What's Your Biz-Life Balance?

Are you getting distracted too?

2010-02-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

Before I was in business on my own, I didn’t pay attention to distraction. Yes, I must have gotten distracted but it didn’t have a big impact on me or my work.

Then I started my own business and realized how big of an impact distraction can have on your business. For one, you don’t get the things done that you want.

You might be planning a new program or service, or you have this huge project you want to work on but it’s just not getting anywhere. You feel like you work on it all day long, day in and day out, but the parts are not moving further along. You wonder why? Because you are distracted.

Maybe you are afraid of the consequences – good or bad – that the end of the project will have on your business. Or you’re afraid that the launch is not making you the money you expected. But if we never finish the project, we’ll never find out how successful we can actually be, right?

The best way I get focused again is taking a break. I get up, walk around, get a coffee or some fresh air. Then I sit down with a notepad and write down everything that is going on in my mind…projects I haven’t finished, personal things I need to get done and things that worry me right at this moment.

Then I make a list of the 3 things that I need to get done in the next hour or two. I also set aside a bit of time to go through my other to-do list and make sure that I have other important things crossed off my list by the end of the day. Usually it helps me to get the little things that are constantly on my mind done first, then I have more space in my mind to focus on the big project.

Find a way that works for you. Don’t hesitate to stop in your tracks and take a minute to re-focus. Usually, when you have too many things going on at the same time, is when your brain starts to get blurry. Take a step back – REFOCUS, then keep going.

Create Space for New Ideas in 2010

2010-01-18T08:57:00.003-07:00

What is Biz-Life Balance? We've all heard of Work-Life Balance - but in my opinion it's even more important to keep a healthy balance when you have your own business. How many times have you told yourself that you have to change something in the way you work in and on your business so that you are not exhausted all the time, and have time for family and friends or your hobbies, travels and other things?

So for the next few months I am going to write about biz-life balance and show you ways that I have used to create more space for fun things. I will also touch on things that you might have to change in your mindset to be able to live a life you really want to life - every day.

In order to start changing the way you go about your business and life, I'd like to invite you to do the first step with me: De-cluttering from 200: Create Space for New Ideas!

De-clutter Your Business
Think about it for a minute. What would have to happen in your business so that you can take more time out of your day to do what you love to do, beside working? Do you have regular time off that you dedicate to yourself and is it easy for you to commit to that time?

You see, for a long time, I ignored those “blocked off” times in my calendar. If it said, “Monday, 2pm: Work on my business”, 2pm came and went and I didn’t stop doing what I was doing to dedicate that time to work on my business. Does this sound familiar to you?

What are things that you wanted to implement in your business that you never did?

GET INTO ACTION
I invite you to de-clutter your business from 2009 and start fresh.
Decide on 3 things you want to clean up or out in your business. (You can de-clutter as many things as you like, but start with three to get the ball rolling).

Can’t think of any right now? Let me help you with some ideas:

Office / Desk
This is the most common one: De-clutter your desk and make room for new ideas; store 2009 files away, throw notes that you haven’t looked at in 6 mts away or schedule a time to look at it and do something with it. If your financial Year End is Dec. 31, make a list of what you need to compile, then pile it all up and send the files to the bookkeeper/ accountant: MOVE IT OUT OF YOUR WAY.

Habits
Do you spend a lot of time on email? Do you catch yourself checking every 5-10 min if an email arrived in your inbox that you "have to" respond to right away? Or are you looking at old ones thinking of what to do with it, you open it, you start reading and then get distracted? In order to be efficient, keep checking emails to a few times a day! I know it's not easy, and it takes discipline to do it but you'll feel so much more productive if you implement this step. How about surfing the internet, or spending time in social networking? Use time wisely online, or you could be "wasting" useful hours every day.

Marketing
Is there something in your marketing that doesn't get you results? And / or an activity that you hate doing and doesn't make a big difference in your business? Get rid of it. Don't spend endless time on things that you think you should be doing but you neither enjoy or bring you benefits.

What are your three things you decide to “de-clutter” from your business today and create space for in 2010? Send me your list!

Here is mine:
1. De-clutter desk and files from 2009 and store them away (or throw them out)! DONE
2. De-clutter my calendar and add more "me-time" to each day! DONE
3. Cut down on receiving email newsletters and delete the ones that I never read, and there were a ton of them! HALF WAY DONE

Once you've done the first 3, you can apply it to more things. Think about things you do or have in your home or business that you no longer need, or are not getting you results or bring down your energy. Move them out of your way and see how you feel. Need help with this? Let me know, contact me here

What are you working on this last week of the year?

2009-12-31T09:30:00.001-07:00

What are you working on this week? I plan to use this week to plan for 2010 and work on my new mentoring program that I am launching with Monique Gallagher, the Highest Potential C.oach. I love starting the New Year with clear ideas on what I wish to accomplish. I love the feeling of being ready and starting prepared into the New Year. How about you?

What I am most excited about in 2010 is the launch of this new “Taking the Brakes Off” mentoring program as it is something I dreamed about doing for a long time but didn’t have a partner to complement me. When I realized that I wanted to partner with a mindset c.oach and that together we can support people in a much better way, I attracted Monique. We started talking about our visions and the more we brainstormed the more it became clear that we are a really good fit. We are so ready to bring to soloprenuers what we have come to know are the keys to not only creating a business founded on passion and purpose but also strategies to ensure it is as productive and profitable as possible.

How it all got started….. mid December, Monique and I had a call on Resolution Rescue and we discussed ways how to plan effectively for 2010. When planning for my own “planning days” I wanted to gift you some tools to do the same, and so I decided to make this call available to you. We gave our listeners a bonu.s action item on how to apply and implement a focused plan for 2010. Get access to the call here: www.reginaminger.com/resolutionrescuecall

To begin your planning for 2010 and to help you “not to repeat” past mistakes, we have included an action tip that will help your plan out the next year to ensure you accomplish your aims in the most important areas of your life.

Take some time out of your busy schedule – block off at least one hour – to do the exercise to get clear what you really wish to accomplish.

You can do this exercise for as many things/projects/ideas as possible, using the same process. In order to do this properly, we recommend you listen to the recording first to get the best results for you. You can get access here: www.reginaminger.com/resolutionrescuecall

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Action Tip “Planning for 2010”

1. Listen to the audio before doing this exercise, so that you are in touch with your True Self who has to have a say in what you are going to work on. It will make your heart sing with joy.

2. Think of one thing you absolutely want to do next year (i.e. a project or a new venture in your business, or something personal)

3. List all the reasons you think it might not be possible to do it…all the reasons (and excuses) that come up that say it is not possible. (While doing this, highlight all the blockers as it would be good to work on them first. Some people can get past them just by seeing what they are and some people need support around them.)

4. What is one action you can do TODAY that will get you on the path towards that one thing? Write it down, then do it.

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I am committed to your success in 2010 and as such want to remind you to join our VIP list for the coming “Taking The Brakes Off” Mentoring Program, and all other news and resources that go along with building a profitable business with passion and purpose. Please sign up here to receive the news first: www.reginaminger.com/brakesoff

As being part of this list, you will receive an invite to our f.ree teleseminar series where we will reveal “The 3 Things that Make or Break the Growth of Your Business that NO ONE is Speaking Of”. Most business training is often not cutting it anymore. 2010 is the time to get into action.

Do you want to know HOW to really grow your business?

2009-11-23T15:39:00.002-07:00

In my last email I shared some ideas about thinking like a CEO, and having the mindset of the leader of your company, regardless of how big your company is going to be. In fact, even if you just want a business that can sustain your lifestyle or add to your household income, it is important to have certain systems implemented so you are not working so hard every day. Last April I attended a one-time event called The CEO Factor Retreat.

It was one of the best investments of the year, although my t.rip to Los Angeles was everything else but smooth. First, I missed my early morning f.light and risked catching the connector f.light in Las Vegas. They then put me on a flight to Phoenix and I arrived at the LAX with only 1 hour delay. However, my friend was waiting there not knowing when I would arrive (she didn't have a cell phone). Anyway, it was worth every sweat and every penny.

It's been proven The CEO Factor is the missing puzzle piece to sustaining high six and seven figure success. It is literally a business foundation blueprint to help eliminate the confusion and overcome the stuck spots.

Do you want to get these same revolutionary results? Well you can because The CEO Factor System has finally been released as a product. With this system you will feel like you've been transported to the Live Event and will learn everything you need to make 2010 the year your finally reach your goals.

Check it out here

Some of the things you will learn are:

Eight "empire-worthy" business models that are capable of generating seven to eight figures (or just help you sustain a nice high six figure income.)
Bottlenecks that are most likely to stunt growth and deplete you of your magic...leaving well meaning entrepreneurs frustrated and overwhelmed (and stuck!)
The eight core CEO types and who they MUST HAVE on their team to grow to the next level.
What your REAL role is as the leader of your small business and what specific daily, weekly and monthly actions you must focus on to leap into your next phase of growth.
Are you ready to get started? Go here now.

I'm looking forward to making 2010 my best year and not only growth wise. What I learned at the event went well beyond that.
Are you ready to take the leap?

Sincerely,
Regina Minger Meier
www.reginaminger.com

PS - Have you been experiencing consistent growth in your business but have hit a wall and are now stuck at your current level of success? Well I have and this system has transformed my business since the event. And if you answered YES too, then you should definitely check out this system! Go to here now to get this step-by-step roadmap to your 6+ figure business!

PSS: Don't want to build an empire? Well, most of those principles I learned at the event also apply to a smaller business model. However, it's important to know what kind of business you want to build for the future. And most important in my opinion is that you build your business around your lifestyle, vision and priorities and not the other way round. I will be sharing more about all that in the coming months. So stay tuned and let me know what questions you have around that.

Are you Guilty of Multi-tasking, too?

2009-11-09T12:56:00.002-07:00

Last week I listened to an interview from Melanie Benson Strick (www.successconnections.com) with Dave Crenshaw who wrote a book called “The Myth of Multitasking: How ‘Doing it All’ Gets Nothing Done” www.davecrenshaw.com and the facts he pointed out were quite shocking. I don’t know about you but even though I heard about being focused gets you more done, I wasn’t aware how true this is – and how much time you waste by multi-tasking.

Here are 3 facts that got me thinking:

Task switching: when you switch from one task to another and then have to go back to your original one, for example, you are writing your ezine article and get interrupted by a phone call. You attend to the phone call, then check your emails before you return to your writing. To get back to the focus of writing your article takes you a lot of time. Add that up to a day, week or month.
Focus: when you attend an online workshop, or listening to an interview over the phone or radio and check your emails and maybe think of your shopping list at the same time, you won’t be able to fully embrace the content of your audio – your attention span is so low that you can’t remember 95% or more of what you would have learned if you had given it full attention.
Focus: In the interview, Crenshaw mentioned that an average person can only focus for 11 min on a task of project before she or he gets distracted. Pretty shocking eh? Think about it: do you bombard your VA with msn messages, emails or text messages to send over your tasks? And if you do, what are your expectations for the quality of her work? If you do this, then your VA is likely distracted 80% of her time and won’t be able to use her time effectively let alone deliver in a high quality manner.

I was quite astounded at all the facts he shared with us on the call and I decided to rethink my strategy of multi-tasking.

If you are working in a fast paced working environment you can’t just work on one project or task a day – but what you can do it work at one project or task at one time – without being interrupted. So what I’d recommend you do is clean your desk and focus on one task or project until it is completed or you cannot do anything else without somebody else’s input. Then you set the project or task aside and move to the next one (like piles on your desk ) – maybe you take a break in the middle of moving to another task or check your messages.

Here are the 3 things I have implemented into my business day that I’d like to share with you:

I plan my day the evening before. Because not only multitasking can waste a lot of time, but also a lack of planning. I want to know what I am working on the next day, when I have my meetings and what I need to prepare for them. Crenshaw said that when you don’t plan out your day before you start your day, you are 10% less efficient during the day.
Get things done before start the official workday. I usually start working on my clients projects after 9.30am. This gives me 1.5hrs in the morning (I usually start work at 8am) to be productive, to finish a project or task and cross it off my list right away. It feels great to be able to say to yourself that you have been productive in the morning, because….should you fall back into the multi-tasking habit or checking emails and surfing the internet in the afternoon (this could also be a nice break from high level brain work), you don’t feel so bad because you got stuff done in the morning.
And as mentioned above, work on one project at a time, then take a break or at least clean my desk to make room for the new project – this is great as you really do get more done in the same amount of time AND the feeling of having completed something is very rewarding

Do it for just one day and see how it works. Do you notice a difference?

Are you guilty of multi-tasking too? What is your biggest challenge with getting things done while multi-tasking?

If you struggle with this I highly encourage you to check out Dave’s website www.davecrenshaw.com to find ways to minimize that. If you’d like to learn more about how you specifically can save some time and be more organized during the day, contact me for a strategy session to find ways to save you more time in the day.

Who do You talk To?

2009-10-30T10:08:00.003-06:00

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

2009-10-15T10:39:00.002-06:00

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.

Add More to Make it Work Even Better

2009-09-24T02:13:00.002-06:00

When everyone knows what deadlines you have set for certain tasks it's more likely that these things actually get done. Especially when you are planning a launch that you can't just postpone again and again, set deadlines are crucial for the success of it.

It’s also wise to “budget in” additional time to the timeline – "just in case", or because we know that there have been delays in previous projects and launches. For example if something takes five hours to complete, add another 2-3 hours for testing, down time or sick time. What if you suddenly have an important client to serve and won’t have the same amount of hours a week to work on your project as you thought you would? What if your child needs to go to the doctor and you have to be with her? Or what if your VA gets sick or isn't able to finish a task on time?

If you allow extra time to plan your launch or strategy, it will more likely be more successful - and actually take place when you want.

What has your experience been with product or program launches?

I'd love to know from you:
What are your biggest struggles with setting deadlines?
Are your projects always completed on time?

Send in your story or challenge by sending an email to info@reginaminger.com

If you would like to find out how you can get your launches implemented faster, book a business evaluation now. Go here to apply for one.

Why Deadlines Can Save You Money

2009-09-09T15:12:00.002-06:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you had a great plan (at least in your head ) for a new project, be it launching a teleseries or adding an ezine or blog to your online marketing? You had it all sorted out, created the content and asked your VA to help you implement it. You got really excited and were planning for the big launch. Then, the day before, you call your VA and ask her about the tasks she was supposed to have accomplished. And to your shock, she tells you : “Oh, I haven’t gotten to it yet, I am finishing up a big project with another client. I will have it to you next week!”

Duh!

What now? A lot of thoughts race through my head just thinking about this scenario: How could she have let me down? I am ready to launch the new thing but my VA hasn’t done her job. Is she not the right person for the position? How come she didn’t tell me about her other client? Why didn’t she let me know that she was behind schedule?

The reason might have been simple: you didn’t specify clearly when you needed these tasks done. She didn’t know the deadline, and possibly wasn’t even aware of the timeline of this project let alone the date of your launch.

How would the VA be able to deliver her work on time when she didn’t know what your expectations were concerning the timeline?

When you create your action plan, add a column to the spreadsheet that includes the timeline. Add deadlines into it so you and - more importantly - your team know when things have to be done.

For example, I sometimes find myself not mentioning the deadline to my editor either, as I just expect her to do it for the next day. Then the next day comes and I am checking my emails and it’s not there. Is she to blame? Hardly, how would she know?

So let's have a look at how you determine how long something will take and what deadlines are reasonable to meet:

Ask your VA or team members how long a certain task will take, or a set of different tasks, for example, to set up a squeezepage with an opt-in feature and the respective autoresponders attached
If you are working on a big project and are reliant of the help of your team, ask them how much capacity they have and if they have a lot of other clients and are restricted to a minimum amount of hours a day - especially when it's just for a short period of time (a program launch for example)
Think through all the tasks that need to be done and how much time it would take you to do it - then double the time! Yes, it's very important to have enough time scheduled for bigger projects like a launch so that everything can be tested and adjusted the way you want it.

Next time when you plan to launch a new program or service or create an info product, think about all the different components first and determine how long they take. This will give you a good idea and you won't get in the situation of running out of time.

If you are planning a new project and are not sure about the plan or how much time you should set aside for it, book an implementation session today to create your action plan that will get you there faster. Go to www.reginaminger.com/bizevaluation to book yours!

A Chat That Can Save You A Lot of Time and Hassle

2009-08-27T09:24:00.003-06:00

Knowing how much time your team spends on tasks or projects attributed to them can also be an effective monitoring device. Maybe you notice that one person makes a lot of time-consuming phone calls to one client or one resource. When you see that the team member includes this in her weekly report, you can ask her what the issues are with that person.

Depending on the answers, you can help her solve the problem or advise that she minimizes time on the phone with that particular client. Without a report, you might never be able to find out why she charges you that many hours or why she is spending so much time with that one person – who might not be worth her time at all.

Another good reason to check in with your team is to minimize confusion. Depending on the type of support person you hire, she might not feel comfortable to communicate all her struggles and challenges to you, especially when she thinks you must be busy with something else and she doesn’t want to bother you with such a trivial matter.

However, if you talk to the person on a regular and frequent basis, asking her about any challenges she has come across, she might open up and communicate her problems to you earlier.

Even if it is just a five-minute conversation or a short email status update, it’s a more effective way of tracking your team’s progress and avoiding potential pitfalls.

If you want to know how we can help you get there faster with more confidence, sign up for a business evaluation NOW at: http://reginaminger.com/bizevaluation

A painless way to schedule your projects – give yourself time!

2009-08-19T08:30:00.002-06:00

Are you one of those people who gets so excited about a new project, you want to rush right in and finish it…yesterday?

And then you come down to earth and discover that your timing was all wrong – there was no way you could have finished it by the deadline you set up for yourself.

Spontaneity is great, but it doesn’t always work – especially not in business.

Being revved-up about a new project, wanting to see your idea implemented and generating income is natural (after all, that’s why you became a web entrepreneur). But setting unrealistic deadlines is sure to backfire.

Has this already happened to you?

If so, you are no stranger to frustration and disappointment you feel when a goal you set for yourself can’t be reached because you underestimated the length of time such an implementation is likely to take.

Let’s say you decide on a Monday to write and submit an important article by Friday. You may even sit down and start writing, finishing it by Tuesday. But then you find out that your editor can’t start reviewing your draft before the beginning of the following week, because she is swamped with other projects. And your brilliant idea of having your article finished by the week’s end is going down the drain.

That’s a very good reason to re-think the way you do your scheduling. For instance, whatever project you are thinking of launching, make sure to plan extra time for testing, re-thinking your strategy, or any unforeseeable circumstances that may pop up and delay the project’s completion – maybe a team member is on vacation or sick. Giving yourself enough leeway will allow you to set – and meet – realistic goals without putting undue pressure on yourself or your team.

As the saying goes: timing is everything!

Contact me Today to receive a business evaluation session to see how your projects can get done smarter, and set up the right business systems and checklists to achieve better results. Send an email to info@reginaminger.com with the subject line: business evaluation.
I look forward to connecting with you.

How to know what your team is doing...

2009-08-13T08:24:00.001-06:00

Let’s be honest, we are not getting less busy, because as an entrepreneur or a solo business owner there is always something you want to do, let alone all these ideas you come up with every day. As a busy and often overwhelmed web entrepreneur you must be looking for ways to simplify the management of all the tasks and responsibilities inherent to your business.

Whether you work alone, are outsourcing or delegating some jobs to contractors, systematizing your knowledge will help you manage your tasks and your team more efficiently.

Simply put, systems are experience-based guidelines or bullet-point checklists outlining steps that need to be taken to accomplish a task or a goal.

Think about all the ways systems can make your life easier. There is probably no one area of your business that couldn’t benefit from this systematic approach; it can be applied to virtually every task to make sure things get done correctly and on time.

We’ll be talking about guidelines again and again but today I’d like to focus on how to best monitor the work and progress of your team.

HOW 2 CORNER

Establish guidelines on keeping track of various projects you delegated to contractors.

Ok, so think about the following things:

How often do you check in with them? Once or twice a week?
Do you expect team members to have their own ways to communicate with you?
Do you need to see some results earlier than your deadline so you can review them and make necessary changes?
Are you waiting for contractors to get back to you with some info so you can continue the work?

Explain to your team the importance of systematizing their own operations so your work timelines are synchronized. Tell them how important it is to work on schedule and inform other team members if someone can’t finish a task on time and what they should do in a case like that.

Write down YOUR guidelines, how you want things done, when you want everyone to check in with you, and in what way.

Think about ways to “connect” with your team – maybe chatting in the morning over a cup of coffee with those who are in your geographical vicinity. For virtual team members, you may want to set aside contact time via phone or email.

Choosing the Right Path: Know Where You Are Going!

2009-07-28T08:57:00.001-06:00

It is only logical that before you set out to go somewhere, you need to know how to get there. You are probably thinking: “That’s a no-brainer. How can I get somewhere if I don’t know where I am going?”

Yet, many entrepreneurs do just that – they don’t have a clear direction of where they are going. At the end of the day they may realize that they probably went in circles many times over without reaching their destination. How frustrating is that?

As the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.”
Clearly, we are not talking here about physically going to a particular destination. Rather, we are driving home a very important point – that making a decision about what you want to achieve in your business and how you can efficiently reach that objective is a crucial aspect of running your own company.

Let’s say you would like to launch a new program, product or a marketing campaign. That’s a great objective for a web entrepreneur because this move will likely take your business up a notch and generate more income.

But such a launch is a big step, which requires a lot of thought process, communication with your team members, and mapping out the plan of action. It is only when you know exactly where you are going and how to get there that you can reach the destination without time-wasting detours.
It is possible that you already know what you want to achieve but not sure how to go about it. Putting your ideas into practice takes, well, practice.

Instead of going around in circles, ask for help. Call someone to flush out ideas, get a second opinion, feedback, brainstorming. Even just talking so someone else about it can do wonders.

Isn’t it far better than going around in circles?

Avoid Planning Pitfalls!

2009-07-22T08:54:00.003-06:00

A written plan can help you move forward faster. How?

Remember a time when you had a great idea, but every detail was only planned out in your head? You have team members helping you with the technological, online and admin issues, but other than that you are pretty much doing everything yourself. Launch date is approaching and at the 11th hour you have to deal with an urgent matter that takes up most of your day. Your head is spinning from an overload of work …your launch is the next day… you have a teleseminar scheduled with 100 people signed up to attend…what can you do? Panic? Crumble under pressure? Postpone the planned launch and / or the teleclass?

There is a better way!

The scenario could look quite different if you had a written plan:

You call your VA and tell her you are unable to personally do the teleclass
Your team could still launch the program or service and monitor the emails, answer questions, maybe do the calls or postpone the teleclass

And here are two more tips about planning a project:

Make sure all your contractors are aware and committed to executing their individual tasks according to the pre-arranged schedule.
No matter how tempted you are to multi-task or stray off course, stay focused on your plan. Being distracted is going to put you in a hole. And that is one place you do not want to find yourself.

Knowing what to do then communicating the plan to your team is crucial. Make sure that everyone knows their role in executing the plan so that if something does come up, you are able to step away temporarily, delegate to your team, and ensure that the launch is successful.

Whether you remain actively involved in the entire process or not, it is important to keep your team in the loop. As cash flow allows, have them become more involved in the process so that they can comfortably implement the plan with minimal oversight provided by you. Need help managing your team? Stay tuned...we'll talk more about the team next time.

There is a better way to run your business and it's easier than you might think

2009-07-07T10:44:00.009-06:00

Anyone who runs a multi-faceted business probably has his or her hands in several different pies. Handling multiple projects in a timely and efficient manner while making sure your company is running smoothly – and generating income – is not always easy.

You might have asked yourself many times in the past – or may even be wondering right now -what is the best way to juggle multiple projects at the same time without losing your sanity?

Impossible, you say? Not if you know what to do. The answer lies in these two strategies:

Planning and prioritizing

It may sound obvious, but do you actually apply these strategies to your business or are you working in a disorganized and haphazard manner, handling whatever project just happens to come across your desk without giving a thought to what your priorities are?

You are not alone. Many busy online entrepreneurs operate that way. More often than not, at the end of the day (or week) they realize that they haven’t accomplished what they had set out to do, or achieved any of their goals.

There is a better, more efficient way, to run your business.

How?

Before you start your day (or week), look at all your projects and decide which ones have to be done first. Is one project more pressing than another because the clients are getting impatient, or maybe because you have to launch a product, program, or a marketing campaign by a certain date?

Once you narrow down which project has the priority over the others, map out a deadline and a schedule. That will give you an idea how much time you have and get you ready for the next step.

Write down exactly what you need to do yourself and what tasks your team (or sub-contractors) should be doing in order to complete the project in a timely manner.

Once you prioritize your projects, make a detailed plan for each one (as outlined above), and have a clear idea on what task should be done when (and by whom). You will find that staying focused and implementing your projects in a timely manner will bring the desired effect – be it client satisfaction, new customers or (the most important perk of all), a hefty profit. When planning your next project, be sure to keep these tips in mind:

Prioritize before you start working so will you know what to get done first and why

Knowing the order makes it easier to get things done

Wondering why you haven’t reached your goal? Did you make a point of setting a due date?

Knowing what to do first doesn’t always come naturally when working on projects, often times, there are many things that need to be done first. Remember your priorities when making your plan.

Knowing what to do first will help you get a head start on your next big project

Do you have any tips you'd like to add to this list? What do you find works well when planning a project? We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Why talking to a third party is so important

2009-06-30T08:28:00.005-06:00

I was talking to a client the other day and she told me about hiring more team members. She hired a contractor whose specialty is the web, like sending out ezines and autoresponders, creating webforms etc. But she noticed that emails went out with little errors, the articles not proof read properly or links that didn't work. My client was worried that this would reflect badly on her and her company. We looked at how errors like these could result in clients not wanting to work with her, or the fear of that. She also felt unsure about trusting that person and unfortunately it happened more than once.

While talking to me she realized that this fear would prevent her from delegating more tasks to the contractor. She expected her to be much better at this and would come up with recommendations and changes that my client didn’t know. That’s why she thought she'd hired her.

By talking to me about her worries, we identified the challenge she had about hiring more people to her team. She didn’t want to delegate anymore due to the risks of more mistakes. Within minutes she was able to make a decision on how to move forward with the contractor and felt more confident about hiring any more members to her team.

Sometimes you don’t even know that you have an issue with one of your projects or team members unless you talk to someone who recognizes break downs quickly and makes you aware of it. Once my client knew why she was holding back she could act accordingly but also knew why she was afraid in the first place.

Go with the Flow!

2008-10-01T14:17:00.003-06:00

Wow, what a day so far. As a project manager i am usually very organized, i plan out each day so i know exactly what I am working on, what the deadlines are and how long I am going to work. Today however, my whole plan got messed up, it started just after 8am when i heard that my car needs a longer service than expected...this meant I was stuck at the car dealership for the whole morning.

Nothing I could do. i got my coffee, read the paper, made notes, to-do lists, phone calls that needed to be done...only 9.30am...

then i got a phone call from my IT guy saying that the hard drive of my laptop is about to die...what do you want to do, replace hard drive or buy new laptop...by then my mood was at the lowest for that day, and it wasn't even 10 o'clock!

Talking to my friend afterwards actually made it better. i realized that however well you are organized, sometimes it just doesn't go the way you want to. The question then becomes, how do you get out of this.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I just had to find the reason.

I went for a walk, enjoying the warm fall sun when i decided to take it slow. There isn't anything I can do anyway...so why worry about it?

I took a longer walk, went to the book store etc etc. on my way back to the car dealership they called me saying that the car is ready earlier than expected. YOU SEE?

It all happens for a reason, you just have to go with the flow and believe that it will be fine.

2 hours later I had a new laptop and the world was good again.

Lesson learned?
Don't try to plan every minute of your day. Go with the flow and make the best out of it. Leave room for spontaneity, some fun and surprises. With the right attitude and trust, those surprises will make your day.

Are your Thoughts Taking you Down?

2008-08-25T10:31:00.004-06:00

I have been listening to some podcasts over the weekend about how your thoughts can take you down or can take you places! Did you know that your thoughts do not always reflect facts or the reality?

It's true. You might wonder "why didn't that prospect call me back? He probably went with another service provider!" and you create a negative feeling towards the prospect...while in reality the prospect was really busy and couldn't return your phone call but is still eager to work with you - just not right this minute. If you keep the negative thought, you won't call him back and you probably won't make the sale. However, if you keep a positive mind and follow up with this prospect until you get a definite no you have done your best. Even better, you might get a YES after the 2nd phone call because the prospect finally got time to think about this and is happy that you were so persistent. Guess what? You just won a new client!

Sometimes we can stand in the way of our own success by thinking negative or not believing in yourself or in the sale. But if you keep a positive and open mind to everything, find yourself in front of a lot more opportunities than ever.

Try it out and let me know what you experience.

Regina
Your Project Manager

Keep going!

2008-08-19T16:46:00.005-06:00

Have you been in a situation where you just couldn't see the end but you knew you were on the right track?

Well I was hiking the other day (you might realize that I like hiking and that I get a lot of ideas and thoughts while hiking) and it went up steep. I couldn't see the end, my hiking buddies were already further up and seem to hike without breathing to hard. I was exhausted...especially since I didn't know how much longer this would go on like this.

It's sometimes like in business. You decided on a plan or strategy but while doing it, it seems that there is no end to it. You launch a website and think that once launched, clients have to come and find you. But then you find out that you have to do a lot more and have to keep working on getting more traffic to your site and it seems that there is no end.

Fortunately, if you are part of a mastermind, they will support you along the way. They have all been there and know where you are coming from. Sharing your thoughts will make it easier to bear - especially because you know you are still on the right trail.

Another way is to junk down the bigger steps into smaller ones and create small goals along the way. That makes you feel much better because you see that you are actually moving forward and getting somewhere.

I finally got to the top and looking back it was less strenuous than I thought...but not knowing how long it was going to be sooo steep was really nerve wracking!

Launch of My new Website!

2008-07-28T12:43:00.003-06:00

I am very excited to launch my new website, the Entrepreneur's Project Manager Site.
Go have a look right now to see what's new, how you can use a project manager in your business and learn ways how to outsource effectively in going to www.reginaminger.com

Are you awake at night wondering how you get everything done?
Do you want an expert to help you manage projects and people?
Ready to start using experts to get things done?

Then check out the site and listen to the interview with me and Melanie Benson-Strick about the Mistakes we make when launching a new Product.

marketing mix

2008-03-28T14:40:00.003-06:00

Are you thinking about your marketing? How do you feel about it? Do you feel you are spending to much time and money on it? As a small business it's sometimes hard to decide on your perfect strategy and often there isn't just one answer that makes the problem go away. It's a process of finding the marketing mix that works for you!

So let's look at what could work for you. A marketing mix already tells you that it is more than just advertising or doing one activity. It's a series of different strategies or activities that work together. Let's brain storm strategies that are cost effective:
- newsletter
- voice mail
- auto-responders
- networking
- referral program
- affiliate program

A lot has to do with building a relationship with your target group, via mail, email, networking, phone, meeting. The more the people get to know you and your service, the more they will think of you when someone needs a service. Being of help to other people like giving them the right contact or some free advice builds trust and loyalty. And that is a key element in cost effective marketing.

I suggest do a series of different activities to be in front of your potential client as much as possible. Being able to show your expertise will eventually make them buy. Try it out, one strategy at a time.

Think like a CEO

2008-03-25T14:36:00.004-06:00

Do you own your own business but you think it owns you? how do you know? do you work long hours, trying to meet deadlines, doing 10 things at the same time, never seem to finish anything? then your business probably owns you. what can you do? whenever I get that feeling, I take a break to write down what needs to be done today and cannot wait till tomorrow. I then prioritize the tasks and then go back to work doing the most important things first.

Do you feel you are getting back the control? another, more advanced way to think is who can help me do things so I don't have to do them all? After all you are the CEO of the company. Only because you don't have employees to do things for you doesn't mean you have to wear all the hats. Start with a list of things that someone else could do. Start with a bookkeeper, with a virtual assistant taking care of your admin. Maybe you have a marketing consultant that helps you with your marketing. Then you already outsourced your marketing which is a great step.

Step by step you can start getting back that control and more time during the day to work ON your business.

So I challenge you to ask yourself everytime you feel overwhelmed: what shouldn't I be doing as the CEO of the company? Is there someone else that could do it? Maybe faster, more effective, even cheaper?

My first blog post

2008-03-16T17:44:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone

Welcome to my new blog. You'll learn all about how to get things done faster and more effectively and how you can organize your business in a way that makes it easier to get thing done. Excited? I am. Sometimes we don't need to change a whole lot to make a big difference. You might have to change a habit or a detail in your plan to make it work. I want to show you easy ways how to do that. If you have specific questions about something around project management or organizing your business, here is the place to ask!

You'll read from me again soon.
Regina
Your Marketing Manager
Read more about our services on www.businesslifestyle.ca