by Clifford Mee

(c) Clifford Mee - All Rights Reserved http://www.MarketingPersuasion.com ----------------------------------------------------------

This will make some people angry as hell, but it's time to debunk myth of 'Time Management' while sharing real secret of super successful.

Let's face it, many so called "business gurus" tell us to 'manage time better' or to become 'ruthless with time' if we want to achieve their level of success.

What rubbish!

You cannot manage time itself. It continues along happily doing its thing, whatever you do.

I read countless systems on 'time management' and majority take so long to implement and keep track of, you get even less done than you did before!

If it's impossible to manage time then manage your actions instead. This is key to launching new projects, completing existing ones and to at least doubling your current profits without having to do any more work.

Self-improvement guru, Tony Robbins, said "Action is destiny." He's spot on. If you start managing your actions, impact on what you get done will amaze you.

*** Your 5 Simple Steps To Action Management ***

(1) Write down a master list of actions you need to do which directly lead to income generation.

- I suggest having at least 6 items on your daily action list. Write this up day before you use it. Depending on how many of these you complete determines whether you need to add more items to list or whether you need to break items down into smaller chunks instead.

(2) Set aside between 1 and 5 'Prime Action Hours' every day where you will do nothing except most important income generating activities. Refer to your master list and immediately cross each item out once it's done.

- During your prime action hours you do NOT: take phone calls, check your email, break for meetings, chat with fellow office workers or read mail. You need to get current outside distractions to support your new routine. If you run a home office get agreement from your family to only interrupt you in an emergency during your prime action hours.

(3) Get Yourself a Timer and set it to 50 or 55 minutes. You work without distractions for this long during each prime action hour.

- This gives you more efficiency by making you accountable for what you do in each prime action hour. It also lets you know when to take an important quick break.

"Here's a quick review of items you should expect business investors to look into beyond their analysis of financial statements..."

Let's say you have spent a year seeking an investor to invest in your business venture; you spent considerable time pulling your business plan together, contacting potential investors, making management presentations, and now all you have to do is get past investor's due diligence.

*** What Exactly Should You Expect? ***

Skepticism.

Business investors want to be sure there are no skeletons in closet and that your venture is not next Madison Priest "black box technology".

Priest's famous black box was a revolutionary technology that claimed to allow ordinary phone lines to transmit data into people's homes at unprecedented rates - rates faster than fiber optics. By staging impressive demonstrations, Priest convinced private business investors and seasoned companies, such as Blockbuster and Intel, to invest money in his venture. In end, Priest's 'magic box' turned out to be nothing but a high-tech hoax.

*** Four Important Areas Business Investors Will Hone In On… ***

Finance, management, manufacturing, and marketing are four areas of concern to most business investors. Specifically, these concerns can be segmented as follows:

1) Finance

* Cash. Cash is king. It's lifeblood of all businesses - start-up or on-going businesses. Business investors know this. They will spend time understanding your cash flow assumptions and, if you're an existing business, they'll analyze your cash management practices. Poor cash management or shaky cash flow projections are immediate red flags.

* Profitability. Expect investors to compare your actual or projected gross margins from year to year. This provides a quick indicator of your historical or projected manufacturing efficiencies and pricing environment. It can also highlight potential control issues, excessive overhead, or under pricing strategies to capture market share.

* Bank problems. Out of compliance financial ratios, scrutiny from banks, or suspect bank relations - personal or business - are all red flags to business investors about how you manage your financial affairs.

* Outdated financials. The lack of monthly financial statements or detailed cash flow projections or, for an on-going business, statements that are not prepared on time are all indications of a loosely run operation or a lack of planning.

2) Management

* Continual crisis. Business investors watch closely for signs of weakness in you or your management team. Constant interruptions by emergency phone calls and demands for immediate decisions are signs of disorganization and lack of management.

* Substantial changes in key personal. Unusual turnover in key management positions can be viewed as a lack of leadership.

* No changes in senior management for many years. An established company with little or no changes in management team can indicate a stagnant business, not current in new methods or processes, or a very autocratic management style.