Last week’s post kicked off our focus this month (February) on relationships.

This week I’d like you to think about WHO is in your web of relationships. As solopreneurs, it’s very easy to think we are “solo”, or alone, when in fact, throughout the day we may be interfacing with a wide variety of others.
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For this week’s activity, consider these questions:

• What are the activities and tasks where you are in relationship with others?
• What are the new relationships you want to foster?

One of the activities I include in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner is having you create your Top 20 list. Who do you have in your network right now?
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Once you capture people you have in your network, then ask:
Who else would you like to add to your network?
Consider:

• influencers,
• connectors (people who can connect you to others),
• associations you might join to grow your knowledge base, or to contribute to.

My second book was entitled “From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching”. This also means expanding the conversation to more. What are the hubs which can help you connect with, and be in dialogue with, more people at any given time?
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Enjoy your relationship mapping work!
Jennifer
PS – A reminder that this month’s 30 days focus in the 1BizStepaDay series is around Relationships. Download a copy of the 1BizStepaDay series here. What are the daily actions you are taking to build  your relationships during this month of February?

“Tasks expand to the amount of time we give them” asserts the Parkinson’s Rule. I remember first reading about this in the Four-Hour Workweek from Tim Ferris. Think about it - what tasks have expanded to the amount of time you have given them?
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Whether you are a solopreneur or work with a VA or other freelance members, having a variety of tools to manage projects is key. These tools are likely to be virtual so you can share them with others, and you may have different tools for different purposes.
In selecting a tool consider:

• What’s going to work best?
• What are the requirements? I.e. How will we use the tool?
• What’s important to note about this?
• What is the Project Scope – Time, Budget and Effort?
• What is the progress?
• How much time is it really taking?
• What are the project requirements?

Two tools I like to use the capture and communicate projects can include:

1. Asana – Asana is another great project resource, and free of charge (at least at this stage for some functionality). Asana has the advantage of being able to segment what you share with whom, so if you work with a VA and also a graphic designer you can consider what you share with each one or both. Asana allows you to upload documents, set deadlines and also assign responsibilities.
2. Trello – While I use Trello more for program design, I love the visual interface of Trello. It visually breaks down more complex ideas, and tasks into smaller particles. Consider how Trello might support you with your programs or projects. If you are using Trello – please feel free to comment and share with us how you are using it.
3. Good old-fashioned tables – As a new project manager in the early 1990s, it was important to document, document, document. As Word Processors were coming into being, accessible capturing of information was becoming the norm and the priority. Almost three decades later I still return back to the basics and many of my team members say they love the simplicity and clarity of a one-page weekly project outline. It doesn’t have to be super complicated – I usually have 4 columns for:

• Task - What is required?
• Description – More detail about the task – project requirements, what will success look like with the end product? Get granular here and clarify your assumptions!
• Resources needed - highlighting any documents needed, or resources to use, or people to reach out to.
• Deadline – What is the deadline for the task? When it is required? Be realistic and also think about what happens if that deadline is not met. What ripple effect could it create?

What are the tools you want to start incorporating into your work this year, to make projects flow more smoothly?
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Enjoy your week,
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
Looking for some daily focus around your work? Join me over on Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder for a daily question or prompt as part of the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series. 
Check out the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". You can view it here.

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

We are on the eve of a new year, and at this time of year I love to ask my clients “What is your intention for the new year”.
As you think about the new year ahead, what are your goals? Gretchen Rubin, and her sister Elizabeth Craft, challenged listeners of their podcast Happier to create an "18 in 2018 list" last year, and for the coming year "19 for 2019". What are the top 19 goals you want to achieve this upcoming year? Have you written them down? Is it time to grab a new notebook or journal so that it’s all in one place?
As you consider any goals you have set for yourself, what do you notice about them? Is there a theme linking them? One year I had a theme of a WATERFALL. At that stage in my business it was important to trust that the successes I had would continue, as long as I was continuing to invest in action. Spending time worrying that things would only work once was costing me a lot of time and energy. Re-framing this to a waterfall which flows consistently helped me start developing new habits and mindsets around my business, trusting that things would continue to flow.
Another great exercise to undertake at this time is to also set your intention for the year. Perhaps you have a deck of cards or another tool you like to pull from. Last year I combined Rory’s Story Cubes, and two photo decks to crate an initial story line for my year. It was really interesting how it played out!
What’s your theme for the new year?
I am grateful for the support and interest so many of you have had in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. It was the momentum I needed to bring forward the PlanDoTrack edition for Remote and Virtual Professionals a few weeks ago on December 14th which is also finding its own audience with Virtual and Remote Professionals.
I look forward to continuing the conversation into 2019!

Best,
​Jennifer

It’s almost the end of the year and time to do a systems check and review of your 2018. What have you been tracking this year?
If you have a copy of the Coaching Business Builder, pull it out and take a look back at the Content Trackers, and Monthly Trackers you have completed. For each month, or each one, highlight key themes on a separate post it (big ones work well – see photo). Make a cumulative list of all the things you notice about your data as it relates to marketing, clients, revenue, visibility or other items you are tracking.

“Systems help us to move forward, to go as far as we possibly can. They enable us to work faster, smarter, and more strategically. A good system eliminates waste, while it also anticipates and removes obstacles. To get the most out of systems, you have to make them a lifestyle not a one-off deal. They must become ingrained in your routine" (John Maxwell on Leadership).

It’s also time to do a systems check to see what is working well in your business. Here are the five areas I write about in some depth in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook:

1. Sales and marketing
2. Product and program services
3. Registration and client onboarding supports
4. Financial systems
5. Communication

 
As you think about each one, take note of:

1. What changes did you make during 2018 around this area? What impact did it have?
2. What changes are needed for 2019?
3. When are you gong to schedule a focus on these?
4. Is there an opportunity to focus on a different one each month? If so, note them down in the Annual Planner and give each system focus a dedicated month.
5. Add this to any monthly To-Do lists you have made for yourself

 
I hope that you may set a timer and get wrapping up your year end tasks. Enjoy!
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Best,
​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
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​As we start rolling into the end of the year our work cycle can be filled with planning, and likely a number of celebrations, closures and connecting with clients. Over the last few months I have been enjoying facilitating the Plan.Do.Track™ series of virtual retreats. These four hour programs are aimed to support professionals in quick sound bytes around their own planning for projects (or year end), as well as getting into action and starting to get data around what’s working and what’s not.
In that spirit, I wanted to plant two seeds. One, what upcoming opportunities do you have to say thanks? When was the last time you reached out to your community to thank them for their support, or to take the time to reminisce about a 2018 project?Taking time to pause is critical in today’ work space, and we don’t always do it. What is one meeting or celebration with a past client you’d like to add before the end of the year? Schedule that now!
Second, I’d like to plant the seed around building in time to take stock before we get to year end. Perhaps you’ll join me for an upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreat Thursday November 28 - 1 - 5 pm ET, December 5 - 1 - 5 pm ET, December 20 (1-5 pm ET) OR simply, maybe you’ll use some of these questions to support you in reflecting and taking action:

1. As you look back to your initial goals for 2018, what have you achieved?
2. As you look back to your initial goals for 2018, what has shifted? What was important about those shifts? Why did they happen?
3. What is still left to do this year?
4. What is it going to take to complete these projects?
5. What is important about getting these projects done?
6. Can any undone tasks be deferred to 2019? Delegated to someone else?
7. Build in time to get it done! While you may not have huge chunks of time, what are the regular steps you can take on a daily or multiple days a week process?
8. What do you want to do to invest in getting these projects completed?

I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. I continue to enjoy receiving emails about how you are using the planner, and what impact it is having in your work. I’ve also LOVED seeing the impact of the PlanDoTrack Virtual Retreats in the past few months and am really looking forward to facilitating more! I hope you will join me for an upcoming session to see just what you can get done in a 4 hour window. 
Enjoy moving these forward!
Jennifer

As part of my giving thanks for your support, I'm offering a number of specials this week, which will run up to CyberMonday - November 26 2018. It also includes 40% off my annual membership groups which run throughout the year - The Learning Lab and Design Studio (Fridays 845 - 930 am ET: 1st and 3rd weeks of the month), and The Coaching Biz Growth Lab (Fridays 3 -4 pm ET: 1st and 3rd weeks of the month). Savings end 11/26/18.

Be
In my planning virtual retreats over the years, as well as at the Coaching Business Growth Lab, I speak regularly about the importance of taking regular action on our businesses. Whether we focus full time on coaching, or have it as a side gig, spending time to Plan, Get Things Done, and Track is critical.

This has led me this fall to launch the Plan.Do.Track(TM) series of programming (next Virtual Retreat coming up today at 1 pm ET!), and also to be releasing an adaptation of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner as the Plan.Do.Track Workbook and Planner for Remote and Virtual Professionals (coming out in December).
Taking consistent action is key, and allows us to manageably, and sustainably, build business. 

As we step into the month of November, what are your top 3-5 goals?
What are the regular steps that will take you towards achieving these goals?

For the last six months I've been walking around with a hand-written note in my planning journal. I finally was able to get it professionally laid out a few weeks ago but a trusted designer I use regularly. Even with all the design work I do as an author and instructional designer, I LOVE seeing my scrawls come to life. A big thank you to Jennifer of SecretaryZone in bringing this to life for me!

I'm pleased to offer up a free resource you can use to support you in  your work - The Weekly Booster For Your Business. You can download it here and try it out.

I'd love to see how you use it in action, so take a photo and tag it with #90DaysPlanDoTrack, the current Instagram series I have running over at my CoachingBizBuilder feed. 

If you enjoy this resource, perhaps you'll join me for an upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreat. These are 4 hour virtual planning sessions to support you in taking action on your business. For the next 2 months I'll also be offering a special year-end planning focus during these blocks. Reserve your spot now in one of the upcoming Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreats:
Today - November 1 - 1-5 pm ET
Saturday November 17 - 10 - 2 pm ET (yes - that's right - a Saturday program!)
Thursday November 28 - 1 - 5 pm ET
Wednesday December 5 - 1-5 pm ET
Thursday December 20 - 1- 5 pm ET
​Learn more and sign up now

Download a brochure on the Plan.Do.Track VRs.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Coaching Business Builder
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Don't forget the November 2018 CBB Book Club Call is on Monday November 5 from 11 -11:30 am ET entitled "2019 Planning. Already?". Hope you'll join me in my main zoom room (zoom room #270-302-0415 - no that is not a phone # but a zoom room #).

With the last full weekend of summer officially behind us, many coaches are starting to kick it into high gear with clients, as clients start looking to "year end" already.
Today's post gets you thinking about three productivity hacks YOU can implement for yourself. These can help to boost focus and get things done, without necessarily spending more time in the office.

1. Build in regular planning time. As I have written in the past, ten minutes of planning can save 2 hours of unfocused effort, according to old project management adages. When are you building in time to plan daily? Is this something you want to do at the start of the day, or the end of the day?
Would it be useful to build in a quick end of week review (either Friday afternoon or over the weekend)? This is what the Month In Focus tool is geared for - taking time each week to pause and note your key priorities, successes, enablers, derailer, lessons learned and commitments for the next week. There are 12 months of Month in Focus tools included in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and  Planner. Already many coaches are making it a regular end of week activity!

2. Tap into a community for support and regular action - As coaches our work can be very solitary, especially if we work virtually. Connecting with a community of others can be really powerful in terms of getting things done, sharing resources and gaining inspiration. Last week I jumped into an Instagram Video 5 Day Challenge with the wonderful Denise Wakeman, and was reminded of how motivating it can be to be in a group!
I've seen this in my own programming, where last month at the Coaching Biz Growth Lab we did a 31 Day Challenge to take regular action on social media. The traction, and habits created, have carried forward as well. I also saw this play out on Friday with the launch of two different fall programs - the Mentor Coaching Group (for ACC renewals, and PCC) and my Virtual Facilitation Essentials programming.
What communities would you like to join this fall?

3. Notice where your time is really spent and track where your results are coming from. 
As solopreneurs our time is limited. It's useful to regularly take stock of where your time is really going. How much time are you spending on client support? Proposals? Preparation or Design work? Marketing? Social Media? Learning? Connecting? Revenue Generating Activities?
If you don't know how much time you really spend, or haven't really seen this in a while, you may want to use the Monthly Daily Tracker to capture these numbers. 
As coaches our work can be very seasonal, with ups and downs throughout the year. If you have been in business for a few years now, notice where your ebbs and flows are.

And as a BONUS - Does everything have a place in your office? Having moved between two different offices for the better part of the last 6 months I have come to realize how streamlining items, and dedicating a home to each, is important for me to focus on work when I am there. The movement between locations has also helped me tackle some of the paper items which can get really overwhelming if you liaise with a variety of clients and partners. While my northern office is now closed for the year, integrating the resources from both happened quite seamlessly this past weekend.

Carving out regular 10-15 minute blocks to tackle a set of files, or drawer or area, can put things back into order. Doing this regularly starts to have an impact. What's the part of your office which could use some organizing?

As you put these quick hacks into practice, what do you notice?
Enjoy your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
Phone: 416-996-8326
Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
Interested in more on this topic? Join me for the fall Virtual Business Planning Retreat - this Thursday from 1 - 5 pm ET. Over the course of 4 hours you'll be able to do some planning AND take some action on key activities (perhaps getting started on your tracking, or clearing, or systems, OR....?). Reserve your spot in Thursday's 4 hour Business Planning Retreat below.
If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. More information and registration here.

Reserve your spot in Thursday's Virtual Business Planning Retreat - Fall 2018 (Thursday September 20 - 1 - 5 pm Eastern/10 - 2 pm PT)- $97 US:

It's September and the start of a  new month. I've been so excited to receive lots of emails and photos of coaches receiving their copies of the Coaching Business Builder in the mail. Have you cracked open the cover yet?
My guess is - MAYBE.
Well, we are stepping into a new month, and I wanted to make it super-easy for you to get going on the planner.

First, you may know that each month I am starting to host a 60 minute one-hour real-time virtual planning session to create a pause for you to take stock of the "Month that Was" (the one wrapping up), and do some planning for the month ahead.  I call these Month End Reflection Planning Hacks. I hosted one yesterday (August 31st) and will be scheduling these paid sessions each month. During the session I get you to work "real-time" on your plans, capturing them as we go, so you leave the session with your monthly roadmap DONE!

As you step into September I'll invite you to grab an hour (or even 15 minutes!) for yourself to start setting out your plan for the month. With Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner in hand here are five things you will want to fill in, as you step into a new month:

1. Taking Stock - Monthly Reflections (There are 12 of thee in the monthly sections. This page gets you to note some of your key achievement, metrics, projects and items to look ahead for the next month). See page 154.

2. Monthly  Plan for - Use one of these 12 undated pages to start capturing your ideas, thoughts and images for the month ahead. For linear thinkers, bullet out your ideas. For creatives, use it as a mini-tablet for images, drawings, items. This may be your meta-view or 30,000 foot view of the month. See page 147.

3. Monthly Calendar - Note key business (and personal) dates of importance. Again, there are 12 of these in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. Use the right hand column to note anything else that is important for the month. See pages 148 and 149.

4. Monthly To Dos
complete this page with all the things you want to, and need to do this month. Refer back to your "Monthly Plan for " page to get inspire. See page 150.

5. Monthly One Pager:
Use this page to capture your top 5 goals, key financial, marketing and relationship goals, Key tasks for each week, as well as habits you want to employ. This one page can help you stay on track and serves as a quick go to. If you prefer more detail you've got the previous four resources to look at! See page 151.

Having a plan is key for business success. In today's ever changing world, it can help us remain grounded and focused on what's important, rather than getting distracted by the many "shiny red objects" which can seek our attention. I hope that you will schedule in a block of time for yourself to complete these pages (20-60 minutes) AND/OR join me for this month's Month End Reflection and Planning Session to work on October's plans!

The Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (CBBWP for short!) provides you with 12 undated monthly sets of planning pages, along with quarterly and annual undated pages, and a variety of content creation tools. Pick up a signed copy directly from me, or you can also order through Amazon.

Have a great start to the new month! As I always ask in my planning hacks - What will WILD SUCCESS look like to you this month?

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Email
Phone: 416-996-8326
Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
Interested in more on this topic? Join me for one of the complimentary Virtual Book Club Calls to go inside the book! Next call is scheduled for Thursday September 6th - Business Habits and  Mindsets. Download the upcoming book club call list here.

If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. More information and registration here.