Now is the time to fix this year’s bucket. We’re almost halfway through 2013, so begin by making an appointment with yourself to identify your biggest bucket then create a plan (nothing fancy) with dates of how you’re going to correct it. Here’s a simple 5-step process to follow:

1. Identify your bucket – what’s the one problem you have that if corrected would make running your business easier, better or perhaps more profitable?
2. Outline 3 reasons to fix it – how will your business improve or your sanity be increased? This is a great reminder of WHY it’s so important to do this NOW!
3. Outline the steps required to fix it
4. Define who will fix it (it doesn’t have to be JUST you)
5. Create deadlines and then simply DO IT!

Beth

I met Bob Crowther (seen above) at a seminar I was running at the Small Business Development Center at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Before the seminar began, we had the opportunity to chat and he shared his transformational story. Having spent his life in biological research, he found himself, in his early 60′s, unemployed for an extended period of time.  Having dealt with chronic back pain due to lumbar arthritis he had begun to attend hatha yoga classes after several friends had suggested this might help him strengthen his core muscles and alleviate his pain. Bob told me that, “Despite my inexperience and obvious lack of abilities during this initial yoga class, I had fun. I recognized yoga as a means of dealing with decades of back pain as well as a way to recover from major thoracic surgery.”

As yoga became a daily ritual, it informed his lifestyle choices and Bob found himself taking four classes a week, becoming leaner, stronger and more flexible. He realized that he wanted to share his remarkable recovery with others to, not only help them but to inspire individuals of all ages that they could master this, just like he did. It was time to reinvent himself and turn his passion into a business. He recently launched Yoga Fitness and Nutrition LLC to address the short and long term goals of Baby Boomers with aches and pains. While his business will be open to individuals of every age, he is focused on people living with the consequences of various medical conditions including a heart attack, diabetes, arthritis and weight issues, offering physical evaluations, one-on-one instruction and nutritional advice. He has found a unique niche and is the poster child for his business.

Bob is in the process of reinventing his career just as he reinvented his body. For me, and perhaps for you as well, he serves as an incredible inspiration of the pure strength not only of body but soul and spirit at any age.  If you want to learn more about Bob, you can connect with him via LinkedIn and watch as he continues his transformation. I certainly will be!

So ask yourself, “Is it time?” Is the old skin feeling itchy? Are you ready to make that change? If you answer “yes” or even “maybe,” here are 5 simple steps you can take to begin your own transformation:

1. Imagine yourself in 3 years. You’re in a great place in terms of your career and business aspirations. With words (unless you’re artistically gifted) draw a picture of what you’re doing that makes you so happy. Describe your business and your life as if you were telling a friend you hadn’t seen in a few years what your life is like now.
2. Write down 5 thing that you love about this new life.
3. Next, write down what is so different about your futuristic life compared to your present one.
4. Write down what’s stopping you from taking steps to get to this new life – then cross out those negative thoughts.
5. Finally, write down 3 things you can do in the next 30 daysthat will help you start down the road of achieving your dream job or business.

I’m off to sign up for a yoga class (haven’t done one since college). However, I’d love to hear what your dream is. If you would like to share, send me your 5-step list. Perhaps (with your permission) I will include it in my upcoming book: Reinventing Yourself – Creating the Business You Always Dreamed Of (working title).

When Did Hiring a Lawyer Become the Easy Way of Handling Conflict?

I admit it, I’m a bit of a domain hoarder. In fact, I own over three dozen domains. I’m a marketer still plagued by the fact that I didn’t buy marketingedge.com in time. So now whenever an idea for a product or service pops in my head, I check to see if the domain is available…and buy it. They automatically renew, so oftentimes I forget I own them – which can create issues….

Recently, an organization that I did business with a few years ago decided that they should be the legal owners of a domain that I bought in 2008. This is a group to whom I had donated hours and hours of my time to help them create their product.

Instead of picking up the phone to call and ask me to transfer the domain to them, the head of this non-profit organization hired a lawyer (who I presume works pro bono) and sent me a certified letter DEMANDING that I turn over the domain to them.

A simple call would have been more than sufficient to resolve the issue. I would have given her the domain had she just asked.  Instead, this non-profit organization forced me to hire my own legal experts to confirm my rights.

In the end, I have agreed to give them the domain because I still believe in the stated mission of the organization and it is the right thing to do. But I’m disappointed (no, horrified) by this organization’s actions against me and by the fact that their stated mission to support small business owners somehow did not extend to me.

Contrast this recent domain-name trouble with an earlier one. About a year ago, I received a call from an organization that was running a national event called The Small Business Tour. They were using the domain name: thesmallbusinesstour.com and contacted me because I owned SmallBusinessTour.com (which, at the time, automatically directed to my website m-edge.com). It was causing confusion amongst individuals who wanted to register for their tour. They were interested in purchasing the domain from me.

The woman who called me was terrific and we had a great exchange about our business models and goals and quickly recognized that our missions intertwined. She asked me if I would be interested in being a speaker and sponsor for the “Tour.” To make a long story short, I pointed my site to their site (it’s still pointed there) and also got involved with the event. It was a win-win and they are great people whom I totally respect.

Both of these incidents raise the question: Should goodwill be a core value of a business or organization? 

Where do YOU draw the line for what constitutes right and wrong in terms of ethical and honorable business practices?

Please email me your thoughts on this compelling issue and, as always, I look forward to being inspired by what you have done to propel your business forward.

I want to share a story about a recent challenge I faced saying ‘no’ to an opportunity that my gut immediately rejected but my heart fought for (and lost). Back in November I was asked to serve as the president of an impressive product marketing organization based here in Massachusetts. I was honored to be asked, especially since the founder is an individual whom I greatly respect. The organization is successful and they are looking to take themselves to the next level. So, I had two key questions to answer: ’Was I the right person to help them grow?” and “Was this the right organization to help my business grow?” The latter was harder to answer than I anticipated.

Over the past few years I have worked diligently to establish myself as an expert in business growth (building upon my marketing/sales background). While I love ‘all things marketing,’ as a small business trainer I have learned that teaching marketing on its own simply isn’t enough to help business owners achieve the success they desire.Being able to set actionable goals, understand cash flow and manage and motivate your team is just as important as understanding why customers buy from you and why they might also buy from your competitors.  I now integrate all aspects of business strategy, tactics and growth in my workshops to ensure a more significant impact on the small business communities I work with. Returning to a role focused solely on marketing strategy doesn’t align with my business model.  So, this should have been an easy ‘No,’ right? Wrong!

Here’s where my dilemma began. I was personally excited about working with this group because the people in the organization were truly passionate, dynamic and interesting individuals with whom I wanted to collaborate.But, the organization didn’t fit into my wheelhouse, so how could I say ‘yes?’ Good question! I searched for this answer for weeks. I interviewed almost two dozen individuals associated with the organization, looking for a reason to say ‘yes’ but I kept coming back with ‘no.’ Nonetheless, Irefused to listen to my ‘logical’ side screaming that this was not the right role for me.

So, how did I resolve this dilemma? I removed the emotion from the decision. I created a spreadsheet (nothing fancy, trust me) and on the vertical axis (also know as the Y axis for you engineering-types) I plotted all my 2012 projects, training initiatives and other key activities like my book tour, speaking gigs, articles, newsletter and blog. Then on the horizontal (X) axis I plotted my business goals: consulting, training, being a thought leader, helping inner city and small businesses, etc… You get the point. I also included a business goal category called college fund. Why? Because I could do what I love all day long but if I’m not getting paid, my kids will have to rely on the dogs getting great modeling jobs to support their college education (cute as the dogs are, that wasn’t happening any time soon).

Next, I decided that every project listed on the vertical axis had to fit into at least two of these goal categories (three if there was no revenue involved). For example, the training program I run in Salem, MA fit into several categories including: small business, training, coaching and college fund. Other initiatives such as blogging or writing my newsletter didn’t make the college fund but fit into small business, thought leadership and coaching categories. Simple, right?

You’d be surprised how cathartic this was. When the chart was completed, I could see in black and white, no emotions involved, everything that I had accomplished in the past year. I could also see how some of the initiatives I had taken on were clearly not smart choices. Honestly, I already knew which initiatives I shouldn’t continue but now I had no reason to argue with myself over continuing them. Here it was, plain and simple, staring back at me from my computer screen – my smart choices and my ‘not so smart’ decisions. The visual impact was quite empowering.

 Ultimately, this chart gave me the power and internal strength to say ‘no’ to the position as president of this organization. The organization just didn’t fit into my current goals. I simply couldn’t justify saying ‘yes,’ hoping that the pleasure of working with the folks in the group would somehow payoff in the long term. It just didn’t make sense but now it was no longer based on a gut feeling or emotion. It was pure logic.

When I called the founder and politely turned down the opportunity, I knew I had made the right decision. Interestingly enough, several new opportunities opened up in the weeks that followed. Ones that I wouldn’t have been able to go after if I had agreed to serve as president of this group and ones that very clearly fit into my wheelhouse. Now I have this amazing chart to refer to each time I have to decide ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

If you are grappling with a logical system to streamline your goals, actions and empower your ability to say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ spend an hour doing this exercise. I guarantee it’ll be the best hour you’ll spend on yourself and your business. When you’re done, email me and let me know what you are doing differently this year as you focus your efforts on growth and please share your stories of how you learned to say ‘Yes’ to ‘No.’ 

Biscotti

If we’ve spent any time together, you know that I’m an ‘over the top’ dog fanatic. Our home boasts two, four-legged canines (Biscotti and Twizzler), and they delight us on a regular basis. So, you won’t be surprised that as critical members of our household, they are clearly the most spoiled in the family (yes, even more than my 2 teenagers!)