One of the shifts most entrepreneurs make as they try to grow to the next level is to use the same strategies they started their business with, versus using a new set of strategies, decision making and mindsets for 7 figure results.

Start-up decisions will keep you focused on the wrong end of the equation and will most likely keep you much smaller than you should be. In growth mode, we need to focus on long-term goals, tie strategies to infrastructure upleveling, hire managers who can take entire chunks of business off our plates.

But what most people do at this crucial juncture is fear spending money, hire the cheapest labor possible and focus on how to make more money today. Then these stuck entrepreneur lament about their lack of growth…wondering why on earth they are not making it to the next level!

One of the most important advancements I ever made in my personal CEO development was to start making decisions today based on the business that I wanted, not on the business I currently had.

You have to think BIG and start making decisions like the CEO of a multi-million dollar company regardless of where your resources are at today. Once you put yourself in that zone and start building your business upon a “millionaire” mindset your growth will be exponential.

One technique that is a phenomenal tool in adopting a millionaire mindset is modeling. Modeling is a powerful tool in business and when applied in the sector of CEO development it can be explosive!

You can start by looking at the “big thinkers” of your industry – find out how they made the jump from “business owner” to CEO superstar – and start to tailor your plans for growth along the path they took to success.

I’d argue that Oprah is one of the most recognizable faces in the world today and whether you are a fan or not, you cannot deny her entrepreneurial prowess. In order to create the billion dollar empire she has today Oprah has to devote her time and energy to what she does best – her strengths, her passion, her star factor!

Oprah has mastered the art of finding her central focus and outsourcing the rest. In order to achieve “Oprah level” success you have to be prepared as a CEO, to delegate total ownership to a team of people whose passions and competencies are aligned with your own.

It may be hard to envisage right now, but the right team can carry out your vision for you, allowing you to live the lifestyle you desire with the business you’ve always dreamed of.

Just for a moment, pretend you already have your multi-million dollar business, and consider the following questions…

1. What would you have to approach differently in your business in order to achieve your ultimate vision?
2. Who could get your projects done if you weren’t to do them?
3. What business model would you need to adopt in order to consistently achieve 6 and 7 figures?
4. What would have to happen for you to make the impact you want to on the world?
5. Who do YOU have to be to achieve your millionaire dream without giving up your lifestyle?

The questions you ask will directly affect the results you achieve and the speed at which you achieve them. The harder you challenge yourself as a CEO, the bigger your business growth will inevitably be.

In the words of, David Joseph Schwartz, “Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success.”

To learn more about CEO development and leading your business to a whole new level grab your copy of The CEO Manifesto by Melanie Benson Strick.
CLICK HERE to claim your free copy now!

(c) 2008-2009, www.TheCEOFactor.com, All rights reserved.

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CEO Development: Making Million Dollar Decisions

Many small (and large) business owners find themselves in a difficult position when transitioning from seeing themselves as the craftsman or solopreneur to a owner of a business capable of generating more than six figures, and that is that you just can’t seem to crush that “employee” mindset when approaching your business.

You brought this baby to life, you worked tirelessly for hours on end at the beginning to get your brainchild off the ground and this hard working, task orientated approach has become ingrained in your every day life. It’s an understandable (and common) predicament and one that can be combated with a little focus – and a nudge in the right direction.

One of the main issues with the limiting employee mindset is the short term nature of your thinking and actions. When thinking like an employee we focus on what is necessary in the moment – getting clients, putting up a squeeze page, finishing a deadline, how to fix what is broken, etc – and you find yourself falling deeper and deeper into the illusion that doing things yourself allows for a speedier return.

When you work each day under the shadow of this short term mindset you end up under-utilizing (if not, wasting) your best asset – leverage! As you step into your CEO shoes you need to recognize where your strengths are, where your weaknesses are and how to approach them for the ultimate success of your business – and your own personal development.

Devoting all your time to short term tasks is merely depriving you, your business and your team from the growth and development that can be achieved when you truly identify your key strengths and make the jump to align those with the day to day running of your business.

So, how do you quash your employee mindset and start propelling your business into a new dimension? Well here’s a few pointers to get your started…

1.     Decide Who Do You Need to Be – Decide who you need to be for your business and your team based on your strengths, weakness and what really lights your fire!

2.     Build a Solid Team Who Will Support Your Shift – Start building a team of focused, motivated, knowledgeable people who you can trust to take the weight off your shoulders as you find your core CEO direction and run with it. The key here is to build the team you need for 7 figures, not the team you need today.

3.     Learn To Let Go – You need to learn to relinquish control and get out of the way so others can manage the implementation. Realize that to grow you want progress, not perfection. If you have 10 times as much done 90% right vs. 2 times as much done 100% right, that’s a CEO Mindset.

Remember, no one gets beyond six figures alone… be willing to look at where your bottlenecks are keeping your business stuck where you are today.

To learn more about quashing your employee mindset and reaching new levels in your business then you NEED to pick up a free copy of The CEO Manifesto. CLICK HERE to claim your free copy now.

(c) 2008-2009, www.TheCEOFactor.com, All rights reserved.

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The CEO Factor Manifesto Grab Your FREE Copy Here!

Quash Your “Employee” Mindset To Propel Business Growth

A common problem for people who run their business from home is that they slowly but surely move into unproductive work patterns due to a “hobbyist” environment.

If you’re not careful you’ll spend your days answering phone calls from your mother-in-law, trying to find your last invoice, stopping the dog from barking at the postman – all whilst keeping one eye on the computer screen and the other on Oprah (or a more masculine equivalent!)

Ok so that might be the extreme end of the spectrum but if you’re scoffing right now that you’re not anything like that – take a look around right now, what do you see?

Do you see an office that could suit a millionaire CEO or someone who’s scouring Ebay for a custom pair of Nikes?

Just because you run your business from home doesn’t mean you can’t create a professional environment that gets you in the zone for success, focus and productivity from the second you start your “work” day!

Now even though I work at home, I have a room dedicated to my office – and that’s it. It is so important to designate your “work space” and have it used solely for that purpose. It doesn’t matter where it is in your house as long as you know that when you sit down at that desk you have your CEO cap on and your mood, mindset and decisions reflect that.

In my home office I have a beautiful L shaped desk with matching credenza and bookcases so that my materials are handy. I have a computer and office chair set up that is ergonomically supportive for my body so I can work as long as I need to. I have professionally framed pictures on the wall of beautiful tropical destinations that inspire me. I shape my environment in a way that will enhance my productivity and build a breeding ground for great decisions, intense focus and a CEO mindset!

Here’s a few pointers to help you move in the right direction for creating an effective office environment that will have you on FIRE with ideas, motivation and focus!

1. Pick a space where you can comfortably set up everything you need to run your home office e.g. desk, chair, filing cabinet, shelves etc. If you don’t have a spare room in your house don’t fret, find an area in your home that you can make your own – preferably away from the bulk of the noise, clutter and common areas.

2. Make sure you have adequate lighting in the room, preferably natural sunlight through a large window, but if not an appropriately placed lamp will do the trick to prevent you from straining your eyes.

3.  Set up an appropriate filing system so that everything you need is within arms reach and organized efficiently – regardless of how big or small your operation is. Color-coded manila folders or appropriately-labeled trays are a great place to start if you’re filing needs are on the lower end of the spectrum.

4. Make sure your workspace inspires you! Whether it is motivational quotes, a beautiful painting, a dream board or simply some music playing softly in the background – make sure your home office fuels your desire to succeed every moment of the day.

To learn more about mastering the CEO mindset and reaching new levels in your business then you NEED to pick up a free copy of The CEO Manifesto.  CLICK HERE to claim your free copy now.

(c) 2008-2009, www.TheCEOFactor.com, All rights reserved.

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Putting Your CEO Cap On – 4 Ways To Improve Your Home Office Productivity!

Learning where to get involved, and where to step back, in your business is one of the most crucial lessons you’ll learn on your entrepreneurial journey. It’s a major learning curve finding the right ratio of involvement, and distance, to ensure both the professional success and growth of your enterprise along with your own personal happiness (and sanity!)

The Pareto Principle (the 80/20 Rule) to be your best friend in business especially as you strive for substantial growth in the new year. In order to really grow you need to make the changes necessary for you to have the freedom to devote 80% of your time to being a CEO.

The dilemma of delegation is all part of a steep learning curve in the lives of entrepreneurs when moving from the stereotypical “sole trader” role into the shoes of a successful CEO. It’s a hard (and sizable) step to make, especially when, until now, the business has been your baby, your all-consuming passion project.

I love this quote from the best-selling book “4 Hour Work Week”…

“But what about the cost of [hiring a team?]
’This is a hurdle that is hard for most.
‘If I can do it better, why should I pay them?’
Because the goal is to free your time to focus on bigger and better things!”

You have to undergo a huge shift in mindset when moving into the CEO role, an adjustment that is not easy to do but is crucial for the advancement of your business, and your own personal growth.

One of the biggest elements entrepreneurs in struggle with is removing themselves from many of the “every day” activities of the business. Bringing the 80/20 rule into play again you should only be allowing 20% of your day/week/month involving yourself in non-CEO centered tasks.

Are you abiding by this all-important rule right now in your business?

Having your busy hands involved in every little function of the business will not only cripple your growth, it will have you working 50+ hours a weeks and moving further and further away from your dream lifestyle.

In order to devote your time and brain power to bigger and better things that will propel your enterprise into a new dimension you need to learn to step back, discover your core strengths and quite simply delegate the rest.

Your role, as a CEO, is to steer the ship and make the big decisions that will keep you on track. If you are managing every little activity that goes on in the day to day running of your enterprise you are depriving your team and your business of your true star quality, your CEO energy.

Here’s a useful exercise to begin the process of your move into CEO shoes and away from the every day tasks that are slowing you and your business’ growth down…

Step 1) Next time you’re in the office take note of each activity you do during the day (no matter how big or small) and detail how long it took you to perform each task.

Step 2) At the end of the day take time to read over the list and put a * next to every activity that doesn’t directly make you money or contribute to future revenue growth.

Step 3) Write a new list with only the * tasks and (keeping in mind your new CEO mindset) put a cross next to each and every activity that you could potentially delegate to a team member with the right training.

And there you have it – your new focus – to find the right team members to perform these tasks thus allowing you to spend 80% of your time with your CEO cap on devising new and unique ways to propel your business into a whole other level.

Click Here to pick up your complimentary copy of “The CEO Manifesto”
right now so you can start your move into CEO shoes TODAY!

(c) 2008-2009, www.TheCEOFactor.com, All rights reserved.

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The CEO Factor Manifesto Grab Your FREE Copy Here!

Applying the All Important 80/20 Rule to your Business: Filling the Shoes of a CEO

Your “inner game” dictates your “outer game”, so learning how to overcome your bad days are critical.  I’ll give you some pointers here:

Please feel free to leave comments below, and to hear more tips from Melanie, sign up for her CEO Factor Manifesto on the form to the right.

Article written by Melanie Benson-Strick, your Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach.

(c) 2008-2009, www.TheCEOFactor.com, All rights reserved.

Online Connections: The CEO Factor FB Page · Facebook · Twitter

The CEO Factor Manifesto Grab Your FREE Copy Here!

As the CEO, can you ever be in a bad mood?

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