Have you ever walked the floor of a Trade Show and noticed that there are some presenters at booths who have energy and are actively working the room to draw in leads while others look like they would rather have a root canal than to be attending the event? Which one engages you in conversation? Missed opportunities in a competitive economy can be death to a business. Excuses and lack of enthusiasm because you are not doing the business you once did during a better economy is not working for you or your business. Make a choice today to smile more, talk positively about your business and be prepared to connect with future clients at any time. If you have been stuck in your office too long and you have been living the life of a vampire who seldom sees the sun it is time for you to take a customer or business contact to lunch.  Be sure to include “fun” in your work day and if you can not find that “A” game for your business, then it is time for you to consider working with a Life Coach or someone who can help you to find what it is that brings a smile to your face.

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Like dieting, you understand the importance of taking care of your health and maintaining a healthy weight and eating right is all part of that.  Blogs are the same, they can have a tremendous impact for the health of your business in that it allows you to communicate and build a loyal following to the brand of your business without spending money on advertisement that most consumers are trying to avoid.  The blog gives you a voice and also consistent traffic to your website that could lead to more business and it also helps your site with popularity ratings which improves your status or ranking with on-line searches.  However, not everyone is blogging or those who are may not be consistent and this reminds me of dieting [something I have done most of my life without too much success].  Right after the New Year you meet so many excited dieters who have dreams of fitting in to a smaller bathing suit by spring or losing some weight and feeling healthier. The local weight loss groups are standing room only and the advertisement on TV is filled with the latest and greatest diets and exercise equipment that will bring you instant success on the road to being healthy, or so they claim.

Does everyone fail at diets or having a blog? No! The key to being successful at both is to develop a system that will work for you in that you incorporate the new activity in your daily life.  This blog post is being written at 5am and if I went to the athletic club I know I would find people working out before they are heading to work or at the end of their busy work day.  For the serious blogger and dieter, finding a time that works for your schedule to include the new activity helps you to be successful.  You have to plan for blogging even though the activity does not require much preparation other than having an idea to write about and access to your WordPress account or whatever program you are using for your blog.  However, please know that I have seen many serious minded business owners vow to post regularly on their blog and when I check their sites the last entry is far from current because it just has not become the priority to the day to day operation of their business.  To blog consistently you have to be willing to schedule time to write the post much like eating healthy or working out at a health club.  Unless you have been writing your entire life this new activity will be challenging on days that you are busy [what day are you not busy?] and on days when you are handling big projects with lots of added stress that inhibits your ability to come up with a new blog topic to post about.

The one thing I will say to those who have started a blog and now realize that you just are not cut out for blogging or do not have the resources to hire someone who will write your blog for your business, ask your web designer to remove the active link or tab on your home page to your blog.  Having your website indicate that there is a blog and allowing people to click on to the site and see the last entry was 6 or 8 months ago is not helping your business.  And, for those who are reading this and want to have a blog you have to know when you will have time to actually write the posts. You may love to work out in the early mornings which shows you can keep to a schedule and are committed to remaining healthy, but when will you write your blog posts to keep you business blog healthy and up to date? The key to success in blogging is having time in your schedule to commit to blogging or being willing, as I do, to get up early in the morning or work later in the evening to create a new entry to my blog.

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

So, what does this have to do with helping your business??? Nothing and everything.

A business, like life, is touched by what is around it. When you have a death in your family or you lose an employee who was a key part of the fabric of your team, your business feels it.  If you are a sole proprietorship, do you have a contingency plan for if you get sick or you need to take some time off to make arrangements and attend services for a family member who passes away? Have you developed strong relationships with your customers so that if a tragedy hits your home and your regular business activities are altered that your clients still feel confident in working with you?  I have a t-shirt that my friend’s company makes that has a great saying, “Adversity doesn’t build character…it reveals it”.   Having been a cancer survivor and not unfamiliar to how life throws you curve balls when you least expect it, I realize that no matter what today brings you must always remain true to who you are and what you believe in.  I believe in giving as much as I can to help enrich my life and those around me, both at home and in the office.   I care deeply for my customers, their families and  their businesses and in return that is the relationship they give back to me.  If you are reading this and you have not developed a strong relationship with the customers you service then it might be a time to regroup and consider how you can develop a stronger connection with them.  Get to know who you are doing business with and offer more of your self in return.  Go out to lunch or coffee with them or take an extra few minutes the next time you are doing a service call to ask them about their life and to get to know more about them and share about you.  Be more than just someone who sells them a widget….build a friendship and a true connection.

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

“Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end. He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad . . . on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner. Born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for expanding our organization . . . and for extending the medium of cartoon animation toward new entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us.”

So, as you continue to work your business day to day and are faced with many challenges because of the economic climate, how do you put your fear and worries aside to keep your mind focused on new ideas and services that will help your business stand out from others? Do you have a symbol like Walt’s mouse in your company that lifts your mood and keeps you free of the day to day stress?  Something that is fun or has a positive meaning to you that keeps you smiling is a good “mouse”.  My company’s “mouse” is a purple diamond paperweight that has our tagline, “Success wears the Purple Diamond!” engraved on it.  I have one on my desk and I share the purple diamonds with all my clients so that they have a symbol to focus on that will lift them up and remind them that they are moving in the direction of success.

So, if you have not found your business “mouse” and you are bogged down with the worries of your business, consider going to the store and finding something that makes you laugh and connects with your business in a positive way.  Place that object where you and your staff can see it and focus on it when you start to get distracted from your business due to worry.  Then, pick-up the phone and call a client or a prospect or have a creative team meeting with your staff and continue on your way to success!

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

This weekend my uncle passed away and as arrangements were being planned and cousins from out-of-town were calling to say they would be coming, I was faced with the small business owner dilemma of how to juggle my busy work week, a lecture seminar I was in charge of and speaking at, with saying good-bye to a loved one and being a support to his children and my mother. The balancing act of work and life has long been a struggle for families. Your job “funds” your life, but when the job becomes your life what was the purpose?

Researchers have found that your mental health and well being is enhanced when you spend time with family and friends. Playing with your kids, laughing with your friends or just relaxing with your spouse is actually a great way to be successful in your business life. These activities actually can relieve stress from your job. Learning to “walk away from your desk” and back in to your family life will help you to smile more and enjoy the time you are both at work and home. Balance is the key to everything we do. Too much of one activity will lead to “burn-out” and loss of other things in your life or people. If all you have is your job what happens if your business fails or you get sick and can no longer work?

So, as I am changing my work schedule to allow the time with family this week to say good-bye to an uncle I dearly loved, I recognize that my company is only a fraction of my life. Yes, it is important and I love my advertising agency, but I love many other things and people and that is why it is easy to smile during my work week and after hours. I recognize that “balance” between family and business is why my company is doing well and my family is happy. What have you created for your business and family life? It is never too late to find a balance and an inner peace.

All my best to YOUR success!
~ Charlene

“SUCCESS WEARS THE PURPLE DIAMOND!”