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Author Archive for Linnea Blair – Page 6

Kick Off 2012 with On Target 10 Week Intensive

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 12/19/2011

Get out of the day to day and get intentional about how you run your business! This 10 Week Program delivered via live webinar series will get you off to a focused start to achieve your goals for 2012 and beyond, AND give you the tools and action steps to implement all year!

Time for ActionI brainstormed this program back in May of 2011 and held the first 10 Week On Target Intensive this fall with 6 participants. I feel really great about how this program is a distallation of many key areas of focus that business owners need to master on your path to running a successful and professional company.

Here’s what one of the participants from the last session of the On Target 10 Week Intensive said:
“There is a lot to like about Advisors On Target’s 10 week intensive “Chart Your Course to Business Success” by Linnea Blair. In particular, the homework assignments are key to being proactive in developing your business plan. I found Linnea’s presentation to be thought provoking, insightful, and chock-full of useful knowledge towards business development. In addition, to listen and learn from peers in the business to always useful. I would highly recommend this course to any small business owner looking for a key to success.” – Dan Frost, Frost Painting, Inc.

How does the program work? It is a live webinar format: particpants call in to a telebridge line and access the video portion online. The program is fully interactive – I present the material and the participants have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss and share experiences during the session. We meet once a week for 10 Weeks and each session is 90 minutes. Each session is taped (for class attendees only) and available online for later review or if you miss a session. Participants also receive tools and handouts to help you implement what you have learned.

I limit this program to 10 participants so everyone has an opportunity to get the most from the experience. The program starts January 10, 2012 (and there’s a little incentive to sign up before the end of the year!)

Find out more here!

Categories : Events

Need to Structure Time for a Project? Pomodoro!

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 10/20/2011

Ok, what’s this about Pomodoro? I thought it was a tomato! Well, yes pomodoro the Italian word for tomato, but Pomodoro is also a time management technique.

Time Management Technique - PomodoroThe way the name came about is that the author of The Pomodoro Technique, Francesco Cirillo used a tomoto shaped kitchen timer to time his productivity periods for the process. Yes, there really is a book on The Pomodoro Technique.

Without getting complicated, here’s how it works for me and how it can work for you to spend some time each day in focused work on a particular project.

You need some type of timer to make this work. Here is a link to an online timer you can use, or just use a timer app on your smart phone. If you are low tech, a regular kitchen timer works.

Decide what you are going to work on for the period of time between 30 minutes and 90 minutes. Set the timer for 25 minutes. Work without interruption on your project for that period. When the timer dings, STOP! Reset the timer for 5 minutes. Get up, stretch, got to the bathroom, get a drink of water, check your email whatever. When the timer goes off again, set it for 25 minutes and do another focused session on your project. Take another 5 minute break. Repeat the process. When you have done 3 Pomodoros, take a half hour break and do something else.

I have used this technique effectively and it really helps. It’s easy enough to do too. Try it, and let me know how it works for you by commenting below, or on my Facebook page.

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : Focus, Pomodoro, Time Management

Free Business Planning Webinar

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 10/18/2011

The Road to Success

Your Business Plan – Road Map to Success

Here are three reasons why you need a real live business plan, instead of a quick template that you filled out years ago that you can’t even find.

  1. A strategic business plan is your roadmap – a guide for you to refer to as you make decisions about how to run your business.
  2. As you bring new employees into your company, or train and educate your existing team, your business plan provides clear direction and reinforces your culture.
  3. Banks, governments and business partners are increasingly requiring business plans to support their decisions relating to lending and providing financial assistance, and a good business plan can make the difference.

Discover the benefits of developing a business plan in gaining increased control over business operations and improved opportunities to step back and work ON rather than IN the business. Learn the key steps required to create a plan document for your business and how to use it. You’ll learn:

  • What’s in a business plan
  • How a business plan helps you manage your business
  • How to prepare a business plan
  • How to use your business plan
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2011
Even though this class has passed you can access it in our Free Resources area by becoming a Free Member of Advisors On Target.
Time: 5:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Central, 3:00 PM Mountain, 2:00 PM Pacific)
Cost: Free

Register for Free Business Planning Class

This class is valuable on its own, but if you are interested in a directed process to put your plan together in just FOUR weeks, you can click here to find out more.
Categories : Events
Tags : Business Plan, Business Planning, Business Strategy

Do I really need a business plan?

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 10/18/2011

Business Strategy Vision Business plans are one of those things that as a business owner you know you should have, but how many of you actually have one? I’m talking about a real one that is a representative and usable document that defines your company, your target market, and your goals and outlines a path to achieve success, whatever that looks like to you.

So why don’t more business owners have a well documented business plan?

For many business owners I know, it is just being too busy working IN the business instead of ON it. Strategic planning is something that you know is important but you just can’t quite get around to it.

I was talking with a client recently who was bemoaning the opportunity costs to his business in the past that he suddenly realized once he started working on his business in a more strategic way.

It is never too late to start working ON your business, whether you have been in business 3 years or 30 years. Making positive changes to grow your business and make it more valuable to yourself or a future potential buyer is always in season.

How do you start? First you need an analysis of where you are now. What are your company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats? Now, where do you want to be? Do you want to grow your business to a specific size in terms of people or income? As a business owner, do you want to transition to be working less hours, be able to take vacations and know that your business is still humming along without you? Your answers to those questions will lead you to your vision for your company.

Once you know what you want to achieve in the next one to three years, you can look at the gaps between where you are and where you want to be and begin to craft your strategies to get you there.

There are many building blocks to putting together a formal business plan, such as analyzing your target markets and putting together marketing strategies and action plan to reach them effectively. There’s also the financial plan showing historical results and projections for your planned growth. Some parts of your plan will be easier to write than others, as they will require some deep analysis and strategic thinking, and maybe some outside help. In the end, though, mapping out a good business plan will help you reach your goals, now that you’ve defined them!

Categories : Business Planning
Tags : Business Plan, Business Planning, Business Strategy

Chart Your Course to Business Success – 10 Week Intensive

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 09/22/2011

Take 10 weeks to leap forward in your business education. This intensive 10 week program is designed to help you learn the important fundamentals of running a best practices business and get you ready to kick off 2012 and make it your best year ever!

This course is a condensed version of our On Target Business Success Program geared for the entrepreneur who wants to get great results with an affordable and accessible group coaching experience.

Chart Your Course to Business Success meets each Tuesday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time for 90 minutes starting October 11, 2011 via online meeting (phone and computer). All sessions are recorded so you can make up if you need to miss a session.

This Intensive is limited to 10 participants only. I want you to have plenty of personal attention. I am excited about this new version of our proven programs. Won’t you join us in October?

Find out more here!

Categories : Events
Tags : Business Planning, Business Strategy, Financial Management, Marketing

Business Planning Doesn’t Just Happen Once

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 07/08/2011

Business Planning doesn’t just happen once when you start your business. Strategic planning is an ongoing activity for businesses who want to grow and achieve long term sustainability.

Business Planning RetreatWhat does business planning look like? Many people just think of business planning as the activity you do when you start a business, or maybe when you are trying to get financing for a business venture. But it really is an ongoing process. Yes, creating a solid business plan with good assumptions and projections that sets forth how the business will operate now and in the next few years is a key activity that every business should go through.

But beyond that, your business plan should be a living document that serves as a blueprint for how decisions get made and how the activities of the business are conducted. Ideally this document is reviewed and updated annually in the course of an annual strategic planning session.

I recommend that business owners and their management team spend time away from the business to do this. Getting away from the office and into a setting where you can open up to high level strategic thinking is important. It’s best to conduct an annual strategic planning session in your off-season. After your busy season has concluded, you will have fresh information at hand about what worked well and what did not. You can review your results and start new projections for the coming and future years. You can discuss the strategic direction of your company and look for opportunities to increase business in the coming year, or potential threats looming on the horizon.

As you come away from your annual retreat with new initiatives, you will want to incorporate any changes to your written business plan as well as lay out an action plan to achieve them.

Categories : Business Planning

Business Plan – Roadmap to Success: 5-Session Teleclass Series

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 07/06/2011

Sustainability - Business Planning

Your Business Plan – Roadmap to Success
A well developed business plan helps you as a business owner to focus on future business success and guides you in gathering all the necessary resources to achieve that success.

It is a well documented observation that most businesses do not plan to fail – they simply fail to plan. Having the “hows and whys” of your business documented provides a powerful focus to help you achieve success. It also provides a monitoring tool to measure progress towards your goals.

There are three reasons why you need a “living” business plan, (not one that you created years ago that is now gathering dust in a file somewhere).

  1. A good business plan is your roadmap – a guide for you to refer to as you make decisions about how to run your business.
  2. As you bring team members into your organization, or train and educate your existing team, your business plan provides clear direction and reinforces your culture.
  3. Banks, governments and business partners are increasingly requiring business plans to support their decisions relating to lending and providing financial assistance, and a good business plan can make the difference.

If you are ready to put a business plan in place for your business, click here to find out more and register for our next session!

Categories : Events

Take Time for a Mini Retreat

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 07/05/2011

Recently my partner and I took a mini-retreat to spend time thinking strategically about our businesses. We had both been feeling like we were down in the weeds of our day to day work and needed to get our eyes up to the horizon to look around and do some strategic planning.

While a more formal annual strategic planning session is a valuable planning activity that I advocate for all businesses, sometimes it’s good to recognize when you just need to get out for a shorter, more informal time-out to re-focus on the big picture.

It doesn’t need to be complicated to take a mini-retreat. We took a half day on a weekend and went to a large local hotel that has a lot of meeting space. We found a quiet corner in a mezzanine with a table and a couple of chairs to have our meeting. For me, it makes a world of difference to get away from my usual surroundings, and this proved ideal. We weren’t in anyone’s way, and we paid the hotel for parking and enjoyed a meal in one of their restaurants afterward.

The result? I came up with several new ideas that were in line with my business plan, and that got me excited about my business again. I took the time at the mini-retreat – because I had the intention to do so – to write out a rough outline and action steps for what I needed to do to put my new plans into effect.

Categories : Uncategorized

The Solution to Healthier Sales

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 07/03/2011

Good times and busy seasons always feel like they will last forever. However, there always times when clients are harder to find. The global financial crisis and its consequences showed that when an economy sours, firms without robust processes tend to founder. Fewer leads and falling sales are typical signs.

Sales PipelineCompanies can reduce the effect of external conditions by trying to determine where future sales will come from and how to get them. This process is called building a sales pipeline because it lets you track a potential client from the first point of contact through to a completed sale and beyond.

A well developed sales pipeline will define how many sales you aim to close in a month, quarter or year. Looking back at your track record you can then make forecasts about the number of sales and the following revenue and profit you will generate. In other words, it helps you measure firm performance.

A sales pipeline will reveal interesting facts about the skills of your sales team. A salesperson might be great at finding new customers but terrible at closing the sale; another might take twice as long to close as his or her colleagues. Salespeople can undergo training to help them improve problem areas or you could hire someone with complementary skills to your existing team.

A pipeline can also enforce discipline in the sales process and find more sales from existing clients, which is often easier than acquiring new ones. Analyzing the reasons for losing a sale can help you understand which questions will lead to a win.

Studying sales as they progress through a pipeline will show that not all sales are equal. Larger deals usually take more effort to win than smaller ones, and knowing the cost of making a sale is important in finding out how much profit you made in each sale.

The more information your sales pipeline delivers, the more tightly you can focus on chasing the most profitable sales. Then you can hand your sales team a detailed picture of your ideal client, where to find them and how to convince them to say yes.

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : Closing Ratio, Monitoring, Sales, Sales Pipeline, Sellling

Social Media Marketing for Painting Contractors

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 06/14/2011

Social MediaWednesday, June 29, 2011
1:30 PM Eastern (12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain, 10:30 AM Pacific
Duration: 90 minutes
Presenter: Linnea Blair
A Workplace Training Center Audio Conference by American Painting Contractor Magazine

If you want to know how on earth social media could ever pay off for your painting contracting business, this is the audio conference for you.

Whether you’re using social media already but think you could be getting better results, or whether you are still trying to figure out what all the hubbub is about, Linnea Blair of Advisors on Target has helped many painting contractors get online and get their message out. And now, she shares her best ideas and advice for how you can use social media marketing to reach the audience you want, get the clients you need and be more successful.

How could social media benefit your company? How do you find and reach the people who are most likely to hire you? Are you constantly bombarded by companies trying to get you to pay money for social media services you do not fully understand? What social media can you do on your own—and when is it time to hire someone to do it for you?

If you are like most business owners, you want the confidence and knowledge to create a professional social media presence that reflects your company brand the way you want to be known—and you want the tools to connect effectively with your audience to get more business!

Are you the owner of a small to medium-sized business who wants to get more leads and referrals through social networking? This is one training investment that is sure to pay off for you.

Online relationships mirror offline relationships. If you can connect with your current contacts through social media as well as in person, you will expand your ability to be at the top of their minds and become connected to their networks. In other words, you get your business in front of more eyes—more often! Sign up today to listen to the live event with a Q&A with Linnea afterwards, or order the CD to listen to at your own convenience.

Learning Objectives:

  • You know social media should be part of your marketing strategy, but what does it actually mean to create brand awareness, generate new leads, and gain referral business from existing clients and referral partners using social media?
  • What are you missing by not being online and using social media in today’s modern business environment?
  • How do social media apply specifically to your painting company? How do you use it to reflect your company brand and connect with your audience to get more business—without wasting a lot of time?
  • Define your purpose for using social media so that it makes sense with your marketing goals
  • Maximize your company presence on the top three social media sites: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
  • Start using effective networking and marketing techniques with social media to increase brand awareness

Register Here

Categories : Events
Tags : Social Media
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