Vision

Vision

My vision is to develop economic leaders throughout the country, and strengthen the business community.

When it comes to “advantages” in life we usually think of strength, knowledge, capital, tools, technology, people, and military prowess. Although we can’t personally deliver an advantage of military prowess in our training and coaching systems, we do deliver on the other areas of having a vision of forward thinking in business.

We leave the military strength to be developed by our soldiers who fight for our liberties and freedom that we enjoy. I am proud to support GO*VETS Foundation in training and educating our veterans in launching and growing their small business.

Call them advantages or call them benefits, here is we should expect from our mentors, coaches, and leaders:

Wisdom – The first thing we want to establish is becoming a Trusted Mentor. When you work with a coach in sports, and that coach has a vested interest in your success, you find that success if you follow their counsel. They should want to earn your trust.

Experience – The management team should have many years of combined business and leadership skills. Your business coach or mentor should have proven business experience and a mentoring mentality that has driven many businesses to incredible heights of success. More importantly, they should have already seen the good, the bad and the ugly of business, and their job is to pass on their experience to steer you through the maze of business.

Clarity – We all should be more interested in helping others achieve positive results in your business, even when it might not be what you want to hear. The mentors job is to help you succeed, and not win a popularity contest.

Seeking Out Opportunities – Together, we should be constantly on the look for opportunities that will benefit our colleagues and strategic partners. When you attend a seminar or workshop, it should be about the power of looking for opportunities to do business with others. The workshops should be full of proven ways to find incredible opportunities, and an excellent source for networking.

Strategic Alliances – Any company needs to have multiple alliances to help them succeed in business. The mentor should have a network of companies and corporate contacts, and want to introduce their clients and strategic partners to others. Basically, they should be all about networking and increasing theirs, and your reach through strategic partnerships, and pass these relationships on to the network.

Solid Communication – If we can’t clearly communicate what our corporate vision is, then how can we expect others to know what we do; or to buy from us. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it’s painful. Communication is the foundation in which we build from. A lack of communication; dishonest or sugar-coated communication with details conveniently left out creates cracks in that foundation, and cracks create weakness. Your empire must be strong and cannot afford any cracks in the foundation.

Integrity – If there is one key principle to remember in building a successful empire, it is in keep­ing agreements, which allows us to honor our commitments and maintain a high level of trust with our colleagues and associates.

Common Sense – All too often leaders take the path of least resistance, which in most cases leads to destruction. Common sense is hanging by a thread in so many companies today, and it usually comes down to self-interests promoted by individuals, instead of the good of the organization. We must bring common sense back into the order of running a successful enterprise.

www.brianhazelgren.com

30 Traits of Leadership

30 Traits of Leadership

 

1. Leaders Lead by Example without “Managing” Others

2. Leaders Don’t Have to Tell their Followers to Follow Them

3. Leaders Hold Others Accountable, and Want to Be Held Accountable

4. Leaders are Capable of Providing Clarity So There is No Confusion

5. Leaders Have the Courage to Take The First Step, and…Lead

6. Leaders Delegate and Allow Others to Grow

7. Leaders Are Not Afraid of Making Decisions

8. Leaders Possess a Winning, Positive Attitude

9. Leaders Respect Others Culture, Religion, Race, and Ideals

10. Leaders Want to Swim Upstream and Seek Out Opportunities That Others View as Difficult

11. Leaders Know Their Followers and Enjoy Helping Them Grow

12. Leaders Earn the Respect of Their Peers

13. Leaders Have a Vision and Share it with Others

14. Leaders Deal in Honesty and Integrity

15. Leaders Empower Others to Find Success, and to Lead

16. Leaders Control Emotions, Especially Anger

17. Leaders Motivate and Inspire Others

18. Leaders Don’t Look for Excuses or Scapegoats When Things Go Wrong

19. Leaders are Able to Adapt when Faced with the Challenges of Change

20. Leaders are Never Happy With the Status Quo and Seek New Adventures

21. Leaders Are Confident in Their Ability to Lead (Or They Fake It Really Well)

22. Through Their Example, Leaders Earn the Right to Be Heard

23. Leaders Do Not Rationalize Their Weaknesses, They Seek to Turn Them into Strengths

24. Leaders Quickly Change Their Fears to Confidence

25. Leaders Learn To Trust Others

26. Leaders Confront Problems and Look for Fair Solutions

27. Leaders Allow for and Encourage Two-Way Communication

28. Leaders Learn the Art of Listening Before Engaging Their Mouths

29. Leaders Exude Professionalism and Confidence

30. Leaders Seek for Personal and Team Improvement

 

by Brian Hazelgren, and taken from the pages of Brian’s book  Tactical Entrepreneur

www.brianhazelgren.com

Increase Your Chances of Success

It’s estimated that in the United States, only about 30 percent of all startups are still in business after five years. In some states, the number is only about 10 percent. These are startling numbers; and, yet, they are somewhat understandable. Most small business owners are too busy to plan for the future, or at least they think they are too busy. The fact is, the better you understand the challenges ahead of you and the better you prepare yourself for those challenges, the more likely it is that you’ll be one of the survivors.

In my opinion, the two most common reasons that a business doesn’t succeed come down to (1) poor management because the owner lacks the necessary skills; or (2) money, either because the owner underestimates how much money it will take to start the business or they are under-capitalized. The following sections will address the first cause and will help you determine whether you have the necessary skills or, if not, how you may be able to acquire them.

Evaluating Your Chances for Success

Once you’ve decided that you have the right stuff to be an entrepreneur, you’re ready to determine whether your business idea has the right stuff. Before you pump your life savings into a small business, you want to know if it has a chance to succeed.

Here’s a look at the prime considerations for determining if your business idea has a chance to succeed:

• Market assessment— Is there a market for your product or service? If so, how much income can you expect to derive from it?
• Profitability assessment— How much will starting a new business cost you? Can you afford a lengthy “red ink” period following startup, as well as periodic lulls in cash flow? Can you afford to fail?
• Financing assessment— Will you be able to obtain the necessary financing for your business? If so, from where?
• Legal assessment— What potential legal liabilities are you exposing yourself to by starting a new business? Are the costs of protecting yourself worth the trouble?
• Researching your industry— How can you learn more about your chosen industry and about the resources that are available to help you?

Once you complete these assessments, you will be able to begin to understand the viability of the idea that you have. A closer look at the Free Enterprise Model may help you understand this cycle a little better.

www.brianhazelgren.com

Pro’s and Con’s of Owning a Business

Owning a small business is not just another job. It’s a totally different lifestyle. You have to ask yourself whether you’re ready for a complete commitment to the success of your business. Just as importantly, if you are in a relationship, you should ask your partner whether he or she is completely committed to supporting you in your efforts.

As a small business owner, you’re going to have less time for your personal life and you’ll probably be using much of what you own as collateral to raise money for the business. If you are willing to make those sacrifices, then let’s move on to some of the advantages and disadvantages of owning your own business.

Pros:

• You have the chance to make a lot more money than you can make working for someone else.
• You’ll be your own boss and make the decisions that are crucial to your business’s success or failure.
• You may be the boss of other people.
• You’ll have job security — no one can fire you.
• You’ll have the chance to put your ideas into practice.
• You may participate in every aspect of running a business.
• You’ll learn more about every aspect of a business and gain experience in a variety of disciplines.
• You’ll have the chance to work directly with your customers.
• You’ll be able to benefit the local economy, such as by hiring other people to work for you.
• You’ll have the personal satisfaction of creating and running a successful business.
• You’ll be able to work in a field or area that you really enjoy.
• You’ll have the chance to build real retirement value (for example, by selling the business when you retire).
• You’ll have the chance to put down roots in a community and to provide a sense of belonging and stability for your family.

Cons:

• You may have to take a large financial risk.
• You will probably have to work long hours and may have fewer opportunities to take vacations.
• You may end up spending a lot of your time attending to the details of running a business and less time on those things you really enjoy.
• You may find that your income is not steady and that there are times when you don’t have much income coming in at all.
• You may have to undertake tasks you find unpleasant, such as firing someone or refusing to hire a friend or relative, or collecting receivables.
• You may have to learn many new disciplines, such as filing and bookkeeping, inventory control, production planning, advertising and promotion, market research, and general management.

Specific pros and cons of the home-based business:

• Your startup costs will be lower.
• Your operating costs will be lower than they would be if you were renting space and paying utilities.
• Your commute will be shorter!
• If your location is unimportant to your business, you can theoretically live anywhere and still operate your business.
• You may be more flexible in your schedule if your business can be conducted at your convenience or outside “normal” weekday business hours.
• On the other hand, you’re much more vulnerable to interruptions from family members, neighbors, and door-to-door salespeople.
• You may have trouble attracting qualified employees.
• You may be less accessible to suppliers.
• You may worry about your image and about how it “looks” to work from home. However,  with the growing popularity of home businesses, such concerns are becoming far less common.
• You may run out of space at home as your business grows.

Whatever you choose to do, owning and operating a business is exhilarating, thrilling, challenging, highly rewarding, and yes, very difficult. I wish you the absolute best of luck in your launch and operation of a successful business, and will be looking for stories to be written about your incredible company!

 www.brianhazelgren.com

Things About You

In one of my books, Tactical Entrepreneur, I introduced a self assessment called Things About Me. The primary purpose of this worksheet is to take a quick inventory of what makes you, you. How you think about certain things, and what your own personal strengths and weaknesses are. http://www.brianhazelgren.com/tactical_entrepreneur.html

When you take a few minutes to ask yourself a few questions about what your passionate about…or about things you can improve on…or even a reminder of what you are pretty good at, its crazy how you can come up with new ideas. I have been teaching this simple principle for 10 years, and have taken the assessment myself 10 times, and each time I come up with new ideas, new concepts, new possibilities.

Take a few minutes and reflect on what where your own personal strengths and weaknesses are…areas you can improve on…and strengths you can share with others. It’s a brief 30 minute journey that will open up new doors for you. Who knows maybe a hidden talent is lurking beneath the surface just waiting for you to unlock its potential. I believe in you, and so do many others. You have the gift of making a difference in the lives of others and in your own life. It’s time to find out just how special that gift is. Best of luck!

www.brianhazelgren.com

Effective Leaders

Effective leaders must seek and provide clarity in order to have a vision to follow. We buy into a leaders vision if it has been well thought out and articulated.

Providing clarity should be a responsibility of leaders, rather than a convenient way to achieve a goal. Communicating a clear message takes dialog; sharing of ideas; push, pull, and an exchange of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and feelings.

Leaders must establish a clear vision of where they feel the company must get to.

“Where there is no vision the people perish.” King Solomon

Read my book Everlasting Wisdom

Entrepreneurs Needed

Owning a business, or “entrepreneurship”, is all about having the freedom of doing things your way, but that is only possible as you take calculated risks in working toward an obtainable goal. I want to teach you not only how to start a small business, but how to learn from others who have already made the mistakes for you—and how to take that knowledge and mold it into a success story of your own.

I am literally going to hand you an immensely expensive education in business. This education will not only save you thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in lessons learned, the information I will share with you will also show you how to establish a business that will help you make a great deal of money over and above those savings. After all, the freedom to do what you want in growing your own business is one thing, but how much freedom do you actually have if you can’t pay the bills, and have a little left over for yourself? The principles taught in my books and at my workshops, if followed, will allow you to have a lot left over for you and your family, or for whatever you want to do with it.

If I sound a little over the top, I don’t mean to. The fact is, I have obtained an expensive education of what works and what doesn’t in the world of business. I have made a lot of money running businesses, and I have lost a lot of money based on foolish choices I have made. Although I do have a college degree, I also have earned a PhD several times over from UHK. As you may already know, UHK stands for the University of Hard Knocks. I have what you would refer to as “street smarts,” which I gained from more than two decades of going after my dreams and not sitting back waiting for things to come to me. I love to share what I have learned with others.

This is one area that always resonates to the top for me. That is why I teach Entrepreneurship. I have a passion for learning, teaching and succeeding. I am very good at what I do because I love to learn and I enjoy seeing others succeed! Here’s to your success!

Stay Focused #6

How many times have you felt like you can predict what will happen in a certain situation if the current path is followed?

Have you ever felt like you were in the zone, and nothing could stop you from achieving success?

In my book Everlasting Wisdom, I asked the question: “Have you ever seen the poster that shows a setting sun on the horizon, and placed in front of the setting sun are four large boulders in the ocean. The caption of the poster is “When you take your eyes
off the goal, all you see are the obstacles.” The primary point is that the obstacles of deep, cold waters; and large objects standing in the way, are usually what we humans focus on first, rather than seeing past those obstacles and focusing on the beauty of the setting sun.

6. Visualize the end result – Constantly seeing the end result in your mind is a great motivator. Visualize what you want to accomplish. If the end result is truly important to you, it can serve as a powerful reminder that your sacrifices along the way will be worth it.

www.brianhazelgren.com