Dave Crenshaw's Blog, page 45

4 Counterintuitive Time Savers

“There aren’t enough hours in the day” becoming your new mantra?  Finding the daily time crunch a bit chaotic?  Most entrepreneurs battle the clock by instinctively multitasking (which you all know is my ultimate no-no) and packing their day with back-to-back projects and meetings. It’s okay—I’m not here to judge…just help.

Why not allow yourself a few minutes to reevaluate how you spend your time?  By making your work hours more efficient, you’ll find that 24 hours in a day is plenty.

No, it’s not opposite day. Today’s video shows you 4 weird and counterintuitive ways to help you save time…

Let’s be honest, it’s natural to want to fill each day, avoid interruptions, frown upon vices, and attempt to multitask successfully. Rather than letting them eat up your time, make them work to your advantage. Turn your burdens of interruptions into opportunities for improvement, embrace your innate ability to procrastinate, allow time for guiltless vices, and for Pete’s sake—STOP trying to multitask!

By understanding that some things are inevitable for small business owners, you’ll find that it’s easier and more beneficial to accommodate your schedule around them and make your days far more productive.

Go ahead and indulge yourself a bit—Leave a comment about how you save time in a counterintuitive way. Consider it a good interruption.

The post 4 Counterintuitive Time Savers appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Conquer Small Business Chaos.

5 Ways to Get More Sales without Spending Money

Looking to get more sales in 2014?  Let me guess—you’re looking into advertising, lead generation, and even hiring new employees, right?  That seems a bit chaotic.  Why not try getting more sales without spending a dime?

Save yourself time and money scouring the interwebs trying to find the best way to get more sales. You, my friend, have stumbled upon the easiest, most cost-effective way right here.

Without further ado, here are my 5 Ways to Get More Sales without spending a dime…or a Bitcoin for that matter…

The key is utilizing the assets you already have before spending your hard-earned money.  There’s no sense in building up that useful information if you’re not going to, well, use it!  Take what you’ve got and recycle it into a more efficient opportunity.

Isn’t that what good business is all about: effective and efficient opportunities?

What other tips do YOU have to get more sales without spending any money? Throw some suggestions at me in the comment box and together, we can continue to fight chaos!

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4 Things to Do Before Hiring an Employee

Welcome to a new year and my all new video series, Chaos vs. Entrepreneur! Every Tuesday I’m going to bring you hot-n-ready bite-sized morsels of small business magic, crafted to help you do battle with the forces of CHAOS.

One of the craziest ways Chaos Inc. sinks its evil clutches into your business is through employee hiring.  Small business owners are notorious for throwing human beings at problems. “Here’s some money…fix my business for me!”

It doesn’t work, folks. Hiring a new employee is not a potion for your problems.

Before you invest one more new dollar into payroll, watch this brief video to learn the four things you must do first.

Yes, of course you want to grow your business by hiring employees. That’s a necessity. But more business owners have it bass-ackwards. They hire first, then try to figure things out. “What the HECK am I going to do with this person now?”

Then they get frustrated and fire the person. Wash, rinse, repeat. Way too costly. Way too chaotic. These four steps will help you combat this nasty cycle.

But what do YOU think? Are there other steps you’d add to this process?

Also, do you have experiences that back me up when I say hiring too early too fast creates CHAOS? Tell me those hiring horror stories.

Comment below and let’s dance.

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Coming in 2014: all new videos!

Hope you’ve had a great holiday season!

I wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know about my BIG news for 2014. We’ve got a major upgrade to our video format coming in 2014. Very exciting!

I won’t spoil the surprise, but here are a few things to look for:

My first new video will come out January 7, and will come out weekly thereafter. Tuesday will be the new email and video release day for the foreseeable future.
We’re putting a lot more emphasis on my YouTube Channel. A lot. Get ahead of the curve and subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=DaveCrenshawAuthor
The videos will now all be geared toward small business and entrepreneurship. Yes, you’ll still get some awesome tips and techniques for productivity and time management, but those will be in the context of owning a business.

I look forward to seeing you again on January 7 with a fresh new look. In the meantime, best wishes to you and yours in the NEW YEAR!

All the best,

Dave Crenshaw

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Break it Down to Build it Up: Your Business Year in Review

A year consists of 365 days, 8760 hours, or 525,600 minutes. A lot can happen to a business in between all those minutes. What happened to yours?

Annual reviews are awesome for tracking progress and planning the future, but 365 days is a long time. It can create an avalanche of data. If you’ve read The Focused Business, you’ll know that Overload would love to bury you in that avalanche.

So, how can we streamline the process? Watch my short video for a benefit-rich and hassle-free system that helps you start the New Year right.

Action Steps:

Assess the bottom line by measuring cash on-hand, net profit, and personal salary and comparing them to previous years.
Plan for the future and learn from the past by analyzing your biggest accomplishments and lessons.
Comment below and share YOUR year in review, as well any other standards for solid end-of-year evaluations.

Principles:

Every year you’re still in business is a successful year!
Cash-on-hand, net profit, and personal salary are solid year-in-review benchmarks to appraise general performance.
Learn, grow, and improve through analyzing the year’s biggest accomplishments and lessons.

The post Break it Down to Build it Up: Your Business Year in Review appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Goal Setting: Achievement Depends on Vision

All too soon you’ll be tempted to begin the obligatory process of making resolutions for 2014. “I resolve to lose weight.” “I’m going to save up money.” “I’m going to write a book.” “I resolve to spend more time with my family.”

You know and I know that New Year’s goal setting can be summed up in one four letter word: Bull.

How about some real change next year? Let me show you the process I have helped thousands use and use myself.

This week’s video is a sample from my full course on lynda.com, called Achieving Your Goals.

In this video, I guide you through the process of creating a crystal clear vision for your future. After you watch this video, you can get a 7-day free trial to lynda.com which includes my course and much more!

(You may need to disable AdBlocker for this page to view the video below!)

Action Steps:

Get a free 7-day trial to lynda.com ,including the full Achieving Your Goals course and accompanying worksheets, by clicking on this link: http://davecrenshaw.com/free
Use visionary goal setting and share what you MUST accomplish to be a success in 2014.

Principles to Learn:

Goal achievement begins with vision, the exact opposite of haphazard goal setting.
The stronger your desire, the more you feel you must accomplish something, the more likely you’ll achieve your goals.
Positive “how” and “why” questions are powerful tools in overcoming your brain’s natural resistance to change.

The post Goal Setting: Achievement Depends on Vision appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Making a Family Business WORK

In the beginning, working with friends or family may seem like a great opportunity. You need help, they need the work. Boom! Perfect opportunity, right?

But later, when reality sets in, when the honeymoon period wears off, you find that what began as a match made in heaven is now a rocket-propelled handbasket on its way to hell. Conflicts arise, feelings get hurt. You, the business owner, are stuck with not wanting to offend but at the same time needing to fight chaos and make a profit. What’s to be done?

Watch my short video and learn steps you can take—today—to ensure workplace familiarity is a boon, not a bust.

Action Steps:

With your family member or friend, create ground rules for working together and refer to them during your regular meetings.
Do your utmost to create consistent meeting schedules that start and end when they should.
Comment below and tell me how you’ve encouraged cooperation within a family business.

Principles:

Familiarity can indeed “breed contempt” when left unchecked, particularly in a family business.
Ground rules help get everyone on the same page, but only if documented and reviewed.
Consistent, on-schedule meetings both boost efficiency and showcase mutual respect.

The post Making a Family Business WORK appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

A Small Business Thank You – Comment and Win!

Today’s small businesses are tomorrow’s decision makers. To be part of that is an ongoing honor. I’m thankful for the good we accomplish and solutions we find.

Let’s share our gratitude today! Watch my short video to learn why I’m thankful. Then comment on my blog for a chance to maybe win a fun gift!

Action Steps:

Comment below and tell me why you’re thankful for small business! Your comment will make you eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Kiva.

Principles:

Small businesses become large businesses. In fact, count on it!
Thankfulness is contagious, so spread it!

The post A Small Business Thank You – Comment and Win! appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

The Rule of 3: The Essential Law of Small Business Marketing

From the Las Vegas Strip to rock-paper-scissors, zero-sum games are often alluring and entertaining. They’re also a lousy strategy in small business marketing.

Yet, why do so many business owners play this game? Rather than carefully strategizing a plan to get new customers, they opt for throwing spaghetti on the wall and hoping something sticks.

But marketing doesn’t have to be this kind of a crap-shoot. Enter the Rule of 3.

Watch my short video and lean how this simple standard preserves profit and maintains marketing alike.

Action Steps:

Consider your next marketing plan. Is it fulfilling the Rule of 3? Is it reasonable to expect that for every $1 you spend you’ll get $3 to your bottom line?
Comment and tell me about YOUR most recent effort in small business marketing.  What kind of return did you get?

Principles:

Spending small business marketing money just to make the same money back kills profit and is unnecessarily risky.
The customer acquisition budget (CAB) is the lifetime bottom-line value of a customer divided by 3.

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Digital Detox: The Lifesaver We All Need

Work can seem all-consuming. Think texts, voice-mails, emails, briefs, newsletters. They’re never ending! All that sensory pollution often makes insight seem like an endangered species.  Not good.

And like endangered species, your inspiration and motivation can be found in an important place: a sanctuary. Only difference? Wild-life sanctuaries should be poacher-free, yours should be tech-free.

Watch my short video to learn how digital detox can shift perspective and reignite inspiration. More importantly, learn where and when to use this valuable trick!

Action Steps:

Create certain times and days of the week when you will abstain from technology—both personal and work-related.
Comment below and tell us the best digital detox time for YOU.

Principles to Learn:

Too much time with technology can hinder focus, enthusiasm, motivation, and inspiration.
Digital detox provides a sanctuary when we can mill ideas, find inspiration, and ignore trivial interruption.
Digital detox is often best spent with friends and family, two crucial elements of motivation and well-being.

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