Small Business Revitalization Blog

Would you like to listen to my recent interview with Suzi Dafnis from the Australian Business Women's Network? We are talking all things Mojo of Flow!

In this herBusiness podcast, I share :

•  how we sometimes sabotage the flow in our own lives
•  how we can superpower the way that life flows for ourselves
•  and tips on how to get others to willingly support us to reach our goals.

Download your 20 minute podcast and Mojo of Flow tips here!

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Love your work!
xox
Lisa

Building a business happens with ease when our foundations are in place, but can be a struggle when we are missing the basics.  When did you last sit back and take a good look at the castle you have built?  Did you check out the foundations while you were at it or did you just admire the shiny turrets and gorgeous environment you have built?  Did you look to see if it is getting a little top heavy... are some bits quietly falling over?

As business people, we are often full of ideas and there is always the temptation to build castles in the air.  In fact, many a great business starts off this way – with the outward facing structures.  Sooner or later you will need to ensure your foundations are up to the job!  Sometimes a little renovation is required!

A simple place to start is to look at where your business is right now and look at where the structures are crumbling, and where they are holding firm and contributing to your vision.  

Sometimes it’s not easy to see that the marketing manager who was your answer to everything really isn’t working out because of their vile personality…. Or that much as you detest systems and processes, without them you just have a different variety of chaos everyday (entertaining for some, stress inducing for most!).  And it’s even harder to acknowledge that just maybe it is you that is the bottleneck between your dream and the current reality.

2011 is a foundational year… what you set in place now will provide the base for your future growth.  Are you standing on solid ground or do you still have a few castles floating about, waiting to be tethered and grounded in some sort of practical reality that will allow your business to grow?  If something's not right in your business, take a good hard look at the foundations.  When you have the fundamentals in order, all else will follow with far more ease.

If your current essentials are in great order, imagine your business doubling in size and ask:  ‘What foundations are required here for everything to flow with ease?’  Systems that work right now may not hold up under the pressure of growth.  Now is the time to create new possibilities.  In looking at your business in new ways, you open up doors for further growth.  

Think of it like an upward spiral… you create an idea, generate the energy that moves it forward and then you institute the practicalities that allow it to flow with ease.  If you keep all three processes in balance, your business grows up in an ever bigger spiral.  If you miss one, it always feels like you are starting at the beginning – no growth is possible!

Make April the month where you strengthen your foundations.  It will mean that May, June, July…. will all show up with greater ease and more capacity for profitability.  Not sure what to do or what to look at?  Arrange a free 30 minute business coaching session with Lisa Murray.  Seeing what you aren’t seeing comes naturally to Lisa!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daybeezho/

Over the past week I’ve been experimenting with my sweetheart in setting priorities.  Each morning we discuss/email our top 3 essential priorities for the day so that we can be more focused on what matters and more accountable for achieving results.  

Here’s what I’ve noticed so far:

• We both always have more than 3!
• If there is one ‘biggie’ on the list everything else falls out the window.
• Some things seem to spill over day after day.
• A lot of things get done which aren’t even on the list!!
• We are both still working crazy hours.

Something's not quite working here!! Do any of these challenges sound familiar?  In the interests of achieving more outcomes that matter I’m going to finetune the strategy... 

1. Set timeframes for each item – once the allotted time is up, its time to move on – finished or not!  (That’s sure to make me really think about how realistic I’m being in my expectations!)
2. Delegate more.  Between my PA/Marketing Assistant, the cleaner and the amazing Kay at HecticHelpers  I’m sure I could be doing a lot less stuff that chews my time for little strategic result!
3. Put aside one hour a day to do ’10 minute jobs’ so that I get a heap of the essential smaller things done each day.
4. Strike a better balance between the strategic and the operational – both matter!
5. Include more downtime – I’m not productive when I’m tired!

Do you have any other ideas which really work for you?  Please share them here!

Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/

Do you have too much 'buzz' going through your mind to truly do justice to the nectar that provides the joy in your business and life?  Recently I've had a couple of insightful conversations with my sweetheart around our capacity to fit even more in than we already do, as well as minimising our stress levels.  Sounds crazy but we are both high achievers and don't want to waste a second of our lives... here's the strategy we came up with:

1. We have an 8.30am 'essentials' conversation each morning where we make a commitment to accomplishing the most important three things on our respective lists.  (This delivers focus and a sense of priorities, as well as a feeling of support for each other.)

2. We are choosing to be totally present and aware in whatever we are doing.  No more multi-tasking... or working and pretending we're not when we are supposed to be enjoying some chillout time!!  Rest is rest. Adventures are adventures. Business is business.  The key to a joyful life and productive businesses is being totally present with whichever one we are doing at the time and generating so much more from that totally present space of energy and consciousness.

3. Taking some time to ask more questions around 'What else is possible?' and 'What else can we add to our lives?'... and then planning to have what we desire - more time with the kids, more holidays and long weekends, more creativity and better health, more revenue in the businesses by focusing on actions that generate money!

What do you do that gives you a buzz and makes the quality of your life infinitely better? 

A recent survey of almost 2000 small to medium Australian businesses by Quest Newspapers has highlighted that 71% of business owners are in business because of lifestyle factors such as following their passion, creating better work/life balance and being their own boss.

More than 67% of SME owners are working more than 41 hours a week and more than one third work more than 51 hours a week.  This mismatch between intention and reality is often a source of unhappiness or distress for business owners.

As a business coach I spend a lot of time helping business owners achieve more of what they want in their business in a lot less time!  Here’s five simple steps that can make your business more joyful for you and more aligned with the original reasons you started the business!

1. Develop an inspiring vision and focus on doing the things that will get you there.
2. Know where you add the most value to the business. Focus on your strengths and what you are passionate about.
3. Delegate or outsource the ‘$20’ jobs that you hate but do out of habit or your need to be in control.
4. Create a culture that values work/life balance… starting with YOU!
5. Focus on the important, rather than the urgent. Use your time wisely and schedule time for the important.

What is your best tip for maintaining work/life balance?  Share it below!

Often I meet business owners who are stressed, stretched or otherwise finding very little joy and ease in their business.  One of the most common causes is they are trying to be everything to everyone!  

Have you ever found yourself spending lots of time doing things you hate and aren’t even that good at?  Have you ever asked yourself why you are doing those miserable things rather than the things that you love and find easy?

When I talk to business owners they can almost always quickly identify the actions which are joyful and easy, and those which are hard.  So why do so many people make themselves suffer?  If you have staff, you have a simple solution… delegate!!  If you have no staff you also have a simple solution… outsource!

Many business people think they can’t afford to do this.  So why are you doing a $20 an hour job when you could add hundreds if not thousands to your bottom line by spending your time on what you are good at and what you enjoy?  

It is often the things we find easy that are our gifts… is it time to recognize your gifts and share them with the world?  Most of us forget that not everyone can do what we do with ease!!

My business coaching clients receive super valuable service from me because I focus on what I’m good at – communicating, generating ideas and creating connections…  If I was spending my time on bookkeeping and administration then not only would I be miserable, but my clients would not get to experience the amazing value that I can contribute to their businesses.  Also, my own business would be growing much more slowly because I’d be caught up in tasks that don’t add value…

What one task can you delegate or outsource today that will enable you to give more value to your clients AND give you more joy in your business?

If you're not sure about the best way to add value to your business and make yourself happier at the same time, schedule a free 30 minute introductory business coaching session with Lisa Murray... it will change your life and increase your profits!

		Have you ever noticed how many people talk about business as being hard work, boring or too difficult?  Have you ever wondered what else was possible?  Most people think business must be done in a ‘traditional’ way, where it is all very heavy and responsible.  What if you could function from a space where your business was joyful, creative and amazing – everyday?

When I started my businesses I only had two criteria:  that I could make insane amounts of money and that I could have a really good time doing things I love…  Yes, it is possible, and here is one of my favourite ideas for creating a phenomenal business that works for you.

Have you decided that you are the business?  When a small business first starts, it is common to see the business owner being everything to everybody and suffering under the strain and stress!  Often this is a result of being under-capitalized or thinking that you ‘should’ be in control of everything.  So, what if you were willing to allow support to arrive from anywhere?  What if you choose to focus on your strengths?  Would you be a lot more productive?

Is it time for you to get creative in the ways that you attract support for your business.  Consider:  delegating, outsourcing, contra arrangements, networking, mastermind groups, coaches, mentors and most of all generating opportunities by being willing to ask “What else is possible?”…  

Rewarding synergies are created when we are willing to ask for help.  Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!  What would it take to make your business phenomenally joyful?

Today I’m going to challenge your thinking. To lift the lid off the box you’ve been working in. To create new possibilities for your business, and most importantly, to help you unlock your business potential by finding more time for you to focus on what really matters.

So, why do so many of us feel we don’t have enough time? After all, everyone gets the same 24 hours, 7 days a week, 52 weeks in a year. So how do some people achieve amazing outcomes seemingly effortlessly, whilst the rest of us slave away, working harder and harder and getting further and further behind?

As a business coach, I get to observe all sorts of business owners and many approaches to managing time. What I’ve observed is that the most productive and effective business owners aren’t managing time – they are managing priorities! Time management is a myth!! It is activity management that really counts. So, here’s three less obvious but simple ways that business owners can find “more time”.

1. Plan ahead and prioritise according to your plan.
2. Use systems, structure and routines to free up valuable time.
3. Practice extreme self-care - put yourself first and you'll be in peak condition to perform at your best.

What is your biggest challenge as a small business owner? Share it in the comments section below. If you need to share more than just a comment, call the Revitalisation Experts!

Saying no is all about perspective. Would it be easier for you to say no if you knew that doing so would open up new opportunities for you?  That it would leave space for your business to focus on the clients that matter most? That once you got past the initial fear of disappointing someone, that it would feel totally empowering? 

If saying no is usually not for you, give yourself the luxury of one whole day where you only say yes if you truly mean it - experience the freedom that saying no provides - and then choose if you'd like to keep up the NO habit!!