Learning the Lesson... Again!

Several months ago I learned a valuable lesson about distraction. I had gotten myself so ‘busy’ that I was missing out on the things that were the most important. While caregiving for my Uncle Wayne, I learned this lesson in a very personal and fulfilling way, so I assumed that it would naturally stick with me; there was no way I’d ever get so bogged down again, that I’d miss the important things.

Fast-forward six months, and somehow, I found myself, and my schedule in a similar situation to where I was before Uncle Wayne came to live with me. I realized that I was spending more than half my time at networking and business development events. Also, and equally important, I was spending a lot of money on advertising services that weren’t our core business. I was so busy with the short-term goals that I was missing out on the long-term opportunities. Déjà vu!

I reread my thoughts in ‘Blessing of Distraction’ and remembered that I had redeveloped my company’s Strategic Plan. So, it took me a half-hour of searching, but finally found that Strategic Plan, in a binder, on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. I read through it and rewrote some of the goals and action plans to make them more specific. I’m keeping that Strategic Plan posted on the wall by my desk. “Out of sight, out of mind…” - that’s a lesson I won’t have to learn again!

Another crucial change: I needed to limit my networking activities, which had, once again, taken over my schedule. I am back to just one per week. Also, I’m combining lunch with business meetings, so I can accomplish two things at once.

One of the most important things I did was put a picture of Uncle Wayne on my desk. He’s wearing a bright yellow shirt and a great big smile. He sits next to my computer screen, so I always see him smiling at me from the corner of my eye. After all, it was he who taught me the ‘Blessing of Distraction’ in the first place. It seems only right that he should be at my side to keep me on track.

So, once again, I have learned to refocus on the long-term goal. Don’t let everything else get in the way or you’ll miss your golden opportunity!

The Truth About Entrepreneurship

When it comes to marketing your business, I believe that it takes several methods to be truly successful in the long term. There are countless books and resources about networking, online marketing, closing the sale, prospecting, time management, website development, and the list goes on.

In reality, it takes a combination of several well-planned strategies. Sure you need to know the basics of marketing, networking, getting referrals, and internet marketing. But you also need to know how to run a business. An entrepreneur is always a sales person first, a business person next, and then a professional in his/her chosen industry.

For example, I am a great event producer and meeting planner. I have more than 15 years of experience in a variety of event capacities and industries. That alone wouldn’t have made me successful as an event planning entrepreneur. Thankfully, I also have been a sales professional, so I understand sales cycles, the buying process, and how to close a sale. Sometimes it is more difficult to ‘sell yourself’ than a product or service; that is what entrepreneurial success takes. Additionally, I've run offices and managed staff and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

So before you ‘jump off the ledge’ and start your own business, in a full-time capacity, be sure that you are comfortable in the following roles:

1. Selling Yourself – your experience, your ideas, your value
Prospecting
Networking
Followup
Closing the sale

2. Know the basics of business –
Budgeting
Web content development
Legal issues (corporate structure, basic contracts, etc.)
Negotiation strategies
Business and strategic plans

3. Understand your product and service better than your competition

It takes more than industry expertise to be a long-term successful Entrepreneur. With a lot of planning, experience and personal motivation it IS an achievable goal!

The Blessing of Distraction

I had an enlightening life experience over the past few weeks. For the past two years, my parents have been my beloved Uncle Wayne’s caregivers. He was a Parkinson’s patient for 10 years and under the care of Odyssey Hospice for the past 5 months.

And yet it was surprising that when he came to live with me and my family, while my parents were out of the country on vacation, he began to fail rapidly and passed away just last week. As an entrepreneur, this new responsibility took a toll on my business. I had to postpone or cancel meetings and networking events to stay in my home office as he required more and more care. Basically, I was distracted and I put my business on the back burner – or so I thought.

Oddly enough, in the time Uncle Wayne lived here, I landed new projects and bid opportunities that I had not given attention to in the past. I kept saying ‘you’re not going anywhere Uncle Wayne; you are my good luck charm.’ He just beamed! He was so proud of me and my accomplishments. He asked me about my goals, my projects and ‘how did you learn to do all of this?’ Through our numerous and in-depth conversations, Uncle Wayne helped me think differently about my business.

After he died, I was in a funk. I can’t say I was depressed, but I was definitely off my game. I had gotten used to working from my home office. I realized that prior to his living here, I had been spending so much time out in the community networking and volunteering, that I had actually lost focus on why I’m in business in the first place.

So, out of this life-changing experience came a career change too! I have reworked my strategic plan, selected the few networking opportunities in which I will continue to participate, and I’ve recommitted to the sales process of my business. There are projects that I’m working on now that I’ve always dreamed about. I needed the ‘distraction’ to get my head on straight.

As I heard recently from Matthew Best, a business coach that I respect, and then learned personally, distractions are often a way to take a step back and refocus. So the next time you find yourself ‘distracted,’ take a moment to think about what you are ‘distracted’ from and decide if, in the big picture, it’s really worth your time!

6 Things To Consider Before You Book An Event

6 Things To Consider Before You Book An Event

Goals–
These are the basis of every decision you will make regarding the event. Are you trying to increase employee morale, revenue generation, branding and corporate visibility, education, etc?

Staffing –
Often a new event falls on the shoulders of existing staff, most often the marketing and or administrative teams. Consider their existing job duties and be certain they will have the time available in their schedule to dedicate to this new venture. If they are not experienced in planning this type of event, you will want to allow for a little extra time for the general learning curve. Analyze what other internal resources you’ll need to make available. You may need IT support to run web registration, graphic design and copywriting for print or electronic marketing initiatives, sales team for sponsorship and ticket sales etc.

Target Attendees –
Based on your goals, establish who you would like to see in attendance. Who are they, do you already know them or not? You’ll want to gather demographics on this group before making any final decisions regarding the look and feel of the event, timing etc. The target audience will determine how you market the event, and it will lead you to companies or industries that may have an interest in supporting your event.

Timing –
What time of year are you planning to host the event? Have you considered your audience, staffing, and holidays that may have an impact on your event. Also, depending on your target audience and sponsorship goals, you may want to consider fiscal year ends for companies in your industry.

Budget –
This encompasses more than just ‘how much will it cost.’ Planning an event budget requires determining the projected revenue, sponsorships and ticket sales, the theme/flow of the event and overall goals you’ve established. The budget process includes creating the timeline and sales process for reaching the desired financial outcome.

Facility Requirements –
Before you can book a facility, or even begin site surveys, you’ll want to determine how much space you need and in what state and city you want to hold the event. Factor into this the amount of set up and storage space you’ll need, how far in advance you'll need that space, the size of the meeting rooms you’ll need, types of seating arrangements (total accommodation often depends on room set up), audio/video needs, meal and exhibit space, hotel accommodations, catering needs etc.

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