Hi [[FirstName]],

This newsletter is sporting a slightly different format than in the past. I still believe the resources in the right hand column are valuable tools for growing your business, I just didn't want them to take the main focus.

Today I want to talk to you a little bit about setting goals for your business as we approach the new year. I’m sure most of you are familiar with Michael Gerber’s saying of “work on your business, not in it”.

When most of us started our business, we do so because we had big dreams. Dreams about having more time, or solving a certain problem, or living a certain lifestyle. All too often, those dreams are lost in the daily grind of making the business run.

Is this just “reality”, or is there a better way? I think there is a better way. I believe that you can:

• Work with clients who genuinely appreciate the work you do
• Work with clients who will pay you what your services are worth
• Have your days be filled with things you really like to do rather than things you have to do
• Spend more time with the people you really like being around AND make a lot more money.
• Create a business that supports your life rather than taking over your life.

I truly believe you can have all of these things in your business. In fact, that’s why I do what I do. I love helping business owners grow a business that helps them achieve a bigger purpose than just providing them with a paycheck.

I was drawn to Duct Tape Marketing in large part because of this emphasis on starting with the big picture of what you want in your life, and then using your business (and your marketing plan) as a vehicle to help you achieve those goals. This is why we put such an emphasis on creating a strategy before jumping into tactics. Our strategy dictates what we want our business to be so that we can achieve our goals.

If you are working on your budgets for next year, why not try this approach. Rather than allocating some percentage of revenue or prior years expense, start by creating a picture of what you would like your life to look like during the coming year. Next, determine how much revenue your business will have to generate to support those goals. Now, figure out what it is going to take to generate that much revenue. I think you will find that taking this approach will change budgeting from and academic exercise to something you will be excited about doing and achieving.

Before I go, I want to take a moment to tell you about a couple of things I’ve been working on for next year. I have been busy revamping www.TheBizAcademy.com.  The site will serve as the hub for all of our online, group training programs. All of the changes made have been a direct result of feedback from people like you, so thank you very much for that.

Social Media Pro is a brand new social media training program we are adding. This program is designed to help you get past all of the hype about social media and learn how to actually use it to grow your business.

That’s all for now. Let me know what you think about the new format and what types of classes you would like to see on TheBizAcademy.com

Bill
913.962.9261

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