Happy Monday with the SOAR! Business Coaching!  This is Karen Buckley with your LAST SOAR! Business Coaching Exercise for 2011!  (and it’s a vital one so keep reading!)

Wow, how did it get to be November already? Don’t we still have the last quarter of the year to get everything done? I Wish. It is time to wrap this year and prepare for a fast approaching 2012.

When I was re-growing my businesses (The Wisdom Connection AND Communicore Consulting - am I crazy or what??)  after mostly staying home with my babies for a couple of years, I spent the first year floundering, feeling ineffective and getting down on myself. At the end of that year I asked for help from a business coach (yes, we do get our own coaching! J) She sat me down to summarize my year and lo and behold I’d accomplished more than I’d guessed!

No matter what level of business you have, it’s time to do the same for your year. If you don’t take stock at the end of the year you miss out! It’s really important to celebrate and objectively assess what you did do or you’ll repeat mistakes, restrict creative ideas and turn down the shine of your confidence.

To succeed in 2012 you need a plan of action and a commitment to follow through that includes lots of connection and support like SOAR! That’s how you’ll stay on the road and make it through the rough spots. Sometimes it’s tough if you are isolated or don’t feel supported. You might grow discouraged, deciding the goal you’ve set is too much or letting daily demands fritter your energy away. (Can anyone relate!

Get in the driver’s seat by summarizing what happened in 2011 and starting to think about 2012 by answering these questions in your journal or with a Wisdom Partner (a colleague you trust to help you grow).

What have you learned, overcome and celebrated this year?

1. What were your goals for the year? What did you accomplish? What remains to be done?
2. What do you consider THE milestone or turning point of your year? Celebrate!
3. As you look back at each risk you took:
   • What helped you feel stronger and more capable?
   • What took you off track or diminished your capacity?
   • What support really worked for you?
4. What change in approach to your photography work or business did you decide to make this year? What was the result? (i.e., built one part of the business more than another, re-priced your offerings)

Looking ahead into 2012:

1. What is your biggest boldest dream for 2012?
2. Who or how do you need to be to achieve this? (e.g. outrageously creative, steady and persistent, a woman of integrity, etc.
3. What support system do you need to put in place? Who is included and what support do you want to ask of them?

You’ll also want to close out your books by summarizing your income and expenses. Were you profitable? Did you lose money? Where? Once you know what is so, you’ll start the New Year with a realistic picture of where to put your time, attention, and resources. Don’t forget to develop a wise system for keeping yourself on track. (4 rules for focusing your self-accountability on my blog today.)

This year – give yourself what you need! Who knows! You might even make it onto the racetrack and come in with flying colors across the finish line.

Best,

Karen Buckley

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The EARLY BIRD ends in FIVE Days on November 12th! 

Click the Below City for the EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT and DETAILS!

Seattle, WA, January 7th and 8th!

Tampa/Clearwater, FL, February 4th and 5th

Orange County, CA, March 24th and 25th

Still TWO spots left for Dallas this weekend!  See you Saturday morning, bright and EARLY!

It’s that time of year again!  Photo Plus Expo’s crazy, intense, inspiring energy is escalating!  Next week is starts.  I swear, I think I rest up for this week all year!  With three talks a day at the SONY booth and a two hour presentation on Social Media “working for you”, dinner mtgs, an exciting new exhibit of latest work from me and the SONY Artisans at Chelsea Museum, and amazing party by SONY and American Photo to kick off the exhibit, and most of all, the awesome catch up with old and new friends…it’s the week to be in New York City if you are a photog lover! What is Photo Plus?  Watch this VIDEO!

It’s not to late to still register and get your booty there!

This is what I’m talking about for two hours in NY next week “Using Social Media Strategically for YOUR Business”…subtitle…instead of finding yourself in a black hole and having wasted a WHOLE LOT of time!  Anyone hear me?    Mark your calendars and come see me!  The date and time of my presentation is Wed, 10/26, from 1:15pm-3:15pm at the Javits Convention Center in NYC.

Be prepared for a candid, super honest conversation, in strategies that have failed horribly (and most importantly–why) and strategies that grow our business from quarter to quarter.   There will be a TON of other fantastic speakers all week!  If you are in need of inspiration, empowerment, a brush up on the skills around your photography or growing your business, you want to come to the Big Apple next week for Photo Plus Expos and WPPI East!

Below is my talk description.  Much of my content is based on weekly emails I get from all of you about Social Media, what to do and not do.  Very excited to see you there!!  Am I going to see you there?!

Title:  Using Social Media Strategically for YOUR Business

What type of Social Media benefits a photographer’s business the most?  Do you need a static website if you have a blog?  Do you spend your time on Facebook and forget about a blog?  How important is Twitter anyways, or a Shopping Cart for that matter?  Or, do you already take advantage of all five of these platforms and still not get the traffic you are looking for?  The question isn’t whether you need one platform over the other, but what is the purpose of each and will it help you meet YOUR specific business goals.  Me Ra Koh is going to share how she uses all of these platforms for different parts of her business.  At the end of the day, time is what we value most.  As a busy mom, business owner and photography expert for The Nate Berkus Show, Social Media needs to not only grow Me Ra’s business but save her time by multiplying the work she’s already done.  If Social Media isn’t saving her time and making her money, it’s not worth doing.  Come hear Me Ra share what she’s found that makes sense for photographers in the Social Media world, and what is just noise.  Whether you are just launching a new business and trying to book clients or your an established pro wanting to expand your brand, Me Ra is going to leave you excited and empowered with a whole new juicy set of Social Media tools to grow your business, make you money and most of all, save you TIME!

Am I going to see you there?!

A few of the other “AWESOME” SONY Artisans are giving two hour presentations that you want to see!  Here they are!!

And remember that contest, where you told me what confidence and photography meant to you in a comment below?  That’s still going!  The winner gets free passes to the show!  Post your thoughts below!  All comments, from today’s post and the other, will be considered!  I’m even going to see if I can get the winner two VIP, invite only, tickets to the big SONY bash Thursday night!  So post your comments on what confidence and photography meant to you!

xo,

m

p.s.  Tomorrow’s post is another Amazing Mom interview with a Boudoir Photographer!

Hello on the first Monday of the month.  This is Karen Buckley, one of the SOAR! Business Coaches, and it’s time for the next business coaching exercise – this time its all about building your client base!

Do you offer a great product and give excellent customer service but you are stumped on locating clients who can afford your services?

Once you are in conversation with them, do you know how to “close the deal” – take them over the line into a signed agreement?

And then, do you keep them coming back for more – approaching you again and again, referring you to friends, neighbors, business colleagues?

This is a tough stumbling block for many small business owners that I coach in The Wisdom Connection. While I list a couple of great tips here that work – the bottom line is that you have to do this and more, each and every workday to build your client base and a reputation that gets you into momentum.

I know you know the basics: get your name out – both in your community through ads, school auctions or shows and by building your on-line presence through blogging, guest blogging and social media. Empowering businesswomen to grow their businesses, I repeat the following motto over and over: Go Slow to Go Fast. It feels slow to take all these steps! But, over time, the momentum will start to grow.

Here are a few ideas for finding, securing, and maintaining clients. I’ll continue with more ideas and a section on Maintaining clients in a future SOAR! blog as well as in my personal blog. Let’s take your businesses to a whole new level this fall!

Finding Clients:

1. Generate interest in your product or service. My basic rule of thumb? It takes 3 years of consistent work to get from start-up to real momentum. (Remember the business stages in the 2010 February business coaching blog?) Once the basics are in place (financial systems, equipment, website, etc) then you enter the phase where it’s 10 in for every 1 out (10 times for effort than reward). This is when most small business owners quit. Keep going! Concentrate your efforts on both Push and Pull. Push out information while you simultaneously pull new and returning clients towards you with invitations, opportunities, and a sense of fun/competency/adventure, etc.
2. Qualify prospects. Focus your efforts on those who are ready for you. The process is called a pipeline – like a funnel that starts broad and narrows down to focus on those who are ready for you. Make a spreadsheet or a hand written list. Use a rating continuum: Ready, Almost Ready, Someday, and Not Likely. Focus 80% of your attention on the Ready and Almost Ready. Cultivate the other two over time and watch for when they shift into the next category. Keep up your list and be creative to keep filling that pipeline!
3. Maintain contact. Too often small business owners take the first “no” as a final “no”. Touch base, inquire how they are, wish them happy holidays, send an interesting article or other tidbits to build relationship and readiness. Do all of this without “selling” but when they do indicate interest – move to the next step without delay.

Securing Qualified Clients:

1. Assess what they really need and want.  Ask caring yet insightful questions. I lost a large early consulting client because my colleague asked them questions about what they needed and wanted in the interview and I told them all about me and why I was qualified to help them. By the end of the one-hour interview they knew all about me and he knew all about them. They felt like he was already working with them so it was an easy slide into contracting.
2. Show them how you can deliver what they need and want. Emphasize the benefits (not the features) of your work. Benefits are what they will receive, gain and experience. Features are the what – the technical, professional qualities you bring. Send them a sample, invite them to ask you for more. Refer them to a satisfied client. Collect testimonials at the end of each sale and have them on your website and on the tip of your tongue. When you speak the words someone else used to describe your value it speaks louder than anything.
3. Ask for the sale and close the deal. I can’t tell you how many small businesswomen don’t ask for the sale. Ask! “Shall we set a date?” “Do you want the full family or mostly the kids to start?” “Are you ready to complete our agreement today? I’d love to help you start finding those matching shirts for the whole family.” If they say no or not yet, find out why and identify a next step. “Great, that makes sense to wait until you talk with your husband. Shall we talk again next week?”

This process can be a stumbling block for every small business owner. Plus, it’s hard not to take it personally – given that we are our business and the success of our business can feel like it reflects our personal worth. It sets up a tough inner dialogue that might sound like: “No clients call – I’m no good. Clients call – I am good.” Let it go and bring your focus and dedication back to the business.

If you lose confidence and stop or submerge yourself in the “safer” artistic process of photography? It is hard for new clients to find you! One of my mentors, Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup books, taught me through a story about his rise to success as an author. He and his partner collected every idea possible to get the book known. They posted each idea – covering the walls of his office with post-its. Each day they challenged themselves to take at least three actions for six months. Sometimes they did 6 radio shows in one day! It worked. Their first Chicken Soup book ended up #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List!!

Identify many actions to take, make a list, and steady but sure take at least one step each workday. Just keep at it! Remember my motto: Go Slow to Go Fast and you’ll get into real momentum.

I’d love to know what works for you! How do you keep on keeping on? Do you have a favorite way that works to build your client base? Teach us all! Come on over to the SOAR! Forum

With great joy, Karen

Happy First Monday! It’s business coaching time from Karen Buckley from The Wisdom Connection.
Summer is fully here and I don’t know about you but sometimes it leads to an inner conflict. At my house it looks like: go to the beach or complete this client proposal; the garden needs pruning or the piles under my desk need filing; my son needs help finding his college apartment or the next chapter of my book is ready to be written.

It’s an either/or that becomes a lose/lose (no one wins!) unless I find a personal identity that reconciles both my businesswoman and my mom selves. First though, to reduce the first level of the conflict, I need to clarify my businesswoman identity so that it matches inside and out and then discover a way that it fits with the rest of my life.

We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. Louisa May Alcott

As usual – let’s start with a couple of thought provoking questions!  I know you have so much to do but if you can – please – take a moment, quiet your breath, and consider your answers. Here you go:

• Are you confident or sometimes unsure in your sense of your self as a businesswoman?
• Do you ever experience a conflict between your role as mom and your role as business owner?
• Do you feel like you don’t know the ‘real you’?

If the answer is yes, you may be experiencing a conflict in identity. Erik Erikson coined the term identity crisis and believed that it was one of the most important conflicts people face in the maturation process. Today we are going to focus on one part to get started – our businesswoman identity.

One of my best girlfriends, Mary Gelinas, just helped me understand that I’m in the midst of an identity conflict! My passion and vision for my business grew larger than the size of my sense of my self. I’ve felt confused and found myself clinging to past ways of doing things, while I really wanted to move into the future. My goals have changed but my view of who I am and what I am capable of hasn’t yet caught up. It’s hard to drive with one foot on the gas and one on the brake! Do you ever do that?

When your identity is clear – you feel confident and self-assured. Your clients trust you because of the match between your inner picture of yourself and observable ways that you behave. Your outer brand and the role you play match your insides – your capacity, distinctive character, and your commitment.

Today we’ll take a look at whether you experience a match or a mismatch and give you 3 steps that can line them up into an identity that lets you soar.

Start with these 2 questions: write down your answers or talk it through with a friend. Or – get creative! Take two photographs, draw two pictures, or act out these two characters! J You can answer either question first.

1. Your outer businesswoman identity: Describe your role or identity as a businesswoman from the outside perspective. List 3-5 attributes that your clients or friends would use to describe you as a businesswoman – these are visible behaviors or roles that others can see and experience. (For example your role might be described as: photographer, artist, or teacher. Your attributes might be competent, experienced, new to business, good with money, confused, speaking timidly, charming, an artistic eye, etc.) Ask someone if you don’t know.

2. Your inner businesswoman identity: List 3-5 attributes that you would use to describe yourself as a businesswoman from the inside out as well as the role you envision for yourself. (For example your role might again be photographer, but it might also be “beginning photographer” (which you might not necessarily share with your clients as much as you feel it.) Also list attributes describing you from as the businesswoman you are inside. (These might include: full of innovative ideas, small but determined, competent, smart, creative, determined or unsure, hesitant to act, afraid to make a mistake, good with numbers, nervous speaking in front of strangers.)

Now write a summary of each and compare. Are they the same or different? Most of us have some difference…some part of us that is growing inside to match all we want to be doing in the world. Or maybe we’ve grown inside and perhaps our outside roles or the way we are seen by others feels too constricting!

In response to this assignment, one of my coaching clients drew two really amazing pictures with chalks on black paper – one of her inner and one of her outer identity. While she found many similarities, she discovered a big difference! She possessed an inner identity as a writer and yet she had created no opportunities to be a writer or to be known as a writer in her work. That represented a frustrating conflict!

3 steps to reconcile your identity conflict:

1. List the areas of agreement and the areas where inner and outer identities conflict.
2. Describe: the gifts of your old identity and the gifts of your new identity. Appreciate them both!
3. Write a new statement of identity and 3 actions you’ll take this week to give it a chance to grow.

You’ll feel more personal power when you create a match between who you are inside and out. BTW – it’s really important to not beat yourself up in the process! When the inner/outer match isn’t there you’ll struggle. When your inner being and outer behavior line up – you are on your way to less confusion, more integrity, greater success and less guilt!

I’d love to know – what did you discover? Did you find a conflict or are you coherent – a match inside and out as a businesswoman? If you are growing into a new identity – what action will you take to help it grow?

P.S. For fun – here are 3 pictures of different parts of my outer identity as a businesswoman! Corporate Consultant, Small Business Coach, Motivational Speaker. Do I get confused? Sometimes…..:)

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Just published and finally available to you! I’m super excited at the incredibly valuable tips these top experts share in this book! Fay Freed and I were selected to write a chapter on Women Leading Change.

Another goodie! If you are ready to catalyze a change in your life or work – we’ve posted a free report on The Wisdom Connection website that gives you 3 Keys to Cultivating your own readiness for change. Be smart  in how you introduce a change to get the results you really want.

And!!! A new free tele-class scheduled with an amazing teacher: Jan Phillips. You’ll love how inspiring she is! Her workshops on the east coast are already completely sold out so we are lucky she’s made time to join us for a call. Sign up today to get the access number.

Happy 4th of July! Did you have a great time?! The fog stayed out to sea and we enjoyed beautiful fireworks this year in San Francisco.

It’s not the first “Monday” of the month, but it sure feels like it after such a great, three day weekend!  Ready for your next Business Coaching exercise!  I’m Karen Buckley, official SOAR! Partner and Business Coach for the SOAR! Scholarship, and founder of  The Wisdom Connection.

Today we’ll focus on two skills that can make a huge difference in your business success – income projections and self-love. (BTW – Me Ra – Thank you so much!… because you share your self-love we all feel that we can do more when we are around you!) It’s confidence building.

“Step out of fear and into love.” I’m not kidding – I woke up with this phrase in the middle of the night and wrote it down as tears filled my eyes. It’s haunted me since.

Does your heart yearn for more love? Mine does. (and I am the luckiest woman in the world with a loving family, friends and remarkable women and men I’m honored to coach!) It hurts how much I want to step out of my fears and into more love.

They say that love is letting go of fear. I want to find out: When do I stop myself in fear? How do my fears hold me back? It’s way too easy to see when I dismiss, diminish, or deplete myself from fear.

What happens when I love? It turns out – love influences everything from client satisfaction to business income. If I want more love, the best place to start is with more self-love. (I always start a change where I have the most influence and power – with myself.)

Does more self-love really equal more business success? Yes. When you step into a day of work with self-love, you project confidence in your worth and create environments where your worth is valued. You give higher quality service and financial success follows.

But, don’t emotions belong outside business? With women now the majority of the workforce and the lines between office and personal life blurring as never before, experts agree that emotional intelligence is key to success in today’s world. In fact suppressing emotions can actually have a negative impact on companies’ bottom lines.

It’s up to you to keep emotions like excitement, thankfulness, confidence, and self-assurance driving your decisions rather going down the rabbit holes of fear or self-doubt.

What stimulates lots of emotion? With almost every businesswoman I coach there is one question – What is your business income target?

When it comes to taking care of others we excel. But when it comes to what we want, we seem unable to reply quickly and confidently. How come? I started asking small business women and heard negative self-talk like:

• “I’m afraid of acting too big.”
• “I’m scared to make a fool of myself.”
• “I’m worried that I’m going to aim too high and fail.”
• “I’m so busy doing what’s expected of me I don’t know what I can do on my own!”
• “I’m afraid to stir the pot because once it starts to boil I have to finish what I’m making.” (Thanks Charisse for this one!)

Do you ever say these? If so, try the following business coaching exercise and increase your ability to set or update your income goal. This might sound silly, but inner strength often begins in body sensations. Before thinking numbers, it really works to turn on your good feelings inside.

1. Remember back to something you did over the past week or two – appreciate yourself for something that showed your ability as a photographer.
2. Take a couple of breaths and in the stillness at end of each exhale, fill your heart with the warmth of self-acknowledgment.  Expand this feeling until it fills your body.
3. Now, write down the amount of business income that is just right for you to bring in this year.
4. Test that figure. Does it “ring true” or “feel good”? If not, try more or less until it does.
5. Now engage your mind – write that figure down on the top of a sheet of paper. Be specific, what could you do this year to achieve that goal? How many portraits? How many weddings? Passive income? (It’s a guess based on experience so look at what you do know, then guess and learn.)
6. Return to the stillness at the end of your exhale and the warmth of self-love (you may have lost it a bit while your mind kicked into gear).
7. Post your income goal and the breakdown of your estimated earnings from each area of your business. It’s a way to declare to yourself that you are committed to create this much income. Even if you can’t yet imagine how you’ll do it – commitment is always the first step.

A smart businesswoman gives herself some love every day and success follows. Self-love feels good! It doesn’t feel so good when you dismiss or judge yourself or play small. Those self-critical voices hurt! Plus, they don’t put a smile on your face.

When you love your whole self for who you are, rather than hate yourself for what you are not, you’ll take care of yourself and keep your focus on what matters the most to you. Who knows, some major magic just might happen!

Want to continue the conversation of Business Coaching and Stepping Out of Fear?  Keep reading below!

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Early Bird Discount Extension!

We’ve received so many emails from women who appreciate the Early Bird Discount that we’ve decided to extend it till this Saturday!  If you are planning to join us this Fall for our CONFIDENCE Workshops, make sure you register this week to get the Early Bird Discount Price of $799 vs. $999.  If you’d like, you can also break up the amount into payments.  Click on one of the four Fall CONFIDENCE Cities for more details!

Sacramento

Washington DC

Dallas

Seattle

MORE BUSINESS COACHING TOOLS!

In the Feeding Your Spirit, Inspirational Secrets thread on the SOAR Forum Karen started a discussion about some bigger topics like self-worth, confidence building, love, and fear. She posted a poll. Which of these 10 fear-based comments is most like yours? Which of these love-based comments fill your head?  Go check it out!  Karen is such an AMAZING Business Coach, and we are SO BLESSED to have her dialoguing with women on the forum!!!!!

Ready to start some changes in your life and business? Karen’s newest report on leading through change is ready for you to download on the Wisdom Connection home page.

And, Karen’s launched her own blog. (It’s brand new!) Check it out!!  (YEAH KAREN!)

Happy First Monday of the Month – It’s time for our monthly business coaching exercise from Karen Buckley at The Wisdom Connection. It’s simple but powerful. Do it! And share your results on the SOARORITY! Forum for lots of encouragement. To see the other business coaching exercises, click here.

Summer… Oh how the meaning of that word changes throughout life – I remember lazy days in Butte Montana with red sticky pop dripping down my chin only to be washed away by a cannonball into the pool. How quickly it changed to me wiping popsicle from the shiny faces of my children while balancing sunscreen, snacks and folders of work papers.

Moms with businesses know summer is two-sided – it’s lovely when the children are home from school, waking sleepy and slow. Backyard BBQ, trips to the beach, summer camps… but OMG – how do we stay on track with the business while having fun and helping our child grow so that they are ready to step into the new school year?

That is true feminine wisdom – multitasking with style!

By turning the spotlight on the second half of your year, this month’s business coaching blog gives you focus. Two months ago, you set your most audacious goal, last month you learned three ways to manage your time. Now let’s learn to soar in new ways.

The circus ranked high on our list of favorite family summer adventures. While my children snacked on usually forbidden twizzlers, I marveled at the skill and style of a trapeze artist.

I drew some interesting comparisons between the show and my own work. I’m excited to share them with you in an exercise that help women we coach grow their small businesses.

Flying through the air on a trapeze looks exhilarating, effortless, smooth. Positively gorgeous! Yet a lot goes into it.

A trapeze artist develops many skills that are applicable to being a successful business owner. In addition to developing physical readiness with arm muscles, core strength, and a body to wear those shiny tight outfits , she develops an inner quality of willingness, even eagerness to fly through the air, hold on, let go, soar, and grab on – again and again.

She does five things every successful businesswoman must do to remain efficient, effective and wise in the present moment, while keeping her vision alive:

1.     Clarify ahead of time where she is going next & what she’s going to do when she gets there

2.     Sense & watch for right timing – subtly adjusting as needed

3.     Let go of what is familiar & known

4.     Stretch with confidence toward the future. Enjoy soaring!

5.     Grab firmly to her intended target & let the momentum carry her into the next set of moves (exercise?)

The key to putting on a good show is all the work behind the scenes to get ready while also refining a sharp focus on what’s ahead. Without this confidence in her capability and vision, it would be too terrifying to let go.

Like the trapeze artist, focus on what is yours to do and keep it within your reach. Then you can enjoy the ride!

What’s your business focus for the second half of this calendar year? Write down what you plan to accomplish in these areas:

1.     Sales Target: What do you want to accomplish in sales between now & December 31^st?

2.     Personal Skill Development: What skill(s) do you want to develop as a photographer?

3.     Technical/Operations: What additional part of your infrastructure do you want to build (financial, computer, photo editing, camera, lens, or office systems)?

4.     Partners: What affiliate partners or mentorship do you want to cultivate?

5.    Inner Confidence: What’s one area where you want to feel more self-assured & relaxed?

If you don’t know – guess! The only way to learn is to practice and that takes doing it again and again.

Be clear on where you are headed to navigate the chaos of summer. Focus on these goals every week to keep in shape, on point, and ready to fully grasp what’s next. Remember to point your toes and smile as you sail through the air!!

When you are prepared, focused and stable, it will look effortless and will be just as fun as when you were five and discovered how high you could swing. With a clear focus you are ready to multitask with style while building your business and enjoying some summer fun!

Be inspired by our SOAR! Scholarship Recipients results!  CLICK HERE to read what discoveries Rachel, Charisse and Ali all made this week!

Share YOUR results on the SOAR! Forum. See you there!

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Ready to make a change but tired of having good ideas that don’t go where you want? Download “5 Keys to Starting Change (that ends up working!)” – Email us – It’s our gift for you.

Do you want to learn how to be a woman leader in your home, community, and business?  This Savvy Leadership Strategies for Women telesummit offers a remarkable line-up of business women teaching you all they know. And, it’s free for you! Sign up to get the access number to all the calls as well as the recording number to listen any time that is convenient. Be sure to especially listen in on 6/27 at 3 PT/6 ET for Karen and Fay’s talk on Women Leading Change!

*TONIGHT! Gather your questions for Christine!!  She’ll be with us for TWO hours on the SOARORITY forum to answer all your questions!  Ask and Learn with a PRO tonight, June 9th, from 5-7pm  PST on the SOARORITY FORUM!!

A few months ago, my dad called me to tell me about a show he’d discovered.  After losing his leg in June, to a tragic accident of being hit by a teenager who was texting, he spends his days in either rehabilitation or down time.  His down time has given him a chance to see a few shows he’s never watched before.  “Mee-da!” (insert his Korean accent) “I’m watching this show right now, her name Opah–ORPAH?–not sure, but she AMAZING.  Remind me lot of you.  You should check her out!”  Thus, the BIGGEST compliment my dad could ever give.  Little does he know, Oprah’s been my hero for years.  Today and tomorrow are her last two days of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for a woman who has impacted millions and millions of lives.

Oprah has taught me countless lessons over the years.  But here are the Top Seven Lessons that have transformed not only my CONFIDENCE but my business and dream building!

1.  To Just Begin.

It’s so easy to not follow your dreams until all your ducks are in a row.  But the problem is that all our ducks are never going to get lined up perfect.  So why not just begin.  Our dreams are waiting with expectation, ready to meet us.

2.  Transformation (i.e. change) is a Beautiful Thing.

When I think of change, I have the instant awareness of feeling awkward.  Does anyone relate?  If so, it’s shouldn’t be a surprise that we would avoid change at all costs.  So if the C word is a nasty word, flip your take on it and find the T word looking back at you–Transformation.  I have loved flipping through this month’s O magazine and looking at 25 years of Oprah’s changing, transforming journey.  Everything from her hairstyles, to her outfits, to the show’s sets, and most importantly, to the guests she’s interviewed–all of it is in this beautiful ebb and flow of constant transformation and change.  All the photos over the years are living proof that transformation in the beginning stages, middle and end are BEAUTIFUL.

3.  Asking the Hard Questions is Cleansing.

We’ve watched her interview countless guests.  The guests who allowed her to ask the hard questions, the courage it took in her to ask those hard questions, I am eternally grateful for.  Their stories of inspiration and resilience continue to give to me.  It’s so easy to avoid the things that may cause us pain, but as Oprah has shown us again and again, attention to the painful questions can be powerfully cleansing.

4.  You are the BEST Gift You Can Give.  (the marketing strategy we took for our photography)

When Brian and I first decided to advertise our wedding photography, we went to Barnes and Noble and looked through every wedding magazine for ideas on what kind of ad to run.  Every wedding photographer’s ad was amazing!  ALL of their wedding photography was beautiful.  When every one’s work is amazing, how do you stand out?  I turned around and saw an end cap with Oprah’s O magazine. She was on the cover of every issue.

And that’s when it clicked.  I was the BEST gift I could give to our clients.  My photography wasn’t the best gift I had to offer, it was ME.  I asked Brian, “what if we did an ad with a photo of just me, and not a single example of our wedding photography?  What if we risked stepping out in boldness with this ad, and making the statement that the photography we’d shoot would be so good that we don’t need to show you examples in an ad because the bigger issue is you feeling safe and comfortable with your photographer?!”  What if I showed you a picture of me having fun, even laughing–expressing all the joy I feel when I hold my camera.

Would this translate to our clients?  It was a big risk.  We dove head first.  Yes, the rumor is true.  We took a second out on our home and paid $15K for that single piece of paper (that is the pink ad you see above you) to run in Seattle Bride magazine and Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style magazine.  What was the reaction?  We got some angry emails from photographers who thought I was nuts and completely full of myself.  But I knew what Oprah was trying to say with her photo on every issue.  I was the BEST gift I could give my photography clients.  Within two weeks of the ad running, a bride found our Grace Ormonde ad and said “Your picture, YOU, remind me of my best friend! I love your laugh! (amazing comment b/c she imagined the sound of my laughter from the photo of me) I’ve got have you be my wedding photographer!”  She booked our first $10K wedding, then another one booked a second $10K package a week later, and then a $15K package booked two weeks after.  Our business forever changed by that one risk, and for that, I’m forever grateful to Oprah for leading the way.

5.   Critics will Always Be There–So Get On with Your Dream Building!

How many times have I been in line at the grocery store and seen another nasty tabloid attacking Oprah?  Too many to count!  And yet, this woman has pioneered forward again and again.  It’s easy to think that Oprah has some special gift for not being affected by all the criticism–and thus, ‘I don’t so I can’t go forward because of the criticism I’m facing’.  It’s funny how we look for any excuse possible to get out of dream building.  But Oprah doesn’t give us freedom to let those excuses have the last word, she gives the opposite.  When Oprah started to cry in her interview with Barbara Walters this year, when asked about the rumors regarding her friendship with Gayle King, we were reminded of how human she was.  Her heart is HUGE, and how can she not be hurt by the criticism.  Every time a certain episode speaks to me, I’m always so excited to go online and post a comment–and I’m blown away by all the negativity that is already there.  So in this beginning stage that I find myself in dealing with criticism, I’ve been watching Oprah closely, trying to gleam from her.  Despite all the critics, she’s kept pushing forward.  Oprah’s taught me that the critics will always be there.  Now that I know that, I don’t need to let those critics weigh in on my decision making.  I am free to go ahead and get on with my dream building!  And so are YOU!

6.  “Fill Your Space”

I wish I could remember which guest said this to her because I’ve never forgotten the phrase.  “Fill Your Space.”  It’s the last thought I have before I get up and speak.  Every time, in that single moment, before I face my audience, whether it’s a conference or Nate Berkus Show taping, I remind myself of this quote “Fill Your Space!”  The tendency is to feel instantly self conscious, and shrink back.   So I say it out loud, “Fill Your Space Me Ra! Don’t shrink back.  Don’t hide your gifts, your enthusiasm, your passion.  FILL YOUR SPACE!  Breathe in deep and FILL IT ALL–every corner of who you are physically, emotionally, and spiritually–FILL IT WITH CONFIDENCE.”

7. One person, one woman, can do a WHOLE LOT OF GOOD!

Regardless of what pain we’ve endured, what lies we’ve been told, what shame we’ve carried, we are worthy of being loved, heard and living our life to the fullest.  And we can, no matter how insignificant we feel at the moment, bring powerful change to the world.  If anyone has shown us that one person, one woman, can do the impossible (over and over again), it’s Oprah.

Thank you to the AMAZING staff at The Oprah Winfrey Show who has worked the longest of days, year after year, to bring us the magic of Oprah.  When I see the around-the-clock intensity and commitment of the team at the Nate Berkus Show, I can’t believe that some of you have been at it for twenty plus years!  You are all simply AMAZING!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  And Andrea, I DEFINITELY think you should wear that pink dress when you speak at the EVO Conference this summer!!!  You ROCKED that dress and photo!

And to Oprah, with all my heart, I want to thank you for the incredible courage you’ve had and continue to carry.  Your example has made a way for all of us.  You have been an inspiration to me countless times.  You have given more than words can contain.  One of my wildest dreams is to one day meet you and give you the BIGGEST hug EVER and then listen to you share all your wisdom!!  So look out!!! 

Tune in today and tomorrow for the LAST TWO SHOWS of The Oprah Winfrey Show!

xoxo,

m

p.s.  What are lessons that you’ve learned from Oprah?!  Post em up in today and tomorrow’s comments!  We’d LOVE to hear!

Hello to you all! It’s the First Monday Business Coaching Blog – Do you have a good relationship with time, priorities, and getting the really important things done to build your business? Most of find this challenging so here are three of our favorite tricks and tips. They work!

LOVE this quote! “Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.“ Faith Baldwin

I admit it. Sometimes, time gets the best of me. The day is over, I fall into bed, and with a huge list of things not done! I feel so frustrated and it’s hard to not judge myself or make up stories in my head about being a “failure”. (Anyone relate??

I want to control time! Since this is impossible, it seems that the question is how to use it well. What really works is to make wise decisions and act on them. Decide what is important to accomplish, how it can best be accomplished, find time to work at it, and get it done. A successful business builds by small consistent steps.

“It’s how we spend our time here and now, that really matters. If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change it.” Marcia Wieder

Today I’m excited to share with you three skills that you can use today to change how you interact with time.

#1 Get Focused: What is my top priority for this week? Your priority is what matters the most to you. Ask the wise woman inside you what’s really important. Journal your answers: What feels imperative to me this week? If I got nothing else done – what do I most want to accomplish? What would increase my feelings of success and fulfillment?

Once you find it – focus on it, trust it, plan enough time for it and… don’t plan to do 6,000 priorities at once! Check: are your expectations reasonable or do you expect too much from yourself? The hundreds of small business owners I’ve coached always conclude that doing less and doing it well is ultimately more satisfying than trying to do more and ending up so stressed they can’t enjoy the results. Can anyone relate??

ACTION STEP: Write down your priority for this week. Say your priority out loud. Chunk it – put small or large amounts of time to work on it in your schedule. Make requests of others to support you in focusing on your priority. Make new agreements with your self, your family, friends and clients.

#2 Reduce the inessential. The greatest loss of time is saying yes to too much or focusing on what doesn’t really matter. Watch for time wasters! It’s the weekly decrease that allows everything else to flow.

ACTION STEP: Write down 2 things that you can actually cross off your mental list. What is not yours to do? What can you give away? What is not now – but instead belongs in a future possibility list? Set them aside.

#3 Follow the flow. You know how some days you feel “in the flow” (everything lines up just right) and other days are more like a colliding pinball (traffic back up, missed call)? The truth is that stuff happens to take us off track. You need a flexible smart response.

A successful businesswoman stays focused on her plan while being flexible to change. Get back into the flow by putting your full attention on your priority while reducing the inessential.

Open your heart to the flow. As one of my mentors taught me, what really  matters is that our lives are full of love. Love doesn’t discriminate  between home and business. The more you open to and express your love,  the more you’ll feel satisfied with how you use your time and the  results you see.

ACTION STEP: Take an intuitive look at your week ahead. Where is the flow already going? Identify 1 way you can increase progress on your priorities by opening to more love and “going with the flow.”

Live a love-filled life and your passion ignites your commitment to your higher purpose. On track with your purpose you are naturally powerful.

Remember the moments do count. Realize that now, in this moment of time, you are authoring your life one moment at a time. Value yourself and what matters the most to you to fall in bed at the end of the day with a satisfied smile.

Speaking at conferences gives me great joy and it’s one of the priorities that I set for myself each year. Here I am in Paris at the Women’s International Networking conference super fancy dinner trying on a traditional Nigerian headdress! Is this fun or what!

Let’s continue to learn from each other about finding a wise and effective relationship with time. Come on over to the SOARORITY FORUM– ask your question or tell me what works for you.

~ Be well! Karen Buckley

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Business Boost 101 starts Tuesday, May 3- SUPER SPECIAL Bonus – 2 places are left!! If one is yours, sign up right away and we’ll gift you a second business coaching session for free! Learn about the stages of business development, the right priorities for each stage, how to start-up and how to build your brand, how to feel comfortable charging the right amount, and how to get focused and stay focused.  To Learn More Click Here.

Business Coaching - Are you done with your start and stop tempo building your business? Frustrated not knowing what to do next? Ready to grow? Let’s talk. We’ve helped hundreds of small business owners develop  business smarts as well as their inner confidence. This week we’re offering a great SOAR! special – Send us an email and we’ll give you all the information on the Acceleration or the Across the Finish Line packages plus a couple of extras just for you. Email info@thewisdomconnection.com.
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It’s the first Monday of the month!  Happy April everyone!

For those of you who are new to the blog, we commit the first Monday of the month to enriching the business side of you creative self with a SOAR! Scholarship Business Coaching Exercise from the wonderful women/business coaches at Wisdom Connection. These exercises are posted monthly so you can not only follow along with the SOAR! Scholarship, but also do the exercises yourself and share them with your sisters on the SOARORITY forum!

Dive in ladies!  And Happy Monday!! (To see past Business Coaching Exercises, CLICK HERE!)

xoxo,

m

Dreaming Big: What is Your most Audacious Goal?

from Karen Buckley, Wisdom Connection and SOAR! Business Coach

Do you dream big? Set audacious goals? Yes? No? Either way…Let’s go for it together this month’s Business Coaching Exercise.

It’s so obvious when someone discovers a goal they are passionate about in our coaching sessions! They look happier and tell me that they feel smarter, more capable, and even wiser.

Today I’ll share 3 powerful steps to accomplishing the kind of goal that ends up with a great big huge smile on your face. Think big this year.  Wouldn’t it be fun to see an audacious goal come true?

It’s helpful to see others set and make their goals. I watch my two children. Even when they are young, when they desire something they speak up, ask repeatedly, imagine it, feel it, put themselves into situations where it gets even more possible for it to happen.

My daughter (now 23) inspires me big time, confidently setting one audacious goal after another. At 14 she spent months begging me for another dog. A puppy! I declined in true mom style “We’ll see.” (I work from a home office…who would care for the pup while she went off to school, sports, and a busy social life? You get the picture…..)

Never to be deterred, she escalated. She taped a photo of a dog on the kitchen cupboard with a post-it arrow that said “this dog.” Every night she told me all about cuddling her new dog. I smiled patronizingly, and stupidly added, “The only chance would be if the dog is 1 year old, perfectly trained, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg”.

A couple months later I’d almost forgotten the photo as the edges curled from the steam from the sink. She volunteered for the summer at Pets Unlimited where they rescue dogs from the “kill pounds”. One day I got the call. “Mom, our dog just arrived! I saw him come in! He’ll be ready for me to meet after he gets all his shots.”  As soon as she got home she pulled out the second dog bed and found the smaller collar. (Where does she find this confidence??)

Friday she met him up close. Super scared from abuse, months on the streets, and weeks in a huge scary dog pound he loved her sweetness. Her job? Take him on short walks, sit and love him. Uh. Oh.

Finally, after futile resistance I went to meet him. He walked into the room and I saw his fear. I also saw his hope. The intelligence in his eyes won me over. (plus he looked just like her cut out picture! What could I do?? A week later he came home and she named him Rico.

My daughter still loves audacious goals. She graduates from UC Davis this spring and reserved her own ticket to Bali and Thailand! She is a go for it girl.

How about you? What is your secret wish? Your biggest, bravest goal? Something you’ve hardly told anyone it seems so brash? Is it something to accomplish? Do you aspire to a new way of being in the world?  Write it down and share it with someone supportive (Let’s do it on the SOAR! Forum! We’ve got each other’s backs.)

Step One: Feel what you really want to Accomplish or what you Desire (too often we turn away from the really juicy thoughts – this time – invite them in to play!) Feel your passion, desire, or longing. Take some time. Do this several days before moving on to Step two.

If you get scared, off track, or the voice of “who do you think you are” sneaks in – gently return to feeling this possibility. It’s up to you to make your desire right, good, and filled with love.

Step Two: Imagine it fulfilled – how would your heart sing? Close your eyes and visualize all the details you can – the colors, sounds, smells, sights, others involved until you get a full 360 vision of this goal completed and in place.

Forming a full image in your mind increases your inner acceptance. It helps you stretch to match the goal (and discover if it is in fact what you most want).

Step Three: Expect it to be so. Repeat this imagining every day until you begin to confidently believe that it will be.

Anticipate. Look forward to this being true. Label a new empty file folder or cut your own picture from a magazine and post it on the kitchen cupboard. Make it real.

These are the Stages of Manifestation that we teach in our courses. They work! They clear the path from the inside out. As you repeat these three stages over and over again you’ll find that the concrete steps to make your goal a reality become obvious.

When I shared my biggest wish (to complete my book on Feminine Wisdom in Leadership. 9 chapters out of 12 are done but the last 3 are the toughest and I’m so busy its hard to get to it!) with Jennifer Lansink, my most fun, outrageously positive accountability partner, (check out her What Would You Attempt? Seminars) she chanted something that made me smile big time.

“Don’t just unfurl those wings…flap them baby flap them!”

Setting audacious goals is a good thing – they usually end up being good for every one. Rico’s been the best dog ever. Smart as a whip, sensitive and caring, and well behaved wherever we take him.

What are your BIG BOLD Audacious Goals! What do you Most want to accomplish this year? See you on the SOAR! Forum – I can’t wait to hear your goals.  And follow the SOAR! blog this week as your SOAR! Scholarship Recipients, Rachel, Charisse and Ali, lead the way by sharing their Audacious Goals!

A strong vision can bring you forward into a whole world that you didn’t think could ever exist!

Warmly,

Karen

Three goodies for you from The Wisdom Connection:

Business Boost 101 Q & A April 13, Wednesday, 10:00PDT/1:00EDT. This is a free call especially designed for SOAR! Fay, Genie, and I get your questions ahead of time and we’ll go through and answer as many as we can on the call. Wow. An hour of business coaching on your biggest question! Let’s ignite your business wisdom. Sign up and send your questions to events@thewisdomconnection.com.

Katie Hendricks Telecall, Thursday, April 14^th, 4:00PDT/7:00EDT. Katie is a Love! Author, smart businesswoman, and we’ll get to hear about how she lives her passion and purpose. Maybe I’ll even ask her about her most audacious goal! These calls are recorded so sign up and we’ll send you the link to listen later if the time doesn’t work for you. CLICK HERE for more and to sign up.

Business Boost 101 Coaching Series begins May 3! From Start up to Momentum ~ 5 group coaching sessions, 1 personal session, powerful handouts and homework to focus and grow your business.  CLICK HERE for more!

p.s. from Me Ra–

1. There is another rich event happening in June!  It’s an out-of-the box event!  If your creative self is stuck inside the shrinking four walls of your own box, check this out!  My dear friend, Leif Hansen, is running a workshop called The Lila Retreat: An Invitation to Divine Play.   Leif is amazing at working with people to get out of the box and challenge their limitations, but all the while you are laughing, being refreshed, having an unforgettable experience that enriches your creative soul…I can’t say enough about how great Leif and his retreats are.  Check it out HERE if you are interested!  Or see info on Facebook!

They have an Early Bird going that I think ends today.

2. Send me what you’ve been cooking up from Your Baby in Pictures!  I’m working on a blog post that is going to highlight your results!  So send me your photos today!  info@merakoh.com

xoxo,

m

Happy Monday!

I’m so excited for Karen Buckley of Wisdom Connection to bring you our second SOAR! Business Coaching Exercise!  Today’s assignment invites you to dive deep and uncover the confidence within.  We may not have confidence for our current dreams and visions, and yet we do have confidence already within us to draw from.  So how do we access it and bring it to use with our photography dreams?  Keep reading!

xoxo,

m

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Greetings!  This is Karen Buckley, one of the SOAR! Business Coaches from The Wisdom Connection! Since this week will evolve into the first week of March, we are going to start today off with our second Business Coaching exercise!  And what better way to start the exercise than asking you provocative questions?!  I love provocative questions!

Here’s a mini-assessment for you today:

On a scale of 1-5 (with 1 being low) how much do you:

Think of yourself as a businesswoman?

Question your “right” to be even more successful?

Dismiss your best ideas before you even get started on them?

Consider your self the “author” of your own life?

If you are 5’s all the way – you go! If, like most of us, you range from 1’s to 5’s, its time for some inside-out business development skills. This month we are excited to share with you three of our favorite tips and tricks for feeling more confident and ready for success every day.

#1 – Find out where you feel confident in your life and apply it to other areas.

One of our coaching clients felt stuck. An invitation to speak at a professional meeting terrified her.  We discovered that she felt really sure of her self in the kitchen. No qualms, no self-questioning, no judgments. Preparing a meal she took risks, concocted creative combos of smells and tastes and served with a flourish.

We developed an exercise to start her workday: Sit for 1 minute, close your eyes, and remember how confident you feel in the kitchen. Feel how you move when you cook. Feel this in your arms, your legs, your trunk, and especially your throat.

Every day she set a timer for 1 full minute of this meditation. Before she went up on stage, she put on her apron in her mind and sashayed up the stairs to give a fantastic talk – it felt easy!

How about you? Where do you feel confident and how can you grow that good feeling every day until it blossoms.

#2 – Give your self an assignment the night before. We all get shaky some times! Think of one thing you can do in the morning that will give you a boost.

No kidding, when I started my coaching business (way too long ago to count) I sat in our little apartment completely miserable trying to figure out how to do get clients. The kitchen sure was clean though!

Rick and I were just married. When he came home in the evenings I’d act like everything was ok. Finally, I broke down in sobs, “I feel so inept!” He asked me, “When do you feel confident?” In shame, I cried, “sharpening my pencils.” (I was really low!)

He gave me an assignment – to sharpen 3 pencils every morning for 7 days. He’s so sweet he even brought me home a whole new box the next day. First thing, when I sat down at my “desk” (a table at the end of the kitchen) I sharpened 3 pencils. It made me laugh out loud! After 7 days I rocked making phone calls and reading books in my field to learn more. If I wobbled…I went back to pencil sharpening!

#3 – Spend more time recounting your successes than your wobbles. You are your own best cheerleader and wise loving guide. I’ve never told anyone this – but I look in the mirror and say “well done” a couple of times a day. (don’t tell! J) Some days it makes all the difference.

Let’s do it! There are a lot of business skills to learn – how to market, develop a brand, shoot in low light or hot sun, new computer programs. It’s maddening when these skills are in place but you still feel like you are limping along.

It’s an inside job.  Confidence and self-trust are built, not given. You are worth it!  Give yourself some confidence building homework and let me know how it goes on the SOARORITY Forum!  What works for you?  Share your tips too!!

Follow the SOAR! Blog this week to hear what results Rachel, Charisse and Ali find!  And a BIG thank you for all the wonderful comments that you’ve been leaving on the SOAR! Blog Posts!!!  Every comment you leave empowers our recipients to keep working and fighting for their dreams to SOAR!

C’mon out!

Karen

p.s.  Here are a couple of ideas to jump start your Business Coaching and Development!

Business Boost 101:  from Start-up to Real Momentum. Personal Coaching and solid business building. 5 Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 PT starting March 3rd. Re-find your momentum or get a boost! Powerful results guaranteed plus a lot of fun and confidence building.

The Wisdom Connection Personal Coaching – a free 20-minute coaching session with Karen or Fay! Send us an email today to info@thewisdomconnection.com. Let’s get scheduled! Get a small group together and we’ll do a series just for you!