The reality is that you will need the assistance of others to achieve many of your desired goals in life.  It is important that you are able to identify what your strengths and weaknesses are and recognise where you need to bring in specialists.

Being successful in investing requires a lot of different skills.  It is not possible for you to be good at every required skill.  But that is OK.  What you need around you is a team of people that together bring all the essential skills.

Many specialists play a role in investing and if you do not have the skills and knowledge in these particular areas, you may need one of the following specialists on your team:  Finance Broker, Solicitor, Accountant, Quantity Surveyor, Property Manager, Real Estate Agent, Building and Pest Inspector and a Financial Planner.

I also believe you need to be self-educated in many areas.

So how much education do you need in an area if you are going to use a specialist?

I believe you need enough self-education to know the right questions to ask of a specialist.  A common phrase is ‘I don’t know what I don’t know’.  Find out what you need to know.  My experience tells me that people only tend to tell me what I ask.  So, if I don’t ask the question, then I don’t get the answer.

One of my greatest frustrations with specialists has been that later I have found out I should have done something in a particular way.  I would have then said to my advisor, why didn’t you tell me that?  They respond, you didn’t ask, or I could have told you that.  Aarrgg!  I didn’t know to ask.  I don’t know what I don’t know.  Aren’t I paying you to give me the information I need to know?  I have come to you for information, not just to answer my question.   So I only get the answer if I ask a question, and I don’t know the right questions to ask.

Unfortunately this has been my reality in many circumstances.  It is risky to rely on others to give you the information you need.  You need to take responsibility.  Get self-educated enough to know what questions you need to know.  Then go to a professional to answer them.  Then you are not relying on them.  You are informed and knowledgeable.

Many people have suffered from relying on other people’s opinions or advice because they were not sufficiently educated to make the decision themselves.

One of the critical things I believe everyone needs in their team is EDUCATION.  You can never stop learning.  Your education does not stop when you finish school or university.  This is only your formal education.  Your informal education should last a lifetime.

How can you get educated on investing?  There are many ways; here are just a few ideas:

-  Subscribe to a magazine relating to your area of interest.  There are many good general investment, share and property investment magazines on the market.

-  The power of subscribing is that it ensures you get the magazine every month, for example.  You may intend to purchase a property investment magazine this month, but never get around to buying it.  Subscriptions are delivered to your door every month.    This means your knowledge is being developed every month.

-  Become a member of your local council library.  Borrowing resources from a library is good as you have to take the resource back within a given period of time.  Having a deadline to return the resource should keep you focused on reading or listening to it.

-  Read autobiographies of people who have achieved the sort of results you are looking for.   Many have shared the steps they have taken to achieve their results.

One of the greatest educations you will receive is taking action.  There is no better way to learn.  Will you get it right the first time?  Unlikely.  Will you learn a lot from your mistakes?  Yes!

My husband and I have made mistake upon mistake with our property investments, and we used the professionals along the way.  However, property investment has been very forgiving to us.  Even though we have made many mistakes, our wealth has still grown and we are in a much better situation than if we had done nothing at all.

But by getting in there and taking action we are learning.  Over time and by experience we have worked out our own investment strategy that will eventually enable us to live our Primary Aim.

I gain no greater satisfaction than when I am helping others.  These feelings have lead me to my chosen career:  a business helping others to achieve success.

My husband and I were awakened to this amazing notion that two regular people on regular incomes from regular families could achieve financial freedom through self-education, focus on a meaningful end (life goal) and discipline.

Now that we have walked this path and seen it is possible, I want to help others to see it is possible for them.  So my philosophy is to help others succeed.  Help them to maximise the earning potential through either their business or their personal income.  The income earned may then be used to purchase investments to generate further streams of cash-flow and generate wealth.

I have found many people reluctant to start investing because of a lack of money.  This is interesting given that a well-structured investment strategy will ideally lead to financial independence.  When you show people how they can create wealth, the lack of money fear is taken away.

People then start to think about how they would spend their life if they didn’t have to worry about money.  If they knew that monthly cash-flow was coming in regardless of whether they went to work each week/month or not, how would they spend their time?

Initially people think about travelling, relaxing, spending more time with the family, hobbies, etc.  Once they believe they would get bored after too long, they start thinking about helping charities or causes that are important to them … or volunteering.

I challenge people to think about, well why can’t you volunteer now?  My definition of volunteering is doing what you love without getting paid for it.  Money is not the focus … the love of what you’re doing is.

I found that the more at peace I became with myself, the more I wanted to give back.  This was when I started volunteering.

I have never found myself feeling as happy as when I volunteer.  It is quite hard to explain the feelings.  There is a feeling of internal peace about giving without any need or expectation for reward.  It’s funny though, the greatest reward you could ask for is knowing you are helping a cause they you genuinely care about.  There is no greater satisfaction than giving to something you care about and knowing you are making a difference.

If you are a volunteering, it means you are doing something because you want to, not because you are being paid for it.  To me, that is an ideal outcome.  To spend my life doing what I want to do, not because I am paid for it.  To spend my life making a difference by helping others.  To help others to make a difference in this world.

Think about the things you love and are passionate about.  Do you ever find yourself watching or reading about something and thinking ‘oh that’s terrible’?  Instead of just having those feelings, do something about it.  Get involved and make a difference.

Surrounding yourself with a team of professionals with the validated experience and knowledge to help you achieve your goals, is critical if you want to be a successful property investor.  One of the professionals you will need on your team is an Accountant.

Here is what I look for in a good Accountant.

1.  Someone who provides advice.

I see an Accountant as a professional with extensive current knowledge in his/her area of expertise.  I expect them to provide me advice.  This may sound obvious, however my experience has told me that some Accountants only provide information when you ask a question.  I don’t know what I don’t know … so if I don’t ask a question, I don’t get the answer.

A good Accountant will be forthcoming with the necessary information that affects your property investment strategy.

2.  Not someone who just processes your tax return.

In the past, we have paid a lot of money for an Accountant who really just processed our Tax Return.   I have found large variations in the rates Accountants charge.  The variation can be justified depending on the depth of the service delivered.  Some Accountants provide advice and develop strategy, however others purely process tax returns.

Be sure you are only paying for the service you are receiving, or else find another Accountant.

3.  Someone who understands property investing.

I only wish to take the advice of those who have already achieved what I am aiming to achieve.  Find an Accountant who invests in property … who understands property.  Someone who doesn’t just give advice in theory, but bases the advice on actual experience and expertise.

4.  Someone who is accessible.

I like working with an Accountant who is accessible when I need information.  Accountants have demanding schedules.  It doesn’t mean I always have to speak to the Accountant.  It may mean they have excellent support staff, proficient in supporting client’s needs.

5.  Someone with efficient systems.

I do not want to pay an Accountant to sort through my accounts and files.  That is something I can do, for free.  I was very excited when I found an Accountant who provided me with data entry templates.  He advised me to enter all the accounts into the templates and forward them to his office.

They created an efficient system that they expected the client to follow.  The client is responsible for the organization and data entry of the accounts … the Accountant is responsible for advice, cash-flow management, growth strategies, compliance, etc.

6.  Someone who works well with other professionals.

An Accountant is a specialist in their area of expertise, however as a property investor I require other professional services.  An Accountant who has a network of professionals who also invest in and understand property is most valuable.

7.  Someone that develops you.

I have worked with some Accountants who complete my tax return each year, return my files and then I receive the invoice.  No further contact is made until next year’s tax return is due.

I’ve had other Accountants who stay connected all year round.  They have hosted information sessions, conducted strategy review meetings, introduced me to professionals in other industries and provided educational resources.

Property investing is a long-term strategy.  Building a team of professionals who filter essential information through to you is important.  It may take you time to find your ideal Accountant.  Experience will tell you when you have found the one that matches with your investment goals.

I truly believe in the practice of writing goals.  I believe that setting goals is a critical step to achieving results.  To me, there are three words synonymous with achieving desired results:  goals, systems and accountability.

Let’s look back at your school days.  Where I went to high school, we had seven classes per day.  Each class had a start and finish time allowing five minutes between each class to get to the next class.  We were given a timetable at the start of the year.  The timetable told us our class times, the subject, our teacher, the room number and a map of how to get to the room.  I have never been a high school teacher but I imagine each one of our teachers had a plan of what they had to cover over the year.  They followed a curriculum detailing what had to be covered.

You may not have thought of it like this before, but the system of school is a good example of well-structured goal setting.  The school has goals that each student in each school level must achieve by the end of the year in order to advance to the next level.  The school has systems set up to give each student the best chance of achieving this:  for example the school curriculum detailing what must be covered in a specific year, a class timetable detailing what specific subjects are to be taught at specific times of the day, qualified teachers competent to deliver the requirements of the school curriculum, learning resources that provide the information the student needs to learn, tests and projects to assess students progress.

The school has set a goal for each year: the school curriculum.  The school then creates systems to enable that goal to be achieved:  timetables, learning resources, teachers, tests and projects.  The result:  most students successfully complete the year, as long as they are willing to conform to the system.

Let’s look at a regular 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job.  It is a requirement of the job that you start work every day at 9:00 am.  You can’t wake in the morning and say, ‘hmmm, I feel like a sleep-in, I’ll go to work when I feel like it.’  You could do that, but it may not be long before you find yourself without a job.  The job brings with it specific responsibilities.  Each job has a purpose and tasks or responsibilities it is required to achieve.  These responsibilities are sometimes called Key Performance Indicators and are often written in the employees Job Description.

The company has set a goal for each job: the Job Description and Key Performance Indicators.  The company then creates systems to enable that job to be performed competently:  work roster, operational procedures, recruitment of experienced staff, staff training, operational meetings.  The result:  many employees perform well in their roles.

If the employee didn’t turn up at the required time every day, or if they did not complete the job they were hired to do, there are certain consequences:  they may lose their job, lose their weekly income, disharmony within the team may begin to foster.

So why do we successfully get through school?  Why do we successfully perform in our roles?  I believe one of the major factors is accountability.   Who are you accountable to in school?  Your parents:  They have sent, and paid for you to go to school:  you don’t want to disappoint them.   Society:  There is a societal expectation that you must achieve a high school education.  The system:  ‘The system’ expects you to finish your education.  Yourself:  You want to make sure you progress to the next level with your friends, or at higher levels you need a high final score to get into the right university for your selected career.

Who are you accountable to at work:  Your employer:  They pay you a wage each week.  In exchange for money, you put in a good days work.  Your family:  Your family is dependent on your job security and wage.

So what is it about structured goals (school and work) that work?  They have a goal, systems and a method to make people accountable to achieve the desired result.  If we applied those same principles to our personal life ……. imagine what we could achieve!

Accountability to me means being clear on what you want to achieve, accepting responsibility and consistently taking the necessary actions that will lead to your desired result.

I believe that you can have business success.  I know I can achieve my business goals.  I have the health, physical ability, mindset, knowledge, education and support to achieve my business goals.  What could let me down is discipline.  I need to be careful not to get all caught up in distractions, the daily reality of life that I lose my discipline to stay focused on taking regular actions that move me one step closer each day or week to my goals.  A lack of accountability can lead to a loss of discipline to take action consistently.

I believe in the practice of writing goals.  I believe setting goals is a critical step to achieving results.  Goals plus systems plus accountability = success.

What I find interesting in our lives is that most areas where we are accountable to some form of plan, we tend to achieve something.  If you have to do something, and are accountable to others, you tend to do it.

Let’s look at an example.  In 2009 I had my first book published.  I had for many years, thought that I would like to write a book.  But it never went any further than that … just a dream that I would ‘one day’ like to achieve.  However, if it was my job to write a book, I would do it.  Why is that?

The word that keeps coming back to me is accountability.  So to make the dream a reality, I engaged the services of a Book Writing Coach.  He gave me some lessons, workshopped the purpose of the book, created a plan with chapter headings, word targets and dates for completion of each chapter.  He then mentored me to ensure I was on track.  With a purpose, plan, and being accountable to someone, surprise surprise, the book got written in approximately four months.

Now imagine you have a goal that you want to improve your fitness, and your preferred type of exercise is running.  You set your alarm to get up at 6:00 am and go for a 30-minute jog/walk.  You are suddenly only accountable to yourself.  Does your partner or friend care whether you get up and go for a jog?  Probably not.  What about your manager, family or neighbours?  Do they care whether you get up and go for a jog?  Probably not.  They might be supportive and think it is great that you want to improve your fitness, but there are no repercussions if you press snooze on your alarm and sleep in an extra hour.

So how you make yourself accountable to running? Running is a solo sport.  What could you do to put some systems and accountability in place?  Here are some ideas:

• Run with a friend.
• Join a local running group.
• Set a tangible goal;  for example get onto the Internet and search for fun runs in your local area.  Sign up with a friend for the fun run.
• Get a Personal Trainer.
• Download some running training schedules from the Internet.  These are great.  They give you a structured weekly training plan to achieve different distance goals tailored to different fitness levels.  Put the plan on your fridge and stick to it!

Growing up in the school system, participating in structured sports and progressing to structured work life, we have always operated within systems that give us the best chance of succeeding.  Suddenly, if you are working on personal or business goals for your own business, you are on your own.   You need to replicate some form of plan, structure and accountability to yourself to ensure your own success.

Now is the time to take control of achieving your business targets from this point forward.  Create targets and be accountable to achieve those targets.

Life is a series of choices and actions that has lead you to where you are today.  Every day is the beginning of a new opportunity.  Your life is being built day by day.  Every day, in many different situations you are making choices.  Each choice you make leads to the result you get.  For every day that you do not take the action that you intend, that day is gone.

Let’s think about some of the choices you may have to make today.  When I started to write this chapter of my book, I thought well today is another day.  Let me use the example of today of how many decisions or choices I make in just one day.  So below is an example of the decisions I know I am required to make today.

• Do I get out of bed at 4:00 am and get a chapter of my book written, or do I turn the alarm off and get an extra two hours sleep?
• Do I have a ‘to do list’ of what I must achieve today, or do I just start work and get whatever I can get done?
• Do I arrive to see my client 10 minutes early, fully prepared with sufficient time to set up and commence the session on time, or do I apologise for being a little late and promise to email them documents referred to in the session?
• Do I eat the healthy vegan lunch I pre-cooked on the weekend, or do I have toast and vegemite and snack later in the day, as I am still hungry?
• Do I respond to each telephone call with enthusiasm, excited by the potential opportunity each call may bring, or do I perceive each call as an interruption to my day?
• Do I make a minimum of two calls per day to potential corporate clients, or if I don’t have time, just make sure I have made the calls by the end of the week?
• Do I complete and send the proposal I planned to do today or add it to my ‘to do list’ for tomorrow?
• Do I go for a five-kilometre run at 5:00 pm, or keep working over a hot chocolate and an afternoon snack?
• Do I sit and talk with my husband as he cooks dinner on the outside bbq or do I watch television as I have already had my main meal at lunchtime?
• Do I listen to my husband talk through his share market paper trading results or show no interest?
• Do my husband and I talk about the share trading results or watch television?

The above list is a sample of the many choices I must make in just one day.  Imagine if I have 80 years of decision-making ability:  that’s over 29,000 days of making decisions.  Can you imagine how many decisions I have made?  What choices did I make?  Did I make the right choices?  How do you answer that question, when everybody’s answer could be different?  Is there a right or wrong answer?  My answer to whether I made the right choices is to consider the answer to some of the following questions:

From a daily perspective:

• Am I happy with what results I have achieved for the day?
• Do I feel good about every decision I made?
• Are others involved in the decision also happy with the choice?
• Will my mind be clear so I can sleep tonight?
• Have I taken a step forward today?
• Will those I dealt with today be happy with the dealings we had?

From a life perspective

• Am I happy with where my life is right now?
• Is my life heading in the direction I want it to head in?

I would say I am making wrong choices if I am having some of the following feelings:

• Not sleeping at night because thinking about a discussion with someone that didn’t end ideally.
• Feeling stressed due to a build up of work.
• Feeling frustrated with my life in general.

If you are not feeling good about where your life is right now, then I would suggest you are not making the right choices.

Ask yourself:  What have you done today?

What have you done today to ensure you are fuelling your body with the essential nutrients it needs to perform at its best?

What have you done today to show those you love how much you care about them?

What have you done today to help a cause you feel very passionate about?

What have you done today to help somebody else achieve their goals?

What have you done today to ensure your clients are happy each and every time they deal with you?

What have you done today to ensure you will achieve your revenue targets next week?

What have you done today to improve your business or personal cashflow?

What have you done today to build your knowledge on the ‘right’ type of investment for you?

What have you done today to enable you to buy your next investment property?

What have you done today to make sure you are a step closer to achieving your goals?

On the day you complete this part of the program, write down a list of the choices you may have to make.  For each decision, write down two possible choices you could make.  Be honest with yourself, and write choices that you are likely to make.  For example, one of my decisions was: Do I go for a five-kilometre run at 5:00 pm, or keep working over a hot chocolate and an afternoon snack?  Yes, it’s true.  Sometimes I am highly disciplined and run six days per week, but there are other times where a hot chocolate and an afternoon snack wins out.

Think about what choices you have made in your life that you feel have been right.

Are there areas of your life where you feel you could make better choices?

Do you feel good about where your life is right now?

You can never stop learning.  Your education does not stop when you finish school or university.  By the age of 20, I had completed a Bachelor of Commerce.  Having a university degree helped me to get interviews, and also enabled me to apply for management roles. In my thirties I completed a university post-graduate qualification in further education and training, as it was a mandatory requirement for my role as Education Manager.  I believe my university qualifications helped to progress my career, developed my analytical skills and broadened my knowledge.

However, it is the personal development or self-education I have done that has had the biggest impact on my life.  The seminars and workshops we have attended, the expo’s we have gone to, the books and magazines we have read, the audio programs we have listened to.  The amount of information we have absorbed from people who have already travelled the path we are heading down.  Learning from the mistakes they made, following the steps they advise, reading what they recommended, having faith that it will work for us as someone else has already tested it and it does work.   Having access to lots of words of wisdom to keep us motivated.

I learned that to be successful I needed to start learning from, or being influenced by those who were in places where I wanted to be.  Since I wasn’t surrounded by people who had achieved the goals I was looking to achieve, I started to read personal development books, listened to audio tapes and recognised that I could learn by reading the books of successful people as they often shared the path they had taken.

Self-development has had a very powerful influence on me;  here is what I believe about self-development:

Read at least one self-development book per month (ideally one per week)

-  With knowledge, motivation and action, anything is possible

-  Learn by studying how other successful people have achieved their results

Your action is to commit to reading personal development books.  Every answer you need to achieving your dreams has probably already been written or recorded.  And they can all be found free at your local council library!

The great thing about your local library is you can access a wealth of personal development books and cd’s, all for nothing.  The other thing I love is that you can normally only borrow a book for two weeks.  This is great as it should motivate you to read the book within two weeks, take it back by the due date and get another one.  There are many people I know who buy books from bookshops, take them home and never read beyond the first couple of chapters.  They have an amazing abundance of valuable information wasting away on their bookshelf.

I normally recommend that you include books that teach you the techniques as well as books that keep you motivated.  For example, if you are interested in property as an investment tool, read books that teach you the techniques of how to invest.  You’ll soon learn that the actual steps in buying property are not that difficult, however the reason why many people are not successful at property investing can be because of mindset issues eg fear, lack of discipline, laziness, greed.  It is important to learn not only how to invest, but to also work on your own mindset.

Also read a wide variety of books from a wide variety of authors.  Each author builds their techniques and opinions based on their own experience, values, background and goals.  One persons investment strategy may not be quite right for you, so read a cross section of opinions until you find the system that works for you and your goals.

What is important is that you are feeding your mind with the information and knowledge that will help you become the person you desire to be.

You may know what you want out of life.  You may know what your ideal life looks like.  However you need to be very mindful of the distractions that could hinder you from achieving your goals.

If you say you are going to do something, it is because it is important to you.  You are only letting yourself down if you don’t do it.

The old adage is true: on our deathbed, we won’t be heard to complain that we didn’t spend enough time at the office.  I know I don’t want to be on my deathbed saying I wish I had done this and I wish I had done that ….

So for me, if I’m not focused and disciplined, I am only letting myself down.

Most things that you want to achieve in life are not hard.  You normally have the ability to achieve them, it is often your focus and discipline that is letting you down.

So what happens if I am not disciplined?  To me, not being disciplined means not fulfilling an action that you planned to take.  And of course, for every action there is a consequence.

Let’s have a look firstly at the consequences of not being disciplined to fulfil planned actions.

Let’s now have a look at the potential benefits of completing your planned actions i.e. being disciplined

So what will happen if you are not disciplined?  What are the consequences of you not being disciplined to fulfil your planned actions?  What are the potential benefits of completing your planned actions?

Focus and action will bring you results in achieving your goals.

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An important question before we discuss marketing strategies is … do you have a Marketing Plan for 2012?  Do you have a 12-month Marketing Calendar that details what marketing activities you plan to take each week?  Every day you go to work, do you know what marketing activity you must complete on that day or that week?

Your Marketing Calendar can be as simple or as detailed as you desire.  What is important is that all the marketing activities you plan to complete are in your Marketing Calendar.

Let’s know talk about what marketing strategies you schedule into your Marketing Calendar.

I have worked in many a workplace and seen many a person put all their heart and effort into one marketing activity, let’s say for example networking.  They attend lots of events, breakfasts, lunches, educational seminars sponsored by businesses only to find they haven’t taken on one new client as a result of all that networking.  So they say, networking doesn’t work, let’s try flyers.  So they distribute 10,000 flyers and don’t get a call.  Flyers don’t work.  I know … I’ve got a great idea … let’s put on a free information seminar …… and only two people turn up.

They are constantly trying different approaches, searching for the wholly grail of marketing.  Without realising it, many business owners are searching for that one marketing activity that will bring them a flood of customers.

One of the problems is that they are never giving the market time to get to know them.  For example, if you had gone to one more of the local Chamber of Commerce meetings, one of the members had a good lead, however you weren’t there.  One lady who received and read your flyer, was keen to call you but accidentally threw the flyer out.  If you had re-distributed the flyer, she would have called you.  She tried to Google you, but you don’t have a website, so she purchased the product from somebody else with a similar product she found via Google.

The trick is to develop a series of activities that you can commit to for the long term.

So it may not be about searching for that one marketing activity that works, but ensuring you have enough activities happening in your target market, so that your target market knows that you exist.  Then, when your target market is ready to buy, they think of you.

The idea is that you develop a system of marketing activities that you can afford to commit to over a long period of time to enable brand recognition to occur in the marketplace, so when a potential client requires a product or service you offer, they call YOU.

Once you have created your 12-month Marketing Calendar scheduling your series of marketing activities, put it somewhere so you can see it regularly.  There is no point creating this plan if it stays on your computer, and you don’t look at it.

I would recommend printing it, and displaying it somewhere where you can see it regularly.  This should keep you focused on the activities you have planned to complete each week.

It is the regular commitment to action that will eventually reap you rewards.  The rewards may not be immediate.  But work out your system, commit to it for as long as it takes.  Create a system that is easy to follow and commit to.  Set your goals … take action … monitor your results and be pleasantly surprised by the results.

The main business strategy that has reduced the amount of hours I work in my business is implementing business systems.  By putting systems in place I am able to run one of my businesses from home in only two days per week.  This has happened without taking a cut in my income … in fact my earnings have increased.

To me systems means having a routine, having a structured method to follow that leads to a pre-determined outcome.  Having a procedure to follow.  Having tools to use, having checklists to follow, knowing the right words to say, using the right equipment, knowing what order to do the job in.  If I follow these steps, using this equipment and these tools and say these things, I am likely to get this result.

Let’s look at an example of a marketing system.  Imagine you had a revenue target of $20,000 per month.  Now imagine you have a systemized, cost-effective, proven marketing system that generates and converts sales opportunities of $20,000 per month.  You would follow it wouldn’t you.  If someone can along to you and said ‘if you follow this routine, using these checklists, templates and scripts, allow two hours per day to make ten phone calls per day, send ten letters per day, attend one networking event per week, talk to ten additional  people per week about your business and make two appointments per week, you will achieve $20,000 per month’, … you would do it, wouldn’t you.

Now imagine you have a 12-Month Marketing Calendar detailing what marketing activities are planned for each week.  For each marketing activity you have a checklist, tool or template on how to complete that activity.  The Marketing Calendar plans each week of the year.  So every day you go to work you know what marketing activity you must do on the day and you have a checklist, template or procedure to follow.  And if you followed that Marketing Calender, you would achieve a minimum of $20,000 every month.

You would follow it, wouldn’t you, because that is what your goal is!

In the marketing example, who am I accountable to on a daily basis?  No-one except myself.  If I don’t make the ten calls per day, or send ten letters per day, or attend a networking event, or maketwo appointments for the week, what are the consequences?

There are no immediate consequences.  However the biggest consequence is that we may not achieve $20,000 revenue this month.  We can justify our daily actions for not making the calls.  For example I was busy responding to emails, I had to get on top of my accounts, I’m behind on my administration, I’m recruiting a new staff member and had to write the advertisement, etc, etc, etc.

However it is the regular commitment to action that will eventually reap you rewards.  The rewards may not be immediate.  But work out a system, commit to it for as long as it takes.  Create a system that is easy to follow and commit to.  That person may not knock on your door with the proven marketing system that will generate $20,000 per month.  You need to create it.

Here, I believe lies one of our challenges.  Creating the system that works … finding the time to develop the system that will work for your business.  This is what working ON your business rather than IN your business is all about.

Once the system is in place, someone else other than you can follow it.

Let’s stay with the marketing example and imagine you put the time and effort into developing a systemized, cost-effective, proven marketing system that generates and converts sales opportunities of $20,000 per month.  You can now recruit somebody else to follow the system and generate $20,000 revenue per month for you.  Your earnings potential is then only limited by the amount of people you recruit.  As long as the system still works in the current market conditions.  Your job is to ensure the system still works, then recruit others to work it.   The earning potential of the business is no longer dependent on you.