Archives For Business

It’s a quarter past 2013. Do you know where you are?

March 30, 2013 — Leave a comment

Yes, the title above is  take-off on an old TV public service message that asked, “It’s ten o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” I know, I’m dating myself:-)

Seriously though, it’s the end of the first quarter. Are you on track to reach your yearly goals?

Happy Spring

Let’s face it, the clock is ticking. Here we are already one quarter of the way into the new year. It seems like only yesterday when we were all posting new year’s greetings. Here in Eastern Pennsylvania we still have patches of snow hanging around but Spring weather is coming, or so they tell me.

Since the weather is not something I can do much about, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it, however, my life and business is something I have control over and I do pay close attention to what’s happening in those areas.

Personally, I’m having a fantastic 2013.

I have two new books under contract, both with prestige publishers. The first of these, It’s Your Life,  will be released in September of this year and the other, Happy@Work, in Fall of 2014. You’ll be hearing more about them as we get closer to their publication dates.

I’ve just launched my new online video course “Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life,” and I’ve joined what I believe is an incredible opportunity to spread personal development information to even more people, helping change lives. And we’ve added an additional income stream in the process. You can learn more about that here.

My recognition as a speaker is growing and I’m being hired to speak to more companies. My new seminar, Happy@Work helps people reduce stress and overwhelm while increasing productivity and personal satisfaction at work and in their personal lives. With all the pressures people feel at work these days, this is my way of doing what I can to help.

On the personal side, my health steadily improves and I’ve managed to commit to working out at the gym two days a week so far. My friend and health role model, Jim Sutton, says I need to do more but I have to begin somewhere. It’s great he works out six days a week and is in amazing shape but, I have to start with a program I’ll stick with. Going into April, I’ll increase my gym visits to three a week.

At home my wife, Georgia, is doing great. She has been recognized by her company, CHANEL, as one of their top Makeup Artists and will be profiled in Elle Magazine sometime in the fall. I’m always proud of her accomplishments. Truth be known, she’s really the talent in the family.

Himalayan cat, BentleyOur aging Himalayan cat, Bentley, is holding his own even with his kidney issues. He gets fluids three times a week and his values are holding steady. It amazes me how our pets just tug at our heartstrings. Bentley is surely a member of our family and it’s difficult to see him not well.

What about you?

  • Are you steadily progressing in the direction of your dreams?
  • Are you taking the, seemingly small, actions that will, over time, produce giant leaps?
  • Are you examining your business or career for ways to improve?
  • Do you have a coach?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “If you’re in your own business and do not have a coach, you’re leaving money on the table.” It’s that simple.

Robert Nardelli, former CEO of Home Depot is quoted as having said that “Unless someone is coached, they’ll never know their true potential.” I’ll second that.

Without a coach by your side you will most likely continue to do the things you’ve always done and, as we all know, continue to get the results you’ve been getting.

Is this really what you want?

I’m guessing its not. The fact that you’re reading this tells me you want more from your life. If that’s accurate, get a coach.

I’m not suggesting you have to hire me to work with you but that you work with someone you feel can help you get where you want to go. If you’re experiencing challenges in your personal life, get a life coach. If you need help with your business, make sure your coach also has experience helping businesses.

There is no such thing as a “self-made success.” Becoming more successful is a team activity. We all need help and a support network.

One of the reasons I’ve become better known as a speaker and trainer is the result of the work I’ve been doing with my coach, Art (Ski) Swiatkowski. Not only has he been a tremendous asset to my continued success but a supportive and valued friend for many years.

I urge you to work with a coach or mentor, especially for your business. If you’re struggling and simply cannot afford coaching, reach out to someone you know, like and trust, and explore trading coaching and support with each other until you can afford someone professionally trained specifically to coach business people.

Your life truly is a work of art in progress and you deserve to experience the best life has to offer.

I wish you and your family a Happy Easter and Joyous Passover if you celebrate these holidays.

And may you continue to create the life you were born to live.

Blessings,
Jim

In Business, Do not RT, Health, Jim's Jems, Self-Help, Success, Visions & Goals , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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When the emotion hit me, I almost drove off the road

March 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

I can’t explain what happened to me the other day but, when the emotion of it hit me, I almost drove my car off the road. And, as you can see from the photo, where I live, that can pretty scary.

 country road

I was diving on one of the back country roads near my home, listening to music and thinking about an opportunity that had just been presented to me, when I received what I can only describe as an Inspired message.

A nudge from God if you will. I don’t know about you but this doesn’t happen to me everyday. At least not with that intensity.

Since this new business is the greatest opportunity to change people’s lives through personal development I’ve seen in more than a decade, I was getting excited.

Why am I excited?

Back in the late 1990’s there was a network marketing company, The People’s Network (TPN), who was delivering personal development video’s, by satellite. Unfortunately they were purchased and are not around anymore. At least until now.

I say it was unfortunate that TPN didn’t continue because I still remember the single mother I met at a meeting, telling me how watching the personal development programing had saved her son from the inner city Philadelphia gangs and her daughter from a similar fate.

That’s the power of a simple, steady diet of personal development and business development information.

As I was driving, I was thinking about who I wanted to contact right away. I was thinking about some of the successful business people, well known authors, and Internet marketers I know when, something inside of me screamed no!

The message I received was clearly telling me that people I care about most are the one’s I should contact first. In case you’re wondering, no, I was not hearing voices. It was a “knowing,” a feeling, not an actual voice.

I clearly got the message to get my ego out of the way and see the bigger picture. This was humbling to say the least. I realized that if I believed in the potential of this to change people’s lives, then the people I should share it with right away are the people closest to me.

I then realized I need to let as many people know about this as possible.

At that point, my eyes teared and I had all I could do to concentrate on driving. Winding, mountainous, country roads are not a place where you want to get distracted.

That feeling, along with the intense emotion that came with it, affirmed for me that this was, in fact, as powerful an opportunity as I thought. I asked, prayerfully, if this was really a message from Spirit and the feeling intensified.

I know that whatever else happens, I need to let as many people know about this as I can. I can see and feel the power this has to change people’s lives. I know it deep in my heart.

People in the U.S., the world for that matter, need to shift their dominant vibration, their dominant energy to a more positive place. I don’t think anyone will dispute that.

One of the ways to do that is by raising people’s self-esteem. I know this clearly. From the effects in my own life more than twenty five years ago, to the lives of the people who have been reading my books and listening to my seminars for almost two decades, I have seen, time and time again, how a diet of personal development can change people’s lives for the better.

I urge you to take a careful look at this. You can even receive a weekly video feature free.

And for anyone interested in the business opportunity, it’s only $9.95 a month with a thirty day money back guarantee.

This is the only direct selling business I’ve seen that will not only change people’s lives, but offers a business opportunity that virtually anyone can afford.

We can change the world, one person at a time, one message at a time.

The time is now, the opportunity is here.

The next step is yours. Learn More

In Business, Home Business, Network Marketing, Self-Help, Success , , , , , ,
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How would you answer businesses toughest question?

February 28, 2013 — 3 Comments

“How can I increase my income without increasing my workload or overhead?”

At first glance, most business people would say there’s no way they could do that, however, the reason has more to do with their perception of the situation than actual reality.

The typical response to this question is that, in order to increase business, one has to either hire more people, work longer hours, or in some other way, add to the costs of operating the business.

This is simply not true.

Over the course of two decades, I have helped hundreds of businesses increase their revenue without adding to their work load or increasing the cost of running the business.

This is why I’ve repeatedly said,

“If you’re in business or sales and are not working with a coach you’re leaving money on the table.”

Almost any business can add revenue by becoming more creative in their thinking, learning to use a technique known as “powerful questions” and changing their focus.

business coach jim donovan

Client brainstorming meeting

One of the best techniques I’ve used with my business coaching clients is inquiry. Simply put, this is a process of using laser focused questions to elicit responses that are radically different from your usual line of thinking.

For example, I was recently sitting in a medical office waiting for a friend to complete his follow up visit from a recent surgery. If this doctor wanted to increase her income, the obvious response would be to attract more patients, however, this would also mean performing more surgery. Not the result we’re looking for.

By changing the question to something like, “What can do to I increase my income without having to work more hours?” we are giving our creative, right brain hemisphere a new challenge, one which it will happily accept. With her creative brain fully engaged in providing a solution, as a result of the more focused question, she will begin to see other possibilities.

In this case, since there was a lot of unused office space, adding complementary services performed by someone else, would accomplish the same thing.

An author wanting to add more revenue without having to work longer hours would use a similar question which may result in discovering new foreign markets where they could license the translation rights, explore alternative distribution channels, offer the material in different formats, and so on, increasing their revenue potential without adding to their workload.

A former client of mine had created a series of training videos. During one of our coaching sessions we were brainstorming possible sales and distribution channels. The result from this one session was an idea that was to generate an additional six figures in income annually from the core product.

To help you get started, here are two of my favorite business questions:

- What new markets are there for my existing products and services?

For example, Arm and Hammer Baking Soda went from something only bakers used, to a product that most people are using as a deodorant in their refrigerator.

- What new products can I market to my existing customers?

Once again we can look to Arm and Hammer who took their sleepy little baking soda and created an entire line of products from it, including the Cat Litter we use.

Using the questions above, what new income producing ideas can you come up with?

Get your team together and brainstorm these questions. Breakthrough ideas come from simple inquiry.

And, as I suggested above, if you are not working with a coach for your business you are leaving money on the table.

While you may know that I offer business coaching services, you may not know that I only work with a small number of people at any given time so, if you are interested in having me as your coach, don’t hesitate. Contact our office now.

 

In Business, Business Growth, Economy, Money , , , , , , ,
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Success lessons from the professional golf tour

February 3, 2013 — 3 Comments

Years ago I had the pleasure of following the PGA professional golf tour and getting to know some of the top pro’s of the day.

At the time, I was producing a series of videotape golf lessons which, unfortunately, was just a little ahead of its time. To compound the problem, I was also in the midst of self destructing so the project never got off the ground.

golfer photo

I did, however, spend a season traveling to the top tournaments and met and worked with some great pro golfers like Frank Beard, Al Geiberger, Bobby Nichols, Dave Stockton and others. I had the pleasure of spending several hours talking with Julie Burroughs, considered to be one of the nicest people in the sport at the time and an avid fisherman.

Something I observed among these super stars was that, in addition to being dedicated to the game and having the discipline to hit the practice tee after playing a round to continually work on their skills, they had the unique ability to quickly recover from a bad shot.

Unlike what many of us do in our lives and businesses, they did not let a poor shot carry over to their next one. This is part of what makes them winners.

I remember talking with Frank Beard one evening at dinner. He was explaining that one of the traits that made Geiberger great was his ability to focus all of his attention on the task at hand. He didn’t lament the missed shot on a previous hole, instead putting total effort into hitting the shot in front of him.

By the way, Al Geiberger won eleven times on the PGA Tour and ten times on the Champions Tour, however, he is best known as the first person to shoot a “mythical” 59 in a major tournament, the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic on June 10, 1977.

Similarly, a runner who trips on a pot hole in a race does not stop and stand there looking at the hole. Instead they get up and get back in the race.

These lessons from the world of sports can also be applied to your life and business.

What do you do when you make a mistake? Do you replay the experience over and over again in your mind, berating yourself for your error?

Or do you behave more like the pro athletes, learning whatever you can from the experience, letting it go, and getting on with your life?

We all have failed outcomes, especially in business. I could go on, in great detail, about the lost opportunity with our golf video business but the truth is (no pun intended) I dropped the ball.

You’re going to make mistakes, unless of course, you never attempt anything. Assuming you do take some action, you will mess up. The best thing you can do is learn something from it, let it go, and move on.

I personally do not know of anyone who has achieved high levels of success without experiencing setbacks, problems, and even complete failures.

The difference between the champions and the weekend “duffers” is that champions continue on, even in the face of adversity.

Resolve now not to let your setbacks derail your success. Be like the professional golfers and “play the shot in front of you.”

And, like the professional golfers, make a commitment to ongoing personal development. Champions are made, not born.

 

In Business, Business Growth, Jim's Jems, Self-Help, Success , , , , , , , , , ,
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Do you believe you can be spiritual and wealthy?

January 31, 2013 — Leave a comment

Whoever said you can’t be both spiritual & wealthy was dead WRONG!

But do you believe me?

I mean really, deep down in your core, do you believe that wealth and spirit are truly partners?

Let me share with you this incredibly inspiring true story of how Andrrea Hess transformed her screeching-halt-business into a 50-thousand-a-month triumph (that’s $50 grand!) within 30 days.

neagle

Check out this video courtesy of my colleague, David Neagle to see EXACTLY how Andrrea did it!

 

In this video, David shares how mastering The Principle of Accurate Thinking is the key to making a quantum leap forward to your income goal!

Watch this video, do the exercise, and see how quickly you can go from struggle to prosperity, worry to peace, mediocre to exceptional. In the blink of an eye.

P.S. David often says, “Success is not about ‘getting’ or ‘achieving’ anything. True success is about who you must BE in order to manifest your heart’s desires.”

It doesn’t take luck (or even “smarts” or “genius”) to up-level your life; it doesn’t take luck to break through … it doesn’t take luck to reach your next big goal…it simply takes your desire to grow…

When you watch this powerful video, you’ll agree.

 

 

Disclaimer: Yes, the link is my affiliate link and I do receive compensation should you choose to purchase David’s program, however, if you know me at all, you know I would not endorse something I did not believe was top notch. As a matter of fact, I said recently that I thought this was the best personal development program I’d seen in the past 20 years.

 

In Business, Do not RT, Life, Money , , ,
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