Baby Steps…. easy-to-do top tips to get your business started
By NadiaIf you’ve got a dream, but it’s not happening for you. Never fear! We’ve got some quick top tips to help you kick start your entrepreneurial aspirations.
Suck it up
Look around you. Inspiration
is everywhere. If, for example jewellery is your thing,
check out magazines, fashion blogs, student shows, local
boutiques and online retailers to immerse yourself in the
world you’re interested in.
Talk to People
Approach people who do
what you’d love to do and ask for their support and
advice. You could even offer to do some work experience for
free to top up your skills. Most people are happy to help,
plus, you’ll be making them feel important too!
Friends First
Your friends, family
and of course your local More To Life Than Shoes group are your
ready made focus group. During wine tasting sessions,
fundraisers, CheekyBingo parties or down the pub get togethers
ask them to sample your wares and to give you honest
feedback. Is the price right? Do they like the colour / taste
etc? Where would they expect to see them - Selfridges or the
local market? And so on. Really pick their brains. Ply them
with wine if necessary!
Home Hub
We know some people can be a bit
snobby about setting up a business from home, but why would you
risk loads of cash on office space or a retail premise
before you’re ready? We’ve met some amazing women who’ve
started businesses from their kitchen table, including the
likes of pottery genius Emma Bridgewater and famous
inventor Mandy Haberman. Hanging out at home until you’re ready
is the smart thing to do.
Local People
Make use of local websites
and newspapers to spread the word. Local journalists are always
on the look out for new businesses, and especially during the
recession and the current economic doom and gloom positive
news will be welcomed with open arms!
Network Your Socks Off
Get involved in
local groups (like More To
Life Than Shoes!) to build your network. You’ll
be amazed at the power of word of mouth and how quickly news of
your new venture starts to spread. Plus, having a supportive
network of likeminded ladies to help you make it happen will
come in very handy.
Tweet On
Twitter is a fantastic tool -
and it’s free. Get onto Twitter and start engaging with people
in your area who share your interests and business will start
to blossom. Just, remember, to chat to people first and
foremost, and not to endlessly plug your stuff!
How to put the fun back into your work
By Nadia
OK, so it's not quite the new
year, and we're all buzzing with talk of Christmas parties. But
surely, fun at work shouldn't just come from getting hammered
once a year and indulging in extra-curricular naughties on the
photocopier. (Does anyone really do
that?)
If the idea of going back to work after Christmas makes you want
to do a runner in your reindeer jumper, read on.
If you don’t love what you do, there’s something wrong. Life without passion: it’s a hollow existence. Grey mornings, dull evenings and long boring bits in between – it’s not much fun. Plus, the chances are, if work is dullsville, it’ll impact on the rest of your life. You could become a comfort-eating, telly-watching moaner who’s no fun to be around.
Work is not a prison sentence and
if we love our work we’ll be a hell of a lot better at
it.
Surely, it would make more sense to
work our thing and do something we love, instead of moaning to
our friends, moping around and self harming using Dairy
Milk.
For some people, passion seems to burn inside them. They’ve always known what they wanted to do with their lives. They have to do as their passion tells them; there’s no other option. It’s a done deal. Well, it’s alright for them, but what about the rest of us? When we were kids we might have passionately wanted to be an astronaut, a professional showjumper, but nowadays that all seems like a lifetime away. Having time and energy to think about our passions is a luxury we can’t afford. We’ve got no clear vision of where we’re going or what we want to do. So how do we go about getting some oomph in our lives?
Here are my top tips for loving what you do:
Passion can be a hard thing to uncover. It can take some people years to work out what’s going to make them leap out of bed in the mornings. But we’re not disheartened - we think the process of finding out what floats your boat is fun. It’s a chance to try new stuff, notice things around us and meet exciting new people. Not a bad way to spend our time, we reckon. One day it’ll hit us, and things will never be the same again.
Get skilled up: So you're good at hoarding old shoes, well, now's the time to gather skills. Bide your time and take the opportunity to learn as many new and useful skills as possible. Go on courses, learn computer programmes or languages, get qualified - by adding to your CV and your braincells, you're getting ready for the right moment to take over the world. You might even find that your employer will pay (just don't tell them you're planning to jump ship!)
Give your job a much needed fun-injection - Find ways of combining the things you love with your job. Start a company magazine, podcast, revamp the canteen, organise work events or outings, plan charity fundraisers etc .
Embrace the side project- you'll be amazed what you can get done
during your lunch hour, on the tube and instead of watching TV.
We've met some remarkable women (read interviews in our book
More To Life Than Shoes: How to Kick-start Your Career and Change
Your Life
Get some More To Life Than Shoes action in your life! Get together with girls in your office or in your local area and start a More To Life Than Shoes group to to get your regular fix of new ideas, new friends and new energy and make it happen. Members of MTLTS are bagging their dream jobs, writing books, starting businesses and getting promoted. It's a great way of getting the support, inspiration and encouragement you need to make a change.
Break it down: We’re not saying you
need to jack in your job, move country or rent premises, well not
right away. Once you know what you want to do, break it into
smaller steps, and then just take the first of them. Do some
research, apply for courses – these aren’t scary things. Start out
small and gradually things will
happen.
It is only November, people, so there's plenty of time to get
cracking at this before Christmas is actually upon us and we're
lost in a haze of mulled wine and bad knitwear.
Good luck!
Turning down the noise of the world ... how to go on a retreat
By Tara
Tara Sophia Mohr advocates going on your
own personal retreat to reconnect with yourself and re-evaluate
your life.I've just returned from Jen Louden’s week-long writing retreat in Taos, New Mexico. It was the first time I’ve taken a retreat that long for myself. I’ve gone on weekend workshops before, but nothing like this.
I went because I wanted to break through some 'stuckness' around a writing project. But also, I went because when I looked at the schedule – full of writing, yoga, dance, something inside me squealed: “that sounds like so much fun!” From that moment on I was calling it “summer camp for grownups” because it felt that delightful to me.
It was delightful, and fun, but more than that it was incredibly powerful. I think there's a real reason that every spiritual path has a retreat element to it, whether it’s keeping the Sabbath, a geographic pilgrimage or an intensive meditation period. All spiritual traditions recognize that, while daily spiritual practice is extremely important, spiritual and personal development is uniquely enhanced, moved forward, during intensive periods on retreat.
For me, retreat is about leaving the day-to-day, leaving the noise of the world. Its benefits come as much from what we do at the retreat as they come from what we see about our usual lives when we return with our retreat perspective. On my return, I see how overcrowded my life is, and how much I could benefit from simplifying it. I see how much I miss living in a beautiful natural environment. I see how living in a community makes me such a happier camper and—paradoxically—makes me more comfortable with taking time alone.
Retreat is also about, in Jen Louden’s words, “the container.” Creating a simple, empty space and allowing things to happen. I saw so clearly on this retreat that we don’t have to do much for the soul to emerge. Thoreau said, “the soul grows by subtraction, not by addition.”
On our retreat, the container looked like this: living in a place with limited internet and phone reception. Simple spaces, in a beautiful natural environment. Time devoted every day to connecting to the body, open time for writing, time for sharing in small groups and in the big group. There was lots of time and space to be present to oneself.
I want to encourage you to try some kind of retreat. A retreat is not a holiday. It's directed more inwardly, the noise of the world is purposely turned down. There is structure. It is a container, consciously created.
You can go on an organised retreat like I did, with a group and a teacher, or you can create your own. Jen, who led my retreat, wrote a book on this, called The Woman's Retreat Book: A Guide to Restoring, Rediscovering, and Reawakening Your True Self--In a Moment, an Hour, a Day, or a Weekend
, which gives
you ways to retreat for a week, a day, or even in a moment. It
doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, or even involve a lot of time
away from family and work to retreat. But please, in some way, give
yourself the huge gift of retreat.Love,
Tara
Tara Sophia Mohr is a writer and coach. She writes the blog Wise Living. You can sign up for her free Goals Guide, "Turning Your Goals Upside Down and Inside Out (To Get What You Really Want) ” by clicking here.
Listen to the first ever MTLTS podcast and do something different!
By Nadia
Listen to this if you're in need
to a mega dose of inspiration!
This, the first of our MTLTS podcasts, focuses on doing something different. So, have a listen and see where it takes you...Shelly Berry is our first ever cool hunter. Listen to the podcast to hear what she got up to this month.
If you'd like to become a cool hunter - click on the widget below to find out more....
Female graduates enticed by prospects of entrepreneurship: Why I am exploring other avenues to corporate employment
By KatieAs a recent female graduate (very recent, I graduated two weeks ago!) I have tentatively begun to look into different career avenues. I’ve found that other graduates, if not going on to do masters are expecting to work for free in order to gain experience and enhance CVs. Graduates are attempting to appeal to employers in the face of increasing job competition and enduring economic hardship.
Having considered gaining experience from large corporate firms I have discovered that smaller companies are more enticing to me as a female graduate with potential to develop business startups. I will gain an insight and overview of how a business works and use this as a route to gaining a broader skills base. I can apply these skills to my own future startups as a graduate entrepreneur or for future employment.
After a discussion with my parents about my future career as a graduate and the absence of vocational qualities in my degree (BA American and Canadian studies), I have considered the option of business startups as a female entrepreneur rather than embarking on a graduate scheme that would take me into the corporate workplace.
From my perspective as a graduate the overwhelming task of competing against hundreds of fellow graduates for graduate schemes which may or may not lead to permanent employment was not appealing. However, the prospect of engaging in varied work experience with less mainstream companies headed by female entrepreneurs – with the aim to acquire the skills needed to begin any startups – was far more enticing.
Given the opportunity to contribute with some significance to the growth and development of smaller companies and start-ups allocates a sense of worth, albeit not monetary, to female graduates’ efforts and inputs. The greater variation in day-to-day tasks and the rapidity with which these tasks change certainly keeps you on your toes! In addition to this the shadowing of female entrepreneurs provides an invaluable lesson for female graduates looking to begin startups.
As a prospective graduate entrepreneur the benefits of startups are far more enticing to me than working for someone else. These benefits include being your own boss, the stronger sense of dedication to your job, and dictating your own hours (although I have quickly learnt that entrepreneurs work all hours, every day, especially in the early years). This sense of purpose as the motivating force is especially tempting for graduates when faced with a whole scope of employment in the world of work and no particular direction.
The possibilities for achievement as a graduate entrepreneur and the sense of satisfaction in reaching your own goals through start-ups make it an attractive prospect. Instead of doing a job for a large company which may not recognise your achievements or possibility for growth as an employee.
As a female graduate I have therefore decided to gain an understanding of how small startups and entrepreneurial businesses work (especially because I have never studied business at degree level and not even at secondary school). Seeing first-hand the complexities of startups whilst witnessing the achievements and satisfaction of such an undertaking by other female entrepreneurs inspires me to consider becoming an entrepreneur as a viable option to becoming someone’s employee. With the large number of graduates entering the work place and the some-what limited graduate places available in large companies, the opportunities that come with graduate entrepreneurship are more enticing.
However, with my large student debt as a graduate, the thought of spending money before making money is unthinkable. Consequently I would consider becoming employed whilst planning startups as a graduate entrepreneur on the side as a 5pm-9pm job. Although this may be a more time consuming approach it may be the one best suited to my position as a debt-laden graduate. My ultimate goal though is to become a successful female entrepreneur.
How to get the most out of business networking and have fun doing it
By NadiaWe’re always being asked for our tip top networking techniques. The trouble is, the idea of business networking gives me the heebie jeebies; all that business card swapping, pointless chitchat and over the shoulder glances to see if there’s someone more interesting in the room. Cringe.
I’ve been to loads of women’s networks and clubs for women. Scoped out many women’s networking events. Worked the room. Talked myself up and generally networked my ass off. On occasion it’s been more exhausting than a full day with a toddler who’s eaten too many ice-creams. Plus, it can feel rather superficial. You come away feeling more judged than a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model.
When time is so precious, why spend your time juggling awkward moments, canapés, handshakes and glasses of dry white? What is the point of filling your already overfilled diary with business networking events?
Ultimately, networking is just meeting people and talking to them, building relationships and creating opportunities. We do it all the time, with friends, family and work colleagues, and most of us girls are actually pretty good at it! And yet somehow the words “business networking" or “networking event” give us the fear – us included.
Here are my top reasons why networking is a brilliant thing:
- You meet new people. Some of whom will come in handy.
- If you talk about your business and big plans, you might even meet potential new clients
- If you’re on the scene people will think about you when they need someone like you
- It’s a great way of sharing ideas and collaborating
- You’ll be more likely to spot exciting new opportunities
- It gets you out the house – not to be underestimated if you work home alone
- It can be fun (really!)
My
fear of networking (especially business networking!) was one of the
reasons we founded our More To Life Than Shoes women’s network. We
wanted to create a club for women dedicated to helping women
turn aspiration into action, with members all committed to helping
support and encourage each other. And it
works.
So, as the founder of a new kind of women’s network, I’d like to
share some top tips for getting the most out of networking that
will hopefully make it more fun. Hurrah to
that.
Experiment. Go to loads of events until you find something that
suits you. There are all kinds of networking organizations out
there, all doing slightly different things. Find events where you
like the vibe. And don’t bother with the ones that scare the
pants off you or where people are unfriendly. Obviously, if
you’re a woman and you’d like to turn aspiration into action come
and join us! And then, once you’ve found
your kinda place, go regularly. It’s easier to build
relationships and make friends when people know
you.
Chill Out. There’s nothing worse than being sold to from the get
go. It’s boring. People will walk off! Instead, take a different
approach. Listen to what people have to say and try to think of
ways you might be able to help them
out.
People love swapping business cards – it’s a big part of business
networking in particular so make sure yours are really cool. We
love www.moo.com.
And bring them with you.
Always.
Hunt down key influencers – Time is short, so don’t waste it
hiding in the corner chatting to people who don’t know anyone
either. Best to get chatting to the people who know everyone!
They’ll help connect you with others and recommend you to a wider
group of people.
Notches on the bedpost – Meeting people is about making friends,
not gathering up loads of new acquaintances and a big bunch of
business cards.
Prepare some cool introductions – Instead of the usual what’s
your name what do you do thing. You want people to remember you
after all.
If you meet someone you get along with, make contact immediately
after the event and make an effort stay in touch. You might
become friends and they will certainly think of you if an
interesting opportunity
arises.
Networking is a state of mind – think beyond “networking events”
and “business networking” and chat to people when you’re out and
about, at the school gates, on the bus or in the
gym.
Listen
when people are talking – there’s nothing worse that someone
who’s biding their time until someone else comes along and
clearly not listening to a word you’re
saying
Don’t get drunk! A couple of drinks help with dutch courage, but
more than that and you’ll probably end up talking crap or
spilling your drink on
someone!
And that's it. Simple. Have a great time networking like a nutter
and let us know how you got on.
Mini Mission 4: Get your fix of entrepreneurial inspiration
By Nadia
It started with a
random magazine and all kind of discoveries. Then we got physical
got sweaty. And last week we all had a go at making that
call.
This week, we're after some entrepreneurial inspiration.
One of the reasons we started More
To Life Than Shoes was to create an inspiration hub where we
could share cool discoveries, helping us fuel our own fire and
maybe even inspiring a new business
idea.
I
am lucky enough to meet some amazing female
entrepreneurs doing all kinds of cool things. For example,
the other day I met Genevieve Murphy, co-founder of Trinket Women
- a great new way to buy high quality tampons.
Simply sign up, enter your dates and details and receive a neat
and stylish present from mother nature's helpers each month.
Simple and genius.
I love the fact someone has taken on the big boys and given a
much needed feminine touch (not to mention style
upgrade) to the most feminine of products. Plus, never again
will I get caught short. I'm a real fan of getting letters and
packages- just imagine if getting your monthly supply became a
joy!
(And if you'd like to try Trinket out, Genevieve has kindly
offered us a 2nd box free when we enter code T1005
on www.trinketwomen.com.)
We'd love you to join in this week's mini mission and dig up some
of your own entrepreneurial inspiration.
We wanna hear about amazing business ideas that get you going. If
nothing springs to mind, panic not - check out
www.trendwatching.com
and www.springwise.com.
They are both rammed with amazing ideas and concepts - sure to
give you as much buzz as a triple
espresso.
Wouldn't it be great if we all
shared our discoveries - to help each other on the way to
success.
Tell us - what's the big
idea, why you like it, key things we can learn and give us a link
to the website so we can check it out.
And tell your friends about the More To Life Than Shoes mini
missions too! Blog, tweet, retweet, text, Facebook, do real
talking, whatever floats your boat. Tell everyone!
Nadia x
Mini Mission 3: Phone a friend
By Nadia
Our mini mission this week is to PICK UP THE PHONE!
Whether you've lost touch with an old friend, you're putting off making an important call, you're waiting to hear back from someone or you've replaced chat with text, let's all make that call.
I'm a firm believer that if we speak to someone and have a real conversation we're more likely to be remembered, have an impact and get more done. After all, you can't lose a phone call in a spam folder, overlook it or delete it by mistake.
So, why don't I use the phone more often?
When I first started writing our book "More To Life Than Shoes" I was scared of phoning people. A bit of a problem when you consider we were setting up and actually doing interviews over the phone in some cases.
It's a confidence thing - which comes from the fact that I sound really young on the phone. There, I've said it. I sound so young that people ring up and ask to speak to my mum. Trouble is, in our house, I am the mum! I'm 32 for god's sake. I've been on courses and had special lessons, to no avail. I sound like I'm 8 - according to one very tactful radio presenter. Excellent.
So, I've had to get used to the phoning thing. I had no choice. And I'm glad it doesn't bother me as much anymore, but you know, given half the chance I'll still email or text someone rather than actually speak to them.
Lucky for me, the convenience of email and texting means I have the perfect excuse not to pick up the phone . It's easier to dash off a quick text to someone than actually having to talk to them. They might be busy, or in a bad mood, I might get tongue tied, or be forced to leave a message on the answerphone (my idea of hell). I'm such a wimp!
My phonephobia has impacted on my personal life too. I used to ring my friends for long chats, but now I find myself sending them a text. Sad eh. I'd hate for my friends to think I'm as boring as my rubbish abbreviationsand that my emotions are as limited as my emoticons :( or that I simply can't be arsed (CBA) to talk to them.
Enough is enough!
This week, let's all have a go at using the phone more often. I bet great things will start to happen. After all, it's so much easier to blag and charm our way to making it happen when we use our considerable brains alongside our amazing power of speech.
I can't wait to hear what happens.... and I of course will let you know what I get up to too!
Nadia xx
How to get the best out of your most productive hours
By Tara
Do you work best before breakfast?
Does your brain start whizzing around late at night?
Tara Sophia Mohr looks at how to
make the most of when your brain's at its
best.Between 5am and 7am, my mind is different. Life looks different. I have access to longer, sustained focus. I’m more likely to feel the miracle of the world, and well up with tears from it.
Between 7am and 8am, I’ve still got a shot at writing, but there’s more resistance, more mundane stuff tempting me.
After 8:30 or so, if I haven’t written, the appointments I know are coming in a couple hours start to crowd into my mind, the noise of the world gets louder, and it’s likely to be one of those days when all kinds of emails and logistics get done, but very little writing, very little deep creative work.
I’m not certain why the early morning hours have the power they do for me. I think it has something to do with the quiet of the world at this hour, the stillness I see when I look out of the window. I really do feel, in those hours, like the world and being alive are glorious secrets, and I get to witness them.
I think it also has something to do with being closer to the realm of sleep and dreams, which is why I always try to write as soon as possible after rising.
Third, I think it’s genetic. I think we all have unique biological rhythms that impact when we have the physical, cognitive, emotional energy to create, and when our spiritual channel is most open. My mother is also an early morning creator, and we both turn off, mentally, at about 9pm.
For all of us, there are “best hours” for whatever important things we do in our lives. There are best hours for creative work. Best hours for the work that requires sharp focus and deep thought. There are best hours for being present to and generous to our loved ones.
For me, the dance is to honor that, and not get too caught up in it.
It is to arrange my life so that I get to do things during their best hours. That means speaking up for my needs, setting boundaries, establishing routines, and often, departing from the herd – doing things on a different schedule than friends or clients, and being okay with that.
But my work is – just as much – to not beat myself up or panic when it I don’t get to do things in their optimal times – when I end up sending emails during my best “big picture thinking” hours, or using my most alert and creatively inspired hour to wait for the repair man, because hey, that’s how things worked out that day. The fearful, ever-panicking part of my brain can turn the simple truth that early morning is best for writing into “TARA, YOU HAVE TO GET WRITING BY SIX A.M. OR YOU HAVE FAILED YOURSELF” or, at 10pm, “IF WE DON’T GO TO BED IN THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES, I WILL BE FOREVER CREATIVELY DOOOOOOOMED. Not so helpful, those thoughts.
But I do know, that I really love to write, and that writing happens for me much more fluidly and easily in the morning. I have the sense that I have access to better material then. So I do what I can to make it possible. If you're having trouble getting out from under the duvet and getting productive, here are some tips:
1. Try not to schedule appointments before 10am, because before that is writing time. Of course, sometimes an appointment needs to happen in that window, and if it does, I try not to worry about it too much.
2. Do your very best to go to bed by 10pm. This is a fabulous way to practice, everyday, setting boundaries and speaking up for my needs.
Hip person: “Want to meet for a dinner at x hot new restaurant at 9?”
Me: “Well…how about dinner at 6….or tea at 4?”
But sometimes, a big desire to watch a second episode of The Good Wife gets in the way. Or a late dinner with friends that I really do want to go to. Or being wide awake for who knows what reason. But as much as I can make it work, I do bed by 10pm, or even 9:30pm. I get my best rest when I go to sleep early, and it sets the stage for early morning writing.
3. “Conclude” the day at night, and create space for tomorrow. That could take any of a wide variety of forms: straightening up the home office from the day’s activity so there is a physical “clean slate” for the day, making a to-do list for the next day, reviewing the day in my mind and thinking about the significant moments, making a list of things I’m grateful for from the day, saying a prayer.
So the questions for all of us are:
• In whatever activities are most important to you, are there “best hours” for them? If you don’t know, experiment with doing them during different windows and find out.
• What can you do to set up your life so that you get to do those important things during their best hours? (Hint: you will probably need to be courageous in setting boundaries and creative in thinking about how to rearrange things in ways you haven’t previously considered, and that may be unconventional)
• What’s a truly helpful-to-you way to respond when it doesn’t work out – when you don’t get to use best hours the way you’d like? Instead of beating yourself up, how can real and loving curiosity about what happened and what you might do differently help you? What does it look like to respond with lightness of heart?
Tara Sophia Mohr is a writer and coach. She writes the blog Wise Living. You can sign up for her free Goals Guide, "Turning Your Goals Upside Down and Inside Out (To Get What You Really Want) ” by clicking here.
Mini Mission: Get Sweaty ... progress report
By Nadia
MINI-MISSION: GET SWEATY!
When we moved house recently my husband tried to get me to slim down my shoe collection and suggested I might not need my football boots anymore. I resisted. Something told me there might be an opportunity sometime in the distant future for some footie antics, and then I’d need to look the part. After all, a girl needs the right shoes for every occasion.
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