Me Time - February 2009

Partnerships

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world today have realized that they don’t know everything! When we realize this we begin to look around for people with expertise and an attitude which will add to our business and our lives! This mindset is important for those of us running our own businesses because sometimes a well-planned, well-integrated partnership is the only way we are going to reach our goals. But when it comes to finding partners in business and in life, you don’t need to start off with a bang. Begin with something small, partnering with an alliance or an affiliate, and keep in mind that your employees, customers, sales team, and friends are all partners too and can help you gage what kind of joint relationship would work best. Listen to your inner voice and don’t rush; when the right partner presents her/him self, you’ll sense it.

We connect with people who make us comfortable. But it’s important to take stock in our relationships now and then because while we love and cherish many people, they are not all necessarily going to help us reach our career goals. Look at your associations. Are they positively affecting your forward movement? If you decide they’re not, being able to recognize this is the first step towards awareness, change, and a more successful business. As an entrepreneur, we should spend time assessing those around us and then align ourselves both personally and professionally with the “right” people. If we are riddled with anxiety, stress and fear on a daily basis, it might be time to change the people.

What to charge

When you first open your business, setting prices can be a challenge, you should research similar businesses and set my fees. But don’t make the mistake of setting your fee’s on the low end of the scale. You should convey a message that people can’t afford NOT to hire you. If you set it on the very lowest end of the scale you may look desperate and give the impression that you don’t have confidence in yourself. Don’t think people will flock to you if you have low prices. Even in this tough economy, if you cut your fee’s too low, you’re undervaluing your worth. Do not second guess yourself; do not apologize for your invoices. Rather, provide a superior service or an excellent product and make sure clients/buyers recognize it! Give it all you’ve got because if customers are benefiting from their relationship with your business, they won’t hesitate to pay for it!

Working with facts

Make no mistake - women’s intuition is a force to be reckoned with. Almost every entrepreneur I know based a big part of her business on instinct, going with her gut feeling. Instinct drove their decisions, created momentum and ultimately allowed them to experience feelings of overwhelming self confidence. But in the long run, growth can’t come from instinct alone. Sometimes you’ve got to go around it and look at the facts. Gather the solid data about things like: how many potential customers will you have? How many people are opening your emails? Are you selling something that people want to buy? Are you accounting for your hours in cost of goods sold? Is there a wide enough audience for your product? These are not questions your inner voice will be able to answer. Every business owner needs to have solid data on in order to make day to day decisions.

5 Tips for Uncovering Your Hidden Talents

by Amy Swift
The first step of turning a dream into reality is getting clear on what you want to accomplish. Even if you’re not sure what you want to do or you’ve got a bunch of competing ideas to choose from, it all starts with the creative process. Creativity is a way of thinking about the world and your surroundings, and can take many forms — it doesn’t have to be limited to being a painter, writer, knitter or designer (although it could be). If you open your mind, open doors are sure to follow. Are you ready to discover your true potential? The following exercises are designed to get your wheels turning so your creative spirit and talents can be unearthed!

1. Say “Yes”. Being open to invitations or activities you might normally decline, whether personal or professional, lays the groundwork for the forward momentum you need to make a change. Think of it this way, sometimes not doing something is really just an easy way to maintain life’s status quo. But our goal is to help you start seeing things in a new way, meeting different people, and having unexpected experiences that will lead you toward success, one step at a time.
        Take action: Start saying “yes” this week. Accept an invitation, idea or suggestion that you’d normally decline. This could mean doing something new with the kids (for example, making up a story versus reading one), going on a creative outing to a museum or exhibit, or even taking a new route to work.
2. Be afraid. Yes, that’s what we said! The more you can step out of your comfort zone in small ways, the faster you’ll be comfortable with the idea of turning your dream into a reality.
         Take action: Do something that scares you this week (and write about it on the Dreamers Into Doers message board!) Serve a new recipe for friends and see if they think it’s “sellable,” test an idea at your child’s pre-school to see what other parents think, or make a phone call to get more information on your future product — even if it’s still just an idea. Use fear or doubt to move you forward, not keep you stuck.
3. Clear the clutter. It’s important to build a dream on a great foundation, but sometimes, a messy home or even an overcommitted calendar can get in the way.
        Take action: Get organized. Everyone has a room or corner that doesn’t get enough TLC. Clean under the bed, file overdue paperwork, and get rid of anything in your home that’s blocking your path or broken. Try one area this weekend and feel the difference.
4. Find inspiration. Everyone needs a role model; it’s natural to look up to people who have accomplished amazing things. Martha Stewart is a great example of someone who harnessed her creativity and passion and turned it into a thriving business.
        Take action: Find a muse. Research someone who inspires you, who has a story you could follow, or who has a business model you might use for your own project. How did they get started? You might be surprised at how little many very successful people knew about their business before getting into it. They relied on hard work, timing, creativity – and you can too.
5. Get support. Did you know that creativity is contagious? Just try putting yourself in a creative environment and not catching the bug! Isolation has the opposite effect — it’s one of the biggest dream killers.
         Take action: Create a community. Find at least one person (up to five or six would be ideal) whom you can check in with weekly and use as a sounding board for ideas. Encourage him or her to bring ideas and act as a point of accountability for each other.

Are you taking on too much? - January 2009

Never underestimate the amount of time being involved in “something” takes. Last year I got involved in managing a non-profit venture and although I enjoyed it immensely and knew that I was “doing good” it took many hours away from my own business and I am sure it has attributed to my newly acquired silver hi-lites, I still intend to be involved this year but not in a “management” role. I see women doing this all the time. Keeping down a corporate job, or running their own businesses and taking on everything that comes their way. Yes we’re natural multi-taskers, but some women have a bad habit of feeling like they’re not doing enough when really they’re doing too much. Don’t beat yourself up about what you’re NOT doing right at this moment. Life is a journey and you’re going to end up doing a lot of things so enjoy where you are now and make your decision based on that. Re-evaluate when you feel it’s time and then move on. Block out the noise and let your life emerge based on your needs and the needs of those closest to you. This year, I will still be “doing good” but not to the detriment of my business or precious time with my loved ones.

I wish you your best year ever in 2009 - Julia

Me Time - November 2008

Hi. I am delighted that you are reading this. From chatting to a great variety of women from all walks of life over the past month I have realized that a lot of us are in the season right now in our lives, where we are developing a greater appreciation for what is really important. We all know that hips expand, chins double and body parts sag but the journey along the way has so many valuable life lessons for us to learn and despite what others may think, in many ways we are better than we have ever been! What I have also noticed is that we all share similar dreams and fears. We worry about our children, our aging parents, do we have Botox or don’t we, ha ha? The good news is that we don’t have to face all of this alone, everywhere you look women are living lives like ours. So I would like to encourage you to make plans with your friends and spend time with those you love, experience deep joy and fulfillment from friendships and make this season the best time of your life!

Julia

Momtrepeneur

Lisa Hoffman, wife of Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman has the following to tell us with regards to finding a balance as wife, mom, entrepreneur. “Honestly finding a balance is something that I work on all day, every day. I’m sleeping a lot less. So sometimes before I connect with a child I’ve already put in four or five hours of work. I’m dedicated to my marriage too and I love spending time with my husband. I’m still getting used to having this third wheel called a laptop always with us.”

As a “Momtrepreneur”, I heed the advice of flight attendants. I always put on my oxygen mask before helping my baby with his. It’s one of the ways I use a balance of practicality and spirituality to make my day a productive and empowering one. I believe rewarding oneself is vital to well-being and to being of service to others. Every morning and every night, I contemplate my to-do list for the day. I then alphabetize these in order of priority, then allocate each an approximate time. I make sure to put a large checkmark by these when done. I also recently pilfered several notepads from a local hotel that I found brilliant. Rather than “to do lists”, they are titled, “Accomplished lists.” My daily program may include verifying the Google reports for my website, a conference call for my ministerial training, and drafting a newsletter or press release, but it will certainly also include scheduling a stop to the new frozen yogurt place down the street. Because you know if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

Me Time - September 2008

Hi there!

After a rather confusing winter where the weather seemed not to be able to make up her mind, Spring has arrived. On Wednesday this week I had to attend a wonderful Spring Ladies Tea Party, so I thought I would get up earlier than usual and spend a little extra time getting ready. I ran the shower, put a few drops of gentian violet into my hair conditioner (well much more than just a few drops just to be sure I end up with shiny hi-lights) stepped under the soothing warm water and within minutes I was washed, scrubbed and PURPLE!!! My enhanced blonde head was now resembling Barney and my hands and arms had streaks of the awful colour all over them. I could not believe how silly (generous) I had been and I began to have visions of arriving at the tea party looking like Dame Edna with 65 women laughing at me!

You can imagine how happy my hair dresser was to receive a call from me at 6am this morning but she was very accommodating! As soon as I had the kids off to school I rushed over to her studio and she gave my hair a “bleach” bath and within 45 minutes I was ME once again! There are some amazing women in South Africa and Ooh la la is all about marketing their businesses, finding the balance in our busy lives and of course the all promoting the all important Me-time!

Julia

Are you a professional juggler, life, kids, work, hubby, family, shopping, home, me-time!

• Take Care of Yourself First: “You’re going to need energy for this juggle.”
• It’s a Juggle, Not a Balance: “Different things take precedence at different times, as they should. If you have a sick child, that’s what’s important. If you have a trial, that’s what important. . this way you can achieve some balance over time. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
•  Stay Focused on What is Important to You and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
•  Establish Routines that reinforce time for the relationship or passion: She mentioned making time for exercise or reading to kids every night or having a date-night with your loved one
•  Be There When You Are There: “You can actually go to the park without your BlackBerry.”
•  Enjoy the Ride whilst you are juggling - have a wonderful, rich, interesting life.”