Be Your Own Boss

December 12, 2009

Successful Entrepreneur – The Phoenix Way to Unlimited Success And Happiness

Soar Above The Rest By Design

You're familiar with the myth of the phoenix, the legendary firebird that dies every 500 years only to be reborn from its ashes, more beautiful and resplendent than ever before?

That's what you're looking to do, isn't it? Rise from the ashes of your old life and be reborn as a successful businessperson?

Fortunately, the way has been traveled before. Many folks have had to start from scratch and grow a business from the ground up. I call them the Phoenix Entrepreneurs.

The Phoenix Entrepreneur Rising From The Ashes

Just like the bird, Phoenix Entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of an old life, a life that was no longer viable.

In the beginning, they felt just like you probably do now: scared, unsure, and probably pretty alone.

Yet they made it.

They created businesses that have withstood the test of time and nourished not only their own families, but the families of hundreds (if not thousands) of employees. If you don't believe me, just read No, You Don't Need a College Education to be Successful And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There are Phoenix Entrepreneurs all over the place. It's an illustrious group and one you can join! All it takes is following a few simple steps and thinking a certain way.

If you need a point clarified, just ask. Leave a message on the blog and you'll get not only my years of experience, but the experience of all the others who respond to your question.

Ready?

Keep reading to find out how Phoenix businessmen and businesswomen think and act to grow a successful business.

Think Like The Phoenix Entrepreneur To Succeed

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November 19, 2009

Successful Entrepreneur – Can I Make It As An Entrepreneur?

How Can You Make Your Business Successful When Working By Yourself?

These are uncertain times, and it can cause even the bravest soul to think twice before launching a new business.
I can hear you now: "I want some assurances!"

Unfortunately, there is no blueprint for success, no surefire way to tell if a person can make it in the land of the self-employed. However, most successful entrepreneurs have a few traits in common, a few habits and ways of thinking that push them toward success.

Here As Some Traits I Think Are Most Important

They believe in themselves. The most important trait successful entrepreneurs have in common is an unswerving faith in themselves and their ability to get the job done.

They know they are capable of completing any task, no matter how daunting. Even if they don't know exactly how it will get done, they know they can figure it out and make it work. Even just this attitude sets them apart from 99% of the rest of the world.

Successful entrepreneurs know they can go head-to-head with anyone and come out on top. They thrive on competition and improving themselves through battle in the business arena.

They don’t shy from competition, they see it as part of the fun they have in this game.

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

They visualize success. Successful entrepreneurs keep what they want to manifest forefront in their thoughts.

Successful entrepreneurs SEE the business they want to create and keep a picture of it in their heads all the time. And visualization isn’t all they do: they write down their goals and strategies to be sure they stay focused.
Entrepreneurs have an unswerving belief in themselves and their ability to get the job done. They may not know exactly how they will accomplish a given task, but they know they can figure it out because they see the success they will achieve even before they start.

They don't think about what could go wrong.

They never, never, never worry about what could happen.

Believe me, if you're worrying about all the things that can go wrong, you're not keeping the success-vision of your business at the forefront of your thoughts. You're not visualizing success. In fact, you're visualizing the bad stuff that can happen and all your energy is going into creating it!

And since what you think about most EXPANDS, be sure to think of all the success and goals you have to achieve and let them be utmost in your thinking.

Here’s something I learned from a good friend who happens to love to ride his motorcycle when the weather is good.
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October 29, 2009

Work At Home: 10 Tips To Create Your Business and Save Your Sanity!

How To Set Up Your Business From Home

So you're thinking of leaving the security and comfort of your day job and voyaging into the world of the self-employed OR you recently started working at home and aren’t sure what steps to take first.

Congratulations! Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment you get from growing your own business from scratch, from taking on the world with nothing but wits and a lot of hard work. I've been working at home since 1983 and haven't regretted it for a moment.

Here are ten tips I've learned along the way to help make your journey a little easier.

Tip Number One: Set a schedule.

Time management can be problematic when you're self-employed.

It's easy to get sidetracked when you're working from home and before you know it, the morning is gone. You probably had to be at your old job at a certain time so do the same thing with your business. Resolve to be at the computer, on the jobsite, or with a client by 7:30 AM (or earlier) and stick to it.

For me, no matter what time I go to sleep the night before, I’m “at it” by 7:30 the next day. Some days I’m walking with my voice recorder creating WalkAbout Marketing podcasts and some days I’m at my desk. But it’s important to get started as soon as you can.

And turn off your email: don’t let it beep every time you get a new message. I literally average 837 emails every day. Most should never see the light of day, though some are important. But nothing is so important that I have to be interrupted twelve times an hour to reply to it. In fact, I only download emails to my computer ever half hour and only look at them a few times each day (when I can reply to several emails in one short stretch of time, and then back to finishing my goals for the day).

Tip Number Two: Tailor your workspace to your personality.

How do you work best? Do you like to work with music in the background or do you like it perfectly quiet? Do you like pictures of family to remind you of your goals (and the reasons you work so hard), or do you prefer motivational posters and superhero action figures to spur you on to greatness? Find out how you work best and set up your space around your preferences.

And speaking of space, I use a spare bedroom for my home office. When we bought this house in 1998, I picked out this space for my office. I can see the driveway when FedEx and UPS show up and it’s at the other end of the hallway from our bedroom. OK, so a 20-foot walk to work isn’t bad, I admit it!

However, when the door is closed, the office is closed and I don't think about work (well, usually – I admit that I work at the kitchen table when Pam and I “watch” TV together. I can always look up for the replay or when a news report catches my ear).

If you aren't able to have a separate space for an office, a room divider or curtains could do the trick. Just find some way to separate your space from the rest of the house and family and to hide your workspace from view so you don't have to look at it all the time (and be reminded of all the work you should be doing).

And let your phone go to messages rather than letting every caller interrupt your work when they have the whim to call you. Batch the messages together, find time twice a day to return calls and make all of them then. AND, better yet, if someone wants to chat with you by phone, SET AN APPOINTMENT – I don’t take phone calls that aren’t prearranged – believe me, your clients will get used to it when you help them see the importance.

Tip Number Three: Market yourself.

Now I don't mean paying for advertising, creating glossy brochures, or doing weekly direct-mail piece.

This website is FILLED with ideas for you so read my blog!

Also, do you have a Facebook account? Keep it up to date and post often. (You can friend me at http://facebook.com/CharlesSeymourJr – be sure to send a note when you friend me: you should ALWAYS send a note, and this way I’ll know why you are asking to friend me.)

Start a blog and use it like a diary. Think of all the things you are doing that clients and customers might be interested in. I post lots of videos to my blog (and to my Facebook profile, which acts like a mini blog for me).

Keep friends and family informed of what you're doing. Word of mouth can be the best advertising and it's free (but you have to give them something to talk about!).

Tip Number Four: Show that professionalism counts.
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August 13, 2009

Marketing Guru Bill Glazer Coming To Philly September 9, 2009

Dan Kennedy's partner in Glazer-Kennedy Insiders Circle To Speak To Entrepreneurs

Delay and you will miss out on one of the most important nights you will ever experience (if you are an entrepreneur or have your own business).

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July 13, 2009

Be Your Own Boss – NOW Is The Time

Be Your Own Boss – You CAN Do This With Some Help

No one said starting your own business would be EASY. No one said you wouldn't have to WORK at it.

OK… so your dream left you a long time ago, especially as the economy turned south. It languishes still and really doesn't show any sign of improving.

So… you're resourceful (to be a successful entrepreneur you HAVE to be resourceful): you came up with NEW dreams, and you know that only YOU can pick you up and get you moving.

But has the economy improved? Well, small signs are seen, but are they signs that impact you directly?

If you're like most people, the answer is no. You see some signs on the evening news or in the paper, but nothing affecting YOU directly… yet. Maybe some things for larger businesses but not for the type like you and I operate. (And let's face it, the only signs that matter are the ones that impact YOU directly… after all, we all listen to the same radio stations in our brains: WIIFM: What's In It For Me – so we want to see improvement to the economy around those things that impact use directly!)

Some are screaming for more tax cuts (but you have to earn money to take advantage of those cuts). Some scream for more stimulus, but do we want to pay down that national debt forever?

But YOU can't wait for the government to make things work: YOU have to make things work.

So, what are you doing to be a successful entrepreneur, now that you are your own boss and run your own business? How do you create your own work at home now that you are the boss?

How do you start to improve when those around you are struggling?
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