But I never expected to be taught about how successful e-businesses are run . . . by my cat! But if you got to know my cat, Lolita, you'd understand why she could be a source of profitable information.



For example, Lolita loves to lie on my fax machine. Probably because it's warm. Though, I'd like to think it's because she likes to be close to me when I'm working on my computer. Anyway, Lolita squirms a lot to get comfortable. When she does, she hits buttons on the fax machine.

Occasionally she sends an undecipherable message into cyberspace. If you've ever gotten a confusing fax from an unknown sender . . . well, you may have already met Lolita!

What's remarkable about her normal cat behavior is how she can be so instructive about running successful e-businesses. In fact, here are three secrets she's managed to convey to me just by being a cat.

1. Amazing persistence. When she's hungry, she's relentless about getting her food in a timely fashion. I recall waking up one night recently about 2 AM to loud meowing. Lolita was sitting on my stomach, tapping my chest with her paw. I woke up bewildered. Then I realized the only thing that could provoke her at this hour was food. Sure enough, her plate was empty.

2. Steady focus. Have you ever seen a cat pursuing a bug or some other critter? Nothing distracts them from their mission . . . to grab that object of their focus. Lolita is no different. She cannot be dissuaded from her commitment no matter how hard I try to shoo her away. She never loses sight of her objective, even if it's from another room. When the moment's right, she's back at it.

3. Showing appreciation. My cat, Lolita, is the most loving animal when she's gotten something she wanted. She sidles up to me and rubs me and purrs loudly. I know she's been fulfilled and likes what I've done for her. Rewarding customers for their loyalty is no different. It's a guarantee that they'll come back.

Look, it takes a lot more than my cat's secrets to run successful e-businesses. But her behaviors aren't a bad beginning.

For instance, the hardest part of running successful e-businesses is not the e-business concept. Fortunately, there is plenty of exciting turnkey business plans that take away the need for programming expertise. In other words, it's possible to be up and running with successful e-businesses in a matter of minutes.

That's the easy part. The hard part is to persistently master sales and marketing techniques over a period of time. It requires steady focus on the goal of generating sales. And when sales occur, you have to be ready to coddle your customers to make sure they come back for more.

If you're lucky enough to have a smart cat like mine, maybe you'll pay better attention to your pet's recommendations for successful e-business!