What Entrepreneurs Need to Know to Be Successful

When it comes to entrepreneurship, there is no clear path to success. The challenge entrepreneurs' face is to find their own means to success given their business, situation, timing, and style. A wise entrepreneur spends a good deal of time learning from the mistakes of his fellow professionals who ended up on the well-trodden path to failure. No matter what your industry, business plan, or idea, the following ten tips are basics for building a successful business.

Stay focused on the most important tasks that need to get done. Entrepreneurs multi-task daily. It is easy to get off track and spend time on tasks that won't get the business going. Decide each morning what the most important tasks are for that day. Start with these tasks and don't switch tasks until they get done.

Delegate. Entrepreneurs who succeed know what they do well, and what others do better than them. Decide what tasks should be outsourced and delegate these tasks to others. Trying to do everything or do things that aren't your specialty ruins your efficiency and the quality of your end product or service.

Keep a business journal. Write down your business thoughts and ideas. In planning stages, these ideas can be both powerful and fleeting. Make a point at the end of every week or month to review your notes for ideas and potentials that you forgot to capitalize on.

Find a support group. Part of being an entrepreneur is being bold, risky, and independent. But you are far from being alone in your endeavor. Join up with a group of entrepreneurs online or in your community for support. Many starting entrepreneurs need the same type of services (web designers, printers, etc.), so you can exchange resources and same time and energy in doing solo research.

Address your fears and doubts. People often view entrepreneurs as the bold explorers of the business world. Don't let your expectations of what it means to be an entrepreneur override your feelings. Fears and doubts are normal. Expressing this anxiety can be cathartic and help prevent it from becoming a roadblock to success.

Follow the golden rule of the business plan. Yes, create a business plan, and develop it thoroughly. Stick to it, but don't treat it like the end-all be-all plan. Often once you get your business going, you'll find that unexpected opportunities arise. Doors open once you get on your feet. Don't pass by them because your business plan dictates that you continue on a certain path. Instead, carve out some time to explore and evaluate these opportunities to determine if they should become part of (or the new focus of) your business model.

Decide what your business hours are going to be and stick to them. It is easy to overwork, especially as an entrepreneur who's business is in the house. As an entrepreneur, there is always work to be done. Remember that there is life after work and if you don't have a life, get one. On days and weeks where you have to put in extra work, plan an award for yourself (a massage, a day-off, a night out, etc.)

Exercise regularly. Make exercise part of your business routine. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the decisions you have to make. Exercise clears your brain to make decisions and keeps you healthy so you'll have less sick days.

Keep abreast of the industry you are in. Read trade publications, talk to people in the industry, and learn as much as you can. The most informed entrepreneurs are the most successful ones. If you are still talking about the power of CDs in the age of MP3s and DVDs, you're idea is already dead, and your business will be too if you don't stay up-to-date.

Keep a sense of humour. You have made a choice not to punch a timecard or work for someone else. Times are tough and humour is the best recipe for getting through the day. Find the humor in situations and find sources of humour in your life (comics, sitcoms, and funny friends). Stay away from people who complain, whine, or give out negative vibes.

The Visual Experience

When was the last time you really looked at your business?

I mean, really looked at it? What’s the first thing you see when you drive up to the building every morning? What’s the condition of the parking area? How clean is the building exterior? Are there fingerprints and dust on the door handle? What color are the walls? What is the condition of the carpet or floor tiles?

You’ve probably walked through your business so many times that you don’t even notice what it looks like any more. It all starts to look like background. And the only things you do notice are the times when something is not where it was before. It’s the sudden changes that stand out – not the gradual, day to day fading of paint and scuffing of floors.

Marketing is all about collecting information about the people most likely to use your products and services, and then developing strategies to effectively satisfy the emotional needs of these customers and potential customers. These strategies are then used as your guiding force in designing systems for every part of your business that interfaces with your customer. From the first phone call, to taking the initial order, to the design of your products and services, to the way your employees dress and speak, to the appearance of printed material, and yes, even your company name - all of these impact your customer’s emotional experience. Your task is to make all parts of your company’s “touch points” with your customers intentional. All of them must convey a consistent message and a desirable emotional experience for your customers.


Simple things like the shapes and colors you use in your logo, business cards, marketing materials, vehicles, uniforms, packaging, building and grounds, employee dress and personal grooming, and anything else the customer sees can have a profound impact on the decision to buy or not buy. It’s all part of creating an entire buying experience for your customers that meets their needs and expectations.

Something as significant as the colors and shapes you select for your business is not a decision you can make lightly. The most important thing to remember about your colors and shapes is to make sure it evokes a favorable emotional response in the minds of your customers. How do you find that out? As you do your market research, you will learn about the unique characteristics and emotional preferences of your customers. Once you have a good feel for those preferences, you’ll know what kinds of emotions you want to stimulate in their minds. That knowledge will lead you to an effective strategy to position your business in the minds of your customers. And that includes your choice of colors and shapes. A good graphic designer with a background in marketing will know what kinds of colors and shapes appeal to different demographics. When you are selecting colors and shapes for your logo and other materials, be sure to choose something your customers will like, and not what you like or what the designer thinks is “cool.”

Take some time this week to walk through your business as if you’re seeing it for the first time. Notice every color, shape, texture, odor, and sound that exists. Think about how your customers would react if they noticed the same things. What is important to them? You’ll likely see some things that are pleasing to your customers, and some others that are not pleasing. Take lots of notes, and use those notes to plan the changes you want to make. How could you find out about the needs and preferences of your target market? Are there any business organizations specific to your customers? What other sources of information are available to you?

Designing your colors and shapes to appeal to your customers requires time and effort, but it’s worth it. The wrong colors and shapes can drive customers away, and neither you nor they will consciously know why. The right kind of visual experience for your customers will draw them in and make them feel more at ease once they arrive. It’s too important to leave it to chance

Guide to making MEETINGS work

You and your team are busy so REALISE, VISUALISE and CAPITALISE by holding regular meetings.

Meetings are a fundamental tool for travel businesses to help assess what has been happening, what is in progress and what has to be done in the future. Travel businesses need to look at meetings as a necessity to be held week to week....YES EVERY WEEK. No matter how busy you and your team think you are.

The fact is that no matter what your time constraints are you will be even busier without having regular meetings with your team. Without meetings, it can lead to problems with communications, human resources, finance, operations and business growth. 

Meetings work best when they are planned and structured to bring out the best results possible.

Here is a list of 12 tips for making your meetings work:

• Establish a purpose for the meetings
• Define what is going to be covered in the meetings
• Ensure there is a clear agenda of topics to be covered
• Communicate to your team what they need to contribute to the meeting beforehand.
• Make sure you allocate a time and place so that the meeting can happen week to week.
• Give every participant an open voice at the meeting; ensure that you promote quality discussion from participants.
• Make sure everyone takes notes.
• Gather ideas, concerns and brainstorm plans for action to come out of every meeting.
• Topics and ideas that have been discussed in previous meetings need to be highlighted to check progress and ensure they are followed through.
• Ensure you include time for awards, humorous topics and non business relating issues to keep your team motivated.
• Make sure you and your team are on time every time to the meeting.
• Get feedback on how the meetings can be improved week to week.

Take these tips on board to help your travel business run a little smoother and grow a little faster. Meetings will ensure pressing issues get voiced as long as there is the right environment to do so.

So in closing 'don't you have a meeting to get to'

The Golden Hour

You become what you think about most of the time. And the most important part of each day is what you think about at the beginning of that day.

Start Your Day Right

Take 30 minutes each morning to sit quietly and to reflect on your goals. You'll find when you read the biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women that almost everyone of them began their upward trajectory to success when they begin getting up early in the morning and spending time with themselves.

Feed Your Mind With Positive Ideas

This is called the Golden Hour. The first hour sets the tone for the day. The things that you do in the first hour prepare your mind and set you up for the entire day. During the first thirty to sixty minutes, take time to think and review your plans for the future.

Use Your Quiet Time Effectively

Here are four things that you can do during that quiet time in the morning. Number one is to review your plans for accomplishing your goals and change your plans if necessary.

Number two is think of better ways to accomplish your goals. As an exercise, assume that the way you're going about it is totally wrong and imagine going about it totally differently. What would you do different from what you're doing right now?

Number three, reflect on the valuable lessons that you have learned and are learning as you move toward your goals.

Practice Daily Visualization

Number four, calmly visualize your goal as a reality. Close your eyes, relax, smile, and see your goal as though it were already a reality. Rewrite your major goals everyday in the present tense. Rewrite them as though they already existed. Write "I earn X dollars." "I have a net worth of X." "I weigh a certain number of pounds." This exercise of writing and rewriting your goals everyday is one of the most powerful you will ever learn.

Fasten Your Seatbelt

Your life will start to take off at such a speed that you'll have to put on your seatbelt. Remember, the starting point for achieving financial success is the development of an attitude of unshakable confidence in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals. Everything we've talked about is a way of building up and developing your belief system until you finally reach the point where you are absolutely convinced that nothing can stop you from achieving what you set out to achieve.

Everything Counts

No one starts out with this kind of an attitude, but you can develop it using the law of accumulation. Everything counts. No efforts are ever lost. Every extraordinary accomplishment in the result of thousands of ordinary accomplishments that no one recognizes or appreciates. The greatest challenge of all is for you to concentrate your thinking single-mindedly on your goal and by the law of attraction, you will, you must inevitably draw into your life the people, circumstances and opportunities you need to achieve your goals.

Become A Living Magnet

Once you've mastered yourself and your thinking, you will become a living magnet for ideas and opportunities to become wealthy. It's worked for me and for every successful person I know. It will work for you if you'll begin today, now, this very minute, to think and talk about your dreams and goals as though they were already a reality. When you change your thinking, you will change your life. You will put yourself firmly on the road to financial independence.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do every single day to keep your mind focused on your financial goals:

First, get up every morning a little bit earlier and plan your day in advance. Take some time to think about your goals and how you can best achieve them. This sets the tone for the whole day.

Second, reflect on the valuable lessons you are learning each day as you work toward your goals. Be prepared to correct your course and adjust your actions. Be absolutely convinced that you are moving rapidly toward your goals, no matter what happens temporarily on the outside. Just hang in there!

9 Keys to Developing Strategic Alliances

Forming key relationships or partnering with other businesses could be the most important thing you do to ensure your success, however, the wrong decision could be a recipe for disaster. To successfully develop worthwhile strategic alliances, consider the following nine keys points:

Select partners carefully

Make sure you attract like minded people with similar values and ethics. Today there are still many 'cowboys' in the marketplace. People who ride into town, with lots of fanfare, making lots of noise and hollow promises. However, if you are looking for a long term relationship with your clients, don't network with the cowboys or you are sure to have a stormy ride. Look at your peers and competitors and identifying those who think like you, run their businesses along the same ethical lines and basically have a good business name.

Be clear on outcomes

• Be as specific as possible. Identify exactly
• how big you want your connection to grow
• The turnover you anticipate
• the number of hours you can commit to the project
• any other commitments that may affect your financial situation
• any fears you may have about the business relationship
• identify exactly how many widgets you want to produce, when and by whom
• how much you can afford to invest and lose, should your partnership fail.

Never assume anything

Many business partnerships fail because of poor communication. Some partners think everything that needs to be discussed is covered once the dollars are finalised but this is far from reality. Clarify everything. Put everything in writing as soon as possible after your meetings. Take notes during the meeting or have the meeting and minutes recorded for you.

Set specific time lines

Many people agree in principal to something and then find that due to prior commitments or unexpected events, they cannot honour their agreement. By setting trial time frames, you can get an idea of your partner's management style, their attention to detail and their investment in the project.

Allow for exit clauses

Better to lose a partner in the early stages, than lose your good name in the marketplace. Sometimes the different styles of management and leadership create disharmony. Something that seemed like a small annoyance may become a huge irritation down the track. For example, you may form a partnership with someone who always runs at least forty minutes late for every meeting. You on the other hand are always ten minutes early,

You may initially laugh this habit away, however, after a few months of being kept waiting, you may not see the humour anymore. You may like to put in place a 'trial time frame' e.g. 'lets review this in 30 days and see how we are travelling. If things are not working out by then, we can dissolve the partnership without any hard feelings'.

This one point will ensure a clean break if one becomes required in the future.

Aim for the WIN-WIN

Brainstorm possible, best and worst case scenarios regarding this strategic alliance. What is the worst thing that can happen and can you cope with that outcome? If you can, then you have absolutely nothing to lose. If you can't cope with that outcome, you may like to review the situation or review the guidelines.

Celebrate your successes

In life, some people are so busy doing, doing, doing, that they forgot to stop and smell the roses. To maintain your and your partners motivation, it's important to record the milestones in your alliance: ie Your first order or contract, your first payment in excess of $X, etc. Acknowledge these wins regularly. If you don't give yourself recognition, why would you expect others to give it to you?

Do your homework

Prepare your business plan, do a SWOT analysis highlighting the positives and the negatives of a joint alliance. Prepare all the information that you consider your potential partner would need to know before they could comfortably make a decision about forming an alliance with you.

Don't be afraid to go for it

And finally, when you have selected your partner to be, make the phone call, send the fax, email, whatever the approach - make contact. Remember, if you never ask the question, the answer is always, no! Ask for six minutes of their time. Talk fast - let your passion and enthusiasm sell your idea. After all, what's the worst thing that can happen - rejection? You can live with that. Remember, they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting your product, service or a specific opportunity. Tomorrow, they may change their mind or better still, they may introduce you to a person they consider to be your ideal strategic alliance partner. If we have courage to face the challenge and make our dreams, goals and targets greater than our fears - we can have whatever we want in life.

Dream big dreams…

Are you addicted to work?

Why are you so busy? Do you really have too much work? Is work so important to you that you'll sacrifice just about anything in your life to get the job done? Even if it's at the expense of your health and your relationships?

If you find these questions disturbing then see how you rate with these ones:

• Do you work more than 50 hours a week?
• Do you dream about work?
• Do you feel that in order to succeed you must work late most of the time?
• Are you a stranger in your own home?
• Do you constantly miss family and social events because you're always working?
• Do you schedule and undertake more than you can get done in a 40-hour work week?
• Do you get bored when you're not working?
• Is missing family and social events because of work unavoidable?
• When on holiday do you constantly check your phone messages and email?


Your Score

The greater the number of yes answers, the closer you are to fitting the profile of a workaholic. If you've answered yes to more than half of the questions, it's time to take stock before you lose your health, family and everything you hold near and dear to your heart.

Do a Stocktake


First, of all take a really good look at your job, what you do and the importance of your accomplishments. Are you appreciated for all those long hours you've put in? Does it really - I mean really - make a difference to your income? Let's face it. In today's economic environment, employees are often nothing more than expendable pawns. No amount of overtime and sacrifice will make a difference when a company has to make cutbacks.

Are You Having Fun?

Secondly, determine if you're having fun at your job, long hours notwithstanding. If you're not having fun and are popping antacids to avoid a stress-related ulcer, then you need to rethink all that hard work you're putting in. Fun must be a high priority in your life and your job should be no exception.

Gary's Story

In one of our coaching sessions, Gary told me he wanted to expand his social circle yet didn't have time because he worked from 7.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. most days. He said he'd been doing this for years and that it was 'the norm' in his profession.

As I continued to question him about why it was standard procedure to work these ridiculous hours, he realised that those colleagues who succumbed to this belief were all very unhappy individuals. Most of them were divorced just like he was and had no-one to go home to. They used work as a way to avoid the loneliness.

Gary was divorced because he didn't pay attention to his relationships. He would arrive home at 7.30 p.m. most nights and his wife wouldn't bother communicating with him. She was busy looking after their two young boys and meeting their needs. At that time of night his wife was putting the kids to bed.

Gary would read them a story if they hadn't already fallen asleep.

He was missing out on everything that was important to him.

Unfortunately Gary didn't wake up to himself in time and got caught up with being 'Mr. Important' at work. He paid a heavy price with the divorce which followed.

Bringing Up Kids

In his book "Raising Boys", Stephen Biddulph categorically states: If you routinely work a fifty five or sixty hour week, including travel times, you just won't cut it as a dad.

He says: Your sons will have problems in life and it will be down to you.

If you seriously want to make changes to your life, then take action now. If it's too hard to do by yourself, get a coach. If you've been a workaholic it can take awhile to break your old habits and to instill new behaviours. After all you've got everything to gain by working less and everything to lose by continuing the way you are.