Have you ever stopped in your tracks and not know which way to turn, which next step to take, whether to start or stop?  Self-doubt creeps in and you start to analyse everything you do, or you completely shut down.  Interestingly, as I sit writing this piece I have stopped and started on multiple occasions, and I am only into the first paragraph.
There are many reasons we hit a creative wall ranging from not getting enough sleep, in a rut, fear, not enough mental stimulation or too much mental stimulation.  The reasons are varied and differ for everyone.  A block can last a few minutes, a few days even months or years. Let’s take a look at a few minutes, hours or days today.
It is worthwhile doing a stocktake of the feelings you felt or what was the trigger for getting into this creative slump.  Sometimes being able to identify what has triggered the inertia. If you are having difficulty in identifying the cause, there are a few little tricks you can do to kickstart your creative and out of the slump.

1. Use the Pomodoro method of 25 minute work slots, 5 minute break, 25 minute work slots, 5 minute break and on the 3rd 25 minute work slot take a 15 minute break.  You can find out more here
2. Disrupt your thinking pattern.  Take a short break whether it be for a coffee or drink to rehydrate this can disrupt your thinking pattern.  You may also consider going for a short brisk walk or spend some time in the sunshine.  Anything that can disrupt the pattern of your current thinking. Make sure whatever you do lasts no less than 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes.
3. Change your environment. No,don’t worry you don’t have to redecorate your entire office before you can get back to work.  Find somewhere else to do your work.  I have a great little park just over the road from where I live, (pity my WIFI does not stretch that far, lol) I simply pack up my laptop, a coffee and head over there and work for an hour or two on the table and chairs there.  I also sometimes pack up my work and sit in our patio with a nice view. You can also consider a coffee shop to work in for an hour or two, great if you enjoy a buzz and vibe around you.  Wherever you choose, it breaks your thinking and your pattern and is a great way to reset your mood and thinking pattern.
4. Book into local business events that offer brainstorming and interaction, it is a great way to stay in touch with what is happening in your local community, industry and you can come away with some great ideas.  Think about attending a Connect Her event with Brainstorm My Business on the agenda.

If your creative flow is lasting longer than a few hours or days, it may be time to speak to a business coach to gain some clarity and assistance.  If you feel the issue runs deeper, consider speaking to a health professional.

If your business calls for you to write whether it be a blog article, training course, e-book, or a newsletter the task can feel overwhelming if you are not quite in the mood for feeling unprepared.

Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. You must capture the interest of your readers and get them to keep on reading. To send your message across you must get the attention of the reader and have a firm grasp of their interest and pique their curiosity.
 
The main ingredient in baking up an article is a large dose of creativity. While creativity may come natural to many people, some just get into a block or something to that effect that can drive them crazy. Many writers have literally torn their hair out when they get writers block and just can't seem to get their creative juices flowing. 
Putting words into images in the readers' mind is an art. A clear and crisp depiction requires a certain flair that only creativity can provide. Similes and metaphors help a lot, but the way an article gets entwined word for word, sentence by sentence then paragraph by paragraph into an entire article develops the essence of the article. 
 
So just what do you have to do when nothing comes to mind? There is no sure fire way to get the perfect ideas but there are easy ways to get your creative juices flowing. No one can guarantee you of having the perfect mindset, but many methods may aid you in achieving that state of mind. Here are five easy ways for that.

1) Keep a diary or a journal with you always. Ideas can be triggered by anything you may hear, see, or smell. Your senses are your radar in finding great ideas. Write all of them into a journal and keep it with you for future reference. You may also write down anything that you have read or heard, someone's ideas could be used to develop your own ideas, and this is not stealing. Remember that ideas and creativity can come from anywhere; it's the development of the idea that makes it unique.

2) Relax and take time to sort things out. A jumbled mind cannot create any space for new ideas. Everyone must have a clear mind if one wishes to have their creativity in full speed. Get rid of all obstacles that can be a hindrance to your creativity. If you are bothered by something, you cannot force your mind to stay focused.
Try to relax every time that you can and think about your experiences and interactions with others. Your experiences are what shape your mindset and your opinions which could be reflected on your writings. Try to discover yourself, find out what triggers your emotions. Discover what inspires you and what frustrates you. You can use these emotions to help you in expressing yourself and your ideas, with this you can grow creatively.

3) Create a workplace that can inspire your creativeness. Your workplace can be quite a hindrance if it doesn't make you feel happy or relaxed. Creativity comes from being in a good state of mind and a messy workplace that causes distraction won't be conducive to a creative flow.
 Surround your workplace with objects that make you happy and relaxed. You may put up pictures, objects that inspire, diffuse essential oils or anything that can get your creativeness flowing. A clean and well-organized workplace also rids distractions and unwanted hindrances. With a good working place, you can work in peace and never notice the time passing by.
 
4) Set the mood. Setting the mood requires you to just go with the moment or to induce yourself to feeling what makes your mind works best. Finding out what makes you tick could help you find ways to get your creative juices flowing. Set the pace and tempo for your mood and everything else will follow.
There are many ways to set the mood. If you can’t create the mood, in your office, move you and your laptop to somewhere that creates a mood, such as the back garden, a park or a coffee shop.  

5) Letting yourself go and have fun produces adrenaline that can make your imagination go wild. Take an adventure or a solemn hike. Whatever it is that is unusual from your daily routine to take the rut out of your schedule. In no time at all, your creativeness will make use of that experience and get your imagination to go on overdrive.
 
And now……………….. it’s time to go write

 There are some people in this world that are born readers, they will read anything they can lay their hands on.  That happens to be me.  I love reading.  As a child, I would look forward to the day the “Book Club” brochure would arrive at school.  I would carefully go through the catalogue and rate each book as to which ones I would like to order.  I had a maximum spend each month so I would want to make sure I got as much reading as I possibly could for my allowance.
At school from an early age, I could regularly be found in the library.  I was mortified when the library closed during play break and only opened during lunchtime and before school.   It was a relief to go to high school where the library was open extended hours.  The local council library was also one of my favorite places to visit.  
As a young adult, train, and bus rides to and from work gave me the ability to devour books at a great rate of knots.  Once the responsibilities of adulthood, corporate roles and relationships came into fruition, reading quickly took a back step.
A commitment to myself and a new Kindle has reinvigorated my love of reading yet again.  What I found is just twenty minutes of reading a day has such a positive impact, many you don’t think of.  NO matter whether you are reading education books, romance, drama, a magazine or the paper, there are certainly benefits.  Here are just a few:

• Transport yourself to another place with a few turns of the page
• Time to unwind from the day
• Time for you
• Educational
• Self-help books can really help and give you a new perspective
• Inject curiosity
• Spelling improves
• Vocabulary improvements
• Positivity improves
• Awareness
• Concentration and focus improve
• Contributions to conversation increases

There you have my twelve benefits that I found reading twenty minutes a day can bring to or back to your life.  Give it a go, you will love it!  Check out Podcast episode 135 for more detailed information.

As a child growing up in what used to be what seemed the end of the line country town in WA, I remember how everyone knew everyone. It was an era where the local grocer, pharmacist and store owners knew our names. I clearly remember the pharmacist giving out specially made jellybean bags just for the kiddies. Mum’s and dads were greeted at the door with “Good morning, Mrs so and so or Mr so and so.”  It was personalised good old-fashioned service.
As we become more populated and the end of the line towns become major cities and suburbs along with automation, the ability to offer personalised service is becoming less and less doable but increasingly wanted.
Let’s throw into the mix things such as social media, automated phone services and self-serve checkouts that drive everybody mad, plus the onset of automated intelligence and it seems that good old-fashioned service and personalisation can be left behind. Or have they?
As a small to medium business owner, we can personalise our service and go the extra mile. Let’s face it, everyone has a big sign above their head saying, “Make me feel special.”  So how can we make our clients and customers feel special?
Here are some top tips:

• Send emails with the person’s name <<First name>> in the subject line and body of the email. Use mail merge or your email service such as Mailchimp or Sender
• Run Poll’s in your FB group to determine the needs of your audience
• Run competitions with your product such as photo ops wearing or using your product
• Send SMS’s specific to your database around a new product or service (use their name)
• Mention locations they are familiar with in emails and SMS.
• Call outs on your socials for your customers businesses or services
• Stay in touch, call, email, text with pertinent topics, articles, or information of interest
• Email or SMS birthday vouchers, exclusive offers specific to an occasion, their birthday, your birthday, anniversary of them becoming a customer/client
• Celebrate their wins and special occasions. Send a handwritten note or card for birthdays or special occasions. Leave the sales pitch out, that is in your email or SMS. (Send cards from your phone try bit.ly/chcardapp)

Drop a comment below if you have ways that you incorporate customer appreciation and personalisation into your business.

I have been reflecting over the last few weeks, the lessons that I've learned during the years 2020 and 2021. 
I remember 2019 was a year where my business was booming and things were going so well.  As you probably remember, everything started to change in March of 2020, and like everyone else, my business changed and my world changed. Living in Melbourne, the most locked-down city in the world proved to be challenging to say the least.
I did learn some valuable lessons throughout this time. Lessons that are not only around my business but also personally as well as professionally.
I'm going to share with you the lessons that I learned in what could only be deemed as a trying time.

1. Plans and planning don't always go to schedule or work. During 2020, the plans that I had for my business, which as I had said, was booming had to be put on hold. We needed to change. It meant that the plans that I had, needed to be re-looked at and reworked  It's OK to have to change the plan. It's OK to have to rework what your ideal is. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but I knew that I had to do it. Because of the plans I had, they weren't going to work in the environment. It wasn't going to work to the schedule that I had planned either.
2.  It's OK to change your goals. My goals have stayed relatively the same, I've just had to change a lot of how I was going to get there. It also meant that I've had to change some of the goals slightly, they've been readjusted, which was difficult for me. To make sure that I felt comfortable with changing the goals. I was really specific when I started my Connect Her® business of where I wanted to head and how and when I wanted to get there. Little did I know when I was in the planning stages of my business setting up my goals that there would be a global pandemic that I would have to take into consideration. So guess what? Yes, it's OK to change your goals.
3. It's OK to change business structure. I had to dramatically change my business structure. During 2020 I lost branch leaders through fear of the unknown, change of circumstance and a multitude of other reasons. It meant that I had to look at the way I ran my business and the structure of my business. Only recently Connect Her® have adapted our business structure to a more streamlined affair. It means that we run fewer branches, but we have them open to more people. So instead of stretching ourselves to operating in many suburbs, we now operate in city councils. It makes way more sense in what we're doing. although I didn't necessarily want to change the business structure, I knew it was the best thing for the business and also the existing leaders that we had within the business. Sometimes circumstances allow us an opportunity to re-look at the business when we may have just continued and got too far into it to be able to change what we're doing.
4. This is been a hard one for me. But it's about adaptability. Often I looked at everything as black or white and there's no grey. The fact of the matter is when you're running a business when you're an entrepreneur when you're a leader, you have to be adaptable.  Looking at your business can feel like you are being told that your baby is ugly. It isn't really. However, circumstances change, things change, plans change, and being able to adapt effectively is the way that a business can survive, grow and move forward.
5. Self-preservation. I found the last lockdown 6 in Melbourne one of the hardest. I'm not sure why, but it hit me hard. The first lockdown in 2020  didn’t bother me too much I almost thought of myself as an introverted extrovert. I enjoyed the time to myself working on the business and not rushing around. Over  2019 I was constantly on the go, rushing around to meetings and generally rushing.  So the 2020 lockdown was like a gift for me. I was able to sit back, relax and work on my business which I loved. By 2021 it was too much working and not enough community and interaction. I found that I was crying more, my ambition to be working on my business dwindled, my motivation levels were down, sometimes I just wanted to lock the door and not see anyone.  I'm here to tell you that it's OK. It's OK to cry. It's OK to shut the door and not see people. It's OK to lose motivation in your business. It's OK! We are only human. We're allowed to do stuff like that. What I do want to say, however, is if you're getting to the point where shutting the door and crying all the time, isn’t healthy. You need to make sure you've got a good mental health support system in place.
6. Fun It's all about fun. One thing that I discovered in 2020. was I love to paint. Yes, that's right. I love to paint. I picked up a paintbrush for the first time since high school, an artist stretched canvas and painted. I watched some video tutorials on how to use brushes properly, how to blend colours and also how to use them, how to use pallet knives.  IT started as a bit of a joke and has ended up being something I love. I have come to love painting, my mind slips away into a space where I don't think about anything. I relax, I feel calm. It's almost like a meditational space for me. I may not be any good at it, who knows, but I love it and it is my slice of fun. Your fun might be going for a ride, getting involved with making clay art, photography or making resin jewellery? It may be a creative outlet or it could be a physical outlet like boxing, Zumba, running, any type of activity. Whatever it is, make sure that it's fun and it is injecting fun into your life so you enjoy it. Make it your time away from everything else. I think out of all of the points, all of the lessons that I learned, the most important point is about the fun. For me, I'd started to become a bit of a workaholic, injecting this fun into my life has made a massive difference.

So there have the lessons that I learnt from 2020 and 2021. If you'd like more information, you can listen to the podcast episode 128. There is a bit more information in there than what I can fit in this blog article, but I'm sure you'll get some great information from it.

‘Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked' Warren Buffet
This quote was made during the GFC; however, 2020 has shown it is still very relevant. The financial stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many people 'swimming naked'

Previously, perceived to be keeping their head above water, the tide is out, and financial stress is starting to show. Many people have a history of living from pay to pay, and while everything in your life runs smoothly, you get by.
Your employment is consistent, everyone is healthy, the car runs efficiently, termites have not been silently eating your house beams, and the fridge keeps running cold, everything is okay, It may have been a little stressful from time to time, but you 'move' money around, use a credit card or two, and you get by again until the next big bill arrives.
2020 & 2021 has made people more aware of the need to reserve funds to help manage the day-today expenses for when life is not ideal. Spending Planning is an emerging industry that provides the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to the financial services available in the community.

It’s not your fault, we generally grew up without financial literacy and are now playing catchup Is it time to get your ‘house’ in order? Both business and personal finances can be very challenging but have been particularly so, in 2020 & 2021.
Understanding what you need in the bank today to ensure your bills can be paid without stress, is what we do. Do you ever wonder where your hard-earned funds are? The more you earn, the more the dollars go missing. Based on a household income of $80,000 - $120,000 it is not uncommon to find $8,000 – $10,000 a year that has been leaking out of your pockets.  

Seven Tips to help start getting your house in order

1. ​Lazy Tax – are you paying Lazy Tax? How long is it since you have researched a better premium rate for your bills? Car insurance, House and Content insurance, Gas and Electricity for example .
2. With Car and Home insurance, it’s possible to pay a lower annual fee and a higher excess if you ever need to make a claim
3. Reassess the interest rate on your Credit Cards, some are as high as 25% or down to 11%
4. Have you looked at your Home Loan interest Rate? Call the mortgage company and ask for a better rate, if they say they can’t change it and you have an interest rate higher than mid 3%?
5. If you have done a Balance Transfer on your credit cards, work out how much you need to pay each month to pay the whole thing off by the end of the Interest Only term.
6. While I don’t work with budgets as they tend to look back and not forward, you need to understand where your hard-earned is going. Print off six months of bank statements, grab a handful of highlighters and mark off essential and not so essential costs
7. Shop from your pantry first, this will cut down your grocery bill and decrease waste 

• NOTE: 1. Do Not change your big personal insurances without the support of a financial advisor
• 2. If you have debt, you do not have savings 

Guest Author: Tricia Northeast Connect with Tricia

​“I think I will cook before I write that blog.” “I will get to organizing my planner after I hang out the washing.”
Have you ever found yourself saying these things to yourself? Do you find that you are always very busy but never seem to get to the very thing that needs to be done to accomplish what you have set out to do? We all have been students at the school of procrastination and some of us maybe advanced students of this school so much so that we find that we never seem to get anywhere or achieve anything that we would like to achieve. There are reasons why most people will procrastinate.
There are 4 major reasons for this habit:

• 1. Wrong Goals: Sometime the goals that we set for ourselves can either be too high or too low. When they are too high it seems too daunting and overwhelming to start anything. When the goals are too low it is not challenging enough, and we then tend to put if off as we then know that we can get it done in less time.
• 2. An unclear focus: “Weak and scattered thoughts are weak and scattered forces, whereas strong and concentrated thoughts are strong and concentrated forces.” – John Kehoe. When we do not have a clear vision that helps us jump out of bed, we find it hard to focus on the tasks at hand.
• 3. No action plan (NAP): Only 1% of the population lives their life on purpose. They have a carefully laid out plan for what they want to get out of life and how they would like to get there. When we do not have a plan, we tend to just go through life not knowing where it is going.
• 4. Mental barriers: Mental barriers such as fear and doubt can be quiet debilitating and will often steer us away from the very actions that will help us build our strength against those fears and help us reach our goals.

I may have painted a very grim picture but there is hope. All these behaviors are learnt and can easily be unlearnt. The best advise here would be that if you do find yourself procrastinating all the time then go back to your drawing board and spend a good time on the goals that you have set yourself and ask yourself if they align with what you believe and your vision and that you are not living someone else’s vision. Have you set yourself a massive to do list that may seem unreasonable and unrealistic? What is it that you fear and why? Be honest with yourself and put this all down on paper and work through every aspect of what you have listed till you reach a plan where there are no more excuses.

Guest Author : Pooja Kelkar  WWW.REALINEYOU.COM.AU

What's the most effective way to grow a business during this most unusual time?

You might think that the answer is to sell to more clients/customers, but that's only one piece of the puzzle, it is not necessarily the most important part of the equation. That's where client/customer connection and retention comes in.

Once you've created a killer product/service/education and you have identified your target market, it’s important to dedicate just as many resources to retaining existing customers as to selling to new customers. The statistics show us 75% of your business comes from your regular and existing clients/customers.

It’s important to help client/customers see value and achieve goals using your product or service. But there's more to it than just answering their phone calls and helping them onboard. It's about creating a process from the very beginning that fosters communication, trust, and mutual growth.

Your client/customers are in lock-down, now it is more important to stay connected, we need to find different ways to let them know we are here to support and service them. You can offer phone and email support to your customers, it is now time to increase your customer support to reassure them that you can still be reached to assist them no matter where they are. Social media is a great place to start, you can keep them posted on activities you are creating, you can offer special packages for when we get back to business. You can still support them with products and product knowledge they may require. Connecting virtually or online, you can offer the option to chat via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other instant messaging platforms. You can also offer video conferencing options through Skype or FaceTime, so your customers can get that "face-to-face" feel without actually being there in-person. The most import thing is to let them know you care about how they are during this pandemic. 
​
Don’t offer them a discount instead send them a Voucher to use when things return to normal “whatever that looks like” it’s not to discount your service/product it’s to let them know you are thinking about them and their health and wellbeing. Let them know you appreciate their support and that you care about them. The most import thing is to let them know you care about how they are during this pandemic.

Guest Author:  Karen Galbraith  https://body-and-sole.com.au/

As a small business owner, it's easy to unintentionally get into a state of overwhelm when your plate starts to overflow with "all the things" involved in running a business. It's especially daunting if you work alone and have no one to lean on.

Don't wait until it all becomes too much before you entertain the concept of outsourcing. There are specialist Virtual Assistants ready and waiting to help you. The industry in Australia has exploded since COVID, as the once foreign concept of working remotely has become a reality. Working with a VA is a flexible and cost-effective option for small business owners as you can scale as required, and you are not responsible for an employee and the associated costs over and above wages. Let's look at some key indicators that you've reached a point in your business journey where a Virtual Assistant should be considered. 

1. Overwhelmed, losing sleep & can't keep on top of everything - If it all feels too hard, you are constantly stressed, and your life as a whole is suffering - you need help.
2. Have more work than hours in the day, and your To-Do List is out of control - If you can't keep on top of your work, are working heaps of hours, your clients are unhappy, and your business is suffering – you need help.
3. Spending valuable time on non-income producing administration tasks - Your business is not growing because you are spending too much time working IN your business instead of ON it – you need help.
4. Feel guilty that admin tasks are eating up family time - If you constantly feel guilty that your business is taking priority over your family and friends – you need help. 

The saying "we work to live, notlive to work" comes to mind. 

While your business may be your passion, if it ceases to bring you joy, then something’s got to give. I'm not saying taking on a VA will be easy. If you are not truly invested and open to change, then odds are it won't work. Remember – you don't have to do it all. 

Guest Author: Debbie Mynett   www.candovasolutions.com.au

​At the time of writing this article, the country was a different and changing place to what it was on the 31st December 2019. Now, interstate borders are closing, and our international borders are under discussion. Lockdown is a new normal.
We all know we are in some challenging and never before experienced times. All that being said, it gives us a chance to hit the ‘reset button’ on our business and our lives. Let’s discuss business.
We can pivot our business just as a graceful ballerina does on the big stage, changing direction elegantly and with grace.
We can ponder what to do with our business as each day is a new and changing environment. We can also plan how we are going to come out the other end and plan how our business will look in the future. We can also step our businesses through these three key steps as we plan and ponder our business progression.
Pivot: A pivot in your business is where you gently change the direction of your business whilst still maintaining the essence and core of your business. When you pivot in your business, you don’t want to take such dramatic change of direction that your true business is lost. An example of this is the Connect Her events, we pivoted to holding online meetings as opposed to the face to face, social meetings. The essence of the business is still the same, running events for business women, offering education, inspiration and connection, be it now as an on-line model for the foreseeable future.

Ponder: Pondering can give you the time to consider your options, look at the lay of the land, reassess your approach, your business, your ideal client, formulate new ideas. Pondering and assessing for too long however can lead to the other ‘P’ word – procrastination. Allow your self a period of time that you feel comfortable with to ponder so you have a timeframe. Once the time frame is up it about taking action and it could move you into a pivot or planning.

Planning: Every business needs time to plan whether it be new strategies, new programs, new ideas, financial goals, product development and now is a perfect time to plan your next move. The changes in our business world may hold opportunities for you and your business you had never considered. With Connect Her going to on-line meetings opened up further opportunities that  had never been considered before. There is an opportunity to look at your business with a new set of lenses and see if there are different opportunities, expanded opportunities or methods to develop your business. As the environment is changing it maybe plans for the next 7, 14 or 30 days.
Pivoting, pondering and planning will give you a sense of control and a sense of your business progressing. 

Article Originally Written: March 2020

As we move from one year to the next it brings to life an opportunity to set our business and ourselves up for success. Failing to plan is planning to fail. There are some great workshops and courses available (check the Connect Her Collective FB group for events) which can assist you on the right path.  We also have some fabulous goal setting tools in the Connect Her Club
If you prefer to work on your own goals and not with a coach or workshop it is great to have some steps outlined. Using these 5 key steps is a great start to setting you and your business on the path to success for the new year.
If you are attending a goal setting workshop or have a business coach these steps will also assist you with the pre-work.
Firstly, find an area with minimal distractions, turn off notifications and your phone to silent. Grab yourself a nice coffee, tea or juice and go to the loo before you start. Nothing like setting the scene for success and being prepared. Aaaah… doesn’t that feel better?

Step One: ASSESS: Assess what worked well over the last 12 months, what could have worked better and what no longer serves it’s purpose for you or your business. Write them down in 3 columns. (it makes it easier during planning)

Step Two: RESET: Now is the time to draw a line in the sand and reset your intention and attention for the coming year. Ok, so somethings didn’t go how you thought they would, that’s ok. Some things went better than you thought, well done, pat yourself on the back, do a happy dance, you are awesome. Now it is time to wash, rinse, repeat on what went well or better than expected. ………And the clock starts NOW! Yes, it’s time to reset.

Step Three: PLAN: Take a big piece of paper (butchers paper works well for this) and plan what you want to achieve in your life, business, personal, spiritual, financial the areas you want to achieve changes or progress. Be bold, be audacious, be strong, be wise and be cheeky. 

Step Four: ACTION: Now you have a plan of what you would like to achieve, it is the time to set down some actions to make sure your plan moves from a planning paper to action delivery. When planning your actions remember the S.M.A.R.T goals Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely Be sure to write all of these down on paper (brain to hand to eye to subconscious)

Step Five: Focus: Once you have your plan, goals and actions in place break them down into weekly, monthly, quarterly goals or the bite size pieces that will suit you and your business the best and then focus on a few tasks, actions or plans a week. Keep it simple and reasonable so it avoids overwhelm. Be sure to track your achievements and celebrate your wins. Taking some time to set upyour five steps at the end of the year or beginning of a new year is 5 simple steps to set you up for success.

​What do you do to set you and your business up for success?

Whether you are a small to medium business owner, solopreneur, network marketer or an on-line marketer, there are times where we find ourselves hiding out in our business. Daily grind, regular tasks, product creation, clients, and all t​he other things that come with being a business owner can drive us further and further into our business and further and further away from connecting with others. Occasionally, these tasks and working in and on the business can be an easy excuse to hide away.
By driving ourselves further away from connecting with others we are really doing an injustice to our business and ultimately to ourselves. We human’s are creatures of connection; we love to connect with other human beings. Community, purpose and connection are key factors that can play an integral part of keeping the endorphins high, the creativity flowing and a positive attitude.

​There are a multitude of benefits to getting out and about and connecting with others, including: ·

• Refresh our ideas 
• Personal invigoration 
• Enhancing our knowledge base 
• Opening up opportunities both personally and professionally 
• Gaining new perspectives

There are several ways we can get out and about that can be cost effective and easy to implement:
·

• Attending networking events
• Business owners informal meetings
• Skype or Zoom meetings 
• Attending seminars and live events
• Attending community projects 
• Attending local commerce meetings

Before attending it is wise to set an objective as to what your purpose for attending the event maybe. It could be anything from making a new business connection through to gleaning a new idea for your business, the list is endless. Aim for at least one event per week for a minimum of two hours, this should get you kick started into getting out of your business and into making some valuable lasting connections.
Set a plan at The beginning of the month and book into the event early and have it in your planner/diary. 

Most of us don’t want to hear another word on the lockdowns as I believe we’ve all landed in a semi state of “I’ll worry about it when we get out – can’t deal with any more press releases and road maps”.     Which is fine, as we all do what we have to in order to survive and get through the day.

Most of us before the lockdown were already working from home or a remote office, and we’ve all been in business for ourselves for a while before any of this happened, so finding ways to keep our mental health in check and positivity on a high has been a challenge to say the least over the past 18 months.    To keep the enthusiasm of what made us go into business in the first place and to remind ourselves of why we keep doing this every day even though we are being pounded literally by negativity no matter which direction we look.

I’m sure everyone can relate to that feeling of what’s the point and why bother getting out of bed today, but it’s that tenacity and strength which all of us here at Connect Her® share and possess in huge volumes that make it worthwhile.

So, what’s the deal – the secret to staying the course whilst in lockdown?
Routine and then some more routine!   It's when you begin to flounder that you lose your path and sink to the bottom.  By keeping with the routines and yes, that means still getting up at 6.30 am and walking the dog for 30 minutes or whatever you did before.  It means doing your daily gym routine in your bedroom (praying no one can see you as you huff and puff without a sports bra!) and it also means showering, putting on a bit of makeup and dressing in semi business attire (not your PJs) so that when you sit in front of your computer or wherever your workplace space is defined you are feeling professional, that you are in the right place. 

It will keep your mental positivity up when you look in the mirror and see the old you staring back – so that you like what you see!  Make sure you take a lunch break and walk outside or go for a short 15 min walk.   When it's 5 pm, say to yourself “well that’s me done for the day” and pack up as if you were leaving the office!   And most importantly don’t forget to take a 1 min break every now and then during the day and do a jive dance in the kitchen whilst you wait for the kettle to boil!   It will make you smile, increase your feeling of gratitude and get your blood circulating in your body.

We are all so inordinately strong and resilient, otherwise, we wouldn’t be attending our zoom meetings to meet with like-minded women wanting to expand our business and make new connections.
So stick with the routines no matter how mundane, so that when you can venture out again you’ll be blossoming with the simple joy of knowing that you are still you!

Guest Author: Roxanne Glans Owner of Roxi Productions https://www.roxiproductions.com.au/           ​

Running a business can be hard work. As sole traders we wear many hats & try to do as much as possible ourselves before we realize we have to give up control on some things in order to do the things we are good at & let others do the things they’re good at so we succeed. Otherwise we would be working non-stop & have no life.
We create stress that builds up until our bodies break down. You don’t want to get to that point, it’s really hard to come back from. Stress is a major factor in our lives, that if left untreated, can cause serious harm or illness, disease & death. So what can you do to prevent this?
There are many things luckily, you just have to acknowledge, accept & take action.
1. Get good nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Get 7 to 8hrs sleep
4. Hydrate
5. Relax
Are you eating the bare minimum of 2 fruit & 5 vegetables a day for basic health? Or do you eat processed foods, fast foods, takeaway, whatever you can get your hands on because you don’t have time or can’t be bothered? Wholefood nutrition is key for energy & your immune system. Do you exercise 6 days a week?
A minimum of 15mins a day raising your heart rate & breathing heavy is required. Find something you like to do, add a minimum of 2 days resistance training & you’re good. If you feel & look good, so will your business. Anything 6hrs & under a night regularly is unhealthy & dangerous. It can be the equivalent of driving 0.05 & I’m tipping you wouldn’t go to work drunk.
It affects our cognitive abilities so you won’t perform your best at work. There are so many things you can do to improve your sleep so try them. If you are dehydrated by as little as 2% it affects your general performance. Often when you feel tired you just need water.
Same when you feel hungry, start with water. Our bodies are 80% water so obviously we need to replace it when we sweat, urinate plus all of our bodily functions rely on water to run smoothly.

Finally we need to relax! That S word (stress) is way too prevalent in our lives & it wreaks havoc with our bodies. You have to learn to switch off work mode & find an activity you enjoy each day, spend time with your family, read, meditate, laugh & change your mindset. Discuss these 5 points & share what you like to do, what are your tips & tricks that others might like to take on board to help them. All of this reflects on our business, so make it shine! 
Guest Author: Carolyn Smith Contact: www.inspiredfitnesssolutions.com.au

Have you heard this saying? "Stories sell, facts tell' I love it, it says it all really.
Think back to a time where you were at a training or a networking event, somewhere where you were the audience. Do you have a memory of being bored brainless by data?
Or do you remember the presenter that kept you captivated? I remember a presenter at a conference who used one overhead slide and kept us all mesmerised for 55 minutes on sales attributes, a subject plagued by statistics yet not one statistic was mentioned. It was 55 minutes of stories.
Some of us are the data geeks we need some of the facts to make our decisions, so cloak them in stories. Great and good stories work because they are easy to remember and share. Who doesn’t love a good story?
Interesting stories engage the listener or the reader. Remember, our customer and client engagement is now multi - channelled. Think, various social media platforms, face to face, written work brochures and handouts.
This also means our customers and clients are well informed and generally have researched many facts before they get to us. Human beings are natural story tellers, as young children who didn’t sit there and listen to endless stories of childhood favourites.
I still to this day remember stories from my childhood. “The brain, it seems does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case the same neurological regions are stimulated. When someone describes a kicking ball, our motor cortex lights up. When someone describes a singer as having a ‘velvety voice’ our sensory cortex lights up, and so on.” Says Annie Murphy Paul from Articulate. “So when we listen to a bunch of bullet points, we hear a load of language. When we listen to a story, we live it.” Now, think about your product or service, would you prefer your prospect to hear a load of language or would you want them to live it?

​Live it and re-tell it. How could you develop a story about your product or service? Do you have testimonials? Do you have someone else’s story you could use until you have your own?

​We have all been in the situation somewhere, sometime, somehow stuck with someone that isn’t a talker or gives yes or no answers even to open ended questions, the conversation stalls and so does your brain so you ended up talking incessantly.

Maybe you have a Connect Her Connection meeting or Coffee catch up and you think, oh no, I have met this person before and I know everything about them. Guess what? We don’t know everything about everyone.

Sometimes just using a weird, strange or unusual question into the mix can open up the flood gates.

It is interesting, when we use a question which isn’t quite in context of our usual ‘networking’ questions you can see the mood shift. You can almost see the shoulders relax, the face relax and a giggle or laugh emerge bringing spontaneity into the conversation. Here are some conversation starters to get you started.

Conversation Starters……………………..
What would you like to get better at?
What made your brain grow today?
What problems or challenges did you work on this month?
What is your favourite way to feel calm?
What is one quality you look for in a friend?
Who  is your best client?
What is your favourite day of the week?
When do you feel you are more productive in the morning or the afternoon?
How can someone become famous?
Android or Apple?
Tell me about something you do every day?
How often do you check your emails?
What do you do to relax after a business day?
Describe your perfect day?
What do you like the most about the person sitting next to you (on the left) (on the right)?
f you could invite two other people to join us, who would they be?
​What is the one thing that is your absolute must have for a business meeting?

​Do you have your favourite conversation starter?

Our lives seem to get blurred these days, particularly when we compare real life to the ‘show reels’ posted on Social Media. Just like when we were growing up reading Dolly and Cleo magazines, seeing unrealistic girl’s photos brimming from the pages.
The medium may have changed but the feeling of inferiority can still be there. Think about the last time you visited the movie theatre, you see the movie trailers and previews or “the show reel”. These show reels show you the funny, poignant, or action charged moments of the movie, highlights if you will.

After seeing the show reel, you then decide this is the next movie to see. When you come to watch it, all the ‘good bits’ you saw in the show reel, the rest of the movie is pretty pedestrian. What you were shown was orchestrated to deliver the best version of the movie to get you in. Working from a home office or an isolated environment often we can turn to social media for a bit of outside distraction.

What do we see? We see our friends ‘show reel’. The perfectly pimped hair, a luncheon out with friends, a tidy house or a gorgeous well-maintained office, the list goes on. This view, this post can then make us feel less than adequate, all of a sudden sitting at home in a messy office with washing and ironing up to the wazoo we can become upset, disillusioned or frustrated with our day, our lot in life or our business.

What we haven’t seen is the hot mess that may have happened 30 minutes before the perfect video or photo was posted. We often don’t get to see the reality behind the veneer of the orchestrated post on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. Here are 5 tips to keep life real in your real life.

1. Remember above all the social media posts you see of friends and colleagues are a ‘show reel’ of what people want you to see. The true story is carefully hidden behind designer sunnies and a well placed vase. 

2. If you work alone or from a home office, arrange a call with a colleague or business friend for 5 -10 minutes to check in each day and keep it real.

3. Get out of the office or house as much as possible, try working from a coffee shop, a co-working space or another place where people are around, you are less likely to use social media an outside distraction with everything else that is going on around you. With portable wifi these days finding inspiration in a park for an hour is very doable.

4. Encourage real face time, belly to belly, toe to toe meetings. As women we particularly thrive on the warmth of conversation and connection person to person. If that isn’t necessarily possible then consider Zoom, FaceTime or Skype as an option. Amazingly, technology can be a way of bringing the outside world in when used correctly.

5. Book into at least one networking event a week. It is an opportunity to get you and your business out into the world and not be your best kept secret, it is also an opportunity to have that interaction and human connection.

​Using these 5 tips will assist in keeping you focused and connected when working from home and less likely to drift off into someone else’s show reel. Keep it real, connect, communicate and keep the show reel out of your self talk.

​That’s right, structurally, we are made for movement, not being still & especially not sitting. We are created for movement, we need to move as much as possible, otherwise problems arise. And it’s not just back & hip issues, or our expanding butts & waistlines or poor posture & bad necks.

I want you to  think about how you can fit more movement into your day & maybe inspire you to get outside doing it. Exercise & variety is so important to everyone.

Fitness has been shown to play such an important part in our brain performance, mental & emotional health, prevention of disease & recovery. Being fit & improving overall wellbeing can help increase confidence in individuals, which can have a huge impact on their career success which is bigger than having the perfect body.

We know exercise releases endorphins that make us feel good & decrease stress, so why isn’t everyone doing it 6 days a week? Why are people still finding excuses?

It doesn’t have to be hard core workouts. Finding something you enjoy is the key. Although resistance training is the best thing, you can still do just 2 x 30min sessions a week & whatever else you like for the other days. Pick any recreational sport or hobby that involves moving a lot, whether it be tennis, table tennis, golf (without the cart), bowling, dancing. Not video games or board games where you are sitting.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australian women - at three times the rate of breast cancer. The good news? There's an easy way to cut your risk. You can probably guess some of the main risk factors for heart disease. But what's the number one cause? Inactivity!

If you have a lot of work meetings, maybe you could get a tall table to stand around, or take your mtg outside & walk while you talk. It’s not that crazy, & getting the fresh air will do you even more good.

So most people go from a heated house to car to office & back in their car to home & maybe a stop at the gym. All heated environments where germs fester & we get everyone’s colds etc. It’s been proven that those who get more daily fresh air (especially ocean air) live a longer & healthier life. Inhaling fresh air helps clear your lungs and enables you to take deeper, longer breaths of air -- which increases the amount of oxygen that's transported to your body's cells. Oxygen improves our mood, our brain function & increases our energy.

Then there’s the other big thing called the Sun. Spending about 30 minutes in the sun can provide you with nearly a day's supply of vitamin D through skin absorption. Having enough vitamin D in your body helps your bones form properly, which reduces your risk of developing bone diseases such as osteoporosis. 

According to research, people show more physical signs of relaxation -- including lower blood pressure and lower amounts of the stress hormone cortisol -- when they spent time in the forest rather than in the city.
Sunlight is also thought to help ward off depression and stress because the "happy" chemical serotonin is higher in the brain during the time of year when days are longer.
SO HOW CAN YOU INTRODUCE MORE INCIDENTAL EXERCISE INTO YOUR DAY?

• • Don’t forget that incidental exercise adds up, like walking to the supermarket instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the lift.
• • Talking on the telephone? Instead of sitting down, walk around while you chat. If you’re on your mobile, a brisk walk around the block or local park.
• • Use your ad breaks! There’s at least eight minutes of ads per 30 minutes of television watched, so spend that time doing star jumps, abs, using your foam roller, going up and down your stairs or dancing with the kids. Just get moving.
• • Take a five minute stretching break instead of a coffee break at work
• • Take the kids to the park on the weekend. Ride bikes or scooters. Be an example to your kids.
• • Go for a bush walk with friends instead of the BBQ (have a BBQ in the park after instead)
• • Get out in the garden. Spend some time each week planting, watering and tending to your garden. Mow the lawn! It will work up a sweat.
• • Be more active in the workplace – walk to the printer, instead of sending an email, walk to the person’s desk rather than call, stand up rather than sit when answering the phone, keep a glass of water on your desk & the big bottle in the break room so you have to keep filling up.
• • Park further away. Choose the furthest car space in the carpark, or better still, leave the car at home and walk to the shops.
• • Join your work colleagues for a lunchtime walk, swim or sports game once a week.
• • Get a dog that has to be walked!

Remember, incidental exercise is on top of your work out.

Guest Author: Carolyn Smith  www.inspiredfintnesssolutions.com.au

For small business it can be difficult to invest in the marketing dollars that are needed to be noticed in a very competitive and busy marketplace. Who has spent money on flyers and brochures with not a lot of return or recognition of your business? Online profiles are really the new marketing platform and can assist you with your business branding and awareness.

You may have heard that it is best to utilise the social media platform or online profile where your clients are? This is a great way of pinpointing how much energy you are going to spend on a platform without spending a lot of money or time.

Every business is different and can include the selling of products or services but an important aspect of promoting our business is demonstrating our expertise in out sector which is unique to us and our skills. LinkedIn has proven to be a professional, consistent and robust online network that was originally set up for resumes for staff of corporate companies around the world.

LinkedIn is still utilised for job search and recruitment but due to the increase in the network and how many time poor professionals are interacting with LinkedIn, it is now a great place to find cashed-up consumers of products and services. What has been your experience on LinkedIn or any platform you have used for business and what has worked or failed? We can definitely learn from other businesses and how they have utilised their networks, but you must be consistent and interact to get any reward. Like any action in your business showing up and demonstrating to your network that you are regularly interacting and adding value is essential for success. Instagram has increased in popularity and is a great visual online platform that can build your profile visually and increase sales of products with their visual appeal. The analytics on Instagram have really improved and you can see easily if your posts are getting reactions and are being noticed.

Instagram can increase website traffic if utilised well and consistently. Here are some tips and suggestions for LinkedIn which will deliver interaction with your target audience and grow your profile in your industry or line of work. 

• Spend 1 – 2 hours a week in building and revising your LinkedIn Profile for success and interaction – you will be rewarded 
• Give back to others and endorse them for skills and competencies, congratulate them on anniversaries and birthdays
•  Ensure that your profile and background photos are professional and relevant – utilise your logo or catch-up phrase to increase awareness
• Be proactive and message contacts with an offer or advice 
• Post an update weekly or fortnightly demonstrating your expertise  Comment on your networks updates and join in the conversation 
• Look who has checked out your Profile and connect with them 
• Be professional at all times with your comments and offers
•  Join industry groups and connect with members and learn about them
• Add in Videos, Photos and Documents to your Summary for added exposure – make it interesting for optimal interaction. 

Guest Author: Teresa Brandau-Stranks   www.careerwellness.com.au

Winter is here, traditionally a season for reflection and review. What’s great and not so great about my lifestyle? What might I like to change… and if so how? What might I like to do more of … and less of?
The new normal is not yet clear for us, which is our opportunity to imagine the beings and doings of our ideal day working at home and perhaps beginning to emerge into the world as Spring arrives.

What has to happen? What do you see and what are your various roles you through the day? Who are you talking with and listening to?
Recently Synergy Circle in an autumn meeting raised the reminder that this is a time of year to review and adjust our vision boards in preparation for the Southern Hemisphere Spring. What’s most important to you to start your day? Members of the online CH Collective mention meditation, yoga, walking + a healthy breakfast for example. Imagine that as a start to each of your days. What time would you go to bed + get up to make that routine happen?
What’s always on your daily Plan-List? Business coaches talk of default diaries. For me, this means structuring a day to include defined times (each with a start + end time) for every regular happening in your day.
These times can be adjusted a little to suit your schedule but those commitments to yourself stay put. They are your priorities. You may choose to block out particular times of day for Projects (they’re important so need a capital P!) You select progressing a new project to be the Important and not Urgent action of your working day. These include your ON the business times. (Research Stephen Covey for more on the Urgent Important matrix or ask me).
What do you use your ON the business time for? Other tasks IN your business can fit around the larger goals. For me, all-important connection chats (with a business colleague, a mentor, a friend) happen just after a mid-morning break or around a mid afternoon break.
These are times when I’m likely to meet some folks online and some in a café or walk park. They are times that can be adjusted lengthened or shortened, made a little later or earlier and they remain in of my ideal average day. 
 What do you need to know about yourself to gain such a day and to create a structure to deliver you that day? What do you choose to stop doing or being to have that day? See for your self the potential. Mull over the possibilities with the folks in your life who matter. Create exact steps that give you clarity on what you truly want in your ideal average day. Imagine that, make that happen. PS. This writing happened as my Important, less urgent task of the day! 

Guest ​Author: Mary Unwin– www.walktall.com.au