Month: July 2012

3 Ways To Get Your Inner Critic Off Your Biz’s Board of Directors

Post author By
Post date July 16, 2012

So you know about your Inner Critic and you think he or she is residing on your biz’s board of directors, which is impacting your business.

So the REAL question is how do you do you get him or her OFF your board of directors?

Well, here are 3 keys to get you started:

1. Turn the voice down of your Inner Mean Girl or Bully. Sounds easier said than done, eh? Well, the way to get started is to identify their voice (which is NOT your voice) so you can stop listening to them.

At first you’ll probably find the voice getting louder, but that’s okay. It means you’re on the right track. Eventually you’ll be able to start turning the volume down.

2. Give your Inner Mean Girl or Bully another job. Although it usually doesn’t feel like it, your Inner Mean Girl or Bully came into existence to protect you. Yes it’s a misguided protection and yes at this point she or he is hurting you more than helping you, but nonetheless his or her original job was to help.

So now that the job has got completely twisted up, it’s time to give her or him a new job. A job that really WILL help and not hurt.

For instance, does your Inner Mean Girl like to compare you to others? Well maybe her new job should be as a talent scout — to find other talented people to hire or partner up with — rather than compare you to them.

See how this can work?

3. Start listening to your intuition or Inner Wisdom. Probably the biggest problem with your Inner Mean Girl or Bully is their voice is so darn loud it drowns out the voice of your intuition. How can you possibly figure out what your next step is supposed to be in your business if your Inner Wisdom is engaged in a shouting match with your Inner Mean Girl? (And unfortunately Inner Wisdom really isn’t all that talented at shouting — unlike your Inner Mean Girl who excels at throwing fits.)

So how can you hear your Inner Wisdom? A good place to start is to get quiet. Inner Wisdom can’t hear herself or himself think when there’s all this noise around. (Hence why your Inner Mean Girl or Bully have gotten so darn good at being noisy.) Give yourself room to just sit and breathe and keep telling your Inner Mean Girl or Bully to hush. Eventually you’ll start to “hear” your Inner Wisdom.

(And you’ll know it’s your Inner Wisdom because your Inner Wisdom will NEVER lie to you, where your Inner Mean Girl or Bully often lie and are in fact very good liars.)

Now this might not be easy at first but don’t give up. The more you do it the easier it will be. And wouldn’t it be wonderful to stop having that darn Inner Mean Girl or Bully yapping in your ear and instead be able to truly follow your Inner Wisdom?

Tags business success strategy, Business success tips, Inner critic, online marketing strategies, small business marketing strategy, strategic internet marketing

Success Attitude

The Power of Possibility

Post author By Ethan Theo
Post date July 14, 2012

What stops people from daring to set big goals and taking action is the fear of failure/rejection and the limiting belief that they do not have the resources to achieve the life they want. It is very easy to feel defeated and disheartened when things don’t go the way we want. It is easy to give up and think ‘impossible’ when obstacles/problems seem to make the task impossible. That is why 90% of people in life are so ordinary. They make the easy choice and quit. Remember that the Winners of the world (the top 10%) face just as many obstacles/problems as everyone else. In fact, in most cases, they face even greater obstacles. The difference is that they make the tougher choice of finding a way towards they goals REGARDLESS of how impossible it seems.

I recently watched a documentary about Aimee Mullins who is a true role model of the power of possibility. In times of our life, we always need to be reminded by people like Aimee that our problems are nothing compared to the problems of so many others out there. Yet despite their problems/obstacles they go for their goals because they refuse to accept anything less than an extraordinary life.

Aimee Mullins was born without fibula in both her legs and her parents made the painful decision of amputating both her legs when she was a baby. Despite being a double below-the-knee amputee, she set the goal of becoming an Olympic athlete, a catwalk model and a Hollywood actress. BY the age of 28, she had set world records in the 100m, 200m and Long Jump Para-Olympics. She became a catwalk model and was voted ‘The 50 Most Beautiful Women in the World’ by People Magazine. She has also become a Hollywood actress, staring in movies like ‘The World Trade Center’ in 2006. As someone who has the learnt the power of focusing on what is great in her life, she lives an extremely happy and fulfilling life dancing, roller blading, skiing and swimming. I hope the video inspires you as much as it has inspired me to keep going for my dreams despite the odds.

Operations

6 Overhead Killing Energy Reducing Devices

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 13, 2012

You should never wait to reduce your overheads, if the global economic down turn hasn’t motivated you into investing into eco-friendly money saving devices what will? As energy prices continue to grow and with rises expected in the near future, gas and electric is an area any entrepreneur can nick back some precious pounds, euros or dollars.

The G8 summits should act as a constant reminder of how important eco factors are in business, as global agendas go environmental issues are definitely at the forefront of government’s manifestos. Many countries around the world are investing heavily into new technological developments that could help to slash businesses and consumers energy bills and reduce the size of your carbon footprint. Take a look at some of the best gadgets on the market, you might be surprised and go and buy one:

A-rated energy appliances

It’s not always possible to go out and purchase new appliances, but when the moment comes it’s important to look out for energy efficiency rated appliances. Energy efficiency ratings go from A to G and buying a fridge freezer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher or other appliance that bears the highest rating will ensure that energy is used sparingly. Research has shown that if premise in the UK upgraded their washing machines and dishwashers to energy efficient ones, it would be estimated to save nearly £250 million a year and 1.3 million tonnes of CO2.

Radiator foil

If you have radiators around the office you can ensure energy doesn’t escape through the back of it by introducing foil into the back of your radiators. These nifty sheets are expected to save at least £8 a years per radiator, this is money that could be better spent on marketing or adverting or even a premium Linkedin membership. The foil is simply placed down the back and is very cheap to purchase!

Enviroplugs & Thermostats

Enviroplugs can be used to charge your mobile or laptops for free using the power of the sun’s rays. It is simple to use as you simply plug in your device into your charger and it will automatically let you know when your battery is full. If your energy provider hasn’t provided you with a programmable room thermostat you need to get on to them, this will enable you to control the temperature in your office, this will allow you to keep energy down to minimum.

PVC Solar panels

Most commercial buildings are ideal for solar PV: with large roofs, 3 phase electricity supplies and daytime usage of electricity, commercial buildings give their owners and occupiers an unbeatable opportunity to benefit from solar PV. For owner occupiers the benefits are compelling, but even on leased buildings it is easy to install systems that will benefit both landlord and occupier. Ardenham Energy can give advice on how this is best achieved.

Thermal leak detector

Research has found that the average premise can attribute 20% of its energy loss to draughts. This can be combated simply by introducing a temperature tolerances detector. The thermal device will show red spots for warmer areas and blue spots for colder areas, it’s advised to do this every three months as the seasons change, this will enable you with the information you need to look at blocking or insulating high areas of draughts.

Energy saving light bulbs

When it comes down to it, energy saving light bulbs can save your business at least £45 pound a year on electricity bills. The bulbs can be bought in local stores and replace the standard light bulbs within seconds. These light bulbs can be found for under a pound or even free through promotional offers.

I hope the above devices have given you food for thought, being a business eco warrior doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. A modern approach to energy saving for some businesses have been asking staff to come in later and work later in winter and work earlier and leave earlier in summer. This helps businesses save on energy as it can be warmer and cooler at different times of the day, allowing less energy consumption in your business.

Sales & Marketing

Article Marketing: Where to Get Published

Post author By
Post date July 13, 2012
1 Comment on Article Marketing: Where to Get Published

Article marketing is one of the oldest and most reliable ways to drive traffic to your site and increase your profile on the web. These days, there are countless places to submit your articles, but not all of them are equal. Here’s a list of six different places where you can get published and effectively drive new visitors to your website.

1. Blogs:
– Try to find industry-specific blogs that are very relevant to your product or service. You can use Google for this, or ask your clients and associates what they like to read online. Once you find blogs, contact their owners to find out if they’re interested in free content in exchange for a backlink. This is a great way to build online marketing relationships.
– Try BloggerLinkUp.com, a newsletter that connects bloggers with one another.

2. Industry sites: Find sites that pertain to your industry or niche and find out if they accept articles or newsletters.

3. Trade associations

4. Professional associations

5. Ezines: Do some poking around the web for newsletters and ezines that accept submissions from people in the industry.

6. Article directories-sites that accept submissions of articles and guides-for example:
– iVillage.com
– About.com
– Examiner.com
– SelfImprovement.com
– Buzzle
– IdeaMarketers.com
– GoArticles.com
– EzineArticles.com
– Suite101.com

Of course, no matter how you submit your articles, the most important thing is to make sure they deliver good, relevant information, are well written, and inspire people to share your content with others. Most importantly, your articles should inspire people to visit your site.