Be My Guest .. Aloted Omoba

December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 Today is the last Be My Guest (Interview Series) of the year.  

 

I’d like to introduce you to one of the ladies from a business networking group I’m part of, Aloted Omoba. Running a business with a family can sometimes feel like a pull in all directions where you want your business to be a success but also want to spend time with your family and it’s often a juggling act.  Aloted works with working mums and has some hints and tips to share with you for how she makes it work for her. 

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

I am married with two children a 4 year old daughter and a 5 month old son. I am jovial, a doer and always willing to help others around me. I am passionate about the empowerment of women especially mothers.

What motivated you to set up in business to help working Mums?

I was motivated to start Super Working Mum because I am passionate about mums and I noticed that a lot of working mums are overwhelmed with so much to do at home and at work.

I wanted to share my knowledge, journey and practical tips, which I have found useful to help working mums, particularly Christian mums, all over the world achieve balance and fulfillment in their lives.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

First of all, my Mother. She was a working mum (she is retired now) and was able to raise 4 children with the help of my Dad of course and was still able to work. It still amazes me till today that she bagged her master’s degree with three toddlers under 5 with not much help. How she did it, only God knows.

Mothers out there who are still fulfilling their dreams whilst managing a family also inspire me. Yes motherhood is a great calling but we are still individuals before we are mothers.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

The best business advice I have been given is that I am a scientist so I cannot fail. Scientists experiment till they get it right. Every seemingly failure is just a closer step to finding out what works.

In business I have to keep experimenting, tweaking and trying out different ways of doing things till it works. There is no room for giving up. If I am persistent and hardworking I will succeed by God’s grace.

What three tips would you give to people when trying to juggling work and family life?
  1. Take care of you first – your spiritual, physical and mental health. If you do not take care of you, you won’t have the ability and energy to juggle family and work properly. If you keep running on low one day you will crash.
  2. When you are at work focus on work, when it is family time focus on that. Try not to mix them up. Set clear demarcation. This will help you stayed focus and be the best in both worlds.
  3. Get support, you cannot do it alone. Build relationships with other working mums, join a support or mastermind group and share your victories and trials together. No (wo)man knows it all. The Faith Family and Financial Inner Circle that I run for working mums provides this kind of support for the working mum who needs spiritual, physical, mental and financial development.
What are your top three tips for creating calm for a working mum?
  1. Sometimes things will happen and not go according to your plan for the day. Stay flexible; adjust your expectations accordingly so you don’t get worked up.
  2. Learn to laugh- things are not always as bad as they look. Having a good sense of humour does wonders for keeping calm
  3. From the start of your day, choose how you will respond to every challenge that comes your way. Affirm to yourself that you will be calm no matter what. You may not always get it right but the key thing is you are now aware that you can choose how to respond to circumstances on a daily basis.  I have to add one more tip please :) ..
  4. Learn how to say no. You don’t have to say yes to every request thrown at you. You are not doing yourself any good by taking more than you can actually do. Also learn how to delegate. You will feel less overwhelmed and be calmer when you do.
Confidence levels can change for Mums returning to work. What strategies do you know help when it comes to feeling confident?

This happened to me when I went back to work after my daughter was born. I lost my confidence. One main strategy I will say that works is to write out the different things you have accomplished over the years before you had a baby. Write out your strengths. That person is still there somewhere inside you and just needs to be brought out. Surround yourself with positive people and take each day as it comes.

I share a whole lot more tips in my ebook – Boosting Your Confidence, 15 steps to success in the workplace. You can get a copy here.

You run a series where you feature Super Working Mums, what would I need to do to be considered?

The main thing to do to be considered as a featured Super Working Mum is be a member of the Super Working Mum group on facebook and be interactive on the group. That simple! :)

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I would love to share with your readers a free webinar I did for working mums called 7 Secrets to Faith, Family and Work Balance when they sign up to my special updates newsletter. I share some secrets on how to achieve balance in life as a working mum. Some of the secrets I share are based on biblical principles but any working mum from any background or faith can apply the practical secrets I share.

For those who prefer reading instead they can also download the report instead. Get access to the free webinar and/or report here.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

Sure, I love connecting with other working mums

I can be found on:
facebook, twitter or my website or via email [email protected]

Aloted has kindly shared a great freebie for us today, Boosting Energy At Work.  You can download your copy here. Thanks Aloted for sharing with us today.

Need a last minute gift? Want something a bit different?

I have set up two Cappuccino Coaching Sessions for the New Year. These would make a great Christmas pressie for someone, or a fab treat for you to get a great kick start to 2014. To find out more and book your place click here.  Gift vouchers are available.

 

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Filed Under: Aloted Omoba, Be My Guest, Uncategorized, Work-Life Balance Tagged With: , ,

Dying of Embarrassment?

December 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Dying of Embarrassment – ever been there?  Not really a blog post this week, more of a confessional to make me feel a bit better. 

If you think you make mistakes check out mine…  This week I made a terrible faux-pas, all of my own doing.  I have nobody to blame, except my friend, hubby and daughter who thought the idea was a good one, ‘ a bit different and quirky’ and they encouraged me, grrr.

My faux pas was that everyone at a Christmas Do was going in fancy dress; specifically as Mr & Mrs Santa, reindeers and elves.  I hadn’t seen the note until the day before and had absolutely no time to do/get anything so I got creative.  I went as a Christmas Cat, well what a disaster.  I know, I know, you’re cringing for me.  Rightly so. Anyway it’s done now.

I honestly could have cried when I got there and the big reveal was on because I knew how wrong I’d got it and obviously so did everyone else and I truly wanted the ground to swallow me up.  I could have gone back to my hotel room and not bothered but I decided to face my fear of embarrassment and see it through to the, let’s be honest, bitter end!!  I’m sure it wasn’t the case but it felt like people were completely avoiding me as they didn’t know what to say!!

So why am I humiliating myself even further by telling you?  Well because in everything there is a lesson.  

Did I get it completely wrong?  Yes, oh so unbelievably yes.  

Was my intention right?  Yes I didn’t want to let the others down and wanted to show I was participating.  

Did I die of embarrassment?  Yes.  Well actually no.  I didn’t die at all, well maybe a little inside but that’s another story.  

This week on facebook I said one of my fave questions is ‘What is the worst that could happen?’  Well it was bad but it could have been worse, people weren’t laughing directly in my face!!  So what’s the lesson here then?  It’s about fear.  Sometimes we build things up to be huge monsters in our minds.  Even though you are terrified about things and imagine the worst they don’t always happen and if they do you have to accept there just ain’t nothing you can do about it and move on.  Will I EVER be a Christmas Cat again, no bloomin’ way, but it is actually quite a funny story to share now that it’s all over.  I might have hit someone if they had said that to me at the time though!

So go out there and face your fear and know that you probably won’t ever be as embarrassed as this Christmas Cat was!

EXCITING NEWS…

I have some exciting news to share with you..  I have been working with my own coach, Carole Ann Rice, who is a very successful Life Coach and Mary Keeley, another very successful Coach.  I am proud to share that I have been working with them on an 8 week intensive Coaching course due to go live in the early part of next year.  You can find out more here ..  Pure Coaching Academy.  If you want to learn more about these two amazing ladies you can check out their Be My Guest posts by clicking on their names above.

I’m also already thinking about New Year goals and have set up two Cappuccino Coaching Sessions for the New Year.  These would make a great Christmas pressie for someone, or a fab treat for you to get a great kick start to 2014.  To find out more and book your place click here.  Not long to 2014 now.  What would you like to achieve next year?

I will be sending out a little gift with my end of year newsletter, something to get you thinking.  If you haven’t signed up already you can do so here and pick up your free eBook, ‘Pricing with Confidence’, ready to set those new prices for 2014.

 

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Filed Under: Embarrassment, Fear, Feelings, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

3 Top Tips For Staying Strong

December 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I think.. A lot. When my mind is in busy thinking mode I dream. A lot. Often my dreams can be just one word that is repeated over and over again.  Earlier this week my word was ‘Resilience’. The online Oxford Dictionary defines resilience as:

  • ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity
  • the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness

Now you all know I’m a glass half full, or actually nearly to the top, kinda girl but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my fair share of adversity. Trust me when I tell you I’ve probably had more than my fair share, some stories I share, some are other people’s stories to tell. One of the things that I’ve learnt is that whatever is happening you have a choice of how to react. You can choose to curl up in a small ball and hide away or you can choose to rise up from the ashes like the phoenix and live again.  It’s not always an easy option, it’s a conscious decision but it’s so worth it.

Here are my 3 top tips for staying strong;

1. Be grateful

There are times in life when finding anything to be grateful for seems almost laughable but you can if you look hard enough. Be grateful for the fresh water you have, the bed to rest your head on at night, your family/friends, the birds that sing each morning, the sun, the flowers/trees, even down to toothpaste to make your mouth feel fresh.

2. Talk to someone

I’m quite a private person so I only share with a selected few, but as the years have gone on I’ve been happier to share more as it brings me a connection with others that I wouldn’t have had. Find someone you can share how you’re feeling with. Ultimately you have all of the answers within you but talking things through can get you through the toughest of times and you will be blown away by some of the stories others tell you around things they have faced and overcome.

3. Be positive

When you dwell on your problem for too long it can be all consuming. Find a way to be positive and optimistic. There are often lessons to be learned in adversity. I am so happy I’ve been through all I have because it’s shaped me into who I am and now I can help others because I ‘get it’ having had those experiences.  It’s not hiding the problem but remaining optimistic and believing things can get better.

When we go through adversity we are so entwined in the situation that we can think only of that problem. Often when we look back at that difficult time we recognise that we have learnt a lot from it, or are now able to help and support others as a result of going through it ourselves. At the time it can be almost impossible to find a lesson but it can really help to think it through.
If you’re going through a tough time right now you will get through this.  Go out there, take time to look after yourself, be strong and choose how you react. Have a great day!
Filed Under: Mindset, Positive Thinking, Resilience, Strength Tagged With: , , ,

Be My Guest .. Chichi Eruchalu

December 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

Hi there.   It’s time for another Be My Guest (Interview Series) where I introduce you to someone in business and they share some practical hints and tips with you.  Today I would like to introduce you to the lovely Chichi Eruchalu of Kanso Creative.

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Chichi is the Creative Director of Kanso Creative and has a passion for helping female entrepreneurs elevate their business through gorgeous graphic design, clear communication tools and one to one business coaching and support. For those of you who recognise it is time to move your business forward professionally, but are not sure how – she can help you get started on the journey!

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Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

Hi I am Chichi Eruchalu and I own Kanso Creative. I have a passion for helping entrepreneurs elevate their business through gorgeous graphics and clear, well designed communication tools such as websites, newsletters and social media. It pains me when I see poor design, especially when I know that the image being portrayed is not reflective of the business. I am married with one daughter and live in Essex.

What motivated you to pursue the field of Graphic Design?

I love to be creative whether it is drawing, sewing or baking. My dad was a printer and I used to spend endless summer holidays helping him with jobs. I learnt so much and it spurred my passion. I found it fascinating how you could go from a concept in your head to a full fledged design and would spend hours on my computer playing about with my own designs.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

No one person, but anyone who has taken life’s challenges and turned them into opportunities, inspires me.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

Know who your ideal client is and then focus your time and energy meeting their needs. Knowing your ideal client is foundational to all that we do in business. Get this right and everything else flows.

What three tips would you give to people when choosing a Graphic Designer?
  1. Be clear in your own head who you are targeting and what you want to achieve with the project. That way you will be able to effectively communicate this to your designer. Also what are your long term design goals? Right now you might be looking for logo design, but later down the line web design and print design. If you have a design journey in your head, look to choose someone who will be able to travel alongside you, rather than using different people for different things which could lead to inconsistent items. Give your designer the opportunity to get to know your business inside out.
  2. Is the designer personable and professional? Are they able to communicate effectively? Do they ask the right questions? Do they listen to you? Can you work alongside this person, bouncing ideas back and forth? What is their design style? Design is very much a collaborative and communication process, so look to choose someone who has a style of design that matches your brand and what you need, not the style you prefer personally. This way you will have a better chance of getting the design you require.
  3. Listen to word of mouth and ask to see their work. Referrals from people you know is a great start. Also make sure you see examples of previous work and are confident that they can deliver what you have asked for. A good graphic designer will be able to tell up front whether or not they can undertake your project.
What are the three biggest mistakes that people make when designing their own materials?
  1. Using the wrong tools for the job. Often I see people trying to design images or logos in something like Microsoft Word which in reality is NOT suitable at all. I get that not everyone can afford the top design software, but there are plenty of good free alternatives e.g. Picmonkey which will allow you to do the basics.
  2. Colour and font clash. I see this all the time. My advice: choose a palette (Color Hex [link www.colorhexa.com] and Design Seeds [ http://design-seeds.com/] are great for choosing colours schemes) and work within it! Also aim not to use more than 2/3 fonts on any given project.
  3. Lack of consistency across print and web. You can overcome this by having your designer create branded templates for you which can be used across Word/Powerpoint, Social media etc. I have done this for several clients creating newsletter templates, Facebook meme templates and Powerpoint templates thus ensuring consistency across different platforms.
What strategies do you know work when it comes to clients providing you with a brief for a project?
  1. Being clear on the outcome of what you want to achieve. What is the end goal?
  2. Mood boards and other sources of inspiration – Pinterest is great for this. Create a mood board and share with your designer.
  3. Sketch it out, give examples. Even a basic outline of what you are after will go a long way in helping your designer understand what you want to achieve.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Graphic design done properly will elevate your business and set you apart. It is worth the investment.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

Website or facebook

Thanks Chichi, it has been great to have you as my guest and really good to hear how we can all drive our businesses forward through fabulous design.  Chichi has kindly offered us 15% off her Social Media packages and templates, just use this discount code: RM2013.

Be sure to pick up her ebook ‘6 Ways to take your business from Rookie to Respected’ (here) which tackles some of this stuff.

Like this guest post interview?  Feel free to share using the share buttons below.  Check out others in my sidebar or by using the search box.

Want to be featured as a guest?  Drop me an email telling me what you’d like to share and we can talk some more.

On a final note my new Cappuccino Coaching Sessions are now up on my Events page.  Why not book a session for someone for Christmas?  It would make a lovely unusual gift and be a great start to their new year (a personalised gift voucher can be provided).  For more details click here.

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Chichi Eruchalu, Graphic Design Tagged With: , , ,

7 Top Tips to Get Your Mojo Flowing

November 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Sometimes there are days when you are 100% motivated and committed to whatever it is that you are doing and then there are other days when, let’s face it, you just can’t be bothered.  It wouldn’t matter if someone lit a firework underneath you there just is no spark there.  So what can you do when there are things to be done and you truly don’t want to bother getting started.

 1. Fake it

Act as though you really are motivated, give yourself a little pep talk reminding yourself of how important it is to get the job done.  Think about how you will feel when you finish the task.  Sometimes faking it to make it is the only way.  Motivation kicks in once you’ve made a start on things.

2. Just bloomin’ start!

Sometimes the ever looming project or task is made into this enormous monster of a task that is completely unnecessary.  If you truly can’t face whatever it is that you need to do set a timer for 25 minutes (for those of you that read my blog regularly you will know I love the Pomodoro App for the iPhone)  and work your butt off until the timer goes off. It’s amazing how much more energised you will feel.  You CAN do something for 25 minutes, you’ve spent way more time than that putting this task off

3. Find the fear

What is the fear hiding underneath this?  Why is it really that you don’t want to do it?  There might be a fear underneath it, such as thinking it won’t be good enough.  If you can find the fear you can then challenge it and ask what if it is good enough?  If it’s just because you’d rather be watching TV then make TV the reward for once you’ve done it.  Carrying around all this, ‘Oh I really must finish x, y or z’ just fills your mind space.  Start to clear those unfinished tasks and watch your energy levels and motivation increase

4.  Break the task down into mini milestones

We often try and do a ridiculous number of things with a to-do list longer than Santa’s Christmas Wish List.  What three things do you really need to get done?  Leonie Dawson, Business Coach/Mentor,  calls them her MITs – Most Important Tasks to do.  Do one thing on each of those tasks TODAY.  Just one incy wincy teeny weeny thing.  Go on… you know you want to!

5. Share

Sharing what you are committing to can be a great way to get focused.  It’s really embarrassing if you’ve declared you’ll do something and then don’t come up with the goods.  A little note on facebook saying, ‘I’m going to be running the 5k next year, will you sponsor me?’ can be a great motivator for you to start training, even if you don’t have an athletic bone in your body.  Trust me if you work on the premise of ‘I can’t let people/myself down’ you will be off that couch with not a single potato in sight!

6. Write a list

Ok, ok, I know.. I’m a list lover, but they help!  If you haven’t done a list then do one now.  Get everything out of your pretty little head and onto paper, it really helps.  Seeing the jobs crossed through as you complete them is really satisfying too! (oh dear, did I say that out loud?!!)

7. Tunes

Put on some upbeat music that gets you feeling all fired up.

Come back and leave me a comment to let me know how you got on. I’d love to hear what you did to get yourself motivated.

Want some tips on procrastination?  Check out my previous blog post here.

 

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Filed Under: Mindset, Motivation, Positive Language, Procrastination, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Have More Fun

November 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

How often do you make time for fun?

It’s so easy to get overly busy in life and forget things that are really important for us to be us.  So often my clients say they would love more time to be creative or pursue their sports/hobbies, yet they don’t make time for it.  They put other people or things first, feeling guilty when they think about making time for themselves. You need to make time for it. Some of the changes my clients have made are;

  • Reading a new book
  • Joining a group of like minded people
  • Setting aside some solitary time
  • Leaving work early to allow more time for other things
  • Starting a new craft/hobby
  • Scheduling time in with friends
  • Doing a crossword or other word/number puzzle
  • Going to a coffee shop to write a book
  • Watching a movie
  • Downloading some music and boogie
  • A cheese and wine party

Fun shouldn’t be an afterthought, it needs to be made a priority. More fun = more happiness. It’s so good to find something that puts you in the flow. You know those things that distract you from worries and take you to another place, where time seems to stand still or never feels long enough for doing what you enjoy.

When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh or did something just for the fun of it? As we become adults we can lose some of our fun side, but this doesn’t have to be the way it is. 

So get out your diary right now and schedule in some play dates.  What’s going to be on your fun list? If you haven’t got one grab a notebook and start creating one.  I have planned lots of time in my studio this weekend. Fun times!

I’d love to hear what you like to do for fun. Share your ideas below in the comments section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Fun, Uncategorized, Work-Life Balance Tagged With: ,

Be My Guest … Amanda Johnson (Interview Series)

November 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 

Today I’d like to introduce you to Amanda Johnson as part of my Be My Guest (Interview Series).  Amanda owns and runs a business called YES, Your Executive Secretary, that provides first class virtual PA, business administration, event planning and management and administration consultancy services.

Amanda is one busy lady, she has just given birth to a gorgeous little bubba! Congratulations Amanda!

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences
  1. I like to think of myself as self motivated, personable and highly organised – a bit of a list girl, but my husband would probably describe me as a control-freak!
  2. I was recently described by one client as a “Goddess” and another as “so much more than a VA” – both lovely compliments, but in reality, I am passionate about making a difference to the Business Owners I work with – that sounds a bit cliche but it really is true, if you care about what you do and in particular your clients – I care!
  3. In the past 18 months, I have moved house 5 times, moved to and from Belgium, been made redundant, my husband and I have both left the military – he has retrained and started a new job, I have launched a business, we have done a major house renovation and had a baby! How many stressful things do they do say do in any one year? But there is a little devil in my head saying “What’s next then Amanda?”
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

In 2008, my husband and I had a life-changing event, our children (twins) were born extremely prematurely and subsequently died. As a consequence we re-evaluated life, and realised life was too short! Up until that point we were both serving in the military and had been since we were teenagers, although we both loved being in the military, our jobs and the quality of life we had, we realised there were more important things. During my compassionate leave from the military, we decided to spend money doing up our house but we could never get hold of the tradesmen we needed, as they were out doing what they did best – being a tradesmen, and I realised that what these people needed was admin support as and when they needed it. I thought I had developed a new industry! It was only when I started to research it, I learnt that there was such a thing as a “Virtual Assistant”! We have subsequently gone on to have a family, and I tell people that I want a better work life balance, by this I am not talking about working 0900-1700 but instead no longer having the fear of having to go away for extended periods of time, hence the decision to launch Your Executive Secretary one day after leaving the military!

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

I don’t have just one person that I think of as inspirational in business – I do what I do, because I love making a difference to Small Business Owners and want them to feel as special as the Chief Executive of a major corporation. I read a lot of business books and am constantly learning from others – they all have something inspirational in their past or to say and I hope that when I work with others these attributes come into fruition.

What has been the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I have ever been given is to “Listen – don’t just hear” – so its not just a piece of business advice but advice relative to life in general.

What 3 tips would you give when working with a VA?

A tricky question as for me a lot depends on what someone wanted a VA to do – fill a current gap, complete a task that they didn’t have the skills or the time to do or provide a completely different service, maybe even be a confidente. What I would recommend is that someone looks for a VA who demonstrates:

  1. honesty, integrity and loyalty to you and your business
  2. offers a confidential service
  3. but more importantly is someone you like and respect professionally!
What are the 3 biggest mistakes that people make when running their own business?
  1. Trying to sell when networking. Networking is not about selling (sometimes when a sale comes along as a result of networking in a room of people thats a bonus) but ultimately networking should be about getting to know / grow your network of connections.
  2. Spending all day every day working “in” their businesses and no time working “on” their business.
  3. Believing they can do everything for themselves – or that only they can do a particular task!
What if I’m uncomfortable about delegating work, what do you suggest?

When working with a new client, I always recommend (especially when they are uncomfortable with the art of delegation) that we try a couple of small projects first, so that they can get to know me, my core values and standards and to ensure that actually they like working with me….. If you want someone to share the in’s and out’s of their business, they have to know, like and trust you – once you have built those things, the act of delegating work to them becomes so much easier.

How much time do I really need to spend getting work ready for a VA?

Probably not as long as you think BUT ……. It depends on the type of VA you are working with – are they a general VA or someone who specialises in a particular skill? As an example, some VA’s are very technical and work predominantly with clients who require a technical skill set (perhaps doing webinars or shopping carts) and they would run a mile if you ask them to do diary management type stuff; other VA’s are more generalist and will turn their hands to most projects. I work with variety of clients and I don’t think I do 2 tasks the same for any of my clients – for me its all about making a difference to that particular Business Owner. What I do recommend though is ensuring that any parameters or styles have been agreed in advance so that both parties know what they will be sending / receiving etc.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

When choosing a VA to work with, it really is important in my opinion to “know, like and trust them” – therefore I would suggest taking your time to choose the right person and this may mean interviewing more than one person or trying someone before you commit yourself fully to them working in your business. As Business Owners themselves, a VA should understand this as ultimately they should be dedicated to working with you to help you succeed in business.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

If you would like to know more about me and the services of Your Executive Secretary, my website is www.y-e-s.co.uk but I can also be found on social media in the following places: My Blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. On social media, I try and be social so please expect to find not only informative and helpful business administration insights or hints and tips but also the lessons I learn as a Small Business Owner and some personal information (the fact that I share some person information on my social media is controversial in the eyes of some people, but I think it helps others understand me and shows that I am human!)

Amanda is kindly sharing her top 5 tips for avoiding email overwhelm. You can download it here.

Feel free to share this post using the share buttons below.

 

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Filed Under: Amanda Johnson, Be My Guest, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Are You An Addict?

October 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Are you an addict?

Well yes you are if you’re a workaholic. It’s not great to hear really, is it? ‘But I like working’, I hear you say. ‘Is that such a bad thing?’ Well, yes it can be when it starts to impact on you and areas of your life.

I’m just too busy, just too busy..

Yes, we can be really too busy and there are two things to note here. One is that you can be busy being busy. Is it that you are procrastinating and delaying things you know you should be doing? Are you being distracted by sparkly things that take you away from the really important things you want/need to do?  Two.. If you’re really too busy then you are at risk of burnout. Yes, work is important but so are you! Where do you need to set some boundaries?

Clients often say to me, ‘Well yes, but my company expect x, y, z’ and they will continue to do so if you don’t set boundaries, but it’s not always about a company. Sometimes as Entrepreneurs you can push and push and push until collapse and it doesn’t matter then who you work for, yourself or a company, nobody will get much from you when you get to that point.  

Setting boundaries at work can be  deciding to finish work at your designated time (start with leaving ten minutes earlier than you would normally and then build on that) Setting boundaries at home can be structuring set times in the day when you will work, building a good routine. It may be that, like me, you need a nudge to stop working! My hubby and daughter are great nudgers. Who could your nudger be?

Five tips for easing off on work

  1. Set clear boundaries – structure your work time, if you’re working more hours than you should be check what could be dropped, delegated or not done at all. Is it really all a priority?
  2. Work out where your time goes - could you be more productive by switching a few things around in your day?
  3. Drop the perfectionism – 80% good enough is perfectly acceptable
  4. Make time for you - It’s important to make time. You need to connect with people and have fun. Looking after you is key. Whether it’s eating better or making sure you get enough sleep, make some time for you
  5. Make time to play – being a workaholic can damage relationships, listen when people are telling you that you’re working too hard and take some time out to play. Find a new hobby that can take you out of your work zone. Your brain will be grateful for the rest :) 

Remember it’s taken a while to build yourself up to this so don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t happen overnight.  Take small baby steps.  It can be easy to try and do it all at once, but choose one thing and work on that before moving onto the next.

How different will your life be when it’s not all about work? You may find people want to spend more time with you. If you do it right then you should definitely have more fun!

Have you seen my new eBook? It’s all about Pricing with Confidence, you can find more about it and sign up here.

 

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Filed Under: Coaching, Uncategorized, Work-Life Balance Tagged With: , ,

7 Top Tips to Pricing with Confidence

October 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

Hi there

I’m really excited to share my first eBook with you, ’7 Top Tips to Pricing with Confidence’. I’ve been spending some time trying to figure out my niche and I think I’m finally there. Much as I tried to fight against setting a niche in the early days of setting up my business I do completely understand the importance of it and how it can really help you to focus your business efforts. To say it’s been hard work is the understatement, but I’m there!

Being confident is a huge thing in business (and life). We know we have the skills to do the job, that’s why we picked what we want to do, but putting ourselves ‘out there’ is a whole different story.  I come across this lack of confidence time and time again with my clients and they aren’t all shy wallflowers, they are fairly self-assured people.  We all go through times when we need a little boost of confidence and belief to take those next steps in our lives/business.  This is where I come in.

I am going to be working primarily with women in business (and some cool dudes too!) helping them to work through their self doubts, charge what they should in order to feel fabulous, have more freedom and fun, work the hours they choose and have the lifestyle they desire.

If the whole pricing thing resonates with you then sign up to my newsletter in my sidebar and get your free copy, or just click the image below to be taken to the sign up page!

7 Top Tips to Pricing with Confidence Book Cover

7 Top Tips to Pricing with Confidence

Filed Under: Confidence, Pricing Tagged With: , ,

Be My Guest … Emma-Louise Elsey (Interview Series)

October 8, 2013 by 3 Comments

Today I have a very special guest for my Be My Guest … Emma-Louise Elsey.

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Emma-Louise is a very successful Life Coach and she always makes me feel more positive whenever I am on her website/facebook pages, she oozes happiness and fun!  If you’re a Coach then she is going to share some thoughts around that, but don’t worry if you’re not she is also sharing some other pearls of wisdom too.   (You need to read about the Trolls!)  So without further ado I hand you over to the lovely Emma-Louise…

Emma-Louise Elsey Web 682 (3)

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences
  • I love to help and connect people.
  • My 5 favourite qualities about myself (from a fabulous coaching exercise called “Troll Travels – Who am I?” I love that I am curious, passionate, courageous, creative and cheeky!
  • I am always having ideas, getting excited about stuff – I have ADD and Anxiety – but I don’t let it define me, even if it sometimes takes over.
What motivated you to pursue the field of Coaching?
  • It started with approaching 30 years old, being a successful project manager in the IT world. I spent Sunday nights wallowing in “There must be more to life than this!” I had success and everything I wanted – a great house, boyfriend, 2 cats, a classic car I loved (a 1973 Ford Capri!) and the separates stereo system I had always dreamt of. But I wasn’t happy. I started looking for alternative careers and after about 18 months discovered coaching through a work colleague. Once I started the journey into coaching – a whole new world opened up for me. It was irresistible – literally. I LOVED that I could change the way I looked at things – I had no idea!!! You mean I don’t HAVE to think like that? I was hooked and have not looked back since.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
  • Do I have to pick one? My hubbie, my therapist, my business coach. I could list tens of authors whose books I love, but for real-life inspiration, this is it!
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
  • On feeling stressed and anxious at 3.30pm on a Thursday afternoon, my business coach asks, “Is anything you’re going to do in the next hour and a half going to materially change your business?” Me, “No” “Then go and enjoy yourself!” I have a habit of keeping on keeping on. But really, pushing ourselves when we’re stressed, tired, anxious – achieves nothing other than making us feel worse.  So, I phoned up a friend, went round and hung out. Came back feeling fab. Next day I was raring to go again.
What three tips would you give to new Coaches?
  • (This one is controversial) Charge what you consider to be a BARGAIN for your coaching. I’m not saying charge a pittance – but charge a rate that YOU think is a bargain for whoever is interested in signing up with you. Have a good reason up your sleeve – it’s a new program and I’d like feedback for example. This way, you feel TOTALLY confident selling. If they’re not interested, it really is their loss. Then put your rates up as you feel more confident.
  • If you can, keep your old job until you feel confident you have a solid basis for a coaching practice! This takes the stress off you financially – AND – you can use the network where you currently work to actively find clients and spread the word about your coaching business. Bulletin boards at work, brown bag lunches or seminars.
  • LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT MARKETING and SELLING! And then keep learning. You cannot run a coaching business successfully without understanding – and CRITICALLY EMBRACING the marketing and sales. Learn to LOVE it, or your coaching business is going to feel like awfully hard work…
What are the three biggest mistakes that new Coaches make?
  • Charging too much when starting out (again – controversial). You can always charge more later…
  • Not having a way to introduce themselves that is clear and engaging (ie. being embarrassed or unclear when the meet people and are asked to say what they do).
  • Not spending enough time marketing. That includes reading, learning about the marketing and sales process AND learning about yourself. Who are you? What do you offer? Why should anyone want to work with you? Get really clear on who you are and what you offer. And learn HOW to offer that effectively!
  • Oh – and makes sure the kind of clients you are targeting can afford to pay you. Think about whether the people you want to coach can afford your rates. If not, you may not have the best target market…
What strategies do you know work when it comes to finding new clients?
  • Run seminars – basically when you run a workshop or seminar you put yourself in a position as the expert. Run the seminars where your target market hangs out – free if necessary – and then MAKE SURE to ask for their email address for your newsletter. AND their phone number for a free or consultation session with you. Do this with a feedback form – that you tell them about at the beginning – and hand out at the end.  This is how I built my contact list – AND got clients!
  • Team up with people who have a similar target market. I networked and teamed up with massage therapists, hairdressers and personal trainers for example! Sometimes we did events togethers, sometimes it was just a referral network.
  • Create a program with steps and a fixed cost/time period for people to sign up for.
What’s your favourite Coaching tool/strategy?!
  • OK, so I run The Coaching Tools Company.com! I’m not sure I can PICK a favourite!!! I would say The Wheel of Life is endlessly useful in so many ways – the most versatile. I love “Troll Travels – Who Am I?” – which is where I discovered what MY favourite 5 qualities were. So great for confidence and really knowing myself! I also adore “What Makes My Heart Sing?” – I love seeing the light go on for people when they realise that what gives them joy is so easy to do…
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
  • Coaching is so NEEDED in the world right now. You are awesome. Go for it! Believe in yourself – because no-one can do this FOR you. And once you believe in yourself, no-one can take that away from you either! Own your power!
  • AND Learn to LOVE and ACCEPT yourself the way you are right NOW. Practice it. Love and accept your dark side – and the things you feel ashamed about. Because once you OWN that, no-one can make you feel bad about yourself, ever again.
  • The reason the world needs coaching is because we’re not taught in schools to look to ourselves for answers. Instead we’re taught that the answers are outside of ourselves (books, knowledge, the adults around us). And we’re taught that to succeed we must learn stuff and be able to regurgitate it. But to be HAPPY in life, we need to know ourselves – and how to look inside and find our own answers. And THAT’s where coaching comes into its own: We help people get to know themselves, look inside and learn to trust that THEY have the answers! Awesome!
If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you..
  • Check out The Coaching Tools Company.com if you’re a coach. There are tons of articles and tools – and free tools too, to help you on your coaching journey. Sign up for the newsletter for tips, tools and our 549 Powerful Coaching Questions Ebook!
  • And if you’re interested in personal growth, please visit Life Coach on the Go! We have a great weekly bite-sized article – wisdom that takes around 1 minute to read!

Thank you Emma-Louise, I love your Coaching Tools and your blog posts, they are fab!  As you all know I also love quotes so the little freebie that Emma-Louise is giving away to readers is perfect for me – Click here to download your free copy of 107 Quintessential Quotes for Coaches.  Not a Coach, don’t worry, you’ll still love them too!

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Emma-Louise Elsey, Interview Series Tagged With: , , ,
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