Delvin R. Chatterson's Blog
October 22, 2019
MERGER MANIAC - Giveaway
MERGER MANIC is Dale Hunter crime thriller #3 for more Mafia mayhem in Montreal.
Visit my Author website to see more about the novels at: https://delvinchatterson.com/dale-hun...
Good luck in the contest!
But don't forget you can still buy one if you don't win. Or join my mailing list for a free ebook copy of all three novels.
Enjoy your reading,
Del
August 12, 2019
My journey from Entrepreneur to Author-preneur
It’s about the journey, not the destination
Live! SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION – STAPLES/BUREAU EN GROS Kirkland, Quebec – August 15th, 6:00PM Including Author Sale & Book-signing, 12 noon – 7PM
In this presentation, Del Chatterson will discuss his journey from successful entrepreneur to published author and share his experiences and the lessons learned along the way.
Helpful ideas, strategies and practical advice for both entrepreneurs and authors about creativity and the productive processes that lead to achieving your goals.
If you wish to become a writer, it can be a long and winding path and easy to get lost or discouraged with the lack of progress. Remember that there are important milestones that have to be passed:
Live an interesting life
Learn, work, play along the way
Discover yourself, attitude & aptitude
Just do it!
And remember to enjoy the journey, you may never reach your intended destination.
Important principles that apply to both Authors and Entrepreneurs:
Make good strategic choices
It’s a team sport
Apply P.D.T. – Power, Determination, Technique
Have a purpose and a plan
Define success
Understand your market
Learn by doing
Review, Revise, Repeat
Do it your way!
It’s not about the money
Don’t be shy
4 - Ps of Marketing & Sales
Persistent
Patient
Polite
Persuasive
Three simple steps in the process:
Design and Build
Produce, Package & Promote
Sell like Hell!
Choices:
Your choices for professional resources and business partners:
Vanity press
Author services
Traditional publishers
Avoid the curse of “Self-published”
My choices:
AuthorHouse
Tellwell Talent
Canam – Rapido Books
Seeking an Agent/Publisher as business partners
“Do- It-Yourself Published”
It’s simple!
Have a Purpose and a Plan
Design & Build
Produce, Package & Promote
Sell like Hell!
Do it your way!
It’s not about the money
Don’t be shy
And don't forget to enjoy your reading and writing!
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
Del Chatterson, Author-Preneur, is an experienced entrepreneur and business advisor, consultant, coach and cheerleader for entrepreneurs.
He started a computer products distribution business in the 1980s and grew it from zero into a $20 million-a-year business in just eight years. He has shared his knowledge and experience with other entrepreneurs for over two decades and more recently has published two business books and a series of novels about entrepreneurship.
Del is dedicated to the promotion of Enlightened Entrepreneurship and generating more support and understanding for entrepreneurs who make a positive contribution to society by recognizing their responsibilities to employees, customers and business partners, their communities and the planet.
His business books for entrepreneurs and the crime fiction novels about an entrepreneur are available online or at your favourite bookstore.
The post My journey from Entrepreneur to Author-preneur appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
August 5, 2019
Requesting Advance Reader Reviews – MERGER MANIAC
MERGER MANIAC, Novel #3 in the DALE HUNTER SERIES is now ready for early Reader Review.
If you're interested, I'd love to hear your first impression or your reaction to the first 10 pages, or if you have time for a quick summer read of 200 pages, to send me your review comments. More stories of crime, Mafia, suspense and intrigue for Dale Hunter & Frank the Fixer. A free ebook copy is available at @ BookHip.com/GBFVVV If you need to catch up from the beginning of the series, or you would like to share the first two novels, you can follow the links below to a free ebook for both. A short synopsis of each novel is at the bottom of this email.
NO EASY MONEY, the first novel in the series introduces Dale Hunter and Frank the Fixer and stories of crime in the international computer business of the 1980s. It was published in September 2018 and is receiving very good response from readers and reviewers online and in bookstores across Canada and internationally.
A free ebook copy is available at @ BookHip.com/QBDRJC
SIMPLY THE BEST, the second novel in the series, was published in May and is now also widely distributed online, in bookstores and libraries, anywhere you want it. It continues the stories of Dale Hunter and Frank the Fixer with more threats of death and disaster.
A free ebook copy is available at @ BookHip.com/LWMLBC
For more background on the the books or on my adventure as an Author-Entrepreneur, please visit or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or my updated my Author website at www.DelvinChatterson.com with to the online bookstores and referral sites like Goodreads. See: Dale Hunter Novels
I have also set-up an Author Direct Bookstore to facilitate delivery of Author-signed copies of the novels to bookstores and readers at the best prices with low-cost delivery anywhere in North America.
All the tools are here to help everyone Buy, Read, Review & Recommend the books. Please!
THANK YOU for your continued support. Helpful, enthusiastic readers are still the best resource for better writing, marketing and sales. Enjoy your reading!
Del
Author Website: DelvinChatterson.com
NO EASY MONEY - You never win playing by the rules... The first in the series of Dale Hunter Crime Novels is an explosive mix of crime, cash and computers in the 1980s. Entrepreneurs face challenges every day. It's hard to be a hero. This is the story of a young entrepreneur under threats of violence from the Montreal Mafia. He wants to survive and not play by gangster rules, but it will require courage and creativity and the support of some new friends. Somebody is going to get killed.
SIMPLY THE BEST - It may be simple, it's never easy In this second novel in the series, Dale Hunter is back in business, but so is Gino Boncanno. Hunter has already had to save himself from a murder attempt by the gangster, Boncanno. Now his new partner in Taiwan is dragging him into business with the Triads and their smuggling scheme into the U.S. The danger escalates and Hunter still has to save his family from the murderous plans of Boncanno. Hunter's escape may seem simple, but it's never easy.
MERGER MANIAC - Some offers have to be refused Third in the series of Dale Hunter crime novels, Merger Maniac is the story of how Dale Hunter tries to survive against competitive threats in the rapidly evolving computer business of the 1980s. He's looking for merger or acquisition partners and suddenly he's approached by the aggressive Montreal Mafia to join their money laundering schemes. They are making very persuasive offers that just have to be refused.
Delvin Chatterson, Author
An entrepreneur and business advisor, consultant, coach and cheerleader for entrepreneurs, Del has written extensively on business topics for decades. He is now writing fiction with a short story collection in progress and this series of Dale Hunter crime novels. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Del has lived and worked for the past forty years in the fascinating French-Canadian city of Montreal, Quebec.
The post Requesting Advance Reader Reviews – MERGER MANIAC appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
July 3, 2019
Learning & Storytelling
July 11th, 5-à-7 Bureau en gros, @ St. Charles & Transcanadienne, Kirkland, QC.
YOU'RE INVITED:
Which do you prefer - Fact or Fiction?
Business text book or crime fiction with an entrepreneur as hero?
Entrepreneurs learn best by sharing stories - Fact or Fiction? A boring business textbook or a crime thriller with the entrepreneur as hero?
What are the differences between my business books and the crime novels?
Real-life stories:
More facts!
More details
More useful to understand and apply the strategies, tactics & techniques
Crime Fiction:
More fun to read and to write!
More creative ideas and inspiration
Easier to remember the guiding principles
Introduces a new and wider audience
Allows more subtle cheerleading for entrepreneurs and the promotion of Enlightened Entrepreneurship
Everyone learns by sharing stories. But the choice of fact or fiction is all yours.
You're welcome to join the seminar on July 11th. All the books are available online or at your favourite bookstore. Please have a look, then try, buy, read, review and share with a friend.
Thank you!
The post Learning & Storytelling appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
June 30, 2019
Entrepreneurs learn best by sharing stories – Fact or Fiction?
A boring business textbook or a crime thriller with the entrepreneur as hero?
As an experienced entrepreneur and business advisor, I often tell stories as an effective means of communicating with other entrepreneurs. Storytelling helps to establish rapport based on shared experience and a good story makes the message more memorable. Sharing stories always makes for a better exchange of ideas, information and inspiration.
I have shared stories with business associates, clients and colleagues for many years and recently published two business books for entrepreneurs that included many real-life stories. I am now writing a series of crime fiction novels with an entrepreneur as hero and the stories have been made more interesting and entertaining for a wider audience. All of the books communicate messages for and about entrepreneurs through storytelling.
So what are the differences between Fact – true-life stories and Fiction – creative writing to add more drama, mystery and suspense?
What is the effect on the message delivered and the lessons learned? What are the perspectives of the entrepreneur and of the storyteller? What works best for different audiences?
The curriculum for entrepreneurs to learn about all stages of their business would include these subjects:
Initial choices – the concept, market positioning, strategy
The start-up Business Plan
Financing
Strategic Leadership & Operations Management
Marketing & Sales Management
Managing growth, performance & profitability
Succession plans & Exit strategy
Lessons shared on all of those subjects can be enhanced by storytelling. Let’s assess the difference between real-life stories and creative fiction for two important issues:
Bank financing
Business valuation
Some extracts from my two business books and the three novels will allow us to compare the stories and the impact for those two issues.
Fact: Real life stories:
Financing:
“Don’t take that to the bank.” Too much information that dampens the enthusiasm.
“The answer is still NO!” Even the best business plan may not get the financing you need, because it does not meet the needs of the lender or investor.
Valuation:
“Your business is worth how much?” The calculated value was three million, he sold it for six million to a strategic buyer.
“What you want is not what you’ll get.” Don’t include your sweat equity and pride in the price, the buyer doesn’t care.
Fiction: Crime novels:
As told in NO EASY MONEY, SIMPLY THE BEST, MERGER MANIAC Stories of a successful young entrepreneur in the computer business of the 1980s threatened by the Mafia and corruption and working to save his business and his family from disaster.
Financing:
“It’s suicide to take on that much debt,” says the banker. “There’s no way we can help finance your growth.”
“We’ll give you two million, just don’t be late paying us back,” says the Mafia boss.
Valuation:
“At three million, you’re dreaming in technicolour. Wake up!” says the big corporation. “I’ll wait until you’re in trouble and buy at a better price then.”
“You’re worth five million to us,” says the gangster, “but you gotta hire my boy, Lenny”.
Message received and lessons learned?
What are the differences for the entrepreneur?
Real-life stories:
More facts!
More details
More useful to understand and apply the strategies, tactics & techniques
Crime Fiction:
More fun to read!
More creative ideas and inspiration
Easier to remember and apply the guiding principles
What are the differences for the storyteller?
Real-life stories:
Need to be an experienced entrepreneur to tell real-life stories
Need to be an expert in management and entrepreneurship
Need to be good at communicating by storytelling
Crime Fiction:
More fun to write!
Introduces a new and wider audience
Requires more creativity to be interesting and entertaining
Able to be more subtle in the cheerleading for entrepreneurs and the promotion of Enlightened Entrepreneurship
I think we still agree, Entrepreneurs learn best by sharing stories. But the choice of fact or fiction is all yours.
All the books are available online or at your favourite bookstore. You may prefer the business textbooks, but try sharing the novels with your friends, family and critics to get a little more sympathy and understanding for entrepreneurs.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph ,
Del Chatterson
This subject will be be presented Live!
SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION – STAPLES/BUREAU EN GROS
Kirkland, Quebec – July 11th, 6:00PM
The post Entrepreneurs learn best by sharing stories – Fact or Fiction? appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
February 14, 2019
Einstein: “The simple answer is always wrong.”
Comforting, but wrong.
I know we shouldn’t quote Albert Einstein. As he often tells us, “Don’t believe all that sh*t you read the Internet.” But I can’t resist.
The important statement attributed to Einstein was, “For every critical and complicated problem, there’s always an obvious simple answer, that’s wrong!”
Whoever said it, they must have had their own references to prove their point. Now we have examples everywhere. Leaders demonstrating manipulative politics, intellectual dishonesty, laziness and ignorance, by promoting simple answers to critical and complex issues.
Politicians have been successful in countries around the world by exaggerating and repeating the easily understood and accepted simple answers to major problems, conveniently ignoring the fact that they’re wrong. It’s a winning strategy in any democracy where the public does not exercise adequate scepticism and critical thinking. Where they can ignore the experts and analysts in favour of their preferred commentators, who agree with them.
But it’s selfish, unprincipled and lazy leadership exploiting an ignorant, equally selfish and lazy audience, who are ready to believe the easy answers. We all need to try harder to understand the problem and the root causes and then find real solutions that will work for everyone over the long term.
Leadership has to have the character, the intelligence and the moral courage to listen to the experts, accept the facts and introduce change with articulate, compassionate and well-reasoned communication. Leaders need to be able to convince their audience, including critics and opponents, fighting to protect their own ideology and self-interest, that there is a better answer in support of the common good.
The biggest flaw in liberal democracies everywhere is that simple, comforting answers are popular and that ambitious, unprincipled politicians have learned how to exploit that appeal and rise to power, where they inevitably work in their own self-interest, not the common good.
We need to demand better from all our leaders. In politics, in business and in life.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
The post Einstein: “The simple answer is always wrong.” appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
December 10, 2018
Christmas Shopping Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Ho! Ho! Ho!
I’ve always said I never wanted to work in retail. It’s hard work and unreasonable hours. Customers expect too much and are willing to pay too little. Employees ask too much for doing too little. And both groups are probably stealing from you.
It’s a harsh judgement based on limited evidence, I know, and my recent Christmas shopping experience has given me new insights and a new respect for retail.
You may have noticed, my latest entrepreneurial adventure is writing fiction. It has been an interesting and challenging process and forces me into doing retail. There’s no point in writing the book if you don’t sell a few. So, after the writing comes the marketing and selling part of the adventure.
At a recent book-signing and author sales event in the local shopping centre, I learned some useful general principles from the Christmas shoppers and the bookstore. Here’s what I learned that’s worth sharing:
The customer in the store is still the best source for market research and feedback on your product, price, packaging, and positioning.
Retail sales people do best if they like the product they’re selling and they’re supported by effective tools for making the sale.
Direct contact face-to-face with customers is still more immediate, more effective and more valuable than the filtering and anonymity of on-line selling and social media contact.
Price is not that important, as long as the product, packaging and positioning are aligned and consistent with it.
Shelf space is very important. It makes awareness unavoidable and confirms that sales are expected in large quantities for added sales pressure.
Proximity to direct competitors significantly aids positioning and awareness of your alternative.
People do judge a book by its cover.
Enjoy your holiday reading and learn more.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
The post Christmas Shopping Lessons for Entrepreneurs appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
December 5, 2018
Expertise or Opinion. Which is it this time?
Expertise or Opinion
Which is it this time?
If you ask for an opinion you’ll get one. Almost nobody can resist giving you a response.
They’re flattered that you asked and they don’t want to disappoint you. Apparently, you think they’re an expert in the subject. Or at least you think they might have an intelligent, insightful opinion. Nobody is going to tell you you’re wrong, on either count.
They’re thinking, “Yeah, I’m sure I can come up with something useful.” They’re never thinking, “But I’m an idiot. I know nothing and have no opinion on the subject.” Have you ever heard that answer?
But it can be dangerous to ask. What if they’re adamant about a really bad idea? Now you have a problem.
It’s best to preface your request with the caveat, “I welcome your input, but please don’t take it personally, if I choose to ignore it.” Much better than having to respond with, “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” It’s hard to recover from that conversation.
So, carefully ask the question and clearly distinguish between a formal request for expert advice and a friendly exchange of personal opinions. Confirm your expectations before you ask. It will be easier to know what to do with the response.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
The post Expertise or Opinion. Which is it this time? appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
November 1, 2018
Available NOW – Novel NO EASY MONEY and Uncle Ralph’s Business Books
Novel NO EASY MONEY and Uncle Ralph's Business Books
NO EASY MONEY, “You never win playing by the rules.”
The first in a series of Dale Hunter Crime Novels, this novel an explosive mix of crime, cash and computers in the 1980s.
Entrepreneurs face challenges every day. It’s hard to be a hero. This is the story of a young entrepreneur in the computer business under threats of violence from the Montreal Mafia. He wants to survive to protect his family and not play by gangster rules, but it will require courage and creativity and the support of some new friends. Somebody is going to get killed.
Uncle Ralph's Business Books
DON’T DO IT THE HARD WAY
“A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, only a fool insists on making his own.”
Learn from how to be better and to do better by sharing the stories of experienced entrepreneurs and avoid the 7 Biggest Mistakes that entrepreneurs make.
The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans
“It’s about the process, not the product.”
This 2nd Edition Comprehensive Guide provides all the tools, tips and techniques you need, including Real life case studies, Sample Business Plans and Financial Templates.
Do-It-Yourself Business Plan? Yes you can!
The books are all available NOW in hardcover, softcover, E-book, Kindle or KOBO online at Amazon or Indigo and Chapters & Paragraph Books in Montreal. Or 39,000 bookstores around the world. If you ask for it, they’ll deliver it!
Buy a book. Tell all your friends, they’ll thank you later.
Thank you all for your interest in my fiction adventure and my business books. Enjoy the read!
Del
Author Website: DelvinChatterson.com
Delvin Chatterson, Author An entrepreneur and business advisor, consultant, coach and cheerleader for entrepreneurs, Del Chatterson has written extensively on business topics for decades.
He is now writing fiction with a short story collection in progress and this series of Dale Hunter crime novels. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Del has lived and worked for the past forty years in the fascinating French-Canadian city of Montreal, Quebec.
The post Available NOW – Novel NO EASY MONEY and Uncle Ralph’s Business Books appeared first on Learning Entrepreneurship.
Political decisions
Risky business
Political decisions are risky because they're public and they're personal. They're political because they're about principles, policy and personalities. They're important and unavoidable.
Political decisions have to be made, not just in politics... in business and in life. The question is, will the decision be guided by the principals and the policy objectives or by the personalities and the politics in play?
As President John F. Kennedy described in his book, Profiles in Courage, the decision maker's courage and character are revealed by decisions that ignore the politics and the personal costs, but defend the most important principles and move everyone in the right direction.
Recent examples: John McCain defying President Trump and his Republican colleagues; Republicans defending Trump to protect their own careers; Maxime Bernier abandoning the Conservatives; Premier Couillard betraying loyalties prior to an election campaign.
What about political decisions in your business?
Also risky, important and unavoidable. Also revealing of courage and character.
In my own book, DON'T DO IT THE HARD WAY, I describe the Seven Biggest Mistakes that entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them.
Mistake #7: Distracted by Personal Issues
Personal issues in the business are usually political issues. Especially in family businesses. Company politics often detract from good management and decision making in the business, affecting performance. Personalities and political issues may relate to the owner, family members in the business, the management team or some key staff members.
Avoiding the Seven Biggest Mistakes is a question of balance. To avoid mistake #7, keep your personality in your business plan, but keep personal issues and politics out of your business.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
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Check out Uncle Ralph’s books: "Don't Do It the Hard Way" and "The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans" Both are available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.
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