Since starting my Internet business back in 1997, I have
learned many lessons along the way. These lessons have
played a major role in my success, and I’d like to share
them with you.

Since the 1980s, about 10 million jobs have been eliminated and the downsizing trend continues as organizations hope to cut costs and improve performance. Yet, research has shown that most of the anticipated economic and organizational benefits of downsizing are not achieved. Downsizing is a chaotic and uncertain experience at best. Unfortunately, there are few guidelines on the best way to achieve the desired results. Below are a few things that we have learned about downsizing:

This specialization makes the complex production process a simple series of easily duplicated steps. Think the factory floor of any major car manufacturer.

LearnKey founder and CEO John Clemons decided early on that his company could not be all things to all people. That’s why he decided his company would be the best e-learning production company in the world. This decision bears out in the breakdown of employee function: only ten percent of their 100 or so employees are in sales and marketing, while 75 percent work on scripting, directing, filming, editing, design, programming, and other aspects of production.

One strategy for achieving your full leadership potential is to study history, and learn from the mistakes of others. I recently read At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, the definitive 889-page study of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The bountiful human errors of leadership suggest lessons for leaders that may help you prevent your competitors from catching you and your company off guard and asleep.

I buy a lot of books online. So many, in fact, that I built my own website (Booku.com) which searches the big online stores and locates the best prices for me. It’s nothing fancy, but it does the trick.

My Internet business is turning five! This is a significant anniversary for me. Statistics tell us that many small businesses go under within the first five years.

Frankly, I never thought I’d make it this far. I had too many strikes against me, or so I thought.

To make a long story short, I started my Internet business with no business background or experience, no cash, and hindered by poor eyesight that makes it difficult to stare at a monitor for extended periods.