Debra Kasowski

5 Top Entrepreneur Summer Reads

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In the heat of summer, you do not want to lose the sizzle of your business! This is a great time to catch up reading, take a few notes, and think about how you can implement what you learn into business. When do you get the time to catch up on some of your reading?

Books that will make your summer sizzle include:

POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Tagline, and Title for Anything by Sam Horn

I love this book! It is an easy read chalked full of tips and brainstorming ideas to create ideas that literally POP! and grab people’s attention and leaving wanting to find out MORE!

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

I highly recommend this book as I was a graduate of The Success Principles Coaching program. Simply sectioned reads that can get you onto the road to success in no time flat. This is literally the self-help bible of books!

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

 

Sinek’s thought provoking style really help you self reflect on where you are going and whether or not you are doing what you doing intentionally. Great reminder to align with your values and beliefs and ultimately your – WHY!

The 4 Hour Work Week by  Timothy Ferriss

 

Imagine if you could have more play time in your life – what would that be like? Tim Ferriss has a unique approach to streamline the clutter of life and getting down to the heart of the matter so you can live more and LOVE it!

 

Okay …maybe I am just a little bias…. The Entrepreneurial Mom’s Guide to Growing a Business, Raising a Family, and Creating a Life You Love by Debra Kasowski 

 

Life can get crazy as mom! I get it. Many mom’s wonder how the can achieve their dreams without compromising the dream or vision they have for their family. Society send us so many messages but you must ultimately decide who’s life are you living! I share tons of tips and techniques that have worked for me in growing my business and raising my family. But just waiting I am just in the beginning of the teens years so their can be a sequel!

Let us know what your favorite reads are! Boost business and innovation everywhere!

Filling Your Pipeline with Quality Referrals

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Think about this: if you want to hire the best relocating company for your moving needs, you’d ask your colleagues, friends or associates to give you details of a moving company they recommend. It is the same with your business, to stay afloat, your business needs to be constantly getting new referrals.  Here are some of the things you can do to fill your pipeline with quality referrals:

Deliver on your promises

To gain quality referrals you need to be referable.   Give your customers high quality services that will cause them to give you unsolicited publicity.

Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net

Make your prospects feel special

Take a personal approach when you connect with potential customers. Make them feel special by sending them personalized emails, letters, postcards or direct messages on social media sites.

Collaborate with other specialists

The easiest way to get referrals is by holding collaborative webinars with specialists in your area of business. Partnering with specialists will help your nurture relationships with potential customers which can help you generate high-quality referrals.

Do not wait until the drought season before you ask for referrals

Do not wait for your pipeline to be dry before you ask for referrals.  For your business to have high quality referrals, create a consistent referral system. This is how you can create a consistent referral system:

1) Exchange referrals with credible service providers

Ask your affiliates or business connections to refer your services to their clients as you refer their services to your clients.

2) Show gratitude

Send thank you messages or complimentary gifts to your referential sources.

3) Create multiple referential methods

Some of your clients may not be comfortable with asking people to use your services. You can ask this type of clients to write testimonials about your services. You can create links in your emails that can be easily used to share your content on social networking sites.

4) Ask for referrals

If you are uncomfortable about asking for referrals, you will have a hard time having high quality referrals.  You are in business, so let people know that you have competitive services to offers. If you generate website traffic mostly from Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, ask people in your network to re-tweet or share your messages.

Remember you don’t have to wait until your pipeline is dry.  Do one thing each day to make sure you fill your pipeline with quality referrals.

How do you fill your pipeline of referrals? Share this post and comment on how build your pipeline made a difference in your business.

 

Why Do Businesses Needs Systems and Processes?

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It would be great if all businesses ran like a well-oiled machine. Do you want to go on a vacation without worrying about your business?

Do you want to help your employees cope even if you are out from business for a day or more?

Remember it is about working on your business NOT in your business.

Implement systems and processes that will be efficient for your employees and convenient for your partners and customers.

When you have clear systems and processes you will be able to use your time accordingly and become more productive.

Courtesy of Michal Marcol/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy of Michal Marcol/freedigitalphotos.net

Here is what you can do:

Create checklists

Are there processes that seem pretty routine to you? Creating a checklist  can not only aid training new people but can act as a recipe for success!

Have a standard sales process for your company

When you decide on sales processes, consider the methods of delivery (will you post the goods or will customers collect them), payment methods (will you accept checks or credits cards?), Will you offer credit or cash only? Will your goods be returnable or not? Will you have guarantees and warrantees?

Use an effective accounting system

Not all entrepreneurs have the necessary skills to deal with numbers.  An accounting system will help you set accurate service rates, file taxes, and manage your budget.  Alternatively, you can hire an accountant who will handle all your accounting activities. Work where your talents lie!

Create a recording system suitable for your type of business

Bookkeeping is unique for every type of business. There are businesses that need tracking services for orders but some don’t.  Ideally, you need a qualified bookkeeper who will analyze your type of business and come up with bookkeeping system and process that will ensure your records are always accurate and up to date.

Streamline and automate your company interactions with customers

A streamlined and automated system will save money and time for your customers.  Business activities like social media and email campaigns, product orders and customer enquiries can help you run your business efficiently when they are automated.

Document your processes and make them easily accessible to other employees.

Create documents that outlines your business processes step by step, particularly for those task that you do every day.  This will ensure that your employees perform some of your duties successfully in your absence.  Decide on a central place where you will keep all documents for your company systems and processes so that other employees can access information easily and in the shortest of time.

Find an efficient payroll system

An efficient payroll system will help you manage your employee salaries and taxes without hassles.

The purpose of business systems and processes is to help you do more for less, hence every business needs them to be profitable. Enjoy your well-deserved vacation.

Success Starts with the Power of Your Mind

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The power of our minds is amazing yet we have more negative that positive thoughts going through our minds at any moment in time. I came across this message in Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do by Dr. Robert H. Schuller that reinforces the mindset you must have to achieve success. I love this message:

” Success all starts in your head, and every person has the freedom to choose to be a success or not.

Choose to succeed. See yourself as a successful person, and you will be a successful person.”

You have the power to filter the thoughts that run through your head. You can chose which one will win out. The story you tell yourself and the attention and belief that you bring to that story will become your truth.

Courtesy of StuartMiles/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy of StuartMiles/freedigitalphotos.net

The one you feed – WINS!

I have studied success for nearly 20 years and true success comes to those who:

  • Work harder than the others.
  • Work smarter than the others, because they know how to delegate and know their priorities.
  • Dress for the success they believe themselves to be.
  • Watch what they eat and do not just go for convenience – convenience costs more! Waistline included!
  • Track their numbers and allocate their funds to what matters most to them.
  • Develop systems and processes to keep them on track.
  • Deep trust and faith that everything that shows up in their lives was meant for a season or a reason.
  • People come first before anything! Build the know, like, and trust – not just the transaction.
  • Control the messages in their head about self-limiting beliefs and doubt by focusing on the positive.

Empower yourself by listening to audiobooks and reading books and magazines about your industry or that motivate you to be your best. You have so much potential trapped inside your mind. It is time for you to use all you gifts and create the life you imagine. For the power of the mind can create what some view as impossible but I think you can start telling yourself – I AM possible!!!

I would love to hear how you made things possible in your life by making a CHOICE!

Start Thinking About All the Possibilities

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ID-10089370Let’s face it when obstacles or roadblocks show up in life, many people will look at the situation as a problem. There are others who shift their thinking and look for the possibilities. Hence, this is where many businesses are born and peace and harmony may even come to be.

I see abundance.

There was a time when I looked at what others where doing and thought “What a grand life they have!” They never have any problems. Why does life seem so perfect for them and not for me?” What a pity party! Thank goodness I have learned to shift out of the VICTIM mentality and seize the opportunities that come my way. Now I look at others and say, “Good for them. Maybe I can learn from what they are doing.”

Here is the real deal on problems that will shift you to thinking about all the possibilities:

All problems are time-limited. The world is constantly changing and growing and nothing stays completely the same. Even success and accomplishments are celebrated for a certain period of time. Everything exists in a temporary state. It all depends on where you want the energy to last!

All people experience problems or challenges. Every person must face an obstacle or challenge if they are to grow. The people around you have problems too. Don’t be fooled. They may not share them openly with you but they too do have problems.It is all a matter of perspective as to whether or not they believe it is a problem or not.

Every problem holds a possibility. Look for the lesson. What solutions or desired outcomes can be shared from this situation?

Each problem offers an opportunity to respond or react. Suppose you are having trouble with your finances or an employee. If you avoid learning about the situation and managing the expected outcome, you could be without money and have an employee creating poor products or providing poor customer service.

Problems build your character. Once you manage a situation or let a situation manage you, you are never the same. In most instances, when people challenge their problems head on versus avoiding them, they develop more courage and confidence to take on the next challenge that may come their way. Now only that you develop resilience!

You can achieve great things and step into your potential when you shift how you are thinking about your problems. Get fired up about all the possibilities and opportunities coming your way!

I would love to hear about how you face obstacles and problems that come your way! Comment and share – let’s help others tackle their problems.