How To Manage Your Time Effectively

Time is an elusive commodity.

We all have the same amount of time but how we spend it dictates where we end up in life. Benjamin Franklin stated that, "Lost time is never found again." As a small business owner, time seems to ooze away so fast that you can feel like a hamster on a wheel. Top motivational speaker, Michael Altshuler says it this way, “"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot."

Are You Managing Your Time Wisely?

If your answer is no then you are in the right place. I created a short list of tips to help you to manage your time more effectively. 

1. Create SMART Goals - SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant & time-bound. Write out your goals and review them often.

2. Prioritize your tasks - Each morning list the top 3 things that will move the needle in your business and get those done first.

3. Create a schedule - Check out this article from Asana to show you how to do this.

4. Embrace Tech - I love using simple tools like this online timer to help me stay focused. It’s also helpful to mute notifications on your phone for a block of time while you are working.

5. Delegate - You don’t have to do everything in your business even if you are riding solo. If you have a team let them help you eliminate distractions.

6. Multitasking is an illusion - We have all heard that multitasking is a good thing but it is more effective to FOCUS: Follow, One, Course, Until, Success.

7. Eliminate Time Wasters - I think of this as things that are not your zone of genius and take you a long time to do. For me, it’s trying to do anything in Canva. I am not a graphic designer by any means and happily seek out those who are gifted in this area. 

8. Make Time To Power Down - I know we think that if we work ourselves to the bone we will find success. This might be a little true BUT if you are tired, sick & weary who cares? I would rather be refreshed and ready to give my best to clients. Take a vacation, staycation, or napcation. :)

Time is precious, and it’s important to recognize that we can never get it back once a day is gone. I hope these tips help you make the most of your time and use it more wisely.

Keep IT Sunny Always~

Welcome To September

The summer is winding down fast! It’s not fair I want to stomp my feet like a little kid. But it won’t change anything. Summer is on its way out & fall is coming in hot! Especially here in Las Vegas where it is still triple digits. 

This time of year is a great time to stop and reflect on your progress in your business. Where are you at? Are you closer to your goals or further away? It might help to remember where you once were and where you are now. 

Your business started off as an idea and now years later it is a growing company.

This is great!

But you are still pretty much a one-person band or you might have a small but mighty team of 10 people or less. The reality is you have a lot of spinning plates and a real need to reign in everything on your continuous list of to-do’s so that you are not driving yourself crazy. 

What is a successful entrepreneur to do?

My advice is to get clear on a few things like;

• Time management

• Financial clarity

• Pricing For Profitability

These are huge rocks to tackle so I won’t promise to share every single piece of information about these 3 topics this month. That is a one-way ticket to overwhelm city and no one wants to go there. 

:)

I will promise to share an overview of each topic to get you to stop, think & take action. Now I can’t promise that you WILL take action but I promise to give you food for thought. The action taken is up to you. 

Keep IT Sunny Always~

August Roundup!

The month is almost over, and I hope you’ve been able to stay on track with your business goals. This month, I aimed to share two important things with you:

How The P&L can help you with pricing strategies & profitability. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, here are the cliff notes. (I loved cliff notes in college:)

Here's a summary of the key points:

The P&L statement is a crucial financial document that summarizes a company's revenues, expenses, and profits or losses over a specific period.

The P&L can help create pricing strategies that enhance profitability through:

• Revenue Analysis: Tracking sales trends and adjusting prices of top-selling items.

• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) or Cost of Sale: Comparing direct costs to revenue to determine gross profit margin.

• Expense Management: Ensuring prices cover all operating expenses and identifying areas for cost reduction.

• Net Income: Evaluating the "bottom line" to assess overall pricing effectiveness.

The P&L is more than just a tax document; it's a tool for improving business performance.

There are five pricing strategies that top companies use in conjunction with P&L analysis:

• Cost-Plus Pricing

• Competitive Pricing

• Price Skimming

• Penetration Pricing

• Value-Based Pricing

  My goal is to encourage you to explore these strategies and use them alongside P&L analysis to drive profitability in your businesses.

In short, it is very important to understand and utilize the P&L statement beyond its basic financial reporting function, positioning it as a valuable tool for strategic pricing and profitability management.

The second thing I wanted to share with you was:

How can you manage cash flow effectively? Again if you haven’t had a chance to read the post here are my favorite cliff notes below.

Here's a summary of the key points:

• Cash flow definition: The movement of money in and out of a business, focusing on the timing of cash movements rather than just profits.

Three tips for managing cash flow effectively:

• Build a cash reserve as a buffer against challenges

• Manage payables effectively and speed up receivables

• Create cash flow projections to anticipate future income and expenses

Benefits of organized bookkeeping for cash flow management:

• Enables quick decision-making with accurate financial information

• Helps identify trends and patterns in cash flow cycles

• Makes the business more attractive to potential lenders

• The importance of understanding cash flow, especially during seasons of increased spending

• Organized bookkeeping is a key component for successful cash flow management

In short, a business may be profitable on paper, struggling to pay bills promptly could lead to financial difficulties. It is important for businesses to have a clear understanding of their cash flow and use organized bookkeeping practices to optimize their financial management.

Keep It Sunny!

How Can You Manage Cash Flow Effectively?

We are in the homestretch of the year. It's calm before the seasonal storm but it does seem like it costs more to buy groceries and other essentials. You might wonder where all your money goes on a personal level. The same can be said for your business finances.

It seems that daily there is a new increase in my business expenses due to vendors increasing their prices.

Are you experiencing the same thing?

Wouldn’t you like to keep more of your money and understand where exactly your cash is going?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, effective cash flow management is essential for the survival of your business. Let’s dive into how you can manage your cash flow effectively and explore the important role that organized bookkeeping plays in ensuring that you have the data needed to analyze your cash flow situation. 

First, we must define what is cash flow.

Cash flow is simply the movement of money in and out of your business. It’s not just about your profits but it’s the timing around when your money is flowing throughout your business. You might be profitable on paper BUT if you are struggling to pay your bills promptly then you could be headed for disaster. The question is how can you manage cash flow effectively? Here are 3 tips:

• Build a cash reserve that will give you a buffer between your business and the challenges that arise.

• Manage your payables effectively and ensure that you speed up getting receivables paid by customers.

• Create a cash flow projection for your business that shows the anticipated future income and expenses that will show up in your business so you can anticipate shortfalls. 

Having organized books can help you get there in 3 ways:

• 
  Having organized books can help you to make quick decision making because you will have accurate financial information at your fingertips.

• Having organized books will help you to identify trends in your business that will show patterns in your cash flow cycle that will allow you to plan for fluctuations and opportunities.

• Having organized books will help you to look attractive to lenders if you ever need a loan because they will appreciate reviewing your accurate financial statements. 

The year is almost over and we are heading into a season where money can fly right out of your pocket and you would be none the wiser. This can be paralyzing for a business and understanding how your cash flows throughout your business is essential. Bookkeeping that is organized is key to successfully managing your cash flow. I hope these tips will help you to understand and optimize the cash flow in your business.

Keep IT Sunny~

How The P&L Can Help With Pricing Strategies & Profitability

What comes to mind when you think of financial statements?

Thoughts of dread?

Thoughts of worry?

Happy thoughts?

What about pricing and profitability thoughts?

The number one financial statement that most entrepreneurs care about is the Income Statement, Profit and Loss Statement or affectionately known as the P&L statement. Whatever name you call it as entrepreneurs we love checking this report to see how our blood, sweat & sometimes tears are bearing fruit. 

What is the P&L?

According to Investopedia, “The Profit & Loss statement, is a financial statement that summarizes the revenues and expenses, costs, expenses, and profits or losses of a company during a specific period. These records provide information about a company’s ability to generate revenues, manage costs, and make profits.”

Can the P&L help us to create pricing strategies that help with more profitability?

The answer is yes. 

Revenue Analysis: The revenue on the P&L report is based on the prices you charge your customers. We can track trends in sales volume by different sales categories to see what is a top seller and what is a dud. Additionally, we can adjust the pricing of the top sellers to increase revenue. Think about when you go to the grocery store to buy a sales item and when you go back the item is no longer on sale it is now full price. 

Cost of Goods Sold or Cost of Sale: This metric can help to show the relationship between what direct costs (materials, labor) are contributing to producing goods or services. It can be useful to compare the COGS or COS to the revenue generated to arrive at the gross profit margin. The gross profit margin is essential for creating prices that cover costs and allow you to be profitable. The higher the GPM equals more revenue to cover business expenses which is a good thing. 

Expense Management: We all have operating expenses in our business like administration operation services, utilities, and all the rest. This portion of the P&L can help with creating pricing for your services or products. It is important that you generate enough revenue to cover all your expenses so you can remain profitable. Keeping a keen eye on these costs can help you to pinpoint waste and areas of improvement. The end goal is to use this information to keep your prices competitive and lucrative for your business.

Net Income: This part of the financial statement is a fan favorite. The “bottom line” as it is widely known as is where the rubber meets the road. It clearly shows if the business is making money or taking a L. The information derived from the bottom line will help to understand how well you have priced your products or services and if there is a need to adjust your pricing. 

There you have it. Financial statements are more than just what you give your tax professional at tax time. In particular, the profit and loss statement can highlight a myriad of things that affect how your pricing like Revenue, Cost of Goods or Cost of Sales, Expenses, and Net Income. It is essential to dig into the details of this report to see if improvements in certain areas can be made to increase profitability. Top companies already know this and use this information to create the following top 5 pricing strategies:  

• Cost-Plus Pricing

• Competitive Pricing

• Price Skimming

• Penetration Pricing

• Value-Based Pricing

These strategies are focused on different product and service types and changing market conditions. Click on the links above to learn more about each one and I hope it sparks your interest to use one of the strategies along with your P&L to drive more profitability in your business

Keep IT Sunny~

Welcome to August!

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs: https://www.pexels.com/photo/composition-of-august-letters-on-table-4926898/

We are in the thick of summer and going back to school season depending on what part of the country you reside in. It feels like the kids are going back to school earlier and earlier every year. As you prepare for all that the fall season brings for your family and your business it is a great time to check in on your goals to see where you stand.

How are sales shaping up so far?

I don’t know about you but lately, it feels like everyone is selling something to me in my inbox. I am going to start calling this the season of offers. It is good to see that capitalism and entrepreneurship are alive and well in America. 

It led me to think about what I should focus on for August in my blog post and I came up with the following:

• How financial statements can help with pricing strategies for profitability. Additionally, I want to share the top 5 strategies that companies are using to see if they will spark ideas for you. 

• How to manage cash flow effectively and how organized books can help you achieve this goal. 

The fall season is upon us as we take a run in the last half of summer. It’s a great time to check in with your business goals to see if you are still on track. Sales are the lifeblood of any business and it will be fun to take a look at pricing strategies for profitability and managing cash flow effectively.

Keep IT Sunny~

July Roundup!

July was truly a whirlwind!

The Fourth of July came and went and here we are at the end of the month heading into the fall season. I hope you had a fantastic time relaxing and enjoying all the festivities that took place this month. As an ambitious entrepreneur, I am sure you worked as hard as you found time to chill out. The posts I wrote this month were to help you look at growing your business by:

Scaling your service offerings

Optimizing operations for growth

Build a high-performance team

I hope these posts will help you kickstart more growth in your business and put more money in your bank account.

Keep IT Sunny~

How to Build A High-Performance Team

A study from The Oxford Review stated, “Employees spend an average of 54% of their time working within teams.” This shows that teams play an important role in the success of your business. Hiring team members who are high performers is increasingly important to maximize the impact it will have on your bottom line.

The question of the day is how do I find these types of people?

I want to share two things in the post today:

• How to find high performers.

• How to create a team that is full of high-performers

To go back to the first question; Where do I find these people? I did some research and found that the key to finding high performers is all in your strategy for recruitment. It’s important to figure out what type of employee is going to be a good fit for the team you are trying to build. In many cases a high performer type might be great as an individual contributor but not so great in a team environment.

Reviewing your recruitment process to focus on the potential that you can mold and not just skills is key. Additionally, looking for soft skills like communication and creativity could go a long way to helping your business become more innovative. A person who is highly adaptable and can inspire others is important. 

In response to the second point above, you can create a team of high performers by having clear objectives for how they contribute to the team, encouraging open lines of communication, setting clear goals that are S.M.A.R.T., proactively communicating that conflict is a natural part of team dynamics and emphasizing effective tools to manage it. Finally, it is up to you to create and foster a collaborative environment that builds trust, encourages open communication, and involves team-building activities.

You have worked so hard to grow your business but to get to the next level you will need a team. Finding those key people who are high performers can be challenging but having a list of attributes that you are looking for helps.

Once you find those future high performers, it is up to you to keep them motivated by giving them clear goals and objectives while fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.

Keep IT Sunny

3 Tips To Handle Explosive Growth In Your Business

You are on fire!

The sales are racking up and your bottom line is growing expeditiously.

There is one problem.

You don’t want sales to start suffering and you are running out of gas. What can you do to keep the business party going? Check out a few tips below to help keep your ship sailing along.

Tip One - Streamline Your Service Processes

Is everything moving along without a bump in the road?

If there are bottlenecks in your current customer service or service delivery workflow, you could be headed for disaster. We have all read negative reviews on Google and quickly decided not to do business with that company. Check out these tips to help with streamlining your processes and these tools for creating standard operating procedures. Also, check out this resource for best practices for writing awesome SOPs.

Tip Two - Know Your Numbers

I know this sounds like a broken record BUT understanding financial data like how much you sell vs. how much you spend and if you are profitable by doing a break-even analysis will go a long way to help you achieve business goals.

Specifically, it’s important to manage your cash flow, use the data to update your pricing strategies and have the information needed to make capital purchase decisions. Check out this post I wrote about making money and measuring how well your business is doing.

Tip Three - Take Care Of Your Customer

We have all heard the phrase, “The Customer Is Always Right.”

Harry Gordon Selfridge, a very successful retailer from the early 1900s coined the term which is meant to promote a high priority for providing customer satisfaction. If you take care of your customers they will take care of you. I am sure we have all heard that phrase too.

One of the challenges of rapid business growth is maintaining the same quality of service as you scale. One good first step is to take the pulse of your current customers by using surveys and gathering customer success stories. Check out this tool for creating customer surveys and this tool can be used for collecting customer testimonials. Additionally, you can use this feedback in your marketing efforts but ask your customers for permission first. 

It’s a full-time job managing all the aspects of your business as it grows. The goal is to keep all the balls in the air and organized. I hope the tips I shared will help you to be an amazing entrepreneur juggler.

Keep IT Sunny~

How To Scale Your Service Offerings &Do it Cost-Effectively

Photo by Canva Studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-working-on-a-laptop-while-woman-takes-notes-3153208/

Let’s be clear, scaling your business will most likely not be cheap. You will get what you pay for in most instances. So the question needs to be asked, how do you scale your business which includes your service offerings cost-effectively?

That is a good question but before we dig into the answer, we first need to define what is meant by scaling your business. According to SCORE.org, “Setting the stage to enable and support growth in your company. It means having the ability to grow without being hampered. It requires planning, some funding, and the right systems, staff, processes, technology, and partners. 

There are many ways to scale your service offerings. I want to focus on one area today:

• Identifying high-demand services to expand your business

Let’s say you are a coach and you offer one-on-one coaching sessions to all your clients which allow you to give your clients a personalized coaching experience. However, you are starting to feel overwhelmed and a little bit stressed out. After doing some quick market research online to see what other coaches might be offering you discover that offering a VIP coaching experience to some of your clients might be worth trying out. It could yield a higher return for your time. 

What will it take to offer your VIP one-on-one coaching service? Things to consider include:

• Doing detailed market research to analyze other VIP programs in your industry to ensure yours is competitive. A great place to start the process is using Reference USA/Solutions which can be accessed at your local library.

• The initial investment cost of any additional certifications & training needed to offer high-level coaching. 

• The marketing materials which included website updates and branding efforts to promote your new VIP experience.

• Any costs associated with physical or digital infrastructure needed to offer the service such as a learning management system, premium software tools and office space.

What is the financial impact on your business?

In order to ensure this new offering will make sense financially use your P&L to help you to answer a myriad of questions. For example, what is the estimated additional revenue from offering your VIP coaching service? How will the new offering help to diversify your revenue streams?

Moreover, you want to take a pulse check to see where you stand right now financially to see if this is the right time to offer this new service or maybe try something different. You want to see if you are generating enough sales to cover operational expenses.

Next, you want to calculate how much is the total cost of the initial investment for this new service as well as ongoing associated costs. Additionally, creating a break-even analysis can help you to see where your break-even point will be where your revenue from the VIP coaching covers all your initial and ongoing costs. 

This is a real practical way to understand how useful your P&L numbers can be helpful to growing your business.

What are some ideas you can implement to make this service more cost effective?

• Use automation tools to help manage the client experience, email marketing and invoicing. Some apps to try are Zapier, Calendly & Mailchimp

• Outsource non-core activities like administrative work and content creation for your new offering to specialized service providers. Check out VA Networking to hire a professional virtual assistant to help you get organized. 

The continued growth of our businesses is paramount to staying in business. It is crucial to start thinking about what “next” uplevel service we can offer customers. Scaling our service offerings and doing it in a cost effective manner is key. Leaning into the numbers on your P&L can help you to navigate these choppy waters into smooth sales sailing. 

Keep IT Sunny~

Welcome To July! & Happy Fourth of July!

Photo by Nitin Dhumal: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-lens-sunglasses-on-sand-near-sea-at-sunset-selective-focus-photography-46710/

Hey there, ambitious entrepreneurs!

It is HOT outside in Las Vegas. I hope you are staying cool wherever you are living. I love the month of July. It is home to one of my favorite BBQ holidays: the Fourth of July. I love all the pageantry and food that goes along with it. I hope you find some fun in the sun today and throughout this month that suits you well. 

If you're reading this, chances are you're in the thrilling (and sometimes overwhelming) phase of business growth.

First off, congratulations!

You've already beaten the odds. Now, let's talk about how to take your success to the next level and build a service empire that stands the test of time.

Over the next two months, I want to look at different aspects of growing your business. Specifically, I want to focus on how scaling your business directly intertwines with your finances. This month I want to focus squarely on the three things below: 

• Scaling Your Service Offerings

• Optimizing Operations for Growth

• Building a High-Performance Team

Are you ready to hop along for the journey? I hope you are.

Keep IT Sunny~

June Roundup & Success Business Attribute #3

Photo by Ylanite Koppens: https://www.pexels.com/photo/summer-letter-cube-on-soil-1209611/

Summer snuck in and I seriously can’t believe that the month of June is pretty much over.

We are halfway through the year. Are you still on track with your goals for 2024? If not you still have plenty of time to refresh your thoughts around your goals and get back on track. 

This month was all about focusing on the attributes that make successful businesses thrive. The first attribute was putting your customers first. Your customers are the reason why you are in business. No customers = now you work for a company and boss life is out the door. 

I shudder to think 🙁

We have all been on the receiving end of poor customer service..think Spirit Airlines…oh you will need plenty of spirits to fly with them and patience. 🙂

Many times the first encounter you have with a company is with their front-line staff. In my post, I shared how Samantha Irwin from Kaizen Small Business Solutions shared her first hand poor customer service experience at a local store and how it resulted in her spending none of her money there. So let’s make sure that we give customers R.E.S.P.E.C.T. thanks Aretha. 

The second attribute was having a clear vision & mission statement. I am sure for many of us those two words have caused much confusion. I know at one point it did for me. In my post, I shared that a vision statement has a long-term focus and it describes what the company would like to look like in the future. Additionally, a vision statement has a detailed defined plan of action attached to it. In contrast, a mission statement explains the goals, values, and objectives of a company. It tells a story of what your company does and why you do it. 

Successful Business Attribute #3 is financial acumen. Successful business owners know what their numbers are and use that information to make informed decisions about their business. They take a proactive partnership approach toward their financial goals and as Warren Buffett once said,

“Accounting is the language of business.” Successful business owners understand that it takes a village to help them reach their goals. 

Starbucks, Nike, (insert your favorite local business name here:) All these companies did not reach the peak of success by wishing and hoping that they would be successful. They recognized, and understood the 3 attributes of successful businesses. They took action to execute activities that would help them crush their goals and in the process are making a massive impact on the lives of their customers, employees and the world around them. 

Now it is your turn!

Keep IT Sunny~

Successful Business Attribute #2 - Have A Clear Vision & Mission

Vision & Mission. What comes to mind when you think of these words? 

Confusion?

I think of those success pictures you see in corporate offices with something cheesy written on them. It doesn’t evoke warmth or anything personal, just cold and formal. Let’s dig into what exactly is a vision statement vs. a mission statement.

A vision statement according to Corporate Finance Institute, “describes what a company desires to achieve in the long-run, generally in a time frame of five to ten years, or sometimes even longer. It depicts a vision of what the company will look like in the future and sets a defined direction for the planning and execution of corporate-level strategies.

Writer Sean Peak from Business Daily News says it this way, “A vision statement is a written declaration clarifying your business’s meaning and purpose for stakeholders, especially employees. It describes the desired long-term results of your company’s efforts. For example, an early Microsoft vision statement was “a computer on every desk and in every home.” 

“A company vision statement reveals, at the highest levels, what an organization most hopes to be and achieve in the long term,” said Katie Trauth Taylor, owner and CEO of Untold Content, a writing consultancy. “It serves a somewhat lofty purpose – to harness all the company’s foresight into one impactful statement.” 

What is a mission statement?

According to Forbes.com, “ A mission statement not only explains what your company does, but also the why behind it.” Hubspot states that, “A mission statement is a simple statement about the goals, values, and objectives of an organization. A mission statement summarizes why a business exists and helps a company respond to change and make decisions that align with its vision.

This brief description helps customers, employees, and leadership understand the organization’s top priorities.

 Successful businesses have vision and mission statements that are clear and connective. For example: 

Mission statement examples:

SCORE

“Foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.”

 Etsy

“To keep human connection at the heart of commerce.”

American Express

“To become essential to our customers by providing differentiated products and services to help them achieve their aspirations.”

 Life is Good

“To spread the power of optimism.”

Amazon

“Amazon's mission is to be Earth's most customer-centric company. This is what unites Amazonians across teams and geographies as we are all striving to delight our customers and make their lives easier, one innovative product, service, and idea at a time.”

Check out more here.

Vision statement examples:

• LinkedIn: "Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce”

• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”

It’s super easy to get the concepts of vision & mission confused. I know I have in the past. I hope the information shared above clears things up for you. Check out the links below to help inspire you to create your own vision and mission statement.

Vision

https://www.brex.com/journal/vision-statement-examples

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3882-vision-statement.html

Vision & Mission

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inspiring-company-mission-statements

Mission

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/mission-statement-examples/

Check out more here

Keep IT Sunny~

Successful Business Attribute #1 - Put Your Customers First

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cheerful-colleagues-tasting-food-in-cafeteria-4350104/

As small business entrepreneurs, we all understand the importance of ensuring our customers have a great experience with our company. We have all been on the receiving end of terrible customer service at restaurants or in a retail store.

Samantha Irwin, from Kaizen Small Business Solutions, shares how her recent customer experience at her local store resulted in her spending zero dollars. She is a small business customer experience consultant and focuses on where the customer experience starts:

Your Employees

She goes on to state that, “Cultivating a positive and productive workplace happens intentionally.”

Why Is This Important?

We have all heard that if employees are happy and productive, this will trickle down to your customers having great interactions with your business. I saw this firsthand when I worked at Zappos. Zappos is so well-known for their wow customer approach that other businesses take tours and training to learn how to implement it in their own business.

The result is positive feedback, referral business, and increased revenue. All the well-known successful brands we buy from like Apple, Starbucks, and Amazon understand this success attribute. 

Here are a few simple ideas you can use to put your customers first:

1. Make sure every customer interaction is met with a friendly, helpful, and solution-oriented approach

2. Show customers you care about their needs by being responsive to their feedback and requests.

3. Create customer rewards programs to build loyalty and provide a personal touch.

4. Empower your team to deliver an impeccable customer experience every time. If you need help finding the right team members check out, Jamie Stringer Van Cuyk from Growing Your Team. Also, check out Samantha Irwin for help empowering your team to deliver an exceptional customer experience. 

   
   Operating a successful business has many moving parts. The most important attribute is learning how to put your customers first and create amazing interactions that they will share with others. 

Keep IT Sunny~

Making The Pieces Fit - The Anatomy Of A Successful Business

How many people like to do crossword puzzles or regular board puzzles?

I sure do.

During the pandemic, I went puzzle crazy and bought a few to put together. Some of them I am still working on.. haa but that’s okay. I would look at the picture on the box and do my best to make the pieces fit. I would study the shapes and how they are connected to other shapes to make the picture come into view.

In the same way, we can do this in our business as small business entrepreneurs. There is a blueprint for how a successful business comes together and all we have to do is follow it. 

Success Habits + Application Equals Success!

June is here and I want to take a look at three key attributes of a successful business. I hope you will see how these key elements can help you to raise the bar in your business.

Keep IT Sunny~

May Roundup!

The month of May is over so fast!

It seems like the months are going by faster & faster. I hope you found time to have fun in between working on your business goals. 

How did you do this month?

Are you still on track with reaching the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? If not, don't beat yourself. There is still plenty of time to get back on track. This month we discussed:

• How to change your mindset when you are stuck.

• Tips to use when your finances are in a hot mess.

• Remembering soldiers who paid the ultimate price.

Check out these posts when you have time. I believe it will be very helpful to you and your business.

Goodbye May and Hello June!

Keep IT Sunny~

A Day To Remember

Photo by Brett Sayles: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-standing-on-stage-facing-an-american-flag-1340504/

Yes, I know that Memorial Day isn’t for a few days but chances are you are headed somewhere to celebrate. I wanted to get ahead of the holiday shuffle to remind you that it isn’t about hot dogs or hamburgers. It isn’t about pool parties, shopping deals, or other festive gatherings. Those things are great. 

It is about remembering those who paid for our freedom with their life. 

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Here is an interesting read about the history of Memorial Day. As you get ready to partake in all the celebrations, plan ahead to take time for a moment of silence for those soldiers we remember on Monday. 

Keep IT Sunny~

Help! My Finances Are A Mess!!!

Photo by Liza Summer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/worried-young-woman-covering-face-with-hand-6382634/

Are your business finances a mess? 

Do you know how much profit you are making or how much you are spending on expenses? 

Believe it or not, it can all be connected to how you feel about money. According to an article on Forbes.com, “A money mindset is a manifestation of your attitudes and beliefs about money. A positive money mindset can help compellingly guide your behaviors, while a negative money mindset can produce equally adverse effects.”

It is important to recognize what baggage you might be carrying from your past about money and shift your thinking. Here are a few tips:

1. Reprogram your thinking by consuming material about a positive money mindset. I like T.Herv Eker’s book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. He also has a YouTube channel that is a great resource to use. 

2. Get clear about what you are trying to achieve. Create goals that lay out your financial priorities for this year, next year, and 5 years from now.

3. Get your finances organized. If you are not ready for bookkeeping services then I recommend you use Youtube University to learn about different methods to organize your business finances. A simple spreadsheet is fine to start with. 

Your mindset is key to determining whether or not you will achieve financial success or bottom out. I hope this short post encourages you to gain clarity, and confidence and take action around leveling up your mind around finances so you can be successful.

Keep It Sunny!

How To Shift Your Mindset When You Are In A Rut

Is your business in a growth phase? Are you starting to feel overwhelmed and a little less than enthusiastic about your business since you started it?

If the answer is YES then it might be time to do a mindset shift. First, let’s define the word mindset. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Mindset is “a mental attitude or inclination.” Sources of Insight say it this way, “Mindset refers to a particular way of thinking, a set of beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives that shape how we interpret and respond to the world around us.”

The world around us as business owners is our business. I am guessing when you first started your business your mindset was filled with positive dreams, goals, and aspirations. You probably had so much excitement around being your boss and ditching your 9 to 5. Now years later you might find yourself in a rut.

Ideas to shift your mindset

1. Turn to art to inspire new thoughts. This could look like reading a good book about other successful entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, Oprah, Madame C.J. Walker, and the list goes on.

2. Get moving and listen to a podcast. I like to go for long walks and listen to a business podcast on different topics to shift my thoughts. Entrepreneur on Fire is one of my favorites.

3. Get quiet and think. This is huge. Dr. Eric Thomas always says that making time in your schedule regularly to just think through scenarios is key to being a successful entrepreneur. 

4. Give yourself a new goal. If you have accomplished a goal then it is time to give yourself something new to strive toward and set a new goal. 

5. Reward yourself. Setting daily or weekly rewards for yourself after completing a goal will help to motivate and inspire you.

6. Rediscover your reason for starting a business in the first place. If it was to gain autonomy, money, or status then you should create goals that are deeply tied to your purpose in life. Having a purpose, and a mission statement for why you do what you do will help to keep you motivated and help shift your mindset when you are in a rut. 

Suppose your business is in a growth phase that is a great place to be. However, if you are starting to feel rundown with a lack of energy then it could be time to shift your mindset by using the tips above. Fall in love with your business by discovering your purpose for doing what you do. 

Keep IT Sunny!

Welcome To May!

We are full swing into the 2nd quarter and this can be a pivotal time that you can shift the trajectory of your business.

What Do I Mean?

Let’s say you started off in January with fuel in your tank to make some things happen in your business like increasing your customer base, creating a new service and improving your bottom-line. And let’s say that somewhere at the end of 1st quarter you were starting to see that your fuel in the tank was getting empty at the same time the goals you hoped to achieve were not moving in the right direction. If this sounds like you then now is a good time to:

STOP!

AND

THINK!

Don’t keep chugging along and get to the end of the year without achieving your goals. This month I want to focus on mindset and how it can impact the financial viability of our businesses. I will share a few tips to help move past stumbling blocks and towards goal success.

Keep IT Sunny