SUCCESS.com SUCCESS book SUmmariESPage 1

bY THe eDiTORs OF SUCCESS MaGaZine

SEPTEMBER

2013

BOOK SUMMARY

SUCCESS PointsThis book will teach you how to:

• Move past self-imposed barriers to successful entrepreneurship

• Develop a business idea that aligns with your passion and expertise

• Create a workable strategy

• Defi ne your brand

• Effectively market to and engage with your potential clients

sound Wisdom© 2013, susan baroncini-Moeisbn: 9781937879228232 pages

Head, Heart, and How-To A Comprehensive Guide to Entrepreneurship

QUICK OVERVIEWCreating an all-encompassing manual for launching a business is a huge undertaking… one that Susan

Baroncini-Moe admits she had neither the time nor page count to accomplish. But her new book Business in Blue Jeans comes close, as it delves into topics ranging from dealing with “brain junk”—the negative self-talk

and sabotaging behaviors that cause many businesses to fail—to defi ning and reaching one’s target market.

The author’s conversational tone and transparency make Business in Blue Jeans engaging and educational,

particularly for new or aspiring business owners. This book is not a step-by-step guide for the nitty-gritty

aspects of business ownership, such as securing funding or managing business fi nances. Instead it takes an

overarching look at how to select the business model and strategies that best fi t the entrepreneur’s unique

personality, passion and expertise. The outcome for which Baroncini-Moe strives is to help her readers and

clients create businesses that are profi table and strong enough to withstand inevitable challenges.

APPLY AND ACHIEVE Author and business coach Susan Baroncini-Moe doesn’t think everyone should wear blue jeans to work.

That’s her style. But she is quick to advise clients and readers to build businesses that fi t them as comfortably

as their favorite pair of blue jeans. That may mean starting a home-based or location-independent opportunity,

or establishing an enterprise that operates out of a Manhattan high-rise. The important thing is to design (or

re-design) your business so that it suits you perfectly. To do that requires honesty. You have to know who you

are and what you want.

One of the homework activities Baroncini-Moe assigns in her book is creating a “Why Budget.” The fi rst

step is writing down what you want—the trips you want to take, the causes you want to support, the retirement

fund you want to build, the trinkets and toys you want to acquire. Then attach a dollar fi gure to each item on

your list. Knowing how much your wants and wishes cost will help you choose a business model and strategy

that can make your dream lifestyle a reality.

Business in Blue Jeans How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own Terms, in Your Own Styleby Susan Baroncini-Moe

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summarybusiness in blue jeans

Entrepreneurs get tripped up in many ways. When you think

about all the business mistakes people can make, you may think about

things like not having a good business plan or not having enough capital

to finance your endeavor. You might think about poor branding or bad

marketing strategies.

You might not realize that a business can get derailed before it even gets

started just because of what I call “brain junk.” Brain junk is the mental

baggage that gets in your way, and it can stop you from having a successful

business before you’ve even started it.If you’ve ever thought, I want to start a business, but I can’t because I’m not

smart enough, and I don’t know anything about business, or I want to grow my business, but I can’t because I don’t have enough money, or My business hasn’t grown, and it must be because I’m not good enough, then you have

some brain junk. If you’ve ever wondered why other people seem to be able to

create successful businesses while you flounder, then you have some brain

junk. And we’re going to handle the brain junk before we get into the nuts and

bolts of your business.

DON’T SKIP THIS STUFF!Early in my career, occasionally I would get a client who was

emphatically against working on the personal elements. These clients

wanted to jump into branding and marketing their businesses because

they thought the nuts and bolts pieces were the most important things

they needed.

That’s when I discovered that entrepreneurs who skip the Brain Junk

Step often end up creating businesses that don’t bring them joy, thinking

too small, branding for the short term, and getting stuck pretty quickly. In

fact, willingness to work on your brain junk is a good indicator for whether

you’ll be successful or not.

Working through the brain junk now means that you can sort out the

voices in your head and get absolute clarity on what’s in your heart. It

means that you can open yourself up to all the things you’ve never allowed

yourself to dream about or hope for in life and start seeing those things as

possible. It means that you can change how you see yourself so that you

can walk taller and feel stronger. It means that you can learn to deal with

self-doubt and fear—intermittent companions for most entrepreneurs—so

that you conquer them, and not the other way around.

Here’s the really big secret most successful entrepreneurs don’t want you

to know: Even the most successful people in the world experience self-doubt.

Everybody has it.

What sets really successful people apart from everyone else is that we

work on our brain junk so that nothing stands in our way. So let’s deal with it

and then move on to the nuts and bolts.

“GRASSHOPPER MODE”There’s a story in the Bible about the children of Israel who, upon

reaching the Promised Land, were afraid to enter. The verse says, “And

there we saw the giants and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and

so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:33 KJV).

This “grasshopper mode” is something that happens to everyone. We

see the “giants” in our field and think of ourselves as grasshoppers. But

we’ve all been grasshoppers at one time or another. And more importantly,

we’re all grasshoppers compared to somebody with more experience

or expertise.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Going back to that verse, “And

there we saw the giants and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers,

and so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:33 KJV). When you see yourself as

a grasshopper, you essentially teach others how to see you. You put off a

“vibe” that tells people that you see yourself as a grasshopper and that you

are a grasshopper.

See yourself as small and insignificant, and others will see you that

way, too. But see yourself as someone important, as someone who’s on the

verge of being hugely successful, and that’s how the world will see you.

If you see yourself as a grasshopper though, it’s not so easy to start

seeing yourself as a giant. And even giants have their grasshopper days.

Even the most successful people in the world experience self-doubt.

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Successful people experience fear and doubt and mindset issues all the time, just like you do. We

just know what to do about it.

Authenticity and Your Real StoryWe all tell stories about ourselves—to others and to ourselves. But the stories you tell yourself

aren’t always the same as the stories you tell the world, are they? You want the world to see you a

certain way, but that’s not always the way that you see yourself.

Successful people know how to get honest with their stories and make sure they’re telling

authentic stories to the world and to themselves. That means the story you tell yourself has to be the

same as the story you tell the world. It all has to be authentic.If you don’t get your stories in harmony, they’re going to clash, and ultimately, two things will

happen: 1) You’ll be found out, and 2) your progress toward your dreams will be threatened. When

you’re not telling the same stories to the world that you’re telling yourself about who you are and

what you’re capable of, the disharmony pervades every aspect of your life.

Ask yourself if you’re being authentic. Are you being honest about your story—who you are, what

you’ve experienced, and where you are today? This is a time to get really honest. What’s your story?

What are you trying to hide from? What don’t you want other people to know? You want to get to the

heart of this, because sure enough, even if you think you’re hiding it, your story, your true story, will

show up in the way that you show up, in your business, in your interaction with clients, and in your

sales process.

For example, if you’re desperate to pay your bills, you don’t want to show that in your business.

You’ll try to look successful, but ultimately, without you even realizing it, you’ll probably show up as

desperate to make a sale. If your true story and the story you tell the world don’t coincide, the truth

will shine through, even when you think it won’t. So get clear about what your story is, especially the

parts you’re hiding from, and turn that story around so it works for you, not against you.

WHO COMPRISES YOUR TARGET MARKET?Your target market is who you want to work with and who you’re going to market to—the specific

subset of people who are the kind of people that you are going to craft your brand to attract. Your

target market is defined by certain demographic, geographic, psychographic (how they think) and

even technographic (how they use technology) characteristics, and by their hobbies, interests, and

lifestyle choices.

Choosing a target market can be scary for entrepreneurs. You may be worried that if you narrow

your market down too much, you won’t have enough business, or you’ll miss somebody who wants

to do business with you.

Have you ever gotten a gift from someone that tells you that person wasn’t thinking of you at all?

Someone once gave me a pair of wool gloves, which would have been a nice gift…for someone

The Village

They say “It takes a village to raise a child,” but it also takes a village to grow a business. Every village needs the following:

Masterminds: A mastermind is a group designed to achieve a specific outcome by the coordination of the knowledge and effort of its members.

Networks: The best way to build a great network is to dive in and get to know a lot of people. Weed out the people who aren’t nice or who aren’t good at what they do. That way you can recommend the right person for the right job when the time comes.

Administrative: This group is made up of people who provide goods and services that help your business run better. These are people like your web developer, graphic designer, sales team, assistants, and other staff members.

Advisory: This is perhaps the most important group of all (but then, I may be a little biased). Your advisory group is paramount to your success. Included in your advisory group are your legal team, accounting team, and mentoring team.

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else. I’m not allergic to wool, but I am highly sensitive to it. I’ve tried

every form of wool, even the softest, newest blends, and there is no

form of wool that I can wear. And most of my friends know this about

me, because they are the annual recipients of wool socks that I love to

knit, but only make for other people, because I can’t wear them. The

person who gave me those wool gloves meant well but was using the

worst-ever strategy of gift-giving—giving someone a gift that you

would want.

The best strategy of gift-giving, the way to give someone a gift

that they will never return or hide away in a drawer (or worse, re-gift),

is to buy them something that he or she wants. But just imagine if

you had to buy a birthday gift for someone using the best strategy of

gift-giving, where you wanted to give what the person wanted—only

you didn’t know who you were buying the gift for, you didn’t know

any characteristics of the person, you didn’t even know what the

person wanted. Worse, once you bought whatever gift you were going

to buy, you didn’t know where to send the gift. It’s an impossible

scenario, right?

It’s just as impossible as not choosing a clear target market and

trying to create a brand, products, or services to serve… someone.

How could you possibly know where to begin?

Your business is a gift. But it’s not a gift that everyone in the world

needs or that everyone wants (even if you think they should). Instead

of giving people what you think they’d want or, worse, what you’d like

to give them, you need to choose who you’re going to give your gift to

and get to know that group of people so that you can make your gift

into the format that they want most.

To choose a target market (or hone the one you have), you must

face the fear of not being everything to everybody. I’ve seen this

happen in virtually every industry. Many entrepreneurs think if they

narrow down their market, by excluding people, they’ll lose business.

If you don’t narrow your market, you’ll have more potential clients,

but fewer of them will come to you, because they won’t know if you

can address their specific needs.

If you do narrow your market, you’ll have fewer potential clients,

but you’ll also have a much higher quality of prospective clients. Plus,

they’ll be more likely to want what you have to offer because you’ll have

tailored your products and services specifically to their driving needs.

Are you being honest about your story—who you are, what you’ve experienced, and where you are today?

DEFINING YOUR TARGET MARKET

Much of the process of defining your target market goes back to your

fire (or passion) and your expertise. The sweet spot where those two

areas merge may provide a key to the direction to head in. However, if

you’re like me, your sweet spot may not give away all the answers. My

sweet spot includes writing, speaking, teaching, and business. There

are a number of directions I could go in with that sweet spot, so I had to

narrow down what I really loved most about the things in that sweet spot

and who I most enjoyed working with.

If your sweet spot doesn’t give you the answers, then ask who

you like working with. Much of your target market selection is based

on your choice and who you enjoy working with the most. This step

focuses on identifying when you feel the happiest, when you feel the

most passionate about what you do, and when you’re really making

a difference. You’re choosing a target market that fits you. It’s your

business, after all, and you get to work with people you like.

Ask yourself who you like working with and who you’re comfortable

working with. As you’re answering this question, notice any limiting

beliefs that may emerge. This can be a tricky moment. Self-worth issues

really get in the way of the choice you make here.

Understanding Your Target MarketOnce you’ve defined your target market clearly, get to know them. You

should know them almost better than they know themselves. Everything

in your business flows from this point forward. Knowing your target

market means you can create products and services that appeal to them,

design a brand that attracts them, and develop marketing campaigns

that draw them in.

summarybusiness in blue jeans

LEANING INTO YOUR MARKETINGHave you ever had a fantastic conversation with someone where

you were so interested in what the other person had to say that you

were leaning in so far that you were practically falling out of your seat?

That’s the essence of the philosophy of leaning into your marketing.

Leaning in is a physical expression, a body gesture that tells

people you care about what they have to say. When you lean into your

marketing, you tell your target market you care what they have to say;

more importantly, you’re willing to act on it.

Back in the old days, companies didn’t have to interact with their

customers, at least not the way we do today. Companies had customer

service phone lines where you’d call for help, and that was about it.

When I was growing up, long customer service lines were a favorite

topic in the Sunday comic strips.

Today, everything’s different. Customers with concerns head to

social media and into the blogosphere to make their cases in the

public eye. Companies can’t hide behind sterile customer service

departments. And with companies like Zappos striving to create a

world-class customer experience, businesses can’t afford to ignore

the customer experience. In fact, leaning into your marketing is a

philosophy that combines marketing with the customer experience,

because customer experience has become so vital to a company’s

success. Leaning into your marketing means engaging with your

customers in your marketing and delivering an incredible experience.

It’s making your research about your target market and your desire to

understand them continuous and ongoing and engaging in every step

of the process with them to ensure they have an amazing experience.

This engagement takes place in every facet of your business, and

the method entails you going to them and going a step beyond. Your

marketing is where the conversation begins. The leaning in is the part

where the engagement goes that extra step beyond.

Your business is a gift. But it’s not a gift that everyone in the world needs or that everyone wants (even if you think they should).

Assessing Your Target Market

You’ll need to answer a few questions to make sure you’ve found a target market that will help you grow your business.

Does your target market want what you have to offer?An audience that already knows what you have to offer is of use to them is an audience that will be much

easier to sell to than an audience that has to be convinced that your product or service is worthwhile.

Can the target market you’ve defined afford to buy your products and services?You can build a business two ways: on pricing, where you increase your prices and make more by

charging more, or on volume, where you keep your prices low, but make money by selling a bunch of what you have to offer.

If you’re going to choose a target market without many resources, you’ll have to be willing to sell at a lower price and build your business on volume.

Find out if your target market can afford what you’re going to offer. Don’t get hung up on general economic conditions or what you think they can afford. Get in there and do the research so you know.

Are there enough of them out there to sustain you?There’s a delicate balance here: If you’ve defined a target market too narrowly, then there may not be

enough people in that market to sustain you and your business. On the other hand, if you’ve defined it well, you’ll find plenty of business.

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Action Steps Get more out of this SUCCESS Book Summary by applying what you’ve learned. Here are a

few questions, thoughts and activities to get you started.

1. How do you see yourself and your potential as an entrepreneur?

2. Watch out for negative self-talk this week. Make a list of those thoughts (aka, the “voices in your head” and then objectively evaluate each one. Are they 100 percent true? If not, replace them with true and positive messages.

3. Create an inventory of your successes. Keep a running list of all your achievements.

4. What is the story you tell others about yourself? What is your true story? Are you being authentic?

5. Use the questions in the sidebar, “Assessing Your Target Market,” to choose or refi ne your target market.

6. Create a profi le of your ideal client or prospect so you can understand and address their real needs and desires.

7. Make a list of all the places where you can connect with and engage your target market.

About the AuthorSusan Baroncini-Moe is founder and president of Business in Blue Jeans, a

business and marketing coaching and consulting fi rm focused on helping entrepreneurs

and small-business owners start and grow successful businesses. Her businesses have

been featured in Redbook, USA Today, MSNBC, the BBC, Time, Reuters US, Reuters UK,

Slate.com and Discovery.

Recommended Reading If you enjoyed the summary of Business in Blue Jeans,

you may also want to check out:

The Impact Equation by Chris BroganDuct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch

Focal Point by Brian Tracy

© 2013 SUCCESS. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission. Published by SUCCESS, 200 Swisher Rd., Lake Dallas, TX 75065, USA. SUCCESS.com. Summarized by permission of the publisher, Sound Wisdom. Business in Blue Jeans by Susan Baroncini-Moe. © 2013 by Susan Baroncini-Moe.