It’s our birthday but YOU get the gifts! In addition to the FREE Virtual Birthday Gift Bag available during the month of September (did you get yours yet?) you will enjoy a new How Does She Do It? Interview every day on the blog:
Today’s How Does She Do It? Mentor is Elena Verlee of PR in Your Pajamas
www.facebook.com/PRinYourPajamas
www.linkedin.com/in/ElenaVerlee
How long have you been in business online? This site is about 2 years, overall 12 years
Tell us about your business and the #1 benefit your clients get from working with you: I work with entrepreneurs with a big message to share to get heard, get known and get talked about, so they can change the world. The greatest benefit they get from working with me is finding the stories that media will love and being able to share it in a big, viral way! What’s the use of creating amazing products, programs and services and then not doing what you can to be as visible as possible – so that the people who need to find you, find you.
What does being a woman in business online mean to you and what is your favorite thing about it? Being a woman in business online has provided me amazing flexibility and the freedom to be with my family and do what I love, wherever I choose to be. I’ve traveled for months at a time and run a business while living in two different countries the last few years. Having an online business means I never have to pack up the office for a move, can work with clients around the world and in effect, sell my products and services 24/7.
Who has been your greatest mentor and how have they impacted your success? In recent memory, it’s been my friend and life coach Margaret Evans. She reminds me to step back, look at all that I’ve achieved and know that I have enough and I am enough. Sometimes my ambition gets the best of me and talking with her is like having a warm, comforting blanket around me. She has so much wisdom and reminds me that I must treasure the time with my young kids and that there will always be opportunities.
What is the one achievement are you most proud of so far and why? Failing! I’ve been very lucky to have started and sold successful businesses and I think I got spoiled. Experiencing some “failures” recently was quite a shock and oh so humbling. But I’ve never been so passionate about what I am doing and I’ve learned a lot about asking for help and believing in my vision. Now I think if I’m not failing every now and then, then I’m not being innovative enough. It’s been freeing.
What does “authentic in business” mean to you and why is it important? More and more it’s about the merging of our personal and professional being. With social media, there is a new transparency in business that wasn’t there before. You cannot sell inferior products and then hope no one calls you on it. You cannot ignore unhappy clients or business partners. You cannot successfully build a brand that is incongruent with who you are. People see right through it. They feel it.
What is your favorite & most effective marketing strategy that you use to grow your business? Of course I am biased, but I use free publicity in traditional media (papers, magazines, broadcast) or social media (blogs, social networks). I still get inquiries from an article in a newspaper from 2 years ago. In the last month alone, my blog has attracted attention from Forbes, Visa and partnership opportunities in the PR industry. Which then snowballs into other opportunities. Business is about building relationships and I do it through my key influencers whether media, bloggers or other business owners. It’s so much more effective when other people are marketing for you through articles or endorsements. That kind of credibility can’t be established by you singing your own praises.
How do you stay off (or minimize the extremes) of the proverbial cash flow rollercoaster? Having multiple streams of income. I have do-it-yourself products and I have done-for you services. Looking at the path that clients go through and anticipating their next need. I’m also a paid speaker and I’m looking to do more of that this year 
How do you achieve work-life balance? Look after the golden goose (me) first. I’m certainly guilty of not doing this sometimes and then everything else – work, family, relationships suffer too. I set appointments in my calendar with myself and then I set the 3 “big rocks” in my day so that I can make sure what I need to move my business forward gets done, and then fill any gaps with the pebbles that keep me busy but not necessarily productive. It’s so easy to do it the other way around and not even be aware of it.
What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why? Skype. Years and years ago I was already doing coaching calls from the beach with Skype. Now with video it’s really helped establish closer relationships with business associates I would otherwise never meet in person. There is a different connection when you see each other. When you do video skype it’s like having a coffee with that person.
What is your best productivity tip? I learned a time management technique for entrepreneurs way back and it was to structure your days as Focus, Freedom and Flexible days. On Focus days, you must block out all interruptions and this is the day you work on money-making activities. The type of activities you probably dread or need chunks of time to do and it would really build your business. Flexible days are when you do things like return phone calls, do admin and billing. It takes us up to 45 minutes to do mental shifts, so when you are creating or writing for example, and then get interrupted by a 5 minute phone call, you wonder why you can’t get back into the flow. Freedom days are just that – no work, all play.
What has been your biggest breakthrough, mindset shift or top lesson learned so far? Never stop learning and continuing to invest in myself. Even if I think I know something, sometimes I’ll take a class from a peer. I always take away a nugget, either a different way of doing something, or a brand new concept I hadn’t thought about. These are exciting times with online businesses and you can either put your head in the sand and feel overwhelmed or ignore the trend, or you can start from wherever you are now and take a step. I’d rather keep taking the steps. Even if sometimes I get lost, it’s usually a detour I enjoy
.
Remember to claim your Birthday Gift Bag!
It’s filled 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, Elena has contributed her 30 Day PR and Social Media Plan (A $47 value and remember this is just 1 of the 30 gifts you get in the gift bag. Total value is over $1300
.
Pssst… Once you have registered for your 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!
Thanks for including me in this great event Gina! You’re a real role-model and inspiration.
Elena,
I love your description of Focus, Freedom and Flexible days. How freeing to organize my business days that way. By naming them it will help me remember what I am supposed to be doing, and give me better scheduling of my time for appointments, client calls, etc.
Thanks!
Amy
Thanks Amy! I know that when I organize my days around this schedule there is definitely a sense of ease and flow – and things just get DONE, and when it is a Freedom day I can do so without the guilt.
Elena having seen you put those focus days into action and go offline for the whole day I really admire how you practice what you preach.
I too think failing has been my biggest success, it’s humbling and at the same time it provides you with fantastic strength for the next endeavour.
You’re a PR superstar, I look forward to seeing you on the speaking circuit!
Natalie
Natalie – I didn’t realize you were so perceptive, noticing those offline days of mine! ha ha. I find that those Freedom days are crucial to coming back to work energized, focused and seeing my vision with clarity. Otherwise it’s so easy to slip into the mold of just being busy but not being productive.
And failing…yes, you are so right that it is extremely humbling and especially hard the first time around. So I just remember Thomas Edison, who took 1000x to invent the lightbulb – we’d still be in the dark if he gave up
Elena!
You have never ceased to amaze me with your simplicity and focus. (Even though we do go back years, when we both used to live in London LOL)
You seem to be able to encapsulate the essence of pro-activity in PR/Entrepreneurship.
I learned something new again today, and so proud and happy it’s from you
Consciousness and Certainty,
Pinky
Hi Elena,
I’ve followed your blog for a while and found it immensely helpful to me as a new business owner. Do you have any special time management tips for moms who work from home and have toddlers? Thanks!
Hi Shannon – ah, that is truly a challenge! I have a 2 year old and just got through 6 weeks without a nanny while searching for the perfect fit.
I really think you need some support so if you can find a nanny, babysitter, friend or even another mom who can watch your child while you do some focused work, that is the best.
If your child still naps, try time blocking. Where you say, for 15 or 30 minutes you work on something without distraction. Even if you don’t finish it, you are moving forward with your goal.
Try and start your day organized – what are 3 things you MUST get done that will actually make a difference to your business and bottom line? That way you can avoid the “busywork” we create for ourselves until you get those 3 things done.
Hope that helps!
Elena