Your Business:

With the winter season coming up it's time to take a day and spend it thinking about your business. Not working in your business, but planning it. What are your goals and plans for the rest of the year and for the first quarter of next year?

Here are just a few questions I have been asking myself:

1.    Am I on track with my goals?

2.    If not, why not, and what should I have done differently?

3.    If I am, what made things work so well? Would I make any changes?

4.    Do I have all my marketing in place for the rest of the year?

5.    What special plans do I have for the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year (so I don't have a 6 week period of no income)?.

6.    Do I have my goals for 2014 as well as marketing for the first quarter?

7.    Who or what company do I want to work with next year?

8.    What educational programs would help me and my business grow?

These are only a few ideas, and I truly believe you should take a day to work on this. Leave your phone on voice mail,  turn off the internet and do some serious business evaluation. Because I believe that business will get harder in 2014, between all the new rules, consumer distrust and confusion,  and let's not forget politics.

But the person who has a solid plan and knows where he/she wants to go in 2014 could see the best year yet as the competition will be floundering because they were not prepared for all the coming changes.

Real Estate:

I get calls every day from investors asking if I know of any homes that are available that they can buy. As the market heats up and big investor groups keep buying directly from the banks the market is tighter, and prices are rising.

I have talked about this before: you have to have a working relationship with realtors, mortgage brokers and lawyers. All of these people have access to homeowners that may need to sell and you will have the opportunity to look at a house before anyone else does.

Loyalty also makes a big difference. You cannot expect people to bend over backwards for you if you don't work with them and refer them to other people. A successful business is a two-way street and you have the ability to control what or who travels down your street. If you make the people working with you a priority, and they know you appreciate all that they do, you will be on the top of their list for people to help. And your business will prosper. Try it and see how much better your business gets.

Talk to you next month. Paul