So Now What?

So you have taken the leap, started to market your business or venture and have laid all the ground work to move ahead.  So now what?  This is one of the most crucial stages.  I have been there where I have laid out all the plans, printed material, developed marketing and financial plans, set sales goals and started to tell everyone about my venture.  Then I stopped dead.  Did not move.  Did not do anything.  The whole thing died on the vine and I packed everything away and convinced myself it was for the best, something better, a really great idea will present itself....but nothing.
This is the time when it can take up to 80% of your effort to move over this hump.  I remember a great analogy that I was told 20 years ago.  A rocket uses 85% of its fuel to lift off, the rest is an easy coast, but the lift off is the part of the trip that needs almost all of the fuel.  I have no idea if this is scientifically accurate, but the analogy is true.  We need that huge push to start, don't let your venture die on the launch pad!

You might not hit a home run with your first business...

When I was about 10 or 11 I started my first business.  It was not wildly successful and it did not make me thousands of dollars in profit, however it did teach me a few things.  As well it was the start of a life long journey to entrepreneurship.
My "business" was selling sandwiches and snacks I made in my parents kitchen to my brothers friends who seemed to be always hungry!  Keep in mind this was in the late 60's early 70's so you can use your imagination.  They would buy most anything, they were always hungry!  Wink Wink, nudge, nudge.
This "business" only lasted a few months, but I learned a few things, the problem was at the time I did not understand what I was learning.  So even though I was learning about finding a customer who wanted or needed what you sold, sales strategy, marketing, ROI and keeping a low overhead, I did learn some lessons that are still valid today.
So your first entry into a business or an artistic venture might be a little more organised and professional than my first venture it is still your first move and you can't grow or evolve until you take that first step.
After all if my first venture was selling sandwiches to hippies when I was 10, your first move is sure to have more going for it than that.  Right?

Thanks to South Park for image!

What are you trying to start?

If you have been putting off starting or expanding your business or venture, if you have been stalling on releasing your art to the world or your town, if you have been procrastinating on doing something meaningful....Hit the Button and get started!
You can't succeed or fail or learn and move on without starting.  Ideas in your mind or even in a notebook do not count.
Push the button, start....NOW

Goals and a New Year Part 4

OK, so now is the stage of getting all of your stuff together and package it up in a simple plan for the upcoming year.
It can seem daunting if you have a list of goals and milestones and objectives.....suddenly this becomes the point where a lot of us put the notes in a drawer and wing it.  Don't stop know, this is too important to leave to chance.
You should make 3 lists.  They are: 1) Short term goals, 2) Mid Term Goals, 3) Long Term Goals.
Still with me?  Take the information you gathered from determining what worked for you and what did not over the past year, what is important to you and what are your biggest concerns.  As well write down what you decided upon as your "Big One."  This is the one goal which if accomplished would lead to an easy path to many of your other goals.  Your other goals Short, Mid and Long Term should all be helping you reach the Big One.  You might have other small goals not directly related and that is fine, but the key is to keep it simple.
On your list of short term goals list the items you want to accomplish in the next 3 months Mid Term over the next 6 months and Long Term over the next Year.
  These should all be very specific and measurable.  In other words don't list as one of your goals to have a lot of extra money, you need to be specific and state that you want to have $1000.00 in a certain account.  That is something that is specific and measurable.  As well they need to be personal goals.  You cant want to accomplish a goal for someone else.  Goals need to be personal and for you or your business.  You can't have a goal of no rain for 2 months, that is out of your control and not personal.

So list 3-5 goals in the short term. List 3-5 in the mid term and 2-4 Long Term Goals. 

These are numbers you can work with.
You should now have 3 lists with time lines and something to measure.  As well you should have your one Big Goal.  Now this is the most important part.  You have to write this down.  If you do not write the goals out you are fooling yourself into thinking you are doing anything.  Just letting them float around in your head does not work! 
I carry a small note book wherever I go.  My goals are written out in that book and I review them all the time.  When I am needing to remind myself why I am doing something or sacrificing something I use my written goals as a reminder to keep me on track.
Don't go through this whole exercise and not write them down and keep track of them.  Goals are a tool for business and personal growth and a tool needs to be used to be useful.

Goals and a New Year Part 3

You should have had some time to reflect on the items mentioned in the previous post.  What worked in the last year, what did not work, what is important to you and what are your biggest concerns.
There is one very important point you need to consider before putting the package together.
What is your Big One?
Everyone has or needs to have that one big goal, that one that when you think about it makes you a little nervous or scares you just a bit.  This is your major definite purpose, to steal a line from Brian Tracey.
This is the big one that pushes you along to all your other gaols.
Think about this one and tomorrow we will look at packaging everything up into a plan you can actually use for the next 12 months.

Goals and a New Year Part 2

In yesterdays notes I spoke about how I have learned to look at goals and reviewing where you have been.
Recently I have been looking for a more effective method and one of the ways I have found is by using the four questions I put down yesterday as a starting point.
Just to review they are:
1- What is important to you?
2- What are you biggest concerns?
3- What went well for you this past year?
4- What did not go so well for you this year?
Before we get into the nut and bolts of goals and planning a year ahead that will help bring you closer to your objectives, I will give you my thoughts on what these four questions mean to me.

1- What is important to you?  For me this question asks what are you willing to sacrifice and work and sweat for?  If you don't know the answer to this question, and it does not have to be one thing it can be a list of up to six, anything more than six and you will find yourself overwhelmed, then if you don't have an answer take the time to think about what matters most to you.  It could be getting published, or having financial security in a certain amount of cash, or being a better parent, whatever your list of life important items you need to identify them so you are moving in that direction with your goals or you will have conflict that keeps you from accomplishing your important goals.

2- What are you biggest concerns?  I have always found that my biggest concerns or worries are the inverse of my most important goals.  Sometimes identifying your biggest concerns helps you identify your most important goals.  For example if my biggest concern is always about financial security, one of my most important goals is very likely to resolve this situation.  Thinking about this can really help you identify your most important goals.

3- What went well for you this past year?  This helps to define what worked and what you can feel good about.  These are the things that help build your belief in yourself and your goals.

4- What did not go so well for you this year?  This can seem a little like a downer, but it will help you to identify what needs work and perhaps what needs to be stroked off the list.  If I keep finding myself  doing poorly in say finances, then I need to examine this more closely.  I don't need to beat myself up about it, but I do need to realise that perhaps I need help from an expert, or I need to make a stronger commitment to that goal.  These are not meant as a list for you to have a pity party or to be beating yourself  up with this list, it is meant to make sure you have your eyes wide open to what is working and what is not.

In tomorrows blog I will take this to the next step in starting to pull everything together.

Goals and a New Year..Part 1 of a series

The very first item that needs some consideration is this: How can you possibly expect to achieve a target if don't know what you are aiming for?
I am always amazed when someone tells me they can't seem to hit their business or personal goals and I ask to review them with them and they tell me " oh I don't have specific hard goals or anything written down, I just have them in my head where I want to be."  WHAT!!!!!
That is like playing a game of hockey without the nets and you just sort of shoot the puck around and hope you win the game.
Life does not work like this, without a clear, written plan and goals you might achieve success, you might do okay, you might even have a great life.  However the odds are stacked against you, when you realise that the businesses, ventures, and people who are most successful are the ones who set goals, work towards them and monitor the progress.
So here is the very first part of this series, before you start planning what you want in 2012 and where you want to be in the future, you need to take a minute or 30 and start making some notes on the following items:
1- What is important to you?
2- What are you biggest concerns?
3- What went well for you this past year?
4- What did not go so well for you this year?
Ask yourself these questions, in writing, and you will have started to lay the foundation for accomplishing your goals in the coming months and years.
In the next session we will review what these answers mean and how they can help you direct your energy in the future.
To be continued.........

Time to reflect

We are approaching that time of the year where the days wind down of the present year and the promise of a brand new shiny year is on the horizon.  I have always been conflicted with New Years and resolutions and evaluating the past 365 days.  However I feel that I have a few ideas now as to how to do this in a painless and honest way that will leave you with something more on January 1st than a bad hangover.
I will share a couple ideas a day for the next few days starting tomorrow, and this time next year we can evaluate how well they worked together.
I hope you will at least give them a shot, it might be the push you need to get to the next level.

Where do your best ideas come from?

Some of my best ideas have come to me from other people!  Yes I hear what someone is talking about and bam!  I have an idea based on what information someone else has told me or what I have read.  I am not shy about admitting that I get a lot of good ideas from other folks.  I add some fertilizer, water and nurture and I have something that turns out to work quite well.
I am not afraid to say thanks or give credit, I find in most cases the people who give me the seeds I start with are quite surprised that I have turned what they said or wrote into a productive idea.  However they are always happy that they shared something with me that clicked.
So why do some folks just refuse to accept anther's idea because they feel it has to come from inside themselves to be any good?
This puzzles me when someone will flat out reject a colleagues ideas just due to ego.  Or is it something else.  I see things in a different way.  If a business or venture gets some help from someone outside the ownership or artist, and that help moves it ahead even a little bit, who cares who's idea it was?   Success finds its way to the venture or business that is open to the universe.  I would rather get 100 ideas from other people and prosper than come up with one on my own and flounder.

So you made a mistake...

Back when I was in my early twenties, I was managing an automotive store and garage for Goodyear when they leased the space in Woolco Department Stores.  If you remember that name, you realise I am not in my twenties anymore!
As a manager I was responsible for the staff, the garage, the inventory and some of the promotional ideas.
Every two weeks I had to place a tire order to Goodyear for our stock to cover sales and events.
One of these times I screwed up and placed the same order 3 times in the same day.
A week later the truck came, I was expecting around 100 tires.  They kept coming and coming until there were over 300 tires plus the 100 or so I already had.
I could not send them back and the store which had to carry the inventory until it sold was at a high "freak-out" level.
I needed to move at least 250 tires in 2 weeks.  I did not panic, at least not on the outside, I led them to believe I wanted that order and we would clear them out.
I called in all the staff, I made a couple of posters that I put up in the back rooms and office announcing a contest.
The staff member who could sell the most tires would win a bucket of cold hard cash, beer and chicken wings and a date with Tanya Tucker, most of the guys were country fans and she was a hot prospect at the time!
We pushed promoted and gave "special deals" until we cleared out the stock.
Everyone was happy, the inventory was gone, we had sold it all at good margins and had gained a lot of new customers.
The young guy who was one of the assistant managers won the contest.  No one knew what to expect, but I took all of the staff out for beer and chicken wings, I gave the winner a bucket of frozen coins, about $30.00 in cold,hard,cash, and everyone had such a blast that they forgave me for not bringing them Tanya Tucker, although I tried to pass off a few other girls I introduced them to as her, we all had a great time and everyone came out feeling good about the whole experience.

I tell this story as this was not my first big mistake, but it was the first one that I was going to be held feet to the fire for so it was one that sticks with me, and it all worked out.
There were several side benefits to the screw-up.
1- We all started to work better together after that bit of bonding.
2- We gained some new customers as the promoting we did helped bring in people who might not have come our way.
3- We all had some fun that gave us something to talk about for some time to come.
So you make a mistake, ask where can you take that mistake to turn it into a positive.  You might surprise yourself if you relax for a minute and think just in solutions, you will be surprised.