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Planning-It’s the Only Way to Get There!!

“Your achievement can be no greater than your PLANS are sound.” ~ Napoleon Hill

What’s possible for you in 2013? Well, quite frankly, I believe ANYTHING is possible for you in 2013, once you are clear on a vision and have a solid plan on which to move forward.

Without a vision, plan and action steps, it may be a challenge in getting to where you’d like to go in your business or your life. When I start working with a new client, I’ll ask them, “Where would you like to be in six months, or a year, or 3-5 years?” And so often, it’s not something that they have thought about or are even very clear about. And if you’re not clear on where you’re going-you most certainly won’t get there.

I’ve experienced that in my own business, where I either didn’t create a plan to help me achieve or get to a place I wanted to be, or I didn’t stick with the plan. Both of these are crucial to your success. Not only do you need a plan-you must stick to the plan, which can sometimes be very challenging for entrepreneurs who have “bright-shiny-object syndrome.”

Many people this time of year start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, but I must say I have found for me and my clients, that reflecting, visioning and creating a roadmap to get there, have more staying power than creating New Year’s resolutions.

Visioning is the first step to planning. You have to know where you’d like to end up, before you can write the plan. So, take out a piece of paper and give yourself the luxury of taking 15-20 minutes to do this exercise.

Step 1- Create a vision for yourself and your business.

Imagine that it is December 31, 2013 and you are going to write yourself a letter talking about all that you accomplished in 2013. Where do you live, what do you do, who are you doing it with, how much money did you make, where are you working, who are you working with, what do your clients look like? The more details you can provide in your letter the better.

Don’t judge yourself as you write. Whatever comes to mind put it down on the paper. Do not worry if what comes up doesn’t seem possible, or you can’t afford it, or you can’t figure out “how” you would accomplish it. Just write the letter in present tense and pretend the date is December 31, 2013.

Step 2- Fold it up, put it in a sealed envelope.

Mark on the outside of the envelope your name and Vision 2013-then put it somewhere safe, in your desk drawer, dresser drawer-someplace where you won’t lose it.

Step 3- Mark a reminder in your calendar or smartphone

Put the reminder on December 30 or 31st of 2013. The reminder will say, “Find your vision letter for 2013”. After you’ve read the letter, note what actually happened, what’s different between reality and your vision, and be grateful for all of it. Then rinse and repeat, by writing a new letter to yourself putting yourself at December 31, 2014.

Now that you’ve created a vision for 2013, you may want to put some action steps into place with timelines that will help ensure you get there. If you feel you’d like some support and guidance on doing this, be sure and sign up for my teleclass, “Planning for 2013-Your Best Year Ever!” on Thursday, January 3, 2013. It costs you absolutely nothing except your time and commitment to showing up and I can guarantee, it will get you started on the right foot for a successful 2013!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. .Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Having a System is Everything

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This morning, as I struggled to find my black pants, dug through a box to find my black shoes, struggled again in the kitchen looking for the frying pan and trying to find the salt for my eggs, it occurred to me that having a system is everything.

Not that I hadn’t realized this before, but I finally realized this week after my family moved into our new house, what makes it so hard about moving is the lack of systems and lack of an organized environment. Not only do I find it stressful and frustrating, it’s also very time-consuming and I’ve spent hours the last few days, walking around in circles (or so it seemed) looking for a particular object or item.

The same can be said for your business.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Is your work environment organized in a way that makes it simple and easy for you to find what you need? Or do you have piles on your desk, business cards you’ve picked up at networking events strewn all over and several empty coffee cups? Is the aesthetics of your work environment pleasing to your eye and makes you feel good just by being in it? Or, are you using mismatched furniture, with boxes piled around you?

It’s important to have an efficient, pleasing (to your eye) looking office area or work environment. It not only makes you feel better, but studies have shown it increases your productivity three fold.

MARKETING SYSTEMS: It is important to create the systems you need so you will consistently take action and create great results in your business. You will always need to market and keep your pipeline filled with potential clients-which can sometimes feels overwhelming and draining. By creating and implementing tried-and-true systems you will develop a more organized and productive approach to running your business and achieving your financial goals.

INVOICING AND BILLING SYSTEMS: Have you created a system for invoicing your clients and paying your bills? Or do the bills sit in a pile on your desk? And you are always doing last minute invoicing to your clients when you have a spare minute? There are lots of great systems out there to help you systematize the financials for your business.

I challenge you to look at your work environment and your business to see where implementing a system could help reduce your stress, overwhelm and free up some time so you can work on the important things like getting more clients and making more money. If you think getting some support around these areas might be helpful to you and your business, feel free to schedule a get acquainted call with me (no strings attached, I don’t work with everyone, so this is just a get acquainted call) to see if I might be able to help you “systematize” your business!!

5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Moving

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I’ve done it sixteen times before, so you wouldn’t think it was any big deal. Moving that is. This week, as my family and I pack up our things and move from our home of ten years into a new home and community, I’ve had the chance to reflect on the parallels between moving to a new home and being an entrepreneur.

Not that I’ve orchestrated the perfect move-not by far, but it’s because it hasn’t been perfect, that I’ve been able to look at the similarities between my move and my business.

Lesson #1-Make a plan

Any new major initiative or project needs a good plan. Mapped out with who’s responsible for what, when it’s going to get done and what the results and outcomes hope to be. It’s also a good idea to get input from others, because it’s impossible for one person to see everything that may need to get done. You need other eyes and ears to help you out.

Lesson #2-Mark out the time-and stick with it!

Okay, so I was really good at the first part of this-I marked out lots of time on my calendar for sorting, going to Goodwill, the dump, returning things that belonged to others and of course for packing. But when it came to sticking with the schedule, it was not unusual for me to find three or four other more interesting things to do, rather than pack boxes. Then I ended up scrambling at the last minute getting everything packed. When you mark out your time to work on something important in your business, treat that time as if you had an appointment with your most important client!

Lesson #3-Do a little bit everyday

I once had a boss who would ask, “How do you eat an elephant?” and people would look at him quizzically, “One bite at a time”, he would say. And it’s true, doing a little bit everyday, when you have what feels like an overwhelming project, is the best way to approach it. So often we think we need a half day, or even a full day to start working on a new project or product in our business, so we wait, and wait, and wait until we have that half or full day. But you know what? It never comes, because we rarely if EVER have a half or full day with nothing on the calendar. So take a little bit at a time and keep plugging away. Which is how I approached my packing, a little bit here, and little bit there. Working in 90 minute increments is very helpful, by the way.

Lesson #4-Dump what isn’t working for you anymore

As entrepreneurs, we often start down a lot of rabbit holes. In other words, we like to start new projects, you know, the bright shiny object syndrome. We often start or implement things that may not be working for us so well anymore. Just like when you’re moving, you sort through a lot of things you don’t wear, don’t use and don’t need anymore. Take the time to look at your business and ask yourself, what isn’t working for me here anymore, what can I stop doing or get rid of?

Lesson #5-There’s fear and trepidation-even when you know it’s the right thing

This is the lesson that surprised me the most. My husband and I have been planning on moving for quite some time now. It’s something we really wanted to do for our family. But even when it’s something you REALLY want-it doesn’t mean there isn’t fear that comes along with it. And that was the surprise. Usually I feel the fear when I’m not 100% certain that I want to do something, or move in a particular direction, so it surprised me to feel fear about this move. Just like in our businesses when there’s something we know we REALLY want to do in order to play bigger in our businesses, the fear can paralyze us. However, it’s important to realize that we can’t let the fear hold us back-that we must move through it, trust we are on the right path and just go for it!

I’m looking forward to getting from Point A to Point B, grateful for the time we’ve had in this house and in this community, and looking forward to new experiences and friends in our new community. And, I’m grateful for the reminder lessons I’ve learned in the last month-hope they are helpful to you and your business!

Do You Have Plans?

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I have always found the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas a great time to get your plans in place for the New Year! When I used to work in corporate and our fiscal year ended on December 31^st, we were always spending September and October doing strategic planning for the upcoming year. It always felt too early and sometimes difficult to come up with tactical plans for the following year, particularly when you were looking out over a year in advance at the fourth quarter of the New Year.

But I always appreciated, when I got to January 2^nd and was back to work-I could hit the ground running, because I already knew EXACTLY what I had to do! So, what are your plans for 2013? How much money do you want to make? How much is that broken down month by month, or week by week? What programs and products do you want to introduce?

Do yourself a favor. Today, take a couple of minutes to look at your calendar, schedule at least a half day with yourself, and a full day if you can. Block it off in your calendar. If you have a team you work with, you might want to consider taking your team with you for this time, if you’re by yourself, then plan to go to a quiet place where you can think, dream and be inspired.

Take the time to answer these questions as they pertain to your business in 2013:

How much money do you want to make in the New Year?
What are three risks you are going to take in the next 90 days?
Where is the low-hanging fruit in your business or organization and what is your plan to immediately go after it?
What new product or services will you be introducing in Quarter 1, 2, 3 and 4?
How can you serve even more people than you are currently serving?
What’s the one thing you need to STOP doing?
Where are the areas that need to be systematized in your business?
What are the specific programs, products or services you will be offering in Jan, Feb and Mar?
What one self-care practice will you commit to doing weekly?
Where will you play bigger in your business in 2013?

Please let me know how you did with this exercise! It’s so important to take the time to PLAN and strategize in your business. And make sure you’ve checked out my JUMPSTART YOUR BUSINESS IN 90 DAYS coaching program. It could be just the thing you and your business need to make the difference between doing well…and doing GREAT!

Is it Time For You to Hire a Coach?

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I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should invest in a coach at a minimum of at least once in their life and ideally, on a fairly frequent basis. You can now hire coaches for almost anything you can think of, to help you lose weight, find a mate, lose a mate, get over a mate, put your baby to sleep, have a healthier lifestyle, healthier business-you name it, there’s a coach for it.

I often get people who, upon learning what I do for a profession say, “I could sure use your services”, but upon further conversation and follow-up don’t really take action on their comment. But how do you know when is the right time to hire a coach?

Coaches can provide a lot of different results, depending on what you’ve hired them to help you do. But I believe there are three basic areas where people can greatly benefit from coaching:

1-Accountability-it is very difficult, in fact nearly impossible, to hold yourself accountable without some kind of consistent mechanism or system to keep you on track. Most of us “know in our heart of hearts” what we need to be doing in our businesses, diets, relationships etc., but have trouble sticking with the game plan-because there’s no accountability in our lives. Having a coach provides that mechanism and weekly or bi-weekly check-in with a coach can provide the stability to “stay the course” so we can start to get traction and make progress that up until now, we’ve only dreamed about.

2-Support, Motivation and Tough Love– While we all have family and friends who can provide at least one, maybe two of these traits, it is often rare to find someone who can provide all three. A coach’s job is to hold your vision and goals for you and keep your eyes directed on the prize-even when the road gets tough, particularly when the road gets tough. Having a coach who has an objective viewpoint, AND holds your best interests in mind is what makes the difference and helps you to see the longer view, or bigger vision for yourself or your business.

3-Revealing our Blindspots-We all have them and it’s also impossible for any of us to see our own blindspots. And yet, it’s often our blindspots that can keep us stuck and feeling overwhelmed. A coach is trained to help you uncover your blindspots and help you look at things through a different lens.

If you’ve considered investing in a coach to help you in some area of your life or business, I strongly urge you to follow your intuition and interview a coach or two to get a sense of what kind of results they are getting for their clients. In fact, I would welcome the opportunity to have a 30 minute get acquainted session with you to learn more about your business and to explore whether there may be an opportunity for us to work together. Click here to schedule a time for us to chat!

The Power of “I Am”

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Pastor Joel Osteen says if you want to know what you’re going to be like in five years, you should listen to what you’re saying about yourself right now, because the words you speak can become your destiny. Watch this truly inspirational two-minute video as Pastor Osteen, one of America’s most influential spiritual leaders, leads Oprah and the audience in a powerful “I am” exercise. And I challenge you to participate in the 31 days of positive declarations that just might change your life!!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

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