A
MEASURING STICK FOR NEW PROJECTS
CARA'S
CORNER
I
am suddenly attracting miracles and I even know how I did it!
I started thinking bigger and I stopped focusing on what I wanted
to get rid of and focused on what I wanted to attract.
For
instance, I have a room I rent out and it was time for a new housemate.
I was focusing on the qualities I wanted to attract in that person
and deep down I knew I'd really rather live alone. Then I changed
my affirmation to "My home provides a safe and nourishing
environment for me." And the next thing I knew I had rented
it as a home office to a charming Frenchman who is a computer
consultant! He's even going to install a wireless DSL system in
my home! I also stopped looking at what wasn't working and began
immersing myself in the feeling of freedom and creativity that
comes with abundance. I feel myself flying above the physical
plane into a realm of great creativity. And I love it!
Other
things have happened with this breakthrough. I was on a free teleclass
a few days ago and picked up a great moneymaking idea I can adapt.
That project is already underway. I finally cleared time for some
serious article posting and have my tracking system in place.
I posted three articles on three directories and put this e-magazine
together. Within hours one of the articles was posted on a site
in England! I also completed and launched my latest e-book
Sweet Talk Yourself To Success. Very productive.
I was also on another call that set me onto the free mind mapping
tool I have included and the concepts of a Pay Back Measuring
stick I have written about.
And
my two fall teleclasses are going to be grand! I keep finding
more and more valuable information, exercises and tools to put
in. The workbook is going to be over 100 pages and that 's just
for The Match Game. This week I've been focusing on tools to help
you define your target market and your unique niche. Every time
I reexamine my own niche I get new marketing ideas and come up
with more provocative words for web copy.
If
you'd like to lay this very strong foundation under your business
perhaps you'll join me. The
Match Game, Finding the Perfect Business Venue for Your Passion
and Talent begins September 12th
All
of this happened because I'm focusing on what is good and great
about my life and what I want to draw to it.
And
in the midst of this came this nested meditation:
It
is dark and silent.
It
is dark and silent,
A magic early morning hour.
It
is dark and silent,
A magic early morning hour.
Ideas pour forth in a waterfall of inspiration.
It
is dark and silent,
A magic early morning hour.
Ideas pour forth in a waterfall of inspiration,
My pen scrambles to capture them for safekeeping.
Warmly,
A
MEASURING STICK FOR NEW PROJECTS
One
of the reason we are entrepreneurs is because we have tons and
tons of ideas. And fortunately or unfortunately, we are enthusiastic
about every one of them. So how do we focus ourselves? How do
we pick the projects we would undertake next? What kind of a measuring
stick can we build to help us make a decision?
Everyone's
measuring stick will be different. You are the only one that can
pick the qualities that define value for you. After you choose
your list of qualities you will need to assign a value to each
of them in order to create your own personal Payback Measuring
Stick. Here are some ideas:
What
is the payback I get for this project in terms of:
- My
time (How long will it take to implement?, Can I do it or do
I need to hire some/all of it done?)
- Money
invested. (How does this project fit into my over all
business budget?)
- How
it feeds my passion (Is this on target with my innermost goal?)
- Creativity
- Pleasure/enjoyment
in creating/doing it
- Potential
joint venture possibilities
- Leveraging
capabilities
- Is
it scalable in that it can get bigger?
- Is
it scalable in that it can be built so I do not have to work
all the time?
- Will
it hold more customers/clients?
- Will
I run out of customers for it? Is there a burning need for it?
- What
is its current worth? (if it's a project in place now
that you are considering expanding)
- What
am I personally up for right now in my life—a big undertaking,
or a small but valuable tweaking?
What
weight you give the aspects of this Pay Back Measuring stick depends
on your goals.
Are
you trying to create passive income that will keep rolling in
for the future? Then you are going to care about the leveraging
and joint venture aspects of the project. Leveraging is a key
component to growth. Can this one idea become many other things?
Can this e-book become a teleclass and an audio book and a packaged
information product? Can you create a retreat based on its content?
Is it the basis for a radio show or a podcast? Who else can you
join with to strengthen the idea and make a profit for you both?
What other lives can this project idea have?
Scarcity
may be a deciding factor. Do you have the time and/or money at
your disposal to do it yourself or can you be a team leader and
get someone else to do it for you?
Is
being creative a core value for you? Then you are going to give
more weight to creativity and your pleasure and enjoyment in doing
the project.
What
size do you want your business to be? Are you limited by 1:1 delivery
methods or is this new project a way to leverage your knowledge
base into a group target market? Is there a genuine need for this
idea or should it be modified and adjusted?
If
you are in a hurry to create a product to accompany your next
speaking engagement, or if you want something up on line and for
sale in a week, the time it's going to take to create it will
carry more weight.
Every
decision must be weighed heavily against your core passion. I
see lots of moneymaking ideas floating past me, but many of them
do not represent my values, or the needs of my client base, or
my basic purpose for being in service. Some I can adjust to my
business, some I cannot. Choose a project because it honors your
heart's calling.
Once
you determine the value of each possible project, you have your
own unique Pay Back Measuring Stick to help guide your choices.
©
Cara Lumen 2006
www.caralumen.com
WANT
TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-MAGAZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as
long as you include this bio with it:
Cara
Lumen, MA, The Vision Distiller, helps you explore your infinite
possibilites for success. She teaches you to create a profitable
presence on the internet with a minimum investment by using time,
energy, information, and imagination. Learn how you can become
a Success Magnet at www.caralumen.com
WHAT
CAN AN INTERNET MARKETING COACH DO FOR YOU?
