February Recap #happylittlepractice

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Hi Friend,

In case you missed something, here’s what I sent you in February.

Bring your marketing, messaging and mindset questions and I’ll do my best to pitch in the Happy Little Practice Way. If you haven't already, here's how you can reserve your spot and receive the replay. 

More Updates

I have been quietly giving access to my Great Little Talks program to any member of the Club who decides that giving a signature talk as their primary marketing strategy is for them.

You can learn more about this marketing strategy at GreatLittleTalks.com.

Please note, I have not updated the Club the info page about this bonus. So consider yourself on the early notification.😊

If you want the details of joining the club, it’s here.

Of course, please get in touch if you have any Qs about this. 

  • What I’m mulling over — Thinking about starting a wildly imperfect, not at all polished Youtube Channel for Happy Little Practice, Happy Little Life with a less is more perspective.

  • What I’m using - Asana.com, a free project management tool. I use this to keep my business projects (AKA all the ideas swirling in my head) organized by category: current project (only 1 at a time for me), in progress/waiting (what I’m working on with someone else like my website designer), next-in-line (what I may choose to do next), someday (sounds good, maybe later) and completed (hurrah!).

Here are two podcasts that explain using Asana in business: Here is 1 for a broad overview and 6 min into this episode shows you a similar version of what I do with the "board view" in Asana for projects. (A piece of paper for each category and a pencil works great too.) 

  • What I’m thinking - How does one stay in business and contribute to what matters when there seems to be so many challenges - The Ukraine crisis and so much more?

It is not by asking myself "is this the right time for being in business?"

It is by asking myself "what kind of business do my clients need from me at this time?"

As always  - all in and in this with you,

Karin

Creator of the Happy Little Practice Method

 

PS - Want help? Three ways I can help: The Happy Little Practice Club, private coaching and bring me in to speak to your group. 

PPS - Watch this class to see if the Happy Little Practice Method is for you.

Thanks for reading! 

When Nothing Else Works

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Hi Friend,

When you think of a plan for your business, you might think about what you'll do.

Things like the specific actions you'll take to get where you want to go.

I've found that you will need a couple of more things.

Three things that make a plan: 

  1. You need a plan for what to think... This is you learning about the entrepreneurial mindset.

  2. You need a plan for what to feel... This is you learning how to manage the BIG FEELS of running a business.

  3. A plan for what to do... This is about strategy.

Think + Feel + Do = A Plan

Does the thinking and feeling part sound silly to you?

Hear me out... 

I used only one part of this formula for a LONG time in my little business: the doing part. 

Now that I better understand how the mind works, I realize this was like over using one muscle group. 

And when you overuse a muscle, it gets fatigued, sore and needs a break.

And if you insist on overusing one muscle, it will break down.  

Then staying engaged in your work (specifically your marketing) wanes. 

This is followed by fits and starts in business focus and momentum.

Let's use all of your resources, not just one.

So, how do you leverage your thinking and feelings as part of your business plan?

One of the most loving ways I could find to leverage my thoughts and feelings in business, and help me become more consistent in my marketing is by learning how to ask myself better questions. 

Questions that move me forward. 

Questions that make me feel calm and courageous. 

There is ONE question that seems silly, maybe even cute, that I lean on WHEN NOTHING ELSE WORKS. 

When I get stuck... 

When I am in reaction mode and feel triggered by a tricky situation...

When I get mired in my own stinkin' thinkin'...

When I'm stuck in a pattern of hiding out or avoiding something... 

When nothing else works, here's what I ask myself. 

What would Love do?

Don't know how to respond to an opportunity that isn't quite a fit? How would Love handle it?

Feel down and out over the state of your business results? What would Love do?

Feel pressed upon by a client and your boundaries stretched? What would Love do?

With this question, I always, and I mean always come up with a soul-nourishing and business-building action step in no time. 

And to my surprise, I never, ever get a response that says: you should quit.

Your marketing plan must include what to think, feel and do. 

And one of the most loving ways to do this is to ask yourself a good question.

What would Love do?

Don't knock it until you try it. 

Happy Lovuary, 

Karin

PS - Confession: I borrowed Lovuary from Hallmark Channel. Not that I watch those silly, formulaic movies. Ahem. Okay, one time. Okay, a few times. Okay, maybe when I'm cooking sometimes I listen to one. Stop asking me about this! 

PS - The Happy Little Practice Mindset Club is here for you whenever you're ready. It's a where we talk about all three parts of your plan - what to think, what to feel and what to do next. More info here, if it speaks to you. 
 

*** More Resources for you ***

- > Free Q&A Classes - Bring your Qs, a mug of tea or coffee and let's get to know each other. The next one is on Wed, March 2nd at 12pm ET. Register here if you haven't already. 

- > The Happy Little Practice Method Explained

- > Private Coaching - Get in touch here and let's see if I can help. 

 

The End. 

Typos are my free gift to you. 

---

Karin Rozell
Author, Speaker and Small Business Coach for Companies of One

Creator of the Happy Little Practice Method

Snippets of Inspiration and Focus

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Hi Friend!
I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Here are a few snippets from my Happy Little Practice and I hope it helps you too. 

1 - Marketing is pretty simple when you recognize all you need to do is talk to new people regularly + tell them how you can help  + give them an experience of helping them before they are your client.

Now use your creativity and desire to help others to find a way you enjoy doing this consistently. 

2 - In Happy Little Practice, all of your marketing (see #1) must point to your enrollment conversation and nothing else.

This is the thing to figure out, as all coaching is sold through conversation.

You have to do this.

The longer you put off the vulnerability and incredible learning that happens when you lead enrollment conversations, the further away you get from success as a coach.

The way I see people put this off is selling small things and/or marketing in such a way that requires no commitment and very little vulnerability on the part of the coach or client. 

Get into it and figure out how to be with people in the enrollment conversation, learn from it, fail a lot (I STILL do) so that you can regularly create clients from that conversation.

Yes, you’ll see bigger or more mature businesses selling through their website, the stage, or a prospectus, but you can do that after you filled your practice and you know how to sell the most essential thing. 

3- Stop telling yourself you don’t know your message.

Try this instead. 

Health pro? I help people get better results in their health. Done. 

Relationship coach? I help people create better, happier relationships. 

Finance coach? I help people get really good with money even if they think they can’t. Done.

Career or business coach, I help people get better results in their business (or career). 

Life coach? I help people get better results in their life.

Of course, I help people sort this out even more specifically, but these examples are more than good enough to get going with. 

They create conversation. 

See snippet #2 as to what to do next. 

4 – Be a Working Coach

Once you have #3, here’s a super simple way to clarify your services. 

Work with me for 90 days, every week, and let’s fast track this.

Work with me for 90 days, twice per month, sure and steady style.

Work with me for 6 weeks and let’s focus on one small thing that would help you so much and have you believing you can do the next thing.

30 min or 60 min sessions. Decide. 

Pick a fee, any fee that you would be happy enough with for now. Work up to high-end pricing. Decide on a rate just for the next 3 clients. 

Get used to deciding, learning from the decision and perfecting as you go.

It’s more important to be a working coach than a thinking about coaching coach.

Decide, move on, start working. 

Now see Snippet #1. 

5 – When are you going to stop trying to avoid feeling vulnerable or uncertain?

It's just part of the journey.

My clients who transform their business see their work as a profession, not a lifestyle.

I notice this gives them the gumption to bring me their mess, what they’re struggling with and what they’re afraid of ... because their profession is on the line.

This also helps them to be willing. 

Willing to try out the advice they pay me to offer them, to tweak things and to keep going even when they're really nervous. 

Learning new things and trying different things is humbling. It’s full of uncertainty, doubt and vulnerability.

Be willing to suck at things for a while and ask for help instead of doing slightly different versions of the same thing over and over again.

Then gently, steadily bring that vulnerability into the world to share your ideas by constantly, and I mean constantly, keeping your focus on helping the end user of your service – the client.

Want my help with this?

Is coaching, consulting or private practice your profession, or do you want it to be?

The Happy Little Practice Mindset Club – All of the above is achievable in the Club. Whether you’ve been at it for some time and want to keep it simple and keep it going (like me) or you’re adding coaching to your existing career, you are welcome to join us. Get on the wait list here. 

Private Coaching – Private coaching is best for working professionals, practitioners and creative women with a business. Learn more about this here. 

Free Q&A Class Wed, Jan 26th – Come get inspired, ask questions and be in the fierce but funny, cozy but wildly encouraging Happy Little Practice Community. Register if you haven't already. You only need to register once and you're in.

Small Practice, Big Results - Have you watched my signature class that introduces the Happy Little Practice method? Go here. 

Thanks for reading and keep going,  
Karin 

PS - A personal note and extra tip...

In this email, there are several pearls of wisdom that I gleaned from Steve Chandler. He’s my favorite author about the coaching life and creating for a living. I recently found out he’s in semi-retirement and in his mid to late 70s and it’s made me appreciate his work all the more. (I want to be doing cool coaching work in my late 70s too!) So, I’ve been re-reading his books, and listening to his interviews all over again. Get on YouTube or podcast player and search for his name and just take in his wisdom. They will help you, and it’s free. 

---

Karin Rozell
Author, Speaker and Small Business Coach for Companies of One

Creator of the Happy Little Practice Method

A Mindset Shift for Upgrading Business Boundaries

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They are the things you didn't know you needed to know about when you started your practice. How you can manage around your time, friends and family, what you will or won't do for clients, around getting paid and more.

I recently spent 30 minutes talking with a client around why she let what happened with a client happen, and what new way of looking at herself and her work could prevent it from ever happening again.

I have to confess, every little policy and boundary I have in place is a direct result of some weird, "keep me up at night" situation in my practice.

Now if weirdness comes up, I either point to "the details of working together" hand out that they agreed to, or have a "we need to talk conversation" and offer some coaching around what I see.

Sure there are always clients who bail after they invest or never participate in their investment in your work, that's normal. And there's not much to be done about that besides making sure your business is not affected by other people's whims.

When you're beginning to consider upgrading how you do what you do, and how you are with clients, one of the first ways to ease into this is to look for evidence of what you want.

Could you look around with new eyes, and look for professionals doing their thing, caring, but not care-taking?

Could you look for examples (in and out of your field of expertise) that show you that you can be caring in business but still be firm around what's cool and what's not in your practice?

This is a lot like those rare, great teachers you had in your school days, that inspired you to be your best in class, but didn't bend the rules for you either.

First look around and look for evidence of professionals walking this line in simple, effective and elegant ways.

Be it from your past, a local service provider, someone you admire from afar or someone you personally know.

This will give you courage to establish healthy boundaries for yourself as well.

Heres to setting healthy boundaries that allows your business and clients to bloom,

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P.S. Need a mentor for your coaching, consulting biz or private practice in the year ahead? Come check out my Biz YOUR Way Studio and see if my intimate and accessible program is right for you.

The Thing About Me-Time (For Mombots Everywhere)

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Ever notice how much "easier" it is to stay home each night, snuggling into the couch? Drew and I are mostly ready to drool by 6:30pm most nights. Between running our respective businesses and the kids (and everything else!), we give each other high fives for making it to 6:30pm each day. Seriously!

But when Alex turned 3 last year, it was a total and rude awakening. I kept feeling like "I just had a baby." (Well, I did get knocked up again and had baby #2 within that span of time, so I was either pregnant or nursing for 3.5 years. What can I say, I'm irresistible to my hubby. hehe). But the greater truth is this: Alex was no longer a baby and didn't need me for every little thing (but I kept acting like it) and another little girl was right behind him. There was never going to be the perfect "oh, go take some time for yourself" moment. In fact I had to schedule it or it just never happened. And so here's what came to my mind...

I thought: If I don't start carving out some personal time now, instead of waiting for someday, one day later, I'm going to crack and my hubby will leave me because I'm turning into one crazy psycho bitch from hell who is always grumpy and frumpy. Sigh. (Yes, in those exact words, more or less.)

But here's the thing about time "just for you." Be it just to get some breathing room, refresh your energy or focus on your dream biz and it's evolution (if you're like me, your biz IS your ART and it's your life's work that will grow and evolve with you even when the kids are grown).

The thing about me-time is it's in the category of "fun." And when you're not having any fun, you think you don't need fun. And then fun seems like hard work. And you get pissed at other people having fun (your hubby!) And when fun-loving folks suggest "go have some fun" you get even more pissed... at them!

Don't they know I have a business to run and shit to get DONE! Sheesh. And then you've become a Mombot. That's when you just handle one mom thing after another, become absorbed in being mom or biz maven and forget the joy, sexiness and hot, throbbing good time you can have when you prioritize fun and enjoying the ride.

What I've realized is that fun takes effort. To put on some nice clothing, perhaps a lip gloss and go have fun. And the first few times, it's not that fun so you wonder "why bother." But trust me, you're just thawing out. At some point, fun becomes fun.

FUN is deliciously rejuvenating like nothing else. So tonight, for no other reason than to have some fun, I'm making margarita's and something Mexican for dinner. (The mombot me says that's just a waste of time and just "make something easy." Mombot me is a real dud.)

I'm flexing a new habit of grabbing fun where ever I can.

I have cold hard evidence that when I'm not having fun in my life, my business suffers, my marriage suffers and even my health suffers. So heres to enjoying life and having fun (while you build your dream biz too!)

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P.S. Need a mentor for your coaching or consulting biz? Come check out my Biz YOUR Way Studio and see if my intimate, and accessible program is right for you. Looking forward to hearing from you! Find out more here.

I Call B.S. On "Saving the World" with Your Business

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I'm sorry if this makes you mad, but I gotta say it.

I call BS on "you are hoarding your medicine that can save the world, if you don't get out there and share what you know."

I call BS on it's your "sacred mission to help others".

I call BS on all the marketing stuff that says "you better help make the world a better place or else you're being selfish".

Here's what I think...

All of that is truly well intentioned but it totally trips up coaches, consultants and practitioners.

It makes you create a biz that "looks right" but often doesn't feel right, because you think what you truly want isn't socially acceptable.

So you dress up what you really want with a "saving the world" business.

You real desire of not really wanting to work that hard, or wanting to make a boat load of money while helping others for a living (gasp! can you really say that??); of wanting lots of people seeking you out, being kinda famous and hundreds attending your events (eeek! you can't say that, right? so you call it "I want to make a BIG impact"); or your real desire of just having a life full of wellness related activities that feel fun and relaxing, but you can't just do THAT, can you?

So it leads you to obsess about "contributing" and on earning your place in the world.

So you start a biz and it's always feast or famine because you're not THAT interested in running a biz, you just want to have fun.

But you can't just do THAT, right?

Or can you??

You "serve" others by being radiantly happy.

A happy woman creates such a ripple effect in the world, just by being who she is and dripping her happiness here and there.

It’s inspiring.

It’s life changing for everyone who comes into contact with her.

And that is enough.

Heres to keeping things real,

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P.S. Need a coach that can help you design your biz and life to fit YOU? Come and work with me and see if my program is right for you.

How to Deal with Conflicting Intentions in Your Biz and Personal Life

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The stress of living with the energy of "either/or." IE I'm either a striving biz woman or at home present mama. I'm either successful and alone or happily married and playing down my ambition. I'm either rich and out of touch or poor and spiritual. It's all a big fat lie.

I know I'm most stressed when I feel pulled in by the "either/or" of motherhood vs work. And when I'm in this place, I always think the solution to everything lies in one or the other camp. "If only I had more work hours, then I'd really accomplish it all." Or ,"maybe if I didn't work, everything would feel better."

And naturally, when I'm in this place, not much progress happens. It's almost as if every intention I have - both as a mom, and as a business owner - gets cancelled out. And that's exactly what happens when you have conflicting intentions in your personal life and in your business life.

Ironically, I'm the most happiest when I occupy the in-between place. When am integrating all of my life into my everyday. My work hours reflect my "off-line" life desires. My work has healthy boundaries that leave space and time for life's pleasures such as a peaceful, relaxing lunch, true down-time and "after hours" time to just be.

Happiness in business, to me, must reflect all of me, not just the "business me." You know your biz is only reflecting your "biz self" when it feels like it's driving YOU into the wee hours of the morning or late into the night. Or when you just aren't having a lot of personal life fun.

But when you integrate your real life - your family, relationships that matter to you, exercise, being outdoors, the things that make you feel wealthy beyond any bank account number - into your daily business life, you will find, my friend, that your life and work will flourish much more easily and enjoyably.

Integrating all of you into your biz. That's where its at.

Here's to living and creating your way,

P.S. Ready for mentoring with someone who gets your entire life? Come check out the Studio.

Seek Advice that Encourages You to Go For It (And why I don't listen to just anyone about business.)

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Where are you getting your advice from? I used to try to listen to my elders and family about my business, but then I realized, they had never work for themselves or created anything out of the ordinary. So naturally, what they shared with me about my business dreams was always tinged with fear and worry about security, being safe, and being responsible.

Get advice from people who have created something cool, who have gone for something that made them shake in their boots a bit. People who find it "normal" to go for it, rather than try to talk themselves out of their dreams. People who are deliberate about their career and life choices. That's who to ask for advice from.

Because when you're doing something new and different (for you!), you'll need to remind yourself that you're in good company. When I couldn't afford coaching, I read a lot of biographies to help me feel like I wasn't alone in this endeavor. (There's always a way to get support. Libraries are the best for this!)

Above is a picture of Robin Berg who wrote her book with us. A life long dream of hers! And it's a great resource for going within when making decisions for your business and life.

Here's to living and creating your way,

P.S. Ready for mentoring with someone who gets your entire life? Come check out the Studio.

"Everything Sucks, Some of the Time" (Even in Your Dream Business)

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I read the book "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown and it's like seeing my own philosophy of coaching laid out for me.

Fun! In McKeown's book, I read the following story and it reminded me very much of what we're doing here:

He shared a story of a man who was asked to fix a failing organization in about 90 days. And there was just SO much to do, he couldn't see how to do it. Long story short, he realized by figuring out what was the biggest "constraint" to making progress, and by focusing on fixing THAT, he quickly would see momentum and improvement. Without fixing the constraint, no matter how much more work or new ideas they would try to implement, nothing would take root, nothing would work.

Nine out of 10 times, when new clients come for coaching, they think they need to do much, much more. But more often than not, we remove things, restructure things and focus on doing less in order to gain traction. It's so contrarian to how American culture thinks. Do more, be more, buy more, take massive action, etc...

Back to the story about that man asked to fix an ailing company in McKeown's book. He turned around that organization by addressing the biggest "energy leak" in the company.

So what about you? Could you make incredible progress, by first addressing a big "energy leak" in your own life? Be it in your work life or home life, sometimes, making one small, well-thought out change, can be like a little hinge that swings a big door.

Here's to doing less, but better (Thanks Greg!),

P.S. Ready for mentoring with someone who gets your entire life? Come check out the Studio.

Signs that your biz is telling you to write your damn book already

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Sign #1 Your clients, friends and colleagues are always telling you to write a book. When you already have clients, and they're telling you this, you can use your book to begin to leverage your time and business.

IE create a group program and have your book's intention become a lead generator for your groups and events. (That's just one idea!) And um, hello? This is a very, very good sign!

Sign #2 What you do is a bit tricky to describe, given its transformational nature or outright complexity, and you're not a huge fan of trying to explain what you do.

If this is you, consider writing a book to simplify and clarify what it is you do for others, and for whom, and plan on using your book as a glorified business card.

(A lot of people in our Book program use the process to clarify their niche and rebrand.)

This will save you time, energy and boost your credibility when meeting potential referral partners, for networking and especially so if you're new in business.

And it will simplify your marketing. IE you could design all of your marketing to point to reading your book as an opt-in and first step to deciding if you're the right solution for them.

 

Sign #3 that your biz is saying "write yo book already!" :)) You find yourself saying the same thing, over and over again, with your clients (private or group.) This is usually when coaches, consultants and practitioners get a wee bit bored.

And the dark side of this situation is it's also when people start new things and throw out the stuff they're bored with. You know the saying, "don't throw out the baby with the bath water!" right?

Well this sign is telling you it's time to repurpose what you know, into a passive revenue stream like home study products or a book (that leads to a product or a course.) That's what one of our authors did. She actually didn't want any more clients and wanted a way to help the folks who couldn't afford her consulting fees.

Here's to living and creating your way,

Karin

P.S. Ready to heed the signs? Get a copy of our free book on how to Write Now! How Writing Your Book for Your Business NOW is the Best Way to Attract More Money, Establish a Rock-solid Brand, and Become the Go-to Expert in Your Field at http://bookin90days.com/join