A year ago I had a week where I found myself under fire. When I look back I realised that it happened for a reason.

The previous few months had been spent planning and making tweaks in direction.  

When we were happy testing things we scaled up what we'd been doing and that was when I was hit by both the critics and the grateful.

All that had happened was we'd stepped up and when we stepped up it asked the people around us to do the same. 

Some people were ready for the change and welcomed it and made thankful signals. Others didn't like it and became critical. 

To be fair, I'm happy whatever the outcome. We're in the business of helping people. Some of those people grow with us, others grow because of us highlighting something useful... if they want to see it.

But I don't want to be arrogant here. Criticism is valuable. It's worth looking at to see if it's justified - and it's worth putting your ego away for that and making sure you feel no resentment to the critics.

Back in my customer service management days I used to thank customers who complained. They gave us opportunities to learn and spoke their truth. The customers who left and didn't say a word, taught us little.  

It's also worth understand the people who criticise you may be expressing their personal pain too - perhaps your product or service has changed and they can no longer get what they used to get from you and that may upset them.

The main question for you to consider is if the changes are beneficial to a significant amount of people. 

Neil 

Yeseterday afternoon a group of CommunitySoul people spent an hour with one of my mentors, Tony Mckenna.

It was an enlightening hour as he shared time saving secrets and tactics for business people, which means they have more time to focus on the things that matter.

Tony went through a process with everyone, making it practical.

If you're not achieving your goals, through lack of time or another reason, have a look at www.insiderssecrets.co.uk

Hope it helps

Neil 

Recently CommunitySoul Business asked it's members one question, "What's your current number one challenge in business?"

Interestingly, just 1% of the people polled mentioned the current climate as being their number one challenge. It may help you with your marketing to know what challenged the other 99%...

CommunitySoul Business is a UK based company running programmes where they help small business owners double their income and remove 80% of their constraints.

In a recent article published in the UK, several CommunitySoul Business members said they were experiencing their best months ever. Others said they had noticed no significant change in their business either up or down.

CommunitySoul MD, Neil Fellowes says, "There are some interesting things to note in the psychographics of the people who we help at CommunitySoul Business.

"They are, in the main, positive people with an abundant mentality and who are prepared to invest in their personal growth and business development. They are also enthusiastic, take an ethical approach to their business and put relationships with people before money."

21% of the businesses responding to the question about the number one challenge said they were building on success and struggling with too many clients and projects and not enough time. They were also challenged by finding balance between work and family and wanting to find new partnerships so they could continue to expand their businesses.

78% of the businesses said they were challenged by getting their business ideas started and report issues such as finance, cash flow, finding enough clients and charging the right prices.

"These are fairly typical challenges," said Neil Fellowes. "The question these business owners need to ask is: what could you do to overcome the obstacle?

"Sometimes the answer is simple. For example, if your problem is about establishing good business ideas and getting the business to the next level, key areas to look at are: pricing, how often people buy, and how you offer greater value and create more repeat business.

"In March, 77% of CommunitySoul Business customers had brought before. So we have 23% growth and 77% continuity occurring.

For the business owner who is expanding and struggling with time, the issue is how do you get yourself our of the loop. This could mean adapting the product or service, or adapting the process by which you deliver it."

For example I used to mentor 10 clients, but by adapting the process I now have the capability to help more than a 1000.

CommunitySoul's Insiders Secrets programme explores the answers to the challenges small business owners face, helping them double their income and remove 80% of the constraints.

Sign up for the FREE preview call coming up later this month Click here

Linkedin shows how networking works nicely.

It shows how we all know a number of people and links you to other resources you might not be able to reach on your own. Here's how it can work...

A few weeks ago I had about 10 contacts, which linked me to about 5,000 people which linked me to around 50,000 people.

Today I have 41 contacts, that links me to 17000 which links me to 1,978,300.

As with all networking, social networking is about building relationships, getting to know people. Here's a recent article on networking - click here 

Not so long ago I had decided to take a day off when I realised I was reading something work related and finding my family were disturbing my train of thought. That was when I realised I was ill..

My illness was not uncommon amongst the self-employed. It came about because I adore what I do and have trouble turning off. For example one night I got home at 11pm and as I put my head on the pillow, I kept thinking of things I needed to action. Within 15 minutes I'd sat up 5 times to jot down 7 things I needed to do and didn't want to forget.

I'm calling this illness "Entrepreneurs sickness."

When you started your business did you have a dream about having a bit more time flexibility? Having more time for family? Did you discover then that you think about work more than ever?

To change this I put in some buffer time, where I can transition between the work I love and the people I love. For me buffer time is an hour of clearing the office, going for a walk or meditating - allowing myself to thinking time to note things I might forget, make a list of things I want to achieve the next day and congratulating myself on the great things I did.

This helps me unwind, note the things I need to note and close down from the day, so my mind doesn't continue to work on work.

More on doubling your income in 20% of the time on my free tele-seminar - a preview call for the Insiders Secrets Series.

Click the link to find out how to Double or triple your income in 20% of the time.

Insiders Secrets launched yesterday.

This package gives small businesses access mentoring, creates a library of information and includes access to a dedicated forum where experts can be accessed.

It kicked off yesterday with a tele-seminar on increasing income and looked at one strategy that forms a solid foundation to the marketing of any business, no matter how large or small and no matter what industry.

It's just one more way we're making ourselves useful - acting as the 2nd pair of hands in a business!

Find out more>>>

Best
Neil

Let me be honest...

When I open a newspaper and see my own face smiling back at me from the print, (as I just have) I have to smile back at the newspaper (I'm easily pleased like that).

But there's something I get more of a buzz from...

And that's seeing our members in the paper as a result of our marketing activities. The aim is that as we become better known, so do our members.

Point in case...

According to Mid-Somerset newspapers they have a readership of 48,000. In this weeks edition you'll find 6 of our members (Mark Pogson, Tony McKenna, Helen Bardle, Andrew Stinchcomb, Gilly Montgomery and Sally Lever).

The article shows nicely how not everyone is being Credit Crunched.  

How to create multi media from one media

It's great to be in print, but the article is PR-able in other ways.

Let me demonstrate how it can be used to boost the the exposure by say 4,000-5,000, and benefit all our members...

First, your reading about it now. Approximately 2000 others will visit this blog by the end of February. They'll be able to find out more about you and our other members because we show your expertise and your good looks here

Second, we'll be sending out a link to our blog in the CommunitySoul newsletter next week, so another couple of thousand will be pointed this way.

Third, I've posted details on the forum - the pages about successes tend to be looked at about 500 times.

Fourth, it will be on display at the business groups next week with another 3 bits of PR. Find out more about our other PR here

Good wishes
Neil

Remember to incorporate CommunitySoul into part of your working life - we're here to help.

We hit January 2009 running - though it felt like sprinting!

In a second I'll cover what we did, but here are the results.

Here's the results

We've already widened our scope of business groups with our first licensee, Sandra McKenna taking up the new Bristol Group.

January also saw the the launch of a new package specifically designed to ensure the small business owner can get mentoring that will help them develop quickly and do it on a budget. Find out more on Insider Secrets...  

What we did to get the results 

Jo and I sat down for two whole days, mapping out exactly who our customers are and what they've told us they need to help them achieve their goals.

We created an outline of that and then wrote a detailed to-do plan with what needed to happen by when... for the whole of 2009. Then we began to deliver the results against that plan.

If you don't have a vision, a plan, excellent daily habits and sound systems business can feel like a struggle.

If you want to end the struggle, have a look at the Insider Secrets package, it'll give you all you need to know. 

Neil