Isn’t it strange how we define our lives. I need reading glasses so that makes me feel old. Yesterday is no different to today but because of that small change I now view myself as practically a decade older. Yet my body still functions and the change has made a positive impact on my life – I can now see to read the small print – but why did I feel it was a negative move?

I was falling into the stereotype trap. Other people have said to me, ‘oh no, I’ve got to wear glasses’ and it is generally seen as something to feel sad about, and a signal of advancing age. Granted, failing eyesight isn’t a cause for celebration, but the fact that we have a cure is.

And yet I still have pre conceived ideas of how people view me. If I wear glasses ‘she must be getting on a bit’. It is very difficult not to make assumptions on what people are thinking of you but we have to make sure that we don’t let those thoughts affect our actions. Why? Because 99% of the time we are wrong! We assume people are thinking of us and often casting unkind aspersions when in reality this isn’t the case at all.

So, how do we get over this? Well Eleanor Roosevelt famously said that ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’ and you have to stop giving them consent. Even if they have voiced an opinion of you and you hear it directly, you are the only one who can make it affect your actions. If you hear of some detrimental comment but didn’t hear it from the horse’s mouth I would be inclined to ignore it because:

• A – It might not be true
• B – The person who said it must be worried about their position if they want to damage someone else’s
• C – The person relaying the information is probably an avid EastEnders fan, simply enjoys turning a drama into a crisis and is stirring the pot

By taking the moral high ground and not getting involved you are not lowering yourself to their standards, your professional attitude will shine through and others will see the situation for what it is.

So as a glib comparison I know that I will get the odd ‘here comes granny’ comment when I pull out my reading glasses but if I were to retaliate then I would be rising to the bait of those taunting me. If I smile politely but continue reading, others will see me as professional and competent and the matter will be forgotten almost instantly. Yes I feel old because I have to use them, but I certainly won’t let my paradigm become the one that others see. I continually try to portray the person I am aiming to be and as time goes on that is the person I am becoming. Think of the person you most admire and consider what they would do in difficult circumstances.

The same can be said of your business. If you continually work towards the business culture you want to create and build your credibility and integrity of who you are into the company then you will build success. If you are currently a neurotic, stressed, sleep deprived, crisis driven individual, then what business are you creating?

If you want help creating the business you deserve then give me a ring on 0845 836 8820 for an informal chat.

• What does your brand say about you?
• Does your business card shout professional or scream amateur?
• Did your latest leaflet get to the point or provide information overload?
• Is your website ‘we ing’ all over the place with visually jarring images or making you look like the consummate professional you are?

Come along to The Business Forum and meet Chris Gooch of Identity Creative who will solve all your image issues.

As an expert graphic designer he will share with you how to make an impact with all of your business literature.

Having designed for many businesses small and large he knows what brings in results and will help you to review your new leaflet or show you how to tweak an old one for maximum results.

Whether it is a revamp of a website or you just need to pull together a mish mash of current design he will show you what works and more importantly what doesn’t.

Friday February 24^th

10am to 12noon

at

Pishiobury House
Pishiobury Drive
Sawbridgeworth
Herts
CM21 0AF

Come for some great advice and enjoy meeting other great business owners in the tranquil setting of Pishiobury House in Sawbridgeworth, Herts.

Plus Gill Tiney will show you how to move your business onto the next Step To Your Success using her unique method to get you motivated and moving in the right direction.

All this for only £15+vat. Email Gill now at gill@stepstosuccess.eu to reserve your place or book online.

• Is LinkedIn generating business for you?
• Do you know the best way to use it to develop great connections?
• Are you working it to its full potential?

Or do you find it just swallows up your time, pulls you in to pointless discussion groups and connects you to people pretending they already know you?

You feel you should be using it but are not really sure if you are doing it properly or even if you totally understand the potential it offers.

If this feels familiar then come along to The Business Forum and Caroline Thomas our expert guest speaker will show you the STEPS TO SUCCESS.

Friday January 27^th

10am to 12noon

at

Pishiobury House
Pishiobury Drive
Sawbridgeworth
Herts
CM21 0AF

Make January the month you make working ‘on’ your business a priority. No more wasted effort, much more directed focus; no more frustration, much more calm productive output.

Come and start your journey to success at The Business Forum.

Contact Gill Tiney at gill@stepstosuccess.eu or book your place online, only £15+vat for 2 hours that will set you on the road to massive results.

Or let me know on Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn.

Can’t wait to meet you!

If there are any topics that you missed out on and would like us to repeat at future Business Forums, please let me know either by leaving a comment below or by contacting me via email.

November 2011
Developing your sales technique (Guest speaker: Leigh Ashton of The Sales Consultancy)

October 2011
Generating website traffic (Guest speaker: David Mears of Blue Flight Media)

September 2011
Internet marketing and social networking (Guest speaker: Terry Carney of Sales Remedy UK)

July 2011
Make your business a success (Gill Tiney)

June 2011
5 steps to transform your business (Gill Tiney)

April/May 2011
Networks, networks, everywhere (Gill Tiney)

March 2011
Communications skills (Gill Tiney)
Mindset Mastery (Guest speaker: Paul Wearmouth)

February 2011
Putting your company in print (Guest speaker: Lesley Morrissey)
How to communicate with clients, staff, suppliers, family and friends – and get what you want! (Gill Tiney)
Tips and insights into sales and marketing (Guest speaker: Paul Wearmouth)

January 2011
Review and 2011 Plan (Gill Tiney)

Looking back, it’s been an amazing year - I hope you join us in 2012!

However I, like most people, have my demons and air travel is one of them. Not a phobia as such but a definite dislike of flying. Add to this being away from family and being halfway around the world I am currently at the time of writing without question out of my comfort zone.

So why do it? Was the trip essential? No, not at all. Will it earn me a fortune? Not directly. Could I have avoided it? Probably.
What was the point?

The point for me is personal growth. I need to grow and push myself on a regular basis otherwise not only am I not making the most of who I can be but I’m also not developing my business to the best it can be. My aim for my company is not to earn £X per year but to earn enough so that I can give more back, to my family and favourite charities. I am not driven by money but rather what it can do for me. Plus I have an acute awareness of not having enough time to do everything that I want to do for those I love. Therefore I don’t have time to nurture a dislike into a phobia, or to avoid anything that makes me nervous. In fact when I do feel like backing out of something and making excuses I hear a good friend of mine telling me to ‘just get over it!’ In other words stop thinking about yourself and start thinking of others.

Yesterday a dear friend and colleague told me her husband has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They are already getting on with their ‘bucket list’ – you know the list you write of things you want to do before you ‘kick the bucket’. I realised that many people die without ever writing theirs. I therefore have absolutely no right to be nervous about a flight that thousands of people take every day. I’m grateful for booking it, I’m so glad she persuaded me to go and I am determined to make every minute count.

If your business or indeed your life gives you an opportunity to come out of your comfort zone, to try something new, to develop and grow, don’t make excuses why you shouldn’t do it. Simply look for all the reasons why you should.

And Go For It!

I’m sure I am not the only one who has been answering emails long past the magic 9-5 because we feel swamped by them. Plus we get told we should be working our social media for several hours a week – if you don’t have a handle on your time management you can feel like you are drowning.

In fact it goes further than on line traffic. In real life 3 or 4 years ago I remember going to a networking meeting at 6am and possibly passing 2 or maybe 3 cars on the road. Now I find myself queuing at roundabouts at 5.30am!! Has the world gone mad? I can see you nodding from here

Well I think it is true to say we can’t turn back the clock. Daniel Priestley of Triumphant (check him out on YouTube) tells us of the Entrepreneur Revolution that is sweeping the country and as business owners we need to be part of it. That means keeping abreast of new innovations, new technologies and trends.

So much to understand and learn – so when was the last time you read a business book?

Sounds like going back to school but if you don’t read, listen to downloads or audio books and research online the latest news in your industry your business will have a limited shelf life. Old established companies are seeing profits being eradicated because they refuse to embrace new technologies or concepts. You need to be seen as ‘of the moment’. The days of proud companies telling us of their lineage and 100 years of experience don’t seem to hold sway anymore. Even Mulberry has had to reinvent itself in the current climate, they could no longer rest solely on their reputation.

Why do you think that might be? Well one reason is that if someone is happy with your service or product you might ask them for a testimonial and you happily put that on your website. However if you have an unhappy client they are more than likely going to give you the sort of review that you weren’t asking for on a myriad of sites. Your reputation can be killed in an instant.

So, in order to keep on top of your game you need to be learning, from the latest guru, from established authorities and especially from your clients. Yes, get it straight from the horse’s mouth, survey your clients to find out if there are any improvements you can make (check out survey monkey as a great place to start) and then take action to put them in place. Keep your website fresh and updated, be seen as the key person in your industry, raise your profile both online and off.

I read on average 2 books a month, both by the great and the good like Stephen Covey as well as new authors such as Leigh Ashton (check out ISELL, hot off the press and available from Amazon) I also use the dead time spent driving to listen to audio books and try to go to on average 2 events a month where I can hear some expert speakers. If I enjoy their offering I also sign on to their website and make the most of the newsletters or free downloads to read too.

So if you have got out of the habit of updating your knowledge because you were no longer at school and feel that you have left all that ‘learning stuff’ behind, have another think about the damage you could be doing to your business if you don’t keep ahead of the game.

Do you get those days when there is just so much to do you feel totally stressed and end up curling into the foetal position hoping it will all go away?

Have you had a day when you have so many great ideas that your brain feels like it will explode and you don’t know which one to start with first?

Do you have days when you only have a relatively small amount to get done but you simply can’t muster the energy or enthusiasm to get them finished?

And to be fair, who hasn’t! We all have days – some more than others – when we become overwhelmed by the tasks we have to do. We look at the clock and despair of ever getting it done in time. We wonder if our family will remember what we look like because we have been spending so many hours in the office. We look back fondly to those days when we were employed and used to clock off at 5 o’clock and we didn’t have a care in the world. Or did we?

Reality check

1. Clocking off at 5pm was what the world used to do in the 80’s, it doesn’t happen for the employed or the self employed anymore. We all have access to emails 24/7 and often feel compelled to ‘check in’ at unsocial hours outside of the magic 9-5.
2. Employed people can get more stressed than your average business owner because they have no control over their working life – you do.
3. Everyone has the same 24 hours – we just need to prioritise.
4. We are the cause of the overwhelm and stress.

What I try to do when I feel a panic attack approaching – you know, the feeling when you look at your ‘To Do’ list and realise that if you go without sleep for the next week you can just about fit it all in – is to follow Brian Tracy’s advice and prioritise. By labelling the list into categories A, B and C, with A being the money producing wins that need to be completed, B the innovations for your business and C the maintenance, you end up looking at your tasks in a new light. You then need to split the A’s into A1, A2, A3 in order of importance.

By doing this you can really see where your priorities lie. Quite often by focusing on the money making projects you can generate income to outsource which will in turn take away some of the C tasks.

By spending 5 minutes at the beginning of your day analysing what you have to do rather than simply ploughing through your tasks in the order of who shouts the loudest will put you back in control. I don’t know about you but when I feel out of control my stress levels soar and that puts an added pressure on me, all of my own making.

Look towards the small win – review your day and celebrate the small wins you achieved. This helps you to realise that you aren’t on that treadmill, you are making a difference and you aren’t constrained by some else’s rules and limitations.

Would you want to be in that rat race again? Or do you want to win your own race.

It is the small things that have a huge impact. Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

What a week that was! Unprecedented riots on the streets of the UK and blame being apportioned to police, poverty and unemployment and anyone else apart from, it seems, the people doing the rioting.

This has caused hot debate among social networking sites and no real answers have been offered, ultimately the ones who will suffer are the small business owner. A shop window has been smashed, who owns the shop? Property has been stolen, again, the small business owner takes the brunt of the fall out. Insurance premiums will now go up, who suffers? Yes, again the small business owner. All of this has a knock on effect and now tourism will be affected (again the small business owner suffers) and the 2012 Olympics will undoubtedly suffer and again the small business owner will see a knock on effect. The rioters think they are lashing out at the establishment when in reality it is their community who will suffer.

Whatever the reason for it happening, or rather whatever excuse they are using to try to justify the behaviour the end result is the same. It will mean less money to go around, longer time for economic recovery and further hardship all round. One comment I read on Facebook is that even animals don’t soil their own home and yet these hooligans are destroying the one thing that can help them – their community.

I have been saying for a long time that community is being lost and we have to work hard to be part of a face to face community. Being on line is a step to connecting but we need to have that face to face interaction and build a support network around us if we are to survive the future effects of the Eurozone and the US economy.

The people rioting may be desperate and that might have led to the violence (although personally I have yet to see evidence of real need, when they riot in £100 trainers and coordinate the carnage from £300 mobile phones the sympathy tends to run out) but they need to develop a Dunkirk spirit and pull together to get us out of this recession. Sadly they don’t even understand the description let alone the concept.

What is encouraging however is the wonderful response of the community in the fantastic clean up campaign. What a brilliant sight in Clapham of the broom wielding crowd ready to set to and put their town back in order. This was repeated across the country showing that social media has more a positive and powerful effect by influencing people power and mobilizing the riot clean up via Twitter.

Make sure your business is involved in the local community, belong to an organisation that spreads the word via social media and word of mouth and you will gain support in so many different areas.

No one knows the solution to this atrocity but I believe that by going back to basics, building strong communities and teaching our youth to be grateful, understand how blessed we are in the western world and to know that no one is entitled to anything, nothing is for free, we have to earn everything including respect, it might go some way to helping us help each other.

If your business is surviving in these troubled times know that you are doing a fantastic job, because I believe that no one works as hard as you, and to keep afloat during a recession is even more difficult, you don’t have to struggle alone, get help from your community and remember if you need a hand then just give me a ring.

I’ve just come back from a two day training course to teach me even more about network marketing. I thought I knew it all: ask my husband he is often heard to be muttering ‘you really think you know it all!’ I was shocked to discover that indeed I DID NOT KNOW IT ALL!!!

Having been immersed in networking and spent years studying the human psyche and believing I knew everything about building rapport, setting strategies and gaining referrals through networking I was surprised, nay delighted, to learn something new. (To find out what exactly you will need to pop along to a Business Forum.)

This set me thinking about business owners who feel that one of the perks of owning your own business is never having to go on a course again. Never having to be in the corporate environment where you had to learn the latest initiative, study the newest guidelines and follow the umpteenth protocol. What is the point when you are great at what you do and so have no need to learn anything new!  Or is there? When was the last time you updated your skills? When was the last time you learnt a new skill, or discovered something that would actually make your life easier?

We tell our children that education is good for you, but many adults feel that they have left the classroom behind them and no longer need to sit in that environment. ‘Don’t do as I do, just do as I tell you’. What example are we setting our children if they never see us pick up a book or watch a DVD to improve ourselves. I began my degree when my children were small and they used to love sitting down with me while we did our homework together. When I received my Honours degree they told me how proud they were of me, and I can’t wait to watch my eldest daughter receive her degree next weekend. But I would be so disappointed if she stopped there. She doesn’t need to paper the wall with certificates but she does need to continue with an open mind to gaining knowledge and understanding.

We should be continually striving to better ourselves at every opportunity. There are an amazing array of courses, seminars conferences and workshops to help all of us in business and the person who feels they have nothing left to learn or simply can’t be bothered to make the effort is the person who will wake up to find his business no longer exists. If we are not moving forward we are slowly sliding backwards into oblivion, there is no standing still. The world is changing at a faster rate than at any other time in the history of the universe, we owe it to ourselves to keep up.

Once you discover the benefits of educating yourself in business and indeed in personal development then you open the door to opportunity, and give your friends and family a great example to start on their journey to discovery too.

I may tell my husband I know it all – but I’m booked onto another course in November and I can’t wait to find out what I’ll discover.

What happens when the get up and go has got up and gone?

We all have days like that, yes even Richard Branson has off days. We feel guilty about not working so hard, not producing the output we know we are capable of, not energising those around us and I am here to let you know ‘that’s ok’. It happens, we cannot be ‘ON’ all the time. Knowing that you should be grateful for what you have and understanding the laws of attraction where you should be sending out the right vibrations of gratitude and abundance you feel guilty for the low mood and simply feeling ‘meh’. On paper you have everything to be grateful for, your health, family, relationships, even the weather is glorious plus you have your business plan in place so you know what to do to move you forward, so your logic tells you it is ridiculous to be feeling this way – but you do. I’m not talking about full on depression, which obviously requires professional help. I am referring to the odd day of feeling low. Remember when you were employed by someone else you used to call it a duvet day.

So how do you find your Mojo? I’ve discovered a three step process that rarely fails me.

1.       Choose your mood – tell yourself you are motivated, wonderful, inspiring and incredibly happy. Put on some music that gives you a buzz and makes you want to dance – I love Latin American, some Gloria Estefan or Ricky Martin – sorry showing my age, but it works for me. If possible play it loud and dance like no one is watching. If necessary have it on your Ipod and pop to the loo for a private boogie.

2.       Tell someone – you can tell people you admire and get inspiration from, that you are feeling a bit bleurgh. It will take them two minutes to offer you some insights into feeling better. Even if it is putting a post out to your best buddy on Facebook they will get back to you really quickly to raise your self esteem. If you have a business coach a quick text might be all it takes to get your Mojo back

3.       Fake it till you make it – act as though you are the person you most admire. What Would They Do? Get on and GSD (Get Stuff Done) because if you wallow in your mood at the end of the day you will feel even more disappointed by the amount you haven’t achieved and guess what tomorrow you will feel exactly the same. By getting your tasks and projects done regardless of your mood will propel you forward for the next day. How great will you feel tomorrow.

Quite often these emotions are transient, caused by the outside influences and occasionally physical manifestations – yes we all know how deviant hormones can be for both sexes. If you allow your business to be affected by the weather, a disagreement with a colleague, the global recession, or just simply losing your Mojo then your business will suffer because you allow it to be affected. The successful business owner will be looking for a way to relieve those things that can bring a business down, find a way to circumnavigate them and generate fantastic solutions. Don’t let intangibles interfere with your success. Go find your Mojo!

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
Rene Descartes