Category: Entrepreneurs

Article Contributed By Lisa Cherney

How do I balance being a full-time mother and a full-time entrepreneur?  After five+ years of doing both, I can say it’s been crazy, fun, and worth every minute!  I started by creating the life that I wanted, and then I worked my business into it.  If you want to be a mother and entrepreneur without sacrificing either, start by asking yourself these questions:

1.    What transitions do I need to make in light of being a mother?  There’s nothing like a child to make you do a 180 with your business.  For me, I was inspired to get smarter and work less. Being a mom forced me to get real about how I was spending my time.  Not in a time management sense, but in the sense of how I wanted to be of service with my life’s work,   which leads to the second question.

2.    How do I design my business around my most profitable activities?  Let go of what’s not working and get support for what is.  At first I needed to just pare things down.  I was working five plus days a week before I had my daughter.  After Bella was born I was able to cut back to one or two days a week with no change in income.  I was just working off of the momentum that I had created.  When she turned two and started preschool, I still only wanted to work three days a week, max.  It took a huge mind-set shift, and I took some big risks, but by focusing on my most profitable activities, I was able to triple my income again.

3.    What are some of the action steps I can take to make a full-time business model work with part-time hours? First, I changed the way I was charging for my services.  I had to get out of the whole “economy” conversation, because it gives people an out instead of really taking a hard look at the way they do business.  Look at what you really want to do.  Try charging by the project instead of by the hour, or experiment with value-based pricing where you create service packages.  Maybe you need to leverage your programs instead of doing so much one-on-one work.  For myself, I went straight to the leveraged model.  I keep it very simple, with just a few highly impactful programs.  I created programs that I believed in, I set an implementation date, I enrolled people in the program, and I went for it.

4.    Where can you give yourself a raise?  Here’s an exercise.  Think about the last time you raised your rates.  Make a list of the reasons why you did it.  Now think about doubling your rates today.  There is no difference between where you were when you last raised your rates and where you are now.  So why can’t you do it again?  Any reason you come up with to not justify your true value is just an excuse.

If being a full-time mother and a full-time entrepreneur is your goal, take action now.  Find a mentor who shares your values and vision for your life and don’t leave their side until you make the change. Investing in a mentor when Bella turned 3 gave me the courage to take those steps.  Even now that my daughter is in First Grade, I still work only three to four days a week, because I’m willing to do what I need to do to create the life I want.  You can too!

About the Author:

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 12 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.consciousmarketing.com or call 887-771-0156.

 

Article Contributed by James Donaldson

As a small business entrepreneur for over 20 years and a former professional athlete with a career that spanned about the same amount of time, I’ve been able to utilize aspects of both those endeavors that have helped enable me to become a successful small business person.

Like a well played game, all businesses will go through their natural cycles of ebbs and flows. You, as a small business entrepreneur, need to know when to call a timeout, change out your players or when to run another play. Sports has taught me the value of team play, camaraderie, working towards common goals, learning from your temporary setbacks and the ability to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on going.

If I were to put together a top 10 list of “must haves” whether you’re a startup company or a well-established business, it would go something like this.

# 1: Have a Vision –

Where is that you see your business in 3 to 5 years? How do you want it to look? How do you want it to run? Do you have a business plan? Do you have a Mission Statement? Do you have a Vision Statement? What is your succession plan?

# 2: Believe in Your Talent –

Talent by itself is never enough. There are a lot of times that people who have tremendous talent come up way short of ever fulfilling their potential. You have to believe in your talent, be passionate about your talent, continue to invest in your talent and surround yourself with the best talent available.

# 3: Assemble Your Team –

A smart business entrepreneur makes sure that he or she is surrounded by talented professionals and not just a bunch of “yes” people. It’s essential that you have a professional corporate attorney, CPA, financial advisor, bookkeeper, insurance person and a front office manager as part of your team. An attorney and CPA are must from the start, and you can add additional pieces to your team as you grow.

Be sure that you take the advice of your professional advisors, after all that’s what you pay them for. You may not always like what they have to say, but it’s important to listen to them.

# 4: Empower Your Team –

Equip your team with the resources that they need in order to be successful. In addition to helping them be successful, you’ll be successful too. It’s tempting to take shortcuts in order to save money, but it’s important to keep your team up to speed in this day and age of high technology and development.

Your team will consist of professional advisors and everyday employment personnel. No matter what position they occupy in your business, it’s important that they have the tools that they need in order to help your business be the best it can be.

Another thing to keep in mind is to delegate responsibility and decision-making capabilities to various personnel throughout your company. An employee, who feels empowered by the owner, is a much more productive employee.

# 5: Peer Networking –

One of the most valuable activities that you can involve yourself with as a business owner is networking with your peers. There are numerous opportunities for you to get outside of your business and network with other business owners.

There are groups such as the Chambers of Commerce, Rotary, Business Associations, and several weekly or monthly membership-based networking groups. Make sure that you attend one or two networking activities a month in order to promote your business and find out about those businesses in your community.

# 6: Realize Early on That You Don’t Know Everything –

Most business owners find themselves at various stages of their businesses, having to wear a multitude of hats. That’s okay from time to time, but it’s also important to keep in mind, that there are probably other people out there who can do a much better job than you can simply because they can bring a different perspective. Every business owner will find themselves at the early stages of their business for fulfilling just about every role imaginable, be it answering phones, scheduling clients, marketing and/or keeping the books,…. and that’s fine from time to time (matter-of-fact it’s good to learn every position in your business) but you don’t want your business to rely on you having to fill every role.

As soon as you’re able, delegate responsibilities to others on your team so that they feel more valuable, and it eases the workload on you.

# 7: Realize Early on You Can’t Do Everything –

Similar to what’s above, realizing early on that you can’t do everything is a key to business success. There is a very high “burnout” factor for owners who have an “I – can – do – it – all – by – myself” attitude and refused to delegate responsibilities to other members of the team. You may feel like no one can do it better than you can (and that may be true), but if you want to keep your team engaged with a sense of ownership and empowerment, it’s important to delegate responsibilities to them because it shows a sense of trust and confidence in the rest of your team.

There will be plenty of opportunities for you as a business owner to “burn the midnight oil” so you might as well wait for those opportunities to roll around and be well rested and prepared.

# 8: Stay Current –

With technology advancing at warp speed, it’s important for every business owner to stay up-to-date with some of the latest and greatest resources to help your business. It’s true that there’s so much out there that one cannot possibly absorb it all, but that goes back to the matter of you needing to be an owner who can keep his/her “head up” to see the big picture and opportunities in front of you and not get wrapped up with a “nose to the grindstone” mentality and approach.

Be adventuresome and daring in trying new techniques and technology that can help enhance your business. It’s okay to take a “trial run” at various techniques just to see how they may fit into your business. One thing is certain, “nothing stays the same, and change the only constant”. You’ve got to keep up with the ever-changing world that we live in.

# 9: Don’t Be Afraid of Change –

Even if you feel that you aren’t changing, the world around you is. More importantly, if you aren’t changing, you can bet that your competitors are, and most likely trying to change for a competitive advantage over you.

It’s only natural for us to get complacent and doing the same old thing because that’s what we’ve always done.

I’ve got a great quote on the wall in my office that says “change is inevitable …. but growth is optional”. I don’t know about you, but I choose to grow.

One of the advantages of having a diverse team is the fact that they offer a broad range of perspectives and opinion. Older employees tend to stick to a tried-and-true method that may or may not be outdated, while younger employees have fresh brand-new ideas that you may want to consider implementing if the time seems right.

# 10: Find Your MVP –

In order for a small business to thrive, it’s important for it to operate as a team. In order for a team to thrive, it will have many movable and variable parts that need to stay coordinated together.

Every team has an MVP (Most Valuable Person) who the owner feels comfortable and confident enough in to have that person has his/her “Go – To – Guy”. For me that person is my operations manager, Rosemary Bennetts, who has been with me from day one over 20 years ago.

Your MVP may or may not be the most visible or well known person on the team. Your MVP may be someone who is tucked away in a back office, with their sleeves rolled up, and battling daily in the trenches in order to keep your business running. Your MVP may be your front desk person, or your hot shot salesperson that you have out in the community. Whatever the case, work closely with your MVP (they most likely know how the business works better than you do) and recognize them and appreciate them in an appropriate manner.

About the Author
Donaldson is the author of Standing above the Crowd: Success Strategies in Athletics, Business, Community and Life. For more information go to www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com and/or contact him at JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com

Article Contributed by Gary Jordan

Leadership as a reciprocal relationship in which one person points in a direction and others follow. Below, we have outlined five qualities of effective leaders. Those qualities are:

1. Their behaviors build on their natural strengths.
2. They are aware of their limitations, and seek input from people with perspectives different from their own.
3. They are aware that any group contains people who see the world differently than they do, and they find ways to communicate effectively to everyone.
4. They recognize the talents of others, and seek to build teams based on complementary skill sets and perspectives.
5. They learn how to ‘borrow’ successful leadership techniques from leaders who are different from them—and use those techniques in a way that’s all their own.

Previously, we took a look at the first two qualities in greater detail. In this article we’ll delve into the final three.

3. They are aware that any group contains people who see the world differently than they do, and they find ways to communicate effectively to everyone.

People receive information differently depending upon their Perceptual Style, and their style also informs how they best receive communication.

Those with the Methods style, for example, tend to receive written communication best, while those with the Activities style get the most out of verbal interaction. Effective leaders understand that in order to communicate effectively with everyone, they must vary a number of factors: the size of their audience, the actual words they use, and their method of delivery.

4. They recognize the talents of others, and seek to build teams based on complementary skill sets and perspectives.

Effective leaders know how to place the right people in the right roles, and how to bring those people together in complementary teams and groups, allowing the natural talents and skills of members to support and build on each other.

Differences within groups can be tricky to manage, as the same traits that bring diverse perspectives to the table can also create opportunities for conflict.

Seasoned leaders are people who have developed an excellent sense for building teams with just the right amount of diversity, so that the differences between members are neither too few nor too great, allowing each person’s talent to contribute to the whole.

5.  They learn how to ‘borrow’ successful leadership techniques from leaders who are different from them—and use those techniques in a way that’s all their own

Each Perceptual Style has a unique set of natural leadership skills unique to that style. Effective leaders know how to capitalize on those skills, but they also study the behavior of other leaders. As a result, they learn how to borrow techniques that may be outside their area of expertise and incorporate them into their own behavior.

By ‘borrow,’ we are not talking about copying the actions of another style exactly (which rarely works), but taking the behavior of another Perceptual Style and putting their own unique stamp on it.

For instance, the Visions style tends to paint an inspiring picture of a desired outcome to move others to action, while those with the Methods style are more system-oriented; therefore, a leader with a Methods style might ‘borrow’ a Visions technique by showing others exactly how a given system will produce a desired result.

Next, we’ll take a look at the leadership qualities of each of the six Perceptual Styles, and what people with each style can do to develop those qualities.

About the Author:

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. For more information, visit http://www.yourtalentadvantage.com.

Article Contributed by Lynda-Ross Vega

Leadership is a complex skill that is difficult to pin down. Much of the research on the subject has focused on obvious traits such as command, decision making, risk-taking, etc. While these definitions capture much of what is widely recognized as leadership in business and politics, it limits leadership to one or two of the six distinct human Perceptual Styles.

On the surface, it’s true, some of these psychological styles look more like natural-born leaders than others—but leadership is not a Perceptual Style quality; it’s a human quality.

There are many definitions of ‘leadership,’ but here’s the version we prefer: Leadership is when one person points in a direction and others follow. This ‘pointing in a direction’ can be obvious or it can be subtle. Either way, here’s the thing to remember: it’s not the nature of the direction that determines leadership; it’s the existence of a reciprocal relationship between leader and follower.

People follow a leader not because that person has a certain Perceptual Style, but because they recognize—either consciously or unconsciously—that the leader possesses certain qualities:

1. Their behaviors build on their natural strengths.
2. They are aware of their limitations, and seek input from people with perspectives different from their own.
3. They are aware that any group of followers contains people who see the world differently than they do, and they find ways to communicate effectively to each of them.
4. They recognize the talents of others, and seek to build teams based on complementary skill sets and perspectives.
5. They learn how to ‘borrow’ successful leadership techniques from leaders who are different from them- and use those techniques in a way that’s all their own!

Let’s take a look at the first two of these five qualities now.

1. Their behaviors build on their natural strengths

According to the Perceptual Styles Theory, people tend to find the most satisfaction and meaning in their lives, no matter what they are doing, when their actions draw upon their natural skills. It is also true that people are most effective and efficient as leaders when they are using skills that are naturally supported by their Perceptual Style.

Effective leaders are not only aware of their own natural skills, they develop and use these skills as much as is realistic, possible, and appropriate. Not only does this contribute to personal satisfaction, it builds trust among followers.

Why? Because behavior that is in tune with a leader’s natural skills and abilities ‘rings true’ to others, while behavior that is incongruent with that person’s Perceptual Style comes off as false.

2. They are aware of their limitations, and seek input from people with perspectives different from their own.

One of the most important aspects of the Perceptual Style Theory is that everyone’s understanding of the world is limited by their Perceptual Style. While this is easy to grasp intellectually, it’s challenging to remember this in the course of daily life.

Effective leaders tend to be those who understand and accept that they have an incomplete view of the world, and actively seek the advice and counsel of others with different Perceptual Styles to help them get a handle on the big picture in all its complexity.

About the Author:

Lynda-Ross Vega: A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and systems that WORK. She is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.ACIforCoaches.com and www.ACIforEntrepreneurs.com.

Article Contributed by Gary Jordan

So, you’ve got something to say that you think others will find valuable. You’ve created an information based product and coaching services to enhance and optimize its value. And people are knocking down your doors to buy!

Unfortunately, while the first part may be true, without a lot of effort the second rarely is. The key to getting people to buy what you have to offer is marketing, and if you have been working on attracting people to your products and services already, you know there is no lack of vehicles available on the internet to do just that. But that’s part of the problem. There are so many ways available to let people know about what you have to offer it is difficult to know what the best one is. More to the point, there is little out there to help you discover which one is the best one for you.

Most successful internet based marketers that I know of have found their success through a hit-and-miss process that has cost them a lot of time and money. They are successful in large part because they learned from early failures and they did not let those failures dissuade them from continuing to pursue their vision. But depending on what source you read, the percentage rate of internet based businesses that fail is in the mid- to upper-90s. Clearly, many people are unsuccessful in their marketing efforts, due in large part, I believe, to the fact that they have not found their marketing ‘comfort zone’

Marketing is a complex business, but one thing I know is that it takes determination and perseverance. If you are not comfortable with the things you do to market yourself, your products, and your services, you are not going to stick with them through the inevitable failures and adjustments required to see the rewards of success. Awareness of your marketing comfort zone– what fits you and what you have to offer– is a critical component of marketing success. How you perceive the world– your Perceptual Style (PS) – has everything to do with what type of marketing will be most comfortable (and therefore most productive) for you. People do the things they are comfortable with and the things they enjoy, and when the going gets tough it is these things they return to. Integrate your marketing activities with who you are and you will discover your marketing comfort zone.

Understanding your marketing comfort zone will allow you to understand which marketing activities are best suited to you, which approaches take best advantage of your skills and talents, and what types of media present you and what you offer in the best light. In addition, when you market from your marketing comfort zone, you send a message that is consistent with who you are, and it is also integrated with your Perceptual Style. Such a message is received favorably by both clients and prospects. Discovering your marketing comfort zone requires some effort on your part to learn about and understand your PS and to study how the skills and talents it supports fit with different ways of promoting yourself in the internet marketplace. But the rewards are worth the effort.

About the Author:

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. For more information, visit http://www.yourtalentadvantage.com.