I’ve been spending time lately getting ready for the new year – planning, organizing, strategizing, visioning, and more. There are many transitions and transformations on the horizon for me and my business, and much to do to prepare for them, so I’m making space and opening the flow.
Here are some of the ways I’m doing this in my business that you can do too:
1. Clean Up Your Business Time
Time is your only non-renewable resource. If you’ve ever experienced days when you don’t know where the time has gone, but you do know you haven’t accomplished much, then you need to take a serious look at just what is eating up those precious minutes.
My coach’s request of you is to track your time for the next two weeks. Like a food diary makes you intensely aware of what you’re eating, a time log will allow you to quickly and easily identify where you’re frittering time away.
Most likely culprits?… Email and TV (yes, I know some of you are ‘watching’ TV while you’re online, and no, that’s not multi-tasking, that’s just pure distraction).
Once you are aware of where your time is going, make a conscious effort to redirect it to more productive – or even more restful – activities. Turn the TV off (or TIVO/DVR whatever it is you must watch and give it your full attention later). And don’t leave your email open all day long! Allot specific time to read and respond to it instead.
You’ll be amazed at how just doing this simple exercise will free up the time you want for more important (and fun!) things. (Be sure to read Part 2 of this article next week where I’ll share more specific and effective tips for handling email overload.)
2. Clean Up Your Business Space
Now is a great time to go through your files – computer and physical – and delete or organize them for moving forward into the new year. I spent several hours going through my physical files recently, shredding lots of documents (I love to purge!), and setting up new files for my new private clients as well as empty files for the ones yet to come. During this process both online and off, I also found a lot of gems I’d forgotten about – pieces of content, systems and processes, tools, resources, audios, and more.
And now that I have a recent visual in my mind of what’s in my files, it’s literally at my fingertips as I move forward in building my business. Energetically and electronically, I can feel how much more open the flow is by doing this.
3. Clean up Your Business Circle
This one can be a bit difficult, but it’s necessary to prune the people you surround yourself with from time to time. It doesn’t mean you have to completely disconnect from them (unless they’re just weighing you down energetically), but do make a conscious choice to spend more time in the company of those who lift you up.
Let me give you a simple example. If you’re on someone’s ezine list just because everyone else is or you feel like you should be, but you either a) don’t read it or b) don’t feel good when you do read it, just unsubscribe and allow the space for something that resonates with you to take its place.
Or maybe you’re part of a mastermind group that you feel you’ve outgrown. Now is the time to graciously bow out. Once you do, you open the space for a new group to form around you that better supports where you are now.
How are you making space and opening the flow for the new year? Leave your comments below…
Sometimes I think we make this whole business building thing a lot harder than it needs to be.
And I know a lot of us grew up with the belief that in order to make money you had to work really hard. There’s nothing wrong with hard work. But there’s also nothing wrong with choosing to make things easier whenever possible.
Here are 7 ways you can make generating more income in your business, faster and easier:
1. Get peer support.
If you’re feeling the loneliness of being out there all by yourself, behind your computer screen, trying to figure it all out on your own, then consider getting some level of peer support. Find a place to go that’s made up of your peers where your voice is heard and your real fears and doubts are addressed so you could move forward much easier and faster than you could on your own. Even better if you can find such a place where you can go 24/7 and get just the support you need in that moment.
2. Invest in a mentor.
If you’re at the place where you’re experiencing some success but you’re concerned about continuing to make decisions without some level of ‘been there, done that’ expertise to back them up, then this is the sign that it’s time to invest in a mentor. Whether that mentor is part of your peer support or you choose to work privately together, having a mentor is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get where you want to go.
3. Invest slightly above where you’re at.
Seek out great coaching support where admission to participate isn’t out of proportion to your income. Perhaps you’ve already tried to make your business work by cobbling together a little support from here and there, but you’re craving a place to call your business home. Investing in a program slightly above where you’re at WILL cause you to step up your own inner and outer game. Showing that you’re serious about being in business by investing in yourself and your growth is the best return on investment you’ll ever get.
4. Consider less content in exchange for help in implementing what you already know.
Sometimes you just don’t need more information, but you need help in putting into action everything you already know. There’s a big difference between “I already know that” and “I’m already doing that.” Getting support that helps you with the ‘doing’ part oftentimes is more important to the success of your business and your bottom line than learning something new.
5. Focus on “what’s the next step” only.
My clients often tell me that they love how I laser in on what’s most important to focus on next, which gets them unstuck and out of the spin-cycle of doubt and confusion. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider focusing on just one thing, the next thing, you need to do to move forward. If you can’t see it or simply don’t know, get the support you need from a coach or a peer.
6. Get group support
Having immediate access to a support group and a place to toss out ideas, titles, price points, launch strategies, language, etc. will make you feel supported in a way you probably haven’t found elsewhere. If you crave a safe place to share your ideas, thoughts, fears, doubts, celebrations and more – to whine and vent too, if need be, then look for an intimate group where you can have that. Beside having a bunch of other eyes and brains to shine a light on any blind spots you simply can’t see out there on your own, having this kind of sacred support will give you an enormous sense of relief as you move forward.
7. Choose a mentor whose lifestyle you desire (not just whose income you desire)
This is a tricky one. Perhaps you’re enamored by certain mentors who are living the high life, raking in the bucks, and seemingly doing it all without a care in the world. I’ll caution you that usually not all is what it seems. Building a business is hard work, no matter what level you’re at. So be careful to choose a mentor whose lifestyle is one you REALLY want.
My clients are attracted to me because I focus on the whole picture and not just on making money. For me, having a 6-figure+ business while only working about 15 hours a week is what matters. Sure, if I worked more, I’d make more. But I simply don’t want to – I want to spend the majority of my time on my family.
So be clear on the whole picture of what YOU want before you decide who to mentor with, ok?
I’d love your thoughts on this – please feel free to share below… thanks!
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In the over 15 years I’ve been in business for myself, I’ve developed very strong boundaries around how I will and will not operate my company. Some of those boundaries are common, some are not, but all of them have led to faster growth while being happy with how I run my business.
And yet, even with vast experience in this, there are times when I stumble.
And I realized that a common theme had emerged, that I thought would be helpful to share with you.
The theme is letting someone or something else decide anything for you.
For example, letting a client decide when they schedule coaching calls, instead of having set dates/times that work best for you to choose from.
Or allowing a client to decide when to pay you, instead of having a process in place for collecting payments on the time-table you set.
So where in your business do you need to firm up your boundaries? Where do you need to make them crystal clear?
Here are 3 key areas to look at:
1. Clients
Think of you current clients and notice how you feel about each one individually. If there’s any sense of negativity, see if you can discern what that’s about. Sometimes simply asking the question, “What’s bugging me about this?” and journaling your answer can bring clarity. If you can’t quite put your finger on it, talk it out with your coach or a trusted colleague (respecting your client’s confidentiality, of course).
Oftentimes if you can identify what feels ‘off’ to you, you can address and fix it fairly easily. However, if it’s something that makes you feel resentful or less than excited about working with this client, it might be time to get really clear for yourself on what the issue is and address it directly with the client. You can’t expect someone to abide by your expectations if they don’t know what they are. Yet if you’re clear and the issue continues, it’s time to let them go.
2. Money
One of the items on your to-do list every day should be giving attention to your money. For example, making sure that payments are current, following up with any that are not current, sending invoices on time, giving clear instructions on how a client can pay you, etc.
On the other hand, you also want to be making sure the money you’re investing is also wisely spent. Are you getting the service you were promised for the price you are paying? Are your tasks being performed in the most efficient way with the proper skill set so you’re not paying more for something than you need to.
Where in your business can you be firmer or more clear in your boundaries around your money, both in terms of what comes in and what goes out?
3. Time
This is a big boundary for me, and probably the one I am the most clear and firm on, and by doing so, it enables me to show up 1000% when I’m ‘on’ in my business and empowers my clients to do the same.
And this isn’t even necessarily about my summers off, but it is about deciding for myself how I will spend my time (which is my LIFE) and not letting someone else decide that for me.
Practically, it’s having set dates/times for coaching, not answering the phone the moment it rings, not responding to emails/posts immediately, or not re-designing a program that I’ve put an enormous amount of effort into to better please the client than it does me.
It means walking my talk of working less than part-time hours and keeping my priorities first, while still honoring the promises I’ve made to the people who choose to work with me.
Some of the lessons I learned the hard way when I first started out was letting the client run the program they were in, signing on a client who I knew intuitively was not a good fit, letting a client create a payment plan that worked for them but did not work for me – all of those were my own boundary issues. Once I recognized that and got really clear and communicated that clarity, I no longer struggled with these – and better and better clients who respected my boundaries showed up.
You may disagree with some of these examples or concepts I’ve shared – or you may have been in business long enough or have enough experience not having these or similar boundaries clear and enforced to know better – and when we know better, we do better, right?
Share your thoughts with me below…
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One of the biggest challenges I see with newer entrepreneurs is the resistance to choosing a specific group of people to work with and/or a specific area of expertise to build their business on.
Many entrepreneurs have a specialty (WHAT) but no target audience (WHO).
Others have a target audience, but don’t offer a core expertise. Instead, they try to be all things to that audience and find themselves and their clients lost in a sea of choices.
If you have just the WHAT but not the WHO, or vice versa, you’ll likely still enjoy some level of success. However, it’s going to be much more difficult and take much 
longer to see results than if you define both.
This graphic visually shows the sweet spot of any niche –>
The horizontal is the WHO? Who are you serving? What portion of the marketplace are you offering your gifts too?
The vertical is the WHAT? What’s your area of specialty that you’re offering to the WHO? What is your expertise?
The sweet spot is here these two W’s intersect.
So how do you find your niche’s sweet spot?
Here are 3 steps to help you do this:
Step 1: Define Your WHO
Who are you most meant to serve? Which portion of the marketplace calls to you? Which group of people resonates the most for you? Who are your most favorite clients and customers?
Step 2: Define Your WHAT
What area of expertise are you going to focus on with your WHO? Even if you can do everything, it doesn’t mean you should. What’s the one thing you do for your clients that you absolutely love?
Step 3. CHOOSE and MOVE
Once you know your WHO and WHAT, you can move forward from there, finding where they gather and exactly what they are struggling with, then offering ways to help them.
If your WHO and WHAT still seems fuzzy, get help. Get coaching or some kind of support to help you suss it out.
But at some point, you simply have to choose a group of people and an area of expertise to offer them and move with it. Over time, the specifics of your WHO and your WHAT will become more defined, and you can hone your market and your message then, but if you wait for it to be perfect, your business will stagnate. And the only way to get unstuck is to choose and move.
Share with me your WHO and your WHAT below.
For those of us raising families, or taking care of aging parents, or funding another dream, being able to custom-design a business that fits the lifestyle we want is the ultimate goal.
But here’s where I see many promising entrepreneurs struggle: they aren’t comfortable taking the risks that are required when growing a serious business and a profitable brand.
Even when that entrepreneur finally decides she’s ready to step into creating a business that’s highly profitable, designed around the lifestyle she aches for, there’s a tendency to question, to doubt, to hesitate, to hold back.
Because the next step is risky. The opportunity she’s been seeking is on the table in front of her, but she gets scared to follow her instinct that NOW is the time and hesitates just long enough for her brain to kick in and start generating a whole host of reasons why the risk in saying YES to herself is too great.
Things like:
“I can’t spend that kind of money.”
“I need to get XYZ in place first.”
“I don’t have time to make that kind of commitment.”
“I’ll join next year.”
All of those statements may be valid. They’re also the ones that will hold you back and keep you spinning in the same spot. If you’ve been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
If you’re ready to move out of that spot, you’re going to have to do two things: 1. change how you think and 2. change what you do.
I’m not saying you can’t create success on your own – you can. The question is, how long do you want it to take and how hard do you want it to be?
Big business shifts require faith in yourself and taking action at a higher level. Faith in your own inner guidance and taking action at a level that really stretches you, pulls you forward, and creates a new level of success so much sooner than you could on your own.
Notice I didn’t say take MORE action. I said, taking action at a higher level. As a business owner who is committed to not working more than 15 hours a week on average, I don’t want to work more. But I always want to work smarter to make the big leaps.
To help my clients start thinking in these same terms, I share with them my own story, as well as stories of others, famous and unknown, who took the leap of faith even when they had no idea where the resources were going to come from to do so.
So when you’re in the place of making a decision about taking that leap yourself, if you know in your heart (though your ego may be gnashing its teeth), that it’s a YES, know that the Universe has a delightful way of putting onto your path everything you need to help you.
I’ve certainly experienced this myself and often hear the same from my colleagues and clients. In fact, one of my private Platinum clients shared at my last workshop that, ‘you hear everyone say it, that I had no idea how I was going to pay for that program when I signed up, but as soon as I did, the money showed up.’
It happens all the time.
So, is it your time and your turn to build that really profitable business and brand? What opportunities are in front of you right now?
For example:
– Do you have a list of interested clients who you know you could help if you followed up with them?
– Is it time to finally raise your rates?
– Do you want to create a new income stream to generate more revenue?
– Is there a live event you could attend that could help move you forward faster?
Or is there a mentor whose level of success and lifestyle resonates with you who has a coaching program you could join?
Follow through on those or whatever else came to mind as you read this. Ask yourself what do you really want – and how can you get that? Then have faith and take the leap…
I’d love to know how this resonates with you. Please share your thoughts below…
One of the ways I see entrepreneurs staying small (and frustrated) is by not being serious enough about how they manage their receivables in their business. Receivables is simply money that is owed to you. For example, there isn’t a business owner I know who hasn’t had at least one client’s payments become an issue, so if this hasn’t happened to you yet, know it most likely will. However, if you have certain things in place, it will be a lot easier for you to handle these situations, gracefully and respectfully.
So, let’s take a deeper look at that most common scenario: a client is late with their payment. When you address this with them, they tell you their situation and while you can and should listen with compassion, it’s imperative that you not take on the problems that they’re having and make them your own. That doesn’t serve either of you.
While we all can have money issues from time to time, if the client takes no responsibility for it – and yes, even when it seems it’s completely out of their control – then they’re coming from a victim mentality. But you can’t let them make you a victim of their situation as well.
First and foremost, ALWAYS listen to your intuition when signing on a client. You’ll only make the mistake once of not doing so before you regret it and realize taking them on didn’t serve either of you.
But there are also times when this situation comes up with a great client too. While the money situation is still theirs, for you, it’s a boundary issue. And it’s an opportunity to tighten your parameters and policies too.
We need to remember that we are running a business and as a serious business owner, we are entitled to monies owed to us. It’s why having clearly written and signed agreements and a written policies page are so important.
So while it’s the client’s responsibility to pay what’s owed, it’s your responsibility to collect what’s owed. This can and should be handled gracefully and respectfully. And it’s as easy as staying detached from their story and creating a plan to handle the situation.
If you commiserate, let the payment slide, and/or don’t make a plan on how it will be handled, not only will you start to feel resentful, but you’re also enabling the client to continue this disempowering behavior.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to step more fully into being a powerful model and mentor for them. When you’re talking with your client, tell them that you understand that this is a difficult situation for them, and then ask them what they are going to do to resolve it as soon as possible.
I know it feels easier to avoid conflict and commiserate with the client, but I have found that if you do that, the situation just keeps happening until you no longer put up with it. When you’re firm on your boundaries, you respect yourself and your business enough so you attract more and more ideal clients who are a joy to work with. I know this to be true.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this – it’s a hot-button issue for lots of business owners and clients alike, so please leave your comments below.
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