by Charlotte | Jul 21, 2015 | Uncategorized
I have always dreamed of opening a business. I grew up watching my parents run and grow a very successful business. I saw the good, the bad and everything in between that came with running a business. I knew I without a doubt wanted to do the same thing. I decided to open a coffee shop bakery. Then, you know what? Life happens. Things change. I got married, found out I have food sensitives (including dairy), the stock market crashed and my parents got divorced (they were to invest to help me start) and things changed. You take a different path, there was a fork in the road and no matter how hard that can be, keep you head up and keep moving forward. I did start a successful wholesale bakery, with my frozen cookie dough sold in 18 stores. Then my son was born and I quickly realized it was NOT the business I always wanted. I no longer had time and the option to play at doing something that never felt quite right. That is where this business was born. I realized how much life changed after becoming a mom. My dreams were still there, but somehow they kept getting pushed aside. One day I realized that I needed to be more than just a mom and that was ok, in fact it was great. I knew, then and there, that I needed to help moms go after and get all they have ever wanted. To show them that you can make it happen while being a mom and...
by Charlotte | Jul 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
For years now I’ve been trying to create a morning routine that I will actually stick to. Over the past year I’ve experimented with a variety of morning routines to see what will work best for me and my family. The thing is life with kids means things are always changing. I now have a two-year-old son. I went from breast-feeding every morning first thing to being able to take him on my walks to him not wanting to sit still that long. My husband worked out of the house for six months and I was able to get up and work out well he looked after him before he got to work. So I’m saying that things change, they’re always changing, and we need to create an morning routine that works for us and whatever is currently going on in our lives. Here are some suggestions. Write out your dream morning. In as much detail as you can. I found as a mom that I need to do two, one assuming my son is home, another as if he was not. (Helped me get clear on what I truly wanted and realistic on when I would need to get up). Create a list of must haves for your morning. This is things that you need, want or must do every morning. Then experiment and try out a variety things to see what fits and works for you. I recently read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I love his concept of the six steps you should do each morning to set yourself up for your best day and...
by Charlotte | Jul 9, 2015 | Uncategorized
Becoming more productive and improving my time management, is an everyday challenge and experiment. I’ll admit right off the bat I’m not fantastic at this, but I’ve learned a lot of great ways to improve the way I work because I’m constantly trying to improve. I’ve tried things that I hated doing or did not work for me, but I’ve also found things that have worked so well I can’t believe it took me so long to try it. I would suggest as you learn new productivity tips and time management skills test them out and see what works for you your life. Implement the ones you like and discard the rest. Here is what currently works best for me Create a short to do list. Put down only 1 to 3 items you want to complete each day. This allows you to feel accomplishment when you complete them. I do have a master list I can look at if I finish all three and have more time. However, as a stay-at-home mom, I have maybe four hours a day to get things done so I have to be very focused and specific about the tasks I need to complete. Set a timer for when you work. There are variety of ways to do this, online, phone apps or your phone timer. I work for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break, then work for 25 more minutes and take a five-minute break, repeat this four times and then take a longer break. This helps you to stay very focus when you are working and it gives you...
by Charlotte | Jul 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
I’m not here to tell you the best way to market yourself, who your ideal customer is, or how to brand yourself stand out. Today we are talking about your “competitors.” First off, I do not really believe in competitors, because we are all so different in who we are and how we help people. However, checking out those who have a similar business as you is so important. Not only are you able to see if people are successful in your industry, but you also can get clear on how you are different. So here is the deal. Hop online and do a bit of research. Look up 3 businesses doing similar work. Then check out 3 business that you admire, in any industry. As you look at each site ask yourself the following questions: What do they sell? Which product is most popular? What do you like and dislike about it? Are they successful? Do you like their branding? What do you like and what do you not like? How is what you sell or plan to sell different? What makes you unique? For businesses you admire – look at the things that you love they’re doing and think of ways that you can implement that into your business. By answering these questions you can then go back to your business or business idea and implement everything that you have learned. Look at your products/services and add in things you felt they were missing, tweak your brand to be even more true with your audience and yourself, get really clear on how you are different, and finally...
by Charlotte | Jun 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Last week something happened. I hit a wall in my business. I was stuck. Even though I am clear what I am working on and have something awesome things happening in my business, I just could not get myself to work. I started to self sabotage. I worked in front of the TV (which for me means I watched TV and did about 5 minutes of work.) I made 2 batches of cookies and ate most of them. I ignored the laundry and dishes and just wanted to veg out and forget the world. Then it hit me, I was too happy, everything was going too well. Things were going great, I am moving forward with exciting things in my business and everything was starting to work out just as I had hoped and believed it would. I had heard of the upper limit, but never noticed before when I got there. Thankfully I did this time and took control. I not only got out of my rut, but am moving past my this upper limit. Here are the 5 things I did to get myself back on track. Take a day off from everything. You might not be able to take a full day off from everything, I’m a stay at home mom so that is impossible, but at minimum don’t work. Maybe you only take 10 minutes or an hour, but give yourself permission for some self care. Most moms are horrible at this, but even if it is just a bubble bath, give yourself a break. When you start working again you will be refreshed, more relaxed...
by Charlotte | Jun 18, 2015 | Uncategorized
If you have not ready my bio, you may not know that I ran a food based business for 3 years before I started helping moms start their dream businesses. That was my dream business, but was it? After closing Natural Twist Bakery when my son was 6 months old, I felt like a failure, but quickly realized how many unique and awesome lessons I had actually learned through the process. In the video below I tell you what I learned and why they are so important. What did I learn? Take the time to determine your ideal life, business and family mission. This helps you have the knowledge to align your business and life. Write a business plan. Even just notes on a scrap piece of paper give you a clear road map of if your business is possible and how you are going to make it work. Know the answer to these questions. Get clear on your long term business goal and have an exit strategy. By having a 5 year business goal you will always have guidance as you make decisions in your business. Contracts. No matter if they make you uncomfortable or you do not think you need them, you do. It is important for you and your customers. You can’t fail. It may feel like it, but in the end you went for you business, learned invaluable lessons and took action. Take the time to realign, adjust and go for what you want until you get it. Let me know in the comments below your “holy crap, super huge, may never...
