To win in any game, you have to know the rules first, right? Then you have to play by those rules and improve your performance within those parameters. This is true in every sports game we play. But it’s not true in the game of business ownership.

Business is the only game in life where YOU can set the rules. As a matter of fact, if you’ve structured your business on other people’s rules – you’re bound to fall far short of your full potential. That’s because other people have set the rules to play to their strengths, not yours.

Success in business begins with deciding the game you want to play, and how you want to play it. Personal fulfillment starts with consciously deciding things like what positions you’ll personally fill on the business team, and what you’ll outsource.

Why are so many entrepreneurs and business owners miserable, unfulfilled or eeking out miniscule profits?

It’s because they haven’t ever taken the time to view their business in this light. They’re playing a game where other people made the rules. They’re at the mercy of the rules they never had any input in setting, and even worse – rules that can change at any time without warning. (Remember, rules are basically limitations.)

Now I know some of you might be thinking, “Come on J.P., there ARE some rules in business that must be adhered to.” And to that I would agree, but the key word is “some” not all. These would be the common rules of honesty, integrity, and customer-centric service, along with the golden and platinum rule. The rules I’m talking about are all the other ones that are blindly followed in your industry without any significant critical thought.

Beware of the “everyone does it this way” trap

Too many business owners think just because companies within their industry have always done things a certain way, that’s the way they have to run their company. Unfortunately that type of approach will only get you the same results other men and women in your industry are getting – average, or below average results.

I’ll share a personal example with you from one of my past businesses to help illustrate this point.

When I was 24, running my second business (a landscape design-and-build company) I remember sitting in a seminar sponsored by an industry association. One of the speakers was presenting a workshop on improving sales skills. About half way into the presentation he let loose with a comment that I’ll never forget.

After discussing the average annual gross income of several other industries he said in a matter-of-fact way — “After all, none of you got into this industry to become a millionaire. If you did, you’re in the wrong business.”

I sat back, STUNNED that someone would make such a comment and said to myself, “No way that’s true. It can be done.” I didn’t realize it then, but I was doing what I had done for years – I was setting my own rules. I spoke up and stated my view of how hypocritical it was for him as a “sales trainer” to be saying such things. But I didn’t make much headway with him.

What I did, however, is leave from that seminar more determined than ever to prove that it could be done. You can break the conventional paradigm of any industry.

Why getting motivated to set your own rules is critical

In just over seven years – I spun off a second company and designed both companies to serve specialized niches. These were businesses built consciously on my rules. Businesses that generated substantial cash flow that I then used to purchase over a million dollars in real estate.

In the two years following that achievement, we sold both businesses (for more capital and cash flow) and I started the international small business coaching company RPM Success Group Inc. with my gorgeous wife (and partner.) Best of all we relocated to the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii where we now coach other small business owners how to transform their businesses and create their ideal lifestyles too.

I don’t share this with you to impress you, but rather to impress upon you the importance of setting your own rules. My rules allowed me to break free from the constraints that so many business owners in that industry are still trapped by.

How to make the shift and start setting your own rules

It’s not that you have to make a shift in industries. (I did it for personal/lifestyle reasons, but after I had proved the conventional paradigm in that industry wrong.) The shift you need to make is in your mind, in your thinking about what it is you do – right now where you are at in your business and life.

In my work as a business coach I see this tendency to conform to the “conventional” mindset in every industry. Just look around at what the majority of other business owners are doing in your industry, and listen to how much they complain or blame things on outside influences, like “the economy” instead of reengineering how they run their business.

It’s the same in every industry, niche, or profession — you can count on it. If you doubt me, just look around at what the majority of other business owners are doing in your industry.

· How different are your competitors from each other? (My bet is there is no more than a 10 to 20% difference across the board.)

· How different are you from your competitors?

· Are you offering essentially the same services/products to the same market and experiencing the same financial rewards and constraints as everyone else in your industry?

If you don’t like your answers to these questions, then now’s time to make a change. Winning the game of business ownership, playing by your own rules takes a comprehensive strategy. But you can start setting your own rules by answering three simple questions:

1. What could your company provide that your competitors do not, cannot do, or would not to do – even if they thought of it first?

2. What’s considered “impossible” by the majority of people in your industry? How could you provide that service/product/solution IF it were really not impossible?

(Have you considered that maybe your competitors are talking about how “impossible” something is to implement because they don’t want you to create the solution, and take away their market share?)

3. What are consumers regularly complaining about in your industry? How can you provide solutions to their complaints?

Take action now!

Take your answers to these three starter questions and begin to mold your operational systems, marketing, and pricing structure around the answers you come up with. You can boost your profits and your personal fulfillment at the same time – starting by setting the rules of your own game.

When you set your own rules in this manner, you will take a commanding lead in your industry, niche, or profession. You’ll be setting the rules around what consumers want instead of what company in your industry find to be “the norm.” And when you help enough other people get what they want, you’ll get more of what you want!

So if you want to win big in life, stop playing your game by other people’s rules. Life presents enough challenges, why create more for yourself by trying to play by other people’s rules. Step up and take a look at the game you’re playing, confirm you’re on the right field and reset the rules.

If you’re not on the “right field” playing a game that’s really in alignment with your in-born skills, talents and passions, then stop taking what life (and your business) is handing you and have your business coach help you create a game with rules that work for you.

About the Author: John-Paul Micek and his partner Deborah Cole Micek are Business Growth Coaches. They specialize in helping small business owners like you, achieve profit-doubling growth in one-third the time it would take to do on your own. With their strategic coaching programs, and the high-leverage membership benefits of www.BusinessOwnersCoachingClub.com you’re guaranteed to reach more goals in 12-months than most owners do in a decade. You can reach John-Paul at or toll free in the USA at (888) 334-8151. You can learn more about JP at www.JohnPaulMicek.com.

© Copyright 1999-2004 by RPM Success Group ® all rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the express written consent of RPM Success Group ® is prohibited. Call RPM Success Group toll free at 888-334-8151 for reprint permissions, or by email editor@rpmsuccess.com.

Have you ever gotten into a rut in your business where all you could think about were problems?

When that happens it can cause you to feel out of control, unfocused and totally unmotivated. And that can impact your performance, personal fulfillment, and your profits.

All too often, small business owners get caught up in the day-to-day operations and get into the mode of focusing only on problems. This dangerous mindset makes it tough to see how small challenges can be turned into opportunities.

But with the right psychology, you can quickly overcome challenges. This is how successful entrepreneurs turn problems into profits centers.

Here’s a simple 5-step, five-minute process I share with my business coaching clients that will put you back in control of your focus, and give you a boost in your performance and profits.

Ask yourself the following five questions.

Step 1: “What’s great about this challenge?”

Once you begin to use this system, your brain may answer, “What are you nuts? What’s GREAT?! NOTHING!”
But if this happens, understand you’re at a critical point in the process. It’s where all growth starts. So you must stick with the process and answer the question. Otherwise, you’ll create a pattern of always feeling “stuck”.

Step 2: “What’s not perfect yet?”

Identify what needs to be changed with a proactive/positive mindset. Program your brain to focus on solutions to the challenge, instead of focusing on the challenge itself.

Step 3: “What steps am I willing to take to make it right?”

Lay out the plan you need to overcome your current challenge in order to turn it into an advantage. If you don’t follow through on this step, don’t expect to have your challenge disappear all on its own. Specific action is required from you.

Step 4: “What are the ‘red-flags’ that can help me prevent a similar situation in the future?”

Getting warning markers will keep you from taking actions you DO NOT want to do, and will actually prevent problems from creeping up in the future. Answers to step three tell your subconscious specifically what TO DO instead.

Step 5: “How can I make the steps I need to make this fun?”

Increase your opportunity for success. Discover how you can have fun while taking action to get what you really want. Take time to come up with fun ways to take action. Make it a game. Link positive actions to rewards you’ll give yourself.

Now it’s your chance to put these five simple steps into action.

Let your competitors think like the herd as they keep their head buried in problems. With this new series of questions, you now have an unfair advantage that’ll have you transforming challenges into opportunities and growing by leaps and bounds as a result!

To learn more how you can master this process and many others that will equip you can bridge the digital divide and transform your small business into a click-and-mortar powerhouse that delivers the profits, personal fulfillment, and free time you want. You can do it guaranteed in just 12-months with your membership in the www.BusinessOwnersCoachingClub.com

© Copyright 1999-2005 by RPM Success Group ®, All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the express written consent of RPM Success Group ® is prohibited. You may use this article/post in it’s entirety as an RSS feed without previous permission, so long as it is published in it’s entirety with all copyright notices. Call RPM Success Group toll free at 888-334-8151 for offline reprint permissions, or by email editor@rpmsuccess.com.

About the Author: John-Paul Micek and his partner Deborah Cole Micek are Business Growth Coaches. They help small business owners like you, achieve profit-doubling growth in one-third the time it would take to do on your own.