Tough Love Advice For The Home-Based Entrepreneur
Tough Love Advice For The Home-Based Entrepreneur
The results you experience in your business come from the thoughts you think and the actions you take (or don’t take). You are one hundred percent responsible for where your business is today and if you don’t like where it is, it’s time for some tough love changes.
Let’s begin by taking a look at your thoughts.
How many of these relate to you?
- I have to do it alone
- No one does it as well as I do
- I can’t trust anyone else
- There just isn’t enough time to do it all
- I’m not skilled enough
- I’m not smart enough
- I’ve never done that before. It’s too scary to try.
- I’m uncomfortable with that, so I’ll look for a way around it.
- I’m not working hard enough or long enough. I must work longer hours.
- I’m not interested in that stuff.
Do you see yourself anywhere in the above statements?
If you want to succeed at business the first rule of thumb is, “You must be willing to be uncomfortable about things and do them anyway.” Successful entrepreneurs are always uncomfortable. Fear, procrastination and excuse making are not your friends.
If you are allowing any of the above-mentioned thoughts into your mind, stop them as soon as you notice them and replace them with an opposite, positive thought.
For example, “No one else does it as well as I do.” Is that really true? Is there no one else who can answer a phone as well as you do, respond to e-mail as well as you do, stuff envelopes as well as you do, make posters or update your web site as well as you do?
Look at every single task you perform and honestly assess whether you are the only person in the world who can do it right. Entrepreneurs are notorious for perfectionism. Successful entrepreneurs are notorious for releasing that need for perfection and focusing on the bigger picture.
Let’s create a turn-around thought from, “No one else does it as well as I do” to, “There is someone who would be perfect for this task. Someone who will free me to up to do what I do best, grow my business.” Then -- go find that person!
Riding on the back of those self-defeating thoughts is action and lack thereof.
How many hours a week do you invest in television, reading magazines, newspapers, talking on the telephone to friends, listening to other people’s problems, saying yes to others and no to yourself, and picking up after other people who are more than capable of picking up after themselves?
On the flip side, how many hours a week do you commit to learning about sales and marketing, attending networking events, meeting new people, developing new skills, reading biographies on successful business people, reading publications related to your industry, learning about your competition, studying your target market, enrolling in classes and programs, or working with a mentor or coach?
Discipline is critical to your success and although some of these activities take you out of your comfort zone, your business will not grow until you do.
When you’re interested, you do what’s convenient. When you’re committed, you do what it takes.
It’s all up to you.
2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Tough Love Advice For The HomeBased Entrepreneur - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Hayes's Website.
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Sometimes a good ‘ol pat on the back for trying and a “You can do it” pep talk just aren’t enough to get you out of a slump and onto the fast track. As a matter of fact, they rarely do much.
The results you experience in your business come from the thoughts you think and the actions you take (or don’t take). You are one hundred percent responsible for where your business is today and if you don’t like where it is, it’s time for some tough love changes.
Let’s begin by taking a look at your thoughts.
How many of these relate to you?
- I have to do it alone
- No one does it as well as I do
- I can’t trust anyone else
- There just isn’t enough time to do it all
- I’m not skilled enough
- I’m not smart enough
- I’ve never done that before. It’s too scary to try.
- I’m uncomfortable with that, so I’ll look for a way around it.
- I’m not working hard enough or long enough. I must work longer hours.
- I’m not interested in that stuff.
Do you see yourself anywhere in the above statements?
If you want to succeed at business the first rule of thumb is, “You must be willing to be uncomfortable about things and do them anyway.” Successful entrepreneurs are always uncomfortable. Fear, procrastination and excuse making are not your friends.
If you are allowing any of the above-mentioned thoughts into your mind, stop them as soon as you notice them and replace them with an opposite, positive thought.
For example, “No one else does it as well as I do.” Is that really true? Is there no one else who can answer a phone as well as you do, respond to e-mail as well as you do, stuff envelopes as well as you do, make posters or update your web site as well as you do?
Look at every single task you perform and honestly assess whether you are the only person in the world who can do it right. Entrepreneurs are notorious for perfectionism. Successful entrepreneurs are notorious for releasing that need for perfection and focusing on the bigger picture.
Let’s create a turn-around thought from, “No one else does it as well as I do” to, “There is someone who would be perfect for this task. Someone who will free me to up to do what I do best, grow my business.” Then -- go find that person!
Riding on the back of those self-defeating thoughts is action and lack thereof.
How many hours a week do you invest in television, reading magazines, newspapers, talking on the telephone to friends, listening to other people’s problems, saying yes to others and no to yourself, and picking up after other people who are more than capable of picking up after themselves?
On the flip side, how many hours a week do you commit to learning about sales and marketing, attending networking events, meeting new people, developing new skills, reading biographies on successful business people, reading publications related to your industry, learning about your competition, studying your target market, enrolling in classes and programs, or working with a mentor or coach?
Discipline is critical to your success and although some of these activities take you out of your comfort zone, your business will not grow until you do.
When you’re interested, you do what’s convenient. When you’re committed, you do what it takes.
It’s all up to you.
2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source
Tough Love Advice For The HomeBased Entrepreneur - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Hayes's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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