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Grow & Scale A Business That Will Set You Free

Why Mindfulness Matters

by Walt | May 14, 2015 | Success | 0 Comments

There’s a lot of buzz around the word mindfulness. In fact, it’s really quite in vogue in biz these days.

It seems that everyone wants to jump on the mindfulness bandwagon… because the research shows that mindfulness actually fuels focus, engagement, creativity, productivity… and profit.

But mindfulness is not a fad. It’s been around for a long, long time. And it’s not a gimmick.

It’s a way of being, a way of life.

We spend so much of our time wringing our hands about the past; and worrying about the future. We are constantly bombarded by distractions. We race through our lives. We dwell in a state of continuous partial attention.

Mindfulness is about slowing down, being present, showing up in this moment; in this one and only moment.

Mindfulness means focusing. Not only on what matters most; but, even more, focusing on what is before us in the here and now.

And happily mindfulness isn’t complicated (it’s simple, as Jim Rohn might have said… simple though perhaps not easy).

Stop. Stop right now. Whatever you are doing. Just stop. Put down your smartphone, turn away from your monitor. And just breathe. That’s it. Just breathe.

That’s the doorway to the present; that’s the doorway to mindfulness.

That’s the doorway to your real power.

Why You Need A Real One

by Walt | May 7, 2015 | Success | 0 Comments

What would it be like if you could attract – effortlessly – all of the business that you wanted and could handle? Think of the income that you could make… and the freedom that you would enjoy!

What would it be like if you had no competition?

Well the truth is…. that you don’t…so long as you have a brand strategy.

A REAL brand strategy.

Most service providers think that their branding is about their resume or their areas of expertise; some think it’s their logo or their letterhead or their fancy web design.

Most show up in the marketplace looking (and sounding) like everyone else… they advertise like everyone else; they network like everyone else. They spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars or euros on print advertising, online advertising, web design, lead generation and pay per clicks…and guess who ends ups making the money? That’s right, the folks who sell the ads.

Most think that they need to make a lot of noise to be heard above the din of what they think is their competition; and when that doesn’t work, they believe that they need to compete on price. They cut their fees. And guess what? Competition based on price never works for a service professional. It’s a zero sum game…because someone will always undercut you.

Most aren’t making the money they deserve; and most aren’t enjoying the freedom that their professions should allow them.

Because most don’t have a brand strategy; in fact most don’t have a real marketing and selling strategy (by that I mean system) at all.

But you don’t have to be like most.

If you get clear about:

• What makes you different, the unique value that you bring;
• What your target market is, and who it is within that market that you’re meant to serve;
• And what exactly you do to help your ideal client within that market solve his or her most pressing problem,

Then you will stand out in the market. And you will succeed beyond your wildest imagination.

You will know exactly where your ideal clients are; where they hang out; and who they hang out with.

You will attract them to you effortlessly because you will see them; and they will see you.

You’ll spend a whole lot less; you’ll make a whole lot more; and your business and your life will be a lot more fun.

That’s the power of a real brand strategy.

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I coach the fastest, easiest and most reliable system for getting more clients than you can handle, even if you hate marketing and selling. If you are ready to grow your biz, then email me today: [email protected]

My Story About Weeds

by Walt | Apr 30, 2015 | Success | 0 Comments

I realized that they could be a problem. Or not. The weeds.

I could decide.

They could be an annoyance, a challenge to overcome, an obstacle to my enjoyment. Or they could just be weeds.

I could choose.

You see, I have this beautiful, lush garden in Ireland. I weeded it just before I went to the States three weeks ago on business. When I came back, it was full of weeds.

I found myself railing against the weeds. Lashing out at them. Telling myself the “story” that there shouldn’t be weeds.

But, of course there were weeds. That’s what weeds do. They grow in your garden.

And we… we tell ourselves stories all the time… about the way things “should” be… or “shouldn’t” be. The stories are what get us into trouble; the stories are what suck our energy reserves; the stories are what keep us from doing what needs to be done.

I have a coaching client who is building a business. On occasion, she gets frustrated because something doesn’t work, or she comes up against an obstacle.

She tells herself a story. About how there shouldn’t be obstacles, obstacles to success.

It’s the story that frustrates and preoccupies her really; not the obstacles. There will always be obstacles. And the obstacles can be problems or challenges or annoyances… or they can be opportunities.

Then again, maybe they are just obstacles… or weeds. Nothing more. Nothing less.

We get to choose.

Just Tweak It

by Walt | Apr 23, 2015 | Success | 0 Comments

“I can’t believe it! Just a couple of tweaks to my resume and marketing materials and, all of a sudden, I am getting dozens of interviews. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing!”

As Gretchen’s coach, I shared in her excitement and joy. But I wasn’t at all surprised. Gretchen’s got the goods: she’s bright, energetic, articulate, and personable. And she’d been doing the work: stepping up, asking the right questions, listening deeply, and taking action.

Making small changes. Tweaking.

You know, water is just water at 211º F. But at 212º it can power a locomotive.

A degree of difference.

And a lot of times, that’s all that’s necessary. Just a degree of difference, just a tweak, just a small shift, can turbo-charge your success and land you at the top of your game.

Think about the recent Winter Olympics at Sochi. The winner of the gold medal in the men’s 500 m had a time of 69.312; the winner of the silver, 69.324.

Tenths of seconds made the difference.

Top golfers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson spend huge amounts of time making minute changes to their strokes. Tennis players too like Serena Williams. Top executives, advertisers and marketers split-test their efforts continuously to assess what the nuances are that will impact their sales.

Because nuances matter. Often more than wholesale change.

Sometimes, we look at the road ahead and get overwhelmed about what we think remains to be done to achieve our goals. We can only imagine the road as linear. We can’t see that, by just staying the course a little bit longer, or that by making the tiniest of course adjustments, everything will change in our favor. We can’t see that the finish line is just around the corner or that all of our efforts will suddenly coalesce into that powerful result we’ve been working toward. And we’re sorely tempted to give up.

Even when the tweaks are simple or obvious, we can’t see them. Because we’re just too damn close to see them.

So we need to have faith. And we need to surround ourselves with mentors and coaches and accountability partners who will support us along the way.

Because the truth is that often, with just a few tweaks, we can close the gaps and achieve our most cherished dreams.

So don’t despair. Don’t give up.

Keep tweaking.

Why Right Is Wrong

by Walt | Apr 16, 2015 | Success | 0 Comments

Mistakes, wrong turns, blind alleys: they are part of the adventure.

I thought about this as I paddled on into the driving rain…and darkening sky.

Hours earlier we had ventured out onto the Killarney Lakes in kayaks. Even with a map in hand, the exit from one lake to another – the route to our pick-up destination – was ‘discreet’ and difficult to find. Two or three times we missed it… paddling windward into blind cul-de-sacs, only to turn around and try again…and again.

What started out as lighthearted fun turned into a bit of an epic… as adventures sometimes do. But it was difficult to feel too sorry for ourselves wandering around as we were in the magnificence of the National Park, surrounded by mossy forests and dramatic hillsides. We were beat for sure by the time we were done. But the wrong turns had allowed us to see more and experience more and enjoy more of this incomparable beauty.

Would that we could take this perspective into other areas of our lives! We (you can read this as ‘I’ or ‘you’ or ‘someone else not me’) often get pissed off when we make mistakes that take us off our intended course, that require extra time, that take us down paths that don’t appear to lead us to our destinations straightaway. They seem to ‘cost’ us; they appear unnecessary; we consider them ‘wasteful.’

But maybe they’re just part of the adventure. Maybe they allow us a fuller experience of this wondrous journey of our lives. Maybe we might discover something new along the way… if only we might see it differently.

‘Mistakes,’ ‘and wrong turns’ led to the discovery of penicillin, the invention of the pacemaker, and the ubiquitous post-it note… to name just a few life-altering ‘ah-has’ down what might have appeared to be blind alleys.

Maybe the delay at the airport will lead to a chance meeting with your next business partner or boss. Maybe the wrong turn will lead you to the site of your new home. Maybe getting stuck in traffic will give you that rare chance to connect with your daughter, listen to a beautiful piece of music, or just be still.

Maybe these things that look like errors or wastes are really opportunities.

Yes, let’s go with that frame this week.