As a design entrepreneur or business owner, the journey of discovering your true wealth often takes many twists and turns.
This can happen even when you have a map, encountering unexpected roadblocks and detours.
What if you don't have a map? Do you have a vague notion of where you're going or are you just along for the ride? Since you're reading this, I know you are a creative business owner or entrepreneur who is seeking something more -- more for yourself, your business and those whose lives you impact each and every day.
A perfect place to start is by stepping back and looking at your big picture.
A journey of a thousand miles begins within a single step Your journey begins with self-discovery and knowing what you truly want, the values that drive and guide you and the fears or self-imposed blocks that are creating major detours and keeping you from reaching your destination:

1. Define what "true wealth" means to you.
   What do you want in your business, life and relationships?
2. Take a snapshot of where you are now with your income, lifestyle and personal life.
   How fulfilled are you?
3. What's working? What are you grateful for? What isn't working? What are your pain points?
4. List your values, honing in on your top five.
   Do this without over-thinking or filtering yourself.
   
5. Are your business and life decisions and actions aligned with your values? For each of your top five values, identify one action step to take to integrate the value into your life and business.
   

To make changes, you can't keep doing things the same way.
This means letting some stuff go and taking on new things that challenge and stretch you (and may even feel a bit scary).
What are you ready to let go of? What are you ready to do or do differently? What do you need to make it happen? Do you need a new business model? Is it time to seek out more knowledge or learn new skills? Is your mindset holding you back? Do you have the help and support you need? The Road Ahead So now that you know where you've been and where you are now, where do you want to go and how will you get there? This is the first thing to consider, what you're really good at, your passion and gift.
For most of you it is interior design and decorating.
What is it that makes you different? Your ideal clients want what you offer in the particular way you offer it.
Think about all the things you love to do and how you might work them into your design, decorating or staging business.
For example, did you enjoy acting or performing in high school or college? Maybe it's time to lead live events or workshops in your community.
Next, let's look at your business model.
As a design or staging business owner you most likely are working one-on-one with your clients in a service-based model.

• Are you charging enough for your services and making a profit?
• Have you focused on a specific market? For example, do you specialize in redesign projects, working with what clients already have? Do you enjoying helping professionals new to your area get settled into their new home?
• Are you offering packages and value-based fees rather than charging by the hour?
• How can you leverage what you know and what you do into products, such as workshops & events, teleclasses & webinars, and books?
• What systems do you have in place to support you and your business model? For example, bookkeeping and accounting, legal (letters of agreement & contracts), client communication and retention.
  Are there things you're doing more than once that you can establish systems for, such as a client intake process or time reporting?
• Do you have a business partner or manager? Who are the members of your support team?

Finally, how are you marketing?

• Are you letting your ideal clients know how you help them and the problems you solve for them?
• What marketing methods are you using? Do they feel authentic to you? Determine your best methods and work them.
  
• When I owned a design firm, word-of-mouth advertising by our clients accounted for the majority of our referrals.
  How are you keeping in touch with your clients (e.
  g.
  email marketing, direct mail, social media)? Do you have a referral system in place?

The Map for Your Custom-Designed Future You can almost envision your custom-designed future and the way to get there.
With just a few enhancements you'll be ready to transform your life and business.
To help you get there, you'll need a GPS - in this case, goals, plan and a success consciousness.
Goals - Considering your values, what are your life and business goals? What are your income goals (annual and monthly)? How much of your income goal will come from designing, decorating or staging services? What other sources of potential income did you identify? Plans - You've identified what you're good at, how you're different, how to connect and communicate with your ideal clients.
You've refined your business model.
You know which marketing methods you'll use.
You've determined the members of your support team.
You've defined your goals and income sources.
Put it all together - this is your plan.
Success consciousness - As Napoleon Hill wrote in Think & Grow Rich "Success comes to those who become success conscious.
" You know what you want and you have a definite plan.
Are you success conscious? Maybe this will help you decide:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson If you're ready to lead a truly extraordinary life - enriching and enhancing your lifestyle, influencing the world, and leaving a profound legacy - then now is your time to SHINE.
- Ali Brown