Are You Still Out of GAS?

Recently, I joined about 1,000 women as a participant in the Mudgirl Run here in Las Vegas.

I started off great with a ton of energy as I ran with the group toward our first obstacle course. As we progressed through the 3K course I noticed that after each activity my energy started to wane a bit. When I hit the final obstacle course I started climbing through the roped holes and realized that I was just out of gas and had to come back down. That is how we are sometimes as we navigate through our entrepreneurial journey. We start off excited and full of enthusiasm and then as we face challenges in our business and we start to lose energy.

This is something that every business owner goes through and most often it serves as a pinnacle turning point in their business journey.

It is at this crossroad that they decide if they will choose to move forward despite the challenges they are facing and run across the finish line or if they will end their entrepreneurial journey.

No one becomes a success in a silo. It takes a team to help you win.

In the business world, this could take on the form of a business coach, mastermind group or a networking group. We all need someone to stretch out their hand to us and give us a tug to make it through the inevitable challenges that arise as a business owner. As I climbed down the ropes on the last obstacle course and instead walked around to the other side, my friend was there waiting for me with a smile and a pat on the back. She grabbed my hand and we hoisted our arms in the air and ran across the finish line with pride.

I finished the race and you can too.

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Welcome To The Month Of October!

Autumn is here along with all the fun activities and delicious food that comes with this time of year.

As we continue to wind down for the year we will look at how we can tie up loose ends for year-end and get ready for the year ahead. If you didn’t have a chance to check out my post from last week about tax planning for the end of the year take a look here.

There are only a few months left to hit those targeted business goals and get your books in shape for the new year. I want you to end this year on a relaxing positive note.

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End Of The Year Tax Planning

It is that time of the year when it is a good time to start to take a look at your books to make sure everything is in place for your tax professional. Are your books up to date? Do you have a trusted tax professional in place already? If not check out a previous post I wrote about those two subjects and put some solutions in place right now so that you are not stressed out come tax time.

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Are You Frazzled & Stressed Out?

If you are feeling tired, stressed, frazzled and have dreams of relaxing on the beach then it is time to stop and just BREATHE!

I wrote a blog post a few months ago about how you can create more peace in your business in 3 simple ways. Take some time this weekend and see if my tips can help you get back on track.

:)

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Are You Making Any Money In Your Business?

“Money, get away
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team” Roger Waters - Pink Floyd

Money is a popular subject in songs, conversation and in business. If you are not making any of it then you are the worlds’s best hobbyist. If you are not making enough money then you will soon be looking for a “good job with good pay” as reference in the Pink Floyd song above.

Do you know if you are making any money? If your response is yes I looked at my checking account then you are not on the right track. The only way to know if you made a profit in your business is to look at your financial statements specifically the income statement. If your books are not up to date then you are flying blind. The end of the year is approaching and more importantly estimated taxes are approaching even faster in a few days. If your books are not up to date how will you know how much or how little taxes to pay the IRS. Yes, money is a popular subject for many reasons and for good reason.

The over arching goal as an entrepreneur is to make a profit so that you can continue to share your gifts with the world.

Are you making any money in your business? If you are not sure then it is time to stop and figure it out.

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Welcome To The Month of September!

Welcome to the month of September!

I love this month it starts the beginning of fall and says goodbye to the summer. It also starts the final countdown towards the end of the year. This month we will take a look at how we can get our businesses ready for that final countdown in the areas of bookkeeping, marketing and networking.

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August Bright Spot Round Up!

August is going, going, GONE!

I hope you had a productive month and in the meantime had a little bit of fun!

During the month I had a chance to get out and play with the ladies from the new Health & Wellness Meetup I created for women. We took time to discover a different side of living in the Las Vegas Valley. Most people only are familiar with the Strip Corridor but there are a lot of hidden treasures here that are not related to gaming. I know “GASP” :)

I also had an opportunity to discover new ways to share my services with potential clients and how I can add value to their business by listening to some really great podcasts.

My favorite podcaster, John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneurs On Fire had some really great guests who specialize in using Facebook to connect to your audience; Manuel Suarez & Lucas Lee-Tyson. If you have a chance it is really worth checking out and as always I have a few blog posts that I wrote for you this month to help you with different business challenges. Cheers to August and I hope it was a good month for you.

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3 Unique Tools To Help You Find Customer Leads For Your Business

Are you hearing the sound of crickets in your business instead of a busy phone ringing off the hook? If so then it might be time to try other means of finding your ideal customers. Here are few ideas that you can use to get your great services in front of those amazing customers who need it:

Bark.com - According to their site, “Bark.com is a web-based services marketplace that helps small businesses get new business by connecting people to the services they need.” Check them out here.

BetterHelp.com - According to their site, “ BetterHelp is the world’s largest e-counseling platform. Their mission is to make professional counseling accessible, affordable, convenient - so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help, anytime, anywhere.” Check them out here.

Nextdoor.com - According to their site, “Nextdoor is a social networking service for neighborhoods.” What better way to get up close and personal with your neighbors than to offer your awesome services to them in a fun interactive way. Check out the site here and how to market yourself on Nextdoor here.

Running a business can present many challenges and knowing where to market your services to potential customers can be overwhelming. The lifeblood of any business is having a steady pipeline of customers to serve. I hope that you will find more of your ideal customer by using any of the 3 tools above. Let me know which resource worked for you and share in the comments below.

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Welcome To The Month Of August!

The summer is rolling along and kids are winding up their summer fun before they head back to school. I am sure that parents are either beaming with joy or waiting for the calm before the storm as soccer practice and other sports activities leave them feeling like an Uber driver. :)

August is a great time to start fresh and get ready for the second half of the year. It is also a great time to reevaluate your business goals to see if you are on track to reach them.

Are you on track?

Do you need help getting there?

Take a look at how a coach can help you reach those goals so that you can finish 2019 strong.

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July Bright Spot Round Up - Be Inspired!

Wow! It seems like July blew past us so fast that you have to sit down and take a breathier. :) I hope you took time out to enjoy the 4th of July holiday with your friends & family while giving thanks to the men and women who bravely serve our country.

This month we took a look at the reason’s why we started our businesses in the first place. We used Simon' Sinek’s Ted talk on “It All Starts With Your Why” to help reenergize us and get us refocused. We also took a second look at the post I wrote about easy goal setting to help achieve our important business goals.

America is the land of opportunity. It’s a place where you can start with zero dollars and an idea and make magic happen. As July comes to a close check out these amazing entrepreneur stories below. Most of them started with nothing and rose to the top of their game to offer new and exciting products and services to the marketplace.

Shireen Yates - Co-founder & CEO of NIMA, “Nima Sensor is the first portable device that allows you to test if there is gluten or peanuts in the food that you’re eating. Their goal is to empower consumers with another tool to help make safe food choices.”

Elizabeth Rider - Founder of “The Elizabeth Rider Blog & Host of the TV show Elizabeth Eats, certified health coach, online influencer, international blogger, and wellness expert built a seven-figure online business from scratch using an iPhone and a laptop.”

Payal Kadakia - ClassPass Founder, built a multi-million dollar business based on her passion for dancing. “In its Series C funding round earlier this year, ClassPass was valued at a staggering $470 million.”

Alberto Perez - C0-Founder of Zumba, (my favorite way to workout:) Alberto and his partner “launched the brand in 2001 and began, for a fee, teaching instructors moves they could then relay to their students. In the following years the idea took off and now The workout is taught in 200,000 locations, including hospitals, schools, and community centers. Instructors--there are more than 100,000 of them, by some estimates--pay a fee to get licensed, then a $30 monthly subscription to receive videos with new music and choreography. The company also has an apparel line that's been reported to sell 3.5 million units per year.”

I hope you got a boost of energy to help propel you toward your business goals. July is pretty much in the record books but there is still a tiny bit of time to push those goals across the finish line.

Get an extra boost of inspiration by reading the stories of these entrepreneurs who went for their dreams after the age of 50.

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Get After It!

I hope your week is going well and that you had a chance to figure out your “Why” after looking at Simon Sinek’s video last week.

Now that you know the reason why you are in business it’s time to get after it and accomplish goals within your business.

If you need a little help getting started check out a previous post I wrote about this topic.

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It All Starts With Your "Why"

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday weekend. I had a great time celebrating it the Las Vegas Local style way which included a trip to the infamous Fremont street. What a wonderful display of Americana to view:)

And now as we get back in the saddle and begin moving and shaking within our business sometimes we can find ourselves in a rut. It can be difficult to remember why we are doing what we are doing. When I get in these tight places I like to refer to Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on “Start With Why”.

Why is it that we are doing what we have chosen to do as a professional business owner?

If you are in need of a quick boost of energy in this area then I invite you to take a couple of minutes to take a listen and rediscover your WHY.

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Welcome To The Month of July & Happy 4th of July!

Today is all about sacrifice and courage.

I want to take a moment to personally thank all the men and women who bravely serve in all branches of our military to protect our freedom. I also want to extend a warm thank you to all the families who sacrifice their love ones and their own lives toward helping us live a little bit more comfortable in this country. In the spirit of sacrifice and courage in the month of July we will take a deeper look at how other entrepreneurs started off with nothing and made their dreams come true. We all need a little bit of inspiration from time to time so that we can remember our “Why” in our own pursuits of creating a business that we love.

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June Bright Spot Round Up!

June is just about over and in the history books. I hope it was a successful month for you and that you hit all of your business goals. July 4th weekend is upon us and it is time to have fun in the sun! I hope you take time to reflect on your business and life goals over the weekend so that you can be ready to start fresh next month. If you have some quiet time over the weekend take a peek at some of the blogs I wrote for the community this month and see if it will be helpful to you as you move ahead toward your business goals.

June Blog Posts

Welcome To The Month of June

How To Create More Peace In Your Business In 3 Simple Ways!

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How To Create More Peace In Your Business In 3 Simple Ways!

Are you easily distracted? Do you have a fear of missing out or F.O.M.O?

Well if so you are not alone.

According to an article on Stopad.io, A typical office worker cannot focus on a task at hand for more than 11 continuous minutes. The average student can’t focus on a given task for more than two minutes without becoming distracted. If you are a typical Internet user, your online screen focus lasts a mere 40 seconds on average. The worst part? No matter what task you are distracted from or what form the interruption takes, once distracted, your brain needs an average of 25 minutes to get back to the original task.

25 minutes!

Stop and give that last point some real thought.

There are so many causes of distraction such as technology, online advertising, meetings and the list can take on new levels for entrepreneurs.

So How Can You Decrease The Noise & Increase The Peace In Your Business?

First it helps to define what is the meaning of peace? According to Merriam-Webster, it means “A state of tranquility or quiet.” There are more definitions but this was the first one listed and it captures the meaning wonderfully. So what is the secret to getting some of this wonderful peace? It starts with creating a system to handle communication, and using time blocks to complete work.

1. Create A System To Handle Email Communication - Do you check your email first thing in the morning before you even get out of bed or have had your first cup of Joe? Or even worse do you respond to a business email over the weekend or after hours. That’s no good:) Try using Boomerang for Gmail or Gmelius and using the GTD methods to decide what approach you will take with managing your email communication. According to Medium,com, “the GTD methodology, allows you to think of every email you get as either something you need to take action on, track, or refer to later. Having only 3 possible types of actions simplifies processing email in bulk. Less is more.

2. Create A System To Handle Phone Calls From Clients or Vendors - Are you a one person show without a team to help you with taking calls and booking appointments? Well there is a way to make sure you don’t lose out on potential clients by playing phone tag. Try using services like Reliable Receptionist, Answering Innovations, Specialty Answering Service or more options here.

3. Using Time Blocks - There are a ton of methods and tools available to use for creating more space to work more productive. According to Ladders.com and time management expert Kevin Kruse, “Top performers organize their day through time blocks instead of to-do lists.” This is mind blowing! Schedule time to complete specific work tasks throughout your day. So for example, if you’re writing a blogpost for your website you could schedule 2 thirty minute blocks of time to write interrupted. The key is to make sure you shut off your phone and are in a place that is free from interruption. You can also use apps like Focus Booster, Rescue Time or any one of these apps. If you are looking for a little music to help you to stay focus try Focus At Will.

We live in a world filled with noise and distractions. It’s hard to remember a time when technology was not a part of our lives. As an entrepreneur it is crucial that we take time to practice self-care by using tools to create more peace in our businesses so that we can give our clients the very best we have to offer. What are your best tips for creating more peace in your business?

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Welcome To The Month of June!

Summer is in the air!

I love June and all the fun times that I know will be had with friends and family. It’s hard to believe that we are six months into 2019.

Are you on target to reach your business goals?

If not do not fret. This month I will take a deep dive into some resources that can help you achieve your goals like accountability groups such as masterminds and group coaching. I will also take a look at how using a business coach can help you propel your business to new heights.

Welcome to the month of June and I hope you take time to smell the roses and have lots of laughs.

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May Bright Spot Round Up

I can’t believe May is over already. It feels like it just got here and there it goes. :)

This month was filled with spending time with family and friends for Mother’s Day & Memorial Day. I hope you had time to slow down and reflect on your life and what is truly important to you. As the month of May winds down I hope you were able to get some of your to-do list items completed on your business list. If you didn’t have a chance to check out some of the blog posts that I wrote for you then feel free to check them out below:

How To Increase Profits & Lower The Taxable Income For Your Business

How To Change Your Business Success By Changing Your Mindset

Do You Have a Contingency Plan In Place For Your Business?

May is over and June is upon us. I am wishing you the very best towards getting your goals completed in the new month.

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How To Increase Profits & Lower The Taxable Income For Your Business

I will start off by saying that I am NOT a tax professional. I am just having a friendly conversation with you business owner to business owner.

:)

We all have one thing in common. We want to make money in our business doing the things that we love to do. Statistics show that not everyone is making money in their business and worse yet many small businesses go out of business within their first year of operations. “According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20 percent of small businesses fail within their first year. By the end of their fifth year, roughly 50 percent of small businesses fail. After 10 years, the survival rate drops to approximately 35 percent.”

What is happened?

What is one of the common denominators that lead to the death of a business?

The most common issue that leads to small business failure is money woes. “Owners of failing companies are less in tune with how much revenue is generated by sales of products or services. This disconnect leads to funding shortfalls that quickly put a small business out of operation.”

What is one of the simplest solutions?

Keep your books up to date. It can be easier said than done I know that’s what you are thinking. You are also probably thinking that your already so busy running your business that as long as you know what is in your checking account then that’s all you need. This is not the best way to manage your business operations. Yes, you can take a peek at your checking account to see how much money is available to pay bills or withdraw cash but it won’t give you the information below:

• How much revenue did you bring in for the services or products you sold within a given time period?

• Were there any fraudulent charges by a vendor?

• Do you know which customer invoices are outstanding?

• Do you know which vendor payables are outstanding?

• Cashflow management

• Budgeting

• How much equity do you have currently within your business?

• Are you making a profit?

• Are you spending too much on unnecessary items?

The list could go on but you are getting the picture about how important it is to keep your books up to date.

Tax Time Preparation

Another great reason to keep your books up to date is to make sure you are taking the right deductions which can lower your taxable income. According to Inc.com and tax and business attorney Barbara Weltman, “"The tax law specifically requires certain records in order to take deductions," Weltman says. "Without these records, legitimate expenditures may not be deductible." Here is a short list of what is needed:

• A system for tracking your income and expenses

• A system for capturing receipts for purchases

• A policy for certain types of record keeping such as mileage and car expenses

In short, by having a good bookkeeping process in place you will be able to pull your financial reports which will give you the overall health of your business. You will be able to see if you are profitable or not. Additionally, you will be able to take advantage of any deductions that are available and lower your taxable income. In short, just looking at your checking account won’t give you all the information you need to run your business effectively.

So are you currently using a system for bookkeeping or are you just winging it? Share your feedback in the comments below.

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How To Change Your Business Success By Changing Your Mindset

Do you feel like you have all the tools that you need to deliver the best service or product to your customers but you are not seeing the results you want?

It could mean you need a paradigm shift.

What is a paradigm shift you might be asking? According to Merriam-Webster, “it’s an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way.”

Do you need to change how you are doing things in your business? If your great business ideas are not getting the results you want then yes you do. Tony Robbins, the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist says that “So many people have great ideas, but ideas are not what make the world go around. Execution is what make the people go around.” Check out the podcast interview from Entrepreneur On Fire with John Lee Dumas and experience a paradigm shift that can change how you do business and help you achieve success.

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