"How To Take Action Everyday In Your Business, Without Growing Weary, Overwhelmed Or Exhausted"

By: Sandi Krakowski

Today is my son's birthday!  He is 17 years old. Justin is an action taker. He rarely puts off until tomorrow what can be done today. He gets the job done and does it excellently. I have no idea where he gets that!

Currently he's running my shipping department. We're outgrowing the ability to ship everything on our own. Now, he's learning how to work with our new distribution center to make sure all orders are transferred from our shopping cart to them, flawlessly. He can handle it and loves to! Just like my 22-year-old son who ran my shipping dept for our kitchenware store when he was 14 years old!

As I write this article today, we had some big news that will affect Justin's job! He was very excited! Now I'll share it with you! 

The phone rang and it was my distribution warehouse manager. He had given me the update. My ears were ringing, I wanted to dance but I held my composure until I hung up. "The 12 products can be produced into CD's and DVD's without any problem. Yes, we can have them all ready by early December.

WOW.

In May of this year, 2010, I took the step forward. We were going to launch a full-blown Information Publishing Company and Training Center for online success, specializing in WordPress, List Building and All Aspects of Copywriting.  We did it…. And here's how.

As you've probably heard before, at that time I ran a freelance copywriting and marketing business with no staff, occasionally a V.A. and had 3500 clients on my list. My marketing to these business owners and CEO's was very non-traditional. Each month I'd share what we were doing with other businesses and I'd get more business from people who needed my services.  

Outsourcing what I couldn't do on my own, we were able to service our clients very successfully. It was a beautiful thing. However, I never really spoke to more than 20 people in any given month and I was really longing to impact more lives. I felt a huge void.

My passion is people.

It was in May that I first talked to MaryEllen Tribby about launching my new company. I hired her to coach me for 90 intense days. With experience before, it wasn't like I was starting from scratch. And having worked with various clients and in many capacities myself, I certainly wasn't green around the ears on how to get it done. Bringing it together and building a massive list faster than I've ever done before was the focus. I needed her help to keep on track, do it without working too many hours and well, you've heard the rest- making sure my head was in the right place every step of the way. The results were staggering!

When you want to do something you've never done before, hire someone to lead you who has done it. Hiring someone who has just 'played around' in the field you want is not an option. Hanging out with people who are 'hoping' to do what you want to do is not going to work! You want someone who has mastered it. I've built businesses to $ 4.5 million, MaryEllen has done far beyond that. She was the person I chose to work with. I'm blessed to have my own personal mentor clients as well! 

Here we are, October 2010 and we have 12 products, two continuity programs and have launched 3 mentor programs successfully. All of these have been hugely successful. Our list has grown to over 60,000 customers. I now have 5 staff members and am interviewing for more. 

Ironically we're now getting a lot of requests to teach a live tele-class or seminar on product development! Who knows, maybe in 2011? For now, my focus is serving our clients with excellence and impacting lives with what we've created!

How do you actually do what you're dreaming of doing?

A day doesn't go by that someone doesn't email me or write me through Facebook or Twitter asking for the How, What and When of all of this. They want a step-by-step blueprint for bringing their dreams into a business model.  My answer is always the same. It surely doesn't happen overnight.

There is a specific process you must go through to see if what you're 'dreaming' about is really going to work.  Just because it seems like a great idea doesn't mean it will be one. Let me share with you three keys that will make this process easier.

Three keys to getting a business plan accomplished:

How- Before you move forward on a business idea you must do your research. If someone else has never done what you're mapping out in a business plan, most likely, it can't or shouldn't be done. Many new business owners get the idea that if it's not been done, this would be a multi-million dollar idea. This couldn't be farther from the truth!

The way to achieve millions in business is not to create something utterly unique that no one is asking for, but rather, it's to take something that everyone is asking for but no one has quite mastered yet. Or maybe… they've mastered it and you have a very unique way to get it done!

The HOW has to be marketable and something that can produce a profit- going far beyond just a passion and a dream!

Just because a business idea gets you motivated and excited doesn't mean it will pay the bills. The value in the marketplace is directly related to how you can impact the lives of people who buy your product or pay you for your services. I have always found that to do the research and then get input from very successful people saves me a ton of headaches, lost time and money.

• Who is in the market doing what you want to do now?

• How are you unique? 
  

• Can you offer the same service or product in a way that is competitive, usable and in a way that people have already been asking for? With a killer USP? 
  

• Can you fix a problem in a very simple way? 
  

•  Do you have expertise in a service or skill that very few people can compete with? 
  

This is how you can get on track in a very successful business, quickly. And if things don't work, you let it go. You don't keep trying to rebuild and redo things a million times. I can't tell you how many business owners I have met who are emotionally attached to their idea. You can't be. Your goal has to be more than just 'success of your idea'… it needs to be the owning, operating and running a company.

What- There are a lot of 'what's ' involved in running a successful business. When I opened my kitchenware store in the 90's I had to have an EIN (Business Tax ID), a business name, accounts so that I could purchase things wholesale and put them into our store. It was important for me to understand my niche, what is acceptable and what isn't. Just 'winging it' wasn't an option.

Action must be taken everyday to increase your list, build your products, get copy on your website, communicate with your audience, write blog posts, do advertising and get a business going. Business doesn't automatically show up- it is the outcome of many steps done over and over again.

The "What" in any business is as follows:

1-   Your website- I prefer and recommend above all things WordPress. It's easier to use, manage and anyone can run a business inside of WordPress. There is NO better way to get high SEO rankings and you can run blog posts, sales pages, hidden landing pages, swipe pages and more inside of WordPress easily. Here is our step-by-step 6 hr course for WordPress.

2-   You must have a list. If you don't have a list the sad fact is this- you are NOT building a business. Without a list you are simply putting your products or services "out there" hoping that something sells. This is not an effective, logical or profitable way to build a company online. Therefore, every single day, without fail, you must be doing something to  increase opt ins and increase the size of your list.

3-   Your message must be crafted to speak the language of your ideal client, draw attention from that client and build rapport with them long term. You can no longer just put an offer out into the marketplace and expect someone to just 'buy' from you. Therefore your message must build trust and it must be uniquely specific. A message for hunters does not draw women looking for baby carriages. Men looking for shavers are not going to be attracted to messages for women looking to relieve symptoms of menopause.

4-   Your copy. You must become proficient at copywriting or you'll have to hire a copywriter. Currently I'm working with 22 people twice per week, for 12 weeks, helping them to write better copy. Every single week it never ceases to amaze me how good these people are getting at copy. By just learning some basic fundamentals, having regular reviews and training twice per week they are quickly on their way to developing their skill as a copywriter for their business.

Unless you want to build a business where you are responsible for talking to every single prospective client or customer, it is critical that you have these "What's" in place and are actively working on them, every single day your business doors are open.

When- It's important to understand that your business must be run on a daily basis, just as a regular job is served. If you don't show up to 'work' in your business it's not likely you'll earn money. Once things get an established foundation, you've built a list of at least 5000 customers and you get momentum in your business you will begin to see profits come in beyond your effort.

Far too many people need to stop kidding themselves. If you don't work, momentum won't come. Momentum won't happen overnight so quit expecting a miracle. Step by step regular building is what enabled me to create 12 products and a big house list. I wasn't at the coffee shop dreaming about business and creating another vision board. My head was and is down daily, doing the work that it takes to create success.

Where did this notion that success is easy come from?

When did people begin to think that running a business was going to be easier than working at a job?  I have no clue. While most of the drama that exists in many workplaces doesn't exist in my home office, the fact remains, it requires WORK to do what I've done.

Recently, on a group phone call I heard a very successful Internet Marketer say these words, "The only reason people haven't seen the success in their business that I've had in ours is because they are not willing to do the work." I have to agree.

The How, What and When of your business has to be adhered to just like a regular job is. If you don't show up, there is no paycheck. Running to a business as a way to escape a boss is a cop out.

Recently a family member of mine talked about the Union Cuts at his work and how the Union members wanted all Contractors to leave. He went on to say, "They just hire and fire people and say, 'have a nice life!'" This relative of mine has wanted to own his own business. So I commented and said, "Don't ever judge someone for hiring and firing until you've done it at least 2 dozen times. You'll never have what it takes to build a business if you don't let go of that entitlement"

Sometimes Unions and Contractors do have silly wars and I am not going to even give my opinion on all of that. But it bothers me when people come to me, asking for coaching, wanting to build their own business and they are whining about their boss.

All bosses are not jerks. Think that one through- if YOU want to be the BOSS of your own COMPANY. Don't go around judging those who are already doing it. Get it?

We reap what we sow in life. We attract what we put out. We live out what we've put in. Life is not a mystery; it's the sum results of your beliefs and your actions.

How do you build a company that is going to pay you handsomely every single day and give you a great platform to encourage others and bring change to the world with your blessing? By being the best that you can be. You must be very serious about the process that it takes to build a business. Quit buying into the 'get rich quick business is easier than work' lie. Then, my friends, you'll experience some results that might even shock you!

The How, What and When of business.

 There's no short cut around it. If you are stuck in any process along the way, find a good mentor to help you move ahead. It will be the best thing you've ever done. I would NOT be where I am today without the mentors in my life. Thank you, MaryEllen Tribby, Rich Schefren, Kevin Hogan and all the others who have helped me this year to be where I am today!

Where are you? Which part of the How, What and When do you need to improve in? 

 Please comment and let me know your thoughts. 

Sandi Krakowski spent many years in the Direct Sales industry building 11 total companies, one being a $ 4 million dollar business that was run 100% online through eCommerce. All of her companies have been 6 & 7 figure producing enterprises.  After breaking international track records in the home based business market, she began an intense mentorship with some of the best in the world of business. With a proven and remarkable track record in copywriting,  direct response marketing and all aspects of business online, she has recently built a client base of over 60,000 customers in under 6 months, with the company A Real Change Int'l, LLC. Currently one of the fastest growing training venues specializing in teaching beginners to experts how to really use the internet to it's fullest capacity.