Have you ever met someone who is amazingly talented and highly credentialed in a wide variety of areas? A person who is phenomenal in both the diversity and quality of their work, yet has just never truly achieved success? Someone who may be a gifted artist, an investment pro, graduated from law school, and has people skills galore – yet, they just haven’t made it. Have you ever wondered why? Perhaps this is you. Why, with all the resources and skills at your disposal have you not found success?

Success is a result of knowing where you want to go, creating a specific roadmap to get you there and having the discipline to stay on track.

Individuals and organizations fail to achieve success because they have never done the work of defining who they are or what they do and then sticking with it. People fail to succeed for the same reason businesses do; they are not focused in the way they invest scarce resources. Each person or business has only a limited amount of time, energy and capital to use pursuing their goals and dreams.

Most fabulously talented people fail because they don’t set limits. Have you met someone who has three or four different business cards? They are so busy doing a little of everything they never shine at any one thing. In order to succeed, you must select some one thing to be the vehicle of your success. You can’t be committed to two visions any more than you can drive two cars at one time.

Crafting an effective mission statement provides the framework for using resources in ways that will best support all your efforts to achieve the goals you set. Individuals, families, churches, charities and businesses all benefit from well thought-out summaries of who they are, what they do and why they do it.

Establish your vision. If you don’t know where you want to go, just how do you propose to get there? Do you really want to entrust your future to nothing more than luck? If so, quit reading and go buy a lottery ticket.

Once you have a vision, specifically outline the process of attaining it. Set a series of goals, beginning with step one and continuing all the way to where your vision becomes your reality. Vision and goals are useless without discipline. Stay focused. Invest your resources only in ways that achieve set goals; using each dollar, hour or calorie wisely to get you closer to your vision and not wasted on impulsive activity.

Another aspect to achieving success is being realistic. What are you really willing to change? What are you truly able to change? What are you willing to do? What are you willing to risk?

Set yourself up to succeed. Identify smaller goals and gradually build a foundation of success. As that foundation gets stronger you can increase your expectations, expand your vision and build as high as you can imagine. Even though each step won is a small one, they eventually combine, serving as your road to the top.

Success isn’t really all that complicated if you remember that Vision gives you direction, Focus determines the method, and Discipline makes it happen.

By Chris King

Definition of Value: To estimate the value, or worth, of; to rate at a certain price; to appraise; to reckon with respect to number, power, importance, etc.. To rate highly; to have in high esteem; to hold in respect and estimation; to appreciate; to prize; as, to value one for his works or his virtues.

This past week, I experienced and excellent coaching session with a topnotch business consultant.
He pointed out – and rightly so – that I have so many different career directions in my “Portfolio Career” that I can become scattered and unfocused. Therefore, he gave me the assignment to list the different careers and give each a value of A, B, or C. Not an easy task, because I love all of them.

Along with this homework, I have been reading the wise words of my favorite Internet gurus.
I have encountered the word “value” numerous times. Over and over again, they have stressed the importance of creating content that has value, e-newsletters that provide value, videos with value, and making sure that any product we sell should have more value than expected.

If you are like I am, you have been disappointed with many of the programs and so-called miracle solutions you have purchased. Yes, most are guaranteed, but we fail to send them back.

When I looked up the “value” quotations, I found more than ever, so will share some that stood out from the plethora:

• “The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.” – Jim Rohn, American businessman
• “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” – Warren Buffett, American businessman
• “It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.” – James Cash Penney, American businessman
• “Too many people today know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” – Ann Landers, American journalist
• “You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective.” – Denis Waitley, American writer
• “If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.” – Benjamin Franklin, American politician

Another way to consider our value and values is through what is often called, “values clarification.”
On a homework handout in a class I teach, I list more than 75 value words – like love, family, flexibility, authority, environment, community, etc. There is a box for rating what that value means to you on a scale from one to ten (warning – one should not have many nines and/or tens.) There is a box for rating how much you are adhering to that value on a scale of one to ten.

When the difference between the meaning rating and the action rating is more than three or four, the last box should be filled in with the action one is going to perform to bring the ratings close together. Or, we need to consider how truthfully we are picking our important values.

Ask yourself what you value the most.
Another great way to clarify our values is to create a collage from photos, pictures and sayings we are drawn to and that we assemble on a colored board. It is a visual way to find out more about ourselves.

I share quotations to spur all of us – including myself – to think and consider life’s questions. Let me know if they are helping you.

By Mary Townsend

Business growth requires that you to make some definite decisions about where you want to take your business next. Before you can map a clear and successful route, you also need to know where you are starting from. Take a closer look at everyone that comes in contact with you and your business.

1. Market Concentration
There is always great potential for business growth in existing markets, so start by looking at your existing customers to see where you can increase your sales.  What have their needs been so far?  Are you providing other complementary products or services that they are not yet utilizing? If that’s the case you need to ask yourself a few questions.

Could it be that they are unaware of exactly what solutions you offer? You need to make sure that all your existing customers know the full range of your products or services. Are they receiving those products and services elsewhere? If that’s the case you need to find out why they prefer your competitor. Are they supplying a better/cheaper/later version?

Once you know you can start to think of ways to persuade your existing customers to buy these extras from you instead. Selling existing customers more of what you already provide is the most economical route to business growth there is.

Could your customers benefit by purchasing larger amounts of what they already get from you? Could using your product more frequently give them better success or faster results? Could you offer an incentive for bulk purchases or discover new ways your product could be used?

2. Listen
By listening to your customers, employees and suppliers you can find some great ideas for new products or related services that will grow your company quickly and easily. If customers keep asking if they can put a down payment on a particular item, maybe a payment plan is a service you should be offering.

Are you supplying DIY items like flat pack furniture? An employee may mention that a lot of people are asking if someone is available to build it for them. If you are already getting inquiries, it means there is a demand and potential to grow your business in that area.

A supplier mentions he’s been selling a lot more oriental sauces this year. Should you expand your range of oriental food products; include a range of woks, oriental serving dishes, utensils and recipe books or, if you own a restaurant, should you add an oriental dish to your menu?

3. Revitalize
Potential for growth may be right under your nose. Take an old product line and give some thought to presenting it in a new way. Perhaps you could package it differently to stimulate new interest in the product.

Do you have another complementary item that you could couple it with to start getting it noticed again?  Emphasize a new angle to it. Does it fit with a current trend or topic? Is it safer, healthier or a more eco friendly model than newer items on the market?

4. Add value
You can increase customers’ perception of value with optional extras. Just make sure they are complementary to the existing product or service, or at least relevant to the same type of customer.

Could you grow your business and serve your customers better by offering different types of services or product ranges? Think about Platinum, Gold, Silver or Deluxe, Standard and Economy. Would the seasons or other time considerations add that little extra, like a Christmas or Limited Edition?

Do you have products that can be personalized with a name and/or a special message, or made special in some other way with the customers own photo or artwork? If you find there’s a market for it, what investment would it take to grow your business in that direction?

5. Complement
Think about providing items or services that would really complement your core business. If you own a bookstore, you might also sell writing material and designer pens.

You have a natural health outlet selling mainly vitamins. Could you locate a lovely natural hair product range and sell it alongside your women’s hair loss treatment tablets? Package some appropriate products together into a luxury gift pack.

6. Cross Sell
Offer more services to your customers. These could be supplied by you under license from others. Or you could refer your customers to a complementary service for a commission. The latter is a great way to grow your business without having to incur extra expense.

Do make sure any other service you are recommending meets your standards and doesn’t offer anything else that your customers are currently getting from you.

7. New Markets
Research to find other markets that could use your product or service in a slightly different way. Perhaps you are supplying a component to motor manufacturers that would be equally as useful in the aircraft industry.

Have you developed a process or a piece of software for use in your business that you could sell or license to others that are not in direct competition to you?