The power of silence to solve a problem

An old boss had this annoying theory called "do nothing". He used it a little too often for it to be effective but as I reflect back he was certainly onto something.

There are many times when action is the answer, but there is also a place for doing nothing or saying nothing.

Silence can be our friend in many ways.

As a speaker sometimes the most powerful moments are created in the space without words where you give the audience time and space to digest what you've just said.

In the movies sometimes the scariest moments or most poignant moments are when absolutely nothing is happening on screen.

The silence we create in meditative moments often gives us the clarity to take ourselves to the next level.

We rarely meditate on our business though and it can be a powerful tool when solving business problems.

My Back Deck Office

We also don't need to be on a mountaintop to meditate. Sometimes it can be as simple as making a cup of herbal tea and moving to a different spot. I have a back deck that allows me to sit quietly with my trees. When I remember to sit out there - solutions seem to arrive a lot faster.

Silence can be our friend in many situations.

A speaker uses silence to bring their thoughts together while the audience "simmer" in the soup of what has just been delivered.

My old boss when confronted with something he didn't necessarily have an answer for or an immediate solution to the problem or it was just too hard - did nothing in the hope the problem went away. Most times it did!

Our busy, overwhelmed techno world bombards us with constant information. We take in so much all the time and rarely get the chance to simmer on anything.

But doing nothing all the time is not the solution.

I know from my forensic days back in corporate that doing nothing can cause the worst nightmares, so it is important to not relegate everything to the "do nothing" pile. But even in those nasty corporate situations I often found the answer to problems no one else had been able to fix, simply because I was only focused on one thing. I was frequently relegated to the darkest corner in the office, often working solo. It meant I was surrounded in silence and could get perspective on the problem and had time to look at all the puzzle pieces. I find if have all the required information and you focus on something long enough, the answer comes clear.

So in the action vs silence conundrum it's about finding the balance.

That balance is frequently achieved when we go to silence first, gather our thoughts - then take the correct action.

Getting things right the first time is certainly a gift and going to silence and really thinking and planning out the next step means you often short circuit the problem you are about to create by going out with a firm path in mind.

Silence helps find that path.

Silence also helps if you have a problem. Going within, listening to your heart, gathering ALL the puzzle pieces (not just the ones you want to look at) and allowing the magic within the void that silences creates to do your talking, will frequently bring a solution.

Silence allows us space to gather our thoughts, gain clarity and calm our senses.

What problem do you currently have that could benefit from some silence?

A New Way To Voice Your Business

Technology can be a great friend to us in business.  This blog post was written or rather spoken into speech recognition technology and then edited.

As this technology becomes easier to use it makes posting a blog a really simple exercise.

All you need to do is simply talk what you want to say and the technology transcribes that into text for you.

I downloaded a free Dragon Dictation app to my iPad - pressed the red button and the inbuilt microphone picked up my voice and the software converted it (mostly OK) to text within seconds.

I just spoke into my iPad and then e-mailed the document to my main computer for editing - how cool is that!

You can edit in the app screen but I think its always a little easier to do it on the big screen.

What I find though with my funny Kiwi accent is that it can sometimes get the words horrifically wrong but I figure I was going to be typing it anyway and that can be fraught with error!  Plus I always find it easier to edit text that has been written for me, rather than writing it from scratch and then editing it.  After I email the text to myself, its simply just a matter of going in and editing something that is already 90% written.

I could see how technology like this could really help you if you are a two fingered typist.  It would help you do things a lot quicker and also be able to get the message out faster and in your unique voice. 

I think it's brilliant and as time goes on the technology will get better and I'll learn the words it has trouble with and adjust the way I speak.  With each step forward it will mean less time at the screen, less time at the desk and more time having fun at what we love to do, which is helping people.

You can also use the technology to do posts to Facebook.  That's really easy - press the red button - state what's on your mind - edit from the iPad and press the share button.  You would of course need to be connected to the internet to have it post, but the software runs on mobile phones as well.

I daresay there's lots of ways you can use this software and I'd have to say wow - pretty cool - pretty fun!

The only downside is that it just records in short bursts and so you have to record little bite sized chunks and send them through.  I'm sure there's a paid version somewhere that will allow me to make longer recordings, but until it totally frustrates me, I'm happy working one paragraph at a time!

No Need For Remote Areas To Miss Out On Natural Health

There are so many different ways we can connect with clients these days.

Many people shun technology and I often hear “I’m just not technical”, or “computers just don’t work for me”.  These limiting beliefs are often programmed in at a deep level but they really just come from a negative past experience.  Someone just told you, “you were useless at technology” or that you would “just never get it” and that limiting belief has served to stop any exploration of technology.

I have found with a patient teacher and the right knowledge, most people can master their fear of technology and once over the hump, often take it on in a big way.  Many make up for the lost time and really enjoy the experience, simply because it opens many doors.

I was interested to read this article on Springwise, showing how western medicine are using technology to serve remote areas.  

http://www.springwise.com/health_wellbeing/onemedical/

Allowing people who would normally have to travel thousands of miles to get seen and heard, to have a consult and access to information online, will make seeking professional advice a whole lot easier.

Most certainly it isn’t ideal, and yes, having someone drop in on them personally would be wonderful, but I’d like to bet that a large percentage of “non physical” issues can be helped through this medium.

So why not consider if there are parts of your business that could be done with a webcam.  Do your clients always have to travel to your office?  Could you save them and you some time in their day?

I’m not suggesting for one moment that personal interaction and human touch should be dispersed with.  But with time being the #1 thing people want more of these days, embracing technology not only allows people access to services they could not normally reach, it also saves time, energy and money when used well.

Do You Have A CHOOSE Day?

The Beatles made a lot of money from a song called Eight Days a Week but to make a lot of money in your small business doesn’t mean you have to work Eight Days a Week.

Work life balance and starting a small business are not often seen on the same page. Somewhere in the “silent code book for small business – author unknown” there is a rule that says you have to work your butt off to be successful and everyone somehow finds that rule and adheres to it.

Most certainly you do need to put in a lot of time and effort in the early days ……. BUT if you work yourself into a burnout frenzy, you are NOT going to be able to work effectively IN your business, let alone ON your business.

One of my fabulous coaches and mentors the lovely Belinda Merry taught me that you MUST have regular time off to rest and recuperate. That message is even more important for health and wellbeing practitioners.


If you aren’t 100% filled up, you can’t give 100% to others.

In the early days of setting up your practice you need to be out and about seeing and speaking with a lot of people and it can be exhausting. If your practice is already full or filling, it can be exhausting just giving as much as you do to your clients so balancing that with adequate rest and down time is vital to your success.

BUT there IS a lot of work in getting any small business working well and sometimes you do have to burn a bit of midnight oil to get all the things done that you’ve got to do. Plus most of us have a home office and the temptation to overwork is generally just a few steps down the hall.

So I’ve come up with strategy that works for me.

I have ONE NON-NEGOTIABLE DAY OFF EVERY WEEK.

That means no matter what is going on I MUST NOT go into my office, nor turn my computer on, nor answer the office phone, nor do filing or paperwork – nothing! One day a week has to be completely for me. That rule never gets broken because I know Belinda has a global tracking satellite at her international headquarters that registers if you work on your day off and she will come after me!

I found if I had two non negotiable days off and there was a back log starting to build in my office, all that would happen is that I’d end up stressing about it.

So I created the concept of CHOOSE DAY

I create a CHOOSE DAY in my diary one day every week. So I cross the day off and write in CHOOSE DAY. It can be any day of the week, it doesn’t have to be a set day each week but it does have to be in your diary every week – months in advance.
So when CHOOSE DAY rolls around I can look at that day and think – is there anything so pressing it can’t wait until tomorrow?
Sometimes there are pressing things that MUST be done so I choose to work part of the day. Sometimes I use CHOOSE DAY as my creative writing day, which I love and it fills me up. Other times I know there is nothing pressing so I have CHOOSE DAY off to dig my garden without guilt, or go shopping or just rest and read a book. What is important is that I get to CHOOSE.

The golden rule is that you NEVER book anything else on a CHOOSE DAY so that when it rolls around you have a true choice in how you spend that day. I find by having a CHOOSE DAY I end up with eight days in a week because I tend to jam everything into the other days of the week so CHOOSE DAY remains free. I find it stops me procrastinating on the other days and I just get on with whatever needs doing so my CHOOSE Day remains a “me” day.

Changes in Technology

This is the movie I made from three clips shot from my new FlipCam - too much fun!



The New Year is such a fabulous time to look back and come to terms with what has happened in the past few years.

Something I've been marvelling over the holidays is just how much has changed in the past thirty years. As a teenager in the 70's we used to roam about town with no idea what anyone else was doing, we bought music on tapes or vinyl and didn't even own a computer. We played music on instruments not computers and we actually had to be there to play them! If we wanted to record it cost a fortune and you needed a record deal anyway and well the thought of making a video was so far from our minds - we had never heard of MTV!

In contrast, just today:

* I have spoken to the world via Facebook

* Recorded audio down a phone line in the USA at a fraction of the cost to get similar quality in a studio and I've got instant access to the product to stream out to the world within seconds of hitting the stop button.

* I've set up autoresponders which will automatically deliver a learning program worldwide while I sleep...........

* And I've saved videos at a quality that couldn't be imaged from a devise smaller than the packet of cigarettes that used to go in our top pocket in the 70's (and of course now we are fully aware of the dangers of smoking because we can Google it on our mobile phone........that plays more things than our average lounge room could cope with 30 years ago)

BUT what hasn't changed is quality time spent with friends, eating food made with love and relaxing in beautiful surroundings - no machine for that.......yet!

Small Business Growth in a Turbulent Economy

I had the great honour this week to be invited by Gihan Perera of First Step Communications Pty Ltd to share my expertise and be part of a panel discussion on how small business is coping in this turbulent economy.

It was really interesting for me to hear how "big" small businesses are having similar issues as the "micro" small businesses I work with and more importantly that we all need to use similar tools to not just survive but also thrive in a recession. In fact I believe micro businesses have the best chance of lasting out the storm because they are so readily able to change to meet market demand.

I came away from the call reminded how everyone really just wants to have a successful business and still have time for family, friends and most importantly a happy and stress free life.

Therapists more than ever are required to help people manage stress and achieve a healthy balance and harmony in these far from stress free times.

Panel Discussion with Gihan Perera

MP3 File

Click here to find out more about Gihan Perera

Click here to find out more about John Highman

Click here to find out more about Domonique Bertolucci

How to Make More Money Without Working Any Harder

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is: "how can I make more money in my practice but not work as hard?"

It’s the 90 million dollars question in this industry because most natural therapists and health and wellbeing practitioners have to be physically present or working on clients to generate income. It becomes exhausting and eventually makes the practice unsustainable and burns the therapist out - that is not abundant!

My Guest GURU this month opened up a wonderful revenue opportunity for therapists by offering a website that allows you to use pre-recorded music, images and voice over scripts to easily record your own CD's and audio to sell or give away (or a mixture of both) on your website or in interactions with clients and prospective clients.

This includes your own ability to do voice over’s and if you want to, you can record a full CD of music, meditations - in fact there are all sorts of wonderful ways you could use this product including creating your own videos.

You can listen to the call below and get an idea of how easy this can be or you can get more information on The Chill Sessions website here

Having your own CD's not only puts your practice into a new professional class but it also allows your customers to take a little bit of you home with them when they leave your practice - just like you can take a little bit of a musician home to listen to again and again after the gig.

What struck me about this particular product was firstly that it does seem very easy and most of the hard work is done for you and secondly there are two human beings on the end of the phone who will talk you through any techno challenges you have with the creation of your product.

You can listen to the audio from the Guest GURU call here - just click on the slider below:

The Chill Sessions

MP3 File

The Benefits of Using Teleclasses in Your Business

Teleclasses are a great way to add new revenue streams to your business, but very few holistic practitioners are actually running them. Certainly it is an uphill battle to make people understand how easy teleclasses are to participate in and run but that little bit of extra effort is well worth the reward.

Even if you just ran one per month with 10 participants paying $50 each – that extra $500 per month equates to an extra $6,000 per annum. Teleclasses could pay for that overseas trip you thought you couldn't afford.

The benefits of teleclasses are many but here are Top Ten I love the best:

1. Amazingly cheap (no room hire or travel costs)

2. Convenience (you don’t need to leave home)

3. 100% efficient use of your time (no need to factor in traffic or public transport)

4. Location friendly (you can do them from home or the office or the beach!)

5. Full interaction of participants

6. Classes are recorded so your participants can listen again until they fully
grasp the concepts

7. You can sell the recordings on your website or create CD’s and create passive revenue streams

8. You only need a landline telephone

9. No fuss - you can do the class in your pyjamas if you like

10. Its fun and easy!

Check out my website to learn what teleclasses I have on offer.

Media Opportunities For You All

This week there has been comment in the media on two bits of mainstream science confirming a lot of what we know already.

I noticed a TV news article on Sunday night quoting a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia quoting that “from 2001 to 2003 there was a 40 per cent decrease in the number of Australian women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and a 6.7 per cent reduction in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer, equivalent to 600 fewer cases”. You can read the article on Medical News Today.

Also this week OpEdNews.com had a significant article about The 2008 Epigenetic Medicine Award Ceremony in LA celebrating the work being done in Epigentics, sometimes called Soul Medicine. According to Soul Medicine Institute (SMI), “Epigenetics is the new science describing influences that alter the expression of genes.” Epi- means above; so epigenetic means control of DNA from above or outside the gene. SMI notes that, “New research shows that consciousness (beliefs, feelings, prayer, energy, thought) may have epigenetic effects.”

The historic, first Epigenetic Medicine Award went to Randy Jirtle, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory of Epigenetics and Imprinting at Duke University. Dr. Jirtle is a professor of radiation oncology at the school's medical center. His groundbreaking research with agouti mice has revealed that a mother's diet during pregnancy can influence gene expression in her offspring by altering the epigenome. The result of changing the diet of the mother mouse caused two genetically identical mice to be born, one predisposed to cancer and obesity and one “normal” mouse baby. Guess which one had the good diet?

Gee whiz, a lot of this stuff is not exactly rocket science to us and the natural medicine world has “known” this for eons but it is wonderful news for your business.

As science starts to prove the theories of natural medicine, more people will feel comfortable embracing some of the more out there concepts like mice eating well during pregnancy.

This means more clients for your business.

I haven’t even read all the facts on either of these things BUT for you guys it is a grand excuse to have an in depth read and then go into the media and quote this research and hold yourself up as an expert on mice eating well (no seriously) on how diet and natural therapies are changing our world and how your business is the place that can help people live healthier and happier lives.

You can read more here:

http://www.epiaward.com/

http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/NEW-EPIGENETIC-SCIENCE-AWA-by-Meryl-Ann-Butler-080530-226.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109520.php

ABC Radio Interview on Sea Change

Audio of my ABC Radio Interview - Wednesday 19th March 2008


MP3 File

I was recently interviewed on the ABC in Perth Australia.

I had a fun time being interviewed by James Lush and Andrew Wynne about Sea Change on the 720 ABC Morning Program.

The program looks at some aspect of modern life and they spoke with me about my own experience of sea change or in my instance tree change, the things I learned from it and the sort of things that are useful to others undergoing a similar change.

Sea change or tree change is something that has become very popular in the last few years but it has it's challenges. If you can last the first few years it has enormous benefits in terms of lifestyle and ability to feel in control of your life.

They introduce me about 5 minutes into the show and I'm on for about 25 minutes. It was really fun to do and I couldn't believe how quickly the time went by.

If you would like to listen you can just click on the link above and it will start to play for you.

Using YouTube to Get Known

Today I am #1 on YouTube in the category of #42 - Most Viewed (Today) - Howto & Style - Australia – it’s the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever produced but 31 people have watched it SO FAR!

This is the power of the free tools that are available

When you use tools like Blogger and YouTube alongside your own tools (I used my newsletter) they can become very powerful. I put a small note in my newsletter which gave people the option to click through and watch the video after I wrote a story on having harmonious workspaces. I'm not suggesting you all go out and madly film your office and just bung it up there - it's not about the topic it is all about the underlying story and message that gives people a reason to click. But it does show the power of the internet.

You might notice there has also been blog posts on the same topic.

Tools like Blogger, YouTube, Ning, MySpace, FaceBook are called Social Networks.

Here is a massive hint for anyone who is interested in using these free but very powerful social networks. One common message placed in many different places = gets clicks.

Social Networks work because every now and then someone who doesn't know you clicks and suddenly they DO know you. People that already know you get to know a little more about you. Eventually trust builds up and eventually they will become clients and they will refer someone who will become a client.

People image you need a lot of time to participate in all these activities. I'll be totally honest with you here - they take a bit of time to set up and get in motion but like any of your marketing activities once that train is rolling it is VERY easy to maintain.

If you aren't using or at least learning how to participate in these social networks - then you are missing out big time.

You can view my masterpiece here (I used my mobile phone to record it so the quality is pretty naff but 31 people have watched it:

Ten tips to maximising the Feng Shui of your office

This month the article in my newsletter "powerful practice-building tips" is about Getting Your Office Environment into shape.

Rachel Ross of Fifth Element Feng Shui has kindly put together a list of things to be aware of in your office environment to create a harmonious workspace. The list is a guide only because each individual space should be checked by a trained Feng Shui consultant to find the exact best results. Thanks Rachel and if you would like to check out her website - just click on this link

Ten tips to maximising the Feng Shui of your office.

1. Unseen Prosperity Energy: It is always preferable to have your office in a room or area of your building that has prosperous energy. Any one building can have up to two areas that are prosperous and contrary to popular belief, they are often located in different areas for each building. Prosperous energy zones can be located using Flying Star Feng Shui (the most powerful form of Feng Shui) and require a qualified consultant to accurately determine where these areas are. Placement of energy or ‘unseen’ influences in a building always carry the most weight and are individual for each building, so should be taken into account first for best results.

2. Furniture Arrangement: Simple furniture arrangement principles can be very useful as they help the life force energy flow better in a space. A rule of thumb is to make sure that your desk is positioned so there is a solid wall behind you when you are sitting at your desk. I see so many offices positioned facing walls. Whilst this may be a good use of space, it’s not a very supportive or inspiring arrangement. In Feng Shui, your backing or the ‘mountain’ behind you is most important as it relates to stability, harmony and support in your environment and your life. It also reflects the same arrangement principles that the Chinese consider extremely auspicious in the natural landscape. In short, a strong backing places you in a position of power.

3. See with Clarity: Ideally, the desk should be placed so that you can see the door from where you are sitting. Symbolically this can relate to openly accepting opportunities into your life and business as well as seeing things with greater with clarity. Avoid positioning the desk directly opposite the entrance. Energy can be too strong in this position and consequently it is not considered a productive of comfortable arrangement.

4. Area of accumulated energy: If your room allows, try placing your desk in the corner diagonally opposite the entrance to your office. When energy enters a room, life force energy will automatically travel and accumulate in the corner located at the furtherest point. If there is also a solid wall in this position, the energy will settle and strengthen in this location. Without backing or if the area has windows, this site will be weaker. Also, take note of how the door to your office is hinged. Does energy enter freely and easily into the space, or is the door hinged so that the first thing you see is a wall?

5. Favourable Directions: If possible, take advantage of your favourable directions. Derived from your year of birth, each individual will have a ‘Kua’ or ‘Ming Gua’ number. This number then correlates to 4 directions that can be favourable for an individual. Ideally, your favourable direction should be placed behind you when you are sitting at your desk. You can find out your favourable directions by visiting www.afsc.org.au/cal8mansionkua.

7. Symmetry. Energy will flow evenly if your office is arranged in a way that is symmetrical. Symmetry encourages order in an environment, so make sure object placement is even and balanced in a room, that pictures and wall hangings line up and that chairs and your desk are aligned in an orderly manner. It is always better Feng Shui if your environment has symmetry so avoid placing the desk according to your favourable direction if it means furniture placement is angular and inconsistent with the shape of the room.

8. Clear clutter. A cluttered office is a cluttered mind. Organise and arrange your space so that everything has a place to go and is easily accessible. Place objects, artwork and imagery around you that lifts your energy and aligns with the vision you have for your business and your greater life goals. Create a space that is clear from stagnation, mess and disorder so that is clear to accept the energy of new and exciting developments.

9. Ventilation: Make sure the room is well ventilated so that chemicals from printers, fax machines, etc can be absorbed or released. Make sure the office has access to fresh air and consider placing a few plants in your office to absorb any nasties.

10. Electromagnetic radiation: take care with placement of electrical equipment around your desk. Try to store the hard drive to your computer as far away from your seat as practical. Ensure the computer screen is as a safe distance and avoid placing major equipment like printers, faxes, etc close to where you are seated. Ensure that the electrical meter for your building is not located on the other side of the wall to where you are sitting as this can be very harmful to your health. (For more information on ventilation and electromagnetic radiation, consult a Building Biologist or visit www.aces.edu.au).

Source: Rachel Ross of Fifth Element Feng Shui

Does Clean Underwear Make a Difference on the Highway of Life?

As a youngster it was imperative that I had clean underwear. In fact life seemed to revolve around underwear. It was either being washed, hung out to dry, ironed (seriously), put away, put on or being scrutinised for its suitability.

This has to be life’s number one learning lesson and it is a lesson that makes no sense what so ever...........or does it?

I got Mum a gorgeous Mothers Days card one year that said on the front –
Mum where would I have been all these years without you?
The inside said: probably driving down the highway of life in dirty underwear!

If Hallmark are in on the act, then perhaps there ARE lessons to learn from dirty underwear?

It got me to thinking about the connection between business and having clean or dirty underwear and its significance in our small businesses. There are a lot of comparisons that can be drawn between wearing underwear (clean or dirty) and having a small business:

• Like underwear we need to have a lot of different selling points
  
  
• We need to stand out in the crowd to be chosen at all
  
  
• We need to appeal in different niche markets and appeal to different people
  
  
• Others judge us when we are really just doing our best with what we’ve got
  
  
• Some things are out of our control
  
  
• If we stretch too far – we end up on the scrap heap
  
  
• We are constantly finding new ways to feel fresh at the end of long day.
  
  

The list could be endless when you start to think about it. Due to the seriousness of this issue I’ve decided to have a poll and see what you think.

So if you have ever been bailed up by the dirty underwear police at a crash scene or can find a business case or comparison for clean or dirty underwear – please leave a comment and vote in the poll.

Special Gift for Blog Readers

HELLO – all you lovely, gorgeous people who read my blog.

We all know that I don’t do Christmas for many varied reasons but anytime is a good time to give gifts. So I have permission to share with you a special little gift that one of my US Licensee Family, Karen C. Rothstein, shared with all of us earlier this week.

It is a meditation CD called “FREEDOM FROM STRESS” that she has generously given to celebrate her being on the cover (no less) of Health & Fitness magazine in the USA. Because she is such a star she has allowed me to send it onto others as well.

So because you have showed loyalty by getting a blog feed to your email or coming on regularly to read my blog and putting up with me in the early stages of blog learning, you will be first to get this little gift. It has to be downloaded before 31/12/07 – that is the only catch. ENJOY!!!

Karen is a gem who has helped me greatly over the past two years of me being in the Licensure Program and she is a real kindred spirit. I just love the abundance which exists within our Licensure Family and I love that some of it rubs off on you too.

Just follow this link and you can download the meditation from http://www.karenrothstein.com/

This will be my last post for 2007 as I’m heading off to the USA for a Vipassana Silent Meditation Retreat for 10 Days (imagine me (the Gemini who can talk under water) not being able to talk for 10days) and then I’m onto Colorado for a “full on” - “talking as much as I like” Mystery Tour for 5 Days before returning to the Cute House to get stuck in to make 2008 my very best yet.

Thank you all so much for you support this year – its been fabulous and I know 08 is going to be even more “fabulouser” than 07. Have a wonderful time with family and friends over the holidays and I will look forward to hearing you all again in 2008.

Luv Mz M xx

What to do in Your Down Time

December is traditionally a very quiet time and many therapists report time on their hands and not a lot of clients in the last week of December. THIS DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN SLACK OFF!!!

Firstly a change of mindset around the holiday period could result in clients coming through the door. Often this time of year brings “emotional stuff” up for people that they need to deal with and having your mindset open is a really grand idea. I did a successful presentation that will bring a lot of abundance to my business just two days ago and anyone would tell you that wasn’t possible at this time of year.

But if it is genuinely quiet for you, then now is the time to get all those jobs done that you have been “meaning to do”.

It is also a wonderful time to be getting ahead of yourself – so why not try some of the following:

• Get several articles written and finished
• Submit articles to various different media or websites
• Set up systems that you have been meaning to complete all year
• Do your filing (lets get honest – I’m sure there is a pile somewhere that needs doing!)
• Write your Future Letter for 2008
• Network – go out and go to some year end gatherings – you are bound to meet someone who might need your services
• Take a colleague to lunch or reward a strategic alliance partner
• Re-do your Welcome Pack to have a new energy for the New Year
• Design that program you have been meaning to write
• Have a spring clean in the office
• Handwrite some note cards thanking your favourite/regular clients
• Phone and book your favourite self care treat - nothing like doing something yourself to stir up the energy you want in your life
• Plan next years Grass Roots marketing campaign
• Start making lists of people to call in the New Year to ask if they need speakers
• Write a new talk you can do at these talks before they are even booked

The list of things we could be doing is endless so why not do them now. If you use this time wisely you will be highly prepared for the influx of people that will be looking for you to help them get their New Years Goals and Resolutions in place and working for them in 2008!

Gosh with all that work you are gong to need a holiday!!! SO TAKE ONE – don’t forget to spend time enjoying the things that give you joy.

Having a Practice at Home

Question

What are your thoughts on woking from home in your practice?

Answer

This question is asked a lot and there is no real clear answer because it depends on each individual therapist. Some therapists prefer the safety of a clinic and like that it provides a steady stream of client leads and often other therapists within the clinic refer their clients. There is nothing to stop therapists working from home creating a similar network of therapists who work from home so you can mutually refer others; it just takes a little more effort to maintain the links.

Some also see the clinic option as more professional. Again how you view this is up to you but often in clinics your reputation is only as good as the weakest link in the clinic set up. That could be its procedures; it could be other therapists, position of the clinic etc. You have less control in a clinic unless you own it.

I think working from home takes a little more effort and focus. It is all too easy to be dragged off purpose when you are working from home. The neighbours pop in, the washing needs to done and over the course of a day many things can get in the way. If you are easily distracted it may be best to be in a clinic. However, as a Gemini I’m VERY easily distracted and am the classic flitter between projects but I have been able to train myself to be consistently in my office for long period of time working on the things I’m meant to be doing (well most days anyway!)

The benefits of working from home are many including flexibility to see people at times outside set hours. You can do your odd jobs if there is a gap in your diary or you can easily pop into your home office and work on projects in downtime. You have the ability to create an environment that you love and have control over.

The main advantage I see is from a profitability point of view. You need to see less people working at home to make the same profit you would have made paying rent at a clinic. You probably have to do more work initially to secure those clients though.

I believe as times goes on working from home will be a more popular option particularly with women with school age children. It means less travel and less stress in the day. I believe if you have a quiet place at home that is able to be shut off from the main house and you are the sort of person who can get out and do what it takes to fill a practice (which means a lot of worn down shoe leather and shaking a lot of strangers hands) then you will be successful at home. A clinic is not a guarantee of a steady client base and initially you will still need to do the hard yards to get your practice full.

To determine whether working at home is for you is really just a matter of heading up a page with plus and minus columns and going to work on all the wins and challenges both options would bring up for you.

Maintaining Work Life Balance in a Small Business

Question

My main focus is to get experience and immediate income by offering massage and life coaching from various areas, ie gym, healing centre and day spa. Eventually I want a spiritual healing centre. Am I doing too many things?

Answer

This is the classic catch-cry of people in their own small business. It comes down to being able to maintain a healthy worklife balance. I don’t believe there is such a thing as “too much” when starting out to grow your practice, so long as you look after your own health and don’t burn out!

The more you are in action getting clients, the quicker you will fill your practice.

The beauty of my system is that even if you end up in the wrong place initially you will learn and understand how the system works under any conditions. So the experience you gain now will set you up for future projects. When it comes to having your own centre you will know how to fill it quickly by simply returning to what you have learnt in this set up phase. Use this time to get out there and test the market and learn.

A word of caution is to stay focused and not spread yourself to thinly and be trying to work out of too many different places at once. Even if there are no bookings, it is important to be on the spot ready for non-booking walk in clients. If you are in too many places you often miss the opportunity to fill with walkins. For instance if you are at the gym and have no clients, put a sign at the desk in a plastic holder that says “free 15 minute neck and shoulder massage”. That will give you the chance to persuade the recipient of the neck and shoulder massage (who just happens to be in your target market and niche) to take up a 2-4-1 offer with you.

Any news is good news when setting up a new practice – the worst case scenario from giving away those 15 minutes is that the member now knows there is a good massage therapist at her gym! Obviously when you have bookings you bring the sign in.

A-boards at the front of the building also work well with these types of offers but just make sure you find out the rules from the local council – don’t get fined for illegally placing an A-board!