I am writing this post over sheer concern about an alarming trend I am seeing in business start-ups today.It all starts with "The Secret," that little book that brought the Law of Attraction to the forefront (although there were many of us who were familiar with this concept going back to the 60s and even before that). Very simply, The Law of Attraction states that what you think about, you bring about or we attract into our lives that to which we give our energy, focus and attention.The result has been an explosive industry with books, tapes, courses, seminars, et al all based upon "if you wish it hard enough it can be so" and "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." And certainly there is nothing wrong with maintaining those positive attitudes as negative thinking gets us nowhere.But there is a flip side to this. I have a friend who owns a business that is in trouble for a variety of reasons. Having been involved in several business startups that I have seen tank like a sinking ship (and having to make adjustments in my own business methodology) I am all too familiar with scenarios where a business pin prick turns into a cut and then a cut into a full-fledge hemorrhage.For sure we need to encourage each other. But when something is blatantly hemorrhaging, you almost have to hold a mirror up and say you see, your business needs triage. In fact, maybe you just need to admit it into the ICU until it can get well again. To keep encouraging someone to stay in a particular business when maybe they just need to admit that it is time to move on isn't really fair or honest with your friend or acquaintance.It doesn't matter how great your business idea is, but it requires time, money and marketing to make it work. Yeah, you can get into some network marketing companies on a shoestring, but I have seen it time and time again where a brick and mortar business owner is complaining about lack of customers and they are putting zero dollars into marketing, zero time time into networking and they expect their business to flourish. Of course, some entrepreneurs for whatever reason may hit the sweet spot right off the bat and their business takes off like gangbusters, but that isn't the norm. Most people are trying to figure out how to bring in more customers (and quickly,too) and therefore the proliferation of social network sites. Make friends and get customers.The other side of"The Secret" and all the positive thinking is what I call "The Check-in." For example, have you identified and written down all the reasons why you want to have a successful business so that you can build upon and rely upon your commitment to that decision -- especially during challenging times? Do you have a well-formulated strategic plan with objectives, goals and related actions? Do you have adequate financial reserves in place, available to invest in the growth of your company? Are you REALLY following your heart or are you too proud to admit that the business just isn't working and you would rather do something else? These are just some of the questions that any business owner should always be asking himself or herself.Know that when some of the components of your business building system are missing or not working at peak capacity you will not achieve the optimal results from your business building activities. This can manifest itself in several ways depending upon what needs fine-tuning:*Lack of focus, motivation, or confidence*A low converstion rate*Fewer new opportunities and clientsNo amount of positive thinking or over-encouraging from well-meaning friends and family will fill in your business building gaps. Even from a spiritual standpoint, God requires that we take action., e.g. "My people perish for lack of knowledge," "write the vision, make it plain."It is imperative that you do "The Check-In" or a regular basis, especially during these challenging financial times.If you would like to know more about "The Check-In" and how it can help your business I am only a phone call/e-mail away at quickcoach4u@aol.com or call 1-888-364-9529.Are your tired of coming up against brick walls? Are you tired of trying to figure it out by yourself? When will YOU do "The Check-In"?
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