Family Wealth Planning

Feeling Overwhelmed with the Choices?

If you are anything like me, you often feel overwhelmed by all of the choices you have to make in order to run your practice.

You're bombarded with so many options and opportunities - What practice niche to focus on?  Who should your target market be?

What marketing strategy?  Which marketing consultant?  Which software program?  What document system?  Paperless or not?  Maintenance program or not?  Funding or not?

Employees or not?  Which programs should you take?  What areas should you focus on? Which practice model?  Which vendors?

So, how does the smart business owner make the best decisions?

#1:  Determine your goals and make sure they are really your goals.

Block time off on your calendar right now to contemplate what's really important to you.  And, make sure that your goals are your own.  If you are a mom with young children, your goals are going to be different than the goals of a 55 year old with an empty nest whose goals are going to differ from a 72 year old with a long practice behind him.  Consider what's really important to you - not the people around you.

#2:  Consider each option and opportunity within the context of your goals.

Look at each opportunity that is presented to you and really consider whether it will further your goals or whether it will take time away from your goals.  As you can see, if you haven't spent time really identifying what's important to you, making a decision can be mighty difficult.

#3:  Find a teacher you really respect and learn from them.

Once you've identified what's important to you, look around and identify people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish and then find every opportunity you can to learn from them.  Learning from other people's experiences is one of the best ways I know to save hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Of course, you want to make sure you are learning from people who have actually done what you want to do or been where you are.

I've made the mistake in the past of trying to learn from someone who hasn't walked the path I'm on and it doesn't work.  And, many times, I've taken the hard road and instead of learning from someone else, decided to try it myself and boy have some of those decisions cost me a lot of time, money and heartache.  I learned what I needed to learn, but it was a tough experience.

The most important thing to realize is that you are not alone in this.  When you feel overwhelmed by the choices, take a deep breath, remember that it's okay to reach out for help and then do so.

Dedicated to Helping You Live with Passion and Purpose,

~Alexis Martin Neely

P.S. Ready to make the best decision you've ever made? We are only one week away from the free teleseminar that will change your practice and your life by teaching you How to Get 97.5% of the Prospective Clients Who Come into Your Office to Say YES and we only have 14 seats left! Register right now at:

http://www.familywealthmatters.com/teleseminar

The Secret to My Success

After law school graduation, I went to work for a big law firm.  I was miserable almost right away. Working long hours, confused and uncertain about what I was doing and certain there must be something wrong with me.  I even considered leaving the law.

One thing I didn't consider was working with a coach.  I thought I was too good for coaching.  I mean come on, I had gone to law school, graduated at the top of my class, gotten hired at the best firm in town all without a coach.  Coaches were for losers.  Or, so I thought.

Then, I went to an event where I heard a woman speak about something or other.  The topic was unimportant, what was important was that I heard her speaking about building a life and business that she had only dreamed about in the past.  And, she attributed her success to her coach.  That got me thinking.

This woman was someone who had the life I wanted - control over her own schedule, a business that she managed rather than a business that managed her, a home office, she was an author - it all sounded great to me.  And, if she used a coach, coaches must not be for losers after all!

So, I called a coach.  And, thank God I did.  If I hadn't, I might still be working for that same law firm, thinking the same thoughts, making the same decisions as I always made. 

My first coach helped me to realize that I am an entrepreneur at heart and would probably never be happy working for someone else.  She encouraged and inspired me to start my own business and have the faith to do it.  And a leap of faith it was - I was the sole breadwinner in my family of four and had no resources to speak of at the time.

Throughout my entire journey of starting and building my business, I've had a coach - sometimes more than one.  As I've gotten more focused, my coaching relationships have as well.   

Thanks to my current coach I'm being held accountable to finally take the steps that are necessary to really live my dreams and not just talk about them.  For example, how long have you heard me talking about the teleseminar that you can finally register for today?  I think I first considered the idea over 18 months ago; with his awesome counsel I am finally taking action.  What will be different in your life this time next year?  Without a coach, I venture to say not much of anything.

So, are coaches for losers?  I don't think so.  Coaches are for people who want great things from their lives.  Coaches are for people who can see a vision of something bigger and aren't sure how to get there.  Coaches are for people who want to really love their life and their business.

If you don't have a coach, why don't you?

Dedicated to Helping You Live Your Life with Passion and Purpose,

Alexis

PS - Here it is!  www.familywealthmatters.com/teleseminar.  Register right now for the free teleseminar that will blow your socks off by teaching you the secret to engaging 97.5% of the prospective clients who come into your office for an initial consultation.  You don't want to miss this!

What to Do When You’re T-Boned by a Man on a Bike

Last week was one of those weeks.  You know what I mean, right?  Everything just seems like it was going wrong, taking longer than it should, or otherwise not cooperating.

For example, I was driving down Ardmore, passing 8th Street in Hermosa Beach on my way to my new home.  I stopped at the stop sign, saw no cars and proceeded through.  Seconds later, I thought my life as I knew it was over when I heard a huge collision, felt my car shake and saw something fly through the air.  I thought I had somehow hit someone on their bike and not noticed.  I thought I had killed someone!  My heart literally stopped.  I got out of the car shaking and crying to find a man standing there on his bike, shaking his head, apologizing profusely.  

It turns out, he had been biking down the hill on 8th Street, lost control of his brakes and ran into the side of my car – my car was t-boned by a man on his bicycle!  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  By some miracle, he wasn’t hurt.  My car on the other hand, well, it’s not pretty. 

This is one of those accidents that can happen to any of us at any time.  It reminds me how important asset protection, starting with excellent insurance, is.  Andrew’s homeowner’s insurance is going to cover the damage to my car.  I shudder to think about Andrew’s potential liability had he hit someone who would take advantage of the situation and claim excessive medical bills and sue him for everything.  Or worse yet, if Andrew had claimed I was at fault somehow.  This is one of those times it would be difficult to prove who was at a fault and I could be getting sued for everything I have.

And, that’s just one of the things that happened last week. 

When I called my business coach and good friend, Dave D. and mentioned all that had happened during the week, he shared with me a great way to relieve stress, remain focused, and love my life.  I encourage you to take 3 minutes out of your hectic day right now and do the same.

1. Close your eyes and take 3 full deep breaths. Inhale completely and exhale completely.
2. For the next minute just focus on your breathing, nothing else. When any thoughts enter your mind, let them simply drift away and dissolve like clouds.
3. For the next minute, think about everything you are grateful for in your life.
4. For the last minute, visualize your life exactly as you want it. Feel that it has already happened. See it as if has already occurred.
5. Take another deep, deep breath, slowly release it and then open your eyes and smile.

Enjoy!  Until next week, I remain …

Dedicated to Helping You Live with Passion and Purpose,

Alexis

PS. Mark your calendar:  November 1, 2006 – Free Teleseminar Reveals Seven Insider Secrets for Getting 97.5% of Prospects to Say Yes.  Only 100 spaces will be available.  Of course, you’ll have first priority.

Is Your Office Gossip-Worthy?

Last week I took my daughter Kaia to the dentist (she was cursed with my ex's horrible teeth, so we've spent lots of time and money there, unfortunately) and this was our first visit to Dr. Holden's new office. I walked in and I was totally blown away. I thought my office was something special, but it's nothing compared to Dr. Holden's.

The first thing I did as Kaia and Noah ran off to play video games on the game consoles built into the walls in the waiting room, was to call my best friend Joanne and ask her if she'd been to the office yet. It was so amazing, I just had to call someone. That's gossip-worthy!

She said that she hadn't and that she was considering using a different, less expensive, dentist. But, after I told her about the office - close your eyes and imagine walking into a kids' jungle, beautiful murals on the walls, amazing aquariums, stuffed monkeys hanging from the dental equipment, and the aforementioned video games - she decided she'd bring her kids to see Dr. Holden one more time just to check it out. Well, I can assure you that after she does that, her kids will never want to go to another dentist again.

In fact, every parent I know in my community brings their kids to see Dr. Holden even though they all know it's more expensive. Why? Because Dr. Holden makes it fun for their kids and that makes it worth it.

So, what can you do in your office to help your clients justify paying more for your services than they would for the guy down the street?

Some of the things we do - everyone who is on the calendar is welcomed with a personalized sign when they come in the door, we are always burning a deliciously scented candle at the reception desk, we always have fresh flowers and chocolate, fresh strawberries and muffins.

Clients ask us when their massage will start when they walk in because our office looks like a luxury day spa. On-site massage therapist, not a bad idea!

Check out photos of our office to the left.