How to Overcome Failures

How to Overcome Failures

Those that succeed often deal with their share of failure along the way. It is a good idea to actually expect and prepare for setbacks so that you can quickly overcome them and move on toward your ultimate goals. If you use failures and mistakes to your advantage, you can more easily bounce back and from them, and even find success that much faster.

Here are some tips for overcoming setbacks, and using them as stepping stones towards success.

Take responsibility for your failure. Your initial reaction might be to play the blame game. “This person didn’t give me a fair chance,” “The economic climate is holding me back,” or “My staff didn’t work hard enough,” are all common ways to avoid taking responsibility for your mistakes. Take some time for self-reflection, figure out where you went wrong, and identify what you need to do differently next time. The empowerment you create by holding yourself accountable for failures will strengthen your resolve and allow you to move ahead.
Surround yourself with the right people. Look around at those in your inner circle; if you’re the most hard-working and successful person, then you’re probably in the wrong circle. It is crucial to position yourself with likeminded people who will motivate you through their hard work and ambition. Avoid the temptation to commiserate with others about your failure because it will only slow you down and hinder your efforts to move past your mistake.
Take action now. No matter what it is, don’t stop until it is done. Procrastination will wear down your motivation and determination to overcome your failure. For example, if your goal was to partner up with another local business for an upcoming event, and the owner declined your proposal, your first instinct might be to pack it in for the day and deal with it another time. Do yourself a favor and take immediate action instead. Rework your proposal for a few other local businesses and make appointments to meet with them as soon as possible. By taking immediate action, you can rest easy with the knowledge that you’ve already moved beyond your failure and are working towards your goals.
Live up to what’s expected. People may have a lot of expectations of you, and this can create a fair amount of pressure to live up to that expectation. No one can predict the future, but you can live up to expectations by adhering to a few business basics: Treat others fairly, conduct business ethically, build meaningful relationships, and use your success to pay it forward by giving back to the community. No matter how many rough patches your business may experience, you can be proud that you will have already lived up to your potential by conducting yourself appropriately.
Volunteer to create opportunities. After any failure, you learn something about yourself or the business. Why not use your newfound knowledge to help others who may be dealing with the same kinds of obstacles? Volunteer within your community to help others avoid the same kind of mistake. Teaching a workshop at the local library, or hosting an event for young people interested in entrepreneurship are ways that you can pass on your experiences to others.

Overcoming failure requires a certain mindset. You need to be able to analyze your mistakes, move on quickly, and plow ahead using what you’ve learned. How do you overcome failure? Please share your ideas in the comments section!

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How To Be Better in Business

How To Be Better in Business

The conscious choice to improve the way you do business is necessary to grow your business and move it forward. It is always a good idea to focus on one small area at a time so as not to spread yourself too thin. Consider the following suggestions for improving the way you do business.

Always look for new and better ways to do things. Sometimes we just get stuck in our old habits without thinking of better ways to do things that might be more efficient. For instance, even though you have been paying your bills online for years, you still find yourself with paper statements and an overflowing filing cabinet that needs to be cleaned out at the end of every calendar year. An easy solution would be to sign up for e-bills through your bank’s online bill paying system and/or paperless statements through your vendors themselves. Create an online filing system that works for you, and back everything up on an external hard drive or via cloud storage such as Norton or Carbonite. New and better ways of doing simple things are becoming available all the time, so take advantage of accessible resources.
Think of “no” as “not yet.” Perhaps one of the hardest things about owning a business is hearing the word, “no.” It may be from a potential customer, a recruit, or an existing client. Instead of taking “no” as the final word, think of it as, “I’m not ready for this yet,” or “I need more information about why I need this.” Adjusting your mindset when wearing your salesperson hat will prevent you from giving up too easily or shrugging off the follow-up questions you should be asking. Even if you only acquire one additional sale out of 5 or 10 by adopting this approach, it will be worth it to your confidence and to your bottom line.
Build lasting relationships to grow your business. Relationships with everyone you work with from colleagues to clients are the heartbeat of your business. Build new ones, nurture existing ones, and always demonstrate sincerity. Make an effort to learn something personal about your customers, especially something to which you can also relate like hobbies and family life. Find out from your staff what you can do to enrich their experience working for you or help them with something they’d like to improve. When others know you truly care, lasting relationships can be built.
Continue taking calculated risks. When considering taking a risk, make sure you are fully informed about the pros and cons and have a backup plan ready for the worst case scenario. Don’t fear risks so much that you never take them, as that can cause your business to remain static. Use your existing knowledge and skill set, research necessary information, and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of your decision.
Develop a reputation for excellence. It is better to do one thing extremely well than to do several things at a mediocre level. Focus on one aspect of your business, and strive to be the best at that one thing. For example, your bakery offers everything from freshly baked breads to custom made cakes. Your real strength, however, is that crumb cake that everyone raves about. Promote that particular product and consider creating new ways to use it, such as in bite-sized packages for gift baskets or kids’ parties. Your customers will always be able to count on your excellent crumb cake and because of your consistently high quality, they’ll branch out to your other offerings as well.

Don’t be overwhelmed by all the things you want to improve about your business. Just a few simple changes here and there can make a significant difference. What else should be added to our list? Please share your ideas below!

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Effective Ways to Learn Something New

Effective Ways to Learn Something New

Don’t be fooled by the old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” If you want to learn something new, you CAN do it. Perhaps your industry has adopted new technology, created a groundbreaking product, or maybe you just want to improve yourself personally. By taking your learning seriously and committing your time and effort to the task, you can accomplish your goal. Use the following suggestions to help you along the way.

Write down what you want to learn. Don’t underestimate the power of this one simple step. Writing down a goal mentally prepares you for all that its completion may require. Additionally, you can sort out what details are involved in tackling this endeavor. When writing down what you want to learn, include an objective, map out a plan of action, and give yourself benchmarks and deadlines. It’s also a good idea to write a few sentences about why you want to do this…what are the benefits you’ll enjoy as a result? Any time you get frustrated or encounter an obstacle, reread those sentences to regain your motivation.
Commit to a lot of studying and practicing. When Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty,” he really was on to something. Think of anyone who has achieved greatness in any area of sports, entertainment, business, etc. When you take on something new, there will be a great deal of research, studying, and practicing. It is crucial that you incorporate time for this into your day in order to make progress towards your goal.
Embrace your mistakes and adjust them to improve. Although making mistakes is frustrating, instead of letting them get you down, embrace them as learning experiences. Use those mistakes to modify your approach and improve. Almost nothing is done right on the first try. Mistakes are part of the process, and using them to your advantage will bring you closer to your objective.
Visualize yourself doing it. Mental preparation is a significant part of any kind of performance-based task. The next time you are out for your morning jog, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, or lying in bed at night waiting to fall asleep, use your mind’s eye to picture yourself doing or using whatever you are setting out to learn. Doing this regularly helps boost your motivation and confidence.
Personalize it and make it a part of who you are. In order to truly incorporate something new into your life, it has to become a habit. Think about how you can personalize your new knowledge so that it gets worked into who you already are. For example, if you want to learn about photography and need to practice how/when to use different shutter speeds, incorporate that task into your existing routine. Do you regularly take your children to the park, attend sporting events, or just relax with your family at home on a Sunday? Use those opportunities, things you normally do, to practice using your camera correctly and experiment with different lighting situations. If you personalize your task, you are much more likely to stick with it and see it through to completion.

Taking on something new to learn is a brave and exciting journey. Prepare yourself mentally and commit to hard work.

What strategies have you used to learn new thing? Please share your ideas below!

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Ways to Change a Failing Business

Ways to Change a Failing Business

When you started your business, you were planning to be successful. However, it takes more than a good attitude to maintain a successful small business. If you find yourself facing adversity and your business is beginning to take a downturn, here are some things you can do to turn your business around, and help it thrive.

Truly care and cater to customers’ wants and needs. Most people who choose to patronize small businesses are deliberately doing so because of the level of customer service they experience. Make sure you are delivering on this expectation. Demonstrate to your customers that you sincerely care about meeting their needs and satisfying their wants. For example, a local spa owner has been slowly but surely losing clients to the nearby franchise that constantly runs promotions for new and existing customers. Although she can’t compete with their rates, she can offer each customer a more individualized experience. When a customer makes an appointment for a service, such as an upper body massage, she asks specific questions about their preferences (what type of music to play if any, if they’d like the masseuse to converse with them, any desired fragrances, etc.) and tailors the experience to that person. Customers will recognize and appreciate your extra effort and attention and spread the good word about your business.
Listen to your existing customer base about ways to improve. There are various ways you can reach out to your customers and ask for their feedback. Face-to-face conversations, email surveys, and incentivized reviews can all give you a good idea of what their impressions are of your business. Really listen to the feedback and make any necessary changes. If your customers are consistently telling you that they find it difficult to make the time to call you when they need something, perhaps you should consider adding online ordering or a Facebook Page for your business, or create an auto-ship program. It’s not always pleasant to hear what you may be doing wrong, but it is a valuable tool that can help you maintain your existing customer base, and build a new one.
Personalize and improve your relationships with customers. The small business model is all about building relationships. Your customers are the backbone of the business, so make an effort to get to know a little bit about them. When a woman comes in with her baby, ask her how old he is, mention that your son is around the same age, and share a funny story about your child. Encourage her to do the same, and make sure you introduce yourself. The next time she stops in, you can greet her by name and ask about her family. Don’t hesitate to make notes on your customers as well to help you remember details they might share; the act of recording such particulars can improve your memory. The bottom line is that you should always make your customers feel welcome, special, appreciated and known.
Try something new. Perhaps your competitors have begun to offer a new service and have therefore lured away some of your customers. Breathe some new life into your business by trying something new. For example, the owner of a camera shop might offer monthly workshops on various topics such as getting started in photography and how to choose the right camera for your needs. He gets to share his love of photography and the equipment with others while bringing in new traffic each month. Tapping into your passions is a great way to start when searching for something new to implement into your business.

You can save a failing business by committing to make a few changes. What else should be added to our list? Share your ideas below!

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Six Ways to Build Momentum

Six Ways to Build Momentum

Have you ever taken on a project that seems so complicated you don’t even know where to begin? Once you do get into it, though, you often find yourself “in the zone” where you’ve built up so much productive momentum that you feel unstoppable. The creative juices are flowing and you’re accomplishing tasks left and right. This is a great feeling, but getting there can sometimes prove to be extremely difficult. Here are some suggestions to help you get to that point with built-up momentum and maximum productive potential.

Put first things first. You may have several things to do, but tackling the most challenging task first can help you accomplish what you need to when you are freshest, starting your day. So make a list of what needs to be done, and then prioritize the list so that the most important tasks are the ones you do first. This can help you avoid distractions and help you get things done.
Remember that you are in control. You are your own boss. Although that fact does come with its fair share of stress and responsibility, it also comes with the freedom to schedule your workday to accomplish your most important tasks. Maximize the benefits of being in control by delegating tasks to team members when possible. Ask for help when you need it, and take breaks when you are feeling too overwhelmed. Sometimes, just the thought of being in the driver’s seat of your business is enough to get you through a difficult project.
Mute the negative thoughts and stay positive. You’ve no doubt heard about the power of positive self-talk. Not surprisingly, negative self-talk is just as powerful, so it’s important that you tune it out. Anytime you catch yourself having a negative thought, remember that it is only hindering your productivity, not helping it. Replace it with a positive thought or motivational message. Positivity goes a long way in building the momentum you need to accomplish your goals.
Stay focused and avoid distractions. What types of things distract you from working on the task at hand? Is it the Facebook and Pinterest buttons on your toolbar that lure you away from the task at hand? Maybe you should hide the toolbar when working. Reward yourself with some “fun” time on your social networks when you’re done with your project. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes, so identify what distracts you and put yourself in a situation where they don’t get in your way. Remain focused on your desired endgame to maintain your momentum.
Avoid negative people. Some people just default to negative behavior: constantly complaining, persistently blaming others, and always having a reason they don’t succeed. These people should not be in your immediate circle, and they certainly shouldn’t work for you, as they may bring down not only you but your team as well. Surround yourself with people who will be your cheerleaders and who are as goal-oriented as you are. You will be much better equipped to build your momentum with positive people around you.
Keep a daily/weekly accomplishment tally. The busier our lives become, the harder it gets to remember what we actually accomplished by the end of the day or week. Keep some sort of tally or list to remind you what you completed and motivate you to continue. Such a record will also serve show you how much you are really accomplishing on a regular basis.

Building momentum is crucial to continuous goal accomplishment in your business. Have you used these strategies in the past? How have they helped you? What else should be added to our list? Please share your ideas in the comments section below!

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Leadership that Motivates

Leadership that Motivates

For small business owners, leadership skills are often a required part of the job. You may have to lead a group of employees new to your business, become active in civic organizations and help with new projects, or even train other entrepreneurs in professional development situations. Whatever the situation, people will look to you for advice and motivation. Keep the following characteristics in mind when deciding what type of leader you want to be.

Effective leaders…

focus on making others successful. Instead of emphasizing the importance of your role, concentrate on how you can help make others successful. What tools can you offer? What past experiences can you pass on? For example, one of your newest sales reps has continually failed to meet his monthly goals. After a discussion with him, you find out that he meets with plenty of prospects, is an expert in the product and its benefits, and has great communication skills. However, he lacks the confidence he needs to actually close the deal and make the sale. Give him some tips on closing, offer to role-play with him as the customer, and prepare him for potential objections. Giving people what they need to succeed will demonstrate your competence as a leader and motivate them to do their best.
are deeply grateful. It’s important to show others how appreciative you are for their hard work and contributions to your business. Doing so not only helps you connect with your team/staff, but also motivates them to work harder because they know it will not go unnoticed by you. Always strive to maintain positive staff morale. The happier people are in their jobs, the more successful they will become.
have strong convictions. It is not necessary for you to preach about your philosophy on business to your employees, but everything you say and do should demonstrate your strong convictions. If you are someone who is committed to excellent customer service above all else, then you should lead by example. Train your staff to provide the level of service you deem essential, let them see you doing the same, and demonstrate how your high standards allow your business to succeed. Anyone who works with you should be able to identify what is important to you.
are very positive. People generally respond better to positivity than they do to negativity. Adopt and maintain a positive attitude, and strive to see the best in yourself, your staff, and your customers. Don’t hesitate to give someone a deserved pat on the back. Positive actions yield positive results, so don’t underestimate the power of optimism.
truly care about others. Sincerity is essential to effective leadership. Most people can sense and are turned off by false niceties or empty compliments. Recognize the value of others’ hard work and ask yourself how you can enrich their lives through your leadership. It can even be as simple as asking an employee what you can do to help when you notice she is having a rough day. When you show others that you truly care about them, they begin to truly care about you in return, and therefore are more motivated to achieve.

Leadership styles vary greatly from person to person, but adopting these qualities will maximize your ability to motivate others. What else do you think should be added to this list? Share your ideas in the comments section below!

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How to Empower Yourself

How to Empower Yourself

There is so much in life that we can’t control, and you may sometimes feel powerless when things don’t go as planned. However, by learning to empower yourself, you can begin to have a more positive outlook on life and enable yourself to succeed. The following suggestions can help you feel more in control, and allow you to better enjoy both your professional and personal life.

Remember that your past failures don’t predict the future. Think of that big test you failed back in high school; did it prevent you from graduating? Did that time you knocked over the cone while parallel parking stop you from becoming a good driver? Past failures are nothing more than learning experiences. Instead of dwelling on them, figure out what you can actually learn from them. That test you failed probably taught you how to study more effectively for future tests, just as that parking incident helped you realize that you need to adjust your mirrors differently. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Empower yourself by taking control of your past to succeed in the future.
Lower the threshold for good things and raise it for bad things. Don’t make mountains out of molehills, but changing your perspective can show you what’s really important in life. This morning, for example, you woke up healthy and able to take on your day. Realize what a great thing that is, and don’t take it for granted. On the other hand, remember that spilling your coffee on the way to work isn’t the worst thing that can happen; your house catching fire is more along the lines of something really bad happening that can change your life. Empower yourself by taking a moment to be grateful for all the positive things you have, big and small.
Eat healthier and exercise. A nutritionist wrote on her blog, “Note to self: when I eat badly, I feel badly.” This couldn’t be more true. Of course we all indulge once in awhile, but implement a healthy eating regimen if you don’t have one already. Additionally, make sure you are getting at least 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. Do something you enjoy, like power walking, taking a kickboxing class to relieve stress, or play some Wii Fit in the privacy of your own home. The better you treat your body, the better you will feel. Empower yourself by being as physically healthy as possible.
Make a list of everything good in your day. This is especially important when you’re feeling like everything is going wrong. For example, did your children wake up smiling and happy to see you? Great! Add it to the list. Did a customer express her satisfaction with your service today? Put it on that list. Empower yourself by recognizing and appreciating the positive.
Look for and expect something great each day. Every day will have something good in it, so be on the lookout for it. If you expect greatness in your life, you’ll find that it comes more easily because you will be open to recognizing it as it happens. Being a business owner is something most people don’t have the courage to undertake, so at the end of each day, if nothing else, take a minute to pat yourself on the back. You completed another day, achieving your dream and doing what you love. Empower yourself by developing an upbeat attitude and an optimistic point of view.

By making some adjustments to your mindset, you will feel more empowered to take on your world and reach your goals. How do you empower yourself on a daily basis? Please share your ideas below!

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Tips for Making More Money in Your Business

Tips for Making More Money in Your Business

So you’ve established a successful business model, built up a loyal clientele, and have begun enjoying the fruits of your labor. Now it’s time to increase your profit.

It may seem difficult or sometimes impossible to increase your income stream as a small business owner or direct seller. However, making more money doesn’t always require spending more money. The following tips can help you make more money for your business.

Have a detailed plan, but be ready to adapt. Anything in your business that you want to change should be carefully planned, including dates, deadlines, numbers, etc. Be aware, however, that you can’t always anticipate every circumstance, so be ready and willing to adapt if necessary. For example, a business owner decides she wants to add more clients to her business in order to make more money. She plans for increased costs in advertising as well as increased demands on her time. Soon she realizes that adding more clients takes too much time away from her family, so she changes her plan to one that allows her to increase her fees for her existing clients by adding more valuable services instead. By being adaptable, she was able to achieve her goal and avoid burning out.
Be a creative problem solver. In what area is your business lacking that is preventing you from making more money? Think outside the box to solve problems creatively when answering this question.
Persevere. Remember that old ketchup commercial that stated, “Good things come to those who wait”? This old idea has a great deal of truth in business. The road to success may have rough spots and roadblocks, and you may not see the results of your hard work right away. If you really want something, though, it’s worth staying the course. Perseverance is an admirable and valuable quality to cultivate in yourself.
Have mentors. No one succeeds without some level of help. Seek out mentors who have succeeded in their own businesses. Pick their brains for ideas you may not have thought of. Most people are happy to share their success stories with others and pay it forward. Mentors can be people you already know, other business owners you meet through networking, or even authors of published materials that are inspiring to you. Never stop learning from those who have already done what you’ve set out to achieve.
Stay lean with your budget. Be very careful and deliberate about how you spend money. As the owner of your business, you should be aware of every aspect of your cash flow. Without sacrificing service or value, find ways to decrease spending where possible. Buying used equipment instead of new, focusing on one marketing method at a time, and increasing use of free resources like social media are examples of how you can tighten your budget.
Believe in yourself. If you don’t think you can do it, then you won’t. Remember that more success requires more hard work, so make sure you’re up to the challenge. How badly do you want to achieve this? If it’s in your heart to succeed, you will always find the motivation to continue. Confide in people you trust to help boost your self-esteem and look at your previous accomplishments when facing self-doubt.

Your quest to increase your bottom line may be difficult and take many unexpected turns, but with a bit of preparation and self-confidence, you can achieve your business goals. What else do you think should be added to our list? Please share your ideas below!

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DSEF & CBBB: Does Your Business Plan Have ADD?

DSEF & CBBB: Does Your Business Plan Have ADD?

By Lance Trebesch

In a recent podcast, Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, was asked if he feels that he is a visionary or a genius. He demurred, replying, “Absolutely not. For me it’s all about execution.”

I completely agree with this twenty-seven year old millionaire.Execution is everything. It doesn’t matter how many great ideas an individual, team, or company comes up with. Until you implement one, you haven’t made any progress. Execution is what builds lasting success, and splitting your business’s energy among too many outcomes can hinder your ability to execute good ideas and achieve your goals.

Planning: Fragmentation versus Integration

Many organizations go through an elaborate planning processes. While their goals may be strategic, their process is lengthy and involved. If your method is overly time consuming, it takes away from more important work. More problematic, reliance on the idea generation phase of planning frequently results in a fragmented outcome. Whether you measure the results of your planning process in goals, objectives, or KPIs, if you’re trying to achieve too many outcomes, your business starts to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder.

It’s tough to achieve your desired execution when your attention is split in a million directions.

Your Top Three Goals

One of the keys to execution is focus. You may want to achieve a hundred different things, but most of us find it impossible to focus if we’re intent on more than four all-important goals. In fact, four may be too many. I would suggest erring on the side of success: choose your top three goals and be uncompromising in your pursuit of excellence in these areas. A relentless focus makes a positive outcome all the more likely.

At TicketPrinting.com, we’ve found success by choosing three goals on which to focus:

Customer satisfaction
Revenue
Products (improving existing base or adding new ones)

It may not seem like a lot on paper, but executing these three goals is our focus, and we devote one hundred percent of our efforts into their integration. It’s become our formula for success, and it’s become the hallmark of our company. Every year we add or improve hundreds of products. Every day we work to improve customer satisfaction. And every moment, we seek to increase our revenue. For us, a focus on executing these three goals is the key to prosperity.

What are your 3 goals?

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

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The Power of the Success Mindset

The Power of the Success Mindset

As a small business owner, you work hard. But sometimes it seems that no matter how much effort you put in, your business is not growing in the direction you might hope. So you work even harder, but don’t get the results you’re seeking.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why?

It’s because the act of simply doing things isn’t enough to grow a business.

So what else is missing? What does it take to build a successful, thriving business (without killing yourself in the process)?

It’s about mindset.

You see, it’s very easy to be busy all day. To be a “reactionary” business owner that responds to each situation as it comes. But that’s not what successful business owners do. Instead, they are very intentional about setting each day’s agenda so that it corresponds with their goals. It’s not that they don’t deal with things that come up. But they choose the tasks and the direction most in line with their goals. Without taking the time to do this, you will never grow in the direction that you hope to.

So where do you start?

Fortunately, we at the DSEF have produced a free downloadable workbook that will help you with this process. Simply complete each of the activities in the workbook to focus your business efforts in the right direction. This is an essential activity for every business owner.

This workbook will guide you through the following steps:

Defining your why
Tuning out negativity and committing to positive self-talk
Making a plan
Building in accountability
Using visualizations
Making a plan for when you fall
Focusing on excellence instead of perfection

By printing out this workbook and completing each of the activities, you will find that you are much more intentional about each of the business activities you choose, and will find that your business grows in the direction you desire.

Download the workbook for yourself from our Facebook Page, and share it with your business associates and loved ones. It’s an incredible gift you can share. Here’s a link you can share with your friends, so they can get their copy too: http://bit.ly/dsefebook2

How do you create a mindset for success for your business? We’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below!

p.s. This is just one of the many free business resources we at the DSEF provide, no strings attached! We are committed to helping entrepreneurs with the resources they need to build strong, ethical businesses. It’s one of the cornerstones of our non-profit Foundation, so we hope you’ll enjoy this free resource, and check our Facebook Page daily for even more free resources and tips. Here’s to your success!