Life is a continuum – so change is inevitable. In the life of a female entrepreneur, then, this inevitability affects her not only personally, but also professionally. While some change results in higher profits and greater personal and professional satisfaction, other change may result in a situation that drains a business owner’s resources and leaves her feeling unsure about the best next step for her business and for herself. This shift also may result in another shift: a previously content and confident business owner, living as her ideal entrepreneurial type, transforms into an entrepreneurial type that simply doesn’t fit.

Based on professional market research of more than 3,500 women in business, this study shows that each type of business owner has a unique approach to running a business and therefore each one has a unique combination of needs. When a woman is living as her ideal entrepreneurial type, she feels satisfied, personally and professionally. This article outlines three of the main circumstances that may cause a woman previously living as her ideal type to transform into a less-than-ideal type – and provides advice for changing these circumstances so they can work their way back to ideal.

1.    The business started undercapitalized and acquired more debt than can comfortably be carried given current revenue levels. One reason companies acquire debt in the early years is that, although the entrepreneur had some money set aside, their business did not hit its revenue projections on time. The result: the cash ran out before the revenue kicked in. Some women who fall into this category are savvy businesswomen who had previously run large corporate budgets, and were confident and accurate in determining the costs of running the business. However, when they projected how quickly sales would occur and money would come in, they were overly optimistic. They struggle to add more customers, watching their cash reserve run out, ultimately having to decide whether or not to go into (more) debt to keep the business afloat. Many of them end up making that investment because they have hopes for the business and they feel confident it will be profitable eventually.

Advice: Business owners must look at two aspects of the business financials right away to assess whether or not their business model is going to be profitable enough to help them transform back into their ideal entrepreneurial type. She should ask herself:  Is it possible to make enough money with the existing model, and if so, what should she focus on immediately to create the best possible chance for the business to survive and thrive?

Entrepreneurs need to assess how much money they can realistically expect to come in, and how much is realistically going out. Revenue and expenses, when viewed together, paint a vivid picture of how successful the business will be. If an entrepreneur discovers that by the time her expenses go out (mortgage/rent, phone, Internet, groceries, doctor’s visits, etc.), she is barely squeaking by, she can manipulate her business model to increase her income. Whether she increases her hourly rates or increases the number of billable hours she works each week, she can create concrete plans for increasing her income – using real, solid numbers.

2.    Fluctuating business environments drove the profitability out of the business, and the business owner finds herself struggling with cash flow, revenues and/or business cost challenges. For example, a brilliant and successful entrepreneur who established a niche in marketing specialty products grew her business successfully until “me too” companies started chipping away at her market share. Increasing competition took away some of her business.

Advice: If a business owner believes that something outside of her control has caused her to shift into a less-than-ideal entrepreneurial type, she must adapt accordingly – while focusing on cash flow, and possibly reinvesting in the business to give it the jumpstart it needs. To accomplish all this, she must set goals and then create specific, step-by-step action plans for achieving each goal.

This owner of the specialty products marketing company began marketing existing products to new niche markets, and started diversifying into other fields via new divisions that were related to the initial niche. Entrepreneurs should keep in mind that momentum will build as they begin to achieve their goals. The key is to prepare to act by choosing the right focal points and then succeed in those specific areas.

3.    The business owner is moving in too many directions at once. In some cases, a female entrepreneur has been successfully running her business for some time, and she decides to branch out. Her ultimate vision encompasses multiple streams of income and she tries to activate them all at once. This approach can be counterproductive in the short-term because the lack of a singular focus can make it difficult for her target market to understand her business model. In cases such as these, it is not possible to build marketing and sales efforts for such diverse income streams simultaneously.

Advice: Every entrepreneur, especially one who is struggling because she is not living as her ideal type, should examine her business concept, and her business model to ensure that her company in its current state can make the profit she needs. This will help her nail down a specific focus for getting back into her ideal type. When considering business concept, entrepreneurs may want to develop a one-sentence “catch phrase” to respond when someone asks, “What does your business do for people?” The key is to highlight a singular line of work, plus exactly what benefits customers can expect from using the business. For example, a business coach may say, “In my business, we’re experts at helping business leaders be more effective, so they can make more money with less stress.” In this statement, she has said who she helps (it’s deliberately open-ended to include a variety of business leaders), and what she does for them (helps them make more money with less stress). When considering business model, entrepreneurs must determine whether their customers would want to buy their product or service in the form in which they’re selling it. Maybe a business was running smoothly for years with the same business concept and business model – but with changes in the economy, it is not as profitable. In cases like this, a business owner can assess whether she could make focused minor or moderate changes to her business model to offer her services or products in a way that makes sense, now.

Change happens, always. The way a woman business owner reacts and adapts to change defines whether her company will simply survive or begin to thrive. By following the above advice during three common sets of circumstances, female entrepreneurs will hold the power they need to live their ideal type – and to find personal and professional satisfaction.

About the Author:

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com.

Bill’s Perceptual Style is Flow. He perceives a world of unity and relationships in which every piece is connected to every other piece; a rich world where the parts fit together and support and nourish each other. He trusts in the flow of experience and believes what is important and necessary will emerge as a matter of course as it reflects the underlying harmony and cooperation inherent in the world. He knows the relationships he sees are not always obvious, especially to others, and that they reveal themselves only through his patient careful attention, and even then only slowly, in hints, intimations, and whispers.

Bill creates and sustains powerful but subtle relationships that form the glue of a community. He maintains the balance between the myriad elements of his world through constant attention and tending. His attention, while caring and supportive, is subtle and not readily apparent to those around him as he acts indirectly, behind the scenes, and outside the spotlight. Belonging is critical to him, but being the center of attention is not his style.

Moving smoothly and easily between daily events as his awareness emerges and recedes, Bill attends, in proper proportion, to events and people where connection and relationships require his attention. He builds connections steadily and patiently because he knows that relationships require time. He avoids pushing, demanding, or abrupt action because he trusts that what needs to be done will be done in its proper time.

Bill facilitates the development of an environment that is comfortable, one that fosters and encourages people. When his environment shifts away from cooperation, team building, and community, he quietly influences its realignment, putting his own personal needs aside if necessary. Bill has learned that taking care of himself is best done by taking care of the community within which he lives and works. While this is done with great care it is not passive, as he skillfully weaves a web of connections that binds those within his community closely to him.

Bill welcomes new events that support his traditions and values, and will adopt smoothly to change that he experiences as connected to the flow of his personal history. While he deeply distrusts arbitrary change, others often seek him out during times of upheaval because his skills are invaluable to restoring stability, coherence, and identity.

Bill uses his relational communities to gather and transmit informal information, after he has intuited what to pass on and what to withhold. He makes this determination through his understanding of what will most effectively and inconspicuously build alliances, promote participation, and instill commitment from people within his community. His information sharing is so careful and unobtrusive that others experience the connection within the community but are often unaware of his contribution to building it.

Bill often acts as a listening post to the members of his community without the need to give advice, pass judgment, or provide opinions. He will offer aid and assistance when asked but it takes the form of empathy and support rather than strategy and action plans. He encourages development and growth, and empathizes with those who are struggling. People respond to his personal engagement with them and the warmth and concern he shows them. Bill is rarely in a rush and always has time to interact with those who are troubled or just want to talk.

For Bill, the world is not a series of unrelated facts but a single whole full of patterns, impressions, and connections. He communicates his experience in stories that provide others with the necessary context but may alter or leave out factual points. His stories are a way to build personal connection and find common ground with others rather than a means to convey data and facts.

Bill is at his best smoothing the sharp edges of chaotic environments and erratic relationships. He builds a sense of cohesion within groups and creates a sense of group identity to which others willingly commit. He secures commitment to the community by thinking of others, making contact, doing favors, and staying in touch with all community members. It is important to him that outsiders accurately perceive community values, so he attends carefully to the image that his group projects and makes sure that it is consistent and appropriate.

His activities are ultimately focused on support and maintenance of his community. He is a keeper of community history and tradition and uses the history of the community to keep it grounded. He knows that understanding the past holds the key to providing continuity between the past, present, and future. He is the one who remembers everyone’s birthday, special occasions, and personal tidbits. He finds ways to stay in touch and often gives small meaningful gifts for no apparent special reason. These are his way of holding onto and building relationships and community.

About the Author:

Lynda-Ross Vega: A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and systems that WORK. She is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.ACIforCoaches.com.

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley.  He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents: www.aciforcoaches.com

There are few things in life as deflating as refund requests can be.

You’ve spent weeks or months (or years in some cases) creating a product. You work so hard to market it and get into your ideal clients’ hands. And they buy! It’s so exciting when you make sales.

And then you get a request for a refund. Argh!

Luckily I have good news. There are things you can do to reduce your refund rate. And many of them won’t cost you a dime. I’m going to walk you through these 7 simple steps about simple tweaks you can make to your product to make it more valuable and easy follow-up strategies.

Let’s get started.

1. Put a Quick Start CD or report in the product. Information products can be overwhelming. You open up the product and you have all these CDs and DVDs transcripts and worksheets and you don’t know where to start. A Quick Start guide (either audio or written) can give people a place to begin and it can help them consume the material more easily.

If people are feeling overwhelmed, they may just decide they don’t have time to figure this out after all and pack it all up and return to you.

(And yes, you can still include this even if the product is all digital.)

2. Include a Welcome letter or extra gift (or both). Let’s go through the Welcome letter first. A Welcome letter should:

* Reassure them they made a good decision by purchasing your product

* Get them excited about digging in and using the product

Welcome letters can also give them additional information and resources, or it can double as your “Quick Start guide” and give them instructions on how they should get started. Either way, it should make them feel good about their investment. (This again can and should be included with digital products.)

Now let’s look at gifts. A gift can be small, just a little extra bonus. Maybe it’s a promotional item, such as a pen or a bookmark. Or it could be an extra bonus, maybe an additional unadvertised report. Whatever it is, it just adds to the value and helps make your ideal clients feel like you’re overdelivering on value.

3. Send them an extra, unadvertised bonus at a later time. With this one, instead of bundling the bonus in the product, save it and send it to them later. This accomplishes a couple of things — your ideal clients feel taken care of plus it gives you another opportunity to reach out and connect with them again. This is a good way to further build the relationship with your ideal clients so they don’t feel like they’re simply a “walking wallet.”

4. Call them to thank them for their purchase. Yes, you read that right. Pick up the phone and give them a quick welcome call.

This can be a very powerful strategy for a number of reasons. First off, almost no one does it in the Internet world so you’re really going to stand out. Second, it’s another way to overdeliver value to your customers. Third, it’s a way to connect with them so they know they’re more to you then simply a sale.

I can hear all of you saying “I don’t have time.” That’s fine, have someone on your team do it. It doesn’t have to be a long call, just a quick phone call to welcome them into your community and to see if they have any questions or need anything from you. That 5 minutes can go a long way to really communicating a high level of customer care.

5. Set up a welcome auto-responder series. I’m currently working with a client to create a very integrated 30-day follow up email campaign. You don’t have to do something that elaborate, but even 5 or 7 follow up emails to help your customers get started with your product can go a long way. These emails can:

* Reassure them they made a good decision by purchasing your product

* Give them some additional tips for using the product

* Tease them about what’s in the product, to get them excited about diving in and getting started (remember, people who actually go through your product are far less likely to return it)

* Ask them for a testimonial or encourage them to refer a friend

* Upsell them to the next level

6. Add in live calls with you. There was a time where you could sell an information product and get top dollar for it and not include any interaction with you. Those days are gone. If you want to sell an information product with no calls or support from you, the price needs to be lower and be prepared for higher returns. But if you add in a couple of training and/or Q&A and live coaching calls, then you can raise the price plus it will reduce your refund rate.

People want accountability (and having those calls does add a level of accountability because they’ll need to go through the program to keep up with the calls) and they also want to interact with you. The more you can give people what they want, they more likely they’ll become loyal customers and raving fans.

7. Follow up with snail mail. I’ve found mailing people a postcard or a newsletter is a great way to build and deepen the relationship with my customers. Again, you’re reaching out to them outside the online world, sending something physical and doing this after the sale. So it’s a great way to stay connected with your clients. Of all the tips I gave, this one is the most costly, but over the long run, it can really pay off in a big way.

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! Marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency.  She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients, selling more products and services and boosting their business.  To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com Copyright 2009 Michele Pariza Wacek.

I have had such a transformation in my business this year that’s in such contrast to the general way of thinking in terms of how businesses should be doing during an economic recession. One of the most important steps I took was looking inward at my beliefs that were holding me back and putting them under a magnifying glass.

Now, there are a lot of coaches and consultants and spiritual teachers and wonderful people who I love to support who talk about being mindful of our thoughts, and I can’t say enough about that. But sometimes I feel like it’s “woo woo” stuff and I just need to get back to work. But I realized that there were some pretty big beliefs that I was holding onto that were really keeping me from moving forward in my business.

Here’s one of them: I can’t take time to reevaluate my business or take my eye off the ball because my income will suffer. Here’s another one: I can’t take time off because my income will suffer. And another: I can’t say no to a client because that would be giving up on income.

Sound at all familiar? Now I invite you to really take a look at the beliefs you have that are keeping you from making changes in your business. Think about good ideas you’ve seen or what other successful people are doing, but when you think about doing it yourself you have a belief or resistance about it. Just investigate your thinking. And then allow yourself to do something outside your comfort zone to battle those beliefs head on.

If you can really dissect and understand where your thoughts are coming from and why you are having them, it will work wonders. It certainly made a huge difference for me.

I’ll give you one example. For years I saw people charging several thousands of dollars for the stuff that I was only charging several hundred dollars for. “How could they do that?” I’d ask myself. And you know how they could? Because they chose to do that! I had a belief that I couldn’t do that.

So one of the things I did was hire a coach to invest in training for a specific area of my business that I wanted to grow in. Paying someone a couple of thousand dollars for a couple of hours of her time completely pushed me out of my comfort zone. But within two weeks I made the money back, and even more important is that I shifted my consciousness around what I was worth. I believed my services were of high value to my clients and I upped my pricing, which was something I had never done before.

We all have beliefs about ourselves, positive and negative, that are holding us back from success. Take a hard look at yourself in the mirror, pinpoint the beliefs that are holding you back and confront them head on. Not only will you see a new person looking back at you in the mirror, you’ll open yourself up for business, personal and spiritual development.

About the Author:

Lisa Cherney is a Marketing Intuitive and President & Founder of Conscious Marketing™.  Lisa has helped thousands of business owners tap into their intuition and market their businesses from the ‘Inside Out’. For 15 years she worked at Fortune 500 companies and top advertising agencies.

Lisa tells her story in her co-authored book “Inspiration to Realization,” available at www.ConsciousMarketing.com. Conscious Marketing also offers workshops and coaching. Visit her website for more details or call 888-771-0156 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              888-771-0156      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Very often, fear is what keeps us from maximizing our contacts with other people. Human beings are full of fears: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of looking ignorant or stupid, fear of hearing that four letter word: NO. So, what do we do? We procrastinate, we rationalize: “Oh, he’ll never agree to that, why bother asking, he’ll just say ‘no.’”

Don’t let fear keep you from asking. What you must remember is that the thing you should really be afraid of is missing an opportunity because you didn’t make the contact.

There is a story from Harvey Mackay that goes like this: In 1990 the then Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev announced plans to visit the United States. Everyone assumed he’d visit Washington, D.C. However, Rudy Perpich, the Governor of Minnesota, thought that perhaps Gorbachev might like to visit some other parts of the country. So he wrote him a letter. And he asked seventy Russian students on the campus at the University of Minnesota to write him letters as well telling him how great it would be for him to see the Heartland of the US.

Perpich asked for the visit, risked being turned down, and to everyone’s astonishment, he got what he wanted. For a day in June, Minnesota was able to welcome one of the most influential leaders in modern history.
Now this is a quote from Mackay’s book:

“The moral? Never say no for the other guy. Most people avoid risks their whole life by assuming the other guy is going to say no. …  All you have to do is ask. I guarantee you, if you get enough nos, you’re bound to get a few yeses. So don’t say no for anyone. You never know when you’ll create for yourself an opportunity of a lifetime.

Is your focus on short-term gain, or a long term relationship? If it’s the former, you’re going to have difficulty connecting with people because most folks can detect someone who has a motive or agenda. You must first establish acceptance and a friendship and you do this by taking a genuine interest in other people. Demonstrate through active listening (look it up if you’re not sure what that means) that you not only want to get to know them but you want to learn from them. Most people are flattered when someone asks their opinion on anything; people love to share their knowledge and opinions. And ask questions.

The sooner you find something you have in common with the other person, the sooner the connection will occur. It’s the common ground that gives you something to talk about with them and you need to be willing to invest the time and effort to uncover the things you may have in common.

About the Author:

The Balanced WorkLife Company is dedicated to helping the best get better while they enjoy the journey. Our programs give you access to tools and methodologies that allow you to break through the barriers and achieve your goals while also helping you enjoy a balance between and within your job, your career and your personal life. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the Balanced WorkLife Company can help you achieve your ultimate potential. To learn more, visit http://www.valuebasednetworking.com and download our free report “The 16 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid,” which is jam-packed with information to help you develop and build long-lasting business and social relationships.

Building Your Brand

A brand is a promise of the value your prospects/customers will receive. In today’s complex and competing world your customers must not only acknowledge but support the promise of your brand if you wish to get the position or contract you want with the firm you want to work with.

To become a brand, you’ve got to become completely focused on what you do that adds value. Do you deliver your commitments on time, every time? Do you anticipate and solve problems before they become crises? Do your stakeholders save money and headaches just by having you on the team? Do you complete projects within the allotted budget?  Do you create value in your relationships with others, from the top leader to the person at the reception desk?
Every person needs to evaluate his/her brand identity against the following criteria:

Relevance to the Market

A brand must stand for something that is meaningful to your target market. Your brand encompasses the total experience of knowing you and/or doing business with you.

Consistency of Behavior and Habits

People must be able to depend on the brand to deliver the same experience every time. Because your stakeholders experience your values through you, the only way they will truly become loyal to your brand is through your dedication and consistency. In other words, walk the talk.

Relationship-Building

A brand is not a logo or an advertising strategy. The strength of your brand is in the relationship between you and your customers. The stronger the relationship, the more business you will do together, and the more likely it is that your customers will refer you to their friends and business associates.

Loyalty To The Customer Is Returned

The test of your brand is, in fact, the strength of loyalty it generates. If you have  strong relationships with your target audience, then you have a strong brand.

Reputation Is Priceless

The only way to be successful in business is by establishing a good reputation. Your reputation works by communicating the relationship you have with people who’ve done business with you, and your target market in general.

Good brands stand the test of time. To develop a brand that will last a lifetime, go beyond what you do right now. Most executives today will have multiple positions, in multiple organizations, as they continue to contribute. Will you be remembered by the positions you had or the personal brand you brought to each? What more could you do for the people in your life be they friends, family or customers?

If you establish a place of trust and relevance in peoples’ minds, you’re already in the door. The more people believe in your brand, the more it will spread throughout your life without your pushing. If your brand is clear, distinctive, and easily understood, and expresses a unique, compelling benefit that people believe in, it will bring you all the business you can handle and an abundance of positive relationships.

About the Author:

The Balanced WorkLife Company is dedicated to helping the best get better while they enjoy the journey. Our programs give you access to tools and methodologies that allow you to break through the barriers and achieve your goals while also helping you enjoy a balance between and within your job, your career and your personal life. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the Balanced WorkLife Company can help you achieve your ultimate potential. To learn more, visit www.balancedworklife.com and download our free report “The 16 Most Common Networking Mistakes to Avoid,” which is jam-packed with information to help you develop and build long-lasting business and social relationships.

Excuse #1: “I Don’t Have Enough Time To Prospect or Focus on Sales Related / Dollar Productive Activities.”

Solution: Create Time.

Sales professionals of all levels and business owners who achieve extraordinary levels of success have days just as hectic as everyone else, right? Yet somehow they make prospecting a part of their daily or weekly activities.
So how do they do it? They create the time. You can instantly create time if you begin to plan ahead and stay committed. This means planning your days and weeks. One of the best time-creating techniques is to schedule prospecting or selling time on your calendar and delete unimportant activities.

Schedule your most important tasks earlier in the day to ensure they get done. Ask yourself, “Where am I wasting time?” Make sure you remove those activities from your daily schedule right away. Set up a recurring event for prospecting and don’t miss it. To be successful with this, be sure to eliminate your distractions.

Excuse #2: “I Can’t Stay Committed.”

Solution: Find Compelling Reasons For Your Actions.

There is a significant difference between intentions and action. The difference is commitment.
Our commitment to our goals leads us to achievement, even during the toughest times. There is a direct relationship between motivation and commitment. If you are really committed to making a change now in your sales or business results, create a sense of urgency.

You need reasons that are so compelling and so intense you must follow through. So right now, ask yourself the following questions and come up with the three reasons why you must commit to your sales growth goals.

•    What will this cost me if I don’t make a change right now?
•    What has this cost me so far in sales results, income, and overall success?
•    If I do start prospecting effectively and on a regular basis, how will I feel about myself?
•    How will this impact my sales career, my business, my life?
•    What will I gain as a result of this new commitment?

Your answers to these questions will help you gain an immediate understanding of what you’re committed to and why!

Excuse #3: “I Don’t Feel Confident That I Will Succeed. This Is A Waste Of Time!”

Solution: Break down your sales and business goals into measurable steps.

Sometimes trying to accomplish sales goals seems so overwhelming, the immediate temptation is to give up before we even start. Ouch. That kills self-confidence. And it’s true; we can’t gain confidence until we take action. Yet, we don’t take action because we are afraid to fail. See the problem here?

Take, for example, the intimidating obstacle of facing your sales goals or business goals for the entire year. Now that’s paralyzing, isn’t it?

To gain confidence, you must break your goals down into measurable steps. For example, if want to win 12 new clients within 12 weeks, then you could set your goal for 1 new client per week. It just feels easier and more attainable this way.

You don’t have to focus on the entire goal; but instead take smaller, manageable steps. This gives you a tremendous sense of control and achievement.

By the time you are nearing the end of your first couple of weeks on your new prospecting or sales plan, despite the ups and downs in progress, you begin to feel more confident because you have experienced some results.

Suddenly, as the fear dissipates, you will discover new found confidence. And best of all, you will have achieved what you once thought was impossible—proceeding one step at a time.

Excuse #4: “I Don’t Know What To Say. I Don’t Know If I Am Delivering The Right Message or Value.”

Solution: Seek Support & Don’t Try To Do Everything On Your Own.

It is understandable to feel a little confused. You may feel overwhelmed and paralyzed. There are so many sales techniques recommended by so many “sales experts”.  So, whose advice can you trust?

Are you tired of trying to sort through all the information on the internet, sales books, business articles and tips? Well, you can stop right now and keep yourself from chasing every sales technique or theory.

So how do you find the answers?

When seeking support on these topics, make sure you are working with someone with a proven record of producing top sales results. But that is not enough. Just modeling the approaches of a highly successful sales person isn’t enough. You can start there, but you must learn your own style, strengths, and how to use them. If you can develop your own personal selling style, you will never come across as “salesey,” which is the last thing you want to do.

Start by looking towards those with great success in this field and then challenge yourself to develop your own sales style. Seek out a sales coach who helps their sales coaching clients develop their own authentic selling approach that takes into account what makes them unique, as they incorporate proven methods and techniques. This combination of proven expert methods in conjunction with a personal selling style produces dramatic results.

The bottom line: Seek someone who has achieved the “extraordinary” results you desire, learn the “winning” methods, and then integrate them into your own personal strengths to develop your own genuine selling style. By committing to turning these mistakes and excuses into powerful success strategies, you will begin to create extraordinary sales and business results! Don’t wait, make a commitment to yourself today!

About The Author:

Sales Coaching Expert, Jeremy Ulmer, has helped hundreds of sales professionals, sales leaders, and business owners just like you overcome sales challenges to increase productivity and win more clients faster.
For 100′s of unbeatable, sure-fire ways to increasing your sales results, subscribe for your free sales tips or request a free sales coaching consultation at: http://www.SalesCoachingHabits.com

In the late 1990’s, I started my own business. At the outset, I planned to be a principal in a firm with another gent, but circumstances at the time persuaded us to start off as separate entities and wait a while before joining forces under the same roof as owners of a company. As time went on, we both discovered that running our own operation was a great way to be – so much so that we never officially joined forces. We simply stayed working together on various projects, but remained legally separate as two different companies.

Let me go over some of the benefits of being associates rather than business partners. As first blush it may seem that there isn’t much difference. In many ways that’s true, but as always, the Devil is in the details, so let’s take a look. Here are five major points to consider before you dive into being a partner with someone instead of simply remaining associates who work together.

1. Funding – the single focal point of many problems in life is money, and it’s no different in the world of business. When you’re in a small partnership, you’ll likely be funding the operation from separate sources – one from each partner. When to fund, how much, where to hold the resources, and how best to protect them from unnecessary risk are all issues that need to get resolved with your partner. There is much opportunity for disagreement.

If you’re funding your own operation, there isn’t anyone you need to consult with or disagree with when it comes to funding. Nor is there anyone to help you share the blame for underfunding the enterprise or putting your investment at undue risk – it’s all on you. It may make your business life a bit more intimidating, knowing that you’re the only one calling the shots, but I find that’s so much easier than trying to argue with someone about how to finance a startup operation.

2. Expenses – again, another issue about money, but this time it’s about spending it wisely or foolishly. There are a multitude of issues regarding business expenses, including what kind and how much office equipment is necessary, how travel expenses will be handled, and what kind of investment will be made in business development. One partner may want a company car, the other might want cherry wood paneling in his office. The list of potential disagreements goes on and on without end. One person’s investment may be seen by the other as simply a luxury or item of prestige that doesn’t contribute to the bottom line.

If you’re on your own, you can spend like a sailor on leave, or pinch pennies until they scream. It’s much easier for you to implement your own set of values with respect to spending money if you’re the only one in charge of the purse strings. By far, the most troubling aspect of any marriage has to be household finances. It’s no different in a corporate partnership – you’re “married” to your partner and you suffer or succeed according to how well you’ve selected your partner.

3. Flexibility – it’s one of the things that we all cherish in both a service provider and a product provider. We all enjoy folks who can “work with us” and accommodate our interests. When you’re in a partnership, you need to check with your partner (s) about any number of things before proceeding. It might be associations, proposals, production commitments or travel schedules. There will always be something that reduces your flexibility to respond to customer needs. The larger the organization, the more difficult it is to be flexible and responsive.

As a “one-zee” you work for your customer directly and can be as flexible and responsive as is necessary to meet their needs and capture their loyalty. The idea of flexibility extends beyond simply serving customers. It also includes being able to team with other associates as necessary. Getting together as a team and offering customers a combination of small business resources is sometimes an exciting way to be responsive in the marketplace. Again, if you’re tied up with one or more partners, this slows down decision-making and can complicate matters, thus interfering with one of the main advantages of being in business for yourself – flexibility.

4. Changes in interest – another eventuality of being in business with others is that at some point there will be a shift in interest. One or more members of your joint venture might experience a change of heart, various personal distractions, a life-changing event, or any other shift in interest that alters the understanding or intentions on which you based your decision to go into business with another. Such perturbations can place quite a strain on the relationship that you have with your partner(s).

If you stay with a sole proprietorship model, as interests among your associates change, you can easily change the relationship that you have with your associates. Changes in relationship can include finding other individuals or business organizations to associate with. It’s not so easy with a partnership because, as you’ll recall, you’re essentially married to your partner(s) in business. Changing a relationship in such cases may involve a buy-out or lawsuit to settle the matter.

5. Dumb moves – not exactly a legal description of what your partner in business might do, but an apt description nonetheless. Whether it’s signing a contract, hiring employees, extravagant spending, inappropriate employee disciplinary action, engaging in unethical behavior, establishing precedence with your customers, or compromising the trust of your organization, sometimes your business partner can make a dumb move that places you in an embarrassing situation, or one where you can lose a valuable employee, associate or customer.

Again, as a “lone ranger” in the business world, you have a degree of insulation against dumb moves that others make because you’re at least one giant step removed from your associates. Not only can others not represent you without your consent, but it’s much easier to distance yourself or terminate a relationship with an associate that turns out to be a consistent liability rather than a dependable asset.

Not everything is rosy in the world of working on your own, but from my perspective, it’s a good place to start. Based on my experience, I was convinced to stay on my own and opt for associates instead of risking the entanglements of being a co-owner of an enterprise. My decision to stay on my own has served me well. I find one can still benefit from the advice and counsel of close associates, yet maintain sufficient distance when things go wrong – and sometimes they do, through no fault of your own.

About the Author:

Clair Schwan is a sole proprietor who started a successful  management and technical consulting business in the electric power utility industry. He has never been so happy and successful as he has been on his own, calling his own shots, and recognizing that there is really only one boss, his customer. See his advice regarding small business startup and operations at Sensible-Small-Business-Ideas where it’s clear that the only business you’ll really ever be part of is your own.

Business ownership comes with its own set of demands – and meeting those while also striving to build and maintain healthy relationships can prove challenging for even the most energetic female entrepreneur. While every woman business owner is unique, certain considerations apply to all business owners when it comes to playing vital roles in their relationships.

Here are some thoughts every female entrepreneur should consider when it comes to her relationships:

•    In business with clients: make sure every relationship is symbiotic – beneficial to both parties. If a client is increasingly or consistently difficult to please and continues to drain entrepreneur resources, end the relationship. If a woman business owner and a client enjoy working together, the woman business owner should keep in contact with the client, even between projects, to maintain a network of people who can help her grow her business.
•    In business with employees or team members: provide clear and constant communication. If an employee or team member isn’t playing his or her part, provide feedback. If that doesn’t remedy the situation, end the relationship. Also, female entrepreneurs should focus on providing clear communication to employees and team members, and should make opportunities available to employees or team members who want to provide feedback of their own, whether it relates to the ground-level systems they know so well, or to the business owner’s communication style. Even entrepreneurs who value freedom and flexibility must make themselves available to people they hire.
•    In business with clients: strive to maintain perspective. Some female entrepreneurs take business more personally than others do. For some, this means they take business so personally that they struggle with day-to-day decisions. For others, it means they don’t take it personally at all, and can come across as brusque or abrasive with team members or clients. Keeping things in perspective and finding a balance between taking business situations totally personally or not taking them personally at all will provide women business owners with more effective work-life balance and with better communication.
•    At home with spouse or romantic partner: manage time well to ensure adequate time and attention on personal relationships. Every successful entrepreneur is passionate about her business, and must demonstrate the same level of passion about her family relationships so the people she loves don’t feel neglected. Women business owners must remember to ask their loved ones about their passions, and to avoid monopolizing home conversations with talk about the business.
•    At home with self: nurture the most important relationship – that with self. Many women business owners work so hard to provide for their employees, their families and their companies that they forget to provide for themselves. It is crucial in finding a satisfactory work life balance to set aside “self” time – and to stick to it. Find something relaxing – whether it’s a long walk, a massage, a facial, or a coffee break – and then schedule time regularly into the calendar to spend some time doing it.
•    At home with children and family: consider the effect business plans may have on home life. While some business owners report high levels of satisfaction with the work-life balance they strike, it is important to consider how changes in the business will affect family life. Depending on circumstances, for example, it may benefit a business owner and her family if she spends as much time with the kids as possible when they’re out of school for the summer, and plans a new product launch or business growth spurt to occur during the fall, when they are back in school.

At some point in the life of every business and every personal or family relationship, the two are bound to seem incompatible. However, by following the advice outlined in this article, female entrepreneurs can make strides towards managing this inherent conflict, so that their business and their relationships can coexist peacefully.

About the Author:

Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com

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