As business owners, we all want money to come flooding through the door.  Alas, that’s just not the reality.  In fact, 99.9% of people (and I have yet to meet the other 0.1%, by the way… I’m just giving the benefit of a doubt) have to work really, really hard to make their cash flow rather than trickle.

A colleague of mine, Scott McPherson, is a virtual CFO and CPA.  He wrote a particularly good article on the subject of cash flow and why it’s important.  You can find his piece here, and you can reprint it on your blog for free (if you include his links and don’t edit it) if you’d like to educate others.

As a business coach, I often counsel my clients in how to be more efficient and organized so that cash flow problems are minimized.  In fact, many clientele tell me they’re shocked by all the little things they could be doing to improve their monthly cash flow. 

If you don’t have a river of cash coming into your wallet, contact me at julie(at)jadcc(dot)com and we’ll set up a time to chat.  Who knows?  It might just take a little tweak in your daily, weekly and monthly habits to realize amazing benefits.

If I gave you 30 minutes (or an hour), could you project your sales for me for the rest of 2010?  I’m not talking about the sales you hope to get, but the sales you can feasibly expect to get based on your financials.

Chances are good that you might have a little trouble coming up with a satisfactory method of projecting your sales.  That’s completely understandable.  It’s not that you don’t have an idea of what you made in 2009 or even what you made in January 2010, but you aren’t certain how to apply those numbers to predict your income.

Being able to project your sales figures is a critical component of maintaining a successful business.  I learned early in my career the value of doing so — not only did it keep me on track, but it also helped motivate me to find ways to make those projections look more palatable!

If you’re struggling to project your sales, send me an email at julie(at)jadcc(dot)com. 

I’d be happy to talk with you about how you can get a handle on what your sales will be next month, next quarter and next year.  I’ll also help you see how you can change those outcomes via proven sales and marketing techniques that I use myself!

Contact me today and stop wondering what tomorrow will hold!

Remember the old Preference by L’Oreal commercial that ended with the tagline:  “Because I’m worth it”?  The underlying message was that the product had value.  Too bad more entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t think of themselves and their enterprises with the same motto!

Many times, professionals underestimate their value in a number of ways:

• Denying themselves the educational opportunities they know they should take advantage of to stay at the top of their game.
• Not taking calculated risks to potentially propel their businesses.
• Refusing to raise their rates or prices even after years and years.
• Telling themselves they can’t go for their dreams.

If you’re stuck in a mindset that’s holding you back, I urge you to start telling yourself that you’re “worth it”.  You might be surprised to find that if you say it often, you’ll start to believe it… and others will, too.

Everyone loves a maverick, especially an entrepreneurial maverick.  How often do we read stories of people who “bucked the system” and came out on top?  Quite a bit! 

Now, I hate to rain on the parade here, but rule-breaking isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.  In fact, it can backfire rather significantly.  That’s why I suggest if you want to break the rules, you have to follow them first.  Get your house (aka, your company) in order and then see where you can rebel a little… or a lot. 

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to become the revolutionary hero of your industry.  You just have to know when to turn your rebellious nature off for the sake of your organization’s growth. 

Take one minute and think of all the things you said you were going to do last week but never got around to handling. 

The obvious question is:  Why didn’t those items get accomplished?

My guess is that you’ll probably have one of three answers:

• - I didn’t have time.
• - I didn’t remember to do it.
• - I don’t have an excuse.

Those are all perfectly-understandable and honest responses, of course.  But they all lead back to one place — accountability.  (Or, more specifically, a lack thereof.)

Chances are good that the reason you’re not getting around to finishing tasks is because you don’t have to.  No one is pressuring you, so the feeling of immediacy and importance just isn’t there.  As a result, some of your “to do” tasks keep getting pushed farther and farther down your list.

It’s time to change the way you’ve been approaching your duties.  Otherwise, you’ll just keep missing opportunity after opportunity. 

You can do this by instituting some method(s) of accountability into the way you approach your work.

Below are 5 effective ways to ensure that your work gets done on time, every time.

1.  Start using automatic “alerts” on your computer.  Most calendar programs can be set up to send you reminders.  These might seem “nagging”, but they’ll keep you on track.

2.  Send yourself emails as reminders.  Want to make sure you remember to do something the next day?  Send yourself an email and don’t delete that email until the task is on its way to being finished.

3.  Work with a business coach.  For short-term and long-term goals, a business coach can provide you with the accountability you need to keep you focused and on track.

4.    Set up regular meetings with a colleague, peer or mentor.  Pick a day of the week or month to sit down with someone and chat about your “to do” list.  Instruct him or her to be your “accountability accountant”.

5.  Put into place a system of rewards.  There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself now and then for staying the course.  Love Starbucks?  Only allow yourself to order that latte if the previous day’s work was completed.

Your turn — do you have any ways that you hold yourself accountable?

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Every business has a brand… even the ones that never officially “branded” themselves.  Brands can be big, they can be bold, they can be crazy, they can be fun… and they can also be dull as butter knives.  Guess which category most companies’ brands fall under?

Yep, the majority of brands are pretty doggone bland.  That’s usually because of a number of reasons, including:

1.  The brand was never created in the first place.  It just kind of “happened”.

2.  The brand was once strong but has ceased to be effective.

3.  The brand isn’t being used company wide, thus leading to inconsistencies and market confusion.

4.  The brand doesn’t make sense for the product/service/organization.

Obviously, you don’t want your brand to be forgettable.  You want it to jump off the proverbial page and really spur people into action.  But that doesn’t happen by accident. 

You have to be willing to create a strategy behind your brand and how you’ll use it to make a profit and achieve professional success.

Ask yourself if your brand is strong… better yet, ask some other people who will give you honest feedback.  If the answer is “no”, give me a call. 

Working together, we’ll turn your brand from boring to brilliant.

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There’s still time… join my exclusive Marketing Made Easy for Small Businesses Program today! 

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How would you rate YOUR marketing strategy?

From the time we’re kids, we quickly learn that if we aren’t held accountable for certain responsibilities, we can slack off more and more.  For instance, if a youngster is expected to take out the garbage but no one ever checks up on her to make sure she’s doing it, that youngster will probably start “cutting corners” here and there.  The end result?  The job isn’t done (or is only half-finished).

Accountability is just as important for adults, especially those who want to run their own businesses.  Though there are those rare people who can hold themselves accountable, most individuals will stop performing at their top levels if they don’t have accountability. 

This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about my Marketing Made Easy for Small Businesses coaching program which is launching later next week.  While the program’s main focus is to help entrepreneurs and business owners form lasting marketing strategies, a side effect of taking the coaching program is its accountability factor.

If you’re the owner of a business or you’re planning to start a business in the new year, I strongly urge you to join me throughout this year-long program.  You’ll be held accountable for your actions, which will practically guarantee that you’ll get more done than you would otherwise.  And in today’s competitive environment, it’s important to take advantage of every single edge you can!

Send me an email at julie(at)jadcc(dot)com today and I’ll register you within 24 hours.  Alternatively, head to this page and register online.

I look forward to helping you ensure that you’re accountable (and profitable) in 2010!

Ten years ago, this business was just a hope, a dream.  But it was one about which I was passionate.  Fast forward a decade and JAD Coaching & Consulting has grown by leaps and bounds!

Recently, a colleague interviewed me about my start-up experiences.  I’d like to share the results of that dialogue with you now.  Enjoy!

Question:  What were you doing 11 years ago?

I was the Area Marketing Manager for Nextel Partners, overseeing the marketing and public relations for Pennsylvania and part of New York. In addition to my “regular” position, I also wore the hat of National Sales Trainer, flying to new markets and training the sales team.

Question: Why did you make the decision to launch your own business?

Ten years ago, I was attending a business meeting in Seattle. In a posh room, overlooking the beautiful shores of Lake Washington, I sat surrounded by marketing professionals that were supposedly “hand picked” to be on this team, and I found myself wondering:

A.  Why these people were earning the same amount of money as me but only doing half the work.

B.  Why I spent my time working at least 80 hours a week only to hear my manager tell the top brass what creative ideas the “marketing department” was generating and tout how the latest campaign produced more results than any other. It wasn’t the “marketing department” producing. It was me! 90% of those ideas were mine and I wasn’t being compensated or acknowledged for them!

It was at that moment I made the decision that enough was enough.

Question: What were the biggest challenges to opening your business?

Dealing with self-induced pressure.   I was (and sometimes still am) my own worst critic and measured myself against people who had 15+ years more experience than I did.

Setting realistic goals. I didn’t believe the facts I read… that most businesses don’t show a profit for 3-5 years…I thought I’d set the world on fire and make boatloads of money in year one!

Identifying what I needed. It seems that young business owners feel the need to have the best office products and equipment and will also spend money on lots of marketing materials that aren’t going to generate immediate revenue for them. (And they need immediate revenue!)

Identifying my USP. I couldn’t figure out what made me different from my competition and what type of clients were a good fit for me. This was, in part, due to lack of experience but also because no one ever got me to think about my business that way.

Question: What was your first year in business like?

Difficult, yet exciting! I still remember the feeling I got each time I told someone what I did… that I owned a business.  I got butterflies in my stomach.  I remember working all of the time and in retrospect really didn’t spend my time as wisely as I should have.

Question: What would you change if you were to go back and do it again?

I would have spent less time networking at local chamber of commerce events and more time networking at trade organizations or at specialized events.

I would have identified my USP much sooner.

I would have spent my limited resources on cutting edge, results-focused marketing programs instead of traditional marketing programs that worked while I was in the corporate world.

I would have plugged into a coaching group or mastermind group to learn and surround myself with more experienced business owners.

Question: What have been the biggest benefits to having your own business?

Flexibility. I’m able to work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and blackberry.

Sense of Accomplishment.Owning a business has been one of my greatest accomplishments. I am very proud of myself and am ok saying that.

Question: Will you launch other businesses in the future?

Yes! I just launched Your Written Book which is a business focused on helping business owners and entrepreneurs write and market a book in order to increase revenues and open up new possibilities

Question: What suggestions do you have for people who want to start businesses in 2010?

Have a 12 month plan.

Start marketing immediately.

Carve out your own niche. Identify a need and fill it.

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Join my Marketing Made Easy for Small Businesses Program today! 

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It’s always enjoyable to reflect on the past year, especially when it comes to one’s own blog.  So I’d like to share with you the top 10 JADCC blog posts from 2009. 

If you missed any of them, the links have been included:

10.  From November… Brainstorm Blitz!

9.  From September… First Impressions are Key, but Don’t Underestimate the Value of Last Impressions

8.  From April… Are You Multitasking Yourself to Mediocrity?

7.  From July… If You’re Not Marketing through Online Social Networks… Why?

6.  From June… Become the Sherwin-Williams of Your Industry

5.  From July… Be Like This Wedding and You’ll Have a Lucrative “Honeymoon”!

4.  From November… Black Friday and Cyber Monday Alert!

3.  From May… Are You Waiting for Someone Else to Save You?

2.  From July… Brace Yourself… Starbucks Is Changing Its Name!

1.  From October… Witch?  Pirate?  Princess?  What Does YOUR Halloween Costume Say about Your Entrepreneurial Style?

Here’s to a fun 2010!  Thank you for being such loyal visitors in 2009!

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Join my Marketing Made Easy for Small Businesses Program and add “marketing savvy” to your business resolutions for 2010! 

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