1. Watch the market and spot opportunities. Just be aware of what is going on, not tied to the T.V. Recessions can mean business closings however it also means those with experience and knowledge can build a strong company . People will continue to spend they are just more cautious so knowing your market and do not reduce your prices but ensure you are giving quality for what your clients are paying for and be innovative.

2. Think creatively. You must have your thinking cap on overdrive. Brainstorm with a partner or mentor like crazy! Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” People will stay home more, spend differently so tapping into that with products or services that assist people to do just that will assist the customer. Come up with solutions to detract from the negatives as everyone still loves to be pampered. An example could be, offering home delivery of products or services.

3. Diversify. Think proactively and about abundance not scarcity. Do not cut quality or costs. Competition may fold, however you have an opportunity to fill the gap, step in and be seen and assist your target market.

4.  Take Action. Taking action is key, and being quick and adaptable to change. Launch new products and innovative ideas. You will then be in a strong position when the market turns. Now do not go out and spend extra money to achieve these goals. Think rationally but do take action.

5. Get good value for your money. Look for free or cheap publicity to market your business, be creative on money saving strategies as well for your business. Feel good about your business.

6. Expand & Start new ventures. Recruit the best, expand your business, with grants or government funding. Expanding a business is a wonderful idea, but a really great way to expand without spending excessively is to instead buy client lists. Some competitors are willing to sell, however buying a client list for a competitor is possible.

Think ahead, be smart but take action toward fulfilling your goals and keep a close eye on overheads, staff, and sales. Remember customers needs are still there, and learning how to tap into them can bring golden opportunities.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Feel Free. Simply include this blurb with it: Darcelle Runciman is a Mentor, Author,  Speaker, and CEO of Strategic Biz Builder.  Darcelle coaches entrepreneurs and business owners on understanding their brilliance and how to increase their profits for their companies by taking strategic steps to gain clarity and retain that balance that we all strive for. Darcelle works with groups, through speaking engagements, tele-classes, online products, and Adventure Mentoring Programs. For more information visit www.darcellerunciman.com or  www.strategicbizbuilder.com .

1. Stop Doing, start NOT doing.

Stop with the time wasters. Look at how you spend your time and take off some of the tasks on your list. Remember that 80/20 rule that states 20 percent of your activity produces 80 percent of your results. Once you understand what that 20 percent is that gives you your best results focus on only those.

2. Create boundaries and stick to them!

Our natural time boundaries no longer exist since we allowed computers into our homes. We now work from home, work on the computer, work or “research” while at home… we have lost the balance. Breaching this has led to constant distractions on our attention to the family, and added to our demands. Putting a filter on how we spend our day and sticking to this helps us create healthy boundaries and leads to more focus. Saying no is a big one for women. I once heard that saying “yes” to one thing means you have to say “no” to something else so choose your “yes” wisely. Create boundaries that will help you say no more often and in the end your productivity will rise.

3. Watch & learn.

Learn from the successful and what they do. Success lies in what action that you take with that knowledge that’s important. So learn, read, and understand what action you should take to move your business forward. Then go do it!

4. Focus and be consistent.

Having focus on what you want to achieve and staying on that consistent path will win the race. Consistency will help keep your business on track and you will not get distracted by the shiny coin. Lack of consistency kills progress and adds to stress, so keep taking what I call  “baby steps” towards success and focus on priorities and not lists.

5. Manage your time.

I once heard that it is not about balance but about “harmony”. Managing your time is about having harmony in your life and the best way to have harmony is to love what you do, which in turn gives you energy. Finding your brilliance that I discuss in my business, helps give you energy and allows you to manage all of the items on your priority list.

6. Delegation is Key

Ask for help! Trust and empower others and your staff to give you that support you need. All the great leaders work their brilliance and have others do the rest. It is a win/win when you hire the right people.

7. Take time off!

Valuing your time off is important and again gives us harmony in our life. Meditation gives us that connection with spirit, and allows us to have a free mind to continue on our journey. Allowing our bodies to recharge adds to our mental and physical health. Not taking breaks creates a cluttered mind and does not allow in creativity and effectiveness into our business.

8. Value your family.

Spending quality time with your family helps save those relationships that mean the most to us. Showing them that you care is important, so remember to step away from it all to recharge and show your family that they are important to you. Sometimes our kids just need quality not quantity, so giving them even a few minutes/or hours, helps to create the strength that relationship needs.

Take some time right now to quickly evaluate and examine what is presently happening in your life and business and be gentle with yourself to see what strategies you can work on to create more Harmony in your Inspired Business. The power lies in the action that you take to create that for your business and your life.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Feel Free. Simply include this blurb with it: Darcelle Runciman is a Mentor, Author,  Speaker, and CEO of Strategic Biz Builder.  Darcelle coaches entrepreneurs and business owners on understanding their brilliance and how to increase their profits for their companies by taking strategic steps to gain clarity and retain that balance that we all strive for. Darcelle works with groups, through speaking engagements, tele-classes, online products, and Adventure Mentoring Programs. For more information visit www.darcellerunciman.com or  www.strategicbizbuilder.com .

What I didn’t know was that being an Entrepreneur and small business owner can be tough work! But I was going to find out about that very quickly! So here is the quick version…. Started with a bit of money, got investors, had a vision, had a solid system, build the company with mediocre employees, then learned how to have great employees and really build a team environment. We were the first in the areas we chose and filled a need, took action and advertised like crazy and tried new things. We showed the customer we cared, valued our staff and investors, and had TONS of ups and downs until we got it right! It took many years to build it up to what it was and the biggest hurdle and success was finally selling it and letting it all go.

Now this business after year 2 was making great money, and investors were happy, however there were times when things were tight and economics, unforeseen construction, renovations, staff turnover really caused downturns in the business. Trust me there were many struggles as well as many great opportunities for money to be made. The main problem for my partner and I was that it was something we no longer wanted. We realized that it was not our passion and that the industry had a stigma that would take many more years to change. The industry was being regulated and we were what seemed to always be proving that we were indeed a legitimate company helping people and really valued our integrity and ethics in the business. Our vision was to help people and make money however this was not the business that would complete that for us. So regardless of the financial gain we decided to sell and move on to do it again in what was our individual passions.

So what are the lessons learned that you as a small business owner can take away from all of this? Let’s look at it in a list form for easier learning;

1. I was a small business owner with BIG Thinking!

So let’s look at BIG thinking. I had a vision for what I thought a business should look like and I worked towards putting in place all the right things to make it happen. The right backing, finances, business plan because we were going for financing, and we looked at what the competition doing, who were they serving and where was the need. We had a vision of being a million dollar company right from the start and kept that vision strong in our minds.

        2. I had a Solid Systems.

Then it was onto how would we run the company? How is it to be structured? Should it be a partnership or a corporation? What systems could we use that would ensure that we did not lose our shirts. We looked at what kind of system we could run under and developed a back end database program to track and take care of our clients. We made sure we had a solid policy manual (which was also developed further over the years) that would explain how we wanted the company ran for our employees so that they understood what we were asking of them. Then we ensured we gave solid, consistent training and that each office was a replica of the next. Call it a cookie cutter method if you will.

       3. We took Smart, Deliberate, Quick Action when needed.

Being able to adapt to changing market and not wallow in problems is vital for an entrepreneur. Working smart, having good systems and taking deliberate action was an important factor to being able to keep up with the giants in the industry. We advertised and marketed like crazy and did some amazing things like huge billboards and pre-event marketing that had clients lined up at the doors on opening day.

      4. We were able to solidify great relationships.

We created communication with the competition where we shared ideas and information within limits. We created additional product sources and had great relationships with who we were working with, and those relationships helped give us credibility in the industry. We kept the philosophy of win/win ever present in our minds.

      5. We stopped trying to do it all on our own. Let go of Ego.

When we started to learn that in order to run a successful company we needed to trust, and let our employees do what they were best at doing, that is when things began to fall into place. We had to leave our egos at the door and understand that we had taught them, and that even though they needed us still, we had to loosen the strings in order for them to flourish and show how much they valued the company, and what they were doing. We used the skills of each employee and they grew better for it.

       6. We showed we cared, and added value to our customers.

We encouraged our customers, showed them we cared, gave referral bonuses, talked with our customers, advertised and made them feel like they were not alone. We heard more stories about people’s lives then I will share here, but what it did was let people from all walks of life know that they were valued as people.

        7.  We understood the numbers.

We had done our business plan and knew what we needed to grow. We had a balanced framework with our product, our marketing and our financial operations. Whenever we lost touch with that again, it showed. Understanding where you stand, and what you need to achieve your end goal is important and really the key.

        8. We were great problem solvers.

Being a great problem solver is important. Issues come up in any business and knowing what you will do and seeing your end result helps make it easier to predict how you will react and what steps you can take to rectify the situation.

       9. We were always learning and watching our industry.

We knew what was changing in the industry, we focused on what was working, and we made sure if we could that we were the first. We showed value to our customers even though our price may have been different than others.

10.  We had perseverance.

We stayed our course, and were committed to the business. Sometimes this was a difficult thing to do but in the end overall it was a success because we did have perseverance.

Now, did we always do the right thing? No absolutely not! But we did have the ability to see the mistakes and attempt to fix them. Did our employees always love us? No not always, but we did care about people and did our best to create a team environment where they felt included and valued and when we let that slip, it showed in performance from the team.  The things we learned from this business have been incredible for future success and have allowed me to now help others in their journey for fulfillment in their lives. For more on this subject, you can find it in my 10 Complete Secrets to Business Success, or my Business Blockbusters Now product coming out this Spring. For more information please visit my websites and let me know how I can help you create your million dollar business.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Feel Free. Simply include this blurb with it: Darcelle Runciman is a Mentor, Author and CEO of Strategic Biz Builder.  Darcelle  mentors entrepreneurs and small business owners how to use systems and their brilliance to increase their profits and create mo*ney making businesses by showing you steps to take to gain clarity and retain that balance that we all strive for. Darcelle works with groups, through tele-classes, through her online products, and her Adventure Mentoring Programs. For more information visit www.darcellerunciman.com and sign up for her Fr*ee audio on 12 -Tips to Profiting in Business, and her Fr*ee Ezine “Inspired Business”. Also check out www.strategicbizbuilder.com

First, let’s talk about the differences between both. Working IN your business is if you are the only one working on the success of the company, if you are the scheduler of your appointments, enter contact names into the business database yourself, package your products, label, and ship all yourself. Then you are working IN your business. On the flip side if you are working ON your business you are contributing to your business and driving all major decisions on the macro level not all the tiny details. Your business then flourishes because your team is working with their particular strength, adding value on a daily basis and are happy. You are thinking and acting as a CEO and not an employee for your company. How do you work ON your business and not IN?

1.        Hire out work, have solid systems, and have a plan.

2.        Document your business and the operations of the company so that your policies and procedures will enable your employees to manage the daily details without you.

3.        Having leadership skills and a clear vision of where your company is heading are vital.

4.        A simple concise plan for the overall development of the company and managing the people working with you are also important.

5.        Be systematic in creating steps to increase your visibility and your business growth, and then let go and delegate your business. Years ago with one of my businesses we had this system in place and I did not have to be in the business on a daily basis because of the systematic approach and this is why it was as successful as it was.

So your first step is to have a company that is systems-oriented. Having a procedure manual that staff can follow that helps the company run easily and consistently. Making yourself replaceable is what you are looking for in order to have a business you are working ON and not IN. Having systems and processes will enable you to get out of the mountain of details, enjoy your business and regain your life. For more tips check out http://www.darcellerunciman.com under “Resources”, and our “Products” page for more on building your business.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Feel Free. Simply include this blurb with it: Darcelle Runciman is Author, Mentor and CEO of DarcelleRunciman.com.  Darcelle  mentors entrepreneurs and small business owners how to use systems and their brilliance to increase their profits and create mo*ney making businesses by showing you steps to take to gain clarity and retain that balance that we all strive for. Darcelle works with groups, through tele-classes, through her online products, and her Adventure Mentoring Programs. For more information visit www.darcellerunciman.com and sign up for her Fr*ee audio on 12 -Tips to Profiting in Business, and her Fr*ee Ezine “Inspired Business”.