Simply Business Coaching

I don't think I want to be a millionaire

I think I’ve overdosed on reading success stories - you know the before and after stories you find on so many websites.  Some may well be genuine, some are definitely exaggerated, and far too many are pure works of fiction ;)

I don’t want to know that you lost everything and had to sleep in your car under a railway bridge until you had that life-changing moment and became an overnight millionaire (puhleese, save it for the movie they make of your life).

Not everyone has an exciting story to tell - but it seems we must somehow find one to tell.

But what about the vast, quiet majority of people who take time to learn and set to work, then they learn some more and work a lot more - and slowly, at their own pace, build a profitable business they’re proud of? 

So the time has come to say a sad farewell to some of my favourite teachers online.  Not because they don’t have more to offer, but because they seem to have moved beyond my understanding.  They have become millionaires.

The more successful these gurus and teachers become, the further away they move from their followers’ reality; they mix in different circles.  But that’s OK, it’s a natural progression.  Yet, have you noticed how they continue to market to their original list?

(I have to admit that at the back of my mind is the niggling little question - “If you’ve made all these millions, why do you still want my money?”  I’ve already contributed enough to your fortune, go pick on someone else!)

Don’t get me wrong, I bought training materials from these people because I wanted to learn how to do what these teachers had already figured out.  And for the most part I’ve been more than satisfied with the quality and quantity of information provided.  Only a couple of products have failed to live up to expectations which isn’t a bad average over the years!

So the messages I read make me feel that unless I want to be a millionaire, I’m not serious about being in business.  But I am very serious, I just don’t want to jump on the bandwagons of hype, celebrity and bling.  They aren’t ‘me’ somehow. 

What do you think?  Am I not aiming high enough? Let me know in the comments below :)

Picture Power

An email last week from a client asking where he could find images to use in his newsletter got me thinking about how important it is to provide that extra visual interest element for readers.  Just one photo can lift your article and make it more attractive.  I know if I’m faced with screenfuls of solid text I find it difficult to stay focused and read every word - it has to be a really interesting subject to keep my attention right to the end.

But somehow, with a photo or screenshot image to break up the text, the same length article doesn’t seem as daunting.

My favourite source of images has to be iStockPhoto.  For a very reasonable cost, you can choose from an extensive library, safe in the knowledge that copyright issues are taken care of (although I’d still advise you to read the T&C). 

As you browse through your chosen category, you can easily see how popular each image is and how many downloads of it have already been made.  This is useful if you want to make sure you select something more unusual for your website, blog post or newsletter. 

Another useful feature of IStockPhoto are the ‘lightboxes’ where you can store images you come across to review later before deciding if you want to buy them.  I like to set up separate lightboxes for different client projects.

After you set up an account, you can buy a series of credits and ‘pay as you go’.  Images are charged by number of credits which vary according to the size of image you buy.  I quickly learned that the smallest size image is fine for most uses, especially online!

If you’re looking for completely free images, take a look at Flickr.com.  Chris Brogan’s blog post gives excellent guidance on how to use these images correctly (and how you might want to share photos of your own!)

Another resource I came across recently is a collection of 30 websites where you can download free stock photos which looks very interesting, although I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.  Let me know what you think if you get there before me!

Do you have any image resources to share? I'd love to know, so please type them in the comments below.  If you found this post helpful, a retweet would be appreciated :)

When Processes Really Make a Difference

There’s often so much to do when you’re trying to grow a small business that it’s understandable when some tasks are forgotten during especially busy times.  Keeping track of what needs to be done with a traditional to-do list certainly helps for the day to day stuff - and  crossing out completed items as the day progresses is wonderfully satisfying.

I was working recently with a client who was creating an exciting new service to add to her portfolio.  There were several stages involved with this project - research, collecting together all necessary resources, production, pilot, revision, marketing, launch, sales and customer support.  Of course each stage comprised several smaller steps.  The whole project had begun to be overwhelming, especially as it had to be fitted in to my client’s already busy schedule.

Here was a case where simple lists weren’t enough to keep the project on track and it was also important for certain actions to be taken in a specific order.  Trying to make sure nothing was forgotten had started to cause sleepless nights!

An ideal solution for this project was to take the various lists for all the stages and carefully work out the order in which each individual step needed to be taken.  Sticky notes proved very helpful here!  Then, once the final sequence was agreed, a process diagram was produced.  This would act as a visual overview of the whole project. 

Here’s what an extract of what the ‘top-level’ process sequence diagram might look like:

More detailed process diagrams of each stage ensure that actions are taken in the correct order.  From these diagrams, to-do lists can be made if desired.  The project is no longer overwhelming and my client is firmly back in control.

Sometimes you need more than just lists! 

If you found this post helpful, please share it :)

Oh no, not another Opt-In Box!

Opting in to receive free reports and newsletters is an accepted part of doing business on the internet.  I think it’s a fair exchange -  contact details for good information. 

And double opt-in procedures are reassuringly professional - for the most part.

However, I’d like to share a less satisfactory opt-in box experience - perhaps something similar has happened to you?

I recently took part in an online survey.  The email asking for my input came from someone I’ve met in person, was been very polite and promised to share the results with all contributors.  As I was mildly interested in the subject, I answered the questions.

A month or so later, I got the email announcing the survey results were available with a link to get my copy, which I clicked on as I was genuinely interested to find out more ....

.... except when I arrived at the page, it was to be confronted with an opt-in box.  Huh?

This is the email I wanted to send:

“Dear xxxx

You already know I’m interested in the subject matter because I completed the survey.  You already have my email address because you’re writing to me. 

So why do you want to me to give you my email address again?

I really don’t want to end up on another one of your lists and possibly get twice the number of emails from you.

Please don’t make me double opt in just to get something you said you’d give me in exchange for my time completing your survey.  That isn’t playing the game.

Regards
Disillusioned”

No I didn’t send the email (because I know the person & like to think it was unintentional).  Yes I did opt in to get the report (curiosity got the better of me!) - but I’ll be opting out again the moment an autoresponder email arrives.  And I won’t be completing any more surveys for that person.

(Update:  Just got another email from same person......asking me to take part in another survey...)

Do you feel you’re being asked to opt-in too many times?  Let me know what you think in the comments below :)

Do You Find Daily To-Do Lists Good or Bad?

Most people I know keep lists of one sort or another.  I find if I go food shopping without a list I spend far more than usual and still manage to come home without the most important meal ingredients.  This usually means I have to go back to the shop!  So, in my opinion, a shopping list is a good list to make.

Another list I keep are reminders - birthday cards to buy & send; insurance renewal dates; doctor & dentist appointments to make - all the routine but vital stuff that can easily be forgotten when you’re busy.  I keep a list in the kitchen where I look at it every morning, cross out what I’ve done and add any new items on the bottom.  My reminder list is a good list to make.

The lists I really struggle with are Daily To-Do Lists.  You see, I always write down more, many more to-dos than I can possibly get through in one normal length day.  Optimism gets the better of me when I write the list.  And then, at the end of the day, I beat myself up over how little I’ve achieved.

What I find is, because all the ‘to-dos’ are hanging over me throughout the day, I don’t allow myself the luxury to just sit and daydream - there isn't enough time left free for doing that.  Which is crazy, because when I switch off from the busyness, I get some of my best ideas.

What I’m experimenting with as an alternative to the shackles of a daily to-do list is a weekly to-do list.  While some tasks are date sensitive, others just need to be completed before the end of the week.  The weekly to-do list is just as long as the previous 5 days worth of lists, but somehow it doesn’t seem as rigid.  There might even be time for a bit of daydreaming ;)

Do you find daily To-Do Lists good or bad for creativity?  Please let me know by commenting below - and if you enjoyed this post, I'd appreciate if you'd share it :)