July 16th 2009

Dear

We are well into summer and I have been traveling around on my motorcycle. And as I have been riding I have been focusing on becoming fully bilingual.  Who knows?  Soon the newsletter may come to your inbox in two languages!

I have learned several lessons while riding ( and sometimes falling over) on my motorcycle.  You can read more here!

I have also had the great experience of spending considerable time in the mountains in the past month. For about 2 months I kept saying I wanted a place to spend the summer where I could enjoy nature and take some time to revive my spirit.  Almost magically an opportunity presented itself for my husband to manage a small campground in the mountains.  And so here we are!  (Law of attraction in action)

It has been a peaceful and energizing experience where the worst news on the radio is about bear sightings!  ( I see deer, elk, mountain sheep and other wildlife every day!)

Being in a place that gives me rest and energizes me at the same time has also helped me regain, revive and rebuild my love for my business!  What are you doing to regain balance and renew the interest in your business?

Here are some things you can do to renew your energy and interest in your business:

• Write down how you served or helped someone recently - and think about what might have happened had you not been there to help.  Then pat yourself on the back and recognize that your efforts DO make a difference.
• Take time every day to breathe deeply and think about  'What if ?".  How can you stretch or revamp something you have to offer to bring a new spin and new life to what has become old an uninspiring.
• Take time to meet with your peers.  Reach out. Share a pot of tea or bottle of wine.  Either way, take time to share hopes and dreams and even some solutions to issues you have faced.  Celebrate being an entrepreneur!

Being an entrepreneur or small business owner may not be easy.  But when we are doing something that we love to do, it will feed us in more ways than one.  And remember - each of us is only a part in a great big wheel.  Without us, whether we know it or not, the ride would be bumpy!

Have an adventurous and profitable week!  Remember - what you think upon grows... what will you focus on?

Mandie Crawford and the Roaring Women Team

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What words are in your vocabulary these days? 

Competition. Recession. Scale back. All of these words imply either a backwards motion or the act of looking over your shoulder.  These are all negative states of mind.  How can you move forward if you have one foot on the gas and one on the brakes?

It's easy to talk about the state of the economy, the effect on our businesses and the money we do not have.  But again I will say it - it takes us backwards and not forwards.

We say we want our businesses to grow and yet we focus on what we do not have.

Recently I was speaking with another entrepreneur about plans for the fall and even next spring.  I was excited thinking about the great things that are just around the corner.  The surprise showed on their face as they said, "Well you are lucky - you can plan these things because things are going good for you."

What they did not know was that I too had felt the effects of the recession.  However I KNEW that this was just a moment in time and that in a year or more I would see it as much smaller than it feels like it is today.

In fact I even closed a few doors that were providing me with steady income.  Some thought me to be crazy - but I knew deep down that I needed t close those doors to move forward.

What are you focusing on - backward or forward motion?  Leaders may trip and fall - but they do not focus on the fall - because they know they will always fall forward.  How do they know that?

You cannot fall forward if you are looking over your shoulder at the competition - you will fall back.  And the more you scale back, the fewer customers you can attract or serve - and the fewer dollars you will bring in.

A leader will forge their own trail, choose their own thoughts, determine their own future simply by the way they think and speak.  Others may call them unreasonable.  Some may call them unrealistic.  I call them leaders.   For them NO is not an answer.

The best part about being a leader is that it really is easy.  All you need to do is be different, choose your own path, focus on the positive, constantly look for opportunities and if you cannot see any ahead of you - maybe it is time to close a few doors.  So what will you be?  A leader or a follower?