Client Magnets Official Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Personal Productivity’

We all have a certain turning point in our lives.  For some of us, that turning point comes when we’ve hit rock bottom and we have nothing more to lose.

My turning point came to me months into striking out on my own.  I had proposals out, making the rounds, I was choosing between putting petrol in the car and buying groceries and I had no money coming in.  My family was starting to question the decision I had made to strike out on my own.  I tried to be Miss Positive and had a few quotes from positive thinking literature waiting in the wings for a response to their questions.

At that point, I had nothing to lose.  It was ‘do or die’ and I planned on doing.  But I had to change my ways, I had to take stock of the situation.  I decided I was just no longer going to tolerate nor suffer the typical things that weren’t working for me.  At that point, I had to give myself permission to dismiss much of the advice that had been given to me to establish my business.  It just wasn’t working for me.

Now you may think your traditional sales experience is just what’s needed for your business, but I’m here to tell you that it’s not.  What’s worked in the past when you had a salary coming in is not what’s going to work for you once you’ve struck out on your own.

Now, I had to hit pretty close to rock bottom to see this.  I had to actually tell myself that it’s okay to throw out what was not working for me.  What I need to stress to you is that you do NOT have to reach rock bottom to get to this point.  Take stock of your situation now and give yourself permission to make the changes that are going to make your business successful.

Some questions that you should ask yourself at this point are:

•       What am I doing that’s working to bring money in?

•       What am I doing that’s not working to bring money in?

•       What can I do to reach more people at once?

What I did was I ditched the traditional selling, the one-to-one marketing methods that weren’t working for me and I pieced together a whole new marketing and selling system.  But, it didn’t happen overnight.  There’s no miracle cure being offered.  Things will change quickly, but it won’t be overnight.

So what I’m telling you is to give yourself permission to make the changes that are going to make your business successful. Be prepared to throw out the old methods and bring in the new.  You don’t have to hit rock bottom to do this.  This isn’t a one-time super-duper effort that offers immediate transformation.  But through a series of steps and manoeuvrings, you will see results quickly and you will see improvement straightaway.

Just don’t wait until you hit rock bottom to start!

Want to know how To Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, Makes A BIG Difference And BIG Profits Too’?   Register for my FREE Training Calls …  http://www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls/

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Here’s a question for you to think about: Do you run your business or does it run you?  Most people start out with a business idea thinking that when it’s successful they will have more time and money to do what they want, yet that is seldom the reality. Too many business owners get bogged down in the day to day running of their businesses and end up working ridiculous hours just to keep it afloat. If you are smiling and nodding your head in agreement perhaps it is time that you sat down and re-evaluated your business strategies and your personal goals. Maybe it’s time for you to get back in the driving seat and for you to run your business rather than the other way around.

Two Important Components of Successful Goal Setting

#1 Revenue goals form the backbone of your business strategy. They create a target for you to work towards and help you define budgets when implementing tactics to reach your goals. It is one of the first questions that I ask my clients: “What are your revenue goals for the next 12 months?” It is important that the figure you set is something that is tangible and achievable. Don’t imagine that you want to be a millionaire and that it will just magically happen on its own. Your revenue goals need to be a target that you think is possible.

#2 Lifestyle goals relate to what you personally want from the business or your working career. This could be something like you want to only work a three day week, or you want to travel less and spend more time at home with your family. Now most people will sacrifice their lifestyle goals because they think that their business will suffer if they try to implement them. Yes, there may be a transition period where you earn a little less and have to implement the necessary changes, but most often when you implement lifestyle and revenue goals together you come out with a win-win solution. In my case I chose to relocate, move more of my business online and the results really paid off. Even though the transition was not without its challenges, I found I was more focused on my work efforts during your work hours and more motivated generally because I could see I was moving towards my lifestyle goals at the same time.

Things to remember when setting Goals

•    Quantify your goals. Put a figure to your revenue goals and clearly define what you want from your lifestyle goals. Don’t make it dreamlike, be realistic about what is possible to achieve. Also define your goals within a specific time frame.

•    Your goals should be tangible and achievable but at the same time you should look at all possibilities if it is something that you really want. When you define your goals you should already have some idea as to how you plan to achieve them.

•    Be willing to put in the effort to achieve your goals. Don’t just set strategies and expect them to materialize on their own.

•    Break your goals down into bite-sized chunks so that you can start implementing tactics to reach them.  Make sure each step you take consistently moves you closer to achieving your goals.

•    Your goals should be personally rewarding and meaningful as this will motivate you to work towards them. When setting your goals keep in mind the link and balance between revenue goals and lifestyle goals.

Setting goals is a way of defining your business and lifestyle strategy. They are absolutely essential if you want to feel fulfilled in your working career. Goals provide a meaningful framework in which you can implement short term tactics.  They also help you to stay on track and keep you motivated though the tough times. Having goals provides you will a big picture to work towards and ensures you are consistently moving in the direction you want your life to go.

Bernadette Doyle specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract a steady stream of ideal clients. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, sign up at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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Here’s a question for you to think about: Do you run your business or does it run you?  Most people start out with a business idea thinking that when it’s successful they will have more time and money to do what they want, yet that is seldom the reality. Too many business owners get bogged down in the day-to-day running of their businesses and end up working ridiculous hours just to keep it afloat.

If you are smiling and nodding your head in agreement, perhaps it is time that you sat down and re-evaluated your business strategies and your personal goals. Maybe it’s time for you to get back in the driving seat and for you to run your business rather than the other way around.

Two Important Components of Successful Goal Setting

#1 Revenue goals form the backbone of your business strategy. They create a target for you to work towards and help you define budgets when implementing tactics to reach your goals. It is one of the first questions that I ask my clients: “What are your revenue goals for the next 12 months?” It is important that the figure you set is something that is tangible and achievable. Don’t imagine that you want to be a millionaire and that it will just magically happen on its own. Your revenue goals need to be a target that you think is possible.

#2 Lifestyle goals relate to what you personally want from the business or your working career. This could be something like you want to only work a three day week, or you want to travel less and spend more time at home with your family.

Now most people will sacrifice their lifestyle goals because they think that their business will suffer if they try to implement them. Yes, there may be a transition period where you earn a little less and have to implement the necessary changes, but most often, when you implement lifestyle and revenue goals together, you come out with a win-win solution. In my case I chose to relocate, move more of my business online and the results really paid off. Even though the transition was not without its challenges, I found I was more focused on my work efforts during my work hours and more motivated generally because I could see I was moving towards my lifestyle goals at the same time.

Things to remember when setting Goals

•  Quantify your goals. Put a figure to your revenue goals and clearly define what you want from your lifestyle goals. Don’t make it dreamlike, be realistic about what is possible to achieve. Also define your goals within a specific time frame.
•  Your goals should be tangible and achievable but at the same time you should look at all possibilities if it is something that you really want. When you define your goals you should already have some idea as to how you plan to achieve them.
•  Be willing to put in the effort to achieve your goals. Don’t just set strategies and expect them to materialize on their own.
•  Break your goals down into bite-sized chunks so that you can start implementing tactics to reach them.  Make sure each step you take consistently moves you closer to achieving your goals.
•  Your goals should be personally rewarding and meaningful as this will motivate you to work towards them. When setting your goals keep in mind the link and balance between revenue goals and lifestyle goals.

Setting goals is a way of defining your business and lifestyle strategy. They are absolutely essential if you want to feel fulfilled in your working career. Goals provide a meaningful framework in which you can implement short-term tactics.  They also help you to stay on track and keep you motivated though the tough times. Having goals provides you will a big picture to work towards and ensures you are consistently moving in the direction you want your life to go.

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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Imagine this: You receive word that a special event, hosted by a world-renowned expert, is being offered.  This grabs your attention because you’ve been wanting, for a long while, to expand this area of your business.  You’ll need to pay to fly to the far-away city; pay for lodging, meals, cab fares…plus, of course, the enrollment fee for the workshop.

In all, you tally that the total cost will come out to about $10,000:  a lot of money; a real leap of faith, you think.

Nevertheless, you reserve your spot, buy your plane ticket, and book your hotel.  Once you arrive in the booming metropolis that’s hosting this grand event, you have about ten bucks in your pocket – not even enough to score a cab ride to your hotel.  So, you end up on the bus, shoulder-to-shoulder with other down-trodden individuals, lamenting your choice and knowing that you’ll be taking full advantage of the buffet breakfasts at the hotel and the lunches at the training program (because there won’t be any money for nice dinners).

You’ve gotten yourself into a tough spot, right?  You’ve spent what’s practically your last dollar on something that may or may not work to boost your business.

But let’s consider the rest of the story:

The information that you gather in the three days you spend at the seminar enliven your spirits; you fly back home knowing exactly how you’ll tackle your next hurdle; you have a plan for boosting profits; the professional advice you’ve gotten is unlike anything you could have anticipated.  Specifically, you leave knowing exactly how to offer high-end coaching programs.  You’d wanted to tackle this for a long time, but hadn’t the knowledge or the confidence to do so.

One year after the workshop, following the launch of your new high-end coaching program, you tally your profits from the coaching portion of your business at over $300,000.  Suddenly, riding the bus, skipping dinner, and fretting over the “mistake” you’d made seem silly.  What’s $10,000 compared to $300,000?  A drop in the bucket, to say the least.

This specific scenario is only a hypothetical, but I have heard similar stories in real life.  Here’s what you can learn about investment versus cost:

Firstly, don’t think in terms of cost. As long as you can afford to lose the initial investment, and the investment is something that has the potential to boost your business, push the initial dollar amount out of your mind.

Secondly, concentrate on the investment’s potential. Sure, the cost might be significant, but what future earning potential will it uncover?  Do you anticipate a return on your money, and if you do, how many times over will you cover the initial cost?

Thirdly, and in summary, when you make an investment in YOU, the cash is never lost…it’s simply redirected. The money might have moved to a different sector of the economy, but it’s not gone.  You will always be able to identify what the money earned for you:  experience, hindsight, and knowledge with which to move forward to the next investment opportunity.

In order to grab and hold onto a millionaire mindset, you must open your mind to investment possibilities.  Next time you’re faced with a decision to invest, rather than saying “It’s too much,” consider asking yourself, “What’s it worth?”

If the answer outshines the question, then don’t hesitate to invest in your most valuable commodity:  YOURSELF!

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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If you own a car you know that you need to regularly refuel it and check the oil. If you don’t you run the risk of running out of fuel in the middle of a journey or the engine could just seize up. Now a car is generally seen as a depreciating asset that loses its value over time. Yet still you know how to look after it. You invest money to keep it in good running order so that it will reliably get you from A to B. If you are an asset in your business, and the most important one at that, how much are you investing in you?

An Asset Worth Looking After

Well known motivational speaker and life coach, Jim Rohn, says that we should be investing as much in ourselves as we do in our cars. I tend to disagree with that a little. I think we should be investing more in ourselves than in our cars.

Whereas our cars are depreciating assets, I would like to think that you are an asset that accumulates value over time. Each day brings new experiences and the opportunity to increase your knowledge. So each day you have the potential to increase your personal value as an asset to your business. You are the first important element needed for the creation of your information empire. Isn’t that an asset worth looking after?

As a business owner it is easy to get caught up in the operations side of things. You spend time creating products or programs and thinking of new ways to attract more clients. Of course these are important aspects of running your business. But have you noticed how difficult it is to be creative when you are feeling tired and overworked? Rest and recovery is just as important as time spent on the job. As humans we need rest, we need to take some time out to give our bodies and minds an opportunity to recover. You will be far more productive when you have had a good night’s sleep, or when you’ve taken a quick nap. Your business will benefit as a result. It is important both to yourself and to your business that you treat yourself as an important asset that is worth looking after.

Here are some ways in which you can invest in yourself.  I have put these steps in place and my business and life have flourished as a result ….

Set boundaries and keep them. Put time boundaries in place so that you have set working hours. If you do have to work longer hours, make sure you still take short breaks.

Take time out. Consciously schedule in leisure time and spend that time doing something that is completely unrelated to work.

Don’t push yourself beyond your limit. Be aware of the work hours you are putting in. Don’t keep pushing yourself until you burn out. You are your business’ most important asset and therefore you must look after yourself.
Create a nurturing, sharing and caring environment.  Surround yourself with people that encourage and support you. Share your vision for your business with your family and get them onboard so that you have a solid support base.

Treat yourself to a mentor. Find a business coach or mentor that you can work with. Allow them to speak into your life so that you can grow with your business.

Continually invest in your business growth and development. Attend courses or workshops that inspire you and give you ideas on how to grow your business.

As a business owner your business is important to you so it’s tempting to pour all your energy into it. Remember though that you need to be renewing those energy sources if you want your business to grow. Take the time to invest in yourself and your business will benefit as a result.

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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I may be known primarily as a marketing coach, but I am the first to admit that if you’re serious about growing a six or seven-figure business, it’s going to take a lot more than great marketing.

You can do all the right things and work hard, but if it’s not yet translating into results, it may be that your marketing strategies need tweaking, or you may need to work on your business model and your income streams.  But, it’s also a strong indication that what you really need to work on is your mindset.

If your mindset isn’t in the right place, you could be sabotaging your own success.

Perhaps deep down you don’t feel that you deserve it, or you doubt yourself or don’t trust yourself. Maybe you just don’t believe that you should have it so easy.

Wrestling with these issues takes a lot of strength. You have to make up your mind that you are stronger than the issues.

Every time you step up to a new level, there will be more inner work for you to do. There’s always more to face and to overcome and to step through.

Think about some of the workings of your mindset that are holding you back right now.

•    If you feel like you’ve got to do everything yourself in order for everything to get done, that’s a mindset issue.

•    If you doubt yourself, and think you have to slowly build your credibility before you can offer an expensive program, that’s a mindset issue.

•    If you aren’t willing to invest money in yourself by taking training courses, buying programs or hiring a coach, that’s a mindset issue.

•    If you think the only way that you can make money is by trading your time for it, that’s a mindset issue.

You need to shift your mindset. Being put in situations and even getting assignments where your old mindset is challenged and tested will help you to look at and handle things differently. Ultimately, you will blow apart all of the old ways in which you approach new things.  Working with a coach or a mentor specifically on mindset will help you a great enormously.  And I can personally speak from experience!

The change in your mindset shift is a little difficult to explain because it really needs to be experienced.   The bottom line is that part of mindset is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Everything you want that you don’t yet have is outside of your comfort zone. If it was inside your comfort zone, you would already have it. You have to step outside of that zone to get what you want – and deserve.

Once you shift your mindset, you will be comfortable with being the expert at what you do, delegating, believing in yourself and in the value you offer to your clients.

That is when you will achieve and surpass your business goals.

So go for it!  Join me in the journey and make this year your best year ever!

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. If you’d like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com

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If you are able to implement only one single marketing method for your business –  one valuable resource that can make the biggest difference in your business and your income – put out an email newsletter.

It won’t cost you a lot of money. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. You don’t have to know all the technical aspects of it, so long as you’re willing to learn as you go along.  All you have to know is what you already know. Your business and your clients.

A newsletter is the most effective way to attract the attention of the clients you’re trying to reach.

To get started, follow this sage advice from Julia Cameron, an adviser to writers: “Don’t get it right, get it written.”

Aiming for perfection can be a major stumbling block in getting your newsletter done. Maybe you’re not up on the technology used to put out a newsletter. Don’t let that stand in your way. Don’t let the fact that you’re not a Pulitzer Prize writer stop you either.

Instead, concentrate on the people you’re writing the newsletter for and what they want to read.

The 80/20 rule is quite important here. Focus 80 percent of your attention on who you’re talking to and figuring out what they really want to read. Later, you can spend the other 20 percent of your time on the technical formatting and how to send the newsletter out to clients.

Ask …
There is one vitally important question to ask yourself when thinking about your newsletter: “Who am I writing for?” You’ll ponder long and hard about what you should write, but first you need to know who you’re writing for.

Next, you need to determine what your audience needs help with. Once you’ve answered both of these questions, deciding what you should write about will come quite naturally.

Write …
Now it’s time to just get started. Get your newsletter out of your head and onto a written page. Take some time to review your presentation, but don’t obsess about how it looks. It’s much better to have a plain newsletter with the right content than to have a beautifully formatted one that doesn’t speak to your readers.

Stay focused on what it’s saying to your audience.

Send …
If you spend a lot of time reworking and re-thinking your newsletter after you’ve written it, perfecting it and figuring out software, it’s going to take you a long time to send it out.

Once your newsletter is written, you need to get it into the hands of your audience – your potential clients are just a click away. You can only make a connection with them if you hit that “send” button.

That is when your subscriber list will grow. That’s how you’ll start receiving more feedback and know what your clients want from you.

If you do only one thing to start marketing your business this week, make it an email newsletter. It will make a huge difference to your business success!

Visit my event money machine blog site, where you’ll find articles with money making strategies that will help you make your next event everything you hoped it would be.

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Have you set yourself a series of goals to achieve this year?  How are you going with them?   Generally, when you set a goal for yourself, the first thing that goes through your mind is, “What do I need to do in order to achieve this?”  Is that what you did, when you set your goals for this year?

That’s automatically where your mind goes.   Most people, are focused on what needs to be done.  And while the “doing” IS important, there’s actually something more important that needs to come first….

Before you ask yourself  … what do I need to DO, Ask yourself “Who do I need to BE in order to achieve this?”

Think about that before you think about what you’re doing, because how you’re being is so much more important than what you are doing.   And here’s why ….

Abraham Hicks, who writes a lot on the subject of law of attraction, says that there is no amount of action in the world that can compensate for negative thinking. So if you’re being someone who is skeptical, cynical, pessimistic and focused on worrying, no amount of goals and action in the world can compensate for that.

If you are busy with all the “doings” yet hanging on to negative thinking, you can end up being caught up and driven by fear. A successful business will not emerge from a place of fear.   If you’re holding on to negative thinking and fear, you’re basically sharing fear, exuding fear, and passing on fear. And people don’t want to be around fear, so they intuitively back off.  They will back away from you and your business.

On the other hand.  If you focus your attention and energy on shifting that fear. That is the first step toward who you need to be to accomplish your goal.

Then spend your energy changing your behavior. Think about who you need to be in order to congruently step into the goals you set for yourself.

Would the new you do this? Would the new you keep your desk like this? Would the new you live in a house like this? Would the new you drive a car like this?

I’m pretty certain that one of the reasons I’ve been traveling first class since 2006 is because I decided to be someone who travels first class. I did it because I wanted the comfort of traveling this way. And I once ended up doing a $60,000 project with someone I met in the first class cabin, so I guess being a person who travels first class paid off!

Once you realize the difference between who you need to be versus what you need to do, you’ll attain your goals much faster.  And start traveling First Class!

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients www.clientmagnets.com.

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Do you have expectations about what you will accomplish today?  If you do, how much weight have you asked those expectations to bear? If each and every expectation you’ve set doesn’t come to fruition, will an entire project, a whole idea, or a complete career come crashing down on you?  OR will you be inspired and propelled forward with even more determination than before?

Expectations are fickle creatures.  A fine line must be drawn when establishing them.  They can be springboards to success, or the plugs that if pulled, will drain the water into which you’re diving.  How do you react when your expectations go wrong?  As you think about your own circumstances, I want to share this story with you with the hope you’ll be inspired …

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A popular television show in the U.K. gives supermarket store employees chances to lead projects of their choosing – projects that hold the potential to change the way that this particular supermarket conducts business.

One employee has a stellar idea:  she proposes that the store sets up designated areas where the ingredients to create certain meals are housed together, on the same shelf.  It’s one-stop-shopping for busy cooks – Spaghetti Bolognese or Sesame Chicken ingredients all within a two-square-foot area.

The project leader, who we’ll call Sara, has the full support of her coworkers and her supervisors.  It’s a terrific idea, and everyone believes that it will please the customers and continue as a staple operation in the store.

But, during the first day of one-stop-ingredient sales, Sara must pitch the idea to store customers.  She’s in charge of touting its convenience and its time-saving potential in the name of its success.  But she chokes up.  Her nerves get the best of her and she falls apart when speaking.

The first day’s sales aren’t what she expected. She blames this on her poor speaking ability and throws in the one-stop-shop-ingredient towel.  The coworkers who were so supportive of her ideas are now investing all of their energies into attempting to build her confidence and convince her to carry on.  She should be leading them, but instead, she’s leaning on them for support following the shattering of her expectations.

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In this example, Sara erroneously focused on one specific portion of her job (her weakest point), and made it the crux of her success.  Because this expectation was overloaded, it played the role of a breaking point instead of a learning experience.

Had Sara pressed on, she would have likely gained experience each day, making her public speaking better as timed passed.  She could have even used this experience to delegate speaking to others in the future, had she persevered.

Anyone who desires to be successful in the business world must set goals and targets for themselves, but when those goals turn into expectations that hold the responsibility of propping up the rest of their potential success, resilience can be difficult.  It’s like putting every egg into one basket, and then enduring hunger pains after the basket has been dropped.

Instead of expecting perfect success every time, turn your attentions toward expecting the unexpected.  Be flexible.  Know that things will go awry.  Know that other things will go tremendously well.

Expect anything, and everything will seem like nothing; but expect nothing, and anything will seem like everything.

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients www.clientmagnets.com. Register FREE for access to her Stepping Up teleseminar series

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Do you ever feel that though you may enjoy a reasonable level of success in business, there could be something more?  Do you sometimes get sidetracked from your goals because life at times simply gets too busy? Or is starting out towards your goals where you stumble? No matter which of these questions you most identify with, they all have a common theme. There is a gap between where you are now and where you’d like to be. Something is hindering you on the road to success towards achieving your goals, so how do you go about changing that?

Stepping Stones to Success

Each part of the goal-setting process is important. When you take the time and effort to clearly work through the process it greatly improves your chances of achieving the success that you desire. Too often people get sidetracked or bogged down by challenges. It is during these times that it is most helpful to have a clear vision of your goals and a clearly defined strategy on how you plan to achieve them.  It gives you something to keep working towards and helps keep you on track.

Making Sure you stay on Track with your Goals

• When you make your goals make sure that they are clearly defined. Make them measurable in terms of time and value. Create goals that can be measured in milestones for three, six or twelve months.  If they are revenue goals set specific monetary targets.

• Make the goals tangible. Visualize all the aspects of achieving your goals. This is a good way to evaluate if your goals are really meaningful to you. It is proven that people work harder to achieve something they really want and that means something to them either emotionally or materially.

• Evaluate if your goals are achievable in terms of your current resources. This is where many people stumble. There is no problem to create goals that will stretch you, but then you need to be willing to implement the changes needed to achieve them. This may require you to step up and out of your comfort zone and take some risks. Consider if you are willing to do that in order to achieve your goals.

• Create revenue streams to help you get you to your goals. Think of multiple ways in which you can get both big ticket items and smaller consistent forms of income coming into your business.

• Take a no excuses approach. Once you have defined you goals, step up to the challenge and put a wholehearted effort in to working towards achieving them.

Remember that forming new habits is never easy. Too often people slump back into old ways of doing things and then wonder why they aren’t reaching their goals. Have an enthusiasm and determination as you work towards your goals. Constantly check yourself to see how you are doing and make adjustments if necessary. Most importantly remember the bigger picture and always have a vision motivating you towards achieving your goals.

Bernadette Doyle created Client Magnets to help self-employed people solve one of their biggest business problems: attract a steady stream of clients www.clientmagnets.com. Register FREE for access to her Stepping Up teleseminar series

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