Best Small Business Advice – Interview with Lara Galloway

Until March 31, I’m running the Best Business Advice Ever interview series featuring successful entrepreneurs. I’ve asked each of them what’s worked, which mistakes they learned from the most, and the one piece of advice they have to share with you.

Lara Galloway, The Mom Biz Coach is a sought-after business coach, speaker, writer and Blog Talk Radio show host in the mom entrepreneur world. Her work has helped countless mompreneurs define success on their own terms and achieve it. Her signature training program, The Mom Biz Makeover, teaches mompreneurs how to create a sustainable business that fits into their family life. Known for her pay-it-forward attitude and love of helping others, Lara uses her Engagement Marketing Strategy to take a passive approach to earning income and an aggressive approach to spending quality time with family.

Lara grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia and worked for IBM in the United States for several years before moving to Michigan, and then Canada, with her husband.  She quit her job to raise her children, and soon realized she missed working. Lara developed a coaching business that allowed her to work from home. Listen to the interview to learn:

• How growing up in Corporate America taught her the right way to do a lot of things
• How she reinvented herself as a stay at home mom, then an entrepreneur
• The difference between being an entrepreneur and someone who earns money from her own business
• The danger of being the Chief Everything Officer in your business

To get a complimentary download of this and other Best Business Advice Series interviews, enter your name and email here (it’s free and there are no sales pitches or upsells in these presentations – enter your phone number if you’d also like to get early notice of upcoming events). You will also receive a subscription to popular articles published by Corporate Fugitive and Sherri Garrity.

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Best Small Business Advice – Interview with Jennifer Bourn

Until March 31, I’m running the Best Business Advice Ever interview series featuring successful entrepreneurs. I’ve asked each of them what’s worked, which mistakes they learned from the most, and the one piece of advice they have to share with you.

Jennifer Bourn specializes in working with leading entrepreneurs, speakers, authors, and information marketers to support them in achieving big business results. As founder of the web design and online marketing management agency Bourn Creative, Jennifer offers full service design, marketing strategy, and implementation services to emerging small businesses who desire big marketing results on a small business budget.

Jennifer founded Bourn Creative 2005 to give her the freedom to stay home with her children and continue to build a career doing what she loves. She immediately jumped into the branding, web design, and marketing arenas to fulfill her passion for helping smart, savvy business owners create powerful brands, attract more clients and get found more often online. Today she is a savvy mompreneur and Bourn Creative’s Marketing Manager, Art Director, and Chief Strategist, and is constantly reading, experimenting, and learning to expand her knowledge-base, keep informed of the latest trends and tools, and provide a high-level of service to Bourn Creative’s clients.

By the time Jennifer graduated from college, she already had five years of full-time graphic design experience at an advertising agency, moving from production grunt, to creative services director. And, she had completed internships at a printer, a newspaper, a magazine, and a marketing agency. So starting her own business was a natural step, although it was not a simple decision to make. Listen to the interview to learn:

• Why it took her six months to work up the courage to quit her agency job, and what the idiosyncracy was that set her off to resign
• The challenges of working at home with children, and how she used to try to hide this from her corporate clients
• How wearing jeans set her free and turbo-launched her business
• Why you shouldn’t cut costs on your accountant or your website
• How little she used to sleep and how different her life and business became once she allowed herself to hire help
• A simple SEO tip to get more traffic to your website

To get a complimentary download of this and other Best Business Advice Series interviews, enter your name and email here (it’s free and there are no sales pitches or upsells in these presentations – enter your phone number if you’d also like to get early notice of upcoming events). You will also receive a subscription to popular articles published by Corporate Fugitive and Sherri Garrity.

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Best Small Business Advice – Interview with Marie Guthrie

Until March 31, I’m running the Best Business Advice Ever interview series featuring successful entrepreneurs. I’ve asked each of them what’s worked, which mistakes they learned from the most, and the one piece of advice they have to share with you.

Marie Guthrie is an Executive Career Strategist and CEO of The Legacy Track, a boutique consulting firm specializing in revitalizing the careers of Fortune 500 Senior Executives with the complexities, pace and pressures of operating in the global arena. The Legacy Career System and The New Rules for Executive Careers help top executives in their 40’s & 50’s find a purposeful career no matter what the business climate, to earn the income they are worth and to provide a good life for themselves and their loved ones. Marie offers Coach the Corner Office Training for coaches wanting to work with Fortune 500 executives and their very complex personal and professional worlds.

Marie labels herself a “recovering executive” who reinvented her career five times due to mergers, economic downturns, market shifts and new bosses before she established a thriving business.  

Listen to the interview to hear:

• How the early days being her own boss were spent more like an employee than the CEO of her own business
• The two people she would hire immediately to help her build her business if she could do it over again
• Her ABCD list and why “Don’t Like, Don’t Care” items are deadly for your business
• How she reinvented her business using the same methods she did in her career
• Why she doesn’t call herself a coach anymore

To get a complimentary download of this and other Best Business Advice Series interviews, enter your name and email here (it’s free and there are no sales pitches or upsells in these presentations – enter your phone number if you’d also like to get early notice of upcoming events). You will also receive a subscription to popular articles published by Corporate Fugitive and Sherri Garrity.

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Small Business Advice – Are You Tempted to Ride the Popular Wave?

Each and every day in the USA alone, more than 2,500 new businesses are started. Many of them are sole proprietorships created by people leaving careers behind and looking forward to a business that allows them flexibility and success on their own terms.

In 2007 I followed the same steps that many of you did. When I filed my business officially that year, I looked for knowledge and guidance to teach me what I needed to know to run a successful, home-based business. I went to the typical startup sources, like government agencies, local business development organizations, and the bookstore. I was disappointed to find that most of it really didn’t apply to me and was instead directed at a typical bricks and mortar or consulting businesses working in a typical office setting. On the internet, I found lots of information, almost too much, and it took me a lot of time to sort through it. I remember feeling overwhelmed and having to push down a rising sense of panic that I’d never master any of it, and would fail if I missed any important nugget.

It seemed like every second click led to “six figure secrets unveiled” and the “ten ways to make your fortune online.” As a business and marketing advisor, and someone who spent over 20 years in the marketing profession already, I remember thinking how fortunate I not having to learn it all from the beginning. But using the internet as a marketing tool to build a virtual business was new to me, so I signed up for more free classes, paid products and other offers than I could keep up with!

Since that time, I’ve worked with many entrepreneurs and I’ve heard a lot of discouraging stories of time, money and precious energy being wasted as a result of receiving overpromised, under delivered, inappropriate, ill timed or just plain bad advice. Here’s what can happen when you find yourself steered off your path:

• Your marketing can start to be really inauthentic, confusing your audience and making you feel like an impostor (or at the least, highly uncomfortable).
• You can develop a business that just doesn’t fit you, and feels like a chore instead of a joy.
• You can waste money on the latest hot ticket idea only to find it isn’t what your clients want, and it isn’t feeling good for you either.
• You create a business that sets you up to be your own employee, instead of your own boss.

So, here are some tips to help you stay focused and to navigate the choices wisely.

• Steer clear of anyone who tells you there’s only one way to do something. This is simply not true. It’s your business, and you have unlimited choice and possibility to create it the way that fits you.
• Watch out for the popular, hot ticket ideas. Like any other industry, there are trends and cycles. Evaluate these ideas carefully, and always measure them against what you want in your business, what your clients and market is asking for, and what they’re willing to pay for it. Riding the popular wave only works if you get on it before it peaks, and before it blends, indistinguishably, into the shore. If you’re not sure, invest in a second opinion before you go too far.
• Realize that throwing more and more money at a problem doesn’t mean you can fix it. If you don’t have a solid business idea, a clearly defined solution for a specific market, and a strong foundation for your business and marketing, no amount of window dressing is going to help.

And the most important of all? Entrepreneur, know thyself. Be clear about what you want, and when you seek advice or opinions, or learn from others, be sure you are “delegating” and not “abdicating.”

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.

Best Business Advice – Interview with Jeanna Gabellini

Until March 31, I’m running the Best Business Advice Ever interview series featuring successful entrepreneurs. I’ve asked each of them what’s worked, which mistakes they learned from the most, and the one piece of advice they have to share with you.

Jeanna Gabellini is a Master Business Coach who assists high achieving entrepreneurs and their teams to leverage fun, systems and intentionality for high-octane results. Jeanna excels at modeling and teaching that business is meant to be passion filled, exhilarating and profitable. Jeanna´s coaching and seminars marry vision, divine guidance and proven strategies. She started MASTERPEACE Coaching and Training in 1996 after starting several other successful businesses and selling them. In 1998, she was one of the first coaches in the world — and the youngest — to receive the designation of Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation. Jeanna is the co-author of Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction with Eva Gregory, Mark Victor Hansen & Jack Canfield.

Jeanna is a high energy, accomplished coach who did not follow typical or traditional business and marketing advice to create her business (read her site, and listen to her speak to experience her refreshing, contagious style). In fact, before becoming a certified coach, she worked for a major seminar company, as a volunteer! Listen to the interview to find out:

• Why she feels being naïve about business was an asset that helped her get clients quickly
• How she built a successful coaching business in a natural and completely fun way
• When she found her “fun factor” and changed her business outlook forever
• What to do if you feel like something is not working or happening fast enough

To get a complimentary download of this and other Best Business Advice Series interviews, enter your name and email here (it’s free and there are no sales pitches or upsells in these presentations – enter your phone number if you’d also like to get early notice of upcoming events). You will also receive a subscription to popular articles published by Corporate Fugitive and Sherri Garrity.

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Feeling crazy on an ordinary day? How to get out of overwhelm and stay on track as your own boss

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I have a vivid memory of feeling frustrated in the employment world. It drove me crazy when it seemed there were no consequences for people not keeping their commitments, offloading work to others, and scattering when “it” hit the fan.

Being a very strategic person, I could never understand why my higher ups appeared to be willing to get caught up in fighting fires instead of preventing them.

One day, my supervisor saw this was causing me stress and pulled me aside and gave me a piece of advice. He said “Sherri, you can’t care more than the boss cares”.

That was over 15 years ago but his words have stuck. I knew he was just following the chain of command, and even though it bothered him too, he’d learned there was no point in trying to swim against the current. Instead of feeling frustrated, he resigned himself to play it safe and forego the headache.

That was one of many moments when I knew I just didn’t think like everyone else. I could not play it safe or turn the other cheek.

Fast forward to today, I am the boss, and I can set my standards just as high as I want. But dreaming of being the boss, and becoming one are two different things. I have had to learn to make decisions carefully and to care deeply but not lose objectivity in my business.

Participating in mastermind groups, working with coaches of different sorts and taking the time to reflect on what I want and where I am going have all been critical to keeping me on track.

Here are some tips for your peace of mind:

Bring your vision to life – there are two components to this – taking the time to define the vision and mission of your company, and bringing it to life. Take a look at the way you operate and communicate with clients and make sure that your actions are in sync with your vision.

Hold yourself accountable – this is really hard to do when you are the boss, but you need to set goals and performance standards for yourself, and monitor them. The key here is being realistic in raising the bar high enough to stretch you, but not so high as to be completely unrealistic. One trick that has worked for me is to set 90-day goals and to divide the steps I need to take into smaller weekly actions. The upfront planning takes a bit of time but keeps me focused and assured on a weekly basis.

Recognize your chinks – the biggest obstacle most of us face is our own mind. We all have issues of some kind, that’s a given. Don’t measure yourself against others. Just be honest about your own weaknesses. Tune in to them but don’t let them rule you. And if it’s skills you need, that’s easy, either learn them, or hire someone to do them for you.

Build carefully – wouldn’t you rather be a rainmaker than a firestarter? So many times we rush around and create disaster. If you’ve set realistic goals, and you stick to them, stay on the course and don’t second guess yourself. Make decisions based on your vision and what fits you. A big mistake many driven, corporate fugitives make is to chase every bright shiny object. This just doesn’t work in the long term. To make the rain fall, you need to create the right conditions.

Filter information – the biggest complaint I hear from other corporate fugitives in that they are totally overwhelmed at the need to keep up.  All the material in the world is no good to you unless you can do something with it. Focus on what you need to get done, weekly, monthly, and only actively focus your attention on that.

Stop comparing yourself to everyone else – one of the worst things you can do is try to keep up with what you think your standard should be, based on everyone else! This is especially true for the solo business owner following others on the internet. You will be quickly discouraged, if you are looking at the “overnight” successes out there.

I hope these strategies will help you stop the insanity!

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.

The truth is out there

Since hanging up my shingle, so to speak, so many people have asked me how I handle working alone at home. The reactions range from “I couldn’t do what you do” to “I would watch TV all day” to “I would miss the social contact too much.”

The truth is – I have never felt so connected to so many people. The reason for this is that once you step out and get into the zone that is right for you, you begin to naturally attract and connect with others who are just as passionate about their businesses as you are. This doesn’t mean abandoning all previous friends and networks, it means opening yourself up to the ones that you need, to learn, to do business, to grow.

Emphasis on the stepping out – you have to get out there:

• virtually – use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Join groups, look up people you admire and see what they belong to and who their friends are, and start building your own network. Join a membership site related to your business that offers training and a member forum – there are tonnes of them out there – many free, or low cost.
• physically – you don’t need to your plan to a “t” to start – just be clear on your service and start talking about it, attend conferences, local networking meetings, and don’t overlook your friends and family and other personal contacts – when they ask “how’s work” or what you do, tell them!
• mentally and emotionally – it has been said that starting a business in the ultimate personal growth tool, and that is the absolute truth! Any insecurities, limiting beliefs about yourself, your value, etc. work against what you say and do, sending conflicting vibes to others. To grow your business, you have to be willing to grow yourself.

p.s. another plus of branding yourself – you get to work in your interests … can you tell I was a 1990s X-Files fan?

Family days at the “office”

One of the hardest things about being a working mother, when I was corporately employed, was walking the guilt line when needing to take time off when needed to deal with family issues. There is nothing worse than having a sick child or family member in need and having to be at work while someone else cares for them. And staying home often leads to tension at work, in many workplaces.

A definite perk of having a home office this last while has been that I could spend quality time with an aged but fun-loving pet. This week, he passed away in his sleep, peacefully in the living room in the middle of the usual family action. As shocking and sad as this was (I am still tearing up) I was relieved that I didn’t have the added pressure of having to negotiate a day off.

Kramer was a wild and crazy old guy, and his antics were well known. So many people appreciated him, even our vet office staff was in tears. In the first few months I worked at home, I spent a lot of time experimenting with different office set-ups and methods to organize my work. One involved a large 3 by 5 foot eraseable whiteboard. I used children’s scented markers to colourfully differentiate projects and deadlines. I came into the room the next day and found big tongue smears had obliterated my work! Guess who had coloured fur? This was one of many “Kramer” stories that bring a smile to my face, and tears to my eyes. He was a great member of our family for 14 years, and the office isn’t the same without him. Rest in peace Kramer!