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Isn't it great when you can get paid for doing something you love? I've heard people say they love their work so much, they would do it for nothing. But let's be realistic. You may love to ski, but unless you're amazingly talented - and daring - no one's going to pay you to do it. When you open your own business, you have to be realistic about what people are willing to pay for. And just because you love it, doesn't mean anyone else will. Even still, if you can tap into an idea for a sideline business - so you can still work around what you love - you'll have the makings of a great business plan.

Do what you do best... And then outsource for the jobs that you're not so hot at! You don't have to do it all when you're an entrepreneur; you just have to know your strengths and weaknesses. You will be amazed at how much more you can get done when you're not bogged down with every detail of your business. If you have trouble balancing a checkbook, let a CPA handle it for you. Believe it or not, working with numbers is someone else's dream job, and when you hand it off, that gives you even more time to shine. The quality of your work will only get better when you can concentrate on your passion and deliver the highest quality to your customers.

I know how it is when you start your own business. You think you have to do everything yourself because you can't afford to pay anyone. I'm going to tell you something I have learned along the way: it's actually less expensive to hire experts (i.e. web design, ad copy, accounting) then to try to do it yourself. You end up spending way more time than you should on a project it would take an expert a fraction of that time to do, and they'll do it better. Be smart: know what you can do and what you're good at, and know when it's best to pay someone else to do it.

When you finally start hiring employees, make sure they understand your philosophy. Not just how you want things done, but why. When they understand and buy into your values, they will "get it", and your customers will have continuity in their experience with your company.

When you're passionate about what you do, it attracts other people like a magnet. They may not need you right away, but when they do, you will be the one they go to. And they'll talk about you to their friends, so they know who to go to also. Work can feel like play when you're doing what you love!

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When you’re clear in your vision, you then have to be able to communicate it effectively enough to let your tribe and yourvcommunity know that you’re there for them. In order to do that, youvhave to speak their language. This means speaking their language in terms of letting them know you understand the pain they’re in or that you know the challenges they’re facing. They need to know that you can offer a solution to their problems because you understand what those problems are. You connect with them; you don’t just offer a solution. If you offer a solution without addressing the problem, you will potentially miss your tribe because you will miss the opportunity to connect with them on their particular level.

This is an excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller, Sole to Soul: How To Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It. Get your copy today.

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 Most students of business are taught about the life cycle of a business. An idea is born in the mind of the entrepreneur; it germinates sufficiently to have a shape and form. Eventually it is given birth in some form - conventionally referred to as a start up. It grows strongly like any infant life form; it then matures and peaks in terms of energy, growth rates and dynamism. It can then whither and lose its way if renewed energy is not injected into the life form.

 

Each of these stages represents a critical stage in the development of a business. Newbies to business don't necessarily know from an experiential or mental perspective exactly what each stage will bring. What mindset? What resources are required to get through this stage of the business? Yet without a clear line of sight to ALL of the stages, an entrepreneur will surely meet challenges that can make the even the most resilient entrepreneur flinch.

 

Each stage requires mental preparation and each stage has its own special needs. Consider the start-up stage. Here there are so many options, so many conflicting choices that nothing short of the most flexible of mental preparation is called for. Prior to 'setting up shop' an entrepreneur needs to have demonstrated - at least to himself - a fully articulated proof of concept for the business idea. It requires some extremely agile mental preparation. You simply cannot know how all the factors impinging on a business will pan out. In its early life, business is all about discovering what works and what doesn't work.

 

Is there a market for this concept? Who and where are the customers? What does it take to get to market? The mental preparation involves both self-examination and a mental screening of external resources. The internal examination requires a brutal honesty about capability. It is better to come from the position of "what resources do I need to get this to where I need to get to next? No one can do it all alone - at least not to the extent of building something significant.

 

Some people need to control every aspect. That's' fine - for a while at least. But the mental preparation for the early part of a business's life and certainly the part that requires any significant 'sizing' needs other people. Employees, partners, allies, suppliers are all stakeholders in the business to some degree. These are all crucial links in the chain and there needs to be a mental preparedness to be able to meet the challenges of dwelling at multiple levels with multiple people. Creating and sustaining a successful business is not for the weak minded.

 

 

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Continual investment in your business is key to your continued growth. Would you let your children stop school after only completing elementary school?  Of course not! You would see them through college, pushing them to greater heights.  Likewise, you cannot stop investing in your business when you think it’s taken off. You need to push relentlessly if you want to see your business grow.

Imagine you were a consumer who was in dire need of retail therapy. A plethora of retail boutiques await you; some of them are high end stores that house all your branded, well-known products while some are small businesses owned by relatively unknown people. Which of these stores will you enter first, considering that you’re not playing sides and favoring your fellow entrepreneurs?

The former is likely to be a chain of brightly lit, clean stores that are consummated with carefully adorned mannequins and exquisite visual merchandising. The retail giants have the ability to pour resources into setting up a lavish store front, attracting patrons into the shop. Small business owners,
however, did not have the benefit of funds, so they have to make do with a smaller store with dimly lit atmosphere.

Let’s consider the thriving cyber business. If you want to get more traffic to your website, you will need a website that has a flash introduction, colorful and vivid graphic designs, and riveting reviews in order to attract more users.  Your website must also be able to load in a few seconds.  A website that has the unfortunate red X in place of a picture is unappealing.  You will lose visitors if your flash introduction loops and doesn’t seem to fully load. Your website is also a goner if your visitors can see the borders of tables.

1. Aesthetics.  Once your business takes shape and profits start rolling in, spend some money on aesthetics. Human beings are superficial; we like pretty things. Aesthetics help to gain customers’ attention. First impressions lure in more customers to your store or website. Beyond the simplicities, you need to take a step back and review your business.  Understand that investments are always long-term; it’s for the greater good. When you invest in something, you don’t always see results immediately.  However, you will reap huge benefits of a well-placed investment in time to come.

2. Upgrades.  Pour your money into business upgrades. This could mean getting a new machine or perhaps a bigger store. Many business owners make the mistake of not getting business upgrades because they cannot bear to part with their hard-earned money. The thought of putting their money into an upgrade that doesn’t give them the assurance of raking in profits deters them from making that decision.

3. Customer satisfaction.  Who else but your customers? Your business lives to serve your customers, so what they say counts. If many of your customers demand a value-added service or a product feature that your business has yet to provide, you might want to look into that option. Never ignore the pleas of your customers because that’s where the money lies. How do you gather this input from your customers? Speak to them directly and ask questions. Leave survey forms or comment cards at the reception desk. Direct their attention to these research forms as they wait for the transaction to get through. It’s important to know what your customers like about your business, and what they would like to see introduced in the long run.

4. Invest in your employees.  Your employees can also provide you with valuable feedback on how to improve your business. Do not for one second think that their feedback is unimportant or invalid, just because they don’t help pay your rent.  They are the experts in the industry, so they can tell you what’s in and what’s hot in the industry right now. Ask for their recommendations if you need a new gadget for your business. They are also the middlemen between you and your customers on the days you choose to cavort in a foreign country.  They work directly with the customers, so whatever information they have is vital. You will be at the losing end if they choose to withhold the information instead of being forthcoming with what they know.  At the risk of objectifying them, employees are also the best form of investment. Invest in your employees, and by that I don’t mean for you to slide monetary allowances into their pockets (although I’m sure they wouldn’t mind). Train your employees well. Provide them with the opportunities to upgrade their skills. You can do the training yourself and groom them into your protégés, or you can get them to attend courses or workshops.

Many of you might deem this unnecessary and again, “a waste of money,” but remember, investment is long-term. It ensures your business ongoing success. Spending your profits on business development  will allow you to deal with your customers more effectively. And this means more sales, and more profits!

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When you understand your soul purpose and are willing to step into your abundance, it becomes business-like in that there are things you have to understand in order to make the biggest impact and the biggest ripple while you’re here. This might mean writing and publishing articles about it or talking about it and presenting it in front of groups. It means fi nding ways to network and align yourself with like-minded people and organizations who can help you get the word out that you are ready to serve. Once you identify the right activities to help you, you have to then create an action plan and execute it.


This is an excerpt from my new book, Sole to Soul: How To Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It, which is available mow!  To download a free chapter and order, please click here.

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(An excerpt from Sole To Soul: How to Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It. Publish date April 2011.)  There’s an unquestionable connection between your environment and your source of inspiration. When you find the right environment for you, you feed your soul and knowing what feeds your soul is a big part of self acceptance. Finding an environment that inspires you will help you to find your purpose.

Identifying the environmental elements that are most inspirational for you makes it possible to bring those elements into your everyday world. For example, if you live in a land-locked area but you discover you feel naturally drawn to water, consider installing a small indoor waterfall in your home or playing music recordings that bring the sounds of water and nature into your home.

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(An excerpt from Sole To Soul: How to Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It. Publish date April 2011.)  The term sole purpose is one I use in the business world. When a company becomes totally focussed on how they can be of the utmost service, they become focussed on fulfilling their sole purpose. A company’s sole purpose can also be its soul purpose. Providing the utmost service as a company means providing the utmost service to each individual who buys the product or uses the service provided by the company.

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(An excerpt from Sole To Soul: How to Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It. Publish date April 2011.) I believe that your soul purpose creates ripples even after you are gone and departed physically from this earth. If I live my soul purpose, then the people I come into contact with will allow a piece of me to live on inside of them. The great people in my life who have passed away are not totally dead to me, they have touched me in a way that remains alive and precious. It’s my belief that the soul transcends.

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When I returned from my run this morning, I was inspired.  I was walking towards the the hall with the elevators to go up to my hotel room and a lady stepped out of the elevator with her child.  The hall has 4 elevators; however, I figured ok, I will get in the elevator that she stepped out of.  It was an obvious choice and then the elevator started to close.  I was not really worried because I figured if I just press the button that elevator door will open right back up.  It didn’t; however, the elevator behind me opened up and I turned around and got in the elevator.    Really simple, however, life is just like the hall with the multiple elevators.  You know that you are going up; however, the doors that seem most obvious to you might not be your door to elevation.  There is never anything to worry about because your door does exist and oftentimes it is right behind you.  You just have to be open to the possibilities and do not lock yourself in based on what is directly in front of you.  Someone else’s path might not be your path, there might be a door that opens up for you that looks nothing like what you imagined.  It looks better....

To Your Inspired Success, Melissa Evans

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(An excerpt from Sole To Soul: How to Identify Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It. Publish date April 2011.) Finding your own source of inspiration makes you unstoppable. Your gift may seem ‘extreme’ to others and it may make you stand out from the crowd in a way that makes other people feel uncomfortable around you but if you are inspired from within, outside opinions have no influence. Self acceptance is a level of bravery and when you find inspiration, you find your purpose and nothing will stand in your way.

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