“I work on my own, I hear you protest”. “I don’t have a team”.    Not so.  Look just below the surface and every successful person has a team that makes the difference between winning and losing.

Think about those amazing lone achievers – yachtsman, Sir Francis Chichester or Geraldine “Jerri” Mock who became the first woman to fly solo around the world in her single-engine Cessna. And more recently, world champion marathon swimmer Shelley Taylor-Smith.

Whilst they were obviously high and determined achievers, without their “team” of managers, sponsors, technicians, instructors, families and so on, the journey towards those amazing achievements would not even have got off the ground.

So even for those of us who work on our own, or have an autonomous job it is essential to create a team that supports our vision and direction and helps create the power and synergy we need to succeed.  Click here to read the full article on building a successful team.

Happy New Year and all that.  With all the New Year resolutions flying about I thought it might be time to have a business goal that goes deeper than making more money.  We renovate our houses to keep them current and comfortable but our businesses are often left vulnerable to decay with outdated systems and equipment, rusty old goals and blurred visions.

It’s easy to go into denial about what maybe some very real threats to your goals in these “interesting” times,  You need to be willing to do some honest checks and balances.  Have a read of a story I wrote for the Flying Solo website and see if any of my suggestions could make life easier and business goals more achievable in 2010.

I was recently at a networking function with the the usual chat-chat and exchange of business cards.  Later that day there was a nicely worded but what I found mildly offensive  follow-up in my in-box.

You know the feeling.  “Justgotago Networking Function, 7.00 pm” pops up in your diary.  You know you should go, you know you could go, but you don’t actually WANT to go.  Catching up on admin, the TV, a good book and an early night are all much more appealing.

It’s called Network Reluctance and, like call reluctance, is a challenge to be overcome because we all know that networking is one of the most effective ways to build relationships and get those valuable referrals and alliances. The impact of the brief chat we have with the single person we connect with at a networking function can be just as fruitful as thousands of written marketing communications costing just as many dollars

To read this article in full and get lots of tips on overcoming networking reluctance visit  my link at the Flying Solo site.

When cash flow is tight, tit-for-tat contra-deals often come up as the perfect win/win solution to get what you need or want towards  achieving your goals, without actually paying for it in hard, scarce, cash.

“If you design my business cards, I’ll set up your filing system” sort of thing.  But caveat emptor – be aware of contra indications where the deal will fall short of a win for you.

To read this article in full and get lots of tips on making contra-deals work for you visit my link of the Flying Solo site.