On The Twelth Day Of Christmas…

On the twelth day of Christmas, Coach Kate said to me…

Cherish each crazy moment on this special day, remembering the true reason for the season is love and giving.

Merry Christmas

On The Ninth Day Of Christmas…

On the ninth day of Christmas Coach Kate said to me…

Enjoy your children!  As they are getting out early for the holiday break, set some time aside to enjoy some festive fun with them.  This may be making cookies, having hot coco while watching Polar Express or Elf or wrapping gifts for family and friends together.  Including your children in the holidays is a great way to create those family traditions. 

Need some support for your post-holiday let down?  Email Kate@askcoachkate.com for a chat on how to start 2011 on the right path.

On The Fourth Day Of Christmas…

On the fourth day of Christmas Coach Kate said to me…

Don’t forget the teachers, mail carriers, UPS delivery staff – those little gifts for the people who make a big difference in your day to day life.  A small token of gratitude makes a big difference for the service providers who go out of their way to ensure we run smoothly.

 Email me at Kate@askcoachkate.com to chat about additional ways to ease the stress of the season.

Good Enough VS. Perfection Paralysis

Are you a perfectionist? 

Are you paralyzed by this need to be perfect? 

If so, this could truly be a major barrier to your success in business.  Part of developing a successful business is to actually develop that business through the services, programs, products and events you offer to reach your market.  Perfection paralysis is a sure way to limit your success.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in producing quality products, events and programs but if you NEVER actually offer anything because it’s “not good enough” then how will your business grow?  Anyone can create a JOB for themselves but to develop a business that gives you the income and freedom to live your life in the style you desire is what most businesses owners want but never achieve.

And what makes the product “perfect” anyway?  Who knows?  And most perfectionist couldn’t tell you either.  The next time you are stuck in a rut by perfection paralysis, ask yourself these questions then push outside your comfort zone and decide it is “good enough”. 

• Is the product of use to my target market?
• Will the content solve a problem that is common for my target market?
• Is the information written so my market will easily understand?
• Will the participants leave my event with great clarity on the subject?
• Are my events on relevant topics to my target market?
• Are my offerings free of major technological glitches?
• Is my info product/eBook etc easy to read (font style and size)?
• Is the presentation of my information laid out well?

If you can answer yes to these questions then you are probably ready to release your program, offer your free eBook or start promoting your event.

Notice I didn’t say “is the eBook the best eBook on the market”.  It doesn’t have to be the best.  It has to be clear, well written or presented, easy to follow and of value to your market.  So do yourself and your clients a favor, give yourself a break and give your awaiting public the products, programs and events they want to say yes too!

If you would like to learn more about how Coach Kate Powers can help you break through the barriers in your business email her at Kate@askcoachkate.com for free consultation.

Do You Bookmark Your Blog?

What is bookmarking all about? Bookmarking is a way to list and tag your articles, blog posts and other content on social bookmarking sites allowing for higher search engine ranking and more visibility for your content and website.

Here is what wikipedia.com says about bookmarking…
“Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to organize, store, manage and search for bookmarks of resources online. Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren’t shared, merely bookmarks that reference them.”

So what does this mean for your business? Well, if you are not bookmarking, you are missing out on getting your article or blog post ranked in that search engine.

The more search engines your articles are listed in, the higher rankings your content will receive when your key terms are searched within that search engine. I know most of us think of Google when we think search engine but many search engines that are not Google exist and social bookmarking is a great example of this.

Some advantages of a social bookmarking system over traditional automated search engine spiders are:

- All tag-based classification of Internet resources (such as web sites) is done by human beings, who understand the content of the resource, as opposed to software, which algorithmically attempts to determine the meaning of a resource.

- People can find and bookmark web pages that have not yet been noticed or indexed by web spiders.

- A social bookmarking system can rank a resource based on how many times it has been bookmarked by people. This may be a more useful for users than systems that rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it (although both types of ranking are vulnerable to fraud, and both need technical countermeasures to try to deal with this).”

There are many bookmarking sites out there and each has their own style and feel. The one I like best is http://socialmarker.com since I can bookmark my article or post with a good number of other bookmarking sites through this one site. This helps streamline the bookmarking process allowing for more time efficiency and productivity and what entrepreneur doesn’t love that. The initial set up for this service takes some time but then it goes quickly each time after that. An hour of set up time is a good investment for free listing of your articles in just minutes each time thereafter.

Of course this is a snipit on social bookmarking but you should have enough to understand what it is and why you should get started bookmarking your content. If you are doing the writing anyway, you want to make sure you are getting the maximum benefit from your efforts and social bookmarking is a great way to do that!

If you would like additional information on this or other business topics contact Kate by clicking here or email her at Kate@askcoachkate.com.

Finding My Niche

As the end of 2010 is fast approaching it is time to take stock, own where I am today and decide where I want to be for my tomorrows. The last few months have been a whirlwind for me with my business relaunch. Through working with a variety of clients, I better understand how I can use my gifts to the greatest benefit of others while feeling energized and passionate.

Up to this point I was split in my offerings, like many entrepreneurs who are good at more than just one skill. My offerings were generalized and now they will become very specific. There is safety in being generalized but the opportunity to help others in a more profound way is not there. So, I am letting go of safe and stretching myself. I am excited for the personal growth that comes along with stretching. Actually, a growth spurt has already come thus allowing for the clarity and stretching.

With this new clarity, I have finally declared my niche, so I am stream lining my offerings. Things will be changing here and there but I know you will appreciate the changes. They will help you get more out of your business and your life.

Of course, I will keep you updated reguarly here on the blog. I am taking the steps now to ensure a powerful 2011 for me and you. You see, the more targeted my offerings are FOR any specific group, the more powerful my offerings are TO that group.

I am excited for the shifts that are occuring and look forward to offering you more specific programs that serve you better.

Inspired Moments

Last night I was blessed with some divine inspiration. I have been working on simplifying my Launch Your Business Program and I think I have finally done so. There will be plenty of time for me to share with you about that new program but right now I want to talk about allowing for inspired moments.

Many of us women business owners are so busy caring for our families while working our business, being everywhere and doing everything that we don’t make time for inspired moments. It is hard to know when that moment will hit. It’s not as if you can mark it on your calendar, right?

What if you could help yourself along to have more of those moments on a more consistent basis when you need them? Inspired moments come by giving yourself the mental space to think, to contemtplate a variety of solutions to a business problem. If you are so busy on your own version of the hampster wheel how can you make time for inspired thought?

I understand how hard it is to schedule time to think, strategize and brainstorm in your busines especially if you are having some success – you are busy! I am in the same boat as a single mom of 2 and owner of a busy coaching practice.

Here are some ways I make time to think and allow for inspired moments…
- Folding laundry is a task I do not find engaging so I use that time to let my mind work. It’s great, my hands and my mind are engaged!
- Driving is when I do some of my best thinking. I don’t mean the city driving that takes all my focus but highway driving that allows for some mentall space. Once in a while, I will pack up the toddlers and go for a drive to do errands a few towns over. It is the perfect combo of thought and task completion.
- Turn off the TV. I don’t usually watch television and it adds several hours to each day for me. Where TV is a hobby most people have, entrepreneurship is my hobby. So some nights, after the kids head to bed, I will spend some time just thinking, writing and mapping out different ideas. Not all of them are worth taking action on but some are and I get to enjoy the creative process.
- Go to dinner with a fellow business owner without any specific agenda. As a business owner you probably know other business owners you would like to get to know better. Grab a coffee or a meal together and do some collaborative brainstorming. It could be just what you need to get out of a business rut and make space for some inspired moments.
- Work with a business coach to get those creative juices flowing. One of my most popular offerings is the Strategy Session because my clients get the benefit of my creative ability to create out of the box solutions to their business problems. If you struggle with being creative or making the time, working with a coach might be the best solution.

Taking time to think is crucial as an entrepreneur. I encourage you to make the time so you can grow your business. If you would like to schedule a Strategy Session click here.

Launch Your Business

Did you know I am hosting a free teleseminar on the subject of launching your business?

I am and it will be held on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 8:00 PM EST. Sign up here to join us.

I am excited about sharing this information as I feel it is vital to the success of any business. Most solopreneurs, mamapreneurs and home based business owners struggle in the business side of things due to lack of knowledge and guidance. I intend to demystify the business start up process by going through the steps needed for successful business launch.

“Well, I’ve been in business for a year, two years , 5 years so why should I join the call”, you ask?

If your business is having great success and you are exactly where you want to be then you probably don’t need to call in but if you are not making the income you desire, feel your business has taken over your life or are not sure what to do next then this call is for you no matter how long you’ve been in business. And it’s free so it can’t hurt, right?

Some of the topics we will touch on are…
- Business concept
- Business planning
- Budgeting
- Soft launch
- Setting up shop
- Marketing
- Product creation
- Taxes and legalities
- Client retention
- Outsourcing
… just to name a few.

I entered the entrepreneurial world over 15 years ago and want to share with you what I have learned along the way about building your business for success.

If you are thinking of starting a business, have recently started a business or want to bring your current business to the next level then join us on the call. Simply click here to sign up!

My Outrageous October Comes To A Close

Today is October 31st and marks the end of my Outrageous October where I challenged myself to write, edit and produce an entire workbook so I can concentrate on a new writing project in November.

Well, I did write an extensive workbook that has the potential to be great. It actually has TOO MUCH info in it and I have decided to chunk it down into smaller, more manageable products.

How amazing is that? My first attempt at creating information based product and I have TOO MUCH information. And although I wanted to have a product ready for November 1st, I do not feel it is fair to put out a product that is not close to perfect. If I expect people to pay their good money, the product they purchase should be worthy. So, I will be releasing several workbooks in the next month and beyond but none of them will be released tomorrow.

You see, when we set a seemingly unattainable goal for ourselves we come to realize just how much we are capable of. It is truly amazing when we have a focus, create a plan, and take action – there are no limits, just adjustments of timelines.

During the writing, editing and test groups for the workbook I came to grow and learn more about myself and my business. I came to see the area of both myself and my business that I have been filtering, softening or avoiding. You see, I had been coming from a place of fear about expressing my faith in my business but the truth is I offer faith based coaching services for women in areas of life and small business – that is just a fact. I have, up till today, been shy in owning this truth. I am sure as I come to fully understand this fear I will have more to say about it but for now this is it. I have been wearing a filter or covering that hid my full beliefs since my background and business experience had always been about not rocking the boat, keeping things status quo and making the most amount of people happy.

Well, I’m all done with apologizing for who I am and what I believe. I am a single mom of 2 who works from home along side my family. I am a Christian. I am deeply spiritual and I am grounded in the 12 steps of Al-anon and have been growing my life from this place of faith and understanding since I was 13 years old. I am done with staying safe as it does not allow for me to grow in a full way – personally or professionally.

In honor of Halloween, I am taking those masks of fear off and letting my true heart shine through.

I already offer programs and workshops that speak from my heart and moving forward I will be tweaking my web copy to be in alignment with these offerings and speak more clearly to my potential clients because the reality is I offer faith based, personal, and small business coaching for women. Anyone who knows me or has coached with me is saying “duh, what did you think you offered, Kate?” I knew my coaching was faith based but I was afraid to niche myself, afraid to put my heart out there for all to see, afraid to rock the boat.

What an amazing gift the workbook process has given me! Truly, I am blessed to have such gifts of truth and love in my life that I can have these realizations and take action in the supportive environment I have created for myself and my business.

October has truly been Outrageous for me. The past 30 days have been filled with introspection, devotion, creating clarity and growing personally and professionally. I hope you will enjoy all that I have coming to fruition.

And guess how I am starting off November? With a day of communication shut down to raise awareness and funds for Autism.

I told you I was making it an OUTRAGOUS OCTOBER! What about you? How could you make November YOUR month for change? Email me at Kate@askcoachkate.com and let’s make set your BIG GOAL!

Business Relaunch Tips: Ready, Set, Jump!

“Business Relaunch Tips: Ready, Set, Jump!”

Ask Coach Kate is offering you this helpful list of new business must-have marketing tips for your start-up enterprise.

Whether you’re launching, re-launching, or simply need some low-cost ways to increase sales and success… click here and fill out the form to have your copy emailed straight to your inbox today!

Contact Coach Kate today and learn how working on these topics can increase your profitability while decreasing your time investment.

Learn what tasks to outsource and what to take on yourself.

How to effectively managing a small business on a shoestring budget.

The ins and outs of effective networking for business success, in person and on the web.

How to delegate more effectively and become the true leader in your business.

Learn tips and strategies for becoming more profitable.

To learn more about these topics contact me today and we’ll get started on your success plan right away!

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