It's probably wise to stop doing 20-dollar-an-hour work and consider whether it’s time to make that next (or your first) hire. Here are six signs you’re ready to stop juggling and start delegating to a new hire.

1. You have efficiencies in place.

Before investing in your next new hire, make sure your current team is working to full capacity. If their hours are billable, create a budget for the time spent on each project. You may be able to crank out a job in a day or two, but your team members may not be as confident and experienced as you are. Some may tend to linger on a project when a strict timeline is not in place, thus losing money for the company.

If your team is not billable, ensure all job descriptions are clear, and tasks are completed regularly and efficiently. Studies have found that the average office worker is productive for only about 2 hours and 53 minutes per day.  A Salary.com survey revealed that 89% of employees openly admit to wasting time at work. These employees aren’t necessarily slacking; the human brain is not built to hyper-focus on tasks for a straight 8 hours. Clear directions, breaks, and a boss who leads by example will help mitigate these concerns.

2. You’re doing too much billable work.

If you’re a photographer, designer, landscaper, or any business owner who clocks billable hours, you need to know when it’s beneficial to be on the clock versus growing your business. There are projects only you can do (until your company is profitable enough to replace you). If you’re stuck behind a desk or out in the field most of the time, who will find the next batch of prospects? Who will create and build the long-term vision for your company?

3. You have a proven marketing strategy in place.

There’s no sense in hiring another person, no matter how busy you are in the moment, if you don’t have a way to pay their salary and other expenses. I ask business owners the following question to help them gain a complete perspective on their business’s potential for growth: If you could add another twenty hours (or more) a week to your availability, how quickly, and how much could you grow your business?

Most entrepreneurs reply instantly, suggesting that they could scale quickly. What is your answer? Write down precisely what you would do to bring in more business. This is the foundation for your marketing plan. Work with your coach or mentor to build out the plan with a timeline and projections on growth potential. Now you know how long it will take for you to pay for the extra headcount and sustain the growth.

4. You’ve evaluated affordability.

If you're struggling to cover monthly expenses or carrying high-interest debt with no clear plan to pay it down, hiring may need to wait — or be done strategically (like starting with a part-timer or contractor).

Ask yourself:

• Can your business cover your current operating expenses, including your own compensation?
• Do you have at least three months of payroll saved or a reliable revenue stream to cover it? Your proven marketing strategy can help.

If the answer is “no” to these questions, take a breath. Get clear on your numbers first. A well-timed hire can be your most significant growth move. A premature one? A cash-flow killer.

That said, if you're close — and especially if you're still doing tasks that someone at $20/hour could do — a strategic part-time hire or outsourced contractor might be the bridge between burnout and breakthrough.

5. You have training and onboarding processes in place.

It’s a horrifying experience for the entrepreneur, their team, and their new hire when a new person is plunked down at a desk with no clear definition of their job, goals, and daily tasks. Assign the responsibilities for onboarding and training to yourself or another qualified party:

Create a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan

• Week 1 orientation/training
• Training for key tools and platforms they’ll need to learn
• Goals for each month of their first 90 days
• Regular check-ins for feedback (yours and theirs)
• Add them to payroll and your benefits program if you have one
• Inform them of your PTO policies. (At some point you’ll need an employee handbook)
• Have their computer login credentials ready
• Set up their email and access to the programs and apps they will use

6. You are diligently developing your leadership skills.

Leadership may or may not come naturally to you, but masterful leadership skills are developed with intent, and over time. You can’t define your leadership style without defining your company culture and values first. Read books and blogs, listen to podcasts, but most importantly, work with a leadership and business coach to help you know yourself and who you are as a leader.

All of this might sound like a lot of effort, but ask yourself this: Would you rather spend your time and energy doing low-wage jobs or billable work for little in return or do fewer of these things so you can grow your company, increase your take-home, and actually spend time at home without working?

The post Still Wearing Too Many Hats? How to Know It’s Time for Your Next Hire appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

My clients achieve their goals, but for some, the reality of growing their small business is much different than they imagined. Here's the startling truth. There are several points within the process where you may question your decision to scale. You might even feel an overwhelming need to dial it back or give up. I often help my clients through these stages, and, fortunately, nearly all of them plow through until they feel good about their choices again.

To lessen or avoid the negative emotional impact of scaling your small business, here are a few questions to ask yourself as you create your plan.

1. What do I need to do now to reduce my stress later?

When small business owners are knee-deep in problems, the idea of becoming a true leader who works on the vision instead of the day-to-day operations sounds exciting and fulfilling. Still, you'd be surprised by how often entrepreneurs miss the simplicity of being the business when they initiate a growth model. Some wish they'd never hired employees and taken on more business because it now feels even more overwhelming than when they did it alone. This negative experience of expansion usually comes from poor planning and a skewed vision of the path to success.

It's wise to initiate your progression in phases and have a plan in which your function is clearly and realistically outlined for each process stage. It's also wise to accept that sometimes you'll take two steps forward and one step back. Growth is not a linear process.

To minimize the growth pains, consider these points:

• Avoid making personal or professional travel plans within six months of bringing on new employees. Training takes time. In fact, you're likely to feel more overwhelmed by all the training than you did before hiring help. Don't expect your new people to run the business in your absence until they can perform the job skillfully.
• You'll probably need new business to support payroll but be cautious about how much you add to the workload for at least a few months. Even if your new person or people have the skills to do the job, not all skills translate seamlessly from company to company. They still need plenty of your attention. Don't spread yourself too thin, or you'll resent your choice to build a team.
• Outsource work that doesn't need to be done internally, like bookkeeping, payroll, and freelance labor. Do this before you hire anyone else so you're not bogged down by managing more than one transition at a time.
• If you are offloading tasks to your new hire, begin documenting the steps in writing or doing videos before hiring anyone. Loom.com is an excellent resource for making your training videos. You will still need to provide additional training, but your new person will have documentation to check their work.

2. Am I a great communicator who listens, demonstrates patience, and understands the varying needs of different personality types?

Sometimes entrepreneurs make terrible bosses. There, I said it! If you are a creative, innovative visionary, you'll probably be the worst kind of boss. You don't like boots-on-the-ground activities like hiring, training, and building expansive systems to support your growth. One of the new leaders' most damaging mistakes is neglecting detailed, frequent, and thoughtful communication with their teams.

Never assume that any process is “just common sense” because the knowledge you possess is uncommon. There was a time when you only communicated with clients; now, you'll have more communication points, which creates a greater likelihood of error. Employing others will offer you every opportunity to learn patience and expertly communicate, but you may need a hand.

Hire a business coach who can help you grow your emotional intelligence and communication skills, learn patience, and create realistic expectations of yourself and others.

3. Do I have a skewed perspective on life balance?

A conversation with Jack Canfield offered insight about wealthy entrepreneurs that's useful to share with my clients with less wealth. Despite his success and wealth, the Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author still works fourteen-hour days for days and weeks on end. He said that when he's working on a new book or another big project, he locks himself away in his library and has very little contact with others. But then, when he sends that book to his publisher, he's off to Hawaii with his family for an extended vacation. Life returns to a pleasant balance until the next big project comes along.

Life balance is rarely about day-to-day perfection in your schedule. Look at balance as a whole life experience, not a daily part of your life. There will be periods when your personal life goes by the wayside, and there will be times when you experience the bliss of leaving everything behind to spend time doing the things you love outside of work.

Scaling your small business comes with its ups and its downs. Proper planning and an informed outlook will make the downs fewer and more manageable—but there's one last thing. Don't believe you have to do this alone! There are countless resources and people out there to reduce the burden and help you make the best decisions for you.

***Let's chat! We will investigate whether or not I can help you grow your small business with less stress and more success!***

The post You Want to Grow Your Small Business. 3 Tips So You Don’t Regret It appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

You Don't Need a Business Coach – Bullshift!

Oh, if I could count the times a thriving client has told me how hard it is to talk a fellow business owner into contacting another business coach or me. Even after hearing that my client grew her business from low six figures to a multi-million-dollar business while engaged in coaching. It makes me sad because many more entrepreneurs would succeed if only they had a good coach or mentor at their side. Entrepreneurship is lonely!

After leaving the stage at a speaking event a few years ago, an audience member came up to me and said, “Y-D-K-W-Y-D-K, brilliant!”

Huh?

“Those six words will change my life,” she said.

I still needed to figure out what she was talking about. Finally, she said I had used the term, “You don't know what you don't know,” and that it had never dawned on her. There is so much she doesn't know, and she is critical of herself because of it. But of course, she doesn't even know what she doesn't know, but it's natural, and it's ok–there is an answer! So, she created the acronym as a reminder.

You can only get the answers if you know the questions to ask. How could this entrepreneur learn to become a leader and grow sales if she's never done it before? How could she learn to balance her life as an entrepreneur, mom, wife, friend, and daughter if she's never run a multiple six or seven-figure business before? How could she get out of her own way to realize there's another way to find the answers? She didn't have to know it all; how could she?

You don't know what you don't know–but your coach can teach you.

If you're like this audience member, who by the way became a successful client, and you've never scaled a company to this level before, there are countless things you don't know and wouldn't ever give a second thought to unless someone brought them into your purview. The in-depth, ongoing process of building a full-blown, thriving culture might be a good example. In coaching, you'll learn about things you've never even known to consider, and you'll have the support to step into a whole new world.

Growing entrepreneurs are challenged by things like:

• Clarity and creating a long-term vision, goals, and plans.
• How to manage an overwhelming workload and stress.
• Moving from the self-employed space to the leadership role.
• Understanding the difference between culture and brand identity and how to develop both.
• Hiring for culture fit, not only skill.
• Finding the financial means to hire staff.
• How to handle difficult conversations.
• The nuts and bolts behind converting your team from 1099 status to full-time employees.
• When to hire an accountant, a lawyer, or other outside professional.
• How to balance their life and personal needs with the demands of a growing business.
• How to remove themselves from everyday operations.
• Creating fee structures and policies, both internal and customer-facing.
• How to manage guilt, low self-confidence, fear, and other common emotions.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg; every business owner is different in terms of personality, business experience, vision, and baggage from past experiences. There is magic in a good coach/client relationship. The simple act of externalizing your problems and ideas with someone who's experienced, who gets it, and who is a good listener makes the whole endeavor worthwhile.

Still not convinced? Take a moment to read one of my past articles, Should I Hire a Business Coach? 3 Signs That You're Ready. And remember this: A coach with integrity will not accept a client they don't believe they can help, including recouping the cost of coaching (in most cases). A conversation usually costs nothing, so it can't hurt. I'd love to hear from you, but mostly I would love for you to explore the idea—with me and/or other coaches. You deserve it!

The post You Don’t Need a Business Coach – Bullshift! appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

Here's what may be going on, and how you can make it better.

1. Others don't understand the entrepreneurial mindset.

Let's face it, entrepreneurs are a breed unto themselves. You are willing to take emotional and financial risks to attain the dream. You strive for freedom but often work sixty-plus hour weeks. The passion runs so deep that others can't possibly know how it feels.

Entrepreneurs frequently tell me how much they love their partner and friends, but people who don't relate to an entrepreneurial mindset may not be able to support you as you like and need.  You may be looking in the wrong place for the camaraderie and encouragement you seek from those in your personal life.

Solution: Find like-minded supporters

Spend time with other entrepreneurs. There are groups out there for almost any interest. Sharing stories, brainstorming, and lending your expertise will give you a dose of the mental and emotional stimulation you crave. The assistance of a great coach or mentor is strongly advised to aid you in creating this balance.

2. They feel robbed of your attention.

The important people in your life may feel deprived of your attention. It's tough to admit this, so they may cite something else as the problem, become argumentative, or go into avoidance mode. This creates confusion because you can't possibly find a solution to a problem that you haven't properly identified.  Oftentimes, loved ones will say they support you, but their actions don't match their words. This is particularly true if your attention is lopsided, in favor of your business. Sometimes things get so bad at home that the entrepreneur hides behind the business to avoid facing the issues at home or in their friendships.

Solution: Create balance and avoid making promises you may not be able to keep.

Broken promises are a brutal blow to our loved ones and will cause their feelings to deepen with disappointment. Have you told your significant other that the business won't disrupt your household or relationship? You know that's not true. Do you break your plans or constantly run late? That gets old after a while so your partner is bound to feel let down and annoyed.

If you find yourself begging forgiveness for broken promises, then something must change.  Be honest, realistic, and forthright rather than avoiding the truth in fear of backlash or disappointing them. It's only fair that they know what they're dealing with. Learn to work on your business instead of in your business and create processes to expedite and organize things so you can spend more time with your loved ones. You might find they become more supportive when they don’t feel second to your business.

3. They are more risk-averse than you are.

When entrepreneurs sink time and money into a business it changes the financial landscape of the household. Savings decrease, debt increases, and lifestyle luxuries go by the wayside. Your partner may be focused on dollars in the bank today, while you're focused on a larger fortune down the road.  Spouses sometimes feel resentful, especially if they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your dream may require them to work harder to make ends meet, placing the burden of financial survival on their shoulders while you “squander away the money.”

Solution: Have a solid financial plan and share it with them.

Many entrepreneurs begin their businesses as a sole proprietor. As things grow and problems arise (because they will), it's difficult to slow down enough to create a plan. A business without a plan leads to a lack of clarity and direction. I'm not a fan of full-blown business plans unless an investor is involved, but a basic financial forecast and growth strategy is a must. These plans will help those who love you feel more secure about your investment.

4. They are afraid for you.

No one who loves you wants to see you hurt. While they may not understand your vision and commitment, they do understand how much it means to you. They probably hear about your concerns, but do you communicate your positive development and wins? You may feel like you've got this, but they cannot be inside your head, so they don't feel as confident as you do. This doesn't mean they don't believe in you; they just don't see the big picture as you do.

Solution: Be conscious of how you communicate.

Sometimes it feels good to vent–to express your fears and unburden yourself when things aren't going well. So, you dump on your loved one and leave them feeling your pain. It's good to vent but make sure it's balanced by expressing a positive outlook or something that will help to resolve their concern. Of course, they will worry for and about you. Many entrepreneurs have come to me after years of using their spouse as a sounding board, only to realize it's ineffective and stressful for both parties. Again, a coach or someone else who can fill this role is a good way to go. Not to exclude others, but to balance the load.

One more important note: Never make assumptions about the meaning behind your loved one's seemingly negative actions. Reading messages into another's behavior is a fine way to create unnecessary trouble for the relationship. The key to success and feeling supported is to communicate clearly and to remember that support is a two-way street

The post 4 Reasons Your Partner Isn’t Fully Supportive of Your Dreams (and What to Do About It) appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

When your time belongs to something else—work, parenting, caregiving, your business—it can seem you’re trapped inside someone else’s agenda. Entrepreneurs easily fall into this cycle, sacrificing themselves and their time to long-term goals and the needs of others. If you’re not careful, the daily stress of giving yourself away diminishes any sense of self and well-being.

I recall my twenty-plus years of working in corporate: a fifteen-minute drive to the train, a forty-minute train ride into the city, then a brisk twenty-minute walk from Chicago’s Union Station to work. The commute was filled with paperwork and scheduling so I could lessen the load before a hectic 8 to 10 hours in the local news world. At last, I followed the routine of my reverse commute home to my kids for the few short hours we had together.

I loved my job, and being a mom, but what I didn’t love was the feeling of being lost inside the mechanics of every task-filled day. I rarely stilled my mind to capture the most important moments in life or to create a space that felt like mine because I belonged to everyone else. I never stopped to realize that I was lost, that there was something inside of me that felt unsatisfied—until one early morning when I missed my train, which left me with a rare twenty minutes to do nothing.

I felt nearly giddy with the anticipation of a precious few silent moments to myself. I randomly strolled across to a little coffee house where patrons cheerfully bantered with the fun-loving proprietors while waiting for their lattes and mochas. “Oh my! A cinnamon scone,” I thought. “Dare I? Oh sure, it was a special day.”

A special day? Why? It hit me then that treating myself to a few laughs with strangers, a fresh cup of coffee, and a cinnamon scone filled me with giddy anticipation of the next moment and the next. I took my warm coffee and scone to a park bench and savored them, along with the joy that filled my heart as I noticed, for the first time, the beautiful fall colors that had begun to tinge the leaves of the old oaks. “I feel like I’m on vacation,” I thought blissfully. I went to work that day with more emotional and physical energy than I’d had in a while, with a bit more spirit in my step.

That evening I journaled about my mini-vacation experience, and I found it so meaningful that it was decided, then and there, that I would “put a little vacation in every day.”

Put a little vacation in every day.

So, what does that really mean? Missing your train or a meeting, so you can sit idly in a park warming your hands on a cup of joe? What if it wasn’t that random? What if, without sacrifice, you could escape the everyday demands to capture time for yourself? To connect with yourself and your surroundings in a way that eludes you on a typical day? To stop and smell the roses, as they say.

It sounds like too little to mean a lot.

Too good to be true? You may ask, how can five or ten minutes make a difference in how I feel? What might this do for your well-being, health, and spirit?

1. Let’s look at the more practical side of this concept first. Research tells us that taking purposeful breaks (anywhere from 5–60 minutes) to refresh your brain and body increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus. This is especially true during periods of intense concentration, like study and work projects. Short breaks will give you more time to do other things, making you more efficient and accurate.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at the more meaningful side of taking your little vacation breaks.

2. Purposeful mini-breaks can change the way you think. This is what I call, Bullshift™.

When we don’t have time to ourselves to just “be,” much of life’s more meaningful content gets swept under the rug. We neglect to find gratitude and appreciation for the good stuff and tend to focus on the more stressful aspects of our day-to-day life. Your mind is like your body, it becomes what you feed it. We must nourish our brains with positive thoughts, intent, and beliefs to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life.

When you take yourself away from the hustle for a few minutes spend that time finding the good: breathe deeply, look for something beautiful in your surroundings, notice the feel and scent of the air, savor the taste of something delicious, or observe an exchange between happy individuals. These simple actions will reinforce new neural pathways in your brain that eventually become automatic. Translation: You are teaching your brain to default to a positive attitude!

A little vacation in every day has become second nature to me, and I hope it does for you as well. Negativity is exhausting! Life is more fulfilling and hopeful when we can teach our brains to find the positive, even during difficult times. Rather than allowing daily demands to deplete you, capture something special in your day to make it yours because you deserve it!

The post How About 365 Vacations This Year? Here’s How–and Why appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

Here's what may be going on, and how you can make it better.

1. Others don't understand the entrepreneurial dreams or mindset.

Let's face it, entrepreneurs are a breed unto themselves. You are willing to take emotional and financial risks to attain the dream. You strive for freedom but often work sixty-plus hour weeks. The passion runs so deep that others can't possibly know how it feels.

Entrepreneurs frequently tell me how much they love their partner and friends, but people who don't relate to an entrepreneurial mindset may not be able to support you as you like and need.  You may be looking in the wrong place for the camaraderie and encouragement you seek from those in your personal life.

Solution: Find like-minded supporters.

Spend time with other entrepreneurs. There are groups out there for most any interest. Sharing stories, brainstorming, and lending your expertise will give you a dose of the mental and emotional stimulation you crave. The assistance of a great coach or mentor is strongly advised to aid you in creating this balance.

2. They feel robbed of your attention.

The important people in your life may feel deprived of your attention. It's tough to admit this, so they may cite something else as the problem, become argumentative, or go into avoidance mode. This creates confusion because you can't possibly find a solution to a problem that you haven't properly identified.  Oftentimes, loved ones will say they support you, but their actions don't match their words. This is particularly true if your attention is lopsided, in favor of your business. Sometimes things get so bad at home that the entrepreneur hides behind the business to avoid facing the issues at home or in their friendships.

Solution: Create balance and avoid making promises you may not be able to keep.

Broken promises are a brutal blow to our loved ones and will cause their feelings to deepen with disappointment. Have you told your significant other that the business won't disrupt your household or relationship? You know that's not true. Do you miss out on plans or constantly run late?

If you find yourself begging forgiveness for broken promises, then something must change.  Be honest, realistic, and forthright rather than avoiding the truth in fear of backlash or disappointing them. It's only fair that they know what they're dealing with. Learn to work on your business instead of in your business and create processes to expedite and organize things so you can spend more time with your loved ones. You might find they become more supportive when they don’t feel second to your business.

3. They are more risk averse than you are.

When entrepreneurs sink time and money into a business it changes the financial landscape of the household. Savings decrease, debt increases, and lifestyle luxuries go by the wayside. Your partner may be focused on dollars in the bank today, while you're focused on a larger fortune down the road.  Spouses sometimes feel resentful, especially if they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your dream may require them to work harder to make ends meet, placing the burden of financial survival on their shoulders while you “squander away the money.”

Solution: Have a solid financial plan and share it with them. 

Many entrepreneurs begin their business as a sole proprietor. As things grow and problems arise (because they will), it's difficult to slow down enough to create a plan. A business without a plan leads to a lack of clarity and direction. I'm not a fan of full-blown business plans unless an investor is involved, but a basic financial forecast and growth strategy is a must. These plans will help those who love you feel more secure about your investment.

4. They are afraid for you.

No one who loves you wants to see you hurt. While they may not understand your vision and commitment, they do understand how much your entrepreneurial dreams mean to you. They probably hear about your fears and problems, but do you communicate any positive development and wins? You may feel like you've got this, but they cannot be inside your head, so they don't feel as confident as you do. This doesn't mean they don't believe in you; they just don't see the big picture as you do.

Solution: Be conscious of how you communicate.

Sometimes it feels good to vent; to express your fears and unburden yourself when things aren't going well. So, you dump on your loved one and leave them feeling your pain. It's good to vent but make sure it's balanced by expressing a positive outlook or something that will help to resolve their concern. Of course, they will worry for and about you. Many entrepreneurs have come to me after years of using their spouse as a sounding board, only to realize it's ineffective and stressful for both parties. Again, a coach or someone else who can fill this role is a good way to go. Not to exclude others, but to balance the load.

One more important note: Never make assumptions about the meaning behind your loved one's seemingly negative actions. Reading messages into another's behavior is a fine way to create unnecessary trouble for the relationship. The key to success and feeling supported is to communicate clearly and to remember that support is a two-way street.

The post 4 Reasons Your Partner Isn’t Fully Supportive of Your Entrepreneurial Dreams (and What to Do About It) appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

As a tribute to Janine at this weekends memorial I will read this revised article that was published on Inc.com a few years ago. I hope you find value in the things I learned from my beautiful sister.

As you know, our sister Janine lived with Down syndrome. Every opportunity to spend in the shadow of her joyful spirit was an occasion to learn a valuable life lesson. I want to share some of them with you today…

1. Be considerate of others–no matter what is going on in your own life.

Janine was consistent in her caring attitude and consideration for others, even during the most trying of times. This quality stood out when she was in the hospital in critical condition. Every visitor received a smile, and when Janine was strong enough, she would ask how they were doing. In some cases, she even consoled her friends.

There's always time and energy to be kind, no matter what's going on in our personal world.

2. You don't need to meet social norms to be happy in life.

Marriage, having children, and total independence were out of the question for Janine. While she may have occasionally fanaticized about having a “normal” life, she found contentment and happiness in her reality. A loving boyfriend, good friends, and the people at Five Star were like family. Janine didn't need to lead the life she witnessed others living to feel happy and fulfilled.

Janine taught me to see my life through the lens of gratitude instead of lack.

3. Be bold.

During one of our phone conversations, Janine came right out and said, “I miss your zucchini bread. Can I have some?” Janine asked for what she wanted. My sister has taught me to step up and speak up boldly. Never feel self-conscious about being honest about your needs and desires. She got that loaf of zucchini bread within a couple of days.

4. Determination and grit pay off.

A few summers ago, doctors gave Janine only the slightest odds of survival as she battled a life-threatening infection. Our family helplessly stood by as she spent a week in an unconscious state, but we all knew she was a survivor and kept reminding her of that fact. Janine opened her eyes on a Sunday and announced that she was ready to go home. She worked hard in physical therapy to regain the use of her limbs and was home within two weeks.

She taught me that if we remain determined, we can conquer the toughest odds.

5. Hugs are priceless.

We grew up in a household of non-huggers. It took me years to overcome the awkwardness of hugging others as an adult, but Janine knew the value of a hug from day one. Witnessing her ability to connect and express caring through hugging taught me to do the same.

If you ever met my sister, you knew to always expect a hug–one that comes from the heart.

6. Forgiveness trumps anger and resentment.

Janine and her friend had been inseparable throughout their entire adulthood until difficult times tore them apart. It was devastating. What some may find unforgivable, Janine and her friend were able to set aside within weeks. Janine didn't not like feeling angry, so she chose not to.

I believe that her ability to release the burden of anger is one of the reasons that she had a happy life, so I follow in those footsteps.

7. Don't let life's struggles keep you down.

There is no time limit on grief, but I wasn't sure about Janine's future happiness when she encountered three devastating losses within two months. Silly me. Sure, there was an adjustment period and while she continued to grieve, as any of us would, she found joy again in no time.

Through Janine, I learned to look for joy to lift me out of the pain of loss.

8. Grieving is healthy.

Like most anyone, Janine mourned the loss of our parents. If I mentioned our mother in a conversation, Janine would sometimes cry and say she wanted mom back. While it was gut-wrenching in one moment, laughter filled the next.

Like Janine, we can all find the strength to face grief head-on without shame or embarrassment. Like Janine, we can find happiness again. Somehow, keeping that knowledge in my heart makes difficult times just a little more bearable.

9. We all make mistakes; it's what happens afterward that's important.

When Janine acted out or her stubborn resistance sets in, she would be the first to say, “I blew it.” She apologized when appropriate and worked on changing her behavior. Then, she would let go and gracefully slip right back into her happy state.

Janine showed me how to embrace my mistakes, learn from them, and move on.

Remember, when life challenges you, it doesn't serve us to focus on the pain and struggle. It's how you find your way through it and what you take away from the experience that matters most

I'll never need to say goodbye to Janine because through these life lessons and so much more, I'll carry her love and spirit in my heart forever. And I hope you will too…

The post My Sister Lived with Down Syndrome, and She Taught Me These Life Lessons appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

1. The business never becomes outrageously successful
2. The entrepreneur crashes and burns

Why small business owners are overwhelmed.

You cannot do it all and have success, remain healthy, and enjoy your life. Of course, there are periods of time that you want to pull your hair out, but achieving balance is about also enjoying life outside of your business. To do that, you’ve got to let go—that’s when it’s time to have a chat with your inner control freakazoid so it takes over only when absolutely necessary.

Here’s the question I ask clients who admit to having a control issue:

If you had an extra fifteen to twenty hours a week to spend on growing your business, what would you do with those hours?

Funny, they all know the answer. And yet, they aren’t doing it! In other words, they are doing non-revenue-generating tasks instead of making money. When you put it this way it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? That’s because it is!

I hear you: “But Marla! There are always fires to put out, bookkeeping to do, customers to satisfy. I don’t have the time for those money-making activities.”

Yes, I hear you, but do you hear yourself? There’s no way this doesn’t sound, well, like your inner-freakazoid talking!

Here’s are some of the reasons it’s not working for you when you hire someone else to do some of this work:

• There is not a proper training protocol in place.
• You “don’t have the time (or patience)” to communicate EXACTLY what you expect from them.
• You bring on cheap or free labor and expect high-quality work.
• You yourself don’t really know what you want.
• You don’t know the questions to ask to identify the best person for the job.

Lastly, there’s this crazy popular belief, one that supersedes all the above issues:

I can’t afford help.

Oh, but yes you can! Actually, you can’t NOT afford to hire help. You are losing profit potential with every minute you spend doing “hired help” work. I know I don’t need to explain this to you.

Take a leap of faith.

Put a few things on the backburner, just for a little while, and properly train someone who’s qualified to do the tasks you’ve identified as non-revenue-generating. You know what they are. Invest in your company! If you truly believe in your company’s potential and you believe in yourself, this investment is not a risk—it’s a path to success.

The post This is For You Overwhelmed Control Freakazoids! The Art of Letting Go appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

Siri: Lauren says, “You really need to watch fundamentals of caring.”

My heart sank (just a little) as I thought, what is my daughter trying to tell me? That I wasn’t caring enough? That I need to pay more attention to showing care and attention to my kids? I had no idea what she was talking about, but for my daughter to tell me to go back to the fundamentals of caring (like there’s a book or something on such a topic), well, that hurt!

Next message:

Siri: Lauren says, “It’s a really heart-warming movie on Netflix, I think you’d like it.”

Phew! Relief! It’s a movie, not my daughter on some dawn of awareness about a childhood spent with an uncaring mom. But it made me think; could I have been more caring?

Like you, I love my kids with all of my heart. Still, when they were young I had a very demanding career and a long commute. When they turned twelve years of age I opened my coffeehouse, then launched my coaching practice, I worked crazy-long hours. Did my demanding career mean I cared any less?

Not in the least.

While my personal hours may have been limited, my children were my number one priority—and they knew it. Over the years, I have coached with many parents who carry the burden of guilt, mostly caused by their own perspective of how they parent.

When my girls were about twenty-two (now twenty-nine) I asked them if they thought I’d done an “OK” job of raising them, especially as a single parent. Did they feel loved? Did they feel left out or abandoned by me? I will never forget the looks on their faces as they turned their heads toward one-another with furrowed brows. (As twins they often engage in this non-verbal communication to select a speaker.) Finally, I got my answer. “Mom,” Kim said. “You did a better job of raising us than most people who have a spouse could have.” Lauren: “We always felt loved and secure, and we had a really, really fun childhood. You made it so we hardly even missed having a dad.”

So my message to you my dear entrepreneurs: Yes, you can have a successful business without depriving your children of having a great parent. The guilt that you may feel is most likely self-imposed; it’s likely that your kids have a far different perspective.

How are you doing with the balancing act of parenting and entrepreneurialism? You can do it. Just remember the key to success: be present, live in the moment.

So what’s that mean anyway? If you spend time with your kids, but your mind isn’t in the room with you, it’s not quality time and your kids will know it. Learn to put work in a separate bucket and keep your mind focused on the precious opportunity before you—to be wholly and completely present with your young children—because someday you will feel like you’d give anything to have just one more day with those little people who they once were. Whether it’s an hour, half of a day, a day, a weekend, a week, make it count. When children are given quality time with their parents, feeling like the center of the Universe, that is what creates the bond, the memories, the feeling of being loved and secure. It’s not the hours of a parent saying, “I’m sorry, what did you say?” that a great childhood makes.

It is within your power to be an awesome mom, or dad, and an outstanding entrepreneur! Just be mindful…

The post Parenting Guilt? Here’s Why You Need to Let it Go appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

Sleep deprivation is bad, we all know that. When I'm tired I'm not creative, attentive, or focused–I can even fall into a funk (not so good for productivity). As if that's not bad enough, scientific studies show that there’s one more negative side effect to sleep deprivation: memory loss.

Researchers from Northwestern University and Uppsala University in Sweden have found that when people don’t get enough sleep, they start to forget things. When sleep and stress go hand in hand, Northwestern’s Jonathan Cedernaes found, it negatively affects cognitive function.

Cedernaes's studies concluded that when you’re both tired and stressed out, a condition many of us are far too familiar with, your brain is less capable of accessing the knowledge that you’ve got stored away and you rely mainly on muscle memory.

What does this mean for an entrepreneur?

It means that, if you want to be on top of what is going on in your company, you need to get some sleep. You spend your working hours juggling pieces of information, and many of them are crucial to your company’s success. To forget the wrong thing at the wrong time could be a disaster.

Here’s how you can fight back against stress, sleep deprivation, and forgetfulness:

• Recognize the value of a good night’s sleep and schedule your life accordingly! Keep commitments minimal on weekday evenings.
• Get your body ready for sleep by turning off screens. Yes, that means stop looking at your phone, not minutes, but a few hours before you go to bed.
• Minimize your caffeine intake in the afternoons and evenings–just a minimal reduction can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.
• Establish a morning routine that makes getting out of bed easy and painless.
• Recognize that everyone needs sleep and strive for a workplace culture in which people are encouraged to come to work rested, ready to do their best. If your team is exhausted and stressed from working too hard the night before long, those long hours will backfire on you.
• If you’re really serious about getting enough sleep set up a nap room in your office! A thirty-minute nap will pay for itself ten-fold!

I feel a nap coming on myself!

The post Want to Become a Better Entrepreneur? Get Some Sleep. appeared first on Marla Tabaka.