Coaching Challenge: Delegating

By Jane Murphy, Author of “What could happen if you do nothing?” A Manager’s Handbook for Coaching Conversations

Jane Murphy is a partner in Giraffe Business Publishing LLC and Giraffe LLC, a consulting firm that designs custom solutions to help organizations improve the management capabilities of their people. Jane also leads Giraffe’s coaching engagements, working with clients to solve business and leadership challenges. Jane has been principal and co-founder of several publishing ventures, including KIDVIDZ, which won numerous awards for its special-interest videos. She has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rockefeller Foundation National Video Resources. She has co-authored several books, including “What could happen if you do nothing?” A manager’s handbook for coaching conversations (Giraffe Business Publishing). Jane speaks and writes regularly about coaching in the workplace.

 

 

 

 

 

Adjectives, Nouns and Verbs…Oh My!

By Susan Bock

Do you have any special memories about a favorite (or not-so-favorite) English teacher from your early school years?  I do – her name was (I say was because she seemed ancient at my tender age of 9) Miss Clausen, and I have very fond memories of her.  Her wrinkles, gray hair and ‘old lady shoes’ could not compete with her warm smile, words of encouragement and caring manner in which she patiently taught us the building blocks of constructing a sentence. Although I may have loathed the drills, memorization and effort required, today, I am grateful.

The words we chose to use, the sentence construct, and the pesky punctuation, come together and send a message – to ourselves and to whoever is listening.  Where am I going with this?  To a subject that emerging business owners need to take seriously….setting goals.

Here is the question: Why do we need to set goals?  Author Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) provides us with the answer; “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”  Goals give us direction, clarity and a map.  I recently read an article by Martha Beck where she talked about the importance of adjectives when setting goals.  A common occurrence is to set a goal using nouns and verbs – ex. I want my business to succeed, or I want to find a life-mate.  The noun – success or life-mate, often leads to disappointment or outright failure.

Dictionary.com provides this definition:  An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words.  The key words are describing, identifying or quantifying.  When we utilize specific, descriptive words in our goals, they become much more powerful, alive and meaningful.

Here’s a tip, after writing your goal, add one more sentence about how achieving that goal will make you feel.   Again, use adjectives to describe what you will experience when your goal is achieved.  Business success may give you financial security, a means to travel or provide a life-style you desire.  A life-mate will make you feel loved, cherished, have companionship and be a trusted mate.  See how powerful the adjectives can be?  Another benefit is that in listing the adjectives, you may discover that what you thought you wanted is not what you ‘really’ want.  Again, a powerful discovery to make.

Here are the steps suggested by Ms. Beck to help you achieve the experiences you want.

1. Pick a goal: Think of the typical noun-verb goal, such as I want to lose weight.
2. Look forward: You do not need a crystal ball.  Use your grey matter – engage your brainpower and imagine what your life would be like if you realized your goal.  Create details, get specific, and live there for a few moments to take in the powerful feelings.
3. Adjectives on stage: Here is the heart of creating successful goals.  List all of the adjectives that describe how you feel in #2 – again, be specific.  Spend time here and wander through the various emotions, sensations and feelings such as energetic, focused, delighted, powerful.
4. Focus: Now, step out of the fantasy and back into your reality while you concentrate on your list of adjectives.  Is your stated goal sharper, more defined?  Does it feel real? If your goal is to lose weight and your adjectives are strong, confident, and healthy, you might realize that your actual goal is to get fit.  That rules out crash/fad/short-term fixes.  Rather, you might what to consult with a nutritionist, hire a personal trainer, and create new experiences around eating.

Sounding a little woo-woo?  Yes, it is.  And, that does not negate the fact that it works!  Our words are powerful – to us and to others.  When you find yourself longing for some unrealized circumstances, indulge yourself and search for the meaningful adjectives.  One day, perhaps in the near future, you could find yourself experiencing those very words.

Guiding women through the halls of uncertainty toward the successful future they are destined to create.

 

Susan@SusanBock.com

www.SusanBock.com

714-847-1566

As little girls we dream about our fairytale future …as teenagers we vow to do everything better than those before us …then something incredible happens. It’s called life, and it takes us for quite a ride. Sure, some of us get the fairytale …whatever that is… but what about the rest of us, OUTSIDE the castle?

At the age of 48, I chose to leave the corporate world and embark on a more selfless path of helping other women find the confidence to handle their problems. I pride myself on being both a mentor and guide to women who question their own strength. I am passionate about helping my female clients discover and harness their true decision-making potentials.

 

From Business Idea to Booming Business

By Deborah Sweeney

One of the most daunting tasks facing a prospective business owner today is transforming a vague business idea into reality.  Starting a business takes time and money, things you probably have little of.  Here are some tips to make the start-up process a little easier, and before you know it, you’ll be looking for ways to expand!

1) Decide what Kind of Business You Want and Do Some Research. Before you do anything else, ask yourself some questions.  What are you passionate about?  Do you like to work alone or with a team?  What are your strengths and weaknesses?  Then, take these answers and do some research about your desired field.  Keep in mind what you love to do, and what you’re good at.  Starting a business takes a lot of time and you will definitely want to be spending that time working on something you enjoy.

2) Create a Long-Term Business Plan. Next, come up with a written business plan that takes in to account the questions you have asked yourself.  If you work better with a team, plan for employees or partners.  If you aren’t very good with accounting, think about easy ways to keep your financials in order.  In your business plan, focus on where you want your business to be in 5 or 10 years, then work backwards to this start-up phase.  Your long-term goals might dictate your current plans, and having a path set out for you will save you time and energy down the road.

3) Find Financing. The next step is financing your goals.  There are many ways to get the money for your business, including friends and family, personal credit, and loans.  Be sure to also look for partners/investors and associations that are looking to invest in people like you!  This is also a good time to be thinking about building business credit.  Business credit will allow you to take out loans in the name of your business, and these types of loans can have higher amounts and lower interest rates than personal loans.

4) Use an Online Filing Company to Make your Business Official. Creating a legal business entity early on in the start-up process is important to protect your personal assets from liability.  Online filing services will create your business for you and save you lots of money in the beginning when it really counts.  Lawyers can cost around $200 an hour but online filing services will typically charge less for filing your entire business, a process that could take a lawyer more than 4 hours.  Using an online filing service guides you through the filing process and helps ensure you do it right the first time.

5) Protect your Business with Trademarks. After you’ve worked to bring your business idea to life, protecting it becomes important.  Companies with similar names or offering similar products can steal customers away or negatively impact your reputation.  Registering your business name and product protects against this scenario and allows you to be a unique company, saving you from consumer confusion.

Congratulations on coming up with a business idea!  One of the most exciting things about the entrepreneurial process is the information you learn and the experiences you have.  Using these tips and applying them to your own situation will help you on your way to success!  As long as you stick with what you love, work hard, and seek advice when necessary, you’ll be well on your way to business success!

Deborah Sweeney is CEO of MyCorporation Business Service, Inc., and  an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for all consumers. With her experience in the field of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah can provide insightful commentary on the benefits, barriers and who should consider incorporation and trademark registration.  She also has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of MyCorporation.com’s customers.

 

 

 

But I’m Not a Sales Person! Why you are the Best Sales Person You Have!

By Anastasia Valentine

“But I’m not a sales person! “ Some of my clients exclaim.  The moment you launched your business, created a product or offering was the precise moment you became a sales person.  Unfortunately as soon as we hear the word ‘sales’ or ‘selling’ we think of the hard sell, high pressure sales and the stereotypical greasy salesperson.

The fact is, we are ALL sales people whether we are selling our products, services or even selling our skills to land an interview or promotion.  There is no reason for selling to feel wrong or sleazy as long as you are selling authentically.

The questions I receive as a business coach and mentor are:

How do you sell authentically?  How can you make money through authentic selling?

You start by tapping into the passion that got you started in the first place that’s how!  You sell by using your passion and knowledge about our product or service.  You engage in a conversation instead of a selling pitch to get to know the prospect.  You are probably more comfortable having a genuine conversation with someone rather than doing a sales pitch any way so why not take this approach?  You talk about how what you offer:

When you address any or all of the above points, you are speaking to the VALUE of your offering.  Incorporating it into a real life conversation where the prospect identifies with you and what you offer vs. a predefined cookie cutter pitch is a great start to building a relationship with a potential customer.  It feels better too!

BTW, you are selling 24/7.    You and your product are the whole package and represent your brand.  This includes your:

A positive enthusiastic attitude, calm collected demeanor and truthful words are also part of the equation.  It looks like this:

So take the pressure out of selling and have a meaningful conversation with your customer.   They will appreciate the authentic voice of someone who understands their customers and be quick to support your business.

Anastasia Valentine is a published author, avid blogger and active on social media platforms such as Facebook andTwitter where she provides regular social media updates on a variety of topics including business, wellness and travel.

Single Mom Marketing

By Lisa Karen Cohen, Director of Creative Parties For Kids

I have owned my own business for over 20 years; and for 17 of those years I depended upon and struggled to pay for my monthly print advertising in a local children’s publication.  At one point, I could not afford it, and put my focus on internet and referral marketing. It was survival. I had to make it work, and I did. The world is a changing and as business owners, we need to change our marketing style to keep up! I have noticed that the print publications are now adopting the methods I used without them; email newsletters, blogs, facebook and twitter. The most powerful marketing tool is still referrals. Two years ago a successful Dutch business consultant visiting our family said to me, “every happy customer is worth 5 more happy customers, every disappointed customer has an infinite number of negative effects on your business.

Newsletters offer valuable information to your client base. Give something to them and they will give back to you. Don’t just “sell, sell, sell”…that gets tiresome. I make a point of informing clients of local children’s events that may be of interest to them, whether my company is involved or not. I write a little article on parenting or education, I praise an outstanding member of our entertainment staff on something they did well, and then I make the customer feel special by giving them a big discount on our services if they book an event by a certain date. It always works.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media marketing tools are also great. It takes time to nurture and update these accounts. I recently offered a promotion on Twitter of a free “StoryLady” DVD to the first 50 people who added me to their Twitter list. It has yielded around 4 new followers.  These marketing tools are like a garden, they need tending. Honestly, as a small business owner, I am often over-whelmed with this task. As a solution, I am considering delegating this aspect of the marketing to a younger, savvy “stay at home” mom, who I just hired as a princess. Princesses have to support each other!

Of course, your website is very important. I finally hired a professional web designer, and worked with him closely to create our current site. It still needs updating, work and constant attention. They have been very kind to me and I would certainly recommend OC WEBLOGIC to any business owner!

There is no substitute for the old fashioned face to face contact.

I also google search mom’s clubs, pre-schools and local charities and then offer to come and perform for free in exchange for their support in “getting the word” out about CreativePartiesForKids.com. They love the free service, and I love the contacts and great energy it produces. These concepts can be adapted to any business. There are always creative ways to approach finding potential clients, and then offering them something of your service or product. Once I have made that contact I bring flyers, email sign up sheets, cards and give away a CD or DVD. If I am going to give of my time, knowledge and energy, all I ask is for them to give me their information to “stay in touch” and send them my newsletter. They become a potential client.

Community events that pertain to your line of work are also a great way to connect with potential customers. I volunteer at family oriented events, and always bring my marketing materials. A great way to get leads at these events is to have a little box where people can sign up for a “free”something or other….they then give you their info, and you can add them to your email list.

I have a degree in Theatre, not business or marketing. Many of these ideas I learned along the way. The tenacious follow-up and sales techniques I learned working for a health club when I was right out of college! My acting degree in hand, I found I had a knack for sales and marketing. There have been times that I have walked the streets putting flyers on doorsteps, or have dressed up in my StoryLady dress and crashed a family oriented street market. I let the kids pet the bunny while I hand out flyers to the parents. Marketing is fun! I love it!

Lisa Karen Cohen, Director of Creative Arts & Parties For Kids has a BA in Theatre and Dance from University of Colorado Boulder, has studied acting at American Conservatory Theatre and performed with The Denver Center Theatre Company, and was working on her Masters in Educational Administration with an emphasis in arts education. She has been teaching and performing with and for children for 30 years. She also has her own children’s television show called “The StoryLadys Magic Book” which airs on Time Warner Public Access, has a DVD called The StoryLady and The ABC’s, and two children’s CD’s. For more information please visit her websites  www.CreativePartiesForKids.com and www.thestoryladysmagicbook.com. Connect with Lisa on twitter.

Three Critical Strategies for Effective Life Planning

By, Karen Pool

A study of the responses of 4,000 retired executives over the age of 70 by Dr. Gerald Bell revealed a common regret: They wished they had done more life planning. “I would have carved out life goals and owned my life.” I should have taken charge of my life through goal setting.” “I would have spent more time on my personal development.” If we want to start on the path of life planning, we must listen to our hearts. The truest answers for what we want come from our hearts. The three critical strategies for effective creative life planning include brainstorming, going for detail, and setting plans in time.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming helps us expand our thinking to include dreams, goals, and aspirations that can be integrated into our daily lives. Our imagination unlocks possibilities and options. We can invent the future in our imagination before creating it tangibly to discover possibilities—moving ideas from vision into form. Use the following open-ended sentences to generate 8-10 new ideas: • If I could do, be, or having anything, what would my heart say? • What would I do if I could do anything without training? • What would I do for fun?

Brainstorming helps you get past the surface to the deeper levels of knowing and thinking where insight and the best ideas originate.

Go for Detail

When we create dreams without the particulars, what we want is usually too large in our heads. Our desires need to be broken down into smaller tasks or amounts, just as we make smaller monthly payments to pay off a large loan, for example. Identify the smallest piece that you can bring into the current week to move your idea forward

Set Plans in Time

Creating a structure, framework, or blueprint offers a view of what lies ahead before you move forward. Follow through is essential; it includes creating timelines and dated action plans for managing the details of dreams to ensure continued progress. Once we have specific detail, we can clarify the priorities and identify the smallest action that fits into our weekly and monthly schedules. We begin to bring our dreams into reality.

Choosing to develop your creative imagination and engage in life planning will transform your life. As your thoughts and dreams become visible, you will discover pathways leading to their fulfillment . . . and a life free of regret.

Karen W. Pool, M.S., a former university and teacher educator, presents workshops that encourage the development of creativity and imagination. She is President of lifemagination and works as an instructional writer. For more than two decades she has taught a Life Creation Process and encouraged individuals to invent their lives by creating a flexible 20-year plan. She is the author of Transformation Thinking, Celebrating Women’s Voices, and Designing Your Life Vision. You can follow her on www.karenpoolblog.com.

Segment 3: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose – Let Your Content Go Green!

By, Bonnie Andrews

As a startup princess, fairy godmother, or anywhere in between, good, consistent content can be a powerful tool in your business growth plan. Generating good content can be time consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but just like reusing & recycling benefits the environment we live in, it can also empower the businesses we run.

So let’s cut to the chase and discuss right now the ways ‘going green’ can boost your business, build your brand and generate leads.

1. Increases Your Value

Value is everything. Building your brand online allows you to position yourself as an expert in your own market. As you expand your communication to varied types of online media, your influence will grow and so will your audience.

2. Saves Energy & Produces Quality

Creating good content can take time. Repurposing content – as long as it’s good solid information – takes less energy and increases the content quality. Instead of aimlessly writing and exhausting yourself trying to come up with hot, relevant topics, focus on one or two topics a week. Write a killer article or two and then move your inspiring content through the web with the increasingly diverse mediums available: text, audio, photo and video.

3. Empowers You to Get More Done

Once you write a fabulous article, the repurposing can be done by anyone – get a virtual assistant involved or a team like va4mom. They can go to work using your content, with your personality and voice, and diversify it. The best part is, you have time to do other things! You don’t have to be tied up writing, re-writing, video editing or podcasting. Someone else can do it for you.

Now You Know the ‘Why,’ Let’s Talk About the ‘How’

There are numberless ways you can repurpose your content. Some of the most popular and more effective mediums are things like how to articles, video, press releases, email newsletters, podcasts and other web 2.0 properties.

Articles – a blog post can be easily turned into an article to generate traffic. We suggest you put the initial content on your own blog and then generate summaries and revisions for other mediums. The most important thing is making sue that each submission is unique. Don’t go posting the same article everywhere or you will jeopardize your website ranking – see Google’s duplicate content rule for more info.

Your revisions can then be posted to article directories like EzineArticles and other popular submission sites.

Video – turning your content into video can be a simple process. Take the content you have and put it into a Powerpoint presentation where you can add effects, voice over and music. Then post it to your YouTube channel and any other video network accounts you have. Make sure when you post you optimize the descriptions with keywords and a link back to your main website.

Press Releases – this medium is as old as the news, but it can still be very effective whether you have a localized business or worldwide audience. Repurposing into a press release and submitting to sites like PRWeb can be very effective for SEO and also for generating news stories too.

Email Newsletters – email newsletters play an important role in ‘re-marketing’ the clients and potential clients on your list. Using the main content you have you can break it down into quick bullet points, images and ‘must do’s for the clients on your newsletter email list.

Podcasts & Other Web 2.0 Properties – audio can be generated from text and posted on iTunes and a myriad of other places. The main content can also be posted on the hosts of social networking sites and other places like Squidoo.

There are numberless ways to repurpose a single piece of great content. Don’t be overwhelmed, find a system that works for you and stay the course. It’s important to remember that your content is queen and it will build you a kingdom if you are providing it on a regular basis. Make a plan, and stick to it!

Bonnie Andrews, Marketing Director at va4mom, is a mom who loves all the ‘hats.’ She is best known for managing a virtual assistant marketing team to generate killer content for others who have the title Mom, CEO, Doc, Chef, Taxi, Teacher, Coach . . . aka mompreneurs, and help them effectively grow and maximize their business opportunities. Follow Bonnie on Twitter @va4mom or hire her affordable virtual assistant team atwww.MomEntrepreneurVA.com.

Increase Your Exposure and Your business…Volunteer

By  Joan Koerber-Walker

Often when I am speaking with an audience or mentoring women entrepreneurs, I hear a question that starts like this: “How did you get people to give you a chance to …”

Aside from here on Startup Princess, there are not many fairy godmothers out there who can wave a magic wand and make an opportunity materialize before our very eyes.  But there is something that every reader of Startup Princess can do that works like magic and makes you feel great too.  One simple word.  Volunteer.

Over the years, through a number of volunteer activities,  I have had the opportunity to share ideas on network television, land radio interviews, be profiled in newspapers and magazines and connect with key decision makers, customers and partners who I might otherwise have never met. It all came about because of volunteer work done in my community.  If it can work for me, it can work for you.  Just follow these two simple steps.

Establish yourself as a leader.

A leader is someone who stands out above the rest.  We all have talents that we can share that help us to stand out.  Perhaps your talent is organization, networking, writing, or simply listening.  Maybe your gift is mentoring, speaking, or art. Think of ways that sharing these talents and gifts can help a nonprofit organization that you believe in.  Step up, stand out and lead in whatever role you are given.

Roll up your sleeves and show ’em what you can do.

In today’s economy, nonprofit budgets are stretched to the limit.  There is almost nothing they do not need.  Does your business have great consumer products or services?  Donate them to gift baskets, silent auctions or raffles.  Do you provide business services? Donate them to the nonprofit itself to help in reducing overhead costs. In each case you are getting yourself and your products or services in front of others who may want to work with  you in the future.  Often this is the supporters, board members, donors, or sponsors of the organization.  The nonprofit may not have the resources to pay for your donations and services, but these people do.  When you do a great job or deliver a great product, people notice and even better… they tell their friends.

Here comes the magic…

The more you give, the more you get.

While you are sharing what you have of value, you are getting value too.

·         New skills you learn while working with others in your community.

·         Connections to other leaders who share the same passions and values that you do

·         Recognition for your efforts and the value you contribute to the cause.

·         Visibility for yourself and your business, the opportunity to represent the organization in your community or perhaps even a              chance to step and lead at an even higher level.

That’s the great thing about magic.  It makes anything possible.

Joan Koerber-Walker is a two time Stevie Award National Finalist and Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc, and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.  She also serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures and on the boards of for profit and nonprofit organizations.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and@CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

Is Your Business Killing You?

I believe that we all are Superwomen, but the question is, do you want to be an exhausted Superwoman or a Well-Balanced Superwoman? Your to-do list is extremely long and your business is pulling on each gray hair that you have, along with responsibilities of being a mom, wife, girlfriend, errand runner and all the other roles you play! How do you find balance, peace and joy from it all? How do you empower your team (at home and at work) to work together and be more productive? The solution is to bring you B.A.C to center.

If you’ve ever taken a cruise you know that the middle of the ship is the less rockiest place on the entire ship. That’s similar to your center where most of your power and peace can be found. When you come from your center, choose from your center, and speak from your center, you often will appreciate the results. Unlike when you are operating away from your center, which will result in chaos, overwhelm, over commitment, people pleasing, back tracking, not asking for help, and most of all, not utilizing your powerful center. Here are three quick tips that can help you get B.A.C. to your amazing, powerful and fabulous center: B.A.C stands for Boundaries, Accountability and Consciousness.

1) Set clear, specific boundaries in every area of your life, especially in your business (or it will consume you).

2) Be accountable for your choices, relationships and habits. Only keep the ones that are working and dump the rest. My favorite saying is: ‘do it, delegate it or dump it’.

3) Make conscience choices which means that you must know the core values of your business and yourself then never do anything that would go against them. Everyday you have the choice to be an exhausted Superwoman or a Well-Balanced Superwoman and each day is a new beginning.

Be unstoppable.

Dena Patton is an award-winning entrepreneur, Life/Business Coach, and Speaker. She is also the founder ofwww.ChatChewandChocolate.com.  Info on her retreats and coaching visit, www.TheBoundariesCoach.com. Find her on Twitter@chatchew. Find her most recent article, Is Your Business Killing You on Entrepreneur.com

Video Advice from The Next Big Zing

Dhana Cohen of The Next Big Zing shares her expertise in how to create a quality video for your small business.

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