This week’s Solopreneur myth explores the notion of “I need to do it all alone”. While you may be choosing to run a solopreneur company, it may not mean that you have to do everything alone. Whether you are building a team of part-time or full time workers or are looking to bring different people onboard as sub-contractors for specific projects, being able to build your team is critical.

The September 2019 Coaching Business Builder call focused on building your own team. It explored what it means to grow your team as a solopreneur. You can check out that call here. Be sure to grab a pen and take some notes as you go!

As you grow your team, key themes to explore include:

• Delegation – what do you want to delegate? Who can you delegate to? Check out posts on the Teams365 on delegation for additional inspiration and information on this topic.
• What does grow your team mean? Is it a full time, part time or sub-contractor role?
• What type of support do you need?

​Questions to consider:
1. What does the team need to excel in the year ahead?
2. What will help the team be at their best?
3. What is going to be the major challenge for the year ahead? The major opportunity?
4. What development opportunities do we want to build in (retreats, team coaching, mentoring etc.?)
5. What requests do I need to make of the team right now?
6. How will we measure our success?
And as a bonus…
What will help to expedite or magnify what's working?

Enjoy your focus!
Jennifer

It’s getting to be that time of year to earmark some time for year-end planning, whether it is for yourself, your team or your business. This has become a passion topic of mine for many decades now as a retreat leader, and for the past couple of years, my authorship of two workbook planners – PlanDoTrack (for Remote Workers) and the Coaching Business Builder (for coaches) has brought me more into the landscape of planning on a regular occurrence.

As you go to develop your plans for 2020, and perhaps the new decade, it may be useful to segment your planning along the lines of PLAN, DO, and TRACK.
 
First, prepare. We know that planning and preparation can save ample time. An old project management adage is that “ten minutes of planning will save 1 hour of unfocused effort”. Before you go to sit down and work on your plan it may be useful to:

1. Schedule time for this. From a 45-minute planning hack (join me on Monday November 11th at 11 am ET for one!) to a four-hour virtual session. What’s the amount of time you want to earmark for your planning? Do you want to do this with others? Or alone?
2. Gather what you need. That might include:
   1. Last year’s plan to see how you reviewed your plan last year, along with last year’s metrics
   2. This year’s annual and quarterly plans so you can take stock of how things went
   3. Numbers – finances, dates, programs etc.

 Next , PLAN:
As you go to prepare for 2020 planning consider:

• What do you want to focus on?
• What will WILD SUCCESS look like?
• What are the elements of work you know you need in order to be fulfilled?
• What are the pieces your clients are asking for?
• What is the legacy work you want to leave a footprint around?
• What is the foundational work you want to undertake?

Then, DO:
Another important part of planning is the DOING. Consider what kind of plan is going to work for you. Are you the type of person who likes to review? Make notes once a week? Take a deep dive monthly? Both PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder includes an undated planner with monthly, quarterly and annual planning pages. You can start using them at any time, and in seeing how people engage with these, it's fascinating to note the different preferences people have around planning. 

Once you have decided your responses to these questions, consider doing a big list of all the things you want to focus on (projects, tasks and activities) for 2020. Make a list according to your preferred style:

• Are you a visual person? If so, starting with a MindMap may work well. Grab a new notebook and write out your plans.
• Do you work best to deadline? Grab a set of post it notes first and with one post-it per idea list your activities. Then grab a calendar of appropriate size and place them in the grid.  If you are a color person, you might consider dedicating certain projects to certain colors and using that color of post it/index card. The dollar store is a great place to find these resources.
• Do you work best with peer accountability? This is where you might consider joining an annual group. I host two throughout the year – the Coaching Biz Growth Lab which meets the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month between 3 – 4 pm Eastern, focusing on business growth and the Learning Lab and Design Studio which focuses on all things learning design such as how to create more impactful individual, group and team programs.
• Do you work best to numbers? Consider leveraging the questions under the track. Jump there!
• Do you work well with time and space dedicated to it? Consider scheduling time on a regular basis to your planning. Perhaps you join me every month for the Month End Planning sessions OR want to do it on your own. Schedule regular time to this right now for the next quarter or throughout all of 2020.

As Drucker is often quoted as saying, “what doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”.

Finally, TRACK:
Tracking is another part of planning and productivity success. What do your numbers say Without metrics around a plan it’s hard to know what really is changing. While some may only see numbers as numbers, the value of tracking metrics is that over time you will start seeing some interesting patterns.
If this is an area you want to get better at, check out the Monthly Daily Trackers, and Content Trackers in both PlanDoTrack and the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planners (see section 5 - the planners).

Questions to consider:

• What are the metrics you want to track? Consider profit (i.e. revenue, sales), productivity, staff or team measures (number of meetings held, number of 1-1s).
• What is the baseline you want to capture right now?
• Where are you going to track your metrics?

If you are looking for a framework, consider using the Monthly Daily Trackers which you will find in the 5th section of PlanDoTrack or Coaching Business Builder. There are 12 sets of them.

For more on metrics, stay tuned for next week’s blog post. I’ll be dedicating it to the topic of metrics.

Best,
​Jennifer

PS - Save the DATE! I'll be hosting an open invitation planning for 2020 session on Monday November 18th from 11 - 1145 am ET. Grab a pen and your journal and join us!

Welcome to November! What are your key goals this month? As we step into November it's a chance to focus on PLANNING, SCALING and GROWING, this month's topic in the 1BizStepADay series.  
This month you are going to be able to engage in prompts around visioning for your business, as well as planning. What's possible for you and your work? This month you are invited to dream a little, or a lot!
​
​The 1BizStepADay series includes a daily prompt to get you taking action on a different aspect of your business. Each month has a different theme. We've explored systems check (August), developing your signature program (June), major projects (September) and last month we turned our attention to client outreach. 

Please join us join us for some daily steps this month with the daily prompts, as well as connect in with some of the November planning sessions I will be hosting, including the complimentary Virtual Book Club call on Monday November 18th - the 2020 Planning Hack! Join me in my zoom room on 11.18.19 from 11 - 11:40 am ET that morning with your pen and paper.

You can download this month's 1BizStepaDay list here 

Enjoy the focus this month! What else is on your daily focus list for these last two month of the year (and decade)?

Remember consistent action + daily steps = momentum. How far  have you come this year?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - GroupCoachingEssentials
Join us throughout 2020 for a focus on your coaching business on Fidays from 3 - 4 pm ET bi-weekly for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab. Focus in on core topics for your business and fun, impactful coaching! Reach out to Jennifer to set up a call to discuss.
Phone: 416 -996-8326

In this month’s Group Coaching Essentials newsletter I focused on Keeping the Conversation Going with clients as you are running a group or team coaching conversation. You can read the October 2019 Group and Team Coaching Ins and Outs newsletter here.

Coaching is a process of change. Changes take time and involve a series of ups and downs. Likewise, people are probably having lots of insights and AHAs in between our conversational touch points. What can we do to harness this? Community building for your groups. 

Earlier this year I focused on starting to launch the Conversation Sparker Zone on Mighty Networks. It’s a venue where coaches can come together to focus on and discuss what’s important to them around group coaching, team coaching, virtual conversations and business development. I hope you’ll join us! Be sure to check it out here.

In keeping the conversation going it can involve some pre-planning on your part. Consider some of these different strategies:

1. Hosting a Mighty Network feed
2. Putting out a poll to different people
3. Peer Coaching Rounds
4. Hosting a Facebook Live call
5. Creating an Instagram Series around your topic

What are the things you want to do to keep the focus alive for the people you are working with?

Best,
​Jennifer

​There is another solopreneur myth that many solopreneurs may find themselves falling into which is that “I need to be available all of the time”. Boundaries in business are a key part of efficiency and productivity. Being able to switch on and off throughout the day is key in keeping things focused and being able to get the work done.

There has been much written about business owners figuring out when they are working ON the business, or when they are working IN the business.

As a coach, activities around working IN the business might include:

• Coaching time
• Servicing clients
• Prepping for coaching time
• Leading programs

 
Working ON the business:

• Creating a Vision for your business
• Strategic planning
• Developing relationships with other
• Developing thought leadership and building reputational status – how are you being seen as a “go to” person in your industry?
• Program design

 
What is the balance of time you want to spend on working IN the business vs working ON the business?

In business, it can be important to leave enough time to continue working on the next inflection point. If we get too wrapped up on working in the business, even when we are established, we may find ourselves short of time and focus for sustainable growth.

Check out this past CBB Blog post from earlier this year – Boundaries in Business – read it here. What boundaries are important for you to put into place?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010) and others
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Join us during 2020 and the rest of this year to work ON your business with the Coaching Biz Growth Lab. WE meet bi-weekly for group calls on Friday from 3-4 pm ET. Group coaching, learning and lots of ACTION! Visit CoachingBizGrowthLAb.com to sign up.

This week's Solopreneur Myth gets you thinking about your boundaries around time and availability. The challenge for the solopreneur is to find the balance between being available, and also having time to do the work, and keep at your prime in terms of renewal and energy.

Many newer coaches feel that it's important to always be available. Discernment in this area can help you protect time for strategic thinking and action needed in your business, networking, and keeping yourself at peak performance.
​
Questions to consider:

• What times of day are you "at your best" for doing different types of work - think coaching calls, setting up new business, marketing, relationship building etc.
• What items are not getting done? What time do they need for completion? Ideally, when could they be completed?
• What are you doing to renew and/or keep at your prime? This might involve building in time for physical activity, renewal etc.
• What are you doing to not only "do the work" with your business, but move the business forward? This is one of the greatest challenges for business owners at all stages of their business. Business inflection points occur regularly throughout the entire life cycle of a business.
• What space are you leaving for other important parts of your life - i.e. family, relationships, etc?

While saying YES can be important, so can saying NO.

What are the boundaries you want to create to enhance your focus, traction and results?

Enjoy the reflection,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Coaching Business Builder | Group Coaching Essentials
Supporting coaches to grow their business and skills in the areas of group coaching
Recipient of the Prism Award for Excellence in Coaching (2016), and i4pL Award of Excellence - Curriculum Design (2017)
Contact Jennifer to set up a call to see how her 1-1 coaching or group coaching support can help you move towards your Q 4 and 2020 goals.
Phone: (416)996-8326

I’ve enjoyed exploring a number of solopreneur myths over the last half a dozen weeks here at the Coaching Business Builder blog. This week I’m sharing the last in this current series, as we'll start looking at year-end activities next week.
​
This week's solopreneur myth is that TIME SPENT = EFFICIENCY.

Not all of the time spent on projects and tasks is the most efficient use of our time. Think about your own scheduling — when are you at your prime? When can you complete tasks quickly and with focus, minus interruptions?
​
It may be useful to track your own efficiency for the course of a few days or weeks to notice what patterns emerge.

While the notion of circadian rhythms has been around for decades, the field of chronobiology is expanding it's data set to help us understand our natural rhythms.
Some of us are early birds, others night owls. I know in my own work that much easier to get writing projects completed first thing in the morning, before I open email or get distracted with other projects. The writing I also undertake on a weekly basis from one of my local libraries, usually is more focused and plentiful than writing done from my office later in the day.

Activity:
Think about some of the recent tasks you have completed. What do you notice about speed? Quality? Efficiency?
​
Consider tracking your work output for several days in several locations and/or at different times of the day. This will work if your tasks are similar but may be harder if they are not. As you look at your work output, and time spent, what do you notice?

Enjoy the exploration!
Jennifer

The landscape of business and communication has changed so significantly in the last ten to fifteen years, due to the change in our technology, devices and also communication channels. Think about your work and what is possible now that you couldn't do a decade ago.
​
One of the areas that I continue to see many solopreneurs and business professionals struggle with is the amount of time and focus on social media. Consider your time spent in the last week or two. How much time was dedicated to social media? What did you do? Did you surf? Have connections? Follow a trail that maybe took you into a rabbit's hole?

While social media can be a great ecosystem to spend time in and has leveled the playing field for many of us that are "one person businesses" it does not always mean that social media may be your most important channel.

Relationships are important to cultivate in all their varieties. While social media may be a great connector, it may not be the best place to have detailed conversations or make deeper connections.

I love social media as an enhancement to face-to-face events — people who I have met at conferences, or when I have been speaking.
 
As much as my own business is virtual, after all these years I've found that the face-to-face connection still yields an important return I can't find in the social media space.
 
Questions to consider as you think about this myth for yourself:

• How does your time spent on social media translate to business results?
• What is important for you as a business?
• What connections are you looking to cultivate?
• What blend do you want to have with social media and other channels?
• What is the role of social media in your work — marketing, programming, programming support etc.?
• Are there certain social media channels you want to invest your time in? If so, how much time? Which ones?
• Where are your folk/community?
• What's important to note for yourself going forward?

Enjoy your exploration,
Jennifer

It's October 1st and the start of a new month which also means we turn the page to focus on a new month in the 1BizStepADay series.  This month's focus is on client outreach. Clients are at the heart of a coaching business. Our coaching conversations require deep levels of trust, which means that deep relationships are at the heart of it. What are you doing to build new relationships with your clients (current and prospective)?
​The 1BizStepADay series includes a daily prompt to get you taking action on a different aspect of your business. Each month has a different theme. We've explored systems check (August), developing your signature program (June), major projects (September) and this month we turn our attention to client outreach. What is your focus on client outreach in this last quarter of the year? I hope that you will join us for some daily steps this month with the daily prompts.
You can download this month's 1BizStepaDay list here at 1_biz_step_a_day_october_2019_client_outreach.pdf

Enjoy the focus this month! What else is on your daily focus list for the last quarter of the month (and decade)? Still 3 months to go to achieve the goals you set out earlier this year!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Coaching Business Builder | Group Coaching Essentials
Supporting coaches to grow their business and skills in the areas of group coaching
Recipient of the Prism Award for Excellence in Coaching (2016), and i4pL Award of Excellence - Curriculum Design (2017)
Contact Jennifer to set up a call to see how her 1-1 coaching or group coaching support can help you move towards your Q 4 and 2020 goals.
Phone: (416)996-8326

One of the biggest fallacies I see in the world of coaches, and other solopreneurs, is over-learning rather than executing. Many solopreneurs believe that they don't have enough skills and need to learn more. While there is a compelling case for ongoing learning, in the world of the solopreneur, execution and getting into action is key. We may never know enough by learning alone. It's through the actions we take that we either have our learning reinforced or find out exactly what we need to learn.
​
In a solopreneurial business, lack of execution may lead to business failure. The quest for learning may appear that we are doing when we are simply learning.

Today's post gets you to consider these questions:

1. What have you learned this year?
2. What have you done with the action plans you created out of those learning processes?
3. What's still left on your action plan list to execute?
4. What skills does the business need that could be outsourced or delegated to a new staff member? (think graphic design, financial)
5. Where is your learning ENOUGH?
6. Where do you need more?
7. What ACTION is needed to move the business forward?

​Enjoy your reflection and ACTION!
Jennifer