Have you wondered why we keep talking about personal goals and, more recently, personal growth in a business blog? It’s because YOU are the most important variable in your business equation. You have everything to do with the success of your business and the purpose that you want to accomplish in life.

One of the most important ways to make sure your personal and professional growth are headed in the right direction is to understand your core values.

Many business owners pay less attention than they should to their personal growth. They believe they are too busy with business to appreciate the impact your personal improvement can have on your success.

But as we’ve explored in previous posts, all the areas of your life are interrelated. When you are more successful personally, you tend to be more successful professionally.

However, in both business and personal development, it’s important to set both a long-term, large-scale vision, as well as smaller, more incremental goals to keep you going.

"Mind over matter!"

Cliché, right? But what that overused line is trying to tell us is that the mind is critical if we want to set things in motion. This is especially true in business.

People with lackluster, negative, or disorganized thoughts tend to struggle in all areas of life. On the contrary, if you think positively and you believe in your abilities, you are most likely to make it.

Last week's blog post Creating Effective Goals Using a Role-Based Approach talked about the importance of creating goals for all the "roles" you play in life. This week, I’m going to share proven techniques that will help you set goals that will guarantee your success in both your personal and professional life.

Last year is over, this year’s first party is behind you, and now it’s time to get back to work! But before you do that, imagine it’s one year later already.

So, what’s different?

Too many business owners work too hard without really knowing what they want to achieve in life. Often, this leads to distracted or unfulfilling results in all areas of life.

The truth is, if you want to experience optimum success in life, you need to know what you want. And that starts with having a clear vision.

All business owners understand the importance of budgeting on a theoretical level. But many believe they can’t do it because they have a sense that it's too technical and complicated. As a result, many business owners hesitate to prepare a plan.

But it's not really as tedious as you think.  

Here's how to create a simple one-page budgeting and cash flow plan that you can use to get a handle on your company's finances.

During the past two weeks I’ve been discussing why strategic planning is critical for your growth. Today, we are going to look into one of the major cornerstones of your business – marketing.

Marketing is the engine that powers your business. It's much more than just a number in your cash flow model – it’s a way of doing things and how you conduct business with your customers.

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of assuming that they don't need a business plan. "All the planning I need is in my head," they say.

The truth is that a written plan is an important key to the growth you’ve been aiming for.  Let me tell you why...

Too many business owners fail to appreciate the importance of strategic planning. Are you one of them?

If you answer in the affirmative, then you are NOT building your business on solid ground…and all your hard work may eventually turn to waste.

The way I see it, most business owners are too hesitant because “strategic planning” sounds so big and difficult. But anyone can do it when armed with the right information.  In fact, more often than not, your hesitation to plan is more painful than the planning itself!

When it comes to the way you present yourself in business, image makes big a difference especially if you're Lady Gaga. You can have all the knowledge and competence in the world, but if you don't communicate that in a clear and pristine manner, you're going to have a harder time selling yourself and your services. You may think to yourself that it doesn't matter to you, and it shouldn't matter to other people. They're not hiring you as a style or image consultant after all, right?