I’m sure you realize that your relationship with money is important to your business growth. Seems obvious, right?
And, I know that you had a lot of reasons for starting your business. One of them was to make money at something that you loved.
What is odd is that we want to make money to support our lifestyle and make a contribution. At the same time, we can sabotage our efforts with our mindset. You could also call them “money blocks.”
So what does this have to do with my dog?
Recently our dog Button went through a picky-eater stage. We would end up throwing out partially used cans of food because she would no longer eat them. I found it frustrating “throwing money away.”
I know it can sometimes be hard for those of us who are entrepreneurs to let go. After all, will your business run without you? Can you trust being partially or totally unplugged? When can you possibly find the time to go on vacation with all you have to do?
Truthfully, you need time to relax and recharge. If you don’t allow time for that, I believe in the end, you are not as effective at our businesses, and it is ultimately detrimental to your overall health and well-being.
For me, the best way to insure a vacation is to schedule it. Calendarize it, even pay for it ahead of time, so it becomes a non-negotiable.
While any getaway to recharge and refocus should be a priority, you have lots of other priorities in your life that don’t always get on the calendar.
Many people choose a “word” as a focus tool for the year. I have been doing this since probably 2005 when Kathy, the owner of the yoga studio where I practiced, passed around a basket with words.
I chose “openness.” At the time I asked if I could pick a different word. After all, the woman next to me chose love, which seemed like a much better word. I remember Kathy telling me that I was stuck with openness because the word had chosen me.
I went home, taped the word onto my computer, and let it be an anchor as I went through the year. Looking back, I know that this made a tremendous difference in my year.
In three weeks you’ll turn the calendar page to 2020.
Each year the years seem to fly by. And this year was no exception.
While three weeks isn’t a lot of time, you do have time to take some positive actions to end your year on a high note and get a head start on 2020.
Here are some tips that I’m taking to heart.
Don’t wait until Dec. 31 to check your financials.
I’ve been working on my financials the past week or so. As someone who is self-employed, I need to make estimated tax payments. While they aren’t due until Jan. 15, 2020, I like to get my settled before the end of the year.
Some questions you might consider:
• Do you need to follow up on any late invoices if you want the income to be in 2019? • Do you need to defer the income until 2020? • Do you need to make any expenditures by year-end? • What tax consequences should you be aware of?
On my list is a quick call or email with my accountant. This will answer any last minute questions and allow me to make any adjustments I might need to minimize any taxes I owe.
Several weeks back I had a conversation with a colleague about her distress over a poor review of her book on Amazon.
“But I want everyone to love the book,” she said, really meaning, “I want everyone to love me.” She believed that if someone did not like the book, they did not like her.
I think we can all fall into that trap, wanting to be liked. I can remember exactly when I decided I didn’t care if everyone liked me. I was working in the offices of an ad agency, and one of the men in the office told me he didn’t like me.
Well, how could that be? I am truly likable. Then I thought about it and realized that I did not really like him. He had poor work habits, always sloughing his work onto someone else, and I generally did not like being around him. Why did I think I cared anyhow?
It is just not possible to avoid criticism, especially in our social media world. And, hey, it does hurt sometimes. And, you can learn to handle it.
It is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because it could be termed our National Day of Eating!
Gratitude
Many of us, myself included, take time to consider what we are grateful for this time of year. As I look around, I am surrounded by so many blessings. I have good health and a family who loves me. I have a dog who makes me laugh every day. I have friendships that I treasure. And I get to explore my creativity. My life is overflowing in goodness.
When someone asks you how confident you are about something, do you cringe and second-guess or question your abilities? Maybe self-doubt starts to set in. You feel stuck or paralyzed about taking action. You may be even one of those people who end up in a downward spiral to the point of giving up.
I feel confident about a lot of my creative skills. A few Thanksgivings ago, I decided I would make and decorate a cheesecake for dessert with our meal. The impetus came from a friend who made his living in the wedding industry. He had recently retired and shared a recipe.
This recipe was good. So good, in fact, it paid his mortgage payment each and every month. And this cheesecake had a buttercream icing that was piped beautifully. Do I have those skills? Absolutely not. Did I feel a bit intimidated by the task? Definitely. Did self-doubt set in? Of course.
This is a just small situation, but it can play out every day in larger ways. Giving a speech to a large group for the first time or the 10th time. Entering your art in a show. Sharing a portion of your book in public. How did you get from feeling doubt to taking action to building confidence? Here are some ideas.
Do you ever look at what others have accomplished and think you can’t possibly do that? We all have that comparison gremlin to contend with. Do you then fall back on your standard excuse? I just don’t have time!
I’m going to challenge you on that.
I’ve written about “you management” as opposed to “time management” in the past. Today I want to share a simple concept that might make a difference in your day.
How good are you at follow-up? You know that is where the money is.
I was talking with a few of my clients who were heading back from Quilt Market with lots of follow-up items. Some were clearly immediate, such as filling orders, and those get processed right away.
The problem for my clients was that they came back with all these notes that weren’t really money related or where they couldn’t see the clear money connection or where they couldn’t remember the conversation. Plus they felt overwhelmed getting back in gear. And, the follow-up is in question.
What I have found through the years is that when I pay attention to following up on a consistent and timely basis, it lets me build better relationships, which is really my goal, and that means adding to my business bottom line. Here are some ideas to help you with follow-up.
Over the years I have wrestled with saying “no” to many requests.
When I was two years old, I am sure I did not have that problem. Just ask my family!
As I grew up, I think the people pleaser in me showed up, and “no” seldom found its way into my vocabulary.
As an adult, I have a distinct memory about learning how to say “no.” I was doing volunteer work at a local museum for a major fund-raising event. I was responsible to get volunteers for my committee. I still remember the woman I asked who instead of just saying “no” said, “No, I can’t help you now, but when the event takes place I’ll be glad to work.”
Gosh, that no really did not sound so much like a no.
Yes can be the right answer many times, but none of us has unlimited time available to say yes to everything. It’s knowing when to say yes or no and then how to say it that makes the difference.
The thing with say no is that you can then say yes to what is really important to either you or your business.
