When the entrepreneur is ready . . .

The client will come. Yes, that may sound strange, but I must stay it is so true. I have been in a holding pattern for business for about two years. Before that I was busy, running my business, juggling lots of clients and building a plan to automate my business. Then the fateful day came when we realized we were being called to homeschool our boys. This was not a bad thing, just a big change and one that truly changed how our business was going to move forward.

Due to the major change for me, I literally stopped my business. It was like a gear grinding to a complete stop, or someone slamming on their brakes. I knew I had to put all my eggs in the one basket and then watch that basket. Fast forward two years and now we are in a groove with homeschool, we have a better handle on how long everything takes and honestly I am relaxing more as a mom and an entrepreneur. Thus I find myself ready, I have a window for clients and energy to service them. Low and behold the emails are coming in, and I am making appointments to meet with clients.

So what changed? Well, I did. Once I found my groove in homeschooling I realized I had a few more grooves left or bandwidth for a little bit more. Then without even realizing it I put the intention out there that I was open to work with someone and then and only then did the opportunity arise. At present that has allowed me to secure two clients which is such a blessing. Both fit my profile and understand my world. I am eternally grateful for my presence of mind, my mindfulness to my life so that I could make good decisions when the time was right.

Are you ready and don't know it? Are you being intentional about your life and business? Are you creating room for your success? If you think that may not be the case, take some time to think about how you can be ready for the next opportunity. Think about how you can be intentional about creating that success and present to grab it when it arrives.

Facing My Giants

Whenever I am having a day that feels less than perfect, I think about what can I do to turn it around. Today I felt emotional about all the tornadoes in the country, even here in our neck of the woods. I also received some bad news about my family members. Life is hard. I did not want to let those feelings overtake me. What did I do to help me stay focused?

• I took a shower, that always helps me to feel better. It is like starting my day over.
• Reached out to my community, I visited with my entrepreneurial sister and we talked some shop and enjoyed each others company.
• Got busy, I am here now updating my blog (I have been known to not do this on as regular of a schedule as I like).

The result was I am in a better frame of mind and able to now start planning again for making phone calls, setting appointments and doing some business. In stead of being derailed I became focused. So glad I can do that, and I remind myself all the time this has been a learned behavior. If I can do this you can too. Do not let the road blocks in life derail your business or dreams.

Success - It's Personal

It is easy to get caught up in the holidays and also all the noise about the economy. Yet, I believe we need to look at our lives not with the world's eyes but by our own measure of success.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Herman Cain

This year has been a challenging year to say the least. Many changes have occurred in my life that could have easily thrown me off course. What kept me from derailing? The truth that I love what I do. I live, eat and breath my work and love sharing with my clients. I like to say I am an entrepreneur at a cellular level. Pardon the baseball metaphor, but even when I am thrown a curve ball, I feel like I can hit a home run because I am in the game.

If you are not feeling that way, maybe you need to find a different game. I hope you feel like you can hit home runs no matter what is thrown at you. If not, look for another game.

212 Degrees - The Extra Degree

What is the difference between 211° and 212°? Yes, just one degree. It is also the difference between hot water and boiling water. Once water boils it gives off steam which then gives off power which can move a locomotive. One degree turns water into power. This is true about people and effort. How many people are out there just coasting along around the boiling point but not actually boiling? What if you put in just a little extra effort, what difference would that make in your business? It could be one extra cold call? It could be one extra follow-up call? It could be a card or letter sent to a former client. Could that little effort yield big results? You won't know until you try. I say make the effort and find out. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Thank you Sam Parker for your words of wisdom in the priceless book.

Focus On What You Want

I know this seems obvious, but we often tend to dwell on what we don't want. What does
that have to do with business? How often do I hear people talking about those clients from @#$%. We talk about all the things we don't like about them and how they drive us crazy. What we don't realize is that when we do that we actually encourage more of those types of clients to wander into our lives.

Instead, focus on the characteristics you are looking for in a client. For example: "I want clients that are motivated, ready to take action and appreciate what I do." That sounds so much better then: "I don't want clients who are demanding, unappreciative and unmotivated." Focus on what you want and get more of what you want. Also, if there is something you want in a client, it might help if you are that way in your transactions. Remember like begets like. It's the law of nature.