Healthy Self Esteem = Healthy Business

When you look at lists of requirements for a successful business, chances are you won't see "good self image" as one of the items on the list. However, self esteem can have a distinct impact on the success - or failure - of your business. Entrepreneurs with good self esteem are confident of their ability to achieve their business goals. If there are stumbling blocks along the way, the person with high self esteem does not take them personally but works to find a solution to the problem. However, those with low self esteem often go into a business already expecting it to be difficult and unsure if they will succeed. When problems arise, instead of focusing on the issue, they tend to focus on their own perceived shortcomings. They get exactly what they expected - failure.

Most of us do not work on improving our self esteem. We tend to think it's either something people have or do not have. Perhaps it was a result of our childhood. Whatever the cause, most people don't realize that good self esteem is something that can be developed with practice. Here's how.

1. I highly encourage you to take a lesson from the Girl Scouts. Tonight sit down and make a brag bag! Or a box like I have done. Get a brown paper bag or an old shoe box. I went to Hobby Lobby and got a plain wooden unpainted little box that looks like a treasure chest. Decorate the outside anyway you want. I found some very unique metal discs with great uplifting sayings on them - "Believe", "Love", and "Laughter" for example. I glued them all over my box.

Now, get some index cards and write all of your attributes on them - one on each card. Can you sing? Write it down. Are you an organizational whiz? Do people clamor for your cheesecake recipe? Can you sell the proverbial ice to Eskimos? Write it all down. Put them in your Brag Bag. Then write down all of your accomplishments. If you were the homecoming queen, or the valedictorian of your class, it goes in the bag. If you were promoted at your job in record time, if your kids are the world's greatest, if you lost those last 10 pounds, if your business makes enough to support you, if you have 20 people in your downline - it all goes into the bag.

Now, put your Brag Bag somewhere accessible. Because in order for this to work, you have to use it. Remember - what we focus on grows. So get your bag out regularly and review all the good things that you are. Bask in the glow of your accomplishments. Relish the good things you've drawn into your life. Watch your attitude improve and your accomplishments increase and your business boom. What we focus on grows. Get out your Brag Bag and let's focus on the right things. And while you're at it - maybe sign your daughter up for Girl Scouts. Look at the cool stuff they teach you!

2. I realize that we all have some things that we need to work on. So do it! Choose an area that you want to improve, and get to work. The trick here though is to work at it properly. You have to have the right attitude. I have struggled with my weight for years. But once I stopped hating myself for my perceived weakness because I couldn't lose weight, I discovered it became easier to take the pounds off. When you begin your self-improvement program, look at it exactly that way. You are simply taking what is already good and improving it.

3. Picture the new you. While you are working on your self-improvement projects, envision yourself as you will be once you are finished. While I am working to improve my health and fitness by losing weight, I picture myself running with my grandchildren or hiking with my sister. Or I see myself on vacation with my husband wearing a fabulous new outfit and dancing the night away. If you afraid to talk to people, while you work on overcoming this, picture yourself making presentations with ease and confidence. Visualize yourself being sought after as a speaker. See yourself having conversations with clients that have winning results.

Imagine your whirlwind social life as you get invited to all the best events because everyone admires your witty conversation!

4. Keep a success journal. Every time you reach a goal - no matter how small - write it in your journal. Or jot it on a card and add it to your brag bag!

5. Set goals. Having a goal will give you a sense of purpose. It provides you with a target. How can you know if you have achieved success if you don't know what that is?

6. Surround yourself with positive people. There are more than enough people willing to point out your every flaw. Who needs them!? Yes, we all have faults, and a true friend will help you face up to them. But they will also be the first to applaud your successes and provide encouragement when you embark on a new path. Surround yourself with people who see failure as simply a step on the way to success, who expect success from themselves and others.

7. Create a positive environment. No negativity allowed! Hang positive affirmations in your office. I have one that simply says "Attitude" as a reminder that attitude is everything. Listen to CDs with empowering messages. I have banned all music in my car and my home that is not uplifting and empowering. If I can't find anything suitable on my radio, then I have an assortment of CDs by people such as Mike Litman, Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, and Joel Osteen. Make flashcards with positive affirmations on them and keep them on your desk. My latest are "I am exactly the right weight for my body" and "I am healthy and vigorous and living life to the fullest." When you begin to feel the old doubts creep in, grab a flashcard and remind yourself that "Every day and every way, I get a little better."

Healthy self esteem is good for your business. Follow the steps above and watch your self esteem - and your business grow.

The Worst Day EVER!

I was already late for a meeting with a prospective client.  Although I rarely oversleep, I always set my alarm, just in case.  So of course, the one day I didn't would be the one day I just did not wake up.  And now, here I was, stuck in the morning traffic jam.  I called my prospect on my cell phone and there was no answer so I left a short voicemail stating I was en route but was caught in traffic and would be a few minutes late.  I then called the coffee shop we were meeting at and asked them to page my prospect.  Again, no answer.  After hanging up, I decided to try to get around the traffic by taking the next exit and driving through town.

For those of you who don't know, I am what I like to call "directionally challenged."  In other words, as my husband says, I can get lost crossing the street.  And that is exactly what happened.  After driving several minutes in what I was sure was the correct direction, I had to admit I was hopelessly lost in a maze of dead-end streets and roads with names I didn't recognize.  I drove a little further and came to an intersection.  Still not recognizing anything around me, I decided to go back the way I had come.  I was already so late now that there was no chance to salvage the meeting.  All I had to do was turn around.  And luckily, just down the road to the left was a gas station where I could do just that.  I made the left turn and started down the road to the gas station and suddenly all the oncoming cars started honking their horns.  I glanced at the dashboard of my car to see if there was something to indicate why they were trying to get my attention.  I HAD been hearing a funny "beep" for the last little bit and so I thought maybe there was something wrong with my car.  But everything looked normal.  And then as I looked up, the 'One Way" sign caught my eye.  I was on a one way street - and driving in the wrong direction!  With all of my attention focused on trying to figure out where I was I had missed it and made the wrong turn.  Fortunately, I was only a few feet from the gas station at this point and so I just continued until I could pull in and turn around.  I decided to call my prospect one more time and that's when I discovered what the "beep" was.  My cell phone battery had run down.  I had forgotten to plug it into the charger the night before.  And the car charger was still in my suitcase from my last trip out of town.  Face flaming red from embarrassment, I went inside to ask directions back to the highway.

The young man inside was kind enough not to laugh at my mistake.  The police officer who pulled in right behind me and was writing down my license number when I came back out was not so kind and proceeded to issue me a ticket for reckless driving.  My prospect was less than impressed and declined to schedule a second meeting.  And I got a lecture from my husband about not using the GPS system he had just bought for my car and for not knowing how to use the one on my phone AND for the traffic ticket.  But none of them were as hard on me as I was on myself.  Because I knew that most of this could have been prevented with a little thought and planning.

1.  I am not a morning person.  Knowing this, I should not have scheduled a meeting first thing in the morning if it was preventable.  I needed to be at my most alert and functional and morning is not that time for me.

2.  Once I knew I had a morning meeting scheduled, I should have double checked to ensure the alarm was set.  If I had left the house on time, I would have missed the worst of the traffic.

3.  Knowing that I am easily lost, I should have never left the bypass.  I knew where I was going and I just needed to stay on track.  I might have been a little bit late but I could may have been able to smooth that over.  Hours late because I got lost was a bit harder to explain.

4.  If I had put the GPS in my car when my husband gave it to me, I could have been directed right to my destination.  Knowing how to use the one on my phone was pointless since I had forgotten to charge it the night before!

5.  My husband had mentioned several times that I should get a second car charger for my phone and just leave it in the car.  But I assured him that I always remembered to put it back if I took it along on a trip to use in the rental car.  Except today... 

Despite the embarrassment and humiliation I felt at appearing so unprofessional to my prospect - and for confirming all those things men think about women drivers - I was able to learn some lessons from this incident.  I never schedule meetings before noon if I can avoid it.  I make sure I know exactly where I am going, sometimes even driving there the day before just to make sure I can find it.  I set both the bedside alarm and the alarm on my cell phone at night if I need to get up early.  I have learned to use all the apps on my phone - including GPS.  And the car charger never leaves my car. 

Everyone makes mistakes in business.  Hopefully, yours aren't quite the source of jokes as much as mine were.  (The one way sign for my birthday was cute, guys, really).  But if you can learn from your mistakes, you might find that they weren't so bad after all.  After paying the fine for my ticket, admitting to my husband that he was right - I really needed to learn to use all the technology available to me, and after retelling the story to my prospect (much to the amusement of  her husband!), all is well.  My prospect - while still not a client - is now a trusted friend and member of my support team.  My husband makes sure I have the latest in gadgets for birthdays and anniversaries.  And I have a very cool one way sign in my office to remind me - always think ahead.  Always be prepared.  Always stay on track.  And if these fail, remain calm, observe your surroundings, listen to those around you, and don't be afraid to ask for directions.      
 

Everyone Wants To Succeed In Business

Why are you in business?  To make money?  To have more time with your family?  To build a better future for them?  To live life on your own terms?  I have heard all of these reasons.  And it is possible achieve these goals.  It just takes time, hard work, and knowledge.

Time is already yours.  You just have to allow yourself to take it.  I know there are lots of sites promising you 6 figure income overnight, but the reality is that just doesn't happen for most people.  Be patient and don't give up. 

Hard work I can't help you with.  You have to decide for yourself whether you are willing to do what it takes to start and build a successful business.  Again, there are tons sites promising instant success with no effort - just use there system, product, book or gadget.  But it just isn't so.  Success takes work.  There's no way around it.  And if you aren't willing to do the work, you will never succeed.

That leaves knowledge.  And that I can help you with.  Over the years, I have had the privilege of learning from some of the must successful business people today.  I've looked at their websites, read their books, taken their courses, and attended their seminars.  This is what I have learned from them.

1.  Be Yourself.  I am not Felicia Slattery, or Carrie Wilkerson, or Mike Dillard.  Neither are you.  And when you try to be someone or something you aren't, you just appear phony.  You don't have to copy what everyone else is doing to be successful.  The internet is already full of people all selling the same thing.  What can you bring that's different?  A new perspective?  A new method of doing something?  There are lots of business coaches on the internet.  There are far fewer who specialize in getting technology-shy, risk-adverse, boomers online and building businesses.  There are several travel sites - even some that specialize in pet travel.  But none actually look at travel from through from the dog's point of view and offers his perspective on where to go and what to do.  These are what sets me apart from the crowd.  What sets your business apart and makes it different?  Trumpet that to the world and watch what happens.

2.  Consistency matters - especially in business.  I've have followed Mike Litman practically since he came online.  And his message today is the same as it was then:  You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going.  Felicia Slattery has been promoting the benefits of having a signature speech - a well prepared signature speech - for years.  Neither of them have changed their marketing message to keep up with the latest internet buzz.  Their message is the same day after day, year after year.  Is your message consistent?  Or are you always chasing and promoting the next big thing?   

3.  Ask for the sale.  PopArtDiva is a tireless self-promoter.  She uses every technique at her disposal to promote her products.  If you visit Ken McArthur's site, he makes sure you have every opportunity to buy from him.  When you get on Mike Litman's list, you receive great information on a regular basis.  And quite frequently at the end of all that information, he tells you about his newest product or workshop.  And not only do they ask you for the sale, they make sure you know why you should do business with them.  Are you asking for the sale?  Does your website invite visitors to sign up for your newsletter, buy your products, or try your services?  Do you make it easy for them to do so?  Are you promoting your business in other ways - email, social networking, Facebook, or advertising?  Do prospects know why they should do business with you instead of your competition?

4.  Create a presence.  I received an email today from someone I had never heard of promoting a new business tool.  It sounded interesting and so I Googled their name just to see what else they had done.  Guess what came up?  Nothing.  Not one article.  No website.  I searched Twitter and Facebook.  No Twitter account and while there was a Facebook page, there was no picture and it didn't appear that he had ever posted anything.  Who is this person?  Is he serious about his business?  The link in his email may have taken me to a legitimate website of some sort but who knows for sure?  I didn't click on it.  Just because the email made it through the spam filter doesn't make it safe.  If I had been able to find out more about this person and his business, he may have made a sale today.

Creating a presence also helps keep you visible.  Suppose I really was interested in learning more about the product promoted in the email I received.  But I got busy and didn't follow up right away.  Then tomorrow I see a tweet about the product and I get reminded.  Or I see a comment from this person on a blog post and it reminds me again.  Or I'm searching for something and I come across an article he wrote.  People are mentioning him on Twitter and Facebook.

Are you visible?  Do you have a web presence?  A website or blog?  If I search for you, will I find you?  Are you active on the social networking sites?  Do you visit other blogs and make worthwhile comments?  Have you published any articles?

5.  Along with visibility goes credibility.  If you are going to be visible, you had better be credible.  This means be honest.  Do not promote your self as an experienced internet business person if you have never made a dime online.  Do not claim to have made millions if you haven't.  Sell what you know.  Everyone is an expert at something.  Build your business around what you really do know.  Your experience and expertise will show when you interact with others    

6.  Be of value.  Learn to serve. Your value to others is directly related to how well you serve them. Focus on providing the best possible service to as many people as possible and the rest will take care of itself. The Bible says it very well - "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Focus on serving your customers and giving them as much value as possible and I promise the money will follow in direct proportion to your service. 

7.  Show us you are real.  Your website should have a way to contact you.  An address, phone number, email address and maybe even a photo if you are not camera shy.  And make sure you respond.  If you can't get back right away, put an autoresponder on your site that tells visitors you will get back with them as soon as possible.  Have voicemail on your business phone that says the same thing.  Then make sure you do it.  Trust me - nothing is more  irritating than emailing or calling with a question and not getting a response.  Is your contact information readily visible on your website and promotional material?  Do you respond to customers and prospects in a timely manner?

8.  Give back.  I owe much of my success to the advice and help I received from others.  In fact, I wouldn't be here without some of them.  I try to remember that and follow their example.  Yes, we are all in business, but giving a bit away can have some amazing results.  So don't be afraid to offer a word of advice or a few minutes of your time to someone who is just getting started.  And if you can't help someone, send them to someone who can.  You may not gain them as a customer then, but they will remember. 

9.  Be patient and persistent.  I don't care what magic system, book, course, website, or business opportunity you think you have found - success takes two things.  Patience and persistence.  It is not going to happen overnight.  It is probably not going to happen in a few weeks or even months.  Most new businesses take a year or more to really get going.  Take the time you need to get where you want to go.

Success also takes persistence.  Yes, you really can make money while you sleep - someday.  Right now, you are going to have to work everyday.  Even if you are holding down a job while you get your business started, you still must find time each day to do at least one thing to move your business forward.  Every day.  Without fail.  What one thing can you do right now that will help build your business?  Ok, now go do it - after you finish reading this, of course! 

10.  Attitude is everything.  If you are enthusiastic about your business, confident in yourself and your products/services, helpful and respectful to others, and thankful for all that you receive each day, your attitude will shine through and you will attract others to you. 

There you have the top 10 things I have learned over the years.  How many of them are you doing?  I encourage you to print this list and periodically do a quick spot check - just to see how you are doing.  Before you know it, you will be celebrating success!

Top 10 Success Strategies for 2012

The new year is less than two weeks away.  Now is the time to examine your business.  Are you where you expected to be at this point?  If not, what can you do differently next year?  If you are, what strategies can you build on to keep up your momentum?

Here are my top 10 success strategies for a successful 2012.

1.  I have already broken my number one rule for success - treat your business like a business!  Which means not to let things (like holidays) interfere.  As you can see from the date of my last post, I have not been so successful at this.  But we all backslide every once in a while.  But in order to be successful in your business, you have to work at it every day until it reaches that point where you can step away for a vacation and it will continue to function without you.  Just make sure you come back prepared to work.  So the family vacations, shopping trips, and holiday parties are over and now it is time to get back to work.

2.  Set your goals.  You won't know if you have been successful if you don't know what successful is.  What do you want to achieve next year?  Increased cash flow?  More traffic to your site?  Additional income streams?  Set your goals for next year now so you will know when you reach them.

3.  Take it one step at a time.  Once you have set your goals, determine the steps necessary to reach them.  Create an action plan will get you where you want to be.  Then follow it - one step at a time.  Don't try to accomplish everything at once or you will become overwhelmed.  By taking your overall goal and breaking it up into manageable steps, you will steadily come closer and closer each day to accomplishing it.

4.  Learn to serve.  Your value to others is directly related to how well you serve them.  Focus on providing the best possible service to as many people as possible and the rest will take care of itself.  The Bible says it very well - "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."  Focus on serving your customers and I promise the money will follow in direct proportion to your service..

5.  Use your time effectively.  Do you often find yourself wishing for 48 hour days?  Then perhaps you aren't managing your time effectively.  Are you focusing on activities that give you the most benefit?  Or are you wasting time on activities best delegated to others - or even best left undone?  Track your activities for a week.  Use a spreadsheet, calendar, planner or even just a notepad.  Note each activity you perform throughout the day and how much time you spent on it.  Then review it to see if you need to make some changes to get the most out of each day.

6.  Stay on course.  I have a friend who has been part of so many different "business opportunities" it's hard to keep count.  Every few months, he is calling me about "the next big thing" and encouraging me to get on board before it's too late.  Needless to say, while he has been moderately successful, he has not reached the goals he set for himself financially.  He blames it on the fact that he has not yet found the perfect "opportunity."  But the truth is, he never sticks with anything long enough to build it as big as it could become.  Decide what the focus of your business is and stick with it until you reach your goal.

7.  Never stop learning.  Attend a seminar.  Read books - business books, leadership books, inspirational books.  Take a course.  The more you know, the more you can offer.  And the more you can offer, the more valuable you become.

8.  Network, network, network!  Even I have had to concede and jump on the Facebook bandwagon.  You never know where you might meet your next customer, mentor, partner.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn all have hordes of loyal users.  Learn to put yourself and your business in front of them effectively using these tools.

9.  Build your business team.  You cannot do everything - nor should you.  Surround yourself with others who can do the things you can't or don't want to do.  It Should be a Dog's World requires lots of graphics and art work.  I could spend my time on this.  Or I can give my ideas to my graphic designer and let her deal with it.  Since ideas are one of my strong skills and artwork is hers, I am more than happy to let her take care of that part of my business.  Delegate or outsource what you can and should and focus your time on what you do best. 

10.  Plan your day.  Every night before I bed, I make my to-do list of what I need to accomplish tomorrow.  When I get to work in the morning, there is no time spent deciding where to start.  I have my list ready, in order of importance.  All I need to do is start at the top and work my way down, checking off items as I go.  If I don't get everything on the list finished, I simply carry it over to the next day.  But having my list helps ensure I get more done each day because I arrive in the office already prepared for what needs to be done and what is most important.  You can use whatever tool works best for you.  I just you a notepad.  You can do it last thing in the evening or first thing in the morning.  But do take time to plan each day.

Inch by Inch, Success is a Cinch

I love old adages.  You know the ones I mean - those old sayings your parents used to tell you all the time that drove you crazy, but make sense now that you've matured.  "A penny saved is a penny earned."  "Pride goeth before a fall."  And one of my favorites - "Inch by inch, success is a cinch."

Actually, it wasn't my parents who introduced this one to me.  It was success coach Mike Litman.  And I did take the liberty of rewording it just a bit.  The actual saying is "Yard by yard, life is hard.  Inch by inch, life is a cinch."  But the path to success is also easier if taken a step at a time.  So inch by inch, success IS a cinch.

When starting a new business, or trying to expand an existing one, it is easy to be overwhelmed by all the "stuff" there is to do.  Sometimes you just don't know where to start and there seems to never be enough hours in the day to get everything done.  In fact, it can be so overwhelming and exhausting that many people quit before they ever really get started. 

What can we do when we have too much to do?  Instead of giving in, try tackling one thing at a time.  Don't try to do more.  You'll only wind up tired and frustrated.  In fact, you might actually want to do less.  But do it right.  Instead of running around taking potshots at each of your to-do items, pick one today and focus all your attention on it.  Starting a new business?  What is one thing that you can accomplish today that will help you move forward?  Have you done your market research?  Written your business plan?  Decided on a business name?  Choose one task today, complete it, and check it off your list.  If it's a large project like research or writing your business plan, break it up into smaller pieces and then finish one of these each day.  Once you have completed your task for the day, move on to something else. 

Are you trying to expand an already established business?  The process is still the same.  What is one thing you can do today to move your business forward?  Write an article for publication?  Develop a new product?  Create an advertising campaign?  Choose one thing and devote yourself to it.  Again, if it's a bigger project such as creating a new ad campaign, break it into smaller, manageable tasks.  Then choose one of those and tackle it.  Focus on it until it's completed.  Then move on to the next step.

This may drive those of you who, like me, want instant gratification, just a bit crazy.  I admit - one step at a time was very hard for me in the beginning.  But it works.  Small steps planned with care will achieve more than leaping in without thinking.  And each step moves you that much closer to your overall goal - and success!

What ONE thing can you do today to move closer to your goal?  Take that small step.  Because slow and steady wins the race.  Rome wasn't built in a day. The hurrider I go the behinder I get.  Haste makes waste.  And inch by inch, success really is a cinch!          

Moving Your Business Beyond the Idea Stage

You have a great business idea.  You know it will work and you could finally fulfill your dream of being your own boss.  If only you knew how to get started.

Too many ideas remain just that - ideas.  But you can move your business beyond the idea stage by following these simple steps.

1.  If you have a basic idea of what type of service or product you want to provide, do some research to make it as marketable as possible.  Are other businesses offering the same thing?  If so, how is your business different.  If your idea is completely unique, do some further research to be sure there is a market for it. 

2.  Write your business plan.  Every business, no matter how small, needs a written business plan.  What's in a business plan? It depends. You can create a fairly elaborate plan with an executive summary, market analysis, business strategy, financial plan, management summary, implementation steps and much more. These are great if you are applying for a loan to start your new business or are bringing in partners or investors. But if you just want a plan to help you get your new home business idea off the ground, it can be much simpler.


3.  Assess your financial situation.  How much money will you need to get your business off the ground?  Do you have enough to finance it yourself or will you need a loan?  Will you continue in your current job while you build your business?  If you are going to devote yourself full time to your business, how much will you need to finance it and cover your living expenses until you start making a profit?  Do you have enough money set aside to live on while you build your business?  If not, where will you get it?

4.  Create your marketing plan.  Who is your target market?  How will you reach them?  Is there more than one market for your product or service?  Will you market to them both in the same way?  How much will you need to spend on marketing?  If you don't understand marketing, study what the Top 10 Internet Marketing Gurus and my Favorite Women Entrepreneurs are doing and apply it to your own business.

5.  Prepare to Launch!  Set up a step-by-step task list of what you need to do to get your business idea off the ground and make it a reality.  Each day do at least one thing to move you closer to your goal. 

From idea to prosperous business - all it takes is a few steps and you'll be on your way!

Starting Out With Way Too Little Money

I was reading a business forum the other day. One of the posts was from a woman who was announcing she was quitting her business and going back to work. She just couldn't make her business successful. It seems she stared out with way too little money and so her plan was to go back to her job and save enough money to start again. I don't know what type of business she was in, but I do know one thing. If she had $50 dollars, she could start a successful business. It doesn't matter what type of business you start, there are very inexpensive ways to market and promote it.

If you've read my blog at all, then you know that one thing you need is a website. You can build a web presence completely free by starting a blog or by simply joining some affiliate programs that provide a free website. If you want to host your own site, you can do so for under $20 a month! There are some great web hosting services available for extremely reasonable prices. My favorites? Try Yahoo! Web Hosting. Starting Price: $8.96 per month for the first 3 months. $11.95 per month thereafter. No setup fee.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting/.

Or if even $11.95 is a little steep, try HostNine. Price: $6.96 per month. No setup fee. http://www.hostnine.com/

If you want to host a website for under $5.00 per month, that is possible! Check out Host Gator where you can get web hosting for as little as $4.95 per month. http://www.hostgator.com/.

You will also need to register your domain name. Again, there are tons of cheap domain name registrars available. Perhaps the most well known is GoDaddy where you can register a new .com for $9.99. http://www.godaddy.com/.

I also recommend Yahoo! Domains where domain registration is $9.95 or free if you host with them. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/

If you want the lowest price available, check out Netfirms where you can register your domain for as low as $6.99 per year. http://www.netfirms.com/domain-names/.

Website done and domain name registered! How about some business cards? You can get 250 quality business card for as low as $3.99 at VistaPrint. I have used VistaPrint for my network marketing business cards and they did a wonderful job. http://www.vistaprint.com/business-cards.

Okay - now how to promote your business inexpensively. Well, if you have a printer of any quality, you can post flyers on bulletin boards, depending on the type of business you are starting. This works well for local business such as house and pet sitters, daycare providers, personal assistants, etc. You can buy paper for less than $10 just about anywhere. Design your flyer and print it. Go to your local UPS Store or Kinko's and make your own copies - cheap!

If your business isn't suited to bulletin board advertising, try classified ads - online for as low as $9.95 per month. There are so many online ad services available and almost all of them do a fine job. I don't really have a favorite. Just Google classified ads and you'll find all you need. Advertising locally is also usually very affordable. Now by locally I mean in papers such as The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette or The Morning News for me. Not the NY Times or The Washington Post!

What is the best investment you can make for less than $20? Go buy a copy of Jay Conrad Levinson's book "Guerrilla Marketing." For about $11.00, you can receive all the advice and tips you will ever need on how to market your business on a budget. It is available form Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com or directly from the Jay's Guerrilla Marketing website http://www.gmarketing.com/. Even if you don't buy the book there, I suggest you still visit his site just to read the articles. And be sure to sign up for the free weekly newsletter!

Lack of money shouldn't be a reason for you to get started on your own future. When I first started, I had NO money. My husband didn't believe this could work and wouldn't agree to let me use any of our money to get started. So I could only spend what I managed to save myself after household bills. Since I was working for a non-profit at the time, that wasn't much! Keep your job until you are making enough to quit. Use these resources to learn how to build and market your business for little or no cost. Take some of your business profits and invest it back into marketing and building your business. And next year, look back in satisfaction at how far you've come. Let's make 2009 your year to shine!

I'd Rather Be Fishing!

I'm sitting here struggling to come up with something to write about today. I have a list of topics I want to post about in each of my blogs. I keep it right here by my computer. And yet, as I'm looking at the list, none of them are inspiring me.

And then it came to me. It has nothing to do with the topics. They are all good ideas for things I think most home business builders want to know. But the truth is it's a beautiful day - not too hot for the first time in weeks. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren are camping at the lake for the week celebrating my grandson's birthday which was Monday. He has been wanting to go camping all summer and this is one of his presents - getting Mom to go camping! And the plain simple truth is - I don't want to be blogging about business. I want to be on the lake with my family!

Which gave me the idea for my post today. Sure I can say the heck with it and turn off the computer and go to the lake. Many of you are probably saying why not? After all, it is his birthday. And you're right. One day less at the computer probably won't make or break my business. But - I took off Monday to spend the day with him. And I am taking the boat out later this evening so he can sleep on the boat with me. And I'll be out there all day tomorrow. So now it's not just one day - it's several. And several days away can make a difference.

I hear the whispers in the background. Just work a little _______ (fill in the blank: harder, longer, more, smarter) when you get back and make up for taking the time off. Let me tell you something from experience. That never happens. You may have the best of intentions but let's be honest. There are only 24 hours in a day. And no one wants to spend most of them working. Besides, if you push yourself too hard or too long, you can actually find yourself further behind. Your body and mind need rest to recharge and the more tired and stressed you become, the more mistakes you make.

Treating your business like a business means you work when you are supposed to - no matter what other things may try to lure you away. Yes, one of the beautiful things about working at home is being able to set your own schedule. And I did. I agreed that I would not work Monday, Friday evening, or Saturday. Now I have to count on myself to stick to my agreement, no matter what.

Granted there are times when emergencies require you to be more flexible. Life happens. But the sun shining and the birds singing and the lure of the lake calling is not an emergency.

Does my grandson mind that I'm not with him right now? Is he missing me? Maybe. But he also understands that "NeeNee" works to pay so he can attend his private school, and he and his sister can have things they want that Mommy and Daddy can't get them. And he knows that because I work from home, I am able to spend more time with him than his other grandparents who all work outside the home. I can stay with him when he has to miss school because he is sick. I can go with him and his sister on field trips when Mommy and Daddy can't take off from work. I can pick them up after school and take them for ice cream or walks in the park. And I can send them to good Christian schools where they get the foundation they need for their futures. And that means more to me than a few extra hours on the lake.

And so here I sit, working for a few more hours. But soon, I will turn off the computer, hook up the boat and trailer, grab the dog, and head to the lake to spend some glorious hours with my boy!

What little temptations are trying to lure you from focusing on YOUR business?

You Gotta Have Content

It takes many different things to build an internet business - a market, a product, prospects. But the most important thing is (drumroll please) content.


Content! What's that? And how can it help me build a business? Let me give you some examples from personal experience.


I'm browsing through my email and I see one with the subject line "Learn My Email Marketing Secrets". So I open the email and it explains how the sender used email marketing to boost his sales and how he can help me do the same thing. It doesn't tell me how, but it provides a link that supposedly will tell me all I need to know. Intrigued, I click on the link provided and am taken to a sales page for a $97 dollar training package. Annoyed, I close the page, delete the email and go on about my own business.

I continue scrolling through my mailbox. I see another. This one reads "Does Your Downline Suffer from NBT Syndrome?" This one really catches my eye. What is NBT Syndrome? Does my downline have it? Is it a good thing? I need to know. I open the email. Again, another email telling me how the author has had experience this problem in his own business. And if I just click the link provided, he'll tell me how to handle it. For a minute I hesitate. It's probably another sales letter. But I click anyway, just to see and ...Surprise! There are several paragraphs that explain how new network marketers don't always understand the business and jump from one opportunity to another in search of the "Next Big Thing" that will make them rich overnight - and leaving their sponsors discouraged by all the attrition. It gave some personal examples and offered some suggestions on how to deal with that problem in my own downline. It was good information but not very in-depth. I needed to know more. And you know what. At the very bottom of the page was the offer. For $39.95 I could learn more. Guess what...I bought the book. Why? Why this one and not the other? It wasn't the price. It was the fact that the author already gave me enough information to show me he knew what he was talking about. I knew his book would be a good value. And he obviously cared about me more than his sales because he shared such great information with me FREE! Who wouldn't want to support such an individual by purchasing his book.

The point is just that little bit of content made the difference between sale and no sale. Content is vital and you need to use it everywhere you can. In your sales copy, on your website, in your free reports or other viral marketing tools. Besides attracting more and better prospects, you'll also attract search engine attention. Search engines love content rich sites. Want to move up the page rankings? Add some fresh, meaty content to your site regularly.

"But I don't know how to get content." Well if you can't develop or write content of your own, there are other ways to get it.

You can hire someone to write it for you.

You can check out free sources of content on the internet. One of my favorites is Articles Factory (www.articlesfactory.com).

You can buy products that come with resale or private label rights. This allows you to use the content in your own products. Many of the ebooks and training courses I purchase come with resale rights which allows me to resell the product and keep the profit. Private label rights allows me to brand the product as my own - even better.

If you need to revamp your website to make it more content rich and don't know where to begin, I suggest you start by purchasing Site Build It! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html). SBI! assumes you know nothing about building an online business (and yet, it is invaluable for the advanced Webmaster, too). It provides everything you need. It will help you create, host, and market a website that is consistently ranked in the top 1% - 3%.

Spice up your business life with a little content.

I need your input

I'm sitting in my office with a small case of the "blahs." You know that feeling right? I have tons of stuff to do and little desire to do it. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and I'm tired. And I'm not so sure that I haven't lost sight of some of my goals and I'm not confident that I'm making progress.

So where did I get off track? I was moving along just fine, getting more excited every day and then ...Something hit. In my case it was the air conditioner, the washing machine and the lawn mower all breaking in the same week. Then all the rain we've been having must have eroded some of the soil in on our land because a tree fell over and destroyed part of our fence. And my husband just announced he may be transferred to Fresno, CA.

Doesn't it ALWAYS happen this way....You are going along just fine and something just blows up in your face and that carefully planned goal gets forgotten.

So the real question is ...Now that I know that I'm off-track, what do I do about it and how can I keep it from happening again? Well, the first step is to remember what your main goal is. In my case that goal is to ..."Make a decent living while helping as many people as I possibly can achieve their own goals for a quality life." But, wait. I have to admit that I am making a decent living, at least in my own estimation. So have I achieved my goal? Is that why I feel so lost? Is it time to change my goal? Of course not. I just need to fine tune my goal. You see, my original goal was written long before I learned anything about how to set SMART goals. What is a "decent living." Who gets to decide? How will I know when I make it?

A goal is a clear, concise statement - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and has a time limit. So let's see what we can do with that original goal to make it better. Ready? How about "Earn $200,000 this year" or "Make $40,000 a month by the end of 2008." Better? Okay. That's part one. Now for the second part - "help as many people as possible achieve their own goals." This one could be a little trickier. How will I know if I've helped as many people as I can? How will I know I couldn't have helped just one more if I had worked harder? Is there any way to make this a SMARTer goal? Probably not. So you know what. It's not a goal. Perhaps it should be part of my personal mission statement. (What? You don't have your own mission statement? Shame on you! We'll work on that in a different post.).

Okay, so my new financial goal now reads: Make $30,000 a month by the end of 2008. Good goal. I'm feeling more focused already!

Step two. When you've lost focus and you've reexamined your goals, your not finished. Because just rewriting or remembering your goals isn't going to help you get back on track. You have to look at your strategy for achieving your goals. So how am I going to make $30,000 per month? I have my site selection business. That does well. But with the current economic situation, many meetings are being cancelled or scaled back so the chances of making $30,000 per month with that is not good. I have my Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing business. That does great. And it's growing. It could conceivably make $30,000 per month. But probably not by the end of 2008. Then there's the money I make from my affiliate programs. They all bring a little. And the "Travels with Bob" website is almost ready for launch. These are all good businesses. But none of them will make $30,000 a month by the end of 2008.

So what's the answer? Multiple sources of income. Alone - none of these will help me make my goal. But together I will more than achieve it. That was part of my sense of failure. I was focusing on one business to take me all the way. And then I talked to one of my mentors who reminded me that $30,000 is $30,000 whether it's all from one business or $10,000 each from several businesses.

Now, running several enterprises at once can be time consuming. And since one of my other goals is to spend more time with my husband, daughter, and grandchildren, that could cause conflict. So I also need to come up with some passive, recurring, and residual income. I will need to look at automating more of the processes on "Bob's" website. And maybe it's time to hire an assistant to help with some of the clerical and administrative tasks. And then I really need to share Fortune with as many people as possible. Network marketing is one of the greatest sources for passive residual income!

I'm so excited! I feel a new burst of energy. I think I'm back on track. In fact, I'm so excited that I almost forgot what I originally wanted to post about. I've been thinking of writing a book. I've got a title."Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise - A Woman's Guide to Becoming Physically, Financially, and Spiritually Fit". And you can help me write it. I need some specific input from you. If I've helped any of you in any way, I need to hear about it. Why? Well, it's not for my ego -- although I have at least as much ego going as the next person. It's because I need to know what things I am doing to reach my goals actually WORK! It's OK if you want to e-mail me and tell me that nothing has worked for you yet...But ...That's not the purpose of this post. What I am looking for is specific information, tools or techniques that I have personally given you that helped you towards a better life. I'm really looking for specific results. The more specific the better. If you have benefited from something that I've shared with you, please take a moment, hit the comment button and let me know specifically what it was. I'll be able to see what is working for you and that will help me help others.

Smile!

I attended the local Friday networking coffee this week. What I saw there prompted this post.

There were two different people there. They represented the same company. They were both well dressed and successful looking. They were neat and well-groomed. Both had information about their business and services and spoke well about what they could offer. And so I expected any leads that came from this meeting would be shared between the two of them, all things being equal. Not so. As I was leaving, I noticed several people clustered around one of the people. The other one was off to the side of the room - alone.

While I was driving home I thought about this. What made the one person more attractive and approachable than the other? Granted one was male and one was female. But that should not have made a difference. In fact if it did, it should have caused the opposite reaction. Because the male who was standing alone was HOT! And the woman who had drawn the crowd was just an ordinary middle-aged woman. And yet even I had to admit that if I was in the market for their services I would probably have approached the woman. I thought about it some more. Why? What was different about her? Then it hit me.

When the gentleman stood up to talk about his business, he presented all of the facts about his company and how he could be of service to us. He listed all the benefits of doing business with him and why we should contact him immediately. He was very serious and straightforward, passing out business cards and pamphlets about his company, dressed in his suit and tie and looking very polished and professional.

A little bit later it was the woman's turn. She stood up also. She was dressed in a simple suit and like her predecessor, had all of the facts and figures about her business to share with us. She also handed out business cards and pamphlets and acknowledged her fellow business person had already said just about everything there was to say about the company. And then she smiled. And it lit up her whole face. It was one of the most warm and welcoming smiles I've seen. It just drew you in. It made you feel like she really cared about your needs and wanted to get to know you better. And that, I think, was the difference. The gentleman had all the knowledge and ability that the woman had. But he never smiled. I never felt like he really connected with me and I'm guessing that none of the other networkers did either.

When I got home, I did some research on how smiling affects your business interactions and everything I found just validated what I was thinking.

The articles said that smiling raises your confidence. When you are looking for someone to do business with, don't you want someone who is confident in their abilities? Sure you do. A smile conveys that self-confidence without being arrogant. Another article said that smiling instantly makes you more attractive. Who doesn't want to be more attractive? Admit it, when someone is smiling, aren't you drawn in? Don't you enjoy that person's company more? Of course you do! We all do.

So my business advice for this week is very simple. SMILE! Go ahead. SMILE! I've read that you can't fake a smile so if you just do it, even when you don't feel like it, it's bound to change your attitude. And we just read that it will make you more confident and attractive. So do it again. SMILE! Doesn't that feel good? Now that you know how good smiling is for you and your business, I want you to practice smiling every day. In fact, one of the articles I read said that if you practice smiling and thinking positive thoughts or repeating affirmations at least six times a day, it will have a huge positive impact on your life. What are you waiting for? SMILE!

You've Got To Do Something!

Do you wonder why some people are successful and others aren't? I recently had this discussion with someone who is part of my Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing downline. He wanted to know why I had lied to him. Lied to him about what? He joined Fortune. He paid his $299, switched his cell phone to AT&T through Fortune, bought some vitamins, and sat back and waited. One year later he had made $21.00 and had no one in his own downline. He wanted to know why he wasn't making the money everyone else was claiming to make. Why? Because first you actually have to DO something.

Over the years, I've discovered there are 3 steps you must take to become successful at anything. First you have to be willing to make a decision. My team member had trouble with this. He would agonize forever about who to talk to, how to present the business plan, whether or not to ask someone to be a customer. These were all fairly simple decisions to make and yet he never could make one and stick with it. I'd hate to see how long it took him to make decisions that actually required some thought!

Second, once you make a decision to do something, you have to actually DO it. I asked this person how many people he had actually shown the business plan to in the past year. His answer - one! Then I asked him how many people he had shown our products and services to and asked them to become his customers. The answer - zip, zero, zilch! Did he go to any training? No. Listen to any conference calls? No. And he reaped the rewards of his inaction - nothing.

The third thing you must do is surround yourself with the people who ARE doing it. Instead of coming to training meetings or business presentations or even listening in on the conference calls where he would be with people who were successfully building their Fortune businesses and were positive and uplifting about their experience, he hung out with others who continually reinforced his belief that he had been taken advantage of, that network marketing was nothing more than a scam, and that it would never work for him.

If you buy a McDonald's franchise and then keep the door locked, you will not make any money. If you say you want to get in shape and continue to sit on the couch every day, you will not see any difference. If you get involved with a network marketing business and then don't talk to anyone, you will fail!

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But these are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" John F. Kennedy

"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. " Theodore Roosevelt

Make decisions!
Take massive action!
Surround yourself with successful people!

Let's make the next year amazing!

Failure or Success?

There are three main reasons why home based businesses fail:
1. Poor planning
2. Poor marketing
3. Poor management

According to a report I read recently, over 90% of all network marketers, affiliate marketers or other work-at-home business people quit within the first year. Then they proceed to go out and tell everyone they know that you can't make money with a home business. It drives me crazy when I think how many people could have been successful with just a little planning, training, and time management.

If you think you have the idea for the next great business, or you've found the perfect MLM, or an excellent affiliate program - GREAT! Now, before you do anything else, write your plan. If your business is already somewhat established such as a network marketing, MLM, or affiliate program, much of that is already done for you. But you still need to plan how you are going to build YOUR team or downline or customer base or opt-in list. If you are actually looking a starting your own unique business then get a business plan template (most banks will give you one for free) and write your business plan.

82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow or by starting out with too little money. Make sure you look at the money involved in starting your business. Many network marketing and MLM opportunities say they cost little or nothing to join. That may be true. They neglect to tell you that you have to spend hundreds of dollars each month to purchase products in order to make any money. Don't be like a friend of mine who joined a MLM company and quit her job two days later because she was going to make a fortune! Needless to say, she is back at work, in debt, and very bitter about the whole MLM industry. Could she be at home today making a decent living from this company? Possibly. But she did not consider all of the financial costs involved with successfully marketing an MLM opportunity and had nothing to fall back on until she built a business.

So you wrote your plan. You examined the financial costs of your business. You have the cash to make this work. You have a source of income or some savings put aside to live on until you start bringing in enough income to live on. You're on your way to success. Wait a minute! What was that second reason most businesses fail? Something about marketing? Oh well, it can't be that important. After all, it's Avon (or Melaleuca, or Herbalife, or Tupperware, or even Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing). I'm an affiliate for SBI! (or Amazon or Iris Silks or the Internet Marketers Club). Don't they do all that marketing stuff for me?

It's true you can capitalize off the name recognition of many of these companies. Do you think that fact that Fortune markets for companies like AT&T, DishTV, and Travelocity helps me when I talk about the business? Sure it does. But I still need to let people know what it is I do. That's marketing! If you are not doing anything to promote yourself and your business, it WILL fail. Every evening, I write down a list of things I need to do the next day. I always include at least 1 thing I can do to promote my business. You should be doing the same thing. If you don't know how to market, there are lots of great books and resources available to help you learn. The first marketing books I ever read were Guerrilla Marketing and Marketing on a Shoestring. I can't even remember who wrote them but I remember and still use much of what they taught me.

Okay - business plan, marketing - now you're all set. Right? Maybe. Don't forget the last reason so many home businesses fail - poor management. I know you're thinking "what's to manage? It's just me." Sometimes managing yourself can be more difficult than you realize. Learning to manage your time and available resources effectively can be hard. Read some of my earlier posts about treating your business like a business for more insight and don't start out on the wrong path like I did. It's much easier to develop good habits from the beginning than it is to change bad ones.

Plan, market, manage. Or as I've heard it put from so many of my colleagues and mentors - Plan your work. Work your plan. Failure or success? The choice is yours.

Give It Just a Little Bit More....

What's the difference between the very successful business person and the mediocre one? The successful ones always give just a little bit more. That little bit of extra effort can separate the superstars from the rest of the pack. They make that one more sales call, the extra follow-up call. They do the presentation when they wish they were out with their friends. They never forget the thank you note or the birthday card. They give their clients and customers the extra attention that says "you're special" and turns prospects into buyers and buyers into loyal customers.

Ask yourself today - what little bit extra can you do that will take your business to the top?

I Asked Some Women Business Owner Friends of Mine

I can give you all the tools in the world and some of you will still not be as successful as you like. Why? What will make the difference between you and another reader of this blog? I recently participated in a program for Girl Scouts that taught girls business skills and how to become an entrepreneur. During that program we looked at being a business owner from many different aspects.

What does it take to be a successful business owner? What skills and personality traits are necessary? I asked some friends of mine who are all women business owners this question, so I could share them with the girls in the Girl Scout program. Their answers were very enlightening. Valuable enough, in fact, that I thought I'd also share them with you.

My friend Anna Campbell founded and runs Women Business Owners, http://www.womenbizowners.org, a non-profit that works with you to make your business work. She says you need to be confident, understanding, responsible, willing to learn, willing to fail, willing to learn again. You need to understand that you spend money to make money. You need to know how to communicate with others and how to delegate. Confidence, understanding, responsibility - these were mentioned by several of the women. I've heard "fake it till you make it" repeatedly. That phrase always bothered me until I understood that what they meant was to exhibit confidence when dealing with customers and clients. How can you expect them to have faith in your abilities if you don't have faith in yourself?

Caryn Isaacs expresses this need for confidence another way. Caryn is a patient advocate at Resource Evaluation Leaders, Inc. http://reli.com/. She says that belief in your dream is key. You can be afraid that you don't have what it takes, but the dream should be bigger than you. Once you take the first step, the business develops a life of its own. You just need to jump on for the ride. She states that she has never known anyone who succeded, if the goal was just to make money. The driving force is finding your passion, learning everything you can about the history of that field and then just get up and do at least one thing everyday, make a call, read an article or just think about your next move. Finally, reward yourself for a job well done.

Gazelle Simmons, Virtual Assistant/Owner of Admin Services, http://www.admnsrvcs.com, also lists belief as a key factor. Persistence, determination, ambition, honesty, courage and belief in yourself as well as your abilities - these are all part of Gazelle's list of necessary traits.

According to Ingrid Gonzalez, you need to have an entrepreneurial spirit. Now what exactly is that? How about all of the factors we already listed! According to Ingrid, you must be willing to take risks, be organized, be a leader, learn how to handle rejections as it's part of the package, work well under pressure, be a decision-maker, be up to date with technology. She should know. She successfully runs two business: Alco Consultants, LLC http://www.alcoconsultants.com and Dainty Beads http://www.daintybeads.com.

Kristine Sheehan, The Merry Bird, http://www.themerrybird.com, listed many of the same traits - sanity, patience, kindness, perserverance, and desire to succeed.

I really like the way my friend Dawna Jones put it. Dawna calls herself an Evolutionary Provocateur and her company is InSight Out Consulting, Inc. http://www.frominsighttoaction.com/. As you can see, Dawna looks at things in a more unique and creative fashion. When asked what personality traits were needed for business success, she stated "heart of a wolf; strength of a bear; self-discipline (is what horses have that keeps them from betting on people); see like a spider...the interconnections and relationship between everything you do and its impact on others: suppliers, customers, key relations. Wolves are family; Bear is introspection and goals ..the capacity to focus...oh and a great sense of humor helps. There is no such thing as failure. "

Do you see a common theme here? It's not just about the money. If that's all you're focusing on, you're doomed to be less successful than you could be. In order to really succeed you have to have passion for your work. Then be willing to learn all you can about your chosen business. If you stumble (notice I did not say fail. As Dawna said, there is no such thing as failure), learn from the mistake and keep going. Have courage! Take a risk and be prepared to spend a little money to make money. Anyone who tells you that you can start a business for free is dreaming or a scam artist. You make not have to spend $1000s but you will have to spend some. Be responsible. Remember, everything you do will impact your business either positively or negatively. Be disciplined. You can't work two hours a week and expect to have a prosperous business. Just because many of these women work from their homes does not mean they do not work as many hours or more than you do. If you can, set aside some space that is solely dedicated to your business. If you have a room you can turn into an office, that's great. But even a corner of the kitchen will work. Then every morning, get up, get dressed, and go to work. While you are at work, don't let anything else interfere. Dishes can wait. Tape your favorite soap. Don't answer the door. You are at work. Set a goal for what you want to accomplish that day before you can "go home." I was taught to use a point system. I must earn 4 points each day before I can stop working. Each of the activities I do that are business related have been assigned a point value. When I have 4 points, I can stop. Of course, once I've earned my 4 points for the day, I'm usually so excited about my work that I stay a little longer.

I think I'll end by sharing what my friend Marilyn Jenet, founder of Feel Free to Prosper, http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com, said when she responded to the question.

"These great minds said it best (these are from my memoir, "Feel Free to Prosper: an Entrepreneurial Memoir of Synchronicity and Guidance")

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Haven’t you heard of the "entrepreneur’s creed?" It was drafted by Patrick Henry in 1775…

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

~ Patrick Henry

Okay, I know he wasn’t referring to entrepreneurship, but it’s still the same idea to those of us who listen to our own drummer. So maybe Thoreau was a bit closer to the truth."

~ Marilyn