I’ve started so I’ll finish …..

A client was telling me recently about how she had spent time sorting through the piles of paper in her office during the previous week.  She was able to throw away (or recycle) much of it, and was proud of her newly empty desk.  “I feel as though my mind has been de-cluttered as well”  she said “there’s room now to take on some new projects.”

It’s in the nature of business owners and entrepreneurs to love new ideas.  They relish doing the research, planning what (and who) needs to be involved and getting the project off the ground.  They also usually have quite a clear picture of what the finished product or service will ‘look’ like.

Unfortunately, that’s where a lot of great ideas falter.  You see, when people are great are starting new projects, they’re often not very good at finishing them!  Once the initial excitement and buzz of a new idea has faded, in their minds they’ve already done all the work and are ready to move on to the next new idea!

Other people have a lot of trouble getting started with a project but are great at working through the detail.   They get tremendous satisfaction from seeing the finished article and hate to leave any loose ends.

(Whether you’re a starter or a finisher, your projects could benefit from my special Summer Strategy meeting.)

In an ideal world, the ‘starters’ will have all the ideas and pass their projects over to ‘finishers’ to see through to completion.  Everyone would be very happy doing what they enjoy most.

But if you’re an ideas person who doesn’t happen to have anyone to do the finishing, you’re going to need to learn to de-clutter your half-finished projects so that you can make room for those new ideas you crave!

Not only that, you could be delaying earning money from them too! 


Louise Barnes-Johnston
'Trainee finisher'

Business owners need nerves of steel

I've had a couple of days in the office working on a new workshop idea - but please don't tell anyone!

Looks silly written down, doesn't it? The problem with being an entrepreneur and business owner is that you're constantly looking for new angles, new products and services, and ways to stay ahead of the competition. When you think you've found one, you become paranoid! You don't want to even talk about it in case you then read that someone else has got there first.

You have to keep your nerve while you're developing the idea (or at least producing the sales copy). Once you've staked your claim, you can heave a sigh of relief that, if anyone else uses the idea, they're an also ran - because you thought of it first! Sounds incredibly childish but, in business, it's deadly serious and could be the difference between survival and the unthinkable.

Sorry if this is getting a bit melodramatic but all will be revealed very soon. Keep reading.

When is a Newsletter not a Newsletter?

In the (nearly 10) years since I've been in business, email newsletters or e-zines aimed at small businesses and entrepreneurs have been both a lifeline, and an endless source of information and inspiration to me.

My own newsletters (I used to write three!) have always had the primary intention of sharing knowledge, resources and tips with their readers. Today, 'Competitive Advantage' is aimed at the owners of small business owners and entrepreneurs, many of whom I meet at various networking events.

When working with coaching clients looking to grow their businesses, I encourage them to keep in touch with their clients and prospects via an e-zine. It's a cheap, efficient and easy marketing tool, and can be incredibly effective if used correctly.

Unfortunately many companies confuse the term 'newsletter' and 'promotion'. I get emails that are 100% promotions - for cars, villas or holidays in warmer climates. Not a mention of '10 ways to stay safe if you break down' or 'The 5 questions you must ask before buying your villa abroad', nor even 'How to select the holiday of your dreams'.

You see, I've been spoilt by some excellent newsletters and have based my own on them. I strongly believe that a newsletter imparts information and tips and isn't just a blatant promotion. Of course it's expected that the sender will refer to a product or service - but such promotion should form just a small part of the whole.

What tends to happen is that, after the first or second promotional email, more people will unsubscribe if they're not looking for a new car, villa or holiday at that moment. With an informative newsletter, relevant to their business, this is less likely to happen.

I shall write an article for my own newsletter 'Competitive Advantage' with some suggestions on how to write ezines that get read.

Is it practical and will it be profitable?

Since I 'went public' in yesterday's posting about writing a brand new workshop, my brain has been working overtime! This is typical of most entrepreneurs, we are very attracted to new ideas. We have to guard against being tempted into pursuing ideas that may not be practical, or profitable.

So, I'm going to take this one slowly (at first). I'll admit that I'm very excited at the material and experiences that I already have available to share - but I need to make sure that it will be of interest.

Tomorrow I'm off to a breakfast group and will get some thoughts from people there.

One trait that I've noticed about most business owners is that they generally try to do far too much. They seem to be at every networking event and seminar (and if you watch carefully, you can sometimes see them starting to nod off during the talks because they are so tired). Being so tired is no fun, and it's bad for business because judgement and results are affected. That's one area I know I can help with.

A busy week so far - TGIF tomorrow!

This week has been busy, both in terms of working with coaching clients and delivering a workshop on Tuesday. I'm also working on a new part of the business that I'm very excited about, but it's having to be squeezed in after hours at the moment. Keep reading for details as they become available!

Next week, I've been asked to deliver another new workshop, and I have to confess that I haven't written it yet! Still, deadlines are wonderful for focusing the mind. At least I shouldn't have the added stress of the printer saga this time.

The beginning of a new month means a new issue of my newsletter 'Competitive Advantage', which is just about ready to go. I had a lovely compliment from a delegate on Tuesday who told the others that my newsletter was 'really good'. Did I pick up some new subscribers? Definitely.

I've also been working with a marketing consultant on a press release over the last few days, which has been quite exciting. It's all signed off now and will be submitted to several local publications over the next few days. I shall be waiting with bated breath to find out if it gets published.

On re-reading this post, it sounds a bit smug and all about me. I'll try to think of something for all you business owners and entrepreneurs for my next post.

Motivation can be hard work!

How do you get a small business owner motivated? No it isn't a joke question, unfortunately! I've noticed a distinct lack of motivation in some of my coaching clients lately. They're comfortable with what they're making and they don't feel the urgency to get out there and hustle. It's really difficult for me to find out what their future goals are.

Anthony Robbins talks about needing a 'big enough Why' and he's absolutely right. Unless you have overwhelming reasons to go for something (either in your personal or business life), why should you bother? Far easier to stay in your comfort zone and go with the flow.

At the end of this month I'm running a workshop all about Motivation for Entrepreneurs. Apparently it's sold out already. I think the business owners I'll see there will be looking for ways of rediscovering the motivation they felt when they first started in business. It seems to me that, unless you nurture that motivation, it starts to wilt under the every day pressures of being a business owner. Before long, it's all too much effort (we start to think fondly of being a salaried employee!) and we look for a way out.

I firmly believe that it is possible to reconnect with your motivation - and I'm going to prove it to my workshop delegates! It's all to do with thinking big, very big......

Why Business Coaching is so special

As the result of an unexpected phone call request this afternoon, I’m busy putting together a special workshop all about motivation for business owners and entrepreneurs. It’s called, rather unoriginally, ‘E-Motivation’ and is going to be full of really effective tips and exercises that really do work. I’m looking forward to it already.

A meeting with a coaching client today highlighted that a business coach has many different roles. Today my client was really not himself. Things were going wrong and he needed to get some frustrations out of his system. While we didn’t get any measurable work done, I think I may just have saved some of his staff an ear-bashing.

When I worked in the corporate world I used to apply for promotions and different jobs on a regular basis. I get bored easily. I’ve been coaching for 7 years now and can honestly say that boredom isn’t an issue. I never know what coaching clients are going to present – which is both exciting and sometimes a little scary! But I love it. I love not knowing what the next coaching session is going to bring. It certainly keeps me on my toes.