The term frugal may bring up images of counting toilet paper squares when using the bathroom, adding water to your shampoo bottles, using all the leftovers in the fridge and not throwing out any waste, reusing sandwich bags and aluminum foil, sharing a toothbrush or turning off the water in the shower while shaving.  Some of these examples are frugal and some are extreme cheapskates.  What is the difference?

The whirlwind feels constant.  Before one micro crisis finishes, another comes along beside it.  Our attention is pulled in every direction. No matter how dark the storm or wild the winds blow in our life we can always take a moment to pause.  In that brief pause is the eye of the storm. 

It’s time to take stock of our smart devices.  When we think of people being easily distracted, we probably think about kids.  It only takes a second for them to get distracted, but a few minutes to get back on track.  In reality adults are just as easily distracted.  That is how these smart devices are designed.  #1- To catch our attention.  #2 - Create urgency.  #3- Require a response.  #4- Get distracted by something totally unrelated.  #5- Repeat, repeat, repeat… 

Many of the big purchases we make are not urgent.  It is not the difference between having a roof over our head or not.  Instead they have to do with convenience.  It is easy to convince ourselves of the urgency behind a big purchase due to this convenience factor.

Businesses have always revealed their political standings, but usually it was in a background capacity such as donations.  As of late we have seen an increase in businesses going public with this through their advertising.  In many cases it comes across as totally unrelated connections trying to be forced.

Going the extra inch or mile can cost a little money or time today, but what it can bring back in the future is exponential. 

People today spend more time thinking about their next hairstyle, tattoo or electronics than they do their finances.  When we mix the daily distractions of life with our lack of financial planning and intentionality, we end up in reaction mode instead of proactive mode.

Struggle, diversity, change, frustration, heartache, overcoming hurdles, breakthrough and joy; these are all the things required to create a mentally strong person capable of enduring vast desolate valleys and climbing endless mountains. 

There are many businesses we can start these days that don’t have a high out of pocket expense.  Many service-based businesses are able to start small and basic and then scale as able.

We think that in this digital age we should turn away from physical print items.  The majority of people that have made it successful in life, financially, relationally, in leadership and in learned skills have a library of physical self-growth books.

What is risk?  Most of us would probably say it is “something new or scary with the high likelihood of failure.”  But, it just as equally can have a high likelihood of success as well. Risk is all around us.  Sometimes it shows up obvious, and in your face, other times it is small and fleeting.  If you look at your day and it looks and feels exactly like last week, last month, last year, then you probably aren’t experiencing enough risk. 

People not only shop to keep up with the Jones’ but also when we are sad, bored, depressed, anxious, lonely, or because we feel like we earned it.

We all have our goals and dreams.  Things we daydream about.  The planning, preparing, and research phase is endless and can keep us busy for many years. 

Many times we don’t think of our spending habits as proactive or reactive.  In reality, most of us are farther on the reactive side than we would like to admit.

The benefits of a no spend challenge are so vast and affect every area of our life.  No thing will make you happy, it can only come from within you.  But having extra in our bank than needed, sure puts a smile on our face too. 

Eventually we all get to a point where it doesn’t matter how dolled up our debt looks in it’s fancy vacations, clothes, and newest gadget.  It’s true ugly self is revealed, along with it the stress, arguments, and frustration that it brings.  We deserve financial peace, we deserve to look around at everything we have and know that we owe no one nothing.        

When we look at a decision often we are only seeing one side of the Yes/No coin.  In reality they are intertwined closely.  One can not happen without the other.

It is easy to feel the pressure of keeping up with the competition, making more clever ads, a better product, etc.  But instead we can focus on what makes our company great, what we are proud of, what we stand for, what we value in our products/services and what makes us stand out.

Knowing your time’s value in every decision you make about what kinds of jobs you want to do or take, will ensure your business stays profitable.

Explore what makes a great entrepreneur in the early stages of business. Learn how self-awareness, recognizing strengths, and addressing weaknesses can lay the foundation for long-term success.