Marketing Inconsistently Once you have committed to owning and running a business you must be equally committed to marketing and selling products and services of that business. It is difficult, if not impossible, to stay and remain profitable without a commitment to ongoing concerted marketing. To get more out of your marketing, create a simple marketing plan that includes marketing activity every day, every week and every month. Marketing plans combine formal activities (such as advertising, promotions and writing) with informal activities (such as making new contacts) . Don’t underestimate power of talking to people about what you do. Use every opportunity, every time.

Fear of Asking for Sale Isn’t it true that we think asking directly for someone’s business means coming across as pushy or obnoxious. But if we have this attitude, we are letting profit-producing opportunities pass us by. Worrying more about what someone thinks of you than bringing more money into business is an all too common mistake. If you find it difficult to "ask for sale", you can be sure that you're not bringing in as much money as you could be. The most effective way to address this issue it to practice asking for sale in language that you are comfortable with (not too wishy-washy please). Write down what you want to say first, then practice it over and over. There is also plenty of stuff out there on handling objections. Prepare your responses to most common objections so you are well armed before you speak with your prospective customers.

Getting help Most business owners possess strengths in one or two specific areas, but whether by necessity or design, they often end up working in areas they aren’t strong in. This builds inefficiencies and potential for mistakes into business. To compound problem, we don’t ask for help straight away, but struggle on doing stuff we are not suited to (saves money right?) But each day that goes by with your business running at less than maximum efficiency, means dollars lost from your pocket. Work out where you add most and least value in your business. Pay someone to help you out with these low value add activities. Your time is best spent where you add most value. If you can do more of this kind of activity, your business will benefit.

Use your Existing Customer Base All research tells us that it is easier and cheaper to keep working with customers you already have, than to get new customers into your business. If you are not following up with past customers on a regular basis you are reducing your profitability potential. Develop strategies to keep your customers with you, such as loyalty plans, regular communications and special offers. Implement a regular process for following up your customers after they buy from you. Managing Expenses Savvy business owners regularly appraise their business expenses and find ways to reduce costs without sacrificing quality. If you haven't completed a cost analysis lately, you might be paying more than you need to be, which will reduce your profitability. Solution: At least once per quarter review expenses and negotiate for adjustments as appropriate. Categorize everything you spend under 3 headings: Essential, Nice to Have and Non-Essential. Everything in last two categories is up for grabs – be ruthless!

Clearly set boundaries help other people to understand how you want to be treated. They are rules, if you like, that apply when others deal with you and your business. Many of us aren’t good at establishing boundaries, something that probably stems from way back in our childhoods.

As children we are often taught that other people’s needs are more important than ours. That we should obey others without question. And we were rewarded for pleasing other people and sacrificing our own needs. Sometimes we do not set boundaries because we dislike confrontation or anger, or because we think we will hurt other peoples feelings. If this behaviour of putting ourselves last carries over into our adult lives, it’s likely to stop us from telling other people what we want.

The good news is that setting boundaries is a learnable skill, and one that can make a huge positive difference to quality of your life.

The first step is to identify which boundaries you need to set. These seven are suggested for easing pressure on you in your business life:

1.Learn to say no Don’t feel uncomfortable about saying no to an unreasonable request. If it is going to have a negative impact on you, or you don’t really want to do something, then just say no. And don’t feel as thought you need to explain why. After all, we don’t offer an explanation when we say yes.

2.Be clear about what you do and what you don’t do If something is outside bounds of your normal scope of work, then simply say so. It is easy to get caught up agreeing to do unusual things or one-offs that take up a lot of extra time. Your time is valuable and you want to spend it accordingly.