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Our Toastmasters theme today was “aspiration.” To what do you aspire?

Yes, I am aware that it is also a medical term; however, my focus relates to dreams, goals and action. Dreaming is a pleasant diversion but accomplishes very little positive results all by itself. The dream starts the process. The follow through of action, any positive action, begins the actual change.

As a Kansas farm girl in a very poor community, I could have chosen to live in a dream world in my head without moving my physical circumstances. Even though it may not be recommended to take the radical action which I chose, it did prove beneficial. Every individual must search their soul and make the decision they feel is best for them.

Come with me to Linn county Kansas in 1962. With a high school class of 40, only 3 were planning to attend college. Most of my classmates were perfectly content to stay on the farm and in the small, and supposedly safe, community where everything and everyone was familiar. One boy, Larry Morgan, decided to pursue his dreams of college. Larry incidentally had exactly the same birthday as mine. He later graduated and became a college professor.

One other girl decided to attend but she was more interested in the social aspects than the academic. She lasted one year.

Have you ever felt that there must be something better out there for you even though you did not possess any proof yet? Does a dream of a better life lure you to test the possibilities? Somehow that dream nudged the edges of my consciousness and begged to be explored. It felt like Alice in Wonderland testing unknown paths, hiking an unfamiliar trail or driving down an unexplored country road. Even though there is uncertainty, there is also excitement.

Despite the contrary wishes of my parents, my classmates and my neighbors, there was one who encouraged me. Earl McCray, high school music teacher said “Go test your wings, Elaine. You can have a future if you reach for it.” Reach I did. Dr. Earl McCray’s leadership speaking inspired me to dare the unknown. A ride was located to college. No money, no job, no place to live and no guarantee of anything, I left.

Easy, no, but oh so worth it. Long story short, a college professor, Dr. Charles Reilly, gave me a job as his student secretary and convinced the college to allow me to live in old Willard Hall dormitory in exchange for a major portion of my student wages. The remainder of the student wages would go to pay tuition and books. Once again leadership speaking and action paved the path. Yipee! Progress!

Three years later at my graduation as outstanding student of my college class, Dr. Reilly stood there proudly congratulating me. Never underestimate the power of encouragement and determination. The leadership speaking of Dr. Earl McCray and Dr. Charles Reilly were the sparks of encouragement which changed the course of my life forever. I am eternally grateful to both men. Whose life can you change with your own leadership words? Perhaps, even your own life.

You can achieve your dreams. To what do you aspire? What is stopping you from stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching for that elusive dream?

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of your leadership; become a more effective leader for yourself and others.

You are in the audience at the annual banquet. The excitement in the room parallels the Academy awards. For your career, this event is equivalent to the top industry award. You lean forward in anticipation. The emcee steps up to the podium as his voice reverberates in your ears. The moment has arrived. “The winner of the Business Person of the Year award for 2011 is . . .” You are now regretting teaching the emcee the power of the “pause” before a major point. “The winner is . . .” To your extreme ecstasy, you hear your own name.

How would you feel if your clients and prospective clients were sitting on the edge of their seats and listening intently to your every word? How would your results change if your presentations created positive expectations?

Unfortunately most keynote presentations fall in the range of “blah blah blah.” Have you ever attended a high pressure sales pitch? Perhaps you have attended something which resembled the lectures of my college economics professor. In order to stay awake, the class performed mathematics exercises and compared notes during or after class. “Jim, how many times did you record that he straightened his glasses, stroked his chin, adjusted his tie and paced across the front of the room?” “Oh, you are right Jenny; I missed recording the paper shuffles.” “Just for the variety of it, I also did an “’um’, ‘ah’ and ‘so’ count, reported Elaine.”

Have you ever given a “yawn” keynote presentation? How would you like to learn the techniques to avoid ever giving one of those disasters again?

Like it or not, people are forming opinions of you from the moment you first step into their line of sight. You are judged; yes I know that judged is a harsh but true word, on your attire, your carriage, your facial expression and your manner. Do you project relaxed confidence or nervous apprehension? Are you well groomed and dressed appropriately for the occasion?

When speaking on stage, it is best to avoid dangly jangly jewelry. Those of you old enough to remember Mr. T might remember his jewelry; suggest that you not duplicate that appearance. Splashy bright colors and patterns catch the attention and divert the focus from your message. Annoying repeated mannerisms such as my college professor also detract attention away from the message. Tasteful but more conservative attire causes fewer distractions.

Smile, relax and greet attendees in a genuine friendly manner. Keynote presentations are more about connecting with the audience than communicating with them. Connections are formed by caring about them as individuals rather than talking to or at them.

Create an attention captivating opening. Use a shocking statistic, a quotation (be certain to cite the author), a dialogue, a story, or a “you” focused question. Two examples of “you” focused questions are given in paragraph two above. “How would you feel if . . .?” Or “How do you feel during a dull presentation?”

Capturing the audience’s attention immediately and involving them in the keynote presentation from the opening sets an encouraging tone. A powerful opening entices them to pay attention to what you have to say next.

Break up the keynote presentation with sections of dialogue, stories and humor. Changing the pace, tone and style is far more enjoyable for the audience than solid lecture, also known as monologue.

When you have fun and enjoy interacting with the audience it gives them permission to mirror you and have fun as well.

Stay tuned for more tips and techniques on creating keynote presentations which encourage audience members to seek your next speaking engagement and purchase your products.

Hire Elaine Love for your next meeting. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Discover how to communicate and connect with your audience in a personal and impactful manner. Become the best speaker possible.

97% of all businesses fail. Brutal statistic but true. Are you struggling with your cash flow? More businesses fail with positive assets and negative cash flow.

Take heart. Unlike the talking heads who are spouting verbal “doom and gloom,” there is good news. No you can not go into retrograde and put the money back in your house, if you used your house as an ATM. You probably already spent that money. Nor can you go back and reverse the maxed out credit cards. You can start making wise decisions going forward.

There is a marvelous piece of software called the “Wealth Accelerator” which allows you to get a grip on your finances. Even if your financial foundation is built on shifting sand, it can start taking a firmer hold.

Start by taking an honest look at all of your income, expenses and Oh no, credit card accounts. Now before you go into a deep depression and start fearing financial doom and gloom, create a success plan. Create a success plan you will actually follow through to the goal of being debt free.

If you are an instant gratification person, as many of us are, you will probably want to start with a small bill. For example we will choose a credit card where you only owe $100. It may not be the highest interest credit card, but it is the smallest balance. Paying off that card allows you to check one off the list. It is like losing weight, seeing progress encourages you to keep going with the success plan.

Another school of thought is to start paying down the credit card with the highest interest rate. Paying off the card with the highest rate sounds like an excellent idea; however, if it is a large balance it may take months to accomplish the goal. Far too many become discouraged and quit when the process drags on and on.

Take the example of weight again. If you look at the scales and say you need to lose 100 pounds, the number seems overwhelming and you give up before you start. If you set a goal of losing 10 pounds in 30 days or a pound every 3 days, the number seems manageable. When you lose the pound in 2 days, you are elated at being ahead of schedule and even more pumped to continue on your success plan.

Another technique which helps is to carry a small notebook and write down absolutely every penny you spend. You will probably find yourself passing on some expenditures just to avoid having to take out that notebook and write it down.

A third technique is to ask yourself every time you are ready to spend “do I really NEED this or do I just WANT it.” (Actually that works as well for food intake as it does for spending money.) This technique exposes habits of spending which could possibly be eliminated. Caution: this is not intended to drive you into an “I can’t afford that expense” mode as much as “Do I really need to make that purchase” mode. A feeling of lack creates more lack where a feeling of choice creates more positives choices.

In tough economic times such as these for the nation, the state or our individual change purse, taking a fresh look at habits and purchases can prove beneficial.

Hire Elaine Love as the speaker for your group and as your personal business coach. Ask about the Wealth Accelerator as a financial management tool. Let Elaine help you put yourself back on a firm financial foundation. Go to www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net to receive more information or to book Elaine Love.

Once you are blue sky and sunshine clear about your exact current situation, you have drawn a time line. If you are ready to step over that line into new territory and the opportunity to achieve your dreams, unbuckle your seat belt. Yes, I do mean “unbuckle” because a new adventure is not about staying safe and secure. New ventures are about reaching for your future. You know what the past looked like and the present looks like. If either one of those results had satisfied you, you would not be reading this right now. If you are satisfied with status quo, you would not be searching for something better.

Tired of getting ready to get ready? Lets go. It is time to design your millionaire blueprint.

Since everyone has a slightly different starting point, we will set up a case study.

The person is in their mid to late 40s with at least a few years college. They have been in the corporate world for several years and just lost their job. They want to start a business of their own. They want a success plan to become self made millionaires. They have dreams of being able to travel and visit their family and friends without having to look for the “squeeze yourself in the back of the plane next to the restroom” economy seats. They want to go out to nice restaurants and look at the left side of the menu instead of the right side. They want to go shopping in new places without having to say “I can’t afford to buy anything.”

Traveling first class to new places, dining out and shopping all require money. The goal is therefore to make enough money on a consistent basis to afford their ideal life style.

Back to reality. At this moment there is a total of 50,000 available including what was a 401 K and is now a 41 K. Sad but true, it shrunk 90%. I know it seemed like a good idea at the time they invested the money. From $50,000 to self made millionaires is a wide gap.

With only 50,000 dollars, a franchise is not even a vague possibility. Many franchise businesses cost $50,000 or more just for the franchise name. Some popular franchises cost $250, 000 to $750,000. According to Gaebler.com, “In addition to the upfront franchise fee, many franchisors also require an ongoing royalty fee. This fee is assessed on a percentage basis and usually ranges around 5% or 10%. In return for paying the royalty fees, you receive the benefits associated with national marketing campaigns, ongoing training, and territory rights.”

Now add on the real estate cost to purchase or rent the space for the business location. Add on the cost of the inventory and equipment. Of course you will also have overhead: utilities, office equipment and supplies, employees, and marketing before you can even open your doors.

Entrepreneurial thinking is wonderful but it will require careful planning and execution to turn it into a reality.

Buying an existing brick and mortar business will have very similar costs. Purchase price, building, overhead, inventory and equipment, office equipment and supplies, employees and marketing.

You can start a brick and mortar business rather than purchasing an existing business. In this case, there will be more costs and a slower start because the name and business are unknown. You do not already have an established customer base.

Either a franchise or a brick and mortar business will require you to work away from home at least 5 and probably 6 or 7 days a week. Initially, there will be very long hours. I know; I have owned brick and mortar businesses.

Can a franchise or brick and mortar business be successful and profitable? Absolutely, but there is a high cost in terms of start up capital and labor hours.

In the situation of our case study, this is not an option. The monetary cost is too high. So what choice do you have if you have limited resources? Yes, there is a solution. Stay tuned for the answer tomorrow.

Come join me at www.Elaine4Success.com for assistance in designing your perfect situation.

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