August 2024
Time to Prepare
Summer has lulled many of us into a misguided sense of complacency. However, Fall is imminent and there is much to prepare for. Children are returning to school and October marks the beginning of the 4th quarter. It’s not just the 4th quarter for business, some people including myself are in the “4th quarter of our lives” and it will be time to “balance the books”. In BNI (Business Network International) leadership changes and a new fiscal year begins on October 1st. The US Core President of BNI, Ron Leonard says that this is a time for business owners to “jump into a bright new future and get a fresh start”. October 2nd is the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time to celebrate the creation of the world and it marks a fresh start. It is believed that you need to “become a new you to do new things”.
Who is the new you?
You can’t just wait until September or October to be a better business leader or a better version of yourself. Now is the time to start. It’s too easy to languish and let things slide in August. It seems like everyone is on vacation, at the Lake, or visiting relatives. It’s time to set some benchmarks of where you want to be by September1st, October 1st and then even November 1st and December 1st. Time always goes by faster than you think. In business it’s advisable to plan for the whole year with goals, action steps and even a theme. If you want to find out about not setting enough time to plan for a goal wait until the week before and then try to get ready for a trade show, an open house, or a large holiday gathering.
Is there something you should be planning for now?
In making your plans it’s always good to seek wise counsel. I hang on to every word that Dr. Ivan Misner, the founder of BNI utters because he has been in business for 40 years. Don’t reinvent the wheel. It’s good to keep up with current trends in the business world but I like to utilize knowledge that has stood the test of time. Every year I reread The E-Myth Revised by famous business guru Michael Gerber and get even more out of it. If you never read another book, you could succeed in life simply by reading Thou Shall Prosper by Daniel Lapin or Business by the Book by Larry Burkette.
What are you reading?
My dearest dream is to share what I’ve learned with as many business owners and business professionals as possible. That’s why I’m planning my course schedule for the Fall right now so I’ll be ready to help others in September. I’m offering a series of 3 very affordable webinars that build on each other. The first is entitled Starting Strong and is geared to a person just starting a business or even just thinking about going into business. The purpose of this class is to start off on the right foot and avoid all of the costly mistakes that the rest of us made when we started a business. Following this class is the webinar, Successful Scaling for business owners who have no employees or are have hired some employees and are experiencing “growing pains”. This is for owners who are ready to “work on their business and not just work in their business”. I’ll help you become more comfortable with handling more employees and more customers. The final class in this series is Built to Last; Leaving Your Legacy. This class is for the more mature owner who has begun to wonder “where am I going with all of this”? These webinars can be taken one at a time or as a series. Some owners may want to go back to the beginning and redo some steps they missed. New owners may want to peek into their future and take the next two classes. The series will be offered periodically on a continuing basis. Exact times and dates will be posted on my Facebook page Coaching for Success.
What could move you forward with your business?
Another plan is to help both business owners and anyone wanting to enrich their life with the Who’s in Your Room? material taken from the book by Dr. Ivan Misner. I was proud to become a certified Who’s in Your Room? Instructor and a certified Who’s in Your Room? Facilitator. Having the opportunity to study directly under Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI, Isaac Stegman, Founder and CEO of Kaizen Unlimited Training and Coaching, and Rusty Shields, Master Facilitator and creator of Develefy Consulting LLC was a great honor and a highlight of my coaching career. I would also like to acknowledge Barbara Moss Abramson, the founder of Making Meaningful Connections and the Managing Director for BNI in Nashville. Barb was my homework and accountability partner during the Who’s in Your Room? training. As I went through the training, I discovered that my weak suit was finding the words to navigate difficult situations and conflicts. Who better to be paired with than Barb, a communications coach! Barb is a heaven sent miracle to all of the people she helps in BNI and in her community.
Who inspires you?
I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be planning Who’s in Your Room? events. I’m a Chapter Success Coach for BNI in Missouri and my chapters love my Who’s in Your Room? Educational Moments. Who’s in Your Room? is a brilliant system to create a more meaningful life with more positive people “in your room”. The Who’s in Your Room? material also helps you make better personal and business decisions because you become more aware of your values and learn how to really live your values. A favorite part of the Who’s in Your Room? teachings is how to say no without sounding like a jerk and how to manage difficult people “in your room”. I can barely wait to do more with these life changing tools. I am available for Who’s in Your Room? Lunch and Learns. I will be posting opportunities to take Who’s in Your Room webinars and to attend in person workshops.
What would you like to do about “your room”?
As you can tell, I have plenty to work on and plan for during August. However, it’s still important to enjoy these last few days of summer. Instead of complaining about the heat, I’m savoring everything that I can do now that I won’t be able to do in a Fall freezing rain storm or a winter blizzard. I especially love giving my horses a bath and watching the expressions on their face while they are being bathed. It was such a rich experience watching my field being baled. There is nothing better than smelling a barn full of hay and knowing you are set for the winter. As everyone who knows me knows that I love mowing and brush hogging because it clears my mind. Why don’t you visit me at my country retreat in Buffalo, Missouri and clear your mind?
