Blog | Clever Fox

My Business (And Personal) Experiment for 2012

Written by Kathleen Alexander in Mindset and Motivation, Personal Changes

Last night was one of those hot, steamy Melbourne nights. As I lay in bed listening to the whirring fan, hoping for respite from the heat, I pulled the doona closer around me.

It clearly was a crazy thing to do! It didn’t make sense to wrap myself in a doona when it was the last thing I needed on such a hot evening.

There are times I do things just out of habit or perceived comfort when just the opposite action is called for. Have you ever done that?

As a business owner, I often question whether what I’m doing is hitting the mark. How can I say it better? Is my marketing reaching the right people? Is this a worthwhile strategy to pursue? Is this the path with the heart?

It’s easier to stick with what I know and feel comfortable in (yep, pull the doona tighter around me) but this year I’ve committed to doing a couple of things differently in my business. I’ve decided to:

Blog more consistently
Use social media (I’ve struggled with this in the past, as I’ve always valued my privacy and didn’t want to write innate status updates, however, I finally came to the obvious conclusion that it’s up to me to choose what I put out there)
Create new ways (apart from coaching) of passing my knowledge and the steps that I know work to clients who want to start a business or change their career

I don’t have the exact details of how it will all pan out, but stepping into what I’d like my business to evolve into several years from, this makes perfect sense. Along the way, I’m counting on finding my own blogging voice, and deliver great content in new formats.

This means I’ll be testing new habits and carving out time regularly in my schedule to write. I know there are lots of knowledge gaps I’ll need to fill but I won’t let them stop me. I’ll be giving myself a whole year to experiment, learn and adjust what I do. And I’ll keep readers updated on the results.

So what about you?

What changes are you going to make? How will you ensure you put new habits in place and take action on a consistent basis to get what you want? How much time will give yourself to experiment?

Are you game enough to share them below?

Tips for Entrepreneurs from America’s Top Creativity Coach, Dr Eric Maisel

Written by Kathleen Alexander in Mindset and Motivation

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Dr Eric Maisel

In a recent interview I conducted with Dr. Eric Maisel, America’s top creativity coach, I asked him for his insights on starting the entrepreneurial journey. First, just a bit of background on why I choose him for this topic. I first discovered Dr. Maisel’s work some years back when I came across his book A Writer’s Space. I found many parallels between the aspiring writers he addresses in his book and myself at the start of my foray into entrepreneurship.

Starting a new path or a business venture is much like starting a novel…

It is exciting…

The drive to begin and complete the venture comes from a force within…

It’s the process of breathing life into something that doesn’t yet exist…

You pour your heart and soul into it, and you want it to be wildly successful, however, you define success personally.

Yet the uncertainty of how it’s going to turn out can be nerve wracking.

So much so, that many don’t even start the process because it’s impossible to know for certain what the end outcome will be.

In this 17 minute interview with Dr. Maisel, the tips for entrepreneurs include include:
-   How to manage change and anxiety that pops up when you start your entrepreneurial venture
-   Daily practices to get your most meaningful work done, especially if you are straddling a job and your business at the same time (Dr. Maisel has authored over 35 books. Needless to say, he does know a few things about getting things done!)
-   The importance making meaning versus find meaning
-   Why you need courage and tenacity more than you need talent to be successful

You can listen to my interview with Dr. Eric Maisel here. Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tags: Mindset and Motivation

Before you leave your job to start a business….

Written by Kathleen Alexander in Business Start-Ups

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

I love working with aspiring entrepreneurs! We jam ideas, fine tune plans and create something that doesn’t yet exist. I get a buzz from the process, as do my clients and I encourage entrepreneurship.

But it would be irresponsible if I said it will work out all the time for everyone.

So before you quit your job, read 10 Things To Consider Before Leaving You Day Job in the Age’s and The Sydney Morning Heralds My Small Business. It includes a few of my my tips and insights from other experts on the subject. that appeared in The Age’s and The Sydney Morning Herald’s My Small Business.

Make Better Decisions in 2012 to Grow Your Business or Career

Written by Kathleen Alexander in Uncategorized

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one. ~Rita Mae Brown

Have you ever noticed how some folks just seem to move on from setbacks, move up the corporate ladder effortlessly or move towards their aspirations swiftly while others seem to be stuck in Ground Hog day?

There’s movement in the first group. They take steps and they get closer to their outcomes. The second group, on the other hand, remains stagnant in situations they don’t want to be in. They are dogged by thoughts that they should be experiencing something different and this makes their day-to-day experience even more unsatisfying.

If you look closely, there’s one major behavioural trait that separates the two groups. The first group makes decisions and follows through on them, often experimenting along the way. The second group tends to overthink and avoid making decisions.

Want a quick reality check on whether you’ve made good decisions over the last year or whether you need to make better decisions in 2012?

Pick up a pen and paper and answer the following questions:

Compared to early 2011, what is your present situation at the start of 2012 in the following contexts of your career or business?

Rate your answers by using one of the following symbols in each of the career or business contexts below:

+ to indicate that your situation in that context has improved

- to indicate that your situation in that context has become worse

= to indicate no change has occurred in that context. Next to the = symbol, draw a smiley face to indicate that you’re happy with the situation as it is, or a sad face if it’s something that you’re not satisfied with).

Career (if you’re in an employed role):

- Career Enjoyment

- Income

- Relationship with Coworkers

- Promotion Opportunities:

- Work Culture:

Business (if you’re self employed):

- Profits:

- Number of clients:

- Quality of clients:

- Marketing Strategies

- Personal Productivity:

- Enjoyment in Business:

Once you’ve completing the ratings, notice contexts that you’ve marked with a + symbol or a smiley face. Appreciate these blessings and the role you’ve played in creating them.

Next, look at the areas you have marked with a – symbol or a sad face. Realise that for better or for worse, the situation is partly the result of your thoughts, actions (or inactions) and behaviours.

Make a decision now to change areas that you’re dissatisfied in and follow through on it. It could be a small or simple decision, but effective follow though could alter the course of your life.

My success habit tip for 2012: Make decisions more often and more swiftly regardless of whether it’s perceived wrong.
After all, the more decisions you make, the easier decision making becomes and the better you become at making quality decisions.

Personally, I have identified areas where I will be making decisions more quickly. I can’t wait to evaluate the results over the months to come. I know that there will be massive changes in these contexts!

What Type Of Entrepreneur Do You Want To Be?

Written by Kathleen Alexander in Business Start-Ups

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

I came across this blog post by Rhonda Abrams on USA Today about different motivations individuals have for starting a business. A short and insightful article, she describes four categories – Actualizing Activity, Solo Sustainer, Balanced Business and Visionary Venture – based on the scale and scope of the business.

To briefly summarise what Rhonda Abrams describes:

Actualizing Activity - a business that you don’t rely on for an income as you already have other sources of income or need very little to survive on.

Solo Sustainer – this is the one man/woman show that rely on exchanging their service for income.

Balanced Business – this category of business provides a career for the owner and their employees. It’s small enough for the owner to have control while having the possibility of further growth.

Visionary Business – these are ones that you read about in the media! They’ve got a big vision, huge risks, and require large funds to operate. More fail than survive.

In my personal experience, many corporate escapees start with an actualizing activity (as they straddle their regular jobs with their entrepreneurial activity), or a solo sustainer business. This is driven by their desire to start small, minimize risk, contain costs and to pursue something they love doing quickly. Over time, they increase their income and scope of the business. Some want to go big with multiple offices, others prefer remaining small and working on strategies that will enable them to increase their income without necessarily getting into high debt, hiring full time staff or spending more time working.

Before starting a business, think about want you want your lifestyle to be like in the short, medium and long term and plan accordingly. If you’re already in business and find that your outcomes have changed, it’s never too late to implement new strategies that will change how your business works to suit your goals and desired lifestyle.