How Small Businesses Can Thrive During a Recession

Money is a great gauge of success, but are you fulfilling your "why"?
Although it seems like we are in a perpetual recession, there are still many small businesses that are being launched. (I don't really like using the word "recession" because it enables scarcity thinking, but that's a topic for another day.) So many businesses are succeeding and thriving regardless of what is going on. What is it about these entrepreneurs that makes them a magnet for success? In talking with various entrepreneurs on my Blogtalk Radio Show, I have come to learn how small businesses can thrive and succeed...

Remember Your Why
Successful entrepreneurs have a genuine passion for their dream and what they do. They believe in their vision and will not allow anybody or anything get in their way. Their unwavering belief in themselves and their business puts them in the “right place at the right time”, so success just naturally follows them.

We all want to make money with our business, but why? What will that money do for your vision...your family...the world? If you can always remember your why, it will inspire you to keep going.

Network Like It’s 1999
Online social sites like Twitter and Facebook have taken over, which makes it so easy and quick to keep in touch with people, but nothing beats a face-to-face meetup. Before the internet blew up people met in person to strategize and collaborate. There’s something about the energy of the human touch and coming together to mastermind that forms closer bonds.

When I attended the first Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas back in 2007, I was able to meet so many people that I previously only knew via their blogs or Twitter. It was so nice to put faces to names. From then on I’ve kept in touch with everyone I met and collaborated with many of them to help each others’ businesses.

Do you spend a great deal of time networking online and not enough time meeting people in person? Make it a goal to invite someone out to lunch or for a cup of coffee at least a couple times a month. You’ll be surprised just how much more business you’ll get!

Be Smart With Money
Even if you’re fortunate to be endowed with endless money from a venture capitalist or angel investor, that doesn’t mean you should be careless with your money. Invest in the things that really matter such as quality employees, business high speed internet, marketing, or a well-designed website that actually brings in sales and leads.

Stick to the Basics 
Good ole fashioned customer service will get you further than throwing money into hiring a pricey marketing or PR firm. Not that marketing or PR isn’t important, but when you’re a small business just starting out or growing your business, word of mouth marketing is so much cheaper.

I always like to use Tony Hsieh and his company, Zappos.com, as an example of how excellent customer service can do wonders for your business. You rarely see advertising for the company because it’s not necessary. Hsieh has instilled the philosophy of going above and beyond the call of duty into his employees, and customers just do the marketing by spreading the word of how much they appreciate the service.

What tips would you add to help small businesses thrive during a recession? Which of these will you implement into your own business?

In Pictures: Botanical Building at Balboa Park, San Diego

The spring season is the perfect time to visit Balboa Park in San Diego. On a sunny, cheerful afternoon you can find inspiration or just feel calm and rejuvenated after strolling through the botanical building. Because I love flowers so much, this is one of my favorite places to visit when I go to Balboa Park.

Does Beyonce's "Bow Down" Inspire You?

I'm all for artists expressing themselves and telling their personal stories in their songs, but at the same time I feel that when you reach a certain level of fame and influence as Beyoncé has, you have an obligation to be an inspiration.

8 Sure Fire Ways to Fail

By Paul LeJoy

America continues to be the world’s largest economy and boasts the lion share of global billionaires. In fact, there were reportedly 442 billionaires in America in 2012—the nationality majority of the record 1,426 people who have earned this laudable distinction around the world. When considering the staggering success only an elite few attain in business, it begs the question: “What do these billionaires know that the rest of us don’t?” And, as importantly: “How can we avoid failure as we aspire to achieve career success of any measure?”

To achieve a notable amount of success at anything and certainly a notable measure of wealth, you must become a specialist at what you do.  You must “do what you do” better than anyone else. You must become indispensable—the go-to person because your results are superior. In working towards this objective it is important to employ a specific combination of essential elements that, combined, will make you a force to be reckoned with.

With this in mind, here are 8 pitfalls to avoid that will assist the proverbial 99% in their quest for success:

1) Short-sightedness: Every successful person at some point in their lives had a vision for what “could be,” and set out in relentless pursuit of their dream. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs and countless success stories in between, visionaries are filled with a passion and purpose that drives them every day. Those who are short-sighted and unmindful of future consequences of their efforts, both the good and the bad, are more likely to fail than those who are thoughtful and perceptive in their approach.

2) Inaction: Have a vision or a goal? The first step is to write it down along with objectives and action steps related thereto. Now you’ve taken initiative, which is the critical first step to achieving success. Post your vision statement in your bedroom, bathroom, and office. Share it with others.  Be sure to follow your action steps. By taking these minor steps, you make yourself accountable and become the master of your destiny. Take quantum action and you will surely have a breakthrough. Or, find contentment with the status-quo and, well, remain there.

3) Contentment: You may have the vision. You may write it down. You may have shared it with others, but without passion, that vision will likely wither. Passion for what you seek to accomplish should be almost palpable to the extent that others can see and feel your drive. The key is to match your vision with something you can be truly passionate about. Something that will keep you engaged every moment of every work day to bring you one step closer to the measure of success that you personally desire. Or, approach your job with a lackluster attitude and suffer the inevitable ominous consequences.

4) Instability: Many have vision and passion, but lack the self-discipline required to stay the course. The pain of living a life of discipline is less than the pain of regret for what “could have been if.” Those who are self-disciplined motivate themselves to continue with their action steps and persevere amid adversity, asserting sheer willpower over their more base desires. This requisite self-control will channel emotions, behavior, and desires toward obtaining the reward of success and, as importantly, to avoid the punishment of failure.

5) Doubt: You have the vision and you take action to write it down. You may even embellish that vision with passion and be quite disciplined in your approach. However, without the will to endure you may not get too far. Life and work can be hard and even cruel. Remember, the race is not for the swift but rather those who persevere. Rather than allowing doubt to seep in and poison the process, you owe it to yourself to remain confident in your vision and your methodologies to get you there. Sure, you can adapt as needed along the way, but always know that success will ultimately be yours.

6) Going it Alone: No one is an island and there's strength in numbers. A mastermind group, coach or mentor is an excellent way to get motivated. Meeting regularly can be a great boost to your morale and provide new perspectives on your approach. The Internet makes it extraordinarily easy to find a coach or mentor and join a mastermind group that can help propel your vision to new heights and facilitate invaluable networking opportunities.

7) Dishonesty: While it sounds cliché, honesty is indeed the best policy in business. Integrity is of paramount importance for those seeking to find and sustain long-term success. True success comes when you are a person of your word, when you have a pure conscience, and when you have not cheated others on your way to the top. Dishonesty has a tendency to sneak back up on you causing far more problems.

8) Arrogance: Humility, like patience, hard work and integrity, is a virtue. So when you finally reach your destination of success and your vision becomes a reality, do not forget your humble beginnings and all those who helped you to get to the top of the hill. Extend an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. There is no such a thing as a self-made millionaire. People get there because others helped them get there.

If you have a vision, passion, take action, are determined and disciplined; if you get a coach or mentor; get in the right environment; and are honest and humble you be well positioned to achieve your dream...whatever that may be.

Pacific Realty Partners Founder and Principal Paul LeJoy is a revered real estate investor and top business building expert lauded for helping others realize success and create wealth. Paul may be reached online at www.LejoySolutions.com.

*Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/billionaires
http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/04/news/economy/forbes-billionaires/index.html

Spring Cleaning: Get Organized in 10 Minutes a Day

Spring is here, and for many us that means spring cleaning and organizing. It's a new season, and it's time to get rid of all the things that don't serve you anymore. I've learned that when you let go of the stuff, it makes room for more useful things to come into your life.

I don't know about you, but when my home and business is more organized, I feel more productive and "lighter". That's why I spend at least 10 minutes each day organizing one aspect of my life so I don't get too overwhelmed.

Don't think you have 10 minutes a day? Let me ask you...

How much time do you spend on Facebook or Twitter a day?

How about watching TV and watching commercials?

No excuses!

There are 5 areas of your life that you can organize in 10 minutes:

Email inbox - Hate checking your inbox because you start to feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of emails you get per day? Create folders to file incoming emails, and every email you receive should be 1) Read and deleted 2) Filed away if there's something that you need for later or 3) Replied to and deleted. Also, unsubscribe from newsletters you never read anymore. Here are more great tips to organize your inbox.

Desk - Before you sit down at your desk to start work for the day, get rid of the junk snail mail and other odds and ends that accumulated from the previous work day. If there's nothing to clear off, then take one area on a shelf filled with files and paperwork and get rid of papers you no longer need. You could also do this before you end the work day so you come to your desk the next morning with a nice, clean slate.

Kitchen cabinets - As you're waiting for the water to boil or dinner to cook, take one shelf in the kitchen or pantry and wipe it down and reorganize the dishes or pots and pans.

Closet- On laundry day as you're putting clothes away in the closet, take one area of the closet and organize it.  It can just be one drawer or shelf. 

Purse or briefcase - As you're waiting at the doctor's office, on the train ride to work, or watching TV, take a few minutes to get rid of receipts, trash, and papers that accumulate in your wallet, purse, or briefcase.  As a woman and blogger on the go, I carry a variety of things in my purse - from makeup to pens, notebooks, and more.  Purse-to-Go has been a lifesaver for me, which I reviewed a couple years ago over at Beauty Is Within.

These things can be done everyday (email and desk) or just once a week (kitchen or closet).  One of the problems I face is that I'll get started on an area to organize, then something else catches my attention that I feel needs to get done right at that moment. Next thing I know, I haven't accomplished anything because I'm doing a little bit here...a little bit there. So whatever you do, stay focused.  If you start to feel overwhelmed, start a list and write down what you feel needs to be done next time.  I promise you, it can wait!

For more organizing inspiration, check out my Organizing Ideas board on Pinterest...

Why Don't We Have More True Leaders In the World?

There are many leaders, but are they really and truly authentic leaders? What we may think is a leader is just actually a "manager". That's one of the reasons why I think there might be a great deal of turmoil in the business world and the economy is in a state of dissonance.

Today, take some time out to think about whether your want to be a manager, leader, or a combination of both. Read more over at People 2 People Service.