When I sent this interview out in my VIP newsletter, I titled it "She had me at HELLO" - and when I first spoke with Melanie Summer, she did!  I knew that our interview was going to be fun and real, that there would be no pretense.  I knew that Melanie would reveal to us warts and all, what she did to turn her business from a $250,000 debt into the multi-million dollars business it is today.

Here's the interview:  Melanie Summer

If you want to know a little more about Melanie, here you go:

Melanie Summer is an award-winning business owner who oversees a multi-million dollar glamour photography company with 23 staff.  Her success hasn't come easily - she has battled bankruptcy, stress, language barriers, confidence and self-esteem issues, all while being a single mother with little or no support.  Like many small business owners, Melanie realised early on that passion and hard work are wasted without clarity of vision and that being a victim of circumstances is a mindset, not an excuse.  Rather than give up she chose to transform her life and her business by taking on a coach, immersing herself into every self-help seminar she could lay her hands on, re-training as a hypnotheraphist/public speaker and creating a focused, clear roadmap for business success.  Within three years she turned a $250,00 debt into a multi-million dollar assess and was recently awarded the Telstra National MYOB Small Business Award for her remarkable achievements.  Melanie lives and works on the Sunshine Coast with her daughter, Dana. 

Feel free to leave your comments below.

There’s no beating around the bush here today, as I want to share three things you really will want to STOP doing, so that your business can move to the next level.

1. STOP doing everything yourself, and being a lone ranger.
2. STOP doing the things that don’t generate you an income.
3. STOP thinking that because you are brilliant at what you do, your business will be successful!

All too often we hear from business owners, whose lives and businesses are coming apart at the seams, because they don’t use the concepts mentioned above.  I know that this may seem to be a chicken and egg situation, i.e. you can’t bring in another person to take away some of your non-essential work, because you need to make more money to be able to do this and vice versa. 

But let’s take a positive approach.  Rather than focus on the areas that you need to STOP doing, why don’t we have a look at what you can START doing.

Secret #1. Surround yourself with successful, positive, honest, can-do individuals.

As Mark Twain said:

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. The really great make you feel that you too can become great.”

Now let’s be honest here, this is NOT a new concept and every successful person I have spoken with or read about always speaks about the individuals who have had a positive impact on their businesses and lives.  Whether it’s family, friends, colleagues or mentors, being surrounded by happy, positive people has a lot going for it! 

As entrepreneurs our days can be pretty solitary, heads are down creating products, delivering services and results, and you are working in your business rather than on it.  Not having the chance to brainstorm ideas with other people, or having someone to work through a particular issue or challenge, can be soul destroying at times.  This is where a community is so important, not only for your sanity, but also for your growth and development.

The use of collective wisdom is so important, and it works!  During our group ‘Get More Clients’ call, I opened the call up for clients to ask the group any questions they have about their business.  What I loved about this process, after one particular client spoke about a challenge she was facing, was the range of possible solutions that came forward from those on the call.  As we wrapped up this part of the call, this client was thrilled as she now had a number of different strategies she could look at putting in place that she hadn’t thought of before.  It was great to hear the excitement in her voice.

Who is in your community?  Do you have a group of individuals you meet with regularly for support and encouragement, or do you work with a mentor?  You all know that I am passionate about having mentors as part of your business building strategy, and for me personally, the impact that my mentors have in my business is immeasurable in terms of growth and development.  Next week I’m heading off next week to spend a day with my mentor and mastermind group in Chicago, and can’t wait to spend this time strategising and planning the next stages of my business.  This type of investment, is invaluable to the growth of my business, and will flow on to my clients.  I can’t wait to share with you the gems I learn.  

Secret #2. Identify the profit making areas of your business and focus on these.

Often we spend more time working in our business rather than on it. With this step, it is time for you to step back and look at your business as a whole. This is most important when you find yourself stuck at a certain level of revenue and things don’t seem to being moving forward.

Be honest with yourself, have you become the speed bump in your business? When this happens it is time to start thinking, “Am I the person that really needs to XYZ?” [xyz being the many things you spend your time on each day that aren’t making profit].

For example, working recently with one of my 1:1 mentor clients, we spent the day  going through her business; pulling it apart and re-grouping all of her ideas and products. As we were putting together her new plan, she suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the potential projects and products she could develop. It wasn’t until I asked: “Who on your team can you delegate some of the non-profit making activities too?” that she got her ‘ahh’ moment.  She realised that by stepping aside, letting go of the need to control everything, and delegating some activities, she could focus on her passion and really move her business to the next level.

3. Remember, You are in the business of MARKETING!

Controversial I know, but if there is one thing that will make a difference to your bottom line it is when you realise that your business is that of MARKETING! I have worked with some amazingly talented, educated, and brilliant people over the years, who have fabulous reputations yet only mediocre businesses. I have worked with and  watched other individuals who are good in everything they do and their businesses keep growing. What stands out is those in the second group GET that they are in the business of marketing, and they know that by focusing on their message and marketing to their target audience, they will achieve their sales. However, the first group often get stuck with working in their businesses that they don’t appreciate the importance of MARKETING until it is too late.

So what group are you in?  Take a moment to share with us your thoughts...

I always find the time immediately after a holiday, as an exciting time in business.  Your thinking is clearer and more creative, and you are open to possibilities that you may not have been just prior to your break.  I know this has been the case for my VIP mentor clients and myself!  There is a buzz in the air around business, and it’s as if everyone has their mojo back!  Do you feel the same?

If so, you’re ready to do things differently……

You want to know what are the core foundations you have to put in place for your success in 2011.  You know that 2010 doesn’t count anymore, as this is the New Year!

So, here are two key foundations that you will want to put in place for your success in 2011… 

1.  Taking action, without any excuses!

Taking action and being persistent is the difference between the successful and the not so successful.  It’s something that I learnt many years ago in my very first business!  After studying successful business people and then being mentored by some of these individuals, I realised that the difference between them and myself, was that they took action.  They made their decisions and acted upon them almost immediately!  They believed in themselves and they trusted the vision they held for themselves. 

Unlike myself, who at that time, would…make a decision, think about it, research it a little more, maybe do a course about it, think about it a little more, second guess myself…. (I know, you get the drift here now)…and then wonder why I was still running around chasing my tail while making limited profits!  Sound familiar?

It wasn’t until one of these mentors stopped me in my tracks one day, and said: “Deb, it’s time for you to stop thinking about it, stop learning about it, and just start doing it.  You spend too much time ruminating and not enough time taking action.  It’s time for you to take action, especially if you want to be a successful entrepreneur!  Otherwise you might as well close shop and go home.” 

Ouch!!!! Closing shop and going home, just wasn’t an option, so it was time to take action and be persistent.  It was time to stop thinking and start doing.  Time to believe in the vision that I held for myself and my business.

I want you to ask yourself:  “What do I need to do today?”  Once you are clear on the exact tasks you need to do, make a commitment to do them!

Sounds straightforward? That is until the self-sabotaging behaviours begin to rear their ugly heads, which leads nicely into the next foundation for your success…

2.  Removing Those Limiting Beliefs that are Holding You Back.

These are the stories that you tell, to keep yourself ‘safe’, to keep yourself where you are currently.  To stop you from focusing on the real action you need to take.

Removing your limiting beliefs, can be as difficult as culling your wardrobe!  You know you should get rid of some of your things, but even through much of it is totally out of fashion, not very flattering and you’ve not worn it for years, you insist on hanging on to it all.  Every time you open the wardrobe, staring back at you, is that white jacket with gold buttons and big shoulder pads!  It gets in the way of all the other great clothes that you could be wearing, if only you could see them.

We do the same with our beliefs:  we keep them when we don’t need them any more, when we have outgrown them.  Some of them have been with us for years.  Despite the fact they’re not really relevant anymore, we find them comfortable and familiar and insist on keeping them.  It’s worth acknowledging that limiting beliefs sometimes hold us back as a form of protection against the very success we are striving for.  So if you want success rather than to be a wannabe, you’ve got to get rid of these beliefs.  Make room for something new.  If they won’t go, change them so that they work for you more positively.

It’s time to put away those beliefs that are holding you back, away once and for all!  Take a moment to think about what your future will be like, what it will feel like with your old beliefs put away where they belong.  Notice again how this looks, feels and sounds for you. 

So, here are two key foundation pieces that you will want to put in place for 2011 - TAKING ACTION and removing your LIMITING BELIEFS.  If you have been thinking about doing something different, now is the time for you ACTUALLY do something different.  Step out of the sea of sameness and make it happen in 2011.

I can’t wait to support you further and hear about what you are doing different in 2011.  If you have your 'must-does', why not take a moment and share them with us here.

We're all on the same playing field....right?

If that’s so, then what makes one business owner more successful than another? I was thinking about this today,  after speaking with one of my mentor clients – let's call her Liz.  During our call today, she was reflecting on the difference that our work together had made on her business the past three months.  For me, it was very humbling to be there on the other end of the phone, listening to her reflect on what our working relationship meant to her.

Liz had asked me to work with her at a time when her sense of hope was failing.  Her business had hit rock bottom, she had sold her family home, and taken on two more jobs to pay back creditors, just so she could keep her family fed.

After listening to her story, I agreed to work with her.  At our first face-to-face meeting, we spoke about how we would work together, and established our guidelines for success. Our expectations were that she would do everything she committed to in our calls, and I would do everything I could to support her. We agreed that if nothing had changed by the end of 2010, she would close the doors and walk away. Liz left that meeting with the first of her action steps….

I remember going home that night and sitting at my desk thinking:  “Can this turn-around happen?”.  “By agreeing to work with her, am I giving her false hope?".  There have been times previously, when after having my first meeting with new clients, I have decided not to move ahead and work with them.

However, there was something about Liz that made me believe she could turn her business around. 

Was it tenacity, was it belief, or was it a desire to succeed, and change the tide?  I think it was all of these things and more, but I also think it was having someone who believed in her and the legacy she wanted to create. Someone who would hold the space for her, and give her honest feedback in the process.

Liz was the one who took the very first step to change and grow her business by engaging a mentor.  After each call, she walked away with, and committed to her action list.  Step by step, things began to change. 

Some of the areas that we focused on included re-establishing monthly financial targets for the business to meet, identifying referral partners, and organising one-on-one meetings. A step-by-step marketing plan was developed that included both on-line and off-line strategies.  A communication plan was developed and implemented.  Everything was tracked and if something wasn’t working, then changes were made.

Liz was totally committed, and put everything into making sure that the turnaround occurred.  Everything we spoke about was implemented, and action was taken straight away.  At times there was a sense of being overwhelmed, there was exhaustion, but still there was hope.  As each call progressed, I began to hear the difference in her voice, her language had changed and a lightness began to appear.  Things were beginning to turnaround.

As things stand now, Liz is not out of the woods completely, but three months on, she is now working in her business.  She’s paid off all outstanding debts, and has started taking a wage from her business again.  She’s there in the morning to get her kids ready for school, and in the evenings to have dinner with them all. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m going to let you in on a secret:  What we did wasn’t rocket science; in fact it was an easy, step-by-step, practical, results driven process.  It’s what we all need to do to have successful businesses.  I often hear other business owners who aren’t running successful businesses say, “Yeah, I know this stuff already.".

But do you want to know the difference between them and my mentor client?

She implemented it all, she took action and she believed in what she was doing.  She didn't sit back and say, "I know this stuff already.". Liz took it all on board and now has a proven process that she can continue to use.  2011 is going to be her year for building a stronger, more successful business - mark my word on this!

I’m going to make a presumption here – you’re in business to make money, right?

Then, if your business hasn’t grown in the past year, wouldn’t it make sense to make changes around what you are currently doing?

Let’s acknowledge that the internal conflict we have around change is real, it is also normal and it can be very scary.  The fear of not knowing can hold you where you are.  But is that where you really want to stay, doing the same thing over and over, and all that is really changing are the days…

Probably not!  It’s time to dip your toes into the water of change. 

Block out time this week and commit to really looking at the way you do business. Ask yourself:

“Is my current way of thinking serving me?”.

“Am I achieving the results I really want?”. 

If not, than it’s time to make some changes. My guess is that you already  know what you need to be doing differently.  Make a list of the things you want to change, and then be willing to move further along the left of the continuum of change.  In fact, challenge yourself to do something different within your business, your life or the way you think in 2011.  Just be willing to make changes, open your mind to the possibilities that when put into action, blast your business forward out of stagnation.

What really do you have to lose? 

A thought to consider: By letting go, you actually gain!