optYOUmize

As entrepreneurs and business owners, we are all leaders. Whether we lead people or just visions and strategies, we are responsible for making it happen. Because we are so passionate, sometimes we assume that that alone is enough to make it work. These 4 leadership rules will help you start and keep growing.

The speed of the world and business increasing, and it's easy to get overloaded with ideas, content, and new technologies. That can make it difficult to know what strategies and tactics to use and which trends to focus on and which to ignore.

But if we think of business in its simplest form, we can cut through the noise and clarify what we need to do to make sure we thrive.

What does soccer or sports have to do with business? The World Cup is a huge stage with a lot of exciting games, unexpected results, and lessons we can apply in our businesses. Here are 3 that when you apply to yourself as an entrepreneur and to your business, they will set you up for success.

We can't control who are parents are or the situation we're born into. But that has a major impact on how easy or hard our roads in life and careers are. But here's the thing...

we all get a certain amount of time to do what we will with our lives. So it doesn't matter where we come from, all that matters is what we do. What will YOU do?

We all need to promote our products and services. We could just spend more on advertising, but it's smarter and more profitable to find ways to grow your promotion without that.

Here are 7 ways to promote your product or service for free.

Our marketing emails may never see the inbox of our subscribers, even if we're doing everything right. And because we can send emails daily, if we can double our clicks, we can double our sales and income not just one time but every single day.

So getting marketing emails inboxed should be a top priority because it has a major impact on our income. Here are 5 tweaks to make sure your emails get seen by your subscribers.

Email marketing can be among the most profitable digital marketing methods you can use. But if you don't do it right, your messages can get trapped in SPAM, or worse your entire account can get shut down.

My own email has been a consistent, reliable source of affiliate income for years until recently when it got shut down suddenly. I struggled to get it back up and running, and I was able to eventually optimize it to get better results than I had before.

Here's how to maximize your opens and clicks, and at the same time protect your accounts to make sure you can keep sending without issues.

Outsourcing is the fastest way to grow and scale a business IF it's done right. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes and then give up thinking it won't work for them.

Here's a simple 5-step process for how to do outsourcing the right way.

Affiliate marketing as a promotion method for your products and services has a lot of benefits. You have no upfront promotion costs, loyal affiliates will promote every product or service you offer, and you can tap into networks of affiliates that are already in place and waiting for you.

But affiliate marketing has its drawbacks too. It takes time to develop relationships, only products and services with certain characteristics are suited for it, and the potential for scaling sales is limited.

So is it right for your business?

Whatever business we have or industry we're in, the one thing we can be sure of is we will experience gut-wrenching problems from time to time.

It's normal to feel anxiety, fear, and panic, but it's important to have a strategy to get past that and overcome the issue.

I had an unexpected, major problem in my business, and it led me to create a 5-step approach that will help solve any challenge.

Recurring revenue is like the goose that lays golden eggs, because sales flow in every month without extra promotion. But how do we set it up and how do we keep customers paying month after month?

Here are 4 ways to add recurring revenue to your business, regardless of your product, service, or industry.

When we think about growing sales, we usually think about more advertising and promotion to get more prospects and customers.

But there are ways to generate more revenue without spending more, with just a few simple tweaks to your sales process. These can be adapted to online or offline sales. Any one method can help, but the combined effect is exponential.

Life, art, and business are always intersecting at strange and random moments and places. Recently I was reminded of a movie I saw years ago and I remembered a quote from it that always stuck with me.

In the movie, it had nothing to do with business or entrepreneurship, but reflecting about it now I think it sums up being an entrepreneur perfectly.

As business owners, we're always pressed to get things done quickly, but we need high quality also to win in a competitive marketplace.

So what do we do?

The business world today is moving faster than ever, and it's constantly evolving. So what worked yesterday may not work today, and what works today may not work tomorrow.

There is clear evidence of this in the recent explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) alone, with its potential to wipe out entire careers.

So what do we do?

The answer is to build a personal brand. When you have a following, those people care about your message and will make the jump to a different platform or technology or medium so it's transferrable and enduring.

Here's how to do it:

1. decide who your people are

2. decide what your message is and what value you can provide

3. engage with your audience in whatever way works for you continuously and consistently

When we think of entrepreneurs, we think about visionaries and people who have done things that change they way we live.

But not every entrepreneur and business owner sets out to change the world. Some just want to do what they love and make a difference to their customers.

Embrace it, do what you love, and do it to the best of your ability.

OK I admit it. My web browsers are overstuffed with too many open tabs. Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, Edge, whatever.

No matter how hard I try to keep my Internet browser organized with just a few open tabs, I always find too many sites or webpages I want to revisit.

Then my browser would get cluttered, run too slowly, and start crashing. Finally, I found a solution. This is so clever and cool I had to share it with you. Now it's easy to stay fully organized and still keep all the tabs you want thanks to this awesome tool.

We all have goals and things we want out of life, yet some people are more successful in making them a reality.

The simple 3-step success hacking formula is the easiest and most direct path from where you are to where you want to be, and it's proof that this is the greatest time in history to achieve anything,

There are a lot of important traits to be a successful entrepreneur, but three stand out as predictors of success in digital marketing.

When you have these traits, you're set up to successfully navigate the constant change in the industry. Without them, regardless of your current situation, you will struggle to maintain success.

Sometimes the lessons we learn come from the strangest people and places. One of the most powerful traits we can develop as entrepreneurs is looking at everything from a perspective of understanding. It helps us grow both personally and professionally, and at times can be profound.

Steve Jobs, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history, said a simple 3-letter word was the start of his amazing success. Many people never think about it, and even fewer ever do it yet its power can be transformative in both your business and your life.

Do you suffer from task creep? You know...tasks on your to-do lists you never get to that keep getting pushed forward and never done?

I'm guilty of it. And no matter how many organizer or task management tools I've tried to use, the same thing happens every time. I spend time getting it setup, I mean to stick to it (I really do!), but somehow tasks keep getting pushed forward.

I've discovered a simple tweak that once you use it you'll not only get more done and feel more balanced in your life, but you'll also stop feeling overwhelmed. It's been transformative for me, and I know it will be for you too.

Artificial intelligence has exploded and there are so many platforms and tools all claiming they will change the world. But what is the reality of what AI can actually do for your business? Is it a threat that can doom you to failure, or an opportunity to take your success to new heights?

Many people look to digital marketing as a way to start a business or break free from a job.  But the problem is, there is no paycheck or set monthly income.  So how do you make enough consistently that you can count on it and use it as your primary income?

Ever have days where you just don't feel motivated or productive?  If you find it hard to gear up or struggle to keep a positive mindset, do this 5-minute mental exercise.  It will transform you.

The very tools designed to help us and make us more connected and informed can also brainwash us so we forget to think for ourselves

We might be years past school, but valuable lessons can be learned in many places and my son's kindergarten class was a perfect example.

I learned an important leadership lesson at a former job and it's both a roadmap to build a world-class team and a warning about what can happen with poor leadership. 

Videos give you a connection with your audience and market unlike any other media.

Why most digital marketers fail and how you can avoid the 3 fatal mistakes

Your computer.  Mobile phone.  Websites.  Servers.  No matter what business you're in or how much you use technology, if you aren't prepared you could be headed for disaster.

When you have questions or want to bounce an idea around, who do you reach out to?  Here's how to avoid making the big mistake many entrepreneurs do.

Ever have a moment when you question whether you can really be a successful entrepreneur?  We all have self-doubts.  It's not about running from them, but rather do these 3 things to overcome them.

I used to work more than anyone I knew and I took pride in that.  I didn't sleep much and thought that would make me successful.  Then tragedy struck and it changed everything.  Don't make the same mistake I did.

For years I focused on trying to create opportunities for my kids I never had.  Then a 15-minute meeting with my college professor changed my mind.

Want to get more done and build your business faster?  Or maybe you just feel overwhelmed by a bunch of stuff you don't want to do.  Either way, here's how to solve your problem...

Most of us have a limited amount of money we can spend on whatever we want.  So is it best to spend it on things which last a long time or experiences that are over quickly.  Here's my take...

It may seem strange, but after undergoing shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff, labrum, and subscapularis, I actually came out with some cool connections and lessons for business

It can be a struggle to find enough time to build your business and have a personal life.  Whether it's your own internal compass or people in your life making you feel guilty, here's how to fix that.

Is gratitude just some fluffy feelings or can it make an actual impact in our businesses and lives?

If two entrepreneurs both build successful businesses but one started poor and the other wealthy, is one more successful than the other?

These 6 questions will help you identify, attract, and retain top talent so you can build a world-class team:

Among our stronger employees, how many see themselves at the company in three years? How many would leave for a 10 percent raise from another company? -Jonathan Rosenberg

Do we have the right people on the bus? -Jim Collins

Do we aggressively reward and promote the people who have the biggest impact on creating excellent products? -Jonathan Rosenberg

Are you satisfied with your current role?  If not, what is missing from it? -Charles Handy

What happens at this company when people fail? -Bob Sutton

Do your employees have the opportunity to do what they do best everyday? -Marcus Buckingham

These 5 questions will help you hone and improve your skill in hiring and outsourcing--among the most important skills of all for entrepreneurs and business owners...

What did we miss in the interview for the worst hire we ever made? -Alberto Perlman

What are the personality or non-skills-based traits we want in team members?

What are the traits that make our best team member our best team member?

What are the actual deliverable results we want this new hire to achieve in 1st week?  30 days?  90 days?

Am I willing to make helping our new hire be successful my #1 priority in their 1st week?

Asking yourself these 6 questions will make you a better leader and better entrepreneur:

What is it like to work for me? -Robert Sutton

What prevents me from making the changes I know will make me a more effective leader? -Marshall Goldsmith

What are the implications of this decision 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now? -Suzy Welch

If no one would ever find out about my accomplishments, how would I lead differently? -Adam Grant

Am I failing differently each time? -David Kelley

How is the way you as the leader think and process information affecting your organizational culture?  -Ari Weinzweig

These 6 questions will help you get your business a competitive advantage and keep that advantage for long-term success:

How can we become the company that would put us out of business? -Danny Meyer

What counts that we are not counting? -Chip Conley

Are we changing as fast as the world around us? -Gary Hamel

What do we need to start doing? -Jack Bergstrand

What should we stop doing? -Peter Drucker

If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? -Andy Grove

Here are 5 questions that will give you amazing clarity and a competitive advantage.  

How likely is it that a customer would recommend our company to a friend or colleague? -Andrew Taylor

What one word do we want to own in the minds of our customers, employees, and partners? -Matthew May

What do we stand for--and what are we against? -Scott Goodson

Why don’t our customers like us? -James Champy

If our customer were my grandmother, would I tell her to buy what we’re selling? -Dan Pink

Whether you're into fitness and exercise or not, physical activity can have an impact on our effectiveness as entrepreneurs.  My personal experience shows you what's possible.

How do you get the financing to create a world class product?  You can try loans, venture capital, angel investors, crowdfunding, or raising money through family and friends but each has problems.  There is a better way and it won't cost a huge ownership share of your business.

The closest way to guarantee success in marketing actually has nothing to do with copywriting, creatives, ads, videos, or platforms.  It all comes down to this one fundamental truth.

Working long hours is a trademark of entrepreneurs.  For some, it's even something to brag about like a medal of honor.  But in reality, it may not only be less productive but also dangerous.  Working LESS can actually do more.