Unique Beautiful Fun
I read this week that how you treat others is how you feel inside and I got to thinking about how that relates to business. I firmly believe in karma. You get what you give, treat others how you want to be treated, give right to get right. But there are times that we don't feel right. Maybe you're not well, or dealing with a new family or a young baby, maybe you've suffered a bereavement or the sickness of someone you love. There are times when, through no fault of your own, that life is tough. We all have those times. But when you're in business for yourself the wheels need to keep turning. Maybe, like me, you don't always have support staff who can step in when you need some help. Read More
Cruising Pinterest recently (as you do) I came across a meme stating "Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have". As a business owner you are a vital part of your business and its image. Like it or not you will be judged on how you present yourself (and I'm not just talking about the women here!). Some research suggests that when people meet you for the first time they make judgement about you in the first few seconds, often before you've even spoken to each other, so it matters how you are seen in the world. I'm not suggesting that you put on your pearls when picking up supplies from your local hardware or that you try to be something you're not but appearing as your best self when you're out is just good sense. Read More
It's been a challenging few weeks with one of my businesses but it's given me a timely reminder that you can't afford to be complacent. We have lost a few clients recently due to them having a slow down in their own businesses. What six weeks ago was our biggest sales year, has now turned to looking not so rosy. Don't get me wrong, we're not going out of business but, we are having to make some adaptions to cope with a sudden downturn. It can happen in any business and it's not always foreseeable. We weathered the financial crisis and I've no doubt we'll weather this but the universe has given me a timely reminder to quit cruising. Read More
After talking last week about broadening your sales offerings I thought we should also talk about Passive income. Exactly what is it? Passive income is income that you generate for little or no effort (except in the initial set up). Examples of passive income might be selling ebooks, online courses or seminars which people subscribe to, affiliate sales of other people's products, products that can be digitally downloaded, rent etc. Why does it matter? Passive income is a great way to top up any other income you generate and can be a great support for when you have a slow down in sales. (See last weeks blog no. 59). Read More
There's one certainty when you're running your own business and that's that there is always something else to do! So how do you keep track of it all? How do you remember all of the tasks, calls, paperwork that needs to be done and ensure that they are all actually done?
I have a very imperfect system but I have to say that for the most part it serves me. At the beginning of each week (either Sunday night or early Monday) I write in my big A4 notebook. I like writing because it helps me to remember things. I have three columns. One column for my primary business, one for my other businesses and one for personal and home tasks. I list everything that needs to be done that week under one of these headings. I include appointments, birthdays, meetings, payments that need to be made, Read More
Can you believe there's only three months left of the year? It never fails to amaze me how quickly time passes. I've only just gotten used to typing 2016 instead of 2015! With that being said, are you feeling like me, that you've been largely derailed from what you wanted to achieve this year! Don't panic!
I've had a tough year, with the last three months being particularly challenging. The illness and death of a loved family member, the terminal diagnosis of our beloved dog, my own health problems and shrinking business sales have made this some of the toughest times to deal with. Read More
I read a really interesting blog recently about a lady with an invisible illness and the amount of unsolicited advice she has received about treatments, cures and therapies for her condition. Much of this advice has come from complete strangers who know little or nothing of her history. This got me thinking about the amount of advice out there, both asked for and unasked.
Now the internet is a wonderful tool with endless possibilities for finding out information but as they say a little information in the wrong hands can be deadly. Read More
When things are not going well it can be very tempting to look for a scapegoat. Blame something or someone else for your misfortune and you can let yourself off the hook without too much conscience. But the thing about being the person in charge is that while not everything is your fault, everything is your problem! I mean that you may not like it but, ultimately it's up to you to take charge and tackle the problem.
Sometimes you're lucky enough to be able delegate someone else to tidy up.
There's a saying that "Comparison is the thief of joy". But in this Information Age it can be very hard not to compare yourself with others. I belong to a few business groups, both online and in real life and it can be easy to be caught up with other people's success. If you believe everything you hear and read, everybody's business is doubling year on year! Wow. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of businesses where I can see that happening and good on them. But here's the thing, I'm not sure I want that kind of relentless growth.
There’s a tendency at this time of year to take your foot off the pedal and cruise to the end of the year. How do I know this? Because I’m guilty of it. I was self talking to myself this morning about this very subject and finding every excuse about why its too late in the year to get things done! “ I’m not well, I’m too tired, it’s too late.” But let’s be honest, there are still well over two months left the year. In fact there’s over two months till Christmas to get on with something, anything.
The Secret to a Happy Christmas
I used to be one of those people who took Christmas way too seriously. Everything had to be right. The decorations had to be coordinated with the gift wrapping of the the presents under the tree. If Christmas was at our house, the table had to be dazzling (and different every year), the food had to be making the table groan (and later the guests), there had to be every drink imaginable on offer as well as a big selection of deserts. No more. I have managed to scale back considerably and I have to admit it makes for a much happier time (for me at least).
A few weeks ago I talked about making the most of whats left of the year (Blog 66 - A Strong Finish) and it got me to thinking about how we perceive time. If we were two months into the year we would feel the year had just begun but if we have two months till the end of the year we feel that the year is nearly over. Thats because we are thinking of an ending on December 31st. Theres ten months left as opposed to two months left. But this is the wrong way to think about it. We use the year as a yardstick to measure success and accomplishment.
When I think about the business people I admire, I sometimes find it difficult to stay away from the temptation to compare. I think that's one reason I'm drawn to people in such diverse occupations because it then becomes a mute point. Let's leave the comparison as the thief of joy conversation for another day!
When thinking about business people it's hard to avoid some of the big names because they are often the ones that make the headlines.
Its been a really tough week! My little dog has been poorly and stopped responding to chemo. Between vet visits, oncology visits and trying to get him to eat it's been a roller coaster. Then Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. The outpouring I had from friends about how hard this was going to be for so many Americans was so sad. For Muslims, for Mexicans, for Hispanics, for women, for lgbtqi Americans,
Last week I talked about how to weather a storm and, let's face it, we all have stormy times. But life is never just one thing because as surely as we all have tough times we all, also, have good times. How do we recognise and even capitalise when things are going well?
For me, one of the big gifts I've gotten this year is to be more present. I've tried to take at least part of every day and really look around me and appreciate all that there is. I was driving back from the shops at lunch time and the sky was soo blue I wished I could bottle it. It was just so beautiful.
It's December! Wow that came fast didn't it? Only another four weeks or so and we'll be starting a new year. You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why! Cause now is one of the most exciting times of the year. Not just do we have Christmas and New year to look forward to but, we can start planning next year.
I can already hear you all groaning and you shouldn't be. This year I waited till well into January to get my plans for the year crystallised and it was half way through February before I started implementing them!
I was talking last week about getting some planning done for next year before this one has come to a close and I've been thinking a bit about what my own plans for 2017 will be. The thing is, I find that for a large part, I'm quite focused on the individual steps and haven't given a lot of thought to the big picture.
It can be easy to set small goals for yourself that are easily achievable or, at least easy to visualise but you (and me) should also give some time to thinking about the bigger stuff we would like to achieve
You know when you're on an aircraft and the safety instructions always tell you to put on your own oxygen before seeing to your children? There's a reason for that! If you don't take care of yourself first, you'll be in no condition to take care of others! At this time of year I think that's a great lesson to remember.
It's hard not to get caught up in all the madness of Christmas. If you're in business it might be your busiest time of year! Add to that, the gift buying, wrapping, the parties, the entertaining, the food shopping, the decorations and it's hard not to become overwhelmed.
Well it's only a few days till C-Day and I hope you're all looking forward to it. I think it's so easy to be caught in the busy-ness at this time of year.
We're all so focused on the presents and the decorations and the food and, sometimes the travel, that we can forget that it is supposed to be a time of celebration. Whether you support the Christian traditions of Christmas or not I think that that's something we can all share in. Celebrate that you have a roof over your head, that hopefully, all of your family are safe,
I love a new year. All that bright, shiny promise. A blank canvas each and every January. I've always done a bit of a summary at the end of each year about the things I accomplished, the projects I finished, the highlights, plus, a rough plan for the next twelve months of what I'd like to get done and always, always, how many holidays I hope to take. This year I ordered the Amazing Biz and Life planner (this is my third one). I've spent much more time on planning what I want to achieve this year (I've still listed how many holidays), The biggest thing on my agenda for the year is to amp up education for myself. I'd already dipped my toe in the water but this year I have decided to be much more focused.
I know sometimes it can be hard to be fired up by the start of a new year. There’s that post holiday slump, the Christmas hangover, not to mention the weight a lot of us have gained (me included!). But that general malaise that we feel is kind of a ripe atmosphere for dreaming your dreams for what’s to come!
Its a great time for laying in the pool or the bath and imagining what new products or services you can come up with for your business. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere those cold walks can be a great time to daydream
When I first started running a business the thought of managing the accounting and finance side was pretty daunting. I had no real background in those areas and was really wary about making any mistakes. I decided to start simply with a basic exercise book. One page for money coming in per month, the opposite page for money going out per month. It may not have been very high tech but it was what worked for me. We got a little bigger and I decided I needed something to save some time so I set up a basic spreadsheet. Again one sheet for money in and one for money out
Theres a real danger, especially with creative businesses, to prolong releasing anything until its perfect. I’ve come to realise its completely the wrong attitude. Most artists I know are never completely satisfied with a piece of work and if you wait till you're happy you may never get anything out. While making things and being creative is lovely, if you're not getting a product in the market, its just a hobby.
The same thing can be said of many other businesses.
I’ve talked before about when people use the phrase ‘Its not personal, its just business’. It’s usually when they've not paid their bill or treated you badly. I’ve also talked about why I think its a load of bull. People shape businesses. They make the decisions, they decide the policies and the corporate culture. If their culture is one that always pays people late then a person or people made that decision. It wasn't made by some invisible entity.
There's always a lot to do when you run your own business so why would you bother setting up a formal manual for the procedures you use for your business? Simple. Because there will come a time (hopefully not too long away!) when you are no longer concentrating on running your business but on growing your business. Other people will be handling most of your day to day functions and if you already have each procedure documented you can be reasonably sure that they're doing things the way you want!
I talked last week about putting yourself into your business and why its important, and this post emphasises why you are, (or should be), your company biggest asset. Any self-employed person knows how easy it is to become caught up in the day-to-day running of your business. Particularly solo-preneurs, find it hard to find the time to take any stock of the big picture for the company or even, to assess how they are doing beyond just sales. If your sales are going well, you may think that you have no need for further analysis and, if they aren't doing so well you may feel that you should be putting your efforts into boosting them.
