Archives for February 2015
5 Strategies to Help You Turn Your Passion into a Business Opportunity
Apple Founder, Steve Jobs stated, “It [what you choose to do] has got to be something that you’re passionate about because otherwise you won’t have the perseverance to see it through..” What is your passion? Does passion even exist? These are all questions that are helpful and worth exploring. Therefore, the remainder of this post will discuss five strategies to help you identify your passion and turn that passion into a business opportunity.
1. Remember and identify.Okay, so Jobs noted that it is essential to have passion for starting, sustaining, and 
prospering a business idea, problem, or solution. Well, what if you're struggling with even identifying your passion or if that passion even exists in you? Fear not. I think we've all been there at one point or another that we feel lost, unsure, and unsatisfied with our current situation. Trying to get excited might seem harder to do because of the to-do list of all the other things that you need to do. Completing that to-do list may seem like the most passionate aspect of your career. This reminds me of that point in people's lives, where people get too caught up in the doing that they forget about the living. People forget about the little or big things that created so much joy for them in the past because they're too busy getting things done. According to Rob Levitt, a creativity expert, when people are unhappy, they need to revisit things that made them happy and excited as a kid. Often the things that we enjoyed so much as kids are precursors to “life callings”. You may chuckle when you think of “life callings”, but perhaps that chuckle is pent up frustrations toward not being your true self. Levitt suggests revisiting childhood favorites, such as food, events, and things that you enjoyed. Next, evaluate how those things could be a career or business opportunities.
2. Visualize. So, you've got the remembrance juices flowing. You may even be smiling a little more thinking about 
all of the things that you enjoyed doing as a kid. Now, think about how those activities could become a business opportunity. Think about how you could share that love, passion and excitement with others. Think about how that would feel to do what you love every day. In essence, think of that humble connection between what could be your reality and the overused quote “love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life,”. Imagine what it would be to live that life. I bet you're smiling. I'm smiling just thinking about it. A strategy that you can use is the art of visualization. Visualization allows you to connect your thoughts and emotions with specific things that you want to achieve. You could create a vision board to aid you connecting whatever it is that you would like to achieve and help you see you passion. The idea is that through visualization and emotion you supercharge your mindset.
3. Get over the fear. Quit your moaning. You've got this. You've already moved mountains remembering, 
identifying, and visualizing what you want, and now you need to do something with it. You should be excited that you can do something. If you're feeling stuck at this point, you may want to uncover some of your trigger points or fears that are standing in the way of doing something. This identification can help you to learn more about yourself and can also help you to create a strategy for overcoming such fears. Thich Nhat Hahn stated, “Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.” What is more silly – letting fear stop you from living your passion or you letting fear have control to stop you? Fear is manifested by you. You created it. You can destroy it. So, this strategy is designed to identify fear based roadblock, identify your actions needed to overcome it, and do it. Do it with such power and grace that you feel like a Spartan kicking ass and taking names – this is your life. Live it.
4. Take ownership. No, seriously. Taking ownership is a strategy for moving forward. You need to take 
ownership for you actions and inactions. If you don't like something change it. You can. If you're worried about time, money, failures, or whatever self-manifested fear that you have created – own it. Use that fear to move you. Move you to greatness, action, and living the life you deserve doing the things you love. Otherwise, you'll end being something else for someone who is living their passion, except that it's not yours, and you don't enjoy it. Lame. Take ownership. Right now. Also, be proud of your ownership. Most people like to point fingers or play the blame game. You're better than that; I'm better than that. So, take that lovely energy and rock out your heart desires. You know that inner child is gleaming and cheering you on for great things. Take ownership, set you intentions, and create your actions.
5. Do it. Yep, the magic happens with action. You need to have clear intentions of what you want, and you need 
action to make it happen. Make it rain. Make your life the best life ever. Why be stuck doing anything less. Seriously, if your situation, job, or whatever is making you unhappy get rid of it and replace it with what makes you happy. Do what you love. Find a way to monetize it. Monetize it. Rock it out and adapt to whatever it is that you want to achieve.
We all have that one thing that instantly makes us smile. That one thing that we simply love to do. That one thing that could truly become a part of our life as a career or business. However, most don't go after it. They settle. Don't settle. Find it, monetize it, make it your thing, and make a career or business out of it. The world needs more people that do act upon their passions because that passion will create passions for others.
by Katie Doseck, PhD MBA
Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC
Katie Doseck, PhD MBA | 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.
20 Ways to Increase Your Confidence
- Think about someone who is confident and act, talk and walk like him or her. Model their mannerisms and behavior. It works for them; it will work for you.
- Smile a lot more. That doesn’t mean putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the street, when you meet people and generally be happier even if you’re not feeling that way.
- Learn from the past; don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s gone; it’s never coming back. Instead learn from it for next time.
- Buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done, treat yourself to something new. It will make you feel better and will give your ego a boost.
- Are you prepared for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet any challenge that may come up? Are you prepared for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet someone for the first time? If not, get to it.
- Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity – because you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more confidence.
- Improve your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these are and put a plan in place to improve them over time.
- Learn how to say no to people. Don’t be afraid, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the reaction on their face after you’ve said it the first time and there will be no going back.
- Be positive. Look on the “can do” side of things rather than the “can’t do”. You’ve accomplished lots in your life and you will accomplish lots more in the future.
- Be in charge of your thoughts at all times. What is a thought? It’s just a question that you’ve asked yourself and the thought is you’re answer. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, you’re probably asking a negative question. Change the questions to be more positive.
- Whenever you feel a negative thought coming, STOP, THINK, and say is this really important in the grand scheme of things. A lot of the time it isn’t. Many people in life major in minor things!
- Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It’s not what they say to you that’s the problem it’s what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that’s the problem. Change the way you think.
- List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word – this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying “I’m enraged about this” say, “I’m a little annoyed”. Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You’ll be surprised with the results.
- At the end of each day list your achievements and successes throughout that day.
- Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out?
- Every morning when you’re in the shower, play over in your head the events in the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence and it will be so.
- Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence levels. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you’ve got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language
- Emotion is created by motion. As in 17, make sure you move around consistently. This creates energy and gets the blood pumping around you body – it makes you feel better and more confident.
- Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are.
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And finally – You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time – will what I am worrying about really matter?
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Don’t Always Say “Yes” to Clients
One of the first things people are taught when entering the business world is that the customer is always right. But this is definitely not true. In fact, there are some situations in which you should feel completely comfortable saying “no” to your clients.
Here are some situations that may call for a “no” answer:
• The client is a jerk. Life is far too short to have to worry about doing work for people that you can’t stand. Difficult clients are extremely common, but there
Reality based conversations. | We get real and we stay that way. We know that no amount of great marketing, sales techniques, software as a service (Saas) or operational consulting will fix a bad entrepreneur. We are prepared to deliver our best, to enable you to raise your anchor through the one set of activities that sets the best apart from the rest.
are some that cross the line and become impossible to work with. In these situations, it’s best to cut ties altogether rather than driving yourself crazy trying to please them. Most importantly, if you cut the time commitment to the unreasonable, gave that added time to your best customers – your profit would skyrocket.
• You will not be able to perform high quality work within the time constraints. If you think that your clients have set an unrealistic deadline, it’s better to tell them straight up that you cannot meet the deadline than to try to rush your work and risk having it not meet your standards of quality. If the client is worth working with again in the future, they will respect that you do not want to compromise the quality of your work.
• They take up too much time. Sometimes this is a problem that doesn’t present itself until after you have been working with them for a while. If the client is requiring significantly more attention than you had expected, then it may be time to put an end to your working relationship. You can’t let a single client take up too much precious time that can be used to do work with your other clients.
• They want you to do something ethically wrong. This one should be a no-brainer. If you have a client come to you with a request to do something that is either illegal or violates the ethics and values of your business, then you should not feel at all guilty about turning them down.
• They are trying to lowball you. There are some types of clients that are always looking for a deal, and will lowball your prices no matter what. At some point, you have to know when to stop the negotiations and know that it isn’t worth doing high-quality work for a fraction of the price you’d typically charge.
Can you think of any other situations in which it’s a good idea to say “no” to a client?
Tips for Building Successful Video Marketing Campaigns
The last couple years, video advertising online has absolutely blown up, and today it’s bigger than ever before. Today, many small businesses are realizing that a smart use of digital video can have big effects while still being friendly to their budgets.
Here are a few tips that can help you to get started on building a successful video marketing campaign:
• Know your audience. As with any kind of marketing campaign, you have to have a certain level of understanding of who your customers are and what they
Lifecycle marketing. | With these unique services, we teach our clients about the Seven Stages of Lifecycle Marketing and how they apply to their businesses. You will learn to ask questions such as: What is your perfect customer? Where in your lifecycle do you gain or lose customers? These questions and others will help you to gain more insight into your business and how you can continue to grow.
are looking for. Before you even think about entering production, make sure that you know the most effective ways to reach out to your customers and that you have a plan for your video.
• Stay brief. Sure, the temptation is going to be to pack a lot of information into a movie, but remember that when you’re dealing with digital marketing, the attention spans of your viewers are going to be a lot shorter. You need to create videos that get across the message you’re looking to make in a short amount of time, otherwise you risk people tuning out and clicking away from the page.
• Tell a story. People don’t want to watch videos that feel like companies are pushing products or services at them. Instead, figure out a way to tell a story with your videos that still fits within your brand. These stories should evoke emotions, whether it’s humor, excitement, wonder, interest or, in special cases, anger. This is the most difficult part of creating digital video advertisements, but also the most important—your story needs to intrigue and inform your target audience.
• Set your goals. What are you hoping to get out of your video marketing campaign? Are you looking for certain engagement metrics, or click through rates? Are you looking to create greater brand awareness, or just get people talking? These goals will influence the type of videos you create and how you track their success.
Video marketing is an essential aspect of any business’s content marketing plan today. Contact us at Viral Solutions for more tips on how you can make it work for you.
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
Proven Methods of Boosting Customer Satisfaction
Even though happy customers are the foundation of any successful business, a surprisingly small amount of companies actually know how to measure the satisfaction levels of their customers. Whether it’s through the use of surveys, monitoring the kinds of reviews and feedback you’re getting online or tracking what people are saying about your brand on social network, you have many different options to give you a good idea of your customers’ satisfaction levels.
Once you have figured out how to measure customer satisfaction, you can work on increasing it, using tactics such as:
- Being a go-to source for information. If you are able to position yourself as an expert in your field, your customers will come to you more
Today, Viral Solutions’ mission is to provide its clients with the assistance needed to experience bursts of growth in their operations, and a big part of that is through the use of technology. When business owners feel overwhelmed, burnt out or unmotivated, Viral Solutions steps in to give them the tools they need to achieve new levels of success. At Viral Solutions, we help small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again!
often for information or for your products and services. Do this through the way you market your company and through your content marketing online.
- Use live chat for instant support. Customers hate having to get forwarded through an automated telephone system. In today’s world of constant availability, they want answers right away. Therefore, live chat is one of the biggest features you can add to your website to improve the customer experience. Your customers will be much happier knowing that you can answer their questions as soon as they have them.
- Be approachable. Anyone who interacts with customers, whether it’s online, in person or over the phone, should have an approachable, friendly demeanor. Nothing kills customer satisfaction like dealing with grumpy or disinterested representatives.
- Satisfy your employees. There’s a lot of research that suggests that satisfied employees leads in turn to satisfied customers. It’s clear when people enjoy their job and when they’re just going through the motions.
- Follow through on survey results. When the results of a survey indicate that you need to change something about your company, then actually do it! Your customers have taken the opportunity to send you a message, so make sure that you actually listen to them and follow through.
Do everything possible to keep your customers happy, and they’ll keep on coming back. For more tips, reach out to us today at Viral Solutions.