http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog I help small businesses to overcome mental blocks of business success, whether in money, empowerment or life balance. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:35:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last week I  talked with to two different solo business owners who said they had lost the passion for their business. In both cases they had worked hard for many years, put in blood sweat and tears and in the end,  the poor  financial return had affected their motivation to keep ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/how-is-your-business-like-a-garden/ Running a business is hard work, with many challenges around all kinds of stuff, but the biggest challenge is with your own state of mind. As a business owner, your mental and/or emotional state can have a huge effect on your productivity, your relationships and your business as a whole. It could ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/you-can-choose-your-state-of-mind/ One of my mentors, T. Harv Eker told me, "until you can manage a small amount of money, you won't be able to handle a large amount." When I first heard this I felt like I wanted to crawl into a cave because my money management was atrocious. I never really ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/5-ways-to-eliminate-money-clutter/ It's  about  impossible to run a business without regularly experiencing mental blocks. It's just part of the deal. A mental block is like it sounds; a blocked mind. You know you need to do something but your mind says, no and you feel tangled or stuck.  Sometimes you can feel just ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/how-to-overcome-business-mental-blocks/ The term, "Burning Desire," can describe that powerful energy that will propel you forward against all odds. It's made up of passion and it  can get you to move yourself out of your usual way of life and into a foreign territory . This intense desire is what allows you to ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/attitude-attitude-and-attitude/ Do you  wonder sometimes why you seem to work so hard and not get the results you want? It's hard work running a solo-business and it requires focus to learn how to have a fully orchestrated company. I am reminded of my son's Suzuki violin teacher when he was five. The ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/how-is-your-business-like-a-violin/ You probably get tons of offers for amazing seminars, workshops and other cool learning opportunities. Wouldn't it be nice to spend the day just leaning great new stuff, if you had the time and money. If you're running a business there are two kinds of  workshops you could take. One type ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/5-good-reasons-to-not-take-a-seminar/ If you're like many solo-business owners you started your business because you are enthusiastically passionate about your product or service. You love it, and you know that if people understood they would love it too. How could they not? So why is it so hard to get people to make the ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/are-you-losing-clients-because-of-your-pitch/ You help people everyday. You know you make a difference in their lives. You love that good feeling you have when you provide quality service. But sometimes things feel out of control and you are the one who needs help. Your client flow has slowed to a trickle and you ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/why-stuggle-to-get-more-clients-when-you-can-get-help/ You didn't begin a business in order to learn about how to struggle. You deserve to be happy and in fact joyful about your work. Wouldn't it be great to be able to take a day off and feel relaxed? You  want more clients. In fact you need more clients in ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/what-exactly-is-a-marketing-plan/ My vulnerable area is my organizational systems. I put things away and forget where I put them. I file papers and then go to look and they are not there. It is very frustrating because it breaks up my work flow, causes anxiety and disrupts creativity. Wikipedia says, "An Achilles’ heel is ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/zen-and-the-art-of-organizing/ Whether you are marketing your services as a massage therapist or a web builder, it is important to know how to communicate with potential clients in a way that grabs them at the gut level. Why is this so important? When you are able to speak to their emotions they feel you ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/5-emotionally-compelling-ways-to-connect-with-your-clients/ Many solo-entrepreneurs are overwhelmed. " Too many things to juggle, not enough time, poor organization."  These issues eat away at your efficiency and can effect your overall success. I also have struggled with these same challenges and I have learned that the one most powerful solution to those challenges is make ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/focus/ This week I had the unfortunate experience of my MacBook mail program biting the dust. It was frustrating and time consuming dealing with this issue. However there is always a positive side of every difficult situation. I met a wonderful new Mac technician named Gene who I spent the day with as ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/the-one-secret-to-successful-marketing/ One of the most challenging things about owning a business is feeling like you are tied to it with a ball and chain. Most small businesses are not Monday through Friday gigs. There are always lists of things to do; bookkeeping, phone calls, web updates, jobs of clients, blah, blah and more ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/will-your-business-suffer-if-you-take-a-vacation/ Let’s start with a definition from Wikipedia. “Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.” Twitter is a micro blog platform. You are limited to 140 characters ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/what-is-twitter-by-jocelyn-mozak-guest-writer/ Part of what makes a business a business is the cash flow.  You need to have more money coming in than going out. I remember my first year in business when  the flow had slowed down to a trickle and then almost stopped at one point. I  felt  hopeless, fearful and ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/what-do-you-do-when-the-cash-flow-dries-up/ I love reading the comics over my morning cup of tea. My dad used to call them "the funnies," but the older I  got the less funny they  were, but there are still a few I like. Adam@home, by Brian Basset, is one of them. I certainly can relate to the ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/618/ Maybe you own a business that is doing okay but you want it to be great!  Why not? You didn't start a business in order to stay mediocre. You want to be prosperous and have a business that works like a well oiled machine. Are you ready to take your business ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/5-steps-to-how-to-grow-your-business-to-the-next-level/ Like most entrepreneurs I always have more to do than I have time to get it all done.  There's always an invisible priority list in my brain and I end up doing all 'those' things first in between appointments. The thing about appointments is that they take way longer than just ... http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog/the-wonder-of-a-day-with-no-appointments/