There was a sign posted in the lobby of my building this summer advertising “Yoga by the Pool at 8:30am Saturday mornings.” I took note of it and thought, “I’d like to go, but I have a standing activity at that time on Saturday mornings.” Two weeks later, I passed the sign again. Now it read “Yoga by the Pool – 10:00am Saturday mornings.” I still couldn’t attend, but smiled at the persistence this yoga instructor was demonstrating. S/he’s a smart marketer. She tested her offering, and when it didn’t produce the results she was looking for, re-tested. In other words, she didn’t give up.

I don’t have to tell you that it’s tough out there. I, too, am putting out offers, then tweaking to see what will work best for my clientele. Today I’m starting a new Mastermind Group with more flexible scheduling for participants than in the past. Now, participants can opt in to eight sessions that work for their calendars, not a pre-determined six dates posted at exactly the same time and day of the week. In today’s lifestyle, it’s a challenge for people to commit their time in that way.

On Wednesday, October 26 I’m giving my first webinar. It’s complimentary (click this link to receive the details) and will introduce my first ever webinar series starting in November. It’s called The Soul Proprietor’s Formula for Growing (or Starting) Your Business. The free webinar will not be recorded, but each weekly session of the full program will be so you can download it and listen at your leisure.

This webinar came out of the goal-setting process and great persistence. I used every tool in my toolkit to get this up and running. There are many moving parts, and I’m especially grateful to my accountability partner, Sandy Weiner, who helped me out on the persistence part of this. I’m thrilled with the program, but definitely wanted to quit along the way. Who doesn’t?!

Erica Tannen, of the e-list – An Excruciatingly Opinionated Guide to the Connecticut Shoreline (boy, does that tag line tell you what it does!), and I had a brainstorming, goal-setting lunch in New Haven back in February. We determined we’d like to pool our resources for an event which is now scheduled for Monday, October 24th at the Saybrook Inn. Talk about persistence! We’ve been exchanging emails, looking at venues (well, Erica has anyway), and coming up with a topic and a format that would be inviting. We nailed it!

Please join me at noon on the 24th for lunch and a talk. Click this link for details. We’re already near capacity, so are thrilled that this clicked for our target market. I hope you can come.

It’s all about trial and error, goal-setting and persistence. I often quote Rosabeth Moss Kanter who says:

My personal law of management, if not life, is that everything looks like a disaster in the middle.

The winners are those who never give up. What do you need to get back in the ring for today?