Goal Setting Is The Key To Being Productive

Do you get excited about new goals and then fall off track as soon as the sizzle fades? If so your not alone, according to Business Insider,

“80% of people fail to stick to their New Year’s resolutions longer than six weeks.”

That says a lot!

So what can you do to make sure you don’t become a statistic? Check out a blog post that I wrote in July about how creating a goal/to-do list can help you to become more productive.

If you feel less than energized to go after your goals don’t fret. There is still plenty of time left in this year to finish the year strong.

Keep It Sunny!

Welcome To The Month Of November!

Welcome to the month of November! I can’t believe how fast this year is going by. I know for alot of people the whole year can’t be over soon enough…lol I like to see the silver lining in every cloud. Yes, this year was tough but it also gave many of us a chance to reflect on life in general. I am not happy that all the madness that happened this year took place but there is always an opportunity to learn and grow even in the midst of chaos.

How is your business doing? Are you still on track with the goals that you set at the beginning of the year or are you way off track? This month I want to take a look at why setting b.h.a.g. type goals are so important for your business. B.H.A.G. stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. This term was started by Jim Collins who wrote the business book Built To Last. According to Investopedia.com,

A big hairy audacious goal, or BHAG, is a clear and compelling target for an organization to strive for. The term was coined in the book “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. A BHAG—pronounced “bee hag”—is a long-term goal that everyone in a company can understand and rally behind. BHAGs are meant to excite and energize people in a way that quarterly targets and lengthy missions statements often fail to.

I also want to take a look at e-commerce and why it is important to make sure it is set up correctly to make sure your books are correct.

This year is pretty much over BUT it is not too late to make sure your business has a strong finish despite all the distractions that has occurred.

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Get Unstuck!

The end of the year is almost here and I hope you are being productive in your business. We all know this year is unique and that customers might be a little scarce. Are you in a business rut and need to find your way out? If you are looking for some tools to help you move forward check out this post I wrote to help you do just that.

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Are You Staying Healthy In This Remote Environment?

We are in a very weird season this year with Covid 19. Many companies have decided to continue to use technology to run their business marketplace. If you are one of these companies are you adopting any healthy practices to keep you & your team healthy? Yes, your pets can count as your “team.” If you are starting to feel lethargic and weak then take a look at this article I wrote for tips on how to stay healthy while working remotely.

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How To Find A Business Mentor

Do you find yourself in a business rut at different times during your business journey?

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to bounce ideas off someone you could trust that has already gone down a similar path?

If the answer is yes then you might want to check out Scores mentor program. According to their website, “ SCORE’s mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. With the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs since 1964.” They have been around for a long time and have helped many entrepreneurs. Check out their site and give their mentor program a try. What do you have to lose?

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Is The Tax Man Knocking At Your Door?

October 15 is the official tax extension deadline for sole-proprietors, C-Corps & LLC’s taxed as a disregarded entity according to the IRS website. Are you ready to hand over your books to your tax professional? Do you have a tax professional to work with? If the answer is no to both of these questions then start by making sure your books are in order. Many tax professionals complain about receiving a box full of receipts & a spreadsheet from their customers. Check out this post I wrote about why you should keep your books in order and when your ready give me a ring to help you get there. If you are looking for a tax professional check out this post I wrote about how to find one using Dave Ramsey’s Endorsed Local Provider tool.

Happy Tax Season and as always Keep IT Sunny!

The Month of September Roundup!

The month of September is officially in the record books!

I hope it was a productive month for you. As we wind down the year and head into the final quarter I took last month to dig into a few things to help you to achieve your business goals. Last month I wrote about how to find the right business coach. This is so important. I personally went through the painstaking process of looking for a coach only to figure out that the person was not a good fit for me personally. I hope you will take a look at this post and that it will save you time in your search. I finally found a coach that fits perfectly with the goals that I want to achieve for my business. Next, I took a look at how to use a mastermind group to move your business forward. We all know there is so much noise out there in the business world. It is refreshing to be able to have a designated time to regroup with like-minded professionals who are invested in helping you to reach your goals & you are just as eager to help them to do the same.

I hope you had a chance last month to read over the posts and start to carve out your success plan to move your business forward.

Keep IT Sunny!

How to Use a Mastermind Group to Move Your Business Forward

Do you set goals for yourself but never get around to completing them?

Are you running out of gas trying to achieve business success?

Working with a mastermind group might be what you need.

What is a mastermind group?
According to  The Success Alliance.com, “Mastermind groups offer a combination of brainstorming, education, peer accountability, and support in a group setting to sharpen your business and personal skills. A mastermind group helps you and your mastermind group members achieve success. Members challenge each other to set strong goals, and more importantly, to accomplish them.” So now that we know what a mastermind group is the next question might be where do you find one?

1. Check Out Meetup.com - This is a great low-cost way to find a local group in your area.

2. Check out Facebook Groups - This is also another low-cost way to find like-minded entrepreneurs that are in a mastermind you might be interested in.

3. Network with other entrepreneurs virtually who are in the same or complementary business industries.

Working with a mastermind group can help propel your business to new heights. There are a few things you should do before you start looking for a group.

1. Determine if you are looking for a general entrepreneur group or more industry-specific.

2. Figure out if you want to belong to a free or paid group.

Once you do the two things above then you are well on your way to finding your ideal group. One word of caution, pick the right group that matches your drive, goals & mindset. it could be difficult to extricate yourself out of a group after the fact without ruffling any feathers if it turns out to be the wrong fit.

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How To Find The Right Business Coach For You!

Are you in a business rut? Working with a business coach could be just the kick in the pants you need to get re-energized about your business. The next question is how do you find one that is a good fit for you. Here are 5 tips to help you find a business coach that is a good fit for you.

1. Determine what goals you would like to achieve. Are you looking for a one-time meeting or ongoing coaching? Do you want to focus on expanding your current business services?

2. Create a budget to allocate towards coaching services.

3. Ask for referrals from other entrepreneurs who have had success.

4. Get background information about a coach like credentials, education, and past experiences that make them qualified to help you.

5. Make sure their personality and coaching style are a good fit for you. Are they friendly and offer a structured program or are they more reserved and have an informal program? There is no right or wrong answer to this. The only thing that matters is what works for you.

We can all fall into a business rut from time to time. Working with the right business coach can help you increase your confidence and your profits. Check out Dan Millers’ coaching directory to get started. Looking for more tips? Check out this article on Inc.com to help with your search.

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Welcome To The Month Of September!

Summer will officially be over in about two weeks.

I feel like the only way I know what month or season we are heading to is to rely heavily on my trusty paper and electronic calendar.

As we head into the fall season and the remaining part of the year it is a good time to access goals. Did you do any goal setting last month and have you achieve those goals? According to the Peak Performance Center, “Goal setting is a powerful technique that provides a direction for your efforts, focuses your attention, promotes persistence, and increases your confidence.”

If you are having trouble reaching your goals then it might be time to get some help. This month I want to take a look at how to find a business coach that is a good fit for your personality and business goals, the pros & cons of joining a mastermind group, and using social media to find accountability partners for your business goals.

You don’t have to do everything alone. Taking the step to access where you stand right now in your business and making a concrete plan to get to your desired goal is the first step for business success.

Keep IT Sunny!

Month of August RoundUp!

Well, this month is just about over!

I hope you were able to achieve some of your goals.

This month we took a look at how taking small steps can really help you achieve success along the entrepreneurial journey. We took a look at tools you can use to protect your business online. This is extremely important as we all work within this new normal called virtual online business. Finally, we took a look at how to make sure your business has a solid foundation.

I hope these posts gave you some great ideas on how to run your business better.

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Is Your Business Built On Solid Ground?

Let me ask you a few questions.

Do you have somewhere to be in the morning? How do you plan for it? Do you go to bed early the day before? Do you use an alarm clock to wake up so that you will be on time?

Let me ask you one more question.

When you plan for the day ahead and do all the right things the night before (go to bed early & set your alarm clock) does your day go better?

The answer for me is definitely YES!

When I try to wing it and basically rebel against myself then I pay for it the next day and my day turns out to be not so pleasant. In contrast when I make a plan for how I want the week to flow and make concrete plans and follow through on them then I get to have a great day.

Much in the same way it is important to make a plan for your business and follow through on it. Check out this article I wrote in January about how to achieve this goal.

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Tools You Can Use To Protect Your Business Online

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels

What tools do you use to run your business online? This is an excellent question to ponder these days as many people are shifting from working in-person to virtual. Recently, I attended a virtual conference that focused on taking your business online and I discovered what tools other small business owners were using to make their business safer. Here are a few highlights:

We all have heard the horror stories of large scale name brand companies that have been breached and some of us have been victims of these breaches. So if even the larger companies who have vast resources get targeted then we know that we are not immune. Try these options to protect your company data and keep the bad apples out.

Anti-virus software - According to Webroot.com, “Antivirus software is a program or set of programs that are designed to prevent, search for, detect, and remove software viruses, and other malicious software like worms, trojans, adware, and more.” Some great tools to try are WebRoot, ESET & AVG.

Firewalls - The key take away I learned was to make sure that they are turned on and to schedule automatic updates to run when you are not working on your computer like during overnights.

Two-factor Authentication - This is a security code sent to you via email, text, or phone that provides. a secondary security verification to help protect you. Many popular online tools have this option like Lastpass Authenticator, Google 2-Step Verification, and Dropbox.

Software backup - It’s essential to make sure you have a system in place to back up software or e-files routinely to an external hard drive, the cloud and to encrypt the backup. Some great tools that were shared are BackBlaze, Carbonite, IDrive, and Box.

Cyber Insurance - This type of insurance has become a necessary evil for anyone who does business online. According to Wikipedia, “Cyber-insurance is a specialty lines insurance product intended to protect businesses, and individuals providing services for such businesses, from Internet-based risks, and more generally from risks relating to information technology infrastructure, information privacy, information governance liability, and activities related thereto. Risks of this nature are typically excluded from traditional commercial general liability policies or at least are not specifically defined in traditional insurance products.” You should be able to add this coverage by speaking to your current business insurance provider.

Working virtually is most likely here to stay. It is increasingly important that you take additional steps to ensure that your business is protected against unwanted nefarious types and to keep your customer’s information safe.

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Small Steps Matter

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together - Vincent Van Gogh

The chosen road of entrepreneurship is not straight.

There are all kinds of twists and turns along the journey. The first step on the journey is making the decision to go on the journey. Initially, when I thought about the idea of becoming a small business owner I had MANY ideas that were written down but I didn’t take any real action at that time. When I finally decided to become a small business owner for real I took a small step. I was working at a less than desirable job in a stressful environment and I was at the point of “take this job and shove it.” But it was at that point that I made the decision to go on the entrepreneurial journey. The first step I took was to fill out the paperwork for my DBA and send it off. That action gave me the encouragement I needed to continue taking more small steps that have led me to be a small business owner with my sole income coming from my business endeavors.

What is the small step that you are taking right now to move you closer to reaching success along your entrepreneurial journey? Share in the comments below.

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Month Of July Round Up!

This month is just about over and I hope you crushed your goals. This month ‘s blog was focused on how to be more productive as a solo entrepreneur, ways to manage your business using technology, and learning how to focus on one thing at a time and kick F.O.M.O. out the door. We are halfway through the year and things haven’t bounced back to what we view as normal. I am unsure when things will be “normal” again if ever but I do know that we can use this time to reinvent ourselves through our businesses, make new connections, and fall back in love with our entrepreneurial journey.

Keep IT Sunny

First Things First

Do you do things in order? I strive to do things in order so that I can have a successful outcome. But you know that it is easier said than done. I am like many entrepreneurs that have a to-do list that never ends, I love shiny new things..i.e..apps and technology or training tools. But I learned this one great lesson from Entrepreneurs on Fire; F.O.C.U.S: Follow One Course Until Success!

What does this mean?

This means that it is good to have a list of things you want to get accomplished BUT you can not get anything completed if you don’t focus on one thing at a time and finish that one thing BEFORE moving on to the next thing.

It is a challenge

Doing first things first to me means in order to have a successful week then I must plan ahead and follow through. It means being intentional. For example, in order to have a good Monday, it starts on Sunday by making sure that I eat early and go to bed at a reasonable time so that I can be refreshed for Monday’s agenda.

I know that as an entrepreneur I can get lost in my own ideas and see a project that I want to do from beginning to end and forget to get out of my own head and plan it all out.

Does that sound familiar to you?

What does the term first things first mean to you? Share in the comments below?

Are You Using Pen & Paper to Manage Your Projects?

I hope your month is going well and business is booming even in the midst of the Covid virus. How are you keeping track of all your new & existing clients and any associated notes? Is the process you are using creating more freedom in your business to work on more projects? If not check out this article I wrote about how to choose the best project management tool for your business. This post will give you some great ideas on what tools are available for you to use now so that you can ditch your pen & paper.

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How Solo Entrepreneurs Can Be More Productive In Their Business

Running a business is hard work especially if you are a solopreneur business owner. I fall into this category and I can tell you from personal experience that it can be challenging if you are not organized. My number one goal is to not forget things so I write down everything and put it on my Google Calendar, My Wall Calendar and I send myself text messages.

You have to do what works best for you

A little overboard you might be thinking BUT it works for me. It helps to manage my time better and get items on my list done. I am still a work in progress and I am always looking for new ways to manage my time better so I don’t feel overwhelmed. There are many ways to approach time management but at the foundation of everything surrounding it is a simple to-do list. I know this isn’t rocket science but how many people do you know that actually have a to-do list as a part of the daily management of their business AND is effective? Well if that person isn’t you then after reading the information below then you can be that business owner who gets things done and create more freedom in your business. Are you ready? Let’s go!

Planning: What makes a good to-do list?

According to Lifehack.com, “When you build an effective to-do list, the main goal of the list is to provide clarity and focus.” The best way is to have a place to write down thoughts as they come up in your day. Then set a time daily to look at your thoughts like at the end of your business day during your planning time for the day ahead. Once you have the thoughts down on paper then start organizing your thoughts into 2 separate lists: Daily To Do’s vs. Get it Done Soon.

How many items should you put on your list?

Think small. I know that creating a to-do list can quickly turn into an exercise in frustration and overwhelm so it is important that you pick a number of items that you want to get done each day and then cut yourself off. I was able to look at my notes from the previous month and saw that on average M-F I usually get about 3-4 main items done on my list each day. So I picked 4 to be my magic number for items to get done daily. There is an important thing to remember that things will pop up in your day but the goal is to make sure you still get your items on your list done by the end of your business day.

Prioritize your list In order of easy to difficult

After you decide on how many items you want to tackle daily then it’s important to prioritize them into difficult to easy. According to Business Insider.com, “When we are overwhelmed and busy, we just go with easier tasks, and the difficult tasks tend to pile up.  Harder tasks may be more annoying to tackle, but they are more important to make progress.” 

Tips and tools for managing your to-do list

• Make sure it is easy to find. Decide if you will write it on a calendar, use a meeting planner or an electronic tool like Evernote or Todoist.

• Deadlines (gotta have it)

• Have a plan for brain dumping of thoughts. You can use Evernote or a plain Google Doc for dumps but set up folders and keep them organized so you know where to find stuff.

• Give yourself a small reward for getting items accomplished on your list each week. The reward could be something as simple as making the weekend start sooner by wrapping up early on a Friday.

  Running a business as a one-woman/man show can be challenging at best. It is important that you have a system in place to create your to-do list and get items completed so that you can begin to create more freedom in your business to do the things you want to do.

Keep IT Sunny!

Happy Early Fourth Of July & Welcome To The Month Of July!

What does freedom mean to you?

I am guessing that this question has a variety of responses. Freedom means many things to me. It means being able to express freedom of speech without fear of reprisal. It means being able to live and vote in a democratic society. It means capitalism is alive and well. It means having the ability to create the American dream as a business owner. None of these type of freedoms would exist without the brave soldiers who honorably defend our country. I have many of them in my family. As we move toward celebrating the 4th of July weekend let’s take a moment to thank our soldiers and remember that freedom is precious and not free.

Someone has paid the price for it and is currently paying the price for it.

This month I would like to take a look at a variety of ways that we can create more freedom in our business that would allow us to live more intentonal.

Keep IT Sunny!

Month of June Roundup!

Small business owners were hit hard by the Covid-19 virus crisis. Unfortunately, many businesses had to close their doors because they could not survive the closure of their business over the past 2 months. As bleak as this sounds I saw this season in our business journey as a time to fine-tune different areas within our business. This month we took a look at how using a bookkeeping system can help you to pull reports so that you know how much you are making in your business. Additionally, we also took a look at tools you can use to automate things in your business. Today, I want to take a look at how you can get paid faster by your customers by getting paid online. Here are 3 tools you can use to get paid faster:

Quickbooks Payments - According to their site, Quickbooks payments allow you to accept debit, credit, and ACH bank transfers from your client. This is an excellent tool and has many features like recurring charging for customers that are billed the same thing each month. The pricing ranges from 1% per transaction for ACH bank transfers to 2.9 % + 25 cents per transaction for online invoicing. This pricing is for existing QuickBooks Online Customers. For new customers, you will need to set up a QuickBooks online account and then sign up for the payment feature. They do have an option to use the payment feature as a stand-alone product with Go Payment or their desktop offering. But if you want to use the online feature then you will need to have a QuickBooks Online subscription.

Freshbooks - Freshbooks is a cloud accounting software that has an invoicing and billing feature that can help you get paid faster online. You can use it with Stripe as the backend merchant servicer that pushes your customer deposits into your bank account. It has the option to accept credit, debit, and ACH payment methods and it also has a recurring billing feature. The pricing to use Freshbooks ranges from $15 to $50 for their most popular plans. Currently, they are offering a six month discount on all their plans and if you just want to try them out you can do that for 30 days and get your money back if you don’t like the service. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.

PayPal - PayPal is a well-known site that many of us use for personal money sending transactions. The online invoicing feature for businesses makes it easier to get paid online from your customers. You can send your customer an invoice and they can pay via credit card or their PayPal bank balance. There is also a feature for recurring billing to your customer. There isn’t a monthly fee to use the service and the rates are 2.90% + 30 cents per transaction and you only pay the fee when you get paid by your customer.

There you have it! 3 tools you can use to get paid faster online and a quick recap of the month of June’s Blog posts. And as always…..Keep IT Sunny!