Letting Go Does Not Mean Giving Up!!!!

I was talking with a dear friend and fellow entrepreneurial mom. We have been taking care of each other for the last 7 years. She was sharing how she made a difficult decision to turn down an opportunity to work with a client that could have been worth $1,000 to $1,500. We talked about why she needed to make this decision and the process she used to come to the decision. Here is what I learned from her wisdom:

• When she said no to a client that was not a good fit for her, she opened herself up to a yes from a potential client that was a good fit;
• She felt stronger, and more assured as she made and implemented the decision which intern built a level of confidence that was amazing to see; and
• She chose to honor herself and not sell herself for a sum of money.

With this decision she bought back a week of production, time with her family and a sense of self worth that is immeasurable. Are you selling your soul for a few dollars? I think it is easy to make decision on immediate need without thinking about the long-term ramifications. Be sure as you build your business that you do so with integrity for your self and your clients.

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?