Allie & You!

Be Bold: Jump with Both Feet for Ultimate Business Success

Allison Maslan — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:42:44 +0000

By Allison Maslan

When growing your business, you need to set your intention on how big you want it to become.

Is this going to be a part time business at home?
A small business making enough money to keep you comfortable?
Or are you a go-getter wanting to create your own empire?

My recommendation: Get bold and dream big. That’s what is takes to your heighten your reality up several notches. Its time to get very enthusiastic about growing a fantastically profitable and fulfilling business.

Then you need a plan. A roadmap. A strategy to get you from where you are now to the level you desire. Remember, your plan will need to be flexible so it can ebb and flow with changes in your market, your life, and your circumstances. One big plus for the small business owner is that you can change course quickly when you need to. Believe me, I have done this many times.

Once you have your plan, its time take this big, bold dream and put it into action. I call this the “Jumping In With Both Feet” phase. Invariably, many entrepreneurs begin to get scared and back peddle here. They want to take it slow and test the waters instead of diving in wholeheartedly. The result, well not much movement at all.

Playing it safe doesn’t work in business if you want big results. For bold results, you need to let go of the training wheels and jump higher than you have before. Try sort of diving off a diving board. Can you say, “belly flop”? Just like creating a successful relationship, you cannot experience true love unless you open your heart fully.

So many people hold on tightly trying not to fail, yet to be wildly successful, you need to jump in knowing you will succeed, even if you are not sure how it is all going to come together. An entrepreneur goes after his/her mission because he is determined to make his dream a huge reality no matter what, because the alternative is living in regret or wondering what could have been. To a visionary, this is a slow death.

When you say ‘yes’ to your dreams, something magical starts to happen. If you proclaim your vision to the Universe, believe in it at a soul level, and then jump in with both feet, somehow the world rearranges itself to support your intention. The money suddenly appears, you meet the connection you needed while standing in line at the grocery store, and the opportunities start falling at your feet.This has happened to me so many times, it is laughable. Have undying faith in yourself and the process.

So tell me, what are you waiting for? If you don’t want to be at the same place in 2013, wishing things were different won’t get you anywhere. If you truly want that empire, its time to jump in and make it happen. Get the support, invest in yourself and take the bold leap you know you want to make. You will be so happy you did.

If you are truly ready to Breakthrough your boundaries in Business, Wealth and Adventure, register for Allison’s upcoming event, The Blast Off Business Breakthrough today. Tickets are already going fast.

Where is Allison next?

Allie & You, Online Television Show
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 4:15pm PST/7:15pm EST
Guest: Arielle Ford

eWomen Network, Phoenix, AZ Chapter
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Women Ink, San Diego, Mission Valley
Friday, July 20, 2012

eWomen Network, Los Angeles, CA Chapter
Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Blast Off Business Breakthrough 3 Day Live Event
presented by Allison Maslan
October 5th-7th, 2012 San Diego, CA

Allison Maslan is a serial entrepreneur of 10 of her own companies. She is a No. 1 Bestselling Author and pres. of Allison Maslan International where she mentors big thinking entrepreneurs to grow high-revenue businesses and healthy and passionate lives. Check out Allison’s Live Online Television Show, Allie & You, The Business Success and Lifestyle Show every Wednesday at 4:15pm PST/7:15pm EST. Also, get your free CD, the Secrets of Millionaire Entrepreneurs at myblastoff.com/freecd

Allie and Del Mar Racetrack CEO Joe Harper

Allison Maslan — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:07:14 +0000

Allie sits down with Del Mar Racetrack CEO Joe Harper to talk business, life and what it means to be an entrepreneur.

How to Give Your Business the Upswing it Needs to Soar: Take a Vacation!

Allison Maslan — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:31:57 +0000

By Allison Maslan

Summer is just around the corner and I have vacation on my mind. My husband and I are leaving for a romantic adventure to Prague, Montenegro and Paris. You might be thinking, “Allison, how can you do all that you do, and take time away?” The truth is, I would not be able to accomplish as much as I do, if I did not take vacations. I realize this is counter intuitive, however, it has been proven that taking time away from work and daily responsibilities is one of the best things you can do for your business, your health, your sanity and your creativity. Coming from a self-proclaimed life-a-holic that loves her work, her marriage, her family and her fun (not necessarily in that order), I have found that the more time I take away from the office, the more inventive, inspired and jazzed about my work I become.

I know the feeling. Work is piling up on my desk, there are phone calls to return, e-mails to respond to, Facebook posts to make. I love it all and feel very blessed to live my calling and work with the most fabulous clients on the planet. However, there comes a time every few months where my brain hits overload status. And I mean overload. I used to wait until I hit the proverbial wall to realize I was beyond my deadline for a vacation. Not anymore.

Now I plan ahead and I use my time away as a life and business booster. Why? Because I have found that my most brilliant business ideas for myself and my clients are born when I am on vacation.
Here are some examples:

My light bulb moment to invent my life planning and goal setting software, Interactive Life Coach came to me while vacationing in Laguna Beach, CA.
Solutions to my most complicated homeopathic cases often come to me thousands of feet up in the air as I am flying to some far away (usually tropical) destination.
My inspiration to the conclusion to my book, Blast Off!, came to me while walking on the beach with my husband.
The idea to create my latest business, AllieLorCollections.com was inspired by a trip to Florence, Italy.

What is the reasoning for these vacation ‘aha moments ?

When you are at work, you are busy doing, responding, tasking, detailing, analyzing and communicating. If you are very focused in your activities, all of your senses are firing and being utilized to the max. When you are away from your daily business at hand, your body and mind will begin to relax and unwind. And once you have had a chance to de-compress, your mind is open and thoughts are now free to let go, explore and create.

Have any of you had a brilliant idea or solved one of your most pressing conflicts while taking a shower? This is because you are feeling relaxed from the hot water, and in many cases, you are experiencing a rare several minutes of undisturbed quiet time.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and I say, “creativity is the goddess of re- invention.” Doing things the same way every day, year after year, is not going to yield you much positive change. If you are spinning your wheels, and in dire need of a recharge or inspiration burst in your life or business, you have my blessing to take a vacation, even if it is just for a few days.

Pushing yourself to birth new ideas is about is fruitful as trying hard to have a baby. It is When we let go and allowing the fertility and ingenuity to be born, the clarity always comes.

So go to that cooking seminar you have been dreaming of, dance in the moonlight or head to where the wind calls you. Follow your passion and go have some fun! You deserve it. It may just be the most prosperous thing you do for yourself all year long.

What do Eckhart Tolle and Neal Donald Walsch have in common?

Allison Maslan — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:50:41 +0000

Three years ago when I sat down to write my book, Blast Off!, I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen. When it released in January of 2010 and went to No. 1, it literally changed my life.

If you have a book in you, or maybe you have already written one, but you are just not sure what to do next, you don’t want to miss the next episode of my online TV show, Allie & You, The Business Success and Lifestyle Show.

My guest, Bill Gladstone, is the world-renowned literary agent of Eckhart Tolle, Neale Donald Walsch and me! Bill is also the best-selling author of Tapping the Source and Golden Motorcycle Gang.

Meet Bill in a candid and inspiring interview on Wednesday, May 16, at 4:15pm PST/ 7:15pm EST on WazilloMedia.com. We will get to the nitty gritty world of publishing and what it takes to turn your ideas into smash literary hits.

Bill Gladstone founded Waterside Productions, Inc. in 1982 and has personally placed more than 5,000 titles with dozens of publishers. He has represented stars of the technical world ranging from Peter Norton to Linus Torvalds and was responsible for selling the first “For Dummies” book, Dos for Dummies by Dan Gookin, which led to the phenomenal series which now has sold over 100 million copies.

Currently Mr. Gladstone personally represents individual authors such as spiritual teachers Eckhart Tolle and Neale Donald Walsch, radio talk show host Thom Hartmann, international peace advocate Dr. Ervin Laszlo, philanthropist Shari Arison, novelist Victor Villasenor, environmental activist Hunter Lovins, and many other outstanding authors and professionals dedicated to creating books which inspire and improve the world. Mr. Gladstone is also the author of THE TWELVE, a novel of ancient wisdom as well as producer of the film Tapping the Source and co-author of the books Tapping The Source with John Selby and richard Greninger and THE GOLDEN MOTORCYCLE GANG with Jack Canfield (author of CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL). Mr. Gladstone has served on the boards of public and private corporations and is a trustee of the International Club of Budapest. Bill has undertaken extensive field work in South America, Europe and Asia as a Harvard University trained anthropologist in his pursuit to learn the ultimate truth relating to 2012 prophecies. Websites: www.tappingthesourcemovie.com, http://www.glntv.tv/tappingthesource andwww.goldenmotorcyclegang.com.

http://www.waterside.com/agency

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How to Create Stand-Out Branding

Allison Maslan — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:43:36 +0000

By Allison Maslan

Strong branding is critical in our ad-cluttered world. It is your packaging. How many times have you purchased a product because you are drawn to the package? Even paid more? Take shampoo, or wine bottles for an example. I am always drawn to the brands with the pretty labels!

Stand-Out Branding is key because you want to ensure that you are the first provider in your niche that comes up in your ideal customers’ minds. So ask yourself, ” How can I creatively stand out from the crowd?”

When Kenneth Cole was launching his very first shoe line, he did not want to be compared to all the other brands in at the New York Shoe Market. He put his innovative mind to work and instead of renting a showroom, he rented a big truck and painted Kenneth Cole Productions on the side and parked it on the street. He filled it with his beautiful shoes. Then he rented movie cameras, a red carpet and models to create a fun frenzy and to intrigue the crowd. Well it worked! He had a long waiting line outside of his truck to check out his goods. The result: His shoes and his sales skyrocketed.

So always ask yourself, “What can I do to catch my clients attention, in a good way!”

What if your brand is, well, just you? Never fear — solopreneurs can have snappy branding, too.

Here’s a quick guide to creating memorable personal brands.

Make it visual. Simple branding is best, especially if you can make an association in people’s minds that helps them remember you. My Pinnacle Entrepreneur, Gina Ruby’s new logo has a small ruby to dot the ‘I’ in her name. She is using the name of jewels to brand her program. This will help potential clients remember her, her name and her program.

Be sure your brand is tweetable. Social media is increasingly important in designing your brand concept. Netflix did not do their homework when they chose their spinoff brand name, Qwikster. It turned out to be already taken on Twitter by someone who was posting about their drug use. When you’re choosing a brand name, check its availability on the social networks.

Have fun. Some of my favorite solopreneur brands have humorous or whimsical elements. My client and friend, Sam Zien, The Cooking Guy, uses humor on his website, cookbooks, and weekly livecast. He allows the “Real Sam’ to shine through and that is what people love to about him.

Make sure it fits. If the entrepreneurs I’ve cited above were uncomfortable with the brands they’ve created, their brands would flounder. You must live with this brand for a long time, so make sure it is in alignment with who you are and what you want to portray in the marketplace..

Be consistent. Once you’ve created your branding, use it everywhere on everything you do. Don’t leave any of your old, less-awesome branding lurking around to confuse people.

Allison Maslan is a serial entrepreneur of 10 of her own companies. She is a No. 1 Bestselling Author and pres. of Blast Off! Business & Life Mentoring where she mentors big thinking entrepreneurs to grow high-revenue businesses and healthy and passionate lives. Check out Allison’s Live Online Television Show, Allie & You, The Business Success and Lifestyle Show every Wednesday at 4:15pm PST/7:15pm EST. Also, get your free CD, the Secrets of Millionaire Entrepreneurs at http://www.myblastoff.com/freecd/

Allison Maslan’s Business Tip of the Day

Allison Maslan — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:29:47 +0000

I am excited to share the first of many video business tips that you can apply right away to elevate your business, your life and your wealth. Click below to watch.

This is a little wisdom that my father, an entrepreneur to the core, shared with me.

Write down everything that IS working in your business right now as it applies to revenue, management, creative development, marketing, your fun and fulfillment factor and your time and energy. Then write down what is NOT working. Then drop or delegate the dead weight. We have a hard time letting go, but if you hold onto projects, products, employees or processes too long that are doing nothing but draining you and your business, you will inevitably exhaust what is inherently good and ultimately, hurt your overall business growth.

The Real Story Behind Success

Allison Maslan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:17:57 +0000

by Allison Maslan

When looking at the most successful people and organizations, we often imagine geniuses with a smooth journey straight to the promised land. Yet when you examine nearly every success story, they are often filled with crushing defeats, near-death experiences, and countless setbacks. But don’t let that get you down!

Before Success
Often times, we celebrate companies and individuals once they’ve achieved undeniable success, but shun their disruptive thinking before reaching such a pinnacle. Before Oprah was Oprah, before Jobs was Jobs, they were labeled as misguided dreamers rather than future captains of industry.
In your life, you’ve probably had a setback or two. When you stumble, it’s tempting the throw in the towel and accept defeat. The most successful people forge ahead regardless of the falls and disappointments. Their mistakes often make them more determined and more passioned for the win.
WD-40 lubricant got its name because the first 39 experiments failed. WD-40 literally stands for “Water Displacement–40th Attempt.” If they gave up early like so many people do, we’d sure have a lot more squeaky hinges in the world.

Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn’t last long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He refused to give up until he nailed his recipe for success.

Don’t cave to your mistakes, embrace them. In fact, mistakes are our windows to discovery. There’s an old saying that “every bull’s-eye is the result of a hundred misses.” So the next time you feel the sting of failure, just realize you’re likely one shot closer to hitting your target.

You have a mission. You have a dream.
You were born with gifts like no other. Your mission in life is to be “You”, to the fullest. You will inevitably endure some falls along your journey, but you must realize that persistence, heart and determination are the most crucial ingredients towards success.

Dreams Are Mere Fantasy Until Action Moves Them Into Reality.

Allison Maslan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:14:11 +0000

It’s time to take your dreams off the shelf and start taking action.

By Allison Maslan

It’s easy to sit back and talk about your million dollar ideas, but what are you actually doing about them. Hope is great, but unless you intend to back it up with all out movement, don’t bank on them.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a big believer in manifesting your dreams. I have done this in my life over and over again. I have created millions in my businesses, and even attracted my awesome husband to my life. However, I have had so many people say to me, “Allison, I am meditating on attracting my ideal clients, getting my business out in a much bigger way and its just not happening. So I say, “What action are you actually taking?” And then there is a long pause of silence. Which usually means, not much!

To grow the business of your dreams it takes solid intention, implemented strategy, conviction to succeed beyond belief and massive action.

Its time to TAKE ACTION.

Entrepreneurs are creative beings, but we can often get distracted by the next shiny object and thrown off track. By breaking your big dreams (I call Big Picture Visions) into tiny Mini Feats, which are small steps of accomplishment that you take every single day, you are able to move consistently toward your big goals without the stress. If you do 3 of these steps every day, in just one week you are already going to be 21 steps closer to your goal!

Here are some Action Steps to take right now…

Keep reconnecting your daily goals to make sure you’re on track and accountable. Sometimes even the most motivated people need someone to keep them on track with difficult or challenging goals.

Surround yourself with people who support your ideals, goals and lifestyle. Negative energy can easily seep in and create fear. If you are not careful and aware, low frequency can destroy your dreams and goals.

State your goals and commit out loud to someone close to you that you intend to make it happen. This proclamation of intention is a commitment to yourself, to your support system and to the Universe that you are already in the process of attaining this goal.

Hire a mentor that will reconnect you with your dreams, create a winning plan for your business success, and stand by your side to bring them into your reality. A powerful mentor will keep you accountable to your commitments, give you clear direction, as well as support and motivate you to make it all happen.

Don’t let your dreams fester in your sleep. Wake up and make them real!

Identify and Disconnect from Energy Drainers Now!

Allison Maslan — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:57:55 +0000

You are focused on growth in your business and your life. The last thing you need is to be drained by drama or negative people. You know the ones. There is always a crisis or something bad happening in their lives. It’s not that I don’t have compassion for these people. Otherwise, I would not be in the healing profession. However, if you’re focusing on creating wealth, abundance, passion, and positive energy in your life, the fastest way to let the wind out of your sails and lose your momentum is to spend your valuable time with an energy drainer.

Like energy creates like energy. Have you had the experience of being in the presence of an energetic, uplifting person? Just by standing next to this person, you’ll begin to feel uplifted yourself. By the same token, have you experienced your energy drop through the floor when you’re in the presence of someone who possesses an intensely negative and heavy energy? Next time this happens, observe how you start to slump over and feel heavy yourself!

Right now, you need all the positive energy you can assimilate. When you surround yourself with inspiring people who make the most out of life, it will only help to encourage, support and celebrate the realization of your Big Picture Vision.

Workaholics Anonymous: Meeting One

Allison Maslan — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:53:55 +0000

By Allison Maslan

Most entrepreneurs at some point in their business growth find themselves to be workaholics and don’t know when or how to stop. When I was in my twenties I was quite in an auto-pilot state of life. I ran a chaotic hamster wheel of a life/work schedule: instead of enjoying this glorious coming-into-my-own phase I was over-the-top serious, stressful, and psychotic. If I wasn’t at the office, I was running somewhere between home, daycare, client appointments and work, later arriving back home just in time to cook dinner and spend time with my daughter. It makes me tired just thinking about it! Once my daughter fell asleep, I was up into the night creating commercials and print ads. Sleep was an unnecessary luxury, while the business expectations I had set for myself were driving me into the ground.

Here’s the thing: When you are the boss, the desire to accomplish is so strong and seductive that days and nights can fly. That might be good for your business right now, but in the future you and your business will suffer. And honestly, what is the point if you are not having fun?

Why will your business suffer? It’s almost impossible to maintain that kind of stamina. Even marathoners need to take a break after the kind of workout. Just as a car needs to be refueled, you cannot get results running on fumes.

Here’s how to get serious about chilling out once in awhile:

Make a pact with a friend or spouse to pull you away from work. This means having them occasionally wake you up and remind you that there is a world going on around you. When you start cocooning into your own little workaholic nest, have a friend call or a spouse take you for an escape. ( Or give your furry friend a walk and some fresh air!)

Schedule fun as a reward for a tough task tackled. Remember when you were a kid and you got stars for good grades? Weren’t they motivating? If you have an insane fear that doing nothing and having fun is going to make you permanently lazy, then establish some rules, such as: if I accomplish this big project by the end of this week, then I’m going to take the day off on Friday and just be. Believe me, this works. After resting, you’ll be rejuvenated and ready to go!

Take a short vacation. You don’t need to go anywhere fancy or far away. Just get away from the piled up paperwork and laundry at home. Make it simple. Schedule a day or two (say the weekend), but don’t do anything work-related. Here’s why it’s important. For one, you’ll have time for your overtired brain to rest. And for another, you’ll realize when you get back that the world did not implode because you took a vacation. Here is the bonus: I get my best business ideas when I am away! Not because I am working, but because my mind is relaxed and there is room for creative energy to seep into my brain.

Create a Work/Getaway. If you’re really work obsessed and can’t tear yourself away, then do this. Find a way to go on vacation and do a bit of work at the same time. If one of the things you do for your business is blog, then choose a vacation spot where you can interview someone or take photos for a post. You can also find an inspiring place to work like a library or a new coffee shop.

Life can be stressful at times, especially as a workaholic. But too much stress with no support to counteract its often harsh energy can have detrimental effects on the body and the psyche. On the other hand, when your body-mind is feeling nourished, balanced, sound and resilient, the stress will bounce right off of you!

Take a break every now and then, and don’t forget to exhale.

~ Allison