Falling For The Work Smart Not Hard MythThe Number 10 Reason Why So Many Fail In Home Businesses

The biggest myth circulating in the business community today on and off the Internet is this notion of working smart not hard. In modern technological and industrialized societies people rarely work hard when compared to societies that have little or no industrial or technological development.

In their misguided and uninformed attempt to amass millions by working smarter not harder, thousands of business-minded individuals began to believe that working smarter meant using more technological aids. Others, began to believe working smarter meant cutting corners, reducing learning curves or entering into a battle of wits with potential customers.

A small, but growing, number began to believe working smarter not harder meant scamming potential entrepreneurs with pyramid schemes, junk moneymaking programs or crash and burn business ventures that were designed not to last. Others began scamming their customers.

Naturally, some of these people earned some money, but in the end they all eventually failed. Well, you ask, "What does working smarter not harder really mean?" It means you have to grow intellectually, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally and sometimes physically to meet whatever challenge you are confronting. This translates back into that four letter word no one likes or wants to hear...work.

Working smarter also means you have to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding in order to succeed in your endeavor. For some this means using more technological aids to help their business/es grow. For most, it means solving problems for others. A select few will have to use their ingenuity to design and develop new products and/or services.

For others it will mean replacing old concepts and procedures with new methods and/or techniques in order to realize greater profits or save more time or minimize physical or intellectual effort. Many will need to gain greater understanding of their market, market trends and/or the needs, wants, or desires of a targeted group of people. All this requires work and when you engage in this kind of work professionally or personally, you are truly working smarter not harder.

Part IV: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

5 Principles of Attraction for the Entrepreneur

By: Katie Mattson

Some things come to us naturally. For instance, breathing is habitual, eating is a necessity and sleeping is a needed rejuvenation from a hard day. We seldom think about how we perform these activities. For most, they are effortless.

Similarly, each of the Principles of Attraction could be accessed with lucid, internal reflection. Fortunately, with our busy lifestyles, others have helped us by sharing them in cohesive thoughts.

In starting, or maintaining, a business they can be used to propel us forward. All in all, there are 28 Principles of Attraction (Copyright © 2005 by Coach U. Inc. www.coachu.com) available for you to utilize in demanding a fantastic future.


Below you will find five to begin working with. Keep in mind that these start in your personal life first and then spill over into the business world. Unless they are well practiced and ingrained into who you are, they will never translate successfully or authentically in business. Creating a vision is the first principle of attraction for the Entrepreneur.

Principle #1:

Creating a vision allows you to see what is coming, which means you don’t need to create a future

Instead you are creating an intention and becoming really clear about what you want and how to get it. The theory behind this is that once you state your intention, it begins to manifest itself.

Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth, argues that this is the most important step. His book outlines the importance of knowing what you want and the type of lifestyle you want to create. From there, he suggests you build your business to fit your ideal lifestyle before your life has no choice but to surrender to your business needs. Sounds like a good plan, right?

Remember to have a big vision. Michelangelo says: "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." You deserve the best this world has to offer. The question is – will you be courageous enough to make it happen?

In order to follow your vision, you have to be committed. When you work toward what you really want, you are far more likely to achieve your goals. If you find yourself missing the mark, take ownership. Stop making excuses and stop blaming other people. Look inside, evaluate if you really want it and then figure out what you need to do to get it. Our second principle is about how to get past the hurdles that pop up along the way.

Principle #2:

See how perfect the present really is…even when it clearly is not

Some days you just can't win and everything seems to go wrong. Imagine this: you wake up to a seemingly normal day until your shower is cold, your coffee doesn't taste right, your dog is pulling the stuffing out of one of your couch cushions and your car dies on the way to work. Perfect moments, huh? Admittedly, sometimes it is hard to see our lessons.

One wise business owner once shared that they thought these moments served as the Universe testing our commitment to our goals. By forcing us to stop and face reality instead of barreling forward uninhibited towards our goals, we have to re-evaluate if we really want it bad enough to keep going. Each moment serves as a lesson and it is up to us whether we listen or not.

Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles and co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, came up with this equation for success: Event + Reaction = Outcome. Depending on your reaction to a particular event determines your outcome. You can choose to let an unfortunate incident ruin your day, or you can learn your lesson from it and go on with your day unaffected. Maybe it serves as a reminder that you need to slow down, maybe it's a reminder to get organized or to be more patient. Whatever the lesson, listen up and make the most of it!

Principle #3:

Become irresistibly attractive to yourself

By living authentically according to your purpose, your vision and your choices, you become a magnet for others who have similar viewpoints. Personally, this means you surround yourself with people who understand you and can help you fulfill your needs. In business, this means you are attracting your ideal clients.

Have you ever thought about your ideal client? What if you were working with people everyday that you loved working with? It can happen! By knowing yourself and what type of people you enjoy being around and work best with, you can start attracting those personality types to you. Try to decipher whom you know that inspires and challenges you. Seek out those types as you move forward.

We tend to attract people who are similar to ourselves, who make us feel safe. Remember to add some to your list who really challenge you as well. Once you are comfortable in your own confidence, you will exude a personality that people want to be around. Soon, you can't help but draw others in who want to be around you! Once you've become irresistibly attractive to yourself, then you can market your talents shamelessly.

Principle #4:

Market your Talents Shamelessly

Take a moment and write down 2 talents that you are most proud of. What made those two come to mind immediately? How can you (or do you?) utilize those skills each day personally and professionally?

Whether we are selling a service or a product, most of the time we are really selling ourselves. As we are the face and the voice, our customers must relate to us. If you are embarrassed or unclear about your true talents, you can’t sell them personally or professionally. Once you are clear about your skills, you can use them to your advantage.

We each have a challenge everyday to be our best. Often, we don’t measure up. Be it fear that we are not important enough, that we don’t deserve it, or that someone will say the dreaded word “no” to us, we are afraid to be brilliant. If we choose to allow this fear to take over, we do a disservice to ourselves and to others.

By making that choice, you deprive the world of knowing how truly amazing you are and what a truly amazing product you have to offer. If you don’t feel that way about your product, perhaps you are selling the wrong thing! Our final and most important principle is to eliminate delay.

Principle #5:

Eliminate Delay - Time is expensive

"I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret." -Tony Robbins

All of your yesterdays have past and tomorrow might not exist, so why waste today? Start with the thing you fear most. By tackling the big objects first, you free up your mind (and your nerves) for more opportunity. Often, the fearful tasks are not as bad as the imagination creates them to be.

It’s also important to take care of any little tasks that you are tolerating. Each day those tiny “need-to-do” tasks take up room in your mind. Creating an abundance of time by clearing out the small tasks allows for more freedom and less stress. Be intentional about taking care of things as they come up.

Once you have more time, you can dream up bigger goals to add to your vision. This brings us back to Principle number one, which will continue to grow and change. Don’t waste any more of the time you have to market your talents and show the world what you have to offer. Dream big, don’t let your head get in the way and create time to fully go after everything you want. You deserve it!

Katie Mattson is the owner and professional coach of Momentum Coaching. Acting as a catalyst, Katie helps her clients create awareness and motivation. She works with individuals and small groups clarify their vision and goals, have confidence to face their fears and strengthen their core abilities to go after what they want in life.

For more information, to request a complimentary sample session, or to sign up for her FREE newsletter, visit http://www.energizeyourmoment.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_Mattson

Part III: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

You might not want to change the world, but the following principles can go a long way toward changing your life and improving the effectiveness of your business.

7 Leadership Principles That Can Change the World

By: Steve Farmer

There are seven universal principles at work behind every choice, every interaction, every word that is said and every action that is taken. Understanding these underlying principles will help you grow and prosper as a leader and as a person.

1. Fairness

Fairness is a principle that's understood by children everywhere, but as we grow up, we each may develop our own individual concept of what is and isn't fair. On your team, there needs to be a common understanding of fairness, and it needs to be defined, communicated and demonstrated by you as the leader every day.

When you make decisions, be open and honest with your team about how they were made and why. People may be resentful or mistrusting of decisions that have been handed down arbitrarily or without input and explanation.

2. Honesty, Integrity and Trust

The people on your team want and need to trust you. They want to know that you've given them all of the facts and that nothing is being hidden from them. The way to gain that trust is by being honest and living with integrity.

If you meet this need for them, you'll gain their trust, understanding and faith. This can't be accomplished by what you say; it needs to be proven by how you live. When you do make a mistake or a bad decision, disclose it. Don't blame someone else, lie or pretend it didn't happen. Be honest about it and move forward.

3. Potential

Everyone is capable of being and doing more than they are now. Everyone on your team - whether they're a rookie or a subject matter expert - needs to feel that you see his or her potential to grow, acquire new skills and develop.

People look to a leader to evoke that from them, inspiring and allowing them to grow, evolve and fulfill their potential so they're constantly improving and learning new things. Don't restrict their growth by assuming they'll adhere to your predictions of how they'll act, think or talk.

See each person's potential and not their limitations. Assume they're growing and evolving all the time, and this will empower them to grow into the next phase of their development, instead of stagnating where they are.

4. Growth

When you're tuned in to each individual's potential for growth and change, you can help that along, actively supporting the new skills they have acquired that will fulfill their potential. You can accelerate their growth by offering them concrete opportunities such as training and upgrading of skills or connecting them to a business coach or mentor. Growth will occur through both positive and negative experiences, so encourage your team members to try new things and to learn and grow even through failure and mistakes.

5. Respect and Dignity

Respect is difficult to earn and easy to lose. Adopt the "golden rule" – treat people how you want to be treated. Treat each team member with respect and dignity for who they are and for the work that they're doing. Recognize and embrace their differences and diversity.

Earn respect by acting with dignity and showing that you have respect for yourself. Be a role model and hold yourself to a higher standard on a daily basis. Reward people in public and correct them in private. This will protect their dignity and reinforce that they can take risks. They'll know that if they do make a mistake or fail they won't be publicly disgraced for it.

6. Service

"For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great" Luke, 9:48. A good leader not only leads the group, he or she is also a servant to the group - a champion for their cause; someone in their corner that will back them up, support them and mentor them.

It's about not just being a figurehead leader, but being of service, working WITH the team and meeting their needs. Examples include making sure they have the equipment they need to fulfill their roles or helping them to cut through the red tape of bureaucracy.

In his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey advocates that you "seek to understand rather than be understood". Aim to understand the needs of your team members, and to serve them instead of just leading them.

The leader has to create the sense of a team or a family, adopting the mentality that, "We succeed or fail as a team". Leaders who don't understand this are the ones who take the credit when things are good and blame others when things are bad.

In difficult times, teams need to have a leader they can rely on to act as their champion. It is the leader's job to wear the target and shield the team if they come under fire. That may mean taking ultimate responsibility for a failure or mistake, or fighting to keep funds or people.

When the outside world is taking shots at the project, or if there are roadblocks to the project, it's the leader's job to shelter the team, take the shots and get through the roadblocks, so the team can focus on getting the job done, and not get distracted by these outside challenges.

7. Quality

"On my Honor I will do my best". Understand that people want to do their best and put out a good product, no one shows up at work to screw up. As a leader, strive to always exemplify that, "quality is job one".

Establish a culture where going above and beyond expectations is the standard; not just for the products or services you create and deliver, but for how you live and work. "Walk the walk", and exemplify this standard in how YOU live and work, and also in how you lead. Don't cut any corners. Always doing your best is a SACRED PLEDGE that you make to your team.

By recognizing and nurturing these seven universal principles, you'll capture the hearts and minds of everyone that you interact with. We are all looking to have the universal principles of Fairness, Honesty, Potential, Growth, Respect, Service and Quality fulfilled in our lives. If you can fulfill them for your team members, you'll connect at a deep level.

You can achieve anything together if you can connect at this basic human level, and your team will work harder for you when they feel that connection. And vice-versa, you'll connect and feel supported by your team if you recognize these needs in them and in yourself.

Steve Farmer is a leader in the field of Coaching. As a skilled professional coach, inspirational speaker and author he brings the power of individual coaching to everyday living. In our frequently over stressed and under involved society, he empowers individuals to follow their dreams, achieve more in their current careers, and maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives.

A busy entrepreneur himself, Steve understands the many demands and challenges facing today's busy adults. He also knows that amidst the chaos, people sometimes need support in maintaining both their sanity and a balanced life. With his innate listening and problem-solving gifts, Steve helps individuals find solutions to their difficult problems.

Whether through one-on-one coaching, workshops, courses or keynote addresses, he helps people to better develop their personal talents and skills so that their journey to success and happiness is easier, more rewarding and less frustrating.

Learn more about steve at his website http://www.innovations4life.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Farmer

Part II: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

In Part II of our series on principles that can help your personal growth and development, we found an article that will help you you realize the importance of your mental and emotional health.

9 Principles To Live By - To Be Mentally And Emotionally Strong!

By Lucy Wong Moi

Here are 9 principles of purposeful living. We ought to know what are best for us by growing instead of just getting by. Listen first before answering, worry less, fear not, let the Divine's will be done, not us.

Do not take problems to bed, do not wallow in self-pity and count our blessings that all of us have plenty.

[1] You should not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Worry is a negative state of mind which deals with the same problem over and over again, yet nothing is solved.

[2] You should not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Fear is the opposite of confidence. It is also another negative emotion where it deals with uncertainty and loses heart easily. How can one win when one feels defeated even before the game has started?

[3] You should not cross bridges before you get to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this. Deal with each problem as it comes, you can handle only one at a time anyway.

Let God's will be done, not ours. What will happen will happen for a good cause. One cannot deal with unseen problems though one can learn to troubleshoot.

[4] You should not take problems to bed with you for they make very poor bedfellows.

Problems are not solved when one go to sleep, be rested proper to have our energies and spirits renewed to stand tall to face all challenges the next day..

[5] You should not borrow other people's problems. They can take better care of them than you can.

There are numerous other people's problems beyond one's expectations and understandings. Learn to tackle our own problems before giving a hand to others. Solve our own problems before minding other people's problems.

[6] You should not try to relive yesterday for good or bad… it has already gone! Concentrate on what is happening in your life today.

There is no use crying over spilt milk. Be geared towards moving a step at a time. 'Yesterday was a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, Today is ready cash, Use it to the fullest!' That was what people used to say.

[7] You should be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It is very hard to learn something new when you are talking.

We have a pair of ears but only one mouth. Be patient to speak before understanding. Our mouths serve us best when in accord with inner conscience where Truth dwells..

[8] You should not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity, and it will only interfere with positive action.

Self-pity is the web that spins miseries and traps oneself with their 'self-dug-pits' or dungeons. Slithering snakes and crawling insects will be your friends while in the darkness of frustrations.

[9] You should count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one!

For every blessings known to you, there are hundreds more that you don't know. Have heart in all you do. Always be grateful in all we have. Gratitude is a virtue for all. Gratitude is a key to peace of mind and heart.

When one seeks to assuage the suffering of others, it is really one's own suffering that one mitigates the relief. When one direct one's attention to the inner-self, which is Truth, one will perceive the same Divinity to be present in all. Thus it makes up these 9 principles to live by.........

Lucy Wong is a health and nutrition consultant. She is keen in sharing the 4 dimensions of health, aiming at attaining total health and happiness for all. She has written many articles on health related issues in her personal column at http://articlesubmission.info Read more about alternative approach of maintaining good health at Health Article Directory where you will discover the secrets of maintaining good health in men, women and teens. Read more from her personal blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucy_Wong_Moi

Part I: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

Our next series of post will feature Articles from around the Internet that, we hope, will help all our Associates succeed in their endeavors.

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

By: Robert Moment

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters. -- Alan K. Simpson.

If I were to ask you what attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know immediately which one is the most important?

Based on my many years as a business owner and entrepreneur, I have discovered that at the very top of the list is the distinguishing quality of integrity. Without integrity at the helm of a company, a business is usually short-lived. In fact, when business integrity is present throughout the deepest layers of a company and not just at its surface, it becomes the heart and soul of the company’s culture and can mean the difference between a company that succeeds and a company that falters.

The Internet’s Immeasurable Impact on the Marketplace!

The importance of integrity has always existed among the business community, but in recent times has been shown as falling short. It is the Internet’s immeasurable impact on the global marketplace that is now making the expression of integrity, reliability and credibility extremely important. Furthermore, the consequence of global competition means that customers will simply not consider a company that shows any less than the highest level of integrity. Since there is a wealth of competitive companies easily available and accessible via the Internet, there is in fact no need to accept anything less than the best.

Where Does Integrity Start?

In an effort to build upon a foundation of integrity, the first requirement would be to establish excellent rapport with clients. Based on many years of study, the best and most practiced method for achieving rapport is by way of Relationship Marketing. Just as it sounds, Relationship Marketing is founded on the single and most critical characteristic, known as “Integrity.” However, achieving true integrity with clients often leaves many an entrepreneur bewildered, grasping for techniques and strategies that guarantee their futures. But integrity is not something that can be grasped and then simply used. Integrity in its essence must be so ingrained within the nature of an individual, its company and the team members, that it remains steadfast no matter what. Without question, others sense it and find it very attractive.

The True Nature of Integrity!

Now you are probably asking yourself, what is the true nature of integrity? There are in fact some very basic principles that surround the qualities of business integrity. At its core, integrity begins with a company leader who understands the qualities of integrity which then filters down throughout the company into every department and every member’s approach and attitude.

In recent research performed by the Institute of Business Ethics- an organization which is among the world’s leaders in promoting corporate ethical best practices, it was found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical conduct” almost invariably outperform companies that do not display ethical conduct. The Director of the Institute of Business Ethics, Philippa Foster Black, stated: “Not only is ethical behavior in the business world the right and principled thing to do, but it has been proven that ethical behavior pays off in financial returns.” These findings deserve to be considered as an important tool for companies striving for long-term prospects and growth.

The following 7 Principles of Business Integrity are the basics of integrity and a good starting off place to consider. By integrating each of these principles within a company environment, the result will be nothing short of a major rebirth of the enterprise.

Principle #1: Recognize that customers/clients want to do business with a company they can trust; when trust is at the core of a company, it is easy to recognize. Trust defined is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of a business.

Principle #2: For continuous improvement of a company, the leader of an organization must be willing to open up to ideas for betterment. Ask for opinions and feedback from both customers and team members and your company will continue to grow.

Principle #3: Regardless of the circumstances, do everything in your power to gain the trust of past customer’s and clients, particularly if something has gone awry. Do what you can to reclaim any lost business by honoring all commitments and obligations.

Principle #4: Re-evaluate all print materials including small business advertising, brochures and other business documents making sure they are clear, precise and professional; most important make sure they do not misrepresent or misinterpret.

Principle #5: Remain involved in community-related issues and activities thereby demonstrating that your business is a responsible community contributor. In other words, stay involved.

Principle #6: Take a hands-on approach in regard to accounting and record keeping, not only as a means of gaining a better feel for the progress of your company, but as a resource for any “questionable “ activities; gaining control of accounting and record keeping allows you to end any dubious activities promptly.

Principle #7: Treat others with the utmost of respect. Regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of distinctions, always treat others with professional respect and courtesy.

While it is most certainly an integral and positive step for a small business to recognize the significance of integrity as a tool for achieving its desired outcomes, that is only the beginning. What must truly be recognized for true success is that while certain precise universal principles lead to business integrity, it is in the overall mindset of the company and the unfailing implementation of these key elements that an enterprise is truly defined.

A small business that instills a deep-seated theme of integrity within its strategies and policies will not only be evident among customers, associates and partners, but its overall influence cannot help but to result in a profitable, successful company. By recognizing the value of integrity, and following each of the aforementioned 7 principles for achieving integrity, your success cannot be far off.

Robert Moment is a best-selling author, business coach, strategist and the founder of The Moment Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses win federal contracts. He just released his new book, It Only Takes a Moment to Score, and recently unveiled Sell Integrity, a small business tool that helps you successfully sell your business idea. Learn more at: http://www.sellintegrity.com

or email: Robert@sellintegrity.com

How To Fast Start Your New Home Or Internet Business

It is a well know fact that those individuals that get off to a fast start do the best in running, managing and growing a home or Internet based business. What is their secret?

It is not a secret at all. If you are in a home based business that requires interactive marketing to grow and develop, you will need to learn as much as possible about your new business venture.

This is why it is so important to find a product or service you enjoy using or a company that is marketing information that has actually helped improved your circumstances or situation.

The personal benefits you have experienced with the product, service or information, not only encourages you to tell others, it also inspires you to learn all you can about your company, its industry and your product or service. In short, it compels and propels you to become an expert at what you are doing.

Every successful entrepreneur knows his her business. If you want to experience similar success you will have to do the same. You must believe in your business. You must believe in self management, self growth and development, self actualization and becoming a mature business professional.

You must believe in and become adept at managing your activity. Activity directed and managed toward achieving specific objectives will produce the desired results. You must develop a strong desire to become an effective and competent business owner, manager, marketer and sales person.

How Do You Earn Money?

You must know exactly how you earn income. You must believe in and master the methods, procedures and/or techniques your company uses to maximize earnings. Normally, you earn money by selling your products and/or services in your town or city and by sponsoring or recruiting others if maximizing income requires building a distributor network. The best way to accomplish your objectives is to transform your town, county, state, region or nation into your personal "Enterprise Zone".

If you have an Internet based business, your "Enterprise Zone" is the entire world. You must work your zone and develop a customer base to earn your income. You must also save some of your money to reinvest in more products, expanded services and/or equipment to keep your business going. You must know the features and benefits of your product, service or information. Your ultimate objective is to market and sell legitimate products and offer legitimate services to the public.

There is a limited number of people in any given town or city, and even on the Internet that will buy your product, use your service or need your information. Plus, you are competing with others that offer the same or similar product/s, service/s or information. As a new business owner, you must understand, recognize and realize your primary objective is to sell as many people in your zone as possible. Don't waste time on unproductive activities.

Your goal is to earn as much money as rapidly as possible, so you can be on the road to financial security as quickly as possible. In western society and high tech economies, this means earning and accumulating money. It is just that simple. Without money in any developed country on this planet, it's just a matter of time before you hit bottom...and then the bottom falls out.

In America, the more money you accumulate..the better off you are. To earn money in your new business venture, you must focus like a laser beam on building your customer base and/or network. The best way to build your customer base and/or network is tell people about your product, service or information by every legitimate method and means you can afford or develop on your own.

If you have enough organized and directed activity, your income will take care of itself. This is your business. Let this reality sink into your conscious and subconscious mind. You must have directed and meaningful activity. You earn income based solely on your efforts, your skills and your resourcefulness .

All the effort needed to manage and grow your business must come from you. YOU HAVE TO DO IT! This is why the rewards of business ownership can be so high...because the price of success is so high. You must develop and maintain a winning attitude and a positive enthusiastic attitude about your industry, toward your company and the product/s, service/s and/or information you are offering to the public.

How To Get Off To A Fast Start

• Complete your registration process. Discover and then learn the tools your company has provided to help you succeed.
  
• Start developing and working your "Enterprise Zone" as soon as you receive your products or access to your services..
• Develop approaches, opening statements and a presentation if you must build offline.
  
• Use A "Weekly Activity Report" to analyze your effectiveness.
• Study your "Sales Manual" if your company provides one. Break your study sessions into 30 minute intervals per night. Or, set an objective to read five pages a night until you have read the entire manual. After you have read the entire manual, re-read the sections that will help you in specific areas; such as giving a presentation, answering objections, approaching people more effectively or goal setting...etc...
• Always be employed on Monday. Have someone to see or make a call back on Monday...this helps you establish momentum for the entire week. Work systematically.
• Make a sincere commitment be the best you can possibly be. Improve daily.
  
• Make a sincere commitment to work your zone every day.
• Make a sincere commitment to always do what's right.
• Make appointments and follow-up. (offline only)
  
• Have a good positive attitude toward yourself and your business.
• Study and learn your business and work constantly toward realizing your dreams.
• Realize all sales and marketing is a numbers business and a business of momentum.
• Be a person your customers/clients can rely on.
  

Your Objectives

• Make As Much Money As Quickly As Possible. Collapse the time frame to get trained. Occasional or casual activity will not give you enough continuity to build a good customer base. To become proficient, youmust have a lot of activity.
• Work Your Enterprise Zone.
• Set Goals: Goals will help you do the things that need to be done in order for you to succeed. Goals will help you create activity. The amount of money you earn is directly related to the goals you set for yourself. Buy a copy of "Think And Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and read the first 36 pages.
• Realize...people are going to say NO! Don't let their NO's discourage you. If you have a legitimate product, service or information that has genuine value someone will want it, need it and buy it. Your objective is to keep offering it to the right people.
• Your Greatest Asset Is the Number Of NO's You Hear. You don't know who is going to buy your product, use your service or want your information. You don't know who will make the buying decision, but you can rest assured somebody will. ALWAYS REMEMBER: Somebody will. All you have to do is keep offering.

How To Set And Achieve Your Goals

Out of all the things you can do, learning how to set and achieve realistic goals is probably the most important. Achievers in every conceivable field are always; without exception, decisive goal setters. What you make up your mind to accomplish is exactly what will be accomplished, barring any unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances or event. This business of goal setting is so important, it will be covered in detail.

There is a power within you that moves you toward your most dominant thoughts. You must be able to focus your energies clearly on the goal to be accomplished. There are seven steps to effective goal setting. Write them down and review them often. These steps are:

1. IDENTIFY THE GOAL. You must be able to write your goal in one statement. For example: Your income goal might go like this: "After__ months, I will be earning $__a month." "After 4 months $____month". Then write down your goals for 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years and so on. Or you can write: "I will make 2 sales a week." "Recruit or sponsor 2 people a month", if this aspect is part of your business needs or plans.

Whatever you want from life, identify it, state it clearly and visualize yourself as already having it, doing it or achieving it. Do this in your mind the way you want it to happen. This activity is just like writing out a motion picture script for yourself with you as the star of the picture. Include all the necessary details. The more details, the more power the visualized image of your success will have to attract the circumstances, events and people to you.

2. SET A DEADLINE FOR ACHIEVEMENT: Specially, the exact month and year. You must name the month or year in which the goal is to be achieved. This gives you a sense of urgency, purpose and energy for living. For ex: "I will reach my goal by June 10, 2010".

3. IDENTIFY THE OBSTACLES THAT MUST BE OVERCOMED": The obstacles standing in your way, might be lack of knowledge, or marketing strategies; learning approaches, giving a presentation, asking people to take advantage of the services, handling objections and learning effective business techniques. They could be overcoming your own doubts, fears or anxieties. Whatever you want, something is standing between you and it. You must be able to overcome the barriers in your way.

4. IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE YOU MUST WORK WITH: Such as customers/clients, partners, markets, information sources, etc.

5. IDENTIFY THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO REACH THE GOAL: In your case its knowledge of yourself, your company, industry, products or services. The skills you need are:
a) Prospecting
b) Pre-approach
c) Approaching Others Effectively
d) Having a Good Warm-up (offline only)
e) Giving A Presentation (written if given online)
f) Having Good Information Gathering Techniques
g) Knowledge of Your Business
h) Having Good Listening Techniques (offline only)
i) Handling Objections (offline only)
j) Closing
l) Getting Referrals
m) Good Communication and Interaction With Others (offline only)
n) Good Human Relations
o) Self Motivation

6. DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION: This is what must be done every day in order to reach your goal or desired income level.

7. WRITE DOWN THE BENEFITS YOU WILL ENJOY WHEN YOUR GOAL IS REACHED: Be as specific as possible, then add more details later if necessary. You must reward yourself when goals are reached. Your mind is goal seeking by nature. You must give your mind something to work toward or you won't accomplish very much.

For more information on these topics go to the following links:

Steps 3-7 Of Your Step-By-Step Financial Success Program
How To Grow Your Home Or Internet Business Rapidly
Home Business Enterprise And Home Business Shop Operations
How To Give An Effective Presentation
How To Overcome Objections
How To Close More Sales Effectively

Part IV: Failing To Learn Business FundamentalsReason Number 9 Of Why So Many People Fail In Home Businesses

Part IV: Record Keeping, Break Even Analysis & Business Statements

This is the final installment in our series on "Failing to Learn Business Fundamentals". Everyone in business must keep records. In this post we are going to discuss the importance of :

(1) Good Record Keeping
(2) Doing A Break Even Analysis
(3) How To Calculate Your Break Even Point
(4) Cash Flow Statements |
(5) Financial Statements |
(6) Income Statements | -----> Business Statements

Good business record keeping is very important to your business. These records will help you monitor progress, prepare your financial statements, keep track of deductible expenses, prepare your tax returns, and support items reported on tax returns. Business records can be divided into three categories: income, expenses, and capital expenditures.

Income Records - Your business may take in money from several sources. Maybe you sold your car to finance your business, or perhaps you received a business loan. You might receive income by selling goods and services to another business. Whatever the source of your income, it needs to be recorded.

Business records should indicate the type of payment received, the date it was received, and the source of the payment. While the information is fresh in your mind, write it down on the deposit slip in your checkbook. If your business sells services to another business, you should receive IRS Form 1099s from the payors, showing how much you were paid. Keep all of your income records in a central location.

Expense Records - Keep proof bills were paid, by holding on to copies of receipts, invoices, credit card slips, canceled checks, or rent receipts. These are standard documents that backup your business expenses. Each cost must appear reasonable and necessary for your business to deduct your business expenses from your taxes.

Asset Records - Whenever a business purchase gives you a long-term benefit-like a fax machine, a building, a car, or office furniture-these assets must be tracked separately from assets that will be used immediately, such as office supplies. These assets must be tracked separately because you generally can't deduct the entire cost of the asset in the year of purchase.

The IRS normally has three years to audit you and your business. So, you want to keep records for at least three years. However, if you seriously misreported your taxes, the IRS can go back six years. If you committed fraud, IRS can go back for an unlimited amount of time. Some state agencies have longer statute of limitations than the IRS, so to be safe, it's best to keep all tax-related documents for longer than three years.

Break Even Analysis

How can you tell if your business idea will be profitable? A break-even analysis shows you the amount of revenue you'll need to cover your expenses before you can make a profit. To perform a break-even analysis, you will need to know your expenses and sales revenues.

• Fixed costs. Fixed costs (sometimes called "overhead") don't vary much from month to month. They include rent, insurance, utilities, and other set expenses.Example: Mary recently opened a dress studio. She designs formal dresses and suits for women. Mary's fixed costs are $6,000 a month.
• Sales revenue. This is the total dollars from sales activity that you bring into your business each month or year. To perform a valid break-even analysis, you must base your forecast on the volume of business you really expect-not on how much you need to make a good profit.Example: Mary realistically believes she can sell 25 dresses each month. She charges $300 for each dress, so her monthly sales revenue is $7,500.
• Average gross profit for each sale. Average gross profit is the money left from each sales dollar after paying the direct costs of a sale. Direct costs are what you pay to provide your product or service.
  Example: Mary pays an average of $100 for goods to make the dresses she sells for $300. Therefore Mary's average gross profit is $200 for each sale.
• Average gross profit percentage. This percentage tells you how much of each dollar of sales income gross profit is. To calculate your average gross profit percentage, divide your average gross profit figure by the average selling price.Example: Mary makes an average gross profit of $200 on dresses that she sells for $300, so her gross profit percentage is 66.7 percent ($200 ÷ $300).

Calculating Your Break-Even Point

Simply divide your estimated fixed costs by your gross profit percentage to determine the amount of sales revenue you'll need to bring in just to break even.

Fixed Costs ÷ Gross Profit Percentage = Amount of Sales Revenue Needed to Break Even

Example: Mary's fixed costs are $6,000 per month and her expected profit margin is 66.7 percent. Therefore, her break-even point is close to $9,000 in sales revenue per month ($6,000 ÷ 0.667).

In other words, Mary must make $9,000 each month just to pay her fixed costs and her direct (product) costs. This number does not include any profit, or even a salary for Mary. Since Mary's break-even point is $9,000 a month and she has only estimated making $7,500 a month, she realizes that her business won't survive unless she makes some changes.

If You Can't Break Even. If your break-even point is higher than your expected revenues, you'll need to decide whether certain aspects of your plan can be changed to create an achievable break-even point. For instance, perhaps you can:

• Find a less expensive source of supplies
• Do without an employee
• Save rent by working out of your home, or
• Sell your product or service at a higher price.

Example: After Mary reviewed her break-even analysis, she decided to reduce her expenses by working from home rather than paying rent for a design studio. This will reduce Mary's fixed expenses from $6,000 a month to $1,500 a month. With these savings, her break-even point is now approximately $2,250 a month ($1,500 ÷ .667). Since Mary believes she can easily sell 25 dresses for $300 a piece each month, her total sales revenue will be $7,500 a month. Now Mary will make more than $5,000 in profit each month.

Cash Flow Statements

The cash-flow statement is your business's budget. It is one of the most critical information tools for your business, showing how much money you need to open your business and keep it running. It also shows when the money comes into the business and the expenses that need to be paid.

The result is the profit or loss at the end of the month or year. Just like your personal budget can show you that you need more income to cover your expenses, if the cash flow statement shows a loss, you will need more income to cover your expenses. Cash flow statements show four things:

1. Income - Where cash is coming from (sales, investments, other).
2. Expenses - Where cash is going (costs, interest, taxes).
3. Schedule - When the activity took place (which month or quarter).
4. Profit or Loss - How much is left over.

Financial Statements

Financial statements are important sources of financial information. Financial statements provide information about the financial health of your company. Business owners, investors, creditors, and the Internal Revenue Service use these statements. Some of the key figures include the income statement and the balance sheet.

Income Statements

The Income Statement is a formal financial statement that summarizes a company's operations (revenues and expenses) for a specific period of time, usually a month or year.

Small business owners use these statements to identify the areas of their business that are over or under budget. Items causing an unexpected expense can be pinpointed, such as phone, fax, mail, or supply expenses. Income statements can track dramatic increases in product returns or cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales. They also can be used to determine income tax liability.

For more information on these topics, go to Accion.Org. Next - "Falling for the Myth of Working Smart...Not Hard" - The number 10 reason why so many fail in home businesses.

Part III: Failing To Learn Business FundamentalsReason Number 9 Of Why So Many People Fail In Home Businesses

Part III: Marketing For Small Businesses

Marketing is a key way to promote your business and increase sales of your products or services. Understand that marketing takes time, planning and commitment - and it must be strategic.

The reason why your marketing efforts and your marketing plan must be strategic is because you may not have a product, service or information that has universal appeal. The best strategy to use is to carefully craft your message and target the market that has a need, desire or can use what you are offering.

If your goal is to grow your business, you can increase growth in four ways. They include:

• Acquiring more customers.
• Persuading each customer to buy more products.
• Persuading each customer to buy more expensive products or more products than they originally planned to purchase.
• Persuading each customer to buy more profitable products.

Meeting these goals will help increase your revenue and profit. Start first by focusing on acquiring more customers. By acquiring more customers you increase your customer base and your revenues then come from a larger base.

You can use marketing to acquire more customers, but keep in mind that marketing differs between small businesses and larger companies. If you are like the majority of small business owners, your marketing budget is limited.

You can maximize your budget by focusing your efforts on acquiring customers from a specific target group. The reason target marketing is important is only a proportion of the population is likely to purchase any products or service.

By taking time to pitch your sales and marketing efforts to the correct niche market, you will be more productive and not waste your efforts or time. To be successful in marketing you must consider the needs and wants of your customers.

People from different backgrounds and cultures have different needs and different interests. Try to appeal to people in ways that are most comfortable and familiar to them.

Develop an Effective Marketing Strategy for Your Business

Conduct Market Research and Analysis. Do not make assumptions about your target audiences. Conduct research to answer these questions: Who and where are they? Can you provide the services and products they want? What is a fair, competitive and reasonable price for your services? Look at your competition and ask how your organization and products compare.

Determine Your Product Profile. Examine the products you have to offer and see if you can match them to the demands of each of your markets. Do you have what they want? Are your products priced competitively? Can your audiences afford them? You may need to make adjustments to your products to make them more relevant to the needs of your market.

Create Compelling Messages. Create messages that speak directly to your target audiences and address what they want. Be specific and make sure you have the facts to back up your assertions. Message consistency and coordination are essential to effective marketing.

Implement Your Small Business Marketing Strategy. Your marketing strategy should designate how your messages will be delivered. Be creative while focusing on your goals, audiences, and messages. Components might include: participation in community events, conferences, flyers, posters, exhibits, meetings, and public speaking engagements.

Monitor the Budget. Be exact and realistic when putting together your budget. This will help you determine which components of your strategy can be completed right away. Remember not to lose sight of your goals.

Evaluate the Impact. Without an evaluation phase, you will not be sure your marketing strategy is successful. By measuring the success of marketing strategies, you can determine whether or not you are using your resources wisely and can make mid-course corrections to successfully attain your goals.

For more information on this topic go to Accion.Org or to our Information Warehouse.

Part II: Failing To Learn Business FundamentalsReason Number 9 Of Why So Many People Fail In Home Businesses

Part II: Fundamentals of Running a Successful Business

As an IMG.Ws Associate, the following are important points to remember:

1. Keep good business records of your income, expenses, and assets for at least three years.

2. Conduct a break-even analysis to help determine if your business idea is likely to be profitable.

3. Prepare a cash flow statement to better understand when money flows in and out of your business. Use income statements to identify areas in your business that are over or under budget.

Review your balance sheet regularly to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Look for creative, cost-effective ways to promote your business by creating a marketing strategy that is appealing to your target audience.

Managing your money wisely is the best way to make sure you and your family have financial security. Every business owner needs to understand how money comes in and goes out of his/her business.

If you ignore budgeting details, your business might not be successful. There are many similarities between budgeting for yourself and budgeting for your business. When you understand the basics of money management for yourself, you will be more prepared to set up a budget for your business.

Set measurable financial goals and establish plans to achieve them using money management. Develop a realistic spending plan. Create strategies to trim expenses and save money. For more information on learning business fundamentals go to Accion.Org.

Part I: Failing To Learn Business FundamentalsReason Number 9 Of Why So Many People Fail In Home Businesses

Learning business fundamentals is vitally important to your business success. This is Part I of a 4 part series. Before we continue our series on "Why So Many People Fail In Home Businesses", let's review the reasons we have learned to date.

#1. Poor Mind-Set
#2. Chasing The Wrong People
#3. Unsuitability
#4. Unrealistic Expectations
#5. Poor Management
#6. The Herd Mentality
#7. Your Personality
#8. Your PMI & PMA....and in this post...
#9. Failing To Learn Business Fundamentals.

It's unfornate that the vast majority of people starting home businesses, do not fully comprehend the facts that they are "Running, Managing and Growing a Business". A business venture is not something one enters into for social or esoterical reasons. You go into business to earn a profit from the sale of goods, services and/or information.

If profits or your profit making potential is not central to your business plan, theme or motive, you do not have a business, you have an enterprise or an undertaking. An undertaking can be about anything and for any reason. The vast majority of people that market virtual Internet junk programs are involved in undertakings.

In addition, the vast majority of people with legitimate business enterprises, treat their business ventures like undertakings. Therefore, they can not and will not succeed because they have not developed the proper mental attitude running, managing and growing a business requires.

Your objective as a business owner is to provide your customers with the best possible product/s, service/s and/or information their money can buy. You also want to discover any additional wants, needs and/or desires that exist or have been created within the general market environment that your business can satisfy. This is how you earn your profits. If you fail to accomplish one or both of these objectives, you won't be in business for long.

The methods, procedures, tools and regulatory requirements by which this is accomplished are the basic business fundamentals that guide your activities. Failing to follow proper; as well as cost effective methods and procedures can mean the end of your business activities. Failing to comply with established regulatory requirements can also end your business career.

To help you understand the importance of learning business fundamentals and what specific fundamentals you need to learn, we reccommend Accion.Org. Accion has workbooks and workshops that will help guide you through this important process. In the following series of post. we will identify key elements for you.