If you want to lead the way in your business, you’re going to have to cut back. Way back.

One of the first lessons an entrepreneur takes to heart is usually that they can’t do it all themselves. They need a team of people to make their dream happen. No one is an engineer, financial expert, marketing professional and receptionist all-in-one. You need to downsize your own contribution to focus on what you do well.

The procedure is roughly akin to what happens when my downsizing house-moving clients need to choose what to take with them to their new abode. They can’t take everything. But how do they choose? Based on utility? Size and space required? Cost that they bought it for (even if it has limited resale value)? Sentimental value? 

The choice for entrepreneurs is a lot easier, actually. Which of your responsibilities are providing real value for your business? Which might be done quicker, more efficiently and at less cost (considering that time is money) than if you did it yourself? These sorts of variables tend to be easier to measure quantitatively. 

Make a list to figure out where you can cut back or out-task and do it. There are only so many hours in the day and to be a leader in your field, you’ll need to focus on what you do best.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

This month’s She-Team theme has been about channeling your passion for business. But this theme is also connected with other topics we’ve covered in past months. I mean, passion is so important to running a business that you can’t avoid talking about it!

Looking back over She-Team articles from the past year, I’ve picked out some of my favorites that tie into this theme:

Shake It or Go Down. Fiona Walsh looks at channeling your negative passion (ie. Frustration) into a positive business outcome.

Find Your Inspiration. Liz Gaige stresses the importance of loving what you do.

I’m Feeling a Pitter Patter in My Heart. Chris Flett talks about falling back in love with doing business development.

Scheduled Profitability. A few of my own suggestions for scheduling your business tasks to handle them while you’ve still got the energy.

Which posts were your favorite ones about channeling your passion for business (from this month or before)? Leave a comment and let us know.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

I think passion is another one of those words we toss around, assuming the meaning, but often not digging deep enough to understand the essence. Passion to me is alignment. Alignment of your natural gifts and talents with an arena of expression. Passion is the skater with a sheet of ice, the skiier with snow covered mountain peak, the golfer with a plush green fairway, the teacher on stage with an audience watching.

I think the biggest barrier between you and your passion is your knowledge and acceptance of yourself. Our whole life we are conditioned to believe that we are not good enough. That we have to learn more, earn more, say more, do more in order to reach some holy grail of accomplishment. This paradigm no longer serves us.

In the silence and stillness of your life is where you will hear your inner voice of wisdom talk to you about your true passions. From there, your job is to be open, to be honest and to be willing to take the necessary inspired action steps that will lead you on a path of alignment.

Passion is not something external that you need to go out and get. It’s internal and you simply need to allow it to come to the surface of your life.

Be brave!!

All the best,

Heather White, CEO 2020 Communications Inc.

“I want to do it myself!” is the chant of every four-year old.  You have to admire their enthusiasm, but the end result doesn’t work so well for them a lot of the time.  As a business habit, it’s not so hot, either.

Our clients outsource because they know they can’t do everything themselves, and entrepreneurs need to recognize this about themselves. Particularly for those of us offering business-to-business services, we can have a habit of not taking our own advice.

We can’t wear all the hats and still feel passionate about our businesses. For instance, I outsource bookkeeping and some other administrative functions so that I can focus on the work that I’m passionate about: helping people and organizations by providing the tools and teaching them the strategies to stay de-cluttered, stay organized and manage time effectively.

Remember the 80/20 rule (organizations typically get 80 per cent of their results from 20 per cent of their efforts) and organize your tasks accordingly, ensuring you spend more of your time on the really productive work.

For small businesses in Canada, the future is looking a little brighter these days (CNW Group) and I’m definitely hearing anecdotal evidence about people (some of them recently handed pink slips) starting new businesses. It’s important for those new entrepreneurs and the experienced business owners among us to not attempt to wear too many hats.

Do what you love, spend your time on the high-impact activities and leverage off the activities you don’t like (but have to be done).

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

I had this video sent to me by another speaker. It is easy to forget that North America is losing many of the advantages it has enjoyed over the last 40 years. Countries around the world, through sheer population are in the ‘passing lane’ in business about to blow by its western counterparts.

This provides an exciting opportunity to examine what is happening and look at how you can harnessing the opportunities these emerging markets are creating. Operate locally, but do business globally. Your markets just got a billion times bigger. How will you connect? What can you offer these markets? What partners can you generate revenue with? What parts of your business can have explosive opportunities if only 0.001% of these markets took notice of you?

It is an exciting time for all of us. Take time to consider how you can benefit from this!

Best,

Chris.
www.GhostCEO.com

Reading Fiona Walsh’s post earlier this week on the “Clutter in my Head” sparked a lightening ‘aha’ moment in me. In retrospect, the energy drains were so obvious, but, that is the beauty of online forums such as this in which we continuously share fundamental best practices that allow business owners and professionals to stay on track, remain focussed on their objectives and constantly be reminded and held accountable to ensuring they are building the business that they want.  

My ‘energy leak’ consisted of two things that, as it turns out, were easy to fix: the development of a new system and ignorance.  

Firstly, systemization.  As a business coach and someone who spends countless hours every week reviewing profit models, sales funnels and other systematic measurables I know first hand how imperative they are. That said, I, like most other entrepreneurs and ‘idea’ people, get ridiculously excited when I see a great way to break into a new market, and sometimes, as in this case I practice the shoot, ready, aim, method.  This is all well and good until the marketing campaign supersedes your anticipated results, the calls and emails start to pour in and you realize #$%& I don’t have a system ready to manage this stuff.  (Well, actually, I was simply $%^& until I read Fiona’s post, sat down and identified what was really sucking my energy and then I realized I needed to develop a new system.)  From there, it was straight forward; where do I already have similar systems set up that I can copy, tweak and implement.  Done.

Secondly, ignorance.  I’ve been playing around with social media for a while and although, having been born in the 80’s this stuff should come naturally to me, it doesn’t.  Cosmopolitans come naturally to me.  Back to Fiona’s post, the second thing that was really frustrating me was that I had a toe in these social networking vehicles, but, I wasn’t using them effectively because I really didn’t know how – there I said it.  Now that I knew what was sucking my energy, I set out to make it right.  First stop, low hanging fruit – who do I know that knows a lot about social networking? - Mhairi Petrovic

Out-Smarts.com

Next stop, Mhari’s blog – wealth of information.  Oh, and free 75 minute teleseminar this week – I’ve never written so many notes!!! 

Fiona, thanks for the awesome and timely reminder, figure out what’s cluttering up your mind, write it down, develop an action plan and start moving.  The rest – serendipity!

All the best,

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

Falling in love with your business begins with being able to fall in love with yourself.  As women, we are quick to pick up on our imperfections and shortcomings and slow to acknowledge our gifts, talents and strengths.  All you have to do is take a walk by a magazine rack and notice all the buzz words indicating the need to change in order to be great: thinner, younger, more successful, wealthier etc.  My challenge to you this weekend is to make a list of all the things that you are great at – all your strengths. Are you organized, articulate, responsible, strategic – what are all the amazing qualities you have that make you good at what you do.  If you’re stuck, grab a copy of Strengths Finder, a great resource for putting some language around your natural abilities.  Afterwards, post the list somewhere that you see it often so as to remind yourself of your strengths and stay focused on what you do well.  This will set the intention for being the best you, in business and in life.

All the best,

Heather

CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in business or personal life, like attracts like.  So, I ask you, what are you doing to be ‘attractive’ to your prospects and clients in order to surround yourself with the same energy and enthusiasm that you feel for your business?  It’s not a secret that there is a black vortex available to any and all that want to get sucked in to believing that they have no control over the conditions of their professional life. But, as in all areas of life, there is therefore the polar opposite of that black cloud available to those who are willing to shift their perspective and make little tweaks in their approach and interaction with their market.

Keep it simple, I’m not suggesting that you engage in deep philosophical pondering but, that you just think about little shifts that you can take action on that will continue to keep you looking attractive to your clients and prospects.

Here’s some suggestions:

1. If you have an office where you meet with clients and prospects – adopt a new habit of having fresh cut flowers every week to brighten the day of those who visit you.

2. If you normally serve coffee to your clients consider if there is room in the budget for an upgrade to one of the espresso machines on the market.

3.  Send thank you cards to all your clients for their business and include an inspirational message or quote that shows them you are not giving up or giving in.

It’s up to you to find ways to show the market, your clients, your competitors and the like that you are in the game and loving every minute of it.  It’s times of desperation and uncertainty that the beacon of light is what people want.  Give your clients the hope that they so desire and watch them flock to you.

All the best,

Heather

CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

There’s a really easy way to tell if you have passion for your business – ENERGY! Everyday, when I’m out talking to prospects, or meeting with clients, delivering workshops, writing or reading, – I am beyond excited. Everything (ok, not really the book keeping part) about my business brings energy to my body, mind and spirit. When I ‘work’ (I have trouble even calling it that) I am so enthused and fired up – it’s almost like I tap in to some other energy source that puts me on insta-steroids. (Colleagues may claim it to be one too many shots of espresso in my americano). In my personal experience, living your dream and creating a professional life that you are passionate about is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what your dream even is.  The hard part is falling in love with a business that is authentically you, a business that lights you up, that gives you energy and excites you to know end.  The hard part is recognizing that you’ve lost the connection with your original passion and making the necessary changes to re-connect.

I was beyond inspired today when I met with clients who have developed the most amazing business model. But, because it has been so organic in it’s growth, sprouted from a ‘hobby’, as they put it, to something that is on it’s way to global status, their main priority right now is re-assessing whether this is still something they really want to do. Our next session (as per their request) will be spent on tapping back in and answering the hard questions about what they want, what their vision is, what their goals are, what is their big picture? None of us are attached to the end result.  If they don’t have the passion, energy and enthusiasm we will plan an exit strategy; otherwise we’ll make the necessary changes, set the goals and build a plan that excites them to no end.

Does your professional life energize you?  Are you doing what you really want?  If not, take the necessary steps to make the changes required so you can re-ignite your professional flame and fall back in love with your business!

All the best,

Heather

CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

With the combination of this month’s theme of Fresh Start and the ongoing, relentless banter of the ‘economic climate’, I felt compelled to write this post.  One of the most, if not the most important quality I think we can develop as humans is the curiosity and willingness to look at things differently. Circumstances, however challenging or rewarding, are just the circumstances – they are not the end result. They are more like a roadblock or barrier that stand in the way of what once was the path of least resistance, and the end result or goal you desire to achieve.  So, when you find yourself realizing that this path you were on is no longer the best route to arrive at the end result.  It’s simple, take different route!  I’m not disputing that we are in a challenging situation with regards to the economic climate in both our own local communities and those of the world.  I’m merely suggesting that these recent circumstances are an opportunity for us to discover, build and develop a new route.  We can still get where we want to go – we just have to find a different way. 

It is in these moments of seeming crisis that we need women who are willing to use their given talents of imagination and collaboration to see the opportunities that this ‘new route’ present. The ability to capitalize and benefit on any given circumstances lies in your ability to ’see things differently’.

There’s lots of ‘evidence’ all around you that suggest that things are bad.  Just watch the news or listen near the office water cooler.  My suggestion: Commit that in 2009 you will be open to exploring ‘new routes’ in an effort to reach your goals. It might be bumpy and unpaved, but, the alternative is to sit and wait for the sky to fall…

Heather White

CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.