Productivity EngineerInternet Marketing Tools to Enhance Your Productivity

When coaching and consulting with many of my small business clients, we tend to focus on starting, buying or running a business. This can include hiring staff, working on better processes, developing a marketing plan and increasing cash flow. Often, though, they neglect important aspects of building success.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners tend to think differently. Small business owners often start their companies after having been employees in that industry. They frequently maintain that employee mindset. Entrepreneurs dream big, start several businesses from scratch, plan for the future sale of business and are always looking for the next opportunity.

Entrepreneurs see challenges like a recession as just another opportunity. Small business owners are often married to their business and get mired down in details. When the economy goes south, they hunker down into survival mode. Entrepreneurs are less likely to do this.

To be more entrepreneurial, small business owners need to create a real vision of what they want their business and personal life to look like. That vision needs to be very rich with detail and how their business will support their personal goals. Do you want more time to pursue scuba diving trips? Do you want money to send your children to Ivy League colleges? Do you want to be a keynote speaker? Start writing down your BIG DREAM.

If you are creating your vision for your business and your life and practical thoughts intrude, push them away! Asking yourself what you really want and writing it down makes no room for being practical. Practical is about the “how” not the “what”. You will get to that later. If you are an author and you dream of being on Oprah, write that down. If you are a stay-at-home mom who wants to earn a passive second income so you can devote more quality time to your kids, write that down. Just putting your dreams on paper is the first step to making them a reality.

Try to spend some time each day just experiencing what that big dream would feel like. Most professional athletes like Tiger Woods spend time visualizing the perfect putt, the perfect pass, the perfect no-hitter. They work with coaches who walk them through this process. If it works for them, why not you?

So, are you ready to take your small business to the next success level? Are you ready to acknowledge that big vision or do you want to stay married to your business and let it own you? Start thinking BIG like entrepreneurs do.

With 30 years of consulting experience, Steven Schlagel provides training and coaching for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners. Check his site for more articles to increase your success!