Documenting Your Successes
April 30, 2009
Every time you succeed at something you build your self esteem, courage and 
confidence.
I recently looked at my journal from way back when I first became a college professor 11 years ago. For my first day I wrote an entry saying that I was nervous about the first day but that I knew that I had good stuff to give to the students.
Now here I am 11 years later, a tenured professor, and I enter the classroom without a moments trepidation or hesitation. The only way I arrived in this space was to chalk up hundreds of successes over the past 11 years and with each one I increased my self esteem, courage and confidence.
Here are 5 ways to document your successes:
1 - Keep a journal.
If you’re into writing things down this is perfect. Daily or even weekly journal writing is a super way to capture what you’re doing right in your life.
2 - Write one success a day on your calendar.
Each day as you prepare for the following day’s tasks jot down one thing you did with success. At the end of the week look back at all that you’ve achieved.
3 - Remind yourself of what you achieved in the past with a future email.
(There are lots of services that you can sign up for that will send you an email in the future.) It’s pretty cool to get an email that says something like: “Great job! You did it and you did it well!”
4 - Record a monthly video log where you share your successes.
You can post these to your blog if you have one or simply archive it and look back at them from time to time. As you watch, you’ll invariably say things like “Wow, I forgot I even did that!” and “Gee, I’m more successful than I thought.”
5 – Tell your friends and loved ones about what you’ve achieved.
No one is served by playing themselves small.
To go to your next level in life you have to get bigger than your present space. One way for you to develop a mindset that embraces this truth is to document and celebrate your successes as you move forward in your life. As you document your successes you will grow your self esteem, confidence and courage.
What have you done lately that you would characterize as a success?
Don’t forget to include the small things.
Download a free motivation enhancement tip sheet by visiting http://www.increaseyourmotivationmojo.com to learn how to shift your mindset so you can Dream BIG maintain your motivation mojo and create success strategies for your life and your biz!
Denise is the creator of the “Dream BIG Motivated Mindset System” and for the past 10 years has been teaching the system that helps women discover success strategies to improve the bottom line in all areas of their lives. She also offers free weekly teleseminars, as well as online courses with a workshop environment.
Do You Have What it Takes?
April 29, 2009
They say only thirty percent of new small businesses will still be up and running after five years and almost half will fail in the two years.
Do you have what it takes, not only to start a new business but to survive and thrive?
Below are 10 pitfalls that you can avoid to give your business a fighting chance.
1. Business is poorly managed.
Managing your business is like being a captain on a ship – and your poor management of employees, accounting and internal controls will bring down the ship. You have to handle your business records and finances. Poor customer service will also drive down your business. Make sure you and your employees hold customer service in the highest regard.
2. Owner does not have the right skills.
Read business books, find a mentor, do your research. Figure out what you are good and and what you are not good at – and educate yourself. It is important know the basics of accounting, sales, and marketing.
3. Owner underestimates start up costs.
Starting a new business can be costly, and varies greatly on what industry you choose. Research your needed expenses, make a budget, and don’t go overboard. Your new business doesn’t necessarily need all new furniture – and your new business credit card doesn’t need to be maxed out either.
4. Owner is not willing or not able to put in enough time.
Running your own business is a huge time investment, and it can impact your life. Odd and long hours can be common, and it helps to have the understanding and support of your family.
5. Owner is not prepared for fluctuation of income.
Your business will most likely have fluctuations of income, having 6-12 months of living expenses saved up can help to get you through slow times.
6. Owner does not set business goals.
You can’t get there if you don’t know where you are going. Make goals, both short term and long term from your business.
7. Owner does not have a business plan.
Your business plan holds your business strategy. Developing your business plan forces you to consider your finances, your competition, marketing, and management. Your plan does not have to be 50 pages, it can be a simple few pages. There are many books and site that will assist you in writing your plan.
8. Owner does no marketing.
Customers can’t use your services if they cannot find you. You must find cost effective ways to market your business, your services and yourself. And in today’s market to legitimize your business you must have a website; at least a simple, professionally designed website where customers can find out about your business and its services and products.
9. Owner resists asking for help.
There are businesses out there that have walked in your shoes already. Learn from their mistakes and from their successes.
10. Owner refuses to change with the times.
The only constant in business is change. Your ability to realize opportunities and be flexible enough to change with the times is the key to surviving and prospering in any business climate.
Brian Whetten in the article Why Most Businesses Fail and What to do About it says:
The biggest problem is that most small business owners don’t really own their businesses. They act like employees rather than entrepreneurs. They love providing their services, but desperately wish they didn’t have to do all that “business stuff” that goes with it. They assume that 80% of their success will come from the quality of their services. In reality, 80% of success comes from the quality of your business systems. It comes from the quality of your recipe for success.
Take control of your business and YOUR SUCCESS. Be brave, be prepared, research and learn everything you can, and above all believe in your success.
Torie
Refusing to Fail!
What’s in a name?
April 28, 2009
How do you choose the name of your new and soon to be very successful business?
Naming your business isn’t always as easy as you might first think.
When selecting a name is is usually best to try to make the name short, easy to remember, descriptive of the business, and capable of drawing attention. A name that flows and has that “ring” to it can be helpful to attracting new customers.
When choosing a name for your new company, Entrepreneur.com says to keep these tips in mind to help you find one that will work now-and in the future.
One tip that I think is most important is making your business name easy to spell. I run into this with my marketing clients and wonder how customers find their website when it is 25 characters long and spelled in a peculiar way.
This is common when a partnership names the business from each partners name and end up with jonstenandmeisterhoffnergroup.com You end up with a hodge podge of a business name that even Google won’t find. A partnership is presumed to be operating under the name of its partners, but if your names are very long, use an unusal spelling or are just difficult to spell you may want to look at other options for your business name.
A partnership can operate under a different name with a fictitious owner affidavit required. A fictitious owner affidavit is usually filed at the county recorder’s’ office but may have to be filed with the secretary of state’s office. A fictitious owner affidavit informs the government and the public that the business is operating under an assumed name and indicates who the owner is. This may be a way to get around a hard to spell – hard to find name.
I have also seen business’ choose a name that is on the raunchy side or a name that is sexual or derogatory. A name can work well with one crowd, but then limits them with dealing with other possible clientele. It is important to know your audience, and to know where your money is going to come from. It may also be hard to pull off a raunchy name for the long term.
A San Francisco naming boutique Eat My Words, which has worked for Kinko’s, Jamba Juice and other household names. It’s called the Smile & Scratch Test.
To test out a company’s name, first ask if it possesses these qualities:
Simple – one easy-to-understand concept
Meaningful – customer instantly “get it”
Imagery – visually evocative, creates a mental picture
Legs – carries the brand, lends itself to wordplay
Emotional – empowers, entertains, engages, enlightens
Then scratch the name if it’s got these deal-breakers:
Spelling-challenged – you have to tell people how to spell it
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, uninspired, boring, nonemotional
Curse of knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, relies on punctuation
The Small Business Administration offers this advice when naming your business:
There is more to naming your business than just coming up with something that sounds good and you happen to like. Thought must be given to state and local requirements and making sure you don’t infringe upon the rights of someone else’s business name.
Legal Requirements And Implications
Picking a name for your business requires much more than just creativity and a working knowledge of your target market. First you’ll need to decide which business structure you will use, since each structure has its own peculiarities. For example, many states require a sole proprietor to use their own name for the business name unless they formally file another name as a trade name, or fictitious name. Read more about How Business Structure Affects Business Names.Similarly, you will need to determine whether your trade name will be the same as the full legal name of your business. Of equal importance is finding out whether your name or a very similar name is being used by another business, and if so, what rights they may or may not have to use the name in the area where you do business. Keep in mind that some businesses only file trademarks within their locality, so it’s possible that the same name can be used elsewhere. Here’s some information on Trademark FAQs.
Search And Registration
Trade names can be registered through state Secretary of State offices, and for wider marketplace protection, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO Trademark Search). Businesses should first use the USPTO’s online system to search all state and federal trademark registers to see if their proposed name is being used.Domain Names
For many businesses that operate on the Web, trade names are synonymous with domain names, such as Amazon.com and Monster.com. Domain names are not registered through state or local government; rather they can be obtained through numerous online businesses, most of which will allow you to conduct a name search prior to purchase to make sure your chosen name isn’t taken.
Torie
You name it!
