Introducing a remarkable way to get things done

June 22, 2017 By

I always do what I say I’m going to do, do you? Although this may have been true, some of the time, it wasn’t true for all of the time.

BUT, I created a new strategy for myself. And now I actually do what I say I’m going to do.

A new strategy to help you get things done!

I’ve been writing a lot lately about time management. One, because so many of my clients struggle with it and two, there are so many options out there it’s hard to find the time to figure out which will work for you.

My goal has been to share simple strategies that work so you can just get to the doing. You can read about fundamental of getting time on your side and several others over on my blog – I try to write short, informative articles so that you can read them and get going on implementing the actions I share with you.

The new strategy that I want to share with you isn’t anything you haven’t heard before. In fact, nothing really regarding time management is. The strategy is taking a NO EXCUSES approach to doing what you say you are going to do.

Excuses will kill your productivity

For the purpose of this article, an excuse is a reason why you didn’t do what you said you wanted to or needed to get done.

It usually shows up when you say things like:

  • I don’t have enough time
  • But I needed to do this first
  • I was tired
  • I didn’t feel like it
  • Ya but….(fill in the blank)

At the same time, you might be thinking ya, but, I have a good reason for putting it off or not doing it. To that I say you may think you have a good reason, but it is still killing your productivity.

“What to succeed? Stop making excuses and get going.” –Kim Ravida

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Stop making the excuses. Instead, think on the positive side of what will happen for you because you did what it was you were going to do (or even supposed to do).

Your turn, what are the excuses you are guilty of using? And then, when will you stop making them? Leave a comment if you so dare!

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The fundamentals of getting time on your side

June 8, 2017 By

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Do you follow a schedule? Do you get things done? Or do you wonder what happened to your time and why you always seem to not have enough?

I could go into telling you that we all have the same amount of time in a day, but you’ve heard that before and I’d like to tell you something new (or at least a new spin on it).

There IS a better way to finally getting things done.

The better way is to schedule it. And I’m not talking about scheduling your appointments with other people. More than likely you already do that (or at least that’s my hope) so that isn’t a problem.

What I’m talking about it to schedule your tasks and activities. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are a few examples:

  • Planning time
  • Writing your blog
  • Specific times you set aside for phone calls and follow up
  • Social Media Marketing (and let’s not confuse this with socializing)

Moreover, knowing what you are doing and how long it takes you makes is simple to put it into your calendar. And to that end, get it done. I wrote about this in a previous blog, which you can click here to read if you don’t know what you are doing and how long it takes. As long as you already know what you are doing, you can then schedule it and get it done!

Trick to getting things done.

Because I’ve had many trials and errors when it’s come to time and getting things done, one trick that I have learned is to use the time blocking method. It’s blocking off the time that I know I have to work with and scheduling in my tasks and activities into that time.

Here’s what it looks like:

  1. Look at your day (the night before is preferable) and get clear on how much time you have to work with. Since you already know what you are doing and how long it will take you, you can schedule appropriately.
  2. Enter that task/activity into the time you have for it.  Example: Writing a blog takes 1 hour, enter ‘write blog’ into the appropriate time slot on your calendar.
  3. When that time comes, you know what you’ll be doing so you go and do it.

Where most people go wrong is that they have a laundry list of things they want to do, are going to do or even need to do and they never seem to get them done. Whenever we fail to schedule, we fail. Plain and simple. I know this because a) it’s happened to me and b) my clients were doing this before starting to work with me and once they created their time management system they got things done – even those that they had had trouble doing.

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” –Pablo Picasso

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Your Next Step – Take Action.

Give it a try and see what happens, my guess is that when you put what you need to do in your schedule and follow it, you’ll be getting many things done, feeling pretty great about yourself and reaching your goals!

And if you are still struggling and would like help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary Business Strategy Session where you’ll walk away knowing specifically how to set your schedule for your optimal results!

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When you have clarity, you have a winning chance

May 18, 2017 By

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Why it’s important to focus on winning (especially for yourself)!

Winning feels great, it gives you such a boost in your life! However, so many of people set themselves up for failure. And when it comes to managing our time, well, while you might not be truly able to “manage” such a thing, you can absolutely use it wisely.

Do you remember the rabbit in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland?

Do you remember how he was running around saying how late he was for a very important date?

Do you find yourself acting like that and saying similar things?

You are not alone.

That’s the good news. The other good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way any more.

Women are famous (if that’s even the right word to use) at being able to do a lot of things at one time. And often some wear it as a badge. Can you relate? Now, for some things that may be an appropriate behavior. Though when it comes to creating and running a successful business, it more than likely is what is holding you back from reaching your goals.

Running around creating chaos?

What I find happens with my clients and other business owners that I talk to is that they are running around going here, doing this, that and other things and basically creating chaos for themselves. When this happens, what normally is happening is that they aren’t clear about what they are doing. They get an opportunity or an idea and they are off with it (kind of like the “off with his head” mentality the Queen of Hearts had). There is no plan, there are no action steps and no clear path to get to where they think they are going.

What usually happens next is they utter (often in despair) “I don’t have enough time”, “I didn’t have enough time to do what was important”, “I kept getting caught up in this or that”. Maybe this sounds familiar. Well, to give yourself not only a fighting chance, but a winning chance, you need to get clear of where it is you are going and what it is you will do to get there.

Getting there from here.

The fastest way to get results in less time is to be clear on where you are going and exactly what you will do (not can do, but will do) to get there and then go and do it. Meaning, plan it and then schedule it.

It may mean you need to figure out how long something takes to do, it may mean that you need to eliminate things (oh my) and it may mean you just get off your butt and do it (thank you Nike) and so be it. If you truly want to get to where you are going, you just have to do it! Trust me, you won’t be sorry in fact you’ll be doing the Snoopy dance.

Watch my Facebook Live video on just how you can get there from where you are.

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How to win at the game of time

May 4, 2017 By

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Who doesn’t like to win?

I know I like to win. I especially like to win when it comes to time.

Time and me, we go way back and time usually won. To put it another way, I had no idea how to manage my time. At the same time, I knew that I had to figure that out.

Time was not on my hands.

The saying “time on your hands” definitely fit here. And if I wanted to have more time, sooner or later I had to figure this out. Ever since I started my coaching business I never (and I do mean never) finished my work on time. I was always racing to start making supper before my husband came home (he actually does our cooking. I’m the prep-chef) and I never ever got there.

That was until I finally figured out how to beat it. It was (and still is) such a great feeling. I remember the day exactly. I had finished my work and closed up shop only to find myself standing in the middle of my kitchen wondering what to do next. That is to say I actually had time to prep for dinner. All things considered, it was an awesome feeling.

Time was winning.

It’s important to realize that before that day, I couldn’t seem to get my stuff done. There was always so much more to do, something I never got to and wanted to get done. Something that I just had to do. It was frustrating to every day end up with more to do and not enough time.

Until one day when I finally said enough. And decided to learn how to win at this (as I called it) time thing. As a result things changed in an instant for me.

To explain, I was working nights and weekends and not having much fun in my life because I always was doing one more thing. I felt I was playing catch up and that I was behind the 8-ball almost constantly. It was time to stop.

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness. Jean de La Bruyère

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Game changer.

With this in mind, I decided that I had to get a handle on this time thing. For this reason, I did some research. I read many books, blogs and worked with my coach on my schedule, priorities and tasks. As a result, I came up with specific steps that work for me. And that’s how I now find myself with time on my hands.

Want to be the one with time on your hands?

To put it another way, if you are looking to win at time, get very clear on what it is you are doing, whether or not you need to do it and if you need to be the one doing it. Ask yourself: does it fit into your big outcome of what you want for your business and your life? Click here and read how to clarify your own priorities and tasks so you can win at time.

And if you are like I was and thinking to yourself, I so need help with this then you are in luck! Click here to set up your free 30 Minute Get Clear with Time Management Session with me. You will walk away with specific-to-you steps so that you win at time and find yourself with time on your hands time and again!

 

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Does It Feel Like Time Just Evaporates On You?

April 20, 2017 By

Time is elusive.

Do you ever say to yourself “where did the time go?” or “I didn’t have time to do what I wanted to do” or “I didn’t think it would take that much time”?

If so, you are not alone. One of the biggest challenges I faced when I began my business was time. I uttered all of the above and then some. The biggest one though was that I didn’t think things would take as much time as they did.

Time threw me off path many, many times. Time felt so elusive to me. It was a challenge finding time to get the things I wanted to and needed to get done. That meant I wasn’t achieving a whole lot – oh wait, let me rephrase that, I was achieving a lot – a lot of nothing! And once I was able to solve time being elusive to me, I was then able to achieve the results that I wanted – which was to start my business and work with amazing people like you to help you reach your goals and dreams.

Time=life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. –Alan Lakein

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How to get time on your side.

You need to know what it is you are doing each and every day and yes, practically each and every moment.

My clients do not like to hear that. They like to work in a free-flowing way. And when I tell them that they can do exactly that and be productive when they get time on their side, they are excited to get started.

Also, it’s the time piece that often throws people off. That place of not knowing how long something will take or how to be efficient with your time so you are completing things, moving things forward and seeing the results you desire. This is why it is important for you to get time on your side.

First of all, before you do anything, the one thing you need to do to get time on your side is to list out everything that you are doing.

Create a list of everything you do.

If you are struggling with time, it may be that you don’t 1) really know what you are doing and 2) have no idea how long things take to do. Since figuring out what it is you are doing means you’ll easily be able to figure out how long it takes let’s first get clear on that.

  • Get out a piece of paper or use your favorite electronic device and start listing everything you are doing in your business – don’t edit just write.
  • Categorize your list – you can use headings such as working with clients, marketing, administration and so on.
  • Drill down within those categories – marketing may mean networking, writing, creating copy, things of that nature – get clear on exactly what it is you are doing.

Establish a timetable for getting things done.

Then, once you have your list, estimate how long you think it is taking you to do each task, make sure you write it down. From there before you begin that particular task, note the time (I like to write it down) go to work and when you have completed it check the time again and note exactly how long it actually did take you. As a result, you now  know exactly how long it takes for you to do a particular task!

Finally, another thing you’ll do is to assess how you did. How close were you to your time estimate? If you were spot on, awesome – if not, you now know exactly how long it will take you to do your task – make sure you mark that down too so you never need to say again “I had no idea how long this would take” because you will know!

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The truth is, it’s all about you!

April 6, 2017 By

Good news! It’s about you.

Right off the bat, I’m giving you permission to make things about YOU!

My hope though is that you are already doing that. And just in case you aren’t, now is your time to do so. See as a solo entrepreneur/business owner it’s super-duper (yes, I just wrote that) important to take care of yourself.

You are the only one you have. And not only that but you are the only one your family has, your clients have, your friends have and so on. I think you get my point. Rather than ignoring you, what if you made it about you?

Consequently, you must realize just how important it is for you to take care of yourself. Your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health are mega important. Much has been written about balance. In particular, work/life balance. And much has been written about how that is impossible. It’s a matter of perspective. I like to look at balance as not 50/50 but in terms of how I’m feeling about my life and my work.

Why make it about you.

A wise woman once told me, “Kim, I take myself with me wherever I go and I want to feel good.” She meant both mind/body and spirit and she recognized that if she didn’t feel good in any of those areas she was out of balance. Take the time to do what YOU want to do – doesn’t matter if that is for your personal life or your business. You can trust me that you will at first feel a little weird, and then amazing.

You are more important than you believe you are.

First of all, can we agree that you ARE important? So before you tell me how you have so much to do and that others depend on you, take a moment to look into the future and envision the best version of yourself that you bring to your loved ones, your business and your clients. Then second, do what you need to do to make changes in your life so you have time to put yourself first. As a result, you will find that you have so much more to give others.

In conclusion, by taking care of yourself, you are better able to take care of everyone else. You’ll feel better, have more energy and be more equipped to reach both your personal and business goals! What’s not to like about that?!

Things will figure themselves out even without you.

And fear not, everything will be there for you when you are ready, and if not, maybe you didn’t need to do it/worry about it in the first place. The other thing you’ll find is things will figure themselves out. My previous blog was about taking time to rest, click here to read it if you haven’t already.

For now, determine what is one thing you will commit to doing for yourself to put yourself first in you life. Write it down and then do it. Notice how wonderful you feel and what happens in your life because you did it!

“You are more important than you believe you are” Kim Ravida

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If you are looking to make your client attraction about you and what you want (which I know is also to help many others;-), get my free offer! It is truly set for YOU to make it about you (so then it can be about them).

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Sometimes The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Business Is Stop

March 16, 2017 By

All or nothing thinking.

It’s a go, go, go, type of world out there for businesses and sometimes the best thing you could do for yourself and your business is to STOP. It’s time to re-think this 24/7 thing you may find yourself in.

As a solo entrepreneur you are probably doing everything (or most of everything) yourself. It might be you feel you have to, you want to save money or you have no money to spend on help. While I don’t necessarily agree with that for the long haul, there may be really good reasons you are doing it now. And while you may not be able to afford help, you definitely can’t afford to burn yourself out.

I mean, if you are the only one doing the work, if you burn out, who will take your place? Um, that would be no-one! That means the best thing you can do for yourself and the business is to stop. Put a pause on what you are doing and take a rest.

Why you not only can take a rest but must do so.

As someone who is doing it all, you are burning the candle at both ends. Let’s list out what you might be doing on a daily and weekly basis:

  • Networking with potential clients
  • Email correspondence
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Marketing
  • Having sales conversations
  • Enrolling new clients
  • Onboarding new clients
  • Setting up and scheduling client appointments (and many more)
  • Bookkeeping
  • Daily, weekly and monthly administrative work

I could keep going, but you know what I’m talking about. In order for you to be fresh and keep your perspective open and receptive, it is imperative for you to have a fresh brain, body and attitude. Nothing turns off a potential client than someone who is frazzled and disheveled all of what can happen when you run yourself ragged. Is that the image you want to present to the world when you are out networking to get clients. I didn’t think so.

What taking a rest can do for you and your business.

If you are thinking “but I can’t take time off” hear me out. I’m not asking you to put your business on hold indefinitely or even for longer than say a weekend, what I’m hoping you’ll take away from this is that by taking time off, even if it is a weekend is that you will come back refreshed and with a new perspective. See time has a way of helping us see things differently.

“Time has a way of helping us see things differently.” Kim Ravida

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When I first started I worked pretty much round the clock – and would have continued to do so if it wasn’t for a colleague of mine, Julie Gray who wrote an article on why I was procrastinating (well, she wasn’t saying “I” as in “Kim, here is why you were procrastinating,” but she might as well have, it hit me like a ton of bricks). What she said was the reason we procrastinate was because we weren’t taking breaks or even time off.

After I read that I basically came to a stop. I couldn’t move, it was so true. I had been pushing, pushing, pushing and finding that I wasn’t getting all that far because I was procrastinating! So, I took her advice and decided to take weekends off and viola, Monday came and I was ready, willing and able to get my work done. I found I had more successes, I attracted more clients, I felt better and get this, things were easier to get done!

What would you rather, harder or easier?

Here is the good news, it’s all up to you. You can have it harder or easier, which would you like? I’m thinking easier. So then WHEN is it you will stop? When will you take a break? When will you give yourself the rest you not only need but that is paramount to the success of your business? Go ahead, pull out your calendar and then schedule in time off in the next 3-5 days (yes, that’s right – or even for the upcoming weekend), you won’t be sorry if you do, but you may be sorry if you don’t.

In the meantime, are you looking to build your business with ideal clients? Ideal meaning those that aren’t needy and make you feel you have to give them way more than you want? If so, sign up for my free offer below because it will help you find them!

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One simple way to improve your business

March 2, 2017 By

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I’m big on keeping things simple. I spent a lot of time making things difficult and try as I might it was not the best thing for me. Which is why I like to teach other solo-entrepreneurs how to be successful keeping things simple.

What that simple thing is.

The last blog I wrote was to share with you that YOU were the advantage to your success.

Now I would like to tell you that the one simple way to improve your business is to trust that you are the advantage to it’s success. See, most of our wins or lack there of happen in between our ears. What I mean by that is the thoughts you think will either make or break you. Your mindset is the #1 thing that will improve your business.

Do you remember The Little Engine That Could? If so, then you’ll remember that may other trains didn’t help them, until along came the Little Engine who thought “I think I can”. The reason the Little Engine succeeded was because it had faith in itself.

The can-do mindset, a must for solo entrepreneurs – Kim Ravida

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Do you have faith in yourself?

Are you someone who knows you can do something and when the going gets tough, do you have thoughts that say “I think I can” even when you might not know for sure?

One simple thing you can do to improve your business is to have faith in yourself. If you have a strong belief in yourself and you always succeed, I’d love to hear about how you do that. If you need to have a little more faith in yourself, here are several questions for you to help you:

  • Write down 5 “I AM” statements that are true right now. An I AM statement is something that you know is true for you. Such as I AM resourceful, I AM strong, I AM someone who can figure things out. It describes the essence of who you are.
  • Write down 5 “I AM” statements that you want to be true. These may reflect who you really want to see yourself as.  Such as I AM willing to ask for help, I AM known for having the answers, I AM valued.
  • Look for gaps. Look at your I AM statements that you want to be true. Is there a gap between where you are and where you want to be? Does it feel like too big of a stretch or is it a do-able stretch.
  • Determine 1-2 actions that you are willing to take to bring you to your ideal I AM. This will help you gain more faith in yourself.

This exercise will help you: 1) see where you are perfectly tuned in to yourself,  2) see where you may not have faith in yourself and 3) see where you will be able to get to where you want to be.

The importance of your level of consciousness.

When you raise your level of consciousness about yourself it is impossible to be where you started. Once you begin to have faith in yourself, you will be just like the Little Engine That Could, on your way to business success.

When you are truly you, feeling comfortable with who you are, having faith in yourself for your successes and knowing that you have what it takes to get there, you get there in the most simplest way possible. Which means that you’ll do whatever it is that feels good for you.

So what’s it going to be? Will you do what needs to be done to have the mindset that brings you all the successes you want? I think I know the answer!

Are you a solo-preneur looking to build your business with ideal clients? If so, sign up for my free offer below because it will help you find them!

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The one thing that will give you the advantage

February 16, 2017 By

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In life and in business you have ONE thing that gives YOU the advantage over anyone else.

What that one thing is.

It’s YOU.  I cannot tell you how often I’ve heard this: “Once I started listening to myself everything changed.”

Maybe you are someone who already knows this and uses it to your advantage and maybe you might be like I used to be and are listening to everyone else tell you what you should do.

I spent a good portion of my life (nevermind my business) listening to others. I did that because I didn’t feel confident in myself or my ability. Not the best combination when starting a business, let me tell ya. I thought that others knew what was best for me. It includes a laundry list of people from my close family to other coaches and mentors.  Everyone has good intentions, yet when you listen to someone other than you, you put yourself at a distinct disadvantage.

Be yourself, be only yourself because being yourself is the secret to your success

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How to use yourself as the advantage.

One thing I learned was that no one else, no matter how well-intentioned, educated or experienced could tell me what was best for me. Only I knew that. For a very long time I’ve said “we are all unique and specially made” and that is because there is only ONE of you. Somehow my mantra got lost on me and I allowed outside influences to drive my actions.

And it wasn’t until I finally had done just about everything the someone else wanted me to do or thought it would be good for me and got nothing that I knew something had to change and that was I had to change.

So then, how do you use yourself as the advantage? I usually like to give you a number of tips or suggestions and today I’m only give you one. It’s this:

BE YOURSELF, BE ONLY YOURSELF BECAUSE BEING YOURSELF IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS

In addition to that, I’m also encouraging you to sign up for my free offer below because it will help you find the target market that fits you and what’s better than working with people that you really enjoy? Nothing, in fact, it’s so awesome that you’ll not want to miss out.

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Do you know what your target market struggles with?

February 2, 2017 By

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I hope you can answer YES! I sure do!  If not, then it’s time that you do.

Time To Get Clear On Who and What Your Target Market Struggles With

One thing that I have noticed (myself included – as I’ve been there too) is that service professionals like to think they can help everyone.  It’s a kind of “leave no one behind” mentality.

Not being dialed in to what your target market struggles with is a sure fire way to fail

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I get it, I really do – when I first started out I balked at learning what specifically the people I wanted to work with struggled with because I believed I could help with everything. I can remember when I was in coaching school, I was on a call with my mentor coach and she was talking about choosing a target market and I was so set against it.  I’m not a very vocal participant on a call but on that call, boy I sure was.

I felt I had to defend my reasons for why I felt I could help everyone. Fast forward to today and now I know without a doubt that that’s one sure fire way to fail. I’ll repeat that, not being dialed in to what your target market struggles with is a sure fire way to fail – yup, cause I failed.

What Changed My Mind.

My mind started to quickly change when I didn’t have any clients and I wasn’t getting any clients. What I was getting when I networked or talked with people about what I did was “That’s nice” and end of conversation. No one was interested. And of course, with no one interested, I wasn’t making any money and I knew I had to do something different. I remembered that call with my mentor coach and so I thought, “well, heck, I’ll get specific with a target market and learn more about what they struggle with and see what happens.”

Here Is What Happened.

As you might expect, a funny thing happened, I not only learned what their challenges were, I saw clearly what I did that helped them solve those challenges. As the saying goes “light dawns on marblehead” and I really saw that I couldn’t help everyone (side note: not everyone wants to be helped) and I could only help those that connected with me and what I did.

Kind of a no-brainer, I know but still you’ll be surprised. Maybe you are shaking your head thinking “Kim, you are so wrong.” I respect that and let me share with you a few bits of information that might have you thinking differently.

My previous blog post was about having a system for attracting clients. You can read it here.

Reasons You Want to Choose Who You Work With.

  • Marketing your business will be easy. You have one message that just those you want to reach will see and say yes to.
  • You’ll easily be able to talk about what you do. With your one message, you will always know what to say and never walk away thinking, “no why didn’t I say x?”
  • It gives you direction. You will no longer waste time talking to people who are not your “peeps”.
  • Time and money will be used wisely. You will no longer waste time or money doing things that do not lead you to your goals and spending money on marketing or opportunities you think might help you. Where you spend your time and money will be specifically where you want them to be.
  • It puts you in a place of confidence. Knowing exactly what you do, how you help and who you work with gives you a confidence that will motivate you to grow your business in exceptional ways.

I hope you can see why it’s important for you to be at choice! What WILL you choose?

Would you like an easy way to discover your target market or to expand the one you already have? Sign up below for my FREE 7 Day Client Attractor Challenge. In 7 days you will know exactly who your target market is, where they are and what to do to reach them!

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