I love collaborations!!!

I regularly collaborate privately with one particular person. I believe we work very well together because we communicate well. We bring up the taboo items; we talk about the elephant in the room.

It's one of the best collaborations I've had and it gets better each time we work together.

I'd love to hear what makes your collaborations a success.

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You should have seen me at the gym

There's a reason why I coach entrepreneurship and not fitness. I joined a gym lately and I'm still trying to find my comfort zone there. The vision thing makes it tough at times. If you go to the gym you'll see me there looking like a female version of Magoo feeling my way around the room. 

Alma Taylor 

"You should see me at the gym!"

I was forced into entrepreneurship and learned to love it and I've got my fingers crossed that the same thing will happen at the gym. Did I mention that I am not a gym person.

I have noticed that my upper body strength is not what it used to be. I blame it on the sedentary lifestyle. A couple of days ago I went online and found an exercise that would work my arms. Next time I went to the gym I found the machine and got set up.

I set the weight at 10 lbs and sat down with the intention of doing 12 reps (I'm getting the lingo). Well, I couldn't even get to four and before I continued, I took the 10 lbs off and did it with the bar alone. Here I was trying to remember how to breath, where to position my feet, making sure I had the right form - all the while hearing the reel of my mantra STRONG BODY, STRONG BODY playing in my mind.

I was shocked that I was having such difficultly with this machine - I did a quick check over the shoulder to make sure no one was watching. This was bloody hard and I was getting slightly pissed.

Next day I'm at the gym and determined to get back on that machine. I walk over and there's a fella on the machine and you can tell that it's not his first time in a gym. You know what I'm saying? This man was buff. I watched how he managed with a lot of weight on the machine. He made it look easy. There was also something else that I noticed.

Before he got on the machine he brought this handle over the top and grasped them on the bottom. It's hard to write about here but can  you get the picture? The handle is flipped up and then when you sit down, you flip it down. I DIDN'T DO THAT FLIPPING DOWN PART the first day.

There's the reason why I couldn't do any reps. I took a second to laugh at myself and then I took over the machine when he was finished. Moved that weight to 20 lbs and I had no trouble at all.
I could have burst out laughing as I watched him flip this handle around and then start the exercise - I didn't use the machine the right way. No wonder it felt so awful. Thank goodness I can laugh at myself.

Here's the deal - if you are a perfectionist, you'll never try new things. Learn to laugh at yourself. Embrace the incompetence that you feel when you try new things. You've got to crawl before you walk and you have to make it fun.

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When you're hiring a Virtual Assistant, these are the things to consider.

What a view!!

I'm blessed to have an awesome Virtual Assistant (VA) but it took a couple of tries to find one that would work well for me. Here is what I discovered as I was going along.

1. They don't need to know it all but they do have to be teachable. This is a must for me. I have to have things a certain way to work with my systems. It takes time to teach someone and there's nothing worse than someone who is set in their ways and don't want to learn anything new.

2. It helps if they're real comfy with technology especially if you're like me - low tech in all that I do. I hire to my weakness and I also want her to take over some of my duties which leads me to the next thing that is essential.

3. They have to appreciate that when you have a process that works, they need to follow that process or have a darn good reason why they won't use your tried and true.

4. Pay them what they're worth - the range that they charge is anybodies guess. But you know the value in what they're providing - pay them what they are worth. I've got a hangup about taking advantage of people. Probably comes from being taken advantage of. Pay them what they are worth.

5. For entrepreneurs with disabilities - an awesome VA can really make or break your business. After all, they can help us scale the extra barriers.

A bit of a rant - be generous in July.

We are just coming through a Christmas where I personally got to observe the best in people. It's been tough on the family to see our parents transition - mother into a long term care facility and our grief stricken father transition into losing the one woman he has slept beside for 55+ years. It has been heartwarming to see our family pull together to provide the care that we could provide. We are in the season of change and we've got good people showing up to help us through it.

December saw a lot of people come together in a show of support and generous giving of time and resources to folks who are hit hard by the holiday season.  Whether it was an organization asking for donations or individuals trying to assist a woman who found herself in a precarious living situation - it got me thinking that it takes a village but we need the level of awareness in July as much as we need it in Decembers.

We know that these donations are band aid solutions on larger societal problems that require policy changes. It's important that we remember that we can pull together for our brothers and sisters all year long.

One of the core competencies of entrepreneurship is the ability to vision. It's not the only competency but if we use the analogy of baking a cake, not being able to vision would be equivalent to not having a bowl to mix the ingredients in.  But sometimes when our worlds are turned upside down, survival is the number one consideration. I think we can all agree that some of the folks we have served in December have less than desirable lives. It is tough to look at a better future when you don't have enough food on the table or can't afford to purchase tampons.

I teach people to vision - take time to create a compelling narrative around the life they want to create as entrepreneurs. What if we came together as a community and visioned together. I don't mean that we come together and gripe about what some politician isn't doing. I mean coming together to create a vision of what we want our society to look like. What if we then learned as a group to watch our language and take action when we could. What if we helped people who were struggling to vision by visioning for them - holding them up until they gain a little traction.

Let's collectively come together and learn to vision for a better future.  Let's not just hope that we can purchase a sailboat this year or maintain that lakefront property. Let's speak the truth about people and their starting position. Let's talk about the benefit of privilege and put ego in its place.

Sometimes by the time the disadvantaged get to where they could launch, they're so exhausted from surviving poverty that they take a break. A break that they can't get up from. It's called frustration and you'd have to walk a mile in those shoes to really get it. 

I used to feel sorry for myself - burdened because of vision loss and forced to give up a home and go through bankruptcy but I realise now that I was rich in other ways.  I had friends to lean on and family members who could pick up the slack. I had the ability to learn and communicate. I could write and articulate a letter that opened doors.

Can you imagine what it feels like to not be able to advocate for yourself but at the same time not know people who can advocate on your behalf? Try doing that on zero budget. Don't get me started on the impact of disability on a person without the means to support the disability.

In 2018, let's open our eyes and our hearts and show up for our brothers and sisters in need all year long. Nothing to give says the cash strapped entrepreneur? Try mentoring someone to get to the place that you have arrived at.

Don't say you have nothing to give - it could be that you lend your voice. You freely offer a piece of advice. You open a door for someone (I mean a door to resources that others are struggling to open).  Be as generous in July as you are in December.

Reach out to someone that you see struggling. If you have figured out how to vision - teach another person. It is the fundamental core competency of entrepreneurship - the ability to dream and then take appropriate action.

Drive a bit of business in the direction of someone who is struggling. Open up your networks to people. Offer to be a leaning post to a person in need by lending an ear.

I'm proud of what happens in December - of the generous folks all around me, but in 2018, let's see if we can keep the momentum going.

Housekeeper and Bookkeeper - Money Well Spent

My housekeeper loves what she does. How do I know? Every two weeks I walk in the door and I stop for a moment to breathe in the "smell of clean". She is amazing and having a clean and tidy home are important to me - I don't particularly enjoy doing it myself (nor am I very good at it) and I make no excuse for my lack of domestic passion - my gifts lie in other areas. My housekeeper makes my life so much easier and makes me so much happier. 

My bookkeeper also brings a ton of value into my life. I could go on forever about the value in having a bookkeeper - how could I ever course correct in my biz if I couldn't check in regularly to see how I am doing? Collecting receipts and putting them aside until the end of year is a recipe for leaving money on the table. You can't map out a plan for where you want to end up if you have no idea where you are. A good bookkeeper will keep you on top of all that.

I like to expend all of my energy in the places where I get the most joy - neither of those have anything to do with keeping a tidy home or tidy books. But don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the value that each of these bring. They both help me to show up as the best business woman I can be.

Some folks say they can't afford it but the truth is, in both cases, it's money well spent. They free me up to do what I am good at and they keep me happy. I feel so grateful to have these two people in my life - they're amazing at what they do.

I must remember to give them both a big hug when I see them again.

There's nothing like the wrong environment to take the sizzle out of your entrepreneurial dreams

Are you a massive dreamer? Do you have a dream for your business that you only take out when no one is around? Tell the truth - does your dream scare you on occasion? I love big dreamers but not everyone does.

I'm a dreamer - I dream in technicolour. I also take bold action to make those dreams a reality - which irritates the heck out of people sometimes. I've been accused of being like a man when it comes to business. I prefer to call myself a women who is driven to succeed and I'm blessed to have surrounded myself with enough like minded people that the trolls can't really distract me now.

I've been busy this week planting a small garden in front of my house. I've claimed this piece of stubborn earth to create a space that I find appealing. It's been a task and a half. My first attempt to put the shovel into the ground sent a vibration to my skull - nothing could grow in this clay that was as solid as concrete. With my few tools, I managed to turn the dirt, add manure, rich soil and peat moss and I am proud of the fertile spot I have created. It's only been a week but I see evidence that the perennials are taking root.

Environment is important when you plant flowers..............and it matters even more when you plant dreams.

Look at the environment where you are trying to plant your big dream - are you planting in fertile ground? Will adding a few ingredients make it a "fertile patch" into which your dreams can flourish?

Or, is it time to find a new environment?

Had I struck bedrock when I put that shovel into the ground that day - I would have known not to waste my resources or my valuable time.

I've known tough environments. "Crabs in a bucket" is a term that is used to describe an environment. I love this analogy because I've lived in a bucket of crabs. In this analogy, one crab with a dream tries to get out of a bucket and all the other crabs jump on his back and try and climb over him - resulting in all crabs staying in the bucket.

It can look like this example that a client shared recently.

You open up shop in the community and people drive right past you to visit your competition in the next community. That's one example of what crabs in a bucket looks like. The message is all about lack of support that is necessary for growth. Planting your dream in an environment that isn't fertile for growth is a waste of valuable resources.

Take time to evaluate the environment before your take bold action.

Sometimes you can get the ground ready - add a few ingredients and turn the environment into one that is very supportive. My little flower garden is a good example. as is the place that I have chosen to grow my business this time.

There's nothing like a poorly chosen environment to take the sizzle out of your entrepreneurial dream. Take the time to choose well.

Why I study Napoleon Hill: Dreamers dream even when they have no idea where the resources come from.

The instructor asked a question,

"If money were not an issue, what kind of home would you live in?"

I actually sat there and didn't even respond - this exercise seemed like a waste of time to me. What was the sense of thinking about this?  One of my classmates was a little more vocal than I was at the time and she yelled out:

"Why are you asking us that question? What are we wasting time on that for? Money is always the issue." I agreed with her and I saw others in the room who were nodding along with her.

That conversation took place 10 years ago, I'd love to know whether the rest of the class were as inspired as I was.


WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW

 I had no idea that this day would be a turning point for me. A door had opened and I stepped through.

People who achieve big dreams are also big dreamers. They dream in technicolour long before they know where the resources are coming from. This was a wild concept for me - the introduction to The Law of Attraction. It was the first time I had ever heard anyone speak about Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich"

It didn't take me long to realize that I didn't know how to dream this way and only a second longer to find out where I could learn. I purchased my first copy of the book within days and since then have read different versions and watched many videos on the topic.

....I became a sponge when it came to this topic - I wanted a better life - work I loved, great relationships, a good place to live. I wanted it all. I read everything I could read on the power of suggestion, the law of attraction, fixed and growth mindset, etc. I was a voracious learner. I did affirmations, wrote reams of prose, created vision boards, tapped, twisted and sought out people who were interested in the topic. If it would help me to break free of the limited thinking that I found myself in, I was interested in learning.

Now I teach other people. Some of the big gurus have gone on and forgotten how challenging it was in the early days to take that first step into a new way of thinking. I'm still close enough to it that I recall those early challenges - I love sharing what I have learned with others who are eager for a better life.

Come join us during our next book club - space is limited so you MUST pre-register.

Email for details.

debbie.adams08@gmail.com

Start date: Jan 9th @ 1:00 PM.

Got a Storefront? Don't network? Think again.

There was a time when you could hang up the "shingle" and wait for clients to come in by the droves. OK not quite droves but you get the drift. Hanging up your shingle was enough - people could find you now. 

A while back my daughter's car needed a bit of work. I didn't pull out the yellow pages. I didn't phone the local garage. Nope, I went on Facebook and asked my friends who they were using. That's how we shop these days. Relationship  marketing is king. 

Truth is, we're overwhelmed with the number of signs that are on the road these days. We are becoming immune to signage. We block most of them out. 

But if signs aren't working, how can we sell our products and services? We need to build relationships. Getting out and meeting people is essential to business success these days. Look for places in your community where people are gathering and go make some new friends. 

A few  years back, a group of us came together and started a business network called Plugged Into Sackville Business Network. We felt that the community needed a resource where like minded business people could come together to get to know one another. We have built amazing friendships in that little group. Not everyone who has walked through our doors have stayed - some folks didn't feel that their target market was in that group - but I beg to differ. You see even if your direct market isn't in that room, the folks who are there may know someone who is seeking just what you are selling.  

Keep in mind that if no one can find you, you don't exist  - it's as simple as that. 

After all, we do business with people we know and trust.