Who do You talk To?

For many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs it can be very lonely in business - especially when you are working from home and are not going out meeting with people very often. I also find it hard sometimes to focus on the high payoff activities or the things that would help my business the most. In those times I often call one of my mastermind buddies so we can exchange thoughts and ideas and end the call on a positive, energetic note.

There are several different ways you can get support from someone. Find a person that knows and understands the situation you are in. Talking to someone that doesn't support your views the same way as you do or maybe not supporting you at all won't be of big help. Quite the opposite actually, it will drag you down even more and might get you discouraged to continue if you can't get into the positive energy after the conversation.

Here are a few ways you can connect with someone:

• Hire a Business or Life Coach that shares your values and can support you where you need it the most.
• Hire a Consultant who can help you with your strategies, your many ideas or the implementation of it.
• Talk to your team members to establish a closer relationship. If they are the right people on your team where you feel a connection, then they might appreciate the idea to talk to you on a regular basis and collaborate.
• Contact a good friend who is in a similar situation as you are or has been in the past.
• Build or join a mastermind group led by a coach
• Approach a colleague you work with or you network with and ask if she or he would like to get together on a regular basis
• Seek out and join support groups on the internet (like forums, associations - there are also a few on Facebook)

No matter where you get the support, it can provide you with one of more of the following:

• The person or group can support you through your everyday challenges
• Help you stay focused and in a positive frame of mind or help you get there
• Validate your thoughts and concerns
• Help you determine the next steps, activities or decisions
• Support you in finding the right solution for your business or life situation
• A sounding board where you get the feedback you need
• A comfortable and safe place where you can go to and re-charge your batteries

Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of talking to a lot of women about their every day challenges, be it as a mom, a mompreneur, or a career women wanting to start her own business. And I realized how much I enjoyed talking to these women and help them through their challenge. It's a great feeling to see or hear how you can help someone through a difficult time with understanding their situation and offering your feedback and ideas.

That got me thinking that this is something I wanted to do for a long time but never really knew consciously. I always enjoyed talking to people about their personal or business challenges and finding a solution that fits their personality. I noticed this again the other day with one of my clients that we were talking about everyday business challenges and suddenly I had this idea and I mentioned it to her. And WOW, she loved it and is exploring it further. So maybe I could give her that extra nudge, or another idea, to think about a new way of offering this in her own business that she hadn't thought about it before.

Do you feel you want to talk to someone about what is going on in your life or business? Do you have a person or a group that you feel comfortable with to talk to and share your feelings/emotions/challenges?

If you'd like to talk to someone, contact me at www.reginaminger.com and tell me more about your challenge and how you'd like to receive support. I would love to support you in any way I can and at the same time explore my newly found passion further.

Sharing Your Burdens Is Good for Your Business

Do you ever get the feeling that one thing missing from your business is someone to talk to, discuss your frustrations with, analyze problems and stumbling blocks, and – above all – help you find solutions to your problems?

One of the many challenges of being a solopreneur (as opposed to someone who has a big team and/or employees) is not having that much-needed sounding board when the going gets tough.

All entrepreneurs hit a snag once in a while. Maybe you are developing a new program and need an expert input. Or perhaps you want to launch a marketing campaign but have no clue where to start. There are undoubtedly many situations that call for a skill, experience or judgment that you don’t have (after all, we can’t all be good at everything).

When that happens, what do you do? Do you know where to seek the kind of advice that will move your company forward?

We all have our limitations – just as we all have our individual strengths. There is nothing shameful or embarrassing about that. When you realize that you can’t do everything yourself because you lack specific expertise, or you simply need someone to offer you constructive suggestions on a project, creative brainstorming around an idea or some insight in tackling a team issue, ask for help.

There are people out there – experts in their fields – who will look at your problem from a different vantage point, bring in their experience, and help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Would it surprise you to know that the most successful businessmen and women, the ones whose companies generate hefty revenues, don’t do it alone? More often than not (or almost every time), they have a team or experts on board, experienced professionals who help them make the right business decisions while keeping potential problems at bay.

So go ahead – share your burdens. You will be happy you did.