It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or a plastic surgeon) to remind you about how critical it is to follow-up.

Being vulnerable. Fear of coming across as needy.

For a lot of people, the possibility of following up and having an actual real-time conversation brings up tremendous fears of rejection and inadequacy.

Here are some simple tips I’ve collected for curing “follow-up failure:”

1. Start by presencing and re-presencing your “compelling why.” Your “compelling why” is a simple statement about why you feel called to do the work that you do. Feeling the energy and passion of your “big why” gives you a boost to get past almost any type of mental or emotional inertia that holds you back. Presencing this can be as simple as writing down the statement on a sheet of paper and keeping it near your telephone.
2. Set daily follow-up goals. Set a minimum daily results-based goal, for instance, of five live conversations with potential clients. Also set a “bull’s eye” goal of, say, 10 live conversations. Then set a “stretch” goal of 15 live conversations.
3. Reward yourself. Set up small rewards for reaching one or more of these goals each day. The rewards can be as simple as going for a walk, watching a movie, or making a phone call to a close friend. Be creative!
4. Work with an accountability partner. Similar to working out at the gym, it’s easier to workout or follow-up when you’ve got some else who can be a witness and cheerleader to your sweat.
5. Track your activity and outcomes on paper or digitally. It’s amazing how seeing your activity and results in writing can be a low-tech, but high-payoff motivator. But you’ve got to try it to believe it. Here’s an example of what I actually used when I was accelerated from zero to a six-figure revenue stream in 73 days. (No points for style, but it worked!)
6. Make follow-up fun. Turn this it into a game. For instance, see how quickly you can make five live conversations with potential clients.

Being consistent and effective at following up is a habit that anyone can develop. All it takes is a willingness to be of service and value to a fellow being.

Following-up doesn’t require advanced degrees or any type of advanced training. You don’t need to invest in yet another training program or workshop to learn how to follow-up.

Of course, if you’re one of those people who won’t take action unless you’ve paid good money for the advice, feel free to send money my way!

Follow-Up Failure: Simple Tips for Following Through With Follow-Up is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I realized a pattern to the general approach that I took: I focused exclusively on one critical element in each of the areas of:

1. Client attraction
2. Client conversion, and
3. Client retention

When I looked more closely at my overall approach (and that of clients whom I’ve guided to rapidly accelerate their revenue, I identified seven key principles, which I’ve now dubbed “The 7-ONES Rule.” (Coincidentally, the very first client I guided to rapidly accelerate his revenue bested my record and created his annualized six-figure revenue stream in 71 days. But that’s not the only reason why I came up with the 7-ONES Rule; it’s mainly because there are seven principles, each of which involves focusing on ONE thing, as you’ll see below)

Here are the seven principles that make up “The 7-ONES Rule:”

1. Focus on ONE audience. The more specific, the better. But don’t fall into the trap of getting paralyzed just because you don’t have your audience perfectly identified. At the least, just start with an audience that you naturally are drawn to. For me, that’s independent service professionals.
2. Focus primarily on ONE lead-generation source. Whatever lead-generation source you choose, be sure it that the source naturally aligns with your values and business philosophy. In my case, when I was starting out, I didn’t have many good choices. So I simply found sources where my audience congregated. And that was through networking or leads groups. So I visited as many of those group breakfasts as I could.
3. Focus on using ONE client conversion mechanism. Make sure your conversion mechanism of choice plays to your strengths and naturally showcases your expertise and the value you provide. I started out using free strategic session, but as I gained experience and insight, I ultimately began using paid strategic sessions exclusively.
4. Focus on developing and offering only ONE high-end option for working with you. Optimally, this should a high-end service, program, or product with built-in continuity. Continuity means that once a client buys, they are committed to working with you for specified duration of time, rather than a one-time purchase. Originally, I offered monthly coaching services at $1500/month, with a 12-month long commitment.
5. Focus on winning ONE new client at a time.I remember how excited I was after I signed up my very first client. Then my next immediate thought after that was: “Where’s the next one coming from?!?” It turns out that the meeting I had the very afternoon turned into another high-end client.The point is that it’s easy to get worried and lose confidence if you start thinking about how long a road you may have ahead of you.Although it initially seemed like it was going to take forever and a day, I had to repeat my “mantra” on a daily basis: “one client at a time.” Ultimately, within 73 days, I had 7 clients paying $1,500/month for my business coaching services.
6. Focus on taking specific actions ONE day, ONE week, and ONE month at a time.It’s easy to get overwhelmed by attempt to tackle too much, all at once, by yesterday. Piling your plate high with activities doesn’t align with productivity, that is, producing results. Take action only on those items that are most likely to bring you immediate new business. Everything else goes on the “someday, but definitely not now” list.In my case, that meant there was no way I was going to invest any time or energy writing copy for a website. Or getting a logo designed for a business card. Or any of the other items that may seem like essentials for your business success. Instead, I put my energy into having conversations, either individually or in small groups, to invite people to attend my very first seminar.
7. Focus your resources and efforts based on a ONE year timeline to implement your plan and refine your strategies and tactics based on results you produce.

ACTION PLAN:

1. For each of the “rules of ONE” above, write down your plan for adhering to each rule. Your plan doesn’t need to be overly complicated or lengthy. Brevity and simplicity are best in this situation!
2. EXTRA CREDIT:If you’re serious about creating a 6-figure revenue stream the fastest way possible, I invite you to join my Accelerated 6-Figures Special Interest list. Why? Because I’m planning to create a free training program that lays out the principles, best practices, and key elements you need to reach six figures and beyond.
   But hurry and get on this list, because only the people on this list will get the training for free. And this list will be closing around mid-May 2012; after that, I can’t guarantee that the free training will still be available (but a paid version will be!)

Seven Fundamental Principles for Rapid Revenue Acceleration is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

Whatever your answers are, those are the reasons that will give you the drive, power, and persistence create a six-figure business in as little time as possible.

I invite you to post your comments below.

What if you had a six-figure business now? is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

That’s what I stand for.

But since I’ve written a lot recently about creating a six-figure revenue stream in record time, many of you may get the mistaken impression that I only care about the money.

Far from it.

I only care about money to the extent that money allows me to continue sharing my gifts, talents, wisdom, and experiences with others so that it uplifts them and enriches their lives.

The way I see it, those of us who are committed to making a difference in the world are likely to work hard at what we do. For most of us, it’s a labor of love. So I figure, if we’re going to work hard, we might as well make the most of the work we do so that it produces results.

If you’re committed to making a positive contribution and making a profit on a sustainable basis, there are fundamental principles and practices you must understand, to ensure the odds of succeeding are in your favor. (And you must also understand when to act in seeming contradiction of fundamental principles of success.)

Rapid revenue acceleration, the result of providing tremendous value to clients, customers, and patients, takes real effort and commitment.

And it takes the right blend of laser-focus, business structure, highly leveraged strategies, powerful tactics, comprehensive systems, action-oriented accountability, and follow-through.
That’s a lot of moving parts!

So where do you start?

One of the first things I’d do is take a quick inventory of everything you have to work with. And follow these three rules:

1. Focus on what you have to work with, not what you don’t have or wish you had.
2. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t or don’t know how to do.
3. Focus on applying your natural strengths; don’t worry about your weaknesses or let them overshadow your strengths.

You see, when I was first starting out, I wished I had an email list of pre-qualified prospects. But that wasn’t going to happen overnight, given what I had to work with.

I wished I had a free product I could use to grow my list. But I knew I couldn’t waste any precious time developing one; it was going to have to wait, until after I secured paying clients.

I wished I had a list of people who could refer clients to me. But that wasn’t likely, since I had just started my business.

Instead, I recognized that my greatest assets was my ability to speak in front of audiences. I could engage them in dialogue about what could be possible for their businesses and lives.

When I first started trying to get clients, I made dozens of one-to-one warm calls. Not exactly one of my greatest strengths, but I’m decent at it, and I thought I could get this to work.

30 days later, I didn’t have a single taker for a free introductory session with me!

Fortunately, I had enough insight to recognize I needed to call on my natural strength: speaking in front of audiences.

So I scheduled a live event for four weeks in the future, not knowing where any attendees would come from. Long, dramatic story made short: That landmark live seminar catalyzed my journey to creating a six-figure revenue stream in 73 days.

ACTION PLAN:

1. Set your timer for 10 minutes, then make a list of all the things you wish you had to work with, things you wish you could do to grow your business as quickly as possible. (If you’ve done it on computer, print it out).
2. Now, take that same sheet of paper, look it over one more time. Then… crumple it up and put it in the recycle bin. Yeah, just do it.
3. Now I want you to answer this question: “What are the greatest natural strengths and assets that you can use immediately to accelerate your business growth, contribution, and profitability?”
4. From this list (and it could be a list of only one or two things), select the business growth strategies that allow you to use these strengths to maximum benefit.

If you’re ready to go further and deeper, I invite you to join me and other “freedompreneurs” for a “Six-Figures FAST!” teleclass and Q&A session.

During this session, which is scheduled for this Thursday, April 26th, at 5 pm Pacific, I’ll identify the absolute very first element you must focus on, if you are going to stand any chance of rapidly accelerating toward six-figures and beyond.

I’ll also identify some of the fundamental principles that I’ve identified as common to what I and my clients have followed (and sometimes broken), as we created our six-figure revenue streams in 71 to 180 days.

Why bother to create six-figures fast and where do you start? is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

For a lot of these intrepid souls, achieving a consistent, six-figure annual revenue stream is an important, almost magical goal.

But the immediate problem most of these people face is that their existing areas of expertise have nothing to do with getting the business that leads to a six-figure revenue stream.

They fail to appreciate the myriad of moving parts that need to be working together to achieve this level of revenue and sustain it.

Great Power Lies in Simplicity
In contrast, most don’t realize how important it is to simplify their approach. A lot of “gurus” will tell you that you just need to focus on what matters. Great, but how do you figure how WHAT to focus on?
You see, in an effort to build their businesses, most people invest a lot of energy trying to do the “right things.” They study books, listen to audios, watch videos, and attend training events. And then they devise complicated plans that involve multiple strategies that, according to the “books,” should predictably lead to six-figures really fast.

FAIL!

But IF you knew where you should start given your particular situation, what to focus on, and how to get moving in the right direction, would you feel more confident and enthusiastic about building your revenue stream faster?

I hope so!

Some people find this story hard to believe…
As you may recall, I created an annualized six-figure revenue stream in 73 days. All without a website, blog, social media, real business cards, a list of leads, network of referral sources, or even real client success stories.

And I’ve guided other brave souls to either best my record or come pretty darn close.

There are plenty of people out there teaching how to achieve a six-figure revenue stream. But as far as I can tell, I’m the only one who has done it in 73 days (and with far fewer resources than most of you have at this very moment). And I’ve guided others to best my record (or at least come close).

Even so, achieving the six-figure revenue fast isn’t that big a deal. What is a bigger deal is the impact and contribution you can make when your business is financially solvent. And the sooner, the better.

So I’ve come to the realization that it’s far overdue for me to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to rapidly achieve a five- and six-figure revenue stream.

In the spirit of being of service to the very people who are searching for this caliber of guidance, here’s what I’m going to do…

Next week, on Thursday, April 26th at 5 pm Pacific, I invite you to hop on a conference call line with me. I’ll share specifics about my personal journey to six-figures in 73 days. More importantly, I’ll answer any and all questions you have about the fastest ways for you to go about creating your own six-figure revenue stream.

Some of the things I plan to address include:

1. How I created an annualized six-figure revenue stream in 73 days (and why I think you can and should do it, too).
2. How I used speaking events to accelerate my lead-generation.
3. How I recommend for you to accelerate your lead-generation, even if you’re mortally terrified of speaking in front of groups.
4. The 10 key principles that significantly increase your likelihood of generating a five- or six-figure revenue business within the next 70, 90, 180, or 365 days (but only if you know how to apply them).
5. A simple way to figure out what to focus on (and what to ignore) as you accelerate toward six-figures.

And I’m going to devote the majority of this teleclass to answering the most important, pressing and toughest questions you have for achieving a significant boost in your revenue.

In the registration box below, just list your toughest questions for me and I’ll be sure to address them during the call. And for those of you who register for this session, you’ll be automatically added to the “Six-Figures Fast” special interest list. That means you’ll qualify to receive the “Six-Figures Fast” training program that I’m considering creating.

Are You Ready to Sprint to Six-Figures Fast! is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

But I’m not going to do it unless enough of you on this list want this.

More details near the bottom of this post.

[Note #2: In case you’re just getting to this party now, this post is a FOLLOW-UP to THIS POST.]

In the last blog post, I wrote about my journey from practicing plastic surgery to working with entrepreneurs. To say “this isn’t how I thought my life would unfold” felt to me like the understatement of the new millennium.

And contrary to what you might think, it wasn’t like I conveniently left my plastic surgery practice and immediately started working with entrepreneurs. Hardly.

Instead, I wandered about for the next 18 months [next 18 months after what? making the decision to leave PS?], trying to figure out what I was going to do when I finally grew up …again.

I Know What It’s Like to Struggle Without a Safety Net
Fail #1: At first, I thought I was going to set the world on fire by helping parents and teachers support their children in growing up financially aware. After putting a great deal of effort into that brilliant idea and having trouble getting people to show up for a free workshop, I figured out that I’d better move on.

Fail #2: Then I came up with another brilliant idea about helping people to get fit, stay fit, and be healthier for the rest of their lives by upgrading their “fitness blueprint.” Well, it only took one live workshop for me to realize that this wasn’t my calling in life.

Fail #3: With my self-confidence now at an all-time low, I decided my path to salvation was to become an eBay guru. I bought a $1,500 “eBay Riches” home study program and eagerly listed and sold several items I had lying around the house; I knew I had hit the big time after making about $150.

All the while, I was wondering how I went from highly-trained surgeon to eBay dilettante. Predictably, this was as good a time as any to go through a serious identity crisis that no medication or surgery could cure.

Backup Plan: Beverly Hills 90210
When my wife asked me what my backup plan was and I said, “You’re looking at him,” ummm… well, that didn’t go over very well. She had other, more reliable options in mind, like a real job.

So I “threatened” to go back to practicing plastic surgery. This time, I had a gig lined up to do cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills (for those of you outside the United States, this is one of the “hot beds” where celebrities go for cosmetic surgery.)

I didn’t want to do it. I just felt that if I had a little more “running room,” I could figure things out.

Until I started coaching two local companies, I didn’t realize that I had become the business guide and mentor that I wished I had had when I was starting my plastic surgery practice in 1995.

Honestly, I Didn’t Plan on Using “Fire, Ready, Aim” Marketing (But It Worked)
Once I finally admitted to myself that I really wanted to work with entrepreneurs and was good at it, I decided to turn this initial foray into coaching into a full-blown business – which meant I needed to get real, paying clients. And fast, because the plastic surgery group in Beverly Hills was calling – literally every other day.

I spent a lot of time making contact with my hot and warm circles of influence – I sent information, followed-up, told them about my new business. But after talking with over 80 people, I still had no clients.

So I decided to “burn the book on marketing” and go with my gut. Within a few weeks, I had generated a relatively predictable six-figure annualized revenue stream and in just over a year after that I had doubled it!

Here’s what I did NOT have and some of the rules that I broke:

1. I did not have classy, “real” business cards; I printed a bunch on my inkjet printer. Yikes!
2. I did not have a web site as a central portal of information, education, and promotion Hmmm. (I admit, I did at least have a one-sheet executive summary).
3. I did not have a Core Issue Article, one that laid out my audience, philosophy, problems I address, and outcomes I produce. (Ugh!)
4. I did not pay for any advertising. (Good!)
5. I did not have case studies or success stories. (Oooo!) I did not have what I’d call an extensive circle of influence of small business owners and entrepreneurs (my target audience). (Uh oh!)
6. I did not have easy access to free media for publicity. (Aww!)
7. I had no information products to offer. I had no “funnel” of products and services. (Weeping violins, please)

After a couple months of striking out (and I went to bat every day. I mean EVERY day), I figured out that I need to get past whatever limiting beliefs I had that were keeping me from producing results.

So, I decided to abandon calling my “circle of influence” and I resolved to set up a 3-hour seminar to showcase what I had to offer.

Here’s what I did and more rules that I broke:

1. I spent two weeks planning and making the necessary arrangements for the seminar and designing it. I set up a one-page web site that was a “flyer” for the seminar and gave people a way to register.
2. By the time I was done getting the “infrastructure” for the seminar in place, I only had two weeks to promote the event.
3. Conventional wisdom: Promote a paid event at least six weeks in advance. Promote a free event starting any time up to the event.
4. I charged $15 for my event, as a way of pre-qualifying the participants, even though I had limited time to promote.
5. And, I started promoting only 14 days before the event.
6. I promoted by calling my circle of influence and asking them who they knew who would be interested in my event.
7. I visited several networking groups, even the day before my event.
8. I presented my seminar with little rehearsal. Now, I think I’m a pretty good trainer and speaker, but one of my friends, who has trained with me extensively on training, presenting, and selling from the front of the room, thought I was absolutely, certifiably lousy.
9. I had my own business coach, who helped me see my blind spots and helped me do something about it.

Results:

1. 18 people pre-registered. 19 people showed up.
2. Three people became business coaching clients at $1,500 per month.
3. Within two weeks of that now historic seminar, I had seven coaching clients (generating $ 10,500 per month in revenue for me).
4. Within a year, two additional participants from that seminar became coaching clients. By this time, I had raised my rates to $1875/month with a 12-month commitment.
5. After that, I started coaching clients at $2,250/month, again on a 12-month commitment.
6. I began working with my first marketing consulting client (as opposed to pure coaching) on a 6 week-long project worth $17,500!

In retrospect, the approach I took to marketing really was “Fire, Ready, Aim.” That’s one way of saying it. You see, I simply took the next logical step in implementing a marketing action plan. I had tried a lot of things that hadn’t worked. So what did I have to lose?

My planning and preparation wasn’t perfect, but so what?

If You Could Better Serve Others by Generating More Revenue, I’m Interested in Helping You Out – For Free
But here’s my serious warning:
This business-building approach to generating a six-figure revenue stream in record-time works only if there is a strategy behind it and, even more critically, there’s a big belief in yourself behind it.

You’ve got to have a ton of guts to go for it, even when things aren’t looking so hot. And, you’ve got to have clarity and structure to what it is that you have to offer. You have to be clear and supremely confident about the ultimate value that you have to offer.

If This Sounds Like It’s Up Your Alley, Here’s What I Want You to Do…
I’m making a special list of everyone who is potentially interested in this program.

If you’re interested, then

1. enter your email address below and
2. leave a comment on this post with any suggestions on what you think you need to get from the training program.

If enough people get on this “Special Interest” list (I’m thinking at least 250 or more), then I’ll create this training program and give it away to EVERYONE on this special interest list.

As I’ve written before, I’ve taken for granted all the moving parts that need to come together at the same time for this kind of success to happen. So I haven’t been completely open in the past to the idea that a lot of people would care about this kind of training. But if not many people are interested, it’s not a problem; I’ll find plenty of other ways to keep myself occupied! To freedom, contribution and prosperity, George P.S.A while back, someone unsubscribed from my email list and criticized me for writing so much about money and how to make money quickly. It’s ironic. Because I care more about being of service and contribution, than I do about money. But you can’t stay in business to contribute anything unless you make a profit, at least on this planet. So let me put it this way: If you’re interested in accelerating the breadth and depth of your contribution to people and the planet, then doesn’t it make sense to get your business to a place of sustainable profitability as quickly as possible? If you agree, then go ahead and put yourself on the list:

Marketing Rules I Broke on the Way to a Six-Figure Revenue Stream in 73 Days is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

When I started my business coaching practice in 2005, working with entrepreneurs was just about the last thing I thought I’d ever sink my heart and soul into. After all, I wrote in my third grade school book that I was going to be a surgeon! [Wow, George I didn’t know that…now THAT is serious goal setting and achievement!!]

But when I decided at the ripe old age of 17 to become a plastic surgeon, I didn’t realize it was going to be another 15 years before I really was one! (Let’s see: 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 5 years of General Surgery residency, and finally, 2 years of Plastic Surgery residency. Yup, that’s 15 years. Sometimes I still can’t believe the time involved.)

Having invested that much time, energy, and school loans into the endeavor, I figured I would either die at the age of 150 while working on a patient in the operating room or tracking down a tennis ball on a blazing hot sunny day. Either exit strategy would have been fine with me. Except these days, it’s looking like the tennis court exit plan is a more likely option.

You see, decades after that fateful entry in my grade school days book, as I neared the end of my first decade of practicing as a plastic surgeon, something inside me told me it was time to leave. I realized that I wasn’t making the lasting, meaningful difference in people’s lives that I had envisioned I would as a surgeon. And life was not nearly as glamorous as I imagined either, especially when I had to deal with the business side of medicine.

By the time our second son was born in 2003, I was in a lot of pain – emotional pain. I was trying to do more and more cosmetic surgery, because it paid much better than reconstructive surgery.

But the reason I decided to become a plastic surgeon when I was 17 was to do reconstructive surgery. So the more cosmetic surgery I did, the less professionally and personally fulfilled I felt.

It wasn’t easy – emotionally or practically, but I knew I needed to get out of medicine. And my ego wasn’t too thrilled about the situation, either.

I had a wife and young family to support. And I didn’t know what I was going to do next. So I spent the next couple of years attempting various entrepreneurial startups, none of which made more than a few hundred dollars.

I Almost Went Back to Practicing Plastic Surgery
As I wandered about, I lost a lot of self-confidence and I felt like a failure. Twice, I considered going back to practicing plastic surgery. I even had a contract waiting for me to perform cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills (to those of you outside of the United States, that’s where all the “celebrities” and “stars” tend to congregate). But going back to something that didn’t feel right…well, it just didn’t feel right.

I Didn’t Think I Had the “Right” Credentials
Before I started working with entrepreneurs, whenever I heard other business coaches and consultants speak about clients with whom they were working, I wished silently to myself that I could work with entrepreneurs. I just didn’t think I had the right “credentials” to work with entrepreneurs; after all, I concluded that the initials “M.D.” after my name stood for “mostly disappointed,” especially given the state of health care in the United States.

Just as I was seriously deliberating about whether to leave the field of medicine, I was invited to contribute to a book called Create the Business Breakthrough You Want, for which I wrote a section about health being the foundation of all wealth. When I told two different business owners about the book, they asked if I could coach them to improve their business operations and profitability.

Within a couple of weeks of working with these two businesses, I realized that I had a knack for seeing the big picture of the business from a 40,000 foot view but could also easily zoom in on finer details, just like the satellite images you see of your house using Google maps.

Once it dawned on me that I knew a lot more about entrepreneurship and how to structure and systemize a business for accelerated growth, I decided to start a coaching and consulting business. My immediate problem was that no one knew me as an entrepreneur or a business coach. My “network” was in the medical field, not in the business world. I had no “list” of prospects or entrepreneurial colleagues or alliance partners. In fact, I had no business cards or website that identified me as an entrepreneur. And, of course, this was long before the advent of social media, so there was no Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to help me get the word out.

I Created an Annualized Six-Figure Revenue Stream in 73 Days
Of course, as a physician, I was never formally taught or trained in how to sell. In fact, one day when I was in a print shop, I made a spontaneous purchase of a book called something like, “Closing Techniques.” Like the majority of books that are purchased throughout the world, this book sat on my shelf for years and was never opened.

Truth be told, I never learned any sales tactics or techniques from this or any other book. I have had a little bit of exposure to “neuro- linguistics programming,” otherwise known as “NLP” but again, never have studied that approach in great depth, either.

Yet, coming straight from the medical field, and with no formal training or experience in selling, I was able to create an annualized, recurring revenue stream of over $10,000 a month within 73 days. And I’ve sustained that ever since, even despite the economy.

At the time, I didn’t think this was such a big deal or extraordinary accomplishment. I was just doing what I needed to do to avoid going back to practicing plastic surgery. It wasn’t until two years later, when I was a guest trainer at a workshop for coaches and consultants that I realized what I had accomplished was almost unheard of in the world of coaching and consulting. Good thing I didn’t know that in before I did it!

No, I’m Not a Freak!
A couple of years after I started my coaching business, I was speaking with a PR person from New York City. When I told her my story, she responded by saying (at least twice), “Well, that’s a great story… if it’s true.”

Well, it is a true story. But I’ve found that for a lot of people, it’s too good to be true.

And others think I was able to achieve this level of success so quickly because I’m a doctor.

Well, let me set the record straight here:
Remember, I didn’t think I was “qualified” to provide business advice to entrepreneurs. After all, those two initials after my name, “M.D.”, stand for “Mostly Disappointed.”

Plus, when I started out, I had no business cards, no website, no blog. Social media didn’t even exist then. No business contacts. No success stories. No one even knew me as an entrepreneur.

What I’m saying is that, for most of you reading this, you have advantages that I didn’t have. You have far more assets and technology working for you than I had back in 2005, when I started out. It’s much easier to set up a website and blog. Social media makes it easier to get the instant support of hundreds and thousands of people. You can hire help for five bucks, from anywhere in the world.

Basically, you have more to work with to accelerate your business growth than I did. So no more complaining over there, okay!

I Predicted That Someone Would Best My Record
When I finally did get a website, I wrote a prediction on one of the pages: I predicted that someone – with my guidance, the right strategies, and my documented systems – would create an annualized six-figure revenue stream faster than I did.

And you know what? Shortly after writing that, one my clients created his annualized six-figure revenue stream in 71 days!
Recently, another client who had never earned more than $250/month as a coach, hit the $8,500/month mark on the 99th day of working with me. After ten months of working with me, he’s earning just under $13,000/month.

So see: You don’t have to be me to pull this off! If you set your mind to it, you could do this, too!

I Feel a Lot of Pain (and I Can’t Figure Out Why)
I’ve tried, but I can’t explain this: When I think about how many committed independent service professionals are out there struggling, I feel pain inside me that I haven’t been able to shake off for years. My eyes start to sting and water.

I guess I still feel sad about how we all learn about reading, writing, and arithmetic. But where do we learn about relationships, non-violent communication, or managing your money? Are we supposed to learn it from drinking the water?

I Was Too Idealistic to Know That I Needed to Be Practical in My Idealism
When I started out in my plastic surgery practice in 1995, I was “bright-eyed and bushy tailed.” I was still idealist about being a caring, compassionate doctor, even after a long, tough road to becoming a plastic surgeon.

And within two years of being in practice, I was nearly penniless. No kidding.

The job of my dreams had turned into the nightmare of my reality. I knew nothing about running a business.

My professional “advisors” were recommending that I declare bankruptcy.

So I did the only thing that made any intelligent sense: I fired them. I studied marketing, selling, hiring, firing, how to run an office, anything I could get my hands on to help me with my business. And it worked! I turned my practice around. For better or for worse, I avoided bankruptcy.

I didn’t realize it until a nearly a decade later, that I had become the business guide and mentor that I wished I had back then.

There’s a part of me that still feels sorry for that innocent young guy I was back then, fresh out of training, who only wanted to do good in the world, but struggled mightily with the business side of medicine. And so I feel a lot of pain for those of you who are just brilliant at what you do, but you too struggle with the business side of your craft.

In hindsight, I guess I had to go through all the rough times, as part of my own training to become someone who could help others sort out their gifts and talents, and bundle them in a way that improves others’ lives and generates a profit, sustainable and fairly.

I’m Seriously Ready to Do This, But Only If You Are, Too
Despite my hang ups and attempts to downplay the extraordinariness of how quickly I created an annualized six-figure revenue stream, I’m ready and willing to listen to all of you who have begged, pleaded, harassed, and ruthlessly, yet respectfully demanded that I get out of my own way and share with others how they can rapidly accelerate their revenue to five and six figures, like I did. (Whew, got that out in a single, massive, run-on sentence).

I’ve been afraid that people would see me as only interested in the money. (In fact, one person a while back unsubscribed from my ezine list and asked me why I kept writing about how to make money faster.)

That bothered me because those of you who know me, realize that I’m all about contribution first. And yet, the fact is we all need to make money if we want to continue in business, if we want to contribute to making the world a healthier, more peaceful place to live, learn, and grow.

So despite my hang ups and downplaying of the extraordinariness of how quickly I created an annualized six-figure revenue stream and have been guiding others to do the same ever since, I’m considering creating a sort of “JumpStart” training to show you how I did it. And more importantly, how you can too.

But unless there’s enough potential interest, I’m not going to take this one on. (I abandoned the “build it and they will come” philosophy a long time ago.)

So what do you think…

• Do you want me to do this?
• If so, would this be useful for you?
• Can you think of any good reasons for me not to do this?

I’ve got plenty of other things on my plate. So much so, that I’ve recently de-committed from some really exciting projects.

What I’m saying is, if it’s going to help YOU for me to develop this “rapid revenue acceleration” training, I need you to let me know.

So please take a moment and leave a comment below and let me know what your thoughts are.

To freedom, contribution, and prosperity (supported by rapid revenue acceleration)!

George

P.S. I don’t do very well at all over here, isolated in front of my computer screen, staring into cyberspace; I thrive on getting your input and advice. So please share your thoughts. I’m excited to hear them.

Six-Figure Revenue Stream in 73 Days: Can It Be True? is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

In your attempts to act humbly, you try to downplay it. Maybe you say something along the lines of “Oh, that’s nothing. I can do it in my sleep.”

Seriously, I think you know what I mean…

And that’s unfortunate, because you know what? The “nothing” you can do in your sleep is probably one of the greatest gifts you could ever share with others.

It’s just that you tend to take that gift for granted. So you mistakenly assume that each of the other 7 billion people on the planet has the same skills and gifts you have, too.

And you’d be totally wrong.

You see, like it or not, most of us are so self-centered that we assume the rest of the world perceives things like we do. We presume that others should think, see, hear, and act like we do.

One of the many undesirable consequences of this way of thinking is that we tend to shield our brilliance from the world, because we think everyone else shares that same brilliance. And instead, we tend focus on the things at which we think we’re not so good.

I know it sounds kind of bizarre. You may not agree with me, but I think it’s also selfish.

To be straight about it, I’m afraid that I have been totally wrong. You see, there’s something REALLY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE that I’ve been hesitant to showcase. Not that I don’t see value in it; it’s just that I never really saw it as a big deal. And I didn’t want it to be taken and used in wrong ways.

Let me put it this way…
If five people tell you that you’re a horse thief (and these are people whom you respect and trust), then there’s only one thing to do: Buy a saddle.

In my own life, there have been countless people (definitely more than five) who have recently been “ganging up” and “harassing” me to share the “things I can do in my sleep.” In essence, they’re rooting for me to share my greatest gifts with the world.

So you might say, after a great deal of resistance, I’ve just bought a “saddle” and that means really big changes in my business. And that means really big things are in store for YOU (if you’re ready and willing to go for a ride)!

But to get “seated” in this saddle and go on this ride, I’m going to need your advice and input. And I’m hoping you’ll ride along with me. Because from what I can tell, it’s going to be a really wild ride! But more on that next time. (I need to take some time to collect my thoughts).

To freedom, contribution, and prosperity,

George

P.S. I’ll be back with more details in a couple more days. But until then, think seriously about the skills, gifts, talents, and wisdom you might be holding back on, simply because you think it’s “nothing” and no one else cares about it.

If you’re willing, please share it with us in the comments, so I don’t feel like I’m the only one here who does this kind of nonsense!

What would happen if you stopped taking your gifts and talent for granted? is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

Yet chances are pretty good that for the sake of getting business through the door, you’ve been tempted to take on clients at ridiculously low fees. Or worse yet, you’ve agreed to work with clients that you knew from the start were a train wreck, just waiting for you to help make it happen.

There you have it: The perfect recipe for instantly turning the business of your dreams into the nightmare of your day.

How does this scenario sound instead?

What do you think about working exclusively with clients who appreciate you, who value the expertise you bring to the table, and generously (and gladly) pay you for it?

I don’t know about you, but it sure sounds like the makings of “business nirvana,” where you work exclusively with “high-end” clients. You see, high-end clients are those whose values, business mission, and vision inspire others, including you as their consultant or coach. These clients take action and produce results in the real world. They’re simply fun and energizing to work with.

The curse of low-paying, lousy clients: Is there a cure?

But even with great clients like this, far too many service professionals end up undervaluing their worth. And so they end up under-charging. Or worse: Repeatedly giving away tremendous value for free.

Let’s take a look at this more closely. The “Client Profitability and Resonance” dashboard, shown below, displays a hypothetical roster of clients, based on their level of profitability and “resonance,” that is, whether you have good chemistry with the client (or not).

Starting in the left lower-quadrant, these are clients who aren’t very profitable to work with and they have the worst “chemistry.” In the short- and long-run, you’d best AVOID these clients at all cost.

In the left upper-quadrant, these clients are profitable, but the chemistry with them isn’t great. They are HIDDEN LIABILITIES because these types of clients tend to be less appreciative of your business and more likely to dump you with barely a moment’s notice.

Moving on to the right lower-quadrant, these clients with whom you resonate well, but they aren’t as profitable to your business as they could be. No matter how fulfilling it may be to work with them, you’d do well to UPGRADE these clients to higher levels of profitability.

Finally, in the right upper-quadrant, you have your HIGH-END CLIENTS, the clients who are the most rewarding to work with AND the most profitable.

Which quadrants do your own clients fall into?

If the majority of your existing clients are NOT in the “BEST CLIENTS” category, there’s room for upgrading your business model and best practices. That includes raising your fees and being a lot more selective about your clients.

A High-End Client Tractor Beam?

If you’re ready to give up hourly fees, chronic underpricing, working with borderline clients, and giving away tons of free consulting and coaching time, I can to show you how to work exclusively with high-end clients AND get paid based on the value you provide.

I invite you to be my guest for the “Paid Sessions That Sell: How to Get Paid to Get High-End Clients” webinar. This complementary webinar is scheduled for Thursday, January 26th at 5 pm Pacific (8 pm Eastern).

To sign up for the webinar, just fill out the form below.

If you’ve ever experienced frustration in getting clients to start working with you, or ended up working with clients who don’t pay you what you’re worth, this webinar will open up your mind to an approach that I think is just ground-breaking. And it’s not just because you get paid to prospect. It’s ground-breaking because you learn how to:

• Eliminate all “tire-kickers” (who simply waste your time)
• Select only high-end clients to work with
• Markedly increase your conversion rates (in some cases, 75% – 90%)
• Set your fees (and get paid) based on value and results produced
• Get PAID while you prospect!

To your freedom, contribution, and prosperity,

George

P.S. I used this very approach over seven years ago to create an annualized, six-figure revenue stream in just 73 days, when I started my business from scratch. And it’s not just me: I guided one of my clients to create his annualized, six-figure revenue stream in 70 days!

P.P.S.I’m excited to share this approach with you because it’s so powerful and effective for cultivating a solid connection with your prospective client, winning new, high-end business, and ultimately, providing outstanding value to clients at all stages of your relationship, even from the very beginning. To sign up for the webinar, just fill out the form below.

Are you open to working exclusively with “high-end” clients? is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.

I called him back last night, expecting to start a game of “voicemail tag,” but was pleasantly surprised to get a live person on the line! I know Alan from a number of criss-crossing paths. We first met when we were both taking the same series of personal growth and business training programs. Like me, his background is in the health care field. And for years, I’ve be a subscriber to the newsletter that he writes on the topic of health and wellness.

While it was fun to catch up, one thing he mentioned along the way just stunned me…

I asked his about a wellness program that he developed several years ago and how that had panned out. While he had done well with the program, he told me that a couple of years ago, he sought to expand his product and program offerings. On the recommendation of another colleague, he hired a “marketing consultant” to help him with his website and online promotions.

While I don’t understand all the details, this particular marketing consultant didn’t produce the results he was expecting: An updated website, educational videos, active online promotions, and so forth.

When Alan took steps to terminate the working relationship, something went wrong. Somehow, the marketing consultant took the end of their collaboration as permission for him to take ownership of the content that he had taken years to create.

This marketing consultant created an independent web site, including videos that he had been asking for, branded the material with his name, and began marketing the content online. And since then, he’s kept all the revenue for himself.

This story pains me, because such a situation was entirely avoidable. Alan didn’t understand the fundamentals of collaboration. So he hired, and eventually, partnered with someone without asking the right questions and establishing a durable working relationship.

He didn’t address critical issues, right up front, such as:

• Who controls the content and owns the copyrights from what gets co-created?
• Who controls the strategy and management of the collaboration?
• How will profits (and losses) be distributed? Equally? Unequally?
• How will we resolve disagreements?
• Under what circumstance and how will we dissolve the collaboration?

In fact, most people who associate in working relationships with others don’t think to ask such questions; they’re too excited to get on with the “fun stuff.”

It just so happens that tonight, January 17th at 5 pm Pacific, I’ll be co-leading a “Collaboration Catalyst” teleseminar with partnership and relationship expert, Dorene Lehavi, PhD.

During this complimentary 75-minute session, you’ll learn:

• How to select and choose good collaborators.
• What to make sure you include in your working agreements.
• What to do when things aren’t going well with your business associates.
• And much, much more.

As you might imagine, I basically begged Alan to join us, before he contemplates getting involved in another business partnership.

I hope you will, too, so I don’t end up writing about your business collaboration horror story.

Okay, I’ve said my piece and feel I’ve done everything I can to encourage you to become informed about the power and pitfalls of collaboration.

Alan Got Ripped Off is an article from Freedompreneur Coaching & Consulting.