We entrepreneurs have a way of turning into workaholics. It’s so easy to do. When you’re first starting out, there’s so much to do that many new entrepreneurs feel a compulsion to work until it’s all done. And when you love what you do with fervor, sometimes it’s hard to stop!
Usually I spend the month of December relaxing with family, preparing for the holidays, and doing my annual year-end assessment and pre-year planning. This holiday season was a little different. Since most of my clients were heading out of town or focusing on their own holiday festivities, my calendar was light enough that I decided to conduct my first ever group coaching program.
Boy, did I discover some things about balance while trying to do it all! Here are some of the lessons I learned the hard way:
1. Set regular working hours and keep them
The entrepreneurial lifestyle is often appealing because of the promise of flexible working hours. Sure, in many businesses, you can work whenever you want, but that doesn’t always mean that you should.
I set my working hours based on two factors: when I work best and when my clients are working and want to meet with me. There’s balance to be found here. If you happen to be a night owl, there’s nothing wrong with working when you’re at your best, but that doesn’t mean you should expect clients to show up for appointments at 3 a.m.
Regardless of what your working hours are, creating a structure and using self-discipline to stick to your structure will almost always help you to become more successful.
But remember, this works both ways- you have to stick to your structure and not become a workaholic. I myself have workaholic tendencies, and when my husband and I got married, I promised I would stop working each day at a certain time and I wouldn’t work on weekends, and I’ve kept to that…mostly…which has kept me sane and kept my marriage on track (though Leo is super-understanding when I’m on a deadline or working on a launch).
2. Make sure others in your family know your plans.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that if you don’t make it clear when you’re working, you’re likely to end up getting interrupted a lot. It’s better to make sure everyone knows you’re working, whether you actually say, “I will be working until 3:00,” or post a sign on a closed door.
3. Create a plan for work.
Especially at the beginning when you’re just starting your business, there are a million things to do and it can get overwhelming. If you create an overall plan for where you are and where you’re going, then it’ll be easier to prioritize and know where you can outsource. Once you’ve got that overall plan, start chunking your goals and tasks into manageable pieces, then plan what needs to get done each day.
4. Outsource.
I’m a huge fan of outsourcing, and today, the thriving virtual assisting field makes it easier than ever to find someone to take on tasks that you don’t like, aren’t particularly good at, or just simply don’t need to do.
Outsourcing is economically beneficial, and since it frees up your time, you can use that time for more revenue-generating activities, or you can use it to spend more time with your family.
5. Create a plan for play.
For some entrepreneurs, it’s useful to structure “play time” just as you structure your work time. Many of my clients with workaholic tendencies feel guilty if they take time off and don’t do anything, so we create a plan for their time off as well. That way, they don’t waver around, trying to find something to do. Instead, they designate certain times for certain fun activities.
But be careful that you don’t treat your fun time like something you’re checking off of your “to do” list. Play time should feel like play time. Allow yourself to relax and enjoy it.
6. Sleep.
You simply can’t overestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, it’s time to restructure your day and analyze your habits and your sleeping environment so that you get enough sleep and are rested, refreshed, and rejuvenated. This will help you stay on top of things, keep your mind working optimally and your passion high.
If you’re anything like me, your brain has a hard time shutting down, so carve out a 15-30 minute block before bedtime for yoga and/or meditation so that your brain will slow down and let you get some sleep!
7. Stay healthy.
Another thing one can’t overestimate is the value of exercise and staying healthy. If you’re eating badly, it’ll affect your brain and that means low creativity. As an entrepreneur, your creativity is one of your most powerful allies- so feed your brain with healthy food! Eating healthy and staying fit means you’ll have more energy to devote to your business.
The balance between work and home/play is a critical part of your small business success. Pay attention and make sure you include fun in your business plan!
Last week I talked about Step #1 of successfully delegating: deciding what to delegate. The next two steps are to find qualified, reliable professionals and to delegate the work to them. But…how?
Step #2: Choose Qualified, Reliable Professionals
When you delegate to professionals, you have to choose the right ones- people who you can trust to do high quality work on time at a reasonable price. You’ll want to look for people who you can work with personally, who you like and find pleasant to work with. You’ll want people who meet your needs professionally. It’s important that they are able to meet your standards, time constraints, and price requirements.
I have a database of pros I’ve been working with for the last fifteen years, people I know I can trust to do great work on time and within set budgetary requirements. I’ve been sharing these folks with my clients exclusively for years, but what if you’re not one my clients yet? In 2012, I’ll be providing you with an option to access my database of amazing pros, but for now let me say that there are few guarantees when you work with someone for the first time, so protect yourself by getting excellent referrals and references, preferably from sources you know and trust.
Step #3: Delegate to Your Team
Now let’s talk about Step #3, the how of delegating. When you delegate a task to someone, you must remember that you know how to do it- they don’t. Of course there will be some things you’ll offload that are tasks your assistant or web developer handle regularly, but much of the time, your tasks will be unique to you and your business, at least in some way.
As you move forward with delegating, focus on the following: a) Breaking down your tasks into easy-to-follow steps.
Every task can be broken down into steps. And even if you aren’t quite ready to delegate something, it’s never too soon to start creating a “manual” for each task- you never know when you might need or want to have someone step in and manage something for you.
In the book, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber talks about creating a manual for each part of your business. For every job that you do, create a manual that would allow someone to take over that job at any time. And when someone takes on the job, it becomes their responsibility to keep the manual updated with any changes or new procedures. This makes it easy to promote people or replace people, when necessary.
b) Writing clear and concise instructions for each step.
When you write instructions for someone, start by assuming the person reading your instructions has no idea what the job is or how to do it. Write down every single step, even if it’s something that seems obvious to you. Remember, what seems obvious to you may not be so apparent to someone else.
c) Answering questions before you get them.
Sometimes, including an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section in your instructions can be useful. That way you can head off spending a lot of time answering things you might already have answered previously. Check through your sent e-mails for answers to questions you’ve had in the past and re-use the answers in the FAQ. And again, this is a great place where the person you’ve delegated to can take over- let them manage and update the FAQ section as needed.
d) Being available as any questions you haven’t anticipated come up.
As you delegate to others, you’ll find that you want to be sure you have a little time set aside to reply to e-mails and phone calls as your new assistant has questions about his/her new tasks. there are always questions that need to be answered and fine-tuning that needs to be done, so plan ahead and make sure you have the time to manage the transition.
I’ve been thrilled with delegating various tasks and the time (and headaches) I’ve saved myself. There’s always a transition, but it is relatively painless and the reward is almost always worth the effort. A year ago, I delegated the management of one of my online stores to my assistant. There was a substantial learning curve- it took about two weeks before he felt comfortable managing the stores on his own, and during that time, we were e-mailing back and forth several times a day and talking on the phone at least once every couple of days. But once that transition was complete, I was free to spend my valuable time working on other, more profitable tasks, while he managed the day-to-day updates and operations of my store. I saved both time and money and was able to start a whole new business as a result (which he now also manages for me).
Don’t be afraid to delegate. It may be one of the best decisions you can make for your business!
Ross Faris, founder and owner of Your Neighbor's Garden (image from YNG)
I just received a heartbreaking e-mail from one of my favorite family-run businesses. Ross Faris, the founder and owner of Your Neighbor’s Garden, a small home market in the suburbs of Indianapolis (and I dare say, one of Indy’s best semi-kept secrets), passed away last night.
The story of Your Neighbor’s Garden has always held a special place in my heart, partly because it’s such a lovely family story, and partly because it’s such a perfect example of the business philosophy that is so near and dear to my heart. I’ll quote Ross’s own posting of the history of YNG from their web site:
“Thirty years ago my son Greg and daughter Anne asked me if they could have a lemonade stand. I suggested they could make more money selling vegetables from my garden. We started with the produce on a picnic table in our front yard along Grandview Drive. And soon we erected our LOCAL PRODUCE sign at the end of our driveway and moved closer to the house. Sales were brisk so I made my garden larger and started using other parcels of land to expand our garden business. I might add that I was in charge of production and the kids marketing. I took half the proceeds for my contribution and they took the other half.
We first called ourselves FARIS FRUITS AND VEGGIES and after a few years we changed our name to YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GARDEN because at the beginning our Highland Kessler neighbors were our main customers.”
The YNG story continued after the children grew up, and Ross ran YNG part-time for thirteen more years before he retired from a successful career and took the market on full-time, finally satisfying his life-long small business aspirations.
I didn’t know Ross very well. I went to YNG fairly often for fresh, local produce, but more often than not, Ross was busy unloading produce or puttering around in the garage next to the market itself. He was quick with a smile and a friendly hello, and always made sure we had everything we needed. He was a really nice guy, that much I know.
Your Neighbor's Garden home market (image from 4thfrog.blogspot.com)
Your Neighbor’s Garden is (despite the uncertain future of YNG, I hold out hope that Ross’s legacy will continue, so I’m writing in the present tense) the embodiment of what I imagine I would have discovered, if I’d known Ross Faris better. It’s welcoming, friendly, and the kind of place that returns you to a time when we all trusted one another. You see, Your Neighbor’s Garden operates on the honor system. There’s no cashier. There’s a locked cashbox, where you put the money for your produce, or, if you don’t have the right cash on-hand, a handwritten IOU (and you always pay the IOU, because in this day and age, if someone trusts you to give them an IOU, you never want to disappoint them!)
Your Neighbor’s Garden is housed in a small shed next to the Faris’s house. The shed is air-conditioned and there’s a fridge in the back where 4H students and other kids sometimes sell eggs from their chickens. By the street hangs a wooden sign that lists the various kinds of produce in stock. It’s very homey and sweet.
Sign for Your Neighbor's Garden (image from goinglocal-info.com)
I remember the first time I went to Your Neighbor’s Garden. I’d heard about it for years, even drove by without realizing what it was. The first time I actually visited, though, I worried that I might be trespassing on someone’s private property. When I got out of my car, Ross welcomed me with his big smile and I knew I was in the right place.
Over the years, the Faris’s added a small parking lot, started working with other local farmers, and selling at the weekly farmer’s markets in town. And if you’re a “regular” to the home market, then you encounter the same welcoming friendliness when you see YNG staff at the local weekly farmer’s markets around town.
Ross Faris was a brilliant example of a parent teaching his children about small business. Many of us started out with lemonade stands (myself included), but how many kids left their lemonade dreams behind and stopped dreaming the entrepreneurial dream? Ross not only kept the dream alive for 30 years, but transformed it the embodiment of his own small business vision.
I decided to write about this today because I’m so saddened by the loss of Ross Faris from a personal perspective, but also because I also wanted to share his story from a business perspective. So often those with small business dreams think that they have to come up with a grandiose idea or a big invention. So often, people who fantasize about leaving corporate careers behind think they have to spend a lot of money to start a business.
Ross Faris and Your Neighbor’s Garden are a testament to the idea that you can start a business inexpensively, doing what you love, do it in your own style, do it on your terms, and you can do it extremely well.From where I sit, that’s the perfect illustration of a successful Business in Blue Jeans.
Recently, Leo and I discovered a Japanese game show called “Ninja Warrior.” In this show, athletes from around the world (but primarily Japan) test their skill and strength at a seemingly unbeatable obstacle course, in the hopes of becoming a champion worthy of the title, “Ninja Warrior.” The other day, as Leo and I watched yet one more round of warrior athletes performing what seemed like impossible stunts, I reflected on the business and life lessons one might take away from this extraordinary show.
Do something you think you can’t. Ninja Warrior tests are incredibly challenging and often seem impossible. But the competitors are rarely daunted. They always try whatever seems impossible…and even if they can’t defeat the obstacle course, they almost always go home and train for a full six months before returning for the next Ninja Warrior competition and conquering the obstacle that tripped them up last time. Likewise, if you see a challenge and think you can’t do it, try it anyway. Then, if you don’t succeed, train harder until you can do it.
Always compete against yourself, not against others. One of the characteristics that drew us to Ninja Warrior in the first place was that it’s not a competition where participants compete against each other. It’s every man (or woman) against the obstacle course. So rather than worrying about what anyone else is doing, each competitor is focused on doing his or her best. Similarly, in business, we’re often focused on the “old school” concept of watching the competition and worrying about what they’re up to. Instead, focus on you and what you can do to improve and grow, and cheer on your peers. Their success has little to nothing to do with you.
If you fail, keep trying. There’s a group of Ninja Warrior “All Stars” who have participated in many of the Ninja Warrior competitions. If you watched the show from the beginning (as we have) you’d see these competitors go from young upstarts to family men with successful careers. And they just keep coming back to try to conquer the Ninja Warrior obstacle course again and again and again, hoping to succeed where they have failed before (of course, a couple of these All Stars have actually completed the course, but they continue to return to try to conquer the course as it has evolved). In business, if you don’t succeed at something, that doesn’t mean you should give up. In a recent The Experts Series interview with a bestselling author, I learned that this author’s book was rejected two hundred times before he got his book deal that shot him into bestselling status. If you fail, go back and try again and again and again.
Never give up in the middle. Something that keeps us in awe of this show is that none of the competitors ever gives up. Even if a competitor knows the clock is running out and he may not complete the course, he never stops giving his full effort- not until that last second when the buzzer sounds. Likewise, in business, give it everything you’ve got until that buzzer sounds- until you know for sure that what you’re doing isn’t going to work.
Always be gracious and find the fun. Leo and I are constantly impressed with the graciousness of the Ninja Warrior athletes. They cheer each other on, seem genuinely sorry when their comrades fail, and vitually all of the contestants maintain a friendly, lighthearted spirit and focus on the fun of the game. Your business may seem very serious to you, but if you’re too serious or too desperate to succeed, your attitude might be standing in the way of your success. Instead, try to look for the fun in what you’re doing and be as gracious as you can- to your clients, to your competitors, to everyone you encounter.
“Ninja Warrior” isn’t business- it’s a game. But it’s a game with some really powerful lessons that can be applied to business. Ultimately, what Ninja Warrior teaches us is to be as strong as you can, test your limits, never give up, and remember to find the fun in everything you do.
This afternoon I’m interviewing Jack Trout, the world’s leading branding and marketing specialist. Jack and I will be talking about how to make your small business stand out, how to create a brand on a budget, and why coming up with a catchy name for your business just isn’t enough. We’ll talk marketing strategies, positioning, and more!
Join us at 4 PM Eastern Time by joining The Experts Series!
Brian Tracy recently suggested that I try out his new Business Growth Strategies program, and who am I to say no to one of the greatest minds in small business success and personal development? Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars around the globe. He’s the top-selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages and has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement. So, you know, he’s major. And you simply have to know that Brian is the best at what he does.
Obviously, if someone like Brian Tracy personally recommends that you try something out, well, even if it’s his product, I just think you do it. So I immediately took the $1 trial and gave it a whirl.
*BTW, in the interests of full disclosure, please note that I do not have any sort of affiliate relationship with Brian Tracy. Period.
Business Growth Strategies: What is it?
Brian Tracy’s Business Growth Strategies is a seriously high-powered system of videos and written instructions to take you from where you are now to where you want to go with your business.
You start with a Business Profitability Assessment that examines 30 areas of your business. It’s comprehensive, but don’t be afraid- the whole assessment only takes about 10 minutes. That said, beware: this assessment shines a fairly harsh light on your business. I thought I had a pretty good setup with my business, but darned if I didn’t discover pretty quickly that there were at least 12 major areas where I could stand improvement.
What’s pretty cool, though, is that throughout the process, Brian is there, walking you through via video, and he’s just such a nice man and so encouraging that it helps soften the blow when you realize how much help you need (even if, for some bizarre reason I have yet to understand, the videos do tend to remind me a little bit of those Darma Initiative videos from Lost, which also strangely makes the whole thing even more pleasant…if you figure that one out, let me know).
Once you’ve gotten through the assessment, you learn all the areas where you need help and you can start getting into the actual meat of the content.
What you’ll learn:
Business Growth Strategies provides tangible help with just about any aspect of small business growth that you can think of. You learn a lot of theory about business growth, from setting up the right systems, making sure you’re properly capitalized, business planning, sales, marketing, time management, effectiveness, advertising….there’s almost nothing that isn’t covered. Business Growth Strategies is more comprehensive than you can possibly imagine. There are 52 lessons with more than 250 videos recorded by Brian Tracy himself, and every lesson comes with written materials, exercises, and action steps.
Pedagogically speaking…
From a teaching standpoint, the combination of mediums is really smart. You need to watch the videos to get the most out of everything, and probably it’s better if you watch them all more than one time, but you can download and (if you’re so inclined) print out the written instructions to make a pretty awesome workbook with exercises and action steps, so you know exactly what you’re supposed to do.
Although you can skip around the program and focus on whatever topic you want, they’ve set it up so that you get a lesson plan based on your Business Profitability Assessment. That’s pretty wise, because without that lesson plan, the massive amount of material available can get a little overwhelming and daunting.
If you go into this and want to be successful, I’d probably recommend that you plan to stay in the program for six months to a year. That way you can do one lesson a week and really maximize your learning and have plenty of time to take action and implement the recommended strategies.
Who does Business Growth Strategies rock for?
Business Growth Strategies is awesome if you’re just starting a business. You’ll start out the right way and with Brian as your de facto coach, you’ll have a clear plan and strategies in place to smooth out the often bumpy startup road.
It’s also great if you’ve been in business for awhile, especially if you’ve flat-lined. Your business will get a sound tune-up, you’ll find out exactly what you’ve been missing, and you’ll be back on an upward swing.
And, Business Growth Strategies would work especially well for people in a brick-and-mortar businesses who are looking to grow their businesses in traditional ways.
What do I wish Business Growth Strategies included?
Business Growth Strategies is soundly grounded in old-school business principles. You’d expect nothing else from Brian Tracy. So there’s no doubt in my mind that the content is top-notch and of the highest quality.
Still, as much value as the program brings, I’m left wishing that Business Growth Strategies had a small injection of “new school” business principles that factored in newer technologies like internet marketing and social media networking, which is an interesting thing to say since the entire program is internet-based.
That said, business is business, and too many folks in business today think it’s okay to bypass class business principles and as much as we entrepreneurs just love to fast-track stuff, in the end, that just doesn’t work as well. So as much as I’d like to infuse the program with just a wee bit of new school stuff, it’s probably okay that it doesn’t include much of it, because there’s plenty of that out here already.
Overall thoughts…
Do I recommend Business Growth Strategies? Yep. It pretty much rocks the house. It’s solid content, through and through. I didn’t feel sold on other stuff, and really, once you’re in, you’ll just spend time in the program learning. And learning. And learning. Brian Tracy just continues to prove over and over that he’s still got it, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
I recently connected with Al Ferretti (@alferretti) and Skeeter Hansen (@skeeterhansen), founders of both TwitterWatchdog and TweetFormula on Twitter. These guys are super-authentic “Go-Givers” who I spent almost two hours with on the phone last Friday. I learned how they both met their wives, how they both got so many darned Twitter followers (approaching 100,000 between the two of them), and why they created TweetFormula (as a sidenote, if you want to be “in the know” about Twitter, how to increase your following, and how to use Twitter most effectively in your small business, TwitterWatchdog is a wonderful, authentic resource packed with useful, practical content).
After getting an inside peek into the TweetFormula product itself and spending this past weekend delving into the material, I can safely say that I understand why TweetFormula is so popular, and indeed, why Al and Skeeter are doing so well. So what is TweetFormula and why do I dig it so much? Read on….
*BTW, in the interests of full disclosure…please note that I do not have any sort of affiliate relationship with TweetFormula, TwitterWatchdog, Al Ferretti, Skeeter Hansen, or the partridge in a pear tree.
TweetFormula: What is it?
TweetFormula is the brainchild of Al Ferretti and Skeeter Hansen, founders of the crazy-popular and high-content blog, TwitterWatchdog. TweetFormula is a step-by-step formula for getting started on Twitter and creating a strong, authentic following that’s interested in what you have to say. Using a system of online videos, step-by-step written instructions, and bonus teleseminars, Al and Skeeter take you through their 10-step program, one step at a time.
What you’ll learn:
You’ll get started with setting up your profile and learning the basic lingo. You’ll learn how to find the right people to follow (e.g. people who are in your target market) and how to join in the conversation on Twitter. You’ll learn what to do and (almost more importantly) you’ll learn what not to do. You’ll learn how to automate, when to automate, and how to navigate the tricky Twitter waters with ease.
One of the things I really like is that Al and Skeeter include copious information about how to “join the conversation” and build relationships on Twitter. TweetFormula is all about the Go-Giver philosophy — give value, show people that you’re interested in them, and use social media as its intended: to connect with other people. And in doing that, you’ll find that your small business will indeed grow. Even better, these are skills you can transfer to other social media or in-person networking for small business success.
Lest you make the same mistake that I myself made, thinking “All of this sounds very nice, but it’s going to take forever,” Al and Skeeter show you exactly how to set up systems so that your social media becomes efficient, manageable, and doesn’t take up a huge chunk of your day. In fact, one of the last modules focuses on automation and creating efficient systems using third-party tools. It’s included in the later steps to really drive home the point that social media isn’t about broadcasting your promotions, but is a truly interactive medium requiring your commitment to a daily (albeit not constant) presence.
And in an ever-growing sea of third party Twitter “enhancement” applications, most of us find things a bit overwhelming and confusing. Luckily, at exactly the right moments in your training, Al and Skeeter show you the most useful tools (and just enough of them to be useful, but not enough to be overwhelming), so you can build maximum visibility and increase efficiency.
Pedagogically speaking….
The videos in TweetFormula are high-quality. The instructions are clear and easy to understand and follow, and everything is done in a highly methodical fashion. You understand what you’re doing and you learn the reasons why you’re doing this stuff. You get clear action steps for every single module, so you know exactly what you’re supposed to do next.
Who does TweetFormula rock for?
There’s really something here for everyone. If you’re a Twitter newbie, or you just find Twitter a little overwhelming, TweetFormula is a fantastic way to get started. If you’ve been on Twitter for awhile, and your following isn’t growing the way you want it to, you’ll find really helpful information to jump-start your list.
For myself, I thought I was getting a pretty good bead on Twitter. I’m fairly technically-oriented, so I had fancy-schmancy nested systems already set up (all my social media nested inside Ping.fm, nested inside HootSuite with the RSS feed from my blog, plus a little automation help from SocialOomph).
But surprisingly, I picked up some great hints and tricks from TweetFormula that showed me how to set up some new systems that are more efficient. I found out how and where to find new, targeted followers, and just inside this weekend, within 24 hours of just beginning to put those systems into place, added 50 new followers. *UPDATE* Within 7 days, I added well over 300 targeted followers. Not bad, right? And just in case that doesn’t wow you, let me remind you that these are targeted, high-quality folks who I happen to know are in my target market and are interested in what I have to say, and that’s worth its weight in gold. Plus, I also formed some really interesting strategic relationships with some new folks I met along the way.
What do I wish TweetFormula included?
There’s not much missing from TweetFormula, I have to tell you. But the one thing I do wish was included was a bit more detail about how to use the advanced third-party tools they recommend. They do a good job of providing an overview and the “getting started” part, but I suspect that the technophobes who find the basic Twitter instructions useful may need a bit more help with the technical aspects of those third-party tools. You may find, however, that a combination of TweetFormula, manuals and training from the individual third-party tools themselves, and content from Al and Skeeter’s TwitterWatchdog blog may provide pretty much everything you need.
Make no mistake about it, though, TweetFormula is not a “silver bullet.” Al and Skeeter will never tell you that you’ll add thousands of new followers in a week. You won’t have the following of Ashton Kutcher overnight by following TweetFormula. What you will have, however, is a solid following of people in your target market with whom you can build a relationship that over time, will most likely translate into tangible growth for your small business.
Overall thoughts…
Do I recommend TweetFormula? Absolutely. You can’t beat the price point and frankly, the program is worth every penny and then some.
What I really love is that every technique in the program is above-board and totally legitimate. No black-hat stuff for these guys, and you’re not going to get into trouble with Twitter using any of their strategies. Plus, they’re supporting Twitter in exactly the way that it was intended, and showing you how to really use Twitter to build your business. So yes, 100%, I recommend it and heartily at that.
And darned if their Northern accents aren’t just super-endearing, too.
Integrate: I’ll also be hosting a Q&A call the following evening. I’ll briefly review the interview with Bob, then I’ll open up the lines so you can ask me your business questions and get live business mentoring and coaching. Don’t miss this call!
Here are the details for this month’s calls:
DATES AND TIMES: Interview with Bob Burg: February 24, 2010, 8 PM Eastern/7 PM Central/6 PM Mountain/5PM Pacific
Integrate Q&A with Susan: February 25, 2010, 8 PM Eastern/7 PM Central/6 PM Mountain/5PM Pacific
For the first time ever, I’m running a contest, and there are just a few days left to enter! I’m running a one-week-only contest and giving away free Power-Up sessions to three lucky small business owners. Entry is easy and the pay-off is huge!
What You Win: An hour-long, one-on-one Power-Up Session with me, Susan Baroncini-Moe, CEO of Business in Blue Jeans, also known as “The Micro-Entrepreneur’s Mentor.” In this session, I’ll determine the three biggest mistakes you’re making in your business and provide personalized strategies for powering up your business to grow profitability and achieve success.
How To Win: Write one paragraph. Topic: “If I Could Wave A Magic Wand and Change Something About My Small Business, It Would Be…..” Post it on your blog or Facebook page with link back to http://www.businessinbluejeans.com/contest.html (or to this blog entry…makes no difference to me).
Then, e-mail contest@businessinbluejeans.com with a link to your entry (or just e-mail your entry to contest@businessinbluejeans.com) before February 22, 2010. It’s that simple!
Contest Rules: Three winners will be chosen at random on February 22, 2010. You’ll be contacted by me right away.
So…go write your paragraphs! It shouldn’t take too long and you just might win a freebie Power-Up Session with me!
. Bob and I will be talking about how to make sales feel less awkward and uncomfortable and how you can bring more value to your clients. I’ll open up the call for a Q&A so you can ask Bob your own questions, too!