8 challenges sustainable business
, ,

8 biggest challenges to overcome to create a sustainable business

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

1. Too comfortable

When things are going right in business it’s easy to put your foot off the gas and relax. When clients are coming in, your cash flow reserves are increasing you may think: “Why reinvest in the business?” Yet what I’ve found especially over the past 2 years, is that many businesses that were too comfortable became complacent. They didn’t innovate fast enough and stuck to what they knew which meant their business struggled even more to adapt. You must be able to innovate quickly and not settle in being comfortable where you are.

2. No Focus

It’s easy when you’re building a business to focus on too many things. This can cause you to be unproductive and waste time doing activities that don’t directly impact your business growth. Too many target markets, too many offers and too many market channels can cause you to spread yourself far too thin. It’s very important when you start out to have a clear focus to help you build sustainably.

Solution: You must learn to let go of people pleasing

There are many struggles of being a people pleaser and some exact steps to take to overcome it. Learn about these steps in the 8 lifestyle blocks, preventing your business success.

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by
6 challanges
, ,

The 6 biggest challenges entrepreneurs face in creating a 6 figure business

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

1. No Focus

It’s easy when you’re building a business to focus on too many things. This can cause you to be unproductive and waste time doing activities that don’t directly impact your business growth. Too many target markets, too many offers and too many market channels causes you to spread yourself far too thin. It’s very important when you start out to have a clear focus to help you build sustainably.

2. Lack of Marketing

lack of marketing

Perhaps you’re spending too much time on your product and not enough time marketing. It’s an easy mistake to make yet what I see is too many people building their amazing business in the middle of nowhere where people don’t know about it. Now more than ever, you must create an online presence and have a brand that stands out from the crowd.

3. Analysis paralysis

With so much going on when you’re building your business, it’s easy to become stuck in analysis paralysis. Where you spend so much time planning and not enough time implementing what you need to move the business forward. You must make sure that you’re a leader, making key decisions that really move the business forward.

4. Lack of or No Delegation

Many entrepreneurs spend far too much time doing things that they aren’t skilled to do. Whether this is website design, accounting, sales pages, copywriting … the list is endless. Make sure that you hire people to fill in your weaknesses. The jack of all trades is not something that can help your business scale. You want to make sure that you’re working on the business expansion and not getting bogged down with day to day admin.

5. Non Scalable Business Model

non scalable business

You want to make sure that you have a business model that is scalable. Many entrepreneurs especially in the consulting training industry only have themselves as the product. If you’re only doing 1 to 1 coaching or training there is a limit on how much you can scale. If you don’t have a business model that works alongside yourself or without you, it will be very challenging to scale the business to a point where you can create the income that you desire.

6. No Mentor/Coach

No one is self made. Everyone has people that help them on their journey to success. Yet one of the biggest mistakes I see are entrepreneurs looking to reinvent the wheel and not having guidance to help them on their journey. It’s important to have a coach and/or mentor, on your entrepreneur journey so that you can build your business efficiently long term.

Do you want some support in building your business whilst living a great lifestyle?

Book a FREE Business and Lifestyle Evaluation to find out the 5 biggest factors holding you back and the #1 strategy to help you move forward.

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by
change business
, ,

5 ways I drastically changed my business this year

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

1. Branding

branding business

I moved my brand from the Fulfilment Artist to The Entrepreneur Lifestyle. This was a huge change for me, yet it was of great importance to help me expand more sustainably online.

2. Business model

I changed my business model from 1 to 1 coaching, to creating a more scalable business model that allows me to still offer immense value whilst not taking up the majority of my time.

3. Funnels

I started to put together the right systems and funnels so that I could automate the sales process. This means I can work hard once and have leads coming into my funnel that are nurtured organically.

4. Marketing

branding

I started to do much more online marketing compared to previously where I would speak at multiple events in different countries throughout the year. From online events, to blogs, mini workshops and even being a guest on other people’s podcasts.

5. Impact

I started a podcast to be able to have even more of an impact to entrepreneurs all over the world. This goes in line with my long term strategy of creating more partnerships to have a much larger impact internationally and out in China.

I hope that you can learn from how I changed my business model, to help you have more business success this year.

Do you want some support in building your business whilst living a great lifestyle?

Book a FREE Business and Lifestyle Evaluation to find out the 5 biggest factors holding you back and the #1 strategy to help you move forward.

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by
Losing everything is the perfect opportunityLosing everything is the perfect opportunity
, ,

Losing Everything is the Perfect Opportunity

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

Now you’re probably thinking: Really Ben?? Losing EVERYTHING is that really an opportunity? Since working with many business owners, who have had everything and lost it multiple times, I can tell you that it is.

The sad thing is that most people don’t have this perception; they often remain stuck in a victim mentality. They say things like: “why does this always happen to me?” or “I am just so unlucky in life.” Instead, I want you to start taking responsibility, to hit the reset button and start preparing for an even more sensational future.

Once you have had the experience of losing many things in your life it actually allows you to think about what truly matters to you. You can think about your purpose and consider what you actually want to build in your life.

Many people never have the space, or the opportunity to start again. I personally have hit rock bottom many times in my life. Be it with relationships, health, business, finances or emotions. I think we have all had our fair few negative experiences and I wanted to share one with you.

This experience was when I almost became broke in China.

It was when I was first building my business to help people transform their life. I had no idea what to niche in and was exploring helping people from all walks of life. I started going to talks, speaking at events and even hosting my own free events to bring potential people in.

However, despite all my effort for months I didn’t sign a single client. Perhaps you too can relate, where you put so much effort into a business yet nothing happened. I didn’t have any other income at the time and I remember watching the cash in my bank account very rapidly decrease.

What made it even more challenging was that I was in an international relationship and needed to afford flights and accommodation. I was in fact flying in between Los Angeles, London and Shanghai! (I definitely should have chosen cheaper cities!!!) Nonetheless this pressure I started to put on myself, made me feel stressed, worried and depressed. I felt like I needed the very thing that I was offering others. Yet I found that with no money in the bank account my mindset as an entrepreneur was starting to move into scarcity and I seriously started to doubt myself.

I spoke to a friend Andrew at the time, who said it would be smarter to get a job and use that income to build up the business. Although I think this is a fantastic piece of advice I hadn’t ever had a REAL job and didn’t want to start teaching English in China.

It was at that moment that I made a key decision. I decided that I would do anything possible to avoid having to get a job. I didn’t want to work to make someone else’s dream a reality. I knew what I had to give was valuable and I would make sure to over deliver to the clients that I would work with.

I took some massive action and started to attend even more events, meet more people and conduct many 1 on 1 coaching conversations. A few more weeks went by with no results!

I was less than 2 weeks away from having nothing in my account.

Then I finally took my first high ticket client on. I can’t tell you what a relief that was! Suddenly I knew I could do it and that everything would be ok!

It was only through this belief that I MUST make it work that I prevailed in reaching the outcome I desired. Remember that persistence is key in life! In these challenging times we are in, it’s easy to be down on ourselves and put an immense amount of pressure to achieve specific results.

I challenge you to slow down and to reflect about what is it that you really want in life? What is your purpose and mission? Only then can you have the inner drive and motivation to really follow through on what it is that you desire.

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by
stay motivated
, ,

How to Stay Motivated || 10 Tips & Life Hacks

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

Motivation is like a shower, you need to take it daily.

Use these tips to help keep you consistently motivated towards your ideal business and lifestyle.

1. Create a powerful morning routine

powerful morning routine

Your morning routine is key to help put you in the right state for the rest of your day.

How often do you wake up grumpy, sluggish or tired? If you don’t have a routine to help move you out of this state it can have a big negative impact. Instead use gratitude, meditation and visualisation to move yourself into the right state.

You need to have a combination of different exercises that work for you, to prepare you for the day. This routine you do on a consistent basis will help you not only feel better about your life and business, but will start to create momentum to achieve the life you deserve.

The best thing is that it’s this consistency that once built, which means that you don’t need motivation, as you’ll start doing it out of habit. A powerful morning routine is a must!

2. Have a vision board

This is your why. It’s why you do the things you do. Using this you can start to focus on what it is that you want to build and create.

Don’t have something that is boring; make this vision board exciting that you truly want to manifest in your life. Think about how you want to run your business, imagine the team you want to create and the lifestyle you want to live.

By doing this on a regular basis you’re going to be truly focused and the actions you take daily will be more directed towards the attainment of your vision.

3. Measure your progress

This is incredibly important. Remember that progress can also be equated to happiness.

You need to start measuring your progress. Think about the micro wins you have each day and the actions you take that move you towards what you desire. If you don’t acknowledge the small things it’s easy to become demotivated.

Don’t do this in just one area of your life, measure progress in all the different areas of your life so that you can see the steps you are making. This also helps to remind you when you’re falling off track as you are measuring the actions you’re taking.

4. Hire a coach or mentor

mentor

You need to have someone to help push you and show you what is possible in the world.

They may believe in you more than you do and that will really help you stay motivated!

Gaining perspectives, insights and clarity into what you’re doing from someone that has either done it before or can ask the right questions, is a priceless investment that will keep you accountable and help you think bigger.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to hire someone and have coaching so that you can reach higher levels of success, abundance and happiness in your life.

5. Create an empowering environment

Your environment is so important for success in business, especially now that many people are working from home.

Have you created an environment that truly empowers you? Do you have things that make you smile, pictures, images or art?

If you haven’t yet, think about what your environment would look like if you had already achieved what you desire.

This will help you put the right elements in place to keep you on track, inspired and focused on creating what you desire.

6. Spend time with inspirational people.

Spend time with people that truly inspire you. This in and of itself will help lift your spirits more than most other things.

Think about in your life where you’ve had a conversation and thought WOW this person is AMAZING! It’s often those small conversations that really inspire us as to what is possible in the world.

If you don’t have access to people like that make sure to check out the Entrepreneur Lifestyle podcast to help keep you inspired on your journey.

Remember don’t spend time with people that drain you of energy. These people are the equivalent of an energy sucking vampire. Avoid them at all costs!

7. Read/listen to brilliant books.

Someone that writes a book generally speaking has spent decades of his or her life researching, analysing and looking at all the best things they have found on a given subject.

Listening to these people saves you decades of time. Find people that you admire and are inspired by and make sure to buy their book.

This will help flood your mind with positivity, perspective and growth that helps you move to higher heights in your life.

8. Do something you love

do something you love

Don’t stay stuck in the same mundane routine you have done for years.

Instead focus on something you enjoy doing. Whether this is going out running in the park, salsa in the evenings or playing board games with friends.

What is it that you love doing? What would an awesome week look like for you?

I challenge you to pause and consider these questions.

Being aware of these things is one thing, however what is more important is making it happen and taking action. I challenge you to pick one thing that you love and start doing it in the next 2 weeks.

9. Keep hungry

Don’t become complacent and comfortable where you are.

Being comfortable is one of the worst things for humans because it keeps you in the same place.

Remember if you aren’t growing you’re dying.

You need to dream big enough so that you’re excited and have something that you’re really working towards. People that I work with often have a big dream but it’s not big enough to really excite them.

Perhaps it’s time for you to play a bigger game? Where do you need to step up and start to push yourself to even greater heights?

10. Rest

It’s important to take time off and relax; no one can keep going 24/7.

Once you have rested you will feel energised and ready to go. This especially applies to all business owners out there running around like headless chickens being “busy”.

Rest is often the catalyst that gives you new creative ideas to help accelerate your business in new ways.

I challenge you to take off an afternoon on a weekday, start scheduling holidays and give yourself the break you so deserve.

If you enjoyed this and want to receive regular inspiration and insights for business owners, make sure to join thousands of other entrepreneurs receiving weekly tips, tricks and strategies.

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by
,

5 questions to consider when starting again in life

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting

Written by Ben Ivey

If I could design a life that is extraordinary what would I be doing?

Here you’re looking into opportunities to take your life in a new direction, or up to a higher level.

Most people settle for an average life, instead of striving for an extraordinary one. Let me ask you: are you an average human being?

If the answer is no, why would you settle for an average life?

It’s time to start designing your life in a way that excites you. Spend some time answering this question and watch as the magic of your imagination unfolds.

What can I always be grateful for in life?

Next look into bringing more gratitude into your life, which will make you feel more abundant.

If you’ve hit a big hurdle, it’s easy to feel like you’ve lost incredibly important elements in your life. Instead, I want you to start to think of the things that you can truly be grateful for in your life; that are almost always there.

For example: oxygen, transportation, clean water, your eyes to see, your hands to touch, your legs so you can move about in the day. If you can start to switch your mind and think like this each day, it will put you in a better position to start to live an even more abundant life than before you went through this challenging period.

What have I learnt and what will I do differently from now on?

This 2 part question is fantastic because it not only gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you have done so far. (Very often in life we forget how important it is to reflect on our mistakes.) By asking this you can spend some time digging at the life lessons that you’ve received.

Reflecting is one thing, yet what will you do differently from now on? This second step is where the rubber hits the road. For example I was aware that I burnt out and was low on energy, yet it took months before I did anything about it.

Imagine if you could adapt to circumstances now so the same mistakes didn’t occur again or were very unlikely occur? This is where true transformation takes place.

If I died tomorrow what regrets would I have?

Life has no meaning except the meaning that you give it.

Death helps put life into perspective. You know that you’ll die at some point in the future. Despite this being a morbid outlook it can actually help you live more in the present.

This is where you can start to think about what you want to do in your life and how you want to be each day.

If you only had a week left to live I’m sure you would be acting slightly different than you are at present.

I highly doubt you would be as stressed but instead really put things into perspective. So dive into this question and start to work out what are the MUSTS for you to do in your life.

What are my next steps?

It’s all good and well planning. However, if we can’t chunk it down to the steps that you need to do now, to start moving, then your time reading this was useless.

This is where you may move into analysis paralysis. You want to create changes but don’t know where to start. I want you to think of at least 3 steps, one of which you must take now, in order to start making progress towards making this new life a reality.

These actions will solidify everything that you’ve done throughout the previous questions and you’ll start to be on a success cycle.

Once again make sure that you implement and do these, otherwise they’re another idea that will be useless to you.

Knowledge is potential power. It’s time to use that power and make it happen!

Don't forget to share this post!

You may also be interested in

/by