She’s Got Systems

Find the systems you need to grow your business

How are you stopping yourself from success?

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

It’s always interesting to watch the logic of children when they’ve been asked to do something unpleasant, like clean up toys or eat vegetables. Kid logic is the most pure example of our resistance to the things we know we need to do but put barriers in our own path to doing.

If you ask a child to put away their toys they might:

  • Begin playing with the toys “for one more minute”
  • Explain that it’s not fair because brother/sister didn’t put away their toys
  • Sulk and put away one Lego brick at a time, ensuring it’ll take 73 years to finish
  • Ask for water. To go potty. For a Kleenex. A hug. To go outside
  • Ignore you while reading a book because books are good so you can’t get mad

All the while, you fume and cajole in the face of the frustration that can only be brought by a toddler.

Except… we’re all toddlers.

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Systems for Personal Growth

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, your business success is directly tied to your personal growth potential. The ability of an entrepreneur to mature, take on new challenges, question the status quo and step forward with confidence will all impact your bottom line.

Of course, most people think that they just need a better marketing funnel or sales page so they ignore the most essential element of a business: you.

Personal development can get a bad rap because, when it’s done poorly, it’s little more than rah-rah cheerleading about confidence and chanting mantras. Any course or training or experience that leaves you feeling fired up and excited, but doesn’t create any actual change is no better than an amusement park roller coaster: Fun while it lasts but useless day to day.

Now, I don’t doubt that personal development teachers and coaches want their students to walk away changed but if you’re not equipped with a system to implement that change then it’s likely to be fleeting.

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Accelerate Success in Your Personal Life

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again when every listicle, podcast and clickbait is promising you unprecedented wealth, health and happiness if you just do these 228 things that successful people swear by!

And while it’s always interesting to get a peek inside the lives of other people and find out what they’re doing, chasing the rabbit trail of “what should I do?” by crowdsourcing habits is a surefire way to end 2018 the same way you ended every other lackluster year: frustrated, burned out and wondering if it’ll ever get better.

So today I’m pulling back the curtain to share how I was able to meet every one of my personal goals in 2017 and how I set myself up for success. Not as a roadmap for you to do as I did, but to demonstrate that you can make your own rules along the way.

Today’s post is all about success in your personal life and be sure to join me next week when I share more about business success.

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Where hard work and working hard meet

Business Building by Leave a Comment

It occurs to me that entrepreneurs do not want to work hard anymore. In a world where you can be famous for singing badly, a sex tape or random viral videos, why should anyone strive to do anything difficult?

And for every born into poverty or immigrant success story of someone working their fingers to the bone to pick tomatoes under the heat of the August sun or working 20 hours a day in a kitchen restaurant, entrepreneurs will be the ones sipping lattes and insisting that without half-day Tuesdays and weekly massages they’re just not balanced enough for meaningful output.

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3 Ways to Get More Done

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

If you’ve had a moment of “how the heck is it already JULY?!” recently then you know how quickly the year is passing us by. Mid-year is typically the perfect time to take a look at your goals for the year and determine if you’re ahead of schedule, on track or way behind.

And, if you’re struggling because you have too many projects and too little time then I have 3 easy ways to get more done without sacrificing quality. Continue Reading ￫

Just Say ‘No’ to Your Clients

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

Entrepreneurs have the tendency to be needy, often shouting out “I can do that!” to every offer that comes their way. But if you’re willing to say no then you’ll find that you have a much more targeted audience, can charge higher rates and demand more respect. Here are 3 ways to ‘just say no’ and why you need to get in the practice.

Just Say No to doing everything

Tell me, when was the last time you went to Sears for an engagement ring. Or toaster. Or shoes. Or a tractor. That’s the problem with the one stop shop – we’re moving into an economy of specialists. Because we’d much rather buy diamonds from the diamond expert, shoes from the shoe expert.
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What is Your Business Reboundability?

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

If you’ve been watching the Olympics from London this summer you probably know the story of Russian gymnast Ksenia Afanasyeva who fell on her face during her floor routine. During the difficult routine you could hear the thud when this strong competitor hit the floor which is not cushioned to enable falls.

What impressed me the most was that Ksenia as a competitor had trained and practiced and perfected the routine to the best of her ability. But when the time came and she misstepped, Ksenia picked herself back up and continued on. There wasn’t any time to wallow or whine or be concerned with how the judges were perceiving such a fall. She simply got right back to work.

Which leads me to the question, are you and your business rebounding from missteps?

We all like to think that we cannot fail, but as the Olympics prove every few years, the best in the world still fall, trip or miss on occasion. What matters when we do misstep is how we keep on going. Preparation is key, of course, but even the best concerts have sound issues and the best cameras sometimes fail.

I’d go so far as to say that we, as a culture, like to see people trip on occasion. It’s part of the reason gossip magazines are so popular – we love to see how the mighty have fallen and know that the lives of the rich and famous are not so perfect after all. How you react, on a scale of grace under pressure to John McEnroe, will reveal more about your character than a perfect performance.

It’s tempting to wallow, especially when the frustration is so great you’d just like to acknowledge that this sucks. But if you have fallen down and stay down it becomes increasingly difficult to get perspective on the finish line. Which is why when an athlete falls but picks right back up and keeps on with a smile the crowd cheers. Because we all know how hard it is to keep going. You’ll never reach the finish line if you sit down and cry – even when that’s all you want to do.

Here are some tips to help you get back up:

Keep your perspective by remembering that your teleclass, event, launch, video, presentation, or other business opportunity is not as big as the Olympics. Millions of people are not watching you and there is not a panel of judges noting every movement in your body. Sure the stakes are high but they’re not insurmountable. You can do this.

Build it into your story. No one likes a liar or someone who pretends to be perfect despite evidence to the contrary. So share your success and failures and use it to grow your credibility having ‘been there and survived that.’

Focus on getting back up, not the fall. If there’s anything people like more than the fall it’s the story of redemption. It may be easy to think that everyone in the world is thinking of your fall, but take a lesson from the Olympians and let them see your dedication and strong finish. While you make a commitment to always put your best foot forward, take the missteps into your story and grow along the way.

As the Olympics come to a close what has been your favorite story of a stumble or success?

Passion About Systems

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about passion.

All throughout our lives we’re told what we have to do, what we should do and what we need to do. Personal preference and even skill are not concerns. As we age we begin to seek appropriate substitutions for those things we fail at doing or simply dislike.

The mechanic who changes the oil in the car. The plumber who fixes the leaking faucet. Even the barista who brews a perfect latte.

It’s true that many people are simply doing a job but the ones who are truly in their passion are obvious. And, if given the option, I’d prefer to work with a passionate person over a just-doing-a-job person any day.

Wouldn’t you?

Let’s consider the flip side for a moment. As a productive member of society, I’d prefer to be working on the projects I’m passionate about. Any day. Every day.

While I have many interests and hobbies, I have 3 primary passions. They are:

1. Nurturing online businesses
2. Organization and processes
3. Teaching / Coaching / Consulting

When I work with passions #1 & #2 it looks like creating Playbooks on business systems

When I work with passions #2 & #3 it’s teaching via this blog and in mainstream media

When I work with passions #1 & #3 it takes the form of implementing in an online business

I’m most excited when I get to coach private clients – it’s the best when passions #1,  #2 and #3 coincide and I’m able to teach by educating on the processes that work, create custom playbooks and implement systems in online business. In fact, working with one of my awesome private clients who is managing over 60 developers, building websites and applications for clients around the world and strategically growing an international business has been a joy.

It’s fun. It’s challenging. It’s a joy to work in my passion. This is the work I can do all day, every day and is, ironically, something many people hate to do on their own.

There’s a common judgment of online coaches I hear often, that they’re all just making money off each other to spend money hiring each other. And I’ve found it’s also true in offline businesses too! The plumber uses the mechanic’s services so the mechanic can buy a coffee and the barista gets paid to serve the mechanic so she can afford to fix her leaky sink. Those jerks.

Specialization is the economy we live in and it’s no different for online as it is for offline businesses. For the same reason I’m reluctant to hire the copy writer/SEO expert/Wordpress designer/marketing expert/life coach/graphic designer, I would also not go to my vet, ask for a cup of coffee, tire rotation, cell phone plan and a taco.

By getting clear on your passions and how you serve, you too will be in the place to focus your attention and signal to others what you do, how you serve and what you believe.

Personally, I believe in supporting the growing online business that needs systems and organization to manage all the moving pieces and is willing to work in collaboration to implement solutions now. What’s your passion?

Refining Your Networking System

Systems by 2 Comments

As a follow up to my popular Networking Systems for Success post last month, I want to show you some additional hacks for measuring your effectiveness at networking and follow up.

First, when you’re networking, as mentioned in Part 1, you want to connect to the people who are interested in your business or you in theirs. This can be easily summarized as “quality over quantity.”  It’s okay to spend 20 minutes talking in depth with one person instead of rushing about meeting as many people as you can.

Several months back I was at an event that was very crowded but with the assistance of the host was able to connect to a few people and had great conversations.  In the middle of one discussion I was passed by a stranger who handed me his business card and walked away.  Rude, right?  Don’t make the same mistake by insisting on papering the event with your cards or collecting as many as possible.  Of course if you don’t have time to really get into conversation, ask for a card so you can follow up.

Second, follow up does not have to mean “begin selling your product or services.”  It’s a little bit like dating sometimes; if you meet someone and ask them to marry you it’s going to sound creepy.  Instead think long term and “date” first by getting to know them better and allowing them to know you. Dating is a process, so start slow and find out areas you have in common by following up after the event.

While it does help to have a good memory when it comes to follow up, I am not known for my short term memory! To compensate I will send myself an email from my phone with the person’s first name, what we were discussing and a quick note on next step.  It’s not unusual to check your phone during an event, and then you’ll have a record for your own notes.

Recognize that reaching out via email doesn’t have to be formal or even overly prepared.  Sure, I use canned responses but the bulk of the message is adapted to be friendly, casual and personable.  Effective systems don’t make others feel like they’re moving through a machine.  We all crave more personal, real connections and as soon as the message seems “canned” I personally tune out.

One prime example of this was a follow up message I got after a networking event referencing a different networking event that I had not attended! Taking time to personalize the message and connect with the person you want in your network is well worth the effort! The time and small cost of a cup of coffee can pay off in unexpected ways down the road.

When it comes to contacting your network the third tip is to give before you request. This will happen more naturally as you grow your network and spend time developing relationships.  Once you know a few fashion design students it becomes easy to connect them to the clothing designer looking for an assistant. Or connect the VA looking for more work to the busy coach who needs to manage her schedule.

Remember, creating systems is all about the results you want to get out of your business.  So here are some sample emails to get your creativity going when it comes to connecting at your next event:

Thanks for the great ideas regarding my business, I’d love to take you out to lunch to hear more about your upcoming projects.

I was intrigued by your business and have some contacts in the industry. Can we talk next week so I can better understand who might benefit from your work or be a strong promotional partner?

Thanks for the information on new marketing tactics for direct mail. It would be great to connect (maybe once a month) over coffee and share resources like this. I’ve got some great ideas and proven tactics for increasing your email open rate that I’d love to share.

I appreciate the offer to connect me to your lawyer, please feel free to use this email or my phone number below to connect.

The trade show you mentioned sounds great and I checked my calendar and can definitely make it that weekend.  I so appreciate your offer to request the booth space from the organizer!

Do you see the trend here? Give and receive and make a specific request and in the instances where you’re waiting on something from the other person (connection to a good lawyer or invite to a trade show) you help by sending a gentle reminder with information that they can use to move forward.

A final tip is this: consistency is more important than getting it right the first time. You may send out many emails and get no response but don’t let that discourage you. We’re all busy and can get easily overwhelmed by email coming in all day long.  Just be consistent, reach out after every event, add people to your CRM software and keep touching base.  If you’re not getting good responses from your efforts, remember to give more.  Give support, resources, connections and give them freely. The more active you are in building a thriving interconnected network the better it will serve you.