I Know Better, Do You?

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Katy Tafoya
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
~ Maya Angelou

Let me preface this by saying that this article is probably going to evolve into a very me-centric piece.  As I start out writing this, I don’t see any sort of “5 Steps to…” or “Easy Ways That You Can…” sort of tips and tools happening here.

As life has been hitting me over the head with a few similar kinds of messages this past week (hell, mostly these past couple days), I thought I’d just go with the flow and see what comes of it.

To put it simply…I’ve never been one for harboring regrets or for mourning opportunities missed.  But that doesn’t mean that bad choices weren’t made or that opportunities weren’t missed.  I’m only human after all.

I’ve always known that I was meant for something.  I was here, on this Earth, with this family, these friends and these life experiences for a reason.

I know that losing my mom at such a young age (with a quick following of other close family deaths) was what created the empathetic woman that I am today.  I know that growing up with very little money and having male family members believing that it was okay to take money what others earned led me to become a cheerleader for women to create the lives that they want and to find their joy.

No excuses.  No wallowing.  It’s just they way it all played out.

When you have that kind of clear knowing, you don’t really have room for regrets or feeling like you missed out on an opportunity or experience.

Of course, it also makes for a bit of a Pollyanna outlook.  And those of you know me personally, or have followed along for a while know what a Pollyanna I am.

You see, I believe that everything happens for a reason.

Yes, everything.

We might not always see the reason.  And sometimes, it might be one helluva painful experience that wipes you out and blinds you to the gift you’ve been given at that moment.  But there is a reason it happened and that it played out the way it did.

I’ve found that when you look back at the annoying or painful event after some time has passed, you’ll usually be able to see that reason loud and clear and in vibrant, full color and clarity.  I recently had one of those “oh, so that’s the reason all that happened 4 years ago” moments myself (but that isn’t what this article is about).

If everything happens for a reason, then how can we have regrets?  How we have shame or guilt over our actions?  How can we feel that we missed out on that one, great opportunity (regardless of how many missed opportunities that might be).

I’ve noticed that lately, I’ve been beating myself up with the whole “I know better” thing.  Usually it’s around the “I’m a teacher…I know better.“  Or the “really, but I’m a trained therapist, how could I not see what was going on.“  And it took a casual conversation with a virtual, Facebook friend that introduced (more like RE-introduced) me to the idea that quite often our shame and our guilt isn’t even our own stuff.

It’s all part of that “thought virus” or beliefs that we inherited from our parents.  Our parents, who were really just doing the best they could with what they had at the time.

I would almost bet that your business issues, money challenges, relationship woes, lack of success and overall failures really don’t mean as much as you think.

I don’t think it’s your stuff. 

It’s our parents stuff.  It’s their parents stuff. And their parents before them.  Basically, it’s generations of people dumping their personal experiences and beliefs on us as if it’s OUR personal experiences and beliefs.

They tell us that men/women suck and can’t be counted on.  They tell us that people will leave us.  That heartbreak and loss happen to everyone.  We’re told that as women we need to marry (and have 2.5 kids) even if he’s a boring, uninspiring and humorless schmoe because he has a good job and will provide for us.

They warn us that we can’t be happy and it’s selfish to even expect to be happy.  We hear that we should go for the job that pays the most, even if it’s miserable and we hate ourselves at the end of the day.  We’re told that we can’t start a business because we don’t know anything about “business.” They warn us that we should never leave a job, any job, especially in this market.

Oh and by the way…lest you forget, money doesn’t grow on trees.  And money comes in and immediately goes right back out again.  You just can’t get ahead in this world because money is the root of all evil.

They lovingly tell us that we can’t do it…whatever it happens to be for us.

And they share so many other versions of their stories, their experiences and their beliefs that we then let guide our lives and influence our actions.  All the while thinking that it’s what we believe to be true.

What if instead, we listen to those voices and beliefs and take a minute to ask ourselves “Do I really believe this? Deep down, in my heart of hearts, do I believe this to be true for ME?”

What do you think would happen if we realized that this isn’t our shit?  That deep down, in our heart of hearts, in the person that we know we are meant to be, that we know better.

What would happen?

Would you remember that you’re here for a reason? That you are exactly where you should be, doing what you are meant to do for right now…including hearing this message as it’s written for your eyes only?

Would we still have those same regrets if we knew that they helped us to become the very person that we are? Would we still see those opportunities as missed?

Who would you allow yourself to become? How would you help the people you were put here to help?  What would you say to yourself?  Your clients?  Your children?

What would you do differently today, tomorrow, next week, next year?

You know what…you DO know better. 

Not in the shame on your, you know better sense.  No, you’ve done nothing wrong.  But you know that you have something bigger that you were meant to do and you don’t need to continue to believe these passed down stories and beliefs as your stories and your beliefs.

You know better.

Why not sit down and rewrite your stories and get clear on YOUR beliefs today.  As only you know them to be.

No really…why not? You are the foremost expert in all things YOU, you know. 

What beliefs or thought viruses have you noticed that you inherited from your parents?  I encourage you to share with your friends, fans and followers (and with me, if you don’t mind).

Posted in Online Presence, Resources, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

Who Doesn’t Appreciate Being Appreciated?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

Last week was Teacher Appreciation week, basically across the entire US.  Because of our standardized testing schedule our official celebration is scheduled for this week when our parents are cooking our teachers a homemade feast.

I will be on vacation (yay!) so the middle school teachers that I work with gave me my very own “appreciation” during my mid-schoolers Community Circle time.  It was sweet to hear the kind words from my fellow teachers.  And even sweeter to hear the applause and craziness from my students.

And yes, I sure do feel loved and appreciated.

 

Posted in Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

Birthday Gift-a-Palooza 2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

I am all about finding great resources and building your success toolbox. And more often than not, I’m also all about sharing those resources with you guys.

Usually I do this over on the Success for Solopreneurs Facebook page (link), but as a birthday gift from me to you, I thought I’d compile a bunch of handy resources here and share them with you.

I’m going to do my best to organize them a bit, but that could become more work that I’m up for (I am trying to lighten my workload this week as part of my birth-a-versary celebration), so bear with me.

Many of these awesome resources don’t require any sort of opt-in. Others will require an opt-in. Also, the resources that are mine and do require an opt-in, you won’t have to worry about getting double emails from me (assuming you use the same email address that you originally signed up with).

I hope you enjoy!! And please, feel free to spread the word and share the wealth with your own friends, fans and followers.


Special, One-Time Only Birthday Rates on Coaching

As a birthday gift to YOU, I’m offering my super special, amazingly great deal rates on coaching…for $97 you can get a 45-minute coaching session with me, directly.

We can spend this time working on whatever is your top priority at this time: identifying your niche, marketing, creating your sales process, creating bold goals for the year, cash flow strategies, creating a signature system, systemizing & streamlining your systems, creating your online presence, brainstorming, you name it.

You can purchase up to 6 sessions at this special rate, but they must be scheduled and completed  by August 31st, 2012. You can also gift sessions to friends or family.

Click the Buy Now button below to get started…

This special pricing expires on Friday, May 12, 2012

Teleseminars Coming Up

Christine Kane’s Secrets to Creating Cash Flow.  This is a free class from one of my personal mentors.  I promise you’ll get something (tons) out of it. She’s great with the mindset stuff.

I’ll be leading a free teleseminar on Thursday, May 24th on Facebook Basics for Heart-Centered Solopreneurs. I hope to get to answer your questions on the call. Register ➼ http://bit.ly/FBHeartCentered

Success for Solopreneurs Resources

100+ Ideas to Get You Writing & Creating Content TODAY

How To Identify, Claim and Leverage Your Online Presence Success Packet

Blog & Content Creating Planner

Authenticity Rocks Teleclass Authenticity Rocks

4 Simple Steps to Easily and Confidently Tell People What You Do

Take Control of Your Life Success Packet

Daily Accountability Tracker

My Personal Favorites: Online Business Tools & Resources

Business Tools & Articles

150+ Best Business Inspirational Quotes

55 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

Kathleen Gage’s 3-part Video Series on List Building

Tara Gentile’s The Art of Earning (pay what you can)

CopyBlogger’s Email Marketing 101

CopyBlogger’s Content Marketing 101

CopyBlogger’s Copywriting 101

CopyBlogger’s SEO Copywriting Made Easy

CopyBlogger’s How To Write Magnetic Headlines

Tony Robbins’ 3 Free Gifts from Oprah’s LifeClass

Ali Brown’s “Ezine Publishing Profits: 3 Simple Strategies for a List-Building, Money-Making Ezine”

My mentor, Kendal SummerHawk’s video series, “How To Stop Unconsciously Sabotaging Your Income And Start Increasing Your Self-Worth And Your Net Worth”

Kendall SummerHawk’s “15 Tips, Scripts and Must Do’s To Help You Charge What You’re Worth and Get It”

Pamela Bruner’s EFT videos – brief videos that can help you to clear the blocks to success and abundance that can keep you from making the money (and having the impact) that you want in your life and in your business.

Ebooks

Jay Abraham’s The Sticking Point

Jay Abraham’s Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got

My coach, Chrsitine Kane’s “Create Your Life Kickstart” which includes “The Complete Guide to Vision Boarding” and may or may not still include free copy of her song, “Virginia.”

What resources and tools do you have in your success toolkit? I encourage you to share with your friends, fans and followers (and with me, if you don’t mind) so more people can benefit.

Image: VintageAdBrowser.com

Posted in Check it Out, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

How to Become a Delectible Creation in Five Easy Steps

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Katy Tafoya
“Nothing you have done, nothing that was done toy, and nothing anyone else has ever said you or believed about you erases the inalienable truth that you are a delectable creation”
~ Victoria Moran

A couple weeks back I read a fun book by Victoria Moran called “Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment of Every Day”.  While it isn’t a business book, I found that it really spoke to the entrepreneur in me.

Right from the onset it resonated with me. I mean how could it not when the very first chapter is “Know That You Are Worthy” and offers up the juicy tidbit that I quoted above, right?

I think often times, as a female solopreneurs, we forget just how worthy and deserving we are.  We forget that we are doing exactly as we are meant to be doing at this particular moment in time.  I mean, come on, as Ms. Moran says…are we not a delectable creation?

But I get it.  

Sometimes, we’re so busy putting the needs of others (our spouses, our kids, our pets, our parents, our vendors and yes, even our clients) above our own.

But of course, putting the needs of others before our own needs means that we run the risk of wearing ourselves down.  This could lead to lack of joy in our business or our life, frustration at not being where we want to be, or even anger towards those we’re caring for.

Or God forbid, the stress of doing too much for others and not enough for ourselves can lead to seeming depression or illness.

We need to feel worthy – and hold tight to that worthiness – to carve some personal time out for ourselves.  And we need to do this both personally and professionally.

As a solopreneur, we are our businesses.  For many of us, we’re in charge of all areas of our business.  We wear many hats.  And let’s face it, as the saying goes…if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!

To help you claim your worthiness I invite you to embrace and practice one (or more) of these five simple ways to get started creating the sacred space in your life that you deserve.

Get Away: Step away from your computer.  Walk away from your kitchen.  Leave your home or office. Even if you can’t spare more than a few minutes, you need to create the time to actually breathe away from your desk, your office or your family and your home.  Go for a walk around the block.  See what all the rage is about with a local Zumba class.  Get your zen on by heading to some local gardens or greenery.  Head out for a cup of green tea on a garden patio.  Just find the time, at least once a week to step away from your every day space and indulge in being you.

Get Focused: What do you want?  Who do you want to be?  What would you like to experience?  Get some focus on what you intend for yourself,  your relationships, your family, your business.  You don’t have to tackle it all at once.  But focus on something you want to do, be or have.  Get clear about it – know what you want and what you don’t want – so you can welcome it into your life.

Get Quiet: I don’t know about you, but my thoughts are always yammering away amongst themselves.  I find that to get clear on things, to create the space to allow something new, I need to get quiet.  That might mean meditating (usually guided) or it might mean listening to calming music.  Or it might mean taking a nap (I blame the cat for being such a bad influence).  For me, it really just means quieting my thoughts and allowing myself to just be and to process what’s going on around me and being aware of what comes forward in the quiet.

Get Creative: Creativity means different things to different people.  For some it might mean writing, blogging or storytelling.  For others, it’s art, music or dance.  But don’t forget that being creative involves anything that you create…that could mean gardening, cooking, baking, knitting, dancing, or even rearranging furniture. The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity.  When you allow your right brain time to work it’s magic, it often influences the left (more logical and practical and well, business senseical) in ways you haven’t even begun to imagine.

Get Worthy: I think this might be the most difficult part for many of us.  But for your sake, your business’ sake, your sanity’s sake, know that you are worthy. And that you can take time to focus on yourself, your business or anything else you might want to noodle around with.  If you don’t take care of your needs, who is going to take care of them for you?  Just deciding to make the time (and actually taking the time) for yourself is one way to declare your worthiness.

Know that you deserve it.  You earned it, just by being the dynamic and fabulous woman that you are.

You are worthy.

Why not take a little time and schedule out some time for yourself today.

No really…why not? 

I promise you, the world won’t end.  Your business won’t fall apart.  Your family won’t destroy the house.  Everyone and everything will be just fine.

What do you do when you need time away?  How do you celebrate your worthiness?  I encourage you to share with your friends, fans and followers (and with me, if you don’t mind).

Posted in How To, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

What Do You Have the Courage to Do Today?

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
~ Maya Angelou

Sometimes I think that as solopreneurs (and wearer of nearly all the hats in our business) we forget just how many courageous things we do each and every day.

We try new products.  We take new workshops and trainings.  We create new products.  We redesign our websites.  We speak with strangers about what we do.  We make investments.  We share our knowledge and expertise with others. We volunteer to help others.  We book the flight.  We make the calls. We take that first step.

Then look at the bigger picture…your life. 

What sort of courageous things have you done in your life?  Left home to go to school.  Asked that guy out.  Got a pet.  Moved in with your partner.  Learned to cook. Applied for that job.  Aced that interview.  Left a relationship not knowing what was next. Had that beautiful baby.  Started your own business.

You see, we tackle courageous feats every day.  Yet we seem to focus more on our fears instead of our courage.

The next time you feel the same old fears creeping in, remind yourself of the many risky things you’ve already done and how well they’ve worked out for you in the past.

Then take action.  Take that first step.  Move forward.  

Even if that first step turns out to be a stumble or a wrong step, any movement is better than no movement.  Any action is better than inaction.

As Mike Dooley tells us in Infinite Possibilities, “As long as you want change, keep busy.  Stay active.  The more you do, the more opportunities life’s magic will have to reach you.  Never does the day dawn that you are done.

So make a date with yourself this week and think back over all the things you’ve done and accomplished in your life – both big and small – and write them down.

I challenge you to come up with at least 25 things that you’ve done in your life that required you to take that courageous first step.

What first step are you going to take today?

Posted in How To, Resources, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

Powerful Alternatives to Creating A Vision Board

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.”
~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter

I’m sure by now, you’ve heard about Vision Boards. They quickly became all the rage during The Secret craze back in 2006 (thanks to Oprah’s influence).  It seems now that everyone has tried their hand at creating a vision board or three.

If you’re not familiar with the concept, let me walk you through the process.

  1. Gather posterboard, scissors, magazines and glue.
  2. Thumb through the magazines for words and pictures that illustrate what you want in your life, or who you’d like to be.
  3. Cut out the images and words and glue them onto your posterboard in whatever fashion suits you.
  4. Optional: decorate your board further with glitter, art, handwritten items, etc.

As you can see, it’s quite a simple process.  I’ve kind of discovered some challenges with this standard model (for me at least).  Now that I have this large posterboard, I don’t really have anywhere to hang it.  Sometimes, when I want to create a new board, I don’t have enough magazines with the kind of images and words I’m looking for.  And other times, I’m just not feeling all that artistic to take on such a large-scale project.

As it happens, there are some simple alternatives to the Vision Board.

Write a List - I think this is my go to visioning tool.  I will often write a list of what I want.  I created a list like this when I wanted my first teaching job and then another when I was ready to finally settle down and find that guy (who later became my husband – we celebrate our 8th anniversary in just over a week and our 11th anniversary of the day we met Memorial Day weekend).

It’s a simple process.  Over a couple of hours or days, start brainstorming what you want (in life, in love, in your clients, in your home, etc).  Get as specific as possible and don’t be afraid to say what you don’t want….I want clients that can afford my services, but aren’t yet making 6-figures; I want a pre-war apartment, but it must have central air and new wiring; I want a man that knows that family is important, but isn’t a mama’s boy.  You get the idea.

This exercise will help you to get clear with what you do and don’t want.  You’ll find that in no time, you’ll see different aspects or line items from your list come into your life.  That awareness is half the fun!!

Write a Letter - This is very similar the making a list in that you need to be as thorough and as clear as possible.  Where it differs is that instead of creating a list or what you want to attract, you’re writing a letter from the perspective of having already received this wonderful thing you so desire.  It’s already there, in your life and you’re so excited and thrilled that you just can’t wait to share the news with your friends, your family and/or your partner.

Make sure when using this tool, to really go into those sensual details (meaning your five senses)…how does it look, feel, smell, taste, sound, etc.  And remember to make extra sure that YOU are in your descriptions (for example: When I sit down for my morning tea, I look out my beautiful bay window and admire the birds and the flowers in our gorgeous backyard.  You have to see this to believe it!)

Use a 10×10 or 12×12 Frame - This is similar to creating a vision board, but it’s on a much smaller scale.  And it’s much easier to change out each time you create a new vision board.  You could really play around with this like it truly is wall art and maybe have one frame for each month or quarter or maybe one for each aspect or theme of your life.  It could be more challenging finding small enough images, or it could be much easier for you.  I just like that it’s smaller and easier to work with.

Use a Blank Journal - Again, this is similar to creating a larger vision board.  Instead of creating one board with all of the things you hope to manifest, you can use different pages for different focuses.  I use both a large artist sketch book (larger than a binder, but smaller than needing an easel).  I also have a smaller sketch book that I use more as a journal (when the mood strikes) where I play around with creating my own art (ha!).  So I not only have small collages around a theme, but I also have pages where I write quotes or ideas that strike me as well as pages where I doodle and play with stamps.

Any size journal or sketch book can work for this.  And you can use it however you wish.  You can have one theme or focus per page, or you can mix things up.  Another neat thing about using spiral sketch books or journals, you can open them to a particular page that inspires you and leave that open on your desk, or you can prop it up with an inexpensive plate/photo stand (I get mine at Micheal’s).

Make a Recording - If you’re not feeling quite so artistic or creative, you can create audio messages. You can then load these messages into your iPod or smart phone and listen to them while you drive or while you fall asleep. Thanks to applications and programs like AudioBoo, Cinch and reQall (and so many more), you can make short (and even not so short) audio messages quickly and easily.

Basically, you can use any tool in your toolbox to help you create the vision for the life you want to live and the business you want to have. So don’t hold yourself to any one particular model or modality.  Use whatever works for you.

What tools or techniques do you use to get clear on your vision?

 

As a side note, my mentor, Christine Kane has a great ebook on creating vision boards if you want to take a peak at is.  You can find the details here.

Posted in Check it Out, How To, Resources, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

5 Tips For Creating a Thriving Facebook Community

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Katy Tafoya
“A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living”
~ Rudolf Steiner

There’s been quite a lot of discussion over on the Success for Solopreneurs Facebook fan page this past week about the many mistakes that small businesses and solopreneurs often make with their Facebook (social networking) presence.

Rather than focus on what not to do, I think we should focus on 5 things you can do today to make the time you spend on your Facebook page help to create a thriving community.

Automation is a tool – use it wisely.  Don’t rely on it.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the ability to automate my social networking updates.  It comes in handy when I’m out of town, busy all day or when I want to start the conversation with my community before I even get out of bed (now you know my secrets!)

At the same time, there’s no need to do twice the work…set up your various social networks to update to each other (yes, that’s a form of automation – just remember to check all the combined networks for comments and updates).  Personally, I like the Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn model myself as I feel it allows for more freedom (and space) to say what I want to say.

Schedule time in your day.  If you’re not going to automate (see above), you need to make sure you sprinkle updates throughout the day.  Different people are online at different times throughout the day.  Your goal is to speak to them throughout the day.

And more importantly…speak WITH them. Remember to check back to your page and see who has “liked” stuff and left comments.  See who has posted to your wall.  And have a conversation.  It’s called SOCIAL networking for a reason…get out there and be social.

Change is the spice of life. Mix things up a bit.  Have a list of different sources where you go to look for quality content to share (shoot for 5-10 resources).  Post videos that your people will find funny or useful or inspiring.  Give away your expertise by offering your own free products and services.  Talk about your products and services (just don’t go overboard here).

Ask questions.  I love to ask questions with my community – sometimes serious, business-related, and sometimes personal or silly.  Do whatever it takes to not be predictable and say (or sell) the same thing over and over and over and over and well, you get it.

Be who you authentically are.  I think this is something that many of us struggle with from time to time.  Somewhere we were told not to share anything personal with our clients or our business relationships.  But I beg to differ. Talk about your day.

You want people to know that there’s a real person behind your business (here comes that know, like and trust thing again).  You want them to know what makes you tick, what excites and emboldens you, what brings you joy.  You want to share who YOU are.  You want to do

Invite others to share. From time to time, I encourage you to invite your community to share who they are, what they do and what they’re looking for.  Again, social networking is all about being social.  So invite those in your community to become an active part of your community.

This isn’t so much a list of do’s and don’ts.  This is more a list of suggestions and things to consider.  I want your time on Facebook, and your investment in your business fan page to be not only successful, but also fun.

And guess what…all of these tips work just as well for Twitter, LinkedIn or whatever other social network you might frequent.  So spend a little time today and find 5-15 minutes about 3 times a day to interact with your Facebook community.  Just remember to stop by and participate in the fan pages you follow as well.

I challenge you to share more of YOU on your Faceook page today.  Tell me something I might not have otherwise known about your business or your day.

Posted in Facebook, How To, Marketing, Online Presence, Resources, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

The Quickest, Easiest Way to Start Taking Control of Your Online Presence

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

What’s the quickest and easiest way to get a strong online presence you ask…Join everything you can join and create a profile.

Yes, I said EVERYTHING.

Whether you plan on using Foursquare or Pinterest or not, create your account.  Same with Twitter, Bebo, Flickr, Friendster, Meetup, Plancast…you name it…you join it.

In fact, while you’re at it…join every professional organization you can.  You don’t need to pay a membership fee, just create a profile.  I suggest starting with Ladies Who Launch, Profiled and Biznik.

Be sure to fill out these profiles as completely as possible.  We want to see names, photos, full bios, social network buttons, links to your blog and website, etc.

If you’re not sure where to begin, check out Namechk.com.  They will allow you to enter your desired username (could be your actual name or your business name) and they’ll check the availability across 150+ social networks.

No rush, you don’t have to join them all today.  Pick a few each week.  Maybe sign up while you’re watching American Idol or something.

The goal here is to not just secure your personal name, but also your business name AND to get your professional expertise out there spread across the internetosphere.

And while you’re out there joining up and spreading the love, don’t forget to connect — I invite you to share a little about who you are and what you do while joining the conversation at the Success for Solopreneurs community.

Posted in How To, Online Presence, Resources, SEO, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Leave a comment

What I Learned from the Hunger Games [video]

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Katy Tafoya

Like everyone across this country, I seem to be in the throes of Hunger Games mania.  I devoured the books and can’t wait to catch up on the movie when I’m off next week.

I thought I’d share the top five lessons or beliefs that I learned from the Hunger Games.  These truths can help you both in your day to day life and in your business.

Enjoy!

Posted in Check it Out, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | Tagged | Leave a comment

Where Do You Turn To When You Need Support?

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Katy Tafoya
“I got a lot of support from my parents. That’s the one thing I always appreciated. They didn’t tell me I was being stupid; they told me I was being funny.”
~ Jim Carrey

A solopreneur, by definition is an entrepreneur that does it ALL in their businesses, often with no (or very little) help.  They wear all the hats in the company.  And that my friend, can make for some lonely times.

When you need support, where do you turn?

Some of us can turn to our families, our spouses and/or our friends.  But just as often, those in our closest circles don’t exactly get what it is we do exactly.  They know we spend a lot of time in our home offices or online, or even talking with people on the phone, but they’re not sure what we do during those times.  Or they don’t understand what you’re talking about when you bring up your blog or your newsletter challenges.

This can often lead to feeling even more isolated and alone.  It’s like no one understands what it’s like to be you.  Which of course obviously means that no one could possibly be experiencing the same problems or challenges you might be going through.

And right there is where you’re wrong.  

Support can be found anywhere – on the phone, in online communities or even in small, local groups.  You just have to know where to look for it.

Online Groups - There are tons of places online where you can turn to when you need support.  There are bulletin board sites (and online communities) for almost any topic.  Seriously, any topic.  Just do a search for your kind of business – such as “massage therapists” or “homeopathic practitioner” – and the term “community” and you’re bound to find something.  And better still, you’ll have more than one option to choose from – women only, local groups, national or international groups…you name it.

Social Networks - A lot of support can also be found on the various social networks.  When I have a question or need help with a business challenge, I post the question to Facebook and Twitter.  There’s also an entire section in LinkedIn just for Q&A (not to mention the various groups you can find there).  Take a few moments and search for interests on the various social networks you frequent (women in business, mompreneurs, direct sales, life coaches…you’ll quickly find that the possibilities are endless).  The more you become involved within the various networks and group, the stronger the relationships you’ll build.  I’ve met some awesome “virtual” friends that are my core group of people that I run ideas by.  I’m looking forward to the day that I can meet them in person.

Local Groups - I think this is my favorite way to find support. I love interacting with people in a live, casual setting.  When looking for local groups, I suggest checking out Meetup.com.  They have groups for any interest or topic imaginable (much like online communities) and it’s easy to find new groups.  You can find a group today and get out there networking and problem solving with peers tomorrow.  I also suggest searching the web for local groups – I use a key phrase like “women in business” or “networking groups” and add a location “Los Angeles” and see what the GoogleGods come up with.  I’ve found quite a few new local groups this way (including the one I did speed coaching for last week).

Membership Groups - Local chapters of national membership-based groups are also around.  For example, Ladies Who Launch and e-Women Network have local chapters all around the country and often have classes, workshops and conferences that are open to the public for a fee.  You can do a simple search like outlined above and you’ll likely hit on some membership-based groups.  You might also want to check out Eventbrite.com for various chapter events or classes in your area.

Virtual Groups - These might be the more challenging groups to just stumble upon, but you’ll no doubt come across them in your searches.  Mastermind and/or accountability groups can be virtual or held live and in person.  I’ve personally found mastermind  and accountability groups to be extremely helpful when working on new products or brainstorming new ideas or solutions.  And I’ve done both virtually and in person.

I’ve met some amazing women – some live and in person, some only virtually – that I can regularly count on for help, support, or advice (or to just complain to from time to time).   But like anything, you’re not going to find the right sort of connections (and subsequently, support) if you don’t get out there and participate.

Basically, you just need to put the word out that you’re looking for some support and you’re bound to get at least one good lead.  And when all else fails, feel free to start your own group.  You can use meetup.com, eventbrite.com, you local free paper, or even fliers in local shops and libraries to advertise what you’re looking for.  You just need an idea, a date and time and a location.

Where is your most likely place to turn for support when you need it?

Posted in How To, Local Events, Resources, Solopreneurial Life, Women in Biz | 2 Comments