I just spent a few hours doing emails and FaceBook: reading posts and sharing a few, clicking links, watching videos, and writing comments. Several of the original posts and comments inspired me to write heart-felt messages. Even more interesting is that I couldn’t resist creating this post. I gathered what appeared to be separate, independent posts into one stream of conscious flow and am sharing that with you now.

I’m so curious to know what you think about what I’ve done here. Please share your thoughts and feelings and ideas, too!

P.S. You can click on people’s links if what they said spoke to you. Maybe you’ll even find the specific post I copied and write your own comment.

P.P.S. I apologize in advance for some funky line spacing. I don’t see what’s causing it in the html view and so don’t know what to do. Enjoy looking through the spacing at the heart of the content. Thanks.
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Jim Sutton #LearningTip: William Faulkner: Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.
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Mari-Lyn Harris

My favorite word is “Next.” Every year I come up with a word that I am going to use for the year. in 2010 it’s Love

 Bonnie Dubrow

Next is a great word, Mari-Lyn — next surprises, next steps, next moment, next breathe, next smile… I’m discovering again and again that Next is the human operative… that’s really all we have. Our job is to tell happy, healthy stories about our Nexts… instead of scary, horror stories, of course. As I focus on what I want, as I believe in ‘that or something better,’ as I take the next steps in that direction, my energy, LOVE and life flow freely and easily in that direction! Rock on.
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Jim Sutton

Just discovered this quote from Monique. You know here from BlitzTime. “Do you personally like and embrace the surprises in your life?” ~Monique MacKinnon, Creativity Expert

Bonnie Dubrow

Monique’s quote – We always have a choice as to whether we react to surprises out of habit (which usually means Fear) or we respond with LOVE. While we don’t control all that happens to and around us, we do have the option of taking conscious control of how we respond. And the only response is LOVE. Sometimes I’m not sure how best to express Love … See Morein response to someone else’s behavior that’s expressing a lack of love (anger, fear, etc.) Still, if responding in love is my intention, my response will be filled with more love than if I react out of fear.
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Steve Srein Sr.

On this day, God wants you to know…

… that today you can help a thousand people see God’s light. Feel God’s light shining within you and take a step to inspire someone else to shine. As you share this vision today with just one soul, that reaches ten lives that touch a thousand.

Bonnie Dubrow

Thanks for the conscious reminder, Steve. I just got back from Walmart where I helped a cashier get that message. I guess the customer before me or next isle over was less than nice. I told her there are only 2 types of behaviors: people act from love or from fear. When someone is mean or gets angry or vengeful, they’re coming from fear, which is simply a request for Love. Our job is to respond with Love regardless of where they came from… Sometimes tough to do. Still, well worth it for what acts of loving kindness do for us and the world. If G-d couldn’t show up and sent you instead, how would He want you to behave? WWJD? That’s how I want my Light to shine. How about you?
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Bonnie Dubrow

Thanks. I’ve saved the link in my great filing system for future reference… I just love how willing we are to share our knowledge, wisdom, and experience with each other! I am so blessed to be a member of a huge community of people who really get that we are all connected onto one BIG team whether we can always remember or see evidence of that. And Together Everyone Accomplishes More. Acting together from a space of generosity and loving kindness, we all win and feel good in the moment, too!

Julie Hall When the blues kick you in the head and you roll out of bed in the morning… just sit on the porch and swing…
Bonnie Dubrow

I’ve got a swing in my backyard room… it’s the perfect cure for the blues – gets you breathing and moving through… also awakens the inner child and comforts him or her. Swing on!
 
Cathy Bucklin wants to purify the soil of my consciousness so it can nourish and sustain new life. I am clearing any weeds of the past. I think I see a clearing in the brush….
 

Bonnie Dubrow

I’m a weeding out the negative, self-limiting doubts, fears, and self-sabotaging behaviors and watering the positive, paths of flowers, herbs, and other life-giving thoughts, feelings and behaviors. And I’m honored to be traveling with so many others who are doing the same. Keep on breathing, relaxing and letting go into the Love and Light!

 Ali R. Rodriguez “The Universe is not punishing you or blessing you. The Universe is responding to the vibrational attitude that you are emitting. The more joyful you are, the more Well-being flows to you — and you get to choose the details of how it flows” – Abraham – Hicks
 
Mari-Lyn Harris

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE

That’s the question Diane Eble asked in her blog post today. I had to share this post. Why? Because one of the ways to drive traffic to your website is to have your name and website appear on high traffic sites. In her post, Diane goes on to explain how reviewing books in your field increases your visibility to people who might be your ideal prospects and on search engines.

Here’s the rest of Diane’s post including instructions for how to do what she suggests. Thanks, Diane!

As an author or aspiring author,  I assume you do.

Here’s a way to use your reading to get traffic back to your own website.

First, a pop-quiz question: What’s a site that gets a LOT of traffic? Like, thousands if not millions a day….

If you guessed amazon.com, you’re right!

So, when you post a review of a book that’s related to your area of expertise, you get to create a link back to your site.
Because the link comes from a credible, highly-trafficked site, you will rise in the search engines.

Here’s how:

Create an account at Amazon. If you’re already a member at Amazon then you’ve probably already bought something from them and that’s even better. You’re an established member of and you’ve already completed your first step. Amazon won’t allow you to make comments unless you’ve purchased something there. (May I suggest a great book that made it to #3 on amazon recently–a book that will, if you implement it, change every area of your life in amazing ways? It’s here—and yes, I did write a review!)

Create your profile. Talk about yourself, using relevant keywords. And of course, put a link to your site.

Review products. The next thing you need to do is to give product reviews of items for sale on Amazon. If there are books you’ve read, then go the section where they ask you for your review of the product and give one. Each time you give your review of a product make certain you leave your name and in your signature should be a link back to your website.

Do you know how many people visit Amazon on a daily basis? More than visit your site, that’s for sure. Each time someone sees your review, they will see your name and the link back to your website. This is a simple, free and easy way to put your name out there and get more traffic back to your website.

Use this powerful method and let me know your results with it. It’s one of the more fun ways I use in the “Multiple Presences on the Web” strategy. (I once decided my dream job would be to get paid well to read. This is at least mildly related to that.)

Diane Eble is “Your Book Publishing Coach.” Her blog is worth following if you’re an author or aspire to be.

And I remember those embarrassing moments when I stood on the side while my host introduced me. Back then I knew to prepare something for them to read. Even with a short intro typed in BIG font, more often than not, they’d botch it.

So when I read Lisa Sasevich’s post, I had to share it with you. Take her words of wisdom to heart and each of your talks will get off to a better start. Thank you, Lisa.

How to Ensure a Powerful Intro Before You Speak

There are two types of introductions—the one where you introduce yourself toward the beginning of your talk and the one that your host reads to introduce you to the audience before you get up on stage. Now, that second introduction may seem like a minor concern, but it’s not; it plays a huge role in establishing your credibility.

Building credibility—the impression that you are an expert with proven results who can be trusted to deliver—is the vital first goal of your presentation. If you want your audience to listen to you and eventually buy from you, they have to see you as credible.

So here is my secret formula and two important tips for creating a powerful introduction for your host. An introduction that sets you up to gain credibility and helps people feel open to you and quickly start to build the trust that is needed to invest with you.

Proven Formula for Getting a Powerful Intro Before You Speak
When you’re writing your host’s introduction, keep it short: only 30 seconds to one minute long. Hit the high points and include these elements:

A. Have the host tell the audience why they invited you. For example, your introduction might begin: “We know that you or people you know have been affected by the drastic changes in the housing market. We invited our next speaker here today because her program has been proven to work during challenging times.” This is also where they would include any personal testimonial they have to add if they, in fact, have worked with you.

B. Include accolades and a personal touch. Then they should list several of your most impressive achievements: the TV appearances, the books, awards, the years you’ve been at your craft or how many people you’ve helped. Also include something personal that sounds impressive. For instance, you have two children at home and you put your husband through graduate school while launching your business from the basement.

C. Tell the audience what they’re going to get. This is where you include your statements of the transformations that your clients get as a result of working with you. For instance, “Today, Susan’s going to teach you how you can lose 10 pounds in 30 days and cut your insulin dependence in half.” Or, “Judy’s going to show you how you can build a six-figure business working part-time from home.”

Having your host end your introduction with the transformation that the audience will get generates excitement. And then you get up there confident and welcomed because they are excited to hear what you have to say, and you’re excited to share it with them!

Bonus Tip 1: Always Bring a Copy of your Host Introduction with You
You can write a fantastic introduction, but if the busy host misplaces it the day of the event and gets up there and wings it, all your effort was in vain. Always bring an extra copy with you. Make sure it’s in large print, easy to read, and before you go on, ask the emcee if he or she has your introduction. If not, you can just hand it over. (This will seriously separate you from the speaker pack and have hosts take notice.)

Bonus Tip 2: Adjust Your Opening Remarks as Necessary
If the emcee botches your intro (it happens!), think fast, because you need to convey the credibility that was supposed to have been established during your introduction. You could do this by mentioning that your business broke the six or seven-figure mark or that you never thought when you started that you’d have more than 200 people in your mentorship program.

If, on the other hand, your emcee does a stellar job of establishing your credibility, then you have the wonderful opportunity to get up there and emphasize your vulnerability, which, along with continuing to build on your credibility, is the goal of your opening remarks.

This is powerful because when someone whom we expect to be larger than life is instead humble and real, we’re surprised and delighted and we like and trust that person even more. Also, it allows people to relate to you better and realize that if you can do it, they can too. Remember, we buy from people we feel like we know and that we like and trust to deliver. So, even this early on in your presentation, you’re setting the stage for record sales.

Sales-from-the-podium expert Lisa Sasevich has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold! If you’re looking for simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime, get your FREE Sales Nuggets now at www.theinvisibleclose.com.

Join the club. You’re human. In spite of your intentions to stay cool, calm, and collected, it’s impossible to do all the time, especially when you’re tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, or suddenly caught off guard.

Yet you know from your own experience that you cannot be or do your best when you aren’t feeling your best.

Wouldn’t you like to be able to get out of the storm until it blows over? Your ability to live in the eye of the hurricane is a skill worth mastering.

The Power of Positive Feeling

To succeed in business and in life, you need to know what you want. You need to be clear about the Big Picture – your values, visions, dreams and goals. You must be competent, and you need to feel confident that you know what you know. You need to feel good. Of these ingredients, only your feelings are subject to change from one moment to the next.

Athletes and performing artists know that feeling good is a prerequisite as well as a reward for peak performance. They have learned that feeling good is an inside job and that with practice they can consciously take control of their emotions. They also have come to realize that the body is the best biofeedback tool. The body doesn’t lie. If they’re feeling good, they’re in a resourceful state. If they feel bad, they’re not. Champions therefore choose to master the inner game so they are able to remain centered regardless of what’s happening around them. They learn to STOP and check in with themselves to feel how they’re feeling. When they catch themselves in an unresourceful state, they shift gears, and step back into the eye of the hurricane.

The pros know the benefits, and so do you. When we’re centered we make better decisions, we communicate better, we’re more creative and resourceful, and we do a better job at whatever we’re doing.

Regardless of how good we are at maintaining or regaining our composure, we can’t control the world around us. Even our own thoughts, feelings, and actions can have a negative effect on our emotions. So we need to have realistic expectations of ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves at less than our emotional best. The better we are at shifting back to a positive emotional state, and the more time we spend living in the eye of the hurricane, the more likely we are to achieve the success we desire.

While you may have an intellectual understanding of these concepts, you may be wondering how you, too, can become a master of the inner game.

The pros know that to move from understanding to mastery requires practice. Doing the desired behavior over and over and over again is a key to learning something new or to replacing an outdated habit with a more success-oriented one.

Being in the Zone

You know when you’re feeling really good or really bad. While occasionally the shift from good to bad is sudden, most of the time it’s a more gradual transition. Yet most of us are unaware of our body’s subtle feedback about how we’re feeling, so we miss the early warning signals. Wouldn’t you like to catch yourself before you hit the wall? Wouldn’t you like to hear your inner voice when it’s a whisper instead of a shout?

Here are behaviors that, once mastered, will increase the ease with which you shift gears when you find yourself in an undesirable emotional state. They’ll also increase the amount of time you spend in the zone of peak performance.

You’ll want to get in the habit to consciously STOP and check in with your body and emotions throughout the day. The more aware you are of the subtler shifts, the more likely you’ll catch yourself as you transition from a desirable emotional state to an undesirable one. In the beginning, you’re more likely to realize after the fact that you’ve drifted from center. With practice, you’ll eventually catch yourself as you’re “slip-sliding away.”

As you practice STOP you’ll also be mastering your ability to consciously step back into the eye of the hurricane.

The more you practice, the quicker you’ll master the behaviors and the longer you’ll retain them. Once you’ve mastered each one, string them together. Eventually, you’ll automatically STOP, check in, and shift gears. You’ll have a new habit. With grace and ease, you’ll be stepping into and living in the eye of the hurricane.

STOP

S Shift toward Center; Connect with your Source; Spirit and Soul, Serenity

T Take conscious breaths. Stand or sit Tall. Focus on your Treasures. Practice an attitude of gratitude for what you already have and for what you’re eagerly anticipating in advance of receiving ‘it.’ Trust yourself and your Source.

O Oxygenating your body. Open your mind and your heart. Shift your attention to the Opportunities and Options you desire.

P Proceed with Passion. Pursue your Pleasure. Play is a prerequisite for Peak Performance. Inner Peace. Prosperity.

Tips for Practicing STOP

Choose one key word or phrase for each letter. Choose the most powerful ones for you. Choose ones that are not listed. Then say those words or phrases over and over again, each time shifting towards center.

Identify neutral everyday events that will serve as reminders to STOP. Examples: ringing of phone, picking up phone, looking at watch/clock, drinking liquid, red light breathing. Your goal is that every time that trigger happens, you STOP, check in, and shift towards center. No matter how good you’re feeling when you check in, you will always benefit from this behavior.

Other great times to practice STOP are: at the beginning and end of each day and each activity, to interrupt an undesirable behavior and make a conscious change, to address mistakes and correct miscommunications, and to rest.

Practice in a safe environment, with safe people. Keep practicing. Only when the new behavior becomes a habit will you be able to automatically shift toward center.

Also make a list of those people, circumstances and events, even your own thoughts, that you already know bring up bad feelings. These can also serve as triggers to STOP, check in, and shift. Practice even when a real-life trigger has such an impact on you that it takes longer than you’d like to shift to positive feelings.

One of the benefits of practicing STOP is that you won’t get too far off center too often or for too long. You’ll be in the habit of checking in often, and when you catch yourself in a less than desirable emotional/physical state, you will STOP and shift. Eventually even when you’re confronted by a negative trigger you hadn’t used to consciously practice, you’ll automatically STOP and shift.

So start practicing STOP today and

master the art of Living in the Eye of the Hurricane.

Fun is a prerequisite to excellence.

Play is the behavior of enlightenment.

If it’s got to be done, make it fun.

Success is having fun making progress.

The most important thing is that I feel good!

“Has your business ever made you cry, Bonnie?”

My answer without a moment’s hesitation! You bet it has… Has yours?

Suzanne went on to say:

I know, I know. We’re not supposed to talk about these things. We’re supposed to be INDEPENDENT, BRAVE and STRONG … and not have inconvenient feelings like fear, shame and serious self-doubt. 

Thing is … those feelings are unavoidable. And the real truth is that when you find yourself planted face down on your bed, wracked with sobs, that’s usually a really good sign. 

It’s an indication of an imminent breakthrough – a complete break with the way you’ve always done things. A chance to be liberated from whatever is currently sticking you … so you can make the surge forward that you need. 

This is the reality of entrepreneurship:  

We’ve all been in tears with our businesses. 

We’re going to be asked to do hard things. 

We’re going to feel like complete idiots from time to time. 

We’ll have to do things sometimes that make us feel crazy, weak or just plain out of our league. 

And yes, we’re going to have dark nights of the soul. 

Which means …. we also get the chance to GROW. To pry ourselves OUT of the comfort zone which is totally a great thing. 

And isn’t that why Spirit put you in business in the first place?  

My note: Thanks, Suzanne, for bravely stating there’s an elephant in the room.

In fact, I’m going through yet another expansion of my comfort zone. What a relief to be reminded that the waves of emotions, sometimes tears, are a good thing!

How grateful I am to be traveling with you, Suzanne. Thanks for being who you are, showing up as you are. I am encouraged and empowered!

I’m ready to do some yoga, then get to bed early so I’m fully charged to show up in the world in a new, bigger, bolder, and better way tomorrow.

P.S. That was yesterday, and today has been a better day. Energy ebbs and flows in nature, and I’m part of nature! So are you… I’m learning to relax and go with the flow, to trust that I am the right person to do the next thing that’s right in front of me, and then to do it. Being in motion makes it easier for me to be in the right place at the right time, to say or do the right thing, meet the right person… you get my point.

So, I invite you to laugh when you feel like laughing, and cry when that feels right, too.  And I will, too. Together, being our real, authentic selves, we can hold each other’s hand and JUMP! Right through the next ring of fire. Let who you no longer need to be, what you no longer need to say or do be burned away a tiny bit at a time. It’s part of the journey of life.

To quote Suzanne, “Isn’t that why Spirit put you in business in the first place?”

And remember, if it’s got to get done, let me help you make it fun!

Becoming, like tomorrow never comes.

My personal power is in this moment. So is yours. It’s who I choose to be in this moment… and this moment… and this one, too, that determines what I think, how I feel, what I say, and what I do. It all starts with who I am right now!

Sure, I’ll feel good when I’ve achieved and gotten my rewards.

The thing I’ve got to remember is that feeling good is the prerequisite, as well as the reward, for doing good work, for a job well done, for delivering a peak performance.

The pros know this. Professional athletes and performing artists know they need to be the person who does good work, who delivers an outstanding performance. They know they need feel good, feel confident they can in advance of doing what they need to do. And the doing comes before the results.

So why is it so hard for me to do? Because I got taught I got taught backwards. I got taught that first I have to do, then I get to have, then I get to be.

And so I’ve been practicing the wrong things for a very long time.

How about you?

So what’s a person to do?

I need to remember that who I am in this moment is my choice. Then I get to choose who I am in this moment. You get to do the same.

Easy for me to say.

Sometimes I get caught in my old habits.

What’s it going to take?

Practice, practice, practice. Practice remembering that life’s a journey and I get to choose how I’m showing up. Practice putting my attention on all I am, all I have, all I can do. Practice on playing to my strengths and asking others to help with things they love to do that plays to their strengths.

It’s that simple! Yet it sometimes feels so hard. Oh well. I can sit and whine and cry about it or I can choose again in this moment to be…

I need to sing my new song and dance my new dance. I need to get that I choose who I am and choose to be a person who’s just fine as I am. AND that as an ever-evolving, ever expanding Spirit Being, I’m always going to get to choose to remember…

Right now, in this very moment, I am the perfect person to be who I need to be right now to do what’s next… And so are you!

So put a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and enjoy being you. I’ll do the same. And together we’ll radiate a magnificent light, sing a great song, and enjoy traveling this road of life together.

And remember, if it’s got to get done, make it fun!

Do you want to love the life you’re living?

One way to achieve all this and more is to be known as an authority in your niche. Here’s the direction I recommend you go to be well seen and well heard so you can be well known and well paid.

You need to be a VIP with VIP ~ a Very Important Professional with Valuable Intellectual Property, AKA Valuable Information Products.

“Why this path?” you may be wondering. 

Because once your expertise is out of your head and in physical and digital form, you can contribute it to the world. That way it can generate leads and income.

Content may be king. The question is what content? Before we can create content that others will find valuable, we need to know who those others are who we want to attract and serve. 

We may need to create and share clear, concise, and compelling messages and to know where to put them so they can be easily found by those looking for us. Before we can we write messages that leave a trail of breadcrumbs that lead to our door, we need to know who we want to talk to, who we want to attract, who we want to serve. 

So start by building a strong foundation. Here are a few questions I suggest you answer. 

Who are our ideal clients? Think of 3 categories:

• ones we love to work with (our passion) and who love to work with us (their passion)
• ones we’re expert at helping (our expertise)
• ones with whom we make the most money (income)

What problem(s) do they have that you solve for them or help them solve? 

How do you do that? 

What results do they get when they work with us and how do they benefit from those results? 

What makes us, what we do and how we do it unique so people would be crazy to work with anyone else?

In the coming weeks I’ll be blogging more about what you can do to be a VIP with VIP. I’ll be offering tips, tools, techniques, and strategies you can use. I’ll be creating Success Activities you can do quickly and easily. And I’ll be offering programs to help you get unstuck, overcome Marketing Resistance Syndrome, and take the next steps that help you take yourself, your business, and your life where you want to go. 

And remember, if it’s got to get done, let me help you make it fun!

Fun is a prerequisite to excellence.

Play is the behavior of enlightenment.

P.S. If you want to be known as an authority in your niche, join Mari-Lynn Harris and myself every Wednesday 2-3 pm est on BlitzTime. It’s the coolest place to meet like-minded people. We gather on the phone to network, build relationships, and learn how to do what it takes to become well seen and well heard so you can be well paid. Click on this link. You’ll land on our event’s page. You’re in the place to register for one or more calls for ”How to Be an Authority in YOUR Niche.” Your first 2 calls are free! Try it. You’ll like it!

I have a hunch… if you’re like me and other ISPs I know… we know where we’d like to be, like to go, and we even know our next few steps… and yet sometimes because we can’t see clearly through the fog or the bend in the road beyond those next known steps and we can’t guarantee they’re the right steps or we’ll do them right enough, we freeze and spin our wheels. Does this sound familiar?

I’ve decided I can only see so far down the road ~ like how far headlights illuminate at night isn’t the whole road yet I drive on. Just like I drive with faith that the road continues and the next part will be lite up when I need it, the next steps will be revealed when I need to know.

Like that scene in Indiana Jones when the big ball is rolling after Indiana, he’s standing at the edge of a cliff, he’s told to step out and he does… the chasm was an illusion. He stood on solid ground and kept walking.

What if it’s that easy?

What do you call someone who’s a self-employed, service providing, heart-centered, mission-driven, professional soul-o-prener? This person is or wants to be known as an authority in their niche, who wants to support themselves doing what they love – serving people, sharing their gifts, talents, expertise, wisdom, …and knowledge. Their business isn’t geographically limited either.

This is not a trick question! I’m serious. Even the first sentence – that’s too many words, yet each describes a unique quality or characteristic of a group of people. Why do I want to know? I am one and that’s too much to say when someone asks me what I do. And it’s my niche (AKA target …market, audience, or ideal client.)

Any suggestions or comments are welcome. And if this is you, what challenges are you facing these days? I’d love to hear from you whomever and wherever you are.

And remember, if it’s got to be done, let me help you make it fun!

Another thing you may not know is I know alot about numbers and what they have to do with business. I used to teach math and statistics, got my first masters in educational research and my second is an MBA.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because if you want to take your business to the next level, you need to know your numbers.

Many self-employed solopreneurs tend to wing it. In other words, we do not know our numbers, what they mean, and how we can use them to make better business decisions. We tend to evaluate how well we’re doing by how much is in our bank account. If we can pay our bills and still have money left over we think we’re doing okay. As you may be discovering during these challenging times, (which might not have been apparent during better economic times) that may not be enough.

In part, that’s because many of us didn’t get schooled in how to run a business. I remember when I was in high school. The business track was for the people who weren’t going to college. And in college, until my MBA, I didn’t learn a thing about business. What’s business got to do with being a psychologist or a teacher or a coach? If you’ve got a store, or a factory, yes. If you’re a professional, you’ve got a practice.

At least there’s lots of information and help available if you’re a dentist or chiropractor or realtor. There are training programs for them on practice management.

I’ve got to tell you, even some of those who have gone through such training don’t know they need to treat their practice as a business. In fact, you can be a great professional and a poor business owner, and not be able to keep sharing your gifts and talents because you can’t keep your doors open.

Why? There are many reasons for this.

The one I want to look at right now is most of us don’t know why a businses exists. We think it’s so we can do what we love. This is the reason behind a business.

What we forget (or never knew) is a business exists to make a profit… not make sales, not make money. a Profit! That means there’s money left over after you’ve paid everyone and paid for everything that it takes to deliver whatever it is you trade for money = products, programs, personal and professional services, presentations, etc.

For example, knowing the 3 major financial reports we need to generate and evaluate: Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement.

These 3 documents read and understood help us understand how you can make sales and go broke. One example is you’ve sold something yet haven’t gotten paid yet. So you don’t have the money to pay yourself, your payroll (if you have one) or other expenses.

I’m not going to go into greater detail on these 3 financial reports. If you want to know more, comment, ask your questions, and I’ll answer. Or do some online research. There’s tons of information on this stuff. I promise.

One number that’s in the news a lot lately is ROI, or Return on Investment. The concept says you want to get back more than you put in.

You calculate your ROI to determine if you’re making a profit on whatever you’re spending your time and money on. This is especially important for marketing.

We forget our time is money. Social media and social marketing are free, aren’t they? Well, if you did all your own set-up so didn’t lay out a penny, and you do all your own writing of your Tweets and posts and comments, you’re not out making money during that time. We forget we need to pay ourselves for work as if we were an employee. We forget to figure our time into the ROI equasion.

Here’s a post that does an excellent job of giving you a handle on how to determine the ROI of your social media campaign. He also gives great tips about “How to Use Google and Twitter to Find Your Customers.” Customers means revenue. That’s a good thing. Now go check that you make more on those customers than it cost you to find them (or them to find you.)

If this has been a post that has you squirming in your skin a little, good! 

Why am I saying ”Good?” I’m suggesting to take our business to the next level, we need to lead by taking ourselves to the next level. That means whatever you call yourself - a professional, solo-preneur, self-employed, etc. remember you are a business owner, too. Otherwise you’ve got a hobby that makes some money, even if it is supporting your lifestyle. During tough times that may not be enough.

And I understand. I’m squirming, too. Even with all I know about numbers, how important they are to track and evaluate, I don’t always do wnat I know. We all do that in some area(s) of our lives.

I so want to know what you’re thinking as you read this. Please comment. Ask questions. Share the link with friends.

Let’s stick together and learn how to build a successful business one that’s sustainable, scalable, and profitable.

Be well, be wonderful, and enjoy!

The Energizer Bonnie