5 Insanely Inspirational Quotes For Entrepreneurs

Believe it or not, successful people have bad days, too. The difference is they don’t let their feelings dictate their actions. Remembering that emotions are temporary, they have a singular focus -- to serve a larger vision.  

In order to keep my eye on the prize, even when huge setbacks occur, I always come back to the inspiration of my vision as the key to unlocking my motivation. These are some of my favorite quotes for one of those days.

1. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing--that’s why we recommend it daily.” --Zig Ziglar

The law of consistency is a powerful thing. It's tough to hope to be great at something and have it come true if you don't practice it often. Whatever habits you practice on a daily basis will support you in getting the result you are looking for (or support you in not getting them if you lack the discipline).  

2. “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr. 

My friend Sean Stephenson recently experienced a near fatal accident. After just a month he is already moving forward toward his comeback. In his most recent podcast, he talks about his mentor, Byron Katie, calling him to give him inspiration to help him heal. She told him to stop calling it an “accident” and start calling it a “purpose." His takeaway is exactly that -- to continue living a life of intention and purpose.

3. “Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.” -- Tony Hsieh, Zappos founder and CEO 

I am a big fan of the company Zappos and its culture. According to Hsieh’s widely read book Delivering Happiness, companies with a higher sense of purpose outperform others by 400 percent.

4. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” -- Richard Branson 

It's said that Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student, but later discovered his superpower to network (something he and I have in common). 

On one of Branson's last days at school, his headmaster is reported to have told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. Branson is infamous not only for his innovation but also for his risk-taking. Oh yeah, and for his net worth.

5. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” -- Bill Gates  

One of my favorite books is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, and one of his precepts to live by is “Don’t take anything personally”. A great skill to have is to be able to objectively utilize feedback to improve your product or service.

Sometimes we all have to “fake it till you make it.” A little inspiration goes a long way, so the next time you are feeling unmotivated to take action in your business, pull out your favorite quotes, or better yet post them on the wall in your home or office, and get yourself back in the game quicker.

LEWIS HOWES

CONTRIBUTOR

Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Coach, Advisor

6 Steps to Launching Your Social Sales Campaign on LinkedIn (Infographic)

KIM LACHANCE SHANDROW

ENTREPRENEUR STAFF

Social selling is all the buzz these days, but what is it, who’s doing it and why is it so important right now?

But first, hold the phone. Thankfully it has zero to do with dialing for dollars (old-school cold calling). Put simply, social selling is when salespeople -- and marketers, recruiters and account reps -- use social media platforms to directly interact with sales prospects.

“Social selling has the power to help establish a positive reputation, unearth hard-to-find information, and make important contacts in a scalable way,” LinkedIn vice president of sales Mike Derezin toldEntrepreneur. “In today’s digital and data driven age, online is how perceptions are shaped, so for anyone working in sales today, it’s a real miss to not make it core to their strategy.”

When done right, social selling is also a highly effective lead generation, relationship building and conversion tool. When done wrong, it can alienate prospects and send them packing. Getting the delicate social sales do-si-do just right can be tricky. It’s best to start strong with a solid game plan.   

LinkedIn, the a 347 million-plus member professional social network and creator of a popular fee-based social selling tool called Sales Navigator -- has put together a crash course in how to get started in social sales in the helpful infographic below. The guide walks you through six simple steps to launching a successful social sales campaign, from to setting up your social presence to finding and attracting the right prospects, to measuring and optimizing results.

Check it out below.

7 Questions to Consider When Setting Goals for Your Team (Infographic)

KATE TAYLOR

ENTREPRENEUR STAFF

If you were a kid who hated group projects in school, this infographic is for you.

Setting objectives for a team is very different than coming up with your own personal goals. You can't just set a goal and promise yourself you'll get there – you have to consider the strengths of your team and communicate the goal in such a way that everyone knows their next steps.

Check out this infographic from employee progress reporting softwareWeekdone.com for seven questions to ask yourself the next time you're setting team goals. From timing to comfort zones, here's what should be on your mind to help every member on your team succeed. 

Emotions drive the decision making process

The decision making process is pivotal to business success. For years we believed that the best decisions were a result of rational, logical thought. Breakthroughs in neuroscience have proven that human beings are wired to feel first, think second.

To use the example cited in, “Your Brain at Work” an article published in the July/August 2013 Harvard Business Review, “Suppose you see a spider. We used to think you would identify the spider as scary and then feel fear.” Nope. That’s not how we are wired. The thought that the spider is a threat follows the feeling of fear. But, we were taught, and now firmly believe, the exact opposite.

The education system got it wrong. The business schools that taught us about business got it wrong. Everybody got it wrong.

*Feelings DRIVE Thoughts

*Thoughts DO NOT drive Feelings

We feel things first, often at the subconscious level, then, we become consciously aware. The feelings trigger thought. We make sense of the world through our feelings, which inform out thoughts. Our “Feelings inform thoughts, not the other way around.” “The brain’s affect network seems to know what’s going on before we consciously recognize it”.

The actual decision making process

This simple re-sequencing of the mechanics of behaviour has huge repercussions for the mechanics of business. No business runs independently of human beings. The relationship between business and human beings is an interdependent endeavour. And it is causal.

                       *Human Beings RUN Business

                       *Business DOES NOT run Human Beings

Business is all about human beings interacting with human beings, through process, to create value and sell it to customers.

                       *Mechanics of Behaviour DRIVE Mechanics of Business

                       *Mechanics of Business DO NOT DRIVE Mechanics of Behaviour

Causality

From a causal perspective, the mechanics of business rely on the foundation that is the mechanics of behaviour. The recent breakthroughs regarding the sequencing of feelings à thinking is a fundamental change to the conventional approach to the mechanics of behaviour, with dramatic implications for the mechanics of business.

Best practices?

The common “best practices” approach to strategy, planning, decision making, problem solving, communication and learning was to lead with a “think first and whatever you do, don’t let your feelings get in the way” mindset. Emotions in business just didn’t make any sense.

Actually, not so much

Wrong! This rational-logical-first approach worked when the economy was relatively stable. With the economy behaving in unpredictable ways, it has become impossible for scientists to avoid concluding that feelings take a back-seat. When people feel fear, they behave according to how they have been conditioned to behave relative to the experience of fear.

*Feelings inform Thought

*Human Beings run Business

*Mechanics of Behaviour is foundational to Mechanics of Business

 The power of expectations

Almost every single person in the developed world has come to expect that the world of business, and the world at large, is relatively stable and predictable. As a result of this expectation, we are triggered to disengage, avoid and procrastinate when the opposite occurs.  If we do not learn new sense-making skills, we will then enter into the next phase of disengagement, burnout, anxiety and depression.  The resulting impact on business productivity is massive.

The root of the problem

The problem is not the economy. Nor is the problem, business. The problem is that each and every one of us has an incorrect and irrelevant understanding of why we behave the way we do What is at issue here is that people do not understand the implications of what they are feeling. We have not yet been educated to understand the mechanics of sense-making behaviour. Nor have we been educated about the impact of emotions on our thoughts.

To get you started

Here are some suggestions for how you can start to wrap your head around the fact that emotions drive thought, not the other way around:

1. Embrace the fact that you are human and therefore, you feel. In some cases, you feel deeply. As a start, expect to feel fear. It’s a natural response to constant, unpredictable change. It’s no big deal. Fear is just information + energy. Move into it so you can use the information.
2. Expect to be overwhelmed by the energy connected with your feelings. In order to be able to assess the information in your feelings, you have to be able to deal with the energy part. Build regular physical activity into your life. Go for a walk. Work out at the gym. Ride a bike. Throw a ball. Do anything to discharge the extra build-up of anxious energy.
3. Take advantage of the wealth of information out there to help you broaden your thinking:

• On the behavioural mechanics side, start here: The Brain that Changes Itself talks about how we can literally change the way we think. “A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making“ is a fantastic resource for understanding how understanding context improves the decision making process. It’s also a great primer on complexity theory.
• On the business mechanics side start here: “Reinventing your Business Model” starts you down the road of taking a holistic perspective of your entire business. “Transforming Corner Office Strategy to Frontline Action” This introduces the concept of working the AND instead of the Either/Or.

Your thoughts?

How are you using your emotions to drive effective decision making processes?

Filed under Bandwidth, Decision making by Tim Glover

Author : Tim Glover

As co-founder of Light-Core, Tim brings his 30 years of experience to entrepreneurial and corporate clients in a variety of industries. As a CA, CMA, musician and corporate strategist, Tim Glover fine-tunes and simplifies the challenges of profit and growth. He specializes in identifying an organization’s core strengths and mapping them to the best opportunities in today’s marketplace. Through his work as CFO and general manager of 3 Fortune 500 companies, Tim learned to translate the fundamentals of business into bite-sized, practical chunks. His careers in advertising, music and art taught Tim how to apply innovation, adaptability and creativity to business, resulting in a powerful fusion that drives sustained, above-average financial results.

Culture & Leadership: Setting the Tone

In the work environment there is a nebulous feeling in the air that drives what gets done and how. It's called "culture". It's intangible, yet palpable. And in organizations, it either sustains and boosts performance, or it impedes and even sabatoges the greatest of plans.

Culture can be intentionally cultivated, driven by the company's vision and core values; or it can exist by default, at the whim of personalities and organizational dynamics. Either way, leadership sets the tone. Discover how your leadership team can help create a culture of accountability and empowerment.

Business leaders are tasked with the mission critical functions of leading growth and change; maximizing the company's resources; and building a healthy, resilient culture that drives performance. With the whirlwind of everyday operations and the pressures of being profitable, it's become more imperative than ever to get clear on where and how to spend your time, money and energy.

Common ailments in navigating growth and change:

• Resistance to change
• Procrastination
• Lack of clarity around priorities and responsibilities
• Frustrations
• Communication breakdowns
• Power struggles and personality clashes
• Lack of accountability and inconsistent reporting
• Stalled initiatives, lack of traction
• Uncertainty as to progress or status
• Tolerating mediocre results 

As business leaders set forth to build their company, they generally are equipped with some kind of road map to guide them as they embark on the journey. In today's fast-paced business climate, it's difficult to maintain a relevant, compelling and executable strategy.

What makes a strategy valuable?

A strategy sets the trajectory, but doesn't necessarily ensure success. A good strategy must resonate with you and your team and serve a purpose in the marketplace. A good strategy:

• is based on your vision and core values,
• leverages your strengths,
• adds value to your customers,
• fuels passion,
• provides direction,
• creates alignment, and
• inspires action!

STRATEGY IS NOT JUST A PLAN. IT'S A WAY OF THINKING.

Strategy is not cast in stone, yet you do want some continuity and consistency to gain traction. Developing a strategy doesn't have to be painful or laborious or trigger your fear of commitment.Your strategy should drive what you do and why you do it. While you may not be able to predict the future, you can still be prepared with a plan - and be flexible to adapt to the dynamic demands of business.

NOT ANOTHER INITIATIVE!

Often, in a genuine attempt to tackle an issue or capitalize on an opportunity, business leaders launch yet another initiative as the remedy. If your organization has been guilty of being an "initiative generator" with only mediocre success, you're not alone. Teams start experiencing "initiative fatigue" and lose their enthusiasm or buy-in for the next great idea. And, when you have too many initiatives, your resources are not efficiently being allocated to your top priorities. Instead, consider becoming an "initiative integrator"; where you are focused on doing what it takes to get the right things done. 

MAKING IT HAPPEN - THE ART OF FACILITATING FOR RESULTS

The art of facilitating is gaining participation from all team members while moving the organization towards its stated objectives. Good facilitation translates to increased buy-in and ownership for the outcomes. The process itself can build alignment, camaraderie and improved communications and relationships.

K COMMUNICATIONS CAN HELP YOU CREATE A VALUABLE STRATEGY AND FACILITATE WHAT IT TAKES TO EXECUTE IT.

• Leadership Teams - Priorities in Action: Defining Priorities & Driving Performance
• Development of Action Plans & Accountability Reporting
• Vision, Values & Culture Development
• SWOT Analysis - Identify Internal (Strengths/Weaknesses) and External (Opportunities/Threats) Factors
• Retreats, Annual or Quarterly Meetings
• Project Meetings - Kick Offs, Issue Resolution, Partnering Sessions
• Navigating Difficult Conversations / Issue Resolution
• Team Building

How healthy is your company?

Clearly, a company needs to be profitable to be viable. Financial health is a cornerstone to a company's capacity to deliver services, take care of employees, remain competitive in the long term and fuel growth. Yet, if we measure only the balance sheet, we wouldn't have a true, holistic and sustainable picture of what defines a healthy, resilient company.

Business leaders also need to measure non-financial key performance indicators to give them a more balanced view of organizational health. These indicators all define and shape your culture and your true brand.

CULTURE DRIVES PERFORMANCE - THE VALUE OF FULLY ENGAGING YOUR EMPLOYEES

Gallup research indicates the difference in peformance between engaged and actively disengaged work units was significant. Work units in the top quartile in employee engagement outperformed bottom-quartile units by 10% on customer ratings, 22% in profitability and 21% in productivity.

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES:

• Feel a sense of ownership and pride in their organization
• Are energized, enthusiastic, accountable and self-motivated
• Become invested in their work - which leads to higher job satisfaction and a greater retention rate
• Generate ideas and exert voluntary effort to better their organization. This leads to higher revenues, cost savings, increased creativity and improved customer satisfaction
• Have higher morale and job performance, this leads to attracting more high performance talent

It’s a New World for Businesses. The pressure to maximize your organization’s performance has perhaps never been greater.  The economy over the last few years has created a renewed need for leaner and more effective organizations: customers expect more, companies need to do more with less (and faster), and competition is intensifying.  But – with the complexity and whirlwind of organizational dynamics – where does one start?  

A Company Health Check Up - Organizational Assessment

Organizational Deficiencies are Hampering Potential. The organizational ailments of communication breakdowns, change and uncertainties, lack of mentors, unproductive side conversations, operating in silos, micromanagement, lack of reporting mechanisms or established protocols and procedures, ambiguity in roles, all play a role in negatively impacting the culture, effectiveness and efficiency of the company. Conversely, by tapping into your team's undeveloped potential and leveraging your strengths, you can catapult your company's growth and good health.

By taking "the pulse" of your organization, you can gain critical information and feedback. This internal market intelligence helps you focus your resources on building upon your strengths and shoring up the company where it is at risk. It will shine a light on areas where, collectively, you may be inadvertently tolerating inefficiencies and communication breakdowns as the "norm". It also creates a culture of increased alignment, participation, pride and sense of ownership. It sets the tone for accountability and transparency and invites enhanced engagement and empowerment.

Discover the health of your company with a customized organizational assessment.

Unearth your strengths and ailments. Through a of collection of methodologies -  employee interviews, surveys, meeting observations, appraisal of communication channels, and process and documentation review, K Communications can assess the health of your organization based on over 10 Key Performance Indicators. Together we can pinpoint what's working and what's not so you can create a game plan that builds a vibrant and high performing company culture.

It’s a New World for Businesses. The pressure to maximize your organization’s performance has perhaps never been greater.  The economy over the last few years has created a renewed need for leaner and more effective organizations: customers expect more, companies need to do more with less (and faster), and competition is intensifying.  But – with the complexity and whirlwind of organizational dynamics – where does one start?  

Inbound маркетинг и его особенности при продвижении ресурсов в интернет

Если не знаешь что такое Inbound маркетинг, то  эта статья для тебя

Начнем, как положено, с определений.

Inbound маркетинг, это вид маркетинга подразумевающий создание бесплатного полезного контента для пользователей, часто без прямой рекламы своей продукции. Главная задача такого вида маркетинга, это сформировать лояльность у потенциального покупателя, заслужить его доверие. В отличие от традиционного вида маркетинга (Outbound marketing) не использует рекламу, а популяризация компании идет за счет вирусного распространения контента, шеринга ресурса между пользователями и поднятия позиций в поисковой выдаче. Растущая популярность этого вида маркетинга объясняется очень просто — значительно выше эффективность получения качественных лидов (покупателей), чем при использовании рекламы. Кроме того, бюджеты расходуются на создание качественных продуктов, приносящие пользу людям, а не тратятся на банерные показы.

Теперь можно поговорить об инструментах Inbound маркетинга.

Где используется?

Прежде всего, это блог компании. Как показывает статистика, у компании, имеющей блог и публикующей интересные материалы, значительно больше приток покупателей, чем у компании с одним официальным сайтом.
Почему это так?
Две основные причины:
Первая: при еженедельной публикации материалов, позиции блога в поисковой выдаче будут непременно подыматься (большое количество уникального контента, регулярное обновление, долговременная активность пользователей на блоге).
Вторая: посетители видят не сухую корпоративную страницу а живое и интересное общение, полезные материалы, которые могут им помочь, и главное — никто и ничего не пытается им «впарить». Поэтому пользователи остаются на сайте, читают, подписываются на рассылку, рекомендуют своим друзьям, расшаривают материал в социальные сети. В конечном счете, даже без продажи, имидж вашей компании постепенно улучшается в глазах потенциального покупателя, и он начинает пробовать платные продукты.
Вторым каналом распространения информации являются социальные сети (можно предположить, Earned marketing является частью inbound маркетига). Так как контент интересен пользователю, он с радостью делится им с друзьями. Благодаря этому, группы в социальных сетях быстро растут только за счет органических показателей (вирусное распространение информации и добровольное подсоединение к группе пользователей). Хочется подчеркнуть, что не стоит в социальных медиа ограничиваться Facebook, Vkontakte и Twitter. Так очень важным каналом для массового продукта является Youtube, а для B2B сферы – Slideshare (сервис хранения презентаций).
Третьим путем донесения информации являются пользовательские подписки (email, RSS).
Еще используемыми способами распространения материалов можно назвать файлообменники и тематические сайты (где публикуются результаты исследований, инфографика и предоставляемые Вами рекомендации).

Что пользуется особой популярностью в Inbound маркетинге?

Прежде всего, это всевозможные исследования, отчеты, инструкции, рекомендации, электронные журналы и книги (Ezine and Ebooks), всевозможные подписки. Так же очень популярны вебинары, аудиоподкасты, видео семинары, презентации, советы специалистов. Еще к средствам inbound маркетинга нужно отнести инфографику и предоставление доступа к полезным базам или документам.

Как уже было сказано, это все материалы интересующие пользователя, ниже показана разница между Inbound и Outbound маркетингом. Полная версия этой инфографики тут.

Какие недостатки от такого вида маркетинга?

Не смотря на все преимущества у этого вида маркетинга, так же есть свои недостатки. Прежде всего, необходимы ресурсы, что бы создавать качественный контент, что подразумевает использование времени или денег. Кроме того необходимо ждать, когда этот вид маркетинга начнет действовать, в отличие от рекламы, приносящей результат моментально. Если сравнивать образно, то Inbound маркетинг как бульдозер, который долго разгоняется, но когда набрал скорость, то его практически не остановить, он будет давать результат еще долгое время после прекращения работы над ним.

Как лучше использовать?

Inbound маркетинг сам по себе эффективен, но при комбинации со средствами Outbound маркетинга, результат достигается значительнее быстрее. Классическим примером может быть PPC компания на Landidng page с полезными материалами. Тогда за счет рекламы происходит первичный приток посетителей, а за счет средств inbound маркетинга происходит вирусное распространение материалов. Если же Вы не хотите платить за рекламу, то необходимо разработать контентную стратегию, которая выглядит примерно так:

Публикация на блог: 3 раза в неделею;

Публикации в Twitter -1 твит каждый день;

Facebook – 2 публикации в день;

Создание полезной рассылки – 1 раз в неделю;

Создание вебинара – 1 раз в две недели;

Загрузка видео на Youtube – 1 раз в три недели;

Публикация исследований – 1 раз в три месяца;

И напоследок, некоторые статистические данные в виде таблиц по использованию инструментарияinbound маркетинга:

Сравнительная характеристика B2B компаний имеющих блог и без него:

Сравнительная характеристика B2С компаний имеющих блог и без него:

Как помогает в маркетинге использование социальных сетей:

 

 Как публикации в блоге влияют на продажи:

Кстати, за рубежом существует целый онлайн университет, занимающийся исключительно Inbound маркетингом. При желании, каждый может бесплатно прослушать курс и сдать экзамен по этому виду маркетинга. Если Вы заинтересованы, то Вам сюда: Inbound marketing university.