Canadian Small Business Women

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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

Mentoring Girls

Sheralyn

 

You may have read two books that have received plenty of press: “Thrive” and “Lean In.” Both addressed the importance of creating space at the boardroom table for females in a leadership role. Programs and organizations like “Girls on the Run,” “Because I am a Girl,” The Girl Guides of Canada and even companies like General Mills (who together with Big Brothers and Big Sisters created the  “Go Girls” initiative) promote specific, forward thinking opportunities to include, mentor, support, engage and foster positive body image and the success of women and girls.  While we may wish it to be faster, women in politics, business and in positions of power are growing.  Yes, it’s about time but there is still significant room for improvement.  How can you play a role?

Get together with your favourite networking group and choose to support a charitable agency that promotes and educates women and girls.  Women lending a hand to other women will empower women around the world. Through The Leadership Forum, a group located in Caledon Ontario, I have been lucky enough to be involved in an initiative where empowerment is the long – term goal. Can you do the same? “Strength in numbers” as the saying goes, the more women working together toward the common goal of female success, the more likely we are to achieve it.

Steps such as these are important and necessary but true female empowerment starts at birth. Literally.  Parents need to read books to their daughters like “The Paper Bag Princess” and “The Princess Knight.”  Yes they are “princess” stories but these girls rock! They are empowered Princesses making their own choices and enabling their own future through determination and resolve.  Next, we have to educate our daughters. Sounds like a simple concept as we have access to free education in Canada and it’s a great system too.  But are we doing well enough?  Do we encourage our daughters to strive for success in fields like science and math? Do we encourage “non-traditional” careers in engineering, rocket science or technology? For that matter, why are we still referring to these careers as ‘non-traditional?”  Queen Rania, of Jordan (a somewhat traditional and male dominated society) is known for using her position to speak out about the empowerment of girls and women.  She states: “When you educate a girl, she becomes a woman who lifts herself and her family out of poverty.” So educate girls and you also empower them to choose WHATEVER direction they wish. If you are going to take the time to open one door, why not open ALL of them.

While educating your daughters, lift them up emotionally, nurture their inner strength and foster in them a spirit of confidence and “can do” ability – that they are capable of anything. Encourage healthy eating and healthy body image and expose them to appropriately sized role models, not the artificial “Barbie” doll airbrushed images that exist in media today. This means closely monitoring their access to social media and taking the time to discuss what they see while there.  Do you work for an organization that uses and promotes technology or work independently in that field?  If so, perhaps you could volunteer your time and talents to a local community organization that is working to support young women to use social media in a positive way. Help that organization to get their message out into the world.

From a career perspective Moms, it’s time to get real with your girls. By this I mean, establish clear and realistic goals for yourself so that you are modeling SMART goals for your daughters.  Women, it’s time we stopped trying to “do it all.”  If you are working outside of the home, you likely don’t also have time to be the perfect housekeeper, the chauffeur or the “Martha Stewart” of the kitchen.  In trying to be all things to all people you are setting yourself up for failure and sending a message to your girls that they too must strive to multi-task themselves to death.  You’re suggesting it isn’t just a career that defines them but their ability to be “perfect mom and wife” too.  It’s unrealistic. Admit it. Once you do so, figure out ways for everyone to share in the workload, establish daily routines where everyone contributes to the care and keeping of the house and your daughter will learn that SHE is important, her CONTRIBUTIONS are important but that EVERYONE is responsible for the successful operation of a smooth running home.

If you are working from home or support your family by staying at home, model that not as the “second choice,” “being stuck at home” or that “it doesn’t really count as a job” but treat this too with dignity, value and as having importance.  It IS the most important job in the world if it is done with care, consideration and with proper reverence attached to the “value add” you are bringing to your family.  Teach your daughter (and let’s face it ladies, each other) to respect and value the contributions of any choice a woman makes in helping this world run smoothly. We need the SAHM’s just as much as the work outside the home mother. Each makes a valuable contribution to our society and each, in a different way, acts as a role model.

So, whether you are a small, solo entrepreneur or working for a large company, join organizations that promote and foster girl empowerment.  In your community embrace opportunities to interact with young women, act as role models or contribute to causes that support them.  Bring your daughter to work and if you can’t, find places where they can be accommodated. If your daughter wants to be a firefighter, go find a female firefighter and ask her to walk your daughter through the station, talk about the challenges she faced and how she overcame them.  If you can contribute time to an organization that promotes girls, do so.  We all have different expertise, share some of yours with others. Join in the Junior Achievement “Economics of Staying in School” program and teach it at local elementary schools sending a strong message about staying in school and about women in business. If you belong to any networking or community organizations, use those too as an opportunity to get out into the community fostering and encouraging young women to be successful in whatever way they define it. BE the woman you want your daughter, niece or granddaughter to be. Respect the choice they make – then go out of your way to help them achieve it!

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

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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!

 

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
Website:http://writingrightforyou.weebly.com

Where is your business headed? How to set achievable business objectives

timthumb

As part of writing your business plan, you should have clearly defined business objectives. However, if this not the case, a question worth asking yourself is ‘Where is your business headed?’ and ‘How do you know when you have arrived at the designed point?’

It is your business objectives that provide direction on where your business is headed, and act as a benchmark against which performance and effectiveness can be measured. Whether written on the back of a napkin, on your smartphone, or within your business plan, you need well-defined business objectives. It is enough to have these objectives defined, you also need to ensure they are being acted upon. Having defined business objectives forms the foundation upon which you can strategise and achieve success for your business.

 

Simple approach to defining your business objectives

While setting business objectives may seem boring or theoretical, don’t allow it to be; it can be as simple or as complex as you make them. In fact, the simpler and clearer the objectives, the easier it is to focus on achieving them. The most common and simple approach to setting objectives – applies across personal, career and business objectives – is creating SMART objectives. This is the true test in validating if your objectives are clearly defined, and measurable.

SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-framed.

Specific: Steer away from setting objectives that are general, or ambiguous. Objectives should be very clear and pointed on what you intend to achieve. Tips on setting specific objectives include the 4 ‘W’s; What, Why, When, and How.

 

Example:

General ‘Grow my business to a multimillion dollar conglomerate’

Specific ‘Increase business sales by 50% in year two from $100,000 – $200,000’

More specific ‘Increase sales of product x by 50% or more in year two from $100,000 to $200,000, by opening more locations in the north and east regions’

 

Measurable: Objectives should be quantifiable to enable you measure progress on if it has been achieved, or on track to being achieved. With the above example, a specific amount is stated (50% or $200,000) that can be measured at a specific point in time (end of year two), and we also stated the planned locations to expand to. The objective is very specific, which enables progress to be measured at any given point. Tips on setting measurable objectives include; how long, how much, how many etc.

 

Achievable: Objectives should be attainable, and not be impossible to meet. While you want to set challenging (stretch) objectives that take your business to the next level, this is not the place to set objectives based on optimism or positivism. When setting your objectives, it should be based on understanding the environmental and market demands/trends, opportunities available to you, and your strategic and business capability. Looking at our example above, if the North regions are already saturated with the same types of products and services you provide, you need to determine if it is realistic to expect sales to double in the second year by entering these markets. You also need to understand how much capital you need to invest in order to achieve the expected sales and expansion, and if you have access to the required capital.

 

Relevant: Your objectives should align with the long term vision of where you want your business to be; your short term objectives should align with your medium term objectives, medium term objectives should align with long term objectives, and long term objectives should be aligned to your strategic business vision. If your medium term objective includes diversification and expansion to a broader market, but this objective will not contribute to your long term objective, as well as business vision to develop a niche market, then you need to revisit the objective to ensure overall alignment. Objectives should be built from your strategic vision, which includes desired sales growth, market penetration, new product development etc. and are in line with where your business is heading.

 

Time frame: Objectives need to have target dates for completion, and should not be open ended. In the example above, year two was set as the target completion date; this will facilitate planning and focus towards a specific time, as well as setting interim milestones to monitor progress and/or revisit objective as required. Having time bound objectives will enable you plan with a target end date in mind, as well as measure progress, and revisit the objectives were required.

With this simple approach, you are well on your way to having a definite course for which your business is headed, as well as increasing your odds for success.

Yvonne loves and enjoys working with working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs, and Organizations to achieve desired results. She is a results driven High Performance Consultant & Coach, and straight shooting Speaker whose first objective is her client’s success.  She can be reached at:  www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc,www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc

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