Practical Ways to GROW Your Business

If you're a small business owner, there's a likelihood you're feeling a bit of a crunch in our current economy. Now's the best time to grow your business EVEN MORE.

Here are some practical ways to GROW your business, in our current economy:

• Start a monthly/bi-monthly newsletter.This is a great opportunity, not for a sales pitch, but for you to write relevant articles about topics in your field. Have an opt in option on the front page of your website, and give something away for free for getting their e-mail.
  

• Make sure you have a "low barrier to entry." i.e. allow others to sample your work for free. For example, I offer a free 30 minute consultation to anyone that's interested in talking more about financial or career coaching.
  

• Build relationships with other small business owners that have synergy with what you do. When coaching with money, I talk with people about their housing (real estate broker), all types of insurance, taxes (an accountant), etc. Find others who connect well with what you do, that you'd would be willing to refer to and vica versa.

• Have free resources online that people can access. Articles, spreadsheets, calculators, etc. Don't give away the moon! But do give away enough that you've whetted their appetite and want more from you.

What other ways have you found helpful in growing your business?

Money Management 101: Keeping an Umbrella Handy- How to Establish a Rainy Day Fund

Do you currently save for emergencies? Big purchases? A car replacement in the near future? Other non-monthly expenses?

It's important to keep an umbrella handy...because it WILL rain at some point. And for sake of today's post, even though ALL the questions above are good ones to consider, we'll talk specifically about how to build up your Emergency Fund...

If you are breathing, you're likely to have an emergency come up in the near future...Do You Feel Prepared For It? Want to?

Here are some practical ways you can begin to set aside money for true emergencies:

• Figure out what you can contribute per month to savings, and begin to set that aside SPECIFICALLY for an emergency.
• Look at your budget and see what areas you can begin to cut back on, so you can save. Some possibilities could be: entertainment, eating out, cable, etc.
  
• Remember, you aren't saying "no" to these things forever, but for a bit so you can REALLY get some traction
  
• Take your tax return money, birthday money or any bonus money from your employer and lump that into your emergency savings.
• When you spend, always be asking yourself, what decisions will ultimately give me financial peace?
  

What ways do you save for emergencies? Or what do you want to start doing in order to save more?

Turning Dreams into Possibilities

We all have dreams. When we're little we often want to grow up to become a princess or prince that saves the day. We have grand ideas without boundaries or hindrances. When you ask a 1st grade class, Who Can Sing? Dance? Draw? You see tons of tiny hands raise, each one proud of their talents! Now I admit, if you really looked into it, probably not EVERY kid would be great at singing, drawing or dancing. BUT, why does the pendulum swing so much as we become adults??

If you ask a group of high school seniors the same questions above, you hardly get anyone that will raise their hand, proud of their talents and abilities. Why have many of us lost our vision of something greater when we 'became an adult?'

What is keeping you from pursuing a dream? Is is the responsibility of family? The need to be rationale? Fear of failure? All of these concerns make sense...but DON'T LET THEM paralyze you to the point where you're lying in bed 50 years from now, wondering what it would have been like ...if

Here are some honest "if's" I have ...

• What if my business doesn't grow in '09 like I thought or wanted it to?
  
• What if I invest time developing my BLOG, only to have no readers?
  
• What if I start my own local radio show?
  
• What if I start speaking more and LOVE it?
• What if I wrote out my goals more in detail and tracked them?

What are your what if's you're battling? They can be what if's sparked by fear, excitement or wonder...What will you do TODAY to keep yourself from wishing you had explored your what if's earlier in your life?

The Security Of Imprisonment

Charles Dickens once wrote about a man who had been living inside prison walls for many years. This man longed for freedom from his chains of despair and hopelessness. At last the day arrived where he was set free. He was led from his dark cell to the outside world. It was his first time in a long time to see the beautiful blue sky and experience the wind on his face. Yet after standing as a free man for only a few moments, he turned around and walked back into his cell. He had become so comfortable in the prison, that we he actually experienced freedom, it was overwhelming. He wanted to go back to the predictable security.

For many people change is frightening. I know it certainly is to me at times! I have been known to sit on a great idea, for fear of not knowing how it will 'be received' by others. Only later on to implement the idea anyway, seeing the good results and wishing I had done it sooner.

That's not saying that an idea won't fail...but if it does (and I don't even like to call it failure) two things are likely to happen:

• You Know One Other Way That Didn't Work
• You Have the Opportunity to Reflect, Change and Try It Again

In Exodus the Israelites were led out of Egyptian slavery after many years of captivity. As they were crossing the desert to the Promised Land they began to lose heart. They wanted to go back to the familiar misery of slavery under Pharoh's reign. Going through 'the desert' is an integral part of getting to the Promised Land.

The first step in creating positive change is to identify what you want.

Are you satisfied with your current job? Do you find yourself longing for more? What would you do if money were not an issue? How do you want to make a difference in the world?

You can choose to have freedom from your chains, or you can stay in your dark and gloomy prison. Like the man Dickens wrote about, it's tempting to find 'security' in what you know, even if it's miserable. Seek freedom and surrender the 'security' of imprisonment.

You can't sail to new lands unless you're willing to lose sight of the shore.

Going on Vaction Without Spending an Arm and a Leg!

City Museum

My husband and I just got back from a fun weekend in St. Louis, MO. I was thinking through our trip, and I realized just how good of a deal we got and how much money we were able to save by being creative with our activities and planning.

Here's what we did and how we were able to spend only $150 for the entire weekend. I hope this jumpstarts some great ideas for you on how you can travel, have fun and not spend a ton in the process!

A little background first...we traveled with two other couples in one vehicle for the trip. St. Louis is about 4 hours from Kansas City and we left on a Friday morning, returning late Saturday evening.

• Snacks mid-way to St. Louis $8

• Dinner at a Pub in St. Louis $30 for two.
  

• One night hotel stay at the Hampton $0. (the blessing of hotel points from one of our travelers)

• the CITY MUSEUM $20 for two. After 5p.m. on weekends it's only $10 per person. (side note: if you haven't been here, you need to go! It's for adults and kids alike.)
  

• Late Night Unwind at a Scottish Pub $20.

• Saturday Breakfast at the Hampton $0.
  

• Trip to the St. Louis Zoo. $0. (It's all privately funded by donors!)
  

• Lunch at Pi Pizza, split between the 6 of us. $30 per couple (apparently this place is becoming well known across the U.S.!)
  

• Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour $0. Free to the public and I must say it was more interesting than I thought it was going to be (thankfully)
  

• Coffee Run after the tour $4. For those of us that weren't interested in the free beer!
  

• Snacks for the drive home $10.
  

• Gas for the trip- split 3 ways- $28 per couple.

Total Spent for the Entire Weekend: $150

What ways have you saved money on a vacation this year? OR in what ways do you plan to save or be creative for any upcoming vacations?

Penguins at the Zoo