Entrepreneur Coaching

Over the last 10 years, I’ve personally started 16 businesses of which 4 were massively successful and the rest just quitely died a slow and silent death (fortunately…). Over the last 2 weeks I asked myself the following question:

• What made the 4 successful businesses successful and the other 12 not successful?

After long hours of analysis I came to the conclusion that the single most important differentiating aspect was CLARITY!

In the 4 successful businesses I KNEW EXACTLY:

• Who the Target Market was
• What the Market Need was
• That people were already Buying alternative services and products to try and meet their need, AND
• How I can serve that Market Need BETTER.

Simple and straightforward.

The problem with starting and building a business is that you fall in love with it!

It’s like having a child for the first time: to every mom and dad their child is the most beautiful, clever, cute, addorable little thing – NO MATTER WHAT he or she does!

The same tends to happen in business – you pursue an idea because YOU like it, not necessarily because the MARKET LIKES it… and therein lays the biggest risk of them all!

The only effective way to mitigate this risk is to TEST your idea or business in the REAL MARKET before you invest significant amount of time and money!

The best way to Grow your Business is through what the Japanese call “Kaizen”: “small continuous improvements”.

In software development this might be better known through the “Agile” development philosophy which is focussed on quick short “sprints” of change and review.

Imagine this technique to be like building a puzzle:
o Create a picture of the end result (plan / vision)
o Create a systematic way of building it (colours together, frame first, etc)
o Fit each piece step by step, and
o Sometimes you have to refit some pieces…

In business you need to do the same.

“You NEED money to MAKE MONEY” is what they all say, but what most people miss is that you DON’T NEED money to START!

Yes, there will come a point in any business that you’ll need more money to expand or acquire another company, but try and expand organically.

That includes: START ON A SHOESTRING!

You don’t need that posh office furniture, prime location or brand new MAC computers. Anything will do. Get your business growing sustainably first, before you start buying unnecessary equipment.

On the same point – Most people see funding as a form of “approval”: if an investor invests in my business, then surely they think it will work too… The harsh reality is that getting funding (bank or investor finance), rarely solves the problem. Usually the issue relates to: cash flow management, bad market targeting, exuberant product design or unnecessary expenses.

The less you invest, the less you risk! Start small, start quick, start cheap!

We get asked this question a lot. And the truth is that starting a successful business does not just require one thing to make it successful, in actual fact it requires a whole range of skills, actions and ideas.

Here are our TOP 5 things that increase your chances of being a successful start-up:

1. People – take on experts and mentors as soon as possible and partners as late as possible!
2. Clarity – be REALLY clear on your Target Market, their Need and How you will deliver your Solution
3. Laser Focus – multi-tasking does not work, become obsessed with one thing, perfect it, automate it and then only move on to the next
4. Chunk it – dream big, but plan small. The smaller the task the easier it is to visualise and action.
5. Constantly review and improve. The moment you stop improving yourself and your business, you are losing customers.

This is brilliant! You have to watch this video!

If you are an Entrepreneur, Small business owner or just a concerned parent that don’t want your kids to end up in the same rat race you are in, watch this!!

“The Success Principles – 64 timeless principles to be successful”
“10 steps to overachieving in business and live”
“The 7 habits of highly effective people”

No wonder people are confused by the personal development industry. There are so many articles, books, recipies, secret formulas and guru advice, that its practically imposible to decide what to do or to read. Most people just give up at the mere thought of searching for good material, not even talking about really working through it and implementing it into their daily lives.

So what would be the one thing that you could do that would make a significant difference in your life?

Through all our studies of successful people and personal development material, we’ve notive a single golden thread:

Review and Adjust.

All successful people review their lives and situations constantly and frequently. AND they make the necessary changes, no matter how painful it might be!

Just think about any individual, company or organisation that you consider to be successful – how many times have they adjusted to changing circumstances? Did you notice that they always seem one step ahead of the competition? Does it seem that they never falter? Most likely when you do proper investigation you’ll notice that they falter often, but the correct and move on so quickly that its hardly noticable to outsiders.

Successful organisations are built on this principle. To stay ahead in a market companies go to enourmous lengths to obtain accurate information about their own performance but also about their competitors performance, to review and adjust their strategy accordingly.

The same is true of sport stars. They constantly compare their actions to the results obtained and make small adjustments until they find the winning formula. Parents who take a real interest in their children or who are trying to improve their relationship with their partner, will regularly review how they handle certain situations and the effect it had on their children or spouse.

The same is true for successful individuals. You’ll only be able to move forward if you are able to objectively review your situation and ascertain what worked and what didn’t. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over, but expect different results.

When last did you do a proper review of your life..? Maybe it’s time to do one now…?! Have a look at the Gears of Life Self Assessment course to help you review all areas of your life!

Upon conclusion of your review, the next steps are easy:
· Everything that works should be done more of and
· The actions that don’t work should be stopped or adjusted until it works

Usually review & adjust follows a simple four-step process:

1. Awareness. Successful people become aware of their situation. They obtain their information through reading their report cards, reflecting on their situation, watching a video of their game or speaking to people close to them.

2. Ownership. Successful people take responsibility for their actions. They assume ownership of their lives by owning their behaviour and the subsequent consequences. This means that they will not blame others for their mistakes. They accept their mistakes and work hard on improving it.

3. Adjust. After evaluating all the information and feedback, successful people decide to change and they create a plan of action.

4. Action. Successful people take action! This is the single biggest difference between those that live in “one day land” and those that live their dreams!

That’s it. Straight forward and simple. And most likely this is not news to you. Most likely you’ve heard this over and over again. You’ve read it in books, you’ve seen it on TV, you’ve heard it on the radio. So are you doing it? If not, why not?

Remember that this process takes time! You have to be patient! BUT know this: Success is a SNOWBALL! The hardest part is to start the constant rolling, and in the beginning of your journey, you’ll most likelly get stopped by every little rock or plateu… but once you’ve gained enough momentum through perservering on your review and adjust process, nothing can stop you!

Don’t wait until your situation is so painful that you’re forced to change! You have the power to review and adjust now! Realise how valuable that is!

A short abstract from the Gears of Life™ seminar – Get your life under control again:

Many people feel out of control… There are so many demands on their time and lives, so many things that they must do, that they feel totally overwhelmed and out of control. Worst of all, they don’t know where to begin to sort it all out.

Finding information on how to address certain issues is NOT the issue – there’s plenty of good information and advice availale everywhere. 

The real underlying reasons for people’s inaction are twofold:

1)     Everyone is TOO busy. There is so much to do, that it’s a constant fire fighting exercise, instead of planning and working on personal improvement. And

2)     Motivation. Very few people are able to motivate themselves to change behaviour unless an extremely painful situation occurs.

The key to regaining control and focus is to have a systematic system to help them asess their lives step by step and then set specific goals and action plans to improve those focus areas.

This is what makes the Gears of Life System™ the ideal solution: it’s a step by step guide / process to help individuals REALISE, ASSESS and IMPROVE the CRUCIAL areas of their lives!

For more information refer to the Gears of Life Self Coaching training.

How to inspire others

Have you ever had the desire to inspire? That feeling that you wanted other people to look to you and feel their hearts getting warmer and their decisions to make the most of their lives clearer?

We have probably all heard of people or met others who seem to elevate us by the way they approach life. They may have overcome the greatest odds to reach the top of their field or they may have managed to do only “normal” things like running a marathon or learning to read or write, but they did it with significantly less resources than we have. These people are inspirational and we can learn a lot from them.

Well known inspirational people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and Helen Keller all seem to be driven as well as centered at the same time. The combination of these two characteristics seems to play a role in making them extraordinary. This ability to be driven while they are centered appears to help them through difficult times and make them inspirational. Therefore, if we want to learn from them and also inspire others, we also need to cultivate these two characteristics.

• Being centered. These inspirational people’s actions stem from a deep conviction about life. They know what they believe and value and they are not uncertain about their purpose in life. Their centeredness thus spring from the fact that they know what they stand for. They have a clear vision of what they would like life to look like and therefore they believe in what they are doing. They follow their heart, no matter what the odds are or what their circumstances are and this has inspired others to also carry on in the face of adversity.

•  Being driven. Because inspirational people really believe in what they are doing, they are focussed on what they want to achieve. They have set their eyes on the prize, the ideal they want to achieve and they will not allow anything else to distract them from this mission. Their clear and almost single-minded focus thus enables them to put all their energy into making their dream a reality and thereby inspire other people.

These two characteristics set inspirational people apart from others. However, these are also qualities that each one of us can develop in our lives. You can become centered by thinking about what you believe.

Take some time to think about what you want to do with your life by answering the following questions:

§  What are you convicted about?

§ What are your dreams for the world and other people?

§ What is your purpose in life?

Once you have your purpose, put your energy into making your dream a reality by focussing on it and setting appropriate goals to achieve it.

When you do this, you will become driven – not by your dreams, but by your purpose. When you transfer these qualities of being driven and centered by your purpose to every aspect of your life, you will not only live a purposeful and focussed life, but will indeed be inspiring to others as well.

We live in a time where the general attitude is: “each one for him or herself!” Yet, if you take the time to think about all the people in your life, you will realise that there are many who do not live by this philosophy. People who go out of their way to help, support and encourage others. People who are willing to make big sacrifices for the benefit of others they know like friends, colleagues, parents, family members or even those they do not know.

In most cases they prefer for their kindness not to be named. However, should you speak the magic words to these unselfish people it will light up their lives and be exactly what they need to carry on. The magic words are: “Thank you”.

There is an ancient story of a slave with the name of Androcles who lived in Roman times. His master was cruel to him and one day he escaped. He went into a nearby forest and hid in a cave. What he didn’t know, though, was that the cave was actually the den of a huge lion. After a while in the cave, Androcles heard the roar of a lion and tried to escape, but the lion was already in the entrance. Androcles thought it was the end of his life. To his surprise however, instead of attacking him, the lion limped to the side of the cave and made little whining noises.

When Androcles saw this, he went to the lion, lifted his paw and saw that in the inflamed and swollen paw a huge thorn had embedded itself. Androcles removed the thorn, forced pus from the wound and dressed it as best as he could. The wound healed completely. From that day forward Androcles and the lion shared the cave.

The lion even shared his food with the former slave. After living together for a few years, Androcles decided to go back to society. However, when he was recognised, he was arrested and taken to the theatre to be devoured by wild animals. On the day of his execution in the arena, the hungry animals were set loose. Amongst the other animals was a huge lion who stopped and smelt the air. He then ran to Androcles and licked his hand and rubbed his giant head against Androcles – it was his old friend!

The crowd was astonished and the governor was so amazed by what he saw that he decreed that both should be set free. Thus Androcles and the lion received their freedom, all because the lion showed his gratitude despite his natural instinct to seek food.

To whom in your life are you really grateful for what they have done for you? It may be small acts of kindness or it may be big deeds of sacrifice. Whatever it may be, have you thanked them for it?

Make these magic words and the attitude of gratitude towards others, a normal part of your day. Use them frequently and you will encourage both others and yourself not live selfishly, but to continue to help others in need and thus make the world a better place.