Tag: Focus

Posted on

What Do You Do All Day?

 

As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. But, in order to figure out how to automate your business, you first need to know in detail what you do all day long so that you know which tasks can be automated, should be automated, and even whether it’s something you should be doing at all.

Review
Stay focused

In every business, you will have daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly tasks, and even yearly tasks or quarterly tasks. The best thing to do is to get out a calendar and enter the items you know you have to do.

 

For example, you have to pay quarterly taxes, and you have to balance your books at the end of the month. You must buy a business license each October or January depending on your location and the rules and laws in your area. Whatever it is that you know for sure has to be done, enter it into your calendar, blocking off the approximate time it will take you to do it.

 

But there are also the daily things you do that generate your income. When it comes to generating income, it’s essential to specify which actions you are doing that generate income and which actions you’re doing that support generating income. Go through the steps you take in your day and write down what you’re doing, step by step.

What’s Your Job as The Owner of Your Business?

 

Coaches Example

 

Ø  Business: Coaches retired teachers starting a second career as independent course and project designers.

 

Ø  Morning: Checks the mail, email, and Trello to find out if there are any fires to put out this morning before paying any bills due for the day. Calls her group coaching clients for the weekly hour Zoom group coaching session. Writes 7 product educational and nurturing emails for a new one-on-one coaching product to market to her group coaching clients.

 

Ø  Afternoon: Records part of an online course in development. Transcribes the group call and sets up her part as a standalone presentation video.

 

Ø  Evening: Answers coaching client questions for those who signed up to receive daily emails and schedules them to be delivered in the morning.

 

As you can see, this is just one day out of an entire year and is not representative of all the money-making tasks this coach does, nor is it a complete picture of what happens in the business overall. But it does give you a great idea about where to start automating and even outsourcing. Once you see what you’re doing visually written out, it’s a lot easier to figure out places that you can improve your process. Take the time to write out every process you do each day that you do them. Once you’ve documented the different activities you do each day, you can identify what needs to be perfected and then automated or outsourced or both.

Posted on

What’s Your Job as The Owner of Your Business?

As a small business owner, you probably think that you have a lot of jobs to do. Some people like to describe the job of a business owner as one that wears many hats. As the saying goes, sometimes you have on your salesperson hat, sometimes you have on your finance hat.

 

It depends on what is happening what your job is at any moment. However, your main job description as a business owner is to plan and organize the daily operations of your business.

 

On any given day, you may be responsible for:

 

  • Developing your business plans
  • Arranging financing
  • Hiring staff or contractors
  • Reviewing sales
  • Developing marketing strategies
  • Overseeing daily activities
  • Identifying opportunities

 

All of these jobs represent your main function as a business owner, which is managing your risk.  In each of these jobs, you really don’t physically do anything other than analyzing what someone else did for you, whether it’s automation or human.

 

Therefore, when you realized that you don’t need to physically do the tasks that you design, your job as a business owner becomes a lot simpler and can be boiled down to risk management.

 

When you realize that your job as a business owner is really one of risk management, it becomes a lot clearer what your main function is as a business owner. Realistically, you may have to wear a lot of hats at first, doing the tasks defined for each, — but it’s your choice to do the projects yourself or not as a business owner.

 

In fact, one can argue that it’s best for a business owner not to physically do the tasks that don’t require them since you only have so many hours in the day. It’s always, or should always, be less expensive to outsource or automate where you can. But you do have to start someplace, and most small business owners start out doing all the tasks themselves.

 

In any case, it can help to understand that finding and setting up automation in your business is one of the roles you play as a business owner. By doing so, you’re going to reduce risks associated with your business because you’re going to ensure those tasks get done in a timely fashion by someone (or something) who knows what they’re doing.

 

The more you can automate, the fewer things you have to outsource, and the bigger and better you can build your business because you’re going to free up your time to do more of what an owner does instead of the tasks involved in each area. After all, one of the reasons you started your own business is so that you can have more work-life balance, right?

 

One can argue whether the idea of balance even exists, but it’s clear that if you’re doing the job of 10 people, it’s hard to find that time freedom, much less anything resembling balance. In fact, you’re very likely to get burned out if you’re a small business owner who thinks that you have to physically do everything in your business. Instead, realize that part of risk management is to find ways to free up your time so that you can devote yourself to discovering new opportunities for your business.

 

 

Posted on

What’s Your Customer’s Buying Journey

 

One of the first things you need to learn about your business is your customer’s buying journey based on the sales funnel. Big businesses like to call this their customer relationship management pipeline. They tend to use a few basic pipeline structures that follow their customer’s buying journey from awareness to delight.

 

The truth is that no matter what type of business you have, the basic sales funnel is the same and defines the buyer’s journey.

 

  • Awareness
  • Interest
  • Consideration
  • Decision
  • Delight

 

Map your customer’s potential journey so that you can visualize where you need to place touchpoints. For example:

 

  • Awareness – Sync your favorite apps such as Google Sheets, Aweber.com, and other apps using software like Automate.io or Zapier.com to deliver the right content at the right time based on the customer’s behavior.

 

  • Interest – Automatically deliver email subscribers content that teaches them about the products and services you offer via your email software as well as your website using auto sequences and conversational chatbots.

 

  • Consideration – This is when the buyer really wants what you have to offer, and it’s your sale to lose or gain. You can automate content delivery that asks for the sale, such as delivering a free webinar to them. Using the right software, such as offered by HubSpot Automation and others, you can even let the software generate new one time offers based on their behavior.

 

  • Decision – Depending upon the type of business structure you have, whether it’s a course or a physical product or not, you’ll want to help them make the choice to buy by setting up automated discovery call appointments. You can synchronize your website with scheduling software like Acuityscheduling.com to let your customers schedule their own call.

 

  • Delight – Finally, you can create a whole new funnel to use during the post-purchase stage in order to elicit customer delight. When you delight your customers, they’re going to make more purchases and recommend others to you. One way to do this is to automate the onboarding of new customers so that they receive enough information to want to stick with you.

 

People add different steps along the way to each of their funnels based on the path the buyer likes to travel on their buying journey. Each step is a chance to streamline and automate part of the process. To make your customer’s buying journey successful, you’ll hopefully lead them through the entire process past the point they decide to buy your product to include customer delight, loyalty, and advocacy when it’s appropriate.

 

 

Posted on

The Fundamental Parts of Your Small Business

 

The first thing to think about when you seek to make your days more manageable and more effective is the parts of your small business. What parts of your business are essential to your success? For each business, you’ll need to look at your own situation to determine it, but this can get you started.

 

  • Human Resources – If you hire or contract out to others, you’ll need to concern yourself with setting up, organizing, and managing all your HR. Having some knowledge of this even if you think you’re going to do everything yourself is essential because you should not do it all yourself, and there are laws to consider.

 

  • Accounting and Finance – Every business must figure out how they plan to keep track of income and expenses and set up benchmarks for planning purposes. There is a lot you can automate in this area too.

 

  • Marketing and Advertising – No business can exist if they don’t get the word out about their solutions.

 

  • Production – If you have a product, whether physical or digital, the product has to be produced somehow. Much of production can be automated depending on the type of products you have.

 

  • Information Technology – Most small businesses today do have to deal with technology in some way, which means you need to have a general understanding of the technology available in your industry to help you manage and do your business.

 

  • Operations – The inner workings of your business are ripe for automation. It doesn’t matter if you sell products, manufacture products, or perform services, someone has to be in control of this work, and that’s typically the small business owner because they don’t typically hire managers, but you can.

 

  • Customer Service – Even if you only serve five customers a year, you need to focus on customer care in order to keep your customers happy. A lot of this process can be automated too.

 

  • Purchasing – This is a department that will often fall to the owner of a small business but exists as a separate department in a large business. In this department, you’ll want to figure out what the business needs, how much, when, and negotiate better prices, and so forth.

 

  • Legal Department – This is one of the first areas to go for a small self-owned business, but it is still important to acknowledge this area. You always want to make sure what you do is legal and follows the laws.

 

  • Business Development and Growth – This includes sales, marketing, project management, product management, and more. If you focus on business development, you’ll focus on how you can use what you have to expand your audience and make more money.

 

While in general, all businesses share the same fundamental parts, some businesses, especially home solopreneurs, may place importance on different parts depending on their goals. But these potential fundamental parts of your small business bare considering so that you can create a solid automation plan.

 

 

 

Posted on

WALKING WITH A PURPOSE

 

One way to make walking not only healthy but also beneficial is to find charities to walk for. Basically, the way it works is you find the charity and set up the walk by asking your friends and family to donate to the charity based on the number of miles you walk. This type of walking gives you extra incentive to get in shape, stay in shape, and keep walking.

 

Use an App

 

A great app for this is called Charity Miles. Basically, you just download the free app, which is suitable for both Apple and Android operating systems. Set up your account and choose your charity. It will track your movements and report to the system. When you walk, it tracks it and sends the earnings to your charity of choice. You can find sponsors through the app as well as by asking friends, family, and small local businesses to sponsor you.

Link – https://charitymiles.org/

Seek Out the Charity

 

If you already know what charity you want to walk for but you don’t want to use one of the apps, you can reach out to start your walking for a charity event by contacting them directly to work out the details. Some charities already have yearly walking events that you can join and sponsor in your local area. You can look for more charities at ACTIVE.

Link – https://www.active.com/

 

Set Your Goal

 

Set your walking goals based on how much money you want to make and how much buzz you want to create for the fundraiser. You can make it challenging or fun depending on the audience you want to attract. Some people prefer a leisurely walk with food and lots of talking, and others want a fast walking race.

 

Be Aware of Your Fitness Level

 

Before you start, you want to know about your fitness level. Can you walk for long periods without an issue? Even if you can only walk 30 minutes at a stretch, you can still raise money for your favorite charity, but knowing this level can help you set more realistic goals.

 

Train for Your Fundraiser

 

One way to ensure you meet your goals is to train for the fundraiser. If you want to walk a 50K for the fundraiser, you should work your way back from the date of the fundraiser and set up a training program that gets you to that goal when you’re ready to do it. For example, you may want to add 100 to 1000 steps a day until you can make it.

 

Be Ready to Motivate Others

 

When you are doing a charity event (even if you’re using the apps available to do it), you’ll make more money for your organization if you motivate your sponsors and your team if you have one by training, ensuring you are prepped and ready, and having high spirits about your goals and what you’re doing.

 

Don’t forget that there are already yearly walks for many charities. You can find out more about walking for charity by approaching specific charities directly or using Charity Miles or ACTIVE mentioned in this article.

 

 

Posted on

9 FACTS ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS AND WALKING

 

According to the National Library of Medication from the National Institute of Health in the US, walking only after meals can be more effective than any other walk that you do. Because of this, it’s clear that walking can enable you to lose more weight than if you only concern yourself with diet.

 

Calories in Calories Out

 

When it comes to any type of weight loss, the trick is to consume fewer calories than you expend. One way to be able to eat more while losing weight is to move more – thus using more calories. To lose a pound of body weight, you will need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories over what it takes your body to maintain its current weight. 3500 calories equals approximately one pound of body weight.

 

Try Power Walking in Intervals

 

Because you know that calories in and out make a huge difference, you can do the math to find out how much you should lose if you’re also tracking your calories taken in and burned. When you add power walking (fast walking) in intervals to your average walking pace, you can increase your calorie burn.

Add Resistance Training to Your Walk

 

Some walking trails have some of these spots added in – if so, use them. Do squats, push-ups, burpees, triceps dips, and lunges periodically to add challenge and extra calories burned into the walking workout.

 

Always Walk for 20 to 30 Minutes Post Meals

 

In addition to your typical “exercise” walks, try walking right after your meals before you clean up or do anything else. On this walk, you can walk at a moderate to easy pace. The point here is to assist your body with digestion. If you tend to have tummy troubles after meals, skip this part.

 

Walk Briskly

 

When you walk from place to place, like your car to the store or the bus stop to your front door, don’t drag along. Pick up the pace and walk briskly. You should be able to talk but not sing if you’re walking fast enough.

Use Technology

 

There are numerous apps to help you not only get your form right but also track your progress, including the steps you make each day. Apps like Fitbit.com and others really help and motivate – not only due to the numbers on the app but also due to the community that has been created.

 

Add Some Weights

 

When your normal walk isn’t feeling like it’s working you out enough, and you’re otherwise in top shape, try adding some weights to your walk. They make weighted vests for just such an occasion to help. You’ll burn more calories with every move.

 

Go Uphill

 

Try finding trails that have hills occasionally. Walking uphill is harder on your body and will cause a more significant calorie burn. Plus, it’s good for your entire cardiovascular system to get your heart pumping faster. Remember, if you burn an additional 3500 calories over what your body is using, you’ll lose one pound in the course of a week. This can be accomplished by merely walking fast for 30 minutes per day if you plan your moves right and add weights if needed.

Keep Good Posture

 

Always maintain the right posture for walking. You should stand up straight. Your feet should be a comfortable width apart with your toes pointed forward. Do not arch your back, do engage your core muscles, and walk by rotating your hips forward with your buttocks. Keep your chin parallel to the ground, and your neck and shoulders relaxed. It helps if you focus on what is about 20 feet ahead of you, while also adding arm motions.

 

Finally, ensure that you are using the right stride. You should be hitting the ground with your heel, rolling through the step from heel to toe, and pushing off with your toes to get a faster pace. Don’t pound the ground when you walk; focus on keeping the impact minimal while taking more rapid smaller steps.

 

 

 

Posted on

11 WAYS YOU CAN INTRODUCE WALKING IN YOUR DAILY LIFE

Many people claim that the reason they cannot walk more is their busy schedule. However, the truth is, the things you make time for are the things that get done. By planning for roadblocks and developing a plan to overcome them, you can fit walking into your daily schedule seamlessly without much trouble. Just follow these tips.

 

* Walk during Lunch – You shouldn’t miss your food break, but you can eat a sandwich or fruit and walk at the same time. If you have a flexible office, another alternative is to walk during lunch and eat at your desk while doing your work.

 

* Only Watch TV while Moving – If you like to watch TV, make a rule that you can only watch while moving. You can walk on a treadmill, or you can just march in place during the show. That is going to bring lots of extra walking into your life.

 

* Listen to Audio Books – If you like to read, instead of reading buy audiobooks, then make a rule for yourself (and even your kids) that you can only listen while walking and moving.

* Start Your Day Right – Get up 30 minutes early so that you can work in a 20-minute speed walking session before your shower, coffee, and breakfast. By starting your day right, you’ll be ahead of the game.

 

* Walk Instead of Email at the Office – If you work in an office building, you probably send a lot of emails back and forth. But if you know that the person you send the email to has to print the document, you can print it yourself and then walk it to them to get in those extra steps.

 

* Park Your Car Further from Your Destination – Always park as far from an entrance as you can and then walk to it. That is going to add a lot of steps, plus it’s going cut down on stress in parking lots. You’re less likely to be involved in an accident if you park far from the crowd.

 

* Get Off the Bus Early – If you take public transport, don’t get off at your stop but get off early in an area that is safe for you to grab 15 extra minutes of walking.

 

* Walk to the Store – Do you live near a minimarket or some sort of convenience store? Instead of grabbing the next carton of milk by driving to the store, just walk to your local store. Even though it cost more money there, the added benefit of walking and using less fuel makes up for it. Use a backpack to carry your groceries home safely.

* Keep Your Gear with You – Keep a set of walking gear in your vehicles such as shoes, socks, and clothing, so that you can dress for walking any time you want to.

 

* Add Walking to Your Daily Family Time – Walking for 20 to 30 minutes after dinner used to be a time-honored tradition for families who lived in the suburbs in the days of wrap-around porches and close community connections. You can still do that with your kids and partner to add walking into your day while also spending time with the people you care about.

 

* Avoid Sitting When Waiting – If you must wait on people for appointments, instead of sitting, take the time to pace and walk. Even if you just march in place, it will make a difference.

 

Any bit of movement you can squeeze out of your day is beneficial to your health mentally, physically, and spiritually. You’ll feel better about yourself the more you can walk, and it’s going to show to others in your appearance and your health.

 

 

Posted on

8 TIPS TO BRAVE THE WEATHER WHEN WALKING

 

The thing that often puts roadblocks in people’s way when it comes to establishing a firm walking routine is the weather. These tips will help you navigate and plan for that happening – because it will happen. That way, nothing gets in your way. Remember, if you have a plan you can implement it.

 

It’s Raining

 

When it’s raining and wet outside, it’s tempting to say you’re not going to walk out there. Certainly, you don’t have to – you can walk in a mall, at a gym, and in other indoor areas if you want to. However, walking in the rain isn’t generally unsafe.

 

It’s essential, like any other time, that you dress for the weather. If it’s raining, wear rain gear for walkers so that you can still use your hands to protect yourself from a fall. You might be surprised that walking in a gentle rain when it’s above 60 degrees F outside can be fun.

It’s Snowing

 

One issue with snow is the cold and the potential for ice. Check the weather to ensure it’s not too cold, and there are no warnings about dangerous cold. Even if it’s at freezing doesn’t mean you cannot walk if you have the right clothing and shoes on.

 

Take shorter, smaller steps to avoid slipping, and wear the right gear to protect you – including the correct type of shoes and outerwear to protect against wind and wetness in order to keep your body safe.

 

There’s Ice Out There

 

One of the times you might want to consider skipping walking outside is if there is ice or there is a significant wind chill factor. If you do find yourself walking on ice, it’s important to take smaller steps that are more like marching than walking normally. This will help you avoid slipping.

It’s Hot as Heck

When it’s hot outside, you can still walk. However, it is important to understand that there are times that it’s best to stay out of the heat. The main thing about heat is to ensure you wear the right clothing as protection, are drinking enough water to stay hydrated, and that you protect your skin and head from the heat.

It’s So Humid

 

Walking when it’s humid will make it feel much hotter and less comfortable, but you can still do it. You may need to walk slower, drink more water, and take more breaks. Wear thin cotton clothing so that it helps wick away the moisture from your body so that you can avoid chafing and blisters on your feet. Consider taking a change or two of socks for a longer walk.

 

There Is No Humidity

 

While it’s always more comfortable outside even in hot weather when there is low or little humidity (as in the desert), drinking enough water is even more important. You should wear clothing to cover your entire body and your head to keep cool, plus plan on taking at least a gallon of water with you for each hour you plan to walk. You need way more than the eight glasses a day in this type of climate; in fact, you may need up to 30 cups of water.

 

It’s Cold Outside

If it’s cold but not snowing or raining, walking is a good thing to do. If it’s not too cold to be outside safely (look at your local weather information), you can walk like you usually do even if it’s down as low as freezing if it’s not too windy or bad weather. Dress appropriately and you’ll be fine.

It’s Just Not Safe Outside 

 

If you have determined it’s just not safe for you to walk outside, or you simply don’t want to due to the bad weather, you don’t have to. You can go to a gym with an indoor track, the local indoor mall, and other indoor areas to walk, including a treadmill in your home when needed.

 

Walking in inclement weather is not hard to do. You simply need to dress accordingly and take enough water with you to keep yourself hydrated and healthy. If it’s too uncomfortable, you can do just as much walking inside if you prefer.

Posted on

9 TIPS TO ENJOY WALKING

 

No matter how good something is for you, sometimes it can seem boring. Many people love walking but if you’re having issues getting into it, consider these tips for making walking more fun.

 

  1. Try New Walking Trails – Giving your eyes and mind more to see is a great way to make walking more fun. Try walking around a historical neighborhood, walking on a mountain trail, or following someone else’s trail that they’ve documented through one of the walking apps.

 

  1. Play a Game – Many people love playing games to walk. Organize a scavenger hunt and other activities that incorporate walking. That way, you can get others involved in the fun and get more steps in.

 

  1. Pick Up Trash – One way to do good and walk more is to adopt an area that you pick up the trash in. This will slow your pace, but it’s an excellent way to get in the steps you need while also doing something great for the environment. And if you’re lucky, you live in a recycling area which might enable you to earn some cash by recycling aluminum and glass that you find.
  1. Reward Yourself – Set up periodic rewards for yourself. For example, if you reach 50,000 steps before Friday during the week, set up a massage to reward yourself for reaching your goals.

 

  1. Hunt for Treasure – Many people love geocaching. Basically, people are hiding things to see all over the world in places people like to walk or hike. Finding a treasure can make walking fun. To find out more, visit this site: https://www.geocaching.com/play

 

  1. Take a Friend – Arrange friend dates for walking. Taking a new friend on each of your walks is a great way to catch up since you can talk while walking fast and getting in a workout.

 

  1. Add Power Walking Intervals – It can really take your walk to the next level if you incorporate different styles of walking into your program. Try walking fast for one minute, then walking at your average pace for ten. If it’s safe, drop and do some push-ups every ten minutes to make your walk more challenging.

 

  1. Count Your Steps – Counting your steps using a pedometer is a great way to challenge yourself and to add fun to the walk. When you can compare your walking with others by using one of the apps like Fitbit.com and participating in their community, it can become more of a challenge and therefore more fun.
  1. Track Your Progress – When you track your progress, it’s fun to see the results. Take your weight and measurements before you start a new walking regimen. Periodically check up on your stats from the steps you took, to the trails you followed, to the way it’s affecting your body.

 

If you are really having struggles, find a way to incorporate walking into your day that is more natural. For example, park far from the entrances, walk to the store instead of Ubering, and incorporate walking into every part of your life when you can instead of using modern conveniences.

 

Posted on

6 TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN POWER WALKING

 

Speed walking, power walking, race walking… These are terms that describe walking very fast without running or going into a jog. The main reason for speed walking over running and jogging is the damage that running can do to your body. Speed walking is a low-impact way of exercising that enables you to get more out of your walking workout.

 

Here are tips to follow if you are a beginner to make sure you get the most out of this type of walking.

 

* Stay Hydrated – Start your walk hydrated and then drink small amounts throughout your course. Don’t over hydrate yourself by drinking too much, but keep a keen eye on the amount of fluid you are ingesting to ensure your body stays optimally hydrated.

 

* Your Posture Is Everything – When you are speed walking, it’s imperative to keep your posture correct. If anything hurts, you may be doing it wrong. It can help to have someone checking in with you. Your spine should be straight, you should not be leaning forward or backward, and you should look straight ahead (not down). Keep your chin up so that you can reduce pain on your neck and back.

* Keep Your Form – The way to walk when you are speed walking is different from your standard walking form. You need to relax your shoulders, keep your spine neutral, and keep your core tight. Ensure that you take natural strides that cause you to roll from your heel to your toe, giving you lift from your toes. When you want to go faster, don’t make your strides longer – just quicker.

 

* Wear the Right Shoes – You still need walking shoes that fit you well. It can help to go to a real shoe place to get fitted correctly with the right type of walking shoe. You also need to replace them every 300 to 400 miles of walking to ensure proper protection.

 

* Start Small and Add Daily – Don’t try to start speed walking 10,000 steps in one day. Instead, work your way up to it. You can add some speed walking into your daily walk for a minute or two at a time, working your way up until you are doing the entire course speed walking.

* Find a Coach – You need to mind your form so much that you probably should at least find a coach or someone who is an experienced power walker to demonstrate and then check how you do it so that you don’t injure yourself. It is quite a challenge to learn the new form and way of walking.

Because running is so hard on the body, with runners causing an impact on their limbs many times over their own body weight, speed walking and power walking can give you the same health benefits without the wear and tear and problems that running can cause.