STAYING ON TRACK in Business
To be edited...
"Some people have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to when all they need is one reason why they can."
Mary Frances Berry
The first and foremost rule in business is 'Put your emotions aside'.
Beware of the devil in disguise. Many of these are in the big Ocean.
What is Trust and how does trust work in a business? Trust can turn out a Mangled Reeve!
Trust plays a vital role in any business, self-publishing, or other life in general.
When engaging staff in your self-publishing business, or any business for that matter, you must set your emotions aside altogether, or you may get burnt. Once you get burnt, the ride back up the ladder will require a lot of hard work and determination. You will need to invest loads of time and effort. You will lose not only your creditability. Your spirits will fall low and much more for sure.
It is not easy to find a true individual who is a good worker, loyal, and highly ethical.
Getting burnt is not a mere drop in the Ocean for anyone. In any industry, corruption in the self-publishing industry is all about money and people don't matter. Money talks... Oh Yeah! In-house, publishing industries, outside anywhere. Corruption exists.
You need to be totally aware of dogs and wolves in sheep's clothing. Characteristics of a Bully. Bullying: Who Let The Dogs Out?
ITS YOUR BUSINESS- GET A GRIP ON IT
Hint 1: Complete a full and detailed employment contract. Cross the 't's' and dot the 'is'. Make your presence and instructions very clear. Leave nothing to chance.
Hint 2: Don’t even go to your emotional side when selecting or dealing with staff. Especially if someone says, "Trust me" Why? Because money talks and comes first to some, especially in business.
Hint 3: Ask for references. AND CHECK THEM OUT THOROUGHLY. Love of Books was never provided with any references.
Julie McGregor employed the shifty salesman on trust. So it is her fault she exclaims that she never asked for any.
It's too late to discover the skeletons of the past with your wolf after the event. It's fruitless and heartbreaking, and it will make you feel like a complete fool for not taking this first step.
Your years of hard work developing your business plans, marketing efforts, forms, databases, etc., are your gold, your daily bread, your livelihood, so to speak.
You may put your faith in God if you are a believer.
Why do we have instincts?
As humans, we have instincts. Address your instincts. If you feel something is wrong, then it most likely is bad. Learning to trust our instincts is one thing in itself. Our emotions, again, do get in the way of our instincts. Emotions rule, similar to how the Ocean rules.
I would easily recommend that if you suffer a major upheaval, emotional stress, or turmoil while in business, you close the doors to any new clients until you are feeling better and able to cope.
You can still work with your loyal and faithful clients, perhaps. Some of my clients were super, and all of my friends supported me throughout the whole ordeal. They may help you endlessly and be patient and caring as mine did. They may stand by you regardless and have faith in you. They are faithful clients with good hearts, and not many of those fish in the Ocean will stick by you.
If you take on new clients when things don't seem right and you don't close your doors, things can get very messy. Your cash flow may dive as you attempt to process refunds galore. If you are incredibly unlucky, you may receive harassment from the ones you may have fired or dismissed.
The fight backup will be long and hard. People may abuse you if you owe money. Especially the ones who don't know you. It is their right to get back their own hard-earned investment. It is not their fault but your very own. You are the only one to blame here.
Put on your business head and your hard hat at all times. It is against the odds to form a caring and trusting relationship in business successfully. Your staff have to like you to get paid. Most of the time, this is all it is and nothing else. Have faith!
Efforts plus determination and motivation
While we know that support is essential for success, two other ingredients are equally, if not more, critical: belief and determination.
Self-publishing can be a truly rewarding and magical experience. But, like anything in life, you need to put the effort in right from the start. If you start a business for yourself, watch out for the dogs. Corruption happens. In-House or Out-house.
The famous racing car driver Mario Andretti summed this up well when he said,
‘Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence, that will enable you to attain the success you seek.’
I have found that whilst motivation ignites the flame of change within us, it is only the inspiration that comes from totally believing in what we are doing and putting our full dedication and commitment to excellence in whatever we do, that enables us to reap the rewards of success that our hearts desire.
Many other people share dreams similar to yours. Who do you admire the most out of the successful people you know? And who demonstrates success in the way you believe it to be.
What unique qualities do they have that separate them from the ‘rest’?
Was it just ‘luck’ that got them to the success position you now see, OR was it a combination of many little successes they experienced along the way – the results of their determination to find a way through the many obstacles they probably faced combined with their continual focus (commitment) and belief (dedication) in the attainability of their goal that laid the solid foundations for the success they now enjoy? Or through corruption within their industry.
We can name a few individuals who gained their ‘success’ (or financial windfall) through luck—maybe an inheritance, winning the lotto, or some other equally fortuitous way.
But if you wait a while and then look back at the people who gain sudden wealth, you will often see that the majority lose that wealth within a very short time frame simply because their hearts/minds are stuck in the habits of poverty (spend first & save last, believing there is not enough, spending to impress others) rather than the habits of abundance, and as such, they have no understanding of how to manage a newfound wealth.
An important factor in staying on track may be learning from the successful.
You could call people around you whom you would like to emulate. Ask them if they would like to share their secrets of success or offer to work for them for free so that you can learn all you can about how they created and now manage their success.
Make a point of learning about wealth and how to develop an investment rather than a spending mentality. Keep a notebook and label the information in sections. Seek advice from qualified and respected advisers, find someone who has experience at being successful and engage them as a mentor. Your self-published book can be a success.
Going outside the family circle for Mentoring help and/or advice is better.
Whilst I know my family would like to help (and I am sure yours would be the same), we often create frustration because they either don’t know how or don’t have the knowledge or expertise to provide the answers or help we require.
If you look behind every successful person, whether in sports, self-publishing business or any other field, you may find that they either have or have had some very powerful Mentors and coaches to help them along the way. For this reason, we both use and recommend that you find an appropriately honest and successful Mentor to help you on your journey.
It has been an incredible blessing along the way—both in helping me stay focused on what really matters in creating my own small self-publishing business and as a resource for discussing many ideas and concepts.
The money I invested in this support type is nothing compared to the value I received. Self-publishing costs are an outlay, to begin with. But you can gain a good return on your investment and profit, which will make it all worthwhile. Just stay on track.
So, what should you look for in a mentor or coach?
Firstly, make sure that the person you choose is successful in what they do and that they have a sound understanding of the industry you will work in and/or the business type that you intend to create.
Secondly, agree with them that only total honesty in their appraisals and advice about what they see is going on is allowed. In making this agreement, it is equally important that you are prepared to listen to what they tell you – especially when you don’t like hearing what they have to say. After all, you will never get good support or advice about improving if you’re only willing to listen to what you would like to hear rather than what you have to hear to help you grow.
Thirdly, make sure you have a deep level of trust and respect in the Mentor you choose and that you feel comfortable with their style. Working with a Mentor or Coach is best when communication is at its absolute ease and you both have a mutual commitment to your growth.
Balance
The vitally important point of balance is the next point to consider in the ongoing development of your life/business.
Take time out to exercise, eat healthy food, and spirituality) required to sustain both yourself and the relationships around you. If you let this area of maintaining balance go, I can assure you from personal experience that the business you are working so hard on will suffer, as will your family and/or your health.
Lastly, prioritize time for working on and in your business. Treat this time with the same level of commitment and reverence that you give to your most important client.
I have found both in my own business and in the businesses of clients that unless regular time is given to working on the business—planning, reviewing, researching, analyzing, and adapting to changing circumstances—we all get bogged down in the work and are left wondering why our businesses are failing.
In short, we believe that you owe it to yourself, those who support and love you, those who may come to rely on you for their livelihoods, and the many clients you will come to serve to ensure that you do everything in your power to be the best you can be.
Have both the confidence and trust that your journey will be a spectacular success – if you allow it to be so.
Planning
A planner is a good habit to get into. You can write down areas needing assistance and allocate time to tend to them during the week. If you adapt your workflow properly, you can use your time well.
I set up a simple workflow sheet from Excel. The spreadsheet has columns. At the start of every week, I write in the items that must be attended to and the time for each item. Your main items should be analysing, reviewing, researching and planning. The success of your business will depend on many factors. Enterprises use these steps to succeed. I have spoken to several successful people who confirm this. I also know that people need to be listened to.
Customer service
The customer service should be spot on. In most instances, your customer service approach, like the chair-side manner of a dentist, will win your sale rather than your price.
I go to a dentist who adopts a caring and positive approach, is sensitive to my feelings, and takes the time with me to ensure my utmost comfort rather than the one who offers the cheapest rates and the straight and mutual treatment.
The message here is to take the time to care for your clients. If someone gets good service from a business, they are also more likely to recommend you to their friends.
You should always be respectful. My father always said, 'If you have no respect, you have nothing'.
Hold your head up high - regardless!
Do the research
Through endless hours on the internet and investing time in reference books, not only for self-publishing and book marketing but also for other areas of my life, I am able to make a difference in my life and, hopefully, yours. You don't have to believe everything you read, as some information may not fit right or be correct. Collecting information and trying different ideas all help.
Definition of Self-publishing Success
My success in the self-publishing business came from my determination to succeed. Of course, there was a lot of hard work in the beginning. There is much to learn about self-publishing to succeed in this business.
Final summary
Do the research.
Keep a business head in place.
Follow the steps correctly with any instructions.
Watch the budget.
Write down notes. Keep notebooks, one for self-publishing, one for book marketing, one for design, one for print production, and one for every aspect of your business.
Who let the dogs out?
Introduction
You can go a long way in business by building up your clientele and forming good relationships for a long period. For me, it was eight years. Eight years of trust built up with eight years of people like us. It was a heaven that I loved. I was debt-free. I came from a caring background. Caring for the clients in my work gave me much satisfaction.
I thought I was smart, after all, I had a beautiful family and a thriving business over such a long period. My heart was always in the right place. I worked hard to earn what I got and the respect that came with it.
Six months prior to my mother’s death there were things happening in the business that was not right. Following your gut instinct is one thing I neglected.
On January 7th, 2013, my mother passed after a long-term illness of over 10 years. Before she passed, I visited her as much as I possibly could. At the same time, my father was in the hospital, and my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
My emotions were low, but I thought I could keep going. Wrong!
I lost my bearings, so to speak. I trusted where I should not have and took my eye off the ball. I lost much of my hard-earned respect and work.
One day, the bottom fell out. Right out of my nest. The nest that I had nurtured for so very long. The nest that my husband worked night shifts in the initial stages to support me with our goals and dreams. When I say bottom, I mean bottom. It was like a reem of cards falling over fast and furious. One might call it a massive kick in the ass. And then I would suffer immensely as to why? It took me a whole year of therapy to finally let go of, 'the whys'?
But even to date, the hurt, pain and agony of the torturous, pre-meditated, angry harassment and violation of my rights still continue to haunt me.
Yes, it wasn’t just the losses of family and much of my business livelihood I endured. A woman in business is easy prey. And to be easy prey to not only one man but three. Three men against one woman with a dying husband. Don’t seem fair, does it? But that is how it was for me.
I eventually lost my dear husband in July 2015. He was a man who loved people and his family and loved me so very much. I guess I thought that all men were good and protective of women. Well, the ones in my life I thought all were. Wrong!
I knew I would never let any of them bring me down. My friends and family would say I am a competition and should remain.
I fought so hard that my tears were rolling down my face days when my dying husband asked me if I was ready yet. Ready for a little outing I planned for him, whether it was the beach, dinner or the movies, as we could not afford much. I was always trying to work to pay for the horrendous damage and keep our livelihood. Couldn’t plan much, although these times were crucial for him. I was mostly late getting off my computer. I worked over 12 hours daily to catch up.
I tossed over ideas of giving up and giving in, as I knew the torture and harassment may stop only if I threw in the towel. I also felt the bills would stop if I gave up. But the debts kept me going as I was determined to pay them all, every single one.
For the love of my family and friends, I stayed strong.
I developed an eBook from the learning experience to assist others in beating the dogs in the business.
Rules of the game:
Whether you are a woman or a man, the same applies.
- EMOTION: Keep as much emotion out of business as you can. Sure, you might make friends—I have made many—but there are snakes out there, and you will get bitten.
- GUT INSTINCT: Why do we have it? It's usually right, so use it.
- FRIENDS: If you are a bit naïve and a bit too kind, listen to your friends who aren’t so naïve. If several warn you of a rotten egg, they are probably right. I did not listen to mine.
- TRUST: If someone begs you to trust them. It may be just a show to penetrate your gut instinct. Why would they beg? Have you indicated a sense of mistrust to them and they need to get your assurance?
- SHUT UP SHOP: If you are experiencing a lot of turmoil in your life, it may be wise to shut up shop until the coast is clear again. Or should I say head?
- COURT ORDER: A woman should seek court orders very early at any sign of harassment. Don’t try to be nice; ask politely by phone or email to be left alone. You won’t get a reply, trust me. If someone is out to get you, they will hold down to the last grind. Get the police involved.
- PEOPLE AND MONEY: People will be angry if you owe them money. They don’t give a rat's ass if you don’t have any. They will go at you like a bull at a gate. If you are really unlucky, some will torture the living daylights out of you in any way possible. But you will get some that are very patient and easy to work with. Look after the loyal patient ones first to show your appreciation.
- Go solo for a while until you get back on your feet again. You did it in the beginning so you can for sure do it again. You are a lot wiser and have more experience now. So, it will be easier to get the ball rolling again.
- GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE: Don’t be too proud to ask for government assistance. You need it, you are entitled to it, so go for it. They will tell you what to do and work out your entitlements correctly.
- HEALTH: With all this going on, your health may suffer. Get help and treat your health as a priority. Taking care of your health and eating right is giving your body the right fuel and keeping up maintenance to give your mind, body, and soul the strength it needs.
- JUSTIFICATION: Don‘t try to justify yourself or your actions to anyone. There is no poverty like ignorance. And believe me, some people are pretty stupid and very ignorant. Some people can be easily manipulated and brainwashed. Some of the most intelligent people in the world have been in cults, allowing them to be brainwashed and manipulated to be, act and do some very horrible things. When they finally reach a point of saying 'no' or getting their wake-up call, they come out of a very dark hole to a very rude awakening.
- REACH FOR THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN: With all the negativity and drama happening, you may need a bit of a pick-me-up. Surround yourself with positive people. Read success stories and books about successful people to create a positive dome of protection around you. Do what you do best, keep learning, and hold your head up high. You’re never too old to learn and grow in your personal life or business.
BANKRUPTCY: Gives you a chance to start over again. It seems like you're getting out of your commitments. But honestly, if you cannot pay, that’s it. Don’t put off the inevitable. You need to eat and pay your rent. Your health may suffer if you burn yourself out trying to maintain what debt you have.
LOYALTY: Many people still pay their debts once on their feet. Choose carefully if you want to pay a debt to anyone and who you want to pay first. I slowly scrolled through like this. It felt good, as if it were my heart. But the law says you don’t have to pay at all. You need to make sure that you can look after yourself first.
There are many good books out there that can help you get things back into perspective.
When they say, 'What doesn’t kill me will make me strong,' it's true to a degree.
ABILITY TO SET GOALS AND FOLLOW A PLAN TO ACHIEVE THEM
So many people don’t think about specific goals - they just think about wants or wishes. “I want to make more money.” “I wish I could lose weight.” These are all widespread desires. Unfortunately, these thoughts alone will not lead to successful results.
By defining goals tightly tied to your values and personal dreams, you make a powerful start on the path to happiness and success. But knowing what you want is just the first of two critical steps in getting what you want. The key is to have a plan that keeps you focused on your goals instead of simply setting and forgetting them.
Make sure you set high personal goals. Then, back them up with a proven and structured process.
