Getting all you want
from your business

In life, stumbling along and taking what comes your way is bad enough. But when you're a business owner, you're not only cheating yourself when you don't have a clear focus. It means your employees and clients are being short changed, too.

If left to their own devices, most people won't set any type of goals until they're forced by some type of emergency or tragedy. These times force them to think about the direction of their life, business or finances. Goal-setting is not even a thought for so many business owners until crunch times confronts them head on.

LET'S SAY YOU WANT to increase your cash flow. Without specifying a dollar amount or increase you want to bring in to your business over the next quarter, you'll wind up settling with whatever "just happens."

But if you set clear numbers of where you're at now, and where precisely you want to be three months from now, you'll have a benchmark when you evaluate your progress each and every quarter of the year.

>> Step 3: Prepare yourself to achieve your goals.

Once you honestly complete steps one and two, you will see clearly if you're missing anything needed to reach your goals. More than likely, there will be something missing.

Sometimes it will be something small or easy to gain with a little self-research or resource guidance from your coach -- like finding a mailing list for your target audience in your market, or a software program to help you handle orders and FAQs when you take action on a marketing campaign.

Other times you'll find that what you're missing will take some time to gain for yourself or gather together -- like if you're unsure what the best marketing strategies to use in your growth plans, or if you need to systemize your operations and improve your customer service.

Either way, you need to create an organized game plan to prepare yourself for success. Your business coach can help to accelerate your progress with a clear outside viewpoint, strategic recommendations or actual coaching to help you improve your performance.

>> A case for preparation: Annika Sorenstam was the first woman golfer in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour. But all the hoopla and media coverage wouldn't have been on the tour, watching her every move, and we wouldn't even know her name, if she wasn't diligently preparing herself all year long.

Practicing her swing and building up her muscles was a success habit she engaged in long before she was ever invited to compete with "the big boys" on the tour.

Devising a plan of action, then faithfully pursuing it with ultimate self-discipline and belief in her dreams was key to her success.

What can you picture yourself achieving? Begin now to imagine yourself succeeding at a specific task long before it becomes a reality. That's the secret to success.