Browse published articles attributed to Pat Mussieux, with full-archive search.
I know that, for many people, the number one fear in life is supposedly public speaking! In my opinion, right 'up there’ on the list, is the fear of failure! I hear this all the time and it drives me crazy. "Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. IT’S OK TO FAIL! If you’re not failing, you’re not growing." – H. Stanley Judd
I recently gave a keynote presentation, and a workshop, to a large group of middle and senior managers. I asked them about their biggest challenge as a leader these days - and the answer was unanimously about motivating employees in the workforce. That was rather interesting to me because, as I coach my clients, I consistently hear that they are challenged staying motivated in the work they do. I am often asked about strategies for motivating people. Well, news flash: YOU cannot motivate people. Motivation is an internal job!
There are many kinds of heroes in life – war heroes, super heroes, emergency services professionals. Have you ever considered yourself in this category? If you are like most people, you have developed the habit of moving through your successes, and accomplishments, in life much too quickly! That’s strong conditioning for many of us who grew up in the day and age when it was not a good thing to speak well of yourself. “If you’re feeling good about you, what you’re wearing outside doesn’t mean a thing!”– Leontyne Price
I often encourage my clients to ask themselves the question “where am I stuck?”For many entrepreneurs, the answer can be as simple as ……..’behind my computer’. For others, it can be much more intense and answers can range from finances to networking to finding new clients. I had the opportunity, last week, to hide behind many excuses. I was faced (graced, actually) with the invitation to appear on TV in Toronto, to start work with my new (phenomenal) business coach and to participate in meetings (in Washington, DC) with my new master mind group.
Kathmandu, Nepal This was a new stop on the tour for me and I was excited. I got to take a small Twin Otter plane and visit Mount Everest – Wow! It was a clear, sunny, perfect day for the flight and while life below was crazy chaotic and crowded, up in the air – it was BLISS! We were on Buddha Air – and had the best mountain flight in the world. The stewardess went out of her way to explain each mountain peak, help us take photos and ensure the flight was memorable.
Life can really suck some days. Have you ever felt that way? Is today the day? I have had my fair share of technological challenges these past few months and I decided to keep notes on just how well (or not!) I was coping with the situation. There are many times, both in business and in life, when we are tempted to just throw up our hands and give in – to surrender! Life, for me, has generally been really great. When it comes to technology, though, that’s foreign ground for me.
Are you feeling stuck when it comes to growing your business? Were you feeling frustrated with a lack of revenue and cash flow this summer? I like to keep things simple so here are 60 ways that you can grow your business before Christmas – it’s not complicated but it does take action. You may be familiar with some of these basic action steps and yet you just haven’t implemented; you may not have heard of some of these things – in which case, just be sure to ask.
Have you ever heard of the ‘lone ranger’ syndrome? Many solo-preneurs experience this, particularly in the start-up phase. Building a business can be a lonely affair – if you let it. This past week, I had the opportunity to visit with friends and spend time with their 4 dogs. My first reaction is that this would be pure chaos but, in actuality, it was not. These dogs were not only very well behaved and had great personalities – but they also “collaborated” on a lot of things.
This time of year is not always happy and jolly for everyone. My Mom passed away last week and one thing that keeps me going is the fact I have learned to be resilient. You, too, must learn this skill to succeed in business these days. It’s not always easy – so, it’s not necessarily how hard you fall – but how well you bounce – and how well you bounce BACK! Tough stuff happens and you must equip yourself with the mental skills to cope and move on. I have learned a lot from the teachings of Dr. Robert Schuller. I want to share some of what I have learned with you today.
There are so many entrepreneurs who are living in the ‘ok’ zone. Many have accepted ‘status quo’ and are just existing, day after day, doing the same things and expecting different results. We are about to flip the calendar and begin a new year – isn’t it time you gave your thinking one big flip also? Nothing great ever happens on the ‘just ok’ level – no energy, no enthusiasm, no great results. “If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm!.” – Norman Vincent Peale
When I was growing up, we weren’t really taught how to manage money – let alone how to think about money. I knew that my parents were not ‘rich’ by any means, as my father was in the military and my Mom was a stay-at-home mother with 7 children under foot. I did know, and learn from them, that cash was king – and that was pretty much the practice in those days. I had no exposure, however, to the world of business or entrepreneurship. Much like Robert Kiyosaki talks about in “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” – there were certain beliefs about money to which I was exposed at a very young age.
Have you ever been lost? Do you sometimes feel, in your business, that you don’t know where you’re going – or, perhaps, you’ve had to change tracks? Whether in life, or in business, this is called taking a detour – and detours can be delightful. There are some simple ways to manage a detour – that will lead you to success and, in the long run, get you to a better place. Seriously! Things to Consider For Delightful Detours. Shift your thinking – be flexible. No plan is carved in stone.
I trust that all of you have had the opportunity to read the phenomenal book “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!” by Susan Jeffers. If not, then you need to get your hands on a copy today. It will become a live-saving reference as you grow your business. All of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives. What is interesting to me is the way we often confuse fear with the feelings of panic. They are very different.
I continue to enjoy watching the Olympic games on TV – winter sports are a favorite of mine. Not only do I get much personal pleasure watching the x-country skiing, the figure skating and the snow-boarding, to name a few of the sports, but I really love listening to the athletes as they are being interviewed. These young people are in a class of their own.
I am often asked what I do, specifically, to generate revenue each and every day. A few years ago, I heard it said that when you focus the first hour of your business day on a revenue-generating activity, you can double your monthly revenue. Well, I’m always up for that kind of challenge. Aren’t you? I started doing that right away and I can assure you that it makes a significant difference in the business.
People often make fun of me when I tell them about my #DWTS (Dancing with the Stars) twitter activities. And they wonder what Twitter has to do with growing my business. I am the first to admit that I am a #DWTS ‘addict’, LOL – however, social media has played a large part in the growth of my business and with relationships. I first connected on Twitter and learned about chat rooms about 5 years ago. I didn’t really take advantage of it at first.
A quick nod of heads – how many of you are working Moms? How many of you feel overwhelmed, unsupported, misunderstood, exhausted and discouraged? And, simultaneously, as you work in your own business, how many of you feel elated, passionate, ‘on purpose’, celebrated, validated and rich? I want to salute you! I really do! In North America, on the second Sunday of May, we celebrate Moms.
Many entrepreneurs go about their busy day, typically doing some of the exact same things that they were doing the day before- the week before – and even the year before. Most of us do not even operate on a conscious level. At one of my master mind meetings last year, we were given an exercise to do – create a ‘Tolerations’ List for your life and for your business. This exercise was a real eye-opener and so very powerful that I, in turn, shared it with my own local master mind group. The discussions we had about this list were astounding, to say the least.
It all has to match if you want to live a happy life! In my experience as a workshop facilitator, speaker and coach, over the past 25 years, this is the question that gets me the most blank stares from people! Geez, most of us don't even know what we want for supper tonight, let alone what we want for our lives! Are you just reactively going through life, from day to day, hour by hour, taking whatever comes your way? Is that good enough for you? What lessons are you teaching your children? Have you 'settled' because it's easy, safe and not as scary as living the life you really want?
Have you ever paid big bucks and taken the time/money to travel and attend high end events? And then you get home, with a HUGE binder of notes and handouts – put it on a shelf somewhere – and get back to the jungle of life and your business? Of course you have – we all have! But what good does that do? In today’s article, I want to share some simple steps that I take to ensure that I get a return on my investment. Try them – you’ll like them.
What is the #1 question asked weekly by ‘Mr. Wonderful” – Kevin O’Leary? Who really chooses the winners of the Mirror Ball on Dancing with the Stars? I do watch TV on a regular basis and I’m not ashamed to admit it. These days, it seems like it’s a bad thing to watch TV – but that all depends on WHAT you are watching and why. It’s a weekly ritual for me to watch ‘Mr. Wonderful”, Kevin O’Leary, both on (Canada’s) Dragons’ Den and on (U.S.) Shark Tank. What I have learned from the dragons and the sharks is this: 1) Know your numbers.r
Do you ever have days when you feel like you just won’t make it? I can remember waking up some mornings, thinking – wondering – pondering – WHEN will IT ever happen? Success, that is. As a woman in business, do you ever feel overwhelmed, with the sense you’ve got to do it all yourself? Well, then you are just one of many. Seriously. You are not alone.
How often have you read a great magazine and realized that every article spoke to you? This doesn’t happen to me all the time but, recently, the issue of SUCCESS Magazine had that amount of great content. I love to read and SUCCESS magazine is one that I would recommend to all entrepreneurs. There is an overwhelming amount of information available these days – it is critical, as busy entrepreneurs, that we stay focused on what ‘matters’, on what is relevant, on what is meaningful. The rest will always be accessible in some form or another.
You really had to be there. In Atlanta – where I was the day it felt like the world was coming to an end. Severe winter weather hit and the city came to a total standstill. From a Canadian’s perspective, it was no big deal. To the people of Atlanta, it was a living hell for at least 48 hours. I have many stories I can tell – but I am choosing to speak of my experience with 2 amazing and inspiring leaders.
Do you have a dream – for your life, for your business? I dream all the time – the downside, in some cases, is that I did not put a time frame to each dream. I was in Chicago this week and finally got to visit Harpo Studios – a long-time dream of mine – the sad part was that Oprah was no longer there! Have you had that happen with any of your dreams? The reaso I want to write about this is because, sadly, I have spoken with many entrepreneurs who have not created a dream for their business – let alone their life!
“Are you any good at what you do?” This is a questio I ask my clients regularly – particularly when they are discouraged or frustrated with the lack of results they are getting. “What are you doing to master your skills?” This is the next questio I ask – not only of my clients, but I ask myself this question on a regular basis, too.
I was in San Francisco for a week of meetings with my business coach and master mind group. We were all given an assignment - and were told to come prepared to present to the whole group. I had a different task in that I am working on a new strategy/presentation style when it comes to public speaking and sales.
There’s an expression that I’ve heard over and over again – “If you didn’t know how old you were, then how old do you think you’d be?” More and more baby boomers are leaving the corporate world and starting their own businesses – only to come up against the mindset that perhaps they are too old to start up a business. This mindset not only exists in the ‘outside world’ but is even stronger inside our own heads!
As women entrepreneurs, I know that we give our 'all' to our business! I do that – and I know I'm not alone. When I was going through my separation and divorce (and the many other 'life challenges' that happened at the same time), I was so fortunate to have one of the best doctors ever. Her advice to me, at the time, was very simple: eat properly, exercise – even just a little bit, and get some sleep.
Do you ever just stop, in the midst of your busy day, and ask yourself the question: why am I do this anyway?! Do you constantly think about the ‘why’ of your business – is it uppermost in your mind. Or, in the midst of chaos (mentally and otherwise), have you lost track of why you do what you do? As I listened to Bob Green on an interview recently, he was talking about what it takes to succeed at weight loss, in order to live your best life. I couldn’t help but relate his comments to what it takes to succeed in business as well. Let’s examine.
"I really admire those Olympic athletes, but I could never do anything like that!" These are some of the comments I've heard over the past few weeks from people with whom I have been discussing the Olympic games. Typically, you would not find me in front of a TV for hours, let alone watching sports. No way! However, it was with a great sense of pride, and interest, that I did watch a lot of the games on TV.
Have heard the expression, when it comes to business: “when you are interested, you do what is convenient; when you are committed, you do whatever it takes!”?? (I’m not sure of the source for this quote because I’ve heard it from so many different people – but it really does ‘sum it up’ when it comes to your approach to business!) As I enjoyed breakfast this past weekend, I was reflecting on the above quote as I stared at my bacon and eggs. Seriously – ask yourself the question: are you the chicken (‘interested’) or the pig (‘totally committed”)?
Did you think that, when you left school, that is when the learning stops, too? I find it very sad that many entrepreneurs have stopped investing in themselves and in their learning. The beauty of technology these days is that there are so many ways we CAN continue to learn and grow and develop – and for F.R.E.E. I have an appetite for growth and wanted to share some of my favorite ways to stay current. TELESEMINARS
I have always been an advocate (and participant) in professional development. One of the questions I hear frequently from my clients and colleagues is ‘how do you manage to get things like that (professional development) into your busy calendar? Continuous learning, for me, is not optional – it’s mandatory. My intention is to keep learning and become the very best at my craft. As a professional, you’ve got to keep on growing. Things change quickly these days – you’ve got to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of business. Mediocrity sucks!
As an entrepreneur, do you ever feel distracted at times? It can be those bright, shiny objects that get in the way of staying focused on activities that bring results that create wealth. Can you relate?
Have you ever worked with a coach and wondered why you didn’t get the results you expected? Having worked for many years as an Executive coach, a Leadership Coach, a Life coach and now a Business coach, I have heard every story (translation: excuse) under the sun when it comes to this mindset.
This winter has seen a tremendous amount of snow fall in our area. I, personally, love it. That is why I choose to live in this part of Canada. I am in the snow belt. The interesting piece in this ‘equation’ is that I have my ‘outside/winter friends’ and my ‘outside/summer friends’ – the same holds true in business – I spend time with different people for different reasons. In business, when you examine your marketing pie, you are probably spending time with different people for different reasons. (You do have a marketing pie, don’t you?)
Did you know that less than 80% of sales leads from trade shows get any follow-up action? 80%!!!! Trade shows and conferences are happening all the time – they are an ideal way to get out there and meet people – YOUR people. What is it about doing follow-up that has entrepreneurs frozen in their tracks? Based on the work I do with my coaching clients, I know that many of you just don’t know what you don’t know. I, personally, love doing follow-up so the purpose of this article is to give you a few of my success tips. They work for me and they can work for you too.
Easy? You want ‘easy’? Convenient? You want ‘convenient’? Then you need to get a job! How serious are you about growing your business? Who said it was going to be easy, or convenient? Being an entrepreneur is work – hard work, at times. And if you are one of the many who are out there ‘whining’ about wanting to be successful like ‘so and so’, or wanting to make more money like your competitors – then YOU need to give your head a shake!
I hear so many women entrepreneurs telling me that they hate sales – they find it sleazy, distasteful and uncomfortable for them. They just want to ‘do their passion’ and fulfill their purpose. Huh? What’s that all about? Why in the world do so many women entrepreneurs feel so very uncomfortable when it comes to sales? I don’t get it.
As a coach and speaker, there is one question that I hear all the time – “how do YOU close the sale?” There appears to be some mystery around the actual sales language that ‘brings it all to a close’. For those of you who know me and my style, you know I like to keep things simple. In this article, I will address my 2 secret strategies for closing the sale.
How would you answer that question? I have reflected on this quite a bit over the past year as I have made huge investments in my business. I have also reflected on this question, personally, as I have made major changes in my own life. What is too good for me? Now? Nothing! A few years ago, I would have answered this question differently. Life is an interesting journey and I can tell you, quite confidently, that I am happier at this particular stage in life tha I have ever been – both personally and with my business.
When you tell people what it is you ‘do’ in your business, do they understand anything you’re saying? Do YOU even know how to clearly articulate the message? “All meaningful and lasting change starts with you and then works its’ way out’ is a great quote from my mentor, Lou Tice. It is no different when it comes to getting the word out about the work you do and the transformation you create.
I just love to head into a room full of people I have never met before! I know that not everybody feels the same way about that kind of situation. It is a skill and one that every entrepreneur must master – the skill of networking! It really is all about mindset – the way you think about the situation – that makes a huge difference. The good news is that it can be learned because it is a skill and it takes a plan.
Do you ever think that YOU are the only one challenged to find new clients? I know that many of you feel that way, and on a daily basis. And for many of you, that’s your one and only and biggest challenge when it comes to growing your business. On my recent trip to Zimbabwe, mentoring and teaching women entrepreneurs on ways to grow their business, I came to realize that we are more alike than different! In discussions with these women, we learned about their top 3 challenges – and you may be surprised to read what they are. 1. Get New Clients/Customers. 2. Marketing.
Would you like to have more cash flow right about now? Many of the women entrepreneurs with whom I have been speaking, over the past few weeks, are feeling a quiet sense of desperation when it comes to cash flow. How do I know for sure and how do I recognize that? I’ve been there! There are so many reasons why, in the summer months, women entrepreneurs struggle to make money and grow their business – core beliefs (nobody does business in July!), lack of commitment, no focus, being the ‘lone ranger’, to the absolute basics in that they don’t have a plan.
Are you hiding behind your computer and thinking you can grow your business that way? Is that part of your comfort zone because you don’t really know where to go and what to do when you get there – when it comes to marketing your products and services? I am always telling my clients that they need to get ‘out there’. Easily said, I know. What I have learned, though, is that they just don’t know where and how. Here are some key tips for you – so you can develop the KLT fact (know, like and trust). People do business with people they know, like and trust.
I have had a crazy, busy, happy few weeks in my business lately – and I’m still on a roll. What I find most interesting is listening to conversations of other entrepreneurs who are saying they are ‘slowing down/shutting down/ for the summer, or parts of it. Really? I know that can be seen as one of the benefits of being an entrepreneur – setting your own schedule! There are lots of perceptions and beliefs about ‘the life of an entrepreneur’ – let’s examine some of those and see how it sits with you.
I hear from so many women entrepreneurs who are frustrated and dissatisfied with where their lives (and their business) are going. From past experience, I know that this stems from the fact they are not clear on their life purpose. I am currently studying from the book, “The Purpose Driven Life – What on Earth Am I here for?” – by Rick Warren. It’s a simple study in that it is a paperback book, with only 319 pages, great discussion questions, solid content in the Appendices – and laid out in a way that you only focus on one chapter (4 pages, typically) each day.
I don’t know about you – but I am addicted to all things ‘happy’ and I make no apologies for it! This past week, I was up very early to settle in and watch the wedding of the ‘Dude and the Duchess’ (as Prince Harry called them). When I see an event that is so very successful and unique and up-lifting, I am always watching for lessons that I can apply to my business. The Royal Wedding did not disappoint. Here is what I took away, in random order.