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The Invisible Stone: Why We Sometimes Stumble In Seeing The Results We Want!

yvonne

In my life, as well as role as a business coach and change consultant, I often come across some ‘invisible stones’ and barriers; I face it sometimes, and I see clients facing it as well. I see situations whereby we are subconsciously not taking responsibility for our actions, and it becomes the invisible stone that causes us to stumble and prevents us from moving forward be it in our lives or businesses.

I was once part of a project that was not moving forward. The project manager and team blamed the leaders for lack of strong leadership and decision making; and the leaders blamed lack of strong project management and employee resistance to change. Standing on the outside, and looking in without any personal agenda, I was able to see things differently. And one thing that was very clear was the ‘lack of ownership and responsibility’. This scenario is very typical in not one, not two, but many organisations.

When we think we are in the right, and someone else is to blame, it makes it more difficult to achieve any goal individually or collectively.

If you are facing chaos on your tasks right now, or finding it difficult to move forward on a personal or business goal, stop for a second and reflect on the below questions.

Be it on a colleague, coworker, friend, partner, parent or the economy, ask yourself:

  • Am I laying the blame at someone else’s feet for why things are not going well?
  • Am I blaming someone else for why I’m not getting the results I want?
  • Am I taking ownership and responsibility for everything that pertains to me and my way of managing my business, or am I holding others responsible?

Consciously or even subconsciously, it is easy to lay the blame somewhere else. Are you blaming your past for lack of progress? Are you blaming a bad economy for your present situation? Are you blaming your parents for something they did or did not do? Are you blaming your race or gender for lack of opportunities?

While I would love to empathise with you, that will not change the situation. Empathy may help you feel good temporarily, but does not get to the crux of the matter or produce results. Whatever situation we are facing, someone else has faced it and is facing it, and yet has not let it hold them back.

We can choose to take ownership for the type of results we want, or fill our minds with why it is someone else’s fault why things are not moving forward as desired. When holding on to a Blame Mindset, which I talk about in my book, The Change You Want, it is difficult to move forward. There will always be that invisible barrier holding us back.

There will be many situations we face and encounter that are out of our control, but how we react, and our attitude is fully and well within our control!

Here are some suggested steps you can take.

  1. Refuse to allow the actions of others demobilise you, stop the blame.
  2. Reflect on your current situation and determine what is within your control and what you can empower yourself to do.
  3. Take ownership and responsibility for your current situation and open your mind for help and to various routes on how to move forward.
  4. Focus your energy on the positive, and on equipping yourself with the skills and resources to help you see the results you desire.

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” – Robert Anthony

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

The Art of Finding Clarity

yvonne

Have you had trouble finding the track that makes you unique? Not knowing what direction to take to fulfill your dreams and goals of being an entrepreneur? Perhaps you are thinking you are at a stage in life where doing a 9-5 job is frustrating? Or not knowing what direction to take to grow your business?

When it comes to achieving your goals and seeing great results, it is not enough to set the goals such as ‘Start a business this year’ or ‘Get more clients and grow my business’. We need to have clear and quantifiable goals.

There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it. – Napoleon Hill

One of the reasons we can easily struggle to achieve our goals is when they are not clear. When they are not clearly defined, it stops us from being laser-focused in the manner that is needed to see results. I love the above quote from Napoleon Hill, we must be definite in our purpose and clearly know what it is we want!

Being clear on your goals starts with ensuring it is strongly tied to our vision, personal mission statement or a strong ‘why’. The next step is to ensure our goals are SMART:

  • Specific: It should be less general, and clearly state what you intend to achieve.
  • Measurable:It should be quantifiable to enable you measure completion; how long, how much, how many etc.
  • Achievable:It should be attainable, and not so ‘pie in the sky’ that it is impossible to meet.
  • Relevant:It should align with your vision and ‘why’ it truly matters to you.
  • Time framed:It should have target dates for completion, and not be open ended

Determine what you want, why you want it, when you want it by, and how you are going to get it. By being more intentional, you become focused and more likely to see greater results. When you become clear on your “Why” and “What ” it become easier to work on your “How“.

Take these easy steps, and you are assured to be ready and all set to start seeing the results you want.

To Do: Revisit your goals, and apply the SMART rule. Be clear on what you want; and turn your dreams to goals, and goals to reality. Here are some tools to help you gain clarity and set SMART goals: Online Mission Statement Builder and Setting SMART Goals.

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

PLANTING ONE SEED (INVESTMENT) AT A TIME!

Amina

This past weekend the weather was finally amazing to get out in the garden, dig through the earth with my fingers and pull out all the weeds before planting my vegetable garden. It got me thinking that it takes one seed at a time to harvest your garden.

What if we took the same view on our investments?

When we first start we are so keen to learn and invest in anything that comes our way – but that can be foolhardy – especially when it comes to investing!  WHY?

Ask any successful real estate investor and he or she she will tell you that the secret to their success was knowledge.  They learned everything they could before investing in their first property.  They planted one seed at a time!  Did they stop there? No they keep learning and applying that knowledge to build on their portfolio.

As an investor you must take your time to learn, which strategy suits you best. Is it student rentals, multi-family, rent to own, buy & hold, flipping, just to name a few?  Or is it lending your money for a great return or investing in syndicated mortgages or even 2nd mortgages?

Lending your money or investing in 2nd mortgages, may not provide as big returns as a bricks and mortar property, but you also don’t have the hassle of being a landlord and dealing with tenant issues.

I was recently approached by a financial advisor, who only believed that the road to wealth was paved on people investing in the stock market.  I have nothing against financial advisors, but being a person who lost a lot in the 2009 crash, I did not want to repeat past mistakes, which included investing in the stock market.  Does that mean I don’t invest in the stock market at all? NO – I do but I self-direct my investmetns and don’t leave it to somebody else to do it for me – thus I don’t incur huge MER (management expense ratio) fees, which can cut into the growth of my investments.  He could not understand why I would not recommend him to my clients.

Taking charge of your financial future should not be left up to somebody else – burrying your head in the sand and hoping your money will be taken care of is also foolhardy!  Does it take work to look after your finances? YES, but isn’t it more rewarding to see your garden grow when you have planted those initial seeds yourself?

Planting those seeds takes time but when that garden (investment portfolio) starts to grow, you will reap the rewards!

To your Wealth!

Amina

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Benefits of Experimentation For Every Industry

Tamara high res 1

Many years ago, I was involved in a high leveled art program. Everyone who was apart of the program was given their own studio, freedom to structure their workflow and access to anything from a photography dark room (Yes, it was that long ago) to oil paints.

However, there was part of the program that was structured. It was the requirement to produce something that they called ‘Experimental Studio Research’ (ESR). This wasn’t the perfectly polished framed painting that you may think your mentors want to see – no. This was the process. The work that brought you to that finished piece. The samples of palettes that didn’t work. The sketches that never produced a finished product.

At first, I almost had to force myself to experiment because I was usually quite certain of how I wanted to work. But I learned valuable lessons by committing to ESR, and it is something that I have taken into every business I have been apart of.

The lessons translate to business so well because as we all know – there are no guarantees and it is inevitable that some things will work better than others. For the purposes of this article – the ‘Studio’ can refer to your industry and the ‘experiments’ are considered strategies that you implement and programs, products and services you offer.

For example, let’s use the coaching industry. You may try offering one-to-one intensive retreats for the first time instead of your 3-month group packages.  You have never marketed such high priced service so you expand to advertising in high-end print magazines instead of investing in just Facebook ads. After two months you haven’t gotten any sales of your retreat but have gotten 25 phone calls about your 3-month packages and requests for year-long programs. Taking the risk (experimenting) with a different marketing approach didn’t get the desired results, but there was unexpected benefits. The results of the ‘research’ of trying a different approach then led to business growth by finding the coach’s clients and what their needs are.

As you can see in the example – one important lesson is that: effort in one direction may actually benefit you in another area that you don’t necessarily expect. The key is to be open to the findings of the ‘research’ and less focused on the unexpected turns that will inevitably come.

Another lesson I applied through this concept is that the ‘process’ is valuable too. You may not only get unexpected business growth, but you may find unexpected skills and interests of your own that you can apply to the future of your business. For example, the coach we talked about before may have found out that she really loved the long-term relationship that she was able to develop over a year’s worth of services.

The value of perceiving things this way is that you can really avoid the ‘failure’ mindset. If everything you do is used to inform your next decision (Ie: NO one bought that program, or I got 400 new sign ups with the newest opt-in), it is all valuable. Knowing what didn’t ‘work’ is just as important as knowing what does.

I hope that reading this you have considered how your ‘experiments’ within your industry can still contribute to the success and growth of your business, even if you ended up not proceeding the way you originally thought.

 

Tamara is the Founder and Creative Director of Sweet Clover Studios. Where she provides resources, planners, learning opportunities and inspiration for other creative small business owners. You can also see her personal gallery of products as a surface pattern designer at http://www.SweetCloverStudios.com

CSR for Small Business?

sandra

It may seem odd to think of Corporate Social Responsibility as a small business owner, but I think that there’s no better time that now to start thinking about more than just your financial bottom line. If you give thought to how your business is impacting the world environmentally and socially when you’re small, you will have systems in place that will grow as the business grows.

Whether it’s choosing a cause that your business supports because there’s an alignment in each organizations core values or ensuring that you operate your business in an environmentally friendly way that reduces your carbon footprint, you don’t have to have a big operating budget to make a meaningful contribution. It can be easy to think that practicing social responsibility is something only large companies need to worry about because they have the resources to do “big things”, but small business has a role to play as well. While big business can do things on a national or global scale, small business owners can contribute on a local scale, supporting the communities that support them.

Success in business is all about relationships. It’s about building trust with not only your customers, but the community within which you operate your business. I’ve heard it said that a relationship without reciprocity will die and I believe that to be true for us as entrepreneurs and small business owners. We can’t become so consumed by the desire to turn a profit that we forget to give back to the community that supports us by buying our products or services.

When our local communities are thriving, as citizens and business owners we can’t help but benefit. It is in our best interest to build into our businesses a strategy for how we will give back. What can you do to make your community better? Maybe you can do a fundraiser for a local cause, or do a review of your operational practices to see where you can make “green” changes. You don’t have to figure it all out at once, but it’s something that you want to consider.

You don’t have to be a corporation to practice corporate social responsibility. I believe it may actually be easier to practice CSR as a small business owner because we have massive manufacturing plants to reconfigure and retool. We make small, but meaningful changes that will be sustainable as we grow and expand our businesses. What are you going to do to give back to the community that’s supporting you and your business?

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Business Research Demystified…New vs. Existing Business. What You Need To Do (Part 2)

yvonne

New Business Start-up Research

Using an analogy from the bible; when God was giving the children of Israel the land of Canaan, he asked Moses to send out men to spy out the land… whether the people who dwelt in it were strong or weak, whether the land was good or bad, rich or poor etc.

Same principle applies to when you have a great business idea, you need to research; research yourself, research your potential business partner, research the market you plan on entering, research who the players, and research the types of finances available. By researching yourself, you are able to establish whether or not you have the skills and experience required to start and run your own business successfully and the gaps you need to fill. By researching your potential partner(s), you determine what skills and experience they bring to the table, how it complements you bring, and most importantly whether you are able to work together in the short and long term.

Your Market (Industry) research is one of the most important and not to be compromised research that needs to be done. Omitting to carry out this research, even if it is minimal to start with, could lead to challenges in your business. During your research, you have the potential to discover anything, you could find the intended market is on a decline or that the potential for growth is phenomenal. By undertaking this research you are able to determine market growth potential, trends, receptiveness of the market, who the key players are such as vendors and competitors, and potential partnership opportunities.

Existing Business Research

For existing businesses, the focus is usually on growing the business an d increasing profits; better serving the needs of customers; being ahead or keeping pace with competitors; keeping abreast of the evolving economic and environmental factors; and taking advantage of emerging trends and technologies. To do this successfully starts with research, and continues with keeping abreast with the news. Research would include; competitor analysis, customer surveys, market trends, employee surveys etc.

Market trends and well as keep abreast of what your competitors are doing can be vital information that enables you be relevant. Remember, if your target market is not buying from you, they are buying from someone else. With competitor analysis you are able to identify who your competitors are; their products/services, pricing, distribution etc. Armed with some of this information you are able to make better business decisions, fine-tune your competitive advantage, and strategically position your business succeed.

Customer surveys (and feedback) will enable you gather information about the needs and opinions of your customers. Customers’ needs are constantly changing, therefore we need to be keep up with these changes and trends in order develop products and/or services to be relevant and appeal to the needs of your target market.

In general, undertaking the required research may or may not be easy depending on you familiarity with the process, knack for finding information, experience etc. It can also be very time-consuming and complex depending on the type of business or research required. With the internet and social media, research and information has become more easily available, however, it is important that you have clear objectives on what you are looking to achieve so as not to get overwhelmed. If you are finding it difficult to undertake the research yourself or do not have the time, it is worthwhile outsourcing or delegating the process.

Once your research is completed, you are now in a better position to know if and how to proceed; you have better understanding of the market you operate within and able to respond to the needs of the market; you know what your customers want; you are in a position to develop your competitive advantage; and armed with the knowledge to make better decisions and planning on the strategic development of your business.

While some businesses may have started out successfully without any research, a time comes when they have to pause and research to maintain their strategic advantage or they become irrelevant.

Get a free eBook to get started on your goals: http://eepurl.com/xeDrf

Yvonne is a Change Consultant, Coach and Speaker who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to implement change, drive results and achieve their goals.   She can be reached at:   www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc, www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc, www.oliveblue.com

Is time to step up and go pro!

Uchechi

Have you recently had an idea for a great new project, or possibly recently launched one? Maybe you’ve already set up a business, but sometimes find yourself not stepping up and making the commitment you need to get the results you want.

I see this so many times with people. I get into a conversation with someone who passionately wants to build and grow their business. They are blessed with amazing gifts that they one day hope to cultivate further, and become more successful; however they do not take ownership of their gifts. They stay stagnant and remain stuck or dabbling in it and not fully committing to it, and sometimes treating their business like a hobby.

The key to unlocking your potential and building the business you crave is to stop being an amateur and going pro. This is something I’ve learnt from Marie Forleo and Steven Pressfield, who are strong advocates of the need to stop living our lives as amateurs.

I recently read that “in every moment of your life, you’re either operating like an amateur or a professional. An amateur does things half-assed, is late for meetings, doesn’t give 100% of themselves and let’s their negative attitude and self-limiting beliefs {i.e.: “I can’t do it. It’s too hard. I don’t have the money”, etc.} run the show. In contrast, a professional gets up every morning, practices extreme self-care, is on time, doesn’t let their mind-chatter run the show and is in it, to win it.” How honest and direct is that?!

If you do not have the level of success you want in your business, it’s time to take inventory and see in what ways you’ve been operating like an amateur. Where have you not stepped up and committed to growing your business? If you want more clients, but don’t make offers and network with potential clients. Or, you have an idea of great new product that can help grow your sales, but find yourself constantly procrastinating and never getting started. How many times have you stopped and quit at the first sign of opposition, or complained, gotten frustrated and angry because things are not working out as you’ve plan and you’ve yet to reach your ideal goal?

Going pro means being fully committed and not just being interested in achieving your goals. When you are just interested you do what is convenient versus being committed which means doing whatever it take.  When you are committed, you will not make any excuses. You focus on how you can and will.

This is not an easy task, but it starts with making a firm decision and going after your goals, regardless of the inner critic voicing its concerns. You keep going and working towards your dreams. It also means doing the things you don’t feel like doing, and facing possible rejection and criticism.

Think about how the greatest athletes practice their craft. Yes, they have a passion that fuels them, but they’re also disciplined and committed to being the best they could be. This is something each and every one of us is able to do in our own lives and in our business. This will lead us to the desired results we all crave. But it starts with a decision to stop being an amateur and going pro.

So I ask you, in what ways are you ready to turn it up and go pro? Let me know in the comments below.

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Co-Founder of Elite Wellness Services Inc. (www.elitewellness.ca) and Founder of My Empowered Living (www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women change negative and disempowering mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get your FREE copy of 5 Simple Steps to Create a Life you’re Crazy About! A 15-page workbook!

Importance of a Business Plan

anna

When most businesses develop a business plan the intention is for funding purposes.  They take the information to the banking and investors to gather the monies they require to grow or promote their businesses.  However a good business plan is much more that funding it is about clarity and direction.

The time invested in working through the different areas of your business plan is a path to enlightenment on your business and how you choose to drive your company.  As you develop your plan a greater understanding evolves for your marketing, documentation, policies, and sales projections.  As the plan is implemented you make adjustments based on the realities of business.  These adjustments are imperative to making improvements in the direction of your company.

The business plan starts with a mission and vision.  This is the reason you want to have your company.  Who and you serving and why is it important?  It creates a set of values that as a company you choose to stand by.  It becomes the reason for change to occur.  It all goes back to the mission and vision and does the change support your mission.

The road map to your success is in your business plan and the turns and corrections we make are a learning curve for company growth and change.  We set benchmarks and goals and track our performance so that we can regulate whether we are on the right path.

The plan should include your industry and the changes that are occurring and how your company is going to grow along with the change.  This includes a clear idea of your clients and customers.  It also includes major competitors and how you are going to compete along side of them.

Be honest with yourself about the strengths and weakness of your company.  If customer service is a strength hem use it to your advantage and if delivery is a weakness make a plan of improvement.  It may also be a great idea to list all your services/product.  You may surprise yourself on which items are actually making you money once you start the analysis.

A large part of the business plan should include an explanation of what and how you are going to market your products or service.  A review of the revenue, cost and projected profit should be part of your plan. All this is your road map to success!!!

Anna Ottaviani is a Board Certified NLP Master Practitioner & Master Coach, Board Certified Master Hypnotherapist,Creating Your Future® , Time Line® Therapist Practitioner and Reiki Master. Her methods are unique and tailored to each individual client. She can be reached at www.sucessfullyyou.ca or by phone at 289-221-5772. You can follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/successfullyyou?ref=ts&fref=ts

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