Many people seem to think that the answer to creating their successful business lies in a book, a program, a system… a guru. While each of these have great merit and can inch you forward to the next level of wealth and freedom, they are not where you actually start.

Unfortunately, this first step is often glossed over, taken for granted, assumed, and if even identified… discounted as divine guidance. Yet it’s the one guaranteed step that will ALWAYS determine if customers pass you by or find your business irresistible.

This step is the first brick in your foundation, the first pebble laid in your path…the first law. Once firmly in place, it holds everything in your business together and is the fuel that will give you lift off… over and over again.

You’re probably asking yourself, “If this first step is so darn critical… why is it often missed?” Great question. My answer, “People have forgotten how.”

With so many things coming at you as an entrepreneur—so much information to wade through, so many possibilities, so many win or lose decisions every moment—each day could seem like you’re in a do-or-die (translated means stop and go get a job) war.

Heck, even I find myself forgetting in isolated moments of weakness and disappointment…in results…and yes…in myself.

But the thing that instantly brings me back to the place of illumination every single time is the very same thing that enables you to persevere to deliver a product or service that will make the lives of people who buy from you better. It’s the fail-safe button that enables you to turn on the “law of attraction” and turn low value into high value. It’s the magical elixir injected into the core of your business that makes people want it.

It isn’t found in a book, a program, a system… or especially in a guru. It’s found in… you. Belief… is the “real” first step to making your business irresistible. Without unwavering belief, any applied program, system or modeling will eventually implode on you. Belief:

• Acceptance by the mind that something is true or real, often underpinned by an emotional or spiritual sense of certainty
• A statement, principle, or doctrine that a person accepts as true Not to be confused with… hope.
Hope:
• To have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true,
• A chance that something desirable will happen or be possible
• Something that somebody wants to have or do or wants to happen or be true Hope is bad for business… belief is its life blood.

Walt Disney, one of the most influential and innovative entrepreneurs of the twentieth century, said, “I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true.” The Disney Company, despite it’s high and low points, is still one the biggest powerhouses in the world.

Steve Jobs, one of the most influential and innovative entrepreneurs of the twenty first century (and currently the largest shareholder of Disney), said, “Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.” In his 2005 Stanford Commencement speech, Jobs revealed what kept him going through challenging times when he said, “I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going is that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love.” That love is fueled by belief. As the theory of Unified Conscious Development (UCD) indicates, it is where the heart and mind are blended as one. Despite being kicked off his own board, and working his way back in though his follow-up company NeXT, Jobs is leading Apple to be one of the most influential companies of our times. By the way, it is recognized the world over as a leader in its category—a true brand.

How? One thing… belief — clear, strong, unwavering, clear… did I say clear? Unfortunately, you cannot manufacture belief for any sustainable amount of time. It takes so much energy to uphold, you run out of steam before you win the race. You cannot pretend to believe because any adversity will send you running for the hills. A belief is not merely an “idea” the mind possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind. With YOUR idea in place, here are the eight crucial points you need to have secured so that you remain a beacon of belief:

1) Manage Your Fear
When you think that you can’t, or you don’t have, or you don’t know…what do you do, you stop. Without a 100% fail-proof process to transform ANY limiting thought into immediate action you will not be able to create a successful business. Note: Striving to eliminate fear is as fleeting as pretending to believe.

2) Define Your Vision
Once you have an idea, to ensure that it connects to customers and has a place to grow, you’ve got to attach it to a solid point out in the future that draws you forward. You are in charge and must set it in motion. Without converting the expanded nature of vision into a tangible form there is nothing solid to guide you. In order for your vision to serve you well it must be VERY specific.

3) Delineate The Form
There is the specific structure that your business or businesses take in order to serve your vision. The structure acts as a house to provide your products, services, the people who work there, including you, shelter. This should incorporate your overall structure and the products you sell. Note: One vision, one business is not necessary true. Often it’s one vision, many businesses.

4) Rate The Merits
This is where you take an honest look at your idea, your ability, your idea’s bearing on a market, what it will take for you to make it happen AND what you are willing to commit to accomplish it. This is should also include market feasibility and revenue model.

5) Take An Inventory
Take stock of all that you have at this specific moment. This helps you clearly see what you already have to assist you in making your business materialize from the unseen belief to reality. This should include where you came from, where you are at, what you have in front of you, and what’s accessible to you.

Note: This is where you have to be sure hope doesn’t rear its hopeful little head.

6) Expose the Gap
Bring to light the difference between where you are now and where you want to get. In order to know the next step to take for your business, you have to clearly see what is missing. Attaining success in business you are forever closing the gap.

7) Define Your Focus
If you have many things in front of you to do, what you do you chose to do? There’s a high probability that you won’t do anything. Or at very least not implement the right thing first. You must use your natural skill set, your knowledge, your aptitude and your resources to make your focus work for you.

Flip the Switch
The room is still dark, unless the light is turned on. You have to take action and actually flip the switch. With the other seven points in place, its ea*sy to generate a profound sense of belief in your business so much so that it propels you forward, attracts all the customers you can imagine and you find a business that you love.

You already have the power to believe. It’s an inalienable right of being an entrepreneur. You simply have to Turn Up the Power.