Top 5 DO and Top 5 DON'T Lists for 2010

The holiday season is a great time for both reflection and renewal, and a perfect time to work on your "lists" of things to accomplish in the new calendar year, while enjoying quality time with family and friends. So, let's get started on your lists.

Here are my suggested Top 5 DO and Top 5 DON'T lists that I hope will serve as a guide to help you put together your New Year's resolutions and 2010 goals.

Top 5 DO List ...

1. Devote more time to the 4F's - faith, family, finances and fun. Enjoy the blessings and embrace the challenges each new day brings in these most important areas of your life.
2. Get out of your way and really start to enjoy life again. Be passionate about where you are right now and celebrate your daily accomplishments, both large and small.
3. Make a difference by putting your time, talents and resources to work to improve yourself and the world around you. Pursue new projects, opportunities and challenges with enthusiasm.
4. Be a better spouse, parent, colleague, neighbor and friend. Network and meet more people, build new relationships and partnerships, and lend a helping hand to others in need of your expertise and support.
5. Learn to live with the real you, to embrace your flaws and to laugh at yourself. Life's not perfect and neither are you, so get on with it!

Top 5 DON'T List ...

1. Sell yourself short anymore. Emphasize your strengths and put your energy and time into the things you are truly passionate about. Each morning finish this phrase "I'm the very best at ..."
2. Beat yourself up over past failures and disappointments. Life is too short; it's time to turn the page and move to the brighter future that lies ahead for you.
3. Wait until tomorrow to catch lightning in a bottle. Make "now" your favorite word; do those things that must be done every day to help you reach your goals and achieve success.
4. Miss a single opportunity to say the words "I love you" and "thank you" to all of the special people in your life who make such a difference every day.
5. Sweat the small stuff (you knew this was going to be on the list, right?). In the grand scheme of things it really is all small stuff, so just enjoy the ride!

While you celebrate this holiday season, make sure to set aside time to work on you and your goals for 2010. By doing so, you'll start the new year out refreshed and with a renewed sense of purpose.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season, and a Happy New Year!


COPYRIGHT © 2010 John Carroll

Serious Business Owner or Playing Office?

Most of us think of ourselves as serious business people, committed to the success of our businesses, but are we really and do our actions truly reflect that?  

Are you a serious business owner or playing office?

A recent Kauffman Foundation study of 549 successful businesses showed that 93% of the business owners surveyed cited "not putting in the time and effort required" as the #2 most common barrier to entrepreneurial success next to failure to take risk. Are you devoting the time and effort required to grow your business and reach your personal and financial goals?

Here is a simple test that should help provide you with some clarity and answers regarding your focus and level of commitment to building a successful business. Provide either a "Yes" or "No" response to each of the 10 questions below to find out where you are today.

1.  Do you have a detailed written business plan that includes your strategy, an overall market analysis, product/service plans, sales and marketing plans, 3-5 year financial projections, and an exit strategy?
2. Have you implemented a comprehensive sales and marketing system to enable your business to scale and to achieve its short- and long-term objectives in terms of customer adds, revenues, profits, etc.?
3. Do you have a written Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Customer Value Proposition (CVP) for your business, and do you review and update each at least quarterly?
4. Have you completed a thorough competitive assessment and SWOT analysis for at least your Top 3 competitors to see how your business stacks up against the competition?
5. Do you have detailed cold calling plans that include customer profiles, target prospect lists, cold calling scripts and defined metrics, and do you allocate time weekly to cold calling for new business?
6. Are you spending more time prospecting for new business on all fronts than chatting on the various social media sites - i.e. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.?
7. Do you routinely (twice per year) survey your customers to determine what they like and dislike about doing business with you, and to identify their additional requirements?
8. Are you receiving at least 3-5 new referrals per week from your collective networking activities?
9. Are you spending more money today on advertising, marketing and promoting your business than on personal development, self-help and "feel good" seminars and programs?
10. Do you really think you are going to make $1 million or more next year on the latest online "get rich scheme" you bought into this year?

If you answered "Yes" to question #10 go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200! And if you answered "No" to five or more of the questions above, you may be guilty of playing office. However, don't despair; all of our businesses are works in progress. All of us business owners have a litany of things to be done, done better or done differently to improve business performance and ensure our future success.

This simple test is just a guideline or tool to help you identify some of the key areas where you may need to focus additional time, energy or resources in the coming months to grow your business. So, if you are a serious business owner take time to go through your responses to these questions, and then take action to address the areas of concern as a part of your 2010 business planning.

Tres Coaching Services works with clients in the areas highlighted in questions 1-9 above to help them improve business performance, and get the results they need to move beyond their vision. If we can assist you in addressing any of these critical focus areas, please feel free to contact me.


COPYRIGHT © 2010 John Carroll