Plan to Achieve Success

Believe it or not it\'s time to start thinking about next year. Your goals, your dreams and where you\'d like your business to be 12 months from now. Actually you can do this any time, but doing it at year\'s end sets you up for success next year. One of the most important truths about success is that it\'s a formula. 10 percent good ideas and 90 percent action.

Decide exactly what you want to achieve yourself and in your business. This is your 10 percent good ideas. Yes I know most of us are massage professionals, but this success strategy is equally applicable for any entrepreneur. Life is a great journey not a destination. The successes we create for ourselves and our businesses is part of that journey. We can always set out on our journeys without prior planning. I\'ll admit to that when I started In My Hands. But I now know I would have achieved greater success to this point had I planned ahead.

Great journeys benefit from having a plan of action. You don\'t have to stick to the exact timetable. Don\'t be afraid to have fun too. Write your plan down and keep it somewhere close at hand where you can refer to it daily. Having a game plan helps you focus and visualize your goals and your success.

So step one: decide exactly what success in your business means to you.

Does it mean a certain level of income?
\r A certain number of new clients each month?
\r A certain number of associate practitioners working for you?
\r Teaching others?
\r Writing articles?
\r Upgrading your skills?
\r Attending a conference or workshops?

Step two: Write it down. Be as specific as possible. Remember we\'re setting up for success here. Think about where your business is right now, where you\'d like to be in 3 months from now, 6 months, 9 months. Be honest with yourself. But push yourself too. Challenge yourself. All successful entrepreneurs do. My current 2 year challenge is Chair Massage Biz. It\'s going to be a heck of a lot of work, but it\'ll teach me how to write better articles, newsletters, and e-courses. Plus I\'ll make money selling info products on line. Are you in business just for the fun of it or are you in business to make money too? Being in business and not setting long term plans and goals doesn\'t make much sense.

If you\'re just starting out here\'s an example: In the first 3 months I want to:

Choose a professional business name.
\r Identify my target market say event planners.
\r Develop a basic marketing plan to create viable sales.
\r Get those viable sales, because without them you haven\'t got a business.
\r Collect those all important client testimonials.
\r Learn some basic copywriting strategies.
\r Register my domain name.
\r Get at least a landing page for my website up.

Now do exactly that. As more things become apparent that need doing, write them down, add them to your plan/goals and then get on with it. Your 90 percent action. If you don\'t take action you can\'t blame your lack of success on anybody but yourself. If you sit around waiting for perfection and for people to find you, won\'t happen.

Get the picture? Setting specific goals for your business helps you stay motivated and on track to success. Plan to achieve success and taking action ensures it. Your business needs your guidance at the helm to be successful. Otherwise why bother? You might as well go work for someone else. Personally I prefer being my own boss and contracting out as I choose.

Author, keynote speaker, certified marketing professional, blogger and owner of Toronto\'s In My Hands, Irene Orkin believes the benefits of on site massage provide an antidote to corporate stress. With over 6 years experience as a massage expert, Irene mentors massage professionals to become successful business owners. To book your on site massage experience please visit http://www.inmyhands.ca and watch for Irene\'s new web portal specifically for chair massage professionals http://www.chairmassagebiz.com Check out my blog at http://www.chairmassagebiz.wordpress.com Want to reprint this article? Feel free. Just give me full attribution and a link to my home page when you do.

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