Over the last few weeks you have been busy working on your free giveaway. It’s now been drafted, and you have figured out where it’s going to go. It’s not quite ready yet!

Take some time this week to-do a last review and perhaps get some feedback. Maybe you have a routine of passing materials off to your loved ones for a quick second set of eyes. Maybe you have a community that supports you on this. Who can give the project a review?
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This week you will also want to focus in on how and where you are going to promote this. Don’t forget the 7 to 11 times rule. The landscape of free offerings is super-saturated at times.  You will want to make sure you are regularly talking about this and letting people know that it exists. If you haven’t done so, make a list of WHERE, WHEN and HOW you are going to let people know about it (Here’s a challenge - make sure you have at least 11 different touchpoints!).

Share with us what you have been working on – you can share it here in the comments, or over on the Effective Group Coaching Facebook page.

Best,
​Jennifer

​For the last few weeks we have been working on your giveaway or “free item”. In a coaching business these might include an audio or video, a checklist, an article or podcast. The item is designed to provide you with an opportunity to get the word out about what you have to offer as well as build relationships with prospective clients.

During week 1 of this series you were encouraged to consider what it was that you wanted to offer. You did some research and looked around.

Last week you drafted things out a bit more.

This week, take a look at what you have created and:

• Polish it – edit the document.
• Consider what graphics or resources would support this project.
• Draft a sales copy – what are the ways you are going to let others know about what you have to offer?

Consider things like:

• The brand – what elements do you want to incorporate.
• Consider where and when you are going to let people know about it’s availability.
• How, and when, it will need to be updated. (Ideally it will be an evergreen item that will stand the test of time.)

What else is going to move this project forward?

Best,
Jennifer

Welcome back. Last week you did some research around what possible giveaways you could offer to your clients. It might be a video, podcast series, mini – e course, article, or even a checklist.

What are those things you wish you had?

This week, in part 2 of the series, you are invited to map out your giveaway, and start drafting it. What are the major elements of this project?

Consider these questions –

• What is the purpose of this item?
• What are the 3 main points?
• What question does it answer or solution does it offer for the client?
• What are the elements of the item?
• What other resources can the product direct the client to?
• What is your call to action?
• What are the discrete steps you need to complete in order to complete this project?

Once you have a good idea of what it can look like, spend some time drafting it out.

Be ready for a next step next week!

Best,
​Jennifer

As a coaching business we let people know about our work in many different ways. From speaking engagements to free checklists, to webinars and whitepapers.

What are the free items you have created to provide for people who are interested in learning more about what you do? Is it a checklist? A downloadable FAQ? A short e-course?

Over the next month I’m going to be doing a series of blog posts geared to get you into action of creating a free item or “free giveaway”. It could any of the range of items I just mentioned or something else.

Each week I’ll be offering prompts here on Mondays to support you in taking weekly action around your giveaway item.

First consider:
What’s the one thing you wish you could offer up to your clients?
Maybe it is something they have been asking for, for a while – a checklist, reading list, work sheet
OR maybe it’s a webinar that you can send out covering a key topic you coach around, or welcoming members to your site.

What’s the giveaway you wish you had available?

As I explain in the Coaching Business Builder, I’ve had an intentional goal to offer a different giveaway and paid offering each year of my business. These provide tremendous value in both the short term, especially in giving people an opportunity to learn more about you, what you have to offer, and how what you provide is different from other offerings.

Activity:
This week, my invite is for you to spend 15 minutes mindmapping all your ideas of what you could offer.
Consider these questions:

• What’s the one thing you always wanted to be able to offer to your clients, but haven’t made the time to create it?
• What do your clients want?
• What are the key issues they want more resourcing around?

This week capture ALL your ideas on paper. Don’t self-censure.  Do some research around what’s out there already. Notice what you like, and what you would change with these resources.

Best,
​Jennifer

I’ve been a long-term blogger and writer for almost 15 years now. As someone who is always creating content, it’s interesting to go back and review some of the past posts I’ve shared. Here is one that I think many of you as business owners will find useful. I wrote it back in 2010, and it’s still relevant today:
Six Tips for New Small Business owners – Originally published at the Biztoolkit blog in April 2010

This April marked my 6th year of business. I continue to be reminded of the excitement and emotions of new business owners through regular discussions with participants of the 90 Day BizSuccess program - some of whom are new business owners, as well as seasoned small business people.

In running the program I often get asked, what are some tips for new business owners. Here are 6 tips which have kept business exciting, and successful for me, over the years.

1. Track it! Take notice of the impact of the activities you are undertaking, over both the short term as well as the medium term. What are you noticing about the money you have invested into different marketing activities? Notice what's giving you impact in terms of your activities, networking and relationships.

2. Create Systems so that you don't have to recreate things over, and over again. It's not surprising that even experienced business owners still " have not had time" to create simple processes for their businesses such as invoices, proposal formats etc.

Ask yourself:

• What activities might you need to repeat time and time again (consider finance, people, marketing etc)?
• What systems would benefit your business?
• When will you spend time creating these?

3. Build on What You Already Have, Have Done or Do: Many times small business owners fail to capitalize on what they have already created, designed or know. What can you build upon in your business? Do you really need to start off at 0?

4. Plan it! Time Management and Planning can be a major challenge for business owners. When was the last time you sat down to plan and strategize about your goals for the quarter or even the month? As we know from time management 10 minutes of planning can save an hour of unfocused effort.

When will you spend time creating your plan for the next month?

5. Schedule It! What doesn't get scheduled, doesn't get done. What are your main business priorities right now? Have you scheduled them into your calendar? If it's not written down or blocked off chances are it may get lost.

Activity:
Take 15 minutes this week to identify one or two main priorities for your business and schedule in time in your calendar to get these things done.

6. Be strategic - We can't be all things to all people? Consider the Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, which states that we get 80% of our impact from 20% of our efforts. What activities are going to give you the most impact this month?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

This week our attention is going to shift to quickly explore 5 key skills in project management. Whether you are creating an e-book, designing a new program or deciding on new systems for your business, as solopreneurs we are regularly managing projects as a team of one.
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In project management, historically, the foundation has been that for any project there is a triple constraint – time, budget and scope. Like a triangle, it is said that these things are fixed (at least in traditional project management). So if my budget gets reduced, it might take a little longer to do things as we now need to do them in-house OR the scope of the project may change given that we no longer have resources to complete a six month project, so instead we may need to do a three month project.
 
With this in mind the first project management skill I think is important is getting good at identifying project requirements.

• What is the project?
• What are the deadlines?
• What are the milestones along the way? These are checkpoint activities where you can see progress?
• What resources are needed? Project manager of all kinds have operated in this framing of being aware of the triple constraint ….

Other key questions to be asking here are:

• What is the project scope?
• What’s involved with it?
• What is IN focus? What is outside of focus (or scope)?

 
Spending additional time making sure we have this first step of project requirements right, helps to make the rest of it flow more smoothly (usually!).
 
It was in this phase of project identification that I first became aware of the adage that “10 minutes of planning can save 2 hours of unfocused effort”. So true!
 
With this is in mind, let’s look at five key project management skills that solopreneurs will want to boost:

1. Knowledge of self and skills – Self- awareness is key to solopreneurial success. Knowing what we are good at, what we can learn, and when we need to reach out to others, can make the difference between a project that flows and one that gets deadlocked or becomes a source of frustration. In knowing ourselves, we want to be able to identify key skills which are important in the immediate term, as well as ones we will be using regularly. Creating a robust network to reach out to, to find others short term who can round out of skill needs, is critical for solopreneurial success. “No person is an island!”.
2. Time estimation – Estimating the amount of time required for a task is also critical. One part of this equation is getting better at knowing how long tasks really do take. Part of this is experience, and we may have peers and mentors that can advise us. It can be useful to build in some contingency time for our own learning curve, given that tasks will take longer to complete the first few times we do them, or if we do them infrequently. I’m thinking of a recent experience I had where I had to set up a welcome auto-responder for a give-away. I do this about once a year and while I should “retain it”, it was as if the task was totally new!
3. Clarifying what’s required - Given that most of us are working on our own, we will be needing to reach out to others to help us get work done. Whether it’s going to a site like Fiverr or Upwork, finding good experts (graphic designers, financial experts) that can work with us to make our projects happen, is crucial. In making this successful, we need to be good at clarifying what’s required (think – What will a successful end result for this project/task look like? – be specific, get granular), as well as finding people.
4. Relationship Building and Negotiation – At the end of the day, things need to get done and projects need to get completed. If we can’t complete projects, it may have a significant impact on the business. As solopreneurs, we can’t go to a boss to negotiate the triple constraint – i.e. give me more time to complete this or give me more money – we have that under our control. In some ways this makes project management that much easier. What is may mean is that we need to go out and enroll others to our projects – requiring both relationship-building and negotiation skills.

What do you see as essential project management skills for solopreneurs? Which ones have you been leaning into as a project team of one?

Share with us using the comments below.

Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010)
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Check out the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". You can view it here.

"The best companies never transform to greatness in one fell swoop. There is no single defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Sustainable transformations [to greatness] follow a predictable pattern of build-up and breakthrough. Like pushing on a giant heavy flywheel, it takes a lot of effort to get the thing moving at all, but with persistent pushing in a consistent direction over a long period of time, the flywheel builds momentum, eventually hitting a point of breakthrough." (Jim Collins, Good to Great). 

As you think abut your focus this year, what is the one thing you want to do consistently throughout they year, to start generating the momentum Jim Collins talks about. Perhaps it’s regularly focusing on:
Writing – What is the book you have in you that is waiting to get out? Is there a series of articles or blog posts?
Photography – Are you looking to share more about what you do, who you are, and the impact your conversations are having through photography? Instagram continues to grow in terms of popularity and video engagement is critical.
Building community – Are you looking to host a group this year? Life, paid, or on Facebook? Are you looking to network more and build relationships virtually or in person? What would consistent action in creating community look like for you?
Speaking – What could a focus on speaking look like for you this year? What topics would you present on? What would the top 3 bullet points be? Who is your audience?

If there was one thing you could do consistently every day this year, what would it be? Schedule it in now, and notice what happens!

One thing that I'll be doing this year for all 52 weeks of the year is sharing a weekly focus for your business and professional growth called 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking. It's a Compendium to Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack. If you have enjoyed reading the CBB and want a deeper, or more bite-sized dive, this is for you!  Check out the kick off of the  weekly blog posts here. They will be published on Friday morning over at the PlanDoTrack Blog and will be of interest to readers of both the PDT and Coaching Business Builder.

Here at the CBB Blog, our attention this month is going to shift over to annual planning, and project management. Be sure to check out the 1st of two January calls on Creating Your Annual To-Do List at my YouTube channel on the Coaching Business Builder Playlist here. The first call is being held later this morning - January 7th at 11 am ET at my zoom room (270-302-0415). Hope you'll drop in and join us!

Best,
Jennifer

Keeping Neuroscience at the Forefront of Good Design - © Jennifer Britton
Photo Credit - Britton, 2017 (Excerpt, Effective Virtual Conversations)
​
In Effective Virtual Conversations I share the journeys of two professionals who work in the virtual space – Jane and Jo. In chapter 5, Jane reflects on what it takes to incorporate science into her work with groups in the virtual space. I highlight eight different areas of focus.

We want to design with the learner’s entire self in mind, brain included. This month at the Learning Lab Design Studio. I explored eight different neuroscience elements you will want to keep in mind as you go to design your own programming.

As you read through today's blog post, consider what elements you want to be focusing on in your work:

 These include:

1. Fight or Flight – the Amygdala Highjack
2. Mirror Neurons
3. PEA/NEA
4. Micro-moments
5. Positive Interactions
6. The Social Brain
7. Oxytocin
8. Latency and Recency Effects

Fight or Flight:
Under times of stress our brains may revert to their more reptilian past, and we may go into “Fight” or “flight” mode – looking to fight or wanting to run away respectively. What can you do to create more certainty and safety for your learners and in your design.
Mirror Neurons – Just like a mirror, we are influenced by those around us. The notion of mirror neurons indicates that our brain will “fire” in ways that is similar to those we are in dialogue around. With this in  mind, what is the environment you want to create for your groups?
PEA/NEA – Explored by Richard Boyatzis and his team, the Positive Emotional Attractor Network (PEA) is a series of components of the brain, which support in “opening up” the brain. When we ask questions like “What’s possible?” or “What would you do if you won 50M dollars?” all active this network, and create an open space. Consider what you can be doing to incorporate these questions and/or work around vision in your programming.
Micro-moments: Barbara Frederickson writes that change and connection occurs through what she calls “micro-moments”. Consider how you can be building this into your design, or getting your group to become more aware of their significant micro-moments.
Positive Interactions – The highly disputed Losada Ratio found that in order to “thrive” we need three positive interactions to one. While the ratio is disputed mathematically, it is valuable to think about the ratio of positive to negative conversational elements. John Gottman found that this ratio is closer to 7 to 1 for teams that thrive. What can you do in your design to boost the habit of providing positive interactions with your group/team members?
The Social Brain – The notion of the social brain is multi-fold and includes the notion that we learn through and in connection with others. What are you doing to boost peer connection?
Oxytocin – also known as the bonding hormone, this hormone is important for teamwork and group cohesion. Be aware that this is activated through touch and togetherness. What can you do in your design to leverage this “feel good” neurochemical?
Latency and Recency Effects – We remember the start and end of things but everything in the middle can get muddied, unless it is memorable. What can you do to create something novel mid way to loc k in learning? Consider visual anchors, polls etc.”
End of Excerpt. Copyright 2017-2018, Jennifer Britton. All Rights Reserved

To read more about program design the virtual space pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations.

Resources to explore
Chapter 5 – Effective Virtual Conversations, for more on these 8 elements
Barbara Frederickson – PositivityRatio.com
Richard Boyatzis NEA/PEA: The role of the positive emotional attractor in vision and shared vision: toward effective leadership, relationships, and engagement
Richard E. Boyatzis,1,* Kylie Rochford,1 and Scott N. Taylor. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439543/
Mirror Neurons: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-athletes-way/201402/do-mirror-neurons-help-create-social-understanding  AND https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/brain-myths/201212/mirror-neurons-the-most-hyped-concept-in-neuroscience
 
What are your specific steps to incorporate neuroscience into your work?
Enjoy the start to your week,
Jennifer

.Jennifer Britton
Author of Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), 
Potentials Realized - Supporting Coaches, Businesses, Leaders and Teams 
Is 2019 your year to take it ahead? Join me for one of our two annual groups - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (focusing on program design) or the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (focusing on coaching business development)
Phone: 416-996-8326
​

One of the topics we explore in the Coaching Business Builder is the topic of program design. As I wrote a few weeks ago, since I became more intentional around noticing where I was spending my time by using my monthly tracker in the Coaching Business Builder, I have been amazed at just how much time I spend every week in program design.
Program design is a core focus in the Group Coaching Essentials program I run as well as the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (link to both programs at the Group Coaching Essentials sites).
 I go into a little more depth in Coaching Business Builder (pages 71 – 73) but go into a huge amount of detail in my other books (see links below). You can also pick up with the on-demand program – Tips and Tools for your Group or Team Programs which I host over at Teachable.  
Here are 8 specific steps you can take in designing your next program:

1. Consider what focus your clients are looking for right now. What are the things that are keeping them up at night? What have they been asking for more of? What are the common themes that are showing up in conversations  across clients either as an opportunity or a challenge? Make a list of all of these topics.
2. Get more granular about these topics. Make a list of 8 – 10 theme areas that are under each of these topic areas. Putting these in a mind map is a great starting point.
3. What’s the best vehicle for a program with these topics? Is it in-person? Virtual? Live? On-demand? A video-based course?
4. What exercises or elements would you include? For each of the themes you have, map out what would be included or explored at a high level. You could do this in a more detailed MindMap or use the Design Matrices I include in my books.
5. What would the top 3 takeaways or exploration areas be for each of the theme?
6. Is there any pre-work or post-work related to each of the weeks? Any reading or focus?
7. Start writing out the materials or designing slide by slide
8. As you start working on this, notice how you could market it. The bullet points from each session’s focus can frame some of the messaging.  Start drafting out the program description, and/or how you want to position this. Check out similar programs which may exist to get a sense of the price range, and also consider where this fits in your funnel of different products and services.

 
There’s a lot on this list, however, think about chunking it down to focus on each one in a separate sitting. Program design is not a race to the finish, it’s a journey. Great program design is rarely completed in one sitting. It marinates and grows in creative spurts.  
What are the steps you want to take in moving your program ideas forward?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

​One area coaches may find themselves spending a lot of time around, especially if they work with groups or teams, is the area of program design. Whether it’s designing a webinar, delivering a workshop or facilitating a group coaching program, the elements of program design are all similar.
Design is a critical skill set to have, and since I’ve stated tracking this as part of my own work cycle using the monthly tracker in the Coaching Business Builder, I’ve been surprised in noticing how many days of each month has some level of design effort.
In the next month here at the blog,  I’ll be looking at different layers of the program design process, given that this is one time of the year where many of us are looking to launch a new initiative for the 2019.

For those interested in taking a deeper dive into these topics, I go more into it all of my books – refer to:
Chapter 5 – Designing Your Group Coaching -  in Effective Group Coaching (link on amazon)
Chapter 4 – Design Principles and Practices - in From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching.
Chapter 5: Creating the Container in Effective Virtual Conversations where I share the PEBBLLES model for considerations for virtual program design

You will also want to check out the November 2018 article I wrote for the Coaching Tools Company on Signature Programs. You can read it here.
Question to Consider:
What are your 2019 program design plans? 
Use the trackers and monthly planners in the Coaching Business Builder to schedule in time to work on your designs.

Best,
Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Author of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Check out the  November 2018 CBB Book Club Call entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". You can view it here.