THE 5 Ps to Business Riches!

We see it all the time, don’t we? The ‘small business done good’ syndrome!

You know, the young guy or gal who’s had their business bought for millions by a major player, and they’re set for life. Instant millionaires!

Or the business owners who are in the Rich Lists that appear all over the world.

Or our business colleagues who seem like they’re doing really well as they have the house(s), cars, lifestyle, money, etc etc.

Business riches! What are they? They’re different for each of us. It might be large amounts of money in the bank. Or growing our business – perhaps we become CEO or chairman. It might be lifestyle – pulling back and having the choice, the freedom to do what we want, when we want.

What does ‘business riches’ mean for you?

Here’s what I know, having been a business owner since my early 20s and a consultant, coach, mentor to many business people. Business riches don’t happen overnight.

In this ‘me, me, me’ and ‘now, now, now’ world in which we live, in my experience that’s what so many business owners and entrepreneurs are seeking. The quick buck. The easy ride. The big success. Now!

Well, as many of us know, it doesn’t very often happen like that. The overnight success stories are generally years in the making. Or the zillion dollar buyouts by Facebook, Google and other big players are one in a million outcomes – at best!

THE 5 Ps to Business Riches is what it takes to achieve success

1) Passion

We’ll only achieve the business riches we want if we’re passionate about what we do in business, every day. If we’re longing for the weekend each week, that won’t cut it. We’ll never achieve success.

We need to live and breathe what we do. People around us need to feel, hear and smell our passion for what we do and how we’re making a difference in the niche we operate in. If they can’t, as potential customers – they’ll go elsewhere. As potential staff – they’ll look for jobs elsewhere too. As potential JV partners – they’ll head for the hills.
Passion is critical to success. It’s passion that gets us through the tough times. The lean times! The ugly, challenging times!

2) Positioning

What market niche are we serving? We can’t be everything to everybody. If we try, we’ll be nothing to everybody.

When we’re clear on what our niche is, then positioning is also about our business model. What are we doing and how are we doing it? Where’s the money? Is it a hobby or a business? How do we take our potential customer and turn them into paying customers who love us and want to stay with us for a long time?

3) Personalisation

People want to buy from people they can relate to. People who let their personality shine through! Not ‘snake-oil sellers’ – we’ve all had a few of those in our lives (I certainly have). We want to do business with people who are authentic (sorry, that word is really overused at present – I don’t like it either! :)) We want to work with and buy from people who are honest, full of integrity… and good at what they do… the experts.

Standing out in your niche as the expert, the authority in your market, is also key to business riches. Why blend in? Why be bland? Those who are extraordinarily successful stand out… they get noticed.

4) Performance

‘Nothing comes from doing nothing’ says our friend, William Shakespeare. Of course he’s right. Yet so many people want success without putting in the hard yakka (that’s an antipodean phrase word for hard work).

Consistent hard work… over and over again… through good times and bad, often with a lot of sacrifice along the way. That’s what it takes to achieve business riches.

The key is to do the work. Consistently and constantly!

5) Persistence

Let’s not forget the final ‘P’. Persistence. Don’t give in. Don’t give up.

If you’re passionate about what you do and there is a monetise-able business model attached to it, then keep on grafting. Keep up with the work and it will pay off.

Success will take time though.

Persistence is where the money is. Going the extra mile over and over again is where the business riches are.

… and then the cup runneth over…

I know in my own journeys over +25 years of business ownership that it’s always darkest before dawn. That when we feel we can’t go on… something carries us on (it’s generally passion, belief and bloody mindedness).

And then something clicks. Something works. Something happens… and the cup does runneth over… and that is the most wonderful moment!

Yet, in looking back, it’s always the journey and the learnings along the way that I’ve remembered most fondly. Why? Because I’ve always taken those experiences – good and bad – into my next ventures in business and life… in the never ending cycle of lifetime learning, which is so central to who I am in.

So treasure the journey, focus on your 5Ps, and business riches will come your way… eventually.

Question: Which of the 5 Ps are you most focused on at present? I’d love to know your thoughts. I’d be thrilled if you left a comment below.

Would some guidance from me be helpful to you? If so, please arrange a free 30 mins Skype strategy meeting with me. Here’s my calendar to make an appointment. I’d love to support you in some way to gain ‘seductive clarity’ in any aspect of your business or life.

9 tips for surviving the ‘noise’ in business

Today, we’re bombarded with so much ‘noise’ in business, right?

Everywhere we turn – LinkedIn, Facebook (especially sponsored adverts), Twitter, online blogs, emails from people we subscribe to, websites – an ‘expert’ has something to teach us to make us more successful in business.

How to become an overnight success!

How to make millions online!

Grow your list to 20,000 in a week or two!….. and so it goes on.

Now I promise I’m not a cynic, but there’s one thing I know. No-one in business is an overnight success. That’s called winning the lottery!

Business is a journey. Success takes time.

Rather than being confused or seduced by all the ‘noise’ that hits us in the face each day, here are 9 basic business principles that I swear by and that my coaching clients refer to at all times. Follow these and you’ll achieve the success that you desire….. in time.

1. Clarity of purpose and vision

What do you want to achieve and why? Don’t buy into someone else’s dream of what success looks like. Define what you want in business (and life).

Think about how you are going to achieve that in your business. Why are you in business? What are you passionate about in business? How will you demonstrate that to your clients, constantly? If you’re passionate about what you do, your clients will feel your passion and they will want to buy from you. Get enough people buying from you and you’ll achieve your vision.

2. Get your strategy nailed

Once you know what you want to achieve in business and why, next is developing the strategies to get there.

A strategy is your road map to get to your destination, and in my book it covers the areas of branding (personal and business), marketing, sales, finance, operations/customer delivery/systems, and people/team.

Be clear about your strategy in each area. Strategising for 1-2 years max is more than enough as the pace of change in business is too great for us to see beyond that.

3. Planning and measuring

Now the fun starts. You’ve got your key strategies in place. Planning is critical. Keep it simple. What do you need to do to achieve your business strategy? How will you know when you’ve achieved the plan? What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)?

Break your plans into (say) quarters of the year, so you know what you need to be doing in your business each quarter….in each area of strategy.

4. What are your key actions?

Now it’s time to get on with the work. What are your key actions this month, this week, today? What can you delegate? What KPIs can be put in place to measure how effective you’re being?

5. Understand your numbers

The financials and KPIs can be the nemesis of business owners. Often they’re afraid of them. Manage your business through your numbers – monthly and not just for tax purposes.

Get your monthly accounts prepared. Ask your accountant (or at the very least a book keeper) to explain what the numbers mean. Think about the numbers and use them to make better decisions in your business.

6. Get a mentor/coach – be a learner

Elite athletes have coaches. The highest performing people in life often have coaches. In New Zealand I coached and mentored top business executives… as at that level, it can be lonely.

Coaches/mentors are not equal. Do your due diligence. Make sure you find a coach who has run businesses. Find someone who is keeping up with how business is done in 2016, the latest business trends… and much more. They can guide you through the ‘noise’ of business and whether something’s relevant for your business to consider or whether your current plans/actions are equally as good.

Be a listener and learner. You will learn a lot from a business coach, if you’re willing.

7. Trust in others

Don’t go it alone. Be collaborative. Be a giver. Help others on their journey and they will help you. Build a team around you – other people who are in business – people who want to achieve great things in their businesses too. Perhaps form a mastermind group together and support each other.

Trust in others and delegate as much as possible so you can mostly focus on what you’re good at. When you’re very small, you’ll have to be a ‘jack of many trades’ but as soon as you can, get help. Outsource. Hire a part-time assistant. Do what you can to delegate.

8. Believe in yourself

Believe that you can and will achieve all the success you want in business and life. Yes, the road will be challenging. It’s never a straight line to success. The twists and turns, the challenges, the ups and downs will be many, and at times, very hard.

Yes, you will have to make changes in the way in which you do things. Business lessons will teach you that. That’s another given… you will make mistakes and plenty of them. Your coach/mentor will guide you through them.

9. Focus and work

Work smart. At times, work really, really hard – your business will require that of you – going beyond what is reasonable. Be prepared to make some sacrifices. Remember, everything comes at a cost.

Don’t give in. Don’t give up. Regret is a very sad place.
QUESTION: Which of the 9 tips most resonate with you? Which one will you think about and act on when the ‘noise’ of business is distracting? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

Would some guidance from me be helpful to you? If so, please arrange a free 30 mins Skype strategy meeting with me. Here’s my calendar to make an appointment. I’d love to support you in some way to gain ‘seductive clarity’ in any aspect of your business or life.

9 top tips for staying sane when business/life is tough

Do you agree that the road is never straight as we work towards achieving our goals?

The bigger our vision, the mightier the challenge, the twists, turns, and frustrations as we navigate the journey to realise our dreams.

Some days or weeks it feels like two steps forward and five back, right?

Or worse, one step forward and 10 back. And you just want to scream (or cry… or run away).

My clients have big goals for their businesses, and I’m always on hand to guide and support them when the going gets tough.

Well, the coach/mentor (that’s me) has her own challenges and curve balls happening at present… so I’m practising what I coach. (Note to self: Stop. Breathe. Think. Smile. :))

Like many others, I’ve created an enormous vision for my business of supporting people around the world to achieve extraordinary success in business and life – as they define it.

Yet, right now, it feels like I’m constantly being slapped in the face. Not much is going to plan at the moment.

Does any of this sound familiar?

It’s uncomfortable, frustrating and energy zapping… each day. But I’m feeling determined, so here’s what I’m doing to get through it all.

9 top tips for staying sane when business/life is tough
I hope you find them helpful for when life throws curve balls at you.

1) Stop. Breathe. Think

This is ‘code’ for reconnecting with our vision and passion. What am I going to achieve and WHY?! Why do I want to achieve this big vision? Is it important enough for me to push on?

For me the answer is yes. (Smile)

2) Do one thing

What’s the one key thing that will make a difference now? Work it out and focus on it. Do it!

If you have a team, what can you delegate for others to focus on?

3) Get support

There will be others who can guide and support you. Ask them to help. Don’t go it alone. Don’t pretend to be the expert – surround yourself with great people who know more than you.

Confide in your closest allies – let them be there for you. They’ll be feeling your pain too, and let them know how they can support you. It might be as simple as a shoulder to cry on, a dinner out, a glass of wine, sharing the load at home….

4) Learn from the difficulties

If we’re willing, there’s growth and learning from every experience we endure. Ride it out, but look for lessons – new knowledge that you can use and perhaps share with others at a later time. It’s always there – if we look for it.

5) Tweak the strategy (if necessary)

In our excitement, often we give ourselves a lot of work to cut through. Sometimes it can become overwhelming, then we procrastinate, live in fear, or do it badly.

Rethink your strategy. Can certain deliverables be moved to another time? Can anything be simplified or removed yet still achieve the goal and the vision?

6) Be kind to yourself

We can be demanding of ourselves – I know I am. So be kind – give yourself a break – cut yourself some slack. Give yourself some credit for how far you’ve come. Believe that you will achieve the goals and the vision – as it means so much to you.

7) Nurture yourself

Stress can make us miserable and sick. What’s the point of that? Look after the fundamentals in life – your wellbeing and vitality. For me that means exercising, re-doubling my efforts to eat well (as I can dive for the sugar at these times), and sleep (as much as possible).

8) Don’t give up

Believe in yourself. Believe in your passion and purpose. Believe in your vision.

Know that the universe is throwing this hard stuff at you to test your mettle – it’s checking whether you’re really committed to your goals and vision. When you’ve achieved them, the warmth of success will be greater because of the difficult journey (you may doubt this right now, but it’s true).

9) Gratitude all the way

Be grateful for the small things in life. Be grateful for the big things in life. Be grateful for the most important people in your life. (Smile)

Be grateful for the challenges (even when they suck). You’ll be the wiser for them and you will become a teacher because of them. You’ll be able to pass your wisdom to others, as a servant leader. Do you like the sound of that? I certainly do.

Stop. Breathe. Think. Smile. It will get better. I believe that to be true!

QUESTION: What do you do to look after yourself when life and/or business isn’t going to plan? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.

Kindness is good for business….. and life

Does kindness make a difference? In business? In life?

Absolutely!

Going the extra mile.

Giving a helping hand.

Willingly sharing our knowledge.

Sharing our resources.

Responding to others.

Being a good friend.

Smiling.

Saying thank you.

Making a big or small difference in the lives of others.

Kindness determines how we’re remembered by others

In this fast paced digitised world we live in, a little kindness goes a long way.

It’s about slowing down for a moment and thinking of others.

How can I help someone today?

Who will I acknowledge and praise today?

Who will I share my knowledge with today?

Where can I add some extra value today?

Who can I connect with and say hello to today?

Kindness is politeness.

Kindness is courtesy.

Kindness is generosity.

Kindness is gratitude.

Kindness is humanity.

The greatest benefit of acts of kindness is…..

…how we feel about ourselves when we’re kind.

Kindness helps us to feel alive, to feel more passionate, invincible, and extraordinary even.

We see the beauty in life through acts of kindness.

Kindness is also about looking after ourselves

It’s about celebrating ourselves – and all our highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses, achievements and failures, joys and sorrows.

Kindness is about acknowledging others

It’s is not about having the last word. It’s about staying silent. It’s about a hug. It’s about ‘I love you, always!’

Kindness equals….

Friends

Family

Customers

Advocates

Referrals

Partners

Smiles

Laughter

Happiness

Harmony

Peace

Personally, I think I’m a kind and generous person in business and in life, but I’m upping my kindness game. Kindness all the way..… as they say, ‘kill them with kindness’. I can’t wait. 🙂

QUESTION: Is kindness underrated or overrated? I’d sooo love to know your thoughts. I’d be delighted if you left a comment below. Let’s get the ‘kindness’ conversation going.