My very best wishes to you for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2007. Take some time to sit and reflect on 2006.

Where are you today compared to where you were 12 months ago and is it what you expected?

Why?

That’s a big question, “Why?”

Every year starts with a perceived clean slate. Make sure you take the time to reflect on the why of your current situation before setting the plans with which to move through 2007.

This kind of reflection isn’t the easiest thing to do. As a business owner, it means setting your ego to the side and being totally accountable for what did and didn’t happen, regardless if you physically ‘pulled the trigger’ or not. It’s your business, your call and your life. If someone else ‘pulled the trigger’ that means you handed over control.

Without this kind of reflection and understanding you run the risk of finding yourself in a very similar spot next year at this time. Do the work, look inward before looking outward. Be accountable and be BOLD. Clarify your vision – because that’s where it starts.

Happy New Year.

Start the New Year by subscribing to the BOLD Bulletin, our free monthly e-zine. Click here to see a sample of a December's issue.

Are you happy with your performance this year? How successful were you in reaching the goals you set for your business and for yourself?  If you didn’t see the progress you hoped for you might have a common challenge many ambitious, goal-oriented people have; a lack of focus. Look at it from another angle and the challenge might be trying to do it all - or trying to be all things to all people. It all boils down to a lack of focus.  “I’m focused!” you say.  But, are you really?  How many goals did you set for yourself? If it was over 10, it was too many. 

In fact, Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People suggests that the first critical step is to write down all your goals.  The second step is to narrow the list down to a single one.  A single one!

Depending on whether you’re setting a personal goal or business, limiting yourself to one, single goal may or may not work for you.  The point is that it is important to FOCUS. The more narrow a range of focus, the better your success. Just like the advice from marketing experts; the more narrowly you can define your target market, the better your marketing results. It's the same concept.

Why is this? Because, each goal you set competes with the other goals for your time and attention. For example, consider the following goals:

·             Increase income 20%

·             Be featured in 3 art exhibitions

·             Learn to speak Spanish

·             Lose 15 pounds

·             Remodel the kitchen

·             Become a black-belt

When you’re taking Spanish lessons, you’re not practicing martial arts. When you’re putting together your art work for the exhibition and making contacts with galleries, you’re not focusing on how you can increase your income.  Yes, I know – balance is important.  I’m just pointing out the facts. 

When you set goals it’s important to see the time requirement of achieving the results you want.  There are only so many hours in a day (that would be 24) and so many days in a year (that would be 365). People tell me there are just not enough hours in a day to get things done.

Well, I can show you a quick and simple way to find 1 or 2 extra hours a day. Turn the television off! It is the exception rather than the rule to find anything worthwhile airing. The quality of the programming is an insult; the value to one’s life is … well it isn’t; and the news programs are depressing, disheartening and divisive.

Instead of watching television, use that time and energy to focus on your key goal(s).  Read a book.  Make a plan.  Share your vision with your partner.  If you’re willing to do this – and then DO IT – you will have a much higher rate of success.

Take control of your life.  Be BOLD.  It all starts with a vision.  ...and FOCUS.


If you don't already, consider subscribing to the BOLD Bulletin, our monthly e-zine for self-employed professionals and small business owners. Sign up now and receive a free e-book version of the original Dale Carnegey (yes, this is the original spelling of his name) book The Art of Public Speaking. See a sample issue of the BOLD Bulletin here.

I'm writing this on September 11 and today, more than most, I'm reminded of time passing. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since I stood at the corner of my block, W. 16th and 7th Avenue and watched the world as we knew it erupt in lower Manhattan. In another 2 weeks the 4th and last leg of our journey through 2006 is about to begin. It's difficult to imagine it's been 5 years since 9/11/01 and where my life is today versus then. Am I where I thought I would be? Am I where I want to be? ...all good questions. These are the questions you, as an individual as well as a business person, should be asking yourself on a regular basis. Time is a prescious gift. One of the worst things you can say is "If only..." 

So, it’s time to start thinking about 2007 …but before you do so, I want to ask you about your 2006 plan.  Are you ¾ of the way to achieving the objectives you set out to achieve in January?

Do you even know where you are on your plan?   (You’ve read a hundred and one articles on the importance of documenting your goals and objectives. That’s not what this article is about.  By the way; this is a longer article than most. Stick around a bit longer today. This is some good information and I encourage you to give it a try. Do so and let me know what you think.

Get your plan out.  Even if it’s a SPOTS plan (SPOTS = Strategic Plan On the Top Shelf – which is where most plans end up, rarely seeing the light of day the rest of the year, unfortunately.) Take it down from the Top Shelf, blow the dust off of it and take a look. It’s time for a review. 

Here’s a simple review process you will find helpful and you can incorporate it into any review proces you might already have. It’s called Traffic Light Check and it should become a normal part of your quarterly business routine. 

Traffic Light Check is a simple procedure for checking progress on your goals and identifying what’s next.  It’s important to keep an eye on your plan regularly throughout the year. 

Look at each goal, one at a time and determine that goal’s current status.  Are you on track to making it happen?  I don’t mean that you’ve achieved the goal; but does it look likely that you’ll achieve it by the end of the year?  If your answer is yes, the status of that goal is GREEN. 

If you’re doing pretty good on the goal, but you can’t honestly predict that you’ll achieve the goal by the end of the year, classify this objective as YELLOW.  You can still make this goal happen but you just need to give it more attention than you’ve given it to date.

And then, for many of us there are the goals in the RED zone.  There are major problems with these goals; these are goals we haven't made much, if any progress on.  Perhaps there was more involved in accomplishing this goal than you had planned on - or perhaps that goal was too difficult and you just lost track of the other goal. No matter - these goals are in serious danger of not being realized.

As you go through your goals it’s important to remember, doing the Traffic Light Check is only a review process.  Do NOT get into the blame, self criticism or excuses. All you’re doing now is a progress check where you’re telling yourself (and facing) the truth about where you stand on your priorities for the year.  You have to be able to look at your goals and assess the status without judging and without the emotion. 

I was as guilty as anyone about avoiding this review process.  Deep down I knew I hadn’t stuck to my plan and I didn’t want to see it – as if not facing the fact I had let things get out of control made the reality of it any different.   It was because I didn’t review my progress regularly that I ended up getting so far off track in many areas. 

It’s important to do what you know you need to do.  Force yourself to check in and face what is real.  Be honest with yourself and look at what is going well and what is not.  There’s no other way to do it.  What happened, happened. What didn’t happen, didn’t happen.  That’s it – period.

This is a reflection of your performance.  This is not a reflection of your self-worth, your intelligence or what you have to offer. It’s only about your performance and that can always be improved; especially when you take the time to see how you’re doing on what matters most to you.   

Once you’ve completed your review and categorized your goals as green, yellow or red, go through the goals again, one-at-a-time, and ask yourself this question:  “What is the next step?” What is it you want or need to do in the next month to stay on track – or to get this goal back on track? 

Again, ask this question on each goal – “To make this happen by the end of the year, what is it I need to do in the next 30 days (2 weeks, 7 days, …)?”  List these responses as your monthly goals and you now have a clear action plan for the next month and you know exactly where you stand on your plan. 

Simple?  Yes.   Easy?   Probably not.  But the few  minutes you invest in this review will make a HUGE difference in your success.  Again, it's about committment and accountability. Are you serious about your success ...or just interested? 

And remember - Be BOLD.  Review your plan – Make it Happen. "If only" isn't an option.

The Traffic Light Check process was developed by Jenny Ditzler, creator and CEO of Best Year Yet, LLC in Aspen, Colorado.  Best Year Yet^© is the planning and implementation system that is a component of many Bold Vision programs, including the Ocular Forum, Bold Vision’s peer advisory success group.

You’re invited to Get a BOLD Vision on Tuesday morning, 9/19. Join us from 8:00 until 9:30 a.m. at the Cumberland Club in Portland, Maine.  You’ll meet other business owners of a similar mind, looking to do improve their business or to take their business to the next level, growing more effectively and efficiently.  It all starts with a Bold Vision.  Join us on 9/18 and Get a BOLD Vision!  The event is free but space is limited so please RSVP to 207-221-3492 or send an email.

If you aren't in the Portland area (Maine, that is) and would like information on creating an Ocular Forum in your area or establishing an e-Ocular Forum, I'd love to talk to you.  Please give me a call or send an email through my website www.BoldVisionConsulting.com

It's June and it's time for a mid-year goal check up. Take out your plan for 2006 and look at the objectives you set for your business 6 months ago. If you're looking at a blank page, no wonder you're not where you want to be 6-months into 2006. If you don't have a target - how can you hit it?

For those of you who DO invest the time in your own success and take the time to plan, where are you? Are you half-way to achieving what you set out to achieve? If yes, congratulations! I would love to hear from you. Tell me what, in your mind, is the biggest contributor to staying on track. I'm sure there are many of us out here who would like to hear from you.

If you are falling short of where you wanted to be at the 6 month mark, let me ask you again to look at your list of goals. Do you see a list of "processes" or do you see a list of "goals"? For example:

>Implement advertising campaign to develop awareness can be an important part of any business plan. However, it is a process, not a goal. The goal is the result you are expecting the advertising campaign to produce. As a business person, the ultimate result you are probably looking for are more sales or more clients. The process you are using to accomplish this objective is to implement an advertising. Does this make sense?

It might seem like splitting hairs, but it is an important distinction. If your goal is the process (advertising) it can limit your creativity or your ability to see alternative ways to reach your ultimate objective (increasing sales).

For example: A business sets a goal to "implement an advertising campaign". Half-way through the year they aren't seeing the increase in business they had expected so they would likely review their campaign , make adjustments they thought necessary, and keep going. That may or may not be the best thing, but how will they know? They didn't consider any alternative to advertising, since advertising was their goal.

A friend of mine, Shirley Millett, is a licensed medical esthetician and the owner of Skin Essentials, a skin care clinic on Forest Avenue in Portland. She does advertising when she's running a special on a treatment or promoting another time-based "event".

To generally increase the client-base, advertising can be expensive for a small business. So something else Shirley does to grow her business is to join forces with another small business owner and "co-promote". A friend of Shirley's owns a financial services business. As a customer appreciation effort, her friend sent out cards thanking clients for their business. Included in that card was a $25 off coupon for a service at Skin Essentials.

What could be better than that? Shirley's services are promoted to a whole new group of potential clients; her friend was able to give his clients something of real value as a thank you; and the clients are happy because Shirley's services are top notch. Win-win-win.

Would "co-promotion" have been considered if the goal was "implement an advertising campaign"? Maybe - but probably not.

It's the RESULT that is going to grow your business, so keep your focus on the result. Don't get tangled up in the process.

And Remember.... Be BOLD. It all starts with a Vision.

ONLY THREE SPOTS are left for the next Promotion Action.Next Thursday, June 29, Bold Vision Consulting will begin offering “Promotion Action - Attract More Clients than You Can Handle by Becoming Recognized as an Expert in Your Field” exclusively for Professionals whose business IS their expertise. Service Professionals interested in more information check out www.PromotionAction.com. This program will be available via teleclass in August. Send an email to info@boldvisionconsulting.com if you would like to be kept updated on this program.

An Ocular Forum introductory meeting is being scheduled for early August. If you are interested in learning more about how you can leverage the experience and success of others and fast forward your business growth, plan on coming to this informative meeting, talk to other Ocular Forum participants to learn about the program and hear their stories of success.

A Bold Business Intensive workshop is being scheduled for late July or August. For more information on BOLD Business, go to www.boldvisionconsulting.com

Continuing on the theme of the last Making It Happen entry, let me ask you a question. "Do you want to build a successful business? Most business owners and entrepreneurs will say "Yes, are you crazy? Of course I want to have a successful business." Now let me ask you, are you committed to building a successful business?" There is a critical difference between wanting and being committed to making it happen.

So you want to have a successful business, you say. As nice as it would be, wanting doesn’t necessarily lead to "having". Furthermore, wanting without having begets more wanting. It’s a vicious circle that consumes precious time and energy.

Now try this on for size. Repeat after me, "I commit to having a successful business." You’re thinking, "This is silly." But give it a try. Do it. You know, commitment is a higher level of wanting. The definition of the word commit is "to devote oneself unreservedly"; reservedly being the operative word here. This means you will give 100%; no holding back, no excuses, no ‘ifs’ ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ and no "Yeah, I would have but they…". Failure is not an option.

Running your own business is tough; that’s not new news. However, no matter how great or how unique you think your service or product is, there are a hundred — a thousand or more business owners out there who feel the exact same way. You have to work your ‘you know what’ off to be heard above that other noise. You have to be committed to the success of your business.

Unfortunately most people aren’t truly committed to doing what it takes to reach the level of success they say they want. As crazy as it sounds, the truth is most people don’t want success. "Bunk!", you say. Yes, it’s true.

Why? Because people have a lot of negative stuff in their heads about being successful. Here are a few things people carry around with them about making it big in business or other endeavor:

• "It’s too much work."


• "If I’m successful at this, it will be hard to keep it going."


• "It’s too much responsibility."


• "I won’t be able to ________ like I want."


• "It will take so long to get this going."


• "My friends and family think I’m crazy. Who do I think I am trying to start a business?"


• "I’ll have to hire an accountant..lawyer ...assistant …sheesh, what a hassle!"

All of us have tapes that run in our head about almost everything — success, financial wealth, love, politics, …everything. Staying with this analogy, these tapes are recordings of our beliefs and what we believe shapes our life.

 
So, what’s an entrepreneur to do? I’ll have a continuation on this theme in the next Making It Happen BLOG article, but in the meantime you can visit my website for more information and small business resources. Until then, here’s an assignment for you. Get up and go to a mirror; — your dresser mirror, your bathroom mirror, your reflection in the window might do if the lighting is right. Look at that person and say "I am committed to building a successful business." Now go tell your spouse, your best friend, the person at the check out counter; make it public. Put yourself on the hook for success. Now take action and do something about it.

If you don’t know what you want or what success means to you then that’s where you need to start. Check out Barbara Babkirk’s BLOG in here in MaineToday.com. Rhoda Mitchell at New Leaves or another qualified life and career counselor can help.

If you have a business, know where you want to take it and just need some clarity and a kick in the butt, give me a call. I’m offering a complementary conference session to MaineToday.com readers. Just mention the Making It Happen BLOG on when you call or email.

And remember…. Make a Commitment to Be Bold … It all starts with a Bold Vision!

The snow is falling as I watch from my office window writing this article. December is a special month. We busy business people must take the time to reflect on December; acknowledge its uniqueness and “see” its beauty.

We business people must also take the time to reflect on the past 12 months before jumping into our 2006 planning and, at the very least, before our 2006 plan is finalized. It’s important to acknowledge the accomplishments and disappointments of 2005 and “see” the lessons each presented. What worked and what didn’t and why?

The clock is ticking down on 2005. As I write this there are barely 3 weeks left in the year. Take a few moments, right now if possible, to consider where you and your business were on January 1, 2005. What did you expect from the coming year? What results did you plan on this year? Was it: Increase Profitability xx%, Add xx New Customers, Generate $xx New Revenue?

And how would you grade your 2005 performance? Use the traditional scale (or at least it was the traditional scale when I was in school…) and give yourself and your business a grade for 2005.

100%________You should be writing this article.
90% - 99%____A
80% - 89%____B
70% - 79%____C
60% - 69%____D
50% - 59%____You’re in Some Real Trouble
Below 50%____You’re in Some Really Big Trouble

It is critical that you take the time to think about this and then to get to the “Why” of the grade. What were the most significant accomplishments and / or disappointments of the last year that brought about this performance?

Get two pieces of paper and draw a line down the center of each. On the top of one, write “Accomplishments”. At the top of the other write, “Disappointments”.

On the left side of the “Accomplishments” page write down all your 2005 accomplishments; from the simple: “Incorporated the Business” to the grand: “Broke the $1 million sales mark”.

Do the same on the “Disappointments” page. On the left side write down the disappointments from 2005; from the simple: “The increase in the price of oil has increased our expenses by 45%” to the grand: “Lost 2 major clients accounting for 30% of our gross revenue”. Don’t worry, no one has to see this and there’s no penalty for being too proud. There is, however, a penalty for not being totally honest with yourself. Face it and write it down.

On the right side of each page “see” and then write the lesson presented by each accomplishment and disappointment. What did you do (or not) that bought about the outcome? What could you have done differently?

For example:
Accomplishment: “Incorporated the Business”
My role? - Concern about potential tax and liability issues. Researched pros/cons of various ownership structures. Consulted CPA and attorney.
Possible Lessons: The only good business risk is the one you decided to take based on the potential for a greater reward. Keep sight of the details. Do what you know needs to be done.

Disappointment: “Lost 2 major clients accounting for 30% of our gross revenue”
My role? – Didn’t prioritize client contact outside of order/service delivery. Failed to deepen client relationship to the leadership level. Poor time management contributed to service delays.
Possible Lesson: Don’t overestimate the strength of the client relationship. Don’t under-estimate the “new guy” in town. Treat every client like a new client. Get to know the client at all levels. Cross-sell into multiple areas of the client’s organization.

When you’re through, read over your entries. Then put the papers away. Take a drive around the Old Port and down Congress Street. Head over the bridge and check out Mill Creek Plaza and the trees all aglow around the pond. Enjoy December, the beautiful lights, our beautiful communities and friends and family.

Before you conclude your 2006 planning, take these 2 pages out again and be sure to “see” and carry forward the lessons your 2005 accomplishments and disappointments present. In doing so, you’re less likely to repeat the mistakes and are more likely to duplicate and even improve on the accomplishments from the year before. This will give you a head start on 2006 and on making this year your Best Year Yet.

If you have any sugguestions for topics on future articles please send them my way. In the meantime, Until next time – Bold Results start with a Bold Vision! Go out there and Be Bold!