Time Management
"He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life... But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incident, chaos will soon reign." by novelist, Victor Hugo.
Risk Evaluation
"How do you judge whether some activity is worth the risk? Do you base it on your fear? No, you should do some things that scare you. Should you base it on the probability of success? No, I don't think that's the answer either. Risk must be evaluated not by the fear it generates in you or the probability of your success, but by the value of the goal." by John C Maxwell in Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success.
I have recently joined an A-Team (Accountability Team) with Todd Falcone for producing results in building my AP Flex Plus network marketing team (see Cool Links on left). As I have increased the number of contacts I am introducing daily to my business (whether they say 'Yes' or 'No' to the offer), I am getting more bold and brave in a lot of other areas at the same time. Previously, I would talk to a few people a week and then pin all my hopes on how those few might respond. Needless to say, that did not work very well.
I interact with more people each day. I ask for what I want directly and that is making all the difference. I do what I have not allowed myself to do for fear of disapproval or embarrassment and am more joyful. For example, I have written stories for many years and longed to read them aloud in public. Last night, for the very first time, I read my Maine short story, Swimming the Narrows... First at the Players Club in NYC in front of professional actors, comedians, musicians and poets. I shook for twenty minutes after I finished reading but I DID IT and you could have heard a pin drop while I read! I'm looking forward to stretching further and my next challenge. Scary and exciting!
So I dare you to act bravely and boldly in your own life, if you aren't already, and see what happens for you.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Easy Free Business Plan Template
I read a book by Scott Fox called e-Riches 2.0 that I thought was exceptional so this is a clip about creating a basic business plan from his blog at www.ScottFox.com. Enjoy!
My Easy 10 Question Free Business Plan Template by Scott Fox
Last week in my new Click Millionaires Forum, a member named Tony asked me for a free business plan template recommendation. My response? Most entrepreneurs spend way too much time on writing business plans. I’d rather see your creative energy invested in product development or marketing, things that will directly lead you to more revenue.
So I sat down and thought about all the business plans that I’ve written and seen over the years. I think that they all boil down to a few basic questions that apply to any startup business.
Here are my Top Ten questions I think are most important for you to answer when starting a new business. You can use these to focus your thinking and to impress potential partners or investors (like your spouse!). This basic business plan template doesn’t cover everything, but if you can answer these questions solidly, you are on your way. (Conversely, if you spend much time beyond answering these fundamental questions, your business planning process may be too much.)
Scott Fox’s Top Ten Business Plan Template Questions
1. Who is your target customer? Be specific.
2. How does your product or service solve a problem for them?
3. Will your solution to the problem be unique and valuable enough that these customers will pay you a good price for it?
4. How can you reach this target audience cost-effectively?
5. Will satisfied customers naturally tell others? If so, how can you encourage them to do so?
6. How much time and money can you afford to invest in this new business before you need to stop? (Set a time and money cut-off.)
7. What will it cost you to get started? Why? How can the Internet reduce those costs?
8. If you make conservative assumptions about the number of people who buy, and how much it costs you in both time and money to sell to them, can you make enough money to achieve your goals?
9. How can you differentiate yourself from the competition?
10. What are the 3 key assumptions you are making that are required for you to succeed? Are they reasonable and probable? If not, what could you do to change them?
Bonus Question: How can you systematize your new business so it takes proportionally less of your time as it grows but makes as much or more money? (Creating a business that will grow without you can lead to a true Click Millionaire lifestyle!)
[Note: These questions are for a solopreneur considering starting a new venture. If you are planning a larger venture or looking to raise money from investors, you’ll need to be a lot more thorough, especially with financial analysis.]
An Easy, Instant Business Plan!
If you can write just a couple of solid paragraphs answering each of these questions, you will be well on your way to creating a respectable business plan, as well as clarifying your own strategy. Don’t fall victim to “analysis paralysis” by over-indulging in business planning. I recommend emphasizing “doing” over “planning”. It pays the bills much better!
My Easy 10 Question Free Business Plan Template by Scott Fox
Last week in my new Click Millionaires Forum, a member named Tony asked me for a free business plan template recommendation. My response? Most entrepreneurs spend way too much time on writing business plans. I’d rather see your creative energy invested in product development or marketing, things that will directly lead you to more revenue.
So I sat down and thought about all the business plans that I’ve written and seen over the years. I think that they all boil down to a few basic questions that apply to any startup business.
Here are my Top Ten questions I think are most important for you to answer when starting a new business. You can use these to focus your thinking and to impress potential partners or investors (like your spouse!). This basic business plan template doesn’t cover everything, but if you can answer these questions solidly, you are on your way. (Conversely, if you spend much time beyond answering these fundamental questions, your business planning process may be too much.)
Scott Fox’s Top Ten Business Plan Template Questions
1. Who is your target customer? Be specific.
2. How does your product or service solve a problem for them?
3. Will your solution to the problem be unique and valuable enough that these customers will pay you a good price for it?
4. How can you reach this target audience cost-effectively?
5. Will satisfied customers naturally tell others? If so, how can you encourage them to do so?
6. How much time and money can you afford to invest in this new business before you need to stop? (Set a time and money cut-off.)
7. What will it cost you to get started? Why? How can the Internet reduce those costs?
8. If you make conservative assumptions about the number of people who buy, and how much it costs you in both time and money to sell to them, can you make enough money to achieve your goals?
9. How can you differentiate yourself from the competition?
10. What are the 3 key assumptions you are making that are required for you to succeed? Are they reasonable and probable? If not, what could you do to change them?
Bonus Question: How can you systematize your new business so it takes proportionally less of your time as it grows but makes as much or more money? (Creating a business that will grow without you can lead to a true Click Millionaire lifestyle!)
[Note: These questions are for a solopreneur considering starting a new venture. If you are planning a larger venture or looking to raise money from investors, you’ll need to be a lot more thorough, especially with financial analysis.]
An Easy, Instant Business Plan!
If you can write just a couple of solid paragraphs answering each of these questions, you will be well on your way to creating a respectable business plan, as well as clarifying your own strategy. Don’t fall victim to “analysis paralysis” by over-indulging in business planning. I recommend emphasizing “doing” over “planning”. It pays the bills much better!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
If You Want to Be Prosperous...
I came across this quote in a book I'm reading, Power Networking by Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas and loved it so here goes...
"If you want to be prosperous for a year, grow grain.
If you want to be prosperous for ten years, grow trees.
If you want to be prosperous for a lifetime, grow people." Proverb
Fantastic! It set me to thinking about who I am grateful to for my own growth and nurturing and whose growth I have contributed to in my life. A moment of quiet, a matter for humbleness, a profound sense of gratitude and thankfulness.
"If you want to be prosperous for a year, grow grain.
If you want to be prosperous for ten years, grow trees.
If you want to be prosperous for a lifetime, grow people." Proverb
Fantastic! It set me to thinking about who I am grateful to for my own growth and nurturing and whose growth I have contributed to in my life. A moment of quiet, a matter for humbleness, a profound sense of gratitude and thankfulness.
Friday, September 25, 2009
How Are You Listening?
Two Choices
You are either listening to them, whether they are a home buyer, house seller or investor, your husband or wife, friend or colleague, or your boss, or you are listening to yourself.
Who they are and what they are concerned about drives what conversation and action happens next. If you are truly listening with focused attention to what they say (not just the surface words but all levels), you will know if the next step is a question, an offer or response in a negotiation, or a call to action. Also, most of us have so much going on that we are very distracted in our interactions with others. Having a conversation with someone who is paying attention only to you is compelling and seductive and stacks the deck in your favor in ANY negotiation.
If you are listening to yourself, what is the conversation you are having and where does that leave the person standing in front of you?
* Have you decided beforehand what is going to happen in the interaction? Usually, as I'm certain you have already observed, in our talks with ourselves, it ends badly.
* Are you answering your objections, as if you were in their position, or their objections?
* Are your responses colored by a history of success or failure and do you carry that history forward from one interaction to the next?
* Are your dreams and goals big enough to carry you past any and all experiences?
* Who are you listening to about you (those who believe in your capacity for greatness, whether already realized or not, or those who don't)?
Have you ever been at a cocktail party and the person you are talking with is looking over your shoulder for the next more important person? Or they just answered something you never said? As a contrast, have you ever been talking with someone, either professionally or personally, who was really listening to and interested in you? Intoxicating!
If you are making a choice about building a professional or personal relationship with an individual or company attentively listening to your concerns or one who is preoccupied with their own, who would you choose?
Listening well can close deals.
You are either listening to them, whether they are a home buyer, house seller or investor, your husband or wife, friend or colleague, or your boss, or you are listening to yourself.
Who they are and what they are concerned about drives what conversation and action happens next. If you are truly listening with focused attention to what they say (not just the surface words but all levels), you will know if the next step is a question, an offer or response in a negotiation, or a call to action. Also, most of us have so much going on that we are very distracted in our interactions with others. Having a conversation with someone who is paying attention only to you is compelling and seductive and stacks the deck in your favor in ANY negotiation.
If you are listening to yourself, what is the conversation you are having and where does that leave the person standing in front of you?
* Have you decided beforehand what is going to happen in the interaction? Usually, as I'm certain you have already observed, in our talks with ourselves, it ends badly.
* Are you answering your objections, as if you were in their position, or their objections?
* Are your responses colored by a history of success or failure and do you carry that history forward from one interaction to the next?
* Are your dreams and goals big enough to carry you past any and all experiences?
* Who are you listening to about you (those who believe in your capacity for greatness, whether already realized or not, or those who don't)?
Have you ever been at a cocktail party and the person you are talking with is looking over your shoulder for the next more important person? Or they just answered something you never said? As a contrast, have you ever been talking with someone, either professionally or personally, who was really listening to and interested in you? Intoxicating!
If you are making a choice about building a professional or personal relationship with an individual or company attentively listening to your concerns or one who is preoccupied with their own, who would you choose?
Listening well can close deals.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Shall We Dance?
I went to Tavern on the Green for a networking event but there were many fewer people there than were advertised. The DJ and music were good, the lanterns were lit, the topiary King Kong towered next to the bar and the dance floor was empty. My feet were tapping, my head was bobbing in rhythm to the music and I wanted to dance but I was alone. My husband was still at work. Surreptitiously, I looked past the close-knit tables of people, the two men talking by the bar, for a single man with fingers drumming to the beat on the bar or head moving in time. YES! I walked over and asked, "Do you want to dance?" "ABsolutely!" Mitch answered. Neither of us cared how we looked (graceful or awkward, sweaty, yup!) so we were free to dance to the music and have fun...
Life is like that. Just having the courage to ask for what I want can turn a good day into a fabulous one... And, when I get lucky (or study the signs to stack the odds), often the other person is of the same mindset.
Life is like that. Just having the courage to ask for what I want can turn a good day into a fabulous one... And, when I get lucky (or study the signs to stack the odds), often the other person is of the same mindset.
Monday, September 21, 2009
How to Evaluate Your Network Marketing Company (Before You Join)
When you join a network marketing company, consider your purpose FIRST.
Will this network marketing opportunity be your part-time or your full-time business?
How much time and money are you willing to spend building your business and for how long?
What return on your investment (amount of money you expect to make) do you need for it to be worthwhile starting?
COMPANY
Does the company have a track record or is it a new launch?
If the company is an established company, it will have more credibility and provide a higher comfort level for your downline but, unless the company changes the comp plan or adds a new line of products to create new excitement about participating, growth will be much slower if you join later. Historically, early movers make the most. However, if a stable company innovates, its progress can be unstoppable because all the systems are already in place and functioning well and credibility is unquestionable.
If the company is a launch, its success and longevity is untested. It may or may not be around in a year, depending on whether the timing is right for the product or service, whether the idea and comp plan are sexy enough to excite interest, whether the company has enough capital to survive growing pains, and whether big network marketing players choose to jump in. That said, EVERY company begins with an idea and being positioned at the top in a successful launch company can be worth millions.
TEAM
Are your upline sponsor and team exceptional leaders?
Your odds of building a successful team of your own improve if they are. In addition to company marketing support (replicated Web site, teleconference calls, Webinars), a great upline can add supplemental calls, Webinars and local meetings). Network marketing stars can also identify the great opportunities more easily than the average person because of their previous experiences. Follow their lead.
Do you like and trust them as your partners in your business?
Determine what values and qualities you need in your partnership for it to work. Code of honor, trust, integrity, teamwork are a good start.
Have they made significant money in network marketing in the past?
If you want to make an extra $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000 a month extra in your business, you need to hang out with upline leaders who have done over $10,000 a month already in a previous network marketing business and can show you how. If you want to make millions, learn from millionaires and do what they do.
PRODUCT
Do you love and use the product or service?
If you are excited about a product or service from your own experiences, that energy is infectious to other people. You will be able to tell others how it helped you and how it could benefit them too. If your offer fits what they are looking for, they will follow you. If, on the other hand, you have no interest in the product, such as someone who doesn't wear makeup becoming an Avon distributor, why would anyone else?
Are you becoming a representative to build a part-time or full-time business with this particular company?
Manage your expectations of money earned and time spent. Network marketing is a people empowerment business at its best. Track your results ongoingly to see how you are doing on your written goals. Be aware nothing happens in a minute except failing. EVERYTHING has a learning curve and, probably, some discomfort to get past what you already know. Start climbing and give yourself a time frame when you will reassess your progress.
Are you becoming a representative to get discounts and to refer friends to the product or service?
Do not expect to make a lot of money if your purpose is primarily to get products or services you love more economically. Remember your own intentions. As a representative, you can choose to apply the effort to build a business as well later, if you like.
COMPENSATION PLAN
How much do you want to make with your business?
Set your financial goals at the beginning and make periodic assessments of your actions taken and results. If you don't define where you are going, you will have a hard time getting there.
What is the compensation plan and does its structure align with your goals?
Understand the compensation plan. There are lots and lots of possibilities (binary, matrix, straight line, profit-sharing, etc.). How do you make money on the front-end and on the back-end? Do you need to make money immediately, later or both? What do you need to do to be paid? Be sure you understand what results you need to accomplish to get to the money. Have someone in your upline explain the pay plan for the opportunity clearly.
PRICE
Is the price right for the value of the offer?
Value is inherently very subjective. To enroll a greater number of people, often the price is lower but the level of engagement in working the business may be less serious. At a higher price, perceived value also goes up. It also varies according to where you are (country, city, suburbs, economic background, neighborhood, ethnic diversity). The only important question is, "Will you pay that price?"
TIMING
Is the timing for the offer NOW?
Look around curiously. What do you observe happening in your town, city, state, country or world? If unemployment is high, income generation opportunities (good, bad & indifferent) will thrive. What problems does the network marketing company that you are evaluating address? For example, a number of network marketing companies have vitamins and supplements intended to address the diminishing nutritional value of the food we grow. What trends do you see in action and what trends can you speculate are coming? Getting ahead of the curve very slightly but not so far ahead that nobody else can see what you do is how to make a LOT of money.
EVALUATE your opportunity and TAKE ACTION - in or out!
Will this network marketing opportunity be your part-time or your full-time business?
How much time and money are you willing to spend building your business and for how long?
What return on your investment (amount of money you expect to make) do you need for it to be worthwhile starting?
COMPANY
Does the company have a track record or is it a new launch?
If the company is an established company, it will have more credibility and provide a higher comfort level for your downline but, unless the company changes the comp plan or adds a new line of products to create new excitement about participating, growth will be much slower if you join later. Historically, early movers make the most. However, if a stable company innovates, its progress can be unstoppable because all the systems are already in place and functioning well and credibility is unquestionable.
If the company is a launch, its success and longevity is untested. It may or may not be around in a year, depending on whether the timing is right for the product or service, whether the idea and comp plan are sexy enough to excite interest, whether the company has enough capital to survive growing pains, and whether big network marketing players choose to jump in. That said, EVERY company begins with an idea and being positioned at the top in a successful launch company can be worth millions.
TEAM
Are your upline sponsor and team exceptional leaders?
Your odds of building a successful team of your own improve if they are. In addition to company marketing support (replicated Web site, teleconference calls, Webinars), a great upline can add supplemental calls, Webinars and local meetings). Network marketing stars can also identify the great opportunities more easily than the average person because of their previous experiences. Follow their lead.
Do you like and trust them as your partners in your business?
Determine what values and qualities you need in your partnership for it to work. Code of honor, trust, integrity, teamwork are a good start.
Have they made significant money in network marketing in the past?
If you want to make an extra $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000 a month extra in your business, you need to hang out with upline leaders who have done over $10,000 a month already in a previous network marketing business and can show you how. If you want to make millions, learn from millionaires and do what they do.
PRODUCT
Do you love and use the product or service?
If you are excited about a product or service from your own experiences, that energy is infectious to other people. You will be able to tell others how it helped you and how it could benefit them too. If your offer fits what they are looking for, they will follow you. If, on the other hand, you have no interest in the product, such as someone who doesn't wear makeup becoming an Avon distributor, why would anyone else?
Are you becoming a representative to build a part-time or full-time business with this particular company?
Manage your expectations of money earned and time spent. Network marketing is a people empowerment business at its best. Track your results ongoingly to see how you are doing on your written goals. Be aware nothing happens in a minute except failing. EVERYTHING has a learning curve and, probably, some discomfort to get past what you already know. Start climbing and give yourself a time frame when you will reassess your progress.
Are you becoming a representative to get discounts and to refer friends to the product or service?
Do not expect to make a lot of money if your purpose is primarily to get products or services you love more economically. Remember your own intentions. As a representative, you can choose to apply the effort to build a business as well later, if you like.
COMPENSATION PLAN
How much do you want to make with your business?
Set your financial goals at the beginning and make periodic assessments of your actions taken and results. If you don't define where you are going, you will have a hard time getting there.
What is the compensation plan and does its structure align with your goals?
Understand the compensation plan. There are lots and lots of possibilities (binary, matrix, straight line, profit-sharing, etc.). How do you make money on the front-end and on the back-end? Do you need to make money immediately, later or both? What do you need to do to be paid? Be sure you understand what results you need to accomplish to get to the money. Have someone in your upline explain the pay plan for the opportunity clearly.
PRICE
Is the price right for the value of the offer?
Value is inherently very subjective. To enroll a greater number of people, often the price is lower but the level of engagement in working the business may be less serious. At a higher price, perceived value also goes up. It also varies according to where you are (country, city, suburbs, economic background, neighborhood, ethnic diversity). The only important question is, "Will you pay that price?"
TIMING
Is the timing for the offer NOW?
Look around curiously. What do you observe happening in your town, city, state, country or world? If unemployment is high, income generation opportunities (good, bad & indifferent) will thrive. What problems does the network marketing company that you are evaluating address? For example, a number of network marketing companies have vitamins and supplements intended to address the diminishing nutritional value of the food we grow. What trends do you see in action and what trends can you speculate are coming? Getting ahead of the curve very slightly but not so far ahead that nobody else can see what you do is how to make a LOT of money.
EVALUATE your opportunity and TAKE ACTION - in or out!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Power of Defining Questions - 3 Tips
Everybody looks for answers but it is questions that shape lives. What questions are you asking to direct your job/work/career, relationships, retirement, giving back, etc.? Good questions allow you to dance with life. Bad ones and you will probably be pushed around by it instead.
1) Should I Ask Narrow or Broad Questions?
a) Narrow questions are for choosing between two to three options you have already decided to pursue. For example, shall I take a position with Microsoft at 80K or Apple at 90K? If salary is the only issue, you will wind up working at Apple.
But what if you like the corporate culture better, or they offered stock options on top or you saw more upward mobility at Microsoft? What would you choose then?
b) Broad questions are for matching what you want to be, do and have in your life with ALL the possible choices.
For example, if you have been downsized from your job and decide to pursue dreams of building a business, you have to figure out your niche.
What industry suits you - accounting, finance, sales, computers, environment, real estate, etc.?
How much money do you want to make and how fast?
How much time are you willing to invest?
Do you have sufficient capital to launch your start-up, how much is required and how long before you see a return?
Who will your customers be - individuals or companies, domestic or international, online, offline or both, people-centric or technology-centric?
What do the market trends indicate about your chosen path?
2) How Can I Make the Most Effective Distinctions?
Ask yourself,
What did I enjoy most in my various jobs (industry, activities, teamwork, culture, finance, marketing, etc.) or relationships (funny, smart, rich, tall, interesting, cultured, whatever)? What did I like least?
Where do I spend my time? Look there for your passionate commitments.
Who do I like spending time with and what qualities must be present?
In the balance between time and money, what do I need and want?
Where will I live (city, country, suburbs, hot or cold, etc.)?
What kind of lifestyle is important to me and my family?
When my life is in balance, what does or should it look like?
3) How Do I Develop Rainmaker Skills?
In life, unless you are in a stable job (which, in this economy, is a precarious certainty), it just makes sense to learn how to generate income and be able to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. Life is unpredictable, just ask the Bernie Madoff victims or the rank-and-file at Lehman Brothers or the employees at Enron. Fortunately, there are so many ways to do that with new technologies. Here we go again... asking questions.
Am I outgoing and extroverted so sales and making presentations is easy?
Am I introverted but very comfortable with Web 2.0 technologies, Internet and affiliate business online?
Each choice has pros and cons. The extrovert may want a back office tech person who could be in-person or virtual. The introvert will probably want to team up with somebody who can make direct sales.
Once you have made the proper distinctions, what do you need to learn to maximize your ability to make money?
In St. Exupery's The Little Prince, the fox tells the little prince that he is unique in all the world. I believe that is true of each of us. We all have a choice to make - to live into our fullness or not, to fulfill our goals and dreams or not. If we choose to shrink back from who we can be and what we have to contribute in the world, nobody can take our place.
What dreams lie in you, expectantly waiting to be realized in action?
1) Should I Ask Narrow or Broad Questions?
a) Narrow questions are for choosing between two to three options you have already decided to pursue. For example, shall I take a position with Microsoft at 80K or Apple at 90K? If salary is the only issue, you will wind up working at Apple.
But what if you like the corporate culture better, or they offered stock options on top or you saw more upward mobility at Microsoft? What would you choose then?
b) Broad questions are for matching what you want to be, do and have in your life with ALL the possible choices.
For example, if you have been downsized from your job and decide to pursue dreams of building a business, you have to figure out your niche.
What industry suits you - accounting, finance, sales, computers, environment, real estate, etc.?
How much money do you want to make and how fast?
How much time are you willing to invest?
Do you have sufficient capital to launch your start-up, how much is required and how long before you see a return?
Who will your customers be - individuals or companies, domestic or international, online, offline or both, people-centric or technology-centric?
What do the market trends indicate about your chosen path?
2) How Can I Make the Most Effective Distinctions?
Ask yourself,
What did I enjoy most in my various jobs (industry, activities, teamwork, culture, finance, marketing, etc.) or relationships (funny, smart, rich, tall, interesting, cultured, whatever)? What did I like least?
Where do I spend my time? Look there for your passionate commitments.
Who do I like spending time with and what qualities must be present?
In the balance between time and money, what do I need and want?
Where will I live (city, country, suburbs, hot or cold, etc.)?
What kind of lifestyle is important to me and my family?
When my life is in balance, what does or should it look like?
3) How Do I Develop Rainmaker Skills?
In life, unless you are in a stable job (which, in this economy, is a precarious certainty), it just makes sense to learn how to generate income and be able to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. Life is unpredictable, just ask the Bernie Madoff victims or the rank-and-file at Lehman Brothers or the employees at Enron. Fortunately, there are so many ways to do that with new technologies. Here we go again... asking questions.
Am I outgoing and extroverted so sales and making presentations is easy?
Am I introverted but very comfortable with Web 2.0 technologies, Internet and affiliate business online?
Each choice has pros and cons. The extrovert may want a back office tech person who could be in-person or virtual. The introvert will probably want to team up with somebody who can make direct sales.
Once you have made the proper distinctions, what do you need to learn to maximize your ability to make money?
In St. Exupery's The Little Prince, the fox tells the little prince that he is unique in all the world. I believe that is true of each of us. We all have a choice to make - to live into our fullness or not, to fulfill our goals and dreams or not. If we choose to shrink back from who we can be and what we have to contribute in the world, nobody can take our place.
What dreams lie in you, expectantly waiting to be realized in action?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
President Obama leadership, the economy & health care
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)