5 Steps to get everything you want this year

By Debra Zimmer, The Expert Marketing Coach and CWCC Member

Success begins with a goal. The goal drives your strategies and tactics in your business and your life. It drives your decisions. It drives the choice of your teammates and coaches.

I believe in living a balanced life. And as such, your business goals need to support your life goals. So I’m going to share a goal setting exercise with you that sets you up to achieve your goals.

I’m going to share one approach I’m taking this year to achieve even the smallest of my goals.

1.     Write down these categories

Write each category on its own piece of paper so you have plenty of room for the next steps.

• Physical Environment
• Fun & Recreation
• Personal Growth
• Romance
• Career
• Money
• Health
• Friends and Family

2.     Make a list

Now under each of these areas I want you to make a laundry list of all the things you can think of that you’d like to see happen. I don’t want you to worry about whether it’s a long-term or short-term goal. We don’t care if it’s a strategy or a tactic or a vision. Just write down anything you can think of that you’d like to see in your life and put it in the category for which it belongs.

Here’s just a subset of my goals. The full list is 5 pages long and I haven’t finished yet.

Physical Environment

(Warning: we have a LOT of unfinished house projects)

• landscaping and plants
• fix hot tub
• swap dishwashers
• build outdoor kitchen
• repair cars
• kids effortlessly helping with chores
• Hang up pictures
• Master suite addition to the house
• fix gutters

Fun and Recreation

• ski passes
• hiking
• mountain biking
• beach trip
• Cabin trip
• exercise 2x per week
• learn snowboarding at Erika’s Burton board camp

Some of these are visions like the kids effortlessly helping with chores. Some are long term, like a second story master suite addition to the house. Some are specific like attending the Burton Board Camp. No matter.

You will also notice that many of these things I can budget for. Others I can book a timeslot in my calendar for. Some are easily achieved by budgeting and scheduling. Some will take some iterative and interactive work and perhaps some training (like having the kids effortlessly help with chores).

3.     Prioritize and sort.

For each category of items, I want you to identify which items are most important to you. Which ones do you want to accomplish this year and which ones can wait? Which items have to be completed before you can do something else?

For example, beach trip is a priority for us. And, at least for us this year, we need to budget time and money for it to happen. My husband needs to take time off of work and I need to plan my client contact around that time so I can truly take off and unwind. To do this we are blocking out time now, 6 months in advance, to make sure that trip happens. We are also looking now at ways to make that trip affordable to us and to set aside money each month to make that trip happen.

4.     Book a time slot.

Many of the things on my list are small tasks that can be completed with no additional resources. They just take time. Simply block out some time in your calendar.

We are blocking out 2 hour chunks of time on selected weekends so we can knock of projects on our list. Now we may not decide in advance which projects are to be completed, but by having the time set aside, we assure that some will get done. And, we have set up a weekly meeting where we sit down and review our plans for the week to prioritize and ensure that the important things do get done.

5.     Identify a budget.

Know how much you are and aren’t willing to spend to achieve these goals. This will help you identify what financial goals are required to get the other goals on your list. And remember, its OK, that some carry over to the next year. Just make sure you identify which ones you are willing to let go to the future and which ones you aren’t.

Having just completed this exercise, I can’t tell you how on top of it I feel. Like I am back in control of my destiny and I’m leaving nothing to chance.

That simple step just raised our energy level a few notches, at a time when it was very much needed.

These same techniques can be applied in your business too. It’s just one way to take your business up a notch. Elite athletes know their schedule 6 months in advance. They know which competitions they are attending and how much it will cost. They know how many training sessions they have to prepare. They know the skills they need to win at each level. Nothing is left to chance and winging it.

Let’s face it. Sometimes you get lucky. But most of the time success comes to those who aren’t afraid to choose to create the planned out calculated road to success.

Can you use these skills to create your own elite program that puts you on your path to success?

What other techniques have you used?

Debra is the author of “Blog for Abundance”, teaching entrepreneurs how to establish themselves as experts in their field. She is a coauthor of “Lessons from the Recession” and one of 60 global business executives who provide valuable advice on starting or running a business from the trenches. And her blog, “BestFreeMarketingTips.com”, available through Amazon.com, guides entrepreneurs through the often confusing and overwhelming world of social media and internet marketing to provide real-life tangible solutions.

To receive bi-monthly Marketing Gemstones from Debra, and a complimentary test drive of “Brand Building Secrets”, subscribe today at http://ExpertMarketingCoach.com.

Missions, BHAGs & Business Plans

By Pam Watson Korbel, Interim Executive and Corporate Director  and CWCC Member

As an interim CEO, corporate director and business consultant, I have spent the last fifteen years inside more than 200 businesses helping them find the right formula for growth.  Everyone who has $5 million in revenue today wants to figure out how to make that $50 million right.

I’ve discovered in the process two types of companies:

1.  Those that just do work every day – tasks – because there is always a customer or an employee that needs something.
2. Those that work well every day because they know what they are working toward.   They have a mission, big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) and business plan.

Here’s my standard comment about companies in category #1 – If it’s okay with you to tread water, stay where you are, not grow, then feel free to just keep doing “stuff” every day.

My formula for growth is grounded in focus.  That probably comes from my innate sense that I have to see the bigger picture and always know where I’m going. You probably guessed that when I’m driving,  I use maps and navigation systems.

In your business, your navigation system is your mission, big hairy audacious goal and your business plan.  Here’s some thoughts on each:

1.  Mission – What is your business purpose?  Why does the business exist?  Besides making money, what will your business accomplish for society?  The tool I like best for your mission development comes from the book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish, and his program through Gazelles Inc. (www.gazelles.com).

2. Big Hairy Audacious Goal – In my consulting, this key strategic component (from Jim Collins, www.jimcollins.com) is missing too frequently.  Your big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) is that singular goal that defines where you want your business to be in 10-15 years.  Here are some examples:

• The fast-growth software company that wants to merge into Oracle by 2022.
• The local engineering firm that wants a national presence by 2020.
• The healthcare non-profit that wants an endowment of $50 million by 2025

3.  Business Plan – Much ado has been focused on business plans and because so, many companies disdain the topic.  In my view, the business plan is simply your annual marketing plan for the year, your annual human resources plan, and your budget.  Like many onerous tasks, if you simplify them using the “Swiss cheese” approach (one slice at a time), then the plan becomes more doable.  And then the key is to use the plans as working documents in every management meeting for the year.  (The best business plans are the ones with coffee stains all over them.)

As you approach the new year, think about your mission, big hairy audacious goal and business plan.  Here’s a good quote to stay grounded:  “The great secret of success is self-discipline – getting yourself to do what you really need to do – choosing to do what you feel is right and will bring the results you want into your life -  long term.   It is bringing order and efficiency  into your life-. . .  creating structure in your life and doing this enthusiastically! Success comes from taking charge of yourself and feeling proud of yourself when you do.  The following success quotes will help expand your idea of success.”  —Anonymous

Pam Watson Korbel is an Interim Executive and Corporate Director specializing in fast-growth companies.  She can be reached through her company SmartGrowth, Inc. at 303-906-4144 and pam@smartgrowth.com.

Meet the Woman Behind The Denver Cupcake Truck

Denon Moore is the person who’s been putting the magic in the baked goods at Cake Crumbs Bakery since 2007.  She’s also the person who’s cultivated and led the enormous following of The Denver Cupcake Truck since 2010.  As a business owner, wife and mother of two, Denon knows what it takes to keep a business alive.

Denon lived with her Grandmother as a child and remembers fondly enjoying homemade pastries and treats. It was then that Denon learned about the quality and freshness of homemade. Her grandmother’s influence was a driving force in opening the bakery.

Denon graduated with a degree in Psychology and worked as a mental health counselor before deciding she needed something on her own.  She was fond of baking and decorating cakes and had a passion to build community, so she decided to open a cake shop. That cake shop has grown nearly four times its size since July 2007 and has changed concepts.  Cake Crumbs is now a quaint café and bakery nestled in the historic Park Hill neighborhood.  It’s also home of the famous The Denver Cupcake Truck.  Denon looks forward to launching another brand truck and continues to keep the ideas at Cake Crumbs as fresh as the baked goods.

Meet Denon in person and hear more about her rise to success at the CWCC North Luncheon on February 2, 2012.

Nestled in historic Park Hill, this bakers is always baking up new ideas from great party cakes to wholesome breakfast and lunch items.  Enjoy a quick bit at Cake Crumbs or use the free wi-fi for your business needs.  This neighborhood bakery is a great  find and one of Denver’s finest.  Follow Cake Crumbs Bakery  and The Denver Cupcake Truck.

Editor’s Note:  In 2011 we ran a contest among all of our guest blog authors. We had the task of choosing the article that received the most interaction and/or was the most compelling among all of the wonderful contributions.  Denon’s article on social media fueled the busiest day on our blog with 257 views. They also received the most comments of any articles posted in 2011.

Denon’s prize is this full article profiling her and her business.  We are running the same contest for 2012, so take a look at this year’s topics and consider contributing an article.  You may be the next author to get profiled.

Are You Ready for Life After Corporate America?

By Lisa Berquist, President – Embrace The Leader Within, LLC and CWCC Member

I recently read an article on Forbes.com entitled “Millennial Women Are Burning Out At Work By 30…And It’s Great For Business”.  The article suggested that this younger generation is getting frustrated with their corporate careers and striking out into entrepreneurship in search of independence, fulfillment and control.

Realizing at an early stage in your career what is important to you and having the courage to pursue a work environment that fulfills is smart. But Gen Y’s aren’t the only ones figuring out there is more to life than a j.o.b.  Many of us are realizing we want more from our work.

No matter what your age or gender, consciously looking at where you currently are, what you really want out of a career and what your ultimate definition of success is can be vital to your overall well being.  Whether you come to this realization on your own or whether unfortunate circumstances force you there, consider it an opportunity–a gift.

You may be in the wrong job, the wrong organization, the wrong company, the wrong industry or better suited to be an entrepreneur.  The good news is, many of your skills and strengths will benefit you in a variety of environments.  When I left my corporate job to become a small business owner, I was terrified about what I didn’t know as an entrepreneur.  I quickly found that many of my skills such as planning, making presentations, supervising and networking served me well in my new career.  In some cases it even gave me an advantage.

Now that didn’t mean I could do it all.  Just as in my corporate role, there were things I was good at and things I needed help with.  It gave me great satisfaction that the first 30 years of my career were a valuable asset and learning experience.  And it gave me even greater confidence that I had a strong foundation from which I could successfully achieve the next phase of my career as an executive leadership coach.

What are your skills, strengths and values that will serve you well in whatever career you decide to pursue?  Take the time to identify them and be grateful for them.

If you’d like to find out more about career transition from Corporate America, join Lisa and co-facilitator Aimee Cohen of Cohen Career Consulting for the CWCC Mentoring Panel Discussion, “There is Life After Corporate America” on January 27, 2012 at 9:00 AM.

Lisa believes that people are the key to success and that knowing their strengths and desires and aligning those to the goals of the individual and the organization leads to excellent results all around.  Her approach is direct, honest, challenging and supportive.

Lisa is a certified coach through Coach Training Alliance.  She is a graduate of the Women’s Vision Leadership Institute, past president of the Qwest Women Diversity Resource Group and a current member of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.  Her training includes Six Sigma as well as Stephen Covey’s Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results.  She is currently the founder and president of Embrace The Leader Within, LLC. For more information, go to www.embracetheleaderwithin.com.