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When You Think You Know Your
Small Business
Like the Back of Your Hand,
It's Time for a HEADS UP!!
Business is about PEOPLE!! Owning a business is about bringing what YOU'VE got to the table, telling people about about it in some compelling way and getting them to buy it. This is where we talk to real people about doing real business. This is where the next generation of businesses that hold our world together will be born.
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The Lore of the MasterMind
Let's start off by defining what a Mastermind group is NOT. - It is not a closed networking group
- It is not a lead generation group
- It is not a few people who sit around a brainstorm over bad food and cold coffee
- It is not a status symbol
- It is not a waste of time.
A MasterMind group is a group of individuals with a stated purpose, goals and objectives who meet periodically to work on meeting those objectives. According to Napoleon Hill in, "Think and Grow Rich," a Mastermind group is
"The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony."
Dissect this for me:
- Coordination - working together in some logical fashion for some level of fluidity.
- Knowledge and effort - this means that some level of commitment and energy is require
- Two or more people who work - working mean that some change is occurring. It is never sedentary.
- toward a definite purpose - all members of the group have the same, shared goal.
- in the spirit of harmony - as in the opposite of discourse. It is not competitive.
Starting a Mastermind group is for your benefit and for the benefit of those in the group. Together, you will all go further and do more than you could have individually.
At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
Labels: Business Growth Strategies, Management and Leadership, Strategic Partnerships
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Strategic Partner or A Good Idea
Your strategic partner or partners need to work as hard for you as you do for them. Don't get yourself involved with people or organizations who don't! Your time is valuable, and you have worked hard to get where you are.
Tell me something: When was the last time you received a phone call or an email that was personally to you from your "strategic partner?" When was the last time they sent you a genuine referral? If the answer is "more than a month," then you need to reconsider where your eggs lie.
There are so many businesses in the marketplace that try to pull you in to buy their products and services or to have you recommend theirs that it's not funny. These are called PREDATORS! AT&T is NOT your strategic partner. Staples will NEVER be your strategic partner. These are VENDORS and nothing more. Do you still value the relationship? Yes! Do you buy their products and services if they start price gauging? Heck no! Do they care if you are unhappy with a change in their business? NO! Will they remain loyal to you while you go through rough times and help you get more business. FORGETABOUTIT!!
Your strategic partners are those with whom you have mutually beneficial relationships. These are people and organizations who will sit at the table with you, or sit on the phone with you and say, "what can we do so that OUR businesses can benefit?" Your strategic partners are those businesses whose services you STRIVE to recommend to others. They are those businesses who are always looking for opportunities to recommend your services.
Don't go into a strategic partnership lightly. Just like in any relationship, you need to have clear expectations and common goals, and those expectations need to be met, not once, but over and over. You need to know about the partner you are forging a relationship with. Are they reputable? Do they share your values? Is their mission statement compatible with yours?
For more information on developing strategic partnerships, take a look at, "Where's the Love??"
At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com. Labels: Business Growth Strategies, Strategic Partnerships
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The link is to a network marketing article where Donald Trump endorses network marketing. It is interesting that after stating that if he lost everything he would get into network marketing, crowds started to boo him. And then he said, "That's Why I am up here and you are down there!" Now, that's a mouthful! But he is right. I would bet that he is quite aware of is gifts, strengths and abilities, and is quite aware of the fact that he has enough contacts, influence and confidence to do extremely well in network marketing. That's not the case for all of us. More people fail than succeed in network marketing. The question is, why did he say it? Well, network marketing not only has paydays for the immediate sale of goods or services, but it also has residual paydays for people who you get to sell the product or service for the company. The idea is that you start with people you know, and get them to sign up either to buy from you, or to "come into the fold." You are told that you will receive untold sums of money and be able to work near your pool, work part-time for twice the money, replace your income, yada-yada-yada. How can does this apply to you and your business? The same way. However, you can be at the top of the heap instead of at the bottom! Here are a few places to start: - Work on your company brand - ensure that it is positive, appealing and aligned with your organizational goals.
- Define the problem that your business can address.
- Define the solution for the problem that your business can address.
- Define the ancillary benefits of implementing your solution.
- Take all of this and make it into a story. Use some network marketing articles and collateral for this.
- Create your own press release, blog entry, website, podcast, etc. (I don't mean one, I mean as many as possible) to place everywhere you conceivably can place them.
- Develop a referral program - one that will benefit those who will refer your business. You have to make it worth it to them, and you have to be able to place your organization in a very positive light.
- Once these are in place, start recruiting people you know - friends, family, business associates.
- Remember, these people are stakeholders in your business. You don't just tell them and go away; if they are willing, encourage them, remind them and share with them.
- Lastly - remember them. Referrals don't simply go one direction. Work hard for them. be a blessing for their interests and goals. Giving back, in nearly any area, will help to create a sustainable future in that and related areas.
At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
Labels: Business Development Strategies, Business Growth Strategies, Recession Buster
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2008 Olympics Exploited!!
$1 Billion dollars in advertising revenue and a great big smile. You would have thought he'd won all of the gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. Nope! In 14 days, a major broadcaster will have received$1 Billion in revenue as proceeds from ads run at the Olympics. This made front page news. Something is wrong here. The Olympics is about community and peace. Not Capitalism and exploitation. Think about the Olympics and what it means, the work athletes do to get there, the commitment and cost to the host nation and the advances throughout the world that Olympics and the spirit of the Olympics has brought many countries. Contrast that with one major network having exclusive rights to broadcast the major events on television and the internet. Think about the fact that you cannot watch the major events on the internet. You can, however, buy videos. Don't get me wrong - there are 3,000+ videos available online. If you are missing them, you can go to nbcolympics.com and take a look. Most likely, you won't see major categories for major awards, though. Thus, my rant! The Olympics belongs to everyone. It should be shared with everyone. We all won golds with Michael Phelps. We were nervous with Shawn Johnson. We were amazed with the Chinese diving team. We won and lost with our athletes. While living in a Capitalist society has its many benefits, I think that very clear lines must be drawn. The Olympics is about Community, not Capitalism. It is about Communities from all over the Earth coming together on a World front to compete. Crossing the line comes when the Olympics becomes about money from the position of creating exclusivity - keeping people who cannot pay for it from seeing it. When I hear about companies exploiting it for their own gain, it hurts me. When I see people beaming about the money they've made as a result of the Olympics, as though they'd won a gold medal, I am disgusted. What I would like to see is many people benefiting from the broadcast of the Olympics. I'd like to be able to see any Olympic videos, free of charge, on the internet. Stick some commercials in there...who cards! I'm not talking about highlights or events no one is watching, or commentaries on specific events, but all of it. Sell come commemorative video collections on the side. People will buy them. Maintain relationships with Chinese businesses. Companies will have gained so much more by demonstrating that they are about the world progress, and not just their own. As business owners, we have the responsibility to serve the communities we live in. We cannot expect to rape all of its resources and move on. It cannot last forever. If you think otherwise, you are only building paper dragons. At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
Labels: Business Path, Rant
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"Well, Honey, Start With Something Small..."
How many times have we heard that while growing up? I know I've heard it a DOZEN or so times as I started different businesses, or helped people get their own business. While I generally never started businesses with my own money, I noticed that when I thought small, I got small. When I thought big, boy, big wasn't a big enough word!
Small business owners have so often gotten themselves into trouble, more often, but thinking small, and thinking that they could do it all by themselves in their little office in the corner of the basement somewhere. Guess what, and I will say it, again, if you think small, you will get small. Being in business doesn't mean that you are "busy" all of the time - in a state of "busy-ness", but rather, that a state of busy-ness has been created as a result of carefully planned and executed steps. You can think about it in two ways:
- If you take a bag of popcorn (the old fashioned stuff that you have to cook on the stove, and NOT jiffy pop!) and you take the popcorn, and oil and simply place it on the stove without a pot, you are going to have a flaming mess as the oil heats up, pops the popcorn, which catches on fire and eventually lights the oil, creating an even bigger fire. Pretty busy, but probably not accomplishing much in terms of reaching the goal.
- You could take a bag of microwave popcorn, place it in the microwave for the appropriate amount of time. After the time expires, you have a perfectly popped bag of popcorn. Yes, there might be a few kernels left unpopped, and it might even be a little well done in the center, but guess what - you are in a position to make small adjustments to make changes in the future. That is like a well-run business.
Thinking too small, or from a position of scarcity, in business is detrimental to the health of your business. Like a human body, a business needs to start healthy and in a healthy environment in order to survive. It needs to have all of its survival and safety needs met during its first phases of life in order to grow up healthy and strong. It has to have a health infrastructure in order to support business growth and increased market presence. Now, if your business grows up without and strong infrastructure, your business may end up in popcorn scenario number one, where the goal was defined - you wanted popcorn, you started the project with all of the best of intentions, but had nothing to contain or control it as the popcorn started to grow. This is what your internal systems and strategies do for an organization. Thinking small in your business will likely have you right there. If you think big, or from a position of prosperity, you will look at your business from the perspective of one that has needs, including adequate cash, internal systems and strategies and resources to call upon in the event you need to make changes. Starting a business is not a case of "well, I think I will start a business today, here's my sign, where are all of the people" - in most cases. Running a business isn't a case of, "well, let's just do what we always do." At the same time, it doesn't necessarily mean that you start off building the Microsoft Executive Offices for your first set of offices. It is a balance between appealing to your customers' expectations, in terms of the vision they have for an organization like yours, and maintaining a sense of understanding between needs and wants. Working from a position of prosperity will enable you to advance from working in the "survival mode" to that of operating a business. In survival mode, you are the business, you cannot see which way is up, and you are probably working at a very low level of efficiency. In prosperity mode, you are running your organization, making adjustments as necessary and planning, strategically, to take certain initiatives. You review have efficient things are going. When Dell (computers) says they are going to do something, they say things like, "yes, predicted revenues should be in the neighborhood of U$1 billion. When I talk to my analysts, we talk in the neighborhood of six figures. Are both realistic figures? Yes. Absolutely. How does Dell know? The same way I know. The same way YOU should know. By developing internal systems and processes, organizations can determine their capacities and capabilities and thus determine, given a certain number of factors, a realistic number to shoot for that is neither too optimistic nor too pessimistic (generally slightly north of my accountant's recommendations!) This is where prosperity lives. This is where you, as the business owner, should live. You should be making decisions about your business, not struggling, trying to figure out where the next dollar is coming from. You should be reviewing the results of your marketing rather than trying to pass out fliers and stick them in peoples' car windows. You cannot work in the business and on the business at the same time, and be effective at both. Think Prosperity.
At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
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Pain in the Wallet!!
Pain in the Wallet!! The weakened US economy has caused price increases and a general feeling of "uncomfortability" in our everyday lives. This is what I refer to as a "Pain in the Wallet." While there isn't much you, individually, can do to return us to the growth eras we've all become accustom to, there are things that you can do to reduce your pain and increase your own level of satisfaction. Many writers, these days, seem to have a fixation on trying to convince people that they can become the greatest thing since sliced bread, simply by willing it. I was reading a bit of "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) " by Eckhart Tolle and realized, not unlike others, that it is a really good book. However, I think that while the application has some merit, there is a great deal of other knowledge, wisdom and maturity that should go along with this. It is like dumping the abridged version of the Bible down someone’s throat: while there are certain principles they might get, there's no real way to understand and absorb it. What does this have to do with you wallet? Well, while you probably won’t get rich after simply reading someone’s get-rich-quick strategy, or after reviewing “Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! ” by Robert T. Kiyosaki a dozen times, adopting some
of the principles in these books will make a difference in your life. You see, these books and opportunities are designed for a certain segment of people successful - those with a particular drive or motivation built into their personality. Remember, your responsibility is to be the best you that you can be. The question is, how do you do that? Consider this: if you walk into a room of people you do not know, you have your arms folded, your head and you tend to migrate toward the walls. Okay – you get the idea. Now, what if you walk into the center of the same room, with your eyes bright and a smile on your face? Which method do you think will get people to notice you and gravitate toward you? The second method, of course, will be most attractive to people. Consider that attractive has the word attract as its root word, which means to draw in. Part of what makes you an attractor is your attitude. This is one of the principles that is touted, repeatedly, in both of the books I’ve mentioned. - A positive attitude is the difference between balancing your life and allowing your work life to dominate all that you do.
- A positive attitude is the difference between having it all and enjoying the things that you have.
- A positive attitude is the difference between throwing in the towel and giving up and pushing forward, looking for new solutions.
It is even the difference between having a customer and building a relationship with a client. All of these can affect your wallet, directly or indirectly. Opportunities to address the pain in your wallet abound all around us. All of them will be impacted, positively or negatively as a result of your attitude. Attitude says, "I can't!" or "I can do it!" Attitude says, "I'll go, but I won't talk to anyone" or "Let's give it my best shot." Your attitude is displayed in your body language, your grooming, your clothing and your makeup. All of these things are things that you can control. All of these things can make you feel better or worse about yourself. Today's world is bringing a number of economic challenges that is causing people to deny themselves of happiness. People are focused on what they are losing and won't be able to do or be able to buy. Maybe we should start to focus on wanting less and doing more with what we have. This is how we begin to change our attitude. Like any change, it is not an overnight change, but it is one that begins with a single step. How can you reduce your pain? What simple methods or changes can you make to improve your attitude? How can you reduce the pain in your wallet? At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
Labels: Rant, Recession Buster
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It's 08.08.08...Do You Know Where Your Website Is?
I was doing some research for a client recently and came across a website called the website grader - www.websitegrader.com. This was an amazing site: it gave me a real-time analysis of my website and some recommendations on how I could better structure it. As someone who feels that "websites are the windows to the soul" (of a business), I immediately decided that I need to make plans to make some changes. Of course, I wanted to share this info with you, so you can take advantage of what I have learned. At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me, Rick Meekins, a call at 678-265-3908, or email us at info@aepiphanni.com.
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Labels: Business Development Strategies, Business Growth Strategies, Internet Marketing, Website Conversion Strategies
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