I got an amazing email from Marcus Sheridan at The Sales Lion this morning.

Marcus has developed an approach called ‘The Honest Economy’ and it is all about being truthful instead of relying on slick ad copy to promote your business. The Heart Of the concept is having great communication with your clients, and providing great teaching to them.

What he says is just such good advice, practical and real, and I found it very inspiring!

Marcus lists five ways to start embracing the Honest Economy technique, all of which have their basis in truth and can have an amazing impact on your business.

5 Ways You Can Embrace The Honest Economy and Change Your Business Forever

1. Answer every question-positive or negative-you’ve ever been asked by a prospect or customer. Turn each question into a blog post title, and then just answer it. Hold nothing back. Be real. Be consistent. Make this a culture.

2. Write a manifesto about something you seeing wrong in your industry, and then show it to the world. (Yes, this takes guts, but you’ll be amazed at the results.)

3. Make an offer to customers no one else in your industry is willing to offer. (Car Max did this with their 5-day money back guarantee in the used car industry and it worked out pretty well for them

4. Make a section of your website called “Who we are not for.” (Believe it or not, it’s more important in your copy that you tell people who you’re NOT for (your product, service, etc.) than who you are for. I’m sure no one does this right now in your industry, but if you do, you’ll see the powerful psychological effect it has on customers and prospects.)

5.  Show your “secret sauce” by making a video explaining how you do what you do . As mentioned in the TED talk, if McDonalds showed the world how to make their secret sauce, don’t you think it’s time we showed ours?? Whether you offer a product, a service, are B2B or B2C-please consider showing the world how you make your secret sauce.

Amazing, right? But also so obvious and so true to the way most natural therapists conduct themselves.

If you want to find out more click here to watch Marcus’ full talk at TED event in the US. It’s only 11 minutes long but the impact it could have on your business is remarkable!

The post Five tips to create Marcus Sheridan’s The Honest Economy in your business appeared first on The Heart Of.

I’ve met a lot of people who think that spirituality and business are incompatible. That spirituality is all airy fairy feelings and has no place in business decision making.

I couldn’t disagree more.

In fact, far from seeing spirituality as a negative in business I see it as our secret weapon!

If you can connect to the universe through your modality, if you trust your intuition, if you can give your business an energy and ask it what it wants you to do today then what a bonus for you (and for your clients).

Think of all the people out there struggling to start a successful business and learn all the techniques necessary to run that business. They don’t understand the power of a positive thought and of talking energetically with potential clients. They don’t know how to use inner strength and bigger beliefs to get through a difficult time. If you already have that knowledge, and can use it in your business, then more power to you.

If you have this spiritual bonus, embrace it and use it for all it’s worth. It’s your secret weapon in business.

When I trust my intuition and go with flow, the universe brings me unbelievable connections; unexpected phone calls, new clients and colleagues, and opportunities that I never dreamt of in my wildest dreams. But I have to trust and believe in myself before these things happen for me.

So, instead of suppressing your spirituality or seeing it as something to be kept separate from your business why not try tapping into it? Use it to engage with the energy of your business and use your beliefs and knowledge to your advantage.

After all, it’s spirituality that put us all a step above the ordinary folk.

How do you use spirituality in your business?

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If you’ve spent much time looking around my website and online community you’ll know how passionate I am about natural therapy, and connecting practitioners to help them build their businesses.

So, I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was when I first became aware of the Wellness Business Owners World Summit (WBOWS).

In a nutshell, the online summit is all about getting high profile long term industry professionals to share best practices, techniques, and strategies with us all to improve our businesses.

Sounds good, right?

Our industry is developing so quickly at the moment which is inspiring and challenging at the same time. WBOWS gives us all a chance to interact with some industry leaders, including Chip Wilson (Lululemon founder), Dr Joe Dispenza (Neuroscience for Business) and Michael Port (Book Yourself Solid), as well engaging with other people who are passionate about wellness.

I’ll certainly be there!

The summit runs from 14 to 28 June, and there are a number of free ‘taster’ sessions that start next week on 6th May. If you want to find out more, or register, click here.

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How much should you charge your clients?

Most natural therapy practitioners don’t know how much they are worth, not just in financial terms but in what they deliver to their clients and so they have no idea how much to charge.

Value = self esteem.

Think about that equation for a second.

Are you proud of the amount you charge or do you resent your clients because you don’t feel you are being paid what you are worth?

Does the amount you charge for your service match your self esteem?

Practitioner’s fees shouldn’t replicate what other local therapists are charging. Instead they need to reflect the value YOU are providing to your clients.

What is it worth to them to be able to recover from a debilitating illness, or move freely after an accident at work, or to feel calm when life throws challenges their way?

People respect expertise and quality, and in our society part of the way we determine quality is the amount that we pay for something.

When you are thinking about your fee structure first think about this: you ARE special, you ARE valuable and there aren’t many other people out there who can do what you can do. That’s why clients are coming back to you, because they NEED your service, they NEED you to heal them and they are prepared to pay for that.

So how do you discover what you are worth?

Below is a very simple way to discover your worth on your own, but if you have a mentor or coach this would be a good topic to cover with them to really discover the truth about you and your business.

• Emotionally:

Write down exactly what it is you offer your clients

Write down the solutions you provide to your clients

Write down the advantages the client has after your treatment

Really think about what makes you different from other therapists.

• Financially:

Decide how much you want to earn per year

Divide that by how many weeks you want to work per year

Divide that by how many days a week you want to work

Divide that by how many hours you want to work a day

Now you have an hourly rate that you can convert into a per session rate.

Then start playing around with the two; compare the dollar amount with the value and see if they equate; adjust where necessary and you’ve got a new rate to charge.

A rate that truly reflects your worth.

Do you feel comfortable with the rate you charge or do you feel you have undervalued yourself?

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Smart phones have revolutionised the way we interact and have made it possible for small business owners to be in touch with their business any time, any where.

If you’re anything like me, although you love the convenience of your phone, you find typing on the touch screen frustratingly slow. It’s different from your computer keyboard, different from your old mobile, and the keys are small and your fingers big!

But with a bit of effort you can make touch screen typing faster and much less agonising.

If you want to type faster on your smart phone the first thing is to work out which fingers you type with. Some people prefer a single pointer finger, others use two thumbs. It’s a personal choice and really all about what works best for you.

Once you have your fingers sorted, here are a few tricks that will make life with your smart phone much easier:

iPhone:

1. Auto-correct – For the most part the iPhone auto-correct program is pretty accurate which means that it is faster to just type and assume auto-correct is fixing any errors along the way.But we have all seen those emails where autocorrect gets it so wrong, so make sure you proof read before you press send!
2. MLAs – You could consider using some multi-letter acronyms (MLA) eg. lol, which are much faster to type. But always keep your audience in mind when using these. They’re fine with friends but how will your clients feel about them?
3. Create shortcuts – If you have phrases that you use a lot you can create a shortcut whereby you type a shortened version (eg. COB for “please respond by close of business”) and your phone automatically substitutes your entire phrase. To set up shortcuts just go to Settings>General Keyboard>Shortcuts.
4. Dictate instead of typing – there is a microphone button on your texting keyboard which you can use to dictate your message instead of typing it. It is much faster but accuracy varies.

Android:

1. Choose your keyboard – Android comes with a standard keyboard but there are lots of others available so choose the one that works best for you. Two of the interesting options are Swype for Android which allows you to trace the letters of the words on the screen without lifting your finger off the screen, and ThumbKeyboard where you type entirely with your thumbs (great for people who still miss their old mobile phone!).
2. Turn commonly used text into a memo – if you have a section of text that you email from your phone over and over again, perhaps directions, you can turn it in to a memo and insert it into messages without having to retype it every time. Go to the Memo app, type out the text and hit save. Next time you are writing a message and need to use the text just hit insert and select the memo you have saved. All the text will appear in your message.
3. Auto-correct –The best way to use Android’s auto-correct is to type a few letters of the word you want, Android will display a selection of the most likely words above the keyboard, you select the one you want and it will be inserted into your message, complete with a space after it. The trick with this technique is to stop looking at the keyboard and just focus on the suggested words.

And if you want to practise your touch-screen typing there are lots of programs available. Try Typing Web (link to http://iphone.typingweb.com/) which is free and works for either the iPhone or Android systems.

Confession time… how is your touch-screen typing? 

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If you want to have freedom you need to have structure.

I know that seems like a pretty odd statement, especially as so many people decide to work for themselves in order to have more flexibility and a better work life balance.

Never the less, it is true.

Running a small business, seeing clients, looking after your family, looking after you relationship and don’t forget looking after yourself … it is a lot of work and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Introducing structure to your week gives you the ability to focus on one thing at a time and the freedom to relax knowing that there is enough time to fit in everything you need to do.

Recently I have been encouraging my clients to create a more rigid timetable-like structure in their week.

In most cases their first reaction to this is fear. Despite that fear they have all gone ahead and started to plan out what their week can look like, blocking out times for each specific part of their lives. Appointments here, free time there, working on their business here, kids stuff there and so on.

The fear remains for most of my clients until they try it out (luckily my clients trust me and are prepared to give it a go).

As they start their week and use the new structure, the realisation dawns on them that structure actually creates freedom and the ability to concentrate only on the task at hand.

By structuring your week you know that there is a time and a place for all the different things you need to do. So if you are in a client session you can forget about whatever else needs to be done that week because you know it’s in the structure and you will get to it.

It means that when you are spending time with your kids, you can be fully present with them and not thinking about your business. Likewise if you are working, you don’t have to feel guilty about your family because you know you will have time for them too.

So, how do you create this structure?

1. Grab your diary.
2. Allocate time for all the personal/family appointments that require your time each week, things like school drop off, grocery shopping etc.
3. Schedule yourself a lunch break every day.
4. In the spaces left block out time for client appointments and only ever book clients in these spaces. Be realistic about how many appointments you can fit in, give yourself a break in between each and think about how many clients you need to see to make money.
5. Create a time each week to complete your business administration tasks.
6. If you don’t fill an appointment slot use it to work on building your business.
7. Make sure there is time left for relaxation!

The beauty of scheduling to create freedom is that you are in control. If you need to attend your child’s swimming carnival you can. If you only want to work four days a week you can. You just need to schedule it in.

Having a structure allows you to relax, knowing that if you fill your scheduled appointments you will earn the money you want to earn, that there is time for everything and you have the freedom to have relaxation time without feeling guilty that you are not working.

Have you tried planning your week?

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People are motivated by lots of different things in life and the same is true in business. If, by doing what you love, you can combine the two then you have a great reason to get out of bed each day.

Here’s my story about how combining my passion for business with my passion for helping people gave me a job I love.

One of the things that gets me excited and out of bed each day is being able to help people make their business dreams come true. Plus, I’m passionate about natural therapy and its power to help and heal people.

Coming from a business background I often find it frustrating to watch really gifted natural therapy practitioners struggle to establish a successful business because no one has taught them the skills they need to run a business.

That’s why I created The Heart Of Community, to help natural therapy practitioners learn the skills you need to run your businesses more effectively so that you can spend more time focusing on your passion and core business: helping people.

Times are changing and learning about running a business no longer has to be something that is time consuming or requires you to leave your business for a couple of days. Technology allows me to bring learning straight to the practitioner in the convenience of your home or practice.

The Heart Of Community has been created to put the practitioner’s needs first. We provide:

• Training when you want it and when you have the time to conduct it
• The ability to ask any business question and receive an answer in 24 hours
• A one-stop shop for business solutions to minimise time wasted searching the Internet for answers.

I’m also conscious that running a natural therapy practice can feel lonely at times. But you are not alone! Other practitioners are having the same experiences as you, you’re just not aware of it. Or perhaps you are going through a phase that someone else has just come out of successfully.

So, as well providing business skills to enhance your business, the community is a place where we can all support each other, share knowledge and experiences we have had, and provide realistic advice to others.

And hey, you may even find yourself making online (and even offline) friendships along the way.

When I wake up in the morning I feel excited, and like I’m the luckiest person in the world to be combining my two passions. Through my community, I hope that I can help you wake up with a smile on your face, excited to be working on ALL aspect of your business.

What motivates you? Do you have a job you love?

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There are few things more frustrating than getting up in the morning, raring to get started on the day’s work, full of great ideas and inspiration, and then your computer takes ages to start.

It can really take the wind out of your sails and slow your day down before it even starts.

Plus it is a waste of your time.

One of the things that can make your computer take longer to boot than it used to is an overloaded startup system.

Over the lifetime of your computer you install additional programs. They generally consider themselves to be important and so register as startup items on your computer. That means that they start as soon as you start your computer.

It is often this glut of programs all trying to start at once that slows down your computer startup.

And as you add more and more programs to your computer the startup time becomes slower and slower.

So, how do you stop these programs from starting immediately you turn your computer on?

Windows:

Click on Start>Run> and then type in misconfig and click on OK. Select the Startup tab, then the Services tab and uncheck the applications you don’t want to load when your computer first turns on. Then click on Apply.

Mac:

Go to System Preferences > System > Users & Groups > Login Items, and uncheck any applications you want off the startup.

Even just deleting a few programs can make a big difference to the time your computer takes to boot up.

Just one word of caution though, make sure you know what the programs are before you uncheck them. Some of the programs in Windows startup are required for your computer to work properly so it is better to ere on the side of caution and only delete programs you are sure you can live without.

Is your computer slow to start?

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Facebook, banking, email, online grocery shopping, Twitter…

With so much of our lives, both professional and personal, now conducted online are you struggling to remember passwords for all the different sites you use?

Or perhaps you just use one password for everything and cross your fingers that no one hacks your accounts?

For those of us who struggle to remember passwords (and let’s be honest, everyone forgets occasionally) help is at hand in the form of secure online password storage systems.

It is a booming market – there are quite a few options to consider and the cost, along with what their systems deliver, varies considerably.

Some sites create and store passwords for you, others store your existing work, client and personal logins, some allow you to share the passwords with others, and some allow you log in to other sites directly through their secure site.

Two of the biggest secure password systems are 1Password and PassPack but there are lots of other out there so make sure you shop around for exactly what your business needs.

As the Passpack website says; secure online password storage is “Better than your memory. More durable than paper.”

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I challenge you to find any small business owner who likes doing their bookkeeping.

I’m not saying they don’t exist, they may be out there somewhere but if they are I’ve certainly never met them.

Bookkeeping and accounting in general is one of the key areas that confuses, worries and annoys many small business owners.

Luckily things have got a lot easier with the arrival of online bookkeeping software.

My favourite online bookkeeping software and the one I choose to use is a program called Xero.

Xero is really easy to use. You can attach multiple bank accounts, as well as setting up your bank statements to import automatically into Xero, which makes balancing your books a breeze.

My accountant can log in from her office if I need help or advice so we don’t have the hassle of sending files back and forth. Plus I can invoice and email online, and I can hook up my PayPal account so people can pay my invoice via credit card.

And doing your BAS is as easy as a click of a couple of buttons.

As you can tell – I love it.

Another big player in the same space as Xero is Saasu. I haven’t personally used this software but it does very similar things to Xero and ranks very highly in the conversations of my peers around online accounting software.

A third option which a lot of my peers use is Freshbooks. The difference here is that they promote themselves as a billing and invoicing software. Again, I personally haven’t used Freshbooks but it is an option that you should consider as this may be all your business needs at the moment.

Offline software such as Quickbooks and MYOB are still around and also used a lot but I would suggest if you are starting a business today, an online accounting system would be the way to go.

So, with so many great options available to make your bookkeeping easy, how do you choose the right program for your business?

There are two primary questions to think about when choosing online bookkeeping software:

1. What software does your bookkeeper or accountant use and what they are prepared to use? Some bookkeepers aren’t into online accounting just yet so make sure you do your research thoroughly and pick an accounting system that suits your business and your accountant.
2. Do you use a Customer Relations Manager (CRM)? This is a program which stores all your clients’ details and records. If you do have a CRM, or think you might get one in future, make sure you pick an online accounting software that integrates with your preferred CRM so you don’t have to switch programs later.

If you are just starting your business it never hurts to run your accounts through an Excel spreadsheet until you can justify the cost of an online software or a bookkeeper. You can create invoices in word and just record all your transactions manually. It’s old fashioned but it works!

So, have you had trouble with bookkeeping in the past? What software do you use to keep them under control?

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