…entrepreneur?

Yes, believe it or not, there are powerful lessons Captain Kirk can teach every small business owner. Watch this brief video as I outline four of those lessons. Then please share one lesson that you see, as well.

Action Steps:

1. Today, do something to boldly go where no entrepreneur has gone before.
2. Comment on this page and share other lessons in entrepreneurship you can learn from Captain Kirk.

Principles:

1. Often, successful entrepreneurs seek to make their own rules to the game of business.
2. You don’t need to do it all. By finding other highly skilled team members, you can compensate for your weaknesses.
3. Humor is a powerful ally to entrepreneurs. You can use it to smooth out the inevitable ups and downs of owning a business.
4. Bold action is the hallmark of many successful entrepreneurs.

The post Four Entrepreneurship Lessons from Captain Kirk appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Find out the biggest obstacle standing between you and a more focused life in my new brief video.

Action Steps:

1. Ask yourself, “What’s keeping me from breaking free of the myth of multitasking and becoming a more focused person?”
2. Share your answer using the comments section below.
3. When you hear someone say they’re “busy,” ask them what they’re accomplishing.

Principles to Learn:

1. Your ego is not your friend. What’s good for your ego isn’t always good for business.
2. On its own, being busy accomplishes nothing. There is a difference between being busy and accomplishing something worthwhile.
3. When you ask someone what they’re accomplishing, you will help them shift their focus from how busy they are to the results they produce.

The post The Myth of Multitasking is Alive and Well appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Your business is a much bigger journey than a road trip. Running a business is like taking a road trip to another galaxy. You wouldn’t step foot on a space ship without knowing the way, would you?

You may already have a business plan, which is great for showing to loan officers and investors, but do you have a way of making small course corrections as you run your business?  Find out how to chart a safe course in this short video.

Action Steps:

1. Create a one page document with your Most Valuable Indicators, as well as a sense of what is most valuable to you at your business. If you need help with this, my new book, The Focused Business, has a step-by-step process to help you create your business map.
2. Post your map in a prominent place, where you will be reminded of what’s important to you every day.
3. Review your map daily. Take a moment and decide if there are any small course corrections you need to make. Use your business map to remind you of what’s most important at your business.
4. Revise your map on a quarterly basis. You will be more mindful of the larger course corrections you need to make in order to achieve your long-term goals when you take time to revise your business map.

Principles:

1. As a business owner, you’re like the captain of an ocean-going vessel. Sometimes the course is treacherous.
2. Adventurers use maps to take some of the risk out of their journeys. As a business owner, you must create a map to know where you’ve been, as well as the corrections necessary to keep your business on course for success.
3. A business plan is not the same as a business map. A business plan is a long term blueprint for how your business operates. A business map is an essential tool for keeping your business on course in the short term.

The post Pirates and Business Plans: Have Ye a Map? appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

Have a good look around the next time you visit a big city. Look at the buildings, the businesses, the shops and the restaurants. They wouldn’t exist without visionary leaders who had the audacity to dream about them first.

But how do you keep your dream alive when the daily grind of keeping a business alive wears you down? Your imagination can help here, too. Start with an imaginary sidekick, a confidant, someone to help you process your frustrations.

My new video introduces you to SAM, the best imaginary friend a business will ever have.

When you’re finished watching, get to know SAM better in my new book, The Focused Business. Learn more at http://focusedbusiness.com.

By the way, The Focused Business started out as an idea, too: entrepreneurs like you are superheroes.

Action Steps:

1. To get the most out of this experience, write down the biggest frustration at your business or in your life.  
2. Be honest and ask yourself questions related to Systems, Accountability and Motivation.
   • Is it possible to invent and implement a system to take care of your frustration?
   • Do you regularly follow up with your employees and clients? Do you have someone outside of yourself to hold you accountable?
   • Are you and your employees truly motivated? Align their motivations with your business needs.
3. Do you want to get on the fast track to learning more about the villains you face as an entrepreneurial superhero? Go straight to Amazon and buy yourself a copy of The Focused Business.

Principles to Learn:

1. The three business fundamentals are Systems, Accountability, and Motivation.
2. If you lack just one of these elements, your business will be attacked by the evil forces of chaos. Learn more at http://focusedbusiness.com.

The post SAM: The Sidekick to Your Focused Business appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.

For everyone else:

My third book, The Focused Business: How Entrepreneurs Can Triumph Over Chaos, is now available at Amazon.com!

Through real-world examples, in-depth worksheets, and a healthy dose of wit, The Focused Business helps business owners and their key employees develop an action plan to overcome the prime culprit of small business failure: CHAOS.

This book is over fifteen years in the making. Everything inside is crafted to be both entertaining and actionable. The content has been rigorously field-tested. I consider it the very best of my work.

Check out just a few of the early reviews:

• “Crenshaw has mastered the perfect recipe for small business success. This book rocks!”
  Iron Chef Michael Symon
• “This is the one book I wished I had when I first started out in business. The Focused Business is jam-packed with street-smart strategies to help you achieve success NOW. Crenshaw rips apart all your excuses and will jump-start you on your way to the profits you deserve!”
  “Famous Dave” Anderson
• “Dave has perfectly captured the sobering reality of an entrepreneurial existence. Follow his advice and your path to excellence and the ‘ultimate harvest’ will be more rewarding and a lot less stressful. I wish this book existed five years ago.”
  Raegan Moya-Jones, CEO and co-founder of Aden & Anais

…and many more! Learn more and watch the exciting book trailer at FocusedBusiness.com!

Buy two copies: one for yourself, and one for another business owner you know. They’ll thank you for giving them the best gift their business has ever received.

Action Steps:

1. Go to Amazon.com to buy your copy of the focused business here: http://amzn.to/ZlCQo9

Principles to Learn:

1. The Focused Business teaches business owners how to triumph over chaos in their small business.

The post “The Focused Business” is Now on Sale! appeared first on Dave Crenshaw | Helping Entrepreneurs Triumph Over Chaos.