At a recent networking meet up the topic of talking about ourselves and our businesses was comfortably discussed over tea and cake. Talking about ourselves in a professional capacity can be a BIG barrier for many of us. There's something uncomfortable about blowing our own trumpets or talking about ourselves. It means taking a risk with fear of being judged. What if they don't believe me? What if someone else is better than me? So many what ifs. While fear keeps us safe, it can also hold us back and can have a marked effect on how we develop our businesses and grow.

Being self employed means we need to be able to talk about ourselves and our businesses. When self employed, by default we are selling. Selling ourselves, our products, our services. In order to stand out in a very noisy world we need to get comfortable and confident with talking about ourselves.

We are all unique. We all have different skills. We all have different perspectives. We all do things differently.

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."  - Dale Carnegie

Some business owners are naturally confident, others have worked on it, or are working on it. And more often than not it means we are all working on it. Confidence in a professional capacity was something that I had to work on. I spent seven years as part of a local toastmasters program gaining skills and confidence to stand up and talk in front of people, which allowed me to host events and give talks about my topic of social media.

For many it is difficult to see ourselves and our businesses in the first person but feel comfortable doing so in the third person. To feel more comfortable in the first person, sit with a trusted friend or business owner who knows you well to help you shape a business statement that you can confidently share whenever you are in a personal or professional setting and someone asks what do you do? The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Here are a few suggestions you can try to build your confidence:

• Remember we are all human
• Understand yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses
• Swap negative self talk for positive self talk
• Read, listen to podcasts, visit Youtube – to improve your confidence boosting skills
• Acknowledge the wins in your businesses
• Have your own business statement articulated and ready

What tried and tested action have you taken to build your confidence and talk more about you and your business?

Yours socially
Micala 

And indeed it is! With only just a couple of months left of 2019 business owners may well have plenty to let go. What a year! A year of different cogs turning at different speeds. Some cogs turning out of control but still affecting us mentally, emotionally and actively while still trying to control our own cogs!

Now is a perfect time to look back on the year. Where did you start in 2019, how is it shaping up? What do you want your 2020 to be like? With the political cogs turning as they are at present, it does mean taking a good long hard look at your business now [if you haven't done so already]. Like the seasons, change is a cog guaranteed to turn whether we like it or not. It happens.

As a business owner you have to be brave and brutal with what you need to do. Shake off that procrastination jacket. Get honest with your facts and figures. Are you coasting and just getting by? Are you being practical and realistic with what you are doing and achieving? If you need to financially survive – trim some fat. Lean up on your costs, know where your money is going and coming from. Get to grips with every single centime that needs to be catered for. Who in your industry is going great guns, despite the same challenges, that you could learn from? Put on those big business pants and get inspired!

Do you need to grow? Are current regimes stifling growth? Is it time to have some serious conversations with people who can help get you to the next level? What are your longer term goals? Do you want to survive? Or survive and thrive? Be practical, realistic and honest with yourself and your business. What areas need to be sharpened up? What new customers do you need to attract? How can you retain your existing ones?

Whether you started out 6 months ago or 6 years ago, your business needs to shed old patterns in favour of new ones and be ready to adapt and/or grow.

Whatever is in store for 2020 – control the controllables. Be aware of those uncontrollable cogs that your business is connected to but at the same time making sure your cogs are tuned up and ready to turn as best as possible.

“The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation.” - Unknown

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Yours socially
Micala 

Much of a business owners time is spent in front of a pc, we tend to sign up for this, download an app for that and associate our emails and bank accounts with various sites. Our in boxes may be a little full and computers may also be baulking at the things we storer on them. There are times when your pc, tablet, ipad, imac slow down so a little regular maintenance will help keep you and your technology on their toes. And it's not just our computers that clog, it's our smartphone technology too: phones and tablets. As with many other aspects of our lives, decluttering is not just for our wardrobes or living rooms, it applies to devices and our workspace so that businesses can run smoothly.

Now might be a good time to undertake a digital declutter.

• Remove apps that no longer serve a purpose from your phone/tablet/ipad
• Transfer pictures stored on your phone to either a cloud based services such as dropbox or google drive
• Delete old texts
• Delete old messages from your house phone and mobile
• Review emails – file away or delete and empty the trash folder
• Unsubscribe from emails that you no longer read or wish to receive use something like unroll.me to help unsubscribe
• Run a cleaner/virus protector on your pc
• Don't keep delaying those updates to pc or smartphone technology
• Tidy up your folders – create/name folders that you are likely to remember and file away important documents in these folders
• Delete any unnecessary items from your pc – documents, downloads – either file away or delete
• Do a back up!
• Review your social media platforms – Clear out the friends, groups, pages liked
• Delete or request to delete any accounts that are no longer used – pinterest, twitter?
• What 3rd party apps have you accessed that you may have paid a subscription for? Cancel where necessary
• Clean up your bookmarks consider using an app like pocket to store useful/favourite links
• Don't be vulnerable online, police your passwords, consider something such as lastpass.com

Clean the space around your work desk too:

• Don't let your workspace be the home for everything. Everything needs to have a home and your work space needs to be free
• Sort out paper – burn/shred unnecessary paper lying around
• File away important/relevant 'stuff', make sure it is easy to find
• Dust/clean your workspace area
• Make sure there are no trailing cables

For minimal digital chaos, consider regular digital declutters in 2018 and here's to some digital time out over the festive season.  I'll be factoring a deep digital declutter before the year is out! 

Micala 

Some research for a client prompted this blog and having read this article http://workplaceinsight.net/problems-with-noise-at-work-a-lot-of-it-is-in-our-heads/ it got me thinking about how noise impacts our lives. It is interesting how we have become immune to the loudness of life around us, particularly in urban areas. Traffic, transportation, people on their phones, technology, clonking of machinery, busy offices, busy open plan offices all add to an overload of sound. Some of us become accustomed to this and others do not and too much noise can have an impact on our overall well being without realising it.
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Before moving to France I found myself becoming quite noise intolerant. I would literally wince as my brain bandwidth twanged against intrusive noise. Was noise pollution having an effect on me, or am I just a naturally sound sensitive individual? I own up to the fact that I have never enjoyed the sound of a ticking clock which becomes more apparent when trying to sleep, or shutting out the hum of technology. As a tinnitus suffer, neither of these irritants exist in the sleeping quarters.  

I really appreciate the lower levels of noise here in France. I love the sound of silence and Monday to Friday work hours are always conducted in silence. My office at the front of the house overlooks a country lane flanked by woodland and my back garden is also green and flanked by woodland. I live on a busy road which is well travelled during the day. I live between two towns... towns by French standards not by English and 18km connects the two. So yes, lorries, school buses and traffic pass through. There are country sounds, mowers as people cut their large gardens, wood cutting tools, these are appreciated as being part of country life and are not too regular to be intrusive. I have become accustomed to timing the day with sounds of traffic. At 7.40 the school bus will honk a little further along the road for the local children. At 10.30am the tyres of La Poste will crunch on the gravel opposite me everyday to deliver the neighbours post. I recognise the sound of the local farmers tractor and the sound of hubbies van as he approaches the driveway gates each day, as do my 2 jack russell terriers.

The sounds of nature have replaced urban sounds and it is much more pleasant on my sensitive ears. A holiday with hubby to Barcelona last October, the complete opposite of where I live, was testament to how far removed we are from noise pollution and that living in the country is much kinder to our overall well being.

Have you given thought to the sounds around you? What do you notice? Does your work environment impact your well being?

Yours socially
Micala 

“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair”

Trust is important when it comes to running a small business, wherever you are in the world. We all need customers and ideally repeat customers who are happy to use our product or service again and again. Trust, when when acted out with the best of intentions for the customer and served with competence provides a great opportunity to build lasting and loyal business relationships.

Here are some tips to help build trust :

Use testimonials. Testimonials help convey to customers, who have not used yet, that you know what you are talking about. We have all met those who have the gift of the gab. Great at sharing how good they are at the job, but very little to substantiate it. If you are good at your job, your existing customers will be only too pleased to tell you. If they tell you, use it to tell others.

Under promise and over deliver. The making of a promise is centuries old. Promises kept help tell the world that we are trustworthy. A broken promise chips away at that trust. There is nothing worse than a customer being promised that you will be there before lunch on Thursday, only to find chase you because you have failed to turn up or failed to make contact. If someone has placed an order with you and you need 5 days, tell the customer that you need 5 days. If on the 3rd day it is done and on it's way to your customer, how happy will they be when you have confirmed the good news.

Be professional at all times. As a business owner, it is easy to forget that you are an ambassador for your business at all times. What you say, and how you behave, creates perception. How you talk to your customers is equally important. Ask questions and listen with both ears. The art of asking, listening and confirming that you understand what they want provides you with ample opportunity to provide them with solutions, without having to wade in with the weight of your words first. 

Appreciate your clients. It goes without saying, customers are the life blood of any business. It takes little effort to 'thank' them and make them feel valued, whether it's an email or a card in the post. If you have customers who are out their singing your praises and it's reaping business for you, go that extra mile.

Yours socially
Micala

I have had the good fortune of meeting a fabulous coach - Rebecca Pintre 'on line'.  Sometimes, even on line, perception skills can still hone in on those you know you can gravitate to without meeting. I like her style, I like her approach professionally and personally.

Our paths have crossed and lately I have had a couple of coaching sessions with her, which I have to say were absolutely FANTASTIC. I have been receptive to coaching in the past and found them to be beneficial. Lately, I have had a few blocks... well I didn't know that, but my body did and very recently lost my 'mojo' all of a sudden. It was as if the switch to the joie de vie, the effervescence of life, finding the good in everything, glass ¾ full approach had been switched off. It was instantaneous. I acknowledged it and was aware of it. The thing is I very rarely share outwardly to others but I chatted with my husband and just went with the lethargic flow.

For the first chat with Rebecca, losing my mojo was the focus of the conversation. I am usually pretty much full of life, see things from a positive angle... with a recent house move, renovations and garden and the 'day' job I hadn't realised just how far I had pushed myself, despite thinking – mustn't stop, the hamster wheel needs to keep going' Says who? No-one apart from a self imposed inner critique saying, don't stop.

The more I pushed myself physically and mentally, the more 'inner push backs' were rearing their head. Won't say ugly head, because your body and your mind have a great way of telling you to take note. I had been putting off dealing with a lingering chest issue... something I suffer from every year living in rural France. It arrived late this year, thanks to mild months toward the end of 2015 and a wet start to 2016 and with Spring allergens doing their annual thing, it had crept up slowly and was taking a grip.

Having talked through some of my thoughts... some off tangent, some of the moment... they all have a place, it became clear how I could work through, not fight through activities that were causing a bit of a bottle neck. The conversation flew by and resulted in a commitment to take action. I like lists, I like action and to be fair, they were achievable. I left the call buoyed up and ready, not – “I have enough on my plate and now I have another list of things to do”.

I have to say I felt much better for just 'getting it off my chest' I am that kind of person, I need to internalise, assess, deal with it and move on. Illness, odd moods, all have a short shelf life in my world. Those 'inner' blockages had a sense of release and the inner equilibrium was enjoying a more normal flow. I also took myself off the doctors and explained the symptoms and succumbed to the use of man made substances to help shift a lingering infection.

By the time my second session arrived, I had actively and enjoyably dealt with my new task list as well as dealing with the procrastination pile. Mojo had returned. It's amazing how life can create layers, some good, some bad, some you just can't put your finger on. During our discussion, I talked about a business related issue that I had a stumbling block on and on airing my thoughts it transpired that an 'incident' that had occurred some months ago was also adding to the loss of mojo, but I hadn't realised it. It had actually caused a 'confidence knock'. With all other activity going on, it was just sitting there layering up. I have to admit the incident did cause a great deal of angst at the time but I am guessing because of my need to air and share with a group of trusted and loyal confidantes it was not doable at that time. Pre France I would have been able to have a girly chat with trusted friends, chew the fat, get it off my chest, move on and it would have by now been something to laugh at. Alas, being an expat in another country, it takes longer to build those kind of relationships, the choices are much more diminished and to be honest, there are times when trust is not something that sits high on an expats lists of requirements. We all seek it, want it, but being that trustworthy person is a little more difficult to be, for some.

Having acknowledged the 'confidence knock' coupled with layering of life over recent months, it was easier to see it for what it was. What was even more refreshing was being able to talk about personal and professional concerns that I felt in the current circumstances, were best aired and shared with a set of professional ears. Working solo, and giving your all to your client work, your home life, your personal life, life in general can be exhausting. If the pause button is not pressed frequently it can become and emergency stop. Those layers become too thick and could lead to real de motivation and loss of joy in personal and professional arenas. The recent coaching experience reminded me, we are all human, we are not robots or super heroes. We are allowed to feel wobbly. We are allowed to explore avenues that put our mind, body and spirit back on track.

Business owners should definitely consider working with a coach. No one is immune to the fall out of doing too much. We all experience times when there is simply too much on the plate. A coach will ask questions to help you think deeper, so that action and decisions you make and commit yourself to work in your best interests.

I for one will be booking in again with Rebecca again in the future. There are times when your own life map is somewhat blurry, it's comforting to know that there's someone who can help you read it and ask questions that you had not thought of. Those questions get you thinking for yourself and get you ready to enjoy your journey.  

For more information about Rebecca, visit her website http://artemismindsetcoaching.com/ or her Facebook page 

Yours socially

A Twitter chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a # hashtag is used. A set of date and time is established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation. - definition courtesy of Google 

This blog is ideal for those who have yet to participate in their first Twitter Chat.

Twitter is a fast paced platform. Imagine Twitter being an immense conference hall, noisy, lots of conversations going on, lots of things going on at once. There's a particular conversation that you want to get involved with, with like-minded people. A Twitter Chat is likened to visiting a quiet room away from the hubbub of Tweetsville. It's quieter, you can have more meaningful discussions. You are sharing the space with others who want to be there and tweet.

Getting involved in a Twitter Chat is a great way to connect with others and learn what is new in your industry or niche, from the comfort of your chair. They are fast paced and fun and are generally no longer than an hour. Believe me the hour will fly by! Depending on what the Twitter Chat is about/for a variety of people from around a country or globally can roost around the Twitter Chat. 

If you are participating in a Twitter Chat for the first time here are some tips to consider:

• Comfy chair!
• Before the Twitter Chat share any tweets that the moderator has shared to your own networks. Help the moderator get the word out.
• Make sure you use the relevant hashtag.
• Read tweets to get a feel of what is going on.
• Get involved. Don't be shy.
• Respond to tweets with the hashtag.
• Retweet relevant tweets to your network.
• Respond to discussion questions to emulate Q1, Q2, with A1, A2.
• Be courteous.
• Don't use the Twitter Chat to promote your business.
• Dip in and out as you feel necessary. Or feel free to stay the duration.
• Follow up – if you met some new and interesting people – follow them, tweet a thank you, retweet some of their tweets.
• Keep building those relationships.

Finding Twitter Chats:
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You might see Twitter Chat tweets in your timeline. If you have not come across anything specific here are some resources to visit detailing Twitter Chats and when they take place.

https://twitter.com/markshaw/lists/uk-twitter-chats/members
http://tillison.co.uk/blog/complete-twitter-chat-hours-directory/
http://tweetreports.com/twitter-chat-schedule/

I regularly attend a Twitter chat in the UK which is hosted by @teamIPSE - https://www.ipse.co.uk/ for Freelancers in the UK. As an individual earning a living from a country that is not my country of origin, it is easy to forget that I am a Freelancer. My services are not restricted to where I live. I get to share my thoughts and ideas with others, who like me work from home and every now and then want to hang out with fellow Freelancers.

I would love to know about your Twitter Chat journey. If on reading this article you participate in one, please let me know how you got on.

Yours socially
Micala

Do you ever wonder why things, circumstances and conversations have happened in your life? Only to find that the sum of all parts equal something quite significant when answers are revealed much later as you journey through life?

Yesterday after enjoying a mild state of euphoria after hosting the first of my face to face group workshops on social media, I paused for a bit to reflect on poignant moments and milestones that helped shape where I am today.

I am passionate about social media, I can talk about it for England... and France and never tire of the topic. I love talking and communicating and being creative, useful accoutrements to a life in social media. While I enjoy having online conversations with a myriad of people on a daily basis, nothing can beat having real conversations with real people! I love imparting knowledge and information that helps fellow business owners.

So here are my poignant moments and milestones:

• At school my reports were OK. Nothing untoward – bright, likes learning, could do with talking a bit less.
• At senior school I remember being caught in the act of 'talking' and defending my stance that my future job will require me to talk!
• At 17 I was invited to share a short talk about my experience at the local college of higher and further education and where the qualifications had led me, to the next intake of students. I was working as a junior secretary at a local estate agent at the time. Imagine my nerves when standing next door to the Senior PA of the then UK Prime Minister.
• In the early 90s I worked for a building society and when Bill Gates introduced Word 4 Windows the building society had invested in this new technology to be shared across their branch network. I put myself forward to become a trainer to help employees transition from writing by hand in ledgers to using technology. I had to find ways of breaking down resistance barriers. So I embraced a bit of my own rebellion by cutting down my dowdy green uniform skirt from calf length to knee high and wearing bright pink jelly shoes! The first thing employees laughed at was me and it provided good introduction to 'change'.
• Some time later I applied for a job as a trainer for a travel company. They asked me to do a presentation on anything I wanted. So I did the pros and cons of chocolate cake. Back in those days it was flip-charts and coloured pens. But my interview was never forgotten as they tracked me down a year or so later. Having put together in pictorial form the pros and cons and how to make a chocolate cake I actually ended my presentation with the 'proof is in the pudding' and handed them a chocolate cake!
• I jumped at the chance of presenting good citizenship on behalf of American Express Burgess Hill to then CEO who was on a whistle stop tour of the UK from New York. Fear helped me put together a watertight presentation. I thought I was presenting to and audience of hundreds. As I was told about the opportunity just before Christmas it wasn't til the New Year that I learned that it would be in front of him and a small entourage. Fear and preparation and an assumption that I was talking to a big audience meant that I had every confidence in what I was presenting. 
• I joined Toastmasters International in mid 2000s to develop the art of public speaking and spent 5 years with a club in Brighton, taking on opportunities at networking events to host and deliver. My highlight was being asked to be a Toastmaster for ISES Events UK, one of their local co-ordinators had been asked to create an event. One of my favourite opportunities of a personal nature was being Toastmistress for a good friends wedding in Ireland!! 
  

More recently in France I have been asked to share the art of social media to a number of networking groups and I shall look forward to hosting more face to face workshops.

What poignant moments and milestones have helped shape your professional career? Where is your passion and purpose?

It's thanks to Mashable that I write this latest blog. For some strange reason I recently took some photographs of my workstation. Call me mystic, but I had a feeling that there would be a good reason for sharing the picture.

While husband physically leaves the house to carry his work, my derrière is on a chair for much of the day in front of the pc. Not sure what the French neighbours must think... perhaps they think I am a hermit.

My working life has been spent on a chair. And for long periods of time over the years, spent on the wrong chair! It was only when I experienced serious back problems for a large corporate that I became more aware of being comfortable at my work space. The problem was pretty much improved when I had a proper chair and a work station assessment was carried out to make sure that the screen was at the right height and my legs were at the right angle.

Moving to France and conscious of past events, rental accommodation dictated what kind of workspace I had. Until very recently. A new move has meant that my workstation has been made for me thanks to a very practical and DIY minded husband.

My bespoke workspace is in the lounge... as that is where the telephone/internet points are and the log burner. Having worked on the first floor at our previous house, it meant that during the winter it was cold. Living in an old stone house one needs to be warm particularly during the winter. Please believe me when I say I have worked with fingerless mittens on! 

Here is a picture of my workstation which garnered some positive comments when I participated in the March Twitter chat for #freelancerlife

My workstation is subtle and is not the first thing you would see on entering the lounge and is behind the door leading into it. The printer, monitor and router/telephone have been housed in a separate area so as to not clog up my work space. Wires are out of the way and there are plenty of sockets so that I can charge up my tablet and phone close by.

I am the proud owner of a good chair which I can keep in line with the workstation area itself and my pc is at the right height for my eyes with good lighting.

I consider myself very luck to be able to work from home. I can factor in 'domestic' chores throughout the day and still make a cake and have the dinner ready! I am conscious that I need to take a break from the pc at regular intervals so a hop skip and jump across the hallway to the kitchen means I can stretch my legs....and I mean stretch my legs. While the kettle is boiling, I will place a leg on the work surface and twist and turn the hip flexors! Then proceed to put a quick wash on and if the sun is shining nip out to the garden and peg it on the line.

To round off the blog I saw this article today from Mashable sharing 7 tips to create a functional home working space.  Rather pleased and proud of mine!

http://mashable.com/2015/03/22/work-from-home-office-2/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-bus-link

Yours socially