How many times is it for you now?

An old friend came up to me the other day and commented on how “together” I was and that I seemed to have a perfect business. I just shook my head and said “why yes, yes I do”…then I laughed and told him the truth. 

       It’s not perfect…no way…far from it! 

       But, I have secret… 

       I used to be that person who would think if it was perfect all these projects that I am working on would have been done and making me goobs of money by now. 

       But instead, those projects would sit on my desk waiting for me to look at them, finish them or toss them aside. 

       How many times is it now? I would say to myself. 

       That question would echo in my mind as I start to develop yet another project that may never see the light of day. 

       Unfinished project after another. 

       Oh, I keep saying to myself, I will get to it! Then that “next big thing” becomes a dust collector sitting on my shelf. 

       The cycle of insanity starts to mess with your head.  

       Then all of a sudden you are afraid to do anything for fear that you won’t finish what you started. Entrepreneurs stop being risk-takers, inventors and even marketers.  

        Stop fearing the unknown.         

        Yes, doing too many projects at once is bad. But doing nothing is worse. 

        It’s good to get creative, but limit your choice of projects to a minimum until you are caught up.

        Here’s the secret! 

        Learn to say “No” to yourself! And sometimes to others as well. 

        What I’ve learned is that we entrepreneurs get so inundated with “stuff” that we forget what made us entrepreneurs to begin with. 

        Freedom! 

        It wasn’t the money or the fame or the great benefits…nope it was freedom! 

        Freedom to do what we want, when we want! 

        Somewhere we did a 360 flip flop and convinced ourselves busy is more important than freedom. Bullshit! 

        If you want to feel better, have more control and quite frankly less bullshit, then…

        You need to schedule a few personal days throughout the month to give yourself freedom to do what you want, how you want. 

        If you want to chill out at Starbucks, or watch Oprah in your pj’s, or take in a movie or simply spend sometime doing fun stuff…now you can! 

        It’s hard to do! 

        But once you schedule those days and you stick by those days, you will actually feel better when you take them. 

        When you get back to your office, you will feel refreshed and ready to rock and roll. Your days will be more productive and you will end up making more money then had you worked those personal days.                                       

  Until Next Time,                 

     “Live with Passion!”  

   Rob Anspach     

  P.S.  Many entrepreneurs experience “burnout” before enjoying freedom…that is so messed up! Make freedom a priority so burnout never happens.

No wonder you’re not catching anything!

     Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take my 6 year old son fishing with the Cub Scouts. 

      By the time we showed up, there were about 50 kids and their dads (and some moms) strategically positioned around this small lake ready to fish. 

      Fish they did! 

      It was like a “warrior” fish competition. 

      I wasn’t prepared for this level of madness! 

      I brought a small fishing rod for my son, a bucket and a small tackle box. 

      Five minutes into fishing, my son caught this massive clump of algea that sprang into the branches above when he gave it a tug. 

      The next 20 minutes were spent, untangling the fishing line from me, the branch above and shielding my eyes from the gaze the other parents were giving me. 

      “Dad, I don’t like fishing, can’t we just throw rocks at them instead”, to which I really wanted to say, “at the parents?”

      As I was getting my son’s rod and reel ready for round two of “algea into tree” fishing, a real live authentic tobacco chewing redneck approached me and said, “whaja usin fer bait?” 

      I suppose not fishing for many years I was out of the loop on the proper methodologies of bait using (or fishing for that matter). And, this gentleman (term used very loosely here) graciously shared with me “what fer” bait I should be using. 

      Funny thing was, most of the kids didn’t catch anthing. They just wanted to run around, throw rocks and be kids. It was the parents (mostly dads) that were treating this event as a competition.  

      It got me thinking. 

      Most entrepreneurs start out like the unprepared fisherman. 

      Instead of using rods and nets to fish, they use advertising, marketing and word or mouth techniques. 

      And like the “warrior” fisherman, the entrepreneur will get better at capturing clients (fish) as his/her experience grows. 

      The true fisherman is patient, understands the dynamics of his equipment, knows what bait to use to attract and (this is the big one) knows where the right fish are. 

      I meet so many entrepreneurs who act like the clueless fisherman. They have no idea how to advertise, where to find the best clients or what do when they get them. 

      Basically they are like the typical 6 year old who throws stones into the water in hopes of stunning a few fish along the way. 

      If you want the best clients, you have to learn to be a better entrepreneur. 

      Study marketing!  

      Study the habits of your potential clients! 

      Use the right tools to make capturing clients more effective.    

      Now go out and fish!       

     Until Next Time,   

       “Live with Passion!”

        Rob Anspach   

 P.S.  Knowing where to fish is just as important as knowing how to fish!

P.P.S. Discover how to be a better entrepreneur…reply for details or click on the icon below.

 

Focused!

Over the last month, I’ve contemplated what my business stands for, who my client base is and why I do what I do. Maybe, you’ve played that game before too? Being an entrepreneur is not an easy thing. It’s not like going to a job, performing certain duties, getting a weekly paycheck, maybe a pat on the back or an ”atta boy”… no way, it’s nothing like that. Most entrepreneurs I’ve known, worked with or for, know how grueling life can be as the quintessential business owner. Long hours, sacrifice, waiting for money, advertising, employees, accountants, lawyers…doesn’t seem worth does it! An entrepreneur becomes not just a master of his field, but needs to know how to market themselves, how to socialize, and where to look for opportunities that others might have overlooked. So, back to my contemplations… What do I stand for? Well, for starters…Fairness! Freedom! Opportunity! I love having the ability to work or not to work, to create my own opportunities and share them with others and to be fair to people I hire or work with. Who is my client? This is a question every entrepreneur needs to know. What defines a client? What makes them appealing to you? Well, to be honest and somewhat forthright… my ideal client is someone that desperately wants my help and can afford my service. A client that understands the value of my service and is grateful for all that I do. One that follows my advice and gets excited when I present new ideas. Why I do what I do? It’s challenging! It’s fun! It’s a bit frustrating! It’s rewarding! I help right the mistakes entrepreneurs make in their business. I help them cut through the crap of their everyday business struggles and guide them back to the path of prosperity. So, that being said… I’m making changes in my own business structure. Some prices are going up! Some services eliminated! Some projects are being explored and some are being tossed. In the end, I’m doing some much needed housecleaning and putting my business back on track. Focused! Until Next Time,     “Live with Passion!”      Rob Anspach     P.S. Are you focused? Do you know what defines your business? If you’re ready…I’m just an email or phone call away!

Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Email: rob@robanspach.com                                   Phone: (717)330-7947 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com  today! Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to… http://www.SuccessSecrets.TV

Curiosity

Did you read my post yesterday? The one where I talked about Swipe and Deploy?

Well a majority of people who did read it, responded! They had a burning desire to know the link where they could get their own Top Secret black envelope containing some of the world’s greatest marketing.

I received email after email begging me, to send them the link as fast I could. In fact, I received 3 emails from the same person within an hour’s time, wondering why I hadn’t sent the link out yet.

I wrote the post for one reason. Well, maybe two!

You see, my goal was to build up your curiosity…

…then to try to compel you to take action.

Based on the responses… I believe I acheived both.

It’s down right devious of me to use your own curiosity against you isn’t it?

Well, curiosity is one of those human traits that we entrepreneurs need to tap when we market to our customer base.

Can you remember a time you bought something based on curiosity?

Well, I can?

You see, I had just watched a commercial for Red Bull, the stuff that gives you “wings”. Well, I fell for it! My curiosity got me! I just had to try this stuff.

Let’s just say… that first bottle, was my last.

It’s that curiosity that… well, can compel people to open up their wallets, send an email requesting more information, or even call a special consumer hotline to listen to a prerecorded message.

Until next time,

Live with passion

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com
rob@robanspach.com

P.S. I recently had the opportunity to interview Joe Sugarman for my “Passions to Profits” interview series. Joe is regarded as one of the worlds foremost experts on copywriting, he’s the author of many highly regarded marketing books and the vision behind the highly successful BluBlocker sun glasses…if you would like to listen to the interview… and believe me you will highly enjoy it… send me an email and I’ll let you listen for FREE!

P.P.S. There are no strings to the interview, nothing to buy down the road… but, you must hurry… after midnight on March 15, 2010 the audio program goes up on my site and the price will be $24.95. So, if you want to hear a brilliant interview for FREE then get that email to me ASAP.

In case of emergency…don’t panic!

Do you have a plan B?

You know, a contingency plan! A back up agenda!

Just in case, plan A doesn’t work.

If you don’t, well, you’re like 99% of most small businesses.

Sadly, when plan A fails, you do what most unplanned business owners do, you scramble for answers! You stress out! You might even yell, scream and get mad.

You panic!

“I’ve found from past experience that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something . . . unpredictable.” – MacGyver

I bet you didn’t know I was a MacGyver fan did you? I’m probably the only copywriter/business consultant who carries a Swiss Army Knife in his pocket at all times.

Anyhoo, back to the whole “panic” thing! Stop it!

Here’s what I want you to do… grab a piece of paper.

Then write on it in big bold letters…

“In case of emergency…don’t panic!”

Now, put it in an area you will see it every day.

This is a simple, yet powerful message!

That, you’ll look at repeatedly! It will remind you that sometimes plans don’t always work out, and you need to chillax (as the kids call it today – relax and chill out).

Just like MacGyver, who always seems to remain calm under pressure and come up with all kinds of gizmo’s to get him or others out of tight jams… you need to remain calm as well.

We as entrepreneurs like when everything runs in a flawless manner. It makes us feel good. We believe we we are making tons of money when there are no signs of emergencies!

What do you do when a customer calls and ridicules your services and badmouths your staff! You could accept the client as a downright pain in the arse, defend yourself and dig in as if you are preparing for battle. Or, take the time to listen to the client’s concerns and assure them that you will review the situation and get back to them with a solution. (Your solution may or may not be to the customer’s liking, so be prepared to stick to your guns.)

Let’s go back to our sign that says, “In case of emergency…don’t panic!”

Now add the words… “See Plan B”

Plan B is your backup, your MacGyver gizmo, your contingency!

Plan B is the system’s manual you’re going to create for you and your staff, that has in it all the “what if’s” to any situation you can think of, that has or hasn’t happened yet!

It doesn’t really matter what the manual looks like…or what you call it. “Plan B” just always worked for me. (I made a rhyme… ha ha!)

Every page in the manual will have a headline of a different scenario and how it should be handled. This way, your gut insight (your Plan A) never has to come into play and most emergencies can be avoided or drastically reduced.

Every person in your office should have access to the Plan B manual and be able to review and add to it when the situation is needed.

Until next time,

Live with passion

Rob Anspach
www.robanspach.com

P.S. Sometimes, our greatest A-ha moments happen when emergencies confront us. If we react wildly without thinking, it could possibly make the situation worse.