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Find a way to make yourself accountable for the goals you want to obtain

Guest post by: Dez Futak

Article Overview: Every entrepreneur faces challenges, from keeping your long term goals in focus as you run through the day-to-day tasks that are part of your daily income-producing activities, to dealing with unforeseen difficulties with staff, technical problems, and much more. So how do you maintain effective productivity in the face of such possible distractions and diversions?

Find a way to make yourself accountable for the goals you want to obtain

One powerful method is to make yourself accountable to others for the actions you want to accomplish. If you are a team leader in your company, you can set up an accountable relationship with your peers, giving them permission to speak into your immediate targets and plans.

What if you are "You Inc." i.e., a sole business owner who doesn't have a team?

Although you might be outsourcing some of your work to others, one solution to the lack of face-to-face contact is to find a local group of like-minded business owners with whom you can develop a working relationship of trust and confidentiality, allowing them to peek into the inner workings of your daily method of operation and give advice on how to improve upon your current results.

Many business owners find that such peer-based mastermind groups help them maintain their focus in their own business, and at the same time, provide them with insights and ideas that can shift what they do into completely new territory.

Potential spin-offs can include Joint-Venture partnerships, product or service launches, and if they work well, provide an entrepreneur with an opportunity for personal development and self-mastery.

You might consider the above a risky strategy in order to help you achieve your business goals; after all, there are issues of potential conflict of interest, confidentiality, even trade secrets that need to be preserved. This article doesn't have any legal remit to be able to give solutions to such possibilities, but there are things you can discuss with people you trust without giving away the whole farm.

The level of trust within which you operate within such a group will obviously depend on your own self-confidence and the degree of the relationship you have with your team or other entrepreneurs, and only you should decide where the boundaries lie.

In conclusion: if you are struggling to hold yourself accountable for your own productivity and success, consider forming such relationships within your own business, or with others outside the business you run. It could lead to much greater results than you currently think are possible.

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Article Tags: accountable business partnership, business mindset, business productivity, business success, mastermind groups, success mindset



Related Forum Posts
Re: Amazing - Who Is Accountable? - [quote="mphcoach":1fy8o9qp]I'm thinking that I become much better at delivering if I feel accountable to someone, other than myself. I often find that clients become incredibly motivated, just because they have told me that they will do something specifically before we next have a session. So, I wonder, who can you let know what you are doing to help you at least 'feel' accountable?[/quote:1fy8o9qp] Hi Martin, I think a small business owner can tell their business coach, spouse or best friend about their goal(s) so that they'll feel more accountable. However, it's probably most important to share your goals with those who have helped you along the way, so you'll feel the need to keep working hard in fear of letting their efforts go in vain. I'd also recommend simply writing down a list of things you plan to accomplish and then signing it yourself. An affirmation can hold you responsible to yourself and remind you of why you even made those commitments in the first place.
Re: What are your January Goals? - Anyone going to join me and be held accountable for your goals?
Building an online community - Hi quentin, Just like entrepreneurs are more likely to stick to accomplishing their goals when they commit to someone else, people are more likely to stay on their workout / dieting schedule when they have someone to hold them accountable. I think it's a great idea to make people post their daily log and how they are doing. The biggest challenge, however, with these websites typically is not technology but promotion. How are you planning on getting the word out and attracting members to join your site?
Tips To Help You Create A Marketing Plan That Works - A marketing plan is a written plan with details how you intend to make your target market aware of your product or service. Here are some tips to help you create an effective marketing plan. 1. Before you decide where you business needs to go you need to take stock of where it currently is. Where does your business currently stand? Take some time to assess what areas of your business need to be focused on in order for it to grow. Is your business still in the start-up phase? Do others know about your business? What are the positive or negative comments you received during the test phase of your marketing? 2. Now decide where you want your business to go from here. Take some time to set realistic, achievable goals and then write down the steps you need to take in order to reach those goals. Break large, long-term goals into smaller short-term mini-goals. In this way, you can keep track of the progress you are making. 3. Look for a smaller niche within your larger target market. Find customers whose needs are not being met and then fill those needs. That’s the fastest way to build a successful business. 4. Decide on your marketing message and on the medium you want to use to get that message out to your target audience. List the media outlets you want to try and make a note of the ones you want and can afford to do first. 5. Use a combination of free and paid promotions. It’s important to reinvest a portion if your profits back into your business so that it can continue to grow. Start now. It takes time and effort to keep your business going and growing. Take small steps each day and your business will be thriving.
Starting A Business - Your are recieving some really good advice on the mental aspect of starting a business. I work with clients on a more technical level when starting a business, structure, licensing, taxes, business plan, intital steps, etc. Don't get me wrong, all entrepreneurs need both, motivation and technical support. They work hand in hand. My suggestion to you is to both mentally prepare yourself and began establishing goals. I use a method for business development, which has been very beneficial in the success of my clients, "PIE". Plan, Implement, and Execute (business plan). After identifying the processess which is needed to take, you must then follow through with the neccessary research to determine how to establish the business. Call your local City Clerks office to find out what you need to establish a business in your area. Find out what type of license will you need (if one is required), depending on the location of your business you may not need one. Additionally, what is the best structure for your business type, what are your tax requirments, how to establish business credit, what is required to obtain capital to start your business. These are the fundamental things you should know before starting a business.


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