Category Archives: entrepreneurs

Apr27

The Faster I Run, The Behinder I Get…

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The Faster I Run, The Behinder I Get…

It has been quite an “Alice in Wonderland” sort of week – the days have flown by.  Part of this is the disruption of my normally hectic schedule with the inclusion of jury duty.  And the issues and opinions about Jury Duty from the employer and employee perspectives.  And yes, this means I am serving on a Jury.

That is not the focus of today’s blog, though.  It is how I am juggling my management duties that is the subject today.

I am diligently checking my voice messages and emails in the mornings before court, at lunch break and after court.  If I need to provide information for my team, I do so.  Yesterday I went into the office to take care of some dangling items… and while in conversation with my boss, I couldn’t help but think of the book – The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated), because in spite of the concerns and fears that were expressed, I am confident that I am able to keep up and keep the company moving forward, even when I am not there.

Part of this is because I trust the team.  I trust that they will ask me for help if they need it, in enough time to render it without endangering the clients or the services we provide.

And I feel as though they are capable.  I hope that they feel that from me.  I have confidence in them.

I believe that these two things – Trust and Confidence in your team – are the greatest tools a manager can have in their skill set.

I guess the proof will be in the pudding, because I have a scheduled vacation coming up later in May, as well.  :-)

And I will be limiting my accessibility during vacation (but I won’t be totally out of touch).  These things are taken one step at a time.

After all, I don’t want to end up like “Alice”.

Mar26

We are in the land of “New is Better”

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We are in the land of “New is Better”

Sometimes it feels as though we are in the land of “New is Better” – we are a consumer society… looking for the next new thing.

A good example is Pinterest.com - this social site caught people’s imagination like wildfire, and why?  Not only was it “new” it was visual.  And a picture is worth a thousand words, right? WHat is Pinterest?  Basically it is a web-based application that allows you to create “boards” like bulletin boards in real life, with themes, and share images/pictures/videos that you find from around the internet with people who choose to “follow” you.  It allows you to tweet or connect to Facebook in order to publicize your “Boards”.  You can see my Pinterest boards by clicking here (it is a link inviting you to join to see my boards).

And as soon as it caught on, we (the collective we) started looking for ways to make best use of this new social media tool.  There is a whole panoply of resources that seemingly sprung up, spontaneously, out of nowhere addressing the many ways to market your business or wares using Pinterest.com.

But like any new tool, you should take a look at how much you can benefit versus how much effort you will be putting in.

One of the grand challenges that we all face is carving out regular time to manage and attend to the variety of tools we have at our fingertips.  Facebook pages, Google+, Twitter, Posterous, Friend Feed, and Pinterest – to name a few, are only as successful as the effort that is applied to them.  The investment of time, and sometimes money, requires planning and discipline.

I have seen many folks throw up their hands and declare that -fill in the blank- social media doesn’t work for them, after only a minimal effort.

There are few free lunches.  You have to carve the time out or assign someone to do it, or invest in one of the many applications out there to do it for you.  Time or money or both.

But take heart, if you do expend the effort, you will get your name out there, and your service or product.  Marketing is not necessarily about the dollars brought in, but in the awareness of your business that is heightened by the effort.

Good luck, and please comment with your experiences!

 

Mar16

A Great Tool for Embracing Change: The 90 Second Rule

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A Great Tool for Embracing Change: The 90 Second Rule

I’ve been listening to an audio program in my car that I find really helpful, presented a coach named Jim Fannin.  Take a 7-minute break to listen to this YouTube video that explains the technique as it can be applied to family relationships.

This is just an introduction to a program with several other simple, effective techniques that Jim teaches.  These are techniques that can be used in just about any situation, whether you are being cut off in traffic (grrrr), relating to others at home or at work, improving health and losing weight, or managing people and running a business.

One of the key points he makes on the first CD of this series is that the average person has 2500 or more thoughts each day, while peak performers have fewer thoughts, maybe 1000 or 1500.  That seems paradoxical, doesn’t it?  But in reality we are bombarded with a constant flow of interruptions and distractions: traffic noise, the ping from email, text messages, phone calls, knocks on the office door, and the biggest distraction of all – our own wayward thoughts, many of them dwelling on the negative.  If we can take 90-second breaks to “breathe like a baby” and to “re-boot our minds” as Jim suggests, we are then able to control our emotions and focus our efforts more effectively.

Try it – it works.  It slows down the merry-go-round of contemporary life and thus prevents the mental and emotional “dizziness” that can accompany coping with constant change.

You can find the 90 Second Rule Audio Program on Jim’s website, at the Nightingale Conant website, or on Amazon.  I find Jim a compelling teacher, perhaps similar to Jim Rohn, a great teacher and one of my all-time favorite business philosophers.

Rohn said, “Either you run the day or the day runs you. “  Jim Fannin’s program provides you with a handy toolbox of techniques to manage your daily life more effectively.

Mar4

Managing Change

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Managing Change

Just what is “Change Management“?  And why, as a small business person, sole proprietor, artist or consultant – should I bother about managing change?

Let’s start with what it is.  One definition of Change Management is the process of developing a planned approach to change in an organization. Typically the objective is to maximize the collective benefits for all people involved in the change and minimize the risk of failure of implementing the change.

So why bother trying to manage change in your business?  I know, you manage the whole shebang, you roll with the punches and you call the shots… but you are still subject to the whims of the regulations out there, and you are still a growing and evolving business (at least I hope so) – so external forces will force change upon you sooner or later.  Whether it is a new tax law, sudden audit, or the need to upgrade your tech – change happens.

There are numerous tools for Change Management – you can find materials at CorporateTrainingMaterials.com and multiple sites which offer articles and processes for your use.  You can find them easily enough in your search engine (like Google or Bing) by searching on “articles on change in business“.

I think that the major thing to bear in mind with Change Management is that it requires that you consider the change and its affects and ramifications prior to launching the change.

In other words, think before leaping.

And most of the small businesses I have seen, have been at one extreme or the other – paralyzed into no change or leaping helter skelter with little regard for the results of the changes.

I recommend aiming for the middle ground. :-) All things in moderation.

Consider what the change is before you initiate it, but don’t over think it.

And remember to trust your gut.

Mar1

The Future – What’s Next?

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The Future – What’s Next?

The recent post entitled “Resistance is Futile” discussed some of the good and bad aspects of change and our tendency to resist it.  Another way to alter our filters and look forward with enthusiasm to what the future may bring is to spend some time monitoring sites or blogs that measure trends and look ahead to see new directions in business, technology, or everyday living.  I’d like to share some of these resources with you, in hopes that you’ll become more optimistic about the positive advancements that are coming.  The mainstream news, especially on TV, is often filled with war, crime, mayhem and tragedy.  But there are lots of positive things happening in the world that just don’t make it to the airwaves.

A good site for looking at business and entrepreneurial trends is Springwise.  You can subscribe to a free newsletter from the site, or just check it when the mood strikes you.  Recent featured businesses included DOGTV, a “scientifically developed, pup-approved” cable network for canines — love the idea.  No need for pooch to be lonely while you’re at work — he’ll be entertained!  There are plenty more intriguing ideas on the site, and if you consider yourself a trend watcher, you may want to join their 15,000 spotters from around the globe who tell them about new business ideas.

The non-profit organization World Future Society, whose motto is “Tomorrow is Built Today,” is another inspiring place to go when you’re pondering the future.  Sign up for their free newsletter; you might want to become a member or attend a meeting.  In July of 2012 they will hold a conference in Toronto, WorldFuture 2012, where you can meet the most successful entrepreneurs of the next decade.  I found out about this organization a couple of years ago from a friend of mine who goes to their annual conference as a coach every year, and I’ve paid attention to it ever since. Most public libraries carry their magazine, The Futurist, so you can get a taste of their research prior to joining.

There are many other great resources to help you look forward to a better future rather than dwelling on the sad aspects of life.  Fast Company is a good print publication if you like to have a tangible product to read, or of course, you can download it to your tablet, e-reader, or computer.  Entrepreneur Magazine is another publication geared to business owners.

I also like to monitor university research.  Many of our universities have formed alliances with business leaders and venture capitalists to encourage innovation.  For example, the University of Texas at Arlington, a suburb of Dallas, has a magazine called Inquiry that features the innovative research taking place at the university and how it is being translated into practical, real-world products.  Here’s an additional link to Harvard University’s research programs. 

Pick practically any university in the US, Europe, Asia or Africa, search on the university website, and look at what’s happening with research related to biology, chemistry, anthropology, medicine, or similar study realms. I guarantee you’ll come away encouraged and far more optimistic than if you watched reality TV or the evening news.

Feb29

8 Qualities to Watch For

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8 Qualities to Watch For

I just ran across an article in INC that I thought was share-worthy:  “8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees“.

I might add that if you change your perspective just a little… those 8 qualities apply to remarkable artists, consultants, entrepreneurs and other professionals.

Happy Leap Day.

 

Feb27

Creating Change

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Creating Change

Ann Adams and Liz Brensinger of Green Heron Tools wanted to find and sell gardening tools for women – and not just ones that had been given a touch of pink to feminize the look of them.

Just one problem… they couldn’t find any tools specifically made for women.

So they set about to study what would be needed, got a research grant, and designed a hybrid shovel-spade that took into account the differences in how women use the tools, their strengths and weaknesses, and -presto- a new line of tools for women was created.

Creating change is often driven by a need.  Remember that the mother of invention, is necessity.

Embracing change can also be driven by need.  For example, I will gratefully embrace a shovel that enables me to work the way my body is designed to work and save my shoulders and lower back from the excruciating results of my gardening efforts.

Figuring out what need is being addressed by a change is part of learning to absorb that change and move on, in life as well as in business.

Creating change is the entrepreneur’s (and artist’s) greatest tool… find a need and fill it, or find a new way of looking at something – both work to build a stronger, better business and grow the potential client base.

Go out and make some changes!

Feb24

Pulling off the Band-Aid

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Pulling off the Band-Aid

Everyone deals with change.

Not everyone deals with change the same way.

In business, as in the rest of your life, you should know yourself well enough to know if you are a “pull the band-aid off slowly” or “yank the band-aid off quickly” kind of change processor.

Further, before instituting changes in your business, you need to assess the change embracing styles of your co-workers, employees, clients, and vendors.

Yes, to successfully embrace change you must know yourself, and figure out others.

Okay. Don’t panic.

You don’t need to psychoanalyze everyone around you.  But do give it a bit of thought.

If you are a “pull it off slowly” kind of person – you can help yourself ease into changes.  And the same goes for those around you.  You can plan to explain the change(s) in advance of them happening a few times to get that person or persons comfortable with embracing the change.  Yes, even negative changes, like lay-offs.

If you are a “yank it quickly”person, but you are dealing with slow changers, you can plan for it so you won’t be impatient (maybe even reward yourself somehow to be sure you don’t race through things for the benefit of those you wish to embrace the change with you).

On the flip side, if you are a “slow change”person, and those around you are “quick”- then you can prepare something ahead of time for them. Anticipate their immediacy with a written document answering all their questions, so that you won’t have to react on the fly and potentially upset yourself and those you are trying to bring along with you to the change!

This fundamental part of embracing change is often overlooked.

Which leaves participants feeling left out, frustrated, uninformed, or sets them in the “reticent” position – making you work extra hard to convince them to change.

If your business, practice, consultancy has to make changes.  Start with figuring out the change-style of those involved – for more insight to personality styles check out the free temperament evaluations on Kiersey.com. Or take a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment.

Have a great week-end.  More on the subject of Embracing Change coming next week.

Feb21

Welcome to OZ

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Welcome to OZ

OZ – the Outer Zone.

Welcome to OZ.

If you are an artist, craftsperson, small business person, consultant – you have broken the barrier of the Comfort Zone and moved into the Outer Zone.

Or have you?

One of the problems with the Comfort Zone is that we tend to rebuild it wherever we land, after breaking through the membrane of complacency.

As business people, we rely on our strengths to carry us through.  And every so often something new occurs, and requires an adjustment to the Zone.

Change.

It is inevitable, and like death and taxes, it requires an enormous will power and several experts to thwart, and usually – you only windup forestalling the inevitable.

How do you learn to embrace change?

That will be the subject of the next post… in the meantime, enjoy OZ and remember to “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”.