8 Pitfalls of Managing Your Own Business and How to Overcome Them

technology.jpgWhat an exciting venture– to start, run, and manage your own business!

Maybe you have a talent that you are offering as a service to clients such as massage, consulting, or financial planning. Or maybe your business is selling a product like clothing, wines, or information products. Whatever your plan involves–services or products–managing your own business takes certain skills beyond the specialized knowledge that makes you good at what you do.

If you don’t learn the skills of running and managing your business, you may find yourself experiencing some of these common pitfalls. If you do experience them, acknowledge where you are, then take measures to overcome them.

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Do You Need Help? Read This!

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“I finally learned that you cannot help people unless they really need help, are willing to be helped, want you to help them and ask you to help them. Even then, you can only help them to help themselves.” ~ Vincent Collins

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Slow Down FAST Hits Top 5 of Personal Effectiveness Blogs

WHAKATE – Life Design Matters blog has picked Slow Down FAST as its #3 Personal Effectiveness blog.  Thank you!

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Apology Accepted

Are you sick of listening to the candidates dance around when confronted by a mistake they made in their pasts? It appears politics is the hotbed of verbal antics.

No one seems to realize the power of honesty. You are only as good as your word. No one will believe or trust you if you play verbal games. Honesty is morally right and efficient. And ultimately, always the best policy. (more…)

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Focusing on What People DO Instead of What They SAY

Don’t know what the Presidential candidates stand for? With all the rhetoric– and misrepresentations and omissions of fact that you’re hearing from both candidates, it’s tough to tell what their real beliefs are. Not to mention the fact that the press/media is being accused of being on Obama’s side. You can also see this in your daily life. The coworker filled with empty promises. The “friend” who is constantly cancelling lunch. Your local representative who did not vote the way they said when on the stump. (more…)

How to Keep our Competitive Edge

From my article 5 Daily Practices to Keep Your Edge at The Change Blog:

istock_000006191773xsmall.jpg“How can you stay sane and make good choices? How can you come out ahead when faced with competition in all areas of your life? I suggest you consider these daily practices that will help you keep your edge in a competitive world.”

Read the rest of  5 Daily Practices to Keep Your Edge.

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Lifestyle Coach Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is – Offers FR.EE Teleseminar: How the Average American Can Weather the Financial Crisis Without Becoming Emotionally Overwhelmed

WEBCAST REPLAY NOW AVAILABLE – Sign up below.

Down Economy Got You Way Down? It doesn’t have to!

Join me for a FR.EE teleseminar THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2008 – 7:00 PM Central.

We all see what’s going on in the world.  It sure isn’t pretty.

The markets and economy are in the tank. Foreclosures, hiring freezes, salary cuts, and layoffs are a given.

We’re hunkered down in our bunkers waiting for the storm to blow over.  Is that the right approach?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Think about this:  When businesses feel the heat of the bad economy and decreasing sales, do they hunker down?  No!  They get very proactive.  They look for ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies.

AS INDIVIDUALS, WE SHOULD DO THE SAME THING.

  • Take this time to engage in some self-assessment instead of using all your energy for self-preservation.
  • Build some self-confidence, self-equity, and a foundation for your future – so that you can handle good times and bad.

Now is the best time to engage in a concentrated period of personal evaluation.

1.   Figure out where you are and where you want to go.
2.   Add things to your life that are important to you.
3.   Get rid of the things that just aren’t working anymore.

You don’t have to take it on the chin and allow the bad economy to control every aspect of your life.

Come out of the basement.  Take control.  Empower yourself!

Join me for a FR.EE teleseminar THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th, 2008 at 7:00 PM Central.

WEBCAST REPLAY NOW AVAILABLE – Sign up below.

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6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Busting Out of the Rat Race

butterfly.jpgby David Bohl, Lifestyle Designer

The nine to five grind… you’ve been a participant since your late teens, early twenties. Is it time to take a hike? Here are six questions to ask yourself BEFORE you ditch those bennies.

Take an extended vacation… how does it feel?

Do you have some extra vacation stored up for a rainy day? Most of us do! This is the perfect time to see how you can really handle not going through the daily grind. Spend some leisurely time with your family and your hobbies. Find a hobby if you don’t already have one…reading, writing, biking, hiking, cooking. See how you handle your extended break, and make the determination of whether you want to leave the structure of your job to pursue other things.

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How the Average American can Weather the Financial Crisis Without Becoming Emotionally Overwhelmed

From an interview I did this evening with Charles Benson of WTMJ TV 4 in Milwaukee, written by Katie DeLong:

“MILWAUKEE – David Bohl, a lifestyle coach and former venture capitalist with much knowledge when it comes to the economy and financial gains and losses appeared on Live at 4:30.

His message: people can actually benefit by focusing on themselves rather than just their bottom lines.

Bohl discussed how the average American can weather the financial crisis without becoming emotionally overwhelmed.”

Read the rest of the article and see the video.

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Thanks to Capitol Investor for including this post in the Investing Carnival, to My Two Dollars for featuring this post in the Money Hacks Carnival, to The Skilled Investor for publishing this post in the Carnival of Financial Planning, and to My Family’s Money for inclusion in the Carnival of 20 Something Finances.

Friend or Foe: How to Determine Who’s Really on Your Team

football.jpgby David Bohl

Did you ever hold someone in high regard as a friend, confidant, and/or advisor, only to have that person turn out to be nothing like who you thought they were? No doubt, a break in trust like this can be devastating.

Unfortunately, once we’ve been “burned,” it can be tough to start over with a clean slate and a fresh pair of rose colored glasses. And yet, that’s exactly what we need to do if we plan on living a happy and successful life!

The truth is, as much as we’d like to say that we’re independent, people need other people. We need them for comfort, we need them for connection (between each other, and as a bridge to other great minds who might be able to enrich us in some way)… we need them for inspiration. And quite simply, we need other people to help us get where we want to be in life.

Knowing this, when is the last time you asked yourself: Who’s on my team? Who can I count on when the going gets tough… who accepts me for who I am? Who opens up their mind and heart to my thoughts and feelings… who is willing to share their dreams with me?

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