Written by: Rosalynn Robb, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I recently had an incident where two employees who had been with me for 5+ years came to me to say they felt uncomfortable in a new client’s home. I listened to their legitimate concerns. I might have been tempted as a new business owner to stress over our company’s reputation if I prematurely ended a project with a client. Even though we could get a bad review, I knew what I needed to do. Kindly but firmly, I made the call to end further cleaning services. You will hear many pitches about gaining clients, hitting your target number, and going all out. But how often do we talk about employees being the first priority when building a stable company? Maybe you’re thinking: “Well, it’s just me; I don’t have employees.” Well, if you ever want to scale your company, you’ll have to bring people alongside you. My company has cleaned for over 1,000 clients in almost seven years. We have built some phenomenal relationships with our clients, and I love meeting new prospective clients. But your clients are not just watching for first impressions. They are also watching your actions and your team closely. I stopped by a client’s home three years ago, and the client, a CEO of a large company, commented, “You know, your employees love working for you. You can tell by the way they are happy when they clean, and they only speak highly of you.” This stuck with me. When I am sitting down to eat at a restaurant, I observe the demeanor of the servers. Or at the gym: are the personal trainers complaining, or do they feel like their gym has their backs? Here are three ways to invest in your team. 1. Time: You can learn a lot about an individual by their bank statements and how they use their time. Early in my first year of business, we had weekly Friday luncheons between cleanings. I wanted to build a team environment, and I felt it was helpful to have everyone sit down. As a larger team, we strategically try to host quarterly events to continue building relationships outside when we are cleaning homes. Some previous events have been an ice cream social, water theme park, throwing axes, etc. The most anticipated event is our annual Christmas party. Each team member also participates in a Secret Santa of $20 or less. 2. Money: I look for opportunities to give gifts (Valentines candy, Easter baskets, birthdays, etc.). Are you keeping an eye out for stellar service? Bonuses are never expected, but it is a great way to remind your team that you are watching them and appreciate their service. If you are financially able to give, I encourage you as an owner to keep a listening ear. I once had a team member mention he was getting his car repaired and was concerned with how much it would cost when he was working two part-time jobs and going to school full-time. I was able to get the auto shop’s name and pay for the repair, but I asked to be kept anonymous. We have a unique place to lead and help our team members, but remember, we all need help at times. 3. Interactions For a team to have your back, there has to be trust established. This is done through 3 specific areas: transparency, humility, and giving credit where credit is due. A. Transparency Owning and leading your team does not mean you know exactly what the best decision is; acknowledge that you are making the best decision at that time, but know you may have to change as you learn new information or a situation changes. Last year with the global pandemic, we all had to work together. I told my team that I did have a plan, but I would have to reexamine it each week to make sure we followed CDC guidelines and did what was best for our health. Before the PPP, I had an open meeting with my team telling them how many months I could still pay without any cleanings on the books if it got to that point. B. Humility Business can be challenging. There are long days and seasons where work may be more challenging than other times. If I feel my tone or what I said may have sounded harsh or accusatory, I believe apologizing or asking how I came across with no defensiveness is necessary. I’m not perfect, nor are the people I work with. More people will want to help you succeed because they know you aren’t a jerk! C. Affirmation Sometimes gratitude does not cost money but comes in words of affirmation and in writing. Write a personal thank you note sharing why you are grateful to have them on the team. Is there a character trait or an action they demonstrated that needs to be affirmed? Here I am 1,000+ miles away in Texas from my cleaning company, and I have full confidence in the leadership and camaraderie among the team, their work ethic, and kind hearts serving our clients well. Find those folks and invest in them-- I promise you will create a culture where everyone has each other's backs! Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Rosalynn Robb, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rosalynn Robb is a passionate small business cleaning owner and consultant with the sole aim of helping others. Rosalynn caught a vision after engaging in several Louisville Human Trafficking Task Force meetings. She decided to create a business that would elevate domestic work and advocate for human trafficking victims while giving back to organizations helping the most vulnerable. She believes to whom much has been given, much is expected. She has never forgotten her humble beginnings as an orphan in the Philippines, and how her forever family brought her home to Rhode Island at three and a half years of age. Rosalynn believes what touches the heart reaches the heart, and the best way to build a business is to be authentic and focus on relationships over money. Rosalynn created CleanStart Consulting to help other small cleaning business owners worldwide become organically organized with practical tools and authentic understanding. In 2021, Rosalynn plans to launch the S.H.E Foundation (Seen. Heard. Embraced.). The foundation will provide mentoring and financial support to empower human trafficking survivors. S.H.E. grants will support women seeking a CleanStart with the counsel and tools they need to help launch their own successful businesses. Rosalynn married Andrew in 2018 and they have lived in Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas while serving in the United States Air Force.

Written by: Samantha Touchais, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I have been a Facebook user for years, and I find it is the best way to keep up with family and friends when the country I originally come from is a 27-hour flight away from where I now live. But I was initially hesitant to use it for business. It felt too much like a hard sell and made me feel too vulnerable. I watched as successful business owners connected with their audience over things that seemed very personal, and I balked at the idea of sharing my innermost thoughts and desires with strangers . But over the last few years, I have accepted that social media is where the marketing magic lies. It's a fabulous way for many business owners and entrepreneurs to connect with their ideal clients and customers and develop a relationship with them, which is one of the most crucial elements of the sales funnel. It’s what moves a stranger from not knowing who you are down the funnel towards becoming a loyal customer. With anything I don’t truly understand but that I feel I should use, I don’t just do a quick bit of research. I throw myself in headfirst and don’t come back out again until I have explored the subject at its greatest depth. And this is what I did with social media. I spent hours studying the best platforms for the various type of businesses that my clients own. I explored the best ways to connect and represent your personal brand, depending on your industry. I researched the best frequency, times, and places to post on the different social media channels. But my biggest learning through all of this was not about when or where to post, how often, or how many followers you needed to have. It was about the tone of the content you posted and the message that was the most likely to connect with your target audience. You never know who is reading your posts. It is also not always easy to know exactly which content will do better than the other ideas you have floating around in your head. Even though marketing is not an exact science, I have figured out a way to create posts that explode across the internet, and it comes down to this; know who your target is, know where they are on social media and when, and know what problem it is that you can solve for them. Then post with the intention of connection, to show understanding, expertise, and most importantly, that you are the one offering them the best solution. Content is king, but hashtags are super important, and getting the frequency right for your posts. So what can you do when it comes to building a business or personal brand via social media to ensure that you really connect with your audience in a meaningful and ultimately effective way? Know who to talk to and know how to talk to them. Who is your ideal client or customer? What is their biggest fear or problem that you can help them overcome? What keeps them awake at night worrying because they can’t seem to find a solution? How can you help them create magic in their lives? Once you are really clear on who you are talking to, what problem you can solve for them, and the action you need them to take, then you need to really think long and hard about what you need to say to them. And this is what the hottest social media stars are getting right: They are having a personal direct conversation with their followers in a way that is meaningful to their audience, and that inspires them to take action. How can you do this too? It’s actually very easy. Imagine your ideal client or customer was in front of you right now. Close your eyes and imagine them there with you. What do they look like? What are their needs? Now imagine what you would say to them if you were having a conversation with them. What topics would you talk to them about? What problems would you help them solve? What solutions would you offer them? Have you got any pearls of wisdom you could share with them? This is exactly the same conversation you need to be having via social media. I know that the internet can seem faceless, and I think there is way too much emphasis on the number of likes posts receive or how many followers one has. What matters is the conversation you are having—the thoughts and ideas you are sharing with your audience. For a business to successfully utilize social media as a marketing strategy, there are probably not as many people you need to connect with as you would think. You should be seeking quality and not quantity, but it is easy to forget that when social media is viewed as a measure of one’s popularity. So before you post again on your favorite social platform, think about what your ideal customer or client would want to talk to you about in a face to face meeting, and then post about that. You will only convert clients and customers to your business when you connect with them in a meaningful way, and what better way to connect than through showing them you hear them, you understand what they are going through, and you know how to help them. You can find Samantha on her website , wellbeingseries , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn ! Read more from Samantha ! Samantha Touchais, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Samantha Touchais is a Business and Mindset Coach helping women create a safe and secure path to launching their dream business by providing them with the support and tools to make it a success. She has over 20 years of marketing and strategy experience working for large international companies worldwide. Her love of how the mind works and how to create the right mindset for success led her into coaching. She lives and breathes marketing and mindset and loves sharing her learnings with others. Author of four books and the creator of the Well Being Series (a collection of apps and books that provide meditations and affirmations for well-being based on the latest neuro-science), she loves exploring Europe, where she has been for the last 14 years, but misses the beaches of her native Australia.

Stephanie Kable is the CEO of Live-English.net, an English online school that helps professionals worldwide feel more confident with their English as a second language. Through online one-to-one and group lessons via Zoom, the team of native-English teachers provides an efficient, convenient, and fun way to improve English speaking skills. Stephanie holds a B.A. in Management from the University of Paris-Dauphine (France) and an M.A. in Information Systems from Institut Mines-Telecom - Business School (Paris, France). Fond of languages, technology, business, and personal development, Stephanie combines all these fields of knowledge to offer unique English courses focused on each learner's needs. Stephanie Kable, recently nominated to the Brainz 500 Global list of 2020, is an online entrepreneur whose purpose is to help professionals get the confidence they need with their English. We wanted to learn more about Stephanie as an entrepreneur in this field. Who is Stephanie? I am originally from Lyon in France, and my husband is from Australia. Languages are part of our family DNA. I speak English all the time, and my children are all fully bi-lingual. In 2007, I founded Live-English.net, an online language school. What is it that you do for your clients? At Live-English.net, we help motivated men and women become more fluent in their spoken English. We help them practice their English to increase their own confidence when they use English in real-life situations. Our clients have access to a great team of English teachers. At the moment, we have around 25 teachers who have been carefully selected and trained with our methods. They have a variety of accents (American, British, South African, Australian, etc.). On top of the considerable experience teaching English, they also bring their knowledge and experience in different fields like business, the medical field, and HR to understand our clients' needs. The private lessons via Skype or Zoom provide them with a personalized learning experience based on their level, centers of interest, and objectives. To support this process, the Study Box, our learning platform, gives them access to vast resources like pre-selected articles from the news, a grammar corner, the expression of the week, etc. To practice even more, we also offer our clients to take part in the Live-English Club. It’s a weekly group session with other Members of Live-English.net that one of our teachers facilitates. Every week, we cover a different topic. Some sessions are about business English topics like leadership or how to negotiate in English, and other topics are lighter like cooking, holidays, or the American cinema. It’s a way to widen our client’s scope of knowledge and to allow them to practice with like-minded people from different countries. Who should work with you? Anyone who has an intermediate to advanced English level can benefit from our services, particularly if they would like to feel more comfortable when they speak English with clients or colleagues for business or in a casual conversation. We offer an informal but effective learning experience. More than 8,000 people from 42 countries have successfully reached fluency in English thanks to Live-English.net. Why do you think you have this big passion for languages? Actually, it all started in 2001 when I finished my university degree. I felt the frustration of not speaking English fluently, so I decided to look for a job in an English-speaking country. I ended up in Dublin, Ireland. It was a very interesting experience. I learned a lot. My English improved, and, really, it changed my life and my career path. Living in an English-speaking country made a huge difference. By founding Live-English.net, I wanted to offer professionals the possibility to improve their English through the same full-immersion experience that helped me, but, this time, without leaving their living-room. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? I feel that technology gives us wonderful tools to communicate with each other. I see learning languages and using the latest technologies as a means for more communication. I want to contribute to bringing people closer to each other so that they can understand each other at a deeper level. In the next 10 years, we will continue to see this exponential increase of interactions between different countries, and English will obviously be a non-negotiable skill to have. I feel my mission, and that’s the goal for the next 10 years, is to make it easier for professionals to evolve in this global environment and improve their confidence when communicating in English. Follow Stephanie on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and visit her website for more info! Read more from Stephanie!

Written by: Margaret Steffie, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Growing up, there were people, parents, family members, and those that I saw in the media that I idolized. And while they were from all areas of my life, people I know, actors, musicians, authors, other content creators, the ones that I began to idolize more as I grew up were athletes. Being a competitive swimmer and then a competitive runner, I was always looking towards individuals in these fields for my inspiration. Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps, Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Allyson Felix, and Des Linden. All of the individuals I idolized truly are human, just like you and me, but their characteristics, how they looked, their accomplishments, and their abilities caused me to put them on a pedestal. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be as fast as them. I wanted to be as physically fit as them. And I wanted to be an accomplished professional athlete like them. Yet, I felt it was impossible for me. I was overweight and not athletically talented. Yet when I left for college, I realized that I had a little ability and no one looking over my shoulder to help me keep what was in my best interests in check. I spent the following two years working like a pro to become one while still in school. This meant I trained twice a day, 6-7 days a week, didn’t drink, looked at how athletes were eating, and followed their lead. I saw some improvement in my performance, but I was also reaching a point that my body could no longer handle. I was overtraining, was divided from my peers due to a lack of social drinking, and my choice to restrict certain foods just because the pros were doing it led me closer to and farther from my dreams. The weight loss made me look like them, but the overuse injuries and insufficient energy led me to an inability to perform. What I did not realize is that being an athlete is the job of a professional athlete. They are not required to be a full-time student, work a part-time job, cook, clean, and do everything else the rest of us do while training. Their job is to train, eat, rest, train, eat, sleep and repeat. As their job is to perform, they are to do only things that promote better performance. I was trying to mimic this while wearing many other hats. I learned that training like a pro is not the way to go. To see pro-like results when not being a professional athlete, you have to train smarter, not harder. Everyone needs the same things to be healthy, fit, and reach a performance goal, if that is something you desire. Adequate sleep To consume a surplus of nutrient-dense foods. A mindset that works towards perfection but accepts that there will be roadblocks from time to time The willingness to make sacrifices for training, but also know when they need to rest The understanding that every training session will not be perfect, nor should it be The acceptance that goals can still be reached even when you cannot train exactly like a pro. I invite you to train smarter, not harder too. If you are interested in learning how click here to grab my guide to Creating Better Health and Fitness the Smart Way or if you have more individualized advice, contact me directly at margaret@grapesandgains.com. Follow me on Instagram, listen to my podcast on Spotify and visit my website for more info! Margaret Steffie, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Margaret Steffie is a health and fitness coach who specializes in working with busy young individuals to help them reach all of their health and fitness goals. With Margaret’s holistic approach she works to get to the root of the problem which allows the individual to learn more deeply about themselves and make a lasting behavior change. Margaret is also the host of the podcast Margaret’s Healthy Hour and the author of F*ck the Freshman 15 (August 2021). When Margaret is not coaching she can be found training for running races, lifting weights in the gym, teaching group fitness classes, in person and on Recess), or spending time with her dogs.

Written by: Linda Dent, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I get it. Running a business is hard! The steps to building the business of your dreams is not a secret, though. Let me share some ideas in this article. Ask yourself these questions: Where are you at in your business right now? How far do you want to go with it and why? How fast do you want to get there? I spent the first few days of 2021 answering these questions for my own business coaching practice with some interesting results. You may have heard of the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) It’s an idea conceptualized in the book “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business' existence. Initially, I thought that this was just another weird corporate acronym and seemed like a step too far for my still growing business, but after considering the aforementioned questions, to my surprise, the BHAG just wrote it itself in the form of a story describing what my business and life would be like in 10 years. What happens if you don’t set a BHAG? Think of it like planning your next holiday. If I ask you where you would like to go, which country or region you would like to visit and why, whether you want to go to the mountains, beaches or soak up the culture and how you would like to get there, boat, plane, train or road, chances are you can describe in great detail the answers to all my questions. You can visualize it, and time and finances willing, you can just go and do it. Right? Now apply this to your business. Where do you want to go, how do you want to get there, and do you have the means to make your dream come true? Of course, you can just carry on as you have been letting the environment, global events, and competitors get you down, hobbling along with the same services, pricing, and marketing messages, but frankly, it’s unlikely that you will get any further than down the road or you might even just stay at home and continue to complain about your lot in life. I know some business owners who do this, and year after year, they make meager profits or worse losses. A large supplier gives them a kick in the teeth by not paying on time or at all, their best employee leaves, and they have no clue where their money is going every month. They work hard but not smartly. But that’s NOT you So, let’s get to the secrets, which, like I said at the beginning, are not really secrets at all. Reflect on my 3 questions Get hold of a 1-page Strategic Plan template or open a blank word document and start typing/writing. Write out your BHAG like you are writing your diary, 10 years in the future. What does your world look like on that day? Write out your WHY – what about your business makes you really excited? Think about your business’s strengths ( see previous article ) Record your Revenue and Profit for the last 2 or 3 years Set a target for Revenues and Profit for the next year, higher than last year – stretch yourself Break it into quarterly chunks and write down your goals/actions for the next 3 months Decide what’s important to measure and track it every day. Pick a Theme for 2021 and share it all with your team. Running a business doesn’t have to be hard, but, like a holiday, the fun is often in the getting there, and it is not the same if you don’t take anybody along to share the journey and the experiences. Finding a business partner or coach that you can trust to have your best business interests at heart, guide you along the trickier parts of the path and maybe have a little fun along the way is one way to success. Invite somebody along for your journey Reach out for a Virtual Cuppa with Just Ask Linda to have a conversation about this article and my simple 3-step coaching process for business owners who want to build businesses that fund their dreams. For a free 1PageStrategicPlan template, send your name, business name, and email address to me at linda@justasklinda.co.za . Connect with me on Facebook , YouTube , LinkedIn , LinkTree , and visit my website . Read more from Linda ! Linda Dent, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Linda is a Business coach with a solid background in the Banking Industry. She believes in building businesses through long term relationships and a partnership approach to grow and empower the small business owner through planning, actions, and regular reviews of actual results vs. planned results. She is the Founder and CEO of Just Ask Linda Business Coaching, which was born out of a desire to Grow, Learn, Empower others and Enjoy her work, her very own GLEE philosophy. From understanding your unique strengths and how they apply to work, establishing where you are now and where you want to be in your business, getting to know your numbers and setting goals, managing your time, or rather how to do more of what you love each day, building a loyal team of employees or just listening to the business owners’ major business challenges and offering up new thinking, you can Just Ask Linda. If she can make a difference in a business owners’ life, helping them overcome Money, Time and Team challenges to grow a successful business and share some part of their business journey; then she will be full of GLEE. Owning a business is an adventure, and she loves the one she is on.

Written by: Melissa Gamarra, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. If you are an online entrepreneur, you have probably heard of the newest addition to social media platforms… Clubhouse. This social media app is a limited access platform, meaning you often need an invitation to get in. Each person on the platform has one invitation to give out and get more invitations through social interaction. If you want to get on the app but don’t have an invitation, you are put on a waitlist until the administrator lets you in. Oh, and one more thing, it’s for iPhone users only! Sounds exclusive, doesn’t it? Well, it is! Some top-level individuals like Russell Brunson, Ashton Kutcher, and even Oprah are on the social app, and with all the buzz on social media, people are doing all kinds of crazy things to be one of the first on the platform. Some individuals have even started auctioning off invitations for money, while others are running out to buy new iPhones to get access. So what is so appealing about this new social app that many entrepreneurs spend money just to be on it? It’s the platform's unique form of social interaction. The entire platform is built on pop-up live audio chat rooms where there is often a presenter or host, and their followers get to listen in. This gives people direct access to some really big names and therefore is extremely appealing. The other appeal is simply FOMO, Fear Of Missing OUT. The company intentionally launched this social platform through influencer marketing and exclusivity to keep your FOMO peaked, as well as your interest. And it’s working! According to CNBC, the app was priced at a whopping 100 million dollars in May 2020, with only 1,500 members on it. While there is no updated information regarding the current value, I’m sure you can assume that with more members comes higher valuation. So does this mean you need to rush out and start bidding on invites or buy a new phone? NOPE! As an entrepreneur, it is incredibly important for you to have a solid strategy for marketing and not be swayed by bright shiny objects. This platform is great for those of you who have a connection willing to invite you, have a large chunk of your audience already on the platform, and can afford to make time for this new platform and the content you will need to create for it. At the end of the day, it is important for you to use your time wisely and go to the place where your audience is. Being on a platform with only a few thousand people on it means you will yield a lower ROI on the time you spend there. This is simply because the audience size is smaller than Facebook or some of the more established platforms. Being a trailblazer might sound sexy, but it doesn’t pay the bills. I recommend weighing the pros and cons, ignoring any FOMO you may experience, and possibly circling back to this platform as it starts to grow. For now, simply stick with your current strategy and avoid bright shiny object syndrome. For more information on business strategy, check out The Powerhouse Women’s Circle on Facebook or check out my website. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and connect with me on LinkedIn ! Read more from Melissa! Melissa Gamarra, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Melissa Gamarra is a Certified Online Business Manager and Author living in Salt Lake City. She helps online business owners create organization and business strategies so they can scale their companies effortlessly.

Written by: Keith Blakemore-Noble, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Like a great many people, you have probably made some New Year Resolutions at the start of the year. And like a great many people, you will almost certainly fail to keep them. Indeed, according to research done by the University of Scranton, 92% of people fail to keep their resolutions over the year - which means that only 8% of people actually succeed with their resolutions! Indeed, in recognition of this, 17th January each year is "Ditch Your New Year Resolution Day" (complete with its own obligatory social media hashtag, ditch your resolutions day on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more) - a date by which usually around 30% of people have already failed to keep their New Year Resolutions. Does this mean New Year Resolutions are bad and worthless? Absolutely not! The reason I am writing this is not to say you should not make New Year's resolutions. My point is simply that if you are going to do so, do you want to be in the 92% who fail, or do you want to be in the 8% who succeed? I'm going to go ahead and assume you want to be in the 8% who succeed - because after all, what's the point in making them if you don't intend to keep them, right? So let's take a look at the main reasons why people fail to keep their resolutions and see what we can learn to help us be in the 8%. Main reasons people fail to keep their new year resolutions 1. Not doing it for yourself For perhaps the majority of people, the reason they make New Year Resolutions is because it is The Done Thing. Society tells us we should make them. Our friends cajole us into making resolutions. So we make them because it's what we are supposed to do. Which means for many people, New Year Resolutions are simply Goals we set to please Other People. As anyone who knows about goal setting already lan own, a goal must be something YOU want to do. So you must set it because you want to set it, not just because someone else told you that you need some goals. Typically what happens is someone will ask you what your New Year Resolutions are, and have not really given the matter much thought. You might reply something along the lines of "I dunno, lose some weight I suppose, maybe get a bit fitter." How much commitment is there to those goals? Very little! So it is unsurprising when you fail to keep those goals when life gets in the way or when it starts to get a bit hard - announcing that you are going to take up jogging is easy to do while having a few celebratory drinks on New Year's Eve - it gets a lot harder when it's pouring with rain for the 5th successive day, and it's cold, and your favorite show is on TV, and you had a thought day at the office... 2. Making them too big Yes, it is true that with goals, we are encouraged to make them big, massive even. "Make them so big that even if you fail, you will still be much better off!" However, we still have to make them realistic and achievable - we still have to give ourselves a chance of success! It's no use setting impossible New Year Resolutions and then wondering why we fail to keep them. By way of illustration, back in 1962, then US president John F Kennedy set the very ambitious goal of sending a man to the Moon, landing, and then returning safely, before the decade was out. A massive goal, to be sure, but one which they succeeded in doing in 1969. However, had he said they would go to the Moon and back within 2 years? Well, that would have just been flat-out impossible. The very important difference between a big-yet-achievable goal and a so-big-it's-impossible one. And so it is with our New Year Resolutions. Far too many people make them SO huge that they are impossible to achieve - they never give themselves a chance. "I'm going to run the London Marathon this year (even though I've never run further than the bus-stop before)," or "I'm going to lose 6 stone" or whatever. 3. Making too many resolutions This is an absolute killer! You know the sort of thing. The subject of New Year Resolutions comes up, and you confidently reel off your list of 15 resolutions - "I'm going to get fit, lose weight, take up jogging, learn 3 new languages, move house, get a new job, take up painting, write a novel, learn ballroom dancing..." Woah woah woah! When we do this, what usually happens is we end up so completely overwhelmed that we have no idea where to start, or we somehow find ways to start them all, but very quickly, Life gets in the way (you know, pesky things like going to work, or eating, or having to actually find time to sleep...) and before we know it we are trying to cram 30 hours into each 24 hour day - of course, something is going to give way, and that's almost always the ludicrous number of Resolutions - one by one they fall by the wayside, pushed out because there's too much going on. And even if you do somehow find the time for them all, you can't realistically expect to get good at multiple things at once. You pull yourself on all sorts of different directions, you lose focus, and get disillusioned with it all. And sure enough, you find yourself in the 92%... 4. Doing it alone No man is an island, as the saying goes, and so it is with our resolutions. No matter how good we are, no matter how strong our willpower, we can all benefit from having a support network. It doesn't matter whether that is a formal affair (such as joining a weightless group, or joining your local running club), or a more informal arrangement with friends to keep each other on the straight and narrow. Having someone who can kick our butt when we feel like giving up, and equally who will share our joys and every success along the way, is vital. Being able to call upon others for help, support, advice when we get stuck makes an absolutely massive difference to our chances of success. Share your Resolutions (you don't have to share them with everyone, of course - not everyone will be supportive, and that's just life. Share them with those who do care, who are supportive, and who will help). Find like-minded people who you can call upon for advice or support and who you can support in return. Just don't try to do it alone. Otherwise, you'll end up in the biggest group of all, the 92% who fail to keep their resolutions! How to give yourself the best chance of success Now we have seen the main reasons why the vast majority of people fail to keep their New Year Resolutions. What can we do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success? In short, how can you be one of the 8%-ers, the few who do keep their resolutions? Make sure the resolutions are what we want to do for US. Make them realistically achievable. Make them manageable - it is better to succeed at 2 resolutions this year than to fail at 10 every year! Grow a Support Network around you to help you through the bad times, to celebrate your successes, and to help you to achieve. Don't wait for New Year. Start NOW! Sure, you might decide to ditch some, many, or all of the resolutions you made at the start of the year, but that doesn't mean you can't pick one right now, and fully commit to achieving it. It is said that the best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago; the second-best time is right now. It's the same with Resolutions. Don't wait until 31st December. If there's a change, you want to make (and you WANT to make it, not just something others tell you that you should be doing), part now! You'll stand a far greater chance of being an 8%er, and more importantly, your future self will thank you for starting right now with a realistic resolution and a supportive network! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Keith Blakemore-Noble, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Keith is an award-winning coach, international speaker, and best-selling author, who helps people transform their deepest fears into their greatest strengths. Growing up he loved the idea of being a performer, entertaining people and wanted nothing more than to be an actor, magician, or hypnotist. Unfortunately, he was also painfully shy, finding it almost impossible to speak with strangers - this ruled out his ambitions, and made it very hard to make friends, or even connect with colleagues. Instead, he pursued a very successful 20+ year career in IT, until he studied hypnosis and NLP to help him to conquer his own fears, which opened up the way for him to be all the things he dreamed of being. Since 2010 he has used these same skills and experiences to help over 5,000 people around the planet to conquer their own fears, quickly and permanently, earning him the title of UK’s 1 Fear Strategist. He has published several books, appeared on countless podcasts, written for many publications, and spoken on stages in Bali, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Tibet, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam, as well as speaking at numerous virtual events globally.

Amber Trail, MBA, SHRM-CP is the founder and consultant for her human resources consulting company, The HR Trail, LLC. With over a decade of HR experience and a master’s degree in Business Administration, Amber brings her passion and knowledge of human resources to small businesses nationwide. She realized that not all businesses need nor can they afford a full-time HR professional, and that's why she decided to create The HR Trail. To provide various human resource consulting services such as recruitment, coaching, company handbook development, event planning, and more. Her motto is creativity + passion = purpose, and she thrives on successfully helping small businesses accomplish their human resources needs! Hey Amber! Please introduce yourself. I like to describe myself as a woman who wears many hats with a passionate and resilient mindset. One of my many hats happens to be a mom of three very rambunctious boys! All under the age of 12. Most days they drive me crazy but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I reside in South Central Pennsylvania, USA in a very small town that isn’t really a town at all. I love where I live though because it’s peaceful and quiet. It’s the kind of town that you would let your kids ride their bikes to the neighbor’s house, which happens to be about one mile down the road. We live in a very serene and beautiful woodsy/farmland area. My husband and I have lived here for three years. Living in the country, you would think we have a mini-farm but alas, we don’t. We have a beautiful, yet large, Great Pyrenees dog and two cats. All outdoors, even though our male cat would prefer to be inside sleeping on the couch all day! What is it that you do for your clients? I provide a virtual service for my clients that handles all aspects of human resources. Most small businesses don’t have the resources or need for a full-time or part-time human resource professional and that is where I come in - to fill that need! Instead of them finding their information on the Internet that could be potentially wrong and hold them legally negligible in the long run, I provide them with real-life HR experiences, solutions, and suggestions. One of my favorite services that we offer is recruitment. I love the feeling of filling a position with someone who is passionate about what they do. This is the growth factor in their own career as well as contributing their knowledge and expertise into their new position. There are two other services that we offer to our clients who are coaching and consulting. Obviously, as an HR company, we provide HR consulting to the many questions that arise by being a small business owner. The other piece of that is coaching. Some of our clients want to handle it all on their own. Even though sometimes we advise against this, we will help coach them into a role that will enhance their experience in their HR role as a business owner as well as learning to set goals for themselves and their employees. Who should hire/work with you? We work with any industry but we specialize in small businesses that have less than 75 employees. With this employee limit, we find that they currently do not have an HR professional in their workforce. We can help shape or re-organize the structure of an HR department without an actual HR department. We create systems and processes for our clients to run their business efficiently and effectively in regards to compliance and building up their current team members morale. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? I can’t really say where I would like to be 10 years from now. My goals change all the time. I’m still growing and learning what I am passionate about. Considering I have been in human resources for almost 12 years now, I can’t imagine doing anything else other than growing that passion and building a personal brand of helping people be and feel successful. I love helping women grow into their full potential and bringing forth their passion by empowering them to remove fear out of the equation. I am excited to see what that will look like in the future but I tend to live in the moment so I can soak up everything happening now! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Amber !

Written by: Gabby Cole, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Here’s a question worth asking, "Why does “mom shaming” even exist?" It’s more than just moms shaming moms. Mom shaming tells us that people do not spend enough time acknowledging or understanding the fact that we all have led very different lives up until (and often during) motherhood. Our perspective, experiences, personalities all play a big part in shaping how we make decisions. Instead of sharing the ways I have felt mom-shamed, I’ve decided to take a different approach. It turns out I’ve been guilty of mom-shaming, too. After my twins reached school age and I found myself spending a ton of time with the parents of my kids’ friends, I thought I would have an undeniable bond with other mothers whose kids play with mine. Interestingly, I encountered differences I wasn’t expecting. Take, for instance, moms who are chronically late and don’t make plans weeks in advance. I realized I was passing judgment on these moms without even meaning to. As a classic Type A personality, I am self-proclaimed high strung, competitive, fast-paced, and a stickler for a solid schedule with absolutely no room for deviation. I would rather be 2 hours early than 2 minutes late. So to me, this seemed like a crazy and borderline irresponsible way to approach life! I couldn’t wrap my head around how people live like this. How does a lack of structure not send the whole system tumbling down? As a salesperson, I have been trained to identify the personality traits of my customers to better serve their needs. It’s a skill I’ve honed pretty well, and I remember a specific time when my company split all of the employees into groups by our Myers Briggs Personality types . Every group was given the same problem and asked to come up with a solution to present to the other groups. Predictably, my group’s solution was the polar opposite to our complimentary personality type’s group. I was astounded by how foreign their solution seemed to me, almost rude and insincere. But from their point of view, they approached the situation as respectfully and effectively as possible. I realized this lesson from my sales life could easily apply to how I interacted with the other moms. I framed my own perspective in a new way: to me, being late and not planning is disorganized, disrespectful, and stressful. However, maybe to someone with a different personality type, planning is stressful, and they like to be more flexible with their time, taking life as it comes. Neither person is wrong—just different. Here are a few ideas on how to live peacefully when we are all so different. Be Inquisitive If you and another mom don’t agree on breastfeeding in public, that is okay. The opposite of mom-shaming is not to agree on everything. It’s to appreciate the differences. Instead of judging, ask a question, “Just out of curiosity, how do you feel when you need to feed your baby in the middle of a crowded restaurant?” Their response may give you some insight you didn’t have before. Set Boundaries I recently saw a quote that really struck home, and it went something along the lines of, “Be aware of what you let people get away with because you are training them how to treat you.” I am in control of what I let affect me. Since I don’t like last-minute planning, my boundary is that if another mom calls me wanting to do a playdate that day, I will most likely say no. Not only have I set a boundary, but I have opened the lines of communication. That person is more likely to communicate their needs, and we both are better off for it in the future. Understand Why It Hurts It makes sense that when someone comments about how we raise our kids, the response is often emotional instead of rational. As mothers, we are designed to be very protective when it comes to our children. Before you speak out about what you disagree with, remind yourself that it stings a little more coming from another mother because we are supposed to be people with a powerful shared experience. More than anything, it is important to understand that as human beings, our commonalities outweigh our differences. This is especially true for mothers. Our shared experience is far more powerful than anything we do differently. What we have in common: a fierce love of our children, a commitment to them, and long days and nights spent trying to give them the best we can. Try to see that part of the next mom you meet before you notice anything else. For more information, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Read more from Gabby ! Gabby Cole, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine I am Gabby Cole—Founder/CEO, mother of twin girls, and advocate for moms everywhere. I was married in 2011, and by 2012, I was a mother to twin girls. I have an established career in pharmaceutical sales, as well as pursuing my dreams of becoming a “Mompreneur.” I hope to dedicate my life to helping women like me find their purpose and become the woman and mother they want to be.

Written by: Mags Thomson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Do you sometimes find it difficult to create genuine connections with your audience? Do you feel like you have shared and repeated information 100 times, yet people don't seem to get the message? Often the problem is not the information, but our delivery that doesn't connect with those viewing it. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels One of the first concepts that I was introduced to in my teacher training was the idea that everybody learns differently. Yet, as teachers, we tend to lean heavily on whatever our own preference is. The same is true for our marketing communication; we all have different preferences, both in consumption and delivery. There is an easy way to circumvent that bias. Different Ways Our Brains Process Information When you look at your marketing process as your audience learning about you and your business, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge about how people take on information more effectively and facilitate your message accordingly. Simultaneously, being aware of your own learning preferences can also make it easier to deliver your messages in ways that make you sparkle. The most common ways we categorize how people like to learn are simply: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. That means that some people take things in best when they read about it, some need to hear about it, and others have to learn in a hands-on way to take on the new skills and ideas they are trying to absorb. In fact, we often want a combination of these (and other) input methods. However, our learning styles are more complex than that. The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are: Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”) Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”) Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”) Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”) Musical intelligence (“music smart”) Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”) Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”) Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)” There are plenty of tests available online (such as this one) if you are curious to find out how you score on these, although you probably have some idea of this by just reading through the list. How to Apply This in Your Marketing Many marketing gurus will tell you to mix delivery tools throughout your channels. Taking the above information into consideration, you will understand that there is truth to that. But as I mentioned earlier, you also have your own preferences, and more often than not, these determine your communicative strengths and allow you to be your most sparkly self. Besides, you are probably already super busy and don't need the extra effort to create a myriad of content items. So, let's go straight to the learning preference pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: storytelling. In The Storytelling Edge, Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow explain that we learn far more effectively when multiple parts of our brains work together. When hearing or reading stories, we engage in language processing and comprehension, just as we would when taking a simple factual statement. But, importantly, we also process emotions and images, using the part of the brain that’s responsible for cognitive planning. In other words, when we are told stories, our brains are primed to create connections and accept new ideas. This is how stories tap into a combination of the multiple intelligences, and therefore can engage with everyone in your audience, regardless of their personal preferences. Just think about a time when you watched a film adaptation of a book you absolutely loved. Then, as your favorite character appears on the screen before you, you are filled with disappointment. They look or sound nothing like you had imagined. The way the lovers seem to connect to each other is utterly different than you thought. You see, while you read the book, your brain got to work creating images, creating the sound of the character's voices, imagining the backdrops and furnishings; you drew conclusions about emotions and thoughts the characters would have. I am sure you've experienced this, and it just illustrates how our brain responds to a good story. Storytelling Invokes Trust, Connection, and Authority There is much more to storytelling than just the ability to communicate effectively with your audience, regardless of their preferred ways of learning and communicating. Storytelling is an ancient part of human nature, a way for us to create trust and connection and learn about new ideas and experiences—another reason why it's such a powerful tool for your business. As much as we'd like to think that we make our purchasing decisions on a rational weighing of pros and cons, we are much more likely to come to those choices by emotional stimuli. Your stories will activate those emotions and influence your audience's decision-making faculties. Moreover, neuroeconomist Paul Zak has explained how, during storytelling, the “trust hormone” oxytocin is released. This doubles your ability to create a positive connection to your potential client. Especially when we are sole traders and service providers, our customers are more likely to make a sales decision because they like and trust you. We want to work with people we feel “get us,” and we make that estimation based on how they make us feel. My business coach had similar experiences as I have, which we bounded over before deciding to work with her. And although that wasn’t my rationalized reason to work with her, it has come in very useful at times. I am sure you have examples of service providers or clients you work with for similar reasons; we feel connected with them. By telling your audience your personal story, sharing the ups and downs, they will be able to feel the human connection between you, and that is where trust is built. You may feel that sharing your personal stories and challenges is inappropriate as part of your professional brand. We are thoroughly imprinted with the idea that work is not the place for ugly tears, heartbreak, or childhood trauma. Yet, when it comes to connecting with your audience, these are the stories that matter. People need to see the transformation, connect to the challenges, and feel that you, more than anyone else, understand exactly what they are going through. It may feel daunting to share vulnerably, but you'll get the hang of it. I have spent the last few years sharing about my own emotionally abusive childhood and my healing. It was not always easy, and I sure learned a lot about managing my mental health in light of embracing vulnerability on a public forum. I share some tips on how to handle the vulnerability in the House of Hives Blog. Finding out your own learning styles and communicative preferences will help you engage more effectively and confidently. Especially when you are first starting to share your personal stories, it helps to focus on your strengths. This will make your stories more appealing and support you as practice dealing with your feelings of vulnerability. Are you a talker? Try podcasting. Are you a writer? Blog! Find ways to tell your story that help you feel more confident and secure, and start building a human connection with your audience. Get unlimited leads on autopilot and turn lurkers into buyers to skyrocket your business in 2021. Check out House of Hives; we can help! Follow Mags on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website for more information! Read more from Mags! Resources: The Storytelling Edge (2018) by Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow The Science of Storytelling (2019) by Will Storr Enchantment (2012) by Guy Kawasaki Stories for Work (2017) by Gabrielle Dolan Building a StoryBrand (2017) by Donald Miller The Storytelling Animal (2012) by Jonathan Gottschall How to Share Without the Vulnerability Hang-Over by Mags Thomson Multiple Intelligences by The American Institute for Learning and Human Development Mags Thomson, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Mags is a story coach, impact co-creator, and the founder of House of Hives. She helps female entrepreneurs and change-makers use their personal stories in their business, bridging the gap between emotive storytelling and strategic marketing. Together with developmental editor Karina Asti and event strategist Ana Gallo, she helps women co-create books and collaborative online summits to empower themselves and their brand.

Written by: Sonjali Di Guida, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Just like any good recipe, the ingredients, requirements, skill level, and instructions are clearly outlined in your journal. You are about to master your non-culinary concoction in all of its imagined glory! Exact measurements are followed - you are a master chef about to conceptualize your ultimate creation! You know you have all the visual ingredients to perfect your manifestation; You have envisioned, revised, and taste-tested this perfect creation. Only, once ready to devour this delightful dish, you find it dissatisfies you. There is flavor lacking, a umami missing, and ultimately, your recipe is but written words. Your stew is more like a soup - thin, lacking robustness, and ultimately, inedible. You had spent months visualizing the perfect recipe for yourself, clearly seeing your desired outcome - from the perfect house to a successful business or career, all the way to your ideal loving partner. You indulged yourself in fantasizing that genuine feeling of achieving your goals, of having your cake and eating it too. You then begin to question why you are even following this manifestation recipe only to have an empty plate. Why do you still feel these elusive pangs of hunger? “The Path to Success is to Take Massive Determined Actions” - Anthony Robbins Building Flavour by Boosting those Visualization Skills Ramping up our visualization skills is one of a few steps in achieving our goals. But one underrated ingredient - the finishing seasoning on your recipe for success, is to simply take action! Setting goals, visualizing, creating plans of action, and manifesting are powerful tools for attaining outcomes. However, lack of action towards these goals is like praying to win the lottery without ever buying a ticket. Not long ago, a client of mine came into my office seeking help in boosting his startup business as a microbrewer. He knew in his heart of hearts that he had wonderful products - he had spent years perfecting his craft. Upon our meetings, he revealed to me that he could clearly visualize his success - from the labeling on his bottles, to the car he was going to drive, to the perfect layout of his future office. John* has hundreds of people taste his products and could not find one who did not adore them. He had all the ingredients for success: his recipe, his processes, his know-how, and even the startup funds. After a series of small obstacles in his path to his startup, he came into my office feeling defeated and not fully understanding why he had not achieved the success he envisioned for himself. John was desperately searching for his recipe for success. Upon discussion, we discovered that those little setbacks had halted his progress, in that he simply stopped taking steps towards his goal and unconsciously surrendered to his defeat. While he came into my office seeking to regain his confidence after his failure, he got so much more than he bargained for! Once realizing his pattern, he could get back into his kitchen and start cooking up his plan again. Taking small, simple steps towards his goals and working around the obstacles rather than forfeiting. He discovered that both the recipes of his products and his recipe for success could both be adjusted. Since getting back into cooking up his plan, John has successfully launched his microbrewing business, taking steps every day to finding distributorship for his products. He understands that it is alright to adjust the recipe, perhaps add a bit more seasoning. He continues to manifest his dream car. Only now he will actually get himself to the car dealership. SPRINKLE THAT FINISHING SEASONING Just like John, we all have our healthy appetites for outcomes and goals. So I encourage you, sprinkle that salt, write down your recipe for success, and whip it up! The only way to have your delicious lavish meal of choice, after all, is to get cooking! *Name has been changed to honor client’s request for confidentiality Follow me on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and visit my website! Read more from Sonjali! Sonjali Di Guida, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sonjali Di Guida is a passionate and outcome-driven hypnotist dedicated to helping individuals master their growth mindset from the very core of their beings – the subconscious. With her training from the Master Hypnotist Society and utilization in Neuro-linguistic programming systems, her clinic, The West Island Hypnosis Center, has helped her many clients make transformational changes – both personally and professionally. Her executive background and her experience running her consulting firm and hypnosis clinic have allowed her to continuously master her craft in change-making.

Written by: Betsy Kauffman, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Many of us have encountered uncomfortable situations at work and have been unable or unwilling to speak up and deal with the conflict transparently. This can come in many forms. It could be that you wish you could be honest with your boss that the timeline they set for a certain project is not feasible. It could be that your coworker dominates meetings and does not allow time for others to speak and be heard. However, instead of dealing with the issue, we either sweep it under the rug or only discuss it privately with trusted peers—allowing the same scenario to play out over and over. It's time to muster up the courage to bring the passive-aggressive text messages, emails, and water cooler conversations front and center. It isn’t easy, but following the four steps outlined below can help you achieve the desired result. Confidence should be the first step in this process of courageously speaking up at work. Having confidence is easier said than done. But here’s a trick: Be Captain Obvious. Exaggerate the situation and say something like, “Call me Captain Obvious, but isn’t that proposed solution not really going to address the problem?” This approach not only adds a bit of humor to the situation but it also allows others the chance to chime in, having broken the ice a bit. Even if you use a more direct approach, simply having the confidence to speak up is vital. The second step in this process is intent. Intent means knowing and understanding that I want to address a problem or change a situation by speaking up. Here’s the key with intent: If your intent is positive, it’s more likely that your message will actually be received with an open mind. Next is delivery. Delivery is about how you decide to frame the message. Successful delivery should be factual, real, and it must always take the receiver's feelings into account. Yes, you do need to consider tactfulness when courageously speaking up! Finally, we should always strive to seek a solution. We can’t dwell on the problem and waste an entire meeting hashing out why it won’t work or how we got to where we are. We need to identify and clearly state the problem and start brainstorming solutions. The best organizations are made up of people who have the courage to tackle the tough topics. These conversations are critical, so we are helping ourselves and our organizations by being open and honest. Call me Captain Obvious, but isn’t that the kind of place you want to work? Want to learn more? Watch my TED talk launched this week: 4 Steps to Kickstart Honest Conversations at Work Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Betsy ! Betsy Kauffman, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Betsy Kauffman is a globally recognized Leadership and Organizational Agility Coach with more than 20 years' experience working in Fortune 500 companies. Her company, Cross Impact Coaching, helps leaders create innovative, aligned, disruptive agile organizations. Betsy has observed and worked side by side with hundreds of CxO leaders. She has seen just about every variation of how Leadership Teams operate and execute (both successfully and not so successfully). She deeply understands and has experienced firsthand when the team of individuals charged with leading the organization aren't aligned, focused, and working as one; the rest of the organization suffers. She is a published author providing thought leadership to both agile and project management communities and speaks internationally on leadership, corporate culture, and organizational agility. She just completed her first TED talk - “4 Tips to Kickstart Honest Conversations at Work” in September 2020 in conjunction with the TED@PMI partnership and was selected by the TED editors to have her talk brought to the mainstage– check it out at TED.com!