Mission vs. Vision: Have you created your vision?

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

Good Morning, Great Morning! TODAY IS FAMOUS FRIDAY and I'm excited about new things for my business today in preparation for the upcoming week. New clients, new structures and programs, new equipment and new vision! It took me 3 years to learn that if we are unable to move forward with our visions for our businesses, we remain stuck. If we can't remain excited about our business, then it's possible that the mission has been deterred.

Phase two of this trauma is that we become afraid of change which makes it more difficult to earn more and grow. Many people are afraid of the unknown which literally drives them to failure.

I dare you to get excited again! Refresh your organization. Recharge your mind and heart, start building a success team and MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS SUCCESS!

So, here's the punchline: If you have a mission statement for your business without a vision statement, it shows that the direction and growth of your business has not yet been developed or completely thought out. They are created to clearly and concisely convey the direction of your business.

Your vision needs to include your business' embrace of the advancement of technology in the 21st century, the rise of social media and your adaptation to working virtually for the betterment of the earth and productivity of your business. 

For example, the vision at our company (in short) is to simply support clients on a national level and become the number one, highly preferred company (a household name) to provide operational support and consultation to entrepreneurs and businesses on every level. Phase two of our vision is to be able to provide a strong work-from-home platform as well as nationwide locations that will allow people to provide their skills and talents in assisting other businesses with their operations, growth and success.

Think of it this way: Your vision statement is for the future. Your mission statement is for the "now" and helps to define your company's purpose and primary objectives. Your vision statement also defines the purpose, but the purpose is now outlining the future of your company. Ask yourself where do you want to see it in 5, 10, 50 years down the line.

Here is a really cool article I found to help you in preparing both: HERE

It's really important to be able to go back and revisit these components for your business every now and then. They allow you to determine if you're following your master plan. It's your blueprint to guide you in following through and accomplishing what you set for the vision of your company.

A Sure Way to Stand Out on the Red Carpet

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

So, I've always prided myself on being an individual. That's it. Very simple. That's my punch line. I've never been one to purchase the most obvious buy in the mall. I would rather look at the other pieces of clothing and mix and match. A dreadful day it was, back in college...I got all dressed and really casual yet cute looking. Walked downstairs to the college event and someone else had on the same exact outfit as I did. In complete horror, I ran back upstairs and changed. I thought to myself, "Now how in the world did she find that shirt?". Needless to say, everyone was making comments on the fact that we were wearing the same thing. Even though the shirt was really unique and unlike anything the average person would wear, we both had it on. AWKWARD!!! The other girl thought it was actually a cute coincidence and didn't seem to mind. NOT!!!

I am apart of an industry that house over 10,000 people providing practically the same business model to make a living from. Even though I started out with the same exact business model, something in my gut did not allow me to stay there. I would always imagine my business right there, smack dab in the middle of 10,000 firms just like mine on the strip of the red carpet. They all had the same basic branding, services offered and operational structure. They all charged the same amount, used the same tools and were apart of the same social groups. Can you imagine trying to be seen or even standout in that atmosphere?  Well, I couldn't imagine it for the life of me. For one, I hate competition. Now, don't get me wrong, I hate it, however, I welcome it. I have a quiet confidence in what I have to offer and bring to the table. When I started in this industry, I took my time to learn and enhance upon my skills. I looked at what others were doing and what they weren't willing to do and went from there.

Three years later, I've developed an existence, that gives my business a halo of light each time we walk down the red carpet. My business stands out and I'm proud of that. Not only does it stand out, I make sure we follow through with our image from the first sight, to the actual contact, on through to the beginning and ending of a client's relationship with us. Remembrance, is more important to me than anything else. Is our focus only on trying to get new clients? No, it's actually not. I would rather my company be known for sharing and community.  This is our secret. This is how we draw our clients.

How are you making strides to stand out from the crowd on the red carpet of business recognition? This has worked for me and of course, you are not required to follow my method, however, it's something that's proven over and over again by entrepreneurs and small businesses that I coach.

BRAND YOUR BUSINESS BRILLIANT

The one thing I realized that needed to be consistent was our brand’s color palette (most importantly), the name and the symbols or icons. Remember, a good business name will establish marketing recall and build early equity. Try these strong points: 1) Speak to your target market;  2) Describe what you do;  3) Keep it simple;  4) Don’t use trendy names.  After these types of fads run their course, you will be left with a stale and outdated name, and that’s probably what most people will think of your business too.

SPEAK VOLUMES

When you walk into a room (FaceBook, Twitter, a Community Event, wherever)  you want to say something or post something that will make people want to know who you are. Make your presence known. Introduce yourself and what you do to help people. Get in on the social scene, whether it's online groups or offline events. Prepare your Elevator Speech and alter it according to where you are and who you're talking to. Make sure you start off as the listener in the first half of the conversation. How else are you going to know how to offer the right services or products to your listening ears. Always display and offer your expertise humbly and with authenticity.

BECOME THE ODD BALL 

If everyone else in your industry is doing "this", then, you should be the only one doing "that". Often times, the way I do business isn't understood by many of my peers. They don't understand how we can be in the same industry, offering the same services but my business is more favored over theirs. Hmmm...let's see. I've simply taken something and enhanced it to suit what business owners really need. I've taken the norm and altered it to provide more of a benefit to those that seek my help. I listen to the needs of the "individual", what they really prefer and what they're hoping for. I offer them my exact service and situation that would suit them better. Instead of telling them that "this is the way we do business...it's my way or the highway", I help them to realize the benefits of what we have to offer and how it's going to help them better. I provide them with examples and case studies to give them a clear vision of what to expect. 

So, as you can see, standing out isn't so bad. When you're different from the rest, it makes people want to know who you are. With strong standards, creativity, a little flexibility, an essence of community and passion for what we do, I've managed to turn my company into a red carpet winner. Humbly, genuinely and authentically! For me, I'm just having fun helping others follow through on their dreams. You can do the same for your business as well. Take a chance and research others in your industry, get modernized and redesign your company to stand on its own, apart from the others. It will really pay off in the end.

Are you guilty of Success Hopping?

by Michelle Hill-Smith

of www.OnTaskAssistants.com

Remember back in the day, when you'd go to a nightclub and end up visiting at least 3 more by the end of night? Yep, you got it! Club Hopping! A simple way to describe it is when you go from club to club in search of a better experience than the last. When my sisters and I would prepare to go to the nightclub that evening, our goal was to remain in the club we set out for. We didn't have enough money back then to go from place to place. Not to mention, all the gas, time and energy we'd spend to do so. Often times, with club hopping, you can never seem to have genuine fun. At the end of the night, you almost feel cheated and incomplete.

The same is true with many aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. One idea is created, molded and implemented.Once success is realized, it's time to move on to something bigger because so and so is doing great with it. How many times have you done this in your business journey? I can honestly say that I am VERY guilty of this very thing. Since 2001 I've actually started and sometimes operated a Dance Company, Dance Studio, Fit Club, Natural Soap Making Company, and God knows what else. I guess my excuse was that I just wanted to be successful at something. 

I believe the question is “What’s the hold up?” Sometimes, our destination for success is held up by our own fears. You plan and plan for months to no avail. I, personally felt as if I was my own obstacle. My business ideas were very thorough, well-thought out from start to finish. However, I constantly experienced one to two variations of the same problems. One, I would get so excited about my new venture. I knew that that would be it. It was the one. I’d plan it out for several months. Write every detail out and even create the logo and website for it. Then, within a matter of time, I’d began thinking of something else after seeing the success of another.  I’d begin jotting down ideas to create something else. Two, I’d revisit one of my once exciting new venture ideas that was on the verge of being launched and begin revamping that idea in hopes of it being the one. 

Whew! What a delusional cycle I was creating for myself. The madness had to stop.

In short, I realized that if I had the guts to stick it out with the one best idea or system I’d grown accustomed to running for a while, chances were, I’d probably be on my way to creating that empire I longed for successfully. I had to stop chasing success and start creating success. 

There’s only one reason to stall in going forward with your business venture. The simple cause is a LACK OF READINESS. Moving forward without really examining your idea and operations from start to finish will result in failure in the long run.

You see, often times we allow our dreams to remain just that, a dream. I learned that if I thoroughly examined what it was that made me happy and execute a plan to create a stable, yet fulfilling life from it, I achieved my dream...on my own terms.

TIME TO DECIDE. GET RID OF OBSTACLES. TIME TO EXECUTE.