Author Archives: Barbara Eldridge

4 Ways to Develop a Successful Business Strategy

| March 1, 2024

As we approach the final months of 2023, business owners must begin taking stock of their operations in preparation for the coming year. Success in the business world is not accidental; it’s the result of careful planning and strategic thinking. Incorporating a SWOT analysis—examining Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats—is fundamental to developing a robust business strategy that addresses the four major areas of business: Management/Operations, Marketing/Sales, Financial, and Leadership (Personal/Personnel).

Strengths

Identifying and capitalizing on your business’s strengths is the first step toward strategic success. These strengths, intrinsic to both the entrepreneur and the enterprise, range from resource abundance to … Read More

Seeds of Success

| February 27, 2024

As you look to this year you must positively expect good things to happen.  Your belief and attitude about business, money, relationships, education, IQ, the government, what you’re capable of, how deserving you are and more will be the seeds that determine your success.

Your beliefs or what I call the 900 Pound Gorilla—are what hold you back. What it will take to set your plans in action is learning how to install new beliefs, and attitudes.

Defining your business Vision is one of your most important exercises to support and create ongoing success. Without the Vision, nothing you do … Read More

Tap Your Massive Potential for Greater Success

| October 31, 2023

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you already mastered, you will never grow.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you look to preparing for 2024 you must positively expect good things to happen.  Your belief and attitude about business, money, relationships, education, IQ, the government, what you’re capable of, how deserving you are and more will be the seeds that determine your success.

Your negative beliefs or catalog of regrets are what science calls negative bias, and are what hold you back. What it will take to set your plans in action is learning how to install new beliefs, and … Read More

What Makes You Stand Out in the Marketplace?

| September 29, 2023

Since COVID I have noticed many business owners having difficulty reconnecting, whether with customers or even prior networking groups.. As a growing business owner are you getting caught in the hyper-competitive market environment? When you work alone it is often difficult to fulfill all the roles you have to play. So how do you stay competitive? I often harp on the importance of staying focused to the high-priority, high payoff areas of the business, but when you are doing it all, everything seems “high priority”. But being in business means staying connected to the people who do business with you … Read More

Leverage, What is it and How to Use It

| August 16, 2023

In the course of meeting with members, I have found many service providers have a challenge leveraging themselves. So I started looking at what leverage really means to a small business owner. There are a variety of ways to increase business or the bottom line with leverage.

Leverage in the pure sense deals with how a business utilizes borrowed money, (that’s referred to as OPM, other people’s money). Sometimes it is used for expansion, research and development, and in early stages for getting the business on its feet.

Then there is operating leverage, which is the impact of a change … Read More

Are You Promoting Your “Sweet Spot?”

| July 31, 2023

As a growing business owner are you getting caught in the hyper competitive market environment? When you work alone it is often difficult to fulfill all the roles you have to play. So how do you stay competitive? I often harp on the importance of staying focused to the high priority, high payoff areas of the business, but when you are doing it all, everything seems “high priority”. But being in business means staying connected to the people who do business with you as well as the people who refer business to you.

Do you work consistently with your Marketing … Read More

What Can Accountability Do for You?

| June 27, 2023

Most small business owners don’t have anyone to report to on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Sure, you’re self-starters, you’re proactive. You get stuff done—and in some cases, at least some of the time—you get a lot done.

And you like not having to answer to others, and want that freedom and independence. You wouldn’t be in business otherwise.

But I think if you’re honest with yourself, you have to admit that you don’t always do as much as you could. Sometimes you coast. Sometimes you do what you like to do instead of the most important things … Read More

Build From Your Strengths

| May 31, 2023

As business owners keeping pace with the changes in technology can sometimes =, it reminded me of one of the keys I wrote about in my Master the Game of Business book, “work from your strengths”. 

You have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday; but chances are you don’t because you are not investing your time making the most of the strengths, skills and resources you already have. Psychologists have studied the effect that when you’re focusing on strengths, you have higher productivity and increased overall satisfaction with results. 

When a business owner focuses on the businesses … Read More

Commitment, Your Best Execution Strategy!

| April 25, 2023

What comes to mind when you think of the word COMMITMENT? Hopefully as a business owner you understand that commitment requires a program of goal setting joined with a decision to take action.  Being a self-starter means you are focused on a desire that you hold in expectation with a belief that it will be realized.  

The challenge comes when the words you use about yourself, your dreams, and those around you impact you, in a way that most of us underestimate. Words are our first weapon in the battle for keeping our commitment to what we say we want. … Read More

Work from Your Strengths

| March 30, 2023

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you already mastered, you will never grow.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

You have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday; but chances are you don’t because you are not working from your greatest assets, your strengths. Do you realize you have barely scratched the surface of your potential? Most people do not have a clue to what their strengths are and allow their weaknesses to take hold.

According to Tom Rath in his book “Strengths Finder”, you devote more time fixing your shortcomings than developing your strengths. If you always work … Read More