Have you ever heard coaching done, live, on the spot?
I have a great deal of respect for Coach Barbara Sundquist, also founder of the 'Become a Certified Coach' program. She held a Coaching Demo class on September 20, 2006 which she recorded so you can hear.
What's a 'Coaching Demo' class, you ask? Click here to listen to the recording from the demo or click here to download the MP3 version.
Staying Connected in a Virtual Work Environment
When it comes to managing a virtual team, an easy-to-use online calendar is a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page, and Trumba offers an inexpensive way to do just that!
Trumba allows you to:
- Publish a calendar as a unique web page
- Send Email that includes detailed information about upcoming events
- Enable multiple people to edit the calendar
- Upload your logo and customize the calendar with colors and fonts
- Update your calendar from any Internet-connected computer
Not to mention, block off your months and days off a full year in advance, and plan holidays for all members of the team so you have no overlap. At one glance you can tell where everyone is, and who's on first this week...as your online business gets more complex, this tool makes things just a bit simpler.
And just to give you an idea of where Trumba comes into our lives at Money, Meaning and Beyond -- Tina and I have fun 'bombing' each others calendars sometimes with wacky unexpected things...and her Mom actually put an appointment for Tina to go to church last weekend!
It's that easy and that accessible and we literally couldn't run without it.
For more information and to sign up
for a fr*ee trial, visit:
If businesses had a brand 'scent,' what would yours be? Lemony fresh or not so much?
This 'smell-of-your-business' question was posed in the book 'Lovemarks,' and made me laugh. I mean, what would IBM smell like? And Microsoft, or Martha Stewart Inc, when all the news broke out?
Then again, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme have it nailed, don't they...
When it comes to brands, I'm jealous of Andy Wibbels'. He's created one where he gets to say things like 'Shut up' and 'Badass' to his customers. Not to mention cool buttons that say 'Gimme' instead of 'Subscribe now' and 'Magic' instead of 'Buy.' The thing is, it's authentic, so it works.
I know many of you already know Andy, but for those of you who don't he's the author of BlogWild! (Everything simple about blogs that you need to get going already...)
What I'm hoping to do is enlist your help to convince him...I think he should start a whole line of offerings called 'Shut Up and...X' as an extension of his "Shut Up and Write!" offering on October 17 (Free.)
Here's the comment I posted at his site:
Hey Andy, where is the rest of the ‘Shut Up And…’ series?
Shut Up and Read Those Damn Books Already
Shut Up and Clean Your House
Shut Up and Back Up
Shut Up and Finish Something, Anything
Shut Up and Go to the Gym
Shut Up and (insert fashionably malingering to-do)
ShutUpandX.com, baby, gotta love it as an extension of your brand.
Shut Up and Pour that “Chicken Soup” down the drain. LOL.
-----end comment----
What do you think? Would a series of this title be attractive to you? Why/why not?
How can you be more 'real' in your brand, or not?
Or, if you're like so many others and have writing you should be doing, you can simply Shut Up and join him for his second Writing Integrity Day of the year. We already have 2 people who've completed their book draft in just 45 days under his sharp-eyed guidance....but that was a whole other badass program. LOL.
To join in the free writing fun, just go here for the magic details.
Have you heard the idea that by 'saving a hundred dollars you're actually saving $200, because $200 is how much you'd have to earn to inject $100 of useable money in your business, after the tax?'
Whether or not you've read 'Multiple Streams of Coaching Income' or 'Money, Meaning & Beyond' you may have noticed I have a distinct appreciation for an offbeat viewpoint. :-)
No surprise then, that I'm a huge fan of the ING Direct advertisements that exhort us to 'save our money' with an 'Un-Mortgage.' Well, I'm just-about-as-outspoken a supporter of reducing expenses in businesses as a whole!
In fact, it's one of the first things I do when consulting biggie clients and that's ask "Where's the Fat in your spending?"
It's a little known fact that while managing Thomas Leonard's multi-million dollar businesses, there was always a backup plan known as 'If a recession hits, we'll cut back to just you, me and the basic website costs...'
The thing is, that kind of thinking made growing big much more stress-free - we knew exactly what it would take to 'stay alive' if the going got tough. (About $5000/month, believe it or not.) Compared to six-figure-per-month earnings, the low expenses really went a long way towards making us 'recession-proof.'
Not that there's any threat of recession on the horizon, but when was the last time you thought about the importance of saving m'oney, reducing expenses, and making it easier for you to show a profit?
Because there's a lot of talk about prosperity, abundance, and the principles of attraction in businesses that serve others for a living, it's become rare indeed to talk about how to save m'oney - perhaps because it can seem like scarcity thinking - but nothing could be further from the truth.
The below 'Top 3' article runs along those lines and helps answer the question 'Why Bother Looking At Your Expenses...if I just ignore them, won't they be fine??!'
If this topic is of deeper interest to you, be sure to consider joining me in October for 3 one-hour group coaching calls designed to plant 'Abundant Frugality' into your mindset and implement 5 ways to reduce your expenses, step by step.
We'll take some of the big-thinkings in 'Multiple Streams of Coaching Income' and 'Money, Meaning & Beyond' and make them really real.
You'll also receive a complimentary copy of my next print book when you register by September 29, 2006.
For now, here's that article. Won't you come get cuddly with the idea of your ex'penses with me? :-)
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3 Major Reasons to Look Consciously At Your Expenses
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(1) Streamlining your expenses is a lot like decluttering your home.
In the passion of startup, many entrepreneurs invest in a variety of tools and services. 'Just solve the problem' and 'get cash flowing' is the order of the day.
But when the dust settles, it can pay to look closely at where you might have bought twice as much as you need. While you were shopping around, did you sign up for several things and now need only one? Maybe you opened two bank accounts and have let the one collect dust. Whatever it is, streamlining your expenses not only leaves you with more m'oney at the end of the month, it declutters your business 'environment.'
In fact, human beings in general have a propensity to overbuy. Just think about all the storage units and garage sales and you'll recognize this as a greater truth.
So just like you weed a garden on a regular basis, I encourage you to cultivate a habit of winnowing out needless expenses and discover newfound breathing room in your head AND in the cash flow you thought you didn't have.
THAT could be worth looking at your expenses, right? It doesn't have to be painful...
(2) Getting a handle on your expenses is a concrete way to demonstrate you're ready to earn more.
As the good folk at Peak Potentials like to say, 'If a child can't handle a single scoop of ice cream, would you give her a double scoop?'
To earn more money you must demonstrate you're ready for it. By creating a Quick List of your major expenses, prioritizing them, and knowing which you could live without... you show you're ready to earn more and allocate the m'oney wisely when it arrives.
You wouldn't keep pouring money into a bucket with holes, right? In much the same way, plugging the holes of neglected expenses will prepare you for the bigger money that's on its way to you.
It's actually just another facet of the principles of attraction you're already so familiar with...yet in my experience, tending to expenses is one of the most overlooked areas of business there is.
What are you willing to do today, to be an exception to the rule?
(3) Getting healthy with your expenses allows you to spend freely and joyfully without fear.
Most of us know by now that everything - without exception - is Energy. And without the energy of joy, money will not flow. So we've become intent on creating businesses that bring us both money AND meaning, a very good thing.
But if ignorance is still coloring your relationship with how you spend your m'oney, there are always going to be moments of 'Yikes, I don't know whether I'm having a good month or a bad month,' 'Um, I may have a problem on my credit cards...' and even guilty thoughts of 'How am I going to pay my VA in two weeks?'
And then the panic starts to come out - crazy fear-filled efforts to make just a little more by the end of the month, when a little conscious planning on the spending side of the equation would have prevented this.
If this is you at all - even in rare moments - consider 5 ways you could reduce your expenses this month. And ask yourself - of all the investments you make - which are essential (non-negotiable musts), which are nice to haves (could live without) and which are the expenses which aren't even being used?
Once you've answered this, take action accordingly.
I'm guessing you may find at least several hundred dollars of 'found money' that you can put to use somewhere else. Remember every dollar is a seed...
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Would You Like to Save up to $2500 of Your Very-Own M'oney before End of 2006?
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What you may *not* know about the Multiple Streams culture is that we are in fact 'Very Frugal' behind the scenes. I don't say cheap, because cheap somehow implies 'foolishly so.' But 'Very Frugal' is definitely smart and gets us a long way for both us and our clients.
Which is why I've designated the month of October to focus on "5 Strategic Ways to Reduce Expenses (Up to $2500 before the end of the year) in Your Business."
So we can share how our 'Very Frugal' mentality has helped bring so many businesses up to six and even seven figures in profit (after expenses!)
Are you ready to take a leadership stand on what you're spending in your business, AND make the most of your investments so you can grow your earnings? If so, and you're ready to implement real tactics, consider joining me for 3 weeks of Advanced Coaching in group format.
Why 3 weeks on the one topic?
The first week will give us time to share 5 specific cost-cutting, freedom-creating methods of saving money; and the second and third weeks will be about role plays, laser coaching, demonstrations and Q&A specific to your situation. Because it's no longer about more information - it's about how you apply that info that really counts - and don't let anyone tell you differently, please!
That's why I've designed each month of Advanced Coaching this way - centered around a theme - with plenty of time to integrate.
By reducing the money leaking 'out', you'll make room for more to flow 'in' and stay in, the definition of sustainability in business.
Visit the link to read more about this month of 'Spending Less, and Making More' in addition to the subsequent months of our Advanced Group Coaching activity. Whether you sign up for one month or more, the advanced coaching promises to be mindset-shifting in a personal, **very economical** format:
http://www.msoci.com/andrea/archives/2006/09/5_strategic_way_1.php
TIMETRAX: A Virtual Punch Clock for Easy Online Time Tracking
For online business owners, this tool is a great way to keep track of your time. In fact, I use it internally to help track my many consulting projects, determine ROI, and tweak workload when needed. An excellent tool, especially if you are managing a team virtually.
TimeTrax is a virtual punch clock installed on your desktop which gives you the ability to 'punch in' when you start a project, and 'punch out' when you're done.
Here is a screen shot showing when Multiple Streams 'Dream' team member Kerri Martin punched in for the day on the MSOCI project:
What, Kerri you only punched in at 10:52 AM?? Just kidding.
This software allows you to have an unlimited number of clients or projects, so switching gears is as easy as choosing the appropriate title from your project list. And, if you've ever wondered how to check in on virtual assistants or even online business managers who work from afar, this tool will do the trick.
You can also create daily, weekly or monthly reports on the time spent on any given project. I like to watch how much time I spend writing, for example, or preparing for a keynote speech. That way I can very easily calculate ROI and choose future activities accordingly. For more information, visit:
http://www.spudcity.com/traxtime/traxtime.htm
In addition to the regular purchase, there is a no-fee trial so you can give it whirl with no obligation. Who knows, you may discover more time where you least expected it...
Audio Acrobat | Record Calls for Information Products AND Management Purposes...
Being able to easily record calls is a great service for anyone creating information products, recording teleclasses, or creating testimonials for their websites. Audio (versus Video) is an inexpensive and easy way to enliven and personalize your sites.
But what may seem more unexpected is the idea that a realiable recording system like Audio Acrobat can record internal team meetings, and help you keep track of who's to do what, next.
Because if you've ever had an intense team meeting and then not known your action steps, you konw that accountability is key! You can also record detailed notes and instructions to your team members by Audio Acrobat and send the week's assignments by recording...when voicemail isn't long enough and you want to be sure your instructions can be replayed if needed.
With the seriously inexpensive price of Audio Acrobat, recording anything you want to remember is a no-brainer. Audio Acrobat has become not just an infoproduct creation tool but a management tool for online businesses.
For a flat rate of $19.95 USD a month, an Audio Acrobat package also provides:
- Unlimited recording for conference calls up to 120 minutes long
- The ability to create audio clips for your website
- Over a 2,000 megabytes of streaming audio per Month
- Truly remarkable customer support -we've experienced this first hand and it's beyond the call of duty
Note: In order to activate the recording, your phone needs to have 3 way calling. If you do not have this feature, contact your phone company and you can likely have it activated for a small fee per call, or by the month.
For more information, and to sign up for a fr*ee 30 day trial, visit:
http://www.andrearecommends.com/audioacrobat.html
As the saying goes, "There are two ways to end up with more money in your business (or life!) at the end of your month. (1) Earn more and (2) Spend less."
The latter, or 'spending less' will be the focus of the Advanced TeleClasses for October, and will include:
> a way in which to use your selected contractors (graphic designers, product creators, writers, etc.) so as to make your money go farthest
> negotiation tips for advertising
> a training method to bring new team members up to speed with the least amount of 'down time' to your biz, and
> a concrete tool that will enable you to purchase office supplies, reference material and unlimited other everyday items for your business and home at a considerable discount (sometimes less than wholesale prices.)
There will be 3 calls in total; 60 minutes each on the following dates:
Three Tuesdays, October 10, 17, 24 from 100 to 200 PM Eastern.
All calls are led by Andrea Lee: Call #1 is a content-based call; Calls #2 and #3 are laser coaching, role play, demo and case study based, and center upon integration and implementation.
Fee: $150 [MSOCI members receive one month's membership credit, valued at $27, redeemable after your purchase.]
Are you ready to take a leadership stand on what you're spending in your business, AND make the most of your investments?
By reducing the money leaking 'out', you make room for more to flow 'in' and stay in, the definition of sustainability in business.
To Register for the Advanced Coaching Group Theme for October, Click Here:
This month's Advanced Coaching Group is part of a 7-month series of advanced topics. To register for (or browse) all of the 7 Advanced Coaching Group Themes, and consider purchasing at a bundled discount, Click Here.
Note: Register for one of more Advanced Coaching Group Themes by September 29, 2006 and receive access to our bonus call entitled "How Do You Get So Much Done, Andrea? | The 'One-Thing' Rule and the 'Two-Second' Rule with Thanks to Thomas Leonard" (A first-time-ever offering.)
The bonus call is an 'up close and personal' call also with implementable tactics taking place on Thursday, October 12, from 100 to 200 PM Eastern. All calls, bonus included, will be recorded for your convenient (re)listening should you prefer.
I was in a conversation yesterday with someone dealing with management stubbornness on an issue.
In it, someone posited that part of the reason for the manager's resistance could be that he feels threatened by a particular employee. When the manager had to choose between two people, he invariably chose one over the other, perhaps because the 'chosen one' was less threatening to the manager.
It turns out this favorite has an MBA and is significantly overweight.
And the conversation turned to the idea of Personal Mastery in all areas being a criteria for a successful life. Because the MBA has this physical issue, the conversationalists felt he should be 'less relied upon,' the theory being that a lack of personal mastery in one area always reflects in other areas.
No one is perfect. Yes, some people are working on improving their lives, others not so much.
Do you think Personal Mastery in an 'overall life' sense is important? Do you think it is true in a 'greater truth' sense that a lack of personal mastery in one area will leak into other areas? Do you have a greater goal of achieving personal mastery and what does that look like for you?
Or is this all just ridiculously biased and judgemental?
Here are two quotes related to this topic that give me a smile, that may get some juices flowing:
Guy Kawasaki, on Hindsights especially to High School Graduates:
"Learn to speak a foreign language, play a musical instrument, and play non-contact sports."
Earle E. Liederman, Fitness Pioneer said human being should:
> Be able to swim at least half a mile or more;
> Be able to run at top speed two hundred yards or more;
> Be able to jump over obstacles higher than your waist;
> Be in condition to pull your body upward by the strength of your arms, until your chin touches your hands, at least 15 to 20 times;
> Be able to dip between parallel bars or between two chairs at least 25 times or more.
'If a man can accomplish these things,' Liederman said, 'he need have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced into an emergency from which he alone may be able to save himself.'
As often as it's touted as a 'Goal' it's noticeable how many people can't quantify the idea of 'Six Figures.'
Pop Quiz: "How much do you have to earn a month to make Six Figures ($100,000 for the year)?"
Hmmm...if you don't know, how will you reach it? How can it be a real 'Goal?'
Alright, well here is the answer: $8,333.33 per month.
Also known as $2083.25 per week. Or, 104 "twenty dollar items" sold per week. Maybe you'd prefer to sell twenty $104 items, no matter...it adds up to the same...the very achievable Six Figures.
And yes, extrapolating then, your monthly income needs to be at $83,333.33 per month to reach one million dollars for the year.
Those of you who're hovering at the proverbial quarter million dollar speed bump are probably very comfortable with seeing about $20,000 come through your cash drawers --- this means you need to double, then quadruple that comfort level to hit the million.
Which set of numbers above are you using as your daily context? Perhaps it's neither: more like "enough money to not fall behinder in my bills and get my husband/wife even more pissed about my biz." Or something else, feel free to post below.
To marinate in some really-big-number context, check out this interview of Warren Buffett done by Fortune Magazine on the occasion of his decision to donate (for now) $37 billion dollars.
I'm finding it some seriously arousing food for thought. :-)
For now, what is a billion dollars anyway? Or $37 billion for that matter...
Answer: 37 Billion is 37 *thousand* million.
I've said this often enough this past season of coaching, I think it's ready for mass consumption.
Business Owner: "Andrea, I want to coach with you. My goal is to double my income. When can we start?"
Andrea: "To double your income, the first thing you must be willing to do, is do LESS THAN HALF of what you're currently doing."
"Are you ready for that?"
Hint: It's working. Clients are emptying their lives of the crap they've been clinging to, to make room for the income they want. In some cases, that's double, triple, and even 10 times the amount of income they've generated for themselves historically. That's serious five and even six figure monthly income.
I know the sentence is a little awkward in its construction, but say it out loud for yourself and see.
What does the above mean to you?
I've been working closely on some naming projects recently and it's brought home to me yet again how very critical naming is. The difference between an idea you think 'should be great' in your head, and a market-driven name is vast, and I hope to publish a few before-after examples in a future post.
As you know, I'm an advocate of the idea that in business, you have to put as much if not a lot more effort into *marketing* your offering, as you do in creating it.
Breaking down this chunk we're calling 'Marketing' then, let's tackle naming a little. In landing on a fantastic name for something, here is the start of a process I use.
> Browse Amazon or other portal site for titles of similar projects
> Browse those same sites again but in completely unrelated areas for crazy possible connections. (A favorite of mine is to browse the music section for the name of a non-music project...heavy metal and golden oldie titles can be particularly inspiring for some reason.)
> Do some keyword research at the reverse search tools like at Overture/Yahoo: inventory.overture.com (no www.)
> Start a running list of odd connections, words or phrases that stick out. Shortlist, polish, test.
It's a little like coming up with the headline on a long-style online sales letter.
In addition to Amazon there are some publications that do naming very well and one of them I discovered earlier in the year at the Power of Collaboration SuperConference - the JCC Manhattan Program Guide.
This is a stellar organization of remarkable people and their guide is an incredibly useful resource for when you're trying to name your next new thing, and each season they come out with a new one!
Check it out:
It's Never Too Late to Date: How to Find the Man of Your Dreams after 60 (page 32)
Baby on the Way...or On Your Mind? (page 36)
Buying Your Own Home Sweet Home (page 24)
For Parents of Estranged Adult Children (page 19)
Real Hassids: Mysticism for the Masses (page 12)
P.A.C.E. - People With Arthritis Can Exercise (page 60)
To download the latest JCC Manhattan Program Guide, Click here
Not only is a great example of naming elegance and results, but perhaps an even better model of being highly-tuned to a target market, their specific abiding problems and concerns, and meeting those needs head on, with heart.
Besides, I have a particular affinity for their summer program cover. Can you see why?
Uncanny!
For those lucky enough to be in the area and can take advantage of membership...check out the class called 'Fluidity' for me would you? On page 60, here is the description:
Achieve the trim look of a dancer by using a Fluidity bar and resistance bands. Derived from ballet, yoga, and PIlates, this therapeutic method will tone your whole body.
What's your best titling effort to date? What's your worst? Any titles needing rehabbing? Post here and we'll have a swing at the cat.
Hypothetical Question: If two trains leave the station at the same time, one travelling at 50 mph, and the other at 75 mph...what happens when a cat crosses the tracks 3 miles from the station in 10 minutes?
Answer: Nothing.
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Real Question: If I want to access data on an old laptop that (1) no longer has internet access (2) has no floppy drive (3) is on Windows 98 which doesn't support a SanDisk Mini Cruzer (4) won't read my printer driver CD....
How can I get the data off without retyping everything by hand or buying an attachable floppy or other equipment?
Notes:
- The data really is worth the effort. It's covers my work from 2000 to end of 2003. Enough said.
- SanDisk has a small driver I can download from the Internet to install on the computer, that makes it possible to use SanDisk with Win 98. But I don't have a way to get the driver onto the laptop...
- For some reason I can't figure out, I can't save data to any CDs I try.
Options, all of which feel like a Royal Pain, isn't there an easier way?
- Reinstate connectivity to the internet. It's doesn't have wireless so I need to find a cable and probably jig around with IP addresses.
- Network my two laptops somehow and theoretically just drag and drop the data to my new laptop.
Sigh. I seem to know enough to know it should be easy, and that's it.
Any suggestions or helpful folk willing to help detangle this knot? Reward: Really cool data released from captivity equals some cool new blog posts that include graphs and case studies...