Plant Your Flag 3

Post 2 of 3 – Where Am I Going?

In the last blog post we pointed out the need to create a business yardstick and we discussed the tradeoffs of the required sacrifices needed to be successful and the cost of those sacrifices. In this blog post we will be looking at the last of the three core areas needed to plant our proverbial flag and get off the hamster wheel.

  The 3 core areas we have been talking about are.

1. Where we’ve been and how our past can help us fuel our future
2. Where are we at now
3. Where are we going

Let’s dive into this blog post where we’ll be looking at the third and last part of this series “Where are we going”. It is not just important to understand where you’ve been and where you are at, but it’s equally important to understand where you are going.

Have you ever jumped into a business or project with no real idea of what you are doing or where you are heading? I have to humbly say I’m guilty as charged. It’s easy to see a new shiny object that attracts your attention and the next thing you know you are chasing it without really having a plan or even a vague idea on where you are heading. With the ocean of marketing information out there it is easy to get swept away in the current. The problem is we find ourselves not only in the normal current but dragged down with the undercurrent. I don’t know if you ever been caught up in an undercurrent but it pulls you under and keeps turning you in circles and slamming you on the ocean floor. I have been caught in one a few times and it is scary and hard to get out of. The ocean of marketing information does the same if you don’t have a plan. It keeps turning you around and around and slamming you down with no hope of getting out of it. The current keeps you in this vicious cycle. Have you ever felt this way? I know I have on multiple occasions.

Would you like to know how to get out of the marketing current that keeps dragging you down?

First, I would recommend going back and following the other two blog posts in this series if you have not already.

Second, we will be diving into an exercise of how to develop a simple plan and vision to move you forward and get you out of the undercurrent and off the hamster wheel. Third, we will look at finding your why.

BUSINESS PLAN: GOAL SETTING

To get through the sea of marketing information it is vital to have a plan and a vision. Without them you will be stuck in the undercurrent that will devour your time and money and leave you exhausted, frustrated and defeated. Don’t feel bad if you find yourself in this situation. You are not alone! Both SJ and I have been there and understand the agony that goes along with it.

The good news is we found a way out and will be sharing the steps needed to move forward in our blog here.

So, how do you get out?

Well, it starts with building a plan. I know that horrible thing that takes up too much of your time and isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Have you felt this way about taking time to put together a plan? I know SJ and I felt overwhelmed with it until we learned that it doesn’t need to be this big, huge super detailed business plan like what you would take to a bank to get a loan. The secret is KIS (Keep It Simple).

I have found that the simpler the business plan is the less overwhelming it is to create and implement.

To create a simplified plan, we will look at two things: our business goals, and our why. We could go into mission statements, company’s vision and marketing budgets and so on, but they are not needed at this stage, add more complexity and are outside the scope of this blog post. Perhaps sometime in the future we may look at these.

I have to say goal setting is not one of my strong suits. Don’t get me wrong, setting the goals is easy but making them tangible is where I struggle. I have done SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) and 10x (take your goal and times it by 10) goal setting. In both cases I set all these great goals that look great on paper but are not tangible. I just need to get to the next step and not 50 steps from now. The question is how do you take something intangible and make it tangible?

What I have found out through experience and help from my mentor is start small and celebrate each tiny win. For instance, one of my goals is to consistently generate 20K a month in business revenue. However, this is not a tangible goal for me. I know I can eventually do it, but I just cannot wrap my head around this goal. So, I must simplify it to make it tangible. To do this I modified it into micro stepping stone goals. For example, here are some of my micro stepping stone goals.

• Find a mentor to help guide me through the ocean of marketing information (Done)
• Do the training recommend by my mentor (Working through it)
• Build and set up my blog (Done)
• Start posting in my blog (Done)
• Decide how I’m going to market my products and services (Working on it)
• Make my first sale online
• Get an award for making first ($1000) four figures online
• Get an award for making first ($10,000) five figures online
• Quit my day job
• Work toward the 20k Goal

As you can see these are smaller and more tangible goals than just saying I want to reach 20k a month. Of course, if needed, you can break each of these into smaller goals. The important thing is to make sure your goals are tangible to you. If not then they just become a futile exercise. What I have found out is if you set small tangible goals and celebrate those wins it increases your capacity and confidence to set larger tangible goals as you grow. There are two famous sayings:

• Yard by yard is too hard but inch by inch is a cinch.
• How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

As you build your goals remember this is will be your business plan that guides you through the treacherous waters and keeps you focused, so don’t take shortcuts. Spend the time needed to make it so it navigates you to your desired destination.

Do not know how to set goals and need some extra help in getting started?

Well, I was able to secure an eBook for a limited time on setting SMART Goals to give away with no strings attached. Just click on the link, download and it is yours.

If you have questions, post a comment and I will personally answer and help you in any way I can. You got this! I believe in you and your goals. What the mind can conceive it can achieve (Napoleon Hill).

BUSINESS PLAN: 7 LAYERS OF WHY

As we discussed above, it’s vital to know where you are going, and we accomplish that through goal setting. However, it’s just as important to understand “WHY” you want to accomplish your goals.

The marketing road ahead is filled with potholes, rugged terrain, steep inclines and various obstacles. Remember the beauty of a rose, it very pretty but also has thorns. Marketing is no different, there is no quick easy way despite what you see and hear online.

SJ and I have been through many ups and downs and disappointments as we’ve traveled on our marketing journey. We understand the reality of the struggles, hardships and frustrations that go along with the journey.  Can you relate to this? I know SJ and I have asked is it worth all these heartaches?

Are you wondering the same thing?

SJ and I have found through all the ups and downs the only thing that has kept us moving forward is a strong “WHY”. Without a strong why to help pull you through the struggles you are doomed to staying in the undercurrent and being slammed around which will eventually lead you to giving up.

So, how do you find your “WHY”?

First, your why cannot be money. Your why must go deeper than monetary value. As one of my mentors Dean Holland put it, if your why is monetary, it will quickly fade because it’s not backed up by substance.

Your why must come from deep down inside and be something that you have great conviction about.

Second, spend some quiet time thinking and brainstorming why you truly want to build your marketing business. Once you’ve done that then take what you have and turn it into a concise statement of WHY.

Third, we go through the “7 Layers of Why”.  Take the concise statement you made and put it on a blank sheet of paper. For example, here is mine.

I want to be able to quit my 9 to 5 job and take care of my immediate and extended family.

This sounds good, doesn’t it? However, it’s surface not really my deep why. So, we must ask ourselves again WHY do I want to quit my job and take care of my immediate and extend family?

I need to be able to quit my job for health reasons, which will cause me to lose my income and my ability to take care of my immediate and extended family.

Ask yourself again Why to your previous why statement. Keep doing this for at least 7 layers or until you have a solid why that will help pull you through the good, the bad and the ugly.

Here is my final why as an example.

Why am I doing this? Because I’m no longer able to keep doing my day job, due to a chronic illness and the need to have a more flexible schedule that will provide consistently for my family.

Without it I will be left with no way to support my family and I’ll lose everything and have to deal with the emotional fallout of not being able to provide for my family.

Fourth, take your final why statement and place it where you can see and read it on a consistent basis.

I have to confess I’ve failed at this last step. Grant Cardone says, “You should read and write your goals and your why down on paper every morning and evening everyday”. This helps to reinforce them in your mind.

However, I plan to rectify this by writing it on my bathroom mirror and putting It up in my office. Also, I commit to you, to read it at least twice a day. You can hold me accountable in the comments.

If you have not done the exercises above, I encourage to you to do so. These exercises and the ones form where have you been and where are you now go together to place you on a solid footing for starting your online business.

The lessons in this Plant Your Flag series have made a huge difference in helping SJ and I move forward.

We are not marketing gurus or internet marketing masters. We are just like you moving forward one step at a time toward our goals and helping as many others as we can to reach their goals and fulfill their “WHY”.

Please add your why and goals in the comments. I would also enjoy any other comments you wish to make.

I will personally read and answer them.

In the meantime KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!!

I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!

CJ

UPDATE 12/26/2023

As promised, I’ve printed out my “WHY” and posted it on my office door and bathroom mirror. Here is what I posted.

Have you printed out your “WHY”? What are you waiting for? Add your “WHY” and Goals to the comments. I would love to read them.

CJ