entrepreneurs

My boss is really a smart woman. Unfortunately, I don't always listen to her. But I'm working on changing that.

She's always whispering to me. A sweet nothing that sounds something like...

"Get up for a 10 min stretch break."

"Go walk the dog."

"Ask for help."

"Slow down."

"You don't have to do everything at once!"

"Breathe."

Some days, I listen to these gentle requests and I feel great when I do. I am able to stay focused and motivated and on task with my work during the day so I can focus on family and fun and rest in the evenings.

But other days, I brush her sage advice away. I work harder. I type faster. I multi-task more. And what happens? I usually end up not getting as much done, work later into the evenings because I think I "should" and am exhausted at the end of the day.

So the question I've been asking myself lately (and my boss supports this question, too! I did run it by her wise counsel) to help me discern when to rest and when to work harder is...

"What will give me the most relief right now?"

Some days, it's absolutely getting up from the computer and walking away for a bit. Or spending time in nature to reconnect to my creative self. Or reaching out to a colleague and asking for advice on a problem I've been noodling on.

But other days, the answer is to focus even more - batch my phone calls, turn off e-mail so I can write an article, make a list (a realistic one) and be able to check off everything on that list by the end of the day. Because then I will feel a sense of accomplishment and my mind will be clear heading into the evening or the weekend.

I find that when I listen to my body's wisdom I always win. The body will always choose relief and feeling good as the preferred choice! I have never subscribed to the old saying of "No Pain, No Gain" I think that's a bunch of hooey!

So the next time you feel stumped at work - perhaps have low energy or feel foggy headed or are just not sure what to do next - ask yourself what's the fastest way to relief? And see where it takes you...!

I've just completed a year long program with the amazing Andrea Lee, one of the most well-known and well-respected coaches in the world!   

Andrea led us through The Thomas Leonard Success Strategies Program which was a wonderful compilation of the brilliance of Thomas Leonard, considered by many to be the Father of Modern Coaching.

I won't recount the 12 strategies here - you can see them on the program's website - but I will highlight a few of the tidbits from our summary call today.

These are some of Andrea's bits of wisdom and some thought provoking questions to ponder (not always her exact words, my interpretation of what I heard!):

"When we say good-bye, it invites space for big hellos!"

"Be the boss of technology, don't let it be the boss of you" 

"Repeat what works."

"What do you believe to the core?" 

"How can you cut through the info-crap?" 

"Traverse the edge. It keeps you awake!"

"Juice the orange." (my personal favorite!)

"What risks are you willing to take?"

"What can you claim and make it your own?"

"Why do you have your governor on?"

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing these gems and for being such an important leader, a kind and compassionate person and light in the world! I am a better coach and smarter business woman for knowing you! ~ E.

When people ask me to explain coaching, often the best analogy I give them is that working with a coach is like working with a personal trainer.

Let's say you want to get healthy. You know you need to exercise, eat right, stretch, rest and remove as much stress as possible from your life to achieve your goals. Chances are good, you can do this on your own.

But so many of us don't. We start and we stop. We give lip service to our goals, but we don't follow through.

And often times, we simply give up.

And we remain unhealthy.

And unhappy.

And that's where personal trainers come in.

Once we decide we're truly ready to make a change and once we ASK FOR HELP, we're so much more likely to succeed with our goals.

The initial decision is what's most important but the follow up decision of asking for help is what sets the wheels in motion toward a healthy life style.

Same goes for coaching. You know what you  need to do to grow your business and to live a balanced life, right?

So why aren't you doing it?!

We all need a little help every now and then and when we've got big goals and big dreams, a collaborative partner can make all the difference in helping to shepherd us on the road to success.

When I ask my clients what are the top benefits they get from coaching, accountability always ranks near the top of the list.

If you hire a coach to help you achieve your goals, you're going to SHOW UP for yourself on a regular basis.

And if you enroll in a coaching group, (there's one starting in Tallahassee March 2nd) you're going to SHOW UP not only for yourself and for your coach, but for all the other members of the program.

There's a reason why Weight Watchers is one of the most successful weight loss programs in our country.

There's a reason why group coaching programs work.

Accountability.

Committment.

Showing Up.

Resources.

Inspiration.

Community.

If you're ready to shift your life and your business from tired to inspired, I invite you to join me for the next 4 months and see what an impact coaching can have on your life!

I guarantee it will transform you in powerful ways!

It's that time of year again. I don't need to describe it to you. Most people either love it or dread it. There aren't a whole lot of fence-sitters on the topic of the holidays. If you are ready to disembark from the holiday crazy bus, here are three simple steps to help you.

1. Create Space. Pull out your calendar RIGHT NOW and look at the month of December. Are there hours or days that are not accounted for? Choose a few chunks of time - 30 minutes here, 2 hours there, an entire day (wow!) - and block them out just for you. This is the season of giving, but if you don't start by giving yourself some spiritual food in the form of space and time to breathe and think, you won't have anything left to give anyone else!

2. Envision your Ideal Holiday. Take a blank sheet of paper and write 5-10 things that would make your holiday just perfect. Then, talk with your loved ones about how you can incorporate some of these ideas into your holiday plans.

3. Self Care SOS! Make a list of all the things that help you to destress. Post it on your refrigerator and every time you feel the holiday crazies coming on, choose a self care tool that will come to your rescue. Examples: eating an organic meal in a relaxed environment, getting a babysitter for 3 hours so you can go do yoga, meditate for 10 minutes before you start your day, saying no thank you when you really don't want to do something.

If you want more tips and inspiration from me , I invite you to join me for two exciting events in December.

*** For Tallahassee area folks: I'll be the keynote speaker on Tuesday Dec 8th at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Professional Women's Forum and I"ll be talking about how to thrive during the holidays!

*** For people all over the country: Join me and Geralyn Russell for our Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW! Free teleclass on Wed Dec 16th from 8-9 pm EST. It's sure to be a respite in the midst of a busy holiday time!

If you missed the kick-off of the Tallahassee Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) in February,

be sure to mark your calendar now for this second quarter gathering!
 

Tuesday May 19th from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

at the Brokaw-McDougall House

329 North Meridian Street

Tallahassee, Florida

Learn TEN Tools to Elevate Your Intro and Get a Rise Out of Your Elevator Speech.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My colleague, Deanna Mims of MarketDone, and I are thrilled with what people are saying about the Tallahassee Entrepreneurs Network (TEN):

“I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and activities that helped everyone to relax.” 

 – Charlene Cappellini, Namaste Yoga Center

 “Great starting point for networking success. I liked the casual format and the non-conference room environment.” 

– Angel Clark, Keiser University

 “Loved meeting other business owners. Great activities!” 

 – Tricia Thomas, Roly Poly

We’re gearing up for our second event May 19^th. Once again, we will share our passion for networking and making genuine relationship-building connections.

If you live in the Tallahassee area,

Take a break and get out of the office

Expand your business connections

Network with other like-minded folks

Save $$$ with earlybird registration by Friday May 1st!

Come join us on Tuesday May 19th and learn our TEN tools to elevate your elevator speech.! Click here for more details and to register!

Join us on Tuesday, February 10th from 5:30-7:00 at the Brokaw McDougall House in Tallahassee for a fabulous workshop called:

From FEAR to FUN:

Shift your networking from YUCK to YES!

Tallahassee Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) is a collaboration between me and a colleague of mine, Deanna Mims. Deanna is a marketing expert and all around amazing woman! I love her energy, her enthusiasm and boy, does she know a lot of people in this town! Her consulting company is MarketDone.

I met Deanna last fall when she contacted me to be a speaker for the Business & Professional Women (BPW)Conference at the Civic Center in October. We instantly became friends and realized that it would be fun to collaborate on a project together.

Our mutual passion is networking because we both love making genuine connections that grow into long-term relationships. We both love people and are curious to learn all about them! That's what makes networking such fun.

So if you live in the Tally area and you want to

a) expand your business network

b) learn some new tools and techniques to be a better networker

c) get out of your office (c'mon, how many of you work at home in your pjs?! you gotta get out of the house sometimes to meet people!)

Come join us on Tues Feb 10th! Click here for more details!

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to experience two different versions of strategic planning.

My personal strategic planning process: A week-long retreat at the beach. Just me and our dog, Andy. Piles of books for reference and inspiration. Sheets of blank paper, colored index cards, markers, pens, poster board. My calendar - for 2008 and 2009 - to review, celebrate, project and dream. No e-mail and a cell phone that only worked when I drove up to the store.

A client's strategic planning process: For the third year in a row, Shannon Knapp, President of Horse Sense of the Carolinas in Marshall, NC assembled her team for some focused intense time of goal setting and planning. There were 6 of us meeting at her farm - her husband (and business partner), the practice administrator, her CFO, her marketing consultant and me! We had 3 computers, a flip chart and plenty of food. We accomplished a lot in just one day.

The common denominators:

1. Space to plan. Blocking out a day or several days to think about the future. Claiming the time in your calendar is critical. Choosing a supportive, nurturing environment is also important.

2. Creative tools to support planning. Think ahead to determine what you'll need. It can be as complex or as simple as you want to make it. Computers, spreadsheets, flip charts, calculators, calendars... or blank paper and a pen.

3. The outcomes. Identify the key issues and new priorities. Specific goals and objectives with a timeline to complete things in. Determining critical next steps for the health and vitality of the business.

There are still a few weeks left until the New Year. Pull out your calendar and block out an afternoon, a day or several days to work on your business. Planning today for a bright tomorrow is a terrific investment of your time and brain power.

I give the folks at The Green Peridot a big gold star for their customer service savvy. Why was my experience there great?

1.They were professional and inviting. Everything they did up front - their website, my initial scheduling appointment, their confirmation call - all said in essence "We're glad to hear from you and we look forward to serving you. Your business matters to us."

2. They were personal, too. When I walked in the door, both front desk people greeted me with smiles and as soon as I explained who I was, my new hair stylist, Suzi, came out to greet me and shook me by the hand and said "Hi, I'm Suzi!" (I've been amazed at how many people do not follow this simple rule of good business etiquette!)

3. They were good problem solvers. Apparently, Suzi's schedule got a little wonky today and she was running 30 minutes late when I arrived. But they had a plan. First, they'd tried to call me to avert the problem but I'd already left the house. Then when I arrived, Suzi explained to me my options "I'm so sorry, I'm running late. Do you have some other errands you could do? Would you like to shop in the area? You could sit and read? Or we could reschedule you for another day. Whatever you would like."

She left the choice up to me which felt SO great! How many times do you sit waiting for an appointment and feel annoyed because you feel "trapped"? I chose to run errands which worked out great for me.

4. They offered good ideas and resources. I'm new to town and still get lost and don't know many people. Suzi gave me some great tips on shortcuts around town and where to go to meet people we might enjoy.

5. The owner introduced herself to me as I was checking out. When she overheard I was new to town, she approached me and shook my hand, asked me a few questions about myself and thanked me for my business.

So, I just popped my thank you note in the mail (yes, snail mail, I decided this deserved a stamp!)to the folks at The Green Peridot and I'll definitely be returning there.

Think about your own business - do you consistently provide great customer service? If not, what small changes could you make to have big results?

Think about other businesses you frequent - when was the last time you acknowledged someone for doing a great job? I'd encourage you to try it...it made me feel great to write a thank you note and I imagine they'll be tickled to receive it.

What do you think are other hallmarks of good customer service? Please comment... I'd love to hear your ideas!