6 Habits of a Successful Entrepreneur

New to entrepreneurship?  Considering starting your own small business?  Want to have multiple income streams?  Already have your own business, but want to breath new life into it?

Perfect!  I'm here for you, with a positive message to get you started!

There is a belief that the truly financially successful, reached this level by stepping on others.  I don't believe this is entirely true -- at least it doesn't have to be.

I know several serious, laser-beam, focused entrepreneurs who take no prisoners when it comes to business.  They're great at what they do, but when they walk into that "boardroom", all traces of humanity is checked at the door.  This is a major flaw in their plan, considering the success of their business rests  primarily upon human interaction.

Sure, when growing your business, it's important to have some of the usual strategies in place, to achieve high profits, but there has to be a balance in all things.  Being of service to others should be woven into your Core Values -- the "swipes" will follow.

Incorporating these tips (most of which are free and take little effort) into your business model can only help add to your bottom line.

1.  Keep a positive attitude
Being positive helps reduce stress, allows you to think clearly, reduces the on-set of wrinkles, and keeps you from quickly growing old.  Negative thinking (a.k.a. "stinking thinking") is counter productive, doesn't pay, makes life miserable, and will show in your work.  Choose to be positive even when it's difficult; smile and eventually you'll feel lighter on the heaviest, darkest of days.  This carries over to your customers which will make them want to continue to come back.  Get into it.

2.  Do what you love

It's easier to be happy, AND positive when you're doing what you are passionate about.

3.  Be kind
It's free to give a smile, and be empathetic to others.  Often, when business gets slow, and life gets low, we can get a bit discouraged, or extra involved with trying to analyze what, or why things are going wrong.   When we take a moment to step outside of our own problems to care about and help someone, it makes us AND them feel good.  That good energy has a boomerang effect; it comes back triple-fold.

4.  When in doubt, Be Still
Be still and know that I Am God.  Take comfort in letting go, and resting in God to provide.  Taking a moment to breath, and truly asking Him to give you what you need; it could be that you need a clear vision of your next steps.   Whatever it is, be specific in your request, let it go, and move on...in fact go have some fun and think about other things, then follow through with your next task(s) in the morning.

5.  Always study your craft
Stay up to date on what's new and trendy in your industry.  Things evolve regularly, so remaining abreast of changes keeps you an expert and an authority in your field.

6.  Be consistent
There are a lot of options, but giving up is not one of them.  It may be challenging, but if you're doing what you enjoy, it's a labor of love.  If you lose interest and find that you really don't enjoy the journey in your current niche, switch gears and try something else.  Whatever you do, stay at it.  Putting one foot in front of the other = forward movement.  As long as you're doing that, you're getting closer and closer to your goal.  You got this!

Remember to keep it authentic, and human. Stay on top of what's new in your niche or craft, and keep a positive attitude.

by T. James-Sykes

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5 Ways to Take Control of Your Life

Feel like you're in a rut, and that you should be doing something more with yourself...for your life?  Are you bored with the day to day routine of wake up, go to work, come home, and watch TV, only to start the cycle over again the next day?  Many of us have been there!  This means it's time to jump off the merry-go-round, and take back control of your life.  Get pep in your step, and reinvent yourself!  

These great tips were gathered from three experts, to help you start your journey to a new, fulfilled life!

Strengthen Your Weaknesses
According to Brenda Della Casa, Founder of Badass Living, Author of Cinderella Was a Liar, and blogger for Huffington Post and YourTango, "No one gets to adulthood without having packed a few bags and “issues” are usually traumas, fears and misconceptions that need to be addressed and sorted out. You could just continue to allow these things to impact your life, job and relationships negatively or you can choose to take a proactive approach. If you are finding that you’re needing a bit of help navigating through a situation, don’t be ashamed to reach out to a professional for a little help. A lot of people face depression, anxiety or just have a lot going on and don’t know how to handle it and find that talking to someone really helps them move through it. Doctors are doctors for a reason."

Brenda also suggests to:

Take Relationship Inventory
She says: "There is a saying that you become like the five people you hang out with most.  Think about the people in your life who get most of your time and attention.  How do they make you feel? How do they support you? Do you feel you can trust them? Count on them? If you have people in your life who bring you down (or worse, push you down) it’s time to do a bit of summer cleaning. Life is hard enough without having to deal with those who don’t have your best interests at heart."

This one reminds me a lot of the first tip: "disassociate from, and avoid negative people", in my previous article on 5 Secrets to Living a Happy and Stress-Free Life.  

Read more of Brenda's article here.

Learn How to Say "No"
Kathy Caprino, Women's Career Coach and Leadership Trainer at Ellia Communcations, author of

Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpos

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 and Forbes Contributor, draws examples to share her advise on how to take control of your life: "Ann Vitale spent the better part of three decades saying yes to every request made of her. Lead a club, chair a board, join an organization—when anyone asked a favor, she always said yes. 'The trouble is, many times when you assume the mantle people expect you will continue to wear it year after year.' When she retired, she decided she would do all the things she had always wanted to do for herself. She thought about the things she had saved for later, for “as soon as…” But the requests didn’t stop. Until one day she had a revelation: 'I’d just said ‘No’ with no explanation. …Just ‘No.’ And surprisingly, I didn’t feel guilty about it.' Now Ann says 'yes' to herself. Yes to relaxing, yes to writing, yes to tending her flowerbed. And sometimes she still says yes to the favors, too, but only when she really wants to."

Be disciplined about your "me" Time
"Five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday, Rebecca Hill dedicates all of her time and attention to her customers. Whether it’s sculpting someone’s arms or the perfect vacation, her two jobs—as a fitness instructor and a combination innkeeper and concierge—keep her on her toes. Sundays are devoted to 'pajama day' with her husband. And then on Mondays Rebecca takes time to pamper her most important customer: herself. Mondays are her 'My-days,' and she makes sure she spends them doing things that make her feel great. My-days give Rebecca the positive boost and recharge she needs to approach the rest of the week with the energy and enthusiasm."  Read more of Kathy's article here.

Shift Your Brilliance
In a Success.com article, Simon T. Bailey, CEO of Simon T. Bailey International, and author of Shift Your Brilliance; Harness the Power of You, INC., tells us "When I discovered the simple truth that I exist at this period in history to do one particular thing—to inspire, instill and infuse hope in other human beings—I stopped attempting to be like everyone else and decided to shift my thinking. I quit trying to find my way by mimicking others, and that’s when I found myself. I had lost me for a moment because I thought I had to say everything just right to make others like me because that’s what the experts said. They were wrong."  Learn more about what Simon says in this article.

Because life's short, the best time to start is NOW.  Even if a bit at a time, any step forward is towards your end goal.  Just be sure to enjoy the journey!

Thanks for reading. BeUtiful!

T. James-Sykes

  

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Start Your Path to Success: 8 Important Questions to Ask Yourself & End the Pity Party

Wondering where I went wrong in life, I cry uncontrollably, hoping that when I'm done, I will have clarity about which road I should travel next.

See, the plan was to live a freedom-filled, successful life, fit for a creative.  I saw myself as a humble, jet-setting hippie who lived in a gorgeous loft, answered to no one, but loved everyone.

By young adulthood, my dream shifted.  I would be retired by age 35, being successful enough to sustain my creative lifestyle.  Freedom, Success, Creative, Life; what a dream!

Anyway, 10 years behind on this goal, I felt like a complete failure.  Although, I did all that was expected of me -- I played by the rules, I was good, went to college, stayed out of trouble, got employment, bought a house, payed my taxes....  I knew something was missing.


Were there things I could have done differently?  I'm sure.  I can list several reasons why my dream didn't come true, as I'd "planned", but in efforts to climb out of the hole of self-pity, I brainstorm.  When all has seemed to fail, that's what you do; go back to the drawing board and re-strategize.

I ask myself:

What do I love to do?
What do I love?
Of these things, what gives me the most fulfillment?
Of these things, what comes easiest?
Of these things, which costs the least to scale into a business?
How soon am I willing to get started?
Am I ready to be focused and consistent?
What do I hope to get out of this?

If this is you, what easy, yet hard questions have you asked yourself?  They may be similar, or entirely different depending on your struggles, ambitions, and the stage life has you ON.  If you have not yet started this process, now is the time.

It took me three days to get out of my slump, with each day getting better and better.  I needed that time to whine, cry, be a complete "bum" (it truly was a site), and to simply regroup.  It's okay to allow yourself to wallow, veg out, and fall to your knees.  Go ahead and let it out (and pray while doing so) -- give yourself that moment, then quickly get up, brush off, and get your LIFE.  You got this!

In the grand scheme of things, it's not that critical; quite silly really.  All will improve as you put one foot in front of the other.  Big or small, steps going FORWARD is the move you make toward your ultimate destination.   At the risk of sounding like a Nike ad, just DO it.

Oh, and remember to be kind to others.

Thanks for reading.


T. James-Sykes

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Capitalize on Your Gifts & Define Your Own Success (Entrepreneurship) - What Experts Don't Want You to Know

Do you have a passion to do something outside of your normal 9 to 5, but are afraid to go for it? Have you kept your talents locked away, because you don’t think others will find them important or “worthy”?  If so, you might find refuge in this little food for thought.

Gone are the days of measuring success solely by the position you hold, or the value of your liquid assets, and the “stuff” you’ve accumulated.

I define success as OPTIONS.  The amount of options we create for ourselves, the more successful we are.  This, in part, involves dusting off those hidden talents (most of us have a multitude of skills to draw from).  Or, learning something new!  Capitalize on your gifts, with multiple income streams, and feed your soul by doing what you're passionate about. 

The downward shift in the economy, along with the internet, has leveled the playing field more than ever.  Where else can you take a course, sell products, teach an online class, publish an eBook, get business cards, and advertise -- all with a starting fee of FREE? 

I'm not saying you have to quit your 9 to 5.  Use it, along with the multiple income streams that your talent and passion will generate to add to your OPTIONS "bank".  The many hats you wear with starting, and managing your small businesse(s) will add more gusto to your resume; you will have single handedly given yourself a promotion = more OPTIONS.  

Thanks for reading, and as always, stay Be U tiful!

By T. James-Sykes

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