The Business Accelerator

Today we are going to talk about 3 Steps to Writing an Effective Business Plan that Inspires Action.

The idea of starting your own business can be exciting and inspiring, but for most small business owners, writing an effective business plan is not considered an exciting part of starting the process; therefore, many choose not to create one. Traditional business plans can be very dry and uninteresting, so you are about to learn how to create an effective business plan that not only gets you excited, it will inspire you, and others, to take action.

The length and details of an effective business plan will be determined by the type of business you’re creating. The key is to create not just another business plan, but an effective business plan that inspires you, and others, to take action.

First, let’s get clear on the essentials components of an effective business plan:

-Executive Summary
-Market Analysis
-Company Description
-Organization & Management
-Marketing & Sales Management
-Service or Product Line
-Funding Request
-Financials
-Appendix

Part 1: Executive Summary
The executive summary is the most important component of an effective business plan because it will be the first thing the reader sees. This is where you’ve got to grab the reader’s attention and inspire them to support your vision through your mission statement. Provide a history of your company, its current standing, and future vision.

Part 2: Market Analysis
This is your opportunity to shine and highlight your knowledge of the industry. This will also be where you will identify your target market and what you know about them.

Part 3: Company Description
Keeping it brief, describe how all the elements of your business fit together. Be sure to clarify the marketplace need and how your company is poised for a competitive edge.

Part 4: Operation and Management
In this component, include your business’s organizational structure, details about ownership, and profiles of your management team. A key factor in this section is to clarify what kind of incentives and bonuses will be provided to keep your staff motivated and employed.

Part 5: Marketing and Sales Management
Use this section to share your vision for getting and growing your customer/client base - as they will be the lifeblood of your business.

Part 6: Service or Product Line
Here is where you will want to focus on the distinct advantage your product or service has over the competition. Be sure to carry your passionate message throughout this section and back it up with concrete data.

Part 7: Funding Request
A vital component to an effective business plan. Clearly define the amount of funding you are requesting and long-range strategies that could impact your ability to repay the funding. Outline best and worst case scenarios and back up your request with financial statements.

Part 8: Financials
This is where you will include financial documents to justify your statements in previous components.

Part 9: Appendix
This is where all additional documents will be placed for the reader on an as-needed basis.

Now that we’ve clarified the essential components of an effective business plan, let’s discuss how to write an effective business plan that inspires action:

3 ACTION STEPS:
1. Create a compelling story
2. Voice your passion and inspiration
3. Be confident

Create a Compelling Story
Writing a compelling story will be the factor to inspire action; this is what you will want to focus on in the executive summary. Obviously, the purpose is to inspire venture capitalists or a bank to fund your vision, but you can also use it to inspire your own motivation to drive the success of the business. Be as heartfelt and passionate as you can when sharing your mission statement and the vision of the company, because it will be that sincerity and passion that will create empathy from the reader.

Whatever your vision for the future of the company, take it one step further and think bigger.

Voice Your Passion and Inspiration
Remember, the point is to create an effective business plan that inspires action whether it’s just for your own use or to be read by venture capitalists. The reader will only be as compelled as your words, so make each word count BIG in every component.

Be Confident
How can anyone believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself? Do not allow one word of doubt or insecurity to come through in your business plan. You have got to exude confident, knowledge, and strategic thinking throughout your business plan.

The bottom line is, if you don’t have a business plan, you need a current one. And you need one that you actually implement and not one that you create and file somewhere to maybe review it one year from now. Come up with a game plan that you can execute so you have a business plan that actually gets implemented and gets you the results you want.

Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review. It is much appreciated.

Aim for what you want each and every day!
Anne Bachrach
The Accountability Coach™
The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
- Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)
or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips
http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1
- Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
- Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.

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Today we are going to talk about 10 Principles to Eliminate Distractions and Increase Success.

Through my years of coaching people, I have found that we're all guilty of allowing the little things to distract us from what we should be doing. This happens to all of us to some degree or another. Instead of working, we chat with our friends or co-workers, check the latest chain email in our inbox, surf the internet, and do everything we can to avoid working. Why? Because we don't feel like working - we're too busy daydreaming about being on the beach in Hawaii sipping a MaiTai or skiing the slopes. I'd like that too, but the fact is that in order to get where you want to be, you have to do the work required to achieve your goals and experience ultimate success.

Whether you are an employee or self-employed, your income depends solely on you. And the more efficiently you can work the bigger returns you will receive. Take a moment and ask yourself where you truly want to be? Now tell me how many things you did today, yesterday, and the day before yesterday that directly contributed to the future results you want. And then tell me how many things you did today that did not contribute to your success. Those things probably distracted you from what you knew you should have been doing.

So you might be saying, ah - it's OK, everyone does it and shrug it off. Well, not everyone does it - however, most do. So what's the harm in the little everyday distractions? Those distractions are called distractions for a reason. They are distracting you from doing what you need to do in order to get you where you ultimately want to be.

Minimize distractions and you'll reach your goals faster - plain and simple. If you're self-employed and want to increase your monthly income by $3,000, that won't happen by surfing the internet or playing solitaire. It's going to come from doing the highest payoff activities that have the highest probability of building your success. You must minimize distractions and focus on the tasks that have a positive effect on your success.

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Today we are going to talk about Creating Your Ideal Client Profile and replicating them.

During the course of my many conversations with coaching clients, I have found that many don’t have an Ideal Client Profile written down. Not only do you need one written down, but you must also be committed to it. Most have an idea in their head or they have a few things written down but not a total list of what they really want.

I believe that if you are crystal clear about what you want and you focus on it, you will attract it. Do you believe this? If you aren’t clear about what you really want, how can you communicate this to anyone who might ask you or attract these kinds of people to you. The universe doesn’t know exactly what you are looking for – and neither do you.

Consider this: Who are the clients you like the best and enjoy serving? It’s okay to tell the marketplace, these are the people who are best service by you and your firm. It is also okay to disengage from those who you don’t enjoy being around and every time they call, you have a negative reaction. Life is for enjoying, don’t waste time with people you want enjoy or want to be around. Imagine your firm with only clients who provide you the revenue to life the lifestyle you want and you actually enjoy servicing.

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Today we are going to talk about 7 Ideas to Engage and Motivate Your Staff.

Sarah gets to work at the same time every day. She sits down at her desk and starts doodling on her desk pad, playing computer games, surfing the internet, or texting friends. Unless she is interrupted by a phone call or correspondence that requires her urgent attention, you know she will spend the bulk of her day doodling on her note pad, playing computer games, surfing the internet, or texting friends.

So why is it that the only thing that appears to motivate Sarah is the clock ticking over during the last 15 minutes of her office day?

Sarah is not unlike hundreds of thousands of other employees in corporate America. She is, or has become, one of the “unmotivated masses”.

Luckily, the success of your organization isn’t dependent on the singular input of employees like Sarah, but what needs to happen to generate a positive and motivational environment for all your employees, Sarah included?

As a business leader, the most important lesson you can learn about motivating staff is that what motivates you may not necessarily motivate Sarah or any of the other employees you are responsible for.

Motivation means different things to different people. As a business manager, it is an integral part of your role to observe and learn what inspires and motivates each and every member of your staff.

However, having said that, recent psychoanalytical studies on what influences employees to become engaged and proactive yielded a defined methodology that proved to be universally effective.

How to Engage and Motivate Your Staff

1. Reward Immediately and Frequently

2. Share the Vision

3. Chart a Career Path

4. Lead by Example

5. Communicate Openly and Honestly

6. Invest in Staff Training

7. Create a Stimulating Environment

It’s okay to have a little fun once in a while.

You will find that 30 minutes once a week engaged in some sort of competitive game, competition or quiz will repay itself 10-fold in productivity by increasing employees’ self worth and therefore their motivation.

Schedule games for the end of the day so your staff can leave the office with a renewed sense of well-being.

Another alternative could be “casual dress Fridays” or the opportunity to leave work 15 minutes early thrown in from time to time.

Add any of these ideas into your business to help increase the motivation of your staff so you can experience even better results from them. They will appreciate you thinking enough of them and their abilities to implement these in your organization.

Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.

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Today we are going to talk about 3 Tips for Building a Team that Builds Success.

If you want to learn how to build a team that builds success, you will want to take a look at the big picture. Take any successful entrepreneur, and behind him or her, you will find a well-suited team of supportive, knowledgeable, and energetic members all dedicated to increasing the success of the business.

Tip #1 for building a team that builds success. If you’re trying to understand how to build a team that builds success, you should first pinpoint the mission of the business. Only when you have a clear understanding, as a leader, of the mission of the business, can you build the right team. When you can clearly identify and emotionally connect with the mission, you are able to identify the right people who are best-suited to support the success of the business.

Depending on the mission statement of the business, you may need to focus on building a team of creatives, analytics, intellectuals, or spiritualists. For example, a PR (public relations) firm wouldn’t necessarily build a team of spiritualists; that personality would be better suited for a business that is motivational or inspirationally based. A PR firm would more likely hire creatives and intellectuals. Another example of personality matching would be an accounting firm; they would look to building a team of analytical members, not necessarily creatives or spirituals.

Always start with the mission of the business, and then build your team. Let’s say you need an assistant to travel with you to help you with live events such as seminars and guest appearances. An important personality factor would be to ensure the team member has the following qualities:

reliable and punctual
great organizer
keeps you calm under times of stress
takes care of the small details so you don’t have to
loves traveling
love meeting new people
has a personable, magnetic personality

Action Step #1

Revisit your professional mission statement. If it doesn’t “sit right” with you or isn’t specific enough, rewrite it. Your mission statement should always begin with benefit(s) to your clients (and who those clients are), followed by a reason(s). It should always invoke some meaning for you, as in a passion or personal mission.

Tip #2 for building a team that builds success. Think about the areas of your business where you struggle and could obviously use the help. Make a list of those tasks you would like or need help with and then look for those strengths in potential candidates.

Additionally, take into consideration the kind of personality you tend to gravitate towards. Do you enjoy being with people who are: Funny? Serious? Energetic? Go-Getter? Talker or silent-type? Make a list of the kind of personality you tend to enjoy the most and then look for those additional traits in candidates.

Action Step #2

Learning to become clear on the strengths and weaknesses of the business can make a huge difference in its success. Taking a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle. List the strengths on the left and weaknesses on the right. For instance, say your client base isn’t growing as fast as you’d like because you are not effective at closing sales. Potential clients like you, and the service offers, but don’t pull out their wallet.

In this case, hiring a team member that is adept at closing the sale would be highly desired. They would need to have an out-going, personable personality, backed up with a solid sales record. You would not want to hire someone who is shy, introverted or less than confident.

On the other hand, if you need someone to handle the administrative backend, you will want to hire a team member who is detail-oriented, prefers to stay behind the scenes, and exhibits a reliable consistency.

Tip #3 for building a team that builds success. When building a team that builds success, you should have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each individual member - including your own!

You’ll find that your business runs far more efficiently when you have properly assigned your team members to tasks that suit their personality and feed their interests. Boredom and complacency is one of the fastest ways to kill the success of your business.

Action Step #3

Understanding your own personal strengths and weaknesses can give you a clear picture of what is missing from your business, and why it isn’t growing. A business must contain all the pieces necessary for it to grow and prosper. If you’re missing just one piece, it will not be operating at its potential.

Just as you did with your business’s strengths and weaknesses, you will do for yourself and your team members. You can ask your team members to participate, by creating their own lists, but examine them with an objective eye because most people can’t see or will not be honest about their strengths or weaknesses.

As a business owner, it is important to be observant of the strengths and weaknesses of your team. This is why it’s vital to keep a running strength and weakness list for you and your team. Revisit the list at least once per quarter and update it as needed. Consistently refine processes and procedures that employ the strengths of you and your team, while minimizing the weaknesses. The more consistent you are in this endeavor the more efficient and effective your business will grow.

Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review at iTunes.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.

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Welcome to The Accountability Pit-Bull Podcast where we will discuss business acceleration topics, ideas so you can enjoy a totally balanced and successful life. Today we are going to talk about Persistence: The Commonality of Champions.

Look upon history, and you’ll find that the notable quality that exists in all champions is persistence.

The path you walk will not always be easy, but you have to continue to persist. Even in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, you must keep putting one foot in front of the other, because there are lessons to be learned along the way, all of which will support your success.

Whenever you confront an obstacle or roadblock, step back and emotionally detach yourself from the situation. It’s much easier to think of ways to go around, under or over the obstacle when you let go of the frustration. This may take some practice, but try this exercise: imagine a friend is the one facing the challenge(s), and you are simply providing ideas how to help them overcome the obstacle. When you are solution-oriented, you focus on the possibilities, not the impossibilities.

In truth, nothing is impossible, and change is inevitable. Knowing this, you can take persistent steps in faith, with the wisdom that nothing stays the same, and at some time in the future your current obstacles will dissolve.

Here are some quick facts about persistence.

P It took approximately 10,000 experiments before Thomas Edison successfully invented the light bulb. What does he have to say about persistence? “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

P Long before becoming the lead singer of REO Speedwagon, Kevin Cronin, was determined to make it big. At a young age, he went to go see an influential music producer, only to get turned away. Kevin was so confident in his talent that he didn’t let that producer’s rejection get to him for one second. In fact, he was convinced that the producer’s tape player must not have been working properly, because if it had, the producer would have recognized Kevin’s talents immediately. He kept pursuing his passion and eventually landed with REO Speedwagon, bringing the band into the mainstream music scene. Over the years, they’ve sold more than 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits.

P When 19-year-old Rick Little wanted to start a program in high schools that would teach kids how to deal with their feelings, handle conflict, clarify life goals, and communicate effectively, he was turned down by more than 155 organizations. Finally, the Kellogg Foundation gave him $130,000, but that wasn’t enough. He was persistent and eventually received $65,000,000 in funding - the second largest funding in U.S. History - to create the International Youth Foundation. How’s that for persistence?

P In 1998, Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page approached Yahoo! and suggested a merger. Yahoo! executives politely declined and suggested they continue working on their “little school project and come back when they were all grown up. Ten years later, Google is worth an estimated $140 billion! That surpasses Intel, Coke, McDonald’s, as well as other corporate moguls, including Yahoo!. Just for moment, think about how their persistence impacted the world of search engines as we know it.

What’s the lesson here? You should never, never give up. However, there are times when it may be appropriate to refocus your persistence in a new direction. How do you know when it’s the right time to change course?

If you absolutely cannot live without what passionately consumes you, then do not give it up. The problem is never your passion, it only the manner in which you are trying to make it happen. Try a different approach - think of a creative solution. However, if you can live without it, then passion is not is what is driving you. When passion is not driving you - it’s not something you really want. Perhaps you have trained yourself to want what someone else wants for you. Go back to your list of goals and reconnect with the goals that really drive you.

Old goals don’t match new priorities and/or values

We all know that people change. Where you are in life determines what’s important to you. It’s okay that you refocus your persistence on a new goal that is alignment with your new priorities or values. Don’t be afraid to let go of old goals that don’t resonate with your new evolution, just be sure you’re letting go of them for the right reason. In other words, be sure you’re not letting go of something you really love just because you’re fearful it will never happen.

When your persistence is really stubbornness

Be clear, persistence is not the same thing as stubbornness. Are you being persistent because you really want it or are you refusing to let it go because you are somehow mistaking it for failure? If you don’t want it, let it go - that’s not failure.

Making room for new goals

You may have several goals in life, and that’s the way it should be, but which ones are the most important to you? It’s a good idea to first focus your persistence on the goals that carry the highest level of desire. As you achieve your most desired goals, you can reprioritize the remaining goals, delete them, or add new goals as it suits you. Scattering your focus among several goals will not allow you to apply persistence effectively. Periodically evaluate your goals list and reprioritize or delete old goals to make way for the new ones.

The most important thing to remember about persistence is to trust your own intuition. Don’t listen to the critics and silence the self-doubt. If you have a feeling that something is going to work, even if everyone says it won’t, persist in your goal until you achieve it. There is core genius in you - and that is the stuff that champions are born from.

Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review at iTunes.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.

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Welcome to The Accountability Pit-Bull Podcast where we will discuss business acceleration topics, ideas so you can enjoy a totally balanced and successful life. Today we are going to talk about Stop Procrastinating in 4 Easy Steps. Procrastination, also known as dilly-dallying, dragging your feet, and excuse making is something we have all experienced at one time or another. The learned bad habits of our teens and early adult life (all those times we put off doing our homework and college term papers) can continue to haunt us well into our professional years.

So what, you say. No one liked homework and term papers, of course, they’re going to put it off until the very last minute – it’s natural.

Actually, there is no such thing as healthy procrastination. To understand, let’s get to the root of the issue.

Why do people procrastinate to begin with?

It’s because the thought of completing the task causes them discomfort, such as fear or anxiety. Notice I said the thought of completing the task. This is an important point.

Take term papers for instance. There is no real discomfort involved with writing a term paper. Can it be tedious? Sometimes. Does it require research? Definitely. Does it take time away from something you would rather be doing? Certainly. Can it be intellectually challenging? Absolutely.

But is it impossible? No. Does it cause real discomfort? No.

In most instances, our anxiety causes us to procrastinate with a task we perceive as difficult or impossible, when it is much easier in reality. The problem comes in when you repeatedly procrastinate – allowing your anxiety to build until it is much bigger than the task itself.

The root of our procrastination and lolly gagging comes down to exaggerated anxiety that we allow to spin out of control. To make matters worse, our anxiety is based on our perception of an outcome that has not even happened yet.

So how to stop procrastinating?

Just DO IT!

Step 1: DETERMINE specifically what is causing your fear or anxiety. What is it that you are really afraid of? Fear of failure? Fear that you’re not smart enough? Fear of disappointing someone? Fear of the unknown? Fear of not knowing how to respond to a question?

Step 2: OUTLINE an easy to follow, step-by-step plan for accomplishing the task. Break each step into small, non-anxiety inducing steps and write them on a list.

Step 3: INTEND to complete the task with ease and success. We’ve all heard about the power of intention – use it to your advantage by intending what you would like to see. You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish when you leave the anxiety behind. Believe it can happen and many times it will.

Step 4: TACKLE the task without further delay. This is the time for action. No excuses, no over analyzing, no talking yourself out of it. Stop getting ready to get ready.

The Just DO IT (Determine – Outline – Intend – Tackle) system allows you to understand the root of your fear, so you can address it – and correct it – relieving the anxiety that does nothing but take away from your potential. Moreover, when anxiety no longer occupies your energy, you can focus on the goal at hand and accomplish it with confidence, peace of mind, and ease.

By using this system, you will not only gain confidence, it will improve:

Peace of mind: reduced anxiety means less stress
Skill expansion: learn how to break down the most difficult task and set it up for success
Time management: with easy steps to follow, you accomplish more in less time
Focus: when you eliminate the fear, you can focus on the goal and get to it!
Adaptability: the DO IT system can be applied to any project in any industry
Overall success: When you overcome fear, intend the desired outcome, and tackle without excuses you become unstoppable.

Speaking of peace of mind, when you think back to all the times you put something off because you thought it was going to cause you great discomfort – was it really as bad as you thought it would be? It probably wasn’t, but you worried about it – put it off – worried about it some more – put it off longer…

It doesn’t have to be that way. Just DO IT!

Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review at iTunes.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.

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Welcome to The Accountability Pit-Bull Podcast where we will discuss business acceleration topics, ideas so you can enjoy a totally balanced and successful life. Today we are going to talk about Taking Action Now so you Can Achieve Your Goals Sooner.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have everything you want out of life magically appear with the snap of a finger? Unfortunately as the old adage says, “You can’t get something for nothing. The secret to achieving your goals boils down to one thing – taking action. There isn’t some magic gene that is only given to a select few at birth – achieving your goals is an inherent ability in all of us.

You can achieve absolutely any goal you can imagine, so long as you get moving in the right direction now! One of the benefits of taking action is that your progress is the very thing that bridges the gap between imagining a dream and manifesting it. In other words …

Action = Results!

That’s not to say that the road to goal achievement is free of challenges. Working toward your goals is rarely simple, but if you ask someone who has reached their goals if the hard work was worth the reward, I’ll bet they would say yes. The costs of taking action far outweigh the pain of living a life that is using only a fraction of your potential.

You can make the leap from living a life that seems out of your control and take the reins of your future. When you realize the power you hold and the benefits of taking action, your life will never be the same.

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

At any given moment, you have three choices:

Give up on ever achieving your goals
Procrastinate taking action in hopes that you’ll get serious about your goals in the future
Achieve your goals now and realize your dreams!

If you find yourself leaning toward the first option, understand that sometimes it’s easier not to work hard to achieve your goals because you just aren’t willing to put in the time and effort; and that’s ok if that’s really your choice. But beware: fear of failure and disappointment will keep you trapped in a mediocre life that is so much less than you deserve. You were born with the potential to succeed, and anyone that tells you differently is just plain wrong. If you knew that you were born for a life of success and that achieving your goals is your destiny, would you find it easier to justify the efforts required for the pursuit of your dreams?

The truth is your success is inevitable. Failure is just something we learn from our environment, and failure is not a part of our inherent nature. You only have one life – so make the best of your time!

If you’re serious about your goals, but not ready to take the first step yet, ask yourself, “What am I waiting for? You’ve already overcome the biggest obstacle by choosing to make a change in your life. Do you really want to wait for the results?

How do you feel? Now tell me how delaying that good feeling could possibly benefit you. You deserve everything you are imagining. Quit postponing your inevitable success and start working toward your goals today!

Remember, it’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter and working on the “right things each day. The “right things are your highest payoff activities. Making these tasks a priority will help you achieve your goals in the timeframe you have set. With an accountability coach on your team, there is a higher probability that you will achieve your goals sooner.

If you’re ready to take the next step … if you already feel the fire and know you want more out of your life, then you’re ready to begin. Let’s get to work!

The following four principles will help you reshape the way you think and prepare you to achieve your goals.

1.Remove the Words “Try and “Can’t From Your Vocabulary

Despite what you may have learned in elementary school, there is no such thing as “try. Either you do or you don’t. You will either commit to achieving your goals or you won’t – it’s that simple.

Trying to achieve your goals is not the same as committing to achieve them.

The same idea applies to the word can’t. As you know, can’t is a contraction for the word cannot. If you say you cannot do something, you are saying that you are not physically capable of doing that thing. So unless you have a legitimate, physical disability that limits your ability to take the action necessary to move forward, the word ‘cannot’ does not apply.

2.Fear is Not an Excuse

Fear is never an excuse for not taking action. Maybe you are exactly where you are right now because you have been too fearful to step outside your comfort zone. To get where you want to be you have to feel the fear and move forward anyway. After you take action, you will wonder what you were so afraid of in the first place. Fear is only temporary. The benefits of taking action last forever.

Have you ever been nervous or afraid to do something only to realize your fear was disproportionate to reality afterward?

3.Taking Action Creates Support

The minute you start taking action to achieve your goals, the universe will rush to support you. The trick is to let the universe know you mean business. The support of friends and associates, and other unlikely saviors will all come to your rescue as soon as you show the universe you are committed to achieving your goals. Note that I don’t mean “universe in the cosmic sense. People respond to you taking action. People realize you are serious when you take action.

4.Quit Talking the Talk – and Start Walking the Walk

Talking about taking action and actually taking action are not the same things. You have to get busy if you want to get where you want to be. Your path to goal achievement is like a journey - the sooner you start walking, the sooner you’ll get there. If you want to achieve your goals within the timeframe you desire, quit wasting time and procrastinating. Start today by just doing what you know you need to do.

Life is not a predetermined set of circumstances. Life is what you make of it. When you commit to achieving your goals, you’ll soon realize how much power you actually possess. Have faith that we were programmed for success and that you are already equipped with all of the tools and resources you need to reach out and grab your dreams. Keep your focus on your goals and know that the benefits of taking action far exceed the investment.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson says: “The future belongs to those who prepare for it.

Begin enjoying the experience of an even greater life quality and total life balance. Aim for what you want each and every day! Until next time, make it a great day, today and every day!

My hope for our time together is that you got value and an idea or two that will help you be even more successful – personally and professionally. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

Aim for what you want each and every day! Until next time, make it a great day, today and every day. Thanks for listening. If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit. Get your audio copy today.

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Welcome to The Accountability Pit-Bull Podcast where we will discuss business acceleration topics, ideas so you can enjoy a totally balanced and successful life. Today we are going to talk about Effective Goal Setting for Increased Success.

John Sculley says,“The solutions are often obvious once you get the questions right.

Without execution, visions will remain just that - visions or dreams. Establishing goals and writing them down in ink sets the wheels in motion to creating your ideal life.

When I meet with someone, the first thing we do is establish what the person’s long-term and short-range goals are for all areas of their life. This is not a simple task. Goals in and of themselves mean very little. The action taken to achieve the goal is what matters. I like to have people begin with the Wheel of Life exercise as the first step in the process of goal setting. Go to www.AccountabilityCoach.com and look under the free Silver Membership section to complete the Wheel of Life exercise for yourself.

For the record, I don’t believe anyone should set the goals for someone else. They might be able to ask questions and help them think but each person should come up with their own goals and time frames they want to achieve each goal. Goals are personal decisions. The client has to own their goals. If I set the goals for people, they will be missing the personal drive necessary to make their goals happen.

There is a school of thought that says every goal a person sets should be an S.M.A.R.T. goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. Note: The “T can also stand for Timely. I add to this a requirement that goals must have a specific target date for achievement, including a month, day, and year.

I have to mention that I take issue with the words realistic and attainable. After all, who defines what is possible in the realm of reality? I believe goals should be “stretch goals, goals that are achievable, and also require that the person stretch their limits. This extra push provides inspiration and motivation. Stretch goals are win-win. Even if you fall short of achieving a stretch goal, you’ve still exceeded your “realistic goal. This is my belief.

The word attainable bothers me for similar reasons. Obviously, you want your goal to be within reach, but that same “stretch should be added for additional motivation and inspiration. For example, if you set a goal that you think is attainable, add something extra on to that goal for it to be a stretch. Let’s say, based on last year’s revenue, you think you can increase your revenue by 10% this year. What would happen if you set your goal to increase your revenue by 15%, 17%, or 20%? You would probably be even more creative and come up with ways to achieve that “stretch goal.

In theory, working toward your goals is not complicated.

Most days, most of the things you do should move you toward your goals.

Perfection isn’t a requirement. Rather, consider what would happen if most of what you said and did every day moved you toward your goals.

I tell people, “Do the things that move you toward your goals, and stop doing the things that do not move you toward your goals. Seems obvious, but it is easier said than done.

Many people say, “It’s not that simple, to which I reply, “Really? Are you sure? Because it’s probably not that complicated, or as complicated as you are making it.

People absolutely must be motivated to work toward their goals. Motivation is the spark that lights the fire necessary for action. Without motivation, a goal is simply words on paper.

Your goals can be anything you wish – there are no limits. In fact, it is better if you stretch your visions beyond what you believe is possible.

The reason is because you are probably capable of so much more than you currently believe. The mind has the ability to be our best friend or our worst enemy. As our best friend, it serves our limitless visionary, but as our worst enemy it serves as our limited perception.

Use it as your best friend and break through the limits it can often set as a “realistic perception. The only limits that exist are the ones set by your perceptions. Think big and aim high!

Steven Jobs said: “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.

My hope for our time together is that you got value and an idea or two that will help you be even more successful – personally and professionally. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle.

Aim for what you want each and every day! Until next time, make it a great day, today and every day. Thanks for listening. If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review at iTunes.

Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach)
Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/)

or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips

http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1

Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach)
Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach

Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance.

Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit. Get your audio copy today.

The Business Accelerator: Recent Episodes

Anne Bachrach