The failing of business start-ups is legendary. There are gads of reasons, but the primary and obvious one is that the owner needs money. Without an owner paycheck, a for-profit business is cloaked in non-profit attire. If a business doesn't use a financial model that supports a regular owner paycheck, the business will break down.

An owner rarely thinks about being paid for each hour they spend on their business. They are in it for the love of entrepreneurship-ideation, independence, resilience, and eventual ROI. Yes they want a pay-off, but in the exciting start-up phase, they get through on a diet of fresh ideas which, to most entrepreneurs, are just as important as food and water.

Reality hits when the "cup of soul" is drained. This simply means that the business has moved past early start-up and now needs more elbow-grease and follow-through-and fewer fresh ideas. It normalizes (feels like work) and the owner gets hungry, literally and figuratively. And in some cases, they are getting hard up for cash. Because they are contributing fewer big ideas in this phase-which is what feeds this personality-their energy wanes along with the pocketbook and the to-do list now seems insurmountable.

For some, their energy returns. They figure out how to enliven it in their mind and hearts again and they break down that to-do list. For others, the hum is gone and without it, the business falters.

Those who find the hum again have figured out an essential element to success: their business demands from them a supreme confidence in their business idea. A paycheck provides a significant boost to reminding them of their intrinsic value. For bread-winners, it helps them keep their energy and time in the business.

A new business rarely provides big salaries. In fact, a smart business plan starts with a small payroll, and ramps up contingent upon hard-won sales. While labor laws don't apply to owners, an owner who believes in their intrinsic value, and does what it takes to ensure their cash flow supports their pay each month, is a smart owner.

The simple take-away is this: A successful and long-term business provides the owner with a regular paycheck that is in-line with cash-flow, real effort, and results.

We rely on Clifton's Strengthsfinder to understand workplace dynamics. As we've used these concepts, it has become abundantly clear that inside each strength is a shadow that lives and breathes too. This relates loosely to Carl Jung's definition of the shadow in psychology. Wikipedia says, "It is important ... in understanding one's own more inexplicable actions and attitudes ... and for learning how to accept and integrate the more problematic or troubling aspects of one's personality.

Here are two examples:

Achiever: This theme is all about drive-constant, relentless drive and accomplishing. A lot, all the time, and without caffeine. That sounds fabulous, so what's the catch? The drive never turns off-not on weekends, not when sleepy, not on vacations, not when colleagues/family aren't keeping up. It is so normal for them to go at continuous full-speed, they forget that it isn't normal for everyone. They get tired and want it to turn off, but mostly because it causes conflict with the ones they care about or work with, not because they can't keep up the pace. Because they can.

Ideation: This strength is all about, you guessed it, I-D-E-A-S. A concept that pulls all the dots together and forms it into a loose blob. In fact, the sun does not set for this person if an idea has not brewed, percolated, and been poured out of them. Once the idea is out-they are sated. Again, it sounds great, right? Who doesn't like amazing ideas? Well, can you imagine what the Achiever might do with this person after about a week of an endless stream of ideas? Throw their hands up in frustration-nothing is getting done! In fact, eventually the Ideator also get frustrated and turn off the ideas. They have become tired of their unrealized ideas as well.

So what can be done to tame the shadows?

• Learn all you can about your talents, including the shadows. Embrace whatever self-awareness assessment(s) that works for you. Hang on to results from assessments, or nuggets of knowledge you find out about yourself. Journaling can be good for this. If you have Learner, Input or Analytical, beware of analysis paralysis or the black hole of information.
  
• Rest it. If you find that one of your strengths is tipping you over (or making your relationships difficult), engage another one for a time. Let the troublesome talent go dormant-it just needs to rest for awhile. This will give you some space from it. You'll then be able to assess how and when you want to use it again. This is an iterative process-don't expect brilliance the first time back.
  
• Balance them all. Realize that this one talent is just one part of you. As you go into each day, understand which parts of you needs to be front and center, and which parts might be able to hang back.

Note: We keep a stockpile of Strengthsfinder 2.0 in our office. Drop by to pick one up and to get to know your strengths (and shadows).

It's not uncommon to send out dozens of emails each week requesting responses or information. Maybe you are emailing a client to find out if they are ready for service, you need a staff member to email you a document or you want to know where the next staff meeting will be held. Wouldn't it be great if every time you emailed someone they responded back within the hour with the information you needed? We all know it doesn't work that way. Keeping track of these responses can be difficult. With this trick, however, it can be a bit easier to make sure nothing falls through the cracks of responsibility.

Instead of keeping a big list, say in your dayplanner, of the items you need to follow-up on, once a week review your "Sent Items". The most important piece of this trick is to do it weekly, or it will turn into the "Sent Items" job that you'll never want to do!

It works like this, quickly skim each item in your sent file, and then take one of 3 actions:

(1) Delete it if you have received the response and info that you need.

(2) Send the email out again requesting the info, if it has been at least a few days;

(3) Keep it in your sent list and re-check next week.

As long as you keep cleaning up the Sent folder, deleting what has been resolved, you can quickly see what needs a follow-up.

We now know that the piler brain typically has fantastic creating elements. They bring fun, innovation and beauty to our lives. For years we marginalized pilers because they looked like slackers. In reality, many geniuses were probably pilers: Einstein, Picasso, Beethoven, da Vinci. An educated guess is that many architects, writers, artists, inventors, designers, and entrepreneurs have the Piler gene, which hasn't been identified yet, but I'm sure it's there.

My theories about pilers are:

1. They use multi-tasking, multi-minding and random-order processing to innovate. They can cook breakfast, feed the dog, read the paper and answering email all within the same space of time and in no particular order.

2. They quickly switch from conscious to sub-conscious in order to pack in the data points on the creations they are brewing. Switching gives each idea space to breath.

3. They think in a circular fashion because they see connections everywhere, while linear thinking limits their creativity.

Oftentimes, pilers do not like their work to be put away and buttoned-up. The folks at Pendaflex are getting that point. They've created a product line called PileSmart to help pilers stay organized. The Project Sorter is great for housing beefy projects or task sets. The papers destined for a project sorter can at least land near the sorter until you have a few minutes for sorting, which allows for a mix of creativity and rigidity.

We work tirelessly to customize and create solutions that work with creative piler minds. Sometimes pilers and their minds need help systemizing, simplifying, ordering and producing something out of their creative thoughts. They need flexible and adaptable solutions.

Still our society gets down on Pilers. As a person who helps Pilers be successful, I use creative visualization to stay positive. I imagine that our clients are the next Bill Gates or Georgia O'Keefe.

For those of you who haven't caught up with a Life Coach, you most likely have some questions about what exactly that is. We've outlined a few questions and answers to help you understand the service a coach provides and the process they follow.

These are actual questions that one of our clients asked when interviewing Life Coach, Sandra Wood.

If I told you that I wanted to have a life makeover, what questions would you shoot back at me? Knowing what you want to change and what goals you have in mind is imperative. What areas of your life need the most focus? What is the most powerful feeling you want to have about your life? (ie, focus, calm, balance?) What kinds of success do you want to achieve?

If I asked you how you could help me to make-over my life, what would you tell me? Coaching is like planning a vacation. First we pick the destination, and then we start to plan the trip. We implement and put into action those steps that get you closer to your goal.

What are the most common issues that clients come to you to help them resolve? Individuals come to coaching to be more productive, organized, focused, balanced and energized. Clients are looking for an accountibility partner who can help them stay on course.

Is it really possible to permanently make over your life, or will you ultimate just fall back into old habits and patterns? You can change habits and patterns with time and consistency. Changing habits and behaviors is a lifelong process but one that is certainly attainable and worth the effort.

What are the first steps to take when you want to make lasting changes? Identify what is most important and you can anchor your changes in something that is meaningful. Understand your values and what you most want out of life. Get very clear about what you don't want.

What are the most common problems that plague the careers of executives, entrepreneurs and decision-makers? Not taking enough time to take care of themselves: emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Not delegating appropriately. Not knowing how to effectively manage staff. Not completing projects and staying focused on one thing at a time.

What roadblocks do people deal with when making changes? Simply stated it is a lack of awareness around their thought process, belief system and emotional state of their lives. Old habits and patterns without a plan to change will continue to prevail. Changing your life is a process that can be addressed one step at a time.

What am I looking for when selecting a coach? Make sure you find a good fit for your personality and skill set. Each coach brings certain strengths to their approach. In any situation, your coach should focus on helping you set realistic attainable goals and plans, and be your accountibilty partner in making your desired changes happen. Good coaches are positive, have a good knowledge base, and show up focused on the most important thing: You! 

Now that you know more about the process of Life Coaching, find out if it's right for you by taking this quiz.

If you are ready to start, by all means contact sandra [at] innerpathcoaching [dot] com right away!

Successful business owners devote regular amounts of energy and time managing the day-to-day fluctuations of their cash. And they sleep better simply because they know. It's the not-knowing that drives most owners to getting less sleep--and therefore having less health.

Cash Flow Analysis sounds mysterious, and to some novice owners it sounds like something they might not have any skill to do so they avoid it. Whether or not you have the skill is not relevant, really. You own a business, therefore, continuing to learn about money matters is a must. If this sounds like you, find someone who can teach you how, set up your systems, and learn how to do it. Or, hire them to do it for you.

The simple daily, weekly, or monthly analysis is based on 4 basic elements: your bank balance, the bills you owe, the money owed to you, and the investments and loans in your system. 

The frequency of your analysis is up to the size of your balances and transactions. Small businesses can get away with a weekly or monthly check. Larger businesses are tied to a weekly or daily check. As your business grows, the analysis can get more complicated because there are predictions and budgets involved. 

1. Your Bank Balance: Reconciling your bank account every month is critical. Knowing where      you stand in your bank account gives you the foundation for understanding what the next week's cash needs are. Without it, your foundation is as good as sand.
   
2. Bills You Owe: Otherwise known as Accounts Payable. Bills you owe are the monies that are going out of your business, including payroll, vendors, regular expenses, loan payments, and the monies you owe Uncle Sam.
   
3. Money Owed to You: Known by Bean Counters as your Accounts Receivable. This is what your customers and anyone else owes you.
   
4. Funding from Owners, Investors or Lenders: Leverage your resources by using other people's money to expand your business' reach. Most business' keep their account balances in check by getting help from lenders or investors on a fairly regular basis.

If your cash picture is bleak, denying reality by not looking at it is not helping you. Take charge by building a system for each of the elements, do the calculations, and review it regularly. If you are having trouble with the system creation or making the time--hire it done!

If you build a system, stick with it, and review it, your bleak picture will transform into a fantastic picture. How? Because you will see the bottomline, you will start to make decisions that make cash flow sense. You will get better at collecting payments, cutting expenses, and bringing in revenue. It's just a natural evolution.

Before you know it, it will be a something you look forward to. And then you can take a nap.

We believe that you have an Executive inside you. Yes, you are the Executive of your own life.

You are the only one that can move your arms and legs, make your mouth talk, think with your brain. No one else. Only you. No cop outs. No excuses.

Executive functions are a must for goal-directed behavior. They include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations. Executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations.

Each of us uses our executive functions in reasoning and thought process every day. Again, what does this prove? That you are your own top-level decision-maker carrying out a vision for your life.

So what does this all mean for you? Tag, you're it.

"What happens if we spent energy developing our strengths instead of fixing our deficiencies?" That is the question asked by the late Donald O. Clifton, the originator of the Strengths movement.

The original goal was to start a global conversation about what's right with people. Using strengths, instead of a weakness focus, indeed leads to employee engagement and improved business outcome in areas that include retention, profitability and productivity.

We rely almost exclusively on Gallup's StrengthsFinder assessement for our clients and staff. It's a powerful way to discover and develop people's potential and unique qualities. As each person gains awareness and education about their own talents, the team and the business gains power. Instead of individuals counter-productively straining against each other, we see a finely oiled machine functioning to full maximum.

Find your unique strengths by buying the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book by Tom Rath and taking the test. The book jacket has a code that will give you access to the online assessment. You will walk through a 30-40 minute timed test--which ensures you don't over-think your answers.

Your top five strengths will be reported to you on-screen and via email. Don't forget to fill out the online Action Plan which gives you all the information you need to begin learning about your strengths, and bolstering them.

Spending time and energy on your talents is a much more worthwhile endeavor than trying to fix or change the core of who you are.

Have you noticed that some things are easier to do with someone else around? We call this using a Body Double, and it means that we are there for a client while they do a task that is hard for them. Many new personal services rely on this intriguing feature of human nature-collaborating, joining, grouping, not wanting to be alone. Many people want another person around to get it done. There are a few options to getting it done if you decide that this describes you to a tee:

Team Up
Find someone that needs a body double in an area you have skills and passion, and create a system to trade time. Aim for 2-3 hour blocks and define the project before you get together. Add a meal or a family BBQ after so there is something to look forward to.

Delegate
Maybe someone in your world can do the dreaded tasks that you can't bring yourself to get done, possibly better than you could. My husband loves to be out in the world, so he runs the errands while I hunker down at home and do the planning & organizing that he isn't so passionate about.

Adjust Your To-Dos
Eliminate or reduce the task. If you plan and shop for the meal but don't ever cook it, maybe it's time to change your strategy. With personal chefs, ready-made meals, dinner co-ops and assembly-meal companies-there are plenty of options. Adjust your thinking to reduce the difficulty.

Outsource
Hire someone to help accomplish tasks that you can't get done. In some cases, this is the only solution to get the support you need.

Essential to getting and staying organized is to recognize your abilities and limitations. Honestly. If you pretend it isn't an issue, you will continue to get stuck. If you recognize it, accept it, talk openly about how you work best, those around will step up to the plate and support your efforts.

 

1. Recognize your WHYS

Getting organized isn't new. It's not just about having more time or money. Essentially, it's about your purpose and intentions. It's about gaining an understanding of yourself, your environment and your life. Why do you want to get organized or clear clutter? What would you have room for if you cleared thoughts out of your mind that are no longer serving you?

2. Clear One Physical Space Every Day

Physical organizing, or movement, helps energize the thinking part of organizing. Begin each day by clearing one physical space (even if you just move the stuff). Then, step back and take it in. Enjoy the feeling of mental clarity, while not worrying about what to do with the stuff. If you can clear one small physical space then you can clear space anywhere, including your mind.

3. Free Your Mind

Think of your mind like a hard disk-it can only hold so much. We often keep thoughts that make us feel less then spectacular. Work through the piles of your mind, just as you do your desk. Getting your thoughts, feelings, memories and plans in order makes clearing the physical spaces much easier. Guaranteed!

4. Hone Your Decision Making Skills

Organizing is mostly about having clarity which enables you to make decisions swiftly. Our self-talk can inhibit this. The process of organizing becomes light and fast when you free your mind because your decision-making is crisp and clear. Become aware of what things are easiest for you to decide on, and then expand your base by easing into more challenging decisions.

5. Spend 15 Minutes Planning

Planning is the cornerstone to reaching goals. For every 5 minutes you spend planning, you save an hour of floundering. For each day, week, and months spend 15 minutes planning the day, week and month. Using a timer for this exercise will help you stay on track.