Why Big Decisions Don't Always Mean Big Results

You can take all the massive action you want and still not get the results you need. Why? Because you weren't making sure that the action you took fit in to your bigger picture.

Think of it this way: would you drive around aimlessly day after day without knowing where you were going? It might be a great joyride, but it won't feel like progress. You may even make some pretty big decisions along the way (for example, going north instead of south!) but you still won't feel that satisfying sense of accomplishment.

When it comes to business, you need to make sure that every move you make fits in to your overall strategy. Would you hire office staff if there wasn't a clear outline of how that would prove valuable to your business plan? Would you acquire a new building if your financial goals would be unattainable with the added expense? Would you diversify your product line if your manufacturing processes needed to remain static to control maintenance expenses? As attractive as all these "side trips" may be, they may end up preventing you from achieving the goals that need to be realized in order for you to experience success and satisfaction.

After you have developed a clear picture of where your business is headed, stick to the plan. You've already determined the objectives that are worth your investment of time, energy, and action. So don't waste time chasing rainbows in other directions. Get down to business!

Fear

Fear can be one of the most paralyzing influences in our lives. This powerful emotion can override rational thought, habitual behavior, and even virtually subconscious mind processes. Fear can halt us in our tracks, impede further progress, or even prevent us from taking the first step in a new direction.

Can you afford to allow fear to influence your business decisions? Think about the last three major decisions you made; then, honestly examine what inspired you to make those decisions. Were there any emotions involved? Was fear one of them? Think about the past few days or weeks. What decisions have you avoided, procrastinated, or perhaps found a way to escape altogether? Were there any emotions involved? Was fear one of them?

Business owners experience fear. Successful business owners make conscious choices about how much they will allow emotions to influence their decision-making process. They handle their fear (and other emotions) in such a way that will channel the power of these emotions into positive, productive action instead of allowing the emotion to override their mental systems and become an obstacle to their success.

Don't let fear be the reason that you don't take action.

Get Their Attention

It's an anomaly.

It's an anomaly.

Sometimes it's that simple - the success of a marketing tool can stem directly from making people think (or read) twice. Find unique ways to grab attention and generate interest in your product. Irregularity is one of the common denominators for many Facebook status updates, Tweets, and YouTube videos that go viral. The same holds true for television commercials, radio ads, and print media - each have their own strengths and opportunities to powerfully communicate a message.

The next time you intend to place an ad, don't stop at your company name, logo, contact information, and a nice picture. Use the space you've reserved in the most creative, eye-catching way possible. It won't cost any more to have a unique approach than it will to have a completely blank space. But you will see a difference in your return on investment.

Want some feedback on your advertising? Call (403.929.1380) or email me today - before you commit to another round of generic messages. Take action today and see a better bottom line tomorrow.

100 Businesses

2012 ...

It's already been an amazing year of change and revitalization!

That wave continues as I announce my goal to coach 100 businesses by the end of 2012. To achieve that end, I'm offering FREE 90-min strategy sessions to businesses in Lethbridge and the surrounding area.

NOW is the time to sit back, take a long look at your business, and figure out what your most pressing issues and concerns are. Think about the challenges you're currently facing, the recurring issues that never seem to be resolved, or the difficulties you will encounter with greater growth and diversification. Write them down, give me a call, and we'll take a good look at where you're at together. I promise you will come away from our session with at least 5 solid strategies to improve and/or grow your business.

Coaching - it's not just for sports! Call me today 403-929-1380 and book your FREE 90-min strategy session. And let's make it the best 90 min you ever spent on your business!

Stop Looking for the Magic Bullet

Stop looking for the magic bullet. While they exist, the odds of you obtaining one are about as good as you winning the lottery. Many people are looking for the same get-rich-quick rocket, and someone will get it just like someone will buy the winning ticket. But there is an easier way to become a millionaire - and it has a much higher success rate. It's the path of daily discipline and consistent effort - just like your grandfather said.

Business owners occasionally come to me with the expectation that I will present to them something resembling a magic bullet - a mysterious strategy that will miraculously turn their business from a downhill-sliding money hole to a mammoth, profit-generating giant. Desperation sometimes causes us to put faith in strange places; but hoping for an instant solution to deep business problems can be as fruitless as seeking your fortune for a $10 sitting fee with a would-be psychic. It may offer some hope in the short-term, but will the long-term effects reflect value in your investment? Even if it was only $10? Was that lottery ticket worth its price?

I sincerely believe that you get what you pay for. In business, that means you will see the fruits of your daily discipline and consistent effort when you ensure that this energy is strategically placed, concisely focussed, and continually reinforced. It's my job as a Business Coach to offer professional advice on how your company can better manipulate the chassis of business to increase profits, improve marketability, strengthen teams, and make the most of your time. I'm here to help you adjust the strategies and practices of your organization, to broaden the mindset of you and your team, and engage in a partnership that will bring success and satisfaction to us both. Your success is my success - and I guarantee results. You will get what you pay for.

Start at the End

Always know the end of a business venture before you begin. Plan for it and don't lose sight of it. While it may seem paradoxical, the end will one day come and you need to know your exit strategy before you step through the door.

Are you planning to build a business that will give you a good living until retirement? Are you planning to build an international enterprise that will not only support your lifestyle, but effectively financially position your children's children? Are you intending to build the business to a certain point, sell it, and move on? How does your venture contribute to your vision of life in ten years, and when will the time come for you to part ways? What will be the key indicators that will signal that the end is near? Knowing how the story ends is key to determining how it will begin and how decisions will be made as the business grows.

If you're thinking about starting a new venture, or diversifying your corporation in new directions, or buying a new enterprise to complement the holdings you already have, take a long look at how you picture the end of the road. I recommend reading Start With Why by Simon Sinek, or Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur by Richard Branson. Make sure you know where you're going, why you're going there, and how you will know when you have arrived. And when the time comes, execute the exit strategy you have always planned.

Be the Powerhouse

Monday was a day of anticipation; countless people had spent weeks fretting over whether the 41-year hold of the Progressive Conservative Party over the government of the province of Alberta, Canada would finally be broken. The Wildrose Party had put up an immense battle, and everyone wondered if it would be enough. The pollsters said it was. But in the end, it wasn't - Premier Alison Redford kept her place.

In an interesting editorial in The Montreal Gazette, the following statement appears:

Redford’s victory signals a potential new era in provincial-federal relations. Alberta is the country’s economic powerhouse. Its petro wealth is the motor driving a westward shift in Canada’s population and economic centre of gravity. What happens in Alberta today matters to the rest of the country in a way that wasn’t the case a couple of decades ago.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Editorial+Alberta+election+result+good+news+Canada/6511335/story.html#ixzz1szeWnis5

Is your company a powerhouse within your industry? Do you have the mindset to lead your business as it becomes an "economic centre of gravity?" Have you ever been described as a "moving force?"

Alberta is moving toward a bright future. Hundreds of business owners comprise the economic force that is driving our province and our nation towards sustainable success. Join the many that have taken every advantage to step above the rest - talk to an ActionCOACH Business Coach today.

A BFO!

Quick, powerful, and enlightening - a "blinding flash of the obvious" (BFO) makes us feel instantly more intelligent. And we always wonder why we didn't see it before.

These moments of sudden inspiration are priceless - when they happen, take another moment to write down what just came together in your mind. In most cases, your actions or behavior are directly influenced by the BFO and you can't afford to forget it.

As a business coach, I see business owners experience BFOs when they change the way they view their business. It's part of my job to assist business owners in repositioning their mindset. Changing their point of reference shifts their perception and reveals aspects of their business that were previously obscured. The old adage that numbers do not lie remains in force; in fact, the right numbers can provide amazing clarity on the reality and success of a business and business owner. Discussing possibilities, probabilities, problems and profits in light of goals, strategy and satisfaction can reveal connections and contingencies not perceived beforehand. They were there; they appeared when we worked together to cross-examine the chassis of business and apply it to a particular endeavour. At ActionCOACH, we work to illuminate these business blind spots.

What was your most recent BFO? What were you doing when the dots suddenly connected? And did you write it down?

Don't Stop Now!

February seems to come and go without anyone realizing it was here. Wasn't it January yesterday?

Most of us made resolutions when the new year began. Most of those resolutions revolved around personal development, money, business strategy, health and wellness, time management, or relationships. January probably went fairly well; but as February ticks away, most of those resolutions are slowly but surely falling by the wayside.

Don't stop now! The resolutions you made, translated into action, will affect you, your family, your business, and your community. With every positive change, you improve the entire sphere of your influence. Stick to your financial plans - keep getting up to exercise - don't let the TV distract you from the book that could change the way you think. You can do it - and you won't regret it.

It's not foolish ... unless you do it twice.

A mistake is never a bad thing, unless you make the same mistake twice. Once you've done it, realize your error, and learn from it, the only foolish thing is to end up in the same place and do the same thing a second time.

Today I read a great article about someone who learned a lot from his first go-round in the business world. Joe Gillette learned from experience that sometimes when we think we have it all together ... we don't. But we can have it a little more together the next time around.

I've met more than one person who justifies their behavior, the workings of their business, their employees, their money-spending habits, and the expenses of their business in incredible ways. When we get down to brass tacks and look at things in dollar figures in black-and-white, there's always wide eyes and disbelief. There's surprise and some indignation as we conceptualize in clear terms the flaws in their business model. Then we work through the initial emotions and turn them into determination and dedication. We translate emotion into action, and we never look back.

Mistakes are opportunities to learn. In fact, they shouldn't be called mistakes at all ... unless you make them twice.