Unfortunately,  many aspiring entrepreneurs believe that marketing their venture will be that easy.  They think that once they hang out their shingle, the world will build a path to their door.  Sadly, it rarely (read: “never, ever, not in a million years”) works that way.  Marketing a new venture is hard work and requires intelligent, well-focused, effort.

Today, I am not going to talk about that particular reality, because there is an equally powerful reality that must be realized by anyone who hopes to start something new.  The axiom goes something like this:

“If you DON’T build it, they will definitely NOT come.”

There is this little matter that comes after conceiving your dream.  You have to WORK and put it together.  I know: that seems self-evident.  But you are no closer to having your  dream the more you lay on the couch (or sit in your cubicle at work) day-dreaming about it.  If you don’t get out there and build something for them to come to, they (your future customers who will provide the financial element to your dream) will never come. Duh.  There will be nothing there–only your day dreams.  I know, call me Sherlock.

But how many people are dreamers but are never achievers?  They have wonderful ideas that never ever come to any fruition.  That is because building it is hard work.  Thinking concepts in your mind is relatively easy, and usually exciting.  Turning those concepts into tangible reality is something else entirely.  It is taxing and often frustrating and occasionally exciting.  But it is not easy.

Kevin Costner had to carve a baseball field out of his corn field.  People treated him like he was a crazy fool.  He almost lost everything.  Yeah, they came in the movie–the old baseball stars, his father, and, at the end, the paying customers who got him out of hock.  Like I said before, that is hokey and definitely not realistic.  But it does argue my point:

Nothing whatsoever would have happened if he just day dreamed about it and did not build it.

Who are you?  Someone who is just another dreamer?  Or someone who has a fighting shot at achieving your dreams because you will get off your duff and get to work on your dreams?

Mike

Fear is an interesting thing.  Too much of it can make you cower in a corner, trembling and sucking your thumb like a little baby.  It can make you stop clean in your tracks, terrified to proceed.

Or . . . it can bring out the fighter in you.  A little anxiety is a good thing.  It means you are stretching outside of your comfort zone.  It can make you dig down and reach for things you never knew for sure you had inside you.

You see, when we do what we have always done, it is comfortable–even if the results are less than satisfactory.  And that is the problem, right?  The results are less than we feel are worthy of our lives.  Remember, we are here on this planet for more than to just mark time.  More than just to repeat the ruts we have run for years.  Ruts with which we are very comfortable, but ruts that do not get us where we want to go.  (I had a preacher once who was fond of saying that ruts were just graves with both ends kicked out.)

OK, so you want to change your path.  You want to achieve that dream in your heart.  Has that rut gotten you there, yet?  I would venture the answer is: “No!”  So, you have got to step (or climb) out of that rut–that familiar, comfortable path you have worn so smooth (and deep).

Climbing out is scary.  Once you are out, you have to pass over uneven ground, and you are NOT SURE that it will really take you where you want to go.  (You do know, however, that all of your years in that rut did not get you there.)  You are pursuing something new, your dream, and the pursuit takes you into the unknown.  You cannot just coast on your way there.  It takes effort, and there is the constant risk that you just may fail.

I have a dream.  And this dream takes steps.  Step number one is to change the way I work in my business, MrKleanze.  That is going to take breaking approaches that are 12 years old.  I am going to have to change my focus to creating, managing, and marketing my business rather than primarily directly servicing my clients.

Step number two is adding chemical sales to the offering of my business.  This affords me opportunities to replace my labor with hired labor–further freeing myself to drive my business instead of working like a dog within it.  I am away training for this very thing right now.  It is fun learning something new (especially seeing I have never had formal sales training), but it is also challenging, and occasionally scary.  Will I be able to do this?  I believe I can, but there are more than a few butterflies in my stomach; I won’t lie.

Further steps include refining my writing and pursuing public speaking opportunities.  I need to consistently write.  But these steps will get nowhere until I change my approach to my existing business.  It seems simple enough, but the execution of it makes me nervous.  I keep wanting to run back to what is comfortable, but that will keep me where I am–and keep me FROM where I want to be.  I literally have to force myself to look at things differently, or I will stay where I am.  I must admit that often I have hidden behind large amounts of work, servicing my clients myself, and have not pressed on the more important things that I ONLY am the one to do as the entrepreneur of my business.  It is easy to deceive yourself that you are doing the right things just because you are working hard.  But if you are running down a rut (grave with ends kicked out) that does not, and will not ever, go where you want, then you must face the truth that you are doing the wrong things.  You have to suck it up and change your approach.

This change is scary.

I have to tell you that if your dream does not scare you, it is not worthy of you.  Or, quite possibly, you are unafraid because you have not REALLY worked through in your mind what it will cost you to achieve it.

Let’s live lives that are worthy of us.  Let’s not just mark time existing.

Mike

Since we started our business in 1999, the world has changed, several times over.  When we started, gasoline was $1.25 or so a gallon–not the $3.35 give or take what it is today.  Think about all the changes:  911, the tech bubble bursting, boom times in the mid 2000′s, two recessions, websites becoming more important, yellow pages becoming less important, social media, and the list goes on.  I now have a telephone where I can go online, get email, text, get GPS directions, participate in social media, and, oh yes, even talk–hands free.  (When we started our business, we did not even own a cell phone.)

Our business has changed over time as well.  When we began, we were a maid-service and janitorial-service company.  Now, those are small aspects of what we do.  Window cleaning and pressure washing dominate our landscape, presently.  I remember when we bought our pressure washing trailer; I was very nervous about the investment, but my CPA was encouraging.  Now, my pressure washing business has increased five-fold.  We used to service a small area in Birmingham, AL near where we lived.  Now, in one way or another, we serve all of central Alabama and are in the process of expanding to the Florida panhandle.

Now, we are adding another dimension to our business.  Yesterday, it was approved.  We will be selling chemicals (cleaning-related) as well.  This gives us one more weapon in our arsenal.  We are able to help our clients solve other problems, and our income will increase as a result.

These changes have kept us alive and will in the future.  They are strategic and will help me re-define my role in my company to enhance my effectiveness and the strength of our business.  MrKleanze, LLC is 12 1/2 years old.  We have evolved over time and will continue to do so.  Sometimes, I have resisted changes; other times, I have embraced them full on.

Change requires a lot of the owner.  It takes resources to pull it off.  It is risky.  It is generally uncomfortable, even if it is exciting.  Your job is to determine the best changes to make, and how to pull it off.  Don’t get stuck, or the world will pass you by.

I, personally, have been very busy related to these additions.  My time, recently, has been stretched.  But that is what it takes to move into new things.  Later, there is a payoff–that is why we push.  I am re-defining my life, and to do so I am needing to re-define my business and my role in it.

What about you?  How do you and your business need to evolve?  Don’t kid yourself: it won’t just happen.  There will be resistance and challenge.  There are no guarantees of reward.  But I will guarantee that failure to adapt will bring you a “reward” that you definitely do not want.

Chew on it.

Mike

How many times have we heard this phrase?  It is all about jumping out there and going all out after your dreams.  It is about actually trying and not just thinking about it.  And, if you read any of my posts, you get the idea that I am all about trying and not just thinking about it.  The idea for this phrase is that if you set your sights on the top of your goals and dreams, even if you don’t quite make them, you will really accomplish a lot.

And that is true.  After all, getting to the moon is no mean feat, no small accomplishment.  It is way better than daydreaming while laying on your couch about what it might be like.  But let’s say that you have made it to the moon, now what?

What are you going to do with a partially-achieved goal?  I think there are three possibilities.

1.  You can become overwhelmed with disappointment with yourself that you did not make it all the way.  Become depressed and discouraged and stop doing the things that got you to the moon and fall off from your high place.  Later, you can tell stories about the “glory days” and what might have been.  Honestly, this is a VERY BAD IDEA.  Remember, hitting the moon is a very lofty accomplishment–not one to beat yourself up over.

2.  You can decide to stay at “moon level.”  There are some circumstances where this would be desireable.  If, in the course of your travels, you see that it is TRULY not possible for you to hit the stars, that would be a good reason.  Perhaps, pushing once again for the stars might be too costly on other equally-important goals (like maybe a cherished relationship or financial stability).  Finally, maybe your perspective has changed.  When you were laying on your couch, dreaming of the stars, you did not know what the moon would be like.  Now that you are there, the moon is an awesome place that you would not ever want to leave–you just had no way of knowing that until you got there.  These would be good, valid reasons to stay on the moon.

But . . .

If you cannot be content with the moon, and there is a real chance you can hit the stars if go for it one more time, and you can do it without destroying everything dear to you, and you are going to feel that your integrity as a person is going to be damaged by not achieving your original goal, then you have no choice but to . . .

3.  Use the moon as a staging place from which to reach the stars.  You have already made it a long way.  Use and leverage what you have accomplished to propel yourself forward to your original goal.  Maybe, you will need to have stop-offs along the way at Mars and Saturn and Neptune, but won’t the view be great along the way!

What you decide is up to you and has to be what is right in your heart and leaves no regret.  In my life, I regret most the things I did not try and the things that I quit on before getting my reward.  Go out there and get your reward.  There is no reward for dreaming on the couch, and there is no reward for becoming discouraged and quitting when you do not achieve everything you think you should as fast as you think you should.

I say: “Get your reward.”

Shoot for the stars!

Mike

With that in mind, what are you going to do today to achieve your goals?  You only have so much time, and you have plenty of demands on it.  So here are a few thoughts on making the most of today.

Prioritize.  What are the most important things?  Value them with your time and energy.   What are the most important things that you do best?  This is where you get the biggest bang for the buck, so to speak.

Focus on your priorities.  Keep the plan forefront in your mind.

Hustle.  Life is too short to dawdle.  (Now, if your priority today is rest, that is fine–even God rested and admired His handiwork, and I would say He was pretty productive.)  Get after the plan.  Don’t just think about it: Do it!

Get it done.  Start projects with the plan of attack in place to actually finish them.  Don’t leave them hanging over your head indefinitely.  It wears you out emotionally.  Believe me; I know.

I read in one of Zig Ziglar‘s books that if we were productive regularly like we are the day or week before we go on vacation, we would effectively get so much done that we would change our lives for the better in ways that boggle our imagination.

You may say that you cannot maintain that level of intensity.  That is why I mentioned planning rest earlier.  Don’t feel guilty for resting, but DO IT ON PURPOSE when you do; don’t just zone out in order to avoid things you don’t feel like doing.  You need to rest, refresh, and recharge.

So . . . what are you going to do with this “TODAY” that you have been given?

Go out there make your life happen.

Mike

www.positivelypositive.com

I think this hits on why we do not get started after our dreams.  We do not think we are “worthy” or “good enough,” so we just think about it and do nothing, waiting for that day when we are “ready.”  The problem is: “Ready” never really comes.

Now, I am in favor of preparation (although it is not always one of my strengths–sad to say), but preparation and procrastination are two different things.  While you think about it, are you really doing things to get prepared or are you just putting it off?

My wife and I recently re-did our kitchen with the help of our oldest daughter.  We ripped out the old hardwood floors and put in tile, we put up a new backsplash, we built a new island with pull-out drawers, and we installed granite counter tops.  It turned out beautifully (mostly because of my wife and daughter).  It also took about a year and a half to do–when I thought it would only take a few weeks.  See, we had never laid tile and never built cabinets.  And every step of the way MY FEAR of the unknown slowed down the progress.  I was afraid of messing up every step, and so I avoided and delayed moving forward each new part.  I didn’t mean to, but venturing into each new part scared me.  It left me feeling overwhelmed.  And there were plenty of things that I could think of to do to avoid it.  Now, eventually, we got it done (again, mostly because of my wife keeping us moving on it), and we are very proud of how it turned out.  I feel like my kitchen looks stellar, and we did it ourselves.

Here is my point, again: Don’t let fear and shame keep you from trying.  Don’t wait to be great.  Go out there and make yourself great by being and doing your best at what passion burns in your heart.  You have to start, and then see it through all the way to the end, even if it takes WAY TO LONG.  Then, you will be great–the greatest YOU  you can be.  And that is pretty great, really.  Isn’t it?

Mike

I was not up at midnight to ring in the New Year.  In fact, I was probably asleep by about 10:30.  I guess at 46 I am becoming an old fart.  Really, though, in my defense, it has been a grueling week (where I basically only worked, ate, and slept everyday) to be followed by another one just like it, and my wife is gone and most of my children are out of the house, so what was I going to do:  Stay up well past when I was sleepy, so I could toast with champagne to myself at midnight?  I think not.

Now, before you feel sorry for me about being alone, don’t.   My wife is in Alaska with my son and daughter-in-law for the birth of my awesome grandson, “Little Will,” who was born a couple of days ago.  At 8 lbs. 13 oz., “Little Will” was not so little!  I can think of no better reason for her not to be here.  I just wish I could have  been there too!  (Refer back to grueling week and upcoming grueling week for the reason for that.)

My wife is my best buddy and has been for the almost 25 years we have known each other.  I get quite lonely while she is gone, so I keep myself inordinately busy whenever she is away to make the time pass quicker.  This weekend was to be a continuation of that.  I have a client that has a lot of pressure washing to get done for a VIP visit this month, so I was going to get a jump on it over the weekend.  The holiday is just like another day when your baby is gone, right?  In fact, less people are out and in your way.  A great time to catch up and/or get ahead.

Well, my plans were changed for me.  Yesterday, the boiler on my hot-water pressure washer went out.  No hot water=ineffective at removing grease and gum, the primary reasons for me to pressure wash for this client.  I did what I knew to fix it, but it did not work.  I tried to call the personal cell of the person who works on it to see if he could talk me through it, but I could not find the number.  And no one is open to fix it this weekend due to the holiday; in fact, they are taking Monday off too since the holiday falls on Sunday!  Hence, my plans were changed.  Don’t worry:  I am still going to be able to get my work done; I will just have to get a little creative over the next week.

Last night, after having dinner with my 16-year-old son (the only family member currently home), I worked some getting ready for my meeting with my CPA next week until my eyelids got heavy.  Then, I went to bed.

This morning, I awoke, without my alarm, at 5:50 (I usually awake at about 4AM) and turned on my coffee pot.  I felt reasonably refreshed after getting over 7 hours of sleep.  I sat down in my bed to read for a few minutes while the coffee brewed.  Instead, I passed back out.  I re-awoke to the sound of  wind chimes outside my window.  It was well after 9:00!

Other than the chimes, the house was perfectly silent.  I lay there, just drinking it in.  You have to understand: Quiet is not a term that is common around our house.   My wife and I talk a lot.  We raised 4 children–none of whom were really quiet.   Add to that, I am a bit ADD, and we always have multiple irons in multiple fires–there is always the pressure of the “undone.”  Quiet and still are typically not a part of my life.  In fact, I try to avoid it when my wife is gone because “quiet” is just another term for “lonesome.”  But not so this morning.

This morning, it was like cool water to my mind–refreshing and cleansing.  I did not plan or think hard about anything.  I did not worry or plot or stew or feel like there was something else I should be doing.  I just was.  And my world was quiet.  And my racing mind became still.  And I breathed in the quiet and was rejuvenated.

Just before 10:00, I made one of my favorite things for breakfast–ham, smoked sausage, onions, potatoes, and peppers all sauteed together.  It was tedious (and I normally CANNOT stand tedium) cutting everything to go in it, but I had my kitchen door open and could listen to the wind chimes and be still and quiet, so it did not matter.  My mind was resting, and so was my body.  I was at peace, so monotony did not trouble me.

I had a great breakfast with my son, Collin.  He asked me a question which we discussed the entirety of our meal.  I did not feel rushed while we ate, and we took time and talked.  This discussion will probably be the topic of my next post.

In my quiet, I found inspiration.  I wrote this rather long post–something I rarely have patience for.  I hope it did not bore you.  Today, I will get some things done.  I will also take my son for a bike ride.  And, once or twice, I will sit and breathe.

What is my point in all of this?  Simply put, I think most entrepreneurs are like me, thriving in a whirlwind of activity.  Drinking it in like nourishment.  Eating challenge for breakfast, and loving every minute of it.  Silence and quiet can be like fingernails going down a chalkboard for us.  Sometimes, though, it is just what the doctor ordered.  I think the Doctor ordered it for me today.

Have a great day, everybody.  I will.

Mike

This coming week, I am going in to see my CPA.  We are going to review the past year, and work on financial plans for the upcoming one.  These meetings always make me nervous:  I feel like I am going in to the doctor for a physical–you know, the kind where you take your clothes off and get poked, prodded, and grabbed where you don’t want to be poked, prodded, and grabbed.  But, just like those physicals, these meetings are necessary to maintain the health of my business.  (And, in my CPA’s defense, he is very helpful and encouraging.  I may walk in feeling like an idiot who has put the weight of the world on his back, but I leave feeling hopeful and with a plan.)  But I digress . . .

2011 has been a challenging year for my little company.  About this time, a year ago, several of my largest clients either reduced or eliminated the use of my business.  The recession had caught up with me.  I challenged myself in August to get my sales back where they were by the end of the year.  Have I achieved that?  Sadly, no.  However, I have recently acquired several new clients and increased my business with existing ones.  I even have meetings planned in early January with some of the clients that cut us back.  They seem open to the idea of us doing some of the work we had done before.  Pushing sales increase continues to be my top priority for my business.  Getting ready for my meeting with my CPA has definitely confirmed that to me.  My bottom line (profit) is ever so much more pleasant with a higher top line (sales).  Controlling expenses is critical, but having strong sales makes everything much easier and more fruitful,

So . . . How was this year for you?  Great?  Hard?  Devastating?  Prosperous?

I want to share a bit of encouragement for you for the upcoming year.  I heard somebody read a Bible verse the other day, and it really lifted my spirits.  So in the interest of motivation and encouragement, I thought I would share it with you.  It goes like this:

“We went through fire and water, yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.”  (Psalms 66:12)

As we look back over the last year, we may feel like we have been on fire.  We may have felt like we were about to drown.  Shoot, sometimes, we may have even felt like we were drowning while being on fire!  (Not that that is literally likely.)  If that is you, my New Year’s prayer for you (and for me too) is that you are about to come out into a place of abundance.

So, review and analyze what you have done this last year.  What worked and what didn’t.  Then, make plans to do what it takes to get to your own abundant place.  Sometimes success is not a matter of working harder; it is a matter of working harder on what works.

(Raising my glass) Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2012 for all of us!

Mike

I would add two things.

1.  Have and keep a burning “Why?” in front of all your goals.

2.  Reward yourself for achievement of action steps, then continue on to the next one quickly.

Just some food for thought.

Mike

The gist of the article was that sometimes an entrepreneur has a huge idea, but has not yet generated enough interest in it to make it fly big.  By trying to force it too large too fast, the business owner ends up making it just look empty, thus, actually making his idea look small.  They recommend starting small, building interest, and then going bigger in stages as interest grows.

This idea has merit in that in addition to always looking like your idea is having ever-increasing interest, it also gives the proprietor of that idea the chance to work out the bugs on a smaller audience and then roll it out to an enthusiastic, burgeoning clientele.

At any rate, take your time as you grow it.  Don’t artificially hold it back, but, by the same token, push it forward only step by step.  My CPA, Bryan Parker, often says the secret of his success is to under promise and over deliver.  Make sure you can deliver on what you promise.  Then you will always have an enthusiastic audience of raving fans.

Mike