Sometimes “No” Means “Yes was the title of Alexia Vernon’s post of earlier this week. She packed a lot into her two minute vlog, reminding us along the way of the value of tuning into ourselves for clues — clues that will help us identify what we are really saying “no” and “yes” to. She also reminded us of how a “no” can frequently be an invitation to make room for what a “yes” will bring about, i.e., what we really, really want if we’d just get out of our own way.
We often think of “no” and “yes” in the context of our own voice. But what about the “nos” and yeses” we receive in response to a request we have; how do we process and internalize our feelings and reactions when we hear “no” but were hoping for “yes?” Continue Reading »
I recently taught a business plan class and was blown away by the number of students who had not yet started their business.
The course was at the half way point and all of the students had amazing business ideas. New products to import and export, new services they could enhance, online applications that could save time or create new communities and even a not for profit that targeted a new client niche. They had constructed their ideas on well thought theories, were in varying stages of market research, and had outlined their first year of income and expenses.
Yet none of them had actually started the business.
They gave me a host of reasons
- Not enough cash
- Finalizing legal structures
- The need for venture capital of other financing options
- Selecting potential partners
These were all good reasons. But none of them could answer why they hadn’t started testing the ideas on a few select customers and getting feedback. Continue Reading »
Many entrepreneurs use a Board of Advisors when starting a new project or venture. It can be helpful to have a group of people who can share insight or feedback for the idea and provide a sounding board for the entrepreneur.
But it’s hard to know who to approach when you are first starting. And you may not have the “people capital” established yet to know how to ask a group of talented entrepreneurs, bankers, accountants, lawyers and other small business experts to support you with your business. (Plus it takes time to coordinate schedules and plan the agenda!)
So I’ll recommend using an accountability partner as you start your business. Continue Reading »
If you’ve ever attended a networking event, you’ve probably been asked this question “So tell me what do you do?” Seemingly simple, this question strikes fear in the heart of many – how do you answer in a memorable way ? In other words, will they REALLY remember at the end of the evening when they are staring at a stack of new business cards? Or does your card get tossed because they don’t remember what made your business valuable to them?
If you are an employee, you can share your company, title or industry. Whatever you think someone will find memorable or impressive. And it’s no sweat if it isn’t – unless you are a sales person. Continue Reading »
It occurs to me on the national holiday of Thanksgiving that we need more than one day a year to officially stop, pause and give thanks.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited that we have an entire day dedicated to giving thanks today. However, I also realize how powerful giving thanks can be on a regular basis – and its application to our professional lives.
Let me share with two ways that I have used actively this year to do this: Continue Reading »
Over the last few months, I’ve heard a lot of local and national political candidates talk about their version of America and how their opponent’s America looked very different. And I agree. There have been some significant ideological differences between candidates, particularly here in Nevada. With that said, however, I’m always more interested in the areas where people agree…. even if their approaches for getting to or sustaining a particular vision or result don’t neatly align.
I’ve had the privilege of doing a variety of different work around onboarding recent college graduates into their first full-time, post-collegiate jobs. A lot of this work has been looking for mutually-beneficial solutions for meeting young professionals where they are to take them where employers need them to be. Which of course has had me thinking…… what are the specific gaps between what colleges provide students and what employers expect them to know? Certainly this differs across fields. But if we could come together and agree on some particular skills, we could save employers (and young professionals) a lot of time, energy, and heartache down the line. Continue Reading »
Before a prospect becomes a client, I take them through a series of questions. This preliminary financial coaching session is thirty-minutes, complimentary and designed to give prospects a sense of my style and what they can expect from our engagement. It also gives them (and me) a picture of their current financial state, revealing what they have, what they tend to do with what they have, and why – rather than what they think they have, tend do, or why. Finally, this in-take call provides immediate feedback regarding the next steps to take, along with a framework for how best to use our coaching time benchmarked to their goals and budget.
Prospects are always amazed at what they discover about themselves from my seventeen (17) deceivingly simple, closed-ended questions and the conversation they spark. Yet, they don’t always choose to move forward. Continue Reading »
I’m a big fan of individual and organizational feedback–that which comes from others as well as the self-directed, self-reflective kind. When we give ourselves opportunities to take stock we get clearer on what is working (so we can do more of it) as well as that which isn’t working (so that we can self-correct and do less of it). We also stay connected to our personal power. It’s just so darn easy to believe that we are puppets in our lives being manipulated by forces beyond our control. Engaging in periodic feedback creates the opportunity to learn from what we assess, and use it as the foundation for future action.
One of my favorite forms of assessment is a 360. Typically, this form of feedback is used organizationally and allows employees to anonymously assess a colleague in all areas of performance or leadership. CAREERpreneurs can also administer a 360… on their careers. To do so, we identify an area we want to reflect upon. And then we take a nod from Clint Eastwood.
Continue Reading »
Sometimes “No” Means “Yes was the title of Alexia Vernon’s post of earlier this week. She packed a lot into her two minute vlog, reminding us along the way of the value of tuning into ourselves for clues — clues that will help us identify what we are really saying “no” and “yes” to. She also reminded us of how a “no” can frequently be an invitation to make room for what a “yes” will bring about, i.e., what we really, really want if we’d just get out of our own way.
