High-Achieving Women's Blogazine

There are so many people in transition these days. Career transition creates stress and its wreaks havoc on our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. During this time you may need to pay attention to the effects of stress and learn to take care of yourself when you’re in transition.

Here are 5 great ways to get started:

1. Keep a career journal: Journaling is an extremely effective way to manage your career transition and maintain a healthy perspective. This should be done consistently every week for at least two nights per week.  Don’t forget to include your thoughts about your transition.

2. Set boundaries and maintain the set boundaries: Life can get overwhelming when you’re in transition. You must remember to set boundaries for yourself as a way to curb the feelings of overwhelm on a daily basis.

3. Exercise your body while you expand your mind: Regular exercise is critical to your well-being, especially during career change when stress levels are much higher. You must make it a priority to engage in some kind of aerobic exercise at least three times a week.

4. Get and keep support: It’s easy to get discouraged by the terrifying statistics about the job marketplace. During this time more than ever, you need to surround yourself with positive optimistic people who will support you during the transition.

5. Emphasize the positive, eliminate the negative: When you’re in transition, sometimes it can seem like there are those naysayers at every turn. Keep the ‘Negative Nellies’ and other defeating influencers at bay.

Remember that you deserve a healthy well-balanced life of learning, new experiences and ventures, solitary time and spiritual growth, especially during times of transition.

If you would like to know more about the ‘art of’ collaborations, strategic alliances, partnerships, high-end list building, getting noticed in the job marketplace or how to position your company for growth, I invite you to become a member of the Global Association of High-Achieving Women.

If you want information that will allow you to maximize your footprint and potential for business growth and career success go to our Freebies Page and sign up for a wealth of free information.

Love, Success and Greatness

Dr. Laureen

Million Dollar Solutionist™

Twitter: DrLaureen  
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaureen
Facebook: http://profile.to/drlaureen

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

PS: If you haven’t done so yet, head over and become a Fan (Like) of the Global Association of High-Achieving Women?

PSS: The Global Association of High Achieving Women and Masterpiece Solutions are the sponsors of the free monthly newsletter: Elevations™. Elevations™ has three focus categories:  Your Career – Your Business – Your Life and You. If you would like to receive free monthly issues of Elevations™, please provide your name and e-mail address below.

In Part I, Collaborations are the Key to Business Success, I discussed what constitutes a collaboration and why it is a key element in taking your business to the next level.

Collaborations begin the minute you have the inspiration for a project – even if you don’t know who you want to collaborate with. Start by recognizing that when you collaborate, a new energy is created that is ‘bigger than both of you’.

Here are a few tips to follow if you are thinking of working with another person or business:

1. Have a specific vision or common objective and make sure that it is one that you both share.
2. Create a written mission statement and develop an action plan. Be as specific as possible by including the tasks you both are responsible for and the roles that each of you will play.
3. Develop a written contract or memorandum of understanding (MOU). Be specific about monetary and time commitments and the division of the benefits from the project.
4. Set regular meeting times and make sure you have an agenda. Have specific, clear goals with deadline dates.
5. Without reservation, accept the other person’s skills and methods of working.  Remember they will have to accept your skills and method of work as well.
6. Be sure to utilize the skills that are unique to each collaborative partner.
7. Keep the lines of communication open between collaborators.
8. Build the collaborative relationship on mutual respect, trust and lots of humor.

One of the best things that you can do to make your project really soar is to incorporate masterminding principles and techniques. The book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ is a good reference source.

If you live in Houston, you might want to attend: Take It Up a Notch Boot Camp Intensive® While the rewards of strategic alliances, partnerships and collaborations definitely increase the return on investment, more significantly than what can be accomplished independently, many of these alliances fail due to the lack of not knowing how to apply ‘new economy’ techniques for building successful for-profit and non-profit collaborative relationships. This intensive boot camp  starts August 3^rd. To register and reserve your seat: http://bit.ly/bxm6i8 .

Love, Success and Greatness

Dr. Laureen Wishom

Million Dollar Solutionist™

twitter: DrLaureen  
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaureen
Facebook: http://profile.to/drlaureen

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

I received a call from a former client who wanted to know my thoughts on forming business collaborations.  I reminded her of what Anne Frank’s once said: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”.

Collaborations are the key to business success. Think about the TV reality show: Survivor. The players consistently display the power of collaborations by building alliances early in the game. In most cases, those collaborations ensured a victory.

Business guru, Stephen Covey started the collaborative trend that extols the value: “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Collaborations are the difference between winning and losing the game. With this being said, it is not much different in the world of business from the TV reality show: Survivor.

Collaborations are key elements in taking your business to the next level. It is a powerful business building strategy, which is often overlooked, yet it is an easy business practice that produces powerful results that increase your footprint in the marketplace.

Love, Success and Greatness

Dr. Laureen Wishom

Million Dollar Solutionist™

twitter: DrLaureen  
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaureen
Facebook: http://profile.to/drlaureen

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

In the Part 1 of ‘Top Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Starting and Growing a Business’, I shared with you three common mistakes entrepreneur make. Just as a recap, the three mistakes are:

Mistake #1 – Not having a business plan

Mistake #2 – Losing the passion too quickly

Mistake #3 – Expecting success to come overnight

In the Part 2 of ‘Top Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Starting and Growing a Business’, I shared with you Mistake #4: Not Enrolling and Completing ‘New Business 101’.

In this post, I will discuss the syndromes that fall under: Mistake #5: Not Enrolling and Completing ‘New Business 102’

The course ‘New Business 102’ is a continuation of ‘New Business 101’.  This course is designed to help you avoid the very common business mistake syndromes listed below that are normally made during the start-up and growth stages.

1. Neglecting Continuing Education Syndrome
   
   You are the only renewable resource, besides your employees, your business has. You may be a master at getting the most out of your other resources, but how are you doing with you?
   
   
2. Not Having a Plan in Place Syndrome
   
   Many small business owners avoid planning at all costs. The old adage, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”, is true. Without a well-thought out plan for establishing your business, running your business, and marketing your business, you will waste a lot of time which you don’t have.
   
   
3. All Work and No Play Syndrome
   
   Running your own business is hard work. However, without proper relaxation, you will become increasingly less productive. Here’s my suggestion: Take a walk. Talk to people along the way. Join a gym and work out. Join a professional group or a Rotary or Lion’s Club.
4. Take Your Existing Customers For Granted Syndrome
   
   Remember the first few customers you ever had? Remember the appreciation you had for them? Remember the little things you did for them? When did you stop and WHY? If you avoid looking after your existing customers and they will go elsewhere.
5. Never Ask For Referrals Syndrome
   
   Happy customers are a major business asset. That asset can yield benefits in many ways. But you have to ask. Instead of spending a lot of money on your advertising, why not ask customers for referrals? Referral sales are the cheapest and easiest way to grow your business.
6. One-Stop Shop Mentality Syndrome
   
   Many business owners fail to achieve their true potential because they try to be all things to all people. You need to target your ideal customers. Look at your product. Ask yourself who would benefit most from your product. Once you have selected a targeted group, learn everything you can about them and go after them.
   
   
7. Neglecting Marketing Syndrome
   
   It is so easy for a business owner to get caught up in the daily operations of a business. The inventory ordering, data input, and more, can become all consuming. Then one day you look up and wonder what happened to the business.
   
   Marketing is all about future sales. You plant the seed today to reap the benefits tomorrow. If you want a long-term successful business you simply must market.

For those of you who read this post and who will commit to avoiding these seven mistakes, you just completed ‘New Business 102’.  Stay tuned for my next post (part 4) where I will continue to discuss the top mistakes that entrepreneurs make when starting and growing a business.

I will host a special teleseminar on June 8^th entitled: “IS YOUR ‘FEAR BEAST’ OUT OF CONTROL OR HAS IT BECOME A PERMANENT WARDROBE ACCESSORY?”

* How to handle the fears associated with career change and career transition?

* How to handle the fears associated with the 8 stages of starting, developing and growing a business?

* The 7 tips for keeping your fear under control while taking your career and business up a notch in challenging times.

* The 7 tips for managing stress when fear prevails.

* How to break free of your fears and start reaching your dreams?

Be sure to register for this teleseminar.  I will be giving away some great materials on fear and success. http://bit.ly/aVgiqK

Love, Success and Greatness

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

In the post: ‘Top Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Starting and Growing a Business – Part 1’, I shared with you three common mistakes entrepreneur make. Just as a recap, the three mistakes are:

Mistake #1 – Not having a business plan 

Mistake #2 – Losing the passion to quickly 

Mistake #3 – Expecting success to come overnight 

This post will cover: Mistake #4: Not Enrolling and Completing ‘New Business 101’

There are a number of courses designed for new business owners and many of these courses are free. The problem is that new business owners do not enroll in this type of course because they think they do not need it or they just don’t get the importance of this type of course.

The below six mistakes are important and they must be addressed.  If not, these mistakes can drain you of your money, time or even kill your business venue permanently.

1. Failing to pay attention to corporate formalities.

    (not setting up your business entity correctly and failing to protect your personal liability)

2. Failing to appropriately address founder’s equity.

    (not looking at all options: founder, co-founder, venture capitalist, etc.)

3. Failing to raise enough money.

(not understanding that things often cost twice as much and take twice as long as anticipated)

4. Failing to save for a rainy day… spending money too quickly.

    (not spending money wisely)

5. Failing to pick the right advisers.

    (not screening investors, board members, service providers carefully)

6. Failing to protect intellectual property assets.

    (not adhering to copyright laws and protecting your assets)

For those of you who read this post and will commit to avoiding these six mistakes, you just completed ‘New Business 101’.  Stay tuned for my next post (part 3) where I will continue to discuss the top mistakes that entrepreneurs make when starting and growing a business.

I will host a special teleseminar on June 8^th entitled: “IS YOUR ‘FEAR BEAST’ OUT OF CONTROL OR HAS IT BECOME A PERMANENT WARDROBE ACCESSORY?”

* The difference between fear and phobias and are some fears ‘good’ fears?

* How to handle the fears associated with career change and career transition? 

* How to handle the fears associated with the 8 stages of starting, developing and growing a business?

* The 7 tips for keeping your fear under control while taking your career and business up a notch in challenging times.

* The 7 tips for managing stress when fear prevails.

* How to frame and break free of your fears and start reaching your dreams?

 * Why you need to practice getting uncomfortable if you are going to up level your career or business?

Be sure to register for this teleseminar.  I will be giving away some great materials on fear and success.

Love, Success and Greatness

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

I have been a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, hailed as the “Million Dollar Solutionist™” and business owner for the past 12 years; I have made my share of business mistakes when I started and as I grew my business.  I have also coached thousands of people in how to start their businesses, and I’ve seen many of them make similar mistakes just because they wanted to do things their way.

Over the next several posts, I will identify top mistakes that most entrepreneurs make when starting, developing and growing a business.   

Mistake #1 – Not having a business plan:  Many entrepreneurs think they do not need to prepare a business plan and they move quickly into the day-to-day routine of running a business rather than taking the time to properly plan and strategize every element of their business that would support growth and sustainability.

Business plans are only as good as the information and forecast put into them.  When preparing a business plan, it is extremely important to remain objective and use this process as an opportunity to uncover potential challenges and obstacles you may need to overcome.

A well thought out plan with several reviews from other business owners will become a roadmap to success.

Mistake #2 – Losing the passion too quickly:  As a career success and business growth expert, I have watched many entrepreneurs start with a lot of excitement and passion for their business venture and then quickly realize that operating their own business is truly hard work. It does become very easy to become disgruntled and to lose the passion for what you originally wanted to achieve when the realization sets in and real business problems begin to surface. 

When issues and challenges arise, use that ‘initial’ passion’ to motivate yourself to find a solution quickly.  Let that passion guide you each and every day and use the passion to catapult your profits to record heights.  

Mistake #3 – Expecting success to come overnight:  We all know that Rome was not built in a day… so why should we expect our businesses to be successful overnight.  It takes time to nurture a business and build a buzz that will get you to that success level. Being a flexible leader who can think out of the box will make you and your business more resilient to business challenges, economic changes and industry trends.  The goal is to not only be realistic in your expectations but to be flexible and accept that things happen and change is inevitable.

Stay tuned for my next post (part 2).  I will continue to discuss the top mistakes that entrepreneurs make when starting and growing a business.

I will be hosting a special teleseminar on June 8^th entitled: “IS YOUR ‘FEAR BEAST’ OUT OF CONTROL OR HAS THE ‘FEAR BEAST’ BECOME A PERMANENT WARDROBE ACCESSORY?”  It is the preview call for the debut of the Global Association of High-Achieving Women. This first-ever membership association is designed for high-achieving female career professionals and women business owners who want to ‘take it up a notch’ in their careers and businesses through innovative professional development tools, masterminding, platinum-style coaching, and leading-edge business growth and career success strategies. Be sure to register for this teleseminar.  I will be giving away some great materials valued at $500+.

Love, Success and Greatness

© 2010 Dr. Laureen 

In order to tell you what habits help me to be successful, I’ll have to share with you my idea of success. Success means living a purposeful life, where I experience radiant health, abundant prosperity and meaningful relationships.  Here are a few habits that I’m cultivating as I move from success to significance.

1. Meditation
2. Exercise
3. Journaling
4. Waking up between 5 am and 6 am
5. Keeping the important list to 3 items
6. Having a “fantastic” day
7. Reading daily
8. Less television time

8.5        Personal development at all times

It’s this simple – when your energy is high you can bring your best to every task you take on. When your energy is low, you can’t.  You must focus on raising and maintaining your own energy, keeping yourself strong and well, so that you can be focused and effective and brilliant while taking on the next steps for success.

What daily habits do you have that help you to be successful? Why not share them in the comment section of this Blog.

You can take action now and attend the upcoming Visioning Great to Successing Great™ Virtual Retreat of March 20, 2010. It’s your time to sparkle. ™ http://highachievingwomen.biz/?page_id=185

A vision without a plan is just a dream.
A plan without a vision is just drudgery.
But a vision with a plan can change the world. 

Greatness is about one’s day-in and day-out habits, character and core values. In other words, no matter what your past was like, you have the ability to achieve greatness—starting now. You just need to hone in on the small things you do every day—those tasks and chores that may seem trivial and unimportant—and start doing them based on your best, all the time. Here are some guidelines for greatness to help get you started:

1. Walk your talk.
2. If you make a promise, keep it.
3. Do sweat the small stuff. (Or at least pay attention to it.)
4. Align yourself with the other “greats” in your life.
5.  Always act as if someone is watching you.
6. Surround yourself with people who don’t think like you.
7. Be known for your integrity.
8. Know when to ask for help.
9. Read at least ten books a year.
10. Shape your life around your passions.
11. Talk to strangers. 

11.5    Expect Greatness to come.

Success doesn’t just happen by accident.  It also doesn’t happen just from working really, really hard.  It takes a great plan, a great strategy that you can work from.  And that takes the discipline to step back from the daily grind, to talk with other trusted and committed people and to create a plan and strategy that will take you where you want to go.

I would love to help you develop and expand your portfolio of success through discovering your purpose, unleashing your passion, helping you achieve next-level results and enjoying the realization of your result-oriented dreams.  You can take action now and attend the upcoming Visioning Great to Successing Great™ Virtual Retreat of March 20, 2010. It’s your time to sparkle. ™ http://bit.ly/9AA92z

The only way to fail is to quit” – Chris Widener.  Why not take this partial list of habits that drive business success and start to put each one into practice. By learning and instilling new habits in your daily business life, it will have a dramatic effect on your level of success.

1. Cultivate Inner Networks: Take the time to identify and build relationships with key peers, mentors, and advisors.
2. Practice Centerness: Focus away from business and profits toward what you can do to improve the life of your customers.
3. Be Humble and Honesty: Be open and honest about yourself and your business creates growth as an individual and as a company.
4. Embrace Adaptability: Be flexible allows us to respond to changes without being paralyzed with fear and uncertainty.
5. Be Opportunity Focused: Look at both sides of the coin. Every problem has an opportunity.
6. Find A Better Way: Productivity is the cornerstone of business success. Start by embracing technology, automation, outsourcing, and improving business systems and processes.
7. Maintained a Balanced Lifestyle: Business success requires the habit of balancing all aspects of your life; free time is a habit that will make your business and life more enjoyable.

     7.5. Love What You Do and Who You Are: Everything else follows.

Here my suggestion, review each of the 7 habits and choose one habit to focus on for a month or until you achieve mastery; then gradually incorporate each of the 7 habits of business success into your life and watch yourself attain your business dreams. Adopting these 7 habits will help you create a business or career that will give you not only success but also joy and fulfillment in your life. 

I would love to help you develop and expand your portfolio of success through discovering your purpose, unleashing your passion, helping you achieve next-level results and enjoying the realization of your result-oriented dreams.  You can take action now and attend the upcoming Visioning Great to Successing Great™ Virtual Retreat of March 20, 2010. It’s your time to sparkle. ™ http://bit.ly/9AA92z

If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. – Seneca

Do you want to wake up every day with a smile and a zest for whatever possibilities the day will bring?  Do you crave a life where your creativity and talents thrive without limits?  If you do, then take the time to plan for your success and happiness.

Many business people fail to prepare a business plan mainly because they are intimidated by the process.  This process does not need to be overwhelmingly complex; but it does require some thought, some research and a conscious effort to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. 

Here are 10.5 tips that you must address.  How much detail you give to each step is up to you and how successful you want to be.  Here they are:

1. Identify the purpose of your plan
2. Outline your personal qualifications
3. Clearly define your business
4. Clearly define your market or niche
5. Know your industry
6. Know your competition
7. Do the math
8. Know when to ask for help
9. Pull it all together
10. Keep the plan up to date

  10.5.       Review these steps on a quarterly basis to make sure you are on target

Don’t forget to plan for problems.  Whether it’s a national recession, a blizzard that knocks out communications or mail delivery, or a computer snafu that wipes out important data, glitches will occur.  In other words – expect the unexpected and have a backup plan in place.