Riding the Emotional Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship
Remember the first time you rode a rollercoaster? You waited in line with trepidation, smiling nervously to your family, friends or those around you, hoping that no one could sense the butterflies in your stomach. As you got in the car and strapped in for your ride, you wondered how secure the safety belt really was. You were scared and excited about what would come as the car slowly inched up the hill before the first big drop. You wondered if it was really such a good idea getting on this ride, and maybe even said a quick prayer. When the car started downhill and picked up speed, you let out your best Hollywood scream as you sped over bumps and turns and flipped head over heels. You alternated between feelings of delight and feelings of horror and everything in between. You felt more terrified and exhilarated than you ever had before in your life. By the time your car slowed down and stopped at the terminal, your cheeks were flushed by the rush of it all. You barely knew where you had been, but you were happy you did it and wished it weren’t over so quickly. As a business advisor, I know that the emotional rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship can be tough, but just like an actual rollercoaster, there are unexpected twists and turns, thrills and excitement to be gained from entrepreneurship that make it all worth the ride. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve already established a business of your own, here are some things to keep in mind on your ride.
1 – You Can’t Have the Ups Without the Downs
Business by nature is cyclical. Realize that it will not all be rosy. There will be ups and downs; it is just part of the game. There has never been a business built that didn’t face setbacks and hardships. Not one. There will be good days and bad, but if you maintain focus on your goals and work towards them every day, and continue to make progress by listening to feedback and improving, you will get through the bad. You will get out of the dip and start climbing up again. When you’re feeling like things are down, it is a sure sign that an up is just around the corner. You just need to keep the momentum moving forward long enough to get to it.
2 – Enjoy the Moment and Keep Your Eyes Open
Time flies, when you are on a rollercoaster and when you are a business owner. When I worked in corporate America, it seemed like it took forever for Friday to come along, but when you own a business the weeks start to fly by and it is Christmas before you know it. If you don’t stay alert, and on task, and follow a plan, you will be wondering where the time went, and why you still haven’t gotten around to doing what you meant to do. Enjoy the moments that you live every day. Even if you wish you had more money, more clients, more staff, you need to find happiness in the now. Instead of constantly asking, why is this taking so long, and looking forward to the future, think of all the wonderful things you have right now, and enjoy the present moment. Businesses, like children, grow up fast, so don’t forget to enjoy the baby days. This will make you a lot more eager to get out of bed in the morning. When you are alert to what is going on in the moment feeling thankful for what you have, you will be able to attract more good things into your life.
3 – Keep Getting On Board
With any job that does not have a guaranteed return on investment; you must keep proactively putting forth effort and work. While you may not experience the immediate gratification that you desire, work put forth can come back to you when you least expect it, just like a tax return in the mail. While your time is valuable and should not be wasted, doing work now can turn into profits later. Business is about taking a long-term view, so realize that you may have to go around a few times before you start reaping the returns, but it will be worth it when you do.
4 – Let Go
Lastly, have fun. Entrepreneurship and rollercoaster rides can be scary, but they can also be wildly fun. The uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring is what makes the business journey so exciting, so instead of lamenting your lack of success now, let go and enjoy the ride. Make good plans and put good control systems in place to monitor your progress, but ultimately you have to put your business out there and see what the marketplace thinks.
Entrepreneurs are like rollercoaster junkies; the ones that build a successful business like to experience the thrill over and over again by always tackling new ventures. For more information about how you can build your business with the help of a supportive team, visit www.flourishingbusiness.com.
Elizabeth W. Gordon, founder and President of Flourishing Business™, is a visionary leader who has a passion for helping others achieve their entrepreneurial dreams and enjoy more of the best in life. With a vast and diverse background in many business arenas, Elizabeth regularly has the opportunity to share her business acumen with clients, large and small. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Atlanta and the Board of Directors of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Atlanta. She is an Accredited Executive Associate of the Institute for Independent Business (IIB) and a certified Life Coach.
Your Online Marketing Success in 2009
If you are still uncertain how to approach your online marketing efforts this year here is some practical guidance that will soon have you on your way to success.
1. Have no fear
Now is the time to use the consequences of the recession, embrace the change, build a plan to capitalise on it and approach your team with the attitude of becoming stronger as a result, you will find that the bumpy ride ahead can be more enjoyable and profitable with the positive focus and aggressive approach to tackling the challenge. If you fear the economic change that is upon us, the consequences will be poor results and bad decisions.
2. Stop procrastinating, start producing
If you understand how valuable your time is, then you can account for it. Stop procrastinating due to unwarranted perfection that keeps you from getting started. Don’t set goals so big that you have an excuse to procrastinate. A key point to achieving your goals in life and in business is allowing room to succeed, not room to fail. Master scheduling your day. Learn to break one hour down at a time. Take the time to ask yourself,” What do I get paid for?” and focus on those activities more. Turn your efforts into results and turn time into money. Overcome all of those “what ifs” and just get in the game.
3. Spend your time and money where your customers are
Now more than ever is a great time to take a hard look at where your customers are spending there time and money, and then work to align you’re your marketing strategies accordingly. Chances are many more of your customers than you realise are online. Do you have the presence necessary to meet them there?
4. Education is the key to success
Today, with the enormous shift toward online communication, educating yourself about the online space is essential to enable solutions for years to come. The rules of the online environment is forever changing don’t get left behind. Sing up yourself for a good webinar, conference or certification programme, or buy a great book on online media and really get serious about starting the education process.
5. Gear up your analytical tools
We all have web analytic tools to measure what is happening on our website. You might need to consider to purchase a better software system for more relevant analysis, all of us need to improve what, how and why we measure. Therefore there is no better time than now to improve how we measure online success as it relates to company sales, cost saving and ROI.
6. The world of social Networking
Now is the time to take the jump headfirst into social networking. Join some of the social networking sites, set up your profile, build your own group and start the invitation process. If you are not out there making mistakes, learning the protocol and getting a feel for how your brand and personal connection play in the bigger cycle, you will quickly find yourself isolated and on the outside looking in.
7. How to find the best prospects
Effective marketing is really about two basic things: Marketing a product to people who already have a true desire or need to purchase it and positioning yourself as a leader and a solution provider. Understand that online marketing is a business model designed to accrue value and net worth over time. This is a peoples business and the more you learn about people, the more successful you will be. Understand that your prospects don’t give a darn about your company or product. They want financial freedom. Your company is a tool, a means to an end and nothing more. So if you want to build a massive down line and make real money in network marketing, the first thing you need to do is stop spending your cash on trying to sell your business in an up-front pitch. Get your customers to call you first instead of you hunting them down by marketing solutions and be the leader who trains and instructs others.
8. Share and borrow content from others
All of us have some content that’s worth getting out, so we should share it with anyone willing to post it on their site. In the same light we should borrow content from others who have supporting information that will enhance the experience of our website customers. The best way to go about it is to find the top two or three publishers, bloggers, reporters who cover your product and grab an RSS feed. Insert it in the news section of your website and begin to understand the value of the shared-content concept.
9. Budget-conscious searches as a strategy
Low-cost keyword search phrases had a huge spike starting last august. You can benefit with your search engine marketing. Your site can tap into budget-conscious searches by inserting low-cost phrases like “best deal”, “highly discounted” or “lowest cost available”. Apply this to your paid search ads and to your search engine optimisation efforts in the copy on your site and he cost-conscious shopper will find you on the major search engines. Everyone is looking for a deal, so give it to them.
10. Constantly create new content
How quickly are you able to create new content? The key to success online is to move quickly so that you stay ahead of your competitors. This means creating content for your website, newsletter, blog and product line on a regular basis. One strategy that works very well is to use user-generated content. You might be surprised to find out how many of your customers are more than happy to give insight into their experiences with a product, service or solution that you offer. So why not encourage them to share? With the help of a 30-day trial from one of the many rating/review software vendors, start getting content from your customers. With no additional tech support or manpower hours at your end, you will have expanded your online offerings.
11. Decision making
We’re all uncomfortable when facing questions especially when quite often the only answer is “I don’t know”. That is the common occurrence when running a business during this era of constant change, insecurity and challenges. Knowing how to face those questions, how to process them and how to seek help in answering them will be key to your success in running your online business. Taking time to learn how to approach the decision making process- whether alone, or with the help of others- could be the most important decision you’ll ever make.
Hantie Schutte
Online Business and Marketing Coach
Meet her at:
http://www.mlmleadsystembiz.com
http://www.hantieschutte.com
Business Home Idea Internet Opportunity – 5 Free Steps to Instantly Start Making Money
DO YOU WANT TO START?
Do you want to start making some serious money online? Then here is a business home idea internet opportunity.
Years ago it was quite expensive and you could spend thousands of dollars to start an offline business.
However, nowadays with the power of internet business home idea internet opportunities are popping up all around the net.
If you have the right information and know-how to get started you can get started with your own internet business absolutely free.
FIVE STEPS
This article will show you a simple business home idea internet opportunity to make your internet riches dream come true today. There are 5 steps:-
Step 1 – Get Started with a Blog.
Step 2 – Focus on a Niche.
Step 3 – Have Something to Promote.
Step 4 – Drive Traffic.
Step 5 – Make Money Now.
This article is to show you the right way to get started with your business home idea internet opportunity and start making money online today…
Lets get down to the actual details…
Step 1 – Get Started with a Blog.
Internet business blogs are the best to get up and ready instantly if you don’t have website and html skills, .
To get started it is the best business home idea internet opportunity.
You can either install wordpress on your website and get started or you can use third party blogging platforms like blogger.com and setup your blog.
Step 2 – Focus on a Niche.
Ensure you choose a niche that you are interested in.
Find out whether there is problem in the niche and try finding out solutions.
If you post regularly on your blog with your niche search engines will notice you .
Make sure to bookmark your posts to social bookmarking services, one of the best you can use is onlywire.com
Step 3 – Have Something to Promote.
Your business home idea internet opportunity will start making money for you only when you have something to sell.
You can promote either your own product or you can sell affiliate products.
Visit clickbank. You will find tons of affiliate programs that you can promote for quick profits.
Step 4 – Drive Traffic.
Drive traffic to your blog on a regular basis.
If you want to make a consistent income with your business home idea internet opportunity then you have to give your maximum time in driving traffic to your website.
Doing search engine optimization, posting in blogs and forums and writing articles will give you maximum exposure.
Pick up one tactic, master it and then repeat it over and over until you perfect it. Then move on to the next tactic.
Step 5 – Make Money Now.
The last step you need to do is make sure you make money.
A simple way to do this for your business home idea internet opportunity is to start building your list.
To make you money consistently on a regular basis you can promote offers to your list of valuable subscribers.
Do you want to learn how I do it? Watch this ‘FREE Video’ and Discover How to Create a Killer Money-Making Website in 4 Simple Steps…
==> FREE business home idea internet opportunity Video.
‘Mel Vivian’ having worked in finance for more than 40 years has helped hundreds of newbies to start their internet business, now you can do it too…
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Internet Marketing Promotion Advertising – How to Grow Your Business Online With Internet Marketing Promotion Advertising
Internet Marketing Promotion Advertising
A whole lot goes into Internet marketing promotion advertising, but this does not mean it has to be difficult. Getting a business up and running or just expanding awareness of a brand does require perseverance. One promotional campaign is not necessarily going to be the only one necessary. Consistent tracking of what works benefits. It tracks costs and prevents one from making unnecessary mistakes in the next promotion.
Social media has become a surefire way to drum up business online. Utilizing useful links for promotional advertising can work, but followers have to be interested. When using social media, make sure to seek out parties most likely to benefit from what is being offered. Joining a website that engages in activities about infertility may not be the sight to advertise a product dedicated to motorcycle oil. Knowing the audience is key.
Article writing has become an effective way in which to acquire long-term search engine ranking. Producing fresh content is the perfect way to rise within search engines. The trick is making sure that what is being written is something useful to the public at large. If a reader finds that all they are they have been led to is site with little information, it is just as easy to go to another website. Internet Marketing Promotion Advertising
Search engines offer online businesses he opportunity to bid for ad space based on keywords. This is a great way to quickly attain exposure for a site. Learning how to convert those search engine clicks into conversions is something Internet marketers have to learn. This is also where tracking the marketing campaign is most essential. It costs money for marketers to bid on specific keywords. If the ad campaign does not reap what has been spent, it is time to make a change. Thankfully, with the internet, those changes can be made almost immediately.
With search engine optimization and paid advertising there is no reason a business cannot flourish. Understanding how to manage the response and turn it into an advantage is a learned skill. Not every campaign will be successful, but with steadfast dedication, Internet marketing promotion advertising works. Internet Marketing Promotion Advertising
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