However I remain aware and open to the possibility of learning more or expanding what I know.  Often I discover things I was never aware of and this adds more value to my abilities.  Many things I thought I knew have been proven to be different as time as passed. I love that I can question everything and learn as much as I can about people and how to do certain things.

I like to remain open to the “what ifs” in life!  Do you welcome change or does change cause frustration or confusion?  The greatest joy in helping someone in their business or to get unstuck in their life is to ask them questions.  The ability to help someone dream again and explore their own beliefs and prove out what is true to them and what can be possible is so rewarding.  In working with many of my clients I have found quite often they just haven’t questioned what they believe about their business.  Is there a possibility to increase their current revenue without spending more money or hiring additional people?  The excitement when someone discovers a simple change in how they approach their customers or providing additional value can increase their revenue in ways they never expected. Is it possible to expand a business line or take on a strategic partner? Beliefs about yourself and your abilities can become very limiting. It is so important to be open to possibilities and that what you think you know might not be true or complete.

Four essential components to success in your life and business that you can do each day!

1. Imagine: Use your imagination and visualize the possibilities in every area of your life.
2. Believe: To believe in yourself and that you can do anything you decide to do.
3. Achieve: Create a plan and surround yourself with people who will support your vision.
4. Learn: Crave knowledge and commit to learning from others. Read, listen and learn from those around you.

Keep an open mind and remember there are always people in our lives who don’t know what they don’t know that they don’t know!

Responsible and Credible?

The more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility you will have ~~ Brian Koslow

The basics steps to living and experiencing success in our life is to accept responsibility for where we are right this moment.   This can be tough to accept but necessary if we really want to move forward and grow.   Living in authenticity and integrity demands at the very least we stop blaming others and decide to  bring resolution to conflict and seek in every circumstance what part we share in every situation.

When we allow circumstances to dictate our mood or how we approach others we dilute our credibility to lead.  Leaders must be willing to begin with themselves and be honest and accept responsibility in all situations.  The best question we can ever ask ourselves is what did I learn this time?

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, Kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate.” Dr. Albert Schweitzer

I would also suggest that we allow others to repair themselves in our eyes and be willing to give them the opportunity to enter back into our circle of trust as they begin to take the steps toward responsibility and mending those relationships.  Become gracious and accept people where they are and believe in their potential.

Before you can forgive others you must be willing to forgive yourself!  This is essential and extremely important to speak words that encourage you and those around you to become a better person.   This is a good time to consider having a personal or business strategy coach to help you with the personal transformation and work that is needed.   Over the years I have had several coaches in my life for all aspects of my life.   Having great business minds and people to lead and teach in the areas of leadership and developing personal habits and skills can make the difference in our lives.  The speed of how we move past the roadblocks and barriers that life will be determined by the people we have in our inner circle.  It is also very important that we choose very carefully who we spend the most time with.   Our credibility is also reflected in the people we surround ourselves with.  Are they credible and do they share our values and principles?

What other steps can we take to become more credible and responsible in the eyes of others?  Looking forward to your feedback.

Glen Garnes with the Village Connector shared an example about  a community family gathering that brought business owners, families and community together for a  “Cashflow for Kids” game night at their local fire station.  They engaged some of the local retail business leaders to participate by purchasing the game for their table and sponsoring the event.  The parents and children discovered new ways to talk about money and parents learned how to give their children the financial head start necessary to thrive in today’s fast paced and changing world.  The children also get to tour the fire station and gain more awareness of how their community works.  The business sponsor’s gain more exposure for their business and begin to develop closer ties to their community and build value to the families lives. What a creative idea to blend business, community and family in a way that adds value to everyone!

Adding value and building a community requires much more than attending events or meeting people.  Creating community means sharing in each others success and making a contribution!  I hear people say many times that they never got anything from their participation in various organizations.   My question right back is what did you bring to that organization or group?  We can always add value to others with our knowledge, skills or talents.   What you know and the experiences that you have in your life are important and others can benefit from your wisdom and ideas.

When you are known as someone who joins people together and creates real value in others you will gain more customers and your business will flourish.  Be sure that you remain authentic in any of your efforts.   Blending your core values and business networking together with helping others can explode your ability to grow a strong relationship bank and you will grow a solid reputation within your community and soon your business will blossom beyond your wildest dreams.

What other ideas can you create to add value to your community while bringing people together?  Consider how your passion can align with an idea or a business project or community event?  Feel free to post your thoughts and ideas here.

Have you ever considered why you join a certain group, organization or opportunity? Do you join everything that is available or do you carefully consider your reasons for joining a group or organization?

Many people join to gain more exposure and think that eventually someone will see them and want to conduct business with them. I notice in my online networking groups that there are many people who are happy to join but are silent members. They never offer any input or try to establish new relationships within the group. I have to ask the obvious question. Why did you join?

There is a law of giving and receiving that has always worked in my life every time.
The more someone is willing to give the more they get in return. I have found that in general once I focus on what others need the things I need are naturally provided to me.

The more we connect people together, the more they will remember us. Do you consider yourself as someone who is well connected? People will think of you and remember you only once they get to know you and when you are willing to add value to others. They will remember you as a person who is a resource and this will add more value to you and leave a lasting impression. These are the people others are drawn to or seek out when they need advice or a good referral.

When you are meeting people are you ignoring those who appear to have nothing in common with you? When you meet somebody who has a completely different set of talents and expertise than you, it’s easy to brush that person off because you assume that you have nothing to offer one another. Each person has a background and certain level of experience they bring to the group. Additionally they offer ideas or suggestions and experiences that we might need and can be the key to our success sometimes. Each person we meet has something for us if we keep an attitude of expectancy and remain optimistic about each new connection.

Many times in my own life, I have found that the one person who seemed the most abrasive to me had the biggest gift or lesson for me to learn. Each day is a new opportunity to connect and grow!

Are huge numbers of contacts absolutely necessary for business growth?  While contemplating the question about whether it is more profitable to build business and social networks through relationships, or huge numbers of contacts, I came to the conclusion that we should strive to maintain a healthy balance.  My purpose is to help you discover ways to build networks of people through mutually beneficial relationships, rather than solely through developing mass marketing tactics, in the interest of generating more sales.  It is not advisable to forsake building creative relationships simply to amass a database full of faceless names and contact information.

Individual business people must carefully examine each networking opportunity, and the time investment involved, in order to make informed decisions based on purpose and desired results.  It is also important to keep personal values and principals in mind, in order to attract the right kind of people and potential new customers into your trusted resource network.

The benefits of building significant business relationships are unlimited.  Apart from just making an immediate sale, profitable future ventures can develop that will increase income.  There is no shortage of offline and online social and business networking associations, and as a result, it is imperative to evaluate which ones will prove the most fruitful, in relation to meeting business goals.  Once you can identify which groups will be the most productive for you to participate in, you can visit every day.  Many entrepreneurs, who are just starting out, tend to rely solely on networking and word-of-mouth promotion for business growth- if done consistently, these methods can work very well.

My personal observation taught me that when entrepreneurs grow up, they stop collecting baseball cards, match book covers and Beanie babies, or Barbie dolls and switch to business cards instead! It would be wonderful if collecting business cards equaled monetary or personal success, or if business cards became more valuable the longer you held onto them.  Imagine what a session of exchanging cards might look like!

Our intentions are always good, but as one of my personal networking mentors, Bob Littell, author of the Heart and Art of NetWeaving, emphasizes:  follow up and follow through is the key to developing successful and trusted resource networks.

The first step in creating a successful resource network -is to admit that your skills could use some improvement.  Begin to evaluate whether your skills and resources are bringing you the desired return on your investment for your network and your existing customers.  What would your customers think if you began making introductions to them at bring them more business as well?

If time is one of the most precious resources we have, and if our intentions are truly centered on building relationships, and positive connections for doing business, how can we truly give our best if we are involved with too many different groups?

Developing your Mental Momentum™

When looking for a marketing strategy or idea, do you consistently look at ads produced by competitors?  Do you feel frustrated because you know there has to be a different approach toward your marketing situation?  In working on your business, it is important to explore opportunities that will allow you to open your mind to creative approaches to problem solving.

I like to call the process: developing your mental momentum.  By creating mental momentum, you begin to open the doors to what is possible.  Some people are   full of ideas, and at times they seem to flow effortlessly. Some persons   seem to struggle with creativity.  During dry spells, we need to discover new tools, or strategies to help stimulate our thinking once again.

The best way to approach any business challenge, is to take a creative approach.  A favorite activity of mine to access  creativity, is to write in big bold letters: WHAT IF? Begin writing down all the ideas or possibilities that may exist. Writing opens your mind to the possibilities rather than focusing on the specific task, issue, or obstacle.

Today, we cannot arrive at innovative business solutions by conventional thinking alone.   We need to discover unique ways to tap into our mind’s creative energy.  There are several ways to do so.  One way, is to form a  master mind peer group.  In the coming weeks, we will explore ways to put together a  peer or master mind group, and share ideas of how to keep the  group energized. Many peer groups continue to be active after many years.  Active members become future community and business leaders.

Apart from peer groups,   hiring a personal coach can be productive.   A coach   has the ability to inspire and get you to verbalize about   your business- in a way that will get attention.  If hiring a coach, or forming a peer group is not feasible- consider working on your own through mind mapping.

Mind mapping is a very unique method for brainstorming   creative ideas.  It is a   different approach to traditional note taking and can enhance creative problem solving.  Similar to doodling, or adult style finger painting, it can be fun. Writing on large paper, using post it notes, or drawing concepts with colors and shapes will work nicely.  You can also subscribe to a computer program, or purchase software.    Explore how you can use mind mapping in your business as a way to tackle tough situations.  It is a creative way to explore ideas, and sort out problems, as well as figure out the missing pieces of a puzzle, so to speak.  You can also take items from your journal and begin to mind map using thoughts, dreams or visions.  It is also a good idea to keep a voice recorder in your car, so when an idea pops into your mind, you can quickly record it.

Do you ever wake up in the night during a dream?  Keep a notepad near your bed and quickly write down the dream.  The task will serve you well on the road to mastering mind mapping.

To learn how to begin using a mind map you can visit http://www.mindtools.com or Goggle mind mapping to identify more information and ideas of how to begin your journey to mind mapping.

Finding the Passion in your Business

Starting a new business is one thing, keeping it running successfully is the key.  Do you remember the excitement and passion you had when you were first contemplating the idea of starting your own business?

You must have spent hours working, planning and doing the research. Perhaps you met with a business planner or a coach and undoubtedly you made numerous calls to different friends or relatives to ask for advice.  Do you recall that passion that first ignited your imagination and spirit?

You had the commitment, determination and the passion to make it happen. How long has it been since your started your business? Do you still have the same passion or zeal?  Are you feeling uninspired, drained with little or no energy to continue to work creatively or enthusiastically in your business?

Perhaps you are slowly but surely losing your passion and the big question in your mind is “how do I get my passion back”?  Or perhaps you aren’t sure if you are following your true passion.

The following tips can help you re-ignite that passion and help you to keep your dream alive.

Commit to Passionate Living:

You have a choice each day to live passionately.  Commit to become a participant and not just an observer.  Commit to do whatever it takes to participate in the process of finding and following your passion and vision! Ask those around you what they think you are passionate about.

Study:

Immerse yourself in material related to your industry or profession. Read articles related to your business. Join clubs or associations in your community or related to your particular industry. Participate in its activities, either as an active member or as a volunteer.   Read great books that inspire, motivate and encourage you to grow.  I highly recommend reading the Tipping Point, by Malcolm  Gladwell and Shine by Larry Thompson.  The Go Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann

Teaming with Passion:

A terrific way to insure your success is to find other business owners who are passionate about what they are doing and can support your vision.  They can inspire you, share ideas or brain storm with you. Identify other passionate people and spend time with them.  Find people who have the same target market but are a compliment to your industry or line of work.

Commit to the Process of Success:

As you work on your business, make a commitment to see yourself through every situation you encounter. Every journey in life has obstacles to be faced and overcome. There are periods when you will have high energy and other times when you not feel like getting out of bed in the morning. These are all part of the process of life and success. You must therefore commit yourself mentally, financially and emotionally to ensure that you keep your dream alive.

Vision – Do you have your personal vision written down?  Do you understand the difference between your personal vision and your business vision?  Have your written down your goals or objectives and shared them with your coach or those you are accountable to?  Today in fact NOW is a good time to begin!

Consider Hiring a Business Coach: A business coach will help to design a plan that is right for you and then be able to guide, direct and motivate you through the process.  They hold you accountable to your desired objectives and goals along with acting as a sounding board to provide fresh perspectives. Working with a personal or business coach is a terrific way to get your passion back and provide an excellent job in reconnecting you to your vision and purpose as they bring out your ability to achieve greatness.

Yearly we re-examine our networking activities and investment of time, energy and money. We look hard at hours, cost and energy spent on our networking activities. This included associations, groups and all open and closed networking groups. We determined what our time is worth on an hourly basis including gas, expenses, taxes and insurance. Many were amazed as they calculated their hourly worth and multiplied it by the number of hours spent per month in networking activities. We posed this question, what is your ROI? –return on investment. Many discovered that they were spending more time, energy and money in activities that were NOT bringing a desired result in their personal growth, or in their bank accounts!

We also look at who we are spending our time with. We explored our values and principles of living and conducting our business. The question was asked, do you find yourself associating with people who share these values and principles? Are they likely to inspire you to grow or encourage you to stretch in your daily business? In addition what type of customers are you seeking to do business with? Do they align with your principles and values? Do the people you network with hold these same standards? Are they likely to bring you the type of referrals or new clients that you desire to do business with?

These questions and more will help you to discover what your POTENTIAL ROI might be over the course of a year.

So ask yourself these questions. . .

1. Do I spend my time in events that help me grow and encourage me along my path to success?
2. Am I truly gaining a positive ROI in personal development, new business and quality of life?
3. Is my business showing a steady pattern of growth as a result of my investment in these groups and organizations?

In some cases it might be time for you to trade up! Consider aligning yourself with . . . .

• People who are extremely growth driven
• People who are goal-directed
• People who are huge-thinkers
• People who are ultra-positive
• People who have your respect
• People who have your trust
• People who have a proven track record

What is your time worth and how are you spending it? Invest wisely and produce a great return in your personal life, business and community today

Download the Networking ROI Calculator Now

Discover the truth about where you are investing your results!

If you’re like most businesses, you have a limited amount of money to spend. When you decide to order inventory or hire a new employee, you are tying up cash that you can’t use elsewhere. What happens when another opportunity comes along, and you just don’t have the cash to participate?

By using barter, you can use your current inventory or available time to get the things you need, without having to give up valuable cash.

For example, a recent top selling book publisher was traveling through Atlanta, and needed some emergency printing done. He contacted our office for help, and we suggested that he transfer some of his book inventory into the National Trade Network, obtaining full credit for the retail value of his books.

He used that credit to pay for his printing on trade. Thus, he was able to invest his cash into his books, and then used the same money again by trading the books to purchase printing.

Any time a business owner has unused or idle inventory, empty space or unused time, it can be turned into a ready resource for barter. Exchange those things for business expenses or personal expenses! Why not use the money you have already spent?

Want to learn more about how you can use barter and trade to help your business’s cash flow? Submit your comment or question below and the barter coach will be happy to answer it!

Consider eccess inventory that you might have on hand and those seasonal items.  You can offer these through a reputable barter exchange and often get close to retail value for your sales instead of discounting the items often to 20% or even less on a cashout basis.