The world of business is a world full of potential, profit and amazing,driven committed people.  It’s also up to its eyeballs in facades, posturing, fake smiles and out-and-out lies.  Here are a few that I find incredibly fascinating (and funny):

• The business coaches that attended an intensive event in California 6 years ago, and came home using a “swipe-able” templated sales page to sell their own intensive.  THREE of them forgot — or were too lazy — to swap out the picture of the “mansion” they were building “on the beach” with all of their profit. (Umm… unless the three of them are planning to live TOGETHER, they are ball faced liars.)
• The “guru” traveling from coast to coast selling you on their system to make “thousands a day, in your sweatpants on the couch, or on the beach” via their savvy internet “cash register.”   Excuse me sir, but where is YOUR magic cash register today? Why did you schlep here from half way across the U.S. if your system could sell me from YOUR mansion on the beach?  Things that make you go hmmmm… =)
• The person promising you tens of thousands a month based on the sale of one book or product and creating a fake paypal balance to parade on their site.

But let’s stop picking on “gurus” for a minute. I noticed early on that the smiles at different business events didn’t quite reach the eyes of the person I was talking to — regardless of their industry.  Ask how business is going, and the canned answer is “fabulous, dahling…” or some version of that.

Hogwash.

Business is HARD.  It is a constant life-lesson in self development, self awareness, hard work. BUSINESS is the hardest parent, the toughest professor I’ve ever encountered.  BUSINESS demands results and tolerates no excuses.  BEING YOUR OWN BOSS means there’s no one to blame when things don’t go well and — way too often — no where to turn for hard core, non-salesy, advice.

THIS IS WHY I DO WHAT I DO.

To cut through the crap.  To shine light on the rarely-traveled paths that lead to success AND freedom.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE WHAT I DO.

Because while business is HARD (2nd only to parenting, in my book) it CAN be fabulous.  More than that, It SHOULD be fabulous.  But — and here’s the point of this article — it’s NOT fabulous for most business owners. 80% of businesses are struggling and operating on such razor-sharp financial edges, they are unsure how to keep the doors open.

So, BE REAL.

Embrace your business with all of its warts and get to creating what you want.

ALWAYS question the advice you’re given.

Challenge yourself when you’re doing what many others in your industry are doing.  (The majority is ALWAYS wrong.)

Seek out those who will speak  the truth to you… even when it feels like, sounds like tough love.

Oh — and enjoy your weekend. xoxo