Category Archives: Business Management

Do You Have a Niche Market: Refocus How You Show Up

| March 31, 2014

Common solution ConceptOne of the biggest mistakes business owners make when developing their business plan is not understanding who the ideal client is. You simply can’t be everything to everyone. This is especially true when you start to brand yourself.

When building your personal brand strategy, the quality of your clients is more than the quantity. Your goal is to fill the pipeline with profitable and appreciative clients. You want to design your marketing strategy to attract the kinds of clients who you want to work with, that in turn will increase your income while reducing your work hours.

To get those … Read More

What’s the Real Power of Your Brand?

| February 28, 2014

For small business owners it might be scary to realize that You are the “power” of your brand. Power is not often looked on as a way of describing yourself. You might even hesitate using power words to describe what you do on your business cards.

So how do you develop the expertise necessary for your power to show up? Make a significant contribution in your area of expertise by becoming known as a leader, with the articles you write, presentations you make and how you serve.

Recently one of my clients has been curating articles on Business storytelling. As … Read More

Are You a Tortoise or a Hare Entrepreneur?

| January 28, 2014

It is not always easy to tell the difference between the winners and the losers just by a casual look. When you consider the tortoise and the hare story there are valuable things you can learn.  They both gave their best effort but that is not the only thing that produced results. The strengths of the hare were speed, fun and a positive attitude that he could win.  The tortoise on the other hand was focused, had a positive attitude and had an expectation of success.

As we step into this New Year, what characteristics do you need to build … Read More

It’s Time to Celebrate

| December 26, 2013

As the year winds down are you excited for what is ahead in 2014?  Research has proven over and over that the more you consciously acknowledge your achievements, accomplishments, victories and completions the more of a foundation you have for ongoing success. Too often we go straight from the finish line to the starting line without pausing to acknowledge what actually happened and what we learned from it.

Yes it is a busy time, working to finish the year on top of the goals you set, while enjoying all the holiday celebrations.  This is your time to stop and reflect … Read More

Is the Roof Falling In?

| October 30, 2013

As an entrepreneur going it alone during some of the tough times can knock you flat.  What was the toughest situation you’ve encountered in your business?  Did you make it through?  Did you step back, learn from it and use the learning to move on? How often do you let yourself go down that dark road and beat yourself up when things don’t turn out according to “plan?”  As you entered this Quarter have you checked your plan?  Success comes from doing the simple things consistently.

As entrepreneurs we have a unique makeup that keeps us going.

John Gartner, a … Read More

What Do You Tell Yourself?

| August 27, 2013

For years, I’ve ended meetings with the comment, “Have a Million Dollar Day.” It’s a little different than “Have a nice day,” in that it infers the power to make it great is yours–that outside circumstances don’t determine how good a day it is or isn’t.

But what MAKES it a Million Dollar Day? Everything in life starts with thought! As you think about the day ahead, how will you measure it? Most of us plan what we will do, but how many of us think about what will make it a truly successful day.

So what would it take … Read More

Got Systems?

| April 30, 2013

When small business owners really begin to grow, it has been my experience that systems have not been put in place to handle the overload. All this makes it harder to really understand what needs to be done and who should be doing it.

At Michael Gerber’s E Myth, they say: “Most small businesses are dependent on the expertise of whoever is on payroll at a given time. As a consequence, how tasks are performed changes as people come and go. The danger is that customers will have unpredictable experiences with your business, and might not come back.”

The franchise … Read More

Who’s on First? What’s on Second? What Happened First Quarter? What Do You Want to Happen in Second Quarter?

| March 26, 2013

Second quarter is around the corner. A series of days and weeks and months that passed whether or not you woke up each day with an action plan. Time passes with or without you having goals. Often business owners get caught up during the first three months of the year, cleaning up the past year, taxes, cleaning out files, or just rolling into the new year doing the same things. Or you fall short planning for accomplishing the things you desire in your life.

Sometimes the focus is too much on what you don’t want from the previous year, forgetting … Read More

Time and Money

| November 30, 2012

This is the time of the year to do some analysis and review of your business and your effectiveness in running it. Are you keeping up with the pace of change? The pace of technology? The pace of your marketplace? The pace of your competition? (that’s a head full to take on). As you look to 2013, how much do you and your business have to change to keep pace?

In an article by Gary Ryan Blair he says, any endeavor “is sabotaged or supported by how much control you exercise over the investment, direction, and consumption of your time … Read More

Running a Business is a Constant Challenge

| August 28, 2012

After several years of presenting topics and introducing guest presenters,  last week we changed the format of our Marketing Meet Up. We wanted to provide our members with the chance to share their marketing challenges and learn from the experience of other entrepreneurs in a supportive and stimulating environment. Wow what an evening, attendees got how-tos, fresh ideas, and answers they were looking for.

As small biz owners, we all work in a degree of isolation. When things get hard, where do you go for help? Given the time and resources you put into your business, the last thing you … Read More