by Julia Felton | Sep 15, 2014
āIf you can conceive something in your mind and believe it to be true, then you can achieve it.ā ā Napoleon Hill
Napolean Hill said it best when he said, āWhatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.ā
But what he said next is even more important and often not quoted. He then goes on to say ā…regardless of how many times you have failed in the past or how lofty your aims or hopes may be.ā
In his book entitled Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill states that it is scientifically impossible to conceive something in your mind, to believe that you can do it, and then not be able to. The very fact that you can conceive something in your mind, and believe that you can do it, means that you can.
Belief is an ever important aspect of creating a thriving business. If you can imagine it, but you truly donāt believe it, then you will not be able to achieve it. Your worry, doubt and uncertainty will act as a barrier that prohibits your financial goals or any other goals from manifesting themselves.
Most of us have not begun to tap into our true greatness and all that we are capable of achieving. In fact in his book The Other 90% Robert Cooper suggests that as much as 90% of our potential is untapped.Ā Wow.Ā That’s amazing.Ā Just imagine what would happen if collectively we all tapped into some of this. Just think how much more we could all achieve. So do you want to know the secret for unlocking your greatness? It is in your mind.
The power of our mind is truly amazing. Most people doubt themselves. For some itās occasionally, for others itās often. We also tend to put other people on a pedestal. The funny thing is that the people we idolize often doubt themselves as much as we doubt ourselves. We all have problems, insecurities and challenges. What distinguishes the truly happy, successful and fulfilled people is how they handle problems and challenges. Belief is the best tool!
The more you believe in yourself and your abilities, the more likely you are to accomplish your goals and reach your dreams.
So what do you need to believe in order to achieve your dreams?Ā If you heard me on SineFM last week you’ll know that one of my favourite songs is Believe by the amazing Orgena Rose.Ā You can download the album and single on iTunes.Ā It’s so inspiring that I try and listen to it every day.Ā Here’s the link in case you missed it.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jul 22, 2014
Great athletes put the odds in their favor by having a routine that helps them start each day right. Most top athletes go through a preparation routine before every game, which starts long before they get on the field.Ā The best ones usually start the moment they awake.
I have found that the way you start something sets the tone, pace and rhythm for how you will sustain and finish something. This is true for your day as well.
How you START the day will very much dictate how the rest of your day will go. It will set the tone, pace and momentum of your performance for the day.
How you START the day will very much dictate how the rest of your day will go.
So if you are going to rebuild your life and lifestyle around one of health, vitality and high-performance, then you need to start at the beginning with how you start your day.
Many of us are aware that top athletes follow the pattern of a preparation routine with a fierce devotion because it activates all sorts of subconscious and autonomic systems that puts them āIN THE ZONE.ā
āIn the zoneā describes a condition of readiness and awareness that helps prepare that person for success.
As a business owner and leader, you set the pace for the rest of your organization. Your company, even if it has just a few employees, is a reflection of you. Sharpen your company by first sharpening yourself at the dawn of each day.
Here are my top three tips on you can get your body, mind and spirit into āthe zoneā first thing in the morning.
1. BODY
Coming out of bed, your body needs three things for certaināwater, protein and movement. Your systems were all working through the night and need to complete their cycles. Starting with 16 ounces of water gets you started on the eight glasses you already know you need to get anyway and begins the benefits that moving fluids through your body starts.
You need protein in your first food of the day, even if you are going for a run or a workout. A protein shake will do. The rest of the food pyramid is open, but even if you are a very light breakfast eater, protein is important.
Movement gets the blood moving, clears the mind and releases energy. Workouts with weights or cardio are greatābut sometimes ten minutes of stretching is all you have time or space for. Regardless, donāt let the first 30 minutes of the day get started without moving.
2. MIND
Your mind needs focus or you will waste time and energy in your morning and in your day. The most effective business owners and CEOs that I know actually focus on very few things. Those that receive their focus, receive all of their focus.
I recently heard of a billionaire who shared that one of his keys to successĀ is accomplishing only one thing per day. A very big thing, of course, but from the moment he wakes up until he finishes his day, he throws every available effort at that one thing. Most of us measure our days in volume, not in scale. How many things can we check off on our to do list, rather than how important one particular thingĀ might be. Pick the one BIG thing to accomplish and let your morning open up with that as the focus for your first thoughts.
3. SPIRIT
Part of putting yourself in the zone is achieving alignment of your core energy and your positive emotions. A proven way to do this is through a simple reflection of gratitude. Being grateful, aware of all you have, is a centering action. It starts your day with energy and calm. When you greet your employees, clients, and suppliers throughout the day knowing that you included them in your reflections, they will feel that in your interaction and it will make for a better exchange regardless of the circumstances.
So remember, if you want to be a top performers in your field, put the odds in your favor by putting yourself in the zone first.Ā Then you allow others to follow your lead.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jul 8, 2014
More people than at any time before have taken the leap to start their own businesses. This includes chiropractors, dentists, osteopaths, massage therapists, coaches, consultants, speakers, and a host of other professions.
Starting a business on your own has many challenges. For many people, the biggest one is āselling.ā You canāt grow your business if you donāt sell your products and services to someone.
Yet, for many, āsellingā brings up visions of sleazy used car salesmen who try to manipulate others to get what they want. Who wants to be like that? So, youāre faced with this dilemma: How do you grow your business and be a good, authentic, loving person at the same time?
The secret is to transform āsellingā into āserving.ā Let me show you how you do that.
Changing the Game
Selling is sleazy when itās manipulative. Let me convince you to do something so Iāll get what I want.
If you want to grow your business, and feel good about yourself at the same time, itās necessary to change the way you think about āselling.ā
Everyone buys things. If you provide a product or service that has real value and helps people solve real problems, there is someone who will want to buy it. That someone is struggling with the problem you are prepared to solve. They wouldnāt want a solution if solving the problem wasnāt important to them. So if you can help them solve their problem and do a good job of it, you have become their new best friend. They not only will want to buy what you have to sell, they will want to buy from you again and again because now they have begun to trust that you are someone who can help them solve their problems.
When you are able to shift your thinking from āIām selling somethingā to āIām serving someone by helping them solve a problem that they care about,ā youāll find yourself feeling great when that someone buys your stuff. Here are 5 ways to make that shift.
Step #1 ā Get Clear on the Value You Offer
It all begins with you understanding what are the problems you are uniquely qualified to help your clients or customers solve.Ā Knowing where you are most trusted in business is a great place to start and you can do this by taking the free Trust Test at http://bit.ly/trusttest
But you canāt stop there. What problems does your product or service address?Ā What resources do you bring to help your customer or client solve those problems? Why should people believe that your proposed solution really works?
Make a list of the problems and then list how your product or service solves each problem. Make a list of the resources your customer or client will have at their disposal when they purchase your product or service. Then gather testimonials, endorsements, case studies and anything else that will demonstrate your solution really works.
Itās been found that people are 10 times more likely to respond to a solution to a problem they have than they will to an opportunity to achieve something they want. So, make sure you really understand how you can help others solve their problems.
Step #2 ā Understand YourĀ Client/Customer/Partnerās āCritical Needā
Once youāve understood in general the types of problems you are uniquely qualified to solve, the next step is to understand who has those sorts of problems and would be attracted to your particular solution.
You may think that everyone needs what you have, but thatās never true. Even if we assume everyone has the problem youāre solving, only certain types of people will be attracted to the way you solve it.
Apple has done an amazing job of helping people solve problems they didnāt even know they hadālike the ability to carry their entire music library with them in a pocket size device, or to watch TV shows or videos on a book size device. Most people will agree that Appleās products are good quality. And just about everyone wants to listen to music or watch videos these days, but not everyone is going to buy an Apple iPod, iPhone or iPad. For some the products are too expensive. For others, the products donāt go well with other equipment they already use. Appleās success has been successfully targeting people who are willing to pay more for a product that helps them feel special and unique while being useful at the same time.
I define your perfect alliance partner as āthat person or organization for whom you are uniquely qualified to fulfill their most critical need and in fulfilling that need you fulfill your own critical need at the same time.ā
Youāre in the business of solving problems. Step #2 is about finding the people who have those problems and consider them significant enough that theyāre willing to pay to solve them.
Step #3 ā Build Trust
People will only buy from or work with people they trust. These days, building trust begins by establishing a relationship with people who have the problems you are prepared to solve. You build trust by getting testimonials, endorsements, or case studies from people who have benefited from your products or services. You can also build trust by demonstrating you have had success in the past. And you can build trust by offering knowledge, service, or even products for free so that your potential customers and clients have the chance to see how well you can help them solve their problems.
You can read some of of my clients at https://www.businesshorsepower.com/success-stories/
Step #4 ā Remove the Perception of Risk
Anytime someone purchases something there is a risk that it wonāt serve their needs. To the extent you can show others that the risk that your product or service will not provide the promised value is very low, the more likely it is that people will be willing to invest in what you offer them.
One simple way to reduce risk is to offer a guarantee. If theyāre not happy, they can return the product or service and get a refund within some period of time. A guarantee allows the customer to see if the promise matches up to their experience.
But you can reduce risk in other ways as well. You can offer additional bonuses and extras for free so the value customers receive is so much greater than what theyāre paying that they feel the risk of not being satisfied is low.
The more you build your reputation, the less risky people will feel about doing business with you. When you have endorsements or support from well-known or trusted authorities, you inspire confidence that you can deliver on your promises.
Step #5 ā Genuinely Care About Your Customer (this is the most important one)
When you see yourself as āservingā rather than āsellingā then you let go of your attachment to āmaking the sale.ā Your focus and concern is with making sure that your customer really has a need you (or your products and services) are uniquely qualified to fulfill. This is the place where the Golden Rule comes in: treat your customers as you would want to be treated. Your job is no longer trying to sell anyone. It becomes identifying people who have problems you can solve. These are the people you are here to serve and serving them becomes fun.
Going Deeper ā Join Me at the Get Clients Fast Telesummit
On Thursday 10th July at 10am GMT I am being interviewed by Helen VandenBurghe as part of the Get Clients Fats Summer School about Mastering The Inner Game of Sales: 5 Secrets To Becoming a Trusted Sales Adviser So You Can Effortlessly Convert Prospects Into Clients
How would you like getting clients to become an effortless task that you actually enjoyed?
Wouldnāt you just love prospects to be magnetically drawn to you?
This is possible when you fundamentally change your mindset and energy about sales and instead become a trusted sales adviser. Iāll be sharing with you:
ā¢Ā Ā #1 mistake that most sales people make when talking to clients
ā¢Ā Ā My proven 5 steps formula to becoming a trusted sales adviser
ā¢Ā Ā 7 mindset traits of successful trusted sales adviser
and much moreā¦..
You can join the call for free, simply register at: http://www.getclientsfast.net
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jul 4, 2014
As many of you know I recently became certified as a Growth Accelerator Coach.Ā So to help you demystify how this programme can help you I have put together this short review.
Could your business benefit from a successful growth strategy?
Are your everyday responsibilities getting in the way of thinking time?
Have tactics overtaken strategy?
Have your processes fallen behind the pace of growth?
Could your managers be better equipped to step up?
Do you want to unlock your capacity for innovation?
Do you need to discover new routes for funding and investment?
Do you want to build on the power of your people?
Could you benefit from a more united and inspired leadership team?
Do you want to see relationships with your clients thrive?
Answer YES to any of these questions and there’s a good chance you could benefit from joining the Growth Accelerator Program.
As a Growth Coach and Growth Accelerator Trainer, Iām often asked to explain the program to people so I thought Iād produce this helpful little guide.
What is the Growth Accelerator program?
Growth Accelerator is a government funded UK initiative targeting high growth businesses who want to enter their next growth phase and have the determination and potential to get there.
Alongside the Regional Growth Manager, we work with you to develop your growth plan, bespoke to the needs of your business.Ā This will typically focus on one of three areas; Access to Finance, Business Development or Growth through Innovation.
Who can join?
To be eligible for the program, your business must be registered in the UK and be based in England.Ā You must have fewer than 250 employees and a turnover less than Ā£40m. It’s for both B2B and B2C businesses.
What do I get?
- A free consultation with a Growth Manager to assess your needs.
- A free GrowthMapper assessment, giving you new insights into the barriers holding your business back from growth.
- A Growth Coach (chosen by you) and funded by a grant of Ā£3,500 to be used to support your needs for growth.
- Up to Ā£2,000 matched funding for Leadership and Management training for all your managers.
- 6 half day workshops (strategy, sales & marketing, change management, leadership, achieving more for less and high growth teams).
- Free membership to the Growth Community.
What’s the Investment?
It depends on the number of employees
- 1-4 employees = Ā£600
- 5-49 employees = Ā£1500
- 50-249 employees = Ā£3,000
(all packages incur a VAT cost of Ā£700 which is worked out from the full grant award of Ā£3,500)
To get cracking with your business and personal growth, call me on 01423 788229 or emailĀ me at julia@businesshorsepower.com.Ā Either myself or the Growth Manager will come out to assess your needs.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jun 26, 2014
If you want to grow your business and reach the next level of success it is imperative that you create an environment around you that supports this.Ā In my previous blogs I have shared my best tips on how and why decluttering your environment is key to your success.Ā In this blog I will be sharing why it is imperative to create different environments to undertake the different roles that you need to get done in your business.
The big mistake that most business owners make is that they insist of doing all the activities in their business from the same place.Ā You create an office in your home and then conduct all the activities from here.Ā This is a big mistake as it results in us mixing up the different energies of business and this creates stress and overwhelm.
Sitting at a desk to try to study your finances, getting interrupted by phone calls, and then going back to your spreadsheet is like trying to freeze ice and boil water all in the same place. An enormous amount of energy is spent simply trying to switch from one state to another. Of course this is going to cause stress.
The key to cut stress and increase flow is to create a rhythm in your space and time, with five different places linked to your talents.
The ultimate example of this can been seen at Vision Villas in Bali where Roger Hamilton has designed five different pavilions that create five different types of energy. Each of the different energies speaks to each of the different activities of – what, who, when howĀ and why as defined in the Talent Dynamics Pentagram.
Dynamo Space: This is your space to brainstorm, write creatively, come up with new ideas, and answer the question, What? Make it a place where you can pin things up and see the big picture. Donāt take phone calls here or text-message or use any kind of social media. Donāt get stuck in details or distracted by others.
Blaze Space: This is your space to have conversations, answer emails, take phone calls, and answer the question, Who? When you step into this space, you will have everyoneās contact information close at hand, photos of people who are important, and Post-it notes of conversations and threads to follow. Make this a space of conversation, where there is no room to daydream or procrastinate.
Tempo Space: This is your space to be calm and grounded, and to sit with team members to plan or with clients to listen. This is where everything has a When? and Where? This isnāt a place to promote or sell, but a place to provide care and service and take care of smaller people-related activities. Donāt let any overly positive or overly negative energy into this space.
Steel Space: This space allows you to concentrate on the detail, get quiet time, and focus clearly on the How? This is where you keep all your finances and spreadsheets, and where all your detailed files can be easily accessed. Keep out all interruptions, and have no phones, emails, or distractions in this space. Be willing to be critical and to take criticism from here.
Spirit Space: This space inspires you and allows you to reflect on your higher purpose and bigger mission. This is where you get to breathe and bring out your inner smile.
Initially many of you might be thinking Julia there is no way I can carve out all these different spaces at home. I’d invite you to think again.Ā I know a professional speaker who goes to a coffee shop to get inspired and do his creative writing.Ā The energy and the buzz of the coffee shop inspires him. For myself, my spirit space is my hot tub where I can rest and relax in the evening whilst looking at the night sky and become connected to nature. I often find that some of my best creative ideas come when I spend time with my horses – sitting in the field my mind has the opportunity to be free from any constraints and I always find new ideas for my business surface pop up.Ā What environments can you create for yourself that will impact your business success?.
Think about a chef. When they get in the kitchen, they mark out a āDynamoā Space to āgrowā (to keep things fresh), a āBlazeā Space to āglowā (the oven to cook in), a āTempoā Space to āslowā (the chopping board and blender to separate and connect), a āSteelā Space to āknowā (keeping things cool in the fridge and freezer), and the āSpiritā Space to āflowā (the serving space where it all comes together). Then with the ingredients, the recipe and their spaces, preparing the meal is all about right place, right time.
What are the productive environments that you can create to redesign the standards by which you place your mind, body, and spirit each day? Whatās the pallet in which youāre creating your masterpiece? Even if you have a full-time job or have your hands full with children, there is always a way to reorganize your time and space to bring out your best self.
Remember thereās an order to everything, and organizing your time and your spaces allows you to move through the seasons with more ease and grace, the way nature meant it to be.
In nature, nothing is rushed, yet all is accomplished.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jun 17, 2014
Coach Charlie has been excelling himself this week teaching some new clients the finer points of sales and marketing, particularly as it relates to energy. Julie won a Horse Assisted Coaching session with me as a raffle prize to raise money for the Harrogate Neo-Natal Unit. I was delighted to be able to support this organisation who have supported a number friends through their challenging times.
Julie selected Coach Charlie to work with during her session on over-coming her fears around selling. Making sales is a key activity for any business owner but one that many of my clients don’t relish. Charlie taught Julie the subtle art of selling – how to manage her energy, when to lead, when to follow, when to pause and how to keep him engaged.
You see the biggest challenge you have in business is not competition for your products and services but rather people’s apathy and inertia.Ā Your potential clients have so much going on and are over-loaded with information that sometimes they stop engaging.Ā (The average person gets 147 emails per day and I know I get a lot more than that). Your challenge like Julie’s is how to attract the attention of the client (in this case Charlie) and keep him engaged so that he wants to follow you.
At first Charlie just stood still rooted to the spot, unable to move. Julie did a great job of keeping his attention but her energy was not compelling enough to get him moving – and guess what, Julie shared that often happens in her business. Her prospects are interested in what she has to offer but like Charlie never take action and buy her services.
Charlie taught Julie how sometimes you need to be a little directive to get the first step, because this is always the hardest.Ā Once the first step is taken however, then momentum can keep the horse (and your potential client) moving forward.Ā When Julie raised her energy and gave Charlie some clear instruction he walked alongside her.
How many times have you not led your potential client through the sales conversation for fear of being too salesy? This is the lesson that Julie learnt in the round pen from Charlie – sometimes your clients need a gentle nudge to get them moving in the right direction. They need to be told what to do in order to take the first step and it needs to be easy to take. Set things up for success. So in Julie’s case getting Charlie to walk across the round-pen to join her was too much of a step but when she made that first step easy, by joining him and being much closer to him, he willing walked with her.
The horses have been teaching me so much about sales recently so I’m delighted to be a guest speaker on The Get Clients Fast tele-summit happening next month. Stay tuned for more details and how you can grab a copy of my hot off the press free report Attract And Convert Clients By Being A Trusted Sales Adviser.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | Jun 11, 2014
Recently I’ve been realising that running your own business is much like being in a horse race such as the Grand National. You all want to get to the Winners Circle but how many of you have the courage to get there?. How many of you are mentally and physically prepared for the ride of your life?
As in any race you can prepare for this by yourself or you can enlist the help of a coach to support and guide you. All great sports athlete’s have coaches (sometimes more than one) who help them not only with race strategies and tactics but also with the mindset of success – the psychology of winning.
It doesn’t matter how you look at it business success is down to just 2 things:
– what you do
– how you show up
and both are needed but usually not in equal measures. In my opinion business success is much more about how you show up rather than what you do.Ā It’s the old 80:20 rule. Unless you are mentally prepared to face your fears and get over the obstacles (aka the jumps) you will never reach the winners circle.
This is how I described the role of a coach and mentor to my new VIP client last week who has came to work with me on a six month programme to Jump Start her business so that she can reach the Winners Circle.
I used the analogy of being in the Grand National where your business is the horse, you are the rider, I’m the trainer and the jumps represent the obstacles that you will face as you ride your business over the finish line to the winners circle.
Now it turns out that my new client really got the analogy – unbeknown to me she was once a jockey and had even competed in the Grand National – that’s an amazing achievement and shows me how much courage she has. Assuming she can harness this same courage, that got her round Aintree, to her business, she is really off to a flying start.
What my client realised was that with me as her coach and trainer we can co-create and discuss all the strategies and tactics for the race but in the heat of the moment she needs to listen to her intuition and do what feels right as she rides to success. This might mean kicking on into the jump or checking her stride.
My responsibility as her trainer/coach is enter her for the the best races and set her up for success. Her role is to ride pro-actively over the fences.Ā If she sits passively on her horse (aka her business) the likelihood of crossing the finish line and reaching the winners circle is severely diminished.
So if you want my help to get your business into the winners circle why not apply for one of the limited number of Business Acceleration Success Sessions that I’m offering this month. This is a complimentary call with me where we will identify what is holding you back in business and map out a plan for your next steps.Ā And if I think we could create a great trainer – rider relationship for your business then I’ll let you know.
To apply simply complete these five simple questions online here. Do it now as I don’t want you to miss out on this amazing opportunity.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | May 27, 2014
So bringing a horse in the workplace might be a bit of a stretch, not to mention a little messy! However, the growing field of emotional intelligence (EI) and neuroscience, highlights the need for leaders to develop solid interpersonal and relationship skills in order to become proficient in harnessing the complexities of the modern world.
In fact a recent report by Deloitte Consulting LLP (my old employer!) entitled Global Human Capital Trends 2014 reveals that 86% of companies cite developing leadership capability as the top challenge they are facing, alongside employee retention and engagement, the re-skilling of HR and talent acquisition.
So why are horses such great teachers of leadership? To my mind it is because leadership is fundamentally changing. The old paradigm of command and control will no longer work in the workplace. We are leaving the information era and entering the collaboration era and horses are masterful at showing us how to work together in unity and harmony to achieve results. They also engage actively in shared leadership which will become more prevalent as we move forward.
With the avalanche of information out there it is simply impossible for one person to know it all. Everyone in the team needs to share responsibility for ensuring that the business meets its goals. And this this is what the herd models for us so well. They share the same vision for survival and safety and each herd member is responsible for looking out for danger. They have to be alert at all times and be focused on the goal. Any horse that fails to pay attention is reprimanded and often driven out of the herd for a short period of time. (Trust me it is fearful place for a horse to be alone and excluded from the herd with no-one to share the burden of responsibility with.)
And yet this is what I witness in organisations a lot, except for it is the leader who often feels alone and isolated from the rest of the team. They are left on the fringes and are not connected to the rest of the herd. The result is mis-communication, feelings resentment and frustration as goals are not met.
So how does Horse Assisted Coaching work and why is it so powerful?
In our new connected era what is apparent is that success does not come entirely from what you do – although taking action is always important – but it comes from who you are being. How are you showing up in the world? What type of leader are you? Horses teach us these important soft skills that are vital for business success. In fact I estimate that 80% of business success comes from how you show up as a leader for your business. Are you aligned and congruent? Are you passionate about what you are doing? What beliefs do you hold about success?
Horses help you develop these softer skills controlled by the limbic system of the brain (the emotional centre). Horses communicate mainly via body language and operate solely from their emotions. They donāt care if you are the CEO or the Office Junior, what they care about is what you are bringing to the relationship. Having a 600lb horse in front of you tends to bring up ārealā emotions for both parties! This could be known as āreal-playā rather than ārole-playā.
As a participant in a Horse Assisted Coaching session you will performs certain ground activities which will evoke a variety of thoughts (productive and self-limiting) which in turn produce certain emotions (feelings), this is then mirrored in your body language, which the horses pick up on (from up to 1km away!). As the horses are at liberty (free of reins, head gear and rider control) they have the option to react naturally to the participant. This is the moment of instant feedback from the horses mouth!!.
Participants are able to try out different approaches and ways of managing themselves and the other (in this case the horse) in each situation, giving them an opportunity to experiment with the most effective behavioural response (adaptive behaviours). As success is found, confidence builds and links are made to life outside the paddock, which then raises the probability of using the new adaptive behaviours in the workplace.
All these programs are delivered in a non-threatening environment where the focus is to support each participant to achieve better outcomes in their interpersonal interactions and develop an awareness of themselves, others and the complexities within the workplace.
Business Horsepower combines leading theory and profiling tools with innovative Horse Assisted Coaching in order to deliver the most effective emotional intelligence development programs available and create more leadership bang for your buck!
Put simply you get more effective results when you use horsepower!
Note: If you are based in the UK talk to me about some special funding that is available for developing leadership skills in your company.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | May 14, 2014
Running your own business involves a millions of details and moving parts.Ā And if youāre relying on yourself to remember all of these, you WILL get burned out.Ā Things WILL fall through the cracks and ultimately you will lose the trust of your customers.Ā Not a great place to end up in an environmentĀ where prospects and customers are seeking you to be their trusted advisor.
This is why the creation of systems is vital for you if you are to create a Joined Up Business so you can become focused and productivity by saving yourself resources. You see systems are the lifeblood of your business – they are an integral part of the business DNA and yet many business take an ostrich approach to systems – preferring to stick their head in the sand rather than take action and get some simple systems set up,
A system is simply a series of steps for a particular task or project.Ā Ā The cool part?Ā You shouldnāt be the one executing the system.Ā Once you have systems documented, you can hand them off to key team members ā this is how you begin to create a business that runs without you.
If youāve never systematized anything in your business before, take heart ā if you take the same steps to achieve particular tasks in your business more than once, you already have the makings of a system for that task.
The key is to hone, refine and ultimately delegate the RIGHT systems that are going to grow your business.
Which systems should you implement FIRST?Ā Below are my top 7 systems that I use daily to run my business.
1. A system to attract new clients.
Your business growth depends on your ability to attract new, highly qualified, highly awesome ideal peeps into your world, month in and month out.Ā (The easiest way to get started?Ā A signature system, a signature talk, and local speaking gigs.Ā Simple, streamlined and proven.)
2. A system to turn prospects into invested clients.
What happens when a potential new client contacts you or your team out of the blue?Ā Ā When you invest time, energy and attention to attract new clients, it only makes sense to have a system that kicks in to turn these prospects into invested new clients.
3. A system to follow up with prospects (after events, networking, or in-person meetings).
Nothing closes the āknow-like-trustā gap faster than face-to-face connection, which means that every event you attend can mean thousands of dollars in business for you ā if you follow up.Ā Next time you find a stack of business cards in your purse, ask yourself, āHow can I systematize follow-up within 48 hours of the event?ā
4. A system for ākeep in touchā (such as a newsletter).
There is no way that you can expect to fill your programs easily if youāre not doing SOME kind of outreach or follow-up.Ā Ā Whether itās a newsletter, a video newsletter, an evergreen autoresponder, or a blog (used in conjunction with email), youāve got to do something and do it consistently.Ā Which meansā¦ you need a system. š
5. A system to serve clients in your programs.
When a new client signs up, thereās excitementā¦ and terror.Ā Sheās thinking a zillion things, not the least of which is, āDid I really make the right move, invetsing Ā£5000 to this person?” Every program you offer needs to have a system behind it to give your clients a stellar experience: welcoming new clients, scheduling the calls, delivering the calls, recording calls, distributing the calls, communicating with your herd and whatever else you do to deliver the goods.Ā Your clients DO notice these details, which, when done well, leads to better results and repeat business.
6. A system to manage your cash.
Your cash flow system should include ābucketsā for incoming money (X for taxes, Y for expenses, Z for your salary, and so on).Ā And always pay yourself, even if itās just one dollar ā the action matters more than the amount when youāre just getting started.
7. A system to generate referrals & testimonials.
The best clients come from your awesome current clients.Ā Awesome current clients love to refer, so make it easy on them.Ā (Which makes your business growth easy on you ā win!)
The small amount of time youāll invest in setting up your systems will pay you back exponentially in time and income over the long run, PLUS give all of your clients and potential clients the kind of high-value experience that truly sets you apart.
You can learn more about the 21 Ways I see most business owners losing cash and clients because they don’t have simple systems and processes in place by going to www.businesshorsepower.com and downing my free report
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
by Julia Felton | May 6, 2014
āThere is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.ā – Peter Drucker
The Pareto Principle – also known as the 80:20 rule – is applicable to any business and let time and time again I witness business owners failing to understand this and so wasting valuable time, energy and money on activities that are not adding to helping the business meet it’s goals. As my regular herd members know I am all about creating businesses that are more efficient and what I called Joined Up.
So what is the Pareto Principle? It holds that 80% of the consequences of any action come from 20% of the causes. This principle can actually be applied to everything you do. It is a powerful, fundamental principle of life ā and of working smart.
The original 80:20 observation was as a result of Italian economist Pareto noticing in 1906 that 80% of Italyās land was owned by 20% of the population. He then carried out surveys on a variety of other countries and found to his surprise that a similar distribution applied. He and others later discovered that this principle is proven in many other areas of interest:
- 80% of results come from 20% of effort;
- 20% of your customers will account for 80% of your profit.
Apply the 80:20 rule to the information you receive: 20% is useful, whereas 80% is not. The key is to identify and focus on that 20% and ignore or remove the rest completely.
The same is true of time expended for results achieved. Think of the benefits of applying the Pareto Principle to your time management and personal and business productivity!
Which one of these statements rings true for your business?
- 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers
- 20% of your product or service range contributes 80% of your profit
- 80% of customer complaints originate from 20% of the causes.
- 20% of your individual effort and time achieves 80% of the desired results
- 80% of your business productivity loss results from 20% of the causes
- 20% of your staff is responsible for 80% of the business outputs and results
- 80% of the value in the business is generated by 20% of the processes
The common approach to business is to squeeze every last drop out of each opportunity, to go ā100% all-outā, without consideration of the impact on time, productivity and wastage. Simple, time-efficient businesses recognise that it is fundamentally inefficient to go for the āwhole pieā when you can get the majority of results for the minority of effort.
With knowledge of the 80:20 principle, you can concentrate on what wins you customers and success. Look at your business and concentrate on the 20% that produces the 80% of benefit. Spend 80% of your time doing the 20% that really gets you results. āYou win some, you lose someā is no way to run a successful business, but armed with knowledge of the Pareto Principle, you can work the system to your benefit.
Itās not just about working smarter ā itās about working smarter on the right things that will get you the best results. Think really boldly about this law ā how far, and in how many ways you can apply it. The more incredible the results can be.
- Why spend 100% of your money and time on āgrowth at all costsā when you could downsize, freeing up capital and time? Spend just 20% in developing the most profitable 80% of your current business, and invest the rest in other ventures?
- Why work full time, when you can work only 20% of the time on the things that get you 80% of your profits? And spend the rest of the time sipping a cold beer on the beach, watching the sun go down or if you are like me hanging out with my horses!
This year I am actively reviewing my business to see which activities I need to focus on most and which I can let slip by as the benefits of doing them are not worth the time and energy invested.
I encourage you to cast a critical eye over your business and examine what you need to do more of and what you need to stop doing.Ā I’d love to hear what you discover about your business
How can you use this rule to revolutionise your business and your life? Take it to the limit!
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
