From a legend in teaching leadership, and a gentlemen that a few of us will be personally trained by this December, Mr. John Maxwell...
John C. Maxwell: The Two Greatest Days in Your Life
You’ve experienced the first one; now let’s discover how to get to the second one.
I have studied the subject of success for more than 30 years and have asked many questions of successful people trying to discover, first, what made them successful, and second, what they think success is. And my hope is that when I’m done sharing with you my findings, they will in some way help you along your journey of reaching your full potential.
Over the years, as I have watched and listened to successful leaders, I have discovered a common thread: They know why they’re here. Knowing their purpose in life gives them stability. And when others around them start abandoning their causes and jumping ship when life gets tough, these people use this assurance to steady the boat, to ride out the storm, because they have a true North Star. Someone once said there are two great days in our lives—the day we are born and the day we discover why. I’m here to tell you, highly successful people have discovered why.
I think there are two paths you and I can take to help discover our purpose. The first is passion. What are you passionate about? What do you really care about? What would you live for; what would you die for?
Passion is not 100 percent foolproof, but it will get you into the location, the area, the neighborhood of what your purpose really is. Passion is what I call the “great energizer.” It’s no secret that passionate people have a lot of energy. That’s why, when you see successful people, they love what they’re doing and doing what they love.
People who are highly successful love the journey as much as the destination. And even though they might not have yet arrived, they remain encouraged because they still have fuel in their tanks from their incredible passion.
But passion can only get you so far. If you don’t believe me, just watch the singing tryouts on American Idol. Bless their hearts, these kids are extremely passionate, many of them singing with all of the off-key gusto they can muster. But that doesn’t mean they have what it takes to be professional singers.
While passion will get you into the location, it’s only about 80 percent accurate. The other path you can take to discover your purpose is 100 percent accurate—I guarantee it. This is what I call your Strength Zone Path. That’s not my phrase; it’s from Marcus Buckingham’s book Now, Discover Your Strengths (Free Press, 2001). In other words, you’ve got to find the path where you can answer the questions: What do I do well? What are my strengths? What is my giftedness? What is the talent, the uniqueness that sets me apart from everybody else?
Everyone has a “uniqueness” that would enable them to rise above the rest, if they just discover it, fine-tune it, work hard and grow in it. No one has ever been successful doing something that they didn’t like and no one has ever been successful doing something they can’t do well. And yet I see millions of people every day doing something they don’t like doing, and they wonder why they’re not successful.
Here is the best way to explain it. People simply will not pay for average. So why do so many of us think we can have an average business or an average career or an average life and make a difference? Average doesn’t make a difference.
I’d like to tell you something that goes against all of the rules you have ever been taught or have ever believed about weaknesses: From this moment on, stop working on your weaknesses. Why? Well, it’s very simple. It’s because we are weak in our weaknesses, so stop doing these things that you’re not any good at.
Our education system taught us to work on our weakness. If you got an A in math but a C in English, what did they tell you to work on? That’s right, English. They say, “Get that English grade up.”
I’m here to tell you, don’t work on your English. You ask, “Why shouldn’t I work on my English?” It’s very simple. You have a math mind. It’s not that you’re dumb; it’s just that your math mind is better than your English mind. You’re better at numbers than you are at words. It’s not right or wrong; it’s just who you are. It’s your uniqueness.
Yes, success is knowing your purpose in life, but it’s more than that. You also need a growth plan to help you reach your maximum potential. It’s not only about knowing what you should do, but also about growing in that area to maximize and highlight the things you do well. That’s continual growth.
I had a life-changing experience back in 1973. Attending a seminar in Lancaster, Ohio, a man sitting next to me asked me one of the most important questions I’ve ever been asked. He said, “John, what’s your plan for growth?” I was just a kid in my 20s, not knowing that I was even supposed to have a plan for growth. And so I decided to fake it and proceeded to tell him about my elaborate schedule and how hard I was working toward my goals. I was like a plane circling a field trying to come in for a landing, going around and around until I finally ran out of gas and shut up. As soon as I did he looked at me, smiled and said, “You don’t have a plan, do you?” With a smile I replied “Eh, no, no I don’t.”
Then he said words that changed my life. He said, “John, growth is not an automatic process. If you’re going to grow, you need to do so intentionally.” That afternoon I went home and sat down with my wife, Margaret, and said, “I don’t know what a growth plan looks like, but I heard a guy tell me today I needed to have one and I’m going to figure it out.” And I took that whole year to figure out how to do a growth plan, and I’m here to tell you, it changed my life.
That was in the early ’70s. For more than 30 years, I have been on a personal growth plan every year.
The speed of the leader determines the speed of the pack. And the only way that you and I will ever continue to be in front is to continue to learn and grow and to commit to it. Highly successful people have a continual thirst for knowledge and are always asking questions.
Highly successful people know their purpose in life, grow to their maximum potential and sow seeds that benefit others. They don’t live for themselves. They’re a river, not a reservoir. They understand what significance is. Significance is adding value to others.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Success Is Everything !!!
I woke up this morning to no alarm clock wondering if I should post a blog or not.
As many of you know, I promised to post one per day, Monday ~ Friday. But, with this being a holiday Monday, I wasn't sure if I should or should not...
Then I checked my email (while having my first coffee) and received this from Mr. Jim Rohn's Newsletter. Ladies & Gentlemen, the answer was obvious...Bill, do a post !!!
Success Is Everything by Jim Rohn
Someone once said to me that success isn't everything and I think I know what they really meant. I believe they really meant that money isn't everything, and I certainly agree with that. But I do believe that success IS everything.
First, you need to succeed to survive. We must take the seasons and learn how to use them with the seed, the soil and the rain of opportunity to learn how to sustain ourselves and our family. But then second is to then succeed to flourish in every part of your life. Good question to ask mature people: "If you could do better, should you?" And I think almost everybody would answer the question in the affirmative. If you could improve your health, shouldn't you do that? If you can learn more, shouldn't you do that? If you could earn more and share more, shouldn't you do that? If you can improve your relationships and spirituality, shouldn't you do that? And I think that is what success is really all about. It is not just a destination that is set for everybody to try and go for. It is like Zig Ziglar said, "improving in every area of your life to see if you can't say with satisfaction at the end of the day, week, month and year, 'I have made excellent progress this year, for myself, for my family, for my business, my career and my health.'" I think that kind of success everybody recognizes is legitimate and something we should all strive for.
Interesting phrase in the Bible that says strive for perfection — not that we can ever reach it. But it is in the striving, to be a little bit better today than yesterday, in our speech, our language, our health, everything we can possibility think of.
So yes, in my opinion, Success Is Everything!
—Jim Rohn
Aside from the actual words themselves, one might wonder, "ok Bill, I agree that Jim's definition of Success Is Everything is accurate, but why post it...?"
The answer ladies and gentlemen is simple...
Many who follow, view and comment on this blog are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs sacrificing what little spare time they do have these days to try to build a business and/or create a legacy for their family. But the crazy thing is that as we walk into the busiest time of year (for any) business, many of those same entrepreneurs aren't striving to complete what they started. What do I mean exactly? Well, the summer months were slow but many people planted the right seeds in order to harvest them this fall (the busiest time of year in our business). Many of those same entrepreneurs declared goals for themselves and others. But, many of those exact same entrepreneurs aren't out in the field harvesting what they planted earlier in the year...
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is the time where we all need to stand up, take a stance, plant your flag and commit to finishing off what ever it was that you declared was to be.
If you don't, you're letting all of the hard work you put in earlier in the year to fall by the wayside.
If you don't, you're not creating that legacy you declared was possible for you and your family.
If you don't, you are just like anyone else who says "Success Isn't Everything".
I know you though. I know that you are not like everyone else. I know that you are determined to make it through the forest - make it to the top of the mountain, but you just need a simple kick in the butt to get back out their and "git r done".
So, please accept this post as your kick in the butt...
Love to you all on this glorious Thanksgiving Holiday.
~b2
As many of you know, I promised to post one per day, Monday ~ Friday. But, with this being a holiday Monday, I wasn't sure if I should or should not...
Then I checked my email (while having my first coffee) and received this from Mr. Jim Rohn's Newsletter. Ladies & Gentlemen, the answer was obvious...Bill, do a post !!!
Success Is Everything by Jim Rohn
Someone once said to me that success isn't everything and I think I know what they really meant. I believe they really meant that money isn't everything, and I certainly agree with that. But I do believe that success IS everything.
First, you need to succeed to survive. We must take the seasons and learn how to use them with the seed, the soil and the rain of opportunity to learn how to sustain ourselves and our family. But then second is to then succeed to flourish in every part of your life. Good question to ask mature people: "If you could do better, should you?" And I think almost everybody would answer the question in the affirmative. If you could improve your health, shouldn't you do that? If you can learn more, shouldn't you do that? If you could earn more and share more, shouldn't you do that? If you can improve your relationships and spirituality, shouldn't you do that? And I think that is what success is really all about. It is not just a destination that is set for everybody to try and go for. It is like Zig Ziglar said, "improving in every area of your life to see if you can't say with satisfaction at the end of the day, week, month and year, 'I have made excellent progress this year, for myself, for my family, for my business, my career and my health.'" I think that kind of success everybody recognizes is legitimate and something we should all strive for.
Interesting phrase in the Bible that says strive for perfection — not that we can ever reach it. But it is in the striving, to be a little bit better today than yesterday, in our speech, our language, our health, everything we can possibility think of.
So yes, in my opinion, Success Is Everything!
—Jim Rohn
Aside from the actual words themselves, one might wonder, "ok Bill, I agree that Jim's definition of Success Is Everything is accurate, but why post it...?"
The answer ladies and gentlemen is simple...
Many who follow, view and comment on this blog are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs sacrificing what little spare time they do have these days to try to build a business and/or create a legacy for their family. But the crazy thing is that as we walk into the busiest time of year (for any) business, many of those same entrepreneurs aren't striving to complete what they started. What do I mean exactly? Well, the summer months were slow but many people planted the right seeds in order to harvest them this fall (the busiest time of year in our business). Many of those same entrepreneurs declared goals for themselves and others. But, many of those exact same entrepreneurs aren't out in the field harvesting what they planted earlier in the year...
Ladies & Gentlemen, this is the time where we all need to stand up, take a stance, plant your flag and commit to finishing off what ever it was that you declared was to be.
If you don't, you're letting all of the hard work you put in earlier in the year to fall by the wayside.
If you don't, you're not creating that legacy you declared was possible for you and your family.
If you don't, you are just like anyone else who says "Success Isn't Everything".
I know you though. I know that you are not like everyone else. I know that you are determined to make it through the forest - make it to the top of the mountain, but you just need a simple kick in the butt to get back out their and "git r done".
So, please accept this post as your kick in the butt...
Love to you all on this glorious Thanksgiving Holiday.
~b2
Friday, October 7, 2011
If You Live Each Day Like It's Your Last...
I know that many of you are going to say, oh no! not another Steve Jobs piece.
Well, I want you to think a little differently for a few minutes.
Don't "just" remember a techie iCon who truly helped the world communicate & entertain themselves better, but instead, just for a few minutes, listen to what he has to say and take from it all the things that can truly transform your life both personally and professionally...
http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.htmlon the blog and I'll do my best to post...
If you live each day like it's your last...Some day you'll be right...
- Steve Jobs (quoted 2005)
I particularly like 9:08 and 12:31 of the video.
Please feel free to comment below...
~b2
Well, I want you to think a little differently for a few minutes.
Don't "just" remember a techie iCon who truly helped the world communicate & entertain themselves better, but instead, just for a few minutes, listen to what he has to say and take from it all the things that can truly transform your life both personally and professionally...
http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.htmlon the blog and I'll do my best to post...
If you live each day like it's your last...Some day you'll be right...
- Steve Jobs (quoted 2005)
I particularly like 9:08 and 12:31 of the video.
Please feel free to comment below...
~b2
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Failing To Succeed
"Success may instill confidence, but failure imparts wisdom…"
Don’t you just love that opening? This is a really good article (heck they’re all good…smile). What I enjoy most is that we all come up against “failures” of some sort in our lives, careers or business and the tips pulled from Gary Burnison’s book, are “wall posters”…notes you post on the wall to keep you focused on achieving what you want. (You do have those, right?)
Point is…you’re not alone and how you “use” this experience of “failure” can inspire both clients and colleagues into greater partnership with you!
Enjoy!
Exceptional success is frequently preceded by failure. Whether it’s a business leader who finally finds her groove after filing bankruptcy or the musician who has paid his dues playing in dimly lit dives for tips, success requires a commitment to working with the end in mind.
Extraordinary leaders believe the most regrettable failure in life is failing to fail,” says Gary Burnison, author of No Fear of Failure and CEO of Korn/Ferry International. In interviews with leaders including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, former Xerox Chairman and CEO and others, Burnison learned that strong leaders share a few common traits. “Although failure might be inevitable at times, these leaders do not view it as an absolute end point. They maintain perspective in the journey, immediately shifting from setback to lesson learned.”
Want to become a top-notch leader? Burnison offers a few tips:
=> Humbly savor success.
=> View failure as temporary.
=> Stay focused on what matters most.
=> Remain true to your core values.
Mastering the skill of dealing with problems without making them your primary focus will empower you to move past failure and into your own version of extraordinary success. Says Burnison, “Leaders possess an inner serenity that keeps them centered in who they are and what matters most, which enables them to guide and motivate others even in the worst of times.”
Onwards and Upwards folks, don't let small, medium or large setbacks deter you from your goal. Learn from them and continue moving forward...
~b2
Don’t you just love that opening? This is a really good article (heck they’re all good…smile). What I enjoy most is that we all come up against “failures” of some sort in our lives, careers or business and the tips pulled from Gary Burnison’s book, are “wall posters”…notes you post on the wall to keep you focused on achieving what you want. (You do have those, right?)
Point is…you’re not alone and how you “use” this experience of “failure” can inspire both clients and colleagues into greater partnership with you!
Enjoy!
Exceptional success is frequently preceded by failure. Whether it’s a business leader who finally finds her groove after filing bankruptcy or the musician who has paid his dues playing in dimly lit dives for tips, success requires a commitment to working with the end in mind.
Extraordinary leaders believe the most regrettable failure in life is failing to fail,” says Gary Burnison, author of No Fear of Failure and CEO of Korn/Ferry International. In interviews with leaders including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, former Xerox Chairman and CEO and others, Burnison learned that strong leaders share a few common traits. “Although failure might be inevitable at times, these leaders do not view it as an absolute end point. They maintain perspective in the journey, immediately shifting from setback to lesson learned.”
Want to become a top-notch leader? Burnison offers a few tips:
=> Humbly savor success.
=> View failure as temporary.
=> Stay focused on what matters most.
=> Remain true to your core values.
Mastering the skill of dealing with problems without making them your primary focus will empower you to move past failure and into your own version of extraordinary success. Says Burnison, “Leaders possess an inner serenity that keeps them centered in who they are and what matters most, which enables them to guide and motivate others even in the worst of times.”
Onwards and Upwards folks, don't let small, medium or large setbacks deter you from your goal. Learn from them and continue moving forward...
~b2
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
How To Start A Business While Maintaining Your Life
This is a topic that I've been asked so many times by so many people - And to be honest, something I've personally struggled with...
So, I went out in search of an article that to me, made sense...Here's hoping it makes sense to you too...
How to Start a Business While Maintaining Your Life
18 Questions to Prepare You for the Entrepreneurial Journey
Entrepreneurship beckons increasing numbers of people today, offering greater control over lifestyle and livelihood. It offers financial freedom — the kind of wealth no cubicle dweller could hope to attain.
Many budding entrepreneurs already are ensconced in life, with its myriad responsibilities. They can’t simply make the leap into entrepreneurship without a safety net, so they carve time out of already demanding schedules to start and build their businesses. But for these entrepreneurs, the incomparable rewards of business ownership are worth the effort, discipline and time they invest. They say it is possible to start and build a business while maintaining a life — and they offer these tips, insights and questions to consider for maximizing your success.
Taking Stock
You first need to ask yourself, “Am I ready and prepared for and wanting the responsibility of owning a business?” suggests Carol Roth, business strategist and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Entrepreneur Equation. She likens operating a business to having a child in that it requires constant nurturing as well as time, money and effort. She suggests you take a good hard look at everything going on in your life — including your family and friends, hobbies and other pursuits — and ask yourself if you’re ready to make your business a top priority in your life.
Are you prepared to make a new business one of your life’s top priorities?
If your answer is yes and you’re ready to bring this virtual life form into being, you need to answer the following question next: “Who am I responsible for?” A small business has the potential to affect every facet of your life, and it’s only fair to consider how your loved ones — including your partner/spouse and kids — will be impacted by your new project. “Not only are they affected by your monetary decisions, these individuals are competing for your time and attention,” Roth says.
She suggests asking some important and hard questions, such as:
What if you lose your entire initial investment?
What if you use your house as collateral or to guarantee a loan, and then lose your house?
What happens to your family in the worst-case scenario?
Dedicate some solid time to this thought process, and don’t make any hasty decisions; consult with your family, as well as trusted friends and advisors, for their input as well.
Who or what are you responsible for, and how will they be impacted by the new business?
Reality Check
Be careful: Answering these questions with too much wishful thinking could be a worthless and potentially dangerous exercise. Excitement and passion for the business are very powerful factors — possibly the most critical factors in determining your success — but be realistic when considering your future. Nick May discovered the hard way that passion was no substitute for planning.
Working at a telecommunications distribution company in 1998, May started developing a contracting business on the side without giving much forethought to the project, he says. “I did not expect all the different things and responsibilities I had to manage as a business owner. I think when some of us start businesses for the first time, we think we are invincible, just like a teenager in high school. We think we know it all. We think our idea is the best.”
May managed to work through his initial startup issues. In addition to running that business, One Coat Paintings, a residential interior painting company, the Highlands Ranch, Colo., resident and father of two also hosts a radio show and carves time for volunteering.
But looking back on the experience, he says, “I should have gotten people around me to help identify my weaknesses and the things that I did not do well. I should have listened to others, talked to people who had done it before and planned accordingly.”
Are there people you trust who could provide an honest assessment of your weaknesses and strengths?
Will you listen and heed their advice?
Award-winning author, serial entrepreneur and investor Matthew Toren agrees that it’s important to be realistic about the future — without killing that initial optimism in the process.
“That excited feeling an entrepreneur gets when they have what they believe to be a great business idea can be a driving force to success,” he says. “The downside is that, if you let it, the excitement can also blind you to real obstacles that can hinder your success if not addressed properly.”
Is your excitement blinding you to real obstacles that could hinder your success?
Toren continues: “I personally believe that there are very few challenges that cannot be overcome. The question is whether someone is willing to do what it takes to make it happen. So you first have to know what it’s going to take. That means looking at your potential business from every angle, realistically. Seeing potential hurdles and planning for them is realistic. Saying that there are no hurdles is not optimism — it’s setting yourself up for failure.”
Do you have the finances, time and other resources needed to make your new business work?
Take a good, hard look at your available finances, time and other resources and assess whether you have what it takes to really make things work. This is also the time to determine what your goals and expectations are for the company and whether or not they’re truly feasible. Do your homework by consulting business books and periodicals, researching similar companies to yours and how they succeeded, and talking to other entrepreneurs, mentors, counselors or experts.
Have you assessed your goals and expectations for the new business—and are they realistic?
It also helps to look at your potential business objectively: If someone else were considering the same project, would you support them?
Take some time answering these questions and try writing down some of your thoughts on paper, because this early reflection — when done thoroughly, honestly and clearly — will serve as a steady foundation for your enterprise.
If a friend or relative were going to do what you want to do, would you give them the thumbs up? If not, what would be your reservations?
Juggling Act
As you go forward with your plan, you’ll soon discover that different areas of your life are begging for your time and energy simultaneously, and it may be difficult deciding where, when and how much to devote yourself.
Just ask Killian Rieder, a designer who had worked with some of the top names in the New York fashion industry before leaving to open her own jewelry shop in 2002. She and husband Jeff Julkowski expanded the brand, Chamilia, into a multimillion-dollar business by 2006 — all while growing their family as well. Now as executive vice president and design director for the Minneapolis - based company, Rieder says that prioritizing is key.
“You need to plan and choose your top priorities and goals,” says the mother of two. “Stick to these priorities and don’t feel guilty when you say no to distractions. Recognize that life brings the unexpected. But when you have clearly defined goals, the focus is much clearer, and it is much easier to stay on track with your business.”
Are you willing to prioritize and set goals for various aspects of your life—and stick with those priorities?
“Prioritizing your life is critical because not doing so will inevitably lead to failure in whichever area you’ve neglected,” Toren says. “No part of your life—business, marriage, parenthood—can run on autopilot. If you focus on one thing and hope the rest will take care of itself, you won’t be happy with the results.”
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Making It Work — Set Boundaries
Name: Karen Bullard
Business: Paper Fancy, an online stationery and gift boutique based in her Manakin-Sabot, Va., home
Strategy: Because Bullard operates Paper Fancy out of her home studio, she says that “the business is always there and hard to get away from.” Being a perfectionist in nature, she’s constantly tempted to go online and tweak the site or answer that unopened email. So, in an effort to balance her work life and her family life (she has two kids)—as well as fit in time for volunteering—she has put strict boundaries in place. “Make sure you have definite ‘work time’ and ‘family time,’ ” she says. “Don’t let other things take up your time that you’ve carved out to complete specific tasks.”
To stay focused, she keeps her laptop in the home office and away from the home’s living area: “Our families need our undivided attention when we’re with them and not always distracted,” she says. Conversely, Bullard prevents her children from playing in her workspace. “I have stressed to my children that this is Mommy’s office and not a playroom or Staples store,” she says. “And they understand that.”
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Have you discussed and agreed upon these priorities with your spouse and other people who are significant in your life?
First, you have to set goals for the different parts of your life: “If you don’t know where it is that you want to go, you can’t figure out a path to get there,” Roth says. Especially when you’re starting out, it may be helpful to take the “baby step” approach of setting small, reachable goals for your business to help build momentum and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Do you have the discipline to follow through with action steps you set to achieve your goals?
Then, deliberately devote the requisite time and resources to reach goals in each area. “Try following a set schedule that is divided into time slots for each area of your life,” Toren says. Tell your family and friends that you will be working in your home office every weekday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that you won’t be able to accommodate interruptions or personal phone calls or emails—and stick to the schedule religiously.
Sari Crevin, a former Microsoft manager and mother of two who founded the parenting products company BooginHead in 2007, allocates and maintains set hours with her family just as judiciously.
“Every day from 5 to 7:30 p.m. is strictly family time,” says the Bellevue, Wash., resident. “We eat together as a family and ban all electronics, including the phone, TV and computer. It is simply time to talk and play together as a family unit. Having that structure built in as a nonnegotiable helped create a balance that ordinarily and easily can get interrupted.”
Will you stick to your priorities and say no to distractions, or feel guilty and cave in?
Toren says, “The reality is that there will always be unexpected events in personal and business life that require attention now, regardless of what the schedule says. I’ve found that what’s most important is quality, not necessarily quantity. When you’re spending time with your family, be with your family 100 percent. Turn off the laptop and the smartphone, and focus on the here and now. An hour of that kind of family time will mean much more to them than three hours where you’re physically there but your mind is somewhere else.”
Do you have the resolve to adhere to boundaries separating business and personal life?
Devoting a set space to your work can also prevent distractions and help you get into “work mode” better. Just be sure to keep the boundaries delineated; you may want to keep friends and family members out of the office altogether so that the space’s function stays clear to you and everyone else.
Roth says that it takes constant vigilance, maintenance and self-scrutiny to ensure that your life—in all its varied parts—is on your desired trajectory. “You have to prioritize and reprioritize often,” she says. “When times are tough at work, at home or both, remind yourself of the reasons you are doing what you are doing. Set a positive intention to carry you through. If the rewards don’t greatly outweigh the risks at any point, then stop and readjust.’ ”
Helping Hands
The road to a healthy business may be long and hard, but nobody says you have to go it alone. In fact, most successful businesspeople argue that having a proper support system in place is essential.
Do you have a support system?
The first fans to recruit are your family. “If your family isn’t supportive, you are going to be in an emotional state and susceptible to making bad decisions,” Roth says.
They feel the ramifications of your business decisions directly and indirectly on a daily basis, so strive to communicate with them. Explain to them your motives, your plans and how you expect they’ll be affected; then, in turn, listen to their questions and concerns.
“Listening to their feedback and respecting them to at least the same level you would an important client or investor will earn a lot more support than simply expecting them to adjust,” Toren says. “And, because having a happy family life will contribute in a big way to your ability to focus on your business with a positive frame of mind, family support is definitely critical.”
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Making It Work—Solicit Spousal Support
Name: Kara Buntin
Business: A Cake to Remember, a custom baking company run out of her Richmond, Va., home
Strategy: When the mother of two first started planning the business, her husband, Bob, “didn’t take it seriously,” she says. But, as she started earning profits and communicating with her husband about what was going on in order to engage him in the process, he understood her commitment and that she needed his help to succeed.
“I think that figures on paper speak louder than all the work that you put into something, and it’s just a matter of getting over that mental block to get someone to realize that you’re not playing around,” she says.
When Buntin is working, her husband takes care of the kids and treats the company as a top priority for them both. “He’s the one to ask me what I have scheduled for the weekend so that he can arrange his schedule around mine,” Buntin says. “He tells everyone about my business, and I know that he’s behind me.”
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Have you thoroughly communicated your plans and expectations, and how these will affect your family?
Will you listen to your family members and take their feedback as if they’re your most valued stakeholders?
Outside the home, building a professional support system can be equally beneficial. “We can’t do everything alone,” Roth says. “Plus, the more realistic information you have, the better.”
Toren agrees: “A lot of entrepreneurs are very independent, do-it-yourself people. This can pose a challenge if it means not asking for help or guidance.”
To illustrate his point, Toren refers to an anecdote from the world of sports: “When Michael Jordan was at the top of his game, few would dispute he was the greatest basketball player of his time—and maybe all time. When the team huddled to listen to the coach, was he standing off to the side, or was he in there listening, too? When they practiced and the coach was running the team through drills and providing feedback, do you think he paid attention? Absolutely. Everyone can benefit from guidance, especially from those who have already done what you want to do.”
One of the first resources to tap is your own network: Do you have friends, family, neighbors or colleagues who have relevant business experience—or do they know someone who does? “Ask your network about making introductions to people who have experience in similar industries, stage of company or who can answer specific questions you have,” Roth says, adding that local chambers of commerce, alumni associations and peer-coaching groups are options to consider as well.
Do you have friends, family, neighbors or colleagues with relevant business experience you can tap?
Do they have people they can introduce to you who have experience you can tap?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making It Work—Ask for Help
Name: Forrest Graves
Business: JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters, a gourmet coffee retailer in Helen, Ga.
Strategy: When he was laid off from Hewlett-Packard in 2008, this husband and father already had some ideas for his “Plan B,” as he and wife Debbie had long searched for the perfect cup of coffee and wanted to provide it via their own retailer.
But he needed guidance. “I found out pretty quick that many people wanted to give me free advice, but it was small-business owners who had the best advice.” Whenever he heard about a small-business success—through word-of-mouth, magazines or blogs—“I instantly wanted to know more about what and how they did things,” he says. “People who would take the time to teach or coach me were huge assets.”
Social media outlets such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have helped him meet likeminded people within his community and beyond, and he also recommends trade shows, symposiums and seminars to listen to selected keynote speakers. “I was looking for battle scars,” Graves says. “I wanted to hear from the folks who did it.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toren also points to social media as a powerful tool, which can help entrepreneurs connect with leaders in any field or location.
“If you’re polite but persistent, chances are you can get one of your industry’s icons to talk with you,” he says. “The biggest obstacle is often your own fear. Just remember that they are people, just like you, and most of them are more than willing to help out—because most of them got help from someone when they needed it.”
Yes, this was a little longer post/article than most, but I truly believe there's many insights within that we can all take and incorporate into our own business and personal lives.
...Feel free to leave a comment below, or suggest a topic that you'd personally like to see here on the blog and I'll do my best to post...
~b2
So, I went out in search of an article that to me, made sense...Here's hoping it makes sense to you too...
How to Start a Business While Maintaining Your Life
18 Questions to Prepare You for the Entrepreneurial Journey
Entrepreneurship beckons increasing numbers of people today, offering greater control over lifestyle and livelihood. It offers financial freedom — the kind of wealth no cubicle dweller could hope to attain.
Many budding entrepreneurs already are ensconced in life, with its myriad responsibilities. They can’t simply make the leap into entrepreneurship without a safety net, so they carve time out of already demanding schedules to start and build their businesses. But for these entrepreneurs, the incomparable rewards of business ownership are worth the effort, discipline and time they invest. They say it is possible to start and build a business while maintaining a life — and they offer these tips, insights and questions to consider for maximizing your success.
Taking Stock
You first need to ask yourself, “Am I ready and prepared for and wanting the responsibility of owning a business?” suggests Carol Roth, business strategist and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Entrepreneur Equation. She likens operating a business to having a child in that it requires constant nurturing as well as time, money and effort. She suggests you take a good hard look at everything going on in your life — including your family and friends, hobbies and other pursuits — and ask yourself if you’re ready to make your business a top priority in your life.
Are you prepared to make a new business one of your life’s top priorities?
If your answer is yes and you’re ready to bring this virtual life form into being, you need to answer the following question next: “Who am I responsible for?” A small business has the potential to affect every facet of your life, and it’s only fair to consider how your loved ones — including your partner/spouse and kids — will be impacted by your new project. “Not only are they affected by your monetary decisions, these individuals are competing for your time and attention,” Roth says.
She suggests asking some important and hard questions, such as:
What if you lose your entire initial investment?
What if you use your house as collateral or to guarantee a loan, and then lose your house?
What happens to your family in the worst-case scenario?
Dedicate some solid time to this thought process, and don’t make any hasty decisions; consult with your family, as well as trusted friends and advisors, for their input as well.
Who or what are you responsible for, and how will they be impacted by the new business?
Reality Check
Be careful: Answering these questions with too much wishful thinking could be a worthless and potentially dangerous exercise. Excitement and passion for the business are very powerful factors — possibly the most critical factors in determining your success — but be realistic when considering your future. Nick May discovered the hard way that passion was no substitute for planning.
Working at a telecommunications distribution company in 1998, May started developing a contracting business on the side without giving much forethought to the project, he says. “I did not expect all the different things and responsibilities I had to manage as a business owner. I think when some of us start businesses for the first time, we think we are invincible, just like a teenager in high school. We think we know it all. We think our idea is the best.”
May managed to work through his initial startup issues. In addition to running that business, One Coat Paintings, a residential interior painting company, the Highlands Ranch, Colo., resident and father of two also hosts a radio show and carves time for volunteering.
But looking back on the experience, he says, “I should have gotten people around me to help identify my weaknesses and the things that I did not do well. I should have listened to others, talked to people who had done it before and planned accordingly.”
Are there people you trust who could provide an honest assessment of your weaknesses and strengths?
Will you listen and heed their advice?
Award-winning author, serial entrepreneur and investor Matthew Toren agrees that it’s important to be realistic about the future — without killing that initial optimism in the process.
“That excited feeling an entrepreneur gets when they have what they believe to be a great business idea can be a driving force to success,” he says. “The downside is that, if you let it, the excitement can also blind you to real obstacles that can hinder your success if not addressed properly.”
Is your excitement blinding you to real obstacles that could hinder your success?
Toren continues: “I personally believe that there are very few challenges that cannot be overcome. The question is whether someone is willing to do what it takes to make it happen. So you first have to know what it’s going to take. That means looking at your potential business from every angle, realistically. Seeing potential hurdles and planning for them is realistic. Saying that there are no hurdles is not optimism — it’s setting yourself up for failure.”
Do you have the finances, time and other resources needed to make your new business work?
Take a good, hard look at your available finances, time and other resources and assess whether you have what it takes to really make things work. This is also the time to determine what your goals and expectations are for the company and whether or not they’re truly feasible. Do your homework by consulting business books and periodicals, researching similar companies to yours and how they succeeded, and talking to other entrepreneurs, mentors, counselors or experts.
Have you assessed your goals and expectations for the new business—and are they realistic?
It also helps to look at your potential business objectively: If someone else were considering the same project, would you support them?
Take some time answering these questions and try writing down some of your thoughts on paper, because this early reflection — when done thoroughly, honestly and clearly — will serve as a steady foundation for your enterprise.
If a friend or relative were going to do what you want to do, would you give them the thumbs up? If not, what would be your reservations?
Juggling Act
As you go forward with your plan, you’ll soon discover that different areas of your life are begging for your time and energy simultaneously, and it may be difficult deciding where, when and how much to devote yourself.
Just ask Killian Rieder, a designer who had worked with some of the top names in the New York fashion industry before leaving to open her own jewelry shop in 2002. She and husband Jeff Julkowski expanded the brand, Chamilia, into a multimillion-dollar business by 2006 — all while growing their family as well. Now as executive vice president and design director for the Minneapolis - based company, Rieder says that prioritizing is key.
“You need to plan and choose your top priorities and goals,” says the mother of two. “Stick to these priorities and don’t feel guilty when you say no to distractions. Recognize that life brings the unexpected. But when you have clearly defined goals, the focus is much clearer, and it is much easier to stay on track with your business.”
Are you willing to prioritize and set goals for various aspects of your life—and stick with those priorities?
“Prioritizing your life is critical because not doing so will inevitably lead to failure in whichever area you’ve neglected,” Toren says. “No part of your life—business, marriage, parenthood—can run on autopilot. If you focus on one thing and hope the rest will take care of itself, you won’t be happy with the results.”
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Making It Work — Set Boundaries
Name: Karen Bullard
Business: Paper Fancy, an online stationery and gift boutique based in her Manakin-Sabot, Va., home
Strategy: Because Bullard operates Paper Fancy out of her home studio, she says that “the business is always there and hard to get away from.” Being a perfectionist in nature, she’s constantly tempted to go online and tweak the site or answer that unopened email. So, in an effort to balance her work life and her family life (she has two kids)—as well as fit in time for volunteering—she has put strict boundaries in place. “Make sure you have definite ‘work time’ and ‘family time,’ ” she says. “Don’t let other things take up your time that you’ve carved out to complete specific tasks.”
To stay focused, she keeps her laptop in the home office and away from the home’s living area: “Our families need our undivided attention when we’re with them and not always distracted,” she says. Conversely, Bullard prevents her children from playing in her workspace. “I have stressed to my children that this is Mommy’s office and not a playroom or Staples store,” she says. “And they understand that.”
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Have you discussed and agreed upon these priorities with your spouse and other people who are significant in your life?
First, you have to set goals for the different parts of your life: “If you don’t know where it is that you want to go, you can’t figure out a path to get there,” Roth says. Especially when you’re starting out, it may be helpful to take the “baby step” approach of setting small, reachable goals for your business to help build momentum and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Do you have the discipline to follow through with action steps you set to achieve your goals?
Then, deliberately devote the requisite time and resources to reach goals in each area. “Try following a set schedule that is divided into time slots for each area of your life,” Toren says. Tell your family and friends that you will be working in your home office every weekday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that you won’t be able to accommodate interruptions or personal phone calls or emails—and stick to the schedule religiously.
Sari Crevin, a former Microsoft manager and mother of two who founded the parenting products company BooginHead in 2007, allocates and maintains set hours with her family just as judiciously.
“Every day from 5 to 7:30 p.m. is strictly family time,” says the Bellevue, Wash., resident. “We eat together as a family and ban all electronics, including the phone, TV and computer. It is simply time to talk and play together as a family unit. Having that structure built in as a nonnegotiable helped create a balance that ordinarily and easily can get interrupted.”
Will you stick to your priorities and say no to distractions, or feel guilty and cave in?
Toren says, “The reality is that there will always be unexpected events in personal and business life that require attention now, regardless of what the schedule says. I’ve found that what’s most important is quality, not necessarily quantity. When you’re spending time with your family, be with your family 100 percent. Turn off the laptop and the smartphone, and focus on the here and now. An hour of that kind of family time will mean much more to them than three hours where you’re physically there but your mind is somewhere else.”
Do you have the resolve to adhere to boundaries separating business and personal life?
Devoting a set space to your work can also prevent distractions and help you get into “work mode” better. Just be sure to keep the boundaries delineated; you may want to keep friends and family members out of the office altogether so that the space’s function stays clear to you and everyone else.
Roth says that it takes constant vigilance, maintenance and self-scrutiny to ensure that your life—in all its varied parts—is on your desired trajectory. “You have to prioritize and reprioritize often,” she says. “When times are tough at work, at home or both, remind yourself of the reasons you are doing what you are doing. Set a positive intention to carry you through. If the rewards don’t greatly outweigh the risks at any point, then stop and readjust.’ ”
Helping Hands
The road to a healthy business may be long and hard, but nobody says you have to go it alone. In fact, most successful businesspeople argue that having a proper support system in place is essential.
Do you have a support system?
The first fans to recruit are your family. “If your family isn’t supportive, you are going to be in an emotional state and susceptible to making bad decisions,” Roth says.
They feel the ramifications of your business decisions directly and indirectly on a daily basis, so strive to communicate with them. Explain to them your motives, your plans and how you expect they’ll be affected; then, in turn, listen to their questions and concerns.
“Listening to their feedback and respecting them to at least the same level you would an important client or investor will earn a lot more support than simply expecting them to adjust,” Toren says. “And, because having a happy family life will contribute in a big way to your ability to focus on your business with a positive frame of mind, family support is definitely critical.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making It Work—Solicit Spousal Support
Name: Kara Buntin
Business: A Cake to Remember, a custom baking company run out of her Richmond, Va., home
Strategy: When the mother of two first started planning the business, her husband, Bob, “didn’t take it seriously,” she says. But, as she started earning profits and communicating with her husband about what was going on in order to engage him in the process, he understood her commitment and that she needed his help to succeed.
“I think that figures on paper speak louder than all the work that you put into something, and it’s just a matter of getting over that mental block to get someone to realize that you’re not playing around,” she says.
When Buntin is working, her husband takes care of the kids and treats the company as a top priority for them both. “He’s the one to ask me what I have scheduled for the weekend so that he can arrange his schedule around mine,” Buntin says. “He tells everyone about my business, and I know that he’s behind me.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you thoroughly communicated your plans and expectations, and how these will affect your family?
Will you listen to your family members and take their feedback as if they’re your most valued stakeholders?
Outside the home, building a professional support system can be equally beneficial. “We can’t do everything alone,” Roth says. “Plus, the more realistic information you have, the better.”
Toren agrees: “A lot of entrepreneurs are very independent, do-it-yourself people. This can pose a challenge if it means not asking for help or guidance.”
To illustrate his point, Toren refers to an anecdote from the world of sports: “When Michael Jordan was at the top of his game, few would dispute he was the greatest basketball player of his time—and maybe all time. When the team huddled to listen to the coach, was he standing off to the side, or was he in there listening, too? When they practiced and the coach was running the team through drills and providing feedback, do you think he paid attention? Absolutely. Everyone can benefit from guidance, especially from those who have already done what you want to do.”
One of the first resources to tap is your own network: Do you have friends, family, neighbors or colleagues who have relevant business experience—or do they know someone who does? “Ask your network about making introductions to people who have experience in similar industries, stage of company or who can answer specific questions you have,” Roth says, adding that local chambers of commerce, alumni associations and peer-coaching groups are options to consider as well.
Do you have friends, family, neighbors or colleagues with relevant business experience you can tap?
Do they have people they can introduce to you who have experience you can tap?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making It Work—Ask for Help
Name: Forrest Graves
Business: JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters, a gourmet coffee retailer in Helen, Ga.
Strategy: When he was laid off from Hewlett-Packard in 2008, this husband and father already had some ideas for his “Plan B,” as he and wife Debbie had long searched for the perfect cup of coffee and wanted to provide it via their own retailer.
But he needed guidance. “I found out pretty quick that many people wanted to give me free advice, but it was small-business owners who had the best advice.” Whenever he heard about a small-business success—through word-of-mouth, magazines or blogs—“I instantly wanted to know more about what and how they did things,” he says. “People who would take the time to teach or coach me were huge assets.”
Social media outlets such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have helped him meet likeminded people within his community and beyond, and he also recommends trade shows, symposiums and seminars to listen to selected keynote speakers. “I was looking for battle scars,” Graves says. “I wanted to hear from the folks who did it.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toren also points to social media as a powerful tool, which can help entrepreneurs connect with leaders in any field or location.
“If you’re polite but persistent, chances are you can get one of your industry’s icons to talk with you,” he says. “The biggest obstacle is often your own fear. Just remember that they are people, just like you, and most of them are more than willing to help out—because most of them got help from someone when they needed it.”
Yes, this was a little longer post/article than most, but I truly believe there's many insights within that we can all take and incorporate into our own business and personal lives.
...Feel free to leave a comment below, or suggest a topic that you'd personally like to see here on the blog and I'll do my best to post...
~b2
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
How To Succeed In "Your" Business
For today's topic I was going to post an interesting article I read on "How to start a business while maintaining your life" - This is a topic/question that many people have raised or asked me over the last few years.
However, after finding the article, reading it and making some serious connections to it, I came across a link that my Facebook friend, Bevan Hitch shared, that I thought might seem more appropriate to post first.
So, take a great listen to what Steve Jobs has to say...
Listen to it a few times. If you listen close enough, you'll not only understand what he means, but you'll truly be able to relate it to your business...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuNQgln6TL0&feature=share
Tomorrow's posting will get into a little nitty gritty on "How to"...
Enjoy...
~b2
However, after finding the article, reading it and making some serious connections to it, I came across a link that my Facebook friend, Bevan Hitch shared, that I thought might seem more appropriate to post first.
So, take a great listen to what Steve Jobs has to say...
Listen to it a few times. If you listen close enough, you'll not only understand what he means, but you'll truly be able to relate it to your business...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuNQgln6TL0&feature=share
Tomorrow's posting will get into a little nitty gritty on "How to"...
Enjoy...
~b2
Monday, October 3, 2011
Mastering The Bounce
For those of you that know "my story", you will probably understand how this article spoke to me.
Here's hoping you get something out of it...
Mastering The Bounce
“I’m going to give you a little advice… There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen and be the ball.”
That was actually a quote from Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, in the movie Caddyshack. (I’ve always wanted to use a Caddyshack quote in one of my letters!)
This month’s SUCCESS is what we call our COMEBACKS issue, which features those companies, entrepreneurs and leaders who have experienced a bit of a fall from grace. When down and out, they could have easily stayed there, given up hope, given up on their dreams and given up on themselves, but they didn’t. Instead of collapsing, they bounced. And they came back stronger, better and and more equipped to achieve greatness than ever before.
That is why I want you to “be the ball.” In this metaphor, however, I want you to be the tennis ball. You see, life will smack you around like a tennis ball in a match point between Nadal and Federer.
To win in the game of life you will need to “be the ball” and learn The Bounce.
To bounce: To fall rapidly, hit bottom suddenly with impact and rebound decisively.
According to that definition, there are four distinct phases of The Bounce:
1. The Fall: We all experience falls in our lives. They don’t have to be as traumatic or as devastating as a bankrupcy, divorce, heart attack or life-threatening illness to be considered a fall. Each day we experience minor setbacks and little falls—in discipline or poor choices—that require us to bounce back. But there is a difference between falling and failing. The Bounce converts a fall into victory, and the harder you fall, the higher you can bounce.
2. The Impact: Making impact, hitting bottom, bends you out of shape; your identity—who you thought you were—is morphed and tested. Either you allow the impact to explode you, or you absorb it and use it to spring. Do not lament this phase. While it might be painful in the moment, most often it is the smack of the impact that musters the focus, energy and fight needed to become something you would have never driven yourself to be otherwise. The pain of the impact is what creates the energetic force to launch you in the opposite and positive direction.
“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” —Walt Disney
3. Restoration: The moment when the ball starts to regain its shape… the moment when something inside you starts fighting back against the fall, against the impact. You realize your identity is not defined in the fall; it’s defined in your ability to rebound decisively and restore your identity and sense of purpose. You stop mourning where you once were and start focusing on where you are going.
4. Elevation: You rise again… and most often higher than you were before The Bounce. Most often it will be because of The Bounce that you are as high as you are today… and as you will reach in the future.
I encourage you to look at your own falls as an opportunity to bounce. Each time you slip and feel the wind of a fall, prepare yourself for impact and get ready to bounce—it might just be exactly what you need to take yourself to new heights.
Through it all… be the ball!
~b2
Here's hoping you get something out of it...
Mastering The Bounce
“I’m going to give you a little advice… There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen and be the ball.”
That was actually a quote from Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, in the movie Caddyshack. (I’ve always wanted to use a Caddyshack quote in one of my letters!)
This month’s SUCCESS is what we call our COMEBACKS issue, which features those companies, entrepreneurs and leaders who have experienced a bit of a fall from grace. When down and out, they could have easily stayed there, given up hope, given up on their dreams and given up on themselves, but they didn’t. Instead of collapsing, they bounced. And they came back stronger, better and and more equipped to achieve greatness than ever before.
That is why I want you to “be the ball.” In this metaphor, however, I want you to be the tennis ball. You see, life will smack you around like a tennis ball in a match point between Nadal and Federer.
To win in the game of life you will need to “be the ball” and learn The Bounce.
To bounce: To fall rapidly, hit bottom suddenly with impact and rebound decisively.
According to that definition, there are four distinct phases of The Bounce:
1. The Fall: We all experience falls in our lives. They don’t have to be as traumatic or as devastating as a bankrupcy, divorce, heart attack or life-threatening illness to be considered a fall. Each day we experience minor setbacks and little falls—in discipline or poor choices—that require us to bounce back. But there is a difference between falling and failing. The Bounce converts a fall into victory, and the harder you fall, the higher you can bounce.
2. The Impact: Making impact, hitting bottom, bends you out of shape; your identity—who you thought you were—is morphed and tested. Either you allow the impact to explode you, or you absorb it and use it to spring. Do not lament this phase. While it might be painful in the moment, most often it is the smack of the impact that musters the focus, energy and fight needed to become something you would have never driven yourself to be otherwise. The pain of the impact is what creates the energetic force to launch you in the opposite and positive direction.
“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” —Walt Disney
3. Restoration: The moment when the ball starts to regain its shape… the moment when something inside you starts fighting back against the fall, against the impact. You realize your identity is not defined in the fall; it’s defined in your ability to rebound decisively and restore your identity and sense of purpose. You stop mourning where you once were and start focusing on where you are going.
4. Elevation: You rise again… and most often higher than you were before The Bounce. Most often it will be because of The Bounce that you are as high as you are today… and as you will reach in the future.
I encourage you to look at your own falls as an opportunity to bounce. Each time you slip and feel the wind of a fall, prepare yourself for impact and get ready to bounce—it might just be exactly what you need to take yourself to new heights.
Through it all… be the ball!
~b2
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