Are You Selling Lemonade Without A Licence In Your Business?

5MinuteBiz

If you’re in the UK, you won’t have missed this story from last week – a 5-year-old girl being slapped with a £150 fine by her local Council for selling lemonade ‘without a trading licence’. She was described as distraught in the media, as she and her father, Andre Spicer, were given a filmed lecture by the local Council’s enforcement officials, as the pair sought to capitalise on the thousands of music festival fans walking past their lemonade stand in Tower Hamlets, London.

The Council later apologised for their heavy-handedness and revoked the fine, which was appropriate, given how the enforcement officers had behaved. No child should be reduced to tears by a Council official. However, the father legally needed a street trading licence and, given that Andre Spicer is a Professor of Business Studies at Cass Business School at City University London, surely he should have known better than most of us that this was the case?

Yes, we want to entertain our children in the holidays and, yes, encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit is a wonderful thing to do. But there are good reasons why street trading licences are needed – and they are intended to protect the public. At the barest minimum level, customers have a right to know that the ingredients used in what they are buying are safe, that the kitchen was clean enough, that everything has been properly stored, so it’s safe for you to buy.

Professor Spicer has been everywhere in the media this past week, defending his choices – even blaming his daughter: “Really, it was my daughter’s suggestion.” Fine. But as a parent, we’re legally responsible for our children when they’re five. For good reason.

Is The Law An Ass On This?

You could argue that there couldn’t possibly be any harm in a five year-old girl selling lemonade from a stand outside her house. And I really see the point on that. But where do we draw the line? 8 year-olds? 14 year-olds? Or the 17-year-olds who fit the minimum age required to have a licence?

And the fact is that it wasn’t a 5-year-old girl doing this. I have a 5-year-old and the complexity of this kind of project is something way beyond children of that age. They’re great at ideas, but it was the little girl’s father who took action on the project, who just happens to be a Professor of Business Studies. Surely he’s someone who must reasonably have know that there are rules for this kind of thing?

On a wider scale, those who are trading illegally have a competitive advantage over those who are paying the fees and putting in the effort to comply with the law. Unrepentant, despite knowing he has broken the law, Professor Spicer says, “I’d encourage other people to go and do it as well. It’s a great way to spend a bit of time with the kids in the holidays, and they might learn something.”

The government website on this makes it clear that the fine for trading without a licence can be up to £1,000, so Professor Spicer’s attitude seems pretty irresponsible to me.

I’m not trying to be a killjoy on this, but I’m not seeing Professor Spicer either trying to change these laws or offering to pay people’s fines. He’s actively encouraging people to break the law. As a Professor of Business Studies, he’s got huge influence. And that comes with a responsibility.

I have seen so many business friends bust a gut to try to comply with laws like these that seeing someone advocating ignoring the rules makes me want to stop up to protect these tiny business owners.

But it raises the bigger issue for those of us running businesses: are we breaking the law, too?

There’s a difference between a hobby and a business. One is for fun, the other makes money. And if money is changing hands, there are laws we have to comply with, to avoid trading illegally. Those laws are there not just to protect consumers, but also the businesses. And they provide the framework upon which to build a thriving business that we love. Note: these examples are for information only. If you need legal advice, please contact your chosen legal professional!

[Tweet “4 ways #smallbusinesses are breaking UK law today: #entrepreneur”]

Here are four legal requirements I have seen small businesses breaking, even in the past week:

1. Not being registered to run a business.

When I started co-running the EU VAT Action Campaign (latest update here), I came across thousands of people who were running businesses, but who weren’t registered. I still come across it, daily. It’s a legal requirement in the UK to either register as some form of company (typically limited company) with Companies House or to register as self-employed, with HMRC, the UK tax authority.

Both of these will require you to produce trading accounts and to complete some form of tax return at the end of each financial year.

2. Your website must include your contact details.

Your business contact details must, legally, be ‘easily found’ by a visiting customer. This means your registered address and some kind of customer services number, not an anonymous ‘contact us’ form or, even worse, as I saw this morning, a link to your Facebook page, instead of contact details. If you’re a limited company then, by law you must include your limited company number, which country of the UK you are registered in, and your registered company address, in an easy-to-find way on your website. Most of us choose to include this in the footer.

It’s really rare to find these details on small business websites, even those running a Limited Company. If you’re stuck on the legal side of your website, Heather Burns has plenty of great information to help you.

3. You must provide invoices or receipts.

These need to include your trading name / Limited Company number (& the rest of the details, above), what was bought, how much was paid, when, by whom, who the seller was and sometimes additional details, too. Relying on PayPal to do this for you is a high-risk strategy.

4. You need a business bank account if you’re a Limited Company.

Yes, they cost a little money, but that is part of running a business. If you’re not planning to make enough money to cover the £5 per month fees, then you shouldn’t be setting up a business.

In the UK, you are invalidating the terms of your personal bank account if you use it for business. For sole traders, it’s best to check the Ts & Cs. The amount it will cost you is easily saved in time when preparing your business’s annual accounts, because you’re not sifting through personal vs business transactions. And many banks offer initial free banking for new customers.

It’s also a really sensible idea to keep your business and personal cash separate, even as a sole trader, otherwise you can really struggle to keep track of which is which and you risk ending up with an end-of-year tax bill, having already spent the dosh.

There’s a huge risk to you of not doing this:

A friend of mine is about to have to sue a contractor he hired, to get his money back, because the contractor didn’t provide the agreed service. The contractor, who owns a Limited Company, took payment to their personal bank account and didn’t mention their Limited Company details on their website – and they didn’t provide an invoice or receipt with those details. As a result, my friend is having to sue the contractor as an ‘individual’, rather than their Limited Company. This means any County Court Judgement will count against the business owner, personally, not their business, and it could make it hard for them to obtain credit (think mobile phone upgrade) or even pass referencing for renting a home or getting a mortgage, for the next six years. It also means that any business insurance they might have will be invalidated for this claim.

All because he didn’t comply with three of these four simple rules.

Why Do We Break The Rules?

Usually it’s because we don’t realise they’re there. But that’s the difference between running an expensive hobby and stepping into you CEO shoes – actually running a business. There are plenty of places where we can check whether our latest brilliant ideas will bring us legal obligations. And we need to do that, before we press ‘go’ on even the most exciting new project.

Running a business brings responsibilities. You can’t just whack up high-ticket coaching programmes to fund your ‘freedom lifestyle’ and hope you’ll get away with not doing the admin to meet your legal obligations. It’s up to us to be proactive, to find out what those rules are and to make sure we’re sticking to them.

And if you’re not an admin / detail person, then you need to hire someone who is.

We need to be grown ups about this.

[Tweet “Why do so many #smallbiz owners break the law, without realising, every day? #entrepreneur”]

Having spent the past 15+ years mentoring entrepreneurs, business leaders and passionate world-changers, there’s one common difference between those who make a success of their business and those who will never make it past the ‘freaked out freelancer’ stage:

Successful business people wear a CEO hat and treat their business like a business, not a hobby. They take responsibility for their business decisions and they make sure they are compliant with the rules and regulations required by law.

Time for some fierce truth here:

I sometimes wonder if it’s because we’re scared – we haven’t really committed to running a successful business? That ignoring the law means we’re somehow just ‘playing’ business, like we played ‘shop’ in primary school?

If The Rules Are Wrong, Get Them Changed

Our campaigning on the new Digital VAT rules that came in in 2015 (accidentally leaving millions of micro businesses trading illegally) shows that you CAN change the law: the legislation for a threshold and simplifications is currently progressing through the European Council. We were told by the EU Commission and the UK Government that we achieved something impossible.

Instead of getting people angry and rebelling, we worked incredibly hard to channel the anger and frustration into positive action. That is the reason why the campaign was so successful.

If we did it, so can you. Both the UK Government and the European Commission tell us we have changed the way they work with micro businesses. So changing the law is easier now than it was 2 1/2 years ago.

[Tweet “If business laws are broken, don’t ignore them, change them. Lessons from a lemonade stand. #entrepreneur #smallbiz”]

If you want to rebel, turn that into a positive force for change. Work with your local Council to understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘rules’. Help them to see how small changes could help businesses to grow and survive. Find out if there’s a mid-ground that might allow kids to sell lemonade on street corners. Work with your MP, your MEPs, your regulatory body, your local Chamber of Commerce – or even set up a full-blown campaign.

But encouraging others just to break the rules helps no one, in the long run, and it can damage both the rule-breakers and those working hard to trade within the law.

What’s Your View?

Do you think it’s unfair that people need a street trading licence to sell lemonade to festival-goers in the UK?

Should young children (and, by implication their parents) be exempt from these rules?

How do you feel about a company when you can’t find their contact details on their website?

Have you spotted any other common traps that we should know about? Let’s help make sure we’re all staying on the right side of the law.

Why do you think so many people fall foul of these four simple business rules?

I’d love to hear from you, via the comments.

Clare Josa

Author of Dare To Dream Bigger

Mentor To Passionate World-Changers

Why I DON’T Want You To Change Your Limiting Beliefs – Yes I Mean It!

5MinuteBiz, Clear Out Your Blocks

How often do you hear me banging on about your limiting beliefs, hidden blocks, excuses and secret fears getting in the way of the difference you want to make in the world? And how often do I spill the beans (usually for free – I’m a compulsive over-giver on this) on how you can ditch those hidden blocks, self-sabotage patterns and feeling like a fraud?

And, if you’ve tried it on for size, you’ll know that the stuff I teach works. You might even think it rocks. It has helped many thousands of passionate world-changers, just like you, to create breakthroughs in their lives.

But here’s the thing: the work I share is wasted, for probably 95% of the people who use it.

Why? It’s not because it doesn’t get results – it does – with knobs on.

And, initially, it makes them feel great – positive, empowered and enthusiastic.

But I need to let you in on the secret of why I DON’T want you to ditch your limiting beliefs…

Want to listen to the podcast of this article?

[divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”22″]

When I work with one-to-one mentoring clients and my group Masterminders, I use a 3 step process.

Get total clarity and Soul-level alignment with what you want – your Big Vision and Big Why {Stuck on this? Here’s a video to take you through the start of the process. Watch it and then come back here.}
Clear out the hidden blocks that would otherwise derail you, while you’re not looking
Take inspired action

Rinse & repeat.

It’s really simple (of course, there’s a little more to the 3 steps – but that’s for another convo). And it works a treat.

I have to be honest that one of the key differences between those who get ‘good’ results and those who get ‘breakthrough’ results is whether or not they do step 1 – most people don’t want to. They would rather clear out the blocks, to ease that inner pain a bit, then distract themselves from not living their Dharma – their Soul’s purpose – by being busy and overwhelmed. And, to be honest, if you’ve got a rough idea of what you want to achieve, that can be enough.

But here is what really breaks my heart:

There is a step I can’t take for you – one that’s implicit in those 3 stages – a block I can’t ‘fix’. And it’s the one that stops most people from ever, ever, ever creating their dreams.

The other week, Gary Vaynerchuk did a great video on regret. He said that when you talk to 90 year olds about their life, one of the first things they say is, “I wish…” They look back at all the things they wish they had done. And he concludes (and I agree with him) that regret can poison your experience of life.

So he encourages you to seize every opportunity to turn your dreams into reality and (for his target audience) to grow your entrepreneurial business and legacy.

Ditching your limiting beliefs and hidden, subconscious blocks is a Big Deal – to be celebrated – because it will shift you from “I can’t…” to “I can…”

But that’s not enough.

Sorry. I know that block-busting was hard work and I AM genuinely proud of you for doing it, but it’s simply not enough. Since 2002, I have worked with thousands and thousands of entrepreneurs and passionate world-changers, and there is one critical element that made the difference between those who, a decade on, are still stuck in desk jobs and relationships that they hate, and those who have been making the difference they dream of.

Someone shared a social media quote with me this morning that inspired me to write this article:

“You have to get up every morning and tell yourself, ‘I can do this’.”

No. That’s simply not enough.

“I can”, on its own, changes nothing, other than giving you a warm, glowy feeling inside.

But after a while, that glowy feeling disappears and you wind up with even more inner pain – an inner conflict – because your mind is telling you that you can, but your heart is asking you why you aren’t.

Changing the world isn’t about what you think or believe; it’s about who you allow yourself to become. And then taking inspired action. [Click to Tweet]

As I said, “I can”, on its own, changes nothing. It’s taking inspired action that makes the difference. “I will” and “I have done” are what change the world.

[Click to Tweet]

And this is the difference that makes the difference – the one leap I can’t push you through – the one block I can’t release for you, no matter how much I want to.

Want to know what the hardest part of my job is?

Getting people to say ‘yes’ to the future they’re dreaming of.

Once that’s done, the rest is easy. And so much fun!

Once the ‘yes’ is out of the way, once that decision has been made, then they barely read my sales pages – they just sign up. There’s no need for ‘discovery calls’ or ’email ping pong’. They know in their heart that I can help them on the next phase of their journey and they’re excited.

But if they haven’t made that commitment yet – if their ‘yes’ is still a ‘maybe’, then there’s very little I can do to help.

Variations of this quote are attributed to Goethe, loosely translated from Faust:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back.
Begin it and the work will be completed.

I can give you every step of the ‘how to’, once you have made the commitment. But I can’t make the commitment for you.

Sure, I can apply leverage, and in the NLP world, that’s surprisingly common, but to me it feels like bullying and scare-tactics.

It’s how the super-biz-gurus get you parting with thousands, almost without realising it. Then they keep you hyped up, so you don’t guy buyer’s remorse. And if it doesn’t work, it’s because it’s your fault, not theirs, and they make their guarantee terms so tricky that only a red-blooded pedant would be able to jump through those hoops.

I could use the fear-based marketing tactics; I could prey on your emotions; I could use fake scarcity; I could use the scarily-common sleazy sales tactics.

But I won’t.

Why?

Because I don’t want to do that. It’s not authentic and, frankly, it feels like bad karma.

Confession time:

I would rather have many fewer clients, but have them excited and engaged and getting incredible breakthrough results…

… than have an enormous tribe of window-shoppers, who secretly resent giving me their hard-earned cash, leaving my life’s work to gather virtual dust on their hard drives, inspiring nothing but guilt.

Very few people are prepared to do step 3. They’re happy to have their dreams and clear out their blocks, but taking ‘inspired action’? That’s the kind of actions that terrify and excite you, but which FEEL so right, in your gut, and create the leaps and breakthroughs the world needs from you.

I can’t make you say “Yes!” to taking massive action your dreams. Only you can do that. But without that ‘yes’, your dreams stay stuck as nice ideas.

When you hit your 90^th birthday, unless you’ve moved on to step 3 and been taking that inspired action, you won’t feel the same amount of regret as someone who did nothing (phew!), you’ll feel more (bummer…)… because you’ll secretly know you knew what you wanted, and that you cleared out the blocks, but you didn’t fulfil your potential, or walk your Path.

I don’t want you to spend even one more day, just dreaming about your dream. I want you to be taking massive, positive, inspired action.

Without that, there’s not a huge amount of point in clearing out your blocks, because the happiness and relief that creates will soon be eclipsed by the icky feeling of not living your Path.

Sure, I can use leverage, and I can help you to crank up the passion and excitement with techniques from step 1 (and that’s what we do on our Mastermind Intensive days and in my one-to-one work), but even then, the only person who can make the decision to take action, to say yes to your dreams, is you.

Without that decision – and it is just a choice – to take inspired action, there’s little point in me teaching you how to connect with your Big Vision and clear out your blocks. I risk making it worse for you.

So How Do You Break Through This Self-Imposed Glass Ceiling?

You just choose to. Right here, right now. No fancy ‘processes’ or ‘interventions’ required.

It’s a choice. Pure and simple. And, yes, you can make it now. Shall we?

I’m here – virtual-hand-holding – walking by your side, TOTALLY believing in you, your mission, your dreams and your ability to make a difference in the world.

Is it time to say ‘yes’?

Ok – let’s do it. I’m here. You’re not alone. You can do this.

One, two, three, step up!

Yes!

Woo hoo!

Now how does that feel?

I’m so proud of you – and excited for you.

So here’s what I want you to do right now:

Let me know, via the comments, what action you are going to take in the next hour (yes, you read that right) towards turning your Big Vision into reality.

And also let me know what support you are going to get, to help make sure this happens.

Accountability is fabulous, and essential, too:

If you’re just dipping your toe in the water, then join us on Facebook. You can get access here: www.ClareJosa.com/updates
If your Big Vision is more exciting, and you really want to get clarity, clear out the blocks, and take inspired action, then it’s time to join the Dare To Dream Bigger Academy membership.
And if you’re up for a deep-dive, then you need to be on one of my Mastermind Intensive Days in June or October.

And if you’re ready to take action, I’ve got a special gift for you.

On May 26^th, I’m running a live online training session, where I’m going to teach you the process I use with my Masterminders on their Intensive programmes, to move from ‘nice idea’ to world-changing business, taking things to the next level.

And it’s yours, as my gift to your future – but only if you’re ready to say “Yes!” to taking action and stepping up to do something about your dreams.

Here’s where to grab your seat:

And I’ve got an extra gift for you.

If you register for the Masterclass today, you’ll get a bonus gift of the 5 minute ritual I use each morning, before I get out of bed, to make sure that “I can” becomes “I will” and, by the end of the day, “I did”.

Grab your seat now:

I can’t wait to hear what you want to create and change in the world.

And if this article helped you, please use the buttons below to share it far and wide, via social media.

With love, Namaste,
P.S. The messages in this article will be a whole ‘how to’ chapter in my next book: Dare To Dream Bigger – The ‘Inside Work’ Handbook For Entrepreneurs And Passionate World-Changers.

Click here to pre-order your copy today, to get incredible readers’ club bonuses, between now and our launch date.

5 Ways A Book Can GROW Your Business, Even While You Sleep

5MinuteBiz

Why write a book? You’re a busy entrepreneur – what difference would it make to you? You’re a pro at the self-talk about being too busy – or it’s just a ‘vanity project’… But your heart is secretly dreaming of writing your non-fiction book. You know your ‘system’ works – your clients tell you how much you help them – and you’d love to reach a wider audience.

But it’s hard to know where to get started, how to write a non fiction book or how to get a book published – let alone selling. So it goes on the back burner; another mañana-day dream.

Then one day, your 90th birthday sneaks up on you, and you realise you never wrote that book. And now it feels like it’s too late.

I don’t want that to happen to you. So here’s a loving butt-kick, to help you sneak that book up your priority list.

5 Ways A Book Can GROW Your Business – Even While You’re Sleeping

1. It’s A Truly Impressive Business Card – It Marks You Out As Being Different

How often do business cards stand out, at networking meetings? And how often do we rediscover them, lost in the bottom of a bag, months later – but struggle to remember who they belonged to?

Now imagine a different scenario: one of my books costs me little more to print than my high-end business cards. The book contains my full contact details. And it offers the reader a chance to really get to know me. So sometimes I give people the book, instead of the business card.

The book carries with it an authority that a card never could, no matter how many letters I have after my name.

And if it sparks curiosity in the recipient, and they read bits of it, they’re getting to know me, trust me and I get to make a difference in their life.

I also put my books on my business cards. It always sparks a surprised response and a desire to find out more. Remember: being an author is something that most potential clients might dream of, but doing it seems magically impossible, so if you manage it, you get instant respect.

2. You Get Their 100% Attention – And It Turns Them Into Superfans

Most of us browse the internet with at least a dozen open tabs. We grasshopper our way around the information we’re consuming, often multi-screening, and listening to music at the same time.

To attract a potential customer’s attention long enough for them to get to know, like and trust you takes some pretty show-stopping content. Or months on a mailing list.

But when they read your book, you get all of their focus. Ok, they might have music in the background or kids screaming, but it’s as close as you’re going to get to a one-to-one conversation.

We get lost in books. They bypass our usual filters and – if that book takes us on a life-changing journey – then we connect a little with the Author’s Soul. Your website, business card, latest podcast or super-quick video are unlikely to create such a profound connection.

Think about it: remember back to a book that made a positive impression on your life – how do you feel about that Author? What would you say to them, if you could meet them?

The level of trust your book builds with your reader (aka potential dream customer) is huge. And they’ll show up at your website, looking to work with you, already a superfan.

How do I know this? Because most of my higher-ticket clients now find me directly from my books, not my marketing efforts, and rarely need a sales conversation, to be ready to commit to working together.

3. A Book Positions You As An Expert In Your Field

Journalists tell me that interviewing an Author is second only to someone having a PhD, for positioning them as an expert on their topic – and often the book outranks the Doctorate.

You get credibility for knowing enough about your subject to be able to write a book, you get kudos for sticking with it and achieving that seemingly-impossible feat of being published (and we’re talking paperback, not eBook), and it builds your platform more solidly than any latest-flavour-social-media-strategy could manage, because those who show up to connect with you REALLY want to get to know you better.

Being the go-to-pro in your niche is gold dust to your business. You’ll magnetise clients who are hungry to work with you and understand that there needs to be a fair energy exchange.

And your book will bring you PR opportunities, whether it’s magazine interviews or speaking engagements or online summits or podcast interviews or even TV and radio interviews, your book is often how the hosts will find you.

4. People Will Tell Their Friends About You, Without Even Being Asked

For one of my books, I estimate that over half the copies I sell are bought by people as presents for their friends, because they already loved the book.

You can’t pay for that kind of endorsement. Sure, you can pay for recommendations, but imagine reading a book by an expert that a loved-one has recommended to you – you’re much more likely to read the book with an air of curiosity and open-minded trust, than if it’s rammed down your throat by a sales pitch.

Fact: people are much more likely to tell their friends and colleagues about a book that inspired them, rather than a blog post.

In the social media world where the ‘half life’ of a ‘share’ can be as little as 90 minutes, the impression made by someone telling a friend about how a book made a difference for them cuts through the noise.

That kind of endorsement brings people to your website, your workshops, your speaking engagements and your business funnel, already hungry and curious to find out more about working with you.

5. You Get To Make A Difference In Someone’s Life

It’s what we all want, deep down, isn’t it? To make a difference?

And when you write your non-fiction book, and someone reads it, cover to cover, and actually applies what you’re sharing, then you get to make a difference in their life.

And if you know how to subtly weave in the ‘deep dive’ opportunities for working together, right when the book gets them hungry, those people are much more likely to pick up the phone to do business with you.

When you know how to write your book to pre-empt these points, without being sleazy, then you’ll find yourself quickly oversubscribed, with a waiting list, instead of having to chase clients and worry about putting food in the fridge.

When you touch someone’s life, you change the world.

When you write the book your ideal clients have been dreaming of, they’ll beat a path to your door.

Bonus Tip: It’s A Trip-Wire Investment

Most books cost under a tenner.

And people feel more comfortable buying a book than an online course.

If someone’s interested in working with you, then upselling them to a £10 book is much easier than a course or other service, and gives you (and them) all the benefits from steps 1 to 5.

BUT… There Are 4 Hidden Blocks That Mean Most Entrepreneurs Will Never Write A Book

I have seen these so often, since I started mentoring Passionate World-Changers, back in 2002.

They sneak up and catch you unawares (the blocks, and yes, perhaps the world-changers, too), meaning you never get your book started – or you stall part way through writing – or you never quite get it finished enough to publish.

We tell ourselves we’re too busy, or we don’t know where to start, or we’re not knowledgeable enough about our topic, to write that book. But your heart’s little voice keeps on quietly sending you that dream, praying that you won’t leave it too late.

I work with entrepreneurs as part of my Author Intensive and Author Mastermind programmes, to guide you step by step through how to write the book your ideal clients are WISHING you would write – and how to use it to grow your audience and your business.

But for now, I want to make sure those four blocks don’t get in the way of your dream of becoming a non-fiction Author.

So I’ve got a gift for you. It’s a five part mini-course on the 4 hidden blocks that mean most people will never write their book – and what to do about them.

I’m not charging for this, even though I should, because I’m sharing gems, shortcuts and insider secrets from over a decade of working with thousands of people, just like you, on clearing these blocks. But I want to give you a loving butt-kick, to help you get your book published – and make a bigger difference in the world.

So get your name and email in the form below and the first instalment will be winging its way to you in the next couple of minutes.

And, if you already know you’re ready to dive in and get your dream-customer-magnetising, world-changing book published, let’s connect! The Author Intensive (3 day programme in Turkey plus 10 weeks of support) or the Author Mastermind (live, interactive online version of the Intensive, running as a one-off starting in June 2016) might be just what you’re looking for.

I’d love to share the journey with you and help make it fun and easy for you to write a book that grows your business and empowers you to make a bigger difference in the world.

With love, Namaste,

5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Your Webinar Replays And Make Them Live-Watch Only

5MinuteBiz

I have run over 100 live webinars and live stream training events over the past few years now and, boy, have I had some learning curve lessons! As an NLP Trainer for over a decade, I thought I was already an expert at leading live events, but these have taught me SO much.

I’d love to shortcut your learning curve and share some insider secrets, to help you make the most of your live sessions. And today we’re covering why I’m moving my free webinars to be ‘live only’, as of next month. [Read more…] about 5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Your Webinar Replays And Make Them Live-Watch Only

How To Be More Confident? 5 Ways That Work In Under 10 Minutes

5MinuteBiz

Do you ever get those times where you need to boost your confidence, fast? Sometimes we need to know how to be confident, with techniques that work right then, right there – because we don’t have time for the ‘navel-gazing’.

Since 2002, I have worked with thousands of entrepreneurs and passionate world-changers on their confidence issues, so they can do the ‘inside work’ that sets them free to make the difference they dream of.

And in this week’s 5Minute.Biz video, I’m sharing with you five things you could do today, which will help you to be more confident, in under 10 minutes.

I can’t wait to hear how you choose to use them!

I Want It Now!

Today’s Tweetables:

So has this resonated for you today?

Which of the confidence boosting techniques are you going to use first?
What kind of things usually knock your confidence?
And how might you remind yourself to play with this stuff?

I’d love to hear from you via the comments!

And here is the course I mentioned in today’s video:

www.HowToBeMoreConfident.biz

I would LOVE to share it with you.

With love, Namaste,

P.S. If you’d love a quick reminder in your inbox to let you know when the next edition of 5Minute.Biz is out, make sure you register here – and you’ll get member-only bonuses and invitation-only membership of our private Facebook group 5 Minute Biz VIP, too.

P.P.S. Last chance for the Early Bird for the next round of the Author Intensive retreat – it’s time to write your dream-customer-magnetising, world-changing book! And it’s easier than you might think, when you know how.

What’s The Real Cost Of Imposter Syndrome?

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I was working with a client recently who has been running their own business for many years. They felt frustrated at how they were able to quickly grow to a certain level, but then always got stuck, no matter what kind of project they were working on.

Their Facebook groups never grew beyond a certain size. Their courses never had more than a certain number of students. They always reached the same, familiar old point in a corporate pitch and the emails would dry up. Their competitors seemed to be enjoying huge success. But despite doing all the right things, this person wasn’t getting the results they knew they deserved.

Why?

Imposter Syndrome. They felt like a fraud. The crazy thing is that this person is hugely talented. And – even more crazily – nearly every successful business owner and executive I have ever worked with has been held back by this pattern.

5 Early Warning Signs That You’re Suffering From Imposter Syndrome

I have been working with entrepreneurs and business executives on this since 2002, and here are some of the essential early warning signs for Imposter Syndrome, which mean you can get playing with the techniques I taught you as soon as possible, before Imposter Syndrome escalates and causes major damage.

Do you ever find yourself thinking things like…?

“I’m a fraud!”
“They’re going to catch me out!”
“They’re onto me!”
“Who am I, to…?”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m not really good at what I do. It’s just a sham. And one day they’ll find out.”
“I wish I could do it like he / she does…”

Yes? Then Imposter Syndrome is silently sabotaging your success.

The problem is…

Whether you believe you’re good enough, or you believe you’re not, you’re right.

… because we get – or unconsciously create – what we believe, even if we don’t consciously realise that we believe it.

Your brain has filters that are governed by your beliefs, so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the gazillion bits of information flying around in its subconscious awareness at any point in time. So, for example, if you believe you’re rubbish at presenting, you’ll spot the feedback from the audience that confirms this.

Similarly, that’s how we accidentally create self-imposed glass ceilings and self-sabotage behaviour.

I’m curious: what has Imposter Syndrome been costing you?

Which opportunities have you turned down?
Which projects did you not start – or not compete?
How many hours have you lost due to stress or worry or emotions linked to your negative self-talk?
How many times have you felt demoralised, by comparing yourself to others and deciding that they are better than you?

If you were to tally up the cost, I’m guessing it’s much bigger than you would like.

And just imagine, if you do nothing and keep running this pattern, how much will that cost you, over the coming months and years?

The world needs your Light now, whether or not you’re running Imposter Syndrome!

And even if you now WISH you had done something about your Inner Critic years ago, remember that:

The second best time to plant an oak tree is today.

And it’s not just about you! Here are 3 reasons why your Dream Customers WISH you would deal with your Inner Critic and Imposter Syndrome:

Negative self-talk keeps you stuck playing small, when they need you most, which means that many of your Dream Customers will be missing out on you completely:
You can’t do your best work – in flow and connected with your inner genius – if you’re reciting mantras about how rubbish you are
They want and need to believe in you, so that they can believe in themselves and the transformation you provide, whatever that is. That can’t happen unless you believe in yourself.

The great news is:

All of these stories about what we can or can’t achieve – or who we can or can’t be – are just thoughts. They’re not the Truth. They are simply symptoms of an inner critic – a disempowering internal dialogue – that is scared of either failure or success. And that’s ok.

What can you do?

Well, to start with: put a name to it. It takes the power out of the internal dialogue: “Oh – that’s just Imposter Syndrome come out to play.”

Can you feel the relief?

It takes the drama, emotions and potential victimhood out of the discussion. It stops the story in its tracks. It sets you free to make other choices.

Here’s another top tip:

This one’s from the world of yoga. Movement is the key to change. You can’t shift anything by standing still.

Want to sort out your inner critic and shift your internal dialogue? Then move – physically! Take action. Stop being stuck. You will never set yourself free from Imposter Syndrome by sitting at your desk and worrying.

Forget the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”

If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something different.

The bottom line? Thousands of my clients, students and readers over the past 10+ years have proved to me that you CAN choose which thoughts to feed. You CAN set yourself free from Imposter Syndrome. And you can even tame your inner critic – retraining it to become your biggest cheerleader.

I would love to teach you how – guiding you through, step by step.

How about we get started with Imposter Syndrome first? Right now?

I have seen so many people suffer from Imposter Syndrome – and I’ve been on the receiving end of it myself. So I have pulled together the gems from thousands of people’s journeys – the common thread techniques I have used to help them – and combined them into a process that takes less than 10 minutes to go through.

And it’s yours – as my gift – because the world needs your Light today, not when you’re ‘finally feeling ready’.

Register now to get instant access to this transformational video training – as my gift.

I can’t wait to hear what you choose to create and who you choose to be, once you have been through the Imposter Syndrome training.

See you on the ‘other side’!

With love, Namaste,

P.S. If you know anyone else who would love to ditch Imposter Syndrome, please share this article with them, so that they can sign up for the free course, too.