Tag Archives: Taking

Taking Risks for Entrepreneurs

Taking Risks in Life and in Business

When I worked actively in real estate over a twenty year span during the eighties and nineties I developed a reputation for being a risk taker. Always one to have a positive outlook on life, it was not unusual for me to purchase the ugliest and most run down house in the neighborhood, or the smallest, non-conforming property in a questionable neighborhood. I believed that I could overcome the shortcomings of the property or the location by making up for them in other ways.

These strategies proved quite lucrative to me over the years. It also made me a popular speaker within my group of real estate friends who wanted to do something similar but considered themselves to be much more risk-averse. They were reluctant to take on projects that were not “sure things” for fear of losing some, if not all of their initial investment. That gave me access to even more of these deals, as my friends were more than happy to pass on the information to me and then watch to see what happened. Even back then, I had the confidence to move forward with opportunities others, much more experienced than myself would pass up.

This is not to say that I didn’t lose some money at times, but overall I was always on top and loving every minute of the process.

When I decided to resign from the classroom in 2005 and come online as an entrepreneur, the risks were similar. I would be leaving behind my guaranteed salary as a teacher and venturing into the unknown on the Internet. Yet somehow I was not fearful, as this situation seemed to me to be very similar to what I had done in real estate for more than two decades.

As you read this you are more than likely making judgments and coming to your own conclusions regarding your ability and willingness to take risks in life and business. That is perfectly natural and something you must experience internally before you take action. And there are many things to consider before doing so as well.

Often I will say that when I made the conscious decision to leave my job and also give away my real estate clients I was more confident because I no longer had children living at home. I also knew that I was someone who had always been willing to do whatever it took to make sure a situation would work out favorable for me. These two factors made my decision much easier, and I would make it in exactly the same way in the future.

You must decide for yourself how much risk you can afford to take in your life and business. If you’re considering the life of an entrepreneur, be willing to ask yourself some hard questions and answer them honestly regarding taking risks.

Who are you financially responsible for at this time?
Do you have a history of sticking with something over time?
Have you done any research into the area you would like to be a part of?
Are your immediate family members supportive of you?
What steps must you take right away to get this into motion?

There is an excellent article from Julie Zeilinger on “7 Reasons Why Risk-Taking Leads to Success” I would also recommending reading. Being willing and able to include taking risks in your life experience is a choice only you can make. Doing so from a place of personal reflection will make it all worthwhile and with a much better outcome.

Taking Advantage of Your WOW Factor

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Wow Factor What is your WOW! Factor when it comes to your online business? You might be missing the boat and shortchanging yourself if you aren’t making the most of your skills and expertise.

Early on in my career as an online marketing strategist and mentor I worked with a man who desperately wanted to build an online business. I helped him to get started with a blog, an opt in page, and even an information product, but he just couldn’t seem to get any traction and his enthusiasm waned. After working with him for a few weeks I asked what kind of work he had done previously and was shocked to hear that he had been a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) for several Fortune 500 companies over a span of almost thirty years.

I quizzed him about his activities while with these companies, and it turned out he was something of an expert with Google Analytics and other programs. He had crunched numbers with lots of zeroes after them and was truly a numbers guy. So why didn’t he seize the opportunity to specialize in this area for his online business, instead of learning new skills that would take years to master? His answer was “I wanted to do something new instead of relying on what I already knew so well.”

This is common and is a huge mistake made by so many new entrepreneurs, in my opinion based on my experiences for over a decade now. The fastest way to position yourself as an expert is to present yourself as an expert. Does this make sense?

If there is something you’re good at, or have experience with this could be the Wow! Factor that will catapult you to success…

Are you a writer? If so, write every single day and wow people with your writing skill.

Experienced with PowerPoint or Keynote? Create presentations that wow people regularly and make them comment on what you create.

Do you have a background in sales? Wow us with your ability to persuade and market in ways that make us hungry to learn your methods.

On the other hand, make sure not to underwhelm us by stooping to mediocrity. Sloppy writing, so-so slide presentations, and sales efforts that fall short of the mark will work against you in the minds of your prospects and clients. When they learn of your background they will sense an incongruity and look elsewhere for people to follow and to learn from. One blog post, one PowerPoint, or one sales effort can define you as an online entrepreneur. Be careful and heed what I am advising here.

The bottom line is this: Make the additional effort and go the extra mile to wow us with what comes naturally to you. You’ll make a name for yourself quickly and build your business in a way that gives you massive credibility right out of the gate.

My Wow! Factor? Persistence, relationship building, and writing prolifically on an almost daily basis. Also, I’m a former classroom teacher so it is expected that my online teaching would be based on a structured lesson plan. This is actually my super power. I’m confident in what I do online because I know that more than 99% of others will not work as hard or with as much diligence. Now that’s a wow you can take to the bank.

Are You Taking Inspired Action in Your Life?

Taking Inspired Action in Your Life

The year was 2006 and I had taken steps to change my entire life. After twenty years of working as a classroom teacher, while simultaneously working as a real estate broker and residential appraiser, I walked away from both in search of a new way to earn a substantial living. In addition to these drastic moves, I also built a new home about twenty-five miles north of the city I had lived in for the past fourteen years. All alone in this venture I jumped at the opportunity for change.

At the age of fifty I was ready for a new life, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. Always being a person of great faith, I was sure that God would show me the way to whatever He had planned for me. It was blind faith on my part but it felt like the right thing to do if I were to have life experiences that I had been dreaming of for so many years. These included travel, financial freedom, and people to have these experiences with for the remainder of my life.

In my new community I was drawn to a small, non-denominational church. They met in the back of the Senior Center and welcomed me with open arms. Over the next few months I was introduced to the Law of Attraction, viewed the newly released film “The Secret”, and participated in discussions around the idea of taking inspired action. This was a new concept for me, as I had indulged in the “victim mentality” for all of my adult life. Things happened to me; I didn’t initiate the actions that led to the situations I was unhappy with on a regular basis. For the first time ever I understood what it meant to take responsibility for everything that came into my life experience. It was uncomfortable at first, and superbly empowering once I embraced and accepted this new way of thinking.

In the movie “The Secret” we were told that everything one wants or needs in every area of our life can be satisfied by believing in an outcome, repeatedly thinking about it, and maintaining positive emotional states to “attract” this desired outcome. But the people I was now surrounding myself with had a different take on this. They believed in the law of taking inspired action, which meant that we had to do much more than simply wish for and visualize what we wanted in our life experience. This made all of the difference in my life. Immediately I began learning and doing when it came to my brand new online business. Instead of creating a vision board of what I wanted to achieve, I actually took action by writing, creating, and engaging. Within a few months I was earning some income and this continued to grow.

People who had known me for years were quick to comment on the change they saw in me. They described me as being more focused and serious, yet also more playful and happy. They scratched their heads when I excitedly told them about my new online business. Timidly they asked if I had thought about returning to teaching or real estate “just in case” this new internet thing didn’t work out. I knew they only had my best interest at heart, so I entertained their inquiries while making it clear that I was working hard to make sure the new business would be a success.

But the thing was, I wasn’t working hard at all. Even though I was spending many hours in front of the computer each day, it was joyous at every turn. It was a new world for me and I was taking inspired action at every turn. Even though I had been into computers and technology since the very beginning, this was all new to me. And I had wanted to write since I was about twelve years old but seldom did, until now. My fingers (I continue to type with my two index fingers to this day) flew over the keys as I wrote articles, blog posts, short reports, and more. And as someone who had not wanted her photograph taken her entire life, I immediately turned into someone who was always ready for her close up!

The next step was to seek out like-minded individuals to walk beside on this new journey. I found them at conferences, workshops, and other live events and continue to call many of them friends. Once my business took off I was asked to be a speaker at many of these events, and the public speaking opportunities opened up yet another new world to me.

Looking back now I can see that I was ready for change in my life and open to new thoughts and Taking Inspired Actions ideas on how I could get there. I hope you can feel the excitement as you read my words here, as conveying these concepts around taking inspired action is what I most hope to achieve by sharing them with you. I know that the Law of Attraction can be a controversial topic for many people and I certainly understand why that is the case. But if you are willing to move to the next step by taking inspired action I believe you will find a world waiting for you to step inside and achieve all of your goals and dreams.

Are you taking inspired action in your life experience? What do you think about these ideas on how you can change your life by taking inspired action?

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