Posts Tagged ‘business’

Emails…I don’t know about you but I get a slew of them everyday! Sometimes, trying to manage them all can be quite daunting.

What I would like to know is how do you manage your emails each day?

Don’t leave your response here…it’s time to travel the blogoshpere and visit your blog to read your best tip.

Just drop in the title of the blog post and a link to your blog.

Thursday I will post the link so everyone can travel around and read all the great suggestions.

The outside of our business often has an uncanny ability to mirror for us what’s up for us on the inside.  That’s why when my business is experience a lull I immediately see the truth for what it is; an opportunity for a breakthrough.  Typically that breakthrough involves money.  So when there is a lull in my business that lasts beyond a few days my first step is to realign myself with my Money Goal.

Things that you can ask yourself to help you through this lull are:

• Is your money goal big enough?  Maybe you made your money goal a while ago and it no longer is big enough to hold what you really want.
• Does your money goal still hold meaning and significance for you?

• Are you passionately connected to the bigger why of what the money is for?

• By creating a breakthrough about money, which belief are you challenging?

Having the courage to answer these questions completely and honestly will help you get your business out of any slump that you are in.
My challenge to you is to answer each of these questions and if you feel comfortable drop me a note on my blog

Once upon a time you dreamed of a carefree life as an entrepreneur. You saw the vision of a business where you would satisfy all your clients’ needs, make tons of money and live the lifestyle of freedom and joy…..wait a second, stop the presses…the reality is hauntingly different.

Now don’t get mad. I know that you are working your tail off — sometimes 12-14 hours per day — to turn that dream into a reality. You eat, sleep (when you do) and think about your business 7 days a week with little return on the investment, and a ton of anger to show for it. But let’s take a step back and really look at what it takes to turn that hobby into a business so you CAN have the business you always dreamed of.

Today Is That Day

Today, you have a wonderful opportunity to closely examine what it takes to have a successful business. Here are five action items that you can implement right now so that you can make the transition from a hobby to a business:

1.  Develop a Business and Marketing Plan

When starting a new hobby there’s nothing much to plan; you just go out and get your supplies, set up a card table in the basement or spare room and start. Is this how you started your business? If so, let me tell you why this was a BIG mistake.

You want to be successful don’t you? How will you know if you are? Writing a business plan ensures you’re taking the necessary steps to plan out a course of action and to identify the goals that indicate you are on the right track. Without the plan, you’ll never know if you’re making the gains you desire.

Here’s a quick way to get started. Pick two or three marketing activities and make the commitment to do them consistently. These activities can range from attending at least one networking event each week to writing a newsletter. No matter what the activity, do them consistently to see results.

2.  Act Like You’re In Business

There are a couple of really important issues that fall under this heading of “acting like you’re in business”. First: Have a business email that is tied to your website or domain name. For example, maureen@daretobephenomenal.com instead of using a generic email address such as yourname@gmail.com. See the difference? In the first example, you know I have a legitimate business; the other, well you’re not quite sure.

Second issue: Brand yourself. You must have a distinct look and feel. When you brand yourself with colors, taglines and logos you begin to stand out in the crowd. All of your marketing material must have a cohesive look and feel to it. If it doesn’t, work towards branding yourself.

Finally, are you treating your personal and business financial accounts as separate? If you’re not doing this, please go and seek the help of a Quickbooks expert or bookkeeper who can help you separate your accounts so that you clearly know what you are spending and taking in on your business.

3.  Show Me The Money

Here is the plain hard truth: if you are not making money then you have a hobby, not a business. The business needs to be making money or at least be on its way to profitability. You can’t live on your savings account forever and racking up credit card debt to run a business is extremely risky, particularly if you own your own home. Your business won’t survive for very long if you can’t bring in clients and turn a profit.

4.  You Have A Support Team

Part of the trap many business owners fall into is they spend hours a week working IN their business instead of ON their business. They do too many tasks that would be better done by someone else. You have special talents and skills that bring in the revenue for your business. If you’re spending your time cleaning the house, managing the books, or managing your database then you have less time to go out and market and procure clients. Find a VA, housecleaner or personal assistant to help you. Learn to delegate!

5.  Learn, Learn, Learn

I have two coaches, am currently enrolled in a certification program and belong to a mastermind group. I made a commitment to myself that if I wanted to make my business successful, I knew I would have to make the time and monetary sacrifice to make it happen.

If you are struggling with your business or know deep in your soul that all you have is a hobby, I encourage you to consider hiring a coach, mentor or joining a mastermind so that you can turn that hobby into a thriving business.

My challenge to you this week is to take a good, hard look at your business and pick one area to work and improve on. Make a goal and outline the steps that are necessary for you to achieve success.

Do you believe you are courageous? Does the actions you need to take  in your business make you feel afraid?

Well don’t worry because everyone one of  us has an abundance of courage. Too many women entrepreneurs don’t believe that they have courage.  But almost every act in business requires courage:  raising your fees, sending out that book proposal, asking a new prospect to come to a meeting, and signing a new client.  Creating a successful business requires courage! Agreed?

People mistakenly think that if they feel afraid that they don’t have courage.  The opposite of courage is not fear; you can take courageous action and still be afraid.  The opposing force of courage is doubt or uncertainty; and this is what will keep you stuck or sabotage your success.

When you are clear that you are going to raise your fees you are courageous.  When you are clear that you are going to send out that book proposal you are being courageous.  When you are clear that you are going expand your business you are being courageous…get the point!

What courageous action can you take a  stand on  in your business?    What do you need to get clear on today, tomorrow and the next?  I want you to choose  one thing that you desire clarity on.  Get clear in your choices and then choose.  Know that the act of choosing is a courageous act.

I love to network and make new business connections. It was the main reason behind starting the DARE To Be Phenomenal Women’s Only Networking Events. I wanted a place where women could meet and build long lasting connections that would help to grow their businesses.

But for some, networking conjures up all sorts of negative thoughts and anxieties. Will I know anyone there? What if no one talks to me? I’m no good at these events; I never know what to say. And the list goes on and on.

So what’s a gal to do who hates to network? Follow these 9 simple tips to gain more confidence and you too can be a networking diva in no time flat!

1. Networking is about meeting, building and sustaining quality relationships. Be genuine and authentic. Don’t immediately try to pitch your product or service, which by the way is a real turn-off. Instead, listen for how you might be able to help the other person. Extending yourself goes a long way in building long lasting business relationships.
2. Know your goal. Not all networking opportunities are the same. Some focus on service like Rotary Club, while others focus primarily on making business connections…think BNI and Chamber of Commerce. Identify your target market and then focus your efforts on attending those events where your potential clients would be.
3. Visit as many events as possible in order to get a feel for what group will best support your efforts. Look to see that members are friendly, supportive and interested in helping each other grow their businesses. Get a feel for the members and trust your intuition! If a group doesn’t feel right, find one that does.
4. Be prepared to answer the question, “How can I help you?” Although it is important to be mindful of how you can be helpful to others, it is just as necessary to know how others may be of service to you.
5. Always ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Using this form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.
6. Develop and practice your elevator speech. Use simple language that talks specifically about what someone receives as a result of using your services.
7. Be the go to gal. Be the person that others turn to for referrals, suggestions, and ideas. When you are known as a strong resource, you remain visible and on people’s radar screen.
8. Follow up quickly with all referrals that are given to you. Nothing is more damaging to your reputation than when you neglect or forget to contact the referral that a business colleague has gone out of their way to give you. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.
9. Follow up with the people that you meet. Send a simple note expressing how much you enjoyed meeting them. Schedule a time where you can meet for coffee and learn more about each other. You will be hard to forget if you take the time to follow up and continue to build those solid business relationships that will help your business grow.