Happy New Year! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about 2008 and I’m determined to make this year a success, both personally and professionally. Of course all the normal things are on “the list” and all have something to do with better health, more wealth and greater wisdom. One thing I’ve promised myself is to be honest with myself; to trust my gut and ask myself “Is this the best thing for Lynnelle?” or “Is this the best thing for Bold Vision Consulting?” So many times in the past I find myself saying “I would if only….” Or “I know I should but I can’t because…..” B--- S---.

I’m a successful business owner. I need to start acting like one. Nine times out of ten, those “I can’t…”s "If only..."s are really “it’s too tough” or “what will they think” or “what if I fail” or "I'm scared". You may think this is a classic female condition however I’d bet there are more than a few males who limit themselves in similar, self-defeating ways.

My 2008 is all the basics. Health, wealth, wisdom and nothing but the best. My first step? I’m only going to work with the people I want to work with; those people I like and who value my work.

Some of the happiest and most successful people I know have made the bold decision to work only with the best clients. In the long run they make more money and enjoy their work much more, too.

So that’s what I’m going to do and you should too. How can you enjoy yourself and reduce the stress of owning your own business if you’re spending your day working with twits who don’t appreciate or value what you do? Face it; the clients that cause you the most headaches are the clients that pay you the least. Fire them! All right, you can be nice; but fire them all the same.

How? There are a few steps but this is an excellent exercise. First make a list of the clients you really enjoyed working with. There might be lots of reasons. It might be the type of project, it might be that the people were fun, and sometimes it's something else.

Don't worry. Just make a list of the clients you liked working with. Then put the list away for a while.

Now make another list of all your clients for the last couple of years. For each client, make notes to help you remember the project(s) you did. Note when you worked with them and how much revenue they generated. Make the effort to verify the revenue figure. When we work with a client for a while we sometimes lose track of how much money we've gotten from their business.

Then rate their profitability. If you can do this quickly from your accounting system, that's great. Otherwise use a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a loss and 5 being very profitable. Remember, time is money. The more time you have to spend on or with a client the higher your costs and the lower your profit.

Now you're ready to proceed. The next step will be easier if you put what you've got in an Excel spreadsheet. That way you can sort the list in various ways.

Which customers rank highest statistically? Sort your list by revenue. Sort it again by profitability. Note the customers at the top of each list.

Now go pull that "clients I loved to work with" list out. Compare it to your statistical rankings. Which clients are on both lists?

There's one more thing to do. See if you can identify what things the clients at the top of your two sets of lists have in common. Is it a particular type of project? Are they in a particular type of business? Are they located in a particular geographic area?

Once you know what your top clients have in common, you can set up marketing strategies to find more just like them. Be Bold! Nothing but the best for you in 2008!!

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Tired of feeling like the Lone Ranger? Being a small business owner can be very isolating. Join a group of like minded business owners. Develop your 12-month plan and leverage the experience and support of your virtual board as you grow your business and have your Best Year Yet. The Ocular Forum - South Portland and Waltham, MA. http://www.OcularForum.com by Bold Vision Consulting.

Maine’s first Whole Foods Market opens on Valentine’s Day. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Mackey’s stores since the mid-80’s when the first Dallas Whole Foods opened. (There are now 7 in the DFW area) At that time the store wasn’t much larger than a 7-11. The store opening here in Portland is 46,000 square feet and the new store opening at Houston and Bowery on Manhattan’s lower east side is 80,000 square feet. This company is doing something right.

That ‘something’ is staying true to the vision, the values and the mission they set out almost 30 years ago.

Vision - Values - Mission; they’re all different but interdependent and staying true to that interdependency is critical to achieving the level of success Whole Foods Markets has - and continues to see.

Whole Foods Vision:
"Our children and grandchildren will have a sustainable future, meaning they will be living in a world that values human creativity, diversity, and individual choice. Businesses will harness human and material resources without devaluing the integrity of the individual or the planet's ecosystems. Companies, governments, and institutions will be held accountable for their actions. People will better understand that all actions have repercussions and that planning and foresight coupled with hard work and flexibility can overcome almost any problem encountered. It will be a world that values education and a free exchange of ideas by an informed citizenry; where people are encouraged to discover, nurture, and share their life's passions."

Whole Foods Core Values:
• Selling the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Products Available
• Satisfying and Delighting Our Customers
• Supporting Team Member Excellence and Happiness
• Creating Wealth Through Profits & Growth
• Caring About Our Communities & Our Environment

Whole Foods Mission:
To be a dynamic leader in the quality food business that sets the standards of excellence for food retailers.

Ok, so let’s get this out on the table. The latest lobster “issue”: Whole Foods, while originally banning the sale of live lobsters in their stores because of animal cruelty, will now be selling live lobsters in the Portland store. The lobsters will be supplied from a NH based company that has agreed to a kinder and gentler handling process than traditional methods. The store will not send the lobsters home live, however. They will kill the lobsters by electrocution before bagging them up for customers.

As silly as this might sound, as silly as it may actually be - or not – that isn’t the issue of this article. What is the issue is that even this latest announcement is right in line with the company’s Vision, Values and Mission. Whether you care if they sell lobsters, care where they get them or if they give them to you live or electrocuted - you must admit the company has integrity. Right down to Mr. Mackey deciding Whole Foods Market has paid him enough money and doesn't want any more. Last year he made the announcement to this effect and he’s reduced his salary to $1 a year.

Mackey opened the first Whole Foods Market in 1980 in Austin Texas with 19 employees, a clear vision and firm values. Today this company employs almost 42,000 people. They walk their talk and made $2 billion gross profit in 2006 -PLUS they do good things. We could use a few more of these formula businesses in Portland.

Talk about being BOLD. Walk your talk and follow your vision. That's where it all starts.

The next issue of The BOLD Bulletin, our e-journal for self-employed and small business professionals, will be coming out next week so sign up now to receive yours by email.

The next Ocular Forum applications are due by 2/21. Go to www.ocularforum.com for information or give me a call at 207-221-3492.

I'm preparing a survey for self-employed and small business owners covering a number of areas. I hope you'll agree to participate - completely anonymous or course. I’ll put a link to the survey on a post here when complete. Everyone who participates will be welcome to a copy of the results, if interested. If there’s a specific question you think would be a good addition to the survey post a comment here to let me know.

To read an excerpt from John Makey's letter to employee's of Whole Foods Market regarding his $1 salary read on.

"You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." 

You might be too young to remember Joni Mitchell's 70's tune on it's first time around, but the message is as good today as it was over 30 years ago.  It's also as good in a business context as it is personal.

They say it's human nature to want what you can't have. It's good to want to improve and grow.  Wanting "what you don't have" from that perspective is good. Improving knowledge, skills, clients, revenue; looking forward with a vision to excel is good.  Looking backwards and regretting, pining, wanting "what you don't have" from hindsight is not good. 

There are "the glass is half-full" people (forward looking) and there are "the glass is half-empty" people (backwards looking).  The great thing about being human is we have the choice - while not easy and for some of us it may be down right difficult; however we have the choice and the ability to change out outlook.

What does this have to do with business?  Everything.

The more successful people I work with the more I see how critical perspective and attitude is to success.  Successful people, almost without exception, acknowledge the part of the glass that is empty however they focus on the half that's full. In other words, they recognize the problem exists; take the time to learn why the situation exists, decide the steps needed to make improvements, take action, let go and move on. The past is a teacher, they learn from it. They spend the bulk of their day focusing on the future, their vision.

If you have normally been a "glass half empty" kind of person, take this week to look at all that is right with your business, your life.

• So what if you had 50 clients last year and only have 25 this year. Thank those 25 clients for their business.  Pick up the phone and call each one of them to thank them in person. 
• Invite a business associate to lunch to thank them for the referrals they have given you in the past, even if they didn't turn into business.
• Go to your office supply cabinet and look at all that 'stuff'.  Pack up any excess 'stuff' and deliver it to a non-profit organization that can use it.
• And for those of you with a staff, what about your employees? When is the last time you shared top-level business goals for your business? Sit down with them and tell them about your plans for the future, your vision for the business 5, 10, 15 years down the road.  Let them know their role in reaching that vision and then thank them for being on the team. 

Make a list of the half-full part of your glass. Focus on that this week. You'll be so busy you won't have time to notice the half-empty part.  ...and that's the point.  Even if you think this sounds silly, try it for the week and let me hear from you.

Speaking of being thankful, I thank you for following my entries on MaineToday.com.  I appreciate the loyalty and the feedback. I'm a better at what I do because of it.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Be BOLD and Be Thankful.  Your success starts with a vision.

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ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Spend a day to look backward, forward, inward and outward as you create your roadmap for success and your best year yet in 2007. Contemplating 10 simple questions will set you on the path taking you closer to your vision of success.  

BOLD Business 2007 Bootcamp - Be Bold and take a holistic approach in your annual planning.  (See www.BoldVisionConsulting.com/events for more information)

Cumberland Club in Portland

December 6; 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Download Registration Form

Someone once said we'd better pay attention to the future because that's where we're going to spend the rest of our lives.

We are all working to position ourselves for a rewarding and profitable future in the world marketplace.

Having a positive vision profoundly impacts our present and future. It works for nations; it works for organizations; it works for children and it works for you.

Join me for a discussion about the Power of Vision and it’s powerful influence in your business and your life.

Cumberland Club in Portland

December 13 8:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.  Download Registration Form

Posted by Lynnelle Bianco at 01:49 PM
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