Reminiscing 2009

With just a few days remaining in 2009, we typically take a look back at the year and reminisce once again on some of the significant things that happened over the last 365 days. We remember the top news stories such as the swine flu, Health Care Reform, the election of our 44th President, deaths of celebrities, and oh yes, the Recession, which sparked unemployment and foreclosures.

We remember terms that weren’t necessarily in our vocabulary previously such as “Octomom”, “Balloon Boy”, H1N1, conficker worm and Cash for Clunkers.

We remember how the social networking world took off and how Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn became so popular in our lives.

There is a definitely a lot to hark back on in 2009.


As I reflect back on my personal and business lives in 2009, I see some things that went well and I see some things that I should have done differently. I see a lot of positives and a few spots that I wish I could have had a “redo”.

But, I can’t allow myself to mull over the things in the past and think about “what could have been” for too long. I have to look forward to the future and let my focus be 2010! I want to take what I learned this year and turn it into some very productive and fruitful rewards for not only me but for my clients.

As a business owner, I encourage you to do the same. Reflect back upon your results for 2009 and decide how you would like them to be different in the New Year. What would you do differently if you were granted a “redo”? Take the time and formulate some strategic goals for a successful 2010. Look at ways you could strengthen your role as a business owner and make a positive impact to the results.

I am looking forward to starting a New Year. I have committed to myself and to my clients that 2010 will be a much better year!



Take the time to reflect back and then plan for the future.

As you know, the future starts…....Now!

Are You Happy With Your Results in 2009?

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution? Lose weight, spend more time with the kids, quit smoking, or get organized? I’m sure we all have at some point in time. What were your results? Did you achieve what you wanted? Making a New Year’s resolution is nothing more than establishing a personal goal. It more commonly involves stopping something that we are doing or includes starting something that we aren’t.

What about goals for your business? Are you happy with your results in 2009? Do you want to have another year exactly like this one? If not, now is the time to start planning for next year.

In the business world, we commonly utilize the S.M.A.R.T. method for establishing goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:

Specific — stated in clear, objective terms
Measurable — the results of the objective can be measured
Achievable — the goal is in your realm of responsibility and control
Results-Oriented — the goal should define the specific results to be achieved
Time-Bound — specific time-frame information or target deadlines are included

You should establish personal goals and business goals as well. In fact, both your personal goals and business goals should be supportive of each other. Establishing and achieving both personal and business goals can generate a synergistic effect. Achieving one of your goals should get you closer to achieving another one. For example, stating that you want to get more organized at work and work fewer hours should support your personal goal of spending more time with your family and friends.

Similar to the S.M.A.R.T. method above, before you establish personal goals, you must be sure of a few things. It’s important to evaluate your goals before you commit. There are several questions that you should ask first:

1. Can I actually control it?
2. Do I really want it?
3. How much time will it take?
4. How will it impact others?
5. How will I measure my success?

The answers to these questions are critical if you intend to be successful with your goals. These questions are your foundation to helping you become victorious. Make sure you understand why these questions are so important.

The most important part of any goal is accountability! You have to either hold yourself accountable for your goals or find someone else to hold you accountable. If there is not consequences of your actions (or lack thereof), then what is the point of having a goal? If you want to be successful in 2010, then you have to accountable for your results!


If you need any help in establishing your 2010 goals, or if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Fort Worth Business Coach ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Economic Recovery

Media Contact: Brooke Highline or Emily Collins, Fishman Public Relations:
(847) 945-1300, bhighline@fishmanpr.com or ecollins@fishmanpr.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Worth Business Coach ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Economic Recovery
‘Business Barometer’ Indicates Subtle Signs of Uptick

Fort Worth, Texas – As economists continue to state the recession’s end is rapidly approaching, the business coaches at The Growth Coach® tend to agree and remain cautiously optimistic in their outlook on economic recovery. The Growth Coach is the only pure business coaching franchise system throughout North America with the single purpose of helping drive the success and balance the lives of small business owners. As such, these business coaches have their fingers on the pulse of the small business community and are ideally suited to provide economic insights.

Tim Fancher, owner of The Growth Coach franchise in Fort Worth, recently participated in the ‘Business Barometer’ survey, a random study completed by 40% of the business coaches (Growth Coach Franchise Owners) across the U.S. The Growth Coach corporate headquarters conducted the survey to capture a snapshot of the “economic mindset” of the thousands of small business clients their coaches serve.

The most commonly chosen response among all the certified business coaches surveyed, including Fancher, is that an economic uptick will begin over the next 3-6 months. This sense of prosperity is based on the feedback, attitudes and actual experiences of the small business clients these coaches serve in their respective local markets.

“While the recession has clearly hurt this city and its citizens, one positive trend I am now starting to see is the willingness of business owners to once again add talent to their companies. They are also beginning to invest more in their sales and marketing efforts to gain greater market share. Most of my small business clients are expecting improved sales results over the next 6 months and are gearing up for that, said Fancher.

“Since these small business clients have been in our on-going coaching and accountability process, they have weathered the economic storm by facing reality, making tough decisions early on, developing focused actions plans, and allowing themselves to be held accountable for getting critical things done. I now see and feel optimism return to the small business community. That is encouraging since this vital sector is the economic growth engine for Fort Worth”, stated Fancher.

The Growth Coach defines business coaching as the art and science of guiding entrepreneurs to reach their objectives and overcome obstacles and limitations that keep them from reaching optimal success in business, and in life. The company utilizes its signature Strategic Mindset® group coaching process, one-on-one coaching, tele-coaching, and other related services to help small business owners, franchisees, and self-employed professionals. All services come with a money-back guarantee. The coaching process includes examining the current reality of both their business and personal lives and developing a road map to help them achieve their goals.

For more information from the local business coach, please visit www.TheGrowthCoach.com/tfancher or call 817-301-9982.


About The Growth Coach
Founded in 2002, The Growth Coach is the only pure business coaching franchise system with the single purpose of helping drive the success and balance the lives of business owners. Their goal is to help clients gain greater leverage and focus so they can work less, earn more and enjoy more fulfilling lives. Clients include small business owners, franchisees, self-employed professionals, high-end sales and financial services professionals and managers from businesses of all size. Through an expanding national accounts program, The Growth Coach serves franchise systems, dealer networks and associations. With a presence in more than 150 markets across North America, The Growth Coach encourages diversity within its franchise system, as well as the development of small business and franchising worldwide. Currently, The Growth Coach is a member and/or affiliated with the following professional organizations: International Franchise Association, SBA Franchise Registry, VetFran, Minority Fran and is listed in Bond’s Minority Franchise Guide. For more franchise opportunity information, visit http://www.thegrowthcoach.com/.

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Freedom, Independence and Fulfillment

To maintain freedom, independence and fulfillment, as your business grows, so must your leadership effectiveness and operating systems. You must stop micromanaging and start leading (macro managing). You must become more purposeful and proactive. Specifically, we suggest business owners and managers follow the following life-changing process:

1. Step one: learn to work on yourself by transitioning to a new way of thinking and behaving. Re-program yourself and your habits. Stop acting like an employee and start thinking like a CEO. Learn to work on your business, not in your business.
2. Step two: systematize your company by creating, documenting and continually improving all your key processes, procedures and policies. Trust the business system and personnel you put in place and remove yourself from the company’s daily details. Be more hands-off and more brains-on. Replace yourself with other people. Define and document the work to be done. Train others and delegate the work. This operating system is your foundation for freedom.
3. Step three: increase your leadership capabilities. Excel at leadership, not doer-ship. Your business needs a clear vision and strong leader to hold others accountable, not another employee doing technical work. Help build and direct your team.
4. Step four: develop clarity of direction for your business and employees by creating a simple business plan and an effective implementation process.
5. Step five: learn to effectively manage your people, your greatest asset.
6. Step six: instead of incremental growth, engage the leverage of marketing to achieve substantial, profitable growth.
7. Step seven: learn to let go, delegate, and truly enjoy business ownership, your relationships, and your life.

By working less in your business, you gain more time to work on your business and make those essential changes necessary to optimize your company and your life. You may well be skeptical. That’s normal. However, let me ask you “Are your current paths and strategies working”? If so, you wouldn’t be reading this article. If not, I invite you to acknowledge the problems in your business, take responsibility for them, and dare to try new approaches.

Time to Face Facts

It is time to face reality! You and your business have some problems that require some solutions. Very simply, you can’t change what you do not openly acknowledge. Identifying and admitting a problem goes a long way towards solving it.

To begin the transformation and healing process, you need to do some serious reflection. Be brutally honest when you answer these questions:

• Do I often question, “Why do I have to do every darn thing myself”?
• Am I still working too much and making too little?
• Am I trapped working “in” my business instead of “on” my business?
• Do I ever wonder if business ownership is truly worth the time, effort, headaches, hassles, and sacrifices?
• Do I feel trapped on a treadmill, moving faster and faster, but going nowhere?
• Do I constantly face frequent interruptions and repetitive questions from my staff?
• Do I go home many nights feeling mentally and physically drained?
• Do I confuse busyness with accomplishment?
• Do I dread the drudgery of facing and solving the same issues and problems each and every day – the burden of re-creating the wheel time and time again?
• Do I daydream about regaining my sense of freedom, joy, passion, and peace-of-mind?
• Do I have anxiety about drowning in projects, problems, deadlines, crises, meetings, employee issues, unanswered voicemails/emails, customer complaints, administrative trivia, and on and on?
• Do I feel like a master juggler with too many balls up in the air and dreading they will soon begin hitting the floor?
• Am I forever chained to a phone, computer, email, or pager?
• Am I tired of having customers rely on me personally for services, solutions and satisfaction?
• Am I fed up with missing family time, family events, and making other personal sacrifices on a semi-regular basis?
• Do I crave more free time to do the things that matter most to me?
  
  Admit to the Problem
  
  If you answered yes to most of these questions, don’t feel guilty, ashamed or embarrassed. You are not alone. Most owners have never learned to be strategic. Role models are scarce. As such, dysfunctional businesses and owners are the rule, not the exception.
  
  Like you, most owners feel that they have been sentenced to a life of servitude and some even suffer from the blues. Unfortunately, because of pride, shame or ignorance, this sad condition has been kept hidden in the corner office for too long. Starting now, you should not have to endure this much discomfort and frustration associated with your business. You do not have to live this way! You should not be consumed by your business and frustrated with your life. Stop and think, why in the world, as the owner, should you have to touch every transaction, be involved with every decision, help solve every problem, or handle everybody’s job in some fashion? You shouldn’t! It doesn’t make sense. Something is broken! You cannot succeed alone. You don’t have enough hours in a day or enough energy or bandwidth to go it alone. Pain is a good indication that something is wrong and needs to be healed!
  
  Realize that you aren’t the only one suffering. Think about how your stress and blues are negatively impacting your employees, customers, vendors/suppliers, friends and if applicable, your spouse and kids. Hear this wake-up call! It is time to shift radically your business beliefs and behavior. It is time to expand your view of new possibilities for managing your business and life. The better your business functions, the better your life will function.
  
  You deserve to be free from the daily grind; after all, you own a business, not a job. You should actually enjoy the journey of developing and running a business and not defer your personal life and happiness until you retire or sell. Live life now! Do not get so caught up in making a living that you forget to make a life. If your personal life is suffering because of your company, either your leadership approach is misguided or your business design is broken, maybe both!
  
  At this point, simply admit that your business centers on you and is totally dependent upon you. Admit that you are buried up to your eyeballs in details of the business. Admit that you are a slave to your business. Admit that instead of your business giving you greater life, it continues to drain more of your personal time and peace-of-mind. Admit that while your headaches and hassles grow, your freedom shrinks.
  

Start With a Goal

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution? Lose weight, spend more time with the kids, quit smoking, or get organized? I’m sure we all have at some point in time. What were your results? Did you achieve what you wanted? Making a New Year’s resolution is nothing more than establishing a personal goal. It more commonly involves stopping something that we are doing or includes starting something that we aren’t.

In the business world, we commonly utilize the S.M.A.R.T. method for establishing goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:

Specific — stated in clear, objective terms
Measurable — the results of the objective can be measured
Achievable — the goal is in your realm of responsibility and control
Results-Oriented — the goal should define the specific results to be achieved
Time-Bound — specific time-frame information or target deadlines are included

You should establish personal goals in your career as well. In fact, both your personal goals and career goals should be supportive of each other. Establishing and achieving both personal and career goals can generate a synergistic effect. Achieving one of your goals should get you closer to achieving another one. For example, stating that you want to get more organized at work and work fewer hours should support your personal goal of spending more time with your family and friends.

Similar to the S.M.A.R.T. method above, before you establish personal goals, you must be sure of a few things. It’s important to evaluate your goals before you commit. There are several questions that you should ask first:

Can I actually control it?
Do I really want it?
How much time will it take?
How will it impact others?
How will I measure my success?

The answers to these questions are critical if you intend to be successful with your goals. These questions are your foundation to helping you become victorious. Make sure you understand why these questions are so important.

What is Your Attitude Today?

One of my favorite quotes is from Henry Ford, stating, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” This is a perfect example of how your attitude impacts what you can and cannot achieve. The more you believe in yourself and what you can achieve, the more likely you are to achieve it. This is not only important to you, but to everyone around you. Attitude drives behavior.

Attitude is one of the most important assets. Everyone has an attitude. There are positive, negative, and even neutral attitudes. One’s attitude can vary depending upon multiple factors, especially in the business world. Contrary to popular belief, the things around us do not cause our attitude. Attitude comes from within us. We determine what our attitude is going to be each day. We may choose to blame it on other factors, such as work, people, kids, the drive to work, etc. But in reality, those things didn’t cause our attitude, we let them influence what attitude we chose to have that particular day. It is how we responded to those external factors that others see as our attitude. A positive attitude is optimal for positioning yourself for a promotional opportunity. It can lead to achieving your goals faster, inspiring others around you, increasing your energy level, and gaining more respect from your colleagues. It can help with your work/life balance and even lead to a happier, healthier life. There are multiple benefits from having a positive attitude. A person’s strong positive attitude can even become contagious to those around them. I realize that it’s difficult sometimes to maintain a positive attitude. There are certain situations where things may not be as rosy as you would like. There are circumstances where there doesn’t appear to be a good way to approach the problem. These are the times when having a positive attitude is the most important. Remember, we choose which attitude we are going to have. It’s not just for your benefit, but for those around you. Maintaining a positive attitude during difficult times is a sign of a strong leader. It is second nature to develop a negative attitude. It takes effort to maintain a positive one. If you let the day-to-day activities bother you, and you find yourself complaining about them to those around you, you have a long way to go. Those around you recognize your negative attitude and will tend to steer away from you at times. They probably see you as the pessimistic type who doesn’t see the good in things. When this type of behavior is recognized by those above you, either your manager or someone else of influence, it creates a lasting impression that may be difficult to overcome. When it comes time for a promotion, those of influence will have a tendency to remember your negative characteristics just as much as they will remember the positive results that you have accomplished.

If the negative aspects they observed created a strong enough lasting impression, it could create a sense of doubt in their mind over whether you are ready for the next level. The problem is, you might not know that they have this impression of a negative attitude until it’s too late. Those who have a negative attitude typically won’t admit it, and usually point the blame on either other things or other people. So you have to be very honest with yourself and start looking for signs that you are exhibiting a negative attitude. Have a conversation with your manager and ask him or her what attitude he or she sees in you. Ask some of your peers for their opinion. Remember: Don’t ask for feedback from others if you are not willing to receive it. It might not be what you want to hear. They may tell you some things that might hurt your feelings, but until you know what to improve upon, you can’t make positive changes. This is one of the things that you have to start doing now to prevent roadblocks in the future.

Are You Ready for a Coach?

Are You Ready for a Coach?
Take the Quiz to Find Out!

Please take a minute and find out how ready you are to live life to its fullest.

On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 being Don’t agree at all to 10 being Totally agree) rate each of the following statements:

_____ I am ready to create more balance in my life.

_____ I am ready to improve my personal or business relationships.

_____ I am ready to make real and positive changes in my life.

_____ I am ready to find and live my life’s purpose.

_____ I am ready and willing to overcome self-limiting belief’s and behavior.

_____ I am ready to create plans and take action to achieve my goals

_____ I am ready to achieve a sense of fulfillment at work and in my life.

_____ I am ready for more fun and enjoyment in my life.

_____ I would like to work less and make more money.

_____ I can benefit from someone who will help me to stay on track.


Total Score _______






Interpreting your score:

Under 30
Coaching is probably not right for you now.

31 to 60
Coaching could help you to look at your life from a different viewpoint as well as help you develop a plan to change what it is that you would like to change. However, if you decide to work with a coach now, you should decide and commit that you will take the necessary action for your benefit or you will not make lasting life-changing improvements.

Over 60
Congratulations! You are ready for a Coach! You are willing to do whatever it takes to create the life you deserve and desire. Please take a moment to go to my website right now for a FREE introductory coaching session to find out what coaching can do for you.

This one click can change your life forever.

Dare to Go for Growth... Even in Challenging Times

Growing is the natural order of all living things, including businesses. If something is not growing, it's by default declining or even dying. Besides, if you aren't continually growing your company, odds are one of your savvy competitors is! As an owner, your challenge is to keep your business vibrant and growing at all times...even in challenging economic times. Have the right mindset, marketing, and dare to go for growth!

Start by making no excuses. Even with a tougher economy, you should still be intelligently marketing and growing your business. While you should conserve cash in your company anyway you possibly can at this time, you should not scale back effective and profitable marketing...emphasis is on effective and profitable. As long as your average profit-per-sale is higher than your average cost-per-sale, keep your marketing machine cranked up. Effective marketing pays for itself! However, many owners are forgetting this wisdom and caving in to their irrational fears. They are running their businesses based on fear instead of based of data.

Do You Know Your Unique Qualities?

Do You Know Your Unique Qualities?

• Why do current clients/customers continue to do business with me?
• Why do new clients choose to do business with me?
• Why do referral sources refer clients to me?
• What would friends/loved ones say are my natural talents/gifts?
• What gives me the greatest results with the least amount of time and effort?
• What activities do I do effortlessly, that energize me, and produce extraordinary results?
• What vital few things produce 80% of my results?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you are probably not operating your business at its greatest potential.

To continue to grow, you have to find out the answers to these questions.

Key Terminology that should be in your vocabulary as a business owner:

1. Productivity – achieving the greatest results in the shortest period of time
2. Leverage – achieving the greatest results with the least amount of effort
3. Effectiveness – doing the right things to produce superior results
4. Efficiency – doing things right to produce consistent and rapid results
5. Strategic – planning for and executing on high-level, high-priority, and high-leverage activities that produce optimal results

How often do you use these words and in what circumstance?

Stress is what happens when you don't focus

You probably have heard it said that managers do things right and leaders do the right things. The first statement speaks to efficiency, and the latter refers to effectiveness. It is easy to be busy but hard to work on the right things.

You as a leader should focus on doing the right things — those things that matter most to the success of your department, organization and/or company. In short, to be effective you must drive the focus of the organization. You must channel your time, talent, energy and resources into making an earnest effort to focus on the key priorities and goals of your organization. Keep your focus by constantly asking yourself, “What’s Important Now (WIN)?”

In today’s dynamic, technology-connected world, it’s easy for us to lose track of what is most important to our business. We too often get caught up in the day-to-day minutia and distractions (e-mail, voice- mail, cell phones, PDAs, etc.) that must be re- directed, re-focused and re-oriented continually.

Our employees are no exception. As an owner/leader, you need to share your focus and vision for your business or organization with your employees. If you ignore this critical focus, the possibility of wasted energy, time, talent and resources on trivial matters will keep them from attaining the company’s vision and its mission-critical priorities.

Why not consider focusing the team’s attention and concentration on these six primary areas:

1. Satisfying your customers/clients
2. Becoming outcome driven; expecting results, not excuses
3. Learning and continuous improvement
4. Maintaining and driving profits
5. Letting them know you are in it for the long run
6. Having fun
   

I'll be glad to help you reduce your stress, become more focused, more strategic and more profitable, giving you more free time!

A Small Business Helping Other Small Businesses

We are The Growth Coach, a business coaching firm that specializes in small to medium sized businesses and self-employed individuals to get more out of their businesses and lives. Our goal is to help entrepreneurs to work less, make more, and enjoy richer lives. Specifically, with a proven quarterly focusing process, Strategic Mindset®, we help enhance the strategic mindset and actions of owners and self-employed professionals. Over a two-year process, we help owners to go to work “ON” themselves and “ON” their businesses. They learn how to think, focus and act more strategically while at the same time, discovering more effective ways to grow and manage their businesses. Because our coaching and accountability process has been used and continually refined for over 15 years, it is so well proven that we provide a money-back guarantee for all our clients.

Because we utilize a proven strategic-focusing and on-going review process, you will:

· Achieve greater income and free time
· Sharpen your strategic focus
· Leverage your time, talent and resources
· Identify more business opportunities
· Assess and overcome personal obstacles and limiting beliefs
· Adopt effective personal-management and business-management strategies
· Create and continually update a customized action plan based upon your vision and goals
· Receive on-going accountability to make adjustments and stay on track
· Achieve greater clarity of direction and greater confidence in yourself and your future

If you are seeking better approaches to managing your business and life, The Growth Coach can help. We understand the unique mixture of pleasure and pain that comes with owning and managing a growing business.Our proven Strategic Mindset® process and many coaching programs help owners like you to slow down, reflect and decide on the critical changes necessary to improve your business and personal life. Through our programs, Growth Coach clients discover practical and highly effective personal-management and business-management strategies and mindsets. They gain clarity of direction, peace-of-mind and greater confidence pursuing their business and personal goals.

No matter how you got into business, the trail that you blaze from this point forward should be more strategic. The fact is, just like any professional athlete, you need a coach with a proven system and an objective, on-going review process to elevate your performance and results. Take advantage of The Growth Coach business coaching process today. Give me a call.