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Archive for the ‘Desk of Gina Bell’ Category

Freedom Fix: Too Many Cooks (and Coaches) Spoil the Broth #BlogBoost

By on July 9, 2011   /   Desk of Gina Bell   /   2 Comments

Yesterday’s blog post was about collecting too much information and how it can make you feel like the ball in a pinball machine bouncing back and forth without a clear direction. Not fun for highly motivated women entrepreneurs!

The same thing can happen when you try to work with too many coaches or mentors at one time. The differing (and sometimes opposing) advice and strategies you’ll encounter can be just as confusing as collecting too much information.

Whose advice do you listen to? Which course of action do you take? When you DO make a decision (if you can in this case), how do you “break it to” the others? It’s enough to make your head spin and can become uncomfortable for everyone involved (and wastes a lot of precious time).

Every coach has a unique approach – their way of guiding you from where you are to where you really want to be. Each one will have happy clients as testimony to the great work they do. So it’s not about their ability.

Trying to work with more than one at a time can be like a kitchen full of cooks all throwing their secret ingredient into the same soup pot. All of them doing so with love and good intentions but the end result isn’t nearly as glorious as it would have been had they each been working with their own pot. LOL.

Yeah, I did just kind of call you a pot of soup – but you know what I mean (giggle!!)

The translation … When you are ready to lean in and do whatever it takes to create a successful business, it’s important to choose “a” coach or mentor that you resonate with and whose style and approach you believe matches you and your situation the best.

Before hiring, get clear about what – specifically – you are looking for in a coach. This way you can feel confident in your decision and can then trust they will guide you safely and successfully.

Then, supplement any gaps with specialists who support and strengthen that coaches’ approach (like a side-dish to that perfect bowl of soup).

Delish!

~ Gina xo

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P.S. This is #9 of 31 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

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Freedom Fix: Are You a Pink Spoon Collector Too? (Pssst… Less is More)

By on July 8, 2011   /   Desk of Gina Bell   /   1 Comment

One of the biggest hurdles I personally faced in business was to STOP searching for more and more information. You see, I’m an idea person. I love to research, read and learn. I mean LOVE it.

In a short time, I had amassed a library of epic proportions, I’m talking hundreds of eBooks, audio programs, courses, print books, articles, podcasts, magazine and ezine subscriptions. You name it, I probably had it.

And almost all of it I had acquired – free. I collected EVERYTHING from what was relevant right now to things that might be relevant “someday”.

When it comes to being in business online, these kinds of freebies are called “pink spoons”… like the sweet little pink spoon samples you can get at an ice cream shop when trying to decide what flavor of cone you want to buy.

Now it’s one thing to build a valuable resource library or to be a collector of industry related materials but I had gone way beyond the norm and it had begun to derail my success.

I had become a Pink Spoon Collector!!

And when it came time to making a business or marketing decision I was overloaded and overwhelmed by a plethora of ideas and options. I was being pulled in too many directions. The amount of time and energy I wasted just trying to make decisions was astronomical.

What I realized was the abundance of information was actually holding me back. In order to make powerful and quick decisions that drive my business forward (and in a way that supports my lifestyle goals)… less really is more.

The time had come for me to whittle down my “collection” to the essentials. I prioritized, reorganized and set boundaries that empower me. One such boundary was to unsubscribe from email newsletters that sucked me into the comparison trap.

Today, I only keep and subscribe to information, resources and subscriptions that support my authentic definition of success and marketing focus and address where I’m at – right now.

Once I purged the irrelevant my and focus renewed. I was able to make quick decisions again which by the way, is a known quality of successful people and I had more time to spend on productive marketing activities; I was moving forward again.

The idea of less is more can also be applied to your networking efforts.

All too often, people attend networking events randomly and collect as many business cards as possible thinking they actually made a connection. At the end of the year they have hundreds of business cards and contact information cataloged in a database of some kind (maybe).

But, where is the value in a collection of random contacts? Real value stems from taking the time and effort to get to know the people on the cards you do collect, to find commonalities, to explore working together, to be introduced to their networks, to stay in touch, and to solidify mutually beneficial relationships.

Oh and by the way, this advice translates just as well to the online world and social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

Action TIP: Evaluate your database on a regular basis to weed out the fluff and make room for people of like mind. Someone once told me to think of my database or rolodex as premium real estate. People you haven’t spoken to in years or can’t remember at all are just taking up valuable space. In the end, your database may get smaller but the quality and value will be much, much higher.

So think about how the idea of less is more can remove some confusion and overwhelm in your life or business. Do whatever you need to do to prioritize, re-organize and set boundaries that empower you rather than hold you back. You’ll free up time and space for the “right” information and resources to support your success.

~ Gina xo
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Freedom Fix: What’s Your “F” Word? #BlogBoost

By on July 7, 2011   /   Desk of Gina Bell   /   2 Comments

I can’t resist having a little fun with this one ;)

The most common reason why women in business online coach with me is the burning desire to break free of the overwhelm, overwork and underpay they are experiencing in their business (and life).

In the beginning, their “f” words are more like frustration, failure, fear, fraud, and well… the actual f-word!

My Freedom Fix™ process empowers women to literally FLIP their “f” words to ones like:

  • Fun
  • Fame
  • Flexibility
  • good Fortune
  • Freedom-Rich
  • Fancy-Free

It’s quite the transformation. … A freedom-rich business creates a fancy-free life.

So I have a question for you. Which category are your “f” words in right now when you look at your life and business? Positive? Negative?

If you really want to flip ‘em, you’ve got to be willing to take a first next step.

Here’s what you can do:

First and foremost you need to define – clearly – what you really want your life and business to be like. Seriously, you’ve got to know where you’re going in order to evaluate whether the decisions you make take you closer to or further away from your goal(s).

Looking at the positive “f” words here, what order would you place them in from most important to least important? Setting priorities allows you to focus on the biggest impact areas first. You’ll see results faster and it will keep you motivated.

Which ONE would you love to see amplified the fastest? Why? How will that impact your life and business?

Action Step: Now that you have something to focus on, what is ONE action you can take – today – to improve that area of your life or biz? Do it. Now.

Share the “f” word you’re going to focus on in the comments okay xo

~ Gina

P.S. And here’s a little Gina Bell Inc trivia… when I first launched the site I used to joke about hosting a “What’s your f-word radio show or podcast”. LOL

This is post #7 of 31 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

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Freedom Fix: Do You Really KNOW Your Niche? #BlogBoost

By on July 6, 2011   /   Desk of Gina Bell, Simple Online Marketing   /   5 Comments

A winning characteristic of successful women is the ability to apply success and marketing principles to their business and life authentically – without copying, comparing or competing with others.

When you get really clear about what you do, who you do it for and the transformation your ideal clients realize as a result of working with you, you’ll find that the comparison trap doesn’t trip you up as often.

And here’s the thing… If you want to be an authority in your niche, you’ve got to define it first before you can step up and claim it.

So let’s do that…

According to the dictionary, a niche is a position or activity that particularly suits somebody’s talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own.

My interpretation of that as it relates to Freedom-Rich Business Design is:

Your niche is a specific and viable segment of a target market whose needs and burning desires are perfectly matched to your unique combination of experience, expertise and passion.

Here is a simple Niche Statement Formula that you can use to define what this means for you:

I work with/teach/show/guide [target market]

… who are/want to/have [specific burning desire or pain point]

… by/through/with/how to [specific approach/area of expertise]

… so they can [big result/transformation].

Here’s an example based on my business:

I teach high achieving women in business online who are overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid how to design a freedom-rich business so they can enjoy the fun freedom and good fortune they crave.

Tip: Resist using “I help” or “I assist” as these deflate the value of your work. Stick with descriptive terms that positively and powerfully position your authority and expertise.

Action Step: Now it’s your turn… ;) Use the formula to create your “niche statement” and share it in the blog comments section okay…
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P.S. This is post #6 of 31 for the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

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The Freedom Fix Trifecta: Simplify, Step Up and Specialize #Blogboost

By on July 5, 2011   /   Desk of Gina Bell   /   Leave a comment

One of my favourite things to do as a coach and mentor is to highlight game changing ideas and catalyst strategies so that women in business online can break free from the prison of overwhelm, overwork and underpay and really accelerate their freedom fix.

And what I’ve noticed is there are three linchpins to creating a freedom-rich business that play a starring role.

Before I dig into them, it’s really important for you to understand that these aren’t just things to DO (actions to take) but also ways to BE (how you show up) in your business.

  1. SIMPLIFY: Or, as I like to say… K.I.S.S. = Keep It Strategically Simple.

    The knee-jerk tendency for entrepreneurs is to assume that creating a successful business is going to be hard work. Limiting beliefs run amuck in our self talk: “No pain, no gain”. “If it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all”. And we begin to see struggle – EVERYWHERE.

    The golden nugget here is to remember that you can choose what to believe. What could your “work” look like, be like, feel like if you believed that creating success is simple?

    Before doing something check in with yourself to see if there’s a simpler way that doesn’t sacrifice strategy. A path that takes you closer to your goal and allows you to eliminate the word “hard” from your efforts. (An upcoming post will dig deeper on taking strategic action while keeping it simple – so stay tuned!)
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  2. STEP UP: Are you an employee in a job you’ve self-created OR the CEO of your business?

    In every moment you get to choose how you are showing up. WHO you are being in your business?

    Employee-minded entrepreneurs tend to be reactive. When things aren’t working they look externally for answers and often blame others for poor results.

    Entrepreneurs with a CEO mindset are pro-active. They take responsibility and recognize that THEY can create success on their terms. They figure out what they really want and then take the actions that need to be done.

    This is one of the hallmark difference between women who are struggling and ones who are successful.
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  3. SPECIALIZE: Brand YOU based on what you already know and love to do. Claim your specialized area of expertise (I call this your signature of success).Don’t be afraid to bump up your bold so that you get noticed.  Be willing to stand out, to have an opinion, and to really own it so your right people can find you!

    Be a specialist not a generalist and watch as your right people start to line up to work with you! This one shift alone can transform your business!

    “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” ~ Bill Cosby

At the end of the day…

  • Your efforts are magnified because you’re not working so “hard”;
  • You’re showing up as a leader in your business (people notice this – it’s attraction 101);
  • You become recognized as an authority in your area of expertise.

Can you see how these three elements will create more fun, freedom and good fortune in life and business?

And, once you have these areas mastered you can circle back to EXPAND again in each area as your business evolves (and it will). Simplify … Step Up … Specialize. Expand. Repeat.

Okay, go set your freedom fix in motion and let me know in the comments what area you’re going to focus on first. xo

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P.S. This is post 5 of 31 in the Ultimate Blog Boost Challenge. You can follow all of the posts in this series here.

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