Business Strategy Coach - Now is the Time to Plan for 2010!

I am totally blown away by the many business owners who do not actually have a business plan. We know the quote "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." However, with every client that I coach and consult with one of the first things I ask them is what goals do they have for their business. The business strategy plan is the tool that will help you stay on tasks. It is basically your compass to make sure that you are reaching your goals.

Many people I speak to become overwhelmed by the process of creating a plan. There are many great softwares that you can use for example BizPlan Builder is an amazing tool to use to help you through the process.

So let's get started. These are the 3 major components your plan must have:
(1) Income Goals - How much money do you want to make for 2010? What is the total gross revenue? What increase do you want for your business? Begin with knowing what type of lifestyle you wish to live.This will help you in planning your income goals.
(2) Budget - What are your planned expenses for 2010? How much are you allocating for advertising/marketing? Do you have a budget for education/training for yourself and your staff? Are there some expenses that you need to cut for 2010?
(3) Marketing Strategy- Do you have a 6 month marketing strategy in writing? Do you know who your ideal client is and how to reach them? Are you planning on using social media, print, direct mail? Do you have a referral program or affiliate program? What is your expected return on investment (ROI) for the marketing you plan to do? Do you have a tracking mechanisms to gauge your results?

It may seem challenging and daunting but with the right support and a well thought out strategy you will create a "working" plan to accelerate your business.

Coaches Tip: Start NOW and work on one section at a time. By December 31st, you will be ready to take your business all the way and please know we will love to help you on your journey.

Business Strategy Coach - How to Build a Vision for Yourself

If you are someone that needs to find a vision for yourself you will want to make sure that you are following through with what life has in store for you. There are endless possibilities for everyone. If you are looking to make something great of yourself then you will need to set some priorities and goals for yourself so that you are well on your way to a better and bigger future.

When you are looking for something to keep you motivated, you need to first think, about what you are doing for your own life. What are the most important things to you? Are you satisfied with everything that you are doing? Are you ready for a change in your life? If you are answering these questions truthfully, you will soon realize that maybe you are not living life to your full potential and maybe there is something better out there for you.

Make sure that you are thinking about your goals and dreams in life. You need to think about what you want to do in your future. Setting goals for long term and short term is going to be one thing that makes your life so much better and easier because you are going to have something to look forward to in the end.

Never give up on something that you really want. If you have goals set for yourself you will want to make sure that you are doing everything possible that you can so that you can feel good about who you are. Be prepared to work hard at your goals. There is nothing that should ever stand in your way. You need to recognize that you are the one that is going to be in control of your life. When there is something that you really want to have, you should try to find different ways to go about them. Finding motivation is one part of it. When you are energized and motivated to make something happen you will get there.

Think about what you are doing and then you can move on to something else. You can build up your own goals in life by thinking about what you need to do in order to improve your own goals. Thinking about something that makes you happy will help you get to where you need to be. There is nothing wrong with making choices that fit your needs. Do not be afraid to go out there and make things work for you. It is going to take time but you will see in the end that you are going to improve your life by a lot and find ways to make things different. You have to be willing to provide yourself with a set of goals that are going to work for you and all of your needs.

Try to find a way to see into your future. You have to be ready to take on challenges that are going to help you become stronger and more together. You should always know that you are going to be in control of a situation. When you are not happy with something that you are doing you should go out there and make your life just how you want it to be.

Do not be afraid of who you are and what you do in life. There are so many good ideas out there for you to choose from. Make sure that you are creating the goals in life that are going to help you be more productive and more enthusiastic about what you have in mind. There is nothing out there that should stop you from being who you want to become in life.
Think about your attitude and how far it has brought you. There is nothing in the world that you should think about more than where your life is going to end up. Success is something that you should always have on your mind. It is up to you to go after your dreams.

Business Strategy Coach - 10 Strategic Ways To Be Time Rich And Stress Free

1. Retrain your self-talk, to remove selfish from your vocabulary and replace it with self-care. In order for you to take care of the people you love you need to take care of yourself first. Friends, family, loved ones look to you as a model, make sure to model self-care, taking time to play, relax, and read. This is especially important for parents; this will give your children the confidence to have the same healthy behaviors.

2. Give yourself time for delays and unexpected events. When mapping out your day add an extra hour cushion to your schedule. This extra time will keep you stress free and running on time if some of your appointments are delayed, or if you run into someone you haven't seen in a while, so you can enjoy a spontaneous conversation without the guilt of running behind schedule.

3. Balance out your commitments. A great way to cut down on a hectic schedule is to balance out all new activities by removing an old activity. Don't add anything new, work, classes, volunteer activities, etc unless you first remove something from your schedule to balance it out. This will help you to let go of projects and time wasters that no longer serve you.

4. No is not a bad word, in fact, it's not only a complete sentence it's a great stress reducing word. There is no need to justify or explain when you say no to someone's request. Just give them a friendly smile thank them for including you and tell them you can't do it this time. If you are having trouble getting used to saying no right away, tell the person you need some time to think about it, then call them later and decline to be involved this time.

5. Maximize your commute and errands. If you have errands to run for business or home combine them to one trip. Make doctor’s appointments for yourself or your family members back to back and see if you can get appointments first thing in the morning before the doctor is running behind. Order you business supplies online to save time, most business supply websites can store your most frequently ordered purchases in a file so all you have to do is select the item you want and have it delivered with just one click.

6. Improve your home environment one room at a time. Even if you have the budget for a complete makeover, remodeling and redecorating can be very time consuming and stressful projects. Try working on just one room at a time. Pick a few rooms in your house that you enjoy the most and spend most of your time in when your home. Select your favorite and create an environment that is pleasing to the eye and gives you comfort and positive energy. This will give you a haven in your home and the encouragement to tackle another room when you're ready.

7. Being spontaneous is a very exhilarating feeling that gives you a real sense of freedom. Make sure to leave time in your life every week to be spontaneous. Cutting things out of your life that are time zappers and stressful will also give you the energy to be spontaneous. Keep at least two weekends a month free from scheduled activities. Then you can decide to take a short trip, have a date with your partner, a special family event, or kick your feet up and do absolutely nothing and feel wonderful about it.

8. Highlight those time wasters. Instead of just making up another long to do list so you can beat your self up about all the things you didn't and couldn't possible have accomplished in one day. Make a realistic to do list. Put the things that are most important to YOU on the top, then next to each item list the amount of time you think it will take to get it done. This will help you get your important things done and show you where your time wasters are.

9. Under promise and over deliver. This is very useful in business and in your life. By selecting reasonable deadlines you avoid the stress of crunch time, use your time effectively and you will be able to finish ahead of schedule giving you satisfaction for a job well done and turned in early.

10. Define what life and work without stress would look like to you. Describe what your ideal schedule is, what leisure activities you want to do and who you want to spend time with. By creating a detailed image of what a stress free schedule looks like, you can begin to take the steps necessary to clearing out the stress.