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Cultivating Business Wellness
41 Plays1 year ago
Last month I presented a workshop as a part of the Yass Valley Small Business Month Workshop Series hosted by our local council and business chamber.
This was a shared workshop with Anthony Eldridge from Actionology & myself, we were tasked with presenting a workshop on the topic of My Business Health, the title of our workshop was Cultivating Business Wellness: Navigating Mental Health, Cashflow & People.
In today’s episode I am going to share my component of this workshop and a little extra which I did not get share in the workshop.
The reason I am doing this is because the feedback received from this intimate in person workshop was that more people need to know about this… and since the podcast is a platform that allows information to be shared far beyond the initial delivery I thought this would be a great way to spread the message beyond the Yass Valley.
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Intro & Outro Music: Shaman Dance by slavamusic
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Transcript
Introduction and Personal Journey
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you desire to turn your passion into income? Connect with other creative souls who also dance to the beat of their own drum?
00:00:08
Speaker
I'm Marie Nicole and I'm devoted to combining beauty, uniqueness and connection in everyday living experiences. As a creative professional and Dharma coach, I help people connect to the truth of who they are and facilitate them in embodying their uniqueness. It is my hope in this podcast that I inspire you to live your life on your terms and earn your income through being uniquely used.
00:00:33
Speaker
After all, it's the unique thread that we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the whole.
00:00:45
Speaker
It's nice to be back after an unplanned but much-needed break from podcasting while I lay down the foundations of my new commitments as a part of my transition from deriving my main source of revenue through a bricks and mortar store to working remotely from my cottage on a hill on the edge of a village in the Yass Valley region
00:01:04
Speaker
Well, I'm a big believer in consistency and usually, once I commit to doing something, I deal with all my heart and soul and I ensure that I meet my commitment. I did have to, however, step away from the podcast these past few weeks to allow myself to establish a new rhythm in my day-to-day life.
Role as a Digital Guide
00:01:23
Speaker
Before I get into today's episode topic, I'd like to tell you about the Digital Solutions Program, an Australian federal government initiative. I am a digital guide now for the program and which offers small business the opportunity to build their digital skills, accelerate growth, productivity and efficiency in the digital age.
00:01:44
Speaker
If you have a business in New South Wales or the ACT that could do with some help with the digital space, if you're not sure if you should start with your website, social media, digital marketing plan or focus on cybersecurity, or would like assistance in developing a digital plan for your business, guidance on what area to focus on first and help you move forward in your digital journey, well that's where I can help as a digital guide through the digital solutions program.
00:02:13
Speaker
Simply sign up for the All Access option for just $45 plus GST as a one-off fee which is actually valued at $800 to $45 to receive up to four hours of one-to-one support with your own digital guide. Sign up today by clicking on the link in the show notes.
00:02:31
Speaker
And now let's get back to the episode.
Workshop Insights on Mental Wellness
00:02:33
Speaker
Last month I presented a workshop as a part of the Yass Valley Small Business Month workshop series hosted by our local council and business chamber. This was a shared workshop with Anthony Eldridge from Actionology and myself. We were tasked with presenting a workshop on the topic of My Business Health. The title of our workshop was Cultivating Business Health, Navigating Mental Health, Cash Flow and People.
00:02:59
Speaker
Our objective was to help businesses elevate the vitality and success of their business with our comprehensive workshop that covered the pillars of mental health and wellbeing for themselves and their team, including systematic business strategies to foster a resilient workplace where both the business and staff thrive. Through our holistic approach, which goes beyond traditional business training by incorporating these strategies that enhance operational efficiency and financial health.
00:03:29
Speaker
by nurturing a resilient workplace culture that prioritises mental wellness and harmonious team dynamics, not only elevating the wellbeing of staff, but also the overall success and profitability of the business. Now Anthony's focus was mainly financial and mine was health and wellbeing for the people. And in today's episode, I'm going to share my component of this workshop and a little extra which I did not get to share in the workshop.
00:03:57
Speaker
The reason I am doing this is because the feedback received from this intimate in-person workshop was that more people need to know about this.
Breathing Exercise and Wellness Foundations
00:04:06
Speaker
And since the podcast is a platform that allows information to be shared far and beyond the initial delivery date, I thought this would be a really great way to spread the message beyond the US Valley. We started the workshop with a short breathing exercise, which I would think would be valuable to podcast listeners too.
00:04:24
Speaker
So let's take a moment to recenter and connect to our breath, bringing us into the present moment, leaving behind the business of the day and thoughts about what's next on the to-do list. This is a moment for you. So close your eyes, roll back your shoulders, open up your chest and take in a deep breath through your nose and carry that breath all the way down to the center of your belly.
00:04:52
Speaker
Hold it there for a count of four. One, two, three, four. Then slowly release it out of your mouth, exhaling anything from the day that is no longer necessary to grasp onto. We'll repeat this two more times. Take another deep breath in through your nose and all the way down to your belly.
00:05:18
Speaker
And as you do, remind yourself that you are your business's greatest asset. Making time to maintain your mental and physical health is as much an investment in your business as maintaining the equipment you use to do business. Release that breath out of your mouth. And one last time, deep breath in through your nose and all the way down to your belly and hold.
00:05:44
Speaker
In the same way that we refresh our computer when it seems to be operating at less than optimum speed, realigning our body and central channel so that energy can flow freely through you is equally as important. Release that breath out of your mouth.
00:06:01
Speaker
and slowly open your eyes and bring your awareness back to the space that you are in. And the reason that you are listening to this episode, which does not focus so much on financial health of your business, but your health and wellbeing and that of your staff. I would like to encourage you to consider this, that health is wealth and without it, no other wealth matters.
00:06:24
Speaker
So in this episode, I won't be able to cover absolutely everything, but I will introduce you to the foundations of maintaining overall health and wellness in your business and life, starting with the foundation being your why. I will also address mental and physical health and wellness and share some tips and tools. So starting with your why,
00:06:50
Speaker
While Simon Sinek wasn't the first motivational speaker to focus on the importance of knowing your core values, the title of his book and simple phrase, Start With Why, is a great short snappy way to deliver the message. So let's begin by looking at lifestyle first. Now this workshop that I ran was in the Yass Valley, so I am speaking to people who live in a rural area when I say this, but it can relate to any small business owner.
00:07:17
Speaker
So as a small business owner living in the Yass Valley, it's fair to assume that the wire behind your business is just as much about the lifestyle as it is about delivering a service and producing goods. Being able to work from a beautiful expansive location, raising your children with a true sense of space around them,
00:07:36
Speaker
using your skills to create something that enables you to be around your family while you earn your living. Or perhaps you grew up in the region and have no desire to move away with your roots firmly planted here in the Yast Valley. And a vision to introduce an offering because you saw a gap in the marketplace for whatever it is your unique skill set provides. Michael Gerber, business consultant and author of the eMyth Revisited, refers to it as your primary aim.
00:08:06
Speaker
referring not just to your business why but also your lifestyle choice and overall objective.
00:08:13
Speaker
But let's face it, as beautiful as our rural location is, the challenges of establishing and operating a small business are still real, and the stress can still take its toll.
Mental Health in Business
00:08:25
Speaker
So how do you maintain your physical and mental health, continue to grow and expand your business, and continue to hold the vision of serving your clients and customers while still being able to share quality time with family and friends?
00:08:41
Speaker
Especially during those times when it all just feels too much, overwhelming and sustainable, like the world is progressing in its needs, wants and desires faster than you can keep up. In this digital age where it's no longer just about turning up to your workplace and doing your job,
00:08:58
Speaker
People now want to know if they can find you online, order before they arrive, book through your online booking system. And then there's the unexpected and rapid changes that you need to navigate, which we all experience collectively during the pandemic. Even without a pandemic, there are always banners thrown into the works that send you into a tailspin. And how do you handle those disruptions to your plans and stay motivated and not deflated by these challenges?
00:09:26
Speaker
Anchoring yourself to your why is a great place to begin. Why have you chosen to start your business rather than work for someone else? Now let's look at your business why. Your purpose for your business may be mission driven just as much as it is based on your personal lifestyle preference.
00:09:47
Speaker
When I started my first business 25 years ago as a portrait and wedding photographer, I did so based on my love of photography and a desire to work flexible hours to have that freedom to start a family and still earn my living working within my children's needs, which was my lifestyle desire. But my business desire was to capture beautiful images of everyday living experiences
00:10:12
Speaker
for my clients. I did not want to create family portraits where everyone stood in front of a backdrop smiling awkwardly. I wanted to capture the essence of their family's lifestyle in images that told a story about what they were about.
00:10:28
Speaker
What made me a great portrait photographer was I knew exactly what made people uncomfortable in front of a camera because I had the exact same fears, concerns and dialogue running through my own head when I sat in front of a camera. So I also knew what to do to make them feel comfortable in front of a camera.
00:10:47
Speaker
I cannot tell you how many times people said they have never felt so comfortable in front of a camera and had such beautiful photos captured of them, which was so reassuring to hear because that was the mission that I was setting out to achieve. That was my why. So who are you serving and how?
00:11:07
Speaker
I took something that I was extremely uncomfortable doing and turned it into a way of helping others overcome their fears in that situation. I wanted to create beautiful images of ordinary people, not work with models. What makes your Y even more powerful is not only looking at the perspective on your lifestyle that you desire to live, but also who you wish to serve and the problem you wish to help them overcome.
00:11:35
Speaker
With Creators Nest commercial space, my why was much greater than just making stuff to sell. The real why behind my business was based around empowerment and connection to self and others. Knowing your business purpose and who you are serving is what carries you through the challenges and is what helps you make discerning decisions, knowing what to say yes to and what to say no to.
00:12:01
Speaker
Asking yourself, does this help meet the overall objective of my business is a really powerful question to ask. Plus, having the purpose of your business known by your staff helps them understand why there are certain things done certain ways within your business.
00:12:20
Speaker
So I've shared my whys. Now it's your turn. I'd like you to take a minute to write down yours.
Revisiting Purpose and Physical Health
00:12:27
Speaker
Why did you start your business in the first place? Both personally and professionally. So you can pause the podcast and take a moment to do this and then continue listening or take note of the timestamp and come back to this activity at a later stage.
00:12:43
Speaker
If you were feeling stressed in your business it could be that you've moved away from your why and through doing doing doing and not stopping to notice that you've moved further and further away from your original objective of why you started your business in the first place. So having that why as your foundation serves as a good anchor knowing your business is more than just about making money.
00:13:08
Speaker
But of course money is important to sustain your business but that is just not the focus of this episode right now. In this next section I want to share with you some tips and tools and I'd like to start by discussing making time to connect mind and body through simple physical practices setting aside time to contemplate and reflect.
00:13:32
Speaker
When you think about improving your physical health, you probably think about joining a gym and addressing your diet. Exercise and eating habits are both very important, but let's look at this from the very basics of looking after your physical health. Starting with sleep, rest and restoration, how is the quality of your sleep?
00:13:55
Speaker
You may not need exactly the same amount of sleep to survive, but the quality of sleep is certainly going to help you thrive. Our bodies and minds need to rest and heal physically and refresh mentally.
00:14:10
Speaker
We all have different body constitutions and energy systems. For some of us, not moving enough throughout our days and burning off that built up energy can make it harder for us to switch off at night and sleep. Studies have shown that preparing our bodies for sleep has an impact on our quality of sleep.
00:14:29
Speaker
Spending the last hour before sleep in ambient light, especially natural like candlelight, helps slow down our minds and bodies and prepare them for rest. Getting rest for restoration is just as important as movement for release of tension. There are somatic exercises and therapy practices that create adjustments to our physical body and movement to aid mental symptoms by releasing trapped tension.
00:14:59
Speaker
Many modalities are designed to release built-up tension in our bodies like yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Qigong and even dance. That said, you can release tension and relieve mental stress by simply taking a walk. Especially in nature and on uneven ground rather than pounding the pavement. When we walk on uneven natural surfaces, we use a broader range of muscles.
00:15:29
Speaker
Building physical strength also supports our mental health, and this does not have to be arduous. You can start by simply experiencing your mind-body connection. An exercise I have had coaching clients do is a stand on one leg activity. This is a simple exercise that can reveal your internal dialogue, which can be confronting. Listening to what your mind tells you about what you can and cannot do,
00:15:58
Speaker
when you make that transition from standing firmly supported on two legs and feet to then just one.
00:16:05
Speaker
is very interesting to experience. Now, if you're able to do this with me, then great. If not, take note of the time stamp again and come back to this later and do it at a later stage. But right now, I'd like to demonstrate with you, and if you'd like to join me, then please stand. Now, doing this barefoot so you can easily feel the foundational level of your foot and adjusting your support to your ankle and your ankle support to your knee is best.
00:16:31
Speaker
But we're just going to do, if you can't take your shoes off right now, that's fine. So place your feet slightly apart and plant them firmly on the ground. Place more pressure on your left foot and adjust your stance to support you on that leg.
00:16:48
Speaker
Don't lean hard one way, just secure your foot so you feel secure and slightly lift the other foot a little off the ground. And as you lift, slowly hold on to that knee of that leg. Find a spot for you to focus on that you can focus your gaze and help you maintain your balance. Don't focus on a person if they're in front of you because if they wobble, you'll wobble too.
00:17:18
Speaker
As you do this, just notice the thoughts that go on in your mind, all of the reasons why you can't do this. And instead of actually tuning into those thoughts, maybe just gently challenge your mind and gently ask it, okay, so show me how we can do this together.
00:17:40
Speaker
and let your body demonstrate to you how you can make it happen. How do you need to adjust your foot, your knee, your core, your stance, your back? And centering yourself, just feel into your body and let it tell you what you need to do. Now let's just slowly lower that knee down, that leg down, and do the same on the other side. Now I didn't take my shoes off like I said it's best to do, so I wobbled a little bit the first time. I'm just gonna flick my shoes off.
00:18:10
Speaker
All right, so let's do that again. Family, place your feet on the ground, just a little bit apart, and this time leaning into your right leg and putting more pressure on that foot. Try not to lean too heavily to that one side and just raising your knee and holding onto it and allowing your foot to move as it needs to, to tell you what you need to do to adjust it. And your knee and your core and your back.
00:18:40
Speaker
just stabilize yourself there and then slowly let that down. Now doing this exercise and if you do it and listen carefully it'll reveal what's going on in your mind. It'll reveal what's coming up when you're challenged by something.
00:18:59
Speaker
And so it's a useful exercise to do and actually journal afterwards. So I talked all the way through that. So doing this on your own would be even better for you. But doing that exercise and listening to the thoughts that come through and then get out your journal and just write down those thoughts because those thoughts represent other areas of your life that you might allow yourself to be challenged and convinced by your mind that it's not possible to achieve what you set out to achieve.
00:19:27
Speaker
This is also a useful practice to do if you find yourself spiraling down in your thoughts. When you find yourself experiencing some sort of frustration or challenge or feeling like you're limited and you just can't realise your full potential or achieve a goal, there are times in my workday where I'll stop to make a cup of tea or coffee while I wait for that to brew. I'll sometimes practice that standing on one leg and remind myself I have everything I need inside of me to support myself.
00:19:56
Speaker
Doing this helps me move through the frustration and unlock ideas and thoughts that can lead me to shifting that reality. I have everything I need inside of me to support myself.
00:20:09
Speaker
and I'm physically doing it on one leg and then I'm mentally shifting my thinking to enable myself to work through that challenge. So it's a great thing for you to shift both mentally and physically and at a subconscious level to take us out of the habit of falling into that limiting belief.
00:20:28
Speaker
So a few years ago I sprained my ankle so severely that they thought it might have been broken. And I was on crutches for eight weeks and the pain of putting that foot down was so acute that the strength in that ankle took a lot of gentle but considered steps and actions. But doing so led me to believing in my ability to strengthen other aspects of my life and overcome other limiting beliefs.
00:20:53
Speaker
If I threw a pen at someone right now, what do you think that they would do? Would they stop and analyze the angle and the speed that the pen is traveling? Or would they simply react by moving out of the way or actually trying to catch it?
00:21:11
Speaker
We don't actually always think about what we're doing with our bodies. We just learn to trust that our body knows how to take care of us. And that's where our mind-body connection and developing that trust in our mind and body's intelligence is really important and it's really beautiful to witness too and can have a really positive impact on your life. So reflecting on that helps you recognize patterns and behaviors and thoughts that can lead you to different outcomes.
00:21:39
Speaker
Another example of this is when I was in primary school. During one of my swimming lessons I was left with a kickboard to practice swimming across the pool. The kickboard slipped out from my hands and I panicked and I started to go under and all I could see were the two supervising teachers standing outside on the side of the pool just chatting but all and I could not call out because I kept getting water into my mouth.
00:22:02
Speaker
And I spent the rest of my school years believing I simply could not swim. And yet, every pool party or camping trip, I would be the kid that would be thrown into the pool or river. I always found my way quickly back to the water's edge, but I never told my friends I was deathly afraid of being in the water, unless I could touch the bottom.
00:22:22
Speaker
By the time I went to university I was so tired of this fear holding me back from enjoying water activities. I hired a senior student to give me swimming lessons and what she taught me first was to trust my body and that changed everything. I'm still not a strong swimmer but I'm learning to trust that in my body is an intelligence that can make such a difference to how I approach challenges in life and you can do this for yourself too.
Journaling for Mental Clarity
00:22:53
Speaker
So that's the importance of developing mind-body connection. Now let's move on to journaling. While you're busy going about your day, it's not necessarily easy to just stop and really dive into what's working and what's not.
00:23:07
Speaker
But allocating dedicated time to reflect on the day at the end or starting the day by putting your thoughts down on paper once you've processed things in your dream state is a proven way to clear your mind of all the chatter and tune into your internal guidance. As a part of my postgraduate studies in collective entrepreneurship, 50% of our marks came from one subject that spanned across the entire course called the lived experience.
00:23:36
Speaker
I was very surprised and quietly delighted to discover this because I had already developed a healthy journaling practice. This subject entailed us reading research paper findings and on the power of journaling, plus we had to submit scans of our journals each semester. Journaling can be done in many different forms. If anyone has seen the movie Avatar, you'll recall that their daily journaling practice was through a video recording of themselves reflecting on the day's experience.
00:24:05
Speaker
So why did journaling take up 50% of our marks and what makes it so good for mental health? By releasing the thoughts that cycle through over and over, you allow other thoughts behind those to flow through. The key here is to set aside time to record and process your thoughts, express your fears and concerns, record your wins and plan out new ideas in one place.
00:24:31
Speaker
Reflect on the learnings of challenging experiences and keep these journals and keep all this in your journal to allow you to easily go back and look through and see the patterns of thoughts and especially if they're negative thoughts that keep cycling back through. You can see what events they relate to, making note of what triggers negative thoughts
00:24:55
Speaker
and processing how you can move yourself out of the pattern of thinking towards a growth mindset instead. Also recording your wins is a powerful way to prove to your mind that what you are doing is actually working and you're seeing progress even if it's small and steady it's still progress. It's easy to focus on what is not going right
00:25:17
Speaker
which is proven to lead to the outcomes we do not desire. Books like Biology of Belief by Dr Bruce Lipton, You Are the Placebo by Dr Joe Dispenza and Your Brain Is Always Listening by Dr Daniel Ayman are great examples of how our thoughts can create our reality.
00:25:35
Speaker
There is so much more research out there to support this and these are just a few. But as a coach I often give my clients journal prompts after a session to get them started on their journaling relating to the challenge they brought to our session that they have wished to overcome or work through.
00:25:53
Speaker
I've recently had a past client say that just actually responding to my email much later and the journaling prompts actually helped her move through her feelings of anxiety because she had let go of journaling due to experiences in her life and travel
00:26:10
Speaker
and felt like she really should probably pick it up again but hadn't. But just actually answering the questions that I had sent through gave her some clarity and helped reignite that desire to start journaling again. So keeping a journal on hand enables you to release thoughts that keep cycling through throughout your day and especially if you feel like it's impacting your productivity. Simply writing them down can enable you to move on with your day and come back to those thoughts to process them later.
00:26:40
Speaker
The same can be said for the middle of the night. Sometimes I go through cycles where I wake up between three and four o'clock in the morning and have thoughts racing through my mind. And keeping my journal and a dim light on my bedside enables me to release those thoughts and return back to sleep.
00:26:56
Speaker
leaving them to process at a later stage. So if you've never taken up journaling before, but you would like to at least give it a go and see if it could serve you, then I can provide you with some journal prompts to get started.
Focusing on Strengths and Individuality
00:27:10
Speaker
So let's begin with this question. If I had all the resources I needed, what idea would I execute? And another one, how can my creativity free me from my perceived limitations?
00:27:27
Speaker
and then a third one. What wins can I celebrate right now, big or small? They're all steps in my progress towards reaching my goals.
00:27:38
Speaker
So now that we've addressed journaling as a tool to support mental health, let's look at building our strengths in terms of skills rather than fixing our weaknesses. When you thoroughly enjoy doing something and you lose track of time doing it, that's a pretty good indicator that this is where your strengths are.
00:27:58
Speaker
You may already know what tasks make you cringe when you think about doing them or you may have developed the habit of pushing through and simply doing it because it needs to be done. But that will only serve to build up resentment and anxiety inside of you, which can manifest into discomfort and disease. The same can be said for doing something purely because you know it's going to make you money, but you really don't like doing it. So I'd like you to do an exercise with me, another one where we're going to hold out.
00:28:28
Speaker
One hand, palm facing up, and think of something that you really don't enjoy doing, but you feel you have to do it. Imagine that being in the palm of your hand and close your hand tightly and hold onto that thought that you will keep doing it, persisting, grasping, doing, and if you feel the grip loosen slightly, then tighten even further. Don't let it go yet. Keep holding. You can do this. Keep holding it tightly.
00:28:58
Speaker
and now release your grip and open your hand and allow it to relax fully and feel the sensation of relief that comes over your entire body. That is what happens when you push through doing things that you really don't enjoy doing but you feel compelled to do them. Your whole body tightens and you may even hold your breath unknowingly
00:29:25
Speaker
What if instead of pushing through, you handed that task over to somebody else? Or you outsourced it? And you outsourced it to a freelancer so that you can focus on the areas of your business that you actually enjoy, which in turn will mean you and your business will thrive.
00:29:44
Speaker
So another activity that I'd like you to take a moment to do is to write down something you enjoy and something that you don't enjoy. Again, you can pause the podcast and do this right now, or you can take note of the time stamp and do it at another time.
00:29:59
Speaker
Once you've done this, this is a really good activity to do with somebody else as well. So if you have the opportunity to connect with a fellow business owner, it doesn't have to be in person. You can do it over a virtual session like a Google Meet or Zoom. And you can actually share with your partner that one thing that you enjoy doing and the one thing that you don't enjoy doing. And you analyze each other or you observe each other.
00:30:27
Speaker
And you observe each other as the other person speaks. And you look for the signs of a quiver in their voice or a tightening of their body or even their eyes lighting up or their shoulders dropping and relaxing as they express what they do enjoy doing and what they don't enjoy doing.
00:30:48
Speaker
And you ask them to observe you too and what you do when you speak your truth or when you speak, when you're just trying to say, you know, I don't enjoy doing something, I do this because I have to. It's a really good exercise to do with somebody else because it helps us to learn to observe other people.
00:31:05
Speaker
And it helps us especially if we've got staff and when we've got someone trying to express themselves in a way that, you know, they're doing this but they're not really enjoying it, it doesn't really align with who they are, then it can be helpful to understand how the body language indicates what people are really feeling.
00:31:23
Speaker
So take that an opportunity to share the experience with someone else and also consider that we can send through energetic messages. We can walk into a room with a certain feeling in our body that transmutes to other people without us even realising it. So these are good little tips and tricks to use in the workplace to observe how people are truly feeling.
00:31:44
Speaker
Developing this awareness around each other's strengths can help foster a more harmonious workplace. So let's take this concept one step further and relate it to our overall business for a moment. I'm a big believer that we each have our own unique thread to add to the collective tapestry. I say that all the time. You hear it a lot. I'm also a big believer in comparison being the thief of joy.
00:32:08
Speaker
and not trying to be everything to everyone and instead being something to someone. So keeping your blinkers on? Sometimes it's best for you not to know what your competitors are doing and to tune into what lights you up and aligns with your interests rather than trying to keep up with the Joneses or keep up with the current trends.
00:32:29
Speaker
People invest in your business on an emotional level, especially in a small town and region. So fostering those relationships with your target audience is much more valuable than trying to do something that's working for someone else. When you tune into your unique thread, which also relates back to your why, and you create offerings around that, then you create a more enjoyable experience for yourself and for everybody else involved.
00:32:57
Speaker
And the last thing I want to say is creating harmony in the workplace also comes from knowing what's expected and why.
00:33:06
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which is where creating systems and processes can come in and be very helpful.
Systematic Processes and Networking
00:33:12
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Recording steps is not just valuable for a sell trader, it also helps with clarity and expectations for staff. When I say expectations, I mean more clarity around the values of the business and providing consistency in the customer experience or products created.
00:33:30
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Now creating a procedures manual that lays out exactly the steps and processes for every aspect of the business makes it easier for people to step in and fulfill a role and complete a task.
00:33:42
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Effectively treating your business like a franchise and not creating restrictions but setting clear guidelines and boundaries. I've always done this for myself and for anyone who has worked for me it also helps with allow for efficiency. So two different examples of this is earlier this year when I started the podcast for each episode there was a certain selection of tasks that I needed to complete.
00:34:07
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So I would have to record, edit, publish, promote the episodes. And one simple step that was very important was the size of the image that I inserted into the website page listing, which had like 10 plus options in there. And so having a checklist
00:34:23
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which clearly stated thumbnail 100 pixels meant that that step in the process was a lot faster to complete because I just followed the checklist and I just went scanned over the 10 plus options and click that's the one rather than trying to work it out each time.
00:34:39
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On top of that, if I outsourced this process to someone else, this part of the process to someone else, then I could simply give them access to my checklist and they would know exactly how to complete the task with greater ease and less explanation. Another example of this is when I had a commercial space and part of my procedures manual laid out the opening and closing procedures, including exactly where every light switch and power board was in the space that needed to be turned on and off.
00:35:08
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each morning and afternoon. Now that may sound like I was being over the top but the number of switches that needed to be turned on and off in this 120 meter square space was decent and missing a switch could mean that the that area could remain dark all day if we if it went unnoticed and being a space that didn't have a lot of natural light because of our big balcony and
00:35:31
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we ended up having to have lights in certain pockets. And it took 10 to 15 minutes to prepare for the space to be opened as it was. We didn't need to be spending time searching for light switches or power boards that we had missed. So simply walking around with a list gave us the opportunity to just get it done or somebody else to come in and get it done.
00:35:53
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Now my manual also included the customer experience and this was important to me even in the things of like how to greet them and how to close the experience, which did not include can I help you. That was not a part of the experience. That was definitely not an opening line that I wanted staff to use and there was a reason for this.
00:36:16
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because entering Creator's Nest had much more depth to it in the experience. The objective was for it to be beautiful and magical and an experience like no other retail shopping experience. And often people came in, they didn't know what they wanted help with, it was an opportunity to discover and explore.
00:36:37
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Now the reason I think it's important to share this is that it demonstrates just how clarity can avoid confusion for staff and instead empower them to offer the experience for the visitors to the space that aligns with the values of the business.
00:36:54
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Now back in my photography business days one of the staff that worked for me went to work for another studio and shortly after they wrote to me and said how much they appreciated the approach I took in systemising the business. This new studio they were working for they found challenging because there wasn't that and they didn't know how to follow the process because there wasn't a process.
00:37:15
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Now, it may feel like it'd take a lot of time to invest in creating this upfront. But what it will do for you is save you time, repeating yourself over and over again or trying to get people to understand why you do things a certain way for that business. And it also makes it a lot easier to onboard people if they have something to refer to and just go, I know exactly where to find the answer. And if they can't find the answer, then they can come to you.
00:37:45
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A book that I referenced earlier also applies here and that is The E-Myth Revisited. Why Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber. This version was written 25 years after the first edition and the value in that is that it takes you through creating systems and processes like this for your business in a simple storytelling method. I read this book many years after developing this habit
00:38:14
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And I was so reassured by reading it because this was a seasoned, very successful entrepreneur who had worked with many businesses over that 25-year period. And they were actually reaffirming with me that my so-called over-the-top processes and systems that I recorded every step of the way for a small business was not a silly thing to do. That's not just for big business. Small business can benefit from it too.
00:38:41
Speaker
Now speaking of benefits, let's look at connection. Connection in the way of community, mastermind groups and networking. Being a business owner doesn't have to be a lonely experience, but it can very easily be, especially if the rest of your family and friends in your network are not business owners.
00:39:00
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A lot of my friends when I first moved to this region were either teachers, public servants or in a corporate role. So the conversations at gatherings were not necessarily related to my unique experience, so having a coach for me to discuss my unique challenges has always been valuable.
00:39:18
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As has connecting with other business owners through networking events, even though I used to hate networking events. From very early experiences, especially in the big cities where people would walk around handing out business cards, pitching their service. My experience at networking events has thankfully changed and I've developed tools and strategies for getting the most out of them. But there is definitely value in building a network of people around you that can relate to the challenges that you face as a business owner.
00:39:48
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It's great for being directed to services and tools that you can utilize to help grow and expand your business and vice versa. You can help them too.
00:39:58
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Over the past year or so, I've connected with a group of business owners who work in the wellness space and we meet up once a month and we share our knowledge and our unique modalities. And it's been great for broadening our knowledge and awareness of tools that we may wish to explore further. But it's also been great for sharing the challenges and benefits of working in these fields.
00:40:20
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And it's also been beautiful being able to share the magical aspects of running your own business, working for yourself in flexible hours and choosing the hours that you work in amongst your family's commitments in a rural location. If you can't find a group that meets in person, there could be an online mastermind group or an industry-based community group that you can join.
00:40:44
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looking for spaces where you feel like you can be open and honest in conversation to share your challenges and celebrate your wins together is what will support you more in your journey and others. So if you can't find a group like this maybe you could create one and setting up your ground rules for the group that this is a safe space to share and this is a private space so anything shared here doesn't go beyond.
00:41:10
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Another beneficial way to connect with others is through podcasts. I have relied on this a lot where you may not be able to sit with a person and have a conversation with them but just hearing a solo cast podcast where someone is sharing their personal experience has been so valuable or even listening to a conversation between a host and a guest or a panel
00:41:33
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Especially on topics of business and wellness, this has connected me to insights and offerings and resources that I may not have come across easily otherwise. And it's also helped justify or clarify my understanding of a concept or theory backed by research findings that I again may not have come across otherwise.
00:41:53
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I'd like you to think about for yourself where you can make valuable connections to serve and support you in your business journey, what is within your scope to develop and write that down for yourself and start exploring. Now there are a few other things that I didn't get to share at the workshop which I'd like to share here because I feel like they are important but the workshop was a two and a half hour workshop with interactive
00:42:17
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activities as well and so we couldn't cover absolutely everything of course but these are things that I think you'll get value from one of them being taking up a hobby now if you earn your living through something other than your business and so your business is more of an expensive hobby or a tax write-off that's fine if that's your your situation but if your business is how you earn your living
00:42:42
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then taking and you took your hobby and you turned it into a business then taking up another hobby will be of great value to you doing something purely for the joy of it completely unrelated to your business hiking crafting painting activities that take you into a state of flow
00:43:01
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You may have heard of the Blue Zones coined by Dan Buechner, a National Geographic explorer and journalist. During his exploratory project led him to Japan and he investigated longevity and then he wanted to explore other regions across the world that had high levels of longevity.
00:43:21
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Now, flow state was actually a term that came from a professor whose name I cannot pronounce, I won't even try, but it was the state of engagement that uses your talents optimally and challenges them and means that you end up so consumed that time just melts away.
00:43:41
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So creating space for this and a space that you can dedicate to it. If you've got a room in your house that you can dedicate to establish a space where you play your instruments, where you engage in your hobbies, where you read a book or, or play a game with family, that's a value. So you're not always trying to make money off what you're doing. You can just do it for the sheer pleasure. A daily movement practice. Now our bodies are not designed to stay stationary.
00:44:09
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In order to get energy moving through our bodies, we need to make time for daily movement. And I did touch on that in the workshop material, but I just wanted to emphasize that again because it is so important.
00:44:22
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Nature time. Getting out into nature and connecting with the natural harmony and rhythm of the wild. This can be as simple as walking along the river, sitting outside in the garden, just disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with your natural surrounds. Barefoot on the ground even better.
Affirmations and Mindset Shifts
00:44:42
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Affirmations and passwords. This relates back to our brains always listening. Affirmations may seem airy-fairy and woo-woo to you, but they have also been proven to shift our thinking, our mood and our ability to become unstuck.
00:44:58
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An effective way of using affirmations is for passwords, especially if you enter them manually each time. For example, one that I used during the pandemic was Thrive Not Survive 2020, and I added some special characters and capitals in there.
00:45:13
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But it was a strong password because every time I entered it, it shifted my thinking during a very challenging time. I was not prepared to let go of my business at that time and I was challenged by it. I was a retail store that couldn't open its doors at times. So I had to be really creative in my thinking as to how I could keep it going. And anytime I typed in those words, thrive, not survive, it helped me to think outside the box a bit. Daily rituals.
00:45:44
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mindfully breaking up your day with little breaks and tasks that take simply taking a moment to reconnect to your breath as we did at the beginning. You can do this when you're making your morning coffee or your afternoon tea
00:45:59
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actually setting up those little moments to allow you to do it in a ritual practice where you make your tea and coffee mindfully and instead of just jumping from one task to the next or grabbing a quick drink, actually making it into a ritual and allowing yourself that time to not only breathe but reconnect and do your stand on one leg practice. These are good ways to break up your day.
00:46:23
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There are also free apps like the Triple Flame app that you can set to designated break times where you stop and breathe, listen to some music or help you re-centre through a guided meditation. They offer 3, 5 and 10 minute options so you don't have to spend long, it's just allowing yourself a moment to re-centre rather than racing through your day and collapsing at the end of it. The Triple Flame app is one that I can highly recommend, I've been using that.
00:46:53
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Sound bars, working with vibration tones and frequencies to soothe your nervous system and connect with your body. This is different to music therapy. This is a meditative practice. You can attend live sound healing journeys or you can use headphones and a good set of speakers to listen to an online offering. This is a practice that can be so beneficial in helping you at the end of the day to get to sleep too and have a good night's sleep.
00:47:21
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I also use it at the beginning of the day. I start my day out with a journaling practice and usually process the thoughts that I've downloaded overnight in my dream state and then I move into a sound bath where I let that frequency set the tone of my day and shift my thinking after all of that journaling, bring it back to centre and set my frequency to one that's going to help me move through my day
00:47:47
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more effectively and aligned with what I'm here to do, how I'm here to serve. Now I hope you found this episode helpful for you and let me know if there are any insights that you got from this that were
Conclusion and Invitation
00:48:02
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valuable. I'd love to hear from you but I'd also like to end by reminding you that health is wealth and without health no other wealth matters. So until next week take care of yourself because you are your business's greatest asset.
00:48:18
Speaker
Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is and I hope you got value out of listening to this podcast. If you are looking for a coach to support and guide you through your own unique journey of creating a life you love, then reach out for a connection call. And if you'd like to connect with other creative souls in person by joining us at a workshop or retreat or to book a unique shopping experience here at Creators Nest, I run those by appointment. So check out the website for more details. The link is in the show notes.
00:48:48
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Oh, and please leave a review. I'd love to hear any insights or inspirations that were activated in you from this podcast. And I look forward to drumming, dancing or soaring alongside of you.