Archive for May, 2011

Lex Van Dam, Simon Dixon, Mike Harris Banking And Finance Millionaires Event

“I cant afford it, I’m broke” he said.

…to which I responded “broke is a mindset”

He says “Broke Is a Fact!”

This intrigued me, so I did an experiment.

The other week was really interesting.

In one day I spoke to a Banking & Finance billionaire…

…a millionaire…

…a million pound bonus CEO…

…a six figure salary Investment Banker…

…200 interns at most major banks…

…7 graduates on my facebook group that could not get a job…

…and 1 student that said he was too broke to invest in one of my training programs.

Now although this is a normal week for me in my line of business,

but this time I was looking through different glasses.

I remember what it was like to be short of cash, but broke has never been in my vocabulary.

Even when I had £100,000 debt, I still thought I was rich.

Everybody else thought I was deluded.

I spent and spent and spent on training, business ideas, professional qualifications and things that I knew would further my life.

I have never used the words “I can’t afford it”, because it is so limited in terms of mindset.

…so when I had a conversation with a student that said he could not afford it, he was offended by my broke is a mindset comment.

And it set my brain thinking that particular day…

What is the difference between a Banking & Finance billionaire…

…a Banking & Finance millionaire…

…a £100,000 salary in Banking & Finance…

…a £25,000 salary in Banking & Finance…

…and broke with a Banking & Finance Masters?

Interesting?

…so interesting, I thought I would share the results with you here…

So, I decided to speak to them all in one day.

First, the broke student.

His belief was that money is scarce…

…and that he is ‘just’ a student…

…and students don’t have money!

When I was a student I was self funded, had a job and owned a business because I wanted to have all the money I needed at uni.

Just because I was a student, didn’t mean I wanted to be broke for a second.

Why did we both have two different realities?

Interesting?

A few hours later I met an Investment Banker with regards to raising finance for a private equity deal.

I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that he might be on £100,000 plus bonus.

As an Investment Banker, you get to meet serious business geniuses and Venture Capitalists.

In my Investment Banking days, When I was raising finance for them, I always used to ask myself “How did you start this”

I was always curious about the founder, how it began, the inspiration, the vision and the mission behind the idea.

This particular Investment Banker never thought about those things.

He was focused on sealing the deal and moving to the next stage.

Interesting?

I then got on the phone to my business partner Peter Hargreaves, he owns Hargreaves Lansdown, a FTSE listed Wealth Management Company with his own personal net worth of £500 million, in the Times Rich List.

I was excited about a new project I was working on in October where I was going to run a Bank sponsored day for students and graduates who want to work in Banking & Finance with all proceeds going to a charity I am a volunteer and fundraiser for called “Peace One Day”.

The day is going to hook students and graduates up with the biggest influencers in Banking & Finance and tell them about new opportunity in the new economy with billionaires and inspiring leaders. (Put November 22nd in your diary)

Immediately Peter asked me about how profitable the event will be. I told him I don’t know, he said get back to me when you have thought about it.

Interesting?

Then on the same day I met Mike Harris, who created three multi billion pound businesses in a row, two of them in Banking and Finance.

I asked him about two of his Banking & Finance businesses…

…he told me they were both born out of his mission to “Transform Banking”.

In his mission to transform banking, he created First Direct, the first telephone bank and Egg, the first online bank.

I asked him, how do you create a multi billion pound business.

His response…

“You need to have a mission, you need to transform something, you need to revolutionise, you need passion”

There was a bit more to the four hour conversation than that, but that is the essence.

Interesting?

I immediately gave Mike Harris a value proposition and we agreed to do a consultancy swap for half a day each.

We agreed that I would consult him for half a day on my value proposition and he’ll consult me for half a day on building an iconic brand.

(I’ll teach you how to get a result like this in another conversation!)

To which I immediately accepted.

Consulting from a multi billionaire on building an iconic brand…

Result :-)

Then later that evening I went to a party I had organised with over 200 interns from every major Bank in the world.

‘The Banking & Finance VIP Party’

At the party there were a few people that didn’t recognise me and asked me where I was interning.

I told them I owned Benedix and I was here to meet and network with my clients who have secured their first job in Banking & Finance and discuss next steps to turn it into more.

He was shocked!

He though I was too young to own a company.

Interesting?

I spoke to hundreds of interns that evening from Goldmans, Citi, Deutsche, Barclays Capital and every major bank.

The theme of their conversation with me…?

Simon, how can I turn this into a full time offer and they were buzzing over the £25-£35k salary they were receiving.

Interesting?

You see, I could of told them about how to build an iconic multi billion pound brand, from the conversation I was having earlier that day, but there mind was not thinking higher than getting the £30k job.

Interesting?

So what is the point in all this, Simon?

OK.

The results of my interesting day?

We get paid what we believe we should be paid.

We tend to earn the same amount of money as the people we spend most of our time with.

We all have unlimited potential, but limited beliefs.

What if I introduced the broke student to the billionaire and they hung out for three months.

Do you think the broke student might see things differently, meet some new contacts, be introduced to a new way of thinking, come up with an idea?

They say our income is the average of the 5 people we spend most of our time with.

The Take away

Billionaires think differently from millionaires…

…millionaires think differently from £100k salaries…

£100k salaries think differently from £25k salaries…

£25k salaries think differently from broke students.

Students who can afford our programs think differently from those who can’t?

So we all have unlimited potential, but the only thing that determines our result is our belief.

Mike Harris believes he can transform.

And he transforms.

Peter Hargreaves believes profit is king.

And he profits in a huge way.

The Investment Banker believes he can seal the deal.

And he sealed the deal.

The interns believe £25k is amazing.

And they got their internship.

The student that can’t afford to invest in the training to get his career moving believes he is broke.

And he still has not enrolled on my Banking & Finance Professional Program, to get a different result.

I believe anything is possible, we have unlimited potential and everything is belief, combined with strategy.

Get the belief and strategy right and anything can be done.

The strategy comes from those who have achieved the result you want to achieve.

Nowhere else.

The belief is from within.

But there are ways of increasing your belief.

Hang out with those who believe differently.

Skeptics are controlled by fear.

Opportunists, feel the fear and do it anyway.

Being skeptical is easy.

Taking a risk means you grow and learn.

You risk looking foolish if it goes wrong, but the alternative is being a skeptic and never trying.

Opportunists have the same fear.

But that fear is the fear of not achieving the result they want.

That fear drives both the skeptic and the opportunist.

They both get different results.

I think it’s interesting anyway?

Surround yourself with people who have the result you want and eventually you will have that result.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

To your success

Simon

Posted by on May 26th, 2011 No Comments

Car financing

Finding a car is like finding a shoe that would fit you, except that you cannot find your perfect car in a department store. Getting through the obstacles of buying your own car is now possible and easier, thanks to various online direct lending companies. People from all walks of life can now apply for auto car loans online and get approved of a loan within a matter of days, hours, and even minutes.

Finding a car loan appropriate for you needs consideration of a number of factors. You need to know how much you can pay for a car every month, whether you have good or bad credit standing, or whether you already have an auto loan but need refinancing. You also need to use a tool called auto finance calculator to help you make better financing decisions. Read on to help you find the right kind of financing for you.

If you have good credit scores, then go for new or used auto loans

They say people with good credit standing generally get approved of car financing.

They may apply loans from traditional lending sources such as banks and credit unions without having much difficulty. Although it is an advantage, people with good credit standing can go for online lending sources that offer new or used auto loans for cheaper rates.

New auto loans are ideal for individuals who have had credit problems in the past. These are suitable for people who are investing in a new car with enough paying capabilities, while used auto loans are for people who are practical and realistic about getting a car they need at the moment.

If you have bad credit scores, then apply for bad credit auto loans

Some people have difficulty in regaining their good credit standing. If you currently have bad credit and you are in need of a car, then you can search online for companies which can offer you bad credit auto loans. Some companies can work with direct financing companies to give you a loan for the car you want.

Applying online puts you on an equal playing field with people of good credit standing applying for auto loans. You will not be judged because of your bad credit. You simply need to fill out a secure online form which they will assess and you can get approved in a few minutes.

If you want to lower your monthly rates, then look for companies offering refinance auto loans

Some people are charged with incredibly high interest rates for their cars. To solve this, you can look for car loan providers that offer refinancing auto loans. This will help lower the interest rates you are paying and help you save more money during the period of your loan. To help you evaluate the future savings you can get from having your loan refinanced, use auto finance calculators which are available in many online auto loan companies.

There are many car financing companies available on the internet which can help you get the car you want based on your capabilities and needs. Thanks to the internet, you can get approved for your loan in minutes without being judged because of your good or bad credit.

Ronnie Brown writes blog and published magazine articles about car financing while giving advice to people about finding the right auto car loan for his readers.

Posted by on May 5th, 2011 No Comments