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Creating At Will and coach Laurie, offers 8 questions to reassess your entrepreneurial business for better results

A big discovery for newer Entrepreneurs is finding out you’re “it.”  You’re the cook, bottle-washer and things don’t move forward if you’re not heading them up.  But if you’ve been in the game longer and your results are still not what you’d like them to be, then it’s time to review where you’re stalemated and get re-launched to the next level.

Spend a day reassessing your business.  You can make the time, you’re worth it.  At the very least, take off three hours and go outdoors with pen and plenty of paper.  Now answer these questions, even if you’ve asked and answered them before, but not within the last year:

1. Is this project, product or service a burning desire for me to fulfill on? Is this really important to me?  Do I long to share it with others?
2. Does this endeavor fit with values now and my life plans for the future?  What are these?
3. Am I willing to continue to pursue my dream through the ups and downs of maintaining a viable business?
4. Can I deal with competition?  Do I have strength of conviction about my product or service as well as my ability to communicate its benefits over and over again?
5. Is this idea unique?  Is my branding clear?
6. How do I speak about this idea or business to others?  Can I explain it one paragraph, one sentence?  Am I passionate when I talk about it?
7. How well do I manage my time and responsibilities?   Do I work more in or on my business?  Do I have effective systems in place to support me, my marketing, and handle what I don’t want to do?  How many hours a week do I want to invest in this business and how is this different now from the last time I answered this for myself?
8. Are there processes or patterns in how I’m running my business or in client development that I’m ineffectively repeating and it’s not improving?  What would I need to change, how will I do this and with what support?

Use this question key to pinpoint where you are now and what areas you need to make necessary changes in, let go of, or move in a whole new direction if needed.  Be sure to assess different types of support that has helped you (or someone you know) thrive in, then take action to set it up for yourself.  You and your life are too precious to keep putting this off.  It may be you just need to hire some assistants, or take out a loan so you can hire those assistants.  It may be you need to link up with another professional rather than do it all alone, or perhaps that burning product idea has just been gathering dust and it’s time to move it forward.

Could be you are going in too many directions and need to simplify.  Maybe you need a business or career coach.

Listen to the audio CD written and narrated by entrepreneur guru, Michael E. Gerber (available at most libraries), Awakening the Entrepreneur Within, and learn how the personal dream always disappoints and causes a longing for more, but not when you pursue the impersonal dream, (which of course is personally satisfying).

Ask yourself when you’ll introduce these necessary changes to not only improve your results, but quickly move you out of the stalemate mode and on to greater career satisfaction.

Laurie Sheppard is a master certified Life Coach and Career Strategist to mid-level professional women and entrepreneurs who want to make quality career and personal changes.
She offers complimentary coaching sessions, giveaways and resources, including her semi-monthly e-zine, "Change-makers’ Career Tips, ", at creatingatwill.com c. 2011
This article is free to publish in its entirety, with this paragraph included and a courtesy email sent to info@creatingatwill.com.
This article has also been published at Ezine articles.