The Golden Ticket to Building Your Dream Business and Life

by | Jan 14, 2014 | entrepreneur, passion

This is a guest post by Krista Martin. 

Do you feel it?

That pressure to do more to be more and to learn everything about EVERYTHING that has to do with growing your business?

I’ve been in the middle of a Strategy Session frenzy over here because it seems like it’s a germ or cold or virus that is going around.

And I don’t want you to catch it because it is highly contagious and it will force you into the world of overwhelm.  ((Insert record screeching noise here.))

And we all know that isn’t a good – or a fun – place to be.

 

You see, I want your business to be fun.  And easy.  And focused. 

I want you to know the difference between what you need to do and what is nice to do.

The “nice to do’s” are, well, just that:  they are nice.

As the nice guy learned in dating, being “nice” doesn’t always get the girl.

I’m not saying that I want you to be rude or to treat your business with disrespect.

I’m saying quite the opposite:  I want you to be respectful of yourself, of your goals, or your vision, and to be respectful to what matters most in your life.  And I want you to spend your time, your most precious resource, in those places.

 

I want you to get to work, have fun building your business, and then get on to the things that make building a business important to you.

Maybe it’s spending more time with your family and friends.

Or maybe it’s finally carving out the time to train for that triathlon.

Maybe it’s jumping off of cliffs, swimming with sharks, and building schools in underdeveloped countries.

And that’s what I want you to spend your time doing.  I want you to spend your time LIVING in a way that feels completely authentic and wonderful and REAL to you.  I want to live a big, spacious, amazing life.

where you are going

Your business is a tool that is going to allow you to live in your biggest and boldest way possible.  (Isn’t that great?  A business that you built, around your values and what you love to do for “work”, is one of the key ingredients that helps you to have a life that you love outside of that “work”?)

That’s why I want you to understand the importance of creating a plan for your business.

Please don’t panic, I’m not suggesting that you grab your highlighter, your computer and pull up Excel and start making charts and graphs and all types of overly complicated things.  No, nothing like that.

I am suggesting that you create a tool that allows you to connect the dots between where you want to be and where you are now so that you know where and when to invest your time.

I don’t want you to spend your time learning how to build a website or how to sell an information product or how to get your first membership set up if those things aren’t going to take you directly from where you are to where you want to be.

 

The only way that you can know what is really worth your time and your money is to create a strategic business plan. 

I offered a One Page Strategic Plan-a-thon workshop last year and I’m actually offering it again right now (due to popular demand).  So, if you know in your heart that this type of organization, simplicity, and focus will help you to mark this year as the YEAR that you made it big in your business and your life, please consider joining us.  I’d love to help and support you.  More details here .

The most important things for you to consider when you put together your strategic plan (and that we cover in great detail in the workshop) for the next 12 months include:

 

Your Core Values: This is the Foundation. 

What do you believe to be true and how do you want things to be?  These are the building blocks for how you will build (and grow) your business and how you’ll make decisions.

It is so vitally important to consider your values as your build your business because you want it to be built in a way that feels good to you and is authentic to you as a person.

These are also the reasons that people will choose to do business with you.

 

Your Big Vision.  This has been said time and time again but I want you to ask yourself: how clearly can you articulate what your Big Vision is?  Have you ever really written it down? 

WARNING:  Do not get stuck in the “how”.  Think big, bold, and way out in the future. 

 

Your Big Business Vision.  You probably noted that “Your Big Vision” items may not directly align with your business activities.  That’s OK.

When you put together this part of your plan, please be sure to write it in the present tense.

This part of the plan is where you consider how your business can give “Your Big Vision” items to you.

 

Your Long Term and Short Term Goals. 

What do you want to accomplish in 5-7 years that aligns with your big vision?

What do you want to accomplish in 3 years that aligns with your longer term goals AND your big vision?

Break these down into two groups:  one for your long term goals and one for your short term goals.

 

Focus Points and Priorities for Long Term and Short Term Goals:

What are the most important areas for you to spend your time and money to achieve your goals for 3 years down the line?

What are the key areas for you to focus on so that you achieve your goals in 5-7 years?

Choose 3-5 priorities in which you need to focus on (long term vs. short term) and clearly label them.

 

Trackable Items:  What are the things that you can track on a weekly (or daily) basis in your business to make sure that you are measuring your progress towards your short term goals?

Make sure you that you track and measure your progress so that you can easily self-correct and make changes if you aren’t moving in the right direction.  (Added bonus:  this keeps you focused on the areas that you prioritized and that relate directly to your short term goals, long term goals, and your big vision).

A strategic plan differs from a business plan in that you figure out where you want to be and then work backwards to where you are today.  Planning your business based on where you want to be is an incredibly powerful way to create the clarity and focus that you need to build your business in a way that feels good, that serves you and allows you the time and space to live your life in a big way outside of your work. 

This year is going to be your year.  I hope you know that.

It’s going to be the year that you dream business becomes your reality if you invest a little time up front to get really clear on where you are going.  Where you need to focus.  And where you should invest your time and money.

It’s not hard.

AND it’s up to you.

What’s your choice? 

Krista is CEO & Founder of Make Your Mark (www.kristamartin.com). As a business strategist and client attraction coach, she partners with entrepreneurs to build their service based businesses to serve more clients, make more money, and have more fun.

She has a MBA in marketing and is a CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach). In addition to working in the marketing and sales arena for more than 12 years, she built and sold her first “side biz” and now loves that she has the opportunity to partner with entrepreneurs that have so many great ideas but no clear plan of how to build their dream business. By putting together an action focused plan, she loves supporting clients to build a business that fits into their lifestyle instead of the other way around.

She and her husband have two perfect (ha!) kids, ages 4 and 2, and an equally as perfect dog. Originally a native of the Midwest, she is glad to call Atlanta her home as she has much better access to the beach and ocean from there.

Three things the Little League Snack Stand taught me about Running my Business

by | May 2, 2013 | creative, entrepreneur, passion, talent, Uncategorized

 
snackstandI’m a mom, I have four kids.  For years my life consisted of running all over the place.  I ran from work to baseball fields, to football fields, to ballet schools, and to assorted schools all over my town.

I know many of you can relate to this, you’ve likely either been the driver or the drivee.

I was BUSY for sure!  I wouldn’t trade those days for anything.  My kids made friends and learned so much about winning, losing, hard work, and life.  I made friends, and learned how to LET my kids learn about winning, losing, hard work, and life!  Not always easy, that letting your kids learn about losing part.  But I digress.

Often I find myself in charge of things I get involved in.  Happily, but because I can be bossy I’m sure.  One of the things I ended up in charge of for many years was the snack stand at the Little League field.  I went into labor with my fourth child at that snack stand!  I spent a LOT of time there.  It taught me a lot of business lessons, lessons I still use in my business today.

Lesson One:  Be dependable.  If a parent shows up at the snack stand to feed their kids during a game, and the stand is closed, they will not show up with their wallet next time.  In order to make money, we had to be open when we said we would be open.

In my business, that’s an important concept.  I am BUSY, I typically have four or five projects going all at once.  I have to-do lists that sometimes seem endless.  BUT, when someone is depending on me, I need to deliver.  Each and every time.  As a business coach, I take that very seriously.  My clients are as busy as I am, our time together is precious.  I’ll be there when they need me, each and every time.  That’s why they come back.

Lesson Two: Set your price and stick to it.  At the Little League field we sold all kinds of goodies, from burgers and french fries to Big League Chew bubble gum and ring pops.  I’m the biggest sucker on earth when it comes to little kids with a handful of pennies, I gave away my share of ring pops!  BUT, if you”re an adult and you want cheese on your burger, it’s another dollar.  We put a lot of time and effort into fund-raising at that snack stand, and if you didn’t want to pay extra for the cheese, you could bring it from home.  I was AMAZED at the number of people who tried to bargain us for a discount on their food.  The price was the price was the price.

In my business, many of my clients become my friends.  I get to know so much about them, I’m their biggest cheerleader.  I struggle WITH them when they’re developing programs and social media campaigns around those programs, and we work hard to leverage all of the free social media tools available to them.  It’s hard, sometimes, to keep from saying “call me in a few days and we’ll go over it again”, especially when I know they’re struggling to make something profitable.  I can’t.  They are my clients, and I run a business.  The price for my service is the price for my service.

Lesson Three: If you need help, ask for it!  As you can imagine, coordinating volunteers to work at the snack stand was no small task.  It was so easy to fall into complaining that the few regulars were doing everything!  You know what? Each and every time I asked someone to volunteer, they said yes.  I truly can’t remember a single person telling me no, that they wouldn’t do it.  But I had to ASK them!  No one was coming up to me and saying “Oh let me stand over that hot grill instead of watching my kids game”.  If I asked, though, they would come back the NEXT night when their kid wasn’t playing, and flip burgers for hours.  All I had to do was ask.

In my business, there is a LOT to do.  I think I mentioned the massive to-do list earlier?  There are people who are willing to help me with that list!  Often it’s other entrepreneurs, people who have strengths where I don’t, and we can help each other and save time all the way around.  Sometimes it’s my friends and family, I have a deadline or a client and the dog needs walking.  My business is more successful when I STOP thinking I have to do everything alone.  When I remember that there are people around me that are willing to help me, if I ask.  None of them have those shiny crystal balls that tell them what I need.  I have to ask for help, and they are happy to oblige.

So tell me, what are you passionate about in your life?  What do you do in your “free” time?

I’ve met many many people over the years in my volunteer world that can go nose to nose with the CEOs I work with.  I’ve seen women who think they have no business sense negotiate deals with book clubs for fund-raisers that would make Donald Trump step back. And let me tell you, if you can corral 100 little boys at a Pinewood Derby, you can organize a high end convention!   Pay attention to the lessons you’re learning when you think you’re NOT working, and see if maybe those lessons can help you craft your offerings for your business.  In 2013, you can get that business off the ground, and marketed regularly, practically FREE.  Look to your passions to find your Rockstar Talent.  I can help!

Comment below and let me know what Rockstar Talent you learned in an unconventional way.  I want to hear all about it!