How do you feel about making a difference and making a profit?

For some people that means you’ll be taking your great ideas and maybe doubling your income. And that means your great ideas, your passions, the things you really care about are going to be reaching more people and having a bigger impact in the world.

If you’re going to double your business income, you might be forgiven for thinking, “Uh-oh does that means I’m going to be working 2-3 times harder or longer?”

I hope not! If that was true that would mean you might be working 22-23 hours a day and that’s not what you really want to be doing.

So, what is the way to create a business that doubles in profit on a regular basis, reduces the time you spend in it, and contributes to making a better world?

That’s a big question, but it’s a great question because it drives at the kind of lifestyle most of us got into business to have – one that makes money, gives us freedom and flexibility and creates a contribution or a legacy.

So how do we do that?

I was listening to a former Olympic medallist speak the other day and he was saying, that no medallist wins because they work 2 or 3 times harder than the rest. No one wins a race by 2 or 3 times as much as anyone else. It’s fractions of an inch and 100ths of a second that make a difference.

So it’s the little things they do in training, day after day, that make the difference when it counts. And it’s these little things that will win you medals. It’s these little things that  save you time, energy and money. And it’s these little things, subtle things I want to show you, so you can make a big difference, without selling your soul.

So, how does this translate into business?

In your marketing it may be one subtle thing that makes the difference between no sales and a bucket load – this is your fraction of an inch and your 100th of a second.

And it’s the person who claims gold that goes down in the record books and who hits the headlines and the guys who end up second, third and fourth who get forgotten.

The frustration is to have a product or service that is fantastic, but to end up being forgotten, just because of a 100th of a second or a fraction of an inch… especially when your service or product makes the world a better place and the person who gets gold doesn’t.

It may just need the fine tuning to your business techniques or mindset to make your business rock and for you to profit from your heart-felt passions and ideals.

We know that people reading this have glorious visions for what they’d like to achieve, but often they’re not striking gold. This can be solved. You just need to find a place  where you can get the resources and the inspiration of resourcefulness.

A little goldmine of help can be found at www.communitysoulbusiness.com

Go and take a look

Neil

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Leave a comment below and let me know how YOU feel about making a difference and a profit. Would love your input.

Financial transactions are as much about building relationships as they are spending money; so I have to admit, I do get a little peeved when I spend money and then feel disrespected by the company I’ve paid.

A few years ago we used to buy our food from the local superstore. We’d spend on average around £4500 a year there.

I had shopped with this superstore for my entire adult life and therefore spent in the region of £76500 in their premises.

But then I noticed their quality had dropped. The apples in the store were bruised. The tins were getting more dented. The tortilla wraps had begun sticking together, the pita bread had holes in them, and they had begun to have items they used to have in stock, regularly out of stock.

I wrote to the local branch. Three weeks later, when they hadn’t replied, I wrote to their Head Office. Funnily enough, they didn’t reply either. So I assumed that perhaps ignoring customer’s complaints was now company policy. I also noticed that nothing had improved in the store.

I suppose my £4500 a year is quite small compared to their annual profit of £2.65 billion. And I suppose losing my business doesn’t really mean that much to them.

However, this got me thinking…

I’d been wrestling with food miles and the environmental stuff for quite some time. I knew that my veg, even if grown locally will probably go to somewhere like Germany to get packaged before it will return to the UK and go on a shelf.

I know all this is not good for the environment. I know how superstores are now able to dictate pricing to suppliers and even influence town planning. I don’t necessarily like the idea of 180 new superstores being opened in the UK in the next 18 months. But I do accept there are some benefits to having these stores as part of the diversity of our culture.

But having said all that, when a company fails to value the relationship with a customer, then the customer is probably right to review the relationship with the company.

So I considered the food miles and the environment and the growth of the superstores and came to the conclusion… It was time to grow my own food, get my own chickens, shop where it is most convenient and buy local.

When we spend money in our local economy, most of it stays in our local economy, but when we spend it at a superstore, very little of it returns.

Since I live in the countryside and am surrounded by farmers – some of whom I know – I’d prefer to line their pockets than people who do not value my relationship with them.

I’d love to know your take on this.

Best
Neil

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Leave a comment: Have you ever felt unappreciated by the businesses you patronize? Did you go elsewhere? Or, what steps do you take in your business to show your appreciation to clients? I’d love to hear your story.

Neil Fellowes shows conscious entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and complementary therapists how to make a difference AND a profit. Visit his website at http://www.communitysoul.co.uk

What I’m going to take you through in this article is a technique I use to constantly close the gap between where I am and where I want to get to. I’m sharing this so you can use it too.

When I sit down to write an article or I’m mapping out one of the Insiders Secrets webinars or training session I always start with a visualisation.

I imagine that I am looking beyond the page and seeing everyone taking notes, and magical golden fairy dust passing down the phone lines, enveloping you – and as a result of what I share, you become more prosperous.

And I appreciate that might all sound a bit fanciful, but it’s a technique that I know inspires me to create information that helps people and gets great feedback.

In the grand scheme of things this might seem small, but if something you take notes from becomes a way you do business, or helps you create something that changes lives or leads to your prosperity or the prosperity of one of your clients, then that’s a very cool ripple.

A vision I hold for CommunitySoul is that whoever walks with us becomes increasingly prosperous as a result of the association. Our aim is to help 12,000 business reach more than a million people and change their lives by the end of this year.

Part of the vision for these newsletters is that it’s fluff free, so let me ground what I’m saying here, before you accuse me of going off with the fairies!

Knowing the vision allows me to sit back after our events and evaluate. I’m looking at the details. What will help us to achieve our vision faster? Where don’t we match up to the vision? Are the presentations right? Did people learn all they could in the time we had? Who else can benefit from hearing this speaker? Could people listen in comfort? Is everyone moving forward? Timings? Overall message? The marketing? What needs to improve? Who will do it?

So, when you have a clear vision, you can see how easily you can begin to constantly close the gap between where you are now and where you want to get too.

It’s simple. Know your vision. Know your starting point. Close the gap.

Best wishes

Neil

www.communitysoul.co.uk

Making money is a measure.

It could be a measure for how many people you helped, how often you helped them and how much value you and they feel you bring to their life for what you do.

So making money could just be about the difference it makes to you and the people you love to help.

And we’ve all heard the saying that “the journey is more important that the end result”, so making money is just part of the journey.

Imagine for a moment that you set a goal to make £250,000 by 31st December and you have an idea that is incredible and can make a huge difference in the lives of others. As a result, the demand for how you help people grows.

In your efforts to make the quarter million, you learn so much about people and philosophy and the way the world works. You meet the wealthy and the poor and you understand more about how they became that way.

And in making your £250,000 you now make a new network of people. Other  opportunities naturally come your way and you now make a million.

And remember it’s not just about the money – the money is just a measure of how many people you’ve helped and how much value they and you put on what you do.

Maybe through the money you earn, or through your network, or both, you can help remove poverty and create more prosperity. Maybe you can help to remove damage to the environment and reduce pollution…

I was once taught how to Karate chop a board in half. I was doing this live, for the first time and in front of an audience of about 50 people.

I was instructed to focus beyond the board, where my hand would hit, once the board had broken in two. This style of vision creating is just like that – it’s putting your attention not just on having what you dream of, but on what is beyond and even better than that.

Look at what you think you want. Then consider the journey beyond it. The one that is even better than you dare dream of.

Best wishes
Neil

I don’t often look at the media stories, but over the last week I’ve been monitoring it, as research for a radio interview.

When I look at the natural disasters, and read about the terrorism, crimes and disease, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we stopped meddling with nature, forgot about geographic boundaries and put religion aside.

What would the world look like if governments didn’t impose themselves on the people or each other?

What if rivers didn’t have pollution pumped into them? If the air was respected, plants and trees honoured and cared for rather than just harvested? What if the ground wasn’t pumped with harmful insecticides and fertilizers? The list goes on…

A few years ago, overwhelmed with so many things I disagreed with in the world, I began CommunitySoul. I wanted an alternative to the negativity in the media, because I knew that for every story of conflict there was one of unity.

I’d become tired of commercialism. It had encouraged me to eat poorly and gain weight. It advertised things that encouraged me to do harm to the earth and myself, and it preyed on my weaknesses.

At the time when I was mulling over what I’d do someone said to me, “Yeah, Neil, but we can’t change the world single handedly.” Of course my friend was right, we can’t.

But his words made frustration rise up in me and made me want to do anything I could. What I did was this…

I immediately assumed responsibility for the part of the world I control. I created this newsletter which now reaches several thousand people. I often hear back from readers who want to express gratitude for something the newsletter helped them with.

On one level, that feeling of overwhelm I felt several years ago…that yearning for change I wanted to see in the world, created change in others I hadn’t anticipated. Closer to home, I buy less from the supermarkets. I learned to grow my own food and have a few chickens. It’s a small contribution to reducing our impact, but it is nonetheless a contribution.

With my wife, Jo, we set up a business which helps people who care about the world to get better at business and marketing, so people who care can have an even greater influence.

I’m not claiming what I have done is worthwhile by any means. I’m not saying it’s right or clever. What I am saying is that through the choices we make, we make an impact in changing the world for the better, because we are changing the part of it we control.

Going back to the question at the top of this article: Does it need powerful people to change the world? I’m not sure it does. What it needs is individual people who ask themselves good questions whenever they are faced with the important issues.

Right now, the changes I make at home can’t help the situation in Haiti. That said what I’m focussed on is that if me and you and enough people like us begin to make conscious decisions about what we do individually, then the collective mass increases and that can’t help but affect other people and have a positive impact on them too.

In the long run, this mass change in consciousness can’t help but bring about a change in consciousness at government level, and that will then impact things across the world that once upon a time were beyond our reach.

What would you most like to change in the world now? What decisions can you make now? Who do you know who should read this article? Forward it to them, Tweet, Facebook whatever inspires you.

With love and best wishes

Neil

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Neil Fellowes shows conscious entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and complementary therapists how to make a difference AND a profit. Visit his website and register for his free newsletter at http://www.communitysoul.co.uk

If you’ve been in business a while you are more than likely aware that being your own boss is a very revealing personal journey. I liken it to being a hero in an adventure story, because business can, and does, bring to the surface challenges  we have to face, be they emotional, physical, spiritual, financial or mental.

Below are 10 things I’ve learnt from being my own boss. I should point out that this list isn’t everything and it’s not in any particular order.

In writing this list what I’ve noticed is how much I’ve learnt down the years.

1. Do it well whatever the cost – If you were on a mission and you could  hire a guide that knows the territory at £50 an hour or a guide who doesn’t know any better than you for a tenner, which would you go for?

In business you get what you pay for. A good example of this is when we had a new opening in our team. We thought it was a simple job a student could do. Even so, we checked in with an expert in the field before going ahead. She came back with some top draw questions which resulted in subtle changes to our strategy (and subtle changes make big differences – ask any golfer who hits the tree when they want to hit the green). This goes for assistants, coaches, web designers, marketing people. I’m not advocating: “Go to the highest bidder”. What I am saying is go to who can do the job you want doing the best and pay their fee.

2. Avoid isolation – Any business adventure will probably mean you coming face-to-face with things you don’t know, don’t understand or don’t know how to get round. At times like this it’s a blessing to have a network of informed people!

I used to try to do it alone. Not now. We now have a small team who are experts in web technology, coding, various shopping carts, admin, sales, project management, marketing and social media. Beyond that we have 2 mentors. We mastermind with 6 people who think like us. We meet up with other friends who are like us. We have a drink or lunch now and again with people we respect in our field. We have 60 partners – we help them, they help us and we have several thousand CommunitySoulers who are a lot like us and who we learn from as well as share with. A successful business in this era needs to build a tribe, so start to build one and stop trying to do it all alone.

3. Never fear spending on growth – We get one shot at this life adventure. Don’t spend it complaining you can’t afford this or that. If the best in the industry invest in their development then it’s arrogant to think you don’t need it. It took me too many years to discover this one!

It’s simple. To grow you must invest. To think you can grow a business without investing some money into your business development would be naïve. I realised I’d been lying to myself on this one a couple of years back. Never again! On your adventure if you work in isolation and don’t invest in yourself, it’s hard to know what to do when you meet a challenge, yet if you have a mentor who has done what you want to do, you don’t get stuck, you flow past the obstacle. When it comes to investment it’s NOT what a coach or mentor asks you to pay, it’s about what it will cost you if you don’t pay.

4. It’s never over… till it’s over – In the past I gave up on my intentions too soon. I remember when that changed. We would set a goal and with just 28 days left we still had 82% left to achieve. In the past I would give up. These days I do what it takes to achieve a goal. There’s always something else you can do to pull a result out of the bag – if the goal means enough to you. If it doesn’t you have to find a bigger why.

5. Know where your wealth value is -  I used to try to do it all – marketing, delivery, product creation, finances, websites, admin… and that was a big mistake. We all make money in various ways. This is the key to how we create our wealth. I’m into writing and speaking and opening doors for partners and clients who are developing to make a difference and a profit. My value comes from squeezing my time down into these projects and not getting involved in the other things that are not my area.

6. Start with what you want to earn – Sometimes someone new to business looks at how much to charge by looking at what the competition charges. I used to do this too. Not any more.

I now decide what I’d like to earn and then charge that. One thing you have to do with this approach is of course ensure your client gets up to 10 times the return on their investment. I enjoy this approach. It’s much more inspiring. When I changed how I did this my clients improved their results and our income rose.

7. Gather and keep momentum – Momentum is so important. Set a rhythm for your business to grow at. Many years ago I grew my business by spending 8 hours each week marketing it and the rest of the week delivering the service and managing my team. These days it’s a lot easier to market yourself as you have the Internet and lots of processes and systems available. So we automate many processes and I now spend maybe an hour a week on marketing, working with my team.

8. Income growth means just 3 things – To increase your income it simply comes down to getting new clients, having clients return and buy, and increasing your prices. The business hero just needs to know this and keep asking what needs to be done to achieve the goal. For too long I kept low prices thinking I was helping people, but if something is too cheap it has no value and is not respected. I learnt I was doing people more of a favour by charging a higher price, because people made sure they squeezed every drop out of something they paid a lot for.

9. Know you’re the enemy – Often we mascarade as the hero when we are really the villain. What I’ve learnt is that sometimes I’m the bottleneck or I’m the one resisting  changes that needs to happen. Many times, such as when you need to increase your prices, the first person you will need to convince is yourself. I can remember I once hung out for 6 months too long before cutting an income stream, when I finally agreed to cut it, our income doubled in 6 months! So holding on to a small income stream, had cost our business £1000′s.

10. Give yourself clear boundaries – I used to rush from a client meeting to marketing, from marketing to accounts and then back to working with a client, then back to marketing… Don’t do this. Block out time. I usually use afternoons for clients and block book them. Mornings are my creative times when I develop CommunitySoul.  Block book time for meetings and arrange them back-to-back. Put in buffers between home life and business. I’ll have 30 minutes to transition between the end of the day and being at home with the family. Sometimes when I’m working full out, I’ll make sure I have a day off in the week.

Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments box on the blog. We want to hear from you! Your age, sex, income or experiences don’t matter!

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Neil Fellowes shows conscious entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and complementary therapists how to make a difference AND a profit. Visit our website at http://www.communitysoul.co.uk

What I really enjoy is seeing people pull things together and seeing them start to pull off results. And what I’d LOVE to share with you today is the moment when business owners take a conscious approach to transform hard-work into heart-desired results.

The transformation happens at the point where the business owners has “expectation”. This is where the results come unconsciously. This is when your focus, awareness and behaviour start to work in synch.

It’s an exciting time.

It’s like when you learn to drive a car. You start off driving consciously, thinking of every gear change, brake, accelerator, clutch movement. Then, over time, it starts to becomes, fluent… natural… and effortless.

I’m sure you can imagine this… and maybe you are starting to recall times in your life when you did something and it unfolded, just as you wanted it too.

Business becomes just like that too when it runs with an unconscious, almost effortless flow.

Understand though, that expecting results is different from knowing. The knowing comes in the results – from the growing expectancy that you’re actually now succeeding naturally and you can literally see your business dream unfolding before you.

In driving, it’s when your movement becomes instinctive. In business, it’s when you have a system and process that unfolds effortlessly.

The expectancy comes in the signs that the results are coming. In business that might be signs that a product is right because the research checks out, or because sales start clocking up or the marketing campaign is working because it’s generating leads and sales.

But the decision to succeed and to create the expectancy comes through gaining the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t; and to get to that place, you have to put in the effort that makes the results a forgone conclusion.

The decision to succeed is made before the results come. It’s made first. It’s made when you commit to doing the things you need to do to succeed. It happens when you stop saying “I can’t” and start saying “I’ll find a way.”

So, what happens is there are no longer obstacles, everything is in alignment and working well, so the results come naturally and easily.

SO create a business that gains results smoothly, effortlessly and naturally. You have to create and discover the processes and systems that create that effortlessness.

Best wishes

Neil

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Neil Fellowes shows conscious entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and complementary therapists how to make a difference AND a profit. To find out more, visit our website at http://www.communitysoul.co.uk

“How to Live Your Life With Purpose”

What an amazing response we had for the Spirited Living Telesummit.

On Monday, Sonia Choquette revealed the Sixth Sensory Tool Kit, and Michael Neill uncovered the Secrets that will transform your life.

Tuesday brought David Hamilton sharing how to apply the 3 key behaviour’s of vital and healthy living, Alan Forrest Smith talking about how how to live a spirited life in a practical way, and Barefoot Doctor explaining how you can supercharge every day of your week and enjoy life.

On Wednesday, Maureen Healy spoke on how to raise confident, happy kids, and Dr William Bloom revealed how to access the health store in your body and gain relief from tension, so your body flows with blissful energy.

Thursday’s speakers were John Parkin, teaching how to let go when you really need to; Karen Knowler, explaining how to use food to fuel your Spirited Life; and, Dawn Breslin, talking about creating what you want and avoiding what you don’t want.

On Friday, Dan Millman discussed the art of turning what you know into what you do, and I, Neil Fellowes, revealed the three keys that make life simple, easy and fun.

SOME GREAT NEWS: David Neagle, one of the world’s foremost business strategists and teachers of Universal Law & Wealth Consciousness, is joining us on yet another FREE Spirited Living Summit call.

In this Master class, David is going to give you:

• The creative process for manifesting any want/need/goal

• How to set the target: Making goals that are worthy of you, and that will move your forward in massive leaps

• Quantum leap goal achievement: Understanding the Universal laws that govern RAPID goal manifestation

• The 2 elements of any goal that are critical for its manifestation

• Overcoming obstacles, challenge, indecision, and lack of confidence along the pathway of goal manifestation

SOME MORE GREAT NEWS: No need to miss any webinar! You can get all the sessions with our visionaries and spiritual philosophers, plus special gifts.

I hope you can join us.

Register now at http://twurl.nl/iern6w

If you could spend 12 hours with 12 great visionaries and spiritual philosophers, how would that transform your life?

You have a chance to find out by registering for this FREE Telesummit – an intensive week event that will immerse you in the MUST HAVE knowledge and techniques that you can put into place from day one and every day thereafter! You’ll walk away with new advantages in life, regardless of what’s been happening in your life or the outside world right now. And here’s the best part: You can listen from the comfort and privacy of your home; you don’t have to leave your home or office to participate.

12 visionaries and spiritual philosophers!

Live Life on Purpose

May 10-14, 2010

Click here for more information

There are 12 reasons why you will really want to join these visionaries…

1. Learn how to turn what you know into what you do
2. Get equipped for life with the Sixth Sensory Tool Kit
3. Supercharge everyday of your week and enjoy life
4. Discover the secrets that will transform your life
5. Create what you want and avoid what you don’t want
6. Access the health store in your body
7. Apply the 3 key behaviour’s of vital and healthy living
8. How to let go when you really need to
9. Uncover the moment when shift happens
10. How to use food as your rocket fuel for a spirited life
11. Find out how to raising spirited, kind, compassionate and confident children
12. Getting to grips with the principles that create a fulfilled and happy life

Remember – It’s not what you know…it’s what you do with what you know, and this summit is deliberately run over one week so you’ll be able to listen, take in and apply what you learn from one day to the next.

I look forward to you joining me on this life-changing telesummit!

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Neil is the founder of CommunitySoul, an organisation that helps individuals and businesses get life on track with principles, while making profits.

Part of being attractive to new clients is learning who you are.

The first thing to realise is that by taking the path of self-employment you’ve become a  hero.

Anyone running a business is a daring soul. By being self-employed, you’ve  decided to take life’s adventures to warp speed. Because running your business – making your difference in the world and making money – will cause transformations in you.

I used to think I would be the person who would grow my business, but what is now apparent is that my business grows me; and as I change, the business moves on.

We know the 5000 or so business owners we now connect with are all on that journey with you. I hope it’s kind of reassuring to know that there are others like you – inspired, caring, forward thinking entrepreneurs who want to profit and make a difference.

How we make our difference in the world, and a profit, is largely down to our values, passions and purpose. There are many ways to do it…

A business can also be a lynch-pin in a local community, no matter how big or small it is. Whatever the size of your business it can have an impact on the environment, it can also do good for the people around you – maybe by giving some of the profits to a local charity or cause, or by setting up your own foundation, or by giving an investment opportunity to the under-privileged in your community.

What’s important is that your business feels good to work in on the inside. When it feels good on the inside, it becomes attractive to others and these people then become your customers, your fans and your advocates and supporters.

I hope it’s reassuring to know this. I say this because you have chosen a path that only real heroes could walk. I mean, it’s a double-whammy – because you’ll only settle for business success if it comes with helping people or the environment or creating positive change in some way.

So there are two things for you – profit and making a difference.

Traditionally business has only focussed on profit, so you’re one of the first of a new wave of businesses. You’re a leader. And because you’re a leader, you’ll have the challenges leaders have, especially if you’re trying to do it all.

That’s why we have created business groups and Insiders Secrets, so you can have support from peers and from me.

I welcome you on this huge  journey of personal discovery and I’m pleased to let you know that support is available to you through CommunitySoul.

Neil Fellowes shows conscious entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and complementary therapists how to make a difference AND a profit. To find out more about Insiders Secrets, and how you can join our support group, visit our website at http://www.communitysoul.co.uk