Why Your Launch Isn’t Working (As Well As You’d Like) And Your Stuff Isn’t Selling (As Much As You’d Like)

It’s a wonderful day in the business: you’ve created a NEW THING and are about to release it to the world. Whether it be a new summer menu at a restaurant, a 6-week telecourse, an person-training or, the proverbial lemonade stand on a new street corner, this should be a great day, right?

But launch day, or selling your wares on any day for that matter, often comes with the entrepreneurial version of post-traumatic stress. Too much effort, not enough result. What’s happening? Here are a few reasons to review, then change, but only if you seek a different result.
1. Less is more.

Too much information, already!  People aren’t going to buy just to make you stop droning on, verbally or in writing.  Make ONE point clearly, move on.  Next time, make another point. And then…enough said.

2. It’s too serious.

Adult education (no, not THAT kind!) needs to entertain. Lighten it up, but also look for where you can counsel your market to lighten up as well. They’ll be relieved and grateful.

3. Do the opposite.

According to the Art of War, it pays to do exactly what your enemy doesn’t expect.  Rather than fall into a thrall about what your competitors or colleagues are doing, what can you do that they would NOT expect?

In a bouquet of red roses, there’s a reason white Baby’s Breath is the most common companion. It contrasts.

4. Show, don’t tell.

Instead of telling the benefits, show them, if you can. Before and after stories. Use shorthand with case studies.  (See #1)

5. You’re being stubborn about something.

Intense coaching in the last 3 months, I have so much real-life proof (aka ammunition) about this, it’s silly.

Your launch isn’t doing as well, and your stuff isn’t selling as much, because you are being a stick in the mud about SOMETHING. Holier than though? Disconnected to reality? Attached to doing it yourself? Feeling desperate about money? (And yes, I have my own self as evidence too.)

6. Deliver more (karmic deposits) to sell more (karmic withdrawal.)

In a fascinating turnaround of the concept of tithing, where certain individuals even claim to give away the dollar amount they want to EARN each month, look to your delivery.  What clients, what services, what products are you set to deliver right now?

Set out to OVERDELIVER. Because wimping out on delivery (letting current clients down, or not fully earning the money you’ve already put in the bank?) is the best way to say you’re not really ready to sell more, just now.

7. Be nimble.

Lots of people say ‘be speedy.’ That works to an extent, but there’s a difference. The insight is that being SLOW does not serve. Sluggishness, taking forever to make one decision, all these things rob you of space you need to manoeuvre, do something again, try a tweak.

If you only have X time, and your thing is untested, you need to step lightly, keep moving, course correct, find what works, nimbly.

8. Get realer.

This one is a toughie. In a time when authenticity has become the plastic word-of-the-day, the succinct (see #1) way I’ll put this is…

Ask…. if a video camera were on you at any given moment in your life (especially when you’re not creating something for YouTube) would we see a different you from the one you want us to see?

How can that change? That’s where the untapped reserves of realness live. And by contrast to the plastic around us, the foresight here is that that’s what will be noticed.

9. Your offer is off.

The price point. The perceived value. Maybe who you’re selling that thing to.  Maybe your thing is (sorry, but it’s possible) boring and sounds like everyone else.  Something about the ‘it’ isn’t right.

This is a toughie to admit to, but you may as well do it early if you feel it. Admitting it later isn’t going to feel better, is it?

Your turn! Why – now that you’ve marinated in the above 9 – isn’t your launch working as well as you’d like, or your thing selling as much as you’d like?

I left #10 open just for you. Because I know you have the muscles to play with the formula. Try it:

Foresight + Insight + Action = Business Success Through Thought Leadership.

What insight do you now have about this question, which everyone goes through, at one point or other? Click here to add your #10.

Best answer will be featured in the next issue of Creating What Matters, which will not be for another whole entire week.

“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)

Chapter 22 Riding the Tiger

Some business owners hit a ceiling in their business. They reach a certain level of success and despite best efforts are unable to move past this invisible barrier to growth. This seems to happen frequently at the quarter million dollar mark, so we’ve nicknamed it the ‘Quarter Million Dollar Speed Bump.’

Other business owners step right into the flow, and go beyond what they thought was possible. Success arrives at their doorstep in full bloom and it creates a sensation like free falling – wonderful if you’re calm, terrifying if you’re not.

No matter which category you find yourself in, the most common response is to ‘do this’ or ‘try that’ to regain mo- mentum or equilibrium. In our experience, the solution – if we can call it that – has little to do with ‘doing’ and much more to do with ‘being’.

Wisdom nugget:

Come to realize that your business is not yours; it’s only on loan to you.

YOU are *not* in control.

Whether you have children or not, you’ve likely heard the

saying, “Children are not ours, they’re only on loan to us.”

Somewhere along the path to seven figures, often comes the realization that the same thing applies to your business. It’s a foundational piece of the journey.

Sooner or later, you, the CEO, Founder, President, Owner, or whatever title you hold, realize that you are not in control, and the business is in actuality *not* yours. It hits you between the eyes. And regardless of your spiritual beliefs or personal faith, let’s see if this makes a kind of sense:

Your business is really only on loan to you to shepherd awhile.

Different business owners respond to this very differently, so pause a moment now to make a note…how does this idea strike you?

Does it seem true, and feel freeing? Or does it feel odd and uncertain? Maybe it feels like something else entirely.

The Wealthy Thought Leader – In Review

While Andrea is napping and enjoying some well-earned relaxation after the 2010 Wealthy Thought Leader 3-day training, we thought we’d share some of the highlights with you:

1. Core takeaways and nuggets from all talks/presenters:

The event-specific channel on twitter was ‘hot’ with essential takeaways, which can be viewed by searching on #wtlead at www.twitter.com. Especially look at the days of March 18, 19 and 20 and you’ll feel like you got the full report LIVE from over 100 participant-reporters. Why? Cuz that’s what they did!

2. Visual images of the activity, people and energy generated:

A few select images are below, but unbelievably, there are over 1000 photos from the 3 days gathering, so you have the chance to see the event in stop-gap motion at the Facebook album page here: http://bit.ly/d8auc6

What a well-heeled, smiling bunch – votes for ‘most unexpected’ ‘loveliest’ or ‘other’ photo welcome.

More juicy content to come in our next regular newsletter, but for now, a big thank you to the community, presenters, participants (in person and via-video) as well as the new mentorship clients for all you put in the ‘soup’ of this act of creation.

The team behind the Wealthy Thought Leader and Andrea’s businesses are super proud to have helped facilitate and look forward to more innovation and income to come!

Our best,
The Wealthy Thought Leader Team

The PhotoStream from the 2010 Wealthy Thought Leader 3-day event | Fun and Thought in Photos

A thoughtful moment involving lemon sorbet, making room for the kind of quality content that commands an innovative and lucrative money model

Leading-edge technology allowed us to be present with participants in 10+ countries, including the happy benefit of Sam and Lexi Martin watching their mom present her talk!

Proof that learning how to drive income through innovation can also be a beautiful experience - fresh-flower leis filled the air with their fragrance. Andrea is privileged to welcome these new dynamite clients of the Wealthy Thought Leader mentorship program (Gold and Diamond levels.)

Want to peek at all the photos? May you be inspired for your own next live workshop –  view all Wealthy Thought Leader photo albums here.

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.

Bodily Incompetence | Ignoring what’s right in front of our noses. Or Ignoring our noses, actually. Free ‘Deshrimping’ Call Tues Oct 13

This thought-stream was originally sent out to members of the Columbus Group whose comments and questioning have infused this recovering meat sack.  New members welcome at the above link. The topic today is…bodily incompetence.

Yes, I said incompetence, not incontinence, though one might lead to the other in some cases.

Dear reader, has it ever occurred to you how much we don’t know about our own bodies?

Individually, sure. (Can you, for example, without looking, draw a map in your mind’s eye of all your major birthmarks or moles?)

But also on a general basis, how much we don’t know about this ‘thing’ this ‘flesh’ that we carry around with us, or is us, or…you get what I mean.

I’ve been marvelling at how unconsciously incompetent I am at being a human being. It’s fun, actually, and kinda funny.

I use this body, certainly, and sometimes to great effect, like when I pull out a splinter from the ball of hubby’s foot. Or eat a bowl of congee with chopsticks while the dog lies on my feet, and I read a book.

Really, life is a regular Cirque de Soleil, some days!

But lately, I’ve been asked some consciousness-raising questions. Questions like…

(1) For what reason do we have a skeleton? Why, please, do you think we have a skeleton? Really.

(2) When you think of your foot, and you think of the action that your foot makes when walking, you doubtless
know that your heel strikes the floor and your foot rolls toward the toes.  Where in your forefoot does the skeleton provide the most support for walking, do you have a sense?

(3) What shape are your leg bones, both your tibia and your femur? (Tibia – shin bone; Femur – thigh bone. Good enough for conversation.)

One thing I’ve noticed without prompting, you know, on my own… desk jockey and lover of laptop-screens I seem to be…is that I spend a lot of my life in ‘shrimp position.‘ You know it, I’m sure, where the head falls forward of the shoulders, the back rounds and the chest drops in on itself? It’s uncomfortable, and yet, I’m very stuck in it. My body doesn’t know what else to do.
It dislikes so-called good posture, too, and can’t hold that either for more than a few seconds without attention.

So, what is a girl to make of this stuck place in my body?

Do I ignore it, stay asleep, and year after year, become more and more calcified into shrimp position? (Might we say lobster-like, even?)

How do I react when I see a significant newspaper advertisement saying ‘Having trouble wiping?’ showing an older person unable to reach around himself? I don’t make these things up, you know.

What does the future hold for my body and the mind that lives within it, unchecked? What about the body-mind of my cherished coaching clients – how do I begin this conversation – do I begin this conversation, with them?

What habits is YOUR body in?

What benefit would you get from noticing these? Is there a compelling reason for you to become more interested in your body, or is it a ‘whatever’ and I lost you at ‘shrimp?’

What general thoughts about bodily incompetence do you have – personally and/or generally?

What else does this trigger, for you?

More another time, including thoughts about the three questions posed about the skeleton, the foot and the legs,
above.

Meanwhile, the second no-fee movement-based class I’m holding (by teleconference call) is tomorrow, Tuesday morning October 13. You can sign up here.

It’s completely no-fee, and 100% adventure, as this will be another practice lesson I’m teaching as part of my
practitioner-training.

Come to think of it though, be warned please, as the lessons are rather subtle. Think “am I doing anything?” level of subtle. And yet, therein lies some of what I consider cool magic that might just be an answer to the bodily incompetence you may feel. Later!

What Being Home Feels Like | ‘Fundamental Richness’

I’ve been home a day now, almost to the minute, and unfortunately at this hour, not sleepy. Was I ever, this afternoon, but alas, that demon jetlag has its grip on me! To fall to sleep, I’ve been counting, not sheep, but blessings. 

After a whirlwind trip with mom to bury grandma, my day has been filled with conversations: 3 big-hearted and intelligent coaching clients, 2 internal meetings, an upset brother, and one business meeting with struck-with-dental-pain-but-grinning-and-bearing-it husband. I feel tremendously lucky.

Locals in the Comox Valley often ask ‘why’d you move here’ from Calgary, to which I like to reply, ‘what’s not to like?’ Tonight, picking wild plums (yellow and red, the yellow are sweeter), buying a plate of swollen figs from a Portuguese neighbour near the estuary, then laughing at Reka eating blackberries off the vine, I reaffirm – it’s sweet to be home. 

Flossing my teeth in my own bathroom tonight, Chapter 13 ‘Fundamental Richness’ from The Pocket Pema Chodron sang to me, so I share it here with you:

“Fundamental richness is available in each moment. The key is to relax: relax to a cloud in the sky; relax to a tiny bird with gray wings; relax to the sound of the telephone ringing.

We can see the simplicity in things as they are. We can smell things, taste things, feel emotions, and haev memories. When we are able to be there without saying, ‘I certainly agree with this,’ or ‘I definitely don’t agree with that,’ but just be here very directly, then we find fundamental richness everywhere.

It is not ours or theirs but is available always to everyone. In raindrops, in blood drops, in heartache and delight, this wealth is the nature of everything. It is like the sun in that it shines of everyone without discrimination.”

—-

How are you fundamentally rich in this moment? What does being home feel like to you? Does home feel like its where you are now, or elsewhere? If fundamental richness doesn’t feel accessible to you now, what DO you feel? To feel something different, it’s often helpful to feel what you feel right now first, fully…

Fake-Chicken Spam: If Businesses Are Listening, What Shall We, The Consumer, Tell Them?

How many times have you been unhappy about something you bought, ate, or experienced? Something you spent money on with a corporation or business? And of those times, are you among the many, myself included, who’ve said nothing?

“Oh well, someone else will say something.”

“No one is listening anyways, why bother?”

“I can’t believe they’re so ignorant to have treated me this way. They don’t deserve the opportunity to improve. I’m taking my business elsewhere.”

And yet, as this quote shows, some businesses – perhaps the best ones – are listening, and willing, it seems, to act.

“I have learned, based on my experience, that everything is dominated by the market. So whenever we are struck with any obstacles or difficulties, I always say to myself: ‘Listen to the market, listen to the voice of the customer.’ That’s the fundamental essence of marketing. Always, we have to come back to the market, back to the customer. That is the Toyota way.

So, whenever we’re stuck, we always go back to the basics. Because branding or image are determined by the customers, not us. We really cannot determine anything. The customer does that. That is the essence.”

– Yoshio Ishizaka, Executive Vice President, Member of the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation

Putting aside the more obvious lesson for business owners such as you or I, which could be to adopt Ishizaka-san’s philosophy…aha! I’m celebrating coach-like behaviour – also known as an advanced level of listening – from a corporation. But looking at the quote from the flip side…

As increasing numbers of businesses seize this radical notion of listening to each of us, what, I wonder, shall we the consumer, tell them? 

Sure, some companies may be getting info about us in ways we don’t like to think about. (Tracking your clicking behavior online is just one of them. There’s always analyzing credit card purchases, too.) But focusing on that kind of behind-our-back listening misses a potentially important point.

What if we told them - proactively and up front - what we want, what we believe is important, what we would most value in their services/offerings, what more dollars we might spend with them if they changed…

On a daily level as a consumer, I know I could volunteer genuine feedback more often. More consistently when something occurs to me.

For example, when someone gives me great service, filling out that comment card.  Or how about, on the occasion of ordering lemongrass chicken with vermicelli pho, and discovering fake-chicken spam? Yes, spam chicken exists, who knew? Hmm. Where I now live, there are only two Vietnamese restaurants – I guess you could say I have a vested interest to (possibly) affect change. 

At its possible best, I imagine constructive consumerism to be  just like that - a way of being a consumer that becomes powerful, like a vote that means something.

For just a moment can you imagine changing what’s stocked on shelves, served on the menu, and otherwise sold to us, by acting like members of the board ourselves? Isn’t that what happened before grocery stores starting stocking organic produce, anyway? Hey, we’re more powerful than we realize.

What other ways are we influencing businesses to change, up front, that we can become more conscious of?

As businesses listen to us more and more, I wonder, what good things will we have to say?

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

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

The Final Word… A Personal Note And A Poem From Hafiz

It’s been a tumultuous first six months of 2009 for me, in many ways, so I’ve decided to take June 1 as a reset button… a new start to 2009. What have I learned?

• Recognize karma when it is staring me in the face. (Dance with who persists in showing up in your life. There might be something in it.)
• Learning is what happens when I really, really, really don’t know what to do. (It might be interesting to stay with not knowing more often, instead of trying to get unstuck all the time.)
• A formerly nerdy, plays-piano, goes-to-Chinese-school-on-the-weekend, favorite hobby is ‘books’ Asian girl can become (joyfully) athletic. PR for squats = 100 pounds, for benchpress = 80. (Sorry, no photos. Maybe later this summer.)

I turn 39 today. Yes, it’s my birthday and as you read this I’m off, probably being spoiled by my hubby Mike. 40 is right around the corner, and maybe I’m feeling just a little grown up these days.

May I punctuate the end of this newsletter with a bit of poem with questions I’m asking myself, at the end? Perhaps there’s something here for you, too.

From ‘Then
Winks’ by Hafiz

 

Everything is clapping today,

Light,
Sound,
Motion,
All Movement.

A rabbit I pass pulls a cymbal
From a hidden pocket
Then winks.

This causes a few planets and I
To go nuts
And start grabbing each other.

Someone sees this,
Calls a
Shrink,

Tries to get me
Committed
For
Being too Happy.

Listen: this world is the lunatic’s sphere,

Don’t always agree it’s real…

Possible Questions…

What box am I playing in? What box would others have me play in? What
box do I choose to leave in order to construct what other box?

How can I dial down the ambient noise of sameness, all around? How
can I break free into a quiet pocket of space to hear myself think?

License To Tweet Website Launches To A Flock Of Enthusiastic Tweeples At, You Guessed It, Twitter.com | Thomas Leonard Success Strategy #8: Shamelessly Leverage Others

 The lighthearted website we launched this week is a great example of something else Thomas was known for, sometimes controversially, and that was the use of volunteers.

Leveraging others can become a negative thing, but when done right, it is a thing of business elegance, and everyone feels like they got a great deal.  This has come to be known as developing your business evangelists, and by other names, but I call it simply “shamelessly leveraging others” or Thomas Leonard Success Strategy #8.

Shamelessly because when it’s a win on both sides, there need be no shame involved, only joy.

So in addition to visiting www.LicensetoTweet.com to pick up some terrific Thomas Leonard-isms for your tweets, or just plain old  inspiration for yourself, check it out from the point of view of this direct question:

How can you equip other people to enthusiastically align with your cause and help drive it forward?

Visit www.LicensetoTWeet.com now won’t you, and see what else you can decipher between the lines? I look forward to hearing how you apply this for yourself.

Open House Call: What Does Knowing How To Say Goodbye Have To Do With Being A Great Coach, Consultant Or Other Conscious Business Owner?

Open House Call on Wednesday April 15, 2009
Led by Andrea J. Lee

Have you ever fired a coach or been fired by a client? Were those goodbyes constructive coaching moments, as good as or better than the rest of the relationship?

Goodbyes, like little deaths, are one of those tough things in life, and as usual, I have high expectations of coaches to lead the way in tough things. Great goodbyes can be things of beauty, openings to unique moments of learning, and are a mark of personal mastery.

Join this call to learn what to do, and what to avoid when saying goodbye to a client, or a client is saying goodbye to you. Together, we’ll discuss the necessity for coaches to proactive anticipate and facilitate a positive goodbye, and how to begin doing that.

As our mastery of coaching grows, this topic needs addressing for the simple reason that the fear of saying goodbye prevents greater intimacy. When you can get courageous, committed, yet detached from any associated pain of goodbye, that’s the moment you can engage to the fullest as a coach. Got comments on this topic? Comment below.

Date: Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Time: 10am PT /11am MT /12pm CT /1pm ET

Cost: Nothing, except your own long-distance telephone charges

Just enter your name and e-mail address below to register for this teleseminar now:

Your Name:
Primary Email:

Does Being Creative Drive You To Drink? Elizabeth Gilbert Is Worried

The presentation given by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of megahit book  ’Eat, Pray, Love’ is being touted by many as the best talk of TED 2009. I started hearing this at dinner the day she spoke, and was, quite frankly, astonished. 

Don’t get me wrong, Elizabeth is awesome. I’m a fan, even though I get what people mean when they say her ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ was self-indulgent.  Still, she has a VERY nice turn of expression; language comes alive around her, as you’ll see in the short video below. The subject matter is of real interest too, and I wish her well in her new book about Genius.  She believes something is very wrong in the state of creativity and she’s taking a stand for it.

But the reason I was surprised by how well this went over was this:

The audience at TED is a LOT of scientists, computer and industry folk, wonderful geeks all. The artsy types are there, but definitely in the minority, and more the high-tech artsy types if you know what I mean. I think in all the people I met, there was one person who wrote children’s books and painted, and for her day job ran a graphics design company.  There, even artier than me, the coach, consultant, writer. 

Anyway…for a person who works deep in the bowels of the automotive industry, on enterprise-level software solutions, to say to me ‘Man, that Elizabeth Gilbert put her finger right on it…I get stuck in creative ruts like that ALL the time!’  Surprising.

Which just goes to show the power of transferring ideas from one area of expertise to another.  You never know what sparks might fly.  (A lot potentially, if sleeper hit Jill Bolte Taylor’s TEDtalk from last year is any indication.) I learned a lot from my new science, math and economics friends that will help me be a better entrepreneur, writer, and thought partner. In surprising ways.

So, all you self-help mavens, coaches and conscious entrepreneurs, your assignment is to watch this TEDtalk, and acknowledge that yes, much of this message you’ve heard before in some other format, at most coaching or self-help conferences.  Also acknowledge that you likely speak about or present something along these lines yourself. Okay you don’t have a megahit book, but the underlying DNA of what Elizabeth is saying is similar to your message, yes?  “Be all that you can be” and all that.

But don’t stop there. As you watch, also try asking yourself for whom this message would be revolutionary, a shock, like said auto-industry person.  Into what life would what Elizabeth is saying be a thunderclap?  Then ask yourself the same thing about your material.  Who hasn’t heard you/your message before; who would hear you with fresh ears, dropping-jaw?

My goal here is twofold. For you to think about new markets, certainly. But also to flip that on its head. If you feel your current message is landing on deaf ears, maybe it’s because you haven’t cross-pollinated anything lately.  Where are you getting your thoughts and ideas? Not the same bathtub as last year, I hope. As you seek to nourish others, what delicious fuel are you giving yourself? Comments welcome.

Meanwhile enjoy this tasty vide0-snack courtesy of TED.com and Elizabeth Gilbert.

Next Page »