This is a good time to take stock of what’s working and what’s not in your business. Here’s my list of the top five people and practices I recommend to accelerate your success and reduce stress in the coming year:

Number One:

An accountability partner. This is someone you trust and are willing to share the good and the not so good about yourself and your business. An accountability partner who will tell you the truth, be a shoulder to cry on, and who sees you clearly and is willing to be there for you and you for them is just about the most important person next to yourself in your business. You you need someone who can act as a sounding board, a cheerleader, a den mother, and sometimes just someone who will listen and not try to change you. If you’re like me you’ll go to the ends of the earth when someone else is depending on you. Meet with your buddy frequently, at least once a week, by phone or in person.

Number Two:

A trustworthy  bookkeeper. Follow the money and you’ll see where your passions are now and where your passion generates income.

Number Three:

A professional group were you feel inspired, appreciated, challenged and have fun. For me, it comes in the shape of the Bay Area Consultants Network. I’m not just a member there, I’m on the executive board, and I contribute as a board member to help shape and guide the group. I’m privileged to participate in the general meetings, hearing and interacting with great speakers each month. And I get to eat bacon for breakfast.

Number Four:

Do something fun and maybe a bit outrageous at least once a week. For me, that means singing with the rock chorus, Vox Populi. I love to sing and I get to do it for fun for about two hours every week. It lifts my heart and lifts my spirits. I can be tired and discouraged when I arrive, yet by the time I leave rehearsal, I have a light heart and have shared songs and  laughter. We are singing at a charity event in Sonoma on Thursday night, Larson Winery, 6-9pm. $25 for a spaghetti dinner, live auction and music by Vox Populi and Ten Foot Tone. For more information, to purchase tickets or make a donation, contact Jennifer Sunia at 707.888.0274 or jensunia@gmail.com.

Number Five:

Exercise your mind, exercise your heart and exercise your brain. I do all three at my health club, Parkpoint. When I’m working out I’m taking care of my body and mind. I feel happy and relaxed and this allows me to connect spirit. Of course I’m surrounded by like minded people, most of whom don’t take themselves too seriously. This helps me keep my life in perspective.

What ever you do in life, if you have someone who is on your side, helps you keep track of the money, appreciates you, and a place to laugh, and a place to be just who you are, for me that’s a good life.

 

I attended the kickoff meeting of the North Bay Webify Your Business Meetup, www.northbaywebify.com. The group follows a format and tips published by Patrick Schwerdtfeger in his book, Webify Your Business, Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed (available at www.Amazon.com). You can also get these tips as individual e-course by signing up for them at www.WebifyBook.com (if you are patient).

Meetups are great for connecting with people who share your interests. There are thousands of meetups and you can find one or more that matches your passion and geographical location. Visit www.meetup.com to find a meetup that fits you.

My friend, Karen Clark took on the leadership role for this meetup. It is a complement to her new business, My Business Presence,

Karen has been using social medial to build her business. She recognized that her knowledge was something of value and wanted to share this with others. I leader my own meetup focusing on marketing conversations and brainstorming.

The Webify meetup is a form of mastermind group. Time to network, share, and declare your goals for the coming week. The beauty of this format is that we are coming together with a focus. The structure is to have a face to face discussion on one aspect of the web each week. We work on small steps to build a big web presence.

The act of setting a goal is only half of the equation for success. Follow through is the place where most people fail, they make plans but don’t take action. Engaging in conversations with accountability partners can make the difference. Making a commitment in front of others strengthens our resolve to get it done.

Small steps lead to big wins.

 

During tough economic times, fear can stimulate behavior, Some business owners react by cutting their marketing budgets and efforts, succumbing to negative events and thoughts. The ones who intend to be here next year are looking for ways to stretch their resources.

An article in the October 20, 2008  business section of the Press Democrat focused on ways to use the internet for marketing. The information is timely. It offers innovative and effective ways to position your business with time as the biggest investment of your resources and a minimal amount of dollars.

The best of the ideas from this article are:

• Create an online community. Check out how to do this at Meetup.com – you can become the guru of your audience and invite others who share your interests to join you in discussions online or in person. I have used meetups to attract new clients.
• Add a blog to your web site. Blogs improve your “findability” by search engines.
• Subscribe to local search sites. They are portals where local buyers can find business. Make sure your information is up-to-date and that links back to you are working properly. Some of these services are free, some a fee based.
• Add media, such as audio and video files. This is an opportunity for people to see and hear you and increases the interaction between you and visitors to your site.
• Collect contact information from visitors to your site. Be sure to follow up with visitors. You might offer them a free article, newsletter or ezine that has information they can use. Be respectful and offer value to your visitors. This will let them get to know you.

You don’t have to use all of these strategies to make a difference in your visibility. Pick one and get going.

It is hard to be in fear when you are in action.