Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

The Art of Finding Clarity

yvonne

Have you had trouble finding the track that makes you unique? Not knowing what direction to take to fulfill your dreams and goals of being an entrepreneur? Perhaps you are thinking you are at a stage in life where doing a 9-5 job is frustrating? Or not knowing what direction to take to grow your business?

When it comes to achieving your goals and seeing great results, it is not enough to set the goals such as ‘Start a business this year’ or ‘Get more clients and grow my business’. We need to have clear and quantifiable goals.

There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it. – Napoleon Hill

One of the reasons we can easily struggle to achieve our goals is when they are not clear. When they are not clearly defined, it stops us from being laser-focused in the manner that is needed to see results. I love the above quote from Napoleon Hill, we must be definite in our purpose and clearly know what it is we want!

Being clear on your goals starts with ensuring it is strongly tied to our vision, personal mission statement or a strong ‘why’. The next step is to ensure our goals are SMART:

  • Specific: It should be less general, and clearly state what you intend to achieve.
  • Measurable:It should be quantifiable to enable you measure completion; how long, how much, how many etc.
  • Achievable:It should be attainable, and not so ‘pie in the sky’ that it is impossible to meet.
  • Relevant:It should align with your vision and ‘why’ it truly matters to you.
  • Time framed:It should have target dates for completion, and not be open ended

Determine what you want, why you want it, when you want it by, and how you are going to get it. By being more intentional, you become focused and more likely to see greater results. When you become clear on your “Why” and “What ” it become easier to work on your “How“.

Take these easy steps, and you are assured to be ready and all set to start seeing the results you want.

To Do: Revisit your goals, and apply the SMART rule. Be clear on what you want; and turn your dreams to goals, and goals to reality. Here are some tools to help you gain clarity and set SMART goals: Online Mission Statement Builder and Setting SMART Goals.

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

6 Tools to Help You Prioritise More Effectively

yvonne

If you are looking to effectively manage your workload or personal goals; or a manager with many priorities to juggle; or a business owner with decisions to make on what product, service or market; it can seem slightly overwhelming at times trying to make the right decision with limited time and resources.

The following are six tools from simple to technical that can help you make better decisions, manage your time, and prioritise more effectively.

 

  1. Clearly stated vision and goals

Knowing what to prioritise starts with having a clear vision or picture of what you want, where you want to go, and why it is important to you, and also ensuring your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-framed). This will help keep you focused what is important in line with your goals and making the right decisions.  Get more information Business Goals Setting or Free eBook on Setting SMART Goals

 

  1. Pareto Principle and Analysis

This principle – also known as the 80:20 Rule – suggests that by focusing on your topmost (20%) important items, you are able to gain the most benefits or results (80%). A simple approach to applying this principle is: List of all items that need to be done, prioritise in order of what is most critical and important, and focus your effort on the top 20% or more of your list. For more info on Business Application or for Personal/Business Application

 

  1. Action Priority Matrix

This one has always stuck in my mind – not everything that is urgent is important, and not everything that is important is urgent. And that is why prioritisation is important. Both individuals and organisations are able to use this tool to can quickly spot critical items, quick wins or low priority items to help best plan and allocate their time. For more information on Business Application or for Personal/Business Application

 

  1. Decision Matrix Analysis

This can be used in a variety of ways to make decisions on what tasks to focus on or decision to make.  With this tool, you can prioritise a list of tasks that need to be completed while at the same time taking a variety of factors i.e. cost and time into consideration. Get More Information

 

  1. Ansoff Matrix and the Boston Matrices

This is mainly a marketing and management tool to help prioritise the right business service, product or market to focus on. And can also be used to make career type of decisions. Both are extremely similar in nature and lead to similar types of result. It can help you:

  1. Evaluate and prioritise opportunities based on level of risk
  2. Prioritise opportunities based on the attractiveness of any particular market and how likely you’ll be able to take advantage of it

For more information: Business Application or Personal/Business Application

 

  1. Your Trusted Calendar and Task List

This can either be a physical paper calendar/task list or smartphone function that provides a physical reminder of what you need to focus on a daily basis. Smartphones come with a task list app such as ‘Reminders’ that can help you manage and schedule your activities. Some of the popular apps today are Evernote (free and premium plans available), Any.Do (free), and Remember the Milk (free).

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to provide the tools and help implement change, drive results and achieve their goals.   She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

 

 

 

Goals. They’re not just for the big guys!

Sheralyn

The Importance of having goals, no matter what size your business is.

Often, the small business entrepreneur starts out in their field because of a particular passion.  Perhaps you are an amazing baker or skilled at making unique, handcrafted jewelry.  Likely you’ve attended a seminar or two that talked about embracing your passion so that’s what you did.  But, don’t be blinded by it. Being passionate about something is good for the heart and soul but it won’t necessarily pay the bills. I once had a passion for collecting teddy bears but that didn’t translate into owning the “Build a Bear” empire.  To accomplish something like that I would have needed goals and a clearly defined path, not just passion.  So whether your goals are lofty or more level headed, the importance of having them cannot be overstated.

Big business doesn’t own the concept of having a Mission, a Vision for its future or of establishing clearly defined goals. Even if your kitchen table is your office, no matter what size you are, your business will only grow and that growth be measurable, if you set well-defined goals.  Whether you use a vision board, a goal setting technique like SMART, or get advice from your local SBEC centre, take a good hard look at your business development plan and set both short and long term goals.  Decide where you want to be in 1 year, 2 years and 5 years and then get to work designing your business plan around that vision.

Clearly stated goals that are recorded and always visible (post them on your wall for example) help keep you focused. They remind you when you get off track (don’t beat yourself up, we all get off track once in awhile!) they allow you to refocus and if necessary, to redefine or reshape your business plan according to current economic and business conditions. As a boat without a rudder floats at the mercy of the sea, without a plan you too will float along – at the mercy of others and their priorities, without benefit of a mapped out route that would help you achieve clear sailing once more.

I had the opportunity of visiting SBEC, a small business enterprise centre recently.  The experience was invaluable in helping me clarify exactly who my target market should be.  In talking through my business ideas with an advisor it suddenly became clear that the market I was actively pursuing was not necessarily the one that would help catapult me to the next level of income earnings.  When I got home and started recording the specifics of what I actually do day to day, as well as writing down why I do it and who is best served by my business, it suddenly became obvious that I should be seeking out entirely different client opportunities.

I started writing a business plan that day.  What do I really want to accomplish?  What are my goals?  My business was something I dabbled at, something I found enjoyable and that I was reasonably good at.  Without goals however, I had no focus. To follow the tried and true classic formula, here’s what you should do:  Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.  When they are Specific, they are Measurable and when they are measurable you will know if they are Attainable and you will be able to track your achievements. Make sure that your goals are Realistic. If you flunked Grade 11 physics, you might not be heading the space shuttle program anytime soon. Making a million dollars is a great goal but perhaps set your first target a little lower. Enjoy the satisfaction of reaching that goal – then target the next realistic monetary goal.  Finally, make sure your goals are Timely. That is, give yourself deadlines, specific dates that you can actively work towards and measure your success against. Goals and having a vision will help bring clarity, unity, and focus to your everyday activities, even if your boardroom is your bedroom and the kitchen table is your office!

 

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Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

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