If you’ve heard your  Virtual Assistant (VA) saying that she is changing her business model and going away from the hourly rate, you may be surprised and hit with some shock.You feel the hourly rate worked, at least more or less, and you knew exactly what you could afford monthly or weekly and now you feel the jitters of uncertainty. Will you be able to afford to pay for those packages and get the same amount of work done as before?

If you wonder why many VAs are changing to service packages, here are some reasons:

• Because VAs often experience their clients rushing them with tasks to pay less, feeling they can’t achieve a good enough result in a short timeframe 
• Because VAs feel bad when a task takes longer than expected and they know that the business owner will scrutinize their time sheets in a way that doesn’t establish trust and understanding
• Because some VAs are amazingly fast workers, some are very slow and most VAs are in the middle, meaning that it’s really hard to estimate how long a task will take, espcially when you hire a multi VA firm with different people working on the team
• Because every VA has extraordinary skills in one or two areas and is a bit weaker in others, so the weaker ones may take a bit more time, but overall she is an amazing worker, very reliable and does her best to help building her clients’ businesses
• Because sometimes out of the ordinary circumstances happen and technology breaks down (such as teleseminars or video recording troubles) and things take much longer than expected, causing upset by the paying client, who needs to pay more on an hourly rate
• VAs are always keen to make their clients happy, there is not one VA that doesn’t want to satisfy the clients’ business needs so she feels bad when doing a task is time-oriented and not result-oriented
• Because VAs often have one or two cash strapped clients who constantly pressure them into working faster, so these VAs give hours for free to make the client happy and consequently get worn out and dissatisfied with their work conditions
• Because sometimes a VA has to rush a job because the client has set a strict budget and ends up with a less then great result
• Because an hourly rate can actually create disharmony and exhaustion in both VA and client
• Because a package can be easier to manage when the VA has more than one client, the tasks are usually set and entered into the project management software and due to the outlined steps that get ticked off, nothing gets forgotten, which makes the client very happy

These are just some of the reasons. The reasons come from both sides and make it hard to develop an harmonious and equal relationship.  VA coaches have observed and heard these concerns from many exhausted VAs who work an enormous amount of hours for little reward and get more and more dissatisfied. Some even drop out of the industry because they can’t cope with the struggle anymore and their skillsets are lost, which is a real loss as there are still not enough VAs out there to serve all clients who need what they have on offer. Remember, the online industry is also growing, so demand for skilled support staff is rising.

The solution?

VAs are starting to create packages, either standard packages or customized packages, instead of offering hourly rates. Most VAs will develop standard packages with all tasks outlined for a great result for the client, estimate the time and work out the price for the package.  At first glance this package may look more expensive than the hourly rate because a number of tasks are bundled together, but realistically the client gets so much more value from a set package.

The value of VA service packages for the client

• The client gets the assurance the task will be finished, regardless of how long it takes, and no half-done things stay in the “to do list”
• The client can see what is included in the package and knows the outcome
• There is no uncertainty what a project will cost client, so the client knows exactly how to calculate their own fees for their clients, products and services to make a profit (after all we have a business to earn money, aren’t we?)
• The client knows costs upfront and can actually set their own budget much easier with less surprises (eg. the client wants to hold a teleseminar to a VIP coaching package. Looking at the VA’s package price for preparing, moderating, recording and transcribing and setting a target, the business owner can confidently set a price for the VIP coaching package to earn a decent profit, so no out of pocket virtual events for you anymore!)
• The client knows that the result of the task will be excellent and not a rushed mess
• There is so much great transparency
• Client and VA meet in the middle and as equal business partners and the relationship can nurtured without looking at the hourly rate all the time, after all results for your business will be better with a VA that knows your business well, so keeping on the same team or support person for a long time is vital to your business success

When you look at these reasons you have to admit that calculating your own profit will become so much easier for you with packages. You know what services you require per month, how much the service packages will cost you, what you will achieve with the end result and calculate the fees you need to charge to your own clients.

If you need help with determining what services you ideally require or planning out your marketing calendar, your VA, online marketing coordinator or online business manager can sit down with you and create a plan and a calendar of marketing activities that are customized to your business.

Rebecca Stafford, Dr Bruce MacDonald and Dr Elizabeth Broadbent with Korean robot Charlie. Photo / Supplied

Jobs are a dying breed. That is to say fewer people are going to have a single employer in the future, says Craig Rispin, a business futurologist.

Instead workers will be like the freelance event co-ordinator, freelance journalist or change management contractor – contracted for specific tasks rather than given a 9-5 salaried job.

Rispin goes as far to say that all jobs will be freelance in the future. It’s probably a scary thought for people who need the security of one employer, one salary and the accompanying benefits such as holidays, sick pay, bereavement leave and so on.

“Jobs are disappearing and work is becoming transactional,” said Rispin.

“You offer your services for the period of time that a company needs them in return for set payment.”

The jobs that won’t be lost in the future are those that require critical or creative thinking.

“You can’t outsource writing a symphony, or innovations because you’re creating new ideas, which is something that only humans can do,” said Rispin.

Business futurologists such as Rispin work for large corporations. They analyse trends, anticipate significant changes and identify potential threats and opportunities for the business.

The future of work is concerning the Government as well. The Workforce 2020 study by the Department of Labour attempts to understand future labour market forces.

The report found that four of the factors that will shape the labour market in 2020 are:

* Demographic shifts * Globalisation * Pressure on natural resources * Technology

In Rispin’s future world, innovation will be the key to survival. Conversely, the big threat is jobs that can be automated or moved abroad.

It’s not pie in the sky. It has happened to many occupations over the years. Once upon a time people were employed in accounts departments to do little more than add up lines of figures by hand. Those jobs disappeared with the invention of adding machines and calculators.

The 2020 report tracks this trend. If the report is right, personal assistants are on the way out, physicists are in serious decline, and malt workers are extinct. On the other hand microbiologists are in demand.

Such changes affect workers. They are also of grave concern to those who have their whole working life still ahead. One of the big problems for young people, says Rispin, is that they get advice from their parents or career advisers who “trot off all the old stuff”.

The classic example of this is Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ father, who admonished him for dropping out of university to follow his passion in IT instead of getting a real job.

According to Career Services, parents can best help their children cope in the new world of work by helping them understand that their career is a lifelong journey, rather than a destination.

It is no longer enough to ask, “What should I do?” Instead, the questions should be:

* Where do I ultimately want to be in my life? * How should I do it? * How does this fit with my life values and goals? * What could be my next step? * How can I prepare for the next change as I do my current work?

Those people already in the workforce need to ask themselves how technology could change their job or do away with it, says Rispin.

In some cases it is blindingly obvious. It’s only a matter of time before ticket collectors on Auckland ferries are replaced by machines.

Even the humble rubbish collector is affected – with rubbish trucks able to lift and empty bins.

That’s just today’s technology, not the yet-to-be-invented technology. Accounts clerks who were replaced with calculators probably had no idea that a machine could be invented that did their job.

“You need to look at whether you add any value [to the organisation],” said Rispin. If you don’t, a machine can probably do the job.

He cites the example of visiting a pharmacy, asking for information about a product, and being read the information on the box. A touch screen informational computer or even a robot could be more helpful.

And that’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Rispin refers to a project at Selwyn Village, a retirement care facility in Auckland’s Pt Chevalier, where a robot called Charlie does menial tasks such as taking residents’ blood pressure, blood glucose and oxygen levels.

The robot also offers entertainment to keep residents alert. It has nine music video channels, a selection of quotes, a phone system, so residents can call family or friends, as well as Brain Fitness – a game to improve memory.

The Selwyn Foundation says it won’t reduce staff numbers. But care of the elderly is generally a bottom-line-driven industry and operators could be tempted to use robots instead of workers and cut jobs.

Robots such as Charlie cost just a few thousand dollars these days, not hundreds of thousands of dollars as they did in the past.

The march of technology also downgrades the value of certain jobs.

A pay clerk, for example, was a highly specialised role before computers came along to crunch numbers.

The role became commoditised in the 1970s and 1980s and the relative earnings of pay clerks fell.

Some of the remaining jobs have been moved overseas in the past decade.

Rispin believes many of today’s technical jobs will become tomorrow’s entry-level jobs, meaning young people will need to be better educated and have more critical thinking and creativity skills than their parents had.

Rispin cites the example of a taxi driver he met recently.

While he was waiting in the queue to pick up his fare, the driver had attended two university lectures online.

His plan was to become an SAP database manager after finishing his degree – a job which in the past required many years of experience.

Many such jobs are being outsourced to low-wage economies.

“We are offshoring the low-value jobs and we want the high-value jobs to stay,” Rispin said.

That’s why, when you phone 018, you’ll speak to someone in the Philippines, or your Vodafone customer services enquiry will be answered by an Egyptian.

Even some high-value jobs are being sent overseas.

Some architectural and engineering design and documentation work is being sent to India.

Technology puts those outsourced jobs at risk too.

If you order a Dell laptop from Dell.co.nz, your order needn’t be handled by a person at all.

Computing intelligence determines what parts are needed according to your preferences and the jobs are eliminated.

The good news is that as old jobs die or are replaced by technology, new jobs and whole industries will be invented.

If, for example, you first entered the world of work more than a decade ago, you wouldn’t have had the option of being a carbon emissions trader. Such a job didn’t exist. Nor were change managers, life coaches or3D animators seen as mainstream jobs.

“I met a guy in the airport who was involved in ‘bioinfographics’,” said Rispin.

“It’s graphic modelling of medical research and universities have just started courses in this and there is already a professional society.”

Nanotechnology is another new industry. Futurologists of the 1950s such as physicist Richard Feynman dreamed of building minute machines.

Then in 1986 the term nanotechnology was coined and funding of research got off the ground in the 1990s.

Another high-demand industry is biotechnology. It’s a huge growth area with enormous promise and a worldwide workforce which is expanding by the day.

FORWARD THINKING

* Many more people will freelance. * Perceptions of what a career is are changing. * People will have more careers in their working lives. * Complex jobs are becoming entry level.

Photo: http://catholicquarter.com/blog/2010/06/03/fighting-words/

Like a messy divorce, the breakdown of a business partnership can cause stress, anxiety, law suits and, often, the destruction of the business. But when you in the throes of giving birth to your business idea, many people don’t want to go it alone.

I have conversations with would-be business owners all the time who want to go into business with their best friends “because they think it will be fun”, or with their mate “because he’s great with numbers and I’m more creative”, or with family members “because I have no money and they can fund the start-up”.

In some cases, this works out. In many cases, it doesn’t. Or it’s fraught with angst, disagreements and problems.

If you are considering going into a business partnership, stop! Before you plunge headlong into a joint commitment from which it could be hard to extract yourself, think long and hard about why you want to do this.

“I need the funding”

If the only reason you are going into a business partnership is so you can access funds, consider whether you can find the money another way. While a cash injection from a business partner may seem quick and easy – especially if they are ready to hand over the money – it may not be the best idea in the long run.

Investigate if you can find the money another way, perhaps as a loan that you can repay with interest, instead of a cash payment for part of the company.

“I hate doing the books”

Going into business with someone just so you can avoid doing the accounts is not a good reason. Plus, handing over the financial reins of your business to your business partner is not the best good idea in the world. Even if you “hate doing the books”, you still need an understanding of your accounts, cash flow, debt levels, profit and so on.

It doesn’t mean you have to go into business with someone. Hire an accountant.

“It would be fun”

I often hear this from besties or acquaintances who usually have a great time together socially. They have a common interest and think that it will be the great basis for a business idea. Yes, it’s great to have a business that you are passionate about. But this “fun” can quickly dissipate when you realise that you both also have to shoulder hours of hard work, administration, planning, marketing, stock control…the list goes on.

The idea may be fun, but the execution often isn’t. Stick to having fun socially.

“My partner has connections”

Usually, this isn’t a good enough reason to go into partnership with someone. It may be true that this person is incredibly well connected. The first thing to consider is whether they are connected to the right people. That is, can those connections really lead to lucrative contracts for your business?

If the answer is “yes”, consider whether they would be open to a “finder’s fee” – or some sort of commission for every contract that has resulted from their connections. This could be a flat fee or a percentage of the contract.

That way, you don’t have to give away the farm by going into a partnership. But you can both still benefit from working together.

“I have a great idea but I don’t know how to market it”

Get a marketing or PR consultant. Again, this is not a good reason to go into business with someone. Sure, we all have our strengths and weaknesses and, in some business partnerships, one person looks after the marketing while the other looks after administration.

However, if you have a great business idea and you really have no idea how to market it, then I would suggest that you are not ready to go into business yet. This means that you have not thought through a business plan which should include a clear strategy on how to market, sell and distribute your product/service.

It can be worthwhile to engage a marketing consultant to help you determine this strategy.

Talk to a business coach

If you are considering going into partnership with someone, talk to a business coach. Most good business coaches will be able to throw questions at you to determine the real reasons why you want to go into partnership. And they will be able to help you understand what the other person is going to bring to the party.

Importantly, if you do decide to go down this path, talk to both a coach and a lawyer. Think of it as pre-marriage counselling. You want to plan your divorce at the start.

Then you will be clear about your roles and be able clarify what will happen if things go sour from the outset.

– Sydney Morning Herald, found in the NZ Herald

Heike’s opinion:

I understand the desire to work with a business partner as it can be lonely in business by yourself and the ideas in the article above are those that come up in most people’s minds, especially entrepreneurs who often are specialists in one area, such as coaching, writing books or advising on health, business or finances.

If we are a marketing expert, we often don’t like numbers, if we are a finance geek we often can’t create an inspirational marketing strategy. There are the creatives on one side and the numbers people on the other side and we often feel when we lack the other skills, a partner would be the answer.

A less risky solution: hiring support people

This is where outsourcing comes in. If you feel you need support in your online business do consider hiring a virtual assist (VA) as it is a very cost effective solution – especially if you can’t afford an employee yet.

The VA needs to have complimentary skills to yourself, eg. there are bookkeeping VAs and marketing VAs out there who are specialists in their field. Don’t let yourself fool by the term “assistant”, it’s an old fashioned term that nowadays is often replaced by “specialist” or “consultant”. The field of virtual assistant becomes more and more competitive and many highly educated people enter this new niche of virtual work to be able to work from home, work at their own hours or earn more than a typical employee in the same profession.

For entrepreneurs with a business that already has crossed over to 6 figures an online business manager (OBM) can be the ideal solution to help you brainstorming, assist with strategy planning and managing a team of virtual assistants who are specialised in finance, marketing, Social Media, websites etc. The OBM will keep you out of the operations and you have your hands free to come up with new ideas, programs, books, or coaching a larger clientele.

The above mentioned risks of jumping into a partnership are much more costly when things go wrong than hiring people who only charge you per hour of what they work and without the risks of getting on your case or fighting with you about who gets what and who does what, like a business partner may do.

Different people, different directions

Another risk with a partner is that sometimes people develop differently. One person grows, the other doesn’t. One partner likes to market the business, the other person may be shy and feel marketing too “out there” or don’t agree with the brand direction.

I’ve witnessed a situation like this and it’s hindering one person from progressing and earning more money. The other person digs their heels in and tries to hinder any progress by behaving like a donkey.  Those partnerships are heading into big problems that affect the bottomline of the business. If one is happy with a lower profit and the other is ambitious and wants to move ahead, then both get frustrated and fights can destroy the business. In the case I am thinking of another problem was the confusing messages to staff members. They were confused as to what marketing message to convey to clients and felt torn as to what tasks to do as both partners were pulling into another direction.

Photo: http://www.rpmgo.com

Another situation I remember is a former business my brother and his former business partner founded. My brother is a more frugal person who wants to earn money first and then spend it while his business partner was the opposite. The first tasks of the former study friend and new business partner was to buy a new BMW and a big leather chair for the office while my brother rather spent his time persuing new clients and finding new business. Needless to say that the partner was too busy impressing other people with his flash car, which didn’t help him find new leads. He spent all his time showing off and sitting in his big leather chair flirting with women and not enough time focusing on the business. For him the idea of “being a businessman” was more about image and not much about work.

Rest assured that the relationship became very messy and broke up with quite a loss for my brother. Strangely, the same happened to my father many years before my brother made the same mistake of going into a business partnership. The only difference was that my father’s former friend and business partner bought himself a Porsche and not a BMW.

If you are starting to reflect a bit more about the risks, why don’t you try to hire some outsite help first to see how you are going with hired help. You can still decide later if you want your friend, relative or partner with you in the business.

Are you a coach? Then this article by Client Attraction specialist, Fabienne Fredrickson, is a MUST-READ:

When talking about their business, most solo-preneurs make the mistake of describing exactly what they do, in boring detail. “My company has been in business for X number of years and we use the newest technology systems. We use a complicated series of… blah blah blah.” Many coaches and consultants talk about coaching ad nauseam, “What is coaching, are you coachable, what is your coachability index, who is the coach, blah blah blah”.

I know, because I did it too in the beginning and it didn’t work.

Hate to say this, but… SO WHAT! Nobody cares!When I hear someone talk to their prospects this way, it sends up a big red flag for me: these people don’t really KNOW what they DO for clients and they’re losing potential clients every time they open their mouths and every time someone reads their materials! The problem is that they’re clearly not connected enough to their client base to see what real benefits they bring their clients.

There’s a saying that goes “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” And until you can tell someone what’s in it for THEM to work with you, they won’t pay attention to you or what you’re saying.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve been doing this, but it’s something that you’ll want to work on quickly so you don’t let any more ideal prospects slip through your fingers. It just takes asking yourself what you really DO for clients, what results and benefits you get for them and then to articulate that so that a prospective client looking for that solution will want to work with YOU.

Let’s look at exactly what your ideal prospects are motivated by: The Motivators. Below is a list of the top 10 reasons, results or benefits that make people buy, according to Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel in the ebook entitled “Ebook Secrets Exposed” www.EbookSecretsExposed.com that I read a bazillion years ago:

Here, according to them, are the most powerful motivators:

1. Make money

2. Save money

3. Save time

4. Avoid effort

5. Get more comfort

6. Achieve greater cleanliness

7. Attain fuller health

8. Escape physical pain

9. Gain praise

10. Be popular

Now, not every one of these fits your business, and most likely, yours fall into the top 4 motivators, unless you’re in healthcare or image, then it usually falls within the last 6. Either way, it’s time for you to narrow yours down into motivators from the Top Ten list above.

What’s so powerful about using “motivators” in your marketing is that you position yourself as their ultimate SOLUTION, the one they would do anything and pay relatively anything to get. When you can show prospects how you can help them achieve one of them, they’ll immediately pay more attention to you.

They’ll want more. You’ll PULL them in. They’ll call YOU, as opposed to you chasing THEM. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch when that begins happening in your business.

Your Assignment:

Circle the motivators that fit your business from the list above and then list an example of how this has already happened using real client examples. Then, sprinkle this throughout all your marketing materials, your elevator speech, your website, your signature talk, etc. You’ll have people coming out of the woodwork wanting to work with you and your 1ncome will increase dramatically, in a very short time.

You may not be sure where to start with your elevator speech, signature talk, website, and everything else you need to do, and that’s OK. I was there once too. The step-by-step Client Attraction Home Study SystemTM will show you everything you need to know. Not only do you get clear on what clients you should be targeting, how to create the marketing message that will have them WANT to work with you and seek you out, but exactly WHAT to do with your marketing time and HOW. It’s everything you need to know to fill your practice quickly; no matter how long you’ve been in business. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. That’s why my customers have gotten such great results from it. You can get yours at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

Sheri McConnell is a successful entrepreneur I admire greatly. Here I share with you her latest article:

Create a Timeless and Focused Marketing Plan for Your Business
As you probably have heard by now—you aren’t in the business of (fill in the blank here). You are in the business of marketing. Your marketing must be automated and systemized. Period.

Ali’s newest blog post talks about our childhood hobbies, what we were good at as a kid and how that could actually help us today in our business life. I have to agree. I used to be the child that was sitting till late through the night writing stories and drawing pictures. I had a collection of about 200 horse postcards and used to sit down to plan out my equestrian center where people could learn to ride. I had maps and drawings of the whole equestrian complex with riding arena areas, wash bays, stables, guest accommodation units and paddocks. Every day I would add or change something about the big masterplan.

When I was about 10, I also sent a lot of inquiry letters to hotels and farms catering to horse riders to receive in return a brochure of their business. I would wait every day at the mail box to see if more brochures had arrived. It made my day when one arrived and I would sit there for hours analyzing the brochure, seeing what they offered that I didn’t (in my fictional equestrian center) and what ideas I could incorporate in my business planning process. I was totally absorbed in this.

I also wrote ‘books’ on horses and my mum used to hide them somewhere to safe keep, unfortunately often never finding them again as they were so well hidden. As my parents still live in the same house I guess that one day we may find them.  

Ali  says:

“When you reflect on your childhood hobbies, you probably feel a bit of nostalgia for those carefree days spent putting on plays, kicking around a soccer ball, or creating fridge-worthy artwork. But have you ever considered how those hobbies now impact your business success? Even if you’re no longer involved in those hobbies, the skills you learned on the softball field or the stage helped mold you into the professional you are today. And if you’re still figuring out what direction to take your business, your hobbies also offer insights into the types of activities that you’re truly passionate about. Read on to see what your hobby says about you.

1. Sports team.

Whether you were involved in swimming, soccer, softball, or some other sport, being part of a team taught you how to work with different personalities towards a common goal. You also learned how to challenge yourself and developed a healthy sense of competition, which translates nicely from the basketball court to the boardroom. Your ideal business model probably involves collaborating with others. If you’ve lost touch with this skill, go back in your mind to your old school days.

2. Arts and crafts.

If you were one of those artistic types who spent hours painting, sculpting, or drawing, then you probably still have a strong aesthetic sense. This can help you create an interesting and eye-catching visual identity for your business, whether through a website, display window, brochure, PowerPoint presentation, or other means. Because you had creative control over your art as a kid, you may be the type of businesswoman who prefers to work independently. And if you’re still figuring out where to take your business, consider creative fields like interior design, visual merchandising, or web design.

3. Debate team or drama club.

Debate teaches kids how to craft a compelling argument and deliver it with confidence, while drama lowers inhibitions and encourages teamwork and creativity. Women who were involved in debate team or drama club tend to be confident in front of a crowd, which can help them network and market themselves effectively. If that’s you, then consider adding speaking engagements or instructional videos to your business model, as these can generate revenue and create buzz.

4. Music group.

Practice makes perfect, and few people know this better than former choir, band, or orchestra members. Participating in a music group teaches teamwork and self-discipline. Several studies show that studying music increases cognitive function, particularly in math and spatial learning. Playing music has also been found to reduce stress and boost memory in adults, which offers plenty of incentive to pick it up again. It may be time to rediscover your love of music.

5. Collecting.

Most kids have some kind collection, whether it includes Barbie dolls, stickers, stamps, coins, or some other item. If you were a collector as a kid, then you probably developed a strong sense of organization, which benefits all types of businesses. If you’re still deciding on a business model, then you might consider something that allows you to buy or sell goods to help recapture the joy of collecting you felt as a kid.

Rediscovering the activities you enjoyed as a child can help you find joy in your adult life – and succeed in your business, too.”

Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500 CEO Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com Ali Brown’s blog

I met Kirk and Donny from The Missingthread.com at my recent ERS workshop with David Neagle and was greatly impressed by these two kind and knowledgeable people. So I thought, with Christmas so close, an article from Donny about taking care of yourself and being your own best friend is just the right story to read:

“If you have ever been in an Intensive with us, you may find this scene all too familiar:  you find yourself in the middle of a “story” that has been blocking you for years.  Maybe it is the one about how one of your siblings treated you, which now affects your ability to ask for money.  You want to know how to take the sting out of the story.  Kirk or I will tell you to first breathe and then to find compassion with yourself.  The first instruction is clear enough; you already know how to breathe.  However, the second, finding compassion with yourself is a bit more challenging. “That’s easy for them to say,” you may think, “but how do I do that?”

I recall an incident some years ago that impressed me so much that I began seeing a therapist on a regular basis.   I had just had a rocky break-up with a boyfriend after a yearlong relationship.  Mutual friends of ours, who knew what had happened, invited me to their home for a party.   After being there for a little while, my new ex showed up.  These mutual friends had invited him as well, but didn’t think it was necessary to tell me my ex was also invited.   Did I just get up and leave when he came through the door?  No, I felt I had to stay and “be strong.”  I felt I had to “take care of the hosts” and “be polite” by not leaving.  I thought I should try to “make nice” even though I still was very angry with my ex. 

During my first sessions with my therapist, as I went through this incident over and over again (along with similar incidences in my life where I did not take care of myself) the following occurred to me:  what if I were my own best friend and I was at the party with “myself.”  What would I do and say?  Without a doubt, I would have grabbed my best friend by the arm and conducted him out of the party tout de suite and would have accepted no excuses from him to have it any other way. I would not have even bothered to say goodbye to the hosts. I would have taken him out to a local diner and fed him a nice meal of comfort foods.  Afterwards, I would have taken him home and rubbed his feet and put him to bed with his favorite stuffed bunny! I would have checked in on him the next morning.” 
“Dr. Kirk Prine and Donny Lobree, Body Story Experts, are founders of The Missing Thread. They are healers and entrepreneurs who help other entrepreneurs tap into the wisdom of their bodies to achieve greater abundance.  “Mindset is not just in the mind, but in the Body as well.”  To learn more, visit http://www.themissingthread.com to get your complimentary subscription to the Body Stories ezine.”

There are two types of quitting:

1) Giving up

2) Walking away from something harmful or hurtful

I will be the first to tell you that business is messy and it can sting.  I mean really sting sometimes, especially if you are sensitive like I am.  Underneath this whip cracker exterior is someone who cares too much at times, so I often take things personally- someone leaves, someone doesn’t value your program or work and the really interesting part is… the more you serve the more that quit or complain.  Phew.  Breathe.  It can be overwhelming.  I am working on taking things less personal as it does not serve me or my clients, but it is a daily practice.

I get a bird’s eye view of – THE QUITTERS.  I know some would say we should talk about the winners, but I must say I probably learn more from the quitters.  The winners show up, suck up, cry, stomp, celebrate, and then rinse and repeat over and over.  Every successful entrepreneur I have EVER worked with, mentored with, or been a colleague to has had the exact same formula. 

The quitters are a bit more interesting.  They are very creative and it is interesting where and how “quitting” shows up.  Now remember the #1 reason businesses fail is people stop- yep-stop.  I am thinking of writing a book on the quitters cycle because I have been watching when it starts to creep up on people and kick in.  I think it would be useful for people to see a lineage of how it starts and how they might stop themselves, as well as see the difference between something needing to come to an end and just quitting.

It usually appears like this…

Second guessing ~ fear ~ blame ~ projecting ~ overwhelm ~ blame ~ action ~ (the quitting) ~ relief ~ second guessing ~ fear and over again

Fascinating, right?  I am using it as a paradigm for myself to catch me and where I am falling into the cycle – you can honestly use it for anything- the gym, your business, a relationship, etc.  So, I don’t want you to be a quitter…frankly, seeing people give up on their dreams daily can sometimes overwhelm me and blind me to the people actually living theirs, but I know you are out there.  I know you are striving and working and living your gifts.

Here are a few tips to stay in the game, even when you would rather throw in the towel:

1) Have a clear vision of exactly what you want – relationship, money, freedom, environment, and spiritual.  If you have a clear vision in writing and in your view, it is harder to let that vision go or the dream die.

2) Get real.  One of my mentors says… “It is simple, but it is not easy.”  Success is hard work.  No one ever won the Oscar, Gold Medal, Nobel Peace Prize, or Fortune 500 by half ass showing up.  And don’t fool yourself….are you thinking you are working hard or are you spending a lot of time around thinking about succeeding and processing your next step.

3) Get good advice.  The people around me won’t let me quit.  I have surrounded myself with a circle of influence. I have a tribe of tough and loving go-getters.  A friend and coach emailed me last week and said- “hold fast- we need your confidence.  Don’t stop.”  That made me cry as I was reminded people were depending on me.

4) Care.  I know you have gifts to share.  Your life experience has value and people are meant to be transformed by your connection and your talent.  Care enough to keep going.  Care enough to share and keep going.

If you do what you love and you love people while you do it there is no reason to quit.  Stopping is not an option.  See you at the finish line!

(c) 2009 Suzanne Evans

About the author:  Suzanne Evans is best known as the ‘action expert’ and has coached hundreds of solopreneurs to model her multiple six figure business. Learn how you can help more people, make more money and have more fun doing what you love by signing up for your free copy of the 5-Part Mini-Course ‘Awakening Your Authentic Entrepreneur’ at http://www.helpmorepeople.com

Thoughts Are Powerful Things

I’ve started learing about the Law of Attraction a few years ago and I must admit it takes time to grasp the whole concept. I’ve had already considerable success in some areas of my life with this principle and am currently a student of David Neagle’s Recession Rescue with Rapid Results, where David laser coaches two businesses every week.

I realize that so often it’s the mindset that gives us success. We do need to create the strategy, the online marketing and the good content, but the most important part is that your mind also believes into your mission and that you can achieve, truly achieve, what you want to achieve. Very often we say we do or we wish or hope for something, but this doesn’t quite cut it. It’s “believing” that we will achieve and adding this already to our lives.

The mind is a powerful tool and we can make use of this by being focused on what we want in our lives. There’s no room for doubt, though. I’ve recently purchased the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill at the airport and find it a good source, but it’s actually somehow a bit hard to read. Knowing of the importance of this book, I’m making my way through it, but with David’s help the book’s intentions and instructions are much clearer and easier to understand.

Here’s what David Neagle says about the power of thoughts:

“In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, “Truly, thoughts are things, and powerful things at that when they’re mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence and the burning desire for their translation into riches and other material objects.”

Definiteness of Purpose

Hill is not just talking about the desire for riches, although it might appear so. You have to look deeper. All the Laws of the Universe are summed up in those sentences. Let’s start with: thoughts are powerful things when combined with definiteness of purpose.

That means you are singular in your purpose. There’s no conflict between what you say you want and a subconscious purpose that is trying to manifest itself in a different way. You are unified; there’s no ambivalence.

How do you know if you’re a unified force? As I wrote last week, look at your results. If they’re disappointing, that’s a clue that something within you has a different agenda.

Persistence

The best illustration of persistence is an old story about a student who goes a master and says, “Teach me success. I want to know the wisdom of the master.”

The master says, “No, you don’t. Go away.” The student goes away. Later he returns and says, “No, I really want to know these insights.” The master, again, sends him away. When the student returns once more, the master takes him to the river and holds his head underwater.

The student gasps for air, fighting the master with all his might. When he finally breaks free, the master says, “When you want success, when you want true life as much as you wanted to live in that moment, then you are ready. Until then, don’t bother me.”

True purpose, like life itself, demands to be expressed through you. When you tap into that purpose, you feel the same kind of persistence that student did while trying to save his own life.

Burning Desire

About burning desire, Hill wrote, “I have learned from years of experience with people that when a person really desires a thing so deeply that he’s willing to stake his entire future on the single turn of a wheel in order to get it, he’s sure to win.”

If you think to yourself, “I don’t have anything that I would be willing to stake on the single turn of a wheel,” then you haven’t found your true desire. When you get to the core of that true desire, you are willing to stake and risk everything to make that manifest, because making that manifest is the purpose of your life. That’s why you’re here.

Your purpose is not to play it safe all the way to the grave while you save enough money for retirement, make sure the kids go to a great school, live in a nice neighborhood, take two vacations a year.

It’s not that you can’t have those things. You can have all of those things and more, but not by working for them. If you work for them, then that becomes the dominating purpose of your life.

Your true purpose also isn’t about what you’ve done. It’s about who you become, the awareness and enlightenment you bring to your soul in this lifetime.

The burning desire that lets you know you have tapped into your divine purpose is always for the greater good and further expansion and expression. It always causes you to grow and encourages others to grow as well.

Bringing this back to the quote: when you tap into your true purpose, when you’re a unified force that’s willing to do whatever it takes to manifest your desire, and when all of that fuels your thoughts, goals and intentions — there is nothing that you can’t achieve.”

David Neagle, Million Dollar Income Acceleration Coach, mentors entrepreneurs to quantum leap their current businesses past the 7-Figure income level in just 12 months. David invites you to download—as his GIFT to you—his legendary “Art of Success” 4-hour audio program. This audio series is a tremendously compelling and comprehensive program that demonstrates—once and for all—that Success has nothing to do with “getting” or “achieving”, and everything to do with WHO we must BE to manifest our hearts’ true desires. For an additional bonus, Text: success to the number: 85800

As you’re growing your business, your own personal level of confidence and passion comes into play on a number of levels. When you’re confident in your business and you’re working on a project you love, your clients can tell. In fact, they feed from your positive energy and learn to trust you as a resource. That’s why choosing the right path and taking the right steps along the way can tremendously improve your business – and your bottom line.

Here’s how.

Match your business to your personality. Passion is a broad, often abstract concept, but personality is a bit easier to define. Both are important considerations as you’re deciding on a business model. You might be passionate about writing, but if your personality craves social interaction, then sitting alone at your computer for hours probably won’t bring you happiness.

You might decide to join forces with other creative professionals and offer a full slate of marketing and creative services, or you could incorporate teaching and speaking into your business model. On the other hand, if you dread being in the spotlight, then an online business might be a perfect fit for your personality.

Build your skill set. Many career coaches will advise you to “follow your passion,” but you also need a strategy for monetizing it. If your beloved hobby isn’t profitable, then think about related interests or search for something else that ignites that feeling of passion. If you’re passionate about an area where you already have in-depth knowledge and a money-making idea, then you’re in great shape already! If not, then buckle down and start building your expertise.

Regardless of what your business does, many business-owners benefit from taking classes in negotiation and public speaking. You never know when you might have the chance to appear on camera or on a panel, and you’ll want to be ready!

Offer solutions. Meeting the needs of your customers is a huge confidence booster! When you satisfy someone else and solve their problems, you feel better about yourself, too. Think about what products, services, or other ideas will make your customer’s lives easier and better. What problems do they face? What frustrates them or prevents them from achieving their full potential? How you can alleviate those issues? This is a great way to capitalize on your passion and make money in the process.

Do it better than the competition. Knowing you are the best at what you do serves the needs of your clients and gives you a competitive edge. You don’t need to be the most innovative or famous if you know that your company can deliver its products or services better than any of its competitors. Friendly, prompt customer service goes a long way in edging out the competition, because so few companies make it a priority. 

Entrepreneurial confidence comes from many sources. Remember, you are “designing your business to create an extraordinary life,” so let no part of you suffer to succeed, and success will surely be yours!

Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500 CEO Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com