6 Key Steps to Being Efficient in Business

Efficient in Business

6 KEY STEPS TO BEING EFFICIENT IN BUSINESS

Article by Ling Wong
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #24

The core of being efficient and effective in your business starts with YOU. The best way to make your business run efficiently is to tap into your strength, and design structures and systems to maximize the income-producing potential of your strong suits.

It is easy to talk a good game about tapping into our strength and being in the flow. But putting it into practice can take some mindset muscle.

Growing up, many of us were conditioned to be “humble” or not to show off our strengths (especially for women.) A lot of times, we discount ourselves thinking the things that come so naturally to us is not valuable, is “just how things are done.” As a result, we are not deploying our genius in a way that will make our lives so much easier, at the same time generate more income.

Here is how to make your business more efficient and effective by tapping into your strength:

1| Find It

Of course, the first step is to identify your strengths. To acknowledge the abilities that you take for granted probably don’t come naturally to other people.

There are many tests and assessments to help you take this first step. The key is to translate your results into a business model and some smart strategies to support it.

2| Claim It

“Claiming the hell out of it” is way more than a marketing tactic just to toot your own horn. The process also strengthens your mindset so you can step up and be confident in selling what you offer. 

For most of us, we were raised to be “humble” and this preconditioning is sabotaging our success because we are afraid to talk about (let alone sell) our strengths.

3| Articulate It

We are talking about business and to make a venture a business it has to make money, which means you need sell something.

To sell something means you have to be able to tell your potential clients why your products or services are valuable to them – why YOUR unique blend of strengths and superpowers is relevant to helping them solve their burning issues.

The process of articulating your strengths can also help you gain more clarity. When you have to “find your voice” to tell your story – you need to get clear on who you want to BE in your business, and who you want to be for your peeps. This clarity can become the guiding light for your long-term success.

4| Build Around It

After defining your strengths, it’s time to make sure your business is structured to highlight and utilize every ounce of it.

You can also create systems so the business and marketing activities that play to your strengths are put on autopilot as much as possible.

5| Sell It

A product or service sitting on the shelf won’t do you any good, and you can’t really call your business “efficient and effective” if it’s not making money! That means you have to get comfortable with SELLING. For most coaches, consultants and service professionals, that means having sales conversations with potential clients.

You can take all the world’s sales trainings and have a dozen “scripts” collecting dust on your hard drive, but if you don’t have the right mindset behind your conversation, your results are going to be patchy as best.

Having the right mindset means you are empowered in your conversation, and you have healthy boundaries around money so you are not undercharging, over-delivering, constantly discounting or (god forbid!) giving services away for free.

All clients have their money stories, but ultimately, it’s OUR own money stories and projection that are holding us back. Imagine you can state the price of your high-end package with no charge, just like you are saying “give me 10 carrots so I can make you a stew!”

The confidence and ease you have in stating your price is proportional to how well you can sell.

6| Chuck It

As in, your weakness. Stop beating yourself up for “not measuring up” in those areas. Stop fearing that you are “not good enough” because you are not “well-rounded”. Stop feeling you have to do everything everyone tells you, and excel in every single one.

Stop spending time, energy and money to make your weakness “better.” It will be mediocre at best and mediocre is not where the big bucks lie. If something is not your natural strength, you can outsource it. You can find a partner with complimentary talents. You can structure your business so you spend minimal time in those areas.

But it doesn’t mean you look the other way. Knowing your challenges can help you set up systems and routine to mitigate those weak points.

How to Obtain the 'Right' Resources for Your Business

HOW TO OBTAIN THE 'RIGHT' RESOURCES
FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Article by Darlene Dunn
Photo Credit: Jana Cruder
Magazine: Issue #23

How to Obtain the 'Right' Resources

There is a skill that is often overlooked but that has served me well in both my professional life and in my entrepreneurial life. What is that skill you may ask? It is the skill of knowing how to find an answer and the ability to discern its validity. In most industries, and the holistic industry is no exception, the amount of information that someone needs to know in order to be effective is insane. 

Early on I learned to gather ‘resources’ that I trusted- whether they were books, websites, phone numbers, people. To this day I have an extensive network that I can tap into in order to obtain whatever answer is needed. This ability to ‘obtain’ an answer has helped me establish a reputation as ‘the person to go to for answers’.  

Why is mastery of this skill vital for any entrepreneur?  Mastery of this skill allows the entrepreneur to ‘be the expert’.  Clients look to you for help in solving their problem or meeting their need.  You have the base knowledge but realistically, can you know everything there is to know about your area of expertise?  The answer is no; however, you CAN know how to obtain all the answers so your client believes that you are amazing!

So, where and how do you gain this skill? 

• First, network- network-network!!  Build a network of individuals that can be a resource for you and you for them.  You can cross-refer clients and so much more. 
  
  
• Second, look at websites/books and validate the information - in other words, look up things you already know and see how they address things, once you have validated a site/book/author, you are more confident when you need to use it for ‘true’ research. 
  
  
• Third, develop your critical thinking skills - this will help you to discern whether the information you have located is really what you need.

Start building your ‘answer’ portfolio today!!

Mastery, Success, or Perfection... What's the Difference?

MASTERY, SUCCESS, OR PERFECTION...WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Mastery, Success, or Perfection

Article by Tamisha Ford
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #23

In The Rise, by Sarah Lewis, she intricately defines mastery this way:

“Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognant – perfectionism – an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success – an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved line, constant pursuit."

Mastery’s Style

Mastery is curvy. She doesn’t stay in the lines nor does she like them. If she were a dating profile, she’d say “a little extra.” This is because mastery, by nature, is dedicated to building on itself – it never sees perfection as an end goal. Instead, it focuses on excellence and consistent movement & improvement.  Mastery is known for its commitment to process. When it comes to our creative expression, embracing a mastery mindset means liking the prefix “re”. Re-mixing. Re-mastering. Re-branding. Re-launching. Re-painting. Re-doing. And being totally okay with it. 

Perfection’s Style

The style of perfection is best described by Anne Lamott:

“Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend. What people (inadvertently, I’m sure) forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are, and why we are here…”

Here’s the thing about perfectionism – it usually has good intent. If you’re like me, as a recovering perfectionist, it always came from a genuine place of just wanting to make my parents proud of me. The thing is, that created the precise unrealistic expectations perfection needs in order to thrive. It’s motivated purely by how it’s viewed by others, which is the reason it’s unhealthy.

The Style of Success

Success in our society has been painted as the resident “she made it” attitude. It’s a pinnacle. It’s the mountain peak. The climax, if you will. The question I have for this version of success is “what happens when you get there?” How have you built it? 

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having goals. I just think we have to be careful how & why we achieve them. Mastery gives us permission to do it our way and define and refine our work along our path. It allows us to be flexible with change and master our creative and self-expression with servitude and heart - continuously. 

7 Secrets to Mastering Your Success

7 SECRETS TO MASTERING YOUR SUCCESS

Mastering Your Success

Article by Kimberly Ward Manning
Photo Credit: Jana Cruder
Magazine: Issue #23

Mastery is defined as accomplished knowledge or control over something. It is not “able to do.” I can play the piano, however, Alicia Keys has mastery over the piano. That’s not to say that at some point I won’t master the ivories. 

Whatever it is that you’re looking to gain superiority over, here are some secrets you need to know.

1| 10,000 hours. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell speaks of a “Law of Deliberate Success,” that in order to be world class at something, one needs to invest a lot of time (about 10,000 hours) in that endeavor. If you want to get really good, get busy.

2| Divine guidance. Hard work is one way to success. While it may sound woo-woo, access to your gifts through the Divine is also possible. Think child prodigies and HH Dalai Lama. 

3| The path to mastery is paved with some boo-boos. To be successful at anything you must have the courage to make mistakes. “Take chances. Make mistakes. That’s how you grow.” Beautifully said by Mary Tyler Moore.

4| Mastery is its own reward. Sure it’s nice to have the carrot at the end of the stick, however, mastery is an intrinsic carrot. Mastery of anything implies a love of that thing. When we love to do something, extrinsic motivation isn’t necessary. So throw the sticks and veggies aside and get down to doing what you love.

5| Share your gift. How do you know you really rock at something? Teach it. Have you noticed when you show another your skill or talent, not only do you illuminate the other person, but you become really sure of what you know (and what you don’t)? This is service to others, and to your mastered gift.

6| The appreciation of others. When you are world class at something, others notice. People will pay a premium to work with you, buy from you, and they’ll want to hang out with you. Mastery can be a magnet.

7| Master thy self. To get and stay really good at anything requires interest, practice and diligence. Think of it as a fitness program where you’re keeping your mastery in shape. Do what you need to do physically, emotionally and spiritually to keep yourself and your gift sharp.

One who gains mastery will create her own opportunities says a Chinese proverb. Remember these seven secrets as you master your success.

What it Means to Be in the Business of Influence

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF INFLUENCE

Article by Tamisha Ford
Photo Credit: Rose Jane
Magazine: Issue #22

Be in the Business of Influence

Pun intended. The business of influencing people in your life and the actual "business" of influence. 

Really, you can't have one without the other. 

If you're in business, entrepreneurship, startup culture, blogging, etc., you're in the business of influencing others - people are watching you whether you realize it or not or want them to or not. You're a person of influence. You might just feel you're only influencing your dog or your Aunt Candie, but trust me, there's more where that came from. 

I've noticed that the businesses and people who seem to really expand their influence faster and wider are those who have these specific aspects at play.

1| Consistency. The nature of business is change, right? So how do you maintain consistency? Does this mean you can never re-brand, change your color palette or even your ideal clientele? Not always. This form of consistency isn't necessarily always tangible or seen. It's the way you show up, how you respond to your customers, how often you stay in contact with them, and if your brand message is always on point (it always agrees with itself, no matter where it’s communicated). 

2| Energy and Focus. Influence seems to be a by-product of the energy felt from a business, blogger, founder, CEO, etc. People can feel more than we realize online (we are those people too, so just think about it). I've noticed that the more energy I put into my business, the more inertia both I and my peeps seem to feel, and the more involvement we collectively generate. Considering energy means also looking at what you're putting in front of that energy - focus. Tunnel vision, if you will. Not becoming-a-hermit-&-shutting-people-out type of tunnel vision, but the type where you're dedicated to your vision and the big picture in every single decision you make. 

3| Service. This is a culture where people want to know a business is giving back somehow with its services and programs or that it's serving people directly and changing their life in some way through its services, programs, art, products, etc.  Like energy & focus, service is also felt and breeds influence.  If you really sit down to just bring focus to why you started, what is the reason beyond your own personal freedom?  I can share with you that my focus is on helping people be more comfortable in their own skin. I know FOR SURE this is a gift I have that is in direct service to the people who are drawn to me. What is that "thing" for you? What are you “in service” of? 

Influence wants to know.

Do the 5 Reiki Principles Apply to Your Business?

DO THE 5 REIKI PRINCIPLES APPLY TO YOUR BUSINESS?

Do the 5 Reiki Principles Apply to Your Business?

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #21

A sacred method of inviting blessings and the spiritual medicine to many illnesses, situations, and business practice. The practice of Reiki once attuned (taught), has limitless benefits in life and can do no harm. Each principle starts with “Just for Today”, no long term goals just a non-stress reminder to follow every day. 

We can get caught up in day to day routines in business and forget many basic principles in life in general. Forgetting these basic principles can be a detriment to any business owner. Taking time to meditate briefly with these principles daily can bring forth the positive energy needed to succeed as a business owner.

The five principles are as follows:

1| Just for today, do not anger
2| Just for today, do not worry
3| Just for today, be grateful for everything
4| Just for today, do your work honestly
5| Just for today, be kind to others

Anger can be considered to be a negative energy. If we don’t use this energy in an appropriate way, dealing openly with situations and problems it can become contaminated with frustration and resentment and become destructive anger.

The thoughts of worry outweigh the benefits of concern and we should never confuse worry with concern, worrying keeps us focused on the problem while healthy concern helps us think about solutions.

Being grateful reflects quality not quantity and it’s our own values that are sent back at us that creates this sense of lack or abundance in our lives.  Lack or abundance is relative and how we view these events can affect the quality of our lives.

Taking personal responsibility for your life, everything in it, and the attainment of your own goals, there is nothing worse than waiting for others including spirit/universe to act on your behalf and there is nothing more exciting than realizing that no one is going to do it for you.

It’s easy to be kind to people you like and who like you. The test comes when we are asked to be kind to those people we don’t like and who make us feel angry and insecure. Maybe one of the biggest challenges of these principles, but certainly obtainable.

Can you apply these five principles to your business, “Just for Today”?

Wildfire vs Foxfire: Which One Will You Use to Grow Your Business?

Which One Will You Use to Grow Your Business?

WILDFIRE VS FOXFIRE: WHICH ONE WILL YOU USE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS?

Article by Kimberly Manning
Photo Credit: Angel Quintana
Magazine: Issue #21

There are two types of fire that appear in the woods. One is big and brash and can burn your house down, while the other is cold to the touch and glows. Lots of people talk about wildfire, and surely it can move your business to new heights fast. But it’s foxfire that will build your business for the long term. 

Managing the burn

Many business owners pine for wildfire to engulf some part of their enterprise – a product featured in Oprah magazine, a PR initiative gone viral or an offering whose demand blows the doors off your PayPal account. Sure, this is awesome and amazing, but it’s not sustainable. Not only is it difficult to manage your business during a wildfire, once the fire burns out, you may be, too. To be truly successful, you need to build your business for the long term. 

A different kind of fire

Foxfire is a form of bioluminescence, light emitted from a living organism, which in this case comes from fungi that live on the forest floor. Also called “fairy fire,” foxfire can be dim or bright enough to read by. In folklore, Fairy Fire is magical and its location marks a treasure buried below. 

So how do you make foxfire in your business? 

Find your magic. What is it that you are, do or sell that is unique? When you have real clarity around your unique brilliance, intersect that with your prospective client community. There lies your buried treasure.

Scour the forest floor of your business to see what’s not working. Yup, take a good look at where things aren’t jiving, where sales are slack and where you’re not congruent with what you’re doing. There is gold in the solutions to these problems and will light up your business. 

Relish a slow, cool burn. It’s easy to get bamboozled by an entrepreneurial and general culture that practically worships wildfire. Resist the temptation. Slower and steadier will build your biz for the long run. You’ll find it easier to focus and plan, aspects of life and business will be more manageable and you will still enjoy the benefits of fire. When you create foxfire in your business you won’t get burned.

Foxfire isn’t as audacious as wildfire, but it will grow your business. And probably not burn you out. If wildfire engulfs your business it will be a wild ride. Foxfire is different. It will illuminate your business from the inside and that’s a longer term strategy.