GET OUT!

The Power of the exit strategy

What a year I have had so far, not only has my book “Live a Better Life – Earn Passive Income Online” gone through its final editing stages and been launched, but I released a brand new bridal issue for my magazine (I’m the founding editor of Sew You! Magazine) and I launched a second book for the year, compiled from the first year’s worth of magazine issues. All of this was done by the 16^th of January 2019.

Honestly, I’m already looking forward to a good holiday, however there’s so much left to do, all of it through my own business, so honestly I can only blame myself for giving myself such a busy schedule – luckily I’m one of these people who can’t sit still for too long.

During all of this I have also been busy reading a brand new book, “Always Looking Up” by Michael J. Fox. I have been so enamored by it, that I find myself reading away any spare moment I have. Although I will go into the book much more fully when I write the book review on it (which I assure you will be soon), I just really felt the need to share this with you.

The book is about Michael J. Fox’s experiences as he goes through setting up his foundation to raise funds to discover a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. His approach right from the beginning is to create a foundation that quite simply won’t last, it will reach its goal, and that would be the end of it.

I’m reminded vaguely of studying business, and how we were taught to approach business with an exit strategy already in place. Before you start a business, know how you are going to get out. Why would you start a business, with the end in mind?

Well firstly, if you want to grow a huge and successful company, according to researchers most companies tend to outgrow their founding entrepreneurs, this is mostly because if the company is to have a long life span, it’s “mindset” and functions would eventually have to change from the small, higher risk growth rate that most entrepreneurs approach business with. So what this means, in rough terms, is that you need to be ready to leave your company, before it gets ready to “boot you out” in a manner of speaking.

Even as an investor in company shares, I hold my shares for the long haul but sell them after five to seven years. Every investment has an exit strategy.

To put it simply, over time everything changes, and quite often we have absolutely no control over that change. When that change happens are you going to find that you have stagnated and been too unwilling to budge?

Be willing, and have a plan to get out. Even if you just become a silent shareholder and board member in your own business. Personally, my magazine and brand is my baby. I have put not just time and financial investment into it, but huge, and I mean HUGE emotional investment. I am incredibly attached to it, which is why I have given myself two exit strategies. Either I build the company and let the next younger generation continue with it, while I hang out on an exotic island, quietly collecting profits, or I out right sell it in all its entirety. Either way what I have spent so many years growing and nurturing will have a way to move forward and become even bigger and better. I’m allowing what I have built to become a legacy in its own right.

It’s also a system that allows me to move on to do other things, I want to fill my life with as many experiences as possible, and do as many things as is possible, which means I have to admit that my business and I will grow apart… and nobody wants to be stuck in a stale relationship of any kind.

That and, quite honestly, one day I want to have to do absolutely no work for active income, I want to take a break, and yes, an early retirement too.

Ask yourself honestly, with everything that you have going on right now in your life, whether you are working for someone else, or you are running your own business. What is your exist strategy? Over time you will grow and evolve, will you allow yourself the possibility and ability to move onto something else? It may possibly something even greater than what you are doing now.

What I Learned from the Great Kitten Rescue by Kim Vermaak

This weekend our 8 week old kitten, Tigger climbed to the top of a massive tree in our garden could not get out. Colin (my husband) had to conduct the great kitten rescue and his journey to get to the kitten made me think if there were any lessons to be learned.

  

Lesson Number 1: You have to try

  

Everyone needs to learn by trial and error. Climbing the tree was not the "real" problem for the kitten, as cats are designed to climb, just as we as human beings are designed to create, and climb to new heights.

  

The problem was the kitten was inexperienced and when it got very high, it got a bit terrified and did not know what to do next. Sometimes when we are reaching for our dreams, we also get afraid and don't know what to do next.

  

Lesson 2: Know when to call for help.

  

Both the kitten and my children knew that they could not do this alone, so they called for help. Sometimes you face a real challenge and you need to have a team to call on, to navigate your current obstacles or problem.

If you allow yourself to get stuck in the circumstances, you will not progress. Sometimes you need a little help. That help, may be to realign your vision. It may be needing a referral or some sort of resource.

Needing help does not make you a loser, it makes you a team player.

  

Lesson 3: Ask the right person for help. 

When you call for help, choose the right person for the job. No one in the rescue told the kitten not to climb trees. They were born to be climbers.

In your life don't call for the person who is going to tell you not to climb the tree. So many of us try something and when it does not work at first, we go to lament our problems with family or friends who have never gone through what we have gone through or who have quit on their dreams.

Go to someone who has tried what you want to do and found a way to win and who can be an encouragement to you when you are pushing for your goal.

Lesson 4: Clear away the debris that is blocking your way.

When Colin climbed the tree, he found lots of loose dead branches that were stopping him from getting closer to the kitten. He had to put on some protective gloves to clear the debris. He needed a solid footing to get the kitten. Most of the branches were strong enough to take his 6.3ft frame, but the loose branches that were in the way would have caused him to slip and render him and the kitten incapable of coming down.

Evaluate you circumstances and see if there are any situations or people that are holding you back from achieving your goal and begin to clear away the debris. Anything that clouds your vision needs to be moved away. Maybe your debris is that you may need to get rid of some debts that are affecting your ability to get funding or maybe it is a old way of thinking. Maybe it is a friendship that is not letting you grow

Lesson 5: Listen the correct voices.

We were all calling to the kitten to come down, assuming that just by calling and encouraging, we could coax the kitten down. But only Colin was high enough to see what holding the kitten back. He had already climbed up to a point to add real value to the situation.

This does not mean that you need to abandon all your relationships, rather sift through your friendships and family and put them in the correct place. Your family members that have not journeyed where you are heading, have a place in your life, but they cannot be your coach.

Lesson 6: Have the courage to start again.

The best lessons are those learned through pain. Pain is there to teach us a better way of doing things, not to immobilize us. You do not need to be prefect in your journey. You just need to be willing to learn and apply what you have learned. When you were a baby, you did not stop learning to walk when you fell down, you simply got up and tried again and again.

Lesson 7: Be an encouragement to others.

When the kitten knew that help was on its way, he actually had the courage to come the last bit of the way himself and Colin did not actually have to climb all the way up to the very top. We all cheered when the kitten came down. Even if you are going through a challenge yourself, be encouraging to others. You will never know whether that final cheering on, could be the very thing that catapults them into success.

So now that you have learned some lessons from the Great Kitten Rescue, share this article and Be more, Do more, Have more.

The Inspired Action Challenge

At the beginning of the month I proof read the author copy of my third published book. I then created and launched the next issue of my magazine, Sew You! Magazine (www.SewYouMagazine.com). I am now busy compiling and editing a second book which will be launched in the next two weeks or so, and it’s only the 16^th of January.

This tells me two things, first of all that 2019 is going to be an amazing year, and second of all that I may be a little crazy. In fact I have two more books in the pipeline after these two, plus a number of other projects that keep me rather busy.

What do all of these projects have in common? They were each once an inspired idea. But they didn’t just stay as ideas, I jumped into action to make it possible.

Last year when I was inspired to launch my magazine, I didn’t look at all the work that was involved (of which I can assure you there is A LOT that goes into each issue), instead I said to myself “Let’s do it!” and I jumped right in and compiled my first issue, launching it in April. A couple months later I was inspired to write my book… and I just started to do it.

So many people have ideas of the things they would love to do one day, and the things that they would like to achieve… one day. Sadly for most people that one day never ever comes, and many great books, movies, businesses, etc are never born.

Too often we let our excuses stop us from achieving what we truly want to in life. I’m that annoying person that just does something when I’m inspired to, and I have a very low tolerance for excuses. So often when I am working with a client, and they speak about all the things they want to achieve, which usually sounds pretty fantastic, I then ask them why they aren’t doing it. Almost always they pause briefly, and then they start rattling off all the excuses as to why they can’t do it.

Failure and regret happens when you let your goals and dreams get stuck somewhere in the “filter of a million excuses”

Sadly more people have excuses as to why they shouldn’t achieve their goals, and that’s what they focus on, instead of the reasons why they should be achieving their goals.

In my honest opinion, if you really and truly want to achieve something, you would find a way to make it happen. There is no excuse whatsoever.

My computer died, its motherboard was apparently fried. I launched my first magazine issue on a borrowed computer, with the smallest amount of RAM in the world. The hair pulling incredibly slow process of trying to work on a large graphics file on a computer that was built to handle documents and emails and not much more… well that did not deter me. I still went on to launch 4 more magazine issues, plus started writing 3 books on that PC, even after the buttons for the number “8” and the letter “I” stopped working.

I don’t believe in excuses, yes I absolutely have challenges I need to overcome for most of the big inspired ideas I have, but I seldom let anything actually stop me from accomplishing something.

So here is my challenge to you, and I want you to take it incredibly seriously. I want you to think about something big that you want to achieve, and I want you to write it down. I then want you to write down how you think you can achieve that goal, and what you need to achieve it.

Then I want you to actually work out a day to day plan that will get you to achieve your goal. An actual plan that you can work on every, single day. Then finally, get started, just get started, that is the biggest step you can take in achieving any goal.

If you have excuses that come up as to why you can’t achieve your goal, then this is what I want you to do. On a piece of paper, at the top write “My Challenges”, then draw a line down the center of the page. On the left hand side of the line I want you to write down what your excuses are, except from now on you are going to be calling them challenges because that’s what they are, they are the hurdles you have to overcome to achieve your goals.

Then on the right hand side of the page, I want you to write what you need to do to overcome each challenge. So now you know what you need to do to overcome your challenges, and come up with a few different ways, you be surprised by how creative you can be when it comes to problem solving. This will help you to rise above anything that comes in your way, and for you to achieve bigger and better things.

I would love to hear how this simple exercise works for you, please feel free to share your progress and successes with me on my Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/lifecoachingTHELIFE 

My top 5 reads from 2018

A new year has begun, and yes, I've already started to collect my brand new stash of books to read this year.

I love books on business and personal growth, with the occasional biography or fictional novel thrown in. In fact one of my favourite ways of growing myself and broadening my mind and my horizons, is through reading.

There's a reason why hugely successful people are known to read a LARGE stack of books every year... reading keeps us young, updates your knowledge, and is a great way to keep you motivated, especially if you are an entrepreneur or business person.

There's nothing quite like a brilliant book packed full of new concepts and ideas to get me excited about growing and expanding my business and brand. Here's my top 5 favourite books that I read during 2018.

#1 - Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

I re-read this book for the umpteenth time in 2018, and to be honest, I'm still quite amazed by how much I learn and re-learn every time I read this book. I don't think any business person, or serious entrepreneur's book collection is complete without this book.

click on the image to get your copy now

#2 The Breakthrough Company by Keith R. McFarland

If you are serious about growing and creating an extraordinary company that achieves phenomenal heights, then I HIGHLY recommend this book. If all you want is a really great company, with a really strong foundation of core values, then I recommend this book even more so. In fact, if you own a business, or are even thinking of starting one, then I recommend this book. It is a MUST read for all entrepreneurs. 

click on the image to get your copy now

#3 The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

This is a work of fiction, however, while reading it my mind was completely blown away. The ideas and ideals and even the psychology that James Redfield writes about gives you incredible food for thought, and may even change the way you view the world... just a little, or maybe a lot.

Even if you read it only for the the suspense filled action adventure, I highly recommend that you read it.

click on the image to get your copy now

#4 Live a Better Life by Nathalie Marran

I know this is my own book, but even I have to admit that I have a wealth of knowledge to share on how to start earning passive income online. I read this book a number of times during the editing process, and every time I read and re-read it, I realized just how much I know, that others can use to really make changes in their lives, and to start earning passive income online. 

If you really want to start investing in yourself, and earning a passive income from online sources, I HIGHLY recommend using this book as a starting point to get you there.

click on the image to get your copy now

#5 Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

If you truly want to understand how millionaires think, and what sets them on the path to huge successes while you remain where you are... and if you truly, truly want to change then READ THIS BOOK!

I bought and read this book immediately after attending an online Masterclass hosted by T. Harv Eker. After listening to him speak, I just knew that I had to get to know more of what he knows. What an amazing and down to earth man. 

If you truly want to be wealthy, then read this book. Or even better yet, get the audio version and listen to it as many times as you possibly can.

click on the image to get your audio copy now

Are you Quitting Too Soon? by Kim Vermaak

Do you have goals that you give upon before you have had any success?

  

What are you teaching your brain about winning?

  

What are you teaching your children about reaching for their dreams?

  

All people start out on a new venture knowing nothing, but only those who do not quit along the way will be the one who gets to celebrate their wins.

  

A few years ago, while in primary school my daughter was failing terribly in maths and the teacher had just about written her off. I am no maths teacher at all, in fact, I get extremely impatient trying to teach people in my area of weakness.  I can patiently teach in my area of strength. But ask me to teach in an area of weakness and I come unstuck. I realized quickly that I could probably scar her for life if I was going to be the person solely responsible for helping her with maths. I had to get a team, to get me through this.

  

It was then that I started looking for options for help.  I sent her to a Kumon branch near us.  When the owner sat with me, she explained that this process was going to be a family process and not just the child. They could teach her the principals, but I was the person who would need to ensure that she did the work and I was the person that was going to mark the work and I was the person that was going to have to deal with her temper tantrums, when she did not want to do the work.

I learned a lot from this process.

  

Lesson 1: The average person just quits too soon.

  

I have a lovely child, who actually adds value to my life. But when it came time to do Kumon, she was like a monster. The instructor was not joking when she said there were be temper tantrums.  It was World War 3 in the home. Every day was a fight. She wanted to quit. She hated the process and I hated it as well. This is because we both had no clue what we were doing.  It just seemed too hard, too emotionally draining. I wanted to quit. But quitting would have made all that fighting, all that pain is in vain.

  

Lesson 2: Don't cheat yourself.

The instructor had told me, that most kids try to cheat.  The hide some of the books. They pull some of the pages out and re-staple, them to appear that they are smaller.  I could not believe that my child would do that. But I found so many hidden Kumon books in the house.

  

You do not need to be a child to cheat yourself.  It could be that diet that you quit on too early. It could be that business that you want to do.

It could be an improved marriage.  Don't cheat yourself you of Victory.

  

Lesson 3: Get into a routine as quickly as possible. 

We decided to start out the day with the Kumon exercises. My daughter has never been an early riser. But the instructor suggested that starting the day with the Kumon exercises, while her brain was rested and fresh was the best way to get going.  When kids come home after school, they are tired and lack the motivation.  So we started out each morning. This meant that by the time she got to school, her brain was more active than other children and she started to doing better in other areas.  But having a routine, we did not have to find the motivation, it was simply a habit that we formed.

  

Lesson 4: Take care of your body 

Each morning I would give her water to hydrate her brain and prepare a protein based meal, like a fried egg on toast, to fuel her up for the exercises for the day.  The brain takes a lot of energy and if you are not fueling yourself correctly in the morning, you are not equipping yourself for success.  Low blood sugar can make you grumpy and more likely to squabble to cause problems in your relationships. Set yourself for success by taking care of your body.

  

Lesson 5: Correct immediately

  

Each day after the exercises, I would have to mark the work. The instructor had taught us to correct immediately.  This meant redoing the sums straight after they were marked. It meant that she was able to identify the mistake that she made, do the corrections an learn the correct was, instead of fixing the incorrect way in her brain.  This is one of the reasons that in the military teams debrief after every maneuver.  Because mistakes in the military could be fatal.  So in our lives, we need to debrief and see what we learned and how we can correct immediately. 

Lesson 6: Get an accountability partner

  

The instructor at the center, was able to map and measure our progress. She was not only there to teach my daughter, but to be a sounding board, when I was taking the strain. She provided guidance for pit falls and celebrated with us when we had a win.  I was so grateful for having her, as she had walked this journey with many families and really helped us through the tough times. She kept on making us revisit our vision and helped to keep us on track.

  

Lesson 7: Take Time to enjoy life

  

When we started, I wondered how we would fit in these daily exercises.  I thought that if we removed either ballet or horse-riding that there would be more time.  The instructor was very strict about not removing anything that my daughter loved make space for the Kumon.  She said that if I removed the things that she loved, then she would have no motivation to continue.  As humans, we need to have joy and find ways to enjoy life or what is the point of having success.

  

Lesson 8: Be realistic in your expectations.

  

In the first few weeks, when we were still trying to establish a routine, there were no real results, just battles. At some point, I can not tell you when we got into the rhythm and she started to build confidence.

During the holidays, the instructor encouraged us to keep going.  The kids only get Christmas and other significant holidays off. While working through the holidays was painful for us, when she got back at the beginning of the term, her speed at doing her sums had vastly improved.

  

Lesson 9: Celebrate Your Wins

  

At the start of the program, she was the slowest child when completing her work. The teacher had even tried to tell me that she was dyslexic and had to go onto Ritalin, which is a drug used to help children to concentrate.

I call it the "cop-out drug for teachers". We did not buy into dyslexia or Ritalin options, we believed that in her, she had the ability to learn coping skills to overcome this challenge and wanted her to exercise her problem-solving muscles.

  

The result was when she returned to school, she was the second fastest child in completing her work.  At the end of the year, she got the Most Improved Mathematics Student Award.

  

The journey was long, but we stuck it out and by celebrating the win, we learned that this system could be applied to other areas in our lives.

  

So before you think of quitting, ask yourself if you have adequately set up structures for your success and push forward to achieving your goals.