High-Achieving Women's Blogazine

At some point in time, all of us have faced obstacles in our lives. It is the attitude we hold within and the measures we take to overcome obstacles that make us stand out from the rest of the crowd.

I have found that tremendous happiness occurs when you let go of what others expect of you.  It’s about trusting yourself so that you can overcome the obstacles to change in your personal and work life.  I would say that 90% the time, most people’s greatest enemy is the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking silly or sounding ridiculous and last but not least the fear of what others may say or think about you.

Here are seven tips for overcoming obstacles to change so that you can begin to use those creative juices to achieve your dreams:

1. Try not to be perfect.  Focus on what you are doing instead of what you are not doing.
2. Build a team of peers who support creative thinking and powerful alternatives.
3. Avoid those people who are labeled ‘idea busters”.
4. If it is not broken; don’t fix it.
5. Set aside time to brainstorm.
6. Dream big then dream bigger.
7. Last but certainly not least, never quit or give up.

Start by never expecting opportunities to come to you; you must look for opportunities, and know when to grab them. Develop and use your creativity, courage and determination and pretty soon you will see infinite opportunities and possibilities all around you.

Creativity happens when you expect the impossible to become the possible.  Start to fine tune what you are doing so it will be a springboard to more creative ideas. Whatever makes you stop… get rid of it and always remember that change opens new doors and infinite possibilities. Are you ready?

Love… Success… Greatness…

Dr. Laureen

© 2010

To succeed, one must be prepared for change.  High-achievers expect change all the time.  They are ready for it; they embrace it and then they run with it.  Below are 7 tips to prepare you for change in your organization.

The key is to be willing to take risks.  Limit the ‘play-it-safe’ attitude.  When you attempt new tasks and learn new skills, it will always bring success.

1. Take seriously the new way your organization does business; apply the new styles in your work.  Exceptional performers understand the company’s shifting objectives and they transform them into productivity.
2. Be flexible and spontaneous in your endeavors.  This means you may not know how to do new things all the time, but you can learn as you experience them and as you go.
3. Find ways to contribute what you enjoy doing to the process of change.  As your company changes, volunteer to do tasks you enjoy.  Understand how the flow of change may accelerate you toward your purpose and goals.
4. Be alert to new trends in your field.  Recognize the signs of new direction.  Resist hanging on to traditional thinking and the old ways.   Oppose saying: “We don’t do it that way” or “We have always done it this way”.
5. Be a ‘possible’ thinker.  The more certain you feel something is possible, the more strongly you can support what’s happening.  Believing is the key to success.
6. Solve problems by remembering how you handled similar situations in the past.  The more you draw on past experiences, the easier your new choices become.  Familiarity promotes confidence.

Always remember that change opens new doors and infinite possibilities. Are you ready?

Love… Success… Greatness…

Dr. Laureen

© 2010

Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do. Successful people don’t always like these things themselves; they just do them.

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

The previous blog post entitled: 12.5 Tips: Just Getting Things Done – Part 4 was supposed to be the last post for the Getting It Done series. However, I couldn’t resist this topic of the 3 biggest reasons why things don’t get done.  So this is the last post for this series – I hope!

There are a variety of reasons why people don’t get things done and the three biggest reasons are procrastination, not allocating enough time (time management), and not preparing properly.  Below are some simple things you can do to eliminate procrastination, manage your time more effectively and be better prepared.

Procrastination

If you are putting off today what you can do tomorrow; do yourself (and everyone around you) a favor and start giving your procrastination habit the boot today by:
1. Developing a plan of action
2. Writing down ALL the things that you need to do
3. Assigning priority to the most difficult task first

Time Management

As you become more engrossed with your business, you will definitely realize that time becomes a precious “commodity”. No matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day. Unfortunately, time doesn’t change. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the time that we have; so here are three tips that will make a difference in managing your time:

1.    Determine where you’re wasting time
2.    Create time management goals and follow them
3.    Implement a time management plan and follow it

Preparation

People waste time by failing to get organized before getting started.  Often times, people view getting organized as a waste of time.  Oh by the way, if you are always trying to put things together without reading the directions, you may be one of these individuals.  Here are some tips to help with preparation:

1.    Hire people based on where you want to be, not where you are
2.    Listen to the experts and do what they do to get prepared
3.    Get focused, stay focused and remain focused

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog series on Getting Things Done. If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to sign up for the Free Audio: 10.5 Secrets For Achieving Success and Greatness. Everyone deserves a competitive edge.

Love, Success and Greatness

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement: As a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, Dr. Laureen teaches high-achieving women around the world how to move up the corporate ladder, change careers, start a business, create multiple streams of income and vision their way to success. Get her FREE articles and advice at www.gahaw.com

This is the last post of the Getting It Done series. Here are 12.5 important tips  that will help you to just get things done.

 1. Use lists to keep track of all of the things you need to get done.
2. Maintain a calendar and get in the habit of referring to your calendar often.
3. Develop systems for repetitive tasks and delegate them to others.
4. Set short- and long-term goals and record them.
5. Build strong working relationships with others. Don’t wait until you need help; build it as you go along.
6. Find the things you dread doing the most and do them first.
7. Eliminate time-wasters.
8. Take control of your time.  Don’t let the amount of time you have control what you get done.  
9. Organize your home and office.  Disorganization is one of the biggest time-wasters.
10. Use the right equipment.  Let technology work for us not against you.
11. Say “no”.  Before saying “yes” consider how the request fits into your overall priorities.
12. Delegate.  There is no rule that says that you must do it all.
12.5. Just do it!

In order to accomplish the things you want in life, it is important to set goals, determine how they fit with your other priorities and develop a sound plan of action to accomplish them.  If you don’t do this, you will find that you are getting things done, but not necessarily the things that truly need to be accomplished to achieve your goals.

If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to sign up for the Free Audio: Are You Making a Cardboard Connection versus a Brand Connection?.  It takes just a minute to sign-up, and you will benefit from my secrets to making an exceptional card connection.

Love, Success and Greatness

Take breaks from being “always on”. No internet, no TV, no cell phone, no video games. It does wonders for helping you reconnect with your life.

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement: As a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, Dr. Laureen teaches high-achieving women around the world how to move up the corporate ladder, change careers, start a business, create multiple streams of income and vision their way to success. Get her FREE articles and advice at www.gahaw.com 

If you have not read the previous post entitled: 5.5 Tips: Getting it Done When You’re Under the Gun – Part 2, you may want to read it first so you’ll know why this post is key to getting started.

First, organize the project by drawing a circle on a piece of paper.  Put the name of the project in the circle.  Now start thinking of the things you need to do.  Draw lines from the main circle, draw a small circle at the end of each line and label each circle with each item that needs to be done.  If the project is a speech, sales presentation, report or something similar, use the spokes of the wheel to represent ideas or points you want to make.  The objective is to get as many ideas or components down on paper as possible.  When you finish this exercise, organize all the ideas or components into an outline.

If you are serving as the team leader or project leader of this project, perform the following tasks.

1. Summarize your responsibilities.
2. Outline the specific responsibilities and deadlines of other individuals involved.
3. Break these responsibilities up in to manageable, workable pieces.
4. Establish checkpoints when various aspects of the project are due so progress can be monitored.
5. When you have organized all that needs to be done, then call a meeting to make assignments, answer questions and explain checkpoints and deadlines.
6. Communicate responsibilities/deadlines orally and in writing. 

If you are the sole person responsible for the task then:

1. Set aside a minimum of two hours and begin working.
2. Find a place you can work without interruption.
3. Identify and make arrangements for any additional resources/support you need.
4. Break the task or project up into manageable, workable pieces.
5. Establish checkpoints when various aspects of the project are due.
6. If you are experiencing mental confusion, take the one aspect of the task or project that you are the most comfortable with – and work on it even if it’s not the first step.
7. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by getting coffee, answering the phone or reading emails.

Take steps to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to sign up for the Free Audio: 10.5 Secrets For Achieving Success and Greatness.  Everyone deserves a competitive edge.

Love, Success and Greatness

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement: As a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, Dr. Laureen teaches high-achieving women around the world how to move up the corporate ladder, change careers, start a business, create multiple streams of income and vision their way to success. Get her FREE articles and advice at www.gahaw.com

We all do it… wait until the lasts minute to start on a project and then panic because we don’t have enough time to finish it. So when you find yourself under the gun, here are some tips to help you get through your immediate crisis.

1. Get focused: Spend a few minutes to clear your mind of distractions, worries, anxieties (about the deadline) and other mental clutter.
2. Get through the clutter: Consider everything on your desk that does not relate to your project as a distraction. Clear off your desk as you clear your mind.  Nothing should go on your desk but the task at hand.
3. Understand your priorities: Remember you have a limited period of time to complete the project, so it is your top priority.  If you have two conflicting priorities, you need to decide right now how you are going to divide your time or delegate the work to get them both completed.
4. Avoid interruptions:  That means no phone calls unless project related, no opening of emails unless project related, no appointments unless project related.
5. Do It: Budget at least one or two hours of uninterrupted time to organize what you need to do and another two hours to start working.

5.5.      To Don’t List: A list of things not to do — this is useful for keeping track of habits that lead  you to be unproductive, like playing online flash games when you are under the gun.

Well there is just one more major step that you must do and that is GET STARTED.  I have developed a few strategies that will help you get started but they will be in the next blog post entitled: Getting Started to Get it Done When You’re Under the Gun – Part 3. See you then.

 If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to sign up for the Free Audio: Are You Making a Cardboard Connection versus a Brand Connection? It will give you a competitive edge.

 Love, Success and Greatness

“If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done inspire seemingly odds.  

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement: As a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, Dr. Laureen teaches high-achieving women around the world how to move up the corporate ladder, change careers, start a business, create multiple streams of income and vision their way to success. Get her FREE articles and advice at www.gahaw.com 

If you worked in a vacuum, it might be possible to have total control of your time.  When you are part of a team, in order to get things done, you are often dependent upon others.  Whatever the project, someone must be in charge.  If you are that person, here are some tips to help you work with your team to get things done.

1. Explain what needs to be done.  Be specific using simple but direct terms. 

2. Tell each team member where h/she fits into the overall picture. It is much easier to get the team on board when they understand the big picture and where they fit.

3. Provide a completion date and a guesstimate of the number of hours needed. It is important for each team member to know how much time to allocate and how to prioritize their time.   

4. Be considerate.  When you have a project pending, don’t sit on it until the last minute.  Give as much advance notice as possible.

5. Remember the “golden rule”. Treat others the way you want to be treated.  You will get a lot further saying, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ than by simply ordering someone to help you.

6. Tell each team member what’s in it for them. If there is some special incentive involved, be sure to let your team members know.

7. Foster a spirit of cooperation. If there are several people working together on the project, stress team spirit.  Comments like: “There’s no way I could get this project completed without everyone’s help” will go a long way to build team spirit.

7.5.   Remember: Top achievers are great at time management even if they have to pay someone else to manage their time.

Keep an eye out for my next post, “5.5 Tips: Getting it Done When You’re Under the Gun – Part 2

If you enjoyed this post, take a moment to sign up for the Free Audio: 10.5 Secrets For Achieving Success and Greatness.  Everyone deserves a competitive edge.

Love, Success and Greatness

Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do. Successful people don’t always like these things themselves; they just do them.

© 2010 Dr. Laureen

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement: As a Career Success and Business Growth Expert, Dr. Laureen teaches high-achieving women around the world how to move up the corporate ladder, change careers, start a business, create multiple streams of income and vision their way to success. Get her FREE articles and advice at www.gahaw.com 

One of my former clients called to ask me what she could do to ensure that she keeps her customers coming back for her services.  My first question was this, “What have you done for your customers lately?”

There was a pause.  I knew at that moment, she had not done anything for her customers recently.

Remember, it costs five to seven times as much to acquire a new customer as it costs to get a current customer to buy from you again. 

Here are my suggestions to maintain your current customers: 

Are you communicating with them on a regular basis? 

Send an email with a report you think they’ll find interesting.  Better yet, create a Google search with the customer’s name and every time the customer shows up online, Google sends you an email.  When they’ve done something newsworthy or get some great publicity, congratulate them.

Are you asking how they are doing and what you can do to help them? 

Ask the hard questions – how can I make you look good, make your company more productive, and help you achieve your corporate goals?  If you can’t help them, are you referring them to someone who can?

Are you reminding them how important they are to you? 

Send a handwritten note thanking them for their service.  Take the extra step and show them how much you value them.  Answer the phone when they call, take the time they need, and be genuinely friendly and warm.  Be helpful, even when there is no immediate profit.

Are you developing new products or services to keep them coming back?  Offer some specials for current customers only and when you roll out a new product, let your customers know they get to the front of the line with an exclusive introductory offer.

Are you rewarding your customers for being repeat customers? 

Perform a small service for free, or give a discount when they refer others to you.

Think about it, if your customers are not hearing from you; then they are listening to your competition.  One of the best things that you can do is to tell your customers what you’ve done for them lately and then, do it often. 

I have found that if your career and business plan includes success, you must step up and play a bigger game. If you need someone to assist you in up-leveling your career or your business, visit: www.masterpiecesolutions.biz.

, Career Success and Business Growth Expert