Chapter 3 Overcoming Obstacles

Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business

table of contents 1 Intro 7 Part 1 As You Grow, So Grows Your Business

11 Chapter 1 Focus 15 Chapter 2 Whole Business Circle 31 Chapter 3 Overcoming Obstacles

55 Part 2 The Core Of Your Business

63 Chapter 4 Wake-up Your Marketing 93 Chapter 5 Your Money Map 113 Chapter 6 Visionary Leadership 123 Chapter 7 The 5 Points Of Professional Development 139 Epilogue 143 Appendix 149 Index 151 About The Author -IX

Chapter three:

Overcoming Obstacles Many small business owners struggle with money or stress, deal with

constant crises and deadlines, and end up working 24/7. Everyone’s story is different, but the cause of their obstacles is the same: not facing the emotional and mental obstacles they carry inside of themselves. A few years ago I worked with a man who had been in business as an accountant for almost twenty years. He was fifty-seven and stressed most of the time. His doctor told him that he was on a downward slide if he didn’t stop working so much. He called me for help because he realized he didn’t know how to work less and still run his business. He was frantic and anxious when I first met with him. In questioning him I discovered that his employees were under-utilized. He didn’t know how to delegate and found it easier to just do it all himself. He didn’t trust that they would do the work correctly and to his standards, so he felt stuck. In short, he had a mental block. He was disconnected from his life force and was married to his business. He saw no way out. During the months we worked together he began to see how to move past these obstacles. When I asked him what he would need to have in place for him to trust his employees, he didn’t know. He had never considered this question. He was a one-man band rather than head of a team. Finally, he was able to access what he needed in order to trust his people, and we worked on putting new systems into place. The last time we spoke he was relaxed, much less stressed and enjoying more of his life away from the office. When you own a business you are the vision-holder, the one who leads, the top of the mountain. Your business health depends on your consistent energy, clear vision, and unwavering commitment. Self-doubt, burnout, and loss of will are just a few emotional and mental obstacles that will keep your business from reaching its success. On the following pages we will look at common mental blocks and obstacles that business owners experience. We will then review empowering steps you can take to overcome these obstacles and blocks so you can move forward.

BUSINESS SUCCESS CYCLE Many people begin with very high expectations. They know the service they offer is good, and they expect it to sell itself. Seasoned entrepreneurs know that this requires strategy and smart planning. And still, there are always issues or obstacles to face and work out. Entrepreneurs enjoy the challenge of solving problems and figuring out solutions, and they know that facing obstacles is part of running a business. The diagram on the next page shows The Business Success Cycle. It illustrates the natural flow that happens as a business begins and grows. This is a normal cycle that repeats throughout the life of your business. Let’s have a look at the diagram and understand what it all means. Cycles can begin anywhere, but to make it easy we will start by looking at the three points of the triangle within the cycle. A business is always somewhere in this process, either directly at a point or somewhere in between. There is no right or wrong place to be, and no one spot is better than another. The important thing is to have the insight and awareness of where you are and what you need to do in order to get where you want to go. Some places will feel more challenging. That’s a part of growth and learning. In order to take your business where you want it to go, you need to be willing to look at what isn’t working as well as what is. In order to grasp this concept, we will begin by examining the three points. In actuality, you will never experience one in isolation from the other two.

VISIONING

Visioning is at the top of the cycle and is the first step to beginning an entrepreneurial enterprise. Your vision is an essential element in the success of your business. However, many people begin a small business with an incomplete vision. If you cannot envision the business you want, you cannot develop it. It’s that simple.

The more detailed your vision, the clearer it will be, and the easier it will be to create a map of how to get there. You will find it more challenging to go to the next step in the Success Cycle without a clear and detailed vision. The following exercise is easy and revealing, and will help you see how clear your vision is at this point. It will also help you see the parts of the Whole Business Circle that are still foggy. There will be more on visioning with regards to money in Chapter 5. BUSINESS VISION EXERCISE Close your eyes and picture your business in 10 years from now. Your business is built, the systems are in place, and revenue is coming in. All nine parts of your business are activated. Picture the building, the people involved (employees, contract workers, etc.), and the products and services that are part of your venture. Imagine your clients or customers and what they are buying. What is the mission of your business? How are you fulfilling it? What are all the income streams? Visualize your role as the leader of your business. Notice what it feels like to be in that role. When you open your eyes, write down everything you saw or thought about. Answer these few questions: Were you able to visualize your successful business in detail? __________________________________________________________ Could you describe all the systems, operations, staff, revenue streams and products? __________________________________________________________ Were you able to see yourself as a leader and manager? __________________________________________________________ Regardless of its size, every successful business includes all of these elements. Put a mark on the line below that represents your vision’s clarity and development at this moment. _________________________________________________________

Very unclear, vague Very clear, detailed This is meant as a self-awareness exercise. There are no right or wrong answers. If your mark is toward the left, it means you need to spend some focused time on developing your vision. It will be easier for you to create a map if you have a clear and detailed vision of where you want to go. The following questions will help guide you. If your mark above is toward the right, you may have an easier time answering them. Do the best you can, as this is only the beginning of the process, and we will come back to visioning later in the book. Save your answers with a date, repeat the exercise in three months, and compare your answers. YOUR 10-YEAR PICTURE 1. What is the name of your business? __________________________________________________________ 2. What is your mission statement? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 3. What products and services bring in revenue? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 4. Who are your customers? Who is your perfect customer? Be specific. __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 5. What makes your customers need, want, and be willing to pay for your products and services? What is their problem or issue? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 6. What research have you relied on to know there is a market for your products and services? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 7. What would make someone want to fund your business? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 8. How many employees do you have and what are their roles? Do you have complete job descriptions for each position you want to fill? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 9. What are the different income streams and what percentage of your business comes from each one? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 10. What is your gross annual income?

__________________________________________________________ 11. What is your role as the leader of your business? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS Developing your business is the next point on the success cycle. Business development includes creating your business plan, setting goals and action steps, learning techniques and business tools, putting systems in place, and designing elements that lead to growth. This is an ongoing process, but it begins with the vision and never really stops. The emphasis and focus will change as your business grows, and as you put new systems into place and create new positions. As your business grows the vision becomes manifest, clearer, and more defined. For instance, services and products might change in response to your clients’ needs, but your original mission will stay the same. Every step of development brings up new challenges and necessitates that you make new decisions and updates to your plan. If you want your business to grow into your vision, you need to be willing to stretch and face obstacles as they emerge. There will be more details about business planning in Chapter 5.

OVER COMING OBSTACLES Running a business can feel like a fulltime personal growth workshop. Being able to face problems without letting them disable you is a trait that most successful entrepreneurs deal with regularly. Even when obstacles seem external they are in fact internal. Certainly there are hundreds of issues that come up in running your business, many of which seem outside of your control. You can acknowledge the issue and calmly decide what to do, or you can flip out and feel it’s a sign you need to quit your business. Your landlord raising the rent is a good example. It’s something you have no control over, but the degree to which it feels like an obstacle is related to your emotional and mental response. Notice the extremes. The calm response is more empowered, whereas a reaction feels like a giant mental block. Moving into chaos, reacting to it, and getting back on track is what helps you stretch and increase your skills. It is, however, essential to understand the extent to which you feel challenged so you can take steps to overcome obstacles that keep you from having the prosperous and purposeful business you want. If you have begun with an incomplete vision and a lack of entrepreneurial skills, this will likely affect how you face problems that emerge. But all business owners have challenges, regardless of how smart they are. It’s part of any growth process. Take the following short self-assessment quiz on the next page to gain a better understanding of how you deal with and face common business obstacles and mental blocks.

If you had a low score, you are likely experiencing huge obstacles and mental blocks in your business, and you may even feel stuck. Every entrepreneur ends up in this place at one time or another. First, it is important to know how stuck you are; second, you need to know how to move past it. If your scores were in the middle range then you are likely feeling on track in some areas and stuck in some others. Notice which questions registered a “one.” The areas where you strongly disagreed indicate issues you’ll need to face. How will you go about facing them? If you had no “ones,” look at the “twos.” Again, how will you overcome these issues? Where are your “fours,” and can you acknowledge your strengths in these areas? How can your strengths help you improve your lower numbers? In the next section we’ll look more closely at mental blocks and how to move past them. Remember to celebrate your mind. It is your greatest gift. With your mind you have the opportunity and resources to move through any challenge and find solutions to any problem. Keep the pipeline open! Your creativity will flow, and your business ideas will grow.

OBSTACLE QUIZ Write a number between one and four for each statement below. 1 – Strongly disagree 2 – Disagree 3 – Agree 4 – Strongly agree ___ I am making money as fast as I want to. ___ I am confident in how to grow my business. ___ I am confident in managing employees. ___ I do have help and am able to take time off. ___ I am great at my craft and sharp with business skills. ___ I have very little stress or worry related to work. ___ I easily face things that are uncomfortable or risky. ___ I am confident in my leadership abilities. ___ I have excellent communication skills. ___ I know that I will reach the wealth I want. ___ I have a clear vision of my successful business. ___ I feel confident of my acceptance of potential clients. ___ I move through my insecurities with empowerment. ___ I rarely obsess about things beyond my control. ___ I rarely fear being exposed as incompetent. ___ I am comfortable taking risks. ___ I feel smart and able. ___ I know I can afford the things I need to run my business. ___ I have no fear of failing in my business. ___ I rarely have misunderstandings with co-workers. ___ I rarely worry about money. Add up your scores. High score 84-63 Medium score 36-62 Low score 21-35

A mental block is like a brick wall in your path. As shown in the mental block diagram above, it can stop your progress and block your energy from moving forward. Instead of going forward, you go into a downward spiral and end up feeling hopeless, despondent or disabled. When a wall stops you, it gives you the opportunity to see how important it is to get past it and pursue what’s on the other side. As the wall tests your passion and commitment, you’ll discover just how important these attributes are to your success. Recognizing that you are blocked is the first step in overcoming that which blocks you. After that, it requires taking just one step at a time until you feel empowered with a solution. Gaining insight into what stops you, and finding ways to get past mental blocks will help you move forward in your business with greater ease.

The most successful entrepreneurs are people who are not afraid to face their own demons. When something feels like a mental block, they get help or look for ways to move around it. Consider the common business mental blocks that cause you to hit walls and stop progress. What are yours? How do you deal with them? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ When faced with a mental block, most people respond in one of three ways:

1. Avoid it because it is not fun. Walk away and go back to working where it is easy and not as challenging. While this is the safe way, it will not help you or your business grow. 2. React to it and go into your downward spiral as shown above. This might include negative self-talk about yourself, anger and “poor me” energy. This takes you right into your triggers and self-sabotage. When you go into the downward spiral you feel like quitting because it is just too hard. Your mind will give you all sorts of rationalizations for quitting. You might still go to work but you will only be halfway there. Your team will know it; your customers will sense it and you will feel like a hopeless failure. 3. Move past it. A successful entrepreneur will always choose number three. Why? If you have developed your business based on a clear vision then the only way forward is to get there regardless of obstacles. Certainly there are moments of avoiding or reacting but the only positive choice is to look for ways to get past the wall. Recognize the mental blocks, accept your feelings, and then visualize yourself past the wall. Put your focus on the vision of your successful business. This is about focusing on the solutions, not the problems. Example: One of my clients recently had an opportunity to present his book at a big convention in Asia. He was excited, as this was a breakthrough opportunity. He purchased his plane tickets way ahead and prepared for the trip. He showed up at the airport early, but not early enough, and was told he could not get on the plane. The clerk was adamant that the closing time was past and that was it. He left the counter mortified and upset and began a tirade of self -blame that he had made such a big mistake. He thought about going home where it was safe and letting go of the trip, but somehow the successful entrepreneur inside of his psyche woke up and took charge. He managed to get someone to help him get on a different plane on a different airline. It cost him a lot more money but he decided he needed to just write this off as a business expense and a learning experience. He went to the convention, and as a result, his business tripled that year and whole new avenues opened for his business. Let’s look at what happened. He first tried door number two: he went straight into his mental block and then spiraled downward into self-blame. Then he tried door number one, which would have taken him home where it was safe. His business would have stayed smaller but he would have avoided the stress. Finally he chose number three, which meant he had to walk away from the other two doors and be an empowered leader. He had to operate from the attitude of, “Do whatever it takes to get there.” And he did.

HOW TO MOVE PA ST MENTA L BLOCKS The earlier diagram shows what happens when you get blocked or stuck behind what feels like a wall. Instead of recognizing the challenge and

overcoming it, the obstacle can sometimes trigger old ways of thinking, and feelings of failure and disempowerment. You spiral downward and spin right out of the success cycle.

When you recognize the cause, you have a better chance of seeing your way back on track. Here are five practical things you can do when faced with a mental block or large obstacle. 1. Focus on the vision of your completed business. This is at the top of the list because it is the most productive and powerful way to get back on track. If your business vision is strong and complete and your commitment is solid, then you don’t have time or energy to give to your fears or insecurities. It has been proven that having a positive attitude supports success. However, you also need to have a clear road map of where you are going. When you focus on your goal and action steps, and visualize your complete business, you will be able to transfer your focus from your fears to solutions. Why is your complete vision so important? Imagine you are building a house based on just an idea, but without complete detailed plans. You will likely run into huge problems during the building process. If you ever complete the house it will likely be a mess. With blueprints, however, you’ll be building toward a well-defined goal and a quality finished product. 2. Concentrate on your clients and customers, not your own issues. Direct your energy into customer service and offer the best services you can possibly give. This involves understanding your existing and potential customers, and learning about what they need, how they feel, and what they want. This is a two-fold benefit: you will think about them and their story, and, in so doing, will not be dwelling on your self-doubt issues. Here are a few example questions you can ask your clients and customers.

Vagueness breeds self-doubt. A clear vision births empowerment. • What issue are you dealing with right now? • What do you need, and how will this help you? • What is your situation and how I can I support you? It is not about the wonderful products and services you offer. It is about empathizing with your customers and their situations. This is what builds excellent relationships, shifts your energies away from your own problems and reconnects you with the reasons you’re in business.

3. Remember that your power is in the present moment. The question to ask is, “What do I need to do right now?” Most fears are related to future situations. You can worry yourself sick thinking about horrible scenarios that may or may not happen. This can instantly immobilize you. The only cure is to put your power in the present moment. What can you do right now to move the energy forward in your business? __________________________________________________________ What would make you feel like you have accomplished something worthwhile today? __________________________________________________________ 4. Stay with what you have total control over. When people have a mental block they often obsess about things they have little or no control over, and ignore the things they can impact. No matter how hard the situation is or how challenged you are, there are always things over which you have complete control. Here are some common things people obsess about yet have no control over. • The stock market • Fixed costs • Someone else’s behavior • The weather • Rent increase • Your competitor’s business A better approach is to focus your energy in areas where you have the most control. Focusing on these areas will help you overcome your mental blocks and get you moving forward. Here are a few. Can you think of others? • Business planning • Communication • Developing better systems • Cleaning your office • Meeting with your mentor • Networking • Your health • Relationships 5. Spend time with people who see more in you than you see in yourself. Whether it is a mastermind group, a mentor, coach or positive peer, it is imperative to surround yourself with smart, successful people who will see the solutions you are unable to see. Just being in the presence of positive people can help you shift your energy, and it is most beneficial when you can talk about your business, brainstorm, and get a fresh perspective from someone you trust. Pick people who inspire you. Often I see people play it safe and hang around with people who are “comfortable,” but not particularly challenging or remarkable. Why is that? Are you willing to be a bit uncomfortable in order to grow? List three people or groups you are associated with that see as much or more in you than you see in yourself. __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

If you don’t have three names, then this is an important piece to put into place. The advantage of paying a mentor for help is that they are there for you in a focused and committed way. A mastermind group is great because it provides a forum where a small group of people can learn from one another. I’ll talk more about mastermind groups in Chapter 7 and also go to my article here: www.awakeningbusiness.com/MastermindGroup.html DOWNWAR D-SPIRAL EMOTIONS Downward-spiral emotions are those thoughts and feelings that zap your energy and take you to the “Land of the Pits.” They make you hit the wall and cause you to lose the ability to easily solve problems. We’ve all been there, and if you haven’t you most likely would not be reading this book. The three biggest downward-spiral emotions are fear, worry, and apathy. Let’s look at each one separately and understand how they can negatively affect you, your business growth, and your ultimate success. Fear Fear is future oriented, and is related to things that might happen. Fear can completely immobilize you to the point where you are frozen and unable to live fully in the present. Here is a list of common business fears. • Fear of losing money. This includes fear of having products or services no one wants, or fear of being rejected by potential customers. Money fears are ingrained from your money blueprint and reflect your own feelings of self-worth. • Fear of letting go of your comfort zone, which is a fear of the unknown This can include fear of public speaking and taking risks. • Fear of making bad decisions that might lead to embarrassment, humiliation, or shame, all of which can cause a person to hide away to avoid feeling exposed. This short activity will help you understand how your fear is inhibiting or sabotaging your business success, and will help you see how you can move beyond it. In the spaces below write down your responses to these points. What one fear is blocking or inhibiting your business growth? __________________________________________________________ How is it stopping your business from growing the way it needs to? __________________________________________________________ What can you do to lessen the fear in this situation? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ What do you need to do to put this idea into action? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ When will you begin?

__________________________________________________________ How will you be accountable? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Example: 1. I have a fear that I won’t be seen and people won’t buy my book. Therefore I won’t earn enough money. In my old age I’ll have no retirement and will be destitute. (This may seem far fetched, but it is important to get right to the core of it.) 2. My business is affected by this fear because I feel constricted, and when I am in that place I want to hide and become frozen. 3. Find out what people want so I can provide it; develop multiple income streams; get help from my mastermind group. 4. Get out more, do more marketing; present to groups; find out what people want so I can provide it. In other words, focus on the present and what I can do now. 5. I am beginning now by setting up more meetings and scheduling more presentations. 6. My mentor will hold me accountable. The good news is that fear doesn’t exist in the present. Yahoo! You project fear into the present; it lives in the future. This is a future that you have control over creating. Your power is in the present moment. Remembering this fact is the most powerful cure for fear. I had a friend who suffered from a real trauma. She and her husband awoke in the middle of the night to find a strange man standing over their bed. She screamed and her husband woke up and then screamed as well. The intruder ran out and never returned. From then on she had post-traumatic stress and was afraid to fall asleep. The fear of his possible return immobilized her in the present. She adopted a very large dog and that made her feel secure. She was able to sleep after that and her life moved on. She did what she needed to do in the present to eliminate the fear and move forward. Your fears keep your business small, stuck, and less successful. It is important to figure out what you need to do to neutralize them. This is a very personal answer and no one else can tell you what do. Your support people can challenge you and ask the right questions, but only you know what will help you grab the power of the present moment. Worry Worry is mental preoccupation. Worry prays on your brain and keeps you up at night, and is all about “what ifs.” What iffing is a habit. Like all habits, it begins unconsciously, and intensifies through repetition. Worry drains your energy and your spirit like nothing else. The opposite of worry is a state of peace, the feeling that everything in your world is good and safe.

What is one thing you worry about? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ What would be the opposite of this worry? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ When you focus on this opposite picture, you likely feel calm, peaceful and confident. Put your attention on this opposite peaceful picture. For instance, maybe you worry that you will not earn enough money to make your loan payments. Your mind obsesses about this lack of revenue coming in. You go into the “what ifs,” which lead to feelings of failure, shame, and fear. Imagine if you used this mental energy thinking about the opposite: lots of money coming in, lots of new customers. Why not? As Bobby McFerrin sang years ago: “In every life you got some trouble, When you worry, you make it double.”

Isn’t it far better to develop a habit of thinking about what you want? When you habitually focus on what you want to happen, you follow the exact same process as worry: you imagine something you think might happen, and then experience how you would feel if it really happened. The secret of successful people is that they actually reverse the usual way of looking at reality. Instead of worrying about their world collapsing, they realize that the only place where this truth lives is inside their head. They have learned to trust their own truth based on what they want, not on what might happen if... Here’s an example from a former client of mine: • His worry - “A big company will steal my invention and all my work will be wasted.” • His peace picture - “I keep my focus on my invention being successful and selling millions.” From that confident place he could take positive steps, which in turn allowed that picture to become a reality. It’s all about harnessing your mind, but the first step is to understand how this works and to make the decision to put your focus on the picture you want. Apathy Apathy is defined by a lack of passion, excessive passivity, and low motivation. Symptoms of apathy can include not following through or not following-up with people, and a general attitude of not caring. If you feel

apathetic, your business success will obviously suffer. Apathy can come from many psychological roots including low self-esteem and low self-worth. While these can be deep-seated beliefs, you can certainly overcome them. Apathetic business owners will sabotage their own success by not doing what needs to be done because it feels too hard, they don’t feel like it, or their lack of passion does not propel them forward. The opposite of apathy is being proactive and productive. Proactive people overcome their insecurities and just go for it. I worked with a salesman whose business depended on him making phone calls to prospects. They were not totally cold calls as the prospects had shown some interest by signing up on a website, but for him it felt like cold calls. His business growth depended on him making these calls everyday, but he would avoid it and fill up his time with “attractive distractions” such as reading emails, playing computer games, cleaning his office, etc. With apathy, you’re unconsciously choosing the opposite of success. Maybe it feels too hard or too uncomfortable, or maybe you are not motivated enough to do it. Inspiration is a cure for apathy. There is a big difference between being motivated and being inspired. Inspiration is compelling and emotionally engaging. Motivation is a strong mental awareness but can lack the real oomph needed to pull you out of apathy. Imagine that you are in Seattle and your only child is getting married in Florida. You want to be there more than anything. It is intensely important to you to be there. However, you have no idea how to get there. You have no money, your car needs work, and you have never been east of the Mississippi, yet you know you will get there somehow. You begin the process of generating money, asking for help, mapping out your plan and then going for it. Your journey unfolds as you take each step. You are proactive and you overcome all kinds of obstacles because you are inspired. You visualize yourself there with your child. Your motivation comes from your inspiration. You know you will do whatever it takes.

The cure for apathy exists in the interplay of motivation and inspiration. What inspires you about your business? What motivates you to grow? What is your vision? Your vision should include a big WHY. Why do you want to be in business? It can’t be just for the money. Everyone wants money, but money itself won’t inspire you enough to overcome your feelings of apathy. What does it mean for you to be successful in your business? __________________________________________________________ There needs to be an emotionally compelling reason; otherwise you will not feel inspired.

What is emotionally compelling about your why for doing your business? __________________________________________________________ Here are a few ways to cure apathy. 1. Get in touch with your emotionally compelling reason for being in business. It needs to be something deeply important, as important as being at your child’s wedding. 2. Change your language. Eliminate phrases like, “It’s too hard,” “ I don’t feel like it,” or “I don’t know how.” Substitute positive language. 3. If I say, “It feels too hard to write my book,” or “I don’t feel like it,” my energy goes down the drain. When I say, “It’s easy to write, it’s exciting to write, and I have a lot of things to say,” my energy goes up and I feel more inspired. 4. Get out and socialize with other inspired people. Isolation is the worst thing for apathetic people. Staying in your own world, withdrawing from people, and hiding away all feed into apathy. 5. Say no to procrastination in all parts of your life. Whatever needs to be done, do it. Saying, “I’ll do it later,” is deadly for apathetic people. Later never happens and then you end up feeling worse. Make the phone call now. Do your filing now. Do it now is the cure. 6. Hire a mentor or small business development coach to work with you. This person should push and challenge you in a supportive, meaningful way. 7. Join a mastermind group. You will have a team of people on your side. Part 1 has been all about you as a business owner, your starting place, your challenges and your self-awareness. In Part 2 we will look at your business and what it needs to be sustainable. Remember, this is a business development process, and you may want to go back to repeat some of the exercises in Part 1 as you need more clarity and focus. I hope you have enjoyed Chapter 3. You can order the whole book right now and have it in just a few days. http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/ClearYourFocusBook.html Also visit AwakeTeaHouse.com to join my online community! http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/ClearYourFocusBook.html

About the Author

Kaya Singer, author of Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business, is an entrepreneur and writer living in Portland, Oregon.

After owning many small businesses and years of working professionally as an artist and counselor, Kaya began combining her strengths, skills and inclinations within her present business, Awakening Business Solutions to help other small business owners move past their own obstacles and leave their own footprint. Her aim is to build community with solo business owners so they can learn from each other, feel less isolated, be more successful, prosperous and be able to make a difference. Kaya shares her life in Portland with her husband, Wayne, and their little dog Poppet. When not glued to her Mac, she most enjoys celebrating life with friends, spending time with her son, (when he’s not traveling with his band), riding her bike, and getting out of the city and into nature. You can email Kaya at kaya@awakeningbusiness.com, and read her blog at www.awakeningbusiness.com/blog. And tell your friends they can also download Chapter 3 of this book — ”Overcoming Obstacles to Growing a Small Business”— for free at: www.awakeningbusiness.com. Buy the whole book Now at http://www.awakeningbusiness.com/ClearYourFocusBook.html

Kaya Singer 2010