I just wanted to share a great online event that’s coming up at the end of September!

The Sappari Group is getting together with Pitchwerks (You’ll remember Scot MacTaggart from his interview on “What Businesses Need to Know Right Now”) and Booxmart to bring you:

Name of Event: Smart, Scalable Business

Location: Online (ZOOM)

Date: Sept 28 – 9am-12pm ET

Registration:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/smart-scalable-business-tickets-168872966589

While leaders know that there is a balanced experience to be had when it comes to work life and home life – all while trying to get to the next level – too often that balanced experience is never fully attained – and both work and home suffer.

At this event, we’ll be sharing our best practices for this, and the keyword for the day is: REPEATABLE.

Specifically, repeatable processes and practices that allow you to grow and reach those goals without sacrificing what’s important to you.

We’ll be talking about:

· Designing repeatable processes and practices

· Automation with tech

· Outsourcing wisely

· And so much more!

New tech and practices are changing business faster than ever – so join us to learn more about how you can use these things to make your business grow just as fast!

Thanks so much!
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​How is this relevant to business?

COVID has forced these two worlds that we’ve kept separate – personal and business – and blurred those lines and meshed them together. And it’s not only impacted business owners and managers and bosses but it’s really impacted us who work at home. And with those blurred lines, I think a lot of people felt as if there’s a great opportunity to work from home and not take that ride. But all of a sudden, all these problems start coming up within the home because you’re on top of each other 24-seven. So that’s where a lot of these behavioral issues – which were maybe small – start triggering something much more significant.

“We’ve got this new dynamic of all the family members home all the time. And communication, which was shoddy at best before, is now down the tubes impacting both work and relationships within the family. It’s creating a tinderbox of opportunities for flare-ups and bad experiences. And all of these resources that were once available are now not accessible anymore.”

How do we think about boundaries and communication in a time when we are living and working together?

I think when the pandemic first started, we thought this would be a quick thing. And then I also believe that right now, we’re thinking that when it’s over, it’s going to fade back to what we once were. But the reality is that this is a great opportunity for businesses to cut costs. So why wouldn’t they keep a structure similar to this?

And when I look at the reactionary environment that we were in earlier, for example, a kid runs through the door, and the parent says, “Get out!” Well, does a kid quite understand why they’re getting kicked out of the room? They’ve never seen their parents work at home, quite possibly. And what they see is a computer, and to them, computers are video games.

So, these reactionary elements then put a kid in a defensive position, and it also makes us feel like the bad guy – when there really are solutions.

There are some simple ones that I’d like to go over which help set your physical boundaries – which are the doors in the house. But the doors in the house are not good enough. The one thing that I always promote within the families that I’ve worked with is putting signage on the doors and starting each day off with a family meeting. Even if the meeting is just for five minutes, spend time going over what each thing means. For example, you can put a sign on the door that says, “In Zoom Meeting,” and then explain to your child what you would like them to do.

And that’s the second part of it – which is to create a system for them. Maybe there’s a note under the door system, or maybe you have a little doggie door they can put it through.

“We have set up a system for communicating in our home. It’s a magnetic board with three options – live recording, meeting, and working. Each of these things explains to my children whether they can come in or if the door must remain shut, or if they need to wait five minutes until I have a break or reach a stopping point. Jeff helped us make this board, and it’s been transformational in our communication in the family. It brought us all onto the same page.”

Yes, and I want to point out how positive that board looks. You see, there are the magnets on there with flowers. The outline is welcoming, and it’s not saying, “I don’t want you here,” – it’s just simply a boundary. It’s like a fence with a neighbor. It’s not saying I hate my neighbor. It’s saying let’s have a little space between each other, and space is good.

What tips can you offer people regarding boundaries?

Because we have been in these separate worlds, we’re not used to this blurred world. And, maybe we feel like our bosses, our managers, or the person we’re selling to is going to be upset if a kid comes in and something happens, but they’re in the same situation. They’re in the same boat.

We need to welcome our family and children into our work environment and even partake in some of these things. For example, bring your child in if you’re going to post on social media and have no idea what to do or how even to download something. They know how to do it. And the look on their face, how proud they are, and how far they will go, they will be your best worker.

Bringing them into that world, maybe taking pictures of you for social media, and they could be your little mini photographer after school. So it’s like a little mini job for them. I remember, as a kid, I always wanted to be part of my dad’s world or my dad’s business. And I feel like this is a great opportunity to allow that.

Of course, communicate that to the person on the other side as well that you’re working with, and let your boss know, or your manager know, or your prospect know, “Yeah, there might be a kid coming in, and they’re young, and they might start crying – so, I might press pause for a bit.” But that’s part of that communication, once again – boundary setting with clients and co-workers.

“I think this pandemic has given us all a great opportunity to reevaluate our boundaries and improve our communication. We don’t have the luxury of just walking down the hall and explaining what’s going on. We have to be clear in our messages about what is actually going on.”
What’s one thing we can do to help build relationships within the family?

It’s taking those moments out of your day and spending time with them. One of the most important elements that you can do, even for yourself, is to get outside. And yes, there’s a report that came out that said three hours per day and of course, researchers like to go to the extremes and act like we have all the time in the world, but a half-hour per day, and going outside and making it a fun experience or making a peaceful experience.

One of the things I like to do is bring a Bluetooth speaker, and each person gets to pick the next song in the playlist while you go for a walk. Your neighbors aren’t going to be able to hear, and it brings you together, but then it also gives an opportunity for the kids to go off and do their thing. Or you get to spend time with your spouse – which is the last part of this.

If you are married or dating or living together, ensure that you do have moments with your spouse. This is something that is very important. When you are energized, and you’re on the same page, and if you feel good together, that will exude upon the kids as well.

3 Action Steps

1. Set up a system for communication at home that not only shares what your children can’t do but what they can do.
2. Find ways to include your child in your business life.
3. Spend time together as a family – outdoors if possible.

Connect with Jeffrey Allyn on LinkedIn, at Dream It, Live It or on Instagram.
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​Did you catch the subject line of this email? The subject line said: BE STUBBORN

Yes, you read that correctly…I want you to be stubborn.

And let me tell you why.

I was on LinkedIn and ran across this quote:

Be Stubborn About Your Goals, But Flexible About Your Methods
(Cited in the book Managing Interpersonal Conflict by William A. Donohue)

And I loved it.

We always talk about setting those big goals…those goals that might make you a little uncomfortable because they’re so audacious that we’re not quite sure how we’re going to make them happen – but we know we’re totally capable of achieving them.

And then we sit down, plan and strategize, and set those smaller goals that are going to get us there.

We know that this plan we’ve laid out is going to work and that success is on the way.

Until it isn’t.

Then you’re left feeling disappointed, frustrated, and maybe even lacking in self-confidence.

You may even consider scrapping the goal you set entirely.

But you shouldn’t.

This is the time to be stubborn.

After all, this is something you want – so now is not the time to give up on it.

It’s the time to see if there’s another way to get there…to be flexible about your methods.

Too often, we get hung up on “the plan” we’ve set up, and when things go wrong along the way, we think that there might be something wrong with the goal.

Maybe it’s not achievable. Perhaps it’s too big. Maybe it’s just too much.

But I bet it isn’t.

You just need to reassess. Look at your plan and the strategies you put in place. Think about what worked and what didn’t. Reach out to others who can offer you guidance, insight, or their expertise.

And then come up with a new plan and strategies.
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“Do not give up on the goal. Be stubborn.”

​Please comment below. I would love to hear from you.

​Now that Labor Day has passed, I guess we have to say goodbye to summer. 

And yes, I love summer.

I love the slower pace.

I love warm days.

I love having my kids home from school.

And I love the time spent with family and friends – especially on a relaxing vacation.

But there’s something special about autumn, too.

For me, I love the transition to preparing for Momentum Live: The CEO Experience.

I love connecting and reconnecting with people who have been doing their thing during the summer months.

And I love talking with clients who are gearing up for new events and new ways to add to their bottom line.

If increasing your revenue is one of the goals you’re getting ready to tackle, then I want you to check out the Productive Profits System. It’s the system I use (and so many others), and it was created to help you use that expertise that sets you apart from the crowd. You’ll attract your ideal clients in a way that’s simple and repeatable – all while ditching the overwhelm.

Be sure to check it out! And if you have questions after watching the three short videos – just reach out to me!
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​When should a business start implementing marketing automation?

Given that we are still dealing with the pandemic, obviously, many things have shifted from face-to-face to being online to be some level of virtual.

But as business owners, we still want to give the same high-quality service to our clients and customers. And so, automation helps us to do that. When the world opens back up again, those of us who may work with people face-to-face will still want to be able to create a consistent, excellent experience at all phases of the client lifecycle.

The best place is to first think about what you want and how you want things to operate in your business.

I always tell people, figure out the system first and then focus on automation.

What do you want the experience to be at all phases of what we call the customer lifecycle? That’s why I say that I help people attract, convert, and serve their ideal clients – because each of those three stages is important.

And there are things we can automate in each one of those phases. But before you do, you need to sit back and think about:

· How am I attracting people to my business?

· How do I want to attract them?

· How am I converting?

· Do I want to send out invoices?

· Or do I want to automatically have recurring payments come out of the person’s account?

· How am I making sure that I’m delivering on the promise that I make?

And once you’re clear on the experience you want people to have, then you can go back and say, “Okay, what pieces of this can I automate so that I can be doing something else while people are still being served?”

“I talk with people about systems as well. And if you automate a bad system, you’re going to get the same result or even worse. Take the time to plan and make sure the steps all work before you automate the process.”

I think so often when people are working with a marketing consultant or strategist; they probably get frustrated by how we all start with: Who’s your ideal client? What’s your client avatar? Because do you know who is your ideal client and if that person wants to get things by text or email? That’s why we want to know that before we can automate, so we can have a good system and have good automation.

“Any consultant that you bring on should always ask you three questions. Who do you serve? What do you do to serve them? And, where do you want to go? If they don’t ask you those questions, then they don’t have enough information to give you any direction.”

What role does marketing automation play in each stage of the lifecycle of the customer?

In the first stage, the attract phase, it’s about making sure people are aware of you. It’s about giving somebody a free sample of your genius in exchange for their contact information – so you can add them to your list. That can be an automated process of saying, “Hey, go to this link, download my free resource, and give me your email address.” And then now you can continue to nurture that relationship – which can be through a series of automated emails.

Then in the Convert stage, that’s all about accepting the money and figuring out what your payment process is going to be. Again, are you sending out automated invoices? Or are you setting up recurring billing? And then, before I move on, when is it the right time to ask for the sale?

There’s a whole process that we call lead scoring, which means based on the number of times that they’re opening emails and clicking on links and interacting with us, that they’re probably ready to buy after X number of times. That’s the time to make a phone call or send them the emails related to purchase something.

The third phase is the serving phase, and that’s about how you deliver on the promise. How do you automatically give them access to the login information for the coaching program? Or send them a link to your calendar so that they can schedule their intake session with you? Or check for client satisfaction? Are they happy with the services? How do you remedy issues automatically if they’re unhappy? If they’re happy? How do you request testimonials or referrals? All of that can be automated so that you, as a business owner, can be focused on the other parts of your business.

It’s almost like you’re hiring an additional team member.

“When we look at automation, you may think it can be pricey to put automation into place. But if you look at the time that is saved by not hiring a person to send each individual email, to follow up on those bills, to ensure that you remember to ask for that referral – all of those things that takes that take energy and time from a person – we can use systems to make that happen. So, oftentimes, it will be a less expensive option than hiring a person.”

What is the best marketing automation platform?

That’s sort of a trick question because the answer is: the one you’re going to use – that’s the best one. You should be looking for a combination of the best mix of cost, features, usability, and integrations – how well it works with your other tools. When you find the one that has all of those, then you know you’ve found one that you’re actually going to use.

“That’s the same answer I give when people ask me what the best calendar to use is. It’s the one that you’ll actually use.”

3 Action Steps
1.Establish a clear vision of the experience you want your clients to have.
2.Implement marketing automation during all three phases of the customer lifecycle to save yourself time and money.
3.Choose a marketing automation platform that you will use.

Connect with Denise Dennis on LinkedIn or at www.Automate25Things.com to receive “25 Things Every Coach Should Automate.”

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​Well, today is a BIG day…it’s MY BIRTHDAY!

Yes, I am one of those crazy people that LOVES my birthday. I know you may be reading that and gag as you dread the reminder that you are one year older. But after a year and a half like we have had, with more adaptation in the months ahead required, I am feeling incredibly grateful to celebrate another birthday.

And I’ve got to say; I really enjoy my birthday.

Today on my morning walk, I pondered why.

For me, the reasoning comes down to words.

I “enjoy” it.

If you break down the word to its roots, you get “in joy” as in “within joy”. To me, this means being within the joyful state or being within delight.

“I feel present on my birthday and aware of the good feelings and delight of the day.”

So often, when a birthday comes around, people ask you what you want – and you may think it’s a bit tacky to ask or that people should “just know” – but this isn’t always the case. In fact, after a birthday debacle a couple of years ago, I learned that it’s important to ask for what delights you because people want to see you happy (they just don’t always know how to help you get there).

My most favorite birthdays revolve around receiving in my love language. (If you haven’t figured out your love language(s) – be sure to click that link!)

I happen to have two love languages, and they are:

* Acts of Service

* Words of Affirmation

Birthdays filled with notes to me, cards, letters, and well-wishes warm me from the inside out. And, while I like birthday cake, it’s the act of making the cake for me that lights me up.

One of my favorite acts of service is the Momentum Live event.

With Monica’s help, I put together a scrapbook that I would like to share with you – and for my birthday, you can help me celebrate by sharing YOUR favorite moments from your own Momentum Live experience. If you have never been, that is okay – check out the slide show and share with me what delights you about what you see.

Momentum Live ScrapbookSo yes, please hit that reply button after you’ve checked out the scrapbook and let me know what brought a smile to your face!
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​Let me know if this sounds all too familiar…

· Endless emails and text messages sent back and forth as you attempt to get projects and tasks completed

· Spreadsheets upon spreadsheets to try and keep you and your team organized

· Tasks falling through the cracks or never getting off the ground at all

· Customers and clients who are a little “salty” because you missed a deadline or forgot to get back to them

If you’re sheepishly nodding “yes” to some (or all) of these things, then you need some help – and I’m not talking about more emails, another team member, or the creation of the ultimate spreadsheet.

You need a project management tool.

I can’t imagine life without one – and that’s why I started using Asana with my team.

It keeps us all on the same page.

Everyone knows their tasks and responsibilities.

We can use it to communicate with one another.

It’s an essential part of our team.

There’s a reason that Asana’s slogan is: “Work works better with Asana” – because it’s TRUE!

They have several different pricing structures – although you may be pleasantly surprised that the free version is just what you need!

If you’ve got your systems and processes in place and you want to move away from emails and spreadsheets and a hodgepodge of tools that aren’t getting the job done – then be sure to check out Asana! (And no…I’m not a paid spokesperson – just a business owner who loves the features and what it’s done for my team!)

Not sure where to start? This tutorial from Vicky Brown – The Leaders Journey, should give you a great jumping-off point.
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How do you focus on people and keep them focused when things are as tumultuous as they are right now?

I think internal communication is key. I think you need to keep everyone updated around what you’re personally thinking as an executive team and around what’s going to be happening. Unfortunately, I’m seeing too many companies doing last-minute communications around decisions related to COVID.

You know what you’re thinking about doing prior to the decision that you actually make. So, as you’re thinking it through, it’s not a bad idea to let your employees know what you’re thinking. Of course, you can let them know that nothing is set in stone – so make that clear as well. But let them know, “This is what I’m thinking, and here’s what’s mulling over in our heads right now.” Human beings really enjoy being prepped for something, and they don’t like it when abrupt things happen.

Then the second thing is just to really lean into that practicality. At the end of the day, no matter what role someone has, this situation may affect their day-to-day roles and responsibilities. Find a way to be a little bit more flexible. I know a lot of companies have leaned into that. But I know a lot of companies still have not.

The last thing, no matter what your personal perspective is around what’s happening, don’t bring any of your own personal or selfish perspectives to the business. We know the politics have been really weird and making people divided, but those things impact the workflow.

I’ve heard companies that are not taking the mass situation as seriously as they could – not closing shop as fast as they probably should based off the rising cases. You really need to contextually unpack each and every employees’ desires. Don’t give fully into what you selfishly think is the right thing. It does not matter. You need to give in to your employees because they’re the ones that are operating your business on a day-to-day basis.

I’ll give my co-founder a little bit of a shout-out. Angela R. Howard is the head of people at a company called Dover. She’s in Chicago, and she’s doing an amazing job. She’s being very aggressive around communications, being very aggressive around leaning into empathy and the conceptual needs of the people there.

So, even when executives may be divided around when we come back, we need to come back, we want to come back – she has been a nice, stable force. She says, “Look, we really need to pay attention to what our people want, what they’re saying and really what the data is saying around this particular situation.” So, she’s done a really good job.

“I think some business owners and founders think, “The more I share, the more concerned my employees are going to be.” Or, they think, “I have to make so many decisions right now. I don’t have time to involve everyone in that.” But maybe this is the time to put those things aside and bring people together. It’s a difficult time to feel cohesive, but the more you can bring your employees into that community, the better off you will be.”

When it comes to driving revenue and creating revenue streams, what out-of-the-box ideas do you have?

I’ll give you a real example first. In New Jersey there was a pizza place – an old school site with the big ovens – and when everything happened, they got shut completely down. But their oven, for some reason – because of the heat could create certain products. I forget the actual something they created, but it was something that the nurses in the global hospitals could utilize.

So, they actually helped out and started creating those things. But the hospitals actually said, “We’ll pay you for these things.” So, it didn’t have to be just a donation. They created a new revenue stream, an actual new business model in the middle of a pizza shop. So, you have to think outside the box.

You can’t look at the scenario and be like, “Well, this is what it is, and I’m just going to die here.” So it just doesn’t work.

Again, at a macro level, you have to think outside the box, like really unpack and understand. What do you have right now within your business model that you can fill up when it’s dead? And how can you try to drive revenue in other ways? How can you get out of your own way and start to lean into the realities of the situation? Whether that’s going direct to the consumer, or through Amazon, or through other mail providers.

Maybe that’s not comfortable for you to learn those things, but this will be something that we’re probably going to have for another year. So be very, very open to looking into all different aspects of revenue streams and business models. Look at competitors out there. And don’t be afraid to burn and break what you normally do; lean into reality. Don’t be so egotistical and comfortable with what you used to do because you won’t survive.

“Have you looked at what you’ve got and pivoted in a way that’s helpful for everyone? What have you learned about yourself and your business by doing this?”

What are some practical ways we can let go of our self-centered decision-making process and do something better?

You can look into the day-to-day realities of your organization. Ask the employees what is best for the organization right now. And here’s what I’m really talking about. Many CEOs, no matter if it’s a small business of 50, 60, or 70 employees or even big organizations – for them, it’s been a while since they’ve been in the day-to-day. And what I mean by that is it’s been a while since they’ve been on the ground floor doing certain things.

So, the processes that you put in place six years ago, when you had a little bit more of an empathetic view and a little bit more of a hands-on experience, may not be the same processes that will be the best for today’s time and your people know about these things.

So, let’s set up a one-on-one or group call and figure out what is working now and what needs to be tweaked or what needs to get adjusted. Be okay with a new perspective, a new workflow, a new decision – and trust that people know the best things that are moving and grooving correctly. They’re probably doing things a little bit different than what you did six weeks or six years prior.

“You may not even have to go back six years. You could just go back 12 months and look at things and say, “Okay, yes, this worked then, but it’s not going to work now, and how can we apply some of that creative thinking here in this situation?”

3 Action Steps

1. Communicate with your team so that they are up-to-date on decisions that are being made (or contemplated) and will affect them and the business.
2. Investigate out-of-the-box ideas to increase revenue and create additional streams of income for your business.
3. Look at the day-to-day operations of your business and ask employees for input on what is working and what isn’t.

Connect with Anthony Vaughan at LinkedIn.
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With all of the preparations being made for the upcoming Momentum Live: The CEO Experience, I can’t help but think about the reasons I love this event so much.

And there are SO MANY reasons.

But one of them is the supportive nature of this event.

You have support from me – of course.

You have the support of our co-hosts – Brian Rassi and Sensei Victoria Whitfield.

And you have the support of those in attendance.

It’s a room filled with “entrepreneurial leaders supporting each other.”
And that’s exactly as it should be.

Nobody knows what you experience as a business owner more than other business owners.

And Momentum Live is the event that brings us all together.

These three days provide:

• Brainstorming.
• Laughter.
• Mastermind sessions.
• Hot seats.
• Breakthroughs.
• Networking
• Celebrations.
• Ah-hah moments.
• Growth.

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All due to the tremendous people gathered in the room.

It’s really a powerful three days.

Knowing how impactful this event is for so many, a few years back, The Sappari Group started offering a scholarship to a young entrepreneur (under age 30) to attend this event, and I’m thrilled to say this tradition continues.

Applications for this scholarship are STILL being accepted (until August 30th) – and if you’d like to apply, please go here and do so. (Yes, it says applications were due August 15th – but you’ve still got time! After all, I know the person in charge!)

Momentum Live: The CEO Experience is October 6-8, 2021 – and I can’t wait to see you there!

​Please comment below. I would love to hear from you.

​Did you catch Andrew Kap’s interview on Tuesday for “What Businesses Need to Know Right Now”? It was all about value and gratitude – and it had me reflecting on the summer. (Yes, I know that we have a couple of weeks until Labor Day rolls around and summer comes to its unofficial end – but reflection can be done at any time!)

Of course, I love summer. Fresh vegetables. Relaxed children. Time spent outdoors. An all-around slower pace to things.

I’m looking forward to the end of summer.

Are you sitting there saying, “WHAT?? Nettie…how can you be looking forward to the end of summer? Summer is FANTASTIC!”

It is! I agree 100% and…

Towards the end of summer, I start to get a little antsy – and I’m ready to get back to routine and make things happen.

And I’m feeling that way now!

How about you? Are you ready to put that slow summer pace aside and make some headway on those goals you’ve set for you and your business – or to create new goals to tackle?

I grabbed my Momentum 90-Day Planner the other day and started to reconnect with my vision and think about what I need to do to take action.
If you’re in need of a planner that allows you to create a vision, look back on past experiences, and move forward with your goals – then the Momentum Planner is for you!

Amy Linder-Lesser said, “I love that the Momentum Planner is so different from other planners. There are no dates which for me is great. I can start and stop and resume where I left off. It makes me get specific with my 4 monthly goals and then, using the Rear View Mirror technique, break them down into smaller actionable steps to ensure that I will get something done toward their achievement and also that I will succeed. Before using the Planner, I had a hard time breaking my large goals into actionable steps; now it is so doable!”

Are you ready to take some action?
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Please comment below. I would love to hear from you.