The ability to communicate effectively, build and nurture winning relationships and grow a network is absolutely essential in today’s business world. Business networking is about building an ever-expanding group of contacts and gradually building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships.

Key benefits of networking include:

• Giving and receiving referrals for new business

• Enjoying support and encouragement from people on the same journey as you

• Meeting decision-makers as they influence key events and make things happen

• Learning smart marketing and business growth ideas and strategies

• Bouncing ideas off of and brainstorming ideas around with like-minded business owners

• Learning of and having doors opened to opportunities you may not otherwise have heard of or had access to

Whether you are an owner-operator with a staff of one (and that one is you!) or you have a team of staff most business owners suffer the same problems – they struggle to find enough time in the day, they feel they have to do most of the ‘important’ work themselves and ultimately they often feel ‘alone’.  Sound a little like you?  Then let me show you how to change that.

Firstly, and most importantly you need to know and understand that you are not alone!  Let’s explore that a little more.  Take a moment to think about everyone who works for you.  Depending on the size of your business and your team you may find that you fill a couple of the roles below.

Now write down what you feel are the 3 key strengths of each member of your team (and that should include your support team – the bank manger, accountant, husband, wife or partner etc).

Now start with your role in the organisation and, on a piece of paper, draw up three columns and put one of these titles at the top of each column:

• What you are doing
• What you want to be doing
• What you don’t want to be doing

Do the same for anyone else in your team (in fact ask them to do this).

Now have a productive discussion with your team.  Compare the ‘doing’ list and the key strengths list.  Do they agree?  Are there areas they feel they have strengths in that they could assist you with?  Are there tasks on your list (that you don’t want to be doing) that they have strengths in and would like to do?  You might be surprised at the outcomes here.  You think you know your staff right?  You think the things you do, only you can do?  Think again.

One of the simplest ways to free up your time, and at the same time, grow your business – is to ask for help. 

Even if your staff don’t step forward to offer to do some of the tasks on your “Don’t want to be doing column” you can identify staff that you feel could do these tasks, have a conversation with them about their role and new/added tasks you want them to take on.  Just make sure you set clear outlines of what that will look like i.e. time required on each task current and new, title, pay (if applicable).  Spend a little time to make sure you get this right and seek some professional advice if need be.  Get the revised job description in writing so both parties are clear on expectations.

No-one is ever going to do things exactly the way you do, but know this, that’s ok!  Your business will never grow, you will never achieve all you hope to achieve in business and in your personal life until you get out of your way!  Sounds strange I know, but it’s true.  One of the hardest things most people struggle to understand is that the only thing holding them back – is themselves! This simple task management readjustment exercise is just one of many simple yet profoundly effective steps you can take to get out of your own way!

So why not free up a little of your time… and in the process see how much more you actually achieve!

By Lietta Powell – member of Venus Oceanside, Tauranga
Intuitive Awareness Coach, In2UCoaching
For a free one hour no obligation follow on session to see if coaching could be what you or your business needs contact Lietta today: T: 07 533 2451 M: 21 02271131 E: lietta@in2ucoaching.com W: www.in2ucoaching.com

Inviting all members of Wellington North, City and City South groups. Join Jen and the group facilitators for a lovely member-only lunch on the 23rd May.

Event Name: Lunch for Wellington Venus Groups

Short Description: Come along Wellington City North women to meet and welcome our City South group to Venus!

Event Date: 23rd May 2013

Event Time: 12:00 pm

Venue: Soi Resturant, Greta Piont Wharf, 305 Evans Bay Parade, Wellington

Cost: $20 lunch menu – to pay the restaurant on the day

To Register: email jen@venusnetwork.co.nz

Hosts/Presenters: Jenny Alexander and Wellington North Facilitators

We do this through:

• research
• sharing information
• representation, and
• action

NCWNZ is currently focused on:

• Establishing working groups to act on the key issues identified for NZ by the UN Committee which monitors discrimination against women
• Breaking down barriers for women in the workplace, particularly occupational segregation

We act:

• Regionally – Christchurch Branch, for example, has launched a research project to record women’s experiences of the Canterbury earthquakes.

• Nationally – We are co-ordinating the NZ Non-Governmental Organisations report to the UN committee monitoring discrimination against women.

• Internationally – We are working with international partners in a campaign demanding that Facebook removes pages promoting rape and discrimination against women.

NCWNZ is an umbrella organisation representing a diverse membership, which includes women’s organisations and individual women.

Success story

Along with 3 international partners, pressured Facebook into removing pages promoting violence against women

How Venus and our members can help your Organisation?

Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, tell other people about us….and talk to us about any support you can provide (can be ‘in kind’ products or services) in return for which we’ll return the favour via promotional opportunities to our members.

CONTACT: Nicky Steel
PHONE: (04) 4737623
WEBSITE: www.ncwnz.org.nz

Wellington Women’s Refuge provides support, information and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence; walking alongside and empowering them to make safe decisions for their future. Our services are confidential and we believe in women making their own decisions and don’t put pressure on them to take steps they are not ready to or don’t want to. We work alongside our sister refuge Te Whare Rokiroki that provides services to Māori women and children.

Domestic violence involves one person dominating and controlling another person in a relationship. This can include a range of power and control tactics and may not always involve physical violence; the abuse does not have to be physical violence for someone to access our service.

All women and children have the right to live free from fear and violence.

We provide women and their children with the option of a safe place to stay, and also support women and their children in the community. We operate a safe-house, community office and a 24 hour crisis telephone line assisted by a roster of volunteers responding to the crisis line outside working hours.

Fundraiser/Projects Coming up:

Women’s Refuge Annual Appeal 2013-

Join a team of people who have fun collecting much needed money on the streets of Wellington for Wellington Women’s Refuge & Te Whare Rokiroki Maori Women’s Refuge. In just one hour or more you can play a huge part in protecting hundreds of women and children at risk of domestic violence in their own home. Collection dates: Friday and Saturday 19-20 July 2013.

Please pass on to your contacts who are in Wellington on these dates and/or respond directly via email to: wwrcollectors@gmail.com if you are able to donate some time. Alternatively you could organise an office collection and we can come to you.

If you have any queries please phone Kyla on 04 9390455

How can you help?

Fundraising, donations, please make contact to discuss any ideas you might have.

CONTACT: Philippa McAtee
PHONE: 04 939 0455
WEBSITE: www.wwr.org.nz

The Success Strategy

It’s all very well to say a successful business starts by looking after yourself, but what exactly can you do to make that happen?  How do you go about feeling more fulfilled and uplifted, to regain some control?

Tip #1 Brainstorm what makes you feel great and in ‘the happiness zone’

Look at what makes you feel inspired and happy in your life.  It may be necessary to go back into the past to remember what really fills you with delight.  List everything that you love doing.  Then start to integrate these ‘delights’ into your weekly calendar.

            Tip #2 Schedule it in

Look at your weekly calendar and schedule in non-negotiable time for your wellbeing and balance.  It’s important to make sure you take this very practical step as well as just thinking about it.

As well as my morning daily ritual I schedule in a non-negotiable massage and coaching session with my own coach every week.  Every fortnight on Friday’s I catch up with girlfriends for lunch, drinks or a walk n talk. These simple actions take my relationships, happiness and business results to a much higher level and are key contributors to my overall success.

            Tip #3 Work with a coach

Working with a coach has helped me enormously in my life and business success.  A good coach can help you re-focus on what you really want in your life and business, can help you identify and shift blockages that keep you stuck.  A coach is an investment in your life and business because they keep you accountable to the results you really want to create.

            Tip #4 Revisit the dream

Look at all you have done in setting up and operating your business.  Pop-open the champagne and really celebrate what you’ve achieved.  Be grateful for your success to date and focus on what is going well.  Then take time out of your business to look at what is not working so well and what needs tweaking to get back on track.

            Tip #5 Clean up the clutter and create space

It is very usual for women business owners to wear all the hats.  When we start businesses we are often CEO of everything. Some tasks plague us constantly.  These are the areas where you need help.  Notice the constant stressors, get the support you need, de-clutter and create space to do what you are really good at and enjoy.

You can have your beautiful business dreams and more.  If you find that you are off track and not getting the results you want follow these practical steps and take consistent action to get back on track.  The secret to business success that I see time and again is to find this good-feeling space and get in the flow.  When you are in this abundant zone, you can’t fail to create the business and life you really want.

Tina Kennedy specialises in helping busy women to create the lives they really want to be living. If you are feeling stressed and are not happy with the results in your life call Tina for a FREE consultation.  She helps women like you create more happiness, greater balance and success in life and business.  tina@raisingdelight.com 0211907979

www.raisingdelight.com

The Missing Ingredient In Your Business Plan

By Tina Kennedy Life Design + Mindset Coach at Raising Delight

When you first decided to open your own business I’m sure you dreamed of financial freedom and plentiful eager paying customer and clients wanting to buy your products and services.  I’m sure your business vision and goals were beautiful, rewarding and inspiring.

Most savvy women go into business imagining more flexibility over their time, lots of fun doing what they are passionate about and making a wonderful profit.  Sadly this dream is often not their reality.

In my coaching practice, I see many women business owners frazzled and on the verge of meltdown and often doubting themselves, their talents and abilities.  These negative feelings migrate into their personal lives too and often their relationship with their body and loved ones is affected too.  The frequency of this pattern has encouraged me to write this article to show you how to turn around this situation. 

I know you didn’t go into business to be poor and struggling.  So are you making plentiful money in your business? Do you have an abundance of leads that consistently covert to paying clients and customers?   Are you being well paid for the hours you are working each week?  I hope you are but for many women in business the reality are stress, fatigue, over working, underpaid and financial anxiety.

So why is that beautiful business and life vision so far away from what has become their reality?  What is missing?

Success Starts With You

The pattern I’m noticing is that women see their own well-being and happiness separate from their business.  But what you must realise is that as sole entrepreneurs or small business owners your wellbeing IS your business.

Your wellbeing is the essential yet often missing ingredient in every business plan.  Wellbeing or your self-care is all-too-often a non-event. When I suggest to my clients to start integrating acts of self-care back into their daily lives they initially think it’s impossible or irrelevant to their success.  For example, when I suggest two massages a week for a client who is burnt out she feels this is too indulgent.  Zero self-care is sadly the normative.

Your businesses, relationships, parenting, friendships, and the relationship with your body all suffer when you are not feeling happy and well cared for.

It’s no wonder that so many start up’s fail.  It’s not just undercapitalisation that results in business failure, its most often fatigue and burn out.  Failure to include you in your business planning is planning to fail.

Your balance and wellbeing must be included in your short term and long term business plans. Before you open up for business each day, turn on your laptop or open your diary every businesswoman must make sure she’s in really good shape to be opening the doors to clients and customers.

You Are What You Think… And So Is Your Business

When you are not in that place of wellbeing, there are no good thoughts going on. Your thoughts make a difference because your entire life is actually shaped by your thoughts.  Negative, limited, self doubting, “not good enough” thinking result in less than positive results.

When you embed your wellbeing in your business you are more able to get into an inspired and productive place and this is where you can think more abundant thoughts and make real profits. It’s simply about knowing what makes you feel happy, connected, relaxed and “in the zone” and making this your daily practice.

For me my daily practice starts early with a glass of clarifying lemon water and time in my garden or walking on the beach.  This time and space helps me clear my head and get into a productive zone where all problems are seen as opportunities for growth and where my best work and inspiration comes from.    For some of my clients it’s about going out dancing or having coffee with friends, doing tai chi or yoga.  For others it’s reading a book, getting a regular massage or starting the day with a delicious green juice or herbal tea.

When was the last time you read a beautiful, non- business related book for relaxation?  How long has it been since you last caught up with a gorgeous girlfriend and laughed for hours?  When did you last have a completely switched off business holiday?

Sometimes it has been so long that we can’t even remember how long we have been neglecting our happiness and well-being.

This Stuff Works

I’ve seen first-hand how women have turned around their businesses just by transforming self-neglect into self-care.

Karen* started her business twelve months ago.  When we first started working together, she was struggling to get new customers.  Her relationship was suffering and she was at rock bottom financially.  She had put everything on the line to create her dream business.  Early on in the coaching relationship, Karen realised she had been working excessive hours and was seriously fatigued.  There was very little differentiation between business and her personal life. She was not in a good space to be running a business, let alone greeting staff and customers each day.

Karen started having weekly massages, fortnightly facials, and had coaching sessions with me every week.  She also started making time to spend time with her girlfriends and but clear boundaries around work and family time.

When she started to factor herself back in we really quickly noticed positive results.  Her business has almost reached capacity, she is working fewer hours and profit margins are steadily improving.  The difference has been massive for her.  She realised that a self-care approach created a positive mindset and renewed belief in herself.  From this place she took inspired action in her business and has started to create the life she really wants to be living.

Read the SUCCESS STRATEGIES HERE >>

You can have your beautiful business dreams and more.  If you find that you are off track and not getting the results you want follow these practical steps and take consistent action to get back on track.  The secret to business success that I see time and again is to find this good-feeling space and get in the flow.  When you are in this abundant zone, you can’t fail to create the business and life you really want.

Tina Kennedy specialises in helping busy women to create the lives they really want to be living. If you are feeling stressed and are not happy with the results in your life call Tina for a FREE consultation.  She helps women like you create more happiness, greater balance and success in life and business.  tina@raisingdelight.com 0211907979

www.raisingdelight.com

My mentor, Janice Smith, always says if you are tired you are lacking either B vitamins, oxygen (iron delivers this to the cells) or food.  Funnily enough in my experience the missing factor is often food. We just don’t fuel our bodies sufficiently in the morning to sustain us throughout the day. Your grandmother was right, you do need a good hearty breakfast, a healthy mid morning snack and lunch before 1pm. The other advantage of this is that you won’t get those 3pm munchies because your blood sugar levels will be more stable.

Try this breakfast to boost energy, give you a good source of B vitamins and supply all those anti-aging nutrients you need for beautiful skin as well.

Bestow Goodness Muesli

Quantities per person:-

• 1 heaped tablespoon raisins or sultanas
• 2 level tablespoons rolled jumbo oats
• 2 Brazil nuts, Almonds and/or walnuts (optional)
• Pumpkin, sunflower and/or sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon of Bestow Beauty Oil mixed with- 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened yoghurt
• 1 large apple
• 1/2 banana
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
• 1 pinch cinnamon (optional)

Soak rolled oats, raisins, nuts, seeds & water overnight. You can turn this into a warming porridge by adding more water and heating it for 5 minutes on the stove. Add grated or chopped apple and chopped banana. Add all other ingredients, mix together and enjoy. Note: Other seasonal fruit can be used if desired.  Organic produce is preferred but not essential.

Sprinkle over your breakfast a mix of Brewer’s yeast, oat bran and lecithin. About a teaspoon should do. Or to make things easy, some Bestow Be Cleansed or Beauty Powder.

Give it a try and feel the difference.

JANINE TAIT
Director
www.bestowbeauty.co.nz

One Waikato woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every working day, that’s 250-300 women per year.

There are over 2,900 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in New Zealand each year.

The Waikato Breast Cancer Trust enables research and education into breast cancer diagnosis, prevention and treatment.  The Trust is running or has completed more than 30 different studies/clinical trials. As well as being involved in clinical trials and research studies the Trust administers the Waikato Breast Cancer Register.  This register aims to provide essential health information that will lead to a better understanding of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and outcome.  We aim to compare our performance against New Zealand and International best practice with a view to providing better services to Waikato and New Zealand women.

How can Venus Network help Waikato Breast Cancer Trust?

As a not for profit organisation we rely on grants, sponsorship, fundraisers and donations to carry out our essential activities.  Venus and it member’s will be a huge help in increasing our networks to ensure we are able to continue with our valuable research.

CONTACT: Sharon Tribe
PHONE: 07 839 8726 ext 97845
WEBSITE: www.wbct.org.nz