Business Strategy: Clarify Your Purpose And Vision

Whether it's the beginning of a new year or we're half way through, you want it to be your best year ever. You are no doubt doing some planning for how to make that happen. You are doing some planning aren't you?

I'd like to recommend you take some time to really clarify your Purpose and Vision.

Clear purpose and vision are the keys to giving you a focus and direction. Unfortunately, that's something that is all too often lacking from small businesses. What you need to do is quite simple, but may challenge you if you've never taken the step before.

Here are a few ideas to help you make this your best year ever.

A clear purpose describes what you are out to cause with your business. Have you lost track of your purpose? Do you remember what led you to start or get into your business in the first place?

* Three questions to ponder as you seek to re-ignite the purpose in your business:

What do you really want out of life?

What do you really not want in your life?

What would you be willing to give up in order to live the life you want?

Answer these questions honestly and build your business around the life you want to live. Talk about a purpose that would set you on fire.

* Here's an idea for creating your vision. Think of the absolute greatest outcome that you can possible imagine that your best clients would really want from your service. Build your vision around being "the resource" that works to deliver that.

* Examine your values and principles and then determine what you want your business to be in the future. Find your favorite way to relax quietly and let your mind open to dwell in what's possible.

* Imagine yourself in a private movie theater watching a movie of your future self in 10 years. As the movie ends you notice you've been joined by the star of the show. Ask them any question you want about how they got to that place of great success in the movie. What was your future self's purpose and vision.

This may seem silly to you at first, but if you open your mind up to accept that the visioning process will work, you'll be amazed at the answers that will emerge.

Clarify Your Business Presentations with an Editable Map

When you need to put together a professional business presentation that shows illustrations or locations, an editable map can help you pinpoint and clarify your message. Whether you're giving an oral presentation with visual aids or a written presentation, you can customize editable maps to meet your needs.

What is an Editable Map?

An editable map is one that can be edited to meet the demands of your presentation with colors, text, lines, and so forth. These maps can be purchased online and downloaded into a variety of formats. Editable maps are available for different locations around the world. You can buy, download and edit any type of map you need - country map, world map, US map, state map, county map, continent map, illustrator map, or digital map.

Formats for Editable Maps

Editable maps come in a variety of formats including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and freehand. Vector maps are available in layered, fully editable vector format. These can be edited in Adobe Illustrator or with another vector editing tool. There are also PowerPoint maps, Flash maps (for Web applications), and HTML clickable maps (for interactive online presentations).

PowerPoint maps dazzle everyone when giving marketing and sales presentations. They're also perfect for territory assignments, store locators, and many other applications. Flash maps are great for website presentations or multimedia projects. Clickable HTML maps work well for online store locators and directories. With clickable maps, visitors to your website can quickly click a section within your map to find out where your company's stores, warehouses, plants, or offices are located.

Pinpoint Locations around the World in Your Presentations

With such a variety of editable maps available, you can easily pinpoint a location anywhere in the world. There are maps for the continents, countries, regions or states, and cities. You can generalize or be very specific in your presentation with minimal effort. For instance, you might need to generalize all states or regions on a whole USA map or you might need to focus on only one state within the USA using a state map.

Give Professional Presentations

Editable maps not only make it easier to pinpoint locations, but also add a sense of professionalism to your presentations. The phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true with almost any presentation. Your live audience or readers will better relate to your words when they're able to view an illustrative map. The editable map enables you to turn your words into an illustration with just the click of a mouse - no artistic skills required. A side benefit is that a visual aid can also take the edge off when you're nervous about speaking in front of people.

You can find a variety of editable maps online at affordable prices. Editable maps usually range from $20 to $100 and can be purchased from your own home or office computer. They can also be used to enhance company brochures, newsletters, magazines, bulletins, and a number of other written applications. With editable maps, you can transform your next ordinary presentation into a dynamic one!