When the entrepreneur is ready . . .

The client will come. Yes, that may sound strange, but I must stay it is so true. I have been in a holding pattern for business for about two years. Before that I was busy, running my business, juggling lots of clients and building a plan to automate my business. Then the fateful day came when we realized we were being called to homeschool our boys. This was not a bad thing, just a big change and one that truly changed how our business was going to move forward.

Due to the major change for me, I literally stopped my business. It was like a gear grinding to a complete stop, or someone slamming on their brakes. I knew I had to put all my eggs in the one basket and then watch that basket. Fast forward two years and now we are in a groove with homeschool, we have a better handle on how long everything takes and honestly I am relaxing more as a mom and an entrepreneur. Thus I find myself ready, I have a window for clients and energy to service them. Low and behold the emails are coming in, and I am making appointments to meet with clients.

So what changed? Well, I did. Once I found my groove in homeschooling I realized I had a few more grooves left or bandwidth for a little bit more. Then without even realizing it I put the intention out there that I was open to work with someone and then and only then did the opportunity arise. At present that has allowed me to secure two clients which is such a blessing. Both fit my profile and understand my world. I am eternally grateful for my presence of mind, my mindfulness to my life so that I could make good decisions when the time was right.

Are you ready and don't know it? Are you being intentional about your life and business? Are you creating room for your success? If you think that may not be the case, take some time to think about how you can be ready for the next opportunity. Think about how you can be intentional about creating that success and present to grab it when it arrives.

Always Be Prepared!

Recently I took my boys to the park for our afternoon PE activities. It was a gorgeous day, and I was feeling blessed to be a homeschooling-business mom at that very moment. Then it happened, someone recognized me and remembered I was a business owner. We had networked the last time we met at the park. She mentioned she lost my business card and wanted to know if I had another one with me. I was sure I did, so I zipped to my car to get one. As it turned out I did, but it was my last one and mixed in with other cards. I found myself feeling ill-prepared had I been meeting a group of people.

In fairness to me, I was not there on business. That being said, I teach never leave home without your cards because as Susan RoAne says you never know when you may meet your next great client. Lesson learned, cards restocked and stash placed in glove compartment. So the question is, are you ready for an impromptu meeting of your next great client?

Facing My Giants

Whenever I am having a day that feels less than perfect, I think about what can I do to turn it around. Today I felt emotional about all the tornadoes in the country, even here in our neck of the woods. I also received some bad news about my family members. Life is hard. I did not want to let those feelings overtake me. What did I do to help me stay focused?

• I took a shower, that always helps me to feel better. It is like starting my day over.
• Reached out to my community, I visited with my entrepreneurial sister and we talked some shop and enjoyed each others company.
• Got busy, I am here now updating my blog (I have been known to not do this on as regular of a schedule as I like).

The result was I am in a better frame of mind and able to now start planning again for making phone calls, setting appointments and doing some business. In stead of being derailed I became focused. So glad I can do that, and I remind myself all the time this has been a learned behavior. If I can do this you can too. Do not let the road blocks in life derail your business or dreams.

New Look and New Year

If procrastination is an art form, I seem to have perfected it. I meant to get back to my blog to post and then, well life sort of got in the way, I got lazy and content. So here I am back at it. But this time I have new energy and new focus. Why, I am sick and tired of being tired, I am sick and tired of other people's excuses and realized that includes me.

So I gave my blog a new look and look forward to adding new content. My business is doing well and I am having the time of my life homeschooling my boys as I work with my business associates. Although I do not believe you can have it all, all the time, I think you can have most of it if you have a plan and build in balance as part of the plan.

Enjoy the new look and come back to check it out. And if you like what you see, please consider following me so we can get to know each other better.

Testimonials Are Underrated

While I was looking at my website statistics I was surprised to see that my hits were up 43%. As I started to dig deep to understand the source of this new found traffic, I discovered something interesting. I was receiving hits from websites that I had testimonials on. For example I gave a testimonial to Michel Neray who posted it on his website www.essentialmessage.com. Honestly, I was so excited about his workbook that I emailed him a thank you. I was surprised and glad to see he posted it and added a link to my site. Just that one act added traffic to my website.

What is my point? You are leaving opportunity on the table by not soliciting testimonials and giving testimonials. If you make it a practice to get testimonials and add it to your page with a link to their website, you will not only improve your traffic but the traffic of the person who gave you the testimonial. Likewise if you do the same for someone you are happy with, you will improve both yours and their traffic. There are many lessons, but the main one is that it pays in many ways to show gratitude.

I say go out and be grateful and then tell someone about -- post it on your website or blog!

Napoleon Hill - Always Relevant

"The great master key to riches is nothing more or less than the self-discipline necessary to help you take full and complete possession of your own mind. Remember, it is profoundly significant that the only thing over which you have complete control is your own mental attitude." Napoleon Hill

This year I am personally focusing on self-discipline in both my business and personal life. I like to pick a new character trait that I want to improve each year and this is what I have been led to pick for this year. I know for me it is very hard to be disciplined; why? Because it is boring and routine. Although I have never been diagnose, I am sure I have a touch of ADD. Okay, more than a touch. That is why being an entrepreneur fits me so well. However, that does not give me an excuse to not behave properly. I plan on behaving like someone who is focused and disciplined. In the beginning it will be an act, yes I will have to fake it. And I know in time, with practice, I will become the person I want to be, self-disciplined and successful.

What are you working on this year? Do you have a plan to become that person?

If it's to be . . . It's up to me!

As most people do when they go into a new year, they tend to become reflective. I am no different. I started to think about what I could have done differently, what I did well and what I want to do for this year - 2010! It is an exciting time, a time of rebirth and renewal. Then I stumbled on this quote:

“The best way to sell yourself to others is first to sell the others to yourself.” Napoleon Hill

I realized that unless I truly believe in myself, I will not be able to pass that on to my clients. This is not new information, just a reaffirmation. So today I pledge to continue the path of self-development. I will read good books, listen to good lessons on CD, watch great videos and spend time with great people.

What are you going to do with this year?

A Great Opportunity for Busy Moms

I am so excited about the opportunity to connect with Audrey Cupo. She is a professional organizer who specializes in residential organizing. She focuses her business on helping busy moms and women entrepreneurs learn how to get and stay organized.

She’s been busy not only writing newsletters, blogs and articles on the subject of getting organized, she has produced a line of products called U Can Do It which were specially created to help busy moms.

Now, she has put together an exciting, new coaching program for busy moms called "Living A More Organized Life".

With this program, you will learn how to follow a proven step-by-step method to tackle and accomplish any project, be prepared for every special event, plan vacations and family time, make back to school a breeze, and learn how to relax and enjoy the holiday season by having step-by-step ways to do gift-giving, decorating, large family dinners/parties and overnight guests.

I will be holding a free tele-conference on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), where I will introduce Audrey to those of you who sign up and give you the opportunity to meet her. You will love what she has to offer! This information can be helpful to your friends so let them know about it too.

Don’t be one of those busy moms who misses out on the opportunity to learn how to live a more organized life! Sign up today at http://bit.ly/liaorganize so you can participate in this free tele-conference.

Success - It's Personal

It is easy to get caught up in the holidays and also all the noise about the economy. Yet, I believe we need to look at our lives not with the world's eyes but by our own measure of success.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Herman Cain

This year has been a challenging year to say the least. Many changes have occurred in my life that could have easily thrown me off course. What kept me from derailing? The truth that I love what I do. I live, eat and breath my work and love sharing with my clients. I like to say I am an entrepreneur at a cellular level. Pardon the baseball metaphor, but even when I am thrown a curve ball, I feel like I can hit a home run because I am in the game.

If you are not feeling that way, maybe you need to find a different game. I hope you feel like you can hit home runs no matter what is thrown at you. If not, look for another game.

End Your Year on A High Note

It is hard to believe it is December 1st. Thoughts of the holidays start to flood my head; baking cookies, buying and making gifts as well as time with family. It also reminds me that there is less time to accomplish all that we may have put on our list in the remaining time left. I wanted to share with you an article I found that may be an encouragement to you if you still feel like there is so much to do and so little time to do it in. It is called Seven Ways to End Your Year on a High Note by Leslie Cardinal.

In the meantime, do not fret. Even if you do not get it all done. Rejoice in what you have accomplished. And start to plan for next year. It is going to be great!

The Ultimate in Customer Service

I am an old movie fan, and I am also a huge John Wayne fan. Whenever I get a chance I can be found watching one of his movies. Recently, I watched The Quiet Man and was struck by the opening scene - I have attached a link here for you - The Quiet Man

What does this have to do with Ultimate Customer Service? Notice as you watch how all John Wayne wants is directions to a town. The motley crew do their best to tell him how to go, but they are too busy with their own ideas, not really listening and thinking in their own little worlds (speaking local jargon). Then notice how quietly in the back ground someone comes along picks up his bag and then takes him to the town. He is a man of action - Ultimate Customer Service.

What can you do to provide Ultimate in Customer Service? Is there someone who just wants you to take them by the hand and make something happen? People will pay well for that level of service! Are you listening to your customers and giving them good information? Are you speaking in jargon?

If you haven't seen the movie, it is worth getting. It is a classic and a keeper. I find many parallels to business through out the movie, but it is also just a fun movie.

The Community Factor - Social Media

I have been trying to figure out something that probably has been blatantly obvious to the rest of the world, what is all the buzz about social media? Why is it growing like it is? It finally dawned on me; it allows anyone to create a community in minutes. Simple, right. Why is that important? You ask good questions, I will tell you. When it comes to marketing whether it is local or global, the rule of thumb is he who has the biggest list wins. The key is that the list should be targeted and focused. By joining a social media site such as Facebook and Twitter you become part of a large group of millions of users. Once you are a member you create subgroups or interest groups such as a Fan Page on Facebook. Once you have this Fan Page up you can get your friends to promote it for you and before long you can build a more focused list. At this point you have an opportunity to monetize your time and effort.

The whole key is building clusters of groups with similar interests or communities. Then add value and content to keep this community engaged. Once you do that you can start to share what you have to offer by way of products, seminars and services. Literally, when done well, you can be selling on the internet in weeks and months instead of years.

What kind of community do you want to build? What kind of community are you a member of? Now how can you apply this to what you do and how you do it?

Where in the world . . .

It's been over three months since I posted. What' up with that? Well to be honest with you life got in the way. I am sure that happens to a lot of people who have great intentions of blogging on a regular basis.

So here I am in September, and I am getting the itch again. Yes I must post! First, let me share that the beauty of being a business owner is the flexibility it offers you. I have spent the summer taking care of my kids which included spending the summer dealing with specialists and labs to help deal with some medical issues. Why share that here? Because I was still able to maintain some business and take care of my family.

Second, being a business owner lends itself to the fast pace of life. After David was diagnosed, it became apparent to me that school this year was not an option. Hence, I will now be a business owner who homeschools her boys. They are thrilled, and I must admit, it is a blast. We are finding a grove, and I am planning my meetings around our family schedule.

So the moral for my post, if there is one, is stay flexible and be open. I am working on rearranging my business to fit my life, not trying to have my life fit my business.

Summer Time & The Living Is Busy

For an entrepreneurial mom Summer Time is anything by easy. For me it is a juggling act. I become torn with giving my boys the joy of a long, slow summer filled with fun and play as I had growing up. My dad was a college professor who took the Summers off. At the same time I am concerned and anxious about maintain the momentum of my business and a high level of customer service. If I could shut down for the summer and hang out at the pool I would, but that is not what I can do with the business that I have built. Hence the conundrum.

After much research, some soul searching and a lot of prayer I think I have come up with the best of both worlds -- my Summer Schedule. If everything works out as I have planned (she says with tongue in cheek) I will be mostly off on Mondays and Fridays and schedule my client meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. This gives me the flexibility to check in on work from home on M/F and be in the office all day on the other days. My clients get their needs met and I get my business satisfaction which is very important to me. But more important, my boys get three days of camp and fun and two days of uninterrupted mommy time. We all get to rest, work and play.

Being a business owner is all about choices and options. I hope you are enjoying exercising your business options and creating the lifestyle you want.

Networking - it works if you work it

It's funny how you do something for so long that you take it fore granted. There are times I feel I was born networking, but in reality I have been formally networking for about 17 years. Recently I have become very focused in my networking activities, and I have seen the fruits of my labor. At a recent meeting I was able to do a 10 minute presentation about my company and what I do; very relaxed gathering of women business owners. Just out of that 10 minute presentation I was able to fill a seminar for the following week. What is my point?

• Networking works if you work it,
• Have a plan and work the plan,
• Know what you want to accomplish at your networking event, and
• Follow up, follow up follow up.

I went to my meeting to share my story, tell what I do through stories and then I had a tangible offer that people could say yes to. Then I sent a follow up email thanking them for allowing me to share and repeating my offer. Three people signed up for my seminar. It works!

All a flutter for Twitter

Okay, I will admit I do not understand exactly how to use Twitter yet as a business tool to increase business, but I am enjoying the process of learning it. It is actually starting to grow on me. I have quickly gotten quite a few followers in a short time. I am also following quite a few myself. I love that it interfaces with Blogger and Facebook. Post once and distribute all over. Super idea! I like that I have to learn to be concise in my thoughts and judicious in my words. The more I spend on line trying to understand the cyber world, the more I realize just how small the world is and we truly are a global community. So why does there have to be so much war.

JV - Joint Ventures - A new beginning . . .

As I continue to grow, I continue to be amazed at all the awesome collaborations that are out there to be had. Today I started the process of a joint venture with a fellow business owner. We have similar backgrounds and passions. In just one hour at Paneras we realized we were onto something pretty special. I can't give you details right now, but it is going to be pretty awesome. What I can tell you is that it will change the lives of women everywhere that are trying to do the seemingly impossible - create a life of choice for themselves and their families. Stay tuned to hear more. . .

Lessons from my Launch

I have learned a lot about myself and how to launch a program. Mostly I learned that I can do it. Yeah!! I am enjoying the process as much as the outcome. My most recent discovery is that you need to have an enrollment form ready at the end of the introductory session to allow people to make a decision to buy. I had a flyer and then scheduled a follow up session. I realized that prolonged the process and was not a clear enough call to action. I love that I am not too old to learn and I that I am still enjoying the process.

Jim Rohn

Here is a classic quote from Mr. Rohn:

For things to change you've got to change. Otherwise, nothing much will change.

I am always working on improving myself. I do that by reading great books, listening to great books, watching great movies and spending time with people better than myself. I recommend you surround yourself with the best, read a lot and be open to becoming a better person.

Understanding and Harnessing Fear

Today I hit a brick wall. It was a small wall, but a wall none the less. As soon as I saw it, I got on the phone and called a trusted business colleague. I needed to be talked over the wall. She was amazing! Thank you Tammy!. Here is what she said in a capsule. She refined it down to this quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." The above speech by Nelson Mandela was originally written by Marianne Williamson who is the author of other similar material."

Now I know what I must do. Even more important, I know what I must help my clients' do.