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Are You a Victim of Your Own Thinking?

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Do you believe you create your own destiny or think that destiny is a matter of luck? Okay, we can’t control everything in life, but we can control our response to it — what we think, how we feel and what we do about it. Often, it comes down to our own thinking — what we expect or believe.

Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right — Henry Ford

Have you become a victim of your own thinking?

If so, then it’s time to turn it around. Start by getting clear on what you want to BE, to DO and to HAVE. Write it down in the form of specific goals. When defining your goals, take a minute to think about why they are important and how you will feel when you get what you want.

Now that you identified what you want, ask yourself this very important question “What actions or behaviors do I need to take or change to make it happen?” Be sure to identify what actions you will need to take to get what you want because nothing happens until you actually do something!

Next, give affirmations and visualization a try! I know some of you may be skeptical – I certainly was until I starting doing it – and found that it worked. Positive self-talk and visual pictures depicting your goals, puts the power of your sub-conscious mind to work for you! Your mind is a powerful tool – and it never takes time off!

Finally, start asking yourself better questions! When faced with a challenge, too often we ask questions that are almost victim-like in nature such as, why do I have to work so hard to make so little or why can’t I find better employees? These focus more on the why or what you don’t want … and certainly won’t do much to inspire you.

If we agree you are a victor, not a victim, who takes responsibility for making things happen, then start replacing the why with how or what questions. These force action or doing — and isn’t that a key to getting what you want?

Here’s a few ‘victor-like’ questions that I picked up from author, Steve Chandler:

How can I use this circumstance to my advantage?
How can I differentiate myself in the customer’s eye?
What’s something creative I can do this week to get my customers talking?
What steps can I take to grow this business?
What can I do better to insure I can spend more time with my spouse and/or children?
How can I help my people (or customers) more?

Do you see the difference? So stop asking why and start asking what or how! Change your attitude and become the Victor you were destined to be!

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

Would working with a business coach help you take your business to a whole new level? Then let’s explore the possibilities with a complimentary consultation. It’s a chance to get to know each other, discuss your goals and the obstacles that hold you back. Together we can determine if there is a good fit between your needs and my services.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

7 Business Mistakes That Cripple Success

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Starting a business may be challenging. But sustaining success and building a business that really works for you is likely more difficult. Why? Because what helped you succeed early is often different years later. You need to make adjustments. Owners who do, stay in business. Those that don’t become another sad statistic.

7 Common Small Busines Mistakes To Avoid

1: I Can Do It All
You probably started your business because you had a skill and the confidence to do a better job than other competitors or maybe your current employer. But it takes more than technical know-how to win in business. Assess your personal strengths. Then surround yourself with others to fill the skill or knowledge gaps. Whether you hire employees, sub-contract work, develop power partners or hire a coach or consultant, the support you need is available. Don’t try to do it all yourself.

2: Confusing Customers
Without customers, you don’t have a business. It’s true and explains the focus new business owners put on sales, any sale to anybody. But this ‘never turn away an opportunity’ attitude often creates too many disjointed products, services, messages, and targets. It leads to one thing, customer confusion. And confused people rarely buy or refer others! Focus on your core strengths – what are you really good at and why should they choose you? Build your reputation on this and grow from there.

3: New Customers Are Priceless
That’s why we gladly go out and buy them! Whether we use discounts, free stuff or anything in between. It works. But the strategy only pays off if you keep them and serve them profitably. Be clear on who you want and invest your money to get them. When you do, solve their problems, wow them with service and never take them for granted. Sounds easy – but here’s the challenge. Be willing to say no or turn away customers who simply don’t fit. You’ll never make them happy and they’ll rarely make you rich!

4: We Are Small, We Talk
It’s the most common excuse when it comes to written systems and procedures. Big companies certainly have them, but small businesses need them just as much, if not more. Surprised? It’s not uncommon for employees in small businesses to wear a lot of different hats, requiring a variety of skills and knowledge. Some cross-train employees, most do not. But if procedures aren’t written down, it’s difficult for another team member to simply step in when others are away or leave. That alone is a good reason to write down procedures.

Here’s another. When you take the time to write down how things get done in YOUR business, you help others replicate what you want and then do so consistently and efficiently. When you review your systems with an emphasis on how we can do it better, you will uncover opportunities for improvement and increased profit. Everyone wins. You make more money, customers get what they expect and employees feel empowered through their contributions.

5: Quick to Hire, Slow to Fire
It’s not unusual for small businesses to view the team as family. It’s a strength, but can also be a weakness. Getting the right people to support your business is important. A good hiring system that includes a full job description with clear expectations and goals is a good start. It should be used for all hires – even the ones that are family or family friends! Once on board, invest the time to train them. Written procedures really help here! Make their personal growth and development a priority. Be the leader they need you to be.

With that said, a good system and your commitment and best effort will work most of the time. But we’re human. We have all made bad hiring decisions at one time or another. Perhaps the newly hired employee lacked some skill you thought they had. Or maybe he/she was not dependable or simply didn’t fit with your culture. Whatever the reason, doing nothing is not a good option. Be willing to let them go.

6: I Can Get All The Leads I Want When I Want
Like most things in business, you can if you throw enough resources at it. But is that what you really want — a lot of high-cost leads? Successful marketing has less to do with what you spend and more to do with the consistency of your actions. Turning your marketing off and on when things slow down or sales drop is expensive – but also less effective. It is better to do 5-6 marketing activities well and often versus 10-12 periodically. Develop a marketing plan, with a variety of tasks you do every week and month, and you will keep the flow of quality leads coming – at a cost that will make you smile.

7: My Accountant Handles That
If you own the business, you own the numbers. As a trusted advisor, your accountant provides the financial reporting and tax guidance you need for compliance and success. And a bookkeeper can certainly eliminate the burden of day-to-day record keeping. Delegate, but never abdicate. Whether good or bad, the numbers tell you how you are doing and what you can improve. They help you make good decisions that impact all areas of the business. A good accountant will gladly explain and teach you if you want to learn. Time to embrace the numbers. Successful business owners do!

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

3 Steps to Kill the Limiting Beliefs That Sabotage Success

Posted on by Joan Nowak

What beliefs do you hold to be ‘true’ that really aren’t? We all have some – those little self-sabotaging thoughts that act as constraints in our business.

Here’s a few common ones: It’s impossible to earn a profit in this economy, I can’t get good help, customers are never satisfied, customers only care about price, marketing doesn’t work, I can’t get my people to do anything unless I’m there watching over them or I can’t make more money unless I work more hours.

Any sound familiar? The problem with paradigms like these – they give you an excuse to settle for less, accept mediocrity or give up completely. After all, how committed will you be to ACT if you believe your actions won’t matter.

Create Positive Thoughts

So how do you make them go away and get on the path to success? Here’s a simple way to turn negative beliefs into positive thoughts.

First, write down all the negative beliefs that you hold to be true. Big or small, write them down.

Next, turn each negative belief around – and create a powerful statement of what the ideal would be. For example, replace ‘It’s impossible to earn a profit in this economy’ with ‘I’m so grateful my profit has tripled in this economy’.

Finally, write all your ‘new’ positive statements on an index card. Each morning and evening, read them out loud, with passion, like they are already true. Add a little visualization – envision how you feel with your new ideal belief — and you are on your way.

It may sound crazy, but it works because the brain believes whatever you tell it. It doesn’t judge! You can change a negative belief, attitude or behavior into a positive one within 30 days. Once you kill the paradigms, you have the foundation for taking action.

Don’t let attitudes held by others, but not supported with fact, hold you back. Kill the paradigms and start taking action to go from where you are to where you want to be.

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

Setting Goals: 4 Ways to Power Profit

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Building a business is a marathon. It’s about consistency over a period of time. And it starts with setting goals and planning your activities. For sustainable growth and profit, here are four ways to make your planning pay off.

Focus On All Parts of Your Business.

While sales growth is important, improvements in four core areas – revenue, cost, customer satisfaction and operational performance – drive long-term profitability. Your goals and activities should support them.

Revenue: It’s not just about getting new customers. Look for ways to retain and grow your current customer base. Can you get them to buy more often or spend more? Can you expand or update your product or service offerings to reach new people?

Cost. It’s not about cutting expenses, but optimizing your costs or improving the return on investment – from labor to marketing.

Customer Satisfaction. Happy customers are your best source of new business, especially today when social media makes it easy to give reviews and spread the word – good or bad. Do you and your team deliver on your promise to customers and make them feel appreciated?

Operational Performance. How efficient and effective is your business? Are your people productive? Is there a lot of waste and duplication? Do you spend time re-doing work or services? Do you struggle to meet customer or supplier deadlines?

Small improvements in all these areas can provide massive results on the bottom line. So when setting goals, think systems and people to power profit and success.

Think Beyond Likes and Strengths.

When choosing the actions to support our goals, we often gravitate toward what we like or excel at. If a task is critical to your success, you can’t just ignore it. Delegate it, outsource it or learn how to do it effectively.

Keep It Balanced.

The majority of small business owners start their business to get more money, time, control and freedom. You can build a business that delivers these things, but it won’t happen if you create your plans in a vacuum, ignoring your personal vision and goals. Remember, your business should support your life, not the other way around!

Change the Path You Take.

As you choose the activities to support your goals, avoid the tendency to go down the same path …

I need more revenue, so let’s get more customers
We must get more leads, so we need to do more marketing
I want more sales, so I must reduce my price or discount
We need more profit, so we need to cut expenses
I want a better team, so I need to hire better people
I want more time, so I need to hire more employees

Depending on your current business situation, some of these may be true. But did you know that you CAN …

Grow revenue and profit without adding new customers
Get more leads without investing more in marketing
Get new customers and keep the ones you have without discounting
Build profit by improving efficiency and productivity
Leverage your time and better serve your customers without hiring more people
Create a better team using the people you already have

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

Ready To Stop Procrastination?

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Procrastination is an enemy of small business owners, stealing both your time and money. It’s not a matter of laziness or a lack of ambition. Most owners are committed to hard work and very motivated.

Why People Procrastinate

While we all procrastinate at times, here are some common reasons and what you can do about it.

#1 – You feel overwhelmed. You have a never ending to-do list, take on too much and have difficulty prioritizing. Overwhelm often leads to inaction or maybe starting but never finishing tasks. In many cases, this is a result of poor organization and time management skills.

Fortunately, these skills can be learned and developed. Plus, the tools you need, including a to-do list and calendar, already exist. Check out 3 Habits to Help You Take Control of Time to learn more.

# 2 – You don’t like the task. When you perceive a task to be boring, time-consuming or difficult, you try to avoid it. It’s human nature. And since you are focused on the negative, such as it’s too hard, it’s really about attitude.

Solution. Change the focus to something more positive. For example, I will learn something new or it’s a good opportunity for the business. With a different attitude, you’ll find the motivation to get started. Taking the first step is often all you need.

#3 – You get distracted. Technology has increased this problem. Smartphones and social media have made it easy to access everything from videos and news to everyone — family, friends, staff, and customers.

The solution. Identify your most common distractions and ‘turn them off’. Put the phone away, turn off the notifications, shut your office door when you don’t want to be disturbed. Next, create a work environment that is pleasant and organized. Files, excess papers, and magazines can also cause distractions. Put them away or throw them out!

#4 – You sabotage yourself. Whether it’s fear of failure, perfectionism or staying within your comfort zone, your self-limiting beliefs hold you back. They prevent you from taking action, trying new things or finishing tasks until everything is perfect.

The solution. Recognize procrastination when it happens. Ask yourself, why are you procrastinating? Acknowledge your thinking and then look for the opposite of your thinking pattern. For example:

If perfection is a problem, remind yourself that 80% today is far better than 100% next month. Good is good enough!
If you feel overwhelmed, simplify complex tasks into smaller ones that you can tackle one piece at a time.

Additional Ways To Get More Done

Share your goals and deadlines. Tell at least one other person so they can lend support, help you stick with it and hold you accountable. Find an accountability partner.
Celebrate and reward yourself. When you finish or accomplish things, especially those pesky tasks you’ve been putting off, reward yourself. Then check it off the to-do list – it feels great!
Plan some me-time in your day. Staying focused on the tasks at hand is easier when you have something to look forward to – your reward for being productive. So schedule some time to do at least one thing you enjoy every day – from exercise to video games.

Remember, procrastination is simply a habit you form – and it often creates more stress. You can change any habit by recognizing the cause, changing the behaviors and taking action! Try some of these tips to help you get more done each and every day.

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

How To Fix Poor Sales Performance

Posted on by Joan Nowak

We all know that sales growth is critical to sustained profitability and income. But often we attribute our poor sales performance to things outside of our control – like the economy or competition. Maybe it’s time to look internally.

The reasons for less than stellar sales results in many small businesses is often linked to focus, systems, collaboration and time management. Fix these areas and you and your team will achieve better sales results.

Lack of Focus. You won’t sell anything if you don’t make it the focal point of every day, week and month. The best and easiest way to turn this around is with written goals – tied to both results or outcomes and activities, the stuff you must do to create the results. Here’s a few my clients find helpful:

How much revenue or sales do you need to generate or produce each month to achieve your annual goal?
Based on your average sale or transaction, how many customers do you need to achieve that revenue each month?
Using your conversion rates (and you should know these), how many calls, events, meetings or proposals do you need to make, attend or generate?

While this may seem obvious, it is not often done. What we measure and track, we can and often do improve. In fact, I’ve seen clients achieve double-digit sales growth simply by using this technique. Focus on the results, do the activities and watch your sales improve.

Inconsistent System. Prospects don’t become customers overnight. And it rarely happens by chance. It requires a step-by-step approach which often includes a variety of touch points and methods to uncover needs, build a relationship, earn their trust — and ultimately the sale. A good nurturing system often includes a variety of methods from calls and emails to social media and print. What is your system to nurture prospects into sales — and do you do it consistently each and every time?

Not sure or don’t have one? Then think back to the last few ‘ideal’ customers you acquired.

How did you connect after your initial discussion?
How did you follow up? At what frequency or how often?
What critical events need to happen to move to the next step?
What questions did you ask to uncover their needs?
What messages (benefits) resonated well – and how did you reinforce it?

Write it down. Now define your system, step-by-step, based on what you learned and start doing it consistently for every lead. Tweak if needed – then do that consistently. Test alternative options – and implement them if you find they are successful. A quality system is developed over time. But it pays big dividends – makes selling easier, more effective and productive!

Lack of Collaboration. Did you ever notice that selling an idea to someone is much easier when he/she is engaged in the process? Well, the same is true when it comes to selling your products or services. If clients help you ‘build’ the best solution, they feel a sense of ownership and the confidence to invest. So how do you collaborate better with your prospects? Ask more and better questions. Seek to truly understand the problem, then ask questions that help the customer come up with the best solution – yours!

Poor Time Management. Building relationships and creating sales requires a big investment of time, so you must plan your activities and execute efficiently. Goals for focus and a system for consistent conversion will help improve your time management. However, you also need a system to prioritize tasks and schedule the work, then do it. Take advantage of technology such as video conferencing, smartphones, online presentations to minimize travel time, make meetings more productive, schedule your appointments and related tasks. An earlier post, Why To-Do Lists Aren’t Enough, may also help.

Now It’s Your Turn. Little improvements in each of these areas can make a huge difference in your results. If it feels overwhelming, then pick one to start – then another and another until you’ve conquered them all.

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

7 Ways to Keep Valued Customers

Posted on by Joan Nowak

It is often said, “Customers go where they are wanted and stay where they are appreciated”. When businesses lose valued customers, they often assume it was related to price, competition or even the brother-in-law who now does what you do. But research shows that over 65% leave because of perceived indifference — they just don’t think you care. So what are you doing to keep valued customers coming back and feeling important?

So how much time and money do you invest in retaining and building relationships with your current customers? Now compare this to the resources you spend attracting new ones. Are you surprised?

New customers are the lifeblood of most businesses and yes, they are important. But if your new customers simply replace those you lose, it’s costing you a lot! Losing customers can drastically affect your reputation, credibility, referrals, sales and profits.

How to Keep Valued Customers

Never assume you know what customers want – ask them! Customer needs change. So does competition. Customer surveys are a great tool for understanding what customers want and need, evaluating your performance and uncovering innovative ways to solve their problems or exceed their expectations. One of the best questions you can ask is “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate our service? Anything less than a 10 (and most are), should be followed with “What do we need to do to be a 10?”. The answers may surprise or maybe even inspire you.

Measure and reward customer satisfaction and retention. If customer satisfaction and retention is really a priority in your business, demonstrate this to your team. Develop a method to measure it, set goals for improvement and reward the team when the goal is accomplished. This approach works for any improvement you wish to make because when you measure something, it becomes the focus. And with focus, comes improvement.

Select the right people. When you hire employees or select subcontractors to interact with your customers, make sure they value customers and possess the skills to deliver to your standards. Are they empathetic and trustworthy? Can they communicate well and listen to learn? Each customer contact with you, your team or other partners is an opportunity to build your reputation or destroy it. Make the selection of people a priority.

Say Thank You. Sounds obvious but consider this. When was the last time you received a thank-you note from a company you do business with? This simple strategy can really make an impact and says a lot about your company and the value you place on customers.

Stay connected with your customers. Whether you do it by phone, mail or email, make sure your customers know you are thinking of them. Too often, we only connect when we’re trying to sell something. A simple thank you, a request for feedback, or a holiday greeting card can all do the trick. If you want to add a special offer, just for them, even better! While the frequency may vary based on your business or industry, quarterly contacts should be your minimum goal!

Make customers feel like VIP’s. Your current customers need to feel more appreciated than non-customers or prospects. While new customers are important to growth, make sure current customers get some VIP treatment. Programs, offers or specials that are exclusively available to current, loyal customers (VIP’s) work well – so build some into your marketing efforts.

Make customer service everyone’s responsibility. Does everyone in your company understand the value of customers and are they ready to help them regardless of whose job it really is? Train your team on customer service and give them the tools and ability to take care of your customers. From the receptionist to the delivery driver, your team will make an impression. The kind they make is up to you!

Make Service and Retention a Priority

When you plan for the coming year, sprinkle in a few strategies to improve service and retain your valuable customers. They are a great source of referrals and word-of-mouth advertising. Here’s the best part. These strategies cost a lot less than generating leads for new customers. For more ideas, download my 155+ Profit Building Ideas.

Monthly Articles & Business Tips

Looking for additional ideas to improve your small business? Then subscribe to my monthly eNewsletter for articles, tips and great insights on business and entrepreneurship. Click here to subscribe.

7 Attitudes That Hurt Small Business Marketing

Posted on by Joan Nowak

When it comes to growth, there are hundreds of marketing and sales tactics you can use – from direct mail and networking to social media, email and cold calling. These techniques are easy to learn and implement if you avoid some beliefs that hurt your small business marketing efforts.

What’s Holding You Back?

It Needs to Be Perfect. Your marketing is a reflection of you and your company, so you want it to look professional. But waiting for everything to be just right before you act causes you to do nothing. The perfect marketing piece, script, commercial, fan page, website or post won’t help you grow if it remains ‘in the works’.

Something that is 80% perfect and implemented now will do a lot more to help you grow. You’ll also learn from doing and can perfect it along the way.

I’m Not Creative. Some of the best small business marketing, the kind that gets sales, comes from the heart. It’s conversational and often grass-roots – non-traditional. As a small business, you actually know your customers. You see them, speak with them and most of all understand them.

An agency, copy writer or designer can certainly polish things up, but you are the expert on your customers. Use that knowledge and create meaningful conversations. It’s a form of creativity that every small business can conquer.

Fear of Rejection. What is the absolute worst thing that can happen if you pick up the phone, stop by a business, mail a printed piece or post something on social media? Prospects can say NO, throw it away or not share it with others.

It’s not personal and it’s not the end of the world. But it is a numbers game – so keep plugging away and learn from your successes and failures. Don’t let your fears hold you back.

I Don’t Have Time. Sure you are busy. Have you ever met an entrepreneur who wasn’t? But when things are important, we learn to make the time for them. We make time for our families, customers and employees because they are important to our business and life.

If you want your business to grow, marketing and sales are very important, so make the time to work on them – even if it’s only 15 minutes a day. What can you possibly do in just 15 minutes? Click here to check out the list I included in my article, #1 Rule to Drive Business Growth.

I Don’t Want to Look Pushy. Okay nobody likes to be perceived as pushy – but persistence is a key to success. It would be great if every prospect purchased at that first connection – online or in person. But that rarely happens. Building awareness and trust takes time – typically seven or more contacts! If you give up after one or two tries to avoid looking pushy, you miss out on a lot of opportunities.

Don’t hound prospects, but a consistent follow-up system, variety of methods and a little persistence can go a long way. A well-thought-out system for follow-up makes you and your company look professional, not pushy and can help you convert a lot more prospects to paying customers.

Fear Putting Myself Out There. Small businesses are people businesses and most are started by someone with a technical skill that they learned. The confidence to ‘get out there’ – to tell your story and connect with others – comes from learning and doing too!

Like anything new, you may initially feel uncomfortable. Preparation can go a long way here. Script out and practice commercials ahead of time. Research what others are saying and doing on social media and at events. Just be your ‘passionate’ self. If this continues to be a struggle, seek training or assistance. Don’t let what others might think stop you!

I Need a Big Budget. While marketing requires an investment of both time and money, it does not require a big budget. It does require the right combination of tactics – those that actually work to create sales, not just leads – and a commitment to consistently implement them.

A lot of grass-roots or guerrilla marketing efforts are low-cost and very effective for small businesses. They produce a good return on investment — and isn’t that what you want from your marketing? You need marketing to keep your business growing and you can afford it!

Now it’s time to get to work. Get over the need for perfection or fears that you might look silly or pushy. Be sincere. Have a plan based on your resources – time and money. Follow-up.

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

How to Create a Vision That Inspires and Motivates

Posted on by Joan Nowak

According to Bob Proctor, “Most people are not going after what they want. They’re going after what they think they can get”. Are you thinking big enough? Did you create a vision to inspire and goals to keep you on track?

Goals are important because they keep you focused and on track. But a list of goals will rarely create excitement that propels us into action. They are measures that feel like a ‘to do’ list and often lack emotion. So before you start setting personal and business goals, create a vision for your life.

Your Picture of the Future

Your vision is a picture of the future YOU create with your imagination. It’s the WHY behind everything you do. It brings together all the elements of your life – family, relationships, financial, business, spiritual, health, and community. It speaks to you. You can see it and feel it.

And, because your vision is sometime in the future, it allows you to THINK BIGGER. Your practical nature and inhibitions don’t act like a road block that produce little, safe goals.

So how far in the future should your vision be? There is no right or wrong answer here. Some people prefer to look at their lifetime, while others choose a shorter period of time. I use and recommend a 5 year period. It’s far enough in the future to encourage big thinking, but close enough to keep you motivated and driven.

So ask yourself this question, “What would I like my life to look like in 5 years?”

Okay, not an easy question. Many small business owners struggle with this. It’s often difficult to think big and beyond the next week or month when you are so engaged in the day-to-day running of your business.

Exercises to Help Create a Vision

Below are some simple, but not necessarily easy, exercises that can help you create a clear internal image for your future direction. Pick one or do both of them.

Can’t Stand / Want Instead Approach. Sometimes it helps if you start with the easy part. What you don’t like about your life right now. On the left side, make a list of all the things that you’re unhappy with at work, at home, in your community, or in your relationships. On the right side, flip these around, and record how these circumstances would look IF they were working for you. Here’s an example. Can’t Stand: Not spending enough time with my family. Want Instead: A business (or job) that allows me to spend most evenings and weekends with my spouse and children.

Everything I’ve Ever Wanted Approach (101 Things I Want to Be-Do-Have Before I Die). This approach is very popular and was reinforced in the movie, The Bucket List. Make your own bucket list. Write down every dream or wish that ever entered your mind. Do not worry about how you will get there. Don’t let time, money, family responsibilities or current situations become a road block. Simply let your imagination run wild and create a list of things that you would like to BE, DO, HAVE or ACCOMPLISH during your lifetime.

Now Craft Your Vision

Pick a specific date 5 years from today

Write down YOUR accomplishments for this period as if already accomplished (present tense). Remember to address accomplishments in all areas of your life: financial, business, relationships, family, health, spiritual, community and personal.

Be specific so you can measure progress, but give it a lot of stretch. It’s 5 years away. If it does not make you a little nervous, you may be thinking too small!

Build in some emotion. Write down how you FEEL about what you accomplished and why they are important to you. What you are grateful for with your new life.

Now for the litmus test. Does your vision excite and inspire you? Keep it accessible and view it often. Want to make it more powerful? Add a vision board … a collection of pictures and words that represent your future life – your dreams, goals, and accomplishments.

You are now ready to set your goals for the coming year. Make them SMART and align them with your vision.

Need some help and ideas with setting goals and developing your action plan? Then check out my Ultimate Goals and Action Plan Guide. It’s a step-by-step system for planning your success this year.

Ready to Put Your Business on the Path to Success?

To learn more or schedule an appointment, call me at (856) 533-2344 or drop me an email Joan@HybridBizAdvisors.com

Invest In Yourself: It Pays Dividends

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Accelerating your success does not always require huge increases in effort, time or money. Brian Tracy uses a great analogy to make this point. In a horse race, the first place horse might earn $100,000 while the second-place horse might earn $50,000. The first horse got twice the money not because it ran twice as fast as the competition. It only had to be a nose ahead.

So what can you do personally to create distance between you and your competitors or improve your results and income? The answer is simple – invest in yourself by learning new things and developing new skills. As Ben Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” It also translates into higher earnings and income. And it doesn’t require a lot of time or money – just a commitment to personal growth and passion for success.

Reading: A Competitive Advantage

Consider the fact that the average person reads 12 books in a lifetime. While this is a sad statistic, it clearly demonstrates an opportunity! According to Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, if the average person read for just 15 minutes per day, they would read 12 books per year and well over 600 books in their lifetime. Talk about a competitive advantage – and for just 15 minutes per day!

If you spend a lot of time on the road, invest in audio books and turn your car into a learning center. Today, most of the best-selling business and personal development books are available on CD or audio download. They are also available for Kindle or other readers — so you can always have a book handy while on the road! Don’t feel a need to listen or read them once. I’m always finding new ideas from books I’ve read or listened to previously.

Want to maximize your learning while leveraging your time? Here are a few tips you might want to consider. First, invest in an executive book summary subscription. The summary provides a recap and key ideas contained in the book – without reading the entire book. Busy executives and professionals use these to stay abreast of changes and develop new ideas – you can too! Second, join a book club and gather with others to discuss and learn. Some professional organizations offer these as a member benefit.

Do you learn more effectively with the help of others? If so, attend interactive workshops, seminars or webinars to improve knowledge gaps or simply to get new ideas. If you can take away and implement just one new idea in your business, you’ll find the results will amaze you.

Finally, make an effort to meet and build relationships with other successful business owners – inside and outside your own industry. Sharing information is a great way for both of you to learn and improve your businesses. Whether you do this with a group or one-on-one, make spending time with other successful owners part of your personal development plan. A word of caution here. Surround yourself with owners who have a similar passion for success. Avoid those who constantly play the role of victim since they will simply pull you down.

In conclusion, learning new ideas and ways to do things better is one of the keys to success. But at the end of the day, you must take action or do something with what you learned in order to impact results. Remember, the only difference between YOUR income and lifestyle now and in five years will be the people you meet, the knowledge you build and the actions you take – applying what you learn. So start investing in yourself and you too will reap the rewards.

Are you looking for some great books to help you learn and grow? Here are some of my recommendations for business owners.

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