Having a business is like raising a child.

Seriously.

In the beginning, you have to coddle to its every need and watch every move it makes. A business must have the proper nutrition and sleeping schedule - the incessant demands on your time can be high.

Soon enough, you learn to the drop the reins and allow it to stumble and grow. You pick it up when it falls, wipe off its tears and lovingly direct it when it goes off course. You allow it to become more independent of itself and expand its social circle. You nurse it back to health when it gets sick. It requires patience and knowing when to say "when."

To be successful at raising your business, you have to listen to what it's telling you. The most essential part- you must love it more than it loves you.

Take a moment and ask yourself honestly, "Is my business giving me everything that it is I'm looking for?

If the answer is "No, it's not," then you must really look at re-evaluating why you are not achieving the results you intend to reach.

What is it that you're not getting?

What specifically were you looking for that you haven't gotten yet?

What are the concerns you have?

What is it costing you in terms of lost profits?

What is it costing you in time for you & your family?

If you answered, "YES!," I guess I would wonder what is stopping you from getting to the next level... If you could be even happier, what would it take? If you could get even more, help more people - if you could make that much more money, if your company could run faster, if it could save you more time - what would that look like?

At no point in parenting do we ever really quit raising a child. And it's no different with your business. There is not a better time than the present moment to consider making adjustments to succeed on a higher level.

You are in good company.

"You should do this. You should do that. Why the in the world would you ever do that?" We all hate it when someone else tries and tells us what to do or what is good for us. If we're all adults, why not act like it right? Oh, that would require treating other adults LIKE ADULTS.

The fact remains that I have no clue what most people on this globe need in their life. There are always the basics like food, water, air, love, security, etc. But other than that, I'm not sure we NEED anything.

Isn't it interesting that one of the most popular tools business owners use to sell their products or services is to create a NEED in a potential buyer's mind?

Wake up call: People don't buy because they NEED things, they buy because they WANT these things. I didn't buy an ipod Touch because I NEEDED it, I just wanted one. Oh, and my recent fancy 24-hr, adult only gym membership - yeah, I didn't NEED to work out at the "cool" gym, but I sure as heck WANT to. A good 'ol old-fashioned outdoors jog would suit me just fine, but I'm a sucker for gyms that throw monthly parties for their members, let me take as many towels as I want, are open 24 hours a day, let me swim in the pool EVEN when geriatric water aerobic class is being held & make me a protein-rich smoothie at the end of my workout.

See, I'm not focused on what I NEED, because I always get what I NEED. It just naturally shows up and has my entire life. When it comes to money and spending large sums of money, I spend the dough on what I WANT.

So, one of the fastest ways you can develop a relationship with your potential buyers is by first finding out what they WANT and remembering to treat them like adults. We're trying to avoid the old fear-based selling. That old trick is a little out-dated for me. Of course! I'm one of the Modern and Millions girls.