The difference between winning and losing is a matter of inches. Be sure to fight for every inch!
The thousand miles for Michigan effort is helping to inspire and motivate business owners everywhere. Affirming core beliefs is key. So far, more than 500 businesses in 100 communities have been recorded affirming their belief in the possibility of Michigan’s success.
What do you believe?
“If you live properly, the dreams will come to you.” – Dr. Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008).
Adversity comes to us all. How we choose to respond is what makes the difference. For some perspective, watch this video of Dr. Randy Pausch sharing his thoughts about his Last Lecture on Oprah.
It’s a new year and that means it’s time to set new goals, but before you set your new goals here are some tips that will help you set and achieve goals that bring you closer to the realization of your vision:
1. Create a compelling vision for your business. What kind of organization do you want to become? Who benefits? How will you create it? Why does it matter?
2. Identify the different areas of business necessary for the realization of your vision. On who will reaching the ultimate goal depend? For example: Marketing, Bookkeeping, Training, Sales, Product Development, Leadership, Public Relations, Financing, and so on…
3. Create a timetable for the completion of all your goals. A goal without a completion date is just an idea. Turn what you could do into what you will do by making a commitment to have it done by the due date.
4. Review your goals monthly to check for progress and make adjustments.
5. Hire a Coach to help guide you through the process of creating your business game plan, making strategic adjustments as the game unfolds, and holding you accountable for the outcome.
Finally, as you contemplate all that lies before you this year, remember it’s leadership that sets the course and provides direction for all achievement great or small.
Strive to be more!
Coach Morse
There is a lot of work that goes into opening a business. You choose a concept, find a location, get the store fixed up, set up the inside, hire employees, take care of all the little legal and tax details, not to mention the risk you take on. By the time you’ve done all that and can finally open for business, you sort of expect the customers to roll right in, or at least you’re hopeful they will, aren’t you? Don’t they know how hard you worked?
By the time your doors open, those customers should be lined up and ready to come in and spend their money! Don’t they know you’ve got kids to feed? If only it were that simple…
Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. In order for you to get the customers in your store, you have to do much more than just turn on the open sign. You’ve got to set some goals that are specific to getting those customers through your door, goals that will stimulate your creative marketing ability. I know you have this ability, because anyone who can conceive of a business idea and do what it takes to bring that idea into reality possesses the creativity needed to make their business a success.
A few examples of performance specific goals are:
• Increase sales by 10% over last year
• Bring in 5 new customers each week
• Sell 10 more gizmos each month, etc…)
Setting specific performance goals, such as these, will cause you to ask the question, “How? How can I achieve this goal? What can I do or do differently (be very specific) to increase sales, bring in more customers, or sell more gizmos…”
Trust me; once you set the goals, creating the image of what you want to achieve, the mind goes to work completing the picture. To help you get started setting some goals, so you can position your business to have its best year in 2011, here are three things to consider:
1. Goals are critical to great achievement, should be well defined and written, yet when asked, many people will tell you they don’t have any goals, or they have goals but they don’t have them written down anywhere, or maybe they never learned how to set goals. Ladies and Gentlemen you have got to have goals! They are absolutely vital to your success, because as soon as you set a specific goal, one so clear you can see it in your mind’s eye, then your mind immediately goes to work to complete the picture. So you’ve got to have goals.
2. Keep goal setting simple. When you set goals stick to only those things you will actually do. Think of your goals as a list of small and relatively simple tasks that when completed help bring about the achievement of your next goal, and ultimately, when you add them all up, the realization of your greater vision for your business.
3. Make a plan. Outline your path to success by writing down your goals, include the dates you expect to achieve each goal as well as any tools you’ll need, people you’ll depend on and so on, and don’t forget to include how you’re going to measure your success along the way.
You know, I say this to business owners everywhere I go and I’ll say it to you too, “You can have the best business in the world, but if nobody knows about it they can’t take advantage of all you have to offer.” So, set some goals to market your business, will you? Get your plan ready to make the coming year your best year!
If you think there is anything I can do to assist you, be sure to let me know. Don’t make the mistake, as too many failed business owners have, of being too proud to ask for help.
Here’s to your success!
Coach Morse
