Archive for the ‘Business systems’ Category

 In the previous installments of our series, we have addressed the key factors for a brand new business. Now we complete the process of setting our business up for success with the elements of Staffing and Strengthening.

11. Staffing: Magnetizing Like-Minded People to Implement and Enhance Your Vision

Even in the early stages of your business, you should delegate some tasks that could be profitably done by another person. As it grows, this is even more important! The Purposeful Entrepreneur must be careful to attract only like-minded people that are in integrity with the owner’s vision. Otherwise, it will be difficult or impossible to maintain the expression of the business’ key purpose throughout its various divisions and departments. There are three types of tasks which need to be completed in each business; at this stage at least two of them should be delegated so that the owner can focus on the creative, visionary tasks. This factor examines to what extent that has been done.

This factor answers the question, “How do we manage our resources (especially people)?” for the established business.

12. Strengthening: Leveraging the Success You Have Created

Once all 11 of the previous factors are in place, they pave the way for massive success…but then the question becomes, can you, the owner, let that success in? Or will you unconsciously sabotage things or become a bottleneck in your business to keep it smaller and more comfortable for you? It is difficult for entrepreneurs to let go of the tendency to “do it all myself,” and to allow others to bring their contributions to even the strategic level of the business. Yet that is called for here.

Often, the business reaches a point where it needs to reinvent itself, or the owner begins to lose interest when he/she is no longer creatively expressing on a regular basis. Re-allocating responsibilities – and perhaps even moving on to a new enterprise – may be considered here. Developing an exit strategy for the business and considering how to leverage the success it has enjoyed to date through franchising, licensing, distributorships, or other methods are among the issues evaluated here.

This factor answers the question, “How do we communicate what we do – now?” for the established business.

rganize what we do – now?” for the established business.

Evaluate all 12 factors of Purposeful Entrepreneurship in YOUR business with our Purposeful Entrepreneur Compass today: http://www.purposefulentrepreneur.com/assessment.html

In the previous installments of our series, we have addressed the key factors for a brand new business. Now we continue into the expanding business with the elements of Synergy and Systems.

9. Synergy: Dialoguing with Your Tribe, Meeting their Changing Needs

Everything you do through your business is actually an interactive dialog with your prospects and customers. If their response exceeds your expectations, you are “in sync” (synergistic) with them; if not, then the place to look is not at them but within yourself. Even your interaction with your business as you perform the duties and tasks required are synergistic, and, if you are open to it, are a path of personal growth and evolution. It helps you grow as you take steps to expand it! As a business grows, it is increasingly important to have regular direct interaction with customers to anticipate their changing needs – and use that information to be of maximum service in developing future offerings.

This factor answers the question, “Whom do we serve and what do they tell us?” for the established business.

10. Systems: Freeing Energy, Setting the Stage for Growth

Systems, policies, procedure manuals, and software all play a critical role in a growing enterprise. Without them, energy is wasted trying to find lost items, doing things multiple times (or by multiple people), and feeling like you are “chasing your tail”. This factor measures the extent to which you have implemented systems so that the energy of your purpose can express freely within the business. Your growth depends on it! Here we identify ways to regularly and seamlessly streamline and systematize, so it does not become a burden.

This factor answers the question, “How do we organize what we do – now?” for the established business.

Evaluate all 12 factors of Purposeful Entrepreneurship in YOUR business with our Purposeful Entrepreneur Compass today.

Many entrepreneurs and coaches struggle today because they are so mired in “administrivia” that they can’t do the work they came to do. And as I’m fond of saying, the worst of both worlds is to “own a job” – where you can’t leave and you can’t fire yourself – instead of owning a business, and running it like one.

Three spiritual success principles will help you make this critical shift:

1. Recognize and step into the “New Time.”

Time as we have known it is changing. No longer is it a linear, set, solid perception shared by all. In fact, you have no doubt experienced some moments that were longer than others (waiting at the dentist for example?) and others that seemed to go by in the blink of an eye (sitting in a transformational seminar or reading a great book are examples). Time is becoming more elastic, more malleable, and more subject to our direction.

So if you find yourself sitting in your office and the day is dragging, send an intention that the time will speed up and that you will become more productive and work at a higher vibration. You can have that result instantly!

Also pay attention to the cycles and rhythms of your life. The Industrial Age is over, but our “Industrial Age Approach” to time has not fully dissolved. You are not designed to be a machine, punching keys all day on email or the internet or writing documents (even if writing is your profession!). You are designed to be an organism – or what Wayne Dyer calls an “enviro-organism” – and you constantly interact with your environment and the tasks you do. Begin to notice when you feel “stale” and take breaks throughout the day. Consciously seek activities that refresh and renew you – and balance those with any you are still doing (and in the process of letting go hopefully…) that drain you or feel difficult.

2. Take extraordinary care of yourself and gauge your Energy Thermometer.

You “know” that you need to engage in Extraordinary Self-Care, right? It is no longer a luxury to do so; it is a requirement for those of us who are Light Workers, leaders, healers, teachers and coaches in the New Era of Entrepreneurship.

I am practicing what I preach as I prepare for my 3-day live event this weekend: I am arriving two nights early, to give myself a day beforehand to rest, to settle into the venue, and to calm my mind and align my body. I have had my assistant schedule a massage before and after the event. And I am planning a renewing setting for each of the breaks I will take to keep my energy up throughout the event.

On a daily basis, you can ask yourself, what is my Energy Thermometer reading now? Are you a 10 – fully alive and engaged – or a 5 – neutral, on a downward spiral – or 0 to 1, completely drained and needing to go to bed? Awareness is the first step in change…and if you can begin to notice the energy lag starting – or that mental fuzziness as I experience it that means I have been too long in front of a screen (read: computer) – then you can renew yourself with a walk, a soothing drink, talk to a friend, meditate, sing, dance, or whatever revitalizes you.

3. Know that all the people and resources you need are available the moment you have the desire for them.

Finally, notice when you unconsciously “assume” that even though you want something – more mon_ey, a new car, a prettier office, new clothes, or more peace of mind – that you cannot have it. This insidious belief can cause us to settle for a life that we never really chose – we are acting on beliefs and thoughts of a prior generation, externally programmed, and never consciously adopted as our own.

It is a spiritual principle that no desire can be felt unless the way for it to manifest (read: resources, money, people) is also there. What if you did something radical and assumed you COULD have what you want, and now? Just engaging in that thought pattern, with an emotional commitment and anticipation, will bring it to you more quickly. You are not intended to go without; the Universe longs to give you the desires of your heart. But you must first ask, and expect them to come to you.

This week’s article articulates the final step in our 7-step Conscious Cash Creation Roadmap, which we are sharing at the Evolve Intensive (see past 6 weeks’ issues for the rest). To learn more about the New Era of Entrepreneurship and how you can align your business with it, click here to read the details about the Evolve Transformational Telesummit Nov. 30-Dec. 4 and get your preferred registration rate today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marcia Bench is a Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach for conscious entrepreneurs in service-, information- and professional businesses. She is the CEO of Purposeful Entrepreneur.com, as well as the Founder/Director of Career Coach Institute and other coach training companies, with more than 23 years of experience in coaching and consulting. She has authored 23 books including The Tao of Entrepreneurship and has given hundreds of live and teleclass presentations.

Copyright © 2009 Marcia Bench; All Rights Reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the following with it:  “Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach Marcia Bench publishes the widely circulated ‘Purposeful Entrepreneur Times’ ezine biweekly to over 5,500 subscribers.  If you’re ready to start or grow a profitable business based on your life purpose and passion, get your F_REE tips now at www.purposefulentrepreneur.com“

Are you doing things in your business that others could do faster, better or more cost effectively? But not sure how you can afford to hire help?

If there is one key that has helped me grow my businesses quickly, it is getting help from the beginning. When I founded Career Coach Institute nearly 9 years ago, I had my first VA (virtual assistant) within the first few months. She started out at about 10 hours a week, and quickly expanded her role from there! Even though I didn’t have lots of extra money, the VA immediately paid for herself as she freed me to do the higher level tasks that could advance the business.

And it’s important not to bring on just anyone as your staff. They should be screened not just for skills, but for attitude, commitment, and their ability to take things off your desk (vs. simply taking orders or directives and doing only what they are told). Alex Mandossian calls these gems “drivers” – and they are indeed a rare find!

To find contract staff for your business, consider E-lance, Craigslist, or your local classified ads – or referrals from other coaches who are happy with the staff they have. Companies such as Assist U train and certify virtual assistants – and a newer company, onlinebusinessmanager.com, also trains and certifies Online Business Managers too. Think about the level of the staff person you want, whether you want a company that already has subcontractors they can farm work out to that is at various levels, or whether you want to assemble and manage your own staff.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to staff – but are you ready to let yourself be supported in this way? As John Assaraf so often says, “Hire people who play at things you have to work at.”

To experience the power of Conscious Creation in the company of other committed coaches and the author, as well as learning the 6 other critical aspects of the Evolving Entrepreneur’s Conscious Cash Creation Roadmap, click here to read the details about the Evolve Live Intensive Nov. 12-14 and get your preferred registration rate today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marcia Bench is a Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach for conscious entrepreneurs in service-, information- and professional businesses. She is the CEO of Purposeful Entrepreneur.com, as well as the Founder/Director of Career Coach Institute and other coach training companies, with more than 23 years of experience in coaching and consulting. She has authored 23 books including The Tao of Entrepreneurship and has given hundreds of live and teleclass presentations.

Copyright © 2009 Marcia Bench; All Rights Reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the following with it:  “Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach Marcia Bench publishes the widely circulated ‘Purposeful Entrepreneur Times’ ezine biweekly to over 5,500 subscribers.  If you’re ready to start or grow a profitable business based on your life purpose and passion, get your F_REE tips now at www.purposefulentrepreneur.com“

What is the purpose of your business?

If you said “to help people” or “to change the world” or “to express my life’s purpose,” you’re partly right! But in fact, the purpose of your work overall is those things; the purpose of your business is to make a profit. Otherwise, what you have is a hobby you enjoy – but not a profitable enterprise (the definition of business).

Too many spiritually-minded coaches have been taught by the mass consciousness that you can’t be spiritual and be wealthy too. With the birth of the Entrepreneurial Renaissance, however, the principles of spirituality and wealth are increasingly blending. Doesn’t it set a better example for your clients, workshop attendees and product purchasers to see you prospering, enjoying your life, expansively giving to causes you believe in, and living comfortably – instead of struggling?

The times we are experiencing – especially this year – are requiring that we get real – and stop fooling ourselves that overspending and hoping someone will come and rescue us from our own excesses (regardless of that is in overeating, overspending or overleveraging our resources). Prince Charming isn’t coming! <G>

But true wealth is not measured just by the amount of reve_nue your business generates or the number of clients you are working with – let alone the size of home you have or the care you drive. Spiritual Wealth consists of living the life you love, that is perfect for you – not the life someone else told you was the ideal. Do you know what that is for you?

Maybe it means you have more time with your children, or time and money to have a spa day every couple of weeks. Or perhaps your Spiritual Wealth means having enough disposable in_cone to splurge on a new outfit once in a while, but also give to the charities of your choice and maintain your health through a gym membership.

Rather than giving you the “4 principles of attracting mon_ey now,” I’d like to challenge you to think about what your true wealth is – tapping into your voice, not what you have been told or taught or what is working for someone else. Then, the plan to create it becomes easy.

I wish you wealth!

To learn more, find out about this and 6 other critical aspects of the Evolving Entrepreneur that you will experience personally at EVOLVE Intensive and the EVOLVE Transformational Telesummit this November: just click here for details and to get your preferred registration rate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marcia Bench is a Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach for conscious entrepreneurs in service-, information- and professional businesses. She is the CEO of Purposeful Entrepreneur.com, as well as the Founder/Director of Career Coach Institute and other coach training companies, with more than 23 years of experience in coaching and consulting. She has authored 23 books including The Tao of Entrepreneurship and has given hundreds of live and teleclass presentations.

Copyright © 2009 Marcia Bench; All Rights Reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the following with it:  “Spiritual Business Strategist and Coach Marcia Bench publishes the widely circulated ‘Purposeful Entrepreneur Times’ ezine biweekly to over 5,500 subscribers.  If you’re ready to start or grow a profitable business based on your life purpose and passion, get your F_REE tips now at www.purposefulentrepreneur.com“