Mentoring – The Story Co.

Jun

Changed forever

What will your brand stand up for?

Both Covid-19 and the racial injustice movement have changed us forever.

We can do better.

I’ve been thinking about just how can we do better.

If we have been changed, surely our personal brands and the brands we work for must change too. We cannot imagine that from here we simply go on as we have.

We have always had choices on which businesses we will support, but now that choice seems more important.

The truly purpose-driven brands have always been more successful. The purpose-driven brands employing people with a personal purpose aligned to the purpose of the company are even more successful.

So why now, when we have been so severely shaken by global events would we support brands that do not support our deepest held beliefs?

We won’t.

To get the attention of the marketplace you want to impact, it is time to declare what you stand for and what your brand will stand up for, and what you will not tolerate. Then find concrete ways to ensure you walk the talk.

If you are looking to be a purpose-driven brand, start by declaring your values. Once considered “fluff”, or a “nice to have”, now your values are a rallying cry, a uniting force, and a source for motivating a team of staff that wants to make a difference. Values are a way to retain and acquire new talent. Values will also be your differentiator in the marketplace.

What would change if you added anti-racism to your values?

What would change if you added well-being to your values?

How would that drive internal and external change? What impact would the results of those actions have?

The time has come to be a purpose-brand. If you need help navigating this impactful way of living and working, let’s work together to make this part of your story.

Forever changed is the silver lining.

Keep going.

Live your story, on purpose.

Jan

Business Mentoring Positively Affects Business Growth

The stats are crazy! Almost every measureable line of business mentoring positively affects business growth.

This information turns upside down the fact that 20% of businesses fail in the first year. So – get mentored!

It is an empowering experience to be part of a group mentoring program where everyone in the room has 2 goals. The first is to see real growth in their business, and the second is to help other businesses to see real growth as well. Collective wisdom, tried and true experience. We learn best from those who are out there doing it.

If you are ready to collaboratively grow your business – join us.

Registration for Focus 2020: Building business Together starts Jan 2. Program runs Feb 26 – April 23
Limited enrollment. Email me to get on the list for more information.

Jan

Most sought advice from mentors

There tends to be a lot of support for start-ups. Entrepreneurship has never been so trendy! New businesses add fuel to economies and because of that there are lots of groups eager to help. There are lenders, government initiatives, and private sector advisors all wanting to help businesses to get on their feet.

Doors are opened. Customers are served. Sales go up.

Three, five or seven years might go by and then business gets hard again. 50% of businesses fail in their fifth year!

The obvious lines of support are not there.

Business owners may find out that as they have been busily working “in” their business they have not been able to work “on” their business. The business plan they created for lending purposes is gathering dust. It’s hard to ask for help when there is a little voice saying, “surely after seven years in business I should know what I am doing?” Other questions lurk, “is expansion going to increase profitability”, and “the landscape has changed, the economy has changed, how do I navigate these changing times?”

How do I grow?
And that is the crux of it – how do you grow?

The most satisfying answer to that question comes from mentors who are willing to share their advice and their experience. Hearing first-hand how others are growing their business will ignite your own solutions.

Focus 2020: Building Business Together gives you the opportunity to be both mentor and mentee and gives you the tools to answer: how will my business grow?

Registration for Focus 2020: Building Business Together starts Jan 2. Program runs Feb 26 – April 23
Limited enrollment. Email to get on the list for more information.

Dec

It takes a village

I have always believed that it takes a village to raise a child but I equally believe that it takes a village to build a business. We can’t do it alone. Even for those who run a business saying “it is easier if I just do it myself” know that it just does not work that way.

Business is personal. And business is always human to human we crave it and especially in this era of disconnection, we crave it even more. We need each other.

However, a significant reason for why businesses fail is because of isolation. It can be lonely being an entrpreneur!

You can begin to convince yourself that “it must be me” or “everyone else seems to have this figured out, why don’t I?.” But when you start to talk to other business owners you realize you are not alone. Growing business never have it all figure out! In the book Shoe Dog (an all-time fav book of mine) Phil Knight takes about the early days of Nike and reaching 40 million in sales and still teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. (Knowing Nike battled cash flow issues is a bit comforting J)

Focus 2020: Building Business Together is a group mentoring opportunity where you can get real about the challenges and opportunities that are facing your business. There will be learning sessions, goal setting sessions and opportunities to bring your hot button issues to the table. Together in a strictly confidential setting we create your village. Your enriching community that cultivates growth.

This next decade will be a decade of collaboration. Never before have we needed each other in business and in life, globally and locally, it is time for us to come together so that we can have the impact we were meant to have.

Registration for Focus 2020 starts Jan 2. Program runs Feb 26 – April 23
Limited enrollment. Email to get on the list for more information.

Dec

Number One Most Requested Service

No wonder the number one requested service for growing businesses is mentoring! We all want to learn from others who have done it! Mentoring comes in all different ways. It might be a casual one off conversation in a coffee shop with someone who you think can offer some advice. It might be a formal arrangement where you have scheduled meetings with a mentor, it could be your employer who takes on the role of mentoring you. It can also happen in a group setting where shared experiences from a wider net of experience bring you clarity.

Mentoring is different from the role of a coach. Both are invaluable.

A simple differentiation is that a coach should remain impartial and help you to find your own solution.

A mentor will give you their advice based on their experience. In a mentoring relationship you learn from someone who understand what it is like to be in your shoes. You learn from their mistakes, struggles or triumphs but the lessons are real, steeped in experience.

As business owners we are often given advice. And often it comes from those who have never been in business. When I heard Barbara Stegemann owner of the globally successfully fragrance line 7 Virtues speak she put it perfectly. She had been repeatedly told by others how she should grow her business and finally exasperated she said “ok great idea – is that what you did when you owned a fragrance company?”

There is no greater teacher than experience – our own and others. If you are ready to learn from other like-minded entrepreneurs who are out there growing businesses today Focus 2020 is for you. If you want to have others learn from your experience Focus 2020 is also for you. This 3 month mentoring intensive clarifies where you are going and how you will get there. A collaborative transformative process.

Registration for Focus 2020 starts Jan 2. Program runs Feb 26 – April 23
Limited enrollment. Email for more information.