What's Your Time Worth? Make the Shift

Ok ladies, it's time to change up the way that we use our time in the New Year.

We all know that the most precious gift we have is time. Time gives us the ability to do what we want and need in our business (so we can make more money), have time to care for our health and wellness, spend more time with our friends, family and kids, and have more time to renew and reenergize ourselves.

What I learned this year is just how important time management is...in my life and my business. It's easy for entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, to lose focus because we're often doing so many things at once, right? We are constantly multi-tasking and trying to find ways to manage our time, so that we can accomplish everything on our list of things to do.

I want share a new way of looking at your time, so that not only you can focus better to get more done in a shorter amount of time, but also step into a new perspective of what your time is really worth because we often give our time away, don't we? 

I have found through my clients as well as from my own experiences that there are two primary reasons why: 1) our natural inclination is usually to take care of others first (especially for those who are also moms/guardians or even overly-generous entrepreneurs) 2) we easily under-value what our time is worth because we are so used to doing everything ourselves that it is hard to truly see the value of our time.

...so what does this mean? Well, it means that we get more easily overwhelmed and distracted and when this happens, we're not able to use our time in the best ways possible because we are thinking about all the other things that we feel that we need to be doing. Pretty confusing, trust me, I know.

So, here's what I want you to do right now and carry with you into the New Year:

1. Calculate what your time is worth. This is going to help you shift your thinking, help you set boundaries and understand how you (and others) use your time. Here's how to do it.
   
   1) Determine how much you want to make this year...it's a New Year and a new start for you, so think about what you WANT to make...think bigger...not just what you made last year. I'm going to give you an example: Let's say that you want to make $100k this year and have 2 weeks vacation per year (at least). This leaves 50 working weeks per year. So, divide 100k by 50 and you get $2,000 per week. Since you work 5 days a week, that is $400 a day. Let's say that you work 5 hours a day (now this is completely focused work...no distractions, so that you're actually getting things done); that's $80/hour that your focused time is worth. Now, this is a modest amount, but you see the point.
   
   2) Now think about how you're using your time. Is what you're doing worth using up your focused time? For example, after attending a networking event, are you typing in all of the contacts yourself of those who you met? Is that time worth $80/hour?
   
   
2. Set some boundaries and create a new plan for the new year. For each task on your to-do list, determine if you can automate the process, delegate the tasks, or if you should just delete the tasks or parts of the tasks all together. Set boundaries for yourself and determine those things that are really worth your time to do.

It will take some 'work' at first to shift the way you think about your time, set your boundaries (and stick to them), and determine how to free up more of the time you have, but doing so will help you to eliminate the overwhelm that you're feeling and empower you to step into and stay in your power as an entrepreneur, coach, mom, wife, friend, and the heart-centered passionate spirit  you are.

Author: Lisa Hromada is a Personal Branding Strategist and Graphic Designer who works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs/solo-preneurs who want to attract & enroll more clients, generate more revenue, and effectively market their business without overwhelm. Get your 3 free gifts at http://lisahromada.com/gifts.html

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What Makes Up YOUR Brand?

Your Two-Minute Brand Tip:
What Makes Up YOUR Brand?

Building a strong brand takes time. Even the most successful brands take years to develop…then refine…develop some more…and refine. So, what makes up a brand?

Here is your two-minute tip to building your brand.

• Explore and determine your core values and mission. What do you stand for in your business? Successful brands take a stand.
• Have a compelling story to tell. Why did you start your business? Some people start their business because they were seeking a better quality of life and health, so they found a business where they can enjoy optimum health and quality of life. Sharing your story helps make a connection with your ideal audience.
• Logo mark or word-mark. A logo is a graphic representation or symbol for a company name or product, often uniquely designed for immediate recognition. A word-mark is a logo created from type, such as FEDEX and Oprah.
• Clear, compelling tagline. Does every brand need a tagline? A tagline is useful to conveying what your brand is all about in a few words. The intention is to immediately connect and attract your ideal audience. A tagline is highly recommended, even if you are just personal branding yourself to apply to jobs.
• Build credibility and trust through consistent use of your visual and verbal brand messaging. This includes your colors, typography, images, logo, tagline, etc. Keeping these elements consistent through all of your brand communications is what helps build credibility, recognition, and makes your brand memorable.
• Communication style and reputation with your internal and external clients and vendors. Every interaction that you have online and offline contribute to your brand development. When building your brand, you always want to ensure that you are communicating in the way that you want your brand to be known.
• Build your professional biography and resume. An updated biography and resume is not just used for landing a job, it’s also utilized to attract clients and quality partners.

How does your brand compare?

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Article featured in the Hromada Brand Newsletter. Subscribe with Lisa Hromada at www.lisahromada.com and get a free e-book gift*

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Is your brand not up to par? We are about the change all that!
Rev-up for brand distinction beginning in 2010!

The Unearth Your Brand Excellence program is expected to arrive by the New Year. The Unearth Your Brand Excellence is a powerful preparatory course to building a brand foundation for your business to set you apart from competitors who seemingly offer the same products and services. In addition, the program is specifically designed to give you the tools to effectively communicate your unique brand promise. Are you ready for brand excellence?

Check out www.lisahromada.com for details coming soon

Confident Business Women - 7 Confidence Building Ideas For Women in Business and Leadership

Women in business need confidence in order to succeed. Having a strong level of confidence means living a healthier, better leadership and business life. Here are 7 confidence building ideas for women in business and leadership.

1. Recognize Your Unique Talents. Having unique talents can mean being and feeling different from other people. For instance, you might have an unusually strong sense of intuition. You might be able to see a problem before others by putting loose ends together in your mind. Instead of seeing this as a detriment because no one else seems to be able to do the same thing, learn to recognize where you are different as a unique talent. Embrace your unique talents and use them to move your business to new heights and to be a stronger leader.

2. Use Personal Potential. Recognize that you have unusual personal potential. In reality, almost every person has the potential for brilliance in life. But few people really move outside of their small box that they grow accustomed too. Being a confident woman means trying new tings. Take risks, go to new places, and make a new contact. Exercise your personal potential to build your levels of confidence.

3. Try New Things. This leads to the next point for building a stronger sense of confidence which is to try new things. One reason people don't have a lot of confidence is because of the lack of trying something that takes them out of their comfort zone. Try something new and unusual everyday. Once you give something a try it breaks the feelings of anxiety or fear from that thing. The power of that situation, thing, place, or person to control or limit you in some way evaporates once you give it a try.

4. Create Your Wealth. Everyday someone tells you to create your wealth. While that's a statement with truth attached, you also need to know what that really means. You can only create your wealth when you know how. Knowing how requires knowing your real strengths. Women can function for years without ever really knowing their real strengths. Your confidence will soar when you know that you are working from your strengths. That is how you can confidently go about the activities necessary to create your wealth.

5. Embrace Your Power. Power is a good thing to have when you're in business. Power gives you the ability to get things done. A confident woman in business must understand and embrace her power. Understanding power means knowing how to influence others to get things done. It also means knowing what to say, when to say it, and whom to say it too. There are obvious and not so obvious ways to deal with power and a confident business woman learns how these nuances work to increase her effectiveness.

6. Answer the Urge to Create. Confident business women have creative minds and a creative mind is always finding ways to create new things. Creativity means being able to take things that might seem common place in everyday life and combine them in new ways. You come up with solutions by looking at situations from a different angle. It takes confidence to speak out when you have a new idea that runs contrary to normal thinking of the group you're involved with on a daily basis.

7. Learn to Unblock. It takes confidence to face obstacles and go through them anyway. Every business professional will face obstacles; this is a normal part of business operations. But not everyone can look at those obstacles and decide to do what it takes to move through them to reach their intended goals. The confidence to do this comes in knowing that the best possible solution can be found. Seeking solutions in spite of the obstacles unblocks the barriers to success. Doing so is a true sign of confidence in business and leadership.

Being a confident woman in business and leadership is possible when you take the steps to maximize your confidence in business and leadership. You can practice being a powerful problem solver who excels with confidence in your profession. When needed, you can find the mentoring and assistance that will support your business and leadership efforts.

Consuelo Meux, Ph.D. coaches professional and executive women to build the confidence and communication skills to start and grow a small business that generates elegance and financial freedom. Get a free business plan template, resources and other support at her website. Enjoy monthly teleclasses on Communication Skills for Successful Business Women for only $9.95 a month. Private fast track coaching is available for the woman who is ready to move into her success - fast. http://www.consuelomeux.com