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4 Pillars of a Civil Society by @SBSLEducSoltns

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The ‘Holidays’ …

 

… offer entrepreneurs a renewed opportunity to serve, solve, & be civil, especially in hyper competitive industries.

 

With this mindset, we can ask ourselves a key question:

 

How can business owners strengthen the pillars of our civil society?

 

Please think & then brainstorm ways to turn thoughts into energy; consider this post both informative AND actionable.

 

Defining civil society

This topic echoes last month’s post, many definitions exist, leaving us with another question to ponder that’s also well worth our time. Which to pick?

 

Here’s my chosen one.

 

Yet, if you settle on another, there isn’t a ‘wrong’ answer; your choice is likely tied to your unique perspective, lens, and/or life experiences.

 

Civil societies, in the 19th century, often included a ‘sister’ term, a component, [a] mutual aid society …

 

[they] prefigure most functions of the modern state. They’re at least as old as armies, but their mission is life, not death. For millennia, people have banded together to provide each other with health care, pensions, … and livelihoods. They have also leveraged their numbers to elicit some of these same benefits from those other two institutions, business and the government. Mutual aid extends the bonds of kinship and makes individuals into citizens.

― Anya Kamenetz

 

1st pillar :  The Family   

The holidays & families often are rightfully intertwined: so, too, the first pillar of civil society is emblazoned with the word ‘family’ & it’s an earned label.

 

Maybe you’re a family business? Nearby where I live, the Conway Center is a terrific resource for them & the other businesses who seek to serve this demographic. Quite likely, there are ‘like’ organizations elsewhere in America, as family businesses are very common.

 

Perhaps some/all of your clients/customers are families?

 

No matter how we look at it, it’s rather challenging to separate family from civil society, and a civil society from entrepreneurship.

 

2nd pillar : Non Profits ( inc. social enterprise )  

As the 19th century transitioned into the 20th, mutual aid societies began to fade; previously thriving organizations were often overshadowed as America became more centralized, corporatized, & urbanized.

 

We’ve now begun (  this post offers backgrounder ) turning back, with a modern flair, to where we once were as a civil society. Rough edges & burrs on the saddle of the Gig (Sharing/Youpreneur) Economy can, without question, be ‘buffed’ by devolving & delegating societal challenges & thorny problems to non profit institutions, especially social enterprises.

 

What’s a social enterprise? As stated in this annual report, they’re ‘easy to understand’ & more necessary to renewing our nation than many might realize.

 

3rd pillar : Faith institutions 

Faith in the entrepreneurial ‘square’, our common culture, let alone civil society, often stirs up emotions & thorny debates.

 

To avoid needless arguments, I humbly encourage everyone to consider multiple definitions:

Perhaps you’ll pick ‘faith’ as defined by the venerable Napoleon Hill in his masterwork, ‘Think & Grow Rich’ , or maybe you’ll instead lean into a Judeo-Christian foundational definition, as espoused by organizations like Truth At Work.

 

No matter your decision, this pillar’s densely strong, earning its place as one of the key four; it props up each & every business owner at some point(s) in her journey from ideating a business, to launch/startup phase, thru ebb & flood tides, linear or exponential growth,  & further ahead into an as of yet unknown future.

 

How so? Faith oft times can act as the antithesis of fear; it can buttress your failures & keep you anchored to your purpose & mission.

 

4th & final pillar:  Entrepreneurs

And now, the spotlight shines brightly on Y-o-u:  The business founder/owner, the entrepreneur.

 

If by now it wasn’t crystal clear, it now will be: Entrepreneurship, in all its forms/types , is absolutely a pillar.

 

You’ve likely seen/heard statistics about small businesses’ vast importance to our nation’s vitality.

Or, maybe you’ve encouraged someone to start their own business at some point: maybe a family member?; neighbor?; a past co-worker?; or as a mentor for a future graduate or recent alumna from your alma mater?

 

Action(s) as common as keeping your business viable, including delegating task(s) to someone like Karissa , or expanding your product line, are each useful in ensuring that this fourth pillar will always be foundational for generations of Americans in the 2020’s & well beyond.

 

Further context to the first question

The first three pillars have boundless potential: leveraging 1, 2, or all 3 can enable your business(es) to morph from a pure ‘S’ [ self employed ]; to at least a hybrid ‘ S/B’, or even a straight ‘B’.  It’s the latter state where you’ve reached the nirvana of time freedom; you’re definitely working “on” & NOT “in” your venture, thereby freeing the owner to participate more actively in civil society.

 

Profiles Worth Following

NapHill.org

Social Ventures

Truth@Work

DSC

Sivers

YEA USA

Conway Center

 

Please invest further…

… in your thinking.

You’ve read & trustfully sensed the heart, soul, & spirit of this created content; now, will you commit to dig into this curated content from other valuable resources?

 

Civil Society

Mutual Aid Societies & the Gig Economy

Social Capital Primer

Root

B2C v B2B 

Working “ON” & not “IN” a Business

 

In short

  • The holidays offer a chance to reflect
  • Civil society: Quotable quote & definition[s]
  • First two:  Family & Non profits
  • Second 2 : Faith & Entrepreneurs
  • Further context
  • Follow these Social profiles
  • As always, take action: curated content from add’t resources

 

Thank YOU for reading!

____________________________________________

Learning to Overcome Challenges in collecting client payments by Danielle Hayden of @KickstartAcct

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by Danielle Hayden | Featured Contributor

Let’s get real and talk about our fears over money and more importantly how do we get more of it back in our business.

This interview I did with our bookkeeping client provided her with so much clarity she asked me to share it with you.

Here is what we conquered:

  • Learning to overcome challenges in collecting client payments
  • Overcome mindset issues around money and why that contributes to your ability to collect payments from clients
  • Strategies to increase cash collections
  • Practical accounting strategies to use in your business

 

What are the mindset issues around money that contribute to our inability to collect payments from customers? 

We all have mindset issues around money from our childhood. Some of us were taught not to discuss money and that asking for money would come off as rude or unprofessional. We lack the confidence to know our worth and that we performed the service or will perform the service and invoices NEED to be paid in order to perform the service. Take a moment to reflect right now on how your parents spoke about money? Did they speak openly? What was there overall tone? 

 

 

What strategies can I use to overcome these mindset issues? 

There are so many mindset books and strategies out there in the entrepreneur’s space so I want to keep this simple. Remember that you are in business to make a PROFIT! Yes, you heard me. There are so many business owners out there that are so passionate about what we do and helping others that we forget that if we only help other people for free we will not be able to create a sustainable business that generates profits and is able to support your family. You are worth the prices that you laid out for your customers, now hold firm to your mission.

 

 How can I increase the profits and cash in their business? 

I firmly believe in the 1% theory. If you can increase your prices by 1%, increase your volume by 1%, increase your collections by 1% and decrease your expenses by 1% can you imagine the amount of profit you would generate in your business? Start taking one action step every day to increase your profits. If you need ideas you can refer to the Profit Planner.

 

 

What are some practical strategies that I can use today to increase my cash?

Automate your bookkeeping systems, t ake payments or partial payments upfront before services are performed, accept credit card payments at time of service, automate monthly subscriptions so that they are billed automatically, send automated collection reminders, send out personal messages monthly to any clients who have not paid and stop servicing clients who are not paying their bills.

 

How do we overcome the mindset issues that creep up when clients do not pay?

This is something that we struggle with. We all know the value that we are providing to our clients/customers and most of us could never imagine not paying our vendors but there are people out there who don’t understand the value or do not have the ethics in themselves or their business to uphold their debts. This is not your burden to carry. That person has their own issues that they need to work through and it likely has NOTHING to do with you and your service or product. Remember to spend more time and energy on your ideal clients who value you and your service and less energy on the people who will not value. Terminate those relationships quickly!

 

3 Surefire Ways to Grow Your Pinterest Traffic by @victoriahock

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by Victoria Hockaday | Featured Contributor 

If you haven’t noticed there’s A LOT of information online about how to grow your Pinterest traffic.

(Okay, who are we kidding, you totally noticed).

So, if you’re wondering “what are the most essential strategies to grow your Pinterest traffic?” I’ve got you covered!

Here’s 3 surefire ways to grow your Pinterest traffic fast, so you can grow your blog traffic and email list.

Ready to rock and roll?

pinterest traffic

1. Niche Down Your Profile

Pinterest will try to do everything it can to determine what your Pinterest niche is based on your profile and your behaviour.

For example, the pins that you pin to your boards inform Pinterest about the type of pinner you are. Similarly, the names of the boards that you include on your Pinterest profile will let Pinterest know the types of content you’re creating.

But to give Pinterest more information about your profile, you want to niche down to blow up.

Here’s how to start: Think about what your ideal audience and what they want to learn from you. What topics do you love to talk about? What results have you created for you or others? Pick 2-4 blog categories that you’re going to write about and create a Pinterest profile with your ideal customer in mind.

2. Research Keywords

Most people believe that Pinterest is a social media site where women look at recipes or interior design.

But Pinterest is more of a search engine than it is a social platform. And over the last few years it has become a marketing powerhouse for bloggers small business owners to grow their website traffic and make money blogging.

Here’s how to start: Use the Keyword research tool to find the keywords that your ideal audience is typing into the search bar. For example, if your niche is website design, then this is likely to be one of your brand keywords. When you’re onboard with your keywords use them throughout your bio, pin descriptions and board descriptions.

3. Create Fresh Content

I found out the hard way that Pinterest isn’t as simple as creating an account and sporadically adding pins to it when I felt like it.

Instead, I learned that to be considered as a “high-quality pinner” on Pinterest I have to add fresh content to Pinterest. So, I made it my number on priority to create fresh content on my blog and update Pinterest with my blog posts.

Here’s how to start: Commit to writing at least one blog post per week (or at least bi-weekly). Once you get into a groove of creating content and publishing it on Pinterest, you’ll see a spike in Pinterest traffic before you know it.

7 Expert Blogging Tips for 2020 by @DONNAAMOS

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blogging tips

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

Blogging is on fire! In fact, social media and SEO expert Neal Schaffer claims that, “Blogging is as effective a marketing tool as ever. In fact, it’s supercharged.”

A recent study by Data Box, entitled “The Shift in Your Content Marketing Mix: 25 Marketers On What’s Changed in 2 Years” showed that 68% of marketers find blogging more effective than they did only 2 years ago. And I believe the other 32% are likely doing it wrong!

The nature of blogging has changed, and so must your focus if you want blogging to remain an effective tool in your marketing arsenal. Follow these 7 tips that expert bloggers will be leveraging in 2020.

READ

Expert bloggers are well-informed. They are voracious readers. They view reading as a part of blogging, a process of discovery through which they keep a steady finger on the pulse of their target audience. Here are some suggested reading materials:

  • Read what your audience is reading. This takes some research, but learning their interests helps you better answer their questions in your writing, another tip we will examine below.
  • Read what your competition is writing. If they are doing a good job of audience research, you can learn from them what others are reading. And, you can get some tips on how you can write better content than your competitors.
  • Read what major influencers are writing about your niche. Influencers lead large audiences, so keeping up with what concerns them helps prepare you for relevant writing.
  • Read the latest industry material concerning your business. Stay current with the latest news and developments in your field.
  • Read for fun. Reading for enjoyment is a great source for illustrations and stories to use in your own writing.

A variation on reading is listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Too busy to read much? Leverage your time and listen to helpful podcasts or audiobooks while commuting, gardening, mowing, doing other chores, or just relaxing.

Engage the World

Very often, our best writing comes from our experiences. Sitting at a desk all day in isolation, week after week, doesn’t breed many interesting experiences. And it’s unhealthy. Get outside and engage with people. Have interesting conversations. Meet friends for coffee and discover what is going on in the lives of other people.

Travel as often as possible. You don’t have to go to Spain or Australia to have great experiences. Explore your hometown as if you were a tourist. Take a tour and see what you have missed. Go for a drive and take roads you have yet to travel. Take along a notebook or recorder and a camera (or at least your smartphone) and make notes about what you see and hear. A life lived well is the best fodder for writing.

Emphasize Quality Over Quantity

Each new Google algorithm that is introduced puts more emphasis on quality content than the last. That’s because Internet users are demanding better quality material. The Internet is filled with innumerable pages of information on every conceivable topic. That means to attract users, your material must be not just better than average, but better than 90%.

Long-form posts, “definitive guides,” and skyscraper content that provides tons of value is what Internet searchers are clicking on the most. ContentFly puts long-form (between 1,000 and 7,000 words) content of high quality as the most important successful blog writing trend for 2020.

Specialize in Your Favorite Topic

If the best way to grow your business is to find a specific niche, the same should apply to your blogging. While you may write about related topics, 80% of your blogs should focus directly on your niche topic. You should become known as THE specialist on that topic in your business. Your website needs to become THE place to go to get up-to-date, accurate, relevant, and helpful information about your niche.

That kind of specialization doesn’t come overnight. You may need to take a class, study more, engage in extensive research, or more to become THE answer guy or girl for your niche. But if you choose to focus on a specific topic relating to your business, no one should know more about it than you.

Answer Questions People Are Asking

Much of the information on the Internet is irrelevant because it doesn’t scratch where Internet users have an itch. It doesn’t answer the questions that people are asking. And if you don’t answer their question relating to your business or topic, they will quickly go somewhere else that does and bookmark that site to return later.

This involves research, but expert bloggers do what it takes to learn what people are asking within their own business niche. Why waste your limited time writing something that no one cares about? If your goal in blogging is to drive traffic to your business, relevancy should be at the top of why you write blog posts at all.

Pay Attention to SEO

Search engine optimization is more important than ever before. Blogging is no longer just about writing. Expert bloggers also engage in keyword research, creative writing, linking and backlinking, and page design in order to give their work every chance of being ranked highly by Google and other search engines.

And in our current society, that also means paying attention to local and voice search SEO, especially if your business has a physical location. Local and voice SEO can be the key to getting found and making a sale almost 60% of the time when a growing number of Internet searches use smartphones and/or digital assistants.

Get the Word Out

The best content available on any subject means nothing to you or anyone else if no one can find it. I’m amazed at bloggers who write and publish but never spread the word. There is no worldwide alert system that automatically shares with every Internet user that you just published a post. You have to get the word out yourself. Here are some popular and effective ways to do that.

  • Social media – Post about new content on every social media channel you use. Post the link, but include relevant images, snippets of text, and even reader comments to entice users to click and read. Every piece of content you publish should enter a regular social media posting schedule for regular, recurring posting.
  • Video – Creating a video that coincides with your blog posts is dynamite, and so is sharing that video link across your social media channels. You can also create brief promo videos for Facebook and Instagram and even YouTube that promote your latest content in different ways to attract audiences.
  • Email – Your email newsletter should regularly contain a summary of your latest blog posts. You should also send a brief email to your mailing list to inform subscribers when you post new material.

Expert bloggers in 2020 will be going farther and working harder than ever before to ensure their material meets the needs of their target audience with high-value content. Will you be among them?

 

20 Goals for 2020 by @DrRKayGreen

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by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

The new year is closer than you think, and this will be a particularly exciting one. Not only is January 1, 2020 the start of a new year; it is also a new decade. And that means that it is a better time than ever to set new and exciting goals to grow your business.

In the spirit of “2020,” here are 20 goal ideas to get you started.

  1. Improve workplace training. If you are not doing regular training with your employees, you are running the risk of them forgetting or misunderstanding policies. Online training is a great way to make sure they are up-to-date.
  2. Start a blog/new social media channel. There are so many ways to reach out to your customers now. Find out where your target audience is spending the most time, and meet them there.
  3. Gain followers on social media. The more followers you have, the more engagement you have. And this will help improve your visibility even further.
  4. Talk to your customers. What do your customers actually want? Are you giving it to them? Take the time to do a survey or something similar, and you might be surprised by what you find out.
  5. Go paperless. Many employees and customers value a company that attempts to “go green.”
  6. Improve workplace procedures. Take the time to review your current policies and procedures. Identify ones that are out of date and bring them up to speed.
  7. Join a new networking group. Meeting new people in your field is not only a great way to get new clients, but also to stay on top of industry trends.
  8. Meet with [X] new prospects. The actual number will, of course, depend on the size of your business. But meeting with prospects and reaching out to potential new clients is an important part of any business owner’s growth.
  9. Improve your personal brand. This could mean starting a blog or refreshing your LinkedIn page, or something more ambitious like teaching a class or a webinar.
  10. Put your employees first. Make sure you are doing things that work with their schedule, not against them.
  11. Take a break. Working hard is important, but you also risk burnout. Take some time to yourself.
  12. Review your budget. Taking financial risks can be a part of business. But it is important to review these things and make sure you do not make mistakes.
  13. Improve employee morale. Sometimes, it just takes something small, like throwing a pizza party.
  14. Create a mission statement. What does your company actually stand for? Take the time to consider this.
  15. Track your progress. Do not get so lost in the day to day operations that you forget to celebrate your wins.
  16. Make a marketing calendar. This will make sure that you are consistent. It is all too easy to start strong on the marketing front, only to fall behind in later months as you run out of ideas. Marketing is a long game, so it pays to have a plan for the whole year.
  17. Engage more with customers. Talk directly to them, and find out what they are thinking. Then, give them what they want.
  18. Pay off [X] amount of debt. Running a business is not cheap. If you have gained debt in your time as a business owner, dedicate effort to paying it off.
  19. Receive [X] rejections. The more rejections you receive, the more proposals you are putting out. And that means the more acceptances you are receiving, as well.
  20. Take [X] classes. Learning new things can only make you better at what you do, and you are never done learning.

What are your goals for the new year?

———————————————————————-

Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Dr. KayDr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.

She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

File This Paperwork to Prep Small Businesses for 2020 by @DeborahSweeney

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by  | Featured Contributor

Entrepreneurs are on the cusp of more than a new year. We’re approaching a whole new decade! How exciting is that? As small business owners say goodbye to 2019, it’s crucial that they enter the next decade in compliance. Forgetting to file or update outstanding documents could result in their business falling into bad standing with the state. Bad standing may result in penalty fees or worse, involuntary dissolution of the business.

However, bad standing doesn’t impact businesses that routinely keep up with corporate maintenance. File these three legal documents to stay in compliance and fully prepare your business to enter a fresh, new decade.

1. Update corporate minutes and bylaws.

Is your business incorporated as a corporation? If so, you may be familiar with corporate minutes and bylaws.

Minutes are notes that are taken during corporate meetings. Taking minutes ensures that the meeting’s purpose has been recorded and details important information. Should anyone need to go back and review their minutes, they’ll be able to easily find and reference these written records. Bylaws, on the other hand, are the written rules and regulations for a corporation. A corporation’s bylaws outline rules for adding and removing directors, the rights and responsibilities of owners, and guidelines for conducting and organizing meetings.

Updating corporate minutes and bylaws is a must before the year ends. Doing this does more than help keep your corporation in compliance. Staying on top of these details contributes to the overall success of the business. Thanks to well-documented minutes, team members have a thorough understanding of what they need to work on next. Both documents also work as tools to avoid conflict. If anyone has a question, they may refer to the corporate minutes and bylaws for clarity. Ultimately, updating corporate minutes and bylaws may lead to an increase in productivity. This added boost aids to your bottom line, especially if you’re starting 2020 with several New Year’s business resolutions!

2. File annual reports.

This is applicable to businesses that have filed as a corporation or LLC. Annual reports are filed yearly with your local Secretary of State office. An annual report documents changes and keeps the state updated on your activities. Some changes may include the names and addresses of members in the business, the business address, name and/or address of your registered agent, and changes in business activities.

Filing an annual report is a fairly straightforward process. You may already be used to doing it, if you have been in business for some time. Before you file, check in with your local Secretary of State for the official filing deadline. These vary on a state to state basis. Some vary depending on your entity formation. File the annual report by its respective deadline and pay the filing fee to avoid delinquent penalties. Remember to also note the changes in your bylaws or operating agreement for your respective corporation or LLC, too!

3. Complete a delayed filing application.

Do you want to start a business this year? Consider completing a delayed filing application. A delayed filing allows you to delay the company’s effective date of incorporation.

Why would you want a delayed filing? Don’t you feel ready to incorporate now? There are a few benefits associated with delayed filings. If you incorporate in the final two months of the year, you will need to pay any additional fees associated with the business. You are also required to report and pay taxes with the IRS since the business has technically been in business for the 2019 calendar year. A delayed filing allows you to not just save money. Filing this paperwork in advance creates a more predictable start date for the business. While the state works on its processing and turnaround times, you may use this time to better prepare your business for its grand opening in the new year — and decade!

 

Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, startup bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent services, DBAs, and trademark and copyright filing services. You can find MyCorporation on Twitter at @MyCorporation.

The 5-Step Process for Your 2020 Planning by @JThiefels

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The 5-Step Process for Your 2020 Planning

by Jessica Thiefels | Featured Contributor

I’m starting to hear the 2020 planning talk, but I’m not a big New Year goal setter. In fact, it stresses me out as January 1st gets closer and it’s all anyone can talk about. I’m more a year-round goal-setting kind of girl. This allows me to ebb and flow with changes while staying excited and on track—rather than putting undue pressure on one time of the year, which inevitably leads to giving it all up… but that’s a topic for another day.⁠

Even still, I go into each year knowing what I want to accomplish and I realized recently that I hadn’t painted a clear picture of what 2020 looks like for me. Someone asked: “So, what do you hope to accomplish speaking-wise next year?” I was like, “Ummm, to do it?” Not a great answer.⁠ I’m traveling the world, running a business and writing a book—planning for next year hadn’t quite crossed my mind with all of that going on.⁠

A few days later, I was talking with my coach and he said, “What’s possible if you start planning 2020?” My first thought was, “Well I’ll have a roadmap. Just like I talk about in my book. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you get there?”⁠⁠

As I kept thinking about that question though, I realized: With a plan, I can do the work, visualize the outcome, and manifest my way there—and baby, I’m manifesting some seriously big things!⁠ 

If you’re ready to kick ass in 2020, now is a great time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish and manifest into reality. You don’t need to have specific, quantifiable goals. Simply outlining what you want to do is an important step toward committing to create the life you want to live. 

To start this new decade off on the right foot, use my 5-step planning process. I do this myself and love the flow and exploration of the planning experience when done this way.

Step 1: The Dream Dump

2020 planning

My 2020 Dream Dump

Start with a brainstorm, or what I lovingly like to call, a Dream Dump. Separate your plans into the various areas of focus for planning. For me, these are:

  • Book
  • Business
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Personal

List out all the things you want to accomplish within those areas. Then, let it sit for a few days so you can come back and add to your lists as more ideas come up. Remember: this is a list of the WHAT, not the HOW. So don’t hold back. If you want to accomplish something in 2020, it belongs on this list.

Step 2: The Action Steps

Once your list is complete, it’s time to look at the HOW. Start on a fresh page and break each area of focus into lists of action items. Some of the items on my book’s action list are:

  • Improve speaking (I.E. should I hire a coach?)
  • Create website
  • Outreach to podcasts

Your lists will likely be long, but this is your chance to get it all down on paper. Big or small, add the task to your list. We’ll come back and refine later.

Step 3: The Resource List

This tip is from my upcoming book and it’s crucial if you want to be successful: create a Resource List. This is a list of all the people and things that you can leverage to start moving toward those goals and checking off those action steps.

Think about people you know that can help along with things like a Udemy credit that hasn’t been used yet. My Resource List includes: 

  • Previous speaking connections at local college
  • Editorial relationships
  • Someone I met on an airplane (yes, I’m serious)
  • Client connections
  • Networking groups that I find beneficial

You may need to create a list for every area of focus—for me, many of them overlapped. You’ll figure it out as you start brainstorming. 

Step 4: The Refining

Now that your general action steps are written down, and you have a big ol’ list of potential people, places and things that you can leverage, it’s time to refine your action list and prioritize. This way, when January rolls around, you’re ready to hit the ground running. 

Start with the refining. Take the big action steps and break them down into smaller ones. Don’t forget to add action steps based on your resource List. I.E. Reach out to old boss or Buy tickets for conference.

Now, you need to prioritize. A prioritized list ensures that you know what needs to happen first. If you’re like me and have a lot of action steps, this will help reduce that overwhelm. Much of my initial 2020 work will revolve around my business and lining up experts to tap into when my book gets published. Then, when my book is out (and on the bestseller list!), I plan to move into the next area of focus: speaking, workshops, and general book promotion.

Consider how your action steps can be refined and prioritized in this way to head into 2020 with a plan you can rely on.

Step 5: The Manifesting

You know what you want. You know what you have to do to get there. Now it’s time to manifest your goals into reality. To do so effectively, follow a simple equation:

Visualize + do the work = manifest

I’m giving you this “equation” because I want to make something clear: visualizing alone, won’t allow you to manifest what you want. Not to mention, doing the work without a vision doesn’t get you far either. To manifest the big-amazing-holy-shit things, you have to do both! And you can start right now.

Start Your 2020 Planning

Now’s the time to start thinking about 2020—before the holidays hit, along with the stress, chaos and distractions that come with them. Use this 5-step process to get your big plans out of your head and onto paper. With a crystal clear picture of what you want to accomplish, and even better, how to make it happen, 2020 will undoubtedly be a year to remember.

How to Remain Focused as A Woman Entrepreneur by @Surbhi_Bhatia

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Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels

by Surbhi Bhatia

Let’s face it, it’s difficult enough to be an entrepreneur, and for women it can be even more challenging. Self-doubt, societal pressures, anxiety can all make us a hot mess from time to time. And if you are a mom, or have more responsibilities, it can be a tough ride. Juggling between sending that important email to rushing to the daycare, to picking up grocery on the way and then attending that important meeting on a phone call as you struggle to stop your baby from jumping on your laptop, it can get really perplexing.

So how do you keep your sanity while ensuring that your focus on being an entrepreneur is unwavering and drive your business with persistent focus? Can we have the best of all the worlds?

The truth is it’s possible. With a little bit of advanced planning, with some smart moves, with some discipline and compartmentalizing your life, you can keep that entrepreneurial spirit and forge ahead.

 

Let’s make it simpler.

 

1. Make a Checklist

You would have heard or read this a thousand times, but the truth doesn’t change. It is your holy grail. If you get in the habit of making a checklist everyday before you set out to work, it will make you so much more productive as you get through each and every item in your to-do-list. You will be able to focus on important tasks and see them to completion. One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur is that you are your own boss, and there is nobody to review your work. You need to discipline yourself to ensure you are working at your most optimal level. Once you start doing this, you can go a step further, and allocate time to each item and also a priority.

2. Discretionary Use of Social Media

Social Media today is both a boon and a bane. It is a double edged sword. As an entrepreneur, it is indispensable, but as an individual, it can be highly distracting. Make sure the time spent on social media is purely for the business. You can understand customer perspectives, you can look at how your competitive do ads, you can read helpful blogs, but don’t get sucked into your phone for random scrolling, reading irrelevant tabloid and doing online shopping.

3. Believe in Yourself

Women easily get the Imposter Syndrome, they feel they are not good enough, they doubt their ideas and actions, they doubt their leadership and their capabilities. Never doubt yourself. Whenever you get such a doubt, always use this test- ‘Think of one person who would do this job better than you’. Chances are you will never be able to think of anyone who can drive what you do with as much passion as you do. If you do think of a person who may, think of how differently they would do the job, and try to work on that.

4. There is a solution to every problem

Entrepreneurship is more about fielding challenges than anything else. Every single day, you will be faced with a new challenge- Sales, Supply chain, Sourcing, Employee Churn, Expenses etc etc. but remember, every problem has a solution. Do not get worked up or lose your cool, quickly find the solution or next best thing to do if your plan A doesn’t work

5. Compartmentalize your Life

A lot of women make the mistake of doing everything together since they are such great multitaskers. They will be on the phone closing a deal while changing the baby’s diaper. They will be out grocery shopping, while mailing the deck to an investor. Don’t get into this habit. Not only will this be highly exhausting, it will also prevent you from giving your full focus to anything you do. Instead compartmentalize- take time out for your work out, for your family, for your work and for your reading/pursuing an interest. The mind space that you get away from work, will eventually help you put in far more focus, energy and interest when you get back to work.

I started out my entrepreneurial journey with The Mom Store a year ago, and abiding by these choices has helped me scale my business faster without losing too much sleep. I hope these help you too!

 

Keeping the Success Coming in Q4 by @DrRKayGreen

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by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

There is always a lot of focus on goals, success and productivity at the beginning of the year. But before you look to 2020, there are still two months left of 2019. And while it can be tempting to let yourself fall into a routine or get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your business, there is still room for growth and improvement this year.

Finishing 2019 strong will not only benefit you in the short-term, but the long-term. Instead of going into 2020 with the hope of doing better, you can go in with a sense of accomplishment, building on the work that you did in 2019.

Here are three ways to ensure that these final months of 2019 are your most productive yet.

Check In on Goals

You probably created goals, or “resolutions,” at the beginning of the year. But as work and life get busy, it can be harder to keep up with them, and maybe you have not even looked at them for a number of months. If this sounds like you, now is the time to look at those goals again.

Maybe there will be things that you cannot accomplish in two months. But instead of focusing on those, focus on the goals that you can still accomplish. Also, take a moment to notice the goals that you already accomplished. While in a growth mindset, it can be difficult to remember to celebrate your wins. But noting how you have improved this year will encourage you to continue.

Keep Track of your Successes

In addition to noticing where you have already succeeded, make it a point to focus on where you will succeed. Whenever you have a “success” in the next few months, take the time to celebrate it. You might even want to write it down. Build a more positive mindset by really noticing everything that you are doing right.

When we are working, it can get too easy to focus on the mistakes, things that need to be corrected, and to-dos that still need to be checked off of our list. Making a mindful effort to celebrate the things that we do accomplish, every day, is good not only for our productivity but also for our overall mental health.

Join a New Networking Group

Whether you are part of some networking groups in your area or not, new faces are always energizing. Meeting new contacts can open up avenues that you had not previously considered. It also keeps you in the habit of introducing your business, which you do not always get the chance to do in networking groups that you have been a part of for a long time.

And, of course, networking always brings with it the potential for more business. Gaining a new client or project as the year ends is a great way to build a more productive mindset, in addition to the obvious benefit of income. And that is a mindset that you will be able to bring into 2020 and beyond.

———————————————————————-

Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Dr. KayDr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.

She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

Stages of Success by @SBSLEducSoltns

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[ ‘S o S’ ] = Leveraging Stages to Earn Something More: Significance

 

Flying @ 35K ft

 

As entrepreneurs, we’ve often heard how important it is to be successful.

 

And, as so many of us also know, success is defined in so many different ways, through lots of different life experiences & lenses, that there could be a fairly large library filled with content on ..

 

What is success?

How to be successful?

Who is a success & Why?

Where can success be learned?

 

To be clear, the stages that will be discussed below all DO feed into this ‘black box’ known as success, however, in my reasoned view, if each is leveraged unto one another, you’ll earn something far more impactful in the long term:  Significance.

 

Success vs. Significance

It’s left to you, the reader, to decide what you seek to pursue. A quick web search returns oodles of success quotes & related content:

Click HERE , then HERE to dip a toe ever so slightly into the ocean: The video & infographic in the latter are wonderfully displayed, by the by!

 

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

―Peter F. Drucker

 

Turning the page to significance, one of the best sources to land on?  THIS one.

Our businesses can either drive us, as their owner/founders, to a significant life, or our lives can be the spark on the embers of the business, turning it from just surviving, to a modicum of success, and perhaps significance.

 

So, the road, visualized as two lanes, does have one going in one direction, and the other in its opposite.

 

“The difference between real life and a story is that life has significance, while a story must have meaning. The former is not always apparent, while the latter always has to be, before the end.”

― Vera Nazarian

 

Breaking down the stages  

 

I contend that each stage can be swapped for another, so the order below isn’t as important as the very high level explanation of the stage. And, if you happen to have multiple business ventures, you might even leverage the 5 stages differently, if & when you choose to pursue significance in either, or more.

 

Mental 

There are miles upon miles of created content online that talks up the vast importance of an entrepreneur’s mental mindset – the ‘inner game’ between the ears, so to say.

 

To be successful, you might’ve already noticed how you might ( or already have ) had to tune out cynics, critics, and unhealthy skeptics.

 

How it is often best to replace, 1:1, the mass media’s many arms with podcasts, webinars, audio books, and the like.

 

Yes, that quote about your mind being a garden, and having to pull the weeds?  It’s quite accurate.

 

Cultural  

Your workplace culture, or the culture ( coffee shop/cafe?  Coworking space? ) in which you invest time if not at a physical location of some sort, definitely is a puzzle needing solving.

 

Culture is an amorphous term, just like success; many thought leaders come to varying conclusions.

 

Yet, if you’re the founder or owner of a business with staff on payroll, you know how crucial culture is; your customer service; turnover; &/or engagement/satisfaction are each outward signs of how healthy it is.

 

In this post from a few years ago, I opined that culture feeds into vision, then strategy, & lastly, tactics.

 

Social [ Capital ] 

Your professional network/s are immensely valuable; while it’s best understood that clientele can come from any one of many concentric circles  ( perhaps a connector led to to a center of influence to this individual ), a very important concept is that of social capital.

 

While there are many phenomenal resources out there, one of the most impactful is found in the work of Mr. Robert Putnam — linked below is his ‘primer’ website, which by itself is chock full of goodness and explains well why this is a stage of success.

 

Financial

Whether or not you believe in retaining the services of a financial advisor/planner, or otherwise, you’re definitely encouraged to embrace the vast value in understanding the financial stage.

 

In my own professional journey, which began with one business venture as a side gig/hustle, one of the most impactful stages I ever engaged in?

 

= Moving from a consumerist/W-2 to a producer/entrepreneurial view of dollars & cents.

 

Since the vast majority of conventional classrooms in our nations don’t include much, usually any, content on money/literacy, let alone wisdom on how to invest, spend, and/or save money, it is left to us, as the owner/founder, to tap into the deep rivers of resources.

 

Leader[ship] -> Legacy

This stage alone could comprise a series of volumes, if not another separate library, alongside the success.

 

In this recent post, I unpacked variants of leadership. It wasn’t all encompassing, however, feel welcome to re(read) it and combine this stage with that post, to equal greater impact.

 

An informal mentor of mine teaches that one’s influence ( Excellent podcast HERE ) flows to impact ( which we’ll intentionally define as significance, as you leverage all 5 stages ) , then the entrepreneur reaches what she needs to be a viable business:  Income.

 

Intentionally moving from leading to legacy is a topic that deserves its own post; yet, it’s included above since both seem to be deeply intertwined:

 

leaving a legacy necessitates leading, just as much as the river of influence x impact feeds the ocean of legacy.  

 

Suggested Social Follows 

 

Robert D Putnam

 

Jim Collins

 

John C. Maxwell

 

Robert Kiyosaki

 

Mindset Works

 

As always, you’re encouraged to …

 

… use this monthly post as a jumping off point; take it as the sound of the starter’s pistol in track & field:

 

Ready ( reading this  ).  Set ( click on the links ).  & …  Go!  ( invest in content, set goals, et al. )

 

Social Capital Primer

Success Magazine

Servant Leadership Institute

Great By Choice

Rich Dad Radio Show

 

In short

 

  • A high level overview
  • Comparing 2 ‘S’ words
  • The 5 Stages – one by one
  • Recommended Twitter follows
  • Additional content

 

Thank YOU for reading!

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