John

Nice to see a new episode. This one was really great…thanks. My scruffy little bootstrapped startup is building a bizintel app we hope will provide a nice tool for monitoring buzz on social media for small to medium size businesses. Dave’s take on that space was a great validator for us.

Anyway, keep up the good work!

Dave

Yes… I’d love it if this were a video podcast rather than audio.

Great show! Enjoyed listening while I work!

I agree with the idea of a good fit between yourself and the lawyer. It does not matter how qualified the lawyer is, if you do not get along, move on. Trust me, the lawyer also wants a good fit.

On the subject of free consultations, John’s comment that a lawyer should be willing sit down and talk with you if you are a serious business is true. But, you have to meet the second part of that statement. If you have a business and may be a future source of revenue (lawyers have rent to pay too), a lawyer should meet with you so you can decide if there is a good fit. But, if you have no intention of ever hiring the lawyer, don’t mislead the lawyer. It’s not justified, and you have just burned that bridge. This may be difficult, but come right out and say, “I can’t afford to hire you, but would you be willing to give me 15 minutes of your time?” Some will say no, but some will be willing to meet with you. In those 15 minutes, you can cut out all the pretense of wanting to hire the lawyer, and just ask the questions you really want answered. You are not going to get a contract written either way. But, if you are honest, you are setting the foundation for a future working relationship.

Regarding asking about education or asking to see diplomas, these generally suggest an unsophisticated consumer. Lawyers become good lawyers through experience. Law schools only teach how to be a lawyer, not how to be a “business” lawyer, or a “personal injury” lawyer, or any other kind of lawyer. The law school and the diploma is largely irrelevant; it is the experience that counts – and this is a topic you should definitely ask about. If you want to verify that the person really is a lawyer, look them on your state’s Supreme Court attorney regulation website, or state bar association.

As far as references, I cannot think of a single lawyer who provides these. Part of this is because of confidentiality issues, part is that clients pay to get a particular job done and then to be left alone. More common are satisfaction surveys and pull quotes. Of course, these can be gamed, but then again, so can references.

If you are looking for a lawyer, ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations, but also find some lawyers on your own. Make sure they work in the area you need help in. Set up some consultations to verify the lawyers experience and to gauge your comfort level. And last, be honest about your needs and what you can afford.

Most of what you said I was already doing (so it was nice to get confirmation that I was going down the “right track”) but you also mentioned some things that swayed my decision. For example, I had been leaning towards a lease — instead, I shifted direction towards buying a car with some miles on it, but with a similar payment that wasn’t being eaten up by lease fees. I love my new car (2008 Prius).

Some advice I might add:

– Figure out the exact car you want. Don’t just say, “I want a Prius.” Say, “I want a Prius between 2006-2009 with x number of miles and y package.” This helped me cut through the bull with dealers.

– If buying used, aim for getting single-owner vs. fleet cars. Because I zeroed in on this, I was able to get better maintenance history records. I also had the peace of mind that a non-fleet car wasn’t going to be run into the ground.

– Call tons of dealers and keep notes. While it was a pain in the ass, because I called all of the Toyota dealers in a 100 mile radius, I found the perfect car with the cheapest price just south of DFW. I was just looking at my local dealers with little luck.

Thanks again for this episode!

About Business:
1) If we reverse the way a lot of the comments have approached the original question, and this might be something that Cali and Neal can comment on; If the relationship breaksdown (not because of work, but for personal reasons) what happens to the business, who gets ownership of the company, and in the case of a very close- working at home situation such as C&N, does it spell the end for the business immediately?

About Lifestyle:
2) Does being financially comfortable, help ease pressures on the relastionship, as there is one less think to cause tension and arguments.

About Accounts:
What are your thoughts on shared bank accounts? Personally, my wife and I, each have our own account, and one joint “budget” account. Our wages go directly into our own accounts, and then a percentage is moved into the budget account each month. My percentage is higher than my wifes, as she pays for food direcly from her own account. If you look at the balance sheet of the budget account for the year, then I actually put in a little more than neccessary so that we have a little bit of room, if it’s needed (for example if one of the cars, we have two, needs work).

About Children:
Does having children effect your work ethic? If you have your own business which, especially in the start up requires a LOT of extra work, or are planning on starting one, does having children add an extra dimension to the pressures?

There are some who can pull it off – I’m not one of them!

I dated one of the restaurant staff, who was 2nd in command – until I came in as a trainee, and took her position. I think she resented it a little.

Although within 3 months, she’d whisked me back to her home country, where we got married and had two children. That was 13 years ago, so….

One of the things that was talked about in an earlier podcast, was borrowing money from friends and family. Is it really advisable, isn’t it a huge strain to put on the friendship/relationship, specifically if the business isn’t florishing?

John P.

A business needs a boss. Someone has to be in charge. Someone has to be “the decider.”

A marriage doesn’t need a boss. A marriage is better without one. Much better.

If you can compartmentalize, then go for it. By “you” I mean the partner who is NOT the boss. Can that person take direction and instruction but not take it personally.

Conversation can become an issue. If you talk about work at home, and at work, well, it’s 1-dimensional. Also, telling your spouse about work is repetitive, they were there.

Overall, I advise against it.

2. Keep an open line of communication. The minute you hold back it begins to fester and other situations build up on top of it until it is too late to fix. Continual communication keeps the slate clean.

3. Set boundaries – As with any employee/employer/colleague relationship there are boundaries, limits, hierarchies and rules to be followed. While it is more difficult to keep up with these boundaries with family a working relationship must have them. However the minute you walk out the door into the personal life remember to leave the boundaries behind.

4. Segregation of work and personal life – This is the most crucial, yet difficult issue of working with family (and friends). Letting a situation from either life bleed into the other will quickly derail both the working and personal relationships you have built. Generally because family and friends have an extra level of care for each other (compared to working relationships) both good and bad situations become that much more passionate. The disagreements and arguments become more heated and the successes become that much more glorious.

I have witnessed first hand relationships torn to shreds with the integration of family and friends into the work and personal life. Some relationships will likely never be mended and some are slowly being rebuilt, but will never be the same.

For this reason I have separated myself from opportunities like this, I cherish my personal relationships too much to risk it.

As far as the SEOMoz link you referred to is concerned, it is merely listing a few of the more than 200 factors that Google takes into consideration. Heading elements within the page do indeed contribute, and they also make a site more navigable. And frankly, readability is just as important to search because it will help bring inbound links, and help lower a page’s bounce rate – both additional factors that impact search rank.

Cheers,

John P.

hehehe

John P.

I wrote an article about this exact topic on my new blog (blog.tonangi.com). If you are interested here is a direct link tobthe article: http://blog.tonangi.com/journal/2009/9/17/the-truth-about-search-engine-optimization.html

Love the show.

-Seth

-Seth

http://courvo.com/links.html

Thanks,
Mark

Note to Neal: It’s not about you. It’s about the listener. Be the moon and reflect what’s important to them instead of trying to be the sun that everything else revolves around. I shouldn’t feel like a fly on the wall of this conversation. Make me feel a part of it.

Sorry if that sounds overly critical to some (or maybe even making a big deal out of a seemingly small issue), but as a broadcaster for a good while, I can tell you that having thick skin is part of the job description (and it’s things like this that drive people away).

-Rondo

[http://wealthnation.fm/episodes/episode-2-hiring-freelancers-selling-to-small-retailers-web-site-sponsorships/]

i subscribe thru i-tunes, but listen from the webpage when in the office.

-marshall

My wife and are planning on buying a house before November 30th, when the $8k government assistance expires. How about doing a similar show on buying a house?

Gregory

Thought some of your listeners/readers might find it helpful.

Thanks again for your hard work and all the great guidance.

-Sean

I really like your 4 competition enticements, but I tend to think that 1, 3, and 4, would be pretty meaningless without #2, unless, of course, we’re talking about a non-profit organization. I’ve worked for employers who rewarded monetarily for helping them improve the bottom line, and that was a far sight better than the ones who give you a certificate of some type while only the executives’ pockets get padded. (While they’re certainly within their rights to do so, it’s certainly not motivational.)

Thanks for another thought-provoking read, John. Enjoyed the first part of Episode 3 last night and looking forward to finishing this evening.

Grace and peace,
Sean

Being wealthy is about being valuable. That can be to nation, family or friends.

Thanks.. Subscribed.

Great job guys! I really like the show notes too and how you revisit the users questions.

On the subject of doing something you love, I have an example where I “slightly” disagree.

I have a friend who is the best air-brush artist I’ve ever seen. He absolutely loves it. A few years ago he decided to try making a living at it and he did very well. After about a year he quit. When i asked him why he said “The moment it became a job, I stopped loving what i do”.

If you have the chance to make money at what you love, certainly try and see how it goes, but never let it kill the love you had in the first place.

btw. the #1 rule I teach my kids is “Spend less than you earn!”

Congrats on the show! great advices and tips, loved the rules, and experiences you guys had! keep them comming!

- Justin

I’m really looking forward to the new show!