Part of what makes a business a business is the cash flow.  You need to have more money coming in than going out.

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.

I love reading the comics over my morning cup of tea. My dad used to call them “the funnies,” but the older I  got the less funny they  were, but there are still a few I like.

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.

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.

I came very close to canceling my subscription to the newspaper this past week. Too many stories of fear and failure and not enough about people who are doing well. Not sure what makes the public enjoy reading all those hard luck stories but people do seem to be attracted to it.  Maybe people keep their own fears shoved down somewhere and  so reading about someone else losing their job or becoming homeless makes them feel relieved that it’s not them.  I don’t know, but it isn’t inspiring that’s for sure. My favorite part of the paper is Stone Soup and the crossword puzzle and I am not willing to give up either of those yet!

The truth is that some business owners are doing very well these days. What makes one business do well and another go belly up? There can be many reasons but here are a few thoughts on this mysterious question.

1.  Some businesses get attached to their products or services  and keep trying to figure out how to sell them even when it seems apparent that people don’t want them. They may be really good and amazing but that doesn’t mean people will reach their hand into their wallet and buy. The key is to have a variety of wares and not put all your eggs in one basket. Be willing to change your offering and/or add embellishments to attract more attention.

2.  Investing in your own business will keep it fresh and alive. I read an article recently about a woman who owns a little bookshop and made herself distinctive by having live music on Saturday nights. As soon as her sales began to drop she cut out the Saturday night music. This was a mistake because it was one thing that was working. Constricting and cutting too much can cut the heart out of your business. Investing in getting help, re-freshing and taking risks in  your own behalf is one thing that can make your business do well even in so called hard times.

3. Strengthen the weakest part of your business. It could be that you are focusing all your attention on  the areas you feel comfortable with and you are ignoring the areas you don’t enjoy. A web builder I worked with recently was spending all of her time on learning new skills and polishing her technical expertise. Her office was a mess, however, and her invoices were scattered. Once she tidied her office and put in organizational systems  that she could follow, her whole business began to pick up and she got so busy she had to hire an assistant.

Those are a few of my ideas.  All good businesses have strong vision and goals but it also is important to know how to overcome obstacles.  Maybe you have some of your own ideas that you could share.

After Obama’s inauguration speech, like many people I asked myself, “how can I inspire myself to greatness in my own business, and in turn how I can inspire others to do the same?”

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.