Posts Tagged ‘women’s success coaching’

My son is 14 years old is a handsome (of course),  fun loving, easy going teenager but he’s small in stature and often times mistaken as a middle schooler.  And worse when he’s with his brother, many believe he’s the younger instead of the older.

“I’m so tired of this.  I feel like people see me as this little kid who is just kinda hanging around.  I don’t feel like a teenager because I don’t look like everyone else, I don’t think like a lot of my other friends think. I am going to look back over my teenage years and feel like I completely missed out on so much fun.”

These were just a few sentiments my son shared with me that afternoon as tears strolled down his face.

As he spoke I heard the phrases -  I don’t feel like, I don’t look like, I am not, I am going to miss out…

And as I sat and listened to him intently I understood that what he was really saying was “I’m not enough!”

And boy did that strike a chord.

I find this issue of being enough is an underlying issue that we all face at different times in our lives. We all want to feel a sense of belonging, and sense of worthiness.  Sometimes we feel it and sometimes we don’t.

In business this issue of worthiness is a real one.  Because if you don’t feel worthy, you won’t feel empowered. And if you don’t feel empowered you won’t inspire. And if you’re not inspiring others, then you are not sharing your message and greatest gifts with the world!

If this is you today I declare today that you ARE enough.

I left my son with three thoughts, that also applies to you as a business owner:

• Feeling like you are enough starts on the inside and manifest on the outside; no one validates your worth but you.

• Start manifesting what you desire by celebrating who you are — all of it  (accomplishments, achievements, joys, mishaps, failures, and trials).  Don’t expect others to embrace or accept you for who you are,  when you’re not comfortable in your own skin.

• If you want to attract more friends (or clients), be more attractive (or client attractive) by exuding confidence.  No one wants to be around someone (or hire someone) who appears desperate or clingy.

Consider these four strategies to reaffirm your worth:

Find the right circle of influence.  Although there are times you feel good about who you are on the inside, your ego and conscious still needs reinforcements, reminders, and validation.

Who are your biggest fans?  Seek ongoing support and encouragement from those who lift you up instead of drag you down. This will undoubtedly be your base of support that will carry you through the life of your business.

Stop comparison despair.   There’s always going to be someone who is ahead of building their business or more successful than you — more money, more clients, more brand recognition, etc.  Get over it!   It’s a fact of life and business!

It’s important to aspire to be more.  But keep that desire in check so that it doesn’t become later develop into jealousy or manifest into a lack of self confidence in your abilities.

Instead use it as a motivator and fuel to keep your passion for what you love to do alive and take your business to new found levels of success.  Take note of where you are relative to when you first started.  Anticipate you will get to where you want go and stay the course.

Positive self talk. Nothing is more powerful than affirmations.  Take time to speak aloud and into existence who you are, who you are becoming, what is and what will be. And then seal the deal with unshakeable faith and believe that all things are possible.

Take action. It’s hard to celebrate wins if you aren’t taking action on your most important goals.  Without it, you cannot measure success or create new benchmarks to move to the next level.

Fear of failure is one of the reasons you are getting in your own way.  Use the tips above to combat fear and stop it dead in its tracks from achieving all that you desire for your life and business.

Sometimes as a business start up you don’t know what you don’t know.  As a result it may be difficult to take the next step.

It’s helpful when you are among a network or community of likeminded individuals to share and exchange ideas.  It’s also imperative to enlist mentors and invest in coaches and consultants who can give you the perspective you may be missing.

Often times, the cost of such services are prohibitive for new solopreneurs…until today.

You can hire your own team of business consultants to provide the guidance and perspective you are probably seeking for a little less than $2/day.  You may be wondering how.  Click here to learn more.

Many start a new business with passion and a dream about what’s possible. However, many new solopreneurs fail to get their business off the ground in the truest sense of the word within the first 5 years, and ultimately cease to exist.

It’s critical to learn from the mistakes of others and glean knowledge and wisdom from those who have already been where you are and know where you’re going to minimize missteps as much as possible.

But the reality of the matter is you don’t always know what you don’t know, so it’s difficult to know what to ask at times or what to pay attention to in the start up process.

Here are 5 common pitfalls to avoid:

1. Insufficient Startup Capital. Starting a business on a shoestring is very risky. Make sure you have the capital in place to get through the projected startup phase.

2. Missing Contingency Plans. You always plan for success; however, you should have contingency, alternative, or fall-back plans in case sales do not materialize as projected, the economy goes into recession, or other unexpected events affect your business.

3. Spending Carelessly. Overspending on networking memberships and other extraneous training opportunities that don’t yield a fast return on your investment, can burn up any working capital you would otherwise invest toward marketing or outsourcing needs for your business.  Also you want to project a professional image and attract customer traffic, but be realistic and conservative with your financial resources.

4. Low Energy. Don’t start a business unless you are prepared to devote the time and effort to make it successful. Business ownership can offer many perks and benefits in the long-run, but starting out you will be working very hard. Without this energy and enthusiasm, remaining may be better business choice.

5. Lack of Product Testing. Don’t start a business without market testing and confirmation of customer demand for your products and services. Many businesses have failed because they were based on product or service success in another market or other subjective reasoning or assumption of consumer interest.

With careful attention to these common mistakes that lead to business failure your new solobusiness can thrive and sustain for long term success.

This entry was adopted by gosmallbiz.com.  Click here to learn more about how to hire your own team of experts to help you manage all start up phases of your new solobusiness for less than $2 per day.

You work hard to establish relationships. Don’t let those relationships fade. Develop a database to track contacts with clients and prospects. If there has been a lapse, get back in touch. Your easiest opportunity to sell your services or products is with your existing clientele. The hard part is done. When you have an offer that makes sense, roll it out to this group first. Not only will you generate sales, you will generate referrals.

This tip is adopted from GoSmallBiz.com.  If you found this information helpful and looking for more business success tips like this one, visit here.

There are many traits of successful entrepreneurs — decisiveness is one of them.

Nothing is more powerful than making conscious choices that shape your life’s path and also reflect your priorities and what you value most.

But the challenge for some is figuring out how to make sound decisions without waffling back and forth, or worse, rethinking what you’ve already decided over and over again and not taking action.

Not only is this approach a huge waste of time, it also robs you  of your energy, creates unnecessary stress and anxiety, takes your attention away from other important aspects of your business, and produces nothing.

Here are some quick strategies to become a more masterful decision maker:

1. Trust your instincts. If you’re like me, your gut will never steer you wrong.  Listen to it instead of  second guessing yourself  and over analyzing your options. Let go of the need to have every angle of the scenario revealed before moving forward.  Remember no decision is permanent; if it feels right, go for it and redirect as things continue to unfold.

2. Do your research. Making reliable decisions requires the correct information. Get your facts and figures straight by doing some research on your own or consulting those with the relevant expertise.

3. Map out your pros & cons. For complex decisions, it’s often helpful to create a mind map of the pros and cons.   Additionally, assign a value to each based on their importance to you.  It amazes me how this simple visual aid can help you figure out next steps.

4. Start small. Practice making quick decisions in areas where the consequences are relatively minor.     Over time you will be able to make more significant decisions with greater ease.  Learn to trust your judgment and accept the consequences too.  Remember, it’s the small wins along the way that matter most.

5. Set limits. The longer it takes you to make critical decisions that affect your bottom line, the more money you are leaving on the table.  Consider making a bold promise of when you will complete or deliver something to your clients or mentor. Not only does sharing this information raise the accountability bar, it forces you to work through places of indecision more quickly and take action within a specific timeframe.

6. Face your fears. The fear of making mistakes is a huge barrier that prolongs decision making.  However, at some point you must decide that moving forward is more important than standing still  — no matter the outcome.  There is much learning that comes about even when things don’t go according to plan.

If you are looking for more helpful tips on how to be a successful solopreneur from startup to launch and beyond, obtain a copy of my free business start up  mini e-course.

“Those who lose dreaming are lost.”  Austrailian Aboriginal  Proverb

If we are to have any hope of being in touch with the process of the universe or with a power greater than ourselves, we must learn to move beyond our rational, logical minds and to let ourselves dream.

From 365 Meditations & Reflections for Women Who Do Too Much, by Anne Wilson Schae

I just got over a headache that lasted for 1 1/2 weeks…ouch!!

And during that time I got very little done.  It’s amazing how debilitating headaches can be.  It forces you to do nothing but slow down and rest!  And that’s exactly what I had to do –  in spite of all that needed to get done.

During this down time I was reminded that what gets in the way of making steady consistent progress in business development is not always a lack of belief about what’s possible or business knowledge — but your health.

Remember as solopreneur you are the soul of your business; without you there’s no business.

If you don’t thrive, neither will your business.  The only way your business sustains is if you practice “self care” tactics on a consistent basis to keep energy levels high and stress levels low.

There are so many heavy demands of your business along with all of life’s responsibilities.

And being the tenacious, ambitious women that you are, you are probably pushing above and beyond to squeeze in just a little bit more each day.

However if you are not listening to your body when it’s telling you to slow down, take a break – it will force you to do it….whether you want to or not! When this happens your family, household, and business suffers.

Follow these easy strategies to restore healthy energy, balance, and forward momentum in your business:

1. Retire the wonder woman cape. If you’re constantly running on empty, your mind, body, and soul will suffer the repercussions of your tenacity.  Asking for help is a good thing; so do it more often! Sometimes, you’ll be able lean on a spouse, coworker, or friend, but also be open to hired help.

Streamline your responsibilities by creating a “time effective plan.”

- Set time limits when you will shut down for the evening so that you get adequate rest.

- Allow family members to share household tasks and chores so you’re not single handedly carrying the load.

- Do more in less time by prioritizing tasks and get rid of those commitments that no longer serve you .

2. Recharge & rejuvenate.  What is your favorite way of spending alone time?   Knitting? Bubble baths? Reading? Prayer? Lounging around in your jammies while watching your favorite movie reruns?  Schedule and protect this self care time at least once a week without fail.

- As a busy professional, a spouse, a parent and homemaker, you must take the time to de-stress…and without the guilt.  When you gift yourself with time to be a better you, you can take care of home and your business.

3. Have some fun! Socializing with friends and family — and laughter too — are vital aspects of managing and depleting stress levels.

- Participating in girls night out is a great way to decompress.  I know it’s probably been a while…carve out the time and just do it.

- Remember your outer social network and outlets (e.g.  church, events at your kid’s school, neighborhood gatherings, MeetUp.com to find a group of like-minded folks, etc.) are also viable means to interact and engage with others in a fun way.

- If you love to host get togethers in your home, keep your plan simple. Let go of the need for everything to be  just so.  This way you too can enjoy your invited guests.   Consider ordering out  instead of cooking  for ease and convenience.

You would have thought two Excedrins would have knocked out a pounding headache without fail in a day or two, but it didn’t.  Perhaps this “bout” that I dealt with was a manifestation of operating in over drive too often — and for too long.

I feel so blessed to have restored health!

I am taking advantage of these strategies to return to center.   What a difference it’s making in how I feel and how I am able to get more done personally and for my business!  I encourage you to do the same.

If you are looking for more ways to take better care of self from the inside out and maintain better balance so that you can give back to your business consistently,  obtain a copy of my free “self care bundle.”

A first impression is a lasting one indeed.

What will someone say about you after they meet you personally or interface with some aspect of your business or brand for the first time?

Check out this impressive list of tips and advice from 137 experts who share their insights on how to be “memorable”  from the first encounter and beyond.

http://www.carolroth.com/unsolicited-business-advice/?p=4429

At number 136,  I share how to make your website a favorite at first glance.

Looking forward to your thoughts and insights.  What else would you add to this list?

But sometimes when leading busy multi-tasking lives it’s not long before our greatest life ambitions get shoved aside, delayed, or put on hold unintentionally.  When this happens what you desire most in your heart doesn’t come to full fruition; it remains merely an intention that is waiting to unfold. 

Typically a consistent focus is all that you need in order to keep your eyes on the prize.  To the extent you can be reminded on a daily basis of the things you value and want to achieve most in your life and the business, the less likely distractions or set backs will prevail.  

Ladies, if you can see it, you can achieve it!

The use of visuals reminders are simple,  powerful means to continuously aspire toward the big picture.  They can help you overcome challenges and move forward each day toward achieving the life you truly desire.

Not to mention when you know you’re continuously moving forward along your life’s path as a rising solopreneur, you can’t help to feel an amazing sense of confidence, peace, and purpose that is all consuming and the sole motivation you need to stay the course as a business owner.

Here are some simple ways to use visuals on a daily basis to make your vision, goals, and plans stay ever present:

1. Use post-it notes.  This simple method puts your goals and motivators at the forefront.   Buy colorful sticky notes and fun colored pens, and commit your goals to paper. Stick these notes in the places where  you can see and think about them often.

-For ex:  your bathroom mirror, your headboard, the refrigerator door, on your favorite coffee mug, car visor, or right on the bottom of your computer monitor.  Any place that you’re likely to glance throughout the day is a good destination for a motivating, goal-setting note.

-Make your notes specific, “I want to eat right this week to keep my energy levels elevated and get more things done.” or broad but motivating, “Focus, organize, prioritize.”   These simple basic visuals will encourage you to function at peak throughout the day.

2. Make note cards. Buy a stack of white note cards and commit a goal or aspiration to each one. Decorate them, write notes on them, and otherwise customize them to suit your needs. Keep them in your pocket, purse, or brief case and refer to them daily as a means of staying laser focused, driven, and self motivated. 

- When you refer to the same note cards on a daily basis, a habit forms. It is said that it takes 21 days of repeating a task to be ingrained in you. Check your note cards daily until it becomes a habit.

3. Create visual mind maps. This tool will help you organize your goals in a highly visual way. Create a mind map on a large sheet of poster board. Designate an area for each long-term goal, and add an image and a small amount of text. Create a cloud of medium and long-term goals around each long-term goal, with lines connecting them to the long-term focus.

-Use images, colors, words, and other meaningful visuals to decorate your poster. Draw your own graphics, clip pictures from magazines, or download images from the internet to create a colorful – and visually appealing – goal-oriented mind map.

-Put time and effort into the creation of your visual mind map, and then put it in a prominent high traffic place in your home.  Don’t forget to take a picture of it using your cell phone and carry the image with you while on-the-go.   This visual will help you keep your short, medium, and long term goals in mind and will consistently remind you of what you want to be focusing on – week to week, day to day.

Visual reminders are extremely beneficial in keeping your eyes on the prize at all times. 

Which one of these tactics will you commit to using daily in 2011 to achieve your heart’s desires? 

What else would you add to this list?

I think we all remember the phrase, “If you build it, they will come” from the popular movie, Field of Dreams.  However when it comes to business start up, there is a very different story to tell.

It’s one thing to start a business, it’s another to sustain overtime.  I recently read a blog post by Small Business Trends, that outlined the 5 yr success rate of small businesses by industry.    And much to my surprise the service industry’s survival rate is performing slightly higher than average.  However, in spite of this, it also means there is still a large number that aren’t making it.

There are many reasons why small businesses fail.  One area is obviously tied to insufficient financial capital.  So what makes the difference between big revenue streams vs. small or non-existent ones?

Here are my top 10 picks for why new solo businesses remain small and don’t profit:  

 10. No infrastructure to run business.  Once you find that perfect client, the question that comes next is now what?  Many newbies have a difficult time answering this question because they have been so focused on getting their first few paying clients, they don’t have a plan for how they will deliver their product promise, and/or manage the operations of their business. 

Quick tip:  Before getting your first client, establish processes to facilitate ongoing, consistent communication, and systems to manage your finances, and administrative functions of your business.  This way your focus can remain on business building and development.

 9. One-on-one client orientation.  A business model that only consists of working one-on-one with clients is short sighted and typically results in burnout overtime.  It’s much more advantageous to share more of you and what you have to offer with the masses, than with only those whom you can serve personally at any given time. 

Quick tip:  Incorporate both products and services to your sales funnel to help more, serve more and  expand your earning potential.   

 8. A website without a hook.    The harsh reality is once a  unique visitor comes to your website they will  either save your site as a favorite or leave and never return…unless you give them a reason.  Design your site with the goal of converting visitors into prospects.

Quick tip:  Provide relevant and valuable tools, resources, free giveaways…and an opt-in feature to capture contact information and keep in touch.

 7. One dimensional marketing.   Think about your marketing plan as a portfolio of sorts – the more diverse, the better your chance of reaching your intended goals and benchmarks, and the less risk of losing time and money with all your eggs in one basket.  It’s also important to monitor the performance of each strategy to  ensure you are pouring the right resources in the right areas at the right time. 

Quick tip: Incorporate a tracking mechanism for each strategy to eliminate the guesswork around what works, what doesn’t, and achieve optimal results fast.

 6. The wrong offer. Not all solutions you have ideas about are the most viable in the eyes of your prospects and clients.  Remember it’s not about you, it’s about your clients.  Focus on what your clients really want and avoid the temptation of creating services or products in a vacuum.

 Quick Tip:  If you are unsure about what solutions your prospects or clients need, simply survey them or ask directly.

 5. A non-compelling marketing message.  It’s one thing to know who you are seeking to attract, it’s another to know how to communicate with them and enlist them as clients.  Without careful attention to this, you’ll end up working ten times harder by chasing down prospects instead of pulling them toward you.

Quick tip:  Your “sales conversation” should always speak to their heart and mind, by focusing on what matters and concerns them most.

 4. Missing marketing plan.  The “art” and “science” of attracting ideal clients is a focused and purposeful activity.  It’s always a good idea to start with the end in mind and design your strategy for how you will get there.  

 Quick tip:  Establish goals for how you wish to build your list, bring in more business,  and then take action to make it happen.

 3. Fishing in the wrong pond.  There are many criteria for choosing viable markets, to include the ability to reach your prospects easily and inexpensively.   However, without a clear idea of where they “hang out” you will be hard pressed to begin any marketing conversation, build your list, or grow your business.

Quick Tip:  Take time to study your target first so that you know where to direct your marketing efforts.  This way you avoid the “spray and pray approach” to marketing. 

2. Inconsistent marketing efforts.  This fatal error fosters the feast or famine syndrome. In order to keep your pipeline full of prospects, see marketing as an ongoing and consistent activity.  Always remember, if you aren’t actively seeking business, then your business is not making money.

Quick tip:  Carve out time every day to devote toward some aspect of marketing.

 And the number one reason:  Jack of all trades and master of none.   It’s extremely difficult to be a generalist and attract all the clients you will ever need at the same time. Having a specific target audience or niche in mind, will help you formulate a cogent marketing message that pull prospects toward you, more quickly, more often and without fail. 

The end result:  more clients, more business, more money!!

 Quick tip:  As you seek to find the ideal client, never lose sight of what fills you up on the inside – an eager individual with a pulse and credit card in hand shouldn’t be the only criterion for ideal. 

Sometimes a complete business makeover is required to get your business turning profits. But other times a small tweak is all that’s required. Use these simple strategies to audit what’s working  and what isn’t with your business to accelerate your profit making potential by leaps and bounds. 

For more viable solutions for getting your business off the ground running, growing, and making more money: http://bit.ly/9jW642