Goal Setting & Achievement Podcast: Business|productivity

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my guest to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the financial aspects of our business.\n\nCharles Read is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), U.S Tax Court Practitioner (USTCP), member of Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC) and the Founder of GetPayroll. \nCharles’s companies have provided full-service payroll services, payroll tax services, and other payroll-related services since 1991. Charles is the author of four books, with the latest one being The Payroll Book: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups. He has done over 400 media appearances including Fox News, Forbes, Huffington Post.\n \nHere are a few questions I asked Charles that you will benefit from by listening to his interview:\n\n•\tHow do I find the right CPA for my business, especially one who won’t have any tax surprises when it comes time to file our annual taxes?\n•\tWhat are some top tips to help us avoid employment tax penalties?\n•\tTalk about 45S which is a hidden tax cre

[[:encoded, "What can give you the “power” to succeed? Belief. Belief in yourself. Belief in your business model. Belief that you have the skills and experience, and tenacity to propel your business products and/or services forward and achieve your dream of even greater success. \n\nYes, you need: \n1.\tResources\n2.\tConnections \n3.\tAnd Maybe Even a Little Bit of “Luck”\n\nThose tools are ideal tools in your toolbox of entrepreneurship, but even with all of those, you still need to believe that you can… and then you will! \n\nOne of the biggest differences between successful people and people who struggle is that those who are successful, believed that they were going to be a success and they moved toward goals to make it happen. \n\nHow can you believe in yourself even more? Let’s explore 6 concepts that can help you.\n\n1.\tWork on your self-confidence. Self-confidence goes a long way toward your achieving the goals you’ve set for yourself. If you don’t have confidence in who you are and what you do

[[:encoded, "We’ve all had an action item on our to-do list that has been there all week or even all month, and we avoid it like the plague. You know you should be working on it, but you’ve refilled your water bottle 5 times, done your client service work, checked all your social media, completed some online business training, and are reading any blog you can find. And then the activity you have been dreading is now due and the deadline has been missed. For some, this procrastination cycle just keeps repeating. It’s normal to procrastinate, most times because a task is overwhelming or you don’t like doing it even though you are the only one who can do it, but it is probably affecting your business more than you realize. \n\nWhy Do You Procrastinate?\nUnderstanding why you are not working on something can help you to manage it. Piers Steel, who wrote The Procrastination Equation states that procrastination occurs for three distinct reasons:\n1.\tLack of self-confidence to achieve a goal.\n2.\tNot in

[[:encoded, "Whether navigating tricky conversations or counseling employees through conflict, there are always going to be difficult workplace issues that crop up. How you handle these obstacles will go a long way toward determining the atmosphere of your office. Will the office be a space where you and your team can speak and work freely, or will it be a place that stifles creativity and operates out of fear discipline? All workplaces are comprised of imperfect individuals that have good intentions but will still inevitably fail, struggle, or cause conflict. Mistakes happen, errors will be made, and feelings might get hurt. Having a plan in place for how you will respond to these things and mitigate the fallout will set you on a path to a peaceful and successful work environment. \n\nWhen difficult times arise, consider trying out one or more of the following five proven strategies:\n\n1. Practice Patience\nA good rule of thumb when faced with a difficult situation like a disgruntled employee or a gru

[[:encoded, "Do you walk into your office armed with an ambitious to-do list then watch the day fade away with your having not completed the tasks you’d set forth? Why aren’t you more productive? \n\nThere are a myriad of reasons you’re not achieving the goals you’d set for yourself and I’m going to help you explore some of them. \n\nBefore you can determine why you’re not more productive you need to measure your productivity if it was where you believe it should be and why and where you think you may be missing the mark. \n\nWhat does productivity mean to you? \n\nDoes it mean: \n1.\tChecking off items on a to-do list?\n2.\tGetting out of the office “on time”?\n3.\tBringing in X number of new clients per week/day?\n4.\tGenerating X amount of revenue each month?\n\nTo truly measure your productivity is to look at the larger picture when it comes to your personal productivity. \n\nDetermine what productivity means to you and your business goals. Are you focusing on those items that are necessary to grow t

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my guest to be helpful in helping us with our mindset, so you can break through any barriers that are holding us back from reaching our next level of success (and we all have a next level). \n\nDr. Vic Manzo is a former Certified Pediatric Chiropractor who has become a business mindset coach. He is the author of 3 books, with his most recent being \"Decoding The Matrix: Powerful Tips for Unleashing Your Potential and Accelerating Your Spiritual Awakening.” Dr. Vic helps people become aware of their limiting beliefs, habits, standards, and the stories they tell themselves. Once you are aware, he helps you reframe, change, and create beliefs that support your dream life. \n\nHere are a few questions I asked Dr. Vic that you will benefit from by listening to his interview:\n\n•\tFirst, let’s start with, how do we become aware of limiting beliefs and habits that are holding us back from reaching our true potential?\n•\tOnce we are aware, what are some specific actions

[[:encoded, "As a successful business owner, you probably realize how difficult it can be to make time for yourself. After all, you did start a successful business from the ground up! You are also needed to oversee the day to day functions of your business, which can really cut into personal time. You might not mind working long hours and never getting time to yourself, but there are a few ways in which such a schedule can really impact you… and one of these is in the realm of fitness and physical health. \n\nThere are a number of good reasons to stay physically active, fit, and healthy… and I’m going to talk about five of them. There may be more good reasons (many more, actually), but these are probably five of the most important. Taking these five reasons into account will DEFINITELY help you to see that it is in your own best interest to stay in good physical condition. \n\n1… You Will Improve Your Overall Health\nEating right and exercising helps you in a lot of ways, and keeping you healthy is at th

[[:encoded, "The most successful entrepreneurs have a foundation of creating good habits or setting up a system to make tiny changes that deliver big results.\n\nWith everything you have to do each day, your time is very precious, and it’s incredibly important for you to be intentional with each minute that you have. Creating daily habits will not only help your efficiency, it will also help you to grow and become a better person over time.\n\nHere are ten habits of successful entrepreneurs that you can implement into your daily life or implement even better.\n\n1. Create a Routine\nWhen you have a set routine, you know what comes next and don’t need to spend time figuring out how to make the most of your day. Start with a set morning routine, whether that’s exercising in the morning, taking the dog for a walk, enjoying breakfast with your family, or going straight into your workday.\n\nIf you’re a morning person, your routine might start with a 6am jog, breakfast, and coffee while you read a motivationa

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my guest to be a great resource in helping you to be an even better communicator, so you can be even more successful and be on the path to having your ideal business and ideal life. \n\nBrenden Kumarasamy is the founder of MasterTalk. He coaches ambitious executives and entrepreneurs to become great communicators in their industry and in their life. He has a popular YouTube channel called MasterTalk, with the goal of providing free access to communication tools everyone can use. \n \nHere are just a few of the questions I asked Brenden that you will benefit from by listening to his interview:\n\n•\tCommunication is critical if we want to get anywhere in business and in life. So, what do world class communicators do to be world class?\n•\tWhat should we start practicing tomorrow for being even better communicators?\n•\tWhat daily exercises can we use to practice effective communication?\n•\tIf we have call reluctance, what would we need to know to be better at commun

[[:encoded, "Making sure your business has systems in place to withstand cyberattacks is one of the most important actions you need to do. As a business owner, you have an obligation to protect your company’s sensitive information, as well as your clients’ information.\n\nThe Equifax data breach of 2017 exposed the personal data of millions of people. As a result, Equifax had to pay $700 million in settlement fees. This is just one of many unfortunate examples. Smaller businesses may be even easier targets, which is why it’s very important to have a solid cybersecurity strategy in place.\n\nIf you’re not sure where to start, let’s review 6 tips to help you increase your company’s cybersecurity to protect your business.\n\n1. Use Secure Passwords and Multi-factor Authentication\n\nNot only should you have a strong password to sign into the various platforms and software that your business uses, it’s also good practice to change those passwords regularly and use multi-factor authentication.\n\nLonger passw

[[:encoded, "It's Friday afternoon, the clock is ticking, and your fingers are jumping from one key to the other. You're working furiously, your five o'clock deadline is nearing, and the weekend is just around the corner.\n\nBut you've still got so much to do and less than an hour to finish. You silently curse yourself for not starting sooner. So, what happened? How did you end up running out of time? \n\nWell, there were hours you spent scrolling through social media, your multiple coffee breaks, re-reading emails, and completing tasks that you could've started later.\n\nProcrastination haunts all of us. We're all guilty of procrastinating and saying, 'I'll do it later,' or 'I'll start in a while.' But the negative impacts of procrastinating can steal dreams, cause missed opportunities, and even destroy lives.\n\nSome people are lucky enough to pinpoint their tendency to procrastinate and how much it holds them back. Let’s discuss how procrasti

[[:encoded, "Time management skills and external obligations have been known to be directly linked to productivity. What many professionals don’t know is that your habits also have a direct impact on your productivity.\n\nRegardless of how well you plan out your long-term and short-term goals, ensuring that every activity is carried out effectively and efficiently while rejecting distractions and intrusions, is an important step.\n\nWhen running a business, it is easy to ignore the small habits that bite into your time. The assumption that taking a few minutes every day to indulge in these small habits won’t affect your general productivity is a dangerous notion for busy business professionals and entrepreneurs.\n\nThe value of these negligible minutes adds up to a significant number of hours that can be felt weekly, monthly, and even yearly. When studying the efficiency and productivity of the year, the collective minutes or hours allocated to these small habits could have been utilized effectively to i

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my guest to be a person who loves to help people get RESULTS, and knows which habits bring success and results.\n\nBlaine Oelkers is a TEDx Speaker and leading authority in personal implementation and consistency. He is America’s only Chief Results Officer®. He’s a habit master with documented streaks of 1,485 days in a row and counting! Blaine graduated from Purdue University and Stanford University’s Social Entrepreneurship Program. He co-authored 3 books. He is powered by Selfluence, which is a personal development and training company. He is excited to share with you ways you can take control of your life by taking control of yourself.\n\nHere are a few of the questions I asked Blaine that you will benefit from by listening to his interview:\n\n•\tYou are called the Chief Results Officer. What are the specific habits we need to implement that will consistently bring us successful results?\n\n•\tThe different types of Results Machines™ - Making your results automatic

[[:encoded, "Every businessperson typically follows some kind of routine. Whether this routine means getting out of bed at the same time every day, taking a hike every weekend, or simply going to the same place for their coffee.\n\nRoutines are created to give order in a disorganized world. It brings clarity and focus to your daily life. It also provides the absolute satisfaction of having laid-out steps and processes to follow every day.\n\nRoutines feel like a planned-out day where everything is scheduled to go ahead without a hitch.\n\nSuccessful entrepreneurs make use of routines in their lives. This has helped them organize their activities, improve their productivity, and give them a clear and uncluttered focus of their life and business goals.\n\nTo align your business goals with your daily activities and tasks, these are 6 routines of highly successful entrepreneurs you can emulate.\n\n1. Morning Routine\nDo you have a morning routine? Do you wake up early in the morning, or do you sleep late int

[[:encoded, "It’s all about perspective. Whether you’re facing a business challenge or a physical one, having the right mindset can determine how successful you are. In fact, studies by Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck have shown that the power of mindset lies in whether you have a fixed or growth mindset.\n\nA fixed mindset is the belief that you are who you are, and nothing can change that. This encompasses a level of intelligence, talents, and creative abilities. When you have a fixed mindset, it may lead to feelings of failure if you don’t think you are smart enough or capable enough to handle the obstacles that you will inevitably face as a business owner.\n\nA growth mindset, on the other hand, is the perspective that you can continue to learn and adapt to different situations that may arise. Even if you fail, you tend to learn from those failures and turn them into future successes. People with growth mindsets are curious and actively seek to keep learning, a characteristic that is

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my two guests to be inspirational to you on your goal achievement journey to creating the kind of business and life you truly want. \n\nJohn and Mark Cronin are the father-son team who founded John’s Crazy Socks. John is an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a speaker, an athlete, and a dancer, who just happens to have Down syndrome. John was the first person with Down syndrome to be named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year. You may know them because John became “Sock Buddies” with President George H.W. Bush. Or you may know them for having grown a bootstrapped start up into a multi-million-dollar social enterprise where they have reached more than $12 million in revenue and are the world’s largest sock store.\n\nJohn’s Crazy Socks is an internationally recognized social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness and show what people with differing abilities can do. John’s Crazy Socks has shipped over 375,000 orders to 88 different countries. You will love their socks,

[[:encoded, "There’s nothing wrong with taking a break, but you know procrastination when you see it. Let’s talk about how to recognize the signs of procrastination and stop the cycle of excuses and delays, so you can achieve more success in life and in business.\n\nIf you have ever been a leader, manager, or business owner with employees, you’ve experienced what it’s like delegating an important task under deadline. From experience, you’ve probably learned who you can trust to complete the task well, and on time, when others fall short.\n\nHave you ever delegated a time-sensitive task to an employee only to find them making excuses, waiting until the last minute, or wasting time when they should be working on your project?\n\nIt probably got you fired up.\n\nSo, here’s a question for you: If you don’t tolerate procrastination from others, why would you ever tolerate procrastination from yourself?\n\nFirst, let’s establish that no one is perfect, and no one is completely procrastination-free, every mom

[[:encoded, "Rarely is anything an overnight success. It can take years of hard work before it pays off, and that can be a hard truth to accept. But there are tips and tricks, or habits really, that you can implement into your daily life to pave the way to a successful future for you and your company.\n\nThese tricks, that I’m about to share, are a mix of productivity hacks as well as personal life hacks to help you perform at your best and build an extraordinary legacy. With practice, they’ll become second nature, and allow you to free up your mental bandwidth to tackle the tasks that will grow your business exponentially.\n\n1. Prioritize Taking Accountability\nAs a business owner, you’re responsible not only for your own outcomes, but the outcomes of the people you hire. A great leader has insight into the day-to-day operations of their business and has the ability to empower their team as well as step in when needed. Additionally, you can’t expect your team to take accountability for their actions an

[[:encoded, "I think you will find my guest to be extremely knowledgeable about relationships as it relates to getting and keeping clients as well as in our personal life, so you can be on the path to accelerate your business results and ultimately enjoy having the kind of business and life you truly want.\n\nFor over 20 years Dr. Alexandra Stockwell has shown men and women how to communicate with clarity, vulnerability, and power, in order to create meaningful collaborative relationships in both professional and personal contexts.\n\nShe is the bestselling author of “Uncompromising Intimacy” and host of The Intimate Marriage Podcast. Dr. Alexandra has been featured in the Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, FOX NEWS NYC, just to name a few. Disruptors Magazine recently named her one of “30 Inspiring Women to Watch in 2022.”\n \nHere are just a few of the questions I asked Alexandra that you will benefit from by listening to her interview:\n\n•\tWhat are some of the

[[:encoded, "Managing a team is not an easy feat. People aren’t plug and play templates—there’s no formula for the best way to do it. The best managers lead with empathy and kindness, communicate clearly, and empower their team members.\n\nAs a team leader, it’s your job to inspire people and help them reach their goals and their potential. Continue listening to learn how to improve your team management skills and reach success together using one of all the six tips I’m about to share with you.\n\n1. Lead with Empathy\nIn Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Twelve and a Half, he talks about how empathy is a central part of how he operates. When you leverage empathy, he argues, it “makes you a better business person, CEO, manager, or leader.” To motivate your team, you need to understand them, and to understand them, you need to lead with empathy.\n\nIf someone on your team makes a mistake, instilling fear in them and being angry with them immediately can lead to more mistakes. They lose the ability to learn from the