 This has been a very easy blog to learn on, to use and to build and I am a little sad to leave. I've decided to keep all the posts here for you to read - especially since you've taken the trouble to visit!
If you'd like to follow me to my new home, I'd be delighted to welcome you there too. There will be the same mix of news and tips, plus the occasional rant (you didn't really think I'd stop did you?) so I hope you'll pay a visit to the new blog which is at: http://www.frontline-results.com/blog/blog_index.html.
See you later ......
 This morning has been one without focus. As a result, I haven't got through half of what I wanted to! Some papers I needed weren't where I thought and I kept getting distracted by trivia. My mood wasn't good.
Then the phone rang (doesn't it always!). The caller quickly identified themselves and launched into what they wanted to say. I'm afraid I gave them rather short shrift! My mind was still on the missing papers and how far behind I was falling. While I wasn't rude (at least I hope not), I did actually utter those immortal words "Don't call me, I'll call you." (I can't quite believe I actually said that out loud).
How different things might have gone if the caller had asked me the one key question that I believe everyone should learn: "Do you have time to talk now?" and waited for the reply. I might have felt more kindly disposed if I had been given the option to hold the conversation at another more convenient time.
Oh well, enough of that... now, where ARE those papers?
It's nearly the end of the summer holidays and I can already see lots of invitations coming through for networking events, seminars and workshops. Business owners I've spoken to are starting to ramp up their marketing - and I'm no exception!
I've been kept busy over the summer both working with coaching clients and on new products. I'm consciously moving closer to my new business model - it's starting to get exciting now!
From next week I'm delighted to have several projects lined up with Southern Entrepreneurs, starting with leading a small Mastermind group and then, at the end of September, I've been asked to hold a Stress Management workshop.
Next week also sees the launch of a brand new joint venture that I'm really looking forward to and will announce here when it goes live!
As a result of all the preparation involved in these activities, blogging has rather slipped through the net lately! But, with the end of the holiday season, I know that all business owners will be refocusing on their targets for the rest of the year. I will resume more regular blogging and hope that the posts will continue to provide tips and inspiration for you!
When I started my first business, as is so often the case, I didn’t have much money to spend on anything. Coming from the big budgets of a global corporation, it was quite a challenge to learn how to get maximum impact for minimum outlay! I still get great satisfaction from finding a ‘good bargain’.
However, this frugality has also backfired on me and held my business back.
You see, I believed it was wrong to spend much on training to learn more about business. But the free or low-cost seminars and workshops just left me increasingly frustrated because they didn’t give me the whole story!
I’d been following several very successful business owners whom I admired, hearing them tell about the importance of investing in their personal development, and that they spent as much as they could afford (sometimes even more than was comfortable) on hiring a coach and training.
At some point a couple of years ago, it dawned on me that my belief was actually holding me back from success. It wasn’t a case of waiting until I could comfortably afford to invest in training at all! The training had to be done first, and then the business would be more successful. Not really a light bulb moment, more of a ‘Duh, why didn’t I think of that before?’ moment!
All the time I was thinking small and penny pinching on my personal development, I was in effect saying that neither my business or I deserved more.
As soon as I took the plunge and started investing serious amounts of time and money in training and coaching for myself, that’s when I began attracting more business. I was even able to get some of the training paid for under a government initiative!
Business is still growing, and I’m still investing in it! Never again will I be a ‘cheap-skate’ because I now know that my business is worth the best.
 One of the many benefits of working for myself is that I can plan to do exactly what I want to do when I want to do it, pretty much most of the time.
During my corporate career, I was well-known for organising my workload so that deadlines were met.
It’s second nature for me to forward plan, although I know that isn’t the case for everyone.
Some of my business coaching clients have protested “Oh, I much prefer to be spontaneous, it’s more fun that way!” when I suggest they plan ahead. I shudder when I find out that some of these people don’t even have written business or marketing plans before they start working with me.
I find that having a very clear plan of what needs doing and by when, puts me firmly in control. It allows me to build in contingency time in case of any unexpected ‘surprises’ and that in turn reduces my stress levels.
Forward planning has enabled me to take on new projects while keeping on top of existing ones. I can see at a glance what needs doing and by when.
I’ve noticed that very successful business people use forward planning and organisation to help them take advantage of new opportunities. They may do this themselves or delegate it. The point is that by having their finger on the pulse of their business, they are able to act quickly when they need to and not jeopardise their current commitments.
If forward planning is good enough for them, it’s good enough for me!
What’s your best forward planning tip? I’d love to know.
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