Take for example Silpada Jewelry’s recent magazine advertisement, appealing to women who want to start a business and depicting that woman with her family. Large photos and the following text:

“I never run out of vacation days.” When you control your time, there is no need to ration vacation days. “I spend more time with my family, earn a great income, and grow in ways I never thought possible. I truly love my life.”

Those are powerful words that appeal to our emotions. Who doesn’t want to spend more time with their family? Who doesn’t want to control their own time?  Who doesn’t want to earn a great income? Who doesn’t want to love their life?

In Boom Start: Super Laws of Successful Entrepreneurs, they state that a product (or service) is made up of three components: core, tangible, and augmented. The core of your product is its emotional essence. For example, the core of McDonalds’s restaurants is Family, Fun, and Friends. Sure they are selling great hamburgers, fries, and a drink—the tangible product—but more importantly they are appealing to us at an emotional level. And then just in case we become bored with the “same old,” they augment with upbeat advertising, Ronald McDonald and his friends, and the world famous Golden Arches.

As you think about your business, first focus on the heart of your business, the core that stirs emotions. Start there as you prepare marketing material for your business. In order to convince people to buy your product and/or service, pay more attention to the emotional appeal and less to filling the space with facts and information.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

A personal treasure map is a collage of your ideal life (ideal = an ultimate object or aim or endeavor, a goal) that creates a visual tool to focus your creative energy in the direction you wish to go. 

Visualize your ideal life.  Close your eyes.  Some questions to ponder may include:  How do I want to live my life and who lives with me?  What does my dream house look like?  Where is this house located?  What is the yard like?  Do I have animals?  What kind of vehicle(s) do I drive?  Where is my office located – in my home or at a separate location?  Do I travel and if so where? 

Search through magazines and find pictures of your ideal life.  Cut them out and arrange them in a collage on poster board, in a booklet format, or a framed picture collection – let your imagination guide you.  If you cannot find pictures, you can draw your ideal life. Find a photograph of yourself that you really like.  (You must be looking radiant and happy.)  Cut out your picture and place it in the center of your collage.

Ideally, your picture collection should be representative of each of the 4 human dimensions: Spiritual, Mental, Physical, and Social/Emotional.

At a recent women’s networking meeting, someone mentioned that she laminated her vision board (personal treasure map) and mounted it in her shower so that each morning she could focus on her life’s direction. Someone else remarked that if you can’t find a picture that represents one of your goals, have a photograph taken of you sitting in your ideal car, in front of your ideal home – you get the idea. You can also cut out words or phrases that resonate with you.

Since first creating my personal treasure map, several pictures have come to life. I have spoken at conferences, I do have a back deck to relax on, I have a well setup home office, and I set aside time regularly to relax, read books, and listen to music.

This week pull out your collection of magazines and spend what will be the most rewarding hour, creating your personal treasure map.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

1. Change Your Business Voice Mail.  Make your message have some personality (you can do this and still be professional).

   My comment: I was reading an article by Paul Cherry and he recommends that your compelling message should focus on helping your prospects become better at, resolve, gain more control over, save time/money, or make their job easier. And be sure to keep your voice message to 30 seconds in length.

2. Buy Some Cool Thank You Cards.  Corporate thank you cards are boring because they are all about you and not about me (your customer).Your logo on the front of a thank you card doesn’t mean a darn thing. However, put a picture of something fun or a great quote and now you’ve got my attention.

   My comment: Well, I like the idea of putting my logo on the Thank You cards – maybe not front and center but down beside my signature for brand recognition. I will think about how I can do it in a “cool” way. Perhaps including an intriguing photo that would be meaningful to my coaching clients.

3. Think of a Free Way to Promote Yourself Each Week.  Perhaps you can write an article for an association of your Ideal Customer; get a column in a weekly newspaper; ask for 3 referrals you’ve always been too chicken to ask for!

   My comment: Denise Wakeman recently had a contest where you could win one of two books if you posted on her Facebook Fan Page. A great example on promoting your business and your Facebook Fan Page.

4. Create A Club.  Hmmm – how could you create a club of customers that want to meet with each other once per month?

   My comment: Webinars are ideal for gathering your clients either online or over a telephone line. Make sure the topics help your clients solve their problems. You might also want to start a networking group in your local area that brings together your customers face-to-face each month.

5. Take A Valued Client For Lunch or Send Them a Gift.  OK – so you have these people who buy from you on a regular basis, spend big money and who refer you to others consistently. I think they deserve a Caesar salad at the very least don’t you??

   My comment: I like this idea. Lunch with clients who live close by and send a gift to clients who live a greater distance away.

So now you have five great ways for taking your business from frumpy to fresh this week. Which one will you try first?

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

The 14 panel members and presenters are all women entrepreneurs who have started and grown highly successful businesses. Here are a few of their tips:

1. Delegate – Learn to trust others and hire people to cover your non-strength areas.
2. Make Lists – Every day do something that makes you money.
3. Advisors – Develop a network of 12-14 people who will form your resource group.
4. Sustainability – If you are a service business, build your business so that you are not central to its success. Is it sustainable without you?
5. Document Financing – Be sure to document all loans and investments in your company.
   Knowing those details may be vital when later seeking further growth funding.
6. Visionary – Look ahead of the curve and always be willing to reinvent yourself.
7. Financing – Have other financial sources (credit cards, line of credit) in your back pocket to cover those times when revenues may be delayed. Always keep your commitments and meet your financial obligations.
8. Free Resources – Make use of the local and online resources that are available, such as SCORE, Micro Mentor, and the Women’s Business Center.

If you were going to select one of the above tips to work on today, which one would it be? Creating a spider web drawing of your advisors? Seeking out one of the free mentors for tips on growing your business? Brainstorming ideas as to how your business could be sustainable without you?

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

For example, I had been putting off exercising and losing the additional pounds I had gained over the past few years. Last year I was grumpy and embarrassed when I hiked with friends and they easily made it to the top of Diamond Head while I was gasping and had to stop numerous times. I talked about getting healthy, bought books on the topic, and occasionally walked with friends. But I wasn’t willing to commit myself.

The first step started five months ago when I tried a diet that a friend recommended. I lost 4 pounds in 10 days – a modest, healthy loss – and then, encouraged, decided to take the next steps. I had a body composition test to determine my ideal weight, bought a bathroom scale, and took advantage of the exercise room in our complex 6 days a week. Now with just a few pounds away from my target weight, I am actually enjoying exercising! I’ve bought a good pair of running shoes and a friend is training me for a 5 K run in a month’s time.

It’s so easy to procrastinate starting your own business. There are so many reasons to delay: you don’t have the time, money, or enough experience. You aren’t sure where you will find customers and whether your family will be supportive of your idea.

But until you actually stop dreaming about it and take the first step, you will never know if you could have been successful.  Your first step might be writing a business plan, selecting a business name, ordering business cards, purchasing a url for your website, or starting a blog.

What will be your first step?  And remember, no one said you had to give up your full time job quite yet. Many home-based business owners start out part time and only give up their full-time jobs when they have enough business.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

Is your business like the antelopes? Do your ideal customers find it difficult to find you?

One of the least expensive and most effective ways to market your business is through social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and blogging. It does take some time each week (approximately two hours), but I make sure I’m visible in all of these popular spots. To save me time, I’ve set my blog to feed to my Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.

As well, I read popular blogs in my area of interest (entrepreneurship) and I comment on those blogs.  I retweet other’s postings that catch my eye and that I know would be of interest to my followers. And because I’m an avid reader of business books, I try to remember to write a book review each time on Amazon.com.

Want to find out how visible you are? Google your name or your business name – make sure to place in quotes (i.e. “Bev McCrostie”).  Six months ago I started out with about 350 hits. With weekly active involvement in the social media arena, today’s count shows just over 1,100 hits.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
YOUR UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Coaching Small Business Startups

She didn’t measure the flour! She meticulously measured the other ingredients but added the flour a cup at a time until she had the right touch – sticky but pulling away from the bowl. She let me touch the dough so that I understood what I was aiming for.

Do you know someone who is an expert in an aspect of their business? Perhaps they are great at networking, customer service, online retail, hiring key staff, or launching new products. You could read up on the topic and muddle your way through. Or you could do as I did and ask for an expert’s help.

I am always surprised by how quickly others are willing to share their experience – to be a mentor. What aspect of your business could use an expert’s advice? Who could you approach this week to seek out that help?

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
Your Unlimited Potential
Coaching Small Business Startups

Writing a Business Plan forces you to be more concrete and specific. Sure it is difficult and time-consuming. But as soon as you starting writing, you realize there are gaps in your knowledge of your target market, your competitors, your marketing strategies, and your financial projections.

Your Business Plan, will enable you to:

1. Identify who your target market is.  Can you describe them in detail? What are their hobbies and interests? What is their biggest worry in life? What do they read and watch? Why would they choose your product or service? Knowing your target market gives you clear insight into which of your business features and benefits they would love.
2. Know who your competitors are.  What are they good at and where are they weak? Can you provide quicker service, or give more for less money, or give better service for more money? As well, with so many businesses now online, you can’t say, “I don’t have any competitors in my town.” You will learn more about running a successful business from your competitors than anyone else.
3. Describe what marketing strategies you will use.  If you are like most small business startups, you don’t have a lot of funds to allocate to marketing. Social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) are an inexpensive way of getting the word out about your product. Why not offer your product or service as a prize on one of the popular blogs read by your target market. Make sure you look around your local area for business networking groups – they provide a wealth of contacts, information, and support for new businesses.
4. Chart out your revenue and expenses projections for Years 1, 3, and 5.  As you set monetary goals for your business, put some stretch in so that you are motivated to achieve but not so unrealistic that you soon become discouraged. One of the first things you will discover is that you are not charging enough for your product/service. You will also discover that in order to reach your monetary goals between years 3 and 5, you will need to change, delete, or add to some of your business practices.

Creating a Business Plan is like eating an elephant – easy if you do it one bite at a time. Start today by identifying who your target market is. Then move on to the other three until you have a clear Success Plan for your business.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
Your Unlimited Potential
Coaching Small Business Startups

My youngest sister April shared with me the advice she received for presenting at seminars: “1/3 of your audience will instantly like you, 1/3 will instantly dislike you, and the last 1/3 haven’t yet made of their minds. Don’t waste your time trying to cater to the 1/3 that dislikes you.”

What is it about human nature that won’t allow us to accept that some people just won’t like us? Rather than spend time and effort trying to coax people into loving our product or service, focus on those who already love us or those who haven’t made up their minds yet.

The advice Dr. Gary Rhoads gives in Boom Start: Super Laws of Successful Entrepreneurs is to focus on the Love Group – your loyal customers. Discover first what your loyal customers love about your product or service and then take that message to the undecided and the uninformed – the Swing Group. Build your energy around comments from the Love Group and then use that energy to sell to the Swing Group. Let the Swing Group see your product through the eyes of your Love Group.

This week discover what your Love Group loves about your product or service. Then share that message the next time you are networking with potential customers.

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
Your Unlimited Potential
Coaching Small Business Startups

Who wants this $100 now?  In Bootstrap Business: A Step-by-Step Business Survival Guide, the authors share a speaker’s $100 object lesson. The speaker held up a $100 bill and asked “Who wants this?” Every hand shot up. He then crumpled the bill and asked again “Who wants it now?” Again every hand shot up. He threw the $100 on the floor and jumped up and down on it. “Who wants it now?” Every hand went up in the air. “You mean after I’ve crumpled it, jumped on it, and literally beat it up, you still want it? Why?”

The response from one of the audience members was “Because its value has not changed!” On the journey to starting and running your business, you may feel that you are being beaten up and you may sometimes fail. But your value will not change. And unlike the $100 bill, your value may even increase. There is so much to learn about yourself from both the enjoyable and the harsh experiences.

The Bootstrap Business authors recommend keeping a journal of critical decisions and how they turned out. Write advice to yourself to follow in similar, future situations.

Who wants this $100?  A few years ago I attended a seminar where the speaker held up a $100 bill and asked, “Who wants this $100?” Hands shot up around the room. He repeated the phrase several times before someone ran up to the front and took the money from him. The speaker then asked, “Why didn’t you come up and take the money?”

Perhaps you would have said, “I don’t want to appear greedy” or “There must be a catch to this” or “Someone else deserves this more than I do” or “It would have to be a lot more money before I’m willing to take the risk of possibly embarrassing myself.”

The lesson to be learned is: Whatever reason you used is the same reason that prevents you from grabbing hold of other good things in your life.

Over this next week, look for opportunities where you can “grab the money” – not literally, but where you accept experiences that will benefit you and your business. Pay attention to how you felt in that moment.

Beverly A. McCrostie, M.Ed.
Your Unlimited Potential
Coaching Small Business Startups