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Letter From The Editor

Have you turned on the news, read the newspaper, or surfed news online lately? How’d you feel when you were done? Negativity is everywhere, and it can drag you down if you allow it. So, the BIG question is: How do you handle the circumstances swirling around you and not allow it to get you down?

As with everything in life, each of us has a choice. We can complain about the stuff that gets in our way (and let it stop us) or we can create a way around our circumstances (or even through them), and not ever be stopped by our circumstances!

Complain or create… the choice is that simple!

Choose to create a positive environment around you by:

• Being a master of change
• Having a plan
• Staying clear
• Being your purpose
• Asking for help

All of these things put together are the keys to keeping on track even when the paper says the economy isn’t doing so well. Or when your entire family comes down with the flu the same week that the biggest proposal of your life is due!

We can blame our getting off track on the current state of the economy. We can blame our getting off track on the flu or the weather. However, the truth is that there will always be circumstances that have the potential to take us off track. Our staying on course and not being stopped is about our ability to stand tall in the face of whatever comes our way. Yes, adjustments in how we get to where we want to go may have to be made, but at the core of everything we do there has to be an unstoppable mindset that says:

“This is who I am, this is what I want, and watch out world because here I come!”

Remember: You can complain about the life you have or create a life you love. Which do you choose?

Best Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Getting Your Resolutions Back on Track

As we make our way through the month of February, many people have already given up hope on their New Year’s resolutions. How about you – have you gotten off track? If so, what you have to do to get back on track is to first and foremost stop making yourself wrong for what you haven’t done. Beating your self up is a natural tendency, but it has no value in getting you mentally and even physically back online with your goals.

Second, you need to get out your plan and review it, taking particular note of who is on your team. If you don’t have a team of people around you that is allowed to hold you accountable and support you in your request to make whatever changes you desire, keeping your resolutions and reaching your goals isn’t going to happen.

If you could reach your goals by yourself, you would have reached them already. So bottom-line, you have to ask for help and be willing to be held accountable for doing what you say you are going to do!

Finally, when setting off on any resolution or goal you have to maintain an unstoppable mindset. Many times a person will set a by-when and if it doesn’t happen by that time, they quit and put it in the failure column. But, for instance, when it comes to a promotion, the people who get promotions are visionaries who are unstoppable. They are people who can get things done when others say they can’t; people who can move people when others say they can’t be moved; people who can see what other people don’t see; people who can do what others can’t or won’t do! One way of highlighting these features is to never give up… to be unstoppable!
In the end, getting any New Year’s resolution back on track is about forgiveness (of yourself), team, and being unstoppable (commitment)! So which do you choose – to wallow and question: “Why me?” or to be on track, determined, and successful in getting what you say you want in 2008? It is up to you. Remember: You are the only person who has a say in how your life turns out!

Avoiding Critical Business Planning Mistakes

So you have a business plan. You feel good about where you are going. You have a solid direction. But, have you taken care to make sure you avoid getting trapped by the most critical of the business planning mistakes?

Now don’t panic. While many people make these mistakes, they are easy to avoid.

Business Plan Mistake #1:

Not having a written plan! I’ve seen companies both large and small operating without a written plan, and they say, “Well I have a plan.” But that plan is in their head! Without a written plan they have nothing to keep them on track when circumstances and life take them over; they have nothing that shows their team what they need to do and why they are doing what they do; they are missing a key accountability tool! Plus, if you can’t write where you are going, you can’t speak it. And if you can’t speak where you are going, you can’t tell others where you are going. And without a team that helps you, you can’t get there (at least not easily). It is simply too big.

Business Plan Mistake #2:

Working from a plan that is more than one year old. We live in a world of great change and if you are operating from a plan that was written or revised more than 12 months ago, you haven’t likely made the changes necessary to adapt to the change that affects your business, your team, and your customers.

Business Plan Mistake #3:

Not following the plan you write. More business plans than I care to think about end up serving as a doorstop. Seriously, I consult with companies all over the country and I’ve walked into offices where the business plan is literally on the floor or on the corner of their desk covered in dust! Why do they write a plan and then not follow it? Many times the author of the plan doesn’t want their staff to know the plan is in existence because they are afraid of being held accountable for getting to where the plan says they are going.

Business Plan Mistake #4:

Not being specific enough. A business plan needs to be very clear in terms of what specific measurable results (SMRs) will be produced and the date by-when they will be produced, especially in stating the company objectives, sales goals, and margins. Without these specifics: a) it is nearly impossible to hold anyone accountable for reaching the objective; b) you leave too much room for assumptions and misinterpretation; and c) without specifics, you don’t know when you have reached your goal and are actually done!

Business Plan Mistake #5:

Making unrealistic assumptions. In every business plan there is a certain number of assumptions that have to be made. However, in making those assumptions you have to be as realistic as possible. For instance, if you assume in your plan that your potential market will expand by 10% and it realistically will only expand by approximately 5%, your entire plan is based upon bogus numbers. What good is a plan if that plan is nothing but a fantasy?

Business Plan Mistake #6:

Not understanding what the financials are telling you (and your investors). There is a reason why companies have financial officers to keep the company’s financial affairs in order. It simply takes a person with a head for financials to do them well. However, that doesn’t mean that the entire executive team doesn’t need to understand what the financial data is ultimately telling you and your investors! If you have to, ask for the financial information in terms that make sense to you. Don’t ever accept a financial analysis that you can’t explain to someone else!

As you can see, not one of these common business plan mistakes is insurmountable. Just be aware of their dangers and use these tips to avoid them. What’s next for you is just waiting for you to claim. So have fun and go for it!

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