October 17, 2011 – 5:00 am
In my recent Spotlight interviews with Business Coach, Vicki Donlan, and National Speaker, Nancy Butler, we discussed the importance of having an exit strategy for your business, even when you are in the early stages. When I first started out, thoughts of to whom and when I might sell my business down the road weren’t anywhere on my radar.
Now I am beginning to hear and read more about the need for incorporating an exit strategy into your business plan, in order to build an entity with “shelf value.” The goal is that one day you won’t walk away with nothing to show for the years of blood, sweat and tears you poured into it, and that sounds great to me. In an effort for us to all be building our businesses to a wonderful and profitable day when we too will wish to sell, I reached out to the experts and asked –
What steps are you taking to develop an exit strategy for your business, and how did you get started?
You are going to love the 12 responses we received to this query, from those who have a plan, to those who have already sold. The variety of experience will give you strategies you can use no matter where you are on your business development timeline. Enjoy! Continue reading →
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October 14, 2011 – 7:30 am
Do you struggle with procrastination?
Are there moments in your day when you long to be doing something else?
If you carry the self-appointed title, Queen of Procrastination, it’s time to renounce your throne!
Click Here to listen to my Cinch cast on the topic. If you have tips that you’ve been using to effectively conquer the desire to put things off in your business, please share them in the comments section below.
If you are ready to take some serious action to move your business to the next level, join me for On Target Laser Coaching. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in 30 days!
To your business success!
On Target Laser Coaching – When a “Mini-Me” is All You Need
- Brief Time Investment
- Budget-Friendly Price
- BIG Results!
CLICK HERE to find out how you can experience immediate, positive, and profitable change today!
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October 13, 2011 – 5:00 am
In an effort to always bring you the latest and greatest information, I am happy to present another installment of our Advisory of Women Entrepreneurs Spotlight on Success interview series.
We designed this series to, not only showcase our community of amazing women entrepreneurs, but to also share their best tips, strategies and insights for wanna-be and established women entrepreneurs. Our mission for this community is to bring an incredible group of women together to inspire, motivate, and support women in business by networking, collaborating, and, in the case of this spotlight series, showing you why they shine so brightly!
This week I am excited to share my interview with Nancy Butler, National Speaker and Founder of Above All Else – Success in Life and Business.
In our interview Nancy shares…
- How she pulled herself up by the bootstraps and built a business following a difficult divorce,
- Why your mindset can make or break your business,
- The reason she sought employees who were the opposite of herself,
- And her best tips for how to exit your business when you are at the top of your game.
If you listen all the way to end you will discover the strategic planning that went into selecting the title of her company. It’s really smart! Nancy’s life and work experiences have provided her a wealth of knowledge she shares openly with others. Be sure to check out the broad range of topics on her blog. Enjoy!
Continue reading →
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October 12, 2011 – 5:00 am
Performance Tip of the Week
As I was going through my inspiration file in preparation for writing this performance tip, I came across an article I saved some time ago called, “My Chat with Seth.” The author, Lewis Evans, shares his “brain fart moment,” and it got me thinking about what we, as business owners, spend our time and energy seeking.
Due to fear, we often look for people who will tell us where to go, rather than embracing the bumps and bruises of figuring things out on our own. Now, I am all for learning from the experiences of others to streamline the business process, but not to the extent of relinquishing control over the future of my business to someone else’s plan.
The goal should be to garner nuggets of wisdom from others, and apply only the ones we can re-mold to fit our purposes. But many would rather try to fit into the rut of someone else’s path instead of leaping outside their comfort zone. Why? Because they equate routine with safety. But Evans wisely states, “Routine can only keep us where we are, at best. Inspiration provides the key to moving us forward.”
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October 10, 2011 – 5:00 am
Women entrepreneurs face different challenges in business and life than men. For that reason, my business caters directly to women entrepreneurs in an effort to show them how to sharpen their competitive edge and achieve excellence. Having walked the startup road, I also know that every penny counts, and provide many sources of free, strategic business building options for women entrepreneurs from my blog, free ebook (which you can sign up for below), Spotlight show, and weekly mentorship hour — where women can work with me at no charge every Wednesday.
The great news is that I am not the only business working hard to facilitate the success of women entrepreneurs. So last week I went in search of other service businesses, business tools, business advisors whose focus is to specifically serve the niche of WOMEN entrepreneurs and asked –
If your business falls within a women’s business niche, what tools, services, training, etc. does your business provide at NO CHARGE to help women entrepreneurs start or build a business, and/or overcome a specific women’s challenge in business?
Of the hundreds I know are out there, 10 top-notch businesses catering to the unique challenges of women entrepreneurs at different stages in life responded. Continue reading →
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October 6, 2011 – 5:00 am
In an effort to always bring you the latest and greatest information, I am happy to present another installment of our Advisory of Women Entrepreneurs Spotlight on Success interview series.
We designed this series to, not only showcase our community of amazing women entrepreneurs, but to also share their best tips, strategies and insights for wanna-be and established women entrepreneurs. Our mission for this community is to bring an incredible group of women together to inspire, motivate, and support women in business by networking, collaborating, and, in the case of this spotlight series, showing you why they shine so brightly!
This week I am excited to share my interview with Vicki Donlan, Business Coach and author of Her Turn: Why It’s Time for Women to Lead in America.
In our interview Vicki shares…
- Why an exit strategy needs to be a part of your business when you begin,
- How to hire people who can truly add value to your company,
- The importance of vetting potential clients before you begin working with them, and
- The ways in which women can begin making a difference for the advancement of women leaders.
The bullets above are just the tip of the iceberg in this outstanding interview, so be sure to take the time to listen all the way through. My favorite quote from Vicki is that “exiting your business is not about failure — it’s all about success…because you always have something to sell.” You can grab your copy of her inspirational book, Her Turn, that she mentioned at Amazon. Enjoy!
Continue reading →
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October 4, 2011 – 5:00 am
Question: “In order to narrow my niche, what do you think about making inquiries via Reporter Connection about overwhelm for various niches, writing articles, and seeing what reaction they generate?”
– Dr. Monique Y. Wells, Understanding Time Management, Paris, France
Shannon’s Answer: Monique, thank you so much for your question! First of all, thinking about ways to narrow your niche and get really targeted with your marketing is a great plan. Too often entrepreneurs try to be everything to everyone, which leaves their marketing messages rather unfocused. Contrary to what new entrepreneurs might think, directing your marketing strategies on a narrow niche actually makes attracting clients much easier. Continue reading →
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In my recent Spotlight interviews with Business Coach, Vicki Donlan, and National Speaker, Nancy Butler, we discussed the importance of having an exit strategy for your business, even when you are in the early stages. When I first started out, thoughts of to whom and when I might sell my business down the road weren’t anywhere on my radar.
Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece 