The transportation industry is complex. With all the new laws and the capacity issues, it is wise to get training. Lately I have been training a lot of owner operators. They tell me they save money and make more money on the road after the class because they have a better understanding of the industry. Our freight broker-training course teaches you how to be better in just about any aspect of the freight brokering business.
Being a freight broker is a sales-driven career. I’ve always been a salesman. God built that in me. I’m not quite fulfilled unless I’m selling something. But don’t think I’m on of those door-to-door types trying to get you to buy some overpriced, under-quality product. I sell knowledge and opportunity at an incredible price. $2500.00 is the price of my school. It's truly like getting a franchise for the price of the course, because after the course you are prepared to start your own business as an agent of a larger brokerage. Only the top brokers recruit from my school. They recruit brokers from Brooke because we train our graduates exactly how they need to be trained to be a success.
Sales are finding creative solutions for evolving challenges for both the shipper and the carrier. It's a B-to-B business and you better know what your doing or you will lose your shirt in this market. Plus the shippers and carriers respect people who invest in training.
The military trains everyday for a mission. Think about what it would be like if they didn't.
Do your research if you want to get into this industry, and then get some training. Our on-line course is offered through 2400 colleges plus our pajama learning website. www.justintimefreight.com. We have six locations with a live, instructed class. www.transportationtraining.com. For other training you can go to www.pajamalearning.biz and take over 5000 courses.
Now go book some freight......
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
>
Great Deal
We are not taking anymore students for our December course but still give us a call to talk about a 2011 course.
Thank you to all our students, associates, trainers and customers for another great year at Brooke Transportation Training. I think back over all the enthusiastic new students I have met this year and feel incredibly blessed.
In an effort to ease the burden of our struggling economy we introduced our 2 for 1 deal. Pay for one freight broker live course and bring a partner along for free. I hope you enjoyed training alongside a friend as much as we enjoyed training 2 for 1. This deal will end December 31 as we usher in a new year. But you can still take advantage by paying for a course before then.
Give yourself the Christmas gift of a new career by learning to become a freight broker. Every student that comes through gets a job opportunity. The top freight brokers in the industry trust in what we teach our students so they come in on Friday of the course to offer spot as agents for their brokerages. The course also trains to be a dispatcher and other hourly jobs inside a brokerage. Lately our successful brokerage affiliates have been offering those kind of jobs to our graduates as well.
Have a question about our training or are you a graduate with a question? Give me a call. Enjoy the season and remember the reason.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.transportationtraining.com
Thank you to all our students, associates, trainers and customers for another great year at Brooke Transportation Training. I think back over all the enthusiastic new students I have met this year and feel incredibly blessed.
In an effort to ease the burden of our struggling economy we introduced our 2 for 1 deal. Pay for one freight broker live course and bring a partner along for free. I hope you enjoyed training alongside a friend as much as we enjoyed training 2 for 1. This deal will end December 31 as we usher in a new year. But you can still take advantage by paying for a course before then.
Give yourself the Christmas gift of a new career by learning to become a freight broker. Every student that comes through gets a job opportunity. The top freight brokers in the industry trust in what we teach our students so they come in on Friday of the course to offer spot as agents for their brokerages. The course also trains to be a dispatcher and other hourly jobs inside a brokerage. Lately our successful brokerage affiliates have been offering those kind of jobs to our graduates as well.
Have a question about our training or are you a graduate with a question? Give me a call. Enjoy the season and remember the reason.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.transportationtraining.com
Be a Business Starter
Perhaps one of the toughest things about starting your own business is being alone. So my suggestion? Don't do it alone. Get yourself a business partner and come to class together. You can learn our proven method together. Then work the process together. When one of you has a low motivation day, the other can encourage. You can divide up the tasks so you each use your strengths. I'm a great salesman. I love to call potential clients and strike up a conversation. My wife is an incredible administrator. She does follow up, invoicing and paying our bills. Both parts are imperative for a thriving business. Get the business...then do the work for the business. Big picture and details. Both gotta happen.
In the spirit of the season we are extending our 2 for 1 offer til the end of 2010. When 2010 is over so is our two for one. For each paid student, one can come along to any of our live courses. You don't have to attend a course by the end of the year...just pay for a class before the end of the year and bring a friend along.
There is a lot of freight out there needing to be moved. In other words, this is a great time to get into the freight industry. Get in on this great industry on the upswing. Become a freight broker, a freight broker agent or get hired on into a paid position as a dispatcher for a freight broker. Every Friday Freight Brokers come to our class and present career opportunities.
So hurry, take advantage of our 2 for 1 offer. Make 2011 the best year with new skill and a new career with incredible potential.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
In the spirit of the season we are extending our 2 for 1 offer til the end of 2010. When 2010 is over so is our two for one. For each paid student, one can come along to any of our live courses. You don't have to attend a course by the end of the year...just pay for a class before the end of the year and bring a friend along.
There is a lot of freight out there needing to be moved. In other words, this is a great time to get into the freight industry. Get in on this great industry on the upswing. Become a freight broker, a freight broker agent or get hired on into a paid position as a dispatcher for a freight broker. Every Friday Freight Brokers come to our class and present career opportunities.
So hurry, take advantage of our 2 for 1 offer. Make 2011 the best year with new skill and a new career with incredible potential.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Freight Broker Sale
Get in on a great business. Has this year been tough on you? The transportation industry is a solid business with lots of growth. Sign up for a freight broker training course by the end of the year to take advantage of our two for one special. Learn our proven process for freight broker success along side your spouse, your partner, family member or friend. This is a great business to do as a family. As our economy continues to get stronger the demand on products will increase. A freight broker finds products that need to be moved and matches them with trucks that can deliver.
There are a lot of established freight brokers looking for agents. Those freight brokers know that our school prepares individuals to succeed as agents. Come to Brooke Freight Broker Training and learn to be an agent for another freight broker or an independent freight broker. I have been studying the trends in our industry for a long time. Give me a call. Let's talk about what I see happening in the near future for the transportation industry. Let's talk about what I see happening in the next decade. New laws have caused some turmoil in the industry so we all must adjust. This is an industry I love and have been in for some decades now. Enjoy the holiday season and prepare for a great new year.
Still moving,
Jeff Roach
www.freightbrokertraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.justintimefreight.com
P.S. Sign up to take our course anytime next year by the end of the year to take advantage of our 2 for 1 special (expires December 31, 2010)
There are a lot of established freight brokers looking for agents. Those freight brokers know that our school prepares individuals to succeed as agents. Come to Brooke Freight Broker Training and learn to be an agent for another freight broker or an independent freight broker. I have been studying the trends in our industry for a long time. Give me a call. Let's talk about what I see happening in the near future for the transportation industry. Let's talk about what I see happening in the next decade. New laws have caused some turmoil in the industry so we all must adjust. This is an industry I love and have been in for some decades now. Enjoy the holiday season and prepare for a great new year.
Still moving,
Jeff Roach
www.freightbrokertraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.justintimefreight.com
P.S. Sign up to take our course anytime next year by the end of the year to take advantage of our 2 for 1 special (expires December 31, 2010)
Thankyou Veterans
Today is the day to remember all the brave men and women who have served our country. It is not always, or may never be a glamorous job.
I know, I haven't served but I have relatives who have served. My brother-in-law can sleep through anything because he spent years sleeping over the engine of his navy ship. He says it was warm even if it was a bit loud.
I have met many vets at our school since we are approved to train disabled vets to become freight brokers. They have a work ethic and discipline to be admired.
Remember much of their job is peace keeping. I tend to think military are Rambo types, waiting for a fight but I see in my brother-in-law a very kind, compassionate individual who is always ready to help.
Find a veteran today and thank him for what he did to serve our country. Pray for our armed forces.
Come to our class next week, you may be blessed to meet a vet learning a new craft.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
I know, I haven't served but I have relatives who have served. My brother-in-law can sleep through anything because he spent years sleeping over the engine of his navy ship. He says it was warm even if it was a bit loud.
I have met many vets at our school since we are approved to train disabled vets to become freight brokers. They have a work ethic and discipline to be admired.
Remember much of their job is peace keeping. I tend to think military are Rambo types, waiting for a fight but I see in my brother-in-law a very kind, compassionate individual who is always ready to help.
Find a veteran today and thank him for what he did to serve our country. Pray for our armed forces.
Come to our class next week, you may be blessed to meet a vet learning a new craft.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Hear Me
My beautiful bride Janis and I will be teaching together for the next Basic Freight Broker training course of Brooke Transportation Training. We have not taught together in a while because of my travel and her business with keeping the school running. I have been in the transportation business since I graduated from college several decades ago. Janis has been by my side most of that time. She took a year off from her life to write our awesome online course. We both have a passion for teaching. We are geared up to teach a great course.
We have been running a 2 for 1 special for the past 6 months or so. Pay for one to come to class and bring a friend, spouse or partner along for free. That special will end at the beginning of 2011. (Is it just me or does it seem like it was just yesterday we were worried about Y2K?), So give yourself and a mate an early Christmas gift by taking advantage of this limited special.
Freight brokering is a critical arm of the distribution of good in our economy. Learn our process that truly works to build a base of clients and service those clients with the utmost of integrity.
So join us November 15 – 19 in Dallas for our basic freight broker training course.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
We have been running a 2 for 1 special for the past 6 months or so. Pay for one to come to class and bring a friend, spouse or partner along for free. That special will end at the beginning of 2011. (Is it just me or does it seem like it was just yesterday we were worried about Y2K?), So give yourself and a mate an early Christmas gift by taking advantage of this limited special.
Freight brokering is a critical arm of the distribution of good in our economy. Learn our process that truly works to build a base of clients and service those clients with the utmost of integrity.
So join us November 15 – 19 in Dallas for our basic freight broker training course.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Who do You Trust?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart in all your ways acknowledge Him and
He will direct your path. Proverbs 4:6
Who you trust determines your security. Trust in money and oops the economy slips and your trust slips. Trust in another, even the best person on earth and you will be disappointed. Trust in yourself and your ego bloated like the Goodyear blimp. Trust in God and when all else fails you still have a firm foundation.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
He will direct your path. Proverbs 4:6
Who you trust determines your security. Trust in money and oops the economy slips and your trust slips. Trust in another, even the best person on earth and you will be disappointed. Trust in yourself and your ego bloated like the Goodyear blimp. Trust in God and when all else fails you still have a firm foundation.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Back to My Passion
I took a break from teaching our freight broker training course while our team of fabulous instructors took over. While away I’ve been doing some freight brokering, attending some excellent training courses to hone my skills and learn a few new. I got a refresher course in freight factoring so I could offer that as one of my services.
All that to say, I missed teaching, so I will be instructing in the upcoming Dallas courses a bit. I will teach you my proven process in freight brokering. This is a great time to be in this business. No matter the state of the economy, consumption never stops so products need to be moved. Freight brokers are essential in getting the job done. So if you are ready to jump into this fast paced exciting industry or if you are a trucker who’d like to get off the road give me a call. We still have our 2 for 1 special going …pay for one to come and bring a partner along.
Or call me for consulting. I can phone consult, brainstorm and come up with solutions for your freight brokerage. Or I can come to you, review your operations and consult with you on how to take your business to the next level. An outside opinion is always helpful. I can train your freight broker agents on site in the whole process or hone in on one particular area of interest.
Give me a call let’s talk through where you are and where you’d like to be.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
P.S. Just got an encouraging testimonial from one of our recent graduates:
The class was very helpful and I received a lot of good information. I left with many helpful tools that will surely come in handy as we grow our brokerage business. The biggest help was the tips that were given from the instructors that work in the industry. --R.S.
All that to say, I missed teaching, so I will be instructing in the upcoming Dallas courses a bit. I will teach you my proven process in freight brokering. This is a great time to be in this business. No matter the state of the economy, consumption never stops so products need to be moved. Freight brokers are essential in getting the job done. So if you are ready to jump into this fast paced exciting industry or if you are a trucker who’d like to get off the road give me a call. We still have our 2 for 1 special going …pay for one to come and bring a partner along.
Or call me for consulting. I can phone consult, brainstorm and come up with solutions for your freight brokerage. Or I can come to you, review your operations and consult with you on how to take your business to the next level. An outside opinion is always helpful. I can train your freight broker agents on site in the whole process or hone in on one particular area of interest.
Give me a call let’s talk through where you are and where you’d like to be.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
P.S. Just got an encouraging testimonial from one of our recent graduates:
The class was very helpful and I received a lot of good information. I left with many helpful tools that will surely come in handy as we grow our brokerage business. The biggest help was the tips that were given from the instructors that work in the industry. --R.S.
New Freight Brokers on the Loose
There are a handful of newly motivated freight brokers trained and ready to go. Over the summer we had some excellent students who took our live classes in Dallas and Charlotte. I am honored to work with dedicated instructors who have a contagious enthusiasm. Thank you Lance in Dallas, Susie and Ron in Charlotte. I wish all our graduates much success. Don’t hesitate to call with questions or brag on your successes. Here's what our recent grads said about the BTTS training course
I really enjoyed taking the training class. I was a bit nervous coming to the class since I am brand new to the business. But after I left the course, I now feel confident enough to tackle my first load. Thank you Lance, for being very informative and a great instructor. - Melissa L.
This class is both very informative and a lot of fun. When you attend this class, you will not only learn everything you need to know to become a freight broker agent or successfully operate a freight brokerage, you will learn many sales techniques and inside secrets and tips as well. We will be sending our agents here for training. Highly recommended. - Randall B.
Very instructive class, more than “nice” teacher, useful tools, friendly. - Filip M.
I have never worked before in the trucking field… I now am very motivated and prepared. -Pedro R.
Susie did a great job of presenting all of the information in an informative and entertaining way.
- Tom S.
…a very pleasant and open experience. The class covered all the questions and gave additional information that I feel will be most helpful. –Tonya S.
When I initially began the class on the 26th of July I was very skeptical with the pace of the class and how much I would learn by the end of five days. I was very worried that I might not achieve the goal I intended. As time went by I realized that what I wanted to learn I was learning slowly but steadily. Class is designed for anyone to be able to learn everything that they teach. At the end of the 3rd day I knew I was satisfied, 4th day I thought I could quit, that I had learned everything. It was the 5th day that I realized the extent of my satisfaction… - Mark K.
While attending Brooke Transportation Training Solutions I learned many things. I learned much of what a broker and a broker agent do in the transportation industry. The classes are personalized which makes all the information understandable. I would also add that this is the location (Charlotte) to come to because they have all the necessary resources to educate you for this business. If I had to choose a school once again, I would choose Brooke. - Marco R.
Attending the school helped me bring the idea of an organizational brokering business come together in my mind. It is still virtual but it made it easier to conceive the business. – Antonio D.
I would encourage anyone to take the Brooke transportation training Solutions course. It has helped me, as a truck driver get better ideas about the business I’m in and also to expand beyond being just a truck driver, I believe this course is overall excellent. Perfectly organized. - Jose R.
I was very excited about the class because it sounded like a good way to start off a good job in a very big and thriving industry. It was everything I expected and more. Susie was great and so were all the guys in the office. Everyone answered all of our qu4estionas and we learned so much. – Dragon R.
P.S. The Klondike Bars were awesome
This class was very informative. I feel more knowledgeable and comfortable and better prepared to go out and be successful in this line of business. I am sure there is much more that can and will be learned through trial, and error, but this was a good base start! - Tara L
This training has been very informative and productive. These tools, I believe have been in the coming. I have learned ways to approach and execute ways of the business. It has helped on both sides Carrier/broker and has helped tie up some loose ends. I understand more clearly brokerage. I will keep in touch with all. - Shawn L.
I learned so much from the class like the way instructor breaks it down so I could understand it. She gave us sample of everything we need to get started i.e. load confirmation sheets, carrier sheets and shippers invoices. Everyone she introduce you has been doing (their job) for a long time. - Kevin H.
I really enjoyed taking the training class. I was a bit nervous coming to the class since I am brand new to the business. But after I left the course, I now feel confident enough to tackle my first load. Thank you Lance, for being very informative and a great instructor. - Melissa L.
This class is both very informative and a lot of fun. When you attend this class, you will not only learn everything you need to know to become a freight broker agent or successfully operate a freight brokerage, you will learn many sales techniques and inside secrets and tips as well. We will be sending our agents here for training. Highly recommended. - Randall B.
Very instructive class, more than “nice” teacher, useful tools, friendly. - Filip M.
I have never worked before in the trucking field… I now am very motivated and prepared. -Pedro R.
Susie did a great job of presenting all of the information in an informative and entertaining way.
- Tom S.
…a very pleasant and open experience. The class covered all the questions and gave additional information that I feel will be most helpful. –Tonya S.
When I initially began the class on the 26th of July I was very skeptical with the pace of the class and how much I would learn by the end of five days. I was very worried that I might not achieve the goal I intended. As time went by I realized that what I wanted to learn I was learning slowly but steadily. Class is designed for anyone to be able to learn everything that they teach. At the end of the 3rd day I knew I was satisfied, 4th day I thought I could quit, that I had learned everything. It was the 5th day that I realized the extent of my satisfaction… - Mark K.
While attending Brooke Transportation Training Solutions I learned many things. I learned much of what a broker and a broker agent do in the transportation industry. The classes are personalized which makes all the information understandable. I would also add that this is the location (Charlotte) to come to because they have all the necessary resources to educate you for this business. If I had to choose a school once again, I would choose Brooke. - Marco R.
Attending the school helped me bring the idea of an organizational brokering business come together in my mind. It is still virtual but it made it easier to conceive the business. – Antonio D.
I would encourage anyone to take the Brooke transportation training Solutions course. It has helped me, as a truck driver get better ideas about the business I’m in and also to expand beyond being just a truck driver, I believe this course is overall excellent. Perfectly organized. - Jose R.
I was very excited about the class because it sounded like a good way to start off a good job in a very big and thriving industry. It was everything I expected and more. Susie was great and so were all the guys in the office. Everyone answered all of our qu4estionas and we learned so much. – Dragon R.
P.S. The Klondike Bars were awesome
This class was very informative. I feel more knowledgeable and comfortable and better prepared to go out and be successful in this line of business. I am sure there is much more that can and will be learned through trial, and error, but this was a good base start! - Tara L
This training has been very informative and productive. These tools, I believe have been in the coming. I have learned ways to approach and execute ways of the business. It has helped on both sides Carrier/broker and has helped tie up some loose ends. I understand more clearly brokerage. I will keep in touch with all. - Shawn L.
I learned so much from the class like the way instructor breaks it down so I could understand it. She gave us sample of everything we need to get started i.e. load confirmation sheets, carrier sheets and shippers invoices. Everyone she introduce you has been doing (their job) for a long time. - Kevin H.
More Meat on a Big Fish
Found "a great article in USA today's ask the expert column:
By Steve Strauss for USA TODAY
Q: Do you think there is something a small business can do right now to make more money? We seem to be stuck in a rut that we can't get out of. — Sammy
A: What I would suggest is that when you go fishing, you go to an area where you are more assured of catching bigger fish.
Here is what I mean: I have a friend who sells real estate for a living. Back in the day, before the real estate market crashed, he made a great, and fairly easy, living selling small investment properties. Duplexes, four-plexes and mini malls were his specialty. He loved those sorts of properties because they were easy to sell, easy to fund, appreciated well, and offered a quick, decent commission.
But then the bottom fell out of the market and suddenly he was faced with a list of clients who were 1) stuck with properties they could not sell, and 2) not looking to expand their portfolio. As a result, his business was suddenly in real trouble.
But rather than stay stuck on a sinking ship, my friend decided to take action. He called up all of the best, most experienced real estate agents he knew and picked their brains. This was not the first down-turn in the real estate market – how had they survived similar problems in earlier times? My friend was willing to listen to all new ideas.
He received a lot of good advice, albeit some of it conflicting, but one thing an old hand in the real estate market told him made the most sense. "It takes as much effort to sell a small duplex as it does to sell a 100 unit apartment house, you know," the gentleman explained to my friend, adding, "but the large apartment complex will net you a heck of a lot more money."
Touché.
Sure deals were harder to get and close, but the point was that my friend could continue to do what he had always done and get the results he had grown accustomed to, or he could hustle for bigger deals, do just about the same amount of work, and possibly get much better results.
If he wanted to keep fishing, he needed to catch bigger fish.
And so that is what he began to do, almost immediately. He put out feelers to investors who had larger portfolios. He made presentations. He advertised in more high-end publications. And he entered into a continuing education crash course on how to sell large, multi-unit buildings.
Before long, his new ideas and hard work began to pay off. He got some new clients, and listings for two big buildings, both of which eventually sold.
My friend learned a valuable lesson – although it took a lot of time and effort to sell those buildings, it was no more than he would have spent selling two small duplexes. The essential effort was the same – getting the places ready to be shown, marketing them, showing potential buyers around, and then closing the deal. But the payoff was much, much bigger.
My friend now says he does not need to work the rest of the year, but he is going to anyway because he is so excited about the potential of his new business model.
I suggest that this is a good lesson for any small business that is struggling to make it through these tough times.
Seek out and fish for bigger fish.
Undoubtedly, there are potential customers out there in your industry who have larger budgets and bigger needs than some of your current customers. Find out who they are. Do some research, learn their needs, get some names, and prepare a presentation.
Happy fishing!
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.transportationtraining.com
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
P.S. While you fish for the whopper be sure and have your back end ready. I landed a big one then had to scurry to cover all the loads. A good problem but I had to take care of it soon or I'd loose the big fish quicker than I caught it.
By Steve Strauss for USA TODAY
Q: Do you think there is something a small business can do right now to make more money? We seem to be stuck in a rut that we can't get out of. — Sammy
A: What I would suggest is that when you go fishing, you go to an area where you are more assured of catching bigger fish.
Here is what I mean: I have a friend who sells real estate for a living. Back in the day, before the real estate market crashed, he made a great, and fairly easy, living selling small investment properties. Duplexes, four-plexes and mini malls were his specialty. He loved those sorts of properties because they were easy to sell, easy to fund, appreciated well, and offered a quick, decent commission.
But then the bottom fell out of the market and suddenly he was faced with a list of clients who were 1) stuck with properties they could not sell, and 2) not looking to expand their portfolio. As a result, his business was suddenly in real trouble.
But rather than stay stuck on a sinking ship, my friend decided to take action. He called up all of the best, most experienced real estate agents he knew and picked their brains. This was not the first down-turn in the real estate market – how had they survived similar problems in earlier times? My friend was willing to listen to all new ideas.
He received a lot of good advice, albeit some of it conflicting, but one thing an old hand in the real estate market told him made the most sense. "It takes as much effort to sell a small duplex as it does to sell a 100 unit apartment house, you know," the gentleman explained to my friend, adding, "but the large apartment complex will net you a heck of a lot more money."
Touché.
Sure deals were harder to get and close, but the point was that my friend could continue to do what he had always done and get the results he had grown accustomed to, or he could hustle for bigger deals, do just about the same amount of work, and possibly get much better results.
If he wanted to keep fishing, he needed to catch bigger fish.
And so that is what he began to do, almost immediately. He put out feelers to investors who had larger portfolios. He made presentations. He advertised in more high-end publications. And he entered into a continuing education crash course on how to sell large, multi-unit buildings.
Before long, his new ideas and hard work began to pay off. He got some new clients, and listings for two big buildings, both of which eventually sold.
My friend learned a valuable lesson – although it took a lot of time and effort to sell those buildings, it was no more than he would have spent selling two small duplexes. The essential effort was the same – getting the places ready to be shown, marketing them, showing potential buyers around, and then closing the deal. But the payoff was much, much bigger.
My friend now says he does not need to work the rest of the year, but he is going to anyway because he is so excited about the potential of his new business model.
I suggest that this is a good lesson for any small business that is struggling to make it through these tough times.
Seek out and fish for bigger fish.
Undoubtedly, there are potential customers out there in your industry who have larger budgets and bigger needs than some of your current customers. Find out who they are. Do some research, learn their needs, get some names, and prepare a presentation.
Happy fishing!
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.transportationtraining.com
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
P.S. While you fish for the whopper be sure and have your back end ready. I landed a big one then had to scurry to cover all the loads. A good problem but I had to take care of it soon or I'd loose the big fish quicker than I caught it.
Carrier Cash
Calling all carriers who could use some help with your cash flow. I am now offering freight factoring. 1.5% same day funding. My new division, Brooke Financial Services offers freight bill factoring. Similar to a loan from a bank, I give you the money needed today to pay your drivers, fuel and other expenses. I then wait 30 days to collect from your shipper.
Reduce the stress of money shuffling. Make your drivers happy by paying them quickly. A critical issue in any successful business is maintaining the cash flow you need to run the business efficiently while keeping all your creditors happy.
I can also teach you how to get in the freight factoring business, run a trucking company and lease you some trailers.
Give me a call and I can explain more thoroughly. I've been told I'm a funny guy, so if you need freight factoring or a good laugh give me a ring.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
214-206-1169
Reduce the stress of money shuffling. Make your drivers happy by paying them quickly. A critical issue in any successful business is maintaining the cash flow you need to run the business efficiently while keeping all your creditors happy.
I can also teach you how to get in the freight factoring business, run a trucking company and lease you some trailers.
Give me a call and I can explain more thoroughly. I've been told I'm a funny guy, so if you need freight factoring or a good laugh give me a ring.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
214-206-1169
Freight Consulting
I have learned some things along the way in the transportation industry. I continue to learn. As an educator once I learn something new I have a need to pass on to others the tips I’ve learned. So I offer consulting services.
If you own a small trucking company I can get you a great deal on freight factoring and on trailer leases. I can train you to open your own freight factoring company as well.
I also offer consulting on how to open a trucking company and
general consulting regarding the traffic industry. As you know if you follow my blog, I also have an on-line freight broker training school and a live school in five states. I work as a non-exclusive freight agent as well. I keep busy.
Besides Fuel and Drivers, I can supply almost anything to the carrier. They will get a great deal working with the top companies in the business.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
If you own a small trucking company I can get you a great deal on freight factoring and on trailer leases. I can train you to open your own freight factoring company as well.
I also offer consulting on how to open a trucking company and
general consulting regarding the traffic industry. As you know if you follow my blog, I also have an on-line freight broker training school and a live school in five states. I work as a non-exclusive freight agent as well. I keep busy.
Besides Fuel and Drivers, I can supply almost anything to the carrier. They will get a great deal working with the top companies in the business.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Learn from Home
Interested in learning a new skill or start a new business? Pajama learning may be just the ticket for the information you need. We have thousands of courses from which to choose. To take an online course you often need to go through a university or community college but not with Pajama Learning. Years back I convinced the coordinators of these online courses to let me offer them direct from my website. Many of the courses can earn you credit for a degree. Many of the courses are career training…similar to going to a trade school but you can do all your work online. Compared to the cost of a college education these career-training courses are very affordable.
Most courses are written by the facilitator of that course. My wife Janis Roach wrote the course on freight brokering. We are the instructors. So as you take the course if you need to contact the instructor, you’d be calling us. We not only facilitate the course we are in the business. We know first hand what you do as a freight broker or freight broker agent. We have probably encountered any snag possible in the business.
We recognize freight brokering may not be the right business for everyone so we decided to offer other online courses as well. New classes are added often so check back and see what else is available.
Dream a little, learn something new, stretch yourself and you will feel empowered. Success is yours for the taking.
Learn on,
Jeff Roach
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Most courses are written by the facilitator of that course. My wife Janis Roach wrote the course on freight brokering. We are the instructors. So as you take the course if you need to contact the instructor, you’d be calling us. We not only facilitate the course we are in the business. We know first hand what you do as a freight broker or freight broker agent. We have probably encountered any snag possible in the business.
We recognize freight brokering may not be the right business for everyone so we decided to offer other online courses as well. New classes are added often so check back and see what else is available.
Dream a little, learn something new, stretch yourself and you will feel empowered. Success is yours for the taking.
Learn on,
Jeff Roach
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
I am a Salesman
I sell freight brokerage services and I sell education. Both are services in high demand. After years of being in the transportation industry I had the idea to start a freight broker and freight broker agent training program. I had been very successful and wanted to pay it forward by teaching others how to be successful in this industry. Along the way I met Gatlin, the online education Guru. I first asked him if he would work with me to turn our live course into an online course to be marketed through his system. He said yes and we wrote the online course (actually my wife spent a year of her life writing the online version of our course). His courses are all marketed through universities across the country. I asked if I could have a website to market all his courses directly to interested students. He said yes again. Our online freight broker courses is one of his top sellers along with medical billing. Thus the birth of PajamaLearning.biz – the elearning center.
A few years ago Ed2Go bought Gatlin and built on their excellent system and reputation.
ed2go is the industry leader in online learning for adults. They provide the highest-quality online continuing education courses that are affordable and easy to use through a network of over 1,800 top colleges and universities and at Pajamalearning .biz.
The variety of courses is impressive. Some courses get you credit toward a higher degree and some (like mine) are direct career training. Anyone can take a course through pajama learning whether you are working on a degree, want a new career, want to learn something to further your career or you simply want to learn something new. Most courses are taught by the guy that wrote the course. The instructors are available for questions and discussion. I enjoy conversing with our students. Learners have the most creative minds. Learning is never wasted. Peruse our courses and see what you’d enjoy learning.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
A few years ago Ed2Go bought Gatlin and built on their excellent system and reputation.
ed2go is the industry leader in online learning for adults. They provide the highest-quality online continuing education courses that are affordable and easy to use through a network of over 1,800 top colleges and universities and at Pajamalearning .biz.
The variety of courses is impressive. Some courses get you credit toward a higher degree and some (like mine) are direct career training. Anyone can take a course through pajama learning whether you are working on a degree, want a new career, want to learn something to further your career or you simply want to learn something new. Most courses are taught by the guy that wrote the course. The instructors are available for questions and discussion. I enjoy conversing with our students. Learners have the most creative minds. Learning is never wasted. Peruse our courses and see what you’d enjoy learning.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Website Musts
Used to be, I thought producing a website for my business was a once in a while thing. Kind of like a brochure. You spend a lot of time producing a brochure, print a million copies and pass those puppies out to everyone. You make a new brochure when you run out of the old one. I looked at my website in the old days as an online brochure of my services. Now I see my website as a continually changing thing, linked to lots of other helpful information. We make changes to our website many times a month. That is one of the beauties of being online, it is much more dynamic than the printed world. So I continually look for information on how to keep my website and social media at the top of the game. I recently read this blog that talks about must features. Since many of my graduates go on to start their own freight brokerage they are going to need a website. Read through these tips from ten golden rules blog and refer to this blog for more ideas.
After you have your brilliant idea and are bringing it to the web, there are some critical factors that your website must feature to help you, the search engines and the visitors.
1) Analytics Tracking – It doesn’t matter if you have Google Analytics, Omniture or any other tracking tool. You want to understand where your visitors are coming from, and what actions they are taking when they are on your website.
2) HTML Site Map – This is an HTML page that simply lists all the pages on your website. This helps the search engines know about all of the pages on your site including the URLs that may not be discovered when the bots spider your site.
3) Keyword Research – Make sure you are adding the words people are searching for on the correct pages of your website. Keyword research will help you understand what search phrases are likely to bring the visitors who will take action on your website.
4) Test multiple browsers – Not all visitors will be using one browser. Make sure your website is seen how you want it to in all browsers possible.
5) Monitor errors – Run spider simulators on your website. This will tell you what information is wrong, what links are broken, and notify you of any issues the search engines may have.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
After you have your brilliant idea and are bringing it to the web, there are some critical factors that your website must feature to help you, the search engines and the visitors.
1) Analytics Tracking – It doesn’t matter if you have Google Analytics, Omniture or any other tracking tool. You want to understand where your visitors are coming from, and what actions they are taking when they are on your website.
2) HTML Site Map – This is an HTML page that simply lists all the pages on your website. This helps the search engines know about all of the pages on your site including the URLs that may not be discovered when the bots spider your site.
3) Keyword Research – Make sure you are adding the words people are searching for on the correct pages of your website. Keyword research will help you understand what search phrases are likely to bring the visitors who will take action on your website.
4) Test multiple browsers – Not all visitors will be using one browser. Make sure your website is seen how you want it to in all browsers possible.
5) Monitor errors – Run spider simulators on your website. This will tell you what information is wrong, what links are broken, and notify you of any issues the search engines may have.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Slow Down
We live in a rushed world. Quickly learned is quickly forgotten. Learn to be a freight broker in a classroom in a week…or take your time learning on line. Sounds quick but the key is to taking the time to really internalize the teaching. We stick with our students way after the course to support them in the set up of their new venture. All our courses teach you all you need to know to be a freight broker but as in anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it. And the sooner you start practicing what you learn the better you’ll succeed. It is like swimming. My niece is an incredible swimmer. One summer when she was about 7 I challenged her to a race across the pool. I thought, “I’m twice as long as this skinny little girl, I’ll beat her easily… yeah right, she beat me easily. Well she learned to swim in swimming lessons…but she became a champ on swim team by doing what she learned for hours every day and honing her strokes. Same with freight brokering. Learn how to do it in class then get out there, hone your skills and keep at it… you will succeed.
I see too many come into this wanting to find the short cut. I tell all my students to save 6 months worth of living expenses before you embark on this career. Give yourself time to build the business before you start making good money.
When you dig down into just about any “get rich story” you’ll find that the rich guy put in a lot of time finding his niche, building his empire and growing a support team before they found wealth.
I recently received an email from a student rushing through our online course. He didn’t think he was rushing but he was, he was anxious to become a broker. Here is my advice to him:
John (not his real name),
My goal is to get you working as a successful freight broker agent.
I will tell you the truth, based on my experiences both good and bad. I will do what is best for you. (You Are My Customer).
That's how you treat your customers. You have to find a way to give more than you take.
Before you can succeed you have to know all you can inside and out about this business. Have you memorized all of the procedures of accounts payable, claims, accounts receivable, collections, sales, advertising, computers and phone systems, carrier relations, dispatching, prospect development, IT, Home office, legal entities, and creative marketing? Do you know how to work in the information age?
My girls tell me Artist are the Smartest and Readers are Leaders. I agree. Slow Down.
To get you working with a company as a Freight Broker Agent, you have to know your stuff.
You, as my student, have to get after it or these big brokers will not recruit from me anymore. LOL. Memorize that course on-line and do your part my friend.
Keep at it for six months. You are going too fast. I have that same problem myself. I get going fast, I want quick turn around from every one and everything.
Go get em! This is going to be a good year. Anyone working with me, please realize I have refused to take part in the recession. We have a choice; I have chosen not to
participate with the economic crybabies. I choose to use my abilities. God says if he gives talents to you and you don't use them then shame on you. We all got em. I promise.
Believe me, If I can do this, so can you. I am a little crazy, have ADHD and didn't graduate from high school. I own an on-line school and a live school and a freight broker agency.... GO FIGURE?
I did graduate from Abilene Christian University a few years later. I am telling you it weren't easy, I kept taking the same old algebra class until I memorized it. It took four times. If I'm lying, I'm dying. That's how I met my bride, Janis. She was my beautiful tutor in college. No wonder it took me seven years to get out. She was a great tutor but her looks were a bit distracting. LOL
Anyway, you are going to be fine. I appreciate your awesome attitude. So will the brokers I introduce to you.
Between your experience and our course – you’re going to be great in this industry. You will also learn about dispatching, how to run the back office of a brokerage,
Claims management, Legal issues. I assure you we only allow the best brokers to recruit agents from Brooke Transportation Training courses. I swear to them that I am going to give them serious agents. So my job is to make sure each one of my customers/students are really ready to succeed, make me proud and be an incredible addition to the freight brokerages that bring them on board.
I’m an agent for a large trucking company myself. I know what it takes because I live it every day.
God Bless you and your family.
Best Regards,
JR
Follow me on Facebook, twitter and MySpace
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
I see too many come into this wanting to find the short cut. I tell all my students to save 6 months worth of living expenses before you embark on this career. Give yourself time to build the business before you start making good money.
When you dig down into just about any “get rich story” you’ll find that the rich guy put in a lot of time finding his niche, building his empire and growing a support team before they found wealth.
I recently received an email from a student rushing through our online course. He didn’t think he was rushing but he was, he was anxious to become a broker. Here is my advice to him:
John (not his real name),
My goal is to get you working as a successful freight broker agent.
I will tell you the truth, based on my experiences both good and bad. I will do what is best for you. (You Are My Customer).
That's how you treat your customers. You have to find a way to give more than you take.
Before you can succeed you have to know all you can inside and out about this business. Have you memorized all of the procedures of accounts payable, claims, accounts receivable, collections, sales, advertising, computers and phone systems, carrier relations, dispatching, prospect development, IT, Home office, legal entities, and creative marketing? Do you know how to work in the information age?
My girls tell me Artist are the Smartest and Readers are Leaders. I agree. Slow Down.
To get you working with a company as a Freight Broker Agent, you have to know your stuff.
You, as my student, have to get after it or these big brokers will not recruit from me anymore. LOL. Memorize that course on-line and do your part my friend.
Keep at it for six months. You are going too fast. I have that same problem myself. I get going fast, I want quick turn around from every one and everything.
Go get em! This is going to be a good year. Anyone working with me, please realize I have refused to take part in the recession. We have a choice; I have chosen not to
participate with the economic crybabies. I choose to use my abilities. God says if he gives talents to you and you don't use them then shame on you. We all got em. I promise.
Believe me, If I can do this, so can you. I am a little crazy, have ADHD and didn't graduate from high school. I own an on-line school and a live school and a freight broker agency.... GO FIGURE?
I did graduate from Abilene Christian University a few years later. I am telling you it weren't easy, I kept taking the same old algebra class until I memorized it. It took four times. If I'm lying, I'm dying. That's how I met my bride, Janis. She was my beautiful tutor in college. No wonder it took me seven years to get out. She was a great tutor but her looks were a bit distracting. LOL
Anyway, you are going to be fine. I appreciate your awesome attitude. So will the brokers I introduce to you.
Between your experience and our course – you’re going to be great in this industry. You will also learn about dispatching, how to run the back office of a brokerage,
Claims management, Legal issues. I assure you we only allow the best brokers to recruit agents from Brooke Transportation Training courses. I swear to them that I am going to give them serious agents. So my job is to make sure each one of my customers/students are really ready to succeed, make me proud and be an incredible addition to the freight brokerages that bring them on board.
I’m an agent for a large trucking company myself. I know what it takes because I live it every day.
God Bless you and your family.
Best Regards,
JR
Follow me on Facebook, twitter and MySpace
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Need loads?
We’ve been working hard adding new features to our website. We’ve added an “available loads link”. Log on everyday to find loads that need to be moved.
Plus I am looking for hard working owner operators that want dedicated freight out of the midwest to Florida. If you are based out of the southeast or have customers there call me NOW: 817-897-0681. I would like to qualify you for a huge special project.
The great thing about transporting goods. No matter the state of the economy people need stuff. Companies need to get that stuff from their manufacturing plant to the distribution centers and to the stores or showrooms. That is where a freight broker comes in to save the day.
Gotta get back to work.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Plus I am looking for hard working owner operators that want dedicated freight out of the midwest to Florida. If you are based out of the southeast or have customers there call me NOW: 817-897-0681. I would like to qualify you for a huge special project.
The great thing about transporting goods. No matter the state of the economy people need stuff. Companies need to get that stuff from their manufacturing plant to the distribution centers and to the stores or showrooms. That is where a freight broker comes in to save the day.
Gotta get back to work.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Get Caught Doing Good
Do you believe what goes around comes around…you get what you give…you reap what you sow… I sure do and see evidence of that all around.
Something else I’ve come to know as truth is: the greatest things in life get handed to you when you are minding your own business doing something worthwhile.
Attitude is everything
Perseverance is a close second
Focus on progress not perfection.
Just show up for work and be grateful for the opportunity of each day.
If you are not working, then volunteer somewhere that you would work if money weren’t a factor.
I know an industrious guy named Ed who is in his 70's. He became “Head of Volunteers of America” after working with gusto in a volunteer position. He volunteers somewhere and the next time I talk with him, he has a great job there....
I found my oldest daughter while shoveling hay. I was volunteering in a barn at Christ Haven Children's Home. Working just as hard as me was a clever blond 8 year old named Brandi. While working she was telling me how she had lost her foster parents and was really sad. Well, that jerked at my heart a bit. This little girl had been in the children’s home most all of her life. We decided to be her “mentor” family but became much more than that. She is my special pride and joy. She is 20 years now and just gave me my first grand baby.
She sells insurance. She is a great sales person. Not because of some training or having me as a father. She is great in sales because she knows people everywhere we go. She has a great attitude. She is beautiful both inside and out and loves people. People just know she is out for their best interest. Brandi would never do a deal with anyone unless it was good for them
In this day and time, in any business, especially a service business we have to realize that not all people in the company have sales titles but all have a part in the sales process. A salesman might secure the account but anyone can lose a customer. Remember they are called customers for a reason. They need a service that we provide. They pay our bills and make our stock go up. Every moment with the customer by anyone is a moment of truth. Do we value this relationship enough to treat them the way we want to be treated? Have you walked out of the store when they had the product you wanted but the service and communication was horrible? I sure have.
In the world of selling, the best listeners make the best sales people. Remember to be
sincere in your interest. There is nothing more valuable to someone else's self-esteem than a sincere compliment and nothing more hurtful than false flattery. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honesty matters.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
become my friend on Facebook, follow my tweets and hear my daughter sing on myspace
Something else I’ve come to know as truth is: the greatest things in life get handed to you when you are minding your own business doing something worthwhile.
Attitude is everything
Perseverance is a close second
Focus on progress not perfection.
Just show up for work and be grateful for the opportunity of each day.
If you are not working, then volunteer somewhere that you would work if money weren’t a factor.
I know an industrious guy named Ed who is in his 70's. He became “Head of Volunteers of America” after working with gusto in a volunteer position. He volunteers somewhere and the next time I talk with him, he has a great job there....
I found my oldest daughter while shoveling hay. I was volunteering in a barn at Christ Haven Children's Home. Working just as hard as me was a clever blond 8 year old named Brandi. While working she was telling me how she had lost her foster parents and was really sad. Well, that jerked at my heart a bit. This little girl had been in the children’s home most all of her life. We decided to be her “mentor” family but became much more than that. She is my special pride and joy. She is 20 years now and just gave me my first grand baby.
She sells insurance. She is a great sales person. Not because of some training or having me as a father. She is great in sales because she knows people everywhere we go. She has a great attitude. She is beautiful both inside and out and loves people. People just know she is out for their best interest. Brandi would never do a deal with anyone unless it was good for them
In this day and time, in any business, especially a service business we have to realize that not all people in the company have sales titles but all have a part in the sales process. A salesman might secure the account but anyone can lose a customer. Remember they are called customers for a reason. They need a service that we provide. They pay our bills and make our stock go up. Every moment with the customer by anyone is a moment of truth. Do we value this relationship enough to treat them the way we want to be treated? Have you walked out of the store when they had the product you wanted but the service and communication was horrible? I sure have.
In the world of selling, the best listeners make the best sales people. Remember to be
sincere in your interest. There is nothing more valuable to someone else's self-esteem than a sincere compliment and nothing more hurtful than false flattery. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honesty matters.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
become my friend on Facebook, follow my tweets and hear my daughter sing on myspace
What I learned
This week I spent the week in the Midwest. I got trained instead of training others. I will begin working with a company I worked with 17 years ago when my baby Amanda was born. Brooke Training will continue on as always.
Here are a few things I learned this week:
The government is passing laws intending to make roads safer what those laws actually do is cost all of us more money for the products we buy.
Truck drivers are in high demand, capacity is as tight as ever but I still managed to bring some freight on because of my relationship with a great guy who does business the way we teach at Brooke Transportation Training Systems, with honesty and communication.
I am amazed at the technology being used. Bill Gates said in the book THE ROAD AHEAD,"THOSE THAT HAVE THE INFORMATION PEOPLE WANT AND THOSE THAT CAN GET IT TO THE PEOPLE WILL BE THE ONES THAT CREATE WEALTH IN THE FUTURE. Well the future is here. Getting out information is why I started blogging.
The company I am working with now has gone green primarily by going paperless and has won many awards for it. It is amazing.
Zig Ziglar says, “you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. The company I spent the last week with does just that.
Never stop learning. I am humbled by how much I can learn even after 20 plus years in the business. I am impressed with those
corporate warriors who don't just talk about hard work but do it.
I was told by the CEO...
1. Make sure you enjoy going to work every day
2. Make sure you enjoy coming home.
Think about that....He brought me in his office and after 15 plus years that was his advice and he assured me that he was there to help me achieve my goals. How awesome. I feel like I went home.
Don't be scared to go get business and find your carriers. Always remember somebody is moving that freight. Might as well be you....or me...LOL.
Also take some time to get to know your shippers and your carriers. Educate and be an advocate for both. The future is what you make it and I am happy to say that I am excited about
helping people who want to get in this industry or are already in this industry.
Midwest folks are down to earth hard working people. It was an honor to spend a week with them....
It was wonderful to see some old friends from 17 years ago. The people are kind, wise and really are the smartest guys in the business.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.transportationtraining.com
Here are a few things I learned this week:
The government is passing laws intending to make roads safer what those laws actually do is cost all of us more money for the products we buy.
Truck drivers are in high demand, capacity is as tight as ever but I still managed to bring some freight on because of my relationship with a great guy who does business the way we teach at Brooke Transportation Training Systems, with honesty and communication.
I am amazed at the technology being used. Bill Gates said in the book THE ROAD AHEAD,"THOSE THAT HAVE THE INFORMATION PEOPLE WANT AND THOSE THAT CAN GET IT TO THE PEOPLE WILL BE THE ONES THAT CREATE WEALTH IN THE FUTURE. Well the future is here. Getting out information is why I started blogging.
The company I am working with now has gone green primarily by going paperless and has won many awards for it. It is amazing.
Zig Ziglar says, “you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. The company I spent the last week with does just that.
Never stop learning. I am humbled by how much I can learn even after 20 plus years in the business. I am impressed with those
corporate warriors who don't just talk about hard work but do it.
I was told by the CEO...
1. Make sure you enjoy going to work every day
2. Make sure you enjoy coming home.
Think about that....He brought me in his office and after 15 plus years that was his advice and he assured me that he was there to help me achieve my goals. How awesome. I feel like I went home.
Don't be scared to go get business and find your carriers. Always remember somebody is moving that freight. Might as well be you....or me...LOL.
Also take some time to get to know your shippers and your carriers. Educate and be an advocate for both. The future is what you make it and I am happy to say that I am excited about
helping people who want to get in this industry or are already in this industry.
Midwest folks are down to earth hard working people. It was an honor to spend a week with them....
It was wonderful to see some old friends from 17 years ago. The people are kind, wise and really are the smartest guys in the business.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
www.transportationtraining.com
Be Indispensable
Just read this article by Mitchell York of About.com where he reviewed Seth Godin’s take on How Entrepreneurs Can be Indispensable. I love that idea. I don’t want to be a go to guy in emergencies, I want to be an integral part of my customer’s business. I’m gonna work extra hard on every load to make sure I get the job done right. Here are some excerpts. To read the whole article and for more info on Seth and Mitchell go to:
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/interviews/a/An-Interview-with-Seth-Godin-on-Being-Indispensable.htm
Seth Godin is the best-selling author of books on marketing. He writes the most-read marketing blog on the Internet at SethGodin.com.
His new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? lays out the problem of work and entrepreneurship in the 21st century, and what we can do about it.
The problem: people are frustrated and angry because of how the Internet has changed the world. We grew up being compliant, cogs in a vast system that rewards people for doing what they're told, Seth says. That "we" includes corporate managers, laborers and business owners. It was easy to satisfy the RFP, to be dependable as a service provider. But because of the Internet and its leveling effect on competition, "we now know what exceptional looks like" in a worldwide marketplace. "The only people we are going to pay extra to are people who don't follow instructions, but who make up instructions; who don't just do what they are told but who do art, and change the game."
Many people, whether employees or business owners, have trouble with change because it's scary. We are all really busy, but shy away from the "emotional labor" that allows us to be truly productive. We troubleshoot, react to hundreds of daily emails, and let events control our calendars. Our high level of activity feels good at some level, but it's really a darker force at work, what Seth calls "the resistance" -- the fear that emanates from deep inside our brain and keeps us from taking the risk of thinking bigger.
The solution: Learn how to be a game-changer, a linchpin. Take 15 minutes to get the concepts down, then read the book. Then give it to all your customers and employees.
Now that gives me something to think about.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/interviews/a/An-Interview-with-Seth-Godin-on-Being-Indispensable.htm
Seth Godin is the best-selling author of books on marketing. He writes the most-read marketing blog on the Internet at SethGodin.com.
His new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? lays out the problem of work and entrepreneurship in the 21st century, and what we can do about it.
The problem: people are frustrated and angry because of how the Internet has changed the world. We grew up being compliant, cogs in a vast system that rewards people for doing what they're told, Seth says. That "we" includes corporate managers, laborers and business owners. It was easy to satisfy the RFP, to be dependable as a service provider. But because of the Internet and its leveling effect on competition, "we now know what exceptional looks like" in a worldwide marketplace. "The only people we are going to pay extra to are people who don't follow instructions, but who make up instructions; who don't just do what they are told but who do art, and change the game."
Many people, whether employees or business owners, have trouble with change because it's scary. We are all really busy, but shy away from the "emotional labor" that allows us to be truly productive. We troubleshoot, react to hundreds of daily emails, and let events control our calendars. Our high level of activity feels good at some level, but it's really a darker force at work, what Seth calls "the resistance" -- the fear that emanates from deep inside our brain and keeps us from taking the risk of thinking bigger.
The solution: Learn how to be a game-changer, a linchpin. Take 15 minutes to get the concepts down, then read the book. Then give it to all your customers and employees.
Now that gives me something to think about.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Facebook Fans
I have been very busy working in this dynamic business of transportation. To keep in better touch with clients, students, friends and associates I have started dabbling with the social media. Check out BTTS facebook page, become a friend and stay in the know.
I'll post about class opportunities as well as what I've been busy with of late. We are in the process of putting available loads up on our site along with an email sign up.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you opportunities and inspiration as well as educational updates to the BTTS training course.
If you've not taken our course take a moment and read some of the testimonials on our website. We have live classes monthly, a online course through pajama learning to start at any time as well as customized training and coaching.
I've truly enjoyed working in the freight broker industry for 3 decades (does that date me?) I've learned alot along the way. The best way I know to show my gratitude is to give back by helping those new to this exciting industry.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
I'll post about class opportunities as well as what I've been busy with of late. We are in the process of putting available loads up on our site along with an email sign up.
Sign up for our email and we'll send you opportunities and inspiration as well as educational updates to the BTTS training course.
If you've not taken our course take a moment and read some of the testimonials on our website. We have live classes monthly, a online course through pajama learning to start at any time as well as customized training and coaching.
I've truly enjoyed working in the freight broker industry for 3 decades (does that date me?) I've learned alot along the way. The best way I know to show my gratitude is to give back by helping those new to this exciting industry.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
How to Select a Freight Broker
Hallelujah, you just landed a big client that will double your manufacturing output. But your current freight provider can’t handle the extra loads. What do you do? Several freight brokers have called you in the past but you don’t know anything about them or how they operate.
Why consider a freight broker in the first place? They don’t own their own trucks so what are the benefits?
Because covering loads for their clients and managing shipments from pick-up to delivery are a freight brokers’ number one full time job. That’s all they do. So they are experts: experts on routing, experts on lane rates, experts on areas and regions of the country, experts on the intricacies of shipping different types of commodities and on different types of equipment. Unlike an actual trucking company who only has access to their own trucks, freight brokers have access to thousands of carriers and trucks. It is a freight broker’s job to know where there are available trucks. This is extremely helpful in getting short notice spot freight picked up on time. Freight brokerages typically carry additional cargo insurance that will help protect your loads should there be a claim.
Now, how to do you select the right one that fits your business?
Conduct the same type of due diligence you would with any other vendor. No matter how great a sales job you did, if you don’t deliver the product you have an unhappy customer. You can’t trust the load with just anybody. Unfortunately there are some unsavory and unethical freight brokers out there, and even worse…there are scam artists that will take your load, send you a bill, find a truck and run off with the money never paying the hardworking driver that delivered the freight. Your left holding the bag.
Here’s how to conduct that due diligence to ensure you select the best freight broker.
1. Check any freight broker’s authority documents and bond and make sure that the names and address on all documents match. If they don’t match it may be a scam.
2. Ask them about, and check their experience and reputation. How long have they been in business? Are they truly that expert you need or are they new to the game? Do they have any specializations? Are they members of industry associations, or have they won any awards for service?
3. Ask them about their size, as it does make a difference. The bigger they are the more they’ve already proven themselves to be trustworthy AND they have access to many more available trucks.
4. Ask them about their financial stability. Ask them what their credit worthiness ratings are and make sure to ask them how they pay the carriers they work with. Do they pay carriers fast or do they wait for you to pay your bill first? If they aren’t paying the trucks fast it’s a red flag.
5. Ask and investigate their attitude towards ethics and integrity. Will they always do the right thing? How do they treat the hard working drivers?
6. Ask them about their operations. Do they offer a single point of contact or are you left with dealing with “whoever” answers the phone? Do they have operations open 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays? Lastly do they have robust technology to aid in the tracking and managing of the freight as it’s on the road?
7. Most importantly ask your freight broker how they communicate. Are you left wondering what’s going on with your freight or are they keeping you updated every step of the way? Lack of communication and information indicates a freight broker really isn’t managing your shipment.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Why consider a freight broker in the first place? They don’t own their own trucks so what are the benefits?
Because covering loads for their clients and managing shipments from pick-up to delivery are a freight brokers’ number one full time job. That’s all they do. So they are experts: experts on routing, experts on lane rates, experts on areas and regions of the country, experts on the intricacies of shipping different types of commodities and on different types of equipment. Unlike an actual trucking company who only has access to their own trucks, freight brokers have access to thousands of carriers and trucks. It is a freight broker’s job to know where there are available trucks. This is extremely helpful in getting short notice spot freight picked up on time. Freight brokerages typically carry additional cargo insurance that will help protect your loads should there be a claim.
Now, how to do you select the right one that fits your business?
Conduct the same type of due diligence you would with any other vendor. No matter how great a sales job you did, if you don’t deliver the product you have an unhappy customer. You can’t trust the load with just anybody. Unfortunately there are some unsavory and unethical freight brokers out there, and even worse…there are scam artists that will take your load, send you a bill, find a truck and run off with the money never paying the hardworking driver that delivered the freight. Your left holding the bag.
Here’s how to conduct that due diligence to ensure you select the best freight broker.
1. Check any freight broker’s authority documents and bond and make sure that the names and address on all documents match. If they don’t match it may be a scam.
2. Ask them about, and check their experience and reputation. How long have they been in business? Are they truly that expert you need or are they new to the game? Do they have any specializations? Are they members of industry associations, or have they won any awards for service?
3. Ask them about their size, as it does make a difference. The bigger they are the more they’ve already proven themselves to be trustworthy AND they have access to many more available trucks.
4. Ask them about their financial stability. Ask them what their credit worthiness ratings are and make sure to ask them how they pay the carriers they work with. Do they pay carriers fast or do they wait for you to pay your bill first? If they aren’t paying the trucks fast it’s a red flag.
5. Ask and investigate their attitude towards ethics and integrity. Will they always do the right thing? How do they treat the hard working drivers?
6. Ask them about their operations. Do they offer a single point of contact or are you left with dealing with “whoever” answers the phone? Do they have operations open 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays? Lastly do they have robust technology to aid in the tracking and managing of the freight as it’s on the road?
7. Most importantly ask your freight broker how they communicate. Are you left wondering what’s going on with your freight or are they keeping you updated every step of the way? Lack of communication and information indicates a freight broker really isn’t managing your shipment.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
What Age is Old?
This story was sent to me by a former student of Brooke Training who has become a great friend as well. My desire is to not only teach the skills needed to succeed in the transportation industry but also inspire others to live everyday as a gift, just like Rose:
My Name is Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being .
She said, 'Hi handsome My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze.
'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.
She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'
'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age..
'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor..
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.'
She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose..'
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
My Name is Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being .
She said, 'Hi handsome My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze.
'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.
She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'
'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age..
'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor..
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.'
She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose..'
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
The Grads Tell all
I just received a bunch of comments from the latest group of soon to be freight brokers who took our basic course. I appreciate all our instructors who month after month do an excellent job imparting lots of invaluable knowledge to our students. I have the privledge of talking with many who call in to enroll in our course. I am confidant when I talk with them that they will get much out of the course because of all the graduates comments like these.
Testimonials 4/2010
Great learning environment. Very in depth on load boards and their functions. I feel very comfortable with all the sales techniques. This class will help me and everyone else who takes the class succeed in the future. E. Villarreal
Learned a lot about the freight broker business in a short few days. N. Tran
Great training source for would be broker agents with no previous experience. – V. Marquez
Enjoyed the class that teaches you so much. Really got down to the nuts and bolts of how this business operates. Jeff was really able to answer all our questions. He went out of his way to teach us as much as possible. S. Magallones
Plenty of useful information for anyone to succeed in this industry.
Class was very informative and easily comprehensible
Great job Jeff.
Thank you for all the info. – Tyler P.
I learned a lot of detail about freight being moved and what a freight broker does. I didn’t think I would learn that much. I believe this training will help me succeed in this field. Natalie P.-V
Join us for a live course or online.
Moving forward
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Testimonials 4/2010
Great learning environment. Very in depth on load boards and their functions. I feel very comfortable with all the sales techniques. This class will help me and everyone else who takes the class succeed in the future. E. Villarreal
Learned a lot about the freight broker business in a short few days. N. Tran
Great training source for would be broker agents with no previous experience. – V. Marquez
Enjoyed the class that teaches you so much. Really got down to the nuts and bolts of how this business operates. Jeff was really able to answer all our questions. He went out of his way to teach us as much as possible. S. Magallones
Plenty of useful information for anyone to succeed in this industry.
Class was very informative and easily comprehensible
Great job Jeff.
Thank you for all the info. – Tyler P.
I learned a lot of detail about freight being moved and what a freight broker does. I didn’t think I would learn that much. I believe this training will help me succeed in this field. Natalie P.-V
Join us for a live course or online.
Moving forward
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Hard Working Freight Broker
In an up market, making money is easy. In a down time you have to work harder. You have to manage - not get managed. A broker is like a quarterback - He or She is in charge while doing business. You better know the play-book and how it works. That's what we teach at Brooke Transportation Training.
Transportation management is critical to the shipper. As a broker, you must manage risk and manage cost while providing quality service and communication. Those are the elements that make you invaluable to your customer.
The freight broker is also critical to the carrier/ owner operator because you can find them residual freight that pays well enough for them to make a profit.
The Guy at the top of the billion dollar companies cares about his people, planning and the numbers on his profit and loss as well as balance sheet. Help him any way you can by keeping his people happy and working the numbers for profitability.
The goal is to get everyone educated, build solid relationships based on trust and communication. Bring character back into this industry, not characters.
Come and Get Some Education then educate your carriers and shippers. This is a very serious situation. This industry is thirsty for respect. We must stop the bleeding and get to work making things equitable to the shipper, the carrier/owner operator and to the freight brokers/agents. Let's lead the way by how we do business.
Plus, to all the new people in this industry - integrity is an advantage. Just learn and do business the right way. You will find great carriers and great shippers.
Just keep on working. Faith enables and Fear disables.
I have faith that everything will be fine.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Transportation management is critical to the shipper. As a broker, you must manage risk and manage cost while providing quality service and communication. Those are the elements that make you invaluable to your customer.
The freight broker is also critical to the carrier/ owner operator because you can find them residual freight that pays well enough for them to make a profit.
The Guy at the top of the billion dollar companies cares about his people, planning and the numbers on his profit and loss as well as balance sheet. Help him any way you can by keeping his people happy and working the numbers for profitability.
The goal is to get everyone educated, build solid relationships based on trust and communication. Bring character back into this industry, not characters.
Come and Get Some Education then educate your carriers and shippers. This is a very serious situation. This industry is thirsty for respect. We must stop the bleeding and get to work making things equitable to the shipper, the carrier/owner operator and to the freight brokers/agents. Let's lead the way by how we do business.
Plus, to all the new people in this industry - integrity is an advantage. Just learn and do business the right way. You will find great carriers and great shippers.
Just keep on working. Faith enables and Fear disables.
I have faith that everything will be fine.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Tough Times for Brokers
I read an article by Rip Watson about the high bankruptcy rate among freight brokers in Transport Topics. I try to focus on positives not negatives but the reality is that the economy has been tough on most entrepreneurs. I truly believe greatness can arise out of tough times. A while back I blogged about how many incredibly successful businesses were birthed during the Great Depression. What we’ve been going through is nothing compared to then.
I imagine most freight brokers would have had a fighting chance had they gone through my course. I’m not being boastful I’m just looking at successful brokers. When my instructors aren’t instructors they are brokers and they are doing well. Very well. This is why training is so important. This is why the military trains every day for a mission.
The more you learn the more you earn. I have consulted with brokers who are putting out unreal numbers and I can honestly say they have happy customers and happy carriers. I was amazed at the gross margin numbers every day.
I believe in any market place - The guy who knows the most, who is the most informed and the most connected to the industry will be the last business standing. Standing pretty tall I may add.
Learn to negotiate. The good news is we can learn anything. If you don't like where you are in life, change it. Change starts in your brain. What you put in your brain everyday affects your actions. After you fill your brain with great stuff …Take action.
My online course is in 2300 schools and universities and my freight broker / agent course is in 4 states and is more important to you now than ever. Our training teaches a proven process towards success for a broker. Our course is filled with motivation. And in our course you’ll meet others that will help spur you on.
More on Monday.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
I imagine most freight brokers would have had a fighting chance had they gone through my course. I’m not being boastful I’m just looking at successful brokers. When my instructors aren’t instructors they are brokers and they are doing well. Very well. This is why training is so important. This is why the military trains every day for a mission.
The more you learn the more you earn. I have consulted with brokers who are putting out unreal numbers and I can honestly say they have happy customers and happy carriers. I was amazed at the gross margin numbers every day.
I believe in any market place - The guy who knows the most, who is the most informed and the most connected to the industry will be the last business standing. Standing pretty tall I may add.
Learn to negotiate. The good news is we can learn anything. If you don't like where you are in life, change it. Change starts in your brain. What you put in your brain everyday affects your actions. After you fill your brain with great stuff …Take action.
My online course is in 2300 schools and universities and my freight broker / agent course is in 4 states and is more important to you now than ever. Our training teaches a proven process towards success for a broker. Our course is filled with motivation. And in our course you’ll meet others that will help spur you on.
More on Monday.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Feeling Maudy?
To the Christian today is Maudy Thursday, a remembrance of Jesus last Passover supper with his disciples. He gave new meaning to Passover supper. Jesus was called the lamb of God whose blood was sacrificed so all could live. Christians celebrate the Lord’s supper with bread that represents Christ’s body and wine or grape juice representing His blood. The next day Jesus would be crucified on Good Friday. The greatest good ever done in all of history was done that Friday. He was the final sacrificial lamb
"Maundy" comes from the Latin word for "command." In the context of Maundy Thursday, it refers to the commandment Jesus gave us to love one another. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his brother.
Our society is very fast pace, there’s always something to do. Slow down and reflect on your beliefs and the significance of today.
One of the great things about being my own boss is I can kick it into slow gear for a day of celebration and reflection if I choose.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
"Maundy" comes from the Latin word for "command." In the context of Maundy Thursday, it refers to the commandment Jesus gave us to love one another. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his brother.
Our society is very fast pace, there’s always something to do. Slow down and reflect on your beliefs and the significance of today.
One of the great things about being my own boss is I can kick it into slow gear for a day of celebration and reflection if I choose.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Tapping into Grant Money
In an effort to get people back to work a lot of new government programs have been developed. There is grant money available for career training. Many of our students are able to take advantage of such programs to pay for their freight broker training. We do not get the grants for our students but we have been paid with grant money. So if you are thinking about training to become a freight broker or another career option available through pajamalearning.biz do a little research on the availability of grant money for education. Do an online search. Many churches now have jobs ministries like H.O.P. E. (helping others procure employment) that help individuals find the money for training as well as give help with interviewing skills, resume writing and more.
As you work to prepare for work consider a combination of online as well as live learning. In our school students often take our live courses for two weeks then take the online course for 6 months. The combo gives you a very solid education in the transportation industry and freight brokering.
.
Being a freight broker is similar to being in real estate or insurance. You are your own boss. You can choose to go it alone or you can work as an agent for an established freight broker. Just like an insurance agent might be independent or work under State Farm. Owning a brokerage and bringing on agents makes a lot of sense and is how brokers are seeing explosive growth. These agents create AR. Your fixed cost as a broker are minimal. And the pay is 100% commission.
Entrepreneurs do great as freight brokers agent. The costs to start up are a lot less than a franchise but as an agent you have the support of a freight broker.
Give us a call if you have any questions.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
As you work to prepare for work consider a combination of online as well as live learning. In our school students often take our live courses for two weeks then take the online course for 6 months. The combo gives you a very solid education in the transportation industry and freight brokering.
.
Being a freight broker is similar to being in real estate or insurance. You are your own boss. You can choose to go it alone or you can work as an agent for an established freight broker. Just like an insurance agent might be independent or work under State Farm. Owning a brokerage and bringing on agents makes a lot of sense and is how brokers are seeing explosive growth. These agents create AR. Your fixed cost as a broker are minimal. And the pay is 100% commission.
Entrepreneurs do great as freight brokers agent. The costs to start up are a lot less than a franchise but as an agent you have the support of a freight broker.
Give us a call if you have any questions.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Be a DaVinci
Leonardo DaVinci was an incredibly imaginative artist, creator, and inventor. He had a personality blend that exists in only 10% of the population. When you look through lists of wildly successful entrepreneurs you find this same personality merging. I found this personality test on the Internet that determines if a person has this innate style. Take a minute to take the 10-question test. Order the book if you’d like. I have no tie to Garret LoPorto, the author of the Davinci Method, I just relate to much of the personality he outlines.
I have seen all types of personalities come through our freight broker training. We teach a method that anyone can use to develop a successful career as a freight broker entrepreneur. The most successful have many of these DaVinci personality traits.
Anyone can play it safe through life but I find excitement is found when you reach beyond yourself and try things that cause you some fear.
We’d love to see you in class soon or online. Freight Brokering is an exciting fast passed career full of challenges and rewards. Our instructors not only teach you the hows but also are great at inspiring students to push themselves to success.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
Live course: www.brooketraining.com
Online course: www.justintimefreight.com
P.S. Take advantage of the TWO for ONE tax time special now through the end of April. With every paid student, one gets in free. Bring your partner, spouse or friend.
I have seen all types of personalities come through our freight broker training. We teach a method that anyone can use to develop a successful career as a freight broker entrepreneur. The most successful have many of these DaVinci personality traits.
Anyone can play it safe through life but I find excitement is found when you reach beyond yourself and try things that cause you some fear.
We’d love to see you in class soon or online. Freight Brokering is an exciting fast passed career full of challenges and rewards. Our instructors not only teach you the hows but also are great at inspiring students to push themselves to success.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
Live course: www.brooketraining.com
Online course: www.justintimefreight.com
P.S. Take advantage of the TWO for ONE tax time special now through the end of April. With every paid student, one gets in free. Bring your partner, spouse or friend.
Learn Freight Brokering Special
Tax time special: Two for One!!
Get trained to succeed as a freight broker and bring someone along for free. As a tax time incentive we are offering our excellent live freight broker course at two for the price of one. Come and bring your partner, wife or another to any of our locations in this month and April to learn our proven method for becoming a successful freight broker both for the cost of one. Here our the dates and locations of our upcoming courses
March 22-26 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
April 12-16 (Jacksonville, FL)
April 19-23 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
April 19-23 (Ontario, CA)
Call today to sign up (214) 206-1169 or go online to www.transportationtraining.com
No matter the state of the economy there is a need for freight brokers to get products transported from manufacturers to the end user market. Learn how to succeed in this fast paced and interesting world of freight.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
Get trained to succeed as a freight broker and bring someone along for free. As a tax time incentive we are offering our excellent live freight broker course at two for the price of one. Come and bring your partner, wife or another to any of our locations in this month and April to learn our proven method for becoming a successful freight broker both for the cost of one. Here our the dates and locations of our upcoming courses
March 22-26 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
April 12-16 (Jacksonville, FL)
April 19-23 (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
April 19-23 (Ontario, CA)
Call today to sign up (214) 206-1169 or go online to www.transportationtraining.com
No matter the state of the economy there is a need for freight brokers to get products transported from manufacturers to the end user market. Learn how to succeed in this fast paced and interesting world of freight.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
I want to be a goat farmer
What do you know about how other people spend their day? Mitchell York gives us great insight into the agricultural experience. I want to be a goat farmer how about you? Mitchell's article give great insight into this "free spirited" life.
By Mitchell York, About.com Guide to Entrepreneurs
These Entrepreneurs Move their Own Cheese
Saturday February 27, 2010
Emily and Michael
I first met Emily Sunderman when we both worked at CMP Media, a publishing company on Long Island, in the 1990s. She was a business analyst and a great person. We both moved on and I hadn't heard of her again until I stumbled upon her online. Wouldn't you know it, she and her husband, Michael Lee, are entrepreneurs. Their cheese-making business, Twig Farm, is based in Cornwall, Vermont. We reconnected and she and Michael were gracious enough to take time away from the goats to answer some questions about their entrepreneurial journey. I told Emily before she answered these questions that, looking at her website, I wanted to be a cheese farmer in Vermont just like her! After our interview, that fantasy hasn't changed. Thanks Emily and Michael, and continued success!
What has been your greatest success as entrepreneurs? And your biggest failure?
Biggest failure first. We tried raising buck kids for the Easter market this Spring--hundreds of hours of labor, lots of purchased feed, and we lost our shirts at the livestock auction. Live and learn. Greatest success is we make a good product that we're proud of and that people need, or at least want, very much.
What advice do you have for would be executive-to-farmer entrepreneurs?
Animals don't take weekends, holidays, or two weeks paid vacation. There aren't very many people who want to work Christmas so you can drive to Auntie's.
When I went to your website, my reaction was, "I wish I was a goat cheese farmer!" It looks so idyllic. What's it really like to be in the cheese-making business in Vermont?
It's a lot of fun doing one shitty job after another-sort of a definition of farming. If you know that to begin with, it makes it all a lot easier. Specifically to the cheese-making side of things, we're part of a friendly community that rarely sees one another. We make a ridiculously small quantity of cheese, and have gotten very good at saying, "We don't have any more cheese to sell you" in lots of very gentle ways.
Why did you get into this business, and what were your goals when you started in 2005?
I don't remember.
How have your outlook and goals evolved since then?
We have a goal to take a family vacation next year.
What's a typical day like?
Michael gets up at 4:45 to set up to milk the goats. By around 5:15 he gone out-this time of year wearing a headlamp as it is dark-to find the goats in the pasture and lead them to the milking parlor. Milking and cleaning up are complete by around 7:30 and then Michael gets the milk into the cheese vat to start warming up. We have breakfast together around 8:00 then chase down shoes for our toddler. Michael drives our three year old son Carter to day care and Emily starts email and telecommuting at her job as a web traffic analyst. The cheese is usually ready to stir when Michael gets back from daycare drop-off and the cheese made is usually in the molds by lunch time. We generally have cheese sandwiches together at noon. After lunch Emily goes back to web traffic and Michael moves fences for the next pasture rotation or some other regular farm chore. Michael sets up milk around 3:30 and is done with afternoon milking and clean up around 5:45. Emily goes to pick up Carter from daycare at 5 and is back around 5:45 and we cook dinner and play at being pirates or firefighters. After dinner the cheese is usually ready to move to the brining process in our walk-in cooler, so Michael moves the process along. We take turns putting Carter to bed, and then read the New Yorker and do email before turning in for the night.
Has the larger economy (oil prices, feed prices etc) affected your business and if so how have you adjusted your strategy?
Yes-feed has doubled in price since we started four years ago. We've raised our prices a little and are now buying milk from other farms as well so we can make bigger batches of cheese.
What do you love most about your business?
No boss!
What do you like least about your business, or hate most, if you feel that way?
It is no fun when an animal gets sick and neither we nor the vet can make them better.
Michael does cheese-making, Emily does marketing and web support. Who does everything else? Do you two do it all?
Emily looks after the bookkeeping and marketing. We have a high school student that helps us on Sunday mornings with packaging cheese for shipment. We also have help with milking on Saturday mornings when Michael sells cheese at farmer's market and on Sunday afternoons so we can have family time. Michael takes care of the animals and makes and ages the cheese, and everything else.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.freightbrokertraining.com (see our new look!)
www.pajamalearning.biz
By Mitchell York, About.com Guide to Entrepreneurs
These Entrepreneurs Move their Own Cheese
Saturday February 27, 2010
Emily and Michael
I first met Emily Sunderman when we both worked at CMP Media, a publishing company on Long Island, in the 1990s. She was a business analyst and a great person. We both moved on and I hadn't heard of her again until I stumbled upon her online. Wouldn't you know it, she and her husband, Michael Lee, are entrepreneurs. Their cheese-making business, Twig Farm, is based in Cornwall, Vermont. We reconnected and she and Michael were gracious enough to take time away from the goats to answer some questions about their entrepreneurial journey. I told Emily before she answered these questions that, looking at her website, I wanted to be a cheese farmer in Vermont just like her! After our interview, that fantasy hasn't changed. Thanks Emily and Michael, and continued success!
What has been your greatest success as entrepreneurs? And your biggest failure?
Biggest failure first. We tried raising buck kids for the Easter market this Spring--hundreds of hours of labor, lots of purchased feed, and we lost our shirts at the livestock auction. Live and learn. Greatest success is we make a good product that we're proud of and that people need, or at least want, very much.
What advice do you have for would be executive-to-farmer entrepreneurs?
Animals don't take weekends, holidays, or two weeks paid vacation. There aren't very many people who want to work Christmas so you can drive to Auntie's.
When I went to your website, my reaction was, "I wish I was a goat cheese farmer!" It looks so idyllic. What's it really like to be in the cheese-making business in Vermont?
It's a lot of fun doing one shitty job after another-sort of a definition of farming. If you know that to begin with, it makes it all a lot easier. Specifically to the cheese-making side of things, we're part of a friendly community that rarely sees one another. We make a ridiculously small quantity of cheese, and have gotten very good at saying, "We don't have any more cheese to sell you" in lots of very gentle ways.
Why did you get into this business, and what were your goals when you started in 2005?
I don't remember.
How have your outlook and goals evolved since then?
We have a goal to take a family vacation next year.
What's a typical day like?
Michael gets up at 4:45 to set up to milk the goats. By around 5:15 he gone out-this time of year wearing a headlamp as it is dark-to find the goats in the pasture and lead them to the milking parlor. Milking and cleaning up are complete by around 7:30 and then Michael gets the milk into the cheese vat to start warming up. We have breakfast together around 8:00 then chase down shoes for our toddler. Michael drives our three year old son Carter to day care and Emily starts email and telecommuting at her job as a web traffic analyst. The cheese is usually ready to stir when Michael gets back from daycare drop-off and the cheese made is usually in the molds by lunch time. We generally have cheese sandwiches together at noon. After lunch Emily goes back to web traffic and Michael moves fences for the next pasture rotation or some other regular farm chore. Michael sets up milk around 3:30 and is done with afternoon milking and clean up around 5:45. Emily goes to pick up Carter from daycare at 5 and is back around 5:45 and we cook dinner and play at being pirates or firefighters. After dinner the cheese is usually ready to move to the brining process in our walk-in cooler, so Michael moves the process along. We take turns putting Carter to bed, and then read the New Yorker and do email before turning in for the night.
Has the larger economy (oil prices, feed prices etc) affected your business and if so how have you adjusted your strategy?
Yes-feed has doubled in price since we started four years ago. We've raised our prices a little and are now buying milk from other farms as well so we can make bigger batches of cheese.
What do you love most about your business?
No boss!
What do you like least about your business, or hate most, if you feel that way?
It is no fun when an animal gets sick and neither we nor the vet can make them better.
Michael does cheese-making, Emily does marketing and web support. Who does everything else? Do you two do it all?
Emily looks after the bookkeeping and marketing. We have a high school student that helps us on Sunday mornings with packaging cheese for shipment. We also have help with milking on Saturday mornings when Michael sells cheese at farmer's market and on Sunday afternoons so we can have family time. Michael takes care of the animals and makes and ages the cheese, and everything else.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.freightbrokertraining.com (see our new look!)
www.pajamalearning.biz
Freight Broker Class in Session
Drake Silver is the main instructor for our live freight broker training class this week in Dallas. We are privileged to have him. Here’s a bit of his resume:
Drake Sliver, instructor of the Freight Broker Training course in Dallas, has had trucking and transportation in his sights since the age of 3 years old when his family first moved to Dayton, Ohio. The moving truck, with all of the gear shifts, gauges and sounds, held a great deal of intrigue. Eighteen years later, it would be Drake, with chauffeur’s license in hand who would pilot tractor-trailers locally and coast to coast. Some 35 years later, his transportation experience would encompass driving, dispatching, freight brokerage, VP of Fleet Maintenance, Logistics Manager, fleet owner, President/CEO and head of several brokerage start-ups and agent programs.
He has always used means and methods to reduce cost, increase efficiency while increasing revenues. Motivation, mentoring and teaching others sales and business development are a natural fit for him, As a manager and recruiter of agent prospects, he has taken fledgling companies to prosperity using his skills to develop agents networks producing over $20 million in revenues annually.
He openly shares information and processes with those individuals and companies who need guidance in developing their business, and also believes that coaching people in their personal lives that tie so closely with their business lives. Individuals who work in the transportation field know that work and personal life are a delicate balance because of the 24/7 nature of the business.
Drake believes in encouraging people to be the best that they can be bother personally and professionally.
An avid photographer and film preservationist, Drake also spends free time golfing, mountain biking and hiking.
Students enjoy learning from a pro. Be sure to ask him lots of questions and make the most of this opportunity to gleen from the best.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Drake Sliver, instructor of the Freight Broker Training course in Dallas, has had trucking and transportation in his sights since the age of 3 years old when his family first moved to Dayton, Ohio. The moving truck, with all of the gear shifts, gauges and sounds, held a great deal of intrigue. Eighteen years later, it would be Drake, with chauffeur’s license in hand who would pilot tractor-trailers locally and coast to coast. Some 35 years later, his transportation experience would encompass driving, dispatching, freight brokerage, VP of Fleet Maintenance, Logistics Manager, fleet owner, President/CEO and head of several brokerage start-ups and agent programs.
He has always used means and methods to reduce cost, increase efficiency while increasing revenues. Motivation, mentoring and teaching others sales and business development are a natural fit for him, As a manager and recruiter of agent prospects, he has taken fledgling companies to prosperity using his skills to develop agents networks producing over $20 million in revenues annually.
He openly shares information and processes with those individuals and companies who need guidance in developing their business, and also believes that coaching people in their personal lives that tie so closely with their business lives. Individuals who work in the transportation field know that work and personal life are a delicate balance because of the 24/7 nature of the business.
Drake believes in encouraging people to be the best that they can be bother personally and professionally.
An avid photographer and film preservationist, Drake also spends free time golfing, mountain biking and hiking.
Students enjoy learning from a pro. Be sure to ask him lots of questions and make the most of this opportunity to gleen from the best.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.justintimefreight.com
www.transportationtraining.com
Thanks Graduates
Here's what a few of our recent graduates from our Charlotte, North Carolina class had to say about their experience at Brooke Transportation Training Solutions:
Instruction here is straightforward and easy to comprehend. I like the personalized atmosphere, which made it possible to take the time to think of any questions or problems, that you want to have explained. Also this course includes motivational factors which leave you felling like you are ready to take on the competition and become successful in this field. Doug Reel
Prior to taking this class I had very little to no knowledge of trucking. I didn’t even know what a freight broker was or what they did. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world of logistics. I left the class very enthusiastic and armed with a wealth of information to get started. Ephriam Martin
The class was taught with a style that was easy to understand and follow. The content given was enlightening and very informal. I recommend this class to anyone who is interested in becoming a freight broker or freight agent, you will not be disappointed. Wayne Dawson
Very enlightening. Both the material and discussion helped to broaden my knowledge of the freight and transportation industry in the United States. Becoming a freight broker entrepreneur is no easy task and all the information one can collect will never be of any waste. Our co-coordinator was very knowledgeable and well prepared to give and answer all our questions. We all gained an extended family not just business education. Idonuagbe O Akugun
Thank you. I now understand the link between Shipper-Broker-Carrier. This will enable me to enhances my trucking business and get my brokerage business of and running with a great deal of confidence. The course is worth every penny and I would recommend this course to my associates. Ephriam Martin, Jr.
The class was great. Very informative and helpful. Thank you very much. Stephen Bird.
What a great group. thanks to the excellent teaching of Ron and Susie Moore!
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Instruction here is straightforward and easy to comprehend. I like the personalized atmosphere, which made it possible to take the time to think of any questions or problems, that you want to have explained. Also this course includes motivational factors which leave you felling like you are ready to take on the competition and become successful in this field. Doug Reel
Prior to taking this class I had very little to no knowledge of trucking. I didn’t even know what a freight broker was or what they did. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world of logistics. I left the class very enthusiastic and armed with a wealth of information to get started. Ephriam Martin
The class was taught with a style that was easy to understand and follow. The content given was enlightening and very informal. I recommend this class to anyone who is interested in becoming a freight broker or freight agent, you will not be disappointed. Wayne Dawson
Very enlightening. Both the material and discussion helped to broaden my knowledge of the freight and transportation industry in the United States. Becoming a freight broker entrepreneur is no easy task and all the information one can collect will never be of any waste. Our co-coordinator was very knowledgeable and well prepared to give and answer all our questions. We all gained an extended family not just business education. Idonuagbe O Akugun
Thank you. I now understand the link between Shipper-Broker-Carrier. This will enable me to enhances my trucking business and get my brokerage business of and running with a great deal of confidence. The course is worth every penny and I would recommend this course to my associates. Ephriam Martin, Jr.
The class was great. Very informative and helpful. Thank you very much. Stephen Bird.
What a great group. thanks to the excellent teaching of Ron and Susie Moore!
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Is Freight Brokering for You?
Here’s a great article addressing the challenges of being your own boss I found on one of my favorite sites for great articles: About.com
When you start out as an agent of another freight brokerage you minimize some of the pitfalls to starting your own business.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?
By Mitchell York, About.com Guide
Despite the difficult economy -- and in many ways because of it -- entrepreneurship in America is alive and well. Take a look around you, on Main Street and on the Web. Even when unemployment is high and consumer confidence is low, there are new businesses opening as fast as others are closing. Many of them are being launched by people who lost their jobs and either didn't want to, or could not, find another.
If you're thinking of taking the entrepreneurial plunge, it's important to know to what it takes to be successful before you make what could be the biggest financial and emotional commitment of your life. Here are five ways to know if entrepreneurship may be right for you.
Are You Running Away from a Problem or Running Toward a Vision?
Some people feel they have no choice but to start a business when all they really want is to find a good job. A few of these so-called "forced entrepreneurs" may come up with the next big thing, but many don't have the heart to be in a business for the long run. So do some soul-searching and figure out if you're running toward a defining vision of your future as a business owner, or away from a problem. And if all you really want is a great job, you can learn how to find one much more easily than you can find success as an entrepreneur.
Do You Have Support?
Hillary Clinton was right. It takes a village -- not just to raise a child, but to start a business. Before you start a business, you need to have a strong support network in place. It starts with your family. If your spouse/partner and children aren't fully behind your idea, you have more work to do. If you can't "make the sale" to them, how are you going to convince customers to buy from you, partners to do business with you, a supply chain to give you credit, and a bank to give you financing? Entrepreneurship starts at home.
Do You Have Deep Reserves?
Convention wisdom says you should have 6-12 months of living expenses in the bank to live on until your business becomes cash flow positive. That is not nearly enough. I advocate having five years of capital saved. That sounds like a lot…and it is. But most business failures happen because the owner runs out of cash, just at the time when in another few months they may have seen daylight. So have as much of a bankroll as you can to allow for unforeseen contingencies.
Do You Have Good Entrepreneur Role Models?
When you were a kid playing in Little League, what major leaguer's batting stance did you imitate? Children always look for cues for modeling their behavior. Smart adults do, too. Look around your circle of family and friends for successful entrepreneurs and figure out what makes them tick. Do you have the same stuff? If not, can you get it? If you don't know anyone personally who you can study, hit the library bookshelf and study up on people like Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's), Donald Trump, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Mary Kay, Howard Schultz (founder of Starbuck's) and Michael Dell. Read their memoirs and biographies about them and understand the commonalities of all the greats.
Do You Have the Key Skills of Entrepreneurship?
There are hundreds of things you need to know how to do to be a successful entrepreneur, but the most important ones are these:
High Risk Tolerance: You have to be able to stare into the abyss of entrepreneurial uncertainty and not falter.
Excellent Salesmanship: You absolutely have to have at least a little Steve Ballmer in you to be successful as an entrepreneur. You may have the greatest invention in the world, but if you can't communicate its importance to a variety of constituencies (customers, employees, suppliers, lenders), you're not going to succeed.
An Independent Temperament: Entrepreneurs consistently go against the tide. They start companies when others are retrenching; they don't care about being rejected time and time again; and they trust their gut.
Great Negotiating Ability: If you negotiate well for everything from a store lease to contracting services to website design, you'll realize that every dollar saved keeps your business in business through the peaks and valleys of cash flow.
Emotional Intelligence: This is a term coined by behaviorist and author Daniel Goleman. "EI," as it's often referred to, is a set of skills that allows you to understand and influence the behavior of yourself and others. Being able to listen, reason with and persuade is different from being a good negotiator but just as important.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
When you start out as an agent of another freight brokerage you minimize some of the pitfalls to starting your own business.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?
By Mitchell York, About.com Guide
Despite the difficult economy -- and in many ways because of it -- entrepreneurship in America is alive and well. Take a look around you, on Main Street and on the Web. Even when unemployment is high and consumer confidence is low, there are new businesses opening as fast as others are closing. Many of them are being launched by people who lost their jobs and either didn't want to, or could not, find another.
If you're thinking of taking the entrepreneurial plunge, it's important to know to what it takes to be successful before you make what could be the biggest financial and emotional commitment of your life. Here are five ways to know if entrepreneurship may be right for you.
Are You Running Away from a Problem or Running Toward a Vision?
Some people feel they have no choice but to start a business when all they really want is to find a good job. A few of these so-called "forced entrepreneurs" may come up with the next big thing, but many don't have the heart to be in a business for the long run. So do some soul-searching and figure out if you're running toward a defining vision of your future as a business owner, or away from a problem. And if all you really want is a great job, you can learn how to find one much more easily than you can find success as an entrepreneur.
Do You Have Support?
Hillary Clinton was right. It takes a village -- not just to raise a child, but to start a business. Before you start a business, you need to have a strong support network in place. It starts with your family. If your spouse/partner and children aren't fully behind your idea, you have more work to do. If you can't "make the sale" to them, how are you going to convince customers to buy from you, partners to do business with you, a supply chain to give you credit, and a bank to give you financing? Entrepreneurship starts at home.
Do You Have Deep Reserves?
Convention wisdom says you should have 6-12 months of living expenses in the bank to live on until your business becomes cash flow positive. That is not nearly enough. I advocate having five years of capital saved. That sounds like a lot…and it is. But most business failures happen because the owner runs out of cash, just at the time when in another few months they may have seen daylight. So have as much of a bankroll as you can to allow for unforeseen contingencies.
Do You Have Good Entrepreneur Role Models?
When you were a kid playing in Little League, what major leaguer's batting stance did you imitate? Children always look for cues for modeling their behavior. Smart adults do, too. Look around your circle of family and friends for successful entrepreneurs and figure out what makes them tick. Do you have the same stuff? If not, can you get it? If you don't know anyone personally who you can study, hit the library bookshelf and study up on people like Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's), Donald Trump, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Mary Kay, Howard Schultz (founder of Starbuck's) and Michael Dell. Read their memoirs and biographies about them and understand the commonalities of all the greats.
Do You Have the Key Skills of Entrepreneurship?
There are hundreds of things you need to know how to do to be a successful entrepreneur, but the most important ones are these:
High Risk Tolerance: You have to be able to stare into the abyss of entrepreneurial uncertainty and not falter.
Excellent Salesmanship: You absolutely have to have at least a little Steve Ballmer in you to be successful as an entrepreneur. You may have the greatest invention in the world, but if you can't communicate its importance to a variety of constituencies (customers, employees, suppliers, lenders), you're not going to succeed.
An Independent Temperament: Entrepreneurs consistently go against the tide. They start companies when others are retrenching; they don't care about being rejected time and time again; and they trust their gut.
Great Negotiating Ability: If you negotiate well for everything from a store lease to contracting services to website design, you'll realize that every dollar saved keeps your business in business through the peaks and valleys of cash flow.
Emotional Intelligence: This is a term coined by behaviorist and author Daniel Goleman. "EI," as it's often referred to, is a set of skills that allows you to understand and influence the behavior of yourself and others. Being able to listen, reason with and persuade is different from being a good negotiator but just as important.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
My First Load
Here's a blog I posted a few years back. It's my story of my first load.
We had just had our first baby girl. Amanda Brooke Roach. She was a gift from god. I had just quit my 50k a year sales job and opened my own freight broker agency. I had a mentor that told me that if I would work for him for six months he would teach me everything I needed to know about opening my own brokerage. We were living in my parents’ garage while saving money for our first house so to say money was tight is an understatement. If it took .50 cents to get around the world I could not get out of sight - I mean I was broke.
So off I went to the west cost/ El Paso. That is where my mentor had his brokerage. He showed me his operation and then sent me home on a 30% commission deal. That means I would make 30% of any money I made while working as an agent for Orion. His brokerage.
I always could sell - can't explain it but selling was natural for me. I was the kid in school that won every contest for selling stuff for fundraisers. I am not a good athlete so that was my way of telling everyone in school - lookout here comes the best selling kid in elementary school. Well you can imagine how far that got me with the ladies back then.
Anyway - he gave me a manufacturers guide and a carrier guide. The internet was really not a viable business tool in 1992. So we called shippers from my small little dining room table and sure enough old Jeff had an account within 2 weeks. The deal was this - I had 5-6 trucks a day of fiber going to Amarillo and the shipper said he would not pay more than 575.00 per load. According to every carrier I called in the carrier guide that was not a good rate. I knew because of the way they laughed. We started carriers on Monday and starting with the A's and by wed we were still calling A’s and I believe it was the next Wed we got to the F's.
FFE. Frozen Food Express out of Fort Worth Texas. This time he didn't laugh at me. He said,”young man what exactly do you have? Again I told him,”I have 6 loads a day of fiber coming out of
Waco going to Amarillo and I could only pay 425.00. (150) profit per load.” He replied,”I am sending empty trucks from Dallas to pick up loads of meat in Amarillo.”
So I found my carrier. For six months we moved six loads a day every day from Waco to Amarillo and we made around 150.00 per load. That calculated to 300.00 a day for me and my new broke family.
Just think if we had quit after the E's and not made that next call. In our case we had no other option. They say the best employees are poor, smart and motivated. Believe you me, that was me.
90% of success in life is showing up. Doing the work. I catch myself sneaking into the next room to watch ESPN which is okay but schedule those times as breaks then get to work.
Way to grow!
JR
Jeff Roach - President
Brooke Transportation Training Solutions
jroach@transportationtraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
We had just had our first baby girl. Amanda Brooke Roach. She was a gift from god. I had just quit my 50k a year sales job and opened my own freight broker agency. I had a mentor that told me that if I would work for him for six months he would teach me everything I needed to know about opening my own brokerage. We were living in my parents’ garage while saving money for our first house so to say money was tight is an understatement. If it took .50 cents to get around the world I could not get out of sight - I mean I was broke.
So off I went to the west cost/ El Paso. That is where my mentor had his brokerage. He showed me his operation and then sent me home on a 30% commission deal. That means I would make 30% of any money I made while working as an agent for Orion. His brokerage.
I always could sell - can't explain it but selling was natural for me. I was the kid in school that won every contest for selling stuff for fundraisers. I am not a good athlete so that was my way of telling everyone in school - lookout here comes the best selling kid in elementary school. Well you can imagine how far that got me with the ladies back then.
Anyway - he gave me a manufacturers guide and a carrier guide. The internet was really not a viable business tool in 1992. So we called shippers from my small little dining room table and sure enough old Jeff had an account within 2 weeks. The deal was this - I had 5-6 trucks a day of fiber going to Amarillo and the shipper said he would not pay more than 575.00 per load. According to every carrier I called in the carrier guide that was not a good rate. I knew because of the way they laughed. We started carriers on Monday and starting with the A's and by wed we were still calling A’s and I believe it was the next Wed we got to the F's.
FFE. Frozen Food Express out of Fort Worth Texas. This time he didn't laugh at me. He said,”young man what exactly do you have? Again I told him,”I have 6 loads a day of fiber coming out of
Waco going to Amarillo and I could only pay 425.00. (150) profit per load.” He replied,”I am sending empty trucks from Dallas to pick up loads of meat in Amarillo.”
So I found my carrier. For six months we moved six loads a day every day from Waco to Amarillo and we made around 150.00 per load. That calculated to 300.00 a day for me and my new broke family.
Just think if we had quit after the E's and not made that next call. In our case we had no other option. They say the best employees are poor, smart and motivated. Believe you me, that was me.
90% of success in life is showing up. Doing the work. I catch myself sneaking into the next room to watch ESPN which is okay but schedule those times as breaks then get to work.
Way to grow!
JR
Jeff Roach - President
Brooke Transportation Training Solutions
jroach@transportationtraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.brooketraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
No Sales Script
What’s so wrong with a phone sales script?
If you are a carrier or a broker/agent you are always looking for shippers. To get shippers you make calls. You need a sales script, right??? Anyone who knows me knows I go crazy when a student asks for a script when calling shippers for the first time.
Now imagine yourself after working hard all day and the phone rings …you’re hoping it is your fishing buddy. The black bass are hitting all over lake Travis, I'm thinking with a smile and then to my surprise it's a telemarketer.
We all hate to be bothered by these people who invade our space. How dare they? You see when you read a script you come across as a telemarketer. Then you start believing and acting like a telemarketer. Telemarketers are pests who are trying to sell us something we probably don’t want or need. A Freight Broker is offering a service the shipper vitally needs.
Be confidant knowing people buy from you because you have invested in education, you’re a giver, and you have a great attitude. Being new at the job can be a bonus. Tell the shipper you’re new and you want to help them solve their problems.
Get to the right person at the shipper firm and ask if it is an okay time to visit. If the say yes, ask them when's the last time you needed a truck and couldn't find one? Wait as long as possible. Silence is golden.
Listen to what the customer is telling you. Take notes and ask to go over the notes. Ask: What are the goals are of the shipper? Then purpose to help them reach those goals. Become part of the team.
It takes 7-9 touches before a customer makes a buying decision so do not quit after four. They say about 80% of sales people stop calling on a prospect after 4 times. Every sales book in America will tell you it takes 7-9 touches before a prospect will buy from you. What is a touch? A note in the mail, an email, a phone call...
I promise, once the traffic manager trusts you because you did what you said when you said you were going to do it, you will get business.
You will get customer for life.
The customer chooses everything including when to buy, how much, and how often. The vendor they trust the most will be the one who gets the lion share of business. Rates are often talked about but in reality most shippers will pay more for out of this world service. Read Customers for Life by Carl Lewis.
The investment in time will pay off. Your goal is to make a customer, not a sale. I don't claim to be an expert on sales but I know for sure that if you treat the shipper the way you want to be treated - you will be a superstar sales pro.
I used to work for a great guy who owned a large trucking company. He’d say,” You will get a Gold Star on your forehead when you close a big account.” Funny thing I closed some whoppers and he never gave me those stars...He did give me an education and for that I will be always be grateful. You can’t replace education.
The more you earn, the more you learn.
My girls say artists are the smartest.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
If you are a carrier or a broker/agent you are always looking for shippers. To get shippers you make calls. You need a sales script, right??? Anyone who knows me knows I go crazy when a student asks for a script when calling shippers for the first time.
Now imagine yourself after working hard all day and the phone rings …you’re hoping it is your fishing buddy. The black bass are hitting all over lake Travis, I'm thinking with a smile and then to my surprise it's a telemarketer.
We all hate to be bothered by these people who invade our space. How dare they? You see when you read a script you come across as a telemarketer. Then you start believing and acting like a telemarketer. Telemarketers are pests who are trying to sell us something we probably don’t want or need. A Freight Broker is offering a service the shipper vitally needs.
Be confidant knowing people buy from you because you have invested in education, you’re a giver, and you have a great attitude. Being new at the job can be a bonus. Tell the shipper you’re new and you want to help them solve their problems.
Get to the right person at the shipper firm and ask if it is an okay time to visit. If the say yes, ask them when's the last time you needed a truck and couldn't find one? Wait as long as possible. Silence is golden.
Listen to what the customer is telling you. Take notes and ask to go over the notes. Ask: What are the goals are of the shipper? Then purpose to help them reach those goals. Become part of the team.
It takes 7-9 touches before a customer makes a buying decision so do not quit after four. They say about 80% of sales people stop calling on a prospect after 4 times. Every sales book in America will tell you it takes 7-9 touches before a prospect will buy from you. What is a touch? A note in the mail, an email, a phone call...
I promise, once the traffic manager trusts you because you did what you said when you said you were going to do it, you will get business.
You will get customer for life.
The customer chooses everything including when to buy, how much, and how often. The vendor they trust the most will be the one who gets the lion share of business. Rates are often talked about but in reality most shippers will pay more for out of this world service. Read Customers for Life by Carl Lewis.
The investment in time will pay off. Your goal is to make a customer, not a sale. I don't claim to be an expert on sales but I know for sure that if you treat the shipper the way you want to be treated - you will be a superstar sales pro.
I used to work for a great guy who owned a large trucking company. He’d say,” You will get a Gold Star on your forehead when you close a big account.” Funny thing I closed some whoppers and he never gave me those stars...He did give me an education and for that I will be always be grateful. You can’t replace education.
The more you earn, the more you learn.
My girls say artists are the smartest.
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Online Of Course
Brooke Transportation Training offers our Freight Broker Training Course both live and online. Which do you choose? We started out over a decade ago only offering live courses in the Dallas area. I built a successful freight brokerage starting in my garage then moving to an office. As I worked for decades in the transportation industry I saw a need for training in freight brokering, especially training that encouraged integrity. As our reputation for quality training grew, we were asked to have classes in other areas of the country and in various freight brokerages. Then the need for an online course became evident. The growth of online education is incredible. I am a strong proponent for learning your whole life. Ain’t it great you can get a great education in your pajamas with a laptop. To make sure our online course was of the highest standard we teamed up with the largest provider of online courses to produce our online course, Gatlin education.
Gatlin provides and we offer both courses for professional growth (like ours) and courses that are accredited towards a degree.
I found this great article on military.com about the validity of online courses. Here are some excerpts. Click to read the whole article.
Is Online For Real?
…Fear not, online programs are real and they are offered by many big name, fully accredited, and well known schools like DeVry University, University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Penn State and Grantham - just to name a few.
The key to remember is that the schools must be fully accredited. If they are, then the degree will be as valuable as any traditional college or university degree. The truth is that the diploma you earn from an online school will be just like any other, and will not say "online."
The more important questions you need to ask are:
* Does military Tuition Assistance or the GI Bill cover the costs of the courses?
* Does the school grant academic credit for military schools and experience (as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE)?
* Does the course delivery (CD-Rom, e-mail, internet, etc) fit your needs and abilities?
* Does the school have the degree program that fits your education goals?
* And does the school offer scholarships or discounts for military service members?
So if you think "online" may be the best fit for you, we encourage you to begin looking for the school that meets your needs. Schools usually have free information packets they will mail you with answers to the questions above, more on tuition costs, and an application.
To register for freight broker course live or online, to ask questions or browse our other course offerings go to . You can find live course dates and locations, online course sign up info and interesting articles.
What will you learn in 2010?
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
Gatlin provides and we offer both courses for professional growth (like ours) and courses that are accredited towards a degree.
I found this great article on military.com about the validity of online courses. Here are some excerpts. Click to read the whole article.
Is Online For Real?
…Fear not, online programs are real and they are offered by many big name, fully accredited, and well known schools like DeVry University, University of Phoenix, Kaplan University, Penn State and Grantham - just to name a few.
The key to remember is that the schools must be fully accredited. If they are, then the degree will be as valuable as any traditional college or university degree. The truth is that the diploma you earn from an online school will be just like any other, and will not say "online."
The more important questions you need to ask are:
* Does military Tuition Assistance or the GI Bill cover the costs of the courses?
* Does the school grant academic credit for military schools and experience (as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE)?
* Does the course delivery (CD-Rom, e-mail, internet, etc) fit your needs and abilities?
* Does the school have the degree program that fits your education goals?
* And does the school offer scholarships or discounts for military service members?
So if you think "online" may be the best fit for you, we encourage you to begin looking for the school that meets your needs. Schools usually have free information packets they will mail you with answers to the questions above, more on tuition costs, and an application.
To register for freight broker course live or online, to ask questions or browse our other course offerings go to . You can find live course dates and locations, online course sign up info and interesting articles.
What will you learn in 2010?
Moving forward,
Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com
www.transportationtraining.com
www.pajamalearning.biz
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