So to see what it really takes to become an entrepreneur, we decided to go the practical way. With access to thousands of successful entrepreneurs, we here at MightyCall posed a question to our community: “What should people know before they start their business?”

Below is the list of the most important things to consider when starting a business. Based on the advice of real entrepreneurs, they are designed to give you the knowledge you need to start your business off on the right foot.

8 Things to Know About Starting a Business

1. Manage your expectations

No matter how good your idea is, not everything will go as perfectly as it does in your head. Your business is not going to change the world in a month, or even a year. It’s entirely possible that you won’t see a profit (considering the money invested) for the first three years.

No matter what happens, it you want your business to succeed, you need to keep an even head, and the easiest way to do that is to manage expectations.

Had a lackluster month? That’s normal.

Not gaining traction on social media? Keep going.

Mistakes and disappointments are “par for the course”, so stay strong and don’t get pessimistic if things aren’t going the way you want them to.

2. Consult as many professionals as you can

This is a 2-in-1 point.

• Firstly, get all the information you can about the field you’re about to enter. The best way to do that is to consult people in that industry, whether they’re soon to be your competition or not. Scout out every inch of their website; sign up for their newsletter; try your hardest to get them alone to pick their brain. Everything you learn will help prepare you for the journey.

• Secondly, there are some essential people you’ll need to help you along the way: lawyers and accountants. Their roles will fluctuate based on how well your business is doing and what stage it is in, but the knowledge they have is a gift.

Accountants will help you manage your money and budget effectively.

Lawyers will teach you the laws and regulations you’ll need to work in your sphere. Without consulting one of these, you’re only making your fight harder.

Don’t trust Google or an app with information as specialized as this, go straight to a professional.

3. Know your target customer and why they’ll buy your product

This is marketing 101, but nearly every entrepreneur we asked noted this. If you don’t know who is likely to buy your product, you’re setting sail without a rudder.

Knowing as specific a target group as possible will help you focus on the details that make your product stand out to that group.

Standing out is essential too. No matter what the reason, there needs to be one why that ideal customer will come to you instead of a competitor. It can’t just be about the price either, because that rarely is a successful long-term strategy.

Whether it’s something about how your product is made, who your workers are, or what your brand image is, you’ll need a strong idea of this before opening your doors.

4. Watch your money like a hawk

This may not be fun, and hopefully, you’ll have an accountant to help out here, but no matter what your financial situation is, you should know every financial aspect of your business to the cent.

If you want to properly utilize the limited funding you have—and it will be limited—you need to weigh the pros and cons of every business-altering decision. Is it better to splurge on rent to get a better location, or use part of that money to hire someone to make the best website possible? You’ll probably face a conundrum like this at least once a week and being on top of your books will help you maximize your money.

Additionally, knowing the full extent of your finances will help you live your life. Aside from the money you spend on your business, you’ll need money for food, rent/mortgage payments, and everything else in your personal life.

5. Be an expert in your sphere

Often, many entrepreneurs will tell you that they learned most of what they know from hands-on experience. If your business succeeds, you will too. However, today there is simply too much competition in nearly every market imaginable to go into something blind or under-informed.

You don’t need to know more than the entrenched competition—although you should know everything possible about them—but you need to know more than all of the other people trying to break into your industry. The more you know, the better chance you have at making the best product/service possible.

6. Know that your business can succeed

A few people noted the idea of a “test run.” While depending on the specifics of your business plan, a practical test run may not be fully possible, it’s a great way to get an idea of both your potential place in the market and how to improve your product.

A big part of the test run boils down to personal and financial security. It’s essentially knowing when it’s time to give up your day job and commit to your business without having your finances crumble to the ground. Whether you can sell your product on weekends, attend an important conference or secure funding to give you the time you need to get your company going, you need to have some peace of mind that what you’re doing can put enough money in your pockets to make it a career.

7. Spread word everywhere you go

I once talked to an entrepreneur who told me she met a sponsor for her product while waiting in line for coffee. In fact, you’ll often hear business owners talking about the power of networking, but too often we think of networking in terms of specialized  networking events, meet-ups, or contacting people online. All of that is good, but always keep the coffee story in mind. Complete strangers and “unexpected” circumstances are often decisive factors behind pivoting moments. Among the key things to consider when starting a business is using any opportunity to spread the word about it, always having a business card with your business phone number at hand, and paying particular attention to growing your contacts in the “real world”.

8. Be ready to work, work, and work

If you’re starting a business, you have to be passionate about whatever it is you’re doing, because you’ll spend more time working than anything else, especially in the early years.

According to most of the entrepreneurs who answered, 50-hour weeks are about the minimum that you’ll be pulling for the first few years.

The situation with your family, your friends, and your finances, to name just a few, will all have to inform your decision to start a business. Can you handle a 60-hour work week? Can you handle seeing your friends half as much as you’d like? Think about how you’ll manage these aspects beforehand, so neither your business nor your personal life gets ruined.

One of the Key Things to Know Before Starting a Business: Do Not Be Afraid

Not all of the things we discussed above are pleasant. Some aspects of running a business can seem scary or intimidating. But too many aspiring entrepreneurs are surprised when these things pop up, and above we’ve talked about them because you too will need to firmly answer them if your business is to survive.

We know all this sounds tough, but with MightyCall, you can focus on the key aspects of entrepreneurship and not be afraid of automating other tasks. Every aspect of our system  — from local, toll-free, and vanity numbers, to auto-attendant,  working hours vs. off-hours, CRM integration, and 30+ phone system features have been designed to help SMBs and their owners.

So go ahead and start your dream business- we’ve got your back at every step of the way.

The post 8 Things to Know Before Starting a Business first appeared on MightyCall.

Soft skills make up a whole set of leadership, teamwork and character traits chiseled out to perform under pressure. Among the benefits of soft skills training are increased ROI and a highly productive working environment. According to a study from Boston College, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan, on the job soft skills training delivered a 256 percent return on investment due to boosted productivity and employee retention.

How does a small business get the same kind of ROI and precisely what soft skills are needed to take your business to the next level? We asked several successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and small business founders to share the top soft skills vital to their daily work. Here are their years of experience gathered in 8 essential points for you to learn from and implement today.

1. Communication

Communication is the chief intersection in your business journey, the daily meeting ground of the business leader, their team, and clients. If there’s a “jam” at any point, it’s bound to create friction throughout the whole business journey.

Mark Webster, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker, notes the importance of cultivating communication in distributed teams. “Even though we’re an online business, we still set aside time slots to chat with our team and discuss what’s going on,” Mark says. “Every morning we have a daily standup call where we can discuss what everyone has planned for the day and the things which may get in their way — that way we can all discuss what each individual can do to help them proceed.”

An open environment doesn’t just communicate ideas better — it leads to better problem-solving. ”When it comes to failures, instead of simply proposing a solution for them, we’ll dig into what exactly caused the failure and how we can work together to fix it,” Mark adds. “This leads to a much more open and communicative dialogue rather than a simple one-way management structure…This has had a huge impact on the business as it gets our team to really think about what they’re contributing to the business.”

Mark notes that it’s the ideas sparked by out of the box thinking that really boost his team’s productivity. To make sure none of those ideas are lost, prioritize communication within your team. To help keep track of all his team’s tasks, ideas, and keep communication flowing, Mark uses a time-management tool like Asana.  The daily reporting feature helps him instantly understand what’s on the team’s agenda.

2. Negotiation

Negotiation may be the least favorite skill a business owner has to learn, but one of the most critical. As Victoria Pynchon writes, “Negotiation is a conversation whose goal is to reach an agreement with someone whose interests are not perfectly aligned with yours.”

Lewis Goldstein, President of Blue Wind Marketing, identifies the importance of negotiation skills that can take any conversation past the paralysis of an initial “no”. “The importance of negotiating can’t be underestimated,” Lewis shares. “It’s all about learning how to communicate effectively so both parties get what they want. In order to be highly effective in negotiating, you need to understand where someone is coming from. To do that, you need to ask calibrated questions and labels.”

Lewis notes that an essential complementary skill to negotiation is understanding both your own and the speaker’s body language. “Body language oftentimes matters more than the words in a conversation,” Lewis says. “When you use positive and open body language you’re portraying yourself as confident and influential. On the flip side, when you can read the body language of others well, it empowers you to understand the variety of signals that people use – both consciously and subconsciously.”

Negotiation skills may look hard to nail, but you’ll quickly catch on by analyzing past experiences. Lewis suggests recording and listening back to business calls to understand ways you can improve customer negotiations. When listening back to recordings, look for what you did well and what you can do better next time. Read all about U.S./Canada recording laws and auto call recorder apps and you’re good to go!

3. Positive mindset

In a tough business environment, few skills are more universally acclaimed than an optimistic and positive mindset. Make no mistake: positivity isn’t about the number of smiley faces you attach to an email. Neither is it the failure to spot problems. It’s about the kind of resilience and character your team brings into solving problems that makes it stand out.

Positivity is the top skill that Kimberly Rath, Co-Founder and President of Talent Plus, an assessment provider with a 30+ year history of success, looks for in new employees. “From the beginning, we have taken the selection of each colleague very seriously,” Kimberly says, “and one of the things we select for is positivity/optimism. This always needs to stay front and center as you build a sustainable culture. Your organization gets better or worse with each hire.”

The reason positivity should be one of the key traits you scan new employees for isn’t just a healthy workplace environment. As Kimberly shares, “Most important for leaders, it’s essential to create a culture where change is embraced, accepted and celebrated.” When such change occurs, it’s the “individuals who have grit along with flexibility, resourcefulness, and optimism” that “can take on change, adapting to what’s happening around them and to them as the workplace changes.”

Positive problem-solving abilities are one of your team’s greatest assets. When hiring new employees, look for both skills that are “mission critical” (e.g. hard skills and knowledge) and the character traits that make for long-time players (e.g. positive attitude towards the job, ability to keep up and change with the times, adaptability to the workplace culture and new tasks).

4. Active listening

Remember how as a kid, you could always tell whether your parents are “ active listeners” (fully involved in the problem you’re communicating to them) or “passive listeners” (murmuring “aha” while staring at the newspaper)?

Stefan Chekanov, CEO and co-founder of Brosix, notes the importance of being the “good parent” to your team and clients. “It takes both skill and discipline to take the time to truly listen to a team member, customer, manager, etc.,” Stefan says. “So often people begin reacting based on partial information or inferences they make, rather than trying to understand what the other side is really saying.”

Active listening is a vital skill for getting constructive feedback from clients. “When a customer calls with an issue, we have a script of questions we ask in order to try to understand all aspects of the situation, and we train our support staff in active listening techniques,” Stefan shares. “In this way, we avoid misunderstandings and mistakes that come when you react to partial information, and our customers feel that they matter to us.”

Free online learning platforms like Coursera can be of great help in honing soft skills, including active listening.  Consider scheduling weekly study sessions or follow-up discussions with your team. These will make it fun to grow your knowledge together whilst helping each other out and bonding the team.

5. Discipline

Just like talent, business isn’t all passion and enthusiasm. The backbone of successful leadership is the unwavering discipline that humbly does its job through both the ups and downs.

Silicon Valley’s longest-serving CEO, entrepreneur and inventor Ray Zinn, has been at the forefront of the tech industry since 1978. His secret? As Ray puts it, “Discipline is doing what you don’t like doing and doing it well—having the determination, no matter how difficult a task is, to do it correctly.”

This disciplined approach, which Ray expanded on in his book, “Tough Things First” allowed him to run a business through times when nearly everyone else would’ve given up. “When Micrel [i.e. Ray’s company] was in the middle of our IPO, I suddenly became legally blind,” Ray shares.  “I had to have the discipline to not only finish the IPO but return home and face my condition; it was not reversible. I went on to convince a skeptical BOD that I could continue to run Micrel without being fully sighted by learning to navigate the world in an entirely new way. Because I was so determined and disciplined, I was able to convince the BOD and went on to run Micrel for 37 years, only one that was not profitable.”

With discipline, you can achieve absolutely anything you want. Every single hard and soft skill gains from a disciplined approach. As Ray suggests, never leave things to take care of themselves. If you can’t be there to talk an issue out in person, use software like video conferencing and/or a virtual phone system to connect to your colleagues without putting problems (however small) on hold.

6. Transparency

For an online business with a distributed team of freelancers, things can get messy and out of control if the leader lacks strong skills in giving clear instructions.

Running his own digital business, Sam Zuo, CEO of PassiveAirbnb, doesn’t waste a second of his (or his teams) time. What helps him is a concise and transparent team management approach.  “Clear instructions [are] really important because most of my freelancers are in different timezones, so the default mode of communication is always in written text. “ Sam says.

To help freelancers understand his management style and expectations, Sam has come up with a “user’s manual” that projects his business mindset in a nutshell. This is an informal two-page text that in transparent terms covers topics like problem-solving, team expectations and preferred methods of communication. For example, instead of complaining about problems, Sam instructs his team, “If there’s a problem and you want me to decide, always come with 2 solutions.”

Outline your business practices and expectations in simple, written form to all new employees. Skip the managerial jargon and simply connect to your team in human terms. Your work is sure to get more organized and mindful. To stay mindful and patient in the midst of a hectic workday, Sam also suggests practicing daily meditation on your own or with a mindfulness app like Headspace.

7. Facing discomfort

You’ve heard it before: if you want to do business, you’ve got to be ready to step out of comfort zones. Handling discomfort teaches entrepreneurs the importance of analytical but fearless decisionmaking. It also helps strong leaders break existing rules in order to create their own.

The ability to put yourself out there and push through discomfort is an acquired skill that any aspiring entrepreneur should cultivate. As Kayla Pendleton, Founder of Women’s co-working space Make Her Mark says, “It’s very tempting to back off the first few times you push yourself out of the comfort zone because it’s uncomfortable. But…every time I do some new, hard thing, it builds my confidence and I get more and more skilled at navigating myself to get past my boundaries of what I think I can do!”

Handling discomfort isn’t just about courageous decisions. It’s also about feeling OK with asking for help and teaching others to do so with your example. “I’ve grown my membership and expanded my services greatly because I’ve learned to ask for help and find great resources such as grants and mentors,” Kayla shares. “[Another] less obvious benefit is that I have become an inspiration for my members…many of whom are in business for the first time and are looking for encouragement and leadership.”

If you’re new to the business journey or need help at any stage, don’t be afraid to ask for guidance from a community of fellow entrepreneurs, femalepreneurs, freelancers, or telecommuters. You’ll gain many a helping hand in the process. Kayla also suggests learning to think on the fly and studying new things to inspire yourself and your team.

8. Integrity

Every entrepreneur is essentially a one-man orchestra that juggles countless tasks throughout the day. When you’re multitasking all the time, it feels easy to slip into “autopilot” mode and have your interactions with colleagues and clients turn generic.

Robyn Flint, an insurance specialist at ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and founding owner of real-estate rehab company Property Wise, LLC, notes the importance of putting other people first in the midst of your busiest workday. “In order to run three businesses while also working as a freelance writer and author, I must employ a set of soft skills to make it all come together,” Robyn says. ”My number one soft skill is my strong work ethic. …I believe in making [my clients’] experience with me the best possible so they walk away feeling like their needs were met and they would refer my services to others.”

For a local business, giving clients special care and treating their business as your top priority can work wonders. ”I receive repeat clients, referrals, and have actually had a client cry when our time together was done,” Robyn shares. “As a full-time real estate agent…treating clients as if their transaction involves the largest financial investment they will likely make in their lifetime has made me a five star professional.”

As a business owner, you may possess lots of inner integrity — but your clients need actions, not words to see that for themselves. For example, Robyn has a 32-touch yearly campaign strategy in place with all clients. That means making contact in one fashion at least 32 times per year via holiday/birthday/anniversary cards and client appreciation events. A warm, human touch such as a card sent via post creates a lasting connection that spreads the caring message of your business.

Final word

Each business success story looks kind of magical and spontaneous from the perspective of time. Behind each success story though, lie a great number of leadership, communication, and other soft skills honed until they become second nature.

With each soft skill you learn and cultivate today, remember that it all goes into shaping your future tomorrow.  In just a couple of months, you’ll be forever grateful for how far you’ve come. As for the technologies essential for every entrepreneur, check out our super simple guide to digital transformation for small business.

The post 8 Top Soft Skills For Successful Entrepreneurs first appeared on MightyCall.

If you’re over 50, it may feel like you’re late for the entrepreneurship party reserved for Millennials and GenZ. But there’s nothing further from the truth.

54% of America’s small business owners are over 50 years of age. Out of those, 33% are 50–59, and 17% are 60–69 years of age, according to statistics.

Moreover, business owners over 50 are also considered twice as likely to succeed in starting a business compared to 30-somethings. (All that life experience doesn’t go poof on you, right?)

If you’ve been working someone else’s American Dream for most of your life and think you’re too old to start your own business, think again. Here’s how.

Navigate the steps:

1. Figure out your retirement finances
2. Identify a need in the market
3. Reuse your life experiences
4. Get a free business mentor
5. Network before you launch
6. Ask family and friends for digital help
7. Hire out the tech stuff you don’t want to learn

1.Figure out your retirement finances

Starting a business is always about mapping your budget and evaluating costs. But when you start a business after fifty, your business startup costs will be irrevocably bound to your retirement savings.

Kathy Kristof is an entrepreneur who started her online business, SideHussl, at age 58. One of the first things she recommends in order to escape your finances going poof on you right when you need them most is comparing your retirement plan to your business plan.

“Your first order of business is to figure out if you have enough [funds] assuming that you never make another dime AND spend whatever your maximum budget is for your business.”

And what about online businesses? You may have heard about the cost-saving benefits of opening an online business compared to a local business. But like school-teacher-gone-blogger Janice Wald reminds us (and yes, you CAN become a blogger after 50), “It takes money to make money”.

Success tip: Don’t assume that just because your business is online, it will fund itself. Depending on your niche, you will need to invest in marketing, SEO, indispensable digital tools, and/or e-commerce platforms to nail those precious first and ongoing customers. Importantly, you need to figure out how much those business startup costs will draw out of your retirement fund (if anything), and how that will influence your future finances. The best way is to create a business plan or financial model of your business.

2.Identify a need in the market and go for it

Think of some famous brands and services — from Campbell’s Soup to Facebook to Macy’s. Each one became a household name because it became deeply associated with a unique service or product this brand excelled at.

Today’s market is already overflowing to the brim with generalized goods. If you plan to add to that heap, unless you’re opening a franchise, it may drain your finances and bring little results. On the other hand, niche products (think handmade goods, unique gifts, and products targeted to specific audiences and ages) are the “it” of today’s small business.

Dawn LaFontaine is a 56-year-old, former stay-at-home mom and creator of whimsical cardboard box playhouses for cats that she called “Cat in the Box”. The reason for Dawn’s success is that she had a “Eureka moment” and made the leap of faith despite gaps in business and tech experience.

“Don’t think you have to know everything first. This is an agile, ever-changing world, and the longer you wait, the more things shift around you. You’ll never be able to see mile 26 of the marathon from the starting gate, so don’t try. You’ll figure things out as you go.”

Success tip: When your product fills a niche need, it’s more likely to market organically both in SEO results and on social media — today’s ‘word of mouth’. As a result, you will need to invest less in paid ads, marketing, and promotion. Good ideas to brainstorm are products that you find lacking in the market (something you’d like to have but can’t find), products for specific age groups or categories of people (e.g.: new moms, retirees, empty nesters, etc.)

3. (Re)use and revisit your life experiences

Another great option for starting a business after 50 is to find an area that you’ve gained expertise in throughout your life. In other words, monetize your lifelong career, hobby, or skills.

When Paul A. Dillon retired from the Chicago office of the McGladrey accounting firm in 2006 on the eve of his 61st birthday, he fully “reinvented” himself by starting a business concept devoted to helping veterans who want to start their own business.

As former U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lieutenant and Vietnam War veteran, Paul went on to create the concept for a business incubator in Chicago that eventually became Bunker Labs. Surprisingly, however, drawing on his own life experience was not Paul’s first choice.

“I started out thinking that I was going to provide project management and business development services to companies in the service industry. But, that didn’t work out. I had to “pivot” several times before I found a niche that worked.”

Success tip: See how Paul started with rather a generalized business idea? It’s only when he drew on his life experiences and adjusted the business concept to address a particular category of customers (veterans) that he could relate to and vice-versa, that his idea took off.

4.Get a free business mentor

We think of mentors as someone young people get to find their way in life. Someone over 50 coaching a 20-something. In reality, a mentor is essentially your guide at any stage of life when you want to try something new and can’t afford the mistakes.

Right before turning 50, Colleen Kochannek got thrown into entrepreneurship unexpectedly and with no digital experience to boot. Today a successful online business owner coaching other “typewriter generation” aspiring entrepreneurs at The Scrappy Frontier, she knows the importance of finding early guidance.

“SCORE [is] a great organization part of the Small Business Administration offering [volunteer mentorship] services. You can also find business coaches and mentors online. Ask in Facebook Groups you participate in. Referrals are often your best bet.”

If you’re on the lookout for mentorship and networking online, check out this full list of online entrepreneur communities, recommended by small business owners of every trade.

Success tip: A business mentor can be younger than you — don’t let this intimidate you! A younger mentor will teach you a lot about modern business and share their enthusiasm balanced by your wisdom. Getting a professional business mentor doesn’t have to cost you a lot — or in fact, any — money. Organizations like SCORE and online business communities are a great way to connect, learn, and network with other business owners for free.

5.Network before you launch

The most successful startups are those that first build a network and then launch. Unfortunately, most business owners do the opposite: they get their product out and think the audience will come. When that doesn’t work out, they get frustrated.

If you’re just planning to start a business and are in the brainstorming stages, now is your best time to start reaching out to everyone you know. And yes, everyone means everyone.

Harvard graduate Kelly Christiano worked for Corporate America for most of her life before getting involved with IGI Enterprises. She knows a thing or two about not only having a large contact base but productively drawing on it.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to former colleagues, old friends, and contacts even if you haven’t been in touch for years. Most people love to help and provide their advice. You’d also be surprised how many of these connections can lead to real business opportunities.”

New to online networking? Check out these online networking tips from entrepreneurs.

Success tip: You’ve probably heard of the 6 degrees of separation rule. The one that demonstrates how you can reach any person in the world (think literally any celebrity) through six “friends of friends”. Whenever you think of it as irrelevant or uncomfortable to contact someone you’ve been out of touch with, just remember that they can be the missing piece of the puzzle for your business.

6.Ask family and friends for digital help

Let’s be honest. As a new business owner over fifty, you’ll feel a lot more challenged in launching a business, especially an online one, than a GenZ who’s had an iPad hanging in their crib. More often than not, you’ll also feel rather embarrassed to ask your family for help in digital matters. Don’t be!

Anna Makani is a 61-year-old retired florist who recently launched her own handcrafted artistry shop on Etsy. Her secret to starting that e-commerce business and sailing around digital and tech challenges, moreover in pandemic times? Not being afraid to ask her family for help.

“My daughter runs a boutique PR firm, and she has been an amazing resource in establishing my business. My sons-in-law are great photographers, and they’ve helped me with my product shots. I was always nervous about asking for him because everyone is so busy, but I found when I made the ask, the people around me were happy to help.”

Success tip: As a small business owner over 50, you may have the privilege most younger business owners don’t: that of a supportive family. Even if your family doesn’t include professional photographers or marketers, they know things about social media that will make you go “wow”. And if your adult kids are busy, try school-age or teenage grandkids or family members! They will love helping you out with social media, and you’ll get the benefit of fun family time.

7.Hire out any ‘tech stuff’ you don’t want to learn

In running a business after 50, you’ll stumble upon some “tech stuff” that will be impossible to avoid. But that doesn’t mean you have to become a tech guru to become a successful entrepreneur.

To achieve harmony in your workday, Colleen Kochannek advises to separate essential tasks you’ll need to do yourself vs. things you can delegate.

“Learn the basics. [If needed], pay someone to teach you the tech systems you do need to know. [But] hire out any ‘tech stuff’ you don’t want to learn. Fiverr and Upwork are good places to start. You [can] also hire people from these sites to teach you how to do specific tasks.”

Here’s an example of the digital essentials you’ll need to start a business:

• Business phone number — for communicating with clients from a business number as opposed to a personal cell number, which looks unprofessional, you will need a business phone number. We suggest a business phone system like MightyCall, targeted specifically at small business needs.
• Business website — essential for getting your online business out into the world. Building a website is totally simple with DIY website builders.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform — for managing your client base. This can be a simple platform that’s already integrated into your business phone like MightyCall’s or a bigger CRM platform like Hubspot for when you have many clients.
• Accounting and financial software —  accounting software like this will save you a lot of money on an accountant.
• Social media tools — tools like Hootsuite for instantly publishing your news on several social media platforms save time on publishing social updates to multiple platforms simultaneously and scheduling posts in advance.
• PR tools — Reaching out to journalists and getting the word out about your business is useful and free on platforms like HARO which connect small business owners to journalists and B2B blogs that can spread the word about their business.

Success tip: For a small business, things you need to do yourself are usually client communication and team communication. Also, knowing the basics of CRM tools, as well as social media will be a huge bonus. Things like PR and even getting your website set up can be outsourced to freelancers.

Last but not least…

Entrepreneurship in your 50s is not only possible — it will give new meaning to your life.

Instead of a time that may seem dull or boring, you can make your retirement a time when that American dream you once had will finally come true and bring you deep joy.

There’s only one catch. As Kathy Kristof puts it, “Be prepared to work like back in your 20s!”

Want to learn more about savings as a small business owner? Complement this guide with our out-of-this-world fast, mobile, and budget-friendly phone system for small business. We’ll help your team talk anytime, anywhere, and about anything, at a stunning price.

Take a look at MightyCall’s business phone features or learn more about how VoIP works!

The post How to Start a Business After 50 in Seven Steps first appeared on MightyCall.

1. Start at the End

At first, this may seem counterproductive- after all, you don’t start a book by reading the last page (unless you’re a psychopath). However, when it comes to starting a small business—especially one as complex as private consulting—it’s exactly the right starting move.

Brad, the owner of Colorstone Marketing, hit this point home in a particularly poignant manner:

“First, start with your goal and plan backward. This lets you establish your processes starting closest to the money-generating tasks and helps you stay organized right out of the gate. For example, in my agency we know that something that onboarding takes a tremendous amount of time but its critical to a seamless experience and retention. So we developed a process that’s as automated as possible. This means less time spent by staff with back and forth calls, finding passwords, etc.”

Brad is right: planning is key. Going into building a consulting business with a “Well we’ll see how it goes!” attitude is a one-way ticket to crashing and burning out. After all, no one starts off building a skyscraper by just starting to dig. Instead, you start off with a blueprint, an image of the final product. Once you have the blueprints of your small business, you can see what it will take to make it come to life.

2. Put Your Back Into It

The one problem with planning everything out is that sometimes folks will get overconfident once they have done so. They will see their business plan and think it looks unimpeachable, unstoppable, and unsinkable. But just like the captain of the Titanic discovered, icebergs can lie in wait.

So how do you avoid ending up on the floor of the ocean? Take it from Chane of Crediful, a personal finance company:

“If you aren’t ready to put in intensive amounts of work into your business, then you’re probably not ready for a business.”

The fact of the matter is that building a business is a ton of work. Getting the necessary capital, finding the right employees, getting the word out, convincing others to love your business as much as you do- that takes time and energy. Think long and hard about the work necessary to create a small business. Like any other large responsibility, it isn’t something to take lightly (and unlike the responsibility accrued by buying a pet bird, if your small business ends up flying south for the winter, it might take you with it).

3. Hire the Right People

This one may seem straightforward, but a lot of people make common mistakes in this department. Why? Because figuring out who the right people are is actually sort of difficult.

Let’s say you’re the old hand we mentioned earlier, striking out on your own. You have worked in the business for some time, and over the years you’ve made some good friends. When you go off on your own and you start thinking about a team, their names are the first to cross your mind.

But have you actually thought if those individuals would be right for your small financial consulting business? For your legal firm? When you worked with them in a big team, you may not have relied on them for your literal well-being. But when it comes to your own small business, there’s no one above you; if it goes down, as we discussed earlier, it might end up taking you down with it.

Maybe your friends actually will make a GREAT fit! Or maybe they’re just a great fit for a day on the links. The only way you can know is talking to them honestly, and talking to yourself honestly. If you have a formal hiring process worked out, offer them to interview like any other applicant (after all, if they are going to be working for you, they can’t expect to be treated any differently from other future employees). If they are responsible, they’ll understand.

4. Know Your Limits

Last but not least: know what you can do, and what you cannot do. You are starting a small business because you see some sort of gap in the market that others do not see. Take it from Russell, from the Law Office of Russell D. Knight:

“Trying to have everything perfect is the biggest mistake you can make. A business solves a problem. Just solve the problem and be honest about what you can and cannot do.  Customers will understand and appreciate you.”

Especially when starting off, you may find yourself trying to go overboard to please all of your new customers. After all, word of mouth is everything, right? You can’t afford to start off seeming weak. And that’s true to a degree: word of mouth is definitely important.

But you know what’s really bad? Having people hear that you overpromise and under-deliver. People are unlikely to complain to their friends that a business could not cover their specific needs while offering other services. They are much, much more likely to complain to their friends that the new business down the street promised a ton of things that they couldn’t end up doing.

Don’t waste people’s time – including your own. Be up front and proud of what you can offer.

Starting a new business is daunting. It’s tough. It can be a slog. But it is also exciting – it’s the opportunity to take control of your own life and destiny. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to coming out on top in no time.

The post Tips on What To Do (And What Not To Do) When Opening Your Own Financial and Legal Consulting Practice first appeared on MightyCall.

After decades of struggle, women and mothers are no longer paralyzed at the dead-end ultimatum of career vs. family. From negotiating with clients on the go to being there for our kids’ school plays, we can really do it all —including dazzling yesterday’s skeptics with our unstoppable energy and vision.

All of this has been possible thanks to the untiring efforts of women leaders. Women like those we’ll tell you about today.

If you’ve been checking out mompreneurship business ideas but are still a tad hesitant as to where to start and how to balance the demands of a business with the 24/7 family workday, these 10 first-hand stories will fill you with motivation and courage.

Apply them to your own life situation, skills, and goals for maximum benefit — these moms will be super happy to have inspired you!

#1: Use stress to awaken your inner Edison

When stress catches up with us, it’s way too easy to give in. But all that adrenaline can also trigger unrivaled ideas and “aha” moments. That’s what happened to J.K. Rowling when she drafted precious ideas on something as unattractive as…an airplane vomit bag. That’s also what happened to Debra Pally from Flyaway Designs when, after stressful flights with two toddlers, she invented a product that helps children sleep and play on planes.

Mompreneur business ideas don’t get more hands-on than this. Debra’s product the Flyaway Kids Bed is a kid-sized bed that “grows out” of an Economy-class plane seat. Getting her product compliant didn’t happen on the fly, however. “It hasn’t always been easy,” Debra shares. “Faced with complex quality and design requirements from the airline industry, I invited key stakeholders to give their feedback to my prototypes – a step I recommend to all entrepreneurs. As a result, regulators and major airlines influenced the design of FlyawayKids Bed and paved the way for its approval by 30+ airlines.”

Mompreneur tip: If there’s something that habitually stresses you out in the office, on the road, at home, or wherever you find yourself, chances are other people (especially busy moms) have similar issues. Use the problem at hand to spark inventive ideas, and to make sure you’re moving in the right direction, ask for feedback from your target audience throughout the process.

#2 Target niches within your industry

Many a mom can make a blast on the entrepreneurship arena by zooming in on the skills she already owns. Finding a niche within your industry will help you go solo while drawing upon the confidence of your existing professionalism.

As a femalepreneur in the health and wellness sector, medical professional turned Celebrity Nutritionist Maggie Berghoff knows how to find one’s perfect spot. “Being a female business owner in the Functional Medicine health and wellness space is competitive,” Maggie says. What helps her  “push through every day” is precisely her past experience as a Nurse Practitioner proving “how much value and impact this industry provides in people’s lives.”

To help “monetize” your skills, Maggie advises business mentorship as an irreplaceable help for first-time entrepreneurs.  “Hire someone who is excelling in what you’re pursuing,” Maggie shares. “This … accelerates everything, saving years of time and effort, not to mention the stress of trial and error.  Yes, it’s an investment each time you do this, but I guarantee the ROI will be immeasurable.”

Mompreneur tip: To generate a mompreneur business idea, create a mind map of your industry, with all its various niches. Research your competitors to find out what they’re doing and try to find a gap in the market. For example, you may cater to a specific age category or consumer class. If you can’t afford sessions with a business mentor in a particular field, join the community of femalepreneurs via blogs, communities, and networking events.

#3 Go from corporate to caring

Based on an average life span, each of us spends 90, 000 hours, or 13 nonstop years working. Now, what if all those years could add up not to serving the interests of billion-dollar corporations, but doing work that leaves a trace and matters to people around you?

That’s exactly what Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder and CEO of Mavens and Moguls, a global marketing consulting firm, did. Following 9/11, after a company she worked for cut their marketing, Paige took her two decades’ worth of experience at Corporate America and became what she calls an “accidental entrepreneur”. “When I worked at big companies I always felt the ball would roll with or without me, ” Paige shares. “Now my DNA is in everything we do and I can trace every decision and sale to something I did or a decision I made.”

And it’s not just about the money. “I feel I have found my purpose because I used to work all the time and life was passing me by,” Paige says of her corporate days. “I got raises and promotions [but] I did not feel fulfilled.” The key to that fulfilling life? Aiming higher.

Mompreneur tip: If you’re a pro at things like accounting, marketing, sales, or HR, and your skills bring big money to some organization, consider how much of a difference they can make working for you personally. In addition to being your own boss, you’ll be able to connect with other leaders in the field and support worthy causes.

#4 Don’t wait to be inspired

Inspiration is terrific fuel, but faith and perseverance are the real tools you’ll need to launch (and keep in orbit) your business’s “rocket ship”.

Keeping her cool is exactly what helped mother of four and founder of Creative Legacy Group Katherine Adams push through challenging times. “My journey started back in 2013 when I first got my insurance license after my mother in law died without any,” Katherine shares. “When I started…we were seeing people in-home and door-knocking without appointments.”

Balancing work that involved much travel and no steady income with four small kids was no easy job, even with the support of her husband. However, acting on the “prods” of life without giving in to doubt has paid Katherine off a thousandfold. 6 years after she started going door-to-door on her own, Katherine is the owner of a life and health agency that does close to $2 million a year. She says it’s her “faith, courage, and work ethic” that ultimately “provided for me and my family in a way that I never knew existed.”

Mompreneur tip: Getting licensed in a specific industry can be a great way to steer yourself towards change. Starting with baby steps, take time to gain your clientele and become trusted in your community. Keep in mind this can take up to several years, even with the most superb mompreneur business idea. In days when your enthusiasm is totally down, you’ll find that the “slow and steady” approach of long-term investment can work wonders.

#5 Leap out of your comfort zone

Whatever your notion of comfort zones, mompreneurship is a huge leap beyond any. But sometimes, it demands double the effort, both on the home front and in conquering unknown territory — all for the sake of family.

Natalie Setareh, a former U.S. Air Force Officer turned luxury makeup artist, traded combat boots for a creative career at home base. “My options were to stay in the military, deploy, and leave my infant son with working grandparents across the country or separate from the military, get knee-deep in motherhood, champion my spouse’s career, and pave my own path,” says Natalie. “I chose the latter.”

This family-first approach is what made Natalie into a world-touring luxury makeup artist, educator, and author of “Be Your Own Makeup Artist”.  She encourages aspiring mompreneurs not to be afraid to shock everyone with their determination. “Staying on the path society expects of you can ultimately take you away from your family,” says Natalie. “Why not inspire those nearest to you, your children, in pursuing your passion? It’s the best legacy you could leave!”

Mompreneur tip: Some of us have big dreams that sound downright crazy against the background we come from. Becoming a mom can be a terrific time to go off the “expectations” grid and prove your own worth. Discover the kinds of work you’d actually be proud to do for years to come, and see how you can become a role model to your kids.

#6 Think outside the box

If your idea of a tech innovator is a sleep-deprived guy sitting up nights coding, think again!  Brilliant tech ladies like Christy Laurence, recently featured at the Vogue Codes Sydney Summit for digital innovators, are shaking up the idea of female innovators. With her unique Instagram management app, Plann, listed in the top 1,100 grossing apps in the world, Christy is a global inspiration to female-owned startups.

“There is currently a great spotlight on female tech founders with lots of additional opportunities opening up,” Christy says. Though she notes that bias is still strong in her particular industry, and “males from other companies will typically search out other males… to have technical conversations”, she says that “people tend to remember you when you’re a female tech founder kicking goals which can definitely have its advantages.”

Even lack of a tech background isn’t mandatory if you’re willing to put in the extra effort. “Not having an engineering background, and the incredibly huge learning curve to understand the complexities” did make the journey tougher for Christy. But if that didn’t stop her from scaling a “full-stack software team across 10 countries, in very little time,” neither should it stop you!

Mompreneur tip: “Life-hacker” moms with big mompreneur ideas but no programming degrees — how about building your dream app even without coding knowledge? With visual platforms like AppMakr, anyone can build and publish their own app. No tech gene required.

#7 Connect with the gals

Sometimes, a mom can come up with an idea large-hearted enough to benefit not only her own family but embrace a whole community of women nationwide. When Alison Bernstein founded Suburban Jungle, a real estate and lifestyle advisory firm dedicated to helping young families leave urban life for suburban, she was doing more than pursuing her own passion.

Creating a groundbreaking company that hires 100% moms, Alison dove into the talent pool of women who’ve traded successful careers to be moms. With four kids of her own, Alison knows everything there is about mompreneurship.  “Being a woman in a career and a mother in a career are two very different things,” she says. “Once you are a parent, your decisions and time are not totally your own… I see so many women drop out of the workforce because of the difficulty in balancing and the guilt.”

By organizing a network of “mom” real estate agents nationwide, Alison encouraged women to drop the burden of guilt and instead “work hard, but on their own schedules”. How does she accomplish this?  “In today’s world, flexibility and multitasking are key to mom’s success on the job,” says Alison. “With the help of connective technology, it has never been more manageable.”

Mompreneur tip: Can you think of a bunch of women who’re in a similar life situation as yourself? Consider building an idea that all of you can collaborate on from individual locations. This doesn’t have to be a business partnership, but rather a network of remote workers across the city/state/country. Don’t forget these simple (and low-cost) digital tools to stay connected with your mompreneur team and clients.

#8 Become a virtual pioneer

Most of the things we now regularly do virtually — such as shopping, watching movies, and even chatting with friends — were once exclusive to “real life”. The age of  “virtual” everything has transformed us — and from an entrepreneurship perspective, made any business affordable.

Filling a “void in the [virtual] market” is exactly how Jessica Hawley founded Peachtree Legal Support, a virtual paralegal and legal administrative support firm. In the five years it’s been in business, the virtual paradigm has profited everyone. “Our support services encompass all aspects of practice management,” says Jessica. “[They] allow our attorneys to cut costs, increase profits and improve client relations while freeing up more time for the attorney to focus on practicing law and growing their business.”

While “balancing work and family life is still a juggling act”, Jessica says that “having the ability to be there for my children (even if I’m sitting in the bleachers working on my laptop at a football game or on the floor at karate practice) is priceless and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Mompreneur tip: Have you always dreamed of owning a practice but the burdens of office rent and additional employees have just been too high? Try applying your idea to the virtual realm, and never mind being a pioneer! With assistants like a virtual phone system, virtual apps/tools, and freelance helpers, you’ll be able to do business online while being physically present for all the milestones of your family.

#9 Unleash your inner guru

>Women leaders have unparalleled charisma and vision that helps them achieve breakthroughs in their industry. Behind many a great leader, though, there’s been a strong mentor who navigated them through that journey.

Kate Swoboda is Founder of the Courageous Living Program and author of The Courage Habit. Life coach and facilitator on women’s leadership, she uses her knowledge in habit-formation and emotional resilience to empower women leaders. “When I first walked into the land of entrepreneurship in 2006, most of the industry thought leaders in marketing and leadership were men,” Kate remembers. “Now I see more and more women offering profound insights and being recognized.”

While noting that the journey may get rough, Kate encourages femalepreneurs to think in perspective. “See everything that you do to grow your business as being equivalent to investing small amounts of change in a savings account that accrues interest,” she advises. “You won’t see, right away, how those small deposits are going to pay off [but] you’ll be so proud when they do and so glad that you built something from nothing that can grow.”

Mompreneur tip: Reach out to others by teaching something you’re good at. Whether it’s yoga classes, arts&crafts masterclasses, creative childcare programs, or motivational writing/speaking, when there’s a will, there’s a way to use your skills to empower others. Best of all, being a coach demands the least budget investment — over time, your best promoters will be your happy students.

#10 Learn from your toughest experiences

The toughest experiences in life can teach us a lot about preparing for the best ones. Denise Stern, CEO of Let Mommy Sleep<, the industry-leading team of night nurses and newborn caregivers, turned mompreneur after surviving an extreme experience.

“I started LMS after my twins were born and my son was 17 months old,” Denise shares. “I ‘thought’ I had it all figured out but a very dangerous bout of pre-eclampsia, which left me near death during the birth of my girls led me to understand the need for postpartum care in the US.”

Denise attributes the immense popularity of her business (now in 6 cities and expanding) to its first steps of solving an immensely underrated issue. “As a country, we’re just now starting to address [maternal mortality],” says Denise. “The many years of not having women’s health taken seriously was a challenge. Most of us think of “disruption” as a tech term, but when it comes to how we treat other humans, disruption happens slowly, person to person.”

Mompreneur tip: Personal life-changing experiences can be a huge impetus to change something in society that’s previously been ignored. If you’ve lived through a crossroads where you had nowhere to turn for help, think: a) what would’ve helped you in your situation b) how to share that experience and solution with others. Much of the time, it will turn out that many women share the same frustration and are desperately in need of a helping hand.

Final word

As these brilliant femalepreneurs prove, “how to become a mompreneur” is no longer a question we need to answer — it’s a reality worth embracing. But if there’s one thing that’s underrated about mompreneurship, it’s what Denise Stern calls the “unglamorous stuff”.

Finding motivation in the tedious, repetitive, and boring work is what ultimately defines a successful entrepreneur and lets you keep on creating the personal story that will inspire your kids, family, and perhaps even thousands of strangers worldwide.

Feed your inner mompreneur with more tips on making it in small business (just below), and complement with our limited time offer on a business phone system for mobile-first moms.

The post How to Become a Mompreneur: 10 Business Ideas for Moms first appeared on MightyCall.

Achieving your dreams

Dream big

“It is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.” — Les Brown.

There will be more barriers to break through, hardships to endure, and obstacles to climb. You’ll have to push yourself harder but you’ll learn more along the way. Even if you fall short, you’re likely to exceed the expectation of your smaller dream.

“Most people, they raise a family, they earn a living and then they die. They stop growing, they stop working on themselves, they stop stretching, they stop pushing themselves. Then a lot of people like to complain but they don’t want to do anything about their situation. And most people don’t work on their dreams, why? One is because of fear.”

Face your fears

Most fears that you have are likely to never happen. The fear of failing and losing it all, to end up living on the street. This is a very reasonable fear but it’s not likely to happen because it’s much more avoidable and in your control — don’t risk everything you own. What you will likely be risking to make your dreams a reality is a lot of time; time that would be spent on your hobbies, with your friends, with your family and sleeping. Success built on risk and sacrifice.

“The fear of failure, “what if things don’t work out?” And the fear of success, “what If they do and I can’t handle it?” These are not risk takers.”

Take risks

Taking risks leads to success, here’s how:

• Unforeseen opportunities often come from risk-taking.
• Taking risks shows confidence and helps you stand out.
• We learn from risks — and those lessons may lead us on an important, new path.
• Success won’t fall in your lap — you have to pursue it.
• Embracing risk-taking helps you overcome a fear of failure.
• You don’t achieve your dreams by playing it safe.

Taking a risk doesn’t mean to do so carelessly. People who benefit from their risks are the ones who prepare for them. They educate themselves on the all of the possible outcomes and have plans for all possible failures.

When you begin taking risks and move closer to your dreams, that’s when you will notice change in your life. The relationships around you will be forced to change. Some friends will always cheer you on. But others are will be filled with jealousy and will keep you for moving forward. Any negative in your life will hold you back. Get rid of it.

Remove the negative from your life

Negative people are a drag on your goals, your ambitions, your life and career success. They are quick to tell you what you can’t do, offer little encouragement, and hate to see you prove them wrong by succeeding. Hold these kinds of people at arm’s length. Don’t spend time with them. Instead, invest in friendships with positive, upbeat people; the kind of people who not only don’t belittle your ambitions, but do what they can to help you make them a reality.

It is often said that you are the average of the five people that you spend most time with. If you focus on finding people that are success-driven, successful, and of similar interests, you will be inspired by successful people who take action to their ideas and possibilities, and make their dreams a reality.

Write it down

The act of writing down your goals causes you to clarify, organize and prioritize what it is that you want to accomplish. Write down your goals, successes and failures. Take lots of notes; documenting your progress is essential in the learning and growing process that will attribute to your success.

Dream

The post Achieving Your Dream first appeared on MightyCall.

We’re going to periodically feature an entrepreneur and their road to success. Everyone’s journey is a little different but there will be a lot of similarities. This month’s entrepreneur is 22-year-old, Emmanuel Sagan who owns a freight shipping company called Blue Line Logistics. Here is his story.

Entrepreneur Success Story

I knew I had that “business mindset” early in life. As a child, I sold candy at school. In my early teens I sold car stickers at church. In both ventures I sold them for double than I was buying them for. With an ROI of 100% that was a confirmation for me that I had a special trait that would help me in the future.

After those little gigs faded away, I didn’t think much of entrepreneurship and didn’t try investing in anything else until years later, at 17 years old. I invested a couple thousand dollars in a foreign currency because I got wind that it would multiply in value, so I figured I would put my money there. After some time it didn’t increase in value, so I sold it off for a net loss. Two years later, I invested in a marketing company which also promised quite the return and as you might have guessed, it fell through. My upline bailed, to pursue other options, so I was stuck with my entire investment in the drain.

Through the failures, I kind of had an idea of when to stop and when to keep going. There are ventures in life that you will look at and it’ll be very obvious that if you continued trying to chase it, it wouldn’t work out. Like my marketing experience, I could have gotten in touch with the company and tried again but it’s one of those things that you have to accept the loss and move on.

After getting married, I didn’t want to play around with these “get rich quick” schemes and I decided to invest into something physical, something that I had more control over. I wanted to buy a box truck because at that moment there was local work that paid well. I found one at a great price online, so my wife and I flew from Seattle to Boston to pick it up. We used everything we had saved to buy it, get it home, fix it up and pay for all the start up expenses for our local shipping company. Once everything was set up and I was ready for business, local work died out; and with the rising prices for longer distance driving, that wasn’t an option as it would cost more money than I would be making. My wife was very upset with this loss. She wanted me to sell the truck and use that money to make a down payment on a house. If I did that I would have to rely on my fallback plan of working for my grandpas commercial truck certification school making a very modest income (about $30K a year) and I did not want to do that.

I thought about my wife’s request for a few days. I came to the conclusion that’ it was a bad idea. We’d give up on the business, sell the truck, get a house… and then what? We couldn’t pay for a house, my wife’s college and live off of $2,500 a month. I knew, from the beginning, that I didn’t want to go down that path. I knew that I didn’t want to settle. I knew that I wouldn’t be happy working a regular eight-five job, with regular pay, a salary cap, and working someone else’s hours. I knew that I wanted be an entrepreneur. That’s the moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing; headed home on, a dark, interstate 167-North. I will never forget that moment.

We sold the box truck, lost a few thousand dollars, and reinvested in a semi truck with a 53-foot trailer. It was all so new to us. I grew up around trucks but never invested my own money into one. I was very nervous. I went on a few long haul trips with my dad just to get the hang of it all and after that I was on my own. I did a few more long haul trips by myself and decided there’s no way in hell I want to do this any longer, being away from my wife and family. So on my last trip across the states I decided to try and find local work when I got back. I did exactly that and it went even better than I expected. I had more trips but I didn’t drive as many miles on a monthly basis, used less fuel, and I made more money. What could be better than that?

In between all of this, there were some major and minor mechanical issues with the truck (typical issues from hauling 80,000lbs which really takes a toll on the engine). I dumped a lot of money into the truck to keep it maintained and healthy. Until one day I noticed coolant was disappearing into thin air. I took it to my mechanic and after a diagnosis had said a piston liner cracked inside the engine. To put that simply, I needed a complete rebuild which runs about $12,000. I was furious when I heard the news, all these expenses, all these recurring bills every month. We had finally saved up a nice chunk of change and it all had to be dumped back into the truck. It was so unfair! I wanted to rip my hair out!

That was when I seriously thought about quitting. I thought, “I’ll sell the truck as is, for whatever price I can get for it. I’ll pay off my loan. And I’ll just do something else.” The only problem was, I had no idea what that “something else” would be. My dad tried talking me out of quitting for a few days and because of our conversations I figured I would spend the remaining money we had on the repairs and try to get over this bump and just move forward.

I worked as hard as I could. There were many times that I worked a 14 hour day, came home to eat, shower, change, and then back to work; and worked all night. Countless times it went down just like that. What kept me going (other than family) was the fact that I knew damn well that there are millions of dollars to be made in my industry. I knew we would get through this and make our money back and succeed. I took my failures and turned them into lessons to be learned from.

Now I run my own transportation company and a freight brokerage company; which I started in July in order to bypass paying other broker fees. I can now go directly to a shipper and do business. I am currently looking to hire employees to do local work here within Washington state. We are regularly looking for and hiring third party transportation companies to haul freight, sub contractors for our contracts, but now I’m in the process of building a permanent team!

What does success look like?

To be completely honest, I have never made as much money in my life than I have made in that last nine months. But until I know it’s possible to gross $one million a month on a regular basis. I will not fully consider myself successful until I reach that goal. It’s a distant dream but I know I can reach it in a relatively short time. But even that won’t be the end of it, there is always room for growth.

What Motivates you?

My family didn’t have much when I was growing up but my parents always provided what was needed and I’m thankful for the way they raised me, but I do this so that my kids can grow up with more than I had. Through our experience so far I have gotten my wife aboard this crazy train and she now shares the positive attitude that I have had since the start. It all begins in your head. If you can envision it, you can achieve it. That’s what I tell her regularly.

What advice would you give your younger self?

If I could go back in time and tell my younger self something, it would be to save my money and get started on the entrepreneur process earlier. It’s never too early! I have done the math; if I had started this trucking company at the age of 18, I’m 22 now, I am confident that I would have made somewhere near a million dollars by now. But I wanted to hang out with friends. There’s nothing wrong with that; I enjoyed my teen years just doing whatever I wanted but I knew that I wanted to be wealthy and didn’t act on it. So many people in their teen years (myself included) don’t think about their future, or they think “I want to be wealthy” but aren’t making a plan to get there. People need to realize that they can start really young and be successful very early in their lives. Entrepreneurship consists of going out and doing it.

What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

To all the entrepreneurs out there, success won’t come easy! Work your asses off! If you come to a dead end but you know deep in your heart that you want to pursue your dream further and it seems like you can’t, you make a new path for yourself. Don’t give up! Sacrifice now, to live like a king later. Thomas Edison failed 9,000 time before he created the first light bulb. That’s persistence! Imagine if he gave up on his 100th try. His 1,000th try or even his 5,000th try. We may not have had light bulbs. Work until your bank account looks like a phone number. No one ever got rich working eight–five. You say I dream too big? I say you dream too small! Tell me I can’t and I will work twice as hard just to prove you wrong. Once you see results, it all becomes an addiction. Success doesn’t come to you, you have to find success. Don’t worry about what other people think. There will always be people who want to see you fail because they can’t succeed. What does success require? Long days, longer nights, empty bank accounts, struggle, two faced friends, faith in yourself, and a strong work ethic. A work ethic so sick that if you were to tell someone how hard you work, they wouldn’t believe you. Work hard in silence and let your success make the noise. But it all starts in your head. If you can’t see your future, if you don’t believe in yourself, I can promise you right now that you won’t succeed. Change your mindset, and in turn that will change your life. There will never be a perfect moment. People need to take risks to make it. If only I knew the things I know today, at the age of 18. But things happen for a reason, maybe this little part here will give a young person motivation to start their own business early on and become successful early. Who knows?!

The post Entrepreneur Success Story: Blue Line Logistics first appeared on MightyCall.

Discouragement. Disillusionment. Disappointment. The things that these writers recommend almost always set the bar way too high, require people to have all the time in the world, or cause confusion with too many details. There is close to zero empathy for you and your dreams of being your own boss, especially if you still have a day job or a family to care for.

Sometimes, self-proclaimed gurus just don’t get it. Strategy is good and all, but taking that first step and actually getting started is a more important step to being your own boss.

Then I came across Henneke Duistermaat, a self-starting infopreneur and author with a training business that helps others with copywriting.

She left her job with a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety in Sep 2012, but was able to stay the course by taking things one little step at a time.

I listened to her story in a Copyblogger webinar and followed up — she agreed to share some of her thoughts with us.

There are two sections to this post:

• the first helps you realize that getting started can be a simple matter of taking the first small step, even if you aren’t sure where the final destination is (hint: a “final” destination doesn’t exist);
• the second is a list of follow-up steps, all just as tiny as the first, to keep going.

We’ll give the floor to Henneke from here on out.

Take that first step. But make it a small one

“Like most people, I started with a clean slate.

I had no target audience and no business model.

I didn’t even know how I was going to make my money in the first year.

We all look around and we always see people that seem to have everything sorted and know what they’re doing.  I think that’s something everybody struggles with.

We put ourselves down, and think we don’t know anything.

This is not true because we always know something that we can start and run with.

I was feeling completely overwhelmed with all these ideas about having to have an email list set up, a website, and thinking about marketing.

There’s just so much to get into and that felt really hard.

Being my own boss, I had thought I was going to be nimble and agile.

The fact is that you’re more like an elephant on your own, and it can be really hard to get started.

Once you get started, the elephant starts moving and you even get forward momentum.

But that first step is scary, it’s difficult.
Take it.

Make it as small as you can because if you make your 
first step too big, then it could stop you from moving.

I still practice this idea of starting with a tiny step.

Rather than write a whole book about a topic, I write a blog post first and see what reaction I get and what questions people ask.

One blog post can become a series of blog posts, and that can turn into a book.

Our mind wants to overanalyze, and it wants to take away the uncertainty.

But we can’t know everything.

So the best thing to do is just to take the first step.

Even if it is the tiniest of steps, because you don’t need to have everything perfect to get your first customers.

Do more of what you love

It’s very important to find out what you love doing, and do more of it.

In my case, I had come from quite a senior management position, but it was not a good fit.

My working day was really meetings, meetings, and meetings. And politics.

It drained me. I want to create things instead.

We often get confused because other people tell you what you should be doing.

But if it doesn’t give you energy, you shouldn’t be doing it.

I think this is really important that you’re clear with yourself. What do you want to do and what do you love doing?

Do you want to work on your own or build a big business?

This is a process. You have to find it out. It might change over time, but you’ll be much happier in your work when you do the things you love doing.

Next Steps

It’s not about the product

Some people already have in their minds what product or service they want to provide, but they don’t know whom to sell it to.

I think that is the wrong way around.

Don’t worry about products and monetization too much to start with.

When you start building your community, and when you focus on engaging your community, they will tell you what they need.

That’s how you can develop your products and that’s what you build your business on ultimately.

Start with guest blogging

Guest posting and answering comments are a good way to get to know people. You can also find what they are struggling with, and what questions they might have.

This is a really important point because when I started out, I didn’t know my community yet.

And my first copywriting clients all came via guest posts, too.

They read a guest post on Copyblogger or KISSmetrics; they understand how I’m thinking. If they like me, they contact me.

Until today, I don’t have a portfolio on my website because I found I don’t really need it. The posts show people I’m a good copywriter.

By the way, the same applies to any other service provider.

Generously share your knowledge about web design or social media or financial planning. People will recognize your authority and come to you for help.

Show people what you can do by writing about it, and sharing your experiences with them.

Build a mailing list

You don’t need to have all the building blocks in place when you first start out.

You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a customized website with bells and whistles. If you try to be perfect, you may never start.

When I started out and published my first guest posts, I only had a landing page where people could leave their email address.

I didn’t have a website. I didn’t have an opt-in bonus. And yet I was still building my subscriber list.

By the time I launched my blog, I already had a list of 300 email subscribers, and they were a ready audience for the blog.

Your main asset as an online infopreneur is your email list, so your key objective in the beginning should be to grow your list.

Interact with your community

Once you’ve got subscribers, start deepening the connection with more one-on-one interaction.

I used to love engaging in email conversations with subscribers, although I have less time to do it now.

But these one-on-one conversations are really important.

They help me understand what people are struggling with.

They generate ideas for blog posts, books, and other info-products.

I have a simple footer in my email with something like, “Would you like to get in touch? Just hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.”

People do hit reply quite regularly. When they do, it’s worth investing my time to engage people in a conversation.

I don’t try to give a quick answer. I think things through, and try to give an honest answer.

Sometimes people are surprised that I reply back.

To me, it’s incredibly valuable to have those email conversations with people so I do my best to see if there’s more I can help with.

Replying to comments on your blog is also important. When people see that you’re sincerely answering comments they will be more forthcoming with more questions.

Keep your perspectives fresh

When you keep listening, you always get ideas for new blog posts, books, and products. My Kindle books are based on blog posts I’ve written. My blogging course is based on one of my books.

All work evolves and builds on what I’ve done previously.

The comments and emails I receive are a valuable investment of my time, guiding all my efforts.

They keep me on my toes.

They pinpoint new ideas.

The relationships I’m building are hugely valuable to my business, and to me, I enjoy the interaction. I learn so much from my readers.”

We’re grateful to Henneke for agreeing to share with us her story and experience.

Please share this with anyone you know who aspires to be his or her own boss, but find it too hard to take that next step.

If you are starting a business and want to sound like a credible company right away, one of the five things to do is to get a business number and a professional virtual phone system.

We at MightyCall would like to help. Click below to pick a number and sign up.

The post Five Steps to Being Your Own Boss first appeared on MightyCall.

Before you call, it’s important to know…

When to call:

I recommend trying different times, and seeing what works best for you. Here’s what worked for me:

Monday — Thursday, 5:30pm — 7:30pm.

People are usually off work at this time and easy to reach.

Again, you can call whenever you want. These were just the times that worked best for me, and gave me the best results.

What to say when you call:

Imagine you’re setting appointments for Janet Johnson, the dentist. And the first person on your list of people to call is Mary Lewis.

Here’s what you say:

“Hey, Mary?”

“Yes, this is Mary.”

“Hey, this is [your first name]. I’m calling because you got a teeth cleaning done here at Janet Johnson Dentistry last year. And I’m just seeing when a good day and time would be to schedule a checkup for you. Do mornings or afternoons usually best for you?”

“Afternoons.”

“Okay, I’ve got some time available next Wednesday at 3pm. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, Wednesday at 3pm works!”

“Awesome! Well, thanks for talking with me, Mary. We’ll see you next Wednesday at 3pm.”

Got all that?

Good.

That’s all you really need to say when you’re setting appointments on the phone.

Now for some final tips…

Seven tips that will make you “Devastatingly” effective

1. Here’s a “little known secret” that instantly makes talking on the phone the easiest thing in the world…

(Especially, if you’re a criminally shy introvert like me)

What I’m about to show you is kind of weird….

Okay, it’s REALLY weird.

But stick with me here, because I think this will help you out a lot…

I was watching the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street.” And there is this scene in it where they start pounding their chest and humming…

Turns out this is an acting technique that makes you super confident on the phone. It zaps anyway any anxiety you feel, and makes your voice sound strong and smooth:

Give it a try.

2. Put a smile on your face when you’re talking

People can “literally” hear it in your voice when you’re smiling, and they’ll respond better when you ask them for an appointment.

3. Talk slowly

If you talk fast, it makes you sound nervous — which makes the person you’re calling feel nervous.

And then they’ll start wondering if you’re trustworthy, and if they should even be setting an appointment with you.

So talk slow. It makes you sound cool, calm and collected.

4. Sound like someone they already know

You may have noticed I always say:

“Hey! [their first name]?”

Or…

“Hey, this is [my first name].”

This makes people put their guard down (and listen to you), because they think you may be someone they know. You sound like a friend to them.

Instead of like some corporate tool who tries to sound all official by saying:

“Hello. This is Abijah Christos with Janet Johnson Dentistry. Is Mrs. Mary Lewis available?”

People already know it’s a business call, and are trying to figure out how to hang up on you.

So call them, and talk to them like you would a friend.

This one trick that has helped me tremendously.

5. What to say when people try to blow you off

Some people will say, “I’m really busy right now.” or “I’ll call YOU back when I have time.”

They say this stuff because:

(a) they really are busy, or…

(b) they think you’re trying to sell them something, and want to end the call as quickly as possible.

All you have to say when this happens is:

“No problem. Just so you know, I’m actually “the phone guy” here at Janet Johnson Dentistry. My only job is to make phone calls, so I just need to know when a good day and time to call you back would be. Otherwise “the boss” will get mad at me, because I’m suppose to write down a day and time to call back. When would be a good day and time to call you back?”

6. What to say when you don’t know the answer to their question

Every so often, someone will ask you a question…

…and you won’t know the answer…

It’s cool.

Say this:

“Just so you know, I’m not a [enter professional title here — ex: dentist]. I’m just “the phone guy” who schedules the appointments. I literally know nothing about [enter type of business here — ex: dentistry]. But [enter business owner’s name — ex: Janet Johnson] can answer those questions for you at your appointment.”

Done.

7. Don’t leave messages

People usually won’t call you back.

And it’s a waste of time, because you could have been calling someone else, instead of leaving a message that they won’t respond to.

(Believe me. Leaving messages takes up a lot of time.)

Just keep going through your list, and call them again when you loop back to them.

All right…

That’s it.

That’s the 1 (easy) good way to make money on the side.

Have a good one,
Abijah.

The post A Good Way To Make Money On The Side (Part Three) first appeared on MightyCall.

Step #1: The “Legal stuff”

Look:

I ain’t no lawyer.

So you should do your own research — or contact a professional — because I’m not qualified to give you legal advice.

I’m just going to give you some “ideas” about what you might need to start this business:

Now, depending on where you live, you may need a business license…

(It’s usually no biggie. You just fill out a small form online, pay a little money and they send you a business license in the mail. Done.)

Next, you need contracts:

These are the ones I use (and if you search Google, you’ll find free templates you can use):

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

This agreement covers:

(a) What you’re going to be doing.

“Scheduling [x number of] appointments for [their business name here].”

(b) When you’re going to do it.

“Starting on [enter date here] and ending on [enter date here].”

I usually do give myself 2 weeks to set 10 appointments. You can probably do them faster, but I just like to give myself some extra breathing room.

© How much it’s going to cost.

“[price] per appointment. [price] total.”

I don’t fill this part in, until I’ve discussed my fees in person. Mainly because the cost will depend on how much they can afford to pay (which you’ll discuss when you meet them in person).

(d) When you’ll be paid.

“½ of payment due upon the signing of this contract, and the other ½ of payment is due upon completion of this agreement.”

You should always request ½ up front, and one ½ at the end. This means you get paid before doing the work, and paid after you do the work.

(Plus, people tend to take you more seriously when you charge them like this, instead of collecting your payment after.)

2. Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

You’re going to have access to a business’s most valuable assets:

A lists of their customers.

As you can imagine, the business owner doesn’t want you sharing this information with anyone — especially a competitor…

I know, you wouldn’t do that. But it’s important to make the business owner “feel” like they’re safe, and that you’re a professional they can trust.

So get a non-disclosure agreement.

Step #2: Stuff you need

All right, now that you’ve got all that “legal stuff” taken care of, it’s time to gather the “equipment” you’ll need to get the job done.

1. 1. A phone

Probably with unlimited minutes, since you’ll be making quite a few calls.

1. Pen and paper (or a computer)You’ll need these to take notes during the calls.

Step #3: Getting your first paycheck

So now that you’ve got your equipment it’s time to find a business that’s going to pay you to schedule appointments for them…

It’s going to be easier to find work with small businesses, instead of at huge corporations or chains…

So here is a list of small businesses I recommend going after:

• Insurance agents.
• Dentists.
• Private Physicians.
• Acupuncturists.
• Massage Therapists.
• Real Estate Agents.
• Accountants.
• Gym Owners.
• Dance Instructors.

There are plenty more to choose from, but that list should be enough to get you started.

Now here’s what you want to do next:

Call the business owners

Let’s say you decide to go after dentists (good choice, they’ve got a lot of extra cash lying around)…

What you’ll want to do is type “dentist” into Google, and do a search in your city (and surrounding cities)…

Next, find their phone number (on their website, Google Maps or Yelp)…

Then you’ll want to call them, one-by-one…

And let’s say the first dentist we call is named Janet Johnson.

Now listen, you don’t want to screw this up so pay attention here…

When she picks up the phone, you say:

“Hey, Janet?!”

“Yes, this is Janet.”

“Hey, this is [your first name here].

I’m calling because I’d like to help schedule appointments for you, and bring more patients into your office…

And I was just wondering when a good day and time would be to discuss this with you.

Do you have time this [day of the week here] at [time here]?”

If she thinks it’s a good idea, schedule a time to discuss it in person.

If she doesn’t think it’s a good idea, thank her for her time and call the next dentist.

Now, on to…

Step #4: Mastering the meeting, and walking out with a paycheck

Before you walk into the office, you should know a little bit about the business and take some notes…

So you’ll want to do a Google search for the following info:

(a) What type of services/products do they sell?

You can usually find this info on their website.

(b) What year did was the business started, and how many years have they been in business?

You can also usually find this on their website, usually in the “About” section.

© Read reviews about the business, and take notes about the “positive” things people are saying…

You can use Google reviews and Yelp for this.

Now,…

You’ll want to write all this information on a notepad, and have it ready for your first meeting (also, make sure you bring a pen along to take notes with).

You see, just knowing “a few things” about their business will make them take you more seriously.

And, from a psychological perspective, having a notepad and pen makes it feel like you’re interviewing them — so you’re subtly communicating that you’re the one in control.

Okay,…

You’ve walked into their office, shook hands and had a little small talk…

Start mentioning the positive reviews they have online, and how they “seem like the kind of business you want to work with.”

Now it’s time to get down to business.

Start by asking, “How many customers come in every week right now… on average?”

Write down their answer.

Then ask, “And how many extra customers could you realistically be able to handle each week?”

Write down their answer.

Now repeat the information back to them (this makes you look like a real professional).

“So you have [x number of] customers coming in every week right now, and you would like an extra [x number of] customers each week? Is that correct?”

Explain that your main goal is to help them get more customers, and bring more money into their business…

And that you’re going to do this by “setting appointments with past customers…. and people who have expressed interest in buying, but haven’t bought anything yet.”

Then explain that you’ll need two things to do this:

1. A list of people to schedule appointments for.(This can be a digital or printed copy.)
2. The business’s weekly schedule, so you know what days/times are available to schedule appointments.

It’s best if this is done online, so you’re able to access and see updates in real-time. Otherwise, you’ll have to check in constantly to see if they’ve scheduled anything new (so you do accidently double book a time slot).

Oh, one last thing:

If they ask about your experience, credentials or qualifications you can say:

1. “Well, I got you to sit down for an appointment with me. So I’m sure I can get your patients to do the same for you.”And…
2. Mention that you’ve studied how to effectively call customers on the phone, and that you do it in a “friendly way” that leaves people with a good feeling about the business after the call.

(Which is have is true. This article is what you’ve “studied.” And in a little bit, I’m going to show you how to make calls in a friendly way.)

Money, money, money

How much should you charge?

Well, like I said, I’ve been paid up to $45 per appointment.

So, if I were you, I’d say:

“The standard rate for appointment setting services is $45 per appointment. So based on the long-term value of a customer (how much more they’ll be worth down the road) is this price affordable for you?”

(This “long-term value” thing is very important. You want to emphasize that the value of a customer goes beyond just the first appointment you schedule. It’s about how much more money that customer is going to bring in, in the future.)

If there is NO WAY they can afford that, then say:

“Okay, no problem. I know different businesses have different costs, so $45 per appointment isn’t always affordable. What would be an affordable price for you?”

Once you’ve agreed on a price, say this:

“Now I charge ½ up front, and ½ at the end. And what I’d like to do — since we’ve never worked together before — is test this appointment setting thing out, and make sure this works out for both of us. So I’d like to start by setting just 10 appointments for you… and if that works we can do 20 appointments next time. Does that sound good?”

The above statement makes your offer very non-threatening, because it’s “only” at test. And it increases their trust in you, because it shows you’re not trying to charge a crazy amount up front and run off with their money.

Signing the legal documents

Bring a printed copy (one for you and one for them) of the documents. Also bring a digital copy on a USB drive or something.

Present them with the paper copy first. If everything looks good to them, they sign it and write you a check.

If they want to change some things, you bust out the digital copy — then you can go through it together, edit it on the fly and print it out.

Then they sign it and write you a check.

Done!

You did it! You got your first paycheck!

Now, it’s time to make some calls, and set some appointments…

Click Here For Part Three

The post A Good Way To Make Money On The Side (Part Two) first appeared on MightyCall.

(And it would be nice if you didn’t have to work too hard for it, right?)

Well, I know of one (easy) good way to make money on the side — and I’ve been able to make $45 an hour doing it…

Plus, I’m able to get paid for it in advance… before I’ve done ANY work.

Now, before I show you how to do this yourself, let’s be clear…

This is a REAL business I’ve personally “field tested” for you…

It works.

It’s not one of those “business opportunity” scams. You know the ones I’m talking about:

“Just join my super-secret-insider-network where we will teach you THE ANCIENT BUSINESS SECRET that makes you vomit gold coins. Literally!!!.”

No.

I don’t have time for any shenanigans, and you probably don’t either…

So I’m going to show you how to start this thing — and get your first paycheck — step-by-step…

FREE of charge.

And truth be told, I should probably be charging you for this information, but I’m too lazy to go through the hassle of turning it into a product.

So that’s why I’m giving it to you for free…

Because I’m lazy…

(You’re welcome)

So what’s this mysterious side business I’ve been alluding to?

Appointment setting, over the phone, for small businesses

Look:

There are a TON of small businesses who have lists of customers who haven’t bought anything for awhile…

And these businesses want to contact them… but they just don’t have the time…

They’re just too busy…

And that’s where you come in…

(And where you can be “dramatically overpaid” for a small amount of work)

For example:

I work with an insurance agent who pays me about $45 for every appointment I schedule…

And I usually schedule one appointment per hour, so you can do the math on that.

Now…

Here’s how it works:

The insurance agent gives me a list containing the names and numbers of his past customers…

I start at the top of the list, and work my way down…

Let’s say the first person on the list is “Robert Miller.”

I dial Robert’s number. His phone rings…

“Hello?”

“Hey, Robert?”

“Yes, this is Robert.”

“Hey, this is Abijah. I’m calling because you have an insurance policy with us at [company name deleted to protect my client’s privacy]. And I’m just seeing when a good day and time would be to schedule you in for a review of your account. Would Monday at 11am work for you?”

“Yes, Monday at 11am works great!”

“Awesome! Well, thanks for talking with me, Robert. We’ll see you at 11am next Monday.”

“Bye.”

Boom!

Done.

$45. Cash. In pocket.

Now, lets be clear: I don’t know ANYTHING about insurance.

Heck, sometimes I’ll even say:

“Just so you know, I’m not an insurance agent. I’m just “the phone guy” who schedules the appointments. I literally know nothing about insurance.”

That immediately takes all the pressure off me to sound professional, and like I know what I’m talking about….

Now…

Here’s why this is a great side business

1. They’re already interested in what you’re calling about

You’re calling a list of people who’ve already bought something, or who have contacted the business and want to buy something.

This is great, because you’re not “cold-calling” them. You’re not calling random people who’ve never heard of the business, so no one is going to be pissed off that you’re calling…

As a matter of fact, some people will be happy and excited that you’re calling. Sounds weird, I know, but it happens.

2. It’s just “appointment setting.” You’re not trying to talk people into buying stuff

You never sell anything.

Ever.

You ONLY schedule appointments.

Period.

3. You can do this anywhere, anytime you want

You’ll never have to haul yourself into an office…

Heck, you can even do this while you’re lying on your bed in your PJs.

4. You need no special skills, knowledge or certifications

All you need is a phone (and the ability to move your mouth).

Oh, and if talking on the phone makes you nervous and uncomfortable…

Just know that it use to make me REALLY nervous and uncomfortable, until…

I discovered a “little known secret” that instantly makes talking on the phone the easiest thing in the world…

(Even if you’re a criminally shy introvert like me)

And I’m going to share this trick with you later.

So…

Are you ready to give this a try?

Click Here For Part Two

The post A Good Way to Make Money on The Side first appeared on MightyCall.

You know, that day when you finally quit, because your side business is bringing in a full-time income.

That day you walk out of your boss’s office, with two middle fingers up in the air, and a giant smirk stretched across your face.

Yes,… that day.

But before that day comes, you’ve got to be making enough money to “safely” quit your day job…

And that can be hard.

Especially when you’re already feeling burnt out from your full-time job — and now you have to run a business during your time off…

hell.

Believe me, I know.

I’m working a full-time job right now, and running a business on the side.

And a few months ago I was really struggling to balance the two…

I just didn’t FEEL like working on my business after a long day at work. I felt burned out and unmotivated. I wanted to watch YouTube videos…

(Not a good way to run a business)

So I began searching for ways to motivate myself. And that’s when I stumbled across something that made things a heck of a lot easier…

It’s called a Monthly Streak Calendar.

Source: brennenreece.com

(Relax. This isn’t some crazy “time management system” that’s going to stress you out.)

Listen, here’s how it works:

1. On the left hand side, under “Activity” write a goal that — if done everyday — will grow your business, and help get you closer to quitting your job.
2. Do it.
3. After you “do it”, put a little red “X” in box for the day.

Simple, right?

I know…

But stick with me here. There is a lot more to this thing…

Now, lets say you run a part-time “motorcycle repair” business…

And you know you need more customers to turn this into a reliable source of income…

So you decide to buy a list, containing the names and phones numbers, of every motorcycle owner in your town…

You plan to call them, one-by-one, and ask if they need any repairs…

Smart move.

But that list has been sitting on your desk, gathering dust for months, because you’ve been too tired to make those calls after work…

(I feel ya)

But here’s the thing…

You “think” you’re not making those calls because you’re tired, right?

Wrong.

Being tired isn’t the reason you’re not making those calls…

Being tired has nothing to do with it…

The problem is, you haven’t established the “habit” of making calls after work.

If it was a habit, you’d do it automatically. There would be no resistance to getting it done — even if you were tired.

The truth is: your problems aren’t physical. They’re psychological.

And that’s why this calendar works so well…

Here’s what I mean:

If you see a calendar full of little red “X”s, that shows you’ve successfully made calls everyday after work, for the past two weeks straight…

How motivated are you going to be to keep going?

I mean, you’re on a winning streak here!

Your brain says, “Hey, look at all this success. You’re doing so well! Why not keep going?”

And by putting those little red “X“s on a calendar every day, you have “physical proof” that you’ve successfully done it before…

You’re not relying on your memories of past successes (which are easily forgotten) to keep yourself motivated …

The proofs right there infront of you. You can’t deny it.

Now, here’s the best part (…if you’re sort of lazy like me):

When you work on your business, it doesn’t matter how long you do it for (or how much you do).

As a matter of fact, I’ve found it’s best NOT to measure those things…

Just do it for as long (or as little) as you feel like… even if it’s just for one minute a day.

Eventually, you’ll start to feel that one minute isn’t long enough anymore, and you’ll be motivated to do it for 10 minutes. Then 30. Then 60.

You don’t have to use any willpower.

This technique requires NO effort on your part.

All you have to do is put a little red “X” in a box everyday.

Simple, huh?

(Told you this wasn’t going to be complicated)

So…

Are you ready to try this for yourself, and start rapidly growing your side business into a full-time income?

If so, I’d like to give you the same Monthly Streak Calendar I use…

Its really helped me, and I hope it helps you too…

Click the link below to download it now:

Click Here For Your FREE Monthly Streak Calendar.

Print it out, start using it and let me know how it works for you.

Talk soon,
Abijah

P.S. I almost forgot to ask:

Do you have customers (or potential customers) calling your business?

If so, you probably want to sound as “professional” as possible on the phone…

…instead of like someone who’s answering the phone in their underwear saying, “Hey, what’s up?”

That’s why I’d like to share this new eBook with you: it’s about how to make your small business sound like a Fortune 500 company (on the cheap)…

You’ll be given detailed, step-by-step, instructions on how to sound more professional on the phone — starting right now:

The post How To Run A Side Business (When You’re Tired) first appeared on MightyCall.