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.
How to Have Awkward Money Conversations with Clients
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.
How To Start a Sales Conversation Without Feeling Yucky
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?
How To Get Corporate Sponsorship Dollars For Your Business
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.
How To Get Really Comfortable Asking For Money
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.
How I Went from Broke to Rich – A Personal Share
When You’re Broke, You Cut Back On EVERYTHING Right? – WRONG.
This is a bit of an unusual episode for me, because I’m getting really personal.
I’m sharing details about my story, because I think it’s so easy when we see someone else’s success, to dismiss our own potential, and think “It can’t happen for me”.
That’s why in our episode today, I’m taking you back about 25 years, to when I was the most broke I’ve ever been in my life. I couldn’t pay my rent, I was living off credit cards, I had no idea where my next dollar was coming from.
Back then I could also have chosen to believe that success was just not for me, and that this was my life. But instead I chose a lot of things that other people thought were “irresponsible” – such as continuing my daily stop at Starbucks.
Are You the CEO or the Employee of Your Business?
What do a broken fridge and entrepreneurship have in common?
I tell you what they have in common in our episode today in a really cute story about my nephew. I kind of went off script, but I couldn’t help but giggle about it!
When his fridge broke down in his rental apartment, he was elated that it wasn’t his problem as his landlord replaced it that morning, and as a homeowner looking around at my own appliances I realized “Heck, these are all out of warranty now, and when they break they WILL be my problem”.
Then I remembered when I crossed the threshold from renter to homeowner what a wakeup call it was to me as from shovelling snow, to trash removal, to leaks, to appliances, everything was my responsibility.
It was a very similar journey that I went on when I transitioned from employee to entrepreneur. And if you’ve made that leap – recently or not so recently, it’s always a good idea from time to time to do a quick check in with yourself to make sure you’ve left that employee mindset behind.
Is Your Income Stuck In Neutral? Let’s Fix It!
Don’t you hate those pesky income plateaus?
It’s so frustrating when your income just won’t grow beyond a certain level and it starts to feel like you have a job, with a paycheque, and a boss who just won’t give you a raise no matter how hard you work.
Or maybe you did break your plateau and had a record month in sales and income, and now not only can you NOT replicate it, your income in the following months has dropped dramatically, and you’re worried that maybe it’s about to dry up and you’re wondering
WTH? What gives? What’s gotta change?
The Summer Houseguest Survival Guide
Today’s title pretty much says it all I think!
One of the advantages of owning your own business is that you get to decide what your schedule is. The disadvantage is that when friends and family have expectations of your time, they don’t respect you as the “boss” of you and may expect that you can easily adjust your schedule to have some fun with them when they’re on holidays.
However, what happens when guests show up who are on holidays and YOU aren’t?
Instead of letting hard feelings build up, or tossing out your goals, this week I dive into my best survival strategies.
We have our fair share of guests every summer, and I’ve learned that by having a few boundaries in place and setting expectations up front, everyone has a much better time!
Keep Up The Momentum This Summer
Nothing says “Personal Freedom” more than when it’s summer and the living is easy.
Long days, warm nights, beautiful weather. There’s really nothing like it. I personally love it as I get to spend more time with my horse and on our boat. The pace of life is so relaxing and nurturing. Wouldn’t you agree?
AND it can also be very distracting for your business.
Just because it’s summer however, doesn’t mean that you can’t still be building your business and creating amazing momentum. I know it may seem like everyone is on vacation. And at the same time summer is a whole quarter of the year.
In our episode this week, I dive into some fun and effective ways you can create your own momentum (and why it’s so important), so that when September rolls around, like it always does, you’re ahead of the game and instead of a mad dash for the end of the year, you’re way ahead with a solid foundation.