One of the biggest questions I see on message boards and hear from new business owners is “How do I get clients?” Many have the opinion when first starting their business that the clients will just be “chomping at the bit” waiting to purchase from them. However, running a business is not as easy as “Build it and they will come”. You must work at attracting your ideal client and the easiest way to do that is by developing your niche in the marketplace.

Simply put a niche is what attracts your ideal client to you. A niche is what makes you “stand out” from your competition … it is the one thing that allows others to determine that working with you, over your competitors, is in their best interest. A niche can be defined by a particular client, a particular service or a particular geographical area that you service. It is the target that you are striving to reach.

Imagine the array of potential clients to your business as a dart board. Your niche is the bulls-eye in the centre of the board. Just as throwing a dart and hitting the “bulls-eye” earns you the most points in a game of darts, by hitting the niche “bulls-eye” you earn the greatest return for your time and investment.

Although, in the game of darts you collect the most points by hitting the bulls-eye, you can also collect points for hitting others around the dart board. The same holds true in business, just because you have your niche (or bulls-eye) doesn’t mean you can’t earn “points” from others. The bulls-eye is simply something to aim at. When you choose a niche to aim at, I am sure you will see your business begin to grow and thrive.

The second thing to keep in mind with a niche is that it must be very clearly defined. Your niche needs to be able to know you are looking for them and you do this by allowing them to identify with you and your business. Here are just a few ways to define your niche:

Your Wording
Have you clearly defined your niche and given someone the opportunity to find you? Don’t be afraid on your website or in your marketing materials to spell it out for them in very clear words. “Our ideal client is ….”, “We specialize in ….”, etc.

Your Brand
Does your brand appeal to your niche? What images will your brand conjure among your niche? Remember that your brand extends into such things as your logo, the colors you utilize in your business, your business name, your tagline, etc.

Your Pitch
When you are talking to others and “pitching” your business are you clear with others just what it is that you are looking for and what it is that you provide?”

Finally, remember the most important reason for choosing a niche market is to allow yourself to become an expert within that niche. In business, failure will surely come to those that try to be everything to everyone. Once you choose a niche and make it your goal to be the best that niche has to offer, a true expert in your niche, your business will not only flourish and grow, but it will thrive!!

It truly is amazing, when you think about it, just how important the lessons we learned as children were. Even daily as I go through my business I remember these lessons and apply them to my business:

1. Don’t forget to say thank you. I always try to thank my client’s for their business and I also thank potential clients for the opportunity to tell them about my business. I think it is important to let others know that you truly value them and the opportunities they have presented to you.
2. Always be polite. Rudeness gets us no where in life and it certainly doesn’t get us anywhere in business. Having a cheerful and polite attitude on the phone, in person and even in our written word is key to our business. Afterall rude people and poor behaviors are not going to keep people coming back.
3. Stay away from bullies. Even in business there are those that try to “bully” us and get us to do things we wouldn’t normally do. If you have a client (or potential client) that makes you unhappy about your business or asks you to do things you are uncomfortable with, don’t be afraid to walk away.
4. Always give it your best effort. Any job doing is worth doing well … if you remember this golden rule, you can’t go wrong. When businesses fail it is usually because they have not put everything they have into it. They have a substandard product or service or the owners just simply do not put forth all the effort it takes to have a successful business.
5. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Remember your Mom telling you to “just try it you might like it”, well the same holds true in any thriving business. When your business becomes stale it is hard to keep your existing clients and attract new ones. Don’t ever be afraid to try a new marketing idea, try a new service, learn a new skill or “go out on a limb”. Keeping your business exciting and fresh is just what you need to be a success.
6. Be leery of strangers. Obviously we can’t say “Don’t talk to stranger” because most of our business growth has taken place from meeting new people and experiencing new situations. However, if your gut says that something doesn’t quite feel right, go with your gut. Unfortunately there are some out there that are just wanting to take advantage of you so don’t ever be afraid to ask for references, meet in public places and think twice before “saying too much”. Otherwise you might just find yourself with a less than desirable client, a competitor that has stolen your idea or a situation that is very uncomfortable.
7. Treat others as you would want to be treated. This golden rule is so important in business. Sometimes it is so hard to remember when others treat us with disrespect, but you will get so much farther in business by remembering that no matter what others do to you, treat them as you would want to be treated. Your mother (and you, yourself) will be proud of you.
8. Speak clearly when spoken to. Not only is it important that you speak clearly and confidently rather than mumbling or speaking so others can’t hear you, it is important that you are very, very clear in just what it is you and your product or service will and will not do. Do not ever leave people without knowing just what it is you do and/or do not do. If you want them to use your services or buy your products it is important that they clearly understand what you are offering.
9. Always admit your mistakes. The best business owners and most successful, are never afraid to say “oops” and more importantly never forget to fix things for their clients. Trying to hide your mistakes will only make things worse, I guarantee it.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even though it often feels, as a business owner, that you are “going it alone”, don’t ever be afraid to ask others for help. There are business experts and personal cheerleaders and supporters out there just waiting for you to ask.

When you truly take a minute to think about it, the basis for everything in our life started when we were children. Don’t ever be afraid to look to those centers of influence in your childhood (whether Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent, Teacher, etc.) for their thoughts on a situation because as you can see, they have truly taught you the basics of “everything” you know!!

Many of us have gone into business to allow us more time to spend with our children, but do you involve them in your business with you? Even when you have young children getting them involved can lessen some of the stress of trying to balance home and work.

The simplest way to involve your children is to explain to them in age appropriate terms exactly what it is that you do. As your children grow teach them a little more of what you are doing and involve them in little aspects of your business. As your children begin to understand what it is that you do and more importantly why you do it, you will see their respect for your business will increase.

For my business, it was important that my children (6 and 9) said more than “my mom plays on her computer all day” when asked what I did. My son will proudly tell others “my Mom is a Virtual Assistant and helps her clients run their businesses”. He can even answer the question … “A Virtual what?”!! I also, try to get my kids involved by discussing my day at dinner in general terms. I tell them about new projects and clients and about meetings that I have attended. They understand the meaning of running a small business and the sacrifices and rewards that are all a part of keeping me “at home” and available to them.

I am sure that once you take the time to include your children in your business they will gain a new respect for what it is that you are doing and why you have chosen to do that. My children know that if they do not support me and respect my “business time” then I may have to give up my business and get a “job” outside the home. They are not willing to sacrifice the things that being a small business owner has provided to them such as mom being home every night after school.

Just as importantly it will be fundamental that you let them know that family time is important too and you can do this by not focusing on anything but them during family time. Once you begin to get your family involved in your business and a factor in your success, you will be well on your way to creating a truly thriving business and having a true balance of home and work.

The easiest way to be a success and have a thriving business is to …

DO WHAT YOU LOVE!!

It can’t be any simpler than that. Being a business owner (or an employee for that matter) is hard work, but the thing that makes it easier to get through each day is to surround yourself with your passions and those things that make it all worthwhile!!

So for those of you not doing what you love, I simply ask the question “What are you waiting for?”

Well it’s hard to believe, but as of today I have officially been in business for myself for 2 years!!!!! I can’t believe how much I have accomplished in the past two years and it just goes to show that all those things that I am a huge advocate of do work … goal setting, time management, scheduling, believing in yourself and accountability partners (to name a few).

Today I would like to thank those that I feel have helped me the most in getting to where I am today:

My REV family, my CVAN family and my VANA family.

My wonderful, wonderful coaches including Becki and Dale Noles, Heather Jacobson and Chris Papastamos – you all helped me at different times to learn to believe in myself and realize I could meet my dreams.

My family and friends (especially my virtual friends).

My accountability partners Sally and Patty

My VA team – all those subcontractors that have helped me with a project in the past.

My Small Business Advisor, Gord.

and last, but certainly not least, and definitely most importantly my wonderful, wonderful Clients

So with April upon us, this means that the first fiscal quarter of our year is over – time to dust off those goals you set for yourself in the beginning of the year and see how your business is doing. How will you take that information to make the next quarter bigger and better than the first?

For my business, I have again picked up and my business is thriving once again. Problem is that a lot of the projects I wanted to get done while my business was slow just didn’t seem to get finished. Since clients always come first, it leaves one wondering how these projects will be completed now … but wait it is me that we are talking about!!

If you are anything like me, my biggest motivator is being busy. The busier I am the more motivated I am to keep busy. This is where getting help is key and this is the goal I will be working on in the next quarter. I need to arm myself with a great team of supporters that I can trust and depend upon without fail. This will free me to do those projects that I am passionate about. Before the end of this year I want to launch my coaching program and now that I am writing this goal here I am hoping this will give me the last motivator I need to make it happen.

My challenge to you is this … what is your goal for the rest of the year? I dare you to write it here and we can check back at the end of the year to see if you have made it happen.

As a business owner, it is quite easy to fall victim to a “slump”. Each and every business, no matter the product or service, is subject to the ups and downs of the business world. Without a boss standing over your shoulder and without the call of a 9 to 5 punch clock, it is easy to get stuck when your business hits a valley. So what can one do to save yourself from a slump? Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Find a Positive Attitude – it is quite easy to develop a negative attitude when faced with tough times, but the key is to find the “silver lining” and focus on that.
2. Get a Cheerleader – a coach, a business associate, a friend or a family member are all suitable cheerleaders provided they too want to see your business succeed. It is amazing what having someone cheering you on can do for your business
3. Make a Schedule and stick to it – make sure that even if you are slow, you are still spending time on your business on things such as marketing, networking, etc.
4. Review your business plan – see if you are still on track and don’t be afraid to revise your business plan.
5. Check your passion – many times as our businesses grow and evolve, so too do the things that we are passionate about – try to always work doing the things you love … when your business becomes a chore it is hard to find motivation
6. Do some research – find out if trends have changed and if your business will require some changes to turn things around
7. Try a New marketing idea – maybe you just need to reach some clients in places you hadn’t tried before!!
8. Learn a new skill – maybe it is time to educate yourself and update the skills you presently have to service a new client
9. Never, ever give up – the light at the end of the tunnel will surely always come to those who wait it out … the next peak is on it’s way if you can be patient
10. Take a break – sometimes the best thing you can do is to take a short break and recharge your batteries … whether its a vacation or just a day off to relax this can be just the medicine to get you back up and running!!

Remember, the key to any thriving business is to plan for and acknowledge that most businesses do in fact have these ups and downs. Try not to look at any downturn in your business as a personal failure … look at it as a learning tool … find out what caused the downturn and then take steps to ensure that your business is safe from the same turn of events in future.

If you want to have a thriving business, first you must think and act like a thriving business. A great way to do this is with daily affirmations. I always take 5 minutes at the end of the day to review my day and think of three positive things that happened that day. Here are some examples of things you can see as positive:

• I signed a new client
• I met a goal today
• I took much needed time to myself today
• I finished a project I was working on
• I asked for a referral today

Your positive affirmations can be anything no matter how big or small, the important thing is to focus on what is great in your business. Another thing with affirmations is that the more you say them the more you will believe them … so try adding this affirmation to your daily affirmations

I AM A SUCCESS

you will be amazed at what this one little thing will do for your business.

Many colleagues often ask me about blogging and how they can get started. I found this really great article that I wanted to share with you about how to get started with a business blog. I know for myself blogging has become somewhat of an addiction and I thank goodness for Heather that she introduced me to blogging.

Here is a link to the article for you to enjoy:

Blogging for Business: 7 Tips for Getting Started.

Today I am thankful that my colleagues have nominated me for the Janet Jordan Achievement Award. I was notified on Sunday by the IVAD (International Virtual Assistant Day) Committee and was so honored to have been nominated. This international award is given in recognition of a Virtual Assistant that has achieved tremendous success in the Virtual Assistant industry during the first five years of business.

I would also like to say congratulations to all the other nominees as I am aware that the committee will have a tough decision ahead of them. If you would like more information about the Janet Jordan award or about the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention please visit their site.