Small Business Revitalization Blog

 

I have a mentor who sees the world totally different to almost anyone on the planet.  His unique views on business make a lot of sense and he creates his businesses from an energy that is all about out-creating rather than problem-solving.  Why?  Because it works!

“Problem-solver” is a label much touted as a good thing in most businesses. The funny thing is, if you are a problem-solver, then you are always going to be creating problems to solve.  Oops!!  How is that working for your business?  Are you a little tired of fixing the problems in your business that you are creating? (Truly, if they are there, you are creating them somehow!)  Is it time to create a greater possibility?  One that could be fun for you?

A business truly focused on growth will create from an energy of out-creating, rather than problem-solving.  Look at how Apple began – they weren’t solving a problem, they were creating something totally different.  Richard Branson doesn’t solve problems; he out-creates the really average stuff that is on offer by his ‘competition’.

Two weeks ago I asked my mentor a few questions about people copying me (there seemed to be a  trend on that!) and he showed me an energy of out-creation that was far beyond what I have been playing with.  Out-creation is ALWAYS a more generative strategy than copying or competing (just in case you were wondering!!)

This week I came up with a new business model for one of my businesses that has the potential to make it into everything I have been asking it to be!  On a much larger scale… with a lot less of my time… that no-one else is doing… and in a way that would be way more fun for me!  How does it get better than that?

Here’s how it gets even better… I come up with another 10 business models that are game changers.  It really is that simple.  I became aware that the only ‘problem’ I had been creating in this business was not allowing it to be big enough… or amazing enough... or creative enough… or DIFFERENT enough!  Cute… not bright.  Changes are afoot!  

So, you could ask your business this question… and be willing for inspiration to come from anywhere…

“What could I be or do today that would allow me to outcreate myself right away?”

 And if you would like to know more about how to create a whole lot of this in your business, here are some choices:

• A free 30 minute business coaching session.
• Join us for the Business Beyond Limits telecall each month.
• Come to Creativity Lab LIVE!™ and outcreate everything you thought possible.

If you have been thinking too small, now is the time to outcreate everything you have ever dreamed of.  Go Play!

 

I love working for myself.  It allows me to change anything instantaneously.  And being just a little ADD/ADHD, that desire for constant change is rather well fed!  The funny thing is, I thought about working for myself for 20 years before I finally took the leap!  And while I value the interesting experiences I created in the corporate world, it would have been much kinder to me to have made that change a lot sooner! 

Most of us have learned to fear change and especially change in business.  The media has fed us a lot of stories about how bad and wrong change is.  What if it is just change?  Some of the best changes I have ever made have come from the places in my life that weren’t working.  And one of the biggest and most amazing changes came when I was willing to totally change something I loved, that was working well!  What is it you are unwilling to change because you think you have the answer?  What if there could be a greater possibility?

When we embrace change in business, we open up to grander and  more abundant choices.  When we are cutting out all of the possibilities for change, we put ourselves into smaller and smaller boxes.  I don’t fix anything, but I change a lot of things, everyday!  And that brings a sense of peace, ease and joy into my business.

Australia has one of the most robust economies in the world right now, but we are too busy complaining about what has changed 'for the worse' to even notice how fortunate we are.  What if you asked ‘How else could I take advantage of this?’ rather than worrying about what used to be?  

Would you be willing to start each day looking at what you could create different, rather than how you could keep everything the same as it was?  When we operate from a space of possibility, choice and awareness, everything can become greater.  When we operate from a space of stuckness and limitation we simply create more of the same.   Oops – we’re cute, but not always bright.

Can you see why I love change so much?

Over the past 4 years I have learned so much about creating change with ease.  The tools I use come from Access Consciousness™ - these tools are pragmatic and they create the possibility of instant change – with anything!  I have just enjoyed three luscious days of Access bodywork and WOW!  My body feels beyond amazing... and that is creating a flow in my work that is also far beyond what I have ever had before! If I had not been willing to find out what else would make my body feel good beyond massage, I wouldn't have the space, presence and joy that is in my body right now... it's just another change!

Interestingly bodywork creates just as much change for me in my business as the verbal tools that I teach my business coaching clients! This morning I am seeing everything in my business with fresh eyes.  There is even more ease than before and I am totally excited about what else I can create!   How does it get even better than that?

If you would like to explore the magic of change for you, your life and business, I am offering introductory Access Consciousness™ classes in a couple of weeks.  One of my business loves is facilitating these classes as I see how much more can become possible when we change the points of view that keep us stuck.  These processes are so simple and they work!  What are you choosing?  More of the same or a whole lot more ease and joy?

If you are choosing something different, you may want to come to class!  What if you could change anything and everything with ease?  Would that make your business a whole lot more blissful?

 Image Credit

 

Many successful people come to a stage where they feel tired, unmotivated and missing that energy that made them successful in the first place.  Sometimes it is a result of a specific incident, more often it shows up out of the blue - the combination of a thousand small moments that weren't quite what our inner being truly desired!

Sound familiar?  Here's 10 quick, easy changes you can make that will give your mojo a boost:

1. Do your work differently.  Look at it as if you have never done this task before and ask yourself how else could you do this to create a greater possibility?
2. Start in the middle of a project instead of the beginning and see where it leads.  (Sometimes the unplanned leads to the greater possibility!!)
3. Re-energise by having fun in your 10 minute breaks.  If you can't remember what is fun for you, the first thing to do is make a list of possibilities... add at least 3 things in each break until you have 50 ways to enjoy yourself in the moment.  (Hint:  more work should not be on the list!)
4. Pretend you are six and see what you are doing as a six year old would - what could be different?
5. Be or do something unexpected every day, so that the people around you get to see another side of you.  It keep's them on their toes (and keeps you entertained!)
6. Stop meeting people's expectations unless it is joyful for you to make this contribution.
7. See everything as an interesting point of view (rather than buying people's ideas as facts) and look at what YOU would like to choose.
8. Ask the universe to show you catalysts for creating your work anew.
9. Talk to people in different industries that inspire you.
10. Be you!  So often we lose our mojo when we are busy being everything to everyone.  When you start to choose for you the magic can show up more often!

Having been through burnout a couple too many times, I am an expert in helping people get their mojo back...the ideas above represent some options on the practical side.  Each person is different and  I can also work with your energy. If you need a one-off energy-based session to get you aback on track please contact me!   By phone, skype or in person... depending on where you are!

Like many perfectionists, for many years I chased the ever elusive ‘fix your weaknesses’ story, always putting myself in places where I could work on my weaknesses. Sadly this strategy did not bring me or my employers a whole lot of joy and I eventually got smart enough to avoid choosing the jobs that were too focused in those areas of weakness.

At one point I graduated to telling my employer why it would not be a good idea to give me certain tasks… I explained these tasks were not a natural talent and ability for me and they would be wasting their and my time given my capacities in other areas!  Of course, most people ignored this, preferring to squash the square peg into the round hole until they created a big mushy mess of misery for them and me.  Imagine if Frank Gehry had become a bricklayer instead of the magnificent architect he is?  The world would be much the poorer and he would be finding a whole lot less joy in his work!

I see this often with business owners – instead of allowing our team to shine in ways that are natural to them, we create a set of expectations and conditions that create the exact opposite.  And then we wonder why the business is not performing!!  As a business coach, it’s my job to sometimes deliver a little tough love to either the employee who is not loving their work or the business owner who is not creating the possibility for that in the workplace.  

Performance issues are almost always a result of the manager and the employee not being present with the strengths of the person who is not performing.  When we are truly present with our own strengths, talents and capacities it allows us to choose or create a role that is perfect for us (rather than twist, bend and mutilate ourselves to become perfect for the role!!)  

When we are present to our capacities, we work with ease and can easily outcreate and outdeliver almost anyone else… When you have a whole company full of people being present with their capacities and those people are in the roles best suited to their strengths, competition becomes irrelevant because you have a massive peak performance advantage!

Having this presence embodies a confidence, a connection with self and the willingness to be a contribution far beyond what most people see as possible.  Owning this inner presence individually and as a business builds in a set of distinctively different competencies that are incredibly difficult to copy well.  If you desire to build a sustainable, peak performing business, this is a great place to start! 

At the next New Energies of Business events we are bringing you two amazing speakers who live this strategy in their workplaces and beyond… what if we could have peak performance as the norm, instead of wading through the challenges of performance management way too often?  Would that make your business more blissful??  

If you’d like to know more, join us for an adventurous day of uncommon insights into what’s working right now!!  Bookings and more info at www.NewEnergiesOfBusiness.com  (Upcoming dates:  November 2011 in Brisbane and February 2012 on the Sunshine Coast)

(Guggenheim Bilbao image via Pinterest)

So you want to start a business following your passion? Here’s the thing… passion is what happened when Christ got nailed to the cross… yes, passion is a killer. Passion has limitations! It’s all about what’s sitting on the outside, it’s noisy, its brash, it’s full of movement and doing… and it doesn’t always make you money - there's a lot of convincing others to follow your passion when your business is based on passion.  

I disagree with Gary Vaynerchuk (and a whole lot of other people who say ‘follow your passion and the money will come’)… that’s the field of dreams folks, not the way to business bliss. Joseph Campbell said ‘follow your bliss’… he didn’t say ‘follow your passion’. You might think I'm being picky with words here.  I am.  Words carry distinctive energies and I know which energy I'd rather play with!

That’s because passion has an energy that is about hustle, about pushing, about coming to a conclusion and then trying to make it come true. Passion burns out…it’s doing business the hard way. Is that the platform you want for your business?  So what else is possible?

 

Building a business that brings you joy has unlimited possibilities. Joy comes from that quiet space within. It’s not dependent on how much money you make. You can simply choose to BE joy… it’s not something you have to do.

When we create our businesses based on joy we create a platform which allows each aspect of joy we create in the business to keep expanding and building. Joy spreads everywhere with ease... because the people you want to work with choose joy... and they share it when they find it!

Joy allows us to reinvent business. To take the path less travelled. To create a business where we can do what we love, in ways that bring us bliss, with people we adore. Joy is a softer and stronger platform for building business bliss.

Joy still requires a business model, it still requires promotion… but take a look at this… Recently a friend introduced me to Sourced Grocer at Teneriffe. Truly, I am in love. These beautiful people have converted an old warehouse into a gourmet grocer flower shop café delight which whispers joy in every detail.

Beautiful produce, delicious snacks, quirky styling… business cards proclaiming ‘local is lovely’… steps and cushions for lounging in the sunshine… great reading material and my most favourite bit of all… a really joyful team – you can feel the vibe as soon as you arrive… people who really love what they are doing…and guess what all of that brings? A steady stream of customers who get the vibe and contribute to the joy… fantastic word of mouth advertising… and heaps of repeat business.

 

What are you choosing?  To follow your bliss or to follow your passion?? 

 

 

I wake up every morning full of gratitude for the work I do and full of excitement because I absolutely love my work. Why? Because it wasn't always this way! 

Since I took a flying leap of faith and left the land of corporate comfort 4 years ago, my work has gradually evolved into something I can immerse myself in with joy.  As I have refined and refined what it is I do, how I do it and each day look at the question of when and where I work, I can honestly say that it is rare for me to have a day where I don't love every moment!

As a business coach (one of my multiple hats!) I talk to many small business owners every day.  I've come to see that most of them still have a way to go in creating this daily joy in their work.  So today I am asking you to do one simple thing:  just for today, only make choices that will allow you to 'love your work' - and really look at what would allow you to love each part of the work you undertake today...

• Do you just need to approach a task with a sense of joy it will be over soon?
• Do you need to look at that person that annoys you and take comfort from the idea you are contributing to feeding their family?
• Do you need to stop doing a few things that don't add value to your day?
• Do you need to create a space that brings you joy to work in?
• Do you need to totally invent your job or business so that you regain the sense of playful excitement you first started out with?

Whatever will allow you to love your work today, make a start!  And see how you feel at the end of the day... maybe your Monday-itis won't be quite so intense this week!!

I will soon be sharing my new 'Love Your Work' 10 week e-coaching program with you... if you aren't loving your work, make sure you are signed up to the Revive Business Coaching free resources list to discover more!

Love Your Work!  Lisa

P.S.  Did you know that loving your work is contagious?  What if you were surrounded by people that love their work?  Would that make your work way more blissful?  Be you... change the world!