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Tebowing Your Brand – What Your Small Business Can Learn About Branding From Tim Tebow

January 9, 2012 by 2 Comments
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Tebowing Your Brand – What Your Small Business Can Learn About Branding From Tim Tebow

by Frederika Angus

Hate him or love him, Tim Tebow, NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has become the sports media’s favorite topic. The more I observe his style of play and how he handles himself on and off the field, there are a few lessons for entrepreneurs that will help you with your own small business branding.

Faith in the face of adversity. Being a business owner can be tough. While I believe that anyone can be an entrepreneur, it takes a very dedicated, strong person that is willing to face challenges head on to actually be and entrepreneur. There will always be naysayers, competitors and obstacles to overcome.

Because Tebow hasn’t played like most quarterbacks in the league, he has been discounted by the analysts, football fans, and even the management of his team. Nevertheless, Tebow has stood steadfast in his belief in himself. He is unwavering in his stance that he has the skills and ability to be a quarterback, not a running back or tight end, in the NFL.

In order for your business and brand to last, you must have faith that you are not only designed to be a business owner, but also that your skills and abilities are ready for the challenges. As I expressed in Start Your Small Business Brand Strategy By Bringing You to the Table, you have to be the brand as an entrepreneur. Your business success in branding will go as far as your faith will allow you to believe.

Clear conviction of who you are and what you are here to do. One quality that sets entrepreneurs apart from the rest, is their ability to get clear and obtain laser like focus and run with their business vision. In the beginning stages of business planning and mapping out products and services you can offer, the clarity you have in knowing exactly what your value and uniqueness is in the marketplace is critical. Your brand has to stand out from the crowd. Clearly communicating those factors that are different, valuable and relevant to your customers with consistency is important to branding.

Tim Tebow is a good example of knowing who he is purposed to be and what he must do. He very clearly and consistently communicates who he is in every interview so that there is no mistake about his value and why he does what he does. He stands out so strongly that those who wouldn’t normally follow sports have heard of him.

Be consistent on and off the field. Your clients as well as your competition are always watching you. This is especially true if you are on social media. Do not project yourself to be one way in front of your clients and then present yourself differently on Twitter or Facebook. Doing so is a sure fire way to ruin your brand credibility.

Tebow is known for consistently expressing his faith whether he is on the field after making a game winning play or at a hospital visiting with children.

The Tim Tebow brand is one of the most talked about in all of sports. Even those who don’t like his style of play can’t help but to continue to talk about him. This is a powerful place to be as a brand. Utilize these tips and build a brand for your business that is the topic of discussion of your customers.

Talk to you soon!

 

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Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read

January 5, 2012 by 4 Comments
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Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read

by Frederika Angus

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything – Guy Kawasaki

A no-nonsense approach to business start-up. Guy really breaks down the best approach to starting a business and what stops people from starting one. Sometimes the thought of starting a business seems so complex. This book will simplify business concepts. He does write from the perspective of one that has started up technology companies nevertheless, there are lessons for anyone looking to start a business in any industry. Learn how to stop thinking so much about starting and move to actually starting with this manual. He interjects humor and has tons of practical application to guide you from the starting block to actual movement.

Purple Cow – Seth Godin

This book encourages you to examine what you are doing or not doing to be a leader in your industry. It challenges you to think outside the box, and create extraordinary campaigns, messages and results. We live in a world where ordinary has become invisisble. Business owners or those looking to revolutionize their thinking can benefit from the mindset adjustment that comes from reading this book. To succeed in business products must have high, lasting value, be talked about often and be outstanding. Purple Cow will inspire you to stand out from the crowd.

 

The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

Each of you were made on purpose for a purpose. The War of Art discusses the force of nature that anyone living on purpose has to face and master. Resistance is internal and external and is usually a huge roadblock that prevents people from moving forward. While the author of this book is a writer and typically recommended to those with writer’s block, this book will eliminate the excuses that you use to tell yourself that you can’t do exactly what you are designed to do. Pressfield says, “Our job in this lifetime is to find out who we already are and become it.” This book is great encouragement to pursue your dreams and get started while kicking resistance out of your way.

How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie 

Why would an entrepreneur want friends in business? Don’t they say friends and business don’t mix? Being an outstanding businessperson will depend on the relationships you can develop with current and potential customers and clients. This book will teach you how to do just that. Sure there are other books you could read regarding customer service. Thankfully, Carnegie’s classic is bigger than customer service. It really guides small business owners into how to translate people skills into leadership, sales and public relations skills with very practical and easy to implement solutions.

 

Good to Great – Jim Collins

Good To Great is a must read for any entrepreneur or CEO. It reminds every reader that the most effective leaders are humble and that leaders of great companies don’t start with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. Once you have the right people in the right seats, the journey doesn’t matter, you’ll succeed.

What books have you read that are on your must-read list for current and prospective entrepreneurs? Share them and other comments below.

Talk to you soon!

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Is This the Year You Finally Get Serious About Your Business?

January 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Is This the Year You Finally Get Serious About Your Business?

by Frederika Angus

It’s the first work day of this new year. We’ve celebrated and wished each other a happy and prosperous year. While we are thinking of all the things we want to accomplish in our lives and through our businesses, I need to have a serious conversation with you.

Is this the year that you will get serious about your business?

I know you have new ideas, vision boards, and strategies you would like to implement. Some of you may even have years of business ventures written down. You’ve put off starting your website. You haven’t opened your business checking account or even gotten a business license. Or maybe you’ve already started a business but you haven’t invested money into marketing and branding. You know there are trainings you need to take and conferences that you can attend that will accelerate your businesses growth but you continue to talk yourself out it.

So what exactly are you waiting on?

I remember when I stepped out of fear and into faith to start my current business. Now, I had done business activities for pay previously. I wasn’t a newbie to business ownership. Only this time, this wasn’t the side job that brought in enough extra money for me to buy shoes. When I started this business consulting and coaching firm, it was for all the marbles. It was time to sink or swim and I was filled with “what ifs.”

I later learned that all those what ifs were intended to keep me from doing exactly what I am designed to do, what I am uniquely prepared for and great at doing, serving businesses and business owners in such a way that moves them from their current state, to their next level.

Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art, calls that inner voice that questions if this is the right time, or the right move, if you can afford it or even if you are good enough to even compete, resistance. He says of resistance, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”

If that describes how you’ve felt about your business endeavors, if you have the same inner voice, the same fears, CONGRATULATIONS! You are likely on the right track. Maybe you need some additional help to refine the details and design a roadmap but the big picture show that you ARE positioned for forward movement.

Being positioned is a great start now YOU have to step on the gas to actually move and gain momentum. If you are ready to be serious, it is time NOW to kick fear out of the driver’s seat and regain control of building the life you desire through your business. Let’s do it together.

“He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat” ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

Talk to you soon!

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Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Social Media

December 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Social Media

by Frederika Angus

Social media is an effective way to connect with people quickly, develop new relationships and have nearly instant access to potential customers and business partners alike. While most small businesses understand the importance of using social media as a way to build and expand their brand, there are some critical mistakes that are made than can harm instead of enhance your business.

Not having a social media plan

There is a big difference in how you utilize social media personally and how to leverage it’s power to present and provide valuable information to the world. It is important to know what you want to achieve through the use of social media. Without having a plan, it will be more difficult to measure if your efforts are providing your desired results.

Updates that are too personal

Simply put, be personable without being too personal. Avoid talking about relationship troubles or issues with colleagues, or clients. Strive to be a positive source of information and provide valuable information while cultivating relationships. Doing so will develop a culture of followers that will be loyal to your brand and business as they learn more about you as an entrepreneur and how you can serve their needs.

Promoting without participation

Have you ever been at a party talking to someone who believes the best topic of conversation is themselves? Make sure not to do the same on social media. It will be a real turn off to your ideal clients. Social media networks are a wonderful place to give as well as receive. Avoid just talking about your business without engaging your followers by responding.

What other social media errors have you seen businesses make? Share additional mistakes below.

Talk to you soon!

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Get Your Business Ready For The New Year

December 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Get Your Business Ready For The New Year

by Frederika Angus

There are only a few days left until the new year will begin. Set yourself and your small business up for a smooth start with the following tips.

Clean out your email inbox. Delete old emails and junk mail. Unsubscribe from mailings that are no longer adding value to your business. While you are cleaning up your digital mail, be sure to archive the important mail in appropriate folders. If there are emails that you send to your clients that are customizable, be sure to save them for use as templates. This will save you time from having to type the same information repetitively. Also, take the email action items you need to take action on prioritize their completion based on a due date.

Clean your computer file folders. As you are going through the emails, you will likely find email attachments that you’d like to keep handy. Organize your folder structures with descriptive names so they are easily found. If you happen to save documents to your desktop (I know I’m guilty of sometimes doing this), find a folder to place them in or delete them. That will clear the space for your most needed items for the new year.

Clean your desk/office. Doing this in advance of the start of the new year will put you miles ahead of others. It becomes difficult to work effectively when you can’t find a pen or the contract you just printed. Take sometime and file away all your paperwork for the year and get fresh folders (especially for receipts and expenses) started. It’s a great time to also grab a new calendar for the next year so that you can map out your marketing schedule, vacations, conferences and other various activities for you business.

Clean up your website. For those who aren’t technically savvy, it’s easy to hide this task in the junk drawer with the rest of the items. Take a few minutes before the new year starts and review your website as if you were a new customer and also a returning client. Are there improvements that can be made so that potential and current clientele are very clear on what you have to offer? During your site review, ensure that © date is current.

Clean your mind. Review your successes and your challenges during the past year. Learn from them and then release them. Take some time to rest, relax and renew your mind. It’s time to go to your next level and have your best year yet!

Talk to you soon!

 

 

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8 Essential Qualities of Exceptional Entrepreneurs

December 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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8 Essential Qualities of Exceptional Entrepreneurs
by Frederika Angus

 

Success in business is the goal of every small business owner. While there is no magic formula that will guarantee your success, there are essential qualities that exceptional entrepreneurs possess.

1. Integrity – In the simplest of definitions, integrity is about doing the right thing. As an entrepreneur, your customers and clients want you to do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it. Never lie, exaggerate or pretend to be what you are not to get new business. Even if you have to lose money in the short-term, do the right thing everytime and you will build a brand with loyal customers.

2. Generosity – One of my mentors in business truly has one of the most generous hearts. She is leading by example how to share and go above and beyond in giving great value and wisdom to others. Your ability to be generous is directly associated with your mindset. If you fear sharing ideas with others because you don’t want them to “steal” or use them, you are operating in lack mentality. Remember that there is enough business to go around and collaborating with those who may even be competitors can still generate wealth for you.

3. Humility – Have you ever been around someone who is constantly talking about all they have acquired and achieved? Do you enjoy being around those that act that way? Being humble in business, contrary to the belief of some, is not a sign of weakness. It is actually a sign of strength. Only those secure in themselves can lift other’s up without feeling as though they are being diminished. Enjoy and be confident in your accomplishments. Just remember to leave arrogance and ego behind as you grow as an exceptional entrepreneur.

4. Discipline – Successful entrepreneurs are not those that get lucky or have better fortune than others. They are defined by their consistent commitment to do the things that need to be done. When you work for yourself, it can become easy to push off the least fun tasks until the very last minute. It is impossible to live the dream if you refuse to do the work it takes to make it a reality. Discipline will dictate whether you create effective results.

 

5. Persistence – The most difficult situations and undesirable events I have been through have always been conquered with this motto : “Never, never, never give up!” I use it during a difficult workout and in the midst of naysayers telling me my ideas will never work. Statistics will tell you most small businesses will likely fail within 5 years. The businesses that do succeed all have one thing in common, in spite of downtimes, they never gave up! Learn to be persistent.

6. Focused – To be exceptional in your business pursuits, being able to stay focused is critical. The mind of an entrepreneur is like a playground to a child. There are so many directions that you can steer your business in, sometimes it is hard to decide and stick with that direction. There are two or three things that are more important than everything else that you must take ownership of and focus on. Doing so will take your small business from good to great.

7. Innovative – Creativity is important but being innovative is essential in business. What’s the difference? Being creative speaks to your ability to think or imagine something original. Innovation is implementing or bringing new ideas to the market in the form of services and products. Innovation could be thought of as harnessing the creative energy and moving those great new ideas through a defined set of processes to an ultimately valuable conclusion. Long-term profitability for small businesses will depend on your ability to continuously innovate.

8. Passionate – When you are doing what you love to do and have been made to do, it feels less like work and more like living. Your enthusiasm about your business as an entrepreneur will show up to your clientele and attract customers. Passion will be your fuel on those days where you may reconsider if you’ve made the right choice.

Anything else you think should be included? Feel free to share in the comments.

Talk to you soon!

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Putting the Joy Back Into Your Business

December 5, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Putting the Joy Back Into Your Business

by Frederika Angus

Do you remember how you felt when you first came up with the idea for your business? Do you recall how excited you were to take on this new challenge?

Most business owners start their entrepreneurial journey with a lot of excitement. As you begin to diligently make plans and set up the business that will be the source of freedom and additional streams of income, you are glad to make sacrifices. You know that your dedication and commitment to your business will pay off.

But as the days, months and years go on, sometimes you realize that the thrill is gone. You’re not exactly sure how it happened but the business of running the business starts to weigh you down. Instead of anticipation for the challenge each day brings, you feel a sense of dread.

How can you begin to enjoy your business again?

Having joy in your business is important. Joy becomes fuel for the engine that runs your business. It helps eliminate stalling and allows you to move forward into the plans you’ve made for your business with ease.

Start each day with an attitude of gratitude. You have made a decision to live the life of your choosing as an entrepreneur. You may have the flexibility of work at home daily, or even setting your own hours. Celebrate the freedom that small business ownership brings.

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” –Pearl Buck. You are a highly skilled and talented business professional. When you perform and over-deliver to your clients and customers, you are rewarded financially through payment. But even bigger than money, the emails and notes of appreciation will continue to fuel your excellence.

Take time off. If you are really feeling burnt out, you are likely taking on too many of the tasks in business or you are working on delivering and over-delivering on the items you must take care of and never step away from the business. Schedule time daily to take time away from your business tasks. Take a quick walk or do something you enjoy with the people you love. When you return back to work, you’ll feel energized and have the ability to get work done with a positive attitude instead being overwhelmed.

Eliminate the stressors, time consumers and/or the mundane activities. It is easy as a solopreneur to get caught up in taking on many tasks. If the activity is causing stress, takes up you valuable time, or you just dislike doing it, eliminate the task or find a better person to do it. Saving money by doing it all yourself at the cost of your sanity, joy and health is never worth it.

Talk to someone. Share your challenges with your business coach or even a trusted colleague. Sometimes all it takes is a good conversation with someone to shift your perspective back to one of joy.

Talk to you soon!

 

 

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Start Planning Your 2012 Business Goals Now

October 19, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Start Planning Your 2012 Business Goals Now

by Frederika Angus

Doesn’t it seem like time is flying? The end of 2011 is quickly approaching. In less than 3 months, it will be 2012! Will you be ready?

Just last week I was casually chatting to a colleague about the direction we were taking our respective businesses. The more we talked about the bigger vision we had for the companies and ourselves, we both discovered that we were already focused on planning for 2012.

It use to be that you could start thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions as you were on your way to be with friends and loved ones for the stroke of 12 midnight on the last day of the year. Do you still have the resolutions that you made for 2011? Are you three-quarters of the way complete with your list? Did you even bother?

If you’re like most, the answer is I’m not even close to acheiving those goals. Or I didn’t know how to start! While you might think it is ok to push that weight loss goal off until 2012 (you know you have one!), when it comes to your business, you should be getting started now. Your success in 2012 has to start with the planning you do now.

No procrastination on this one guys. Here are some things to think about and take action on that will make it quick and easy to plan your goals so that they will guide you next year.

Take a look back. One of the best ways to know where to go is to look to see where you’ve been. What did your 2011 look like? Where did your business excel, and where did you struggle? What experiences did you have that you enjoyed, and which do you want to make sure you never repeat? Knowing what went poorly can guide you to make goals that can prevent that from happening. Seeing where you were wildly successful can alert you to make sure you continue to incorporate those activities in the future. Remember this is not the time to cry over spilled milk or overly celebrate your successes. Look back to learn and let’s move forward.

Write them down. Part of the problem with planning for the future is failing to brainstorm on paper. (Or writing them on some random piece of paper and then losing it.) Pull out a notebook or journal and start thinking of anything you want to accomplish. WRITE IT DOWN. Remember to dream big. Thinking too small is like trying to squeeze into your jeans that must have shrunken in the dryer *wink*. They don’t fit you and they really aren’t comfortable.  Have a vision large enough for you to grow into. I don’t advise you do the same with those jeans.

Make SMART goals.  Your goals should be specific, easy to understand and clear. Saying you want to grow your business can mean different things at different stages. A more specific goal would be to add new customers to the business.

What you can measure, you can manage. Having measurable goals allows you to see if you’re actually on track to accomplish it. Adding 5 new customers to your business is a more measurable goal.

Your goals should stretch you beyond where you currently are. At the same time, they must also be attainable. Goals that are too far are from your reach are less likely to be accomplished. Create a goal that isn’t too easy that you’re aren’t challenged but not so difficult that you never start on it. Adding 5 customers to your business is much more attainable than adding 100 new customers when you’re first starting out.

Why do you want to accomplish this goal? Your goal needs to be relevant to your bigger vision. When a goal connects with your purpose it causes more excitement and increases the likelihood of your success.

Put a time limit around each of your goals. Goals that are time-bound create a sense of urgency to get started now. Remove the procrastination barrier and put a time frame on that goal. Adding 5 new customers to your business in 6 months will cause you to plan how to bring in each of those customers to reach your goal.

I suggest as you begin your planning for 2012, set no more than 10 goals with a good mix of short and long term goals. You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures. Once you complete a goal, add a new one to the list. The point in creating the goals is to continute to pull yourself into the next level.

Having clear business goals is the way to consistently move your business toward the vision you have for it.

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

   Frederika

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Easy Steps to Build the Business of your Dreams

October 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Easy Steps to Build the Business of your Dreams

by Frederika Angus

Many years ago, my husband and I had the privilege to build our first home. We had gone through every real estate book of available properties in our area and exhausted every web search for a pre-existing house. Nothing seemed to be exactly what we wanted, in the area we wanted, at the price we were willing to pay. Deciding to custom build a home from nothing to something took a huge leap of faith and much more patience. It was an amazing learning experience. What I learned from the year it took build our home, are the same lessons I have used to build my business.

Building starts with a vision.

Before a location is picked, before you can hang curtains, or decide on carpet or hardwood flooring, you have to see what the end result will be. You have to visualize the two-story home. Or maybe it’s ranch style. Imagine the big picture and the little details. Is it near a lake in the country or close to the action of the city? How big is the lawn?

Building a business is done in the same way. There must be a vision of what you desire to achieve. When you close your eyes and see yourself running a small business, what does your life look like? Are you working from your home or are you in an store front or office space? Do you want your company to remain small with you working alone or are you growing larger with multiple employees? Will your business allow you the flexibility to work less hours and make more money?

All of the answers to these questions will help you see bigger than the what’s currently surrounding you. Take some time to focus on where you want to go and don’t be afraid to dream big.

Once we “saw” the type of home we were looking for, we wrote down all that we saw. It became our guiding requirements when we met with different builders and viewed blueprints and floor plans. It saved us so much time in the beginning because we could easily weed out what designs, locations, and floor plans didn’t fit what we desired in our first home.

Now that you see you, your life and your business clearly, Write the Vision Down! I developed a practice about 10 years ago of writing every idea and inspiration, each desire and dream down. In some quiet moments, I could easily write 3-5 pages. If I read something in a book that resonates with me, I immediately jot it down. With the popularity of smart devices, I even record a voice memo if I’m driving or type out a quick note while waiting in a line that I can transcribe into a notebook later.

Amazingly, when I go back through and review my journals, I have accomplished so much of what I have written down. The majority of what I haven’t written down did not get done, and most of it forgotten. Let’s not leave your future success up to chance. Grab a journal or notebook, it doesn’t need to be fancy, and get that vision from your head to paper. Write as many details as you can.

You have the picture but now what?

 

The biggest choice we made in the design of our home was answering the question, “do we want to the master bedroom upstairs or downstairs?” So many builders were building master suites on the main level and I really wasn’t comfortable having my young children upstairs and being downstairs in the event of an emergency. Ok, I also was pregnant during this process and the thought of walking up and down the stairs to check on the baby in the middle of the night was not appealing either.

Blueprint to business

We had to go through several blueprints, or plans for our house to get the layout that fit us. It was the plan that made what we saw in our heads real. Your business has to have a plan. Don’t get caught up in all the technicalities of a business plan that is used to attract investors. There will be time for that later if you need to do it. At a basic level, just write what your business is, who is your product or service for, how you will reach them and make money. Include some notes around who your competitors are and do some projections for money for startup and how long it will take to recoup the initial investment.

Once we had a plan for our home we could begin actually building. As handy and knowledgeable as my husband is with construction, we understood that it was probably a good idea to not try to do the building alone. I can’t even imagine how long it would have taken to go at it alone. Thank goodness for great contractors and construction supervisors to help guide and manage the project along the way.

Who do you need to help build your business? Having support while moving your vision out of a dream state into reality is SO important. As wonderful and as great as you are, finding experts that have paved the way in areas where you aren’t as strong, will help you build faster.

The funny thing about building is that no matter what you are building or where you build it, the land isn’t cleared without FIRST having to make a financial assessment and then an investment. You have to be willing to Invest in Your Business and Vision. I’m not sure who said the best things in life are free. Most of the free things I’ve gotten have not been of a great quality. (With exception of this great giveaway I’m doing with the launch of the site. Enter to win the FREE Kindle Touch HERE ) You are not just starting a business. You are building a legacy of success and significance that will last for generations.

Take a real account of your personal finances and how you manage money now. How you handle your personal funds usually flows over into your business funds. Recognize any areas for improvement here because the risks are greater when it is a legal business entity.

Whether you are writing a check for website design, purchasing pens at an office supply store or taking training, change your mindset on the activity from spending money to making an investment. As a business owner, it is your job to make the best investments possible that will give you a return on your money.

Following these easy steps will get you started with building the business of your dreams.

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

 

 

 

Frederika

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