Across The Desk With Elizabeth Plouffe

Have you ever had a little voice give you a nudge? And have you ever listened to the nudge and had something awesome happen? That was me on Friday. And all because I went to events and put on events. Those events set this event in motion which has now lead to more events! You can't get any more eventful than that ...

Have you ever noticed that if during a conversation you share something personal with someone, such as where you were born, that it can spark an entirely new level of conversation? You've kicked it up a notch. You've opened up. You've made it possible to make a connection. How cool is that? Such a simple thing to do but so effective. If you have a hard time sharing with others, well, your sandbox is going to stay pretty small. It doesn't have to be life altering. Doesn't have to be your fear of underpants. But it does have to be true. And what can be safer to share, or more true, than the place you were born or the places you've lived? I've been everywhere man ...

Sometimes a book is just not in the cards as part of your learning style and that's just fine. Good thing there is Success Magazine. This resource is part self-help, part business building and part thought provoking. I've been a devotee for the past three years and have no plans to give it up any time soon. Check out their website: http://www.success.com/ and see for yourself :) Have a successful day!

I love being an entrepreneur but sometimes it sucks. Hard. Such as when you see people who have chosen the conventional path paying off their houses, going on vacations and just generally kicking up their heels. Meanwhile, you're wondering how to pay the bills and will this crazy ride ever calm down enough for you to also enjoy Tahiti? Or even Florida?

I firmly believe that part of business success is sharing part of your real self. That includes on social media. I cannot stand following people only to discover that they entire content consists of top 5's, webinar links and marketing messaging. Drives me clinical. So in that spirit - meet me and my penchant for superheroes, movie theaters and my magical moment with Christopher Plummer.

Fear can make you its b#%ch. When you let that little voice get too loud, it can incapacitate you and leave you paralyzed from taking the next step for your business. I thought I had fear whipped. If you knew me, the last word you'd use to describe me would be fearful. I'm not a badass by any stretch but there aren't too many things or people I won't take on. It's just how I'm hard wired. But then I became an entrepreneur with no back up. And fear? Well she's laughing her ass off now ...

This weeks Wise Word Wednesday is brought to you by the letter U. As in You, Inc. by Harry and Christine Beckwith. It's one of the few business books I've read that not only has inspired some fantastic creative moments but has actually provided me with insight in to behavior, motivation and opportunity. 5/5 stars for this one!

If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner you know what I mean by grind. Every minute your brain is working on ways to make your business better, your idea better, serving your customers better and just being better than the next business. And even when you are dead tired, you still keep moving at the grind. But does passion for your business always motivate your grind? What about the guilt when your business isn't quite performing the way you hoped? This week I'm on the grind train. I hope you'll hop on board ;)

Ballsy in Review - this week was just the two of us (great song) but wow did we cover a lot of business topics. Not only did we manage to cover growth goals but also process creation for on-boarding and HR practices and targeted audience messaging. We explored how looking at your own experiences and education can help you create the job posting that will get you the employee you need and figured out a few new places to start looking. Get a couple of women entrepreneurs together and the solutions are endless it seems :)

Are you a creative business owner? Is your scale a bit tipsy towards the creative vs the business end? Meet Monica Graves who combines both sides of the brain to make her custom jeweler business extremely successful.

Many small business owners get caught in the weeds of running their business. The small details that can mire you down instead of actually helping you move your business forward. Learn why the pain of churn is something you need to avoid when building your business and how adding the right strategies can help avoid this common pitfall.

If you are an entrepreneur who happens to write, or you are planning to be a writing entrepreneur, then this is a book for you. Elizabeth Bergs', "Escaping in to the Open - The Art of Writing True" is a fantastic resource. With creative prompts, ideas for writing groups and tips on how to write for business, this book will get your creative voice working. Elizabeth Berg is a best selling author with over 25 books to her credit. Looking forward to hearing how you got your creative voice going ;)

Sometimes working from home can be great. Other times? People forget that working is as working does and working from home is still working. However, the great part can truly come in handy when life and family throw you a curve ball and you need to put on the Mommy hat and make the magic. Sound familiar?

So have you had a setback that messed with your networking mojo? We've all had times where our business is going through a down and you still need to be able to get out there and promote. Or have you decided to pivot your business but the messaging just isn't quite there yet? Best way to fix both of these problems is to keep putting yourself out there and find a networking husband or wife who will drag you kicking and screaming and maybe kick in a beer while you get your mojo back on track.

No, this is not like build a bear. Trust me. What it is, is the sound advice of creating a relationship with a trusted colleague who will help you build your business. Not in a brick by brick way but by being someone who holds you accountable for goals and targets that might fall prey to the monster of procrastination if we don't use this strong tactic to keep it in check. Join me with Doug Osborne and learn his tips and tricks for getting your business ahead!

If you are a passionate reader who isn't a fan of wasting time on crappy books, then Wise Word Wednesdays is for you. As an entrepreneur, part of my learning curve is learning from the experts and reading everything I can to help my business. This week we delve in to EMyth Mastery by Michael Gerber which provides a mix of story and practical advice on how to develop your business skills. Why? Because we all think that we probably have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. At least you do if you are considering being in the 10%. What we sometimes fail to realize is that taking the time to identify our skill weaknesses will make our business venture stronger in the long run.

Some of us might think we have the dream team of idea generation right in our own heads. After all - who's going to love our ideas more than we do right? This strategy has too many faults to mention though one does slip out in the previous sentence. Loving our ideas does not make them a good idea. In this episode of Entrepreneurial Entrails, I share my idea generating techniques as well as the suggestion that you make a new dream team. Include some colleagues or coaches that you trust who will give you the honest feedback your fantastic idea deserves!

Are you just in the process of building your company culture? Noticing some employees are acting a bit like asshats? Maybe it's time to take a look at your leadership style and see if imitation isn't always the sincerest form of flattery. Some changes might be needed but your employees will respect you more. Isn't that what being a good leader is all about? Join me as we have a quick chatter about some leadership ideas to incorporate in to your business.

Are you excited by the idea of having a business? Do you know what that feeling is called? Mojo. Having the energy, the enthusiasm, the conviction to make that idea a reality. Learn more from Doug Osborne about what mojo can do for your business!

Wise Wednesdays - well aren't I wise every day? Some days more than others. WW is about sharing other people's wise words. This podcast is about the Power of Visual Storytelling by Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio. I can guarantee you I did NOT pronounce Jessica's last name correctly but points for trying. This is a great book for any business owner who needs to know more about how to share their business' story and the best way to do it. I also partly throw communication consultants under the bus by mentioning you might want to educate yourself before allowing someone you don't know to wield the pen or keyboard on behalf of your business. And yes - I'm a communications consultant ...