It’s IAWBO’s birthday but YOU get the gifts! In addition to all of the valuable goodies inside the Virtual Birthday Gift Bag (did you get your yet?) you’ll enjoy 30 days of How Does She Do It? Interviews on the blog:
Today’s How Does She Do It? Mentor is Debbie LaChusa, The Business Stylist™
http://www.facebook.com/DebbieLaChusa
http://www.facebook.com/TheBusinessStylist
http://twitter.com/dlachusa
http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbielachusa
How long have you been in business online? 5-1/2 years
Tell us about your business: I work with women who have been successful in their career and have now started, or want to start, their own service-based business. These women want to make a difference in the world, they want to leave a legacy, they want financial and time freedom, and they want recognition for the work they do.
They are passionate about the services they offer, are very good at what they do, are serious about being successful in their own business, and they’re smart, hard-working, and determined. Yet despite all this they are still struggling in their business and they are often confused and overwhelmed about what to do to get out of struggle and achieve their goals.
I love working with these women because I know if I can help them be more successful in their business, they will help more people. And, they will also be able to experience what I feel blessed to have experienced for the past 12+ years – the opportunity to run a business that is personally fulfilling, financially rewarding, and that allows me to live my life on my terms.
I help these women design their business, their brand, and their marketing around who they are, so they have a unique, one-of-a-kind business that is easy for them to operate because it’s authentic to who they are. Plus, it helps them stand out in the marketplace and be more successful, usually with less work.
The greatest benefit these women get from working with me is the confidence and clarity of knowing exactly what to do to make their business more successful, more fulfilling, and more profitable. And to be able to accomplish all of this in a way that is totally authentic and comfortable.
What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? I consider myself a business owner who leverages the Internet to serve people worldwide. I ran a successful marketing consulting firm for 6 years before I started doing business online. The reason I chose to go online was because I wanted to reach and serve more people. I wanted to reach out beyond my local client base and serve people worldwide. And business on the Internet is truly a global adventure.
One of my favorite things is that I get to meet and work with so many interesting people from all around the world. I’ve had the opportunity to travel and speak in Canada and Australia. And, currently, nearly half of my mentoring & mastermind clients are located outside of the United States.
It is so cool to be able to get on a conference call with all of my mentoring clients and realize that we truly represent the world. And to also realize that regardless of where we are from, we are all women in business with the same life and business challenges. To be able to serve all of these women is truly a joy, an honor and a privilege.
Who or has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success? I have had so many great mentors – too many to count – that it’s really impossible to pick just one. A few that stand out and what they taught me are:
T. Harv Eker, for instilling in me the power of practicing “Ready, Fire, Aim.” This concept was a radical departure for me as self-confessed “former” Type A, planner and control freak. Getting comfortable practicing “Ready, Fire, Aim” has totally transformed my life and my business.
Jennifer Hough, for teaching me the power of trusting in the Universe and letting go of my attachment to how I think things “should” be. This too has totally transformed my life and my business.
My mother and my grandmother, for being women business owners (before it was “in”) and showing me I could do anything I wanted.
My daughter, for instilling in me a sense of adventure and “No Fear!”
What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? That I have been able to repeat my success. Creating a successful business one time, might be considered a fluke. I’ve been able to do it three times. That is something I am very proud of.
What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? Authentic in business means being YOU. It’s not about trying to be like someone else (e.g. a mentor), or trying to create a business like someone else has, it’s about creating a business that makes the most of who you are, that let’s you show up and be real, and share your unique gifts and talents with the world.
What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? I love doing free teleseminars. They’re a great way to share what I know with people, introduce them to me and my concepts, and to generate qualified leads. My very first month in my first Internet-based business, I did a teleseminar for T. Harv Eker’s organization, Peak Potentials, and that teleseminar enabled me to attract clients and be profitable my very first month in business. I’ve used them successfully ever since!
The challenge these days is that there are so many free teleseminars that it’s getting harder and harder to attract listeners. It’s a good thing I use a marketing mix, and don’t rely on just one method of marketing (one of my secrets to success!)
How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial “cashflow rollercoaster”? When I ran my consulting business, all of my clients were on 6-12 month retainers, so I had guaranteed cashflow. When I transitioned into my coaching and training business, I learned quickly that I needed to do something similar. So I created 6 and 12 month mentoring and mastermind programs that I only open up one or two times a year. That way I have clients I can focus my time on, and my business has guaranteed monthly cashflow. And any other programs or services I sell, are just gravy on top of that.
How do you achieve work-life balance? I follow what I call the “the big rocks” philosophy, another concept I learned from T. Harv Eker. And that means, I schedule what’s most important to me personally and professionally first: my “big rocks.” All of these activities get scheduled in my calendar. So my daily workouts, and family and personal things, get scheduled right along with my business appointments. By focusing on my top priorities first, I can make sure I have time to get them done. Let’s face it, there never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all. So the key is making sure you do what is most important to you. I also focus on spending my time where I get the biggest return on my investment.
What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? There are so many that I absolutely could not operate my business without, including my blog, my bridge line, Aweber, my shopping cart, Ning … but one of the newest tools I started using last year that has automated my scheduling and saved me a ton of time (and eliminated the need to pay an assistant to manage my schedule) is TimeDriver.
What is your best productivity tip? Printing out my daily calendar at night so I know what is on my schedule for the next day, and so I don’t have to keep opening Microsoft Outlook (and my email!) all day long to see what I’m supposed to be doing. I do my best to get everything done that’s on my calendar, and then I check it off when it’s completed. Sometimes, I may get an inspired idea and choose to follow that instead of what I had planned to do, but I’ve learned that truly inspired ideas move you light years ahead and usually are very quick and easily to implement. In learning how to recognize these ideas, and separate them from “bright shiny objects” which can be totally destructive to getting anything accomplished, I am able to accomplish more, more quickly.
I also think it’s very important to understand your own work rhythms and peak focus times. I don’t focus well early in the morning, so I don’t focus tasks that require heavy thinking during that time. I used to feel guilty about starting my workday a little bit later, but when I accepted that’s what works best for me, and embraced it, I became a lot more efficient with my time.
I also don’t answer my office phone during the day, except for client coaching calls. I let it go to voice mail and return the calls when it’s convenient for me. And every time I happen to pick up the phone, it reinforces why I do this!
What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? That everything is always perfect, just the way it is … even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment.
When I learned to let go of my attachment to the way I think things “should” be and I learned to just be present and accept what is, my entire life and business shifted. Now, when things don’t “go according to plan” I simply look at it and ask, “how can this serve me?” And when something appears to “go wrong” I just tell myself it means something better is around the corner.
Since I’ve been living my life and operating my business this way, I have experienced so much more peace, and joy. It truly is NOT about the destination. It is about the journey. And it’s a fascinating journey if you are open to ALL of it without judgment.
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Remember to claim your Birthday Gift Bag!
http://www.iawbo.com/giftbag
It’s bursting with 30 EXCLUSIVE GIFTS (not available free anywhere else) hand selected by our team of experts for success-driven women like you!
As a matter of fact, Debbie has contributed her Special Report – Why Marketing Isn’t Enough: 3 Steps for Getting Out of Struggle and Creating a Successful Business and Abundant Life (A $47 value and remember this is just 1 of the 30 gifts you get in this gift bag valued over $1000)
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Pssst… Once you have registered for the free gift bag you’ll be directed to a SECRET PAGE where you’ll discover a MEGA secret we’ve been keeping. You’re really got to see it to believe it!
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