Avoid Undue Risk

| April 13, 2006

Keeping up to date on legal matters is usually the last thing on the to do list of most small business owners; unless of course we need a lawyer fast. Last week I was invited to a Business Briefing by a friend and business attorney. He gave a brief overview of risk management. That sounded too corporate for the small business owners in the room, so we asked how risk management affects us?

Generally, Risk Management is the process of measuring, or assessing risk and then developing strategies to manage the risk. In general, the overview covered several areas … Read More

The Fear of Self Promotion or Fearless Self Promotion

| March 16, 2006

How often have you walked out of a seminar thinking you wasted your time and maybe even your money because the presenter seemed more interested in promoting his/her next workshop then delivering the topic you signed on for?

I have often heard business owners complain that they hate being sold. The market place has changed, customers do have access to more information and have become more educated about what they want. But what is “wrong” with self promotion?

Sometimes it has to do with that bad experience we had with that salesperson who talked us into buying something we really … Read More

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

| February 4, 2006

By Dana Bristol-Smith

Appeared in Presentations Magazine, April 2001

Knocking knees, butterflies (who came up with that word?) in your stomach, sweaty palms, quavering voice. We’ve all been there – some of us more than others. I’m going to share with you some of the tricks of the trade to help manage and reduce your anxiety before and during your presentation. These methods are tried and true and have helped many presenters.

How about having a conversation?

Use your mental energy to think of your next presentation as a conversation. You have conversations all day, every day! Do you get … Read More

Make It Happen

| January 5, 2006

A New Year, new goals, new opportunities! Now that you have things sorted out and put together, put last year behind you, scrap the old plans and get ready for a new start. New things require new strategies, new tactics and new plans. There’s an old saying – if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Einstein may have put it better when he defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results.

Over the last 15 years as I have worked with business owners who had dreams … Read More

Welcome To Mind Masters

| January 3, 2006

Turning dreams to reality as Small Business Owners Sharing Insights and Influence

Could you use some support to help you set, reach and add vision to your goals for growing your business? No great entrepreneurial enterprise was ever created in isolation. Surround yourself with smart business owners and you’re much more likely to succeed.

Mind Masters provides a value based program so that business owners harness the power of each members’ success, make wise business decisions and realize dreams. Visitors please check out our services.

Hear what our members have to say about Mind Masters!… Read More

The 2006 Dilemma

| December 4, 2005

Are you keeping up with the pace of change? The pace of technology? The pace of your marketplace? The pace of your competition? The 2006 Dilemma is how much do you and your business have to change to keep pace? As a business owner you need to have information at your finger tips that help you make the best decisions.

Planning for 2006 is a hands on process. You might start by asking some tough questions. Do you recognize the need for change?

  • Are you prepared to look reality in the face?
  • Are you willing to change the way you
… Read More

Investing in Your Business

| November 3, 2005

The question is always asked, how much should be spent on marketing and advertising. Some businesses start on a shoestring and grow rapidly. Others take hundreds even thousands of dollars and go at a snails pace. While I have never heard a hard and fast answer to how much you should spend, you need a strategy that will produce results for you.

The key here is not how much you spend, but that you consistently reinvest money in your business. Determine how much you can afford, is it $100 or 10% of your gross, or maybe for a new product … Read More

Value From Your Web Site

| October 2, 2005

If you are using a Web Site to drive traffic to your business (not just to the web site), is it delivering the return you want on your investment of time and money? There is a great deal of talk about different strategies to use to get people to your site, but once they are there what happens? Are you making a lot of money from it? Are your clients and friends sending others to check out the site? Are you getting new subscribers to your eZine. Are you getting the calls or emails wanting to know more? Can you … Read More

Financing Growth

| August 3, 2005

Over the past month I have walked several clients in to see the Loan Officer of a local bank to discuss how to plan the growth of their businesses. As business owners it is important to look ahead for not only the needs of the busy last quarter of the year, but also to your plans and projections for the coming year. Most small business owners are under the misconception that bank loans require a full business plan, with projections and a lot of other paperwork and documents. Don’t get me wrong, those things are needed for large loans and … Read More

Get Customers to Talk for You

| July 2, 2005

When was the last time you asked a customer/client for a referral? So many times I hear that as a business owner it is uncomfortable asking for a referral. Yet last week I listened to three rookie insurance/financial advisors talk about how they began their businesses and what were the important keys that have made them successful. Asking for a referral was right up on top. Your current customers can be your best influences on prospective clients. So what can you do to break through the “discomfort” of asking for the name of someone they know that could use your … Read More