I said NO

My favorite food group is ice cream.  I am particularly partial to vanilla Häagan Daz.  I’m a bit of a purist but that doesn’t stop me from eating other brands and flavors.

I went to Cold Stone Creamery.  I had never been there before and was looking forward to it.  I decided what I wanted and placed my order.  I ordered a small because it was exactly what I wanted.  As soon as the word “small” came out of my mouth the guy behind the counter said “A medium only costs a dollar more.”  I declined the offer.  He went onto say, “Are you sure?  You get twice as much ice cream.”  I stayed strong and said “No, thank you.”  He was about to try one more time but I said, “Stop, trying to supersize me.  I want a small.”

Supersizing is in the best interests of Cold Stone Creamery.  It increases their bottom line by upselling customers by a little bit.  When you upsell a little to a lot of customers profits go up dramatically.

We understand what it does for the seller but where does this leave the customer, in this case me?  In this case, supersizing would have left me with a dollar less in my wallet, a bigger waist line, left over ice cream and feeling guilty.

As consumers we all understand supersizing and know, at least logically, that being supersized is not in our best interest.  So the question is why then, do we as entrepreneurs, continually supersize ourselves and what can we do about it?

Let me explain what I mean.

You are working on a new program.  You’re close to launching and then decide to add just one more feature.  You’ve just supersized.  You’ve got more to do.  Your program is no longer nearing completion and your launch date is now delayed.

You are doing market research to get a better understanding of what your competitors offer and how they communicate.  You’ve found five examples.  You keep on researching.  Surely if you know what five are doing, knowing what ten are doing is even better right?  You’ve just supersized.   Instead of taking action and learning from what you’ve discovered you are staying in “research and learning mode.”  You are not acting.  Whatever lessons you may be getting are not being used.

You spend time and energy creating a marketing plan and start to implement it.  The next thing you know you read about an exciting new strategy.  You’ve got to try it.  You’ve just supersized.  The result:  The targeted marketing plan, that you spent time and energy on, doesn’t get implemented or tested and it gets watered down by adding more strategies.

You start your day with a few specific things that you want to accomplish to move your business forward.  You check your email, find a few new opportunities to pursue and a whole slew of interesting articles to read.  You want to learn more because you are sure that these ideas will lead to even more opportunities.  You just supersized.  The plan you had for the day is officially out the window and you’re onto other things.  

I’m reminded of something my Mom often said as I was growing up, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach, are you sure you want it?”  There you are, sitting at the table, looking at a something delicious.  You pick up the serving spoon, pile more on your plate, and dig in.  You’re full.  You sit there playing with what’s still on your plate because you want to fit it in but it no longer tastes good and it’s making you uncomfortable.  What looked like a good idea at the beginning has left you feeling sick and even foolish.

For many of us entrepreneurs we have a tendency to believe that if a few are great more can only be better.  This is simply not true.  Oftentimes by adding more you simply pull yourself off the track you were on.  You get confused and overwhelmed.

Now let me be perfectly clear.  I’m not saying you have to be satisfied with what you have and that you should never add more.  I’m not saying that those new opportunities aren’t exactly what you need or that you should not add additional features to your new program.
What I am saying is that before you supersize consider two things: 

1. Is this something you truly want to add to your plate and will serve a purpose that is not already being served?
2. Are you going to be able to consume (or do) this and is consuming (or doing) this in your and your clients’ best interest.

I know I’ve supersized myself on many occasions, sometimes I’ve regretted it other times it was exactly right.  When have you supersized yourself and what has been the result?  I invite you to share your experiences with me.

Why it doesn’t get done

I bet plenty of the things you do are “no brainers”.  You are psyched to them and have no problem doing. Then, there are the “other things”.  It could be picking up the phone and calling a prospective client, writing an article for your ezine, creating a program that you’ve been meaning to do forever or something “easy” like answering a single email.

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.
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Time To Take A Breather?

I hate to break it to you, but you’re not unique.  We all have tons of ideas.  In fact, many of your ideas can change the course of your business and bring you the success you crave.  The problem is two-fold.  First, with so many fabulous ideas you often find yourself overwhelmed, not knowing which path is the “right” path to follow and second, when you decide which path to follow actually following it.

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.

I Hate Being A Solopreneur

I was speaking to a colleague the other day.  Like me she’s a coach who works with other business owners.   We hadn’t spoken for about a year, so I was happy to catch up.  When I asked her what was going on in her life she told me that she was looking for a job in the corporate world.  She missed the predictability of a job.  She was tired of making decisions and she missed the regular paycheck.

In some ways I can relate.  Running your own business is often difficult, but I find the rewards outweigh the difficulties.  All in all I love being an entrepreneur, but there’s one thing I can’t stand…being a solopreneur.  It gets lonely!  It’s so easy to spend your day alone and lost in your own world with no perspective about what’s going on around you.
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3 Big Struggles…Revealed

It’s sad but true.  Entrepreneurs run around struggling to master three things to have the business, revenues and clients they desire.

1.     Perfecting their sales strategy.

2.     Developing and executing the perfect marketing plan.

3.     Filling their pipeline so that clients are ready to work with them on a consistent basis eliminating huge month to month swings in income.

It is absolutely true that you need sales and marketing along with a full pipeline, but this isn’t the core issue.  The real problem is the chaos you feel as you move through your day trying desperately to manage all of those moving parts.

What to do first?  What’s the best way to increase revenue?  How are you going to get all of these things done?  What’s the fastest way to bring in clients?  What will you actually be able to finish?  What’s going to give you peace of mind?  How to get yourself focused and moving?  How to do all of this and manage the business you already have?

I have decided to host a teleseminar, during which I’ll discuss just how to stop struggling and start making the money you deserve by showing you how to identify what’s going to be most profitable for your business. 

Now the really exciting part…during this teleseminar you will have the opportunity to ask me questions about your business and have me laser coach you right on the spot.

Click here to register now!

Here are the details:

Date:  Tuesday October 18
Time:  8pm ET

Your investment:  $0
Value including Profits, Clients, Peace of Mind:  Priceless!

Click here to register now!

I am going to be recording this session so sign up even if you can’t attend live. But remember…you must be there live to have the opportunity to be coached on your situation.

OK, got to go…speak with you on Tuesday!

So Much To Do…So Little Time

I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that we live in a world with endless possibilities and opportunities. The bad news is that all of these possibilities and opportunities can get overwhelming and you may find yourself not accomplishing anything.

Often as I speak with my clients or (to be completely transparent here) even as I look at my own desk, I get the sensation of drowning in a pool of options and to-do’s.

Different people have different reactions to all of the options. Some people end up freezing and doing nothing, while other people may jump from one thing to another in an effort to get everything done. The end result is the same…at the end of the day you wonder where the day has gone and marvel at how little you’ve accomplished and how much more there is to do.

Since there are so many things that my clients and I either want to do or feel that we “should” do, we sometimes create one of those “brain dump” lists to get everything out of our brains and into one spot. I wish I could simply wave a wand and accomplish everything on my “brain dump” list but I can’t because the reality is that we only have 24 hours a day.

Maybe it would be different if the list was stagnant but it isn’t. Somehow the universal law of to-do lists seems to be to always add more than you can possibly cross off. If you try to do everything all you’ll manage to do is engage in a race against the clock that you will never win and you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and in the end, unproductive.

When I see this happening either for myself or my clients it means it’s time to Read more

This Is Your Life

This past week has been a lot like that old TV show “This is Your Life”.

To start with, we had out of town guests.  It was my job to play tour guide in New York City, specifically lower Manhattan.  This is significant because I spent 15 years working on Wall Street, playing at the South Street Seaport, eating in Chinatown and living in Greenwich Village.  By the way, that’s me in front of the New York Stock Exchange.  I worked there for 10 years.  While I live very close to NYC, since I left my “JOB” and started CarrieThru (in 2002) I have spent very little time in lower Manhattan. 

After our guests left it was time to get my daughter to the program she’s doing this summer.  It’s an amazing program on Global Entrepreneurship and it’s being held at Lehigh University…my alma mater.  I graduated 25 years ago…and other than visiting the college with Sammi this year as she looks at colleges for herself, I hadn’t been back there.

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Crossing The Finish Line

Confession time…I decided to run a 5K for all the wrong reasons. My daughter’s boyfriend is a jock, my daughter isn’t.  He wanted to run with her and she couldn’t.  When I saw a sign at our gym for the new class “How to Train and Eat for a 5K” I saw it as an opportunity for her to start running.  Sammi wouldn’t do it alone so to help her we both joined the class.

This was a huge step for me because, although I work out regularly, I’ve always been a firm believer that I could not run.  I knew it was painful and horrible.  Besides, just running to the corner would leave me breathless.  It’s amazing what you do for your kids or so I said at the time.

The class was great because it gave us a coach and gave us a plan to teach us how to run so that we could make continual progress without getting hurt.  But the most important piece was that we had each other.

Day by day our runs got longer.  I found that the more we ran the more it became my personal goal and I was not doing this just for Sammi.  I started to feel an immense sense of satisfaction with every mile I ran.

Read more

Action 911

Free Teleseminar!

It’s the end of May…we’re five months into 2011.  Are you on track to meet your 2011 goals?

If not…

Join Carrie for a revealing 30-minute Take Action Teleseminar

Action 911:  The Immediate Steps You Must Take to Stop Planning and Start Profiting in 2011.

*** Fill in the SHORT form below to register for this FREE program! ***

I keep hearing the same story over and over…

• The first five months of 2011 are over. I haven’t implemented any of my ideas and I’m not making money.
• I’ve been waiting to get all my ducks in a row but I’m not sure I’ll ever get there.
• I’ve been planning and planning…actually I’ve been planning to plan … I don’t have enough clients, I’m not making money…I just don’t know what to do.
• I’m afraid I’ll be looking at these same plans at the end of December!

This has got to end.

It’s time to stop planning and start doing. The bottom line is that unless you act nothing will happen.  You and your business will not grow.  You will continue to be frustrated.  You will keep running around in circles.  You will continue under-earning.  Everything will stay exactly the way it is.

During this FREE presentation there will be no-hype and no sales.  Just 30-minutes of pure content delivered quickly so that you can immediately stop spinning and put your plans into action.

You will learn how to…

1. Take the plans you already have and act on them so that you can quickly monetize on the work you’ve already done.
2. Focus your attention on the actions that will give you the biggest return on your investment.
3. Let go of perfectionism and “just do it” so that you can get the clients you want.

And this is just a small part of what you’ll discover.

There’s nothing to stop you!

Go ahead and complete this SHORT form and register now!

First Name * Email * Privacy: We hate spam. We will never share your name with anyone for any reason.

Your coach,

Carrie

P.S. Do you know someone else who would benefit from this program?  Go ahead and forward them the link to this page but make sure to reserve your spot first!

It’s sometimes easier if you have a boss

In a recent Editor’s letter in Inc. magazine Jane Berentson wrote that she is impressed “…with the entrepreneurs who spend time, money, and careful thought creating great work environments.  We know (though the outside world usually doesn’t) that entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to fashion not just a product or a service but also a culture that reflects their attitudes and values.”

Yes, we entrepreneurs are lucky.  We get to design our business exactly the way we want. We get to do what we want to do, when we want to do it and with whomever we want to do it.  We get to make all the decisions and all the rules.  Nobody can tell us what to do!

On the one hand it’s great but on the other…boy there’s a lot of responsibility. Sometimes, when faced with decisions to make or the consequences of decisions you may have already made, it may seem easier to have (dare I say it?) … a boss.

Being an entrepreneur means staying motivated and true to yourself.  It means, waking up ready to go and do more than you planned to do.  It means, doing the hard things and taking risks.  It means, asking for help when you need it and absolutely giving help whenever you can. 

As an entrepreneur you are in a unique position — you get to create the life you want as you build the business of your dreams.  You don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself, but it’s vital that you’re asking the right questions and that you answer those questions honestly. 

Here are three questions that I not only ask my clients but also ask myself as I approach ideas or tasks for my own business.

1. Is what I’m planning on doing today in line with the vision I have for myself and my business?
2. Is what I’m doing at this moment moving me closer to my goal?
3. What are the results of the actions I’ve taken so far?  Do I need to rework or reevaluate my plan?

One last thought…

I’ve been in business for myself for eight years and I ask myself these questions often but, as powerful as these questions are, I find them most effective when someone else asks me them. I rely on a coach to help me make sound decisions.  My coach is not my boss and does not tell me what to do but does offer some sound advice and more importantly an outside perspective and a reality check.  

Imagine what a difference it would make in your business if you had someone available to you help you make decisions, brainstorm and help you grow your business. I’d like to offer you the opportunity to find out what a coach can do for you. 

I have just a few openings in the CarrieThru Premier Coaching Program.  I would like to offer one to you if you are an entrepreneur who is ready to take your dream and your business to the next level and beyond.

These spots are available by application only.  After you apply you and I will have a private conversation to make sure that the program makes sense for you and your business and that you and I are a good fit for what you’re looking to accomplish. 

Click here to apply.

There is no charge to apply or for the conversation.  However, please remember that this program is only appropriate for you if you are a business owner who is ready to see your business grow by making decisions, taking action and investing in yourself and your business.

Applications are due by May 20th at midnight.

Click here to apply for one of the THREE CarrieThru Premier Coaching Spots.

I’m looking forward to speaking with you…

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