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Congratulate Yourself!

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey

This time of year it’s natural to start looking ahead at the New Year and thinking about making plans and intentions in order to have a more successful business and/or life.

But before you start doing that, one of the things I’d encourage you to do is list your successes from 2013. Take the time to look at what worked for you in your business and in your life, congratulate yourself and take those things into the plans you’re making for the New Year.

We spend so much of our time looking at and complaining about what’s not working in our business, that we overlook the good things that we’ve accomplished.

So here are some suggestions you might want to consider doing before you start making your 2014 plans:

1-Make a list of all of your successes in 2013. Take the time to sit with your list and read it! Feel good about all that you did do and accomplished this year and congratulate yourself!

2-Share your list with at least three people. Other people like to hear success stories and enjoy being part of something good. Share your successes with others!

3-Start keeping a daily list of your successes-keep these in a success journal. Then next year-it won’t be so challenging to think of all of your successes-you’ll have them right in your book!

4-Reach out and thank everyone who supported you: Customers, employees, family members, friends, community etc. This is a great way to celebrate!

5-Treat yourself to something really nice-something that’s meaningful to you. Whether it’s something expensive, a vacation or spa treatment, or an afternoon to yourself-take the time to rest on your laurels!

These five steps can really help you get clear on the things that are working for you and that you’d like to do MORE of in 2014. Figuring out what’s working and making you successful and building on those successes is what’s going to make 2014-your best year ever!

And by the way, CONGRATULATIONS for all you’ve accomplished this year! Great job!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Why It’s Important to Have Clear Intentions

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

“Our intention creates our reality”
Wayne Dyer

I was recently speaking with a client about the importance of having clear intentions. She has been working extremely hard, but felt she wasn’t making enough money. This is typical of many of us in the service business, where it’s essentially a “time for dollars” business. In other words, there are only so many hours in the day and when you work with people on a one-to-one basis; you can only make so much money.

When I asked her how much money she wanted to make, she didn’t have a clear answer, she just said, “I need to make more money!”

She has two new group programs that she’s starting next month and when I asked her how many people she needed to have in those groups to make money, again she couldn’t really answer the question. When pressed, she then said, “Well, six, but I would run the program with three”.

I tried to explain to her that in order for her to make the money she hoped to make, or to fill her group classes with the number of people that would be financially viable for her, she needed to set intentions for both of those.

The example that is so often used when talking about setting or creating intentions is to imagine driving across the United States without some kind of goal or intention. You know you want to get to California, but you’ve set no course, or no intention, who knows where you’ll end up!

So in the case of my client I said to her if you are not absolutely clear on how much more money you want to make in your business, then you will NEVER make the money you want to make. Because, when you’re not clear, a $1 would be making more money, right? And I know she had in mind to make way more than $1 than she is currently making.

I also shared with her that in my experience with my own programs and workshops, I got far more people signing up for my programs and workshops when I stated a certain number of people I wanted to have on a call or in a workshop, than when I didn’t.

If I said (or better yet, wrote down) that I wanted 50 people in my next teleclass, more than likely I would get 50, or darn close to it. When I didn’t have a stated intention or number, I would get 20, maybe 30.

I’ve experienced this myself and I’ve seen it with my clients, over and over and over.

So, what are your intentions? Where can you be much more specific about what you want, how many you want, and how much you’d like to make?

How Are You Spending the Next Four Weeks?

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

Things always start to get a bit crazy right after Thanksgiving, don’t they? It’s usually the time I notice that people start to say, “December isn’t the right month to start that (fill in the blank) project in my business, and I’ll just wait until January”. Or, “December is not the time to start a new class, it’s just too crazy”. Or, this is the one that really gets my attention, “I might as well just write off December and start focusing on January. You can’t get anyone’s attention in December”.

These are all stories and belief systems and I’m here to tell you, no matter what your business is, there is work to be done, business to be had and money to be made in December!

So if you’re someone who’s “written off December”, here’s a few ideas (and tips you can implement) that will make your December meaningful and profitable.

1-Look at your low-hanging fruit list
Who’s on your low-hanging fruit list, you know, those potential clients that know, like and trust you, probably have the resources to invest in your product or service, that need a little nudge, or powerful suggestion from you to buy or invest in your services? Is there a holiday gift idea for them, family or friends? A program you are offering to start their New Year off right? Look at your potential client list, gather up those “low-hanging” fruit people and create a package, product or program just for them-and start marketing it next week!

2-Who has a bit of money left in their 2013 budget?
Often times, companies, businesses, even individuals have money left over in their budgets-sometimes not a lot, but more than you might think. What kind of workshop, program, product or service could you sell to them in the next three weeks that they could pay for from their 2013 budget? Maybe you won’t even deliver until 2014, but they could pay it in 2013 and get it out of the way. You will be surprised how well this works when you really start combing your list and making some one-to-one calls.

3-Start planning your business strategy for 2014
After implementing #1 and #2 above, take a look at your own business and start strategizing new products, programs and services for 2014. Plot out on a calendar when you’ll be rolling out what. Be sure and write down the different steps and implementation phases on your calendar, so you can be sure and leave yourself enough time (and have the resources) to successfully implement your strategies. Develop a detailed plan through June 30, 2014. Mark your calendar on June 1st, for a date with yourself to create a detailed plan for July 1-December 31st. This tip REALLY works and I use it in my own business and in my client’s businesses. It has brought in hundreds of thousands of new dollars, just because it was all planned out BEFORE the year even began.

So get cracking, and don’t let the next four weeks go to waste. There’s a lot of opportunity waiting for you…

Please be sure and let me know in the comment section below, which of these ideas you intend to take seriously, because stating your intention to someone is a surefire way you’ll get it done!

The Power of Gratitude

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. ~Gerald Good

I grew up in a family who constantly reminded us to, “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!” As a kid, it is difficult sometimes to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. I feel I constantly struggle with this one with my own children, who after opening 10 Christmas gifts will say, “Is that all?”, or “How come we didn’t get a Wi?”

But recently, because I’ve struggled so much with this issue with my children, I’ve decided the struggle is there as an opportunity for me from which to learn. And what I’ve learned is that I want to model better behavior for my children and others around me, to come more often from a place of gratitude-even in the face of adversity.

Through my gratitude practice (under full disclosure-not yet perfected) I’ve found that by being grateful for ALL the things I do have, the opportunities that are before me, (often disguised as something else), the cards I’ve been dealt, the adversities I face, that:

It makes me feel better about myself and what previously was a difficult situation
Things feel more abundant-like I have what I need in the moment
I feel more peaceful and am more patient with my family and friends
I’m a more effective coach
I’m able to see the beauty in the present moment

Scientifically, a regular gratitude practice or grateful thinking can increase your happiness by as much as 25 percent. Also, by keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks, studies have shown that you will sleep better and have more energy.

What are some steps you might take if you’d like to start incorporating more gratitude in your life?

1-Say “thank you”. Who in your life needs to hear this from you more often?

2-Write a thank you note or card. Again, who in the past year has done something for you that you are so grateful for, but they may not know it?

3-Start a gratitude journal. Write down 5 things you are grateful for everyday. It’s best to do this the same time everyday, either in the morning or in the evening.

4-Spend some time everyday in nature-there is nothing that can spark gratitude more quickly than being in the great outdoors. Whether it’s a beautiful sunset, moon, leaves on the trees, on the ground-whatever you’re drawn to-express your gratitude.

5-Forgive one person. Who in your past that you are still holding a grudge with, can you forgive, and try to see there are some things for which you can feel appreciation or gratitude? Perhaps it’s a family member or friend. See if it’s possible to get in touch with ways they have loved you or supported you which you can find gratitude for.

By counting your blessings and being grateful for what happens to you, you will experience more blessings in your life, for which to be grateful. This simple principle and practice has the power to change your life!

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

Just Do It

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

We’re all familiar with Nike’s famous tagline, “Just Do It”. Its phrase has spurred on many an athlete, student, procrastinating entrepreneur and many, many others. I’d always wondered where this phrase had come from. Several months ago a colleague shared a video with me, that had been recorded many years ago, called “Do It” and said that was where the original phrase had come from. Art Williams a football coach spoke to the National Association of Religious Broadcasters in 1987 on how to win in business.

I’ve watched this video now, over and over and over-it’s message so simple, yet sometimes so difficult. Take a look and let me know what you think?

How a Mastermind Group Could Help You and Your Business

by Mandy Schumaker Leave a Comment

“Because eight minds are better than one”
Unknown

Usually when someone refers to a mastermind group, he or she means a group of like-minded individuals who come together on a regular basis to help and support one another to grow their respective businesses.

The history of a mastermind group dates back to the beginning of time. Andrew Carnegie, one of the most famous leaders of industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, became one of the richest men in the world. He believed in the power of mastermind groups and often said participating in a mastermind group was an essential ingredient for his success.

One of the names we hear most often that is associated with a mastermind group is Napoleon Hill. While Hill did not invent the idea, he can certainly be given credit for promoting the concept of a mastermind alliance. Napoleon Hill was an American author, one of the first to write on the topic known today as personal development. In 1928, Hill published a study course called The Law of Success, based on his interviews (at the suggestion of Andrew Carnegie) over the course of 20 years with some of the country’s most successful men. One of the lessons contained within The Law of Success is…you guess it…a mastermind group. Nine years later, Hill continued to expound on the topic of the mastermind alliance in his best-selling classic, Think and Grow Rich.

Mastermind groups are a very powerful way to brainstorm, support, give and get advice from your peers. It’s like your very own board of advisors and a way to access entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and experience from a group of like-minded individuals.

I’m a big believer in Mastermind groups and have grown my business significantly because of them. As entrepreneurs we can become isolated in our own businesses, often spending more time working in our business rather than working on the business.

Mastermind groups, with the correct structure, allow you the accountability mechanisms to stretch yourself, create a vision and goals that give you the shivers, and stick to a plan to achieve those goals.

If you’ve ever considered joining a mastermind group, I would love to talk with you. You can check out my new program, The Big Profit Club to see if this might be something that speaks to you, and if it does, I would love to see if you and your business are a good fit.

The program starts, Thursday, November 14th, so give me a call today 207-653-6977 and let’s chat!

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