Friday, November 15, 2013

How small business owners can maintain a work/life balance

As a small business owner, you're likely to run low on a few key resources when you first start out.
Funds are one of them, and fortunately cash flow finance can help with that. However, a lack of time is another factor that can bring stress to many a business owner's life.
Even if your business is still in its infancy and you've got your hands full with tasks, there are some measures you can take to strike a good work/life balance and hold onto your sanity.

Set boundaries – and stick to them
Anyone can set deadlines and limits, but sticking to them is easier said than done.
The fluid, flexible nature of start-up businesses can make it difficult to implement strict office hours and schedules, but try to set specific times every day and week when you cut yourself off from work.
Setting these boundaries can also work in your favour as you have a clear deadline to work towards and be more productive and targeted in your efforts.

Delegate and automate as much as you can
You may have handled all or most of your company's work when you started out, but as the business grows and takes on more staff, it's time to share the workload.
Delegate tasks to the people who are most suited to carry them out, while you focus on the core aspects of the business yourself.
Minor administrative tasks such as invoicing and payrolls can also be automated without any human input. There is a range of specialist automation software available, so this could be a wise time-saving investment.

Don't forget to plan for 'me-time'
In the non-stop rush of running a small business, it's important to also pay attention to your personal life.
Use the same systematic approach you use at work to plan for your downtime as well, figuring in after-hours activities and longer projects such as end-of-year vacations.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Stepping up


An excerpt from
Stepping Up
by John Murphy
Listen carefully to successful people all over the world and they will tell you one thing. Opportunity quietly surrounds you. Information and knowledge are within your reach. Prosperity is silently knocking at your door. Victory mysteriously awaits you. Subtle and elusive as it may seem, there is no scarcity of success. It is available to all of us. The only real problem is how we choose to respond to the unlimited abundance that is ours for the taking. Do we accept it or reject it? Do we allow it or resist it? Do we demand it or dismiss it? Do we take it in or turn it away?

Stop and ask yourself: How do you see the world? How do you see yourself in the world? How do you see your relationship with the world? Do you see the opportunity? Do you believe it is yours for the taking? Do you feel worthy of success? Do you feel deserving? Are you asking for it? Are you looking for it? Are you listening for it? Are you open to it? Are you allowing it to manifest in your life and your presence, or have you convinced yourself that you do not qualify for one reason or another? Are you seizing the opportunity to advance yourself and the world in a mutually beneficial way or are you putting it off for another day? Are you expecting success or suspecting it? Are you even aware the choice is up to you?

I am fortunate to work with many successful executives, professionals, military leaders, authors, consultants, teachers, parents, coaches and athletes around the world and a term I hear more and more frequently is "Step Up." From North America to China to Brazil to countries all over Europe, the mantra is the same. We need people to step up. We believe in them. We see the potential. We know they can do better. We want to them to succeed. We just need to see them take charge and step up.

In other cases, proactive people are advancing themselves without being asked or encouraged. They just do it, often surprising the people around them. They use the ten "take-aways" described in this book to tap into their true potential. This illustrates that we do not need permission to step up. We do not need to be told to do it, or even asked. We can apply these take-aways to our personal and professional lives wherever and whenever we want. The key is to know that we can step up and then to know how!

The purpose of this book is to explain how to step up and accelerate success. Why wait? Why not seize the moment? Why not get started immediately? Why make excuses that limit us? Why rationalize our undesirable results and restrict ourselves? This book is not about self-imposed resistance to change. It is about flow. It is about energy. It is about movement and motivation, insight and inspiration. It is about "taking away" lessons learned from the best of the best, people who in many cases overcame tremendous odds to reach levels of performance and prosperity that many only dream of. Take these tips and use them to elevate your life.

Use this book and these take-aways to:
- Take ownership and responsibility for your outcomes
- Take a good, honest look in the mirror
- Take time to reflect on who you are and what you are capable of
- Take measure of your current state—the good, the bad and the ugly!
- Take advice from wise counsel
- Take a chance
- Take action
- Take another look at your life and your results
- Take a knee and give thanks for what you are and what you have


Click here to order Stepping up