Debra Kasowski

How to Stay Focused with the Distractions of Summer?

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Have you let things slide because you have been distracted by the summer heat or the lake calling your name? It is okay for a little while but do not let it go too long or you might have trouble getting on track. I want to give you a few tips to stay focused so you can have fun with your family and friends and keep your business thriving.

What can you do while you are a passenger in a car on the way to my destination?

  • Write out thank you cards. A word of thanks does not need a whole lot of time but the time you spend appreciating someone can have infinite returns.
  • Write out your Tweets or Facebook posts for the week or month.
  • Write a paragraph or two for that new article, blog post, or book that you are writing.
  • Read a magazine or book related to your subject matter or expertise. Hone your skills.
  • Perform vocal exercises. Get everyone in the car to join in – create your own choir!
  • Listen to audiobooks or recorded teleseminars so you are continuously learning.
  • Record your thoughts on audio for your next article, blog post, or book. Prepare a podcast.
  • Plan out your marketing strategy for the month. Set 3 new goals for the next 3 months.
  • Meditate or pray – clearing your mind.
  • Plan your days to have 30-60 minutes of time for yourself during your trip.

Vacations are great to recharge and reconnect with your family and friends. You definitely need some downtime. The suggestions up above need only take 20 minutes or as long as you want to keep the momentum going while you get refreshed!

What do you do to keep focused on what you want for your business  during the heat of summer?

Do You Want to Know What Is Really Blocking Your Success?

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Do you have a dream or a goal that you have been working on but just don’t seem to be getting anywhere? Do you feel think you are spinning your wheels or maybe you have a hit a plateau? Do you ever sit back and wonder if success is in your future? One of the most vital components to is how you think…yes your mindset. The biggest obstacle blocking your success is YOU! Ouch! I know. We often think of roadblocks as being those obstacles outside of ourselves however, we have more control than we think. So much for blaming and complaining about all those other people around us.

What Can You Do Unblock Your Success?

  • Define What Success Means to You. Success means different things to different people. For people, success is define by money, cars, homes, and vacations. Whereas others view success as the quality of their relationships, their free time, and their accomplishments.
  • Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life and Your Success. You are the only one responsible for your success. Are you giving your best effort? Are you spending your time where you excel? Are you owning what you do? No complaining, blaming, or excuses allowed!
  • Keep Positive. We have an express train ideas every minute with thoughts and ideas. Some are good and some are not so good. You need to reframe them. Most of the time, believe it or not, it tends to be negative chatter questioning our every move. You may hear things like, “What makes you think you can do that?”, “You are not as good as..”, and “Who is going to listen to you?” It is time to silence that voice but saying “YES, I can.”,  “I am good – I am great – there is no one like me.”, and “My voice needs to be heard.” Be kind to yourself. Would you speak to others the way you talk to yourself?
  • Set Defined Goals with Deadlines and Expected Outcome. Write down what it is you wish to achieve. Break it down into smaller tasks. Create a road map of your plans and strategize what you can delegate. There are no “one hit wonders” in sustainable success.
  • Take Action. My favorite!!! When you take even the smallest action step, you create a momentum that can lead to big results. Your mindset will begin to focus on getting the results you want.

Your mindset is the most powerful thing in the world. When you focus on what you want to achieve versus what you do not want, you are more likely to get it. Your success is not determined by mindset alone. You must take action to achieve what you want. Now go out there and take on the day!

 

5 Deadly Mistakes People Make When Writing their Blogs

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Blogging is a great way to get your message out to the world and let your voice be heard. Blogs increase your visibility online, help develop relationships with your followers, and create a venue where you can share your expertise and impact the world. In the world of blogging, there are 5 deadly mistakes that prevent bloggers from getting followers to ready their blogs:

  1. Blog Title Does Not Capture the Reader’s Attention. You want to engage your readers with titles that pique your readers interest in the form of questions, revealed mistakes, or lessons learned. Ask yourself – What is the purpose of this blog? Why should they read it? What do I think the reader wants or needs to know?
  2. Too Much Jargon. Avoid using words that readers may not understand. If you are trying to educate them, provide a definition and example for better understanding of the concept you are trying to share. Simple plain language can make a big impact.
  3. No Visuals. Everyone does not learn or read the same way. Visuals create a connection with those who are visual learners. They remember what you wrote by what by the image they remember. Choose graphics that relate to your content.
  4. No white space. A page full of text loses your readers attention. Insert graphics and lists to break up your blog post. Let your reader’s eyes have a chance to rest and let them reflect on what they just read.
  5. Too verbose. Again, lots of words on the page does not mean it will be read or remembered. Stick to  blog posts that are 250-450 words. Use bullets, lists, and subtitles to break up your page. Readers are busy and they value reading that is quick and scannable. Bullets and lists help with quick reads and allow your reader to learn more about your topic in a limited time.

These mistakes can be easily corrected. Create your strategy or template that will help you develop blog content that people want to share. Your voice matters.

How to Gain Control Over Your Fears

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I think each one of us has a fear of something that we work toward overcoming. Some people try to hide from their fears whereas others tiptoe around them. I am not a big fan of speed but I challenged myself to try the West Coast Slide. It is a sled on a track that has a joystick allowing you to accelerate or brake. The whole slide time is under 30 seconds. I had mentioned how I thought this ride was pretty amazing! The attendant said it was because I had control! How very true. Your fears dissipate when you feel that you have control. Think about an area in your life where you would like to feel that you are in control rather than living in fear.

Here are 3 Ways to Gain Control Over Your Fears:

  • Evaluate the Odds. Learn what you need to learn in order to feel more comfortable with taking action. This is often refered to as, due diligence. Investigate the risks and what you need to do in order to mitigate them – then take action.
  • Practice, Practice, Practice. The more prepared you are for what you want to do, the more natural it will feel. You will be able to go through the motions with confidence and get the results that you want.
  • Mind Over Matter. Many of the fears you have are perceived and probably would never occur. Sometimes, you just need to ask yourself – What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it that this could occur? Do I know 100% that what I fear will come true? Chances are you do not know. Prepare your mind for victory. Shift your mindset by asking yourself – What will it feel like to conquer that fear and achieve what you want?

Do not let your fears hold you back from truly experiencing what life has to offer! Live fully and be rich from the inside out!

Please share how you overcome some of your fears!

 

Why You Need a Piece of the Marketing Pie?

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Are you wanting to grow your business and taste how sweet success can be? You will definitely want to know how to learn about marketing pie! Marketing is an important part of your business operations. Your marketing strategy is the part of your business that attracts clients to you and your products and services – it is how they get to hear about you and get to know you. Marketing helps you build your list or database and then key in your follow-up.

The marketing pie is a tool that I use to help me focus on my business and plan for my day, month, and year. To help you understand the marketing pie, I want you to get a piece of paper and pen. Draw out a circle and draw a line through the middle horizontally and then vertically. Draw a few more lines dissecting the centre of the circle just like you would be slicing a pie. Let’s start with 8 slices. You can keep adding slices to the pie. Each slice of the pie is a marketing tool that you use to attract more customers by serving them with valuable content to boost their business’s bottom line.

Here are eight ways you can build your list and share your expertise with your potential customer:

  1. Opt-In Box on your website offer a free report, ebook, teleclass, video series, or podcast. If you do not have an opt-in box, you must get one as soon as possible and offer the guests to your site something of value. A way in which they get to know you and what you do.
  2. Ezine – An electronic newsletter keeps your clients and prospects in the know about what you are up to. They again have another way to get to know you and what you currently up to. You can share articles, blog posts, testimonials, and tips and techniques to help transform their businesses. If you do not know what one is or need some ideas about you should include, I invite you to sign up for mine. Ezines can be sent out every week,  biweekly, or monthly. I find biweekly is the best way to stay top of mind.
  3. Articles – You can create high value content for potential clients that has a bio that send them to your website to learn more.
  4. Blog – You can blog and showcase your expertise. This a great way for people to learn about your business.
  5. Video – Create videos that a less than 2 minutes offering 3-5 business tips related to what your offer your clients. This is a very powerful tool!
  6. Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are the top venues for sharing yours events, articles, blogs, and other valuable content with others. Not only can people like or comment on your postings, they can share your posts with their followers.
  7. Direct Mail – You can utilize postcard marketing to get the word out about your business and provide a free offering to a special report, ebook, or download.
  8. Teleseminars – Offer a 30- 60 minute teleseminar teaching your clients and prospects about something that they can be doing in their business or their life. This a great way for them to also get to hear your voice and get to know you.

There are several more pieces to the marketing pie that can help build your list, expand your reach, and ultimately grow your business. I challenge you to utilize at least 3 of these marketing tools to launch your business to a whole new level. Learn one piece well before venture onto yoru next piece. Now what piece of the pie would you like? I hear they are pretty delicious!