Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Four ways to beat content marketing overwhelm

For many small business owners, trying to keep up with content marketing and social media as ways to grow business is a lesson in overwhelm that happens on a regular basis! It’s time for an intervention! There are a few simple steps you can take to break through the overwhelm and get content marketing working for you. Let’s look at a few (4) of those now:

Identify your goal

What are your goals for you content marketing? Having a goal of making more sales is way too broad and will lead to a sense of overwhelm. Instead, break that broad goal down into specific, measurable goals such as turning leads into customers or driving traffic to your website.

Get a strategy

It’s easy to fall into spending too many hours creating and posting content with no plan or strategy in place. For your content marketing to work well and to return the results you want and need, a solid strategy is required. Never create content for the sake of creating content – always have a strategy. Take the time to plan this important step.

Once you’ve identified who you are trying to reach, where they spend time online, what types of content they like and respond to and what you want them to do with it (like, share, join your mailing list, buy your product…) you’ll be able to design a strategy for meeting your marketing goals.

Make sure to gather leads

You’ve heard the one where social media has killed off email? Not so much. In fact, that’s simply not true.  Social media is great to build and strengthen relationships but aim to entice your followers to join your mailing list, as well. Not only does this make good business sense but it will also fight those feelings of overwhelm because your email list is an asset you own. Those frequent changes made by social media have no impact on your email list and nobody can take that away from you (as long as you regularly back up your data).

Outsource what you can

Before you think about outsourcing, it’s essential that you work out your strategy and goals beforehand. If you don’t you could end up paying someone to do work that has no benefit to your business. You can avoid this once you know exactly what needs to be done and how you’ll measure your results, you’ll find some tasks that would be better done by someone other than you. We know that overwhelm can be the result of too much work, but it can also come from trying to do work that isn’t using your strengths when you could be doing great work elsewhere.

Now take some time to look at your own content marketing – which areas could you work on to break through your sense of overwhelm?

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

The Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans…

How many times have you scheduled your day and had nothing go according to plan? It’s something I have experienced more times than I’d like to admit. We hear so much about the importance of having a plan, but what do we do when the plan falls apart?

In the past, there have been times where I simply gave up on the plan when things didn’t work out. I used to be one of those people who viewed the first sign of trouble as a red flag letting me know that the goal I was working towards wasn’t meant to be. Instead of being faced with more defeat, I would just quit.

What I realize now is that those goals that I have given up on in the past were simply things I was never truly committed to achieving. When I have been determined to make something happen, I find a way. The plan may be reworked and revised a million times along the way, but when I want something bad enough, quitting isn’t an option.

This realization has been a major “a-ha” moment for me. Even when it comes to daily my daily plan, I’ve realized that I stay committed to the plan when I’m clear on my priorities. Yes, the unexpected happens. There are always going to be things that you can’t plan for. There are going to be times, however, where you’re presented with an opportunity that takes you off track. When you’re clear on your priorities and are committed to your goals, sticking with the plan is much easier.

Instead of giving up on the plan when it doesn’t work, take time to review it and see why it didn’t work. I’m a firm believer that the challenges and obstacles we experience along the way to realizing our goals is simply a test of how bad we want it. Think about the times that you have experienced difficulties when working towards a goal. Remember how impossible things felt at times. You survived though, didn’t you? Even if the goal didn’t manifest the way that you expected to, I’m willing to bet you learned a lot from the experience. If you did achieve the goal you were working towards, then you know that it was all worth it!

Plans are simply guidelines. They aren’t the only way to achieve your goal. Successful plans are organic. They evolve constantly because we are always learning new things and connecting with new people that show us things we never even knew existed! Don’t give up on your plan just because things aren’t working out. Stay committed to goal, be flexible with the plan.

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Name That Tune…

Sheralyn

I may be dating myself but years ago a show on TV called Name that Tune asked contestants to “name that tune” in as few notes as possible. What you ask is the relevance of this memory? It brings to mind that moment your eyes begin to glaze over at a networking event when someone tells you EVERYTHING you ever DIDN’T want to know about their job, position, title, company and number of years on the job. I know you know what I’m talking about and I know exactly how you can avoid it. Just follow “The Rule of Ten.”

In Name that Tune, the music was so good and the “hook” so memorable that people instantly recognized the song. That’s what you want for your business.  An introduction that is catchy and memorable – your own personal “hook.”  The Rule of Ten is my personal guideline to developing a solid, short and simple introductory sentence that succinctly describes you and your product or service. It’s derived from the “Tenplate for Success” which includes ten critical communication tips for those in business. Taking ten means taking the time to distill your business mission statement or your vision into just ten words (or less!) using catchy lingo that will draw in the audience, inviting them to have a conversation with you. Isn’t that the whole idea behind networking? You don’t want the  “glaze over,” you want to encourage and enable a conversation. For that to happen, all you need is something catchy to get the conversation started.

So – what is the Rule of Ten? It’s simple: Take your main product or service, your goal or vision for your business and distill it down to the BEST TEN WORDS that describe your service and sound enticing to potential customers. Think it can’t be done? It can. Your first attempt might rival War and Peace but I assure you, with a little effort, some fine-tuning and perhaps a hint or two courtesy of Google Thesaurus, you CAN create a ten words or less elevator pitch that gets your potential customer talking to you not running from you.

Compare “I am a freelance writer and editor providing website content, editorial, blogging and advertising services for the small business entrepreneur” vs. “I help small business succeed using words that work!” or this one: “At a loss for words? I’ll help you find them!” In the first intro perhaps all you’ve heard is the word “Writer” and immediately images of a lonely, rumpled and wild haired women in front of an ancient typewriter comes to mind.  In the second or third example however, you’ve created the possibility of a conversation between you and your prospective client.  “Really,” they might say. “How do you use just words to help business?” There’s your opening, your invitation to have a conversation with a prospective client, without any pre-conceived notions that might possibly be associated with the word “Writer.”

Tammy Elliott of The Leadership Forum in Caledon calls this finding your passion and letting it shine through in your “5 second intro.” Using this technique helps you position your passion as a value statement and your client is much more likely to connect with you if you are like-minded and have similar values. Using words like “help” implies genuine caring, enthusiasm for what you do and again, it encourages a conversation over an eye-glaze. Try it. Throw a bunch of words on a page and then start working with them. Break out the Thesaurus or Google words.  Choose the best ten, formulate your catchy sentence and then give it a try at your next networking meeting. Have fun with it and hopefully soon your customers will be singing your favorite tune!

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

A Roadmap for your Journey

Sheralyn

Every day we are surrounded by the need to make decisions. The sheer multitude can be overwhelming, from the trivial “what should I make for dinner tonight?” to the triumphant, “should I invest in a storefront location for my home-based business?” When you’re an entrepreneur, these decisions are often made alone or in consultation with family or friends who while helpful, are not as invested (literally and figuratively) in the business as you are. Decision – making can be daunting.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield identified the ability to make a decision and stick to it as one of life’s five most critical skills. I couldn’t agree more and struggle daily to help instill this skill set in my children. Decision-making must be fostered from a very early age and parents should recognize that allowing a child to stomp her feet at age 4 and refuse to wear a coat in winter will help her to understand the consequence of that decision – that she’ll get pretty darn cold! Determining whether to attend College or University is more daunting than a coat crisis but the process remains essentially the same – it’s only the magnitude of the decision that varies.

My suggested Decision Making Model runs almost counter-intuitive to many other business theories that require a solid foundation upon which you should build your framework. That is, that in decision-making, you should be working from a top down approach. What is your ultimate goal or vision? If decision-making is about “identifying and choosing alternatives among several possibilities” (1) shouldn’t you know where you want to go first? It helps narrow down the field of choice. Once you have a clear goal, (your Destination) start determining all the necessary steps (your ROUTE) that you need to take in order to get there. Visualize this process as you would a road map. We know that we need to get to Indiana for a hockey tournament. Indiana is the goal. What steps need to be taken to get us there? Using a map we might plot several routes. We should ask ourselves questions to help more clearly define the route chosen based on criteria that is important to us: which route is fastest, do we want to see any sights along the way, will we travel during the day or at night? Knowing clearly and precisely what the final destination is allows us to make the smaller decisions required to get us there.

It’s the same with business decisions. Using our store-front analogy, if you run a cake business from home and your dream is a clearly visualized bakery window on a pretty main street in your home town, start working backwards from that to determine what you need to do in order to make it happen. There are a multitude of business models for decision-making but really, it’s this simple: “G.G.W.C.I.” – it’s not pretty as an acronym but the process is “Goal, Gather, Weigh, Choose, Implement.” Your goal is a storefront location. Gather means to collect information related to that goal – in other words, do your research. Is such a location available and if so what is the cost and should you lease or buy? These questions will lead you to undertake a full financial analysis. Do you generate enough income to cover the monthly expenses, how much take home income do you need to finance your preferred lifestyle and you’ll need staff, can you afford to hire someone? Once you’ve gathered all your facts, weigh your options (a good old fashioned “pro and con” list never goes out of style) then choose. Make your decision, implement and watch it flourish.

As an entrepreneur, being successful also means asking for help from experts. I’m not going to plan that trip to Indiana without consulting Google maps – why try to accomplish something alone when information already exists and is readily accessible? Successful entrepreneurs don’t just learn by doing, they learn from the success and failure of others. When you’ve got a decision to make ask for help, support and guidance from your financial advisor, your bank, even your local Small Business Centre. Certainly, one of the smartest decisions you can make when going solo, is to surround yourself with a “team” of experts that can provide this kind of assistance along the way.

Making a decision also takes time. If your GOAL was clearly defined in the first place, it will already have a timeline associated with it. Colonel Hadfield, in his book “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth” also shares insight on the importance of being able to make a decision quickly. Sometimes, like when you are strapped into a rocket, you don’t have the luxury of time to make a mission critical decision. That’s the other reason it is so important to start practicing decision-making as a skill set from an early age. That and about a million simulator experiences will ensure you can make a decision in seconds flat if required to. For those of us just making the decision whether to drive to Indiana and not something as dramatic as flying into space, it could just mean knowing how to react to icy road conditions in an emergency. Regardless of what your decision is, the making of that decision is a journey. Having a clearly defined map will help get you there but only if you know where you want to go first!

Your G.G.W.C.I. “Road Map” – Sheralyn Roman

  • GOAL- Your Destination
  • GATHER – Do your research, pull out maps, determine who or what can help you get to your destination and how you want to get there, by car, plane, train? Having a firm timeline helps you not only to reach your destination but to do so effectively and efficiently.
  • WEIGH your options: Which route is fastest and meets all my stated criteria and plan alternate routes in case of road-blocks.
  • CHOOSE & IMPLEMENT– pack up the car and go! (Always plan for emergencies too by taking along your tool-kit. Literally and figuratively!)

 

(1) Wikipedia

and

Chris Hadfield’s “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

LinkedIn / Facebook / www.writingrightforyou.weebly.com

The year in review…

sandra

Several years ago I started the New Year’s Eve ritual of celebrating my accomplishments. I find it’s a great way to end the year off on a positive note and carry over that positivity into the New Year. Last year, in addition to celebrating my accomplishments and setting my intentions for the upcoming year, I also took stock of the habits that contributed to my success, and those that kept me from making the year an even more productive and successful one.

We’ve all heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. It was with this in mind that I started to take a look at the habits that served me and those that didn’t. It was especially important for me to review these things at the end of last year, since the second half of the year was the start of my journey as a full-time entrepreneur.

Along with reviewing our habits, the end of the year is also a great time to consider what worked and what didn’t, both personally and in your business. We want to continue to do the things that worked, yet we shouldn’t hesitate to question whether or not we could do those things even better, more effectively. We also need to review the things that didn’t work and figure out why. Not to beat ourselves up about our failures, but to learn from them, and figure out what we need to do next time so that we don’t end up with the same results.

Obviously we don’t have to wait until the end of the year to do these things, but the New Year is a great time for new beginnings. For many of us it’s also the start of a new fiscal year, so making changes and improvements in January will allow you to measure your growth year over year as you continue to build and grow your business.

Whether 2014 was an awesome year or just so-so, there is always room for improvement. Taking stock of the current year provides you with the opportunity to celebrate the progress you’ve made and tweak the plan to make the upcoming year an even better one. It’s about a constant evolution. If you had a great year, the next one can be even better. If you didn’t achieve as much as you wanted to do this year, know that there’s always room for improvement, it’s just a matter of retooling the strategy and your mental game.

Make a commitment to learn a new skill, release the habits (and anything else) that doesn’t serve you and develop the habits that are helping you get closer to your goals! If we want to achieve the best we can in our respective businesses, we have to be at our best. Take the time to evaluate the game plan and make the changes necessary to knock it out the park in the New Year!

May the New year be one of great health, peace and abundance!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Are you having some fun on your journey?

Uchechi

Wow, it’s crazy how much the year has progressed. Periodically, I like to reflect on my goals and accomplishments and determine where adjustments are needed. What’s come up for me today is the need to enjoy my journey as I reach towards my goals.

Those that know me well know that I always have something on the go, with ideas and programs to develop. However, along with this, is the calling to take time to reflect on my accomplishments and ensure that the journey towards the attainment of my goals in an enjoyable one. Being a wife and a mother of 2 has made this even more essential in my life!

As humans, we are meant to stretch and take on challenges. Most of us don’t always stretch past our comfort zone, which is needed to grow and succeed, but that yearning to be and want more is a human desire that we all have in common. What we tend to do is focus solely on the end goal (destination) that we don’t sit and consider how much growth and accomplishments we’ve had along the way.

Enjoying the journey also includes adding ways to make accomplishing your goals fun and exciting. This is important because at some point, we will get to the part where things start to become difficult or mundane and the beginner’s excitement is gone and we need to work at it to stay inspired and motivated. As business owners, we know this part very well! This is when enjoying the journey and infusing some fun and excitement into it helps to sustain your energy.

It could a relaxing massage for dedicating a full day to business development for your business and gaining more leads. You can also reach out to someone you admire and ask them to mentor you, spending an afternoon at your favourite restaurant ‘picking their brain’. Another great thing is to attend an inspiring event (like Hay House I Can Do It) or join a mastermind group with like-minded people. There are so many ways to add some fun and excitement to the process of reaching your goals. One of the things I personally plan to do in the future is get together with some great ladies and do a wealth creation mastermind that includes a fun day of pampering, yoga, masterminding and talk on personal development.

Yes, there are some tedious and difficult tasks that we must do consistently to turn our dreams into a reality. However, it is equally important to have time to reflect and inject some fun into your life and business. After all, that’s the reason why you established your goals and do the work in the first place. You wanted to share your unique talents and create something that will improve your life and make you happy, while serving others. It’s important to make the effort to enjoy the ride and be happy during the process and not just after the goal is reached. As we all know, once one goal is reached, you will have a need to establish another. Therefore, it truly is all about the journey!

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Founder of My Empowered Living (http://www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women shift their mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get her FREE online video training series The 4 Keys to your Business Success! This free 4-day business training reveals her 4 key strategies needed to build a profitable and successful business, and how to put them to work in your business!

4th Quarter Check-In

sandra

Can you believe we’re in the final quarter of 2014?  While you may be asking where the time went, now’s also the time to review what you accomplished in the first 3 quarters of the year.  If you didn’t achieve all that you wanted to in your business, the first thing to remember is that it’s not too late to finish the year off with a bang.  The second thing to do is make a commitment to making next year better than this one!

From my personal experience, I know that if I don’t write my goals down (and review them regularly), they don’t get done.  I also know that when I when I have a plan in place to make the goals happen, they actually do, even if they didn’t go exactly according to plan.  Achieving your goals is about going beyond “wishful thinking”.  Don’t hope your goals become a reality, create a plan and take action and make your goals a reality!

If this year wasn’t as successful as you had wanted it to be, now’s the time to review what worked and what didn’t.  You may need to make some minor adjustments, or you may need a complete overhaul.  Whatever it is that you need to do to make next year better, setting the foundation now can only work to your benefit.  When January comes around, you will not only be able to hit the ground running, but you’ll also have things in place that will allow you to maintain momentum and commitment through challenging times.

Reviewing what didn’t work and tweaking the plan isn’t meant to be a self-deprecating exercise.  It doesn’t make sense to beat ourselves up about things that have already happened that can’t be undone.  When we know better, we do better, and that’s the approach that we must take as entrepreneurs. There is a wealth of information out there that can help you to gain the clarity you need and access the resources required to achieve your goals.  We just have to be willing to ask for help and remain open minded about the possibilities that exist that can take us where we want to go in all areas of our life, business or pleasure.

Where do you want your business to be a year from today?  Once you have clarity on this you can start to develop the plan to make it happen.  Not everything is going to go according to plan, but you will have a guide that will help you to figure out whether you’re getting closer to or further away from your goals.  Wishing you much success in the final quarter of 2014!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

What’s your definition of success?

Uchechi

If you’re a business owner, then it’s fair to say you’re in a state of constant striving. Whether it’s striving for increase in sales, profit, customers or client engagement, there is always some goal that you have and are always chasing. To be honest, I would say everyone fits this criterion, because it is a human need to always be reaching and striving for more success in our lives. 

It’s a good thing to strive for success and reach beyond where you’re at, but it’s also important to really sit down and define what that success means to you.  What does it look like? Oftentimes, we tend to strive for what others have put in our head as to what’s important. Or we see other’s, who we feel are successful and go after the same thing, not recognizing what it took for them to get there and more importantly what it’s costing them to maintain it.

I’ve had conversations with small business owners who want to turn their business into a huge empire. This is all well and good, but then they also tell me that family and time is #1, and they want to have flexibility to travel the world at leisure without being tied to things, and work minimum hours. Now, can you see how building and sustaining a huge empire and leisure time and family life may conflict? Also those that they admire in business who have built a huge empire are the very ones that say it cost them leisure time and quality family life. However, these individuals who are striving for this, do not take a look at the whole picture and to see if that definition of success (business empire) fits within their own definition of success. If it does not allow them to have quality family relationship and time, I say it does not fit within their definition. It is important to take a holistic look at what is it you want, and are chasing and see if it fits into your core beliefs and values. 

Another important reason to define what success means to you, is because it allows you to have a clear picture of what you want. I read somewhere that ‘you cannot achieve that which you cannot define’. Once you define it, you will have a clear picture of what it is you’re chasing after. You will also recognize all the opportunities that aligns with it, plus ones that may not be the right fit for you.

Your definition of success will change over time and that’s okay. Once you hit one goal, you will then have the need to hit another, which is a human condition that we all have.

We also go through periods of growth and development and what once was important is no longer so. This happened in my life. About 7 years ago, my sister and I opened up a 3000sqft wellness centre with a spa, fitness & yoga studio, and therapy clinic, employing various alternative health care practitioners. Now at that time, I was single and my sister and I did not have any kids. Over time, that wellness centre although it began to grow with more opportunities coming to us, demanded more of our time and energy managing such a large facility with so many staff and contractors. I remember how difficult and stressful it was for me shortly after having my son and trying to manage that business and being a new mom. Fast forward to now where my sister and I both have two kids each and time and family taking #1 priority in our lives. It became clear over the years that that particular dream of a big wellness center, was not in alignment to our core desires, especially during this stage of our life. We later sold the centre and transitioned our business into one where we can manage from both our home offices, with fewer overheads and staff to manage. This now fits our definition of success. 

So I challenge you this week to take a look at what “success” looks like for your business and share it with our community below!

 

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Founder of My Empowered Living (http://www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women shift their mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get her FREE online video training series The 4 Keys to your Business Success! This free 4-day business training reveals her 4 key strategies needed to build a profitable and successful business, and how to put them to work in your business!

Adding Value

Sheralyn

Growing up my nickname was SherSher.  My younger brother couldn’t quite say my name and “shersher” was the result.  Somehow it stuck and even today, I have a phonetic variation of this moniker as my license plate.  The problem is, often people assume the plates mean “sure, sure” and there’s a reason for that. I tend to say “sure” or “yes” to just about anything.  I am the “go to” person when it comes to volunteering and getting the job done for others but at what cost?

The self-employed face unique challenges when it comes to placing a value on our time. This questioning of our worth comes both from within, (that niggly little devil on the shoulder who voices all our doubts and insecurities) and occasionally from external sources as well – your mother in law perhaps, who thinks you should get a “real” job. Often we feel pushed or pulled in different directions and as a result, may end up directionless. Combined with the dueling forces of the excitement and passion for whatever our small business is vs. the guilt (whether mommy guilt or the good old female guilt we all seem to be born with) it’s a wonder we get anything done! As an entrepreneur you may have a flexible schedule and equate this flexibility with more “free” time to do something that a “9 to 5er” just couldn’t do.  If you’re also a mom this translates into convincing yourself you “should” do more. Organize that fundraiser, bake those peanut free cookies or volunteer for the reading program at school.  Just because you can however, doesn’t always mean you should. When you commit to something other than your business, what you are really doing is undermining its value and robbing your business of its primary investment – you.

Faced with multiple priorities and struggling under the load of guilt we all shoulder, how do you determine your value and how do you measure your success?  When you are self-employed you need to be VERY clear about these questions. First, you must have an overall goal. Corporations call them Mission Statements or Value Statements, even Visions.  Be clear about what your Goal is. Then, you need to determine your monetary desires.  It might help to think of your work as being paid by the hour, even if that is not how you define your contracts with clients. How many hours should a project take? Have you included research time, sourcing, travel expenses to meet with clients or other costs like advertising? When we work from home we don’t tend to think about some of these overhead costs in the same way that “big business” would. Try considering this: treat your business as if you were renting office space and you had to pay for that space by the hour.  Would you still take time away from your “office” if you factored in that cost? Would you volunteer for the cookie baking or take time away from your desk to throw a load of laundry in the machine if you knew the financial implications? If you keep getting bogged down in the “daily details” your business gets bogged down too.

Get up, get dressed and get over the guilt. I know people who say they love the flexibility of working from home because they can stay in their pajamas if they want to.  This too undervalues the importance of what you do and your commitment to yourself and your business.  Have a scheduled start time.  Don’t deviate from your plan, no matter who calls you or asks could you “do me a quick favour.” Schedule your calls, emails and client meetings just as you would in the “real world” and then the world (perhaps even your mother in law!) will come to respect that what you are doing is of real value.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t ever want to be the “sorry I’m too busy to help” person.  Everyone is busy and it’s important to me to make time for others and to volunteer where I can. But I don’t have to do it all and neither do you. After all, “many hand make light work” as the saying goes. Just be “sure-sure.” That is, be sure to prioritize your schedule, attaching an appropriate value to ALL that you do.  Respect your time commitment to yourself and your business and others will come to respect it as well.

WRiting Right For You
“At a loss for words? I can help you find them!”
Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Business: 416-420-9415
Email: writingrightforyou@gmail.com
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Time is of the Essence : 5 Time Management Tips

Praveeni Perera

The old saying that Time and Tide wait for none rings true even in the modern and developed world. This can explain the reason why time management has become a very important topic in the business world today. Time lost can never be gained. Follow the tips given below to better organize your time only manage your time and make maximum use of the time available to you. Good organization is key to good time management.

1. Plan your day to sail smoothly
Effective planning  is crucial to time management. When planning your day, make sure to list the tasks according to the level of priority. Prioritize your work according to their importance. This way you can be sure that the important tasks get done.  Place a check mark or strike out the tasks once completed. You can also stipulate a time frame within which you need to complete each task. It’s important to remember that you are bound to be interrupted and disturbed while you engage in completing your tasks, so schedule time for such disturbances and interruptions. Once you complete your task list, you have a better idea of what your day is going to be like.

2. Set a goal and go for it
Planning your day without a goal is very detrimental to achieving success in time management. It is important to set goals and targets for yourself as you go through your planned tasks or activities. Your goals and targets should be achievable and realistic. You can dedicate a few minutes of your time before a task to plan how to carry out that task to success and a few minutes after the task, to figure out if you achieved the result you wanted.

3. Set deadlines for yourself
Each of your tasks should  have a designated deadline within which to be completed. This way you will not spend extra time on one particular task or call. Some tasks can prolong for a day or two but it’s essential that every task have a stipulated completion deadline. Blocking out distractions and even placing a sign that says “Do Not Disturb” is a good way to stay focused to meet your deadline.

4. Delegate, delegate, delegate
Delegating work is another tip to adhere to for good time management. No one can do everything by themselves. There will be opportunities and necessity to delegate your work to another person, and when these opportunities arise, make use of them. A person who has a specialty or interest in a task that you have to accomplish, will be able to accomplish that same task more easily and also faster than you. Be alert and look out for such opportunities as they will free up time that you can devote to another task. As an entrepreneur it’s a good idea to invest in an intern or personal assistant. This way you can delegate everyday tasks and have more time to focus on growing your business.

5. Take a “ME” break from TIME
Get into the habit of saving precious time by doing the right thing at the right time. Plan and take time for yourself either to make a personal phone call or update social media. This will give a breath of fresh air and rejuvenate you to tackle the tasks lined up for the rest of the day or at least for the next hour or two.  It is not possible to focus steadily for a whole day and get good results. The odds are that 20% of your activities for the day produce 80% of the results.

Effective time management is the result of good organization; being proactive and focused on the results you want to achieve for yourself. Good organization also means that you know what is on your desk at any given time. Unwanted papers belong in the waste paper basket and not on your desk. Files and documents can be organized in an orderly fashion so there will be no time wasted in looking for a document or file.

Much time is wasted in offices globally on “Gossip”. Gossip is not only a time killer but also a relationship killer. Anyone interested in managing their time should have no time for gossip.

Effective time management results in being focused on the end result. Set reminders, use calendars. There are many tools and software available to the professional today for effective time management and it would do one well to make maximum use of them.

At the end of each day, go through the plan you did at the beginning of the day and determine for yourself if your day was productive. Following these guidelines will help you build a productive day and a productive life style.

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world.  She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

Executing the Plan

sandra

So we’re in the final quarter of 2013.  Are you on track to accomplish all the goals you set for yourself both personally and for your business?  A lot of times, we treat our goals much like we do our New Year’s resolutions.  They sound great at the when we’re establishing them, but our execution doesn’t always go as planned!

If you are on track to accomplish or surpass the goals you set for yourself for this year, congratulations!  You know that achieving your goals doesn’t happen by accident and that it takes a lot of effort and reworking of the plan to make those goals a reality.  Yes, when the stars are aligned, things do seem to happen magically, but you have to do your part to make the magic happen!

If you’re not on track and wondering where the last nine months have gone, then it’s to review your approach and make sure you don’t find yourself in the same position next year!  Having a plan is the first step, but then you have to execute it!  A goal without a plan is just a dream.  Maybe you created a plan late last year or early this year, but then you never went back to it.  We have to review our plans on a regular basis to make sure that it still makes sense and that we haven’t lost sight of it.

Some of us become “married” to our plans.  Even when it becomes clear that the plan isn’t working or that we forgot or didn’t consider certain factors that affect the plausibility of it, we stay the course.  Flexibility is an important part of any plan.  Remember, the plan is your guideline for how you’re going to make your goals become a reality.  The focus should be on the goal, not the plan!

Think about it this way: you want to get downtown and you know that the quickest way to get there is to take the highway (if you’re not travelling in rush hour, that is).  What do you do if you hear on the news that the highway is closed?  Do you still stick with the plan to take the highway, knowing you’re going to be stuck in gridlock and have to make a detour or do you simply plan an alternate route?  Many of us are stuck in major traffic because we refuse to alter our plans in order to make our goals happen.

You’ve got just under 3 months to make things happen and end 2013 not with a whimper, but a big BANG!  Now’s the time to review that plan, tweak where needed and make sure that you have a strategy in place for the new year as well.  Don’t wait until January to get clear on what you want to accomplish in 2014.  So, what are you going to do to execute your plan so that you can build momentum that will take you into 2014 motivated, empowered and feeling unstoppable?

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She is working on her first book, Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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