Welcome back to the three-part series on mining and maximizing a success mindset. I believe this is what makes – and breaks – solopreneur success.

The other two parts are:

• Part 1 (Feb. 2, 2012)
• Part 2 (Feb. 9, 2012)

Here are three more of my favourite solopreneur mindset must haves… make sure you read right to the end. I saved the best for the last.

#1: Set your business up right, right from the start.

Make sure your business is set up as well as you possibly can, no matter what stage your business is at. If you’re just starting out, good for you! The field is wide open to invest your money and time in the places that make the biggest difference. This is also the point when the multitude of actions required to run your business probably seem overwhelming.

Earlier this week I took a workshop that taught me to focus my time doing the tasks that I’m best suited do to, the ones where I use my unique ability. As part of the prep work, I brainstormed all the tasks required to operate my solo business, both those I do them myself and those I hire someone else to do for me. I came up with 60 tasks!

If I had seen that list when I first started my business, I probably would have been completely overwhelmed. Back in those days, I tried my best to do the right things first, second, third, etc. Unfortunately, though, I did a few things too early and those mistakes cost me time and money. As I think back, I’d have loved to have known what to do first and what not to worry about until my business was further along.

For example, I spent money on graphic design too early in my business. I hired a designer to do some images before I had my “big why” sorted out. I had good intentions but simply wasn’t focused on the biggest return opportunities at the right time. And, it cost me. That’s why one of the first things I help my clients do is figure out their own “big why”… why they’re in business in the first place. Once you’ve have that, you’re golden!

To see the “must haves” that need to be in place to have a successful business, you’ve got to go up to 30,000 feet to look at the big picture. It’s all about focusing your energy on what’s most important at the right time.

#2: Slide into the driver’s seat of your business.

It’s super easy to become a slave to your business, to let your business overtake you. Pretty soon you’re thinking about your business 24/7 and trying to do everything by yourself. It happens before you know it.

You’re emotionally invested in your business. It’s kind of like having a child. If you started your business yourself – which most solopreneurs do – you want to see it grow up and be successful. Just like having a child, sometimes you may be too “involved” in the business’s life and before you know it, it’s running you. That can happen with kids too – they can wrap us around their little fingers. My four-year-old often seems to have the magic touch with that skill! LOL.

Here’s where I’m going with this. You’re the CEO of your company, you’re in charge and calling the shots. You get to decide your own boundaries, like when you work, where you work, who you work with, and the rates you charge. By setting – and honouring – boundaries, your clients will respect you and will be more likely to work with you because you’re clear about how you work. You’ll be a role model.

Having this mindset isn’t as easy as it sounds. Yet, ironically it’s quite simple. Being the boss of your business is simply a decision. It’s about making a conscious choice and about deciding how you want things to be so you can deliver the best possible service to your clients.

#3: It’s about progress, not perfection.

It took me a while to figure this one out. I believe this is the most fundamental, most important factor to having a solopreneur success mindset. This one thing separates women who experience success and happiness in all areas of their lives and those who experience guilt and failing to achieve perfection.

I learned this concept from Dan Sullivan from Strategic Coach. He teaches entrepreneurs like Fabienne Fredrickson and Joe Polish, and they’re mighty successful.

Here’s the crux of how it works. Dan says all people set “ideals” for themselves. An ideal is a picture you create for the future that helps you move forward. It inspires your establish goals and motivates you. Dan says ideals are “mental constructs” — a tool of your brain to come to grips with the fture. The ideal doesn’t actually exist, at least outside of your mind.

Then, there are the “actuals” or the actual achievements in your business and life.

Successful solopreneurs measure current achievements against past achievements, NOT against ideals. They simply measure one experience against another. These business owners lead lives of continual progress, success and happiness.

On the other hand, if a business owner measures her achievements against their ideals, she can never be successful because her ideals are mental constructs and not achieveable. She feel she’s missing the mark and constantly coming up short. She’ll feel disappointment, failure and potentially depression.

A business owner who measures achievements against past achievements more likely has a sense of success. She’s confident, more joyful and optimistic because the future has always turned out to be better than the past.

So what can you do to avoid this trap? Here are three tips:

1. Get clarity on lifetime ideals that are bigger than you. Take a whole day to write your lifetime ideals, which Dan suggests should fit on one sheet of paper. Make sure your goals are about improving the world. Ask yourself this question, “In what ways do I want the world to be a better place for my having been there?”

2. Consciously and specifically set your goals. Write down your goals and give yourself deadlines. Make sure they’re specific and measureable. Review your progress daily so you can see it. If there’s a way to track your progress, even better.

3. Continually celebrate your progress. The importance of this can’t be underestimated, especially for high-achieving, success-driven women in business. Here are a few ways to do just that…

• Get a beautiful journal and write your achievements each day. Then, when you have a bad day (and you will) go back and read your entries so you can remind yourself you’re making great progress.
• Consciously make a choice to take an afternoon off and treat yourself to a massage.
• Buy your favourite pair of Lululemon pants. (If you wear them as much as I do, you may want your favourite ones in a bunch of colours.)
• Have a long bubble bath with your favourite candles and relaxing music.
• Share your achievements with a colleague and ask her to share her successes.

Celebration is about showing gratitude. Gratitude is about abundance.  Abundance is a way to supercharge your solopreneur mindset.

Got your own tips to supercharge the solopreneur’s mindset? Please share a comment below and share the deep well of wisdom inside of you.

P.S. My 8-week Survive to Thrive Solopreneur Bootcamp is nearly here! Register for the program here: http://nadinenicholson.com/stsb-pilot.

P.P.S. If you’re not sure and want more details to see if it’s right for you, I’m hosting a webinar to answer all your questions on Wednesday, February 22 at 1 pm Mountain. 

Register for the call here: http://www.nadinenicholson.com/stsb-preview.   

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