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As entrepreneurs, most of us are doing businesses on our own. Many of us, however, long for the support that a joint venture partnership provides. I believe there is so much more that can be done when we work and bring our strengths together in a joint venture. The question is – how do you create a partnership that works for both of you, as well as the communities you’re serving?

I interviewed Gina Bell, a friend of mine and the founder of GinaBellInc.com, for some tips on how to collaborate effectively and profitably. I want to share with you how you can find the “right” partner for your business and start an enjoyable and prosperous joint venture.

 

 Joint Ventures - How to Collaborate Effectively and Profitably [Metromom Podcast] [5:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Over the past year, you, the entrepreneur who wants to “get it done”, has joined me on my journey as I’ve shared the ups and downs and lessons learned. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on how to get it done. So I’d like to share with you (and here’s Part 1 in case you missed it) some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.

 

 Entrepreneur, Get It Done Lessons for 2010 - Part 2 [Metromom Podcast] [6:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Every once in awhile a joint venture partner will just fall in your lap. But, that’s not the norm. More often it requires a little more effort if you’re looking to find the “right” partner.

My first suggestion is to get out there and connect. It’s extremely critical to become more visible. You need to grow your network among like-minded people. To create a successful joint venture, you want to connect with people who are moving in a similar direction, share a similar goal and common interests.

I’m really happy to say that quite a few joint venture partnerships have blossomed among Metromom members and from entrepreneurs that have participated in my interactive coaching programs. These partnerships work because not only do they have a lot in common, but they’re working towards similar goals.

The next step is building your credibility and trust. You can build credibility by following up with your promises. You build trust by having the intention of giving and serving others. Your intention is, “How can I help you?” rather than “What can I get from you?”

Building trust and credibility takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. My friend Gina Bell shared that, “If you’re trying to go straight to profitability, it’s like proposing marriage on the first date. It just doesn’t work.”

Next, your joint venture need to be a win-win-win, which means it’s good for you, your partner, AND your clients and prospects. Often the missing piece is knowing how it’s going to benefit the customers and new clients you want to serve. However, if you’re clear on the benefits for everyone involved, the odds are very high that you’re going to have a profitable outcome for your joint venture.

Finally, don’t be afraid to lead and motivate your partners. People are busy. So don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and make some reminders. This can be the difference between a joint venture being spectacular and failing. Don’t be afraid to give your joint venture partners a gentle nudge.

Bottom line? The key to being successful in a joint venture partnership is having faith, being of service to others, being of value to others in your network and finding ways for everybody to win.

I’d love to hear your experiences about positive or negative joint ventures you’ve created. Please share your comments.

I love the change, fluidity and flexibility of entrepreneurship. There’s nothing quite like starting your own business to help you learn who you are and what’s important to you. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on getting things done. So I’d like to share with you some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.  (also check out Part 2)

 

 Entrepreneur - Get It Done - Lessons - Part 1 [Metromom Podcast] [4:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here we are 10 days into the New Year and I keep hearing that many are already stuck on what they’re going to get done. This morning I was interviewed by Chris Velardi at WTNH (New Channel 8 – CT) speaking about 3 different roadblocks that many confront as they start the new year.

As I put programs together for 2010, I want to make sure I’m providing you with the content that’ll make the most different to you. Please let me know what’s getting in your way to get the things done that you want to get done.

Over the past year, you, the entrepreneur who wants to “get it done”, has joined me on my journey as I’ve shared the ups and downs and lessons learned. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on how to get it done. So I’d like to share with you (and here’s Part 1 in case you missed it) some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.

Let Go of the Outcome and Enjoy the Journey

So much of what you do as an entrepreneur is to make it up as you go along. Most of us don’t have a degree in entrepreneurship! It’s very easy when you are in that place of starting out your business to think, “Because I’ve not done it, I can’t do it.”

But if you have a passion for what you do, you keep trying until you figure out a way to get it done. A fear of failure can get in your way. If you’re overly concerned about the outcome, you don’t enjoy the journey. Just remind yourself that it’s part of the process – that there will be things that will go awry when you are an entrepreneur, and you will learn along the way to get it done. That really is okay.

You Don’t Need to be Experienced, Just Resourceful

I wholeheartedly believe that if you know what needs to get done, you can always get help on how to “get it done”. I’ve seen it time and time again. It’s because of that that I’m such a believer in being a connector. This is where connecting and reaching out to other people can be so invaluable.

Just because you haven’t done it before, has nothing to do with the fact of whether you can or can’t do it. It just means that you need to reach out to others who have that experience. It is okay to be the one entrepreneur with the questions and not the answers because there are other people around us we can get those answers from.

Develop Good Boundaries

As a mom entrepreneur who works from home, the temptation is to work all the time. You finally have the kids to bed so you naturally want to get some work done. That’s fine sometimes but boundaries are critical.

Schedule a few nights each week when work is truly turned off (this means turning off your Blackberry or iPhone) so you can connect as a couple or have some quiet time for yourself. Because you can’t “get it done” if you burned out and exhausted!

Don’t Let Go of Your Purpose

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 – not the glossy version either. I deal with these same worries.

Funny thing is my business is on track and doing better than ever before! BUT, my husband just went back to work after a year off and we’re still digging out. I’ve got lots of “business investment” on my credit cards and I’ve utilized my home equity line to keep my business going. That’s a scary place to be. The stress is palpable.

I share this because I’m not a quitter and I will continue to do what it takes to do what I’m meant to do. (I always describe myself as a Weeble – they wobble but they don’t fall down.) You have to keep moving forward. You have to keep focused on your purpose – what your were meant to do – and then you have to keep reaching for it and “get it done”.

Sometimes You’ve Just Got to Take a Pass

I’m a big believer in teaching my kids to take responsibility for their actions. But I also know the importance of being able to bend the rules. I recently decided to give my 10 year old son a pass when he forgot his backpack. Normally I would have sent him to school without it but I felt like he deserved a break so I helped him out. (Checkout the whole story here.)

When I reflected on the importance of my giving my children a pass now and then, the message I’m giving is that I believe in them and it’s okay not to be perfect. I then thought about that same message for myself. I need to give myself a pass sometimes. I’m a far cry from the perfect mom. I do my best to connect meaningfully with my kids and instill the values I believe in but sometimes we eat crappy food, stay up too late and forget our backpacks, and it’s okay. We need permission to give ourselves a pass.

I hoped you enjoyed these lessons. I think there is a lot of value to sharing with each other our triumphs and our fallbacks. Are you an entrepreneur trying to “get it done”? I’d love to hear about your lessons learned.

We’ve all been there. In a classroom or in the work force and had to take a test. Many of us experience horrible testing anxiety that all but runs our life. Some of us are now watching our children experience the same pain and feel helpless.

Have you ever been there? Felt the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or experienced that clammy feel of your skin. Some people feel their heart race and their blood pressure soar. Others get cold and just want to hide.

These are real symptoms to a real problem and watching your child experience them can make you feel powerless. Yet now, thanks to a leading educational expert you no longer need to be powerless nor helpless when it comes to test-taking for you or for your child.

Jill Stevens, owner of The Center 4 Learning and known online as The Education Lady, was once a student who dreaded tests to the point where she made herself physically ill. As an educator who noticed the same problems in her students, Jill uncovered the strategies, tips and secrets that allowed her to overcome her own paralyzing test-taking anxiety.  Jill is now sharing her discoveries with us here in an upcoming interview.

- If you are ready to unblock yourself from testing anxiety
- If you are ready to discover a way to remove test-taking anxiety in your child
- If you are ready to learn the secret strategies and test-taking tips
- If you are ready to help your child succeed…

…then I highly recommend attending this Free call. Jill’s methods are life-changing for student’s of all ages. To find out more about my call with Jill Stevens, please visit this page.

I’m interested in hearing about your experiences when it comes to test-taking anxiety for you and your child. Please share your thoughts and post questions you’d like Jill to address on the call.

What would you like to get done this year? Are you weighing your options? Maybe redoing your website, setting-up a blog, launching a coaching program, finishing your book or doing whatever it takes to find new clients…

The problem is you may not be sure what will create the best results. What will propel your business in the right direction?

As entrepreneurs, most of us don’t have a lot of extra time (and we tend to be kind of impatient) so when we think about taking on additional projects we want RESULTS.

I feel the same way. I’m a busy entrepreneur and mother of three. I don’t have time to waste either. Thankfully I’ve already outlined my short-term and long-term goals for the year (hint – a brand new “get it done” website for entrepreneurs is in the works)!

Anyway, when I’m trying to prioritize the hundreds of projects floating around in my head I use a SIMPLE FORMULA to help me determine which project will create results fast. Since we’re just starting the New Year I figured it’s the perfect time to share this with you.

I’m pulling back the curtain and showing you EXACTLY how I use my simple formula to get it done in my F*REE teleclass on Thursday January 7th at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST) -  How to Choose the Right Projects for 2010 – To Build Your List, Gain Credibility, Expand Your Platform and Make More Money. http://metromom.com/vision

You’ll discover how to:

- Figure out whether or not your project really meets your objective (and what objectives are most important for you)

- Create a clear vision for your project that meshes with your overall business vision

- Determine if your project is big enough for you (a little extra motivation to just go for it!)

- Help you let go of the bright shiny object syndrome (the things that sound fun, but won’t really benefit your business)

Here’s that link again to reserve your spot in this complimentary teleclass.
http://metromom.com/vision

This call will give you clarity on what steps to take…whether you want to build your list, gain credibility, expand your platform or make more money! Let’s get it done in 2010!  I look forward to seeing you on this call.

I feel like it’s time to get past the hype and talk about what’s REALLY going on this year. I think we were all hoping things would be better by now…

Maybe you’re business isn’t where you want it. Maybe 2009 wasn’t what you planned for. Instead of enjoying the season of gift giving, you’re experiencing fear of spending… You wake up worrying about bills.

I wanted to share with you the truth – not the glossy version either. I deal with these same worries.

I’ve had a tightness in my chest this whole holiday season. My family just celebrated Hanukkah and honestly I had a hard time reveling in the joy of the season. I couldn’t really get in the gift-giving mood.

Funny thing is my business is on track and doing better than ever before! BUT, my husband just went back to work after a year off and we’re still digging out. I’ve got lots of “business investment” on my credit cards and I’ve utilized my home equity line to keep my business going. That’s a scary place to be. The stress is palpable.

I share this because I’m not a quitter and I will continue to do what it takes to do what I’m meant to do. (I always describe myself as a Weeble – they wobble but they don’t fall down.)

I’ve seen people shopping and I’ve seen the nervousness around spending. I’ve received emails from some wanting to invest in the future of their business but are afraid of putting one more thing on their credit card. I feel it too!

But you have to keep moving forward. You have to identify what’s really going to make a difference in 2010 and then you have to just go for it!

If you’re not sure what 2010 should look like (or you know but you can’t figure out how to get there) then I want to invite you do join me at my upcoming Get It Done Challenge. My job is to help you come up with a strategy so you know EXACTLY where to invest your time, energy and money – where can you get expect the very best return.

We’re getting started in January and I have some special pricing that won’t last long so visit www.getitdonechallenge.com now for the details.

I love the change, fluidity and flexibility of entrepreneurship. There’s nothing quite like starting your own business to help you learn who you are and what’s important to you.

Over the past year many of you have joined me on my journey as I’ve shared the ups and downs and lessons learned. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on getting things done. So I’d like to share with you some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.

Share your story.

When you’re an entrepreneur, it’s not your expertise (like your business degree) that people care about as much as the story of how you got to where you are today. Your truth is often your passion for wanting to help others and is rooted in something very personal to you so it’s incredibly important to share that reason why. I’ve also realized that it’s okay to share your mistakes – they are an important part of your truth so don’t be afraid of sharing them. It’s from our mistakes that we are much better teachers.

Celebrate the small things.

It’s important to celebrate each victory, each sale, every follow-up you didn’t want to do (but did it anyway) and most of all, every time you stepped out of your comfort zone. I have been following a mentor who had huge numbers attached to her programs and mine were much less. Initially, I felt I’d failed and I found myself looking at the situation very negatively. When in fact I had generated more business in that month than previous month, and had served more people. My lesson was to celebrate my own victories both big and small. Too many times we look outside ourselves to what others are doing and if we don’t live up then we feel “less” than. Who’s served by that?

Recognize and then acknowledge your gift.

As women we can often dismiss the value of that which comes easily to us. It’s almost as if we think if it’s easy then it must not be important. So many times it’s the unnoticed asset that is our biggest gift. Which is one of the reasons why I believe it’s so critical to connect with like-minded “get it done” entrepreneurs. They will point out our strengths. Don’t say, “It’s not a big deal,” – acknowledge your gift.

It’s a disservice NOT to offer your services.

I learned this from Lisa Sasevich who taught me so much about selling authentically. Selling is scary – it forces you to really step out of your comfort zone. The fact is that when you’re out there and people are learning from you and enjoying you, some are going to want more of you – be it services or products you have to offer. You can “sell” more effortlessly when you make it easy for them to see and take the next step.

Just start somewhere – action begets action.

Ideas are great – most entrepreneurs have tons of them, but implementation is the key to success. A huge revelation for many of my clients is that just doing SOMETHING, even if it turns out to be the wrong thing, is better than inaction. There is beauty in momentum. Once you start with something you’re able to improve upon it. If you take a step and it turns out to be the wrong step, then you know and can move in the other direction. On the other hand, if you never get started, you have no place to work from.

I’d love to hear the the wisdom of what you’ve learned about yourself and your business.