Category Archives: Articles

What Makes You Stand Out in the Marketplace?

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 … Read More

Are You Promoting Your “Sweet Spot?”

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

Commitment, Your Best Execution Strategy!

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

Strengthen Your Brand Identity

Customers make the heart of your business beat with their desire to choose products, services and experiences that meet their needs, fit their values, engage their emotions and respond to their desires. Your role is to transform prospects into customers and customers into fiercely loyal advocates. As your own marketer you have to be heard over the marketing noise that is everywhere, (TV, newspapers, on every street corner, now even at the movies). You then have to overcome the skepticism of the more sophisticated consumer.

In creating a Personal Brand it is important to understand that all of this starts … Read More

How to Cope with CHANGE

Here it is half of the year is finished.  How many of you after these several months working day and night to achieve those goals you set in January to create a new service, introduce a new product or even design a new business model – all at once find all the drive that brought the initial motivation and excitement has melted away, the steam has run out, the place you are in is comfortable and the dream world has slipped out from under?

This is the wakeup call.  You must reawaken the drive and motivation, you must motivate yourself!  … Read More

Choose Your Success

What is it inside of people that makes them willing to risk everything they have to be in business?  Is it to join the league of greats like Ford, Carnegie, Hearst, Jobs, Gates or just to have the freedom of being in a business of their own?

Perhaps it is the spirit passed down by parents or grandparents who ran the butcher shops, bakeries and small service businesses from the beginning of time.  Some say it is a burning desire that hits like a flash of lightening or an idea that begs to be developed.

At the height of it Read More

Be Your Own Hero

Last week I was privileged to conduct the Mind Masters’ Annual Summit. This year the program was titled: Be Your Own Hero: Engage the Adventure Called Change. Having realized that after almost two years of COVID, all organizations and businesses have been faced with Change at an accelerated rate and velocity that is unlike anything we have understood since WWII things needed to change.

Having listened to and read several articles that identify the old paradigm of our thinking that we must “have” what we want, before we can “do” what we want and “be” what we want I realized Read More

Into the Future

As I got Mind Masters members planning this last quarter it was with the realization that I then had to plant the seed to move past this last part of the year and to start thinking about the future. For some that seems challenging, between the violence, natural disasters, and divisive political climate, it’s been a rough year for many of us. We’re inundated with negatives nearly 24/7 from the news, social media, and even in-person conversations.

No matter what your situation, it is critical to take time each and every day to focus on what you are grateful for!Read More

Celebrating 30 Years of Mind Masters: Looking Back to Look Ahead

WOW have things changed in 30 years! Yet even with the uncertainties that the COVID virus has produced, Mind Masters and our members have held together to cheer each other on to make changes needed to stay afloat.

Some members wanted to know if we were going to celebrate like we did for our 25th, but my decision was to step back and plan it at the beginning of 2022. I needed this time to look at what we have learned in order to look beyond just staying afloat.

So what has made the difference for Mind Masters Read More

Do You Know What Drives Your Business?

In setting a challenge for members of Mind Masters this month, I asked them to commit to a specific financial number that will propel them forward for the balance of this year and into next. Some have faced downturns due to the pandemic, others have forged ahead due to grants, loans or just good markets.  But what number or numbers really need attention that would change the outomes?

Let me ask YOU, what number do you look at when trying to determine if your business is successful and growing or not? Most small business owners focus on Revenue (sales) or Read More