Fail often and fail well. It’s a sign that you’re constantly trying new things and disrupting the norm.

Despite her $80 million net worth and tremendous success as a businesswoman and television personality, “Shark Tank” star Barbara Corcoran is no stranger to failure. On her website she cites receiving straight D’s throughout her academic career and holding twenty different jobs by the time she turned twenty-three. However, that all began to change in 1973 when she co-founded a real estate business that flourished into an exceptionally successful company. In 2001 she sold her business for $66 million to NRT Incorporated, the largest residential real estate brokerage company in the US.

Corcoran’s numerous successes over the past several decades can be linked to several key insights and philosophies. Above all, she firmly believes that success and failure are irrevocably linked: all successful entrepreneurs know how to fail well and deal with rejection. She is quoted saying, “You have to be great at handling rejection, and then more rejection and then still more rejection.” She knows from personal experience that especially in the beginning, negative feedback always outweighs any positive encouragement. She even, somewhat humorously, draws a comparison between starting a business and having a baby. Lesson learned: One has to regroup fast and keep pushing or else the business will never be born.

Corcoran recently compiled an online class entitled, “The Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship: Pitching Your Business and Yourself.” The goal of the course is to force people off the fence: to push them either to go into entrepreneurship or to keep their day job. Her course highlights core philosophies that all successful entrepreneurs should have. Here are a few:

Embrace Fear

Corcoran discovered that it works like this: every failure has an equally great upside if you’re willing to stay in the game. The first time she gave a presentation to a large audience, she lost her voice. While many people would have probably avoided public speaking at all costs after this, Corcoran volunteered to teach a real estate night course at New York University. She decided that she had two choices in this situation: stay in hiding and be embarrassed and ashamed, or learn how to do it right. Two net positives from her experience at NYU were the improvement of her oratory skills and the joy of watching her former student, Carrie Chiang, go on to become one of the top brokers in New York City.

If Corcoran had succumbed to the fear of rejection, she wouldn’t have taught the course and would have missed the opportunity to impact Chiang’s life. She believes that when you get hit hard, if you come back hard you always get rewarded.

Develop Immense Optimism

Simply put, in business, optimism is more important than intelligence. Sometimes being too rational can be dangerous and leads to countless missed opportunities. Corcoran believes that you have to become hopeful beyond all logic if you are going to be a successful entrepreneur. She claims that you will need to see everything as half-full even when everyone else sees nothing in your glass. She recognizes that rational analysis has its place, but affirms that too much can hinder progress.

Create Pressure and Don’t Overanalyze

Sometimes you can’t study to be an entrepreneur, you just have to make a jump. Corcoran believes that creating pressure is important. She thinks that people under fire react more intelligently than those standing on the outside making careful assessments.

This connects with the previous point that logic can sometimes be more hurtful than helpful. Also, if you wait to discover the best way to do something, you’ll be waiting forever. Corcoran doesn’t subscribe to the idea that there is a correct time to expand a business. Waiting for all the variables to fall into the perfect place will equal no results and waiting forever.

Fake It Until It You Are It

To be a successful entrepreneur you need to look and act the part. Corcoran believes that if you follow this, soon without even realizing it, you will become the part. Insecurity never goes away: even highly effective entrepreneurs like Corcoran say that they struggle with it daily. The difference is that for Corcoran, insecurity is a motivator.

Additionally she states that, in general, women struggle with insecurity more than men. Part of her solution is to ask herself: “What would a man do?” She cheerleads herself and sometimes even thinks arrogant thoughts to propel herself forward. She thinks: “I have every right to be here as this guy does; I have the right to be as rich as he is.”

Entrepreneurship requires proper planning and successful control over emotional change. Inspirational people like Barbara Corcoran show us that we are not alone in the struggle of successful entrepreneurship. Moreover, she shows us that failure, pressure, and positivity are key components of entrepreneurial success.

For those business owners who need help right away, visit NOVA Business Development Group,LLC. for a free consultation.

Confessions of a Professional Gambler

Business Means Taking Risks

No, I’m not a card shark or a high-stakes poker player. But I am a professional gambler.

It’s true. In fact, I gamble — and help other business owners gamble — almost every day.

Business in and of itself is inherently risky. As soon as you open your doors or launch your website, you’re gambling.  Without taking risks, you can’t grow.

But we’re not talking about hitting the casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City. Instead, it’s all about taking smart, carefully calculated risks.

Growing and Hiring

Many business owners get stuck when it comes to the growth phase. They become frightened by the risks associated with building their businesses. For example, they may be scared to hire the necessary support team even though it’s necessary for growth.  Almost every company needs to hire additional qualified people to get to the next level. To grow, your company needs more sales, but to enable more sales, you need more people, and to hire more people, you need more cash, which comes from more sales, which come from qualified people. It’s a vicious cycle that stops some business owners dead in their tracks. They’re paralyzed by the risk involved — so they do nothing.

How do you Break the Vicious Cycle?

I’ve done some mountain climbing in my day. Nothing like Kilimanjaro, but I learned a thing or two about managing risk. You see, when you climb a mountain as a team, you are tied together by a rope.  The lead climber puts a clip into the mountain, and you all move up toward the clip. The risk is that if you slip and fall, the clip will ensure that you will fall about seven feet — which is not nearly as serious as the risk of falling hundreds of feet down a mountain if you didn’t have the clip. Like the high-wire act at the circus with a safety net below, this is a mitigated risk.

In business decisions, you want to take mitigated risks. When you own a business and don’t want to commit to hiring someone new at $35,000 per year, you can  take a mitigated risk and hire that same employee for three months, which is only $8,750. This should give you sufficient time to see if the new hire is working out or not. This is a trial rather than a long-term commitment. If it doesn’t work out — and failure is a part of growth — you’ve contained the risk. It’s the same reason many businesses give the newest salespeople the B and C prospects. It’s simply less risky.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Getting out of your comfort zone also means moving people up the Path of Ascension, level by level. Of course, you can’t do this all at once. You need to increase competency little by little. This means peeling off, layer by layer, some of the many tasks you do and assigning them to others on your team.

A great example comes from one of our clients who runs a sign company. This company had the potential to grow very quickly. The leader of the company, however, was the bottleneck. He could spec a job and put together a proposal superbly. But there were many more steps until the job was completed, and he wasn’t teaching others how to handle those tasks.

What we did was determine all of the steps in the process. We identified about 18 different steps, from initial client contact through the sale and installation process. These steps included the work orders, a production schedule, ordering materials and components, graphic art work, assembly, loading signs onto trucks, installation, and so on. We peeled them away from the leader, layer by layer, and trained someone else to do each job. We didn’t just reassign them all to someone else – that would have been a big risk and a major gamble. Instead, we released control in a measured way so each person could progress along their Path of Ascension. This is the BIG SHIFT from you controlling everything to having others in control, which allows you the freedom to focus on areas that are important in your business.

So, Are You Ready to Become a Professional Gambler?

What is your risk tolerance? Since different personalities have different risk tolerance levels, it is important to know yourself and to know how to mitigate risks so that they are never too great. As a business owner, it’s your job to be making decisions — even risky decisions — that enable growth and allow you some room to fail.

To start, you want to:

1. Look at your overall business objectives (e.g. growth)
2. Look at the steps you need to take (e.g. hiring someone new)
3. Mitigate the risks (e.g. hiring on a short-term trial basis)
4. Evaluate your success or failure
5. Continue gambling by taking mitigated risks

Taking you from where you are to where you want to be,

Jon

It’s A No Brainer – People Who Like Each Other Work Better Together

Let’s face it, whether we mainly hire freelance help or manage a large office staff, we all have to work with people. Your company will run like a well-oiled machine if you learn to create positive relationships with your colleagues and co-workers.

Here are seven tips that will help develop great relationships at work.

1. Develop a positive attitude.

When you own your own company, your co-workers and employees look to you to set the tone for the business and the office environment. A positive attitude is key to an enjoyable, more comfortable workplace. A positive or negative attitude also spills over into how your customers perceive your business, which translates into their willingness to do business with you. They can tell when everything is clicking, and they can also tell when things are amiss.

2. Treat everyone with respect.

Everyone you work with deserves respect in the workplace, even when you differ on opinions. Look at each and every person as a vital member of the team. Respect that they have different opinions and ways of looking at the world. This respect will go a long way in developing the trust and teamwork that will take your business to the top.

Related: To Boost Your Business Treat Employees as Well as Your Customers

3. Practice active listening.

Effective communication begins with active listening. Encourage your co-workers to share their thoughts and be open to hearing them all the way through without interrupting or interjecting your own opinions. To foster an environment where everyone feels they have a voice, make your approach “yes, that’s a possibility” rather than “no, that would never work.”.

4. Connect on a personal level.

Develop meaningful bonds with your fellow workers. Exchange ideas and personal opinions. Show your empathy and concern for their well being as people, as well as co-workers. Take time to learn about their families and their goals. When you show a genuine interest in others, you foster a happier workplace.

5. Develop relationships outside of work.

Go to lunch with your co-workers or plan an off-site event like a bowling night or a day at the ballpark. Get to know each other outside of the office. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn more about what makes them tick and you’ll develop even stronger bonds when you discover you have shared interests.

Related: The Hidden Benefits of Happy Co-Workers (Infographic)

6. Work together for a larger good.

Most people feel good when they’re helping others. Take on a charity campaign and encourage your co-workers to participate in fundraising events, a charity race or a Habitat for Humanity project. You will build trust and form a bond when you share common goals and activities for the good of others. Post regular reports around the office or in your newsletter. Recognize everyone for their hard work and dedication.

7. Say thank you.

There are all sorts of ways to provide rewards, including praise, recognition, money, prizes, gift cards, celebratory meals, trophies and certificates of achievement. Be liberal with positive feedback and show gratitude when employees go above and beyond their normal duties and responsibilities.

Everyone likes to feel valued and appreciated for what they do everyday. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way. Offer respect, kindness, openness, caring and trust and you will be sure to reap the returns many times over.

By Jacqueline Whitmore

3 Benefits Of Having A Virtual Marketing Team

by Steve Olenski

The working world is seeing a strong shift in how office spaces exist. Cubicles and traditional offices are phasing out, and virtual office spaces are phasing in. The shift towards telecommuting has been slowly building over the last ten years, and now it is accelerating. More and more businesses are discovering that having teams of virtual employees is better for their budget, better for their end product, and thus holistically better for their company.

There are myriad reasons why a shift to virtual employees is smart for many businesses, and nearly all of these reasons apply to a marketing team. It is very common for businesses today to employ virtual marketing teams, and for good reason.

Here’s a closer look at three benefits of having a virtual marketing team.

1. Save Money on Your Office Space  This one requires pretty simple economics: having employees costs your business money, right? So, if you could cut some of the costs of having employees, without sacrificing the quality of the employees or their product, then that would be a big fiscal plus for your business. Going virtual does exactly that.

You can cut back on office space, and all that that entails: rent cost, furniture cost, technology cost, electricity cost, etc.

That may not seem huge on a day-to-day basis, but over the course of a working year, in-house employees cost companies a lot of money in resources. Some people are under the misapprehension that getting rid of an office space can be detrimental to marketing teams, who rely so much on idea-sharing, face-to-face meetings, and collaboration. But with modern technology, that mindset is antiquated.

With video collaboration tools such as those offered  the intimacy and accessibility of an office can be recreated virtually, and for a much lower cost.

2. Broaden Your Scope When you hire an in-house marketing team, you are limiting your scope.  You can only hire employees in your city, who are willing to commute to your office.  Hiring a virtual marketing team, however, increases your scope dramatically. If you are assembling a remote team, you are not confined to candidates in your city, or even your state. You have access to a far greater number of potential employees, which not only allows you to find better candidates, but also cheaper candidates. The larger the pool to choose from, the greater your chance of finding the best option for your team.

3. Increase Flexibility One of the reasons why telecommuting has become so popular is because of the flexibility that it creates. Rather than being confined to offices and 9-to-5s, employees can work where they work best, and when they work best, which increases the quality and quantity of work. Traditional, in-house marketing teams work set hours, but virtual teams – because of their flexibility – usually work on a project deadline basis, and are thus more productive, and more consistent (and not owed overtime). Utilizing a virtual marketing team can be the epitome of working smarter. It decreases the confines that a traditional office has, both literal and figurative. It increases flexibility, productivity, and employee happiness. It’s a win-win.

22 Things Happy People Do Differently

(visit http://www.novabusinessdevelopment.com for more personal & business coaching strategies)

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, smiling and content with their life. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.

The question is: how do they do that?

It’s quite simple. Happy people have good habits that enhance their lives. They do things differently. Ask any happy person, and they will tell you that they …

1. Don’t hold grudges.

Happy people understand that it’s better to forgive and forget than to let their negative feelings crowd out their positive feelings. Holding a grudge has a lot of detrimental effects on your wellbeing, including increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Why let anyone who has wronged you have power over you? If you let go of all your grudges, you’ll gain a clear conscience and enough energy to enjoy the good things in life.

2. Treat everyone with kindness.

Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that being kind makes you happier? Every time you perform a selfless act, your brain produces serotonin, a hormone that eases tension and lifts your spirits. Not only that, but treating people with love, dignity, and respect also allows you to build stronger relationships.

3. See problems as challenges.

The word “problem” is never part of a happy person’s vocabulary. A problem is viewed as a drawback, a struggle, or an unstable situation while a challenge is viewed as something positive like an opportunity, a task, or a dare. Whenever you face an obstacle, try looking at it as a challenge.

4. Express gratitude for what they already have.

There’s a popular saying that goes something like this: “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.” You will have a deeper sense of contentment if you count your blessings instead of yearning for what you don’t have.

5. Dream big.

People who get into the habit of dreaming big are more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t. If you dare to dream big, your mind will put itself in a focused and positive state.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Happy people ask themselves, “Will this problem matter a year from now?” They understand that life’s too short to get worked up over trivial situations. Letting things roll off your back will definitely put you at ease to enjoy the more important things in life.

7. Speak well of others.

Being nice feels better than being mean. As fun as gossiping is, it usually leaves you feeling guilty and resentful. Saying nice things about other people encourages you to think positive, non-judgmental thoughts.

8. Never make excuses.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Happy people don’t make excuses or blame others for their own failures in life. Instead, they own up to their mistakes and, by doing so, they proactively try to change for the better.

9. Get absorbed into the present.

Happy people don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. They savor the present. They let themselves get immersed in whatever they’re doing at the moment. Stop and smell the roses.

10. Wake up at the same time every morning.

Have you noticed that a lot of successful people tend to be early risers? Waking up at the same time every morning stabilizes your circadian rhythm, increases productivity, and puts you in a calm and centered state.

11. Avoid social comparison.

Everyone works at his own pace, so why compare yourself to others? If you think you’re better than someone else, you gain an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you think someone else is better than you, you end up feeling bad about yourself. You’ll be happier if you focus on your own progress and praise others on theirs.

12. Choose friends wisely.

Misery loves company. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with optimistic people who will encourage you to achieve your goals. The more positive energy you have around you, the better you will feel about yourself.

13. Never seek approval from others.

Happy people don’t care what others think of them. They follow their own hearts without letting naysayers discourage them. They understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. Listen to what people have to say, but never seek anyone’s approval but your own.

14. Take the time to listen.

Talk less; listen more. Listening keeps your mind open to others’ wisdoms and outlooks on the world. The more intensely you listen, the quieter your mind gets, and the more content you feel.

15. Nurture social relationships.

A lonely person is a miserable person. Happy people understand how important it is to have strong, healthy relationships. Always take the time to see and talk to your family, friends, or significant other.

16. Meditate.

Meditating silences your mind and helps you find inner peace. You don’t have to be a zen master to pull it off. Happy people know how to silence their minds anywhere and anytime they need to calm their nerves.

17. Eat well.

Junk food makes you sluggish, and it’s difficult to be happy when you’re in that kind of state. Everything you eat directly affects your body’s ability to produce hormones, which will dictate your moods, energy, and mental focus. Be sure to eat foods that will keep your mind and body in good shape.

18. Exercise.

Studies have shown that exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft does. Exercising also boosts your self-esteem and gives you a higher sense of self-accomplishment.

19. Live minimally.

Happy people rarely keep clutter around the house because they know that extra belongings weigh them down and make them feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Some studies have concluded that Europeans are a lot happier than Americans are, which is interesting because they live in smaller homes, drive simpler cars, and own fewer items.

20. Tell the truth.

Lying stresses you out, corrodes your self-esteem, and makes you unlikeable. The truth will set you free. Being honest improves your mental health and builds others’ trust in you. Always be truthful, and never apologize for it.

21. Establish personal control.

Happy people have the ability to choose their own destinies. They don’t let others tell them how they should live their lives. Being in complete control of one’s own life brings positive feelings and a great sense of self-worth.

22. Accept what cannot be changed.

Once you accept the fact that life is not fair, you’ll be more at peace with yourself. Instead of obsessing over how unfair life is, just focus on what you can control and change it for the better.

This article is from Chiara Fucarino.   (www.novabusinessdevelopment.com)

The strategy used to overcome procrastination

A few months ago, I had a true mental block. I just didn’t feel like thinking, and when I sat down to write, my mind just went blank. I wrote a few sentences, deleted them, and went on to do something else. I even wrote a few blog posts that never saw the light of the day because I felt like they weren’t good enough. WHY I’m procrastinating and not feeling that great about writing. I knew immediately that it’s because I didn’t really enjoy writing. Then, I went one step deeper. Why did I not enjoy writing? Well, the main reason was that I wasn’t feeling inspired to write. At that time I’ve done most of my writing in a small, dark room with few windows, with a very uncomfortable chair. I hated spending time there, and that hatred expanded to my writing as well. I needed to go somewhere else. When I realised that, I immediately put my laptop in a bag and went to a nearby Starbucks. Within a few hours, I got more writing done than before in a week. I went to Starbucks each afternoon over the next few days, and the results were the same. I wrote a few blog posts that I was actually happy with and published them. The true power of systems (in action) How do you feel when you are procrastinating? Do you feel guilty because you know that you “should” be doing something, but you just can’t get yourself to do it? If yes, how does that affect your focus and productivity? I’m guessing you’re not very productive. What if, instead of wasting tons of time, energy and willpower, you could automate all of your decisions, eliminate procrastination and just focus on getting the work done? How much would your life change? Instead of spending the time feeling guilty, you could finish work faster and spend guilt-free time with your kids in the afternoon. Or, you could simply get more work done to grow your business, like writing more guest posts or finding more clients. The good news is that by creating just a few small systems like this, you can do all of that. With time, you will get to know yourself better and better. You will know why you are procrastinating and already have a solution ready that you will be able to put into action right away, without doing any thinking. It’s true that systems like this take a bit of work to develop. Some of the solutions that you develop might not work from the start. Maybe working from Starbucks won’t work for you because you will be too distracted, and you will need to go to a library instead. Maybe you can’t do your work from a cafe, but you can try out a co-working space instead. But the beauty of systems is that after you’ve found a way that works for you, they will keep working for you for months or even years to come. Regardless of whether you’re tired, stressed out, working from home or from an office, the systems will always work for you, just like your instinct will always be to move away from an incoming train. How YOU can overcome procrastination  I talked a lot about the solutions that I use to overcome procrastination, now let’s take a look at a few more examples from my readers: Problem #1: “When I come back from work in the afternoon, I’m too tired to work on my online business or spend time with my kids. Instead, I spend all afternoon just watching TV or randomly surfing the internet.” Solution #1.1: Whenever I’m tired in the afternoon, I take a 1-hour nap (you can try a 20, 60 or 90 minute nap to see what works best for you). During this nap, I don’t necessarily sleep. I lay on the bed and close my eyes. After 60 minutes, I’m usually much more relaxed, energised and ready to put in a few more hours of work. Solution #1.2: Work on your business / spend time with your kids in the morning, BEFORE going to work and you still have a lot of energy. Problem #2: “I should be waking up at 5am, but I always snooze my alarm and just keep sleeping.” Solution #2: You’re very likely procrastinating waking up because you want to wake up and start putting in the work, and well, you’re probably not very excited about that. Think of something exciting that you can do for the 30 minutes after you wake up. Maybe read a book that you wanted to read for a long time. Go for a walk and watch the sunrise. Make yourself a nice cup of coffee and just relax while drinking it. Problem #3: “I should be reaching out to more bloggers for guest posts / potential clients for my business.” Solution #3: Whenever I feel resistance to something business related, I try to get another person to help me out and build the momentum. You can connect with a few friends, get on Skype / meet in person for a few hours and help each other write better e-mails for reaching out to potential clients. By doing this, you will automatically get your work done. Problem #4: “I should be spending more time on improving myself, but I just can’t find the time for that.” Solution #4: My self-improvement time is almost completely automated. I read books while taking a bath or sitting on the toilet. I listen to audiobooks while commuting to and from Starbucks. I have recurring calls scheduled with my mentors and advisors that help me improve various areas of my life, and I do my weekly reviews with two accountability partners. I watch online courses while eating breakfast or lunch alone. You can use a variety of different strategies to get in the self-improvement time, but the most important part is just having a plan in advance. When I go to the toilet, I automatically take the phone with me and start reading a book. When I go for a walk, I automatically turn on the phone and play an audiobook. Problem #5: “I should be doing more sports, but I just can’t seem to get started.” Solution #5.1: I know that I used to procrastinate jogging for a long time, because I often felt bored while jogging. Then, I realised that I don’t need to go for a jog if I want to reach my goals (have more energy, stay in good physical shape). I started thinking about what else I could do to reach the same goals. Now I go surfing, play tennis, or go and play football with my friends. I will never procrastinate these activities because they are very exciting to me and I always look forward to doing them. Solution #5.2: If you really want to get started with a certain sport, you can think of ways to make that sport more exciting to you. Maybe you can do it with a friend that you love hanging out with, listen to music while doing it or sign up for a sports competition. These are just some of the possible solutions. The most important thing for you at this point will be to creative, and see how you can apply these solutions to your own life. Don’t be afraid to extract the concepts from these solutions and apply it to something completely different. Find out what works for you! ACTION STEPS: Here are the action steps that you can go through to start working on your procrastination issues:

• Step #1: Take a piece of paper (or open a word doc) and write down what specifically you are procrastinating right now.
• Step #2: Write down why you think you are procrastinating it.
• Step #3: Repeat step #2 to go deeper and deeper and get to the core of the issue (rule of thumb: try to ask yourself “why” 5 times).
• Step #4: Once you get to the core of the issue, develop a solution to try and make your task more exciting.
• Step #5: Hit reply below this e-mail and send me your PROBLEM and SOLUTION. I’d love to see what you came up with!

Here are some ways of making something more exciting:

1. Switch it with a more exciting task that gets you a similar end result (if you want to get fit, you can do a variety of sports; if you want to create more content for your readers, you can write blog posts, create a podcast, record videos…)
2. Go to an inspiring location (cafe, restaurant, park, beach, rooftop bar, co-working space, plane…)
3. Surround yourself with people that you enjoy hanging out with (friends, mentors, advisors, accountability partners…)
4. Listen to the music
5. Make yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee (or get a caramel Frappucino)
6. Listen to an audiobook (this makes my commuting time to Starbucks much more exciting, and I also like going grocery shopping way more)

Tomorrow, I will go deeper into systems and show you just how powerful systems can be when you put them into action. I will also show you a system that you can start using right away to jump-start your days and set yourself up for success. Stay tuned! -Primoz

5 Tips to Win a Client & Increase Brand Awareness and Profits for your Small Business Customers

As a small business, establishing credibility with potential customers is not just important; it’s everything! Otherwise, how can you possibly measure up to your competition that has a well-known brand name and a slick marketing campaign? You need potential customers to view your company as trustworthy, knowledgeable and professional. Establishing credibility takes time and a concerted effort; it doesn’t happen overnight. You need to take a strategic approach. Here are five tips that will help you build the credibility that you need to take your business to the next level.

Build a strong online presence. In today’s business environment, you are only as good as your online presence. When looking for a particular product or service, most consumers will immediately hop onto Google to see what’s available. Your potential customers will judge your business based on the quality of your website. If it is difficult to navigate or it appears amateur, potential customers will decide to look elsewhere. By strategically building your website and using social media effectively, you can establish credibility online. Twitter and Facebook can also allow you to showcase your expertise and to keep your business at the top of your customers’ minds.

Encourage customer reviews. By including testimonials and reviews on your website, you allow potential customers to see your products from the customer point of view. Potential customers may be more comfortable with your business if they see that real people have been happy with the services that you provide. A well written testimonial can create an emotional connection with potential customers that would be difficult to achieve through marketing copy. The best way to get testimonials is simply to ask for them. Since many people may find it difficult to summarize their experience with your company into a powerful statement, it may help if you provide them with a questionnaire to guide their responses. You probably won’t use all of their feedback, but you can choose a few quotes to highlight on your website. If you find it difficult to get your customers to respond to your questionnaire, you can always offer some sort of incentive, like an entry into a raffle.

Be easy to contact. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get in touch with a business and not being able to reach them. Most customers will give up after one or two attempts. To build credibility, you should provide several different ways that customers can contact you, including an email address and a phone number where they can talk to a live person. Be accessible to your customers and always return phone calls promptly.

Partner with other established businesses. By forming strategic relationships with established businesses in the community, you are actually able to “borrow” some of their credibility. When potential customers see that other companies that they trust are associated with you, they assume that they can trust you too. You can make these connections by joining the Chamber of Commerce or other business networking groups in your community. You can also build credibility for your business by participating in community events and by supporting local charities.

Go above and beyond. Word of mouth is important for every business, but when you are trying to establish credibility, it is essential to your survival. When you don’t have an established reputation, people will give a lot of weight to the experiences that others have had with your business. If you exceed your customers’ expectations in terms of the quality and service that you offer, your reputation will start to build itself. Be sure that you take good care of each customer and that you make a concerted effort to ensure that no customer leaves unhappy. Remember, that one unhappy customer can do a lot of damage to your business’ reputation.

The importance of establishing credibility cannot be overstated; without it, your business will struggle to survive. Trying to build credibility is similar to attempting to roll a giant boulder down a hill. At first, it is difficult and requires a lot of effort. However, after you start to get traction, it takes on a life of its own and requires little work from you at all. There is no trick to establishing credibility and there are no shortcuts. The key is to build trust with your customers, and to show them, through your actions, that you are deserving of that trust

Maria Locker Founder & CEO, Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc

http://www.novabusinessdevelopment.com

22 Things Happy People Do Differently

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, smiling and content with their life. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.

The question is: how do they do that?

It’s quite simple. Happy people have good habits that enhance their lives. They do things differently. Ask any happy person, and they will tell you that they …

1. Don’t hold grudges.

Happy people understand that it’s better to forgive and forget than to let their negative feelings crowd out their positive feelings. Holding a grudge has a lot of detrimental effects on your wellbeing, including increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Why let anyone who has wronged you have power over you? If you let go of all your grudges, you’ll gain a clear conscience and enough energy to enjoy the good things in life.

2. Treat everyone with kindness.

Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that being kind makes you happier? Every time you perform a selfless act, your brain produces serotonin, a hormone that eases tension and lifts your spirits. Not only that, but treating people with love, dignity, and respect also allows you to build stronger relationships.

3. See problems as challenges.

The word “problem” is never part of a happy person’s vocabulary. A problem is viewed as a drawback, a struggle, or an unstable situation while a challenge is viewed as something positive like an opportunity, a task, or a dare. Whenever you face an obstacle, try looking at it as a challenge.

4. Express gratitude for what they already have.

There’s a popular saying that goes something like this: “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.” You will have a deeper sense of contentment if you count your blessings instead of yearning for what you don’t have.

5. Dream big.

People who get into the habit of dreaming big are more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t. If you dare to dream big, your mind will put itself in a focused and positive state.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Happy people ask themselves, “Will this problem matter a year from now?” They understand that life’s too short to get worked up over trivial situations. Letting things roll off your back will definitely put you at ease to enjoy the more important things in life.

7. Speak well of others.

Being nice feels better than being mean. As fun as gossiping is, it usually leaves you feeling guilty and resentful. Saying nice things about other people encourages you to think positive, non-judgmental thoughts.

8. Never make excuses.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Happy people don’t make excuses or blame others for their own failures in life. Instead, they own up to their mistakes and, by doing so, they proactively try to change for the better.

9. Get absorbed into the present.

Happy people don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. They savor the present. They let themselves get immersed in whatever they’re doing at the moment. Stop and smell the roses.

10. Wake up at the same time every morning.

Have you noticed that a lot of successful people tend to be early risers? Waking up at the same time every morning stabilizes your circadian rhythm, increases productivity, and puts you in a calm and centered state.

11. Avoid social comparison.

Everyone works at his own pace, so why compare yourself to others? If you think you’re better than someone else, you gain an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you think someone else is better than you, you end up feeling bad about yourself. You’ll be happier if you focus on your own progress and praise others on theirs.

12. Choose friends wisely.

Misery loves company. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with optimistic people who will encourage you to achieve your goals. The more positive energy you have around you, the better you will feel about yourself.

13. Never seek approval from others.

Happy people don’t care what others think of them. They follow their own hearts without letting naysayers discourage them. They understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. Listen to what people have to say, but never seek anyone’s approval but your own.

14. Take the time to listen.

Talk less; listen more. Listening keeps your mind open to others’ wisdoms and outlooks on the world. The more intensely you listen, the quieter your mind gets, and the more content you feel.

15. Nurture social relationships.

A lonely person is a miserable person. Happy people understand how important it is to have strong, healthy relationships. Always take the time to see and talk to your family, friends, or significant other.

16. Meditate.

Meditating silences your mind and helps you find inner peace. You don’t have to be a zen master to pull it off. Happy people know how to silence their minds anywhere and anytime they need to calm their nerves.

17. Eat well.

Junk food makes you sluggish, and it’s difficult to be happy when you’re in that kind of state. Everything you eat directly affects your body’s ability to produce hormones, which will dictate your moods, energy, and mental focus. Be sure to eat foods that will keep your mind and body in good shape.

18. Exercise.

Studies have shown that exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft does. Exercising also boosts your self-esteem and gives you a higher sense of self-accomplishment.

19. Live minimally.

Happy people rarely keep clutter around the house because they know that extra belongings weigh them down and make them feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Some studies have concluded that Europeans are a lot happier than Americans are, which is interesting because they live in smaller homes, drive simpler cars, and own fewer items.

20. Tell the truth.

Lying stresses you out, corrodes your self-esteem, and makes you unlikeable. The truth will set you free. Being honest improves your mental health and builds others’ trust in you. Always be truthful, and never apologize for it.

21. Establish personal control.

Happy people have the ability to choose their own destinies. They don’t let others tell them how they should live their lives. Being in complete control of one’s own life brings positive feelings and a great sense of self-worth.

22. Accept what cannot be changed.

Once you accept the fact that life is not fair, you’ll be more at peace with yourself. Instead of obsessing over how unfair life is, just focus on what you can control and change it for the better.

This article is from Chiara Fucarino.   (www.novabusinessdevelopment.com)

7 Stages of Small Business Success

To Learn more how you can grow your business on a pay for performance basis – visit http://www.novabusinessdevelopment.com

With 28 million small businesses in the U.S., it’s hard to be a member of planet earth and not have a personal connection to small business. Small businesses play a critical role in the economy, making them a hot topic of discussion.

What’s the problem if everyone is talking about small business?

The problem is this: Small business means different things to different people.

Small businesses come in many shapes and sizes. If you’re a solopreneur, you have different needs and challenges than a business with 10 employees. And you have widely different needs and challenges from a 100 person company.

What I’ve discovered in working with thousands of small businesses for the last decade is that there are seven stages of small business success. It’s important to remember you can have success at any of the seven stages. The goal of the seven stages is to help you articulate which stage your small business is in and the success factor you need to focus on. Having this focus helps you make intentional decisions about where you want to be in the future.

Solopreneur

Of the 28 million small businesses in the U.S., 22 million of them are solopreneurs. In this stage, businesses have one employee and bring in $100,000 or less in annual sales. The success factor for the solopreneur is time. Ask any small business owner and you’ll hear that there isn’t enough time in the day.

Handling every part of the business, from finances to sales and marketing to everything in between, is a dizzying cycle that can ensnare even the best multitaskers. A shortage of time butting up against the ever growing to-do list can detonate the solopreneur’s chance of success.

The key to thriving in this stage is to establish a meticulous time management system. Devote the largest pieces of your time to what actually makes the business grow. Don’t forget to carve out time to take care of yourself, to be with your family and to remember why you actually became an entrepreneur in the first place.

You’ll stretch yourself thin, but you’ll at least stay sane while in this stage.

Partnership

Partnerships comprise 1.7 million businesses across America and make somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000 annually in sales. The solopreneur grows beyond him or herself to two or three employees in this stage, which usually means bringing on a partner. There’s great value in strategic partnerships and they can really ramp up your business’ growth.

But, there’s a flip side to everything. The wrong partner can stunt your company’s growth and cripple its path to success. Start by evaluating your own weaknesses. If you lack financial know-how, find a partner who is passionate about projections and balance sheets. If your instincts are to act as a manager, a visionary entrepreneur that dreams big might be what you need. There’s not always a perfect yin to your yang, but look at each potential partner as an entire package.

Having partners in place allows you time to harness the main success factor at this stage– sales. It’s a bit uncomfortable for many entrepreneurial types to sell, but you have to get new customers to survive. You have to figure out how to talk about your product in a way that speaks to the benefits your customers need.

There’s no one in the world who’s more passionate than you about your product or service. So get over your fears and start selling.

Steady Operation

As your business steadies, you will reach this stage in which 1.9 million businesses also reside. A steady operation has four to 10 employees and annual sales of $300,000 to $1 million. Once your business has the sales operation running, you’ll need to get focused on marketing and service. It’s essential to get a plan in place to make marketing systematic and profitable for the business.

As a small business, you can’t afford to have marketing efforts not generating revenue. Learn to make smart marketing decisions that help you grow sales and keep customers.

Customer service is also something to focus heavily on at this stage. Invest in the people and systems that make your customers feel like VIPs and you’ll end up with a boost in repeat sales, referrals and a higher customer retention rate.

Local Success Story

There are 900,000 businesses nationwide that are local success stories and have between 11 to 25 employees. As your business grows from $1 million in annual sales up to the $5 million mark, the big picture must be at the forefront of your mind.

The success factor at this stage is setting the vision. You face the reality that you won’t always have a hand in hiring and you have to trust the people in charge of these decisions. It’s intimidating for an entrepreneur to relinquish the control he/she had over every detail of the business. But setting your vision and making it known to your team will go a long way. A clear vision will attract the right people to your business.

As your business expands into this phase, you will begin to be viewed as a success story in your local community. The growth of your company will be an inspiration to other small businesses in your area.

Your example of setting the vision and letting go will be an important model that others will follow.

Managed Organization

In this stage, your business has expanded to between 26 and 100 employees and annual sales from $5 million to $20 million. There are 200,000 businesses like this across America and the success factor of hiring in line with your vision will set companies in this stage apart.

Most CEOs feel that when they get to this level, all the focus needs to be on shareholders. If this is true, then you must turn your attention to employees and the company culture. Happy employees make happy customers who make happy shareholders.

Culture is what holds managed organizations together. Culture attracts the right people, ejects the wrong ones and ultimately guides a company’s path to success. Actively including every employee, regardless of rank and title, in the direction of your company will make your entire workforce feel invested in the business.

This can be a difficult stage as you add more layers of management. The wrong leaders will dilute and weaken your culture. Be sure to establish core values and a mission that can be shared among staff and valued from top to bottom. Employees will feel mutual respect and a culture they can’t resist.

This, combined with the processes you’ve already put in place will move your company forward like a machine.

Mature Company

You’ve reached a place of substantial success to the tune of annual sales between $20 million and $40 million. You now have 100 to 200 employees and you’re in the same stage as 60,000 other businesses. You’ve become a stronghold in your industry. It’s time to unleash the success factor of strategic planning and mix in concrete performance measuring tactics. Without solid planning, your company will become stagnant and that’s when it becomes vulnerable.

Revisit your strategic direction and gauge its effectiveness often. If you notice a dip in progress, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy. The pulse of a mature company should be checked regularly.

A healthy culture combined with a strong strategic planning process will allow you to move into the rare space of corporate player.

Corporate Player

As the business escalates to annual sales between $40 million and $100 million and anywhere from 201 to 500 employees, entrepreneurs must make the terrifying decision to surrender even more control. There are 30,000 companies in the nation at this stage and the leaders of these companies have to make some tough choices. The vision is still yours (mostly), and the company is still yours (maybe), but the time comes to handpick a leadership team you can trust.

The success factor for this stage is leadership development and you must choose and develop leaders who share your vision and are every bit as determined to preserve your culture as you are. These leaders should be ethical beyond reproach, treat every member of your team with respect and exude their commitment to the business and its core values in their daily actions.

You want to trust the business is in good hands.

Every one of these seven stages is incredibly distinct and it is possible to achieve success in each one. Stop where you’re comfortable. Keep in mind that people are what make or break your business. Small businesses have needs of their own that cannot be sated in the same ways those of large corporations can. Small business owners must take the time to recognize which stage of success their business is situated in and act accordingly.

Success is in the eye of the beholder, but success factors can take you there.

www.novabusinessdevelopment.com

Article written by Clate Mask, Co-Founder and CEO of Infusionsoft.

How to start a business without any money

As Uberflip began making money, it began ramping up its budget as the founders reinvested the revenue. It just hired its 20th employee, and now spends “tens of thousands” a month on marketing. It still invests everything back into growth.

Having propelled itself through the difficult early stages, Uberflip hasn’t found a venture capital deal it likes yet, Mr. Frish says. “A VC wants anywhere from 20% to 30% of your business on the first round. We want to create more proof, whether that’s decreasing that percentage or increasing the value of the opportunity in front of them. That’s our goal here.”

Today’s young entrepreneurs, bereft of funding, need to be strong self-starters. Bootstrapping — starting your company with little or no external money and growing through revenue alone — is a rare and necessary skill in this market, says Vancouver-based entrepreneur Jason Bailey.

Far too many starry-eyed entrepreneurs walk into Mr. Bailey’s offices hoping for millions in funding. He is the principal at GrowLab, a startup accelerator that funds new tech firms.

“Seed funding  is hard anyway. There’s a very shallow pool of capital,” says Mr. Bailey, who founded Vancouver games developer East Side Games with $1-million of his own capital. “You really need to focus on getting to revenue quickly.”

Even if young companies want to sell off their equity early to venture capital investors, they may have a tough time doing so. The venture capital market is flat overall, with investment amounts and deal numbers largely the same last year as in 2011 — $1.5-billion flowed from venture capital  companies last year, which is just 44% of the capital invested in U.S. firms.

Mr. Bailey bootstrapped himself to success and fended off VC offers to sell his business. In 2007, he and his partner spent $20,000 of their own money creating Super Rewards, a technology that enabled online game developers to create virtual currencies and monetize them on social networks. Bailey took it to a $100-million run rate in a little more than a year, then sold it to Playerize.

</aGreg Gianforte, who founded online customer service software firm RightNow before selling it to Oracle for $1.5-billion in 2011, puts it succinctly. “I have a little sign on my desk that says ‘nothing happens until someone sells something.’ ”

For entrepreneurs like Mr. Gianforte, who wrote a book on bootstrapping and now provides free coaching to entrepreneurs in his native Montana, cashflow is king. He had 40 paying customers for the RightNow software, which he wrote himself, before hiring any employees.

What are the rules for bootstrapping a business? “It’s like war. In a war there are only two jobs: making bullets and shooting them,” Mr. Gianforte says. “Everything else should support those two things.”

In business, bullets are sales, and Mr. Gianforte advises bootstrappers to make them early, while keeping costs low.

Where possible, businesses need to make their ‘bullets’ semi-automatic; recurring revenue is crucial, Mr. Frish says. This is a common model for software companies. Refocusing on recurring revenue rather than one-off sales was his first move when he joined Uberflip in 2010.

Cashflow is an important part of the process. Paying bills later, while making customers pay up front, is key. In the early days before Super Rewards, when he was trying everything to see what stuck, Mr. Bailey would take inventory lists from drop shipment companies and sell their goods on ecommerce portals, or even through eBay. “We would take the cash on the day we sold it, but then pay suppliers on net 30 terms. Then we’d use that cashflow to buy more goods,” he recalls.

Keeping costs low is much like managing personal finances: a sensible measured approach is important. Lease, don’t buy, to reduce capital investment. Bartering is even better. Sharing offices is important. Buy your office chairs from Staples, rather than Herman Miller.

In many cases, a lack of budget can be turned to your advantage. Mr. Gianforte didn’t invest in brochures until he had 20 people in his sales department. “Asking for a brochure is an excuse to get you off the phone,” he says. Instead, the sales person would counter-offer, proposing a date for an online demonstration of the product.

Mr. Frish advises startups to focus on government grants and programs such as SRED, IRAP, and Career Focus. Outsource the heavy lifting, he says, getting others to fill out applications so you can focus on selling.

Perhaps the biggest piece of advice to startups is to fail fast and often, GrowLab’s Mr. Bailey says. “Anybody who comes to me with their startup idea that they’ve been working on for three years — I don’t want to hear their story. You’re not capable of failure. You need to fail faster than that.” Shopping a product quickly and then tweaking based on customer feedback is better than years of ponderous preparation.

For Mr. Frisch, that means understand how to pivot, changing your business model nimbly to suit customer demands. While Uberflip continues to monitor market needs, it continues to do what every bootstrapper should do: steadily building its revenues, one paying customers at a time.

www.novabusinessdevelopment.com