Why are there so many people failing to set goals even though they may know that setting goals is an important part of life and can greatly increase the impact and affect one might have during their lifetime? In this portion of an interview between Dale Beaumont and Lisa McInness Smith find out why people fail to set goals. Make sure you are not one of them!

At 26 years of age, Lisa set her biggest goal: to positively affect one million Australian teenagers, a goal that was to change her life. In the 8½ years it took to achieve her goal, Lisa travelled the country speaking in schools and to youth groups.

Even though most people know how important it is to have goals, why do you think so many people fail to set them?

Most people know the theory behind goal setting but their fear is sometimes greater than the excitement of the goal. Some people’s lives are run by fear – fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of letting people down, fear of success, fear of the unknown. Others thrive on faith, the possibility of success, of overcoming, of succeeding, of making a difference, of making a whole new pathway for themselves. It takes faith to set goals and it takes faith to fight fear.

Fear is a formidable foe; it’s entangled in our thinking, our beliefs and our thoughts about the future. Fear is what most people think they must conquer before they go after their goals. Funnily enough, goal setting is a pathway to defeating fear. Every step toward the goal pushes fear further away. Competence builds confidence and confidence leads to action. Action achieves goals.

So why is it that so many people fail to set goals?

• They don’t take the time to write them down.
  
• They don’t make the time to read them.
  
• They don’t make a plan to reach each goal.
  
• They don’t write down the benefits of achieving each goal.
  

All of these steps are easy to do so it just takes a decision to get started and a commitment to follow through.

For more of this interview and the why behind failing to set goals check out “Secrets of Inspiring Women Exposed!“

Not letting anything hold you back is probably one of the single most goal achieving tips to take on board. The question is, as it is easier said than done, how exactly to you go about achieving that? Find out what may be holding you back and what to do to succeed in achieving your goals in this portion from an interview with Dale Beaumont and Kim McGuinness.

Kim was a finalist in the Sydney Business ReviewÕs Businesswoman of the Year Award in 2003 and was nominated for the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006. She is the founder of Network Central.

What do you think holds people back from achieving their goals?

First, we don’t write them down and focus on them, and second we don’t believe we can achieve them.

How many of us wander around and aimlessly network without really knowing what we are networking for? Sure, all of us know that we want to expand our range of contacts, unearth amazing people and expand our businesses or careers, but how many of us are absolutely clear on where our path is headed?

I am incredibly guilty of having all these grand ideas and taking on too much at once. I have learnt the hard way that it is important to articulate, define and (in my case) contain your goals and work every day to achieve them.

These days I have a goals book where I write down all my goals in one section and business ideas in another. When I am absolutely clear that I want to move ahead with a business idea I will move it to the goals section. Then I revisit my goals book through an appointment with myself each month and see where I am and what I still have to do.

Consistent effort is the key in my opinion. Even if the goal is a little far off at the moment at least if you have it clear in your mind then you can start attracting the right people and information and can refine the goal as you go.

The other obstacle is belief in ourselves. For some reason a lot of people consider themselves unworthy of greatness or unable to achieve great things. We are all built in the same way and can achieve whatever we want in life if we just believe we can.

We need to surround ourselves with positive people who will encourage us rather than Doubting Thomases who will find every reason under the sun why your goal will fail. As far as aspirational goals about houses, cars, holidays, clothes and so forth go, pictures are always great – find something similar in a magazine and hang it somewhere you will see it every day, then visualise what life will be like when you are there.

Focus and consistent effort coupled with belief will get you there. Meditation is also a great investment in yourself and allows your brain the time to slow down and focus properly.

For more of this interview and goal achieving tips check out “Secrets of Inspiring Women Exposed!“

New Year’s Resolution, the time of the year when new goals are set and you are all fired up for your goal achievement. The real question remains, how many of these goals are actually achieved? What is it that holds people back from achieving their goals? In this snippet from an interview between Dale Beaumont and Anni Haque, find out exactly what Anni has found that withholds people from the achievement of their goals.

Anni is a sought-after coach, strategist, conceptualiser, facilitator and commentator. Over the years Anni has worked across a wide range of industries with individuals, teams, industry leaders and even royalty.

What do you think holds people back from achieving their goals?

• Cost/pay-off – when people don’t achieve their goals, often their ‘pay-off’ is greater than the ‘cost‘. For example, someone might set a goal to do a carpentry course in order to be handier, yet they can’t seem to find a suitable course. The pay-off could be they don’t really want to do all the fixing-up required around the house! I bet they would miraculously chance upon a course if they were offered $100,000 for completing it.
  
• Fear – can stand for ‘False Evidence Appearing Real‘, and how true is that? Often knowledge removes fear and so education can be a great means of breaking through fear. I have found that much of the time, fear is a perception that when confronted, dissolves a lot more easily than we imagined.
  
• Busyness – the great justifier! When we get too busy to achieve a really important goal we need to stop and reprioritise.
  
• Lack of clarity – You know the cliché. ‘If we don’t know where we are going, any road will get us there.’ Get clear and specific about your goals; once you know the ‘what’, you’ll attract the ‘how to’ with ease.
  
• Wrong goal/’Claytons goal’ – sometimes we aim to achieve what we think is our own goal when really it may be someone else’s hopes and expectations for us. The key is to determine whether you are truly inspired by your goal. Also keep in mind that goals should be challenging otherwise they are what I call a ‘Claytons goal‘ which is a really just a practical task dressed up as a goal.
  
• Pipedream versus possibility – the other end of the spectrum is when we have an idea that is too big for now – it has insufficient basis in the past to make it do-able within the stated timeframe. If the average person was to say, ‘I want to be an astronaut in one year’s time’, that would be a pipe dream unless we find that actually they already have NASA training. The point being that a dream is a goal based further into the future. Be ambitious yet realistic about what is achievable in a given timeframe. Keep your dreams alive and adjust the timeframe as necessary.
  

For more of this interview and goal achievement tips check out “Secrets of Great Success Coaches Exposed!“.

Goal setting, if done correctly, can have exponential outcomes and create great success. Many may set goals, however not all manage to do so correctly. In this snapshot of an interview between Dale Beaumont and Andrew May discover seven steps for successful goal setting.

After he founded Good Health Solutions, which is now Australia’s largest corporate health and wellbeing consultancy, Andrew continued to work with professional athletes and is now considered one of Australia’s leading experts on performance.

What are your seven steps for successful goal-setting?

• Ask yourself the right questions – what do you want and why do you want to achieve it? How much does it really mean to you? What are the benefits of achieving the goal? Who will be affected? Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal?
• Involve significant others – don’t keep your goals to yourself. Enlist the support of your partner, family, friends and colleagues. This keeps you accountable, while at the same time forming a support group to keep you on track.
• Get anchored – write your goals down on a sheet of paper, simplify them into point form and then display them somewhere you can view them regularly – your diary, office, car, even on the back of the toilet door.
• Small bites – George Miller, a 1950s psychologist, believed that we can only deal with seven bits of information at any one time. Any more than this and we need to group things into more memorable, manageable chunks. So when you create your master plan for the New Year, keep goals to a manageable number and group similar areas.
• Set a plan – after you have written down your specific goals, the next step is to work out a specific plan. Identify the key steps you need to take toward accomplishing your goals and assign specific dates for their achievement.

For more of this interview and goal setting check out “Secrets of To Business Builders Exposed!“

Trying to set goals but have no idea where to begin and need some great goal setting tips? Check out this segment from an interview with Dale Beaumont and John Fitzgerald which gives great goal setting tips – a simple three step process to setting great goals.

Since becoming a property millionaire in his mid 20′s, John as helped thousands across Australia to achieve personal and financial success.

Goal setting seems to have been extremely important in your achievements. What does it mean to you and how do you do it?

Goal setting is the most important thing. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, ‘He who has no goal, has no direction’. You really can’t do anything without having the desire. In fact, it’s often said that you need a burning desire. To me, having a burning desire is setting a goal and making it a priority to achieve that goal.

Here’s my very simple three-step process for goal setting.

• First, I start by identifying the goal. I ask myself if it sits well with my core values, if it’s something that I believe in and will be willing to take the time and effort to achieve. If it is, I know I’ll be better able to hold onto that goal when the going gets tough.
• Then I try to clearly visualise what achieving my goal will look, sound and feel like. I really believe that if you can’t ‘see’ it, you won’t make it happen. Tiger Woods visualises every shot he makes before he makes it and ‘sees’ the ball going into the hole on that last putt. Many other successful sports and business people do the same thing. I practise my visualisations often. It may be a little fuzzy at the start, but it gets clearer and clearer. That’s when you begin to find that ‘providence moves’. When you are tuned into your goal it’s amazing how opportunities and resources seem to come to you.
• Finally, I take the time to consider what obstacles may be preventing me from achieving my goal and I develop plans and resources to overcome them. This contingency planning gives the rational or critical part of my brain something to chew on, as well as the creative side.

For more of this interview and goal setting tips check out “Secrets of Property Millionaires Exposed!“

There are many retail businesses out there. So what will it be about yours that will bring in the money? In this interview between Dale Beaumont and Elim Chew, find out Elim’s tips to running a successful retail business. Glean from her wisdom of 13 years and see how far you can go!

A Singapore based entrepreneur who founded 77th Street and turned it into a multi-million dollar street wear and fashion business. She now has 13 stores and has revolutionized the streetwear fashion scene in Singapore.

What are your top tips for running a successful retail business?

• Choose something that is difficult for others to copy. Whether it’s because highly specialised skills are needed, or because it’s expensive to get into, choose something that has a natural obstacle to being copied and you’ll eliminate most of your competition before they even get started.
• Choose an area that you are very proficient in and you’ll always be ahead of your competition because you’ll know what is going to happen next, what you need to do to get ahead, and where you can innovate to give you a competitive edge.
• Always model yourself around what the best people in the industry are doing, and then do it even better than them.
• Never take advice from those who are worse off than you. If they were good at what they do, then they’d be better off than you. If you take advice from people that are worse off, you’ll just end up exactly like them.
• Every cent counts, so keep a close eye on your finances.
• Train your staff well to not only satisfy customers, but to delight them.

For more of this interview and small business advice check out “Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!“

Last weekend I gave this spontaneous inspirational Speech…

It wasn’t planned it just came out of me.

People REALLY liked it though and I got literally hundreds positive comments.

Here is the link, I strongly recommend watching it now as it’s only 2 mins:

After watching I would love to know what you think??

Please post your comments on the website and if you feel so inclined share it with others.

Receiving small business tips from an expert on how to become a great entrepreneur is like giving you, a business owner, a present on Christmas Day. Unwrap this present in this snapshot from an interview between Dale Beaumont and Trevor Choy. The key is to not just unwrap it and stare at the gift, but to put this gift to use and allow yourself to become a great entrepreneur.

Trevor Choy is the Managing Director of Choy Lawyers, recently voted Australias #1 Intellectual Property Law firm.

What are your top tips for becoming a great entrepreneur?

Model success – There are many successful people out there. When you take the time to study the steps they have taken you’ll be inspired and motivated. You’ll also learn what they did wrong, so that you don’t make the same mistakes and have to suffer through the same experiences.

Pay suppliers on time wherever you can and keep them loyal – Suppliers are invaluable and the last thing you want to do is cross them. Make sure you make them feel like there is a real partnership – you will regret it if they start helping out your competition.

Be prepared to sacrifice other aspects of your life for success – Success does not come easily, and often, it comes at the expense of other activities in your life. You may need to put some of your other hobbies and interests on hold for a while.

Treat your staff better than your competitors treat theirs ¬- Your staff are the key component of your business. You need to treat them as equals; happy staff create happy customers. If your staff are genuinely passionate about their work, people can sense that.

Build a brand – Brand names build loyalty and recognition, which leads to greater market share and growth in the industry. Building a brand creates an identity for your product and ensures that people have an image of what makes your company different.

Keep a record of all your business undertakings – Legal disputes are resolved by a judge who assesses evidence. Written evidence carries much more weight than oral evidence, so having a witness to something is generally of little use. It is much better to have a good diary note, or better still, a written agreement. Make sure that you have a record of all business and financing deals to ensure ‘protectability’. It’s also good to have a stringent record of everything in your business so that you know what you have done and what you need to do.

Fore more on Small Business Tips and this interview check out Secrets of Male Entrepreneurs Exposed!

A formula is a method used in order to achieve something – to succeed. Wouldn’t it be great to know the formula to grow your business to its fullest potential? Brad Sugars shares with Dale Beaumont the five ways to grow your business. Apply this formula to your business and watch it grow!

Brad Sugars is Chairman of Action International, currently the 16th fastest growing franchise in the World and World #1 Business Coaching Company.

You say that there are only five ways to grow a business. What are they?

That’s right. Most people that come to one of our Action coaches generally want three things – more customers, increased turnover and higher profits. However, you can’t change those things on their own because they are simply the result of other factors in the formula.

So here are the five ways to grow a business:

1. LEADS
(prospects or potential customers)
X
2. CONVERSION RATES
(the difference between those that could have bought and those that did)
=
CUSTOMERS
(the number of different customers you deal with)
X
3. NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS
(the average number of times each customer bought from you that year)
X
4. AVERAGE DOLLAR SALE PRICE
(the average price of the item you sell)
=
TOTAL REVENUE
(the total sales of the business)
X
5. MARGINS
(the percentage of each sale that is profit)
=
PROFIT
(something every business owner wants more of)

It’s important that you work at improving each of these five areas simultaneously. If you don’t, it’s a bit like going to the gym and only working the muscles in your right arm for one month, then the muscles in your left leg for the next month. It doesn’t make any sense.

Fore more on Small Business Growth and this interview check out Secrets of Male Entrepreneurs Exposed!

Knowing and understanding the secret ingredient to business success may very well be that one thing that you need in order to continue on in your journey and attain that success you desire. Find out why P.A.S.S.I.O.N is the key to business success in this snippet of an interview between Dale Beaumont and Wayne Burgan.

Wayne Burgan is the creator of the book-keeping software Cashflow Manager who has served on the Public Practice Committee, the South Australian Small Business Committee, and the Small Business Centre of Excellence for CPA Australia.

What is the most important thing you have learnt about succeeding in business?

I am often asked to speak at business meetings and my presentation is usually called ‘The Secret Ingredient of Every Successful Business’. It is based on an idea I once heard in a message by the National Director of Youth for Christ, Tim Brown, when he was talking about a successful life.

And what is that secret ingredient? Passion. Passion is the most important thing for succeeding in business – but there’s more to it than just passion.

P is for ‘Purpose‘ – your purpose gives you direction and stops you from throwing in the towel when everything becomes overwhelming. To use business jargon, your purpose includes your vision and mission, which is another way of defining your reason for being. Having passion and purpose allows you to plan knowing that you have the direction and the zeal to make it happen.

A is for ‘Attitude’ – Jim Rohn says, ‘It is your philosophy, not the economy that determines your level of success’. When I had the privilege of hearing Michael Gerber (the author of The E-Myth) speak he used a saying that I have never forgotten: ‘The fish stinks from the head down’. As the leader of your business, your attitude toward obstacles, opportunities, risk, customers, staff, suppliers, honesty, integrity and hard work will reflect throughout the culture of your business.

S is for ‘Service’ – the Bible says to be great you must be a servant (Matthew 20:26), and it is the same for business. After consulting with businesses about what makes them different from their competitors they often say that it is their service. However, the truth is that the general standard of service in Australia is not very good, so businesses that can provide exceptional service will always stand out from the pack. I believe this is where a passionate small business has a huge opportunity over larger companies.

S is for ‘Sow’ – I think it is very important to continue learning and to then implement what you have learnt. You reap what you sow, and what you sow today determines your results for tomorrow. It is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of doing the business but it is essential to set time aside for when you work on developing your business. The Pareto Principle (otherwise known as the 80/20 rule) applies here too. Only about 20 per cent of people are interested in learning how to improve themselves and their businesses, and I estimate that only about 5 per cent actually implement what they learn. But if you are in that 5 per cent this gives you a huge advantage over your competitors.

I is for ‘Incentive’ – the financial rewards of a successful business are an obvious incentive, but so is the value you add to others when you have passion and purpose.

O is for ‘Ownership’ – everyone is looking for someone else to blame. Accept responsibility so you make an impact. If you don’t have a go, you’ll never know. And if things don’t go right all the time, accept responsibility, learn from it and move on. I think it was President Truman who had a notice on his desk saying, ‘The Buck Stops Here’. Good advice!

N is for ‘Never give up’ – succeeding in business requires an overdose of persistence. A small business owner undergoes pressures that others would not even imagine. Develop an immunity to criticism and an unshakable belief that you will succeed.

For more info on Secret Ingredient to Business Success and this interview check out Secrets of Small Business Owners Exposed!