Taking Control of Your Life - Just Get Started

By K. MacKillop

You know how when you buy a new car you suddenly see other cars just like that everywhere you go? Before you bought it, you never noticed them at all...but now they seem to be all over the place! The same sort of thing happens once you take the first step into entrepreneurship. That is, seeking out the first opportunity and taking steps to pursue it very often expose a multitude of other opportunities as well. All you have to do is take the first step!

Most wealthy, successful entrepreneurs will tell you that they changed direction a number of times from their first startup idea. For some, the final result is just a variation of the original idea, such as a real estate agent jumping into the house flipping industry. One entrepreneur started out with an online car part retail store. A few months after launching, a former metal worker contacted her about partnering to market customized parts. A few months after that, an interested investor financed the launch of a full garage for fabricating specialty parts and customizing street racers!

For others, the change is far more dramatic. Another entrepreneur started out with a dog training business but ended up a regional flooring distributor! The training company was doing just fine, but the income was limited by the number of hours he could train. A client mentioned an open distributorship in the flooring industry and he jumped at the opportunity. Less than one year later, the training facility is run by a staff of employees and the distributorship is rockin' along as well.

Stories like these are very common in the world of entrepreneurship. A recent documentary called Lemonade is about the different paths that laid off ad folks have taken. The guy who made the documentary? He started out launching an advertising industry job board, but when the opportunity to make the documentary came along, he grabbed it and ran. Now, he is focusing his work efforts on creating more documentaries...and loving every minute of it!

The key to really taking control of your work life and financial future is twofold. First, just get started in the right direction. Second, be ready to seize opportunities as they come along. The more hooks you have in the water, the more likely you are to snag a few fish. Don't limit yourself to the ideas you have right now. Entrepreneurship is a learning process. No matter how much schooling or work experience you have, there will be hard lessons and realities that surprise you on your path to success. The trick is to take advantage of every situation and always be looking for the next foothold up the cliff.

Whatever your goals for taking control of your life, just get started. Look for the obvious business ideas, pay attention to what the people around you need. Figure out what you know and what you don't know about entrepreneurship and take steps to fill in the gap. Don't wait for the perfect idea, get going now with a good enough idea! The first one may not make you rich, but it will get you on track to find the right opportunities that will change your life!

About the Author- K. MacKillop, a serial entrepreneur, is co-founder of LaunchX, a company designed to develop and train potential entrepreneurs to succeed. The LaunchX System, delivered through seminar format or at-home study, helps entrepreneurs start a business based on their own idea. It includes step-by-step business startup instructions, key software, business tools, comprehensive entrepreneurial skills training, and more. Visit LaunchX.com to learn more about this revolutionary way to become an entrepreneur. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=K._MacKillop

Personal Leadership Development Plan - Your Starting Point To Success

By Sean McLaughlin and Tegan Hadley

If you truly want to become a successful leader, you need to utilize a personal leadership development plan. All of our great leaders, young or old, have one thing in common. They are all great goal setters and have a plan set in place which provides a pathway for them to be able to live their greatest dreams and desires. They know exactly what they want before they set their goals; simply wishing for success is not enough.

You need to be absolutely determined if you truly want to stand up and move towards your goals and dreams. The main difference between leaders and followers lies in the fact that leaders will do the things that followers do not like to do. Leaders have a purpose strong enough to be able to form the habits of doing the things they don't want to do, in order to obtain the results they wish to obtain.

Here are some crucial steps for your personal leadership development plan:

• Be prepared to do what it takes to achieve your dreams. Saying you want a big house, a luxury yacht or a sports car is all a very nice idea, but the point is... are you willing to pay the price to obtain them? Remember, this is the primary difference between the leaders of the world, and the followers.

• Take 100% responsibility for your life. To blame a situation or another person is saying they have control of your life and not you. Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality.

• Act immediately. Stop procrastinating and make the decision to start in your quest to become successful. We don't know how much time we have to achieve our dreams, but we do know that we don't have forever. Successful leaders understand this, and instead of viewing it as a negative platform, they use it as an opportunity to motivate and inspire themselves enough to take the step into leadership.

• Leaders live their lives with purpose. If you have passion about what you are doing is going to make that much easier to achieve your goals and dreams, and you will have fun while doing it.

• Focus is a key aspect of your personal leadership development plan. Every day we are bombarded with phone calls, tasks, messages and everyone trying to take our time away. But in reality, nobody can steal your time away. You are responsible for your time. It is YOU who lets them steal it. If you want to be a leader, you need to learn to manage this inevitable force and work with it, rather than against it. If you make the decision to maintain focus you are investing your time in something that will pay off in the long term.

• Write out a definite plan for Achieving your goals. A goal that isn't written down is merely a wish or a fantasy.

• Here is the hot tip. Go after what you want as energetically and as enthusiastically as you can, for as long as you can. You are not getting any younger.

Where does it all fit in?

Developing an action plan enables you to stand out amongst the crowd. Make the decision today to become an expert in your field. You can be ahead of the game, just through a little research into what the leaders in your field are doing. With that extra little bit of passion, you will soon find yourself the leader of your chosen field. You will be the benchmark, and just by following a few steps of your personal leadership development plan, you will find yourself living in a world where you are everything you have always wanted to be.

Are you desperate to become a successful leader? Are you ready to fight for your greatest dreams and desires? Don't struggle on alone - make the most of the free advice and information on our website,http://yourpersonalleadershipdevelopment.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_McLaughlin

Healthy New Year Habits for Entrepreneurs

By Kathi Burns

Manage your emails and phone calls

a. Never check email or voice mail first thing in the morning b. Schedule regular times to check emails and stick to it c. Read recent emails first d. Allocate the amount of time you will spend and stop promptly e. Create email signatures to sign off with one click f. Read it, delete or move it

Pre-plan and then plan again - keep your eye on your large goals

a. Plan next week either on Friday afternoon (business) or Sunday evening (mom) b. Plan your day before it plans you!

Set your intentions and goals for the day in advance of that day

The day before, the night before or in the morning before you begin your tasks for that day c. Allocate specific time slots for recurring tasks, do them over and over at the same time each week

Gasoline, banking, grocery shopping

Calls, reports, marketing d. Arrive early for appointments

Spend the time you wait for others to plan what you want to accomplish in the meeting

a.This will decrease your stress level b.You will appear poised, professional & in control of your schedule instead of harried and disorganized

Umbrella Your Day (create chunks of time for related activities)

Divide your main responsibilities into 5 days, for example:

Monday = Planning Day

Tuesday = Current Large Project

Wednesday = Outside Appointments, Errands

Thursday = Bills / Paperwork

Friday = Research Day

Create an exit area in your office for all items that need to leave your space.

a. Place things there as you find them.

b. Choose an area on your desk or credenza that is positioned towards the door

Create 'To Do' Lists

a. Complete the three most important tasks each day before you move onto anything else

Take Control Your Papers

a. Check it, move it into a predetermined place off the counter until you are ready to take action

b. Handle it only once before you work on it

Learn to say NO

a. Don't volunteer until you take a moment to determine whether you have the time to fulfill the commitment

b. Give yourself permission to reconsider commitments Delete unnecessary tasks from your schedule that detract from your BIG picture goals

c. Don't automatically respond to another persons problem / fire before you determine whether it is going to foul up your agenda

Kathi Burns, CPO is a Board Certified Professional Organizer and Image Consultant and author of Master Your Muck. Her website addSpaceToYourLife.com, is known for it's straightforward organizing advice and simple solutions for home and business. addSpace To Your Life is also a powerful resource for wardrobe, image and time management challenges. Kathi's new book, How to Master Your Muck, is filled with illuminating stories and empowering methods designed to teach us that growth requires space. Muck sabotages creative expression. It acts as a roadblock to our success. Muck blocks our ability to be free. Kathi's tips, sidebars, and action steps train us to release what no longer serves us and to create space for inspired living. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathi_Burns

Entrepreneur - The Vital Ingredient for Longevity

By Christine O'Dwyer 

In challenging economic times you have a choice whether to cower with fear and regret or whether to start a business and profit. Did you know that more millionaires were made during The Great Depression of the 1930s than in any other era in US history? It is in the challenging times that entrepreneurs flourish.

There are so many reasons why people start their own business these include:
-Be the boss, make decisions, take time off when they want
-Greater possibility of significant financial rewards
-Prestige of leadership
-Involved 100% in the businesses
-Make a contribution and help the local economy

Once the business plan is made and the finance in underway they move forward with extreme motivation and positivity. However a shocking 80% of businesses fail within the first 3 years. Why is this? Whilst I do not have all the reasons why these businesses fail, I do have one way to increase the success rate. This is a secret shared by one of my mentors Simon Sinek.

The Missing Ingredient
As an entrepreneur you need to define the ultimate reason you are in business and be sure to distinguish this from your how you do business and the results you get. If you ask many entrepreneurs why they are in business many will say for the money, no that's a result not their 'why'. Others may say it's because they love what they do, no, that's how not their 'why'. You need to be very clear on your why. And yes it will most likely fall somewhere within the reasons listed above and will be very personal to you.

So what's so important about identifying your why. By identifying your why you will maintain your motivation and purpose. Everything decision you make in business will be guided by your why. If you are moving further away from your why you will steer yourself back on course with the necessary action. If moving towards your why you will drive ahead in a focused way.

When starting up in business or when running a business there are so many distractions. By knowing your why you can quickly eliminate the irrelevant ones and consider only the relevant distractions. This helps you stay focused on your business and move your business forward.

When starting my home business I thought of so many good reasons why to go into business. I also listed all the features of the business and fooled myself into thinking this was why I was going to be an entrepreneur. Such features included that it runs automatically 24 hours per day 7 days per week; continuous learning; relatively low initial investment. These were not my 'whys' these were my 'hows'. It took time for me to ultimately identify why I am an entrepreneur with this businesshttp://www.havingthebestday.com. My why is, so I can be at the school gate everyday to collect my children. After years of being torn between children and career I drew a line in the sand and said enough is enough. I took action with http://www.havingthebestday.com. What's your why? Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_O'Dwyer

Why Start Your Own Business?

By Chris Pascall 

Why would anyone want to start their own business? I am sure this is a question that is asked every day. Here are some of the reasons why starting your own business is a good idea:-

You are your own boss

You make the decisions

You can work at your own pace, slow or quick

Financial freedom - money that is made is yours

Your ideas stay with you

You can take control of your life

You can make a difference - you may be a niche market providing a valuable service or product

With many businesses you don't need business premises

Lifestyle changes

Starting your own business may seem a little frightening. But if you have been working in a job that is similar to the business that you intend starting, then you will have knowledge of both the job and the industry. For example you may be a web designer working for a large organisation, thinking about setting up your own web design business.

To achieve all of the above effectively you'll need to develop the right mindset along the way. If you are passionate about your business this goes a very long way to being successful, otherwise instead of creating a successful business you could end up simply creating another job for yourself and working longer hours for less money.

Even in today with the uncertain economic climate it's still easier than ever to start your own business. You don't need business premises - you can start in your living room. You can start a business in your spare time with a huge investment. In this Internet, digital information age it's the right time to reach an international market.

If there's ever a right time to take the plunge, it's right now, today. My current business is internet marketing, which I do from home. I love helping others and making a difference. If you would like to know more about the system we work with and receiving mentoring from us why not take that first step and get our free video bootcamp http://www.sixfigurewealthcreation.com To find out more about the authors http://stuartandchrispascall.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Pascall

Understanding The Business Entrepreneur

By Peter L Bennett 

Who is the business entrepreneur?

The business entrepreneur is not a "person" but a part of everyone's personality. The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator that can be found in each of us.

We're born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. What we do with it is up to us.

It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or it is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies. Look at anyone around you and you will recognize whether or not the entrepreneur is alive and well within them.

The business entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. (I bet we all know people like that!)

The business entrepreneur in us is more concerned with choosing between opportunities than he or she is with failing to see the opportunities. Opportunities are everywhere if you are open to it.

We're all born with what we need to be a business entrepreneur. 
We are born to create. Everyone is born with that drive, desire, passion, and interest. It is what we do with it that makes the difference.

Most business owners have not fully developed or nurtured the entrepreneur ideas within themselves. Working in the business consumes them with little time left to work on it.

There is no time or energy to be creative, nor the understanding that being creative is being alive, fully alive. Few business owners are fully alive; they're too busy working for a living.

A business entrepreneurial seizure
A business entrepreneurial seizure is the moment the entrepreneur decides it would be a great idea to start his or her own business. It's when one believes that knowing how to do the work of a business is all one needs to understand in order to start and grow a business.

So the accountant starts an accounting practice; the mechanic starts an auto repair business; the cook opens up a restaurant. They go to work, accounting, fixing cars, or cooking meals, none of which is the true work of the entrepreneur.

In doing so, the person who starts his or her own business is lost in the teeming confusion created by demands he or she never anticipated...the demands of organization, the demands of cash flow, the demands of people -- employees, customers, suppliers, banks, family -- and so forth and so on.

They are simply not prepared for the demands that are going to be made on them. The longer they're in business, the worse it gets. There is no vision; there is only being a slave to work and staying alive. The seizure is long gone; the entrepreneurial vision a vague memory.

The business entrepreneur is not really interested in doing the work; 
He is interested in creating the way the company operates. In that regard, the entrepreneur is an inventor. He or she loves to invent, but does not love to manufacture or sell or distribute what he or she invents.

You will not find business entrepreneurs on the production line. You will find them in their office, their room, in their research center, in their mind, dreaming about the product, or building a sample of the product, or drawing a picture of the product on the back of a napkin. Entrepreneurs are dreaming, scheming, imagining, playing.... not doing it, doing it, doing it.

The business entrepreneur goes to work ON the business, not IN the business.
The business entrepreneur invents a business that is more successful than any other business. The business entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job.

It takes study, practice, continuous education and experience for the entrepreneur to create a world class company. While top entrepreneurs seem to be born with the qualities and traits that mark them, there has, in fact, been an enormous amount of trial and error in their lives.

In many ways, it is the school of hard knocks that can turn innocuous little stones into sparkling, outrageous gems called entrepreneurs. Giving up is not an option and challenges are just par for the course.

Trust your entrepreneurial spirit, never give in and chase your dreams until they become just as real in reality as they ever did in your mind.
You will be glad you did.

Make every post a winner!!

Become the business entrepreneur you have always wanted to be.

The business entrepreneur lies within all of us. Don't fight it. Get out of your own way and watch the magic. If you want to find out more about me, feel free to visit my about me blog page at Work With Pete Bennett Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_L_Bennett

Victor Kiam quote about Entrepreneurs

"Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." 

-- Victor Kiam, American businessman.