(Discover more great wisdom on Achieving Your Dreams during Answering The Call Virtual Summit, starting February 7th)

No one, who has ever followed a dream, has taken a direct, unobstructed path and arrived at his or her destination effortlessly and on time. Following a dream is not a direct highway but a bumpy road full of twists and turns and occasional roadblocks. The journey requires modifications and adjustments in both thought and action, not just once, but over and over.

Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop, used creativity to overcome challenges that would have stopped the vast majority of new business owners. She broke just about every rule in the book when she started The Body Shop and she’s still breaking the rules today. Of course, such irreverence has its consequences. In Anita’s case, the consequences read like this: The Body Shop now has more than 1,500 stores throughout the world, is worth over $500 million, and has influenced the products and marketing of all its chief competitors. And those are just the consequences in the business arena. The Body Shop is also a powerfully effective vehicle for social and environmental awareness and change; as far as Anita is concerned, that is the most important consequence of all.

From the moment in 1976 when Anita first conceived the idea of opening a shop to sell naturally based cosmetics, she was thinking in a most unbusinesslike manner. Most entrepreneurs set out to establish a company with growth potential that will make them wealthy someday. Anita was just looking for a way to feed herself and her two children, while her husband, also a maverick, was away on a two-year adventure, riding a horse from Argentina to New York.

Her first challenge was to find a cosmetics manufacturer to produce her products. No one she approached had ever heard of jojoba oil or aloe vera gel, and they all thought that cocoa butter had something to do with chocolate. Although she didn’t realize it at the time, Anita had discovered a market just about to explode: young female consumers who would prefer their cosmetics to be produced in a cruelty-free and environmentally responsible manner. When manufacturers failed to have the same foresight, Anita found a small herbalist who could do the work she required.

Since Anita was not the typical entrepreneur, she saw no drawbacks in starting her company with almost no capital. To save money, she bottled her cosmetics in the same inexpensive plastic containers hospitals use for urine samples, encouraging her customers to bring the containers back for refills. Because Anita couldn’t afford to have labels printed, she and some friends hand printed every one. Her packaging couldn’t have turned out better if she’d planned it that way. With the improvised packaging, her product now had the same natural, earthy image as the cosmetics themselves.

Anita opened the first branch of The Body Shop in her hometown of Brighton, England. When she first opened, neighboring proprietors made bets on how long the store would last. Less amused were the owners of local funeral parlors who insisted she change the shop’s name. No one, they complained, would hire a funeral director located near a place called “The Body Shop.” She stuck to her guns and the name stayed.

The first store was only minimally successful. Nevertheless, Anita decided to move ahead with a second one. The bank questioned the wisdom of her plan and refused a loan. So she found a friend of a friend who was willing to lend her the equivalent of $6,400 in exchange for 50 percent ownership of The Body Shop. Today that person is worth $140 million. Signing over half of her business was the only real mistake Anita ever made. But it wasn’t the only decision that looked like a mistake. Here are three more:

• She has never advertised even when she opened shops in the United States. People told her it was suicide to enter a new market without massive advertising support.

• She doesn’t sell in any outlet other than The Body Shop stores. (Some of her Asian stores are the only exception and are located within department stores.)

• She resolved early on that her shops would be a catalyst for change, not just in the business world, but in the world at large.

These decisions turned out to be some of the most inspired “mistakes” in the history of retailing. Even though Anita has never paid for advertising, her unconventional ideas have inspired hundreds of articles and interviews generating tremendous publicity.

Her first shop in New York was packed with customers from the day it opened. At one point, a thirty-five-year-old woman on roller skates threw up her arms and shouted, “Hallelujah! You’re here at last.” So much for advertising.

A new branch of The Body Shop opens somewhere in the world every two and a half days. Occasionally, Anita has had trouble opening stores in shopping malls. But having a past that was filled with challenges, Anita is accustomed to coming up with creative solutions. For instance, when one mall refused to lease her space, she organized every mail-order customer within a 110-mile radius to write letters to the management of that mall. Within a few months, a branch of The Body Shop was open.

Anita also had this nonconformist idea of putting ideals ahead of profit. From the start, Anita wanted not just to change the faces of her customers but to change the entire face of business. She envisioned a company that was socially responsible and compassionate. “I see the human spirit playing a big role in business. The work does not have to be drudgery, and the sole focus does not have to be on making money. It can be a human enterprise that people feel genuinely good about.”

Some of the raw materials for her products are harvested by groups of people in underdeveloped regions, thus generating an income for them. The Body Shop has launched campaigns to save the whales, ban animal testing in the cosmetics industry, help the homeless, and protect the rain forests. All of these campaigns have been eagerly supported by loyal customers.

Employees of The Body Shop are actively involved in these efforts. Each month, employees receive a half day off with pay to volunteer in the community. Some employees, for example, went to Romania to help rebuild orphanages. In the stores, customers are encouraged to register to vote, recycle their plastic cosmetics containers, and bring their own shopping bags to save paper and plastic. Because of all these activities, people have suggested Anita’s company should really be called “The Body and Soul Shop.” Customers emerge not only looking good but also feeling good.

“Business as usual” isn’t part of Anita Roddick’s make up. But as far as she’s concerned, doing what is not usual has made all the difference.

Action:

Anita said that what saved The Body Shop over and over was their willingness to recognize what wasn’t working and quickly identify a new way to approach a problem. This is a crucial strategy because everyone who starts a business is going to face challenges. Things never work out exactly as intended and creativity will play a key role in enabling a new business owner to conquer daily battles. If you don’t come up with alternative solutions, your dreams will die.

The first step to expanding your creativity is to clearly identify the problem you’re experiencing. Maybe you’re struggling in sponsoring people who are interested in working the business and not simply purchasing the product. Or maybe you’re having a hard time finding new prospects period. Write the numbers 1 through 10 vertically down the left side of the sheet of paper. Finally, write ten possible solutions to your problem. Make sure they are viable options, but stretch your imagination.

Remember, the solution to every problem lies within you. You may need a few minutes of quiet time to complete the exercise effectively, or you may need to brainstorm possible solutions with a friend. Feel free to do whatever you think is necessary to connect with your inner knowing. When you’ve completed the exercise, you should find that the solutions you have found will renew your sense of possibility and your commitment to your goal.
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Cynthia Kersey, best-selling author of two books, speaker, entrepreneur, and Chief Humanitarian Officer of the Unstoppable Foundation knows first hand that giving is not only good for business, it’s good for the soul.

Let Cynthia and 11 other leading success and life purpose experts pull you out of your rut and give you their blueprints for waking up and answering the ‘CALL’ to your big adventure in life in the Answering The Call Virtual Summit.

“Be on the outside as you are on the inside”

I  remember hearing that along my path of learning, growing and personal seeking in life.

And as I’ve continued my personal journey, lived my mission and share my work in the world, I’ve come to experience and know that those ten words, no less what is actually an entire philosophy, is more healing, more impactful and more empowering than you can imagine.

For THAT is real integrity.

And THAT is what it means to be REAL.

In fact, its what it means to be truly ALIVE.

For if you take it another step deeper, I believe that this context of living is what gives you real FREEDOM.

When you hide NOTHING.

When you don’t try to gloss something over.

When you’re willing to show all of who you are – faults and all – and connect from that pure place…its amazing what shows up.  Its amazing the impact you make – not just for those you connect with, but for yourself.

Its a huge part of the work I’m committed to and do within WOW and what this approach gives people, not just in their speaking or their business, but in their everyday lives.

The real “W*O*W” in life, after all, is when we dare to live “With Out Walls”.

Its also a big part of what I am learning deeper and deeper every day in my own life.  I now unabashedly let myself look at where I potentially hide parts of myself or where I might not share something for fear it would push people away or ‘make me look bad’.

And what I keep getting is that the ONLY thing that ultimately matters is the relationship with ourselves (and yes, God – or spirit, or higher source). When we are whole and complete with ourselves, our relationships can flourish and be nourished, we can invite in abundance and we can FLOW with life, rather than fight it.

And when I am in INTEGRITY with myself (on the outside as I am on the inside), when I say and live my truth and share from that place,whether someone resonates with it or not, is not what matters (which is hard to say when we’re out there in the world wanting to make impact, wanting to inspire, wanting to uplift, etc) – but truly what matters is allowing ourselves to be REAL and what matters is what is our truth.

So, this holiday season, as you go about connecting with others, and especially as you gather with family or friends, try on taking being REAL to another level and practice saying your truth – even if it may be scary, even if it may not be someone else’s truth.

Allow people their own path, don’t preach, don’t teach and don’t advise but share YOUR experience and do so from as real and connected a place as possible.  Which in the end, is all about letting the walls dissolve and just speaking from ALL of who you are (not just part of who you are).

I say that for MYSELF and offer it as something for you to try on, should you wish.

Now, wouldn’t the holidays be different, and perhaps, far more joyful and alive if we ALL approached it that way?

But we can love each other no matter where someone is on their path and most importantly LOVE ourselves – while releasing any and all judgment. Just stand in LOVE.

About The Author: Lynn Rose is the go-to expert for fearless, powerful and authentic speaking and is a trainer to top professionals, CEO’s, celebrities and experts, to those just starting out – having transformed countless lives with her enlightened approach to speaking called, “The WOW Factor”, WOW being an acronym for “With Out Walls” (which permeates all areas of life). She has spoken or performed for hundreds of thousands of people around the world, been a top radio host on the syndicated Personal Achievement Radio Network and been trainer of choice for Marci Shimoff, Catherine Oxenberg, the producer of “MacGyver” and more.

I think I shocked him with my answer of “Why yes, we just dropped some toys off at the Holiday Drive and I’m enjoying finding unique ways to give this year.”

Stunned, he responded, “I leave all that giving stuff to others. I think others can do more than I can.”

As I smiled and turned away I thought, “I wonder how many other people miss out on the amazing internal buzz I feel by doing what little I can.”

When I got my first corporate job at Motorola I remember feeling so excited with my first holiday season. I bought a Barbie and a toy car to donate. It wasn’t a lot but it was what I could do.

I’ve always been a softie for helping out families in needs during the holidays. But recently two good friends of mine stirred me up and had me rethink my holiday ritual. Why wasn’t I making this an all year practice?

My friend Jim Palmer, the Newsletter Guru, recently shared how once a month he goes out to build houses with an organization local to him. Jim is one of the biggest giver’s I’ve ever met. The phenomenal insight he shared was that he’s donated more this year than ever before…and interestingly, his business is thriving when most people are struggling to get by right now.

Then there is my dear friend Cynthia Kersey, founder of the Unstoppable Foundation. Cynthia recently shared during this week’s episode on New Era Success TV how she left behind her lucrative corporate consulting practice to focus full time on her philanthropic ventures building schools in Africa. Cynthia has experienced one of the most fulfilling years of her life!

So why does giving make such a big difference?

Here’s my take on it:

1)      Giving gets means we are focused on something bigger than just ourselves. When we stop focusing only on ourselves and get connected to a “why” that’s bigger than ourselves, our priorities can shift and our little problems will all of a sudden become small in comparison. Getting connected to a bigger cause also causes us to play a different game – when we do something that has a big impact it pulls our entire vibration to a new level of impact and success.

2)      Contributing to a cause sets up an invisible “good will” cycle with the flow of abundance. Its kinda of like the tithing practice – giving a portion of our income to help others in need creates a positive energy. Positive energy expands and will generate more positive energy …and financial abundance tends to follow!

3)      Helping others just plain feels good. When we feel good we are more inspired, happier business owners. Happy business owners like to do more things that make them feel good. So we tend to want to do the things that generate money.

This year I donated a pretty big chunk of money to a cause I feel passionate about…LEAP. It’s a training and development program to help young people activate their potential and learn how to lead themselves to greater success. I never felt soo good in my entire life! And it helped knowing that my contribution was going to go towards young people like my 18 year old “adopted” niece.

What do you think…could giving give you that boost in your spirit? Even if it’s a $10 toy or a $5 can of food for a food drive, what would it be like if you shifted outside of yourself this season and stepped into the joy of giving? I’d love to hear from you (especially if you already have this practice in your life.)

Whether you’ve had a mentor or are considering hiring one, here are six ways that a premier business mentor can help you skyrocket your results:

 1.  Get you fired up

You know those days that you wonder if you should go back to a “real” job? Giving up is not an option when you have a mentor to keep you fired up. We all want to give up on the dream from time to time but a great coach can help you tackle the energy drains so you get fired up again.

2. Focus you on profitable strategies

A few years back I was working with a well-known systems expert to help her double her income. She was focusing on a project that just didn’t seem to get any traction. When we ran the numbers we discovered that it was her least profitable offering but it took over 50% of her time. Not a profitable offering but she had never thought to actually run the numbers.

Often we get blinded by the “bright shiny idea” and can’t see that the project isn’t really a good use of time, money and energy. When you work with a strong business mentor, they can become the catalyst to identify those money-sucking projects so you can focus on bigger, better opportunities.

3. Create a roadmap

Can you see the end game but get stuck on how to get there? When you work with the right mentor, they can bring their years of personal experience to your process to help you map out the steps. Especially if there are a lot of different approaches to get to your goal, you’ll want to enlist the help of someone who can help you break down the steps into actionable tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed, or worse yet, focus on the wrong activities that don’t provide results fast enough.

A roadmap can be a visual mind map or a list of steps. When I work with my clients I create three tools for them: 1) a high level project launch chart; 2) a marketing strategy with monthly action items and 3) a list of activities that must be accomplished each month (with their progress updates for each session.)

4. Hold you accountable

Entrepreneurs love the idea of being their own boss but when it comes to getting the right things done in a timely manner, this freedom can be your enemy. When you’ve got a good mentor, they will hold your feet to the fire and stay on you about your goals. Its really easy to have the day to day urgencies take over so that you never have time to focus on your higher payoff activities. Get your mentor to help you map out a priority action list and keep you focus on it!

5. Provide a fresh perspective

When I attended my coaching training program I learned how to be a good coach. But my business training was to get 10 – 20 clients who met with me 3 times a month for as much money as I could charge. Well, that was an exhausting approach to six figures that didn’t work very well. (I personally think it’s why so many great coaches are broke.)

But my first business mentor helped me see ways to restructure my offerings so that I could make money through products as well as have a range of coaching programs to leverage my time better. It’s easy to get stuck in one way of thinking – that’s why having a good mentor is essential to opening up new possibilities.

6. Challenge you to bring your “A Game”

When you find yourself stalled or playing it safe, it’s time to enlist the help of a mentor to get your peak yourself back at the top of your game. One common trait that all successful people share is they have someone challenging them to push past their resistances and step into their big ideas. When you are on your own, it’s easy to buy into your financial limitations or the fear of failure. We slip into a “mediocrity coma” and just slide through life.

Sometimes it’s just having one conversation that shines the light on where you are playing small. Other times it’s having someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself in that moment.

If you have a business that is not performing to your desire or you feel that you are not living up to your potential, then get a business mentor now. Don’t wait. Don’t rationalize. Don’t let the fear of how to pay for it take over. Just do it. Here’s a helpful free evaluator quiz to see if you would benefit from being mentored.

What wins have you experienced from working with a mentor or coach? Be sure to share them in the comments below!

You bet it would.

Well I haven’t found a crystal ball yet but I have noticed a few warning signs over the years that your big idea is off to a bad start.

Here are three warming signs that should be a big red flag to you to slow down and re-evaluate your approach to launching an idea.

1. You need money fast.

Making money and NEEDING money fast are two totally different things. Every idea should make a profit but when you are desperate for cash is a bad time to try and launch an idea. I know this seems contradictory so let me explain. When entrepreneurs are desperate for money they often cut corners to get something to market quickly, which makes for a lot of mistakes and poor customer experience. The sheer nature of NEEDING something to work means we are putting all our eggs in one basket. That’s a lot of pressure to perform. I’ve seen so many eager entrepreneurs experience deep heart-ache and catastrophic financial challenges when they tried to launch something the desperately need to work.

In my ten years of experience, a better option if you need money fast – sell more of something you already have. Especially if your new idea is a departure from offerings you’ve made in the past. It takes time to build the “need” up and to create a raving fan base.

2. You are VERY attached to your “baby”.

Ideas are like babies to an entrepreneur – we birth this brilliant concept, imagine it healing the world or making millions of dollars and get very attached to it looking exactly the way we imagine. I mean if it sounds cool to me other people would HAVE to want it to, right? Well, this gets us to a core problem – the business owner is not always the target audience. Just because you think its brilliant doesn’t mean that the people you market to will agree. The more attached we are to it the more likely it is that we will have tunnel vision and create something destined to fail.

Be willing to take a step back and follow idea to big money and impact incubation steps without being too attached to the idea. You can still do what you love but you need to make sure it’s going to succeed first!

3. You jump in before researching your market place.

I’ve totally done this one a million times – just because my friend/current client/random person on Facebook says they like something I figure it will sell. Wrong! Boy, I’ve wasted thousands of dollars on this methodology. Just because people show interest doesn’t mean they will actually buy! There is a lot of variables – the timing of your offer, who else is marketing to them, how deeply affected they are by the issue/solution and whether or not they even believe you can solve their problem.

A trick that I teach in The Big Idea Incubator is how to leverage your Marketability Factors. This technique that successful marketers have done for years can help you understand what your marketplace is hungrily searching for – so you don’t waste time, money or energy launching something that just evaporates into thin air.

A good idea is invaluable…but a good idea that is rushed to market place without a real viable plan can blow up if you aren’t careful.

Be sure to share your comments, insights and experience around the warning signs of a looming failure in the comments below!

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Want a proven system to take your concept from idea to big money and impact? I’ll walk you through the five stages of getting fired up to launching in record time withThe Big Idea Incubator.

The consensus was that there is two very different ways in which people need support:

Coaching and Mentoring.

Just to be clear, there is a VERY big and important distinction between a coach and a mentor. A mentor has spent many years learning how to be successful in something and can teach you what THEY DID to achieve that success. On the other hand, a good coach is trained to elicit from you your own greatness and help you achieve it through a series of processes.

Why is this important?

Because business owners need coaches and mentors at different times for different reasons. But there is a big problem with seeking a mentor when you need a good coach. And vice-versa. And to be totally blunt, there is a lot of mentor malpractice happening out there right now. Way too many “experts” without proper training are meaning well but sending naive entrepreneurs into business models that just aren’t right for them. After thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of trying hard to make the advice work, these entrepreneurs are just giving up and thinking they just can’t be successful.

So here is some insight into when you need a mentor vs. a coach:

A mentor will teach you what they know based on their own first-hand experience. Their job is to train you on strategies, techniques, tools and resources that can short-cut your path to a success that LOOKS LIKE THEIRS! A good mentor will share the habits, insights and mental practices that made them great.

A coach will guide you to get congruent with what YOU WANT, based on your values, priorities, needs and life desires. A coach will rarely tell you what you should do. They will engage you in provocative and deep awareness and help reveal a path that you will feel engaged and excited about.

A mentor has not had formal coach training. They are simply good at what they do. You want to hire a mentor when you want to learn a skill or emulate exactly what they have learned to do.

A coach may or may not have actually achieved what you desire. A good coach will be able to help you get to a certain point in your journey but you may need to supplement with specialized training.

But what if you could have both? A mentor with a proven track record who is actually a great coach that will ensure that every choice you make is congruent with what’s best for you. As you look to hire the right person to guide you on your journey make sure you explore these questions to get the right person:

1. Do they have actual training to help you align with what’s right for youor do they just have their own experience to teach you from. (You will be able to get past barriers when your mentor/coach has the ability to customize their strategies to align with YOUR greatness.)

2. Do they have a track record of helping people achieve AND sustain success? (It’s one thing to get someone to create success once…but can their clients sustain the success?)

3. Is their approach empowering and up-leveling or do they use negative or dis-empowering strategies to get you to change? (Believe it or not, a lot of mentors out there will make you feel like shit to get you to listen to them. This is another form of mentor malpractice.)

4. Do I want a life AND business similar to theirs? (Don’t drink their kool-aid unless you really want to work as hard as they do. And if they don’t tell you its hard work involved to grow and create a six figure plus business then they are lying — trust me.)

Don’t take this wrong…I believe that everyone benefits from being coached. Some of the greatest people in history have had mentors and coaches to help them overcome roadblocks and live in their brilliance. Its important for you to know what you need most in order to invest wisely — and shine brightly!

She realized how she spends money is sabotaging her ability to grow her big idea.

It’s not uncommon to have unconscious patterns in our lives. All of us have them — they are called habits.

But when it comes to being willing to step into our brilliance and really have a successful business around it, we have to face some cold hard facts.

We are probably our own worst enemy.

These patterns we run our deep-seated. We’ve been running them for years. They’ve served us at some point in our life. But as we claim playing bigger in our life we have to “upgrade” the success program we run in our brains to be congruent with what we say we want.

Here are some examples of deep-seated, unconscious patterns that are most likely sabotaging your big idea. (Warning! At first you may think there is nothing wrong with one of these patterns in your life. Most of these patterns are in our blind-spot and you will rationalize it as a good thing!)

1. Being a Failure Avoider
Told you. Why would anyone not want to avoid failure, right? But go deeper. Look at your real motivations. If you are driven to avoid failure you are either a) going to just enough not to fail but not enough to play big or b) by focusing on avoiding failure (vs. creating success) you attract in more of the very thing you are trying to avoid.

2. Ego-Based Achievement
If you aren’t familiar with the term, our ego is the part of us that is driven to succeed at all costs. Often child-like or self-absorbed, our ego can manipulate and rationalize any “unaligned” behavior to ensure it wins. The pattern then is to make decisions from ego rather than from a place of pure truth.

Ego-based achievement is not what real thought leaders are about. Thought leaders have a deep connection to serve at a pure heart-level. Often we do what must be done to fulfill our calling even when it flies in the face of conventional business success.

3. Ambivalence

Oh boy this is a big one for me. Its often lurking around in the shadows disguised as “high standards.” Ambivalence shows up when you are in an internal war (part of you wants something and another part of you is holding back.) So you end up disengaging, spinning or worse yet, doing nothing. No action = no results.

These are just three of the ten unconscious patterns that can be wrecking havoc on your success. You must uncover them. You must address them. You must overcome them.

Find out more about these unconscious patterns in my new program, “Top 5 Reasons Why Your Big Idea May Be Stuck in Neutral…and How to Re-Energize So You are Totally Aligned, Profiting and Doing Big Work in the World.” Register to find out more here.

I love masterminds. The connection. The bond. The results.

There is something magical that happens in a mastermind group (at least the way I run them) that just doesn’t happen when left to our own devices. It’s even difficult to access in private coaching.

Napoleon Hill in Think & Grow Rich talks about the ability to access a “third mind.” It’s a lot like a think tank – the synergy of different ideas, experiences, business models and knowledge comes together to create an out of the box idea you just can’t connect to on your own.

I’ve witnessed it first hand…one person shares, another builds on top of it, then as the coach I swoop in and put a structure around the idea so the member can be in action.

In my own mastermind experiences I’ve uncovered gems around marketing, leadership and client fulfillment that I never knew existed. I was able to tap into a wealth of marketing experience that would have taken me 20 years or more to uncover on my own.

Not to mention the relationship bond created with mastermind partners.

In my own masterminds, we’ve given to each other what clients pay thousands for. Because we believe in each other and genuinely want to see each other succeed beyond our wildest dreams. Life long friendships, powerful strategic alliances, access to privileged industry secrets – it all comes pouring out.

Another benefit is that often mastermind partners see the opportunities that are in your blind spot. Something you’ve dismissed a thousand times the mastermind will present to you in a way that you see the million dollar pay off right in front of you.

The cherry on top is when you know you can’t play small because your mastermind partners are holding you accountable – they are challenging you to play bigger and get outside your comfort zone.

So here’s the big question for you:

What would you do differently if you knew your mastermind had your back and you couldn’t fail?

I’d love to hear what you would want from a mastermind or even what your experience has been in the comments below.

I think one of the big disservices many “experts and gurus” do in this industry is hide their real situations until they can turn them into a great marketing story. Trust me, I’ve been tempted to do that.

Part of my own “Get Real Revolution” has been to be as transparent as possible. Why? First, I want you to know that if you are struggling you aren’t alone. Second, because struggling is optional. At every turning point you can take an obstacle and turn it into a powerful teaching tool. That’s what I had to remember to do every step of the way.

Often it felt impossible.

Mostly I hated it.

Every day I’ve become more of the leader and visionary I’m meant to be by turning the obstacles into opportunities.

I share my five biggest lessons from 2009 with you to pave the way for many of us to shed what’s holding us back, what we judge as a problem and turn it into an opportunity to grow.

1. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS (Always)

This has been a big lesson for me this year. The only times I made mistakes this year was when I did not listen to my gut instinct. The more I did listen – even if I didn’t know what it meant – the happier I’ve been.

One place I totally trusted my instincts to move forward was starting The Get Real Revolution Show. I felt it in every fiber of my being that it was necessary for people to hear from the “gurus” and peers what is really going on inside of our heads and hearts. It’s been challenging yet exhilarating to put on a weekly radio show. The feedback from people on how it has been a powerful catalyst in their own life makes it all worthwhile.

When I didn’t listen to a few hunches I lost a boatload of money. Typically it came in the form of trusting someone else’s input over my own inner wisdom. Ouch. Those lessons are always painful. From a bookkeeping service to a costly marketing expert to a painful loss in a big project (we’re talking almost $50k here).

Each of these mistakes was preceded by an internal message, “This doesn’t feel right.” But for some reason I dismissed it and plunged forward anyway. You’d think I learned this one already.

Got it now. Lesson #1 learned. Always listen to my hunches.

2. A STRENGTH OVERUSED BECOMES YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS

I am a collaborator and connector at heart. I thrive when playing with other people. I love bringing major players together to make something happen that’s much bigger than I might have accomplished on my own. This is a great strength for me.

I realized this year that I have over-relied on collaboration. It created a dependency for me (oh how saying this makes my stomach turn) that caused me great angst. I could probably even use the term “co-dependent” – I over relied on some key people to lift me up at the expense of my own needs. I gave to others when I most needed to honor my own needs first.

Lesson #2 learned. Remember the purpose of collaboration: align with people to balance strengths not overcompensate for a weakness.

3. KNOW WHEN TO PULL THE PLUG

Timing is everything. Knowing when to stop doing something is just as important as knowing when to start. Having mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs, I’ve seen the struggle of “when” over and over again in these areas:

- When to let someone on the team go

- When to stop offering a program

- When to extract from a partnership

- When to exit a business

- When do you give up vs. plunge past a barrier

This year I held off on pulling the plug on some expensive resources because of loyalty and a deep belief that I could make it work. This is where Taurus stubborn tendencies get in my way. I waited too long and it not only hurt me but hurt others involved. Damn. Trying to do the right thing can become the wrong thing when it’s not for the right reasons.

It’s hard to even write this one. I intellectually get that a failure is nothing more than feedback. But when it happens in a massive, Perfect Storm kind of way it’s really difficult to take your own advice. Feeling like I might let someone down is my kryptonite (I’m working on this one.) It sucks me into a black hole that’s hard to get out of.

I let some “failures” really affect me this year. I went down a rabbit hole and had a hard time getting back out. I lost my vision, my mojo and my motivation for awhile. I’m pretty resilient with one or two big set backs. But more than ten – I guess that’s my threshold.

Luckily I’m surrounded by amazing friends who weren’t willing to let me stay in that rabbit hole. Thanks to the power of values alignments (Robert Hirsch reminded me to go back to the basics) and NLP (Stephan Stavrakis is brilliant NLP mentor) I shifted my thinking back into place.

I reconnected to the truth about my set backs (my support systems helped me see something I couldn’t see when everything was rosy) and strengthen my ability as a mentor to support others who are scared or feeling beaten down.

As I began to embrace the real purpose of these setbacks I encountered friend after friend sharing their own excruciating journey this year with failure, disconnect and a loss of their way. It gave me courage and reminded me none of us are alone.

Oh, and the truth about failure is this: A set back doesn’t define who I am. It is a teaching tool to make better choices in the future.

5. BE OPEN TO SUCCESS LOOKING DIFFERENT

This last one probably should be #1. This year I experienced some very big successes that I didn’t recognize at first. The first one is that I met the love of my life. This is so big to me is because I could have missed out on it. Quite honestly, he didn’t really appear to look like my “criteria.” He’s not from this industry, had no idea people paid $15,000 to get mentored and had a J.O.B.. He has become my rock, I adore him, and he is so much more than I could have asked for. I have a true partner who is just as committed to personal growth, financial success and making a difference as I am. It just shows up differently. He’s involved in real estate investing and construction. Who knew?

Success is defined by a state of being. Success is feeling aligned with what’s important. The key is recognizing the difference between getting what is aligned with my truth vs. a very surface list of needs. In business, we often pursue our glory list (that aligns us with some very surface and ego-based needs) at the expense of what will really make us happy.

It was a great lesson in recognizing true success often comes in a package that doesn’t immediately look like what we wanted. But when you peel back the wrapping, the core is exactly what we need.

2009 did not exactly look like I thought it would. In a lot of ways I’m disappointed. I choose to use this experience to strengthen my resolve, to go deeper into my truth, create a stronger anchor for growth and make 2010 happier, funner and more rewarding by not defining ME by my business. =-) Feels good even writing that!

Lesson #5 done. Being happy and feeling successful breeds more happiness and success.

I love to hear what your biggest lessons from 2009 have been. How have they been your teacher…your catalyst to grow and leave behind mediocre for greatness?

Here are three areas I recently up leveled:

Merchant Account
This might not seem like an obvious area to simplify but not having the right merchant account can cause massive bookkeeping challenges or cause delays to your revenues hitting your bank account. About eight months ago I started noticing that our merchant account would take 5 – 7 days from time of processing an order till the time it hit our bank account. That is just unacceptable.

So we made the switch to a new merchant account that understands our industry, has 24 hour processing time and bases their transaction cap on our request, not their industry standard. Their fees are much lower too which makes for a sweet deal.

Customer Information Management
For three years my team struggled with having three separate technologies to keep up to date – the online shopping cart, the contact management system and our project management tool. Information was constantly being “lost”, duplication of effort was expensive and frustrating, and the ability to actually follow up properly with a prospect was a pie in the sky idea.

After learning of InfusionSoft, we decided to make the switch (and not without quite a bit of due diligence.) Here are the ways InfusionSoft simplifies our operations:

- I can now look at a contact in InfusionSoft and know every product purchased, email received or contact with my company

- I can process orders, customize a sale price or unique transaction request much more efficiently

- Follow up sequences can be customized to include phone calls, direct mail or attachments (can’t do this in 1SC or Aweber.)

- Deliverability rates are much better

- InfusionSoft integrates with my Outlook so any tasks or calendar items assigned can by synced to my desktop. I can also send an email through my Outlook and tag it to the record in InfusionSoft (no extra steps.)

- I can segment my list to target people who have not bought a product or service with the click of two buttons (rather than manually unsubscribing people.)

- The affiliate system is customizable by product so we can run multiple affiliate campaigns.

Now all of this does mean that some changes need to happen:
- You need someone who knows InfusionSoft to transition your current system and maintain it

- There are a lot of ways to use the system so you’ll need some coaching/guidance (we documented all of our set up to share with our InfusionSoft clients.)

I know many people feel it’s an expensive system but actually its not. They have eliminated the upfront fee and now your monthly fee is based on what modules you use. I’m paying the same amount I was paying for Professional Cart Solutions and calendar/contact manager in WebEx.

Team Management
One of the areas many entrepreneurs struggle with is balancing having people to get projects done with the energy it requires to manage all those people and projects. If you are a creative, results-oriented person you may not be well suited for management.

Eliminate the confusion, frustration and overwhelm in getting projects done by having someone else manage them. For instance, if you have a team of employees or contractors, you might want to explore these three options:

1. Use better tracking software like Central Desktop, BaseCamp or SmartSheets. By having a way to assign and track deliverables it eliminates mis-communication and dropped tasks.

2. Hire a project or business manager to oversee this function in the business. Remember, you are the visionary and creative – don’t get caught up on the weeds of managing implementation if you can help it.

3. Outsource your operations to an Online Business Manager. You may want to keep things simple and have someone else who is an expert manage your business for you through their team. It can keep your costs down and increase efficiencies.

I’ve made several adjustments over the last couple of years to remove me more and more from the day to day operations so I can focus on the vision, strategic alliances and delivering programs.

Keep in mind that having a smooth running business is actually just as important as having leads and clients. If you are looking for ways to achieve your big vision faster as an entrepreneur, check out the Fast Track to Lifestyle Business program starting January. You’ll be shocked at how much you grow by simplifying how you get there.

What are some of the ways that you have simplified? Be sure to share them in the comments below.