Entrepreneurial Gems

I’ve always had a tendency to be a work-a-holic. I don’t usually mind working long, hard hours. I actually enjoy it most of the time; it gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

But, not on Sunday! I’m rather selfish with my Sunday’s. I’ll work on Saturday, but not on Sunday. Maybe it’s because I was born on a Sunday. Maybe it’s because of my Catholic upbringing. Maybe it’s just because we all need a day we can call our own, and Sunday is the day I’ve chosen for myself…

Whatever the reason, I always look forward to Sunday–my day!

I watched the sunrise this morning—something I haven’t done in quite a while. It was very exhilarating! I watched the purple hues turn to white; and the tree line and mountain ridge in the distance come into focus; and the first hummingbird of the day appear at the feeder—barely more than a silhouette in the early dawn. I sat on my deck and felt privileged, as though Mother Nature were sharing a secret with me—and only me.

I used to watch the sunrise every morning. That was in my past life, when I still had a regular J-O-B. I would get up earlier than I needed to, just for that little pleasure, before getting ready to go to work. It always makes me feel so alive, so connected to the Energy that surrounds us and is in us all. I’ve really gotten out of that habit since I started working from home.

I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but I rarely take the time to “smell the roses.” It’s all too easy to get so caught up in my daily routine and concerns that I completely forget to. Watching this morning’s sunrise really reminded me how important it is to take time to enjoy life; to live in the moment, for the moment!

I will be taking more of those magical moments for myself. They are there for the taking, for everyone and anyone who wishes to take advantage of them. All we have to do is be conscious of it and take the time to notice.

I hope you, also, will take the time to smell the roses, watch a sunrise, meditate on the clouds, star gaze, or whatever else in this precious Universe touches your heart. I think you’ll find that dealing with those daily routines and concerns in life is much easier because of those moments you gift yourself with.

I’ve learned a lot about perseverance over the past few months. In fact, more than I ever thought I would want to know. One major lesson I’ve learned is its’ similarity to patience. I don’t know what Webster’s says about either one, but I would bet they have almost identical definitions. Another thing I’ve learned is that I have a knack for it—always have.

As a child growing up, I was always perceived as having a patient personality. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood and got caught up in the “adult stress syndrome” that a child doesn’t normally realize, that I felt I lost it. I often wondered how I could lose it, when I knew I had it when I was younger. Come to find out, I never did lose it; I just lost sight of it temporarily.

Not only that–recent events in my life have taught me the importance of mindset in regard to my ability to persevere and have patience. I have made positive thinking the absolute focus of everything I do in life anymore. As a result, I don’ find having patience to be a challenge or a struggle at all—therefore, positive things are happening in my life. Are they happening as fast as I’d like? Well, it doesn’t even matter, because I’ve redeveloped my ability to persevere until I get what I want. I have a new mantra; I live in “Universal Time.” I realize, and now understand, that everything happens exactly the way it’s supposed to happen; but in ITS’ own time; not MY time.

Two recent major happenings in my life have led me to this reawakening: The first being the sudden and unexpected loss of my job last fall. At that point, I decided to start my own business working from home. I had no idea how I was going to do that. I put my complete  trust and faith in the Universe–and in “Universal Time” it is all falling into place beautifully.

The second major happening is when I woke up one morning and decided I was no longer going be a slave to the thyroid medication I had been taking for the past 25 years of my life. I just quit taking it—just like that, cold turkey. Now…it’s worth explaining here that I have tried numerous times over the years to get off that medication. I tried quitting cold turkey; I tried weaning myself off; I tried mixing concoctions of teas and such. Within a very short amount of time, I was back on my medication every time. This time has been different. “What’s different?” you might ask. Well, it’s my mindset! It is totally positive this time around, whereas it wasn’t before. I was still all caught up in “adult stress syndrome.” I have been off my medication now for about two months, and I feel better than I have at any time over the past 25 years!

So you see, I have truly found the ability to persevere and be patient that I had lost track of for a while. Living my life by Universal Time is the key, and one I don’t intend to ever lose again!

You–reading this, may or may not take anything away from it. But it does my heart good to share my story. I hope that you find some inspiration from it that you can put to use in your life. If not, then I would ask you to please share it with someone who might!

Getting new clients or customers is only the first step to success. You might be building your list at a phenomenal rate, and if so, that’s great! I’d like to know your secret. But the key is converting those leads to sales. How do you accomplish that?

Before the World Wide Web, people were pretty much limited to do business with whoever happened to be in their local vicinity. Now people have so many choices that if they don’t like the way you do business, it’s easy enough for them to find someone else. There are some things you can do to ensure that your leads convert to sales AND stay with you.

1. Customer service is incredibly important. Be personable. You don’t have to be their best friend, but people generally like to do business with someone they receive pleasant, yet professional communication from.
2. Develop trust. Studies have proven that most people will do business with someone they know, like and trust. Your initial response when they sign up on your list should not only be welcoming and personable; it might also include an offer for a free or discounted introduction to your services.
3. Provide a variety of options for your clients. People like to have variety and choices available to them. Have services or products in different price ranges. Everyone might think what you have to offer is the best thing in the world, but perhaps not everyone can afford it. Another thing I like to do is offer different payment arrangement options.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate! The saying “out of sight, out of mind” is so true. Stay in touch, either by a monthly ezine, monthly specials, etc. This will keep them coming back.
5. Stay positive and upbeat. The signals you send out in your thoughts are exactly what will come back to you. We each create our own environment. You have complete control over yours, so always be aware of your thoughts and your attitude. If you find it’s not right, do whatever you have to do to change it then and there.

There you have it—my formula for success. I hope you find it useful in your business.

Have you ever had something happen that, at the time, you thought was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen; only to realize months later that is was the best thing that could have happened, because it ultimately led you to something better?

I’ve learned to live my life by The Law of Attraction. I’m sure you’ve heard the term, but what does it mean? I had heard it for years, but never really took the time to explore it until recently. It sounded good—like something I might like to have, but that’s about as far as it went for me. I kept plugging along with my life, making wrong choices, acting wrong, thinking wrong. I’m so grateful that a now know better!

The Law of Attraction, simply stated, says that whatever you think about is what you will get. That sounds easy, right? Well, there is a little more to it than that, but basically, that’s it. If you think positive, good things will happen to you. By the same token, if you have a negative attitude, guess what…bad things are going to come your way. If you don’t believe it, just try it. Test it for yourself. If you think and act positively, it can’t fail.

But then, one might ask, “what about when something bad happens in my life, what’s that all about?” You’re thinking positive, you’re acting in a positive way and you’re maintaining a great attitude. Why would something “bad” happen to you? Think of it as a step in the process—a means to an end. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, although it might seem like it at the time.

Here is a perfect example: You’ve just lost your job. It happened suddenly and unexpectedly. You are devastated and wondering what you are going to do now. I’m actually speaking from experience. When that happened to me, my world was turned upside down for a time. Today, I am extremely grateful that happened to me. I had become disenchanted with the job anyway, but it was a living so I stuck it out. Only a short time after I lost that job, wonderful opportunities opened up for me. Had I not been in my current “predicament” those opportunities would not have presented themselves. Or, if they had I would have dismissed them. I am so much happier with my circumstances today than I was before. I am thankful every day for the loss of that job.

The lesson here is, don’t get discouraged when things happen that don’t seem to be getting you what you want. Everything happens for a reason. Just hold on to your positive thoughts and it will all turn out the way you want it to.

We always hear about having balance in our life—you know, mind, body & spirit. But, do you have balance in your business? If you are an entrepreneur, you probably focus on one or two primary things in your business. To have the greatest success, don’t forget to look at the whole, big picture.

Of course, your main goal is to make money. So you put all of your energy into getting more clients or customers. Or you put all of your energy into producing new products. Or you put all of your energy into networking. That’s all well and good, but what about:

Customer service—do you have procedures in place to handle customer inquiries? What about keeping in regular contact with your customer base?

• Maintaining financial records—not necessarily the most enjoyable part of business for me, but necessary.
• Tracking your statistics – do you know where your business comes from and what does or doesn’t work?
• Building relationships—do you network and connect with potential JV partners or business associates that can help you grow your business?
• Manage people resources—do you really know all that your contractors or employees are doing and how they’re doing it?
• Managing projects—do you wonder why projects you start sometimes fail? Perhaps they are not being properly coordinated and managed.
• Marketing—a huge part of a successful business; it deserves a fair proportion of your time.

Now you’re beginning to see what I mean by having a balanced business. If you handle all areas of your business proficiently, your income will increase that much faster. If you don’t have the knack for a particular area, or you just don’t have the time to juggle it all, hire help. It’ll be worth it in the long run.

I encourage you to take a step back and look at your business from a distance. Make a list of all of the aspects necessary to run your business successfully, and then determine which areas are lacking. Brainstorm what you can do to improve in those areas.

I wish you great success in your business!

With all the negative hype about the state of the economy, I’d like to make a bold move, and actually say something positive. I hope that’s alright with you. Personally, I don’t listen to or read the news—haven’t for years. I stay as far away from it as I can. When I’m around someone who starts talking about negative things, I do my best to change the subject. If that doesn’t work, I walk away.

Positive thinking has always been important to me. I have endeavored over the years to find different methods of maintaining a positive outlook, no matter what. I admit that I haven’t always been successful. There have been times when the “bad” stuff just seemed too overwhelming to overcome…

But, I was going to tell you how to increase your income. Well, I’ll start by stating some of the most common ideas among people:

• Pinch pennies
• Reduce your utility bills
• Progress in your job
• Get a second job
• Don’t take on any unnecessary debts
• Refinance your mortgage
• Consolidate your credit cards

While these may all be good ideas, I have found a better way. I recently had the awesome fortune to come across a most incredible program. I have been so moved by it that I want to share with as many people as I can. It has already been life-altering for me.

You see, I’ve found out that it’s not what you do–it’s how you do it that makes the difference. No matter what you are doing, it’s not going to work the way you want it to if you aren’t doing it RIGHT. 

So what does “doing it the right way” mean, and how will that make you rich?

Bob Proctor knows, and has been practicing it for years. He is a millionaire several times over. In his program, he goes through in great detail the science, the formula, of getting rich, and how to do certain things in a certain way. It is a proven blueprint that has been helping people to get rich for hundreds of years.

You can hold on to the “woe is me” syndrome if you want to, or you can get this one formula that will transform your financial future, as well as every other aspect of your life.

If you’d like to know more about the Science of Getting Rich, check it out here sgr program. If you’d like to know more about my personal experience, I’m happy to share it with you, because, as I said, I want to share this with as many people as I can!

Here’s to your success!

Is your work day made up of all work and no play? If it is, your business is suffering. Why? Because if you don’t take breaks throughout the day you’re likely to suffer from burnout and fatigue. Your brain shuts down and you lose your ability to focus. You probably find yourself getting moody and easily irritated. These are all signs that you NEED to take a break.

I understand feeling the need to work, work, work. I myself am an entrepreneur, and feel the same dedication to my business as I imagine you do to yours. But I also find that I am far more productive when I take time to step away throughout the day. Even a short break away from your work area can work wonders. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges you were having before you took that break. Chances are, you’ll have much more success with them than you would if you hadn’t taken that break.

Here are some do’s and don’ts I like to practice:

DO’S
1. First and foremost, get a good night’s sleep; that alone can work WONDERS.
2. Take a 10 minute meditation break when the going gets really tough.
3. Work efficiently; automate or delegate when possible.
4. Work effectively; don’t make unnecessary work for yourself.
5. Focus on one task at a time.

DON’TS
1. Work straight through without a break.
2. Eat your lunch at your desk (big one).
3. Try to do so many things at once that you can’t do any of them well.
4. Waste time with idle chit-chat on the phone.
5. Get caught up reading hour’s worth of unimportant emails.

Following these simple guidelines will help you be more productive in your business. It’s interesting that, sometimes, the harder you work is the more you undermine your efforts to succeed. Stepping away for a few minutes will often help you to clear your mind and see things in a new light; think of ideas you couldn’t think of before. You need to be clear on your goals and your means of achieving those goals. When you are overworked and tired, it’s pretty difficult to see things clearly; there’s too much fog in the way.

I hope you find these tips helpful. I’ll bet you have some helpful tips of your own for better productivity. Don’t forget to utilize them in your work day!

Here’s to your success!

Do you use a shopping cart on you website? How about a sign up form or an autoresponder? Or, maybe an affiliate program setup and tracking system? Do you send out broadcast emails to your list? If you use any one or more of these things, chances are you use multiple applications to fill all of those needs. If you do, then you might consider consolidating all of those applications into an all-in-one shopping cart (often referred to as a 1 shopping cart.)

There are several good programs available that handle all of the above quite efficiently, and which are very affordable. When you consider the money you are spending on multiple programs and the time you spend maintaining each one separately, a 1 shopping cart is often more economical, both financially and time wise.

There are several good ones out there. I suggest doing a little research and comparing prices, features, etc. Consider, not only what your immediate needs are, but what your future needs might be. For example, you might not need an affiliate program set up at this time, but if you have it available to you when you do need it, it will save you the trouble of getting set up on yet another system.

An all-inclusive system can be daunting though. If you find yourself frustrated or confused by it, consider hiring a virtual assistant (VA), or someone who is familiar with them and how they work. If you already have a VA that is not familiar with it, you might want consider advancing your business to hiring an online business manager who can take over the responsibility of managing these kinds of things for you.

Whichever way you decide to go, I wish you the best of luck!

I’m sure you’ve heard the term, the law of attraction. But do use it in your life? If you do, it is very likely the greatest asset your business will ever have. It will seemingly work miracles. You’ll find yourself wondering why you haven’t tried this before.

I recently had the distinct pleasure of reading The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles. What I learned was astonishing. It beautifully puts into words a perfect philosophy to live ones life by. The law of attraction is based on this philosophy. Simply put, the law of attraction states that “if you really want something and truly believe it’s possible, you’ll get it.” Of course, there is a science to it, as Wattles’ book explains in great detail.

I have always been a firm believer that energy attracts like energy. If you have a negative outlook on life, negative things will happen to you. Opposite to that, if you always think positive and find a positive aspect to every situation, positive things will naturally come your way. In thinking back to certain happenings in my life, I realize this to be true. Now that I am consciously aware of it and deliberately practicing positive thinking, guess what? Well, good things are happening—both in my personal life and in my business!

I’m here to tell you that this very definitely works. I’m not rich yet, because I’ve only recently begun putting the power of positive thinking to use in my life. But I am well on my way.

I hope you will join me on the journey!