International Coach Week is February 5 – 11.

To celebrate I’m hosting a live 90-minute group coaching experience for just $7! 

For just $7 you get to join me LIVE and get the personalized help you need to take your business to the next level!

This call is ideal for you if you are an entrepreneur who is:

• Feeling stuck or overwhelmed;
• Wondering how to bring in income quickly;
• Having trouble deciding between the many marketing strategies available;
• Missing deadlines;
• Procrastinating.

I will be coaching participants on a first come, first serve basis and each person will be limited to 7 minutes.  I encourage you to get on the line early and come prepared to answer the following two questions so we can create solutions!

• What is the biggest obstacle you currently face in your business?

• What one thing have you been putting off that would help your business move forward?

Something to keep in mind…

Even if I don’t get to you during the call (or you don’t want to be coached) remember this session will be extremely valuable because you will be able to put the strategies I will be sharing in place in your own business and life.

One last thing…I will be recording the call and all registrants will get the recording but that takes all the fun out of it so do try to join me live!

Looking forward to speaking with you on Wednesday during “coach week”!

Click on the “Sign Up Now” button below to sign up for this call!.

Your coach,

Carrie

P.S.  Do you know anyone else who might benefit from being coached?  Send them the link to this page and have them join us!

My goal is to coach as many people as I can during the 90 minutes so here’s what we’re going to do:

1. I will “laser coach” participants.  That means that each person will be limited to 7 minutes.
2. If you are interested in being coached, come to the call prepared to answer the following two questions:

• What is the biggest obstacle you currently face in your business?
• What one thing have you been putting off that would help your business move forward?

Call Details:

Time:  2:00 – 3:30 PM ET

Date:  Wednesday, February 8th

Call In Number:  (201) 793-0051

Conference ID:  725216#

Please put this in your calendar now so that you make sure to join us.  As a courtesy you will receive a reminder email from me on Wednesday morning as well as a phone call reminder about an hour before the call.

If you are an entrepreneur who is tired of the chaos, procrastination and feeling overwhelmed join me and get the coaching you need to move your business forward!

One last thing… I will stick to the seven minute limit and will coach people on a first come first serve basis.  If you are interested in having me coach you, I suggest you come to the call early.  HOWEVER, even if I don’t get to you (or you don’t want to be coached), this call will be extremely valuable because you can take all of the strategies I will be sharing and put them in place in your own business and life.

Looking forward to speaking with  you on Wednesday during “coach week”!

Your coach,

Carrie

I was at the chiropractor the other day, he touched my shoulder and I winced in pain.  I hadn’t realized anything hurt until he touched it.

My neighbor had a new roof installed a few weeks ago.  All day long the contractors were running generators and banging right outside my office window.  I knew it was loud but didn’t realize just how much it bothered me until they shut down the generator and my whole body noticeably relaxed.

In many ways it’s a good thing that we acclimate so easily.  I forgot the word my chiropractor used to describe what was going on but the way he described it was that, being constantly aware of every single sensation we feel, see or hear would overwhelm us.  All of the sensations we would have to process would make it completely impossible for us to do or think about anything else.

It’s wonderful that our brains are great at compartmentalizing like this but these stimuli have an effect on the way you function and how you run your business and life. 

In your daily business you are exposed to tons of input.  There’s the constant barrage of email, phones ringing and things that “must get done.”  Then there are the ideas that you’ve already started working on and want to follow up on or finish.  Of course there are also ideas that have come across your desk which look interesting or promising.

The reality is that ALL of these inputs are noise.  Yes, some of the noise is helpful and adds value to our lives (think of a child’s laugh) but much of it is not and will distract you from your goal.

To help you focus your mind and your energy on what’s important, you need to regulate the noise that comes in.  Here is a simple strategy that my clients and I use to help us determine whether what we are doing or thinking about is worth it or if it is simply extraneous noise that we need to shut off. 

Imagine you have a completely new and pristine space.  It is constructed of the best materials imaginable.  You love the space and want to keep it beautiful.  You decide to only bring in the best of the best.

Now ask yourself, what will you bring in?  What is worthy of this space?  What will enhance the space and not drag it down?

Realize this…YOU are that pristine space.  That space is your mind, time and energy.  The outward reflection of that space includes your office, to-do list, inbox, schedule and the people you associate with.  You have the ability to clean shop and make sure that you only bring in things that will enhance you and your business.

Think about the chaos around you and in your mind.  Consider the emails in your inbox, the people you spend your time with, the piles of paper, your stacks of dreams and ideas.  Some of these things are good noise, others are not.  Give yourself permission to recognize your own value and give these things a good hard look.  Toss the ones that are marring your space so that you can grow and create the life and business of your dreams.

What is it time to evict from your space?  What will you allow in?  Let me know by sharing with me.

• What to do first (and of course second and third) so the projects I start get completed.
• Which marketing and sales strategies will best generate a consistent flow of clients and income.
• How to get myself to create a plan and actually do those marketing and sales strategies.
• How to manage all of the moving parts and maintain my sanity.
• How to get out of my own way, stop procrastinating and just do it.

You have probably realized that a successful business is not just your awesome service.  You need some specific business skills to make sure that people know about your service and buy it.  This is done through marketing, messaging, communication and yes…sales.

However, I’ve noticed that most entrepreneurs forget to recognize the most important piece to having a successful and profitable business.  Themselves…

You are your business and your business is a reflection of you.

As an entrepreneur you are responsible for all of the decisions, for making sure everything gets done, for setting your business and personal goals, and making sure that the steps you need to take get done.  For setting your priorities, managing your time, setting up systems and (here are the biggies) to get and stay focused, stop procrastinating and do it already!

Being your own boss is not easy.  While it’s great to be your own boss I often think it would be easier to just have a job.  But then you’ll be working to achieve someone else’s dream and not yours.

I have created a program for you that is designed to give you the solutions you need to make 2012 the year you take responsibility for your dreams. 

The program is called Chaos to Cash Mastery and gives you one-on-one, as well as group, interaction directly with me. 

Together we’ll hone your business skills so that you can market and sell your products, programs and services in a way that works for you and the people you want to be working with.

On top of the business skills we’ll work on you.  How to help yourself stop procrastinating.  How to set your priorities and make decisions so that things get done.  And most importantly, how to follow through.

Something you should know…

This program is not free; it’s not a magic bullet nor is it a quick fix.

Chaos to Cash Mastery is for business owners who are ready to roll up their sleeves, stop making excuses and get to work.  Your effort combined with the necessary business skills, personal skills AND the individualized support you will get will enable you to turn your dreams into the business you want with the income you deserve.

Before you head over to www.ChaosToCashMastery.com let me say just one more thing… 

You might be someone who looks at the information and says…yes, this is for me.  If that’s you I encourage you to go ahead and sign up now.

If you’re more like me, and want to have a conversation about the program and how it would fit into your life and your business, then click here to sign up for a conversation with me.  I want to make sure to answer all of your questions so that you can make an informed decision.

Here’s to making 2012 the year that your dreams become reality!

Carrie

P.S.  If this program feels right for you, but you’d like to speak first use this link to access my calendar (you may need to forward the calendar for January for an open slot).  I’m looking forward to speaking with you!

Here’s what happened.  The large pile got into the database and everything went as planned (thankfully I had a system for that).  The smaller pile…well, this is where I messed up.  The pile was pushed to the side and I did not follow up or add them to my main database.  Two months later, the “high priority” people that I connected with had yet to hear from me.

Having spoken to hundreds of other business owners over the years, I know that what I did is not unusual.  Things fall through the cracks, you get distracted by other “important to-do’s”, you don’t really know what to say or how to follow up, or you don’t have systems in place.  Whatever…it really doesn’t matter why but what’s important to realize is that the people that YOU want to stay in touch with never entered your life.  End result…you don’t grow your connections, you feel guilty, you break your word, the people who need your help don’t get it and you don’t grow your business.

Here’s what I did.  I ‘fessed up.

Two months after the event I swallowed my pride, picked up the phone and called each of the people in that small pile.  I apologized for being out of touch and not getting back to them.  I brought them into my life.  It wasn’t fun confessing my own mistake, especially since one of the things I pride myself on (and teach my clients all the time) is to carry through, but you know what happened?  Each and every person I spoke with thanked me.  We laughed about how I messed up and not a single person chided me about it.  Some of the people in that small pile have become clients of mine, some of the others used the resources that I shared with them to move forward in other ways and all of them are now a part of my life and the CarrieThru community.  Some of those people are even reading this article right now.

There was one more thing that I gained from ‘fessing up…a sense of peace.  Before I picked up the phone that pile was nagging at me.  It was dragging me down.  I knew that I needed to make those calls and none of them were routine.  I love speaking to people, yet somehow there was a sense of dread associated with making these calls and it got worse as time lapsed.  Once I made those calls I felt whole with myself again.

Here’s my suggestion to you…

Gather up the names and phone numbers of all of the people that you’ve been meaning to call.  Select one person at random and pick up the phone.  You will both be glad you did.

I’d love to know how the call goes…won’t you share with me?

So here’s the cold hard truth.  Yes, I procrastinate.  In fact I’m a master procrastinator and I’m not alone.  According to studies done on procrastination (I wonder how long those took to complete!) 95% of all people procrastinate.  My personal belief is that the other 5% of the population are lying.  Oh and according to those same studies, 25% of us are chronic procrastinators.  Yes, you can put me in that 25%.

Just because everyone procrastinates does not mean it is okay.  Procrastination is bad for business, bad for profits and bad for you.

It’s kind of obvious that procrastination costs us time, energy and money and I can give you a lot of examples about how, but there are two things that are even worse that we tend to forget.

1.    You’re being selfish.  The people who we are “supposed” to be helping don’t get the help that they need.  You know the book that you’ve been meaning to write?  Well, the person who needs to read it can’t.  You know that person who you met at a networking event that you’ve been meaning to follow up with about your program?  Well, that person isn’t getting the support they need to move forward.

2.    Procrastination kills your self esteem.  Every time we put something on our to-do list but procrastinate and “put it off until later” we fail ourselves.  That’s not to say that you must complete everything that is on your current to-do list…there are things that you should consciously remove (more about that another time!) but when you wrote “write chapter 1″, “call Joe to follow up” or “layout plan for new program” on your to-do list you, in essence, created a contract with yourself.  When you don’t follow through on your own contracts with yourself how can you trust yourself to do anything?  Can you see how your belief in yourself effects every conversation you have and frankly everything you do in both your personal and professional life?

OUCH!

So how is it that even though I’m a master procrastinator I’ve more than doubled my business this past year, written a book, created, marketing and ran three new programs, attended six live events, presented my own one day live event and so much more?

Here’s my secret…I have worked with coaches (that I’ve paid for) since I started my business back in 2003.  The two biggest benefits I have gotten from my coaches is first that they have opened up my mind to new ideas and help me see things that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.  The second benefit (and here’s my true confession) is that having a coach increases my productivity dramatically.  I get more done in the hour before I speak with my coach than between our conversations (okay, that may be an exaggeration but I think you know what I mean).

My coach helps me but it’s not everything, so whether or not you chose to work with a coach (me or someone else) privately or as part of a group program, here are FIVE additional strategies I use in my day-to-day business to keep me moving.

1. Make sure that the tasks you are putting on your to-do list are specific tasks and not projects.  For instance “Work on Website” is not specific and is a project.  Instead write “Spend 30-minutes writing the ‘About Me’ section for my website”.

2. Make sure the tasks you put on your to-do list are really the next steps you need to take.  Looking at that website example again, even if you had written “Write about me section for website” ask yourself if that is really the next step that needs to be done.  Do you need to review other websites to see how others do it?  Do you need any other information before you can do this task? Or are you ready to open up a new document on your computer and start to type?

3.  Set a specific amount of time and set an appointment with yourself to actually do the work.  The more specific you are the better.  For instance, Tuesday from 1 – 1:30 review other website’s “About Me” section in order to get a better understanding of what I want to do.

4. When choosing when you are going to work on something make sure that your calendar is really clear.  Don’t just pick a time randomly, is it a time of day when you are able to focus or do you typically get interrupted at that time?

5.  Find someone to be accountable to.  Like I said, I frequently use my coach, but there have been many occasions, especially for the smaller, day-to-day type things, that I rely on my network of friends and colleagues.  Don’t try to go it alone!

It’s important to remember that we are all unique and that we all have strategies up our sleeves that work for us.  Share your favorite “get yourself moving” strategies.

These are the things you know you’re “supposed” to do but somehow never get around to doing.  The things that you put on your to-do list time and time again but never cross off.  Or you plan to do just as soon as you get a 3-hour block of time.

The problem is that when you don’t get around to doing these tasks you, and your business run, the real risk of stagnating or maybe not even starting.  You don’t create programs, you don’t bring in new clients, you don’t market your business, and you don’t bring in income.

Here’s the cold hard truth…no amount of wishing will get these things done, you need a plan, but not any plan because we both know that you’ve made plans before.  You need a plan that takes you into consideration.  Who you are, what needs to be done and what is the best way for YOU to do it.

Here are 7 strategies that my clients and I use regularly to help us get ourselves motivated and moving.  I encourage you to try a couple of them so that you can carry through and finally cross those “shoulds” off of your to-do list.

1.    Know yourself. When you schedule something, take your habits and energy level into consideration. Don’t try to do things that you find difficult to do when you are not at your best.  For instance, if you are a morning person schedule more difficult tasks for the morning.

2.    Be alert for distractions.  What types of things come up whenever it’s time to start working on something?  Does your phone ring?  Do you get distracted by email? Do you tend to work on other emergencies?  What can you do to create an environment (at least for the short term) to avoid these distractions?

3.    Give yourself extra time between tasks. Things often take longer than you expect them to. This will help keep you ahead of the game so that you’re not playing catch-up all the time.  It will also give you a feeling of satisfaction since you’ll be able to finish the tasks you planned.

4.    Break up large projects into smaller ones. It’s difficult to find large blocks of time to accomplish whole projects so break them up into smaller chunks. Ask yourself: What is one thing I can do to advance this one little step?  And of course, give yourself the time to do that one small task.

5.    What do you really need to do?  Oftentimes things don’t get done because you don’t know what specific steps you need to do or where to begin.  If something has been on your to-do list for a while that you think should be a “no-brainer” but isn’t getting done ask yourself:

• What comes to mind when I think of this task?
• Are any of these things actionable?
• What would I tell someone else to do first?
• Are there any questions I need answered or information that I need to know before I can do this?
• Am I the right person to do this?

6.    Why haven’t you done it already?  WARNING:  It’s important to be objective and forgiving of yourself in this one.  I encourage you to take a few minutes to understand why the project or task isn’t getting done.  You might realize that you and the project would be better served by getting someone else to do it or help you.  You might realize that the project is simply not a priority and isn’t the best use of your time and energy so it should be crossed off your list.  Or you might see that you’re using the other things on your to-do list as a distraction, keeping you from your real goal and that you want to put all of your energy here.

7.    Just do something, anything.  Pick up your pen, create a new document on your computer, or find the phone number of the person you’ve been meaning to call.  By doing something, it really doesn’t matter what; you usually find that the project isn’t really as bad as you thought it would be and you gain the momentum you need to keep going and carry through to the end.

What project have you got sitting around waiting to be done?  What single step can you take to get it moving?   I’d love to know!  Please share your plan with me!

Join Carrie for a revealing FREE 2 Session Program

There’s one more month in 2011…Let’s make it incredible AND set you up for an even better 2012.

Whether or not you’ve met your goals for 2011 if you are like most business owners I know you feel like you could have or should have done more or better.

There’s a tendency to blame “procrastination” but the real problem is the total chaos you feel as you move through your day.

• You spend your time running around in circles and not following your marketing plan so your ideal clients are not finding you.
• You do everything except the things that will bring you the most profit.
• Talk about numbers…you have no idea what to do first, second or third.  What is your priority?  What will help you reach your revenue goals?

Here’s an opportunity for you to wrap up 2011 with a final push for profit and set yourself up for more AND easier profits in 2012.

During this 2- Session program you will:

1. Identify what to focus on to bring you the most profits NOW.
2. Find out what needs to go into your 2012 plan and what you MUST leave out.
3. Learn from Carrie’s clients…listen as they share what has worked in “real life”.  Apply their learning to your situation and not recreate the wheel!
4. Listen as Carrie makeovers three businesses LIVE.  Together we’ll craft a plan for YOU and your business.  This is an incredible learning opportunity whether or not we focus on your business.
   

Cost:  $0

Sign up to get the recordings!

To register simply complete the form below:

As always, here’s to carrying through!

Carrie

P.S. Do you know someone else who would benefit from this program?  Go ahead and forward them the link to this page!

Ali used a farming analogy and spoke about planting all of the seeds (or taking advantage of all of the opportunities) you have because you never know where they will lead.  On the surface this makes a lot of sense because if you don’t plant them, they can’t grow but here’s the thing that’s been nagging at me.

Continuing with the farming analogy, imagine what would happen if you plant every seed (or take advantage of all the opportunities).  The way I see it is one of two things happen…

You have lots of seeds, so you plant them in a nice big field.  Every day you wake up and try to tend to each plant.  You start at plant #1 and work like crazy but no matter what you do, you simply can’t get to them all.

Or maybe you realize that you can’t spread yourself out like that so you plant them in a nice compact piece of land.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t work either, you end up over-planting and crowding the seeds so nothing grows.

The precious seeds you’ve put in the ground need space, care and nutrients.  When you look at this in terms of the opportunities you decide to pursue that means your time, attention and energy.  Without this they will not grow or develop.

When you try to plant every seed (or follow every opportunity or idea) it doesn’t work.  You end up exhausted, frustrated and defeated.  Even though the opportunities you planted were good ones most won’t pan out for you.  You end up left wondering, why haven’t you been able to create the programs and products you wanted?  Why haven’t you been able to attract the clients you were hoping to attract?   Why haven’t you been able to generate the revenue you wanted to achieve?  It’s because you’ve planted too much.

So what do you do with all the seeds (or opportunities) that you gather or that are presented to you?

Here’s my suggestion…plant seeds, but make sure that the seeds you plant are the seeds you want to plant, and that you are willing to put in the time, attention and energy that they require.  Just because something is available for you, even if it is a good opportunity doesn’t mean that you need to do it.

And how do you figure out which seeds to plant?  Here are two of questions that my clients and I use to consider which seeds to plant and which to leave for another growing season.

1.    If I do this what won’t I be able to do?
2.    If I don’t do this what can I do?

Take a look at all of the opportunities that you have in front of you right now.  Which ones are you going to plant?  I’d love to know, won’t you share it with me?

Chaos to Cash Strategy:

Having an idea is great, but it’s action that turns your idea into reality.

Here’s the deal:  Unless you act on your idea, it just sits there doing nothing.

You are better off taking many small steps over time than waiting for the day that you’ll have the time to get it all done.

Take a step – any step – and start building momentum.

~ Chaos to Cash:  An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Eliminating Chaos, Overwhelm and Procrastination So You Can Create Ultimate Profit! Chapter 3, Page 202

Click here to read more strategies from the book Chaos to Cash.