Before You Start – Shred Your Fears!

Posted on February 23, 2015 by MarleneMB

What’s holding you back from starting your own business? What fears are lurking in your mind? What is keeping you from pressing the start button?

In my last article “What are You Waiting for? Start Your Business Today,” I mentioned three common fears that plague would-be entrepreneurs:

Fear of Failure
Fear of leaving the familiar, i.e. working for someone else
Fear of the level of effort it takes to start and run ones own company

The strongest of these is the Fear of Failure. This fear involves fear of what others may think or say about us. We are worried that folks might think of us as failures. We are worried about being rejected.

A friend of mine conducted a Vision Board seminar this past weekend. She had the attendees write down three fears on a notecard. Then she told them to put them in the shredder. This was to help them visualize their fears being shredded to pieces. These fears will no longer be there to haunt them.

Now this doesn’t mean that they will not experience periods of doubts. The method my friend utilized was a step in facing ones fears. I’m encouraging you to do the same with your fears.

Here is how you face your fears about starting a business:

Admit that they are there.
Write them down. This will bring them to the forefront and allow you to address them.
Write down the emotions associated with them. Are these emotions based on fact or fear?
If it is a fact, write down the worse case scenario that may occur should you fail. Make a plan that will counter the possibility of failure and act upon it. For example, if losing investment money is the fear; then, make a plan that involves a budget that you can start the business without laying out that much money. Or seeking out other sources for investments such as an investor or partner.
If it’s simply a fear – shred it!

Here is a great quote to remember when you are worried about what others think.

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

If you feel stuck, unfulfilled, scared or in a place where you are not moving towards your dream about…”Starting Your Own Business….. WE CAN HELP!

Join us for this informative Webinar on what it takes to make “YOUR” dream of self-employment a “REALITY”!

What You Will Learn…

Characteristics of a successful Entrepreneur
Defining The Vision
The 5 Steps To Starting Your Own Business
Transformation: from Dream to “Reality”!
The Business Plan!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

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What Are You Waiting For? Start Your Business Today!

Posted on February 18, 2015 by MarleneMB

“Start-up success is not a consequence of good genes or being in the right place at the right time. Success can be engineered by following the right process, which means it can be learned, which means it can be taught.” ~ Eric Ries

Do you DREAM of starting you own business? Many people have the desire but don’t know where to start! They would say to themselves: “Someday I am going to own my business.” “One day, I’m going to quit my job and start my own company.” BUT one day “NEVER” comes!

Why don’t people get started? What holds the back? Why the mental paralysis?

1) Fear of Failure

2) Fear of leaving the familiar, i.e. working for someone else

3) Fear of the level of effort it takes to start and run ones own company

I get it. I was there. FINALLY….I realized that “someday” “one day” is NOW! We can’t turn back the hands of time, we cannot “FAST FORWARD” the future. What is certain is TODAY!

We know that tomorrow is not guaranteed and we don’t want to be that “could of”, “would of”, “should of” type of person—–right?

My Dad told me that he regretted not becoming an artist a week before he died, this broke my heart. It was an awakening moment for me. There is no gift like living life with passion and doing the things you love to do. One of the things I love doing is helping people achieve their purpose and their goals. A week after we said good-bye to my Dad, I started my journey of owning a business.

“You have to do what you dream of doing even while you are afraid.” ~ Arianna Huffington

If you feel stuck, unfulfilled, scared or in a place where you are not moving towards your dream…”Starting Your Own Business….. WE CAN HELP!

Join us for this informative Webinar on what it takes to make “YOUR” dream of self-employment a “REALITY”!

What You Will Learn…

Characteristics of a successful Entrepreneur
Defining The Vision
The 5 Steps To Starting Your Own Business
Transformation: from Dream to “Reality”!
The Business Plan!

Live your Dream! Live it Now!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page. This will allow me continue to write and share with you on a variety of topics.

Guard Your Time Wisely – 5 Reasons Why Using an Agenda is Powerful

Posted on February 13, 2015 by MarleneMB

© [www.emotin-flash.de] / Dollar Photo Club

“Is it possible for us to meet sometimes next week? I am changing my business direction and I would like your advice on my plans.” This was the call I got from a former colleague. I said: “sure.” I believe in not charging for my first consultation session with anyone. Thus I agreed to meet with her to see how I may assist her.

When the former colleague and I met, she went around in circles about this new business direction. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. I shared some information with her while trying to figure out what was the true objective of the meeting. Finally, I told her that I had to meet my obligations to my current clients and walked her out to her vehicle.

Before her departure, she turned to me and said: “I know you are very busy and your time is limited, but I hope I am able to show you the value of my product. I didn’t get the chance to demonstrate it to you.” It immediately clicked in my head that this was her true objective. It wasn’t that she wanted my advice; she wanted to sell me her product!

As you can imagine, I was a bit annoyed that she approached it in such a deceptive way (in my opinion). I would have appreciated that she was more direct about her true intent. I probably would have listened to her pitch in the first place. Instead she wasted her time and mine.

My fellow business owners guard your time wisely. Ask for an agenda prior to meeting with someone that wishes to conduct business with you. Provide an agenda; if you are the one leading the meeting. Here are five reasons why using an agenda is powerful:

1) Clearly Defines Meeting Objective: When you put an agenda together for a meeting, it is wise to state the purpose of the meeting. I generally put that in the overview section of the agenda. It is the first item I list. This reduces any confusion the meeting attendees may have about the reason for the meeting.

2) Keeps the Meeting On Track: It is so easy for a meeting to spiral out of control and run overtime when you don’t have an agenda. People may agree upon the objective of the meeting, but someone may go off on a tangent that veers the meeting in a different direction. This often results in the objective not being met.

3) Respects People’s Time: Time is precious. If you are a business owner, you may realize that times flies quickly. The day is done in flash. Providing an agenda for your meeting shows the folks attending that you value their time. It also helps the meeting time to be utilized more effectively.

4) Uncovers Any Open/New Item: The agenda should include a question and answer period to ensure that all undisclosed items are discussed. You will find that an open/new item section helps to reduce conducting multiple meetings about the same thing. Generally, clearing the air by using the open discussion segment brings everyone to the same understanding.

5) Schedule Follow Up Meetings or Discussions: It is not often that one closes a deal on the first meeting. Usually a one-meeting close occurs during a commoditized product and/or service sale. For the most part, larger or more complex sales take more than one meeting. If you are just doing business with the person for the first time, you often find that you have to build a relationship with you clients in order to close these types of deals. Putting “Follow-up” on the agenda makes it easier for everyone to coordinate his/her schedule immediately in ordet to set a date for the next conversation.

There are more great reasons for incorporating an agenda into your next meeting. These five methods are the ones that I use to better serve my clients an me. I also suggest that you send the agenda prior to your meeting. This will give the decision maker an opportunity to add necessary items or remove ones that are not relevant.

Again, guard your time wisely. Give your meeting Power. Try these tips when creating your meeting agendas. Let me know how they impact the effectiveness of your meetings. Have a Happy Meeting!

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Open for Business – 5 Tips for Starting Your Own Business

Posted on February 4, 2015 by MarleneMB

Have you ever dreamed that you would do something that made a difference? So did I. One of my aspirations was to start and operate my own business. I had a stable 9-5 job but lacked fulfillment and wanted to pursue my DREAM! How about you, do you desire to have your own BUSINESS? If yes, the following are some tips to help you on your way!

The Internet has lots of information about starting your own business. Perhaps too much. As you search you find that the rules vary from state to state, province to province, country to country. It can all be overwhelming.

Here are some basic steps that I find work for me after starting a few businesses or helping others to start theirs:

1) Choose the Right Name: Creating the right name for your business is one of the basic steps for creating a successful Brand Name that others can easily associate your business for its expertise, products and services. If your business is part of an established industry, I suggest that you include something about your offering in the name of your business.

For example, if your target market is small businesses, you may want to include something about small business or some word associated with small business in your company name.

In an episode of the CNBC series “Profit,” one of the companies featured was called “Green Tea.” Most people polled thought the company was selling tea. It was actually an ice cream company. This didn’t cause the business to fail, but it may have slowed the growth because of the lack of name association to the product it was offering.

2) Corporate Structure: Structuring your corporation requires a little more thought and homework; if you are not familiar with setting up a company. Deciding whether your company will be a sole proprietorship, S-Corp, C-Corp, Limited Liability Corp, etc. is very important for not only decision making process, but taxation purposes, liabilities and any future sale of the company.

The rules surrounding these various types of corporate structures are different based upon where the company is established. In Florida, the definition of the Managing Member of a Limited Liability Corporation has been modified with huge implication on who has the authority to make decision in such entities. Do your homework and/or consult with a corporate attorney to help you understand the rules.

3) Virtual Presence: Today, if you are do not have a virtual presence (website, social media page, etc.), most folks, at least in the USA, would question your business validity. If you are reading this article, I presume that you are in an area where people have access to the Internet.

Having a virtual presence will help you reach an audience outside of your local area, if this is one of your goals as an entrepreneur. It gives you the appearance of being an established company just like the larger corporation. It gives you access to a wider marketplace with more buying power.

4) Brand It: When you think about your company name also think about things such as:

What should the company Logo be?
What are the color schemes for the Logo?
How about the company other marketing materials and virtual sites?
What should your tag line be?
What do you want your company to be known as or for?

Create marketing materials that support these aspects of your business. Include them on your business cards, virtual cards, brochures, letterheads, videos, podcasts, etc. You don’t have to do all of these, but even if it is only your business card, make it count. Brand your business to standout from the crowd.

5) Give It A Heart: In your Vision, Mission and Values statements, give your company a heart. I call these three your companies Heart Statements. Put the things that you envision your clients would experience from purchasing your products, services and ultimately you and your employees! Then live this heart. Don’t just state it. Live it.

I find that I am willing to purchase from companies that live their Heart Statements. There are arguments abounding whether a corporation is a person or a thing. I won’t get into them. My views about it is that someone creates a product or offers a service for another person to purchase and use. When a company makes it all about the money and nothing else, I’m not willing to share my hard-earned dollars with this type of business. Many of my friends and colleagues feel the same way. Again, give it a Heart by offering products and services that benefit others.

I hope these tips help to guide you in your steps towards becoming an entrepreneur. There are more to these as you may expect. Take it one step at a time and before you know it, you can hang the “Open for Business” sign literally, figuratively and virtually!

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page. This will allow me continue to write and share with you on a variety of topics.