I like to begin each week with this question because I know the week will get busy with all kinds of demands, but if I am able to focus on one main goal I will feel successful when Friday rolls around.

Especially for solo business owners this  focus is essential. The reason most people struggle is the lack of focus. It’s easy to feel pulled in a million directions, have too much information swimming around in your in your head and lose track of your purpose.

Lack of focus can cause small business owners to lose momentum.
Having a clear focus can increase productivity in these five ways.

1. It will decrease the chances of mistakes. Having a clearer mental focus will help you to slow down and do each job well.

2.  Focusing will help you to overcome obstacles that might seem impossible to deal with. There is always a solution if you have the ability to clearly focus.  This will allow the solution to appear.

3. It will keep you on track with your overall plan instead of feeling like a leaf in the wind. It can be fun to be a leaf sometimes, but in order to accomplish a goal, focus is essential.

4. Focusing allows you to move from the superficial to going deeper into a project. This deeper process is not only more stimulating, but will give you much more quality results.

5. You will have that sweet sense of accomplishment of putting out an intention and then actually meeting that goal.

At the beginning of each week, put forth one clear focus intention that you want to accomplish by Friday. Allow the magic to happen.

In fact, this issue throws most solo-business owners into a tail spin. As your business grows, you become busier and often unprepared.

•  The work piles up and you begin working more and more hours.
•  Some things fall through the cracks and don’t get done or you forget to do them.
•  Your office becomes an organizational nightmare.

If this sounds familiar you are needing to develop new systems to support your growth.  I’ve worked with many clients who unconsciously keep themselves small in order to stay in control. It is not uncommon for people to feel that:

•  No one else can do the work as well as they can.
• They have no time to train someone else.
• They don’t have the money to pay someone else.
• There are no written systems – it’s all in their head.
• They feel unsure how to manage someone else.

If you can relate to the above lists then you need to make a big change in your business structure in order to pave the way for your business to grow.

Here are a few suggestions.

1.  Isolate one or two jobs that you would like to be able to give to someone else.
2. Begin to keep a running list of all the tasks associated with this job.
3. Notice how much time you spend on these tasks each week.  Add those times to your list.
4. Look for someone who you can hire for just a few hours per week to do this one job.
5. Look at this as a learning in how to manage someone.
6. Hire an intern who is willing to work in exchange for your help. Your intern can also learn about management in the process.

When you change your focus from, ” I can’t,” to “I must find a way,” the opportunities will appear and you will make time to grow your business, not just run it.

One thing I noticed was that the goals were usually big and very general, and therefore overwhelming. It’s one thing to have a goal and quite another thing to know how to reach that goal and make it real. Here is a simple three step process that will help you to make it more manageable and therefore attainable.

1. Vision
Create a crystal clear vision of what you want to attain. The more details the better. The process of making a vivid vision will force you to work out the unclear parts. If you were building a house, you would need to have detailed blueprints to follow. Your goal needs to be just like that; a blueprint of where you want to be and what you want to develop.

2. Plan
Once you have the vision, the next part is to write out a step-by-step plan of what needs to happen. “I need to call this person, get this information, complete this project, hire this person etc.” This is sort of a to do list of everything you can think of that would help to bring this vision into completion.

3. Action
It is one thing to have a goal and vision with the knowledge of what you need to do, and quite another thing to actually take action and do it. The first thing is to identify the obstacles in yourself  that are keeping you from taking action. How will you face these obstacles and what is the first action you will take. That first action will begin a domino effect and get you going.

You can use this simple formula for anything you want to accomplish.

Here are a few good questions to ask yourself. These questions can help you to move your business forward.

1. What is holding you back from your greatness?
2. What obstacle can you dissolve?
3. What is one thing that you are ready to let go of?

When you get your answer ask yourself if you are ready to let this go. If you are, the next part is to write it clearly on a sheet of paper, read it aloud and then light a match to it. Watch it burn away into the darkness and the light of the fire will transform it into the success you want in the new year.

This may seem a bit airy-fairy to some of you, but these rituals do help you to move past your own limitations so you can accomplish all that you desire and empower yourself to develop the successful business you are meant to have.  I had a group of corporate executives do this exact ritual ( we called it a process) and the mental shifts in the group were phenomenal.

Find a couple people to do it with. You can each read your “letting go” piece and the group energy can add to the power of the ritual. Have fun bringing your greatness into the new light.

I’ve been working on my new book for the past two years. It’s done now, however writing it was the easy part. Finding the right title and book cover was the hard part. I struggled with the title for months and months. I had three book title parties, did flip charts,  thought about it in my sleep and finally I just picked a title because I needed to move on.  I had a cover made by a wonderful graphic artist, Dave Sparks. I put it up on my website and then,  it didn’t feel right.  I knew it deep down, but didn’t want to admit it because it was done!!

Then Bonnie from Silver Vixens,  offered feedback and I listened. Her feedback rang true and it all fell into place. My title was there all the time and I just didn’t see it.  I was afraid to tell Dave that the cover was wrong because he worked so hard on it. Good cover but not for my book!

Dave was great and helped me create a new cover. Here it is. I love it and love the title and the book hasn’t changed. It is still really good! It will be out in February but you can buy it now and save some money.

Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business
7 Simple steps to empower your business and bring YOU money and freedom

I learned that it is ok to make a mistake and fix it. People understand, and it’s all part of the process of being a small business owner. I teach people about this, but that’s way easier than doing it myself! Please leave comments. I’d love to hear if this has ever happened to you.

You’ve probably heard me say this before, “Owning a business is like a constant personal growth process.”

I remember attending an “est” training in the 1975. For those of you born later, it was an intense  personal transformation training offered by Werner H. Erhard,  It was all about learning personal empowerment in a very charged and challenged situation. It wasn’t fun, but growthful and I came out feeling I had been rung through a ringer.

Some weeks of being a business owner can feel just like this. Certainly, most of the time I love what I do and feel grateful for what I  have accomplished.

However, other times there are inner conflicts that come up and challenges that will stretch my own sense of inner power. There are times I want to just cry and other times I feel angry or hopeless as I have to stretch beyond my own comfort zone. One thing I learned way back in 1975 is that my comfort zone can transform if I allow it to.

Stacy’s 4 part Practice

1. Remain neutral (the space within you where emotion ceases).
2. Follow the thoughts that bring you peace.
3. Remain steadfast in your faith of the highest and best outcome.
4. Disregard any and all external distractions and fear based realities.

These 4 principles to follow can be a Practice all on their own. When things are going well, they are not really an issue, but when you are challenged it is a good time to practice these four ways and make them a part of your natural way of being. It is possible to overcome any obstacle as long as you have a plan, determination and support.

Last week I  talked with to two different solo business owners who said they had lost the passion for their business.

In both cases they had worked hard for many years, put in blood sweat and tears and in the end,  the poor  financial return had affected their motivation to keep going. It reminded me of the job putting a big garden, doing the hard physical work and then seeing the crop yield poor. Very discouraging!

What was similar about both of these women is that they had a home based business,  not enough support and  felt a sense of isolation.

Passion and life force is something that needs to be “tended,”  It needs good soil , sunshine and love. Here are a five essential supports to help grow your business garden.

1. Mentor
A mentor is someone who listens and supports you, is positive, encouraging and can help you sort out issues and make decisions. Successful business owners have many mentors throughout their business life.

2. Mastermind group
This is a small group of five-six business owners who meet regularly and support each other, share their goals, learn from each other and build on each person’s strengths.

3. Community
All business owners need community in their local area. This often comes in the form of networking groups that meet regularly. as that offers the ability to build strong relationships. Online is good but nothing is a substitute for face-to-face meeting.

4. Inspiration
Everyone needs inspiration and this can come in the form of books, tapes, classes, webinars, videos and anything that brings you inspiration.

5. Spirit
This will take a different form for each person but it includes meditation, yoga, church, chanting. It can also include  anything that lifts your spirit and makes you feel connected to a greater purpose.

These five supports are good for everyone, but especially important for people who are running their own business. They will help you to keep your passion intact and your business life force strong.

As a business owner, your mental and/or emotional state can have a huge effect on your productivity, your relationships and your business as a whole.

It could be that you wake up one Monday morning and just feel depressed. You don’t want to get out of bed, you don’t want to be creative, deal with employees or face the tasks that need to be done.

Owning a business is similar to being married. When things are sunny and happy, you love each other and it feels great,  you are energized and passionate. But sometimes things feel blah and the passion has gone out the window. Everything your partner does irritates you and you just want to be left alone. The choice you make at this moment is pivotal.

You can choose to stay in the dark place and be grumpy or you can choose to do whatever it takes to change your state of mind. The first step is to be aware of the fact that you have this choice.  You are not at the mercy of your emotions. You can choose what you want and how you want to be.

Here are a few tips that can help any business owner to move into a more empowered place and choose how to begin your day and how to relate to your business.

1. Remember your business vision. If you have done a vision board, take a few moments to look at it. It will remind you who you really are and what you are creating.  My own vision board has words like, “clear vision, lose yourself in the magic, be lifted to your higher self and we hear you”. When I read those words it reminds me of how I felt when I wrote them.

2. Energize your physical space. Clean your office, get fresh flowers, move furniture, light a candle, play uplifting music or anything that will help to change the energy on the physical level. Just the act of doing this will affect your state of mind and will help you to move out of a doldrum.

3. Contact your mentor or a close friend and share. Just talking to someone who is a good listener can make a huge difference. Depression lives inside and when you begin to talk,  it moves the energy outward and brings you back in touch with your life force.

4. Make a list of what you want to accomplish this week. Write it on a white board so you can easily erase things as you complete them. Creating your list is good because it is concrete and will get you thinking about what you need to do.  Right action is energizing and can get you moving.

5. Acknowledge all you are grateful for in your life and business. Give appreciation to people who have supported you and cared about you. Give thanks to everything good that has come your way.

Now breath, smile and move forward in your day and week with a positive state of mind.

When I first heard this I felt like I wanted to crawl into a cave because my money management was atrocious. I never really knew how much I had (or didn’t have was more accurate). I just checked my bank balance every so often  and made sure I was still in the black.

My mental space was filled with creative and visionary ideas.  Money management seemed boring and a sure way to pop my helium balloon. Harv also said, “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.” I woke up and I realized that ¨until I began to clear out the money cobwebs I would stay in a place of struggle.

Here are a few typical types of money clutter and how to clear them out permanently.

1. Fear of really looking at your accounts and knowing what’s going in and out. This is an irrational fear that once you know it will be horrible. Avoiders  want to steer clear of fear at all cost because it is uncomfortable.  As a result, bills stack up, mail is left unopened or not dealt with properly and you never have an accurate picture of your money.

Solution: Become an excellent money manager. Check your accounts regularly and deal with stuff immediately. Get a good bookkeeper and put systems in place.

2. Spending money on impulse. As soon as you get some money coming in you think of ways to spend it on “stuff.” Some of the stuff could be useful but mainly it’s fun to spend it and it makes you feel prosperous.

Solution: Create a special account for play money and put 5-10% of your earnings in there each month. Spend that on fun stuff. Before you buy something you need for your business ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”

3. Worry that the money flow will dry up. When you are in business you depend on a stream of new business and your customers to pay you on time. Worry can clutter your mind and stop your creative process.

Solution:  Substitute worry thoughts for positive thoughts and keep your attention focused on what you need to do to provide excellent customer service and good value. Develop a solid marketing plan.

4. Unrealistic money goals. You know you want to earn more money but you never have actually sat down and did a strategic plan of how to get there. There are holes in your plan and you keep doing the same mistakes over and over.

Solution: Develop a business plan that gives you a clear map to how to reach your money goals. Get help if you don’t know how to do this.

5. Poverty consciousness. You feel unworthy and disabled. Maybe you are uncomfortable asking for money and receiving it. You don’t know how to close sales. Your clients sense your discomfort and don’t want to be around you. You feel small and make decisions from that place.

Solution:  Begin to hang around prosperous people and change your behaviors. Let go of staying small. Stretch out of your comfort zone as this is the only way you will grow.

Follow these five things are you will begin to  eliminate your money clutter and open the space for prosperity.

This intense desire is what allows you to break out of  your strictly structured pattern  in order to reach a new goal.

It’s this quality that is present when you initiate a new direction in your life, a new business. It’s exciting and passionate and will over-ride your fears and self-doubt. Many solo-business owners begin their business from this place. Without the burning desire it would be way too scary.

However, sometime down the road, things can feel too hard and you forget the intensity of your original desire. When you are off guard, the fears and self-doubts can begin to creep in and sabotage your energy. It can feel like you are crashing head-on into a wall.

At this point, your attitude becomes paramount in importance. When faced with this kind of crisis, small business owners have three choices.

1. Avoid  Stay in bed and under the covers. Although this might feel safe temporarily, it is deadly to do this more than a day, as the longer you hide away, the stronger becomes your fears.

2. Run away.  Decide to quit. You feel like a small child and you just want to go back to your old life where it felt predictable and there is less chance of failure. It is never a good idea to make a decision to quit when you are in the middle of a crisis.

3. Do whatever it takes. Take action. Get off your behind and get help. Make yourself remember your original desire and make decisions from that place. All successful entrepreneurs make this choice. They choose life over death.

Which of the three choices do you want to make? Don’t wait until you are in a crisis. Nurture the attitude of number three all the time, everyday. Make that your mantra and part of your operating manual. Once that attitude takes hold, it will be a guiding star in the face of any crisis.

So why is it so hard to get people to make the decision to buy from you? You are truly puzzled because you know your stuff is good. You know they need your help and you know that they would benefit greatly. So what’s the problem? You are smart, out-going and committed and yet you still struggle to have enough money to buy food!

It could be just a simple adjustment you need to make in your pitch. Simple isn’t always easy because old habits die hard. If you ever tried to quit smoking or go on a diet you know what I’m talking about.

It may be that you are desperate to quit smoking and you know all the reasons you should, and yet you keep lighting up. A quit smoking expert corners you and starts to tell you all the facts about how bad smoking is and how he can help you with his wonderful program.

You listen and begin to fade into the wallpaper. You feel insulted because you already know all this. In fact, you could teach the class! He blabs on and on and you feel irritated because not once did he ask you about your situation, your awareness or your feelings.

Rule number one! Forget your pitch. Listen instead. Ask questions and determine what they already know, how they feel and what they need.

Never even invite them to work with you.  Maybe you are thinking, “right, I’ll never get anymore clients this way!” Wrong. Once you listen and care about them, you are building a relationship. You may even find out some information about this person you didn’t know and discover they are not a good a match for you. Maybe they will like you then and refer others.

Forget your pitch and LISTEN instead.  It’s amazing what will happen!

Do you want to learn rules two through seven as well? There are seven powerful steps to effective selling. When you learn them all, you will be unstoppable and people will love you, refer people to you and want to stay connected.

I remember my first year in business when  the flow had slowed down to a trickle and then almost stopped at one point. I  felt  hopeless, fearful and anxious. When I added a bit of self-judgment to that mix it was a sad sight.

What do you do when this happens? Quit, get a job, go into a cave?

Nothing is wrong or bad about quitting but that decision needs to be made in a place of empowerment and not in the face of fear.   It’s actually an excellent time to re-prioritize your business plan of action and goals.

1. Are you 100% commited to your business?  If your answer is anything less than 100% it’s important to look at what is making it less and what you need to do to bring it back to 100%.

2. Re-do your marketing plan so it is clear and targeted to exactly who you want to work with. Come up with ways to communicate with them that get’s their attention. Offer something of value for free to get them through the door.

3. Review your whole business plan and make sure you are on track of where you are now and where you are wating to go.

4. If you are in a funk make sure you get help. When you make important decisions from a place of fear they are never good. A good mentor will help you to stay objective and make decisions from a place of empowerment.

5. Do one positive thing for your business today and another one tomorrow. Keep watering and weeding your garden and it will flourish before your eyes.

Adam@home, by Brian Basset, is one of them. I certainly can relate to the challenges of running a business from home.

Whether you are operating a lemonade stand like these kids, or a retail store it’s important to understand the principle of adaptation and flexibility. You may have a really good quality product and give great service but if  your customers can’t find you, you have to find them. Here are a few good tips to remember.

1. Don’t  get too attached to anything in your business. Things change and you have to be willing to change as well. Business that stay stagnant are the ones that disappear.

2. Remember the message of  the “Survival of the Species.” The businesses who let go and adapt are the ones who stay in business. When the health food fad started, McDonald’s put in a salad bar.

3. Look outside of your own office or shop. Notice what’s happening around you and offer products that speak to that pulse or need.

When the recession hit, I realized that small businesses would be in a great position as long as they could adjust their business plan and be willing to invest in their business. As a business owner, you have control over your job security.  Adaptation and flexibility need to be your best friends.

The thing about appointments is that they take way longer than just the time of the meeting so it can feel like the day gets sucked up with even one appointment away from my office.

I’m sure many of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Like yesterday, I met two people at a cafe at 1:30. It was an excellent meeting and I left the location at 3:45 and then stopped at the grocery store on the way back. When I arrived at my home office,  I checked my messages and e-mails and before I knew it the work day was over.

Another day with important stuff that didn’t get done. The solution: Schedule days with no appointments. Zero.  Today is one of those days.  It feels like my energy field is huge and expansive. I have managed to complete tasks that should have been done 30 days ago. it feels great.  I do one day per week like this. One day each week with no appointments.

The challenge is to stick to your commitment. It requires you to draw a line through that day in your book because otherwise, you’ll see the blank space and think you can fill it up. Try it and let me know how it feels.

“We Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We’re the country of thirty-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. Our leaders thought their ’shock and awe’ campaign could end the war in Iraq before it even started. Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them.”

How does this translate to running a business? If you are always pushing to make your pitch, get a sale or trying to convince people to work with you, you are missing the opportunity to build relationships and learn more about who they are and what they can teach you.  In this way, your clients and employees are your teachers.

1. Find out what makes them tic.

2. Discover what they desire and need.

3. Learn about how you can help them.

4. Notice how they interact.

5. Ask to be taken into their world.

Strong relationships are the cornerstone of business. Without  doing that part first, not only will you get less done but you won’t build a strong team to move forward with you. The very first step of a good marketing plan is to know your customers first.  The same goes for employees. It’s all about focus and clarity.  If you want loyal people who are invested in your business, you have to begin with three cups of tea.

You might be so used to going for it, and making decisions yourself, that when you’re faced with a larger challenge you just step on the gas and do more of what you’ve already been doing. More isn’t always better, and in fact,  it can sometimes be worse.

Let’s say you’ve spent a wad of money on advertising and get no results, so you decide to spend another wad and then another. Still no results. You begin to get a clue that there’s a problem. By now you’ve spent way too much money, so you’re also feeling a bit stressed and worried.

Is this a time to get help? Yes, but it would have been even better to get help before you spent the second wad of dough. However the very best time would have been at the beginning.  With the right support you could have analyzed your business and developed a marketing plan based on  logic with a system that works.

Why do entrepreneurs not get help at the beginning? They’re independent types and think they can do it themselves. The truth is that:

1. Most successful business owners ask for help.

2. Someone you trust will get you to think past your own limiting thoughts.

3. Operating from a plan is way better than throwing darts.

4. Every obstacle has a solution.

5. The most successful entrepreneurs will do whatever it takes!

You’re at a networking group and people are doing their 60 second elevator speeches. Laurie begins by saying, “Hi, I’m Laurie and I ‘m a graphic artist and I can design your marketing materials.

A few minutes later Jennifer introduces herself and says, “Hi I’m Jennifer and I own ABC graphic arts and we provide for all of your marketing needs”.

What’s the biggest difference you notice between these two speeches? One person is a graphic artist and the other owns a graphic arts business.  How does it feel different when someone says “I,” as opposed to “we”? It feels like Laurie does everything herself  whereas it sounds like Jennifer has a staff and a team.

Laurie is likely to accept jobs based on what she can do herself; her skill level and her time. Jennifer may not even be an artist herself. Maybe she is a manager and hires people to do all the work. Who is likely to say  yes more often?  Jennifer will,  because she’ll find someone who knows how to do the job even if she can’t herself.

I order to move from self-employment to business you need to let go of the idea that you do everything yourself. You can hire someone, contract with someone or develop an allaince with somone, but whatever your choice, say yes whenever you can and then find a way to meet the needs of your clients.

To me, greatness is about stretching past where I think I can go. It’s time to be done with complaining about the government and what they’re not doing. Instead, it’s time to turn around and see what I can pull out of myself.

It’s also time to let go of the fears, and worries and just go for it;  be of more service, help more people and reach my highest potential.

What I love about our new president is that he  calls people to let go of their inner cynic, get out of the pit and take action.

That call is a breath of fresh air and a wonderful change. No matter how difficult the challenge or how hard the road, we can each be successful  and aspire to excellence.

•  Do you inspire yourself to greatness in your own business or do you shy away from the challenges that would take you to that place?

•  Do you see the obstacles and shrink away or do you  really go for it.

•  Do you make decisions based on your limiting beliefs or on your dreams of greatness?

Here is a simple but powerful process you can do right now. What are three things you want to do in the next three months that would feel like inspired greatness in your business? Write them down and then post them in three places or tell three people. Put them on Twitter and on Facebook.  It’s ok to say it, in fact yell it out. You will in term inspire other people to do the same and the whole world will feel the vibration. It can all begin with you and your small business.

Here are my three things:

1. Hire an assistant to join my team.

2. Begin a new mastermind group.

3. Finish the rough draft of my book .

Just writing this has already set this in motion. I would love to hear your three things as well.

During my session last Friday I lay on the table after he worked on me and I saw this picture of a flowing stream with a partial dam of debris, leaves, sticks etc. that was keeping the water from flowing fully. I realized that my creative force at the source is fully alive, however at the other end there is a blockage when it comes to the water flowing freely out to the ocean of the world. So on the physical level it is about circulation and flow and is mirrored on the emotional and spiritual level.

What does this all mean to my business? It is actually a huge revelation because I tend to be somewhat challenged with organization and lots of ’stuff’ gets a bit blocked in my office. I am probably the opposite of  having OCD.  I do enough to “get away”  with it. To be fair with myself, it’s not this way all the time, so I am probably being a bit self-critical.  My dam isn’t blocked completely. There is a flow, but the flow could be so much stronger and more powerful.

I decided to look back over my life and do a quick assessment to see if I have lived this way with everything. In fact one area emerged that is an exception. This was in being a parent to my only son. I was self-employed when I got pregnant and worked for myself during his entire childhood. I never cut corners with parenting. I certainly had my moments of fatigue and frustration but being a good parent and raising a child to be an amazing adult was my highest priority. There was no such thing as “getting by.” It has to be done right or the results will stare you in the face literally.

At some point I did help him to go out into the world and he is now a grown-up shining fully all on his own.  I am constantly  reminded of what I great job I did when I look at him and what he is now doing himself. I truly feel blessed.

It is time to feel this way about everything I create and  intiate, and to allow all my creations to flow into the world as fully as this one. This is my new awareness that I take into the new year. It will also certainly be reflected in my new vision board for 2009.

Here are a few questions to consider.

1. What do you notice on the physical level that reflects the emoional or spiritual energies?

2. What kind of alignment needs to happen for you to make the next big jump in  your business?

3. Are you doing an end of the year assessment in your business?

Another friend has breathed a sigh of relief that she has escaped losing her money.

For many, the loss of money can feel like a loss of identity, self-esteem, and confidence. In these cases it isn’t always the money itself but  it’s what it stands for. It means success and the right to stand tall and fit in.  Or it can mean security, safety or a myriad of other things.

Julia, a 72 year old woman, lost all of her money and her home twelve years ago when her business went bankrupt.  The very next year her husband died and she had to decide what to do. She said,  “There I was suddenly on my own at age 62 with no money, no savings, no resources and no health insurance.  We were hoping to sell our business in a year or two and then retire comfortably and travel to places we’d never been. It was a shock.  I was embarrassed, ashamed and went into a depression – and then I realized I still had choices.”

She realized that if she didn’t do something for herself no one else would. She ended up becoming a distributor for a health products company where she used her entrepreneurial skills to build a successful small business. In the process she reinvented herself. She’s still going strong.

When facing a crisis like this, what makes some people like Julia, wake up to their inner resources while others  just want to give up, unable to cope?

Here are five character traits that seem to be present in people who are able to begin a new venture against all odds. Everyone is born with these qualities but some people have to re-awaken and re-learn them.

1. Mental clarity.  Being able to think through choices and options with intelligence and have the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies to achieve.

2. Positive Attitude. Believing you can do it will help you to move mountains and will allow you to see opportunities that you might miss otherwise.

3. Creativity. The ability to see possibilities out of thin air.  Being able to see a sculpture out of a pile of scrap metal and see how to recreate your life into what you want it to be.

4. Support group. The importance of bringing together a mastermind group for yourself. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on and give you good feedback.

5. Commitment. The absolute decision to not give up and not quit. Instead, it’s about learning how to overcome obstacles as you stay focused on where you are going.

Whether or not you are facing a crisis these are excellent tools for success in any venture.  Maybe you have some others you can add to my list. I would also like to hear from anyone who has survived and began a new business against all odds.