Experiments
This Year Will Be Different
How many times have you said, “This year will be different!” in January? Or in slight desperation and defiant hope, uttered, “Next year will be different!” in December? And you really meant it. The year rolls by, and you do the best you can to keep up with daily demands: take care of your clients, market for new business, balance your bank account, walk the dog, remember to exercise and eat more veggies, call your mother, meet friends for a movie, take a few minutes to focus on your macramé…. It seems like a never-ending stream of business and people and things vying for your attention. At some point during the year, you pause to take a breath and think...
Read MoreFinding Marketing Activities that Work for You
When I started my business it seemed there was a master list of marketing activities that I was supposed to do: Get involved with the Chamber of Commerce – it’s for small businesses, after all. Attend networking events – connect with people and let them know what I do. Join my professional association – get known by my peers, build a referral network. Of these three, only the third one worked for me. As it turns out, if you’re not that great at making small talk with strangers, being in crowds of people you don’t know, or going downtown on a weeknight in your grown up clothes, the first two marketing strategies aren’t that effective. Finding the right places to...
Read MoreWhy You Need Clients
We need to talk about your business. Not to be too crass, yet part of the formula for a successful business looks like this: Clients = Money You need clients because you need money, because you want freedom to do things for yourself and others personally and professionally, which means you need to do something about that. About the getting of clients. That thing that’s easy to say, that you’re “supposed” to do, yet is easy to ignore. But. Something. Is. Always. More. (seemingly). Urgent. The cat needs to be let out. The baby is crying. Your email inbox has exploded in a mind boggling way. The dishes are overflowing the sink. Your family is insisting you feed them. You...
Read MoreHow Do You Get Things Done?
How do you get things done? Do you feel you’re an achiever who enjoys checking off the boxes? Do you see yourself as more laid back, getting to things whenever you can? Whatever your style, the truth is, if you’re in business for yourself, you need to get things done, and chances are, no one else will jump in to save the day. Which begs the question: How do you do things most easily and best suited to you? What’s your style? In working with clients, I see two typical categories of doers: 1) Those who love making a list and working through it, some going so far as drawing their own little check boxes next to each to do item in a notebook, or 2) others who take a...
Read MoreOpposite Day
Opposite Day: The day you choose to do everything contrary to how you would normally do things. This morning I was thinking about the old TV show The Odd Couple and it occurred to me how much Felix and Oscar relied on each other, and how much fun they were able to have, despite their differences. Then I reflected on the adage of using your left hand to brush your teeth in order to establish new neural pathways in your brain. Which lead me to The Power of Habit (you can see the newsletter where I talk about the book here) where I learned the mechanics of a habit and how you can really shake up your habits with minor changes. And this thought thread leads us...
Read MoreExperiments: Fail Fast, Fail Early
Experiments with dogs in boats; Finch goes boating! Experiment: Fail Fast, Fail Early Recently I was reminded about the importance of running experiments, not being attached to the outcome, and being willing to fail fast and fail early. Let me explain with an example from my dating life. A few weeks ago an attractive man approached me and we chatted and exchanged business cards. When I got home that evening he had already emailed me, a good sign! We traded emails and set a date for coffee a week away. A few emails were traded during the week, and we developed a warm rapport. The day of our coffee date came, and meeting was a bit awkward; after all,...
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Kristine is an experienced presenter blending traditional learning with the knowledge that comes from life’s experiences. She is passionate about you unplugging from the collective and finding success on your own terms, and has brought small business owners and independent minded professionals the clarity that’s required to build and maintain a successful career. 
