Do you run your own business – and could you learn a thing or two from your counterparts who have been there, done that and bought the t-shirt?

I undertook a survey of Entrepreneurs and small business owners, which has highlighted 25 key areas most businesses struggle with.  These range from getting to grips with social media, cash flow problems, leadership challenges, time management, networking and sales.  The results of the survey I have incorporated into a new e-book “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged – What They Don’t Tell You About Building A Successful Micro Business”

With the UK economy still in the grip of recession, more people are dipping their toes into entrepreneurial waters.

Small and Micro businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy. The UK’s 3.7 million SMEs account for approximately 40% of our GDP and have an annual turnover of one trillion pounds.  Mostly formed by individuals who initially set up a business from their spare bedroom or garage.  However, this isn’t without its challenges, particularly for individuals who’ve left the corporate ladder, were made redundant, or budding ‘mumpreneurs’. 

Some joined the ranks of the self employed later in life.  Some left University because they didn’t warm to the idea of being an employee, or preferred self employment because they wanted the freedom to create their own destiny. They took this path because they didn’t fancy the alternatives – e.g. living on a meagre pension, settling for a mediocre lifestyle or compromising on their values. 

However, some had little or no experience of running a business before they started, and found the journey very complex – against the relentless pace of change – despite being an exciting and liberating experience.

Of course you might not need this information and are quite happy with the strategy that you’re using already.  You might not have the time to explore everything that’s contained within my new e-book called  “Ultrapreneurs Unplugged – What They Don’t Tell You About Building A Successful Micro Business”. 

But then again, if you’re the kind of person who’s willing to sit up and take notice of what’s going on around you, learn from other peoples mistakes and borrow some strategies from some very successful people, then you would do well to take a look at this bumper e-book packed with over 200 insights taken from the survey.

I also interviewed four successful entrepreneurs who share their experiences, including Philip Hess of Senz who even went as far as jumping out of an aeroplane to test one of his products!

I am keen to demonstrate that in fact many of the challenges faced by owners of Micro businesses are common – and and such should provide a bit of a shot in the arm for  anyone currently finding the journey a challenge.

The results of my survey could become an invaluable resource for anyone either considering making the move to self employment, or who has been on this journey for some time and would like a ‘fly on the wall’ look at what their counterparts are doing, borrow some of their strategies and learn a few new ones. 

Click here to find out more and download the report. 

This PDF document contains  nearly 100 pages of incredibly valuable material.

Warmest regards

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

Executive Coach

Resolution Coaching

P.S.  If you liked this blog posting then please feel free to tell a friend or Tweet it for me so that more people can benefit from this information.  Thank You

 According to an entrepreneur there are two types of people in the world – Entrepreneurs and ‘The Others’, and the problem with ‘The Others’ is this:-

“Into the dream you came, and across the soft carpet of my reverie you walked. With hobnail boots…”

This may resonate with an entrepreneur who has been misunderstood or maligned, because ‘The Others’ may accuse an entrepreneur of being selfish, obsessive, geeky, ever so slightly weird and focussed to the point of ruthlessness.  The term ‘The Others’ came from a conversation I had with a dedicated entrepreneur Paul Gunter    www.paul-gunter.com.  But like most entrepreneurial men and women, he believe its ‘The Others’ who need to ‘get with the programme’. 

Entrepreneurs are able to make huge sacrifices to achieve their objectives and compartmentalise chunks of their lives while an idea has gripped them by the throat, in their quest to become creative trailblazers at the cutting edge.  Inevitably they frequently leave lesser mortals standing in their wake and are the driving force behind enterprise and innovation.

Now this could lead to some challenging conversations, especially if a significant person in your life happens to be an entrepreneur.  And I know because my Dad was one.  My mother’s life in consequence was occasionally desperate, sometimes challenging, frequently very glamorous but never boring.

Unique and incomparable, an entrepreneur can overcome massive setbacks and “press on regardless”.  They are made of a special kind of metal; steel tempered in the flame which is cool to the touch, but to ‘the others’ is red hot.  So don’t get too close or you’ll get your fingers burnt.

The entrepreneurial mind never really sleeps; hardly rests and even if it does it’s alert for another idea, another opportunity which for the average person could be exhausting.  An entrepreneur ‘sees’ opportunities other people can’t. They ‘believe’ in ideas and concepts with a fervent enthusiasm which is baffling to the average Joe Soap.  For example, they will be the ones scribbling some notes on a napkin in a restaurant then hot-foot it back to HQ to put another blueprint into action, before the person with them has had time to tuck into their cheese and biscuits.

Occasionally an entrepreneur may appear to drift off and not be paying attention, until you’re forced to ask “have you even listened to a word I’ve said?!”  It’s nothing personal – they are sometimes literally on another planet.

My father’s entrepreneurial streak was always close by.  I have memories of the whole family travelling half way across the country just to eat a picnic on a piece of land my dad had earmarked for a commercial development.  He even once left me and my four kid sisters in a playground in Lisbon to amuse ourselves so he could attend a meeting. 

He was insatiably curious about everything, which was taken to extremes.  He had a telephone extension installed in every room of our house (even the downstairs cloakroom), so he wouldn’t miss a call. 

Entrepreneurs define their lives according to their own code and frequently ignore advice.  To them a mistake is a ‘learning experience’.  They lavish admiration on anyone whose achievements outshine theirs, and seek to emulate the movers and shakers in their industry on a never ending quest to improve and advance.

They eagerly await the next experience, and soon tire of the predictable and the pedestrian.  The more progress they make, the bigger their ambition and ability to live their life on their own terms becomes. 

Their strength and inner resourcefulness is inspirational to the enlightened beings who exist on the perimeter, but to ‘The Others’ e.g. anyone with no drive, ambition or courage at all, this could be perceived as selfish neglect.  An entrepreneur is not prepared to assign the direction of their life into anyone else’s hands.  To them life is always a question of “let’s make it happen!” or “what if??” or “how does that work?” and are prepared to wake up, step up and demand more. 

Sometimes the entrepreneurial gene can lie dormant for years and is only activated through adversity – so you don’t have to be born like it.

It’s also the ultimate weapon of self preservation, which is why a HUGE number of entrepreneurs were dyslexic underachievers at school – but still won through in the end.  It can also become a positive channel for delinquent energy, which otherwise might lead to a prison sentence or self destruction.

So, if you’re in close proximity to an entrepreneur – here’s a suggestion – don’t trample on, or pour cold water over, their ideas.  They are a force of nature – a tidal wave – so catch the energy, enjoy the experience or get out of the way…

The Answer Could Be Staring You In The Face Every Morning…

There was a time when I used to wonder how to bring people around to my way of thinking more quickly? I’d sit there desperate to point out my astute and incredibly incisive observations which everyone else had completely overlooked. This would happen time and time again. I’d sit there thinking, “I have a solution, but nobody’s paying attention to me!” But I could never quite articulate my thoughts in a way that made any impact at all.

So I began to look more closely at this whole subject of persuasion, for example at networking, selling and presenting. In fact I realised that I had to re-evaluate the impact I was making on people. Eventually the penny dropped.  The powerful cocktail that was required to “knock ‘em dead” included the clothes that I was wearing, but also my use of language, and how I used my voice. Plus my confidence levels (or how I was feeling) were reflected in my body language, so I needed to at least look confident even if sometimes I didn’t exactly feel like that.

I’ve gradually amassed various skills which have made a massive difference to the way people treat and perceive me. So start watching and learning from other great speakers and presenters.   Because it’s the way your message is delivered which makes such a gigantic difference to how it is received. You only have to listen to George Clooney talking you’ll know exactly what I mean. He starts to speak and you are hooked. But that’s not the entire picture.

It’s a combination of how you look, how you feel, how you’ve prepared and the way your message is conveyed.

Communication is an art form which combines to influence how your audience receives your message. Of course the path to developing your skills involves a certain element of risk; the risk of making a fool of yourself or putting yourself in the firing line. You must be willing to do this, because the only other option open to you is to do nothing and stay exactly where you are and not be taken seriously.

Don’t we all love good storytellers who use their voice like a musical instrument. They know all about contrast, pitch, tone and warmth. It’s no accident that the French and Italians are perceived as so attractive and seductive. Wouldn’t you agree that even hearing something as mundane as a train timetable read by a Frenchman is so much more enticing? Frankly, you hear the voice and you’re done thinking. Instead, you’re probably not even listening to the words they are saying. Their charming voice has disarmed you, and thus you’ve become a friendly audience for them – giving them a chance to be heard and understood more quickly. Communication, both verbal and non verbal, can be learned just like any other skill.

Let’s use music as an example. I took up the cello at the ge of 11 and worked my way up to Grade 7 by the time I as 21. Of course mastering all the techniques to become a great cellist takes time and I am far from that. However as my technique grew my ability to sway my audience intensified. Sitting amongst the cello section of  Symphony Orchestra comprising 8 cellos all playing in harmony with each other is possibly one of the most blissful experiences I have ever had. And if that isn’t transferred to the audience in a very intense way, I’d be very surprised.

And it’s the same with human interaction. The combination of the clothes you wear, a compelling voice, the words you use and your body language are an intoxicating mix in the right hands.

These elements say more about you than anything written on a piece of paper, a degree or in a CV.

Have you ever sat listening to dreary presentations that did a better job than heavy-duty tranquillisers?  The presenter missed a big opportunity to influence you, because you (by then) were possiblymore interested in the tea and biscuits that in anything they had to say.

Allow others to get a glimpse of your unique qualities and personality by firstly packaging yourself more attractively, so that your audience starts to care about what you’re saying. People do judge a book by its cover and if you’ve packaged all the elements of yourself effectively your presentation or the key job interview will get the reception you desire.

 Or Are You Being Driven By Your Needs…?

I don’t care what anyone says, you may have qualifications coming out of your ears, you may have 20 years’ career experience behind you and an IQ of 160, but the fact remains that if you have unmet needs in your life these ould impede your progress, even without you realising it. These might be completely subconscious drivers, simmering away beneath the surface. This  will manifest in any number of ways. 

For instance, have you ever had conversation with someone who was really excited about something and were keen to share this with you.  But instead of feeling elated and pleased for them, you ended up resenting them?  Their good day was a trigger for you to have a bad one.  And then your day spiralled out of control as you grumpily drove to your next meeting, gesticulating at the driver who ‘cut you up’ at the traffic lights shouting crazily at them, “yeah, same to you – you **** Moron!!”

Unmet needs could include a need for security, love, friendship, power or control for instance.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessary just talking in the negative here. A need might include a strong or adventurous creative streak, or a uuge interest in interacting and entertaining people, but your career might not provide any outlets for your this, leaving you feeling unfulfilled and bored.

Maybe you have a very precise and ordered mind, but the environment you work in doesn’t require those skills. You may be an absolute natural at attracting and engaging with your customers, but instead you’re stuck in the back office working on strategic planning and feel like a canary in a cage with it’s wings clipped. If there is no outlet for your inherent talents you may have to comply and adapt in order to fit in. But that’s like keeping the lid on a pressure cooker.

I fell into this trap many times, trying REALLY hard to get things right, when I should have said to myself “look Wendy, stop and think. Is this where your talents are best spent?” I’d grown tired of working for someone who’s keen eye for detail was driving me insane. And the harder I tried to be absolutely perfect the worse it got.  Being a people pleaser got me absolutely nowhere.

What I didn’t know was that actually had I been a little more self-aware and made the conscious choice to apply my natural gifts and transition into something else, I would have found myself effortlessly moving into ‘the zone’. I would have been less stressed and lacking in confidence, because once I’d identified something wasn’t quite I could then proactively take action . Which is why our emotions have a very important role to play here.

Sometimes we may experience negative feelings and assume that these must be suppressed at all costs because we fear failure or being exposed as falling short in some areas. Consequently our deepest needs stay buried for years, and our true potential never sees the light of day.

But what if you were to stop for a minute and acknowledge an uncomfortable feeling as a sign or a warning flag
that’s madly waving at you which says: “hello, pay attention, we’re trying to tell you something – you need to take some action here”.

Interestingly if you were unable to feel any emotion this would seriously impact on your ability to make decisions, which is why emotions are crucial guides in our decision-making process.

At this point, if you are a man reading this, the subject of emotions and feelings might possibly be enough to bring you out in a rash or make you run for the hills. That’s absolutely fine and I want to reassure you that this blog isn’t about getting in touch with your ‘feminine side’ or encouraging you to sit around in a circle singing sad songs with a tambourine.

However, the word ‘emotion’ doesn’t necessarily equate with weakness or failure.

Emotions are warning lights for us to act upon. Feelings of slight unease could deteriorate into bigger and more profound emotions when these flags are ignored or dismissed altogether. But living with feelings of regret and guilt for instance, have so little energy attached to them they achieve precisely nothing. So, if you bring your needs to work either because you aren’t working to your strengths or haven’t acknowledged that there’s something amiss, then you might engineer situations in order to satisfy them and get a quick fix instead, which is a short term strategy. If your career doesn’t provide you with an outlet for your natural talents and skills your progress up the ladder may be slow, especially if you either a) don’t recognise there is a problem or b) aren’t prepared to reflect on this or change direction to look for something more rewarding (because presumably you’re too busy being grumpy). The energy will have stalled and you won’t be in the flow.

A need may become a blind spot that you don’t even realise you have, although to other people it probably stands out a mile. This blind spot may manifest in any number of ways, to your detriment. For example, if you insist on your colleagues conforming to your methods (because your method works for you but not for them) others may resist you, argue with you, contradict you and then eventually fall out with you completely. For
instance, if you’re a big picture person but your superior is a lover of fine detail and they spent more time than is absolutely necessary pointing out the minor flaws in your plans, this may grate a little, leading to some frank
exchanges and major differences of opinion. And who’dbe right here? Is anyone ever absolutely right?

We can be quite territorial when it comes to our needs and go to extreme lengths to preserve our ‘patch’ and may expect other people to conform or tow the line to preserve the status quo.

Listen and pay attention to the signals you are receiving through your feelings and think about how you are currently dealing with them. Sometimes we deal with our needs in odd and not very logical ways. This is your subconscious mind, like a little kid brother or sister, desperately trying to make things right for you but without the benefit of experience or balanced rational thought.

More strategies like this can be found in my new book “Discover Yourself On The Yellow Brick Road – 7 Core Principles of Career Success”

Having looked at the recent events at Westminster with the expenses scandal, is it time that the parlimentarians introduced a coaching culture? The ‘old school tie’ system with its hierarchial system clearly isn’t working. They need a complete overhaul to bring them in line with the 21st Century where everyone else is! A flatter structure, transparency, accountability, and politicians willing to take ownership are what’s needed here.