Blog Archives - Page 8 of 11 -

Enhance Biz Performance: Use Behavioral Change to Achieve a CEO Result

Many of our business battle wounds are self inflicted because of a lack of behavioral change.

This week, I wanted to offer you the benefit of my own experience & pain by sharing a lesson I learned about authenticity and the valuable role behavioral change played in my business.

It all started with an addiction. One more potent than drugs and alcohol. Yep, you guessed it…. SUGAR! The first lesson I had in behavioral change was that of gut health. My need to look and feel my best required a significant change in not only my diet, but also in the way I thought about food and exercise all together.

Behavioral change necessary for ceo mindset

Much like this article quote, “changing behaviors in your business can be a huge challenge but when carried out correctly, you will enhance the performance of your company and achieve those vital results”, changing my approach to diet and exercise will enhance the performance of my body and help me achieve my desired results. In addition to desired physical results, I’m better able to improve my energy and my mindset necessary to build and maintain a successful business.

Change is HARD though… I know. I did an entire podcast about it, HERE.

The point is, when it comes to achieving success in both business and life, sometimes behavioral change is the only thing that will get you there. Authenticity in business requires honesty with yourself. Honesty with yourself requires a deep dive into YOU!

Developing an Authentic Brand is what’s expected these days. Customers aren’t impressed or distracted by shiny objects any longer. To achieve the “know, like, trust” trifecta the key is in your behavior. Is a behavioral change in order to see progress in 2021? Is it time to do something different to get a different result?

Are you ready for a behavior change? Check this out….

Get the ceo mindset and grow your business

Start my CEO Mindset Challenge and stop just talking the talk and start walking the walk. Register HERE and begin your transformation!

QUESTION:

What behavior needs to be changed in 2021 in order to get a different result in your business?

Personal Branding…. The Real, Real

Many of our business battle wounds are self inflicted. I know it’s hard to hear, but it’s true. Personal branding is such an over mentioned, under explained term people have stopped paying attention when it’s used. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been watching a webinar or online summit and hear the facilitator mention the need to “be authentic” or “just be yourself” and not explain what this really entails. Well, I’m happy to announce the beginning of my blog, Be The Brand. Starting TODAY, I’m going to share my very own behind the scenes story.

I want to bring you the REAL REAL of a life behind the beautifully styled social media images you’re used to seeing. My journey is unique to me, but what I’ll be sharing is common to just about EVERYONE. There are 3 major areas I’ll cover here in the blog:

My personal journey and how I manage to stay energized and feeling my best
My business journey and how I stay motivated, creative, and productive
My family balance and how I manage stay on top of life in general

The idea of work/life balance is REAL and this American Express article proves the fact that knowing yourself and being certain of your value and goals is an important part of overcoming obstacles that kill businesses. I encourage you to subscribe TODAY and enjoy the comedy that is my life and how I navigate it as a wife, mom, and entrepreneur. To get you started on my philosophy for doing this, watch a little Be the Brand TV video that shares my 8 tips for overcoming startup/scaleup overwhelm. It’s the beginning of the year and that makes it the perfect time to do something different to get a different result. Another part of the new blog is THE QUESTION. I don’t want this to just be about MY ideas for balance, I want to hear from you as well. Every week, I’ll share my thoughts and then I’d like to know yours as well.

If you like this blog content, you don’t want to miss out on my podcast. P. B. & Style is the place tap into the clarity, consistency, and authenticity required to have a truly successful business. HERE is an episode I think you’ll enjoy. It goes along with the content of this blog post.

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW to answer THE QUESTION THE QUESTION: What do you think is most important to stay motivated when starting or scaling a business?

Work-Life Balance

Wanting it all and having it all are two VERY different things. It takes discipline, intention, and ACTION! You can’t sit on your bum and think it will just happen… IT WON’T! I have to work hard to stay on track towards the goals I’ve set for myself because being disciplined, isn’t my strong suite. I would much rather be somewhere CREATING and doing my own thing. That being said (going back to my opening sentence), “WANTING IT ALL AND HAVING IT ALL ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS”.

Over the past seven years of having businesses, I have learned a few things about WORK-LIFE BALANCE. I realized (and made sure those around me knew), I am only ONE PERSON. That song, “I’m Every Woman” by Shaka Khan is fun to sing, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it’s not me she’s talking about. Trying to do and be all is just too much for me. If you’re like me, this post will be very helpful to you. I’m sharing my lessons regarding WORK-LIFE BALANCE and how personal branding and authentic marketing play a role in the strategies I’ve created for myself.

First, I had to open my eyes to the fact that I’M NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE! When I first started as a married woman, I thought I HAD to do certain things and be a certain way because that’s what I saw other wives doing. It made me CRAZY! The things that I saw my mother do or heard friends talk about sometimes didn’t apply to me or my relationship and to force situations to fit into a relationship box of another persons, making was exhausting and futile. What I learned was…I’m not like everybody else. In order for me to be happy, I had to establish my own relationship rules and pull away from the advice and negativity of others. The lesson opened my eyes to a non-negotiable I use today in my business… Find what works for me and do THAT.
Next, I realized to much means too messy. I don’t process well when there is too much going on around me. If I feel overwhelmed, I become paralyzed with anxiety of not knowing what to tackle first. It’s horrible to know things need to get done, but not know where to begin to make the biggest impact. I have so many balls juggling at any given moment, that I sometimes feel like I’ve dropped all of them and don’t know which to pick up first. Because of this, I am a PURGER! If I don’t use it, I get rid of it. If it’s not working, I stop using it. If he’s/she’s/it’s high maintenance OR too much trouble…. I let he/she/it go. I use this lesson to establish standard operating practices in my business and evaluate whether potential clients and/or collaborators are a good fit. When things are more complicated than they need to be or prove to be detrimental to myself or my business, to much means too messy definitely applies.
Lastly, when it comes to WORK-LIFE BALANCE, I recognized my role in the BALANCE part. Allowing others to control my time was a HUGE mistake. Thanks to my stint with Premier Designs Jewelry, I learned to take back the control of my calendar. Unfortunately, it would take another few years to learn about the concept of BLOCK SCHEDULING, BATCHING, PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Let me help you, if you don’t already know…
- BLOCK SCHEDULING is amazing! The best person I’ve heard talk abut it is Jordan Page of Fun, Cheap or Free, Budget Boot Camp, and Productivity Boot Camp. It completely changed my life. I mean, like I said, I knew about controlling my calendar and not letting clients dictate when I would work, but this took THAT to a whole new level. Now I have days for my business and days for my nonprofit. I have specific times for appointments already built into my schedule so if a doctors appointment is needed or a client wants to meet, I have set times. It’s SOOOOO GOOODDDD!!! Watch her video on the subject and get busy making magic with your calendar too.
- BATCHING is something I picked up on from watching some of my favorite youtubers in action. Before discovering this concept, I was like a worker bee, diligently creating content the week it was suppose to be released. I frantically tried to come up with topics to discuss on my blog and wrote soooo much content and created so many strategies for myself I found myself in the “To much too mess” bucket. The idea is to pick time in your calendar (BLOCK SCHEDULE) to create multiple pieces of content for which ever medium you’re using to engage your audience. For me, I do my videos, podcasts, and now blog posts this way. GAME CHANGER!!! Amy Landino is someone I watch for #BOSSUP ideas and she has a great video describing how to batch time and content.
- PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS have become a fetish of mine. I love ASANA! I use it for my content calendar. When I started block scheduling my time, I began batching content for my podcast, videos and blog but I needed something to organize it all. I had been using Asana to manage different projects and campaigns but REALLY started using it at the end of 2018 to stay on track with my content. AMAZING!!! It’s quite easy to use and extremely powerful when combined with the other tips I’ve shared already.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, “It takes discipline, intention, and ACTION! You can’t sit on your bum and think it will just happen… IT WON’T!” To find the WORK-LIFE BALANCE you’ve been craving, follow the tips I’ve laid out in this blog post and start working smarter, not harder.

LET’S CHAT:

I want to know how you get it all done. Do you consider yourself to be an “Every Woman/Man”? Are you out here making it look easy? If so, leave comment below and tell the rest of us how you’re making it happen.

GIVEAWAY:

Not quite there yet? That’s okay. Here are a couple of resources I’ve created to help you get on OR back on track to do more and better business:

VIDEO SERIES: Highway 8: The Road Leading to Your Inner Infuencer

KICK IT UP A NOTCH: Checklist to get yourself back in gear!

The Gift Of A Perfect Pitch

This week has been busy, but productive.. I hope you are all ending the week feeling productive as well. I spent my time under an umbrella of CONFIRMATION and it was golden. Have you ever had one of those weeks where the stars align and though you don’t see the conversions YET, you know they are on their way because you’ve had nothing but signs and arrows pointing to them.

I have recently been on a quest to take back the control of my calendar, my product development, and my focus. I have to thank Jordan Paige and Amy Landino for their eye opening (the truth is.. they just said it in a way that I actually heard it) content. Jordan helped me with the block scheduling and meal planning, Amy helped me with the getting up and having a great morning routine that includes the BRAIN DUMP/Journaling.

Now.. let me tell you about how the confirmation came about…

I knew something had to give with my schedule because I’ve been telling people I feel like a DUCK! Cool and calm on the surface but paddling like a crazy person under water. Jordan actually said those exact words in her block scheduling video. That’s what made me stop and watch. If you have been struggling with your schedule, doing too much for others and on their time… GET CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR…BOO!
I recognized meal planning for my family was imperative if I was going to get my calendar under control and it just so happened, Jordan had a plan for that as well AND it saves you money. When you’re in tune with yourself and what you need to create circumstances of optimal success, you know when enough is enough. THAT’S WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO GET A DIFFERENT RESULT.
When you can’t find the time to add to your schedule at the END of the day, you have to make more time at the BEGINNING of your day. Amy helped me with the creation of an actual PLAN of action for my morning that resulted in consistency in my morning routine AND accountability partners that keep me getting up Monday – Friday at 5:40 AM. I love it! I get SO MUCH DONE now… What’s most important about this is… I now have time FOR ME!! I get up and have prayer time, devotion time, and journal writing time. I actually created a very special group and every morning at 6 AM, I’m sharing my first thoughts with others and in return, I’m getting encouragement, inspiration, and more. This was confirmation that I needed to get back to putting ME first!

Now.. out of all this, came a new episode of Be the Brand TV about using the value you have and confidently sharing it in a concise way while networking. It’s called, “My 3-2-1 Formula for the Perfect 30 Second Pitch”. As you watch it, ask yourself… “How easy would it be to create the perfect 30 second pitch if I had a great morning routine AND had control of the rest of my day as well?”

Is It Time To Pivot To A Startup?

BECOME A STARTUP

Is It Time To Pivot To A Startup from your corporate life? The word on the street is… we have to be ALL IN with the decision to transition from career to entrepreneurship. Does that seem scary to you? It did me! Jumping off a cliff with no safety net isn’t exactly an appealing thought, but I’ve got you.

In this blog post, I have a great video with my friend Miriam Marsh and I share a few of my own personal branding STARTUP tips. Be sure to read to the end, I’ve got a few OFFERS & GIFTS to help!

TIP #1: Map it out

The scariest thing to me when starting on a new journey is the UNKNOWN. I’m not a detailed person by nature. I am a CREATIVE. I’m the girl to come to for IDEAS, CREATIVITY, etc. I don’t like being bogged down by details so I enlist the help of more qualified people. I do a ton of research and planning, but for the most part.. I rely on others to do the heavy lifting (can I get an AMEN?)

I know this about myself because I have taken the time to learn myself and find my value. I also know that when I start something new, I need to map out the steps to get me there. This keeps me on task and helps me re-center when necessary.

TIP #2: Where Blinders

We are NOSY BY NATURE. We want to know what other people have done to grow their business and then try to do the same thing. Well I’m sorry to tell you, that’s not quite true. Your business is YOUR business. You have to put your blinders on and focus on the value YOU bring to the table. I call it creating your own Circumstances for Optimal Success. I like this because it minimizes the ugly comparison game we tend to play with others.

TIP #3: Suffer for Success

Okay, this isn’t what you think it is. What I mean is…. Do the hard work to give yourself more time in your day. I recently started researching the habits of highly successful people and a thread that continues to run through my research is: Successful people get up early. In this article the NUMBER ONE THING LISTED SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO IS GET UP EARLY.

Do you see what I mean by SUFFER for SUCCESS? While “getting up early’ is relative, it’s still difficult for me. I will tell you this… since I’ve been intentional about when I start my day, my productivity has skyrocketed!

If you’re anything like me, the mere thought of setting an alarm clock for 5:30am is CRAZY!!! The truth is, some successful people get up EVEN EARLIER (craaazzzyyy!!!). I believe the key to training yourself for this habit is to:

Reverse engineer your day and start with enough time to get things done in the time you’ve allotted for yourself.
Take your time to adjust (i.e. get up 15 minutes earlier each week until you reach the time you need to be more productive.

What are some tips you have for making the transition from career to entrepreneurship? What advice can you give to others looking to pivot in their business or start another business? Share in the comments below.

To get your startup off to an amazing new year, I’m offering a deal on a couple of my products and services:

Start my FREE online course – The Authentic Marketing Blueprint. This tool will help you get focused and ready to create strong marketing campaigns that attract, engage, and convert THE RIGHT people.
Use my course BETA – B – FLUENCE to create a personal brand that makes doing business more comfortable and less overwhelming because you’re using what you now about yourself to construct systems, and templates that maximizes your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. You’ll put forth an awesome customer experience that yields quality leads and a loyal following.
Join my BIG BANG Lab for the benefit of my personal branding and strategic marketing experience without the expense of my time. This 1:1 coaching program is the NEXT BEST THING to having your own marketing department! Book a DISCOVERY CALL TO TODAY!

Why Your Business Relationship Strategy May Be A Bust_BTBTV

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never really had a hard time talking to people. Maybe, the problem is I talk TOO much to people. Anywho… In this episode of Be the Brand TV, I’m carrying on a fun conversation with Romy Chenet. Romy is a former fashion blogger (who found herself published on more than one occasion), she is a social media manager, and an event planner/the co-owner at Exquisitely Eventful.

For those of you who know anything about the New York culture, you know one hustle isn’t enough. Romy was the perfect person to talk to on the topic of the ever important “Business Relationship” (Our Podcast conversation touches on the “DO’s” of business relationships) because of the one the two of us have cultivated over the past, nearly, 10 years. Listen as she shares our definition of a business relationship and some mistakes we’ve seen often made while trying to forge ones that are of good quality AND authentic in nature.

3 Business Relationship Building “Must Do” Activities to Increase Your Brand’s Recognition

Okay… so….When does advocating for yourself and your idea of value, cross the line into negativity and criticism? REALLY… I’m asking.. For me… I believe in being authentic and a self-advocate but, is it naive to think doing so won’t step on toes? Sometimes, I’m learning, the dialogue between two people may be interpreted totally differently and misconstrued into something negative (no matter how innocent you may mean it to be). So… if I’ve been the cause of any hurt feelings because of this phenomenon… I sincerely apologize.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, the business relationship is a very important aspect to my business strategy and I believe, it should be to yours as well. Listen to this podcast and hear how my guest and I define BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP for a better understanding of my perspective and why I think it’s so important to brand growth. You’ll see it’s an effective tool you could be using to increase YOUR brand’s recognition.

What I want to do with this blog post is share my two cents on 3 BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING “MUST DO’s” to increase your Brand’s Recognition.

#1 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be honest. I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but it’s because everything starts with YOU! You have to be honest with yourself about who you are, what you want, your expectations and your value. Of course you need to be honest with those you are doing business, but it’s only truly possible to be honest with others if you’re honest with yourself first. The way to do this is to know your strengths, your weaknesses, your pain points, your non-negotiables, and your (for lack of better terminology) love language. You have to be honest about what motivates you and what intimidates you. You have to be honest about your fears and from where those fears come. This is important because inevitably you’ll need to put it in check or keep it at bay because it will repeatedly rear it’s ugly head. Part of honesty means knowing the root of it and how to fight against it.

#2 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Prepared. In knowing what you want, you are in a better position to create, what I like to call, CIRCUMSTANCES FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS. Preparation means doing your homework on the events you attend. If you’re interested in meeting new people for the sake of developing new business relationships, you should not only know the type of people with whom you’d like to meet, but also where you can find them, the types of events they attend, and what they need. Preparation means working on what you bring to the table so you’re confident in your value and can add it to the conversations going on around you. A lost opportunity to share my value and do this was recently brought to my attention, and when it was I realized I had devalued myself by not sharing and contributing my expertise to the conversation. Had I prepared for the event in advance, I would have recognized my opportunity instead of feeling like I couldn’t participate and that the content didn’t relate to me. When building authentic business relationships, it’s important to check yourself before you inadvertently offend someone because of you weren’t prepared to contribute to the content instead of leaving voicing your opinions.

#3 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Realistic. Listen, I don’t want you to get the idea that building authentic business relationships is going to be all flowers and gumdrops. The truth is, people disappoint and feelings get hurt (as unintentional as it may be). Just like any relationship you’re forming, it’s important to manage expectations. You should manage your expectations, what you expect of others, and what you expect to get from the relationship, in general. The reality is, when two people/companies come together, each is bringing their own baggage/hangups. Expecting someone to “just get you” is unrealistic. Expecting your opinion to be the only one that matters, also unrealistic and can be….scratch that… will be a source of contention in the relationship. Sacrifice and compromise ARE realistic, and should be used when building an authentic business relationship.

In the end, these 3 business relationship building “Must Do” activities increase your brand’s recognition because the relationships you forge with other business owners yields an amazing return by being the source of other, equally beneficial resources. They yield fruit by providing assistance in areas you lack knowledge, and in the actual development of friendships with people who are familiar with this journey called entrepreneurship.

Now I want to hear from you. How are you using your business relationships to increase your brand recognition?

Self-Doubt, from Childhood to Adulthood with Reea Rodney_BTBTV

I’ve been coaching about it for years and Reea comes along and makes a case for living your value, loving yourself enough to be yourself and leading with intention and purpose. Listen as she shares her experience with empowering children to find their confidence and overcome self-doubt.

The parallels between adult self-doubt and the self-doubt of children is uncanny when you look at them. I believe the tools Reea uses with children are definitely applicable to adults. Find answers you’ve been looking for – not only your kiddos, but yourself.

3 Thoughts that Help Me Overcome Self-Doubt

The KEY to overcoming self-doubt is to have faith in yourself and your value. The key to having faith in yourself and your value is to know yourself intimately and have confidence in what you know. In doing so, you create a foundation to which you can always return in times of self-doubt. Believe me when I tell you, I’ve had my share of self-doubt and I’m here to let you in on a little secret…. It doesn’t stop, you just learn how to overcome it when it creeps up in your spirit. I have plenty of experience with that so here are 3 very important thoughts I’ve found to help me overcome the doubt when it rears its ugly head:

THOUGHT #1: You’re Unique

In times of self-doubt, I remind myself that God made me special (thanks Veggie Tales!). I’m unlike anyone else on this planet so my weaknesses, strengths, and quirks are what make me who I am. I attract those I was intended to attract and it’s my responsibility to discover and fulfill my purpose. When I find myself having doubts about my path, I start

reflecting on the good I’ve done, the people I’ve helped, and how much more I’d like to do.

When you start feeling doubt creep up in your life, ask yourself this question:

How can I use my strengths to help someone else?

THOUGHT #2: You’re Prepared

Sometimes the only thing you know for sure is what you know for sure. When I work with my clients, I try to help them identify the things they know for sure. Your knowledge prepares you. Knowledge of yourself, knowledge of your area of expertise, your knowledge of the answers to frequently asked questions… it’s what prepares you for those times in your business when you doubt your abilities. I’m not easily intimidated and I don’t often fear speaking to groups, but there have been times (especially when it’s a step up in my business) that I feel a little inferior to those I will be around. In times like these, I remind myself of MY unique perspective of the topic I cover. I know my information comes from personal experience (unique to me), research (preparation), and passion (all mine). Taking a minute to remember these things calms me and allows me to overcome the self-doubt.

When you start feeling doubt in situations like this, ask yourself these questions:

What have I done to prepare for this moment?
How do I relate personally to the data I’m sharing?

THOUGHT #3: You’re Intentional

I hate it when wires get crossed and it’s hard to read the intentions of others. It happens a lot with emails and texts. It’s one reason I would much rather a phone or video chat opposed to either of the aforementioned. So much gets lost in translation when you aren’t sure of intentions, that’s why when I doubt a situation, I focus on my own intent and ask questions. Understanding my value, what I bring to the table, affords me the opportunity to determine my reactions. I realize I can only control me and my own intentions. When I have done my due diligence, I make better decisions and I’m more intentional in my dealings. Though it’s impossible to plan for EVERY scenario, it is possible to know myself well enough to manage my behavior regardless of the situation in which I find myself.

When you doubt the intentions of others, ask yourself these questions:

Why are you in this situation?
What were your intentions upon arriving?
How will you manage your reactions?

You see, self-doubt is just a part of life. You aren’t supposed to outrun it, avoid it, or ignore it… it’s a faith builder. It’s a YOU builder. When self-doubt comes your way, remember these three thoughts and ask yourself the questions I provided in this blog. You’ll be surprised by how fast you’re self-doubt triggers the confidence and faith inside.

Become a VIP Member and we’ll continue overcoming self-doubt together with even more amazing content. Use the form below this blog post to join. It’s totally free and I promise I don’t spam…

If anything in this blog posts resonates with you, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how you’ve overcome your own bouts with self-doubt. Your sharing will help others overcome their own.

Brand Consistency Done S.M.A.R.T_BTBTV

When it comes to leading with intention and purpose, the shortest distance between wanting it and getting it is to be SMART. In this episode, I’m sharing my tips for how BRAND CONSISTENCY is done S.M.A.R.T. It’s short and sweet, but packs a big punch. Success yields brand consistency.