I have been in Spring Cleaning mode here.  Up until yesterday we enjoyed seventy degree weather for a few weeks.  It was wonderful!  I have basically reorganized and purged most of my home!  This week my husband and started a Square Foot Garden.  SFG is container gardening.  We have not yet planted anything because it  is too cold still.  The day after my husband build the box and put in the soil it snowed!!  As I was thinking about the seeds we are going to plant and the harvest we will receive in several weeks, I started thinking about business!

What kinds of seeds are you planting?

As you know with any plant there has to be a growing period.  You have to nourish that seed.  You need to protect that plant.  Then harvest at the right time!  So what seeds are you planting.  In other words what do you want to harvest?  When I was at NAMS in January Mark Hendricks talked about how you need to have the end in mind.  This is the same idea! Do you want to build a list?  Have an increase in traffic?  Or do you just want an increase in income?

What will you do to nourish that seed?

So the seed has been planted in your mind as to what you would like  to harvest, now what?  It is time to go to work.  With a garden you have to consistently weed and water.  So how do you nourish your seed?  To build a list you need to get the word out, provide an incentive and maybe do a Telesummit or guest blogging.  To increase traffic do link building, guest blogging, consistent blogging on your blog, maybe some pay-per-click or advertising some other way.

The nourishing of this seed needs to be consistent.  This will be every day work or at least several times a week work.  It will be work where sometimes you get really dirty.  This is essentially the work you will do to make the harvest all worth while.  If you forget to water for a week your work will be a loss, so don’t let things slide! Read more »

Last week I shared with you some changes I made to my business.  I was trimming the business fat.  It feels great to be rid of the extras and I have to admit there was a little bit of a mourning period for me.  I had to let those other websites go and it wasn’t easy!  Now that I have some focus I have realized I am dealing with other issues.

How to Take Action?

I have not been doing much with all the extra time I have now.  I have just been making plans, plans and more plans but no action!  Let me tell why (be prepared for an excuse).  This is what I do.  You may do this to.  I plan too much in my day and have to rush from one thing to another.  Yes, I do get things done but after doing that day in and day out.  I feel strained, stressed and emotional!  After feeling this way I trimmed the fat!

Now I have all this time to think!  I have realized so many things I have not be doing in my home, business and family.  It has been eye opening and sad at the same time.  I want to do a lot in my life and I am not doing it.  I am really at a breaking point.  I have planned a lot and not taking action…Why?  No real reason!  I could analyze it but I don’t want to.  The bottom line is I am just not taking action!

Take Action Now

If you want to go on vacation it takes planning, right? Planning is only the first step.  If you are really wanting to go somewhere you have to take action.  The next steps are save up money, reserve a hotel, rental and buy plane tickets.  There is not much more than that except to get on that plane or get in that car to get there!  If you miss any of these steps you won’t have a successful vacation.

Take Business Action

This is the same with your business!  Planning is important.  You need to know where you are going, how to get there.  But don’t stop there.  Take action.  Blog every day or several times a week.  Build links going to your product pages.  Advertise your service.  Do article marketing.  Participate in social media.  Whatever it is that will make your business successful do it!  This is what I am doing.  Each day I have a list of things I need to do to become successful with my genealogy website, to help you Start Your Family History.  I have to create brand.  This week I will be setting up a blog on my new website Family History Queen (it is not live yet).  I will be branding myself the Family History Queen!  Also I am also going to a genealogy conference at the end of the month.  I just joined the National Genealogical Society last night and will be taking their home study course. I will being blogging and marketing my free e-course that will create a following.

I Have a Lot of Plans…

But if I don’t take action I will not get anywhere I want to go.  Above there is a picture of a turtle.  Just like the story of the tortoise and the hare, keep taking steps every day and you will get to your goals and achieve your dreams!  I challenge you to think about what you can do to take action in your business!  Have you been putting something off for a long time?  Have you been wanting to write and ebook?  Do you want start a membership website?  Take action today!

Gotta go get something done!

photo credit: denn

Today in Lynn Terry’s Elite brainstorming hour she gave elite members a secret! She will be closing membership to the elite forum.  As I have talked about several times, this has been the best investment I have been in my business! If you have ever thought about joining the elite group NOW is the time!

What is the benefit of the elite brainstorming group?

-A forum that is available to get one on one feedback and help from other elite members and Lynn Terry!  This is a very very active forum.

-Free downloads of all the webinars of the past.

-Free downloads of e-books, interviews and anything Lynn feels would benefit us!

-Opportunity for joint ventures.

-Find accountability partners (this is where I found Angie)!

-So much more!!

Those are just some of the benefits of joining the elite brainstorming/masterminding group! I believe that Lynn will be closing the membership tomorrow or Saturday!  So I can’t stress enough if you want to join, join now!

What have I gained from this mastermind group?

When I joined last July I had been working my business for three months on a daily basis and had not made a dime! I now am consistently making affiliate commissions each and every month!  I also found my fabulous accountability partner Angie Newton.  Angie and I are now working on a joint venture project.  One of the best things I have gained since joining the elite group is whenever I have questions or issues I can go to the private forum and get responses very quickly!

If you are in need of a brainstorming, masterminding group then you go join Lynn Terry’s Elite group!

Go do it now!!

Last week I was a bit absent from the blog.  This is because I was trimming the fat off of my business!  I know that sounds funny but it is what I was doing.  I have been spreading myself way too thin on everything I have been doing.  I guess that comes with being a mother, okay, maybe not.  Maybe it comes from being a type A personality!  Where ever it comes from I did it!

Too many blogs!

Up until last week I had four blogs and probably about ten websites.  I still do have all of them but I am not going to actively blog and update these sites!  I am finally doing what I really love!  I started a website on genealogy/family history.  It is called Start Your Family History.  This is where my main focus will lie!  Genealogy has been my passion for a very long time and I want to focus on helping others get started!  It can be quite overwhelming to figure out things on your own.

So in addition to affiliate marketing I am going to become an information product developer!  I am going to be selling the content that I create.  I have a long way to go on this project but it will happen!  I am really excited about this!

Focus your business!

It is really important to focus your business.  I know I have talked about this before but I am always needing more focus.  So what can you cut out of your business.  If you can’t cut things out can you outsource those jobs to someone else?  What I would challenge you to do is really take a good look at your business!  What can you do to have more success?

Yours,

PS. The catalyst of this change was going through Problogger’s 31 days to building a better blog.  It is a great ebook!

photo credit: Micah Sittig