Demand excellence from yourself, your staff, even your customers–Apple co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs

I’m from New York City, so I’m very familiar with the velvet rope at trendy clubs.  For the uninitiated, the velvet rope at the entrance door separates the masses of party-goers outside from the “chosen ones” inside.  Here’s how it works, a functionary of the club or it’s promoter decides via a guest list or some other criteria whether or not you’ll gain admission.  If you get the thumbs up, the velvet rope is parted and you’re let in. If  you don’t get the high sign….you stay behind the rope…regardless of your ability to pay.  As an entrepreneur, how would your business be different if you established your own velvet rope policy?

Now before you get your knickers in a twist.  I’m not suggesting that your velvet rope policy be based on superficial things like whether not the person is sporting the latest fashion, or is bigger than a size 0. I also not saying that you need to be snobby, insulting or condescending in implementing your velvet rope policy.

I’m a however saying that if you want to have a successful, profitable business you need to have standards for your clients.

It’s your job to determine who you work with—- particularly if you work with people 1-on-1.  Your services and products can’t serve everybody and you should stop trying. At this point, you probably saying, ”It’s easy for you to be discriminating because you have clients.”  What I want you to understand is that you’ll never have an ample supply of clients if continue to serve everyone with a pulse and a valid credit card. At a hot club, despite a velvet rope policy, people will stand in line for an hour to get in.  The allure is that the joint is deemed “special” because it only patronizes select customers. People value that fact that the club has no interest or intention of catering to the masses. 

Having a “Client Requirement Checklist” is similar to dating. If you meet someone and the person is rude, flaky or who has beliefs or values which are antithetical to yours, you don’t go out with them. You certainly don’t commit to a long-term relationship with them. However that’s what many entrepreneurs do.  They’re worried about cashflow and will take on literally anyone able to pay them (probably a discounted rate).  Within your business, you have the right to decide who you want share your genius work with.  You also have the responsiblity, given your temperment, business philosophy, and financial goals, to decide who you are best suited to help. Be clear, you’re doing yourself and the client a BIG disservice if you took the person on solely for the money. This is especially true if it’s apparent early on that you’re not a good match and you plough forward any way.

By not establishing client criteria you signal to everyone that your work isn’t valuable…or specialized….it’s a commodity. 

People tend to judge commodities solely on price.  The result of you being commodified is that you’ll attract less committed clients. These people don’t necessarily value what you’re  offering, they are choosing you because you’re less expensive than someone else.  Your people, the ones you really want to serve, will turn to someone who communicates that she values what she has to offer by only working with a certain type of person. Your “Client Requirement Checklist” expresses, “What requirements you need for someone to work with you.” 

Here’s how to create your own “Client Requirement Checklist”

Make a list of 10 must-have that you need in a client. These items should include: (1) what attributes or characteristics do they need to have; (2) what mentality (or beliefs) do they need to possess; (3) who they need to be to most benefit from you work.

Here are a few items on my Client Requirement Checklist:

Women who work with me:

1. Ask questions, are honest and are pro-active about finding solutions.

2. Are fully committed to moving beyond their “comfort zone” to create the life, income and business that they desire.

3. Are willing to persevere and aren’t easily discouraged. (They have an “no excuses” approach)

4. Are willing to invest in themselves, through me, in order to accomplish their business transformation goals.

5. Open to hearing my opinions and recommendations without become defensive or finding excuses why they they can do what’s being asked of them. 

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how I can help your business and income grow click here .

Most time management advice centers on creating and organizing your ”to do” list. Your “to do” list probably consists of ALL the tasks that you have in front of you on a given day.  Rarely does time management focus on prioritization.  A large part of prioritization is elimination of irrelevant tasks. 

If your goal is to have have a profitable and fulfilling business, you have to eliminate tasks that do nothing (or very little) to enhance your life or your cashflow. When it comes to time management I sure that you fall into one of these two camps:

Camp #1: You don’t have a “to do” list and everyday you’re winging it. The result is that you never seem to get anything important done. You spend your day putting out fake fires and doing time wasting activities. Your revenue, or rather lack of it, reflects your lack of discipline and focus.

Camp #2: You’ve got 25 items on your daily ”to do” list. You NEVER finish everything on your lists. You feel overwhelmed and incompetent. As result you’re having a hard time attracting clients and generating income because your confidence is at an all-time low.

Here’s the Real Deal…..

Most successful entrepreneurs have a daily “to do” list of no more than 1 or 2 key items.  Each day these entrepreneurs determine what is most important in terms of them moving closer toward their goals.

So here’s what you need to do. Use the first hour of your day to create your 1-2 item ”to do” list. Again, these are activities that are concrete steps to you acheving your yearly, monthly or quarterly goal.  Your first hour should be single-focused thinking—-no checking email, updating facebook, tweeting or talking on the telephone. 

Your ”to do” list should include items such as:

• telephone prospect(s)
  
• send out a proposal
  
• having a conversation with an employee
  
• write sales copy
  
• do market research for new product

The point of time management is to decide how to BEST use your time to serve your clients, your business and yourself.  Busy-ness that doesn’t net results is nothing more than procrasination.

P.S. If you’d like to get clarity about your overall business goals and learn other strategies to transform your business from strugging to thriving click here to see how I can help you.

Many women entrepreneurs have vowed that 2012 is the year that they will double their incomes. However I can guarantee that like in prior years, most of you will panic when you think about the gap between your current income and your desired income. The problem is that you’ll either try to be “reasonable” and think too small, or you’ll start worrying about, ”How am I going to do this?” and get stuck.

If you believe that the leap to your new income is too big to do all at once, you’ll likely get discouraged and do nothing. Once you hit your wall of fear, it’s unlikely that you’ll do anything that will substantially change how much you’re earning. The best way to achieve your desired income goal for your business is to create bite-sized chunks.

I teach my clients how to create their own ”Bold Money Goal,” a system that I learned from one of my mentors. It is an easy and powerful way to move beyond the cycle of panic and uncertainty so that you can increase your monthly income without the stress.

Here are the four steps to creating your own Bold Money Goal:

Step #1: Choose a short frame. A short time frame makes you focus and quickly create momentum. I recommend a 30, 60, or  90 day Bold Money Goal time frame. A short window gives you the incentive to expand your thinking and your creativity to reach your Bold Money Goal. Short time frames are also great because they force you to move out of your comfort zone and take big actions. In comparison, longer time frames encourage you to procrastinate and maintain old habits because there’s no sense of urgency.

Step #2: Pick the right new income amount. If you aim too low you’re unlikely to make any major changes; you’re still operating within your comfort zone. However if you aim too high the amount can feel far-fetched and totally unrealistic to you.  I tell clients to choose an amount that’s stretch but that also excites them. The main thing is that this new number must feel do-able and real to you. For most women entrepreneurs their new number should be anywhere from 40 – 50 percent more than they are currently earning.

Step #3: Go for the low-hanging fruit. Rather than add new services or products to your business to reach your Bold Money Goal, I advise that you look for the low-hanging fruit. Your low-hanging fruit are services and products that you already have that can be re-vamped or re-introduced. You can also send out an email to your mailing list discussing your current services and products and directly ask them to work with you or to buy from you. (It’s amazing how many entrepreneurs don’t ask their peeps for the sale). Lastly, you can also offer a teleseminar, workshop, or a group or private program focused on a topic that’s a common problem among your your clients.

Step #4: Be open to new ways to reach your goal. Most of us have a fixed idea about how our business should run.  However if you want to make a bigger impact and earn more income, you’ve got to broaden your vision.  The power of the Bold Money Goal isn’t just that it helps you to earn more money.  It also helps you to expand your thinking about what’s possible for you and your business. Be willing to do something new or different so that you can reach your first Bold Money Goal—and subsequent ones as your business grows.

Creating and achieving a Bold Money Goal every 30, 60  or 90 days will help you “break-down” your desired income so that you keep moving toward it without becoming overwhelmed.  The result is that can reach your ultimate goal faster and easier than you thought was possible!

P.S.  If you’d like work with me to create your own Bold Money Goal and learn other strategies to transform your business from strugging to thriving click here to see how I can help you.

We’re coming to the end of 2011. It’s the time of year when everyone talks about assessing the past and planning for the future. As entrepreneurs your focus is probably on getting more clients and earning more money in 2012.  It’s true that you need both people and dollars if you want to remain solvent. However most entrepreneurs fail to consider a critical element in their profit equations—themselves.  You may be struggling to get traction in your business because you haven’t identified your personal truth.

Your personal truth is at the core of who you are, therefore it’s also at the core of your business.

Deep down inside you have a vision for your life. You have secret desires about what you’d like to experience; how you’d like to live; and how you’d like to feel.  These are your personal truths. These are the factors that you need to harness to create your authentic, profitable business. Your personal truth should be the foundation of a business mission that energizes you. Your personal truth should be the basis for you deciding how to best serve your clients (products, services, classes, etc.). Your personal truth should be integral to your external communication (marketing).

However for most us our personal truth gets suppressed under a sea of fear and thoughts of inadequacy. As you age rather than expand your life, your business, your income, you’ve learned to contract your desires.  You’ve learned to justify this contraction as “being reasonable.”  The net effort is that you reap only what you can see as “realistic” for yourself. Babe, there’s so much more out there that’s yours for the asking.

One of the guiding principles of my business and marketing coaching is that your business is a reflection of you. Great marketing alone won’t make a successful business for the long haul.  Why?  Because marketing strategies can’t overcome your crippling fear about who you are, what you are capable of achieving and the value of what you’re offering to the world.  What this means is that in conjunction to doing the practical work to attract clients; you also need to do the inner work to uncover your personal truth. 

One of my personal truths is that entrepreneurs can be soul-centered and well paid. Initially I was afraid to join those two concepts in my business; I was afraid of what people would think about me. However, as I began uncovering my own truths, teachers appeared to help me on my journey.  These mentors are spiritually-centered, women entrepreneurs, who are earning multiple-six figure incomes; one is a multi-millionaire.  They inspired to create my Soul & Prosperity for Women Entreprenuers online summit to discuss ”conscious money making.” The event attracted over 1000 women from the U.S. Canada, UK and Australia. By standing in my own personal truth, I helped  women around the globe to find their own. Your business and do the same thing.

There’s a hidden part of you that yearns to come to the surface…. and it’s important to your life + business success 

To experience the emotional and financial abundance that you want, you have to dig in and address your fear about expressing who you are.  This means acknowledging to yourself what you THINK would happen if you showed your friends, family, and clients the ”real you.” It also means getting real with yourself about the spiritual, physical and/or financial cost of your fear-driven “realistic”  life. You then need to honor your personal truth by taking new actions that allows it to emerge from the hidden place.

So during the holidays, I’m not going to ask you to do any business forecasting. Instead I want you to commune with your inner-self.  Meditate, pray, dance, sit in silence, read an inspirational book. listen to music—whatever gets you in your zone.  Then once you’re done with the ohm—do something new and audacious  that respresents your soul’s desire, your personal truth.  Get a new haircut, buy some 4 inch heels, volunteer at the homeless shelter, initiate sex with your partner; write a big check to a cause that moves you.  It doesn’t matter what  you do as long as it’s something that you’ve been secretly longing to do. This bold move has to be something that will nourish you and help you to feel like the extraordinatory woman that you are.

Definitely check me out  http://www.soulfulaffluence.com/about/ so that we can do some deeper work together to get your business where you want it for 2012.

Happy Holiday,

Yvonne

A few years ago, I attended my first conference for entrepreneurs. During lunch I sat with a woman who said that I had a green aura and that I was healer.    I listened attentively since it wasn’t the first time that some mystical stranger had helped me through a life transition.  However, while she was extremely insightful,  I just didn’t accept the healer pronouncement.  When she and I met I was still nursing old emotional wounds and I was coping with a crumbling relationship— I didn’t feel equipped to heal anyone.   In time however I learned that my decision to become an entrepreneur is a healing journey and has allowed me to help heal others.

Here’s the deal: if you’re an entrepreneur YOU are your business.  The quality of your thoughts and beliefs permeate  all of your programs, products and services. Your thoughts and beliefs also impact every condition connected to your business. (clients, no clients, low paying clients, late paying clients, etc.) As a business coach, on the surface I help women  entrepreneurs to create more profitable, leveraged businesses. However  in order to realize that goal, I help them to heal their limiting beliefs about money and what they are capable of acheiving in their life and business.  The lessons that I teach are the lessons that I have learned through my own business.

As an entrepreneur your “healing” comes with helping your clients to solve a problem and to have a better quality life .  You don’t have to be in an esoteric field to “heal” your clients.  An accountant through forecasting and clear records can “heal”clients’ fears about their financial security.  A hairdresser, stylist or make-up artist by creating a fabulous new look for a client, can “heal” her damaged self-esteem.  A personal chef whose delivering nutritious meals can “heal” the guilt that busy mothers may feel about not cooking for their families.

In reality most people aren’t going to come to you because they want to be “healed.” (I don’t even suggest that some of you use the term).   Clients will come to you because you have communicated to them that you can help them to reach a specified goal . However the raison d’etre of your business, is the type of healing that you provide as the foundation for achieving their outcome.

If you’re business is based solely on your passions, you’re probably struggling to find clients.  Your passions are about you, not serving others.  If you want people to pay you, your passion has to be connected to the needs and interests of other people. Your passion has to help people to achieve a tangible result or discernible state of mind.  If you’re still not sure about what you’re REALLY offering to people, or who you are meant to heal through your business, ask yourself  these clarifying questions.

So you why are you in business (aside from making money)?

Why does this subject matter/field appeal to you?

What have you experienced, struggled with or overcome that you can share your lessons learned with others?

Who are the people who care about what you do? (Describe this group in detail)

Where can you find them and how can you stay in regular communcations with them?

BTW, Here’s some ways that you can work with me to take your business from struggling, barely hanging on to thriving and profitable.
Click Here:  http://www.soulfulaffluence.com/programs/

Who do you have to be in 2012 to reach your business and income goals?

It’s a question that you probably don’t ask yourself when you create your New Year’s resolutions. However, not asking that question is why your resolutions rarely make it past March. Your goals and more importantly, your motivation to do the tough, scary work needed to manifest them, are directly tied to who you are.  Who you are involves what you believe is possible for your life.  It’s those beliefs that then steer your actions.  Where you are in your business and income is based on who you’ve been up until now.  As Albert Einstein said, You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.

If you want to build a business that helps more people and generates substantially more income, you’ve got to evolve.

It’s not enough to want to do more or to have new things, you have to become the embodiment of the person who has those things and those experiences in her life. The woman who’s in a loving nurturing relationship, acts differently from the woman who keeps attracting cads.  Similarly the women entrepreneur who earns $100,000 a year has made different choices than the woman entrepreneur who’s earning $25,000 a year.  To add more money to your bank account or more enjoyment in your life, you first have to expand your vision of yourself.  You’ve got to evolve to a place where you believe that your dreams are really attainable–that you deserve to have what you want.  Moreover, in furtherance of your goals and dreams you seek out new knowledge, training and guidance, in the form of new people.

When I coach women entrepreneurs, before I get into teaching marketing and pricing strategies we explore their mindset.  I make them investigate what they believe to be true about themselves, about money and about their ability to earn more of it.  I do this because great marketing can be torpedoed by the limiting beliefs that you hold….just like your New Year’s resolutions.  If you subconsciously believe that “you’re not worthy,” or that “people like me aren’t wealthy” or “money is evil,” the actions that you take in your business will support your beliefs.  You may not make the calls to prospects that you need to make.   You may decide not to spend money to attend an important conference.  You may not invest in the coaching that you need to build your business.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” –Proverbs

It is also true that if your vision focuses on lack and fear, this is what you will manifest in your life. In that same vein, if your vision is full of  abundance and love, that is what you will manifest in your life.  Your path to increased hapiness and earnings won’t be found isn’t writing another to-do list.  You’ll receive your gifts by embarking on a journey of growth and development that allows you to transition from your 2011 self to your wiser, healthier and wealthier 2012 self.

P.S. Start getting some new knowledge for your business today with my FREE audio training, “How to Get 3 Clients in 30 days.” Click Here to listen

Many of us were taught that it’s crass and vulgar to discuss money. Many entrepreneurs then bring that thinking into their businesses. They are extremely resistant to the idea that they have to regularly tell people that they have services or programs to offer—-for a price. They are then shocked and frustrated that so few people are buying from them.

Granted there are some people who are always hawking something (you don’t necessarily want to be one of them). There are other people who send out regular communications to their communities with nary a mention that are selling anything. Worse, if you go to their websites, you can barely detect the presence of commerce. Your communication with your community, tribe, mailing list should be primarily informational. Your chief job is to educate them about the work that you do and the problem that you can help some for them. However a natural part of that communication should be discussing your  fee-based programs, products or services.

I’ve heard a zillion reasons why entrepreneurs don’t regularly inform their peeps about their offers. “I don’t want to bombard them with information.” “I don’t want to sound like I’m only interested in selling them something.” “I assume that people already know what I do and I’m not offering anything new.” All of these statements are excuses not to deal with the possible rejection that comes with straight-out asking people to work with you.

These statements also represent the discomfort that many heart-centered entrepreneurs have with publicly stating,” I’ll work with you in exchange for cash.”

Rather than signaling the opportunity for a divine transaction between themselves and their clients. A chance to engage in a transformative relationship.  The entrepreneurs is only experiencing the sensation that asking for a sale is crass, vulgar and greedy sounding.  If you are using any of these rationalizations to hide out in  your business… a change in mindset is critical.

Everyone is not going to buy what you’re selling. That doesn’t mean that you should stop offering it, especially if you know that it’s good stuff.  People can also think for themselves.  If you’re sending too many emails for someone, she can unsubscribe. If new people are continually entering your community (as they should), you can’t assume that everyone is 100% crystal clear about what do; and what services, programs and products that you offer. It’s your job to keep everyone in the loop by talking about your offers (who they are for and what problem that they solve).

So here’s my question to you? When was the last time that you directly asked your community members to work with you? When was the last time that you asked for the sale? If it’s been a minute, it’s time to send out an email, or add a special section to your newsletter dedicated to giving the 411 on your program, products and services.

As an entrepreneur, your business is a reflection of you—your beliefs, your personality, your style and your values.  This is especially so if you are a solo-entrepreneur and you literally are your business.

Many entrepreneurs however resist the idea that they are their businesses. These folks struggle because their chief goal is to create a business that appeals to a wide audience. They are sure to be non-controversial because they don’t want to offend anyone. They don’t want to rock the boat; they just want to make a little money.  Ironically their desire for mass appeal dooms them to failure.  WHY?  Because the bland, take-no-risk business isn’t offering anything new to customers in terms of innovation, perspective or service.  Customers will  stick to the service provider that they already know (even if it is mediocre). Unless the new generic option is offering deep discounts, there’s no real reason for people to check them out.  If an entrepreneur is positioning herself as the cheapest gal in town then she should expect to attract bargain hunters who will rush to the next great deal.

In comparison, successful entrepreneurs embrace the notion that they and their businesses are one. Consequently they are willing to infuse their own personalities, opinions and values into all aspects of their business.  Success entrepreneurs don’t chase mass appeal, but instead they create buzz by focusing on the needs and desires of a specific type of client. They concentrate on connecting with people who they can no only help but who also appreciate their philosophy and vibe.  Also since successful entrepreneurs are clear that they want to make money, they seek out clients who are willing and able to pay their fees.

Successful entrepreneurs don’t go out, beat the bushes and convert people to want their product or service.  Successful entrepreneurs become experts in creating opportunities to build relationships with people who are already interested in what they have to sell ( they way that they sell it).

If you’d like to put more of yourself in your business, answer these questions:

1.  How do you want people to feel when they work with you?

2. How are you different from others in your field or industry?

3. How would you describe your personality?

4.  Who do you work with, what problems do you serve and WHY?

BTW, you can still register for my new 7 Money Mindset and Pricing Strategy Secrets teleclass. Click here for details.

If you want to learn how to be successful, you’ve got to study with successful people.  The easiest way is to read the autobiographers and books by people who have “made it” in a way that resonates with you.  Currently I’m reading Super Rich: The Guide to Having It All by Russell Simmons.  In this book Simmons is driving home the point that success, like happiness is an inside job—you’ve got to be connected with your soul in order to experience internal and external abundance.  For most entrepreneurs, your business is a vehicle to experience your greatest life lessons and growth.

Most people know Russell as head of Def Jam, one of the most important record companies in rap music history.  Russell however has also founded a successful clothing company, Phat Farm; created Def Jam Poetry (which gave a national platform to aspiring poets); and he has founded several philanthropic organizations to create positive change in our country and abroad.  He also practices yoga and no longer eats meat.  Like myself, Simmons is a native New Yorker, he still enjoys Hip Hop and he doesn’t claim to be saint, just someone on a path of personal evolution.

I’m going to share a section of Super Rich about “Single-Pointed Focus” that I think could really change your perspective about life and your business.

While most of us sincerely believe that we’re working our hardest as we move through life, in reality we’re often not as focused on our work as we could be. Despite our good intentions, we’re constantly having our intensity compromised by a host of distractions. We become sidetracked stressing over how much money we’re making or fretting over what the future holds. We operate under the illusion that we are giving everything that we have, but in reality we spend most of our lives operating in a distracted state.

Simmons, confessed to not always being fully plugged in and went on to discuss how contracting a potentially fatal staph infection helped him to gain single-pointed focus. He says, I wasted a lot of time and missed out on a lot of opportunities by failing to apply it [focus] until I had a life threatening illness…Instead, zero in on what’s in front of you today and then stay in that zone. The bottom line is that single pointed focus brings peace and clarity and distractions foster confusion.

Here Are My 3 Tips for Gaining Single-Pointed Focus

1. Live in the Moment: Contrary to conventional thinking, “living in the moment” isn’t about being reckless or irresponsible.  Living in the moment is about recognizing and accepting that it’s useless to dwell in the past since you can’t change it. Ditto for worrying about a future that has yet to materialize. Your best opportunity for happiness and abundance lies in being fully present in the present. That means giving your best efforts to the task or person that’s immediately in front of you.

2. Stop Multi-Tasking: Women especially like to brag that they are great multi-taskers, but it’s really a lie. Your multi-tasking is preventing you from giving importance ( in the form of your attention) to the tasks and people in your life and in business.  Your brain is set up to focus only one thing at a time; this is why there are now laws against texting while driving your car. (You need all your brain power to safely operate your vehicle)  When you are do more than one thing at a time, you aren’t fully engaged in either of the activities. It’s a form of disrespect to the people or tasks that are getting your divided attention. That disrespect manifests in the results of your distracted efforts.

3. Stop Hopping From One Idea to Another: Having multiple projects is fine as long as you are seeing those projects to completion (even it that means termination).  Too often entrepreneurs are gearing up for another project before they have fully planned and executed the previous one.  The result is that you likely have a bunch of half-finished projects that aren’t doing anything for your self-esteem, your clients or your bank account.  If you have a large staff, then you can develop multiple projects simultaneously. However if you are a  solo-entrepreneur, you’ll gain more in terms of experience and “successful” results by giving your full focus to one project at a time.

BTW, You can still join the Soul & Prosperity for Women Entrepreneurs telesummit. Click Here http://www.soulandprosperityentrepreneurs.com

Let’s pretend for a moment that your money is your significant other—your man (or woman).  What type of relationship do you have with your money?

Are you extremely possessive of your money, holding on to it tightly because you don’t believe that you’ll get anymore?

Do you ignore your money but still expect it to be there for you when you need or want it?

Are you cavalier with your money–if it’s there cool, but if not you don’t worry about it or seek it out?

Do you want money but believe it’s bad for you (you try to resist the urge??

Do you respect your money and give it the regular care and attention that it requires?

As we end the 2nd week of the Soul & Prosperity for Women Entrepreneurs telesummit, what our speakers have all be in agreement with is that money is energy.  It’s a neutral entity that mirrors you.  Similar to your romantic relationship, with money you get what you put into it. Therefore your ability to earn more money and to keep money constantly flowing in your life is dependent on your energy toward it.

If your feelings, beliefs and actions (aka energy) toward money are based on scarcity, avoidance, ignorance or carelessness, then it’s likely that you have a problem earning money or keeing it around.  However, if you like money because you focus on the good that it does and you pay attention to it you likely have ample money in your life.

Next week, I will be interviewing Helen Kim, an expert on transforming people’s relationships with their money. If you want learn how to improve your own relationship with cash, register and join 600+ women (and men) who are taking part in the Soul & Prosperity for Women Entrepreneurs telesummit.  Click here to register: http://www.soulandprosperityentrepreneurs.com