failure Archives - High Performance Coach Cindy Donaldson

Not ready for retirement? Maybe it’s time to start a consulting or coaching business

Leave a Comment / Entrepreneur, Featured, Must Read Blogs, Small Business, Uncategorized / By Cindy Donaldson / February 14, 2019 / business launch, consultant, Corporate America, Corporate executive, failure, fear of failure, income, jenn donovan, legacy, money, myths, red barn consulting, retirement, start up, time

Starting your own business isn’t exactly for the faint of heart, but with so many talented executives trying to figure out what’s next – for many the next logical step is to join the world of Entrepreneurship. We’ve been doing a ton of research lately on what is holding people back from starting their own businesses – specifically people who could easily transition from working in Corporate America to becoming a coach or consultant. From what’s holding them back to what they think the perks will be – the information was enlightening.

Leave behind a legacy. For many, it’s not about the money but about leaving something lasting behind for the next generations to benefit from. Sure, they’ve left an impact at the companies they’ve worked for, but that’s just not enough. They want to share their knowledge and experiences with the world. Becoming a coach or consultant allows you to mentor and help others achieve what you have.

Ease into retirement. For many people who have worked a 9 to 5 job in Corporate America for longer than they will care to admit, adjusting to retirement just doesn’t sound appealing. They still want to contribute to society, have a purpose, and feel like they are making a difference. We find many individuals create a “Side Hustle” working as a consultant on a part-time basis while they ease into the work free world. Truth be told – some just keep on working because they love it!

Work with who you want. When you work for someone else, choosing who your coworkers are and what clients you serve probably isn’t your decision. BUT when you start your own coaching or consulting firm, it’s on your terms. In addition to choosing your own hours, you can also decide if you want any employees or prefer being a one-person show. You also get the freedom to choose who your clients are, what you want to charge, and what the terms are. It’s a Win-Win.

Fear of failure. This is an interesting one. Regardless of how old or how much scar tissue you have, fear of failure just doesn’t go away for some. Of course, starting your own business is scary, but for most, they just don’t know where to start or never really thought it was something they could do. With so many resources out there to help, is regret really an option?

It’s all who you know. Many executives don’t realize that they already have a gold mine of connections that they have amassed over their decades in their corporate career. For some, even working as a consultant for their current company may be an option. Once you spread the word on LinkedIn and in your networking circles, you may be surprised just how many people want to work with you.

It’s never too late. Starting a business doesn’t have an age restriction. Bob Parsons started Go Daddy at age 47, Charles Randlett Flint was 61 when he started IBM, and Colonel Sanders was 62 when the KFC franchise was born. As the saying goes, age is just a number. It doesn’t prevent you from going after your dreams or goals, and it certainly won’t prevent you from starting your own business. After all, those decades of experience count for something!

Did you know that people spend 80% of their life building someone else’s business? So why not spend some time building yours? Create your own legacy and do it on your terms. And if you need a little help along the way, or even getting the business off the ground, we are here to help hold your hand through the process and maybe even give you a nudge every now and again.

Are you ready for your next adventure?

Not ready for retirement? Maybe it’s time to start a consulting or coaching business Read More »

Not ready for retirement? Maybe it’s time to start a consulting or coaching business

Are you ready for your next adventure?

Not ready for retirement? Maybe it’s time to start a consulting or coaching business Read More »

From the 9-5 Grind to Consultant – How do you know when the time is right?

Leave a Comment / Entrepreneur, Featured, Must Read Blogs, Small Business, Uncategorized / By Cindy Donaldson / February 7, 2019 / Cindy Donaldson, consultant, Corporate executive, failure, income, money, myths, red barn consulting, start up, time, Wayne Gretsky

I’ve met so many people who are frustrated and unhappy in their jobs/careers and they long to be their own boss. Sunday anxiety, Monday morning blues and Friday euphoria are the norms. Sadly only a minute few will ever take the steps to get to the holy land of Entrepreneurship.

When I ask “Why?”, I get a slew of what I’ll call excuses. I’m here to debunk the myths and give you some “real talk” on what it takes.

MYTH: Not Enough Money REAL TALK: I’ll push back and ask “So, what IS enough money for you to have the life you want?” No one can ever give me a real dollar amount. What it comes down to is fear of the unknown and the unwillingness to make some luxury sacrifices. No, you will never really have enough money because most people, the more money they get the more they spend and it’s a vicious cycle. Which goes back to the sacrifices. In order to leave your full-time job with benefits, most start-up entrepreneurs have to give up a few things. (Take my income reality test here)
MYTH: Not enough Time REAL TALK: Everyone has 24 hours in the day, out of that you should sleep for 7-8 hours. Most people work for 8 hours a day, toss in some commuting and dealing with life things – say another 4 hours. That leaves 4-5 hours every day that you can be working on getting what you want. Most people waste a ton of time on things that aren’t going to serve their purpose of getting out of their 9-5 job. Sure reading a good book is fun, binge-watching Netflix is as well, playing video games, cellphone games – the list goes on. Make it a priority, just like eating and sleeping
MYTH: Not Ready. REAL TALK: Like having enough money, you will never be ready. What you do need to know that DONE is better than PERFECT and you have to start somewhere. Eat the elephant one bite at a time versus trying to eat it all at once. You don’t need the fancy office now, hell you don’t even need business cards – all you need is you and maybe a notepad and pen.
MYTH: If I fail, my life is over. REAL TALK: Every entrepreneur I know (including myself) has failed more times than they care to think about (including yours truly). Failure is just part of the process, accept it in fact embrace it. The more you fail, the more you learn.

Regret is a horrible thing. Putting off until tomorrow rarely works, because tomorrow you’ll put it off again, and again until tomorrow doesn’t come. I’ve seen it too many times.

As the famed Wayne Gretsky said – “You miss 100% of the shots you never take”.

From the 9-5 Grind to Consultant – How do you know when the time is right? Read More »

From the 9-5 Grind to Consultant – How do you know when the time is right?

When I ask “Why?”, I get a slew of what I’ll call excuses. I’m here to debunk the myths and give you some “real talk” on what it takes.

MYTH: Not Enough Money REAL TALK: I’ll push back and ask “So, what IS enough money for you to have the life you want?” No one can ever give me a real dollar amount. What it comes down to is fear of the unknown and the unwillingness to make some luxury sacrifices. No, you will never really have enough money because most people, the more money they get the more they spend and it’s a vicious cycle. Which goes back to the sacrifices. In order to leave your full-time job with benefits, most start-up entrepreneurs have to give up a few things. (Take my income reality test here)
MYTH: Not enough Time REAL TALK: Everyone has 24 hours in the day, out of that you should sleep for 7-8 hours. Most people work for 8 hours a day, toss in some commuting and dealing with life things – say another 4 hours. That leaves 4-5 hours every day that you can be working on getting what you want. Most people waste a ton of time on things that aren’t going to serve their purpose of getting out of their 9-5 job. Sure reading a good book is fun, binge-watching Netflix is as well, playing video games, cellphone games – the list goes on. Make it a priority, just like eating and sleeping
MYTH: Not Ready. REAL TALK: Like having enough money, you will never be ready. What you do need to know that DONE is better than PERFECT and you have to start somewhere. Eat the elephant one bite at a time versus trying to eat it all at once. You don’t need the fancy office now, hell you don’t even need business cards – all you need is you and maybe a notepad and pen.
MYTH: If I fail, my life is over. REAL TALK: Every entrepreneur I know (including myself) has failed more times than they care to think about (including yours truly). Failure is just part of the process, accept it in fact embrace it. The more you fail, the more you learn.

Regret is a horrible thing. Putting off until tomorrow rarely works, because tomorrow you’ll put it off again, and again until tomorrow doesn’t come. I’ve seen it too many times.

As the famed Wayne Gretsky said – “You miss 100% of the shots you never take”.

From the 9-5 Grind to Consultant – How do you know when the time is right? Read More »

The fear of trying

Leave a Comment / Culture, Featured, Fun Stuff, Must Read Blogs, Operations, Uncategorized / By Cindy Donaldson / March 1, 2018 / experience, fail fast, failing, failure, fear, fire, jenn donovan, learning, marketing, new things, red barn consulting, trying

You’ve probably heard a quote like “if you’re going to fail, then fail fast.” I used to be afraid of failing, let’s be real, no one wants to fail. But working at Red Barn has taught me that, hey, sometimes you fail, and that’s OK if you fix it and learn from it. It’s a tough transition, especially if you work in Corporate America where when something goes wrong, it turns into the blame game. It’s a nauseating feeling always trying to cover your ass in case that finger turned to you. It became more than a fear of failing and more of a fear of even trying something new. But now, I’ve learned to embrace learning and trying new things because the fear of failure isn’t so stifling.

Before I started at Red Barn I had NO marketing experience. Sure, I used Facebook and LinkedIn, but that was about it. I’d never written a blog, sent out an e-newsletter, or used any design software. But I had to learn these things, and being remote, Cindy couldn’t hold my hand and walk me through things. I relied heavily on 2 very good friends – YouTube and Google. Trust me, if these 2 don’t know how to do something, then it’s not meant to be done.

I learned how to make updates to a website, edit art files in Adobe Creative Suite, create e-newsletter templates, create and implement Drip email workflows, the list goes on and on. Have I messed stuff up – ABSOLUTELY! Go ahead – ask Cindy – she’ll tell you. Most of the time I was able to fix any issues before they went live or to a client. That’s why we proof each other’s work – those extra set of eyes are key.

Here’s a secret that I learned from my mistakes and it wasn’t to stop trying! First – take accountability for your actions. Pointing the finger to someone else doesn’t fix the issue. Own it, fix it, learn from it, and move on. Secondly – follow up! This can save you a ton of headaches. Here’s a great example – We have a client that we schedule blogs for that post on a specific day and time. I send the link ahead of time to the client to share on social media and via an email to their clients. Well, I went in to check to make sure the first blog posted as scheduled and to my surprise – for some technical reason, it didn’t post! Had I not followed up, the client would have posted a dead link on their social media and in their email. I was able to fix the issue before it created a problem. It was no one’s fault, but you can bet I would have felt horrible if the client felt any negative effects from the error.

Trying new things is what makes my job exciting and fun. If I was afraid every time I had to try out a new software or implement a new marketing idea, I wouldn’t get very much done. Trying and failing is just part of the learning process. Sometimes you try things and get a win right off the bat – I LOVE when that happens. But most times you must try things a few different times before you get it right. It’s a process as Cindy likes to say. I play around with something, test it, make it live, test it again, make more tweaks, test it again, and so on and so on until it’s perfect. Another Cindyism – progress not perfection. Trust me, you learn a lot about yourself when you self-teach, and I get really excited when I teach my self new things and can put them into action.

So, my PSA for the day – Don’t be afraid to try things. Pull the trigger so that if you do fail, you fail fast and have time to fix it and learn from the mistakes.

If you have any great failure turned success stories, I’d love to hear them!

The fear of trying Read More »

When salespeople fail, it might not be their fault

Leave a Comment / Culture, Must Read Blogs, Uncategorized / By Cindy Donaldson / January 5, 2017 / Cindy Donaldson, fail, failure, procedures, processes, red barn consulting, sales, salespeople, systems, training

Being a salesperson is a tough job. Trying to convince the public they really need a product or service is very challenging, and with a cold-call conversion rate some way below 1%, it’s (very) often a thankless task.

You don’t shrink from a challenge though, especially when your business needs to hire great salespeople to survive. So, you read up on hiring theory and practice, read endless resumes, conduct interviews, and hire candidates who are so red-hot their personalities could power small towns.

Three months later, and they’re not exactly living up to expectations. Their conversion rates are the pits, their pitches are more like strikeouts, and the client list you dreamed of is just a wish list. You were told to hire for attitude, and everything else would follow, just what went wrong?

Here’s the truth, and it’s an uncomfortable one — It may not be down to your salespeople. At all.

It’s easy to assume that if you aren’t making sales, it’s your salespeople at fault. In fact, much of the time, it’s the systems, support structures, and training that determine how successful your salespeople are. If your people are failing, explore these areas and see if the problem might lay elsewhere…

Your prospects lists – A salesperson is only as good as the prospects they have access to. Do you have a superb, highly converting prospect list? Do you have the Glengarry leads? Option 1: Spend some time, effort, and money to acquire high-quality, cleansed prospect lists and your salespeople will thank you. Option 2: Work with your team to develop a solid prospecting system using LinkedIn, networking group, associations and centers of influence. Option 3 – a Combination thereof.

Your sales system – Does the software you use to track leads and sales support your salespeople? Is it easy to access from everywhere, does it give them information at their fingertips? Ask your salespeople what they think of the software and how it could be improved. PS – Post it notes do NOT count as a CRM tool and frankly neither do spread sheets.

Your sales process – Your sales process is about more than just the software you use. It’s all of the admin, handoffs, interactions, and other hoops salespeople need to jump through to get things done. If your sales process isn’t as efficient as possible, it can massively drag down your sales numbers. Look at every part of your sales process to see if it could be improved. BTW – all sales systems and processes should be written in manual format and managed to. Sales is indeed….a process whether you are selling widgets or wombats the process is essentially the same.

Your training – Great salespeople are made, not born. Yes, they need to have the right attitude, but they also need the right skills. That comes from training. Provide training on your products and services, the psychology of selling, negotiation skills, and whatever else your salespeople need to become experts. Training needs to be ongoing – it isn’t one and done. During your weekly sales meetings (yes you need them), have debriefs on accounts won and more importantly on accounts lost. What can the team learn?

Your incentives – People need to be incentivized in the right way. This isn’t just pay and salary, it’s opportunities for career advancement, providing constructive feedback, having a good work environment, and ensuring your employees are cared for. Can we say equity? Many salespeople have an entrepreneurial spirit – at least the top dogs do. If your company structure allows for it – why not offer some equity based on performance?

Your management – Is your management process as streamlined as it could be? Remove as many layers from management as you can and give your salespeople more autonomy. Assign well-performing salespeople as mentors to help teach new hires the ropes.

If you’re able to tweak and improve some or all of these areas, you’ll start to see big improvements in conversions and sales. Spend some time, effort, and money on these vital functions now, and you’ll create better equipped, motivated, and trained sales reps who can sell more stuff!

When salespeople fail, it might not be their fault Read More »