Productivity

5 Things to Consider When Starting Your Own Business

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Does anything sound better than being your own boss?

Start Your Business Part Time

Well, maybe a brand new sports car or free ice cream for life. But even a state-of-the-art fully-decked-out sports car will eventually need routine maintenance, and the taste of mint chocolate chip can get old after a while.

The same kinds of things can happen when you start your own business. There are many details to consider and seemingly endless tasks to keep organized after the initial excitement of being your own boss and keeping your own hours has faded. Circumstances are bound to arise that no one ever prepared you for!

Although this list is not exhaustive, here are 5 things to get you started when creating a business of your own:

1. Startup cost

The startup cost of your business depends heavily on the type of business you want to have. To estimate the startup cost, make a list of anything and everything you’ll need to finance in the first 6 months. Then take each expense and ask:

Is this cost fixed or variable?
Essential or optional?
One-time or recurring?

Once you’ve determined the frequency and necessity of each cost for the first 6 months, add it all together. Then you’ll have a ballpark idea of what your startup costs might be.

(Hint: Don’t forget to add a line item for those unplanned, miscellaneous expenses!)

2. Competitors

“Find a need, and fill it” is general advice for starting a successful business. But if the need is apparent, how many other businesses will be going after the same space to fill? And how do you create a business that can compete? After all, keeping your doors open and your business frequented is priority #1.

The simplest and most effective solution? Be great at what you do. Take the time to learn your business and the need you’re trying to fill – inside and out. Take a step back and think like a customer. Try to imagine how your competitors are failing at meeting customers’ needs. What can you do to solve those issues? Overcoming these hurdles can’t guarantee that your doors will stay open, but your knowledge, talent, and work ethic can set you apart from competitors from the start. This is what builds life-long relationships with customers – the kind of customers that will follow you wherever your business goes.

(Hint: The cost of your product or service should not be the main differentiator from your competition.)

3. Customer acquisition

The key to acquiring customers goes back to the need you’re trying to fill by running your business. If the demand for your product is high, customer acquisition may be easier. And there are always methods to bring in more. First and foremost, be aware of your brand and what your business offers. This will make identifying your target audience more accurate. Then market to them with a varied strategy on multiple fronts: content, email, and social media; search engine optimization; effective copywriting; and the use of analytics.

(Hint: The amount of money you spend on marketing – e.g., Google & Facebook ads – is not as important as who you are targeting.)

4. Building product inventory

This step points directly back to your startup cost. At the beginning, do as much research as you can, then stock your literal (or virtual) shelves with a bit of everything feasible you think your target audience may want or need. Track which products (or services) customers are gravitating towards – what items in your inventory disappear the most quickly? What services in your repertoire are the most requested? After a few weeks or months you’ll have real data to analyze. Then always keep the bestsellers on hand, followed closely by seasonal offerings. And don’t forget to consider making a couple of out-of-the-ordinary offerings available, just in case. Don’t underestimate the power of trying new things from time to time; you never know what could turn into a success!

(Hint: Try to let go of what your favorite items or services might be, if customers are not biting.)

5. Compliance with legal standards

Depending on what type of business you’re in, there may be standards and regulations that you must adhere to. For example, hiring employees falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor and Federal Employment Laws. There are also State Labor Laws to consider.

(Hint: Be absolutely sure to do your research on the legal matters that can arise when beginning your own business. Not many judges are very accepting of “But, Your Honor, I didn’t know that was illegal!”)

Starting your own business is not an impossible task, especially when you’re prepared. And what makes preparing yourself even easier is becoming your own boss with an established company like World Financial Group (WFG).

The need for financial professionals exists – everyone needs to know how money works, and many people need help in pursuing financial independence. WFG works with well-known and respected companies to provide a broad range of products for our customers. We take pride in equipping families with products that meet their financial needs.

Anytime you’re ready, I’d be happy to share my experience with you – as well as many other things to consider: Compliments https://wfgconnects.com/HeatherAtkinson

What Does “Pay Yourself First” Mean?

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Bills, bills, mortgage payment, another bill, maybe some coupons for things you never buy, and of course, more bills.

Pay Yourself First

There seems to be an endless stream of envelopes from companies all demanding payment for their products and services. It feels like you have a choice of what you want to do with your money ONLY after all the bills have been paid – if there’s anything left over, that is.

More times than not it might seem like there’s more ‘month’ than ‘dollar.’
Not to rub salt in the wound, but may I ask how much you’re saving each month? $100? $50? Nothing? You may have made a plan and come up with a rock-solid budget in the past, but let’s get real. One month’s expenditures can be very different than another’s. Birthdays, holidays, last-minute things the kids need for school, a spontaneous weekend getaway, replacing that 12-year-old dishwasher that doesn’t sound exactly right, etc., can make saving a fixed amount each month a challenge. Some months you may actually be able to save something, and some months you can’t. The result is that setting funds aside each month becomes an uncertainty.

Although this situation might appear at first benign (i.e. it’s just the way things are), the impact of this uncertainty can have far-reaching negative consequences.

Here’s why: If you don’t know how much you can save each month, then you don’t know how much you can save each year. If you don’t know how much you can save each year, then you don’t know how much you’ll have put away 2, 5, 10, or 20 years from now. Will you have enough saved for retirement?

If you have a goal in mind like buying a home in 10 years or retiring at 65, then you also need a realistic plan that will help you get there. Truth is, most of us don’t have a wealthy relative who might unexpectedly leave us an inheritance we never knew existed!

But you might be surprised by much you can save if you put your mind to it. And you might want to do that… but how do you do that?

The secret is to “pay yourself first.” The first “bill” you pay each month is to yourself. Shifting your focus each month to a “pay yourself first” mentality is subtle, but it can potentially be life changing. Let’s say for example you make $3,000 per month after taxes. You would put aside $300 (10%) right off the bat, leaving you $2,700 for the rest of your bills. This tactic makes saving $300 per month a certainty. The answer to how much you would be saving each month would always be: “At least $300.” If you stash this in an interest-bearing account, imagine how high this can grow over time if you continue to contribute that $300.

That’s exciting! But at this point you might be thinking, “I can’t afford to save 10% of my income every month because the leftovers aren’t enough for me to live my lifestyle.” If that’s the case, rather than reducing the amount you save, it might be worthwhile to consider if it’s the lifestyle you can’t afford.

Ultimately, paying yourself first means you’re making your future financial goals a priority, and that’s a bill worth paying.

Good Morning Habits You Can Start Tomorrow

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APRIL 15, 2020 – compliments of https://wfgconnects.com/HeatherAtkinson

Great Morning Habits

Habits and Morning Routines
Morning Habits You Can Start Tomorrow
Most of our mornings aren’t very fun. We roll out of bed, maybe hit snooze a few times, and then crawl into work feeling groggy at best.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. The morning hours can be times of relaxation, focus, and self-improvement. Here are a few practical habits that can take your mornings from pointless to productive!

Go to bed early
Stayed up too late watching just one more episode of your favorite show? Don’t expect to wake up feeling motivated. A productive morning starts the night before. Try to stay away from screens before going to bed (at least one hour) and make sure you turn in at a reasonable time. You may also want to dial back when you wake up. Having a quiet hour or two before everyone else wakes up is a great way of freeing up time to invest in things you care about. Just remember that your new sleep schedule will take some time to adjust to!

Exercise first thing
One of the best habits to fill your new-found morning hours is exercise. It’s a great way to get your blood flowing and boost your energy. Plus, the feeling that you’ve accomplished something can help carry you through the day and boost your confidence.

Prioritize your tasks
But let’s say you’ve started getting up an hour and a half earlier and you work out for 30 minutes. How are you going to spend the next hour before you start getting ready for work? One great habit is to start planning out your day and prioritizing your tasks. Write down what specifically you want to accomplish and when. You might be amazed by how empowering it is to make a plan and to see your goals on a piece of paper. Start off with your biggest task. The morning is when you’re at your peak brain power, so commit your best efforts to the hardest work. The feeling of accomplishment from knocking out the task will carry you through the smaller things!

Mornings don’t have to be rough. Incorporating these tips and habits into your daily routine can help make the first hours of the day a time you look forward to. Start inching your alarm closer towards sunrise and use that extra time to absolutely crush your day!

Wanna Move The Needle? Here’s How To Leverage Effective Business Tech Tools

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One of my biggest pet peeves in the digital marketing space is the term “all-in-one solution”.

Ya see, I think it’s a misnomer.

Or, actually, I think it’s misleading.

Any tool is an all-in-one solution if it’s the only tool you need, but the reality behind small business is that it’s infinitely complex – and therefore the landscape of tools to support your business is infinitely diverse (and ever expanding).

I have my own robust techstack, and Infusionsoft by Keap, and AccesAlly are at the core of it. I’ve written more about the specific tools that have earned my trust – if that interests you reach out to me and I will be happy to share.

But the reality is that the tools that support each business will be somewhat personal – they’ll likely need to match up with your business needs, priorities, and goals.

So, in this diverse, technical, and tricky landscape, when you could literally spend weeks researching options – how does a business owner choose what tools to depend on?

The answer is ROI.

Like anything in business, the tools you choose are an investment – and it only makes sense to continue investing in those tools if they’re earning an ROI for you.

Now, the typical way people think about “return on investment” is in a financial way, and your tools could certainly work to create new revenue – but they could also pay a return in other ways, like by saving you money, effort, or time.

I highlight that because I think focusing solely on a monetary concern will not only limit the tools you have at your disposal, but it can also be shortsighted in terms of crushing your longer term goals.

The next piece of advice I have for selecting the tools in your techstack is to focus on the role they will play.

You almost want to think of the tools you use as actual employees you’re casting into a role.

This’ll help in a few ways – first, it’ll help you get clear on the expectations you have for that tool.

And second, it’ll serve as a reminder of why that tool is valuable – because there will come a time when you question it, or when there’s a bug of some sort; and it’s important to be able to go back to it and recognize that this tool works around the clock and doesn’t take days off.

And finally, I’ll leave you with what I think is the most important lesson – small business is about crafting journeys.

(What’s a journey?)

The experience you create for your customers is what sets your business apart from others.

So if we recognize that, then the tools we use should be designing and supporting the journey we create for our customers.

And to zoom out one level further – that means that we, as small businesses, or as entrepreneurs need to spend time getting clear on the existing journey our customers are already having.

Then, ask yourself what it should look like. Try and visualize what your perfect customer journey would entail – if you only had one customer, and you could give them all your attention, what would that feel like?

That’s the blueprint.

(Here’s a case study) of how a tech stack can support an end-to-end customer journey.)

Once you have both of those it’s time to go to work narrowing that gap.

The tools you choose are how you build the customer experience blueprint.
———–
Greg Jenkins is the founder of Monkeypod Marketing, where he focuses on empowering entrepreneurs through virtual courses and educational resources.

In addition to small business and marketing automation, Greg is a semi-professional dogsitter; he loves hiking, traveling, watching basketball, and binging netflix. And dogs, did we mention dogs?

Will The Keto Diet Make You More Productive?

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by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

This article is about choosing to burn clean, or dirty fuel … in a way .

So what the heck do I mean by dirty fuel?

Let me explain. There are two significant nutritional choices that will provide most of your energy throughout the day. You can eat carbohydrates or you can eat fat to convert into energy.

This occurs through processes called glycolysis and beta-oxidation both ending in the Kreb’s cycle, or also known as the citric acid cycle.

Let’s keep the explanation simple though.

These processes basically describe the conversion of your nutritional choices into energy.

First let me tell you that you will actually enjoy about six times more energy by converting fat into energy, than relying on the conversion of carbohydrates.

You may remember back in the late 70’s and early 80’s when everybody was focused on “carb loading”? At that time, we were basically told to eat carbs as your meal prior to major activity. And you may have been eating things like pasta, grains and flour based products with the thought that you were increasing energy and performance.

Well, the result was quite the opposite, it was in fact leading to energy production, but it was a very inefficient production and conversion to energy. This is what we refer to and call “dirty” energy.

So, back to dirty energy.

Understand that when you convert carbs into energy, your body produces a higher amount of free radical activity and oxidative stress as compared to converting fat into energy.

Fat conversion into energy creates less free radicals and oxidation AND provides you about six times more energy!

Sounds like a win/win for you, right? Yes, fat conversion into energy makes your body perform more efficiently while burning clean fuel!

What The Keto Diet Means For Burning Clean Fuel and Your Nutritional Choices

Now, I am not telling you to stop eating all carbs and to stop eating your veggies. After all, vegetables are very important for you from a fiber and nutrient uptake perspective.

I am also not telling you to go Atkin’s and eat all the fat and protein you want.

I am simply suggesting that you learn how to burn fat for fuel to enjoy “clean” energy and MORE energy.

Oh, and by the way, this will also help with:

Mitochondria production (the little engine that drives every cell in your body)
Help regulate blood sugar
Help with weight loss
Lowering insulin naturally
Helpful anti-cancer strategy
Increased energy

So how do you do this?

Guidelines for Burning Clean Energy

Here are some general guidelines:

First meal of the day when initially hungry, preferrably 13 – 18 hours after dinner the previous day
You can start your day with an appropriate coffee of black tea
Add organic butter and MCT oil
Eat your second meal approximately 3 hours after your initial meal
Eat dinner early
Fast until your first meal the following day (approximately 13-18 hours)

Best carbs to eat:

Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Kale
Mushrooms
Salad greens
Sauté greens
Spinach
Zucchini
Berries
Grapefruit

Ideal sources of protein:

Grass fed beef
Lamb
Pork (limited amounts)
Poultry (free range and organic preferred)
Seafood (wild caught preferred)
Sardines/anchovies
Wild game
Eggs (cage free, organic preferred)
Organ meats (organic)

Ideal sources of fat:

Coconut oil
MCT oil
Krill oil
Cocoa butter
Avocados
Raw, organic, grass fed butter or ghee
Lard or tallow
Other saturated animal fats such as duck fat
Olives and extra virgin olive oil (third-party certified)
Various seeds and nuts
Organic pastured eggs
Grass fed meats
Coconut oil
Animal-based omega-3 fats from healthy sources such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies and krill

Ideal dairy choices:

Cheese (hard or high fat versions)
Heavy whipping cream
Sour cream
Full fat crème cheese
Raw organic grass fed butter or ghee

Best nuts and seeds:

Macadamias
Pecans
Brazil nuts
Coconut
Hazelnuts
Chia seeds
Hemp hearts/seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Black sesame seeds
Black cumin seeds
Raw cacao nibs
Flax seeds (ground)

Best snack choices:

Avocado
Olives
Pickles (naturally fermented w/o vinegar)

Limit your sweeteners to these (limited use):

Stevia (preferably liquid and organic)
Lo han or monk fruit
Xylitol
Erythritol

Follow these guidelines for meal preparation:

Net carbs of approximately 50 grams per day (total carbs minus carbs from fiber)
One gram of protein for every kilogram of lean body mass
70 to 85% of your daily calories from ideal healthy fats

If you are the real go getter and love to take on your new focus head on and both feet in, this may be all you need to enjoy burning clean fuel and enjoy the overall benefits of burning fat for energy and fuel.

Remember, the “clean” energy and fuel!

Click Here to Learn How to Customize Keto for YOU…

If you have any comments or questions regarding this article you may post directly on Glen Depke’s Facebook page or on his Twitter page . He will address them for you personally.

Apply for Your Opportunity to “Feel Young Again” With Depke Wellness

You can reach him directly at (800) 960-2755.

“The products on this page have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

This article was contributed by Glen Depke, a Traditional Naturopath with a full time practice in Newport Beach, California. He has expertise in supporting individuals in maintaining a productive healthy ketosis lifestyle, while feeling young again.

Reacting to Overwhelm & How To Quickly Regain Control

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We all get that anxious rush when things are going downhill or differently than expected.
When deadlines are blown, finances behind and there are too many demands to sit tidily our Inbox. its a horrible feeling! Overwhelm undermines your true identity and steals your energy. You are more likely to underperform when overwhelmed, so try to neutralize it and you will recover more quickly.

Here are a additional suggestions that just might help get you back on your dime and breathing normally 😐

* Make Quiet Time. Take a couple minutes, or hours even, to physically walk away. Breathe in some clean air.

* Get a good nights sleep.

* Rethink your strategy. You may have set unreasonable expectations, or taken on too many tasks in relation to your present
resources.

* Learn to say No, nicely. Its one of the hardest things to do.

* Communicate with your peers, supervisors, direct reports, and explain where you are and why you are behind.

* Reformulate priorities and try to reset deadlines with doable objectives and expectations.

* Try to get consensus from your team on what is doable and the order in which things are effectively completed.

* Bring in additional resources to get the job done on time if necessary.

* Re-calendar and Block time to complete priority tasks.

* Set boundaries and limits on additional, or new responsibilities. Limit taking on new tasks until priorities are completed.

* Limit all outside distractions, including News feeds.

* Limit multitasking since statistics prove that multitasking dilutes your focus and is inefficient.

* Listen to your thoughts and your random musings.

* Commit to documenting your thoughts and feelings so you know which ones you really believe and you can identify when overwhelm lifts.

* Get your physical space as organized as you can so that you can easily locate tools and recognize a system of order, or disorder.

* Learn how to know and recognize a true emergency.

* Set milestones so you know when goals have been accomplished and what tasks remain outstanding.

* Remember to celebrate when you have made it through to the other side. You will!

How Your Productivity is Affected By Sleep Apnea (“OSA”)

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Suzette Panton MD

In recent years, we have become increasingly aware of the vital role sleep plays in daily life and our general feeling of well-being. There are so many factors that influence whether or not we get a good night’s sleep.

Insufficient Sleep?

Hw much sleep is enough for you? Insufficient sleep is common in today’s modern society. Busy lifestyles and technology exposure can negatively impact our sleep patterns and habits resulting in inadequate nightly sleep hours.

Our sleep can also become fragmented for a number of other reasons.

Sleep fragmentation results in overall decreased quantity and quality of sleep. This in turn will impact how we perform on the job, at home and during our waking hours.

One condition that can cause fragmented sleep is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (“OSA”).

OSA is a chronic medical condition characterized by recurrent episodes of shallow or sometimes complete cessation of breathing during sleep. This is caused by the upper airway in the body becoming obstructed.

Obstruction of the upper airway results in the blockage of airflow and oxygen, these are vital to life. This in turn causes recurrent periods of awakening (body arousal) throughout the night, resulting in sleep fragmentation and tiredness upon awakening. We may not even be aware of these periods of awakening during our sleeping hours!

OSA Symptoms

– Low blood oxygen saturation levels, that is low oxygen levels during sleep time.
– Loud snoring;
– Irregular breathing patterns during sleep;
– Daytime fatigue and tiredness upon awakening;
– A morning headache;
– Daytime sleepiness and unintended periods of drowsiness;
– Difficulty completing tasks;
– Poor concentration;
– Decreased memory and retention;
– Irritability, and
– Depression.

These symptoms can negatively impact performance and individual function capacity.

Additionally, some individuals with untreated OSA become at risk for accidents both on the job and on the road.

Unfortunately untreated OSA also puts us at risk for medical conditions such as:
stroke, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, irregular heart rhythms and congestive heart failure.

Inadequate control of these underlying medical conditions will affect your health, quality of life and professional performance.

Risk Factors For OSA

Risk factors for OSA include post-menopausal women and women older than forty (40) years;
Overweight adults with an OSA family history;
People with certain physiological features such as facial/upper airway indicators for example large tonsils, a large neck, or large tongue, a deviated nasal septum or a small jaw.

Further, women are at increased risk of developing OSA during specific periods of life. Post menopausal women have an increased prevalence of OSA. This may be a secondary factor to decreasing progesterone levels.

There is also an increased risk of OSA during pregnancy. Factors contributing to OSA during pregnancy include hormonal changes, increased neck circumference due to weight gain, swelling within the pharyngeal region, and elevation of the diaphragm due to an enlarged uterus.

It is therefore really important to seek help from your medical provider if you, or your partner become concerned by any of the described symptoms. If you are overweight, significant weight reduction can sometimes helps to minimize the condition.

Finally, OSA when diagnosed is treatable. Treatment from your medical provider is important for long term success and an improved quality of life.

This article was contributed to GirlsLovePowerTools by Suzette Panton MD. Dr. Panton is Board Certified in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. She is mom to 3 outstanding sons, ages 21, 19, and 12. Dr. P is a high performance professional. Click here to get your free Blueprint that will help you Build Your Business for Enterprise.