Entrepreneur Magazine says 2010 will be the year of the entrepreneur because unlike a large company we are fluid and flexible and can respond quickly. We're also small and light on our feet since we use Cloud Nine technology to outsource even some of our core systems. And that frees us up to stay fluid, to monitor and respond to the changing moods and needs of our target audience. Between home offices and virtual assistants and tech people from all parts of the world, we can even start up with very little money. The trend now is for friends and family to bankroll a start up. Anything is possible. Your dream can become a reality even now. Especially now.

I hadn't thought of myself in that light before - fluid and flexible, and if I get too bogged down in where I think I should be going I may not be able to see where I could be going.

Are You Light On Your Feet?

I don't play football but I can picture us as holding tightly to the ball and dogging and darting this way and that to make our way toward our goal. We're not on the line - doggedly moving forward because we are big and bulky (no offense meant), instead we are light on our feet, responding quickly to whatever appears before us.

How fluid are you? How often do you thoughtfully examine the changes in your target community? Do you look for their new concerns? Do you think about what keeps them up at night? And do you keep adding skills and look at your talents and passion to see if you can add something to your business that will meet those needs?

Can You Rise to Any Occasion?

Are your business systems fluid? Do you have a VA and an accountant in place ready to move quickly if you need them to do more for you? Have you located a virtual team to meet the needs of new clients as well as your own? Are your own systems set up so that you can quickly add more clients or effectively promote a new telecourse or product? How have you freed yourself up so you can stay creatively tuned into the people you serve?

Is your measuring system in place so you can spot what's working and what isn't and quickly do more of what is working? Do you reevaluate your business every quarter and redirect its course if necessary?

Can You Easily Change Directions?

How flexible are you? One thing I did especially well recently is plan my direction and services for the coming year. I did a lot of thinking and analyzing and I figured out what my community will want from me and I set up some new offerings. I increased the number of courses in my Magnetic Marketing Method Mastery Program. Then I designed a schedule and blocked off time to make it happen. I even know what new information products I will produce. I'm excited about my plan and I'm a bit like a train going rapidly down the track in one direction. So what if something comes along that seems like a better idea? Will I be flexible? Will I fluidly change gears and directions to absorb or accommodate the new idea? I like to think so.

If you keep your attention on the needs of your community you will know when you need to change. When you hear them call you can answer. And if you have your systems in place you will have the time and resources to make it happen.

Are You Carrying the Ball?

If you get too caught up in the details of your business, you can't do your job - the job that says you are the idea person, the one watching the ebb and flow, the one who creates the new programs and services. As the core of your business, you have to be its heartbeat, you have to tune into its rhythm and keep all its working parts going in the same direction.

Are you set up to change directions easily? Do you have the systems in place you need to grow rapidly? More importantly do you have the mind set to respond quickly and even move toward a new goal? Think of yourself as agile, quick, decisive, fluid and flexible. Then you'll be ready to keep up with the changing needs of your community and keep your business in tune with the times. Let's make 2010 rock!