Posts Tagged ‘business mindset’

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.

This week while on a couple of different calls,  I noticed a theme that kept coming up for my  new clients.  They all seemed to be completely and utterly overwhelmed with everything that was on their plate.

It struck me that what was missing in their work lives was a serious plan and commitment to carving out the space and time to attend to their business.  So we addressed the issue head on.

Here are a couple of great tips to help you tackle the overwhelm and start getting a handle on developing your dream business:

1. Marketing Takes Time

Realize that it takes about 3 hours a day to market your business effectively.  I just heard a thump…was it you falling off your chair onto the floor?  You heard me right.  3 hours each day.  I know that this sounds like a lot and, well it is a lot but the rewards will be even better once you reach your goals.

Try waking up an hour earlier each day in order to work on your marketing plan and strategies.  Spend less time doing things that are not going to build your business.  No matter how you accomplish this realize that you MUST find the time in your schedule to build your business, market your business and attract all the clients you want into your business.  In essence, you must make this a top priority!

2.  Create A Plan and Stick To It

Once you carve out more time to work on the most important aspects of your business stick to the plan.  Stop allowing all the other stuff to creep into your schedule and take priority.

One of  my client’s told me she loved to garden.  I said, “great, you can only garden in the early evening and weekend.”  Work time is work time and you shouldn’t be doing laundry, cleaning the house, or any other chore you can think of when you should be devoting your time and attention to your business.

3.  Rid Yourself of Everything That Drains You

You need to have  a lot of energy to successfully create and grow a business.  Maybe  you are engaging with people, activities and responsibilities that suck the life out of you.  Evaluate your current circumstances and begin to eliminate these energy drains immediately.

If you volunteer and it is a painful process – give it up.  If you have a friend that complains all the time and you really don’t enjoy her company – stop seeing her.  Make the hard decisions and reinvest your new found time and energy into your business success.

4.  Realize That You Should Be Focused On 3 Things and 3 Things Only

You should be focused on:

• Work with clients – If you get a client you are working with them as you should be.
• Marketing the business – Without the marketing activities you won’t have a business.  So get busy marketing!
• Working on your mindset – Our mindsets often stand in the way of our progress.  Sign up for a teleclass or read a great book that will help you consistently work on the mindset issues that come up for you.  It will be one of the greatest things you can do to move your business forward.

Follow these tips  and you will find a great return on your investment by doing these simple, but effective strategies.

I am often asked whether or not posting fees on a website is good idea or not.  Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as a yes or no answer.  There are pro’s and con’s to both positions.

Now I know that you are feeling pangs of uncertainty and anxiety as you struggle to come to some decision with regard to whether to post or not.  But keep reading to find out why I think posting your fees is NOT a good idea.

First let me say if you post your fees you run the risk that prospective clients will pass you by because they feel your fees are too high without you ever having a conversation with you.  On the other hand if you don’t post your fees many people will wonder just how much you ARE going to charge and will assume your fees are too much for them to afford without any further investigation on their part.

So why do I feel leaving them off is the right answer?  Here are my three top reasons:

1.  The Decision To Hire Should Never Be Made On Price Only

Do you want price to be at the top of that prospects reason for hiring you?  I think not!  Money usually isn’t the number one reason why clients will pay you for services and invest in themselves.  But if you go ahead and post your fees you are clearly encouraging clients to keep price as a main criteria for hiring you.

I have never posted my fees on my website and I don’t have any intentions of starting.  Yet the funny thing is that most of my clients are people who feel that I am out of their price range.  When I sit with them and explain the value and benefits of working with me, they usually invest, find a way to pay for the service and end up being the best clients.  Why?  Because they understand the investment they are making and are really, really committed to achieving their goals.  They are PHENOMENAL!

2.  It’s All In The Conversation

The reality here is that your goal is to engage your prospective client in a conversation.  The selling conversation is about helping your prospective client get to know, like and trust you.  This can’t happen by just going to your website and perusing your price list.  It is one dimensional and flat…there is no opportunity for your prospect to have an authentic experience with you.

But remember, there is absolutely no reason for you to get into this conversation unless you are prepared to fully understand what problem they want to solve, what their business will look like once the problem is resolved, what the cost is if they don’t solve this problem and finally what it’s worth to them to solve it.

Do you see how vital it is to have the conversation in the first place?

Do you realize by having this conversation you help them to explore so much more than just a dollar amount?

3.  Clients Want  A Price They Can Wrap Their Head Around

In short, they want a price they can justify.  Until you can help them find the value in what you have to offer, they won’t spend a penny to work with you.  Your solution must be important and valuable to them.  While you are engaged in the conversation you can ask them why it is important to them.  Without the conversation you can never uncover what is truly valuable to them.

When you ask that all important question, “What’s important to you?” the prospective client will inevitably open up and tell you all the emotional reasons behind why they want to fix and solve their problem.  When you are then able to address their issues and let them know that you can help them their objections around money disappear like magic.

Now don’t get confused here.  If you are offering a product or a seminar where everyone is paying the same price then you will post that price on your website.  But for coaching, consulting, designing, organizing or other serviced based professions I recommend leaving the price off.  Instead spend your time writing great copy that fully describes the value and benefits you offer your prospective clients so they can imagine what it would be like to work with you and have a business that is truly flourishing.

“Let me think about it.”  Ugh…those are dreaded words to someone attempting to make a sale and gain a new client.  Designing your payment plan options can make or break how many people actually say yes to your offer.

This applies to offers you make through service offerings, programs and even products you may sell on your website or store front.  So let’s look at a few simple tips to help your clients say “yes” to you!

Payment Strategy #1:  Offer a Great Incentive for Paying In Full

I have seen this happen over and over again.  Clients will pay in full in order to save money or get some juicy, high valued, special bonus I‘m offering!

For example in my new 2010 Money and Mindset Mastermind, clients will receive a special “preferred client” bonus day with me to map out their business plan in addition to a generous savings of $1000 if they pay in full!  That is an incentive that I know will not only compel my clients to sign up for the program but to also choose the full pay option.

Payment Strategy #2:  Try to Have All Those Juicy Bonuses Add Up To More Than The Original Service Being Offered

In this day and age your clients expect more, much more.  So when deciding on your bonuses make sure the bonuses you are offering are compelling to your clients.  Don’t just throw a bunch of stuff together that no one would want and expect your clients to jump for joy at all the extra’s you are offering.  Second, try to have them add up to more than the initial offering.  Lastly, offer a bonus that can’t be bought separately to really compel your clients to sign up for your offer.

Payment Strategy #3: Create A Reason Why Your Clients Should Say Buy NOW Instead of Later

For some reason most of you reading this probably think that giving a long amount of time for your clients to say yes to your offer is much better than a shorter amount of time.  Actually, the opposite is true!  Human nature dictates that the longer you give someone to make a decision the MORE likely they are to say no.

Keep the dates short and your marketing activities longer to build the excitement around the offering so that people will say “yes”.

There are so many pricing strategies that you can use but start with these three simple tips and you will be adding more income to your bottom line while keeping your clients thrilled at the difference you are making in their lives!

I recently had a consultation with a women business owner who wanted to move her business from frustrating 5-figures and into the 6-figure mark.  She was pretty clear in her money goal and seemed very determined to make it happen. I had to ask myself…

Is it Doable?

Absolutely!

Is it doable with the plan she had?

Absolutely not.

So many business owners create good solid goals and then take haphazard action, constantly led astray by another bright idea or strategy that someone dangles in front of them.  Or possibly they sit back and think that by “using” the Law of Attraction it will miraculously be delivered to them…plop right into their lap.

Here is the truth:

You must take the RIGHT action in the RIGHT way at the RIGHT time while keeping a clear and positive mindset about what you want to achieve.  This combination will catapult you forward to your goals and nothing else!

Sound tough?  Well imagine having to go and work for someone else again in a JOB…ugh the very thought makes me cringe!  You have already invested time, resources and your sanity to making your business work.  So how do you make it happen and stick to the plan you developed?

My Coaches Request:

1.  Sit down and revisit your goals for 2010. Haven’t developed any?  Well get cracking on that task.  Review the questions below.  Your answers will help you create your goals for 2010.

• What’s working in my business?
• What’s not?
• What action(s) would take me closer to my commitments in the next 90 days?
• What opportunities exist right now?
• What new strategy(ies) could I implement so I can reach these goals?

2.  Determine if your goals are realistic given where you are currently and your action steps. For example, consider how you plan on bringing in revenue for the year, what program, services, or products are you launching in 2010 and what marketing strategies are you planning on implementing in the year?

3.  Next revise your goals or the plan to achieve them or maybe both so that they are in total alignment with your vision…oh, and make sure they are doable. I like to tell my clients that when developing goals you need to feel the friction between too hard and too easy…that place in between.  When you find it, that is where your goal should be.

4.  Take action right now!

Want to make sure that you are formulating the RIGHT goals, at the RIGHT time, in the RIGHT order?  Call me at 978-794-4991 or email me at maureen@daretobephenomenal.com for a strategy session to see if I can help you formulate the right plan!  It’s a simple, easy and cost effective way to make sure you are on the right track!

Money.  The word conjures up a ton of emotions for most of us.  Some of them good and often times bad.  When I was a child my father would often tell me that I needed to “work hard” if I wanted to be successful.  As I grew up he would often exclaim, “That Maureen, she’s not afraid of hard work!”  To even write that makes me cringe now.  Back then, I thought that was how it needed to be; that I needed to work very long hours, with little time to enjoy myself if I had any chance at being successful.

What I learned over the last several years was how untrue that really was.  Now, don’t get me wrong I work, but the work is no longer hard.  I can have a career that I love and make the money that I am worth without sacrificing myself and my personal time in the process.

What stuff gets in the way of you doing what you love and making the money that you desire?  Are you sick and tired of struggling with money issues?  Want to find out more about what money means for you and where your limiting beliefs come from?

I want to pose some questions for you to ponder.  Get out a piece of paper and write your answers down.  Let the information percolate for a while.  See what ideas pop up for you that are unresolved when it comes to money.  Let me know how you do as I would love to read your comments!

1. What are the money stories that you grew up with? We all have them and they have shaped our beliefs about money since we were very young.  What’s yours?

2. How has this money story shown up in your life? Think about this one because I bet it shows up over and over again.  For me, I was always working and finding jobs that required that I work long, tedious hours in order to make a good living.  What about you?

3. What is the underlying belief that is within that story? These are the beliefs albeit positive or negative that has shaped your money story.

4. Within the story, what is there to love or be grateful for?

5. Within the story, what is there to forgive?

6. What do you value in your life right now in this moment?

7. How would having more money support what you value most?

Are you ready to answer these questions?  Are you ready to have a different belief about money?  If you want to really make the changes to bust through your money roadblocks then watch for upcoming details about a brand new group coaching program that I will be launching in 2010!  Imagine finally being rid of what stands between you and making the money you desire…

I hear it all the time…”I want to charge more for my services. ” When I ask them what is stopping them, I usually get a look of panic and hear words that are filled with fear and doubt. Hearing their “money words” is an important first step when I work with a client.  Why?  Because, it tells me a great deal about their money habits and beliefs.

For example, I recently spoke with a woman who was interested in joining my mastermind program. She was letting fear and cost stand in the way of her stepping up to the plate.  Instead of investing in the program, she decided it was better to play it safe and small.  She said things like, “I can’t afford it” and “I don’t have the money” and even “I don’t know if it will be of benefit to me.”  These are words that are rooted in fear and lack and will have a direct impact on your ability to raise your own fees and up your prices.

So what kinds of words will let you stand in your power around money?  Talking about money in ways that are rooted in abundance and power like, “I value myself enough to spend money on this program that will greatly benefit my business” or “I would love to spend that kind of money on (fill in the blank)” or even “Things that cost more have a higher value”.   Do you feel the difference in these statements?

When you use words that are powerful you automatically shift your belief about YOU and what’s possible in your business and life. You’re creating a shift deep within yourself that values quality, which recognizes that good things DO cost more and that they are worth it.

Next time you hear yourself using language that is rooted in lack I want you to immediately shift to those powerful words that can help you make the shift from lack to abundance.

Do you like this tip?  You can learn more money secrets in my upcoming coaching program “The Money and Mindset Program:  How To Bust Through Your Money Roadblocks and Solve Your Biggest Pricing Challenges Easily! To find out more, contact me at maureen@daretobephenomenal.com

I bet right now you have a ton of things on your to-do-list.  Am I right?  As women business owners it is so important to get a handle on your list and to focus your time and attention on what matters most.

But often I hear my clients complain that they just can’t get focused.  Well, I used to have this same problem until I learned some easy steps that I could take to help me hone in on what needs my attention and time and what doesn’t.  Follow these 3 simple and easy tips to get a handle on your to-do list!

1. Choose Your Priorities Wisely

The reality is successful business owners never get their entire to-do lists done; and neither will you.  As an entrepreneur it is crucial to focus your time and attention on the few activities that will move your business forward the fastest and easiest way possible.  This means only focusing your time and attention on what matters most.  If you are wondering what those activities should be I can tell you it doesn’t include sending invoices or posting your newsletter.  It does include:  marketing your business according to the marketing activities that you have committed to doing; growing your list; and creating new and innovative service offerings to your growing client base.  Anything else on your to-do list is just a pesky distraction that will take you off track!

2. Ask Positive Questions

One of the first things that I learned when I implemented this system was to NEVER ask myself  “How will I get everything done?”  This is such a draining and exhausting question filled with anxiety and dread. Instead try asking yourself innovative and fresh questions that will spark ideas and keep you upbeat and positive.  Remember you are only focusing on tasks that have to do with marketing, list building and product/service development so focus your questions on those topics.  You might try asking yourself “Who could I partner with to grow my list faster?”  This question helps you to start thinking about who you could create a joint venture or alliance with.  By asking the right questions you move from dread to excitement.

3. You Are In Charge

I have written before about the importance of taking care of you first.  So if you find yourself constantly taking care of other peoples’ needs and request then you’re putting yourself last when you should be first.  Many women entrepreneurs fall into the mistaken belief that once you take care of others you can then focus your attention back to yourself.  The problem with that type of thinking is it never happens.  You end up feeling drained and overwhelmed and then never find the time or energy to take care of your business.  So remember, you are in charge of what your day will be like. If you are distracted by others it is because you have put their needs above your own and you are the only one to blame for that.  The more you honor your time and the vision of your business the more you are living your phenomenal dream.  Stay focused on YOUR priorities!

The most successful entrepreneurs became successful by focusing their time on what matters most, not on just what got their attention!  Follow these three simple tips and you will be amazed at how much you can get done with less effort than you’ve ever spent.

Today’s business success strategy is about the right business mindset.

What is your business mindset?  Is it working for you or against you?  Do you constantly hear that nagging voice of self doubt telling you it can’t be done or do your intentions clearly have you on a path of success and abundance?

It’s hard to change those limiting belief and self doubts.  I know, I used to have them.  But when I started working with my coach and mentor those limiting beliefs and self doubts started to melt away.  Why?  Because often times we are so enmeshed in negative self talk that we are unable to challenge those beliefs on our own.  Working with a coach who can point it out and help you shift those beliefs to ones that empower you and move you forward is well worth it!