As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have decided to embark on a change of direction. While VIP Assistant Solutions is still moving full steam ahead, I have launched a professional writing business, CP Style. I have also included a blog over there, which will act as my primary blog. So please visit me over at http://www.cpstyle.ca and my read my latest blog at http://cpstyle.ca/blog I look forward to seeing you all over there! And of course, if you require administrative support, I am still offering virtual assistance!

Thanks!

CP

I have been guilty of allowing negative people into my life, not because I am always a negative thinker, but because I have demonstrated a lack of emotional strength. I do tend to be a sponge and I soak up the negative energy that emits from these people and it can tend to affect my professional and personal life. Fortunately, I am learning to extract individuals who live in a bubble of negative energy from my life; people who demonstrate jealousy, anger, callousness or self righteousness.

If you have anyone in your life who displays the above mentioned qualities, I urge you to distance yourself now. One thing I am learning is that it is important not to let other people take you down.

A negative person can bring you down emotionally and will eventually bring you down both personally and professionally as well. If you are opening your own business, it is important to surround yourself with individuals who are positive about your ventures and who will support your decisions.

Of course, it is not always easy to dispel yourself from negative people. Sometimes these individuals are coworkers, bosses, family members and even acquaintances who you unfortunately cannot remove from your life.

Your success remains in your hands and so it is important to know how to deal with the negative people in your life. When negative people try and bring your positive energy down, here are some tips for remaining optimistic:

Emotionally remove yourself

Realize you are not the cause of another person’s negativity. The way a person perceives something is not your responsibility and really has more to do with their own insecurities. Picture yourself holding an umbrella when you are around a negative person and imagine that any pessimistic comments are like rain drops. Allow these ‘rain drops’ to hit the umbrella and miss you altogether.

Change your Perception                                       

This may seem tough but try and find qualities within this person or people that are positive. Everyone has bad days and everyone has qualities that are attractive.  You know the old quote “kill them with kindness”? Try and show this person your kindness and you may see a switch of behaviour. Sometimes a simple smile can make someone’s bad day turn into a good day.

Be Yourself

If you are defensive around negative people, or try hard not to be affected by their negative energy (believe me, I am guilty of this one!), you will likely be pulled down. Why is this? Because if you are not open to the emotions that you are feeling when you are around them; if you remain true to yourself, negative people will have less reason to set their sights on you when they are seeking someone to pull down with them.

By believing in yourself and recognizing that no one has the power to pull you down but yourself, becoming and remaining a positive person will soon be second nature. Remember that success is in your hands only!

The majority of my work involves copywriting and so I have decided to focus my direction in this area. I don’t expect the website to be officially up and running until mid July, however I wanted to let you all know where you can expect to catch me once it is:)

In case you are wondering, the new business name is CP Style. For all you non writers out there, CP style is a style of writing (like AP style) and stands for Canadian Press. I found it very fitting considering the initials of my own name, Caroline Pigott.

As I mentioned, this new direction will not mean the end of VIP Assistant Solutions. I will still be available to provide administrative service, however I will be inviting you all to visit my new site and blog once it is up and running.

So how does one decide to change business direction? Below are six tips to determining whether or not you should change your business focus too:

Listen to Yourself

I almost wrote “listen to your clients” in the title, but it became clear to me that your clients are going to want what you are good at and what you are passionate about. Believe it or not, when we enjoy doing something, it shows! So take a step back for a minute and determine if what you are currently doing is making you happy. If, for example, you own a clothing store however find yourself selling more shoes over clothing maybe it’s time to open a shoe store!

Know that What you are Feeling is OK

It is quite common for entrepreneurs to start off in one direction and then change their focus to something else. Not many of us get it right the first time and things in life usually take a bit of trial and error. If you feel you should change directions, listen to that little voice and go for it! Remember my last post on intuition.

Take Note

Look around you and determine what interests you. Remember those brainstorming charts we used to do in school? The chart with the idea in the center and the additional ideas around it? Well some of us still do them:) And this is what I want you to do now. Think up all possibilities and directions for your business. Focus on the idea that sticks out to you and energizes you.

Educate Yourself

Read up on possible directions you could take your business. Do your research and take a course. Knowing more about a type of business will help you make a sound decision.

Volunteer

You read that correctly! Volunteer your precious time with someone who is already running the type of business you are thinking about running. If you are thinking about changing your business from dog walking to graphic design it is better to learn in the trenches than to get there and realize it is much harder than it looks.

Ask for Valued Opinions

Before I decided to change the direction of my business, I asked my husband and a few close friends what they thought. Their reactions were “isn’t that what you are already doing?” and “That’s what you are passionate about. Go for it!” It was almost a “duh” moment. And it felt like they were just waiting for me to do it before I even knew I was going to. Outside support is extremely important for any business owner and gathering valued feedback and opinion from your close family and friends will help you make the right decision for yourself and the future of your business.

As many of us learn (and unfortunately learn the hard way), that gut feeling; that wrenching feeling in the pit of our stomach telling us if something is right or wrong, should never be ignored. As Albert Einstein once said “The only real valuable thing is your intuition.”

I have felt this sensation many times and looking back on some of the choices I have made; relationships, jobs and even some friendships, I now wish I listened to my gut! Well luckily every wrong choice has resulted in a lesson learned and I am working on developing a keen sense of intuition.

Truthfully, this “sixth sense” certainly doesn’t happen over night! It is a little intimidating to rely on instinct rather than on logical thinking, but you may want to consider it. Ok at least consider using your mind and body the next time you have to make a decision. It just may turn your life around!

As I mentioned, there are countless times I wish I had listened to my intuition. Here’s an example; I took a job last year after working for a large Insurance company for a while. I was just looking for a change and the chance to put my education in Communications to use.

This new job was entry level but on paper seemed to promise opportunity for me to move up and work in an industry I believed in. Looking back, I should have declined the offer. I remember feeling physically ill as I spoke to my new boss. I just knew this person wouldn’t be easy to work for and something inside of me was not only telling me, but screaming that the position wouldn’t be right for me. Well, I brushed it off as just nerves and talked myself into accepting .Sure enough, within the first month I was absolutely miserable.

Yes this job did lead me to where I am today, but I like to think I would have ended up where I am today regardless. And I might have saved some of self dignity in the process!

How do you feel about what you’re doing with your life? Perhaps there is a nagging tug inside of you telling you something isn’t right? Or maybe you feel on top of the world; knowing everything you are doing in your life is spot on. If so, that is truly amazing and I commend you.

For the rest of us, here are some steps I have found helpful to take in order to use that “gut” feeling to your full advantage:

Take out the Mind Garbage

Our minds are so full of ‘garbage’ these days; it’s hard to find the clearing within the mess! Many of our lives are so busy that’s it hard to hear that intuitive voice. Take time out of your busy schedule to shut off that blackberry, turn off the laptop and take a quiet break. When you relax, you tend to make more sound decisions.

Listen to your Body

As I mentioned, when I accepted that job offer, I felt sick to my stomach. If you feel physically ill about a decision, or have a big lump in your throat, it’s important to listen to your body! On the other hand, also look for clues that something is right. If something is right for you, you might feel relaxed, calm and energized.

Pay Attention to Your Dreams

No I’m not saying your dreams are ‘magical’ and will hold the answer to your life decisions. However, your dreams often do reflect how you are really feeling on any given day.

Are you dreaming of being naked in front of a crowd? Perhaps you are feeling vulnerable. Or maybe you are running in your dream. Are you running away from something in your life perhaps?

Pay attention to your subconscious to help you understand what is really going on in your busy everyday life.

Exercise Your Way to a Clear Head

Have you ever felt the urge to punch a pillow when you’re feeling frustrated? Well, while punching a pillow isn’t a bad thing, why not try running or lifting weights? Exercise has been proven to relieve stress and will aid in clearing your mind. A clear mind will allow intuitive thoughts to be heard.

Write it down

Practice using your gut feeling to make decisions and write down how you felt at the time and what the outcome was. Look back on your journal to see how often you were right about something. Your confidence will grow as you learn how to use your gut feelings to your advantage.

I am also consistently adapting myself to the business I am writing for in order to create accurate and well-written content. Freelance web content writers and copywriters truly must have the ability to act as chamaeleons; placing ourselves in the shoes of our clients in order to develop the message they are wishing to communicate.

As VIP Assistant Solutions develops, it is becoming apparent that the bread and butter of my business lies in web content writing services, and this causes me to recognize that web writing has certainly changed since I first entered the PR and Communications field in 2003! Well-written content and the implementation of proper keywords is only a fraction of what web content writing involves. Yes it is absolutely fundamental that a business website is well written and speaks to the right audience. However, the steps to take to create the proper content for a particular business involves so much more.

I have compiled a list of steps I take to ensure my clients’ websites are attracting the right traffic, speaking to the right audience, and motivating potential clients to act.

Industry Analysis

When I begin working with a new client, I not only ask my client about his/her industry but I also research competition and industry news.

Business Target Audience

It is extremely important to be clear on who the business target audience is. Without a target audience, content will just be fluff and will only confuse the reader. Whose attention is the business hoping to grab?

Keyword Research

After I have researched my client’s industry and developed an understanding of who my client is hoping to target, I conduct a keyword research assessment. In other words, what words are people most likely to enter into Google in order to bring them to this business and/or its competition?

Proofread Proofread Proofread!

I can’t stress enough how important well-written content is. Grammar and spelling mistakes can be a huge detriment to a business’ success.

Analyze

It is important to analyze how the website is doing. Google Analytics is an amazing (and free!) tool that provides you with valuable information required to help you learn how your website is doing and where the traffic is coming from. Google Analytics helps to determine what is working and what needs to be changed.

A while back, I read a book by Bonnie Fuller titled The Joys of Much too Much.  The book describes the busy life and mega responsibilities faced by the Director of American Media,  while somehow being able to maintain her sanity personally and professionally.

The book points out that it certainly doesn’t help to sweat the small stuff and no matter what it seems on the outside, no one is perfect and everyone wants to scream once in a while on the inside! Life can get quite hectic at times but that doesn’t mean we should forget what is most important to us; our family, and close friendships and loving the overall paths we pave for ourselves professionally and personally.  I was inspired by Bonnie Fuller’s drive to succeed, finding a balance between the two different lives she leads at home and at work. She has gone through a few hard times in her life, notably the severe illness of her two daughters and being fired from Glamour magazine. However, she managed to turn unhappy life events into character building experiences.

Women everywhere can relate to Fuller’s drive to have the ‘cake and eat it too’; with a high flying career and a family. Her drive in every part of her life is a true inspiration to us all. Although I must point out that, after reading her book, I was quite exhausted just thinking about how she handles it all so well!

I wanted to share this book with you because as my business is growing, I am feeling the pressure of doing it all at work as well as at home. Because I work for myself and am still in start up mode, some people think I can take a break whenever I want. The truth is that I don’t have the time anymore to just take a mid day break for lunch or spend hours on the phone with a friend. Or as today would have it, take the day off because my husband happens to have it off (although I will make time for an afternoon walk). The work is piling up and my integrity is at stake. This is both stressful and exciting at the same time!! As a sole proprietorship, I am in charge of my own future. I choose whether I win or lose and while this is scary, this is also a relief.

When the going gets tough, just remember that not everyone is perfect. It’s not easy to balance work life, family life and your love life but with a little imagination, and a positive outlook on life this is more possible than most of us may think.

Why not have it all? And a little more for kicks;)

We travelled to Barcelona, Valencia, Granada and Seville (Sevilla) all in 11 days! What a whirlwind! And what a cultural eye opener. My husband and I do not know the spanish language and we both admit that the further south we travelled, the less we understood the people and we’re sure the less they understood us.

It truly is a humbling experience to struggle to be understood. There were times when the language barrier did get frustrating; frustrated with ourselves for not learning the language before leaving for Spain. We travelled on trains between cities and at one point booked ourselves on an eight hour over-night train ride from Valencia to Granada. When we boarded, we realized we were seated in a quad, the two of us sitting side by side and facing two older men. I tried to ask one of the men if he was travelling to Granada as well and he didn’t understand me (or refused to understand what I meant when I kept saying “Granada”). Let’s just say it was an uncomfortable eight hours of the two Canadians and the two Spanish men staring back at one another with no way to communicate. Needless to say we did our best to sleep through that ride!

In the end, regardless of the language barrier, we had such a wonderful time and learned a few words and a sentence or two of Spanish. Relying on one another as we made our way through the country truly brought us even closer together. The culture, language, and food were all amazing and we look forward to more European adventures in the future!

Why this show struck me is because this same couple sought credit counselling and the assistance of Loral Langmeier is a best-selling author, entrepreneur and self-made millionaire. Langmeier helped turn this couple’s lives around. One of the ways she helped is by providing the wife with the necessary information to pursue a career as a Virtual Assistant! Watch clips from the show and read more information on Dr. Phil.com

In case you were wondering, the couple now bring in $6000 a month. Just some food for thought.

What I call Exaggerated Fear, has been present in my life many times over. Yes it’s normal to be scared and nervous and fearful at times, but it’s how we all handle fear that is important. Yes I let the world know I’m scared when I am. I find it very hard to hold in what I’m feeling! But what’s important to note is that I rarely back out (unless my fear is valid). Facing your fears is important to self awareness and self development.

Fear is often present when deciding to start a small business. I personally feel as though more of us would be launching businesses if it wasn’t for fear. Fear of failure is the number one reason but people also fear the irregular pay check, and the hard work and time it could take away from family and friends. Many people drudge through a typical 9-5 dreaming of what kind of business they would open if given the chance. The truth is that chance is always available. It’s the fear that paralyzes most into taking the plunge.

Of course failure is a valid fear but it shouldn’t stop one from ‘opening shop’ if that’s what he/she wishes to do. The potential of failure is inevitable in every area of life; our education, our day jobs, our marriages and other relationships. This doesn’t mean we should simply back out!

If starting a business is your dream but you fear failure, it’s time to get over it. It’s so easy to fail. All you do is nothing; you don’t learn a thing by sitting there and letting life pass you by. But it’s so satisfying to throw ‘potential failure’ to the wayside.

So what can you do to relieve the feeling of fear, the possibility of failure and instead achieve your dream of launching a business?

Do Your Research

Of course you should do your homework before starting a business. Jumping blindly into a venture will heighten your chances of failure and this will not help with your fear! What type of business would you like to start? What do you need to get there?

Take Little Steps

Starting a business doesn’t and shouldn’t happen over night. While you are still at your day job, think of the steps you need to take to launch your business. You may wish to launch  part time and keep one foot in one door and the other in the next until you feel comfortable enough to fully jump into self-employment.You may have to work weekends and nights to get there but in order to build momentum, giving your time at first will be worth it.

VIP Assistant Solutions was certainly not made over night. I started thinking about the possibility while working full time as an Executive Administrative Assistant and part-time as a freelance writer. I started out with another name and website. I toyed with the idea a bit but knew I wasn’t ready because a) I wasn’t telling anyone about this possible venture and b) I wasn’t giving it my full attention at the end of the day. I finally told my family and friends what I was thinking, gained their support and opened a website, with a better name. Once I had a couple of clients, I decided it was finally OK to devote myself full time to the business. I’m still learning and there are some days I feel fear but then I just look back on my plan and my support and the fear diminishes.

Create a Business Plan

Every business should have a plan. A business plan is essentially your blueprint for business success. It will help you see on paper, what needs to be done and how you are going to get there. Click here for additional information.

Tell People about it!

As I mentioned above, I didn’t tell people about my business venture when I first started out and failure easily looked me straight in the eyes. It wasn’t until I told everyone about my idea that I gained support, interest and ultimately the confidence to forge ahead and open up ‘shop’.

Take a Course

If taking a course to learn the basics of launching a business will provide you with more confidence, go for it! Educating yourself, whether it’s about running a business or about a particular service or product you will offer, can only give you a leg up on the competitors in your industry.

Money Schmoney

OK, obviously many businesses need money to start. But if you do your research, you will see that new business owners do have many resources to turn to to help in this area. Whether it’s through a bank or a business development center, help is available. In Toronto, the Toronto Business Development Centre provides mentors who help with your business needs and assessment process, business incubation programs, networking events and so much more to help the small business owner go save money and gain resources to quickly go from start up to success.

The more you know about starting a business, the easier it will be for you to see the big picture and kick fear to the curb. Fear can be paralyzing and can cause us to miss out on exciting, life changing possibilities. Yes I still am terrified of getting on that plane in two weeks. But I’m still going to do it. Why? Because i wouldn’t give up taking a trip around Spain for anything! Just like launching my business was, it’s all worth it in the end:)

So small business aside, I would love to know your own fears and how or if you were able to conquer them?

Well, I came across an interesting article on Entrepreneur (great website by the way), that details the individual personalities required to be successful in different types of self-employed business. Not surprisingly, the article declares that successful entrepreneurs share similar personality traits including: natural leaders, problem-solvers, and work well under pressure. Individually, entrepreneurs who have proven to be successful in their industry are those who have opened a business suiting their personality type.

Being aware of yourself; knowing your personality type, what motivates you and what doesn’t, is important to the overall success of your business. Opening an Accounting firm when your true passion and talent is photography, for example, may not end in success. Self awareness is the key to not only success but happiness!

As this article explains, people are most often either Generalists or Specialists. Generalists being independent, free thinkers who look at the big picture. Specialists being individuals who are not likely to take risks, instead sticking to what they know and “specialize” in.

Each main personality type has, according to the article, broad personality types. Generalists include “Trailblazer”, “Go-getter”, “Manager” and “Motivator”. Specialists include “Authority”, “Collaborator”, and “Diplomat”. Successful entrepreneurs know how to distinguish themselves according to personality and use their self-knowledge to open a business accordingly.

I do agree with this article and feel knowing myself; my strengths and weaknesses, are integral to succeeding not only as an entrepreneur but in anything I do. Personally, I found myself in both the Specialist and Generalist personality types.  A Diplomat with a splash of Go-Getter (feel free to argue this point if you must;)) Read the article to determine which one you are!