Just as there are facts of life that affect us personally, there are facts of business life that affect us as entrepreneurs. Bill McBean, author of the book The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows That You Don’t, shares what he has learned over the course of a successful career to help you avoid common mistakes.
 
The following is an overview of McBean's seven facts of business life, which he suggests will help you to build a strong, lasting foundation for your business:
 
Fact 1: If you don't lead, no one will follow. Good business leadership begins with defining the destination and direction of your company and deciding how the business should look and operate when it arrives. It also involves developing and continuously improving on a set of skills in order to move your business from where it is today to where you want it to be tomorrow.
 
Fact 2: If you don't control it, you don't own it. Control is the owner's management reality. If you don't control your company by defining key tasks and dictating how they must be handled, then you don't truly own the business.
 
Fact 3: Protecting your company’s assets should be your first priority. Basically, assets — which include both tangible and intangible assets — are what power sales, profits, and growth. Not the other way around.
 
Fact 4: Planning is about preparing for the future, not predicting it. Nobody knows what tomorrow, or next year, will bring for your business. But you can make educated guesses based on the most current, accurate information available, as well as your own past experiences … and this should be an ongoing process.
 
Fact 5: If you don't market your business, you won't have one. Maybe working to market and advertise your product isn't your cup of tea. Or maybe you believe your product is so great that it should speak for itself. If so, too bad — you're going to have to do it anyway. The bottom line is, if people don't know about your product, you won't be successful.
 
Fact 6: The marketplace is a war zone. Every company has competitors, and if it doesn't and it's successful, it soon will. Successful owners know they have to fight not only to win market share, but to retain it as well. That's why you must develop a warrior mentality and maintain it for as long as you're at the head of your business.
 
Fact 7: You don't just have to know the business you’re in; you have to know business. In addition to knowing the inner workings and nuances of your particular industry, you also need to understand the various aspects of business as it is more broadly defined. That includes subjects such as accounting, finance, business law, personnel issues and more, plus how all of these impact each other and the decisions you make.

Canadian and author Bill McBean is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, and Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta, he began his career with General Motors of Canada in 1976.
 
He is currently general partner of McBean Partners, a family-owned investment company, partner and chair of Our-Mentors, a company that works with owners to improve their businesses for long-term success, and Net Claims Now, which provides companies in the restoration industry with invoicing, accounts receivable collections, cash flow services, business coaching, and business lead generation services.

What do you really want? With our busy lives and the stress of working, making a living, caring for others, and getting older, things can get out of control and really take a toll. If you feel like you are on cruise control to nowhere is there any way for you to stop?
 
Two unlikely partners, Gene Moynihan, a retired NYPD officer with a psychotherapy practice helping first responders deal with the dark side of their profession (suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, PTSD, depression, marital discord), and Dick Quis, a retired CPA who has endured 16 surgeries including three tangles with cancer and a major heart attack, have published a timely book that captures the most powerful and simple technique there is to change your life. 
 
You start each day by getting out a piece of paper, and writing down what you want to happen.
 
Their new book, Thinking Anew, explains how writing goals down can be the simplest and most powerful thing you can do to get yourself moving towards your goals, regain your direction and your confidence, and place you in control over what happens to you. 
 
"It may sound like a simple thing to do," says Quis, "but when you try it and experience the rewards, you will really see the profound changes that you can bring about for yourself."
 
"Far too many people have forgotten the incredible coping skills and power they were born with, especially their ability to create," says Moynihan. "Just watch a child learn new skills and you will quickly realize that you have lost touch with those remarkable talents. Children decide what they want and they just do it. They don't feel fear and they don't hesitate. They are spontaneous and just dive into what they are doing."
 
Writing down what your intentions are each day focuses your mind on what you want. The act of writing helps you achieve clarity and frees your mind to use your imagination. You decide what is important and you put away what is not. Your subconscious mind then goes to work and helps you achieve what you want for the entire rest of the day.
 
Your actions are triggered and guided by your decision to write down what is important.  You get the maximum power by being specific and even by setting a deadline. Here are some examples about how to phrase what you write down.
 
If you want to lose weight, write down:

• I will identify the people and events that sabotage my food strategy and I will record what they are and when they happen.
  
• Writing down what I eat helps me consume fewer calories and salt. I will keep an accurate record of everything I ate today.
  
• Instead of soda, I will take two cans of tomato juice with me to drink: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
  
• I will set my watch alarm to go off every two hours, and I will get out of my chair and walk for fifteen minutes each time it goes off. I will walk up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
  
• I will walk to work and home every day this week. I will walk two miles each day.

If you want to change how you behave around people, write down:

• I will not get angry. I will forgive everyone for everything.
  
• The perfect outcome for today is for me to go home happy.
  
• I will not jump to conclusions. I will listen and think before I talk. I will work through possibilities.
  
• I will notice what people do to help me. I will recognize it and say thank you every time I see it.
  

If you want to make more money, write down:

• I will call ten people today. I will call five people in the morning and five people in the afternoon.
  
• I will follow up every call with an email. I will offer ideas that keep the conversations going every time.
  
• No matter what happens, I have the courage and the ability to try again tomorrow.
  

If you want to make up with your spouse, write down:

• I will apologize to my wife. By noon I will send my wife an email and say, "I'm sorry. You were right. I was wrong".
  
• I will get a card and write down "I love you. Please forgive me. I want another chance." I will pick up flowers on the way home and give them to her with the note.
  

If you are facing a big challenge today, write this down:

• Yes, I can do it! Yes, I can do it! Yes, I can do it! Yes, I can do it! Yes, I can do it!
  
• Write: "Yes, I can do it" five times, each morning, every day for a week, and watch what happens. 

Writing down what you want specifically helps you make miracles happen. Miracles can and do happen and they often happen when you simply decide to write down what it is you really want to make happen.
 
So get out a piece of paper or a notepad; then, each morning as you start your day, write down what you want. The rest comes easily.