Achieving Success

Achieve Your Goals For Success Step By Step

You have a dream! Now, how do you make it happen?

First, imagine that it is real. See every detail so clearly that you can reach out and touch it. You can feel the emotions of being there. For example, if you want a certain car, then what kind is it? What color is it? Imagine you are sitting in it like you will when it is brand new. How does it feel? How does it smell? Go for a drive in your car. If it's a convertible, drive with the top down! Experience the wind blowing in your face and through your hair. Hear the sounds around you. If you can take a real test drive in one, do that! Get a picture and post it where you will see it each day. Do this visualization several times a day until it becomes part of you. This action is important because your subconscious will help enable you to reach your goals to achieve your dream.

Next, break the big dream down into specific, measurable goals to get you there. If you are dreaming of something that costs a certain amount of money, like the car, you will set a date on when you want to have this money.

Once you have your date, then break your timeline down into segments. Perhaps you set the date one year from today. So the next step is to break that down into a goal for each month, then a goal for each week, then a goal for each day. It may be easier to start with the days, and then multiply out to the weeks and months.

Now that you know what your specific timeline is, you need to determine the specific actions you can take to reach each specific goal. If it is a money goal, like in the example above, you know how much money you need to put away each day. So now you need to figure out what actions you need to take each day in order to be able to do that.

If your goal is accomplishing a project, your timeline will be broken down into different steps you need to finish in order to get the whole project done. For example, if you are writing a book, you may need to do some research before you can write it. So the first major accomplishment on your way to that goal is to complete the research. Then you need to set a time to complete your basic outline. Then a time to complete each chapter. Then a time for editing. You can break each major step down into little steps that must be done each day in order to complete the entire book by your target date.

Now that you see what you will need to do each day in order to achieve your big goal, ask yourself if each day's task is reasonable. Be truthful. If you know you can do what is required each day, then you have your plan. If it will be very difficult to meet each day's requirement, then extend your timeline until you have something you know you can do every day. This way, you are setting yourself up for sure success!

It's just like the ancient philosopher said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." No matter how big your dream is, if you break it down into baby steps that you can do each day, you will find your journey to success filled with the joy of achieving many goals.

Reaching your smaller goals will, indeed, assure you that you are on your way to reaching your dream! You will gain the confidence you need to continue and receive the desire you need to do whatever actions are required each day!

Celebrate achieving even the little goals, and enjoy your journey to your certain success!

Achieve Your Goals Through The Magic Of Consistency

Consistency seems to be a boring idea at first sight. It lacks glamour and excitement. But, when you look more closely, consistency is anything but boring. It contains the secret of achievement and success. It is the key to an almost magical power than can transform lives.

Consistency means repeating the same behaviors regularly and without exceptions. Consistent behavior is the opposite of erratic behavior. Skipping workouts is an example of erratic behavior. Performing all or most of your workouts is an example of consistency.

Consistency creates powerful habits; lack of consistency and exceptions mean that you have to start building the habits all over again.

Consistency allows the seeds to grow and the fruit to arrive. Regular, patient, consistent action is necessary to achieve good results. Even winning the lottery requires buying a ticket and entering the numbers.

A woman who won the US $162 million lottery is quoted as saying, that she played the same numbers consistently for two years. She didn't play it once or twice and give up as so may people do.

She steadfastly believed that her dream of winning the lottery would be realized. Consistency, then, may occasionally work even in the notoriously risky world of gambling.

Recently, I read an outstanding article by T.J. Walker, the public speaking and communication expert. He commented on how often communication breaks down on the internet because of a lack of consistency.

Ezines, blogs and podcasts often only last for one or two issues and then they disappear. Either their creators ran out of material or foolishly expected success after one or two efforts and gave up when the results of their efforts were disappointing.

Most marketing gurus insist that sales only come after about seven email messages have been sent to a list of potential customers.

Many would be entrepreneurs lack the patience and consistency to send out even seven messages to their lists. They are unlikely to succeed in winning the trust of their customers.

Nearly any goal worth achieving demands regular and consistent efforts. If you want to achieve a black belt in a martial art, you need to show up to one training session after another whether you feel like it or not.

I know, from many years of experience, that students who show up regularly for training almost always achieve their goal of becoming a black belt.

However, I have had some very talented students who lacked patience and only showed up sporadically. When their progress up the ladder of success seemed too slow to them, they gave up and disappeared.

When I examine my martial arts students at grading sessions, I often congratulate them for just being there. I tell them that they are already half way through the grading because they have shown up and in the famous words of Woody Allen: "80% of success in life is just showing up."

By showing up, my students have shown that they have guts and are willing to accept the fact that they might look foolish if they forget their syllabus or perform it badly. Not every one can face this possibility and I even had one student give up the martial art because the grading seemed too worrying.

One person who has never failed to show up in the UK and about a third of the rest of the world is Queen Elizabeth II. For over half a century she has shown up at one formal and informal occasion after another in good and bad times. She has traveled thousands of miles around the world to achieve her goal of being a servant of her country and the commonwealth.

Today was her 80th birthday and most of the country and even the media showed their appreciation for her consistent adherence to duty. One paper actually called her "Elizabeth the Great".

Greatness only comes when efforts are consistent. Champion teams win championships not because they win every match but because they consistently play well and with determination and, as a result, win most of their matches.

An individual loses weight because they stick consistently to their diet and to their exercise regime. A body builder adds muscle weight because he consistently attends the gym whether he feels like it or not. The champions do not give up when they feel tired or bored or when results seem painfully slow.

Daily efforts create habits and habits make it easier to make those daily efforts but it still takes hard work and the determination to follow through every single day no matter what.

To achieve your goals repeat your efforts every single day. Turn up in the gym or wherever you need to. Don't be like my step brother who was once told: "You won't turn up for your own funeral!"

Occasionally you make have to make an exception and miss out on the desired behavior. One way to avoid exceptions is to perform the behavior you have planned as early as possible in the day before the rest of the family and the cat start demanding your attention!

Another way to avoid exceptions is to make a list of your most important daily behaviors in order of importance. Stick it on your wall and read it as soon as you get up. This way, your consistency will not falter because of a poor memory.

Repeat the desired or planned behavior daily and with as few exceptions as possible and you will make gradual but certain progress and eventually achieve your loftiest goals and dreams.

Even if you don't achieve all your goals and dreams, you will have at least become a great character and a person of value because you did what you planned to do on a daily basis. That, at least, is a goal worth achieving.

Achieving Wholesale Success: 10 Tips For Getting Started

Whether you are just thinking about, or you have decided that you would like to start running a wholesale business, there are a number of items that you should spend considerable time planning and researching before going full steam ahead. Proper planning and fact-finding up-front can not only save you from a lot of headaches in the beginning, but can also mean the difference between a successful wholesale business versus a monetary disaster waiting to happen.

In this article we will provide you with ten tips to help guide you along the way as you begin planning for your business. They are presented in chronological order so that you can use them as a way to plan out the proper steps along the way. Remember, success depends on many factors – and the most important factor is your determination and energy you put into making your business a success!

Step 1: Ask Yourself Why?

Why do you want to get into the wholesaling business? It is because you would enjoy working with other businesses and manufacturers being the main point of contact between the two? Or is it because you think it is an easy way to make money quick?

Wholesaling is a demanding business, and can require lots of up-front capital, warehousing, logistics planning and customer service skills. As the main channel between the manufacturer and retailers you may find yourself dealing with hundreds of thousands of units of merchandise needing to be shipped across the country on a moments notice. Large retailers often pay on a Net-10 or Net-30 schedule, meaning payment is made after the goods are delivered. What would you do if a retailer did not pay or went bankrupt before you received payment?

Step 2: Study Your Competition

It does no good to enter a market where there already exist established, credible wholesalers for a given product. Retailers want to know they have a dependable supply source that meets their terms and often will not change wholesalers for an established product. Just because you build the warehouse does not mean they will come.

Use your local Chamber of Commerce, the Internet and even visit with retailers to find out what wholesalers exist in your area. If you want to specialize in a specific product, contact the manufacturer directly to find out who handles wholesaling for them already in your region. There may be none in your state, or there could be three down the street.

Step 3: Assess your Financial Situation

Wholesaling can require a lot of up-front capital and expenditures before you even see one cent of income. Do you have the resources to spend on setting up a relationship with a manufacturer who will most likely require you to buy in huge quantities from them? Can you afford to wait up to 30 days for payment? Do you have the money to invest in shipping freight or setting up your own delivery service?

Be sure to look past the startup costs as well. Employees, taxes, property rental and insurance are just a few of the things you will need to factor in as ongoing costs.

Step 4: The Business Plan

A solid business plan is the foundation of any business. You need to make sure that you have spelled out what you intend to do and how you intend to get it done. Not only will banks require this for financing, but often other businesses you deal with will want to see it as well. It should be the guidelines that you follow every day in your business to achieve the goals you have set forth.

For this part, it is often wise to work with a business lawyer or seek professional advice from business consulting services. A good resource to help you find people in your area with the necessary skills and background is the Small Business Administration,

Step 5: Apply for Licenses, Taxing Certificates and Other Necessary Paperwork

Nothing is as certain as death and taxes. It is no different in business, with one exception. As a wholesaler you will be required to pay taxes and other fees to your state and to the federal government.

The one exception is that you will be granted tax-exempt status for the actual goods you are moving between the manufacturer and other retailers. This can be a tricky process and is handled at the state level.

Again, for this part you will want to make extensive use of your state taxing authority as well as local Chambers of Commerce. One wrong mistake here can end up costing you not only money, but possible your entire business.

Step 6: Establish Your Facilities

Location, location, location. Businesses must exist somewhere and like most things in life there are rules and regulations on where they can be. Will you be having semi-trailers coming to your location at all hours of the day and night? Will you have a storefront for vendors and clients to come calling at? What about electrical, water and sewage needs?

Zoning laws exist to make sure that the right structures end up in the right places. Nobody wants a warehouse next door to them in a residential neighborhood. Work with commercial real-estate agencies to find a suitable place for your business.

Step 7: Establish Your Relationships
You have the facilities, you have the financials – now do you have anyone supplying you product or customers for that product? Work with manufacturers and retailers to build a relationship. This can be one of the most difficult parts of the experience, and is where the rubber hits the road.

In addition, relationships extend beyond your customers and suppliers. It is good practice to establish relations with your local Chamber of Commerce, retail associations and labor organizations in your area.

Step 8: Marketing

Wholesalers traditionally don’t advertise. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t market your business to others, after all how can you build relationships or expand on existing ones? Wholesaling guides are published and distributed to many retailers and this is where the bulk of your marketing efforts will be directed. The other half should be in going to retailers directly, meeting with buyers and outlining your services. Just because you have a customer today does not mean you can rest on your laurels.

Marketing works hand in hand with building a relationship and maintaining it.

Step 9: The Machine in Motion: Servicing Your Customers

Product is coming in, retailers are placing orders – we’re all done right? Not exactly. Getting the product to your customers, answering questions about delivery timelines, working with vendors to obtain new product lines, it is a complex and demanding part of the business.

In today’s “just in time” marketing model a delay in shipment could mean the end to a business relationship. You must keep your customers informed of any status changes, pricing concerns and product movements from your facility to their loading dock. This is where backend systems come into play by maintaining records and logs of all activity with that customer. Do not underestimate the value of a good Customer Relationship Management system (CRM).

Step 10: Employees, Accounts Receivable and Other Financial Matters

Once everything is up and running your next focus is your business financials. Employees need to be hired and fired. Payroll needs to be met. Money must come in, and money must go out. Here you should invest in financial talent and services if you do not possess them already.

One oversight can mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars; a missed payroll deadline could mean your entire business comes to a halt. It is critical that you constantly keep an eye on the books and on your expenditures. Know when to tighten the belt, and know when to expand.