Total Business Transformation: Create the Business that Truly Supports Your Ideal Life

Just Breathe…

By Phil Dyer · Comments (3)
Saturday, September 4th, 2010

What’s in a breath?

My good friend and mentor James Malinchak is fond of saying that your next breath is the most precious gift each of us has in that second…

…I tend to agree.

That’s nearly 700 million precious gifts – assuming you live to 80 – and many of us will live far longer than that!

How are you spending those gifts?

What are you doing with these amazing gifts?  Are you using them to empower…to support…to encourage…to love…to laugh?

How are you spending this “life currency”?  Are you increasing your knowledge, wisdom and compassion with each inhalation while letting go of worry, fear and stress every time you inhale?

Are you using your divine wind to fill the sails of those around you with a powerful, yet sublime zephyr to propel them on their life’s journey?

How are you choosing to use each priceless breath?

What will your investment yield?

Imagine if more people made a conscious effort to invest those 700 million irreplaceable moments in time?  What would our lives, our families, our communities and our world look like?  What seemingly insurmountable challenges and intractable problems could we solve if we spent less time “day trading” our breaths on things that don’t really matter in the long run and more effort investing them in our passions, our strengths, our innate and unique brilliance?

Imagine the uncountable wealth we could accumulate in connection with family, in service of others and in creating a full and abundant life for others…what would that feel like?

My Request…

The next time you find yourself getting ready to raise your voice in frustration or anger…the next time you are tempted to do the easier wrong instead of the harder right…the next time you start to tear someone down instead of building them…the next time you start to say “no” to who you are being called to be, instead of saying “yes”…

Just do yourself and all of this amazing world that you impact and…

Just Breathe!

Phil Dyer

Comments (3)
Categories : Dealing with Obstacles, Ideal Life, Mentoring, Mindset, Resources, Success and Visioning, What’s Really Important
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What is the Best Investment You Can Make Today?

By Phil Dyer · Comments (12)
Saturday, August 21st, 2010

So How is that Investment Portfolio Doing?

If you are like most people over the last decade, not too well!  Over the last decade, the vast majority of traditional investments have gone no where.  Stocks?  Flat.  Real Estate?  Flat in most areas of the country.  Income level for many traditional jobs?  Flat.

Furthermore, with the current state of the economy – rapidly rising debt, high unemployment, uncertainty as to when – or even if – a real recovery will begin and a housing market that continues to suffer, the prospects of many traditional investment opportunities continues to be bleak.

With all that happy news, where should an entrepreneur (or aspiring entrepreneur) invest their money?

Time to Look in the Mirror…

It has always been true that one of the best investments an entrepreneurs or small business owner can make is in themselves – and – by extension, their business.  That has never been more true than it is today.

Yet I am amazed at how many otherwise smart, confident, dedicated entrepreneurs look at spending money on their own personal development and knowledge as an expense – as opposed to an investment.  They will put money into their SEP (Simplified Employee Pension), SIMPLE IRA (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) or 401(k) without even thinking about it…but won’t spend a few thousand dollars to invest in a conference, seminar or to hire a mentor.

Consider this…the S&P 500 Index, one of standard benchmarks of stock market performance, achieved a -1.19 percent average annual rate of return for the 10-years ending December 2009.  That’s significantly less than a money market account has earned over the same time.

Now don’t get me wrong…I am all for regular investments into retirement savings accounts…but not at the expense of the entrepreneur investing in themselves.

What is the Value of One Good Idea?

Imagine you are an entrepreneur that is 2-3 years into a successful service start-up and earning $50,000 a year.  You end the year with ~ $5,000 of extra money and are facing a decision between investing in (or starting your SEP) and investing in a coaching program or seminar that could increase your business by 10 percent annually.

Which do you choose?

If you consider spending money on yourself an expense, you will probably go the “traditional route” and put your money in the SEP.  However, if you understand the positive impact that just one idea, one contact, one joint venture opportunity or one resource can have on the growth of your business, then the path is clear.

That 10 percent increase in business is the gift that keeps on giving…and in 5 more years, your $50,000 income will rise $82,500…just from that one time investment!

Imagine if you make that investment in yourself each and every year and get just one more idea that bumps your income by another 10 percent…

In 5 years, your income would have jumped from $50,000 to over $180,000!

What’s more, it is very possible that your income jump from a great idea, contact or mentor can be 30, 50 or even 100 percent in a year.

Investing in Yourself is the One Investment You Can Count On!

Successful entrepreneurs and business owners understand the value of investing regularly in seeking out new ideas, connecting with centers of influence and hiring mentors that have walked the path they wish to walk…since it can catapult their business to new heights.

I always counsel my coaching clients to invest a minimum of 10 percent of their revenues each year back into their business and those that do are handsomely repaid!

How about you?  Is there in investment in yourself or your business that you are holding back on because you are mentally or emotionally treating it as an expense?  Just remember the value of one good idea!

To Your Success,

Phil

Comments (12)
Categories : Financial Planning, Mentoring, Mindset, Resources
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Are You Living to Work or Working to Live?

By Phil Dyer · Comments (15)
Monday, July 12th, 2010

Quotes Heard Around the Water Cooler, Over Business Lunches and the Family Dinner Table…

  • “I worked 70 hour last week in my business…”
  • “I haven’t taken a real vacation from my business in three years…”
  • “I am putting in so many hours in the business now so we can spend time together in retirement…”
  • “I am sorry I can’t come to your soccer game this weekend, Alex, I have too much work to do…”

Sound familiar?

Most entrepreneurs and small business owners I have worked with, coached, mentored and masterminded with with can probably recite these lines by heart, since this is what we are TAUGHT is necessary for business success…that you essentially must sacrifice your life – or major elements of it – in exchange for “making it” as an entrepreneur and to achieve the mythical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Unfortunately, I think much of what we have been taught misses the mark!

I Know These Quotes by Heart…

I know them because I have said every single on of the lines above at sometime over the past decade.  I bought into the myth that you had to put living on hold while you built your business and that later…after too many late nights to count, too many missed opportunities to connect with my wife, my children and my friends…would I be allowed to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I used to wear that 70-80 hour workweek like a badge of honor on my arm…but a conversation with a good friend from the UK about 5 years ago drastically shifted my perspective on this.

He made the comment that in the US, everyone seemed to be living to work…never taking vacations, spending endless hours at the office, sacrificing everything for some very uncertain future payoff.  He suggested that we might be better off focusing on working to live…to focus on current connection, on what is truly important in our lives and what is real and tangible NOW.

I think he is spot on!

Over the last 5 years…I have taken great strides to live more consciously, to see my business as a conduit to support the life that I really want to live today, not 20 or 30 years from now, to ask myself if a particular business decision gets me closer to or farther away from that ideal life.

I am still a work in progress…and sometimes take a step or two back…but I have clarity, purpose and intention around where I am going and why.

How About You?

Is your business a vessel designed to support the life that your really want to live TODAY or is everything focused on SOMEDAY?

Take a few minutes and think about 2 or 3 changes you could make in your business right now to start moving into alignment with what you really want…what your heart really desires for you, your family and your broader community.

Here are a some ideas to get you started:

  • Hire a VA (Virtual Assistant) to move tasks you really dislike or are not good at off your plate
  • Hire a personal assistant and/or housekeeper to free up personal time to do the things you enjoy
  • Fire that client that makes your stomach knot up every time you see their number on Caller ID
  • Review your products and/or service offerings to see if they are really what you want to be offering
  • Only see clients 2-3 days a week and free up the rest of the time for strategic planning, marketing and down time
  • Schedule a “Me Day” or “Personal Strategic Retreat” or “Goof Off Day” and just reconnect with yourself
  • Hire a professional organizer to get your business and/or personal files (and life) in order
  • Raise your rates

Now look at the list and take immediate action on the one that speaks to you the most (and is probably the most scary).  Do it today!

What’s on Your List?

Let me know what’s at the top of YOUR list and how I can help you achieve it…

To Your Success,

Phil

PS – If you are really ready to create the business that supports your ideal life, please join us for a week in Tuscany on the Total Business Transformation Ultimate Tuscany Experience.

Comments (15)
Categories : Business Planning, Ideal Life, Mindset, Success and Visioning, Ultimate Tuscany Experience, What’s Really Important
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Enhance Your Entrepreneurial Success by Discovering Your Unique Personal Brilliance Zone

By Phil Dyer · Comments (18)
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

How Many Different Hats are You Wearing Right Now?

Most of us get into business because we are passionate about a particular product, service or clientele.  We fall in love with heady visions of having a positive impact on people’s lives and our broader community by doing what we do best.  But along the way, we find out that there is much more to running a successful business than just doing what we are passionate about and before we know it, we are wearing the hats of:

  • CEO
  • Director of Marketing
  • Head of Accounting
  • Chief Counsel
  • Director of Information Technology
  • Customer Service Rep
  • Many others…

But we’re supposed to, right?  I mean…c’mon…we are smart, capable passionate people, right?  We should be able to do all these things…shouldn’t we?  We are supposed to be frugal, watch every dime like a hawk and wait until we can REALLY afford it to hire help, right?

The answer…in my opinion…is an unqualified NO on all accounts!

What is Your Unique Personal Brilliance Zone?

I firmly believe that each one of us is imbued by our creator (God, The Universe or whatever your tradition is) with a set of skills and strengths that is unique…that no one else on the planet has in that exact combination.  Further, I think it is imperative for entrepreneurs who want to create sustainable success to discover what their Unique Personal Brilliance Zone is and to focus 80 – 90 percent of their time and effort in that zone, while outsourcing, delegating or deleting everything else.

Entrepreneurs that fail to embrace this exploration process and – more importantly – ACT on what they discover are like an 8-cylinder auto engine that is only hitting on 1 or 2 of those cylinders.  They are destined to struggle, feel frustrated in their business and not enjoy the level of success they could attain if they fully stepped into their brilliance zone.

In my experience of working with scores of entrepreneurs and small business owners, most of us have 2-4 activities/tasks that we both excel at and that we are passionate about…yet we often only spend 20-30 percent of our working time focusing on them!

Just stop for a moment and think what you could achieve in your business if you focused 80 – 90 percent of YOUR time on what you love, where time seems to fly and you are truly “in the zone”?  How would that be?

How to Discover Your Brilliance Zone…

There are lots of great resources out there to support this discovery.  The 3 Simple Steps to Total Business Transformation special report and audio is a wonderful place to start (just to the right of this blog entry).  We are also big fans of the Kolbe A Index and the Strengthsfinder 2.0 book.

If you are serious about delving into this in a deep and meaningful way, feel free to contact me at phil@totalbusinesstransformation.com to arrange a complimentary 15-minute strategy session around your Unique Personal Brilliance Zone.

To Your Success!

Phil

Comments (18)
Categories : Business Planning, Dealing with Obstacles, Mindset, Resources
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How Would You Like to Spend a Week at an Amazing Villa in Tuscany?

By Phil Dyer · Comments (14)
Saturday, June 19th, 2010

We Invite You to Join Us on an Amazing Journey!

With today’s economic challenges and 24/7 lifestyle, many entrepreneurs fail to take time away from their business to unplug, rejuvenate and plan strategically from a place of calm and relaxation.  We are about to change that FOREVER!

For those of you who have been following us for a while, you know that we are serious about helping fellow entrepreneurs create the business that truly supports their ideal life and now we are pulling out all the stops with a 7-day retreat for a small group of entrepreneurs that want to take their business and their life to the next level in beautiful Tuscany, Italy

We have put together an amazing program that blends a powerful coaching program designed to help connect with what you really want out of your business and your life while enjoying gourmet Italian food, cooking lessons with a master chef, wine tastings of premium Tuscan wine with a professional sommelier and a day trip to fabulous Florence.  The staff of the villa will see to your every need while you relax, connect, recharge and create a step-by-step blueprint to take your business – and your life – to new heights.

Have a spouse or significant other?  Bring them along for free!

Best of all?  We have designed this fantastic retreat to be fully tax-deductible – with the exception of the airfare for your spouse or significant other (check with your CPA or accountant).

Check out the Total Business Transformation Ultimate Tuscany Experience for full details…but don’t wait too long…we have some great, time sensitive offers that will end soon.

Also, go here to listen to this FREE INFORMATION CALL to hear more about this amazing retreat.

To your success!

Phil

Comments (14)
Categories : Ideal Life, Mentoring, Mindset, Success and Visioning, Ultimate Tuscany Experience
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The Power of the Kolbe Assessment

By Lisa Kirchenbauer · Comments (0)
Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Each day, as I use the Kolbe assessment more and more…with clients, staff, and other professional groups that I am involved in, I realize how critical this tool is in finding the missing piece of the puzzle that is often the difference between a successful interaction and a grave misunderstanding.  I am part of a group that focuses on Appreciative Inquiry (a focus on positivity and how to act from an appreciative state – led by Ed Jacobson) and the group recently asked me to lead a session on the Kolbe assessment.

The Kolbe A Assessment was created by Kathy Kolbe (www.kolbe.com) and helps us understand how we, and others, instinctually take action.

This is not a personality assessment, and generally it does not change during your lifetime.  It was interesting to see how the group reacted first to taking the assessment-some hesitated until the last moment- but in the end, so many of the group were floored by how accurately Kolbe assessed who they truly are.  It brought us closer together because we understood each other more deeply and fully, a key part of being appreciative with others.

Yes, it is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important piece in many business interactions and personal relationships.

Another recent business example is a group of new financial life planners that I am mentoring through the Kinder Institute…had I not known the profile of one of my members, I would have thought that this person was purposely ignoring my instructions on how to post a case study.  Given, that I knew that their profile was to resist process, I was able to be more patient & supportive and not take it personally as can often happen.

Finally, one more example with a client where I have a sense (but no actual Kolbe profile score) that the client needs ALOT of information.  We have revised our recommendations a number of times for the client and just realize that they need much more detail than we do.  It could have easy been construed as “don’t you trust our advice” and yet I have an innate sense of something else that might be behind the client’s continued need for more information.

In closing, let me share a personal example about my son…

I am learning (because I DO have his Kolbe profile) that he is not comfortable with quick changes and uncertainty.  Rushing around, quick deadlines all make him crazy.  In the past, when we are in situations where there are events booked back to back and we are running on a tight schedule, his frustration and anxiousness might have been misunderstood…not any longer.  I can let him process his anxiety without taking it personally.

I am very grateful for this powerful tool and impressed each day with what the Kolbe assessment is able to help me gain in understanding, insight and effectiveness with others.

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Categories : Mentoring, Mindset, Resources, What’s Really Important
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Total Business Transformation Tuscany Experience Preview Video #1

By Phil Dyer · Comments (29)
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Please enjoy this preview video interview with Master Chef Franco, who will be leading the cooking classes that are part of our Total Business Transformation Strategic Retreat in Italy from September 26th to October 3rd, 2010.

For more information, please visit: Total Business Transformation Ultimate Tuscany Experience

Enjoy!

Phil

Comments (29)
Categories : Ideal Life, Mindset, Ultimate Tuscany Experience
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Why One Day Isn’t Enough to Do REAL Strategic Planning!

By Lisa Kirchenbauer · Comments (2)
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

For some, the thought of trying to get away from the business for even a day seems impossible…

Me?  I am longing for a more extended period to focus on my business(es).  As I prepare to take off for Chicago to attend my quarterly entrepreneurial coaching program, I am excited to go and have a chance after almost 4 challenging months of some personnel changes and working harder than usual, I am ready to step back and get more strategic.

I believe that it is at times when we most feel we can’t leave the business that we MUST leave the business to rejuvenate, gain some perspective and lean on the support of fellow business owners.

Who else can we talk to?  Most business owners have no one in their business that they can share the intimate day-to-day challenges and fears that they face.

Although I AM lucky enough to have such a resource in my Business Manager, most entrepreneurs don’t have this luxury.  It is my strong belief that business owners who are serious about their business’ growth and stability need to get away to look ore strategically and their business AND life.

Once you do that on a regular basis, I think that you will join me in realizing that often you need several days unplugged from the day-to-day to really get some perspective.  I can’ t wait to get to Chicago and refocus and reenergize!

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Categories : Dealing with Obstacles, Mentoring, Success and Visioning
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Three Truths to Transforming Your Business and Your Life

By Phil Dyer · Comments (27)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

A quick question for all you entrepreneurs out there…

Are you ready to create the business that truly supports your ideal life?

If you answered “YES”…like most forward-thinking, conscious-minded entrepreneurs, then I have a follow-up question…

Why aren’t you doing it…right now…today?

For many of the people that I connect with that are trying to build a business that supports their ideal lifestyle, true transformation makes a better hypothetical and theoretical “holy grail” to aspire to than to take positive action to actually achieve.  It is often easier for us to buy another product, invest in another hyper-kinetic weekend seminar with hundreds of other seekers or sign-up of another series of “free” tele-classes that promise a magic bullet solution than it is to take concrete steps towards REAL and LASTING transformation.

Now don’t get me wrong…all of the above tools can be very helpful and I routinely use them myself…but I also strongly believe that many entrepreneurs use this constant activity to avoid doing the deep, soulful and very often uncomfortable inner work to effect true change.  It’s often easier for us to be doing instead of simply being…to feel good about checking of a series of tasks rather checking in with out inner compass to see if we are truly on the right path…to immerse ourselves the the relatively anonymity of a large group event than risk exposing ourselves and our foibles in a more intimate small group session.  We congratulate ourselves on all the “progress” we are making when – in truth – we are simply shrinking from who we are truly called to be and playing it safe.

Am I pushing any buttons yet?  I hope so!

I submit to you that there are “Three Truths” to real and lasting transformation, both personally and for your business:

  1. You Must Give Yourself Permission to Unplug: True transformation is – in my opinion – virtually impossible to create when you are running non-stop in the 24/7 world we live in.  You need time, space and separation from your day-to-day life and the constant demands of your business to allow the noise level to die down enough to really hear yourself think, to listen from a place that is below the surface and to open your conscious and unconscious mind to your true potential.  In my experience, 5-7 days is the minimum time frame to really accomplish this.  Shorter retreats are OK, but how much real down time do you get?  Take a 3-day retreat…you really need a day on the front end to let yourself slow down and decompress and often our brains are “powering back up” on the last day as we prepare to go back into the world…so we may only get one good day of clear thought!
  2. You Can’t Do This on Your Own: I don’t care how conscious you are or how in touch you are with your inner core…you are too close to your own crap to have any real perspective.  How many times have you been wracking your brain trying to come up with a solution to some challenge or problem…only to have someone else look at it for 30 seconds and then give you a simple, elegant and straight-forward fix?  I have one of those “I could have had a V-8″ moments daily!  To empower yourself to achieve true transformation…you must engage a coach, mentor, accountability partner or mastermind buddy.  We may be great at crafting solutions for other peoples challenges…but we SUCK at doing it for ourselves.
  3. Exponential Transformation is Possible with the Right Group: Napoleon Hill was a pretty smart cookie and his admonition for us to avail ourselves of the power of Mastermind Groups was spot on.  Coming together with a small group of like-minded individuals who are serious about transformation their business and their life is the fastest and most powerful way to affect real and lasting change in your own business and life.  Quantum leaps become the norm – rather than the exception – as members urge each other to greater accomplishments, hold space for each other, call B/S when needed and bring the amazing power of multiple minds together.  I am incredibly honored to be part of several amazing mastermind groups and much of the credit for my business growth over the 5 years can be directly linked to these incredible people.  For me, groups of 12-15 are ideal for retreats, while smaller groups of 3-5 are great for Masterminds that meet more frequently.

If you are feeling stuck in your business – and your life — right now and your not making progress towards the lifestyle you truly want to lead, what are you scared of?  What are you settling for?  What are you not allowing to come to the surface?

Consider connecting with these truths to help jump start your way forward!

Comments (27)
Categories : Dealing with Obstacles, Ideal Life, Mentoring, Mindset
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Enter the Entrepreneurial “No Fear” Zone…

By Phil Dyer · Comments (23)
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Let’s face it…being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart!  In fact, on some days, we may feel like these guys…

So let me ask you something…what are you REALLY scared to do – right now – in your business?

You know what I am talking about…

It’s that idea, concept or leap of faith that has been rattling around in your mind for weeks, months or even years.  It rises up – unbidden and sometimes unwanted – when your unconscious mind is allowed some time and space, but the idea may cause you to freeze or break out in a cold sweat…just like you might do if you were told you had to go do a base jump in a wingsuit!

So this is my challenge…

The next time that “scary as hell” thought rises up…don’t send it off to the corner like a naughty child!  Give it some air time…let it float, flip, twist and turn for a while.  Resist the urge to pull your ‘chute and let that idea free fall, gather speed and take form.  Every time you feel like backing off…ask yourself this question:

“What is the worst thing that could happen if I say YES to this idea?”

Ask it again and again and again.  Play out all of the “worst case” scenarios that your mind can conjure up about the “scary” idea…don’t shut yourself down.

What most people find, as they let this play out, is that the idea really isn’t that scary and that your fears – once given some time and space – really aren’t that bad after all!

Why is this so important?  That idea, concept or leap of faith that won’t go away is likely EXACTLY the next step you need to take to allow your business and your life to go to the next level – yet you are allowing shadowy fears prevent you from moving forward and allowing them to maintain the status quo and keep you playing small.

So take a deep breath, slip into your “wingsuit” and go for it!

Phil Dyer

America’s Entrepreneur Strategist™

Comments (23)
Categories : Dealing with Obstacles, Ideal Life, Mindset, Success and Visioning
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