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Steve Jobs: His marketing magic DECODED!

Join Good Morning Americas Tory Johnson in Our Boost-Your-Business Contest

(Win amazing prizes!)

BEHIND THE SCENES AT SHARK TANK Advice to Keep You From Being Eaten Alive

TIPS & TRICKS To Boost Your Social Media Results HOW PAUL ALLEN STAYS CREATIVE An Exclusive Peek Into His Home, Life and Passions

21 TOOLS,

How Kim Kardashian Became a Billion Dollar Brand

SUCCESS.com February 2012

2012 SUCCESS MEDIA. All Rights Reserved.

ARTL, ST AL SM

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m ce t three orkpla w es, nex ericas er the usiness b Am Ov of two orning M ner will Good s that the ow d tep utor an small s e new contrib take th r to a to ree our ca tes you y ress invi tapult r prog ca ou cord y mately u ulti . Re and yo uccess fs big ine level o m/win S.co magaz ES S t SUCC r in SUCCES ead on! a r ea es. So y app priz ma in big rw and/o

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Allyson Lubow

SUCCESS SUCCESS UCCES CES

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Pat yourself on the back: You survived 2011. Like you, I wake up every morning to a drumbeat of bad news that could easily send me back under the covers. But to what end? As a small-business owner for 13 years, I can tell you that none of my success has come easily or in my sleep.
In the last three years, when people have first heard about Women For Hirecareer expos geared to womentheyre stunned that Im still standing. Sure, millions of Americans are looking for jobs, but most people think that, at a time like this, selling recruiting services to employerswhich is where we make moneyis like selling ice to Alaskans. Obviously, there have been steep challenges, but giving up was never an option: I couldnt afford to allow the economy to destroy my business. Im sure you cant either. So I took a series of deliberate steps that allowed me to not only survive, but thrive. I ramped up online sponsorships, allowing companies that arent hiring to keep their brand top of mind with women. My sales staff began pitching smaller firms with jobs to ll and popular direct sales companies to join us at our expos. We produced a webinar series about working from home that thousands of women purchased at a $20 introductory price. None of these steps were huge moneymakers alone, but collectively, they replaced lost revenue while many competitors in the career expo business folded. However, my most profitable move came from listening to attendees at my career expos as the recession took its toll. Whether they had been downsized or were just starting out, more women told me they wanted to start their own businesses but needed basic steps on exactly how to do it. When, they asked, was I going to hold an expo for budding entrepreneurs? So I launched Spark & Hustle to produce intimate conferences and provide private consulting services to current and aspiring small-business owners. In less than a year, Spark & Hustle broke the milliondollar revenue mark. Yup, in a recession. What Ive learned is that becoming successful and staying successful is hard work. Its very doable, but it takes smart, deliberate, consistent persistence. Over the next few months, I will challenge you on these pages and at SUCCESS.com/winbig to do and be your best, with a 12-week, 12-step program to help boost your business. These are all things I have learned along the way, use in my own business and teach to my clients. Ive made this bite-sized and doable. Nothing is overwhelming. Im right by your side here, online and on the next three SUCCESS CDs to encourage you to reach your goals and to celebrate your milestones and discoveries. This is your time to shine. So take the challenge. Share your breakthroughs on SUCCESS.com/winbig for a chance to be featured in the magazine and win some great stuff, including lunch and SUCCESSs personal coaching sessions with me and Darren Hardy!

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Step No. .
Commit to Your WHY
When I started Women For Hire in 1999, my nancial goal was simple: Replace my paycheck. I could have done that by getting yet another public relations job, so money alone wasnt part of my why. My why was rooted in the permanent scar from a pink slip. After being unexpectedly red from a job I loved at NBCone I thought Id stay in foreverI wanted to be my own boss. I was determined to never have my family feel the pain and nancial devastation that comes when someone else controls my destiny by taking me off their payroll. Since I knew I could never control the decisions of an employer, I went the path of small business ownership. Giving up or giving in wasand still isnever an option because starting a new business wouldnt be any easier. And getting a real job, so to speak, wouldnt insulate my family and me from the possibility of one day revisiting a layoff. So my why remains crystal clearand I never lose sight of it. Ask yourself now: Whats my why? Why bother with small business ownership? Maybe its because you want the nancial freedom to choose medical treatments for a loved one, based on the best options, not the price tag. Maybe its that you want to control where and when you work to accommodate personal responsibilities. Maybe its because you want to generate awareness for a cause thats close to you. When you understand your whywhy youve chosen small business ownership over traditional employment; why youve chosen this business type; why youve chosen to go after any particular goalyoure much less likely to throw in the towel when the going gets tough, which it most certainly will. This isnt a ve-minute conversation you have with yourself take some time to think it through.

Step No.
Take ResponsibilityYoure in Control
Part of owning where you are right now is a willingness to pinpoint exactly how you wound up here, especially if youre looking to go someplace else. Assume youre swooping in as an outsider who has been called in to assess the business. Ask yourself three questions: First, what worked? Examine what went right, what generated the desired results and where your victories were. Second, what didnt work? What didnt pan out? What intentions were left unfullled? What exactly went wrong? This may take more time and soul-searching. Third, what could have been done differently? Often, when my clients work through this exercise, they realize theyve had the answers all along. They know in retrospect what they could or should have done, where they stumbled, where they wish they could get a do-over. Most times, they slipped because they didnt listen to their gut, got lazy or they followed someone elses advice when they knew better. Taking responsibility is all part of gaining control over your business. Blaming intransigent politicians, the economy, budget cutbacksyou know the listis pointless. Own your circumstances. Nobody is coming to rescue you or your businessits all up to you. If youre stuck or stalled, gure out why. For example, if you hate sales and you know its a weakness thats hampering your revenue growth, isnt it time to nally address it? If you own up, you can take specic steps to x just about anything. In this case, read a book or two on selling. Take a course. Hire a sales expert. Get coaching. When you dont tackle those key weaknesses that are at the root of your stalled business, you can continue to expect more of the same, which isnt necessarily a pretty picture.

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RULES When to enter:

SUCCESS magazines Start Small, Win Big Contest begins January 17, 2012, and ends April 5, 2012, at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the following rules of the contest and states that they are 18 years old or older.

Judging:
Judging will be conducted by the editors of SUCCESS, Tory Johnson and SUCCESS Publisher Darren Hardy and will be based on what they view as progress as it applies to each contestants own goal or goals. Winning entries and selected nalists will be published in the August issue of SUCCESS. Decisions of the judges will be nal. A grand prize winner and 2 runners-up will be selected. The grand prize winner will be chosen from 3 nalists. The 3 nalists will be notied of their status by July 6, 2012, and will appear on our website on July 10, 2012. The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. SUCCESS reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion.

Step No.
Know Your Numbers When Youre Down, by How Much and Why
My client Sandy Stein spent years as a ight attendant before she made millions selling her Finders Key Purse key chains. She says its easy in an economic downturn to be lulled into complacency, to assume things will magically improve. My controller started telling me that our numbers were down in mid-2010, she recalls. I told her not to worry, as they would pick back up with the holiday season. Although her money chief continued to issue warnings through the year, Stein remained optimistic. Several months later, reality hit: Her business needed help. The devil was in the details, she said. When I actually sat down and looked at what the stores were orderinglittle tiny amountsthe stacks of bankruptcy letters that we had received and how little our reps were selling, only then did I make the determination that our marketplace had changed, and that it would be necessary to reinvent our business model. In retrospect, Stein says her mistake was not paying close enough attention to the numbers all along. I was resting on my laurelshoping to coast through this economywhen I should have started much earlier trying to gure out a better way. Today she doesnt allow small problems to become big ones. Each month Stein and her team review every number and they create solutions on the spot rather than waiting for a miracle, which positions her for tremendous growth in 2012. Now its your turn to pay close attention to your numbers, watch key trends and hear out the people you pay to watch your back.

Who may enter:

Persons 18 years old or olderexcept for individuals afliated with SUCCESS magazine, including employees, interns, contractors, and their immediate families (children, siblings and spouses) and others living in their householdsare eligible. SUCCESS magazine will determine winners eligibility.

How to enter:
The Start Small, Win Big Contest is a 3-part series starting with the February 2012 issue of SUCCESS magazine and going through the March and April issues. In the rst issue we challenge readers to take the steps Tory Johnson explains, by which they can achieve big goals. Readers who participate will set goals at the beginning of the Challenge and track them online through SUCCESS.com/winbig. By entering the contest, entrants grant SUCCESS a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, nonexclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of their submissions, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any educational, promotional, publicity, exhibition, archival, and all other standard SUCCESS purposes. SUCCESS will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Prizes:
Grand Prize:
The winner will appear in a feature-length story in the August 2012 issue of SUCCESS magazine, and will receive lunch and a personal coaching session with both Tory Johnson and/or Darren Hardy.

Runners-up:
The 2 runners-up will be mentioned in a sidebar to the story on the grand prize winner in the August 2012 issue ofSUCCESS. Winners may receive additional noncash prizes. Winners must sign an afdavit and license and will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.

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ANNOUNCING
the 2012 SUCCESS Start Small, Win Big Challenge
Small steps can create big results. Join SUCCESS and Tory Johnson starting Tuesday, Jan. 17, for the biggest, most exciting entrepreneurial challenge weve ever hosted. Were not superlative kinda folks, but really, this is big. Its time to take your small business to the next level. Even your business of one. Starting Jan. 17, visit SUCCESS.com/winbig to register, where youll share and set a tangible goal for your small business. Make it specic. Make it doable. Make it your own. During the 12-week challenge, contestants will receive weekly tips and action items from Good Morning America workplace contributor and entrepreneur Tory Johnson and SUCCESS Publisher Darren Hardy, as well as the opportunity to submit questions for the SUCCESS editors. Were giving you all the resources we have to help you succeed. SUCCESS will select one grand prize winner from three nalists to be in a feature-length story in the August issue. The runners-up will be featured in a sidebar to the story. The fabulous prizes? Were still nalizing prizes at press time, but from what weve seen so far, they are sure to please. Stay tuned. Visit SUCCESS.com/winbig on Jan. 17 to get started.

More help online from Tory and Darren Hardy too!

Step No.
Own Your Destiny: What Could I Be If I Refuse to Fail?

If you could wave your magic wand and make three things happen in your business, what would they be? Not 30 or 300 things: When you make a list thats a mile long, youll never tackle it. But three is a number you can wrap your head around. Be specic. For example, maybe you want to get out of debt. Too vague. Instead, make it clear: Pay off the $9,000 credit card balance in four months. Marianne Carlson, One of the items on your list may be make more moneyagain, thats obvious. Instead, be a.k.a. The Granny Geek deliberate and targeted: Generate $20,000 in sales in the next three months. Next, dene yourself and declare your expertise. Coin your nickname or monikerand own it. My client Marianne Carlson calls herself The Granny Geek because she makes complicated web design simplenot what youd expect from a woman in her 60s. I love when someone stops me in the airport or on the street and says, Hey, youre that jobs lady on TV. I smile because Ive worked very hard to establish that reputation and it feels good to see my hard work pay off. That doesnt happen in a vacuum. I nurture it every day. You must gure out what exactly you want to be known for before you can build an effective plan to make it happen. There you go: four initial steps to get your mojo going in this new year. Ill talk to you next month about identifying and listening to your customers and building a specic type of list thats among the best weapons in my sales arsenal. In the meantime, Ill be blogging every week at SUCCESS.com and Ill be following your stories on SUCCESS.com/winbig. Let the Challenge begin! S
FEBRUARY 2012

Kimberly Cline

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