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Debra Recommends Turning Passions Into Profits

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Debra Russell recommends, Christopher Howard, NLP, Hypnosis, success

Turning Passions Into Profits

– 3 Steps to Wealth & Power
by Christopher Howard

This is a book by my NLP and Hypnosis teacher.  What surprised me about this book was what it wasn’t.  It wasn’t another “follow your bliss” woo-woo book.  And it wasn’t a “Business” book.  It is a concrete instruction manual to use other people’s success as your model to create your own success.

Here’s what Amazon has to say:

Product Description

Turning Passions Into Profits provides specific techniques for rapidly closing the gap between where you are today and where you’d like to be tomorrow. In this book, Christopher Howard teaches powerful, innovative tools for modeling and replicating the ultimate success of some of the world’s greatest leaders and billionaires. With the ability to select and incorporate some of the traits, strategies, thought patterns, and behaviors of those already achieving results, individuals can plot a course and arrive at a chosen destination quicker than they ever thought possible. It provides concrete tools and strategies to fully understand the governing principles outstanding achievers use to realize their vision.
In addition, Turning Passions Into Profits supplies exercises to apply these communication and leadership tools to master these skills-ultimately gaining career, financial, and personal success.

From the Inside Flap

What invisible boundaries come between people and their dreams?

Isn’t the playing field the same for everyone?

How can ordinary people break away from the pack?

Why do some people enjoy phenomenal success in everything they do?

In Turning Passions into Profits, Chris Howard, a leading authority on personal influence and effectiveness, helps readers break through boundaries to achieve wealth and power. He gives eye-opening insight into the playing field and the rules of the game of life, and provides innovative techniques and concrete tools for expanding the playing field, rewriting the rules, and winning the game.

Each individual’s personal rule book is based on learned behavior and personal experiences that shape his or her perspectives. Turning Passions into Profits helps readers recognize and overcome their stifling, self-imposed rules and limitations and move toward a more fulfilling and rewarding future.

“Change your focus and take charge of your life” is Howard’s mantra. He provides actionable techniques to get readers on the fast track from today’s frustrating status quo to tomorrow’s infinite possibilities. This inspiring, empowering book includes thought-provoking exercises to complete and strategies to incorporate into every facet of life, including Creation Technologies, modeling, Strategic Visioning, building teams and rapport, and communicating with power. Readers learn about six hallmarks of powerful communications that influence people and special techniques to inspire confidence.

For years, Howard has studied the lives and characteristics of a diverse group of people, some from quite ordinary backgrounds, who became extraordinarily successful, including Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Oprah Winfrey, and Nelson Mandela. He zeroes in on common characteristics and shares his insight to help readers learn from and emulate the strategies of the masters.

Turning Passions into Profits is part practical, part philosophical, and all-powerful. It’s not a one-time read; it’s a lifetime reference for those who want to quickly close the gap between where they are and where they want to be.

Buy Turning Passions into Profits now

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3×5 Contact Management System

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Back in the good old days, before such things as computerized contact management systems, salesmen created a physical contact management system.  I learned this system many years ago, while working in the Network Marketing world.  For those of you who prefer the tactile sensation of a physical contact management system, but are finding that just having an address book or a notebook or a pile of papers isn’t working for you, try this:

Supplies (links go to the Amazon.com site for purchase):

  • Index Cards (3×5 or 4×6)
  • 2 Index card file boxes (also 3×5 or 4×6)
  • 3 sets of dividers (size appropriate to the cards you choose):

Set one box up with the numbers in front and the months in back appropriate to the current date.
e.g. – Today is May 8th.  You would have May, 8, 9, 10….31, June, 1-7, July, Aug…..
As each day passes, you put that number tab divider into the next month.

The second box is set up with the A-Z tabs.

For each contact, you make up 2 cards.  One card just has name, address, phone number, and basic information and that card is filed in the second box alphabetically. (For easy access by name).

The second card is an ongoing tracking of every interaction you have with that person.  So let’s say you meet someone at a networking meeting on 5/1.  You make your first call with them today 5/8 to gauge interest in your services.  They are going on vacation next week for 2 weeks.  They are interested but could you call them back after 5/21.

You make a note of all the pertinent details on the card under 5/8 (where are they going on vacation, any personal details they mention, the fact that they are interested, etc.).  You also make a note on the card “5/21 f/u call to pursue booking a gig (or whatever).”   Then you file that card behind the #21 divider.  If a contact says, call me back after the summer, you file their card behind the September tab.  Always noting what the next action is on the card.  Assume that you have no short term memory.  Write everything down.  Any information they give you about themselves, their circumstances, what they’re looking for, everything gets written down.

Each day you check that day’s divider and take any actions scheduled for that day.  Every contact should have a future action scheduled unless they have unequivocally said, “No thank you.”  Then you can decide to either toss the card (if they were a jerk about it), or clip it to their alphabetically filed 2nd card.  You never know when they may call you in the future or send you a referral.

In this way, nothing ever falls through the cracks.  Even if you only work your business 3 days a week, you just check the actions for the days preceding.  Any calls you didn’t get to today, immediately re-file under a future date.

This system can be modified for 3 ring binders or accordion files.  Whatever works for you.  What’s nice about the index card is that it is incredibly portable.  What’s challenging is the lack of space for copious notes.  You can also get creative using colors.  For example, venue owners could be one color, agents/managers another color, fellow artists yet a third color.  Whatever makes you happy, helps keep you organized and supports you in taking action!

Debra Recommends Daylite – More than CRM for Mac

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Debra Russell recommends, Marketing, time management, contact management, project management

So, first let me say – I am not a Mac user.  However, I have a lot of clients who are, and so I have been looking for a CRM solution for my Mac clients.  One of my clients brought me this product and he is thrilled with it.  So, I wanted to pass it on to you.

Here’s what Amazon says:

Product Description

Designed for the unique needs of Mac-based businesses of 1-50 people, Daylite3 is a new generation of productivity management software. Daylite 3’s time-saving features include shared calendars, seamless integration with Apple Mail, project and activity delegation, multiple pipeline views, a built-in report writer, sophisticated offline and sync capabilities, and a clean, easy-to-use interface. Daylite 3 is a milestone achievement for the Mac community, directly addressing the day-to-day productivity needs of Mac users. Daylite 3, with its many new features and upgraded Daylite Mail Integration (DMI) module, provides Mac users and Mac-based businesses with the tools they need for command-and-control business productivity.

What my client says is that, while there is a learning curve and it is significant.  This program solves so many time management and project management and contact management problems that it’s worth the learning curve.  From my viewpoint, I’ve seen him get much more productive and much calmer.  And isn’t that the point of productivity tools?

Buy Daylite Now

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Debra Recommends The One Page Business Plan

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Debra Russell recommends, business plan, vision, goals, purpose, mission, planning

for the Creative Entrepreneur

by James T. Horan, Jr.

I met Jim Horan when he came to speak to the Entrepreneur and Small Business Academy Meetup.  I very much enjoyed his whole approach to this most daunting of subjects. I often recommend this book to my clients.

The product description on Amazon.com was perfect for this book – where brevity is key:

“The Fastest, Easiest Way to Write a Business Plan”

Buy The One Page Business Plan now

Debra Recommends The One Minute Manager

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Debra Russell recommends, business skills, team management, delegateby Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

For more than twenty years, millions of managers in Fortune 500 companies and small businesses nationwide have followed The One Minute Manager’s techniques, thus increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity. These very real results were achieved through learning the management techniques that spell profitability for the organization and its employees.

The One Minute Manager is a concise, easily read story that reveals three very practical secrets: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands.

The book also presents several studies in medicine and the behavioral sciences that clearly explain why these apparently simple methods work so well with so many people. By the book’s end you will know how to apply them to your own situation and enjoy the benefits.

That’s why The One Minute Manager has continued to appear on business bestseller lists for more than two decades, and has become an international sensation.

Buy The One Minute Manager now

Multiple Streams of Income

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msociI’ve been following this model in building my business and it has made a tremendous impact on my income, on my success with my clients and on how much fun I have working!

While these products are primarily focused on Coaching or Service and Consulting businesses, I’ve very successfully coached my clients in the Arts and Entertainment Industry to apply these concepts to their businesses.

I’ve also been teaching this business model in several classes recorded for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy.  And I’ve delivered the Multiple Streams of Art / Music Income workshop in Industry Conferences across the country.

Buy Multiple Streams of Income now (click through to the “Store” for the book.

Debra Recommends The E-Myth Revisited

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Debra Russell recommends, business management, business success, systems

Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It

by Michael Gerber

The brilliance of Gerber’s approach to systematizing your business has made a significant difference in my success and the success of my clients.

Amazon says:

In this first new and totally revised edition of the over two million copy bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. Next, he walks you through the steps in the life of a business — from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed — and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether it is a franchise or not. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have read The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.

Buy the EMyth Revisited now

Debra Recommends Cashflow Quadrant

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Debra Russell recommends, business success, financial freedom, Rich Dad

Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom

by Robert Kiyosaki

This brilliant look at the four kinds of business people had a significant impact in how I think about myself and my business as well as what I teach in Business Management for the Creative Mind

The Cashflow Quadrant is the follow-up guide to finding the financial fast track that best works for you. It reveals the strategies necessary for moving beyond just job security to greater financial security by generating wealth from four selective financial quadrants.

Buy this book now

Debra Recommends Book Yourself Solid

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Debra Russell recommends, business success, niche marketing, multiple streams of incomeSuccess in Your Service Business

by Michael Port

I use many of Michael’s stratagies in my own coaching business.

Amazon’s review:

A complete instructional guide for starting and growing a successful service business.  It gives you simple, yet effective techniques for creating relentless demand and endless leads.  It includes more than 200 proven marketing strategies for attracting new clients, earning more referrals, and building profitable, long-lasting professional relationships.  If you want to take your service business to the next level, start here and Book Yourself Solid.

Buy Book Yourself Solid now

Debra Recommends All You Need To Know About the Music Business

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Debra Russell recommends music business, Entertainment industry, royalties, licensingby Donald S. Passman

An entertainment lawyer whose clients include many from the top of the music charts, Passman has written a book that sets out to give musicians, performers, and songwriters the tools to hire advisers, market their careers, protect their creative works, and generally cope with a complex industry in a state of flux.  Passman explains boilerplate language, the complexities of royalties and advances, and label and distribution deals; a section on record deals begins with an overview of the business and works through all the steps.  The “Adventures in Cyberspace” chapter is a helpful summary of the way CD-ROMs and the Internet are affecting the business.  Included here is information on recent legislation and a look at how digitizing music delivery will continue to change things.  Packed with illustrations, sample calculations, and definitions, All You Need To Know is humorous and accessible enough for those who just want to understand the business while being detailed and documented enough for those who make a living from it.

Buy this book now