Join me in a Google Hangout - Become a LinkedIn All-Star

Being an All-Star is everything.

-- Allen Iverson

Mark your calendar - you don't want to miss my first Google Hangout!

If you read the post about breaking up with social media, then you are probably like me and know that you can get more out of your social media - especially LinkedIn - and I want to help you reach "All-Star Status!"

Let's work together to grow your business, grow your connections, and grow your influence over your market using LinkedIn.

Be sure to join me on Wednesday, July 23rd, at 1pm EST on Google Plus for: "Become a LinkedIn All-Star!"



While you're at it, be sure to connect with me on Google+ so that you won't miss the other Google Hangouts I'll be having - all to benefit you and grow your business!

We should probably connect on LinkedIn also!

Here's another reason to attend - one attendee will receive a one-hour coaching call or private hangout for more tips and tricks specific to your business.

Hope to see you then!

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

What is your purpose in business

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it”
― Gautama Buddha

You want to start a business.  You're working through your first draft of your business plan, when you're suddenly stumped: 

What is my mission statement?

What should you do?  You haven't given this much thought.  What do you want people to know about your business?  

What is your purpose?

http://www.stjamessantee.org/our-mission-partners.html

A mission statement should include your goals.  Your mission statement can, and should, be an elevator pitch for your company, or at the very least, the start of one.  Your mission statement should capture attention and make a person want to know more.  So how do you get that into a succinct phrase or paragraph?

Whenever I'm tasked with helping a company create their mission statement, I always look for inspiration.  I work to weave in a story of where the company started and where it's going.  I try different ideas out loud alone, and then in front of my closest and most beloved critics.  I come up with idea after idea, carefully crafting it piece by piece.  And more often, I look to the great mission statements and see what works, and to the worst to see what doesn't.

Let's look at Starbucks:

 "Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time."  Do they hit their mark?  As a quick mission statement - kind of.  They give you the feeling of comfort and community, and I get that from their company.  Thankfully, they have an extended mission statement on their site that goes into the important parts that their original statement is lacking.  They let us know about the products, the service, the clients, the employees, their overall vision, and what they do for their shareholders.  Overall, their albeit short quip is fulfilling.  It makes me want to know more.  It makes me want to partake in their culture.

Let's try another, General Motors.  

"G.M. is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment."  As a mission statement, it fits in alignment with what should be there: products, quality, customers, employees, shareholders.  Everything is summed up quickly and informatively.  Does it invoke emotion?  Aside from their current issues, yes.  I want to know what "superior value" their quality products offer.  Personally, as an aside, I hope that they are able to overcome their current trials so that they can maintain this mission without fear of it being seen as tongue-in-cheek.

Inc Magazines "The 9 Worst Mission Statements of All Time" has a wonderful list of the bottom of the barrel mission statements, my favorite (or least favorite) being McDonald's "McDonald's brand mission is to be our customers' favorite place and way to eat and drink. Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win, which center on an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience."  Yes, they meet some of the qualifications for a good mission statement, but instead of being forward-thinking, they're fluffy.  Full of air.  It does not make me want to learn more; in fact, their "global strategy" sounds a bit lame and cheesy.

So what's the takeaway?  

First, don't just throw your first idea on your business plan and call it good.  Your mission statement needs to say something; something about the company, where it's going, what it's offering and to whom, how it's offering those services or product, and what you're offering your community.  Just remember: who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Second, involve people in on the planning of the mission statement.  Work out a few ideas, say them out loud, see if you can spin an elevator pitch from it.  Work the top risers with a team of people who understand your business.  Shine it up like a new penny.  And third, make sure you're hitting your mark.  You get to pick what journey your mission statement takes people.  Make sure it's a journey worth taking.


Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

The Zombie Apocalypse and lessons in failure

“Sometimes you have to do something ugly so that something beautiful can grow.”
― Cedric Nye

Bear with me today, I'm taking a huge leap to make a few big points.

First of all, I'm not big into the whole idea of this zombie apocalypse phase.  I'm not a doomsday prepper,  I'm not a soothsayer.  I'm not Will Smith or Woody Harrelson.  I'm a business owner who understands preparing for when things go south.  The truth is, my business anti-fail plan is more thorough than my SHTF plan.  But I have a feeling that we can learn a thing or two from the other side.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31GHBl2wVfqKmXywVBHYWp82Nvw57zK_gcKbdnYnsrv-iHTziGoQP1iWMuR8VdR8uN5GOAVr-_uYdEgMtzJEr-6CQ0wGWjSVVDChtNAUX5lMjMgg_ZW4Kl0uqBTEPyjN27W_B8utQVZL2/s1600/tumblr_m4rs9asC2Q1rux18io1_r2_500.jpg

Let's start with some established rules of zombie survival (according to Zombieland) and swing them into business.  

Rule #1 : Cardio.  

Why is good cardiovascular health important in business?  Well that's obvious.  We've all read dozens of articles about the hazards of sitting too long at work.  So let's take this a little further - how does this impact your anti-failure plan?  Did you know that one of the contributing factors to burn-out is poor health?  Including a fitness plan and good diet are key to your survival in business so that you can keep on keepin' on.

Rule #2: The Double Tap.  

This idea can incorporate into business on so many levels.  First, the double tap may relate to editing your documents.  You write; then you edit.  Double tap.  Second, it may mean closing a deal.  You make the initial contact; then you ask for the sell.  Double tap.  And in our anti-failure plan, third, learn everything,  Get a mentor; then go to a seminar.  Double tap.

Rule #10: Don't Swing Low.  

When you're working on building a business, the last thing you want to do is swing low.  I'm not talking about taking things low and slow, I'm talking about your expectations.  One reason entrepreneurs succeed is because we just don't give up.  We swing high and swing for the fences every single at bat.  Yes, some ideas take time to develop, and some ideas just don't pan out, but our success isn't because our first business worked; it's because or third or fifth or twentieth idea stuck.  Tenacity is the key.

The last rule of the zombie apocalypse that we need to remember in business is:

Rule #22: When In Doubt, Know Your Way Out.  

This is highly contradictory; some entrepreneurs believe that if you have an out plan, that you're not 100% invested in your business.  I disagree; knowing where that line of failure is can be key.  If you know when your idea is failing and you pull the plug, you can save reputation, especially with investors.  Driving a train on an incomplete track will lead to failure.  Have an out plan; know what failure means; push that line if you have to, but stop if it's broken.  Failure doesn't mean failure; it means that you need to rework your thinking and planning for the next big idea.

Obviously, I cannot cover enough advice about failure plans in a blog post; especially because I was amazed at how many other of Zombieland's rules fit in business: #8 Get a Kick-Ass Partner, #16 Opportunity Knocks, #19 Break It Up, #20 It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint, Unless it's a Sprint, Then Sprint, #21 Avoid Strip Clubs, #29 The Buddy System, #32 Enjoy the Little Things, and lastly #33 Swiss Army Knife.  Maybe someday I'll cover more rules of the zombie apocalypse in business, or you can leave your Zombieland survival rule in the comments!  Take time to develop your own zombie apocalypse plan anti-fail plan for business, and let me know if you find some creative rules to follow.

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Like a phoenix rises from the ashes...

“Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.”
― Roger Von Oech

Some of my favorite lessons over the past over 10 years in business for myself have been learned through failures.  Failure can be a blessing in disguise.  A dying business can bring new ideas, innovation, that wouldn't have happened otherwise.  Failure forces you to reassess your skills, knowledge, and goals, which most don't revisit often enough.  By failing, you learn better how not to fail in the future.

Once upon a time

 I was wading through a vast pool of government bids and start-up businesses.  This time was about 2007.  Connections were easy to make in the military contractor business, and I found myself in a position to sell some of the most innovative, useful, and life-saving products to the government.  It was nice work if you could get it.  2007 was a good time for start-ups, and I worked to build businesses all over the United States and Europe, taking ideas and pushing them through the grueling process on business planning and investor meetings, grant proposals and lead generating.  Then something happened.  The bottom fell out.  The stock market crashed.  The government contracts froze immediately.  The start-up businesses dried right up.  And I was not prepared. 

The biggest failure I had in my business was not preparing for the uncertain future.  Being successful so quickly in business clouded my better judgement and left me in a tough spot when I woke up one day and didn't have a back up plan to save my business.  So what was one to do in the face of a failed business?  Innovate, of course.

http://www.chcp.edu/blog/sharing-your-failures

I didn't immediately seek out more work.  I took time to reassess.  I thought about the needs in the region.  I thought about my strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge.  I thought about applying to every job available in a quick moment of panic, but then I relaxed and decided that was the worst idea of the bunch.  I came to a conclusion:  I needed to find a line of income that would cover me until I came up with a better plan.  That was it - I needed a bandaid.

2 days later I had ordered a home-study kit from the top fitness training company, chock full of books on becoming a personal trainer.  I also ordered a home-study kit from a yoga teacher training company.  And lastly, I started taking classes to become a nutrition coach.  Within a week, I had my bandaid - I was going to become a personal trainer, yoga teacher, and nutrition coach.  I was not going to build a business for someone else.  I was not going to take a low-level office job to tide me over.  I was going to learn new skills that matched my interests to "re-brand" myself so that I could control my income.

The band-aid lasted me a few years.  In the time where I was learning and testing, I put 100% effort into my new materials.  As soon as I had passed my tests, I got to work.  I took on clients and started making money.  And in my free time, I read everything that I could about starting a business.  Wait...why would a start-up business professional read about how to start a business?  I decided to literally start from scratch.  I decided to reforge my business in the heart of the dying economy.  I decided to try to get ahead of the next unseen entities that would interrupt my plans.  I met with mentors.  I read books and blogs and magazine articles.  I listened to podcasts and radio shows.

How did this help me?

It taught me that failure wasn't an option.  It taught me that while failure can be scary, it's the perfect time for learning, reassessing, and building new skills.  It taught me that failure doesn't mean failure - failure now affords us the chance to do it better next time.  And more than anything, failure taught me to be innovative.  Six years after running my own business into the ground because I wasn't prepared, I am better than ever. 

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur