passion squared getting to no header

Getting to No

October 24, 2015Nina KovnerGROW

Focusing is about saying no.  -Steve Jobs

 

As I observe small businesses and what makes one stand out from the other, I find myself almost always going back to a concept I learned long ago from one of my greatest biz mentors and all around awesome humans Luke Jacobellis.

So much of how we ultimately create awesome in business is about the daily decisions we make. What we say yes to, what we say no to. It has to do with focus, strategy, discipline, courage and clarity. The term that Luke taught me that is forever ingrained in my mind is “creeping elegance”. Now you may be thinking, what the heck does that mean? Well, let me explain.

Example #1
You Gotta Be Everywhere
Someone in your business, maybe even you, was told it’s important to be on every social platform. So you go ahead and just start running, spending time, money and energy, creating content, claiming your platforms, trying to get buy-in from the team, etc, etc. A few months down the road, you notice that you are spending more time and money than you intended, with little to no results. In fact, you may have already abandoned the platforms. What happened? Well, instead of saying no to some and yes to others, instead of sitting back and building a plan, instead of determining which platforms fit best with your strategy, you just dove in and said yes to everything.

Example #2
If It Worked For Me, It Will Work For You
Another small business owner calls you up and tells you you must try this marketing program that worked awesome for them. You get all excited and dive right in, spending time, money and energy to try and make it work for you. A few months down the road, the program is not getting the results you want, and is abandoned, just like the social platforms example.

Example #3
We Must Have Balloons
You decide it’s time to re-invent your service menu. A few others on the team suggest that you not only do menus, but that you also do brochures, cards, signs, pins and balloons (trying to make a point here with the balloons). You get busy, and excited, and next thing you know, you spend a gazillion dollars and blow through a million trees, all the while all you really wanted was a new menu and in fact, that was all you needed.

Example #4
I Cannot Live Without This Product
You get pitched a new product line to carry or use in your business. You love it, it fits with your brand and strategy, so you say yes. A few months later, you get pitched another one, or a team member gets all excited about something and instead of having the hard discussion of saying no, you say yes. Then another, then another. A few months down the road, you wake up to excess inventory, a multitude of vendors, money tied up and wonder, how did this happen?

These are just a few examples of “creeping elegance”. We all get so “busy” that we say yes instead of no. But what we do not realize at the time is that the yes we are saying turns into possibly months of time, money and energy wasted that could have been put towards systems, products, services and programs that fit the strategy and get results.

Yes I know, it’s tough to slow down and make mindful decisions, but that is part of what we signed up for when we chose to own a business. If you have a strategy, which is a gotta do for being awesome in business, it becomes easier to say no as well as yes. Getting to no may be one of the best things you can do for your sanity, your bank account, your team, your customers and your business. Give it a try.

Example #5
You Can’t Miss This
This is probably one of the most important ones for those who find themselves pulled in a gazillion directions and feeling burned out more often than you would like. We all know FOMO (fear of missing out), well let me introduce you to JOMO (joy of missing out). You see, there is no possible way we can be “everywhere” if we are going to keep our sanity. And as leaders and small biz owners, we must do our best to stay present, grounded, and yes, sane. When we are clear on our purpose, promise, and strategy, we begin to learn that while that event or that program or that party sounds like a ton of fun, I am going to pass this time. Read that, and let it sink in. I AM GOING TO PASS THIS TIME. Try it. And just feel your shoulders drop.

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

(this post was originally written in December 2013, had been updated and still rings true for so many)

I Am An Artist Too header

I Am An Artist Too

April 13, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW, MY TRUTH

Value is more expensive than price.  -Toba Beta

 

Working in a creative industry such as beauty, there is an ongoing dialogue that never seems to end about not working for “free”, of value, of price, and with that, I continue to see so much misunderstanding of both value and price.

And while I have written on this topic often, here is my latest take on understanding value, price and worth. Because it’s not about getting paid, this is about delivering insane value. There is a BIG difference. Revenue is the result of a job well done.

In our hyper connected and social world, we have an opportunity to do a ton of important and valuable stuff, “for free”. We can write blogs, create videos, share tips, send newsletters with lots of cool info, answer questions on social platforms, do LIVE chats, etc. All super awesome, highly valuable stuff, we do for “free” aka not getting paid.

If we are just starting out, and nobody knows who the heck we are or what value we bring to the table, there are several strategic decisions we can make about working for “free”. Remember, these are strategic decisions and also an investment in building relationships, community, value and potentially a ton of traffic, online and off. Just think, every time you post a blog, hair tip, step by step or formula, that is working for “free”.

If people keep asking you to work for free or discount your prices, instead of getting mad at the people, you may want to consider the following…

1. You are connecting with the wrong people. And this means your marketing plan is off or you simply don’t yet understand or have not clearly defined your target market.
2. You have not effectively communicated your value.
3. You have not set healthy boundaries, people will push, it’s your job to push back, with love of course.
4. You are not comfortable with having courageous conversations.
5. You do not see your worth.
6. Your work is not as awesome as you think it is.

If you set your price, and people won’t pay it, all of the above statements may be true, plus one very important thing; you could be overpriced. I know, a little blow to the ego, but its possible. Pricing is both an art and a science. As I shared here and here and here, if you care to learn more, for “free”.

Lastly, for an industry that screams about not working for free, at least 1 time per day, usually more, those same people ask me to work for free. And the awesome news is, I do have a ton of content available to those people, which is free*.

This weekly blog, The Weekly Dose of Awesome newsletter, my #QandAwesome show, Awesome A Day morning text messages & Wednesday Wisdom LIVE Chats, my daily posts on social platforms, all of it, is 100% available to anyone who chooses to consume it.
*If I was to charge for all of those things I choose to do to create value for my community, it would be thousands of dollars each month. Yes, thousands!

What I sell is experience, knowledge, context + results. I create stuff of value. I am an artist. Just like you. So when you call, text or email me and want to pick my brain about your brand strategy, ideas, team challenges, social platforms, website, problem client, or whatever, you are asking me to work for free. Hmmmmm.

I pay for all my professional services. Why? I respect the businesses & artists who provide them. My haircuts, colors, waxing, facials, nails, graphic designer, web programmer, accountant, #teamawesome at Passion Squared. And I pay with joy, love + gratitude for having fellow artists and humans in my life that know way more than I do about their area of focus & experience.

So next time you text, call or email me asking for help, be prepared to get an invoice…created and sent with love, gratitude and respect. And in turn, I will always pay for my haircut.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Objectives Outcomes

Objectives + Outcomes

January 26, 2015Nina KovnerGROW

“Every journey begins with the first step of articulating the intention, and then becoming the intention.”  Bryant McGill

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you for listening.

Each day, I find myself asking two questions with my one on one clients and A School Group and felt compelled to share them;

  • What is your objective?

  • What outcome are you seeking?

Let’s begin with the first question.
If you ask me about a strategy or tactic for your business, and I am not clear on your objectives, then I cannot answer your question until I know your objective. Otherwise, I am giving you the wrong answer; it’s simply a guess. And does you no service.

Example:
Your Q.
Nina, should I be spending more time on Facebook, Email, YELP or Instagram?

My A.
I don’t know. What is your objective?

Your A.
My objective is to increase word of mouth and referrals, and I have 2 new stylists who need to get their hands busy. I have very limited resources and I do not yet understand how to engage effectively on social platforms.

My A.
My answer is YELP. This platform is proven, if used effectively, to generate more immediate referrals than any other platform for a service business. That is only if the business is delivering an awesome experience of course.

See how this works? If I simply answered after the first question, I would send you off into the abyss of wheel spinning and most likely you would not get any significant results. If you don’t know why you are doing something, how can anyone really coach you?

Now lets move to the second question.
If you ask me about a program, a challenge, and shift in strategy, a discussion you need to have with a business partner, team member or client, and ask my thoughts on your approach, dialogue, plan, I will most likely respond with… What outcome are you seeking? Again, any answer would most likely not mean anything, as our intentions are the power behind our tactics.

Example:
Your Q.
Nina, I am in a very sticky situation with a client, they said XYZ, what should I do?

My A.
What outcome are you seeking?

Your A.
I would like them to understand the situation and I would like to keep them as a client.

My A.
Ah, OK, here is how I would approach that.

You see, the outcome you are seeking matters. If you want to retain a client, getting into a shouting match of he said she said makes no sense. It’s just hurtful. When in reality, you simply want to communicate the issue, and create resolution.

Outcome matters. It can completely change how we approach situations, decisions, communications and relationships.

Objectives and outcomes. Start there.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

PS: A School, my group-coaching program, is designed to empower you, your business, and your life. A School helps keep you on a track to creating awesome. Click here to see if  A School is a good fit for you.

The Business Down The Street

The Business Down The Street

October 27, 2014Nina KovnerGROW

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Theodore Roosevelt

The Business Down The Street

 (image via @jacksonk10 on Instagram)

 Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

As Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It can be a thief in business too.

On Saturday, I posted the above image to Instagram with the following message…
“Often when working with small businesses I hear something like this… Well the business down the street is charging this or promoting this or… should I do that? Awesome businesses are created when you define your own purpose, promise, target market, set clear objectives, create a bad ass strategy and execute like a mother … Focus on creating your own kind of awesome.”

It was one of my more liked posts. But this topic requires more time and explanation than an Instagram post. So here goes…

Yes, studying success and awesomeness is important. Learning from the greats, the ones who have consistently shown growth and profitability, the ability to create a strong culture, etc. Having an in-depth knowledge of those who have successfully gone before you, yes, all of that is awesome and important.

However, when we are comparing our business to the one “down the street”, this is where I have issues…

  1. Do you know their business model?

  2. Do you know their strategy & target market?

  3. Do you know their plan?

  4. Do you know their sales?

  5. Do you know their profitability?

  6. Do you know their cost of sales?

  7. Do you know how they are funded?

  8. Do you know how long they will be in business?

  9. Do you know if their clients are happy?

  10. Do you know if their team is happy?

My guess is NO. You do not know. Therefore, how can we even begin to compare our business to theirs? What if we decided to follow a pricing strategy of a competitor that was headed down a road of putting them out of business? Or a promotional program that depleted all cash flow and pissed off clients and team members? OMG, can you imagine?

Before you look around one more time to see what others are doing, take that time to look within. Your own objectives, your plan, your strategy, your P & L, your business model. Start there.

Focus on creating your own kind of awesome. And connect with and learn from people who not only own businesses but grow businesses, for reals.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Value vs. Price

Is Price Really The Issue?

May 5, 2014Nina KovnerGROW

“Value is more expensive than price.” Toba Beta

One of the core principles of marketing is price; it is also one of the most misunderstood elements of creating an awesome business. Price can be determined by many things… cost of goods, overhead, brand positioning, product or service type, strategy, business model, and more.

But what I want to focus on today is value. Value and price are not the same, and I agree a gazillion percent with the above quote. Value is actually more expensive than price. What does that mean?

In my experience, it means the amount of value you bring to your service experience is what ultimately matters, and delivering meaningful and relevant value consistently is not easy.

Do you know what your clients value? Really know? If you don’t, it’s time to find out. If you solely compete and do business on price, be careful, as you become a very vulnerable business, in fact, you will become a commodity. (Defined by Webster’s: a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (as brand name) other than price) Ouch!

A haircut, a Pilates class, an ice tea, anyone can get those anywhere, anytime. You have to give me a reason to want your haircut, take your class or purchase your ice tea.

My colorist Lucie Doughty at AT Tramp delivers value far beyond the price. She is kind, attentive, focused 100% on me, and delivers quality consistently. That is what I value. The same with my hair cutter Carlos Ramos, aka Sugar Skulls, in fact, I get my haircut almost weekly, so clearly I love my experience.

My Pilates studio, Whole Body Method is calm, friendly, focused and really cares about my well being. That is what I value.

My Starbucks, and now my Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf next door to the Passion Squared Loft consistently deliver a smile, a happy greeting, and pay attention to what I love, TONS of ice. That is what I value.

What do your clients value and are you delivering it consistently. Those are the questions I want you to focus on this week. When there is true value being delivered consistently, price no longer is the issue.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

PS: If price really is the issue, and you are in the volume, discount business, that is a strategy too. The key is knowing what business you are in. And always be mindful, some other business is always going to offer a lower price.