Category Archives: Success
Rescuing Your New Years Goals
Q&A with Michelle
Did you set a New Years Resolution this year? 45% of Americans set New Years Resolutions and of those only 8% actually follow through to completion. If you started strong, but your motivation is waning, today we’re going to talk about ways you can rescue your goals if you have fallen off the wagon.
In this Q&A segment I will share with you these four tips for rescuing your goals if you’ve already “fallen off the wagon”
1. Stop the Shame
2. Revisit your Why
3. Consider Goal Graduation
4. Focus on Habits Not Results
Question: Is there hope if we’ve already fallen off the wagon?
Michelle: Absolutely! One of the mindsets that holds us back from success is to believe there is only one time of year to succeed at change. And we don’t just do this for New Year’s Resolutions. We say, I’ll try again on Monday, or next month. But even deeper than that, because we consistently break our goals, we wait for another time to succeed. AND when we beat ourselves up for breaking a diet, or spending when we shouldn’t or whatever, we start the shame cycle and that self talk doesn’t make you want to try anymore. Believe you can and believe it’s worth it but stop telling yourself you’re a failure. THAT won’t help you reach any goals.
Question: What if the motivation just isn’t there? How do you get to the gym, or spend less, or apply for a better job?
Michelle: Revisit your motivation and make sure WHY you want the goal is solid. Are you trying to get organized because everyones sharing you Marie Kondo after pictures on Social Media? Or do you feel the need to be better organized in your life because you’re spending so much time trying to find “lost” things? Your why has to be rooted in what YOU want, not what others want. One year I had friends who were trying to motivate me to run a half marathon, but until I was willing to do it for me, I couldn’t commit or even be motivated to complete the training schedule.
Question: Do you think it’s more motivating to go for a BIG goal or a small goal?
Michelle: Depends, some people are more motivated by big hairy audacious goals and that helps them hit the pavement and work hard. However, most of us, especially if you have let goals go in the past, you may want to consider Goal Graduation. For example, let’s say you want to lose 50 pounds, some people would be motivated by that goal, but others need to start with something small like losing 10% of your body weight or even just losing 5 pounds so that they can feel success and stay motivated. BIG goals CAN be fun, but its hard to stay motivated if you don’t hit milestones over time.
Question: What final tip do you have for someone who isn’t ready to give up on their goal?
Michelle: Resolutions are great, but plans are better. My best recommendation for progress and achievement is to focus on habits not results. If you’re trying to lose weight and you get on the scale once a week and it doesn’t move, then it can be hard to continue the good habits when the results aren’t there. Instead focus on the daily, weekly, and monthly ACTIONS you need to take and then you can celebrate every night that you went to the gym or ate 5 servings of fruits and veggies, and you know that you body is getting healthy, even if the scale doesn’t reflect your efforts. Success is NOT a destination, its a practice.
How Can I Use Facebook Watch As A Marketing Strategy?
Q&A with Michelle
In an attempt to compete with YouTube video views and to keep active users on the platform, facebook rolled out Facebook Watch in 2017. While the adoption seemed a little slow last year, it’s growing steam. In Facebook Watch and newsfeed, Facebook has over 8 billion video views a day.
Today we are going to discuss and answer some questions about business tips if you’d like to use Facebook Watch as a marketing strategy.
Question: First off, is Facebook Watch really a place businesses and marketing teams should spend their time?
Michelle: Sure, if video is part of their overall marketing strategy. Video is a key part of any social media strategy and if you’re going to spend the time to create videos, you may as well utilize the benefits that Facebook watch has to offer. Videos that are uploaded directly to facebook will get more views than an external YouTube link. Some companies are loading the same video in both platforms while others are creating separate content to meed the needs of different mediums and audiences, but either way, utilize the offering. AND, since Facebook is putting algorithm focus on video, businesses should “play the game” so that they can get visibility in the news feed.
Question: If you do want to make Facebook Watch a primary marketing strategy, what do you recommend to start?
Michelle: If your business is going to lead with video and consistently create and share video, or if you’re primary business is entertainment (like comedy clubs) or expertise (like speakers, authors or trainers) content is your number one strategy for building an audience. Changing your page template to video will make your videos eligible to get into the Facebook Watch button, and give you extra tools to promote past, present and current videos. Experts like Marie Forleo and Gretchen Rubin have video pages, along with Dry Comedy Bar. Changing your template is easy and you can easily change it to another setting if you don’t like it.
Question: How do you gain followers and grow your audience?
Michelle: It all starts with good content. Take time to create a content schedule, decide how often you’re going to post videos or episodes. As you share your videos to personal pages and gain traction it, good content will get shared and your audience will organically increase. Also, don’t be afraid to do Facebook Live Videos, as long as their with a purpose. Remember every video needs to be an extension of your messaging strategy.
Question: One final quick question, what is the biggest mistake marketers make when it comes to facebook video strategy?
Michelle: Remember that social media is just one part of your marketing strategy. You need to reach you audience in additional ways and you always need to remember to create and preserve your Home Court Advantage. Tomorrow, facebook could change the algorithm again and they could change the “rules” for Facebook watch or any other feature. Remember to spend as much time building your website, retail location and sales processes. Get people from social media to your website where you own the team, the brand and the raving fans.
How Do I Get My Business Up and Going?
Q&A with Michelle
According to a OnePoll Study, 1 in 7 Americans believe they are sitting on a fantastic business idea. Of those 41% haven’t taken any steps to get their idea off the ground.
Today on the blog I will be answering a few frequently asked questions about starting a business.
Question: How does someone know if their idea will actually work?
Michelle: Step one, is to really consider if this is a product you want or if there is an actual market for your product or service. You do this by defining your target market. What group of people will benefit from this product or service? What does this group of people have in common? Age? Income? Education? Geographics? If there is a group that will buy your product, then you can go onto the next step.Question: What’s the next decision that needs to be made?
Michelle: Then next decision is does this product or service serve a local audience or a national or international audience. If it’s a salon, or gift shop, while there may be an online element, a majority will happen online. While it’s easy to say you can sell to everyone, it’s hard to reach them unless it makes business sense that matches the product or service.
Michelle: Step one, is to really consider if this is a product you want or if there is an actual market for your product or service. You do this by defining your target market. What group of people will benefit from this product or service? What does this group of people have in common? Age? Income? Education? Geographics? If there is a group that will buy your product, then you can go onto the next step.Question: What’s the next decision that needs to be made?
Michelle: Then next decision is does this product or service serve a local audience or a national or international audience. If it’s a salon, or gift shop, while there may be an online element, a majority will happen online. While it’s easy to say you can sell to everyone, it’s hard to reach them unless it makes business sense that matches the product or service.
Question: How do you decide if you want to bootstrap your business or if you need income from another source?
Michelle: Many small business ideas can be bootstrapped. But tech companies and inventions could need capital or maybe just a small business loan. If you’re still not sure, consider the income and expenses that your business has. Many startup hopefuls consider the income but not the costs. Understanding both is very important.
Question: One final quick question, how does one know they’re ready to dive into a startup?
Michelle: The truth is you’re never ready. There will be things you figure out on the road whether you start you business now or 6 months from now, but thinking and planning can only get you so far. Do some initial work and then get started and dive in. You can adjust your sails as you go, but you won’t move forward until you push away from the dock.
5 Questions To Ask To Know How To Get Your Business Off The Ground
KSL Browser 5.0
I had the opportunity to be interviewed on KSL this week about business ideas. In this segment we talked about the 5 questions you need to ask to get your business idea off the ground.
It takes a lot more than four minutes worth to explain these steps, but this quick interview will help you figure out if your business is viable to take the next steps. Watch the segment below!
Increased productivity in the Work Place
Tips on How To Increase Productivity in the Work Place
A study done by Basex Research shows that if you’re “in the zone” on project or deadline and you get interrupted, it takes 20 minutes to get back to where you were. That adds up to a lot of wasted time in a day and drain on company resources. With the number of demands on our time and the distractions that come every day, it can be hard to increase productivity without burning out, our next guest,
Today on the blog we will be talking about three productivity tips to help you streamline your work week and increase your effectiveness.
It seems like there are always demands on our time. My number one tip for increased productivity is to first and foremost, eliminate distractions. Turn off notifications on your phone and your computer when you’re in the middle of time sensitive or focus required tasks. If you have a coworker who always messages you on the company chat, mark yourself as busy. If you have people who interrupt you in your office, put a sign on your door or cubicle when you’re in the middle of a project that needs your full attention. Take control of your focus, no one else will do it for you.
Even if the distractions are gone, some employees still struggle to be effective in their workday. My advice for those who could use additional help would be to marry your to do list with your calendar for routine tasks. Here’s what I mean, most people keep a to do list, even in their own minds, but they are constantly putting routine tasks on their lists. Most employees and business owners have routine tasks that need to be done daily, weekly, monthly or annually. Go through your routine tasks and create action lists of items that you do on a regular basis, and then schedule appointments for those items in your calendar. If you have a report do every Friday morning, block out time Thursday afternoon to complete it. If you regular post or comment on Social Media, schedule time every day in your calendar to create that routine.
In my book I talk about weekly planning and how it is the key to success. I have had a few people ask me what weekly planning looks like for me.
Plan is the four letter word for success. We may not want to spend time planning each week, but when you do, you’re much more likely to be in control of your clock. Each week ask yourself, what worked this week, what didn’t work this week and what needs to change. Once you’ve identified your routine action items and the days and times you complete them, you may find that things need to shift or move. Take 30 minutes Friday afternoon to plan for your week ahead and you’ll get more done, and have more peace with the clock.
In my book I share a number of other productivity tips such as the how’s and why’s of delegating and there’s a whole chapter dedicated to time management.
Most Valuable Employee
Question and Answer Series with Michelle Mccullough
Many employees go to work every day in fear that they may lose their jobs. With the many responsibilities to provide for families, pay off debt and save for the future there is a lot on the line to maintaining stable employment.
Today the blog features four ways that you can be the most valuable employee in your organization.
We are going to tackle this topic today in the form of Q&A. Let’s get right to it.
Question #1: What is your first tip for being an invaluable employee?
Michelle: Number one is, to have a good attitude – even if things are bad. Complainers are toxic to a team, a department and a company as a whole. If you have complaints, voice them privately and don’t go cubicle to cubicle recruiting allies. Complain in private and compliment in public. Studies show that all qualifications being equal, managers will promote those with the best attitude and that are the easiest to work with.
Question #2: What if things in the organization need a lot of improvement, how do you avoid being negative?
Michelle: Be a problem solver. There can be a lot of reasons to complain, but if you can find solutions and not problems, you’ll be seen as a team player and an invaluable employee. When I’m hiring, I will hire first temporarily before I bring people on part or full time. I’ll give them a project, and if or when there’s a problem I look to see how they solve it, or how their attitude effects the work environment.
Question #3: Do you like employees that come up with solutions and do them without being asked?
Michelle: Absolutely. Sure, there are times where someone can overstep their job position or take a responsibility that should be done by someone else, generally speaking I’m looking for employees that are proactive and not reactive. In addition to being a problem solver, I want them to see problems BEFORE they happen and be willing to make changes or adjustments to smoothing things out ahead of time. That said, questions are not a sign of weakness. If you have something you don’t understand or need more clarity on to proceed, don’t waste time (Yours or the company’s) Ask for help so that you can be effective and efficient.
Question #3: What is your final tip for people who want to be rockstar employees?
Michelle: Go the extra mile. It sounds cliché, but this simple task can make you invaluable in an organization. I’m not saying you have to work late every night and burn a candle at both ends, but ask yourself, “What MORE could I do that would benefit my boss, team or organization?” And then do it. I love the quote by Dan Clark that says, “You aren’t paid by the hour, you’re paid for the value you bring to that hour.” How can you increase your value at work?
Is Facebook Watch a Good option for a Video Marketing?
KSL Browser 5.0 TV Segment
Last month on KSL we talked about video marketing in general. This month we’re taking a look at a specific strategy: Facebook Watch.
As Facebook works to compete with YouTube for video views and market share many companies are wondering if Facebook Watch is a viable strategy for business.
In this segment, I share some tips about how to use Facebook Watch if you do decide to use it as a business marketing strategy.
Here are some pictures from my time in the studio this week!
What are the Do’s and don’ts of Handling Stress?
Question and Answer Series with Michelle Mccullough
A study done by the American Psychological association found that 48% of respondents noted that they feel like their stress has increased over the last five years. With the everyday roles and responsibilities on our plates every day, it’s no wonder we’re stressed and overwhelmed.
Stress is a big problem for a lot of us today. I narrowed down how to deal with stress by compiling a simple do’s and don’t list. Today’s blog topic will best be discussed through a series of questions and answers. Let’s jump right in to the first one.
Question #1 : When you’re stressed, what’s on your Don’t List?
Michelle: Number one hopefully happens before you get stressed. Don’t Over-Schedule Yourself. Some of our stress is self Imposed, make sure you give time in your schedule for relaxation, sleep, etc.
Question #2: Some of that sounds easier said than done. What’s on your DO list to help people in stressful times?
Michelle: Focus on the present. There may be a lot of challenges in the future, but the present is all that is in our control. We need to spend more time focusing on what we can control and let the future come what may. The old adage that worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere, is true. Spend your time thinking about the things in your control.
Question #3: Many of us have taxing jobs and a lot of personal responsibilities what would you recommend that we do first?
Michelle: Ask for help. The demands we have on our lives AND the worry combined are a lot so we need to not do it alone. Whether you’re a CEO or a stay at home parent we all need help with our responsibilities. So whether it’s hiring good help or trading with friends – not only does it lift a burden, but it helps us remember that we’re not alone. Community and solidarity are great antidotes to stress.
Question #4: What would be your final tip for to de-stress?
Michelle: Create a “Play List” . In my book The Make It Happen Blueprint, one of the ways we tackle the feeling of being overwhelmed is through things that bring us joy. It can be making time for a hobby, reading a good book, or even learning something new. I recommend to corporate clients and high performance individuals to make sure they do something every day that takes their mind off the stress and also helps them develop personally with things they enjoy.
How Can I Better Manage my Emails?
Question and Answer with Michelle Mccullough
Studies show that employees waste 17 hours a week on pointless work email. Take 17 and times it by all of your employees and that’s a hefty expense for businesses. Today’s blog will help us all better manage our email whether you work in an office or not.
Let’s start with some questions.
Question #1: Is that your actual email number? You have 62,000 unread emails?
Michelle: Yes I do have that many emails, and trust me I wish that wasn’t me. I have 7 different emails for 4 different companies that I manage every day. I’m not the person who gets my inbox to zero before being done for the day, but there are some things I do to help keep me sane, because there are many weeks I spend MORE than 17 hours a week in email.
Question #2: What would you say is the number one things professionals should do when managing their email?
Michelle: They should set a schedule for when they look at email. It shouldn’t be open all the time and notifications should be turned off. A study by Basex research shows that that if you’re in a project and you get interrupted, it takes 20 minutes to get your brain back to the point where you were. Productivity would increase if you check your emails 3 times a day. Morning when you get in, right before or right after lunch and right before you leave for the day.
Question #3: Many people get SO many emails, that only checking 3 times a day doesn’t seem like enough to sift through everything. What would your advice be for that?
Michelle: That’s why I recommend opting out of emails and there’s a great service called unroll.me that will tell you what lists you are signed up for and you can opt out on the screen with a click of a button. Cut back the junk and it makes the important stuff easier to respond to.
Question #4: How do you recommend people sift through email so they are focusing on the biggest priorities first?
Michelle: I recommend using folders. In most email clients you can set rules to send certain messages to certain folders so you can access them easily. You can also have your email client Star or bold emails from certain clients or your boss. If that’s not enough, I found out about a service called Sanebox that goes even further with rules and folders so that you can take back your email.