Fear Of Failure

I bet you always have this nagging feeling of wanting to succeed in your business. If so, you are not alone, every businessman thinks the same.

Do you feel troubled at times, about big and petty things in your life? Do you always wonder where the next paycheck will come; where to get the next source to pay off an order? Are you afraid of failing of what you are doing now? Are you being paralyzed from doing anything at all because you cannot imagine yourself being a failure?

If indeed you have these thoughts, then you are playing safe, you are not trying to succeed even. When you play safe, failure looms all the more nearer. It makes you cranky and desperate and weary. You cannot succeed if all you ever do is worry about failing. When you fail, that could not be permanent unless you allow it to be. So you need not fear. Anything bad that could happen in a business could be an imperative part of your success, so you just have to learn from your mistakes and get up every time you fall. There is no point staying fallen when you have all the capacity to get back on your knees.

I once had a bout with cancer, and it could have been the end for my personal life and my business. I however met it head on. I went out to fight cancer and was back running my life and my business in a short span of time. I made essential changes, I let my business went through constructive renovation and the results are just quite amazing. I had every reason to give up, of fearing that I might just lose everything, but I stood up and undoubtedly achieved what I needed to achieve. My attitude has always been to win every game in life, even the losing one.

Do not make fall-back plans

When you make fall-back plans, you are not trying to win at all; rather you are still playing it safe. Contingencies are good, but you need to believe that your primary plan will work. For your businesses to succeed at its best, do not be clamped with so many worries, but you need to be pretty positive; you have to believe that you will succeed

Live by your commitments

You have to craft a genuine commitment and live by it. You have to live by your vision. Your commitment is proportional to the progress that your business will experience. Make your decisions that will truly impact your position of not succumbing to fear. Your attitude must emanate strength and faith.

You win if you play to win

There is no one who could tell whether you are a loser or a winner, in life you are the one who decides, not other people, not anyone else. Failure is a conscious decision, as much as success is an act of choice. So if you have already decided to play a winning game, how else could you lose? Playing to win does not necessarily mean things will always happen the way you want it to happen. Of course, there are bumps and curves along the way, the only question there is whether you go on or you give up. Winners always go on, always anticipating the prize, the end of the road. But losers look at the downs and the holes, and eventually lose. The success of your business depends on your decision. You better decide it to win, to succeed.

Failure is not failure at all for someone who wants to succeed. Do not give in to fear, practice thinking positively instead.

Get that Media Spot by Getting a Journalist’s Attention

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As small business owners, everyone always wants to get a piece of the public relations pie. As much as possible, we want to get media exposure for our businesses, services, and products because this exposure provides big benefits. As easy as it may sound, getting that spot in any media takes a little-bit of know-how; and one of the main challenges that we have to face in getting that so-sought-after media spot is getting the attention of a journalist.

Journalists are the people who make interesting stories and angles for a certain type of media. They are the ones who create the news on print. They are the ones who post on expert websites, and they are the ones who provide radio and TV coverage for a story.

In short, journalists are our gatekeepers to the media world, and here are some tips on how to get their attention to cover your story.

1. Target Your Media

Nothing annoys a journalist more than having irrelevant information sent to them. There is such a practice called ‘spray and pray’ wherein you just send your media pitches to whoever journalist’s email or answering machine service. The only thing that this approach does is find you a spot on the journalist’s junk mail folder or phone blacklist.

In order to target your media more effectively, select the three types of media you’d like to get into this quarter. Isolate these media and look for the journalists that cover your target niche. Try to get as much information as you can on your target journalists.

2. Create your News Hook

Once you’ve had your shortlist, it’s now time to create your news hook. A news hook is something that’s catchy and interesting about your business’ products or services. They can be stories, testimonials, videos, events, or anything under the sun that may want to make a journalist cover as an interesting story for his or her audience.

There are some guidelines though in creating your news hook. The first considerations are that an news hook should have relevance and proximity. A journalist who covers crime scenes or political happenings would likely not entertain your news hook (unless, of course, it’s related to crime and politics). Always remember your target journalists and create a news hook that is relevant to them. Moreover, a journalist from another part of the country would not be interested in covering an event that will be held at your local convention center.

Another consideration is immediacy. When creating news hooks, make sure that it’s very recent; like give it a range of about two days, past or future. No journalist wants to do a story on something that took place a few weeks ago. Also expect the same thing with events that haven’t happened yet.

3. Contact the Journalist Directly

Once you have the news hook, contact the journalist directly. Introduce yourself then give your quick media pitch. Don’t be afraid to cold-sell your news hook. Most often than not, someone doesn’t get the chance to be interviewed the first time around. The key is to just keep on trying.

Furthermore, even if a journalist says ‘No’ to your pitch, you can end the call by asking, “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Most of the time journalists get surprised and ask if you know someone who can help him or her out with a story. Providing help can make you a relevant source. You may not get your story that time, but they will remember you favorably. Just remember that with a little bit of perseverance, an a little know-how, you will eventually get that coveted media spot.

Due Diligence with Chinese Suppliers

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China is a new and emerging market; it pays to exert due diligence if you wish your business to flourish in its domain.

No such thing as Cinderella story in business especially if we talk about China. Overnight success simply does not happen here. The Chinese market has entirely different influencing factors than those from the West. Unplanned haste may just give you unnecessary setbacks. So learn well.

Due diligence definition

‘Due diligence’ is the effort you exert to confirm the given facts. It serves well in business if you care to practice this simple yet effective principle. As established, China is a new market, so there is no point of rushing decisions. Yeah I believe in the importance of grabbing opportunities, but it is also entirely different from jumping blindly. You must have done your assignment well of comprehensive market research. If your business is importing, then at least you have already have made some research on all the potential suppliers, otherwise you will be wasting a lot of time and resources. Another challenge of doing business in China is the language barrier. Communication is always at the risk of misinterpretation. So you must again apply the principle of “due diligence”, you could hire local professionals to help you out with the outsourcing.

Why would you consider doing it?

“Due diligence” helps you come up with better decisions. And better decisions apparently lead to a successful business venture. Many businesses neglected to practice it which led to their frustration or even demise. It could really cost so much money once a project goes crazy because of lack of planning. Aside from resources, it could also mean a huge setback on the schedule of the deliverables.

China offers great opportunities to succeed as long as you know how make things work. You just have to make careful planning for everything that you will undertake. When you have made your research well you will be given the right suppliers to work with. And good suppliers mean:

Your partners can be trusted and you could be assured that gross business violations are farfetched.
Your terms expressed in the contract are followed to its minute detail
You will be assured of quality products

Things to consider

There are certain things to consider in choosing a good supplier:

Make sure they are a legitimate business entity
Make sure they are law abiding and regulations compliant
Make sure they take social and environmental responsibility seriously
Make sure of their integrity
Make sure they are experienced enough
Make sure you know the owners enough
Make sure they have a competitive price
Make sure they are capable of supplying your bulk requirement.

Doing business in China is not that easy but it is definitely doable as long as you do your part.

Write Your Business Plan, Make It Count

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Business plans seem just like a mere theory to some, with nothing much to offer. However, business plans really count in business, here are simple ways in making your business plans a reality:

Some of you may not feel the necessity of going through the process of writing your business plans, pretty much confident that you know your business well. And if ever there was a point that you wrote a business plan, it was for formality sake and a requirement for a loan. After you made and wrote your business plans do you even bother to consult with it? It is a sad reality but a reality nevertheless.

Business plans are your business’s map as it treads along the tricky path of the business world. It crystallizes your goals and the ideal time for which you achieve your goals. It helps make you see it as clear picture. An ideal business plan includes methods and strategies you are about to employ in running your business. It even lists down the risks and threats your business is about to meet, and states your contingencies whenever those risks occur. It is your detailed guide towards business success.

The real question there is whether do you regularly refer to your business plans? For some, it is tossed aside as easily as if it doesn’t matter. Even if you have crafted such grand business plans, do you really see the whole idea? Is it really indeed making a difference? As long as you do not live by your business plans, it will not become a part of your system, and it will surely drift away. So let me help you by pointing out key simple steps to make your business plans count in a span of a year:

1. Itemise your goals into small achievable ones

To make it not seem overwhelming, you do not need to project your goal as a whole. You can break it down to pieces into small achievable goals. If your wish to accomplish your goal, you can break it down to a monthly process. Or achieve your goal by phases. This makes easier and practical of living by your business plan and achieving your goal.

2. Make your business plan a part of your system

Remind yourself of your business goals daily.
Associate and meet regularly with like-minded people who are of the same quest as you do.
Make your business goal the screen saver or desktop background of your computer
Place your business plans in your mobile phone
Write it down in your whiteboard

You need to make your business plans and your goals to be a part of your daily routine; you have to make it belong to your system.

3. Have fun while doing it

There is no point of trying to succeed in achieving your goals if you are not having fun. You may try these following stuffs to make things enjoyable:

Make your self-reminders humorous.
Reward yourself every time you achieve a goal
Place inspiring messages and quotations around your business plans
Treat yourself somewhere while reviewing your business plans.

You have to remember that life is short. Do everything in joy and in fun.

There are other things to make your business plans work, if you have any ideas please let us hear it out.

Legal woes in Starting a Business

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In every business transaction, legal issues always loom around. It is in fact one of the most challenging things to consider when starting a business.

It pays to have even an easy grasp about the law. You might not be so keen in learning all of it, but if you are in business, legal woes are part of your routine. You need to have some knowledge and understanding on some of its provisions especially if it concerns your business. If however you are caught in a situation of which you deem is already far beyond your capacity to handle, you might be better off if you ask help from a lawyer.

First things first

As you establish your business, your knowledge of the legal issues may not necessarily be as comprehensive as you might think. You only need to learn on a gradual process by prioritizing the things that need immediate attention such as:

Business name application
Securing business registration number
Securing business license

These things do not need complex understanding nor does it require elaborate procedures. These kinds of information are readily available in business sites or among other resources in the web.

Do not allow ignorance

Everybody has heard the phrase that says: “ignorance of the law excuses no one”. In business, you cannot allow ignorance to deter you from performing your best in conducting your business. And you definitely cannot allow complex business legal issues to keep you from growing freely. That is why; it is recommended that you acquaint yourself with some of the laws’ provisions if its jurisdiction covers your business entity. You can even outsmart your competition by learning the ins and outs of the law. This way, you lessen the possibility of a nasty entanglement with the law. When you have certain knowledge about a given law, it gives you the chance to study its extent and boundaries; otherwise, you will have to face the consequences of every trespass which could also be detrimental to your business.

Doing the right thing

After you have crashed out ignorance by acquainting yourself about some extents of the law, the next best thing for you to do is to act on it. You must decide to do things according to what you learned about what the law says. And to give you a much greater perspective on the legal issues, it is advised that you seek professional legal help to aid you on complex issues. Your actions must be based solely on doing the right thing according to what the law says. Sometimes you even have to formulate and throw yourself some self pointing questions just for you to realize some of the key points you have to remember.

Legal issues need not be a problem as long as you have given thought of addressing it as early as possible. It may be hard at first, but when the things keep going, all the rest become easy already.

Bloody Believe In Yourself

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For many years, I literally gave up watching TV, but just recently I got hooked to watching the famous reality show “the biggest Loser”, mainly because it teaches valuable lessons in life. I even find it worthy of applying some of its principles in running my business.

The reality show is centered on people trying to lose weight while trying to win the prize. Along the way, I believe, the show teaches a lot more than just mere losing weight, it teaches people to not easily give up on their aspirations, to believe in themselves, no matter the cost. They are teaching the participants to look in their images in a better perspective, to look at their lives with more faith in their selves.

Believing in yourself at all cost

Your success heavily depends on your ability to believe in yourself at all cost. When the going gets rough, what makes you through is your belief that you will make it through. When the goals seem impossible to achieve, what makes you succeed is your belief in yourself that you can succeed. Every single phase you go through, believing in yourself matters whether you will pass the test or not.

My greatest challenge of running my own business is not on the technical side whatsoever, it is in believing that I can certainly do it.

Every time I have a great task ahead of me, I always make it a point to start the work believing that I could finish it to its completion. Whenever I believe in myself that I can do it, then I can do it indeed.

Sacrifice and discipline

When you believe in yourself that you can do it, you also have to be prepared to make ample sacrifices and go through the process of discipline. In the “The Biggest Loser”, they are taught to give up something to achieve a higher goal. They are trained to follow a routine of discipline to renovate their system in accordance to achieving their goal. It is the same in business, sacrifice and discipline are essential ingredients of success. If there is something that you really want to happen or possess, you can bring it to reality by having a strong resolve of achieving it no matter the circumstance, even having to sacrifice. That is the true test of believing in Yourself.

Prioritise and do not procrastinate

The antithesis of success is procrastination. Do not wish, do it now. Do not wait for tomorrow, do it today. If you believe you can achieve your goals, start doing it now. Do not wait. And while you start doing things, work only on the relevant ones. Drop anything that does not contribute to your well-being.

It is practically the same for business, if there’s one you needed done; you could always find a way to outsource it. The resources we have now are overwhelming. You can get all the help you need in the web. When to do it? Now!

Enjoy life to the full. Reach your potential. Exceed boundaries. You can do it, when you believe in yourself.

Being a ‘Celebrity-Something’ doesn’t Necessarily Equate to Expertise

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These days, many people seem to associate media exposure with credibility. If you have been invited to a well-known television show to talk about your business, your industry, and yourself, then you must be an industry leader. If you’ve been given a two and a half minute spot on a talk show, then you must be the expert. The more shows that you’ve been invited to guest, the higher your credibility is.

As a business owner, I’ve had my share of the limelight on different shows to talk about what my business is, and what I do. It was indeed such a great experience to reach out to a very big audience and let them know that an industry and a business such as ours exist.

Did I improve at my job right after the TV appearances? I don’t believe so. But I do mention those few minutes of fame in my personal and business profiles; and the results were kind of shocking. I realized that most potential clients were quite impressed with the fact that I had personally met and chatted with well-known celebrities. I found this kind of star-struck awe a little distressing.

A few days ago, I read a commentary about the recent British royal wedding. To sum it up, the commentary was about the word ‘celebrity’ and how its use has changed the way people perceive someone. It postulates that putting the ‘celebrity’ as a prefix in terms such as ‘celebrity doctor,’ ‘celebrity chef,’ or ‘celebrity businessman’ represents an undisputed expertise in that person’s field. The addition of the word ‘celebrity’ to a job function somehow bestows a divine right to an individual to be the expert or the spokesperson for the industry.

The idea of expertise being bestowed on to you by the media makes me uncomfortable. It might be true that you’ve got a great Public Relations person, and some knowledge to answer a few questions, but does it really equate to you or your business as being the expert in the field?

In today’s business environment, with its high regards to fans, followers, and friends, it is always a must to have unsurpassed marketing prowess. I’m also sure that everyone would agree that a well-oiled marketing machine is one of the key ingredients to a business. But there’s a caveat, indisputable credibility far exceeds tacky marketing.

If I were to consult a ‘celebrity surgeon’ for an operation, I wouldn’t be a bit impressed if the doctor said, “I guested on these shows and I know these celebrities personally.” I think I would be more interested at the doctor’s success rate regarding the procedure; but that’s just me.

Communication: The Hidden Key to Business Success

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We’ve learned early on in high school that communication always involves four important aspects. Sender-Receiver-Message and Feedback. These aspects, when woven together, creates the two-way system we now call communication. In life, as well as in business, it is an openly known fact that relationships begin with communication. That is , correspondence and interconnection works wonders. It allows people to learn a thing or two about you and it enables you to reciprocate the same gesture about them. A simple greeting, a cordial exchange of compliments, and even a brief conversation can roll the dice to knowing each other. Alas, that is communication!

In business, opening channels for communication sets you apart from the rest of your competitors. It is not enough that you deliver your promises to your patrons but it is more than enough that you keep up with your word and you communicate with them. Just how are you going to make this happen? Think of the wonders of technology. In this era of emails, text messaging, and icloud applications reaching your patrons seems to be just a few clicks away. Indeed it is. A simple gesture of sending them a note, a letter, or simply a message about a recent update of trends and craze will send your customers driving through your establishment and inquiring about thesenew up-and-about vanities!

One blogger shared by writing an example of how she reaches out to her customers, and for your convenience I have included it here:

Dear Sally,
I hope you’re well.
Just wanted to give you a quick update on _______.
Everything is progressing just fine and will be delivered on Wednesday morning.
Kind regards,

The idea is straighforward: address them with their first names, channel your message, be quick and thorough about it. Simplicity is the key. Then complete it by sending your warmest regards. This humble act will settle the worries of your customers most especially if they are the type to be easily rattled with deadlines, targets, and cutoffs. Reassurance will be the single greatest favor you can do for them. You need not change your work ethics or even your work attitude. You basically just have to work on you communication skills. This is bound to set you apart from your competitors.

It is always best to keep in mind that when customers patronize your business it is not just your products or your services that they are after. Instead, they want to settle for a trader who will make life easy for them. All you have to do is to grab this opportunity to give them peace of mind. How so? The power of words. You are bound to be surprised that most customers, especially those who are in the corporate world, will pay a fortune to experience this. Your action is simple, the rewards you’re guaranteed to reap are great. After all, high school lectures do have its toll in the business world. Sender-receiver-message and feedback constitute the important aspects that make you and your customer stand-out from the rest of the crowd.

How First Impressions can Make or Break a Business

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Small business owners who impress their customers by providing end-results are more likely to get more business. Unfortunately, it’s also vice-versa. Showing results even before engaging in a contract can also make or break a business.

Our team scheduled a meet to get a quote from an IT provider on setting up our new office. We’ve agreed on a three o’clock onsite meeting one day on the following week. Prior to this, we had shortlisted some probable providers and got in touch with three companies to look for a perfect fit for our needs. We think that this IT provider is ‘the one.’

Researching, creating a shortlist, and contacting different prospects are too much work for our team as we are quite ‘impulsive buyers’; once we see it, we buy right away. But, getting an IT solution provider is different. IT is serious business.

Having reliable working equipment, undisrupted connections and having back-ups for a business is like what breathing is to our bodies; they are a necessity. They are expensive and temperamental too. Moreover, people who you have to get help from regarding your IT infrastructure speak an alien language that only they can understand. This adds to the stress of selecting an IT solutions provider.

These talks of how to set-up a new network, and making decisions on whether to get wired and wireless connections has caused our team too much stress; and we sure are looking forward to being rid of it. Anyway, research suggested that we had found the right company that will get rid of this stress for us. Our team was really looking forward to that first meeting.

Our team set up our day’s activities around that three o’clock appointment. We scheduled thirty minutes for our first consultation with the IT person; but it was already ten-past-three and the IT guy was still not around. We called his office to make sure that there weren’t any problems.

We got to talk to the IT guy’s boss, and he had told us that his team member had been meaning to call us for the past fifteen minutes. The IT guy had his full on another project. His boss assured us though that the network engineer was on his way.

The IT guy arrived at 3:25; exactly five minutes before the team was scheduled to call it a day. He frowned at us when we said that we only had five minutes left as everyone had other commitments to attend to. We did explain that he had thirty minutes to tell us what he and his company can do for us, but he spent most of that time getting to our new office.

The entire team was so disappointed. We had already made up our minds that we were not going to entertain other IT providers, and get this company. We just wanted to meet their representative, find out what his thoughts were, and get on with the project. We wanted them to be ‘the one.’

The IT guy’s boss got the signal that they might lose us as customers. He called us up, apologized, and asked for a second meeting. We accepted the apology; but, what surprised the team was the boss’ explanation of them being a ‘service business’ as a reason why they couldn’t be on time for appointments. We then said ‘no thanks.’ We’re also a service business, but we make sure that we meet our appointments.

The IT company could’ve just given a certain time frame, and not an on-the-dot appointment. It would’ve been fine if the said they’d see our team between three o’clock to three-thirty so that we could’ve been more flexible in our schedules during that period; but they didn’t. Our team is now exploring the market again for a new IT solutions provider.

Lesson learned here is that if you’re a business owner that provides services, always make sure to meet your commitments. It’s that simple.

Feedback – Friend or Foe?

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Stagnation and complacency in business, just like with anything in life, can be one’s downfall. To avoid this, businesses spend millions in research dollars for innovations that will help them to ensure continued relevance of their products and services in the market. Small businesses need not resort to shelling out this kind of money for advancements. With the practice of the regular solicitation, collection and study of client feedback, one may actually find that after the removal of the muck and dirt it may initially contain, there actually can be pearls of wisdom one may use to further advance a business. Below is an article shared by a blogger that might just persuade one to take on this sometimes unpleasant exercise.

This blogger, feeling she finally deserves to hire professional cleaners after reaching a particular business milestone, decided to start her journey by informing herself of options available. Research of what professional cleaning involves, the contractors available in her area and exploratory talks resulted to a clear picture of what to generally expect. Armed with enough information, she finally chose and engaged someone to come every two weeks to do her cleaning for her.

On the first date of cleaning, the experience promised to be delightful: the cleaners arrived on schedule, cleaned and dusted their way through her house and left in record time. Upon closer inspection after the cleaning team left, however, found the lady of the house wanting. Where sparkling spots were expected, there lay sheets of dust. Some areas were not cleaned according to her standards and worse, some areas were not cleaned at all. When one pays for a service, one has the right to expect the service to be done well, right?

Fortunately, the lady of the house was a sensible one. Before reporting her dissatisfaction, she decided to test whether her expectations were too high or sensible enough. She conducted this test by engaging another cleaner to come the following week. In the end, they did a better job than the first so the final contract was awarded to them.

Feeling a sense of duty to professionally inform the first contractor that their services shall no longer be required, this lady of ours called the first contractor. Prior to the call, she made a list of things that caused her to be unsatisfied with their service with the intent of providing client feedback to help them win future contracts. Alas, the only conversation that transpired was “Okay, fine” and then the dead silence of a dial tone. The phone was hung up.

To succeed in business, take the highs and the lows and simply convert danger into opportunities. Easier said than done, yes, but the rewards can make it worthwhile.

For our blogger lady, she mulled and came up with an educated guess for the treatment she got. She speculates that the rejected cleaner may have been caught in surprise because maybe she thought she had done a great job and with this surprise came the initial reaction of being defensive thus, the dropped call.

Understand that client feedback may cause you to be taken aback at first. It often is placed in a negative context by its writers so inexperienced businessmen easily take the stance of that rejected cleaner – take everything personally and be defensive. However, do take note that client feedback is not a reflection of you as a person but instead, a reflection of the product or service you offer so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Take time to listen to both the good and the bad because it may be a learning opportunity for one’s product or service to improve and thus be more competitive.

Best of all, listening to feedback shows your client you wish to keep them by keeping their satisfaction in mind.

There is no need to waste away millions of research dollars if your business cannot afford it yet. Improvement comes from lessons learned and these can present itself through various ways – client feedback is one of them. Do not let your business shy away from client feedback. These little tidbits of information can be your allies. Who knows, one of them may just be your diamond in the ruff!