Did you ever fantasize about what you would do if you could start your life over again? Well, why should our little furry friends be the only ones to get 9 lives? I have been thinking about all the dreams I deferred in order to become a law professor. It may be too late to become an Olympic athlete, butfor a Renaissance girl, it’s never too late to add some interesting new skills or activities to the mix. And thinking about what you would do with 9 lives is one sure-fire way to connect with lost passions!
So here are the top nine, in no order of importance…
This week we are going to focus on marketing. For starters, let’s define exactly what marketing is.
In the simplest of terms, marketing is everything you do to promote your business. Why does that matter? Because marketing and sales are the keys to turning your passions into profits.
Have you heard? Video marketing is the latest hot trend, and Maria Andros is its greatest star. Be inspired by this 10-minute interview on BraveHeart TV where Maria shares her tips for getting started. Don’t worry, it’s not that intimidating.
Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Business Plan?
For some reason, those two words seem to put terror into the hearts of even the biggest, meanest hard-core business people…not to mention poor little red riding hood.
So today, I want to reassure you that you are already 3/4 of the way there to putting together a killer business plan for your new venture.
But first, let’s talk. Why do you need a business plan, anyway?
When clients come to my law clinic to start a business, the first question they usually ask is: “Should I be a partnership or a corporation?” Making your business “legal” is such an exciting step…most people just can’t wait to do it!
But there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you decide on a legal form or structure. You should think about these questions even if right now your business consists of only you working in a closet out of your home. If you’re thinking about building a business, eventually there will have to be other people involved, and potentially other people’s money as well.
Remember how we talked on Day 7 about Robert Kiyosaki’s “cash flow quadrant” model? Basically, the idea is that there are four ways to generate income: as an employee, by being self-employed, as a business owner, or as an investor.
Each of these categories has its advantages and disadvantages, but Kiyosaki teaches that only business owners and investors are on the path to long-term financial freedom.
Employees, even those who employ themselves, are caught in the trap of trading time for dollars. If they don’t work, they don’t get paid. They have no leverage to earn income from the efforts of others, and no sources of residual income.
Would you be surprised to learn that many people who are thinking about making the shift from employee to entrepreneur are actually thinking about becoming self-employed?
Barn-raising is a centuries-old tradition in rural America. Early pioneers quickly recognized that it is practically impossible for one person to build a barn. So they started a system in which all members of a community would gather together to build a barn for one family at a time.
Here is how it works. The family that needs the barn acquires all of the materials, often by barter or trading. Then everyone descends on the property and works as a team to build the barn from the ground up. No money changes hands…because everyone knows the community will be there for them when it is their turn to build a barn.
You can see how it works in this clip from an old Harrison Ford movie.
Sometimes, when you’re thinking about starting a new business, the biggest challenge is how to get started. Today, we’re going to think of your business as a barn…and figure out how to have a barn-raising to get it built from the bottom up.
I just had to share this great video with you from BraveHeart TV. They are interviewing marketing legend Jay Abraham about how to recession-proof your business. Enjoy!
Today we are going to talk about getting from where you are now to that ideal place you envisioned yesterday.
But first, I want to share with you a great Vision/Purpose/Mission statement I ran across yesterday on the flyleaf of a book by Michael Gerber, best-selling author of The E-Myth series.
Michael’s Dream: to inspire people to dream by awakening the entrepreneur within them.
Michael’s Vision: to be the authority for helping dreamers everywhere create the small businesses they once could only imagine.
Michael’s Purpose: to transform the lives of ordinary people by providing them with the thrill of creation while creating the means to generate their own and others’ economic freedom.
Michael’s Mission: to create a turnkey system for awakening the entrepreneur within every person who wishes to go into business for themselves, while providing them with the support for doing it.
Now, that’s not the same old, tired, worn-out corporate mission statement. If yours doesn’t sing like Michael’s, keep working on it until it does! And you might want to read Michael’s book for inspiration. I’ve given you the link in the resources section below.
Once you have a vision that feels compatible with your passions and values, it is time to think about your one-year goals. Why just one year?
Executive Coach Tony Jeary explains it this way.
Let’s face it — the speed of life today is hectic and fast-paced. Time is the most important capital you have, and most people feel overdrawn….
The speed of life limits to about one year the length of time your Clarity Blueprint can be effective. In the course of that year, many things will change that you could not have predicted and over which you can have not control.
So Tony recommends that you create a detailed blueprint for the next 12 months, and be prepared to change it as you go along!
Congratulations! You are one week closer to having the life of your dreams.
This week, we will focus on the “how” part of the equation…how to take your vision of an ideal business to reality.
The first step…and one you can’t afford to miss…is to become very clear about where you are going. So today we are going to go back to the vision statement you drafted on Day 3, update it with any new information you have discovered, and then compress it into two key statements:
Welcome to my blog. You may know me as Laurie Morin, a somewhat wonky law professor, business owner and friend to the downtrodden. But beneath this mild-mannered exterior lies the soul of RENAISSANCE GIRL. She sings arias, she dances with the stars, she writes poetry and speaks 20 languages. She is on a journey around the globe to spread a message of love and prosperity. Read on to join her adventures. 