Teresia's Blog

We live in a world where we’re expected to be available all the time for almost any reason. Worse, we expect it from ourselves. With easy access to technology 24/7, being accessible has become a way of life. According to the 2010 iPass Mobile Workforce Report, over 94% of workers do not completely unplug while on vacation. How many of those people do you think are risking a total burn out? Are you one of them?

Before you contemplate unplugging strategies it is equally, if not more, important to make a mental shift. Focus on “why” you want to have a “work free” holiday and the how will naturally follow.

So what are the benefits to completely unplugging?

When you completely unplug:

• You Sleep Better – Need I say more?
• You Tap Into Your Creative Mind – It could be one of the best strategic business choices you’ll make. When you separate yourself from your day to day responsibilities, you create an environment where your mind is free to think creatively without restraint. I have had many clients who identified their most profitable business ideas and/or sustainable solutions to an ongoing problem while on vacation.
• You Recharge and Tap Into the Vacation Mindset – which is that energy, enthusiasm and feeling of renewal that comes with an unplugged vacation. As an entrepreneur you are your business – the better you feel, the more productive you will be.
• Your family – Your vacation may be the longest stretch of quality time you get to spend with your family… ever! Is your business worth that compromise? A better question is what lifestyle do you want to be modelling for your children?
• You deserve it! – As an entrepreneur it is easy to always be “on” and it takes good hard work to maintain and grow a successful business. Reward yourself. Chances are that no one else will.

OK are you convinced on the benefits? Not completely? Let’s move on to the next step and outline some strategies to show you how manageable unplugging for your vacation actually is.

1. 30 days before your vacation educate your clients, team members, and vendors that you will be away and will be completely disconnected. If there is something urgent they can contact your assistant directly. If you do not have an assistant – for those of you who have been following me for a while, you know what I am going to say – hire an assistant now! If you are spending more than 10% of your business hours on admin type activities, it is success critical to have an assistant in your corner. If you are going on vacation it is well-being critical! Period. Get one in place before you go on holidays. She/he can start dealing with urgent matters. Your clients will appreciate a friendly, empathic voice and if a crisis hits, it will make a difference.

2. The day before you leave put an “out of office” auto responder message on your email. (An auto responder is an email that is sent out automatically whenever an incoming email is received). Change your voice mail to say you are away and if they need immediate help they can contact your assistant. Don’t forget to include his/her phone number. Be sure to give yourself an extra day on the back end to get organized and catch up on emails and voice mails.

3. As a back-up arrange for a colleague to step in and help during your absence if urgent action is required. There are many advantages to working with colleagues including collaborating, expanding your team, and letting go of the lone ranger mentality. I had a wonderful experience of not doing it alone with my colleague and partner  Cheryl Cran of our  Triplemmastermind program when I was on maternity leave.

4. I used to recommend having your cell phone with you as an emergency tool BUT in our world of iPhones and Blackberries you MUST leave ALL digital devices at home. I know this is a tough one, but can you really unplug if you have your communication devices with you?

5. If you cannot leave your phone at home, and you know that you will be tempted to access email or call your assistant and innocently ask “how is it going?” book your vacation in a remote area with no access. Hey, a holiday on an island in the Caribbean or a log cabin nestled in the midst of the mountains sounds pretty cool to me.

For those of you who are going into a full blown panic attack with the anxiety of just not knowing what is happening during your absence – I have an option for you, but you have to promise that you will not abuse it.

If you REALLY REALLY REALLY MUST – Schedule Plug-In Times.

If you vouch for this option, when you get back from your holidays your next step is to hire me! We need to break through this pattern. It is costing you your quality of life and compromising your greatest business resource: YOU. (I am sure it is also impacting some of the relationships in your life). A client’s daughter recently said to him “Daddy do you like the people at your office more than you like me?” Ouch… We can transform this in 1 to 3 sessions or your money back!

OK I digress… When you schedule a plug-in choose a specified time — and timeframe — when you will plug in.

For example: block out a 3 hour window to “work” 3 days into your vacation from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. By doing this you are making a conscious choice when to work, and also setting aside the rest of the time not to work. (Warning: many clients with the best intentions have attempted to use used this strategy in the past and it has not worked well for them, as self proclaimed recovering workaholics, when there was something left undone it was challenging for them to let it go and it seeped poison into their holiday).

In addition, set up an accountability system. Share your schedule with your husband and kids. Ask them to call you on it if you do not stick to the allotted time. Agree to a consequence if you don’t follow through.

Give this option some serious thought. Ask yourself if it will really serve you. The immediate gratification rarely trumps the long-term benefits of deciding to be completely unplugged.

It’s your choice, but having the courage to completely unplug could be the most productive and healthy decision you’ll make this year. Hey, there might even be a benefit to your sex life! And that’s never a bad thing.

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It was fun to write an article on the topic of blind spots.  I wasn’t really aware of my blind spots until I  was in a committed long term relationship, then I quickly came to realize that maybe I do have some behaviours that don’t really help me create what I want in my life…..just maybe . Since then I have actively asked for feedback on what my blind spots could be. Becoming aware of and transforming your blind spots changes your life! Check out my article in the province to get a glimpse into blind spots and what you can do about them.

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As i put together my power points, I am getting excited about my next presentation.  Join me on May 19th at the WOW monthly series for an insightful, empowering presentation on………having it all!

Here is a glimpse of what i will be talking about:

Leverage Your Business. Love Your Life

• Is your business taking off, but taking over your life?
• Are you sacrificing family and personal priorities because you’re overwhelmed?
• Starting to feel overworked and burned out from too many late nights, early starts, and caffeine as a food group?
• Are you stretched to the max, trying to be both a super-mom and a career woman?
• Feeling a little stuck with no place to turn, and wondering how (or if) you can carry on this way?

If you can relate to ANY of the above, you’re not alone. In fact, most women on their way to greatness pass through at least one of these stages (if not all) – struggling to create business success without sacrificing their life in the process!

During this session I will help you discover how to:

• Leave overwhelm behind.
• Grow your business without burning out.
• Stop doing everything yourself.
• Turn your passion into profit.
• Learn how marketing can be fun and effortless.
• Design an environment that brings out your best.

Find out more at the http://www.thewowevent.com/evenings

Coaching you to achieve your definition of “having it all”

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Wow! That is the kind of day we had at www.thewowevent.com. The experience of being in a room full of like minded women, who are committed to being their best and up to big stuff leaves you feeling energized and excited about the possibilities of your life! I was honored to be asked to wrap up the day and help the audience embrace and capture their WOW moments of the day.

It was great to hear the shifts, perspectives and insights that happened for the participants throughout the day. What I know for sure is when you put yourself in an empowering environment it stirs your soul and enhances your belief and commitment that you really can live the life you truly desire.

Thank you to Christine Awram, founder of the WOW conference for making this experience possible.

My friend and colleague Cheryl Cran, professional keynote speaker, author and consultant was also a speaker at the WOW event and we formally launched www.Triplemmastermind.com. We had an overwhelming response. There is no doubt that the trend for self employed women is letting go of the lone ranger mentality and gifting ourselves with outstanding support!

You have a dream, you have a sense of what you can create, you have already created many successes. You are able to manifest what you want, AND right now you can feel the energy to step forward and to really create big results. You don’t want to postpone, delay or put off your big goals any longer. You want to move ahead as quickly as you can and you know you can’t do it alone. So what could you create with the right support?

Imagine having an hour with Tina Fey what could she tell you that would help you move forward quickly. What if you had half a day with Oprah? Or what could you create with half a day with not one but two highly successful entrepreneurs with connections to PR, Speakers Bureaus, Coach Universities, and Book publishers?

The Triple M Mastermind is starting in June 2011 and it will be a small group of 12 likeminded women. This unprecedented program includes meeting with Cheryl and I for half a day a month where we focus on 2 women, their goals, their business stretches and the group masterminds in an online forum for a month until the next half day session. The program is a 6 month commitment and promises to leverage each participant’s success.

We also offer one day strategy programs for those women who want to get a full day focused on them, their business, their life and their big goals. This can include building a coaching practice, building the speaking business, marketing the business, PR strategies, social media strategies, website strategies and more.

We have worked with a number of women who have gone on to create incredible results and we have amazing testimonials from over the moon clients.

We have 2 spots open for the Triple M Mastermind consults- if you are already successful, if you are ready to break through to a new level, if you know you can’t do this next step alone – then sign up now for a consultation to see if this program is for you.

Email us at info@triplemmastermind.com to sign up today!

P.S Come join me at the Wow monthly event – this month I will be sharing my 3 tips on ensuring your business is serving your life and you’re not being a servant to your business.

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Hello fellow self employed professionals,

We are on a roll here at TLC! The count down is on before the start of our next Passion into Profit (PIP) program begins on May 5th. Today 20 committed, motivated, fearless coaches participated in our business Q&A conference call.

We covered some key business building principals. Listen here (please scroll part way down the page and note the call is listed on the right side of the page) and learn more about:

• How to position yourself as an expert.
• The steps you need to take to increase your confidence and belief in the value you have to offer.
• The four critical activities of a successful entrepreneur.
• The first thing you need to do when you decide to become an entrepreneur.
• Strategies and processes to effortlessly get the financial commitment from your IDEAL client.
• Steps to launch your speaking career.

If these points resonate with you, you may want to book a personal consultation with me to see if the PIP program is the next best step for you. Email us at info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com

As an entrepreneur, the sky is the limit! Cheers to creating a life we love!

www.passionintoprofitforcoaches.com

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What I want for you as a self employed professional is to love – yes love, marketing your coaching services.

I too often have conversations with entrepreneurs who struggle to build their business and usually it is because they have a negative association with “selling” their services.

A concept that I support my entrepreneurial clients with and often speak about in my keynote presentations is to spend 80% of your time doing what you love and delegate the rest! Imagine if you were living this – what could be possible?

When we are doing what we love the activities are effortless, we are energized, we get more done with less effort, we are in the flow and become very attractive (not attractive as in a great hair cut , but attractive in that potential clients are naturally drawn to us). Most importantly our business is an expression of our greatest gifts, our authentic self and we are compelled to making a bigger difference.

In the Passion into Profit program, I encourage self employed professionals to consider this concept when looking at their marketing activities. What if you chose marketing activities that were aligned with what I call your Attractive Abilities? Attractive abilities are not only activities that you are good at but also what you love to do. Both need to be present.

According to Lynda-Ross Vega, who’s been studying personality success potential for over 25 years, every person on the planet comes with a certain set of natural abilities.  And unless you recognize and use yours, chances of you succeeding are going to be limited. Everyone has a natural ability, but most people just never take the time to discover what their attractive abilities are.

You may already have an idea what your Attractive Abilities are, or you might still be questioning what they are. Focusing on your Attractive Abilities is not an instantaneous process, but you will experience rewards from the minute you commit yourself to discovering what they are and translate them over to your marketing activities.

Begin by asking yourself:

1. What activities are you doing in your business that energize you – before and after?

2. What activities do you do where time seems to fly?

3. Think of a time in your business when you were successful. What activities were you doing?

4. What activities do other people think you are good at (and you love to do) and you were surprised because you thought everyone was good at them?

A graduate of the Passion into Profit program realized that she had a great passion for writing and sharing her thoughts through the written word. She took on the challenge of designing her marketing plan around the vehicle of writing; today she gratefully attracts clients through her blog, online articles and being a regular columnist through several popular publications. She never thought marketing her coaching business could be so easy and rewarding.

Another client of the Passion into Profit program spent months struggling with successfully implementing an internet marketing plan. He knew it was not a passion or a strength but felt to be on the cutting edge he needed to market his business this way. Through discovering his attractive abilities he realized one of his natural abilities and something he has always been successful at was public speaking. He redesigned his marketing plan that included 80% of his time speaking and delegated the day to day activities of his internet marketing to his assistant.  He is attracting clients through both vehicles and most importantly his confidence has increased and he is inspired daily to build his business.

Both clients above had to move through many limiting beliefs to fully step into their new way of marketing their business. “This is too easy, I cannot possibly build a profitable business this way” “the successful coaches I know built their business a totally different way” “I should be doing X and Y instead of spending time of this, it just seems too good to be true.”

When we do what we love, aligned with our greatest strengths and share our passion with the world, magic happens. In the coaching business people buy people and the more attractive you are, the more success you will experience.  Decide today to discover your attractive abilities and give up the struggle of marketing your business and be a testimonial to ‘YES marketing can be fun!’

I would love to hear from you. What are your attractive abilities and how are you using them to build your business.  Email me at info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com.

www.passionintoprofitforcoaches.com

Are you a coach? Is it time to take your business to the next level? Our next Passion into Profit (PIP) program starts May 5th. Email us at info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com for a personal consultation with Teresia to see if the PIP is the next best step for you.

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There is a saying that people won’t make a change in their life unless they feel enough pain to make the change. Consider that someone may live an unhealthy life and then are told they have a life threatening illness- typically at that point they decide to make big changes.

Or consider someone who has been in an unhappy relationship for years and finally they realize that they are ’settling’ and they make a decision to transform or leave the relationship.

There is a turning point in everyone’s life and business or a fork in the road that we all encounter. One of the major signs that you are ready for a business breakthrough is that you are no longer willing to settle!

You will not settle for:

• Making less money than you know you are able to create
• Struggling to keep up with work without support
• Doing it all alone and feeling stressed or frustrated
• Trying to figure things out without an overall plan or strategy
• Feeling stuck or in a rut with the success you have created

If any of these ‘no settle’ items resonate with you then congratulations you have the first symptom of being ready for a major business breakthrough!

The good news here is that when you recognize that you are no longer willing to tolerate or settle you are now ready to do something in a new or different way in order to create a new and different result.

So if you know what you will not settle for the fun part is to decide what you want to create. Usually what you want to create is the opposite to what you will no longer tolerate. 

It might look like this:

• Rather than settle for less money you wish to create abundance with ease
• Rather than struggling to keep up with your work you attract the right support
• Rather than doing it all alone you envision yourself supported and joyful
• Rather than trying to figure things out on your own you have a strategy team
• Rather than feeling stuck you feel energetic and re-energized about the future
• Deciding not to settle or tolerate takes courage BUT it is a key step in living your best life.

TLC coaches challenge:

List 5 things you are tolerating in your business. It may include not having the proper equipment or technology, a messy desk, struggling with your marketing activities etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

List 5 things you are tolerating in your relationships. It may include lack of communication, not enough support, poor follow up, not working with your ideal clients, late payments etc
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

List 5 things you are tolerating about yourself. It may include procrastination, sleeping in, not setting boundaries, not committing to an exercise program etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

By simply making this list you will notice your tolerations will begin to disappear. By acting on your list and deciding to be ‘toleration free’, your life and busienss will transform.

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a business breakthrough! 

P.S Check out our Triple M Mastermind Ebook: 6 Signs That You Are Ready for a Major Business Breakthrough and 6 Steps to Cut Through the BS!

Valued at $29.99 – Buy now for $19.99!

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It takes courage and commitment to confront problem behaviours. Dealing with conflict is not easy; in fact, it requires hard work and skill. For about 10 or 20 per cent of the population, confronting problem behaviours is a no-brainer, the rest of us feel some stress and discomfort in conflict situations. Check out my article in the coaches corner in The Province for some immediate tips to ease the stress.

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This past month I have been fully aware of the build up to International Womens’ day. Each year around the world, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

I have been involved in the monthly WOW events where I witness powerful like-minded women come together in an inspired supportive environment where dreams are born and renewed.  Facilitating the www.triplemmastermind.com program and having coached and mentored hundreds of fellow women entrepreneurs I am in awe of the courageous and committed steps women are taking to create a life they love.  Research states that for the past two decades, women owned business have continued to grow at around two times the rate of men starting businesses and 1/3 of women are becoming main breadwinners and this number continues to increase. We have come a long way baby!

Today is a day to celebrate!

• Acknowledge yourself for your achievements. How far have you come in the last two decades? What are you most proud off?
• Think of a women from the past or present. What they have done and continue to do to achieve equality of status with men.  What do you admire most about them? What would she tell you if you asked her how you can make a difference?
• Recognize women’s roles in your own life. Look back in your own experience and review the influence women had in your own life. Thank them for their contribution.
• Honor the women in your life. Pick up the phone and let someone know how much you appreciate them.

Take a moment today and make this celebration personal. Women empowering women makes the world go round.

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“Sometimes it takes an expert to point out the obvious”

~ Scott Allen

I have been riding the wave of the enthusiastic, committed group of self-employed professionals who are presently taking the Passion into Profit Program . Nothing inspires me more (except Kenny’s smiles and funny faces:) then when an individual has the courage and commitment to step up to their true heart desires and create a life they love. I have to say that each week I spend 1 ½ hours with 9 individuals who are doing just that! Lucky me!

This past month, we have been discussing embracing the entrepreneurial mindset and how important it is to be clear of who you are as a business person and what you have to offer.

When someone asks you what do you do? What do you say? More importantly, how do you feel? This is a pivotal moment; it is a chance to communicate your business to a captive audience that could very well become a paying client or a referral source. 

Almost every self employed professional I have worked with has shared that they love what they do but dislikes the marketing aspect of their business. It is part of my mission to help entrepreneurs move from discomfort to embracing the unrevealed joy and possibilities of effective marketing. 

The more confidence and conviction we have of the value we offer, the more attractive we become. When we embrace our expertise a shift happens, instead of feeling like we are selling something we step into being of service. 

Hmm being of service vs. selling – which one appeals to you more? 

To enjoy marketing, to be of service, it starts with knowing without a doubt what results we deliver.    

When someone asks you “what do you do?” What do you say? This is the beginning of your marketing plan. Your answer either sets you up as credible or not. Ever hear the expression you have one chance to make a first impression? 

A well-developed and practiced credo is a critical component of any marketing plan. What is a “credo”? The word was originally used to signify a statement of religious beliefs; the Latin definition is literally “I believe.” In the modern world, the term has been adopted by businesses to state the fundamental components of the business. The longer versions might include a company’s mission, who it serves, its values and ambitions… in other words, everything the company stands for. 

Your credo is the heart of how you represent your work to prospects – both in print and in face-to-face interactions. If you find networking a bit uncomfortable, it’s probably because you don’t have a strong credo to leverage in conversations with strangers.

What I want for you is to feel excited to share who you are, what you do, who you love to work with, and how you make a difference, this is the beginning of attracting business, the business you want. We like to say that a strong credo is the window to the soul of a business. When said with clarity and conviction, you engage people right away by telling them about the difference you make to other people. You also give them much of what they need in order to determine whether you’re a fit for their needs. In that one minute (more or less), you stand in the gateway to more clients, more business, more profit and more success.                                         

Do you have a credo? How strong is your credo? Do you own it with every cell in your body? This week, work on or re-work your credo.

Section 1:  Who am I?

In very simple terms, introduce yourself and/or your company.

Section 2:  Who are my customers?

This is a very straightforward description of whom you want to do business with. The clearer you are the better.

Section 3:  What do I do?

In this section, you want to describe your primary product and/or service. Do you have a clear, confident and compelling answer?

Section 4:  How do they benefit (from their perspective)?

We find that this is the trickiest section to get down clearly. You want to focus on the benefits of your work, not the features, nor the advantages.  Ask yourself, what are your clients’ urgent needs (what are they moving away from)? Also ask, what are their compelling desires (what would they like to move towards)? Bottom-line, what are the deep-rooted benefits your clients will experience as a result of your services?

To help you wrap your mind around this concept, here’s an example of one of my credos and my team coach partner Cheryl Cran’s credo: 

• My name is Teresia LaRocque http://Teresia.com and I am a business coach. I work with entrepreneurs who have been in business for several years and are feeling like a servant to their business, they’re spinning their wheels and are overwhelmed by all their responsibilities. Together we look at ways to leverage their business, and increase their bottom line so that they have less stress and more balance.
• I am Cheryl Cran http://www.yourkeynotecoach.com/ a keynoter and also known as the keynote coach. I work with entrepreneurs that have been in business for over five years and are ready to add speaking/keynoting to help promote their business. I help my clients bust through their barriers, get clear on their message, and increase their speaking and influencing skills.  As a result of working with me entrepreneurs make big leaps in their ability to speak with focus and increase their profile and profitability.

TLC Coach Challenge:

Make a commitment to yourself to devote time this month to developing or improving your credo.  Having a credo that resonates with your soul and captures the essence of your business is the first step in creating an effortless and fun marketing campaign. 

Next Passion into Profit (PIP) program is starting May 5th. Email info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com to book your consultation and see if the PIP program is the next best step for you. 

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