"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." Chinese proverb

I've been coaching full time since 1992, and have been asked what it takes to make it in business by people just starting out. So I've come up with what I consider are seven essentials. Although this is geared toward business rookies, if you have a business that is either floundering or hit a plateau a while ago, this applies to you. Five of these are for what I call the "Inner Game," your mental preparation. Two are for the "Outer Game," how you engage the marketplace.

First, the Inner Game:

Mission Statement: "Anything the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." This powerful statement is taken from Napoleon Hil. He was the first author to introduce, "the science of personal achievement" to the business world. He studied over 500 highly successful entrepreneurs in the early 1900s and concluded that each had what he called, "a success consciousness." He argues, that you can create a "statement of success," in essence a mission statement. This mission statement should describe who you are and what you're all about in your business. This is specific and has measurable outcomes and a deadline for completion (e.g. December 31st).

Affirmations: These are positive statements, used in the present tense as if they're already a fact, which you consciously repeat to yourself daily to redefine your personal belief system. This way, you can create new positive self-fulfilling prophecies. Daily affirmations are key (e.g. I can do whatever I put my mind to!)

Goal Setting: Your goals should be based upon your mission statement. If you've created a goal-based mission statement, you'll have larger long-term goals to complete (e.g. one year from today). From these long-term goals, you'll need to develop shorter term ones , which will help make the goals more manageable (e.g. quarterly, monthly, and even weekly goals). Stephen Covey has a great quote in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "if you don't set your goals based upon your mission statement, you may be climbing 'the ladder of success' only to realize, when you get to the top, you're on the WRONG BUILDING." You should commit your goals to writing because if you don't, you're likely not to move forward with the actions you wish to take. Sometimes all you need is a deadline, right?

Time Management: Make sure to manage your time based upon your goals. I share with my clients a technique called, "The most important appointment of the week." It happens on the weekend, and it's with YOU. Have a day where you plan and write down the exact time you will be engaging in behaviors/actions you need to accomplish the goals you have set out for yourself. You should view those times as APPOINTMENTS, so as not to get off-track.

Visualization: This is the ability to mentally rehearse successful outcomes in a relaxed state before they actually occur. All great athletes practice visualization. This technique can help you in your business or career... all you have to do is regularly picture your success.

Now, the Outer Game:

Networking: Success in the business is like American football: It's a contact sport. The best way to grow your business is through making contact with influencers in your community. Great networkers take the time to build relationships with owners of synergistic businesses. Networking takes patience, energy and a "give first" attitude to ultimately obtain those referrals and great contacts!

Professional Selling Skills: Do you believe you have something great to offer people through your business? Then why would you want to ROB them of the opportunity to become your client? It's not a capital crime, but there ought to be a law against someone who improperly engages a good prospective client without helping that person make a smart decision about moving forward with you. That means you'll need to learn how to professionally sell your products and/or services. Assume that your prospects need your expertise to make the important choice to hire you. By improving your professional selling skills you’ll be able to help them decide to use you, which helps everybody involved.

I realize there's a lot more to creating and maintaining a successful business, but the seven essential skills I've listed above will make it highly likely yours will stand the test of time.