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Becoming a successful entrepreneur is no small challenge. For a woman, it's tougher yet - for a whole bunch of reasons, like FOCUS. |
Below is an outline of the complete lesson. We're considering ingredients essential to your sanity and solvency. Registered Silver and Gold Members get each lesson with worksheets, audio and video footage. You can register by clicking 'Getting Started' above.
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Entrepreneurial Test
Here are some things to consider:
Is your family cut out for this?
We have two entrepreneurs in our household. Both Daniel and I have made a commitment to pursue our passion of helping others, like you. Together we have four kids that have gone through the 'adventure' that comes along with an entrepreneurial household.
We promise the day will come when you question your own judgment. We'll ask you questions to sort through some myths so you don't feel alone. We'll help you through being misunderstood or not taken serious by those around you.
Self-employment
There's nothing like self employment! Not only can you decide on your fate at any moment, but you can fire your boss and get a pay raise at the same time!
In short, you are responsible for the consequences and rewards of 'how' you live as an entrepreneur. 
Surround yourself with Support
Surrounding yourself with like-minded goal setters, dreamers and professionals is really important. Where you lack in strength there may be someone to offer you help or share where they have already been so where you are going is not overwhelming.
Starting a business, with the reasoning that "I hate my job" - or - "all I do is work!" isn't enough. Something deeper must be in place. Daniel's son David, as a little boy observed: "working for yourself means you have the freedom to work ALL THE TIME".
If building a business is like raising children, then when is the right time to start? What are the costs and rewards? Is entrepreneuring for you? Should you begin with a network marketing company and start your own thing later?
Having A Life-long Vision
Faith is believing in things you can't (yet) see with your eyes. Having a 'vision' is
exercising your faith about your passion and purpose for living.
Example:
Gutzon Borglum, known for his larger than life sculptures, gained experience on dozens of
sculptures, including the bust of Abraham Lincoln, extracted from a six-ton block of marble.
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A small girl, visiting Borglum’s studio, was gazing in utter amazement at the large block with Lincoln’s face partially emerging.
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The astonished girl turned and asked Gutzon; “how did you know Mr. Lincoln was inside that stone?”
He saw Lincoln in his mind's eye and worked to remove everything else. You can see the result of his life-long 'vision' today. It became the faces on Mount Rushmore.
Question.
Is your vision big enough for a life-time?
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Changing Your Limiting Beliefs
For over 100 years, it was believed that it was impossible for man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Roger Bannister wasn't limited by other people's beliefs. Following his performance, thousands have run sub four-minute miles.
*(1)
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A simple tale with a great moral is "The Goldfish". Author
Kevin Baerg tells about a young boy at a ring toss booth winning... |
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Walking With Three Legs
Every successful business must excel at the complete business cycle. This includes activity from three arenas of effort:
- Administration (accounting, legal, communications, customer service, etc)
- Sales/Marketing (branding, graphics, advertising, actual sales fulfillment, etc)
- Production (getting materials, creating the product/service, warrantee work, etc)
Question.
Are you able to deal with all three at the same time?
BYOB (Being Your Own Boss)
It's essential to know when to ask for help, and when to shout to yourself "You're Fired!".
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endeavors fail because the boss (you) couldn't recognize their shortcomings and hire or
delegate the work to someone gifted at it. |
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Question.
How's well do you say "no" to yourself?
Leaving your J.O.B. (Just Over Broke)
Some people start a business thinking it'll make them feel more secure. Working for yourself means you constantly deal with your own unemployment. While you're producing the work, you're not looking for work. When you're looking for work, you're not getting paid for producing the work. It's a cycle of perpetually being unemployed - balanced by having faith that you're doing all that can be done and that the rest will work itself out.
Question.
How well do you deal with unemployment?
Living With Healthy Fear
Getting yourself motivated is easy when you have a pile of bills and no one else to depend on. Self-motivation or failure is a constant chore. Healthy fear will get you to pick up the phone and make the call. Healthy fear will have you say NO to a sale (even though you really need the cash flow) that might come back to haunt you.
Question.
Does fear get you out of bed, or have you pulling the covers over your head?
Focus or Fail (again)
Living With Passion* (4) - Peter Hirsch - pg 67
The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology defines 'Focus' as: the point at which an object must be situated so that a well-defined image of it may be produced. In Latin, Focus means "fireplace" or "hearth". The same way that precious metal is refined by testing with heat. Focus, likewise, is refined by trials and failures. Try this quick example:
 FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE
OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS.
Read it again and count the number of F's. Try it a third time and FOCUS!
(answer = (16-9))
Question.
How's your focus?
Get The BIG Picture
There's nothing worse than failing with the question "Didn't I learn this lesson before?" Keeping things focused has to be balanced with seeing the big picture of your industry,
your place in history, what phase of life are you in and what your goals and values are. Taking time to learn, rest, reflect, plan and take action, are all a part of the process.
Question.
Can you also be a big picture person?
The Emotional Roller Coaster
Few entrepreneurs have the resources to create their passion free from worry, or the challenge of providing and/or caring for a family. It’s a biblical promise that our provision is certain if we follow our inner voice. Also, by practicing ‘thanksgiving’, our mental state can be strengthened when there are temptations to compare, judge and moan about our situation. The emotional roller coaster can be managed by doing all we are capable of doing, trusting that it is enough, and not putting too much stock on what we think we deserve.
Question.
How well do you deal with ups and downs?
Recognizing "What's In Your Hand"
We seldom recognize our own gifting and strength. The target of focusing is to "know thyself" and "thy expertise". Moses didn't for over 60 years. He finally got it though.
Question.
Do you know 'What's In Your Hand'?
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Being Alone - But Not A Loner
Buckminster Fuller gained renown as an inventor and designer of the geodesic
dome. In 1927 at the age of 32, bankrupt and jobless, living in inferior housing in Chicago, he saw his beloved young daughter Alexandra die of pneumonia. He felt responsible, and this drove him to drink and to the verge of suicide. At the last moment he decided instead to embark on "an experiment, to find what a single individual can contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity."
For the next half-century Buckminster Fuller contributed a wide range of ideas, designs and inventions to the world. Fuller was ultimately awarded 25 US patents and over 50 honorary doctorates.
His mathematical expression for synergy demonstrates that the larger your network of relationships, the greater the number of possible solutions and prospective buyers of your product /service that will be available to you.
We've created a number of tools to facilitate this principle. It's something worth understanding well.
Question.
Have you got synergy working for you?
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Tack, Tack, Tack
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Sailing teaches us that getting to a destination isn't a straight shot. It's a series of course changes, each time heading off the wind; |
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port side, starboard side, gaining ground on the goal. Airliners constantly make course corrections from take-off, till landing. Getting comfortable with change is essential.
Question.
How well do you deal with change?
Being Yourself
Marlo Thomas has compiled a wonderfully heartwarming book* (4) - stories of personal revelation from some of today's most known people. Whoopi Goldburg tells her story about being challenged to conform, or to be who she believes herself to be. Oprah Winfrey, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Ellen DeGeneres and many other's know that living life fully requires attention to your inner voice and effort to follow that
whisper. *(2)
Question.
Do you do the same?
Getting Connected
Notice the title uses an active tense verb? Getting is a process. Think of the difference between a swamp and a gurgling mountain stream. It’s the same with relationships. There has to be interaction, friction, challenge and such to provide us with direction, correction and health.
Question.
Do you make efforts to be around other people?
Enduring Skepticism
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We all know Orville and Wilbur Wright were the first to fly. Did you know their father forbade them? Did you know that for years, most of the world didn't believe them at all. |
Did you know that they had to stand up to the worlds fear and support themselves with another business? *(3)
Question.
Is your optimism overcoming?
Are You Crazy?
Ok, with all these challenges to overcome, we've lost sight of the benefits. Yes, you can work all the time with the people you choose. You can create things the world isn't ready for and do it for little or no pay. It's no wonder your family thinks you're crazy.
The good news is that you don't have to do it alone. We're here to help. With the next ten lessons, we're going to help make your dream of living your passion become a reality, step-by-step.
Question.
Is entrepreneuring for you?
Being part of the MOMtrepreneurs family helps all of us keep life and business in perspective while pursuing our passion in hopes of making a difference in the lives of those we love and generations to come. Sometimes we need a voice to say "it's part of the process or you'll be ok just hang in there, I've been there before, you are not alone."
* references:
(1) Living With Passion
(2) The Right Words
(3) Created To Win
(4) Free Bronze Membership
(5) Contact Angelina Directly.
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