If you haven’t done it yet, then it’s time to review your business foundation: Business plan Marketing plan Ideal client profile Objectives — are you reaching your goals? Strategies — which are working? which need to change or be adjusted? Action plans — are you on track? what changes need to take place? who else do you have to hire to help you?
During a recent 30-minute Business Vision Statements class taught by Maria, a student asked: “I spent some time scrolling through your site and was intrigued by the One Page Business Plan® for Women. But I was disappointed to discover that it's a book and CD set – I was hoping for one of your templates. In keeping with your own advice to cut through the clutter, I don’t want to wade through text explaining what a good idea it is to have a business plan. I already know that I need a business plan, and want to ‘git-r-dun’. Isn’t a template enough?” Coach Maria Answered: If only life were as simple as filling in a template
Excuses are soul-killers” was one of 3,500 quotes submitted, and one of 365 chosen to appear in the 2010 Woman’s Advantage Calendar. EXCUSES ARE OUT! So, do you know a business owner, executive or sales/marketing personal who are ready to ditch their excuses and follow a simple process (like one-page simple) that helps improve focus, accountability, and profits? Maybe a fellow colleague has recently told you. . . • I’m not growing my business as fast as I’d like, profits have flat-lined, or are on the decline. • I want more clients and to have a long-lasting, positive impact on their lives or businesses. • I’m tired of spending so much time putting out fires all
You may not know it, but you could be causing the demise of your business. Could it be that it’s time to get focused, take action, be accountable and produce much better results? Let’s look at the business killers that could be holding your business down and then actions to maintain the right focus: 1. Focusing on Fires Most business owners are focused on whatever business fires or emergencies come at them in a given day. Action: Focus on creating a marketing plan and then execute your action plan. 2. Focusing on Bling In business, bling is the shiny new marketing toy that everyone else seems to be using. Action: Focus on doing more of what
“The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” —Maureen Dowd, New York Times columnist Big companies start out as small businesses; the most successful ones do all the right things that help them grow. When I was a junior trader on Wall Street, I learned a lot of those corporate “secrets” without realizing it. My five-year plan always got done in two years. At the time, I didn’t understand why; now I do. It was the “power” of planning, focus, and accountability. There is a lot we can learn about guiding our careers from how companies operate. You can take the same strategies used to grow multi-billion