No matter what differences you and I have, the type of business we have, our philosophy about being self-employed or what our personal goals are, we most definitely have one thing in common. We want to be successful and we want to make a good living doing the work we love.

There are a lot of ways you could pursue creating your version of a successful business. But I would like to share with you the fastest, easiest, least stressful method I know.

Before I do though, I have a question for you. Do you like to eat? Most people I know do. I love great food. And I really love preparing great food. Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. I love flipping through my cookbooks and magazines and deciding what delectable meal I want to make. I love shopping at my favorite grocery store for all the ingredients I need. I really enjoy preparing everything and watching the meal come to life. My favorite part is watching people, especially my husband eat and enjoy it. (The only thing I HATE is the clean up which is why I'm so glad he does that part!)

Could you imagine how my husband or my dinner guests might react though, if I did all that, the planning, the shopping, the prep... and then did not follow the recipe? What if I just threw random ingredients together that had NOTHING to do with the recipe that I selected? What if I decided not to follow the instructions that were given, and I just threw into a pot everything in my fridge.

My dish MIGHT come out good, but more than likely it would be disastrous. It would taste gross, look gross and be a waste of time and money.

Why am I telling you this? The same thing is true with building a successful business. It is not rocket science. There is a very specific, simple formula to follow.

Decide on a specific goal, plan what steps you need to take to achieve that goal and WORK that plan. Say no to anyone or anything that does not help you get to your goal faster.

Just like cooking... to successfully pull off the meal I set out to make, I have to get the ingredients the recipe calls for, prepare them as instructed and follow the directions. Randomly adding things is quite likely to ruin my meal and the goal I had of serving delicious food to my family and friends.

Yes, there are 103 "ingredients" you could use to attract more clients, increase your profits and grow your business. But you don't need to use ALL 103.

A much better approach would be to decide on your goals, get clear about what is involved in achieving those goals, such as who is your ideal client, what solutions do they want from you, what price points make sense for your business model, and then map out a simple, strategic action plan that you follow daily in order to make that happen.

Author's Bio: 

Known as "The Smart Simple Marketing Coach," the tech-savvy Sydni uses a results-focused, "how to" approach in implementing simple, customized strategies so service professionals create profitable businesses in which they enjoy the lifestyle they choose.

Visit http://www.SmartSimpleMarketing.com for your FR*EE training course, "5 Simple Steps to More Clients, More Visibility and More Freedom" and apply for a FR*EE "Profit Breakthrough" session with Sydni!