Taking care of yourself

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Taking care of yourself.

In my conversations with fellow business owners and entrepreneurs, I often find that they are the last one to “put their oxygen mask on” (like on an airplane) even though we all know that you should take care of yourself being helping others.  Some think it’s selfish to worry about yourself, but I disagree.  We have a choice…we can show up  with our clients and in other relationships tired, depleted, and distracted, OR we can choose to show up rested, energized and focused.  Business owners need downtime to rejuvenate.  They need to take time to go to the doctor to make sure they are well and function at peak capacity.  Sometimes they need to take time to invest in family relationships so they don’t feel resentful of the business (and clients) taking away from important relationships in their life.  Feeling like you CAN’T do that? Well, it’s time to make a change, shift your mindset and see that you CANNOT AFFORD NOT to take care of yourself.  There is real integrity and deep satisfaction in taking care of yourself and what allows you to show up at 100% in all that you do.  What’s the one thing that you have been putting off that would really take care of you?

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Being a student of your business

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

For many, it seems impossible to find time outside of the day to day commitments of the business to actually step out and become a student of your business.  What does it mean to be a student of your business?  Well, it’s the opportunity as Michael Gerber talks about in his “eMyth” books of working ON your business vs. only working IN your business.  If you’re a business owner, and want to be a successful one, you need to be able to step back and look at your overall business, catch up on trends& new ideas within your industry, and to take the time to learn about how to run a good business in general. It could be a conference that you go to (like I did recently).  It could be a ½ day or day out of the office reading industry articles, or an extended meeting with a colleague in a related business where you take time to talk about your businesses.  It might be a mastermind or study group where a group of people come together to talk about their businesses, gain ideas and insights and generally support each other.  In the past, I have participated in a group coaching program for entrepreneurs.  I am taking a break for a few quarters but am replacing it with quarterly meetings (outside the office) with my business manager to work ON the business.  I can’t wait!

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What is your client experience like?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Have you ever been a client of your own services?  I have.  One of the most eye-opening experiences that you can have as a business owner is to be a client.  As a financial planner, I find that many planners have never been to a planner themselves.  They have no idea what it feels like to bare your soul financially to someone you have just met.  But it’s more than that.  It starts with the first contact, the initial visit to the office, interaction with the staff, the follow up after the meeting, paying for the service etc…  If you really want to have a great client experience, you may want to consider becoming a client so you can more deeply understand what it feels like.  In the process you will find yourself comparing your experience as a client with your business’ client experience, and I bet you’ll find some things that you want to change (could be your process, the look of your office, how you position what you do, how you deliver it, etc…)  Give it a try!

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Considering Outsourcing

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

I’m at a financial planning conference in FL and have been talking with other advisors about outsourcing.  As planners, and for that matter, business owners get clear on what they are great at, they realize that they may need to shift some of the work.  An obvious strategy is to shift work to others within your business but if you are a sole proprietor then it’s not an option.  Even when you have employees, your employees may not have the bandwidth or you may not want to have the benefits/space expense.  So, that’s when outsourcing makes sense.  No overhead, pay as you need help, replace if needed.  There’s lots that you can outsource: bookkeeping, marketing, scheduling, client service, research, writing…you name it. Great places to go?  www.eLance.com  or www.ODesk.com  You need to be clear about your needs and expectations, get some referrals and start create some space and ease in your life.

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The Importance of Getting Out of the Office

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

I’m on my way to Florida for the annual Financial Planning Association Retreat.  It’s a coming together of some of the most skilled and interesting planners in the country.  Although it’s 4 days out of my week, I feel like it’s an excellent investment of my time & money for many reasons.  It’s important to take some periodically to get out of the office to:

  • Get some distance from your business
  • Take some time to think strategically
  • Gain some knowledge within your industry
  • Connect with other business owners with similar changes & different ideas 

Often the best part of the conference are the offline conversations that can make a big difference.  Sometimes it’s a little idea and other times it’s a new connection that will make a BIG difference.  Think you can’t afford to leave the business for a few days?  Well, the reality is that you can’t afford NOT to get out of the office.  Now imagine a retreat/meeting in Tuscany?  Check this out www.mytuscanyretreat.com

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Revisiting “First Things First”

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Here I am channeling Stephen Covey again.  I think that this wisdom is especially important in today’s overly “urgent” world.  In short, there are 4 categories:  Urgent, Not Urgent, Important, Not Important.  Often we are lured into pseudo “urgent, not important activities” such as email and in the old days…faxes.  Sometimes email is just plain “not urgent, not important” just as reality TV and computer gaming.  Then there’s “not urgent, important.”  These are the activities that really need your attention.  Often it’s the strategic planning or weekly planning that will make a difference in your life or business, but that isn’t screaming at you like email.  Our Tuscany entrepreneurial retreats are that same kind of “not urgent, but important” work (and fun!)  Important work often takes some time to complete, and once completed can be transformational and very satisfying. Take a look at your activities and To Do List.  Are them some of them “not urgent, important” activities that you need to block time for?  Go for it!

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The importance of “investing” in relationships

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

I feel like I am having a Stephen Covey week…remember “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”? Some great wisdom in there.  Today, I’m thinking about the idea of investing in the relationship bank.  Perhaps there’s a loved one who you know could use some attention or perhaps the two of you have had some difficulties recently? Often what the relationship needs is a few more “deposits” and a little less “withdrawals.”  Deposits can be as simple as taking a walk together or sitting down and just checking in with them.  It could be a shoulder rub or making them dinner.  You know what works.  Withdrawals are when we need to lean on someone or unfortunately, when we aren’t as nice as we could be.  The goal is to be balanced between deposits and withdrawals if not more invested in deposits.  Is there someone important in your life that could use a few more deposits?

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Trusting your gut

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Those who know me, know that I can sometimes over commit myself.  I know many entrepreneurs who love to chase “shiny objects” as Phil and I call them…often to the detriment of what’s important in life.  I’m learning, by being more aware, of trusting my gut to tell me when I am taking on too much or things that are not a true priority in my life or plan for the future.  How about you?  Next time an “opportunity” shows up, consider stopping for a moment, or saying “this sounds like a great opportunity, let me get back to you,” and then running a gut check.  Just taking that moment to stop and reflect and listen is often all I need to realize that I am about to do something that I shouldn’t.  So, if you’re a hard-charging entrepreneur like us, next time you think you have spotted a “great opportunity” amidst all the other balls that you have in the air…”trust your gut” and see what it REALLY says.

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The Power of Weekly Planning (& Intention)

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Ah, the power of weekly planning.  How often do you sit down and plan your day? Week? Month? Quarter? Year?  I just sat down, as I often do at the end of each week, and planned for the next week. But that’s not all I do…  I also take the time to reflect on what progress I have made for the last week.  It could be personal or professional.  It helps me stay focused on what went well, and what I am doing well and sets up planning for the next week beautifully because I am approaching it from a place of positivity and progress. 

So, try this…

At the end of your week, pull out a piece of paper and and make a list of 5-10 things that went well.  Reflect on why they went well and perhaps any further progress you can make.  Then take another 10-15 minutes to review your goals for the quarter or year (don’t have any?  Hmmm…we’ll address that later!) and determine the top 3-4 things you want to accomplish for the week.  I think that you will find that with the intention that you have set you are much more likely to accomplish more than without the planning.  Also, the progress focus will keep you positive and alert to what is going well. 

Go for it!

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Imagine a CPA Firm Taking Tax Day Off? I Know One!

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Lisa Kirchenbauer

Now here’s a well run business!  I work with an accounting firm for my own personal and business needs as well as referring many of my clients to them for tax planning and preparation.  I have always thought they were proactive and sharp, but now I have even more reason to admire them… 

I just found out that they CLOSE their office on April 15th (and for 2011, April 18th- the real tax filing day) because they are DONE!  They have either filed or extended ALL their clients’ returns, and give their staff the day(s) off.  On the 15th, the ladies of the team are going to a spa, and the gentlemen are going fishing!  Unbelievable.  My guess is that they set the goal up, and everyone worked hard to get there (now I know why they were bugging me so much). 

What a great story about the job that they do for their clients…

Check them out @ http://www.kba-cpa.com/

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