7 Tips to Build a Business While Working a Day Job

Many people dream of leaving their nine-to-five jobs to start their own businesses. Many successful entrepreneurs had to keep their day jobs until they reached a point in their businesses when it was feasible to quit. This transition time can be stressful and difficult, especially when you don’t enjoy your job, but it doesn’t have to be.

While ambition is important, it is not always enough to move you forward. Maintaining your motivation and drive during your transition from employee to entrepreneur is crucial. It’s easy to veer off course and get discouraged during this transitional phase. Here are some actions you can start taking immediately while you’re still at your day job that will keep you on track and moving forward.

1. Get crystal clear on your reason for starting your business.

Connecting with your “why” is the most important first step you can take. Maybe you are motivated by being your own boss, financial independence, time freedom, creative expression, being home with your kids or helping others. Whatever your reason, knowing what motivates and drives you is what will keep you focused and committed to your dream when times get difficult.

2. Commit yourself to your dream.

Having the desire for something to work vs. committing to it are vastly different. When you commit to your dream, you are making a binding obligation to see it through to success. It means you are “all in,” you find solutions when faced with obstacles and you don’t quit, no matter what. Make that pledge to yourself, and then tell the people in your life.

3. Create a personal vision for your business.

Think about what you want in your business a year from now and write it down. Be very specific and detailed. Describe in great detail in the present tense your ideal day, what activities you engage in, who your customers/clients are, how many customers/clients you have and what your monthly income is.

Read your vision aloud every morning and evening, focusing completely on the end result -- your vibrant, flourishing business. By keeping your focus on the result, you will be able to make the day-to-day choices to ignore any negative thoughts that may arise.

4. Join a mastermind group.

A mastermind group is a peer-to-peer mentoring group that meets regularly to support each other, brainstorm ideas and share advice and work through challenges together. A mastermind group can be excellent for helping you stay accountable and motivated.

There are mastermind groups that meet in person, online or on the phone. To find a mastermind group, Meetup is a great place to start. If you cannot find one to join, then create your own with people who are also starting a business.

5. Immerse yourself in learning.

Research and study anything you can find that is pertinent to your business. The Internet provides an abundance of valuable information on building a successful business. Take courses, hire a coach or find a mentor. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks during your morning commute. The more you learn and become an expert in your area, the more self-assured, motivated and successful you will be.

6. Stay positive about your day job.

Every day, acknowledge something you appreciate about your job. Perhaps you enjoy your co-workers or always having holidays off. Maybe it’s just the free coffee or your comfortable chair.

The point is to look for the good things. The more you focus on what is positive about your current situation, the more success you will bring to all situations, including your business. Negative thoughts drain your energy, making it far more difficult to move forward with your dream.

7. Set daily goals.

Take small, measurable action steps each day toward your business, understanding there will be times when it seems like you are making no progress at all. Much of the work, in the beginning, will be tedious day-to-day tasks. Realize it is all part of building your business. By taking steps each day, which includes doing the mundane, you will start seeing results. The more progress you make, the more confidence and determination you have to keep moving forward.

By taking these actions while still working your day job, you will stay focused, motivated and committed to making your dream a reality. It will also make the time spent at your job seem to go by faster.

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The Small Business Market Is a Massive Opportunity No Longer Hiding in Plain Sight

Until recently, the small business market was highly fragmented, expensive to reach and costly to serve.

But technology is closing that gap. Increasingly small business platforms areconnecting big business with the small business opportunity, making it far more efficient to offer solutions that were once only viable for enterprise-level corporations. Combined, small businesses are the largest employers, job generators and GDP contributors in the world. It’s a massive market opportunity that’s been hiding in plain sight.

The rise of the small business economy is the result of a number of market fundamentals. After the Global Financial Crisis, many people were forced to start working for themselves, to make their own opportunities, as big business wasn’t hiring at its previous cadence.

Technology has not only made it easier to start a businness, but with platforms like Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit or Freelancer.com democratizing the job search, and connecting labor supply directly with demand, it’s also simplified the search for freelance or on-demand work.

There’s been a marked shift in the way society views and talks about both small businesses and startups. Television shows like Shark Tank and Beyond The Tank are now prime-time viewing.  

When owners of small businesses today think about pitching their business, they're always selling, talking about capital, getting mentorship and advice, which has created a stronger set of small businesses.

By turning the search for funding, advice and pitching into mainstream topics, Shark Tank has completely changed the way we talk about small business and it's inspired entrepreneurs to capitalize on this. However, to understand the small business market opportunity, you need to understand what keeps owners up at night.

One of the biggest worries for small business owners is cashflow. Shark Tank has shown the importance of figuring out how you’re going to fund your operations, whether it be through outside investment, a bank loan or personal savings. It’s good fiscal hygiene to lock in your capital source when times are good. It’s much easier to access funding when you don’t need it than during a cashflow emergency.  

Establishing a panel of advisors can be business critical. Some of the advice the Sharks give these budding entrepreneurs is worth more than any monetary investment. Having a diverse set of mentors or industry veterans can help clarify your next steps, set the right goals and implement a plan to hit them. You don’t know what you don’t know. By bringing in an outsider you can gain perspective that will help you work on your business, not just in it.

Small business owners wear many hats. Usually they’re the CMO, CPO, administration person and HR director all at once. But the role they always need to be playing is the sales person. Shark Tank has shown us time and time again the difference between a well-honed pitch and an average one. To win business, you need to truly understand your product or service’s market fit and the benefits it provides.  

But by far, the most successful small businesses actual know the Shark they want to have bite. They have a great idea, the passion and the financial answers to reel in the Shark. Bottom line, they know what they need outside of the financing itself.

By combining technology advances with a societal shift towards supporting our small business owners, including shopping local initiatives and mainstreaming issues like funding and strong business education and advice, we can start to rewire our economy, lowering the national unemployment rate and boosting GDP in the process.

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See 6 Characteristics of Resourceful People That Bring Them Success

There is not a more useful or  important trait to possess than resourcefulness in the pursuit of success. Resourcefulness is a mindset, and is especially relevant when the goals you have set are difficult to achieve or you cannot envision a clear path to get to where you desire to go. With a resourcefulness mindset you are driven to find a way. An attitude of resourcefulness inspires out-of-the-box thinking, the generation of new ideas, and the ability to visualize all the possible ways to achieve what you desire. Resourcefulness turns you into a scrappy, inventive and enterprising entrepreneur. It places you a cut above the rest.

1. Open minded.

As an open-minded entrepreneur you must be passionate about breaking boundaries and redefining what is and is not possible. You must possess the unique talents necessary to leverage and fulfill the immediate goals set out in front of you, and remain open when considering new ideas and differing thoughts from your own. Open-mindedness is critical when taking the actions that will lead you towards success.

In being open-minded you find value in all kinds of different people, events and circumstances. You demonstrate a willingness to embrace an array of possibilities, opportunities, thoughts, views, suggestions and experiences outside of your normal repertoire. You push yourself to do what others believe to be impossible. This is how you attain success while the less resourceful give up on their dreams. Stretch out of your comfort zone and expand your thinking. As you stretch yourself you discover things which greatly improve your business, and ideas which help you bypass current obstacles standing in your way.

2. Self-assured.

Believe you are capable of handling any problem placed in front of you. You must wholeheartedly hold the belief that you are competent and adequate enough to achieve what you desire. This belief is the first step you take in getting things done. When you are self-assured you like and trust yourself. You know your value, appreciate your talents, work ethic and your ability to consistently follow through on your every word, deed and action.

Hold the mindset that workable solutions exist for every problem. Visualize yourself being successful every day. When facing difficulties picture yourself overcoming them. Imagine accomplishing your goals and celebrating your successes. Openly accept compliments and know that you deserve them. Keep a daily log of your successes. Write down your achievements each day and soon you will fill the pages and develop a clear scope on how far you have come and how much success you have had. This will go a long way in helping you realize that you have earned the right to be confident in yourself and your abilities.

3. Imaginative.

Resourcefulness is having the mindset to look at what’s in front of you and to optimize what you have to work with. Being imaginative is not always about creating something new, but also, with a little ingenuity making old things work better. Reach far into the depths of your mind and come up with outlandish possibilities as well as practical ones. Allow your mind to wander. Never stop your creative process, as you may talk yourself out of great idea. Creative thoughts quickly move you from one idea to another and to another. One of those ideas may bear the fruits of a genius idea or solution.

4. Proactive.

There is no such thing a procrastination in the mindset of those who are resourceful. To be successful you cannot put your dreams on hold and wait for the right resources or people to show up. There is no waiting. Get out there and create your own resources and networks. When you are resourceful you do not allow outside circumstances determine when or how you take action, or you will always settle for less.

When opportunities present themselves do not overthink or talk yourself out of them. Get in the game. Avoid being a passive observer. Participate actively and always be deeply involved. Take initiative to be a part of creating and finding solutions. Engage with and influence the people, events, circumstance and knowledge which come your way. It is when you are actively engaged in your business that you have the most significant impact on everything you touch.

5. Persistent.

 To be resourceful you can never give up. If you stop trying before a problem is solved then you haven’t accomplished anything. If you don’t succeed at first, get up and try again. Try a dozen things a hundred different ways if that is what it takes, but don’t give up the fight simply because obstacles present themselves on your path. Trust that every “No” puts you that much closer the “Yes” you are looking for.

Let anxiety and frustration motivate you. Get in touch with how deeply you want to succeed and make a difference. These motivators largely determine what you accomplish. Discipline yourself to keep going when you want to quit. Any sought after goal worthy of your effort will place challenges in your way. If you practice persistence and make it your habit to discipline yourself to get done what needs to get done, you are guaranteed to reach your goal. Gregariously go after what you want. Never see a setback as a failure, view it as practice. Practice makes perfect. Use fear and frustration to push you over the finish line of what you seeking.

6. Hopeful.

Possessing a resourceful mindset requires you stay positive. There is a solution to every problem, even if that means a change in direction. Train yourself to see the positive benefits in every situation. As you cultivate a positive outlook you will see it is easier to come up with solutions. Fear and frustration block innovation.

When frustrated, remind yourself of all the times in the past you dealt with a crisis or difficult situation and the stories of victory and success that resulted from those hardships. Allow these memories to keep you hopeful in your present situation. Each time you are successful through hardship you grow into a stronger, wiser person. Your experiences teach you things you can now pass onto others when in need of support and encouragement.

To develop a resourceful mindset being willing to constantly improve yourself. Be open to learning new things and do all you can to keep current with what is happening within your industry. Even if your business becomes more successful your learning must continue because learning provides enrichment to your life. Know and embrace what your personal strengths and weaknesses are and learn how to control and overcome them. You cannot manage every situation you encounter effectively if you do not have the ability to harness your fears and/or weaknesses. Therefore, read as many books as you can, consistently educate yourself and put what you learn into full blown action. Become the person who finds the loopholes, who is scrappy and innovative. When you practice resourcefulness, you raise the bar and success is a guarantee.

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See 20 Quotes From Jim Rohn Putting Success and Life Into Perspective

Everyone, and especially entrepreneurs working to build a business from the ground up, enjoys a solid rags-to-riches story. It’s something we can relate to and get behind.

One of the greatest rags-to-riches stories is that of Jim Rohn. Jim spent his entire adult life giving back to humanity by teaching and lecturing about how to gain success in selling. He tried to teach people that they could be whatever they chose to be. Jim was an only child who grew up on a little farm in southwest Idaho, U.S.A., to become what many consider to be America's foremost business philosopher.

Rohn began his career as stock clerk for Sears, but after attending a lecture given by entrepreneur John Earl Shoaff, he decided to follow a different path. He asked Shoaff to be his mentor and followed every bit of advice he could glean from him. Rohn became a direct marketing distributor. Within just six years, Rohn earned his first fortune, then lost the millions he had made. That led him to observe, "Whether you win or whether you earn a million dollars, best you quickly learn how to be a millionaire, or you will lose it."

Rohn was quickly made that money back in just a few short years saying, "The second time I made a fortune was much easier than the first time, because I knew how to." In 1963, Rohn delivered his first public speech and began traveling across the country sharing his personal development philosophy. Anyone who was blessed enough to hear Jim Rohn speak is lucky, indeed. Most of Jim's speeches are available on YouTube and are well worth listening to -- many times. They are truly invaluable.

For more than 40 years, Rohn was one of the most influential and motivational speakers and authors for people seeking advice and guidance on every type of personal development. He monitored and mentored Tony Robbins and received the the 1985 National Speakers Association CPAE Award for excellence in speaking.

If you’re looking to make a change in your life, there is no better words of wisdom than those coming from a true great, and one of my hero's, Jim Rohn. This is just a small sampling of Jim Rohn's many quotable quotes, but they are twenty of his greatest life changing thoughts:

1. “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”

2. “How sad to see a father with money and no joy. The man studied economics, but never studied happiness.”

3. “Days are expensive. When you spend a day you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely.”

4. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

5. “Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.”

6. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

7. “The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized - never knowing.”

8. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

9. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”

10. “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”11. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

12. “Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.”

13. “The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.”

14. “Asking is the beginning of receiving. I ask for all kinds of things. Make sure you don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won't laugh at you.”

15. “Get around people who have something of value to share with you. Their impact will continue to have a significant effect on your life long after they have departed.”

16. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

17. “Make rest a necessity, not an objective. Only rest long enough to gather strength.”

18. “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.”

19. “No one else 'makes us angry.' We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude.”

20. “You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.”

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If Want to Be a Millionaire by 30? Start Planning Early. (Infographic)

In the pursuit of business success, what are some of the moves you can make when you’re first starting out to pay dividends later on?

Of course, there are those hard and fast rules for dealing with cash: start small, save your money and put what you earn into a bank account that you won’t touch for other expenses.

And remember, you don’t need flashy, big-ticket items to make an impression. Use the funds that come in from your venture to invest in yourself -- read, take classes, learn a new skill and go to events where you can meet like-minded people. What you learn and who you connect with can only help you in the future.

For more about how to think big and take calculated risks to become a millionaire, check out the infographic below (made by our friends atBusiness Insider and based on the advice of three Entrepreneurcontributors).

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See 7 Habits of Remarkably Authentic Brands

Consumers have trust issues with brands. They are skeptical of brand messaging and instead often turn to their peers to inform purchase decisions. They also want honest relationships with the brands they support.

Indeed, 63 percent of global consumers said in a survey that they would buy from a company that they consider to be authentic over all other competitors. Consumers will reward the companies that communicate honestly about their products. They'll shun those that do not.

So, what makes for an authentic brand? How can your brand become more authentic? Here are seven habits of remarkably authentic brands.

1. Listen to your customers.

Your customers are talking about your brand online. Word-of-mouth has expanded to social media, and customers are voicing their opinions about your products. Find out what your customers are saying!

Social listening can help your brand learn how customers use your products post-purchase and what they like and dislike about their touch points with your brand. Some 83 percent of consumers said in a survey that they like it when a company responds to them on social media. So, join the conversation and "like," "comment" and "share" positive submissions. Also, do your best to accommodate the negative consumers.

2. Let go of who you think you are.

When you start listening to your customers on social media, you might just learn something. While your brand may see itself in a certain way, the millions of photos that customers post online may not be reflecting your brand message. Customers can do a lot to shape and enhance your brand lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to let go and collaborate with customers to build a stronger and more authentic brand.

3. Stand behind your values.

In the outdoors industry, you hear a lot about representing “the tribe” and how outdoor brands cater to the values of their community. In particular, you hear about brands wanting customers to believe in what they stand for, not just to buy their products.

What this often means is that brands position themselves behind causes their community supports. Some 64 percent of survey respondents have cited shared values as the main reason they have a relationship with a brand. Clearly stating your values is a mark of brand authenticity.

4. Be honest.

Authentic brands represent their products in a truthful way. Some 91 percent of customers said in a survey that they believed that brands should represent their products honestly. What this means is that you don’t deceive your customers with distorted reviews and product images.

Offer transparency by displaying customer-created photos collected from social media on your product pages directly, next to your stock images. That will give your customers a greater sense of transparency and trust.

5. Personalize your outreach.

Show your customers that you care about their needs. Seventy-three percent of consumers said in a survey that they preferred to buy from brands that use personal information to make their shopping experiences more relevant.

With today’s technology, you can upsell customers based on what they have bought in the past. Offer complimentary product discounts through package inserts, Instagram display ads or a tailored email marketing campaign.

6. Embrace your story.

Chances are, you have a powerful story line that you are not putting to use. It might be an amazing founder’s story or simply a declaration of why you believe in the brand you represent. Whatever it is, consumers want to know why you care about your brand.

If they find why you care compelling, you might convince them to care as well. Everything is about building a brand story, a story that your customers can see themselves in.

7. Make every day matter.

Remember that consumers are interacting and buying from brands each and every day. When it comes to being authentic, you need to be consistent. You should actively work to ensure that every interaction a customer has with your brand leaves a positive vibe. You don’t get to take a day off representing your brand. Create great marketing collateral that reflects your authentic brand voice and stay attentive, and helpful, to your customers.

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See 3 Ways to Turn Your Dumb Job Into a Dream Job

Employees know far less about employer expectations than their managers may realize -- an October report from Gallup of 1,000 employed adults found that only about half of the employees surveyed had a clear understanding of what was expected of them at work.

That means that fully half of employees are unsure about their career development. They don’t know if they’re on the right path or what they need to do to succeed in their roles.

And that makes for a bleak picture, which highlights a disconnect in today’s workplaces. Because, when leaders and employees aren’t communicating properly, goals are unclear, progress stalls and objectives aren’t reached.

Here are a few steps to get employees and managers on a clear path for professional development, for the sake of the employee and the company:

1. Focus job descriptions.

Start at the very beginning. Setting employees up on a fulfilling career path starts with the job description. Most employers approach the job description as a list of requirements or only an ad to sell their company culture. But that description really serves as an employee’s first introduction to a new role. Think of it as the entry point to the performance management process.

There's good reason to do that. Some 85 percent of candidatessurveyed by CareerBuilder in 2015 said that clearly defined job duties and responsibilities positively influenced their decision to apply. But, first, the description needs to accurately represent the position; otherwise, new employees will be set up for failure. They will think they were hired to do one thing, but their managers will expect them to do another.

And that's a recipe for disaster: Before the new hire even starts the job, he or she is already on a different page than management.

How to fix it: Take the time to understand the job before writing the description. Ask managers what they expect from the candidate, and inquire from current employees what they need on their team. Use these responses to draft a description. Then, put yourself in the place of the new hire reviewing it. Does the description accurately reflect the responsibilities of the job? Is it focused? Are the expectations clear?

2. Create and evaluate job families.

With an accurate job description in hand, employees can start the job knowing what is expected of them -- but do they know where they’re going? Do they understand future expectations or how to advance down their career path?

In a 2015 SHRM survey of 600 employees, 83 percent said career advancement was important or very important to them, but only 20 percent were very satisfied with how their company was addressing this need.

And that begs the question: If employees don’t know what is expected from them, how can they know how to advance?

While some employees may not be growing as much as their managers expect them to, some managers don’t recognize when their employees are taking on more responsibilities. In fact, 2014 research from theOffice of the Future found that 41 percent of administrative professionals surveyed said they felt that their job description had become inaccurate, given their new duties.

How to fix it: Use "job families" to show employees a clear career path and to help managers recognize when employees are ready to move up. Job families are groupings of similar jobs, showing their inter-relationships and structure in terms of their responsibilities, pay and advancement.

Job families detail what is expected from employees at each level, what requirements are needed and how to progress along a given career path in an organization.

Also encourage HR and managers to create job families that accurately reflect development within the company. If these groupings are already in place, review them to make sure they are clear and correct. When developing these structures, focus on what people do at each level, not their job titles.

Above all, make these career paths transparent and accessible for employees. Share your company's job families, explain them and make them available on the HR platform employees regularly use.

3. Align personal and organizational goals.

Job families help employees know what to do to reach the next level of their career. They can help employees set goals -- but do these goals align with their managers' goals? What about the goals of the organization overall?

Probably not. The Gallup survey found that just 32 percent of respondents said their manager helps them set performance goals. In addition, a 2015 survey of North American employees conducted by Achievers found that 61 percent didn't even know their company’s mission, and an additional 57 percent said they weren't motivated by that mission.

How to fix it: Managers need to help employees set goals that align with the company’s mission and objectives. First, review the company mission and vision with employees. Remind them of what they are working toward and how their job contributes to this overall purpose. Then, have managers and employees set goals together, with the mission as a focal point.

Sharing these personal goals with the whole team can keep employees and managers focused, suggests research from the Dominican University of California: Study participants who wrote down their goals, shared them with others and sent weekly updates to friends were 33 percent more successful in meeting these objectives, on average.

In addition, a 2015 report from Bersin by Deloitte suggested that high-performing companies should make individual work goals public for all to see. Sharing goals can help keep employees and managers on track, accountable for their performance and ultimately on the same page.

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What to Do When You Need Inspiration But It Just Won't Come

The human mind has a funny way of shooting itself in the foot. Just when you need to come up with an inspirational idea or a solution to a thorny problem, it has a nasty habit of over-thinking, locking itself into an endless loop and destroying any hope of a breakthrough.

You know what I’m talking about. It’s insidious. But fear not, there is a way out. You simply have to break the loop. Change things up. A simple change of place, process, players or perspective usually does the trick. If that doesn’t work, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.

When the ideas just won’t come, here are a few ways of getting the creative juices flowing:

Shut the computer.

When I need inspiration but my mind won’t play along, I shut the computer or whatever I’m working on and walk away. Then, when I’m doing something totally unrelated -- taking a shower, gardening, driving somewhere or lying in bed half asleep -- that’s when the light bulb comes on. Happens every time.

End the meeting.

When you’re in a meeting intended to brainstorm or problem-solve, don’t be surprised if the winning idea or ideal solution comes up after the meeting is over. Sometimes long after, when different people are around, or when some seemingly random event triggers an answer to a question you’ve been subconsciously pondering for weeks.

Planes, trains. and automobiles.

There’s something about a quiet conversation while moving that brings out epiphanies. I can’t tell you how many business strategies I’ve come up with that way: walking around the neighborhood with my CEO, driving to the airport with the head of a distributor, on a bullet train in Japan with the CTO, or on a cross-Atlantic flight with a random individual I happened to be seated next to. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s uncanny.

Quit being logical.

Near as I can tell, the part of your brain responsible for creative ideas is not the same as the one responsible for reasoning. Inspiration is not logical, nor is it task-oriented. I believe most people have a much easier time accessing that part of their mind when they’re relaxed, tired, engaged in some mindless task or casually bouncing ideas around with someone in an unusual but safe surrounding.

Give up and zone out.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at a blank screen, a white sheet of paper or a media board and racked my brain for a big idea that just wouldn’t come.

Finally, I give up, plop down in a chair and say, “Screw it, I’m done.'' It takes a while for my mind to shut off, but when it does, that’s inevitably when the answer comes.

Get outside perspective.

Consultants routinely interview top executives of companies that hire them. As a management consultant, I do the same thing, but not in the same way. That’s how I determine what problems need to be solved, but the solutions usually come from conversations with lower level employees, customers, or outside analysts. The reason is that leaders are always too close to the situation. They’re actually inside the loop, so they lack perspective.

Be alone with yourself.

I’m not an expert on meditation, but I do practice mindfulness as a means to quiet my thinking brain so I can spend quality time with my deeper, more intuitive inner self. I’m still a novice, but I think it’s indispensable for neurotic people who tend to over-think things with voices in their heads, as I'm known to do.

As I sit quietly, lost in thought while exploring this fascinating but elusive subject in the company of my trusty MacBook Air, I’m finding it frustratingly difficult to come up with a compelling end to the story. There’s only one thing left to do. (clunk)

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See If You Want to Remember the Important Stuff, You Need to Ignore the Background Noise

Can you effortlessly retain a phone number between the time you hear it and the time you dial? When introduced to a group of people, can you remember each of their names a few minutes later?

If the answer to either of the above questions is yes, you likely have an excellent working memory, i.e. your brain is easily able to hold onto a piece of information before deciding whether to toss it out or store it away as long-term memory. Congratulations! That’s a huge boon. Not only is working memory an important process for reasoning, comprehension and learning, it’s also highly correlated with intelligence.

So what separates those with high-capacity working memories from the rest of the pack? Somewhat counterintuitively, they’re better at ignoring information, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. Put another way, they’re able to quickly discern and focus on relevant incoming data, while recognizing (and promptly discarding) irrelevant distractors.

Previous research has hinted as much -- i.e. that those with high-capacity working memories are simply better at identifying and holding onto important stimuli -- but didn’t satisfactorily parse out how they’re able to do so.

By tracking participants' brain activity while completing a series of tasks, the researchers believe they have an answer:

Our electrophysiological measures reveal that although high-capacity individuals are able to actively suppress distractors, low-capacity individuals cannot suppress them in time to prevent distractors from capturing attention.

In other words, by reading their brain waves, the researchers found that participants with high-capacity working memories excelled at ignoring irrelevant sensory data so they could concentrate only on pertinent information to the taskt at hand. 

For proficient working memory, then, the power to ignore pointless background noise --- to tune out the construction work outside, your co-workers, maybe even your boss -- is just as important as the ability to zero in on what’s truly important.

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See 7 Ways to Attract Millions of People to Your Brand

Would you like to build a brand that reaches millions of people?

Whether your brand is about you, your company, or both, you can draw the attention of millions of people. Depending on how you've positioned your brand, you can have a deep impact on society, help a ton of people and earn a fortune.  

However, I'm often surprised by the vast majority of companies that focus on establishing their brands before finding their strategy. These people set up their social media channels, websites, books, photos and everything else, but they fail to pull in a dollar, while losing thousands in the process.

This behavior is synonymous to asking for taste without supplying the salt. If you want customers, you need to concoct a flavor that builds trust in the marketplace, while simultaneously giving your prospects something to satiate their appetites. Your marketing message is the salt that adds flavor to your branding efforts.

The better your marketing message is, the hungrier people will be for your products and services. Even as you add flavor to your brand, you'll still need to attract those who are salivating for your services. You also need to pay attention to those who don't know that they'll be hungry in the future. Therefore, your brand is always supplying a feast, regardless of who's ready to eat.

Whether people know you exist or not, you need to have the right approach when creating a branding strategy. If your goal is to reach the masses with your products and services, here are the seven ways to attract millions of people to your brand:

1. Leverage social media.

Most social media platforms are free, yet most people fail to use it correctly for branding purposes. The problem is that they are too busy consuming articles, videos, quotes, and stories, instead of producing it themselves. Of course, you want to be a diligent learner, but at some point you'll want to create your own content for the world. Your social media platforms should build massive excitement for your targeted audience.

You should be fluent in at least three of your social media accounts. Personally, I advocate Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn since they've helped me reach the most clients. However, I've seen people who've made a massive impact on Instagram, Periscope, Pinterest, and others. Only share content on the social media channels that work best for your business. 

Content is King. - Sumner Redstone

2. Develop strong websites.

Every legitimate business has a website, but not every website out there is good. There are many crucial parts of your website that must be master: email capture, contact information, layout, copy-writing, visual aids, etc. Overall, good websites require substance more than anything else.

Substance is basically content that appeals to your audience. Your website must inform, inspire, and engage. If people don't find what they want in a website, they leave immediately. At my company, Dignify Designs, we build websites that draw traffic and get people to engage, giving you the ability to convert your leads into sales, which is the purpose of a business website.

3. Learn copywriting.

In order to reach the masses, I highly suggest you learn the secret skill of copy-riting. Copywriting is a form of writing that publicists and advertisers use to reach billions of consumers every day. If you don't have time to learn the million-dollar skill of writing copy, you can delegate it to someone who does. This is the single-most missing element in the majority of brands. 

There are many books on the subject of copywriting: Joe Sugarman, Robert Bly, David Oglivy, and Victor Schwab have all written fascinating books that could change the entire course of your brand. By cultivating the skill of writing copy, you'll have the ability to reach millions of people. Either way, writing excellent copy allows you to strategically fashion your words to optimize your reach.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. ~Benjamin Franklin

4. Implant visual aids.

Have you ever seen websites without photos or videos? Webpages with videos and photos stand out far more than those that don't. It also allows your reader to focus their attention on your brand by capturing their eyes. Since most people have photographic memories, the right visual aids dramatically enhance your brand.

Your websites and social media should be tattooed with visual aids of yourself, events, products, and other goods. Photos and videos add proof of what you're doing in your business. In many industries, many people aren't able to secure opportunities simply because they don't have visual aids to build trust. Who's going to believe you without any visual evidence?

5. Be memorable.

What do you want to be remembered for? If you want to have a favorable reputation in the marketplace, you have to create your own reputation. You also want to make sure your name is easy to spell and pronounce.  It's perfectly fine to cherish your name, but if it's difficult to spell or pronounce to your client, you won't be remembered. 

The biggest names and easiest names have two syllables: Gates, Branson, Buffet, Trump, Clinton, Oprah, etc. Then there are easy business names: Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Wal-Mart. Also, if your name is very common, like John Smith, you might want to have a nickname or add a middle initial. Your name is a big part of business and you want to be searchable for your audience.

Your reputation is your best advertisement.

6. Write a book.

When people like you, they'll always buy your book. In my business, my book allows me to get me through amazing doors of opportunity. My chances also increase dramatically when people read my book. Once they discover the great ideas that I share, I automatically have a new life-long fan. Plus, you never know who could be reading your book!

After selling thousands of books, I can tell you that publishing a book is a potent credential. In some cases, it can be comparable to an MBA or Ph.D. Either way, your book will expose you to other opportunities, which can lead you to bigger audiences to serve. If you're interested in publishing a book, but don't know where to start, send me an email and I'll give you more information.

Writing is the beginning of all wealth. ~Benjamin Franklin

7. Create your back story.

Since the beginning of human civilization, we've learned our greatest lessons through the art of story-telling. A back story is a narrative that gives your audience enough information about you to make an informed decision. Back stories give your audience the transparency to know who you are and what you represent. It also gives your brand an emotional tone and deeper meaning to your marketing message.

Your back story should be congruent and favorable to everything you've marketed about. This includes biographies, testimonials, and credentials. Oftentimes, you'll see people with back stories that are either confusing, contradicting, or boring. The brands with the best back story will always set you up for your front-story, which is the moment you deliver your product or service.

Establishing your brand is about planting as many seeds as you can with your marketing. Before you take any of these suggestions, make sure you have a plan for execution. If you invest in a first-class brand without a strategy, it's the same as having a restaurant without chefs. However, once you find a branding strategy and add taste to your menu, everyone will be able to have a feast!

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