Want To See The Top 50 Business Plan Posts Of The Year?

Hi Everyone, I was just taking it easy this morning, browsing some forums, blogs, sites, etc. I came across a gem for business people looking for information on how to form business plans for their company. And everyone knows how important it is to have a business plan, right?

Once you set your business goals, why, you must make up plans to achieve them, right? You would be surprised how many people just skip over this step. (Are you one of them? I have been guilty of this myself. GRINS.)

Anyway, back to the point. Here is a post outlining The Top 50 Business Plan Posts Of The Year on Evan Carmichael's site. They have literally searched through the internet and came up with what they thought were the best business plan posts created.

So if you are looking to be successful in business of any type, go over there and check it out. Nuff said. See you later.

Al

Have You Clearly Defined What Success Means To You?

Define Success

Have you ever asked yourself why you want to succeed online?

If not, ... allow me to ask you ...

So, ... why do you want to succeed online?

Do you have e reason for it? Do you clearly know what the reason is?

Do you think other people are succeeding online? Are they more successful than you are? Are you more successful than them? Why?

Are you currently succeeding online? Do you feel successful? How do YOU define success in general?

These questions are very important questions in your journey to online success. The nature of your answer to these questions would significantly impact your mission.

We all have a pre-programmed definition of success. We all know what will make us successful in other people's eyes and what will personally make us feel successful. We have needs, wishes, wants and cravings for the results we desire.

But only you know what's important for you and what would drive you to achieve your vision of success, whether online or offline. You're the only one who can unlock the door to your hidden treasure of desires. Desires so powerful that would literally force you out of your comfort zone to find the success you seek.

What are you doing it for? What's in it for you?

Few years back, I joined a network marketing company that was doing business the *old way* of calling people on the phone, setting a meeting and presenting the prospects with a business opportunity. That was one of my best experiences ever.

I had an opportunity to interact with hundreds of different people from different walks of life. Different educational background, different culture, different life circumstances, different age, different business background ....

The most amazing thing was that they all had a different vision of success. They all had a different understanding of what success was and what it meant to them.

While going through the course of offering the business opportunity, some of the people were telling me that they were doing just fine with their life as it was. Even though I was offering them a business opportunity that would've given them results far beyond their wildest dreams, they were declining the offer with a comment that they were already successful in what they were doing and they were not looking for more in their life.

Other people would tell me that they were already working on achieving the results that they were striving for. My business opportunity did not offer the types of results that they wanted to accomplish. And others would simply take the opportunity since they had no other vehicle to take them to their desired results.

In general, I did not meet two people with same aspirations. Everyone wanted to be successful in his or her own unique way -- successful in regards to other people and successful in regards to themselves.

So, the question I would like to ask you is: "Why do you want to achieve online success and what are you doing it for?"

Is there something you desire to have as a result of you becoming successful online? It's very important to define your desired outcome - crisp and clear - as a result of you becoming a successful online entrepreneur. That would become your map. That would give you a direction to follow.

What do you want to have and who do you want to become as a result of you becoming successful with your online venture?

By having that fact defined, your success journey would then consist of finding the right sources to get you there as opposed to jumping onto every train that passes by with a hope that one of them would take you to your success.

You could use your list of defined results that you want to accomplish as an evaluation method when looking at different business opportunities or products. Ask yourself, could the business opportunity or even a product under your consideration, deliver most or all of your desired results?

In today's environment of ever changing technology and evolving life complexity, we don't have much time in our hands. Do we?

The "time" is slowly but surely becoming one of the most valuable commodities. The fact of knowing what you want to accomplish with your online venture would help you grasp the success you seek in the shortest time possible and help you understand the purpose of your mission.

I go in great detail on this subject in my book "Define Your Success."

by Steve Dimeck

© Steve Dimeck, webmaster and author. His recently published ebook "The Success Maze" provides an "Apt solution" (in the words of Neil Shearing) for people who want to succeed online but feel a bit lost in the online "Maze." Free details at: http://www.thesuccessmaze.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Dimeck

Resolve To Keep Your Company Lean . . . And Profitable

I received a newsletter today from HBB Confidential. I receive quite a few informative newsletters that keep me on the cutting edge, and those that don't keep me interested I unsubscribe quickly.

This one always has me wanting more and I want to share an article today that I enjoyed thoroughly. Laurie Hayes wrote this article about how she is making changes in her day to day business operations to become more effective and more efficient.

Since this is a new year you might think that this is only applicable when making great sweeping changes, but this information can be effective anytime at all. In fact whenever you are reading this is the best time of all, meaning NOW! There is no time like the present.

Here is a little teaser here and the link to the full article below.

TIME TO TRIM THE FAT FROM YOUR HOME-BASED BUSINESS?

I don't know what came over me this holiday season, but for whatever reason, I had this overwhelming urge to start cutting the fat from my business.

It was starting to look like an over-stuffed turkey and although you might think, 'Is that really such a bad thing?' -- it is if the stuffing has little flavor or nutritional value.

There was too much going on both in my business and in my head.

I decided to make some lifestyle and business-style decisions before January 1st. This was too important to wait.

I made a list of all the things I should be doing consistently but wasn't, even though I knew they produced terrific results.

I made a list of the things I shouldn't be doing, but was.

Although I have a mastermind group and a good support system, I set out to find a new mentor and coach who has already achieved the level of success I'm aiming for.

And, I made a list of the relationships that do not contribute to my life or business in a meaningful way.

Then this is what I did ...

Full article here.

The Tragic Reality of Poor Planning - In Marriage or In Business!

A Quick Quote before we get to today's article: "If I had only an hour to chop down a tree, I'd spend 45 minutes sharpening my axe." -- Abraham Lincoln

The Tragic Reality of Poor Planning

Today's Saturday. I was supposed to be at a wedding.

Our good friends, the ones we go on family trips with and fishing and hunting adventures were set to walk down the aisle at 2 o'clock.

The story begins like most others, boy meets girl, boy likes girl and girl likes boy too. They had a lot of fun over the last few years; traveled, enjoyed time with friends, enjoyed quiet time together, raised two puppies and a cat.

They had their ups and downs as most people do but were experiencing a few more downs than ups as they headed into this year.

They determined they had two options. Break up or get married. She opted for a July wedding. He wanted October.

As the wedding date drew closer their stress levels escalated as did the frequency of arguments.

A week ago, they addressed issues they hadn't seriously talked about before -- the subject of kids, a prenuptial agreement, how finances were going to be handled. They discovered they were at opposite ends on almost every issue.

It was a difficult time for both because there was a lot of "housekeeping" to go through. It became apparent that marrying each other would prove disastrous in the end.

We got the call three days ago. The wedding is off.

Why am I telling you this?

Because marriage is a lot like running your own business. You may have all of the love and passion in the world for it, but it is absolutely, no if-ands-or-buts necessary to plan for your success.

Before you commit any time, money, effort, or tears, make sure you're doing what's right for you. Identify your core values, your vision for the future, your desires, needs and expectations.

Make sure you know everything you need to know about the business you want to spend the rest of your life with (if that's your plan). What do you need to do and who do you need to become to make sure the love remains?

Imagine both you and your business growing together and measure your feelings as you contemplate this. If you love change, will your business allow you to expand to include other products, services, programs or models?

Picture your business as a stone in your hand. Roll it over and examine it from every angle. Look for the smooth lines. Find the rough edges. Know your business intimately as you contemplate your future with it and decide if it's a right fit.

You certainly won't know everything about your business as you start out. It will present you with surprises and challenges along the way.

The important thing to understand is there will be bumps and maybe even bruises, but you know where you're going and that the vision for you and your business is solid.

Decide in advance if you want to have "children." In other words, what dreams do you have of expansion, creating multiple businesses, multiple products or services.

Take care of the "pre-nup." This means cover your legal requirements. Business registration, type of ownership (sole, partnership or incorporation), insurance, by-laws, licenses, trademarks, copyrights, and so on.

Address finances. Will you fund your business on your own? Seek start-up capital and if so from whom? Will you extend credit or request payment up front?

Choices won't always be black and white either. Sometimes there will be a mix required. Instead of "break-up" or "get married" look for alternatives. Perhaps additional education or information gathering is necessary before you make any decision.

Do the necessary exploration and vision-creation work first so you can head into the future with excitement and confidence.

Start on solid ground and enjoy a long, happy life together.

2006 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source

Laurie Hayes is the expert and visionary behind The HBB Confidential, a no-cost bi-weekly ezine for home-based business owners. Each issue delivers simple strategies you can use right away to build a profitable home business while creating fun and freedom in your life! Go to http://www.thehbbsource.com to learn more.

Top 7 Mastery Principles To Building A $1,000,000+ Enterprise

Top 7 Mastery Principles To Building A $1,000,000+ Enterprise

Are you aware of the single ** most powerful ** asset in your business? Is it money? Is it employees? Is it your credentials or intellectual knowledge? Is it your products or services?

No, actually, it is none of these. Your single most important business asset is your MIND ... more specifically, your mindset.

Your business only grows as quickly as you, your mind and your thinking do. If you want to create a $1,000,000+ business, you must think like a $1,000,000+ business owner. You must in your mind’s eye already BE a $1,000,000 business owner.

The seven mindset principles below are crucial to building a $1,000,000+ business. Print this list, and refer to it often. Devoting as little as 15-30 minutes per day to shifting your mindset is THE single best investment in building your $1,000,000+ enterprise.

1. THE PRINCIPLE OF TRANSCENDENT PURPOSE

Great companies and great business leaders do great things that leave a lasting legacy and make this world a better place for you and me. Such leaders create CAUSES, not businesses. If you want to get to the $1,000,000+ level in your business, you must have at its core a “transcendent” purpose for its existence - a purpose that bigger than yourself and your own self-interests.

Viktor Frankl, the great Austrian psychiatrist,said it best: “Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue ... as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” What is the transcendent purpose of your business? How can you make your business a vehicle for making a differencein your customers’ lives?

2. THE PRINCIPLE OF HIGH PROBABILITY THINKING

Whatever you focus on, that is what you will multiply in your business. If you focus on the problem, you will get more of the problem. If you focus on finding a solution, the door will open to more solutions. Wherever your attention is, will drive your most probable outcome. Where is your attention right now in your business - on the problem or on the solution?? How must you shift your attention in your business to get to the $1,000,000+ level?

3. THE PRINCIPLE OF MAGNETIC ATTRACTION

What you think , you magnetize and attract. Your ** thoughts ** make your business and your world. Eg., if you are attracting low income producing or difficult customers, your beliefs about your income worthiness or about the kind of clientele that will want your products/services are attracting such marginal customers. Your business is **always** a mirror of your own inner thinking.

To go to the next level in your business, you must first get to the next level in your mind. You must know the value you offer and raise your mental sights on the kind of customers you want to attract. What challenges do you have in your business currently? How do they mirror back to you your thinking?

4. THE PRINCIPLE OF DELIBERATE CREATION

Having hopes, dreams and visions of becoming a $1,000,000+ enterprise is not enough to create it, although certainly a first step. Deliberate creation comes from deliberate intention, from making a **decision**, that no matter, what you will take your business to the next level.

When we come from a place of 100% committed intention, synchronicity and magic happen. Finding the right people and resources to support your vision unfolds effortlessly. Momentum pulls you in the direction of your dreams. Are you in a wishful state or have you committed 100% to creating your visions and dreams? What willit take to be 100% committed?

5. THE PRINCIPLE OF MASTERMIND MARKETING

Marketing is **not** a battle of products. It’s a battle of PERCEPTIONS. It all starts in the customer’s mind. Perceived value, first and foremost, is what attracts customers to your business. Real value is what retains them. What are you doing to create perceived value in your customer’s mind? Are you winning the battle of
perceptions?

6. THE PRINCIPLE OF SUPERIOR CONSEQUENCES

With every action, there is a consequence or outcome. While you cannot control the outcome, you can control and are responsible for your actions. This principle tells us If you want a different consequence or outcome in your business, you must take different actions.

No matter what your current level of success, a $1,000,000+ enterprise requires higher level strategies and higher level performance actions than your past efforts. Where are you getting inferior outcomes or results in your business? What different actions can you take to create a different outcome?

7. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTAL RICHES

All riches are of the mind *** first ***. It is your MENTAL ATTITUDE that determines the difference between a floundering $10,000/year business and a booming $1,000,000+ empire. “As you believe, so shall you receive.” If you were to picture a $1,000,000+ business, how would that business be different than what you are operating now?? How differently would YOU need to be to run a $1,000,000+ business?

A FINAL NOTE: Mindset changes do not happen overnight. It takes persistent focus, effort and attention to shifting deeply embedded thinking to a new level.

However, just 15-30 minutes of time daily to mastering these principles and shifting your thinking can reap much greater rewards in your business than 1000 hours of additional efforts. The creation of a $1,000,000+ enterprise is only a mindset away.

by Denise Corcoran

About the Author:

Denise Corcoran - CEO, The Empowered Business (tm) - is a Business & Leadership Coach, Strategic Consultant, Master NLP Practitioner. http://www.empoweredbusiness.com/ Learn the legendary secrets of top business achievers. Our ezine is YOUR exclusive source. To subscribe (+ claim your BONUS): http://www.goldbar.net/go.php?id=7996&c=1738&ac=isnare


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Goals And Your Home Business

Goal Setting: The Secret To Home Business Success

The ability to set goals and effectively motivate yourself to achieve them are two essential skills that will help you achieve success in you home business.

To try and start a business without goals could be compared to throwing a baseball pitch, blindfolded in the dark. What would be your chance of getting your pitch on target? Never mind getting a strike-out. Unless you are very lucky it is unlikely that you will have any success without properly setting out goals.

If when you start your home business, in what ever field it maybe, if you have no goals and aim at nothing, is it not unlikely that you will hit nothing and achieve nothing?

To set effective goals there are a few things you need to know about yourself which will affect how you set your goals. You are affected by, the environment in which you live, your experience and knowledge, your attitude and dreams and visions for the future.

When you set your goals you need to decide what you want and when you want to achieve each goal. You should spend time writing down your goals and display them in a prominent position where you will see them daily to remind yourself to stay motivated and focused. Cross off your goals once they’ve been achieved, adding new ones to ensure your business keeps growing.

“Don’t set your Goals to low. If you don’t need much, you won’t become much”. - - Jim Rohn - -

I’m sure you will have come across the SMART analogy, with regards to goal setting. It contains the most important concepts to consider and adhere to when setting your goals.

Goals should be; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time related.

For example it would be unwise to set a goal of making $10,000 in a week, it’s just not a realistic goal for the average person, unless you have a lot of experience and knowledge in your field or receive help from someone who has these attributes. When you failed to reach this goal your motivation would suffer and you might start doubting your decision to start your home business.

Before you start setting your goals I want you to write a list of all the things you want; whether it is a new car, watch, house, to send your kids through college or a successful home business, write them all down and say why you want them. When I did this I had a list the length of my arm and I’m still working through it 3 years on. By doing this it will help focus your mind and motivate yourself to succeed.

Now set your goals, they need to be SMART and you need to set both short term and long term goals, and also daily goals. One of the best techniques I use is to set 6 goals before I go to bed for the next day and prioritise them so I know clearly in my mind what I have to do the next day.

All successful people set goals and prioritise them in order of importance. Remember your time is your most important asset; you simply cannot afford to waste it.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. -- Aristotle –

When you are in business for yourself, you are the primary motivating factor, if your truly want your home business to succeed you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

By making goal setting a habit there is no reason why you cannot achieve excellence.

by Ian Canaway

About the Author: Ian Canaway will help you launch your very own money making website today that's 100% ready to take orders and pull in massive profits for you right now... Guaranteed! Visit: http://www.asuccesfullhomebusiness4u.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Goals And Business

The Importance of Business Goals

For you to get where you want to go, there are four key steps for you to take. They are not difficult, but they are vital.

Commonly known as the GROW model, the four stages are as follows:-

G stands for Goals

Being clear about where you want to get to is absolutely critical. You MUST know where you are intending to get to, by identifying your goals and being very precise about them.

Use SMART goals - this is a useful description which is great to remember.

S - is for Specific
Be really clear about what it is you want

M - is for Measurable
There must be some sort of number of other measurable description of your goal

A – is for Actionable
You have to have some verb in the goal – you have to DO something!

R – is for Realistic
Make your goal achievable, but don’t be frightened to make it BIG!!

T – is for Timebound
All of your great goals will fall by the wayside if you have no when about them – the ‘maybe I’ll start next week method’.

Poor Goal examples:-
To grow business revenue
To have happy employees

Great Goal examples
To build bottom line profit by 20% every year for the next three years
To have a 33% split between all revenue streams within 2 years

You might also want to consider what ‘Purpose’ in your life there is for this goal, the more it fits what you truly want out of life, the more motivated you will be. Thus SMART(P)

R stands for Reality

Be brutally honest about where you are starting from and what has held you back in the past.

Take a half hour to understand the assets and skills you bring to the business. Get really clear on your qualities - and shortfalls!

Be realistic and honest – a good way is to just list all the positive attributes you have, such as patience, perseverance and focus.

Dispel any ‘I can’ts’ right now. You can and will. Reality means just that and no untrue negative beliefs you hold about yourself.

O stands for Options

Here is where the fun starts, if you let it. Really let your imagination go – blank sheet of paper and 10 minutes of uninterrupted time. For organisations, this may take longer – it may involve as many of your people as possible – that’s OK! You write until you can’t think of any more ideas about how to make your goal come true.

After 10 minutes, or when you dry up – take a 10 minute break – and then think of ten more – you can do it!! In this phase, you are not judging, it is very important that you don’t think of any ‘can’ts’ or even thinking of any ‘how’s’ just let the ideas flow. There are loads more idea creating things you can choose.

W stands for ‘What’ and ‘When’

Check out the ideas from above and choose five ‘quick wins’ and five longer term projects.

Make a decision to do the five quick wins within one week, starting today (you might be surprised to find you do them all today!). Then when finished do five more till all are completed (mind you, once you get into the swing of it, you’ll start uncovering a lot more!).

For the longer term ideas to achieve your goals, a sense check is important first. Will action (remember the ‘A’ in SMART) on this idea, deliver the outcome you really want towards your goal – or is it a nice to do, or even off track. For either of these be ruthless and ditch the ones that are off track. Get five focused ideas in place ready for Action.

Create a timeline from your goal and working back from there, decided milestones on each of your five key ideas. Use say quarterly, monthly, or weekly reviews. Be decisive and flexible as the actions will go at different speeds. In some sort of visual planner, record where you will be with each one of your actions towards your goal at the regular reviews you have. Some people prefer to have weekly ‘action steps’ in each project – even daily.

The key is to be able to say., ‘This week (Tuesday is my best day), I will visit three new potential customers, as a step towards visiting 50 this year’. Put it in your diary, Outlook or whatever as if it is an appointment with yourself. Ring-fence that time as the most important thing you are going to do and it cannot be shifted. You will need to be disciplined – if you are, it will work.

The key here is to create actionable steps in bite-sized chunks which you believe you can do.

As someone once said (with apologies to elephant lovers), ‘You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time!’

. . . and finally

Remember that in life and business, you personally have the choices to make. No-one else. It is your responsibility how you act and challenge yourself. Take the responsibility and give it a go. Life is not a dress rehearsal – Grasp the opportunities you have today and every day.

Further reading on the GROW model (should be available from libraries)"Coaching for Performance: Growing People, Performance and Purpose", Sir John Witmore.

by Martin Haworth

Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, executives and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

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