How do you plan effectively for the New year?

Happy New Year!

I’m so glad to have made it into 2012 and gladder that you also made it. At the start of a New Year like this, people are always in such high spirit having far reaching expectations for their life and business. As a result, many start the New Year with a list of to-dos for vital areas of their life or business.

This list of to-dos popularly known as New Year Resolutions is created in the same high spirit that naturally accompanies the New Year.  Little wonder they barely help you achieve much!

Why New Year Resolutions Fail

The reason is this; New Year Resolutions are usually created with too much optimism that often makes the list overrated with unrealistic goals. Sooner or later, when the high spirit of the New Year begins to wear out, optimism begins to give way to reality. This is when you begin to lose faith in your overrated list of to-dos having realized that there’s just so much you can realistically accomplish.

The funny thing though is this; this wouldn’t still stop you from going over this process all over again in 2013. Why? Because the popular thing is often naturally easier to do than the unusual. Since everyone else is creating New Year Resolutions, it becomes quite easy for you to keep reinventing the wheel without evaluating its effectiveness.

In this unusual article, I will be sharing with you the unusual alternative to the popular New Year resolutions. Let’s begin!

Effective Planning For 2012: The Unusual Approach

Forget about New Year Resolutions, it’s just a list of to-dos that never gets done. Here’s the smart way to go; thoughtfully pick 3 words that will guide your thoughts, plans and actions throughout the Year. Then create daily, weekly and monthly goals for each of these 3 words and go to work.

These 3 words will serve as the underlying theme or framework that will influence your thoughts, decisions and actions in 2012. I first learnt of this idea in 2010 from Chris Brogan who since 2006 has given up on the ineffective idea of New Year Resolutions. I gave it a shot last year and found it very effective.

Why was it so effective?

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Do you know why some businesses achieve more than their counterparts? Do you know why no two businesses are ever

What is the DNA of your Business?

the same? Do you know why certain businesses behave in a certain way that sets them apart from others?

The secret is found in their DNA.

In biology, the DNA which stands for DeoxyriboNucleic Acid contains the genetic instructions for every living organism. The DNA determines what kind of life is the organism being formed to live. In essence, the DNA contains the programming language [source code] for the organism. Suppose organisms were some hardware, the DNA would be the software. Meaning, it is what basically determines how the hardware functions. Without a DNA, organisms are bound to malfunction.

What Is The DNA Of Your Business?

Your business is also an organism and needs a DNA to efficiently and effectively function. The DNA of a business determines what kind of a company it will be, the basis of its operations and its outcomes. It gives the broad picture of what the business will look like, what will guide its actions and what type of goals it will seek to achieve. They represent the soul of the business, what enables the company to function as a unique living entity.

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It is said that the only constant thing in life is change. Entrepreneurship is about thriving on change. A business cannot

How can creativity be harnessed for business success?

continue to do the same thing every day and hope to remain competitive. In business as well as in life, change is not a choice, it’s a must. The options are very clear; innovate or die!

If there’s one aspect of business that can potentially increase your odds of keeping up with change as an entrepreneur, it is the creative side of your business.

Why do I make such a claim?

Being in business is all about meeting the needs and solving the problems of a particular set of people. These people are known as your target customers.

They have needs that arise as a result of certain problems they have and are in search of products/services that will solve their problems. These needs are always changing with time. Meaning, what may be considered as a need today, may turn out to be unnecessary tomorrow.

Success goes to the business and entrepreneur that not only keep up with these changes, but is also capable of pioneering some of these changes by constantly creating innovative products/services that eventually shapes the needs of the market.

A business is only able to achieve this through an unwavering dedication to creativity.

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In business as it is peculiar to most important things in life, there are certain fundamental truths you cannot do without in

Is there a magic formula for business success?

order to succeed.

For instance, everyone instinctively knows that long lasting success in any sphere of life is unattainable without handwork. In essence, hard work becomes an essential element in the composition of factors necessary for achieving success.

In the same way, there are certain “must have” pillars that are crucial to the success of every business. This is a matter of fact. When these fundamental pillars are lacking in any business, success is often unattainable. Identifying and applying them to your business, is what this unusual article is all about.

Enjoy!

The 5 Essential Pillars Of Business For Guaranteed Success 

If you are going into business and your sincere desire is success, here are the 5 pillars you need to focus on consistently;

1. PURPOSE
2. PEOPLE
3. PROCESS
4. PRODUCT
5. PROFIT

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As a young entrepreneur who has been in the world of business going to 5 years now, from my little experience I can

How can the principles of farming be applied to business?

categorically tell you this – business is not a 100 meters dash, but a marathon. If you are one of those survival driven entrepreneurs who hope to hit it big in business over a short period of time, then I am afraid you’ve chosen the wrong path.

In my opinion, the major cause of many business failures is because of the short term get-rich-quick mindset a lot of entrepreneurs bring into the business world. When business is approached from the viewpoint of making it fast [quick] rather than making it last [thrive], then failure is inevitable.

When as an entrepreneur your focus is on how soon you are going to cash out rather than how long you are going to stand out, then failure is inevitable. Business I say to you again is not a 100 meters race, but a marathon. It takes time to mature and will never happen overnight.

The funny reality as have been proven time and again is that only those few entrepreneurs with a long term view of business finally end up accumulating the wealth short term thinkers often focus on more. The very ones who go into business to cash out quickly [fast] end up being the ones disappointed. Why? Because business is just like farming – you reap only what you sow!

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After all is said and done, profit is essential to a business’ survival as air is essential to life. But how does one make profits? Or put another way, where the heck does profit come from?

Proffering an answer to these questions is the essence of this unusual article. This article has been overdue, I’m glad I finally wrote it, thanks to Sonia Simone’s article about Profitable Idealism that sparked up the inspiration. I know a lot of you have been wondering why I often emphasize that profit is not the number one thing to focus on in business, well the truth will be unveiled in this article once and for all why this has been so.

Question: What Is The Origin Of Profits?

I have always believed that there’s more to profits than just chasing money. Dr. Stephen R. Covey helped clarify my thoughts when he came up with a perfect analogy in his classic book, ‘The 7 Habits of highly effective people’.  He talked about the production and production capacity [P/PC] balance using the analogy of a goose and the golden eggs. I am building up on his analogy by relating the underlying principle to business.

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