A trusted employee can leave. A marketing strategy that’s worked for years can suddenly stop sending you new business.

Whenever things go bad, you have a choice – to be a thermostat or a thermometer. A thermometer reports current conditions – what’s the temperature right now. That’s all it can do.

A thermostat however, controls the temperature. Too hot? Turn the thermostat down. Too cold? Turn it up.

If the economy tanks, your employees leave, your best customer decides to work with someone new don’t just sit and complain about it. Be a thermostat and make changes. Do more marketing, be more creative, try something new.

“When life hands you lemons make lemonade” isn’t just a cliché. It’s a blueprint for how to run your business. You can’t control everything that happens. You can only control what you think, say and do.

So go out and be a thermostat!

Andrea J. Stenberg

I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment.

Welcome to a new feature here at The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur: Motivational Mondays. Since I work from home, I know how important self motivation is. There’s no boss looking over my shoulder to see that I get my work done.

People who start their own businesses tend to be a highly motivated group. That’s why we started a business in the first place; we weren’t content to be following someone else’s agenda. We have goals, dreams or ideas we wanted to pursue and we wanted to pursue them in our own way.

On the other hand, I also know that sometimes motivation can be a challenge. When you work for someone else you get up and go to work because you have to or lose your job. When you work for yourself, you have to find a different way to stay motivated.

That’s what I hope to make Motivational Mondays about: how do entrepreneurs motivate themselves.

This week I asked Kathleen Gage, the Street Smarts Marketer how she stays motivated. Keeping an eye on her goals and the results for her clients is what keeps her going. She says, “What truly motivates me is knowing I am changing lives for the better, one person at a time.”

However, just keeping going day after day isn’t always the answer for business owners. Kathleen adds, “Some days the best thing to do is stay in bed and read a book. To always be going, going, going can be counterproductive. We have become such a “doing” world that often it is best to simply be.”

This is great advice. I know it took me a long time to “allow” myself to have a day where I play hookey and have some fun.

Andrea J. Stenberg

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts on Kathleen’s advice. Or let me know who you would like to hear from in future Mondays.

A bright spot in the book is Hill`s assertion that most people don’t become a success until after 40 or even 50. In fact, he says “For the average person the greatest capacity to create is between 40 and 60”. I suspect that if Hill were alive today he’d expand that upper end.

Why are people not able to achieve before their 40s or 50s? According to Hill, it’s sex. We’re too focused on it in our youth.

At first I laughed at this quaint notion written by a man from another time. But then I started looking more closely. Maybe he’s right. And it’s not just sex, it’s all the things that go along with it. I’ve been married for two decades so dating etc are out of the way. I no longer have a toddler under foot, demanding my attention. When my teenage son comes home from school he can pop a pizza in the oven all by himself; he doesn’t need my help or permission. Maybe Hill wasn’t so crazy after all.

Mark Walton, author of the book Boundless Potential: Transform Your Brain, Unleash Your Talents, and Reinvent Your Work in Midlife and Beyond
agrees with Hill. Walton writes “neuroscience has revealed that we are hard-wired for reinvention through the emergence of extraordinary new creative and intellectual powers in life’s second half”.

For those of us who are starting or building a business in the second half of our lives, this is encouraging news. We may be competing against young people with more energy, but we have the advantage of more knowledge, experience and apparently creativity and intellectual prowess.

As we continue this transition into the knowledge based economy – where are brains not our brawn are what powers the work – age will not be a factor in your ability to do the work.

Employers seem slow to recognize this fact as we can tell from the unemployment numbers for people over 40, as well as anecdotal evidence I’m sure you’ve heard. However, since many of us are turning our backs on the corporate world and becoming Baby Boomer Entrepreneurs, we may find that successful companies will be those that embrace mature workers.

Regardless, I find both these books encouraging. Although I haven’t achieved the level of financial and business success that I want, I know I’m on track. And I have decades ahead of me to continue to expand and grow my business.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Andrea J. Stenberg

I know because I’ve done this too – waited for the time/situation to be just perfect before getting started.

But then last week I was reading Prince Charming Isnt Coming
: How Women Get Smart About Money by Barbara Stanny. In this book, Stanny talks about how women often wait for a man to look after their finances for them. There is one particular passage that jumped out at me.

“Please note: “Mr. Right” or “Prince Charming” need not be a man, or even a person. Our prince could be an ideal job, an insurance settlement, the lottery jackpot, or just an amorphous “something” – anything that we fantasize will save us financially. To become genuinely smart with money, we must get to the point where we can say with total conviction, I can do it myself.

This passage really grabbed me by the throat and made me realize that there are a number of projects I’ve had on hold because I didn’t have everything perfect.  I gave myself a long, hard look and realized I’ve been waiting for my business “Prince Charming”. In this case, my Prince isn’t a man either. Here’s what I’ve been waiting on and what I’m doing about it:

Schedule time

I’ve been waiting for more time to finish writing a book and several ebooks. Well, guess what? The free time is never there.  I need to schedule it to make it happen. How did I solve this? I booked several three hour chunks this month. Will it finish all the writing projects I have? No. But it will get me closer to finishing.

Don’t let cash flow stop you

I need some money to implement a couple of my projects and cash flow is tight right now so I’ve been putting them off. Instead of continuing to wait for things to get better, I arranged for some barter with a graphic designer to get one project completed. Then I looked at my accounts receivable and contacted people who owe me money.

Next, I looked out for “low hanging fruit” or ways I can make money quickly to allow me to finance my bigger projects. Finally, I looked for (and found) ways to complete my projects without spending as much money. It won’t be as fancy as I hoped, but it will get to market, which is far better than having a project on the drawing board indefinitely.

Procrastination

There are a couple of things I need to be doing to promote my products and services that I’ve just been putting off. I call it procrastination but really it should be called either perfectionism or fear of success. Either way, I’ve looked it in the eye and started implementation. I’ve created a list and committed to crossing one item off my list each day until it’s done.

If you’re like me, you have some projects that you’ve been putting off until the time is right. I heard a saying: The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The next best time is today.

What are you going to plant today?

Andrea J. Stenberg

Working from home is sometimes a challenge in the summer. Yes, there’s the fact that I have no air conditioning and my office is on the 2^nd floor. (Last week’s heat wave in eastern Canada and U.S. was brutal).

There’s also my teenage son who is home from school and around the house. Plus there’s the sun shining and I want to be outside.

As a result, there are some days where sitting at my desk staring at my computer seems unbearable.

But I still need to work. The mortgage still needs to be paid and we have this pesky little addition to food.

So, what’s a home-based entrepreneur to do?

I posed this question to my network and got some interesting answers.

Some people like to get up and do something physical: “a walk, mowing the lawn, stacking firewood. For me physical activity is the key to getting unblocked.”

Other’s shared that tidying the office is a good start. I know my desk often looks like a paper bomb exploded on it. And if I let it go too long the paper breeds and soon my office is covered. Taking even 10 minutes to clear the desk to the surface can often be enough to unblock me and get me going. In fact, that’s what I did right before writing this blog post.

Another friend commented that she picks the easiest thing on her task list. Getting that done and out of the way motivates her to keep going.

And sometimes, I think you need to give in to your inner sloth and enjoy the summer. Get outside and do something fun, even if it’s just sitting on the deck having a beer and reading a trashy novel. You’ll feel refreshed and pleased that you no longer have the worst boss you’ve ever had. And likely, the next day you’ll come back to your work with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Andrea J. Stenberg

What’s your trick for getting back on track? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.

Today is a guest post from my colleague and joint venture partner Yvonne McCoy. Yvonne is a business coach and host of the internet radio show SOS 4 Your Business.

We all want to turn our dreams into reality, but sometimes we have doubts.

This is the time we need to master a Power Mindset!  The ideas and attitudes we have as we approach a situation will determine our control of our destiny. This is especially true when dealing with difficult situations. However, you can produce the energetic mental mindset you need in order to make your dreams and goals come true.

With a powerful mindset, you will take the necessary steps to snap out of negativity and get back on that positive track. You can get started by downloading Online Marketing 101: Discover Three Simple Things You Can Do Now to Grow Your Business Online at www.29DaystoGrowingaBusiness.com.

So what can you do next? Ask yourself:

• What is working right? Why is it working? Acknowledge your accomplishments. This is a great learning situation. Use it.
• What’s the ideal? What’s not quite right yet? What are your biggest challenges? Take charge. It is important to come from a place of abundance and serving and not from one of lack and fear. It’s contagious.
• What is your next move? Evaluate your options. What resources do you need or what are you willing to do? This is a time to surround yourself with people who believe in you and won’t judge you. Consider working with a coach or an expert. They help you accelerate your results.
• Have you made progress? It’s important to stay detached and not be on an emotional roller coaster ride with each success or failure.
• Have success. Celebrate it regularly.

Each day look at the actions you take. Are you spending your time on your most important activities? These are the ones that support your goals.

Renew your determination and resolve to improve each day and your business will flourish. A Power Mindset will get you focused and produce results faster. Get started today by downloading Online Marketing 101: Discover Three Simple Things You Can Do Now to Grow Your Business Online.

The gist of the article is you need to avoid getting sucked into giving away your expertise without getting paid. You worked hard for that knowledge and it’s worth good money.

If you’re a consultant or some other knowledge-based entrepreneur, this article is a must-read. In fact, I think I’m going to print a copy and post it next to my desk.

I’ve fallen into that trap before. In the name of “being helpful” I give away too much free advice so that person doesn’t need to pay me. They got it all for free.

Now I’m not saying I don’t give anything away for free. Hello?!? Have you read this blog? All free.

However, I need to make sure when I’m meeting with someone, I give just enough information to prove I know what I’m talking about but be clear that after that I’m on the clock. In the article, Adrienne Graham suggests having a fee schedule. That way if you’re squeamish about talking prices, you can always hand someone your fee schedule.

Fee Schedule + Law of Attraction = Results

Having a fee schedule has another benefit. I apologize if I found airy fairy here, but having a written fee schedule activates the Law of Attraction. When you write down what you expect to be paid for certain services, it tells the universe you’re serious about your business and voila, suddenly people who can and will pay for your services will appear.

Getting serious about getting paid doesn’t mean you can’t give it away for free … just make sure you are getting something of equal value in return. For example, I have a graphic designer colleague who I trade services with. When she needs help with some copywriting, she’ll send it over for me to look at. Likewise, when I have some graphics that need tweaking, she’ll fix it for me. However, when we have larger jobs, we charge. In the end, we get equal value out of the relationship.

So, look at your business relationships. Are you giving away too much by letting friends “pick your brain”? If so, maybe it’s time to do something about it. After all, you wouldn’t expect your friend the car dealer to just give you a car to drive just because you’re a nice person.

Andrea J. Stenberg

What do you think? Do you give away too much knowledge for free? Or have you found a way to stop giving away too much? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

And don’t forget to pick up your free copy of Internet Marketing 101: Discover Three Simple Things You Can Do Now to Grow Your Business Online. It will help you jump start your online marketing. Get the free ebook at http://29daystogrowingabusiness.com

I know, because I have SAD too. This means in the winter months, as the days get shorter and the sun is less bright, functioning at all can be a real struggle. And while my inclination may be to hibernate in bed for the next two months, my business can’t survive that.

Over the past few years I’ve learned some survival techniques to help me get through to the spring. If you also suffer from SAD  I hope they’ll help you. And even if you’re only struggling with a bit of the winter blahs some of these tips may perk you up as well.

First of all, I make sure I’m taking all my vitamins and supplements daily. In the summer I’m not so vigilant and in fact don’t take my vitamin D at all because I’m getting enough from the sun. But as soon as fall rolls around I make sure I don’t skip a day, because if I do things go downhill fast. I take Vitamin D, B vitamins and a herbal mood boosting supplement recommended by my Naturopath. Check with your health care provider about what you need.

Second, I unscrew the fluorescent lightbulb on my desk and insert a “blues Buster” lightbulb that mimics the light from the sun. I’ve been told fluorescent lights make SAD worse. It seems to help.

Third, I have marked my calendar to start using my Happy Lite in the mornings. This is a special light specifically designed for treating seasonal affective disorder. I know, you’d think I’d just start using it when I start feeling run down, but I’ve learned that I need a little external reminder. So my electronic calendar one day in November pops up a message reminding me to start using the darn thing.

Fourth, I make a point of planning meetings out of the office. Even if it’s just meeting a friend for coffee, getting me outside seems to really make a difference.

Fifth, I really try to force myself to get some exercise. This time of the year I really don’t want to leave my bed, never mind the house. But planning fitness activities with friends and family forces me to do what’s good for me. If it’s something like tobogganing, I probably end up having a good laugh as well as some exercise.

And finally, I try to give myself a break. If I have a day where I don’t get as much done as I think I should, I try to let it go. I try to focus on what I have achieved, and recognize that this time of year it’s hard for me. Notice I’ve used the word “try” several times in this paragraph? It is a don’t know you succeed.

So, if you find getting through the winter months the struggle like I do, please know you’re not alone. And before we know it the days will be longer, the snow will be gone and the tulips will be poking their heads out of the ground. And then we’ll start feeling normal again.

Andrea J Stenberg

PS. If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder where the winter blues, leave a comment and share your tips for surviving till spring.

When I was in my mid-20s I actually tried to start my own business doing very much what I’m doing now (minus the social media since Facebook etc. didn’t exist back then).

I survived about a year before I packed it in and got a “real job”. The problem was that I thought in order to be a business person you had to be independent, and independent meant doing it all myself.

This time around, being a little older, and a little wiser (I hope), I recognized that trying to go it alone was part of the problem. When I was raising my son I needed a doctor, advice from my mom, and support from other mothers. So I realized I needed the same kind of support for my business.

In the past five years I’ve worked with a variety of coaches, made friends with other business people who I can bounce ideas off of, and joined a networking group. I have an accountability partner who I speak with once a week to talk about what I’m working on. I have a strong network of business friends on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook who I can ask for advice. And on occasion I even talk to my husband about my business.

When I was younger I thought needing other people was a weakness. But if you talk to any successful business people, if they’re honest, you’ll find they’ve all had help along the way. I spoke to one man recently who owns and runs five businesses. He’s been doing so for over 10 years and still meets with the previous owner several times a week to get advice, feedback and support. I know one online entrepreneur with the business in the high six figures who works with three coaches and has a mastermind group.

When you’re building your village you need to make sure that just like a real village it is a diverse group of people. It is often easier to build relationships with other people who are the same stage in their business as you. This is useful because you’re both going through the same things and can really relate to each other.

However you also need to make sure your village includes some experienced business people. Being around more successful business owners helps remind you where you are headed. They can help you remember to focus on your goals and plans rather than just your daily to do list. If you’ve surrounded yourself with the right people will share some of their knowledge and be happy to give you feedback.

Of course, it’s always good to include some new business people in your village. It helps remind you how far you’ve come, and lets you pay back for the help you’ve received along the way.

If you find yourself struggling in running your business, take a moment and ask yourself who is in your village. If you don’t have enough support, advice, and inspiration in your immediate network it’s time to grow your village. Look for a coach, join a networking group like BNI, or reach out to someone you know and invite them out for coffee. You’ll be glad you did.

Andrea J Stenberg

What did he mean? You don’t have to be the best to be successful. The people who get ahead don’t worry about being perfect. They get off their butts, take action and get their products to market.

So here are my thoughts on why imperfect execution is better than perfect planning

Work your plan

While I’m the first one to tell you that planning is important, I know that too often planning can be a form of procrastination. Rather than getting down to the work, you keep tweaking the plan. Get a plan in place and start working it. Over time you can tweak the plan as you see what works and what doesn’t.

Beating the competition

How many times have you seen a competitor release a new product that is just like the brilliant idea you had a year ago but is still in the planning stages? Don’t you kick yourself when that happens? I know I have. Let’s learn from our mistakes; when you have a brilliant idea quickly create a plan then work on execution so that someone else doesn’t beat you to the punch.

Get results now

Customers don’t buy your plan. People have to know how to buy from you, so make it easy. A less-than-perfect sales page, advertisement, or social media campaign will get infinitely more results than that piece of paper with your plan on it that never gets implemented. Whatever method you choose to market with, get on with it. You’ll get better as you go.

You can do better?

How many times have you seen somebody else’s product, read somebody else’s book, or been to somebody else’s seminar and thought to yourself “I can do better than that”? Well if you really can do better, prove it! Nothing is perfect. If those less-than-perfect competitors are selling, get off your butt and get your better product out there too.

You’ll feel better

You’ll feel better. Seriously. That frustration you feel every time you look at your plan but don’t see any forward action will go away. Sure you may feel some trepidation, some nerves, as you get started. But as Dale Carnegie said: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence encourage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

So if you have some new product that has been sitting in the back your mind, or new marketing strategy you been planning to attempt, quick tweaking the plan! Go out and get busy.