6 Powerful Strategies for Hosting a Successful 3-Day Live Event

Now that I’ve had a chance to get some perspective, I wanted to share some valuable lessons learned from my experience hosting our first 3-day live event for women entrepreneurs! Holding the space for a room full of people over the course of a whole weekend is NOT easy (especially for an introvert like me!), but after seeing the impact the event had on attendees, it was so worth it! We had dozens of women (and a few men!) join us from all over the country to learn practical strategies for getting their businesses off the ground.

Here are my 6 best tips for hosting a successful 3-day live event, based on my own experience with our recent Launch Your Business LIVE 3-Day Boot Camp in Atlanta!

1. Get Professional Help with Planning the Event

The best decision I made was hiring a professional to guide me through the process of planning my first 3-day live event. I found the fabulous Jillian Smith from One Touch Events LLC online and I highly recommend her as an event planner. Jillian was a guiding light for me in planning the Boot Camp, from managing the venue negotiations, vendor relationships and banquet orders down to the beautiful details of our linens, florals, signage and more. Everything turned out much better than I ever could have envisioned on my own! There are so many moving parts to planning a 3-day live event and you don’t want to skimp on this investment. It will be worth every penny!

2. Enlist a Support Team

I decided to have my virtual assistant join me in person for administrative support, customer service and social media management during the Boot Camp. As my right-hand woman online and off, she brought a high level of organization to the event. Only a true professional could get off a red eye flight to walk right into an event and start making things happen! I also enlisted the help of two volunteer staff members to manage the registration table, run microphones, do last-minute errands, etc. They were awesome volunteers, but as coaches themselves, they brought even more positive energy to the room. Having a support team made a world of difference, allowing me to shine as the speaker and host for the weekend!

3. Teach Actionable Content

For a 3-day live event, you need to have an entire weekend’s worth of content that you will be teaching and training on. Your attendees came to learn something and they want to learn it from you! It’s nice to have motivational words that inspire people, but it’s even better to have actionable content that helps them move forward and get results. For the Boot Camp, I taught my 5-step Launch Your Business system that can help anyone who sells products or services to get their business off the ground. In a live environment, I was able to take participants through each step of the process with deep training, plus answer their specific questions along the way. I structured my agenda with the intention for everyone to leave with a plan of action to take when they returned home. As a result, we heard from so many attendees who were “on fire” with increased productivity after the event!

4. Invite Great Speakers

I invited my friend, accountability partner and social media marketing expert Kristen Robinson of KR Design to speak at the Boot Camp. The attendees loved her infectious energy and her eye-opening talk on “5 Easy Ways to Create Content: How to Create 30 Days Worth of Engaging Social Media Content.” (When you invest in the Launch Your Business LIVE Deluxe Audio Program, you will receive Kristen’s entire 70-minute presentation and slides.) I also had one of my long-term coaching clients come and share her emotional and financial journey to success in her business. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Having great speakers at my event increased the value of the experience and exposed my audience to additional information and inspiration they could use to grow their businesses. Of course, it also gave me a break in the agenda to sit back and rest for a bit!

5. Monetize the Event

With an intense event like this, you will likely be spending thousands of dollars on your venue, food, printing workbooks, hiring AV, etc. So you don’t want to just “break even” after all the time and money you put into planning this amazing experience for your tribe. What I have learned over the years is that the best time to sell your products and services is at a live event! At the event, we gave attendees the opportunity to invest in Happy Black Woman training products and coaching programs, with special pricing that was only available for the duration of the event. We had a sales table set up in the back of the room and there were also a few special offers made from the stage. As a result, we completely surpassed our sales goals and got some wonderful new clients and customers!

6. Capture the Magic

I hired a photographer and videographer to take professional pictures and get some video to capture the highlights of the event for marketing purposes. I went with Lynsey Weatherspoon Photography because I really liked her creative style. I also hired an AV team to record the entire content of the event for resale. The audio turned out beautifully! By having professionals in the room to document the experience, I was able to focus on being present to my attendees and creating an authentic networking environment. Get your piece of the magic with a “virtual seat” to the Boot Camp when you invest in the Launch Your Business LIVE Deluxe Audio Program!

As a result of these 6 strategies, we were able to create a transformative experience for everyone who was in the room that weekend. I couldn’t have done it by myself – I truly had the most amazing support team on the planet!

Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives. She is the creator of 31 Days to Reset Your Life: A Practical Guide to Personal Transformation and the founder of HappyBlackWoman.com, a supportive community for women all over the world. Learn more about Rosetta here.

5 min read How to Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work

*As originally posted on http://www.entrepreneur.com*

By:Joe Mathews, Don Debolt and Deb Percival

Chances are good that, at some time in your life, you've taken a time management class, read about it in books, and tried to use an electronic or paper-based day planner to organize, prioritize and schedule your day. "Why, with this knowledge and these gadgets," you may ask, "do I still feel like I can't get everything done I need to?"

The answer is simple. Everything you ever learned about managing time is a complete waste of time because it doesn't work.

Before you can even begin to manage time, you must learn what time is. A dictionary defines time as "the point or period at which things occur." Put simply, time is when stuff happens.

There are two types of time: clock time and real time. In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. All time passes equally. When someone turns 50, they are exactly 50 years old, no more or no less.

In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you're doing. Two hours at the department of motor vehicles can feel like 12 years. And yet our 12-year-old children seem to have grown up in only two hours.

Which time describes the world in which you really live, real time or clock time?

The reason time management gadgets and systems don't work is that these systems are designed to manage clock time. Clock time is irrelevant. You don't live in or even have access to clock time. You live in real time, a world in which all time flies when you are having fun or drags when you are doing your taxes.

The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage. It's time to remove any self-sabotage or self-limitation you have around "not having enough time," or today not being "the right time" to start a business or manage your current business properly.

There are only three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations and actions. Regardless of the type of business you own, your work will be composed of those three items.

As an entrepreneur, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success. 

Practice the following techniques to become the master of your own time:

1. Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions.
2. Any activity or conversation that's important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they're unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
3. Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.
4. Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you're doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having "office hours." Isn't "office hours" another way of saying "planned interruptions?"
5. Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don't start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.
6. Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what's missing in your next call or activity?
7. Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
8. Practice not answering the phone just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don't instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
9. Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
10. Remember that it's impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.

10 Strategies Resilient People Use To Bounce Back When Life Knocks Them Down

*As originally seen on www.lifehack.org
BY KATHRYN SANDFORD

“People who soar are those who refuse to sit back, sigh and wish things would change. They neither complain of their lot nor passively dream of some distant ship coming in. Rather, they visualize in their minds that they are not quitters, they will not allow life’s circumstances to push them down and hold them under” Charles Swindoll

The word Resilience has its origin in the Latin word “resilíre,” which means, “to leap back” or as I like to say, “bounce back”. Resilience helps to make the uncertain things in our lives certain. Knowing how to “bounce back” from adversity and life challenges is something that all of us are able to do – we just need to know HOW.

Resilience enables you to live a life that is based on choice rather than being at the mercy of chance or habit. It also enables you to manage adversity and “bounce back” when life has shot you down.

When you are living a resilient life, you are living a fulfilled life, where you know who you are and you know what is important to you. You have a plan as to where you are going and you know where you should be investing your time and energy.

For you to lead a resilient life you have to overcome the pain, the adversity and the unpredictable challenges that life throws at you. It is not an easy journey, but then again, life was not meant to be easy.

The good news is that resilience is a process of thoughts and actions that can be learned. Although we can not control the challenging events in our lives, resilience can give us the strength to control our responses to these events.

Resilience Is A Life Story

Resilience is intangible, as you can’t touch it, but you can see and feel it. Resilience is a person’s life story and to truly understand and feel resilience at work, you need listen to resilient people’s stories. While you are listening to their stories, you will hear them talk about how they used various strategies to overcome the adversity and challenges in their life.

There are the 10 strategies that resilient people commonly use to manage adversity and to “bounce back” when life has knocked them down. By using these 10 strategies and listening to the stories of resilient individuals, you will be shown HOW you can live a resilient and fulfilled life.

1. Laughter Positivity And Hope

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” Dr Seuss

Resilient people live meaningful lives. They love to laugh and have a positive and hopeful attitude of life. Resilient people don’t take themselves too seriously and they have a sense of humour about the challenges of life.

For resilient people, happiness comes because they believe in who they are, they know what they are doing, and they love what they do.

Resilient people are optimistic and believe in their own strength and ability to overcome any problems. In a crisis, a resilient person will be positive, open and willing to find the solution. They will not be dwelling on the problem but looking forward to the future solutions that should be considered.

Laughter, positivity and hope are important strategies to use when you want to build resilience in your life.

2. Accepting And Anticipating Change On A Daily Basis

“it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”  Dr Leon C. Megginson

In todays world of constant change it is hard to hold on to who you are and manage the complexity and unpredictability of life. The one constant thing in our lives today is change.

Resilience is a quality that enables you to survive and thrive in a world of constant change. Resilient people are always ready for the unpredictable events in their lives. To them change is part of the daily routine of life. It is expected, and in fact, those who are most resilient embrace the opportunities that change brings.

3. Embracing The Power Of Choice

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.” Kevyn Aucion

Resilient people are comfortable with using the power of choice. They understand the value of the power of choice when dealing with tough decisions or confronting challenging situations. Using the power of choice empowers and strengthens their ability to take action and to make decisions.

They know that they are not responsible for the challenging events in their lives. They also know they are in control of their responses to these events. By embracing the power of choice, resilient people are able to maintain perspective and manage the flow of emotions that they are dealing with in the present moment.

Resilient people are not afraid to to acknowledge their negative feelings, emotions and fears. Instead, they choose not to let these negative fears and emotions take control and immobilize them.

4. Asking For Help

“Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence.”  Anne Wilson Schaef

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness to a resilient person. Resilient people seek support, advice and encouragement from others when times are tough.

They value the input of others, along with the wisdom and energy to overcome the adversity or solve the problems they are facing. Resilient people do not work or live in isolation. They enjoy belonging to a community and have a very collaborative approach when it comes to decision making and problem solving.

5. Being Self Aware And Connected

Resilient people practice the concept of mindfulness. They pay attention to where they are in the present moment. They are connected to what is important to them in their lives – family and friends. They know who they are and what they stand for.

They are self-aware and are able to monitor the thoughts that flow through them. This allows them to be able to tolerate ambiguity and hold opposing thoughts in their minds at the same time. Instead of reacting to their negative thoughts they will observe these thoughts and then let them pass through like a storm.

Their values and their purpose in life are the foundations from which they lead their lives. Any decision they need to make or any problem they need to solve will be aligned to their beliefs and values.

6. Living to Learn

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” Confucius

Resilient people learn to take charge of their thinking and emotions in order to become resilient. They know that to live a resilient life they must continuously develop and strengthen their skills and abilities to remain strong.

They are survivors and when faced with adversity will ask themselves, “How can I survive this and what do I need to do to overcome this obstacle?” They know their strengths and their vulnerabilities and they are solution-focused thinkers.

They will always look for ways in which they can source the best solution for the problem or challenges they need to overcome. Resilient people are inquisitive, curious and questioning – always seeking information or new knowledge that will help them to be a better and stronger person.

They acquire new skills and knowledge through life experience, observation, reflection and from the wisdom of others. They believe in the journey of continuous self-improvement and see life challenges and adversity as an opportunity to learn.

Resilient people also understand that to live a resilient life one has to experience life – the good, the bad and the ugly.

7. Valuing The Importance of Health & Well-Being

“Intelligence comes into being when…the mind, the heart and the body are really harmonious” J Krishnamurti

The energy source of resilience comes from the physical and mental strength of a person. A resilient person understands the importance of being physically, emotionally and mentally fit. They understand the importance of consistently following daily healthy habits  that nurture and strength their health and well-being. Resilient people look after themselves and value the gift of having a healthy and emotionally strong body and mind.

They value the positive energy they get by surrounding themselves with like-minded people. This positive energy builds and maintains their emotional, physical and mental well-being. Resilient people have healthy and strong relationships which they value and nurture.

8. Practicing Appreciation & Gratitude

People who live a resilient life know that it is not a one-way ticket and that life is not all about them. It is about how they can help and support other people in their lives. They have an deep awareness of people and how they feel. They actively practice gratitude and will always acknowledge their appreciation of others. Resilient people like to serve others and develop supportive and caring relationships.

This strategy of  practicing appreciation and gratitude strengthens the emotional resilience in people. Resilient people are grateful and appreciate all the good things they have in their life. When adversity strikes, resilient people are able to keep perspective because they are emotionally resilient.

9. Embrace Failure and Disappointment

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved” Helen Keller

Resilient people have the mindset of a survivor and not a victim. They expect to make mistakes, to fail, and to be disappointed. They know that to be strong, one has to overcome adversity and failure.

They embrace life learning experiences such as failure and disappointment because it enables them to grow and become a better person.

Resilient people do not seek validation from others to determine their success. They define their success in their own terms.

To help them define their key learnings and how they can move forward in their lives, resilient people will ask these three questions:

1. What went well?

2. What didn’t go so well?

3. What can I do better next time?

Those who are resilient do not typically have a fear of failure and they understand the importance of how they respond to their failures. Resilient people choose to respond to failure by “bouncing back” and starting again.

10. Be Adaptable, Flexible and Flow

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way ’round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves”   Bruce Lee

Resilient people understand that life is not static – it is unpredictable and challenging. Adaptability, flexibility and flow are key strengths that enable resilient people to manage the unpredictability of life. These three strengths are also essential for all the other nine resilient strategies that resilient people use to “bounce back” from the challenges of life.

Adaptability, flexibility and flow give resilient people the capacity to cope internally with the complexity of life and the range of positive and negative emotions they will experience in their lives.

If you want to live a resilient life, it is a tough journey because to be resilient you have to experience personal setbacks. This is undoubtedly scary, and for many of us, we choose not to embrace resilience and our life languishes. Resilient people know the huge effort and energy it takes to be able to “bounce back” from the challenges of life.

They use these 10 strategies to build their strength and capacity to lead a resilient life. They choose to embrace the unpredictability of life, the pain and the adversity because they know that the rewards they gain from choosing a resilient life are priceless. It is easy to take these strategies and want to follow them to lead a resilient life, but to actually follow them and live by them is a feat all on its own.

Kathryn Sandford is a writer, speaker and coach on reinvention and change. To thank her followers on Life Hack for a LIMITED TIME Kathryn is giving away her ebook Practical Ways To Live A Life You Love for FREE CLICK HERE to get it instantly.

How Leaders Create and Use Networks

By Herminia Ibarra and Mark Lee Hunter From the January 2007 Issue of the Harvard Business Review

            

When Henrik Balmer became the production manager and a board member of a newly bought-out cosmetics firm, improving his network was the last thing on his mind. The main problem he faced was time: Where would he find the hours to guide his team through a major upgrade of the production process and then think about strategic issues like expanding the business? The only way he could carve out time and still get home to his family at a decent hour was to lock himself—literally—in his office. Meanwhile, there were day-to-day issues to resolve, like a recurring conflict with his sales director over custom orders that compromised production efficiency. Networking, which Henrik defined as the unpleasant task of trading favors with strangers, was a luxury he could not afford. But when a new acquisition was presented at a board meeting without his input, he abruptly realized he was out of the loop—not just inside the company, but outside, too—at a moment when his future in the company was at stake.

Henrik’s case is not unusual. Over the past two years, we have been following a cohort of 30 managers making their way through what we call the leadership transition, an inflection point in their careers that challenges them to rethink both themselves and their roles. In the process, we’ve found that networking—creating a fabric of personal contacts who will provide support, feedback, insight, resources, and information—is simultaneously one of the most self-evident and one of the most dreaded developmental challenges that aspiring leaders must address.

Their discomfort is understandable. Typically, managers rise through the ranks by dint of a strong command of the technical elements of their jobs and a nose-to-the-grindstone focus on accomplishing their teams’ objectives. When challenged to move beyond their functional specialties and address strategic issues facing the overall business, many managers do not immediately grasp that this will involve relational—not analytical—tasks. Nor do they easily understand that exchanges and interactions with a diverse array of current and potential stakeholders are not distractions from their “real work” but are actually at the heart of their new leadership roles.

Like Henrik (whose identity we’ve disguised, along with all the other managers we describe here), a majority of the managers we work with say that they find networking insincere or manipulative—at best, an elegant way of using people. Not surprisingly, for every manager who instinctively constructs and maintains a useful network, we see several who struggle to overcome this innate resistance. Yet the alternative to networking is to fail—either in reaching for a leadership position or in succeeding at it.

Watching our emerging leaders approach this daunting task, we discovered that three distinct but interdependent forms of networking—operational, personal, and strategic—played a vital role in their transitions. The first helped them manage current internal responsibilities, the second boosted their personal development, and the third opened their eyes to new business directions and the stakeholders they would need to enlist. While our managers differed in how well they pursued operational and personal networking, we discovered that almost all of them underutilized strategic networking. In this article, we describe key features of each networking form (summarized in the exhibit “The Three Forms of Networking”) and, using our managers’ experiences, explain how a three-pronged networking strategy can become part and parcel of a new leader’s development plan.

 The Three Forms of Networking Managers who think they are adept at networking are often operating only at an operational or personal level. Effective leaders learn to employ networks for strategic purposes.

Operational Networking

All managers need to build good working relationships with the people who can help them do their jobs. The number and breadth of people involved can be impressive—such operational networks include not only direct reports and superiors but also peers within an operational unit, other internal players with the power to block or support a project, and key outsiders such as suppliers, distributors, and customers. The purpose of this type of networking is to ensure coordination and cooperation among people who have to know and trust one another in order to accomplish their immediate tasks. That isn’t always easy, but it is relatively straightforward, because the task provides focus and a clear criterion for membership in the network: Either you’re necessary to the job and helping to get it done, or you’re not.


Although operational networking was the form that came most naturally to the managers we studied, nearly every one had important blind spots regarding people and groups they depended on to make things happen. In one case, Alistair, an accounting manager who worked in an entrepreneurial firm with several hundred employees, was suddenly promoted by the company’s founder to financial director and given a seat on the board. He was both the youngest and the least-experienced board member, and his instinctive response to these new responsibilities was to reestablish his functional credentials. Acting on a hint from the founder that the company might go public, Alistair undertook a reorganization of the accounting department that would enable the books to withstand close scrutiny. Alistair succeeded brilliantly in upgrading his team’s capabilities, but he missed the fact that only a minority of the seven-person board shared the founder’s ambition. A year into Alistair’s tenure, discussion about whether to take the company public polarized the board, and he discovered that all that time cleaning up the books might have been better spent sounding out his codirectors.


One of the problems with an exclusive reliance on operational networks is that they are usually geared toward meeting objectives as assigned, not toward asking the strategic question, “What should we be doing?” By the same token, managers do not exercise as much personal choice in assembling operational relationships as they do in weaving personal and strategic networks, because to a large extent the right relationships are prescribed by the job and organizational structure. Thus, most operational networking occurs within an organization, and ties are determined in large part by routine, short-term demands. Relationships formed with outsiders, such as board members, customers, and regulators, are directly task-related and tend to be bounded and constrained by demands determined at a higher level. Of course, an individual manager can choose to deepen and develop the ties to different extents, and all managers exercise discretion over who gets priority attention. It’s the quality of relationships—the rapport and mutual trust—that gives an operational network its power. Nonetheless, the substantial constraints on network membership mean these connections are unlikely to deliver value to managers beyond assistance with the task at hand. 
  

Why Repeat Business Is Not an Accident

**this post was originally featured on ConstantContact.com/blogs**

 

While a customer may find your business by accident, whether or not they return is a conscious decision.

 

These days, when there are so many options to get what we need online or around the corner, what can really inspire customers to come back is you. Or more specifically, it’s the experience customers have when they’re at your place of business.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling exotic vacations or tax consulting services, if you can create a WOW! experience for the customer, you’ll make an indelible imprint on their memory.

The next time they’re thinking about the products and services you offer, or a friend mentions that they need something you sell, the memory is triggered. This is how first-time customers become repeat customers and your own personal word-of-mouth marketers.

Creating a WOW! Customer Experience

How do you create that wow experience?

It’s easier than you think. It doesn’t need to be a grand gesture and it doesn’t need to cut into your profits. You can create a memorable experience for customers in lots of different ways. Here are some of my favorite examples.

Allegria Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado is dedicated to providing customers with a personal touch every time they receive a spa service or an email. By focusing on delivering a personalized experience both in person and online, Allegria has a keen understanding of the needs and interests of its customers on an individual basis. This knowledge continues to grow through face-to-face customer interactions and by analyzing email marketing results.

Allegria applies this knowledge to improve the customer’s onsite spa experience and create even more targeted messages and offers that clients look forward to receiving. Not only are Allegria’s response rates double the industry average for salons and spas, their personalized touch and high customer satisfaction ratings have landed them in the pages of Forbes, CNN Travel and Travel & Leisure magazines.

Another great example is the law firm Rains Lucia Stern, PC. The firm’s approach to marketing is all about building strong client relationships. They do this with an integrated marketing approach that includes email, events, and surveys.

The firm’s emails provide helpful information to clients in the form of snippets of articles written by attorneys that link back to the firm’s website. As part of a full engagement marketing cycle that’s designed to continuously improve the client experience, the firm regularly checks in to make sure its content is covering the topics that are of most interest to clients.

Through regular communications and a dedicated feedback loop, the firm is able to attract upwards of 200 attendees at its monthly educational events. Also, by providing clients with an opportunity to share their insight and opinions, Rains Lucia Stern, PC is able to strengthen client relationships and foster positive word-of-mouth while ensuring every event and email that clients receive is engaging and valuable.

There are many other tried-and-true practices that sway customers to choose you over the competition.

 

These include gift-wrapping, complementary wine tastings, or free product assembly. Some smart entrepreneurs even thank their customers by presenting them with an offer that has absolutely nothing to do with their business. For example, customers that spend a certain amount at Urban Elements furniture are presented with a gift certificate for a free massage offered by another local small business.

Getting to Know Your Customers

The key to creating wow experiences is getting to know your customers on a personal level.

Now you may be thinking that you couldn’t possibly get to know every single customer individually. For many small businesses, that’s true. What you can do, however, is focus on engaging your most active customers. It’s the old 80/20 rule where 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers.

When you engage your most active customers, they’ll buy more and they’ll buy more often. Not to mention that they’re also more likely to refer business to you.

There are several ways to learn more about your customers without coming across as intrusive.

You can start by recognizing the different types of customers your business most often attracts and creating experiences that reflect their particular needs. For example, an urban kitchen supply store may attract a lot of first-time apartment dwellers. The business owner can engage this audience by making recommendations on products, offering cooking classes, or putting together a “kitchen starter-kit” that includes all of the essentials.

 

Other ways to learn about your customers are to analyze your newsletter content to see which articles and offers are most clicked on, shared and forwarded. You can also take a poll on your Facebook Business page or simply engage in good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.

Engagement + Wow Experiences = Your Secret Weapon

Small business owners that engage their customers have a huge advantage over chains and big box stores. This is because they’re able to get to know customers on a personal level, which results in better service.

Take advantage of this distinct differentiator and bring it to the next level by creating a wow experience and then personalize it whenever possible. The more personalized the wow experience is, the more memorable it becomes, therefore fueling your repeat and referral engine.

Author:

Christopher Litster

I'm the Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Been around Constant Contact for 9 years and have had an amazing time as we have... 

See the full original article:  http://blogs.constantcontact.com/repeat-business/

Connect with Constant Contact experts at the Unlimited You Weekend April 10- 12, 2015. www.unlimitedactions.com We're thrilled to have Constant Contact as a sponsor. 

The Major Mistake You’re Making with Personal and Business Money

If you have a business or a side hustle you want to turn into a business, then let’s talk about a major money mistake that happens often and how to avoid it. Revenue from a business is a great way to rake in more income or the path to living life on your own terms. Perhaps you’re selling a product or offering services. It’s been hard work, many sleepless nights, and skipped outing with friends, but now you’re bringing in revenue. Great! Here is where many start to make this major yet common mistake with their money.

Whether you started the business to supplement income from your primary job or you’re full-time working your business, you may be using some money from your personal account to purchase things for the business and using business funds to handle personal expenses. You’re likely using personal money or income to fund the business anyway right, especially as a new entrepreneur. You’re the first investor. I know I was my first investor. I started my business with personal savings, but I avoided a major mistake when doing this and I want you to avoid it too or correct it if you’re already doing it.The major mistake is mixing your personal money with your business money. Here is why this is a big mistake and can cost you money later.

1) You can’t show positive cash flow. If you’re consistently mixing your personal funds with your business income to make business and personal purchases, it’s hard to show positive cash flow into your business. You won’t be able to properly assess the health of your business and adjust your strategy to ensure continuous revenue and growth. This looks very sloppy and high risk to investors, so they’ll want no part of it. You have to be able to see exactly how much revenue is coming in and the amount of expenses the business has. You should know the exact dollar amount of how much it takes to run your business every month. Are you making that? What’s your profit margin? Will you have enough floater money for your slow months?

2) You’ll pay more in taxes. The IRS will think you have a hobby not a business that means money lost as they deny legitimate deductions. They will only allow deductions if you can clearly show that the expenses were for business. You don’t want the nightmare at tax time of sorting through old receipts and combing through bank statements trying to determine if something was a real business or a personal expense. Definitely not.

How to AVOID this:
1) Have separate bank accounts. You should have separate savings and checking accounts for your business. Only use the business account for business expenses and only use your personal account for personal expenses. It looks more professional, you will look like a real business owner if the business name is on the check or debit card. The money can be clearly tracked and the IRS is less likely to audit you or deny deductions. One of the first things I did after officially filing my paperwork was to go to a bank and start a business checking account. I felt so official once I got the debit card. I kept looking at my business name on it and smiling.

2) Pay yourself a salary. If you’re thinking but the whole reason I started this business is to supplement my income, no worries. You will be cutting yourself a check like an employee. You own the business so simply write yourself a check or transfer the money from your business checking account to your personal checking account. Start off with however much you need $25, $300, $3,000. Just be sure not to go overboard. Leave funds in the business to cover operating costs at minimum.

3) Create separate budgets.  Design a personal budget that is completely separate from your business budget. Of course include your salary line item and if you give funds to your business every month include a business line item as well. Also, account for the salary and income in your business budget. Budgets will help you see what your operating costs are for the business and operating costs for your household. You can then make sure those aforementioned line items make sense.

4) Use separate tracking software. You know I’m a big proponent of tracking your money. Track your personal and business income and spending, just don’t use the same account or system. You can use something like Excel and have separate files and folders for the business vs. personal funds. Or use accounting software such as Mint or Quicken for personal and Quickbooks or Xero for business funds. I like Mint for personal and Quickbooks for business.

About Dr. Maria James
Dr. James, The Money Scientist, has expertise with designing income management, debt management, and wealth strategies to help you live your best life. She is the founder of Pocket of Money, LLC and the creator of The Wealth Protocol™. Dr. James has also been a guest financial expert on ESSENCE, WEAA, Madame Noire and more. Connect with Dr. James in Baltimore, MD at the Unlimited You Weekend, April 10-12, 2015. Visit www.unlimitedactions.com for more details.

Is Your Money Prepared for the New Season?

Summer is coming to a close. Every year you prepare yourself for cooler temperatures, getting children ready for school, school buses on the road, and to rake leaves and warm the car in the mornings. As you prepare for the changes to your routine you also need to get your money prepared for new expenses and do a financial fitness check up.

1) Check your home. Check the insulation on windows and doors. No or insufficient insulation will allow heat to escape and your heating bill to climb unnecessarily. Can we say major money leak. Also check the insulation in the walls of your home, that is important to trap the heat too. If you're renting have your landlord do a check. I once had two months of a $300 gas and electric bill. The culprit? A living room window was cracked at the top and was letting my heat escape. If you see a crazy jump, something is wrong, start checking.

2) Do a financial check up. There are several things that would be good to check during this time. Do at least these three.

Net worth. You've been steadily working on growing your money for several months. Calculate your net worth to see how you're doing. Is the number a little bigger? If so you're moving in the right direction.

Spending plan. How well is your spending plan working? Determine if you need to shift your plan, such as increasing or decreasing target amounts for specific categories. Did you plug all money leaks? Perhaps you decided to keep a subscription when you made the plan, but looking back realize you really haven't been using it. Well then cancel it, cut it from the plan and shift the money towards something else. Put the money towards a category you're struggling with sticking to the allotted amount, savings, paying down debt or investments.

How much closer are you to your goals? The numbers will show if you're making progress towards your goal. Are you on track to complete your goal by the deadline that you set. If not what can you adjust to stay on track.

3) Shop smart. We know the best times to purchase clothes is at the end of a season when there are big discounts as stores prepare for the change in inventory for the new season. However, if it is unavoidable and you have to buy new fall gear for yourself or family members try this. Shop at thrift stores and discount chains. You'll be able to find cool new things at a much lower cost. Many times there will be items with the tags still on them. You just have to dig around a bit. Look for online deals and coupons. Don't use your credit card. I repeat don't use your credit card. 

About the author:

About the author: Maria James has a compassion for people that makes her involvement in Heal a Woman to Heal a Nation a sure fit. She is a biomedical scientist who is public health conscience and has always worked for the betterment of others. Maria is the founder of Pocket of Money, LLC which provides tools and tips to help you take control of your money and live your best life. Dr. James is our resident Money Scientist.

3 Steps to a Powerful Workshop

At HWHN, we've hosted workshops, conferences and retreats for over 10 years. If you're interested in building the capacity of your business or non-profit to serve more people, then hosting live (or online) events is an excellent method.

However, many of us have attended boring or poorly run programs. Hosting a successful workshop or training is a worthwhile way to build your team, develop new skills and effectively impact your community. Here are our top 3 tips for a powerful experience when your group comes together.

1. Start with the End in Mind

Seems like a DUH, right? However, too many of us miss this step. It is crucial to work with your team to envision the end of your program right at the beginning. Work with your team to answer the following questions:

• What are our goals of the workshop? How many people do we want to serve?
• How long of a session will it take to accomplish these goals?
• Who will this workshop benefit?  How will we get our participants to trust our session over a similar one? 
•  Are these the skills, tools and information that’s most important to our participants?
• What is our budget for the workshop?

Once you have the answers to these key questions and your vision is clear, it’s time to solidify the details for a strong foundation.

2. Build an audience

In our live events trainings we share that we are all in the business of the 3Ms. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. To ensure motivated and engaged participants in your target audience it’s important to provide them with the benefits of working with your team before they ever enter the room. 

The number of attendees should have been determined in step one. So during your marketing and promotions time frame, educate your audience on the benefits of the program. What will they learn, why your staff is capable of educating them on these skills and what other top of mind problems would your session solve. Now, using many mediums to reach your audience is key. Flyers aren’t enough. Social media isn’t enough. Use it all! Email marketing, social media, gorilla marketing, calls, speaking engagements and the whole nine yards. 

3. Create the Experience

Now that your logistics are together and you’ve prepared your participants by allowing them to self-select, it’s time to ensure your time together is a memorable experience. Participants use all their senses to experience an event. Consider this as you plan and execute your workshop session. Consider this: 

 Ask your participants:  survey your participants to see what they want most to prioritize learning, and keep your finger on the pulse of their needs 

Build in breaks: Try not to go over 90 minutes without a break of some kind. Free time, breaks, and socializing help your participants bond and to keep them focused when in the learning environment.  

Also, take into account the space in the room for activities and hands on learning, the materials offered to support the different learning styles and last but not least what signature moment can you organically create to support making the experience memorable for your participants.

Our most important step is to have a great time! Remember to breathe, and spend time getting to know the people who are present in the room – they’re who you’re serving!