But who could have guessed that a young boy would have built a business of this magnitude by starting selling matches to his neighbours. This is exactly what Ingvar Kamprad the founder of IKEA did.

The name IKEA was formed from Kamprad’s initials (I.K.) plus the first letters of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, the farm and village where he grew up.

Kamprad was born in Sweden in 1926 and raised on a farm called Elmtaryd, near the village of Agunnaryd. At an early age, he found he could buy matches in bulk from Stockholm and sell them at a fair price, yet earning a good profit. He kept reinvested his profits and expanded his business.

He began selling a variety of goods, including fish, seeds, Christmas tree decorations, wallets, watches, jewellery, stockings and pens. Anything he could buy at a low price and resell for a profit. Furniture was added to the product line in 1947.

He sourced this furniture from local manufacturers which enabled him to keep his costs down. The furniture was incredibly successful, and in 1951, Kamprad decided to discontinue all other product lines and focus just on his furniture business.

In 1953, the first IKEA showroom opened. The showroom allowed people to see it, touch it, feel it, and be sure of the quality before buying. Anyone that has visited one of their showrooms know how innovative they are, as are many of their products. My first coffee table came from IKEA, and my first gym was furnished with IKEA lounge furniture in our relaxation area. Being the avid reader that I am, with the huge collection of books that I have collected over the years, to me IKEA is synonymous with bookcases.

I read his biography Leading by Design, the IKEA story and I am sure the book, like his story is one that could inspire anyone on their entrepreneurial journey. Leading By Design is about the inspiring ideas and innovations that make a business work. It worked for him in a big way.

His number one rule of success is that nothing is impossible

In 1955, IKEA began to design its own furniture as a means to be more competitive. They introduced what they have truly become known for and that was flat pack furniture.

Kamprad’s vision has been the driving force behind IKEA’s success, and it all started with his match business as a little boy. . Kamprad is a rags to riches story and he is someone that has always appreciated a frugal living lifestyle.

SO to me Kamprad is a shining example of someone who has the right ethos in life who can through hard work and belief achieve success.

Let him be an example to you!

in Passion for Business

Written By Larry Lewis

Passion for Business

in Passion for Business

Written By Larry Lewis

Be What You Wanna Be

in Entrepreneurship

Written By Larry Lewis

Indeed this is a wonderful goal, and with the passion she has I see her making her mark, and truly helping thousands of families benefiting from the benefits that come from good health.

She is a firm believer in certain supplements, indeed she would talk to you with total belief and passion about these products because they have helped to transform both her own life and that of her children.

But my advice to her, in way of a warning, was that the world does not need another peddler of health products, there are already way to many sales people out there selling health products particularly wrapped around the Network Marketing model. I am telling her to be what you wanna be, be your genuine self, do the things that come naturally to you, if you’re a teacher teach, a leader then lead, or a mother that cares about other mums and their children, then show it by doing what comes naturally to you.

I love her belief in her products but she has to strike a balance to where they fit in the business she is building. Is the business there in the first place to educate, teach, inspire … to provide information enabling families to adopt healthy living philosophies … educating pregnant women, one of her true motivations, how to treat their bodies right ensuring they nurture the life being created within them, or is it all a cloak to sell supplements.

I strongly suggest selling products, you believe in, ones that reinforce the message you put across through your work, but they are there to supplement your business, to monetize what you do, they, in my eyes are not the reason for doing it. Be what you wanna be, means doing in business what you thinks fits your skills and strengths, not just do what someone has told you to do to make money.

Do I get out of bed every morning to sell products from my wellness stores. No! Do I get up to inspire and motivate others into action, you bet I do.

I see my business as much about my personal branding as anything else. It’s about who I am, what I’ve done, the things I know, the things I do, and why I do them. By demonstrating all this clearly to others it brings me new opportunities and helps me to achieve the goals I’ve for myself. Much of my business is built upon presenting my philosophy and message as clearly as possible.

The impact that a successful brand can have on a business’ bottom line is incredible, and the rewards that stem from a strong personal brand are just as valuable. And yes that is where the benefits of having strong products comes into play.

So although I make a very sizeable income from selling products through my online shops I do not define myself as a ‘retailer’ or a ‘shopkeeper’. They are just an extension to who I am, a wellness life coach.

As a life coach I have helped many clients achieve personal growth by harnessing their inner power. And build their future by being who they want to be in business not who they think they need to be. This assists them to uncover the obstacles that hinder their fulfillment and find the answers to their deepest questions.

The results we achieve depend on what we focus on in each moment. Focusing our time and energy on the wrong things is something we can’t afford to do.

December is drawing to an end. Christmas is almost upon us. Use this time to take stock of your career as the year comes to a close. How’s your job working out for you? Are you happy with what you’re doing? Is it the job of your dreams? Are you who you want to be?

It has become apparent to me that many that seek to build an online business don’t understand the importance of building their personal brand and allowing this to be created around their passions, and I will be writing a series of posts so that you can be what you wanna be and enjoy the success this will bring.

There are many of us who have that entrepreneurial fire in our belly. When the limitations of your “9 to 5” job get too much for you to any long accept the frustrations, your entrepreneurial spirit are telling you it’s time to make a change. And what better place to go than to where your passion for business meet.

When you can no longer cope with holding no passion for your job, it’s time for you to leave your comfort zone at your current job, and take a plunge into the challenging, uncharted waters of entrepreneurship.

We are more effective, more successful and much happier when we are doing things we are passionate about. Unfortunately, too many people lose touch with their passions as they get caught up trying to make ends meet or doing what others expect of them.

Passion is the critical factor in determining business success. Look around you at the parts of your life that you enjoy the most. Think about the products and services that you have the strongest feelings about. What in your life do you care so much about that you want to bring it to the world.

Think about your interests and strengths. Do you love to play video games or do your enthralments lie with fashion or make-up? Do you love music, movies, or sports? Do you spend every minute of your spare time exploring the countryside, reading up on history or baking cakes for your friends?

I spent a little time yesterday with a man that has begun an exciting journey. Like me he is a 50 something, but also similar to me he doesn’t see age as a hindrance to his dreams. He is still inspired by the possibilities awaiting him, and he has taken a big step towards fulfilling a big dream of his.

He said to me ‘I’m sick of driving a bus.’

Ever wondered why some people take a radically new direction in their careers? He had a career, a way of life but got to the point where he needed a change in direction. Something was missing – the fire had gone out and he needed to rediscover a purpose for his life.

He now was taking his passion for entrepreneurship, for creating a business where he saw an opportunity that was currently not being met, around something he loved, motorbikes and automobiles. You couldn’t meet someone more following his heart or highly motivated with a sense of mission. He truly has a passion for business and I have no doubts he’ll succeed.

Many businesses started as the result of someone’s passion and then their drive to make this thing that they love to do the method through which they make money. People who are genuinely passionate about what they do have a strong probability of success because with purpose and passion they can move mountains.

A dream doesn’t drive you; it draws you. It is like a big magnet that pulls you toward itself.

In my mind there could be nothing better than harnessing your greatest passion to realise your potential and build a business around them. Following one’s passion is critical to any entrepreneur. Passion is key for entrepreneurial success. Passion can be fulfilled in many ways and within different occupations or businesses.

Building a business requires a lot of time, money and effort; when you truly enjoy what you do it becomes a great source of energy and inspiration. It’s so important that what you sell and market interests you; trying to motivate yourself to sell something you have no interest in is exponentially harder than being involved in what you love.

Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. David Frost

When you start up a business built on a genuine passion, magical things can happen. You not only gain immense satisfaction from spending time doing what you love, but that same excitement naturally helps you excite and compel everyone you come across in business – your employees, backers and clients.

When you bring your passion for business to reality imagine the type of life you will live. When you wake up in the morning you choose how you will spend your day and what activities you will engage in. Imagine a life filled with happiness because you are doing exactly what you want to do. Your day will be filled with the people, activities, and events that bring you the most happiness. Not a bad way of living I’m sure you’d agree.

When building an online business, you’re going to need the right training and tools for internet success. It’s like trying to put together a huge jigsaw puzzle but when you bring your passions for business then you have the biggest piece you’re going to need.

From our own experience, and from the many individuals and businesses we’ve trained, we know how challenging it is to start a new business and how many questions need to be answered to get you from square one to where you want to go, but when the business is built around your passions you truly have the magic formula. When it’s not you will generally get stuck somewhere on the path.

I have an intense passion for business mentoring finding it incredibly satisfying helping others make their dreams come true. Once you know what your passions are, then bring them towards the business that will accelerate your life and your dreams into being real.

The most important question you can ask yourself is: “Am I really doing what I want?”

Are you ready to powerfully align with your brilliance, passions and purpose; and grow the business you know in your heart you were born to create?

Are you following your passions? Are you doing what brings you joy?

If you need support in finding your passions, or determining how to bring your passions for business, contact me and lets talk.

Email me at coach@larry-lewis.com or drop me a comment.

You may be surprised to find out that I don’t believe the first thing on our agenda was indeed a question of the business itself.

In fact I believe that he needs to discover his why. My first question to him was ‘what is your why.’

Starting with his motivation and purpose will find many of the answers he seeks. When you first think about why you want to do something, the actions you take as a result of that, and how you do them, will give you a clear indication of what is or isn’t happening within the business in this point of time.

Knowing what is your why propels you towards your dream, and at the same time closer to authenticity, closer to being the person you are meant to be.

Finding your why has got to be one of the most important things you can do for both your life and your business. . It will point you in the direction of your purpose in life. Show you what you are passionate about. It is unbelievable to me how many people struggle through not having any idea about their ‘why’. Indeed they are clueless to what it is they’re really trying to do, they just amble on.

In business they spend so much time searching for the answers to business success never thinking about the ‘why’.

So why is the ‘why’ important? Well, because it is what drives the passion, the heart and soul of both you and your business.

In reality it gives you a bigger reason for being in business than just making a profit. In a way I refer it as being ‘the calling’. Man has achieved incredible feats when called to arms, when driven by a passion and desire; something meaningful to them, far exceeding just monetary value.

We all have the ability, right now, to accomplish more than ever before. We are capable of exceeding our wildest dreams in respect of our achievements, happiness, and personal fulfillment  but only when our energies our fueled by our ‘why’.

It is what is needed to unlock our full potential for success.

We all need motivation to keep moving forward. Your why gives you the power to push through the tough times and the motivation to dig deep when nothing seems to be going your way.

To have success in anything in life you need to know your why.

Your why must be very clear and defined, and until it is you will go nowhere with your business. You need total clarity with your why, simple!

Ask yourself

What does success mean to me?

What am I most passionate about?

If I could make a difference to the world, in what way will I do this?

What is my vision for my life?

I’d like you to imagine that you are about to attend one of the most important occasions of your life. All your friends, you family, your business associates and everyone who is of importance to you is going to be there. It’s your funeral.

Now listen.

There’s a recording of your voice coming through the sound system..

You’re addressing the room.

You’re telling them the story of your life.

You’re telling them the ‘why’ that powered your entire existence.

How would you want this story to go?

Let them all see how your wonderful business realised your dreams, and made your why a reality.

My why is to be the best I can be, and to encourage others to do the same. It’s about inspiring people to believe in themselves and their potential.

It’s time for you to define your WHY. Really think about it. Write it down.

You will then always have it as a reminder when you go through those down days.

Do you know your why? Please, share it with us here!

in Coaching

Written By Larry Lewis

Add Value To The Lives Of Others

in The Power of Passion

Written By Larry Lewis

Who we are is all we are

in The Life Coach

Written By Larry Lewis

But is it better to keep yourself and your business a secret? I really don’t think so, because without marketing, sales will be hard to come by. The brand that you are building is going to be around you, so don’t be ashamed or embarrassed, and don’t let others put you off.

One of the secrets to success is being able to move beyond your comfort zone, but to do this, courage is always going to be a major requisite. Your strengths, talents and resolve, will be challenged every step of the way.

Yesterday I was talking to a very good friend. I had noticed that there were certain things he was holding back from revealing to the outside world. Now I knew he was excited about these things and I had imagined he would have wanted to have found the highest roof top and climbed up to it so that he could have shouted at his loudest so that the most number of people could hear what he had to say. But he was telling nobody. He was keeping it all to himself.

Now when you are as excited about things as he is it’s only natural you would want to share it, and secondly to get things moving in a forward direction you would want everyone around you to understand where your focus needed to be right now so they didn’t think you were ignoring them for no reason, or that you weren’t helping them out because you just didn’t want to. So I felt it important, as his business mentor that I get to the bottom of what was happening.

After a few questions, the reasons became obvious. He was afraid to leave things and people behind for a while to pursue his life’s passion: When it came to people, particularly those he cared for and believed he owed a debt of gratitude, he felt obliged to be there for them, even if it was at the cost of what he wanted to be doing.

He feared that the direction in which he was going necessitated leaving friends behind because they were on a different track to him. He didn’t want to offend them, or let them down, or leave them feeling he didn’t appreciate what they had been able to give him to this point.

He was more worried about this than the legacy he would leave behind when successful with his new ventures. Crazy! He needed a wake up call It is about putting his life into perspective; making conscious choices about the kind of life he wants to live and the legacy he wishes to leave behind, more than the friend he may be leaving behind.

As we go through our journey of life, we continuously create a personal legacy. Our legacy is the part of ourselves that will be left in the hearts and minds of others that will leave behind at various different stages. He has no doubts left a positive legacy with this friend, and was desperate to give him even more if he asked. . But this wasn’t the issue, he was holding back on moving anything forward on his new ventures so as not to upset this friend.

He was carrying what I would call emotional baggage otherwise known as guilt. But the reality was, there was nothing for him to be guilty for.

It’s hard to let go of our past. It’s part of who we are and the journey we’ve taken. This friend may have invested a lot of time and energy in him, after all that’s what relationships are all about. We all get a lot of good out of our relationships, not all of which is obvious. At times these relationships may go off in different directions. As long as we each have the best intentions for ourselves and for those whose lives we touch everything would be done in the right way. And we all take benefits from such relationships.

But to feel guilty that to follow our passions is taking us on a path that may lead us away from others, well that’s crazy. In terms of the Law of Attraction, guilt is a heavy vibration that wastes our energy and weighs us down. Emotional baggage will do nothing other than increase our inertia and slow our momentum. Guilt will turn one day into regret, then disappointment, before moving to resentment, and finally to anger. Now there is a recipe for disaster, and a good way to destroy what is a fantastic relationship. That would indeed be dumb!

Never should we hide our true selves from the people we interact with. Be proud of who we are and the things we want to accomplish in life. . Carrying negative emotions will slow you down and trip us up when we try to move forward.

The problem is that we are afraid of what will happen if we are honest, open and genuine. Well guess what, if we are, and others don’t like what we say, and react bad …. so what. At least we will have released a tremendous drain on our energy. Alternatively we will remain friends for ever supporting each other whenever in whatever we can.

Remember, what you focus on is your choice and your responsibility, regardless of what happened to you in your past, what is happening right now, what will happen in your future. It’s up to you because only you can choose your own thoughts! This is what the Law of Attraction teaches us.

Never expect others to be upset with your choices in life. Never hide your dreams and aspirations if they are what you want your life to be about for the rest of your life. Expect that others believe in you, and would want only what’s best for you. Isn’t that what a true friend would want, after all?

Follow this motto: “Who we are is all we are”.

Never forget whoever you are, that success requires you to reach down deep inside, to fight with everything you’ve got, to be willing to leave everything out there on the battlefield.

But never hide the direction in which you are going. Tell the world. Have faith in their reaction! And remember on your journey you will be helping others, and others will be helping you.

“NEVER, in the history of the world, has there been such abundant opportunity as there is now for the person who is willing to serve before trying to collect”. Napoleon Hill

To be truly successful we must use our uniqueness to add value to the lives of others. My life changed once I connected my life passion to my business where I set out to add value, not only to my life but to that of others.

According to Stephen Covey, “If you have a passion that you’re good at but the world doesn’t need it, you’ve got a useless passion. But if you can make a living doing something that you’re really good at and like–what a combination”.

Albert Einstein said that ‘only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.’ Service to others is what we could call adding or building value. To me the only way to build a business in this day and age is to add value to the lives of others, and this my friends is what blogging teaches all of us. Because for us to be successful at blogging, to attract readers, and to keep them, you don’t just have to merely write constantly, but provide value through your words.

As a blogger I neither measure my success through the traffic I receive nor the comments I get back, but through how much value I know I am adding to the lives of others. I have never focused on what I get; but instead on what I give. Building value for others really does make you feel good.

I love my role as a business mentor particularly when helping people determining their passions and bringing these into their business. It will always astound me when I connect with someone initially and they say ‘Larry I have no passions, there is nothing that excites me, or that I’d love to be doing.’ Yet I found something even more frustrating than this. That is those who know what their passion is, come totally alive when they talk about it, but who fear standing up and offering themselves as a standard bearer for this subject they know so much about.

I assure everyone of you that when you connect together your unique abilities, talents, interests, with both your passions and a business you truly have a magical formula.

W. Clement Stone says, “When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.”

When all those factors mentioned above collide you just know it’s the right thing, it feels right. Who knew when I started out as a blogger, that I would soon also become a mentor. If I had been told that others would be paying me to provide them with positive value through coaching, listening, motivating, inspiring, questioning, supporting, challenging them to fulfil their dreams, I’d have laughed at the mere thought. But once people saw the value I was giving away through my blog, and the type of person I was, I suppose it was a natural progression for them to ask for one to one support.

When we offer value, as just our way of being, we seem to get value in return.

Everyone of us is unique, and has something special to offer. My personal philosophy is that we all have the potential to explore, to use our natural talents and abilities to contribute to the common good and add value to the human family.

You must live your life for others. Let your life impact positively on the lives of others. Find out how best you can add value to the lives of others. Look around you and you will find some who desperately needs help to make his life easer or more fulfilled. Help them find a solution to their challenges. Do not withhold help from the one who need it.

When you look at people who are at the top of their field, you will discover that they all have one thing in common. They all do one specific thing on a consistent basis, and that’s create value for others, and in doing so; they also create success for themselves. And tomorrow we will look more at how you can be doing the same so to make sure you add value to the lives of others.

Working with a business mentor, you can achieve better performance through clarity and focus. Imagine having an experienced, supportive and objective chaperon to help you determine what needs doing, avoid obstacles, and maintain the right business ethos.

The process of mentoring starts with appreciating where you’re at, your ambitions and goals, and what your unique proposition is.

As a mentor, the first thing I want my clients to imagine and create is their vision.

What is it they really want to do?

To me the answer lies in finding your passion for what you want to do in life. If you can find your true passion and it resounds in your heart, you will enjoy doing it not because you have to do it but because you love doing it. Then you cannot wait to get out of bed every day to get to work.

So what you truly need to find is how can you create that passion and make your work a calling. Finding your passion in life is a fundamental key to creating success.

Take what you love to do as well as develop your gifts and talents then you have the winning formula for business.

My success in business, particularly online, has been down to making a difference in alignment with who you I am and the business I built

I have dedicated my life to making a difference and am now inspired by mentoring others to bring out the best in them. I’m committed to doing one thing every day to make a difference in the world. I nurture and inspire people in a variety of ways. It’s a great way of living.

One of the greatest duties we can serve in life is to fulfil a role that helps to bring out the best in others. As a coach I am an instrument of inspiration to both myself and others. I am aware that my every word, action and decision has the possibility of promoting the growth of those I mentor. Service is a great way to build ourselves and others up!

There is no way that I would be where I am today without having the most amazing coaches and mentors. I believe in putting back what I have received and that is one of the reasons I dedicated time to helping others. I also find this an incredibly exhilarating, fulfilling experience.

All those problems, obstacles and challenges you are facing make you wonder whether your dream is achievable, leaving you question whether you’ll ever “get there”, or whether there will ever be a light at the end of the tunnel.

It is too easy to just give in and give up on your dream when faced with these difficulties. This is why so many people fail to see things through to the end.

Anything you want to achieve is possible with the right guidance, and a mentor is just the person that can help you achieve your maximum capabilities.

So are you ready?

There’s a saying “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.

Being mentored by the right person can really help bring the best out of you. With business mentors, you can achieve greater things in far less time. A great mentor will challenge you and stretch you beyond your comfort zone to enable you to be the best you can be.

Having a mentor is about getting results, getting you where you want to be and delivering more than you ever thought possible.

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” Bob Proctor

It’s an amazing experience that will stimulate and inspire you and take you way beyond your expectations!

Think about how much more you could achieve if you had someone to mentor you to be the best that you can be!

No one succeeds alone. The journey we take through life is greatly enhanced with collaboration and mutual benefit.

A mentor that’s very experienced IN YOUR FIELD can direct you in terms of things you need to think about, and give you a heads up about questions you wouldn’t even think to ask.

Underline here the mentor for you is one in your very same niche. Whatever field your business is in, should be from where your mentors experience and knowledge comes from. There is no replacement for real experience.

Whilst entrepreneurs still need to take the ultimate responsibility for their business working alongside a mentor will help them in a big way.

A mentor can make a big difference in how quickly someone moves forward in their career, how they build a business, or the number of mistakes the mentee makes along the road to success , so consider looking at this as an option for you.

A Mentor will shorten your learning curve by showing you their tricks and tips that have worked for them, and helping you assess your ideas and thoughts.

My advise for you is to find someone successful in your field and ask them to mentor you.

There are many people mentoring others, and maybe someone successful in your field can mentor you on the road to success.

After all they may just say …. Yes.

in The Power of Passion

Written By Larry Lewis

Proud to be British Series Bradley Wiggins

in Proud to be British

Written By Larry Lewis

What is your Life Passion

in Passion for Life

Written By Larry Lewis

You are an Online Business Owner Not a Hobby Blogger

in Entrepreneurship

Written By Larry Lewis