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Business advice comes in many forms. One form is a popular television show where entrepreneurs pitch ideas to possible investors – Dragon\'s Den. There are several lessons that business owners can take from the show – and when you hire a business consultant, these are some of the areas the consultant will focus on. Here are three lessons for starting or improving your business.

Have A Plan – And Keep It Simple

One of the best pieces of business advice is to have a plan for the business. This should include a market assessment, figures and an idea of where you want the business to go. If you are an ideas person then you may be tempted to throw everything into your plan. In fact, most business advice suggests that you concentrate on the key areas so that you can do those well. Having a \'kitchen-sink\' business plan may make it difficult to focus on what\'s important.

Know Your Figures

The second piece of business advice is to know your figures. You need to know how much it costs to make your product or produce your service and how much you can sell it for. That tells you how much profit you can make. You need to keep track of the sales you make and the money you have to spend so you know what your cash flow is. If you have to spend on shipping, this must be factored in too. If this is a weak area, then your consultant will be able to help you with this after a business review.

Research Your Market

This is a key piece of business advice. The development of your business hinges on good market research. You should know who your competitors are, what they offer and how you can differentiate yourself from them. You must also be alert to new market trends so that you can be the first to take advantage of them. A consultant who is well versed in all aspects of business will be able to help you research this area. The consultant will also suggest opportunities for extending your market reach and growing your business.

Believe In Your Product

Finally, it is important to believe in the value of the products and services you provide. This will go a long way to helping you to network and market effectively. This piece of business advice is especially important when starting a new venture – and it will also help your consultant to help you.

The majority of people whoever they are can benefit from and need some good advice at some time or another during their life. No single person knows everything and is able to answer any question asked; this is particularly true when it comes to business matters. Almost all successful people in business will have at some stage or another asked for business advice.

However while asking for advice is to be applauded, care should be taken when choosing who to ask for advice. Friends are ok and indeed may give some sound good advice, but when it comes to your business and your livelihood you have to be sure it is the right advice. Here is where a specialist can come in very handy. A specialist who gives advice in business matters is a financial advisor or personal business coach.

Good business advice is essential when starting up your business; it can make a huge difference between reaching success and becoming one of the failure statistics within 5 years. However a business coach doesn't end here, they can grow with you through your businesses growth by sharing their expertise with you.

There are many business coaches to choose from, all which could offer you sound business advice, however the one you choose should have experience and have been successful in business themselves. The best advice is given from experience and only by having gone through and succeeded can you get this experience.

A good business coach will know all aspects of business and be able to advise you on different factors regarding your business. They should have a love for small businesses and helping people get the best from their chosen business. Good sound business advice should never be overlooked or thought of as failure, if you need advice. All successful entrepreneurs need advice and will have taken it at some time or another in order to get ahead and be where they are today.

Along with personal business coaching, the top advisors will also offer free business tips and advice via their website and this is where you can pick up some excellent starter tips free of charge. Most of them will also offer blogs and forums where like minded people can get together and chat. So if you are looking for good business advice for your small business then consider joining a community such as www.lonelyentrepreneur.com and get some good advice to enable your small business to succeed.

The third greatest regret expressed by elderly folk in the research was that they would have liked to have done more things of value that would survive after they were gone.
 As they reflected on their lives they found that so much of their time had been dedicated to things that had no long term value. They questioned the legacy that they would be leaving.

Leaving a legacy is like a mark or an inscription that we leave to prove that "WE WERE HERE" and that we made a difference. There are different types of legacies.

People  The people who we help or influence in a positive way can be a lasting reminder that we made a difference.

Causes  Some people put their efforts into making a difference through a cause that they feel passionate about.

Organisations and businesses  Great leaders leave a legacy in the quality and reputation of the organisations and                  businesses that they helped to create.

Creative expressions  Some leave their mark through their writing, songs, art or photography.

Wealth   Helping the next generation through a financial legacy can really help others in a practical way.

Key achievements   Some leave their influence through great  personal achievements which inspire others to do greater             things.

The legacy that we leave will usually reflect the things that we valued, were passionate about and had the skills to achieve. We are all different and we can all leave our mark in different ways.

If you haven't seen the inspiring youtube clip about a dog making a difference please check it out. Just look up  -   "ricochet surfing dog".

Have you found your way to make a difference?

What do you want to be remembered for?

"I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character"
Martin Luther King Jr

Can't take the credit for this post – check out Steve at Actuate Consulting for the original version

People also hit a roadblock when they try to improve on their leadership skills because they simply don’t know where to start. Here are seven simple ways to start building better leadership skills:
1.    The first thing that you need to do is dig deep within yourself and examine your self esteem. This is often one of the most difficult tasks for people, as it can be awkward to tackle any self esteem issues that you do not have. In order to squash any self esteem issues that you may have, you need to let go of the past. You may have made mistakes in the past and you may feel guilty over some of those mistakes, but you cannot let that stop you from moving forward. You have chosen this time to improve your leadership skills, so it makes no sense to be stuck on the lack of skills that you have had in the past.
2.    Get organized! This needs to be stressed time and time again because in order to improve your leadership skills, you need to make sure that your entire life is full of clutter. This means organizing your home; your office space, your time and everything else. There is mental clutter and physical clutter and both types need to be organized in order for you to move forward and become a better leader.
3.    Set goals! While improving leadership skills should be a lifelong goal, you still need an ending point. Keep the goals simple and small. For example, if you want to improve on your communication skills in order to be a better leader, pick a date that you want that to happen by. Also make a list of all communication related issues that you want to tackle by the date that you pick.
4.    Become a good planner. One of the main reasons that people fail to meet the goals that they set is because they are not good planners. For example, if you have a work project that is due and you set a goal to get it done on Thursday, but Thursday is always a really busy day, then you just planned your way into not completing your goal. Be realistic when you make plans and set goals so that you have a better chance of achieving what you want to.
5.    Improve your communication skills through role playing and by improving your self esteem. Good leaders speak clearly, get the point across quickly and see results. Many people are good talkers, but tend to ramble on forever and that can confuse people. Other people are embarrassed to speak to other people or in public and this can greatly hinder being an effective leader. Role playing is a great way to improve any communication issues that are holding you back. Pick a friend or a coworker that you have worked with for a long time so that you will be comfortable when role playing. Just remember that you are not always going to be speaking in front of people that you know.
6.    Learn to let go. There is a misguided belief out there that a good leader is a person who can handle everything by themselves without asking for help from anyone else. This is far from the truth! A good leader knows how to delegate tasks to the appropriate people and a good leader knows how to trust people. Truth is, if you try to take on everything in life by yourself, then you will easily fall behind and become overwhelmed. By relying on other people and being able to let go of your “I can do it myself attitude”, you will be a better leader and live a less stressed life.
7.    Learn how to be a good example. If you procrastinate, show up to work late, spend time at work dealing with personal issues or never follow through with things, then your staff is going to have the same attitude. By setting a good example, you are raising the bar for your staff and you are letting them know what is expected of them. This not only holds true in your career, but it also holds true in your family and your circle of friends. Clearly inform people what you expect of them and then make sure to lead by example.
By focusing on these seven areas of leadership skills, you will be on the road to improvement in no time. Just remember that becoming a better leader does not happen overnight and it is a lifelong process that is going to take time and dedication.
For more articles like this check out ‘Changing  Times’ or for help in leadership development for yourself or your organization try our website ‘Business Savant’.

During the course of a day, people are faced with dozens of decisions. Some decisions are simple and are normally easy to take on, while others can take a little more thinking and consideration. Regardless of the nature of the decision, being decisive is a key factor in being an excellent leader in your personal life and in your career.
Think about the number of times during a day that you are faced with a decision. Do you decide quickly and with confidence or do you look to others for guidance and then just follow along with what everyone else wants? Following others is not displaying good leadership skills, but that’s exactly what you are doing if you tend to be on the indecisive side.
There are some decisions which need more thinking through than others, but did you know that if you take a long time to make decisions that you are actually being indecisive? If you are coming up with a new marketing plan for example, taking a few days to come up with your idea is not unreasonable, but if it takes weeks or months, then you may need to re-evaluate your decision making skills. Being indecisive can also make those around you feel as though you are not sure of yourself or that you are not confident in your decisions.
How do you improve your decision making skills so that you will be seen a leader?
•    Start with the small decisions that you have to make every day. For example, if someone asks you what you would like for a meal, do you speak your answer right away or do you take the backseat and reply “whatever you feel like eating?” By starting small, you can easily build up your decision making confidence.
•    Use role playing. Many people have a hard time making decisions because they come nervous or they are worried that what they say won’t be respected by their peers. When you role play, have another person first ask you simple questions and then lead into harder questions to answer. By doing this, you are going to become more comfortable with answering questions and making decisions quickly and efficiently.
•    Practice your communication and public speaking skills. Some people are shy or want to avoid being embarrassed and therefore have a hard time speaking their answers or ideas. If you can feel confident in the way that you communicate and present yourself, you decisiveness will also improve.
Those are just a few simple ideas to get you started, but there are several more ways that you can improve your decision making ability. If you have a hard time being decisive, then your peers and coworkers may not feel confident in the ideas or answers that you come up with. Even if your answer is not the best in the world, you will still be seen as a leader if you can answer decisively and with confidence.

Check pou more articles like this at 'Changing Times' or for help with leadership issues go to our website 'Business Savant'.

You’ve heard it all before about us all being uniquely ‘wired’ making us all different in our own way. Realizing we have our own filters for our experiences so that even when we see a red rose or smell it we are all experiencing it in our own way.  That unique way of seeing the word can become ‘hard wired’ in  leading to people becoming set in their ways  and how they do things – approach and solve problems for example.  Your leadership qualities and abilities can only be improved by challenging your own thinking and getting outside of your box!
Even if you think that you are an open minded individual, chances are that you could still improve. Truth is, most people believe that they are open to ideas and opinions, but then when it comes time to prove it, they find themselves sticking to the same thoughts and opinions that they have had for their entire life. This can hold you back and lead others to believe that you are not open to ideas and possibilities. In order to be a true leader for yourself and for other people, you need to be able to easily work on a team; be open to new ideas and not close down your mind for new or out of the box suggestions.
Take a look at these top 10 reasons why you need to think outside of the box:
1.    It will further your personal and career development. If you tell yourself that something can be done, than most likely, it can. By being open, you are letting others around you know that you are willing to take on new challenges head on, even if the challenge seems difficult.
2.    You will earn respect from your peers and co-workers when you respect their ideas and opinions- even if those ideas and opinions seem a little farfetched. You will also be respected when you come up with your own ideas that are outside of the box. The person who speaks up and offers their ideas is always more respected and well regarded than those who sit in the back of the room and is silent.
3.    It shows that you have the ability to think and act quickly if you need to.
4.    It gives you the leading edge over competition. Think about television commercials that have catchy songs in them or a funny storyline. The idea and concept might be a little out of this world, but they also stick with consumers and help companies profit. If you have the ability to think outside of the box, then you will always be one step ahead.
5.    Some of the most famous inventions did not come from people who thought that their idea was simple and easy to create; they came from people who had big ideas, big dreams and would stop at nothing to make those dreams come true.
6.    It shows that you have control, drive and determination.
7.    If you think outside of the box, then those around you are going to be more willing to open up as well.
8.    It will be easier to solve conflicts when they arise at work or in your personal life. Those who think outside of the box are more willing to compromise than those who have one track minds.
9.    You will be less apt to get stuck in a rut or feel bored with things going on in your life. Thinking outside of the box will help you come up with creative ways to keep things interesting and fun.
10.    It will enable you to experience new things in life. Those who tend to be more closed minded usually stick with the same types of food, the same job and going to the same places. If you can think outside of the box a little, you will bring things into your life that you will enjoy that you never would’ve tried before.
Having good leadership skills does not just include being able to effectively manage your work environment or your employees. Being a good leader takes into account how you respond to new situations, change and new people. If you open your mind up, then you are more likely to respond positively to those things and that will enable you to lead more effectively.
If you want more articles like this , check out 'Changing Times’ and for help developing you or your organizations leadership skills contact us via our website – Future Performance.