We often hear the term “ignite your passion” or “fuel the fires”. As a business owner, determining what fuel it is that ignites your passions and fuels your business to thrive is a key goal in your success. For myself, my fuel is my children.

Three years ago, while on a parental leave, I realized that I was tired of my children not getting off the bus to my face each night. By the time I would get home from work and pick them up at daycare it left very little time for homework and family time before it was time to be thinking of putting them to bed. I began to do some research into stay at home careers and the rest is, as they say, history.

Every time I struggle within my business I simply remind myself why it is that I started my business and why I am doing what I am doing … this alone gives me the strength to conquer any obstacle. I know that my children will reap the benefits of having me home with them each and every day.

The next time that you are feeling overwhelmed or feeling frustrated as a business owner I invite you to look to your fuel and remember why it is that you are in business!!

Well … I am back from a much needed vacation, only problem is that as a small business owner when no one is “watching” out for you the workload that one returns to is quite large!! However, I think I am finally seeing the other side of things.

Today at my BNI meeting, the Business Coach that is a member talked about the importance of having a target market and a niche and I couldn’t agree more. During my vacation I took the time to really review my business, my goals and my plans. I realized that it was time to make a few changes which I am going to implement.

Although vacations are meant as a period of rest, they can be used as something quite different too … a period of reflection. Keep in mind that a vacation or period of rest can be whatever you make it even if it is just a day off, a weekend off or a few hours to recharge your batteries and reflect.

So next time you are feeling close to “burnout” take some time to yourself and reflect … you will be amazed at the results!!

Well … I must admit that I haven’t been keeping up with my blog as much as I would have liked and a lot of that has to do with needing a break from it all … since starting my business nearly 2 years ago, I have yet to take a break … so this week I am taking a much needed break from it all.

So my tip for today, Manic Monday, is that no matter how much you think you could never take some time off, your business is likely to benefit from you taking a much needed break. Your business will benefit from you taking the rest you need and a chance to “get away from it all”.

So, this week that is what I am doing and I will return next week with a rejuvenation and excitement that I know that I have been lacking for a few months now. I am using this vacation to recharge my batteries and I know that my clients, my colleagues and my business will benefit from this short break!!

Until next week, Enjoy!! (I know I will)

How do you get anywhere new without utilizing a map or asking for directions? Do you just pile the kids in the car and hope that by driving around aimlessly for hours you will eventually find the place? If you didn’t have such things as the address and a general vicinity it would make your job even harder. Similarly how can you have a successful day without mapping out where you need to go?

Like the map which provides directions, so too does a daily task list (or to do list, if you rather) provide you a direction for your day. The tasks that you list are small tools that help you to make sure that you stay on the road to success. I guarantee you that if you take the time to write out your list daily of all the things you need to accomplish you will be on the track to having a successful and thriving business.

Better yet, why not prepare your task list the night before? That’s right … This is when you are likely best to remember all the things you need to do the next day that were not accomplished in a particular day. Then it is easier for you in the morning to just jump right in and get a great start to your day.

For myself and my business, I take the time each and every night to map out what I need to accomplish the next day so that nothing is ever forgotten. I have found for myself because I do have a busy business, that by setting this out each day I am more productive and I no longer feel lost!!

Good luck!!

Today I am most thankful for my Business Advisor and my local Small Business Centre.

When I started my business I did so with the assistance of a program called the SEB program (Self - Employment Benefit). The biggest part of this program was to get the participants to think “outside of the box”. We were all expected to create a business plan that would show that our business idea was plausible and would be a profitable venture for us. I was so proud of my business plan when I handed it in, but that all changed the minute that my advisor reviewed it and sent it back to me with his comments …

In particular, my business advisor told me that my business plan was solid and would make a successful “JOB”, but he wanted to know what I was going to do to make it a thriving Business? I was really setback by this and offended. In my opinion this was a business … if I wanted a job then I would go get a job from someone else. So I challenged his comments and I can tell you that this was the best thing that I ever did.

His comment was that there was absolutely nothing wrong with what I had handed in, but from just speaking to me he could tell that I would never settle for having a Virtual Assistant business that would peak at 120 billable hours per month and never take that next step. What he wanted to see from me was that “next step” … what was I going to do to make this a really thriving and booming business? That he said is what would set me aside from all the other Virtual Assistants.

So, that’s what I did, I set out to be more … I set out to grow my business into something that no other Virtual Assistant had done … I had (and still have) big dreams for my business and I am so thankful to my business advisor for that push.

My challenge to you is this … what are you doing to make your business stand out, reach the next level and become the thriving business it can be? What are you doing to revolutionize your business?

“What’s in it for me?” The answer to this question may just be the key to having a truly successful and thriving business. If you can answer this question on behalf of your ideal client and market with that answer in mind, you will have creating a thriving business all figured out. Easy isn’t it? Well it should be easy once you figure out why that answer is crucial to taking your business to the next level.

When your ideal client is trying to decide whether to buy from you or not, it all boils down to selfishness. If you cannot fulfill a need, want or desire they need filled then they will definitely not purchase from you … it’s as simple as that. So the solution to creating a thriving business is to first determine what that need, want or desire is and then fulfill it. Gearing the marketing of your product or service to fulfill that need, want or desire will ensure the success of your product or service.

So what need, want or desire does your product or service provide for? I know that each of us thinks that people cannot live without our product or service, but that just is not true. People are living right now without it and living just fine … but it is up to you to change that. You need to make your target client realize that they cannot live another day without purchasing from you.

Many people make the mistake of marketing with features and advantages in mind as opposed to the benefits (whether real or perceived). Look to your marketing campaigns, past and present. Did you tell people all about the great things that your product or service did? If you answered yes then this could be why your marketing campaigns are not working. Here are some examples of marketing based on features and advantages:

- “Our fabulous blue felt-tip pens have easy grip handles”

- “These super duper shovels are curved for painless lifting”

- “Virtual Assistants handle your administrative tasks remotely”

Benefits answer the pain that you will solve, the problem that you will fix and the desire you will fulfill by purchasing your product or service. It is the benefits that will truly answer the questions “What’s in it for me?”, “Why should I care?” or “Why is your product/service better than your competition’s?”

- “Write for hours with our easy grip fabulous blue felt-tip pens that reduce writer’s cramp”

- “Stop throwing out your back by utilizing the super duper shovel”

- “Gain six extra weeks each year by partnering with a Virtual Assistant, ask us how”

Once you start marketing with the benefits in mind, remembering your client’s buy because of their selfish needs, wants and desires and remember to answer your client’s questions “What’s in it for me?”, “Why should I care?” and “Why is your product/service better than your competition’s?” you will start seeing improved results in your business and be well on the road to creating a thriving business.

Every business has a story. Afterall that is what sets each business apart and makes them unique. You can look at any two businesses and they will never have the same story. Your business story tells others about what your business looks like, why you do the things you do and how. It tells others all the important things so that they can truly understand your business as you do.

When we start our business, we have this vision in our head. We know what we want to do, how we are going to do it and why. Some take the time to write out a business plan, while others jump in with both feet figuring that they will “wing it” as they go. We spend a lot of time as business owners reading about the importance of business planning and many financiers and investors would never give you money without being able to see a solid business plan. So, if you took the time to write this plan when you started your business, have you ever taken it farther? Do you update your plan as your business changes? Have you written out your policies, your procedures, your BUSINESS STORY?

Your business story should be written in such a format that anyone can read it and step into your shoes. They should know your purpose and your vision, together with the steps necessary to achieve that vision. Here are five key ingredients to include in your business story:

1. Description of your target market, your niche and the products or services you provide and why. Let the reader get a feel for exactly what your clients look like, act like and desire and what products or services you deliver to fulfill their needs and desires.
2. Your visions, goals, hopes and dreams for the future; the exact steps you hope to take your business in to achieve these dreams.
3. The policies you have put into place to protect your clients, your products and services and most importantly your business reputation.
4. The procedures you follow each day to achieve those successes including all the behind the scenes tasks, your sales process and your formula for creating the top notch products and services you provide.
5. Your no-fault, absolute, make everything better, disaster recovery plan, a.k.a. your contingency plans. Those things that you will put into place to make sure that anytime there is a “hiccup” in your business it will go unnoticed by your clients.

Creating your business story is easy you just have to look within your heart and your head and it will almost write itself. Now you just have to set aside the time to write it out. This is important and you won’t realize how important until one day you face that obstacle and say “If only I had written my story!!”