Archives for October 2014
Goal Setting for Small Business Growth – The What, How, Why, and When to Springboard Your Growth
Over 80% of 300 small business owners surveyed in the 4th Annual Staples National Small Business Survey identified that they donât keep track of their business goals (Vander Bos, 2010). Moreover, 77% have not achieved their vision of their organization. Pevenstein and McElwee (2013) continued this investigation with an additional survey to identify the detail of how limited to inadequate goal setting impacted small business, respondents identified:
- 83% of small business owners are responsible for organizing, planning, and rolling out initiatives within their business.
- 69% wished they could focus more energy to working âonâ the business rather than âinâ the business.
Where do you fall in these statistics? Are you with the majority that donât track or achieve your goals? Are you with the majority that havenât reach the full potential of achieving your overall organizational vision?
Were your reasons similar to those of the respondents, are you too caught up working in your business and not enough time working on your business? Are you so overwhelmed with the daily grind that you the time to âplanâ and work on âgoalsâ is just too far out of reach? Or do you get started with goal setting, only to fizzle out shortly thereafter? Whatever the case, there is deep-rooted value in goal setting to getting your small business where you want it to go – revenue, market, time, and resource-wise. The remainder of this article will discuss the what, how, why, and when to get you launching off the diving board goal-setting and swimming in the pool of your specific goals, actions, and visions for your organization.
What. Goal setting is simply short and long-term objectives that are specific, measurable, relevant, attainable, and usually achieved within a specific time frame.
How. In order to set goals, you need to know where you are and where you would like to go. This may require asking yourself and your team:
- What are my long-term social, financial, service, profit and growth strategic objectives? What do I want to achieve these long-term objectives? Why?
- What are my short-term social, financial, service, profit and growth strategic objectives? What do I want to achieve these short-term objectives? Why?
In order for the above referenced questions to be useful throughout the planning process you must truly understand your long-term vision and the short and long-term objectives that are needed to get you from where you are today to achieving that vision. This also requires communication, commitment, and buy-in for key people that will be carrying out these objectives, and setting the tone for the organizational culture that supports it There should be both inspiration and accountability embedded within the process. If you want to explore getting more specific with your objectives, there are many goal setting and objective frameworks that may be helpful, such as:
Specific
Measurable
Action-Oriented
Realistic
Timebound
By: Dr Edwin Locke and Dr Gary Latham (Pioneers of it, but may have also tweaked this framework to fit different industries, needs, etc.).
Why. To identify, organize, implement, and monitor key actions that will organize you and your team to achieve short and long-term objectives. Olguin (2013) noted 4 additional key reasons why goal setting is paramount in small business: measure success, leadership team cohesion, knowledge is power, and assessing performance to build upon new goals, strategies and actions.
When. You may find that once you start the goal setting process that you end up practicing and implementing such key actions within your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually routine. The level and intensity of those sessions may vary. However, goal setting shouldnât a be a once in awhile thing, it should be a strategic routine. Planting your goal setting seeds helps you to reap your short and long term fruit from your visionary garden. Youâre the gardener, so your proactive involvement of working on and in essential to health, sustainability, and profitability of that garden.
Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2014. All Rights Reserved
by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.
Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC
Katie Doseck, PhD | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.
These Two Can Play Nicely Together: Email and Facebook
Moving your business onto Facebook doesnât necessarily mean that youâre done with email marketing. In fact, the two often go hand-in-hand. Use the quick tips listed below to make sure that both disciplines receive the attention that they deserve.
1. Add an email marketing opt-in form to your Facebook page (but donât call it that). The idea is to entice your Facebook followers to opt into your mailing list. Most major email marketing 
platforms include easy-to-use tools to add sign up forms to your Facebook page. While you could keep the stock âsubscribe to our newsletter,â message, we recommend customizing your signup form so that its call to action is more appealing to your audience.
2. Give your Facebook followers a reason to share their email address with you. Few people will give companies their email addresses simply because they asked nicely. Many are leery, and for good reason. Spammers have abused consumers for years. That said, your followers follow you for a reason, and youâve built some trust. They may be willing to give you their email addresses in exchange for a discount, coupon, gift card, or some other enticing incentive. You could even hold a fun and engaging social media contest that integrates with your email platform. As contestants join your contest, your email marketing list is growing. While youâre at it, make sure to let them know what they are signing up for. For example, if your list is intended for exclusive deals and discounts, let them know that. If itâs for receiving a monthly newsletter packed with tips from industry experts, let them know that.
3. Give your Facebook followers a good reason to remain subscribers. Itâs not unusual for people to opt into email campaigns in order to get the incentive and then immediately unsubscribe. With that in mind, each mailing you send should offer true value to subscribers. If theyâre already following you on Facebook, donât send them email messages that are identical to your Facebook posts. Itâs redundant and they wonât appreciate it. You may want to incorporate special offers that you donât post on Facebook. If they unsubscribe, they wonât get those special deals. In addition, think about sharing in-depth, helpful content that addresses your subscribersâ needs.
4. Pace yourself. While you may be excited to start sending emails and offers to your growing list, your subscribers donât necessarily want to hear from you every day.
5. Encourage email subscribers to follow you on Facebook. While some of your subscribers will have subscribed via Facebook, others will have opted in on your website, blog, or via some other means. Use list segmentation to send a Facebook campaign to non-followers and entice them to like your Facebook page. For general mailings to a mix of subscribers, add social media icons to your main social media sites along with a brief blurb as to why they should follow your other profiles.
Building a Facebook following and an email list allows you to reach more people in more ways. The two can, and should, go hand-in-hand.
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100âs of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
Creating a Healthy Work Environment With Your Spouse
There are a lot of people who will tell you that itâs impossible to go into business with your spouse. Itâll ruin your relationship, they say. Well, I've tried this – no it didn't work. Not because of the relationship, it didn't work because of other factors. Factors that are present with any business partner or close employee that is a family member.
While itâs true that spending so much time together, especially in such a volatile atmosphere, does have the potential to place some level of strain on your relationship, there are ways that you can be smart about it so that you can both achieve success with your new endeavor.
It doesn't have to be a negative experience. When it is so intense and your work is your passion, this can be healthy, if you understand the underlying pressures.
Here are some of the keys to creating a healthy work environment with your spouse:
- Have clear responsibilities. Both of your roles should be clearly defined so that neither one of you is ever stepping on the otherâs toes by doing their job. Perhaps one of you handles finances, while the
other handles technology. Splitting the roles and sticking to those roles will go a long way toward avoiding potential conflict.
- Make sure everyone else in your company understands those roles. If you have other employees in your company, they should also be extremely clear on what each of your roles are so that they donât approach one of you for help on something the other person is responsible for. This will also avoid situations in which people get conflicting answers on questions related to particular areas of business â they have one person to go to for every category of business. In turn you also need to respect those roles which you've defined and broadcast to your team. Recognize you have put your staff in a very difficult position, no matter how well you work together, by being leaders in your business with your spouse.
- Never undermine your spouse publicly. This is the quickest way to create trouble, both in the workplace and in your relationship. When you have employees the importance of this policy and mindset is multiplied. Respect your spouseâs position within your business, and never point out weaknesses or past actions or anything else that could cause your spouse to lose respect in the ideas of your employees.
- Seek support from outside sources. If you can find good mentors or other couples who have gone into business together that you can emulate, definitely seek out their assistance. Especially if you are first-time entrepreneurs, the dynamic of working together as a married couple can be harrowing. Support from experts or those who have done it successfully before can really help you to settle into your roles and the new dynamic in your relationship.
Work with Viral Solutions for assistance in setting up your business roles and strategies so that you and your spouse can find success together.
Copyright 2014 Viral Solutions LLC
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100âs of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
Staying Motivated – Easier Said, Than Done. Wrong! 4 Simple Strategies to Lasting Motivation.
âI think every athlete will tell you no matter what sport you're in, when you train so hard and when you care so much about doing what you do, there's a little bit of nerves that come with that. But nerves that won't prevent you from performing, nerves that, hopefully, allow you to be that much more motivated and inspired to do well.â – Sidney Crosby.
You control the level of motivation that is or isnât present. Some people might light the fire of motivation here and there, but they arenât keepers of your motivation – you are. Knowing that you are the one in the driverâs seat of continued motivation may excite or totally freak you out.
Whatever side of the motivation fence youâre sitting on, know that it can change. Ideally, that change promotes a continued lifestyle of choosing motivation. Here are 4 tips that you can do today to start and maintain your motivation:
- Condition Your Mind & Body. Your thoughts shape your state of mind, actions, and world. When youâre stressed, it impacts every aspect of your life. When youâre in a state of peace, joy, and
confidence your world changes. Here, practicing emotional intelligence techniques to understand your âwhyâ with emotions, attitudes, and beliefs will help you to identify your peak mental environment that harbors your motivation. Your emotional intelligence provides essential feedback about your state, and that feedback can also be experienced through your physical body. Likewise, so does your body. Listening to both your emotional and physical indicators, can help you to condition your mind and body to be in a peak state that supports your motivated lifestyle. - Be Choosy. Be around positive, realistic, and energizing people. Avoid loud and vexatious people. If he or she drains you, that person is probably someone you should limit or remove from your daily interactions. Relationships with people impact you. Purposefully identifying the value that each relationships brings to you. Then using that knowledge to design your network of people that are encouraging and empowering will be paramount to sustainable motivation and a joyous life.
- Embrace Positive Routines. Build a proactive routine that fits you, your goals, promotes an emotional, spiritual, and physical lifestyle. Having a routine that helps to support your mission, happiness, and growth. This can come in the form of meditation, fitness, professional and personal development, listening to music, goal setting, and making time for things that
you enjoy doing that can help you to start and end your day feeling empowered.
- Get Out of Your Comfort Zone – Every. Single. Day. Motivation requires daily attention. Likewise, it also requires that you get out of complacency and be a game changer everyday. Putting in the extra effort to move from yesterdayâs normal to to todayâs extraordinary. Doing so, illustrates and reaffirms your determined pattern of taking on new tasks, overcoming obstacles, and refuels your motivation mindset that you can do it.
Building your motivation mindset today is for today. As Zig Ziglar oh-so eloquently stated, âPeople often say that motivation doesnât last. Well, neither does bathing – thatâs why we recommend it daily,â. Refueling your motivation today, will help with your motivation journey tomorrow.
Additional Great Reads for Motivation…
Clear, J. (2014). 8 Steps to Having a Wildly Productive Morning. Entrepreneur. Retrieved:
Ehrmann, M. (1927). Desiderata. Retrieved:
James, G. (2014). How to Motivate Yourself – 14 Easy Ways. Inc. Retrieved:
Mangula, G.C. (2013). 7 Unconventional Ways to Motivate Yourself. Addicted to Success.
Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2014. All Rights Reserved
by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.
Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC
Katie Doseck, PhD | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.
4 Tips for Rebooting YOU – Today
Are you feeling lost, overwhelmed, or simply drained? Do suffer from life running you, rather you running it? Are you wondering why in the world you do what you do or what you can to regain that once easily excited and passionate about life person that once was you?
Well, my virtual friend, this brief article may just shed some light on steps that you can use today to reboot you.
- Take time for you. Seriously, put away the cell phones, turn off the email notifications, cover the whiteboard that is filled with your enormous GANTT chart of projects, activities, and tasks. Take at
least 30 minutes to just be with you. What will I do? Man, you really do need this time more you can imagine. You can just be. You can pick up a book, sit on your porch, go for a walk – a walk would be nice, especially this time of year, you can see the fall colors and listen to the crunchy sounds walking amidst the fallen leaves. Donât do anything that makes you think of what you need or should do for your business, team, boss, or other people. This is your time for you, not for you to do other stuff for others. Do this for a couple days this week, and then turn this into a daily ritual. - Reflect on what are musts and must nots within your life. By your second day of timing out reality and making time for you, you should be feeling a little more at ease. Perhaps, your mind wandered while you were walking or doing whatever during your personal time. Thoughts of what you do and do not enjoy may have come and gone. Take some time to reflect on those thoughts. Specifically, identify 8 absolute musts that you need to contribute to a healthy, energized, and joyful life. Write them down. Ask yourself why are these musts? Then ask yourself, how would you feel if youâd neglect this musts? Next, identify 8 absolutely must nots – simply, what you do not want to have in your life. Then ask yourself, how youâve let those must nots into your life and the impact theyâve had on you. Take note of your findings and your emotions associated with each. Doing so will help you to associate feelings to your musts and must nots. Which in turn may inspire a deeper commitment to making what you do and do not want a reality.
- Identify 3 goals that if you achieved for in the next 7 days and how those goals would impact your life. Perhaps, your 3 goals have something to do with implementing action for your must-haves or building your moat to protect you from the must not-haves. Whatever the case, make 3 goals / outcomes that are clear, specific, attainable, why youâre doing (i.e. emotions that are going to be changed by achieving your outcomes) and must be achieved within the next 7 days. Identify the actions that you need to make happen in order for these goals to be achieved, how you will measure the success, and link the emotional outcome of how you will feel once these goals have been achieved. Then do it.
- Create a support system. Line yourself up with resources that aid you in restoring and re-energizing you. If it drains you, it isnât for you. This is going to require you to dig deeper with what makes you feel good, helps you to connect with you, and propels you to where you want to be. For some that may be checking out self-help books from the library, downloading a meditation from online, going to yoga, working out, or whatever. The bottomline, is that you need to build a routine and be accountable to you. You wouldnât cancel an appointment with a client because you donât feel like it, donât cancel an appointment with you. Let that last sentence sink in. The time for you is sacred. You matter, you are of value, and you need to have a routine or appointments within your schedule that build you up, rejuvenate you, and you need to keep those appointments with yourself.
Great Reads to Aid You to Reboot…
Perkins, R. (2014). 7 Ways to Step Out of Your Shadow. Huffington Post. Retrieved:
Richardson, C. (2014). The Art of Extreme Self-Care. Hay House Publishing. Retrieved:
Robbins, T. (2013). Rapid Planning Method. YouTube. Retrieved:
Robbins, T. (2014). Rapid Planning Method. Tony Robbins. Retrieved:
Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2014. All Rights Reserved
by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.
Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC
Katie Doseck, PhD | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.