by theEmother | Jul 7, 2014 | 4 hour work week, business ideas & thinking, inspiring women, MEinc, single parent l single mother, women in business case studies
Thank you to Guy Kawasaki and Adriana Huffington for this enlightened SlideShow… please pay attention.
A great reminder for us all (Yes, me included), about this nothing of “busyness”.
Does anyone ever tell you, when asked how they are, that they are not busy?
“Oh, I’ve got a lot on”, or “busy, busy, busy”, or “always” seem to be a fairly typical type response when asked “how goes it?”
STOP
by theEmother | Jun 30, 2014 | build a Mother of a Business, business ideas & thinking, Finish Unfinished Business, MEinc, so you think you're in business, the business model
OK, so you’ve got the idea. The next best breakthrough thing. Good for you. Now what?
Many spend a whole heap of time building the thing for show and tell purposes, in the hope of it being a roaring success. Wrong!
Instead, spend the time, energy and money on creating the market first, doing the business stuff first, in order to know what to spend your time, energy and money on.
Where are you up to?
“It is one of our saddest economic statistics: More than half small businesses fail within a few years of startup. Unlike the cheery pictures presented in advertising or the success stories showcased on Shark Tank, a significant percentage of fledgling enterprises sputter and eventually die. Only 1 in 43 has any employees after 10 years. These startups don’t create much economic value. The vast majority don’t even earn as much for their founders as those people could have earned working for someone else. Dreams die, jobs are lost, and communities lose their vitality.
It does not have to be this way. In fact, if we want a robust economy with job growth, we must do something about it. I think that the solution is deceptively simple: entrepreneurs should stop thinking so much about the idea behind the business and focus instead on how to lead it.”
Against the Odds: Startups that Make It By Derek Lidow for ChangeThis.com
by theEmother | Jun 23, 2014 | build a Mother of a Business, business ideas & thinking, Finish Unfinished Business, MEinc, so you think you're in business, the business model
Many a time, when talking to Business Owners, I flippantly ask whether they are going for World Domination in what they do. Most chuckle and say, “oh yes!” But it’s actually a serious question. If you’re not looking to build something of note, why bother?
“It doesn’t matter if you are a small business owner, manager, CEO, employee, or aspiring entrepreneur; you want to be the best you can be. You don’t have to be a billionaire in order to be at the top of your game. In fact, you have more in common with the world’s most successful business leaders than you may think—you are probably already using some of the strategies they use without being aware of it.
To help you raise and sharpen your self-awareness there are seven key strategies that all leaders use, regardless of their industry. These steps lead to what I describe as ‘world domination.’ All of the seven strategies build and support each other, forming strong pyramid. As you read about these strategies, imagine how you would use each one when building your business or career.”
Seven Steps to World Domination By Lori Ann LaRocco for ChangeThis.com
by theEmother | Jun 12, 2014 | build a Mother of a Business, business ideas & thinking, Finish Unfinished Business, MEinc, single parent l single mother, so you think you're in business, start with the end in mind, the business model
When I first meet Business Owners who want to talk shop, I eventually ask them 3 basic questions:
- is your Business making money?
- is your Business making a profit?
- are you paying yourself?
In 90% of cases, I do not get a resounding YES to all of these.
What I usually get is a “oh yes” to #1, “sometimes” to #2, and “not really” to #3.
If the answer to all 3 questions is not a big, fat, hearty YES, then what are you really investing your time, energy and money in?
“We are all investors. We invest our time, our energy, our money. We invest every single day, as citizens, as consumers, as businesspeople. At its core, done well, investing is aligned with the same principles that govern natural systems. It involves connection, exchange, and mutual benefit: we humans invented this activity, to serve our own needs, our communities, and our planet. For any business endeavour, wise investing—of human capital, social capital, physical capital, and financial capital—is at the heart of success. […]
We need to reengage with investing in its essential, connected form—to reintegrate our professions with the real world, instead of the world on the screen. But how?”
The Nature of Investing By Katherine Collins for ChangeThis.com
by theEmother | May 12, 2014 | build a Mother of a Business, business ideas & thinking, Buy a Mother of a Business, exit strategy, MEinc
“It’s no mystery that most people are unsatisfied in their jobs. Statistics show that more than 70% of the U.S. workforce is unhappy with their current jobs.
Why is this happening in this great and free country? Don’t we ALL have more resources and opportunity than any other place on Earth? If so, why are we all sitting around complaining about our miserable jobs? There are many answers to this question of course, but I think that the most pressing ones are:
We have allowed ourselves to become dependent on easy money.
If you want to quit your job, and Lord knows most of us do, then you really need to ask yourself these questions. The key here is being honest with yourself. Failing to answer these questions completely honestly may result in putting yourself in a worse position.
Before You Quit Your Job – Ask Yourself These 5 Things – Dumb Little Man”
I rephrase the point slightly and say “we have allowed ourselves to become dependent on ‘easier’ money”.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
There is no ‘easy’ fix to this one.
On top of these, quitting your job and looking to buy/start a business takes these questions to a whole other level…
1. Why do I want to quit?
2. What do I want to do instead?
3. Can I afford to quit?
4. Will I be happy working for someone else?
5. Why don’t I like my job.
Let’s go through each one:
1. If answers like “be my own boss” feature, then starting or buying a business do not necessarily address this one. Why?
Because, regardless of whether running your own business or not, you are always answerable to someone. Whether it be your customers, suppliers, employees or bank, even your family. You can never sail through and expect to not be called to task by someone.
2. If business seriously features as an option, great. Know exactly what you’re prepared to stick your neck out for.
You can’t plan every little thing and you won’t ever feel as secure as you may wish to, but making the decision to be a business owner rests entirely on your shoulders because if you don’t believe you can give it a red hot crack, backing yourself in the process … then save the time, effort, energy, money and grief you’re about to invest and park it somewhere else. Backing yourself is the biggest thing for you to do to be a business owner.
3. Start ups notoriously take 2 years to turn a profit. If you don’t have a nest egg sitting neatly under your mattress, then don’t do it. You can of course go completely the other way and think well I have to make it work otherwise I don’t eat! Whichever works for you is fine. Just understand that the regular pay packet will become a thing of the past for a while. If you’re not OK with this, then maybe it’s time to reconsider.
4. Why do that at all? be your own boss and buy a business!
At least that way, you walk straight into revenue. So the elusive pay is not too far away.
Of course deciding what to buy to the hardest part. Waiting to find the perfect business will have you waiting a very long time. There is no such thing. That said find one you almost comfortable with, and work it hard, get it into shape and all should work out in the end. Well that’s the plan at least anyway.
5. If you’ve got issues you have not addressed within a paid environment, they are only going to manifest larger when the stress of starting/buying a business kicks in. Deal with whatever has not worked for you in the past by exploring to the ways to make it work and then take these strategies into the business with you. Otherwise, the common denominator, the walking disaster that is you is about to take over the business they has the potential to implode because you’re not prepped enough to handle what is about to be thrown at you.
Good luck!
