Surviving unemployment

If you or your spouse is "surviving unemployment" right now or even just wading through a severe slow down in your business, devising a plan can make all the difference.

• First off you can't ignore the mental anguish that this waiting period can induce, so you need to "get your head in the game". Talk to friends, journal, read, pray. Allow your self some time to lick your wounds, but then don't allow your self to get stuck in the negative self talk.
• Schedule your "work". Since your new job is to find a job, schedule it (example commit to Monday - Thursday I will get up early, get dressed and get moving, even to search on the Internet) Do NOT let yourself get out of the mindset that you must "get up leave the cave, KILL something, and drag it home" its essential that you don't get distracted with mindless TV and fruitless distractions.
• Take a break to GIVE, notice above I said hunt from Mon-Thurs. that's because this is draining and you do need a break, but with this time, reach out & help others, volunteer at a food kitchen or help a friend. There are always people worse off, REACH out, HELP someone else. It will help you feel useful.
• Tend to your relationships, during this stressful times its easy to turn on the ones that love you, especially if you are feeling a bit unlovable. Again turn the TV off and talk, play board games, go for a walk. Anything else" free & legal " that helps keep your life intact. You can't control some parts of life (like this economy or the waiting game your in) but you can do the right thing everyday, knowing in FAITH that this is temporary.
• Lastly, track your money. Take care of the neccessities, food , shelter, utilities and transportation, heath care, FIRST and then all else later. This is survival, not time to be in denial!

Getting back to basics...

The news is flooded with pessimistic views of our future and the economy, but many businesses our going strong and thriving in this time...ever wonder WHY? Its because the basics in business still work!

• Providing a product/service that people need
• Provide it better than the others around you (not always cheaper, just better)
• Consistently market your business, but maybe in a fresh new way!

This sounds simple,but many business owners take their focus off the basics when revenue is plentiful. America is still spending money...this month alone I have helped my clients buy flooring (for the entire house) hire painters, buy new furniture, hire an inspector, buy appliances and install new counter tops. Money is still circulating, but the market is tougher, this is the time to get back to basics and EARN people's business. Well designed businesses can more than survive they can thrive.

In with the New...Out With the OLD.

As 2008 comes to an end its a great time to reflect on the past year and evaluate what worked and what didn't....personally and professionally. But in this blog we are talking about your business. I hope you had many successes, but when we breeze over the failures we lose the lesson! So take some time to examine what you are doing in your business that is working, what do you need to work on and what do you just need to let go of (letting go of unsuccessful marketing campaigns...letting go of employees that are hard to work with...maybe even letting go of a business that just doesn't bring you joy anymore).
Letting go isn't always easy, but when we do this we open the door to new things that really do work.
2009 has been labeled as one that is going to bring CHANGE. Well change is inevitable, its what we do with it that makes the difference. I've recently heard Multimillionaire Warren Buffett say ..."that Success is getting what you're trying to get...and Happiness is liking it when you GET IT!"
So I am encouraging you to look back briefly and consciencely decide what you what to bring into 2009...and then intentionally succeed!!

Happy New Year!
Laure

Surround yourself with winners.

Surround yourself with winners! Honestly this is one of the best things I have done for my career (and my sanity!) I have mentors and I have mentorees. There are always people out there willing to help guide your success and (of course) people out there that need your guidance (you might have been where they are now...reach out, the rewards are HUGE!)

This is a picture from last weeks SDP Trainers Retreat. I never want to stop learning! So I challenge you today...what are you reading to grow? Who are you surrounding yourself with to grow? Who are you helping to grow?

Truly "working" from Home

For many busy women (especially moms) working from home sounds like the ultimate way to "be two places at once".....Often with visions of Superwomen dancing in our heads ,we enthusiastically try to work from home. The problem for most is the constant desire to multitask...loading the laundry while listening in on a conference call, answering personal email while trying to get out the door to a client appointment. Often we don't achieve the highly productive work time we expected..instead I hear from many of my coaching clients things like "I have been working day and night and still haven't invoiced that client......or finished that press release"

This summer I read Julie Morgenstern's book..Never Check Your Email in the Morning. This book was really aimed at corporate workers..yet the point was still clear, AMERICA GETS SIDETRACKED! Our lives our more complicated than ever and we are getting less done in our day...not more.

As a Coach I often help women create schedules that help them focus, here are a couple of tips:

• create a clean functional space to work in (of course I recommend a beautiful space)
• plan your time, schedule productive work blocks
• schedule a LIFE for yourself (after all we are working to live, not living to work!)
• make lists that are prioritized (knock out the important ones, BEFORE the easy ones)
• Money & clients are a priority over coworkers & tasks that will never produce $$
• honor your family time, don't answer the phone when its time to focus on your family/friends.

Being self employed is truly a freeing opportunity, just be careful not to get "tied up " in the endless requests of others for your productive time.

Guiding your success,

Laure

Well Designed Biz seeks blog!

Greetings, My name is Laure Gill and I am business coach for women who create careers out of their talents. I have had the privilege of creating two thriving businesses, one in Interior Decorating (the field of my degree) and one as a Certified Career trainer teaching women of all ages & backgrounds to create a business of their own in the decorating field. This gave me the opportunity to meet with , speak to (professionally across the nation) and train hundreds of women and I began to see that the winners were all doing the same basic things and those who wanted to be winners needed just a supportive guide to strengthen their weaknesses and they too could soar to meet fabulous goals. I am now focusing on coaching not only those in the design field but all self employed women that wish to grow a thriving business, and could use the help of a mentor...someone that has been there and will challenge them and of course applaud them as they succeed.
Please join me in this exciting jouney of blogging, send me your questions & and join in on our mission....celebrating women who work FOR themselves ...not feel all by themselves.

Laure Gill
www.welldesignedbiz.com