, and all the odors in the air did nothing but excite me. Burning oil and rubber from the rides, a whiff of popcorn, funnel cakes, and corndogs mingled with the sweet smell of cotton candy was something I would wear home with me.

The people who operated the rides, "carnies" as they were called, always had a look about them that was both exhausting and exciting at the same time. They would yell out for riders to dare the adventure and bark at those who didn't follow safety rules. I always wondered what their lives were like working and traveling from one town to the next. Where did they sleep? Did they eat the fair food all the time? Maybe they ran to the local fast-food restaurant and grabbed a cheap meal.

When we finally arrived at the fair I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. I was told to stay close to my mother and it was torture to me because all I wanted to do is run and look at all of the sights only to stop briefly at each ride or food booth to fulfill the lust of my young eyes. On lucky occasions my mother had enough money to purchase an "all ride" bracelet that allowed me to ride any ride I wanted as many times as I could handle. On this trip, we only had a limited amount of tickets.

At the fair, there were tents set up in a row that featured various attractions like the BIGGEST COW IN THE WORLD or some drunk carnie that was dubbed THE HUMAN PIN CUSHION. The tent doors were closed but each time someone would enter or exit I would do my best to peek inside and discover what the fuss what all about. Try to see if I could make some confirmation about what was advertised by the tent entrance.

My step-father was a hunter and entered a turkey shoot contest. He had to hit a bullseye using a compound hunting bow and would win a frozen turkey. He felt it was worth the entrance fee but didn't win. No turkey for us that night. I could tell he was disappointed the same as my mother. Tickets weren't used to enter that shooting contest. Only cash was accepted. I was oblivious to the fact his loss meant he might not get that extra soda during his next work week. 

There was one giant tent that was free to go in and we all went inside as a family. I saw at least twenty different vending machines that were set up in a row. I quickly figured out why it was free to enter. Each machine was a little show you had to pump quarters into. It was a trick and we fell for it. I asked my mom if I could have some quarters from her purse. She dug in and pulled out a handful of change. I spied exactly what I needed. She sifted through the change and handed me three beautiful quarters. I ran as fast as I could to the machine I wanted to feed.

The machine I chose was one called THE DANCING CHICKEN and I was desperate to watch this fowl entertain me. I quickly pushed three coins into the machine. I was tingling with excitement. I peered through the glass of the machine and noticed a tiny piano in the corner. What was going to happen? Was the chicken going to come out and actually play me a song for the mere price of seventy-five cents? Would it be wearing a hat or a costume? I couldn't wait to find out.

Music began to play as soon as I heard the kerplunk of my coins. Over to the side of the machine was a little door that slid open. While the music was playing I saw a little red hen run out and quickly stop at the center of the machine. She was facing me and kicking her legs one after the other while the music played. I was in fact witnessing THE DANCING CHICKEN. It was real and the machine sign didn't deceive me. Very quickly the music stopped, and a few pieces of corn fell into a small dish by the door she ran from. She ran to the dish, gobbled the corn up, and jetted back inside the little room she nested in. The door slammed shut and the music stopped. That was it. I wanted to see the show again but that was all the money I had. I knew my mother wouldn't pull a magic pile of change from her purse to give me another dancing chicken show. I wondered if the little red hen anticipated the next few pieces of corn. I'm sure she certainly did. I would if I were a chicken in that show.

Today there are no more vending machines with animals in them ready to perform for a few pieces of food. I am sure the chicken was well fed and watered each day or that's what I hoped was the reality of the situation. Animal rights groups have made such shows a thing of the past. 

Years have passed and I have never forgotten THE DANCING CHICKEN I witnessed. I have recalled that childhood memory many times and it always brings me a good feeling. You know, one of those memories that you can never forget. This is one of those.

Now that I am a grown man and learned many lessons, I have made connections and understandings about that experience. I have given it a lot of thought and discovered some things about life and business that can connect to the little red hen who is no doubt past the plate to another dancer.

Now what I am going to share here is no disrespect to anyone or any position in life. It is merely an observation and my intention is to open you up to possibilities and opportunities in your life. If anything, I hope you find my true story a little humorous. Maybe you will leave a comment below and let me know what you think?

I have often thought about that dancing chicken while working various jobs. I have even compared myself to that chicken. I didn't view my job as a negative thing. I would get up every day, head to work, and do my little dance. At the end of the week, when the show was over I would get my few pieces of corn and run back home. I had my paycheck and was happy to get it. I had a purpose and it was fulfilling. I couldn't wait for the next few pieces of corn. Do you get the idea? Most people are just like that little dancing chicken and go through the motions just for a little bit of money each week. Most wish they had a few more pieces of corn to enjoy or share with others.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not insulting anyone for just having a job and trying to make ends meet. My current job is more than just a job to me. I've done it most of my life and each job has taught me many things. I am just sharing my thoughts on mindset. Right now I work at a great job and get to help create beautiful products. I'm proud of that.

Let's go a little further in this thought process.

I didn't have the extra seventy-five cents to see the chicken again but I have thought about the person who owned all those machines with performing animals in them. I wonder if he or she had plenty of quarters. Surely they did because we were not the only family in the giant tent pushing quarters in machines. So that led me to another thought. I needed a dancing chicken machine! Then I could have plenty of quarters.

Here's the idea. When we go to a job we are like the dancing chicken, but what if you had your own machine? This is an entrepreneurial thought but instead of making just a little money, what if you had a business of your own that provided a great product or service to the public? You would no doubt reap the benefits of something like that.

Not everyone is a business person with the ambition of being an entrepreneur. That's ok and if you are content doing that then keep doing that to the best of your ability. I applaud you for doing what makes you happy and is rewarding. It takes time to learn the business and how to operate it. The good thing is we have the Internet today and unlimited amounts of useful information can help you. It is a learning process, and if you begin on the business journey you will make mistakes. If you completely fail you can always start another venture. You will take with you priceless business experience that will only help you succeed with something else. 

What hobbies do you have? Did you know that you can turn a hobby or an interest into a business? Just think about it. Do others enjoy the same hobby you have? They surely do. Then you can ask yourself how you can serve others that have the same hobby. Begin by asking what problems they have and coming up with a solution to their problem. Then go serve them by providing a product or service. They will thank you for it and gladly give you money in return. 

I hope my little story was fun to read, and you hopefully were entertained. Maybe even got a little inspiration from it to begin your own journey. I would love to hear from you about this idea.

Now, go get yourself a DANCING CHICKEN machine! That is if you are so inclined.

Friday, February 28, 2020

How To Use Video For Business | Online Marketing | Tips And Benefits To Help Pay Debt



If you are not using video for your business or your online marketing projects then I would like to encourage you to do so. There are two different ways you can use videos to grow your online efforts. In this video I outline the benefits of using video marketing. I also share a way that you can use videos if you are not ready to get in front of the camera. Video marketing is here to stay and growing in use by more and more business people and those who are venturing into online marketing for extra money to pay off debt. 30 Fast Facts about Video - article by WYZOWL.COM https://www.wyzowl.com/30-amazing-fac... Article Contents 1. Businesses using video grow company revenue 49% faster, year-over-year, than organisations without. 2. 79% of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product, than read text on a page. 3. YouTube is the SECOND most popular search engine, in the world. (In case you weren’t sure, number 1 is Google) 4. Forrester Research found that video increases the chance of a front-page Google result by 53 times! 5. Our Rise in Video infographic shows that videos are 4x more engaging than static content. 6. 20 MILLION videos are uploaded to Facebook each month 7. 39 BILLION videos are viewed per month in the U.S. That’s 211 videos viewed and 16 hours of time spent per person, per MONTH! 8. Mobile video traffic accounted for 55% of total mobile data traffic in 2015. This will increase elevenfold to 75% by 2020 9. Networking manufacturer Cisco state that 86% of the Internet audience is watching online video – that’s 183 million people! 10. More than three-quarters (76%) of users have visited a company’s website after watching one of their video ads on social media. 11. 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound. 12. Among millennials, YouTube accounts for two-thirds of the premium online video watched across ALL devices. 13. 99% of businesses will continue to use video throughout 2019, and 88% will spend more. 14. The most viewed YouTube video is this: 15. By 2025, half of viewers under the age of 32 will not subscribe to a pay TV service. 16. Video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rates. 17. It would take an individual more than 5 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks each month in 2020. 18. Snapchatters watch 10 billion videos a day. 19. In 1956, video recorders were sold for $50,000 and videotapes cost $300 per one-hour reel! 20. 69% say they’d be more likely to watch a video ad their friend had shared. 21. The very first music video to appear on MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles. 22. 80% of users can recall a video ad they viewed in the past 30 days. 23. 59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video. 24. 83% of businesses believe that video gives them a good ROI. 25. The most popular YouTube channel (at the time of writing this article) is PewDiePie with over 93 million subscribers. 26. 72% of businesses who use video believe that it has improved the conversion rate of their website. 27. Noted as the one of the first animated films ever to be made, Gertie the Dinosaur was created by Winsor McCay and it took 10,000 drawings to produce the 12 minute film: 28. Social Media Examiner found that 76% of marketers plan to add videos to their sites. 29. When asked which skills they wished they, or their teams, were more adept at, 42.4% of marketers and 31.7% of SMB owners listed video marketing. 30. A staggering 98% of users say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. PODCAST https://anchor.fm/robertfwest Instagram - robertf.west https://www.instagram.com/robertf.west/ Facebook - Robert F. West https://www.facebook.com/RFWAuthor/ Twitter - @irobwest https://twitter.com/irobwest You May Also LIKE... Pay Student Loans | The Network Marketing Option | Debt Pay Off Tip https://youtu.be/cFxrZ2j68P8 Are You Looking For A Sign To Decide? | Why You Should Act Now | Metaphor For Life And Business https://youtu.be/F9fweVnXYPI Amazon Associates Program | Pay Student Loan Debt | Review Products Online https://youtu.be/af-Oyop8Jqk NETGEAR WiFi Range Extender EX2700 | Amazon Product Review | Wireless Signal Booster https://youtu.be/7ChrUUOeuio DISH Network | Referral Program | Student Loan Debt Money Tip https://youtu.be/dm3U7tbEt2A Shop At Macy's To Pay Student Loans? | FutureFule.io | Smart Phone APP https://youtu.be/FOfQ3LJm4TA How To Grow Your Business By Applying FAITH POWER | Manifestation Understanding | Spiritual Truth https://youtu.be/RH8eFW3GwNc