Is Your Business Organized For Profits?

I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a neat freak. Personally, I know it makes me feel calmer and more clear headed when I walk into a space that’s clean and tidy. There is also a lot of research to back up the physical and psychological benefits of keeping things organized.

Here are just a few…

You reduce stress.
You are happier.
You eat better.
You have better relationships.
You are more productive.
You sleep better.
You even reduce your risk of heart attack!

However, there are also important financial reasons to being organized, especially in your business.

When you have systems and structures in place, you create space, ease and flow for money to come into your life.

Think about the physical space of your office. If it’s a mess, your mind is distracted every time your eyes fall on something that isn’t pertinent to your priorities. Distraction equals lost time, mental focus and creativity. How are you going to create the next amazing project if every time you walk in your office, you see piles of unfinished tasks.

If you work online to any degree and even if you don’t, you also have to think about the flow of your business model. Is it organized for profit?

If you don’t have a very clear sense of how your business model should be set up, it is a lot harder to bring in and keep money flowing through your business. Whether you call it a funnel, a pyramid, a money mountain or anything else, you need to know where and how to funnel leads and clients through your processes. If you don’t, you are leaving money on the table.

When you are just starting out, your business model will be simpler and in some ways, that’s a very good thing. Having fewer options makes it easier for you to get very skilled at selling the offerings you do have. However, as your grow, you’ll want to develop a more robust menu of products and services, not only because it will allow you to express your genius and creativity, but because it will also allow you to bring in and keep more clients.

However, more options requires more clarity. You need to know how the pieces fit together and the flow of your funnel. Doing so will make you life so much easier for you and provide more value to your clients.

Here are few things to think about to set yourself up for maximum profits:

1. How/where do the majority of leads come into my funnel?
2. Do I have enough options to sell different levels of clients into my programs?
3. Do I know how to present my offers in creative ways without lowering prices?
4. Do I have up-sells and down-sells ready for sales calls?
5. Do I have lateral options available that might be attractive to current clients?
6. Do I know the best logical order to move clients through my model?
7. Do I know how to bundle services to give juicy sales incentives?

Building business models can be very overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, things get really, really fun. Suddenly, you feel more confident and grounded in your business. You recognize who is right fit for you much more quickly and sales calls get a heck of a lot easier.

What I know for sure is no model=no money. It is so worth the time to get organized in this part of your business. I can’t promise it will prevent a heart attack, but it just might. After all, what is a better stress reliever than knowing your profit house is order?

If you’d like to know more about how you can maximize your business model for profit, apply for a free strategy session here=>Session Application

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your notes!

Are You Doing Whatever It Takes?

Do you have a big dream? What is it? Exactly. Can you articulate it right now in great detail? How does it make you feel when you see your vision in black and white? Pretty awesome I bet, excited and raring to go.

Now let me ask you how do you feel when you think about all the work it’s going to take to bring your vision to fruition? Do you suddenly feel scared or overwhelmed wondering how the heck you are going to get from where you are now to where you want to be?

The next time someone asks you what you do, say “Whatever it takes.”- Lewis Howes.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, if you want to achieve anything great, you have to learn to love the pain. Now before you shoot darts at me, let me explain.

Entrepreneurship is a battle zone. There are challenges at every corner AND it is the most exhilarating ride of your life. If you only love the highs, you are going to come down crashing, hard, and more than likely quit before you get to paradise. You have to learn to embrace the lows for what they will DO for you in the long run.

Even though I’m not an athlete or in stellar shape, I’m big into exercising. I go at least 5 times a week to the gym. I’m up every morning at 5:00 am and on the treadmill or at the weights by 5:30 am. Do I love getting up in the middle of January when it’s 10 degrees outside and the sky is black? Well…. actually, I don’t mind it. I know I am going to feel way better about my day if I go. I know in an hour, I’m going to be on a runner’s high or feeling tight and pumped after doing double sets.

But it’s not just the “what I’ll get afterwards” that makes me feel good. It makes me feel good to know I am doing whatever it takes to get what I want. When I am sweating, out of breath and my legs are burning, I know I am doing the work that needs to be done.

If staying in shape were easy, everyone would be thin and fit, but it takes work. And if it were easy to build a successful, profitable, meaningful business, everyone would be doing that too. However, it IS possible. There can be a pot of gold at the end of your rainbow, you just have have to keep at it.

You may be thinking, “I am already doing whatever it takes and I’m still not where I want to be.” Well then, I’m sorry to say,  you’re are not doing whatever it takes. I’m not implying you are not working hard, I’m sure you are, but unless you’ve achieved your goal already, what you’re doing either isn’t working or it isn’t working yet. There may be more you have to do.

Before you throw in the towel, here are some tips to keep you on track for success: [Read more…]

Know When to Say “No”

Sometimes the word “no” gets a bad rap. It sounds harsh or limiting. As children we were often told no when we asked for things we wanted. We may have wanted to buy a cheap toy or stay up past our bedtime. As teenagers we may have wanted to go to a party that “everyone” else was going to. When we were younger, we could not appreciate that our parents were protecting our health, keeping us safe and safe-guarding our future by saying no. As adults, however, we recognize their insistence on setting limits was a great act of love so we could grow into thriving, successful adults.

As entrepreneurs, we must also learn to say “no” so that our businesses can thrive, though it’s not always easy. As parents, we know it’s often very tempting to just give in when our children beg and plead with us. It takes a lot of strength to stand our ground, but we do it because we know it’s in our child’s best interest. It’s the same with your brand and in your business. It is hard to say no when there are so many people and opportunities vying for your attention and energy. However, you must learn to do it if you are going to succeed.

Here are 3 Tips to help you know when to say “no” and feel good about it! [Read more…]

Is Your Brand Missing the Mark?

Do you ever feel like you are spinning your wheels in your business? You feel like you are working, working, working, but nothing, nothing, nothing is happening? You’ve been a good doobie. You’ve developed a good service or product. You are tweeting and posting on Facebook. Perhaps you’ve even stepped out of your comfort zone and started doing some pubic speaking, but still nothing is happening. You just can’t seem to get any leverage. You start to wonder if there’s something wrong with you. Why aren’t people responding? [Read more…]

Nurture your Business

For Mother’s Day this year our family spent a fun the day at the beach. It was a warm, sunny day so many other families were also there strolling in the sand. As I looked around, I saw moms changing diapers, chasing toddlers and playing frisbee with their teenagers. It struck me how good parenting is constant even if the specifics of the job description changes over time. Obviously, the immediate needs of a 3 year old are very different from those of a 13 year old, but the fundamentals do not change over time. Kid of all ages need love and guidance to thrive. They need to be nurtured. [Read more…]

Make a Lean, Clean Business Machine

Ah, the flowers are blooming, the grass is growing and the birds are chirping. It is definitely spring. It’s time for baseball, strolls in the park and of course, spring cleaning. For some, the idea of spring cleaning is about as appealing as getting a tooth pulled. Others love the process of clearing the decks and getting everything spic and span. Whether you love it or hate it, doing a deep, thorough cleaning once in a while is a necessary and important process for both your home and your business.

One of the reasons people resist any kind of cleaning process is because it requires assessing where they currently are. Whatever choices you have made up to that point are reflected in your environment. If the shop has been carefully watched and managed, the cleaning process will be fairly easy with a simple tweak here and there. If overwhelm or complacency has sneaked in over time, the job will be much harder. You suddenly find yourself face to face with the results of your choices and sometimes that can be quite unpleasant. Perhaps you have slacked off in your marketing efforts and your client stream has dried up. As uncomfortable as this realization can be, however, it affords you the opportunity to course correct and get your business pointed in the right direction again. [Read more…]