Georgina Walsh Business Coaching

3 Went to Mexico but only 2 Came Home

Posted by Georgina Walsh April 24th, 2015

My family and I are just back from a great trip to New York and Mexico. This is a trip that started in 1999 when three of us were traveling around Central America…..but only two of us came home.

My friend Jo fell in love with a guide that took us on a trip close to the Mexican / Guatemalan border. They are now verily happily married with two gorgeous boys and it was great to visit her and see the wonderful life they have in Mexico.

It was a big decision for her to stay there. At the time I counseled her to stick to  the original plan she had around returning to work in London, whilst our other friend counseled the opposite, to follow her heart and see what happened. We still laugh that she thankfully didn’t listen to me!

Jo’s decision taught me a lot about having flexibility in your plans and listening to your heart. But I still don’t discount the head either. I now really encourage clients to listen to their heart and intuition about how they want to shape their business, and what markets or customers they would like to work with most.

BUT we then bring in the head – What is the most profitable option? Which one is easiest to market to? Which one will provide the most repeat business?

Are you more Head or Heart?

• If you’re more head take time to sit still, feel where your intuition is within you – listen to what it says. It has so many of the answers you need.
• If you’re more heart take time to weigh up the pros and cons of different options. Look at what each will give you, but also cost you in terms of time, money and energy.

So, now that my youngest son has been taken on the much promised trip to Mexico to see his Godmother Jo, and I’m feeling rejuvenated by connecting with such a great country and a good friend, it’s back to work.  Arriba, Arriba!

Do You Want a Film Crew in Your House?

Posted by Georgina Walsh December 18th, 2014

Angelina Jolie eat your heart out, Hollywood is going to be calling me soon.

The film industry in N.Ireland is on a roll. We have Game of Thrones being filmed here and The Fall, to mention but two.

The next thing is Frankenstein, and so I found myself showing a location scout the darkest and dingiest parts (there are quite a few) of my old family home. It’s a lovely Georgian house with a sweeping avenue and beautiful gate lodges, but like many old houses, it’s far more Country House Rescue than Downton Abbey.

My brother who now owns it, is looking for ways for it to pay for its upkeep…..cue the film location scout.  It’s dingy bits for Franenstien, but it would also do well for Jane Austen.

I then had a Nothing to Lose Moment. I asked the scout if he wanted to see my house. 300 yards further up the avenue, brand new, spacious and modern. Missing the period features (or worries about leaking roofs), it’s our dream house and if it could help pay a bit for itself I wouldn’t complain.

He looked hesitant. I told him about the tree lined lane, excellent for a stage coach to thunder up, and that seemed  to swing it.

He liked it! He said he had house envy. That they’re is a demand for the right modern houses to film in.

My brother says he will be furious if my house gets booked before his! We’re both sitting by the phone……I’ll keep you posted.

What Nothing to Lose Moment could you have? Who do you need to approach and what do you need to ask?

WHEN are you going to do it? Often we put it off until the time is right, the website updated etc.

So answer these now:

• What Nothing to Lose Moments have you been putting off?
• What new Nothing to Lose Moments could you put into action?
• Get 2015 off to a cracking start with these, when will you do them? No procrastination, if not before Christmas, diary and make sure they happen in January, Go For It! You have nothing to lose!

Strength to Build Success

Posted by Georgina Walsh November 14th, 2014

I’ve just started working with a client whose sales have been dwindling.  They are feeling unmotivated and frustrated, and there is an air of panic in the air.  However, they are also really putting their thinking cap on. They are considering lots of new markets and new product ideas.

Stop!

If you find yourself doing this, stop immediately!  Have a look around and assess where you are.

I find that both entrepreneurs and executives can start looking into new and different areas when they feel things are not going as well as they would like with their business or career.

Often, the answer is not about looking at new areas, but closer to home.

Often, they have lost their focus and sight of their key strengths.

Whenever possible, you need to look at new ideas, markets and products from a position of strength, not of desperation. You need to look not outwards, but inwards.

1. Find the Time to Stop!  We lose focus and perspective as we rush through our busy professional and personal lives.  Finding time to regularly stop and assess where you are is crucial. Even for just 5 minutes; it could make a big difference.
2. Know What You Stand For. Ensure you are clear on your business or personal brand and its core elements.  What your key values and passions are, what business you are really in, and what value you deliver to people.
3. Know What You are Good At….really, really good at. Make sure you are still doing this – have you drifted away from it? If so, how can you get back to it? How can you do more of the things you enjoy doing?
4. Make a Plan….with a timeline, to bring yourself (and your team) back to key strengths, values and passions. Plan how you can communicate these strengths to your customers and colleagues.
5. Make Another Plan to take yourself forward; once you and / or your business are centred and strong, you can start to make plans to build more success in new and different areas.

What Season Are You?

Posted by Georgina Walsh September 4th, 2014

If your business was a season, what season would it be? Or, in terms of your own personal brand at work, if you were a season what season would you be?

For example, my business brand would be Spring – full of promise, green shoots, new ideas and growth.

Is yours Spring too?
Or Summer; balmy, relaxing and offering escapism?
Or Autumn; cosy, wrapped-up warmth and comforting?
Or Winter; fresh, crisp and invigorating?

What season best sums up your brand and what words and phrases can you bring to your communications or your personal actions to reflect this?

We all know that making money is serious business. Branding and marketing are meant to be the fun bits of running your business.  Doing light-hearted exercises such as the one above can help your business or personal brand by defining the ‘brand personality’.

This helps inform the tone and feel of your brand, a key aspect in designing logos, your website, your promotional material and even down to what clothes you wear.

The classic Brand Personality question is ‘If your brand was a person, what kind of person would it be?’

But stretch your thinking and also think about other things such as the type of car (more Mercedes than Porche?), a particular celebrity, an animal or holiday destination (Rivieria, Las Vegas, Bali?) that you feel reflects your brand in some way.

You can use these to collect 10 to 12 great descriptive words to further help your brand come alive; it’s easy to lose sight of your brand personality, and it can get diluted in the day-to-day hurly burly.

So, relax, ask yourself some of the questions above and make sure you have a radiant, unique and attractive brand personality that really shines through.

Less Is More

Posted by Georgina Walsh July 16th, 2014

Phew, I’ve been going like a dingbat from the beginning of the year, and now I’m going to slow it right down – I’m so excited!

Then from September to December I’ll be in full flow again, and I’m really looking forward to that too.

I am now entering my ‘Less is More’ period.  Running my own business gives me the flexibility to slow down, reflect and gain perspective. It started a few years ago, doing less during my children’s 9 week summer holiday that they get here in N.Ireland – but I’ve found it really helps to propel my business forward.

My brain is given time and space to recharge, but equally importantly I reflect and gain perspective on my business.  I keep working with clients but slow down on other aspects.

Here are some of the questions I ask myself:

• What is working well and what is working not so well?
• What do I need to do more of and less of going forward?
• What am I not enjoying doing – and how can I do less of / eliminate / outsource those things?
• What do I enjoy doing that I am not doing enough of?
• To really leap forward, what big changes need to be made, or fears need to be overcome?

Do you take time to do this on a regular basis? What additional questions do you need to ask yourself to make your business leap forward?

Here are My Tips for Making Less is More work:

• Cover your Less is More period Financially: My business is built around earning 10 months of the year – September to June, anything earned during July and August is counted as a bonus.
• Keep Strong and Focused on Doing Less: If you own your own business you are a natural do-er, so doing less can be hard.  I have set rules e.g. running no workshops, limited flying to clients in England.
• Set Yourself some Goals Outside your Business:  (don’t worry your sub-conscious will still be working away for you!) For example, my horse is already seeing a lot of more of me….and in getting her fitter there should soon be a bit less to her waistline.
• It May Sound Obvious: But set yourself the questions you want to think about and make sure you answer them…….and then act on them.

So plan when you are going to recharge and reflect, and let me know how you get on!

Holidaying with a Huge Sense of Achievement

Posted by Georgina Walsh May 13th, 2014

Good old father time is doing his thing and plunging his way through 2014.

The first third of the year is over, the economy is bouncing back, and bringing with it additional business but also the dreaded……… overwhelm.

Quite a few clients I spoke to last week are panicking about their To Do lists.  They started with a clear plan for the year and a short and punchy list of priorities.

But those punchy and focused lists seem to be getting out of hand; new ideas, interruptions, unforeseen circumstances, self-doubt and fear all mean that not as much gets done. Your list gets longer and it’s hard to focus and see the wood for the trees.

I want you to hit your summer break feeling pleased with progress and profits (and I hope you’re going to have a break, whether it is faraway, close to home or even at home.  Another great friend of getting things done is having enough R&R).

So to get you there you need to ensure you’re focused and clear on your business priorities. Here is another of my 5 Minute Coffee Break Sorters:

Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea (or a glass of wine or beer if it is that time of day) and a clean sheet of paper, or clean sheet of ipad.  Then jot down the answers to the questions under the minute prompts below:

Minute 1:What have been your successes over the first 4 months of the year? Write down all the good stuff you have done – often people start things by focusing on the negative – what they haven’t achieved – let’s start at the positive end.

Minute 2: Now think about what you have not achieved but would have liked to – don’t beat yourself up about this, just use it as a realistic assessment of your progress so far in 2014.

Minute 3:Sit back and close your eyes and take yourself to that summer break – you are relaxing and basking in feelings of achievement and pride. What would you like to have achieved by then to feel like that? What do you need to do now to REALLY move your business forward and boost your bottom line?

Minute 4:Convert that boost into 2 or 3 clear priorities or goals.  Being clear on your business priorities will help you put overwhelming small stuff aside.

Minute 5: Break those priorities down into smaller goals to achieve in the following weeks.  Also, very importantly, write down what you need to say to yourself to stop self-doubt or fear getting in your way.

Lastly, give yourself a cheeky extra minute to think about what extra reward you will give yourself, when on holiday, for having achieved these goals.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!

What is Your Why?

Posted by Georgina Walsh April 11th, 2014

 “The internet is a very big room and you need to have a clear brand to be able to make any noise in it at all.” This is a phrase I heard the other day. Are you able to shout loudly and be heard in that big room?

 A clear brand is so vital for entrepreneurs to get the success they want, but it’s sometimes hard to know where to start.

 Many small businesses try to differentiate their brand and shout loudly by being clear on What they do and How they do it.  But the real secret to building a clear and successful brand is firstly understanding exactly Why the business does what it does. 

 This often starts with why YOU do what you do.  What is your Why?

 We all have different motivations and whilst you will want to earn money and have a good lifestyle, there is very likely more to your Why than that. 

So what is your Why?  You may already be clear on your why – if so, is it part of your brand story? Does it come across in your communications and enhance and differentiate your brand?  How do you take it through to your what and how?

If you’re not clear on your why – you need to be.  It is one of the key foundations of determining your brand and thereby increasing your profits.  

Your why, will be something that means a lot to you and may well relate to formative experiences in your childhood or when you were growing up.  Work through the following questions to explore your why:

• What are you really passionate about?
• What are your key principles?
• What principles and key passions do you bring into your business?
• Why did you start your business? 
• What sort of success do you want…. and why do you want it?
• How do you feel you make a difference / could make a difference?

Now pull your thoughts together:

• What is your Why around your family and / or lifestyle
• What is your Why around your business?
• How can you bring more of your Why into your marketing messages?
  

Do You Believe….In Yourself?

Posted by Georgina Walsh March 20th, 2014

Do you feel super strong, buoyed up by resolve and positivity everyday?

Or, does self-doubt and a lack of confidence creep up on you all too frequently?

Business success may not be down to what your business offers, or your marketing, but what your internal thoughts and dialogues are saying to you.

Are you your own biggest champion, or your own biggest saboteur?

I know the difference between the two, as I have been both of these things.  I used to run two businesses, a consulting business and another one which brought business psychology into the home and helped people to find and importantly, manage their childcare.

For this second business, I had my Business Psychology Masters, I had the experience of successfully managing people in my own home for 10 years, I had proven marketing skills from my years in advertising and strategic marketing agencies. I had even got an agent and publisher and written a book on finding and managing childcare…………….but, you guessed it, I didn’t quite have 100% self-belief. 

I felt like I was a bit of a fraud because I hadn’t run a nanny agency, or had not worked as a nanny, or had not……well, the reasons changed, but the fact remained. So the business never soared to the heights I wanted.  Whilst on the other side of the coin, my consulting moved to include coaching and went from strength to strength.  The fundamental difference in both of these businesses was my self-belief.

These two sides of the coin lead to different cycles, one upward and one downward.  If you don’t believe in yourself, you don’t get good results and this re-enforces your thoughts. The opposite is true if you do believe in yourself.

I closed down my childcare business, and looking back took from it one of the most important business lessons you can learn.  I wish I’d had the perspective I have now and could have worked to change my beliefs.  However, I now help my clients apply this perspective every day to help them create the self-belief and positive mind-set they need for success.  Here are four simple questions to get you to explore your business mindset.

• If there was one negative belief that you could eliminate once and for all what would it be?
• What is this negative belief costing you?
• Who or where would you be without it?
• What positive belief could you replace it with that would really make a difference?

 Do you want a strong business with a strong brand and strong self-belief?  Have a look at my Positivity and Profit Course which helps you work through my tried and tested Business Breakthrough Formula.

How FAB are You?

Posted by Georgina Walsh February 9th, 2014

I suspect you and your business are pretty fab, but here are some pointers to help you make your business even more fab!

There are many facets of creating a strong brand which in turns helps you to deliver strong sales. My favourite part is the FAB part. As you may know, in branding terms FAB stands for Features and Benefits.

Thinking through what your Features And Benefits are can often help your small business and brand take a big leap forward. (more…)

Feeling Competitive?

Posted by Georgina Walsh February 2nd, 2014

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” Coco Chanel

When you started your business you quite correctly, looked at the competition.

But as time goes by, do you keep looking to see what is going on out there, and ensure you are standing out from the crowd?

Try to do a market or competition audit once a year (twice a year would be even better); it will naturally lead you to think about your offering and your brand.  This will help keep you ahead of the curve.

I suggest you try to find a spare hour or so in the next week (easier said than done, you cry!) and work through the following 5 steps, I guarantee it will give you some great inspiration and ideas. (more…)

Feeling Stupid

Posted by Georgina Walsh January 12th, 2014

So how stupid was I feeling yesterday afternoon, standing with my 9 year old daughter on the side of the motorway waiting for an AA tow truck, having put petrol in my diesel car.  Extremely!

I’ve never done it before and, as the AA man politely pointed out, I’ll never do it again.

My daughter didn’t get to gymnastics (sorry Thea!) and as I stood there shame-faced I was more angry with myself for breaking my main New Year’s resolution, not even two weeks into the year.

It was: To slow down and do less, and in doing so achieve more.

Why did I put petrol in a diesel car? Because I was running late and trying to achieve too much in too short a time.  So, I’ve taken my foolish mistake as a wake up call to stick to my resolution.  (more…)

How To Get Customers Knocking at Your Door

Posted by Georgina Walsh December 8th, 2013

 As business owners we, of course, love customers to come to us via a referral.

 As customers, we all trust word of mouth recommendations when making a purchase.

 So with these points in mind, I’m often surprised when small business owners don’t have a referral process or system to help bring keen and eager customers to their door.  To make referrals work for you, like any other part of your business you need a system (a simple one, but a system nonetheless). 

Just the briefest of reminders of why referrals are so very marvellous:

 They cut down on marketing costs

• You get good quality leads who are often ready to buy
• Growth feeds growth; with your ever increasing band of brand ambassadors out there singing your praises (more…)

Are you Attracting the Right Customers….or the Wrong Ones?

Posted by Georgina Walsh November 10th, 2013

Do you offer your product or service to anyone who will listen, and even if they are not listening, do you offer it anyway?

 How can you stop offering to everyone, so that you are just saying yes to the right types of customers? This can sometimes be quite daunting and involve a leap of faith, but it can also be very liberating…..as well as financially rewarding!

 So how do you work out which customers are right for you and which are wrong?

 Do a Bit of Sorting

As a small business coach I often help my clients to segment their customers into groups – sorted by their attitude and behaviours rather than more traditional demographic means, such as age or where they live.   Having done this it is easy for them to create different messages for different groups (as well as decide on the groups they don’t want as customers). This is a strategic marketing tool that all the big brands use very successfully.

Let me show you what I mean from my own business. To begin with my doors were open to all small business owners – Come on in! I can help you! Let’s get started!

However, pretty quickly I created my first ‘segmentation’ and split potential customers into ‘Doers’ and ‘Dreamers or Twiddlers’. As their name implies Doers do. They get on with things and subsequently achieve results. They are fun and rewarding to work with and it is great helping a Doer achieve even more than they could on their own. 

The Dreamers or Twiddlers are another kettle of fish – I have nothing against dreaming, in fact it is one of the first things I encourage new clients to do when creating their vision. But once you have dreamt, you have to do.

Dreamers or Twiddlers don’t get on with things, and there is always going to be something that is getting in their way, or something that they are twiddling with rather than making bigger steps. Some coaches work brilliantly with this kind of group – so now when I come across a Dreamer or Twiddler I politely say no, but always have another coach I can recommend they could work with. These other coaches refer back to me in return – so by saying no to the customer I don’t want I get back the sort of customers I do want. (more…)

Are you Guilty of Compare and Despair?

Posted by Georgina Walsh October 20th, 2013

I’ve spoken to at least 3 clients this week who have compared themselves to their competitors, and felt deflated as a result.

A syndrome otherwise known as Compare and Despair.

A syndrome which is very common amongst small business owners.

I always ask clients not to Compare and Despair, but rather to Compare and Prepare.

Negative comparisons often lead to inactivity; which starts you moving backwards, “Look at what they are doing, they are so much better than me, why should I bother?” (more…)

Dare to Dream; How is your 2020 vision?

Posted by Georgina Walsh October 12th, 2013

 Now, I simply want you to lean back, relax, close your eyes and have a bit of a focused daydream.

Think about where you would like you and your business to be in 3 years’ time, or 5, or 7 – think up to 2020……….and beyond.

Drift off and get engrossed in your daydream and really think about what you will be doing, saying and feeling.  Also what will others around you and your customers be doing, saying and feeling?

See, hear and experience it in all its glory, really take time to immerse yourself in this daydream until you go from dreamy to fizzy with excitement about all the possibilities! (more…)

Is Cinderella the key to Creating a Great Brand for Your Small Business?

Posted by Georgina Walsh September 22nd, 2013

Did you know that Cinderella is one of the most well-known stories around the world?  It comes in hundreds of forms and guises, but it is not always the same Cinderella.  The main thrust of the story is however similar; a poorly treated girl who wins the heart of a rich and powerful man. 

How can Cinderella help you create a brilliant brand for your business?

Cinderella helps us see the power of archetypes. These are hard wired into all of us, into our psyches. Carl Jung, the psychologist, saw them as collectively inherited data that we all carry with us.  For example we all carry within us an idea of a ‘mother’ archetype or an ‘evil’ archetype. How many teenage girls have an anguished ‘Cinderella’ moment when they feel hard done by, and wish that their Prince Charming would come and find them and whisk them away from it all?

(more…)

5 top tips to super-charge your productivity today!

Posted by Georgina Walsh July 28th, 2013

Feeling hair-pullingly frenzied and overwhelmed? In this increasingly fast moving, consumer driven world, people are processing information and tasks at a much greater pace than years gone by.

What does that mean for small business owners like ourselves? We need to be fast moving too! But I can’t move any faster! Help!

The answer is to be ever-more resourceful in terms of our time management, so we maximize our productivity (and our profits!). We also need to be resourceful to preserve our energy – we need to ensure we don’t burn ourselves out, as we lack the safety net a bigger organisation can provide.

As a small business coach it is my mission to give you the clarity, confidence and the strategies you need to boost your business and make it the best it can be. So this month I’m sharing with you my 5 top tips for supercharging your productivity without supercharging your exhaustion! (more…)