Archives for May 2015
Entrepreneurs – Here is Why You Need a Vacation.
Zen Master and Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hahn stated, “The purpose of a vacation is to have time to rest. But many of us, even when we go on vacation, don't know how to rest. We may even come back tired than before,”. Take a moment to reflect on your past or upcoming vacations. Do you really go on vacation? Are you really present in your period of rest and reflection or are you simply down-scaling the level or intensity of your work while on vacation? As a solo-entrepreneur, small business owner, or leader within a firm, it may be difficult to remove yourself from work and “go” on vacation. Here are a few simple reasons why you need a vacation – a real, restful, and rejuvenating vacation.
Where do you stand on a level of one to five, five being a complete workaholic? How does this impact your life? Does it? If you were asked to go on vacation today for a week or let us say three days if seven sounds like too much time away, would you? Why not? Your responses to these questions may indicate more about you on that spectrum.
1. Workaholic Reality Check. You're dedicated to what you do. Perhaps, over dedicated. You wake up, start your day, and do what needs to get done and a significant amount of other things. You wear a lot of operational hats. You are timed, systematic, and extremely productive. Such dedication and behavior have contributed to your successes. You're drained. When you “unplug” for the day, you're not “unplugged”. You check your emails, respond to texts, answer phone calls or something else that one would compartmentalize into the “work” category. You don't stop. Your office hours are stated; however, everyone knows you work long past them or question the very fact of those hours because you're constantly on the go. You may not want to categorize yourself as a “workaholic”. Denial is a sign. Justifications are excuses for such behavior. One vacation isn't going to stop a “workaholic” behavior, but it most certainly give you the overdue reality check, which perhaps, you're in fact a “workaholic”. Tim Skew, CEO of Corporate Rain International and INC. Magazine Contributor, cited Helanie Scott, CEO of Align4Profit comments about the neurology behind workaholism, and how research shows that the behaviors create deeply rooted neural pathways in our brain. The more one feeds the habit of workaholism, the more powerful the neural pathways. The more power the neural pathways that support, accept, and carry out such habits of workaholism, the harder it will be to break that powerful habit. Where do you stand on a level of one to five, five being a complete workaholic? How does this impact your life? Does it? If you were asked to go on vacation today for a week or let us say three days if seven sounds like too much time away, would you? Why not? Your responses to these questions may indicate more about you on that spectrum.
2. Get Back to Doing things for You. Not to say that making a living isn't doing something for you, but missing out on making a life is also important. Think about if you gave yourself and your loved ones equal attention that you provide to your business. Would your life be the same? Are you already doing that? If so, then you may be reading this article to pass on to a friend or family member that you feel may need that “break” before he or she “breaks”. Getting back to doing things for you is important. In fact, doing things for your enjoyment should be implemented daily. However, if it is hard to make the time, it is even more of an indicator that it is needed. You can start with a vacation. A vacation for you and perhaps, depending on your personal situation, your loved ones as well. Take the time to think about what it is that you would like to do. How would it make you feel to do it? What is stopping you
Take the time to think about what it is that you would like to do. How would it make you feel to do it? What is stopping you from booking that time for yourself? Is it worth the sacrifice? Imagine what you consider to be the perfect “me time”. Is it on a beach?
from booking that time for yourself? Is it worth the sacrifice? Imagine what you consider to be the perfect “me time”. Is it on a beach? Feeling the warm sand, hearing the waves, birds, and seeing people smile…oh wait, that is you, smiling. Yes. You're smiling and running toward the next wave. Waves are one of your favorite things. Growing up in Ohio, and hitting the waterpark as a kid, if people couldn't find you, you were in the wave pool putting yourself right in front of the biggest man-made waves. Now, your budget is better, and you're putting yourself on a beach and facing the real, Poseidon-made waves. Hearing your niece laugh, “Aunt Katie, you're awesome. Why do you want to be hit by the waves?” You respond, “because nature is amazing, and it is so much fun to play in the waves. I love dropping like a sack of potatoes and getting back up to get hit again with the powerful water. It makes me feel good.” The next thing you know, you're back to you. You feel connected to yourself, others, and the Earth. You feel blessed beyond and have that reality check about how important it is to do things for you and those that you love. Now, I ask you, what would you want to do to get back to doing things for you? How would you incorporate that in your vacation? What is stopping you?
3. Sharper Focus of Your Work-Life Balance Lenses. Small steps, big changes. A simple vacation provides a level of work-life balance enlightenment. The awareness can help you to sit back and truly see what matters and make a life around that, rather than a life around whatever is going on. A vacation can help you to see what you want in life and for yourself. It can be that game-changer that helps you to re-connect, or perhaps for some, connect for the
Your vacation can help you sharpen your work-life balance lenses so that when you come back from vacation, you create an environment in which supports your desires.
very first time, with your true, happy, and peaceful self. In that moment of clarity, you can be the creator of your life from this point forward. You've always been the creator of your life and your behaviors. Including the workaholic behaviors. Your actions, attitudes, and behaviors are the facilitators of your life. A vacation can be the wake-up call to become more aligned with the work-life balance that you want. It can help you to become more present, accepting, and happy. Yes. Happy. It is one of my favorite feelings. Can you imagine building your life around being happy? Making the schedule, outcomes, and desires around the feelings that you want to have in your life, versus being reactive to situations or circumstances. Your vacation can help you sharpen your work-life balance lenses so that when you come back from vacation, you create an environment in which supports your desires. If what you desire is to work all the time, then that it is totally fine, as that is what you desire. However, if what you desire is work-life balance with the ability to have a solid income and investments, set up your life for that and make it happen. Sometimes, we all need that reality check that can occur any moment, not just vacation although vacation can signal it; life is more than simply working. We are meant to live life, and the level to which we live it is completely contingent upon us. Your focus aids you in identifying that level and the systems needed to make it happen.
In all, let your next vacation be a vacation. Provide yourself with the opportunity to engage fully in your vacation. To make memories with yourself and others. Learn to let go, or perhaps, re-learn, especially if you “used” to do all of those things. Somewhere between the new business, life, and, etc. you forgot how to live truly. Maybe, you're still on that discovery of what does it mean to live truly? I am breathing. Therefore I am alive but are you living or are you too busy making a living for the unsatisfied and draining life that you are living? Not to be too blunt, but I am sure we can all relate to that last statement more than once in our lives.
All my love.
by Katie Doseck, PhD MBA
Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 by 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.
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Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Ways You Can Get Back to Focusing on Your Customers
It’s so easy for us as small business owners to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running our business and forget about the customers in the process. But at the end of the day, what’s most important is ensuring we are providing the best customer experience possible. This doesn’t mean you completely ignore your company’s vision or all the details that keep you organized, but your customers are the most valuable part of your company and they deserve a significant chunk of your attention.
Here are a few tips to make sure you’re really focusing on your customers first:
• Make sure you understand your customer at all levels. You should constantly be doing research and outreach to stay up to date with what your customers feel, what their interests
We do not stop at implementing your vision with the best tools available. That is just the ground work to a long term relationship. There are always modifications to make, adjustments to make, revisions to make, questions to answer, new strategies to implement and goals to revise. Viral Solutions has monthly maintenance packages that we build around your needs and budgetary constraints. Your maintenance package could include 24/7 support, rapid response, service to your end-user, consulting, Infusionsoft training, social media, database services, analytics, sales training, campaign building and more
are, and they want out of you. Everyone involved with your company should understand your customers, from top to bottom. This will make it much easier for you to actually fulfill their needs.
• Always look for (and incorporate) customer feedback. You can’t force your customers to like a certain product if it’s something they’re not interested in. Be sure you’re actually listening to what they want, and then figure out how you can incorporate their feedback in what you offer to them. Your customers are more likely to stay loyal to you if you make it clear you appreciate and actually use their feedback.
• Give your employees the training they need to make a good impression. All of your employees who interact with your customers only get one chance to make a good first impression on your behalf. To make sure they’re successful, you should make sure you’re doing everything in your power to give them a good, thorough training experience. Well-trained employees make for satisfied customers.
• Keep the small things in mind. It’s small, personal touches and details that really make the customer experience. Whether it’s in the way you have your employees greet customers, the kinds of “thank yous” and deals you give them or any other part of the customer experience, those details can be the push your customers need to keep them coming back.
For more tips about how to put your customers first, work with us at Viral Solutions.
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
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 100’s 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.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Creating Your Own Infographics? You Need This!
Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education.
What's Better Than 1 Infographic? Answer: 2
What's Better Than 2 Infographics? More!
Attribution to http://blog.hubspot.com
![2015 Social Media Engagement Benchmarks [INFOGRAPHIC]](http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/53/Slide1-25.jpg)
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 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.
What Does the “Work-Life Balance” Currently Look Like in the United States?
Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in the business world, especially as an entrepreneur, has probably heard the phrase “work-life balance” at some point. The general idea is that we should be able to find a clear divide between our work lives and our personal lives, and figure out a way to balance the time we spend in each sphere so we achieve some sort of harmony.
But does that balance currently exist in the United States?
Here are a few interesting statistics from a 2014 study by Hamermesh and Stancanelli:
- Americans work 41 hours per week on average. This is a fair amount more than other highly developed and industrious nations such as the UK (38.4), Germany (36.9), France (35.7), Spain (34.6) and the Netherlands (32.7).
- Nearly 30 percent of Americans regularly work weekends, compared to 25.5 for the UK, 22.4 for Germany, 21.8 percent for France, 18.7 for the Netherlands and 9.6 for Spain.
- Americans are much more likely to work nights, with 26.6 percent of American employees working past 10 p.m. Compare this to 18.6 percent for the UK, 13 for Germany, 7.2 for France and 6.9 for the Netherlands.
Now, some of these people might be required to work weekends and nights simply because of the type of job they have. But consider these additional statistics from a survey conducted by Wrike:
- 87 percent of respondents say they regularly overwork, with 39.2 percent saying they overwork by more than five hours per week.
- People working late at night were much more likely (26.7 percent) to feel overloaded than people who get their work done during the day (10.2 percent)
- Regular employees and team members were most satisfied with their work-life balance, but only at a 50.8 percent rate. Business owners, meanwhile, only had a 29 percent satisfaction rate with their work-life balance.
So what does all of this mean? Basically, Americans, more so than people in any other country in the world, are working long hours and having difficulty maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Does this touch a chord with you? What steps do you take to ensure you are not overworking yourself on a regular basis, and that you are able to separate your work and personal lives?
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
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 100’s 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.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Resistance to Change Can Be a Killer in the Business World
It’s always frustrating to deal with people who fight against any sort of organizational change. It’s even worse when those people are managers or company leaders, and it’s obvious that some sort of change is in the business’s best interest.
There are a wide variety of reasons why people, even company leaders, are afraid of change. After all, it’s easy to get comfortable with a routine, especially one that you’ve already found to work pretty well. But at the same time, as a leader in your company you constantly have to be thinking in the long-term. And in the long run, resistance to change can kill your company.
Here are some of the most damaging potential results of a resistance to change:
Self-preoccupation: All too frequently we see staff specialists who bring to their work certain blind spots that get them into trouble when they initiate change with operating people. One such blind spot is “self-preoccupation.” The staff specialists get so engrossed in the technology of the change they are interested in promoting that they become wholly oblivious to different kinds of things that may be bothering people.
• Discouraging creativity. If you never change anything about the way your company operates, you’re basically not offering any space for creative or critical thought. The most successful companies regularly reinvent aspects of themselves to stay ahead of the curve. By avoiding change, you discourage creativity. Ultimately, the most creative employees will leave for greener pastures, and the most creative applicants will avoid your company.
• Burning out employees. Among other things, employees are motivated by the prospect of tackling a new challenge or tackling an existing challenge in a new way. If you never change anything about your company, your employees are left to do the same tasks over and over again. This is a killer to motivation and, in turn, productivity.
• Falling behind the competition. Again, flexibility and adaptability are two key traits of businesses that stay successful for long periods of time. If you resist change as an organization, it’s virtually a guarantee that you are eventually going to fall behind your competition, because other companies certainly aren’t going to be afraid to try new things to get ahead.
• Poor internal communication. A resistance to change as a manger will create a disconnect with your employees, who are likely to have some great ideas but feel as though it’s not worth bringing them to you because you will be dismissive of them. As soon as such a disconnect arises in your internal communication, it is very bad news for the health of your company.
The point isn’t to change for the sake of change, but it’s worth reviewing all of your company’s practices every now and then to see where you could do better and what you could change to improve. It’s all part of keeping your business healthy and your employees happy.
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 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.