One thing many small business owners avoid doing is to properly plan for the future they envision for their business.  An important part of any business should be making business plans, which can be used for many different purposes.  Most people think of business plans as being used only to obtain financing from banks or angel investors.  While it is definitely important to have a business plan when attempting to get financing, that is not the only reason to prepare a business plan. 

Quite a few business owners have really good ideas, but have difficulty seeing those dreams through to completion.  In short, that is the role of a business plan.  By taking the time to go through the step by step process required to create a good business plan, you know that you have addressed all of the areas you need to make your dream a reality.

Keep in mind that good business planning does not involve coming up with a good logo, website, social networking strategy or any other tool that you will use later to implement your business plan.  The first steps before all that is to answer the foundational questions about your business that you need to create a strong plan. 

For example, when creating the marketing portion of your business plan, you should not at the onset plan what advertising venues you will use or the look of your ad.  First, you need to define your root marketing objectives.  Ask yourself fundamental questions about your customers: what customers do you want to attract?  Where have you found them in the past?  How can you reach them?  What are their likes and dislikes? What specific products or services will you offer to them? 

Until the core questions have been answered, in essence the “what” questions, it doesn’t make any sense to think about or implement any of the “how” answers.  But once you have answered that “what” question, you will be much more clear as to what tools will help you reach that objective.  

Think about building a pyramid when you set out to build your business.  Spend more time on the base, or core questions to build a strong foundation.  Having a good business plan will set your business on that solid foundation you need to succeed. 

Be sure to visit SmallBusinessAccountingBackroom.com to get many more resources to help your small business succeed, including information and resources on business planning, financing, sales and marketing.

When it comes to the fundamental idea of being successful on the internet, we have to stop and consider how much of our lives we actually dedicate to the idea of that success. Too often we treat an online opportunity like a hobby rather than a lifestyle. We buy into the idea that this type of work means that we can instantly be wealthy without putting in the hours, setting up our world for success, or focusing on the present to get a better tomorrow out of the arrangement.

To make money online you want to make sure that you’re outdoing the competition. They want you to give up so that their trip to the finish line is a bit easier. However, you can be stronger than they are just by keeping your site posted on the goal and confidence in your heart. Don’t be shy about putting in the work, even if the hours aren’t exactly what most of us would call convenient.

Use a little corner computer workstation in a positive environment to make sure that you can focus on what you need to accomplish every single day. There is no reason why the dog and the significant other can’t wait ten minutes while you finish up. Don’t fall into the idea that you can’t set aside work time and play time in different categories.

If you’re going for a passive income online then make sure you’re not trying to live the lifestyle before you have the money. It’s easy to think that just because you’re starting to see the income stream in that you can take lots of time to do other things. The more concentrated your efforts are right now the more time you’ll have next week to play.

The truth is that most people can actually be successful in one or more industries found on the internet. And that means that there is a lot of competition that is hoping that today you’ll decide that you’re not cut out for the opportunity that you have.

It’s not necessary to become a one track, single minded individual. Have fun, care for your loved ones, and hang onto your daily motivation. Keeping your spirit full is part of the trick to finding that success you’re seeking. Don’t overlook the big moments in life to buckle down. Give yourself a well rounded life.

Once you have your plan laid, take it step by step and day by day in order to truly achieve your dreams. There are going to be some days where nothing seems to go your way. Then there are days that you’re on fire. Take those days and soak them for all they are worth as these are the days that will help determine your level of success.

Have you heard of Napoleon Hill’s Law Of Success? You have probably heard of his best selling book, Think And Grow Rich. It may come as a surprise to you, that he created that best selling book in 1937, from lesser known, The Law Of Success in 1928. It is a study course and a more detailed version of Think And Grow Rich.

Hill was born, and grew up, poor, and he was always interested in the lives of the most accomplished people on Earth. He wondered what it was, that set them apart from the rest of humanity; how it is they could do so much, while most people never come close to fulfilling their own potential. He longed to be able to meet some of them and get their opinions on these matters.

Hill was 25 years of age in 1908, writing for a small newspaper when he realized his initial dream. He persuaded the editor to publish a series of stories that Hill would write as he interviewed successful individuals. This helped him to arrange for an interview of industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest persons in the world. Carnegie’s rags to riches tale, is probably the most powerful one of its kind, to this day.

Carnegie told Hill that he believed there are certain actions that all successful people have in common, and that if someone would interview hundreds of these people, a formula for success would become readily apparent. He told Hill his belief that this formula is within the reach of everyone, and then Carnegie asked Hill that if he believed he was up to the challenge of actually being the person to undertake this action.

You can imagine that Hill did not say he needed time to think it over. He accepted immediately and with tremendous gratitude, in a state of awe as his wildest dream was being unfolded before him. Now he would have access to the most powerful & successful people in the world. This was the beginning of a 20 year voyage that ultimately resulted in a nearly twelve hundred page study course, The Law Of Success.

The Law of Success is divided into 16 lessons: A Definite Chief Aim, The Master Mind, The Habit of Saving, Self Confidence, Imagination, Initiative and Leadership, Self Control, Enthusiasm, Pleasing Personality, Habit of Doing More Than You Are Paid For, Concentration, Accurate Thought, Co-operation, Tolerance, The Golden Rule & Failure,

Of all the contributors, Hill said Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie were the most important. Ford, because of all the time he spent will Hill, and Carnegie, for inspiring him to take on the project and for helping him get many interviews when the project was getting started. Many people think that Carnegie paid Hill, but that was not the case for Napoleon Hill Law Of Success. It was, simply, not part of their deal.

Executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “Feedback is a gift that only other can give.”  So, if feedback is a gift, why do so many of us struggle with giving and receiving it?
Power is the culprit for much of the trouble we have giving and receiving feedback. Our motive may be to control people if we give feedback to someone. Our resistance to receiving feedback is possibly a resistance to change. 

It can be helpful to get clear on the purpose of feedback before we give it.  Below are the five most common types of feedback and suggestions for giving each type. 

Evaluation Feedback: Evaluation Feedback is the most common that you will find in the workplace.Unfortunately, it is also the kind that is the least helpful. The timeframe at which evaluation feedback comes is always at the end. At the end of a year your performance is evaluated. After a week-long class is over. At the completion of a project.  True, we all need to be willing to rate ourselves, and the evaluation feedback will improve our performance next time.  But why not give and get feedback when we can learn from it real time?

Real-Time Performance Feedback: This type of feedback is usually given by someone whose success depends on you; for example your boss.  While it may be couched as an observation or something for you to think about, when someone shares performance feedback, they intend for you to change your behavior.

It is helpful to get clarifying information when you think that you are receiving performance feedback.  Try asking, “what exactly would you like me to stop or start doing?” Once you get the feedback, make the change!

Fine-Tuning: This feedback comes from people who think you are generally doing a good job, but they see an opportunity for you to get even better by tweaking a behavior or two. One of the best examples I can give of fine-tuning feedback came from someone who participated in a course I gave.  She let me know how much she got out of the course, and then asked if she could give me some feedback.  She explained that my nodding my head while she and other participants were talking made her feel as though I was rushing them.  WOW!  I was blown away because I had no idea that this behavior had a negative effect on my audience.

Fine-tuning feedback is most effective when you share the impact a behavior has on you or on other people.  The person who is giving you feedback doesn’t want to change you or even to control you in some way. By sharing how your behavior is impacting them – they give the receiver the opportunity to change or not.

Feed-Forward: Goldsmith came up with this one years ago. It happens when you suggest to someone how to behave in advance of an action, rather than wait for after and risk failure. For example, my husband had a presentation to give to the executive leadership committee at work, which was the first time he ever did anything like that.  His boss coached him in advance as to the proper way to dress, when he would be expected to speak, and even how detailed to make his presentation.

Slap Upside the Head: Two years ago, a colleague who is also a great friend sat me down and said, “You are making yourself and others miserable.  What’s going on?”

Slap upside the head feedback should be reserved for only the best of friends.  It consists of observations about you, that people share with you because they care about you. In his book, Who’s Got Your Back, Keith Ferrazzi gives some great examples of this feedback along with the assertion that we all desperately need people in our lives who care enough to give it.

The person who gives slap upside the head feedback isn’t trying to control you or change you for their sake. They speak up because they know where you want to be and see that you are getting in your own way.
Summary
Those giving feedback:  Think through before giving feedback what the most appropriate form would be to achieve the intention you have for it.Don’t forget that if you are not someone’s superior, it is not appropriate to give evaluation feedback.  You can lead a horse to water . . .

Those on the receiving end of feedback:  remember that we are all unaware of how we come across at times, and feedback is the way we learn about these areas and have the opportunity to correct them.   Even when you don’t agree with it, view feedback as a gift. If it’s evaluation or performance feedback, you have a chance to change in order to do better in the eyes of others.  If it’s fine-tuning or slap upside the head feedback, you have the choice to change or not.

Wendy Mack is a consultant, speaker, and change catalyst who specializes in helping leaders mobilize energy for change, For more articles and resources on leading and communicating change visit: www.WendyMack.com.

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Nanette Geiger, Law of Attraction Expert , writes… …

We’ve all been trained in logical analysis, to utilize our rationale, to confirm opinions with facts, gather sound data, substantiate all of it and know the truth. However, do your sensory organs verify what is truth or simply what you’re observing? Even in the scientific laboratory it’s been proven that the simple process of observation changes the outcome of the experiment. Why? The power of intention. Wait, What!? We influence that which we are observing? That’s correct, and the idea is based on our expectations and what we intend. It’s the Law of Attraction at work!

We actually have the ability to influence outcomes with our thoughts, what we expect, and how we feel. When what we think and the events we think are going to happen sync, it’s what is called alignment, and manifestation ensues. Using the Law of Attraction is an incredibly powerful tool for Relationship Attraction, and is easy to grasp.

There is so a lot more leverage in energy alignment. This is the path of least resistance, or the path of most allowance. Now, your life becomes in harmony with what you want and expectations instead of from forcing an outcome.

Our bodies do millions of biological and chemical functions each day, all lacking conscious thought. The Universe splendidly keeps track of the movement of planets, stars, and solar systems with more precision than an atomic clock.

All of this happens effortlessly. There is a greater organizing power functioning that our simple brain can truly conceive. We are intimately linked to the energy that manages it all. In fact, it is who we are at our most fundamental level.

Life should not be plagued with stress, force, and striving. Success, fulfilment, and ease is our inherited birthright. As a part of this wonderful Universe, we own such attributes. You can practice what it feels like to be in alignment with Universal Law after you take a few moments of silence, turn within and simply breathe. A Law of Attraction Coach can assist you right now to free yourself from old limiting thought patterns that inhibit your happiness.

All it takes is one conscious moment to tune in to the energy that choreographs the Universe and realize that you are fundamentally important part of everything that is. You are known, you are powerful, and you have importance.

Sometimes life can look so messed up that it feels like we should just give up. When even the world seems against you, you may feel like there is nothing you can do to change your life.

But you can look inside and find God – listen to His whisper telling you that you are destined to win if only you believe in yourself.

Let me tell you the story of Ben, a premature boy who was born about 30 years ago in Arizona. Ben was born frail, the first child of a loving couple, with a history of several spontaneous abortion.

During his first month he developed a serious infection that almost killed him.Though Ben survived the disease, he lost the use of his right leg and his doctors informed his parents that he would never recover.

But that did not stop them from believing that their son was destined to win. Everyday Ben’s parents nurtured him, encoraged him by telling him that he could do anything he wanted.

Despite all the mocking from children in his neighbourhood who did not understand why he had to use walking aids, Ben grew up with belief in himself and in the love of God.

Each night before he went to bed Ben would pray God to make him His vessel and manifest His glory in his life. Ben opened his heart to the warm glow of God and believed in His power.

And during the times Ben felt like giving up and thought that he would never move his leg, the power of God would comfort him, showing that He had a plan for him.

Miraculously, after much effort and faith of both Ben and his parents, at age 10 Ben began recovering power over his leg. It was a slow process, but he was so grateful and excited that he decided he would one day win a race in the name of the Lord to thank Him for this miracle.

Ben’s leg was very weakened but with practice and training he was able to enter a race by age 12. He lost the race. His parents and friends felt very sorry for him and they told him maybe he should give up.

Ben, however, knew he was destined to win and that the Lord would empower his life and grant him the will to keep trying.

Amazing his parents and friends, Ben kept practicing, day after day, his faith stronger than ever. And by age 16, Ben finally won a race, despite his doctors having told him that he would never have use of his right leg all those years ago.

Now aged 34, Ben still runs daily to keep fit and thanks the Lord for the changes he empowered in his life.

So when you feel like giving up think of Ben. Know that all you have to do is open your heart to God’s power – become a vessel for His plans, because no matter how bad things look right now if you have faith and believe that you are destined to win, your life will change through the Lord’s word.

To find out more information on the highly recommended book, Destined To Win: The A to Z of Success By Tunde Tele, Visit http://www.tundetele.com/
or Simply Click HERE.

There is no derth of self help books in the market, however if there is one personal guide author that I can put in some good word, then it has to be Stephen R. Covey. His book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has proved to be a life altering experience for me.

Before I stumbled upon this book, I use to think that one fine day I will read a self-help book that would lead to an epiphany that revolutionizes my life. My search ended right after I was past The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People.

Here are my key take aways from the book.

Habit 1: Be proactive
Don’t be reactive. Be proactive. Choose your destiny, don’t just mere respond to situations that life throws at you

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
Envision your end goal and the path leading to it. Don’t be a looser and leave things half way through. Choose your behavior for your short term goal, according to the plan that you have for your life. Leave a legacy.

Habit 3: Put first things first
Learn to say NO. In our daily grind, we end up priortising chores which are urgent but less important.Think of task in terms of urgency and impotence. Focus on the tasks which are important, even though they might seem less urgent.

Habit 4: Think win/win
Look for situaitons where both the parties could be made happy and satisfied, if you can reach a middle ground, then better not go ahead with it at all . The point that I’m trying to make in reference to the 4th habit is that always think of a win/win situation. Most of life requires cooperation, not competition.

Habit 5: Seek first to understand
Understand others before expecting yourself to be understood. Listen with empathy  and present your views with personal credibility, logical reasoning and emotional alignment.

Habit 6: Synergy
Be harmonic and synergic in your relationship with others. Value the difference and embrace them.

Habit 7: Sharpen the saw
The biggest asset you have is nothing else but YOU. Invest in yourself. Eat right and exercise, meditate, read good books, serve others. Be an asset to the society and people around you.

I would recommend all of you to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s one of those feel good books with fluffy advices and bag full of cheap tricks to convince others to like you; on the contrary the 7 principles in this book are universal in nature, and teach all of us be better individuals by focusing our efforts inward.

For all the critics out there, following every piece Stephen R. Covey’s advice is not necessary, I say pick and choose. Through The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People, he has done awesome job reminding us those principles that every human being knows, but may have forgotten.