HUSTLE HARDER-Top 3 "To Do's" for 2012

As much as I tried to fight it off, I just couldn’t do it. There was almost an attack on 4 out of my 5 senses, and I tried my absolute best to keep all of the remarks, the insight, the opinions that I had inside… but I broke, and what you are about to read is the result of YEARS of watching, listening, and most importantly watching again. So what is it that I can’t take anymore, what drove me over the preverbal edge? NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS.

I’m not talking about the regular “I’m going to lose weight” or “I’m going back to school”, this is of course, catered to the entrepreneurs, and the things that people are telling you to do with your business. For once, I took the “average route”, logged onto Google and typed in something similar to resolutions for entrepreneurs and I couldn’t believe the lists that popped up, I’ll share some of them in no particular order: (along with my opinion of them of course)
1. Go Small: ( I guess they mean “do more with less, stretch your resources…okay fine if it makes sense why not)
2. Go Mobile: (What serious entrepreneur HASN’T ALREADY gone mobile? Most smart phones now almost eliminate the need for a laptop…almost)
3. Go Local: (*blank stare* -as opposed to what? Starting a brand new company in a place you’ve never heard of, with people you don’t know? Still scratching my head on this one)
4. Learn to delegate: (Now this one I like, at some point in the growth of your business, you’ll have to realize that you can’t do everything, so yes…learn to delegate)
5. Expand your customer touch points: use more social media-( HELLO!!! In this day and age, how can you be serious about your business without using the bare minimum of twitter and facebook, I’m convinced this one was a joke)
6. Refresh your website: (if needed okay, sure a fresh look never hurt anyone)
7. Encourage feedback: Most entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and general humans, only encourage POSITIVE FEEDBACK, but I’m here to tell you, if you don’t encourage feedback in general, your business will remain stagnant, and quite possibly regress. Grow thick skin!
8. Obsess about your business: REALLY? (I promise I’ll calm down, but this was literally a suggestion. Listen, if you don’t bleed your business, STOP NOW!

Can you hear me breathing deeply in semi disgust? This was supposed to be a top ten list, but I refuse to do that to you. I just can’t believe that these were the top results on the internet when the average public searched for help. Either someone out there is extremely out of touch, or they are underestimating what people really need to get going, and thrive in their businesses. Please understand that I’m not attempting to say that what I’m going to offer up is the “end all-be all” or that it’s the best advice that’s out there for you. But I will say that this is one of the most sincere posts I’ve ever written, and without these 3 things, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to grow.

I want to share 3 things for new and existing entrepreneurs to implement NOW, or next year, whenever you’re ready. Like the lists above, I’ll add in a little reasoning to go along with what made the HUSTLE HARDER TOP 3 “TO DO’s for 2012.

1. WORK BACKWARDS- Simply means begin with the end in mind, you’ve heard this before probably, but a prime example is to set a goal for the entire year, maybe it’s revenue, or a pin level (for my friends in network marketing) then simply separate that yearly goal into smaller quarterly goals. It doesn’t stop there, separate the quarterly goals into weekly goals. Doing this allows you to have several smaller targets to hit on your way to success, as well as celebrate some “wins” along the way. Additionally, this method will help you manage AND measure your activity on the way to your yearly goal.
2. STUDY YOUR INDUSTRY- There’s a saying that I heard a while back, and it’s stuck with me, one of the main reasons that I read so much, it goes something like this: “Your income growth, will never be more than your personal growth”. That being said, I suggest that you look up the top 5 books relating to your industry, and read them. It doesn’t matter if it’s an actual person that is successful, or a business, but find them, and read them. (Personal favorite: The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz).
3. COLLABORATE- Find out what goes well with your industry, and reach out to someone in that industry and work on a project together remember spider webs catch more than mouse traps by this I mean, if you build a strong network, there’s a better chance of getting referrals out of the blue that ADD to your business, than finding new business on your own. Think about it ladies, have you ever asked someone where they got their hair done? Where they got their boots? BUILD YOUR NETWORK, AND GET REFERRALS!!

Okay, this one has been long enough, so I’ll wrap it up. The main point that I want to drive home guys is that ENTREPRENEURS DON’T HAVE THE LUXURY OF TIME, so I don’t want you to rob yourself of valuable time by setting goals that are “common sense” in retrospect. The difference in your accomplishments from 2011 to 2012 for the vast majority will be based simply on game planning work ethic, it’s all about execution. Remember, don’t wait until new years to have resolve. The change can happen anytime!

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THE FIRST GRAY HAIR

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, and yes you’re right. As much as I’ve never given it a first, second or third thought, it finally came. Life’s most gruesome, evil, forsaken, telling mark of age… my first grey hair. Sure, I went through all the stages, denial, maybe I’m stressed etc, but much more quickly than I’d imagine in retrospect, it didn’t cause the reaction most would think.

I didn’t flip out, I didn’t go on a mad treasure hunt trying to figure out if anymore were coming. For me, the first grey hair wasn’t as much as an alarm as it was a reminder…maybe even a stopwatch. If you know me at all, you know that I’m a sports guy, namely NFL and track and field. The reason I say it’s a stopwatch, is because most athletes don’t use a stopwatch to “countdown” per say, they use them to measure speed, accuracy, and improvement. Okay, okay… back to the grey hair, what I realized is that we don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to chasing our dreams and goals.

I began to think about what I’ve accomplished in life thus far…any self respecting entrepreneur would say it’s not enough, but in the same breath, I’m absolutely grateful for where I am, and what’s on the horizon. In my official effort to give grey hairs a perception makeover…Ask yourself these questions…

1. Have I truly made good use of the time that I’ve been given?
2. When I procrastinate, is there really a good reason?
3. Where would I/we be if I’d saw that one thing through, or not given up so early?

Although we’re all guilty of procrastination in some way, shape or form, nothing is worse than telling yourself flat out excuses (which are nothing more than well planned lies.) How many times have you said “Next year, I’ll definitely get it done, or “As soon as things settle down, it will be easier”, or maybe you just tell yourself “It’s just too late”.
All of these excuses run congruently, it’s kind of like the lie you tell yourself about running a stop sign. If it’s not a complete stop, it’s a roll. Accept it, deal with it, just hope you don’t get caught! However in life, for everything that you don’t give the extra effort for you not only get caught, you get penalized.

Think about it, how many times have you known that you should have done something as simple as changing the oil in your car, and not gotten it done? Only to talk about how “crooked” the mechanic is when he tells you how much it costs to replace your engine. You get the idea.
The reason I’m writing this is to invite you to look at your first grey hair, (or the 6th, 7th or 19 grey hairs that you have) as the starting gun to get things done. It’s clear that time isn’t on our side, so we have to make the most of what we have.

Top 5 things to do:
1. Take inventory of all the projects you’ve always wanted to do
2. Take inventory of the “reasons” that you haven’t done them
3. Prioritize (quickest gratification, sense of accomplishment
4. Plan of action
5. Be Accountable- now that you have a grey hair… how much will you get done, (be it little or whatever) before you find the next one, the next 5…

I can see now, that in the interest and utter respect for your time, this may have to be a 2-part series…but one thing is for sure, Grey hairs don’t come by themselves, and they typically don’t stop coming…why not make sure we have something to show for them. OH! and No!, I'm not telling you where it was!!!

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He Came... He Saw... He PLAYD- Meet Anthony Frasier the Co-Founder of PLAYD

I have to be completely honest, when I contacted Mr. Anthony Frasier after watching him on the Soledad O’Brien show, I told myself: he’s swamped, and probably too busy to respond. In the back of my head, I heard my mentor tell me “Chuck, the only person that ever loses by NOT asking is YOU. At that moment, I decided to start my research on Mr. Frasier and “PLAYD”. And yet from the moment Mr. Frasier responded, I knew that this would be one of the most influential conversations that I’ve EVER had.

All the questions were lined up, the call was scheduled, but I had NO IDEA what I was in for. The amount of passion, knowledge, excitement, insight, and depth that Anthony possesses makes it absolutely easy to understand why he is literally taking Silicon Valley by storm. This 30 minute interview that you’re about to listen to, in my opinion is the equivalent of YEARS of experience, all gift wrapped for the entrepreneur that is waiting to be uncovered, or polished within you.

We could talk about the pages of notes that were taken during this interview; we could talk about how openly Anthony discusses his journey to success and the hurdles and challenges that lie ahead of him. We could even talk about how this co-founder of PLAYD relates exactly to where you are in your life right now!. But we’d only be talking; let’s listen to this powerful man instead.

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She’s a Happy, Healthy, LifeGiver: Ms. Tunya Griffin

There’s a saying that motivated me for several years now, and it goes as follows “We all have a story to tell, we just have to earn the right to tell it”. That statement doesn’t mean that your story isn’t WORTH telling, it simply means that you have to create a platform, so that people will WANT to listen to your story. And my guest this week Ms. Tunya Griffin, has done just that. Dubbed The Happy and Healthy LifeGiver, Tunya has taken on the tall task of helping women everywhere discover and unleash the power that is within them.
She had gone the traditional route, you know what they say, go to school, get a good education, and find a good job. After receiving her degree, and a having a GREAT sales career, Tunya realized that there was something bigger than herself that she had to accomplish, and I PROMISE YOU, that the nuggets of pure wisdom that she shares in this interview will help you unleash your power, and find your purpose as well.

Now I have to admit, that I get excited every time I have a successful mind that I can learn from, and trade ideas with, but the pure honesty and sincerity that I heard in Tunya’s voice has definitely changed the game and “raised the ante” in terms of the Women Who Win Series. Like the other mentally strong, business savvy ladies that have been on this month, Tunya blends her life experiences, business mindset, and unmatched passion to the table every day as she chases, accomplishes, and resets her dreams. She is a mentor, author, and national speaker, and I believe that if you listen clearly, you will hear why the sky is the limit for Ms. Tunya Griffin and anyone fortunate enough to be involved with her projects. Listen closely to the HUSTLE HARDER mindset of The Happy, Healthy, LifeGiver; Ms. Tunya Griffin.

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How do you BRAND YOUR BUSINESS? just ask Aniesia Williams and The Beleza Group -

I'm so happy that we're still doing the WOMAN WHO WIN series, because without it, we would have never tried to define the word FAVOR.
But of course, we did and here is what we found.
fa·vor (fey-ver)
1. The state of being approved or held in high regard:
2. Excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment:

It only takes seconds to speak with The Beleza Groups’ Aniesia Williams, to understand why people lovingly refer to her as “Ms. Favor”. Her kind hearted spirit and fun loving personality are only a small part of the formula that makes this BRAND MANAGEMENT professional Successful. When you listen to this interview, our wish is that you pick up on every single nugget of success, and wealth principle that Ms. Williams lays out. Maybe you’ll learn how important it is to have people around you that support your vision or maybe you’ll understand that you cannot ever be afraid to step out on faith. But I guarantee that there is something in this interview for everyone.

The opportunities that have come her way are not to be overlooked, Aniesia and The Beleza Group have a unique, and extremely effective business model that allows her to leverage more than her personal marketing, they receive “FAVOR” with a consistent, and growing customer base that are searching them out by name. When I asked her how she did it, she simply said: “I know WHO I am, and I know WHO’S-I am. In this interview, Aniesia doesn’t hold back a single drop on what it takes to succeed in an industry where there is an ever growing amount of competition and more importantly, she sincerely and effectively shares some powerful LIFE PRINCIPLES that you can implement IMMEDIATELY to jumpstart your process to chasing your dreams. Aniesia Williams is definitely a WOMAN WHO WINS and every bit of what it means mentally, and professionally to HUSTLE HARDER. Enjoy the interview!!!

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IT'S SUMMER TIME!! -Why the sun is shining for one budding entrepreneur...

Ladies and Gentlemen, when I tell you that YOU ATTRACT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT, I can’t possibly be telling you anything that is MORE TRUE! The last time around we talked about managing your time effectively, and protecting your time vs. hidden distractions. Well if you log onto my next guest’s website, the first thing that you see is “Time is Money; learn how I can save you both!” What an opening statement, most would say that’s a big bet, putting all your chips on the table and saying “YES, I CAN DO IT FOR YOU”…I LOVE THE STRENGTH, and when Summer Alexander says she can do it, I believe her.
There is something about positive energy, it always attracts great things. From the moment I was introduced to Ms. Summer Alexander, I have to say that her energy is absolutely contagious. She is so much more than an entrepreneur; she is a complete professional who humbly goes about helping others create what I like to call a “BUSINESS BULLS-EYE” for their respective businesses. Mrs. Alexander is the owner of Summers Research, and as much as I want to tell you EVERYTHING ABOUT HER, there’s no need for me to steal her thunder. She is a WOMAN WHO WINS...LITERALLY.
As you listen to this interview, I strongly encourage you to take notes, listen to the passion, the pure honesty, and conviction that Ms. Summer Alexander has about where she is in life, and where she is in her business. Find out where you can relate to Summer’s story, because I guarantee that not only is Summer an inspiration waiting to be realized, she is a Woman who wins, and the true definition of #HUSTLEHARDER

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FUNNY HOW TIME FLIES!

The best part about personal development for me has got to be the reading. Rather it’s being introduced to “the secret” or practicing the principles of money, there is always a golden nugget of knowledge waiting to either be discovered, or remind you of what it takes to get you to the next level of success. While shuffling through my notes, thoughts, ideas and all the other “light bulbs” and “what if’s” in my mind this past week, one topic stood out so clearly that it all but literally slapped me in the face…TIME MANAGEMENT.
Don’t worry, we’re not about to talk about the literal map out your day to the minute type stuff, this is more of a “yellow light” if you will to all of the entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs to be out there. The goal here is to give you a few warning signs of some of the hidden time stealers, and maybe a suggestion or two on how to avoid and recover from them. First let’s talk about the time stealer that kills most businesses before they even start:
MENTALLY BUSY: Everyone with a burning desire falls into this category, but I want to poke my network marketing friends and brand new entrepreneurs in the arm on this one. Just because you want to win so bad that you can taste it, see it, feel it and all that, doesn’t mean you actually have it just yet. You still have to go out and physically do the work. I’ve wrestled this bear first hand guys, and know that if you don’t identify that you’re only mentally busy, you will grow to hate the opportunity that you have in front of you. Not because the opportunity is wrong, or didn’t produce the results you wished for, but because you spent more time thinking of how to do it, when to do it, what it would be like, etc…than actually physically doing anything. I personally feel that being mentally busy is the most dangerous of all time stealers. Whatever you think of more than likely will produce an emotional reaction, and if you measure all that you’ve been thinking about vs. the results that inactivity produces, you’ll start to put more pressure on yourself.

SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME PLANNING: Be honest, how many of us have had the perfect idea, the perfect addition, event, or next step to our businesses, only to have it waiting for the next 5 months because you’ve been “planning”, or you want it to be “just right?”. Don’t get me wrong, you always want to map things out and line up your eggs. But I want to tell you now; there is ABSOLUTELY NO SUCH THING as the perfect time to launch. The money may never be right, the kids will never be “all taken care of” and your customers WON’T HAVE MORE MONEY AFTER TAXES! (Sorry, I personally hate that one)- sidebar: your customers more than likely have already decided what they will spend their refund on well before they even file their taxes). Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out, I encourage us all to get started faster. Whatever the next step is, don’t let it fall victim to the excuse of it’s not the right time, only to fool yourself by hiding behind the planning button. The world has been robbed of many a great book, business, invention, and all around influential people because they are still planning their next move.

HIDDEN DISTRACTIONS: This is going to be a bit of a different take on distractions. I’ve got to admit, that this entire section was inspired by someone I have a great deal of respect for Ms. Donna Krech. She talks about the “hidden distractions” being the things we don’t even pay attention to during the day. Hidden distractions are a gut check here’s why: 1. You don’t think of them as distractions, you think of them as things that are helping you. 2. Hidden distractions don’t take long to appear or even complete, its 2 minutes here, 45 seconds there, or even 15 minutes…that you know you’re going to spend 90 minutes away. 3. They steal time from everyone around you. What are these vicious, large toothed, red eyed evil hidden distractions? The things we love the most of course, technology, social media and television. I know I am probably just as much a culprit as anyone, so I won’t poke fingers, but if you could write down how much time you spend on social media pages, as great as they may be for your business, how much time have you spent with your iPod instead of meeting people that you commute with? And dare I ask how many “shows” are yours on television that seem to keep forgetting to send you YOUR check (get it: Your show, YOUR CHECK?). For those of us chasing our dreams with families, try to get what you need to get done as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising the product. Also try to carve out time where they know what you’ll be doing, and during that time, FOCUS, and get it done.
So, now it’s time to show all of you the clip that just set me all on fire again. Because she hit the nail so right on the head from the very first 45 seconds of this video, I know that some of you will find this video absolutely helpful. Donna Krech is a phenomenal speaker that is actively in the business of helping people get better every day. I want you to enjoy this video as much as I have, and take it to heart throughout your day while you HUSTLEHARDER. I encourage some of us to start treating our time like we treat our money (protective) Some of us, should treat our time much better than we treat our money...maybe then money will be attracted to us.

**As always, if you find the contents of this blog helpful or inspiring, we ask that you share the page with your network, and leave a comment so we know what it is you're looking for and how we can help**