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Commitment vs. Interest: The Key to Achieving Your Dream Goals by @Melcoach

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Commitment vs. Interest: The Key to Achieving Your Dream Goals

by Melanie Benson Strick | Featured Contributor

Have you ever wondered why you put every ounce of energy into some of your goals while others never get your attention?

It’s all about your commitment.

There’s a big difference between being interested in achieving a goal and being committed to that goal – and what I’ve discovered is that being interested isn’t enough.

Interest is being curious. Curious people might “try.”

Commitment requires being all in. If you are committed to your goal, you make it the priority and allocate time for action on that goal.

Commitment requires you to do whatever it takes where as “interest” means you’ll do just enough but not more. Entrepreneurs and mission-driven professionals who are committed typically demonstrate that commitment with the following traits:

  1. Commit to being “all in” even if they don’t know how to achieve the goal.
  2. They take action with deep resourcefulness, trusting that they get outside of the box to find answers and resources.
  3. Have beliefs, thoughts and ideas that are congruent with success of the goal.
  4. Let go of needing approval and validation from others.
  5. Invest fully in achieving the goal (like hiring a coach, expert and other support personnel.)
  6. Address bottlenecks and roadblocks quickly. If there is a situation in the way that is stealing time or energy, committed goal-seekers will resolve the issues so they can get back to business.
  7. Focus on the positive outcomes of achieving the goal instead of lamenting the cost of pursuing their dream.
  8. Align goals to their values and priorities which creates limitless energy and inspiration during the pursuit.
  9. Willing to get uncomfortable and take action (even though it might be scary) to achieve the goal.
  10. Refuse to let any excuses be bigger than your commitment.

When you are committed, you will be relentless in your pursuit of the goal. Obstacles don’t take you out of the game. They simply become a learning opportunity so that you get better at your game.

When you are merely interested, you change direction as your mood shifts. You are not committed to the outcome so you allow your emotions to drive your actions, which often mean doing what feels comfortable and safe.

Here’s four important keys to being committed to your goal:

  1. Choose a goal that is aligned with your big picture priorities. When it’s really important, you will make time for it.
  2. Visualize a successful outcome. See and feel yourself with the goal already realized. Don’t let fears and doubts could your mind.
  3. Keep the goal front of mind. Make action towards the goal a part of your daily routine.
  4. Commit to being the person – mindset, habits and strategies – that will achieve those goals easily.

Now, go make your dream goals a reality!

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melanie strickMelanie Benson Strick is known as America’s Leading Small Business Optimizer because she knows how to boost profits and results with her secret weapon — LEVERAGE. With over 12 years in corporate project management, Melanie works exclusively with thought leaders and visionary entrepreneurs who want proven strategies to monetize their big ideas and catapult their success without giving up their life.

Melanie is author of Rewired for Wealth, serves on the Executive Leadership Team for Women Speakers Association, is co-author of Entrepreneur.com’s Start Up Guide to Starting an Information Marketing Business and has her success tips featured in magazines such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Parenting Magazine, Woman’s Day and American Express FORUM. Melanie is a proud lifestyle enthusiast and spends her free time in search of the best spas and beaches in the world. Find out if you are using all of the right Profit Boosting Factors with this FREE downloadable guidebook on SuccessConnections.com.

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | Instagram

My Top Five Tips on Setting and Completing Your Goals by @AngieRavenel

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My Top Five Tips on Setting and Completing Your Goals

by Angie Ravenel

Through the years, I have taken on new ventures and professions; some more challenging than others. I am constantly learning new and innovative ways to becoming a better individual and entrepreneur. I know sometimes it can be challenging to get started on an idea or goal and even harder to see it come to life. There are certain tips that I have repeated over the years that has really worked for me. These tips is what I live by and I want to share them with you.

1. Always, always keep pen and paper around. You never know when your brain is going to kick into over drive and pour out ideas or solutions. There is nothing worse than not remembering what you thought of; especially when it was a rock solid thought. If you don’t have pen and paper around, use your phone to record yourself.

2. You have to find time to think. Nowadays, we are constantly moving around, running around and constantly being distracted. Those to blame may be your children, mobile phones and daily duties just to name a few. So, how do you stop and think? Most of my best ideas comes to me when I am in the shower. I allow my mind to open up and think. I also schedule time to think. I know it may sound silly, but it really works. During that time, I don’t have my phone, I’m sitting in a peaceful environment, and of course, I have my paper and pen at hand. I normally leave that scheduled appointment with great ideas or knowledge and I’m eager to make those ideas into reality.

3. Fill your mind with inspiration. I love to look through magazines, search on Pinterest and read bios of successful individuals. I try to be very careful of what I allow in. Meaning, I am careful of what I watch or listen to. If I’m not inspired or motivated by it in some kind of way, I normally don’t give it a lot of my time. With that being said, I surround myself with like minded individuals as well.

4. I always give this tip to individuals who are just getting started. You got to be consistent. Everyday, do something towards your goal or project. Don’t let a day go by without working your plan. It could be just thirty minutes of research, making phone calls etc. If you commit time everyday towards your goal, you will complete it.

5. Last, but certainly not least, save the date. Set a date when you will have your idea or project completed. This way, you will work harder and do what is necessary to have your goal completed by your deadline. I know unexpected things may occur that may cause you to miss your deadline, but don’t get discouraged. When you don’t set a date of completion you allow time to pass; what should of been a one year goal has now turned into a five year goal and so on. Be accountable of your goals.

Closing Remarks:
Keep pushing forward. You have to put time, thought and energy in anything you really want in life. When its all done, you will be proud to put your signature on it. Let’s go!

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Angie RavenelHello, I’m Angie Ravenel, a Charleston, SC native. I am a salon owner, makeup artist, photographer, author and most recent a hair product entrepreneur. My product Quick Clean Hair Mist is now available on Walmart.com. I ‘m also an educator of cosmetology. I teach fellow hairstylist new techniques for license renewals.

I’ve traveled the states working with Revlon and I still stand countless hours behind the salon chair. I have over twenty years experience as a hairstylist and seventeen years as salon owner.

I’ve also video blogged on You Tube. My most recent blogs are posted on my website aravenel.com.

Beginning to Meditate by @LUCYrk78

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Beginning to Meditate

by Lucy Rendler-Kaplan | Featured Contributor

How do you feel about meditation? I’ll start: for me, it was very hard to get into. Things are generally harder the more you think about them, as opposed to just jumping in and starting them, and that’s how it was for me with meditation. I thought, “I can’t sit quietly for that long,” “I am not sure I want to get that deep into my head,” and “I’m a little scared of it, honestly.” And while it’s easy to begin something once you decide to, sticking with it is another story. They say it takes 30 days of doing something for it to become more natural, almost a habit.

So how do you start? I have found that meditation is more than simply signing up at your local studio. That is one way, certainly, to keep accountability – if you are like me, you are more likely to do something day after day if you know you’ve spent money to attend a class, but what if you don’t have time to get a studio each day? Or what if there just isn’t one you’ve “clicked with” nearby?

Here are some of the steps that have worked for me, bringing me from a meditation skeptic, to someone that craves that time in each day.

  • Live For Today 
    • Don’t look 30 days out. Take it day by day. Just for today tell yourself, “I am going to meditate today.” Telling yourself “just for today” you are going to do something, relieves a bit of the pressure. I chose 9 pm, so on day 1 I told myself, “Today at 9 pm, I am going to meditate.” I set the alarm on my phone to go off at 8:55pm, because I felt that was a bit of accountability – when the alarm goes off, that was my reminder.
  • Start Small 
    • On your first day of meditation, you don’t have to sit there for 15 minutes. I told myself that I would set my alarm again on my phone for 9:05pm. Honestly, you can do almost anything you can think of for “just five minutes.” I knew that I would see how I felt after those five minutes, and adjust my time goal for Day 2. If those first five minutes felt more like 30, I would aim for 3 minutes the second night. If those five minutes flew by, I would aim for 7 minutes on day 2.
  • Find a Comfortable Spot 
    • Find somewhere you feel calm that you can sit quietly with no distractions. You might want to light a candle near you that has a scent you find pleasing. You mainly want to find somewhere that you feel safe and at peace, and where you can just be. This place will be somewhere you go every day for your meditation time, so you want it to be a stable environment.
  • Don’t Make It A Chore 
    • While I did put an alarm on my phone to set myself up for Day 1, I didn’t add “meditate” to my calendar or to-do list. I wanted to do this to get more in touch with myself and my feelings, and to begin to center myself with an increasing work-load and a bit of stress I had been feeling. We would advise not to start meditating because you’re reading more about it in blogs that come out each day, or because “everyone else is doing it,” or because “it’s in lately.” We think those reasons won’t keep you interested in meditation for very long, and you most likely won’t get as much out of it as you probably can. Maybe it’s not the right time for you to start a meditation practice – that’s fine. It isn’t going anywhere.
  • Breathe 
    •  The easiest way that I found to begin, was to breathe in and out and focus on my breathing. I found that to be centering and a way to begin to quiet my mind. If I was focused, I wasn’t thinking about feeling uncomfortable with the idea of meditation, or worrying if I was somehow doing it wrong. There are many apps you can also use to help guide you through breathing if you find that easier. After a few days of meditating daily, I found that occasionally strong emotions would come up while I was sitting – going back to focusing on my breathing helped get through those feelings at times I wasn’t feeling ready to deal with the issues.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       After my first 30 days of meditating, I learned I COULD sit quietly, and I even began looking forward to the time in my day that I knew I was going to be sitting by myself with my thoughts, and not having to worry about what was next, or what work was like that day. It was my time to be with me, and enjoy my own company. I also found that during my day, I was able to let things that prior to starting to meditate would bother me much more deeply than they began to. I found times during throughout the day that I would be calming myself and becoming more centered without even thinking about it.

————————————————————

Lucy Rendler-KaplanLucy Rendler-Kaplan is a marketing veteran, with close to 17 years experience in field marketing management public relations and social media marketing. Both in-house and as a consultant, Lucy has created, developed and managed marketing projects for organizations including: Red Bull North America, ONE Coconut Water, Camel and Ethos Water, to name a few.

Most recently, Lucy has left corporate America to work as a consultant, focusing on small businesses and start-ups to design effective social media and marketing strategies to jumpstart brand growth. In addition to strategic business development efforts, she directs media relations, branding, advertising and website development.

As a social media consultant, Lucy works with companies in auditing their current social media efforts and creating a comprehensive social media strategy that aligns company-wide objectives through social business practices.

With an early background in journalism, Lucy regularly contributes to a number of NFL and music blogs, as well as her own, with a diverse focus encompassing Lucy’s passion not only for networking and marketing but also for fitness. She spends her free time honing her photography skills, running and watching an excessive amount of true crime shows.

Let’s connect! Twitter & Linkedin

Stop Chasing Balance. What Are Your Priorities? by @bytracyj

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working mom with two children

What are your key priorities for career and home?

by Tracy Jensen | Featured Contributor

When I got divorced a few years ago, going back to work, which was something I’d always wanted theoretically became a critical reality.

At the time, starting my own business was nowhere in my mind. I had enjoyed my career prior to having kids and figured with a few tweaks, I would jump back in where I had left off.

That was not quite as easy as I expected, particularly when responsible for every daycare drop-off and pick-up. After several jobs in-house, I was both overwhelmingly stressed out and unfulfilled. I stepped back to reassess what my real goals were in my new career universe –  as a single mom whose decisions impacted two young kids.

I needed:

·       to support our family

·       to be challenged intellectually

·       a positive and family-friendly environment

·       be accessible to my kids

·       not trade income dollars directly for child care fees

That’s a tall order, but the more I look around, the more I see women and men creating their own work lives versus having one handed to them.

I started Frizz Marketing, working from home. Frizz looks a lot different than it did fourteen months ago , as does my workday. I now split my time, spending half of my week in-house as Marketing Director for a local business group. The other half of the time, I focus on all things Frizz.

Checking in with my goals, I am on track. I have a consistent salary base in addition to being able to build my business revenue. I am learning new things every day and still get to work on a variety of projects I enjoy. My office colleagues and my Frizz clients are positive and motivating. I have set onsite office hours, but I have the flexibility to do Frizz work around the rest of my schedule, reducing the need for childcare.

I am accomplishing exactly what I need to. I can promise you: It is hard. Right now as the busiest part of the school year wraps up, it means I generally work at night from 8:30 as long as I can keep my eyes open. This morning, I was up at 4 a.m. to get some work and cleaning done. I worked my way through most of Mother’s Day and my workouts, for the time being, are nonexistent.

It can be daunting, but that passes. It means that I get to be there for my kids every day, at the school drop-off and pick-up. Every once in a while, I can pull off a function during the school day. I help with homework, go to their sports practices, eat with them and sometimes even manage a few games of Uno.

Nothing is what I initially expected. My business has evolved, as have my expectations. Things will continue to change. This summer, I’ll get to work earlier to make sure we can still do late afternoon bike rides. In the fall, when my kids are both at the same school for the first time, I will adjust my schedule some more.

For those of you who are trying to find your own way of blending life alongside building a business, with or without kids, here is what I’ve learned:

·       Most importantly, don’t feel bound by prescribed goals. Consider your own priorities.

·       Be open to letting your business evolve and adjust your expectations.

·       Remember it may not look how you expect – and that’s okay.

I would love to hear from you: What is your business story? How did you start, and what has changed?

———————————————————

Tracy JensenTracy Jensen is Founder and CEO of Frizz Marketing, a Chicago-based marketing firm. Tracy has over 15 years of experience in communications, branding and community outreach. Through Frizz, her focus is helping small businesses and nonprofits extract their central identity and voice, cultivating compelling and authentic content. Her specialties are strategy, email marketing and content creation.

Equally content in front of a group as she is typing from her home office, Tracy has spoken on a variety of topics from social media to fundraising tactics. As a writer, she has contributed to a range of platforms, including BlogHer, EverydayFamily, Mamalode, Scary Mommy, and BonBon Break.

A single mother to two, Tracy believes the only limitations to success are the voices within our own heads. When in doubt, fresh air, a good cup of coffee and a book can cure just about anything.

Tracy loves talking with other entrepreneurs. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

7 Steps to a More Productive Week by @AlmostPractical

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7 Steps to a More Productive Week

by Neena Nandagopal | Featured Contributor

Life is busy.

We are constantly running in a million different directions. So, it is no surprise that we might end the week in the same place that we were when the week started.

Lots of busy-ness, but no business.

Maintaining focus is so important – but without a clear plan in place it is easy to get distracted.

Follow these 7 steps to stay on track and have a more productive week:

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1. Set Goals for the Week

You’ve heard it before:

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Often we save this advice for big projects or deadlines.

But, it is just as useful for an ordinary, mundane week.

Every Sunday, carve in a little planning time. But before you put pen to paper, take some time to visualize your goals for the week.

What do want or need to accomplish? What events are right around the corner that you can get started on? What personal goals do you want to tackle?

Write each one of these down on a separate blank sheet of paper.

2. Write Out The Steps

Now underneath each goal, write down the steps that you must take action on in order to make the goal happen.

Want to drop 2 pounds this week? – What do you need to do to make it so?

Maybe a few trips to the gym? Or a trip to the farmers market so you can prepare healthy meals?

Note that there are a few steps hidden in this one:

  • Meal planning,
  • food shopping, and
  • food preparation.

3. Plan Your Week

In the third step for a more productive week, you need to put the goal sheets and action items aside, and pull out your calendar.

I use the calendar on my smartphone to keep track of all appointments. But in my Sunday planning session, I write these onto a one page per day calendar.

4. Plan Your Days

Now I go through each day as if I were living it. I look at my appointments and decide if I need to block out some cushion time for travel or possible delays.

I consider what activities my children have and what my husbands schedule looks like on a daily basis.

I can then figure out whether I will be cooking dinner each evening, if we will have leftovers, or if we will order out.

This way I can block in time for cooking, driving kids around, and bedtime stories. (ok – my kids are teenagers, but I do miss those days 😉 ).

5. Fill In the Blanks With Your Action Items

Now it is time to pull out those goal sheets and action items.

You now know what set in stone appointments you have for the week and what open or free time you happen to have.

Match up your action items with your available time slots – and make “appointments” with yourself to work towards your goals.

6. Measure Your Results

After you go through your week, start your next Sunday planning sessions by measuring your results.

Did you accomplish all of your goals for the week?

If not – examine the reasons why.

7. Re-evaluate, Rinse, and Repeat

Before setting your goals for the new week, figure out what you need to do differently from the previous week.
Then rinse and repeat the process.

It is amazing how much more we can accomplish on a daily basis with a little focus and clarity.

Set goals, write out the steps, plan your week and your days, make sure to book time for your actions steps, measure your results, re-evaluate and repeat.

It sounds easier than it is, but the process is so worth the effort!

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Neena Nandagopal of AlmostPractical.comNeena Nandagopal is Almost Practical Small Business Coaching and Consulting. She lives and breathes her business – so they are one and the same.

She is passionate about giving creative and talented women concrete guidance on how to establish an online business that is in line with their lives.

Her services include everything from blog coaching packages to creating individualized policy and procedure manuals and business processes.

Neena believes that working more efficiently is the key to business success. However, her philosophy is that time management is outdated. Instead, she works with her clients to manage their focus and attention, because that is what brings maximum results – both online and offline.

When she is not working, Neena enjoys spending time with her husband, four teenage children, and her little shih-tzu.

Neena’s Website: AlmostPractical.com
Neena on Social: Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

The Secret to Achieving Your Big Goals Faster by @Melcoach

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The Secret to Achieving Your Big Goals Faster

by Melanie Benson Strick | Featured Contributor

Big goals can have a wildly different effect on different types of entrepreneurs. Whether it’s the millionaire dream or a vision of taking your program to millions of people across the globe, a big goal means you’ll most likely have to climb a pretty big mountain to get there.

Does a big goal….

…inspire you to go into crunch time so you can get there faster?

… paralyze you if you don’t know “how” to get there?

…excite you but it takes forever because you can create time and space to work on it?

When I decided to start my business, it was probably one of the biggest goals I ever set for myself. Leaving the Fortune 500 Company and my safe paycheck was scary but I did it one year after setting the goal. I had set my sights on replacing my almost six-figure income within two years.  But At eighteen months in I was nowhere close to that goal. As a matter of fact I was barely making $1,000 a month.  Feeling lost and confused on what to focus on, I seemed to be running in quicksand.

But by my third year in business I was on fire – I accomplished more and was making money faster in a month than most people did in a year.  That’s when people started to ask, “How can I drink YOUR Kool-Aid?”

I actually didn’t have a magic potion and I didn’t spend a fortune on Facebook ads. What I did do was quite simple and it allowed me to achieve really big goals faster than others by doing a few simple things very different.

First off, I had to change my Motivation Factors.

My first couple of years in business I was motivated to NOT FAIL. Now that may seem like a good reason to build a successful business but because fear was at the core of my motivation strategy I made a lot of poor decisions to “avoid failing”.  Then I discovered my intrinsic motivation factors – having more freedom in my life and connecting deeply with others. I worked with a coach to help me identify and eradicate “stinking thinking”, rewire my mindset to be a six figure business owner, and activate powerful motivators so I no longer needed accountability.

Then, I added the magic of Leveraged Time.

A game changing moment in my business was when I took a look around at other six figure + entrepreneurs and asked a powerful question, “What are they doing that I’m not doing right now?” From that vantage point I realized that my colleagues all had offerings where they could leverage their time.

Up until that point I was charging $350 a month for 3 50 minute sessions. It was a real eye opener when I did the math and realized I would have to have at least 40 private clients in order to break six figures. That did not feel like freedom. It did not seem like the best way to achieve my financial goals either. So I set my sights on reworking my business model to more leveraged offerings.

Now it was time to Delegate Weak Areas.

Another a-ha when I analyzed other the strategies of highly successful entrepreneurs was that none of them did it all alone. I came to a quick conclusion that one of my strengths when working for Fortune 500 companies was my ability to assemble powerful teams to expand my bandwidth. So I hired a talented virtual assistant to take over tasks that they were better at so I could focus on money-making activities like product creation.

With that first hire I tripled my return on investment – and could spend more time on projects that generated leveraged income.

One of the side benefits of having a team was that I could actually take time away from the business without falling behind. For the next few years I found that by identifying any growth bottlenecks quickly and hiring someone to own that role or task, we could continue to increase income another $50 – $200k.

Last, Vigilance to Resolve Bottlenecks and Breakdowns Quickly

With these previous three factors in place, the final essential ingredient became obvious very quickly. After a few months of fast growth, I started to see signs of breakdowns and priorities not being met. I quickly realized that a fast growing business will also bring a certain amount of chaos and confusion. Many entrepreneurs and their teams will implode if those barriers and breakdowns aren’t resolved quickly.

One of the main “momentum derailers” for entrepreneurs is taking on too many opportunities and having too many projects at one time. Super hero syndrome kicks in and the entrepreneur says yes to everything coming their way. When you divide your attention, you also slow down your ability to get things done fast. Even with a team, if there are too many directions to grow simultaneously, unnecessary breakdowns will derail progress.

Another is not recognizing the need to address fears and limiting beliefs as the business evolves and grows. When a business explodes and growth is fast-paced, the types of issues and decisions will often become much bigger than anything you’ve dealt with before.

And of course there’s always the bottleneck — when someone (usually the owner) is in the way of getting more done quickly. Typically holding on to decision making for too long or not having the right technology or system will cause unnecessary roadblocks.

My success key was to work with a coach who specialized in fast-paced growth. Knowing I had someone to turn to who could help me see my blindspots was invaluable as my business continued to grow.

If you are ready to catapult results, you’ll want to activate all four of these factors over a 3 – 6 month time period. It can be a bit overwhelming to do them all at once.

Since you’ll want to start with your Motivation Factor, are you clear on what that really is? I’ll give you a tiny hint. Its often not what you think it is but what you end up giving the most time to. Now, go rock it! And be sure to give a shout out in the comments on what your big goal is!

——————————————————-

melanie strickMelanie Benson Strick is known as America’s Leading Small Business Optimizer because she knows how to boost profits and results with her secret weapon — LEVERAGE. With over 12 years in corporate project management, Melanie works exclusively with thought leaders and visionary entrepreneurs who want proven strategies to monetize their big ideas and catapult their success without giving up their life.

Melanie is author of Rewired for Wealth, serves on the Executive Leadership Team for Women Speakers Association, is co-author of Entrepreneur.com’s Start Up Guide to Starting an Information Marketing Business and has her success tips featured in magazines such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Parenting Magazine, Woman’s Day and American Express FORUM. Melanie is a proud lifestyle enthusiast and spends her free time in search of the best spas and beaches in the world. Find out if you are using all of the right Profit Boosting Factors with this FREE downloadable guidebook on SuccessConnections.com.

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | Instagram

10 Tips for Silencing Your Inner Critic by @LUCYrk78

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10 Tips for Silencing Your Inner Critic

by Lucy Rendler-Kaplan | Featured Contributor

We all have it. That little inner voice that creeps up in the most inopportune times. The one that tells us not to ask for the promotion, that we aren’t good enough, that we shouldn’t accept that date….the list can go on and on. Sometimes it speaks to us loudly and sometimes it is simply a quiet nag throughout our day. It can last for a minute, an hour or a week. Maybe even longer. At times, we didn’t even want to get out of bed, what’s the point?

Then, one day we learned we can talk back. We learned weccan tell that voice that we ARE good enough to go after what we want.

Here are a few tips that I hope will help:

  1. Start a journal: write down what you were doing each time you began to hear that voice and look for patterns. Learn to recognize that critic for what it is. Next to that list, write down something you did that day that you felt proud once you accomplished it. Look through those proud moments when your inner critic begins to creep in.
  2. Look in the mirror: look at your reflection and tell yourself ONE good thing about what you see. If you can, keep going! Don’t stop at one. If you can only muster one positive attribute, be happy you recognized the good.
  3. Place a post-it on your mirror: It can be anything positive, the one on mine says “I am Grateful.” Make sure it’s a mirror you will look into each day, perhaps while you’re brushing your teeth.
  4. Add a positive to a photo: find a photo of yourself looking happy, a photo you have always liked an use an app that can place a positive self-affirmation or quote over the photo.
  5. Make a list of your closest friends: for each person, write a couple of sentences about each person on why you are friends, why you like them so much. It is said that we are a product of our five closest friends, so the positive attributes you see in them are most likely also seen in YOU.
  6. Think about 10 years from now: when something seems hard or I’m feeling down about something small I may have done wrong, I like to remind myself, “Will this REALLY matter 10 years from now?” Remember a test you failed miserably in high school, and thought it would ruin your life, having done so poorly on it? No? Of course you don’t.
  7. Reframe negative thoughts: put a positive ending on each one. You made a mistake yes, but what did you learn from it?
  8. Phone a friend: the best way to stop obsessing over your own shortcomings is to get outside yourself. Call a friend and inquire about their day, get THEM talking and truly listen.
  9. Cut yourself some slack: are you trying to do much? Are you rushing through things because the to-do list seems overwhelming? Move some of the day’s tasks to three days from now. The earth won’t stop turning.
  10. Put it in perspective: ok, you made a mistake. While your screw up may feel like the end of the world to you, think of how many people truly don’t care? How many don’t even know about it and never will? We are just a small part of a much larger world – teach that inner critic some perspective.

You CAN break this cycle. And you CAN start right now. Let me know in the comments some of the tips that have helped YOU when the inner critic gets too loud.

————————————————————

Lucy Rendler-KaplanLucy Rendler-Kaplan is a marketing veteran, with close to 17 years experience in field marketing management public relations and social media marketing. Both in-house and as a consultant, Lucy has created, developed and managed marketing projects for organizations including: Red Bull North America, ONE Coconut Water, Camel and Ethos Water, to name a few.

Most recently, Lucy has left corporate America to work as a consultant, focusing on small businesses and start-ups to design effective social media and marketing strategies to jumpstart brand growth. In addition to strategic business development efforts, she directs media relations, branding, advertising and website development.

As a social media consultant, Lucy works with companies in auditing their current social media efforts and creating a comprehensive social media strategy that aligns company-wide objectives through social business practices.

With an early background in journalism, Lucy regularly contributes to a number of NFL and music blogs, as well as her own, with a diverse focus encompassing Lucy’s passion not only for networking and marketing but also for fitness. She spends her free time honing her photography skills, running and watching an excessive amount of true crime shows.

Let’s connect! Twitter & Linkedin

Five Tips for Expanding Your Business by @DeborahSweeney

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Five Tips for Expanding Your Business

by Deborah Sweeney | Featured Contributor

Expanding your business is, quite honestly, a lot like starting it. The steps, paperwork, and investments are all similar. Despite that, there are a few key differences that trip up small business owners. Expansion takes place over a much longer period of time, and you have to be careful not to hurt or ignore your original business while expanding into new markets. MyCorporation was actually suffering from over-expansion when I took it over, and there is nothing worse than having to forcibly shrink a company. So, to help other business owners avoid that unfortunate process, I usually give a few tips to those looking to expand.

Plan, plan, plan

The problem with our expansion under the previous owners was it was not an organic process. The company was structured in a way that put a strict time frame on the very lofty goals those in charge required of middle-management. Planning, if it was ever done, focused on the short-term. Before I decided to try expanding the company myself, I knew I had to specifically plan every move I made. That means setting milestones, sticking to budgets, and even having a way out if my ideas were not working. What do you want to do? Tap a new market? Enter a new city? Offer a new product? Track the steps towards that goal so you have a way to gauge how your expansion is going. There were a couple of times where I felt we spent too much and achieved too few milestones, so I backed off, re-wrote the plan of attack, and tried again.

Beg for Criticism

Once you have your plan written, beg anyone and everyone to take a look and talk through it with you. Parents, spouses, colleagues, old professors; really use your professional and personal network. It doesn’t matter how well trained you are, or how much experience you have, there will be something you missed. Expansion is a serious commitment of time, capital, and energy so, while it can be hard hearing criticism, the more holes poked in your plan, the better off you will be after you fill them.

Scale everything

One of the biggest misconceptions about expanding your business is that it happens all at once. You just decide to open a new store, or target a new demographic, and then you follow through. That simply is not the case. Expansion is best done through scaling. That was actually our biggest problem before I took over – management hired tons of salespeople, without investing in anything else. So while we got more orders, our infrastructure, equipment, and sale process never grew to match. This quickly became a logistical nightmare. Orders were dropped, people were upset, and we risked losing customers. After I scaled back, I invested in streamlining our order processing and filing before I started to salespeople back on so, when we did get more customers, we could handle them. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at another location, or hoping to bring on different customers, or trying to sell something new. You need scale your business proportionately so it can support your goal.

Keep Customers Informed

When you finally start expanding your business, it is a good idea to let your customers know. You don’t have to share every, little detail, but a broad overview of what you’re doing shows your regulars you care about their business and want to explain why everything may feel a little hectic. People like to support their favorite businesses, and they will appreciate that small gesture. Generating a little buzz can only help your expansion efforts, so don’t shy away from this marketing opportunity.

New Licenses, Permits, and Registrations

Finally, don’t overlook any new legal paperwork you need. Heading into a new city means permits, licensing, and registering with the local tax board. Bringing on staff could affect your benefits package and tax brackets. A new product or service might require extra insurance or compliance with new regulations and laws. Make sure you fully research what you are getting into so that your expansion is not hindered by a misfiled or forgotten form.

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Deborah Sweeney – Legal Expert, CEO, MyCorporation.com – Calabasas, CA

Deborah Sweeney HeadshotAs CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (MyCorporation.com), Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With her experience in the fields of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah has evolved from lawyer to business owner. She has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of businesses for MyCorporation.com’s customers.

Ms. Sweeney received her JD & MBA degrees from Pepperdine University. She is active in the community and loves working with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. She serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University and is a founding member of Partners of Pepperdine. Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites.  She is a regular contributor on Forbes, American Express, Social Media Today, and BlogHer among many others.

In her ‘free’ time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin (8) and Christopher (6). Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Follow her on Twitter @deborahsweeney and @mycorporation.

 

How to Identify a Healthy Work Environment During a Job Interview by @nkwebbgroup1

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Photo Credit: wocintechchat.com via Compfight cc

by Nicole K. Webb | Featured Contributor

Most individuals when preparing for a job interview are filled with emotions of excitement and nervousness. It’s thrilling to be invited for an interview and to have the chance to compete for a new employment opportunity. It can also be a little stressful because of the anticipation of answering questions presented by the decision-makers within the organization.

Job applicants must keep in mind that while they may be the ones being interviewed, they have the opportunity to interview their prospective employers as well. It’s important to take advantage of the interview process by not only asking questions regarding your starting salary, health benefits and a potential start date, but also by evaluating whether or not this is truly a place you’d want to work.

The work environment has a large impact on how well one performs in their position as well as how long one remains with their employer. An unhealthy work environment can be extremely detrimental to one’s mental and physical health and can cause one to experience anxiety, depression, stress and more.

No job applicant wants to be employed in an unhealthy work environment. That is why it’s important to ask the following questions to learn whether or not the workplace culture is a healthy one.

 Here are 5 questions that you may ask the interviewer(s):

  1. How long has this position been vacant?
  1. How long did the last individual employed in this role remain with your company?
  1. How would you describe the current morale of the company and the department in which this position is housed?
  1. Who does this position report to? Describe their management style?
  1. As a manager/supervisor, how do you address conflict in the workplace?

In addition to obtaining answers to these questions you should also consider what’s important to you specifically as it pertains to your happiness with your workplace culture. Everybody is different and what makes a good fit for one individual may not be the best fit for another.

It’s crucial that you take all of this information into consideration when determining if this is an organization you are willing to spend 35 to 40 hours each week and potentially years to come.

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DSC_0688-2 sheownsitNicole K. Webb is a former “Perfect Patty” who was committed to doing everything by the book because of her fear of failure. However, in 2012 she faced some life-changing decisions that revealed to her that although you can try your best to do things perfectly, it’s impossible to be perfect at everything. For the first time in Nicole’s career, she struggled with a job in which she was not a good fit and was able to recognize this for herself. Nicole decided to resign from what many would consider a dream job in human resources in order to take time to figure out what to do next.

After being unemployed for two months, she found herself a great career opportunity in the human resources field. She also began to follow her dream of becoming a business owner. She opened her very own human resource consulting and career coaching business, NK WEBB GROUP LLC. Since launching her business, she has authored The Workplace Playbook: Strategies to Help New Employees Win In Their Careers.

Nicole has over 10 years of experience in human resources. She has an MBA from University of Baltimore and a BA from Coppin State University.

Why You Need a Life Board by @GAllenTC

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flickr photo shared by Ed Yourdon under a CC license

flickr photo shared by Ed Yourdon under a CC license

by Gayle Allen | Featured Contributor

Can you remember how you felt the first time someone saw something incredible in you that you didn’t see in yourself? Or how you felt after someone took the time to listen to you share a big life goal and then followed up to check on your progress? 

Alone, it can be hard to think bigger or to recognize your full potential. You need support as you set the strategy for your business and focus your resources — but you need the right kind of support.

That’s where a Life Board comes in.

What’s a Life Board? It’s a group of people who share their goals and dreams with one another, in order to give and receive feedback, share resources, and hold each other accountable for achieving them. A Life Board has elements of a Mastermind group, but it’s organized to run like a board, so that members can cycle on and off, as needed. Likewise, members agree to speak frankly and respectfully, and to share the leadership, in order to serve each other’s needs. Life Boards work best when members are professional colleagues or acquaintances rather than close friends or family members whose familiarity with one another can work against a fresh perspective.

Why do you need one? Envisioning and achieving what you want takes courage. These kinds of goals often take a long time to realize (e.g., starting, running or growing a business, writing books or articles, speaking publicly, etc.), and they can stir up some powerful emotions, like fear, self-doubt and frustration. It can also be difficult to get the support you need from family and friends. They may not be able to envision who you want to become. That’s why your Life Board offers:

  • Support: They listen, reflect back, share resources and experiences, inspire, motivate, and provide empathy.
  • Feedback: They ask clarifying questions, provide a reality check, and challenge assumptions.
  • Accountability: They expect updates and progress and push hard on outcomes.
  • Different perspectives: They offer a fresh take on an opportunity, challenge, or way of thinking or doing something.
  • Confidentiality: What happens in Life Board, stays in Life Board.
  • A Safe Space: They know they can share without judgment.

How does it work? Participants set norms for regular communication, and they make a commitment to show up and participate. A Life Board isn’t a class, and it’s not about coaching or networking. And it doesn’t require that you begin with a certain number of people. In fact, you can start with just you and one other person and then grow the group selectively over time. Along the way, expect that members will cycle off and on, depending on the types of fresh perspectives group members need to continue to grow. Life Board members should:

  • Set norms and expectations for meetings and communication; regularly revisit them
  • Establish a kick-off meeting to start and when new members come on board
  • Share updates, challenges, and successes
  • Request feedback, support, and accountability
  • Share resources (e.g., names of executive coaches, books, articles, blogs, podcasts, systems, workflows, experts in the field, etc.)
  • Inspire and motivate each other when things get hard

The communication schedule should include:

  • Norms for what, when, and how often you’ll communicate
  • Twice a month or weekly email check-ins
  • Monthly, quarterly, or twice a year video conference calls
  • Regularly scheduled text and phone sessions with individual board members
  • At least one in-person gathering or event per year

How to Get Started? Here are three simple ways:

  • Start small: Find one or more people who want to grow and challenges themselves, so that at the end of a month or a quarter or a year, they can point to progress they’ve made achieving big goals and dreams.
  • Take advantage of free tech: Use Google hangouts, Skype, Twitter, Slack, Facebook, and so on – so that you never miss an update or a meeting.
  • Meet in person: Find a location where you can meet at least once during the year. It can serve as a kickoff meeting, a celebration event, or a way to attend a workshop or conference you’re all interested in.

On a Life Board, you are role models and mentors to each other, but you never claim expertise you don’t have. You’re a board in the best sense, in that you share your networks, offer support, and expect accountability. Like most things in life, you’ll get out of it what you put into it – invest in yourself and each other and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

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Gayle AllenGayle Allen is an entrepreneur with a passion for connecting people to innovative ideas that improve their lives.

She is a founding member of the leadership team and Chief Learning Officer at BrightBytes, a company that’s garnered dozens of awards for improving the way the world learns. She’s also the founder and host of Curious Minds, the leading podcast on innovation that features global leaders rethinking life and work.

Gayle earned her MBA in Global Innovation from MIT and her doctorate in adult learning from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she served as an adjunct professor. She’s the author of The New Pillars of Modern Teaching, a book that offers an innovative vision for learning in the modern age. Gayle’s writing has been featured in leading publications, such as MindShift and NPR.

Connect with Gayle on her website, on LinkedIn, and on Twitter.