Today’s economic situation has many of us shaken and scared. Whether you are a CEO, a one woman band, or owner of a small business the ways in which we handle these changes are different for each of us.

How do I stay centered? My vision statement helps to alleviate those feelings of uncertainty and keep me focused on the reason why I’m in business in the first place.

I stare at my vision statement each and every day…it hangs above my desk and it represents how I see myself and my success. It’s on my vision board and it gives me the inspiration, direction, and purpose to do what I do everyday.

Do you know what your vision is? Do you know where you are going and how you are going to get there? A vision board is a great way to capture the feelings, goals and purpose you have for yourself and your business. Include clippings, colors, words, pictures, glitter — anything that helps to capture the vision you have of yourself and your phenomenal business.

Don’t have a vision board or a vision statement? Make a commitment today to develop your vision statement so you can clearly outline the direction you are headed in your business.

Don’t know where to start? A DARE Strategy Session would be a great way to get your business going in the right direction. Contact me to find out how I can help you!

I had an awesome call with my Money, Marketing and Mindset Mastermind clients today.   What came through crystal clear is how focused they are on WHO they serve.

When they came to the coaching program they were really scattered and unfocused working with anyone who would part with money so they could keep their business going.

In only a few short months, they have all gotten crystal clear on who their ideal clients are, how they solve a problem for those clients and the value behind what they do.

It’s awesome to see this unfolding as their business grows.

This could be you!   Contact me today, if you want to learn how you can turn your business around before the end of the year!

Being a small business owner has its struggles and challenges both big and small:  the insurance just went up, you run out of printer ink in the middle of a really important job, your best client leaves you, your last marketing campaign was a flop.  The list is endless, frustrating and can leave you completely deflated.

So what’s a smart and savvy women entrepreneur like yourself to do when faced with these daunting challenges?  And what differentiates the women that bust through these challenges from the entrepreneur who is left feeling hopeless, drained and overwhelmed?

The difference is in how you look at things.

Wayne Dyer states:  “Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.”

You can either wallow in self pity proclaiming, “woe is me”, or you can embrace the challenges and understand there is no escaping them in business.

Think of it this way…when you look at challenges from a new perspective it shifts from being a disastrous experience to a golden opportunity to do things differently. From this position you can make improvements, offer better services, and find creative ways to market your services that provide more value to your customers.  All good things!

Why do you do what you do everyday?  Reflecting you your “big why” can really give you that boost of motivation when the challenges are all too present. Keeping focused on your “big why” is another way to lift you up when feeling down.

Finally, if you are faced with challenges in your business, there’s a good chance that others have had similar experiences.  Hiring a coach and finding a great mastermind group is two of the most powerful tools you can utilize to help you grow a successful business.

Remember, challenges will come up. But, if you face them with a new perspective — as an opportunity to grow and make your business better, you will come out on the other side with a fresh perspective and a stronger business.



While there are some very specific things which each of us must learn in order to succeed in business, the truth is that being really successful has very little to do with gaining business specific skills. Heck, if this were not the case, the number of people who were successful would be rather tiny. So, what is it that sets the winners apart?

I’ve learned over the years that it has more to do with one’s mindset than almost anything else.  Mindset in combination with using keen intuition and facing fears are the foundation for the success of most accomplished entrepreneurs.

Now, just to be clear, mindset is more than just reading some affirmations every day.  Your mindset is those deep rooted beliefs that you hold near and dear to you and would take an atomic bomb for you to let go of.  These beliefs help you through all of your challenges both business and personal.  Ultimately, your mindset helps you to make the decisions that change your life.

So here’s a list of mindset secrets to help you succeed in business and become that accomplished entrepreneur!

• Face your fears; never let fear influence your decision making ability
• Use challenges to spark your creativity and solve problems
• Never tolerate excuses from others or yourself
• Believe “Where there’s a will there’s a way”
• Understand there’s real power in asking for help
• Know that obstacles are a reason to strengthen your commitment to your bigger why
• Graciously welcome new learning opportunities from teachers, mentors and coaches
• Know you can do, be and have anything you want
• Never, ever play the victim
• Hold firm to boundaries and stand solid in your personal power
• Know that “NOW” is the right time
• Understand that fear and doubt are not truth
• Let’s go to grow
• Appreciate the growing and learning process and see the results in the transformation of your business
• Practice the attitude of gratitude
• Invest in the best mentoring and coaching

Without a doubt you’re going to face challenges, obstacles and make a ton of mistakes.  Learning from your mistakes is crucial to overcoming the problems you will encounter, inevitably leading to the success you desire.

But by understanding and implementing the mindset secrets you will take years off the process because you will have the “mind tools” you need to be at the top of your game.

Are you wracking your brain for exciting, unique content for your blog or website? With each passing moment are you feeling more and more dreadful because you think it’s so tough?

Here are 6 tips to keep that unique content flowing and ensure it’s always top-notch:

Target Your Market: Who visits your website or blog? Whoever it is, your articles need to capture and hold their interest.  Unique content needs to educate and inform your readers, and keep them coming back for more articles.

Define Your Niche: Don’t be general.  You need to hit your niche with your content.  For example, if you’re a chiropractor don’t write an article about the benefits of chiropractic care.  First, it’s a real snooze but most importantly, it’s way too broad.  You need to discover a unique perspective such as how regular chiropractic care aids in restful sleep.  Angle your article to fit your specific niche.

Keep Up With Industry Trends and News: Be “in the know.”  Read daily industry news for fresh and timely content.  Doing so makes you look like an expert in the eyes of your readers and will definitely keep them coming back for more.

Write On A Regular Basis: If you write occasionally, your writing may become stale or boring.  So, in order to keep those creative juices flowing write on a regular basis.  If you write a blog, write consistently (at least three times a week) and keep a journal or notebook on hand to jot down notes and ideas for future articles and blog posts.

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others: Every writer and blogger has their own unique style of writing.  Comparing yourself to others does nothing for your self-confidence and even worse, it will hurt your creative process. It’s helpful to research blogs, ezines and websites for ideas, but don’t copy another writer’s style.  The key to branding yourself as a content writer is to find your own style and stick with it.

Keep It Simple: Help out your readers and keep it simple by not confusing them with jargon and complicated language.  It’s okay to bend some of the rigid grammar rules when you write Web content; however, it’s still recommended to edit and use spell check.  Implement this editing trick I learned from a professional copywriter: print out your article and circle mistakes with a red pen.  It’s apparently much easier to find errors.

Remember to use these 6 strategies when writing content for your website or blog and watch how these simple strategies can transform your business. 

If you’re like most people you started out 2010 with lofty goals for your business.  They were probably full of passion and you were totally motivated to accomplish them. But before you knew it, the energy and enthusiasm started to fade.  So, here is my question:  Have you lost track of your goals and gone back to your old ways?

Don’t fret!  The good news is you can get back on track by following these simple steps.

Review

Review your goals and their purpose. What’s the bigger why?  Once the excitement dwindles, most people forget why they set the goal in the first place.

Ask yourself:  Are these goals still important to me or did I set them with because of someone else’s expectation?

If truth be told, the reason most goals fall off the map is because the goals were not fully evaluated and the why not fully explored.  Make sure the goals you set are tied to your bigger why and really benefit you and your business and business strategy.  If not, get rid of them.

Take Action

First off, get real and know that your goals will NOT be achieved overnight.  It takes time, that’s the plain truth.

I once wrote an article about wanting, willing and committing.  The same principle applies here.  Do you want to achieve your goals or are you committed to achieving your goals? When you want to achieve goals you typically work on the easy stuff to make it happen – the stuff that take minimal effort on your part.  When you are committed, you are investing the time and effort that it requires to achieve your goals – you’re willing to work on the hard stuff to make it happen.

Take action and stick to that commitment.

Accountability

Get an accountability partner.  This can be a friend, trusted advisor, mentor, or business coach. No matter who it is having an accountability partner will help put you in the proper mindset and ensure you meet your goals.

The beauty of the accountability partner is they will help you stay on track when you just don’t feel like it. They will push you past those rough patches and help keep you focused on the bigger outcome.

Celebrate

When you reach those important 90 day milestones go ahead and celebrate!  You deserve it!  Better yet celebrate with your accountability partner.

Every goal reached is just one step closer to your overall success.

From a confidence perspective there is nothing like hearing from a client that you did a great job. Not only do you feel terrific but you feel awesome for the client because you realize just how much their life, business or world has been transformed by working with you.

So why use testimonials?

Here’s 3 reasons to use testimonials to grow your business starting today!

Reason #1:  Creates Social Proof and Credibility

From a business perspective what you’re doing when you use testimonials is creating social proof and credibility. Social proof is just the opinion of others.

For example, you put a testimonial on your website and a prospective client sees it.  You have just provided that prospect with almost instant reassurance that you can be trusted – that you have the goods!

When your prospects know you have the goods, they will see you as someone that can be trusted, will deliver what you say you will deliver, and has credibility.  All extremely important characteristics to have if you want to leap into 6-figures!

Reason #2:  Creates Desire

When you read a great testimonial filled with the kind of results that you ache for, what does it do to you? If you’re like most people it makes you want what other people have!  You stop and say to yourself, “Hey, I want that too!  If they can do it, I can too.”

Not only does the testimonial help to create a picture of what’s possible but it also creates a gap between where they are right now and where they want to be. This gap creates a tension that can only be released by working with you.

Reason # 3:  Creates Longing

Testimonials when used correctly help to create a feeling of longing for the prospect.  They long to be part of this tribe of people who seem to have it all.

You read the testimonial and begin to think, “I want to be just like them.  I want to be part of this elite group of people who are successful.” That’s the tribe.

Pretty cool, right?

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget About The FTC

Make sure to stay current regarding the rules of testimonials for your industry, including the new FTC regulations… but do NOT let this stop you from going out there and getting testimonials.

Testimonials are an important tool in your overall 6-figure strategy.  Proper use of testimonials can help you be seen as the credible business person that you are and help you gain more clients.

You’ve dreamed up a great idea for a new program or service, written all the content and copy, sent an email and…nothing! Ugh, no new business is coming in.

What went wrong?

You’re disappointed and probably slightly embarrassed, right?

Here’s what I’ve learned to help you make your next launch a success:

Launch Tip 1: A Step-by-Step Launch Plan

Most people haven’t got a clue how to create a successful launch. They mistakenly think they can send out one or two emails and poof, their next program is filled and that product is flying off the shelves.

The truth is it doesn’t happen that way at all.

A successful launch starts with a series of sequenced events that creates momentum and sales and keeps them rolling in.

And, you don’t need a ton of time to make it happen. Contrary to popular belief, you can create this momentum in as little as two weeks. Remember, the shorter the time frame the better.

Your launch plan should include a launch calendar where every email, post and important deadline is clearly mapped out. You won’t miss any deadlines and will know exactly when the campaign ends and when special bonuses go bye-bye.

Launch Tip 2: Speed it Up

Have you ever waited so long to launch a new program, product or service that you finally gave up and NEVER launched it at all?

This is one of the biggest reasons most launches fail. You just take too long to plan the event!

You don’t need to have the program completely designed before you launch it. Heck, you don’t even need the entire product finished before you launch it.

Simply make an outline and develop your sales page content based on this outline. You can write the detailed content later as the program fills up.

Launch Tip 3: Plant the Seeds

Planting those seeds or “seeding” is simply the process of dropping little hints about what’s to come.

If you’re listening to your clients, then you’ve no doubt developed a new product, program or service that is going to solve a problem they have. Seeding is your way to let them know the solution is on the way.

Start seeding several weeks before your official “launch”. This way they will be super ready and eager to sign up for your offer when it is revealed.

Which brings me to my final point:

The Best Laid Plans Can Be A Failure If You Are Promoting Something That Nobody Finds Interesting

Do you know what interests your prospective and current clients? It’s easy to find out — just ask them. Share the title and a two sentence description with a few of your clients. Ask them if they would sign up for the program. Assure them that you are looking for honest input. Most people will tell you the truth and from there you will know whether or not you need to start over with a new idea or go forward with the one you have.