High-Achieving Women's Blogazine

I received a call from a potential client and here is what she asked: “I recently had the opportunity to talk with a CEO of a major company who was willing to share some words of wisdom with me at the recommendation of a mutual friend.  He gave me a lot of information and I decided to ask him why he was willing to give me so much information when I am going to end up being his competitor. The CEO’s departing words were: ‘I am not worried at all, because I can produce it faster than you can consume it’. “What was he trying to tell me and do I need a business mentor to ensure proper growth?”

My response was very simple:  “You are part of a marketplace that thinks in terms of scarcity, where people compete for limited opportunities. The CEO thinks in terms of abundance and unlimited opportunities”.

I told the client that when someone comes to him for help, he should give them everything that he can. I suggested that he must find a mentor and in turn become a mentor.

Studies show that organizations that have launched well-planned mentoring programs report lower employee turnover, higher productivity and more employee satisfaction.

Here are a few things that successful mentoring makes possible:

• The development of a strong and capable leadership with a line of succession
• The opportunity to improve the organization’s scorecard
• The ability to connect people within the organization
• The  capability to upgrade skills and knowledge
• The opportunity to not only attract but to retain the best people

Just remember that mentoring does add something to the people you mentor and it adds something to you. Through the mentoring process, you practice diagnosing situations and designing effective responses. You become more skilled in giving feedback and drawing out what is considered ‘untapped potential’. You will also experience the satisfaction of seeing someone reach higher and achieve more and you build a reputation for ‘growing people’.

Having a reputation for ‘growing people’ is worth millions; if you want to success great remember this: ‘the more you give the more you receive’.  Mentors are not a luxury, they are a necessity.

If you would like to know more about how to avoid time wasters and how to form collaborations, partnerships and strategic alliances which will impact your bottom line, become a member of the Global Association of High-Achieving Women. Membership does have its privileges and it will definitely impact your bottom line.

Love, Success and Greatness

Million Dollar Solutionist™

twitter: DrLaureen  
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaureen
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© 2010 Dr. Laureen

I received a call from a potential client who has been reading my blog and following me on Facebook and Twitter for several months.  She stated: I have read most of your articles and I subscribe to your blog; and the one thing you continuously talk about is “From Visioning Great to Successing Great™”.  What is this “visioning great to successing great?”

I responded to her as follows: Sandra Bullock once said:  “Always choose people that have achieved more than you. Always choose people that challenge you and are smarter than you.  Always be the student.  Once you find yourself to be the teacher, you’ve lost it”.

Sandra Bullock’s quote ties to my own personal mantra of: “Always Be: Always be Learning, Always be Improving, Always be Growing, Always be Giving and Always be Thankful.”

From Vision Great to Successing Great™ is about capturing a vision of who you are, what you are, when you are, where you are and why you are.  Once you know your vision for success and your blueprint has been developed, you start visioning what you want to be, where you want to be, why you want to be and when you want to be.  The root of who you are is constant but you will grow over time and you will see yourself changing directions… from just visioning great to successing great.

Here are a few tips for successing great:

1. Be an original and not a copy (Abraham Lincoln one said” every man is born an original but sadly most dies copies”.)
2. Define your VIC (Values, Integrity and Character) Factor and center on it at all times
3. Prepare for a life-time of learning; focus on self-promotion and growth… and know it is the key to success
4. Create a plan of action with completion dates and start  executing the plan
5. Be prepared for change, thrive on the change and overcome any obstacles as  a result of change
6. practice creative thinking; pursue your passion and prepare to excel with the change

When you are ‘always being’ you are always becoming and always successing great.

Love… Success… Greatness…

Dr. Laureen

© 2010

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.

Put simply, most of us see life from one of two perspectives: we either see life as fixed or we see it as fluid. Incredible things happen when we see life as fluid and we practice the principles of thriving on change.  It is like magically evolving from a caterpillar to a butterfly. 

The key is to welcome change rather than resist it.  Change is inevitable.  Here are seven tips for thriving on change when change comes:

1. Anticipate change every day.  This will help you stay flexible and ready to adapt.  Enjoy the challenge of doing things differently.
2. Search for ways to excel because of change.  Find new ways in which change can propel you forward and help you grow and succeed.
3. Take pride in being able to adapt quickly to new change.  True security comes from knowing you can adjust to whatever happens.
4. Look for what you can control, versus what is out of your control when change comes. By doing this, you will gain more satisfaction by making a difference and you  will have more input and impact on your future.
5. Try new things all the time. Learn as much as you can about your work and that of the people who work around you.  In this way, you will have more skills and know-how for future positions.  This makes you more valuable when change occurs.
6. Be direct and honest with people during change. This builds trust, respect and cooperation.
7. Understand what’s causing the change; pinpoint the ‘why’ behind it. Once you discover the factors and conditions that drive the change, it will be easier to participate actively in the change.

Just remember that change opens new doors and infinite possibilities.

Love… Success… Greatness…

Dr. Laureen

© 2010

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 

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