OK… so I did it. I’ve started writing my book. I wrote the first pages last weekend and umm… gulp.

While I’ve been sitting with the desire to write another book for some time – it’s been a recent series of nudges that pushed me into action. That and the inner voice saying… it’s time Jane, it’s time!

So I’ll be using my occasional blog posts as a place to share the evolution of what I’m anticipating will be some pretty cool and innovative thoughts around helping solo entrepreneurs experience more joy, more fun and oh yes… higher revenues along the way.

So in an effort to keep the Inner Critic at bay I’ll begin with WHY. Why embark upon this journey of putting my thoughts about growing a successful business in a book?

First – not only are entrepreneurs my favorite people on the planet, I am also one of you. Having founded four successful businesses over the last 24 years, I know the feelings of excitement when you reach a milestone, close a deal or make a difference while making a profit. It’s sweet.

Second – I believe that there is a deeper conversation that needs to be had around this journey of building a business. Through my own experience and now my work with clients I see the light side as well as the dark side of entrepreneurship.  I know how it feels when it gets lonely, uncomfortable and downright scary. I get it.

So let’s start to have an honest conversation about how you can step into your role as an entrepreneur with more joy, greater commitment and better results.

A few things I want you to know about your journey as an entrepreneur.

• I want you to know you are not alone on your journey as an entrepreneur. You are accompanied by a band of courageous brother and sister entrepreneurs who are also striving to make a difference in the world. They share your desire for the journey to building a business to be more profitable and peaceful.
• I want you to know there are new enlightened answers to the challenges you face in growing your business. New ways of seeing your business, new ways of being in business and perhaps more important –new methods for expanding your business that are in alignment with your values and the way you are uniquely wired.
• I want you to know you’re off the hook. No longer do you have to force yourself to take steps to grow your business that are so out of alignment with your character that it causes unrest.  This is not to say that you won’t have to take steps beyond your comfort zone, sorry, that’s still part of the process. What it does mean is that in building your business you never have to compromise your integrity or do something that goes against the person you are meant to be.
• I want you to know that when you attempt to grow your business using methods that are out of alignment with your values and personality, not only will you fail, you will also repel the very results you are seeking because the vibration you are moving in is out of alignment with who you want to be.
• I want you to know that only when your business is built on a foundation of your personal values and the principles of service and contribution will you remain connected to your higher self and thereby be empowered to attract the people and opportunities that will bring your business into your reality.

So that’s what I want you to know today. Let me know how this lands – let’s have a dialogue about how these thoughts resonate with what you are feeling about your journey of growing your business. It will be fun.

Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth inspiration, productivity, progress

OK, it’s time for some true confessions. How many emails are in your Inbox right now? I don’t mean just the bolded emails that have not been looked at. I’m referring to all of them – opened and unopened. Over the years, I’ve heard it all, from a few dozen to over ten thousand! Yikes. Here are a few questions to see if you are suffering from inbox overwhelm.

• Are you keeping any emails in your inbox as a reminder of an action step you need to take?
• Do you have emails in your inbox simply because you don’t want to lose the information or forget a point?
• When you open your email do you have a “not-so-good” feeling when you see the mass of emails screaming for your attention?
• Have you ever felt like blocking the entire slew of emails and sending them off to the recycle bin?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you are not alone. Inbox Overwhelm seems to afflict even the most successful entrepreneurs. How about you?

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’ll share that thankfully organization and time management are two skills I have gotten a handle over my 24 years in business. In fact, I’d say personal management and an ability to manage my mindset are the two things that support me in getting so much done in so little time.  And while technology allows me to streamline communication and leverage my work it can also be a bone of contention, with information – and emails – coming at me at breakneck speed.  So I set out to find ways to conquer my inbox overwhelm. It took me about three months to create the system and form the habits that now support me in keeping my inbox under control. On a daily basis I average no more than 5 to 8 emails in my inbox and on a good day when I power down, I’m free and clear of emails all together.

So here you go…. I’m including six of my 20 simple strategies for Conquering Inbox Overwhelm.

While it’s not my entire system, I think you’ll find them to be some great first steps to nailing this sometimes overwhelming aspect of the entrepreneurial experience.

1. Decide to be the victor not the victim. Commit to establish an email management system that allows you to control how much time and energy your emails take.
2. Have more than one email account for campaigns and subscriptions. Only use your personal email account for private and high level business dealings.
3. Even if you are a one person show, have two email accounts; one personal and another Service@yourURL.com. Then, as soon as you are able, enlist the support of a virtual assistant to whom you will hand over this account.
4. Don’t be afraid to unsubscribe to email subscriptions you no longer find helpful or interesting. Taking just 30 seconds now will save many minutes over time.
5. Create a “swipe” folder in your email program where you save samples of competitor’s email campaigns.
6. Create an education folder where you save interesting emails that will take some time to review. Often it’s tempting to dive in and check out an email, watch a video or listen to a recording that promises to teach us something we simply must know. I find it better to schedule “Research and Review” time each week when I go to that folder and explore some of the emails that piqued my interest. In short, you are in control of when you “explore” so schedule that time and stick to it.

There is plenty more where that came from. So start with these first six step and then let me know about you progress toward Conquering Inbox Overwhelm. Happy deleting!

Business Vision, Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth, Uncategorized productivity, progress, strategies

The answer may be killing your profits and your passion.

As a business strategist I help business earn more and have more fun doing it.  How we do that varies for each client. Sometimes we expand into new markets or tweak how they talk about their offer. However, one thing nearly every client needs is greater clarity about where they should invest their time and capital for the greatest return.

Let’s face it, today there are thousands of options for growing your business. But in a hour of work time, what should you do?  You could write a blog, post in Facebook, answer emails, run a campaign, call a client, form a JV alliance, go to a networking event…AHHH… it can drive a person batty!

To help ease your pain and confusion, here are some tips for deciding the best use of your time for the highest return.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND: You may think you have a clear vision for your business but do you really? Is it a written vision that includes both the right and left brain components? When I work with a client, we spend time clarifying the creative, feeling-aspect of your vision but we don’t stop there. We get super detailed around what must go with it – the sales figures you’ll hit, the team you’ll have, the marketing strategies you will implement and so on.

ESTABLISH REASONABLE BENCHMARKS: These are smaller goals that when completed, move you closer to your big vision. My studies show that 85% of entrepreneurs begin their month WITHOUT specific goals or a plan.
All I can say is… you can’t hit a target you can’t see!

CHOOSE THE RIGHT STRATEGIES: I see so many well-meaning entrepreneurs investing in programs, tools and information without really considering whether it’s appropriate for their plan or personality. Then they feel guilty when they don’t follow through. Give yourself a break – choose 3 to 4 strategies that are aligned with who you are and what you love. You’ll be more courageous, you’ll follow through and you’ll get much better results. I promise!

DESIGN YOUR WEEK: One of the tips my clients love is to ditch the Daily To Do List and move to a Weekly Action Plan. It gives you freedom, a longer range vision and allows you to be flexible and kind to yourself. What do you put on your Weekly Action Plan? Single steps that are born out of something I call a Freedom Plan. This is a simple document that outlines your main objectives for a specific period of time, identifies the strategies you’ll utilizes and specifies the steps you’ll take to get there. A Freedom Plan is freeing!

So there you have it… you need a clearly defined one year vision, specific monthly goals, 3-4 appropriate marketing strategies and a weekly plan of action. Add a great Business Coach (that would be me!) who guides and supports you in the implementation and watch the magic happen and the sales soar!
Click here to learn about coaching with Jane.

Business Growth, Business Vision, Marketing Innovation, Sales productivity, profit, prosperity, strategies

It started off as a typical strategy call with me and the client quickly diving into the nuts and bolts of their business. Our goal was to uncover the missing links that were blocking this client from getting the sales they wanted from their marketing efforts. Like Sherlock Holmes, I got out my magnifying glass to see what I could see.

Eureka! What we found was actually quite typical of businesses who now find themselves struggling in this oh-so-interesting economy. What we discovered is that this business didn’t need an entire overhaul or a five-figure marketing budget. What they needed was a few small but significant shifts in their Four Pillars of Marketing. Read on…

The Four Pillars of Marketing™ is a tool I developed that serves as a starting point for my work with any small business. By looking here to make sure the foundation is strong, we can then start to build a formidable empire. The problem is most business owners never really took the time to lay this foundation. They were too busy “taking action”, never realizing they were building a house of cards.

So what are the Four Pillars of Marketing?

The MARKET: This is your ideal client that you are best equipped to serve. They want, need and are willing to pay for what you offer and are totally pleased when they invest in it.

The MESSAGE: These are the words and sound bites you use to describe the impact of your product or service in a way that speaks to your prospects’ pain and inspires them to take action and BUY.

The MODEL: This answers the question, “How will you bring in the cash?” It must be trend supported, manageable and diversified so that all your eggs are never in one basket.

The METHODS: This describes the three to four marketing avenues you will use to move through the three stages of marketing – visibility, credibility and profitability.

What my client really needed was a “Four Pillars Makeover” so we…

• Redefined her target market so she was reaching out to those most likely to act on her offer.
• Tweaked her marketing message so she connected with the pain her prospects were feeling.
• We diversified her revenue streams so she had more ways to bring in the cash.
• And… we had her focus on only three marketing avenues that fit her budget and expanded her network.

What’s the moral of the story? The Fundamentals NEVER fail! The challenge is that as entrepreneurs we can’t see the forest through the trees. We can’t see our own business objectively because we are knee deep in it every day! We can’t see when we are going for the wrong market or that our message isn’t inspiring action. We can’t see opportunities for revenues or creative ways to expand our market because frankly… we don’t know what we don’t know!

This is why I have always had a business coach of my own. How about you? Could you benefit from an informed third party’s take on your business? Find out where you can sheer up your Four Pillars of Marketing by taking the Business Innovation Quiz here: http://www.janedeuber.com/free-assessment. Then take advantage of this limited time offer for a Kick-Start Strategy Session with me! We’ll have a blast pinpointing what you can do to strengthen your Four Pillars of Marketing.

Business Growth, Business Vision productivity, progress, strategies

While I have the privilege of  serving all kinds of entrepreneurs through my coaching and training programs, one group I truly resonate with is made up of speakers, authors and trainers. I resonate with them because I am one of them. So I speak from experience when I say… How we are delivering our content to our clients when we are not face to face or belly to belly has to change!  The illusion that we can change a life through a CD, a PDF or a standalone webminar is an illusion. No, the next generation of delivering our content is an interactive, multi-media training platform that creates connection, inspires action and keeps students wanting more.
To get a free report entitled Turn Your Content Into Cash, visit the Virtual Training Academy.

I have taken over 3000 students through 12 life-changing courses using this innovative online training platform. So, in the interest of passing on to you the insider secrets I’ve gained along the way – here are some “must-haves” that you’ll want to have in your next online course in order to create change in your clients and profits for you.

1. Give Them A Starting Point To Measure From – One important way to keep participants engaged in your e-course is to help them recognize and measure their progress along the way.  I recommend you start with a series of pre-course assessment questions that provide a numerical representation of where they are with regard to your topic. This assessment provides motivation to keep taking the steps you suggest and provides evidence of their progress. Clients who can measure progress are more likely to stay in the game and tell others about their experience.

2. Find the Natural Rhythm of Your Material – When dividing your content into modules, it’s important to find the natural milestones or shifts your participant needs to make in order to experience personal transformation. Perhaps there is a foundation that needs to be laid around beliefs or mindset. If so, weave that process into your first module so they have a strong foundation to build on. Then, continue to look for the natural progression of growth that can be revealed throughout each subsequent module.

3. Give Them Your Best – Your first E-Learning Platform should be based on your most popular program – your signature content upon which your brand is built. By transforming your content into an ongoing, step-by-step experience we allow participants to settle into our message and gradually weave our strategies and the principles into their lives.

4. Begin With the End In Mind – As the saying goes, you can’t hit a target you can’t see.  So no matter what your topic, begin the program with a pre-course exercise that helps participants create a clear vision of where they want to end up after experiencing your course. From hitting a financial goal, defining their ideal weight, or identifying a personal dream they truly desire, you want participants to see and feel the results before they begin.  This keeps them focused on the end willing to do the action steps you outline for them.

Read more…

Business Growth, Business Vision productivity, profit, strategies

Thankfully…. organization and time management are two skills I have truly mastered over my 22 years in business. In fact, I feel it’s these skills, combined with my ability to manage my mindset, that enable me to get so much done in so little time.
One aspect of organization and time management that has served me well in this age of technology is my personal strategy for eliminating what I call “Inbox Overwhelm.”
In short, too many business owners’ lives are being run by their inbox and I am on a mission to change that!
So here you go…. My personal system for managing email overwhelm so I maintain an inbox that is either empty or under 6 emails on a regular basis.

• Be the victor not the victim. Establish an email management system that allows you to control how much time and energy your emails take.
• Have more than one email account for campaigns and subscriptions
• Unsubscribe to what’s not necessary
• Create a swipe file where you keep samples of competitor’s email campaigns
• Schedule time for Research and Review (Don’t click and get lost on line. YOU decide when you review your inbox!)
• File strategies – Set up sub folders in Outlook where you store past emails
• When you receive an email that requires a response be brief yet thorough
• Emails that require action – place the “to do” on a master list (or your calendar) and file the email in the appropriate folder.
• Delete what’s taken care of that you don’t need a history of
• Consider a catch-all archive folder where border line stuff is placed for a month or two. Empty the archive box every 3 months.
• If a request comes in and the timing isn’t right, tell them you are not able to handle their request at this time and ask if they would be so kind to re-email you a month from now. (Only the people who have something important follow up.)
• Be decisive! Either Do it, Delegate it, Delay it or Dump it
• Most importantly… YOU decide which emails you respond to and when you respond. Don’t let your workday be designed by other people’s requests.

Business Growth, Maintaining Mindset productivity, progress, strategies

Mentoring describes a partnership through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information, and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else. Not only does it provide guidance to an enthusiastic mentee, it often inspires the mentor to approach their work with greater enthusiasm and personal excellence.

Each year, I commit to mentor a specific number of individuals that I feel a connection. Often they are just beginning their career or are transitioning from a career that no longer served them. The mentee is not a paid client, yet the value and guidance they receive from me is quite similar although it is delivered in very brief monthly interactions. Read more…

Masterminding productivity, progress, strategies