Want a more successful business? Take the time to pause and reflect.

Want a more successful business? Take the time to pause and reflect.

Rebecca Morley

As business owners, we're so used to working in the business, managing the next big thing, fixing issues, thinking of ways to drive sales, managing the admin and so on that often it feels incredibly indulgent to just sit and think for a while. Sit in front of a coach though, especially one you've paid to spend time with, and you've really very little choice.

If 'sitting and thinking' feels as though it lacks focus for you, my simple structure for doing your own review of things should work a treat. I've been using it recently to help small business owners review their year in business and the feedback has been incredible. It's disarmingly simple but incredibly effective.

Running a business... it's an emotional rollercoaster!

Running a business... it's an emotional rollercoaster!

Rebecca Morley

"The bit no-one talks about is the emotional side of running your own business" - Steph Douglas, Don't Buy Her Flowers. A quote from a talk I attended at Stylist Live last Friday - three successful female business owners, on stage talking about how to start a business in an industry that ostensibly you know nothing about. 

All three, very impressive women, all three, disarmingly, well, female. Maybe it was the audience (at least 99% women), maybe it was the event (a fashion and lifestyle event), it was probably the brief (make your story accessible) but they were unashamedly and wonderfully open about what it means to be a woman in business.

One change that will make a huge difference to your business...

One change that will make a huge difference to your business...

Rebecca Morley

The one thing I hear time and time again from business owners both new and old, startup or established, big or small is a feeling of overwhelm. A feeling of doing too much, being in too many meetings, trying to succeed on too many fronts.

It's a common issue, and there's a common cause. Complexity is the downfall of many a business and business leader. In the pursuit of success we do as many things as we can to get the results we want. We launch as many products as possible through as many channels as we can, create as many connections as possible and try and be everywhere at once. It's a kind of commercial spread betting and in the start up stage, it kind of makes sense.

The 3 processes your business can't live without...

The 3 processes your business can't live without...

Rebecca Morley

I’ve written about the sleep inducing powers of talking about systems and process before. It's something I've encountered the whole of my career - tell someone they need process in their business and their eyes glaze over. Ask them what they want to fix though, or what's holding them back, and they get a whole lot more animated. In 90% of those conversations, the answer to their problems or the thing that will get them unstuck is... you guessed it... a process.

There are three key processes that every business needs. The don’t need to take up huge amounts of time and if you implement and follow these three processes consistently, not only will you have a more profitable and sustainable business, you will also feel more sane and have more time for the good stuff like strategy and, well, the odd day off perhaps!

Why business growth is about more than just sales...

Why business growth is about more than just sales...

Rebecca Morley

For a business to be sustainable it needs to make profit.

And so as your business starts to grow, the traditional start up model of 'sales at any cost' starts to become irrelevant.

Structure, process, systems. Three words that all have the tendency to make people’s eyes glaze over. But what if they’re exactly what you need to create the sustainable, profitable business you know you deserve? If you’ve done the start-up bit and you’re consistently making sales you will start to feel as though you’ve 'got a business’, but if you’re also still stuck in every bit of detail and you know it couldn’t survive without you then you've also got a millstone.

Is fear standing between you and the business you deserve?

Is fear standing between you and the business you deserve?

Rebecca Morley

Whether I'm coaching business leaders or mums returning to work, I see one thing standing in people's way time and time again and that's FEAR.

It can very often be disguised as something else but it doesn't take much digging to find out what's at the root of it. Take indecision for example, what tends to be driving that is a need to ensure that we've chosen the right answer. Look at it the other way, and it's fear of choosing the wrong one. When you're running a small business (or a big one) your decisions matter exponentially, and it's quite likely that you'll have bitter experience of getting it wrong. As your business starts to grow the risks become greater and so does the fear.

Time to ditch the excuses... 3 reasons you're not enjoying being a working mother.

Time to ditch the excuses... 3 reasons you're not enjoying being a working mother.

Rebecca Morley

I wrote a post last week asking working mothers what they struggle with most. It got nearly 200 responses, I couldn't keep up. As the responses started to roll in and I got chance to read them all, I noticed they fell into three main themes: mum guilt, time and focus, finances and childcare. It's time to drop the excuses ladies, if you want to take control of your career, you need to FIND A WAY.

Patience is a virtue....

Patience is a virtue....

Rebecca Morley

Impatience, that familiar mix of slight excitement tinged with frustration. It creates an energy that has nowhere to go, and if you don’t learn to recognise it and manage it, it can be pretty damaging to your success.

 

It’s definitely my Achilles heel and it has led to several changes in direction for my business as, when things don’t work straight away, I have a tendency to want to move straight on to the next big idea. It's also led to blogs, web copy and Facebook posts being published with glaring typos even though I'm the worlds biggest spelling and grammar pedant - all because I'm too impatient to properly proof read things. For me, broadly, I think my impatience is driven by a need for recognition and results. I’m not very good at plugging away and sticking at things for the long term if I’m not 100% sure they’re going to work out.....

How to deal with summer overwhelm...

How to deal with summer overwhelm...

Rebecca Morley

July and August are difficult months from the point of view of how we feel about work. They're months of closing things down. Working in specific chunks of time before holidays, yours or other people's, or before the schools break up. This sort of mood tends to bleed into our own thinking whether we're constricted by holiday dates or not. There's a general feeling of waiting until everything gets going again in September.  The sense of urgency that working in specific chunks of time can, at times, be hugely helpful, but there's something about this time of year specifically that just doesn't have that vibe.

Morning Metaphor - The Volcano of Self Doubt

Morning Metaphor - The Volcano of Self Doubt

Rebecca Morley

This week, I wanted to write in a bit more detail about an area that I really struggled with in particular on this holiday, and that's self doubt. It’s something I help people with every day but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to it myself and when it gets me, it really does it’s worst. I've questioned whether I should even write this post but I see so many women struggling with this every day that I really wanted to share my thoughts.

Holiday… Celebrate? How to manage holiday stress and actually relax!

Holiday… Celebrate? How to manage holiday stress and actually relax!

Rebecca Morley

Holiday… Celebrate? How to manage holiday stress and actually relax!

I’ve just got back from a 10 day break in Majorca. Big picture, it was bliss. 10 days of late starts, long breakfasts, sunny, breezy boat watching from the balcony and afternoons spent by the pool. What could be better? Well to start off with, my head could have been in a much better place. If you, like me, feel as though holiday stress, and the pressure to have an instahappy time makes it feel far from relaxing at times then at least take comfort in the fact that we are not alone – a quick google search on vacation stress returned 179 million results!

What is the ONE thing that's standing between you and your dreams?

What is the ONE thing that's standing between you and your dreams?

Rebecca Morley

Quite often I get half way through writing a blog post and realise I’m writing it as much to myself as anyone else. This week is no different, and you’re getting this late for precisely that reason! This week I’m writing about fear. It’s the ONE thing that stops you getting what you want. This week it was the one thing that stopped me writing this sooner, I was scared of getting it wrong, scared of not hitting the high standards I set for myself and scared that I wouldn’t be able to tackle this huge subject in few enough words to keep you interested. But here goes...
 
Think about what you most want in life, or for your career? Why don’t you have it yet?
 
These are questions I ask a lot. They kick off the coaching relationship. The responses I get are diverse and varied. Financial constraints, concern over what other people might think, a lack of experience or skills, low confidence, a feeling of trepidation, self doubt... no crystal ball!
 

5 secrets of the most successful women

5 secrets of the most successful women

Rebecca Morley

I don’t know many people who love their job quite as much as I do. I come away from coaching sessions literally buzzing from head to toe. I know, I sound like a maniac, but honestly, there is nothing greater than seeing potential unlocked and dreams being allowed a chance to come true. It really can happen. With the right framework and mindset in place, it is possible to achieve whatever you want.

On the mindset point particularly, in my time as a coach I’ve noticed some recurring themes. To support my clients, I’ve also put many hours into finding out what the most successful women out there have in common. I wanted to share with you the top 5 habits shared by the women who really stand out:

Some words are louder than others

Some words are louder than others

Rebecca Morley

If you’ve ever done any work on personal development, you know the statistic that only a very tiny amount of how you communicate is verbal.  In fact only 9% of communication is in the words we actually use.  In saying that however, for anyone that’s trying to convince people of something, whether that’s as a leader, manager or seller of products or ideas the language you use is phenomenally important too.