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Is Your Business an Outlier?

September 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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I have always been a voracious reader. There were summers where my mother and I were in the library three to four times a week filling up bags with books to keep me entertained. And I could not tell you the number of batteries I went through from staying up late, hiding under my covers with a flashlight and a book I just could not put down until it was finished!

As a business owner, reading has become a vital necessity in being able to learn new techniques, build better businesses for myself and my clients, and improve my own skillsets. I truly believe that readers are leaders. As I read, I look forward to sharing books that will add value to you as a business leader.

I just recently read Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, a book that truly challenged what I really believed about why some people are successful and seem to have all the good luck and why other’s don’t seem to make a dent in reaching their potential. Before I go too much further, let’s define exactly what an outlier is.

“Outlier” is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience. According to the SBA, over 50% of small businesses fail withing 5 years. As business owner, knowing the importance of being an outlier when it comes to the success of your business is a game changer. It also requires that you shift your mindset to learn what will aid in your success. Having a great idea, providing an outstanding service, or working harder than everyone else, while all great and important qualities, they don’t guarantee that you’ll be victorious in overcoming those odds.

Gladwell, gives example after example as to why most of the success stories, such as your Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs, are not simply because they are self-made. In these cases, the year they were born, where they lived, their culture and opportunities presented and taken advantage of all play an integral part in moving them from not only just successful, but also significant. He also shares how having the highest IQ or being from affluent families aren’t necessarily the catalysts that determine who falls short or soars high.

That’s great news for you and your small business! You can become an outlier regardless of IQ or your family, or even your age! This book will help you erase all the excuses on why you can’t be everything you dream of.

The antedotes in this book are entertaining and will likely cause you to say “huh, that’s interesting” several times as you read of those who have achieved amazing things with their lives. Mr. Gladwell states,

“Success is function of persistence doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds.”

So, how persistent and willing are you? How do you plan on separating yourself from the other business owners to become an outlier? Have you developed a strategy for your business success?

Everyday each of us has a choice whether we’ll wait for opportunities to knock on our doors or if we’ll prepare ourselves with a solid plan and the fortitude to knock down doors if we must to succeed. Which will you choose?

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

   Frederika

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Important vs Urgent: Time Management Tips To Keep You Effective and Efficient

September 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Important vs Urgent: Time Management Tips To Keep You Effective and Efficient

by Frederika Angus

 

Raise your hand if 1440 minutes doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to get all your tasks accomplished. Do you have friends, spouses or colleagues that seem to be more productive and produce bigger results? After years of business management consulting and project management, I've been able to develop surefire methods that consistently allow me to work effectively and efficiently. I'll let you in on the secret. Lean in close….

Effective people utilize the bulk of their time focused on the important over the urgent.

We have all had days were we have been busy with presentations, going to the gym, meetings, phone calls, errands, doctors appointments, social events and chores. Feeling exhausted from all the activity of the day, we fall into bed and marvel at how much work is still left to been done and how little has actually been crossed off the to-do list. Our bodies are weary and we look over at the alarm clock, wishing for more time in the day to get it all done, knowing 5:30 am will be soon approaching for us to start the grueling process again.

Tip #1 – By learning the difference between which tasks are important over what is urgent, you can be more effective and efficient while alleviating stress and anxiety over the things you have yet to accomplish.

  •  Important  activities produce an outcome that leads you and your business to the achievement of goals.
  • Urgent activities are usually reactive over being proactive and demand immediate attention.

In other words, important things are valuable; urgent things simply have a looming deadline. Urgent things are not necessarily important, nor do important tasks have to be urgent.

Tip #2 – Maintain a master to-do list and prioritize each task based on it's level of importance and urgency. Having a written list is a business strategy people have used for years. Adding a column to mark priority will keep the most critical items to be accomplished from becoming lost.

Tip #3 – Review your task list each evening and select 3 important activities for the following day. We often set ourselves up to fail by producing daily agenda's that are jam packed. By primarily focusing on the 3 must-dos, we leave room for any urgent needs that may arise and space for flexibility.

Tip #4 – Deal with important things before they become urgent. This can reduce the number of urgent items added to your to-do list. This strategy will reduce unnecessary, last minute stressors.

Tip #5 – Check and respond to email in between the transition of completing one task and starting another. Constant immediate response to emails as they arrive slows progress. Instant access to emails via our smartphones has become a gift and a curse. Don't allow instant communication to steal your productivity.

Tip #6 – Learn to say NO to demands on your time that don't benefit you or your goals or align with your core mission statement. Too often we find ourselves saying 'Yes' to help out other people when in reality we don't have the capacity to take on more. If the activity is not important to your development, kindly decline.

If you'd like more strategies on how you can be effective at prioritizing your activities, be sure to follow me now on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Mindset, Time Management Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Having A Life and Being Successful in Business – How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

September 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Having A Life and Being Successful in Business – How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

by FREDERIKA ANGUS

There is a common school of thought that believes that you can’t have the best of both worlds. I’m not sure where it came from or how we all started believing this proverb was true, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship and leading a company to success. What I am sure of is that you have a choice in deciding what is true for you. Rather than affirming this saying by never attempting to be balanced in both your professional and personal life, I am encouraging you TODAY to change your mindset and prove this idiom wrong.

You can maintain work – life balance while successfully running your own business.

Don’t look at me with that tone of voice! While I understand that is a rather bold and somewhat radical statement, I make it my personal mantra. As a wife to the most amazing man, mother of four incredible children, daughter, friend, entrepreneur, business consultant, etc, I comprehend your reservations. How in the world can anyone accomplish all that needs to be done to lead a business, service clients, research new products, balance the books, support community fundraisers, network AND enjoy social outings with friends, attend their child’s sporting events, have dinner with the family and most importantly, rest your mind, body and spirit.

Well don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a quote from one of the most successful and significant businessmen of our time.

Having kids has been a fantastic thing for me. It’s meant that I’m a little more balanced. In my twenties I worked massively, hardly took vacation at all. Now, I, with the help of my wife, I’m always making sure I’ve got a good balance of how I spend my time.
~ Bill Gates

When a man who has voluntarily released his claim to the richest man in the world title by giving billions of dollars to his charitable foundation shares wisdom of the need to be balanced in life and business, I listen. I hope you do too.

Practical application to create a work – life balance

I would be remiss to not help you understand HOW to create this balance in your business. I’ve compiled 4 strategies to help you obtain harmony between your personal and professional time.

Define your personal mission statement and core values. Knowing what you believe in and what your purpose is in doing it is sometimes overlooked. When you don’t know where you are going, time is wasted getting there. Having a clear plan of action and vision of your goals will allow you to better filter what is important and what you can say no to.

Organize your time! If you have multiple hats that you wear daily, you comprehend that time is always of the essence. Having a system of time management will enable you to have smooth transitions from business to pleasure. It’s far less important about the tool you use to manage your time and more important that you are consistent in actually utilizing whatever strategy works for you.

Outsource tasks that take you longer than an hour. Most entrepreneurs are do-it-yourselfers. Often as a means to save money, business owners will take on multiple tasks in running the company. To achieve a more balanced lifestyle, be willing to invest money in surrounding yourself with the tools, processes and/or people that can alleviate your load. The time you save will give you more time to go build and grow your business and enjoy your life.

Give yourself grace. NO ONE IS PERFECT! Now that you’re freed from the perfectionism bondage most businesspeople have, forgive yourself if you can’t make that great networking event or a little-league game. It is impossible to be everywhere at one time and be everything to everyone. As long as you are striving to maintain a nice balance between your work and your life, there should be no guilt.

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

Frederika

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Mindset Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Lessons I Learned About Business In Second Grade

September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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5 Lessons I Learned About Business In Second Grade


by FREDERIKA ANGUS



Most people believe that only children are spoiled and live a lifestyle where all their desires are met with a yes. Only children seem to have everything at an arm’s reach and don’t work for anything. I’ll admit, that generally, all of this is true. Unless, of course, you’re my parents’ daughter. My mother and father grew up working for everything they had as children were adamant that I learn the value of work from an early age.

When I asked for extra lunch money to be able to buy a dessert at lunch in the second grade, after having a good laugh at my expense, my dad sat me down. “My job as your parent is to provide for your needs not your wants. Last I checked you have a roof over your head, food to eat and a bed to sleep in. If you want to purchase extras like desserts, I suggest you find a way to make some extra money,” he explained.

“But DAAAD!” *insert cute 7 year old puppy dog face*

“No. You’re smart enough to figure out how to get what you want. Go figure out what you need to do, then do it.”

Now typically I would I have complained about how mean he was and how unfair life was because of this great injustice I’d suffered. Well maybe I did do that just a tiny bit, yet the challenge of the task my dad had placed before me immediately intrigued me. Surely he understood that I couldn’t go out and get a job. I could barely reach the counter to place an order at McDonald’s and was pretty sure they weren’t looking for a fry cook that hadn’t even completed elementary school. Besides if I couldn’t convince my own parents to ante up for their sweet child surely no one else would. But the question still lingered in my mind, what on earth could a 7 year old do to make money?

That’s when I learned my first lesson about business.

#1 – Anytime is a good time to start a business. There seems to be a common misconception surrounding the timing in which one should begin their journey as an entrepreneur. I’ve heard all the excuses before. You’ve probably even said them yourself. Do any of these sound familiar :

“I’m too old”

“I’m too young”

“I don’t have enough experience”

“I don’t have enough money”

Starting a business is as simple. The stars don’t need to be perfectly aligned for you to have an idea, create a product, or provide a service. It simply requires the faith to step out and try and the dedication to keep going.

As I pondered what I could do that would quickly generate income, I was reminded of all the kids that had a good old lemonade stand. While in general, it’s a great repeatable endeavor, I knew sitting in the sun, shooing flies away from my product, while cars sped by and the neighborhood kids begged for a cup on “credit” didn’t excite me. No amount of money could have convinced me otherwise.

#2 – Choose a business you’re passionate about. Your chances of being successful in business are much greater if you love what you do. Following the crowd, instead of your heart, typically leaves you with regrets and disappointments. You’ll know what you’re passionate about because your heart beats a little faster when you think about it. It’s the thing you can’t get out of your mind, the thing that you’d do for free if it weren’t for those pesky bills. When I started my first business, my thing, along with every other kid was candy. And so a business was born.

Selling candy to kids who were also candy fiends should be an easy task. With an idea in my head of becoming rich by selling treats, I went back to my dad to ask for some start-up money.

#3 – Investors may like your idea but they put their money where your plan is. “I’m glad you put some thought into how you could reach your goal,” my dad said, “but before I invest any money into this, I need to know exactly how you plan to sell your candy. Who are your ideal customers? How much will you charge? What candy will you sell and where will you get it from? And the most important question of all, how and when you will pay me back.” It wasn’t until I had a detailed, written plan that I received financing (and a ride to Sam’s to purchase the candy). Having a roadmap to my business success kept me accountable not only to my sole investor, but also to myself.

#4 – Word of mouth is a great marketing tool. It’s not enough just have products and services at a price customers are willing to pay. Customers need to know that you are providing a product or service that they are interested in. With internet and the usage of social media today, there are many avenues to drive people to your business both online and offline. I enlisted my neighbor to be my spokesperson by telling her for every 5 paying customers that she sent to me, I’d give her a choice of one piece of candy free. Before I knew it, I was the most popular kid businesswoman in school.

#5 – Listen, listen, listen to what your customers want, then deliver. One of the most critical qualities of an entrepreneur is not in your sales ability but in your listening skills. Once you have a base of customers, they will tell you where to expand, what to focus your research and development on, and how to reach more clientele. Well, they won’t say it in those words, but they will share what they do and don’t like or what they wish you offered. I began my business by only selling the candy that I liked. I learned to take note of what other treats were being asked for and as the time arose to restock, I’d be sure to purchase the most popular ones. I built a reputation on providing results by obtaining what my customers’ sweet tooth desired.

The skills I learned at 7 helped me develop and sustain a successful business several years until I went to high school.

Share a comment below with your thoughts. If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Talk to you soon!

Frederika

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship Tagged With: , , , ,

Life Comes At You Fast

September 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Typically our weekends are a whirlwind of excitement. We usually have sporting events or activities for the boys that keep us on the move from place to place. This past Saturday was no different. As we were talking and driving up the highway to watch our oldest participate in a scrimmage with his football team, my husband interrupted me pointed out to me that it isn't even fall and the leaves were changing.

I didn't think much about it until later that afternoon as we were sitting in the bleachers cheering on our middle son at his first tackle football game. Leaf after leaf floated from the trees behind us. After being smacked in the face for the third time I exclaimed, "Why are the leaving changing so soon? It isn't time! I'm not ready!"

Have you ever felt that way?

You look around and it seems everything around you is changing and you are just not ready. There is no way you can stop the changes from happening. And if you just had a little more time beforehand, even a little advance notice, you would have been more prepared.

Changes next exit

Welcome to life! It comes at you fast and some days you aren't prepared for all the change in front of you. You pick up the remote and press pause yet nothing stops or even slows down.

We've all been there. I'm here to tell you that whether you've had that feeling a day, a week, a month, THERE IS HOPE.

I want to encourage you today to change your perspective on the "Life comes at you fast" moments. As much as they signify the ending to one chapter they are equally the beginning the next. Here are a few quotes to remind you of the positive side of change.

Change brings opportunity.
Nido Qubein

Change in all things is sweet.
Aristotle

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.
Gail Sheehy

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
Maya Angelou

Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
Alan Watts

Do you have a favorite quote on change? Share it below now. I'd love to hear it.

If you are looking for more support in building the business of your dreams and living the life you envisioned, be sure to join me on Facebook now and follow me on Twitter.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Mindset Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Primetime Strategy from Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders

September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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A Primetime Strategy from Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders

by Frederika Angus

 

Are you ready for some football?

I personally cannot wait until the season gets underway! I have enjoyed watching football as a young girl and even moreso as the mother to 3 players. Although I’ve never played it, watching my little ones practice, study and play the game over the years has helped me see it as more than just a game. There are life lessons behind every pass, penalty, tackle and touchdown.

Last night after coming home from watching our local NFL team practice, we settled in and watched the football Hall of Fame inductees stand before all the world and pour out their heart, share their gratitude to those who believed in them during the journey and accept the most prestigious football honor available.

Each man stood before family, friends, coaches and colleagues and told their story as they transitioned from having success in their chosen career with the NFL to being significant for the generations to come. Every man was moving and there were times were I could feel the rawness of their emotions leap from the screen. And yes, I cried in joy along with them.

One recipient in particular stood out for me from the rest. Maybe it’s simply because he played for the San Francisco 49ers, my number 1 favorite football team, but Deion Sanders’ words ignited me. As he talked of his football persona, Primetime, he shared that prime was really an acronym that pushed him into his great success in league. (His stood for promise, responsibility, intellect, manage and expect.)

As business owners, sometimes we feel isolated and alone as we put our heart, talents and finances into our dreams. It easy some days to focus so much on delievering a great product or service that other details become neglected. Today I want to encourage you whether you are just starting out or you’ve been in business for years with PRIME strategies to push you into great business success.

Prepare and plan – When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Your ability to move forward in an effective manner is dependent on knowing you have exactly what you need and the directions to take you there. When going on vacation you don’t show up to the airport without preparing a bag or having a plane ticket. Treat your business the very same. Having business, marketing and financial plans are a must.

Revisit and revise – If you already have a plan, revisit and review it regularly. I make it a priority to read my own once a quarter at minimum to ensure I am staying true to my mission and operating according to plan. When necessary, at least once a year, I revise the plan to account for what I’ve learned from training and trial and error.

 I nvestigate and innovate – Most small businesses don’t have a research and development division. Along with the many hats you’ll wear as an entrepreneur, this one is important. Investigating and analyzing market trends as well as what your customers want will give you insight into how and where to grow your business. Thinking out side of the box and being willing to innovate will also put you ahead of your competition.

Manage and motivate – As a leader, you are called to manage people, your brand and your time. This isn’t to be taken lightly. People are constantly watching you and your actions and how you represent yourself. Be able to motivate yourself and inspire others. It will take you further than you can imagine.

Execute, expect greatness, eliminate excuses – All the planning and talking in the world means nothing if you there is no action. As I’m leading different projects for clients, I like to remind the teams to plan the work then WORK the plan. When working through that plan, expect that it will work out even better than you expected. Above all, eliminate the excuses. You can and will succeed!

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