The Process is More Important than the Plan

Identify your goals.  Make a plan. 
Save money, time & energy.
It's key to your business success!

Written plans are an important part of your business success.  

But, you might be thinking...

What do I need a plan for?
I’ve been through the planning process before, why do I need to create another plan?

I’ve been to an ActionCOACH GrowthCLUB planning day before,  and I can create my own plan. Why should I go again?

Let me share the results of a study conducted by Inc. Magazine.

A group of businesses was selected.  The 1st group created action plans stating what they needed to achieve in their business.  The 2nd group just reacted to the events as they occurred in the day-to-day operations of their business.  A few years later, Inc. Magazine went back to look at the success rates of those businesses.  As you might have guessed, the group that planned was vastly more successful than the 2nd group.  The group that was too busy and winged it everyday with no plan were almost all floundering, bankrupt or out of business.

What they found was the successful group didn’t necessarily look at their plan every day, but it was just the act of taking the time to plan that made the difference.  Writing a plan clarifies your goals and focuses your daily activities, even if you don't consult the plan everyday.  Brian Tracy in his book Goals!, says the lesson is simple with the 6 P’s.... Proper.. Prior.. Planning.. Prevents.. Poor.. Performance.  

Here are 7 reasons you should act now and participate in ActionCOACH’s GrowthCLUB planning days:

1. It will force you to organize your thinking to focus on all issues needed to be addressed in the next 90 days.
2. It will allow you to think through what you must do to accomplish your goals, allowing you to plan your actions carefully before you begin.  This preparation will save you enormously in terms of time, money & people.
3. You will learn what questions to ask that will allow you to discuss and evaluate your plan, determining flaws & errors that could prove fatal to your business.
4. You can identify weaknesses in your plan and make provisions to compensate.
5. You can identify strengths and new potential opportunities that you can take advantage of to increase the likelihood of success.
6. You will be able to focus your time and money on the resources, which will allow you to achieve the 1-2 objectives that will make your business successful over the next 90 days.
7. It will save you hours- weeks- months of confusion, mistakes and losses of your money, time, & energy.

To check the date of our next GrowthCLUB Planning workshop and to register, visit www.growthclubjax.com 

7 Keys to Quality of Life

As a business coach I always try to stress that your business should not be your end all.  It should be the vehicle to help you get what you really want out of life.  Your life shouldn’t be your business.  Your business should get you more out of life.

Here are what I believe to be are the 7 keys to improving ourselves and achieving the quality life we want and deserve.

1. Quality of Results – To increase our quality of life, we need to get better results.  That’s easier said than done.  How do we increase the quality of our results?
2. Quality of Actions – By increasing the quality of our actions, we will improve the quality of results.  So how do I do that, you might ask?
3. Quality of Decisions – To increase the quality of our actions, we need to make better decisions.  The next key will help us to increase the quality of our decisions.
4. Quality of Questions – The better the questions, the better the decisions you will make.  One of the key ways that I help my clients as a business coach is by asking the difficult questions and coaching my clients to start asking themselves those difficult questions.
5. Quality of Beliefs & Dreams – You can’t ask better questions if you don’t know what it is you don’t know.  When you have strong beliefs and big dreams, you begin to ask better questions because you need to know why.  You’ll start asking yourself what is keeping me from achieving that success.  But how can someone build better and bigger dreams and a stronger belief system?
6. Quality of Education – By increasing our quality of education and always trying to learn more, our beliefs will get stronger and our dreams will get bigger.
7. Quality of Mentor/Teacher – We have to first admit that we don’t know everything.  Today we have the ability to access many mentors and teachers, not necessarily personally, but through their workshops, books, CD’s, DVD’s, etc.

One person I consider to be my mentor, but have never actually met is Jim Rohn.  Though he has passed away and he is missed by many, he said two things that have always stuck with me.  “You have to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” AND “Don’t wish that your life was easier, wish that you were better.”

If we strive to have a mentor who can teach us and mentor us to look at the world and ourselves in a new light, THEN....

• We will increase the quality of our education 
• Leading to higher quality beliefs and dreams
• Allowing us to ask better questions to make better decisions
• Allowing us to take better actions
• Leading to achieving better results 
• Resulting in an increase in our quality of life

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...

Are you Burnt Out in your Business and Life?

With the challenges the economy has presented, many small business owners may find themselves working longer hours and trying to do more with fewer resources. This scenario can lead to burnout. How do you personally avoid burnout and (hopefully) establish a good balance between work and the rest of your life?

Well, what is the real cause of burnout?  You put in the effort, but you don’t feel that you are progressing. You’re just spinning your wheels.

To avoid burnout you must have:

• Clarity 
• Focus
• Purpose

A lot of business owners seek out a business coach when they are burnt out.  By working with them to clarify their vision & purpose and at the same time creating worthwhile meaningful goals, I can help business owners become motivated and re-energized doing the same activities that made them feel burnt out in the first place.

If you stay focused on your goals, you will maintain your motivation and avoid burnout.

Looking to get more focused in your business?  Check out ActionCOACH of Jacksonville's Quarterly GrowthCLUB planning workshop.  This workshop allows business owners to get out of their business for a day to refocus, get energized, and leave with a written action plan to reach their goals for the next 90 days.  To find out the date of the next GrowthCLUB CLICK HERE

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...

It's Time for Your Personal Break Through

As I am sitting here exhausted from all the preparation getting ready for the Jewish festival of Passover which begins tonight, I am reminded that success and happiness is not easy.  

Most of us are aware that the Jewish holiday of Passover occurs this time of year because the TV networks seem to always replay one of the most successful epic motion picture, of all time, The 10 Commandants starring Charlton Heston.  It’s the biblical story of how G-d took the Jewish people out of Egypt and took them to Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments and Torah.  This week Jews all over the world come together to remember and relive this historical event but if understood properly there can be many lessons in which we call all take away.

Passover is not a holiday commemorating an ancient event but a lesson to achieve true success & happiness in our lives.

The biggest lesson to take away from the holiday of Passover is that success takes hard work and preparation.  There are no short cuts to true success.  Passover is the holiday of freedom.  Jewish mystics teach us that Passover is not the holiday of freedom because the Jewish people were freed from their slavery in Egypt at that time, but that the holiday occurred then because it was a “time” of freedom.

If that is the case, every year there should be a universal energy that occurs now that we each can tap into.  This is a time for each of us to search deep inside ourselves to find the things or limiting beliefs that keep us in our rut or comfort zone and is keeping us from being as successful as we can.

When we search deep inside ourselves we will find the true source of our power and energy, and when we truly connect to this energy, we will be amazed in the abundant amount of good we can produce.

The Passover holiday is over week long.  The first days are about preparation and beginning on your path of success.   Change is not easy.  Whenever we try to change, it’s very easy to fall back into our comfort zone.  Making change last is what the last days of the holiday is all about.

The 7th day is when the Jews crossed the Sea of Reeds or commonly referred to as the Red Sea. Before they crossed and achieved their true freedom they faced a big obstacle.  They felt trapped; Pharaoh and his army where in hot pursuit and they were trapped at the Red Sea.  At this point some even thought that they should go back to Egypt (back to their comfort zone).  It was not until they refocused on their mission to go serve G-d on the mountain that things changed and it wasn’t until the water reached their nostrils that the sea began to split.

The lesson here is, when you are focused on your goal, what appears to be obstacles will split & provide you with a path to reach your goals.

Our biggest obstacle is our own limiting beliefs. Don’t focus on what you can’t do but what you can do. You’ll see the miracles appear in front of your own eyes.  How many times have we quit just before the moment of a great break though?  It’s almost scary to think about.

Jack Canfield sums it up in a formula from his book “Success Principles”.

E + R = O   Event + Response = Outcome

We all know the outcomes we want to achieve (though some of us have a clearer picture of that outcome than others).  But, there always seems to be some event or barrier that comes along and keeps us from journeying forward to our desired outcome.  Most of the time, we have no control over this event or the personal barrier that is put in front of us by ourselves or others.

The only thing we are in control over is how we respond to this event.  When we focus on the event or obstacle we lose focus and our desire to move toward our goal.  But, when we are focused on our outcome or goal, those obstacles that may appear to be as big as a whole sea that will soon split and allow us to truly break free and move toward our goal.

May this season of freedom allow you to break through to your success that is just waiting for you.

Are you a market expert in your industry?

Instant access to information is a double edged sword.  There is so much information available that it can be difficult for your customers to weed through it all and find you. 

One way to help your customers cut through the noise is to become an industry expert. Is your business viewed as a commodity? 

If so, becoming an industry expert will increase your value in the marketplace and add to your unique selling proposition.  Be the first call your customers make.
Here are 3 tips to help turn you into the market expert

1. Create a Personal Brand Identity - We all have a story to tell. What’s your story? Why did your choose the industry you are in? What challenges did you face while creating your business? How does your story (your past experience) help you to be a problem solver for your clients? Let people know what you stand for?  Are you an advocate for your industry? Using stories to relate your business vision and mission will inspire trust in your prospects, reassure clients and improve you image in your market
   . 
2. Study your market - Get to know your direct and indirect competitors. Know what they do, where they are and how to contact them. Let’s say you own Tennis Town. You have the widest selection of tennis rackets in 3 states and your service is the best in the business. Fantastic. Now, one of your good customer calls asking for a badminton racket and they need it today. You do not have it and cannot get it that quickly. What if the conversation did not end there? What if you could give them the name of the closest badminton store, maybe even their number? Not only have you solved a problem for your customer, they will tell their friends how much you helped. Demonstrate that you want to get your clients what they need even if it means sending them elsewhere for something you do not offer.
   
3. Brand your process - Your USP (unique selling proposition) is what sets you apart from your competition. Creating your USP is only the first step. You must be able to communicate it in a way that your prospects and clients understand. Identify the steps in how you serve your clients, then explain each step and develop a “brand name” for the process. This will ensure that your customer base understands what you have to offer and how it can help them. Developing your own proprietary phraseology to explain your process adds to your branding power. 

Becoming the market expert does not happen overnight. Take the time to fully develop your personal brand identity, study your market and brand your process. Create a plan to introduce your USP into the marketplace. 

You will know you are on the right track when customers begin conversations with,” I don’t know if you can help me but, I thought of you first.” 

Remember, nothing happens until you take action!

As an ActionCOACH, I advise business owners on how to increase profits and cash flow, work less hours, and develop their team.  In other words,  to get their business working so they don’t have to. We coach you to create a commercial profitable enterprise that works without you. For some business owners that might be hard to believe. To help them understand the process we have developed ActionCOACH’s “6 Steps to a More Profitable Business”. Breaking our coaching process down into six-steps makes it easier to understand and implement.
Schedule an appointment now.

Wishing you much success!
Coach Steve

Mind Your Own Business

How many times have you heard that?  Some of the synonyms listed for the word “mind” are, attention, tend, and take care of.  When sales are down, when key employees are leaving, when customer complaints are up,  there is a big temptation to look at what the competition is doing and react to that.

How many business owners say they started their business to beat the competition?  Most say they struck out on their own to be the best at what they do and deliver what their customers need. 

Watching the Olympics brought this idea home.  Many of the athletes interviewed said their primary goal was to achieve a personal best.  Jesse Owens, who won 4 Olympic gold medals in the 1936 games,  was quoted as saying, “the only victory that counts is the one over yourself.”

Business owners who push themselves to be better not only improve their business, they set the tone for the business, inspiring team members to do their best in delivering quality products and stellar customer service. 
This does not mean ignoring the marketplace. 

Runners focus on the finish line.  During the race, they may take a little peak at the other racers and go right back to keeping the finish line in their sights.  They understand that putting too much attention on their competitors splits their focus and can cost them the race.  Winning is achieved through improvements in individual and team performance.  This concept applies with businesses as well as individuals.

As motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You have to work harder on yourself than you do on your job”.  This type of mindset embraces playing to win.  Staying too focused on the competition is playing not to lose.  Playing to win keeps you minding your own business, staying focused on the goal you had when you started, to be the best at what you do.  Winning starts with a look in the mirror.

Wishing you much success,
Coach Steve


Find out more about how a business coach can help you keep your eyes on the finish line.  Schedule a FREE 1/2 hour telephone coaching session.

5 Keys to Understanding Success

I entered Business Success in the search engine on Amazon.com and found 64,320 paperback books, 22,753 hardcover books, 4,170 Kindle versions and 358 Audio books available.  

In addition, there are thousands of blog posts and other articles discussing the mystery of success. Each author staking a claim on knowing the “Secrets of Success.”  With so much written on the subject how can there be any more secrets?  How is it that so many people are wresting with success instead of basking in its glory? 

 Tom Hopkins defines success this way,  “Success is the continuous journey towards the achievement of pre-determined, worthwhile goals”.   In all of my research, this is the best definition I have found.    
 
Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of this power sentence.

1. Continuous Journey – This first key is embracing the idea that achieving success is not a destination but a continuous process or journey.  Think about a baby who is  learning to walk.  Does he say,” Well, I took that first step, now I am done.”  No, he says, “ Wow! I took that first step, what’s next?”
2. Towards – The second key is forward movement.  Successful people are constantly moving forward, towards what they want.  They set aside their fears, move around obstacles and keep going.
3. Achievement – The key here is recognizing that success is not just one big triumph, but a series of small accomplishments along the way. Think about that baby again.  First, there was turning over, then crawling, then pulling up, then walking.  Each milestone is celebrated and inspires the next one.
4. Pre-determined – I think of this key as thoughtful pursuit.  What you deem to be important.  Not someone else’s definition of success, not the “stuff” that happens along the way but, what you determine to be important.  It is also critical to establish the right path for you.  Some want the non-stop flight while others prefer travelling the country roads.  The destination is the same.  
5. Worthwhile Goals – The last key is clarity on the “must have,” goals.  The goals we set that we will do anything in our power to achieve.  This is not to be confused with, “the things that must be done.”  If writing a book is the goal, research must be done.  However, if the author gets bogged down in doing research, the book does not get written.  Clarity is the key to setting those “must have” goals and performing the “must be done things,” that further the achievement of them.

Understanding these 5 keys will help unlock your secret to success.  Remember, as with any journey it is important to pack a lunch and wear comfortable shoes. 
Wishing you much success,
Coach Steve


If one of your goals is to have more time to enjoy life, download this free whitepaper to get some insights on how your business can give you more life instead of sucking it out of you.

What does attitude have to do with success? Everything!

What separates human beings from any other creations in this world? It is the ability to translate thoughts into the spoken and written word so that our ideas can be shared.

The spoken word gives us the ability to share our ideas and emotions with others, it builds community.  Synergy is created as we exchange words, allowing people to combine ideas and mulitply our strengths. 

Written words give us the ability to make permanent records, to create a history for future generations to study.  Hopefully, learning from the mistakes and building on the successes of those who came before them.

Is it possible to quantify the value of our words? In the Hebrew language each letter has a numerical value. Historically, Jewish sages have used these values to find hidden insights into words from matching the numerical values of the letters that make them up.

Can a similar connection be found in the English language? Could we find the secret to having the complete life that so many of us are in searching for? Can uncovering the numerical values of the letters in our words provide that answer?   With the help of a friend, this is what we discovered.

Each letter is assigned a corresponding number ....
A=1  B=2 C=3 D=4 E=5 F=6 G=7 H=8 I=9 J=10 K=11 L=12 M=13N=14 O=15 P=16 Q=17 R=18 S=19 T=20 U=21 V=22 W=23 X=24 Y=25 Z=26

Now let’s see what makes life complete or 100%....

Hard Work = H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K = 8+8+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
Knowledge = K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
Love = L+O+V+E = 12+15+22+5 = 54%
Luck = L+U+C+K = 12+21+3+11 = 47%

If it is not Hard Work, Knowledge, Love, or Luck, what is it?  What makes 100%?

Is it Money? ...No
M+O+N+E+Y =13+15+14+5+25 = 72%

Leadership? ...No
L+E+A+D+E+R+S+H+I+P = 12+5+1+14+5+18+19+9+16 = 89%

What is the one thing that we alone have the power to control?  The one thing we have the  power to change or improve that will make a difference in our lives?

ATTITUDE!
A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

It is our attitude toward our life and work that impacts 100% of our lives.  Whether positive or negative it is the attitude we adopt when facing the good and bad that affects everything.

Attitude is EVERYTHING! 

Change your Attitude...Change your Life!


Wishing you much success,

Coach Steve

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...

Business Advice: How To Get Out of Your Rut & Stop Moving in Circles

The celebrated French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre conducted an experiment with Processionary caterpillars. These caterpillars attach themselves to each other, head to tail, using small silk threads.  The leader strikes out in search of food and shelter, his army following behind.

Fabre separated a small group and led them to a flower pot. Soon, they began to march around it. Fabre added a pine branch just outside the circle, a tasty treat for a caterpillar.  They would not break formation for the food.  The nights were cold but, the caterpillars would not vary their routine and seek shelter.  In the morning, Fabre found them huddled together in 2 clusters and as soon as the sun came up they returned to their circular march. For seven days they kept going until the confusion brought on by fatigue and starvation caused a few to stumble away and find a new path.  

Are we humans so different?  We get stuck in our routines and live on autopilot. Everyday we get up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and do it all again. We rush through life with no real purpose. Hours turn into days, days into years and we never stop to ask ourselves, Where am I? Where am I going? Why?  We are always rushing to that next 'shiny' thing that gets our attention.  Moving quickly is not moving with purpose.

It usually takes a disaster in our personal life or in our business to make us stop and reflect on where we are.

So how do we create Movement with Purpose?

A goal is just a good idea until it is written down.  We all know good ideas come and go, writing them down gives them weight and helps to formulate action plans.  

What is your life vision? What do you want to achieve in your lifetime? Once you get clarity there, take the time to step back and determine where you need to be in 5 years, 3 years, at the end of this year? Break this year down to quarters. Determine where you need to be at the end of each quarter to stay on pace and reach your goals at the end of the year. Go through this process for your personal life first. Your business should just be the vehicle to help you achieve your life’s dream, not just an end to itself.

Each week take a step back and look at where you are and where you need to go. Not necessarily where you need to be next year or at the end of 5 years. But what are the important tasks that need to be performed each day to move you toward your success. At each moment of the day you should be thinking, Am I doing the most productive thing possible at this given moment that will move me closer to my goals and dreams. 

 In the end, we need to remember success is not a destination but the milestones that happen along the path. Take the time to enjoy the journey!

 Wishing you much success,

 Coach Steve  

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below...