Five Tips For Overcoming Nerves When Public Speaking

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Most businesses will call for some form of presentation skills from time to time.  This could be for a variety of reasons; demonstrating a product to a group of potential buyers, arranging to talk about the service you offer to a group of mums at the local parent and toddler group, speaking at a networking event.  Depending on the nature of your business you may be called to give verbal presentations of one form or another on a regular basis.

Now for many people, speaking “formally” in front people can be extremely anxiety provoking – whether your audience comprises a small group of mums in someone’s front room, or a hall full of 200 people all waiting eagerly to hear what you have to say, the stomach turning nerves you may experience before beginning your presentation can be debilitating.

According to many reports, public speaking is actually the number one fear amongst people – ahead of flying, heights, insects and even death. 

Yet, if we are to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to us to “sell” our business to others through some form of presentation, then we really do need to do all we can to conquer these nerves and make public speaking work for us.

So…what can we do to help?

Here are five tips I have used over the years to help me tackle my nerves and grow to truly enjoy the occasions when I am required to speak in public.

1 – Develop confidence and enthusiasm for what you are talking about.  Talking about something you know well will help instil confidence within you.  If you are talking about your business, then you should know your business inside out.  Let this knowledge be your steady core that will anchor you within your presentation.  You know you have this in-depth knowledge, so don’t worry about not knowing how to respond to questions or “drying up” and running out of things to say.  Along with this, make time to build up your enthusiasm for your topic.  Really think hard about the reasons you are involved or linked to what ever it is you are talking about and think of how you can convey that enthusiasm when you speak. 

2 – Be well prepared…then forget about it.  Following on from number one above, whatever form your presentation is going to take or whatever angle you are addressing with your presentation, allow yourself time to prepare.  If you are using any visual aids – PowerPoint, etc.  practice with it first and check it is working on the day.  (That said, if it doesn’t work try not to worry and allow the confidence in your topic (see above) to carry you through).  Be extra prepared in your opening and closing statement or comment.  This way you can start and finish confidently which will somehow help mask any stumbles you may make during.  Being prepared also includes such elements as; knowing where it is you are going, having the contact details for the organiser, allowing yourself enough time to reach the venue.  However, once you have prepared, then get on and do something else.  You know your stuff – going over it and over it won’t enable you to know it to any greater extent.

3 – Have a few questions you can throw out to your audience.  You won’t necessarily be expecting people to shout out answers to these questions although you may want a show of hands.  However, this is more about engaging with your audience as well as allowing you time to pause and take the spotlight off yourself  – even if only for a few seconds. 

The sort of questions you will want to prepare will obviously vary on the nature of your business and what it is you are presenting.  Don’t come up with too many either as this could interrupt the flow of your presentation.  The best idea is to have several “up your sleeve” ready to throw out if you feel the need to inject a little extra energy into your presentation or as above, if you want to take the spotlight of yourself for a while.

I can’t really give you examples to use as each of you will have different needs.  However below are four examples that should give you an idea of the sort of thing I’m referring to in this tip.

  • How many of you have dreamed of being your own boss?
  • You have a dog; it doesn’t come back when you call it – does this sound familiar to you?
  • Take a couple of seconds to think about how you would feel right now, this very moment, if you were at your ideal weight.
  • You have young children?  Just think for a moment about the main challenge you’re facing at the moment

4 – Kid yourself that you are good at this sort of thing.  I know this may sound ridiculous if you are feeling almost paralysed with nerves, but it worked for me.  Years ago when I first had to deliver a presentation in front of others I was so nervous I pretended I wasn’t well and didn’t do it.  However I couldn’t keep doing this so the next time I had to present I bit the bullet and did it.  I kept doing it – even volunteering to present if I got the chance – and the more I presented the easier it became.  Very early on I started to tell myself (and others) that I “don’t get nervous when presenting”.  And do you know what?  It worked!  I began to believe myself.  If nerves started to creep in I’d just say to myself “no, I don’t get nervous about this sort of thing – I’m good at it”.  This didn’t lead to complacency and I still put everything I can into each and every presentation I give.  It did however I think “fast track” me into feeling relatively comfortable about standing and speaking in front of others and yes, I do actually enjoy the experience!

5 – Finally, look after yourself.  Make sure you get enough sleep the night before, allow yourself enough time to get yourself ready, eat something that will provide energy without feeling full, wear clothes suitable for the occasion but in which you feel comfortable.  After the event, allow yourself a little time to reflect on how it went and any changes or improvements you may want to make when you present again, then treat yourself in some way.  You’ve faced the nation’s number one fear and you should reward yourself for doing so!

I’ve many more tips on this topic so may return to it again.  Let me know if you have any tips or experiences you would like to share.

Elaine :-D

Photo by Flickr User Alison Klein, WEBN News 2008

Help! What is RSS and the Orange Button?

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Today’s posting is a bit of a technical “lesson” that should help you keep up to date with additions to this (and other) websites easier.  It relates to the “RSS icon” that you see frequently displayed when visiting websites/blog.

Now, I’m going to explain this in the only way I know how – in the really simple way (how I understand it).

The “RSS” stands for Really Simple Syndication.

In a nutshell RSS makes it possible to read all the updates on a blog or website without having to visit each individually.  In today’s world where we are bombarded with information through websites and blogs and where new information is often being added on a regular basis, trawling through these to find the nuggets of information that are relevant to you and ensure you keep up to date can be extremely time consuming.  The RSS function makes this a lot simpler.

 So – how do you do it???

Well, you do this by using something called a “feed reader” and there are lots of different kinds of feed readers out there.  (So called because the updates from a blog or website using RSS are called  ’feeds’, think of it like it is feeding you information, or content).
I use Google Reader to read my feed. It’s quick and simple (and free!) to set up. If you want to set up an account just search in Google and follow the instructions to sign up for an account.

Once you have your account you need to add sites that appeal to you. If you find a site you like (such as happybusinessmums.com!) you can add the feed for that site by clicking the orange button that will be displayed on that site. Scan the front page of a site for this, mine is on the right hand side just below the subscription box) NB – NOT the large icon at the start of this posting!!

However If you think that RSS doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, don’t worry – many websites offer updates by email, this means that every time new information appears on the blog or website you will receive an email. This is fine if you only have one or two websites you wish to follow – beyond that it is easier to sign up to Google reader or similar.

I hope you have found this short technical lesson useful!  Do let me know if there is anything similar you would like to know more about relating to this or other sites and I will do my best to find out more on your behalf!

Until next time…

Elaine :-D

Information for this post kindly provided by Erica Douglas; Ace Inspire

A – Z of Balance and Success

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Hello!  Today I’m launching my A – Z of Balance and Success – tips and ideas presented alphabetically that together should help you to achieve more, and to stress less.  I’ll be posting this A – Z over a series of weeks – let me know what you think!

So…lets kick off!

A – Assertiveness

Back in the eighties when assertiveness training was fairly new to the UK and was the topic on many women’s (and men’s!) lips, I took myself off on several assertiveness training courses and devoured many books on the topic.  I learnt a lot and although still struggled to be assertive in certain situations (and still do), could see the value in what was being taught.

There then seemed to be a bit of a backlash against the discipline with a slight sneer accompanying any discussion – the term “assertive” often being mistaken I think for selfish, grabbing, “me, me, me” personality types.  In fact, I’ve just paused typing this to Google “assertive definition” and one definition that came up on an on-line dictionary was

given to making assertions or bold demands; dogmatic or aggressive

Well, that certainly wasn’t the skill I was taught when attending assertiveness training all those years ago.

My understanding of assertiveness is that it is the skill of being able to understand and express your own needs, emotions and opinions in a way that respects the person you are communicating with.    It is the second part of the sentence that often gets overlooked by those who doubt the value of assertiveness.  By being clear about your own needs in a way that doesn’t seek to devalue or put down the other person, we are showing not only respect for ourselves but respect for others also.

Assertiveness offers an alternative to the following behaviours;

Trying your best to please everyone else at the expense of your own needs (Fear that people won’t like you if you don’t do this)

or

Trampling over everyone else – shouting the loudest in order to get your own way

or

Using “emotional blackmail” to get your own way or to let others know if you are displeased

For women trying to juggle the demands of motherhood, running their business, running their home, having a meaningful relationship with family and friends, assertiveness has never been more important. 

Taking the time to check out our own needs from time to time will help us keep in touch with what is important to us and how we feel about things, as I believe we can sometimes lose touch with what we feel.  Whether it’s needing help with the tidying up, needing a bit of “me time”, needing to say “no” to an invitation to a night out, these are all valid requests or wishes.  Learning how to express these requests in a clear way that respects the other person is an important skill and is one that can be learnt. 

Being assertive can have many benefits

1 – You will begin to feel more in control of your life and have more respect for yourself and your own needs

2- Others should begin to have greater respect for you – they will “know where they stand” and hopefully appreciate the clearer communication that is taking place between you

3 – Your children will see and learn from your behaviour.  You will be demonstrating powerful messages about self respect, respect for others and honest and open communication.

For me, assertiveness is a skill that I still work on and often still struggle with.  The desire to please and “be liked” by others is, within me, a strong one.  However now more than ever, aware that I’m a role model for Amelia in these formative years, I’m really trying my best to practice my assertiveness – I suggest you give it a go too!

This posting has only touched on the subject.  There are numerous books, courses, articles and so on out there.  Even if you’ve looked into this subject before, it will do no harm to have a bit of a refresher.

The book I bought first, all those years ago to accompany me on my assertiveness journey was “A Woman in Your Own Right” by Anne Dickson.   See the following Amazon link if you want to find out more.

Until next time…

Elaine :-D

(image created with wordle)

 

Are You As Beautiful As Samantha Brick?

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Unless you’ve been out of the country for the last three weeks, you can’t fail to have witnessed the furore surrounding an article written by journalist Samantha Brick for the Daily Mail.  In case you were away and missed the general hoo-ha, in a nutshell, Samantha Brick, 41, wrote an article on the perils of being beautiful.  She explained how women dislike her for being tall, slim, attractive and well turned out and are suspicious if their husbands so much as talk to her. 

What has been surprising wasn’t the article itself – as far as I’m concerned, she was expressing her opinion and own perception of how others view her – rightly or wrongly this is how she interprets the world she moves in. 

No, what was surprising was the size of the backlash against her.  The Mail received over 1.5 million hits on the original article alone.  From what I’ve read, most of the comments were less than pleasant.

I suggest you Google “Samantha Brick” and read the original article yourself if you want to find out more.

Samantha was amongst other things, making the point that as women; how you look matters.  Be it in the workplace, in business, on public transport or in your friend’s front room.   She was making this point in “negative” way – in that her perception of how she has been treated over the years is that she has been denied promotion, refused positive references and generally intimidated by female bosses who were resentful of her good looks.

Now, I don’t feel I’m in a position to comment on this, not possessing a Samantha Brick level of gorgeousness.   However, I do firmly believe that how we look in terms of how we present ourselves does matter.  Like it or not, when we first meet someone, people will form an initial impression based on how we look.  Hopefully they will then go on to refine that opinion but first impressions, as they say, do count.

Not only that but I know that for me, how I dress, accessorise, whether or not I put on any make-up can all affect how I feel (never mind what other people make of it).

This is why, if I’ve got an important meeting coming up at work, I will dress that day in heels and smart shirt (along with other clothes obviously!!)  Not only will this hopefully present a professional image to those with whom I’m meeting but it will also help me feel more confident and composed.

On the days when I’m working at home on my business, I do definitely dress down.  However I personally would never dress down to the extent that I was sat at my laptop in my pyjamas.  I know this can work for some people but for me, I would struggle to be energised and motivated if I was sat around in the clothes I associate with sleep and relaxation.

I know we all have different opinions on this.  For instance personally I won’t leave the house without wearing some make-up– it’s a confidence thing, whereas for other women, make-up is probably something reserved for nights out and their make up bag probably contains two or three items (unlike me with a shelf in my wardrobe dedicated to cosmetics!).

So, what does all this mean for business mums I hear you ask…?

If we are juggling home, business, friends as well as trying to fit in our own interests, do we really have time to think about how we look?  Is it really that important?

Well, the only person who can decide how important it is for you, is you, and this will vary depending on the situation.

If you are due to attend a business women’s networking meeting and you want to make a positive impression (and frankly, what other impression would you want to make?), then spending some time thinking about what you are going to wear and how that will make you feel will be time well spent.  What image do you want to project?  What can you wear to help project that image? 

Then make sure you give yourself enough time to get ready.  This doesn’t need to take ages – most of us don’t have the luxury of “spending ages getting ready” any more.  However, with practice you can hone your getting- ready skills so you can be dressed, accessorised, made-up and out of the door in about ten minutes (I know I have).

We judge people on how they look all the time – as I said before most of us hopefully then go on to refine that judgement based on the personality of that person but even so, the first impression you give can send out powerful messages.

Spend some time thinking about what impression you would like to give to others.  Polished and professional?  Relaxed and casual?  Edgy and creative?  Don’t think of time spent on this as frivolous – demonstrating you have spent time on yourself shows you value yourself – hopefully leading others to value you also.   

Until next time you gorgeous ladies

Elaine :-D

(Image by Flickr user Oxfordshire Churches)

The Apprentice…hired or fired?

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Well, Wednesday nights at 9.00pm are once again off limits for anyone trying to get hold of me as The Apprentice is once again underway. This programme appeals to me on various levels – from a business point of view I enjoy seeing the simplicity of business that Lord Sugar manages to convey through some of the tasks – particularly the ones involving the sale of goods rather than services. Buy cheap, sell at a higher price, and make a profit. Beautifully simple.  Of course, in real life things aren’t quite that easy. There are overheads, taxes, legal considerations and many, many other factors that will affect a business’ bottom line. However what has been shown on several occasions on this programme over the years is that with a small amount of start up capital (£200 I remember was distributed for one of the tasks), this money if used wisely can bring in double or triple that amount.

We often forget some of these basic principles when looking at setting up a business. It is easy to get so caught up in promotion, finding your niche, identifying your USP, developing your marketing strategy and so on and so on, that the simple principle of making a profit can get lost.

What I also enjoy about the Apprentice, and I’m sure I’m not alone here, is observing the characters that make up the teams. From those that opt to “stay under the radar” for the first few programmes to those that thrust themselves forward to project lead before the first task has barely finished being explained, each and every person on the programme presumably projects themselves in a way that they believe will appeal to Lord Sugar (and possibly to their fellow team members).

What joy it is to pick fun at the contestants as they try so hard to achieve what sometimes seems like the impossible (given the short time frames they have in which to complete their tasks). Pleasure can also be gained from seeing the inevitable back-stabbing that takes place in the boardroom – team members who were on the previous day working closely together on a task are now out to get each other in whatever way they can – recounting scenarios that demonstrate their colleague’s lack of expertise.

So, if I were on the Apprentice, would I be hired or fired…?

Well, in many ways, I hope I would be fired. The business “qualities” Lord Sugar is looking for aren’t necessarily ones I possess. I don’t think I’m ruthless enough to cut it in his business world. The good thing about having your own business though is that there is room for all personality types. For every thrusting, plain speaking, hard-nosed tycoon, there is a person- centred, thoughtful and sensitive entrepreneur who is making their own way just as effectively in the business world. I’m not saying one is better than the other, rather than we all possess qualities that we can put to good use in running our business and our lives.

So – would you be hired or fired if you were on the show…and would that be a good thing…?

Until next time

Elaine :-D

What can you learn?

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Yesterday on a not very warm Easter Sunday, Steve, Amelia, myself and Rosie the dog went on a four-mile walk.  As is usual for us we were chatting for most of the way on the walk.  Not about anything in particular, just this and that in terms of what we were seeing on our walk, how Rosie was enjoying herself being let off the lead and more general conversation that just flowed from one topic to the next.

When we arrived at our destination – a small village with a post office that makes rather nice cappuccinos, we settled down to wait for the bus that would take us home (yes, four miles was definitely our limit yesterday – next time we will perhaps attempt to walk the journey back!).

It was whilst waiting for the bus that Amelia started talking about what she had learnt on her walk.  In her case it was “what saplings are”.  We had seen some during the first part of the walk and Steve had told her the name for them.   In Steve’s case he learnt “the difference between tights and leggings” (don’t ask!).  In my case when I thought about it (and didn’t want to get particularly philosophical about it), I had learnt how to spell “consolation”. (I was texting a friend on route and kept trying to spell it with an “e” instead of an “o”). 

Of course on returning home and giving this more thought, I realised there was a great deal more I had learnt.  I had learnt (or at least reminded myself of) the importance of being in the moment; I had learnt how by getting up early occasionally at a weekend and getting on with things, I can fit in so much more!  I’d learnt that Amelia as she is getting older has definitely overtaken Steve and me in terms of energy levels and stamina. 

I could probably come up with quite a lengthy list if I sat and reflected for longer and this list could no doubt be related not only to how I view myself but how I view my family and my business. 

So what does this mean for us as business mums?

Well, making time – a few minutes a day is probably all that is needed, to ask yourself the question “what have I learnt today” followed with the question “and how will I use this new knowledge? Should reap valuable rewards.

With this daily reflection should surely come a greater openness to new ideas, fresh ways of thinking and greater self-awareness.  Great assets for both the businesswoman and mother I would argue.

I’m not quite sure to what use Steve will put his new knowledge of tights and leggings and if I find out, you’ll be the first to know ;-)

I shall nevertheless finish this post with a quote from Henry Ford, who said that…

“anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty”

So – what do you think about this? Do you agree?  I would love to hear your thoughts…

Until next time

Elaine :-D

Unbelievable Opportunity…?

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Hey – I’ve just found a fantastic business opportunity you might want to take advantage of.  It requires practically no work on your part, £0 investment and profits of £10,000 guaranteed in your first month!!!!!

Interested!!??

Sorry…April Fool!!!!

Well, I couldn’t let this day pass without posting some small attempt at an April Fool could I?!

This fabulous day, where we all have license to be practical jokers, did cause me to think however of how we may be at risk of being taken for a fool on a daily basis with some of the so called business offers that are seemingly in limitless supply for anyone who might be looking.

I regularly receive in my in-box, emails making similar, attractive claims – usually several in a week.  Some look extremely tempting – who wouldn’t be enticed by the promise of easy money for little outlay and very little work. However, as the saying goes; if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

So my advice on this Day of Fools, is to tread carefully when considering such business opportunities.  Having said that, there are undoubtedly some excellent business opportunities being offered and it would also be foolish to dismiss anything that comes your way as being suspect, dodgy and not worth your consideration. 

What is important though, if your are on the search for a new business opportunity, business course, investment opportunity or other such venture that involves you parting with cash, is to be vigilant and thorough in checking out that opportunity. 

There really is no excuse today, with information being freely available on the Internet, for anyone to enter into such a financial commitment without first checking fully the reputation of the seller. 

Type the name of your opportunity into Google and see what comes up.  Pay particular attention to forums that have reviews on your opportunity – this is where real people, like you and me, will log their thoughts and feedback on said opportunity. 

I would say such vigilance should ideally precede any financial investment. 

So, to summarise, it would certainly be foolish of us to dive into any business opportunity presented to us without first checking out the reputation and validity of that opportunity.  However, equally foolish would be to turn our back on every single opportunity we are faced with as we truly believe every single person is totally dodgy and out to rip us off.

As with other areas of your life, try and strike a balance.  Be vigilant with your research but always remain open and alert to possibilities and be prepared to grab those opportunities if they pass your further investigations.

Have fun on this special day – and forget the rule that says we can only play practical fool jokes until midday.  It’s April Fools Day, it’s a Sunday and the sun is shining.  Go out and celebrate!

Elaine :-D

 

Five tricks to help you generate new business ideas

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If you have been thinking about starting your own business for some time but can’t decide what it is you want to do, there are many tricks and tips to help you go through this process in a systematic way.

Below is a list of five ideas that should help get you going

1 – Think of a problem or irritation you encounter on a daily basis.  Think as broadly as possible – note things down throughout the day as they occur if possible.  Really give yourself the freedom to think of everything that is problematic or irritating for you – for instance; “my house always seemed cluttered”, “my dog doesn’t come back when called”, “I never seem to have time to get to the gym”, “I’m new to my area and don’t really know anyone”.

Once you’ve exhausted all your irritations, write them on one large sheet of paper and for each one, think of possible solutions to these problems. 

Your house is always cluttered? Possible solutions could include;

  • Better storage systems
  • A service that takes away your unwanted items
  • eBaying those items yourself
  • A “clutter-buster” expert to come in and help you deal with this problem

Brainstorm as many possible solutions as possible.  Then look through this list of solutions and see if there are any that have potential money making opportunities for you.

NB – with this exercise, also talk to your friends and family and find out what things are problematic for them and so generate a whole new list of areas.

2 – “In an ideal world…” exercise.  This is similar to point one above.  Gather a group of friends along with several sheets of flipchart paper and coloured marker pens.  For this exercise, you will all be completing the sentence “ in an ideal world…” Encourage your group to write down as many responses to this as possible – the wilder and wackier the better!  Amongst the weird and wonderful responses you may find a few golden nuggets that could form the basis of a business idea.  Again, as above, if you identify two or three ideas you think could be taken further, spend some time coming up with ideas as to how that ideal scenario could be created.  It is here you will find your potential money making opportunities with this particular exercise.

3 – Your strengths and passions.  Make a list of all the things you are good at and/or passionate about.  Fell walking, baking, belly dancing, tropical fish collecting, mediating when arguments break out?

Ask your friends and family to contribute to this list – what do they think are your strengths, interests, talents? Go through this list one item at a time and see which could be developed into a business opportunity.  Interested in classic cars?  Could you start a website selling classic car memorabilia?  Organise holidays and trips for classic car enthusiasts?  Source hard to find parts for other classic car owners?  Produce informational DVDs to sell to other enthusiasts?

4 – Think global.  Use the internet to read newspapers and other publications from other parts of the world.  The USA in particular will often have products, services and general business’s successfully operating there, which eventually will make their way over to the UK.  By reading articles, adverts and news stories from other countries, you may stumble upon an idea that can be adapted and brought to the UK market.  (Do of course check any copyright or patent laws when doing this).

5 – Notebook.  Finally, get into the habit of carrying a notebook with you at all times (and keep on your bedside table at night).  Once you start some of the processes above, you will start to find ideas coming to you at any point so be ready to note those ideas down. 

Good luck!

Elaine :-D

Tips for achieving balance in your life…

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Last Friday I attended a business women’s networking event (Icon Women – www.iconwomen.co.uk)  As part of this we were asked to describe some of the things that keep us awake at night with regard to our business and home life.

A couple of points came up that seemed to resonate with most of the women there and these were;

How do we fit in all the different elements of our life and still feel we “do them well” and;

How do we manage the guilt we feel when our children want us to be with them, rather than working on our business?

I came up with a couple of ideas – very simple, that I hope might help with this.

Firstly with regard to how we can successfully fit all the various, demanding elements of our life into our limited time frames, my thoughts on this were that; firstly, accept that it will almost inevitably be a struggle to fit everything in. 

After all if you are running a business, bringing up a family, looking after your home, pets, garden, making time to keep in touch with friends, making time for yourself – to keep fit, have a hobby (!) and so on (pause for breath!!) even the most skilled time manager will struggle to fit everything in. 

So, I think the best we can do is make sure that when carrying out each element, we ensure we are really “present” with each area.  By this I mean that we give our full attention to whatever it is we are doing at that point. 

Having a half hour at night to help your children with their homework?  Then for that half hour, really focus fully on what you are doing.  Don’t be there in body but not mind, going through your to-do list in your head whilst your child is showing you her latest project work. Instead, really listen to what she is saying, look at what she is showing and value that experience for what it is.  Similarly when you are then at your lap top coming up with a list of possible new customers or new products for your business, try and forget about the washing that needs doing, your gym appointment later that day or what you are going to buy your best friend for her birthday. 

We will probably never fit everything in that we would like to achieve in our daily lives.  However I believe we owe it to ourselves and others to make sure that those areas that we do fit in, we do so to the best of our capabilities.

Now, with regard to the guilt we invariably feel when our children want to know why you can’t spend every single home hour with them, I think this is requires a change in attitude about how you view this time.  We know that children in some respects can be quite “selfish” and by that I mean that ideally they would like you to drop every other interest or acquaintance and instead spend all your time doing things with them.  However, even if this were possible, ask yourself; what messages would that send out to your child?

There are many occasions when I know Amelia is a bit disgruntled that I can’t just drop everything to sit and watch telly with her or help with her crafts and I do struggle with this.

However on the plus side I believe as a role model for my child, I am demonstrating that women can set up their own business, can have dreams that they work towards and can take control of their lives.  Indeed, she is already starting to mirror some of my behaviour by talking about businesses she would like to set up when she is older(!)

Similarly if you have a son who gets fed up seeing his mum go off to work at her business or seemingly tied to the lap top at the kitchen table putting together the latest tweak on her business plan, then at least he will hopefully grow up with a view of women that recognises they have a positive and active role to play in the world of business and work.

It may not get rid of the guilt, but by putting a positive spin on the fact that sometimes, our business needs to come first, we can hopefully carry out our work with the weight of guilt lessened and instead see the benefit to our children of our other priorities (even if they don’t see it that way at the moment!).

So, I hope some of the above tips will help you achieve some balance and calm within yourself when it comes to juggling the many, many elements of your life.

As usual, I would love to know your thoughts on this – have you any tips you would like to share with others?  I would love to read them…

Until next time

Elaine :-D

Three Minute Interview – Sharon and Ryan; Avon Independent Sales Leaders

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Hello – can you start off by telling me a bit about yourselves?

Hi, we are Sharon and Ryan and we are from Rendlesham, a small village just outside of Woodbridge in Suffolk.  We came together with three children each, so now have a manic household with six children every other week.  Yes we are nuts, but that’s what makes us slightly different from everyone else.  We tend to focus our energies on the children and business so whilst they are young we only get time every now and then to enjoy music, film and just chilling out.

So, can you tell me about your business?

We run our own Avon business as Independent Sales Leaders.  This means we operate a traditional sales round looking after our own customers as well as going out into the field and recruiting team members to do the same.  This is Network Marketing and we find it works very well. 

With this business we are able to work together, around the children and make it all we want it to be.  Our initial aim is to replace our full time income and then increase from there.  Over our five-year goal period we are looking to achieve the equivalent of two successful full time salaries along with all the benefits of flexibility and freedom to run things the way we want to.  We support all our team members to do exactly the same and achieve whatever goals they may have, financial, well-being or confidence building.

What was your reasons for getting involved in, this particular business?

After going through a hefty divorce, Ryan’s work was no longer a feasible option in terms of flexibility.  The company offered a lot, but it wasn’t feasible in reality.  Avon provided the opportunity to build our own business and take control of our own lives.  This means that we can work towards whatever we want at our own pace and also taking into account all the normal restrictions of child-care, travel, finances etc etc.

Can you offer any tips for keeping a balance in your life?

Even where flexibility is in abundance, like with our work, you have to remain disciplined and allow yourself the right time to work, rest and play.  So if your typical day runs from 9-5, then you have to allow time in the evenings for yourself, a little for the kids and then bigger time at the weekend for the kids.  It only works by planning what you are going to do with each element of life and when you are going to do it.

And what’s next for you and your business? 

Our goal for this year is to finish that first step and completely replace the full time income we originally lost.  By achieving that, it will allow our household to run a little more fluidly and enable us to spend more time and more money on activities as a whole household.  As we move into 2013, we will then be able to make much bigger plans for travelling with the children and more importantly planning for our own house.

Anything else you want to add?

We are facing a time in the world where traditional business models are failing.  Traditional methods of work are failing, because they do not adequately take care of the home/work balance.  Companies do offer a balance, but at the end of the day, you are still tied to a desk, machine or counter for a set number of hours.  Network Marketing has shown many people and continues to show many people that in this day and age where time is extremely precious, it’s not about getting more hours of work done, but by working smarter with the hours you have and setting the right priorities to give the all important balance between work and home.

Thank you and best of luck in achieving your goals!

Contact Details

Sharon and Ryan  07557 980442

contact@dreamstars.co.uk