Mind Your Business Mark Lewandowski: Innovator, Entrepreneur, and Business Strategist

How do you know when you're ready to follow your dream and start your own business? At what point is it time to leave the safety of what you know to jump off into a new venture? I'm often asked two questions: "Mark, how do I start my own business?" (which is a podcast all its own) and "Mark, how do I know when it's time to leave my job and start my own business full-time?" These are both great questions. Please note that there are important things to consider before you jump. In this podcast, I speak about real issues that face the entrepreneur who wants to make his mark on the world. Entrepreneurs who plan to be successful must consider not only the market they wish to dominate, but their level of tenacity and confidence, and their willingness to leave the safety of the shore to launch out on the adventure of entrepreneurship. I hope you enjoy this podcast. More importantly, I hope it propels you to take whatever next steps you've been waiting to take.  
-Mark

What is leverage and how does it affect your business? Simply stated, leverage is using something and/or someone to maximize your advantage. It is a way to exert minimum effort to achieve maximum results. A smart business owner will utilize the talents and efforts of others who have expertise in areas that they don't. When you leverage other resources, you not only benefit from the experience of other people's trials and errors, but you avoid the time and expense of start up costs. The idea is to work smart. Entrepreneurs are innovators that change the way we live and work. They bring vision to the marketplace and creative ideas that can change the world. Leveraging the knowledge and expertise of others affords entrepreneurs a way to focus on what is really important: their customer. 
- Mark

If you want to stand heads above the crowd in your industry, you must have a strong value proposition. Your competitors have one. Ask yourself: What do I bring to the market that is unique? What do I do that is special and adds value to my product or service? How does it help my customer? Sit down with pen and paper and determine those values. Even better, utilize a large whiteboard to write out your ideas or go online and download a free mind mapping tool. In this episode, I share my experience with creating value propositions and how using them has positively impacted my business. Remember to keep your customer in mind when you choose 2 or 3 values that make you special. They should be simple, memorable, and repeatable. Enjoy this episode and reach out to me with your questions and comments. I would be interested to hear about your experience starting your own business and what factors determined your value proposition. As always, thank you for listening. I appreciate this audience so much. 
- Mark 

Do you ever find yourself distracted or knocked off course from your goals? When life gets busy, it's easy to get diverted from my true North. How do I get myself back on track when I start to lose focus or direction? In this podcast, I discuss 6 tools that steer me back to my chosen course. If you have five minutes and a desire to make an impact on your world, you will benefit from these tools. I am committed to them and they map my course. I hope you enjoy this podcast and encourage you to share it with your friends. Please reach out to me if you have questions at www.drmarklew.com. I'm here to help you.
-Mark

I have people ask me all the time, "Mark, how can I become a more creative person?" The answer is simple. You are already creative! People, by their very nature, are creative. The frustration comes from having so many creative ideas without a way to harness and use those ideas. In this multi-part series, I will teach you how to recognize, capture, hone, and deploy those creative ideas you have in your head. I am very excited to share this series with you because it's a topic I'm passionate about. Creativity and innovation go hand in hand. Equipped with the tools you'll hear in this podcast series, you will undoubtedly unlock the door to your creative power and expand your personal capacity to make a difference in the world. And don't worry, you don't have to be lying on a sandy beach, hiking in the beautiful mountains, or sailing across the Pacific Ocean to generate fantastic ideas. You can be creative ANYWHERE. Please share this episode with your friends, family, and co-workers. I hope it makes a difference. Thank you for listening. 
-Mark

Your personal brand is everything! In my last podcast, Your Personal Brand is Everything!, I talked about the importance of building your personal brand and the ways in which companies and individuals successfully brand themselves. In Part 2, I want you to ask yourself some important questions. Do you have the resources and the talent to reach your goals? Do you have someone in your life who will be your mirror? What do you do if you fail? Take some time to consider these questions and answer them honestly. Awareness is a key component of moving forward toward success. Enjoy Part 2 of this podcast and reach out to me if you have questions you need answered. Building a personal brand you can be proud of requires discipline, an open mind, awareness, and a passion to succeed and follow your dreams. Remember: You are in control of building your personal brand. And if you don't take the time to build your own, you'll be working for someone else who did. Thank you for listening. 
- Mark