How To Find Focus And Turn Your Talent Into A Thriving Professional Business

There are tons of books and articles available to help professionals start up their business, but few that give practical insights on how to nurture your business once it's out of its infancy. At some point, every self-employed professional reaches the same dilemma: how to build a strong brand and grow their business without taking on too many clients, undervaluing their expertise, or sacrificing their lifestyle.

Once your business is established, you have the opportunity to brand yourself as an expert. Start now, and it doesn't take long to begin savoring the lifestyle and freedom you always dreamed your business would deliver.

The biggest asset you have in your business is...YOU!

Your time and unique brilliance are the foundation of achieving a highly profitable, deeply rewarding professional business. Implementing the following brand and business strategies is exciting, motivating, and compelling. Once you start on the path of profiting from a great brand and your unique brilliance, you'll never go back to the old way of running your business again.

Here are five strategies to turn your talent into a highly profitable business that lets your passion run free.

Strategy #1 Know Your Unique Brilliance

Your unique brilliance isn't a particular skill, like driving a car or delivering your service. It describes you when you are at your very best no matter what you are doing. It's as if the best moments of your life are encapsulated into one simple statement.

The goal is to one-by-one, ditch, delegate, or redesign every task that falls outside of your unique brilliance. You are now free to use your unique brilliance nearly 100% of the time. What's exciting is that as you hand off each task, you become more and more energized, productive, and profitable. It truly is a magic wand that once waived, delivers the freedom you always dreamed of.

Strategy #2 Know Your Brand

You don't have to hire an expensive brand consultant to profit from a compelling brand strategy. What you do need is a clear, concise brand that makes you instantly known and recognizable. Brand wisdom goes beyond a logo and a tagline. A brand is the promise of an experience. Your brand must immediately evoke strong emotions and tug on the heartstrings of your choice client.

Strategy #3 Create A Championship Support Team

Sure, when you first started your business, you probably did every task solo. But to reach the next level of business success and freedom means building an excellent team. For example, one client increased his revenue by a whopping 300%. How? He credits spending just $100 a month on a virtual assistant, who freed up so much of his time and energy, he was able to focus on bringing in new business. Now that is great ROI!

Strategy #4 Take Time Off

Yes, you read correctly. I guarantee that as soon as you cut back to a four-day work week, your business will change for the better. You'll work smarter, make better decisions, and create new, lucrative opportunities. Working less time shines a new light on how you run your business. Plus you'll enjoy the rejuvenating benefits of increased creativity, relaxation, and fulfillment by getting plenty of R&R during the remaining three days of the week.

Strategy #5 Leverage Your Expertise Into A Compelling Package or Program

Delivering 1-on-1 services is a waste of your time, talent, and profit potential! No matter what business you're in-consultant, coach, speaker, trainer, designer-there are dozens of ways you can package your service. For example, one client, a professional organizer, stopped charging by the hour, and created a package from the individual services she was already delivering. Within one week she had tripled her revenue!

(c) 2005, Kendall SummerHawk. Reprint rights granted to all online venues so long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end). Send a courtesy copy of the reprint to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com.

Kendall SummerHawk delivers client capturing website content strategies plus the nationally renown Brilliance Unbridled marketing program. For more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.KendallSummerhawk.com

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table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/10/3/entrepreneurship-study-looks-stereotypes/cid=0ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNH1EU3MjvUBnQe0Aqyqca4vfL2p-AA study on bentrepreneurialism/b shows the field is not just for men./abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fUM Maneater,nbsp;MOnbsp;-/font nobrOct 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;bEntrepreneurialism/b is definitely viewed as having masculine characteristics such as aggressiveness, especially with today#39;s economy,quot; freshman business b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.citywire.co.uk/Adviser/-/news/other/content.aspx%3FID%3D316848cid=0ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNEAXfEDnh_p-IMd8plLFMFBUb7r_wGerber and Mone reiterate the secrets to success/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCityWire.co.uk,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Colin McClelland | 09:30:00 | 09 October 2008 Author Michael Gerber said he had an epiphany 35 years ago that bentrepreneurialism/b was a myth and the b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/UAE/236330cid=1251529772ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNGs_uErnheLGpTYXZell53z1d-7OAbbg allies with arab business angels network/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAl-Bawaba,nbsp;Jordannbsp;-/font nobrSep 27, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1“Through our alliance with ABAN, we continue to support the growth of bentrepreneurialism/b, innovation and local knowledge creation. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-op_sunltrs_10050oct05,0,4023167.storycid=1255273234ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNFfyqi9n8BaFan5Uvnw7nkNf95hqgMaverick, not Marx/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDaily Press,nbsp;VAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 5, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b of dollars from successful business owners to redistribute wealth will reshape our society from one of bentrepreneurialism/b to revolutionary socialism. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://markkobayashihillary.computing.co.uk/2008/10/where-to-offsho.htmlcid=1254765324ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNFGLO4IFIljfbfW8HnCqwSOp_TsiAWhere to offshore (and why not here?)/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fComputing,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 7, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Perhaps the global downturn may actually encourage more regional talent and bentrepreneurialism/b in countries like the UK, where the conventional wisdom has b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html%3Fid%3D47befd22-9871-4cc4-bcc6-c9a919864766cid=1255833534ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNGAUZRhRGpzMPfF85w0IkaPoDxTSwMiddle ground fertile for NDP/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Province,nbsp;Canadanbsp;-/font nobrOct 6, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b supported by organized big labour and linked to the party#39;s inherent hatred of big business, corporate profits and the spirit of bentrepreneurialism/b. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm%3Fsid%3D177712%26sc%3D79cid=1255833534ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNGLpACMV9a8LvJIRKZUbZ9A16GjbwJack Layton to make campaign stop in St. John#39;s Sunday/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSt. John's Telegram/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255833534hl=ennobrall 2 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm%3Fstory_id%3D12381021cid=1255035720ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNGBocdOtrDsflme18pK9NG5B2nXswimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=8h8cO0jMU-cJimgurl=media.economist.com/images/20081011/4108WB2.jpg width=80 height=55 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Economist/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm%3Fstory_id%3D12381021cid=1255035720ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNGBocdOtrDsflme18pK9NG5B2nXswA new home for the Nano/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEconomist,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Nano is an icon of Indian ingenuity and bentrepreneurialism/b. Selling for just 100000 rupees ($2100), it seeks to reach a new class of customers through b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html%3Fid%3D25bef6b5-9f91-4fc2-8e7d-21b64f2c0103cid=0ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNFvGeBH3VWeQqYLUVFoFB9LQ6A0pQToward a new Mayfair/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fOttawa Citizen,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobrSep 29, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The critics of the theatre#39;s closing say the theatre just needs a bit of bentrepreneurialism/b and maybe some expansion of its use to become financially viable b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/columnists/article.html%3Fin_article_id%3D455103%26in_page_id%3D19%26in_author_id%3D4cid=1256159400ei=37XvSN7kKajs6gPxie24Bwusg=AFQjCNE8mL1NvAGFcv9yl-npsZVEc-0kMwHow to turn crisis into disaster/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThis is Money,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b believe #39;that public engagement of any kind goes against the grain of the maverick bentrepreneurialism/b that is at the heart of the industry#39;s success#39;. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
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