What if I am WRONG?

Today’s Small Business blog post answers a business mindset question from Caroline in the UK, who posted this question at www.AskLisaMurray.com:

“I am relatively new into running my own business, having worked in a large corporate previously. How do you overcome the mental challenge of that little voice that says - you aren't good enough or - what if you advise someone and you get it wrong etc!”

Great question, and one that all of us who make the transition from employee to business owner ask ourselves more than once!! Here are a couple of simple strategies for overcoming the anxiety monkey that sits on your shoulder just waiting for you to make a mistake…

Most of us have been raised to believe we have to be good enough… we have to deserve… we have to perform… we have to deliver… we have to continually prove ourselves... we have to…………. (the list is never ending!).

So the first step is to recognize that the little voice inside our head probably did not originally belong to us. I use a simple tool of sending all of those niggling negative thoughts back to wherever they came from (with consciousness attached). If you do that every time you have some doubts, that little voice has absolutely no power and you’ll find those thoughts will disappear. You don't have to know who gave them to you, but you do need to be willing to choose another reality!

The second strategy I use is to ask some questions that change the energy of these thoughts and create new realities…

What if you didn’t have to prove anything to anybody in relation to your business? Who would you be? How would you conduct your business? What choices would you make? What other possibilities could you create and generate which go way beyond what you can imagine right now…?

What if there was no right or wrong? I see business as a series of choices… it is my job to offer my clients a range of possibilities they may not have thought of yet… and it is my clients job to make the choice that will work best for them. I may guide them towards an effective model for making a choice, but I don’t make the choice for them. Ultimately, all clients are responsible for their own business decisions and your contract and insurances should cover that clearly.

If they are into judgment and making you (as the consultant or coach) into their scapegoat it’s worth asking if they really are your ideal client!! Of course, if you have made a mistake, do whatever is required to resolve the issue fairly - your reputation rests upon it! Most people will be very decent if you are proactive and committed to finding a solution that works for the client.

Creative Empire Building

Have you ever wondered how Richard Branson built his empire from nothing? What’s certain is that when he was 19 and larking about with his student newspaper he didn’t sit down and write out a business plan that included owning a couple of airlines, a space program, an island paradise and a financial institution or two!

At 19 Branson was just like most small business owners… thinking really creatively about where income could come from so he could pay the bills. So what changed? Those who dare to think big with their businesses are adept at taking the next step…

What’s different about their next step is that it is the step beyond what they can see clearly now. Leaders who live large are willing to take steps into the unknown. If you want to live a life larger than any movie star or business guru, this is the first and only step you need to take… and you’ll need to take a lot of them!!

So what’s the use of a business plan or strategic plan if stepping beyond the obvious is all that’s required? Well, this morning I woke up at 4am (sleepless in Brisbane) dreaming intricate details of the products I’m creating for BlissTribe.

Over the weekend we had done some creative brainstorming on BlissTribe and this had clearly carried over into my subconscious. Last night those plans showed me the next steps beyond my waking imagination…that’s why I create plans!! I use plans to dream and to create… to develop my ideas beyond what I can see now… to catch glimpses of what else is possible and to discover what those ‘next steps’ could look like.

Does this make planning sound just a little more interesting and appealing to you?

Motivating Staff – (Empty) Words Are Not Enough!

In the course of my somewhat chequered career in marketing and sales, I worked for a range of small – medium businesses. One of the oft quoted platitudes from business owners was “we’re family here” – mostly said to entice employees to work enormous hours for no extra cash, to make unreasonable demands rather than requests and to create a general sense of guilt – as in: ‘we gave you a job…you owe us everything’ . This approach is often coupled with vague promises of future rewards.

It makes you wonder what type of family these people had!! As an employee, working conditions like that generally bring the response: “ If that’s how you treat your family, I’d rather be an orphan!”

So let’s ask the multimillion dollar question that most business owners are really wanting to answer when they behave like this: “What does it take to have employees do their best work and for everyone to profit?”

Well, integrity is a good start. In western countries slave labour has been abolished for quite some time. So if you truly intend to create a workplace that feels like home in the best possible sense then it’s time to get creative!

Carmen’s Fine Foods in Australia provides an inspiring example of what’s possible. Ever had the pleasure of an office nanny… your car washed every fortnight… or a boss who actually asks ‘on a scale of one to ten, how stressed are you?’ each week and then does something about it? Hmmm I didn’t think so!! (And for the scrooges out there… Carmen’s has virtually NO staff turnover… ) wouldn’t you rather invest in keeping your team loving their work, than hating you and leaving as a result??

Just a thought… as someone who has sat on both sides of the fence… (maybe its time to dismantle the fence too!!).

Are Creativity & Cashflow Connected?

I love the magic of nature! From the depths of muddy swamps come the most stunning lotus flowers, held by stalks that bend with ease but rarely break no matter how much pressure is applied!

When you feel like your business is sinking into a quagmire or your day has become a puddle of putridness, it’s time to depend on that central core of creativity and resilience that brings the beauty and brilliance back into your business.

Personally I have found that whenever my cashflow gets tight, it’s because I’m not allowing my creativity to shine through. (And I’m not talking about creative accounting here!) Through observing my business closely, I have discovered that the energy of money and the energy of creativity seem to be closely aligned! Sounds a little strange, but take a few moments to consider the possibilities…

When you are in a creative, exuberant, abundant space in your business you meet exactly the right people at exactly the right time, everything flows and you are a wellspring of ideas. When you are feeling stressed, stretched and like it is all a struggle, you can’t connect or create with ease… people feel your distress and they stay away!

So how do you move from stressed and strungout to creative, connected and cashed up? Here’s three simple tools that will allow you and your business to bloom like a lotus:

1. Nurture yourself first… do whatever it takes to have one hour a day for you and one day a week where you don’t for a moment think about work or business. Make a list of playful, creative fun things and do whatever your body is asking of you each day… this creates the space for you to be the amazing creative abundant YOU that you truly are!
2. Take a few hours to revisit where your business is at (As a business coach I can help you do this if you would like a fresh perspective!) – so often we get caught up in the doing, that we forget to look at the stars and create new energy and new ideas for our projects… what can you create today that will bring abundance and joy to your life and business?
3. Do something different! If what you’ve been doing isn’t working, it’s time for a change… Surprise and delight your customers… offer something new! Take yourself to an event or activity you wouldn’t normally do… and discover a whole lot of new connections. Find some new friends online and be generous in how you connect… there are endless opportunities, what will you do differently today?

So... let us all know how your blooming goes... the flatter your energy is the more important it is to have fun! Creativity is an essential step in reviving yourself and your business!