It All Starts In Your Mind

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Everything starts with a thought and then action. I often run into the challenge of trying to get things on my to-do list crossed off with slim success at times. One day I stopped to think about why I was struggling to get these tasks done. I thought about other times when I made a goal list and got those things accomplished and wondered what was different.

Mindset

My mindset for the items that I did get completed was positive and I had a ton of energy to get things done. I also gave myself a reward for getting it done at the end. So then I thought about how I can apply those same things to my to-do list that is growing by the day but not getting completed.

Change my mindset about it

Take a second look at how I described my to-do list:

“It is growing by the day but not getting completed”

This thought process is enough to make anyone NOT want to do this. Instead, I am trying a new perspective around it which focuses on how I will feel once it is done. Additionally, I will also break up the to-do list into bites size chunks. Deep Patel calls this setting “micro-goals” which entails “Breaking down each segment of your goal into a tiny “micro-goal.” Divide each larger task into the smallest possible unit of progress, and include each of these baby steps in your schedule. Keep breaking down your goals until they’re sliced up into tiny, easily achievable micro-goals”.

As entrepreneurs, we thrive on hitting our goals and making things happen within our business. In order to accomplish these goals, we must have the right mindset. Check out this tool to help you clear your thoughts so that you can focus. I hope this information gets you energized to reach success within your business.

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Welcome To The Month Of March!

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Spring is in the air here on the west coast - sorry east coasters;)

This is the perfect time to begin the process of doing some spring cleaning in your business. This month I want to take a look at the following areas:

Tax Prep Management - How to find your tax professional and be best prepared once you meet with them.

Process Improvement - I will share tips to help you to document processes within your business.

Motivation & Mindset - I will share 2 resources you can add to your toolkit to help you to stay focused and refreshed.

The month of March is here and it is a great time to get re-energized within your business. What is your favorite thing about this month? Share with me in the comments below.

Keep IT Sunny!

February Monthly Round Up

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The month of February is pretty much in the record books. It always boggles my mind how fast this month goes by. I hope you found time to work on your business this month and move it forward. If you had a busy month like I did and did not have a chance to read the blog posts that I wrote on Why It Is Important To Get Organized In Your Business and How To Do It then take a few minutes and read them. It could be just what you need to move out of a business rut. I also did a post on tools that you can use to help run your business efficiently. I hope you take the time to read and apply it to your business.

Don’t just consume and not apply. It will be a waste of your time and I know that your time is precious.

Keep IT Sunny!

How To Get Organized In Your Business

Are you living in a constant state of chaos within your business? If so don’t feel bad or ashamed about it. This isn’t something that is seen as a real priority until you become frustrated when you can’t find something. I am speaking from experience. It is usually when you are working on a deep-thinking project and you click on a folder that should have what you need in it but it doesn’t. The next step is to pound your fist on the table and make promises to yourself to get better organized and the cycle continues.

:)

Recently, I discovered a book by David Allen called Getting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free Productivity that changed my perspective on how to get better organized in my business and in my life. It boils down to these 3 things:

1. Get stuff off your mind and put it in a place that you will check back later.

2. Make a decision on what actions you will take on your stuff by thinking about the desired outcome and working backwards.

3. Keep regular reminders around that will help you to follow up on your action items

This list is simple but powerful. He provides more detailed information about each of these in his book. My goal today is to share a brief overview with you to get your mind prepared to move in this direction.

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Why Is It Important To Get Organized Within Your Business?

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The life of a small business owner is fast-paced. There are meetings to attend, networking events to attend and then there are the day-to-day operations. If you have a personal life then throw that into the bucket as well. It is enough to make your head spin. That is why it is so important to get organized in your business. What you do inside of your business flows into other areas of your life. For example, if you have a personal meeting that you need to take during the week then you need to make sure that it doesn’t conflict with business activities. Here are 4 reasons why it is important to get organized for your business:

• It reduces stress

• It helps you stay on top of trends within your industry

• It enables you to pursue revenue-generating opportunities

• It helps you to stay on top of your finances

There you have it. I hope this quick blog post was a good reminder about why it is important to get organized within your business. Next week we will look at how to do it.

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Welcome To The Month Of February!

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I can’t believe that we are in the month of February already!

I love the month of love.

It is short but sweet.

This month we will take a look at how to get organized so that you can feel less stressed, tools you can use to help you stay organized, and why it is important. I hope you take time out for yourself this month to slow down, love yourself and find your center.

Keep IT Sunny!

January Monthly Round Up

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The first month of 2021 is almost in the record books and what a month it was. I hope you had a chance to refresh your spirit and establish some new goals for your business. This month we took a look at how we can accomplish goals for our business by taking it one day at a time. Next, we took a look at how to evaluate if participating in a business webinar right now makes sense for your current business journey. Finally, we took a deep dive into how to determine if you are using the right tools for your business.

January might be almost in the record books but the year is young. I am excited about all the new possibilities that are on the horizon for small business owners everywhere. I hope you are too!

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Invest In The Right Tools For The Current Stage of Your Business Journey

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It is exciting running a business and there are so many pieces to the puzzle. As I mentioned in my last post I love tinkering with shiny new objects to see how I can use them in my business. But I recently decided to take a step back from that approach and only focus on the tools that I need right now to run my business.

Why?

The reason why I have decided to do this is to allow me to f.o.c.u.s. - follow one course until success as it relates to my tool kit. What I discovered last year is that I was running from one new shiny object to another new shiny object and I didn’t effectively apply any of the tools to my business and that left me feeling frustrated. This year I am only using tools that fit these 3 categories:

• I need it right now

• It fits comfortably within my current budget

• It is easy to use

That is it. It’s not rocket science but as I started to see what entailed using a particular product I started to see that it was costing me time or money or both. That’s not productive. I need to be focused on delivering quality service and value to my clients and not becoming a Ph.D. in whatever tool that I am trying to use. I do believe there is value in becoming an expert user once you have chosen what tools you will use to run your business. It is important to map out what tools you need to use for each step in your business and then stick to that.

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Just Say No!

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As the New Year starts many people are probably filling up your inbox with invitations about business webinars with promises to take your business to the next level. I love learning and find it challenging to not sign up for every webinar under the sun. It is especially challenging because I own a 100% remote business so people facing activities are sparse. In my last post, I talked about the idea of focusing on accomplishing business goals one day at a time so in the spirit of that approach it has led me to be more intentional about what I sign up for.

Here are 3 questions I use to evaluate if participating in a business webinar is right for me:

• Does it fit where I am right now in my business journey? There is no point in attending a webinar for a future goal when I need to focus on the goals right in front of my face that might have me stuck.

• Is it something that I can put into use right away? I want to know that by attending the webinar it will solve a problem or sticking point that I am facing right now and that I can quickly implement.

• How long will it last? Good lordy! I am not a fan of long webinars that brush up against an hour. I attended enough lectures in college and that was enough for me. Additionally, I am an owner/operator so I don’t have a team to take over while I attend a webinar so I like my webinars short & sweet.

The New Year brings many opportunities to start anew and set off on a brand new course for your business. It is extremely important to guard your time and focus so that you can continue on the journey to reach your goals One Day At A Time.

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One Day At A Time

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What could you accomplish in a year if you took the one day at a time approach? It’s an interesting thought. I recently heard an interview on S.O.S radio from a New York Times Best Seller author named Mark Batterson and he wrote a book called Win The Day, 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More. He talked about approaching life with a one day at a time attitude. He said yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery…lol

So why not focus on what you can get done today. This isn’t a novel idea but it is one worth bringing back to our memory again.

One

Day

At

A

Time

This will be my focus for future blog posts. How we can accomplish our business goals by taking it one day at a time. After all, that is all we truly have!

Welcome to 2021 & let the one day at a time journey begin.

Keep IT Sunny….one day at a time:)

Happy New Year To You!

The clock will strike midnight tonight and 2020 will FINALLY be in our collective rearview mirror. I won’t bog you down with much today. I would like for you to take a moment to BREATHE, RELAX & ENJOY this last day of such a tough but nimble year for us all.

I wish you joy and prosperity in 2021!

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Merry Xmas!

Tis the season to be jolly! I know there is a lot of doom & gloom going around out there BUT there are many things that we can choose to focus on that are positive.

:)

I will keep this post short & sweet. If you are sheltering in place and using technology to connect with family this holiday season to watch movies together check out this article on Make Use Of that shares different ways you can do this.

Enjoy your Christmas!

Keep IT Sunny~

Do You Have Systems In Place To Run Your Business Efficiently?

Running a business is a full-time job. Remember the good old days when you would work for someone and they took care of everything? All you had to do is show up and start working. In contrast, you are now in charge and it is up to you to have an organized way to run your business daily. These are the systems, tools & processes you use to run your business. Here are a few categories to consider:

Customer Center - This is where all things customer related live. This is where the initial customer meeting is documented for each customer. If they were a lead that turned out to not be a good fit then you would document why. You should have a CRM tool to help manage this process along with standard operating procedures to follow so that consistency can be maintained. A good CRM tool to check out is Zoho CRM.

Office Management - The place where we do business has changed in 2020. Some people are working at a traditional office while other people are working remotely. No matter where you call the office it is important to establish a few processes that will help you to stay organized. Do you have a way to make & receive customer calls when you are out of the office? Do you have a standardized greeting to answer customer calls? Some good tools to check out for phone communication is Grasshopper or Google voice.

Running a business is a lot of work. It is helpful to minimize friction and maximize efficiency by taking a look at your current processes to see where you can make improvements.

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How To Plan For Financial Success In Your Business For 2021

The end of the year is here. It is really hard to believe that we are in the month of Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s Eve but we are here. Now is a great time to stop and take stock of the health of your business finances. Here are 3 tips to make sure you are in shape heading into 2021:

1. Is your business healthy? Can you look at your Income Statement, Statement of Cashflow, and Balance Sheet to access the overall health of your business? Did you make more than you thought you were going to this year? Did you lose a little bit more? What products or services were hot sellers this year? Which ones are ready to go on the chopping block? If you can’t answer these questions with ease then it is time to get your books in order and updated.

2. Are you ready for tax time? Do you have a CPA or Enrolled Agent to help you prepare your taxes in a few months? If the answer is no then check out this post I wrote about how to find the right tax professional for you.

3. Are you charging enough for your services or products? If you are not sure then it is time to take a deeper look at pricing techniques. Check out this resource from Mark Wickersham from the Value Pricing Academy and gain the knowledge to start charging what you are worth.

The end of the year is here and although this year was a bust we can start to look toward brighter days ahead. The 3 tips above will help you to start planning for financial success in your business for the year ahead.

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Welcome To The Month Of December

Welcome to the month of December.

I love this month with all the festivities that take place. Of course this year will be a bit different but it is still a great time of year. It is also a good time to stop and take stock of what you accomplished this year. I am sure that there were many obstacles to overcome but despite that you were able to continue to move forward. It is also a good time to start planning for next year. That will be the focus of this months’ blog posts - how to plan for success in different areas of your business.

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Happy Day Of Being Thankful!

Today is one of my favorite holidays of the year: Thanksgiving!

This year it looks different for sure and we have all experienced all the changes this year has thrown at us. We are united in our collective sigh that this year has caused us to have. As we take time to pause and enjoy this holiday with our families via Zoom or in-person think about what you are truly thankful for? There are many things we can focus on that will cause us to become grim and depressed BUT we get to choose what we focus on. If we take a moment to pause and reflect there will be many things we can list that we can be thankful for. Here are a few things that came to mind for me:

A warm and safe home

Good food to eat

The internet & technology

My business

My clients

A safe economical car to drive

Good health

My family & friends

My faith

The list could go on & on!

This year has been the year of collective rapid change and we have all been affected. Today is about pressing pause on this year and shifting the focus to all the good things that we can be thankful for in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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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.

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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.

Keep IT Sunny!

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.

Keep IT Sunny!