3 Ways To Boost Business In A Bad Economy

Mompreneurs know that a recession equals opportunity. While the rest of the world is running around in fear, saavy mompreneurs are out and about searching for new and improved ways to increase their businesses. A critical trait of a saavy mompreneur is knowing that adversity is part of the game. The trick is to look at adversity straight in the face and refuse to let it take you down.

"Face adversity promptly and without flinching, and you will reduce it's impact."

-Winston Churchill

Here are 3 Ways To Boost Business In A Bad Economy:

1. Look for the opportunity.

A recession may change people's personal spending habits, but it doesn't stop business people from investing in their business. If you have a product or service that can be of value to your clients, they will buy. Now is the time to re-assess what you are offering and see where you can align your products and services to fit a niche of your marketplace.

2. Think creatively.

Now is not the time to be boring! Now is the time to think out of the box. Sit down with your team and re-evaluate how you can already take what you have and re-package it. Just like you would take a pair of pants to the tailor to be hemmed so that they "fit you to a T", look at how you can tailor your product to fit your customer "like a T."

3. Don't be wishy-washy.

We have all heard the term "go with the flow." And, now is a time to do just that. Opportunities during a down ecomony present themselves rapidly and will disappear just as fast! Take risks.

"Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first base."

-Frederick Wilcox

© 2009 Dona Lyman & Company

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Checkin' In With My Mompreneur Peeps

Hey! Happy Friday!!!

I was sitting down looking at all of my previous posts. I think their good, but, I started to think about the very real challenges that mompreneurs face every single day - like divorce, weight-loss, winning clients, losing clients, work/life issues, feeling loved, feeling appreciated and so on. And while inspiration is great and very much needed, sometimes, what it takes to break through a challenge, or leap to the next level, is just gettin' real!

So, today, I thought I would put out my challenges and see if there are any other mompreneurs out there that would like to join in and share what their challenges are:)

Starting this September, i will be going back to school to pursue my Masters Degree in Counseling. And, honestly, I am scared! In my mind, I say to myself that I am the one who is supposed to be the cheerleader. I am the one that partners with my clients to create amazing businesses and amazing lives. And, if I admit that I am terrified, and expose my vulnerability, what will that say about me? I also have swirling through my mind at every given moment that I am a single mom caring for two children......am I crazy for choosing to back to school????? Am I insane...perhaps temporary insanity?

I have to admit that I have been praying ALLOOTTT lately. And everytime, I go within and connect with the Lord, the answer always comes and it is clear. Not only clear, but crystal clear. That this is my path. That this is exactly where I am supposed to be and that everything will work out exactly the way it was planned.

I may not know the hows and the whys, but I do know that I need to yield and to trust in God that he's got my back and that as I follow him, I will be fulfilling my true purpose for His good works, not mine.

I also know that fear will feed the principles of fear and faith will feed the principles of faith, and today, here and now, I choose to feed the principles of faith! I choose to look fear in the face and refuse to allow him to park in my mind!

One thing that I have learned over time and in sharing in such beautiful blessings as well as heart wrenching tragedies and losses, is that nothing is a complete disaster. Even a forest that has been burnt down to the ground has a re-birth and will grow once again to be a beautiful, majestic creation. There is always a solution and there is always hope. Life isn't always pretty and it isn't always perfect. But, we are alive. We are blessed.

So, please share your challenges and thoughts :) I would love to hear from you and connect:)

What Happens Tomorrow

Your Authentic Self

"No Bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings."

-William Blake

Have you ever tried to be someone else? Or look at other people and wish you had what they had? Or wonder, what are they doing that you are not?


Running a successful business requires that we be our authentic selves because that is where the true magic is. That's where the true you is allowed to be the true you. It's where your inner spirit comes alive and knows exactly what needs to get done and what direction you need to head in. It's where there are no wrong answers and only solutions. It's where you get to be a kid again and are free to create and be free.


And, that's why people buy from you. They buy from you because they trust you. They buy from you because they feel you can help them solve a problem that they have. When we step into someone elses story, we block the creation of our story.


Today, feel confident in you. Feel confident in your ability and your decisions. Go within and tap into your inner spirit and be authentic. It's often said that the only people that block our personal success is ourselves! When you are free to be you, anything is possible because you are tapping into your heart and your gifts.


So, don't be afraid to be you. Instead embrace it! Step into your divine power today!

Patience is a Virtue

A mompreneur friend of mine had me in stitches the other day when she was telling me how she began each day. Each and every morning she wakes up with warm and fuzzy thoughts and is so thankful for her life and for her children. But, as the day goes on, and as she is multi-tasking running her business and running a household, those warm and fuzzy feelings come to a quick halt...usually around 11am:) As the day progresses further, she tries to keep her composure, but finds it increasingly difficult. And, by dinnertime, her patience is nill----as a matter of fact it's no where to be found. As she gets the kids to sleep and finishes some of the work that was left-over she drifts off to sleep. And, the next morning those warm and fuzzy feelings are back and by 11am they are gone:)

As us moms know, sometimes those angelic faces can be not so angelic. There are those days where it seems like everybody is looking for something from you and they all needed it yeserday. Your husband can't find his shoes and is running late for work, the kids are running in 5 different directions, (and by the way one of your little angels happened to spill a whole glass of milk which you told them not to take out of the kitchen) on your freshly printed report that you were going to review, and as a mompreneur, you are looking at the tasks of the day that you need to get done to keep your business happy & healthy. And, you ask yourself, "will I ever get any peace in this house?"

The good news is yes! As mompreneurs, we have all had those days and we can all join the club of feeling like we are going to go over the deep end. Is there a magic pill that can change a scene of disaster into a scene of peace and serenity? I wish:) As a matter of fact, it would be nice to drive through Starbucks and along with my green tea latte order a "tall non-fat with whipped perfect life" please:)

I have found some quick remedies that work for me, and I hope they work for you too. The way that I look at is every little bit helps:)

1. Go on your computer and type in the word "patience". Pick a nice font that you like, a color that will match your surroundings, print it out and frame it in a beautiful frame that you enjoy to look at. Put one all over the house and in your office. You can also use the words Grace, Happiness, Peace and so on. When the day starts getting crazy, it will remind you to take a deep breath, remember that this is only temporary and that you are a great mom!
2. Remove yourself from the circumstance - sometimes it's good to do nothing. What I mean by that is when you are on full-force overload, take a moment to walk away and regain your composure. You want to respond vs. react. You won't say anything you didn't mean and you will be able to come back and address the situation with a clear and focused mind.
3. Remember that this too shall pass. Even though we have our crazy times, we really are blessed to have a family and a career that we love and enjoy.

Have an Empowered Day!

One of my favorite pictures

Just came across one of my favorite pictures of the girls that I thought I would share with you:) This picture was taken on perfect September day almost four years ago. I can't believe that four years came and went just like that! Well, everytime I look at this picture it puts a big smile on my face and reminds me how blessed I really am.

Have a great day!

Dona.

Great Wolf Lodge

Just got back from a mini-vacation at Great Wolf Lodge. This is definitely a kid-friendly resort that has something for every age, including tweens. What surprised me is that most children were on their own exploring and running around. I still felt uncomfortable letting my 8 and 6 year old roam around by themselves, but I did let them go solo to some activities in which they felt like real grown-ups and couldn't stop talking about it! (If they only knew what being a grown-up was really like !! LOL ) I also met some other moms that had been there several times before who were able to "show me the ropes."

When you first get there, I would recommend the Paw Pass---it comes with a whole host of goodies for the kids that they love including a magic wand that they can use to go on a "Magi-Quest". The wand looks like a stick and you get to choose a topper - mostly fairies and unicorns for girls and wizards and dragons for boys. Once their wands are activated, they begin their journey throughout the entire resort searching for magic treasure chests and hidden clues. I have to say, I never saw so many kids running throughout the floors with smiles from ear to ear.

Food was classic "snack-bar" food-chicken strips, nachos, pretzels, etc. They also had a buffet and a Starbucks that I was so thankful for! But watch out, because these snacks aren't cheap! You can easily go through hundreds of dollars a day on food and drink. When I go again, I would bring a case of bottled water, juice boxes, and more items that can be a quick fix in the microwave like mac and cheese, soup and even sandwiches as there is a fridge in the room.

All in all, we had a great time. The girls said it was the best trip that they ever were on, so, that put a nice big smile on my face and warmed up the ol' heart :)

I do have to say that I am EXHAUSTED!!! Many of the rides require that you walk up what feels like 20 flights of stairs. No need to go to the gym this week :) So, I guess that's a good thing.

Have a great day!

The Little Peach Tree That Could

As I begin to sit down to write this blog post, I look out my office door and peer into my backyard. I am admiring a peach tree that I had planted, oh, I would say about 10 years ago when I first moved into my home. Believe it or not, this particular peach tree was a mail order purchase. Yup, I looked through a catalogue and placed my order!

When I got the peach tree in the mail the following week, I could not believe what I was looking at! Barely recognizable as a tree, it looked like a very small twig, more like a weed, with some bare roots dangling on the end. I couldn't believe it! First, I thought that I ordered a "tree" and expected to get something at least big enough to fit in a box. Second, I couldn't believe that my peach tree was delivered in an ordinary 81/2 by 11 inch manila envelope! I almost threw it away thinking it was junk mail! Go figure. I thought, "could this really be?" I was quite disappointed. But then, I talked myself into keeping this poor, little, what looks like a weed, peach tree and thought, "what the heck, I'll plant it and if it grows it grows, and, if it doesn't, it doesn't."

Well, 10 years later, it has grown to about a good 15-20ft tall! But, during that 10 year growth period, this little"peach" tree never yielded any fruit. Year after year, I would look at this tree and wonder where the fruit is. Waiting....waiting....waiting. And year after year, nothing.

You see, I had grand plans to throw on my chef's hat and whirl around the kitchen being the "June Cleaver" mom creating delectable goodies for my little ones - peach pie, peach butter, peach jam etc. - and my little ones eating them with joy and smiling from ear to ear! (I have a good imagination, huh? :) )

Many times, I thought about cutting it down. It was getting kind of straggly and looked as if it could use a really good pruning--even after you pruned it! But something just told me to wait and one day a harvest would come when I least expected it. And, this year, that harvest has come! My little "runt of the litter" peach tree has produced these beautiful globes of golden orange delicious fruit.

As I look at this beautiful peach tree who started so small and grew so tall majestically growing into maturity and producing a crop, I think about us - you and me...as mothers, as wives, as business owners.

I think about how we start our businesses, we start our families, our careers, and go about daily life by planting seeds of our own. We have no idea what the future holds, but we do know that we have a seed with the hopes that one day, it's going to produce an abundant crop and we will reap a bountiful harvest.

But, how many of us "cut down our peach trees" before it's time. Simply giving up on ourselves, not believing in our abilities, our talents, and most importantly in our potential? How many of us give up right before our peach tree yields it's fruit? How many of us expect to receive one thing, yet receive another and become disappointed instead of looking at what we received and finding the gift inside?

Today's message....never give up! Dream big dreams. Dream the impossible because you just may get it when you least expect it. You were born with a seed of potential that you can't possibly comprehend. Know that you have a gift and a crop within that is yet to be cultivated.

Don't let the hard times get you down. Stay focused on what you want, because one day YOU WILL have a harvest!!!

Renew Your Mind, Grow Your Business

If anyone would ask me what is the most important component for running a business, I would be able to answer them in a second! What's the answer? Mindset.

Mindset is a critical aspect of running a business that many people overlook. We are used to focusing on marketing, sales, and customer service, right? There are thousands upon thousands of consultants, coaches and schools that can teach you how to be a marketing or a sales maverick. But, what is all that training worth to you if you wake up every day dragging your feet because you are thinking negatively and are stuck in a lack mentality. I can tell you what you will get---zero, zilch, nada!!

It's so important that your mindset is focused on success, wealth, abundance and that you surround yourself with people that believe the same thing. We only know what we know---that's why we need to learn; and not to learn from just anybody, but rather from people who are doing right now what we want to be doing tomorrow.

Being successful requires focus, determination, and endurance. We need to make sure that our mind is fit and clear of negativity.

Here are 4 tips that you can use to get you started today!

1. Get rid of the stinkin' thinkin' and start developing the right thinkin' - look at your goals, believe in the impossible, dream big
2. Put on positive qualities, put away negative qualities - Just like we all have "that little black dress" that we love and fits us the best, we all have thinking that fits us the best. When you start going down the path of defeat, put on your "little black dress" thinking.
3. Make some kind of continued effort to fill your mind with food instead of junk - for example, stop reading the newspaper the first thing in the morning and pick up a motivational book instead, or take a walk in your garden and smell the fresh morning air and feel the morning dew between your toes. Just like they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so is the morning for the renewing of your mind :)
4. Take a few moments each day to close your door, shut your eyes, and clear your mind

When our minds, bodies and spirits are working at their best, we are at our best. It enables us to flow effortlessly and to attract more business, improve our relationships, and quite simply, to just be happy:)

© 2009 Dona Lyman