Managing Yourself and Your Business – Are You Hearing More Noise Than Music?

Last week I was meeting with a client, who was feeling very overwhelmed, overscheduled and confused. I understood exactly how she felt, because I had been there once or twice myself. I could have told her a million different things to keep her on track, focused and accountable, but I felt this overwhelming intuition that what she needed most was a break from the noise.

So I told her to reschedule all of her commitments, unplug from the social media routine, not attend any of the classes she had signed up for, stop reading ezines, and take a proverbial “who cares?” approach to anything she felt like she really should be doing. She was surprised, I think, at my laissez-faire suggestion, since I am usually very practical and a step-by-step, work the plan, kind of advisor.

I found out from her later that it did her a world of good, and that it helped her settle some questions that she had been grappling with for a while now.

The ironic thing is that a week later, I found myself in the same place. Although the specifics and variables were different, the net result was the same. All of the things that usually jazzed me up, felt more like noise than music.

So, I took my own advice and gave myself permission to do absolutely, positively, nothing productive. I spent time outside in the sun, had an afternoon nap and put the word out that I was not cooking dinner.

And guess what? My husband shopped for ingredients and actually tried a new recipe, it turned out great (he is not a cook, so this was a stretching experience for him), and I woke up the next day feeling wonderfully. I also received three opportunities before noon. What a difference a day can make.

The reason I’m sharing this with you is that I know that many of you are way too hard on yourselves. Combined with the conditioning we carry from education and employment, we keep pushing through and find it very difficult to deviate from our plan or what we think we should do.

I’m not advocating to unplug from your business forever, throw up your hands and wait for things to happen, but rather to listen to yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused. When this happens, you might ask yourself:

• Am I feeling overwhelmed because I don’t know how to do something?
• Am I feeling overwhelmed because I’m not sure if this is right for me?
• Am  I feeling this way because I am not confident, or afraid it will not work?
• Or am I so overwhelmed, I have no idea what I’m feeling or why?

If it’s one of the first three, if you can identify it, you can solve it. If it’s the last one, give yourself the permission to unplug. You might find the answers are clear when you power up again!

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System™  for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

Three common business mistakes and how to avoid them

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We’re already one third of the way through 2009 – are you where you want to be?

Many of us dream of quitting the corporate rat race and exchanging it for the freedom filled life of the self-employed. Or, you may be an accidental entrepreneur, plunged into the world of self-employment due to downsizing, layoff, or business closure.

This number grows every year. Most businesses in the United States and Canada are created as sole proprietorships – and it’s no surprise, for two reasons. One, because it’s relatively simple to do, and two, because we want to be independent and free in our newly staked territory.

There are common mistakes that many new entrepreneurs make when they are leaving the corporate world.

Number one – not taking the time to get clear about what you really want out of your new business.

Would you hop on a plane, without knowing where it was headed? This is the equivalent of failing to examine your business and personal goals.

Many small business owners just don’t take the time upfront to think about what they really want. They start from where they are at the moment and put one foot in front of the other, day after day. They pick up random clients and focus on getting their work done. Most are just relieved to have clients and to make enough to replace their previous income. So where do they end up? Often somewhere they don’t like, and don’t recognize.

The best defense against building a business that you’ll want to invest yourself in, is to make sure you know what you want.

Number two – not knowing who your ideal clients are and what you are selling to them.

Using the analogy of travel again, would you be persuaded to fly first class to a five-star resort on a tropical beach, if you have a phobia of flying and your budget is modest? Not likely.

But this disconnect is something that many business owners create with their potential customers. They do not carefully and deliberately decide the structure of the business enterprise. They don’t determine the services and prices they’re offering in a strategic way. They don’t choose a target market, or figure out what that market wants. They try to sell the five-star resort to the one-star customer.

What’s even worse, they often undercharge, so to the clients they attract haphazardly, they sell at a one-star price.

What ends up happening are business owners who feel very scattered and do not stand for anything in the marketplace.

Number three - not getting help soon enough.

Going it alone sounds great to ex-corporate, solo entrepreneur types, until they realize they not only have to get the clients and do the work, but take care of technical support, marketing, production and customer service. Many new entrepreneurs do not get help soon enough. A good rule of thumb – if someone else can do it faster, better, or cheaper than you, you should not be doing it yourself.

Today the availability of contract help is virtually infinite. There are independent professionals providing administrative and technical support, accounting, marketing and everything in between.

Besides paid help, other forms of support are also important. Finding networks, taking training, and getting some form of coaching are all ways to create support teams for entrepreneurs.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System^TM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and unlock their business potential for greater personal freedom and prosperity. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful entrepreneurial adventure. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for free tips on how to unlock the business in you.