One of the biggest time wasters and business destroyers is engaging in activities or requests that don’t serve your business and grow your revenue. Yet so many entrepreneurs freeze at the idea of saying no friends, family, clients and other business associates. You have the power to choose NO. How often have you said ‘no’ to someone or something so you can increase your time, productivity and creativity? Learning to say no when you should is a great way to boost your time and focus more on your business growth. Does it make you feel guilty when you say no to someone? Are you over-committed, stressed, and always running late because you say yes too often? Do you find that you keep breaking commitments with friends and family because you haven’t said no to others? Is your business suffering because you are saying yes to the wrong people? Go ahead, step up, and poise your lips and say ‘no.’ Really, say it again. NO. As easy as it sounds for many women it’s a terrifying noise. In business so many entrepreneurs are so eager to please everyone that they end up saying yes to a lot of things they don’t really want to do or shouldn’t even be doing. Some entrepreneurs believe saying yes is building a reputation as a can-do, go-to person. But if you watch a lot of successful people you’ll find they don’t say ‘yes’ to everything; they are more strategic and focused on the activities that build their business and their clients.You must learn to feel the no, think the no, mean the no, and speak the no with confidence and compassion. Saying no might mean that you disappoint, anger, and annoy those asking for the yes. Your business must come first and it should be your first priority when someone wants to use up your time for their own benefit. Saying no is not negative. In fact, try saying “no thank you’ because you are adding a positive phrase with a negative. It’s a positive step that will give you control over your time and productivity. Here’s 6 questions to ask yourself when you must decide a yes or a no. 1. Am I making it clear that I’m saying no to the request, not the person? 2. Will this request help me grow my business? 3. Will this request take away from my business? 4. Do I really, really have the time? 5. Should I let go of something else and accept this request? 6. Does this request fit into my goal of building a business that makes a difference in others’ lives? Most importantly listen to your intuition, gut feelings, and the voice of wisdom encouraging you to say no. Here’s 3-top reasons why it’s critical for you to say no 1. When you’re stretched to the max 2. When you know you can’t meet the expectation 3. When a client wastes your time and doesn’t value your services Learning how to say no can be life-changing. It’s about possessing the skill to know out what fits your plans and schedule to succeed in business. We all know America is the land of opportunity. More opportunities than we could count will come our way. So practice up and start saying no.