The holiday season is typically a time of family, friends, gifts, parties and giving service. When you are an entrepreneur, there is another layer to the holiday season.
Among the holiday parties and gift giving, entrepreneurs are also focused on their year end numbers and goals. This alone is a massive focus and we can’t do it without support. Suddenly your 2010 goals are more real and require more focus.
Can you keep going as a solo-preneur?
One question I get consistently is “How do I build a teamwhen I can’t afford a full-time salary for someone?” This is an excellent question and the best ways to do this are:
When you give to others through mentoring, masterminding, giving referrals, sharing ideas and tools and simply making an effort to assist someone else in their business, the door swings wide open for you to receive the same support. Solo-preneurs wear a lot of hats and the biggest mistake I’ve made is to do tasks that take up time from me actually receiving the hourly rate that I am worth. I have utilized masterminds and people who can contribute a few hours here and there in exchange for trade, money or simply service.
Always remember there is a win/win. When you are truly committed to creating something in your business there is always someone who is willing to give you a hand, to a beneficial trade or cut you a break. And never underestimate resources coming into your space so you can make things happen like #2 below.
Ali Brown has excellent tips to know if you are ready to hire an assistant.
Having participated in many masterminds, I’m continually amazed at the power they bring to my life and business. This is the best way you can create a team without capital!
A mastermind is a group of 3-8 people (I prefer no more than 8 and they may be a little big) that meets on a regular basis and you discuss ideas, challenges about your business. Everyone in the group focuses on your business and provides ideas, feedback and support to break through the barriers holding you back. My preference is to have a mastermind that includes a variety of expertise and people who will be HONEST with their feedback. If you are in a mastermind where everyone thinks just like you, you will NEVER grow. Wouldn’t you rather know sooner than later that a business idea you have needs an adjustment? Having people in your mastermind who will give you honest feedback is ESSENTIAL to making sure you continue to grow.
Ideally masterminds, meet at least monthly and I like to give each person in the group at least 10 minutes to get feedback from the group. The key to having a successful mastermind is you have to meet regularly and consistently. All members get to participate and be committed to attending for a mastermind to be effective.
When you manage your time, you will literally have physical, mental and emotional room for people to join your team. When you don’t make time to come up for air, it will be impossible to manage one other person let alone a team.You have to first make the “space” in your life before you an add more to it.
Rene Johnson, The Power Zone Coach, teaches the 4-D Decision making process, which I use every day and has saved me a ton of time and worry. This puts me back into control over my time and what I focus on. Separate your tasks into Delegate, Delete, Do It or Defer. Have a file folder that you review regularly with each set of tasks in each category. If something has been in your defer file for two weeks or more, considering just dumping it. One of the reasons entrepreneurs feel so overwhelmed is because everything feels like it’s urgent.
When I feel like everything is important, I ask myself “What will make me money today?, What will take me closer to the biggest goal I have right now?”
More Time Management Tips:
James Roche, the Info Product Guy, who is a coach to Ali Brown and very successful (and a really great guy), gave me these tips:Focus Time: plan long-term projects. This is where you work ON your business not IN your business. Get away from your office or home to do this so you can truly focus and plan. When you are in Focus time, turn off your phone, close your email and shut your door. Give yourself allotted time to work on something. Work on a project for 30 minutes and set a timer. Then take a five-minute break and move onto the next project.
Flex Time: This is when you are actually making money, when you are working with clients, making calls, emails, managing your team, etc.
Free Time: This is when you do everything else.
Overall, the key to creating a team to support and assist you is you have to first believe in your value of what you are offering. When you work on yourself, you start seeing results in your business, relationships, health and your entire life.
Ever wonder what to post, tweet and write about with your social media efforts?
The last Biz Divas workshop was on Social Media and it was incredible. I learned that social media is a revolution, not a fad and it’s completely changing the way we market. I feel like for the first time, new companies can create awesome marketing momentum through cost-effective efforts. No longer do companies have to have a $10,000+ retainer with an ad or marketing agency to be successful.
First, check out this awesome article that one of my favorite social media and marketing experts (Jack Hadley @jack_hadley from Lava 7) passed along to me:
http://blog.listpipe.com/2009/frequency-seo-and-wasting-time
Now, do you follow the 70-20-10 rule?
70% is sharing resources
20% is spent in conversations with people
10% is about promoting yourself
Here are a couple of articles I liked about this:
http://www.fwrenaissance.com/do-you-comply-with-the-70-20-10-rule-for-twitter/
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/02/06/creating-social-media-rituals/
Now what to write about:
Do you have a product or service that helps people? Talk about what results you are co-creating with your clients?
How have you gotten where you are? Share the resources that support you (books, articles, blogs, mentors, etc.)
Share tips. For example, an event planner can share tips on how to throw an amazing holiday party. Or share party etiquette.
Are you a massage therapist or other type of healer? Share tips on what people can do to minimize stress.
Share the inspiration behind your art if you are an artist of any kind.
What are your amitions and state of mind today? Share that, people will relate and you will create authentic relationships.
My personal philosophy is that social media is thriving because we are more interested in relationship marketing than “being sold to.” Social media engages you in relationship marketing and it works.
Do you want some feedback on what you can write about in your social media? Reply to this post with a very brief description of your company and I, along with my readers, will respond and give you some insight. This is the first step in making your social media successful. It’s about supporting each other. When we give, we receive everything we are looking for.
Is Social Media a place to cyber-stalk people or a way to really build your business?
Okay, the cyber-stalk thing is (mostly) a joke.
I work with a lot of new entrepreneurs and small busiseses who want to use social media to build their business, not just tell the world what they had for lunch and what they are up to next (sometimes those types of updates are great).
How do we ADD VALUE to our audience and position ourselves as the experts in our industry? I continue to learn every day and don’t pretend to be the expert, yet. I’m working on it though. Here are three tips to show you valuable topics you can talk about in your social media efforts:
1. Create a mastermind
Have a brainstorm session about what you should post, tweet and blog about. You walk away with a page of topics, questions you can answer, and much more that will keep you busy for a solid month (or more) on new material that ADDS VALUE to the lives of your clients and prospects.
2. Research and Follow
Follow popular blogs, Tweeters, and befriend people on Facebook to give you some examples of different styles of writing. You will soon learn what annoys you and what you naturally gravitate toward. Always keep your writing in your own voice. If you have “ghost writers” for your social media efforts then make sure they represent you well, which they should if they are good ghost writers.
3. Just Do It
You have to start somewhere so bit the bullet and start. You will see your updates and blog posts evolve and you will get into your groove of what is authentic to you and what is accomplishing your goals. In addition to just doing it, make sure you adapt. If what you are tweeting about doesn’t get more people to follow and to your website then be open to changing your approach.
The technical part of social media we can easily grasp. But you know those people who always have brilliant posts, the one-sentence updates, that captivate you and you click on their link and join their newsletter. The question is, how can we all do that and leverage our time on social media? Let’s face it, sometimes you can get sucked into Facebook or Twitter and a couple hours go by and what was accomplished? One rule of thumb that I use is if social media creates 20% of my sales volume then it’s probably a good idea to spend 20% of my marketing time on social media, rather than 50+%.
Additional Resources:
Get Educated: Stop trying to do this in a vacuum. There are many webinars, online articles and workshops on this hot topic. Biz Divas is hosting a social media workshop that will go over some specifics but will also take you on a brainstorm exercise so you leave with dozens of topics you can write about.
Google is our friend: Google what you want to know: Top Tweeters, popular blogs, etc. Learn from the best.
See the top Tweeters in different categories: You can look at their posts and get a flavor of their style. For a list of the top Tweeters: http://wefollow.com/top
How to find the top tweeters in your city: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_find_the_top_twitterers_in_your_city.php
In Facebook simply do searches for groups or fan pages and befriend people who are part of groups that resonate with your message.
Happy posting!
Do you ever find yourself saying any of these phrases?
• “I’m sorry, but I think…”
• “I’m sorry you have to do this, but…”
• “I’m sorry to bother you with…”
• “I’m sorry, this might not be exactly what you wanted…”
It’s a fact that women apologize more frequently than men. Many times we do it just to be polite. But is it diminishing our credibility? Our power? Yes.
A talented member of my team constantly apologizes, even for situations she has no knowledge about and no control over. Another young woman, who had a different opinion from the rest of our group, began her sentence during a meeting with, “I’m sorry, but I think we could do it this way.” Just like that, she gave her power away. She weakened her point with that little word.
While “I’m sorry” CAN be very meaningful, and it should be set aside for the moments when you want to correct a situation—something you did that hurt someone’s feelings or a mistake you made—overusing the word has a diminishing effect. What happens when you really are sorry for something? Will the person on the receiving end know you mean it?
Overusing apologies makes them lose their meaning. Limit the s-word in your vocabulary. Start using strong phrases. If you bump into someone, say, “Excuse me.” Know that it’s OK to have a different opinion and express it. Don’t apologize for the things you like or don’t. And most of all, don’t use “sorry” as your linguistic crutch. You can overcome this self-effacing mechanism by being conscious of it.
Kaira Rouda is the bestselling author of Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, president of Real Living and founder of Real You. For more business advice, sign up for her tip of the week, delivered to your inbox each Friday! To learn more, visit www.KairaRouda.com, follow her on Twitter, and connect with her on Facebook!
Tired of meeting clients or prospects in coffee shops? Scared about the cost of leasing office space? The answer? Betaloft! Utah’s newest coworking community downtown.
I am so excited to introduce Biz Divas to Betaloft, the newest Coworking Community in Utah. Drew Tyler, the owner, supports a community of entrepreneurs who collaborate and build a strong community with each other. If you have ever wanted an amazing office space but couldn’t afford it yet while you build your business, or simply don’t want to spend so much money on an office space, Betaloft is perfect. It’s downtown, it’s an amazing space and the prices are unbelievable. Register to attend Biz Divas before the seats fill up!
On Tuesday, I attended the Betaloft open house for their official grand opening and was so impressed. The treats were provided by Sugared Magnolia and it was brilliant. (You will LOVE their website) Floral decor by Persimmon Floral, also brilliant. You can see their work on the video below. Trust me when I say that you have got to check out this space. They have permanent office space or space you can use periodically throughout the month. They will fill up fast so check it out today.
Betaloft Open House
See the Video here: Angela at Betaloft Open House.
Another AMAZING service they offer is if you want to do professionally recorded pod casts or videos they have a studio onsite. For four 90-minute sessions, the price is less than $150. And just a tiny bit more if you want their professionals to run the recording and video equipment! Why are the prices so reasonable? Because Drew, the owner, loves video production and has built his career supporting professionals and corporations with their video production needs. When you love what you do, it’s easy to pass on savings to people who love your work! It is incredible and I can’t wait to work with them for Biz Divas and Illuminated Woman videos and podcasts.
Drew Tyler - owner of Betaloft in downtown SLC
What is Betaloft and Cowork Community? See the Video here! Thanks Drew for creating such a phenomenal environment to support entrpreneurs! See you next Friday at Betaloft downtown: 357 West 200 South Suite 201, Salt Lake City
See the Betaloft Commercial by Super Human Productions (also Drew’s company):
BetaLoft Commercial from Drew Tyler on Vimeo.
Follow these fabulous businesses on twitter:
@betaloft
@persimmonfloral
@sugaredmagnolia
@bizdivas
Get Your FREE Copy of
5 Power Tools to Create Your Own Economy.
Your free ebook ($27 value) will be emailed to you immediately. You will also get the monthly Biz Divas Newsletter.
We respect your privacy and never share your information.
