How long have you been in business online? 2 years

Tell us about your business. Who do you love to work with? My ideal client is the motivated entrepreneur who’s got lots of great ideas but gets stuck getting them from their head into the marketplace. As the “Get it Done Girl” I love supporting that person via live coaching, interactive classes and informational products to implement their ideas and take action. The benefit to them in working with me is they get the tools to Get it Done which allows them to make the money they want, serve the client they want and make the difference they know they can make.

What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? Being a woman in business is all about possibilities for both myself and the next generation of my children, showing them what’s possible. Specifically being a woman in business online, allows for great flexibility to work around my family.

Who has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success? Early on my dad taught me to “get the big picture”. He drilled it into me repeatedly. As an entrepreneur he gave me a huge gift in that I am able to really see the bigness of all that I want to create. Another great piece of advice he shared was “always know how the garbage gets taken out”. For me this has meant that I like to understand all the inner workings of my business. I don’t necessarily do them all but by having an understanding I am a much more effective manager, and clearer on the realities of what it takes to run a business. These lessons have served me immensely as I now teach others how to run their businesses effectively.

What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? I am very proud of my ability to connect meaningfully with a broad assortment of people. Through those connections incredible opportunities have come into my life. When I stay present to those people and the experiences, I am astounded by the richness it adds to my business and my life.

What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? Being authentic in business means that I’m doing things my way, that I really consider the voice with which I’m speaking, and that I show up fully present in all that I do. I take in lots of information from many sources and it’s important that all that I teach and share comes through my “Kim filter”. Being authentic in my business is congruent with having a high level integrity and this is certainly something I want to model for both my children and those who are a part of my community.

What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? Speaking is by far my most favorite marketing strategy. There is nothing that replaces the connection that can occur between two people more than the spoken word.  I speak as often as I can, whether that’s at live events, small gatherings, online teleclasses or in the media. The beauty of speaking is that it shortens the cycle of your ideal client raising their hand to choose to work with you. Speaking lends to your credibility and trust factors in a way that no other medium can.

How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial “cashflow rollercoaster”? As an entrepreneur, managing cashflow is a challenge. What I’ve found that works for my business is to have an assortment of offerings. By having multiple streams of income, such as live programs, info products, coaching, continuity programs and high-level private work, I am able to minimize the rollercoaster.

How do you achieve work-life balance? To achieve balance (which is a bit illusive) it all comes down to prioritizing. As an entrepreneur, I love to work and honestly could do it 18 hours a day. It’s fun and fuels me. But, so do my children, my husband and my yoga practice. I have to consciously shut my office door and computer so I can be present in the other areas of my life.

What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? Having moved to a Mac has changed how I do business. No longer am I burdened with PC viruses, and crazy shut downs multiple times a day. I am much more efficient and I have all the software I need to run my business. One other technology that works with all I do is Time Driver for my scheduling. When clients book an appointment, it automatically syncs to my Google account, and then right to my iPhone and Mac within minutes.

What is your best productivity tip? Entrepreneurs (and particularly women) multi-task but I’ve found that I’m not always my most productive doing that. When I truly focus on one task for a short amount of time, I can complete it. My best productivity tip is to shut down distracting applications on your computer when you’re working on a particular project.

What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? One of my biggest mindset shifts this year has been stepping into the role of teacher. I had many limiting beliefs around myself in that role, and looking back I can see that I wasn’t doing the work I’m meant to do. I am now incredibly comfortable teaching in my “Kim” way (and not needing to do it like others do it). Crossing this hurdle has allowed me to open the floodgates of product creation (which is a real passion of mine) and also create an online university, neither of which would have been possible without my mindset shift.

This interview was conducted as part of Gina Bell’s IAWBO birthday celebration. I contributed a special report How to Outsource Effectively So You Can Get It Done Easily. You can grab this report (along with great free information from 30 women entrepreneurs.

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Here are some areas of concern:

Communication between Owner and Assistant

Whether you are outsourcing tech support, writing, web design or something else, there is a great deal of effort needed in order to keep the lines of communication open. If you allow your workers to do work for you without communicating your goals and what it is that you need, you will find that the work will not be done as you’d hoped. Everyone will be frustrated.

Assistants are not mind-readers and do need guidance. Take some time to make sure that you and your team clearly understand your expectations. Give them plenty of examples so that they can do the work in a manner that reflects your style, personality and work ethic. This is an important part of making sure that you get what you need.

Understanding Your Role as the Outsourcer

As the one doing the outsourcing, you need to understand your role. In order for the relationship between business owner and assistant to flourish, you’ll want to keep the lines of communication not only open, but clear as well. Be detailed in what you expect from your help. Also keep in mind that you are probably not their only client and as much as you would love to have them all to yourself, that probably isn’t the case. Be respectful of their time and give feedback on their work. This will help them do a better job and respect your time in return.

Outsourcing is vital for the growth of your business. To “get it done” you really need to learn how to reach out to people with the right resources. Did you know that Tapping into Your Resourcefulness and the Power of Delegation is Step 3 of my Ready Set Resultz System? Watch this video where I explain why knowing WHAT needs to be done, is more important than HOW to get it done.

But if you want your business to grow, if you want to build relationships that lead to customers who love and buy what you have to offer, and if you want to start generating the revenue that you’ve always dreamed of then the answer is yes – you do need a blog.

A blog is uniquely able to do these things for your business:

• Connect with your readers
• Optimize your website
• Profit from affiliate or ad sales
• Embrace personality marketing
• Establish yourself as an expert
• Increase awareness and exposure
• Educate, inform, and provide value to your target audience

In fact a blog can be used quite easily instead of a website. WordPress blog templates can be made to look like a ‘regular’ website with static pages, forms, advertising, and a customizable header and so on. An entrepreneur can get a blog up and running easily in just one day with Wordpress.

And because blogs are so much easier to use, they’re often the best option for someone who’s a new entrepreneur. That being said, experienced entrepreneurs also use blogs as their main website because the search engines love them. I love the way that my blog so easily connects me with my community. It’s what’s helped me to grow my business so much faster and larger than I had envisioned.

So do you need a blog?  No, not really. Will a blog help you grow your business faster?  Most definitely. Download my brand new free video, “7 Most Common Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” to get a jump ahead in the game. It’s always best to learn from others mistakes and I’m happy to spare you from some I’ve made.

To better protect your valuable time, I want to suggest some simple actions you can take to say “no” to time vampires and say “yes” to your life.

• Cut down the “Chatter”. If you have Instant Messenger, Skype, or Google Chat open, set your status as “away”, “busy”, or even “invisible”. If there’s an emergency, people will find you. If there isn’t an emergency, you’ll have focus for the time that you need it to get things done.

• Turn off email notifications. If you get a little flash, beep, or any type of interruption whenever a new email comes in, turn that off. Every single time that your eye gets drawn to the flash it distracts you and causes you to lose your train of thought. Even if it’s a split second, it adds up and cuts into your productivity.
• Speaking of email, unsubscribe from most of your email notification lists. Choose just a few that you really enjoy reading and dump the rest. If that’s a scary thought, then set up a new email account and re-subscribe with the new email address. Plan to check it once each week. You may find that the new email account never gets opened.

• Use your Caller ID. Turn off the ringer on the phone while you’re working so you can focus without interruptions. To stay available for kid’s emergencies, set the phone by your desk so you don’t have to get up and run to answer it. Check caller ID and ignore everyone that you can. Call them back later on your schedule. You wouldn’t call them at work to chat — don’t let them do it to you.
• Set Work Hours. If you have a client who is calling you at home, give them certain hours when you’re available. Don’t allow that person to interrupt your family life.
• Don’t Twitter your Time Away. Avoid Twirl, Tweet Deck, and any other Twitter applications that flash and beep and keep Twitter in front of your face all day long. Log in to Twitter, check your “@ replies” and answer them. Play for a bit and then log back out.

Any other ideas you’ve got that keep the "noise" out of your life, please share them.

When Kim initially asked me to contribute a post here, I had a flurry of ideas about all the practical, logical, and helpful posts I might write.  But over the last couple of weeks since our conversation, each time I have sat down to write one of these practical, logical and helpful posts, I was hit with a whole lot of stuck.

Initially, I couldn’t articulate the reason for my resistance…yet over the last few days I have become increasingly aware of the culprit.  My first bit of awareness came from my observations of recent conversations with some of my clients and colleagues, (all of which are up to great things in the world.)  Yet, I noted that the tone in their voices, although focused and dedicated, were all missing something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  Until one conversation where a friend of mine was outlining her five year plan to grow her business which would then enable her to “finally start enjoying the fruits of her labor” which included more time for herself to start having more fun.

It was at that moment that I was struck with the question:  “What is keeping her from choosing more fun and joy right now?“  As I offered this question to her we explored what appeared to be a number of perfectly logical (and personally familiar) reasons why there just didn’t seem to be enough time, energy, or resources to indulge in a “big” chuck of fun right now.

This concept of “bigness” is something I have heard referenced before by many of my clients…the idea that in order to qualify as worth the effort, making room for fun or playtime feels like it has to be some big momentous event.  And in this day and age of fast-paced lives and filled-to-the-brim schedules, I can certainly relate to the idea of needing to defer “play” time until the nebulous “later”.

It was during this conversation with my friend that something clicked for me.  After all of my years of study and integration of success mindset I have come to understand that as powerful an ingredient that it is, there is still another key piece to the puzzle.  If we do not also make the equally important choice of engaging and sharpening our “heart-set” skills it leaves some of the most powerful “juice” missing from the equation.

So what is the solution to choosing more joy NOW even with our fast-paced reality? For me, it starts with embracing the “Power of the Spoonful”.  Yes a spoonful of joy, fun, and play today will have a ton more impact than gallons of joy “saved for later.”  Our ability to savor joy “in the present moment” is a key muscle that needs to be exercised on a regular basis.  If not, like any unused muscle, it can begin to atrophy, which shows up as the all too familiar symptoms of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.

Now for a recovering over-achieving perfectionist (like myself) this can often be easier said than done…so it is something that I must continue to choose in order to recenter myself on a regular basis.

One of the approaches that supports me most in weaving more spoonfuls of playful joy into my daily experience is to start by making what I call my “Make’s My Heart Sing” list. For me, this list includes all of the things that I have either enjoyed in the past or present or have always had a hankering to explore yet have not yet had the opportunity.  Another qualifier I use in crafting my list is to answer the question:  “Is this something that would make my heart sing even if it never amounted in any financial gain or external acknowledgment?”  If the answer is yes, I add it to the list.

A couple of favorite items that made it onto my own list include:

• Exploring my creativity through photography
• Dancing (just for the fun of it)
• Singing (just for the joy of it)

When I first created this list, I identified a number of ways that I might further incorporate these into my life.  Some of these included: taking that series of local photography classes I’ve had my eye on, enrolling in a new exotic dance class, and downloading a long list of CD’s onto my lonely iPod.  Although all reasonable, I realized many of these ideas required degrees of time, energy, or money that didn’t invite immediate integration into my day right NOW.  So I hit the pause button and asked myself,  “What might the first spoonful of each of these ideas look like that I could steep myself in right now…today?!”

Here is what I came up with:

• Photography: I can more regularly grab my camera and start snapping pics of my girls while they are outside in the backyard exploring the wonder of nature around them
• Dancing: I can fire up my Pandora.com, create a new Zydeco music channel that I tune into for my “just for the fun of it” dance breaks to every couple of hours during my work day.  (I actually just did this while writing this post – and my energy, joy, and gratitude level just took a major leap upward.),
• Singing: Simply embracing the fact that I am a “Car-Singing Super Star” mom (even if only in my mind) who lights up while belting out all the classics with my girls as my loyal back up singers.

As preparation for this post I did a bit of a literature review on the power of play for adults and I found many impressive studies on the subject, my favorite you can read about here. For me, the most compelling argument in the literature can be synthesized this way: “When we choke off the pleasurable feelings that come from play – we choke off our vibration of abundance.”

Just the other day, I was presented with a pivotal moment, (where I had the opportunity to either embrace or choke off this vibration of abundance), when my daughter asked if we could all eat dinner outside on the patio instead of inside at the dinner table.  Immediately, I found myself running through all of the logical arguments as to why bringing dinner outside might require more time, effort and hassle on my part (considering how dusty our patio furniture was I knew that a cleaning session would also be part of the mix as well.)  Yet when I began to offer up these very rational contentions to my 4-year old she was less that convinced and followed up with a doe-eyed “Paaaleasssse?”

It was in that moment that I caught myself and mulled over my options… it quickly became clear that in choosing the outdoor scenario – while requiring a bit of de-dustifying up front – we would all get to experience the pleasure and novelty of enjoying our picnic with the gentle breeze blowing across our shoulders, the sun setting gracefully through the trees, while breathing in the beauty of our blooming flowers with the canyon view in the distance.  It was in that moment that I chose to relish in the more playful route…and I even grabbed the camera and snapped some sweet shots of the girls chomping away on their outdoor fare with equal portions of delight on their little faces.

I was also delighted recently to read that Albert Einstein viewed play as one of the most important elements of success.  And I’d be willing to bet my favorite flip flops that the man who introduced us to the Theory of Relativity couldn’t be too off base.

So what is one form of play/joy/fun that makes your heart sing?

What is the spoonful version that you might implement today to tap into the juiciness of life right now?

I invite you to share your favorite “spoonful of play” idea with us here in the comments section below so we might all benefit from your playful wisdom.

Amy Miyamoto specializes in working with entrepreneurial women to design a “New Groove” for their most fulfilling lives and businesses.  You can connect with her on Twitter on Facebook or on her website.

BUT what about your business – can you afford to put it on hold?

It can be hard to focus on business with summer vacations, school-aged kids at home, and the natural desire to soak up some sunshine and relax before fall. But most of us can’t afford to put our businesses on hold for summer. So what can help us manage our business while we still enjoy the summer with our families?

Focus on ONE Project

Instead of trying to do it all, choose one meaningful project to  focus on. That way instead of feeling pulled in a million different directions you have a plan of action.

If you need help deciding which project should be a priority, I have a great template to share with you that goes into greater details of how to pick the right project.

This template will help you concentrate on the OUTCOME you desire and choose a project that will create MOMENTUM in your business.

Last summer was the first time I really implemented this concept and it made a huge difference. I was more focused, had clearer boundaries,  had a purpose, and truly felt like my tasks were moving me towards something that mattered to the bottom-line of my business.

At that time, I was truly stepping into the “Get it Done” world and I focused my energy on two projects: the revamping of my Get it Done Action Club and the launch of a pilot program that become The Get it Done Challenge.

So, what’s my project for this summer?

I’ve taken my popular program – Think It, Create It, Sell It: 3 Easy Steps to Create Your Own Info Product – and streamlined it into an eight-week summer program. It’s a whole new approach to teaching a class that combines independent study (aka flexibility) with support and accountability. (The bottom line is entrepreneurs want to get things done during the summer BUT they want to do it around their own schedule.)

Stay tuned…I’ll be sending out an announcement tomorrow sharing the program details and a special offer that’s available through June 25th.

As entrepreneurs, let’s all choose a “doable” project to work on this summer – a project that will produce results for our business (and be fun in the process). I’d love to hear what your focus will be, please share that with me.

Just imagine this fall when the leaves start changing and the kids are getting on the bus for the first day back to school, you’ll have your project done so you can start reaping the rewards (whether that’s more income, a bigger list, more credibility… you decide).

There are many days when I feel completely unbalanced and stressed. Either I’m on the computer way too much, not paying enough attention to my kids, or when I am with them enjoying our time, I’m feeling bad that I’m not attending to my business.

As women, I think we ALL face these feelings at some time or another. So how do you get it done without stressing out?

Here’s one simple tool I use, and truth is that each time use it, I’m amazed by its brilliance and wonder why I don’t use it more often.
In a world of high tech gadgets this tool is the wonderfully simple (and inexpensive) kitchen timer.

Right now, while my husband is making dinner, I’ve given myself 15 minutes to write as much as I can during that time. When the timer goes off, I’ll hopefully be done with this blog and will join my family for dinner.

The timer has some pretty great benefits:

• It provides a sense of urgency. Often I have multiple applications open on my computer and if I’m not careful I can flit from project to project, application to application. Sometimes I have that kind of day where I work on a little bit of a lot, but never really feel like I’ve accomplished much. Then there are those amazing “kitchen timer days” when I’m in the groove. I use the timer to keep me focused and moving a long.  When I know the timer is counting down, and I really want to complete my task, I work quickly without distraction.
• It keeps me accountable. I can’t wander off from writing this blog. If I did and the timer went off, I’d know I didn’t keep my end of the bargain. I have to stay on track because I’ve allotted this time for this blog and I don’t want it to take the whole day.  I find the longer I give myself to complete a project, the longer it takes.
• It’s tangible. How many times have I said to my kids “just give me 5 more minutes” or “let me check just one email” and then I emerge from my office an hour later? My kids know with the timer that they can watch the time ticking down, and that I’m all theirs when it gets to zero.
• It teaches them time management. My kids are learning time management, too. You can set the timer for them to clean their room or focus on a homework assignment or enjoy play time before beginning their homework.

If you don’t have a timer – or misplaced yours, here’s an online version that I use.

So often I, and the many moms I speak with, are struggling with the balance of  our family and work. After 12 years of doing the “juggle” I don’t believe there is a perfect solution. In truth we do the best we can with where we are on a particular day always staying focused on WHY we chose to work from home in the first place.

While I can multi-task with the best of them, it rarely serves me, nor my kids, because I’m not present in either situation, and who benefits from that?

As women, we need the camaraderie of others and to know what they’re going through and has worked and what hasn’t. By nature we love to connect and gather information.

I want to share a great resource for you. Beginning this week, my friend Caitriona Ellis (from Ireland) is hosting a Super Mom Summit where nine moms (me included) and one dad are speaking about how they made the move from being an unsatisfied employee to creating a successful home-based businesses. The common thread amongst all the speakers is that we all began as employees. Listen into the stories about finding your passion,  how to sell and market your ideas, and how to use resources around you to make your escape.

The Super Moms Summit begins today, May 31st.

While the college market is not necessarily my target market, I’ve always envisioned myself speaking to groups of young people to share the possibilities of what entrepreneurship can mean in their lives.  During the 5-mile walks I took during my first pregnancy, I often rehearsed the talk I wanted to share to high school students telling them to be open to all the learning that came their way, no matter in what form.

Fast forward many months and I received a message from a professor of business and entrepreneurial studies from the community college. She wanted to nominate me for Connecticut SBA’s Women in Business Champion of the Year award. I was traveling a lot during that time, didn’t take in the opportunity she was presenting me, forgot to get back to her, and pretty much dropped the ball.

Two days before Thanksgiving she called again, this time reached me directly and shared the details of the award and why she thought I was a great candidate. This time, the meaning of the award hit me. I was extremely flattered but to go through the process I had to fill out a very LENGTHY application the day before Thanksgiving. After having initially dropped the ball with her, I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by. I sat my butt down, got clear on what I wanted to share and poured my heart and soul into it the entire application.

I didn’t give it another thought until I was contacted recently and told that I had in fact won the award of Connecticut SBA’s Women in Business Champion of the Year. I’ll receive it officially on June 3rd with my parents and husband by my side. Beyond feeling honored, it’s an opportunity to get some local media coverage and receive more opportunities to speak.

When I think back over the various “obstacles” that could have prevented me from getting this award (being tired the night of the panel discussion, to forgetting to return an important call, to being overwhelmed by the length and scope of the application) I realize that at each moment I had a choice to make. Was I going to show up or not? Was I going to do it or was I going to make an excuse?

This experience was a huge wake-up call for me and reminder to show up fully and not make excuses. You just never know where the small moments will lead.

Think for yourself about those times you didn’t want to go somewhere but you did and who was that gem of a person you met and where did it lead?  Please share your stories. I’d love to hear them.

Please watch my short video about what I learned in this process.

One reason I want to share this video with you is to let you know about the work that my friend and mentor, Baeth Davis, is doing about teaching Life Purpose information. It is through understanding your purpose that you can say goodbye to meaningless work and not enough money!

You can access her free interactive trainings for the next four days, just visit this link. You can also check out some of the shifts that I made in my business by understanding (and embracing) my life’s purpose.

Want to see what a Tweet Chat is all about, stop by and join the conversation.