What Do Millionaire Entrepreneurs REALLY Think About?
© 2006 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
I've wanted to make a million dollars a year for so long I could practically taste it! But I didn't start getting close to that number until I made several dramatic shifts in my thinking. Now, I just had a $59,000 month, followed by a $70,000+ month so I can really see how it's possible to create a million dollar business!
I can clearly see that what has contributed to my success isn't working harder (far from it!). What HAS made the BIGGEST impact by far is changing how I think and feel about myself and what I'm capable of in my life AND my business.
Now that I see how big an impact this has made to both my spiritual and my financial well-being I am gung-ho to pay even more attention to my attitudes and beliefs.
For years I've told my clients that our business is a mirror, reflecting how we think and feel about our own sense of purpose and self-worth. Any cracks in our self-worth shows up in our business...big time! (If you doubt yourself, undercharge, say yes to discounts, swim around in a soup of indecision, don't demand outstanding results from your clients, let clients yank you around, shrug off compliments or tell yourself you can't _____ (fill in the blank) then you KNOW what I'm talking about!)
So, while I've been working on my marketing and re-branding my business this past 18 months, I've also been working on how I value myself. Believe me, it hasn't always been easy.
But that's okay. Because the more I learn about how we can value ourselves as the magnificent, whole, incredibly gifted, beautifully flawed human beings that we are, the more I can be a model for those who, like me, care about marrying money AND meaning (not just settling for one without the other).
So here is a list of what millionaire entrepreneurs think about so you too, can create your own PERSONAL million dollar mind set.
Millionaire entrepreneurs think about:
#1 How to create profitable relationships, not just
try and get a referral
Referrals are great but if that's all your after then your success
will be sketchy. Profitable relationships are ones that bring in new
business month after month.
#2 How to leverage opportunities into multiple streams
of income, not just make one sale
Put yourself in the life of your client. Now, what are five different
solutions you can offer to problems they are struggling with right
now? This is not about being greedy with your current clients; it's
about taking care of their needs.
#3 Bold, outrageous income goals
This may sound counter-intuitive but it is A LOT harder to see your
way to creating a minor income goal than it is to creating a lot BIGGER
one! The reason is this: the minor goal keeps your brain traveling
on the same path it's comfortable and familiar with. Setting a much
bigger income goal forces your thoughts to go down new paths, activating
new ideas and putting your incredible creativity to work on creating
new possibilities.
#4 Looking at what they can do instead of what can
be doubted
No one is immune from the occasional grab-you-by-the-belly fear that
comes when you're doing something big, or new, but millionaire entrepreneurs
don't waste time churning in self-doubt. Instead, they get into action.
When I feel self-doubt I interpret one of two ways. It's either telling
me that the direction I'm headed in (or the decision I'm making) isn't
quite right for me, or, that it's so right it's scary-big. Either
way, I use the feeling of self-doubt to move me forward, not get me
stuck.
#5 What's beyond the next sale or client
When my business was a lot smaller I thought about how to get another
client or two. When I shifted my viewpoint to look out at the horizon
of one, two and three years (using my signature Vivid Vision and Business
Pie system) I created compelling goals that pulled me forward. I let
those goals direct my daily actions so that I see how the clients
I get are part of my larger vision. Now, I don't try and sign on one
client, but instead fifty (depending on the coaching program I am
focused on at the time).
#6 How to deliver extraordinary personal service
without doing everything themselves
My company delivers a higher, more PERSONAL level of client service
now than it did when I had a simple 1-on-1 coaching practice. How
is this possible? Because I build in systems that make it so. My clients
receive special surprise goodies in the mail, often receive personal
emails from me, personal thank you follow-up telephone calls for orders
placed and much more.
No, I'm not up until midnight wrapping presents like Santa's elves! I simply stay focused on the big picture, which is that happy clients make for a successful business. Then I make sure that my team understands what action to take to deliver my vision. Sure, sometimes we slip up and have an "oops" but we quickly recover because that is our company charter.
#7 What powerful questions to ask instead of engaging
in negative self-talk
Every day I ask myself, "How would a million dollar business
owner handle this situation?" That question is SOOO powerful
because it automatically puts me into my own model (or "map")
of being a million dollar business owner.
One of the toughest things to do is to look at where you want to be and use that vision as your map for taking action, when your business may look radically different right now. Trust me, I understand completely!
But if you DO use your vision of your million dollar business as your inspiration then I promise, you WILL make different decisions that move you forward by leaps and bounds.
I'll be there right along with you!
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, Million Dollar Marketing Coach, delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com