NUGGETS - Page 4 of 6 - Nuggets of Wisdom from 40 Years of Self Employment

Make someone’s day with a thank you note

February 19, 2021 No Comments

Do you send thank you notes?

One of the things that puts a smile on someone’s face is receiving a thank you note by physical mail.

Have you received them? How did you feel?

Writing the two words thank you is a powerful way to create and build a relationship.

It could be a message of thanks to someone you’ve lost touch with, a friend, a relative, a former manager, old co-worker or client. Maybe it’s a note to someone at a networking group you were at or to someone who did you a favour. It could be to a family member telling them of a lesson you learned from them.

It benefits both of you.

An article by Laura Vanderkun quotes from research she did. “One study found that people underestimate how happy recipients will be when they receive thank-you letters.”

Don’t just send an email. Take the time to write and mail a thank note. The person will smile and feel warm and fuzzy all over when they receive it.

They will think of you. They may even call you and thank you 🤗

Published as well in medium.com

Beliefs and Views, Small Business

How being a schoolteacher prepares you for entrepreneurship

February 17, 2021 No Comments

photo credit: Cultural viewpoints from around the world from photopin.com and flickr.com

You’ve probably been a schoolteacher if you’re a woman over 55.

I was born in 1950 when women had three career choices. You could be a school teacher, a secretary or a nurse. I chose to be a teacher since I knew even then that I wouldn’t be one forever.

Since attending university in the late 60s and early 70s, I’ve wanted to have my own business. I taught elementary school for 8 years from 1972 to 1980. Little did I know then that teaching would give me the skills I’d continue to use as a business owner.

In the summer of 1978 I taught how to use computers in the classroom as a course to other teachers BEFORE you needed credentials to teach it. Nancy Murray a Superintendent in the Windsor Separate School Board took a risk on me. I had 40 elementary school teachers in my class that summer. That was the beginning of my self employment journey. I’d started.

Being a teacher is one of the best things you can do.

Many of us have been teachers and most don’t know that teaching prepares you to become an entrepreneur who starts and runs your own business.

Here are some of the many skills that teaching gave us.

being “teachable”. Learning what you need to know through professional development.
short term and long term planning. (Do teachers still create “day plans” and “weekly plans”?)
running a large group. When I started in 1972 I had 42 students in my first year. Did that ever prepare me!
risk taking
persistence
patience
goal setting. You set goals for yourself each year, for the class and especially if you taught special education as I did, you set goals for each individual student as well.
speaking to a group. You know how to speak to a group and if you had the courage, you also spoke to groups of your peers.
educating!!!
how people learn. As a teacher it was in the curriculum at teachers’ college.
how to research offline and online
“reading, writing and of course arithmetic”
creativity. You had to make do with what you had and therefore if you didn’t have something you used your creativity to make what you needed from what you had.
listening to and knowing the individual needs of your students/ clients
… and of course …being your own boss (I guess that’s why I liked Special Education so much.)

I could go on and on.

Do you see how as a teacher you have the skills needed as a business owner? What you don’t know yet is how to start a business but you know how to learn, don’t you? Well that’s all you need.

I and most entrepreneurs didn’t take courses on how to start a business. They and I learned what we needed as we went along using trial and error. Sure we made mistakes. Didn’t your students when they were learning? We read books, took classes, attended conferences and hired coaches.

Take a risk and start your own business. Ask for help when you need it. And keep learning. That’s what keeps us young!

As the Nike slogan says just do it .

What else would you add to this list?

Originally posted October 23, 2012

Beliefs and Views

Treasure mundane moments

February 13, 2021 1 Comment

Having tea and cake — photo by roman-kraft on unsplash.com

(This post was written pre-pandemic AND it’s even more true in the second year of it.)

One of my brothers and his wife had driven from my hometown of London, Ontario to Toronto to pick up their son for his Christmas visit so I had lunch with all of them before they drove back. We had great food, a stimulating and funny conversation and had the waitress take pictures of the four us. All in all, it was a really pleasant time.

This supposedly small event was a really big one for me. I don’t get out often because of the stroke so what are everyday events to others are huge for me.

Here are some examples of what you may think of as “everyday” activities that people take for granted.

going to a grocery store,
having a conversation via phone or even better a video call (I use zoom, facetime and facebook messenger),
having lunch with a friend either out in a restaurant or at your home,
going through old photo albums alone or showing the pictures in them to someone,
getting an unexpected phone call,
getting an email with a surprise gift – not for your birthday or Christmas but “just because”
watching a movie with family at their home
going to a dentist appointment
getting a “just because” card by PHYSICAL mail
going to a doctor’s appointment

They’re all opportunities that may seem mundane and so we take them for granted.

Writing this article reminded me once again that what’s most important in life is to live in the present.

In the story I used at the beginning of our Christmas lunch, people were outside the restaurant rushing to do their last minute Christmas shopping but my family and I focused on being together.

Remember ….

Appreciate every moment that you have.

Each is a gift so don’t squander them.

Be aware and be present.

Take a picture so that when you look at it later you’ll remember the feeling you had.

Give your future self the joy of rediscovering the feeling you had in what seem like everyday moments ❤️

Marketing, Small Business

Say thank you – often

February 9, 2021 1 Comment

**Thank you. Merci. Gracias. Arigato. Danke. Grazie.** **Go raibh maith agat.**

There are many ways to show your thanks but we were taught that we should say it, weren’t we. Do you remember being told as kids that the “magic” words are please and thank you?

When should you use thank you?

Say it after EVERYTHING that’s done for you especially when clients buy your product or service.

Use it in your emails and on phone calls. You can mail a “thank you” card, send flowers, do something special that the other person likes (and that you know they do) or send an electronic card that makes them smile.

Say thank you all the time.

There’s several positive results from this this. You get remembered. You get cheques faster, people do things for you with a smile and immediately, repeat and referral business and best of all you feel good.

When, to whom and for what have you said thank you today?

Originally posted June 6, 2014

Startup

8 Actions for startup – #8 who is your target market

February 6, 2021 No Comments

You have an idea of what you will sell to whom, don’t you.

Now that you’ve done the first seven actions, it’s time to get more specific and decide WHO your target market or niche is.

Whether you’re starting your first business or have been a business owner for years, every year you should review who and what your target market is. I did this in 2011 since many things had changed in my life. I used Judi Hughes of Your Planning Partners here in Toronto https://yourplanningpartners.com/ . I also took a small group course by phone from Tsufit called Step into the Spotlight. https://tsufit.com/blog/ They really helped me focus on what I have to offer and to whom.

6 ways to help find your target market

1. Go to bed with it (what is your target market) on your mind then let it go and fall asleep. That’s what Jack Canfield did to get the name for the book series he co-authors with Mark Victor Hansen call Chicken Soup for the Soul.

2. Meditate. Put this as a question BEFORE your meditation then let it go.

3. Contemplate all that you’ve learned from books, webinars, conferences, your coach and newsletters you get. What do you REALLY sell to whom?

4. Daydream. We all have daydreams, don’t we? Look at them. Take them seriously. You may see your target market.

5. Imagine what you’d be doing on your ideal day. Who are you doing it for? What are you doing?

6. Listen to your coach (be sure they really know you) and consider what the leader of each webinar you take says.

BELIEVE! Most importantly, what do have PASSION for? What do you need? What solution do you have for a problem?

Tell me and my readers what problem you can solve with your solution. Who is YOUR target market?

Originally posted March 3, 2012

Marketing, Small Business

Where were you when you talked about your business?

January 29, 2021 No Comments

When you talk about your business, you don’t know who is listening.

You could be in line at the grocery store, at a health club, on the phone with someone trying to sell you a newspaper subscription, having a coffee or tea with a friend, picking up your dry cleaning or in a drug store ordering a prescription when you mention your business.

You never know what the person you are chatting with is interested in or who they know. And you don’t know who is listening in AND what they are interested in or who they know either.

Talk as if you are being heard (that doesn’t mean louder) or be very quiet if you don’t want to be overheard.

A colleague of mine was buying paint for her kitchen and while in the paint store, overheard the conversation that the couple ahead of her in line were having with the cashier. She interrupted them and suggested what colour paint they should get. They bought the colour she recommended and then invited her for coffee at a nearby coffee shop to talk some more. Voilà – they became her first client in her new interior decorating business!

Talk about your business

I ALWAYS mention my business no matter where I am or who I’m with. I’m proud of it.

Always be marketing no matter where you are or who you’re with. Have a marketing mindset as your way of thinking and seeing the world.

You never know who’s listening or where you’ll be when you get an idea. Tell me one of the most unusual places you were when you got a prospect.

Originally posted March 30, 2012 .

Startup

8 Actions for startup – #7 Find and follow blogs

January 24, 2021 No Comments

A blog or website is essential for business.

What is a blog?

Here is a definition that Darren Rowse of Problogger used from Wikipedia “A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”.

Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links to other web pages, video, audio or other files….”

All businesses and many individuals have them.

Should you have a blog for your business?

YES. As a startup business, check several of them out even before you build a website.

QUESTION: If a blog is defined as a website and I want to have a website for my business, what’s the difference between a blog and a website?

MY ANSWER: That’s the subject of another blog post.

How do you find them ?

There are directories of blogs that you can go to. Go to google and type in “blog directories” and lists will come up. Each blog directory is good but choose the ones which publish to your target market.

How do you choose which blogs to follow?

Remember when I wrote about reading books I talked about how to choose them? Do the same thing for blogs.

Study blogs about your topic. It’s professional development or Research and Development and it should be ongoing.
Go beyond your topic. Stay at the leading edge. That’s how I learned about “neuromarketing”.
Find blogs about how to start a business and how to market. Remember that you can’t know too much.

What to do when you find them

Take a “helicopter” approach. Then “shadow” some.

Read them.
Study the content.
Learn from the “look and feel” of them. Does it attract you or not? What do you or don’t you like?
Sign up for and follow a few. You can always unsubscribe.
Look at their titles and what the author writes about.

Don’t start a blog yet.

Just observe to learn about them. Choose a niche, write a business plan and a marketing plan. When you have done your own website and become a guest blogger (I’ll write more about this in a future blog post) then have your own blog.

Comment here whether you’ve found blogs you like or whether this post is helpful to you. Let me know!

Originally posted February 27, 2012 Tagged with: blog, social media,startup

Beliefs and Views, Small Business

Do people come to you for info? Are you a resource?

January 19, 2021 No Comments

Whether you’re a novice business owner or an experienced one you already may be known as a resource. When I was a schoolteacher and now in business, people always think of me as someone who has heard of nearly everybody or everything. And if I don’t know something or someone I suggest someone who knows. That makes me a resource.

So if I can’t help you then I can recommend someone who can. You may need a copywriter, a cleaner, a massage therapist, a photographer, a web designer, a lawyer or something else.

After all, I’ve been in business and networking for 40 years so I know lots of people!

How to give someone the name of people you recommend

Send an email yourself. Put both people in the “To” line. Introduce them to each other. Tell where you and the referral met and why you think the referee and her business could use her services. Then leave it to them.

Always ask that they use your name

The person will remember who you are and it becomes another way to build relationships. When the time comes that they need your services they’ll think of you. Who knows?

Here is an example of how it can work

I was at a networking event and told a colleague that I needed a cleaner. She brought me a flyer of one who was at the networking event we were attending. I saw the name of that network event’s leader Deanne Kelleher of Kaos Group as a referral in the brochure so I asked Deanne about them. She said they’re really good. But there’s more! She said that if they weren’t right for me she knows others.

So I called the cleaner and used her and her work was great!

Remember that you need to describe what you need as precisely as you can when you ask.

As women, we’re good at giving, aren’t we?

What service did you need and someone gave you the name of someone she uses or knows. It happens all the time! Comment here and share their contact info with everyone.

Originally posted on March 10, 2012

Beliefs and Views

What DO you or I have control over?

January 4, 2021 4 Comments

I have always dreamt a lot. The stroke in 2005 resulted in poor balance and other limitations and as a result I use a walker. However, in my dreams, I rarely have a walker.

The following was one of the three or four dreams since 2005 in which I was using my walker.

I usually remember my feelings during and after a dream and several details of it. So when I woke up, I spent most of that day figuring out what it was teaching me. I think the overriding theme of it was control and the lack of it. I can’t take control of my health, my ability to do some physical things myself, the need for infusions every 2 weeks, and my ability to drive.

I didn’t want to dwell on the list of things I don’t control but I needed to think of them before I started to make a list of things I CAN control.

No one has control of everything.

Things happen. As the saying goes … “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. Why do so many people tell you to plan especially when you’re in business for yourself if planning doesn’t work?

Well it does. Write a plan, stick to it AND be flexible enough to change it when something unexpected happens.

But I digress. This article is about control and I don’t believe that one has it in life. However, you CAN control how you react. I have had many personal experiences of this.

Examples

In the first year after the stroke in 2005, people often asked me if I ever thought “why me?”. I would answer ”maybe once for a few hours when I was in a rehabilitation hospital”. At the time I didn’t think this an unusual answer but I’ve learned since that many people who have strokes become depressed because they can’t do things they used to.

I’ve always believed that one can choose a positive or CAN DO attitude or depression or “why me?”.

Another example is driving which I can’t do any more. I choose to take taxis or to call friends to get a ride. That means planning AND asking for help.

You can choose how you will react and behave so you DO have control.

Here’s what I CAN control

Much of what I eat

Dressing – what I wear

What I read – books, ebooks, emails, social media posts, blogs etc

What I have around me in my apartment

To whom I send cards

The people I call or spend time with

What I take photos of

What time I go to sleep and then what time I get up etc…..

AND my reaction to the many things I can’t do because of the stroke and to the many things that happen to me.

You get the idea. I focus and give my limited energy to things I CAN control and not those I can’t.

What’s your opinion? What CAN you control in your life?

Small Business

How to find people by email or phone

November 26, 2020 No Comments

Hand on keyboard — Photo courtesy of: Ohmega1982 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Where do you start?

Do what detectives do – search!

How do you find their email address or their phone number?

There are several ways.

you may meet someone new at a networking event. Ask for their business card and their permission to contact them. Take the initiative.
you may be told by someone about them and that they could use your services. Ask the “someone” to introduce you by email.
email a colleague who you think knows them and ask for an email introduction
you may just have someone’s email address. If they have a website, it’s always the name after the @ symbol. For example my email is trudy@smallbizbuilder.com and my website is http://www.smallbizbuilder.com

How do you find their contact info?

If you don’t have their card, go to their website and choose the About Us page. If you like what you see and think you may want to have a relationship with this person, go to the Contact Us page and send them an email or phone them about what you are thinking.
You may see something in a blog post or an article they wrote. Look up their website and send an email message via their web site.
You might receive an email and reply to the person who wrote it. Check them out on their website first.
You could find a blog post by them and put a comment on it.
read someone’s name you saw in an email but weren’t able to attend their webinar.
same as above only you heard the person speak and want to comment on it or learn more about them.

There are lots more ways to meet people without physically going out.

Add more and tell me about them. Comment here.

What do you put in your email to them?

Sometimes what you have to say is a question. Sometimes you agree with what they’ve written and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you just want to give them the electronic equivalent of a “pat on the back”.

You never know whether the person will phone, email or do nothing, or how long it may take. And you never know what they will do with your information. I got a phone call to me to help promote an event in New York City, a call about becoming a regular writer for an ezine that originates in Texas and a thank you and let’s keep in touch in Toronto just to name a few that happened.

You have nothing to lose if you do it – so ………. Write or call them. Just remember to be interested, compelling and positive.

Originally posted March 13, 2012