Business Education

2 Strong Signs You’re Actually Successful, Even if You don’t Believe It

What does success look like? More particularly, what does success feel like? These are, of course, quite objective. But, there are some signs you’re successful, even if you don’t particularly believe it yourself. It’s always worthwhile to take stake in where you stand — especially when you feel as though it’s less than inspiring.

2 Strong Signs You’re Actually Successful, Even if You don’t Believe It

Aside from the hard numbers, how do you know you’re successful? Sure, you can always look at the books and see the bottom line. However, these figures don’t tell the whole story. One such example is when you feel comfortable that you can’t change everything but do change what you can.

We’ve all experienced those days when we feel like an absolute failure. It’s a normal feeling when things don’t go as exactly planned. And, when we feel like that, it’s challenging to think of yourself as a successful individual. Here’s the thing about success though – no one can agree what that word means. Even though we all have our own definitions of success, there are also a number of signs that we’re overlooking that can let us know that we’re actually more successful than we could have ever guessed. —Inc.com

Or, if you don’t feel stressed out at every bump in the road. People who aren’t struggling just don’t usually sweat the small stuff. It’s really that simple. When you’re making it, little setbacks are regarded as valuable lessons and not nightmare scenarios.

Top 3 Signs You’re Making It, Even if it Doesn’t Feel that Way

Now, if those don’t apply to you, let’s take a look at a few more telltale signs you’re actually making it — even if it doesn’t quite feel that way:

You see the bigger picture. When your focus is large in scope, you are able to think more clearly. Which means you look into the future instead of fretting on every little component in the now. In other words, you’re more comfortable with the bumps along the way because you know it’s just part of getting to the next goal.
You feel excited to keep at it. If a person feels excited to keep on with their role, there’s definitely a reason for that. Fulfillment is a sure sign that you’re successful. Otherwise, you’d feel quite different, more pessimistic and gloomy. And, you most assuredly wouldn’t feel energized or enthusiastic about your role.
You look forward to the next challenge. Another sign you’re successful is you’re looking forward to the next big challenge in the future. After all, you’ve had to achieved a level of success in order to get to this point. In other words, you’ve had to racked up some successes in the past because there’s still more to go.

What other signs of success do you think go unnoticed? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting!

Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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Learn this Uber London Quebec Business Lesson Right Now

October 4, 2017 No Comments

Uber just lost its operating license in London. Then, Quebec passed tough new regulations. That caused Uber to announce a cessation of operations starting next month. There are many cities, municipalities, and unions suing Uber. Their claim is the ride-share company isn’t restricted by the same rules as taxis and like services. However, Uber remains popular with the public. It provides a different experience and often for a lower cost. But, it is definitely learning taking on government regulations is no easy task. 4 Helpful Tips for Entering a Regulated Business Industry You might want to start a business to help people. And, that’s what many others do successfully. Although, if it’s in a heavily or even a moderately regulated industry, you’ll face several extra obstacles than entrepreneurs in different fields. The truth of the matter is, starting a business in any industry presents inherent risks. But, this certainly doesn’t mean it’s impossible. If you’re building a new social network, creating a tech-enabled food delivery business, or developing an artificial-intelligence translation tool, there aren’t many demanding rules to adhere to. But if your startup deals with issues such as health care, finance, or education, things can be rather more difficult. —MIT Technology Review It’s actually far from impossible. You just have to be realistic and pragmatic. In fact, you need to take many things into account before you jump into a regulated industry. After all, you’re chances of stumbling or outright failing are undoubtedly higher. That’s okay, if you take it as a challenge, you’ll probably get some worthwhile lessons along the way. Here are four helpful tips for entering a regulated business industry: Conduct extensive research. This should go without stating but sometimes the obvious really needs emphasis. You need to conduct a lot of research before you take step one. Knowledge is power and there’s nothing more damaging than ignorance. As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” And, that’s not a place to start. So, do all the research you can. Talk to people already thriving. Chances are excellent there’s already somebody, somewhere succeeding in that particular industry. Find him or her and personally reach out. Be upfront and honest about your ambitions. If you are respectful and open, they’ll be far more generous with important information. Start very small and scale up slowly. One bit of advice that works quite well in every industry is to start small and scale up incrementally. It’s very risky to jump right in, front-loaded with debt, and hope everything works out. So, start small, test the market, get to know it, and grow little by little. Keep abreast of all pertinent regulations. Regulations don’t necessarily stay the same. The rules can change at any time. Understanding and accepting this is key. Do yourself a huge favor and keep up with those changes so you aren’t taken by surprise. Have you built a business in a heavily regulated industry? What other advice do you have? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

Guest Post: The Best Advice for Retirees Aiming to Start a New Business

November 7, 2018 No Comments

Written By: Jim McKinley There are many different reasons for starting a new venture after entering retirement. Maybe you want to pursue a business idea you never had a chance to realize before, or maybe you miss putting your knowledge and skills to work. No matter what’s driving you, your first priority needs to be keeping your financial future secure and intact. Check Your Perspective Your first step toward developing a successful business during retirement is developing a realistic fiscal outlook. As Inc. explains, thinking in terms of the financial future is a must. Even if you retired at a young age, are currently economically sound, and are in great health, you need a strategy oriented toward long-term success on all fronts. According to some statistics, nearly a third of all retirees must dedicate 40 percent of their retirement income toward existing debts, and if you have a situation where you’re starting out your business barely making ends meet, you are more apt live with stress and financial struggle instead of making good headway. Examine Debts Acknowledge any debts you have, including your mortgage. If you already owe money to creditors, make it a point to become debt-free as soon as possible. It might be a good time to downsize your home, and you should examine what you have in your retirement savings. Also, take a hard look at your credit report and examine it for any accounts that don’t belong to you, clerical errors such as incorrect dates, or old debts which should be removed. According to ConsumersAdvocate.org, investing in a credit repair service can mean entering into your new business venture with solid financial footing and better peace of mind for your golden years. Solidify Your Plan Once you have a good feel for your financial position, take an earnest look at what you expect to be doing. US News notes the largest part of success for small business owners is making a solid business plan, which includes recognizing an existing need and then finding a way to meet it. Are you offering the right product or service at the right time? Do you already have the abilities to fill that niche, or do you need to invest in special equipment or training? Some retirees turn a hobby into a small business, such as making handyman repairs, landscaping, or selling handcrafted items online. You might decide to be a real estate agent, in which case you should check the requirements where you live. Resources for Funds According to the Muse, if your business idea requires a substantial investment, you might decide to take out a loan or find investors willing to help finance your endeavor. You could reach out to friends and family members through crowdfunding, or connect with specific people you think might be as passionate about your idea as you are. Think about the need you intend to meet as well as who will be impacted and how. Be creative in your outreach, be ready to pitch your idea, and you might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Pathways and Exits How long do you plan to work at your new venture? Depending on your objective, you might only intend to work for a set number of years. For instance, some people work until they reach a particular financial goal or a specific age, while others develop their businesses with the intention of passing it along to someone else later. Have a plan in place for how you will later exit your business. Your business’s legal structure can help determine your exit strategy as much as your goals, and certain formats can also help protect your personal finances. You may wish to explore the AARP’s entrepreneurial resources when deciding how to proceed. Taking on a new venture during retirement is a big step. So, weigh your situation carefully to ensure your financial well-being. With some careful planning, you can start a new business without risking your future.

My Business Partner is Hiding Clients from Me — How Do I Deal with this Situation?

September 7, 2021 No Comments

You’ve just found out that your business partner has been hiding clients from you. Of course, this has a number of important implications including, but not limited to: revenue, reputation, day-to-day operation, and a variety of other issues. All of these, not to mention the breach of trust and value of the interpersonal relationship. It’s a very difficult set of circumstances to deal with, but obviously, you can’t just ignore it. You must take action, not only for your own sake but for the sake of your career and the business at large. Dealing with a Bad Business Partner Emotions Anger. Disbelief. Disappointment. Resentment. Shock. Sorrow. You could easily cite any one of these negative emotions because you’ll experience at least one or more of them. Before you do anything at all, it is essential that you understand your gut reaction and the long-term feelings you’ll probably encounter as time goes on. While you will get past this situation, you’ll probably never completely get over it. And, that’s okay. Not all partnerships or deals work out well. Some just can’t formalize because of extraneous factors affecting the agreement, while others can be impacted by poor communication skills or a lack of flexibility on goals or approaches. This means that it is essential for leaders to stay aware of the state of a pending deal or partnership, especially if there are quiet signs that things aren’t going as well as they’d like. —Small Business Trends You’ve no doubt experienced difficult circumstances in the past, and this is really no different. While it may be new, it most certainly won’t be the last time. The point being, do not allow pure, raw emotion to dictate your actions. If you give in to your negative feelings, you will make rash, poor decisions that will only make things worse. You need to approach this from a calm and rational perspective. So, give yourself a little time to vent and get those negative emotions out of the way. How to Deal with a Dishonest Business Partner Who is Hiding Secret Clients Once you feel calm and collected, you’ll need to methodically approach how you will deal with the situation. Here is a brief but effective guide for the steps you can take to deal with a business partner who has been hiding clients from you: Learn as much as possible about these clients. This probably won’t be easy or pleasant. If you are able, learn as much about these secret clients as possible. You might even go so far as to contact them yourself under the guise of following up with regular business. The whole idea is to try to get the best picture you can about these secret clients. Thoroughly examine all the business’ finances. The very next thing to do is look through your business’s financial documents. While these might not reveal anything at all — if your business partner was clever and deceitful enough — it could reveal an unseen pattern that you never detected before. At the very least, you might find some discrepancies, or this revelation will reveal past discrepancies you could not explain before. Formulate a couple or few separation scenarios. After you’ve done your detective work, it’s time to concentrate on how to best move forward. Since this is such a big betrayal of trust, it’s probably unrealistic to think that you can just patch things up and go on as if nothing has happened. So, you need to formulate at least a couple of ways that you can break up the relationship and do as little damage while causing as little disruption as possible. Talk to your business partner about ending your arrangement. This will most likely be the hardest part of resolving the situation. If you are able, don’t simply cut off communication and walk away. Instead, talk to your business partner in order to gain an understanding of his or her motivations. Although this certainly doesn’t excuse his or her behavior, it might help you in the future to detect when something’s awry when you otherwise wouldn’t. What other suggestions do you have for dealing with a dishonest business partner who is hiding something important? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

2 Strong Signs You’re Actually Successful, Even if You don’t Believe It