5-compressor

18 Questions To Ask Yourself When You’re Looking For Inspiration

by EDGY Insights

1 – What would you do if you just learned that you only have 6 months to live? — Time has a way of focusing you on what really matters. Are you wasting your time?

2 – Is what you are doing something that you should be doing? — You have to decide what’s right for you.  And deep down you know if you’re on course or just wasting your time.

3 – Do you currently have the skills required to fulfill your goals? — There is always something for you new to learn.  The truth is that you can’t be “clueless” and a champion at the same time.

4 – What difference will it make if you are successful? — What you feel? What would be different in your life? The journey is tough, but it helps to keep you going when you know why it’s worth it.

5 – What would you do if you won $1 million today, and had absolutely no limitations in what you could be? — Money changes everything in life. It might be holding you back right now.

6 – Do you need any help to achieve your goals? — Be brutally honest with yourself. Can you do this all by yourself?  Or do you need the contacts, strategy, or financial support of others?

7 – What are your 5 most important values in life right now? — Beliefs matters in life.  They make you powerful. They make decisions easier. If you don’t believe in anything you won’t achieve anything.

8 – Do you have enough time to reach your goal? — If you can’t get your plane in the air before the end of your runway you crash. It doesn’t matter what you were thinking when you’re up in flames.

9 – What have you always dreamed about doing, but were afraid to try? — It’s probably something you might call “crazy”.  Maybe it’s time to start working on that. Maybe it’s what you have been missing.

10 – Do you want it badly enough, and are you willing to pay the price to get it? — Big dreams take big “guts”. You can’t be amazing and be a coward at the same time. You’ve got to “want it” – badly.

11 – What impact will it have on your life if you don’t achieve this goal? — Maybe you don’t really care about what you say you care about as much as you say you do. If failure is tolerable, it’s likely.

12 – Are you being brutally honest with yourself? — There is no room for you lying to yourself. You know what’s true, and even though you don’t need to share that truth with anyone else, you don’t need to put your head in the sand.

13 – What do you actually do each day that matters? — Take a look at your calendar. Take a look at your list of tasks to do.  What are you doing each day that truly matters?

14 – What have you accomplished in the past that you thought was impossible at the time? — If you did the impossible before, you can do it again. If you haven’t, you can start now.

15 – What do you really want? — The question is not “what do you tell everyone else that you want”, but what. do. you. want. That matters. Because if you don’t want it, you’re just going through the motions.

16 – What new friends or mentors do you need in your life to get you to where you need to be? — You need people in your life to help you get to where you want to be. Are you working on those relationships?

17 – What scares you the most? — You know the answer to this.  There are circumstances that immediately drive you into panic mode — times when you feel hopeless and helpless. What is that for you?

18 – Are you tough enough to keep going? — Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is just you grinding out the details in the middle of the night. If today was the day that you were going to win, would you have shown up?

Share this post:

6-compressor

36 Unconventional Lessons You Need To Learn If You’re Going To Win At Business

by EDGY Insights
  1. There are always more deals than the one that you are looking at right now.  Walking away is the first step in finding them.
  2. Mean people suck the inspiration out of you.  Avoid them at all costs — especially if one of them is your boss.
  3. Selling is the only way to grow your business. If you’re not selling something, you are about to lose everything.
  4. Employees are your biggest asset.  Take your time deciding who to invest in — and then invest for long-term return.
  5. The details don’t need to matter to you, but they do need to matter to someone you trust — or you’ll fail.
  6. Tone of voice matters more than what you say.  So does eye contact and a firm handshake.
  7. It’s not the plan that gets broken.  It’s people. Heal people to fix the plan.
  8. Stop being cheap.  Invest in your success.  The truth is that no one else is.
  9. It’s what you are willing to do without that decides how committed you are to being successful.
  10. If you’re not different, you’re not really a choice for your customers.  You’re just part of the confusion.
  11. Pay your bills ahead of schedule.  You’ll find it easier to manage your cash flow. And your vendors.
  12. The experts have an opinion.  So do you. Believe yours first and then keep working until everyone else has to believe you too.
  13. Better isn’t good enough. You have to want to be amazing. And then do what it takes to achieve that.
  14. If you haven’t had to cry because you cared, maybe you need to care more.
  15. Mentor employees who want to be better. Ignore the hotheads.  They’re too arrogant to be helped.
  16. When things get bad, take time to think of others.  Helping others helps you.
  17. Cold calling still works. So does email. It’s the message that matters — not what device you choose to use.
  18. Having a plan is the way to get started.  Having a dream is the way you keep going.
  19. Stop celebrating so much.  That’s a sign of mediocrity. Act like you’ve been there before.
  20. The next best thing to doing something amazing is not doing something stupid, selfish, or lazy.
  21. Apologize when you make a mistake. It makes you human — it also earns you the good will you’ll need soon enough.
  22. Your logic doesn’t matter when your clients are already emotional.
  23. Customers need a dream.  Give them one. Not speeds-and-feeds. (They’ll be loyal to you for life.)
  24. The difference between winning and losing is when you stop trying.  Quit quitting.
  25. Leading doesn’t give you permission to be a bully or a jerk. Have a dream and work to make it reality.
  26. Bad news gets worse the longer you avoid communicating it with your customer.
  27. You can cut costs.  But you can’t cut your way to more sales. You have to invest in your success.
  28. If you’re not radically different, you’re really not different at all.
  29. There is never enough time to redo all the things you should have done better the first time.
  30. Emotional intelligence is the best kind of intelligence to have.  Care about people. They’ll care about you back.
  31. Reminding people of all the things you do right isn’t a winning strategy for fixing the stuff you do wrong.
  32. Winning over everybody is the wrong goal. It’s also impossible.
  33. Play it risky.  Go for broke.  You’re only alive once. Plus, the rewards are bigger.
  34. Kindness is your best investment.  It’s also your biggest challenge when you’re busy and stressed out.
  35. Being good isn’t the goal.  Being absolutely amazing is.
  36. No one has ever achieved anything amazing by working smarter.  Realizing your dreams is about working harder.

Share this post:

7-compressor

11 Ways To Build Momentum In Launching Your New Business Idea

by EDGY Insights

It’s easy to talk about momentum when you are running a race — or even training for one. It’s not as easy to talk about it when it comes to business. Especially when you are trying to launch a new business idea.

Momentum is important for any successful business idea. But it’s also a bit mysterious.

It can be really difficult to figure out if you have enough momentum. Or if you need more to sustain and grow your business.

BUT IT’S NOT A LOSING BATTLE.

Building momentum doesn’t need to be a mystery.

If you are questioning whether you have enough momentum right now, the answer is probably “no.” And that’s OK.

All businesses, have their ups and downs. The key is not let the downs keep you down for long.

Here are a few ways you can build momentum, get unstuck, and start moving towards where you want to be:

1

Have a plan — It’s great to have a go-with-the-flow attitude, but that usually only works when vacationing. You can’t just “go with it” if you want your business to thrive. You have to decide where you want to go. You have to figure out how you are going to get there. Write down your plan and then follow it. Otherwise, you may find yourself on a permanent vacation.

2

Have a process — The same way you have a plan on paper (or on your computer), you need to have a process for running your business. You have to figure out what works and when something isn’t working, you have to fix it. You wouldn’t run a marathon without training. And you can’t run a business without a process.

3

Use smart tools — You’ve heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder.” It’s well-known verbiage for a reason. You don’t want to kill yourself trying to keep your business afloat. Especially when there are so many tools available right now to help you scale and automate your business. There is someone in the business of making your job look easy — with an app. Utilize their tools so you can focus on a job well done.

4

Start by telling one person — You don’t need to start out with a billboard in Times Square. All you need to do is tell one person. If you have a product, service, or business that stands out, they will shout it from the rooftops for you. They will tell their friends who will, in turn, tell theirs and it will go on and on until you have steady business just from word of mouth. Be proud of what you do and tell someone about it.

5

Do one thing each day that matters — It’s tempting to only do it for the money. After all, money makes the world go round, right? But making the world a little better every day keeps the world going round. You don’t have to give away 90% of your profits to charity. But do give your time to help someone out or to make a difference in your community, if you can. And if you don’t have time, then, by all means, spend some of that cash you’re earning. It will come back to you tenfold.

6

Eliminate or schedule distractions — It’s unrealistic to believe that you can get through a whole day without distractions. You can, however, start paying attention to the times you get distracted and the things that are distracting you. If you can schedule those things into your day, you will have an easier time dealing with distractions and you will be able to focus on the task at hand instead of running around like a distracted puppy at a tennis match all day.

7

Focus on one key thing that matters — What is your mission? What is the one thing you do well? What is the one thing that matters? You may have to ponder this for a bit or maybe it is exactly what you founded your business on. Whatever your “thing” is, you need to give it all of your focus. And if you don’t have a “thing,” you need to find one. If you know what you are working for, it’s easier to build momentum.

8

Do something that has meaning for you, not somebody else — You will never be happy living someone else’s dream. If you are in the “family business” because it was expected of you and you are miserable, you will have a terrible time mustering up the energy to give a flying-you-know-what about building momentum. Or your business in general. Make sure what you are doing has meaning for you or you will lose yourself in the daily grind.

9

Surround yourself with positive people — You need to have a circle of friends, co-workers, mentors, etc. who lift you up and cheer for you. You will not get very far with people who are happy when you feel lost. You need encouragers in your life and people who always look on the bright side. And don’t forget to be that person to someone else.

10

Find alternatives to the problems you face right now — There are going to be problems that arise that you aren’t going to be able to fix or that you aren’t going to be able to look at objectively. It’s OK to ask for help from people with a different perspective. Look at things from every angle before making a decision. And don’t take the problem (or the solution) personally. This is about your business, not about you.

11

Pay for help — There is always going to be someone who has been where you are or is exactly where you want to be. If you’re lucky, they will offer their services and you can get them to teach you. Get a mentor. Find a coach who inspires you. Use their resources. Pay for their classes or workshops. Or for one on one help. Seek out those people and get the help.

“MOMENTUM IS ONE THING YOU LOSE JUST AFTER YOU STOP WORKING TOWARDS IT.”

 

Don’t wait until your business idea is old and forgotten to start building momentum. Start today. Right now.

Do one thing that matters. You’ll already be on your way to building the momentum you need to do one more thing. And more thing after that.

Share this post:

EDGY Insights

You Can’t Fix Yourself. You Need A Coach

by EDGY Insights

There’s somebody out there who has already done it before. It doesn’t matter what your goal is or what you would like to improve, there’s somebody out there with a lot more experience than you who is willing to help you get to where you want to be.

Your mission is to find them, pay them, and do exactly what they tell you to do.

In other words, you need more coaching in your life.

That’s a lesson all high performers have learned. You can’t fix yourself because you can’t look at yourself objectively.

You don’t see your form or hear your tone like a coach will.

All the emotional baggage in your head like how hard you are trying and how badly you want it throw off your judgment.

Your true results get lost in the process. You can’t see things clearly.

Which is why you need a coach.

Someone to see you as you are. Someone to take you from where you are to where you want to be.

They’ve made mistakes that you’re going to make – unless you adjust. They have found breakthrough and innovation in a thousand possible opportunities that you haven’t even uncovered yet.

You can accelerate your results and progress by simply using the lessons they have already learned.

  • Looking for baking lessons to improve your catering business? There’s probably a YouTube channel with plenty of advice for you.
  • Looking for business advice on how to launch a new product to existing customers? There are plenty of online courses and experts ready to help you.
  • Looking to lose 20 pounds or run a faster 5K? There are people who can help you right where you live.

Some of that advice you need is free.

But you’ll get better results and find yourself more committed when you pay for coaching.

You’re invested when it’s coming out of your budget. You’re more likely to do what needs to be done when you’re sacrificing for long-term success.

There isn’t a good excuse for staying stuck. Getting unstuck is just a bit of inspiration away

Something your coach is about to tell you. Go find one.

Share this post:

EDGY Insights

6 Lessons Your Business Can Learn From the Panhandler Who Conned Me

by EDGY Insights

It didn’t work.  The CD, that is. I got conned.  Played.  And right in front of my wife.

Here is what happened.

Sara and I were out for a rare night alone away from our three children.  We enjoyed dinner at a local gastro pub, a beer or two, and coffee — apparently because we’re old and need to stay alert if we are going to maximize our time together.  After wandering into a few stores downtown, we decided to head back to the car.

That’s when he stepped around the corner of the street.

“Here you go…” he said.  “It’s my latest rap album.  I want you to have it”.

For some reason I took the CD that was being shoved into my hands.  It was a CD.  No cover.  No sleeve.  Just a CD that the artist had signed with his name using a Sharpie.

“This is my second mix,” he went on to tell me. “It’s been playing on 97.3 this week.”

I still had not said a word.  I was still trying to figure out the situation.  One minute I was holding Sara’s hand talking about how the kids were doing in their classes, and the next minute I was in the the middle of a hip-hop discussion holding a CD.

“We’re raising money for charity”

That’s what I heard next.  “If you can help us do some good, we would appreciate it.”

The next thing I know I am reaching into my wallet and handing the artist a ten dollar bill.

“Wow.  Thank you very much,” he said.  And the way he said it brought me back to reality.  I knew I had just been played.

Sara knew it was happening way before I did.  And accompanied it a few minutes late with an “I told you so”.

The CD was blank.  Had I turned it over earlier, I would have easily seen that.

I got fooled.

But I also learned an important lesson from a panhandler who sold me $10 worth of nothing.

  1. Give your prospects something they can hold on to. — It’s not enough to have information on your website.  You have to create interaction.  That comes from putting your product or service into the hands of your prospect.  That makes it harder for them to shove you away.
  2. Keep your presentation short. — Don’t use extra words that don’t help you close the deal.  Know your lines.  Know what works.  Just keep it simple.  Pitch as simply and as clearly as you can.  If you are saying more than a sentence or two at a time you might be saying too much.
  3. Have a good story to tell about who you are. — You can make it personal by telling a story about yourself. Don’t just offer a product or service, tell them about yourself.  People want to buy from other people, not from big faceless companies.
  4. Being believable matters. — If you can’t get your prospects to believe that you can do what you are saying you can do, then you won’t get them to purchase from you.  You have to be believable.  That’s on you – not your prospects.
  5. Be clear about what you want your client to do. — Don’t give your prospects 17 different things to think about.  Just lead them to do the next step.  Make it simple to understand and exclusive to them.
  6. Keep it honest or you won’t close the next deal. — Don’t do “anything” to close the deal.  Frankly, you can win one sale from just about anything. Lying makes it impossible to build a loyal customer-base.  Be careful what you promise.  It might come back to bite you.

You might not think that you are in the same business as the panhandler who conned me on a downtown sidewalk.

But you are.

You need customers and need (desperately) to move products and services.

From time to time you need to stop and ask yourself: “Are you taking shortcuts?”  

The difference between growing your business and wallowing in your own bad habits is a series of decisions.  There are lessons to be learned from the panhandler I met Saturday night.  Important lessons.

Remember though – no one like to be conned.

I have a CD to prove it.

Share this post: