Remabulous

32 for 32! A New list for a new year...

OK! It is here... the 32 for 32 list at last.

Please excuse the funky video quality for this vlog- It was shot in HD and I have seen others post in HD with this player... we are still learning here at Remabulous.

Last year, I started a new tradition with the 31 for 31 list. I got 75% of that list done and a few more items will be checked off in the fall- my novel draft will be done for early November, I am off to NH this Friday, and will be shooting a photo project while on my trip. I still need to set up some sailing lessons, but I have a contact for that already. So... all in all, a great success!

Now, on to this year. Here is the 32 for 32 list:

How setbacks can make your business stronger!

  Here are 5 Tips to Make Sure a Setback Moves You Ahead:

 

1. Look at the setback in context and start planning for other similar situations in the future: While I certainly don't want to experience food poisoning again, knowing that it is possible for any of us to get sick and not be able to work is a good motivation to get systems in place that will allow work to continue in your absence. Having an operations manual with steps to complete all the tasks you do as a business owner is essential so that ultimately another staff member can cover these duties when needed. And trust me... the day will come when it isn't just you in your office... 
2. Ask for help, and be willing to give it to others. I have to give a shout out to my graphic designer, Jessica Krewson of Design Krew this week. Not only is her work incredible, but she jumped right in and had some printing ordered for me while I was sick so that I could still meet my goal for promotional materials for an event this weekend. Keep your eyes open for our whole new Remabulous concept, coming in September! Jessica gets the points for stepping in and offering to help me- but this reminded me that it is essential that we reach out when we are stuck to those around us. By the same token, if you see a colleague in a scrape and there's a way you can help them out, take the risk. Goodwill is a great asset in business and, as Marianne pointed out above in the video, operating from integrity and service has more long term rewards than we can imagine.

Out of comission today... Food poisoning in the house.

For anyone who has dealt with the unexpected hiccup in your business life, I share your pain. Stay away from funky shrimp- that is my tip of the day. And for all of us who hit bumps in the road, I offer the image above as inspiration.

Until tomorrow...

Gary Vaynerchuk on Building a Personal Brand: Video of the Week.

I love a man who will come out and say "Stop doing shit you hate!" out loud at a conference. Good stuff.

Thoughts on "Better late than never" and the frequent question: "Why haven't I reached my goal yet?"

We think we know best, don't we?

 

When things are supposed to happen and how, when our goals are meant to show up. 

 

But, often we are not the greatest at setting the time on these. 

 

Last week, I wrote a letter to a dear friend in Chicago whom I've known since college. I really missed her and said I was really dying to come and visit her. Well, guess what? My flight was delayed, on the way back from a wedding due to weather, and when I called her to let her know I was going to be in Chicago for the night, she came right out to get me and we had a magical visit.

 

Want to know the funny part? The letter hadn't even shown up in her mailbox yet. 

 

While I was wistfully dreaming of a late spring weekend in Chicago in 2010, life dished up a visit three days later. Magic.

 

We so often think we know how things are to unfold. We think our plan is the best one, or that any deviation from our intended outcome is a disaster. 

 

But what if these little hiccups were just life's way of giving us what we ask for, even faster than we thought it was possible?

 

I could have been miserable in a hotel by the airport and waited all day to get on the first available standby flight. Instead, I took the one in the evening that gave me an inspiring and uplifting day with an old friend. 

 

Hmmm. What if every so-called hold-up this week was really a blessing in disguise? It can be... as long as you choose to see it that way. 

 

Please share your thoughts on unexpected outcomes in the comments below... we'd love to hear from you!

Why reading totally unrelated books is one of the best things you can do for your business.

I am a library junkie. I can admit this right out in the open. One of my favorite tricks these days: browsing in a big box bookstore with my iPhone at the ready and open to the LA Public Library page. When I find something I want to take home, I just type the ISBN into the search on the library site and request it. I can pick it up at my local branch, it's free, and I still get to browse in bookstores. It's my favorite game lately.

However, I was falling prey to a deadly disease for the entrepreneur. It's one people don't talk about nearly enough in the business world. It doesn't have a name yet, so I will call it the "Reading Far Too Many Business Books Disease." This disease is deadly for a number of reasons.

Let's go through them one by one and discuss the cure...

image: eseering.

Pull the Plug! Stepping back from business burnout...

There have been many books written on the subject of inspiration, most of which focus on the arts or how to work as an artist. I am sure you have read many of these books, which are enjoyable and have helped many get out some colored pencils or other art supplies and create something new. 

 

Well, I must share a secret with you that I have learned over the past few years:

 

Business is an art form. 

 

That's right, business. Even though it isn't listed in Fine Art schools, nor is a Harvard Business Degree listed as an MFA, you still must begin to look at your business as art.

 

Why is this a necessary change?

 

Because, for an entrepreneur, inspiration is as necessary as capital, good employees, and a good idea. The entrepreneur is the driving force of the company- especially when that is a one person operation- and needs to stay in tip top shape.

 

Starting a business is hard work, and it feels a lot harder when we choose to look at it as "hard work" all the time. If we focus only on traditional business methods like spreadsheets, cash flow, and reaching our target market every single day of every single week, we can burn out.

 

I've experienced this. And then I remembered, "Business is Art!"

 

What does an artist need to do when the gas tank is low? Get inspired. Do whatever it takes to get inspired. Learn what you can do to bring inspiration back below:

image: pontman.

Avoiding burnout with the Point System

When I was about 7, I really wanted a Barbie. She wasn't exactly a Barbie, more a princess doll, but in the same general ballpark.

As a young kid, I didn't have the money to buy the doll for myself, so I did what every kid does: asked my parents to get her for me.

No dice.

But they did come up with a nifty little plan: the point system.

On the fridge, we posted a chart of chores and how much each chore was worth. At the bottom, they posted the number of points that would get me the doll.

So everybody won: I was happily working away washing windows and weeding the yard, taking out the trash and doing the dishes on my way to the coveted doll. And my parents weren't doing any of these chores.

Now, as entrepreneurs, we are in a similar position to mine at 7: there isn't always as much capital as we'd like there to be. And we also have a ton of chores to do, tasks to accomplish, and benchmarks to hit.

I have decided to revive the point system as a motivating factor in my working life. Because if there is one thing I hear all the time, it's that people have trouble avoiding burnout when there is such a massive volume of things to accomplish.

So, here's how to set up the point system for yourself and your business (and an explanation for that bread loaf pictured above):

image: Caroline Donahue for Remabulous.

Get your business a bigger pair of pants! Mindful Monday on growth.

Many of us have seen happy pictures of people holding up previous pairs of pants having reached their wait loss goals, similar to the picture here, of a gentleman who made a sandwich shop famous for its weight loss options. 

 

However, when it comes to your business, you want to be smiling in this sort of picture because you're about to jump INTO the bigger pair of pants. 

 

Think about it: during this market cycle, a time when many use the "e-word" (starts with "e" and ends with "onomy") as an excuse not to move to the next level in business, we still need to be thinking about what it would take to jump UP to the next pants size.

 

It is important to keep your eye on growth and expansion. When we make a "plan B" for tough times, or start to scale back our hopes and constrict, we often prevent ourselves from seeing and taking advantages of opportunity that is out there right now. 

 

If you saw your business as in an expanding cycle, what choices and opportunities would you seize? Would things as they are feel a little limited, with room for improvement?

 

Are your business pants feeling a little tight around the waist? Need some help to get all the tasks done that you've had on your own plate since the day you launched? Now is the time to take the leap.

 

Those business owners who are stepping up and buying bigger pants are the ones who are seeing results, even right now. I know this because many of these brave business owners are my very own clients. 

 

What would you need to unbutton your too-tight start-up pants and grow to be the lean mean fighting machine your company is ready to be? Do you need more staff? An intern? New equipment? More space?A new organization system? Software? Funding?

 

Start looking around this week with an eye on where you can get bigger. And look especially at the places where you feel pinched and your progress is getting limited by the tight pants you're wearing now. 

 

Skinny jeans are fun for fashion, but business is all about having the most room for more!

 

Break out of any bottlenecks you've made for yourself and make some space for success. It is often the risk that needs to come first, in order for opportunity to follow. 

 

What do you need to do to be smiling next to a big pair of business pants like the gentleman above?

 

Share it with us! Please let us know how you are going to jump into bigger pants, or how you'd like to in the comments below.

 

Dream big! Let's all go up a size this month. The world is ready for big dreams and big results. And if one of the things you need to move ahead is coaching, we'd love to support you. Contact us today for a complimentary 30 minute consultation. 

Update from the trenches of expanding a business.

I wrote the title of this post three days ago. I wrote part of a body of a post and then lost it from the browser being rest without saving it...

There comes a time when you start to see business pick up. There comes a time when you cannot get everything done by yourself.

That time is now. It's exciting, and it's scary, too. I'll be sharing how I navigate it and hopefully you will learn something as well.

Things are changing- there will be a new site soon, a new blog and there will be a new role for this one. The old features will be on the new site, but I am thinking there needs to be a place for behind the scenes work.

I think that I will share those moments here. The "It's midnight and I am still on the computer and... oh yes. It's SATURDAY night and I did go out and have fun tonight, but work still called me back when I got home."

Being an entrepreneur is a funny thing.

Stay tuned.