Embrace the Entrepeneur Within

Have you ever stopped and thought about how much money you make for your boss? Have you realized that by not working for yourself, you are working to make someone else rich? Every day you spend countless hours generating income for someone you probably don't know and for a business you definitely don't own. Unfortunately, in this economy no job is secure. So, where do you find the security? What does your future look like? 

If you see more prosperity in your future, then you need to take control of your life now. And that means, working for yourself! You need to put yourself in a position to FIRE YOUR BOSS! Set your own hours and reap the benefits of your hard work.  

My mom had an “Embrace the Entrepeneur Within” luncheon this weekend, to empower women in their lives and in business. We had 12 to 15 women there that all had positive comments about the illustrious speaker, Melissa Taft. She spoke about the steps we need to take to change our lives for the better. She talked about asking yourself questions like, are you going through life, KNOWING it's not how you'd like it and doing NOTHING about it or are you aware of your displeasure and doing all you can in your power to change your life??? She described how there are different stages to our development in life and wherever our competency level is, is how our life is developing now. So when are you going to take control of it????

So, today the question goes to you too! Are you living your life in complete denial, ignoring all the failures around you, saying, “Oh well, it’s life!”, or are you stepping out on faith, and taking actions to change your life? The bible says "...faith without deeds is dead" James 2:26. If you're wanting a change in your life, you should be praying for a change. You shoud be taking action and doing things like giving up habits you know aren’t good for you or following through with personal goals or doing all you can to get a financial promotion or even better, taking steps to FIRE YOUR BOSS!

Do something for yourself and your family. Make a move to impact your life. Embrace the entrpeneur within today! We can help you today! ==> CLICK HERE 

The Top 5 Book Picks for Business Owners

I've been talking about this list in the last few blogs and it's finally here! These are my top 5 book picks to help you successfully build your business. Now, let's be honest. There are so many books about business practices out there, it's impossible to read them all. But in my opinion, if you read these books, you'll at least have a great start. The following reviews are their official reviews from Amazon.com. 

1.  

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kyosaki

This is a must read for everyone! It chronicles Robert Kyosaki's two dads. His real dad who was the superintendent of education and his friends dad who was one of the wealthiest people in Hawaii and their opinions on financial strategies. This book offers sound advice on how to achieve financial success, get rich and stay rich.

2.

The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

This book is from the author that also brought you "Purple Cow: Trasform Your Business by Being Remarkable", that shares how to stand out from others. In 'The Big Moo" Godin brings together 33 of the world's best business minds to answer one question: What does it really take to make your organization remarkable? The stories included in this book from the different business owners share real-life examples of building businesses. This book is an easy and fast read.

3.  
How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston
This great book discusses what drives successful women business owners. Including stories from the CEO's of Avon and Xerox (just to name a few). This book focuses on the ideas of Centered Leadership: meaning, framing, connecting, engaging, and energizing. A great read for women or MEN.

4.
Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell
In this book, John C. Maxwell "does it again", discussing how the clear difference between successful and unsuccessful people is their ability to recover from failures. This book goes through reasons people fail and how they can bounce back from them successfully. Mr. Maxwell includes the life stories of people like Mary Kay Ash, Greg Horn, Beck Weathers and many more. This book is an excellent source for learning to get over failures and move on to success.

5.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey
This book first came out in 1990 and it was a success then. Stephen Covey discusses strategies for becoming effective in your personal life and in business. The first thing that needs to happen, however, is a "paradigm shift". Covey discusses this shift as a change in ones perception of the world. Once this takes place, you are ready to form the habits to be more effective. This is definitely not a quick and easy read. You should study this book throughly and take notes to master these habits. It may change your life!

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Well there you have it! My 5 book picks. As I said earlier, these books would be a great start. However, you don't want to stop here. Jack Canfield (life coach, author of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul')  said it best, "The more books you read, the more likely one of them will have an answer to a question that could solve the major problems of your life.. make you wealthier, solve a health problem, whatever it might be." A smart business owner can learn a lot from reading just a few books a year. Well, the RIGHT books. Reading the right books can help you avoid making that one little mistake that can cause so many businesses to fail. As we were taught in school, reading increases your knowledge and intelligence. So, READ!

Tamara Garrison-Thomas
http://www.garrisonprosperitysolutions.com/

iPad for business: Apps, Accessories, and Secrets

So I went to an event this weekend, and had a blessed time! It was so good that afterwards, I was ready to purchase some merchandise. Fortunately, I was first in line. Unfortunately, I didn't have small bills and they didn't take check. BUT they did take debit card. So I gave them my card to run, and it took FOREVER! They were using an Apple computer, but whatever program it was, it was not working fast enough. The line of 1 person grew to 6 in a matter of minutes. I even ended up having to enter my information myself! With all that said, all I could think about was if that was a different Apple product, the iPad, they wouldn't have this problem.

And it's so true. The iPad has so many benefits for an entrepeneur. Whether you need to take credit cards, keep customer information, or communicate with employess in other states or countries (with the new iPad2), the iPad is for you. Today I'm just going to share brief information about the apps, accessories and secrets about the iPad I enjoy.

One of the great things about the iPad is that you can download applications or apps to it, and make it do pretty much anything you want :0. There is an excellent app for people that take credit cards called Square. Square allows business owners to accept credit cards and it's FREE. All you have to do is download the app and then sign up for an account and BOOM. 3 days later, they send you a small card reader that connects to your iPad! It's wonderful. And definitely would've benefitted the merchants at the event :)

Another app that's great for keeping up with customer information is Bento. Not only can does it store customer information like phone numbers and order history, but it keeps you organized as well. You can manage your personal contacts and keep a schedule, you can also create "To-do" lists. It's a great application to keep you on track.

Oh don't worry, if you're a writer or trying to pitch some ideas for some dinero, or need flyers for you there's an app for you too. Pages allows you to create sales presentations and flyers for any and all of your business needs.  And alongside you need Keynote which helps create powerpoint presentations. Both apps go hand-in-hand. Although there's a minimal fee for each, it's definitely worth it.

One accessory you might enjoy are the bluetooth keyboard, which comes in handy for those big projects that have a lot of typing. Also a cool accessory is the camera connection kit which allows you to upload pictures from your camera onto your iPad.

One thing I have discovered about the iPad and love is that if you click the "home" button twice, you can see all of the windows you're working with and go back and forth. Another cool feature is that you can create a passcode to get into your iPad. Makes it kind of personal so only you can get in it!

Now, to find out about all the other cool features the iPad offers, you have to get one! The new iPad2 has just come out and the prices range from $499-$829. So consider the iPad for all your business needs. It is definitely worth it's purchase.

Www.garrisonprosperitysolutions.com

How to decide what type of business to start.

Do you have that entrepeneurial itch? Do you have a need to own your time? Do you have some talent or hobby you wish to share? Or maybe just interested in a career change? Well you've come to the right place. Deciding what type og business you want to start is the hard part. After that, we can help you build a successful business.

Evaluating your options:
So the first thing you need to do is evaluate your interests or hobbies. Is there something about your current or past jobs you like? Or something about a past job you really disliked? Do you have an interesting hobby that comes in handy here-and-there with your friends and family? Well these are the things to consider when you're deciding on a business to start. Make a list of things you're interested in AND things you dislike. The "dislike" list is to help you decide which businesses you DON'T like. Here's a sample of a list(keep in mind, some of the dislikes, might be your likes):

Likes                                                                                                      
Using the computer
Working with people
Helping people feel good about themselves
Writing
Decorating
Helping people fix things
Cleaning

Dislikes
Dealing/speaking with people
Crunching numbers
Working with children
Giving speeches
Managing people



Consider your resources:
Now, after making that list, you need to decide what you can do with the likes and dislikes. Decide which of those is the most prominent and you're most interested in and GO WITH IT!! With some of your hobbies you can sell on eBay. With some of your like you can find franchises or Internet or Network Marketing businesses to satisfy those desires. Start researching your interests and interviewing some current business owners on their work life.

Research:
You need to educate yourself on the business you're interested in. You need to educate yourself on the industry you'll be working in. There are so many books that can get help you. Go to a local bookstore or library and just look for some of those business self-help or self-educate books.( A list of MUST-READS coming soon)

Put your twist on it:
While researching and creating a business plan, you need to think about how your business will be different from others. Now keep in mind, aspects of building your business successfully might be in place already and you will be able to connect with someone in the business that can help you build it. So, you don't want to re-invent the wheel if you don't have to. But you want to add your own little touch to certain aspects of your business. As you get more acquainted with the business and the people, you can develop these concepts quickly.

Stay MOTIVATED:
You want to make sure you stay inspired and most of all motivated to build your business in an organized, successful way. With my book, The MOTIVATOR, I can help you develop a business plan and ways to keep yourself organized and focused on your goals for your business. To be honest, starting a business is not the easiest thing to do, BUT it's so rewarding and you'll be able to set your own hours, and potentially be very successful. Just keep in mind you MUST work to see RESULTS. "Proverbs 12:11-he who works his land will have abundant food but he who chases fantasies lacks judgement."

Hope this has helped in some way. If you have more questions, I would like to encourage you to take our BAT (Business Aptitude Test). EXCLUSIVELY offered through Garrison Prosperity Solutions (G.P.S.).
We can find a business for you!!!! Contact us today http://www.garrisonprosperitysolutions.com/.

Tamara Garrison-Thomas
http://www.garrisonprosperitysolutions.com/
http://www.businessadvice2011.blogspot.com/