Get A Vision

Companies have vision. A vision of where they want to be in a year or two years time. They then create a strategy followed by plans of how they are going to achieve their vision.

Armies have a vision. A vision of what they want to achieve. They then plan and implement each step of the way to achieve that vision, until they reach their sought after victory. Along the way, things will change which will require changing plans, maybe moving back to move forward in another direction.

What remains constant though is the vision. The vision is solid. It never changes. Everything is aimed towards the target.

To succeed in any enterprise we must have the same kind of vision in our own lives. You must become the general or CEO of your own life. No matter what your current circumstances are, whether you are employed or unemployed, retired or approaching retirement you still need a vision to strive towards.

Without a vision, you are drifting, at the whim of every social wind that hits you, every change in the economy. Without a vision, you have handed control of your life over to others who don’t have your interests at heart.

With a vision you’re making your own trail, without one you’re been dragged through paths you may not like. Are you happy with your life? If you are fair enough, thanks for reading. If you’re not then do something about it.

The first thing you need to do is create a vision. A vision is an image in your mind of where you want to be within a certain time frame. What you want to achieve in certain areas of your life.

I have a vision that I want to create a successful online company. My large vision is of a large successful ecommerce website making enough profit for me to enjoy a good lifestyle. In order to achieve that vision I have broken it down into smaller goals. Goals to be achieved within a certain timeframe that will get me closer to the big vision. The important thing is the vision.

I am aiming for this target. This is the ground I as the CEO or general of my own life, I must reach. Everything I do is aimed towards it. My destination is specific. I know exactly what I want to achieve and in what timeframe. I’m focused and determined. So far, I’ve encounted lots of problems along my chosen route.

Sometimes I’ve had to tread water while I come up with a solution to a specific problem. But the vision remains. The target is still there. The obstacle is a temporary blockage to be overcome.

With vision comes focus. Powerful focus is like light focused into a laser, it is unstoppable.

If you don’t have a vision of where you want to be. Stop right now. Take some time out and think about what you would like to achieve. Write it down. Then think of the time frame you would like to achieve it in. Write this down.

Once you have a clear vision of what you would like to achieve break it down into small steps then aim for it. Make all the decisions required to hit the target. Become the CEO or general of your own life. Your life on this planet is too important to leave it for others to decide what’s best for you. Get a vision and become all you can be.

Putting The Brakes On Ebay

I’ve decided to calm EBay down a little. It’s been keeping me so busy for the last few months that I haven’t had time to put into process other ideas I have for the business. I’ve also being unable to get my stock sorted out. It’s being so busy that my office resembles a war zone, papers and receipts strewn everywhere. I needed to restore some order and regroup so I took the decision to put the brakes on EBay. This was easy enough I just increased my prices up to 20%.

So far it seems to be working, sales have slowed and I’m restoring order. Things I’ve being meaning to do are finally getting done and I’m feeling a lot more relaxed. One of the things I’ve being meaning to do is go through all my eBay listings individually and examine them to make sure I am making profit I want from each item.

Over the last year I’ve been caught out a few times selling below what I would have liked. This was done by mistake in the rush to get items listed on EBay I overlooked some important factors. Now having gained a year’s worth of heavy trading on EBay I’m more confident and more efficient, I also know what I want from EBay.

What I want is simply profit. I’m not interested in turnover for the sake of turnover, I don’t want to be a busy idiot, if I am not making a decent profit I don’t want to be busy at all. Afterall this is not some ego trip I’m embarked on but a focused and determined attempt to earn enough money for a decent retirement.

I’m going through all my listings and ensuring every single one returns me the profit I am looking for, also ensuring the postage charge is right. Considering how long it takes to pack and the cost of the packaging. The decision to increase prices in an attempt to slow ebay down was not taken lightly. I’ve worked out that by increasing my prices by 20% I can afford to take a big hit on sales and still make the same money. I realise I will lose some custom but the drop would have to be substantial before it hit the bottom line.

Anyway I needed some time-out from eBay so I could work on other parts of my business. Namely getting the website optimized. I’ve been studying how to use Google ad words as a way of marketing the website. I intend to use this method after Christmas to promote my website. I would prefer to sell from my site because it doesn’t cost me anything, unlike EBay which can be expensive.

I also wanted to get away from my computer a bit and pick up a book. I think it’s important we don’t allow ourselves to get sucked into a maelstrom of business activity at the expense of our family and recreation time. So I’m looking forward to a quieter December where I can read a few books, relax and recharge ready for the new year. Well I’m off to lay on the couch with a book for a few hours.

See you later.

Five Things I’ve Learned About Running A business

Over the past year I’m pleased with the growth my business has achieved. A few week from January 2009 my business is way beyond where it was in January 2008, and I am, I have to say, pleased. I’m not however complacent and I have plans in place to grow the business over the next twelve months. The last twelve months have been a journey where I have learned a lot. When I’ve hit a problem I’ve been forced to find answers to that problem from all the resources we have available today. I’ve become a fast reader.

So what have I learned? Well here’s a few things I’ve learned:

Focus;

Focus is important. Before I started my business I used to do a lot of surfing. When I came home from work I’d spend an hour or two surfing different sites and reading the posts. No More! Time is crucial and scarce. I have so many tasks to perform every day to keep the business going that I no longer waste any time. I focus my time on all the essential things I need to do to move the business forward. Time, I’ve discovered is the most important commodity we have and we can’t afford to waste it on mindless surfing. If it’s not helpful to my business I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I have my free time where I’ll pick up a good book and relax. During business time however I squeeze every last second out of the time I have available to add value to my business.

Reinvest

I have not, so far taken anything out of the business. Every penny I make I reinvest into new stock. This has meant I have increased my stock from the first few items I started with to hundreds of products. I also have plenty of money sloshing around my business account. Everythimg I make is reinvested in adding value to the business. I’m looking to invest in a good stock control system to make the process of running the business faster. Money is the driving engine of business so keeping it in the business is important in my opinion. The profit will come later.

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone

I’ve discovered it’s so easy to reach a level and get comfortable. To move forward you have to increase you goals. Think big and go for it. Set your goals high and you will stretch yourself to achieve them. Set them too low and you will get stuck in a rut and never progress. Keep driving forward. If you’ve got a monthly turnover of £3000 reevaluate and set it to £6000 then push for it.

Get Some Business Systems In Place

What do I mean by business systems? Anything that makes it easier to sell your products, take payment and deliver them. My business is simple. I sell art products. When a customer buys something from me I want to process the order fast and efficient. So I invest in a good software package that keeps track of everything. I have an account with royal mail so I can print address labels off direct and pay for them online. This means that I don’t have to waste time in the post office. I keep databases to make record keeping easier. As my business grows I need to come up with better and more efficient systems. I’m always on the look out for anything that will make the business run more efficiently.

Constant Learning Is Essential

Everything in life is moving so fast we need to keep abreast of developments if we are to survive and grow. Close your mind and your business may soon follow. We need to read, read and read about new marketing techniques, website optimization new products the list is endless. I’ve always been a big reader but I’ve learned to speed-read to assimilate fast all the information I need to function in the business world. Mt pleasure reading is different ffrom my business reading. I’ve started to use a software program to help me speed-read books or articles I consider essential to grow my business.

Well these are just a few of the things I’ve learned over the last year. My biggest lesson though is to use time productively. Make use of every second of your business time. The hours just fly past, but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I know I have used my business time productively.

Don’t worry too much about the competition

If you are thinking of starting a business then you can’t ignore an analysis of the existing competition. I mean there’s not much point setting up a corner shop in the middle of two supermarkets. When setting up an online business you need to research the market to see what you are up against. Unless you’ve developed a unique niche and are first in the field you are going to have competition.

This shouldn’t deter you from moving into the market and planning to take a share, this is part of the fun of running your own business. With the right marketing plan and pricing policy combined with good customer service there is a way into any market.

Don’t be put off by the plethora of websites offering the same products you are thinking of selling. Many big players in any field now offer ready-made websites stocked with their products for a minimum cost. This is a win win situation for them. They get to sell their products on the back of someone else’s marketing and efforts.

If this is happening in the field you are thinking of entering don’t be too demoralized. Why? A number of reasons. First many of these sites are just floating round the internet, doing nothing, like disused satellites floating through space. Many people sign up to these programs thinking that owning a website will guarantee them instant riches. Once they discover there’s a lot of work, effort, skill and knowledge needed in promoting a website many of them lose interest and walk away.

Then there’s the problem that all these site owners face, namely their sites are all the same. They all look the same, stock the same products and have no unique factor to separate them from each other. A well designed unique site can easily outshine them. Having said that, the site itself is not as important as the drive and professionalism of the business owner.

It’s this that will determine whether you succeed or fail in your enterprise. It’s our self-belief, our motivation and our determination to succeed that will force us into the market. With these characteristics combined with a white-hot determination to succeed we can move into any market with confidence. So examine the completion but don’t fear it, it’s a part of life, business as well as social.

8 Steps To Handling A Crisis

Ok it has to happen. Despite all he careful planning, despite it can’t happen to me attitude problems are a natural part of life and we have to deal with them. In business a problem ignored will inevitably grow to a crisis.

If we bury our head in the sand it will jump on our back. So let’s get real, let’s behave like adults and prepare for the unavoidable slings and arrows that will come our way sometime. We’ve got a crisis. Sales are falling, costs are rising, we’ve lost parcels in the post or the computer with all our business contacts on has just crashed out on us. You get the idea. It’s a crisis.

Who’s fault is it? Forget it, it doesn’t matter. We haven’t got time to form a circle and point at one another. Form a circle but make sure the rifles are pointing outwards. First we first with the problem. Once we have it sorted and the ship is back on an even keel we can look into what were the reasons involved in causing the crisis. Until then let’s deal with the problem.

1. What is the problem? Define it, write it down be clear about what the problem is. You should be able to write it down, there’s no room for vagueness, we need to know exactly what we are dealing with. How is it impacting on the business.

2. Get control. You are the leader of your business whether it’s a home based business that you run from your bedroom or a multinational. You are the boss, the commanding officer you have to show leadership. Stand tall and be confident. Wilting under pressure is for wimps.

3. Stay calm and logical. Get the facts. I used to love those old war films where a submarine had just been depth charged. Water is spraying everywhere; pipes are falling off, bodies are laid over the deck plates and the submarine is diving straight for the bottom and about to implode. Everyone is on the brink of panicing, then the captain, holding onto a rung of the metal ladder leading up to the conning tower calmly asks for the damage report. The calmness in his voice restores confidence. You are the captain. It doesn’t matter how fast the submarine is sinking get that damage report. If you haven’t got the facts you can’t provide solutions. Get the facts.

4. By now you should know what the problem is. You should have the facts to support your assessment of what has gone wrong. Write them down. Now think of solutions to the problem.

5. Deploy your solutions and monitor the results. Believe in your ability to deal with the problem. Listen to feedback from others but don’t let them sway you once you have made your decision to deal with the problem. You have by this stage, established what the problem is, what caused it, what affect it is having on the business and you have deployed your carefully thought out solution. Give it time to work.

6. Take relaxed decisions. Don’t be rushed, don’t be panicked. Whatever has gone wrong has happened, stressing out over it will not solve the problem faster. Sit down and relax a while.

7. Tell people what’s going on. If you employ staff keep them informed if you work from home tell your partner that you are having a problem. Don’t sulk and lock yourself in the office answering all questions in monosyllabic grunts.

8. Once the crisis is over assess what happened. Why did it happen? This is not a time for the blame game it’s a time for logically making decisions and implementing systems that will prevent the problem from recurring.

Pat yourself on the back you’ve arrested the descent of the submarine and you are rising fast to the surface.

Problems are unavoidable in business that’s what makes it fun. When they arrive at your door stay calm and work your way through the 8 point plan. You are the commander. You can lead your business out of it.

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