Tag: Time Management

Preparing to Shut Down for the Holidays Again!

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Every year I like to cover some points about preparing your business for the doors to be closed for an extended amount of time. It is difficult to have your business closed for a few days, a week, or more, but there are some things you can do to make it easier. Many of my friends are already celebrating the Hanukkah season and in a couple of weeks most of the business will be closed for the Christmas season, some for a day, some for the week.

Instead of giving you all the same tips I am going to pull two points from two past articles that you can use and a reminder to look forward to the New Year as well.

Celebration glitter

Prepare to Be Away.

Know what has to get done even if your doors are closed. From my article “Going to Conferences – What You Need to Remember“, here are some things you may have to look at after before you leave the office to enjoy your family time.

  • Change your voicemail message to let people know you will be away and how they can get in touch with you
  • Turn on your email autoresponder to let people know when you will be responding
  • Prepare your team (VA, assistant, contractors, employees) to take on work while you are gone if needed
  • Pre-write your social media, newsletter, or other content and schedule it to go out at specific times
  • Call your bank to let them know your credit cards and bank cards will be used in a different location if you are planning on traveling during the holidays.

Who’s Available?

Decide what days you will be available for clients and what you are willing to do on those days. Like I mentioned last year, my local spa is open for pampering, but on a much reduced time and increased staff level. It is OK to set a reduced timetable as long as you make sure your clients are fully aware of what that might be. Put it on your answering machine, on your door, in your email signature, and maybe even on your business cards.

Get the other tips from last year’s article “Are You Ready to Close Your Doors for the Holidays?“.

Define the timeline

When preparing for the New Year you need to have clear intentions of what you want to do and they need to be time-bound, meaning you need to set a date on which you can be held accountable for it being complete. Want a happier, more prosperous 2013? Check out my tips on “3 Tips to Setting Intentions You Will Meet” from 2011.

BONUS – Know Your Process

Know your yearly routine and create a process so you are not guessing each year. If something did not work or your got negative feedback form your customers, change it so you are not guessing what would work best 365 days later. Always provide your best service, a consistent client experience, and make an effort to improve every chance you can.

How Prepare for Growth: Creating a Procedure

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When I am teaching my clients about business process, we always come to the part where I get them to evaluate where they are spending their time. We are looking for the things they do over-and-over again for clients and then I get them to create a procedure outlining the steps of this process. Each time I do this I get the same response from just about everyone in the room…

Man frustrated by doing procedures

Writing procedures is not easy for many and not fun for most, but it is a key to great business if you are thinking of growing your company. So to help you with this, I would like to give you my top three points on making this task easier in your business.

1. Do It

The best time to write a procedure is while you are going through a process.  Take note of everything you do, including the directories you save files to, naming conventions, phone numbers, people’s names, times of day, etc. Whatever you may think as obvious may not be to the next person that tries to follow your instructions.

2. Record It

If you hate writing the steps then I always suggest recording what you are doing when you are doing it. Get yourself a small recording device that will create a standard file type (like mp3). You can then have it transcribed. Use the transcription to create the step-by-step procedure.

3. Offload It

Teach someone else how to do it and then get them to write the procedure so they can teach others. If any process in your business is only known by one person then your company cannot survive growing pains when that one person cannot perform that task. I have had clients with this challenge and it was devastating to their work and time management to try and do their own work and guess at someone else’s work responsibilities.

Bonus – Test It

If you want to know whether the procedure is written well then the best thing you can do is give it to someone else to try and perform. Ask someone with general knowledge about your business, but without specific knowledge of the task, to go through the procedure and see if they can replicate the quality of the outcome to a fairly high degree. I’m not suggesting that this procedure should replace training, but it should be a great guide for someone in your company to perform a new task if the need is required.

 

When is it Perfect?

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In my other company, for the past 4 years, I have been writing SR&ED claims for small and medium sized manufacturers, specifically in the scientific and technology fields of the claim. It is time-consuming and often time-restricted, but the content is always interesting and the business side of what my clients are achieving is so exciting to me.

This week I started another claim for a returning client. It was so nice to go into a preset folder, pull out the past contract, set up the new claim’s file directory, update the old template and start working. When we started with our standard call I have a list of questions to ask, but what I realized is that I had never written this list down. I ask the same questions every year to gather the required information but my process was not perfect.

What is the result of not having a perfect process?

  • inconsistent client experience
  • inconsistent costs (in time and resources)
  • increase in customer support
  • decrease in project efficiency
  • Ultimately – decrease in profit

So when is your process perfect? The answer is NEVER!

The Key

Key to more Money

The key is to recognize that your business processes are living documents. As you streamline your procedures, interactions, and costs and get more proficient at knowing your products and services you will need to make changes to the way you do things. Every year I add something to this process that makes the next time easier.

The Challenge

There are a couple of challenges that I want to share with you to help you manage the changes in your business.

1. Who

If the people in your company change (leave, learn, educate, get promoted, etc.) then the action process changes too. Everyone works differently and making a process so inflexible as to not allow any input makes for a very robotic job. Unless your employees are working on an automated manufacturing line then look for ways to allow them to bring autonomy to their positions. They will be better workers and you will get more insight and ideas for continual improvement.

2. Too Long

If you are finding yourself changing your release deadline over-and-over then likely you have moved into “project creep”. This is when what you do is never good enough. Sometimes you simply have to say, “it’s good enough, let’s ship”. Meaning; do the work, implement (or release), and then tweak (or update) so you can continually be producing results and meeting milestones for your projects.

I have been able to successfully do the work for these claims over the past four years, but the benefit of my process updating is that I can do it in a shorter amount of time with less stress for me and for my client and with no increase in costs over those 4 years. It is a win-win scenario for us both.

It will never be perfect, but it will be effective and efficient with great client results if you continuously update and maintain your business procedures. It is also a great way to instantly make more money when you save a significant amount of time like I now am experiencing.

How To Get It All Done!

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I know that many people say to me, “Barb how do you get it all done?” From the outside it looks like a lot, and it is, but from the inside it doesn’t feel that way. I want to share three things with you that help me manage everything and still spend time with my family.

First, I know I have been sharing what I have been doing, but I thought I would make a list for you so you can get an idea of time required and commitments.

  • BLITZ Business Success – coaching, EClub, speaking, training, travel, events, clients, contractors, marketing, etc.
  • Personal Development – my coach, travel, online, reading, exercise, meditation
  • College Teaching – two classes, prep, printing, office time
  • Advisory Chair – preparation, meetings
  • EB Council member – meetings, travel
  • eWomen leadership member – accelerated networking, leadership meetings, facilitation
  • Family – dinner, events, holidays, programs, shuttle
  • Church – volunteer, teach, committee
  • Your Business with Barb – weekly TV Show – invite guest, organize, prep, show

Your list will be different but I know it is likely as full. I want you to know that sometimes I am rushed and sometimes I am not, but my stress level is very low almost all the time.

Plan

The first, most important thing to do is plan how you will be able to manage everything you do. Like planning for your business you need to plan for your life as well. I’m not suggesting you need a full written plan, but there are a few things you need to know in the concrete sense.

  1. How much time do you have free?
  2. How much time does each activity take?
  3. What times are negotiable and which are not?

When you are making a decision to take on new work, new clients, new volunteer time, or a new direction you need to be very aware of how much time you have to spare. Be careful to take into account everything you are doing so that you don’t say yes to something that takes away from your commitment to something or someone else.

Related Topic: Weigh Your Decisions: The right choice at the right time

Systems

This is my specialty. The assistant producer of my TV show says she loves to work with me because I am so organized. Really it is because I am so lazy. I did not want to have to do the same things every week and spend time thinking about them, so I wrote a standard template letter for my guests to give them all the information for the show, what I needed, where they had to be, and what to expect. All I have to do is put their name and the show date/topic in the body of the message and CC the producer. It took me over an hour to write it initially and go back and tweak it with suggestions and feedback, but now it takes me about 10 seconds to get people the information they need.

Create a process around everything that you have to do over and over and you will save yourself incredible amounts of time.

Let it Go

I cannot get it all done, always. This is the key to know and not get upset about. I made the eWomen meeting every month down in Toronto for 7 months in a row. I have to drive 1.5 hours to get there, so it is a 6-7 hour commitment. I love the meetings and the people so it is also worth my time. In September I decided to take on two courses at the local college. Teaching entrepreneurship is a dream, plus it also pays. So when I realized I now could not make any meetings on Wednesday or Thursday nights I was initially sad. Then, I let it go. I will be there every time I can, and I will focus on my priorities to be able to do that, even when it means I cannot.

If you have a conflict, choose the one that most aligns with your priorities and passion and let the other one go. If you find you cannot make any of the meetings then it may be time to step away from the commitment completely.

Remember, if you take care of yourself you will be well enough to take care of others, but if you try to take care of everyone, no one will benefit, especially not you.

Do You Need Help? – Try Using a VA

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A Virtual Assistant (VA) is becoming a very common term in business these days, especially when your business is using the internet as a marketing channel. I thought I would share with you the Top 5 Ways I use a VA in my business so you can see how this might fit for you.

First, there are several different ways you can engage a VA. There are firms that manage VA’s and individuals that work on contract. The firms may assign a different VA for every task or assign a project manager to handle all your requests. Usually you are not hiring this person as an employee, sometimes you pay by the hour and sometimes for a monthly package. I use a marketing company (Pibworth Professional Solutions) that gives me a project manager that assigns the VA that is best matched to the skills required for my tasks. It works well for me.

My top activities for my VA’s are:

1) Managing my regular website updates and program reminders

  • This person gets information from my experts, puts the new copy to the website and then emails members with their new dates and information. By doing this she allows me to concentrate on the things I am really good at and only contacts me if there is an issue. It is a huge relief to have this type of support so I can focus on my core competencies.

2) Creating new products in my shopping cart

  • This person goes into 1ShoppingCart and creates new products with autoresponders, adds discounts and coupons, and then uploads the code to the sales page on the website. I can create new products quicker then I’ve been able to and I am less likely to procrastinate doing the work when someone else is looking after it. Plus, I have one less thing I have to be an expert at.

Related Topic – Do you have “Shiny Object Syndrome”?

3) Sending out Thank-you cards

  • This person takes contact information and my ‘thank you’ message and creates cards and gifts for people that I need to reach out to. I am now more likely to get around to thanking people in this way and I am more likely to be remembered by people I’ve met because of this. Great for client retention too.

4) Creating marketing copy

  • This person can create autoresponders, website copy, social media, or copy for emails and other messaging that will save me time. It needs to be brand-centric and since I am the source of my brand content it needs to be written in a way that does not require a lot of “brand identity”, and there is a lot of copy that can be written this way. Very specific brand content is really for your core business partners and employees to take on as you grow. So keep doing that part if you can and continue to build your relationships with your message.

5) Creating procedures

  • When any VA does work for me that has to be done routinely I ask them to create a procedure that can be used by me or anyone else that would need to do the work in the future. This helps avoid large future challenges with people not knowing the process and it ensures consistent client experience by knowing they are doing it the same way every time.

If you are struggling to grow your business because you just don’t have time, consider hiring a VA. All this work is usually less than 5 hours a month for them and actually frees up more than twice that time for me because I don’t have to think about how I’m going to do it or procrastinate doing something I hate.

Are You Stretching Big Enough or Doing Too Much?

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Sometimes it is hard to know when we need to give more and when we are doing too much. Here are some guidelines to help you decide when to back-off or step-up.

Doing Too Much

This state of being comes with an uncomfortable level of overwhelm. We know to create something new and build it there is an initial window of effort that will take a great deal of organization and discipline to achieve, but this is different than taking on too much. When you are really doing too much you may have these indicators:

  • An increased level of activity that has no end date
  • You do not find much of what you are investing your time in as enjoyable
  • You are overwhelmed a large percentage of every day
  • You have not been in control of your time even before you added the most recent activities
  • You cannot relax or simply sit quietly
  • You feel the need to always be doing something towards your goals
  • Your family, friends, and mentors feel left out of your goals and often your life

Stretching Bigger

When we stretch we are uncomfortable, but that is for a short period of time. Stretching will take us to the next level of our journey. Here are some indicators that are more closely associated with as short-term achievement investment:

  • Your achievement has an end date
  • You had control of your day before you took on this new state
  • You have dedicated time during the day to work in this state and then you stop
  • You are able to relax during the day
  • You are actively driven and committed to the outcome but you are not overwhelmed most of the time
  • Your family, friends, and mentors are in support of your goals

If you really want to stretch and you are actually doing too much then try letting go of some things and re-engaging with the rest of your life. The things you focus on grow. If you are focusing on too many things you cannot bring your best to any one of them and you cannot grow. Be the expert and find your focus so you can be stretching to your best and not simply stretched-to-thin.

Do What Olympians Do To Create Success!

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What does it take to be successful at your business? The same things it takes to be successful at anything in life.

Image from The Guardian UK - As It Happens

Yesterday when I was watching the recap of the Canada/USA women’s soccer game, which went into overtime, I was reminded that success was not simply winning the game, it was everything that went into being able to play the game. This incredible match, described as an Epic Win, was more than one person’s ‘hat-trick’, more than the 120 minutes of play plus overtime, more than a field full of skilled players, it represents two teams of women that are, in the words of Brendon Burchard “Crushing it every day.

To create success there are a few things that you need to be doing every day to make something great happen. Here is what you can do to create a hat-trick in your business.

1. Sell Something

I was sold that the Canadian team was good enough to win the game and so were they. First they believed and then they made everyone else believe, including their opponents, that they had something of value.

Every day you must be doing something to create new sales in your business. Believe you have something of value to offer and then open your doors, make the calls, host or attend an event, present your proposal, etc. Make sure your ‘To Do’ list includes some sales.

2. Market to Someone

In sport the team’s previous standings creates their brand and being visible at tournaments, championships, and other world events ensures that people know who they are and what they have to offer.

In business your brand must be seen by your potential clients. If they do not know who you are then they cannot engage in business with you. Do something every day to share your brand with the people that need to know about you. Attend networking events or associations where your clients meet, invest in a good advertising campaign, create a following online, update your blog, reach out through email or newsletters, etc. There are lots of ways to market your business and share your brand so don’t think you can’t do something every day. Think, “I must do something every day”.

3. Manage Everything Else

If you think that good management is not important then explain why the women’s Canadian soccer team made it to the semi-finals when a year ago they were nowhere near the top of the ratings. What I have heard was that their new coach was able to bring this team to the top of the world in less than a year. Great leadership and a well-managed strategy to success will make a huge difference when you are really kicking it up a notch.

Continue to learn so you can continue to grow into the most successful leader your business can have, even if you only ever plan on being a one-person business.

If you are the only person in your business then make sure you successfully manage your time to look after things like, your admin, systems, training, follow-up, customer service, etc. If you do not, you will quickly get to a point where you will say, “I just don’t have time for that” and you will always be right. The challenge is that if you don’t have time than it does not get done and you cannot hope to have a successful business for long when things are not being completed.

Your results in business are what you are doing every day to get to your goal. You don’t have to be the gold medalist to be a successful player or team. Not every business needs to be a giant, but every business must be successful or it will not survive.

Dollars First – One Powerful Tool to Help You Focus on the Money

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This week I received a great card in the mail from my friend Charmaine Hammond. The card read “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you.” with some lovely words inside from Charmaine. If 90% of your outcome in life really is from how you manage your time and the things you do with the gifts that you are given then let me share one simple, effective tool that I love to use to help my clients stay focused on the money.

Side Note – If you really want to make someone feel like they matter to you, send them a card in the mail. It is still an effective way of getting someone’s attention and making them feel special.

To Do Lists

To Do List

We all have different ways of doing a To-Do list. First I want to talk about some steps for creating the list itself and then I will give you the simple tool.

1. Big Goal

What is the big goal you are working towards? Currently I am working on filling my Find the Hidden Money Bootcamp for October. Start by identifying what you are working towards building or increasing in your business.

Related Article

SMARTAR Goals are Smarter

2. Break it up

What are the pieces or steps that need to get completed to make sure this goal happens? For my bootcamp I have a 1 day event I am putting on, a free call, invitations, calls, etc. I have created a timeline that these things must be completed in and I know what has to be worked on to complete each one of these undertakings, some with several tasks each.

3. Daily

Make sure that your daily task list (or to-do list) has one or more tasks on it that will advance your goal. Create your daily to-do list with all items that you need to complete for that day.

Tip from Marla Tabaka – the July guest expert on the BLITZ Entrepreneur Club Group Coaching and Q&A call; Marla said, “writing it down is absolutely critical”. One of the advantages she gave was that writing down the information around a goal you may have fear about helps slow down the processes in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that stores and exasperates fear. By releasing the information you are helping to release the fear.

4. Prioritize

If you are like me, my to-do list is often close to 20 items long. If your list is long like this then put stars beside 5 or 6 items that you must complete that day. You can even number them if you want to tackle them in the order that will ensure your completion.

I recommend working on the hardest item first. One challenging item for me is to make past-client, invitation calls to my next program or event. We are all adverse to being rejected, including myself and all the mentors I have worked with, so making calls that may result in many rejections is going to be difficult. I make my first call to the one person I know will not reject me. If you do this you will get your head and heart in the right place to continue to ask and then tackle the rest. You will see less and less rejection as you get better at offering your services.

Dollar Signs

Dollar Signs

Now for this simple and effective tool:

Go back to your list and put a dollar sign ($) beside any task item that is revenue generating. You need to start with the things that are going to make you money. The more money you make the better you will feel about your business and the easier it will get to continue to grow and ask.

Ask yourself, “Were the money generating tasks all in my top 5 prioritized items from step 4? If not ask yourself why you were avoiding doing these. Make sure you share this with your accountability partner, mentor, or coach. You will want some additional insight into what you have been doing and how you can change it so you will be more focused and more effective.

 

Going to Conferences – What You Need to Remember

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I was at the eWomen Network Conference last week. It was 5 days (including the pre-conference days) of world-class speakers, vendors, and attendees. It is a long time to be away from home and business and it can make doing business and staying healthy challenging. I wanted to share with you my top 3 tips for getting the most out of being at a conference.

1. Prepare to Be Away

Do you have things that you must do every week? I have this e-zine that goes out on Wednesdays and the posting of the previous article, social media, etc. Make sure you are prepared to be away and that things that must get done do get done.

  • Change your voicemail message to let people know you will be away and how they can get in touch with you
  • Turn on your email autoresponder to let people know when you will be responding
  • Prepare your team (VA, assistant, contractors, employees) to take on work while you are gone if needed
  • Pre-write your social media, newsletter, or other content and schedule it to go out at specific times
  • Call your bank to let them know your credit cards and bank cards will be used in a different location. You don’t want them cancelling your card because they think your card was stolen.

Technology

Man's hand holding a cell phoneI have done work from many different states and provinces. There is not always easily available internet. When you are in the middle of a project this can be a big problem. One time in Florida I had to go to a local internet company and purchase an internet connection box for 1 week so I could do my work and stay in touch with my team. It was well worth the $50 or so that I paid for it.

  • Check that your cell phone will work at the conference location – get a data plan, texting, long distance if needed
  • Remember to pack your power cables for your cell phone and your computer
  • If you are crossing a border, check that the passport you are carrying is your own. You might laugh but this advice will help you two fold – to remember your passport (which I forgot once and nearly missed my flight) and to avoid the stress two people I know had when they arrived at the airport with their spouses passports. It happens!

Bonus Tip

Here is a great tip from my friend Lara Veltkamp of Watershed Marketing Group Inc – prepare your clients and contacts for your leave by changing your signature on your email to state that you will be away from the office next week. I love when I get an email from her and I see this. I know when I’m dealing with her what timelines we now have.

2. While in Transit

Traveling, airports, driving, security, customs, etc. can really take a lot out of you so be prepared to be comfortable, relaxed, and aware of what you will encounter on a normal or sometimes not so normal trip

  • Pack your computer so it can be easily removed from the bag when you go through airport security (you will thank me for this one)
  • Wear comfortable cloths in layers so you can be comfortable in all environments
  • Pack a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage (just in case your checked bag arrives late)
  • If you are going through security screening have your liquids in a Ziplock bag, ready to pull out
  • Pack a health snack
  • Buy a bottle of water after you are through security checks if you are flying

3. Look After Yourself

For 5 days I had to be ‘on my game’. I had to be happy, engaging, and present. You may be able to expand your days, reduce your food, lower your nutritional content for a day or two, but if you marathon for too many days in a row you will not be able to function and that might happen on your flight home. Do you really want to get home to a week’s worth of backlog just to spend the first two days in bed? It is so important that your body gets what it needs every day.

In a recent article in Success Magazine titled “Develop a Leader’s Mind” by Brain Expert Daniel Amen, M.D [August 2012], he talks about the ‘Five Essentials’ needed to nurture and maintain a healthy brain (sleep, exercise, activity, food, and positivity).

Here are some specific things I do to maintain my brain power and my health while I am away.

Shopping Basket SeriesEating

  • Drink lots of water – always have a bottle of water with you.
  • Eat during the day – don’t stop eating, your body will need nutrition to handle the change in its routine.
  • Look for good foods – if you know you will not find good food then eat less of the poor food.
  • Bring nutritional supplements and energy, protein, or meal replacement bars – for the days you know you will not get to eat right.

Move

  • Walk when you can – walk to dinner instead of taking a taxi.
  • Go for a walk between sessions.
  • If you are prepared, use the hotel treadmill or pool.
  • Do exercises in your room in the morning to stretch your muscles and prepare your spine for a sitting marathon.

Downtime

  • Get enough sleep most nights – 7-8 hours is best if you can.
  • Alone time – spend some time alone reviewing the content of the day and rejuvenating your energy.
  • The best energy –  Choose positive people to share your extra time with. They will energize you instead of drain you.

There are so many more tips and stories I have heard and experienced over the years but I would love to hear yours. Email me, post it to Facebook and tag me, or put a comment on the bottom of this article and share your best learning experience around attending a conference that will help us all avoid the worst so we can truly enjoy our time away.

 

Adding More Value

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John Maxwell says “if you want to give more value you have to get more value”. He is referring to constant learning and support. You must always be investing in yourself so that you will constantly be increasing your own value. I have recently heard that if you do what you have always done you WILL NOT get what you have always got because the world is changing so fast we must be changing with it.

Related Article

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency! What needs to be consistent?

We must be constantly learning and growing our value for our customers and ourselves. Here are three things I have learned about learning.

Where Do I Learn?

I take every opportunity to learn something new. I am constantly learning.

  • I attend free and paid online seminars and webinars
  • I read about business innovations in the news online
  • I belong to online communities that share information and discuss challenges
  • I read books and magazines (I highly recommend getting Success Magazine)
  • I complete home study programs
  • I listen to books from audible.com in my car or on my phone
  • I attend online meetings with my mastermind
  • I attend networking events
  • I attend speaking events
  • I attend 2 or more conferences a year
  • I attend in-person programs regularly

Who are My Mentors?

I seek out influential people that are doing what I want to do and have systems and processes that make their business run the way I want my business to work. Sometimes I simply follow the person and gain knowledge through their interaction with their clients and sometimes I pay to be a part of their programs so I can learn directly from them. Many of these people I simply become friends with and we mutually create knowledge and learning for each other. Here are a few of the people I admire and model my business growth after.

Follow Kelly O'Neil

  • Kelly O’Neil
  • Kendall Summerhawk
  • Gina Bell
  • Derek Fredrickson
  • John Maxwell
  • Jim Collins
  • Michael E. Gerber
  • Ken Robinson
  • Daniel Pink

PaidDarren Hardy

  • Darren Hardy
  • Fabienne Fredrickson
  • Sydni Craig-Hart
  • Laura Gisborne
  • Lisa Sasevich
  • Sandra Yancy
  • Nan Einarson

FriendsTeresa de Grosbois

  • Teresa de Grosbois
  • Marla Tabaka
  • Lara Veltkemp
  • Mary Morassutti
  • Michelle Peavy
  • Shawne Duperon
  • Charmaine Hammond
  • Mark Rhodes

Plus so many others in each category. I am truly blessed with so many amazing peers to share my learning experience with and with technology I can connect and follow every person that engages me to think differently about my business, my clients, and my life.

Guilty As Charged!

Sometimes the hardest part about finding additional time to learn is creating the space in your life to feel good about learning. I know when my daughter says to me, “Mommy, you are always working” I feel so guilty. I know that I created this business so I could be around when my kids get home from school, so I could walk to school with them (more when they were smaller), so I could be home when they were sick, so I could help with homework. Being available when they need me means I work at times that someone working 9-5 would not be working and it is sometimes perceived as “always working” by my kids .  Creating time to read, listen, and attend can sometimes fill me with a guilt that makes me feel inadequate as a parent. “How can I take more time away from my family?” “How can I be a great leader for my clients if I am not learning and growing?” These two questions are always at odds with each other. There is a balance that must be struck for my own sanity.

In one of my past posts (Why Does Being a Parent Give You an Advantage in Business?) I wrote, “There is so much to know about business that if you started down the learning path before you launched, you’d be in an MBA before you opened your doors and still you would not have enough information.” If you want to add value to your clients experience you need to continue to add value to yourself. Do not stop learning.