Can you relate, and what do you do to shift your energy?

Especially if you are a solo-business owner, it can feel like its all up to you to keep things going and stay on track. Some days you wake up and just don’t feel like it!  You wish  you could win the lottery and quit, or just take a long paid vacation.

Even if you love your business and it’s fun, there are still days you feel like this and yet you need to stay focused and on track.  Here are some things that might help.

1. Find your community and share. Isolation just makes it worse. Being part of a group you can connect with, can give you energy immediately.

2. Listen to how it is for other people when they feel this way. Again- this will help you feel less alone and more normal!

3. Create your goals for the week and tell someone.  Once you begin, your energy and focus will start to flow again. Accountability also helps  you to stay on track.

What do you do to motivate and inspire yourself when your energy is lagging?

Are you ready to find a community that works for you?  Does this question speak to you? Wouldn’t it be great to find a place you can respond to this question and connect with others as well?

Go to the Awake Business Teahouse Inner Circle. This question was just posted this morning. You can respond and be part of the discussion immediately!

There are only be committed entrepreneurs present. Only $1 to join so don’t let that stop you. If you are reading this, you are exactly the kind of person we are looking for.

Find out more about the Awake Business TeaHouse and how it can support  your business success.

So today I am inside and working ‘on’ my business. No meetings, no client calls,  and no need to get dressed up. Here are three things to do that will bring some sunshine into your business even when it is cloudy outside. If you happen to be in Tucson, then you can use these same three things on a day it is too hot and sunny to go outside. ( I wish:)

All of these things are in the important but not urgent category. What this means is that they will help your business tremendously but, not seeming urgent, they tend to get put off.

1.  Update your website. Browse your own website and imagine you are a potential customer; someone who is squarely part of your niche market. Notice how it feels from their point of view. Decide what you want to change, add or delete. Notice what isn’t working well. Re-write content,  edit for errors, add new pages or change photos. Websites get stale if they are not changed every so often. Your regular customers will feel renewed interest when they go back to your site and see new content.

2. Look at your business plan.  Do a self-assessment and see how you are doing, where you need to put energy and what  areas need to grow. You might think of some new programs to offer your niche market or some new systems for your office. Use my Whole Business Circle for a quick assessment tool. It works!

3. Tidy  up your office. Do that project you have been putting off, dust your shelves and bring in some cut flowers. You spend so much time in this space and it is so easy to not give it that little extra energy.

If you do any of these three things you will begin the week with some renewed energy and focus. I worked on my website today and it felt great! I manged to take a bike ride in between rain drops. What did you do?

There is a dollar cost associated with success that I didn’t factor in.  I am earning more money but I am also spending more. Similar to a lot of small solo-business owners, I am contracting out more jobs, however I am still doing the lions share of the work myself.

So what do you do when you know it is not possible to get everything done? How do you prioritize?  Here are five tips to help you feel more in control and peaceful. Organization has never been my strong area so if I can do this anyone can!

1. Do a mind-mapping and begin Monday morning  by writing down every single thing you can think of that needs to be done. Jot down next to it-why it’s important.

2. Notice what category each thing is in. Here are the categories I use:
• Finances
• Marketing
• Planning
• Customer service
• Operation

I have my office cubbies organized into these five categories so it helps me to stay with this system.

3. I use Stephen Coveys time management chart.  I draw it large on my whiteboard and then write in each of my items in the square they belong.  This short exercise helps me to decide how important the job is. Some things are urgent and important and other things are important but not urgent, like planning and goal setting.

Some people never get to this because the seemingly urgent things always eat up the time. For me it is the opposite. I love doing planning so I will end up doing it first and forget to pay a bill on time!  The non-urgent and not important category can eat up huge amounts of time and energy. Social media can fall here unless you are very specific about a marketing task. Getting on Twitter everyday for 15 minutes might be important but getting sidetracked on Facebook could be a waste of time.

4. Once you have this chart up on your board, fill in empty squares with your items and then notice the items that are in the same category from number two above.  I do the stuff in square number one first and then square number two.

5. Customer service always takes precedent! In a two-hour gap between two client appointments today I was working on a Power Point presentation. The phone rang and it was one of my clients who needed help.  I put her first because without my customers I have no business!

Now you might be thinking that doing these five things is a time consuming task in itself but it actually only takes about 10 minutes. You can also add new items as they come up during the week.  The fun part is wiping each item off the board as you complete it. This is the magic of using a whiteboard.

Niche marketing has to do with focusing on the needs and wants of a specific and narrow group. The narrower your niche, the stronger your business will be, as long as you choose a niche that is accurate and reflects an authentic need. It works and yet people are resistant to doing this.

What are the reasons that make people stuck in this process?

•  Wanting to help everyone and not wanting to leave anyone out.
•  Thinking that by choosing to build their business on a narrow niche, they will make less money.
•  Wanting to focus on their service and products instead of smart business strategies.
•  Fear of their own empowerment and success.
•  Discomfort with making a lot of money.

The idea that you will leave people out by focusing on a niche is actually incorrect and in fact it is the opposite.
Here is a good example:

One of my clients, Christine,  offers movement and fitness help for women age 50-80, who are either disabled or recovering from an accident or surgery. This is an excellent niche because woman in that category have special needs and want to work with someone they trust will understand their exact situation. They have many emotional concerns that accompany their desire for physical help, and they will be less likely to hire someone who seems like a generalist or works with everyone.  They don’t want to end up in a class with young fit people or men.

If she refused to name her specialty and her focus, not only would she not attract the specific women she wants to work with, but she would be unlikely to attract any other group as well. Men are looking for someone who specializes in men; young athletes are looking for someone who helps young people who are athletic and so on.  Without focusing on her niche and naming it, not only would she not attract her niche but she also wouldn’t attract anyone else. Her business would limp along rather than flourish.

Many new small business owners also sabotage their success by stubbornly refusing to focus.  There is a fear of success and it feels safer to stay small. Owning a small business is like taking a full time personal growth workshop. You have to keep peeling off the onion skins and look at the deeper issues that might be holding you back.

Niche marketing is essential because:

1. It is much more profitable to market to a narrower group. It is all about fully understanding the needs and wants of this group and then providing a multitude of products and services to offer value to them and keep them in your pipeline.

2. You will get way more referrals because people will know exactly what your specialty is and who to send your way.

3. Your clients will easily be able to tell their friends about you and refer people to work with you. It will make it easy for them to rave about you being a specialist.

4. You will have a much easier time establishing strategic partners as they will know exactly who to send your way. They will trust your expertise and also see you as the company to connect with around this niche group.

5. People will see you as the expert in your area. People would always prefer to work with an expert so you will more likely get asked to speak to groups, write articles and be a presenter at conferences or trade seminars in your area.

Last year I met a woman who built a multi-million dollar business developing t-shirts and tops for menopausal women. The fabric allows perspiration to evaporate quickly so it is perfect for women who have night sweats and hot flashes.  She was a savvy entrepreneur. If she worried about focusing on a niche, she may have provided  a whole clothing line for all age women and men and watered down her message. Instead she stuck with this one product line and her business grew through the roof. Her customers loved that someone had created a business to specifically help them. They felt understood.
Many years ago I also faced all the above fears. I was afraid to name my niche. It was illogical based on all I knew, so I had to look deeper. My niche is solo-business owners who offer services to help people. I was resistant for all the reasons above. I didn’t want to leave out retail, or people with employees, executives etc. It’s crazy because those people still call me too, but when I finally named my niche, my business began to steadily grow. Yours will too.it is all a matter of clearing your focus.

I looked at my whiteboard  this morning and scanned my to do list.  It included things like writing a letter to go with my book to Michael Gerber, interview questions for a TV show I will appear on,  proposal to a book book release group, putting MP3s on  my  new membership website and more. All good stuff and way different than what I was doing a year ago.

It reminds me a bit of parenting a new child. Just when you get it sussed on how to manage your kid, he grows into the next developmental stage and you have to learn new strategies. A good parent steps up to the plate and figures it out.

A successful entrepreneur needs to do the same. So I need to get new boots, learn some new skills, make an appointment with my mentor and remind myself that all I have learned up til now  is still essential and I will build onto this. It is like adding an addition to my house. The old house is still good but it too small for what I need.

My business needs to be able to grow bigger and I need to empower myself, and then that will empower my business to expand, be able to help more people and evolve more into what it needs to be. Here are a few good questions to ask yourself if you can relate!

•  What stage is your business in?
•  Do you hold it back out of self doubt?
•  What do you need to do to empower yourself?

At times like this it is important to remember professional development and think big! I think I will re-read what I wrote in Chapter Seven in my new book!

The problem isn’t the service they offer or the expertise they have to give. The whole problem is around their lack of correct focus.

People tend to start their business from their own passion of wanting to teach, give and offer their services to people. They are often surprised that they don’t get enough clients because they know they are good at what they do. The problem is that they are focusing all on their services or products and not  correctly on their business.

After talking with someone for just 10 minutes I can see how their focus is foggy, unclear or confusing. This is the biggest problem. If it feels confusing, people don’t feel a sense of confidence. The focus needs to be crystal clear.  This brings up the next problem.

Most solo entrepreneurs are afraid to focus. They want to keep all the options open. They are making decisions based on their fears without realizing it. What they need to do is focus clearly and then everything will realign and  their potential clients will get it.  It is simple and easy to change your focus, and it is so worth it.  With just a clear adjustment in focus, your business will suddenly shift.  It really works.  Do you want to learn more about how to change your focus?

Instead of the eggs dropping and breaking, you begin to droop and feel like you are running out of energy. Mentally you begin to feel drained and start wondering why you started this business anyway.

What do you do when you have a whole list of stuff, all of it important and you feel pulled this way and that.  You’re not sure where to put your energy first.

When this happens to me I feel like crawling under the covers and hiding or my addictive brain thinks if I just eat more I’ll have more energy. Actually, it’s just the opposite.

Here are a few things that work for me. I would love to know what works for you.

1. Get everything out of your head. Write it all down. I use a big whiteboard. Even if I can’t do it all at once, I can still keep track of it this way and I don’t have to worry that I’ll forget.

2. Prioritize.  Since you actually can’t do it all at once you have to decide what is really more important.  For instance, I am developing programs, marketing my new book, getting my new website done, finishing my taxes, cleaning my office and connecting with my clients.
I always put my clients first and then next, is anything that has a hard deadline, like taxes. (ugh)

3. Go out for a short walk, bike ride or just sit in nature for 30 minutes and breath. Doing this always makes me feel more balanced, and from that place I can put the eggs down and stop juggling.

4. Get support.  Call your mentor or other support person and talk about it.  Maybe this is a girl thing, but talking always helps me. There is nothing in this world better than a good listener.

5. Give gratitude that you have a business that is so busy! Imagine each of those eggs being golden eggs, and so stop and really appreciate the value of each one and all you have accomplished, because they are each a part of your success.

Wow- I began all my businesses based on my passion and purpose and I had no idea what it took to run them.

Like most of you, I wanted to succeed but I didn’t know “how” to do it at first.

Many small businesses begin from their product or service. This is particularly true for people who offer a service that requires skill and expertise such as web developers, writers, coaches, health and wellness businesses, organizers and virtually anyone who offers some kind of support services for people. People study, get certified and then decide to begin a business.

I struggled early on so  I  dug in and learned the tricks and tools for making my passion into a real business. Here are 5 essential tips to help you move toward sustainability in your business.

Here are 5 essential tips to help any small micro-business owner overcome the obstacles to sustainability.

1. Your product and service is only a very small part of your business. It is important to focus on the other parts as well which include organizational systems, money management and leadership.

2. Know your core marketing message. Too many solo-business owners try to market to “everyone,” instead of focusing in on a niche.

3. It is important to make a business plan that allows you to see the steps to growing your business over the next 10 years. Most solo-business owners begin under financial stress and focus entirely on immediate cash flow instead of planning for steady growth.

4. Find a mentor to help you overcome any self-doubt that will hold you back. Most solo-business owners are too cautious and make decisions from fear rather than empowerment. Regardless of your age or what you are selling, developing a positive attitude and focus is essential.

5. Be willing to do whatever it takes, even if this means doing some things you don’t enjoy. Every business has elements that are not as fun, but in the long run will be gratifying.

Enjoy the freedom that comes from knowing you have overcome all odds and made your small business a big success.

This is true for many kinds of businesses but very advantageous for service based business owners, like web developers, coaches, health practitioners, etc.

Regardless of what industry you are in, there is something you can write about that would be helpful to your potential clients.  Writing articles and getting them onto online article banks will:

•  Get you more exposure.
•  Establish your expertise in your area of focus.
•  Help you build a relationship with your community.

One of my clients who is a naturopath specializes in children. She wrote an article called “5 Ways to Get Your Children to Eat Healthy Food,” and the traffic to her website increased dramatically, as she  offered free kid friendly, healthy recipes on her website.

Some business owners are thrown into major anxiety when I encourage them to write articles. They are unsure about writing and feel blocked, so I am offering an easy formula that takes the fear and anxiety out for the process. If you follow these  5 easy steps you can write a good article in less than 30 minutes and it will be meaningful and offer value to your potential clients.

1. Make a list of questions your clients or customers are asking you?
Questions that have emotion are the best ones. If you have followed my 7-step marketing circle you should know exactly what your clients want to know.  Pick one question that you feel you could respond to if you were talking one-on-one to someone.

2. Write a short paragraph or two about this question and why it is so important to them. How will this make a difference to the reader and what benefits will they receive?

3. Come up with 5 simple keys, tips or steps you can offer. You will be delving into your own expertise here and giving valuable help or advice. It won’t be a struggle if it is something you really know about.

4. Write a couple sentences about each of these 5 points and use bullet points or numbers as that makes them easy to read. Elaborate on each one and flesh it out.

5. Write a short paragraph at the end, summarizing the benefits again and what will happen if someone follows these 5 points.

You are done. All that is left is to create a compelling headline using the number 5 or 3 or whatever number you have chosen.  For some reason odd numbers seem to be better,  The number is good because people like articles that offer clear information. The number makes people curious. Online, people have a short attention span so 500 words is a good maximum length. Notice how easy this was to do. Every time you write it gets easier and faster.

Considering that we all live in a world that is overflowing with violence and fear, this is one sweet, peaceful opportunity to put forth positive energy. What can be more positive and peaceful than “love?”

Here are five loving things you can do today in honor of this heartfelt holiday.

1. Send a huge valentine and acknowledgment to each person on your team. They support you and are there for you when you need them. Show your gratitude in some way. Even an e-card will suffice.

2. Buy a card or flowers for someone special in  your life. This small act has two positive features. You will be doing something really nice for someone you care about, whether it’s your partner, your mom or your best friend. Secondly, buying something locally helps the local economy and supports another business.

3. Put some flowers in your office on your desk right where you can see them.  A feng shui person told me that the best place to put them is  at the far left corner of your desk, which is the wealth area. Your business will like this:)

4. Do something really nice for yourself today. Running your own business is a lot of work and sometimes feels overwhelming. Give yourself a pat on the back and reward yourself for all the hard work and focus.

5. Commit to work-life balance in your business. Plan a time away for at least a couple days. Go to the beach, the mountains or somewhere to re-fresh. Put it on your calendar and make the decision today.

Of course, putting for all this love and appreciation will come back one hundred fold. Just imagine your business smiling 

Maybe you fantasize about taking off on a hike to Machu Pichu or laying on the beach in Hawaii. You want to be free from the daily grind and commitment.

Small business is a labor of love but most business owners do everything themselves and get tired of the constant responsibility. One of my clients who is a real estate agent, says she hasn’t taken a vacation is six years. She’s  afraid to leave her clients as they trust her and want to work only with her, not her assistant.

Do you feeel anxious if you are away from your phone or computer for more than a day?

Is it hard for you to trust other people to work in your business?

If you answered yes to these two questions, then you are in trouble!

1. Begin to look at your work-life balance and what needs to change.
2. Make sure you get out into nature everyday, even for an hour.
3. Join a peer mastermind group to get support.
4. Hire an intern and learn how to train someone to work with you.
5. Plan a vacation and  know your business won’t die while you are away.

If you do these five things you will be healthier, more balanced and will be taking steps to move into more of a management role and will be able to take time off while you leave someone else at the helm.

If these things feel too hard and you think of a million excuses why you can’t, this is an indication you need  help. It may just be a matter of focus and clarity.

I went to my favorite Computer shop. I’ve been their customer for five years, having bought two computers there and a pile of other computer related  stuff.

I have sent other people there and in a funny way, it’s given me a good feeling of security knowing they were my shop.

I discovered today that my picture was flawed.  Until now my only dealings had been with the clerks, as there have been no problems.  Now there was a bit of a problem that happened and I needed  support. My clerk was very nice but said he didn’t have the authority and he looked a bit uncomfortable. I wondered why until I met his boss, the manager.

This guy was cut from a different cloth. He seemed arrogant, condescending and patronizing.  After attempting to speak to him all I wanted was to get out of the store as fast as possible. I told him he had lost a really good customer. He clearly didn’t care. He didn’t even offer me a compromise.

I share this today to make a point. It is so important to honor your long term customers and do whatever you can to keep them happy and coming  back for another five years. It costs nothing to listen and be supportive, but it costs a huge amount to be uncaring.

The sad part is that this guy didn’t own the store. He was a hired manager. I have no idea if the owner carried these same values, but I can only assume he does.  Here is my credo for customer service.

1. Treat your customers like they are your sales team because they are.
2. Offer them a good deal to make them feel special because they are.
3. Never let them go away unhappy. You can’t always fix everything but you can listen and try to find a solution.

Customer service is the 7th piece of the marketing circle. Good customer service needs to be a part of your marketing plan. Do whatever you can to make your customers and clients feel special and valued.

If I could just get out of my own way, everything would just run so smoothly. I would get so much done and be so productive.

Whether you call them mental blocks, internal obstacles or thinking errors, they do the same thing. They stop you in your tracks and keep you from moving forward. They are all based on fear and self doubt.

Here are the most common five blocks and  suggestions to get past them.

1. Thinking you can’t afford it.
Some costs are actually investments in your business, and will in fact, bring you more money. Learn to differentiate between an investment and an expense. Focus on developing a positive prosperity attitude. Eliminating the words “can’t afford it,” is the first step.

2. Feeling like there is just not enough time to do everything.
Time is, in fact, endless and never runs out. It’s all about how you use your time. It could be that the real issue is your organizational systems.

3.Needing to do everything yourself and it’s just too much.
Your business will stay small unless you can let go and trust your ability to manage a team that can help you. Look for creative ways to get help.

4. Stuff that feels too hard and out of your comfort zone.
Everyone can’t be good at everything. If something is too hard you need to find someone to either do it for you or teach you, but don’t avoid it if it’s important.

5. The poor economy will affects your  business no matter what you do.
Focus on what you have total control over. You have the ability to spiff up your marketing, your organization, your leadership and your products. Focus on that and you can make a huge difference regardless.

Are you ready to make that shift from feeling blocked?

Join my  new 6 class seminar that begins in March 9. Get instant clarity, focus and transformation. Low investment and huge benefit.   Wake-up Your Marketing

Sign-up for my Free Prosperity Challenge.

It is also possible to put forth a strong vision for your year by creating a collage. I do this every year and hang it on the wall of my office. Every so often a glance at it and am overwhelmed by the focus I have put forth.

In December at looked at my 2009  collage and was flabbergasted that I had actually manifested so much of my vision. Some of it materialized in ways I could never have predicted.

I met with a lovely group of  woman the first week of January and created my 2010 collage.  I had no idea really, what would emerge, but again it is perfect.  I have hung it on the wall of my office again and now will watch it take shape.

Instructions on creating your new vision board!

Let me know how it goes!

Vision. Having a sharp vision and picture of where you want to be at the end of the year is so important. Without this vivid vision you are less likely to arrive there.  You have to be able to vision it before you can manifest it.

Plan. Without a crystal clear plan and specific steps you will wander around confused and unfocused. Strategies are essential for reaching any goal.

Action.  If you have the vision and the plan, you still need to overcome your inner obstacles that keep you from taking focused action. Are you willing to walk out of your comfort zone, take a risk and go for it. Staying right where you are won’t change anything!

Take a few minutes and write in your answers to those three things above.  Write down clearly what your vision is, what your plan is and what action you will take. Save your answers and look at them again in a month as a reminder.

Then give yourself a big pat on the back.

You are likely aware of  programs or products that didn’t float last year. When you put a lot of energy and money  into developing something and then no one wants it, it can be a bit discouraging to say the least!

Most business owners begin to  catastrophize and question their whole business when this happens. Along with this comes discouragement and mental blocks. A common comment I hear from my clients is, “No one seems to want what I’m offering. What am I doing wrong?”

This situation provides an excellent opportunity to get past mental blocks and look at this as an entrepreneurial challenge to solve rather than anything being right or wrong or a reason to give up.

1.  It could be that your product or service is very valuable and you need to look how to market it differently.  in this case, marketing is the problem rather than the product.

2. It might be that you are missing the mark a bit on what  your customers want. This could be a good time to do a customer survey and find out how what they want.

3. The New Year is an excellent time to review your business vision and to look at there you are going. Your vision is your inspiration and will help you to get past your mental block and take the next steps forward.

More extensive help on how to overcome mental blocks is in my new book. “Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business.

Most small business owners are so busy working and dealing with each new challenge that they often don’t stop and really recognize all the accomplishments for what they are.

Why is that? A big part of being in business is facing problems and overcoming obstacles. Business development means growing and constantly putting new programs and systems in place. Along with that comes mental blocks and self doubt.

However most entrepreneurs I talk to are able to take a deep breath and look back and concede that they really did manage to do a huge amount very successfully.

What new systems did you put into place this year?
In what ways has your business grown stronger since last January?
How has your marketing improved?
In what ways have you grown as a leader?
What new strong relationships have you built?
Which new skills did you learn?
What has been your biggest accomplishment this past year?

Write down your responses to these questions and call your mentor or close business friend and share your answers. It’s important to look back on the year and smile, give appreciation to yourself and take that energy into the New Year.

When you really clear your focus you will be able to acknowledge all you have done and know right where to put your energy forward.

Here are a few good questions to ask yourself. These questions can help you to move your business forward.

1. What is holding you back from your greatness?
2. What obstacle can you dissolve?
3. What is one thing that you are ready to let go of?

When you get your answer ask yourself if you are ready to let this go. If you are, the next part is to write it clearly on a sheet of paper, read it aloud and then light a match to it. Watch it burn away into the darkness and the light of the fire will transform it into the success you want in the new year.

This may seem a bit airy-fairy to some of you, but these rituals do help you to move past your own limitations so you can accomplish all that you desire and empower yourself to develop the successful business you are meant to have.  I had a group of corporate executives do this exact ritual ( we called it a process) and the mental shifts in the group were phenomenal.

Find a couple people to do it with. You can each read your “letting go” piece and the group energy can add to the power of the ritual. Have fun bringing your greatness into the new light.

It has all made sense to me and I have even created diagrams that teach people how it all works as a marketing tool. However I always get asked, “Does this really work?” Great question.

In this past week, I have had two new clients sign on to work with me who found me online. One person read one of my E-zine articles; How to overcome mental blocks. The other read an article I wrote on Silver Vixens; Women who begin businesses after age 55.

In both cases, I had never met or spoken to either of these people. They both read my article, liked it and went to my website and from there they contacted me wanting help with their business. I  am still in a “Wow,” mode. This really does work, however you need to have  certain things in place:

1. Have a well thought out marketing plan.

2. You must have a strategy that makes sense.

3. A website that correctly markets your business.

Without these three things in  place  you will spend hours online and get nowhere. Sound familiar? If you are going to spend all that time online, why not make sure you are getting results! Do the three things above and it will be worth it.

I’ve been working on my new book for the past two years. It’s done now, however writing it was the easy part. Finding the right title and book cover was the hard part. I struggled with the title for months and months. I had three book title parties, did flip charts,  thought about it in my sleep and finally I just picked a title because I needed to move on.  I had a cover made by a wonderful graphic artist, Dave Sparks. I put it up on my website and then,  it didn’t feel right.  I knew it deep down, but didn’t want to admit it because it was done!!

Then Bonnie from Silver Vixens,  offered feedback and I listened. Her feedback rang true and it all fell into place. My title was there all the time and I just didn’t see it.  I was afraid to tell Dave that the cover was wrong because he worked so hard on it. Good cover but not for my book!

Dave was great and helped me create a new cover. Here it is. I love it and love the title and the book hasn’t changed. It is still really good! It will be out in February but you can buy it now and save some money.

Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business
7 Simple steps to empower your business and bring YOU money and freedom

I learned that it is ok to make a mistake and fix it. People understand, and it’s all part of the process of being a small business owner. I teach people about this, but that’s way easier than doing it myself! Please leave comments. I’d love to hear if this has ever happened to you.