The Real Secrets to Success

by Nancy Powers

Published on this site: January 30th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

"It's what you learn when you think you know everything that counts the most in life." Basketball Coach John Wooden

What's the "secret" behind successful business owners? It's simple - they have a coach. We all have blind spots, particularly when it comes to our business. Have you noticed how easy it is to give advice, but when it comes to your life you can't see the whole picture? Emotions can get in the way of making clear decisions.

Who do you turn to when you need answers?

Do you operate your business from the highest level of thinking and action?

Do you feel you are doing all you can, and yet, it just isn't enough?

The old model of learning from your mistakes is not effective. It's too expensive and time consuming. A single mistake can ruin you in today's fast paced business environment. A coach is an inexpensive insurance policy. Coaching is a profession that has synthesized the best from psychology, business, communication, mentoring, consulting, sports, philosophy, spirituality, sports and finance. A coach challenges you, and provides the tools, structure and support you need. A coach draws the answers out of you and bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to go.

Why do entrepreneurs turn to coaches?

To get an objective viewpoint from someone who has no hidden agenda.

To have consistent structure, support and accountability.

To maximize and leverage every action, investment and opportunity in your life, while minimizing your effort and risks.

When a business owner hires a coach it demonstrates strength and a willingness to take responsibility to grow themselves and their business. Just talking about your thoughts, emotions, and ideas can generate solutions. Many business owners who continually churn their businesses in their mind, drain themselves of the very energy required to run their business with clarity. Bouncing your concerns and ideas with a coach who sees things outside the box that you operate from, can provide obvious solutions.

What is a coach?

Coaching is a profession that has synthesized the best from psychology, business, communication, mentoring, consulting, sports, philosophy, spirituality, sports and finance. A coach challenges you, and provides the tools, structure and support you need. A coach draws the answers out of you and bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to go. A coach is like having a personal trainer for your life and business.

The Seven Secrets to Effortless Success!

1. Identity Your Recipe for Success.
   
   What's the real difference between success and failure? Some people may argue that it's having a great attitude, money, luck or perseverance. The real difference is only one thing - It's the ability to be consistent. You can have a great attitude or perseverance, but if you only have it one or two days a week your life will look like a roller coaster. True success is something you create consistently. What's your recipe for success? Identify the specifics of your successful days:
   
   What are you thinking?
   How do you walk?
   How are you breathing?
   What kind of people are around you?
   Are you taking care of your body?
   Did you work out today?
   What types of food are you putting into your body to fuel you?
   
   All of these components begin the process of identifying your special recipe for success. Once you have identified it, duplicate it consistently to maintain an upward movement of quantifiable results.
   
   
2. Eliminate the Hassles of Life.
   
   Suffering is optional! Stop suffering, tolerating and hoping. There's a huge addiction in our culture among entrepreneurs that's rarely recognized. It's the addiction to adrenaline. Adrenaline is a source of energy. It's not the healthiest source of energy, and yet people will do anything to get it. Adrenaline is a habit that creates an unhealthy lifestyle. Here are some symptoms of adrenaline:
   
   Rushing around and juggling as many projects as possible all at once.
   
   Speeding in your car.
   
   Always looking at the clock.
   
   Filing up your gas tank on empty.
   
   Coffee
   
   Sugar
   
   Messy desk with piles everywhere.
   
   Never saying "no" to projects.
   
   Over promising your results.
   
   Adrenaline addiction runs rampant among entrepreneurs because the common belief holds that adrenaline equals success. Gordon Bahary, president of Electric Kingdom Records used to run his life on adrenaline. "I used to create situations that developed adrenaline. I would drink coffee, eat sugar, get hyped, angry and excited more than was necessary. I planned my execution of tasks in an erratic fashion just to get the adrenaline rush. I was dependent upon something external pushing me and used adrenaline to get through my day. Now I'm clear about my real talents and draw genuine energy from within. I have time to stop and think and gained a love for my discipline of not running on adrenaline."
   
   The paradox of attraction is - if you want to achieve more, do less. It's called irresistible attraction. By eliminating adrenaline you naturally attract success, reduce stress, integrate all aspects of your life, simplify, and reorient around what makes you the happiest. What good is increased productivity and profitability if you're not happy?
   
   
3. Get Your Needs Met and Communicate More Effectively.
   
   It's important to be clear about what you need and to communicate it elegantly. Needs are not optional. It's what you don't know about you that really runs you. Unmet needs can run your life, until you identify them and take complete responsibility for fulfilling them in healthy ways. Have the language you need to handle confrontations. When people avoid confrontations their lives get messy. When you have the skills to communicate effectively, you have quality relationships and restore your integrity. Learn how to come across better, listen, influence, coach, motivate, inspire and support others.
   
   
4. Create Reserves.
   
   Business owners tend to run their business on the edge. They get so caught up with their ideas that they invest everything into their ventures and want to make it happen all now! Business owners tend to exhaust their reserves quicker and faster than any other group of people, because they are creative and come up with so many ideas that require attention. The solution is to create reserves in every area. You want to have more than enough so that you are always operating from reserves. When you operate on close to empty you react to every situation in life. With reserves you respond to life. When you respond you're always at choice.
   
   How do you build reserves? Begin by creating new standards of doubling everything, i.e time, money, opportunities, clients, friends, energy, etc. Fill your gas tank when it's on half a tank instead of waiting until it's on empty. Buy two boxes of fax paper versus one. Hold money in separate reserve accounts for new projects. Say "no" more. Stop over promising and begin to under promise. Operating with reserves make you more attractive. People will gravitate to you and seek you out to do business. With reserves comes fewer errors, space to create the future, time to do complete work and the ability to maintain integrity.
   
   
5. Work "On" Your Business Instead of "In" it.
   
   Insightful business owner's are wise not to work "IN" their business, but know that real money and success come from working "ON" their business. When you work "IN" your business you think like an employee, do tasks that you can do that others should be doing, and work really hard. When you work "ON" your business, you orchestrate the work of others, you step back daily to get a helicopter view of where you're heading and plan your business for long term growth.
   
   It's very easy for new business owners to get engrossed and consumed with their business. While it's important to understand how to run and operate your business it is equally important to stop and set up structures and systems so that anyone can do the job the same way. You're probably worth more than your making. Why charge what you think you are worth. Charge what others are charging. What other products and services can you market to your existing client's? Stop chasing, selling and promoting your business and begin to effortlessly attract . The key here is to have an extremely profitable business. Question all your expenses. Leverage your ability to improve the financial bottom line, make money, add more value to your customers, and increase productivity. The key is to have money instead of money having you. Remember the mission and forget the commission.
   
   
6. Get Rid of All the Stuff in the Way
   
   Eliminate the distractions of problems, incompletions and tolerations and increase productivity. Everything you tolerate claims a piece of your creative and physical energy. Tolerations drain you of the resources required for a successful business. " Getting rid of my tolerations was the most freeing thing I've ever done. I never realized how much energy was being drained from tolerations. Everyday I walked in and got annoyed at my messy desk. Now my desk is organized, I have more energy to use on more important things, like growing my business." Says Mike Schneider, president of Ki Sales.
   
   What are incompletes and tolerations? The piles you have in your office, projects you plan to start, unfilled tax receipts or forms, unread magazines, legal matters, the dent on your car, conversations you need to have, etc. Set up a plan to resolve tolerations and structure a way to eliminate them permanently. How? Identify and eliminate the cause of your tolerations, so they don't come up again. "I constantly look for ways to make my life easier. When issues comes up I don't just look to resolve them, I look for solutions so the problems never resurface." Says Pete Fioretti, president of Mountain Funding.
   
   
7. Discover Your Strengths and Orient Your Business Around Them.
   
   What are your strengths? Unfortunately we learn as children to get good at the things we are not good at. For instance, if you had a natural talent in art and failed in math, your parents would hire you a math tutor instead of an art teacher to embellish your innate strengths. When you spend your life trying to get good at things that don't come naturally to you, mediocrity is at best what you can expect. The secret key to effortless success is to identify your strengths and talents and do only those things.
   
   Jan Guarino, president of Guarino Graphics was struggling with her growing business. She spent her time wearing every hat in her company. By the end of the month profits were not growing. She finally stopped doing what she didn't enjoy. She delegated the administration, and took control of graphic design and sales, and her company profits more than doubled.
   
   If you are not certain what your gifts are, it may be difficult to discover it yourself. How do you discover your strengths? Ask five people that know you well what they believe your gifts are. In that dialogue with them you'll discover it.

Are You a Coaching Candidate?

1. Do you spend your day putting out fires?
   
   
2. Do you have any concerns about your business running at maximum profitability?
   
   
3. Do you run your business on the edge?
   
   
4. Do the same problems continually resurface?
   
   
5. Do you have difficulty finding someone you trust who can give you an objective viewpoint and bounce ideas off of?
   
   
6. Is your business running you ?
   
   
7. Do you find that you are unable to make the most of all the opportunities in your life?
   
   
8. Do you experience roller coaster highs and lows in your business?
   
   
9. Do you have a lone ranger lifestyle?
   
   
10. Do you allow your goals and purpose to get sidetracked?
    
    
11. Do you lack having a clear, measurable action plan to fulfill your goals?
    
    
12. Do you lack structure?
    
    
13. Do you lack inner fulfillment?
    
    
14. Do you spend most of your day working "in" your business instead of "on" it?
    
    
15. Are you a workaholic?
    
    
16. Are you experiencing a lack of balance in your life and business?
    
    
17. Are you committed to growing yourself and your company?
    
    
18. Are you coachable? (Are you willing to hear and act on another's person's viewpoint?)
    
    
19. Do you lack a clear financial plan for your future?
    
    
20. Are you willing to be truthful and restore your integrity?

* If you answered yes to more than three of these questions you can benefit from a coach.

Nancy M. Powers is a professional success coach, writer, and captivating keynote speaker who leads seminars on personal development and communications. She specializes in coaching CEO's, Entrepreneurs and small business owners to achieve tangible results. Nancy provides the tools, structure, accountability and support you'll need every step of the way towards your success. Discover for yourself how you can have a coach with a money back guarantee (305) 653-8833. http://www.NancyPowers.com - Or you can E-mail her at: [email protected]