Weed your own yard
The art of tending to your own yard.

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Carson City is a small town. It’s not tiny by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, there is plenty to do (as a visit to the I Love Carson City Facebook page will quickly show you). Although it is a capital city, 55,274 is just small enough to run into at least one person you know when you go to the grocery store (or an ex boyfriend when you are having a girls’ night). It’s also just small enough to magnify an issue most people struggle with anyway, digging around in other people’s yards.

Tending to your own yard (your own business, relationships, personal issues) is an art. It takes a lot of practice and willingness to not to look over the fence and compare, contrast, judge, or copy what your neighbor is doing. Many businesses tend to do exactly that. They cookie-cutter their competition by mimicking promotions, product offerings, and business tactics. What you must realize is this – it’s what makes you unique that will bring customers to your door, not your ability to pay attention to your competition and do what they are doing.

To tend to your own yard, you need the following tools:

A mower: Take some quiet time to yourself to gain some perspective on yourself. Don’t take anyone else into consideration. Just focus on YOU. Cut the overgrowth caused by expectations, negative self-talk, naysayers, and other things that have gotten unmanageable over a period of time.

A pruner: Get out a pen and paper and start snipping. Write down what makes you happy, what makes you unhappy, what you are looking for in life, and what people, places, or ideas in your backyard that need to be snipped so the weeds don’t choke out the beautiful flowers of your life.

Some weed killer: Once you’ve identified those people, places, and ideas, spread some weed killer on it. Give yourself permission to, as Queen Elsa says, “let it go.”

Some fertilizer: Fertilize the good with positive, intentional, actions. Don’t attack it all at once. Fertilize what you can handle, as it will surely grow.

When you do this to your own yard, versus focusing on others (what they are doing/have done to you, their lives, their businesses, their state of mind) you will find new landscape for growth, prosperity, and profitability.

Today’s Exercise: Try it! Take a notebook and dedicate one page to your mower, one page to your pruner, one page to your weed killer, and as many as you dare for your fertilizer. What did you come up with? How will you use what you have learned to tend to your yard versus someone else’s?

If I can be of any assistance with this exercise. Just contact me.

The beginning is always the hardest.

The Beginning is the Hardest

Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest!

Have you ever started something only to quit a week, or a few weeks, later? Rushed to see results, you throw up your hands, declare whatever you are trying as “not working” and set off to find another way. Don’t give up when you are so close to the miracle! With exercise, you gain muscle. So the scale may not move for a few weeks, no matter how good your diet is or how hard you are working. When you start a new class, it might be hard at first. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Relationships begin with a honeymoon period, but the hard part is the beginning of the non-honeymoon period. Stick with it. The rewards are great. It’s true, the beginning is always the hardest. Doing the work you need to do, when everything in you is telling you that you aren’t inspired, are bored, don’t have the talent, or don’t have the time, is essential. Whatever you do, do not give up!

Here are 50 Inspirational Quotes to help you stick with it.

Receive more by making a gratitude list.

Be Grateful

This morning, I woke up very grateful. Sunday was very successful, both for me and my clients, at the Festival of Earthly Treasures in Carson City. I spoke with clients on a variety of complex issues from growing a business to personal time management. I ask every client at the end of every session, whether it’s 10 minutes or 10 days, whether it was valuable and beneficial and I am happy to report that everyone said yes yesterday. That makes me so happy.

I woke up grateful that:

  • I am able to be an agent of change in my clients’ lives and businesses and help improve peoples’ lives.
  • I have supportive people in my life who are my biggest cheerleaders.
  • I had a choice this morning, to engage in self-care at home or attend Kaia, a great woman-only group workout I do. (I chose self-care and quality time with my pets.)
  • I have a mind, so that I may learn, and a healthy body, so that I may move to where I am needed (and where I want to be) today.
  • I have a home, a car, I am not lacking for basics. (I was actually homeless for four months. Talk to me and I will tell you the story.)

These are just a few of the things I am grateful for today that are present on my gratitude list.

Daily Exercise: What are you grateful for? No matter how difficult life may seem, or how many challenges the day may throw your way, take some time with yourself and think of five things you are grateful for. 

When you express your gratitude, you make more room for good to come in. It’s like the universe responds by saying, “I appreciate that. Here, have some more good stuff and tell me what you think.”

I’d love to hear your results with writing your gratitude list in the comments below. Have a great and grateful day!

Carson City Festival of Earthly Treasures

The first time I went to the Carson City Festival of Earthly Treasures, I was recovering from a break up. It was a bad one and I needed some time to center, find myself, and see what the world of metaphysics had to offer. I stopped at a booth where people were making necklaces with real stones and sat down. Together, we made a lovely necklace made of Red Aventurine, Green Aventurine, Agate, and Unakite. Each stone had a unique healing purpose and I was thrilled to be making my own power necklace.

Red and Green Adventurine Necklace with Urakite and Agate

Aventurine is said to benefit one in all areas of creativity, and imagination, as well as intellect and mental clarity. Lore says that it enhances prosperity and brings career success. It is a gentle stone energetically that gives a sense of calm and balance and enhances happiness. It also helps one to see alternatives and potentials in all situations, giving a positive outlook, courage and inner strength. It is also said to bring luck, especially in games of chance. Green aventurine is also a mystical stone of prosperity. Aventurine brings friendship to one’s life. It is also a stone of protection energies. Folklore and metaphysical lore say that physically it is beneficial for blood, circulatory system, balancing blood pressure, sinus problems, nausea, headaches, general health, allergies, eczema, fever, and sleep disorders.

Aventurine is associated with the heart chakra. Different colors of Aventurine such as blue, peach or red, have additional properties and relate to various chakras according to color.

Red Aventurine is stone of manifestation through action. It draws upon the elements of Earth and Fire to increase the flow of prana, or life force, in re-vitalizing the physical body and focusing its energy to get things done. It boosts vitality and mental alertness, and amplifies the desire to take on life’s challenges with determination and perseverance. It inspires creativity and sexuality, and renews excitement and confidence in bringing one’s projects, goals and desires into reality.

Red Aventurine is a remarkable crystal for helping one choose their highest path, offering discernment and the ability to perceive which plans and ideas are best to follow, and which are less than ideal. It allows one to see the Self and overcome ego when it prevents better judgment, and lends assurance to those who fear commitment to choose a path and follow it through. It encourages self-forgiveness and the ability to laugh at one’s own mistakes.

Unakite is a made up of a combination of three minerals: Green Epidote, Pink Fieldspar and Quartz. It is a balancing stone helping to balance all aspects of the self; emotional, spiritual and mental, and allowing you to feel more centred. Unakite is also believed to help release energy blockages, that may be inhibiting your growth, and to encourage you to live in the present rather than in the past.

Finally, Agate (the center stone of the necklace) has a lower intensity and vibrates to a slower frequency than other stones, but is highly regarded as a stabilizing and strengthening influence. The layered bands of microscopic quartz in Agate may appear delicate, they are actually very strong. Agate is excellent for balancing emotional, physical and intellectual energy, and in harmonizing yin and yang, the positive and negative forces of the universe.

Learn more about stones and their meanings at Crystal Vaults.

Today’s Exercise: What stones would be in your ultimate power necklace? What do you need to bring into your life, business, career or mindset? Do you need mental clarity, creativity, imagination, prosperity, strength, or balance?

In the spirit of bringing you all the good things the festival brought me, I will be there this Sunday, May 18 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., offering $1 a minute life, business, career and mindset coaching as well as a few other fun festival specials. Come see me at the Carson City Community Center!

Low budget? Here’s how to save $$$$!

Recently, we’ve had the opportunity to work with several wonderful companies across the nation. All of them faced a similar issue. “We need help but agencies want to charge us an arm and a leg to do it for us.” My response to that is, “well, how much are you able to do on your side?” Inevitably, the client will come up with a list of marketing activities they could use current staff to do. At that point, they start to see that human resources are usable to get things done. Need a business to business database? How about setting your admin loose on the Internet and having them pick up the phone to get names, numbers and addresses? LinkedIn is a fabulous resource that can get you in front of the right people. Need to revitalize your social media? How about educating that excited young intern on how to execute your social campaigns? Two private hours invested in development can lead to hundreds of hours of execution, a project you didn’t have to pay an agency for.

Every marketing tactic has a hard cost and a sweat equity cost. When executing your campaigns, weigh the cost of each. Could you develop your team through education to get it done at a lower cost?

These days, there’s an agency for everything: advertising, marketing, social media, direct marketing, pay-per-click, copywriting, graphic design, web design – and yes, we have these experts at our disposal too. However, if you have a low budget, nothing delivers results per dollar like education.

Today’s Exercise: Take some notes! What do you need done? Write the project name at the top of a piece of paper. Then, make two columns. Column One: Resources I Have, Column Two: Resources I Need.  Now, next to those two columns, add two more columns with a $. This represents what those resources will cost you to complete the project.  (Feel free to budget if you don’t know the actual cost of what you need.)  Now, look at what you need. Is there any way you can leverage what you have to fill any of those needs? Change the columns until the budget fits your target amount.

This simple exercise will help you resource plan your project. Need to talk it out? Do so in the comments below. Need help resource planning your next project? Can’t make it fit within your budget?  Contact us.

Get ready to hack your life.

This talk by Logan LaPlante at a University TEDx event has us inspired today. We’re so inspired that we’d like to ask you a simple question.

Are you a hacker?

Don’t worry, the NSA isn’t looking over our shoulder, tazers at the ready because we are part of an elite task force to find hackers and destroy them. In fact, we’re bold enough to say (inspired by this video) that hacking is a good thing.

“Hackers are innovators. Hackers are people who challenge and change the systems to make them work differently, to make them work better. It’s just how they think. It’s a mindset.” – Jordan LaPlante

TODAY’S EXERCISE

Pick one thing in your life, one little thing, and hack it. Maybe its the behavior problem your kid is having. Been reading the parenting books on it? Well, try something new, untested, see if it works with your kid. Maybe its a deadline you have to reach. Is there a shortcut you can take that won’t compromise quality? Need help figuring out a hack for your life, career or business? Just contact us. Otherwise, comment below and tell us what you are going to hack to make your life even better than it already is.

Are you sabotaging your relationships?

Yesterday, I watched a very compelling video about cell phone use and how it can make a partner feel alienated, alone, and unimportant. If you missed it, watch it right here.

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There are dozens, if not hundreds, of little things we do to test our relationships. Those relationships can be business, romantic, sexual, or just plain friendly. These tests are designed to set up boundaries, test boundaries, and protect ourselves. Sometimes, though, the tests go too far. This results in missed opportunities as you push away potentially great relationships, business partners, friends, and lovers. If you have people cycling in and out of your life at a frequent pace, you might be doing this to yourself. It can result in job loss, heart break, and unfulfilled goals and dreams. If you haven’t caught the jist yet, it’s not a good thing.

TODAY’S EXERCISE

Ask yourself:

1) Do I distrust immediately or do I wait for trust to be broken?

2) Do I ask myself, where is this going to fail?

3) Do you start trying to fix problems before problems occur?

4) Do you test business partners by coming up too close to or missing deadlines, unintentionally not delivering or breaking promises, rescheduling meetings on a short time frame?

5) Do you have a set of standards in mind that, if not strictly upheld, that person is out of your circle?

6) Are you as hard on others as you are on yourself?

7) Do you challenge others often and end up in heated discussions?

8) Does life/work feel like a game of “Survivor” where either you compete or you are voted off the island?

9) Do you isolate yourself from individuals or groups by directing your attention to your cell phone, the television, or something that takes you away from the present moment?

10) Do you voice your concerns or do you “stuff” them and build resentment?

Answer these questions openly and honestly with yourself. You don’t have to tell anyone your answers. However, if you answered YES to three or more of these questions, you may be sabotaging your relationships.  Reframing your mindset is key to keeping an open mind. If you need assistance in doing this, feel free to contact us.

What Works for Northern Nevada Scholarship

scholarshipNevada is a known incubator for business. If you own/operate a business in Nevada within 100 miles of Carson City and need a hand up, the What Works for Northern Nevada Scholarship may be able to help. Each month, we invest $1,000 in tuition to five different students. ($200 award each) The award may be specific, such as entry into a live or online workshop, or general – to be used for general business help.

 

 

 

To qualify for the scholarship, the business must be:

  • Currently in existence (doing business now)
  • Located in Nevada within 100 miles of Carson City
  • Exhibit a clear need for business help

Qualified? Apply for the scholarship now!

 

 

Build your fan base and they will be screaming for you.

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Yesterday, we talked about effective networking online. This sparked a discussion about the steps you should take in building that ever-important reputation. Piping up about the “fan-base philosophy,” garnered from years in the entertainment business, I decided to make today’s exercise about that. If you have read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell, you know that there’s a certain level of action required before something tips and interest comes in larger waves. That point can be achieved through consistent activities that create exposure for your business. In a word, you have to create value.

Think about a new rock band and how they build their fan base. Starting out, they might play a few local shows. They are seen in some way. It’s said that you can’t make money by sitting in your office. You need to get out, press the flesh, get known. That’s what these small shows are about and, for you, its what small talk is about. Attend a conference where your target market is, become interested in them. Now that the rock band has played a few local shows, and they’ve captured some information (in your case business cards) they send a track out. They’ve also been working their social media channels. They’ve been opening up on Facebook and Twitter, providing a behind the scenes to potential fans. They’ve been providing inspiration and giving away tickets to their next local show. Now they book some local interviews. They get themselves in the media, whatever media they can find. They find their angle an tell their story. They start going to the right parties. (In your world, that party might be the right LinkedIn Group – Staples runs a great one.) They don’t whip out their instruments and play at the party, they just go with the flow, they meet people. More interest collected, they provide their demo to the right people.

Here’s the key, though, they warm up the audience. Your opening song is simply having a conversation. You aren’t in it to pitch yet. You are in it to find out about them, add value and see if they are even pitch worthy. Imagine if this same rock band went to a party and immediately started pitching their music and (ooops) come to find out they are talking to the GM of a country music station. Once the fan base is there, you can communicate on a regular basis and be sure your fans get the newest stuff first. Providing exclusive treatment to your best customers is a great way to keep them listening to you for life.

Building a fan base is all about:

1) Identifying the right channels – Where is your target audience? Where are they most likely to be looking for you?

2) Providing value – What can you provide that’s cool and interesting? What’s your role at the party?

3) Nurturing the fandom – Keep giving, keep learning, keep LISTENING.

4) Learning how you can serve – Ask directed questions and continue to listen.

5) Playing your heart out – Once you can serve, serve with all your heart.

6) Develop an ongoing relationship – Don’t let this be a one night stand. Keep in touch! Check in. Continue providing value and you will be top of mind next time they need something.

Today’s Exercise: Where are you in fan base building? Are you at #1 where you are just figuring out who to talk to or are you learning how to listen? Identify where you are and start building, online and offline. What steps do you need to take to be the rock star of your own business?

Discuss this exercise in the comments below or if you need help, contact us.

 

Are you an online business creeper?

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Today, as I was moderating our new Help for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs LinkedIn Group, I encountered an enthusiastic entrepreneur with an energy business. Unfortunately, I encountered him in the wrong way. Within moments of joining our group he had plastered his URL, phone number, headline in three different places on the group. Being a coach, I reached out to him versus banning him outright (which is what most groups would do). Here was my response, paraphrased. I thought it worthy enough to share with all.

“One of the top things I coach my clients on is how to participate in a group when networking. You meet people for business purposes through networking, but its kind of like dating. It’s not a good idea to push marriage on the first date. You participate in discussions. You provide input. Sending URLS, emails, and so on when you are not the sponsor of the group is not effective group participation.”

It’s true. Think about online dating for a bit. If you are serious about looking for someone, you don’t outright say – “hey, I want to get married honey.” You ask about interests. You comment on aspects of their profile. You get to know them before asking them out on a date.

Social media networking works the same way. If you join a group, ADD VALUE. Answer people’s questions. Ask a few questions of your own. Post an interesting article. To lead generate, post an article you have written that resides on your web site. Ask for opinions about a new product offering. Don’t just say, “hey baby, have I got a special offer for you.” The ONLY place that is appropriate is when you are the sponsor of a group. But do it VERY SPARINGLY. You are there to build a community, to add value. Ultimately, yes, you will come upon people who are interested in what you have to offer. But, like the new person who is participating in a LinkedIn Group, Facebook Group, posting on walls, tweeting, pinning, Instagramming, or anything else, you need to have a soft touch.

Otherwise you just come off like that sleazy guy in a bar looking for a one night stand. Who wants to be THAT guy?

Today’s Exercise: Look at all the ways you network – in person or via social media. Are you asking for marriage before you even get a date? What is your strategy for becoming part of the group and gaining interest before you pitch? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong?

Questions about how to tackle social media networking? Claim your free Quick Question session and ask away – or just ask on our LinkedIn Group.