Bill Gluth, Creative Business Strategy Blog

Passion is Everything in Business

I'm reading a great book by John Morgan called Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition.

There are many great ideas in it that I enjoy and agree with wholeheartedly.

On page 37 (in Kindle), I found this little quote to be really powerful.

"If you're not dying to tell the world about what you do, then you need to reevaluate what it is you do."

The Power of Passion in Business makes a real difference. 

Are you truly passionate about your business or are you another spoke in the small business wheel?

Morgan, John (2011-10-24). Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition (p. 38). John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition. 

The Symptoms of Learning Overload

Most small business owners and entrepreneurs follow a pattern of learn and learn some more. Why not. Learning is fun, after all, right?

Seldom do the majority of people follow the pattern of: learn, digest and do.

This is the path to greater achievement that I would venture to say 80% or more miss completely.

Here's some symptoms that you're learning without results:

You engage in every free Webinar you can find.

You listen intently to the free information.

You have pages of notes by the end.

But you don't complete any of the action items suggested.

Maybe you buy the product but let it sit. 6 months later you have not even looked at it let alone learn, digest and do. 

You missed the biggest secret of all.

That secret is: Only action creates results.

Look at your thoughts first. Your thinking creates energy that takes you into action.

If you're not acting there's a deeper reason so evaluate your feelings.

It's how you feel about what you're doing that allow you to know which thoughts to act upon. 

Graphic Courtesy of Enokson

The 3 BIG Questions You Must Answer

Achieving success and fulfillment in any small business requires you to make decisions and improve your daily focus.

To start with, there are 3 BIG questions everyone in small business must answer.

If you have not answered these questions and subsequently made your decisions on these 3 areas yet, success will continue to allude you.

The 3 BIG questions you need to answer are:

1. Where do I want to go?

2. What do I want to do?

3 Why do I want to do it?

Question #1 provides you with a place, so you can map out your direction.

Question #2 tells you what you'll do once you get there.

Question #3 gives you a VERY good reason to do it so when the going gets bumpy you'll have the fortitude and good reason to stay in the game.

I know, I hear you. "I already know this. I've heard it a million times before."

Then, as your small business guide and coach I have to ask, "Great, what are your answers?"

Those are the first questions we get clear on in coaching because you've probably been avoiding making those decisions.

But until you made these decisions, you'll have a hard time reaching any small business goal you set.

But once you've made 3 simple decisions, you'll be self-empowered, focused and able to take fulfilling action to reach your desired destination. 

Here's Why You Hate Sales

If you're in the I love revenue but I HATE sales camp, today's podcast will help you see sales and selling your small business in a different light. Enjoy it.

Here's why you hate sales

Why Online Training May Not Work for You

There are so many Webinars and training course out there right now, it's amazing.

While many of them are very good, there's a problem with them that most people don't realize.

That problem is, online training courses work for only a small majority of people.

Let's face it, to gain the benefit of the course, you have to accomplish the steps being taught and complete the program.

Therein lies the problem. 

The majority of people (roughly 85%) don't allow themselves to have the discipline, focus and time to actuallly complete the online training program.

When no one is holding you accountable it can be tough to stay motivated and focused when you get busy or distracted by other things.

One other very interesting phenomona also occurs.

Once you start a course you start noticing other courses you'd like to take too.

Then you start signing up for Webinars that sell you other tranining courses.

You buy more training courses because you think, "Here's what I've been missing."

Hunderds if not thousands of dollars pour out of the door and you have so much information you can't act on any of it. 

So you end up doing nothing because you're overwhelmed by information overload.

The better option?

In my opinion, based on working with small business owners for more than 10 years now, 1-to-1 coaching is a better option.

Your coach can modify training based on your personal style and specific needs.

You'll be held accountable to complete action steps week-by week. As a result you're moving forward steadily. 

You'll be focused and able to act because the information you're gaining is designed specifically for you and your unique situation and challenges. 

You get results that translate into growth and more revenue. At the end of the day, isn't that what you're really looking for?

What to Do If You're Feeling Down

How does feeling down affect a small business?

It makes each day seem like a never-ending juggernaut of unsolvable problems for the small business owner. 

It affects how well clients are engaged, which limits the potential for additional sales and the resulting revenue those sales create. 

Let's face it, feeling down limits (or completely destroys) your sales, marketing and promotional efforts. 

When you're feeling down, the last thing you want to do is put on a happy face and call a prospect or client who needs to hear from you.

Yet, what happens when you don't make those sales and client care calls?

Yep, you feel even worse than you did before.

The reason you feel worse is you know in your heart you have limited your business potential by shrinking back.

The good news is, reversing the tide is easy.

All you have to do is take a deep breath (even though you don't want to) and engage prospects and clients that need to hear from you.  

Act as if you're succeeding by taking focused action, again, even though you don't want to.

When you take focused action, your mood will change. 

The reason your mood changes is you feel hopeful.

You're taking action that makes a difference to your bottom line revenues. Succeeding in business makes us happy.

That new-found happiness will turn down days into a stellar experience in a very short time. 

Image by: Pixel Addict

Small Business Wisdom from Dalai Lama

These thoughts by the venerable Dalai Lama are wise to follow as a small business owner. 

Don't get so caught up in success that you forget to love yourself, family and those that matter to you personally. Once health and relationships fade from lack of nuturing you can never really catch back up. 

Focus on today and don't worry about the past or future. The past has taken you to where you are today. The future is predicated by what you focus on right now.

Awareness is the key. Turn off your personal auto pilot and live for now. The rest takes care of itself.  

Deep awareness creates a self-empowered human being. Self-empowered human beings can change the world, one small step, one individual at a time. 

 

Creative Thinker Steve Jobs 1955-2011

While I have not been an iUser I am an iAdmirer of Steve Jobs' amazing creative thinking abilities and vision. And, probably just like you, I am #iSad at his passing. 

 

Steve Jobs showed us that one man CAN change the world. One creative visionary can modify how millions of people worldwide act, think and interplay with one another.

It's been said that millions of people around the world heard the news of his passing on a device he invented. 

What an amazing tribute to a remarkable human being. 

Wired Magazine did an excellent article on Steve Jobs. They lead with the video that opens this article that inspries us to "Think Different."

Steve Jobs' quotes inspired millions.

His presentations on TED were enjoyed worldwide.

The headline in today's edition (October 6, 2011) of the Huffington Post says it all, "Gone Too Soon."

I think anyone who loves creative, visionary thinking feels the same way. Steve Jobs is gone WAY too soon. 

"Remembering That You Are Going To Die Is The Best Way I Know To Avoid The Trap Of Thinking You Have Something To Lose." Steve Jobs. 

The power of inspriation that a single, creative thinking visionary with a BIG vision can have on us all is remarkable. 

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

God bless you, Steve Jobs. Through demonstration you showed us, "How to Live Before You Die."

Thank you for the amazing gifts and tremendous inspriation you left behind for us to all to remember you by.  #iSad

What Are You Avoiding Today

 

Yesterday we talked about building awareness and focusing on TODAY, instead of someday, the past or the future.

Right now is the only time you can actually control.

Listen to this short podcast that will help you gain awareness on what you may be avoiding today and how that is impacting your business and revenue building success. 

 

What Are You Missing Today

Running time: 2 Minutes 4 Seconds

 

 

Are You Missing Today?

As small business owners it's easy to worry about the past and be concerned about the future. For many people, it's their default setting. 

Sure, you can lament about the past and what you could have, should have, would have done.

Or you worry about the future and what maybe, perhaps could happen.

But what about right now?

Whatever you're doing right now will dictate the results you gain in the moments ahead.

Right now is the only time you can actually control. 

So just for today I'd encourage you to focus on the power of right now. Don't let it slide and don't miss today.

Stop worrying about a past that has already occurred.

End the stress created by thinking about the future. Whatever happens in the future is actually predicated by your actions right now.

Focus on this moment. Ask yourself:

"What can I do right now to impact my life in the positive way I am looking for?"

By answering and acting on that question your future will be much brighter and you'll be much happier. 

Just for today, don't worry. Control the moments as they occur to create the results you desire tomorrow. 

Try it. Focus on today. Remain aware of your actions right NOW. See the difference in this moment and the moments ahead. 

Image courtesy: Foxtongue