business Archives - What Works Consultants, Inc

Inspiration

Culture: 5 Reasons Why Values Matter

In doing my research on my theory of Crappertunity, the moment where crisis generates more opportunity than would have existed without the crisis, I keep stumbling on a major theme. Values are the compass individual and companies use to guide their journeys. Unfortunately, too many lie about their why. They justify what they are doing to society, to their colleagues, to the board, all while ignoring the internal compass that says no no no.

I wrote about values and beliefs in my Carson Now column today, a column I write for a local news site in Carson City, Nevada. In the column, I talk about my mom, how she had to reinvent herself at age 46 after her divorce. She was married 25 years, a housewife, and had to do it all again from scratch. Growing up with this influence, this resilience, I was inspired.

What I Believe

I believe we all have the power to impact, change, and improve what happens in our lives. I believe we are not victims of our circumstances. Rather, those circumstances can benefit us and the world, if we allow it. We can be called to reinvent ourselves at any time. I value connection, with myself and others, and to maintain that bond no matter how rough the seas get. I value integrity, and not letting my solution be someone else’s pain. I value intense passion for life and career. The two to me are not separable. I believe in the power plant of personal growth and how it can change lives and the world.

Some of these values I formed growing up. Others I formed as a result of my own struggles and life experience. But here are seven reasons why values matter.

Values are more than just about Sunday school.

Sure, that’s where some of us learned them. However, what we value is really our truth. We have to know our truth to turn on that internal GPS, make decisions, have confidence, and take action. Without clarity on our values, we turn into people pleasers. When we people please, we cheat people out of knowing who we really are. We cross and break boundaries we didn’t even know we had. Values are life.

Values help you choose a partner.

Life partners can have different hobbies, different ideas about the world, and differing preferences. But where a relationship can fall into trouble is when the values are off kilter. Questioning employees, colleagues, friends, romantic interests, and partners about their values is an exercise in understanding and alignment.

Values dictate happiness in a career.

Have you ever said, my heart’s just not in it? I have. And when I have, for example, when I was working in corporations in marketing and I did not believe in what I was promoting, I was unhappy. My value of integrity butted up against what my job required me to do. Look at your company’s annual report. If they don’t have one, ask them questions about their company values. You will find out quick if you are a fit or not.

Values help you have more fun.

When you are in alignment with your values, life is just more fun in general. If you value peace, you may notice you enjoy peaceful activities. If you value learning, you may find yourself learning for fun. But the point is this. If you know your values, you can be real with yourself about what you enjoy and what you don’t.

Values focus you.

When you know your values, you can laser focus and measure your activities against them. When I coach a company while they are doing their strategic plans, I talk to them about the company culture they want to cultivate. I help them discover this because these values dictate hiring practices, company strategies, and how the company behaves in a crisis.

I do more research on values in my theory of Crappertunity. To learn how you can get updates, participate in the research, or be interviewed, click here to receive information.

admin

Oct, Mon, 2017

If you are missing some motivation, log on to YouTube and check out workshops, keynote speeches, and Q&A sessions from Diane Dye Hansen

Inspiration

Management: Working On Versus In Your Business

I am jumping out of my strappy sandals right now. I have finally done something I have needed to do for so long it’s silly. I launched my YouTube channel. That’s right, the days of sending future clients and companies who need keynote speakers or workshop facilitators to a Dropbox are over. I am both doing a happy dance and breathing a big sigh of relief.

Why didn’t I enter the modern century until now?

The “Doing” Trap

Well, I fell into the “doing” trap. As entrepreneurs, we tend to get so into the doing of business we forget that businesses need to be taken care of. They need infrastructure, process, promotion, love, lots of love, to grow. What happens, though, is the job of the business becomes big. Revenue comes when I’m coaching, facilitating, on the phone, on video, and speaking. In other words, it’s the doing that creates the revenue. Or, so I thought. That’s not really true.

The doing creates the revenue but without the leadership, infrastructure, process, all the good stuff, my business won’t grow. I will be so stuck in blissful doing that I will create a job for myself. A business is something you work on. A job is something you work in. Successful leaders work on their business so others can work in it more than they do. It’s only then a business can scale, or become bigger than the sum of its owner.

So, launching my YouTube Channel was just that. It was a way to put technology to work for me. It’s a way to coach without being present, to capture interest, and to leverage all this great content that I’ve been producing and then throwing down the black hole of Facebook.

I’m proud. I’m taking my own medicine. Honestly, a coach should take their own medicine and the medicine of others multiple times a day. It’s healthy for them and your company as well. After all, we are all products of the product.

Enjoy my new product. Subscribe to the What Works Coaching YouTube Channel.

admin

May, Thu, 2017

How To

Metrics: Regular maintenance of your company’s condition

Hallelujah! This month, I paid off my Mercedes ML350. And I couldn’t be happier. However, something I must continue doing if I want to keep driving my baby is maintain it. This applies to business as well. If you want to maintain your company’s health, you need to do the work to keep it healthy. Here is an easy maintenance checklist you can use to make sure your business is tuned up and streamlined for long-term health.

Lead funnel
Sales process
Cash flow
Budget check
Customer relationship management
Team structure
Team culture
Technology
Infrastructure
Legal structure

Let’s break this down.

Lead funnel and sales process: How do customers get introduced to your company? What path do you walk your customers down to guide them to a sale? This is your lead funnel. You service your lead funnel with a well put together sales process. This may include a combination of tactics such as social media, article marketing, newsletters, personal calls, gifts and value added incentives, and bundling, among others. A review of your process on your business maintenance checklist, whether it be annual or multiple times a year, will keep your sales machine humming.

Cash flow and budget check: Cash is king in business and cash flow, along with budget control, is important. Cash flow is created by a good lead funnel and sales process. To monitor your cash flow in relation to sales, you will want to keep an eye on overhead, conversion rates, and cost of team, partners, or employees. Marketing costs should have a conversion rate associated with it so you can tell what is working and what isn’t. Cash flow and budget management is the oil on a business maintenance checklist that keeps a business moving along smoothly.

Customer relationship management: Once you have a customer, you will need a system to manage that relationship. This covers the way customers are communicated to, inside or outside of a sales process. It also relates to how they are invoiced, how issues are resolved, and if you have a mechanism in place for referral. Customer relationship management is the steering wheel that keeps everything on track. Be sure its on your business maintenance checklist.

Team structure and team culture: Your team carries the vibe of your organization. They can either take you higher or shoot you in the foot. Do you have the right players on your team? Do you have the right roles in place? Do those roles actively add to the bottom line of your company? Additionally, you need to do a pulse check on how everyone works together. Does your team buy in to the company culture? Is your work place one of harmony? These are some questions to consider for your business maintenance checklist. Good team structure and team culture will propel your business forward.

Technology, infrastructure, and legal structure: This is the frame of your organization and something you should never leave off your business maintenance checklist. Review your technology. Are you using the best software for your needs? How about hardware? An equipment failure at the last minute could put you behind. How are you doing with plant and equipment? Does your infrastructure support what you need? Is it too much? Is it too little? How are you doing legally? If you are a sole proprietor, have you grown to the point where you need to consider becoming an LLC? What legal structure suits your needs?

If you need help with your business maintenance checklist, you can also hire a coach once a year to check out all the moving parts. A coach will give you outside perspective which is necessary to avoid driving with dim lights or a tail light out. A different point of view could make all the difference in the ongoing maintenance of your business.

Contact What Works Coaching if you need help.

admin

Sep, Mon, 2016

Daily Exercises How To Inspiration

Mindset: How do you motivate yourself?

When it comes to motivation, do you coach yourself to success or paint yourself into a corner? Part of business is learning how to coach and motivate others. But you also have to motivate yourself if you are going to drive the success of your company.

I love Audible. I pay a subscription fee and I get to download anything I want for one credit. The subscription is motivation to keep consuming information. After all, a coach is only as good as the information they can provide. Hiring a coach is like taking a football team filled with coaches and committing to one to give you personal attention. I listen to a lot of books because I multi-task. I made it through seven chapters of Jen Sincero’s “You are a Bad Ass” between Coloma, CA and Carson City, NV. I could not have done that with a paper copy. In fact, I think this coach would have killed her business and herself in the process of trying. To save lives and expand minds, I am gladly giving away a 30 day Audible Free Trial [Digital Membership].

See, I am always on the look out for tools to motivate me. I see motivation as the gas that makes my business engine run. My company is healthier when I do the work to motivate myself. I motivate others better when I motivate myself. I have always used vision boards to propel my business forward. In fact, everything I coach I do myself. Go figure. Want to see if What Works Coaching works? Look at how healthy What Works Coaching is! Basic business 101 – no contractor’s dilemma here. I know I must fill my own cup first before filling others.

Yes, that means you need to motivate yourself and that will fill up your cup. So, how do you motivate yourself when energy is low, ideas are short, and time is shorter? Well, you might want to consider looking for a coach. For me, I downloaded “You are a Bad Ass.” I do highly suggest you read or listen to that book. You might like the You Are a Badass 2017 Day-to-Day Calendar. But, since Jen Sincero may not be on your speed dial, maybe consider putting me on there.

Schedule some time with me. If you are super convinced already that coaching is right for your business, go all in on one hour. If you want to stick your toe in the puddle of motivation and risk 20 minutes of your time to possibly motivate the hell out of yourself, schedule a complimentary 20 minute session.

Whatever you do, do something – anything. Take action. Because action is what motivation is really all about. Unless you can think of a company that stayed in the black doing nothing. I’m waiting… No company can do that? You would be right.

So my question to you, right here, right now, is this. How do you motivate yourself? Share in the comments below. Who knows. The way you motivate yourself might motivate others, which will great sweet rapids of motivation we can all raft. Let’s go!

admin

Aug, Fri, 2016

Daily Exercises Inspiration

What yoga taught me about business

The other day I was taking Theresa Simmons’ yoga class at Eagle Fitness in Carson City. We were doing what I considered to be a basic pose. I don’t remember the name right now. However, it was a pose where I didn’t feel like I needed to reach for my blocks. “Use the blocks, that’s what they are there for,” she said.

Immediately my ego shouted at me “No!” “I won’t use blocks for this pose!” “I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I am doing.” “I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help!”

Yet, the one thing yoga practice has done for me is that it has helped calm my monkey mind. And boy can that thing chatter! It has taught me to challenge my ego. Sometimes, challenging my ego means accepting help from a block made of cork.

Immediately, the pose felt better. I wasn’t straining as hard. I could breathe. Even in the simplest of poses, utilizing my props made it easier.

Suddenly, it all came together. I haven’t been using my props (my support system) in business!

The ego shouting sounded the same in a business context. “No!” “I won’t sub-contract this out!” “I won’t ask for help. I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing!” “I have 20 years of experience. I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help.”

I have been blessed to have a great support system. This system grows every day as I open myself up to possibility. When I use my blocks in yoga, I don’t hurt. When I use my support system in business, I also don’t hurt. Things…. flow.

Coaches are like blocks, too. We are business yogis of a sort. We help correct your poses. We connect the asanas. I used to hate it when a yoga teacher would provide an adjustment or correction. That, too, provided a business lesson. Sometimes, we need our teachers. We need our blocks, our straps, our bolsters, our blankets, to help get us to the next level.

That, my friends, is going with the flow of business.

Daily Exercise: Choose one area where you will ask for help today. Comment about it below.

admin

Aug, Tue, 2016

Daily Exercises

Do you see the person or the persona?

Robin Williams’ suicide really touched me in a place deep down in my soul. I realize the depth to which I can, occasionally, put on a mask. I use my experience to help others through their business challenges. But, often, I’ll mask it up when it comes to my personal life. I posted last week about being single and I got a Facebook message from a colleague which read “You know. I can’t help myself from micromanaging… so may I suggest you keep your personal stuff off of your WWC FB page? The “Single. And learning…” feels too personal to show your professionalism.” In other words, dear coach, wear your mask.

Robin Williams wore his mask well. It wasn’t until his re-entry into rehab to “maintain his sobriety” came to the forefront that anyone had an inkling there was something going on behind the scenes. Still, the statement of maintaining sobriety thinly veiled that Robin was seeking help outside himself in a safe place. The media made that unsafe.

Actors rely on their persona. Often, in the process, the inner person gets ignored. Dustin Diamond recently came to Reno to perform. His “person” has been eviscerated in the media for the actions of his “persona.” Finding out a bit about the real person, thanks to a friend of mine, I find out that he’s happily married and good natured about people seeing him through their own lenses.

But where is the line? I find that actors aren’t the only people being judged by the characters they portray. We, as wives, mothers, husbands, fathers, friends, leaders, and professionals, may do the same. We may not have characters, but we have assigned roles and expectations we strive to live up to. Think about how you approach the people in your life. Even in your private life, do you assign a persona to your doctor, your teacher, your lawyer, your spouse? Do you ever spend time with a person and get real for a moment? If you do, you may be surprised by what you find out.

Today’s Exercise: See the person inside the personas you meet. Find out one new, non-professional, thing about the people in your immediate circle. What did you discover? Were you able to help someone you didn’t know needed it?

admin

Aug, Tue, 2014

How To

Branding – It’s more than a name game.

This morning, I was pleased that a good friend reached out to me to help her take the next step in her business. Like many, though, she had waited to do that step until the 11th hour – when the doors were opening and the business name had to be communicated. A rush of instant messages later, I longed for more time with her. Instead, I have translated this into more time to educate you – the person reading this, in hopes that you will catch yourself before the critical moment and give yourself the time you need to express your business identity in a way that resonates with your customer and that you absolutely love.

Let’s start with the basics. What is a brand?

Many will pipe up at this point and say, “well, that’s easy. It’s the name or a business or the logo on a product. Like the Nike Swoosh, that’s a brand.”

They are part right. While visual representation is part of a brand, the real meat of a brand is in its meaning to your customers and potential customers. What does it say to them? If they have absolutely nothing but your name in front of them, what would they feel? What would they assume? As humans, we are protected by our assumptions. Those carry over to many things in life, including the businesses we choose to work with. Branding is the process by which we cultivate and express that feeling. When brands have a lot of money, they can infer meaning. Take Nike for example. What does that Swoosh mean? Taken out of the brand meaning that Nike has built for it. It means nothing. But, through millions in television advertising, celebrity endorsements, creative packaging, events, and other far-reaching forms of media spend, Nike has crafted the feeling of winning, excellence, taking flight, being the best you can be… on and on behind it’s name, which is actually the name of the Goddess of Victory.

As a small to medium-sized business owner, you may not have millions to create feeling from obscurity. In such cases, your brand needs to be more literal. Here are seven questions you can ask, during brand development, to see if you are on the right track:

1) What do I do, really? This isn’t just the physical thing you do, it’s the action people take when they see you, the feeling you give them.

2) What do I want people to think of my business? This is the blind date test. If someone just saw your brand and that’s it, what do you want them to think or feel? What thought or feeling will lead them to take the next step and stop in, call, or buy?

3) What don’t I want people to think of my business? It’s just as important to think of what you don’t want to project as what you do. Be as intentional about what you do not want to be as you are about what you do want to be.

4) Is there anyone else in a competing business using this name right now? This is important. Accidentally naming your business the same as or similarly to another can result in cease and desist letters, customer confusion, or worse – you’ll look amateur.

5) Is my URL available? Hop over to GoDaddy and check the availability of your URL. Is your perfect .com available? Can you live with a .net or other extension if not? Be sure your brand can grow with your ability to communicate.

6) Does this name comply with what is appropriate within my industry? Industry standards, cultural considerations, and other details are important when you are dealing with a larger brand. And although the Chevy Nova didn’t lack in sales in Mexico, contrary to popular urban legend, you still want your brand to go.

7) Have I kitchen-tested this name with actual customers to see if I am hitting the mark? Ask your customers this, “if you just saw this brand and that’s it, what would you think or feel about this business?” Do a gut test. Are you OK with potential customers seeing you this way? Give them one name at a time, never multiple choices and keep your question and intention directed.

Sit with your brand for a bit. Make sure YOU love it, too. You’ll be living with it for a long time. All the academic exercises in the world are not going to develop your best brand if you can’t not only live WITH it, but develop your company culture around it, express it in all your marketing communications, and feel PROUD of it. After you decide on a name, THEN you can think about a logo. But, that’s another article for another day.

Until then, need help? I’m here to help you decide What Works for you.

admin

May, Fri, 2014

Daily Exercises

The art of tending to your own yard.

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.

admin

May, Wed, 2014

Daily Exercises

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.

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.

admin

Jan, Wed, 2014

Opportunities

What Works for Northern Nevada Scholarship

Nevada 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.