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Small Business Coaching: Revive Your Profits, Revitalise Your Perspectives, Reinvigorate Your People

Free Teleseminar: Your Business Plan - Doorstopper or Door Opener?

Lisa Murray - Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Would you tattoo 'idiot' across your forehead long before you'd develop a traditional business plan?

Would a 5 page strategic business plan that puts profits in your pocket faster be of more interest?

In this economy, those who are focused will be rewarded.  A short, targeted strategic plan focused on leveraging your business opportunities, your resources and your time will deliver value in excess of 1000 times the few hours it will take to develop!
Is your roadmap for 2009 going in the right direction?  Join us for a free one hour teleseminar on Tuesday 3 March 2009 and discover the 7 secrets to profitable business plans!

Register here NOW.  Limited spaces available.
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Can I help you? ...be a little more optimistic?

Lisa Murray - Monday, February 09, 2009

Image:  Flickr - Joyful Reverie - under Creative Commons licence

 It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul.  Have you really looked at the people around you lately?  Is there anyone that needs your support and encouragement?

One of the most amazing ways to cultivate optimism and hope in your own life is to lend a helping hand to someone else.

    Do you remember the last time someone offered to help you out… gave you some kind words…unexpectedly made a connection for you…?  How did it make you feel?  And, how much pleasure do you get from being able to help others?  

    Aren’t all of those feelings worth way more than spending your time worrying about money, the economy and what's 'wrong' with the world? 

    You can change how you feel daily just by being willing to care, being willing to risk that the person may reject your help, being willing to really look at how others around you are coping…  All of us have special gifts and talents – now is the time to share them!

    Our kindnesses often return to us in unexpected ways - spend your time looking for what you can give, rather than what you can get. You'll receive much more than you expect! 
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Are your economic fears imprisoning you?

Lisa Murray - Monday, February 02, 2009

What is keeping you awake at night?  

    Consider the one biggest fear you have right now.  Work out a simple plan of action that you will undertake should your fear or worst case scenario come true.  Write your plan down and put it away.  Then stop worrying.  Many people focus on weight-loss diets – in my experience a negativity diet will deliver you better quality of life much faster!!

    Your empowerment is right here, in this moment.  It is not in the future.  You cannot live in the future, so focus on now.  Is there anything you can do right now to alleviate the potential for your fear to come true?  If so, get to work!!

    Early in 2009 I set aside one day to write my business plan for the year.  I made it practical, realistic and I tailored it to the market conditions ahead.  By writing this plan out, many of the ‘irrational’ fears I’d been carrying around in my head simply disappeared. I could see where the opportunities were for my business.  I could see what to focus my attention and energy on.  I could see how to best help my clients.  

    Interestingly, more opportunities have arrived for my business in the last month than for the last six months combined!  If you want to thrive in the current environment, you must consolidate your time, energy and resources with clarity and focus.  

    The average Australian spends 2012 hours a year at work. If you’re focused on self-empowerment, you can make that time more meaningful and productive than ever before.  What or who can you build up? Where can you make the biggest difference?
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Money, Power and Empowerment - It's your choice!!

Lisa Murray - Friday, January 30, 2009

Money can’t buy happiness, but the lack of it sure can create misery! Watching the global economic meltdown and the many and varied responses to it over the past few months has started me thinking about how much of our power we give away to money – making it, spending it and losing it!

    The economic bubble has burst because the foundations were not solid – the unprecedented growth we have experienced in recent years has crashed because the underpinnings were lacking – in leadership, integrity and sustainability.  

    Keep stretching a rubber band and it will eventually break.  New structures now need to be built.  As intelligent business owners, we now have a phenomenal opportunity to participate in rebuilding an economy and a society with a different set of values.
For many people, the next twelve months will be a time of consolidation. As a business coach, I see many businesses still doing well, but there are plenty that aren’t. It is time for us to consider where our real power comes from. Do our economic circumstances (and our status symbols) really dictate who we are? Or is the source of our power (and empowerment!) within us?

It is easy to get caught up talking about the doom and gloom, or to feel depressed about what we have lost. It takes a lot more courage to make the decision that our outer circumstances are not going to control the quality of our lives. It takes conscious effort to decide that we are not going to waste our life or lose sleep worrying about the million and one ‘what if’s’ that could happen. It takes a strong sense of our own empowerment to reach out to others and help them through this difficult time.

Each one of us has a caring heart. Each one of us knows others who are doing it tougher than we are. Empowerment comes from within.What choices will you make today?

What is your biggest challenge as a small business owner? Share it in the comments section below. If you need to share more than just a comment, call the Revitalization Experts!
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Does Your Personal Vision Inspire Your Business Vision?

Lisa Murray - Monday, January 26, 2009
CREATE
INSPIRE
PASSION
PURPOSE
 		When was the last time you truly felt like you were alive?  You know, you were zingy with excitement, you could intensely feel your emotions, your mind was surging with ideas, your blood was pumping… you felt energized and unstoppable!  How often do you feel like that?  Everyday?  I suspect not!!
If you are feeling less than inspired, flatter than last year's champagne or devoid of meaningful purpose in your business or life, then this video may offer an inspirational story that will put it all in perspective!

A business vision without a meaningful personal vision can end up being just a set of unconnected goals that take up your time, energy, resources and imagination. To develop a personal vision that empowers you, you could...
+ write your own eulogy
+ meditate on your life's purpose
+ discover your untapped gifts and talents
+ find a way to change the world
+ work with a coach or mentor to develop a meaningful personal vision

Need a new perspective on finding inspiration in your life or business? Call the Resuscitation Experts!

By the way - Happy Australia Day - how will you make the most of the wonderful freedom and opportunities this great country offers this year?


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Business Startup? What's Stopping You?

Lisa Murray - Thursday, January 22, 2009

Recently one of my clients thought that she should get some more education before she launched into her own small business. This is what I call a perceived knowledge or experience barrier. 

    After a lengthy discussion, I persuaded her to forget about becoming more qualified and focus on generating a cash cow that will enable her to choose the most relevant educational qualifications, once she has a successful business. 

    This is why...  The advent of the internet has been hailed as ‘The Information Age’.  Google has become a verb!  If you truly believe that you have a knowledge or experience gap that is stopping you from owning the business of your dreams it’s important to understand that this is not an excuse not to start!! 
Try taking the following steps:

1. Identify in detail ‘the knowledge gap’. Also consider: Is it really a showstopper? Could I start without closing the gap? Are you being a perfectionist? Take some advice from Robert Schuller: “Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.

2. Identify as many ways as possible to ‘close the gap’ – for example: taking a course or seminar, using a coach or mentor, researching the topic online or at your local library, requesting assistance from a relevant government agency, volunteering with an organization that has the knowledge or reading widely on the topic. Of course, you do not have to be the person to ‘close the gap’ – consider outsourcing, consultants, employees, or using your networks to fill in the knowledge/experience gap you have identified.

3. Mind the Gap! Create an action plan for closing your gap, based on the options you identified above. Put timelines to your plan. Identify a reward for yourself for closing the gap. Take Action! Become committed to closing your gaps or choosing to start your business despite the gaps – you’ll get to enjoy the satisfaction of working on your own business much sooner!

What is the biggest knowlede 'gap' you currently face as a small business owner? How has it impacted your business?  What have you done about it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you'd like to find out if the Resuscitation Experts can help you close the gap, contact us for a free 30 minute consultation!  We give our clients access to phenomenal resources!
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20 Ways To Create Your Ideal Business...

Lisa Murray - Tuesday, January 20, 2009

If you know very clearly what your ideal business looks like, chances are that you’ll recognize it when you see it! Think about your ideal life – how would your business fit into that life in a perfect world? Describe your business in detail. How will it work if you are living your perfect life?

Here’s twenty quick questions to consider in the design of your business. Some of these are practical questions, some of them consider your business mindset….

1. Buy or build your own?
2. Staff or no staff?
3. Do or delegate?
4. Indoor or outdoor?
5. Work hard or work smart?
6. Online or bricks & mortar?
7. Lots of people contact or not?
8. Creative or logical?
9. Capital intensive or at-home start-up?
10. Ideas: innovative or copycat?
11. Secure income or new venture?
12. High workload or systems oriented?
13. You: self-employed or chief resource coordinator?
14. Product/Service: fun, meaningful or serious?
15. Work time: flexible or structured?
16. Individuals or teams?
17. Existing customer base or build-up from scratch?
18. Your talents and passions or any business?
19. Automated business or tied to the business?
20. Growth potential or cash-flow now?

For extra insights, you can also clarify ‘why’ you chose the answer you did. Again, patterns will emerge and you will identify a clear direction for your business search. Once you have a clear picture of the business structure and design which will work for you and your ideal lifestyle, start to investigate business opportunities which meet your criteria.

What is your biggest challenge in starting a small business of your own? Share it in the comments section below. If you need to share more than just a comment, call the Start-Up Experts!


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How to Find The Best Business Idea For You!

Lisa Murray - Sunday, January 18, 2009

  Want to start your own business but don't know where to start? Sometimes making the transition from corporate to your own business can feel very confusing. Here's a few tips on deciding what type of business will best suit you!
     
  + Be observant – take a notebook everywhere and jot down business ideas which interest you.
  + Read widely – www.smartcompany.com.au is a great place to start learning about different industries.
  + Go to seminars which offer business opportunities (often as low-cost start-ups).
  + Network with business people – identify their problems and solve them with a new business idea.
  + Talk to business brokers and read small business magazines to identify possible opportunities.

Two important tips:

Firstly, buyer beware – always thoroughly investigate the business opportunity you see in front of you.  Research, research, research!!  Also consider fit: what is it about your expertise, skills, abilities or mindset that can give you a competitive advantage?

Secondly, keep your ideal business firmly in mind. Banish any negative thoughts and work towards making yourself the right person to attract the right opportunity at the right time!  Achievement will come through commitment to your goal.

As James Lane Allen succinctly put it:  “The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart. This you will build your life by, and this you will become.”

Would you like some help in defining your business vision? Talk to a business coach who has been in this exact situation!

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Business Plan or Doorstopper?

Lisa Murray - Friday, January 09, 2009
This week I spent 6 hours and completed my business plan for the year.  Unlike many small business owners, I find this document invaluable (and not as a doorstopper either!!) and here's why:

  • My business plan is less than 5 pages, but provides a comprehensive roadmap of where my business is headed for the year.
  • The key strategy page is posted on my wall and used daily to measure productivity against goals.
  • All new marketing and joint venture opportunities can now be pushed through this 'strategic sieve' to see if they'll bring me closer to or further away from my strategic objectives.
  • It encompasses my business model and highlights key product development opportunities.
  • The monthly results data keeps me firmly focused on profitability and other key measures which will create profitability!
Do you have a business plan that can achieve all this and more for your business?  If not, you may want to consider participating in the Revive Business Coaching hands-on 'Business Planning Workshop'.  Just register your interest on our contact form, including 'Business Plan Workshop' as the topic and I'll be in touch with a date as soon as I can.  It will be a half day Business Planning Workshop in Brisbane towards the end of January or in early February.

I promise you'll leave the workshop with your business plan well underway and you won't need to use it as a doorstopper or dust collector!!

What would it take for your business to be phenomenal in 2009?
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Cutting Expenses? Why Marketing Should NEVER Be Cut!

Lisa Murray - Friday, January 02, 2009

There is extensive research which proves that continuing to invest in marketing and advertising during a recession will make your company more profitable and your customers more likely to choose you!

    + Between 1980 and 1985, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 US companies who were focused on business to business sales. The firms that “maintained or increased their advertising expenditures” during the 1981-1982 recession averaged “significantly higher sales growth” both during the recession and for the following three years. Those which were considered 'aggressive' advertisers averaged a 256% increase in sales in 1985 over those who reduced their advertising!

    + Another US research company, Meldrum & Fewsmith concluded that not only is aggressive advertising the key to higher revenues during a recession, but higher profits as well!

    + The US Strategic Planning Institute has research which proves there is a positive correlation between increased awareness and increased purchase preference.
Convinced yet? Time to focus your attention on marketing!  If you need to brainstorm or finetune your marketing strategy for 2009 call the Revive Marketing Experts!
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