For Entrepreneurs

What to do when clients want you to work weekends and evenings

April 14, 2018

What to do when clients want you to work weekends and evenings If you’re a mompreneur or a parent who runs their own service-based business, it can be tough to set boundaries with clients. I have clients who ask me what to do when they are asked to work weekends and evenings – a commitment that can be very tough as a work-at-home parent.

There are a few key things you can do when your clients ask you to work weekends and evenings when that is not what you want to do.

Set Boundaries

When you first start working with a client, be very clear on what hours and days you are available to work. You need to put these hours in your calendar and you need to stick with them. Be clear and concise when communicating these hours with your clients.

Of course, this can be easier said than done.

Value Yourself

Often what happens is money fears come in – business owners worry clients will walk away and won’t come back. So, they accept that they will have to work evenings and weekends, and eventually grow resentful and overwhelmed.

People get locked in their business when they start working hours that don’t work well for their personal life. This creates self-sabotage, which can stall or ruin a business.

Before committing to something you don’t really want, you need to understand the value that you bring to your clients.

Why do your clients need you?

What value do you bring to your clients?

These are important questions because once you know the answers, you will be able to stand in your power and effectively communicate the hours you want to work.

Work on your money mindset

You also need to work on your money fears. Money mindset is one of the biggest things that can block you from success in your business.

If your clients value you and your work then they will find the time to work with you. They will understand the value they are getting from you. In return, you will avoid feeling resentful and overwhelmed and will enjoy the work you do for them.

Get clear. Talk to me about your mindset blocks and struggles that are blocking you from reaching success. I am offering free 45-minute consultation calls and I also have a lovely free Facebook Group filled with entrepreneurs and small business owners. Don’t wait until the self-sabotage settles in – start working on your mindset struggles now.

The Power of Intention

February 5, 2018

A couple of months ago I picked up a DVD set of Oprah Winfrey’s old TV talk show. One of the episodes featured an interview with Gary Zukav, author of The Seat of the Soul. Throughout the interview, they discussed the book and Oprah admitted the book contained practical advice that she was able to apply to her career, particularly the “principle of intention.”

In brief, the “principle of intention” surrounds the idea that the power of our thoughts sends out an energy and that is what causes the outcome; a cause and effect theory – with your thoughts being the cause.

The Power of our Fears

When you look at someone like Oprah Winfrey – she has used intention to guide her business. Her intention became focused on how her show could best serve the world.

Ultimately, I think a lot of us feel our businesses are a service – that our businesses help others. But this is not always the intent we set out in our businesses. I know for myself, what I put out there in my business is not always intentional. I have acted on my fear of failure. I have been influenced by my fear of scarcity. For example when I think, “I cannot lose this client because I need the money!”

We often get caught up in our fears.

Our fears are fed by the negative voices that disconnect us to why we started our businesses in the first place. Our fears, therefore, influence our intent.

Focus on Intention

If you take a moment to focus on what you want your business to be, you will inevitably go down the right road.

Personally, I am trying to do everything with the intention of helping people with their mindset – from the calls I make to the videos I create. I want my intention to be an active part of everything I am doing.

Connect yourself with what your intention is.

If your fears get in the way, acknowledge them and then chose to work to overcome them in order to create the business you intended.

How has intention affected your business?

If find yourself struggling with what your intention is or find your intention is blocked by fears, join me in my free Core Belief for Business Owners Facebook Group or set up a free call and let’s talk.

Bought a Business Planner but Never Follow Through?

December 22, 2017

A business planner is typically a physical book where business owners create intentions. It helps in the creation of a plan for your business set out in days, weeks and months. It helps you get organized and helps you take action. Many business owners, including myself, invest in business planners with the intent of filling them out, but some business owners never actually fill them out. Have you ever bought a business planner but never follow through? I recently purchased the business planner, Productive, which is produced by business coach, Shelagh Cummins in hopes of writing out my goals and working toward achieving them. I plan on following through.

Are you procrastinating?

There are many different kinds of planners and they are all great tools for your business unless you are getting in your own way of filling them out. How do you know if you are getting in your own way? It’s if you start off strong and then the enthusiasm wears off and you stop using your planner.The mindset block that may be contributing has to do with procrastination.

If you bought a planner for the new year, but have a history of procrastinating, I want you to sit down and write the first thing that comes to mind as to why you may not take action and fill in your planner this year (or in past years).

Why are you procrastinating?

Don’t think too much about it – what’s the first thing that you think of? Is it not enough time? Is it a fear of failure?

Often people are fearful of committing to taking action. They are afraid that if they write it down or verbalize something and it doesn’t happen then they have failed. If this is the case, ask yourself – what’s the worst that could happen if you fail? Will you feel embarrassed? Will you feel like a loser? Why is this?

Write down your thoughts or talk about it with a close friend. Think about what could be stopping you from taking action; from writing down your goals and working toward them. This will help you see what is stopping you and will help you work through the fears that are holding you back.

Writing things down or talking about them will also help you get clear on how to make your goals and plans happen. It will help you figure out what is stopping you from filling out that planner and will prevent procrastination.

If you struggle with procrastination and want to start taking action, set up a time to chat. I would love to help you dig deep into what is holding you back from a successful new year.

Breaking through mindset blocks

November 29, 2017

I recently joined Business Coach and Owner of Little Lotus Yoga, Amanda DeGrace on Facebook Live to discuss breaking through mindset blocks. I shared how I look deep into the mindsets of female entrepreneurs and business owners to help them break through any beliefs that may be holding them back.

This interview has to be one of my favourites so far, and the funny part is that I actually thought we were talking half an hour later than we did, so I hadn’t taken a shower yet, and I had just walked through the door from walking the dog. I literally just slapped on some makeup and jumped on the interview (note the flat hair). Lesson: don’t get rattled by not looking exactly how you want. It all works out in the end. This speaks to any fears I may have had surrounding visibility and putting myself out there.

Money beliefs

Our discussion started with the beliefs many business owners have surrounding money. When I work with people about their money mindset, we go all the way back to their ancestral experiences. These experiences are what we have learned and taken with us from our family, and are usually what we end up believing to be our truth. These beliefs could be surrounding not being able to afford something or saving and never spending money on anything. It is usually one extreme or the other.

You need to be aware of what your beliefs surrounding money really are. Take a look at how money is influencing your decisions. Is it a feeling of fear? If making a decision around money brings about feelings of fear then you need to dig deep to find out why that is. Where and why is money running the show? Are your decisions only being influenced by money or is there another reason?

Once you figure this out, observe people who are good with money. It doesn’t have to be someone you know personally. It can be a professional, such as Barbara Stanny, Denise Duffield-Thomas or even Oprah, all of whom are money mentors to many people. Find out what they believe and learn from them. Money should not be a taboo subject.

Charging your worth

In the past, Amanda has struggled and continues to see other business owners struggle with, charging their worth. There is this block that tells many female entrepreneurs that if we want something we shouldn’t ask too much for it because it could be looked at as being greedy. There is a struggle between growing big versus keeping a business small. Female entrepreneurs can end up pushing clients away in fear of growing too big. As well, women are more likely to give their time away, whereas men are more apt to charge for their time – why is this? What are the beliefs running underneath female entrepreneurs not charging their worth and growing to the size they want to grow to?

Visibility beliefs

Going big versus staying small goes beyond financial aspects of business, but also in an entrepreneur’s desire to be visible and put themselves out there. If you find yourself hesitating to speak at a conference or to attend networking events there is probably a belief running underneath that is preventing you from doing these things. There may be a mindset block that is stopping you, even though you know you need to do these things to grow your business.

Fear of success

Many times women will not reach high because they are afraid to reach a certain level of success. Part of the challenge is that women struggle to put themselves first. This can be for a variety of reasons, whether it is because we come from a family where our mothers stayed at home and devoted their entire lives to their children and their households versus working outside the home or for another reason that stems from our childhood. Somewhere there is a belief holding them back from achieving the business success they truly want!

At every stage of our business, there is a mindset we need to work on that is symptomatic of a set of beliefs we have. Whether that belief surrounds money, visibility, success or scarcity – you need to work on your beliefs in order to change your mindset. I invite you to watch the discussion Amanda and I had about business mindset and see if you can relate to any of the beliefs and mindset blocks we mention. If you would like to investigate these feelings and beliefs further, schedule a time to chat with me. It’s no obligation and there is no cost for an initial consultation call. If you know some of these mindset blocks are holding you back in your business, then you need to sit down and investigate why you are feeling the way you are if you ever want to move forward in your business.

Entrepreneurs: Do you ignore the red flags?

October 25, 2017

Do you ignore the red flags that tell you a client may be awful or that a project is not right for you and take on that client or project anyway? A lot Entrepreneurs-Do you ignore the red flags- of time entrepreneurs take on work even though there are clear signs that it is not going to work well.

They do so because of fear – fear they will not make enough money or that they will not find any more work. This plays into a scarcity mentality – entrepreneurs who say yes to the wrong kinds of people and work are afraid they will never have enough.

Do you have a scarcity mentality?

If this sounds familiar, this could lead to the death of your business. If you have a scarcity mentality you could end up working with the wrong clients who may not honour your contract or timelines, will be very demanding or will not give appropriate feedback or testimonials. These clients may be a big headache and will hinder the success of your business because you will be unhappy.

Do you fear you are not good enough?

Another issue entrepreneurs often have is the fear that they are not good enough. If you fear you are not good enough to attract the right kind of clients or projects then you will end up attracting the wrong ones and will be unhappy.

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Be clear on what it is you want

When you are looking at the clients and work you would like to take on, be clear on what it is you want: Who is your ideal client? What is your genius work?

What are your non-negotiables? Do you need someone to respond within a certain timeline or do they need to earn a certain amount in order to pay your rates?

Pay attention to how you value yourself.

How much do you think you are worth? Be clear on this – in personal relationships and in business relationships. Take the time to figure out your answers to these questions. By sacrificing your answers you are jeopardizing the success of your business.

If you find yourself suffering from a scarcity mentality or not valuing yourself, set up a time to chat. I also invite you to join my free Facebook community: Core Beliefs for Business where I constantly engage with business owners on what is preventing their business from moving forward.

Are you a Gun for Hire or An Expert in your Field?

October 11, 2017

What does it mean to ask: Are you a Gun for Hire or An Expert in your Field? It means are you doing the work you want to be doing and working with the people you want to be working with? Many entrepreneurs end up taking on clients that they may not want to do or take on work that is not in their area of expertise. Why? For money.

Entrepreneurs often have a scarcity mentality – they think there is not enough work out there or not enough of their ideal clients, so instead of working on getting the right work and clients; they instead take on the wrong kind of clients or projects. They end up doing work that they really don’t want to do.

Are you clear on your genius?

Like anything you don’t want to do – you need to have an awareness of what you want to do. You need to be aware of what makes you happy and what makes you unhappy. You need this awareness for all projects that come your way. Make a list of the clients and projects that you enjoy working with – the work that you truly love to do.

Where do you excel? Where can you show your genius to the world? If you’re not clear on your genius you will end up being a gun for hire. What does that mean? The end result of being a gun for hire is that you will end up hating what you’re doing. You will question why you are self-employed in the first place. You will end up with the worst types of clients and won’t give your best self to any of your work.

What is holding you back?

Once you are clear on your ideal client and the work you want to do, ask yourself if you value yourself. Are there confidence issues behind why you’re not recognizing your genius? What is holding you back?

If you’re not sure what is blocking you from being an expert in your field, set up a time to chat. I also invite you to join my free Facebook community: Core Beliefs for Business where I constantly engage with business owners on what is preventing their business from moving forward.

As well, if there is a topic you would like to learn more about, let me know! I enjoy supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs do what they love.