Brian Wood's Motivational Tips For Home Business Owners Part 5

Fifth Lesson - Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners

Well, we have come to the final lesson in the Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners Crash Course. I sure hope you have enjoyed your lessons and learned a lot about staying motivated as you grow your home business.

In this last lesson, we are going to go over a few more tips that will help you stay motivated and increase productivity in your business

Anyone can get motivated if they do certain things that help them to stay focused and excited about moving forward. In this article, we review three simple ways to give yourself a boost that will keep you excited.

- Reward yourself

When you attain goals that you set for yourself, or after achieving your dream. Sometimes we neglect to appraise ourselves for the little achievements we make along the way. Remember that many people may not see the small steps you take in life which makes it even harder when people around you sometimes don't appreciate what you do.

Learn to always give yourself a pat on the back. Treat yourself to a movie or some candlelit bath or a sleep in every time you attain your goal. Maintain a reward all the time as this will lead you to getting to your long term goals where the reward is much bigger. This will give you the momentum you need to keep pushing forward.

- Read success stories

Reading the history of people that have overcome huge hurdles in life will inspire you to believe in yourself and understand that if it can happen for them then it is possible for you. This will surely motivate you to keep moving forward. When you think of what others have had to overcome in their journey of life then it keeps you in the mode of moving forward because at times your problems are not as big compared to others.

Get yourself motivational books, DVDs, listen and watch what they say. This messages will keep you excited and in a positive mind. Keep watching as many times as you can as this will cause the brain to digest and understand.

- Learn from failure

Failure can often be a good learning lesson; it doesn’t have to define you or end your dreams. Instead, learn from it and move on to the next step. It only becomes a failure if you quit. Many individuals find it difficult to get over a mistake which is natural for anyone to make but the only difference is how fast you move on. When you take the time to learn from your failure you gain a wealth of experience.

These experiences will often serve some sort of purpose in your life and can help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. Without some failures in life, it can hard to realize your full potential, will power and strength.

When it comes to increasing productivity there are several steps you can take that will help you keep your business better organized.

- List and prioritize

This will enable you to define and prioritize the things you need to accomplish. Break your tasks into manageable parts to allow you to do them quicker. When possible begin with the most difficult task, once completed, you will easily get through the remaining work quickly. You should give your tasks a time limit, that way you will be able to avoid procrastination and get more done.

- Avoid distractions

Email, social media and general browsing in most cases is a huge distraction that can stop you from completing your tasks. Try to avoid them especially when you need to concentrate or complete a task before the set deadline.

If you find this hard to do you can try using an app like Rescue Time https://www.rescuetime.com to help identify and understand your daily habits so you can eliminate time wasting activities and focus on being more productive.

- Stay organized

Even when you work from home it is important to keep your workspace clean and clutter free. Take time to develop a workable routine and use a calendar to schedule everything. It doesn’t matter whether it is paper or electronic. Use a color-coding system to indicate what type of appointments and tasks you have scheduled. When you have a timeline to follow you will find that you will get a lot more done and you will feel less overwhelmed.

As we close this final lesson I would like to thank you again for joining me for this short course. I sincerely hope that you have learned a lot about how to stay motivated as you grow your home business and even though your lessons have come to an end you can still feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I will be glad to help.

Until then,

B Wood

Brian Wood's Motivational Tips For Home Business Owners Part 4

Fourth Lesson - Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners

How are you? We're winding down to the end of this short course. But we still need to go over a few things, so today we are going to jump right in with some quick tips for staying motivated in any situation.

As most people go through their daily activities, they often feel overwhelmed with all of the things they have to do. So much in fact that many people begin to feel like everything is going wrong and nothing is working out, so they just give up. If you have ever felt like you just want to curl up and disappear then you probably understand how this can take a toll your motivation.

When you are running a business you really don’t have time to run away and hide because there are things have to be done whether you like it or not! Your success depends on your ability to power through even when you don’t want to. For that to happen, a few things may need to change in your routine and your way of thinking.

- Mindset

That is why having the proper mindset is so important to maintaining your motivation.  The way you think is a big part of who you are and influences how you react to different situations.

As a business owner, you always have things to do and challenges to face. By learning how to keep a positive attitude through the tough times you will find that it actually gives you more energy to handle the workload and any challenges that arise.

- Rewards

This might sound a bit self-absorbed but you need to reward yourself. When you do all the hard work you deserve a pat on the back. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you that you did a good job. Recognize the milestones you’ve made and be good to yourself.

- Ask for help

When you feel like your energy levels are running low don’t be afraid to ask for help. Working with others to complete a task is a great way to keep motivated because you can push each other to do better and get more done. As a business owner chances are you feel like you have to do everything yourself and have a hard time sharing your workload, but if you can learn to let people help you then you will find that you will get more done, feel less stressed and more motivated. It’s important to try and be a little more patient with yourself because it takes time to accomplish major milestones.

- Take a risk

Don’t be afraid to take risks. There is a lot of inspiration that comes from trying something new and it works out. There is also a certain level of satisfaction that comes from knowing that you made the right call. Believe in your capabilities and trust your instincts. It’s the best way to keep your motivation for moving forward.

I hope today's lesson was helpful to you. Don't forget to keep an eye out for my next email. There will be some great stuff in your last lesson.

Until then,

B. Wood

Brian Wood's Motivational Tips For Home Business Owners Part 3

Third Lesson - Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners   

It’s Brian Wood, with your third lesson in the Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners Crash Course.

Today we are going to talk about how to stay motivated even when you're in a slump.

As we have discussed before there are times when every business owner experiences motivational slumps where they just don’t feel like doing anything, despite the fact that there are goals, schedules, and tasks that need to be accomplished. There is just no drive to keep moving forward.

The good news is that even when there is a lack of motivation there is still that hope and desire to succeed. The trick is to find ways to keep moving forward even when you are feeling unmotivated.

- Positive thinking

One strategy is to try and switch your way of thinking, from the negative to the positive. Negative thoughts don’t do you any good they only hold you back, especially when it comes to running a business. While this may not seem like a big deal, taking the time to recognize negative thoughts and thinking about positive ways to combat them can really help increase motivation and your desire to succeed.

- Commitment

Another good strategy for staying motivated simply requires a commitment to never quitting or giving up on the task at hand. Even though it can be easier to just throw in the towel and give up it is very important to find a way to continue forward even if it takes longer than anticipated. To accomplish this, try to focus on how you will feel after you have reached your goal and it will help increase your motivation.

Even though continually maintaining your motivation will have its ups and downs and can be one of the hardest things you’ll do if you can find the drive to keep moving towards your goals you will find that you are much happier and self-confident.

- Immersion

When you are trying to run and grow a business it’s important to strive for success and one way you can do that is by totally immersing yourself in the task at hand. This is a great way to not only be motivated towards reaching a goal but also an inspirational technique that helps keep a positive attitude even when you are faced with challenges.

- Small steps

Lastly, when you are feeling overwhelmed and less than motivated try taking smaller steps instead of large strides. As we have been learning through these lesson being unmotivated is something that can take a toll on your life and your business. It leads to feelings of inadequacy which only triggers the cycle of self-doubt which is no fun at all and tends to make you feel like doing even less. This sort of mental block can literally make it impossible to think straight let alone get anything done.

By breaking down tasks, taking small steps and doing a little bit at a time you can achieve small goals which will help make you feel more productive, increase your motivation and inevitably make it possible to reach the end result you are hoping for.

That's it for today's lesson. In your next lesson, we are going to go over some quick tips for staying motivated in any situation.

Unitl then,

B. Wood

Brian Wood's Motivational Tips For Home Business Owners Part 2

Second Lesson - Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners

It’s time for your second lesson in the Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners Crash Course. I hope you found lesson one informative. In this lesson, we are going to talk more about how to stay motivated when you run your own home business.

It happens gradually and almost goes unnoticed. You’re not getting much done as you did before and you don’t feel like working as harder as you used too to grow your business. That is your motivation slipping away. It’s not necessarily because you’re lazy, or don’t possess the skills necessary to get things done. Nonetheless, you are still beginning feeling guilty which only fuels the fires of self-doubt. It’s a vicious cycle.

As a home-based business, most of us consider ourselves lucky to be working from home. We know being our own boss has its benefits and perks like flexible hours, no commuting and not having to answer to anyone other than yourself. Along with these benefits also comes the responsibility of running and growing your business and even though we know this, the fact is that business motivation can diminish significantly over time for even the most dedicated owner. In fact, one of the biggest obstacles and challenges we come across is how to stay motivated when faced with obstacles.

Think back to when you first began your business, you were overflowing with passion, energy, enthusiasm and there was no way to stop you, but lately, you find yourself wondering where your passion went. Does that sound familiar? The good news is that there are many things you can do to re-ignite the motivational fire you once had even if you are in a rut or facing an insurmountable obstacle.

- Take a break

One of the first things you should do is take time to re-energize. As I mentioned above no matter how determined and focused you are, there are times when your motivation will dwindle and you’ll need to recover.  One good way to achieve this is by taking a break from whatever you are doing.

This might simply mean playing a game with friends or family, taking a walk or watching a funny movie so that you can have a good laugh. The purpose of taking a break from your routine duties is to clear your head so that you can regain your focus.

- Set boundaries

It’s a good idea to create boundaries for yourself. Think about it, in regular jobs, there are specific boundaries that we have come to accept and anticipate. We have specific lunch breaks, work hours, days off and vacation time. When working on your own business, it is very important to set similar boundaries in order to stay focused and on track.

That's it for today's lesson. In your next lesson, we will be talking about talk about how to stay motivated even when you're in a slump.

Let me know your thoughts,

B. Wood

Brian Wood's Motivational Tips For Home Business Owners

First Lesson:

Welcome to the first lesson in the Motivation Tips for Home Business Owners Crash Course. Over the next few days, you will receive several lessons that will help you learn

how to stay motivated as you grow your home business. In this first lesson let's talk a little about what keeps us motivated.

Understanding motivation isn’t too difficult. Motivation basically involves stimulating people so that they work in the desired direction to achieve their goals. The main psychological factors that stimulate people are recognition, money, success, fame, work satisfaction and teamwork.

Motivation can not only be useful but inspiring. When a person faces a difficult task or situation they often feel discouraged and lack the motivation to move forward. This can often lead to a reduction of the driving force or power, behind accomplishing any task. When you are trying to run and grow your own business this lack of motivation can mean the difference between success and failure.

The key to maintaining motivation is to learn to form a positive attitude for your own capabilities. The two major things that contribute towards this are; what expectations you have for yourself and what value you place on accomplishing your goals, because the more you value finishing a task and becoming, the more motivated you feel. If you don’t place value on a particular goal or task, it will only contribute to your lack of motivation.

- There are a number of ways to keep yourself motivated:

Firstly, be realistic in assessing your capabilities. Stop thinking that you have to be the best in everything. No one is perfect. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If you take the time to learn what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at it will help you to improve your capabilities, which in turn will help you stay motivated.

Secondly, if you experience failure, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, try to keep a positive attitude especially in situations that can’t be controlled. Also, make sure you don’t underestimate even when you are faced with challenges that you don’t think you can handle. Always try to focus on the things you can control and look for ways that you can do things differently to help you reach your end goal.

Thirdly be honest when you assess your performance. Did you give a 100 percent? If you feel you have and still not achieved your goals, then change your study or work instead of giving up change your strategy.

Lastly, be responsible for your behavior. Do not blame others or make excuses when things don’t go as planned. Instead, take time to develop your skills so that the next time you try you can improve your results. Avoid getting trapped into the "I can’t or don’t want to” cycle of self-doubt. Instead, take responsibility for your actions and keep moving towards achieving your goals. This, in turn, will help keep you motivated as you grow your business.

That's it for today's lesson. In your next lesson, we will be talking about how to stay motivated when you run your own home business.

Would love to hear from you as always,

B. Wood

Brian Wood on Business Coaching: Pros and Cons of Choosing a Niche

If you want to make money working as a business coach, you have an important decision to make.  That decision is who you want to help.  It if is one group of individuals, such as small business owners, you have a niche.  It is your specialty.  Do you need to pick one?  No, but it does have its pros and cons.  What are they?

The Pros of Choosing a Business Coaching Niche

You can claim that you have a specialty.  When opting for a niche in business coaching, it is important to choose an area you have familiarity with.  For example, if you want to help those running struggling home based businesses, you should have home based business experience yourself.  You are then able to call yourself a specialist.  What is the importance of that?  Say you want to lose weight, should you turn to a health food expert or someone who just shares easy-to-cook recipes? Your goal is to lose weight, so you opt for the health food expert.  Your clients are thinking the same.

It is easier to stay up-to-date.  When working as a business coach, you need to stay up-to-date and well-informed.  The economy, internet marketing, and the way that consumers shop are all changing.  They change often.  For that reason, you can’t be a business coach and not update your schooling or stop learning new things.  A niche allows you to spend less time and money doing so.  For example, if your niche is home based businesses, stay updated on marketing tactics, laws, and so forth.  You should not avoid, but don’t spend a lot of time or money researching corporate businesses; it isn’t your specialty.

You have a wide range of options.  As previously stated, you should choose a business coaching niche that you have familiarity with.  Luckily, this is easy.  Should you hold a business management degree, you are qualified to help home based, large, small, and medium sized business owners.  Your options are unlimited.  The same is true for management experience.  Do you have experience running a medium sized business?  You are qualified to help the self-employed and those running both small and medium sized companies.  When choosing a niche, pick your hearts desire, as you have many options.

The Cons of Choosing a Business Coaching Niche

You limit your moneymaking potential.  By choosing a business coaching niche, you opt to work with a specific group of individuals.  This is nice, as you are able to focus your attention, but there are cons to this approach too. The biggest is your limitations.  If you focus on helping small business owners, a corporate company with headquarters right down the street could use your services.  Since they aren’t your specialty, they will turn to someone else.  This means you lose a potential client and profits.  

When opting for a business niche, choose a profitable one. For example, right now, a lot of men and women want to work from home and start their own business.  They want to be self-employed.  This is a common dream; therefore, there is a bigger potential to make money.  Choose your passion and a niche that you have experience in, but also go where the money is.

In short, there are many pros and cons to choosing a business niche. Always remember that nothing is set in stone.  You can choose a niche or expand your reach at any point in time.

Leadership Development and Business Coaching with Brian Wood

As a business coach, your area of expertise is educating business owners.  You share tips on how to operate a successful and profitable business.  You do so though with one-on-one explanations, training exercises, and written materials that can be referenced at anytime.  Most business coaches have a special step-by-step program that they use.  You should be no different.  Whether your current program has you working one-on-one with your client or with your client and their employees, leadership training is vital.

In small businesses, there is usually one or two leaders.  With medium-sized business, there are more, but usually less than twenty.  Leadership training should involve each member of management or those on their way up the company ladder.  Be sure your client knows this.  Yes, you can educate them on leadership development and they can later train their staff with this knowledge, but there are a number of benefits to doing it yourself.  After all, you are a trained and experienced expert on the subject.

In terms of leadership training, get started with your client.  This is the business owner or operating manager.  Monitor a few hours of their day.  How do they manage their time?  How do they interact with clients and employees?  Is their time well-managed?  Take notes throughout the day.  Commend your client for taking positive steps, but make suggestions where improvements are needed.  Finally, discuss with them what you will use to train their employees, particularly those in or on the way to management positions.

Speaking of which, what will you do?  Since medium-sized businesses typically have less than twenty in management positions, you are at an advantage.  You should have a relatively small group to work with.  This gives you an edge.  You do not have to entertain or hold the attention of a room of 50.  A small group also makes interactive exercises easy.

To get started, ask each team member to describe his or her day from start to finish.  Ask them to include the little things, such as bathroom breaks, smoke breaks, socializing with coworkers, and checking email.  You will collect these notes and read them aloud.  Ask the audience member to vote on which manager is making the best use of their time.  Conclude the exercise by highlighting the importance of time management in the workplace.  Then, share tips on how to improve the use of time.  This includes waiting until scheduled breaks to go to the bathroom, smoke, and socialize with coworkers.

Another ideal exercise focuses on conflict resolution.  Those in management positions deal with many conflicts.  Other employees approach them with complaints.  These complaints may be about the poor work environment or coworker troubles.  Managers also deal with customer complaints.  In these situations, the wrong action can lead to conflict.  Use role-playing to highlight your point.  Ask two managers to role-play.  Have one be a customer with a valid complaint.  See how the two handle the situation on their own in front of the group.  Then, analyze.  Show for the room what the two volunteers did right, what they did wrong, and offer tips to reduce and resolve workplace conflict.

In addition to time management and conflict resolution, good communication skills are a must for those in management.  As previously stated, managers need to communicate their bosses, coworkers, and clients.  They will provide direction and solve complications as they arise.  To do this, good communication skills are vital.  Directions must be easy to comprehend, detailed, and clear.  Buy a cheap plastic shelf from a discount store.  Choose two volunteers from the group.  The first provides direction, in their own words, on how to assemble.  The second volunteer does the assembly.  Were clear instructions given?  If the volunteer rambled or gave confusion suggestions, show how it influenced the second volunteer’s ability to do the task.  Stress the importance of clear communication and tips for making it happen.

Time management, conflict resolution, and communication are just three aspects of leadership development that you should cover as a business coach.  Businesses generate income by selling a product or a service.  Yes, you want to focus on sales and marketing, but start at the base of the business.  Once that is functioning smoothly, the rest will start to fall into place.

Let me known your thoughts,

B Wood