As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Yes, that's my version of the famous "Goodfellas" quote, but also very true. I can think back to being a kid, and how I always wanted to own a business. I started martial arts when I was five. I don't have a whole lot of memories of the experiences at five years old, but I can remember looking at my karate teacher and thinking "I want to do that". It wasn't only the teaching that interested me, but I loved the leadership of it. I loved the independence. Seeing him do whatever he wanted and knowing it was his own business. With his hard work, integrity, and dedication, he made it a successful one.
I got a taste of it when I earned my black belt at 10 years old. Even though I was so young, I was helping run classes. I had to be able to look up at a grown 30 year old man (and I was also very short for my age!) and tell him what to do. I remember thinking it was weird, but I also remember them listening to me. By the time I turned 12, I became an Assistant Instructor. I changed karate schools after my family moved, and I had to get to know the new environment. It wasn't long, however, before I became the Assistant Instructor at that school as well.
Dreams and goals can always change throughout your life, and they definitely did with me. I started serving in college. No experience, but my friends were doing it so I figured I could make money doing it too. Wasn't long before I knew I wanted to own a restaurant/bar. I was serving and collecting tips, but also striving to be the best server and eventually get to management. I didn't want to own a karate school anymore, but I did have it as a back up plan. One day, however, I remember talking to the manager and she was saying how she wanted to start serving again. I found out that she was putting in double the hours, hated her job, and got less pay than I did. I felt like that didn't make sense. My goal of owning a restaurant quickly changed.
I also wanted to own a recording studio/record company. I did music on the side. I started writing when I was 12, and I wrote everything! I wrote poetry, short stories, R&B, Rock, Hip Hop, and eventually, even a full length movie script. I found it as a way to get my thoughts out and express myself. I noticed that when I wrote, I felt stress free. The feeling developed and so did my music. I eventually focused on Hip Hop and spent most of my time with my Hip Hop/R&B/Acoustic group. They were my closest friends and we always spoke a big game of making it big. In college, we started to really make a name for ourselves around New Brunswick, NJ. We did every show we could find and eventually opened up for The Cool Kids and performed at Miss Brasil USA in Philadelphia. After college, we all continued work in entertainment, but went our separate career paths. I sometimes still wonder how far we could have taken it, but I know we're all working towards our own goals now.
So then I graduated. One of the only days that can be both the most scary but exciting time for someone. Like many others who earned their degree, I walked up on that Rutgers stage in 2009 clueless on what I'd do next. I went on job searching sites like indeed.com and looked for anything. Everything from music stuff to business related positions. I found that there were so many sales positions, but that scared me in a way. I've never done sales before. None of my friends or family had either. After interviewing at a sales office in New Jersey, I took the position anyway. I figured "What's the worst that could happen?" If I didn't try it, I would never know if this was something I could do. The pay was all commission. I remember that on my interview, I didn't even know what commission was. When it was explained to me, it made sense. You get paid for what you do. The better you do, the more you get paid. When the average rep was making like 500 bucks, I could work harder and possibly make 1000.
It was a lot of hard work and attitude adjustments. It took me about six weeks to really get consistent at it, but soon I was training and interviewing for positions. After exactly a year, I got to Assistant Management. It was around this time that I knew this was for me. I was going to own a sales office. The office I worked in did sales for Verizon FiOs. It was a huge client, and I sold a lot for them. Not only did I make them a lot of money, but I trained other people to do the same. FiOs was expanding. They wanted more outsourced marketing offices, and they needed the managers to do it. I knew that once I was ready, I could approach them and get an opportunity to do my own thing.
Sure enough, the time came. 2011 arrived and I had an opportunity to open my office in Staten Island, NY. I'd get to chose a company name, get incorporated, bring a team with me, and start my empire. I finally reached my goal- entrepreneurship.
A lot has happened since 2011. There's been ups and downs. I've lost people and gained people. I even moved my office from Staten Island, NY to Syracuse, NY. Throughout my experience though, I can confidently say that I would have never got to where I am now without having big goals. I still have big goals. I will be promoting out my Assistant Manager to a second location. I will be promoting a second Assistant Manager and start training them to do the same. I will create an organization of entrepreneurs who share the same dedication and work ethic that I had. I run my business based on it's name- Long Term Goal.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Smokey Bones is Smokin' Fun!
Smokey Bones has slowly become a regular spot for our office. Besides the fact that their food is delicious, they always have something going on! We first started going to Smokey Bones for their Trivia Nights on Thursdays. Come to find they have Pong Tournaments and soon to be Bingo (for those who are geriatric at heart, which would be a handful of the LTG crew). Each event has either a gift card or cold hard cash for the winner.
Our office attended the Pong Tournament last night (which we swept it by the way) and had such an awesome time. The bartenders were super friendly and the GM even introduced himself to us. We highly recommend having an experience at their Syracuse location!
No, Smokey Bones has not paid us to write this.
Our office attended the Pong Tournament last night (which we swept it by the way) and had such an awesome time. The bartenders were super friendly and the GM even introduced himself to us. We highly recommend having an experience at their Syracuse location!
No, Smokey Bones has not paid us to write this.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Goodbye Summer 2013
The summer is coming to end, which means all of our interns are headed back to school. It was amazing to see the growth of each individual after such a short amount of time. Here are a few testimonials:
"My summer at LTG Marketing and Development was more than I ever could have asked for out of an internship. I received more experience and was able to earn more money than any other internship I’ve ever looked in to. Coming in, thinking it was just a sales job, I quickly found out that was not the case. This job not only teaches you sales skills that will be helpful with any occupation that you do, it also teaches you how to teach, train and develop others. No other internship that I know of allows you the chance to interview potential employees, go on business trips, and also participate in fun games and activities in the office. LTG was also one of the most fun places I ever got the chance to work at. Everyone is young and filled with new ideas, hardworking, and most of all, helpful with everyone who has questions. Even though sales are an individual task, since my days of playing football, I have never felt more apart of a team than I have at LTG. The overall energy, structure, and positive attitude in the office will help allow any self-motivated person to succeed in this business. The skills I've learned here will be carried with me to every occupation I have in the future. Coming in with no sales or marketing experience, and leaving with a bunch of money and a top intern plaque, I think I’m a good example of what LTG can do, not only for a college student, but also for anyone with a student mentality, and is motivated for something better. " - Dave Chini
"My summer interning at LTG was the greatest summer of my life. The professional training I received at LTG not only developed my business skills, but my personal skills as well. Going to "work" everyday was fun! The office atmosphere is young, energetic and everyone is very friendly! I came out of the internship a much better man, more confident, driven, personable, and goal oriented.
This is not just an internship, it is a professional experience that will guide you to new personal heights in as little as 3 months. On top of it all, there is some serious potential to make a lot of money! Just stay determined and always keep the "long term goal" in mind and you can do anything!" - Tom Bennett
"My summer at LTG Marketing and Development was more than I ever could have asked for out of an internship. I received more experience and was able to earn more money than any other internship I’ve ever looked in to. Coming in, thinking it was just a sales job, I quickly found out that was not the case. This job not only teaches you sales skills that will be helpful with any occupation that you do, it also teaches you how to teach, train and develop others. No other internship that I know of allows you the chance to interview potential employees, go on business trips, and also participate in fun games and activities in the office. LTG was also one of the most fun places I ever got the chance to work at. Everyone is young and filled with new ideas, hardworking, and most of all, helpful with everyone who has questions. Even though sales are an individual task, since my days of playing football, I have never felt more apart of a team than I have at LTG. The overall energy, structure, and positive attitude in the office will help allow any self-motivated person to succeed in this business. The skills I've learned here will be carried with me to every occupation I have in the future. Coming in with no sales or marketing experience, and leaving with a bunch of money and a top intern plaque, I think I’m a good example of what LTG can do, not only for a college student, but also for anyone with a student mentality, and is motivated for something better. " - Dave Chini
"My summer interning at LTG was the greatest summer of my life. The professional training I received at LTG not only developed my business skills, but my personal skills as well. Going to "work" everyday was fun! The office atmosphere is young, energetic and everyone is very friendly! I came out of the internship a much better man, more confident, driven, personable, and goal oriented.
This is not just an internship, it is a professional experience that will guide you to new personal heights in as little as 3 months. On top of it all, there is some serious potential to make a lot of money! Just stay determined and always keep the "long term goal" in mind and you can do anything!" - Tom Bennett
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Business tips from Marilyn Monroe
I recently watched the documentary Love, Marilyn on HBO. Recently, boxes of handwritten notes from the goddess herself were found. Viewers are able to see her inner thoughts acted out by famous actors & actresses. The documentary takes the viewer through her entire life, with commentary from Marilyn's notes and letters.
Marilyn Monroe grew up in an orphanage, due to her mother being mentally ill. She knew she wanted to be an actress at a very young age and began working towards that goal. When she got her first role in a film her daily routine involved rehearsing at the studio and a hour practice of each of the following: dance, singing, fencing, acting, and physical fitness. Her producer at the time ask her why she worked so hard and her response was "you never know what opportunity is going to arise, and when it does you have to be ready."
The Marilyn mentality is what we all need! When you have a goal in mind you need to be focused solely on that goal. Having that kind of tunnel vision helps you steer clear of distractions and attain your goal as fast as you are capable.
"You never know what opportunity is going to arise, and when it does you have to be ready." Isn't that powerful? In order to become the best in you field you need to hit all your bases. Our current goal as an organization is to have ten locations within the next ten years. In order to hit that goal we need to make sure we are bringing on the right talent, implementing replicable systems, hitting client goals, and training and developing our staff (among other things). If we are not constantly working on all of these things we will not be ready to grow when opportunities arise.
As Marilyn's career grew bigger and bigger she moved herself from LA to NYC. She was still dedicated to becoming better at her craft and decided to take acting classes at an acting studio. At the time she began her classes she was a major celebrity and had already had her big break. She in no way shape or form needed these classes to get work.
As humans we crave learning and knowledge, and there never comes a point where we know it all. Networking and learning is a large part of our business and guess what, it works! We have learned from start ups as well as veteran businesses. Creativity and innovation is what keeps businesses growing. Learning from the top dog and the new kid on the block ensures your learning it all.
Marilyn Monroe grew up in an orphanage, due to her mother being mentally ill. She knew she wanted to be an actress at a very young age and began working towards that goal. When she got her first role in a film her daily routine involved rehearsing at the studio and a hour practice of each of the following: dance, singing, fencing, acting, and physical fitness. Her producer at the time ask her why she worked so hard and her response was "you never know what opportunity is going to arise, and when it does you have to be ready."
The Marilyn mentality is what we all need! When you have a goal in mind you need to be focused solely on that goal. Having that kind of tunnel vision helps you steer clear of distractions and attain your goal as fast as you are capable.
"You never know what opportunity is going to arise, and when it does you have to be ready." Isn't that powerful? In order to become the best in you field you need to hit all your bases. Our current goal as an organization is to have ten locations within the next ten years. In order to hit that goal we need to make sure we are bringing on the right talent, implementing replicable systems, hitting client goals, and training and developing our staff (among other things). If we are not constantly working on all of these things we will not be ready to grow when opportunities arise.
As Marilyn's career grew bigger and bigger she moved herself from LA to NYC. She was still dedicated to becoming better at her craft and decided to take acting classes at an acting studio. At the time she began her classes she was a major celebrity and had already had her big break. She in no way shape or form needed these classes to get work.
As humans we crave learning and knowledge, and there never comes a point where we know it all. Networking and learning is a large part of our business and guess what, it works! We have learned from start ups as well as veteran businesses. Creativity and innovation is what keeps businesses growing. Learning from the top dog and the new kid on the block ensures your learning it all.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Jack Welch, founder of the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer Univeristy, recently wrote an article on leadership. It speaks heavily on the mindset change when put in a leadership role. As a leader, its really not about you. Your success is now judged by those you are leading. Being a leader requires being the ultimate example to others, being able to transfer knowledge, and develop others.
By Jack and Suzy Welch
"Too often, people who are promoted to their first leadership position miss the point. And that failure probably trips up careers more than any other reason.
Being a leader changes everything. Before you are a leader, success is all about you. It’s about your performance. Your contributions. It’s about raising your hand, getting called on, and delivering the right answer.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. It’s about making the people who work for you smarter, bigger, and bolder. Nothing you do anymore as an individual matters except how you nurture and support your team and help its members increase their self-confidence. Yes, you will get your share of attention from up above—but only inasmuch as your team wins. Put another way: Your success as a leader will come not from what you do but from the reflected glory of your team.
Now, that’s a big transition—and no question, it’s hard. Being a leader basically requires a whole new mindset. You’re no longer constantly thinking “How can I stand out?” but “How can I help my people do their jobs better?” Sometimes that requires undoing a couple of decades of momentum. After all, you probably spent your entire life, starting in grade school and continuing through your last job, as a contributor who excels at “raising your hand.” But the good news is that you’ve been promoted because someone above you believes you have the stuff to make the leap from star player to successful coach.
What does that leap actually involve? First and foremost, you need to actively mentor your people. Exude positive energy about life and the work that you are doing together, show optimism about the future, and care. Care passionately about each person’s progress. Give your people feedback—not just at yearend and midyear performance reviews but after meetings, presentations, or visits to clients. Make every significant event a teaching moment. Discuss what you like about what they are doing and ways that they can improve. Your energy will energize those around you.
And there’s no need for sugarcoating. Use total candor, which happens, incidentally, to be one of the defining characteristics of effective leaders.
Through it all, never forget—you’re a leader now. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about them."
Being a leader changes everything. Before you are a leader, success is all about you. It’s about your performance. Your contributions. It’s about raising your hand, getting called on, and delivering the right answer.
When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. It’s about making the people who work for you smarter, bigger, and bolder. Nothing you do anymore as an individual matters except how you nurture and support your team and help its members increase their self-confidence. Yes, you will get your share of attention from up above—but only inasmuch as your team wins. Put another way: Your success as a leader will come not from what you do but from the reflected glory of your team.
Now, that’s a big transition—and no question, it’s hard. Being a leader basically requires a whole new mindset. You’re no longer constantly thinking “How can I stand out?” but “How can I help my people do their jobs better?” Sometimes that requires undoing a couple of decades of momentum. After all, you probably spent your entire life, starting in grade school and continuing through your last job, as a contributor who excels at “raising your hand.” But the good news is that you’ve been promoted because someone above you believes you have the stuff to make the leap from star player to successful coach.
What does that leap actually involve? First and foremost, you need to actively mentor your people. Exude positive energy about life and the work that you are doing together, show optimism about the future, and care. Care passionately about each person’s progress. Give your people feedback—not just at yearend and midyear performance reviews but after meetings, presentations, or visits to clients. Make every significant event a teaching moment. Discuss what you like about what they are doing and ways that they can improve. Your energy will energize those around you.
And there’s no need for sugarcoating. Use total candor, which happens, incidentally, to be one of the defining characteristics of effective leaders.
Through it all, never forget—you’re a leader now. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about them."
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Watch out world, LTG is starting a picture revolution!
LTG officially has an Instagram. Almost all of our current employees use the app on a daily basis, so we figured it was time to get involved. Social media is an awesome way to connect with clients, potential candidates, and our current team. What can you expect from our Instagram? We will be sure to post pictures of our in and out of office events, along with pics/quotes that keep us motivated. Don't hesitate to check us out and follow us on our journey! Oh, we follow back..hashtag.
http://instagram.com/ltgmarketing
http://instagram.com/ltgmarketing
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Office Event = Good Times
This coming Sunday the office has decided to try out WonderWorks at Destiny USA. Our management team stems from NJ and it seems to be a metamorphosis of the Liberty Science Center and Fun Time America plus a rope climb three stories high. I know we lost you there 'Cuse.
WonderWorks has interactive exhibits, a 4D Theatre (come again?), lazer tag, and a rope climb course. It seems pretty awesome and has something for everyone. The whole team is game for lazer tag and I'm sure our competitive blood will come out, so beware. The crew will be there with friends/loved ones and their game faces.
http://www.wonderworksonline.com/destiny/
WonderWorks has interactive exhibits, a 4D Theatre (come again?), lazer tag, and a rope climb course. It seems pretty awesome and has something for everyone. The whole team is game for lazer tag and I'm sure our competitive blood will come out, so beware. The crew will be there with friends/loved ones and their game faces.
http://www.wonderworksonline.com/destiny/
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