5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8 AM

Thinking about starting a home business? 

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Rise and shine! Morning time just became your new best friend. Love it or hate it, utilizing the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful and healthy lifestyle. That’s right, early rising is a common trait found in many CEOs, government officials, and other influential people. Margaret Thatcher was up every day at 5 a.m.; Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney wakes at 4:30am just to name a few. I know what you’re thinking – you do your best work at night. Not so fast. According to Inc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. Let’s explore 5 of the things successful people do before 8 am.

1. Exercise. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Most people that work out daily, work out in the morning. Whether it’s a morning yoga session or a trip to the gym, exercising before work gives you a boost of energy for the day and that deserved sense of accomplishment. Anyone can tackle a pile of paperwork after 200 ab reps! Morning workouts also eliminate the possibility of flaking out on your cardio after a long day at work. Even if you aren’t bright eyed and bushy tailed at the thought of a 5 am jog, try waking up 15 minutes early for a quick bedside set of pushups or stretching. It’ll help wake up your body, and prep you for your day.

2. Map Out Your Day. Maximize your potential by mapping out your schedule for the day, as well as your goals and to dos. The morning is a good time for this as it is often one of the only quiet times a person gets throughout the day. The early hours foster easier reflection that helps when prioritizing your activities. They also allow for uninterrupted problem solving when trying to fit everything into your timetable. While scheduling, don’t forget about your mental health. Plan a 10 minute break after that stressful meeting for a quick walk around the block or a moment of meditation at your desk. Trying to eat healthy? Schedule a small window in the evening to pack a few nutritious snacks to bring to work the next day.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. We all know that rush out the door with a cup of coffee and an empty stomach feeling. You sit down at your desk, and you’re already wondering how early that taco truck sets up camp outside your office. No good. Take that extra time in the morning to fuel your body for the tasks ahead of it. It will help keep you mind on what’s at hand and not your growling stomach. Not only is breakfast good for your physical health, it is also a good time to connect socially. Even five minutes of talking with your kids or spouse while eating a quick bowl of oatmeal can boost your spirits before heading out the door.

4. Visualization. These days we talk about our physical health ad nauseam, but sometimes our mental health gets overlooked. The morning is the perfect time to spend some quiet time inside your mind meditating or visualizing. Take a moment to visualize your day ahead of you, focusing on the successes you will have. Even just a minute of visualization and positive thinking can help improve your mood and outlook on your work load for the day.

5. Make Your Day Top Heavy. We all have that one item on our to do list that we dread. It looms over you all day (or week) until you finally suck it up and do it after much procrastination. Here’s an easy tip to save yourself the stress – do that least desirable task on your list first. Instead of anticipating the unpleasantness of it from first coffee through your lunch break, get it out of the way. The morning is the time when you are (generally) more well rested and your energy level is up. Therefore, you are more well equipped to handle more difficult projects. And look at it this way, your day will get progressively easier, not the other way around. By the time your work day is ending, you’re winding down with easier to dos and heading into your free time more relaxed. Success!

How E-commerce Works

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you have probably heard about e-commerce. And you have heard about it from several different angles. You may have:

• heard about all of the companies that offer e-commerce because you have been bombarded by their TV and radio ads
• read all of the news stories about the shift to e-commerce and the hype that has developed around e-commerce companies
• seen the huge valuations that Web companies get in the stock market, even when they don't make a profit
• purchased something on the Web, so you have direct personal experience with e-commerce

Still, you may feel like you don't understand e-commerce at all. What is all the hype about? Why the huge valuations? And most importantly, is there a way for you to participate? If you have an e-commerce idea, how might you get started implementing it? If you have had questions like these, then this article will help out by exposing you to the entire e-commerce space.

Commerce

Before we get into a complete discussion of e-commerce, it is helpful to have a good mental image of plain old commerce first. If you understand commerce, then e-commerce is an easy extension.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives a few definitions of commerce:

com.merce n [MF, fr. L commercium, fr. com- + merc-, merx merchandise] (1537) 1: social intercourse: interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments 2: the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place 3: sexual intercourse

We tend to be interested in the second definition, but that third one is interesting and unexpected -- maybe that's what all of the hype is about?

So commerce is, quite simply, the exchange of goods and services, usually for money. We see commerce all around us in in millions of different forms. When you buy something at a grocery store you are participating in commerce. In the same way, if you cart half of your possessions onto your front lawn for a yard sale, you are participating in commerce from a different angle. If you go to work each day for a company that produces a product, that is yet another link in the chain of commerce. When you think about commerce in these different ways, you instinctively recognize several different roles:

• Buyers - these are people with money who want to purchase a good or service.
• Sellers - these are the people who offer goods and services to buyers. Sellers are generally recognized in two different forms: retailers who sell directly to consumers and wholesalers or distributors who sell to retailers and other businesses.
• Producers - these are the people who create the products and services that sellers offer to buyers. A producer is always, by necessity, a seller as well. The producer sells the products produced to wholesalers, retailers or directly to the consumer.

You can see that at this high level, commerce is a fairly simple concept. Whether it is something as simple as a person making and selling popcorn on a street corner or as complex as a contractor delivering a space shuttle to NASA, all of commerce at its simplest level relies on buyers, sellers and producers.

What do I need to know to start up my Online Business?

Starting up a business online is similar to starting up any traditional business.

You'll need to know some basic things in order to get started – what you’ll be selling, as well as your market. If you intend to do business online, it’s also a good idea for you to get familiar with some IT and web skills. Read on to find out more about starting a business.

Know your product or service

What type of business will you start? What will you produce or sell?

This knowledge is essential to any business, online or otherwise. Without a good idea of what product or service you will offer, it can be very hard to move forward with planning and marketing your business.

Your product or service will influence your business structure, too. Depending on what you market or sell, will you only do business online, or will you also have an office space or store to run as well? This can have an impact on your business in terms of staffing, storage space, and rent outlays.

Know your customers

Knowing some information about who you will be selling to can help you define your business. Do some research into your potential (or existing) customers or clients, and their habits - this means checking out who will be buying or using your goods and services, and how they normally do this.

Understanding your customer base, and how to direct them to your online business, is important. Investigate what kind of customers usually buy online, what they are buying, and how they find their goods and services.

Know your plan

Why write a business or marketing plan?

It may be tempting to get on the internet right away and start experimenting with setting up your business. However, a little planning can go a long way in ensuring your online business is a success. Creating business and marketing plans for your online business can help you identify goals and develop strategies for achieving them.

If you’re an established business moving online, you might already have a business or marketing plan – but it could be a good idea to review them to make sure they’re comprehensive.

How do I create a business or marketing plan?

Your basic business plan should be drafted before you go into business, but, once started, you should always be thinking about what you can add to it. It should contain some core information, such as why you want to go into business, and what your goals for the business are. It doesn’t need to be long or complicated – it should be clear and to-the-point.

Your marketing plan’s aim is to help you reach your target market and boost your customer base and bottom line. Drafting your plans can involve thinking about:

• what your business name will be
• how you are going to manage your business
• looking after finances
• developing products and services that meet the needs of your market.

How to Get More Out of the Time You Already Spend Networking

Many people rely on referrals from others as a primary source of business. However, not everyone who relies on referrals is successful. Why is this? I've studied these folks -- and those who are not successful seem to have "surface level" referral relationships.

They know just enough about their referral sources' businesses to get by. They don't actually know a lot about the people themselves. They tend to say vague things like: "He is really nice," "You'll like her; she's a good person," or "Well, if you just meet with him, I am sure you'll like him." If pressed further, they probably couldn't tell you much more about those people -- and they almost certainly have not built enough social capital with them to count on them when they really need something from the relationship (and vice versa).

Building the deep referral relationship -- the kind of relationship that leads to referrals -- is almost completely dependent upon the social capital you have built with someone. Social capital is like financial capital. To amass financial capital, you have to invest and grow your assets. You have to have money in the bank before you can make a withdrawal.

Relationships are very much the same, referral relationships in particular.

Here's a great example of someone who amassed quite a bit of social capital. . . from me!

Alex was what I would call a casual business associate, but from early on after our introduction, every time I spoke to him, he invested in the relationship. He gave me ideas, gave me his time, he even did some work on a website for me. He invested. . . and invested. . . and invested.

I kept asking him how I could help him -- to return the favor and reciprocate for all the kindnesses and great help he'd been to me. His answer every time was, "I don't need anything. I'm happy to do this."

This went on for almost a year. Every two to three months, Alex would show up on my radar and do something for me.

Then, one time, he phoned me and said, "I have a favor to ask. . ." and I stopped him right there before he could say anything else.

"Yes!" I said.

"But you didn't even hear what the favor is!" he said, laughing.

I replied that I didn't have to hear what the favor was. I told him I knew him well enough to know he was not going to ask me something impossible, and that he had invested so much into the relationship that I would do anything in my power to help.

When he told me what he needed, it was easy, a small promotion by me for one of his services. It was such a big thing for Alex, and something easy for me. I was happy to do it!

In my career, a huge number of folks come to me and ask me to promote something for them. The thing is, the majority of those who contact me have never actually met me or had a previous conversation with me. They've never invested in the relationship, yet they want a withdrawal from it!

Before you ask for a withdrawal, make sure to make an investment, and build a deep referral relationship. If you can answer yes to most or all of the following points about a person and her business, you would have a pretty deep referral relationship:

• You trust them to do a great job and take great care of your referred prospects.
• You have known each other for at least one year.
• You understand at least three major products or services within their business and feel comfortable explaining them to others.
• You know the names of their family members and have met them personally.
• You have both asked each other how you can help grow your respective businesses.
• You know at least five of their goals for the year, including personal and business goals.
• You could call them at 9 o'clock at night if you really needed something.
• You would not feel awkward asking them for help with either a personal or business challenge.
• You enjoy the time you spend together.
• You have regular appointments scheduled, both business and personal.
• You enjoy seeing them achieve further success.
• They are "top of mind" regularly.
• You have open, honest talks about how you can help each other further.

You may be shocked at the level of personal knowledge required for a deep referral relationship, and you may want to argue that referrals should be all about business. I completely disagree. Referrals are personal. When you give a referral, you give a little of your reputation away. You need to know the person that is going to affect your reputation. It takes a lot to develop this type of relationship, but those who do will certainly succeed at building a business from referrals.

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