Posts Tagged ‘keys to business success’

Establishing strategic and referral partners are the most effective ways to build your business faster.  Listen to learn why and how you can begin forging powerful connections even if you are starting from scratch.

For more helpful start up success tips, obtain a copy of my free7 day business start up mini course today.

How would you feel if you could:

Stop giving away your services for free & start getting paid what you’re worth?

Pull more clients toward you instead of chasing after them?

Make money while at work during the day, or in your sleep?

Establish loyal followers and fans and full paying clients over the life of your business?

I have been thinking a lot about the distinction between a thriving solo business, and one that is starved for clients and not making any money.

Why is it that some solopreneurs are able to establish their credibility, get their name out there in a bigger way, get prospects to join their list and take the next step with them, while others chase after prospects, discount their services or give away their services for free in hopes that someone will hire them.

The answer:  Those with a sound business model beyond working one-on-one with clients, and a keen sense of marketing are seeing more optimal results. They are elevating their success by choosing smarter more leveraged approaches to build their business faster.

And the same can happen for you.

Introducing,  my new FREE 3-part video training series, My First Info Product Now, designed to teach YOU how you can attract ideal clients, build your list, and make money now — even if you still haven’t landed your first full paying client.

http://bit.ly/nSsyHd

Are you ready to  get going with creating more money, meaning and purpose that  you desire for your life right now?

Grab a copy of this high content, high value information. You should know that it won’t be up for very long, as I am only allowing access to it for a short amount of time.

I am excited to share this with you!  Please leave your comments and thoughts. I am looking forward to your feedback.

http://bit.ly/nSsyHd

I remember when I started my practice as a business coach, I didn’t have a clear idea who I wanted to serve. “Come one, come all” was my motto. I was open to helping anyone with their business as long as they were willing to pay me.

Sound familiar?

How do you go from excited about FINALLY getting the help you’ve been needing to move your business forward, to disappointed and dissatisfied that the work is STILL not getting done?

When you don’t have an outsourcing plan, it’s easy to get there and FAST!

There’s a solution, listen how.

If you are looking for how to get critical to do’s off your list — the right way and in the shortest time possible, here’s your 4 step plan to make it happen.

Which step is missing from your plan at this time? What else would you add to the script? Please leave your comments and thoughts. Thanks so much.

My son is 14 years old is a handsome (of course),  fun loving, easy going teenager but he’s small in stature and often times mistaken as a middle schooler.  And worse when he’s with his brother, many believe he’s the younger instead of the older.

“I’m so tired of this.  I feel like people see me as this little kid who is just kinda hanging around.  I don’t feel like a teenager because I don’t look like everyone else, I don’t think like a lot of my other friends think. I am going to look back over my teenage years and feel like I completely missed out on so much fun.”

These were just a few sentiments my son shared with me that afternoon as tears strolled down his face.

As he spoke I heard the phrases -  I don’t feel like, I don’t look like, I am not, I am going to miss out…

And as I sat and listened to him intently I understood that what he was really saying was “I’m not enough!”

And boy did that strike a chord.

I find this issue of being enough is an underlying issue that we all face at different times in our lives. We all want to feel a sense of belonging, and sense of worthiness.  Sometimes we feel it and sometimes we don’t.

In business this issue of worthiness is a real one.  Because if you don’t feel worthy, you won’t feel empowered. And if you don’t feel empowered you won’t inspire. And if you’re not inspiring others, then you are not sharing your message and greatest gifts with the world!

If this is you today I declare today that you ARE enough.

I left my son with three thoughts, that also applies to you as a business owner:

• Feeling like you are enough starts on the inside and manifest on the outside; no one validates your worth but you.

• Start manifesting what you desire by celebrating who you are — all of it  (accomplishments, achievements, joys, mishaps, failures, and trials).  Don’t expect others to embrace or accept you for who you are,  when you’re not comfortable in your own skin.

• If you want to attract more friends (or clients), be more attractive (or client attractive) by exuding confidence.  No one wants to be around someone (or hire someone) who appears desperate or clingy.

Consider these four strategies to reaffirm your worth:

Find the right circle of influence.  Although there are times you feel good about who you are on the inside, your ego and conscious still needs reinforcements, reminders, and validation.

Who are your biggest fans?  Seek ongoing support and encouragement from those who lift you up instead of drag you down. This will undoubtedly be your base of support that will carry you through the life of your business.

Stop comparison despair.   There’s always going to be someone who is ahead of building their business or more successful than you — more money, more clients, more brand recognition, etc.  Get over it!   It’s a fact of life and business!

It’s important to aspire to be more.  But keep that desire in check so that it doesn’t become later develop into jealousy or manifest into a lack of self confidence in your abilities.

Instead use it as a motivator and fuel to keep your passion for what you love to do alive and take your business to new found levels of success.  Take note of where you are relative to when you first started.  Anticipate you will get to where you want go and stay the course.

Positive self talk. Nothing is more powerful than affirmations.  Take time to speak aloud and into existence who you are, who you are becoming, what is and what will be. And then seal the deal with unshakeable faith and believe that all things are possible.

Take action. It’s hard to celebrate wins if you aren’t taking action on your most important goals.  Without it, you cannot measure success or create new benchmarks to move to the next level.

Fear of failure is one of the reasons you are getting in your own way.  Use the tips above to combat fear and stop it dead in its tracks from achieving all that you desire for your life and business.

Sometimes as a business start up you don’t know what you don’t know.  As a result it may be difficult to take the next step.

It’s helpful when you are among a network or community of likeminded individuals to share and exchange ideas.  It’s also imperative to enlist mentors and invest in coaches and consultants who can give you the perspective you may be missing.

Often times, the cost of such services are prohibitive for new solopreneurs…until today.

You can hire your own team of business consultants to provide the guidance and perspective you are probably seeking for a little less than $2/day.  You may be wondering how.  Click here to learn more.

I hear newbies saying, “Everyone is doing video in their business, I guess I’d better do it too!”  And yes, in many ways video can enhance your brand, get your name out there in a big way, and span your reach to ideal prospects.

Video provides an instant ability to connect authentically with your audience in a way that audio and written words can’t.  So should you use video — absolutely!  When used properly, it’s golden — a short cut to establishing the know, like and trust factor.  But when used improperly it can hurt your business and your brand.

Remember :  Be intentional in what you do…don’t create a video just to get one out there.  Have a strategy for how you will incorporate it into your business to reach results.

75 experts were asked for advice on how to make video work for their business.  Below are tips and strategies from experts across different industries.  Never be clueless about how to use video in your business again.

http://www.carolroth.com/unsolicited-business-advice/?p=5560

Check me out at  # 71.  Leave me a comment below. I want to know your thoughts.

Many start a new business with passion and a dream about what’s possible. However, many new solopreneurs fail to get their business off the ground in the truest sense of the word within the first 5 years, and ultimately cease to exist.

It’s critical to learn from the mistakes of others and glean knowledge and wisdom from those who have already been where you are and know where you’re going to minimize missteps as much as possible.

But the reality of the matter is you don’t always know what you don’t know, so it’s difficult to know what to ask at times or what to pay attention to in the start up process.

Here are 5 common pitfalls to avoid:

1. Insufficient Startup Capital. Starting a business on a shoestring is very risky. Make sure you have the capital in place to get through the projected startup phase.

2. Missing Contingency Plans. You always plan for success; however, you should have contingency, alternative, or fall-back plans in case sales do not materialize as projected, the economy goes into recession, or other unexpected events affect your business.

3. Spending Carelessly. Overspending on networking memberships and other extraneous training opportunities that don’t yield a fast return on your investment, can burn up any working capital you would otherwise invest toward marketing or outsourcing needs for your business.  Also you want to project a professional image and attract customer traffic, but be realistic and conservative with your financial resources.

4. Low Energy. Don’t start a business unless you are prepared to devote the time and effort to make it successful. Business ownership can offer many perks and benefits in the long-run, but starting out you will be working very hard. Without this energy and enthusiasm, remaining may be better business choice.

5. Lack of Product Testing. Don’t start a business without market testing and confirmation of customer demand for your products and services. Many businesses have failed because they were based on product or service success in another market or other subjective reasoning or assumption of consumer interest.

With careful attention to these common mistakes that lead to business failure your new solobusiness can thrive and sustain for long term success.

This entry was adopted by gosmallbiz.com.  Click here to learn more about how to hire your own team of experts to help you manage all start up phases of your new solobusiness for less than $2 per day.

You work hard to establish relationships. Don’t let those relationships fade. Develop a database to track contacts with clients and prospects. If there has been a lapse, get back in touch. Your easiest opportunity to sell your services or products is with your existing clientele. The hard part is done. When you have an offer that makes sense, roll it out to this group first. Not only will you generate sales, you will generate referrals.

This tip is adopted from GoSmallBiz.com.  If you found this information helpful and looking for more business success tips like this one, visit here.

Many new solopreneurs make the fatal mistake of building their business in isolation.

As a result they remain small and unprofitable longer than necessary.  Partnering with others is a proven and highly effective way to create an exclusive unpaid sales force to help you reach your most important goals faster.

Here are 7 tips that attract ideal joint venture partners without fail:

Be genuine. You only have a moment to make a first impression. So be who you really are first and foremost.  Lead with your greatest attributes and let it shine through.  Don’t be afraid to let weaknesses reveal itself.  Resist any temptation of presenting yourself in a way other than uniquely you.

Start with low hanging fruit. Your next JV partner could be right under your nose!  Seek partnerships with those whom already know, like, and trust you.  After all they are your existing support base with your best interest in mind and therefore more willing to help you. Additionally, you don’t have to spend a lot of time from the outset trying to “convince” them of your worth.

Give first.   Your first conversation with someone whom you may not know very well, is less about you and more about the other person.  Avoid the temptation of pitching or selling something in an initial interaction.  Instead think of ways to support them first. Taking time to connect with others in this authentic way costs nothing, but pays dividends in the long run.

Compliment, don’t compete.  Always seek partners who serve a similar clientele but don’t offer the exact service as you.  This way you don’t come across as a threat or competition.   Not to mention it increases the likelihood that the two of you would be more willing to promote one another over and over again.

Be confident! When you exude a “can do” attitude and spirit, you will be an irresistible magnet to potential partners.  Most people enjoy taking part in something exciting that benefits themselves and their constituents.  If you fail to exude this level of positive energy and confidence, you will be hard pressed to convince others to jump on board with promoting your offer and/or services.

Tell them the reason why.  Before approaching a potential partner, always think first about “what’s in it for them.”  Tell them what you are offering, but remember to communicate benefits.  When you do this effectively, you will pique their interest and give them incentive to pay greater attention to you and your offer.

Compensate them.  Yes, this is business — not charity. When developing a JV venture, remember it’s a business arrangement. Most people won’t promote someone else for free unless they are a personal friend.  Although they serve as your unpaid sales force, they are doing the hard work to drive traffic to your site or program.  Always compensate your partners for the energy and time they spend doing so.

Always approach prospective partners with long term relationship in mind. It’s a lot less work overtime to establish a “business friend” for the life of your business, than collaborate with someone who is only willing to support “just for the time being.”  Keep in mind these kinds of relationships do not happen over night; they take time to develop.

It’s never too soon to forge connections and build joint venture partnerships! Use these tactics to get started right away.

Please leave your thoughts and comments!  I want to hear from you.  For more ways to forge connections and create other support networks for your business, obtain a copy of my free ecourse today!

Federal Small Business Administration statistics report that 80% of all small businesses fail within the first five years, which equates to several hundred thousand business closings annually.

Proper planning may be the basic tool, but there are several elements to consider when starting a new business venture.

Following are the more common reasons that small businesses fail or, in other words, the more important new factors in planning a successful business:

1. Lack of experience or vision

2. Failure to set goals or unexpected growth

3. Lack of management systems

4. Lack of product or service quality control

5. Poor location

6. Insufficient capital (money)

7. Poor inventory management

8. Over-investment in fixed assets

9. Poor credit arrangements

10. Personal use of business funds

11. Competition or lack of market research

12. Low sales

This business tip was adapted from GoSmall Biz.com.   If you liked this tip and want to learn more about how to beat the odds of business failure, regain peace of mind, and restore a sense of confidence and security in growing a successful solo-business once again, click here.