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

I really want you guys to take a few minutes and think about your life, your business and how it all should support each another. Think about priorities, balance, fostering relationships and more. Your life is full of choices and Choices = Freedom.  You have the choice to build a business that SERVES YOU, not that YOU SERVE. Think about THAT. There’s a huge difference between the two. When your business serves you, you choose the life you want and build your business around it. When your business serves you, you experience a level of happiness, inner peace, fulfillment and FUN that few people ever equate with work.  There are 3 key relationships in your life: Your relationship to yourself, Your relationship to others, Your relationship to your business. Yes, your business is like a living, breathing relationship—it can be supportive and progressive, or it can be draining and destructive. One of the most important aspects of building a business, and a life, is being accountable to yourself and others. This is why I love having an accountability partner and strongly recommend this to everyone I mentor.http://www.mightyventures.com/baiPS: If you’re ready to REALLY become accountable and create the massive success you want and deserve, I hope you’ll join me at my upcoming weekend-long Business Acceleration Intensive Workshop.  For that entire weekend I’ll be personally mentoring a very small group of business. Only twenty participants will get to work with there. If you’re up to the challenge and ready to make the investment of both the time and the funds to attend ($1,997 early bird special), go to http://www.mightyventures.com/bai/ and reserve your spot. http://www.bit.ly/5SxlYE

An accountability partner is a friend or colleague that you call weekly or twice monthly at a set time to set goals and to report the status of the goals you set during the previous call. You’ll discuss any challenges you’re having and seek your partner’s input, and you’ll commit to additional goals to be achieved by your next call. Similarly, you’ll check to see whether your accountability partner has honored the commitments he or she made during your last conversation. If not, the two of you can brainstorm as to how to achieve these goals by your next call.

Schedule your accountability check-ins for an entire month in advance. Put them on your calendar in ink, or program them into your PDA. These are now officially unbreakable dates. I find that simply knowing that I’m going to have to talk about what I did or didn’t do with my partner gives me the extra boost to get stuff done. You can use accountability partners for business or personal goals. I talk with my accountability partner every Friday at 10am. We split the time evenly between us on each call, 15 minutes each + 5 minutes for random stuff. We follow up as needed between calls via e-mail. It’s fun, you build a strong bond with your partner, and you help one another succeed. I commit to 3-5 goals per call, depending on how time-consuming each goal is. I always have a mix of personal and professional goals.

Christine Comaford, CEO Freedom Fighter!

CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.

NY Times Best Selling Author

PPS: If you’re tied up either financially or logistically, join my exclusive membership website with video mentoring instead – only $97 / month. 

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Last week I spent a few amazing days with some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve ever worked with. They chose to invest their time and their money to work with me in a private mentoring capacity, and I, in turn, invest ALL of my expertise, my heart, my lifelong entrepreneurial success (and oh yeah, my ROLODEX).  One of the most important discussions that we had was about striving versus striding. You see, striving is stressful. We THINK it’s ingenuity and nose-to-the-grindstone hard work, but hey, who wants their nose on a GRINDSTONE anyway? 

You see, STRIVING is either reaching for something you don’t have, trying to pull something toward you or push something away from you. You are literally living in the future, and you won’t be happy until you’ve reached your goal. Striding, however, taking steps every day to come closer to your goals – well, THAT is balanced, peaceful even. This is true simply because you acknowledge your forward momentum daily as you move closer to the outcome you desire.

When you are striding, you are more present, you are in the here and now, you aren’t suffering until you reach a fantastical goal in your future. You are ENJOYING your process. And since you’re more mentally present, since you aren’t fighting or resisting where you are, you are able to adapt and see opportunities that present themselves along the way. (Myopic STRIDING toward a goal can literally leave you blinded to not only opportunities, but the PEOPLE around you also.)  So whether you choose to strive or stride, you will very likely reach the same goal. Why not stride? You’ll enjoy the process more, and your team will too!

To YOUR continued success,
 
Christine Comaford, CEO Freedom Fighter!
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: To learn more about STRIDING toward your goals (and how to define, set and achieve them WITHOUT losing your mind and your savings account, go to  http://www.ResultsNowWebinar.com)

You know, I usually pack my blog with USEFUL tips to keep you guys focused and moving forward toward your goals. But every once in a while, it’s important to offer inspiration – not the Pollyanna kind of inspiration where we all join hands and sing, swaying by the campfire. Nope, I mean REAL inspiration. Where we admit that it’s TOUGH out there, but remind each other that we’re TOUGHER. The kind of inspiration where we link arms and simply refuse to be beat.

Last week, a member of my team sent me a short article she wrote about lighthouses and the video that inspired it. It was an amazing video, and it got me thinking as well. It got me thinking about the storms, the recession, business building and the amazing courage it takes to be the lighthouse keeper. You see, as my team member pointed out, this particular video of isn’t of some tranquil, new-age “om” on life. THIS video is the screaming-with-exhilaration picture of life. This is “hold your breath as the roller coaster whirls down the first hill and loops around so fast you can’t even raise your arms from the bar in front of you.”

Why do I share this here? Because entrepreneurs are A LOT like lighthouse keepers. We’re simply not looking for the tilt-o-whirl or the merry-go-round, we’re on the fastest, most exciting ride we can create every day. To really understand what I mean, you might want to watch the video (above this post). Because if the image you have in your mind is some peaceful blinking turret off of a sunlit New England shore, well, toss that idea into the trash and then kick the trashcan until it’s beaten to a pulp. This video is lighthouses from remote lands being unrelentingly pummeled by the ocean, waves wrapped around and over them like blankets, alive, spectacular and terrifying.
 
You see, here’s the truth as far as I see it: We don’t become entrepreneurs for the peace of mind. Those people, quite honestly, are on the shore. The most brave of them are maybe watching from the beach (or investing – hah). But the lighthouse keeper – now that’s bravery. I have no doubt that there are days when the calm ocean breeze feels like a sonata. But you KNOW that the raging surf is part of the deal. You know that there’s no safe way out of it if the chaos comes without warning. For us, the tumultuous, insane, terrifying days are PART of why we’re the rarest edge of society – the ones standing IN the lighthouse when it all goes down, streaming a warning to others (or welcoming them when the waters are safe again).

The next time it’s as insane as it can get and everything around you is like a raging storm, when your clients, your financing, your business model – EVERYTHING is like that raging surf – RELISH that moment. Those days DEFINE great leaders. We simply go THROUGH those storms, chart our OWN course, write our own strategies for success and create our own success stories, no matter what.

To YOUR continued success,

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

PS: http://www.ResultsNowWebinar.com

I’ve been tweeting a lot about surfing the last few days – and I’ve gotten so much feedback that I thought I would share about what surfing represents in my life.  Okay, first of all, it’s some GREAT damned R&R – it’s fun, it’s friends – and it’s the silence of deepwater and the rushing thunder of the surf all tied together.  It is predictable and yet unpredictable. 

For me, it is a lot like business.  To begin with, it takes COURAGE.  Getting out there and standing on your board, on the ocean, in front of people.  Yeah, I can see very clearly how that risk MIRRORS every business I’ve ever built.  And it takes PRACTICE and PATIENCE (the latter is NOT my strong suit!)  But being PREPARED to accept the learning curve – to know that it WILL take practice and learning – and that you WILL fall off a hundred times until you learn the necessary skills and balance – that is magical.  

BALANCE – oh yeah.  Figuring out how to shift and move and accommodate the changing ties and rolling surf.  To remain UPRIGHT – that’s got business ALL over it.  

I’ll share more on this topic in Part 2 over the weekend.  But if you are 100% ready to create balance and a rush of success and forward motion — to learn REAL strategies for success and wealth building, head over to http://www.StrategySessionNow.com and take the self assessment.  If you’re really lucky, you might win a free strategy session with either myself or one of my Mighty team.  

To YOUR amazing adventures.  TGIF! 

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

http://www.StrategySessionNow.com  

Okay, now let’s show an example of some ACTIONS required to achieve each needle moving RESULT.  Remember, along with FUNDING, this is a HUGE topic that will be covered on June 5 and 6 at my Results Now Summit.Example 3: Steven has a consumer retail product that he sells directly from his web site, through hotels, and through gift shops. His revenue has been a steady $1mil per year, but he last year it dipped down to $900k. He wants to reach $2mil this year and will have to start managing by needle movers to make that happen. Here are his annual needle movers with a few of the actions he’ll have to take (which will keep him busy for the year!):

THIS is a HUGE topic that will be covered on June 5 and 6 at my Results Now Summit in San Francisco. Besides a million-dollar education in business acceleration, there will financing opportunities, networking opportunities and enough strategies for success to launch your business into the stratosphere!To your continued success!

Okay, I’ve had a lot of feedback over the last two days about my Needle Mover Blogs.  This is an area I’ll cover EXTENSIVELY at my Results Now Summit in June, but I want to offer enough examples to drive the topic home right now. In these four examples, I’ll provide the TARGET, MINIMUM, and MIND BLOWER for some, but not all, examples. Generally, you will want to have annual needle movers — and monthly and quarterly to help you reach those goals.

Example 1: George had a dreadful experience with his last business. He didn’t use needle movers to build his business and didn’t have a mentor, so he made a series of costly mistakes. When he came to me he had lost over $100,000 on his last business. He was ready start a new business, a media services company.

He is mired in bookkeeping and admin work (not his key skill set), needs sales leads, and wants $120k in revenue in the next 12 months, and to get to $500k in revenue as soon as possible thereafter. He wants 7 digits in sales within 5 years. His annual needle movers are:

1. Reach $120k in revenue (Target = $120k, Min = $90k, Mind Blower = $250k)
2. Spend 80% of time on his core expertise (Target = 80%, Min = 50%, Mind Blower = 100%)
3. A sales pipeline of $200k as he heads into the new year (Target = $200k, Min = $100k, Mind Blower = $450k)

He can create monthly needle movers to get him closer to those goals. The 3 needle movers that will make the biggest difference in his business NOW are:

1. Hire a virtual team to do the work he hates: and admin and a bookkeeper
2. Ramp up marketing fast: get 1,000 leads in 30 days
3. Generate revenue pronto: make $5,000 in the next 30 days

Example 2: Carol is a consultant. Her annual needle movers are:
1. Become recognized as an expert in her field
2. Travel only 25% of the time (she travels 50% now)
3. Increase revenue to $300k annually

To achieve these results she’ll need to refine needle movers 1 and 2 as they are vague or need to be more easily tracked.  Let’s change: Become recognized as an expert in her field to Build a following of 10,000 (that’s the TARGET, the MIN is 3,000, the MB = 20,000)

To travel only 25% and yet increase revenue, she’s going to need to productize her services. Let’s change that needle mover to Develop Product Path and launch 4 products (that’s the TARGET, the MIN is 2, the MB = 6)

So she really only has 2 needle movers. She’ll think of a third one soon!  This blog could be fifteen pages long with examples, so I’m going to let you digest these two, and I’ll post two more later this afternoon.

THIS is a HUGE topic that will be covered on June 5 and 6 at my Results Now Summit in San Francisco. Besides a million-dollar education in business acceleration, there will financing opportunities, networking opportunities and enough strategies for success to launch your business into the stratosphere!

To your continued success!

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

http://www.ResultsNowSummit.com

Let’s create a Monthly Planning Template to help you stay focused on your own needle movers.  Grab a piece of paper and place it lengthwise or open up a new document in Word in “landscape” mode. Now make 4 columns. The first column is labeled RESULT (this is one of your needle movers), the second column is labeled ACTIONS (these are the actions to take to achieve the specific needle moving RESULT), the third column is labeled OWNER (this is the person who is accountable for a given ACTION) and the fourth column is RESOURCES (these are the resources such as web sites, software and other tools or people to help an OWNER complete a given ACTION.)

So, left to right the columns are:  
RESULT   ACTIONS       OWNER          RESOURCES

A given RESULT will have usually 3-10 ACTIONS, which may have different OWNERs for each ACTION. There may or may not be RESOURCES for a given ACTION.

I also like to include a TARGET, MINIMUM and MIND BLOWER for each Needle Moving RESULT. You won’t always achieve the exact result you want. This doesn’t mean you have failed! Heck, a result is a result, and it will move your business forward. The TARGET is what you want, the MINIMUM is what you are willing to accept, the MIND BLOWER is what would absolutely ROCK your world.

One huge benefit of needle movers?  Anticipation = Power! Anticipating achieving your needle movers keeps you going!)

Need help identifying YOUR needle movers?  Join me on June 5 and 6 at my Results Now Summit in San Francisco. Besides a million-dollar education in business acceleration, there will financing opportunities, networking opportunities and enough strategies for success to launch your business into the stratosphere! 

To your continued success!

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

http://www.ResultsNowSummit.com  

Okay, in case you’re new to this, your needle movers are the 2 or 3 tangible results that, when achieved, will change everything for your business, allowing you to move forward FAST! I’ll cover this topic extensively at my Results Now Summit in San Francisco on June 5 and 6, but here’s an overview to get you started.

Many people struggle with a lack of focus simply because they aren’t defining their needle movers and working only on those. It’s vital that we identify the 3 activities to focus on RIGHT NOW that “move the needle” – meaning, they move your business forward from zero to 10 miles per hour, or from 10 to 40 mph, or 40 to 90 mph. You get the picture. Distilling your business to its essence is key here. Needle movers keep you focused on the actions that drive RESULTS.

For instance, maybe to move your business forward you need to: generate more sales leads, close more sales, train up your team to be self-managed. These would become your three needle movers.  Further, everyone on your team should have needle movers that they are focusing on and reporting on. It’s important to distill your needle movers to only 3 is because each of these will have plenty of sub-activities surrounding them, and this is a tool to keep you focused and rockin’ toward REAL success.. So stick to three and GET YOUR NEEDLE MOVING!

Need help identifying YOUR needle movers?  Join me on June 5 and 6 at my Results Now Summit in San Francisco. Besides a million-dollar education in business acceleration, there will financing opportunities, networking opportunities and enough strategies for success to launch your business into the stratosphere! 

To your continued success!

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

http://www.ResultsNowSummit.com

Question: I would like to get capital for my company, but usually shy away from VC’s because I don’t want to give a piece of the company away.  I always think that, one step at a time, I will make ground by myself.  I feel that if I open up, I will loose my liberty. What suggestions would you have to make me change mind frame?

Answer: Better to have 30% of something huge than 100% of something microscopic. If you need capital then you need capital. You will also get expertise, help, credibility, and other people sharing the risk. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish!

Christine Comaford, Business Accelerator
Mighty Ventures, Inc.

Send all of your biz building questions to me for to get my strategies for success at this month’s free Q&A:
http://www.AskChristineNow.com