As an Executive Coach – and the founder of BAI, I get to work with clients on infinite levels. One question I work from every day is, “How do we access the BIG picture of what we really CAN ACHIEVE?”

In other words: How do I mentor clients to release EVERYTHING that blocks them? One way is to teach them to STOP their thoughts. Why?  Because your thoughts are the voice of your ego, and your ego is primarily driven by fear. According to the research of Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University, a human being has approximately 60,000 thoughts per day—and 90% of these are repetitive! (You know what that says to me, as an Executive Coach? It says OPPORTUNITY.)

Just how much value can a repetitive thought add? Simple answer: most of us haven’t trained our minds to be still. That is the first opportunity. Our minds and thoughts can be trained. It is in stillness that you will find all of the answers you seek – in business building and life. Here are 3 practices I’ve shared with countless people over the past few decades. To date, at least one of them has resonated with every person. If you are the exception, let me know, and I’ll teach you 3 more practices!!! J  (All of these practices are helpful for insomnia too. Simply do them in bed, as you are lying awake.) Be sure to turn off all phones and noise makers. Ensure that your family / colleagues / etc. cannot disturb you, and sit up straight, whether in a chair or cross-legged.

Practice: Heart Opening: Say “me” and touch your chest. If you do this a few times you’ll notice you always touch the same area. This is the position of your spiritual heart, or your heart center (or chakra). Close your eyes. Place your inner focus on your heart center. See a rose bud there, choose whatever color you like. Now see the petals slowly unfolding in your heart center. This rose bud has an infinite amount of petals. See them unfolding as the rose gets bigger and bigger, filling up your chest. Keep focusing on the rose unfolding. When thoughts arise, let them pass, do not cling to them or reject them. Simply focus on the rose unfolding.

Practice: News Feed: Imagine a news feed across the bottom of a TV screen. There’s a bit of news, then some white space, then more news, and so on. Your thoughts are like the news. There’s always more! Now consider the white space between the thoughts. In Japanese, the word ma is loosely translated to mean pause–the pause between notes, the pause between breaths, the pause between sentences, the pause between thoughts.

Close your eyes. Place your inner focus on the constant stream of thoughts scrolling across the TV of your mind. See the scrolling thoughts floating in space or actually across a screen, whatever image works for you. Don’t pay attention to the thoughts in detail. Them scroll by, do not cling to them or reject them. Now focus on the space between the thoughts, the ma, the pause. As you focus on the white space between the thoughts you’ll find it getting wider, longer, bigger. In time you’ll see mostly emptiness, with few if any thoughts. Stop and notice open space as conversations pause, as music pauses. We are surrounded by pauses. That’s where some of the best stuff is. We often fill our minds and schedules out of fear of emptiness. Yet emptiness is where true peace and connectedness and love can always be found.

Practice: Light Shower: Close your eyes. See yourself with your inner vision. You’re sitting exactly where you are, dressed as you are. You are watching yourself. Move your focus to the top of your head. See a shower of white light pouring down over your head, covering your body gradually. Keep watching it pour over you as it covers you entirely, covers your outfit, your fingers, your face, your shoes or toes. It covers your front and back sides. You can no longer distinguish your features, you simply see an image of you made of white light. This is the light of God, the Universe, whatever resonates with you. This light is always available to you, all you need to do is remember to tune in to the light shower. When thoughts arise, let them pass, do not cling to them or reject them. Simply focus on the light shower covering you completely. This is a terrific technique to do midday if you feel tired or upset.

Christine Comaford, The Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc. and Business Accelerator
http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

PS:  Are you ready for November 8^th?  Tune in for my presentation with TED http://www.tedx-sandiego.com/speakers

IRS = ROI

Today I want to write you guys just a few sentences on team building.  HOW do we keep our team motivated?  Recognition is a HUGE piece of that puzzle.  In fact, even when team members hear us praise someone ELSE on the team, it’s a proven fact that they’re all inspired to try harder.  So this week, keep in mind the two IRS factors:

1. Initiative – Responsibility – Speed. When you have a team member who takes the initiative to always move you and your business forward in creative, effective ways, and they take responsibility for projects and new endeavors, and on top of it all, they understand the URGENCY of SPEED and always being focused on the end game, THAT is a team member to work with as closely as you can and to praise publicly.

2. And remember when praising to use the other IRS: Identify – Recognize – Seize the Opportunity!

Identify specifically what they did for you / your company.

Recognize their efforts with some sort of reward – your words are great, but a tangible thank you rocks the house, even if it’s just a wonderful meal with you to celebrate.

Seize the opportunity! Great team members don’t come along every day.  Find out what inspires this person about working with you and your business and put them in charge of it!  If it’s sales, give them a great product to launch, if it’s marketing, ask them for a new look at your old list or marketing plan.

You get the picture.  Whatever you do with your team, just don’t do NOTHING.  Remember, your biggest competitor is INERTIA.

Next Wednesday, I’m going to hold an incredibly focused Q&A call with some mind-blowing training around how to build a 7-figure business and create huge ROI on everything you do for your company.  I’ll send you all an event invite – it’s not a free event, but it is affordable – and a GREAT investment to get my personal coaching on your toughest questions.

I’ll send you the details by the end of Tuesday, and I want each and every one of you to know that YOUR success matters.  It matters to me, to the people you will touch in your life, an it matters to our NATION.  That is not a joke.  So take your next steps seriously and practice IRS on yourself!  Have initiative, 100% responsibility, and speed in all you do.

Until next week’s call,

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach

CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc. and Business Accelerator

http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

What are YOU obsessing about today?  …production hassles?  marketing problems?  hiring and firing?  the big sales meeting you have to prepare for?

Not to mention the myriad other things that have to get done on a daily basis or the business just won’t survive (like invoicing & accounts receivable, accounts *payable* (yuck), team meetings, the endless flood of emails and phone messages… )

All of this magnifies, growing larger and larger, like a disease.  It’s called “Founder Burnout” — and sadly you’re not alone.

Just about every CEO, entrepreneur, and business owner I know has had this experience at least once. I’ve even had it myself.

What you need to create BUSINESS ACCELERATION is to clear the clutter, drop all of your baggage and get free of it all for a few days and figure out what’s *REALLY* important in your business.

If only there was a place where small groups of entrepreneurs get together to brainstorm, offer support & camaraderie while they identify REAL opportunities, connections and solutions to challenges …all with one single-minded purpose:

To deliver you from the depths of sleepless hell by *accelerating* your business forward in the most critical areas. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?  Well, this “Entrepreneurial Utopia” actually does exist. (I should know, I designed it!)  And it’s closer than you might think. http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

Coming soon to San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Vancouver!

Will YOU be there?  Will YOU create those opportunities, connections and solutions to challenges???

Christine Comaford, The Executive Mentor
Founder & CEO: Mighty Ventures LLC
Author: New York Times Bestseller
Rules for Renegades
http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

Excuse me if I rant a little bit today… I wish I had a dollar for every person who’s come up to me and said, “I just can’t think of an idea for a business. All the good ones are already taken.”

It’s amazing how close-minded we can be. We actually believe there’s a scarcity of killer  business ideas, that there’s nothing new under the sun to cash in on.

What a crock.

Scarcity is a lie. Many of us are raised with the idea that there is never enough. Why? Because most people want the easy way out. They want to look around and agree to just follow the party line. They think, “Oh that person had a great idea for a company, but I couldn’t do that”.

Well, guess what? That’s your inner critic talking… and it’s feeding you the biggest line of crapola you can fathom.

Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs look at the world from a different point of view. They see something and say, “That’s inefficient” or “That’s broken” and “Hey, I could do that better” or “Why don’t we have a such and such?” Then they come up with ideas to address those issues directly.

And I’ve got great news for you–the pie is enormous, and it’s getting bigger every day. There are so many ideas and so much money–the Department of the Treasury is printing more every day. There’s a lot out there to be had, and don’t let anyone make you believe otherwise.

So, this week, make a point to look around and ask yourself “What’s broken here?” Make a list of 20 ideas. They don’t have to be long, drawn out business plans — just a thought. Then bounce your ideas off some people and gauge their reaction. But be forewarned — more than one of you may have the same idea. And that’s okay. It’s the follow-through and the execution that will set your idea apart from theirs.

And if you’re tired of being dragged down by OTHER people, come to my 7 Figure Business Summit and work with a room FULL of like-minded business builders.

The Summit is only TWO weeks away now 4/30-5/2.  So hurry! Get your seats before they’re gone. (As I write this, there’s only 30 seats left – and you can STILL bring a friend for half price. (My personal recession buster) – 7 Figure Business Summit.)

To your amazing and IMMEDIATE 7 Figure Success,

Christine Comaford, 7 Figure Business Builder

CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.

NY Times Best Selling Author of Rules for Renegades

PS: IF you cannot attend my Summit for any reason, then by all means, grab my Results Now Webinar and get started – but I think you should ALL be at that Summit and give me a chance to see you and hear the extraordinary life that YOU want to build.

Christine Comaford believes every entrepreneur has at least one multi-million dollar business inside of them. Her 7 Figure Business Formula has created over 153 multi-million dollar businesses. Learn the 6 proven steps to YOUR 7 Figure Business here: http://bit.ly/ComafordWebinar

This week, I’m ALL about building a rockin’ team.  WHY do you need a rockin’ team?  Because building a 7 Figure Business is NOT a joke.  It is where the real freedom comes in — it creates CHOICES.  A 7 Figure Business is a whole different kind of success story, and I use ALL of my million-dollar know how to offer the REAL goods on business acceleration to get you from here to there.  YES?   Are you ready for a different kind of life and business?  Then follow my blog, visit my websites and watch the video at http://www.7FigureBusinessSummit.com/2010. 

STOP spinning your wheels.

I hope you’ll tune in EVERY day for my 4 Secrets on Team Attraction:

1. The Fab Four: I try to find outstanding people who fit into one or more of these 4 categories:

– Visionaries: They’re highly visible and articulate; they “see” the future of your company as well as new markets you should enter. And they’ll wow prospective clients and financiers.

– Leaders: This is your executive management; they make their mission everyone else’s. A great leader can inspire and motivate people to do anything.

– Implementers: These are the people who make things happen. They build the products/services and market and sell them.

– Infrastructure Builders/Supporters: They create the foundation, processes, and procedures to keep the company running smoothly and enable it to grow.

(Where do you FIND those people?  If you’re building a 7 Figure Business and the TEAM to get you there, the BEST place to find those like-minded people is my 7 Figure Business Building Summit. The early bird special price ends in less than two weeks, so click through now – and don’t forget, you can still bring a friend for half price! That’s TWO of you for $1,497 – unbelievable.)  http://www.7FigureBusinessSummit.com/2010To your success and your winning relationships!

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

PS:  This is the ONE event you must be at this year: http://www.7FigureBusinessSummit.com

Why do some companies get showered with financing offers to create success NOW and business acceleration and others end up empty-handed and stuck in quicksand? It’s all about due diligence.

Before you get a loan, an investment, a client, an acquisition offer, or an investment banker to take you public, you’ll need to prove you have a solid business and that you’re READY for business acceleration. This is why we love to hate the due diligence (DD) process: it’s ridiculously time-consuming, and yet it’s required if we want to raise cash. Good DD prep enables a company to fly through the process and extract more cash for their company with less dilution. Here’s how to make the process work for you.

The DD Mind Game
On one side of the table is you, eager to close the deal. On the other side of the table is the funding source, who has at least as many reasons to nix the deal as to ink it. This is why DD is key: your goal is to reduce the fear of loss and increase the greed for gain in the funding source’s heart and mind.

First, be open and cooperative, as the funding source will note your reaction (verbal and body language) to their information requests. Assign one person to be the contact for the DD process, otherwise the operations of your company will be seriously impacted. This person should be detail-oriented, such as someone in finance or operations. Do not assign someone from sales or marketing.

All areas of your business will be scrutinized before a deal is done. Some funding sources will obsess over every item you give, others will focus on the potential deal breakers within each category. The process will generally take 3-12 weeks, depending on the transaction, with the least amount of a time for a loan, and the most for an acquisition. Investments from VCs or angels will land in the middle.

This is just the BASIC info – Due Diligence 101 – if you’re ready for real FUNDING avenues, business acceleration and CEO freedom (plus the 1-2-3 down and dirty info on creating financial freedom), you really need to do more than read my blog – but hey, this is still a good place to start. To your ROCKIN’, no-holds-barred, no excuses allowed, SUCCESS.

Christine Comaford, CEO Freedom Fighter
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Time Best Selling Author
http://www.mightyventures.com/bai

PS: My BAI weekend is the fastest way to ramp revenue and your company’s growth because it’s so intimate (I only take 20 participants) http://www.mightyventures.com/bai – I still have two spots left, and I would love to have you guys there to learn from me, firsthand, how to create MASSIVE growth and avoid HUGE mistakes.

Product Lines For entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, when you’re planning your product line to create results now, rather than later on down the road, you’ll face a number of crucial decisions. These will include product path, product development, delivery and pricing – among others. It’s also important to consider how to create and implement an innovation and intellectual property strategy. (We know that results now means having a workable strategy at all times.) Bear in mind that the majority of these issues will be resolved as you test your products in the market and see who buys what. You’ll also test your price points. Let’s include all services in the term products as well, so if you are in a services business, start seeing them as products (even if they are delivered live). Doing this will, in time, result in your spinning off some packaged products that no longer require live delivery—which will help you massively leverage your time and create the immediate goal you seek: results NOW. After all, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs know that success “later” is fine, but results NOW is always the number one priority. And having viable product lines is vital to achieving that goal.

Christine Comaford, CEO Freedom Fighter
NY Times Best Selling Author
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.

PS: Be sure to get my free CD on creating massive success as an entrepreneur (just pay the shipping) http://www.bit.ly/42GZhJ — this little secret saved my sanity and allowed me to create a business that supports my desire for time, money, freedom and fun in my life!

Not having reliable revenue systems spells death to more businesses than I could count in a lifetime. To begin with, it totally drains you of much-needed energy and kills your creativity day after day.  If you’ve ever suffered from not having enough money coming in, then you know what I mean! When it comes to growing your business, CASH IS KING, and the best way to generate cash for your business FAST is by generating profitable SALES.

One way to banish this blunder is through high-probability selling. This is where you learn to get to “No” quickly and move on to the next prospect without wasting precious time and energy. What do you do with “potential” sales that just aren’t happening? Disqualify them. They’re not worth it.  Too many entrepreneurs waste too much time and energy chasing sales prospects with no potential. To increase your sales, you need to learn to FEARLESSLY disqualify sales leads. If you don’t have a system in place already, tune in for Monday’s blog where I’ll share the 1-2-3 on separating real leads from real distractions!To your continued success! 

Christine Comaford, CEO Freedom Fighter
Business Accelerator
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

http://www.ResultsNowWebinar.com   

Getting tangible results fast is the order of the day for NY Times bestselling author Christine Comaford who shares her proven, step-by-step systems in a 4-part webinar series beginning March 10, 2009.

San Francisco, CA March 6, 2009 – Mighty Ventures, LLC announced that CEO Christine Comaford will share her proven business systems for generating clarity of focus, marketing results, reliable revenue and building and leveraging a team for improved results in a four-part webinar called “Results Now” (www.resultsnowwebinar.com) beginning March 10, 2009.

Comaford, who has previously built and sold (or taken public) 5 companies for an average 700% return on investment insists that the current economic situation can be successfully circumnavigated by entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs willing to take decisive action using proven methodologies.

“There are nine different ways that entrepreneurs are leaking money that have nothing to do with the economy,” she says.  “And there are no less than 15 different ways of making or saving more money, most of which can be implemented with human capital only – energy over money.”

Having consulted for 700 of the Fortune 1000, as well as two White House Administrations (Bush & Clinton) and investing in more than 200 companies as a venture capitalist or angel investor, Comaford’s track record speaks for itself.

To date, she has helped create more than 150 millionaire entrepreneurs, thanked by Bill Clinton for “fostering American entrepreneurship” and successfully mentored more than 300 small businesses to greater results. With the Results Now webinar (www.resultsnowwebinar.com) she is putting her reputation to the test, guaranteeing tangible results within 30 days.

About Christine Comaford:

Christine has appeared on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX Business Network, PBS, CNET and is frequently quoted in the business, technology and general press at large. Stanford Graduate School of Business has done two case studies on her and PBS has featured her in three specials (Triumph of the Nerds, Nerds 2.0.1, and Nerd TV ). CNET has broadcast two specials covering her unconventional rise to success as a woman with neither a high school diploma nor college degree. Christine believes we can do well and do good, using business as a path for personal development, wealth creation, and philanthropy.

Contact:
Paul Keetch, Director, Business Development
Mighty Ventures, LLC
707-320-9380
http://www.ResultsNowWebinar.com
paul@mightyventures.com

One of the best questions I’ve ever gotten at my free monthly Biz Building call is, “How do I develop a profitable business without too much trial and error and lost money?”

I think the answer is vitally important to all entrepreneurs and savvy business people right now.  Here it is:  EVERY business loses precious time and often tens of thousands (if not more) in lost dollars and lost opportunities if they don’t get an incredible mentor, coach, and community to guide and support them! The mentor teaches what pitfalls to avoid, what to do and not do, and what’s most crucial to enact, along with when and how. Then a coach holds them accountable, and the community provides a gang of fellow travelers for support, idea sounding boards, etc.

So the question is, if you do NOT have a mentor and a community, as well as other tools, such as an advisory board and an accountability partner, why not?  Your success and the survival of your business depend upon it.  Get moving!

To get great tools on how to create these relationships, feel free to join my Facebook Group, Business Renegades: http://tinyurl.com/6xos94

Christine Comaford, Biz Accelerator
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author of “Rules for Renegades”
http://tinyurl.com/6xos94