“Choose A Live Event” Checklist | Are you looking to make the right decision about attending a live event?

Whoa!  You’re not imagining things – there are a lot of events to choose from these days!  Gee whiz, which one is right for you?

Of all the choices I have, how can I make the right decision about which live event I should attend?

Obviously, most people make this decision emotionally.  It’s lonely being a small business owner after all.  And after all those long weeks, don’t you deserve to reward yourself?

There’s nothing at all wrong with that, but it pays to be rational about it as well, especially with SO MANY events to choose from, and only so much time and money that you can really spend trolloping along to events.

Putting aside the fun factor for a moment…

The upshot is simple:

What is the total cost of attending an event? (Money, time, lost opportunities, physical wear and tear, all of that.)

What is the total benefit of attending an event? (Increased income, potential for increased income, leveraged contacts, and much more – there are a LOT of benefits, tangible and intangible.)

Put those two answers together and what do you get? A pretty good cost-benefit analysis for attending.

But that said, like tens of thousands of entrepreneurs like you, you have a budget for personal and professional development.  So you plan, let’s say, to attend at least one, or perhaps more, live events each year.

In that case, I’ve developed an easy-breezy ‘Choosing a Live Event’ Checklist for you below, to further help. It includes a few lines for you to fill in, because each one of us has our own criteria. This makes the rational part of the decision making process much more evident.

I hope you find this useful.  If you do, please forward it to someone you think could benefit as well…would you?

“How to Choose a Live Event” Checklist

Did you know that there are over 80 seminars, workshops and events happening every year, and growing, each of them specifically designed to help you, the small business owner, succeed?

Amazing, isn’t it?  And, it’s great news.

Because it means that you have many more options than I did when I first started my business 13 years ago.

Thank goodness for options, because there are many different kinds of entrepreneur, and now you can choose the live event that will suit you, your values and your success path most. I invite you to carefully consider the field of options, because your choice of live event can have a real impact on your success as a small business owner, year after year.

Here’s a link to the PDF version for easy printing.

And here are just the questions.  To really benefit from this checklist, be sure to use the PDF worksheet at the above link.

Now review your answers and rank or choose the event you most want to attend, then register to begin reaping the rewards of your clarity.

1.	Is the event in a geographically positive (convenient, environmental, energetically fitting) location?
2.	Is the training a good value-for-dollar? Does it permit me to make payments, if that’s better for me?
3.	Will there be frequent high-pressure scenarios to invest further than my comfort zone?
4.	Is there a support system to taking action and following through post-event?
5.	Is the agenda leading-edge and future-oriented, addressing topics I can’t get addressed elsewhere?
6.	Can I speak with previous attendees to candidly hear their comments without filters?
7.	Will I be learning business models in addition to technical how-to?
8.	Will I also be learning how to grow and sustain myself as an entrepreneur and human being?
9.	Will I be able to access the hosts and presenters easily in a group that’s the size I’m comfortable networking in?
10.	Will I be intellectually stimulated and challenged to develop in surprising ways?
11.	Does the event represent an entrepreneurial community I’d be proud to associate with?
12.	Will the community serve my long-term needs if I return yearly, and as I become a more experienced business owner?
13.	Is the event community open, welcoming and helpful to newcomers?
14.	How current/fresh is the content that I will be learning?
15.	How practical is the content that I will be learning and will there be new case studies?
16.	Will what I learn increase my fees or income?
17.	Will attending bring me more business/clients? Estimating how much?
18.	Will what I learn support me in my definition of balance and success? Work hours, lifestyle, leverage?
19.	Will I be exposed to key concepts that clients will pay a premium for?
20.	Will what I learn set me apart from others in my market?
21.	Will the training be complete and actionable without additional investment?
22.	Will I leave clearer or more overwhelmed?
23.	Will I leave tired and if so, how much recuperation or down-time should I plan for?
24.	Will what I learn stay with me long term, and equip me to make better decisions later?
25.	Is there another reason to travel to this event – client for-fee work locally, other business generation, etc.?
26.	Is the event hosted by an organization that walks its talk and whose values I respect?
27.	Does the event look enjoyable and like I can comfortably be my real self without pretense?
28.	Can I get a 100% refund if I am not completely satisfied?
29.	_________________________________________________ (insert your additional criteria here)
30.	_________________________________________________ (insert your additional criteria here)

How to ‘Ride the Tiger’ of Your Business – A Case Study

While I was General Manager of CoachVille, my client Thomas Leonard once said to me, “Andrea, you’re managing a multimillion dollar business for me now.  I need for you to know I expect you to manage it, not control it.”

As you know beyond a doubt, any business with substance on its way to significant financial success takes on a life of its own. This was definitely the case at CoachVille – it went from 5,000 to 39,000 members and six figures to multiple seven figures while under my ‘watch.’

Thomas continued, “CoachVille is like a giant tiger, with a tail that thrashes around as it runs back and forth.  Riding on its back, you can’t control it, you can only ride with it and stay loose. From time to time, you might be able to lean into it with one knee or the other.

But whatever you do, if you try to control it, it will break your back.”

Literally. Since Thomas’ words of wisdom I’ve personally witnessed business owners’ proverbial backs being broken, and I’m pretty sure you can think of a few examples too, if you consider it a moment.  White-knuckled cControl is not the answer.

When asked what Thomas’ plan was, for CoachVille, or where he was headed, his answer was usually “Nowhere” or “Who knows?” But internally the way he described it was this:

“Andrea, we don’t work from a blueprint here. We have no idea what CoachVille will be in 2 years, much less 10. We’re smart enough not to throw a pile of bricks on the ground and call it a house, but all we do is lay one brick at a time while holding a big space for great things to unfold, however they unfold.”

In other words, we trust. And in trusting, fundamentally, did CoachVille grow as speedily and elegantly as it did.

YOUR TURN - Coaching Questions for Entrepreneurs Experiencing Growth

As your business grows, perhaps rather rapidly, what is your natural inclination – tighten up and control, loosen up and guide, neither, both, something else?

How might things be better if you loosened up control and tried guiding it instead by “leaning into it with one knee?” How might things be worse?

How much greater would your capacity, energy, drive, and sustainability be if you stopped letting your ego grow your business? Not that that’s bad, but just asking.

What is one aspect of your business that you can release control of right now, and see what happens?

Great Work Versus Good Work, What are you doing?

Busywork and infocr-p are two of the biggest enemies to you doing the work you’re here to do.

While I wield my powers for good in the infocr_p arena, my friend and colleague (also of the super power variety) Michael Bungay Stanier, is launching his new book today:

Do More Great Work: Stop the busywork and start the work that matters.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter you’ll have noticed him checking his Amazon ranking from the TEDActive Blogger’s Alley – see photo.

But wait a second… if his book is launching TODAY why would he be checking his Amazon ranking… last week?

Because…in true ‘walk the talk’ fashion…Michael’s book has ALREADY hit best-seller status in multiple places, a week before his launch.

That’s cool, in my book. (Ahem.)

I admire this book greatly, for its content, which includes:

- 15 “maps”, exercises to help you find, start and sustain your own “Great Work”

- Original guest contributions from people like Seth Godin, Zen Habits’ Leo Babauta, The Art of Non-Conformity’s Chris Guillebeau, and others

- Real Coaching tips scattered throughout. (Not pretend coaching tips, mind you. You know the ones that are just plain boring questions with the word ‘Coaching’ at the top of the page. Which makes sense of course because Michael was once voted Canadian Coach of the Year.)

- A full list of additional resources, including some free online resources.

But of course, there is another level.

This book is a great example of more than great content.  From it you can learn:

-   How to generate attention for something that started as outside the ‘mainstream’ conversation. Gain attention for something new. (Not an easy thing.)

-   How to create useful and appealing exercises people will actual do. When someone bought a book from Michael at the TED.com conference, she immediately flipped to the cool exercise pages and started filling them in. She said she ‘didn’t care’ about the rest of it necessarily, although it was nice, but Michael’s strength is in helping the reader integrate the learning.

Most of all, and I will say more about this later, but this book is an example of something you may not realize:

This book started as a little online document. It morphed into a self-published book. It then found a home at a publishing house where it now proudly resides.

‘Do More Great Work’ represents the best of all publishing worlds, and is the result of a doggedly creative mind.

Today is a great day to purchase it if you are so moved, and doing so gets you some carefully selected, non-overwhelming gifts.

Go here to order – a perfectly giveable, readable, useable and enjoyable book.

Congratulations to you Michael!

In The Pursuit of Money, Meaning & Beyond, Is It Time For Some Hair Of The Dog?

This thought-piece by Andrea J. Lee is excerpted here for the first time from the book, Money, Meaning and Beyond, Chapter 21

Ever feel like a fraud in your biz? Or, just stuck in a rut – again?? Whatever your business is, if you’re hesitant, embarrassed or shy about it, it’s just not going to work long term. Time for some hair of the dog.

Question: I’m totally stuck. I thought my business was going well, but I can’t seem to get anywhere these days. It’s like spinning my wheels in mud and getting deeper and deeper into ick. Plus, I have no energy anymore. When people ask me what I do, I just can’t seem to care enough to tell them. Please tell me what is up?

Whether you’re just starting out or been around the block a dozen times, the feeling of ‘I have no idea why but there is no energy around here’ is a common one to business owners of all stripes.

First things first. Remember, everything is energy. And when you’re stuck, experience tells us there’s something wrong inside – not something you’re doing – that is creating the block.

So here’s where the idea of Hair of the Dog comes in.

The phrase ‘Hair of the Dog’ originally comes from Medieval times when physicians of the time prescribed real hair from a dog to treat dog bites.

You know, someone would come into the surgery with a dog bite. And they would get a mouthful of tonic made from hair of the dog that actually bit them.

Now we don’t know if that worked from a medical perspective, but the phrase in modern times has come to characterize something more familiar, at least to some.

When you – or someone you know – has indulged a little too much in alcohol the night before, the morning after can be a bit of a trial.

And the phrase, “You need some hair of the dog” has come to mean, “Ya might wanna have another drink, buddy, it’ll take the edge off your headache this morning.”

It’s been a little while since I’ve tried this personally, but we seem to remember it works.

So what does all this have to do with your business? A lot, actually.

If you’re stuck in any way, or even if you’re not stuck but you want to amp up your flow of energy, ask yourself this:

“In what way could I be applying the things I sell, teach or stand for, to myself?”

“How could I – more thoroughly – be doing what it is I tell my clients they should be doing?”

The answers you come up with are…well…the things you must do to get unstuck.

Mini Case Studies:

• If you’re a massage therapist, how often are you yourself going to a therapist to reap the benefits of your trade? A grumbly massage therapist whose back hurts and forehead is wrinkled from low energy isn’t someone most people would go back to…
• If you’re a financial advisor, how are your finances? We’re not saying you have to be a millionaire to be a terrific financial advisor, but you must actively be pursuing what you believe is important in the realm of finances. If you aren’t, how can you do right by your clients?
• If you are a dentist, how are your own teeth?
• If you teach cold calling, how often are you picking up the phone?
• If you’re a coach or consultant, are you walking your own talk?

‘Nuff said.

It’s pretty simple really…albeit maybe a bit unexpected. When you start to apply the Hair of the Dog Principle, count on your energy starting to flow again. It’s like taking a little booster shot in exactly the right spot.

Wisdom nugget:

Make a list of why you think people should do business with you. Be thorough. Start with as many as you can write down, and come back a couple times as you think of more.

Example: They’ll save money. Or time. Or they’ll have a lot of fun. Or…whatever.

>>> Now make a list of ways YOU can live these things yourself.

What is thought leadership, anyway?

On Thursday January 21, I’ll be holding a class on ‘Everyday Thought Leadership for Entrepreneurs‘…

It’s no-cost, and I’ll be using 3 example businesses to demonstrate the concepts.

The words ‘thought leadership’ may sound on the fancy side, but all they really mean is:

• thinking for yourself
• creating value in a fresh way for those around you
• daring to be even just 10% different

In business, it also means acting on those fresh ideas and creating a business structure that delivers value to your customers. By the way, if you’ve gotten hold of a truly ground-breaking idea that changes the game – and isn’t TOO ahead of its time – your business will more than ‘keep food on the table.’ This is where it gets really fun and rewarding.

And, it’s where the big success stories are going to come, in 2010.  Because years ago, when the internet was a baby, it was easy for every ezine, product, or offering to be fascinating and cool.  Heck, when TV was new, all the programs seemed worth watching too, right?  Well, the Wild West of the Internet is definitely gone, and quality is now rising to the top.

You get to choose what kind of TV program you and your business will be.  So, what will it be?

To learn more about everyday thought leadership for entrepreneurs…

Click here to register.

Three Major Entrepreneurial Shifts in the Markets I Want to Share

There are three major shifts happening in entrepreneurial markets I want to share with you as we peer over the last page of the calendar into the fresh, new, so-far blank one.

Shift #1: The call for top quality content has begun in earnest.

Markets are increasingly dissatisfied, and more important, UNMOVED, by ‘sameness’ and are NOT BUYING unless there is a compelling, original story being told. That story then needs to be backed up by something they’ve never heard before, even just by 10%, or, the pulses of our clients, they just aren’t quickening.

This shift has already started more than murmuring, with giant content generating moguls like @garyvee @chrisbrogan and so many more, dominating the field.

Thought leadership – having a strong opinion and a voice that expresses it – is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it’s become an essential.

2010 will see the rise of this kind of content in the way that matters most – the transfer of money to your bottom line.

(And well, it should, by the way. If your content doesn’t provide some kind of unique value, again, at least by 10% compared to others, why would someone give you money?)

Shift #2: The drive to create value at higher prices will become much more important.

If you’re investing in creating your best ideas – it will become essential to find high-ticket money models to support selling them.

When your ideas are great – you know, ideas that are WORTH selling, versus ebooks for $7 or $19 or even $49 – you can build a business around them at the higher price points.

If you’re familiar with the Pink Spoon Marketing funnel – Google it if not, it’s freely available on the internet – you’ll know that this is the middle of the funnel, where the price points are high, yet your time is still well leveraged.

Making your business work in this ‘sweet spot’ will become a big focus for forward-thinking business owners. There are about 5 major business models I see working in this way now, but the principles are the same. New models can be created based on those principles. One just needs to grasp hold of those principles.

Shift #3: The notion of taking care of the ‘golden goose’ will find the spotlight.

Who, might you ask, is that golden goose? You guessed it, it’s you.

A goose, a golden one especially, would be well taken care of, wouldn’t it? It would be the best food, lovely shelter, maybe it would even be surrounded by loving people who would pet it and scratch its ears…wait a second, geese don’t have ears!

You take my point though.

It takes more than a virtual assistant to take true, abiding, sustainable care of a business owner who’s holding nothing back, and going for it.

It takes what I’m calling a PERSONAL ECOSYSTEM and done well, it can sustain the money-making POWER that emerges when the two above items are in place.

All three of these things are not rocket science. I’m sure you ‘get’ them all. But putting them together in a way that sheds all the ‘me-too’ habits…

Gets you out of the rut of learning without results…

And does so in a way that not just ALLOWS but REQUIRES you to be an individual, think for yourself, take a stand for something you care about?

This is my biggest wish for all of us for 2010.

It’s not my resolution, it’s my heart’s act of creation, just by stating it here with you.

“The best way to create the future is to predict it.” – Peter Drucker

You can create the above. I know you can and I urge you to. And I will thunderclap for you from the mountain tops through all of 2010 and more, as you do.

Limos or Llamas? Is This An Era of Homogenization U? Or Am I Just a Negative Nancy?

First, a sorry to all my friends, past, present and future, by the name of Nancy.

So can I let you in on a few things that have popped onto my radar the last, oh, 6 months?

The majority of my current coaching clients are enrolled in significant trainings with other mentors/coaches, these high-end trainings costing thousands of dollars.

Yet they aren’t in the higher-end mastermind programs of those same trainers/mentors/coaches. They are coaching with me, at my additional fees, for various reasons, or so they say, but we use the material these others provide in their various expertise-based programs, and we implement into a business system of their creation.

Not so weird. That’s coaching. Except for…how many of these kinds of clients there’ve been this year and, sorry to say, how often I hear ‘I enjoy learning their content but I’m shocked by what these gurus are doing when it comes to charging small business owners like me big money for their mentoring.’

‘Please tell me Andrea, do I have to do it like that? Tell me I don’t have to become THAT in order to succeed.’

A little discontent is to be expected, and I don’t exempt myself from that. If I’m going out on a limb with clients, things don’t always work out perfectly! But what pricks my ear is questions like these, topics for coaching, being brought up:

• “The business models that are being taught – is that the only way to succeed? Doing it that way feels like I’m just another sheep in a crowd! And/but I don’t want to say anything in public, that would be sacrilege.”
• “The prices that are being charged by these trainers, and we’re being taught to charge, sometimes 6 figures just for group coaching, and not even 3 sessions a month…is there something off about that or is it just me? It seems inflated somehow, but I guess if everyone’s doing it, it’s okay?”
• “The personal values being modeled…being successful doesn’t mean limousines to me, yet everyone gets so excited by that Hollywood celebrity stuff. What if I want to live on an island with dirt surrounding me, fresh heirloom vegetables and an alpaca by my side? Can I hold a retreat where my participants get to milk a llama as the big door prize?
• “Where is the mentoring program for people with my values and why when I try to stick it out in one of the existing programs, do I have to feel wrong about being different?”
• “I’m scared, Andrea. I feel like we’re getting homogenized.”

And therein lies the rub.

Long-time readers will recognize this chestnut from me. Anyone who says (or suggests) there is only one right way to do things, is not okay with me.

As trainers and coaches, thought leaders all, the only constant truth – in my opinion – is that our job is to help others learn how to know what’s best for them. Showing a path that works is fine. Teaching by modelling. Using examples. That’s all great.

But not being clear that this is just one way to do things, isn’t, not in my book.  Are you catching what I’m pitching? Is this uncomfortable to you at all? Because it is for me too.

I don’t think it’s enough to say ‘people should know to think for themselves without me telling them that.’

They don’t always, that’s why coaching is (1) such delicate inner surgery and (2) such a great responsibility!

I don’t think it’s okay to say ‘you shouldn’t learn from other sources, only learn from me.’

Putting precious gray matter into preformed molds …that’s criminal, in my book.

But, you know, as esoteric this line of thinking may be…

I know the ultimate responsibility lies with the individual. So I write posts like this that are designed to say

‘Hey, it’s okay to disagree with the prevailing wisdom.’

‘It’s great to decide to do something completely different from everyone else.’

‘There ARE other ways, many ways, to financial and meaningful success.‘ A llama ride would be right up my alley, actually, and I can see a world, post self-help bubble when llama rides could be the next limousines…but that’s for another day.

I give myself permission to be sad, that sometimes people don’t have the support they need to think thusly for themselves. Sad and a little cynical.

Your thoughts on this? Am I just a negative Nancy? A dread Cassandra?

Aside: In case it needs saying – let me be clear that this isn’t greed or jealousy talking.  I’ve been rather tough with myself on that, examining. I don’t think it’s misplaced ego or the desire to tear others down, either. All I’m asking for is more open-minded thinking, more individual thinking. Less unquestioned, oddly Borg-like behavior. More celebrating of individuals.

Speaking of the latter, time for me to wrap up, and over to you. Thoughts?

Want a Leafy Car with Jelly-Bean Extension Cord? Get in Line in Vancouver in 2010

I first heard this sweeping vision at TED Palm Springs in February.  Shai Agassi’s talk of electric-car-charging stations – to replace gas stations – around the world was invigorating, but there were a lot of naysayers at dinner later.

Could the giant iceberg of existing infrastructure be stopped, and momentum gained in the other direction? Instead of plugging my nose when gassing up, could I get used to swapping the batteries in my car in a little electric car drive through? Where would Shai’s vision first break ground and when? Or would it?

Here is the TED.com video in question so you can see for yourself. Remember TED talks are all 20 minutes at most, and speakers are requested to give the ‘talk of their lives.’ Prepare to enjoy.

Cut to what, 8 months later? Today.

Via Nissan.

Nissan, along with the Canadian province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, and BC Hydro, have announced that British Columbians will have a chance to get their hands on Nissan’s LEAF electric car sooner than the rest of the world. Global distribution is planned for 2012, but Canada’s Westernmost province will see it come in 2011.

Electric Cars in Vancouver
Gregor Robertson, the mayor of Vancouver (host of the 2010 winter olympics) said:

“Moving towards a zero-emission mobility program gets Vancouver closer to our goal of becoming the world’s greenest city.

We’ve moved very aggressively to bring in electric vehicle charging infrastructure regulations for Vancouver that is a first for North America.

The City will need electric vehicles to charge on that new infrastructure.

We are very pleased to be the first Canadian municipal partner of Nissan, a global leader in electric-vehicle technologies.”

So now it’s ‘we have the infrastructure planned for and coming, and we need some cars.’ Nice!

New legislation in Vancouver requires developers of new condominiums and apartments to make electric outlets available in a minimum of 20% of parking spots. Can downstream items like slick extension cords in jelly bean colors be far behind? Shai, what have you started?

I’m happy for Vancouver, in its lovely vision, along with the new Leaf, or should that be Leaves, soon to fill its streets. And, well, I like the color of the model. Did they steal it from Flik, the main ant character in A Bug’s Life, do you think?

Read more about the Leaf here. If you’d like a report on the test drive, as soon as I can get one, stay tuned.

The Dilemma of the Alpha Female, Or, The Inadvertent Slow Cowing Of the Modern Male

Long-time readers may recall that about 2 years ago, I became very interested in this particular idea set. I retreated for 10 days. I wrote. I gathered evidence in color-coded folders; I even pitched it to editors and secured real interest. And spoke publicly – personally! vulnerably! – on a call focused on thought leadership, citing it as THE project in my life that was scaring the bejeezus out of me. (Is that how you spell bejeezus??)

At various times, the work was called ‘The Dilemma of the Alpha Female’ and ‘Your Husband Wants His Pants Back’ but probably my favorite non-contender was ‘Stop Stepping On His Balls.’ Oh, the look on the face of the book consultant as I threw around cover art concepts of stiletto heels and artfully placed diamonds the size of golf balls.

Of course, what happened next was a perfect illustration of the concepts themselves.

(1) I grew confident and excited.

(2) I talked with my husband Mike about it, and though he was very supportive, started feeling concern that this might not be the greatest thing for our relationship.

(3) I grew confused. Into this confusion, clarity about other more mundane projects shone like light in a dark, messy tunnel. My file folder on ‘the Pants book’  followed the laws of gravity to the bottom of the project pile.

The dilemma was, is - and armed with data from a career coaching strong, successful women, close observer to even more – the same, and stumping oh so many of us:

How do you play full out, riding that spiking arrow of testosterone high and to the right, glorying in all the alphaness of it, while balancing:

- Your own essential femaleness. Not everyone has an inner trembling flower, but you might be surprised how intricate it can be to switch from driver, visionary, producer to… receiver, observer, passenger.

- Testosterone, other than your own, that you want in your life. One look at the landscape tells much – how many women do you know who have difficulty finding a Man? Whether you have a friend in that category or someone you admire in that category, you know what I mean.

- The inevitable anger and self-hatred, likely largely unexpressed, at living this dilemma every day, every goddamned day, with not a clue what to do about it.

How does this dance between male and female energy – sometimes bubbling under the surface, sometimes spraying out, ugly and ferocious – play out? What does the music even sound like? How do we find a soundtrack we like, and play it, enchantingly, entrancingly, each day? This is the dilemma.

Here’s a segment of the little ‘blurbey’ that got the attention of editors at the Maui Writer’s Conference that year:

Have you ever wondered why your husband rarely initiates a romantic encounter anymore? Or when he’ll start earning some ‘real’ money so you can stop buying your own anniversary gifts, and taking yourself out to dinner? Are you exhausted all the time being the man AND the woman in your relationship?

Where is the hunka-hunka burnin’ love you fell for in the first place?

Enough. It’s time to sort out how to give those pants back to their rightful owner.

After years of helping successful career women coax their husbands out of their hiding places, professional coach Andrea Lee blows the whistle on the emasculated state of too many modern marriages. Without meaning to, modern women have ‘come a long way, baby’ and then gone way too far.

In trying to be our best selves, we have undermined our husbands. Inadvertently, alright, but that’s not the point. They in turn, are mighty tired of walking on eggshells for this superwoman who insists on changing her own lightbulbs, along with everything else in her wake. With no defined role for our men to play, is it any wonder our lives of quiet desperation have started screaming at us to stop?

Your Husband Wants His Pants Back reveals:

- Exactly how to leave ‘The Witch’ behind, without turning into June Cleaver. (No offense, June.)
- Startling facts about your man, including when he’d LIKE to talk about his feelings.
- How to reclaim your life as a loving woman without wilting into overcompliancy.
- What only you AND your man, together, can create, other than or in addition to children, that no other couple could.
- The simple daily exercises you can use to achieve the above!

Here’s the deal: You can be pro-man without betraying the sisterhood. In fact, join the sisterhood generation that claims a new definition of happiness for modern women – and their men.

Interestingly, after letting the project find its own way in the wilderness awhile, another theme emerged. To continue the music analogy, you could call this a harmonic strain, or counterpoint to the tune I’d been singing. Into the mix emerged the topic of a ‘Husband University’ where Mike could put forward his arsenal of wisdom on ‘how to live and love an alpha female.’ It was like a juicy and empowering supercarrot, reward for his investment into what is now a fairly evolved yet untraditional male-female dynamic, or so our friends tell us. Maybe there was a(nother) reason he stuck through ‘all that.’

Like melodies and harmonies do, the two topics faded in and out, curling after one another with pauses for summer, lake-swimming, blackberry-picking, and the general enjoyment of each other and life.

Cue the fall of 2009. Okay it’s not quite September yet, but my inner calendar tends to run about 7 days ahead (I couldn’t find the warranty so I haven’t had it fixed.) Now…now…this topic wants to sing.

Of course, the question becomes, does anyone want to hear it?!

If a blog post is written in a forest, and no one comments, does the project have legs?

Here are the questions I like to ask, myself and clients, at this juncture in project creation:

In a noisy world, would this project represent tangible value to the world, my market/tribe/peeps, and me? How tangible? How helpful to others? How much good could it generate?

In a noisy world of many experts, is this something that only I can do, quite this way, again, valuably? What makes this the project I must do?

In a noisy world of so much information, does this work represent enough of an evolution, innovation, or departure from the crowded masses of clotted thought, to bother?

As a recovering alpha female with yet another dilemma, I’d love your help deciding. I know what I’d do, without consulting you. But, why would I not consult you?! If there’s enough interest, I’ll up the ante and post the Table of Contents for the book in its raw, uncut glory, the better for you to pick apart.

This is me doing my best impersonation of a modern alpha female, eager to receive and follow, your wise and soulful guidance. From the heart of one creator to another, thank you.

—–

Want to share this article with a fellow Alpha Female, and contribute to ahas of recognition and sighs of relief being heard around the world? The message needs your help! Here’s a great short link to just this post on this blog:

http://bit.ly/48cadB

And if you have other requests for reprints, I’m all ears. Email me at andrea at andreajlee dot com. Thanks, guys.

8 Figures. There, I said it. And may the honor in the number not be diluted…

It’s a sentiment devoutly to be wished, by me.

Eight figures, you say? Yes… that’s $10 million and up. $10,000,000 to $99,999,999 as opposed to$9,999,999.

(At $10 million, that’d be $833,333 per month in income for the given project or business initiative.)

Not to be flip about the numbers and all, but I know it can take a moment to click. And, may the Universe forgive me, once said in this tweetin’, hootin’, hollerin’ viral world of ours, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before the ‘Make 8-Figures’ meme hits mainstream marketingville and it’s all over except the hitting of the delete key. In fact, I may as well throw down the flag…let the domain-buying wars begin!

And/but, I still choose to say it, placing it with the care I can in this world of words. 

It’s been a while since I’ve said it so baldly, so boldly shall I do so here:

Money is like a language of its own and its favorite topic of conversation is v.a.l.u.e.

Money is like the scent of a rose – it is an indicator of where the beautiful value grows.

Certainly, some people value different things than you or I do – beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. But, if enough people value that thing, be it food, shelter, drugs or alcohol, child care, a chauffeur, medicine, coaching, virtual assistance or, hey, insert YOU…

…there will be the scent of money, flagging that value, like a photograph gets tagged at Facebook.

One of the great honors conveyed upon this thing we call money - 5, 6, 7, 8 figures or any amount really - is in its signalling of value transacated. Or, of course, not transacted as the case may be.

As we work on opportunities to create what matters to us – money, meaning and value for those around us – I hope we remember this original honor of money – 8 figures or otherwise – no matter where marketingwhoville goes with the meme.

More conversation to come about 8 figures, what we’re doing that may call forth this much value, and how this might impact you, whether that’s a specific goal for you or not.  Call it good old-fashioned yoga for the mind.

For now, one of those thinkey things I like to do with quotes, turning them a bit from the inside out:

“‘People who look to religion for God, are like people who try to eat the menu when they’re hungry.” — Rumi

“People who look to money for money’s sake, are people who scream ’8-figures!!’ without looking for the value represented.”

By the way, these are the same people who come  insisting on the magical answers, bullish with their pointed questions ‘Andrea, how do I make this (insert thing) make a boatload of money?’  To which I must again answer, with respect… have something frigging amazing to say, or do, or provide.  Think what would make this ’thing’ of immense, undeniable value.  And hang the packaging, marketing, frantic joint venturing until then.

In a post-ponzi scheme world, where our understanding of ‘paper wealth,’ how the economy works, and our all-too-personal experience of stock market volatility, what does the word ‘value’ mean to you in the bigger picture?

On a micro level, what value are you creating in your business and your life? What is your sense of your personal inherent value?

Value is created in so many ways, from scratch, even. Where is your value?

Comment below.

For more thinkey stuff, be sure to sign up for updates at top right, choose one of the freebies at right (the small box banners) or, dive into some serious mind bends, stretching included, with our most popular no-fee recordings. They’re at the red button at top called, you got it, ‘Free Calls.’

The Lone Ranger Syndrome

It’s time to stop doing it all…

(An excerpt from Chapter 15 in Money, Meaning and Beyond)

It’s not unusual for either of us to get variations of this question:

“Tina, I want to build my website, set up some Pink Spoons and manage my different streams of income, including online. So how do I become tech-savvy?”

Our response: “Why should you become tech-savvy?”

It’s easy when adding online elements to our business to think that we need to do it all ourselves, which simply isn’t true…

As a small business owner, isn’t your time better spent elsewhere, such as delivering value to your clients or building your business? When your time is limited, doesn’t it make sense to work on the stuff that only you can do in your business?

It’s a pet peeve of ours to see people waste their time and effort learning skills that are a poor match to their talents, they don’t enjoy, and in many cases don’t benefit their business!

So why is this so common? Most people think they can’t afford to hire help for themselves and their business, especially in the early days when cash flow may be tight. And so they resign themselves to either:

• Doing everything themselves and letting their business suffer, OR
• Under-utilizing the help that they do have, thus hampering their growth.

On behalf of your sanity and the growth of your business, hire some help sooner rather than later.

One of the best resources for support available these days is to hire a Virtual Assistant. Also known as a VA, these skilled professionals are able to help with anything from general administrative tasks, customer service, technical projects, marketing initiatives and more. The word Virtual simply refers to the fact that they work from their location, not yours, and that may mean they’re up to half way around the globe.

Because VAs usually work as contractors, you can hire them for as much or as little work as you need, be it just a few hours each week or up to full time hours as your business grows. Since VAs work from home and have their own equipment, you save the cost of hiring and housing a fulltime local assistant.

But won’t a VA – or any other kind of help for that matter – cost money? Money that you may not feel you can spare just now? The answer is yes, however there is one key point about turning a VA from a business liability, into a true asset.

Think of them as a Profit Center.

Instead of an expense, like stationary, office furniture, or your internet connection, a Virtual Assistant can be a profit center.

Most people don’t think about ‘getting help’ this way, so it’s to your benefit if you do. By focusing your VA on profit generating tasks, you leverage yourself, add capacity to your business and in fact, alleviate the pressure on you to be the only ‘bread winner’ in the business – a very common situation if you’re working solo.
Although it seems simple on the outside, this one mind-set shift will differentiate you from other business owners if you go ahead and implement it.

Ask, “How Can My Virtual Assistant Be a Profit Center In My Company?’

This mindset-shift is one of the main reasons why we have been able to help build our client companies so quickly from six figures to seven. Think about it. Being able to add capacity in a way that makes it possible for you to do much more work, more quickly, is a pretty neat thing. Not to mention bringing in more money!

Let’s talk a bit more about what these profit-generating tasks might be. First, the best VAs are NOT just glorified secretaries.

Read more

The Art of Sprinting or ‘How to Get More Done, Your Way’

An article by guest author Michael Neill of www.geniuscatalyst.com.

Preamble from Andrea: Michael’s hit the nail on the absolute head with his latest article on pacing yourself in business, reproduced in full below. I personally am definitely a sprinter, and love the way he’s expanded the analogy here. Have a close read, won’t you? It may help you understand yourself in a very different light. Highly recommended and a definite theme for 1-1 business coaching sessions to come.

People sometimes ask me how it is I get so much done and seem to take so much time off. My answer is that I have learned “the art of sprinting” – that is, how to give my all to a project and then rest, recover, relax and renew.

Here’s a recent example:

At 11:45pm last Wednesday evening, I pushed the “send” button on a writing project that accomplished in 5 intense weeks what most writers would spend anywhere from 5 months to 2 years to accomplish.

I say this not to show off (well, maybe a little, but not mostly to show off – I say it to show what’s possible if you make use of one simple distinction in how you manage your energy and your time – the difference between a marathon and a sprint.

Here’s how sports psychologist James Loehr puts it:

To visualize the difference between a 100-meter sprinter and a marathoner, think about their energy before and after a race. At the end, the marathoner looks like a train wreck, while the sprinter looks excited and energized.

The reason sprinters are so excited and full of energy is that they can see the goal line right in front of them. I could give 100% of my energy to reach that clear a goal. But the marathoner can’t see twenty-six miles.

And our work lives aren’t twenty-six miles, but thirty or forty years. So it’s no surprise that most people are not fully engaged in their jobs or home lives. They are afraid to give too much because they will run out of steam. And once you run out, you are dead.

When you see your life (or work or marriage or pretty much anything) as a marathon…

Read more

Are You Treating Your Market Like You’d Treat A Best Friend: With Respect, Love And Fierce Advocacy?

The Money and Meaning Movie was where this conversation began, so it’s fitting that we circle around and take another look at what it said:

“Ever wonder why some business owners succeed while others fail?

Why some prosper, while others lose everything?

Why some retire young while others never stop?

It’s because they understand they aren’t building a business. They’re building relationships.

They treat their market as they would a close friend.

They listen to their market’s needs. They give more value than is expected. They respect people as individuals not as numbers.

There is more to business than just making money. You can make money AND meaning. If you treat your customers like a number, they come and go. But if you treat them with care, you’ll build a business for life.”

Coaching Questions:

1. If you were to treat your clients/customers like the best of friends, how would you proceed differently this week?
2. If it were possible to honor your customers like friends sustainably, for the life of your business, what would you do/provide/offer/invite?
3. Do you feel as though the idea of your market as a friend is wickedly unsustainable? May we suggest you may not be taking as good care of yourself as you could? 

Especially in tougher economic times, it can be very telling to answer the above questions. Post your comments/questions below.

Since launching the Money and Meaning movie years ago, it’s been played to great effect at corporate meetings, training events, and on the desktops of hundreds around the world. Click to view it or share it here:

www.themoneyandmeaningmovie.com

A Parable: Kindness in the Holidays

With the hustle and bustle of the end of the year, I notice it’s usually the littler things things that last in my memory.  So at the beginning of the busiest season, I was touched to read the below parable sent by the class act that is Coach 
Diane Krause-Stetson. Thanks for sharing it, my dear.

And, forewarned is forearmed, as Diane puts it.  This one is a heart tugger.

The Passenger

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked. Just a minute answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90′s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware..

Read more

Great News in Not-So-Great Times?

A wee rant from Planet Andrea…

With all the talk in the world, my question for us, this tribe of forward-thinking coaches, is this:

“If during good times we talk all about harnessing the law of attraction, tapping into the ‘Secret’ and so on, why during not-so-good times do we mostly conveniently forget? Where are the creators of the Secret now? If we really are the creators of our own reality, which one of us created THIS?”

It would be funny to imagine the collective us looking around the room, accusingly – was it YOU? Except that it’s for real. So in light of our current reality, here’s a second line of questioning:

“If we manifested this, what purpose does it serve, because it must serve some. For what reason might we be having this economic downturn? How could this be ‘perfect.’ actually? Really.”

It may seem rude to ask this kind of question, and I mean no disrespect. I have a client whose stock portfolio has left his marriage bruised if not broken, and working with him is my starkest connection to the reality. No, I ask these questions because I hope they are useful.

“When hard times strike on an individual basis, what happens as a result? Let’s say the household budget in your world was cut in half, right now. What would you do? What could you do? What would/wouldn’t you eat? What (different) choices might you make for the coming holidays? Why wouldn’t you make those choices anyway?

What does it say about what’s important to you, the difference in the choices you’d make?”

Tough times, while not actively sought by most, do serve a purpose, they must, or dare we say it? They wouldn’t exist. We might not put it on the nose like that to our clients, I’ll give you that. But like the natural environment around us that is also under siege, tough times are ‘nature’s way’ of recalibrating a system that’s unbalanced, too complex to be sustainable.

Instead of fighting it, I say take the simple route and ask a final set of questions – at least for this rant. It’s what I’ll be savoring for the next 30 days because I have a spidey sense that the answers might be the truly great news, if I am/you are/we are — willing.

“How can I use this time of change to recalibrate for myself? ‘Live’ off less – use fewer resources to live an even richer life. Become more efficient and effective at achieving what I want for our world. A lean mean coaching and change-making machine? How can my life become pared down, more simple?”

Post your thoughts below, if you so desire. And stay tuned for a future issue of Creating What Matters, for more thoughts on this topic.

Next Page »