Start by taking the time to ask yourself: What service am I providing? Am I providing it better than anybody else? Do I deliver on time, all the time, with the best of class product?

Give yourself one of those school assignments: Write it 150 times on the digital blackboard. Copy and paste if you have to. The message here is: I know where I'm going.

Your answer should do more than explain you to a prospective client. It should wow the prospective client. If it doesn't, you're shit on a shingle, jerky.

Once you've sold yourself on your personal business plan, you've got to sell others. That's where some old-fashioned Dale Carnegie comes in handy.

The dynamic is simple. You join the team, you learn the ropes, you deliver value to the customer, as fast, as well, and as often as you can. Do your best. Then do better. The message here is: I know how to do it.

Now that you've carved out your personal operating agreement, you'll need to rely on others to knock in the winning run. That's where being a team player comes in.

We're not just talking about a handshake and a can-do attitude. The world of Horatio Alger is long gone. You may find others on your team just don't get it. That's where the next step comes in:

Nobody wants to be hated. But it's lonely at the top of Yourself Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of You Inc. There's no place for deadwood. Close your heart to pity. They may not say it now, but others will like you better if you don't coddle them. The message here is: I don't really like you and I never have, but personal feelings have no part in this decision.

At Yours Co., the first thing you have to realize is: Everything matters! What kind of persona are you projecting? Is it less memorable than others people's personae, more memorable than others' or the same as others'? If the answer to any of these is Yes, you're fucked in the ass, bub. The message here is: I don't know whether to shit or wind my watch.

And neither will your clients, unless you show them how.

Literally. When you go into TGI Fridays, it's not the food you remember. It's the human touch. The personal caress. The birthday songs.

Show the client that you're more than just the sum of your skills. Show what you're made of. Are you a tiger in the sack? An expressionless dud? A two-minute wonder?

Whatever your answer, the message here is: What was your name again? Once the client asks that, you're set.

But don't think it's forever. Sooner or later, after you and the client have sponged off and smoked one last cigar, you'll grow complacent. It's inevitable. Even Dave Thomas of Wendy's has mentioned that certain post-coital ennui.

And when that happens, you're birdshit, motherfucker.

You knew it would have to happen. You've spent so much time cutting out the dead wood that it's time to take a look in the mirror. You starting to slack off, grow shiftless? Better to cut the tie now than wait. The longer you put this decision off, the harder the feelings will be.

Once you've given yourself your walking papers, you'll be much happier. After all, you're a free agent, able to call your own shots. How will you use your freedom.

Start by sitting down and assessing what you like to do, and how you can excite others about it. If the only thing you're looking to do is make money, you might as well slit your wrists, assface.

Get in there and apply, apply apply. You'll hear there's a spot open at You Inc. You'd be perfect for it. Grab it.

Don't pretend it'll be easy. You're the toughest boss you'll ever have. How do you make it happen?

You know the old cliche: Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle. It worked with the client, it'll work with the CEO of Youse Co. Show that the human touch is more than just a concept with you. Prove yourself all over. Fuck yourself.

Dick Miracle is CEO and Executive Vice-President of the Miracle Group, a Boca Raton-based Change Consultancy.