“But once I have the clarity, strategy and mindset in place, where is the money going to come from?’

If you are like many of my new clients, this is what you’re asking right about now. Well, it’s time to believe in yourself -really and truly – and have a little faith in what you can achieve with the right framework in place. If you are using binoculars to see across that mile-wide gap right now, try replacing them with a blindfold for a while. Allow your vision and intuition to work together without external circumstances getting in the way. Let’s stop looking at the outer resources for a few minutes and take a journey within.

Imagine a sensor probe traveling down to wherever it is that you store your emotions. What does it pick up? Are there anxious thoughts leading you to believe that you are stuck? Do you feel frustrated, or even angry? Let’s probe a little deeper. What’s at the core of these thoughts and feelings? Is there a nagging doubt that says, “I can’t do this?’ Or something along the lines of “What if I don’t get a lucky break?’ Or, “I really don’t know how to pull this off but I can’t let anyone find that out?’ Allow yourself to probe deeper and put your doubt and fear into words. After all, fear is defined as the sensation of being out of control. What better way to regain some control than to define the fear and look at it head on? Ask yourself, “What’s my greatest fear?”

Good job! Now that it’s out what do you do about it? Why address it in the first place? Well, fear is a show stopper. It’s paralyzing, demoralizing, and it’s also a great excuse to procrastinate. To a business person who is relying on their creativity to put food on the table, it’s stifling and toxic.  Fear is rarely a motivator so addressing it will give you the ability to think big and act accordingly.

Here are a few ways to transform your fear and embrace a new way of thinking.

- Be patient with your fearful thoughts and refrain from berating yourself when fearful thoughts surface. Anger and frustration will only exasperate the situation and continue to block the flow of positive thoughts and opportunities. Let’s face it; if you are “busy’ behind your desk feeling awful about yourself, you are not out in the world attracting people who want to work with that “positive, brilliant guy who has a great business’.

- Reframe your negative thoughts. It’s not easy to “erase’ negative thinking; reframing is a method of teaching yourself a new way to think and sending your subconscious mind a positive message. So if you have a thought like, “I will never make this work, then what?’ Try reframing it to something like, “It’s taken longer than I’d like to make this happen, but I believe in myself and my business and it will change – beginning now.’  When we “erase’ the negative and open our minds to the possibility, ideas and opportunities flow much more freely.

- Make a list of the things you have achieved thus far. When I go through such lists with my clients I’m often amazed at what they don’t give themselves credit for. Seeing it in writing and acknowledging each success is very uplifting and empowering.

- Talk to your fear. Too corny? Don’t knock it until you try it! Sit your fear down across the table and have a two-way conversation. Ok, so you don’t want anyone to witness this, but really – it’s amazing. This “conversation’ gives you the opportunity to discuss your fear without judgment. It will produce clarity and reason; it will give you a new slant on what’s going on so that you can step back into the driver’s seat.  Begin with something like, “Ok fear, what’s going on? What have you been trying to tell me?’ Just see where it goes. You may have to make a few attempts at this until you feel comfortable with the process; don’t give up after one try.

- Elicit positive feelings with pictures. Our mind thinks in pictures so physical images of things that help us to feel our vision are very powerful. Believe it or not, a positive emotional response will actually begin to change our neural-patterns after only 20 seconds. I liken it to a good cardio workout; after 20 minutes you begin burning fat…but this is only 20 seconds! Our negative experiences embed themselves in our DNA, that’s why it’s not always possible to simply change negative thoughts. Utilizing images and taking our thought to a positive and powerful place can begin to disrupt the negative messages that are embedded within us. Cut out a few pictures from magazines or find them on-line and print them out. These images should represent your success and happiness and have the power to elicit feelings of great success and happiness. Focus on the image, and the feeling, for a few minutes each day. Notice how much more energy you will have when you do this.

- Find someone to help. If you have experienced a lot of negativity in your life, these patterns will be all the more stubborn and embedded. I always tell my clients, “It’s not your fault!’ These patterns of thoughts are deeply engrained and they’ve been there for _____, how long? There is no shame in reaching out to a coach, a therapist, or a professional who practices an energy psychology technique like the one I mentioned in last week’s post, The Emotional Freedom Techniques.  If you are ready to succeed your thoughts guide the way. Empowering thoughts will lead you to bringing your vision to life.

Posted on Technorati.com by Marla Tabaka @marlatabaka

Jack Canfield teaches us how important it is to TAKE ACTION…….even if you aren’t exactly sure about the outcome. NO ACTION…NO RISK. NO RISK…NO RESULTS. A great bit of insight. What do you think? Give us your comments below.

The Z-CARD® (www.zcardna.com) gives clients the opportunity to get any message across in a distinct and inviting way like never before.

The Z-CARD® delivers…

• Impact – people actually read your content upon receipt
• Information – holds as much content as a full-sized brochure
• Retention – people keep them! (at least 85% of those who first receive it)
• Response – coupon and direct mail applications drive strong response rates
• Experience – after more than a decade in business we have mastered production, quality control and account management with creative designer e-templates available on demand.
• Exclusivity – by merely placing creative into the Z-CARD® format, the finished product becomes exclusive to the client.

Clients have already used the power and versatility of the Z-CARD® for…

• Direct mail and direct response campaigns
• Point-of-purchase displays, product packaging and product samples
• Magazine and newspaper tip-ins
• Maps, games, scratch-offs, coupons and custom shapes
• Venue layouts & seating charts – reference information
• Instructional manuals and guidebooks – that people will use!
• Branding, cross marketing, product information, event marketing and trade shows
• Self pre-paid mailers

The next time someone preaches the values of the internet, do yourself a BIG favor. A marketing plan or business blueprint has always been based on an integration of strategic factors. Glamorous as the internet might be, IT CAN’T COMMUNICATE ALONE.

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Robert Keller is President & CEO of Keller Advertising Inc, a division of KELLER GROUP COMPANIES

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Please tell us what you think. Leave your comments below.

When we asked a cross-section of Canada’s leading experts on personal finance what they considered the greatest money tips of all time, we figured we would get a half-dozen or so points that would emphasize worthy but boring topics like compound interest or spousal RRSPs.

We were wrong.

Our experts surprised us by telling us in many different ways that money is a deep and emotional topic. One expert put at the top of his list some advice on choosing the right spouse. Another stressed the importance of selectively ignoring your portfolio. Yet another pointed out that your most important investment is your own carcass.

We stand corrected. After sifting through the scores of points that our experts nominated for consideration, we’ve gained a much broader appreciation of how our finances and our lives intersect. And after much discussion, we managed to winnow the collective wisdom of our panel down to 25 points, which we’ve arranged in five major groups — Starting Points, Family Values, Saving & Spending, Investing, and Finding Advice. At the risk of sounding immodest, we think that these 25 points are the best primer we’ve seen on the essentials of personal finance.

1. Money is a tool, not a solution

Bruce Cohen, author of The Money Adviser and co-author of The Pension Puzzle, observes that many people have things backward when it comes to their financial planning. They organize their lives to earn money, rather than using money to live the life they want. “The point of the exercise is not to amass a huge mountain of money, but rather to be able to buy the goods and services you find meaningful,” he says. And that leads him to observe that…

2. How you spend it is more important than how you invest it

Most people equate brilliant money management with great investing and spectacular stock tips. But that’s misleading. Not only is it next to impossible for the average person to outwit the professionals on Bay Street, but all the brilliant investments in the world won’t build your wealth by a cent if you keep spending more money than you make.

The only way — we repeat, the only way — to amass money is to live on less than you generate. We’re not talking deliberate poverty, mind you — just smart spending. You should live within your means and, ideally, a bit below what you could really afford. Incidentally, this strategy has some wonderful side effects when it comes to your peace of mind. “Knowing you can afford to tell your boss to buzz off creates a certain sense of serenity,” says Cohen. And he goes on to note that “financial independence occurs when your savings enable you to meet expenses without having to rely on a regular paycheque. The less you need to live on, the easier — and quicker — it is to become financially independent.”

3. Love your job — or leave it

Like Cohen, Jim Otar, a certified financial planner and author, stresses the need for balance in your life. Few things are more conducive to your happiness, he says, than working at a job you truly enjoy. “If you don’t love your job, start searching right now,” he says. “Don’t stop until you find it — be it halfway around the world or in the basement of your own home.”

As New Agey as it may sound, Otar’s advice reflects some cold, hard number crunching. The numbers show that you would need to build a massive investment portfolio simply to match the income you could receive from even a modestly paid job that you love. Say you can earn $35,000 a year following your bliss—making stained glass, for instance, or working as a fishing guide. That’s equivalent to the annual income you could expect to generate from a $700,000 portfolio of stocks and bonds. So if you’re working hard at something you hate simply to build a huge retirement portfolio, you may want to consider a simpler option — finding something you love to do and working at it until you drop.

4. Put first things first

Malcolm Hamilton, an actuary with Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltd. and one of Canada’s keenest personal-finance observers, urges people to recognize that smart investments don’t consist of just stocks and bonds.

Your health, for instance, is your most important asset, yet few of us treat our carcasses with as much respect as we do our portfolios. When you think about it, that’s a massively misplaced set of priorities. “Take care of your health,” Hamilton advises. “If you don’t, money won’t matter.”

5. Know your spouse

Okay, all the political correctness detectors are going off even as we broach this subject, but one of the things we at MoneySense have noticed over the years is how many of our Family Profiles revolve around couples that are torn apart because they have very different approaches to money — he’s a spendthrift, she’s a saver, or vice versa. If that sounds familiar, we suggest you schedule a time at least once a month to sit down and discuss money matters with your spouse before minor irritations turn into a major crisis. Better yet, if you’re not already married, take money attitudes into account when choosing your partner. “Your spouse can make a big difference in your success or failure,” says financial planner Otar. “When selecting a spouse, let your brain work more than your heart.”

6. Invest in your kids

Hamilton, who in addition to being an actuary is the father of two children, believes that one of the best investments you can make is in your kids. “The rewards — emotional and financial — are huge,” he says. “Few retirement plans will cope successfully with dependent adult children.” If you have school-age children and you’re not already contributing to RESPs for them, maybe it’s time to reconsider. These programs are easy to set up (just go to any chartered bank) and the federal government kicks in free money to bulk up the size of your annual contribution. What’s not to like?… Read the rest of this entry »

I work in the surreal world of Silicon Valley where venture capitalists fund companies based on PowerPoint pitches and executive summaries. My friend Tim Berry rightfully pointed that business plans still serve an important role in “the rest of the world.” He’s right, and he should know because he’s the president of Palo Alto Software, the principal creator of Business Plan Pro, and the author of a blog called Planning, Startups, Stories. He was recently named the US Association of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Corporate Entrepreneur of the Year for 2007.

1. Question: Who even reads business plans anymore? Answer: How about “Who should read a business plan”? It’s not about whether venture capitalists read plans, it’s about planning to make your business better. So here’s who should read a plan: First, you the owner, manager, author of the plan–and you’d better be the owner of the plan too—not some consultant. The plan is by you and for you and if tracking it, reviewing it, managing and executing it aren’t important to you, then you don’t understood planning. Planning isn’t about the document; it’s about controlling your destiny, running your business better, setting goals and tracking progress, and keeping your eyes on the horizon while not tripping over potholes in front of you. If you’re not going to read it regularly, then don’t ask anybody else to. Second, team members, boards of directors, and collaborators. A business plan is a way to coordinate, communicate, and collaborate with accountability and tracking. It should get all the key people on the same page. Nobody can execute a plan they don’t know about. Third, relevant outsiders. Banks, investors, boards of advisors, key consultants, and even occasionally—but only with caution—vendors or prospective new high-level employees.
2. Question: What’s the most important qualities of a plan? Answer: First, a plan should set priorities with the understanding that you can’t do everything. After all the buzzwords and analysis, strategy is focus. What can you do better than anyone else? What’s your core competence? Second, specifics. What’s going to happen, when, how much it’s going to cost, and who’s responsible for it. Third, cash flow. Growth spurts in a company are good things, meaning more sales, and presumably more profits, but unplanned growth can suddenly sucks up liquidity and in the worst cases kill the company. Growth without prior planning can be as fun a hard kick in the stomach. Here’s a story to illustrate the concept growth versus cash flow: Willamette River runs through Eugene where I live. More people drown in the slow deep portions of the river than in the rapids because people think they’re okay when it’s slow. Cash flow is like that, you think it’s okay when you’re growing and profitable. Profits are good, but cash and profits aren’t always timed together…. Read the rest of this entry »

It is suggested that the financial state of the world and its future growth is in the hands of entrepreneurs.  Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur? You can make a difference. It’s never too late to make your presence known. This is a light clip that makes a great point! Enjoy!

As Shakespeare wrote, “Leisure is a fine garment for a day, but is horrible daily attire.” Retired individuals are discovering that business activity avoids excessive leisure. Some must keep working to supplement their incomes. Others simply enjoy working.

But seniors are not approaching work like they did for past employers. Instead, they are taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Starting a business when you’re older may actually permit you to deploy some overlooked abilities.

Those age 50-plus tend to have flexible lifestyles as well as financial resources and extensive knowledge. They also have better health and longer life expectancy than previous generations of their age. So, even if working longer is somewhat of a financial necessity, there is also a drive to remain active.

The entrepreneurial boom in the US is thriving because of an aging population. Increasingly, Americans age 55 to 64 are leveraging their experience to start new businesses. The entrepreneurial activity of this age group is much higher than those in the 20 to 34 age range.

The obstacles confronting older entrepreneurs are a little different than the challenges for younger ones. Here are some factors to always remember.

First, seniors should start businesses that utilize their skills. If your experience is with marketing, maybe starting a restaurant is not your best choice. Instead, you can start a corporation that produces marketing materials and writes promotional literature. By using the internet for distribution, you can obtain customers anywhere for a variety of services. For example, an expert in finance can easily send files over the internet.

Next, older entrepreneurs should leverage their network of professional contacts. You want to have friends and family as either customers or advisers. By selecting an industry that is familiar to your contacts, they become a source of assistance. Also, your business can provide something that is frequently purchased by friends and family. Now, they can start buying from you.

Most of all, older entrepreneurs should look for ways to operate a new company on a low budget. This is why home-based businesses are so popular among seniors. Don’t let money become an issue. Senior entrepreneurs should avoid excessive borrowing to start or buy a business.

Older entrepreneurs are experienced at managing risk. They should not become discouraged about having to work during their so-called retirement. In fact, doing so is becoming a popular passion for the boomer generation.

Written by dhuber for BIZNEWS

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There is much to be said for knowledge and experience. And years ago an MBA meant much more than it does today. We should probably come clean and admit that we probably don’t possess ALL the necessary business skills required for running our own shop after a lifetime working in someone else’s J.O.B.  However, if you truly want to launch your own business, we can offer you an affordable resource at KELLER GROUP COMPANIES. No matter where you may be located in the world, we can help you make it happen!

Part of the mindset for entrepreneurs is their lack of fear about rejection. They are trailblazers who don’t permit rejection to deter them from moving forward. When starting your new business, you will find success earlier and easier by using rejection to fuel subsequent accomplishments.

Rejection is in fact a routine part of any business. You are given valuable information from rejections that propel you to making improvements. A rejection is an opportunity for you to better target prospective customers and finely tune your sales process.

Experienced entrepreneurs don’t allow rejection to interfere with their ability to manage and grow their businesses. By adopting this mentality at the start of your business, you will realize more immediate success. Rejection is not something to fear. It is something to embrace as input for bettering your initiatives.

The first step in developing this mental prowess is to not assign something negative to rejection that is far from the truth. People have various reasons to reject an idea, a product, or a service. These are not personal indictments.

To persevere you have to learn from every rejection. Maybe you are selling to the wrong audience. Perhaps you’re not conveying the right message about the benefits of your company, its product, or its services. Approach rejection in stride. Ask about the main reason for the rejection. Find out how you could improve.

Some prospective customers are simply seeking a different price or want structured pricing for different components of the sale. Potential sales are also lost because buyers want other features or even a different perception of the benefits offered by the product or service. New designs to your company’s offerings or new ways of presenting existing offerings might be the only solution you need.

Treating every rejection as practice for future success is a pattern for long term operation. Fear of rejection is never a cause for procrastinating over starting a new business.

Written by bhuber on BIZNEWS www.activefilings.com

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FEAR is one of the elements that stops us from accomplishing most things in our personal and business lives. One positive approach is to come face-to-face with the issues and TAKE ACTION. Remember….you are not unique in this. ALL SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO FACE THEIR FEARS AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. At KELLER GROUP COMPANIES, you are not alone. We are listening.