My business is going through lots of growing pains right now, which means that I’m going through lots of growing pains right now. Our businesses mirror our lives, and vice versa.
If your business isn’t where you want it to be, then you’ve got to take a hard look at who you’re being and how you’re showing up. The answer always lies within.
Last week, after some intense masterminding, I chose to give myself permission to do nothing. I needed to decompress and internally process all that I’d absorbed. That’s a real challenge for a Type A do-er like me. I don’t sit still well, meditating doesn’t come easily, and I don’t sleep enough. My brain and body are always on the go.
Every once in awhile a joint venture partner will just fall in your lap. But, that’s not the norm. More often it requires a little more effort if you’re looking to find the “right” partner.
My first suggestion is to get out there and connect. It’s extremely critical to become more visible. You need to grow your network among like-minded people. To create a successful joint venture, you want to connect with people who are moving in a similar direction, share a similar goal and common interests.
I’m really happy to say that quite a few joint venture partnerships have blossomed among Metromom members and from entrepreneurs that have participated in my interactive coaching programs. These partnerships work because not only do they have a lot in common, but they’re working towards similar goals.
Maybe you shouldn’t get it done. Maybe there’s a good reason why you’re procrastinating… Shocking words I know coming from me, the “Get It Done Girl”.
There will be times when you have to listen to your inner voice when everyone around you is telling you something completely different. At times like these it’s very tempting to forego your intuition in favor of “proven” strategies and techniques from “experts.”
Don’t get me wrong, I advocate listening and learning from business and marketing experts and I work hard to apply what I’ve learned. However, there are times when I’m reading a marketing book, or at a class, or speaking with my coach and I’ll hear great advice but it’s not the best advice for me. It doesn’t feel right, so guess what? I end up procrastinating about the project.
Here we are into the New Year and I keep hearing that many are already stuck on what they’re going to get done. This morning I was interviewed by Chris Velardi at WTNH (New Channel 8 – CT) speaking about 3 different roadblocks that many confront as they start the new year.
As I put programs together for 2010, I want to make sure I’m providing you with the content that’ll make the most difference to you. Please let me know what’s getting in your way to get the things done that you want to get done.
As women and mom entrepreneurs, there are so many things to juggle – work, kids, marriage, self, friendships, spirit and family. Keeping them all going is a challenge and one that requires consciousness and compassion.
The truth is over the past few months my focus has been more on my business and my kids than on my marriage, and we’ve all suffered. From conversations with many, I don’t think that I’m alone in this. It’s a BIG problem for busy couples, especially with the financial pressures to make a business work. Raising your kids and being mom entrepreneurs can quickly take a toll on your marriage. You may feel like you HAVE to go to an important meeting with a new client or go to your son’s first baseball game but it’s okay to skip that lunch date with your husband – he’ll understand. But too quickly it becomes routine to put your marriage too far down on your list of priorities.
In my last post I shared that you are your best business investment. There are many different ways you can invest in yourself and this can involve every aspect of your life – from your health, to your spirituality, to your emotional well-being. Even if what you’re doing appears unrelated to your business, you’ll see results when you care for yourself.
Realistically, as women entrepreneurs, a lot of our focus will naturally be on ways to expand the business.
Here are a few specific ways that investing in yourself can achieve dramatic results in your business growth:
The beauty of an entrepreneurial business is that there is a direct connection between your personal growth and your business growth. Watch your business grow exponentially as you personally develop and grow.
As women entrepreneurs we’re often looking for something better – whether that means spending more time with our family, making more money or pursuing our passion. We want to improve our lives…we may want a way out or a chance to change. As an entrepreneur, if you’re willing to invest in your personal growth you have the ability to shape your own destiny. That freedom is what appealed to many of us when we started our businesses.
Most of us know that social networking is the place to be for online marketing. As entrepreneurial moms, we have to balance how much time we spend on this with our family obligations. So, the question becomes, “Are you using it effectively as a lead generation tool?”
At my recent Metromom Online Success Telesummit, I spoke with Nancy Marmolejo, a mom entrepreneur and a Social Networking Strategist. She has some magic secrets for turning social networking followers into fans and those fans into leads and I want to share them with you.
Nancy calls it the social media impact cycle. Here’s how it works for your target audience:
Entrepreneurs – if you want your affiliates to do a good job for you, you want to make it as easy for them as possible. I am an affiliate for many people whose products and services I love and I really appreciate those who make it easy. Many send me pre-written tweets, email blasts, and other content that is properly embedded with my affiliate code so all I have to do is tweak it to be in my voice, copy, paste and drop it in.
In contrast, there are people for whom I’ve become an affiliate (because I love what they’re doing) but they don’t make it that easy for me. I have to go digging through their back end, hunting for their banners, and seeing what I can dig up about their copy to do it. Realistically, few people will invest that time. Regardless if they love what you do, they’re busy and if it’s not easy, or even worse if it’s confusing, chances are they won’t do it.
I’m just wrapping up the filming of my first pilot of Get it Done, Get it Back with Susie Shina. We are creating the pilot of a reality-based show where we help a mom entrepreneur (aka Metromom) work through a business struggle and a lifestyle struggle.
Within Metromom, I coach women to bring out that brilliance from their business. Susie works with women to restore their bodies, restyle their lives and reconnect with a passion for ‘the other stuff’. So we figured that together we bring true balance for working girls!
