In a perfect world, we have teachers and mentors that help us establish what we believe in and what we stand for while we’re still in our teens and twenties–before we get caught up in the fast-paced world of birthing our own businesses and stomping out fires. But that’s not always the way it works.

Still we need that foundation of truth to stand on. Without that foundation, it’s easy to get lost and stay lost. And since getting to know yourself is a lifelong process, doesn’t it makes sense to learn what you can sooner than later?

Don’t forget–the universe has a perfect accounting system. So this week, get off by yourself and do some serious soul searching. Ask yourself these questions:

–What’s my “brand”? Write down 3 adjectives to describe yourself.
–Does my “brand” resonate with me, or is it time to upgrade it?
–What’s my creed? Write down the rules (or code) you live by.
–Does my creed still fit, or is it time to expand it?

Find your unshakeable core and start making deposits into your personal growth account. And when the chips are down, some of the good will be returned to you.

After all, that’s why they call it “goodwill”…

Finally, if you haven’t already done so, DEFINITELY sign up for the free audio.  (You’ll see the box in the upper right side of this blog page “Your 7 Figure Business Formula Audio Gift” at http://www.Christine.com.To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,

Christine Comaford, 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: In the spirit of great free gifts, if you have not gotten my FREE CD on building a 7 Figure Business, you’re missing a vital key to your 7 Figure Success Story. http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI

You’re an entrepreneur (or INTRApreneur) for a very good reason: YOUR reason! I’m willing to bet that you are PASSIONATE and DEDICATED and have the drive necessary to succeed.

But do you have the business experience and systems that will improve your chances of success? Because Passion and Dedication alone will only take you so far in business. You’ll need proven knowledge and systems too.

If you know you need a primer on the basics of building a thriving business… things like:

* Having an entrepreneur’s mindset and knowing what your REAL job is as the owner of your company…

* Creating a KILLER business plan that clearly and concisely outlines your long-term vision and guides your daily, weekly and monthly actions…

* Building a DREAM TEAM of employees, contractors, advisors and influencers, who will enhance the value of your business and provide massive amounts of leverage

* Learn great selling techniques that allow you to spend more time landing quality deals… and less time trying to sell to unqualified prospects

* How to get various types of FUNDING for your business so that you can continue to grow year after year!

* And more!

Then you’ll want to join me at my 7 Figure Business Summit. If you decide that you’re ready to be hugely successful in 2010, I’d love you to come work with a group of like-minded leaders (and ME) at my 7 Figure Business Building Summit. http://www.7FigureBusinessSummit.com  

Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: If 2009 was tough – despite ALL of your hard work, come and learn from me in person at my 7 Figure Business Building Summit.
http://www.7FigureBusinessSummit.com

What is the one thing that holds you back from achieving your dreams?

Is it money? Time? Lack of resources? I don’t think so.

I’ll bet anything that it’s the fear of failure. But you’re in good company, because this is the single biggest hurdle to success that people have. Truth be told, you’re going to have some so called “failures” in life, sometimes one right after another. But if you want to be a successful entrepreneur or intrapreneur, you have to embrace risk instead of running from it.

Take a stab at opportunity whenever it presents itself. You won’t always measure up (I sure haven’t) but that doesn’t mean you have to walk away from the game. Remember–you’re playing to WIN, not to avoid losing. So how exactly do you bounce back from any failure without as much as a scratch? By learning to “fail forward”.

When things don’t go your way, just take a breath, regroup, and bounce back higher and harder. It’s okay to fall down seven times…just as long as you get back up at least eight times. And every time you get up, you’ll be stronger, wiser, and better suited to take on the next challenge.

Here’s an easy way to get started right away: write the words “Fail Forward” with a big Sharpie on a blank sheet of paper and tape it somewhere where you can see it. That way, when those inevitable failures happen (and they will), you’ll always be reminded that you’re not taking a step backwards…but a step forward, towards your goal.

Trust me–it’ll help tremendously to Make Your Venture Mighty!

Until next time, Christine

Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: Do not miss my FREE CD on building a 7 Figure Business, there are only a couple hundred left, and they’re VITAL to building your 7 Figure Success Story. http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI

Hi gang, THIS is Alyson Hoag’s amazing success story. Alyson is the CEO of Authentic Beauty, one of the rockin’ clients I mentor through my Business Growth Blueprint program.  Aly’s letter was so powerful that I decided not to change a word of it.  I know it’s longer than my usual blogs, but stick with it guys, it’s totally worth the four minutes.  To learn more about my BGB program, go to: http://bit.ly/7gZW41

Christine, I know you haven’t heard from me lately but I am still out here listening and engaging and rocking! I have been implementing my plan and I think this month is the month I deserve to be your success story.  I know this isn’t going to be in the format you’d like. I would be here writing all day if you wanted me to name the hurdles I have had to overcome. There are too many to name. In the story below the major ones are mentioned. As for the most important module – it was Business Essentials. I have hung onto my end game throughout all of this.

I want to back up to when we first met. It was at Guerilla Business School, March of 2007. If you don’t remember I ran after you delivered your presentation to introduce myself. I didn’t have enough money to pay for your course but I called my mother and said, “If you believe in me, you’ll lend me the money. I have to work with this woman”. 
I think I was your first round of Groundbreakers and that time was invaluable to me. It was in the “formulation” days when the idea was being born into reality. I hung onto every word you said and I listened to the replays over and over.  And then the rubber hit the road. The week I sent out my investor packages the market disintegrated and key people I knew lost millions. The following month we found out the building we leased wasn’t going to be permitted and then slowly one by one all the people who were part of my team disappeared. It looked as though I was going to crash and burn.  And through it all I kept listening to everything you had to say over and over. I was really scared. I didn’t know how I was going to make it. I had two kids to take care of.  I knew somehow I was going to get out of this. Despite the creditors calling I just kept moving forward.

When you sent the email and said just get here in June 08 for your Summit in CA, I begged for a buddy pass from my ex-husband, my sister took my kids and I got on the plane. It was the best thing I could have ever done. I left refocused, recharged and taking action.

Miracles began happening.  One after another.

A big part of my business model is to create mobile events inside of hair salons. Well, since I didn’t have a “home”, I decided to put the model to the test and I spent 9 months in 3 different salons, building the model on my own and learning. The most important thing I kept looking for was what I was going to learn from each situation.

In the meantime I had several key breaks. I became the lead makeup team for a local magazine and they did a story on me and I had a radio personality name me as “the brow guru of Atlanta”.

It turned out that one of those salons I was working with asked me if I wanted to take the front of his space. The owner wanted to downsize and if I didn’t want to take it he said he would shut the doors. At this point I had NO money. I worked it out with the salon owner and I went for it. It also just happens to be in one of the most central locations in Atlanta.

We opened the doors late November 2008. I was actually interviewed on tv by our local Fox affiliate about opening during a down turned economy. However, I believed in the lipstick effect. If you don’t know, in a bad economy makeup sales go up. Leonard Lauder coined the phrase.

We opened the doors and last month marked our one year anniversary. (We had a BIG party and nearly 100 people showed up to show their support.)

So what we accomplished this past year:

• We grossed nearly $160k this year ending with a 20k month in December!!!!!! 
• Hired our first employee.
• We have 10 freelancers
• We have over 850 active clients
• Authentic Beauty was written up in our local Fashion Mag as What’s Hot this year for 2009
• I write my own monthly beauty column in a local magazine.
• Have developed relationships with several PR companies who use me regularly in their promotions of other companies in which I benefit.
• Developed relationships with all local tv affiliates and this week had my first in studio appearance with the CBS Atlanta affiliate for their morning show.
• Developed relationship with the most popular morning radio show in Atlanta and do the makeup for a video weekly for one of the DJ’s AND as a result she featured me the week of Christmas as one of her favorite things.
• Authentic Beauty was written up in at least 7 magazines and our work was featured in at least 10 publications with at least 4 covers.
• We have been told by Jean Chatzky’s people that in the next week or 2 I will be featured as one of their entrepreneurs of the week on her blog
• I was featured as one of the top 100 entreprenness’ in the CRAVE Atlanta book
• We are in the middle of developing a new mobile tester unit that I will be able to resell to the artist community
• We are developing our own makeup line (I finally stopped resisting) and the plan is to get it on QVC and fund the whole business with it.
• We  just closed 2 deals with 2 MAJOR plastic surgeons who are going to carry my makeup line and bring our makeup artists in.
• I have a meeting on January 15^th with the hottest salon in the Atlanta area to bring our artists in and do events
• We have an investor presentation on January 14^th with someone who is VERY interested in what we are up to. He is coming to Atlanta to see us.
• I am fully in the REVENUE, REVENUE, REVENUE mode. This month was a huge breakthrough. We doubled our sales from what we started out with in January, reaching the over 20k mark in December. The goal is 40k per month and I am clear it won’t take that long. All the seeds are planted.

When you said to me on the last call I was on, “You need to come up with revenue generating ideas,” I went for it! That’s why you haven’t heard from me. I took a step back, looked at what needed to happen and I think I haven’t come up for air since. LOL

I am planning in all the structures to make sure I am taken care of…In fact a huge breakthrough is that I got sick this week and I had a whole team to cover for me. I couldn’t be there on New Year’s Eve and they handled it all!!!

My goals for this year are to clean up all the messes left from the first go round, get myself financially stable, get the salon/mobile model implemented, build our wedding work, develop the makeup line, QVC launch of our eco, gel based 3in 1 foundations, get the website revamped and get all the social media working in synch, begin the national PR campaign which includes MORE MAGAZINE and get my makeup artists booked solid, Have Project Authentic Beauty (our non-profit initiative) fully structured. AND TAKE AN UNBELIEVABLE VACATION WITH MY FAMILY.

I want to say thank you for all your support, encouragement and guidelines. I am far from being perfect but I launched!  I have taken everything you have said (or nearly everything) and have but it into practice. I am certainly not at the mastering level YET but I am moving in that direction!

I am grateful for your commitment to others and to me. Thank you for everything! Without you the beauty industry would have had to wait for someone else to come along to transform it.

I look forward to being one of your million dollar companies. I don’t think it will be long now! 

With All the Love in the World, Ayson Hoag
CEO, Authentic Beauty

 Note from Christine: Aly, it’s NO surprise to me that you’ve turned my Business Growth Blueprint formula and teachings into a REAL success story.  You definitely had the chops AND the know how to implement implement implement!  I totally enjoy working with you and look forward to your amazing 7 Figure Business Success. 

Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS:  To learn more about my BGB program, go to: http://bit.ly/7gZW41

When you’re building your 7 Figure Success Story, this is one of the toughest things for some of us to master, but it’s VITAL.  If you have trouble with this, you might want to attend my personal mentoring weekend and get my personal attention AND the attention of 19 other rockin’ CEOs.  Because NOT having this step at work in your life and business will be a dead end to your success.  http://www.MightyVentures.com/bai 

#3. Equalize Yourself with Others. I believe we all have one unit of worth, no more, no less. No one can add to it, no one can take it away. We’re all equal. Just because someone is powerful, rich, or famous doesn’t mean they are better than you. Practice equalizing yourself with others—this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others, and to reach out to people of all walks of life.

I’ve met many billionaires, Presidents, celebrities. Initially I’d be intimidated, until I remembered we’re all made of the same stuff. When I met Andy Grove of Intel I decided to equalize from the get-go. The result is he has always treated me respectfully, even asked my opinion on matters once or twice. As a result he’s one of the billionaires I choose to model. The more wealthy and powerful he becomes, the more gracious he treats others. Wow.

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,
Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS:  IF you are 100% ready to move into 7 Figure Success, my private mentoring weekend is the end of this month. Join 19 other CEOs (and me) to be mentored by me personally. Each of you will get a hotseat to present your business model and get my feedback and mentoring.  Strongly affordable at $1,997. 
http://www.MightyVentures.com/bai  

Here’s another tool for Networking Basics. Remember, there’s no wiggle room on these if you want to create REAL relationships and REAL results now.  Being The 7 Figure Business Builder is full throttle, believe me, but I STILL make time to practice these principals of networking everyday.  So rock on CEOs and entrepreneurs! 

#2. Do Daily Appreciation. Show your appreciation for at least one person each day. Sometimes I do this via e-mail so I can be thorough (and fast). Often, to my delight, the recipient will tell me that they are saving the message for when they need a pick-me-up. You can also express appreciation over the phone or in person. Simply tell someone how much you appreciate who they are, what they do, or whatever it is about them moves you. They’ll be flattered and you’ll feel great.

Appreciate the barista at your local coffee shop by telling them how much you enjoy the perfect cappuccino they make. Tell your spouse how much you appreciate what they do each day. Tell your staff how you value them for being accountable, creative, committed. Spread the good energy around. The result will be a happier you and a friendlier world.

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,
Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

IF you are 100% ready to move into 7 Figure Success, my private mentoring weekend is the end of this month. Join 19 other CEOs (and me) to be mentored by me personally. Each of you will get a hotseat to present your business model and get my feedback and mentoring.  Strongly affordable at $1,997. 
http://www.MightyVentures.com/bai  

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. The #1 ways to find new clients and business are networking and word of mouth – what does that boil down to?  RELATIONSHIPS.  Before we really get into networking, we need to talk about emotional equity. Emotional equity is when others care so much about you that they take your goals and desires personally. They want to help you get what you want. Here’s the formula to create emotional equity and a 7 Figure Business.   

Energy = equity         Equity = access         Access = influence.

The key to building relationships is networking. This week, I’ll be sharing about my top six networking essentials, so don’t miss a day.

#1. Practice “Palm Up” Networking. When you network, are you giving, or grasping? Palm up networking embodies the spirit of service, of giving and wanting nothing in return. When you network “palm down” you’re grasping for personal gain. Palm up equals heart-oriented interaction. Based on my experience, the universe has a perfect accounting system. Give to others–it’ll all come back to you in time.

I go to a fair amount of networking events. I can’t possibly list all the times I’ve met someone, found out what interested them, introduced them to a potential client/partner/board member or provided some other benefit to them. As a result, amazing opportunities appear on a regular basis. For instance, when I wanted an intro to a Hollywood producer, I was introduced to one with two weeks of setting this goal.

As part of my own palm-up networking, I created a free CD for all of my social media connections http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI, with this I’ve offered a free two-week introduction to my monthly mentoring program.  This program is an opportunity to implement my 7 Figure Business Building Formula despite the recession, the market, the competition, etc., etc.

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,
Christine Comaford, The 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI

Okay gang, here’s the last two ingredients for your 10-step Business Plan.  Spend the time it takes to complete all ten of these items—do the best you can, but get it done. Bear in mind that the structure of your business will change over time, too. So be willing to adjust, shift, and move with the market changes, new technology, etc. 

9) Business Model. Show how you’ll make money and grow your business. By considering all the angles, you could end up discovering provide secondary and tertiary revenue streams that you’ve given cursory thought to. Don’t hold back. The Mistake: Not explaining exactly how your biz will make money, when, and what the new revenue streams will be in time.

10) Key Milestones: Show the deals/achievements that are accelerating/will accelerate your company’s growth—be specific in stating the stage these deals/achievements are at). This is where the rubber hits the proverbial road. The Mistake: Not explaining specifically what you have accomplished within a timeframe and what you plan to achieve within a future timeframe.

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,
Christine Comaford, 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: Do not miss my FREE CD on building a 7 Figure Business, there are only a couple hundred left of these, and they’re VITAL to building your 7 Figure Success Story. http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI

Okay, if you have followed this line of blogs and you’re taking notes, the next three pieces of a successful Business Plan are Product, Defensiblity and Competition.  With these three things in place, you’re solidly on your way to gaining the financing you need and creating your 7 Figure Success Story. 

6) Product. A short paragraph explaining the status of your product: complete and in production, in early trials, etc. It’s okay if you’re in early trials, or even if you only have a killer demo. The Mistake: Not helping the reader understand how you’re going to get to a full-fledged product and when.

7) Defensibility. Explain how your intellectual property or market position will be protected from competitors and how you’ll mitigate risk for financiers. You also need to address patents in process, the key risks with your company, and how you’ll help to mitigate them. The Mistake: Not demonstrating that you’ve considered these topics, and not having thoughtful answers.

Competition. Name your competitors, both now and in the future. The Mistake: Saying you have no competitors. Even inertia is a competitor, and a formidable one at that. A security company I recently met with listed all of their competitors to me, and one by one explained how their solution was better. I love honest acknowledgement coupled with doing your homework. It’s rare and compelling.

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE success,
Christine Comaford, 7 Figure Business Builder
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: Do not miss my FREE CD on building a 7 Figure Business, there are only a couple hundred left of these, and they’re VITAL to building your 7 Figure Success Story. http://www.bit.ly/iBmuI