Welcome to 2012! "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." --Michael Jordan. January Theme: The 5 Priorities of Business: Principles - Prepare/Plan - Product - People - Profit. You are Your Values Business Principles are built on core values of you and your business.  Principles Defined: Fundamental, norms, rules, values that represent what is desirable and positive for an organization. Principles are basic, change rarely and govern your policies, goals and outcomes. Core Values Defined: The principles that internally guide an organizations conduct as well as its relationship with the external world. The core values your organization and its key people subscribe to define its character and the substance of your business, management, operations, products and services. To get started on your business principles, as an owner, you want to be clear what values you as an individual personally hold. When you are a customer, what makes you happy? What drives you crazy? When you are a subordinate, What is helpful? What leads to confusion? When you are with peers or friends, What do you expect others to believe about you? What will you not tolerate? When you are with your family, What are your dreams? What are your concerns? Defining your business principles starts with you and is the heart of who you are. Now, verbalizing these will lead to being able to develop and share yours with your team and build the principles your business will hold dear. Get your ideas flowing by checking out Samples: Zappos.com is more than create fun and a little weirdness Whole Foods Google Amazon believes in being frugal  IBM had a value jam last summer where they invited all their employees to share what they valued. Mystic Madness has set up a collection of 20 examples of idea starters for core values.  The principles that you live by in all parts of your life and business will be the values you share with your team. You may not achieve them 100% every day, but voicing them and giving life to them will enhance all you do in 2012! Linda Lucas Fayerweather www.ChangingLanes.biz  419-897-0528 linda@changinglanes.biz Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2012 the year of your dreams! Instilling Your Business Principles into Your Staff Getting your staff to care about your business core values or principles is a huge step towards success. Think of your business as an athletic team, every player must be running the same play and want to obtain the same goal. One bad player can throw an entire team astray. Think about what you want your team to do and how their skills can get your business to where it needs to be. Practice positive reinforcement: Are you giving positive reinforcement? Or just reprimanding them for little mistakes? If an employee makes a small mistake take her aside and talk about how to avoid the mistake in the future. You have to remember that your staff is human too and when under duress mistakes tend to happen more often. Share your Core Values to help employees build the your business principles: How are you getting there? How will your staff help you achieve these goals? Don't just tell your team what you want, help them understand and give input into your business values and principles Print your Core Values and POST them. Seeing the post everyday will remind you and  your players that they helped bring these principles to life and at the same time, give a sense of pride in their team. Tiffiny Fayerweather tiffiny.fayerweather@gmail.com Your Principles on the Internet Over the next few weeks I'll be talking about the core structure of a business broken down into the 5 P's, in order, Principles, Prepare/planning, Product, People, and Profit. If you miss one of these P's or don't give it enough time of day your business will have a difficult time succeeding. This week I'm talking about Principles, specifically how your Principles translate over to the Internet. Your Principles are your values, your standards, your fundamentals, your laws, your rules. They define you but more importantly they should be ingrained into your business and define your business and everything it stands for on every level. They should be well thought out come from your core, not forced, backed up by integrity, and never be compromised. Lastly your principles should serve your customers first then you. But how can your principles translate over to the Internet? Will it actually matter? Yes, it matters. It should actually matter even more. The Internet is not just a group of people doing things in a virtual world, making up web sites, selling goods/services, forums, and email. Yes, you can connect to people over the Internet but The Internet is a living creature. It is an abstract entity with feelings and is overly judgmental. If your principles are questionable, the Internet won't take mercy on you. It will chew you up no matter how big or small. The Internet is the gateway to the world and what you show the world better be good because it is out there FOREVER. It use to be if someone did you wrong who could you tell? Your friends and Family? Your neighbors? "Oh, don't shop there, they treated me terribly." You had no real voice and there was little recourse for the company who wronged you. Now, you can tell the world, NO, the Internet, and if the Internet cares it will back you up. For examples of this do a Google search for the following "Jeff Jarvis Dell Hell", "GoDaddy SOPA", or "Ocean Marketing Penny Arcade" In a day the Internet can make you rich. In an instant the Internet can ruin your life. Your values, your principles, and everything you and your business stands for will be tested constantly. If you don't have a clear message with what you stand for and the exhibit that message through your actions online and offline, there is no reason for anyone to trust you, no reason for anyone to want to do business with you, and no reason not to destroy you. But the Internet isn't all bad. It is actually a wonderful place that has changed the world for the better. It has given any one with a computer and an Internet connection access to the world. It has help companies be better and in some cases forced companies to be better. It has helped over throw dictatorships. It has help people stay connected. And so much more. All because the Internet acts like a watchful eye. That watchful eye wants to know where you stand. Does your business have good intentions? Does your business listen to its customers? What does your business do when faced with a bad review? How does your business stand up against your competitors? These are all questions your principles should answer. For my final thoughts, if your principles are tried and true the Internet can be a powerful ally and can help you achieve your goals and dreams you didn't even think were possible. But don't think for a second just because you can't see the people on the other end, it doesn't mean there aren't people and that they don't have a voice. -- Jeff Mendelsohn Liquid Mechanix Studio, LLC www.liquidmechanix.com 419.297.3364

January Workshops! One Year Action Plan for Success Date: January 11, 2012 Details: One Year Action Plan for Success - Planning that works for you and your team On Location: Bowling Green State University at Levis Commons Day One - January 11 8:30-4:30 Day Two - January 25 8:30 - Noon Cost: $249 with online registration ($299 at the door) - Bring your partner for an extra $90. Registration Here Building a Thriving Business for Your Future Date: January 25, 2012 Details: Building a Thriving Business for Your Future - Learn the 7 Tips to build a business that will Thrive with or without you. On Location: Bowling Green State University Perrysburg Campus at Levis Commons Cost $69 (additional partners $20 each) January 25, Wednesday 1:30 - 5PM Registration Here

Procrastination, Again

Getting Over the Procrastination Hump

A while ago I realized most of the tasks I procrastinate on will only  take me 5 to 45 minutes to complete. Not very long at all but yet I would still procrastinate and the task remains incomplete. So I took a moment to think about why I actually don't want to do the task and why I don't want to get it done right now. More procrastination but hey, that's the point.  One thought came to mind is the task is something I didn't want to do. Go figure. But alas, the task needs to get done, also, go figure. But how could I get myself to do the task? Eventually I would grudgingly call upon my will power and do the task that I had to do. Not the best way of doing things if you ask me. My laziness can be mighty powerful sometimes or I have what I consider "better things to do". After countless times of doing this, I had an epiphany.  Once I actually start the task, about 5 to 10 minutes in, I get into a groove and get the task done. In that groove my willingness to complete the task goes up tenfold. I'm already doing it, why not complete it and in the end I feel great about completing the task. On top of that, during the task I usually start to do things faster and what I thought would take me 45 minutes actually only takes me 30 minutes to complete. Woohoo!  I applied my new thought process to a few tasks. If I can get over the initial hump and get into my groove, I'll get the task done in no time. In the end those tasks didn't seem so bad. I felt rewarded knowing that I got the task done and can move on to something else such as relaxing because no TV and no beer make Jeff something... Crazy? Don't mind if I do!  Any way, knowing that I have a groove doesn't necessarily help me do the tasks but knowing that I just have to get over the hump to get into my groove to complete the task helps be start the task. And knowing that there is some sort of reward in the end really helps too.  The next time you are procrastinating on a task, once you actually start it, see if you notice the hump and see if once you get over the hump if the task you are doing really is that bad. Jeff Mendelsohn Liquid Mechanix Studio, LLC  www.liquidmechanix.com 419.297.3364

Killing Procrastination in Your Office

Procrastinators are everywhere, and like the common cold, procrastination can be contagious and is more prevalent during holidays and stressful times. One procrastinating employee can set off another and another. Before you know it, many hours are spent checking personal emails, chatting at the water cooler and surfing the web. But is it really their fault, or did they just lose focus? Here are some ideas to get your employees motivated again. Start a team:  Take a day to start a team that works well together. Team building exercises are a great way to start. Uniting employees in a common goal makes them feel that they are part of the solution and keeps focus on the bigger picture. Make sure you use team building events that create a common goal so your employees work with each other, not against one another.  Teams also give opportunities for support without drama. Gain Employee Insight:  Take some time for an all inclusive meeting. Getting everybody together and sharing ideas on how to gain more business or solve complaints from customers will show employees that you care about and respect their opinions. Remember, you hired these people because they were qualified and met your standards, use their potential. Make it rewarding:  Offer incentives for your employees. If sales are high and mistakes are low, share the wealth. Rewards like buying everyone lunch or a small gift card shows that you appreciate what they have done for you. To make it even more rewarding include a personal note of appreciation to each employee. Employees that feel appreciated and respected are less likely to waste your time procrastinating. Tiffiny Fayerweather tiffiny.fayerwather@gmail.com

Hope! Get a Vision

If you recoginize when you are procrasting, get your team on board and even recognize the "hump and the groove" and maybe you still feel you are procrastinging, there is hope.  Well actually, Vision!  Often when I talk with procrastinators, one of the problems is they just don't know where they want to be or what they want to achieve. I've seen many different ways to create a vision and authors from Steven Covey, Robert Kiyosaki, Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber and Lewis Carroll who would agree that "if you don't know where you are going than any road will work". Not having a vision can lead to procrastination because the mind and heart really don't know where you are taking them so distractions are just more places to go. Or, if you don't know where you are going, than why do anything. For businesses and business owners, I use Jim Horan's (One Page Business Plan) method of fill-in-the-blank visioneering. By ______ (year you will achieve this vision) grow_____________ (name of your business or department) into a successful $______________________ (gross revenue) ___________________________________ (local, regional, national international or other) _____________________________________ (type of company) providing or specializing in ___________________________ (describe products or services) for__________________________________ (target market description and customer description). Once you have filled in the blanks, you can refine this draft to create a statement that you can believe and follow. This alone may help with some of the distractions, shiny objects and squirrels along the road to your vision. A vision also makes it easier to get your team on board with the work necessary to acheive the vision.  Think of the vision as your shiny object and follow it. Linda Fayerweather MBA EA Linda@ChangingLanes.biz 419.897.0528 Like us on Facebook   Tweet us at Twitter      Changing Lanes LLC

January Workshops!

One Year Action Plan for Success Date: January 11, 2012 Details: One Year Action Plan for Success - Planning that works for you and your team On Location: Bowling Green State University at Levis Commons Day One - January 11 8:30-4:30 Day Two - January 25 8:30 - Noon Cost: $249 with online registration ($299 at the door) - Bring your partner for an extra $90. Registration Here Building a Thriving Business for Your Future Date: January 25, 2012 Details: Building a Thriving Business for Your Future - Learn the 7 Tips to build a business that will Thrive with or without you. On Location: Bowling Green State University Perrysburg Campus at Levis Commons Cost $69 (additional partners $20 each) January 25, Wednesday 1:30 - 5PM Registration Here

Procrastination

Fighting Procrastination

Are you procrastinating or are you trying to do too much? Or is it both? I am pretty good about not procrastinating. I do what I need to do sooner rather than later. I get it done so I can move on to other things. But I am terrible at limiting the things that I want to get done and I have little control of the important Have To Do's such as updating a client's site. Which always leads to a lot of things not getting done. To the outsider looking in, it looks like I'm procrastinating. Then it hit me, if I had less to do, I could get more done.  So about a month ago, I looked at my goals for my business. I looked at what I was currently doing and asked myself "Is what I'm doing actually helping me achieve my goals?" For most of what I was doing the answer was a big huge "No". But my business couldn't stop doing most of what it was doing, on the contrary it needed to do more.  I was spending a lot of time doing work that I could have someone else do for me and still achieve the same results. So I hired someone to help me out. I also cut one client down to consulting only and let go another. They required more of my time personally with little return.  The work was something I couldn't farm out, be able to manage, and still make money. It was a tough decision and a risk. A risk that I wasn't totally prepared to take but a necessary risk that I had to take to grow my business.  These changes have freed me up to do the more important things that would help my business reach the next level. Yes, I have less money in my pocket now, but I also have more time to concentrate on taking my business to the next level which will lead to higher profits in the months to come.  So how does this tie into procrastination? Because I was taking on so much, I couldn't get everything done. I was procrastinating on things because something would always come up that seemed more important. It was a never ending cycle. There is always going to be something that is important that has to get done "Now".  By hiring help, I don't have to do all the little things that take up all of my time. A lot of the important Have-To-Do's were passed off to my help. The important things still get done and the results are the same. I do have to still manage the work load but instead of spending 10-20 hours a week doing the immediate important things. I spend 3 hours a week managing and delegating what has to get done. It has freed up time for myself to get the other equally important things done.  To help free up your time and kill your procrastination. Ask yourself these questions --Am I doing things that keep me from doing more important things that will help my business? --Can some of the things I'm doing be delegated to someone else and still achieve the same results? --After freeing up my workload, what can I work on to create more profits?"  To help with the process, start small. I hired help on an "as needed basis". Some weeks I have 30 hours of work to pass off to my help. Other weeks I have 2 hours. But with passing my workload to my help, in 6 months I will have built my business up to the point where I can hire part time or full time help. -- Copyright 2011 Jeff Mendelsohn Liquid Mechanix Studio, LLC  www.liquidmechanix.com 419.297.3364

Planning beyond Procrastination

Getting a plan on paper is a big challenge. Yes, you heard me, paper. I use the computer to craft, create and refine my plan, but in the end, my plan for the year is on a single piece of paper that is with me all the time. This allows me to jot down changes and corrections to update later no matter where I am; doesn't require electricity, or a connection. In Brian Tracy's "Eat the Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating", the beginning of getting a plan in order is "Setting the Table". If you have ever had a dinner party and you are running behind, a set table will let the guests know "Yup, the plan for a dinner party is in place." In the business world, I call "Setting the Table", getting a plan. Although this step may seem easy, here is a process that will help you build the plan. Know where you want to be (Vision) Write down one thing that needs to be done to reach that goal Set a deadline for the this goal Break this goal into doable parts each with a due date. These are small bites that can be handled in the short run. Now schedule the tasks in your calendar. Repeat 2 thru 5 to develop a plan of 7 goals. (plus or minus 2) For example, if your vision is: "Publish a book by end of year".  Then you might think writing the book is the first step. Are you sitting at your desk writing right now? If not, you may need to back up just a little. Your list might look like this: --Create outline --Do research --Write chapters --Contact editor --Get edited copy to publisher Each of these can be further broken down like this: --Write Chapters --Write each day from 7AM to 9AM --Complete Chapter One by February 1 2012 This start does several things; it identifies that you will schedule two hours every day to write. These two hours a day will lead to a chapter by February first ready to go on to chapter 2. By doing this planning, you have gotten into your schedule, made a time commitment and now have something to hold yourself accountable. The failure of most plans are two fold: No deadline To big of projects. Back to "How to Eat a Frog". This book has a great humor elements and the term comes from Mark Twain saying "If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day." Frog Rules: First: If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. Interpretation: Do the biggest, hardest task first. Second: If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for very long. Interpretation: Develop a habit to work on that project first, take action immediately. Challenge yourself to "Set your 2012 Table" with two major goals on paper this week that will make 2012 great, break them into their appropriate tasks and schedule them on your calendar. 　 If all else fails, buy yourself the Do it Later 2012 Non-Planner to help you NOT get your work done! Linda Fayerweather MBA EA Linda@ChangingLanes.biz 419.897.0528 Like us on Facebook   Tweet us at Twitter      Changing Lanes LLC

Planning & New Computer Part 4

Planning and Procrastination
Let's face it - it is December, we have lots of family stuff to do, lots of end of the year stuff and I'm suggesting you should get your 2012 planning done now.  Yeah, what planet did I just drop off of???

Well, these two, planning and procrastination, go hand-in-hand and part of the reason is that planning usually requires knowing where you have been and if you don't know the answer, sometimes reviewing the past year in your business can lead to disappointment, anger and frustration at a time of the year were are supposed to be jolly, happy and giving.   Take heart, the past is done, so "get over it" and build your plan for 2012 that will make your business thrive.

Now, slow down. . .jumping into planning is not the best - planning to plan is usually better. If you are struggling with moving forward, here are some simple tips:

1.  Do the toss and pitch - get rid of the stuff that is in your way.  Sometimes it is walking into your own office from the eyes of your customers.  Be critical, be honest, and recycle, repurpose and pitch the trash. 

2.  Clean your desk - physically, get it in ship-shape.  Both David Allen of Getting Things Done and Ellen Rohr advocate "cleaning out the office" when you want to be more productive.  Getting everything in its place and put away really will help you get your head around the next year.  

3. Setting the stage for success: 

• Don't worry about imperfection
• Minimize distractions so you can focus
• Think healthy, get some good sleep, eat right and maybe exercise some
• Know the time of day you are best for thinking and working
• Schedule when you will do the planning

Now, while you are doing these tasks above, let your mind wander and think about where your business has been.  When you have completed these projects, often people tell me that they feel a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.  That feeling is where you want to be as you start the planning process, not being dragged down by the past.

Your challenge this week is to get ready for planning your 2012!  Take the time to get ready

Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
Linda@ChangingLanes.biz
419.897.0528
Like us on Facebook  
Tweet us at Twitter     
Changing Lanes LLC  

______________________

The Right Computer for the Job - Part 4

Over the past few weeks I've been sharing a story about a client of mine who's outdated and slow computers for his front office staff were actually costing him over 25 hours a month of lost work time. Last week we spec'd out the computers based on our wish list. For the three data entry computers we need to find an i5 with 4 gigs or ram, Windows 7, 21" monitor (can buy separately). Pretty straight forward. For the marketing computer we need an i7 with 8 gigs of ram, Windows 7 64 bit, 1 gig video card with dual DVI outputs or a single DVI and a DVI splitter, dual 21" monitors (can buy separately)  and a second hard drive or an eSata port for an external hard drive.   These specs give us a pretty wide range to work with. We could have a computer built for us or find a pre-built system from a major computer manufacturer. Let's explore these options.   Custom built computers can offer several advantages, such as, the hardware can be better and you can customize the computer even more. The down side is it can cost more and you can end up creating a computer beyond your needs. For the average person a custom built computer is overkill. But it is an excellent option when you need a solution beyond what a normal work computer would be able to do. Pre-built systems will be a great solution for most computer users. The cost is lower compared to a custom built computer because they are mass produced. In general they will satisfy the needs of a general computer user but yet can still be upgradable. So getting back to my client, since we know what type of computer we want, the first thing we need to do is find out what is out there and to do some research. Check out stores online such as Amazon, Dell, NewEgg, TigerDirect, MWave, Lenovo, HP, GateWay, Asus, etc. If you don't feel comfortable shopping online, check out stores like Best Buy, Walmart, Dell, Fry's, etc but don't be surprised if you end up paying more.   Find the computers that are the type of computer you are looking for. You will notice several things.   There are several different types of CPU versions. An i5 just isn't an i5. There are i5's with 2 or 4 cores. i5's clocked at 2.8ghz, 2.66ghz, 2.4ghz, etc. All with different cache sizes. To know the differences, the higher the number of cores, ghz, and cache, the better. The price median should be in the range of $200-300. You will find computers that cost for example $600 but also a similar computer that will cost $900. The next thing to do, especially if you are shopping online, is to read the reviews. Take in consideration the difference between user ignorance and actual issues. User ignorance issues are problems or issues that could be solved by learning. Other ignorance issues might be the reviewer complaining that the color is black, not slate black or the case doesn't fit in the same spot as their old computer. Actually issues could be, the power button sticks, the case fan is cheap and died in two weeks, the case isn't big enough for a certain brand of video card.   Once you have compiled a list of computers with all the different specs, create a price median, For the best deal you will want to find a computer that has the better specs but is at the lower end of your price median. For example, if you are finding i5 computers for $600-900. You will want to find a computer that has better specs than most, should cost $900, with good reviews, for $750.   But you might not find that deal the first time you search. Don't get discouraged, keep looking you will find it. It might take a few weeks but you will find your perfect computer. To speed up the process of finding a deal check out sites such as DealNews.com, Woot.com, slickdeals.net, etc.   After going through this process with my client we found about 15 computers that would work for the data entry staff and about the same amount for the marketing person. Five of the fifteen computers were better than the rest but non were a deal. After watching the prices for about two weeks we got the deal we were looking for, for the data entry computers. It took another two weeks to find a deal on a computer for the marketing manager.   Once the we got all the computers setup and the office staff properly trained/accustom to their new computers and software, we ran the same time waiting test. The time spent waiting was cut down to about 5 hours a week between all four of them. On top of the gained time, obviously productivity is up, but so is office morale. The owner has also scheduled bi-weekly training sessions to keep up on the new software installed on the computers and has committed to yearly technology reviews.   Think of your computer as a tool (which it is). Like any tool you should have the right one for the job. Even though you can get the job done with another tool, it might not be done properly or as efficiently.   If you are still not sure what kind of computer to buy or where to start, ask a friend who is tech savvy to help (but if you do, don't take their help for grant it, buy them lunch!) or head over to your local computer store.   Copyright 2011 Jeff Mendelsohn Liquid Mechanix Studio, LLC  www.liquidmechanix.com 419.297.3364