Every job, no matter what it is, is done better and faster when those responsible for doing it are properly trained. In theory this sounds good. But in reality, small growing companies rarely have money in their operating budgets to cover training costs.

Job-related training whether for yourself or for your employees is expensive in short run. But in long run, not offering training often costs more. The good news is that job-related training no longer means traveling to expensive seminars and courses. A variety of affordable training tools is available today. Much of this training is available without leaving your desk.

Whether it’s learning to use software tools you purchased to run your business, or to stay abreast of ever-changing laws covering everything from sexual harassment to homeland security, you’ll find cost-effective training material suitable for your situation.

E-learning tools, computer based training, software tutorials, CD-ROMS, audio and video tapes, books and instructor-led training courses are some common training tools.

E-learning involves any type of training material that is delivered electronically. Whether delivered in a format readable by a computer or delivered via Internet, or via satellite, or via interactive television, e-learning is a cost-effective way to train.

Company Intranets are being used for employee training, complete with testing and progress tracking. This method gives small business owners complete control over content being taught. The training materials do need to be developed and maintained, but this initial investment of time is worth effort.

My grandfather was an example of an entrepreneur who overcame great financial hardship to achieve wealth in his lifetime. He had immigrated to United States when he was eight years old from Russia in 1913 with his family. By time he was eleven he left school to start his own business so he could help support his poor family. He never returned to a formal education and spent rest of his life building a multi-million dollar empire of several businesses starting with no money. He built extremely successful businesses during World War One, World War Two, during times of economic growth and during economic depression.

Although he started out with empty pockets, in his mind he considered himself to be rich. Despite being a poor Russian immigrant and having only a fifth grade education, my grandfather practiced how to be rich from time he was very young. He focused on what he was going to get, not what he didn' t have.

My grandfather focused on an internal state of prosperity consciousness. He didn't pay attention to what economy was doing. He was always looking for opportunities. And he found them...everywhere! He never focused on lack. He focused on prosperity.

If you focus your thoughts on lack in any area of your business you will have a problem before you ever begin to spend a dime on marketing. Your thoughts about money have a direct affect on growth of your business. That is why first step to achieving business success is to create an internal focus of prosperity consciousness before you externally focus on how to develop new business.

Your thoughts are governed by universal law of energy - what you focus on becomes your reality. In other words, your thoughts about success of your business are a form of energy. As soon as these thoughts turn into a feeling you will have some sort of physical experience in your body which either constricts or expands energy flow to your business. You can either focus on expansion in your business which is "prosperity consciousness" or constriction in your business which is "lack consciousness."

Successful people approach their business with an internal prosperity consciousness which opens up energy flow to their business. When you internally focus on prosperity consciousness your thoughts are concentrated on what you have now and what you can get including more customers, more referral sources, more sales, new products and new markets. When you internally focus on lack consciousness your thoughts are always focused on what you don't have which constricts energy flow to your business. And you end up with more of what you didn't want - a lack of business.

Let's first explore what happens to energy flow to your business when you have thoughts of lack. Here are examples of thoughts which illustrate lack consciousness:

#1) I don't have enough money to pay my business bills or payroll. #2) My business sales are not increasing fast enough. #3) I don't have enough customers. #4) My competitors are stealing my market share. #5) I'm worried that my business will go bankrupt. #6) I need a larger budget to market my business. #7) I don't have business skills to make my business successful. #8) I'm afraid my business sales will decline if economy takes a downturn. #9) I will never be successful in growing my business. #10) There is not enough business for me and my competitors.