LIVE LIFE UP HIGH

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How are you living?

Many entrepreneurs are living their personal and professional lives in a cloudy haze. They don’t have clear written goals and plans to achieve them.  They really don’t know where they want to end up in life so they live their lives without a clear strategic plan, a winning personal culture and definite concrete actions to take them to this destiny.

You are destined for something great.

Some entrepreneurs are even waiting for their destiny to smack them in the face. They don’t know that they must discover the destiny that is already in them. There is a saying I heard recently,  ”destiny is not a matter of chance it is a choice”. This is very true. You have the right to choose your best personal and professional life. You have the right to move towards a destiny and to live a great life. Obviously there are some things you must do to reach this destiny but you can reach it.  

Let’s begin moving towards our destiny.

My fellow entrepreneurs, over the next few posts let’s take the time to explore some of the best information on effective goal setting, effective planning and goal achievement.  I will pull from some of the best thinkers and writers on the subject and synthesize this information for you in a way that you can take action on it right away. Step by step we will move towards your best life.

The power of choice.

If you want this life your first step is to make a choice. Decide today to be the best you can be and to live the best life you can live. Decide today to do whatever it takes to be your best, give your best, and have the best business and professional life you can have. Choose to have a great destiny and to leave a great legacy. I challenge you to choose greatness today.

Please join me over the next few posts as we move closer to our destiny and live our best lives.

photo credit: aloshbennett

Recently I was looking in the blogosphere and found 4 very interesting posts for you my entrepreneurial friends. These bite-size posts help you as an entrepreneur to stay updated on important developments that can move you further towards success. As a fellow entrepreneur, I  want to share this information with you to help you be more successful and productive on your entrepreneurial journey. Please check out these informative posts and let me know what you think.

Small Business Success Index Highlights (Estimated time to read: 2 mins)
http://growsmartbusiness.com/small-business-success-index-highlights/

Small businesses are succeeding desipte the ecomonic downturn. According to the Small Business Success Index, small busineses are fairing quite well. For example, it shows that 69% of small businesses made a profit in 2008. This is good news.  Check out this article, get encouraged and get going.

Top 10 Business plan mistakes.(Esitmated time to read: 5 mins)
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/267696/Top-10-Business-Plan-Mistakes

The type is small on this post but this post addresses some important issues (right click and zoom in to enlarge the type). If you are planning to write a business plan for your business or if you are currently in the process of writing a business plan, read this first. It has some good points that many of us overlook when writing business plans.

Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs (Estimated Time to Read 3 mins)http://mashable.com/2009/03/12/entrepreneur-networks/

No one can deny the importance of social networks. Well in this post Dan provides a list of social networks designed with the entrepreneur in mind. No need to join all of these social networks. Find the one that best fits your needs and join. Spend some time there and then if you want to join another one go right ahead. You will get the best results if you take time to learn each network that you join.

The Best Entrepreneurs Fail Fast (Estimated tim to watch 4.5 min)
http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/04/the-best-entrepreneurs-know-how-to-fail-fast.html

In this post, Brad Feld, does a repost of Mark Pincus’s interview about lessons Mark has learned from his Tribe entrepreneurial endeavor. Very interesting information. The idea of failing fast is so critical for entrepreneurs to learn. I have learned this lesson from my business ventures as well. Don’t miss this 4.57 minute video.

As always I welcome your comments.

photo credit: ckaroli

In our final installment of this series I mention 3 more modes of thoughts for successful entrepreneurs. I am sure you know that this list is not exhaustive. There are more modes of thought that are important for the entrepreneur that I may address in future posts. Ok, now for the “final” three modes…

Think “Extra Mile or Ten” – It’s about service. Extraordinary service. Find out what your customers really desire  (which you have learned from our previous post because you are thinking like your customer) and find ways to deliver this desire packed with unexpected value. Discard the thinking of the limited entrepreneur that delivers ordinary service. Train yourself to think about each interaction with your customer and how you can make their experience exceptional. Do this and you will create fans that will spread the word about your business and your service. Your business will prosper.

Think Leverage – You can’t do it all yourself. Thinking you can is a limited and foolish way to proceed. Many entrepreneur limit their success, ruin their health and destroy their families simply because they attempt to do it all. Banish this mode of thought. Adopt the leverage mindset. There are many types of leverage but 2 good ones to start with are technology leverage and people leverage.  

Learn how to use technology to get things done more effectively and efficiently. Look at your business model and think about the processes that can be enabled by technology.  Here are two good questions to get you started. How can you use the Internet to reach your clients better or deliver better service to your clients? How can you use you mobile device to be more productive?

How about people leverage? What tasks are you handling that would be better performed by an employee or a freelancer? As I mentioned in a previous post, you should be focusing on the 20% of the business that gives you 80% of your results. The rest should be outsourced to others. One caveat is that you should only outsource to talented people. Talent may be expensive but the quality they produce is worth it.

Think Creatively- This is a very important mode of thought for the entrepreneur. You must learn how to think creatively about opportunities and about problems. Think laterally. Think options. When you are dealing with a problem think about 3 ways you can solve the problem. Simply doing this will help get your creative juices flowing. 

Here is another great way to get those creative juices flowing. Look at another industry and pick a process that is common in that industry. Now think about your business. How can you apply this concept to your business? This is a great way to generate new ideas for your business.

Please let me know how you use these modes of thought.

photo credit: Mary-Lynn

 As we all know there are some great resources and some not so great resources on the web for entrepreneurs. What follows are 5 great resources that inspire, inform and instruct budding entrepreneurs.  I have included one-person blogs and as well as multi-authored corporate sponsored websites.  While there are many more that I could have published, these five advise you, inspire you, instruct you and guide you. They will help you profit as an entrepreneur and as a person.

ecorner – With video presentations from the likes of Google’s Larry Page and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg this site is teeming with insightful business advice from today’s top entrepreneurs. The site describes itself as a free online archive of entrepreneurship resources for teaching and learning. Topics include Creativity & Innovation, Opportunity Recognition, Social Entrepreneurship, Career & Life Balance and many others. On this site you will be instructed by some of the greatest minds in business today. This is a definite must-check-out.

TerryDean.org – Entrepreneur Terry Dean has created a resource rich blog designed for entrepreneurs who are overworked, overstressed, and not earning the kind of income they want in their business. Is that you? Terry’s blog shares straightforward advice for internet entrepreneurs. I like his writing because it is clear and full of uncommon sense that will help you be more successful and less stressed. See for yourself.

The Entrepreneurs-Journey.com - This site provides advice for Bloggers and Internet Marketers.  The site’s owner, Yaro Starak, provides down-to-earth advice and hales from the land down-under. Yaro’s content is focused on helping online entrepreneurs become and remain successful. Check it out.

Knowledge@Wharton – Entrepreneurship is all about innovation and no one does innovation like the Wharton School of Business (Ok, I am a little biased as that is my alma mater). This is a great site because it gives a big picture view of entrepreneurship and innovation. This site gets you thinking and gets you thinking big.

Business-opportunities.biz - Dane Carlson is dedicated to delivering a legitimate list of business opportunities for entrepreneurs. His blog focuses on saving budding entrepreneurs time and money by steering them away from all the junk on the web. His blog lists both offline and online business opportunities. If you are looking for legitimate business opportunities check site out first.

Do you have other great sites for new entrepreneurs? Please let me know. I would love to list them. Thanks.

photo credit: alexdecarvalho

Since this post is so popular I decided to repost it. Please let me know what you think.

So, you have decided to go into business for yourself.   I applaud you. This is big! As an 18  year veteran, let me say that being an entrepreneur is both exhilarating and exhausting.  You love it and you hate it.  It can cause the best of times and the worst of times. Ok, maybe I am being overly dramatic, but you are in for a heck of a ride! (Ok ,I am going to cool it with the exclamation points.)

Before you get started, please allow me to share 7 deadly mistakes that many newbies make and show you how you can avoid them. There are more than 7  mistakes,  however, these can be particularly lethal. Why?  Because their effects can go undetected while they silently and slowly kill your business. 

Deadly Mistake 1. -  Not Defining a Clear Mission

Many new entrepreneurs, excited that they have a new business idea, want to run out and start taking on new customers. Stop. Don’t make that mistake. First, take the time to define a clear mission. This mission should take you beyond just making money.  Here are 3 good questions to get you started:

• How is my business going to be uplifting to my customers?
• What need is it going to fulfill for my customer?
• Why is fulfilling this need so important to my customer?

 In his book Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing , Robert Kiyosaki explains that his Rich Dad said: “If a mission is clear and strong, the business will weather the trials every business goes through during its first ten years. When a business gets big and it forgets its mission, or the mission it was created for is not longer needed,  the business begins to die”.  (Richard actually describes some fundamental keys to forming a winning business, I would suggest reading this section his book (chapters 31-36)).

The mission is what raises your business above the mundane. It breathes life into your enterprise. Don’t underestimate it.

Need help? There are lots of resources you can find doing an Internet search. One such resource is  http://www.missionstatements.com .

 Deadly Mistake 2: Working in the Business but not Working on the Business

This is a classic mistake. I have been guilty of this one myself. This can be especially deadly if you are flying solo. Fred had this problem.

Fred is a computer-networking expert. A friend encouraged him to start a computer networking business to serve small businesses in his town. Fred wholeheartedly opened this business. Fred had a special touch with his clients and he did fine the first year.  He was a technical genius and his clients loved his work. Things were good.

Then it happened…Fred started getting threatening calls from bill collectors,  his accounts receivables were increasing, customer complaints were increasing and he hadn’t acquired a new customer in months. What was happening?

Fred was so busy working in his business that he neglected to work on his business. He was doing all the technical things that a network specialist should do. Indeed, this is what he enjoyed and where he invested all of his time (working in the business).  The problem was that important activities that would allow him to stay in business were cast aside (working on the business). Activities like creating and executing a marketing plan, paying your vendors on time, managing your accounts receivable were simply not done in a systematic way.

How do you solve this problem? A good place to start is as follows:

•  Write out and separate “in the business” and “on the business” activities into 2 categories; 
•  Set aside specific blocks of time to work on the business and only on the business. 

Want to learn more? A classic book that addresses this very subject is  The E-myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber .  It graphically lays out the problem and then provides workable solutions. It is a must read for new and seasoned business owners alike. Also, check out this post Organizing for Growth from his blog .

In my next post I will address a few more of the deadly mistakes.  Please keep an eye out for it.

photo credit: laurenatclemson

Have you ever thought of starting an online business?  With the economy being the way it is, now is a great time to add another source of income to your household. Here are 10 simple tips to get you moving in the right direction.

Tip 1: Find at least 3 topics or items that you are passionate about and write them down.

I suggest doing this because this gives you a good reference point. You may change you mind later or modify your ideas but you need a starting point. Write these ideas down now.

Tip 2: Buy at least one book on online business marketing.

When I was starting out I purchased, Online Marketing Success Stories: Insider Secrets, from the Experts Who Are Making Millions on the Internet Today . I recommend this book because it gives you a good overview of the many ways of setting up an online business and it shows you some of the major players. Knowing the legitimate major players will help you weed out the frauds and the scams. This is extremely important in the online world because there are a lot of scammers out there.

Tip 3: Find a guru who is doing business online who communicates in a way that makes sense to you.

Be cautious with this because as I mentioned above, there are a lot of frauds and schemes out there. What I suggest is to find someone that is mentioned in one or two of the books you have picked up.  Also, look for written money back guarantees and low entry costs. Please do not spend a lot of money at this stage.  Buy only one of your guru’s products if they offer more than one. You want to see if this product makes sense before you spend a lot of money purchasing all of their wares.

Since I was interested in affiliate marketing I chose Roslind Garner’s ebook on Super Affiliates Click Here!. I found this to be an invaluable resource and guide to getting my online business set-up. It is over 200 pages and it walks you step by step through the process of setting up an online affiliate business on the cheap. I highly recommend it for those interested in the affiliate marketing online business model.

Another service I like is Ken Evoy’s Site Build it because it walks you through the whole process of setting up an ebusiness and gives you all of the tools to do it for one price. For someone who is new to online business, this is an excellent solution because they hold your hand through the process. I bought this
package and was very impressed with the help I received and the enthusiastic and helpful community that surrounds it. You owe it to yourself to check it out and make your own decision http://proof.sitesell.com/Success20091.html .

Tip 4: Don’t try to do this all in one day or even one week.

Take time to learn what you need to do and how to be successful. This is a business. If you are new to online marketing and new to entrepreneurship then there will be a learning curve. Be patient. Learn what it takes to be successful for the long term. This is not about getting quick money; it is about building another long-term revenue stream.

Tip 5: Using the information you have gathered write down your goals and your plans to move forward. 

Yes, I suggest that you develop some goals and write them down. You should have enough information from you chosen guru to put together some goals and plans for moving forward as well. One suggestion I would make here is to carefully consider costs.  It is very easy to spend a lot of money for tools that are supposed to help you build revenue. Instead, look for free resources. I suggest starting small so you can learn and then ramping up as you gain more knowledge and experience.

Tip 6: Get going.

Don’t procrastinate. Move forward. You can do it!

Tip 7: Apply the 80/20 rule to everything you are doing.

In other words, look for the key drivers. The 80/20 rule says that 20% of your efforts will give you 80% of your results.  You need to find the 20% and spend most of your time working on these priorities.

Tip 8: Be persistent but be realistic and flexible.

You will need to give this some time to work but it may mean you need to change certain things. Be open to change. Join online communities and see what others are saying and see where the online world is heading. Also, purchase other books about your chosen area of specialization. Life rewards life-long learners.

 Tip 9: Do not get involved with too many gurus.

One or two should be enough.  There are many formulas to be successful online. If you subscribe to the views of too many gurus you will end up confused and frustrated as you try different strategies. Pick a reputable guru whose strategy makes sense to you and stick with them until you really understand what you are doing.

Also, here is a very important point. Read the fine print on all the programs that you sign-up for. Just because your guru is reputable doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check everything out. Read those terms and conditions statements. Know what you are getting into.

Tip 10: Share your knowledge.

Make sure you help someone else build his or her business in some way. When you help others you ultimately end up helping yourself as well.

Go ahead my friend. Get started today. Believe in yourself. You can do it!