Blog – Page 30 – Michele Christensen

Make use of holiday slow time, part 3

This is part 3 of a 3 part series. Click here for part 2.

The final idea I have to share about making use of a slow time in your business is to use the time to create processes and systems for things you do regularly. I’ve seen many business owners get caught up in reinventing the wheel for tasks they do all the time. My rule is this: the first time you do a repeating task, write down the steps you think you need to do in order to complete the task. As you do the work, adjust your list and add notes to help you next time. The second time you do it, work from your list and again improve it based on what you learned. By the third time, you should have a pretty solid process that continues to change over time as needed. The more you can systematize and document repeating tasks, the more efficient you’ll be at doing them. You’ll be less overwhelmed and it will be easier to start. Finally, if the time comes for you to hire some help, you’ll have a process in which to train the person not just an ill-defined result you want.

Don’t get stuck on making your processes perfect. Paper is fine to start with (and maybe for a long time after). Don’t worry too much about formatting or formality. This isn’t for your customers, it’s just to make you more efficient.

Here are some ideas on processes you might want to start with:

sorting and filing paperwork
bank, credit card and cash reconciliations
data entry
compiling your newsletter
cleaning and maintenance
opening and closing if applicable

Give it a try! Leave a comment if you have any other processes you can write up.

Make use of holiday slow time, part 2

This is the second of a 3-part series on how you can use your time if business is slow right now. Click here for part 1.

If your business is slow right now, it’s a great time to set up your files for 2011. For the next few months, most of us will be in transition with files – not quite ready to store 2010 but in need of places for 2011 paperwork. Start by finishing any filing you have right now. Any files you keep by year (bank records, vendor payments, utility bills, etc) should be pulled out and boxed for storage but not removed from your workspace yet. You’ll need those 2010 files as the last of 2010 paperwork dribbles in during early January and you’ll probably need them to file your 2010 taxes. Set up new files for 2011 using the same categories if they worked well for you in 2010. It’s a great feeling to be ready when those first few transactions of the new year happen and you are ready for them. Keep your 2010 files nearby in their boxes until you stop getting 2010 paperwork and your taxes are filed. At that time, it’s a good bet you won’t need them much so you are safe moving them to less convenient storage.

Click here for the last part in the series where I’ll give you one more really useful thing you can do right now if you aren’t serving as many customers as usual.

Is your business slow right now?

If so, you can use this time to help make 2011 a great year. By getting ready now, you can hit the ground running on that first day back to work after the new year and not waste any time figuring out what to do. You’ll want to work on both your big picture plan and some detail items as well.

Here are some ideas to help you do some planning for 2011 right now:

If you haven’t done any planning for 2011, aim for a simple plan since it’s already December 16. Next year, you can start earlier and be more detailed and complex. Start by looking at a calendar (electronic or paper) and write in all the big events you already know about, including both personal and professional. Some ideas to get you started: holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, yearly family events, school events, community events, business events, medical issues and big personal projects like home improvement.

Knowing these events and date ranges ahead of time will help you know when you may be less available to work or simply less productive. Schedule your major business projects around these events. Look at what you want to accomplish in the year and set some time frames. Consider what projects need to be done before others. Look at how you can use yearly events in your marketing – think “back to school sale” or “summer seminar.” Make sure to schedule prep and marketing time before any events or products you launch.

Planning can be done on a much greater scale, but doing just this much should give you a good overview of the year. Knowing the order in which things are happening will help you prioritize what needs to be done first, and will help you know where you are in your yearly journey.

Along with planning, you’ll want to set some numerical targets for the projects you are planning. If you are doing a list-building project, how many new subscribers do you hope to gain? If you are doing some SEO or traffic building, what numbers would tell you you’ve been successful? You don’t always need specific numbers – sometimes just an idea or a direction will do. If you have 500 subscribers now and more than that after your list building project then you know it worked to some degree. If you’re trying to save time on something, the hours spent should be going down.

In my next post, I’ll tell you about how you can prepare your space and files for the new year.

Go ahead, be awesome!

If you’ve chosen your solopreneur business well, you’re probably doing something you are awesome at. It’s really easy to overlook your own greatness because it comes naturally to you. In order to serve others, it’s important not to overlook your own gifts because they are the tools you use to best

serve others. One of my most deeply held beliefs is that we are all born with strengths and weaknesses, and by serving others with our strengths, the world benefits. We get a bad message from society about “having a big head” or “being conceited,” but that’s not what this is about. Those messages are about somebody thinking they are superior to others because of their gifts, which isn’t the same as acknowledging your gifts and using them to serve others. Innate in this belief system is the fact that others have gifts that are just as valuable as yours, and in fact somebody has natural aptitude in an area you don’t. (And isn’t that a beautiful thing?)

How is this important for solopreneurs? A belief in yourself, your knowledge and skills is critical to serving others well and with integrity. If you don’t believe in the value of what you offer, how can people who need you be sure enough to buy? Self-doubt might cause you to hold back in serving others or trying new ideas and therefore deny the world the benefit of your full effort. A wise teacher once told me “It’s not arrogant to acknowledge and use your gifts, it’s arrogant not to.”

So how do you gain confidence in what you offer? Here’s a few tips:

Set up mastermind sessions with other professionals. When you see your business through someone else’s eyes, you might be surprised at how much other people value you. You’ll also probably find that others have the same lack of confidence, which helps you to see how common it is.
Ask past clients for testimonials. When you read a heartfelt expression of gratitude for your efforts, you’ll see the value of what you do.
Get coaching for yourself and/or your business. The fact that you are willing to invest money in your business is a powerful statement about the value of your business, and the right person will help you see your greatness, get absolutely comfortable with it and use it to do amazing things in the world.
Review your files and make a list of your successes.

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my site!

I wanted to start my blog by explaining why I love solopreneur businesses. I spent the first few years of my career working for corporate America, and by the time I escaped I was so miserable I never wanted anything to do with business again. I took a few months off to travel the USA, and then some temp work led to a small consulting practice. By then I was in LA, where there were loads of creative types needing business help.

I still hadn’t quite gotten the right mix of services in my practice though, and closed the practice to spend a few years working in a non-profit serving the clients of the facility. I began getting interested in blogging, social media and web 2.0 stuff in early 2008, and in January of 2009 I launched my own solopreneur business as a professional organizer. Over time, I niched down further and further until I was just providing time management and productivity consulting for entrepreneurs.

From that specialized practice came my current business combining business experience, strategic thinking and productivity. I did a lot of masterminding with trusted colleagues, past clients and people who would be ideal clients. What came out of it is that my mission is to help solopreneurs with the business side of their work so they can focus on bringing their unique gifts to the world. I believe that solopreneur businesses are going to be a powerful force in the post-recession economy, and I see the amazing, positive change they bring to the world. I want to be part of that, to help you create a solid business foundation so you can do your work in the world.