Posts Tagged ‘business future’

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the issue of how to grow the business and add to the team as well as obtaining new clients is a subject that has taken up a lot of my thought processes in recent times.

At our last networking event Sharon Williams, CEO of Taurus Marketing, took us through some of the issues that businesses face when they begin to grow, including ways to grow your team that won’t make having staff a drain on your finances.

I was very pleased to hear Sharon suggest that taking on Mums who needed flexible working hours from home on a contract basis was how she grew her team in the beginning. This has been the direction that I would like to move in and it’s always good to have your ideas and thoughts backed up by someone as experienced and successful as Sharon. Read the rest of this entry »

I suppose that’s quite a revealing question – particularly about my current business position! And, although I’m not particularly being kept awake at night I am increasingly finding that I am constantly thinking about and planning for the business.

I recently launched my new website, created for me by the wonderful Sergio at The Web Showroom. And, whilst I am thrilled with the results and have received nothing but positive feedback for the website, I had hoped that once the process of rebranding was over things would settle down nicely and I could continue to focus on my work.

But, as business owners what is our work? Is it the skill we have for what we physically do for a job, in my case PR and business communication, or is it something much bigger than that? Read the rest of this entry »

Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog posts of late. A few crazy weeks have kept my nose to the grindstone and I barely feel like I’ve been able to come up for air.

However, it’s never really as bad as we make it out to be is it? Sure, I’ve had a lot on my plate and it hasn’t been helped by falling at the same time as the total rebranding of my business, but with a little organisation we really can fulfil the commitments we set for ourselves can’t we?

In the last couple of weeks I’ve had some totally amazing experiences that have helped shape the future of my business and my attitude towards work, life and achievements. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes something comes along that just gives you a kick in the pants and says get your act together.

In recent blog posts I’ve told you about the changes that are happening in my business, the rebranding, offering more services, getting busier and busier.

Despite all this wonderous activity I often find myself paralysed – with fear that I’m punching above my weight (thanks VB!), with the amount that I have to get done in a day, with the decisions I have to make and wondering if taking my business in this direction is the right thing to do.

So, what’s the snap-out-of-it moment I’ve experienced? A couple of days ago I came across an amazing lady through Twitter (yes, I know this won’t surprise you at all!) who has reminded me that anything is possible if you just put your mind to it.

This inspiring lady is Catherine Bolt, an artist, writer and mother of 9; yes you read it right. My typing is very good today! Although her blog is very new, I already feel I know a lot about her, especially a lot to inspire me into just getting on with it all.

Now, I’m not the kind of person who complains about how much I have to do (unless you’re my husband of course, then you’re likely to hear much complaining and carrying on!). And, I’m pretty proud of how much I can achieve in a day with my business, three children, regular visits to the gym, spending time with family and friends, contributing articles to Flying Solo, commitments to the local rugby club and the Working Women’s Network, and all without any family support.

But, I absolutely take my hat off to Catherine who managed to build a hugely successful multi-million dollar business at the same time as raising (and actually producing a couple at the same time) 9 children. You can read her story here.

However, if that wasn’t enough, Catherine walked away from her multi-million dollar business to create a better life for her children. But she’s not content with making a better life just for her own family. Her latest venture is the selfless act of someone who knows how to get things done and succeed at whatever she puts her mind to.

Catherine and her family have committed to helping the thousands of orphaned Indonesian children who live in extreme poverty and who have no hope for a happy future. I’ll let you hop over to her blog to read about her plans to help them but, in a nutshell she wants to help them grow up in a ‘family’ environment that offers them hope and a sustainable life.

So, today I’m saying goodbye to procrastination. I’m embracing my fears and I am using them to help me achieve what I set out to achieve. And, although it won’t be much in the scheme of things, if I can help Catherine spread the word about her grand adventure through ideas, advice and inspiration, it will add a little more shine to what is the wonderful tapestry of life.

If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by your business I hope you find your inspiration wherever you can to keep your business going in the right direction.

Until next time.

Karen

Karen Morris is the Working Womens Network media officer. She runs Inscriptions, a copywriting and PR Consultancy, is a contributor to Flying Solo and is a wife and mother to three active boys. She loves life and work and has an insatiable appetite to learn all things new, especially all things 2.0.

Sometimes you find you just have to sit back and think about where your life is really going and decide whether you’re actually doing the best you can, for everyone in it, including you!

As my business has been getting busier and I am focusing more and more time on how to drive it in the right direction I have noticed that several things in my life have begun to take a back seat.

Alarmingly, these are things that are very important in my life such as my family, my health and that all important exercise routine!

Late nights in front of the computer are becoming the norm, and when I should really be spending quality time with my family I am finding more often that my husband is out with the boys at the park kicking a ball around while I’m brainstorming an idea for work or writing press releases or blogs for the Working Women’s Network!

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, its official, I’m about to take off! After spending an hour or so nodding furiously (in agreement!) during Linda Hailey’s keynote presentation at the Working Women’s Network Event last Tuesday night there was nothing for it but to buy Linda’s book, Your Business, Your Future, and head home for some serious research.

I have been feeling a growing sense of excitement, mixed with trepidation, for at least six months (and possibly more without realising it) thanks to the growing success of my business. Hearing Linda speak last week confirmed my assessment, following her business timeline survey, that my business had reached take-off mode. Excellent news! But, for those of you who were either at the event, or have read Linda’s book, you will not be surprised to know that I should really be making moves to head off to sleep right now instead of blogging about my business!

For the uninitiated, especially the start-ups out there, Take-Off time is a period of frantic activity that produces more clients than you can seem to shake a stick at, not that you would really want to do that obviously, combined with the fact that you can’t seem to stop having ‘brilliant ideas’ to take your business forward.

Having now read Linda’s assessment of MY business, because obviously she has had a fly on the wall in my office to see exactly how I am operating, I am now ready to take the business forward. But, although it seems to be champing at the bit and prepared to run away with me, I now feel prepared to put the brakes on a little and make some time to seriously consider my options for the coming months.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I am currently going through a rebranding process to incorporate the expansion of what I offer to my clients (yes, she even knew about that too!) and I am starting to rely on the expertise of other professionals for several aspects of my business, which allows me to do what I am good at. This also means I can take a step back, breathe in deeply and consider planning some solid systems, procedures and philosophies that will shape my business for the future in terms of ideal clients and personnel that will help me get there.

So, the coming months will see me spending a considerable amount of time researching, learning, listening and planning so that I can maintain my momentum without getting lost in the maze of mountains of new work that my recent efforts have produced.

Once again, my networking philosophy has paid dividends. I chose Linda’s event because I knew I needed some guidance to steer my business through the turbulent times I am currently experiencing and, once again, I ended up with more than I had planned for. Linda’s insights, both during her presentation, and from her book, have not only helped me with my own business planning, but, during a lightbulb moment on the night, provided me with an idea of how to refine my services towards my clients’ needs.

So, no matter what stage of business you find yourself in. I highly recommend you check out the Working Women’s Network website for the PowerPoint presentation from the evening, as well as visiting Linda’s website to grab yourself a copy of Your Business, your Future, and prepare yourself for the bumpy ride ahead. Buckle-up, it’s going to be fun!

Until next time.

Karen

Karen Morris is the Working Womens Network media officer. She runs Inscriptions, a copywriting and PR Consultancy, is a contributor to Flying Solo and is a wife and mother to three active boys. She loves life and work and has an insatiable appetite to learn all things new, especially all things 2.0.

Do you ever have those weeks where you think that you need a clone? Where, if you have yet another “brilliant” idea you’ll just about explode? That’s been me this week. In between organising the rebranding process for my business, working on existing projects, fulfilling my commitments to the Working Women’s Network and the Wakehurst Junior Rugby club, meeting new clients and sending out several proposals for new accounts, I have still had to be a Mum, a wife, a housekeeper.

Now I’m not asking for sympathy here. You make your bed, you lie in it. But, sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed with people and work demanding my attention that it’s hard to know where to start.

In an earlier post I told you all about getting organised with the online collaboration tool, Projjex and following the advice of Katrena Friel of BSI Learning at the Priority Management Workshop.

This is all fantastic and has revolutionised my daily approach to work. However, it doesn’t answer those questions I have about where to take my business next, what’s the best way to deal with my accounting, what do I do about hiring someone to help me out?

Apart from my initial set-up and branding where I employed the services of a graphic designer to create my brand, and consulted a solicitor to draft my terms and conditions, I have always done everything in and for my business, yes, even down to creating the website.

But, I seem to have reached a new level in my business where bringing in the experts for advice and practical handling of certain aspects seems to be the only way to go. I have recently started the rebranding process with a delightful graphic designer (who just happens to be part of my business mastermind group) to create a new logo for the next phase of my business. I will be working with professional web design company, The WebShowroom, to create a new and (totally) improved website and I think that I will soon need to hand over the money management to someone who actually enjoys asking people for money!

I am also getting to the stage where I will need to consider hiring someone to help me actually deliver the work, a process that I’m not particularly looking forward to (apart from handing over some of the work, obviously). For this, I think I will need the help of a business coach to guide me through all of the pitfalls that this entails.

Basically, it has dawned on me that I bring certain skills and talents to my business and, by taking on every aspect of it I dilute those talents and what makes me strong in business. So, it’s time to bring in the professionals and outsource the things I don’t like to do and things that others are much better at.

And, after Linda Hailey’s keynote presentation this week on Your Business Your Future I will be better placed to know which professionals I need to call in! I’ll give you my verdict next week.

Until next time.

Karen

Karen Morris is the Working Womens Network media officer. She runs Inscriptions, a copywriting and PR Consultancy, is a contributor to Flying Solo and is a wife and mother to three active boys. She loves life and work and has an insatiable appetite to learn all things new, especially all things 2.0.

Some truly amazing things are happening in my world at the moment! Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement. But it’s true. All of a sudden, I’m rushed off my feet with new projects and interesting work. So much for a recession! I’ll admit it isn’t accidental. I have been beavering away behind the scenes so that I get myself out there, make connections and stay in touch with clients.

Over the last six months I’ve been selectively networking at some key events, such as the Flying Solo Live! conference and Carolyn Stafford’s Connect Marketing breakfasts, and I’ve made some pretty amazing connections with some driven business people, not least Angela Raspass from Ideas into Action and founder of the Working Women’s Network.

At the same time I have started to put plans into place to expand my business and what I offer my clients. Part of this process has been to attend courses, seminars and workshops and spend time researching and learning new things to push the business forward.

And, it’s really paying dividends, way more than I could have anticipated or hoped for. I am really excited at the prospects for my little old business. And, I have to admit, more than a little scared. That’s right, I’m out there in the open telling you all I’m scared! And for a number of reasons. All of a sudden it looks like my business could actually turn into what I have planned for it, and that means that I really need to be on the ball to make sure that I keep it progressing forward. It also means that I need to make the right decisions to seize the opportunities that are presented to me. And, wondering if I will recognise the opportunities and then make the right decisions is a fairly daunting prospect. Sometimes it’s enough to keep me awake at night!

Getting direction for your business is vital to its survival. And making sure that you don’t just start chasing your tail instead of having a clear path to follow will make the difference between being successful and being overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.

I’m looking forward to Linda Hailey’s presentation, Your Business Your Future, at the Working Women’s Network event on Tuesday 26^th May. Linda is a small business consultant and author and will be speaking about how to recognise where your business sits on the business timeline and how to plan accordingly. It’s come at a time when I really feel that I’m approaching a cross-roads and need some signposts to point me in the right direction. I’ve already taken the business timeline test so I’ll be ready to hear what she has to tell me. Then, watch out world ‘cause I’ll be armed and ready for that next vital step in the life of my business.

Hope to see you there. I suddenly have this crazy vision in my head of us all walking out with our own personal signpost to success!

Until next time.

Karen

Karen Morris is the Working Womens Network media officer. She runs Inscriptions, a copywriting and PR Consultancy, is a contributor to Flying Solo and is a wife and mother to three active boys. She loves life and work and has an insatiable appetite to learn all things new, especially all things 2.0.