Mind Your Business

How do you know when you're ready to follow your dream and start your own business? At what point is it time to leave the safety of what you know to jump off into a new venture? I'm often asked two questions: "Mark, how do I start my own business?" (which is a podcast all its own) and "Mark, how do I know when it's time to leave my job and start my own business full-time?" These are both great questions. Please note that there are important things to consider before you jump. In this podcast, I speak about real issues that face the entrepreneur who wants to make his mark on the world. Entrepreneurs who plan to be successful must consider not only the market they wish to dominate, but their level of tenacity and confidence, and their willingness to leave the safety of the shore to launch out on the adventure of entrepreneurship. I hope you enjoy this podcast. More importantly, I hope it propels you to take whatever next steps you've been waiting to take.  

-Mark

What is leverage and how does it affect your business? Simply stated, leverage is using something and/or someone to maximize your advantage. It is a way to exert minimum effort to achieve maximum results. A smart business owner will utilize the talents and efforts of others who have expertise in areas that they don't. When you leverage other resources, you not only benefit from the experience of other people's trials and errors, but you avoid the time and expense of start up costs. The idea is to work smart. Entrepreneurs are innovators that change the way we live and work. They bring vision to the marketplace and creative ideas that can change the world. Leveraging the knowledge and expertise of others affords entrepreneurs a way to focus on what is really important: their customer. 

- Mark

If you want to stand heads above the crowd in your industry, you must have a strong value proposition. Your competitors have one. Ask yourself: What do I bring to the market that is unique? What do I do that is special and adds value to my product or service? How does it help my customer? Sit down with pen and paper and determine those values. Even better, utilize a large whiteboard to write out your ideas or go online and download a free mind mapping tool. In this episode, I share my experience with creating value propositions and how using them has positively impacted my business. Remember to keep your customer in mind when you choose 2 or 3 values that make you special. They should be simple, memorable, and repeatable. Enjoy this episode and reach out to me with your questions and comments. I would be interested to hear about your experience starting your own business and what factors determined your value proposition. As always, thank you for listening. I appreciate this audience so much. 

- Mark 

Do you ever find yourself distracted or knocked off course from your goals? When life gets busy, it's easy to get diverted from my true North. How do I get myself back on track when I start to lose focus or direction? In this podcast, I discuss 6 tools that steer me back to my chosen course. If you have five minutes and a desire to make an impact on your world, you will benefit from these tools. I am committed to them and they map my course. I hope you enjoy this podcast and encourage you to share it with your friends. Please reach out to me if you have questions at www.drmarklew.com. I'm here to help you.

-Mark

I have people ask me all the time, "Mark, how can I become a more creative person?" The answer is simple. You are already creative! People, by their very nature, are creative. The frustration comes from having so many creative ideas without a way to harness and use those ideas. In this multi-part series, I will teach you how to recognize, capture, hone, and deploy those creative ideas you have in your head. I am very excited to share this series with you because it's a topic I'm passionate about. Creativity and innovation go hand in hand. Equipped with the tools you'll hear in this podcast series, you will undoubtedly unlock the door to your creative power and expand your personal capacity to make a difference in the world. And don't worry, you don't have to be lying on a sandy beach, hiking in the beautiful mountains, or sailing across the Pacific Ocean to generate fantastic ideas. You can be creative ANYWHERE. Please share this episode with your friends, family, and co-workers. I hope it makes a difference. Thank you for listening. 

-Mark

Your personal brand is everything! In my last podcast, Your Personal Brand is Everything!, I talked about the importance of building your personal brand and the ways in which companies and individuals successfully brand themselves. In Part 2, I want you to ask yourself some important questions. Do you have the resources and the talent to reach your goals? Do you have someone in your life who will be your mirror? What do you do if you fail? Take some time to consider these questions and answer them honestly. Awareness is a key component of moving forward toward success. Enjoy Part 2 of this podcast and reach out to me if you have questions you need answered. Building a personal brand you can be proud of requires discipline, an open mind, awareness, and a passion to succeed and follow your dreams. Remember: You are in control of building your personal brand. And if you don't take the time to build your own, you'll be working for someone else who did. Thank you for listening. 

- Mark

How important is a personal brand? Do certain qualities come to mind when you hear Amazon, Starbucks and Apple? This is because these companies have successfully branded themselves as the best in the business. Like a corporation, you too are constantly branding yourself. Do you post your ideas and photographs on social media? With what purpose in mind? Are you not branding yourself by portraying your best, or, in some cases, your worst self to the world? What do people say about you behind your back? Are you known for being kind, punctual, generous and hard-working? Maybe you are creative and intelligent, but cranky and undisciplined? You are in control of building your personal brand. And if you don't build your own, you'll find yourself working for someone else who did. Either be "the man" or be controlled by "the man." I hope you enjoy Part 1 of this two-part series, Your Personal Brand is Everything! Stay tuned for Steps 2-5 of how to effectively build your personal brand. It might be helpful to have a pen and notepad handy to jot down some notes. Remember, becoming the brand you want to show the world is up to you!

- Mark

I have often been asked about relationships and entrepreneurship and how the two mix. In my belief, relationships can be one of two things: a lever or an anchor. A lever is something that provides influence and allows you to use a simple amount of effort to get multiple times the value. In a similar way, an anchor creates enough hold to stop a large vessel from moving against heavy wind and current. Now consider your relationships. Are they levers, pulling you toward achievement? Or are they anchors, stopping forward movement and perhaps pulling you down? Personal relationships can have either a positive or a negative impact on your career. Do you communicate your entrepreneurial visions and desires to your partner? Do you listen to their dreams as well? Are you setting clear and reasonable expectations early in the relationship? Ponder these questions. My hope is that they help you to craft relationships that are purposefully aligned, effective, and successful. We don't have control over when relationships come into our lives but we do have control over our actions when they do. Communication is key. Thank you for listening. 

- Mark 

Relationships are one of the most valuable and precious commodities we have in the world today. Mr. Todd Thoman is a close, personal friend and perhaps one of the finest relationship builders I've ever met. He is genuine and kind, a hard worker and a man who finds purpose in serving others with a strong desire to leave a powerful and positive impact on the world. From his early days in the entertainment industry, to his experience in the retail world of high-end fashion and luxury goods, to his cutting-edge work today in healthcare, Todd remains, at his core, a man who believes in the power of relationships built on integrity. His humble nature draws people of influence to him. Thank you, Todd, for sharing your experience and wisdom with Mind Your Business. The ride is just beginning for Mr. Thoman and retirement is out of the question. I can't wait to see what's next. Listeners, as always, I thank you for taking the time to listen and to pass on the information you find of value. I encourage you to share this podcast with those aspiring to cultivate and strengthen their business and personal relationships. 

- Mark

What a pleasure to sit down with Stephanie Flynn, owner and operator of Fit Body Boot Camp! Stephanie is a busy woman, running 4 FBBC locations in Tulsa, Owasso and Bixby and raising a young daughter. Her mission is to help transform the health of local women so they can discover their potential to live healthy and fulfilling lives. She believes that we all have the potential and the power within ourselves to be, do and have whatever we want in our lives. Her own story of overcoming a deadly eating disorder and almost losing her life, has equipped her with perhaps the most powerful gift she has to give...experience. Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your incredible experience with us. I know that our listeners will find great value in the tools you use to stay motivated and to empower women to push beyond their self-imposed limits to discover the beautiful potential underneath the doubt and fear. As Stephanie shared, asking for help is key. We're all in this together and here to help each other. If you are looking to transform your life and your attitude, you won't find a better coach than Stephanie Flynn. Thank you for listening. 

- Mark 

ABOUT STEPHANIE FLYNN

Hi my name is Stephanie Flynn, and I started Tulsa Fit Body Boot Camp to help transform the health of local women, so they can discover their potential to live healthy and fulfilling lives. In less than one year, I completely transformed my life, and became a Bill Phillips’ Transformation Champion in 2009, and now I would like to share what I have learned to help you make the transformation you deserve! At Tulsa FBBC, we educate and empower you with the knowledge and skills to transform your health, fitness, and entire well-being. Following the less is more principle, we teach you proven, reliable ways to exercise and eat right without having to kill yourself in the gym or starve yourself with calorie restriction. We also provide you with accountability, support and friends through our group personal training classes and accountability programs. With our guidance, you will shed fat, negativity, and excess baggage to become the healthy, happy and fit person you were created to be! By being the change and teaching women basic and simple transformation tools, I plan to transform the health of 1000s of women and children in Oklahoma, one person at a time, starting with YOU!

“Empowering women to gain confidence, lose body fat, and reach their true potential in life, even if they are pressed for time, have tried everything to change and nothing else has worked, and feel they are at a point of no return.”  

Stephanie Flynn

Tulsa Fit Body Boot Camp

3131 South Yale Avenue Tulsa, OK 74135

(918)960-0872 ‎