Living Forward Business & Lifestyles Inc
Today on Living Forward TV we are doing something a little bit different.
I’m super excited to unveil the launch of our new playlist “Behind The Scenes Tutorials”
While I do have an amazing team that takes care of a lot of my tasks – there was a time when I was a business of “ONE” and I had to do things myself.
I recently interviewed my good friend Sue Ferreira for Living Forward TV.
Sue made the transition from anaesthesiologist to entrepreneur in her 60’s! Yes, you read that right. After a very successful career as an esteemed physician, Sue decided it was time to do something different and serve others in a new way.
When you’re growing your business, it’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when” you’re going to need to make an investment BEFORE you’ve generated the income to pay for it. Whether you’re just starting out, or even if you’ve been in business a while and you desire to grow to the next level.
And the money has to come from somewhere. It may need to come from your savings, from other disposable income that was earmarked for other things, maybe it has to come out of the immediate profits in your business that you can’t yet take out for yourself or your family, or maybe you even need to borrow it.
And when you’re in a relationship where your money Is pooled, it can sometimes feel like those decisions aren’t yours to make.
When a client owes you money and won’t pay, not only is it an upsetting experience, it can bring bad energy to the business. But, if it’s a big account, it also has the potential to affect your ability to pay your own bills and team.
Can you imagine losing your home and all your belongings in a fire, and then 10 days later the company you work for closed its doors and you lost your job?
That’s exactly what happened to my guest Francesca Anastasi. And not to mention she also had a young daughter. And despite an active and intense job search, it was right after 9/11 and no one was hiring.
In business there’s never a lack of opportunity to talk about money, and for some reason it’s always awkward, whether it’s asking for the sale, someone wanting a refund or a discount, or to hold their payment, or maybe it’s a team member negotiating their pay, or YOU’RE talking pricing with one of your vendors.
The way you show up in these conversations is KEY to having them be light, easy and graceful.
Have you ever been in a conversation with an acquaintance or someone you just met and you get the feeling they are likely an ideal client for you and you just have no idea how to transition this conversation from small talk to how you can help them? Do you worry if you do that you’ll come across as “salesy” or “sleezy”?
So instead of making an offer you just “hem and haw” around the topic and keep the conversation casual, or worse social. And then the conversation ends and you never know if that person could have been your next perfect client.
Frustrating isn’t it?
Imagine on your next project, event or launch, having all of your expenses taken care of before you even begin!
I was so thrilled when Charmaine Hammond from Raise a Dream agreed to be interviewed and to share her knowledge about how corporate sponsorships are a lucrative (and untapped) revenue source for entrepreneurs.
As entrepreneurs it’s natural from time to time to feel like we’re just so far in over our heads with “to-do’s” that we don’t know how we’re going to get it all done. And unfortunately, that thinking just makes it worse because it shuts down the ability to problem solve and think creatively.
Do you like to get paid but dislike asking for money?
A lot of entrepreneurs and especially women, really struggle to ask for money for their services. They’re not comfortable stating their fees or asking for non-refundable deposits, or they feel awkward asking the client to get current on their payments, or renegotiating when the client wants more than agreed upon.
