From Cave to Squillionaire

April 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

How do you start out in a cave and become a Squillionaire?

When I was in the U.K. in July, what really stunned me was not Big Ben or Buckingham Palace, it was The Cavern.

That famous, slightly grubby little pub where the Beatles got their start.

(Who are the Beatles?  They’re an ancient mid-20th century rock group who started global riots just by picking up their guitars.)

Amazing to think that a multi-billion dollar enterprise got its start in such a  small place…

Come to think of it.. Don’t we all start out there?

Didn’t Zappos start out in an attic?

Didn’t Microsoft start out in a garage?

So what I’d like to give you, are 3 tips that may not lead you to a billion-dollar enterprise…

but that will get you to see that where you are now, is just an inkling of where you are going to go.

Want to know what they are?

1. Know how to quit.

What?!

If you’ve built a website and a business idea that you can’t leverage,  you will never have a business, you’ll have a job.

Know when and how to throw out all your favorite ideas and start anew – with a business model that will give you the freedom you really seek.

2. Stand Out. 

If people don’t get you, they won’t hire you.  They’ll go for “a specialist.”  That could have been you.

Stand for something.  Stand up for your opinions.  Stand apart from your crowd.

Stand in front of your market.

Stop hiding behind your expertise.

Your future clients are waiting for you to SHOW UP!  Loud and clear.

(Hint:  You may not know you’re not standing out.  Get a trusted friend to tell you.)

3.  Choose your affections.

You may love client work.  That’s great.

Do you love it more than personal freedom, time off, and a cushioned income?

If you are willing to re-think your entire way of working, you can have a business that’s five times the size you have now.  But you don’t have to.

If you really love the sweat and hours of 1-1 client work and don’t want to leverage your business, that’s great.

If you’d like more personal freedom, time off, and a cushioned income, you may have to let go of your love for 1-1 work.

It’s a matter of choosing your affections.

Wisely.

Til next time,

Ann

Filed Under: Numbers

Did you Burn that 100 Dollar Bill?

April 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

You didn’t, did you?

Of course not.

Yet how much extra time do you give clients?

Spend on Facebook?

“Tackle that email” first, instead of your VIP project?

If you answered yes, you’re burning up $100 bills every day.

Last time we talked about being in business to be liked.

As long as you have a business mentor who keeps you on track – you’ll be OK.

If you don’t, here are 5 more tools that will help you stay liked and stay solvent.

1.  Raise your Rates.  You don’t have to tell me how much you’re charging.  I know it’s not enough. Practice saying the new rate out loud, to friends, until your voice doesn’t wobble. A colleague was in a $10K sales mastermind in Spain.  You know what they told him? “If they don’t throw you out of the office, you’re not asking enough.”

1A.  You know why the gurus charge $22K an hour? Protection. If they didn’t, they’d be mobbed. Good fences make good neighbors. The right rates keep you prosperous, and bring the right people.

2. Don’t mistake business for friendship. In these days of “relationship marketing.” It’s easy to make that mistake. Especially for women. Joanne, a coach, realized she was treating all her clients like houseguests, catering to their every need. When she realized she’d rather be respected first, and “liked” second, she eventually had a whole new business. Spell out exactly what you will do in your contract, and have a phrase ready for every boundary you set. Keep it in the THIRD PERSON. “There are 2 sessions per month and one group call.  There is no roll-over.” “The fee is $1,200 a month.” Not “my fee” but “the fee”. “It’s 10 minutes to the hour. Time to recap.”

3. Protect Yourself. Clients don’t mean to be grabby.  They’ll just take what you’ll give. Remember Carol King? “They’ll take your soul if you let them. So don’t you let them.”

4.  Create excellent packages with mouth-watering names so people clearly know how to work with you. If you are hiding behind unclear or unappealing packages, you are hiding. Stand out.  Name those packages. Make future clients feel comfortable and welcome.

5.  You have too many things on your to-do list and no time to build your business. I am quoting Eben Pagen, whom I admire, when I say that it’s not time management you need, it’s Energy Management. You are giving your all to the trivial stuff. It’s maddening. Take your laptop to a café to work on your most important project – the one that will bring you more business. Dis-able your email and turn off your phone. You know how good it feels when you throw out 10 lbs. of old files? Amazing, right? That’s how you need to feel – every day. That’s when your business will soar. That’s Energy Management.

Once again, you can have a good time, you can have wonderful clients, and you can make a lot of money.

There’s a light at the end of your tunnel.

And…

2 spots just opened up in the Private Fast Track Program for entrepreneurs who want to reach that light this year.   Contact me if you know that’s you.

Filed Under: Branding, Numbers

Want the Real Secrets of a Super Star? Ask Will Smith

April 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Years ago, Will Smith was doing OK as a rising TV star and movie actor.

But he was dead clear about his goal: he wanted to be the biggest movie star in the world.

So he and his manager studied the 10 top-grossing movies of all time.

10 out of 10 had special effects. 9 out of 10 had special effects with creatures. 8 out of 10 had special effects with creatures and a love story.

They found the sweet spot in the market.

So they found a special effects script with creatures and a love story.

Matthew Perry dropped out of “Independence Day” at the last minute, and Smith was in.

It was the highest grossing movie of 1996.

“Men in Black” didn’t do too badly either.

By age 44, Will Smith had accrued $4.4 Billion in box office receipts.

What does this mean for you?

Will Smith’s success is no accident.  He studied the market and made it happen.

Will Smith, and it might surprise you, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger plotted their rise to the top.

If you want to go from where you are to the top of your field, take this little test:

  • Have you actually studied your rise to the top?
  • Do you have a juicy, mouth-watering vision, in living color, of what life will be like when you get there?
  • Do you know what the sweet spot is in your market?
  • Do you know what your market craves and can’t get enough of?
  • Do you what draws people to you and makes them want you, you, you?
  • Do you know how to create that? Think Will Smith.  Bruce Willis.  Tom Cruise. Their star power is not an “accident of birth.” Smith studied every actor, like Don Cheadle,who came on “Fresh Prince” to learn the secrets of what made them good.
  • Do you study the stars in your market to see what makes them stand out?
  • Do you know how your market sees you now?
  • Do you know how to reposition yourself for amazing success?
  • Do you have a mentor who can take you there?

And by the way, you need that juicy, mouth-watering vision from the top right now.

Research proves that without a crystal clear picture of your success, you’ll never believe you can get there.

So you won’t have the motivation to get going.

So you stay where you are.

Success is not fairy dust.

It’s more than hard work.

It’s a series of deliberate, planned, calculated, shrewd moves.

If you answered “yes” to 8 out of 10 questions…

World – Stand back!

You’re on your way.

And..

There’s 1 spot left in the Private Profit Accelerator Program for entrepreneurs who are hell-bent on reaching the top.

And finally making the money and enjoying the freedom they’ve dreamed of.

If this is you, and you’ve got butterflies just thinking about it — Good sign.

Send a quick email to [email protected] with “Ann, I’m interested” in the subject line.

I’ll send you a one-page application so we can see if you’re a good fit for this high-octane ride.

Filed Under: Marketing, Numbers