Archives for May 2012

Cotton Candy Inspiration

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Last night and this morning I had terrible writers block. So I decided to include a video today instead of an article. Something funny, you know. Something to help us all lighten up a little.

Then I came across this video and it knocked my socks off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYsT5TiJsIU?rel=0&w=325&h=183

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything duller than being a cotton candy vendor. Repetitive, boring, sticky. Yuck. And yet this guy makes it fun, joyous and creative. He found a way to turn the mundane job of making cotton candy into a vehicle for self-expression.

I am in awe of the fact that this guy is just doing his thing with joy and generosity, and now it’s had an impact on the life of a complete stranger. Technology and authenticity – a powerful combination!

Do You Know What Time it is?

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About 15 years ago, I got it in my head that I needed a new watch. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. It needed to be silver and gold, so that it matched everything. It needed to have numbers around the dial, rather than just tic marks. It needed to have the date. So I started shopping.

I window-shopped. I went to malls. I went to jewelry stores. If I’d known how to shop online back then, I would have done that. Every chance I got, I was looking for this perfect watch. I kept looking and looking and looking. I searched for two years.

TWO YEARS?! Ok, just writing about it makes me shudder to think of the time I spent (wasted) on shopping for a watch. Want to know what brought an end to the madness? I’ll tell you.

I was in a department store, in the watch section, of course, and I saw a Mickey Mouse watch. The face was gold and silver, and I laughed. Something clicked in my head, and my inner voice said, “You know what time it is? Maybe it’s time you stopped taking this all so seriously.”

I bought the watch on the spot, and still have it today. It’s the only one I wear.

It reminds me to stop obsessing, to laugh, to look in different direction for solutions, and that time is precious.

It’s a N.M.W. thing…

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I was standing in my kitchen today, reheating leftover Pad Thai, fretting over writing an article. You see, I’ve been out of commission almost all week, feeling mentally hazy and lethargic. But several years ago, I decided that this gets done no matter what. Since I made that decision, my articles going out through my newsletter account for bringing in 25% of my business.

25 percent. That is a big deal for the 2 or so hours a week I put into it. How would you like to increase your business by 25% with 2-3 hours of focus? Back to the kitchen…

I was thinking over my No Matter What policy, and it occurred to me that it was a great topic. It actually came up last week, during my members’ M.I.T.  (Monthly Intensive Training) class on follow-up strategies. Towards the end of the class, after going over word choices, strategies, and systems, one of the participants commented, “Now if I could just make myself DO these things!”

I asked a few questions, like “When you do follow up, do people refer you more? Do they return to do more business with you? Are they happy to hear from you? Do they appreciate your professionalism?”

The answers were yes on all counts, of course. So the question to ask is not how can you make yourself do it, it’s how can you afford not to? And what are you letting keep you so busy with that you can’t do the activities that bring you clients, referrals, and/or exposure?

Here’s a tool to help you sort through the noise to get to the critical business activities. Ask yourself if each activity has a strong potential to…

  1. Bring me clients?
  2. Make money?
  3. Garner referrals?
  4. Get me in front of my target market?
  5. Be of genuine service to people who can help me with 1-4?

If not, put it to the bottom of the list. And if you find one activity that fires on all cylinders  (like my newsletter does in my business), then make it a No Matter What activity. And I mean NO MATTER WHAT.

So get off your excuses, and be an entrepreneur. It’s time to really own your business. Decide what makes you successful, and then do what it takes. You’re worth it, you’re capable, and you have time to do anything you determine is critical to your business.

Want to get moving right now? Complete an application for a FREE Big Impact Strategy Session to find out how to get your business growing.

Focus on Your Core

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A few weeks ago I created a program so that I could offer training and networking at prices that everyone can afford in this economy.

In searching for a premise for the whole thing, I finally came up with a core concept of YES. And some of you have asked why this is the focus. So of course, I’m writing about it, and maybe you can use these ideas to develop your own business.

  1. Teach what you know. What DO I know? A wide range of things… I’ve created events, started networking groups, collaborated with large organizations, received referrals from hundreds of people, taught classes on effective e-newsletters, and coached entrepreneurs for years.
  2. Boil down that knowledge to a core idea. All of these various skills boiled down to the concept of finding ways to collaborate. In other words, getting people to say YES to working together with me.
  3. Focus everything you do on that one core idea. For instance, today I’m teaching an intensive class on follow-up that is all about getting people to say yes (and it’s not what you think). In a few weeks I’m teaching a class on how to ask for what you want. It’s all about learning to collect YES in your business in a fun way.
  4. Make sure you ENJOY your core idea. I used to wonder, “What if it turns out that I am a great country singer? I don’t like country music, so would I have to make a career out of it anyway?” I know – very random. But I’d say, no, don’t be a country singer if you don’t enjoy it.

In this vein, I created a free teleclass that is in alignment with the above points. It’s called “How to Ask For What You Want (and have fun doing it!).” Click here for details and to register.

What is your core idea?