I attended a number of telecourses this year, ranging from “how to add audio and video to blog sites” to “using Myspace for business.” But the most valuable three programs that helped me build my business in a BIG way were the following three programs: Resolutions Results Program, Take Action Group, and the One Page Business Plan course.
Resolution Results for your Business Success in 2008
The Resolutions Results group is an eight-week program presented by communication expert Felicia Slattery. The program I attended last January featured guest speakers, tips for how to get results and meet goals, and because I was attending along with other small business owners, I got the benefit of hearing others’ questions, problems, solutions, experiences, and achievements. The instructor, Felicia Slattery, is herself a coach and businesswoman and trust me when I tell you that I have seen first-hand what this woman can accomplish in the course of one year – she’s phenomenal! She walks the talk and gives sound advice on how to grow your business and ultimately increase cash flow.
This year’s program, Resolutions Results for Your Business Success in 2008, looks fabulous! Tons of content, bonuses, and guest speakers include such well-knowns as Jeff Herring (the Article Guy), marketing mentor Denise Michaels, and a personal friend of mine, author and abundance coach Kamin Bell (the same Kamin who personally coached me right into getting my new BMW this year!). The class starts second week of January, but those who register before December 22nd get an early bird discount – so don’t wait and sign up now for the Resolutions Results Program.
Take Action Group
By March, I had started to implement some of the lessons I had learned from Felicia’s class and my business was starting to take off. But I had made a major change and didn’t know what to do – I wanted to change my niche and realized I needed someone to coach me through this. How do I target my niche? How do I effectively market to them? How do I explain to people what I do?
I was feeling a little lost and even had a phone consultation with a pricey business coach. But then I found a great product in Alicia Forest’s “21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success” workbook. Not only that, but about two weeks later, I found out that she was starting a teleclass that would meet for 10 weeks and go over all of the steps in the workbook. Eureka – I felt like I hit the jackpot! If any of you know Alicia, is a member of her Cafe, or have purchased other products from her, you know that she is first class all the way. Her principles are sound and her experience is unmatched when it comes to marketing, list building, and growing a solo business. Sign up for her next Take Action Group starting in January.
One Page Business Plan
Towards the end of this year, my business was rockin’! I was doing great but felt like I needed a little fine tuning – namely a better plan. I know all of you reading this know how vital it is to have a business plan, but does your plan really work? I had written a business plan, but it wasn’t working for me – it was just a few pages of text that was filed away. I found Amy Grossman’s “One Page Business Plan” and this program far exceeded my expectations!
If you are having trouble coming up with (let alone reaching) your objectives, either personally or financially, then having a business plan will help you along. In the course of eight weeks, Amy Grossman walks you through setting up your plan and how to use your plan. In plain English, she will explain and help you set up goals and objectives that will systemize your business.
One example of how this course helped me was that I had a figure in my head of how much money I wanted to make each year. I vaguely knew how many hours I needed to work per month in order to reach that goal, but that’s about it. Working with Amy, I started to pay attention of how many hours I was actually billing per day versus working per day, which was nowhere near where I needed to be in order to reach my goal. So, as we crafted my business plan, I felt more empowered about the direction my business was headed, I figured out that there were clients that I needed to let go, but most of all, I finally had goals and objectives that weren’t just vague ideas, but solid goals and figures that I could track, follow, and improve upon. Her next class is forming and begins January 22nd, first five registrants get an early bird discount so sign up now.
So, there you have my recommendations for the next year. I highly recommend each and every course, take all three if you can! and don’t forget, if you sign up for any of these programs by midnight Friday (12/22), you’ll have a chance to win the $80 Sharper Image gift card. Good luck!
Copyright 2007, Lisa Wells.
I'm Lisa Wells and I'm passionate about helping entrepreneurs. Whether you need someone to help you get to the 7-figure level, manage your virtual team, help you grow your business, or need a mentor for your virtual assistant business, I can help.
Lisa, great post! I just wanted to add that Jeff Herring is an excellent speaker and mentor and my business has increased tremendously as a result of his influence.