'See You Next Year

See You Next Year

November 30, 2022

Does it seem to you that time moves faster around the holidays? Me, too.

I know it’s a little early for holiday greetings. After all, we just passed Thanksgiving and Halloween is not that far in the rearview mirror.

At home, your attention may be turning to fun, family, parties, and presents; while in your business, you are most likely thinking of profits and planning.

At some point in the next few weeks, you will also likely be sending holiday good wishes to the people who are important to you.

For us, that time is now.

These holiday greetings are coming your way today because we are taking a break from our weekly blog email to you so that we can serve you better in 2023.

During the month of December, we will be migrating our Customer Relations Management (CRM) System, video conferencing and e-commerce to a new platform. This will allow for better integration between the components and more efficient processing.

Don’t worry. During this time, we will still be in the office, still working, still right here to support you in your business. Our email will still be operational and where will still be at the other end of the phone when you call.

But at the risk of making it seem that time is moving too fast, we didn’t want to take this break without wishing you the happiest of holidays. You are important to us, and we are so grateful that you continue to be part of the Wide Awake Business family.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza or Winter Solstice, we wish you all the light and love of the holiday season. We wish you safe travels, good food and wonderful times spent with people you love.

And we wish you the most positive, prosperous, and profitable year ever in 2023.

Holiday Blessings,

Chris

P.S. During this busy season, we are just a phone call away. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Mary Martin, Business Development Manager, at (513) 379-1567 or email her at mary@wideawakebusiness.com.

'Focus on Gratitude

Focus on Gratitude

November 23, 2022

It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. Now is the time for us to reflect and express thanks for the blessings in our lives.

Today and every day, we are grateful for you… our colleagues, partners, and customers.  We are thankful that you have trusted us to work side-by-side with you as you grow your business and expand your leadership.

Thank you for the countless ways in which your creativity teaches us and offers us new perspectives. We are grateful for the questions and the corrections as well as the affirmation and appreciation.

You amaze us with all the incredible and important work you are doing in the world. We honor you and are grateful to support you.

Now that we have expressed our thanks to you, we have a question.

Why limit yourself to just a few days or weeks to focus on gratitude?

Take your gratitude practice beyond the holidays. It’s a smart strategy for creating and sustaining a successful business.

Countless studies have shown that gratitude helps people become healthier, happier, and more successful. Isn’t that exactly what you and your team need for your business to thrive?

Getting into a regular practice of gratitude can make a big difference in your business and in your life. Doing these three things will help you to make gratitude part of your business culture:

See it – Being grateful starts with recognizing the positive things that are happening every day. At work, we can get into task mode and focus on what needs to be done. Taking focused time each day to look at things with appreciative eyes will bring big improvements in your emotional and physical well-being.

Speak it – It’s not enough to just notice what you’re grateful for. It’s important to express that gratitude…to your team, your family, and your customers. Sharing your thanks encourages others to do the same.

Systematize it — Whatever your preferred ways to show gratitude, create systems to support them. Make it easy to stay in the practice of gratitude. Try adding gratitude checkpoints to your business processes. There’s no end of ways to show you care. So, play around and see what works for you and your team, then commit to it. You’ll be thankful you did!

Happy Thanksgiving. May your lives be filled with many things to be grateful for.

Blessings,

'Get Rid of Housework

Get Rid of Housework

November 16, 2022

November can be a tricky month.

Your year isn’t over.  You’ve still got about six weeks to go to meet or exceed your 2022 goal.

But November often feels like the year is done.  Veteran’s Day; Thanksgiving; followed by shopping; followed by Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanza; followed by Boxing Day; and quickly followed by returning gifts.

All your time seems to be allocated to the max. And before you know it, the year will be over.

Here’s one thing that can enable you to reach out to close a few more sales without adding more time to your crazy, filled calendar.

Eliminate all the office housework you’ve accumulated!

It’s keeping you poor!!

A recent study found volunteering, saying “yes” to thankless stuff, is a “woman thing.”  Women volunteer for unrewarding tasks and are asked to take them on more than men.

It happens as much in business as in our personal lives.

You may have started the volunteer or “recruit” habit when you were working for someone else. And here’s the kicker…you kept it up as a solopreneur – maybe out of necessity. But now that you are a successful business owner with a team, it’s time to stop doing the housework.

Office housework = non-revenue-generating work

You’re taking on low risk and low reward tasks, and the odds are high that you’re about to do it again.  Like, even today.

We know saying “no” can be difficult.

Changing a long-standing habit takes time.

Start small.

How much office housework rests on your “To Do List?”

Identify just one thing. Or maybe two or three if you’re feeling brave.

Then follow the 3-D approach: Delay, Delegate, or Delete each item you are shifting off your plate.

Calculate the time you would have spent on this housework. Then take that time and allocate it to reaching out to that prospect who’s “this close” to saying yes.

Same amount of time in your business.  With some junk off your plate.  Replaced by revenue-producing work.

Reaching that goal looks more and more possible, right?

What a great incentive to create a new habit for the New Year.

When you feel bogged down or over-committed, take the 3-D approach to clearing out the housework. Better yet, employ the 3-D approach before adding tasks to your list.

Say goodbye to housework. You’ll be surprised by what a difference it makes.