because business success is more strategy than secret

I’m sorry.  That  headline was a bit sleazy, I guess.  There really aren’t five invisible secrets to success. (Sorry.)  The truth is, there aren’t ANY invisible secrets to success, because the “secrets” that lead to success are always visible — hidden in plain sight —  if you know what to look for.

Of course, there will be some who PREFER to believe otherwise.  Dan Kennedy says,

“Virtually all secrets are visible.  But people prefer belief in invisible secrets to the harsh reality of personal responsibility, to the visible explanation for success and for failure.”

Essentially, we tend to warmly welcome all of the “it’s not your fault” condolences when we lose big time… in business, in life, in marriage.  They feel good for the moment… when the sting of failure is still raw.   But, they don’t serve us.

Because we WILL get back into the ring again, ready to fight, ready for a new challenge, ready to win.  And if we believe the secrets to winning — in ANY area of life — are hidden from us, then it’s not our fault when we lose… and of course, there’s nothing we can learn from losing.

Let me be frank.  This is B.S. YOU are creating your life, your business, your marriage.  Every day, with the choices you make.   As for invisible secrets… let’s dig in and see what’s REALLY invisible.

Maybe it’s MINDSET you say…. After all, you can’t see someone’s mindset, Right?  And mindset is CRITICAL to your success.

Many people mistake me for an optimist.  (EVEN those who know me really well…. but it’s a false assumption.)  I am not an optimist.  I work very hard to be a REALIST.  I want a mindset that is committed to both DREAMING BIG and ACCURATE THINKING.  I want this mindset because I KNOW that the highest achieving entrepreneurs in the world have it… and I want to be one of them.

Is this a secret?  NO.  Is it visible?  Yep.   It’s visible because no one is born with it… therefore the mindset of a REALIST is something that must be deliberately created and maintained.  This “secret” becomes very visible when you consider the books littering the office and coffee table of multi-millionaires.  It becomes visible when you observe what they are reading, listening to, and watching… and it is even MORE visible when you consider what they’re NOT reading, listening to, and watching.  Mindset is visible because it must be built and the tools and habits used to build it are very, very visible.

What about FAITH? You’re a woman of faith, right?  Yes, I am.  And no, maybe you can’t see my “faith,” but my God says that Faith without WORKS is dead.  Useless.  So, my faith (should) show up in my words, my actions, my habits, my worship.  If it is of any use to me at all, it will be visible.  (Same is true for people of ANY faith or belief system.)

Here are some more “invisible” secrets hidden in plain sight, but often ignored:

Personal Responsibility.  When I win, I am proud of me.  When I lose, I know who to blame:  me.  When I am the problem, I can be the solution.  But as long as I make YOU the problem, there’s nothing I can do to change things.  The MOST successful among us are intolerant of such impotence.  A successful person adopts THIS mantra:  There’s always something that can be done.  By me.  Today.  (Period.) Is it visible?  YOU BET.  It’s visible in the lack of blaming.  It’s visible in the hustle of your day… as if it all depends on you.  (It does.)

Rational Decision Making.  Success is built QUICKEST when you do not allow your emotions to run things.  Emotions are AWFUL at decision making!  I remember laughing (he has a really dry, but hilarious sense of humor!) when I heard Steve Chandler talking about this fact. He said, and I’m paraphrasing,

“You can’t afford to go around taking your emotional temperature all day, wondering:  Do I FEEL like doing this or not?”

Emotional temperature.  I think that’s funny… because — like ALL great comedy — it is SO SO true.  You see it everyday.  People who do what they FEEL like doing instead of what they NEED to do.  This leads to a life and business of mediocrity.

Trump isn’t calling in “depressed” when he has a deal to close.  He goes anyway.  Oprah’s not wondering if she “feels” like taping another show today… she just shows up.  Tyra Banks — who actually RUNS her own company (actively) and is a super super savvy entrepreneur WORTH your study — doesn’t ONLY do what she feels like doing. She does what has to be done to get a very specific result.  Is this visible?  Yep.  It’s visible in the LACK of excuses, the LACK of missed appointments and missed deadlines.

Commitment.  Unwavering “whatever it takes” commitment.  THIS is obvious and visible.  Because setbacks for the uber-successful aren’t deal breakers… or even time wasters… they are only worthy of a  SLIGHT change in direction. It’s visible in the fact that these achievers do not give up.

Bottom line:  the SECRETS to being rich, thin and happy aren’t reserved for a lucky few… and hidden from the rest of us.  They are visible for those pursuing them.

The only question left is this:  WHICH do you PREFER?  The easy-on-the-ego excuse of invisible secrets or the harsh reality that it is — when all is said and done — up to you?

First, let me give you my politically correct answer… the one you’ve no doubt heard me give if you’ve ever asked me to participate in a joint venture campaign.

Wait — just in case you’re not exactly sure what a “joint venture” campaign (actually, BETTER defined as “affiliate marketing)  is — it’s essentially where biz owner 1 BORROWS biz owner 2′s list to sell a product or program.

Biz owner 2 sends out an email to their list, promoting (with total fervor and flair) whatever biz owner 1 hopes to sell you, and biz owner 2 –the owner of the list (the one you trusted with your email address) — gets a portion of the sale — if you buy.

This will explain why you’d get a form email from 3 different “gurus” promoting the same special deal… 

So, back to my politically correct answer.  It goes a little something like this:  ”I don’t do JVs.  Right now, my list trusts me.  And they know that when I recommend something it’s NOT because I’ve got some vested interest in them buying it… it’s because I BELIEVE in what I’m promoting.  For me, this is working.”

And all of that is true.  Every word of it.  But there is more that I’ve always left VERY unspoken… until now.  So,  in the interest of total transparency, here goes:

1) I don’t like being “sold to” all of the time, and I assume you don’t either.  So — frankly — if  I’m going to hound you to death to buy something, I’d rather it be MY something.  lol…

2) I believe this stuff really cheapens our relationship.  For me, my “list” is not a list…  I KNOW a lot of you, respect you, and really value our relationship, regardless of how “virtual.”  I have zero interest in passing you around from marketer to marketer, so they can each try their best to get a piece of your wallet.

3) I’d be embarrassed to send you a series of emails — prewritten — SUPPOSEDLY from me… when I know the chances are HUGE that you’d be getting those same emails from some other coach you also listen to.  (I don’t know… dressing up the SAME as everyone else is just not really my thing.)

Bottom line:  I watch these joint ventures go down everyday.  And the business woman in me wonders how much they’re REALLY making.  Both the person selling (after giving away 40% – 60% to their JV partners) and the JV partner themselves.  (Hey — businesses are about money… so it’s natural for me to at least wonder.) But in the end, passing YOU around to all of my marketing buddies to take a pass at you feels a little like offering you up as the fraternity house bimbo.  Yuck.

Side Note:  You have seen me promote some things that I DO very much believe in.  www.thebizzybuzz.com for example. LOVE them.  Love Mara.  Another example is www.dankennedy.com and www.stevechandler.com  – I don’t get one red penny if you spent a million dollars with each of these businesses.  I promote and recommend them because I know they can serve you – well… not because I get a kickback if you buy.  

 Two weeks ago, I was driving home from the office when I noticed some familiar and very welcome signs. The first was a large banner announcing the first RODEO of the year.   The next, announcing that weekend’s MUD BOG event.

Now, keep in mind… I knew I wasn’t going to be attending either.  (It was also opening weekend for Little League baseball.)  But, this knowledge didn’t keep a smile from spreading across my face.  You see, these are familiar signs of HOME.

I cross the state line, see those banners and know:  I am home.

Your best clients — those you serve well, those who refer, those who cheerfully pay your fees — should feel the same way when they walk in your door, hear you speak, or click on your website.  For me — ironically, lol… —  some of my best and most successful clients are NOT from the south, have probably never even HEARD of a mud bog, and  only tolerate my  southern pride.  =)

BUT, when they heard me speak, or visited my site, they KNEW I was speaking to them.   All of the sudden, someone was calling out what they were upset about…. speaking out against the “miracle solutions” that left them broke and bummed… and making business success achievable again…  EVEN for those of us on “Mainstreet America.”  In short, they knew they were home.  They knew that on “Planet WOW!” business was done differently, and they knew that DIFFERENT was going to be a perfect fit for them.

I go out of my way to make my clients feel at home… to attract those that belong… and to — without apology — repel those that just don’t.  (Usually whiners, complainers and those who prefer a good excuse to solid action!)

So, how do YOU make your clients feel like they’re HOME with you?   Hint:  A GREAT & CRITICAL step in the right direction is to KNOW who really belongs with you…

KNOW who you’re talking to.  KNOW what they want, what they need, what keeps them up at night, who their heroes are, and also who they’re mad at…. KNOW what they think of your competitors and your industry in general… KNOW what they’re reading, and what conversations they’re having.

RESEARCH those you hope to sell to… TALK to them.  ASK questions.  AND then… create  a HOME just for them.

It’s always good to be home. =)

I remember the first time I was asked what I’d have to do to double my income.  In my head, I had two thoughts:

1) I have no friggin’ clue… because if I did, I’d be doing it already; AND

2) Doubling my income would STILL leave me with “not enough.”

Man, was I being shortsighted.  Just the CONCEPT of doubling your income is worthy, because it JOLTS us out of the typical “incremental thinking” that keeps so many of us so FIRMLY ROOTED in the status quo!  In the following three months, I added a ZERO to my income.  A 10X increase.  In three months.  GRANTED, my income wasn’t super great in the first place… =) BUT a ten-fold increase ain’t a half bad return for that short amount of time.

Yesterday, I received word from a Rapid Results participant who wanted to share her success with me.  At this point — regarding these specific details — she’s asked to remain anonymous.  But,   this is what she said,

When you and I had started working together in December my prospects were at about $19,000 (all of which was work I had mostly NOT yet done— and that would take a LONG time to get paid for— although I had no idea it would take as long as it did).  At the time we were working together, not only was I broke, but could not find additional contracts, and I was headed down the “I will just work for free and hope that my blood and tears— leads to recommendations etc..”— I was going to offer over $15000 in work gratis!  oh boy.

Today I am happy to report that I have generated an additional $28,000 in work (upcoming and current contracts) and my eyes are brightly and clearly focused on making at least 100K this upcoming year and (250K OR MORE) if I continue to focus and plan correctly.

Your coaching, patience, guidance, and, kindness and friendship has been such a tremendous light on my path….. THANK YOU.

Ahead of projected.  That’s a good result.

Another Rapid Results participant is happy to be named and tied to her phenomenal success.  Her name is LeeAnn Fay -Ellis and she’s an amazing business owner, wife, mother of two and NuSkin distributor.  Her typical sales for the month had been about $2000.  Not bad, but not where she wanted to be.  After about 5 weeks in the Rapid Results program, she JUMPED from $2k in sales to over $4500 in sales… for the MONTH.  WOW!

So, I asked her to SHARE how SHE DOUBLED, so you can too! Here are her thoughts! Thanks so much LeeAnn…. and Congratulations!

#1   Be Real & Accountable in setting Goals- I LOVE the phrase “if it is going to BE it is up to ME” that being said I know the importance of a great support system and accountability partner.  I always set BHAGs I figure if I shoot for the stars I’ll land on the moon

#2  Personal Development…Books & additional coaching with Miss Michelle   I had gotten away from reading…back into it like a morning cup of coffee.   In addition to Michelle’s weekly Modules w/ Rapid Results, I’ve been reading: Og Mandino, “The Greatest Secret”; Dave Blanchard, “Today I begin a New Life”  and Darren Hardy, “The Compound Effect.   From this I have been changing poor habits and replacing with better! There is NO PV (personal volume $$) in TV. Have cut back on the crappy TV and focused on creating positive results.  The assessments from www.thecompoundeffect.com and my “unbalanced wheel” was a real eye opener!

#3  Different approach when working with my TOP TEN from Rapid Results potential clients or business partners.   NO sales pitch!  Listening more and finding out if they are open or in a place of need.  More about how I can help them then what they can do for me    Givers Gain, for my team to grow and experience their own success I need to set the example…Now off I go to what some might call work… I don’t

In today’s video (and I have NO idea how YouTube manages to catch me in these poses for EACH video still — YUCK!) we’ll look at the power of perception and how seemingly negative stats or facts can be turned into something positive.  I’ll also share a little known fact about ME:  As a pitcher in softball, I have one of the lowest Earned Run Averages among even the BEST pitchers of the major leagues.

RIPPED OFF!  

That seems to be a recurring theme in my client (and potential client) conversations lately.  Not that they’ve been ripped off, but that they’re afraid they will be.  And listen, there’s good reason for this.  There ARE people who will ask your advice, peek in on what you’ve been doing, envy it, think they can do it better themselves, and — without a hint of shame or remorse — take your idea, your copy, your pricing, your concept, or whatever they want, often with a very deceiving smile. Yuck.

Can you indulge me a quick story?  I was RIPPED OFF several years ago by a colleague.  I’m not even kidding.  The day I was alerted as to what was going on was not a good day.

Everything was swiped.  My copy.  My concept.  My price point was undercut by — if I recall correctly — like 47 cents. Was I concerned?  No.  Doing what I do isn’t as easy as it looks.  I knew the ultimate result of their thievery.  So, business-wise, this attempt was more laughable  and desperate than anything else.  But, I was HURT.   Really, really hurt. And shaken.  I had been deceived by someone I trusted. (And I am S–L–O–W to trust.)

I was fortunate, though, because this robbery had no impact on my business or income.  But others I know have not been so lucky.  I have a former client who’s invested over a quarter of a million dollars defending the idea she had and others stole.  SHE had to PAY to defend against being robbed.  This is just not right… however it IS sometimes the cost of being a leader in your field.  Most (dare I say EVERY?) leader in her field has wannabes nipping at her heels, looking for a shortcut to their own success.

My point, I guess, is that you can’t REALLY be playing BIG without the threat of being ripped off.  So, maybe the chosen title of this blog post is deceiving. Because I don’t believe you can really AVOID being ripped off… not entirely… not if you’re VISIBLE and LOUD and COURAGEOUS in business. However, there are things you can do to DRAMATICALLY LESSEN the impact of being ripped off.

When you have a truly innovative idea or concept, PROTECT IT.  I don’t necessarily mean legally… although I wouldn’t miss this step! But, on a more practical note:  don’t tease it out… fertilizing the minds of intellectual property thieves everywhere with the seeds of your “baby.” Sometimes, when you’re up to something REALLY NOVEL, you have to keep everything under wraps until you get all of your ducks in a row, and THEN — when you finally raise your flag in business — raise in a way that is massively bold and appears established and “set.”   When you’re up to something like THIS, starting slow and following a linear path to “success” is a recipe for disaster and an invitation to thieves. Massive action on multiple fronts allows you to claim your space quickly, lessening the impact of any ripoffs.

Quick Note:  You all know that I have had some
cause to be fairly knowledgable in the justice system.
(Thanks for never asking any questions! lol….)
I happen to be considered an expert witness
in more than 1/3 of the United States, so “law” is
an area in which I’m fairly comfortable and confident.
When you’re in the courtroom, or a legal arbitration, should you ever end up there,  
it will be important to be able to show that you
“were there first.”  So, being able to show that you’d
launched  and made money with your concept, sales page,
idea, etc. isn’t a GUARANTEED win, but it does carry some weight.  

OMG! As I’m typing this I remember this other time — very very early on in my business — in which I was ripped off.  This time, a woman stole my website copy.

EVERY.

WORD.

OF.

IT.

EVEN — get this — the about me page.  AND, she was from my local area… about 90 minutes away.  And she was a coach.  So, I call her.  And she denies it.  I’m laughing out loud now as I type this.  Not ONE word was changed.  NOT EVEN the ages of my kids, my husband’s occupation, my “story” of how I became a coach.   lol…. I remember saying,  ”Listen, lady. I wrote every word of this.  Are you saying that you created the exact same copy in your own mind, AND that our family structure, kids ages and husband’s occupation are all the same?”  She hung up and the site came down.  Hilarious, now… looking back.  I wish I remembered her name.

Okay, moving on…  what to do when you ARE ripped off.  You essentially have a couple choices.

1) You can ignore it, as I did in the first story above — after an initial, very civil confrontation– and let the battlefield of business take its course.  (If you are NOT in the “commodity” business — and you ShOULDNT be —  the business battlefield will almost always take care of “rip off artists” for you! They don’t survive very long.) Use this time to be SURE you are fully and completely differentiated in your market. Make sure you know that your clients won’t settle for less than what YOU deliver.

2) You can slap the thief’s hand with a Cease&Desist letter or even a direct confrontation, business owner to business owner.  Often, this is enough to let them realize that you know about the incident, and that you’re serious about defending what’s yours.

3) You can go full throttle and legally sue the heck out of them.  This is often the necessary route when you are defending a patent or a product you created is being ripped off and sold mass market. It is also a solid route to consider when a “big company” — and sometimes they do — rips off a much smaller company.  In a typical David and Goliath story, David usually wins big in the halls of justice.  =)  BUT, consider the costs.  NOT ONLY the legal costs, but the emotional costs… the costs to your productivity, the costs to your time, the costs to your reputation.

As Ray Kroc said, “I can create faster than they can copy.”  Sometimes, his “ignore the rip off artists”  approach is the best route to take.  I’d venture to say that a LOT of times, it’s the best route.

Man… this blog post is too long, so let me summarize:

Here’s the MAIN THING about being ripped off:   The FEAR of it keeps people playing small way too long.  You CAN smother your idea trying to protect it.  Don’t fall into that trap!  BUT, if you’re truly launching something novel, launch BIG.  And,  if  you ARE ripped off, ignore your ego and consider the costs.  Often the BEST road to take is also the HIGH road.  Create faster than they can copy. =)

Feeling like this at the end of every day or week?

I wanna tell you the story of a friend… a former client… and — frankly — it’s a big one.  **Quick note:  Just because you’re not a “coach” or “guru,” doesn’t make this post obsolete.  There’s GOLD here, so stick around. **

2nd quick note, I have permission to tell this story… as long as no names are used.

So this woman was really successful as a small business owner.  Really, truly successful. No positioning here. She was fully self-supportive, had a savings, traveled…  and it was all based on what she earned through her business. No spouse, no family money, no credit debt.  Just a girl and her business.  (I love this, by the way.  It’s one of the most romantic American dream stories I know… just a girl and her business.)

Okay, so one day she attends a well known guru conference and comes home to announce that she’s shifting gears. And she announces boldly, I’M NOT GOING TO DO WHAT I’VE ALWAYS DONE ANY MORE. Essentially, she wanted to be a guru.  An online guru… when she ran what was essentially a brick and mortar business. (???)

So, she lets the world know that she’s no longer doing X, and to stay tuned because she’s coming back with Y.  She hires (the wrong) copywriter.  She launches.   Results are dismal.  She hires one of the best known SEO and social media companies, because — she reasons — she needed a bigger stage. The results are that they delivered exactly what they promised: more “numbers” in terms of followers and fans, etc.  But her sales increased by a big fat zero… nothing, nada, zilch.  It’s getting scary for her. She’s invested a small fortune here and no sales are coming in.  GULP!

Please note:  She’s doing all she knows to do. She’s following the typical prescribed “guru system”…. 1) Declare your niche, 2) Write copy that converts 3) keep hustling to get a bigger stage of followers 4) rope people in with low priced products 5) upsell! upsell! upsell!   PLEASE NOTE that this is the WRONG system to follow. It is one of the QUICKEST ways I know to GO BROKE really fast. Back to her story:

So, here she is.   Her confidence is waning.  Her savings is almost gone.  She humbly re-engages with her previous brick&mortar clients to announce that she is still willing to serve them as she had in the past… because she needs the income. She still says she has confidence in the system she’s using, but — WHEN will the windfall of new guru money come her way??? Her pain and exhaustion and frustration and disappointment is palpable.

The worst part is: the windfall of new guru money is not coming for her… not doing what she’s doing.

And it’s NOT because she SHOULDN’T or COULDN’T be a very profitable guru.  She’s actually quite amazing, and has MUCH to share.  I’ve learned from her, and have sent my own clients to her as well.  It’s not happening for her because she’s building her business according to old rules… rules that are obsolete.  She’s learning from a guru and doing what that guru’s SYSTEM prescribes.  BUT, she’s not looking closely enough to see the differences between the guru’s ACTUAL system and the one they’re promoting.  (It’s obvious, by the way, when you look for it.)

ALL of us can learn from this.

MOST businesses I see are making this same mistakes.  They start bold and confident and hopeful.  They hang out their shingle and BUY what “the experts” tell them to buy:  yellow pages ads, a Chamber membership, an ad in the local shopper magazine, and maybe even a tv spot.  They read enough to piece meal their success system, buying into whatever they’re being sold, never challenging it… never testing it….   Never saying, “WAIT! How will this apply to me and my practice?”

And when the numbers are disappointing, they listen to the SAME people who gave them the first bunk advice, whether it was a book, or a SCORE volunteer, or their networking group peer… and they do MORE of what failed the first time.  It’s heartbreaking.

There are NEW rules… new ways of applying what’s tried and tested and proven.  Ways to InCREASE your money without increasing your headache and overhead. You just have to learn them.  You have to be OPEN to them.  Because here’s the truth:  You CAN NOT beat your competitors by playing according to old rules. Let THEM live there….

Let them continue to invest in building a business today based on what worked 5 – 10 years ago.   Let THEM hire out their core competencies, invest heavily in a “bigger stage” or bigger list or getting their name out there, when they never learned to monetize the stage they had. (Whether you’re a massage therapist or a pediatrician or a dog walker, you have your own stage.) Let THEM get desperate enough to create some poorly thought out groupon offer, and then complain bitterly about the money they lost while serving these “cheap-0s.” But not you.  You have to create your own rules, that have your competitors comparing themselves to YOU — and NOT the other way around — regardless of what you or your business “does.”

**Quick thought:    I’m considering offering a full day 
seminar on how to THRIVE in a Groupon Culture… one
entire day  on pricing, packaging, and selling…
as well as how to compete when your competitors are
willing to slice their own profits down to nothing
by undercutting your price.  AND EVEN: How  / When  to use
these daily deal sites to build a bigger list of potential
clients and how to PROFIT WILDLY from it.
If you’re interested, email me ASAP and let me know.  

Look around you.  80% of what you SEE in the business landscape will fail.  EIGHTY percent.  That’s sobering, but it leaves a HUGE margin of success for those willing to do things DIFFERENTLY than those 80%.

Bottom line, the rules of business are different than they were.   It is true, MUCH of what was OLD is new again.  But even these strategies must be applied in new ways.

Quick hint: The NEW business model that is taking ADVANTAGE of today’s economy is based on:

RECOMMENDATION-based selling, rather than on education- or information- based selling.  I call it prescription- or diagnostic-based selling and describe it more here:  http://www.bmichellepippin.com/diagnose-for-dollars/

More on this later in the week, but for now…

How are YOU competing?  Are you comparing yourself to your competitors… nipping at their heels, doing what they do but trying to be a BIT better? Or is the opposite happening?

When you compare yourself to other businesses you see in your area, are you doing things “pretty much the same” as they are? Or do you stick out as a bit of a renegade?

MOST IMPORTANTLY, is what you are currently doing working?  Or are you feeling the way my friend and former client is feeling right now?  Broke, bummed, disappointed, frustrated?  IF SO,

1. Let’s talk.  Email me at michelle@bmichellepippin.com.
2. Are you WiLLING to do something completely different?

Sometimes reality can be far more funny than scripted comedy, and the world of business offers plenty of it!

Not long ago, I received an invitation to come to an “open group meeting” to get more information about vaginoplasty.  Keep in mind, I was on this doc’s list, but had never ever indicated interest in this procedure.  =)

So, let’s break this down.  You’re holding an OPEN GROUP MEETING to discuss cosmetic surgery for, um… down there?  You mean I get to walk into the room, not sure who I’ll see, and ask questions like what?!  Will there be pictures?  Personal examinations?  SERIOUSLY… this is just a poorly thought out marketing campaign.

People seriously considering this procedure will likely NOT want to discuss it in a group setting.  I mean, what’s next?  Marketing erectile dysfunction drugs by asking any men having “problems” to show up for a Men with ED cookout?  Maybe it’s just me… but this approach struck me (very, very) funny.  Certainly a tale from the marketing crypt.

Wanna hear more? 

The NSA having speakers train other speakers to make money speaking…but the trainer is speaking for free.

The fools on twitter saying they can get me 20,000 followers in a day… and they have 173.

Doctors — of any specialty — who are overweight smokers… overseeing WHAT?  My health?  Thanks anyway.

Kirstie Alley marketing weight loss products…. again.

Oh…. I digress…  Seriously, KNOW who you’re talking to.  KNOW what people see when they look at you.  KNOW how your market needs to receive information from you (privately, or in a group setting).  Don’t KNOW?  Well ASK.  Your target market is much easier to figure out than you think! =) =)

Today, I went for my typical walk around the lake just behind my office. A common sign of spring here are these (pretty big) turtles sunning themselves on the fallen limbs all along the water’s edge. So, when I saw these guys, I moved in close trying to get a good picture.

I was focusing my camera, zooming in and walking slowly toward the water… when about 18 inches away from me I heard  PLOP!

PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!

I thought for a minute I had kicked in some rocks with my feet. But, no.  Right under my nose, about 12 turtles were diving in from the side of the lake… no more than one foot from my toe.

In my hurry to get a glimpse of those turtles who were “far away,” I’d missed the turtles right under my nose.

Business owners do this all the time — chasing after what’s OUT THERE while OVERLOOKING what’s RIGHT HERE.  So, let’s take a minute to consider the possibilities.

What opportunities, new clients, referrals or options might YOU be overlooking?

Not a day goes by that I don’t answer a question about time management.  How do I get it all done?  Because my clients, gym members and colleagues see “the details.” 3 kids. Home and schools and office spread across two states.  1 husband / best friend / lover. School projects. Sports schedules.  And a thriving business.

Please NOTE:  REGARDLESS of your family structure, you have an equally hectic life. You don’t have to be a mom of small kids to be this busy.  We’re ALL too busy.  So, how do we get it done?

One thing I’ve always kept in mind is the fact that Oprah, Trump and ME all have the same 24 hours per day.  How we CHOOSE to spend them, very different.  Still, the SAME 24 hours.  With regards to time, we can’t steal, borrow or make any more of it.  That’s what makes it precious… and that’s what makes it CRITICAL to our success.

So, my southern style $ucce$$ tip:  Sometimes you just have to do wake up early, stay up late, and do the work.

Not long ago, I was approached by a woman who was overwhelmed, behind, and feeling frazzled and frantic.  She wanted to know if I ever got behind and what I did about it.

Um… yeah.  I do.

Is there a magical time management tip that I use to pull myself out of overwhelm and get myself caught up?  I wish.  No, unfortunately, the “magic” comes down to my good old fashioned southern upbringing that taught me to get up with the sun.  (And many times before.)

You see, ’round my house growing up, I never saw a typical “work day.” So, I never expected one.  My Mom was always up early…to get a jump on the day.  My Dad worked 12 hour shifts at his “regular” job and would many times work an EIGHTEEN hour day when you included his “side jobs.” And then, there was the stuff that needed to be done around the house.  So, this is what I learned:

You wake up early and work until the work is done.  THIS, I learned, was the recipe for a good night’s sleep.

So, today… my work (THANK GOD!) does not involve physical labor or “feeding up” or any of that stuff. =) But I still get behind, overwhelmed, frazzled.  Here’s the key.  I find this kind of crazy stressful existence unacceptable. And so my solution is what I call the “college all nighter.”  I stock up on some caffeine, push through  and do the work.

Is it the healthiest solution?  Probably not.  But, for me, it’s preferable to carrying the burden of overwhelm and falling behind.

So, what’s YOUR solution / strategy when you get behind?

**Special note: Search this blog for tons of other very practical, no fluff strategies on TIME management.  These DO help me to not FALL behind.  But, as entrepreneurs, we STILL have those days… or weeks…. when our vision is bigger than our calendar.  This post is specifically for THOSE times… not as a general rule of thumb.**

When advertising isn’t working, and your fancy new site design didn’t bring clients through your door in droves, and  when your online store selling trinkets didn’t “take off” like you thought….

When you fear that all of your hours on facebook or twitter aren’t paying off, and even your last tv appearance “didn’t work” to drive your business results… and all the advice you’ve been getting from current business gurus is leaving you broke and bummed….

Where do you go?

Yesterday, I was approached about a potential client who’s a doctor.  A surgeon.  Operating the absolute MOST PROFITABLE center in her (very large) city.  Her clients love her.  They schedule surgeries months in advance.  She’s picky about whom she serves.  And her reputation precedes her.

YET, she’s not yet on facebook or twitter, and she’s not yet started blogging.  She doesn’t do YouTube and doesn’t have a publicist. She’s never hired a business coach or consultant.  She’s not following a blueprint in a box.

How do we explain this?

The same way the Beatles explained their success. After answering gobs of specific questions about how they rose to worldwide fame, they took a pause and said, “yeah… but we’re also a really good band.” That’s it.  They were incredible at their craft.  As is this surgeon.

Admittedly, I’m becoming a bit of a Colt Ford fan.  One of his songs says, “Respect the Old School, but make room for the new.” I don’t care what you think of his music, but As a business strategy, these lyrics will pay huge dividends.

You see,  this surgeon will be infinitely more profitable once these new tools are in place.  The Beatles could have been even more successful, had they had access to some to this shiny new media.
BUT ONLY because the fundamentals are in place.
And ONLY  if they stay out of the DANGER ZONE that so many of US find ourselves in:
dazzled and dazed and disoriented and distracted by all of this new stuff.  

The DANGER ZONE is intensified when we stop looking BACK for business strategies. 

Back to what worked for us in the past.

Back to when WE were most profitable.

And BACK to the business greats that far too many of my generation would think too antiquated to learn from.   Gary Halbert. Henry Ford.  Andrew Carnegie. And too many more to name.

You see, when all of the relatively new tactics you’re using don’t seem to be working… it only makes sense to look backwards and see how businesses succeeded WITHOUT all of these distractions… er, I mean, tools.

Should you abandon new media?  NO!  Please don’t.  It’s amazing stuff.  But don’t be so consumed or distracted by it that you ignore the fundamentals of profitable business, either.

As the lyrics go,
1.) Respect the old school, and

2.) 2, as in NEXT, secondary, when you have time:  make room for the new.

=) Go BACK to the fundamentals of good, profitable businesses.  Great service. Promises kept. Conversations had. Offers made. Build this foundation.  Make it strong, so that real leverage can be built with the new options available to us!