FEAR to CONFIDENCE in 6 simple steps!

    

 Why are some confident and some lack confidence. Most of those who lack confidence live in fear. Those who are confident are those who take ACTION and try new things. Those people stretch themselves to learn more, become more, get that degree, go for that promotion or new job, make that career change or enter into that new relationship!

     The questions we ask ourselves in fear and the fear based responses that come along with that are the OBSTACLES that will stop you from taking the action needed to get to confidence!

ACTION IS THE KEY!!!

     If you would like to be confident in one area of your life, or are lacking confidence in more than one area – you can change this almost immediately – here it is – 6 simple steps!

1.       Start at square one..  

     Many people quit before they even get started because they focus on “how far” it is from where they are now to the end result. Well they are already living in fear so therefore feel incapable of getting to that point from where they are now. Forget about the end and focus on the FIRST STEP and only the first step. The harder you focus only on step 1 – the faster you will get to step 2! 

2.       Remember that all progress is still progress..

     Your brain is now temporarily stuck in fear based mode. That built up fear will try to convince you that these small accomplishments are too small. Not true! Every tiny bit of progress, every small step is in the right direction and that is ALL THAT COUNTS! Stick with it and you will make it to the finish line – every time!

3.       Remind yourself – it is not HOW you feel; it is WHAT YOU DO!

     Don’t feel afraid while you take these steps toward your goal – tell yourself that you are not afraid. I know, your fear based brain, again is trying to dominate you.. maybe you have a quick pulse, shaky hands, shallow breaths, you may feel dizzy and have a sick stomach as you take actions toward your goal but you are still MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION – TOWARD the goal! That is what counts, not how you FEEL while you do it. As you recognize what you are feeling and resist the urge to be afraid by it, those feelings will change. Don’t judge yourself for how you are feeling and label it as “afraid”. Celebrate the fact that you are moving right on through those feelings and accomplishing what you set out to in spite of them.

4.       Get high on taking action!

     There is a wonderful feeling (its magical) that occurs directly after (or during) taking action that you were previously too afraid to take. Use that high to your advantage. While you are having that good feeling write down or record how you feel. “I felt excited, proud, or happy when I…” Review these notes the next time you are at step one or step 2 with something. If you meditate or use imagery when working on your goal planning, imagine yourself actually DOING the thing that you want to do most. Watch yourself (like watching a movie on a screen) actually doing it and try and FEEL those good feelings like you did the last time you took action when you were afraid to.

5.       KNOW that action builds confidence..

     Deciding to take action, and DOING it in spite of fear will build and build upon your level of confidence, more and more each time. Taking action provides many opportunities for growth beyond the specific goal we decide to work on.

     In this action we grow confident about ourselves and about our abilities. It is in the action that we find out what mistakes are and how much stronger we are by learning from them and again TAKING ACTION anyway the next time!

6.       REPEAT steps 1-5

     Each time you feel afraid, in any way of anything – get as fast as you can through steps one thru 4 and right on to step 5 TAKE ACTION!

What action can you take to overcome your fear today?

    

Many people who want to overcome their fears find it easier to make a structured plan or to have accountability to sticking to their plan, with help from a life coach. If you need help right away, OR want to try a FREE sample coaching session, send me an email or give me a call. My contact info is below.

 Our senior consultants provide personal and team coaching, team building and team trainings and other services for business owners specializing in profitability. Visit our website today at www.TheMaxProfit.com.

Thanks for reading!

Renee Johnston

Personal/Team Coach

CEO

The Max Profit

getrealwithcoach@gmail.com

(360) 490-7045

Get 90% of your work done before NOON! 8 BEST TIPS!

   

  Many successful busy people have perfected methods that have allowed them to get all or most of their work done before noon! The key is “streamlining” tasks, “prioritizing” successfully and staying FOCUSED!

     Try these 8 best tips for 2 weeks and see if any or all of them help you get more done at work!

#1 – PLAN your workday the night before – every night, before you leave work, list all the tasks that must be completed the next day. Allow enough time for each task, number them in order of importance and do not put too much on your list!

#2 – TAKE BREAKS – You must take breaks if you want to be productive AND stay focused – set an alarm on your phone or a watch or alarm clock – experiment with the best time to take a morning break or breaks..  taking several 5 or 10 minute breaks, instead of one longer break will help get back on task easily but the break will help you focus more successfully on the next task!

#3 – PLAN WHEN you will do what and plan breaks accordingly. For instance, if you write or need to make hard decisions, do that early before there are distractions in the office building. Save the things that are easy to focus on with noise around for AFTER everyone else starts arriving at the office. Also, if you write, do that FIRST thing in the morning and then take a break before moving on to different types of tasks.

#4 – NO INTERRUPTIONS or MEETINGS before noon – instruct staff and co-workers that your most productive work time will be in the morning so that is when you would prefer not to be interrupted or distracted. Even in the case of a mild “emergency” an emergency at 10 am could most likely wait until 1:00 pm without too much problem. Sometimes, there are regular meetings that happen in the morning hours that are mandatory. Work around this the best you can. If every Monday and every Friday, there is a standing meeting, start at 8am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and start working at 7:00 am on Mondays and Fridays (in order to make up for those one hour meetings you will attend in the morning on those days). Make it work!

#5 – START EARLY – get up an hour earlier every day! Show up at the office an hour earlier every day. Plan to do tasks from your list that require “quiet time” and do them in that hour.

#6 – BE ORGANIZED – you WILL get more done if you are organized.. if you have to spend a whole weekend organizing your office, your files, cleaning off your desk so you can try this for two weeks, do it! If you do not have clutter distracting you and you can FIND THINGS.. you will get more done, guaranteed!

#7 – NO EMAIL / NO VOICEMAIL – do not, I repeat DO NOT listen to your voicemail or check your email until after lunch! Do not even LOOK at it to see “how many” you have waiting! Resist the urge.. both of those activities are not only time killers but will send you off in other directions as well. One step even better! Assign the task of listening to the voicemail and checking and organizing the email to some else! I know that sounds scary – I would challenge you to find a successful small business owner or high paid executive that checks their own voicemail or email!

# 8 - 80/20 RULE RULES! – We keep hearing it and seeing it written and it IS TRUE! Only 20% of what you do each day produces 80% of the results. So, first, when making your list for the day, eliminate (or put on a “maybe” list) tasks that have nothing to do with your top goal or goals. When ordering tasks in their order of importance, put the MOST IMPORTANT tasks at the top of the list, to be done first thing in the morning. Stay focused on one task at a time, do not worry about the other tasks. If you do not get to the bottom of the list, move those tasks to the next day and learn each time, how to plan for how much time things will take in the future!

Our consultants provide team building and other team oriented workshops as well as individual coaching with reasonable fees! If you would like a FREE phone consultation to discuss your individual situation or have other questions, please feel free to visit our website and fill out a contact form at www.TheMaxProfit.com

Renee Johnston

Senior Consultant, Coach and Profitability Specialist

(360) 490-7045 mobile (talk or text)

Business Services Group / The Max Profit

5 Tips To Make It Through Your Workday – Despite The Co-Worker From Hell!

The co-worker or team mate from hell… he or she is condescending, confrontational and just downright unpleasant to be around. This person acts nothing like a team mate, but instead as if at war. You didn’t sign up for war – what do you do?

Unfortunately, this type of situation, this type of person is found everywhere.. in every workplace, in every type of profession. People of all education levels and cultures have been found to behave this way. Daily conflict with someone you cannot stand is a waste of precious energy and takes away from the team’s production and creativity.

Fortunately, there are usually ways to get around this type of situation. You can and should defend yourself against negative emotions or unreasonable demands. Many times, if managed properly, this type of person can end up to be a manageable, and maybe even likeable team mate!

#1 – BE READY

          Always be ready for conflict to invade your day / space. Understand that (at least right now), this is the way this person IS. Likely, you cannot change that, you may be able to influence it in a positive way by setting healthy boundaries. Time may change this person’s behavior, true and hopefully. But I guarantee, you CAN and WILL make the situation WORSE by not being ready and not having a plan for how to respond to this negative behavior. Remember to take the high road, respond calmly and in a non-confrontational manner – NO MATTER WHAT they say or do! Plan what you will do, physically that is if and when you get “backed into a corner” to remove yourself from the situation.

#2 – Don’t Add Fuel to the Fire

          People who already tend to be confrontational or drama driven will love for you to “fight back” or even defend yourself. “Step Away” from the fire, remove yourself physically if possible or at least figuratively. MOST of the time, when someone at work is attacking you, and you respond with a neutral attitude, or even kindness, it will really slow them down, they will not know how to respond to that.

#3 - Offer to Help

          Many, many times you will find that a person behaving this negatively is not really a complete psychopath, a passive-aggressive control freak, nor will they be found to have borderline personality disorder. (I know, all the signs are there!) BUT, they very well may just be attacking others or being difficult because of their own fear or insecurities. They may really feel alone and that they have no allies. They may also be going through something personal that is really scaring them or giving them anxiety. Offer to help….

#4 - Get a Third Party Involved

          If you have tried to speak to this co-worker or team mate about the situation and have communicated your wishes to be on “common ground” with them and it has gone nowhere, ask a third party to “mediate” for you, ask for a meeting and see if things can be worked out. Don’t forget to verbally list all the good things you can think about in the person, your relationship with them and the reasons it would benefit both of you to have a better relationship. If this does not work, get Human Resources or an effective supervisor involved.

#5 – Move On

          After you have exhausted all other efforts and the situation is still causing you and/or other team member’s stress, it may be time to end the situation. If this person works for you or under you, you may need to let this difficult team member go. If you are in a different working situation with them, you may want to ask to be moved to another team, another department or even look for another job. At this point, your supervisor or business owner is aware of the difficulties and may choose to try moving the difficult team worker somewhere else, or may ask them to leave their position on the team.

I hope that these tips will help you if you find yourself in one of these situations. Most of us, at some point in our careers, eventually will.

Our consultants provide team building and other team oriented workshops as well as individual coaching with reasonable fees! If you would like a FREE phone consultation to discuss your individual situation or have other questions, please feel free to visit our website and fill out a contact form at www.TheMaxProfit.com

Renee Johnston

Senior Consultant, Coach and Profitability Specialist

Business Services Group / The Max Profit

Ode to the Self Employed Entrepreneur

As of February, 2015 about 13% of Americans are starting or running their own companies.

Entrepreneurs are a different and special breed – most have a diverse skill set and a broader portfolio of work experiences than those who have always been “employees”. Many would refer to an entrepreneur that they may know as a “jack of all trades” or as someone who “cannot make up their mind” about “what” they want to “do” for a living.

A study done in Germany in 2000, which was build on more than a decade worth of research, showed that college students who had qualities that “predicted AGAINST entrepreneurship” included “a desire for job or income security, as well as having worked in internship or apprenticeship (since those lead to specialization)”. Students who took a broad range of classes, had many interests and who enjoyed working on several projects at a time were more likely to have a disposition toward entrepreneurship. “

Steve Jobs used to say that creative people have a more diverse “bag of experiences” than everybody else. He believed that if one was to be innovative, they HAD to not have the same bag of experiences as their peers.

I personally have over 30 years of entrepreneurship under my belt, I have had “jobs” yes, have actually been “employed” but have NEVER NOT had some money making projects or companies working or developing at the same time as that employment.

I have found that one who enjoys entrepreneurship more than being an employee is one who takes self responsibility, who doesn’t mind the fact that when things go wrong, there will be no one to blame except them, and who thrives in some higher level of stress. For me, the stress drives me to work harder, to work smarter and to get more creative!

I enjoyed the following from the blog of Tammy Bleck – “Witty Woman Writing”  

Let me set the record straight for all those who are self-employed and all those who are not.

We do have "real jobs" and they don't come with a cushion of a 401(k), paid vacation, sick days and a boss to take the fall if we don't do it right. We have to pay our own expenses, not the least of which are health insurance, retirement account, licenses, taxes, organization fees, advertising, web site maintenance, computers and office equipment, travel expenses, vehicle maintenance, and we don't get to call in sick when we have the sniffles.

I think that those of us, who take a chance on ourselves, put our confidence in our skills and go out there and actually build something from nothing, are warriors in the truest sense of the word.

We take the chance every single day that we will make enough money to keep the lights on, the mortgage paid, the kids in school, gas in the tank, food on the table and clothes on our backs. If you think that's slacking, I'd like to see you try it.

People who act on their passion are a gift of light, hope and possibilities to our world. It takes a tremendous amount of courage and fortitude to tackle the unknown every day, to take the bad days with a grain of salt and not let the good days go to our heads. It takes balance, audacity, drive, vision and great deal of smarts.

I can only speak for myself in saying that even with the days that my income surpasses my wildest expectations, I always feel like I'm just one step away from living under a bridge. The fear level that comes with being self-employed is palatable. We feel it in our gut and we can literally taste the fright in our mouths. But here's the deal: we go out and achieve our goals in spite of it.

Those of us in business for ourselves don't always get it right. We are often wrestling with self doubt, second guessing and re-grouping. The best of us never give up. We may take a moment to lick the wounds of defeat should our venture not succeed, but the true entrepreneur will be back, and always with a vengeance.

But on the chance you have any doubt, know that this country was not built by corporations but rather on the backs of the entrepreneur; the dreamer who had an idea and the courage to follow it, the inventor who was ridiculed but still persisted, the architect, artist, writer, musician, and philosopher who despite opposition and mockery stayed the course.

link to full article written in 2013 for Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tammy-bleck/being-self-employed_b_2664669.html

We are all different and all have different comfort levels. This country is sustained by both the entrepreneurs and small business as well as the large corporations. It takes all kinds to keep things moving in our economy and there are upsides and downsides, depending upon the day J to being an employee or being self-employed. We should all remember to be tolerant of our differences and give respect both ways when it is well deserved!

Thanks for reading and remember, if you need help achieving your goals, or that work/life balance, our coaches can help! Contact us on our website at:  www.TheMaxProfit.com for a FREE phone consultation!

Renee Johnston

CEO and Executive Coach

The Max Profit

6 MUST DO's before turning that great idea into a business!

At the Max Profit, your success is our success! We want to help.. read on for the 6 MUST DO's before you write a business plan or spend any money on that SUPER idea you have for making money in business!

We are always here to help - get your FREE phone consultation at TheMaxProfit.com

STARTING A BUSINESS - 6 Thing To Do BEFORE you spend $$ or write your PLAN!

EVERY business has a PLAN. These are not always in writing, sometimes they exist only in the entrepreneurs mind! Research and profit margins have clearly shown that a WRITTEN plan will at least DOUBLE your chance of success! A written business plan is critical to set the stage for not only your success but the ease of getting there!

BEFORE you sit down and write your business plan, or HIRE someone to write one, or PURCHASE a template or any tools for this job. Get through, and RECORD your decisions, notes and possibilities for the following 6 items!

1.     DETERMINE the Business PURPOSE and CORE VALUES!

Answer these questions:

·       WHY does this business exist

·       WHAT does the business “stand for” (its values..)

·       WHY would employees want to work there

·       WHY customers would purchase from your business instead of the competitors

2.     NAME the Business VISION! 

Answer these questions:

·       WHAT do you want to accomplish as a company?

·       WHERE do you see this business 5 years down the road?

** Come up with at least 3 key strategies HOW you will get there

3.     CLARIFY your business MODEL!

     Answer these questions:

·       WHAT will you sell?

·       WHO do you plan on selling to? (IDENTIFY your target client)

·       IDENTIFY your competition!

·       PLAN how you will be different and BETTER than your 2-3 main competitors!

·       HOW MUCH will you sell your product or service for?

·       HOW MUCH will it cost you to produce/buy/serve up your product or service?

·       WHAT equipment or facility do you need starting day one?

·       HOW MUCH will it cost for you to open your doors?

**these will be rough numbers for now, but do your research! Try some different scenarios out on paper and pick the most profitable products or services to start with, remember you can always expand your business later and add more products, services or targeted markets.

4.     WHAT will your business name and LEGAL STRUCTURE be?

Answer these questions:

·       DECIDE what your legal structure will be

·       DECIDE what your business name and any dba (doing business as) names will be

·       CHECK for any copyrights already existing with any or all of your business name

5.     DRY RUN your business idea BEFORE writing a plan or spending any money!

Answer these questions:

·       VISIT or speak with potential vendors for the products you want to sell

·       SPEAK with contractors or potential employees already providing the services you want to provide

·       VISIT potential customers/clients

·       TALK to as many industry “experts” as you can regarding the viability of your plan! Ask for advice and honest feedback!

**tell each of the above about your idea for your business model and “feel out” the market and possibilities that exist. Identify where others have gone wrong or are currently going wrong. Identify areas where you can FILL A GAP with your business. After doing this, you may want to change your model. Make changes and have a BACK UP plan!

6.     SWOT analysis

Conduct a SWOT analysis for your business:

·       Identify STRENGTHS

·       Identify WEAKNESSES

·       Identify OPPORTUNITIES and possible opportunities for later expansion

·       Identify any THREATS to your business (these include inside and outside threats)

Check out our website and contact us if you would like help with a roadmap for your business! We always offer a FREE phone consultation!

TheMaxProfit.com  or call us at (360) 462-6600.

Thank you for reading!

Renee Johnston
CEO
The Max Profit

"At The Max Profit, Your Success is Our Success!"

The Purpose of a Business Plan - the short version!

PURPOSE of a BUSINESS PLAN!

Business plans are documents used for describing your business and planning out specific details about its goals and operations. They can range in size from a simple few sentences to more than 100 pages with formal sections, a table of contents and a title page. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, typical business plans average 15 to 20 pages. Comprehensive business plans have three sections--business concept, marketplace and financial--and these are broken down into seven components that include the overview or summary of the plan, a description of the business, market strategies, competition analysis, design and development, operations and management, and financial information.

There are 5 MAIN reasons every business should have a PLAN! A Roadmap if you will..  depending upon the business and the situation, there could be many more reasons why you SHOULD have a written plan. Make no mistake – there are thousands of businesses operating that started in past and present that have done so with no written plan whatsoever.. this can work, absolutely and HAS worked in fact. I challenge those business owners though, to think about this.. WHAT IF?  What if, having a written plan, (or simply the activity of CREATING the written plan) help it work BETTER!!??

5 of the reason every business should have a business plan:

1.      DIRECTION -   to clarify the purpose for your business, define the business and its operations and its direction… After all – what if you took off in your car and had no destination in mind? What if you just drove and drove wherever the road took you? This could be very, very expensive in more ways than one.. just saying…

2.      FUTURE VISION – Every business has a “life-cycle” .. a business will evolve over time and thinking through the possible future turns and direction, researching new trends and future possibilities, can help the business owner decide AHEAD of TIME – “what is my vision? Where do I want this to go?”  This makes it much easier to STEER your business where you want to go.

3.      FINANCING  – You may or may not need or want financing now, it is possible though that in the future, you may need a line of credit, may want to expand or may figure out that you predict that you will fall a little short of meeting a BIG deadline or being able to CREATE your dream.. do not limit yourself – set yourself up for success, remove barriers NOW to having many financial options by having a written plan.

4.      ATTRACTING TALENT OR INVESTORS – again, you may not think you want any outside investors now.. that could change and faster than you can imagine.. that is if things go RIGHT.. do not limit yourself by not planning ahead. Additionally, you will need good people to do good work! Having a written plan helps “sell” your company, your model, your ideas that include future growth to potential talent that can help you get where you want to go!

5.      OPERATIONS and MANAGEMENT – A written business plan lays out your business structure, your model for operations, outlines your sales and development programs, describes your workflow.. If you have a written plan for your team to follow, it is much easier to “captain the ship” making sure you are on target for meeting goals and milestones. Again, how can you arrive at your destination, if you have not decided WHERE you are going?

Check out our website and contact us if you would like help with a roadmap for your business! We always offer a FREE phone consultation!

www.TheMaxProfit.com  or call us at (360) 462-6600.

Thank you for reading!

Renee Johnston
CEO
The Max Profit

"At The Max Profit, Your Success is Our Success!"

 

Small Business Facts and Challenges in America

There are many challenges faced by Small Business Owners and Managers in America every day. As time goes on, the challenges grow. Between additional regulation of small business in some states to the cost of labor/maintaining employees in our country, the face of small business is constantly changing.

Small Business owners are challenged with different WAYS to set up/start up, develop and maintain their business in a cost effective manner. Today more than ever it is important to have a PLAN for each of these stages. Check out the list of facts below regarding small business.

There are many sources to obtain a business plan for your venture. This not only applies to NEW businesses in start up, but EXISTING business that is not making a profit, OR that wants to GROW and make more profit!

Check out our website and contact us if you would like help with a roadmap for your business! We always offer a FREE phone consultation!

www.TheMaxProfit.com  or call us at (360) 462-6600.

"At The Max Profit, Your Success is Our Success!"

FACTS you may not know about SMALL Business in America:

1)The SBA defines a small business as an enterprise having fewer than 500 employees

2)   There are almost 28 million small businesses in the US and over 22 million are self employed with no additional payroll or employees (these are called nonemployers)

3)  Over 50% of the working population (120 million individuals) works in a small business

4)   Small businesses have generated over 65% of the net new jobs since 1995

5)   Approximately 543,000 new businesses get started each month (but more employer businesses shut down than start up each month)

6)   7 out of 10 new employer firms survive at least 2 years, half at least 5 years, a third at least 10 years and a quarter stay in business 15 years or more

 7)  52% of all small businesses are home-based

8)   There were nearly 23 million nonemployer firms in 2014.

9)   To classify as a “nonemployer” business you must have annual business receipts of $1,000 or more and be subject to federal income taxes

10)   Approximately 75% of all U.S. businesses are nonemployer businesses

11)   19.4 million nonemployer businesses are sole proprietorships, 1.6 million are partnerships and 1.4 million are corporations

SOURCES

United States Census Bureau. “2011 Nonemployer Statistics.” U.S. Department of Commerce: http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/nonemployer/nonsect.pl

Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FAQ_Sept_2012.pdf

United States Census Bureau: Statistics about Business Size (including Small Business)http://www.census.gov/econ/smallbus.html

United States Census Bureau: Statistics of U.S. Businesses:http://www.census.gov/econ/susb