All I Wanted For Christmas -- What About You?

(this is more than a bandaid moment!)

I asked Santa for 2 things for Christmas... the first was for better health (I'm sick of hurting and being ill all the time!) and 2nd was to have a growth in my business. I haven't gotten my first wish. In fact, I'm possibly looking at MORE surgery down the road one day. Yet, I'm just as tired of whining over "this darn Complex Regional Pain Syndrome" and the complications therein, as anything. So, I have realized that in order to get my second wish, I have to make peace with the 1st.

I've been doing a lot of hard work over the past several months, trying to get a handle on just exactly it is that I do, that I want to do, who I want to do it with and how I want to live my life moving forward. There have been many changes, some deep diving into my psyche as well as my business model, and I truly am looking at moving in a new and successful direction this year.

So what about you? Did you ask Santa for some changes in your business over the next year? What is is that you really want for yourself and your business? Do you want to make more money? Do you want more customers, yet not wanting to give up free time or the benefits of life you have now? How much pain do you feel for the status quo? If you're like me, you're no longer willing to live with the pains (whether metaphorical or physical); you're ready to do whatever it takes to get to a new and more joyful level. How do you do that though?

I truly believe -- whether you've been in business for 30 years or 30 minutes -- you need to take some time (and now's a great time to start) and figure things out. Here are some suggestions on how to do that.

1. It's a bit of an exercise here -- but sit back, with a good hot cup of coffee or tea -- or whatever your beverage of choice might be -- and think about what you'd like your life to look like in 5 years, or a year, or even 6 months from now. Write it down and put it somewhere that you can look at it regularly. Once you truly know what you want and not just what your mind tells you you want, then you can start to create the processes and strategies to get you there.

2. While everyone knows about SMART goals, they may not be something you do. Goals can be so daunting. Yet, I really suggest you take this picture of your future life and start to chart how you’re going to get there. The best way to do that? Create a roadmap that will guide you down the path from point A to point B. I do a bit more with SMART goals than most, and that is to put to do lists together. So, for example, one of my goals this next year is to make $500,000. That in and of itself is nerve jangling to me. Without guidance on how to get there, I’m ready to quit already. BUT — if I start to figure out ways to get that I relax, and think, “Maybe I can do this”.

In order for me to get that amount of money, I have to offer something that people are going to want, and that they are willing to pay for. Ok. So, for starters, my Gathering: Peer Advisory Board is starting next week. I want to have 2 groups, each with 10 people at $X. That’s a start but not nearly enough. So, then, I move on to the creation of my evergreen courses. The first two are “Baby Steps to Starting (and Growing) Your Small Business”, and “Creating Raving Fans: The Best in Customer Service Techniques”. Those, once set up are there for anyone to take 24 hours a day, and I have little to do with the maintenance. That, for sure, is a win-win.

Finally, I want to have a few programs that are just for the most excited to grow their business. They are the ones that are ready, willing and certainly ABLE to get the job done. They are geared up to put in the time and energy to create a super successful business, and they’re willing to pay for it as well.

Now, I’m excited, but still a little leery. That’s a lot of work, and I’m not sure I know how to do it, or how to get people to want it. Does any of this sound familiar? I know that I need help to do all this. I have hired a coach (yes, we all could use coaches), and a VA (ask and I’ll send you to her; she’s great). And I’m looking at hiring a wordsmith to put in the right psychological wording to hit the bullseye with my target market. These are all things that you can, and should, consider for yourself, as well.

If you’re interested in following through with these ideas and get on board to your own success, then please come on over to my website and sign up for a FREE 1/2 hour consultation. I guarantee that you will leave with at least 1 or 2 actionable items that you can put to use immediately — guaranteed to help you Soar Higher. The website is Business Success Unlimited. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Are There Monsters Under Your Bed?

As a kid I was afraid of the monsters under my bed. Night after night I would make one of my parents check to make sure that we were safe and that the monster had been shooed away. I think this must be pretty common. There’s even a commercial right now where one scene has the dad and the little girl looking under the bed and the dad says “there’s no monster, just Mr. Elephant”, and he pulls out a stuffed elephant.

We grow up and become the ones checking to ensure our children’s monsters are shooed away. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t still have our own slinky, slimy nightmares just waiting to pounce. But as adults, ours (especially if we are small business owners – or want to be owners) are much harder to get rid of.

ARE THERE MONSTERS UNDER YOUR BED?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently stated that over 51% of all US adults want to own their own business; yet only 6% actually accomplish that dream. What is it that keeps them from making it happen? Their monsters. Fear is most likely the number one reason – fear of failure, fear of success, fear of friends/family criticizing or looking down on the idea. These are all pretty common fears. Most everything you want right now is outside of your comfort zone. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It will become a way of life, and easier every time. The first thing we need to do is to figure out what it is we might be afraid of; and then, just like all those years ago, we have to face them. For weeks my dad had to come to the bedroom with me, look under my bed and say Nope, no monsters here today. Eventually, I got to the point where I wasn’t afraid any longer. The same thing will happen for you. When you’re afraid of something, work at alleviating it and over time it will lessen and lessen until it’s suddenly – no longer there.

Here’s an example for you: I’m very afraid of standing in front of people and giving presentations. My fear is that I will look silly, or that they will say I’m making a fool of myself. But my business is that of an educational/ training facility and so, of course, one of my main tasks is to stand in front of people and to train them through presentations. It would be really bad if I couldn’t do that due to fear wouldn’t it. It was imperative that I do everything I could to rid myself of that fear. I haven’t yet, but I make sure that I get in front of people as often as I can. In fact, I even just found this wonderful speakers bureau where I’m going to be speaking more often than ever before. It’s the best way to STOP the fear.

So, ok, now it’s your turn. What are you afraid of that may be holding you back in your business? What can you do to start working your way through that fear so that you see “the light at the end of the dark tunnel”, or know that when you look under your bed, all you’ll see are dust bunnies!

Our Journey Begins

For over 35 years I’ve worked my business. Sometimes I’ve had great success, and others – not so much. I’ve asked questions like “how should I do this”, or “does anyone know what’s the best to do …” but it was often like shouting into the forest. Could anyone else hear me? Not usually. So, then I would sit down at the computer, or go to the library and start digging into the whys and how fors of creating something beneficial for me and for my business.

 Even those of us in business for many years (and those with college degrees in business administration, etc.) can use the support of others who have similar goals and dreams. It’s nice to have a group of people who you know, like and trust, where you can brainstorm and share ideas, resources, advice and even partner on projects. That’s the beauty of mastermind groups. They bring together a small group of like-minded businesses (these can either be in similar professions or not) who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work, focused on achieving and doing great things.

Entrepreneurship can get lonely and tough, but with the connections that are formed in these groups, business gets done, relationships formed, MONEY made and SUCCESS happens.

Do you have a big vision for your home-based or small business but are hitting roadblocks? Do you really understand what you provide to the customer? It’s all about the value, not the product. Who are your potential customers? Is everyone in the world a potential client? What are your goals? Are they reasonable, timely, doable?

These are all questions that NEED to be answered in order to truly grow your business. The first thing you have to know, is WHAT is your idea of success? Where do you see yourself in five years? Are you comfortable being a hobby business or do you REALLY want to grow and prosper. The definition of being in business is “a sustainable income”. Are you there? Do you want to be there?

The Business Success Unlimited Peer Advisory Board helps you to realize what you are and where you want to be in your business. This three month program will give you the tools you need to more fully understand where you are, where you want to be and how to get you there.

Agenda

Our first meeting will look at creating a SIMPLIFIED business plan. You probably don’t need a FULL business plan that will go into the files as something to be dusted off when you need lines of credit, etc. Instead, you probably are asking yourself questions like “How am I going to find customers,” or “What is it exactly that I do anyway, and can I tell someone else so that they understand?” This is designed to help you answer those and other questions so that you can immediately get to work making your business the best that it can be.

 Next, we will focus on creating at least a couple of SMART goals that can be put to work IMMEDIATELY. Goals are created to help you focus on accomplishing something and giving yourself a time to do it within. This is important for the forward movement of you and your business.

Our third meeting will take info from the first two missions to create something called a LEAN Canvas where we will more fully develop our unique value proposition and what it is EXACTLY that we sell. If you can’t define it so that others understand it and want it, you’re really not going to be able to make a successful business out of your endeavors. This takes two weeks.

Then, once we understand what we want from our businesses, and who we want to have as customers, then we can look further into developing that target market. Is anyone on the planet a potential customer? Of course not. It has been proven again and again, that when you work with those that WANT what you have to offer, and that are excited to be working with YOU, then your universe opens and you have found your ideal client. But it takes work to decide exactly who that person or business might be. This will be our focus on Week Five.

Our six and final week for this first program is a lessons learned and conclusions drawn week. We will go over everything learned so far and will revisit with questions, concerns, successes – all of the above. There’s lots to do in this program and we need to be determined to follow through. It’s not for those that are simply curious. But if you TRULY want to grow your business and are willing to put in the effort to do it, this workshop is guaranteed to move you ahead!

And then – STAY TUNED for the next session when we focus on all things Marketing.

Be Your Own Boss

With the economy the way it is these days (yes, I know it’s supposed to be getting better, but …), many people have found themselves needing to find extra income to support themselves and their families. People have lost their jobs, have taken a cut in pay, have found themselves in foreclosure and much more. They are desperate to find ways of generating income. So, what do they do? They turn to what they know best and open their own businesses. 

I repeat, they do what they do best and open their own businesses. However, I’m betting what they know best is NOT how to run a business, but how to make the widget, or balance the checkbook, or cook a wonderful meal. Yet, sadly, this is not the stuff a business is made of. What a business is made of is marketing, advertising, customer service, branding, finance, employee management, and so on and so forth. Making that widget is great, but it’s not going to get people in the door buying. There’s a whole other world out there that needs to be considered before you open your door. The factors which are involved in starting and running a business are multi-faceted; but the number one question that comes to mind is “Can I deliver?” 

It’s not only about the ability to run a business, though. Something I’ve seen a lot of lately is a belief that when you go into business for yourself, you become the “boss”. You set the hours – there’ll be lots of free time, you only answer to yourself – no more bosses yelling at you to get things done, or watching over your shoulder to see that you do it right. You can set your own pay check, giving yourself a raise. But, I’m sorry to say, that’s just not the case. Many entrepreneurs have never worked so hard in their lives. They are up at the crack of dawn and fall in bed in the deep, dark hours of the night. Unlike an employee where you work a certain number of hours and at the end of a set time period get a paycheck, small business people work and work and work and pray and hope to get a financial reward SOMETIME in the FUTURE. A person who starts his or her own business needs to be aware that they are going to work very, very hard without seeing any sort of income for quite awhile. 

I often run into people who, once they’ve started that business, think that if they open the doors, others will come. Recently, I moved my business into a great new space, full of potential. I was so excited and just KNEW that it would soon be filled with small business people, excited about creating new ideas and energies. But, so far, I’ve only had a handful of visitors, with promises of more to come down the pike. It takes time to build a reputation, to create a bond with your potential customers, and to show them they need what it is you’re offering.

A friend of mine, who is quite a successful small business person, was talking with me the other day and I asked her how she had gotten to that space. She sells a product/service in the technology field and it is definitely one of those areas that people are reluctant to buy until they know you. She told me that for the first year she never focused on her sales. Instead, she spent her time writing blog posts, and newspaper articles, press releases and showing up in chat groups on Facebook and LinkedIn – she was showing herself as the specialist that she is. She didn’t make a dollar that first year (well, not in any grand sense of the word). But, after people started to recognize her name and think of her as someone who they could trust and rely on to provide them with proper technology, she started gaining supporters/followers and now she has a very successful enterprise.

What I’m getting at here folks, is that if you want a business, not just a hobby, you have to work at it – with patience and determination. Don’t think that a 9 to 5 job is where it’s at. Go to networking meetings, get out there and talk with others in your area, put off that lunch with your best friend (or yes, even think twice about a family outing, at least this time). Realize that you should probably check out the local business Meetups or referral groups. Don’t think that you know everything there is to know about running a business: there’s always some new or different way to think about things, or run business projects. Get involved in the community. Plan for lots of HARD WORK and then, maybe, just maybe, down the road, you’ll have a successful business like my friend.