*** IN THIS ISSUE ************

– Get Help from the Pro’s!
– The Power of Extra Brain Cells

Get Help from the Pro’s!

One of the most wonderful ways to improve your digi-scrap business is to enlist the aid of people who have experience in areas where you need help the most. Surrounding yourself with a carefully chosen team of professionals can help strengthen your business and keep you from faltering when the going gets tough.

One person you want to have on your team is a trusted mentor. There are different people in our lives that can serve as a mentor. A mentor is a personal tutor to help guide you in your life. This person will become a confidant and a terrific friend, so choosing your mentors is an important task. This is true whether you are talking about a life-coach, a religious counselor, or a financial advisor. In the case of a business mentor - it’s best if you align yourself with a person who has experience in the same career field as you and one who’s willing to share their knowledge and experience with you on a regular basis.

Finding a great mentor isn’t always the easiest thing to do and if you’ve not had the privilege of tapping into such a relationship you may find it a bit daunting. There are lots of books available at your local library, and information online about how to go about choosing the right mentor and enlisting their services. DSD-Pro has an article about selecting your advisors with care.

If you haven’t already done so, give it a read today! Because, cultivating advice and wisdom from a mentor can boost your business forward faster than most any other relationship. And the big bonus is that usually you don’t pay for the incredibly valuable one-on-one training provided either.

The Power of Extra Brain Cells

Besides having a personal business mentor another great way to increase the potential of your digi-scrap business is to develop or tap into a Mastermind Group. This is a group that consists of four to six people who form a powerful alliance to help in each other’s businesses grow.

This is not a group for people who are casual about their business. It’s a group designed to foster long-lasting relationships through regular “meeting-of-the-minds” sessions. The primary purpose of the group is to establish support for each other emotionally, personally, and professionally. It also provides digi-scrap professionals a unique setting for discussing meaningful topics and everyday challenges - something many work from home entrepreneurs can vouch for being an important component of their business. Here are a few guidelines you might want to consider when developing and participating in a Mastermind Group:

1. Limit your group to about 6 people. Take your time picking just the right people. There’s no rush when building this group.
2. Choose people who are open-minded and goal oriented. Look for peers who are ambitious and create synergy through a positive outlook. Folks who bring a healthy energy to each discussion are the type you are want in your group.
3. There’s a level of commitment required in the group. Members need to be committed to regularly attend meetings and a willingness to participate in each one.
4. Members need to be serious about accepting and making an agreement to keep confidential anything that is shared in the group. The real benefits occur only when there is a high level of trust within the entire group.
5. Decide when, where, how often and for how long you want to meet. Two hours every month is a good rule of thumb. Consider setting rules about cutting off cell phones and limiting interruptions too. This is especially true if your group is internet based and you meet in a chat room online.
6. Elect a chairperson who’s main role is to keep the conversation flowing and allow everyone equal time. Your group may decide to have a formal agenda or a loose one, the main thing is you need to have some structure to your meetings so you don’t let too much time go by on idle chit-chat.
7. How to run your meeting will be up to the group. But you can consider kicking off each meeting with a couple of standard questions. Maybe something like, “What’s happened in your business since we last met?” Go around the room asking each person to answer the questions. Include in your session an opportunity for members to share any personal business concerns or requests from other members for assistance or support. Maybe close up your meeting-of-the-minds by summarizing or wrapping up the discussion of the session and any expectations that should come about before the next session.

Sharing ideas and business knowledge with one another creates a synergy and sometimes even terrific joint venture opportunities for all involved. So take the time to get involved!

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Info for this business report was gathered from the book “The Power of Focus” by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. You can read reviews and pick up your copy at Amazon.com. I hope this issue has given you the courage to step up and start creating powerful business relationships with folks you feel could help you grow your digi-scrap business!

Very Respectfully,
Cindy Angiel (aka - Paint Chip)
paintchip[at]dsd-professionals[dot]com

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