Requesting feedback and “constructive” criticism puts you in a tricky place.

First, since you asked, you have to listen. Second, since you asked, you have to take it in. And third, since you asked (and assuming you didn’t ask gratuitously) you have to be willing to do something with the information you hear.

That’s where the hard part comes in.

This spring I led the 1.0 version of Think Create Sell. This program was designed to provide business owners with specific action steps to get their knowledge out to a larger audience, in the form of an information product, and get paid for it.

After a fascinating personal journey this program was born from my desire to be of service to a specific group of my ideal clients.  31 of them joined me for this class for which I spent many hours brainstorming, creating and packaging my content to share with them.

At the end of the course, I asked for feedback. I really wanted to know what I could do to improve the experience for everyone since I had visions of bringing this course and its information to a larger audience.

One of the participants, a friend and client, invited me to lunch because she had so much to share with me.

Her initial words were that she received much more than she’d expected. She loved the depth of my content and the quality of the templates I provided. She appreciated the interactive forum and my enthusiastic teaching style.

While I soaked this in, and basked in her words, I could feel a  “BUT” looming in the air.

And then it came.

“BUT Kim you actually gave too much in too short a time. I wanted to sign up for your next program but I still haven’t digested all that you gave me. It was a lot of material to compact into three classes. Kim, learning from you is like drinking from a fire hose. I want it all, I just can’t take it in that fast.”

As big a girl as I am, I could feel the tears welling up. It was as if I didn’t hear anything she’d said before the BUT.

And, then the next day, I spoke with another woman who’d taken the class and her words were similar.

In the words of Charlie Brown – UGHHH! (more…)

Maybe you’re business isn’t where you want it and some mornings you wake up worrying about bills. I wanted to share with you the truth – I deal with these same worries.

One of my favorite mentors, Baeth Davis has an amazing story and it’s a testament to what can happen when you discover your life’s purpose…

Before discovering her Life Purpose, Baeth was stuck in a very bad place. She was broke financially (working a job that was making her sick),  broke emotionally (in a loveless relationship with the “wrong” guy) and broke spiritually (as she was dangerously depressed)!

(more…)

Do you ever feel like "something" is missing in your business (or your life) but you can’t put your finger on it?

I was feeling that way about three years ago before I accepted a hand analysis from my coach, Baeth Davis. The results revealed an essence I had been missing. Watch this short video where I share my revelation and you’ll see why I’m now such a big fan of Baeth.

I’m an affiliate of Baeth’s because I wholeheartedly believe in her purpose-driven approach to business! I want to share with you a SHORT VIDEO she created that will identify if you have any of the 7 Early Warning Signs of Being Stuck in Meaningless Work – work that does little for your bank account and nothing for your soul.

Baeth has also created an unprecedented, totally FREE content-rich interactive online training for stepping out of stuck, broke and meaningless once and for all.

Here’s my link to access all this good stuff. It will only be available this week so jump on it if this speaks to you!

After being in a funk for a couple of weeks, with little creative energy, the last thing I expected from myself was to create something new.

I made the decision a few weeks ago to stop promoting a program that I’d planned because my energy and my intentions were not coming from a place of integrity, So after crawling into bed, re-reading Bob Burg’s The Go-Giver (and reminding myself that I’m in business to provide value) I switched gears and in a matter of two weeks set off on a whole new direction that felt right and much more “on purpose.” (You can listen to more of my story on a recent call with Lisa Cherney where we spoke about the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship).

What caused my shift?

Once I stopped focusing on myself and my own dramas, and really got clear on the value I wanted to provide to my community my creative juices started flowing.

Then I received great feedback from my survey that showed me that women entrepreneurs crave SPECIFIC training on specific projects – they just don’t have the time, energy, or even the money to wade through stuff they’ll never get around to using.

Reading the words of many of my “muses” allowed ideas to pour out of me. I knew what people needed and I knew I could provide it for them. My energy flowed because I REALLY listened – both to my ideal client and to my gut…

So, I got to work and just  launched a new program that will teach service-based professionals all the SPECIFICS on how to create their very own info-product in 3 EASY steps (so you can get money rolling in fast sharing what you ALREADY KNOW).

The program is called Think It, Create It, Sell It – please visit this page to watch my video intro and learn more of the details.

One example of the feedback I received was from Theresa Anderson, a Home Stager/Redesigner.

In her own words here’s what Theresa’s looking for…

“I would like info on vendors to use – website set up, creating joint ventures, list-building, prelaunch work, launch work, and post launch work, delivery mechanisms, technical help, how to incorporate video, audio, teleseminars, etc. And – how to find a topic that really interests my ideal audience. I want to do something unique – not be a ‘me too’ product.”

I had promised that one person who took some of their valuable time to help me with my survey would be rewarded a free spot in this new program. and I’ve given that gift to Theresa.

I promise I’ll be sharing all of what Theresa’s looking for and more. But I’m also going to make it very DOABLE because if you learn and don’t implement it becomes another wasted opportunity.

So thank you! Thank you for sharing with me what you’ve been looking for and how I can provide the most value. Please visit www.ThinkCreateSell.com to learn more about what I’ve put together  – I can’t wait to get started!

Have you ever felt like you’re not having fun in your business and you’re not doing what you’re meant to do?

Maybe you’re not earning what you want. Maybe you’re not having the fun that you want. Maybe you’re not working with the clients you want. Maybe you’re just disillusioned.

Are you suffering in silence?

The fact is no matter how successful you are as an entrepreneur, it’s a fact that we all hit  major roadblocks now and then and I believe they’re part of the entrepreneurial process.

It is in the rising up from the dark times that provide us with an opportunity for our real learning and growth.

I had the opportunity to interview my friend Lisa Cherney about The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship and Using Your “Failures” to Leap Forward and Transform Your Business.

She shared how to truly know when you’re in “dark night of the business soul” (hint: you’re seriously thinking about getting a JOB) and what you can do to help yourself.

(more…)

I have an important follow-up to last week’s confession/blog.  Last week I was procrastinating (to the point of watching movies in bed in the middle of the day) until I followed my own advice!

I’ve been brainstorming about a new program to help entrepreneurs quickly create a whole new source of income by providing the “how-to” steps to create an info-product. I know this program has incredible value and appeal but I’ve been stuck.

Why? Because I wasn’t clear on who my “ideal” client for this program is even though I’d just written an article on why that’s so important!

The problem was that the client I was initially visualizing for this program just wasn’t fun for me to work with… In fact the person who kept popping into my head was my mother! And although she helped me come up with the idea for the program I just couldn’t visualize working with her. So even though I knew I was sitting on this great idea, I couldn’t move forward.

(more…)

My business is going through lots of growing pains right now, which means that I’m going through lots of growing pains right now. Our businesses mirror our lives, and vice versa.

If your business isn’t where you want it to be, then you’ve got to take a hard look at who you’re being and how you’re showing up. The answer always lies within.

Last week, after some intense masterminding, I chose to give myself permission to do nothing. I needed to decompress and internally process all that I’d absorbed. That’s a real challenge for a Type A do-er like me. I don’t sit still well, meditating doesn’t come easily, and I don’t sleep enough. My brain and body are always on the go.

During my self-imposed down time, I re-read my favorite parable The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I turn to this book when I want to regain clarity and truly focus on why I’m really in business. Yes, I want to make an income to support my family. Yes, I want to share my gifts with the world. Yes, I want to make a difference.

But my core reason, and my life’s purpose, is I want to serve a lot of people, and provide them with a lot of value. For all entrepreneurs, that’s the key question we must continually answer: How can I serve?

Answering that question always gets me back on track again. (With that in mind please feel free to share with me how I can serve you better.)

Listen to my interview with Bob Burg where he goes more in depth into the 5 Laws that are critical to running your business.

I’m a recovering perfectionist. By nature I really like everything to be very organized, every ‘t’ crossed, ‘i’ dotted and everything to have my personal stamp on it. But I know in my past, my quest for perfection kept me from moving forward, so I’ve had to tame it. I also know it’s not an easy beast to tame.

So, let’s be honest…How much is your desire for perfection holding you back? Being able to recognize that desire can often give you the motivation to just move forward and take action. I want to share with you some of the ways trying to be perfect has slowed me down and more importantly what I did to become a recovering perfectionist.

Perfectionism can have an especially negative impact on your success when you run your own business. A really important message I want to communicate is there’s really no such thing as perfect. So if you’re struggling to make it "just perfect" you’re directing your energy into something that’s impossible to achieve.

Another way perfectionism slows us down is we feel like we want to know it all (and should know it all). We think, "This is my business. Who knows it better than me?" The truth is, as experienced or knowledgeable as we might be, we don’t always have all the answers. Sometimes we need to reach out to somebody and admit in a vulnerable way, "I don’t know how to do this. Please help. Guide me."

At times getting the help that you need in your business means letting go of some control. As you delegate to a virtual assistant, graphic designer or copywriter, it’s unlikely that they’re going to do it exactly the way you do. That’s a fact. What I realize is that delegating saves me so much time and energy. Maybe they did it 90% of how I would have done it and I had to tweak it 10% but it still dramatically increased my momentum.

So as a recovering perfectionist here are my lessons learned…

I just work to take action, even if it’s imperfect action and just get my projects out there.

I’m not afraid to ask for help. I’m comfortable admitting that I don’t know it all.

I let go and instead of completely controlling all the details, I delegate to my team trusting that they’ll get it done. (and when we have mistakes, that’s what "oops" messages are for.)

Trust me, the satisfaction of getting it done (by letting go of your desire to be perfect) and getting your brilliance out into the world makes it worth the effort. You’ll free up your energy to tackle your big ideas and really get some momentum building in your business. If you want to learn how you too can be a recovering perfectionist, please grab the audio recording of Get It Done 101 – How to STOP Procrastinating and Tackle Your BIG Ideas with Confidence…So that You Can Make More Money and Help More People! http://metromom.com/gidcall

In this week’s podcast I share about letting go of perfection as you move your business forward. Many of us start without a business plan, without crunching numbers, and even without much money. So if these “traditional” things aren’t necessary – what is? I share the importance of having a clear vision and doing the best you can with what you’ve got in the moment.

 

 What You Need to Move Your Business Forward [Metromom Podcast] [4:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last week, I attended Harv Eker’s Enlightened Warrior Training Camp with my husband. (I won’t share the specifics of what we did because if you choose to attend I want to make sure you get as a pure experience like I did without too much knowledge of what’s to come). So while I won’t tell you HOW I learned what I learned, I will share some of WHAT I learned.

My best definition of a warrior is one who conquers oneself. We all have fear about stepping out into new places and doing new things, but the warrior acts in spite of the fear, and develops courage.

My three key learning areas were the following:

• Fear is not a bad thing, it only hurts you when you let it get in your way. We’re all scared of things that may come in the future, and things that are unknown to us. Realistically, fear is just the anticipation of pain in the future. Those that are successful or influence others probably have fear. The key is they have learned to act in spite of their fear. I had many opportunities to do this at camp. (Sorry, I can’t share more specifics.)
• Sometimes the best thing you can do to get it done is to get out or your own way. I know for myself, I’m working a project right now that includes four other people. For this project to move smoothly, I have to move out of the way, give them space to do their brilliance and then step back in gracefully when it’s my turn. Taking action often has a really masculine energy to it, but when you add in the fine art of grace it feels less like– P-U-S-H-I-N-G.
• For me it’s so important to surround myself with people on the same path. All my fellow warriors showed up wanting great personal development and growth. Not once during 5 days did I share what I do professionally with anyone nor did I ask others. While I love what I do, it was incredibly refreshing to get to know others, and them me, without my professional hat on. While I don’t know what many of the people do, I have a really great sense of who they are as people, and what’s more important than that?

When I apply these “warrior” lessons I have so much more fun, attract goodness into my life and I get a lot more done.

How are you showing up in your life as a warrior?