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Guest post by: Joy Chudacoff Become an Author

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A few days ago, I happened to get caught in the typical bumper to bumper LA traffic near the location of my last "job" before I began my journey as a woman entrepreneur. I had some time to reflect on where I was back then and where I am today. As the images of my life passed through my mind much like the scenes in a movie, I asked myself, "How did I go from where I was back then to where I am today?" The answer popped into my mind almost immediately: I took action. Smart Women make their Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals happen.

Back then, I was working as a business manager and marketing consultant for a very prominent physician in Los Angeles. I was making decent 5 figure money, however I didn't own my car and I was renting an apartment with a roommate to make ends meet. The office where I worked was located in glamorous Beverly Hills, however the location of my desk inside the office was anything but glamorous. I sat in an area that was a "pass through" for every employee so I never had any privacy. If I leaned really far to my left, I could see some trees outside the window of my boss's office. I longed for an office with a window view and an apartment all to myself.

Today, along with my beautiful family, I have my own business, Smart Women Smart Solutions® with an office in my home that has a panoramic view of blue sky, trees and mountains and I'm about a mile from the Pacific Ocean.

What changed? I changed. One thing I know for sure is that nothing changes until you do. If you want something in your life to change, then you have to be willing to make a change. Sounds simple doesn't it? I must admit that it's not that simple and along the way there have been bumps in the road. However, I would not change a thing.

I can't share my entire journey with you in this article however, I do want to share 6 of the key essentials that took me from where I was - basically "surviving," to today where I'm fully "thriving."

1. Get Curious - I became an entrepreneur by accident. I wasn't earning the money that I truly desired and when it became apparent that I was never going to in my job, I started to think about another alternative. I began dreaming, reading, researching and asking questions to anyone who might be able to give me some ideas on starting a business. Today it's so much easier because of the internet. Google is at your fingertips to ask just about any question you can think of.
2. Get Moving - Once I landed on an opportunity that felt right for me in terms of money invested verses profit to be made, I began to look for ways to secure the money I needed to get started. I was considered a "credit risk" to many banks and was turned down quite a few times before I secured my first loan.
3. Keep Trying - Anytime you do something new, you're bound to make mistakes and becoming an entrepreneur is no different. You will make mistakes. The key is to get up when you fall down and learn from the mistake. I've made numerous mistakes over the years and I paid attention to what I did wrong and learned how to do it right the next time.
4. Keep Learning - Take classes in areas of learning to get you up to speed on new, innovative ways to build your business. I enroll in classes all the time both offline and online to learn more about ways to increase my business and marketing. With all of the teleclasses and webinars there are today, it's become so easy to learn from anywhere.
5. Get Support - Having coaches and mentors is one of the best investments I've ever made. Having a trusted "partner" on the journey who sees my situation through a different lens has been a big reason for my success. Having a supportive spouse, family and friends has played a big role for me as well. Make sure you surround yourself with people who champion your dreams.
6. Stay Focused - Decide what it is you want to accomplish and stay on course to make it happen. I've veered off course myself many times and I have to remember the answer to "Why am I doing this?" so I can ground myself again and stay focused on my desired outcome.

I invite you to stop dreaming and start acting on your Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals. One of my favorite quotes from Einstein is "Vision Without Execution is Merely Hallucination." Stop hallucinating. Take action today and make it happen.

*****

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