by Ann Evanston | Oct 9, 2013 | Mental Mind Shifts, Women Inspire
Man, some days getting focused is a challenge!
Do you ever get a wild hair? Not a wild hair, crazy kinda cool idea for your business that will help it grow wild hair. But the wild hair where you really intended to do one thing and in the end wind up doing completely something else?
Today I had one of those wild hairs! I just went outside to put something in the mail. And then I thought that I really need to take that spider web down by the mailbox. It was getting kind of crazy and nasty, and tomorrow the ladies come over for wine and networking so it seemed a perfect time to grab the hose and spray it down. But then suddenly I realize that my “babies” needed water. My babies are my little plants that are just starting to grow, if you didn’t know we are year-round urban gardeners so the fall planting has started!
So I water the babies. And then I go over to jet spray this spider nest. And then I realize that there’s lots of spider webs on the side of my house I start jet spraying them to and before you know it, I have water showering down on me and I’m spraying off the garage, and the side of the house, and the camellia bush.
And then I realize my front window is open.
So then I have to go inside and dry off the house. LOL. It did need a mopping.
All I wanted to do was put some mail in the mailbox to be picked up today.
Those wild hairs aren’t always a good idea, and I should’ve just focused on getting focused!
Geez! Do you do this in your business? Go to work on something specific (like maybe some blog writing because it is really good for traffic) and you get a wild hair and end up on Facebook, or working on another project completely. I know getting focused works, what do you do when a wild hair creeps up?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
by Ann Evanston | Oct 8, 2013 | Influence Factor
Building an influential voice requires that you deal with SCARED. In my book The Influence Factor, I talk about this key element in your influential voice. I have noticed how when a small business owner takes a dip in the money they make, they feel fear, become scared and get stuck.
As I describe in The Influence Factor, fear is one thing, being scared is another. See, I believe fear is real. But scared is another thing. Scared stops you, it paralyzes you, so you are not getting results you actually need when you feel it.
Did we feel fear when our home burned down? Absolutely. But we did not move into scared, because scared would have stopped us from rebuilding.
I have noticed that many small business owners get stuck in scared…especially when money changes. Then they practice INSANE. You know what insane is right? Insane is: doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get a different result!
- You’re watching your e-mail hoping a magical sale will come in.
- You get stuck in routines that really don’t help make any money.
- You’re on Facebook but you are not increasing your influential visibility.
- You never had a smart system in place, one that you go back and replicate and continue to make money.
Ultimately, making money happens even when you’re making money! What do I mean? Don’t stop the process of continuously building prospects. Always have a means for building your sales base. Don’t just SELL when you need some money. But if you are stuck and not creating movement to make money it’s time to get aggressive and do so.
What is the most significant key to influential financial success?
Create a replicate-able system.
I can hear some of you: “I know but Ann, BUT I need to make money now!”
I get that and at the same time what you’re doing is chasing nickels to make a dime.
What do I want you to do?
1-Figure out what it is you want to most sell all the time.
2-Then build an influential voice marketing strategy that calls your tribe.
3-Build into your editorial calendar a MARKETING and SALES strategy for several times a year.
4-Follow your plan, then measure and monitor it for success.
Having an influential voice requires that you overcome being scared. Scared and stuck doesn’t cut it when it comes to making more money, or steady money!
“I use a grammar check tool because English is my first language.”
After you’re done reading this article, I want you to do TWO things:
#1. I want you to tell me a story about a time when you got scared and stuck and it just didn’t work for you long term. Tell me what you changed, and how it helped you. Leave a comment. Share anything you can that you think will benefit the Warrior-Preneur community.
#2. Do you have a friend who you think is stuck? Practicing INSANE? Someone like a life coach, a social media marketing expert, or anyone that offers products and services? Send them a link to this article.
by Ann Evanston | Oct 3, 2013 | Influence Factor
In my book The Influence Factor: The Journey to Discovering Your Influential Voice, I teach that one of the elements to having an influential voice is to “empower your truth.”
The most important part of this key element in your influential voice is to know, and own, your story. Everywhere you go these days you were hearing someone tell you that your story is critical for your success. But so often I hear people say, “but Ann, my life is quite ordinary, I don’t have a story that people would be interested in hearing.” Here is the point: your story is about a way to connect with your tribe. Your tribe is the people who feel and think like you, who have had similar experiences that you have had and therefore feel bonded to you. You earn vulnerability (remember, marketing is about vulnerability, credibility and tribe) with those people through your story.
little voice in your head….”But Ann, my life is ordinary and boring I don’t have a unique story to bond with other people!”
Your story doesn’t have to be about extreme abuse, or loss, or overcoming some crazy obstacle. Your story is just who you are. I am always blown away when I start working on this with my clients. Because I hear it so often. For example, Linda said, when we started: “Ann, I am not a story teller, so you will have to drag it out of me.” You can look at her website and blog here and see how much story telling she now does.
So what is my client’s first homework assignment to their influential voice?
To write a timeline of their life. From birth to present time, I asked them to write down everything that happened: where they were born, where they went to school, what sports or games they played, their siblings, where they moved, what awards they got anything that happened in their lives.
From this timeline you can pull stories to share, excite, relate, and more importantly CONNECT. Did you swim as a child like my client Linda who didn’t realize the power of those stories to building your influential voice? Are you a mother? Do you enjoy running marathons? Sometimes our life is so EVERY DAY for us we forget how it connects us to others.
My storytelling builds my influential voice.
For example I am a gardener. I know some of you laugh because you see my crazy nail polish and wonder how that’s possible….duh, I wear gloves! My gardening stories connect me to my tribe. My tribe, believes in holistic living. My tribe understands that success comes from taking care of their whole being (remember the 6 core areas of influence?)not just their business. So when I share my stories about gardening I connect with them.
Does gardening seem quite ordinary to me? At times, absolutely. Until I post a picture on Facebook or write a blog about my garden and I hear the comments. This is a connection to your story.
So take some time and write out your timeline and start to tell stories about your life. This will empower your truth and build your Influential Voice!!
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
by Ann Evanston | Oct 2, 2013 | Business Strategy
Small business success is so interesting because it NEVER ends, huh? And just HOW did it to get to be Wednesday already! And I haven’t gotten a blog post, okay well here it is now! It’s funny how sometimes I get so involved with the writing, and creativity, and expansiveness of my Elite Clients and their marketing that I forget my own.
So here is a simple little bit of food for your Warrior soul. Remember that your small business success starts with you taking care of you first. “But Ann, I need to make some money, I don’t have time for that!”
Value starts with you. Value and making money starts with you. Value and making money starts with you and nurturing you.
So even though I could have stayed later, worked longer to get that blog written…I didn’t. I picked up a book and sat on my deck in the sunshine. I even grabbed a glass of wine!
Value starts with YOU. Small Business Success starts with you.
Did you get that? I wrote a blog for Showcasing Women and it expands on this very important piece. Go take a read. Leave a comment. Let me know your thoughts.
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
by Ann Evanston | Jul 24, 2013 | Mental Mind Shifts
How did it to get to be Wednesday already! And I haven’t gotten a blog post in….well…., okay well here it is now! It’s funny how sometimes I get so involved with the writing, and creativity, and expansiveness of my Elite Clients and their marketing that I forget my own.
So here is a simple little bit of food for your Warrior soul. Remember that your business success starts with you taking care of you first. “But Ann, I need to make some money, I don’t have time for that!”
Value starts with you. Value and making money starts with you. Value and making money starts with you and nurturing you. I often self nurture. I realize that my TIME is VALUE. And when I value my time, and place it correctly, I make more money.
For example, my relationship needs to be nurtured, and when I do I am better in my work. Being loved, loving, laughing, talking makes me a better warrior.
Did you get that? I wrote a blog for Showcasing Women that posted this week and it expands on this very important piece. Go take a read. Leave a comment. Let me know your thoughts.
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
