Dave Crenshaw's Blog, page 47

About Entrepreneurship: Feed Your Optimism

Take a moment and brainstorm characteristics that accomplished entrepreneurs share. Thinking something like resolve, initiative, open-mindedness, charisma, or a similar attribute? Right…but incomplete.

From shaking hands to hitting the books, success has many paths and many milestones. Different attributes obviously help guide direction. But what keeps you walking, exploring, and seeking new opportunities? Optimism!

A positive outlook is essential fuel for any entrepreneur or business person. It not only keeps you empowered, but happy. Employees, colleagues, and customers alike can sense that, and their confidence grows with your own. So how do you harness and maintain optimism? Watch my short video and find out!

Action Steps:

Keep optimistic by being judicious about negative media, people, and news.
Recognize that optimism is about opportunity and outlook, not blind flattery or agreeableness.
Leave a comment to tell us your ideas about entrepreneurship and optimism.

Principles:

Staying upbeat about entrepreneurship or business opportunities is essential for success.
Pragmatism isn’t equivalent to pessimism.
Optimism is affected by the environment and vice versa.

The post About Entrepreneurship: Feed Your Optimism appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Your LAST CHANCE to get a free second copy of the Focused Business

I don’t know if you got my email earlier this week. I’m offering a free second copy of The Focused Business.

All you have to do is upload your receipt here and I’ll send it to you another copy (up to 10) for free. You don’t even have to pay shipping.

Don’t miss out on your last chance to get a book that has already helped hundreds of entrepreneurs like you triumph over chaos.

One lucky winner will also receive a Kindle Fire HD. But you have to act TODAY.

Action Steps:

Upload your receipt to get your free second copy of The Focused Business now.
Buy your copy if you haven’t got one yet. You can do that here: http://amzn.to/ZlCQo9
Add me on Facebook and Twitter to see me announce the Kindle Fire HD winner next week!

Principles to Learn:

Other entrepreneurs will be grateful to you if you give them the free copy to help them also banquish chaos!

The post Your LAST CHANCE to get a free second copy of the Focused Business appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

This week only – Get up to Ten Free Copies of The Focused Business and more!

If your small business is trapped in the clutches of chaos, here’s a once-in-forever opportunity . . .

Have you read my book The Focused Business yet? If you have, you’ll know why real-life Amazon reviewers so far have called it “superb,” “business coach in a book,” “fun and enlightening,” and “awesomeness.”

August 19-23rd is my Worldwide Heroic Book Launch. Why heroic? Because it’s now available in all formats.You can now get The Focused Business on Kindle, Audiobook, and all ebook formats, as well as paperback.

“But wait, there’s more!”

Even if you already bought the book, go here: http://FocusedBusiness.com/hero. This week I’m rewarding you for your loyal support.

Watch this video to learn how you can get FREE copies, entrepreneur superhero t-shirts and a chance to win a brand new Kindle Fire HD!

Action Steps:

Upload your receipt to get your free second copy of The Focused Business. Do it now so you don’t forget! FocusedBusiness.com/hero
Buy your copy if you haven’t got one yet. You can do that here: http://amzn.to/ZlCQo9
Add me on Facebook and Twitter to watch me announce prize winners throughout the day!

Principles to Learn:

Other business owners will be grateful to you if you give them your free copy of The Focused Business to help them vanquish chaos!

The post This week only – Get up to Ten Free Copies of The Focused Business and more! appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Could more work cripple your business? Take an opportunity assessment

Did you know–in the United States alone–over 65 small businesses fail every hour! That’s about one failure per minute.

How do once thriving companies end up having to close?

It often comes down to how they assess business opportunities . . .

What can you do to avoid business failure?

Action Steps:

Take an opportunity assessment the next time an expansion opportunity arises.
Leave a comment to tell us how you assess opportunities in your business.

Principles:

Business expansion opportunities often include risk.
An opportunity assessment can ensure that your business doesn’t expand to a point where it’s in danger.
Having cash reserves keeps your company safe.

The post Could more work cripple your business? Take an opportunity assessment appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Become More Productive and Successful with These Easy Environment Changes

Do you have to battle through a jungle of papers to get to your desk? Or is it clearer than a shiny new window?

In my experience, making changes like this boosts your productivity enormously. You can become a master of getting things done by making small and easy changes to your working environment.

Now watch this brief video to see what you can do. You will make easy changes that will boost your productivity through the roof.

Action Steps:

Use your senses to assess your workspace. What things do you want to change in order to be more productive?
Share your answer in the comments section below.

Principles to Learn:

If your body is comfortable, your work will be much more productive.
Each of your five senses can have a significant impact on your workplace productivity.
By perfecting your work environment, you can set yourself up for success.

The post Become More Productive and Successful with These Easy Environment Changes appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

How to Stay Focused and Not Get Bombarded with Business Calls

If you’re like one stressed business owner I just spoke to, you might be getting calls ALL the time.

. . . past acquaintances . . . salespeople . . . customers. You name it. They’re all asking for something.

Although it’s great that all these people want to speak to you, your time is valuable. Some people will waste your time. Others will make requests which are hard to say no to.

More importantly, all these calls are distracting you from working in your Most Valuable Position.

Here’s one trick you can use to eliminate the calls you don’t want, and only get the ones you do.

Action Steps:

Get a receptionist or gatekeeper to filter your calls, and write a yes/no/maybe list for them.
In the comments below, help others buy sharing more tricks you use to stay focused and reduce the number of switches in your day.

Principles:

Some requests on your time are more important than others.
To stay focused in your business, you need to reduce the unwanted requests on your time.
The best time to reduce unwanted requests to you time is before they even reach you.

The post How to Stay Focused and Not Get Bombarded with Business Calls appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Business Feedback: To Listen or Not to Listen?

I’m sure you get feedback about your business all the time. People are always telling you what you should do or change.

But which business feedback should you listen to? When is it valuable and worth acting on?

And when is it just a distraction, keeping you busy for no good reason?

Watch this video to find out whether you should open your mind . . . or plug your ears.

Action Steps:

When somebody gives feedback about your business, first consider whether it’s valid feedback.
Ask for feedback from your Most Valuable Customer (MVC) and people you respect.
Comment below: what tools and processes do you use to gather business feedback?

Principles:

Feedback from your Most Valuable Customer is the most valuable to your business.
Feedback from a successful mentor is the second most valuable feedback to your business.
Feedback from friends and family members is typically the least valuable to your business.
Much of business feedback isn’t valuable, so don’t take it to heart.

The post Business Feedback: To Listen or Not to Listen? appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Why Your Hard Work is Killing Your Business Valuation

Are you a crazed business ninja? Trying to do everything all the time? Always fighting the next piece of work?

Imagine doing less and having more time.

“I couldn’t do that,” you’d say. “I’m the expert in my business and I need to do it all!”

You’re right. No one can complete tasks in your business better than you can. But what if I told you that your business is worth less because of your hard work?

Watch this brief video to learn why your long hours are harming your business’s value.

Action Steps:

Take a rough guess at how much blue sky there is in your business valuation.
Think about one task you do in your business that you could hire somebody else to do.
Leave a comment below to tell me about the percent of blue sky in your business.

Principles:

The more you remove yourself from your business, the greater your business valuation is.
Being the best at your business shackles you to it.

The post Why Your Hard Work is Killing Your Business Valuation appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

The Myth of Multitasking on KSL 5 TV

Last night, KSL 5 TV in Utah ran a story on The Myth of Multitasking. You can watch the video and then see my commentary below.

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO

First, congrats to Michelle Jorgensen and Total Care Dental last night for a great interview on the Myth of Multitasking story on KSL 5 TV.

I especially got a kick when they talked about the University of Utah study on super-taskers–at most, 2.5% of the population–but the KSL poll last night showed 20% of people THINK they are supertaskers. It’s one of the biggest problems with the study. It creates a false sense of security and makes it harder for people to change their behavior.

The other big problem? The study neglects the effect of the behavior on relationships. Even if you are faster at making switches and escape 100% of the switching cost (a physical impossibility) you still damage relationships when you do it. When you multitask on a human being you are communicating to them they are unimportant.

Instead, communicate to your loved ones, coworkers, customers, and friends they they are the most important thing in your life–in that moment–by giving them 100% of your attention!

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Free Webinar: Focused Small Business Marketing

Most small business marketing happens in “silos,” with very little connection between lead generation, sales conversion, and customer service.

Silos create chaotic marketing, not the focused small business marketing every entrepreneur needs to thrive. When you get all aspects of your marketing working together, your sales numbers begin to naturally and almost miraculously skyrocket.

Watch this short video. You’ll learn about a very special webinar I’ll be teaching next week in partnership with my friends at Constant Contact.

Action Steps:

Sign up now to attend the free webinar on July 17th .  In this special event, I’ll show you a simple process to turn your chaotic marketing into focused marketing. http://davecrenshaw.com/webinar
Use the comments section below to ask question you’d like Dave to answer during the webinar.

Principles to Learn:

Most small business owners operate in a state of chaos, especially when it comes to the way they market their small businesses.
A focused small business marketing plan means that all aspects of your marketing work in harmony with each other.


Register for the free “Three Secrets of the Focused Marketer” webinar here: http://davecrenshaw.com/webinar

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