Blue Gypsy Inc. Blog

Now if there's one thing I can emphasize to individuals and companies, and especially to individuals who are sole proprietors, it's to have a very clear business plan for your event.

My plan for Blue Gypsy Bluesfest was, "hey I want to have a party and brand my company!" At first it was targeting the real estate industry in Hampton Roads, but then I just said, hey lets do this for charity and get anyone and everyone who loves Blues, BBQ, a great family day....and the list went on. I lost my focus and got caught up in other things, which was fine, I had the time and I had the energy, and I kept looking at it as a learning experience.

You need to make sure you have the time, and you can prioritize. At some point depending on what kind of business you have and the work you already have on the table you may want to consider hiring a professional event planner. One who is familiar with all the ins and outs and can give you a realistic idea of time in to plan an event.

If you want to take it on yourself you need a clear picture of what you are doing. Define the following.

What is my purpose for this event?
Who is my target audience?
How do I intend to reach my target audience?
What am I offering?
What am I not offering?
What kind of time do I have to plan this event?
What time frame do I need to create to reasonably put on this event?

If you are planning an open house, a small luncheon, or a small informal gathering of contacts that you already have you need a lot less time to plan an event. Anywhere from weeks to months. But if you are planning an event that means selling tickets or seats to an event or a seminar and you do not already personally know your target audience you are going to need to create a comprehensive marketing plan and give yourself a minimum of 1 year for a first time event. I know, that doesn't hit the instant gratification button. But in order to put on a successful event you need the time to develop a plan and execute successfully.

Wow folks, I've just got to get this out there in a post to go on the record. I am very skeptical of business coaches, and people who train business coaches. There I said it.

My skepticism comes from watching a whole business arise in this flagging economy. Have you ever heard that old Woody Allen quote, "Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, teach gym." Well when it comes to your business, wouldn't you want the person coaching you to have real world experience, firsthand knowledge and years of experience as a successful professional, preferably an entrepreneur who has owned and run a business? Especially if you are paying them big bucks? I would!

Placating me with motivational sayings and asking me rote questions to get me to think about my business is not my idea of business coaching. 

I think you need years of trials and errors, successes and failures in order to impart a full understanding and important insights into a business in order to help it grow. Yet all over the place there are people coaching others to become business coaches. Now if all these pupils were successful business owners in their own right who have gone from rags to riches, or built their own organization from the ground up but they just need to transition into helping others that would be one thing. But sadly, I see people who have no real world experience turning to coaches to coach them to coach...now follow that one.

How long would you want your coach to be in business for themselves before they took on the task of coaching you? How successful would you hope that their business would be before you had them coach you? How much coaching experience would you like them to have before you pay them lots of money to coach you? How much money should you pay a business coach? What should you get for that money? These are all important questions!

Even more important, what would you like your coaches credentials to be? What if their client list consisted of lots of big name companies...and yet later you found out those companies didn't hire your coach directly or for the services that coach is selling to you? What if they worked with those companies on the periphery while working as a mid to low level employee for another business? Can they genuinely list them as clients?

Words that would come to mind for me to describe those individuals are snake oil, or bait and switch. Yet those people exist out there. They pay other coaches lots of money to teach them how to coach. Why wouldn't they when business coaches can earn upwards of $100 - $500 per hour, and life coaches (that's a great one...how are you qualified to coach about life) can charge between $100 - $300 per hour.  So you may not have a successful business, but if you can take enough classes and convince others to hire you you surely can create a successful coaching business, if you are motivated enough. (By money)

When choosing a business coach be skeptical. After all you are paying your hard earned cash for someone who is supposed to help you improve your business.

When you work in front of computer all day, and you own your own business, the tendency is to work to fatigue. At least that's what I do. There is always something that needs to get done, and there seem to not be enough hours in the day to get it all done.

At some point, you, have to step back and say, it isn't all going to get done today. Set  reasonable expectations for yourself, and for your clients. Develop a routine for yourself so that you can do things for yourself, like eat right, exercise and get your work done.

Some of this is about goal setting and creating manageable business goals for yourself, but it's also about personal goals. While growing your business, you can't let your personal life, and your personal health go.  It has to be a balancing act. Just like a high wire acrobat. You've got to create balance in your life.

It may not seem like it when you are building your business, but if you are happier, and healthier you are going to be more productive in your actual time you spend working. You will also project a happier more confident aura to your clients and potential clients which will increase your business over time.