As my 18 yr old son was getting ready for prom the other night I sat and thought about his first day of kindergarten (I know, I know I probably shouldn’t reminisce so much but it was fun).  How times change in what seems like a blink of an eye.  How did my “little” boy grow up so fast?  Where did those last 12 yrs of school go?

Isn’t that the same in your business?  If you don’t put action in place to grow your business soon a year will go by, then two, then 5 and so on.   You will be stuck in the same trap you are now.  

I know that trap as I was also stuck in it.  However I finally put goals into action and started working toward my goals. 

3 ideas to help: 

*The night before write out your game plan for the next day.  This will keep you organized and on task.

*Put a timer on for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or even an hour.  This will help you concentrate on what you are working towards and make you feel like you accomplished something.

*Set out a small goal for the day.  Then accomplish it.  Make sure it is something that you can do that day.

Don’t let any more time slip away from you.   Go for it!

This is taken from my mentor and mastermind coach Patricia Drain of www.patriciadrain.com.  Enjoy!

Seven Secrets to Success

Before you jump in, consider what you’re going to need to do to be successful. You must commit to:

1. Authentic participation. Be ready to share your authentic self online.

2. Consistent participation. Establish a regular schedule for networking online—typically in a brief status update or “tweet” one to fifteen times per day.

3. Building relationships first. Be genuine in your intent to connect with people and give before you get.

4. Adding value to the community. Make the world a better place by sharing your expertise, writing recommendations, answering questions, providing useful content, and referring helpful resources.

5. Building a positive online persona. Represent your personal brand consistently in every social network you join. Be professional, personable, interesting and memorable.

6. Choosing your connections strategically. Strike a selective and strategic balance between personal and professional, between those you know well in the real world and those you’ve only met online.

7. Staying on target. Distractions abound, so keep your focus. Try out a number of networks, but invest at least 80% of your attention on the top three that work best for you.

Do you have business or personal goals that are not being met?  Try more Networking!

Networking is defined as an extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support.  The goal of effective networking is to ultimately achieve a positive outcome.  However, sometimes it can take a while to get there.  In order to get what you want try to remember to “give first” to others to help satisfy their goals and then in return it will come back to you. 

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this:  decide what you want.  If you are not getting what you want with what you are doing right now—change it!!  Get out more and go to organizations in your area that are desperately seeking volunteers to help or if you are interested in joining a club there is usually a nominal fee involved.  This way you get out and meet more people in an area that you feel comfortable and already have an interest in.

Determine what you want.  Decide on your major objectives, targets, aims and destination.  If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you expect to get there? 

What can networking do for you?  It can establish new contacts, build alliances and partnerships, transact business with each other, gain insights and knowledge, gain access to needed resources and leverage the collective purchasing power. 

Networking is a lifestyle and not a work style.  Opportunities are everywhere and at all times.  In order to succeed you must proceed with intention and conviction to network yourself.  Along with starting eWomenNetwork I also started my own leads group and in September 2005 started my own Virtual Assistant business.  I was able to do this all through networking. 

Goals are dreams that are written down.  Once you determine a specific goal, write it down and tell everyone you know about it—live out loud about it!  This way you are networking with others who will support you.  If you are not use to networking, just remember to take small steps and they will lead you to bigger steps that will ultimately achieve your goals.

Are you ready?  Go!

Jo Simmons has a BA in Human Services and is the owner of Simmons Virtual Assistant and past Managing Director of eWomenNetwork.  Jo started a eWomenNetwork chapter in her home state of South Dakota and grew it successfully.  She obtained a database of over 1000 names in 3 months.  Let her show you how to grow your business.  Virtual assistance can help your business grow.  Let Jo and her team of VA’s take the headaches out of your administrative tasks so this can free you up to work IN your business.  For more information please visit www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com.