Heather's Sunday Newsletter

Hello and Happy Sunday!
I hope you are enjoying a restful restorative weekend.

A Rainy Sunday

I am drinking Earl grey today and watching the rain through my window. The forest has taken a bit of a beating in the past few weeks and there are many trees down.

Nature is definitely letting loose here!

It's good to be warm and safe. I am taking a moment to appreciate that and to appreciate you for reading my weekly ramblings.

What are you drinking? What are you appreciative for?

Events for 2024

I have been taking the opportunity to do some planning and working out which events I would like to attend this year (and maybe which countries I would like to visit - somewhere warm and sunny please!).

One of the business events I’m most excited about this year is ATOMICON, and all this week Andrew and Pete (the organisers), have 48% off tickets if you get yours before Friday… and an even bigger discount if you purchase with a friend.

If you haven’t heard of ATOMICON…it’s one of Europe’s largest Small Business Growth Conferences, taking place right here in the UK.

Every year they have a fantastic line-up but this year they’ve outdone themselves (Davina McCall is headlining, and that’s just scratching the surface). Check it out here: ( http://www.atomic.site/atomicon/?aap=237 ) and grab your discount.

If you want to:

• Discover what’s working right now when it comes to sales and marketing
• Hear from fantastic speakers from all over the world
• Network with like-minded individuals, all eager to grow

… then honestly – ATOMICON is for you. You’ll not find an event like it in the UK!

And it's 'up north' in Newcastle, a huge plus point for me!

See you there?

Sabotaging Self-care

Self-care is just so important right now.

I have been noticing the guilty thoughts and feelings I have when I do something fun and that's just for me. While I know how important it is to stay healthy, positive and happy, those feelings and unconscious beliefs can get in the way of my enjoying my time to myself.

If we have trained ourselves to push and push and only feel worthy when we think we are achieving or doing, then that can be a major contributor of self sabotage when it comes to not achieving our results.

Self-sabotage is one of the areas I received feedback on from t e survey I sent out last Friday. Thank you to all those who sent me back your answers and feedback.

Let's start there...

Tackle Self-sabotage

The term sabotage means to deliberately damage, block, or impair something so that it doesn’t work as intended. Even though we rarely block ourselves deliberately from getting what we want, we still might do or say things to get in our own way. To others, it can even seem deliberate.

Self-sabotage is when people do (or don’t do) things that block their success or prevent them from accomplishing their goals. It can happen consciously or unconsciously. Self-sabotaging behaviors can affect our personal and professional success, as well as our mental health.

Here's a great article from BetterUp all about Self-sabotage and steps to begin to overcome it.
https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-stop-self-sabotaging

Newsletter News

As of next week I will be placing the bulk of the Newsletter on my website so this email will be a much shorter read.

Also, as we head into the further chaos around the world, I will be including more tips for mental health and happiness, as well as how to build resilience and cultivate new ideas and solutions for life, business and community.

A new format, deep dive articles and guest posts - I am stepping up with the content for 2024.So look out for that!

New Month Zoom Workshop - Awakened Wednesday - 7 pm (UK London - 2 pm EST)

Wednesday 7th Feb 2024, sees the launch of a new format of webinar. I am putting the office hours on hold for a while as I share the Awakened Entrepreneur content and the opportunity to reclaim our businesses and citizenship in a way that creates a world we want to live in.

This week I share an Intro to the Awakened Entrepreneur, Awakened Businesses and communities. Join me for an exploration of possibility and opportunity.

You can register for the Free call here:
Awakened Wednesday Zoom Call

Podcast Update - Choosinghappypodcast.com

You can check the most recent episode (Episode 56 - all about the Happiness Audit – part 2) on your favourite podcast app or on the website at www.choosinghappypodcast.com after 10 am tomorrow (5th Feb).

This Weeks Business Boost!

SWOT AUDIT
Awareness is one of the major tools in your toolbox for overcoming self-sabotage, in business and in life.

I have taken time out to watch a couple of episodes of ‘Undercover Boss’ this week and it reminded me how valuable it is to be aware of what’s going on for ourselves and for our business. Is it time to take a quick assessment?

Analyse Your SWOT!

How is your business doing? No, how is it really doing? Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily routines of our business that we don’t stop to assess how we’re really doing. For instance:

•  What is currently working well and what is not?
•  Why is one thing working well and another is not?
•  What are you looking to change this year?
•  To what extent do you know that change will be good?
•  How do you know it won’t bomb?

And there are a host of other questions that come to mind.

In the 60s, four business gurus got together and published a book called Business Policy, Text and Cases. While the title doesn’t necessarily grab, these guys introduced a concept to the business community that does grab us.

The concept is called the SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Conducting a SWOT analysis can revolutionize your business.

There are a number of reasons for conducting a SWOT analysis of your business:

•  If you’re just starting a business
•  If you’re launching something new or branching into a new market
•  As an annual checkup
•  When business has hit a downturn and you’re not sure why
•  If you simply want to improve your business
•  Making any major business decision
•  To generate new products and services

The first two elements of a SWOT analysis, strengths and weaknesses, are internal. Those represent who you are. The last two elements, opportunities and threats, are external to your business.

Think of each pair as juxtaposing each other. For this reason, it’s a good idea to list each pair in two columns: contrasting your strengths with your weaknesses in two columns. And then contrasting your opportunities with their respective threats.

A SWOT analysis follows the basic rules of brainstorming in that anything goes, and you want to generate as many ideas as possible. For this reason, it’s always beneficial to conduct a SWOT analysis as a team. Capture your ideas by writing them down on a whiteboard, flipchart, or laptop and project them for all to see on a screen.

Below are some questions you can pose in brainstorming these four elements.

Strengths

As you brainstorm your strengths, think not only in terms of your business, but also include the personal strengths of your team.

•  What does your business do really well?
•  What do your customers like best about doing business with you?
•  What do your customers like best about your products and services?
•  What strengths do you have that set you apart from other similar businesses?
•  To what extent are you currently leveraging your chief strengths?
•  What strengths do you have that your business has ignored or downplayed?
•  What latent strengths do you possess that you could develop?
•  What strengths do you think you have but that others challenge?
•  What would you say your greatest strength is as a business?
•  Think of your most successful products or services. How well do those products and services exploit your greatest strength?
•  What other questions can you ask?

Once you’ve exhausted your brainstorming session on strengths, consider your weaknesses.

Weaknesses

Be honest and transparent about these. You won’t be helping yourself by inflating your strengths or minimizing your weaknesses.

•  What are some areas where your business does not do so well?
•  What do your customers like least about doing business with you?
•  What do they like least about your products and services?
•  What weaknesses do you have that make you vulnerable to your competition?
•  To what extent do your products and services expose your weaknesses?
•  What weaknesses do you have that you either ignore or downplay in your business?
•  What weaknesses do you have that indicate you should simply avoid that area altogether?
•  What weaknesses do you think you have that others deny seeing in your business?
•  What would you list as your greatest single weakness as a business?
•  To what extent are you trying to run aspects of your business using that weakness?
•  What is your least successful product or service? What’s the connection between those and your weaknesses?
•  What other questions come to mind about your weaknesses?

After you’ve thoroughly discussed your weaknesses, spend a few minutes comparing your strengths with your weaknesses. What do you see? What insights does this comparison provide you with?

Opportunities

Now turn your attention to the external factors affecting your business. Conduct the following discussion much like you did above.

•  Based on your current sales trends, what opportunities appear to present themselves?
•  Considering the market, what other opportunities seem to be lurking out there?
•  What are other businesses doing that reveal an untapped opportunity for you?
•  If your current product or service became obsolete, what new opportunity would you turn to?
•  With your strengths in mind, what opportunities exist that you have not yet explored?
•  With your weaknesses in mind, what opportunities exist that you should probably avoid?
•  What cultural or societal trends are occurring that could open new opportunities for your business? What would those opportunities be?
•  What opportunities have you wanted to explore but haven’t had time to explore?
•  What other opportunities do you see out there?
•  Considering everything else, what is your single greatest opportunity?

Threats

Having completed your discussion on opportunities, look now to those external factors that threaten your business:

•  What is the greatest threat to the continued success of your top-selling product or service?
•  What singular threat out there has you most concerned?
•  What threats does your competition pose to your business?
•  What market trends threaten your business?
•  What cultural or society trends pose a threat to your success?
•  Considering your weaknesses, which threats concern you most?
•  With all else in mind, what do you see as your single greatest threat?

Conclusion

Now bring everything together that you’ve discussed in your SWOT analysis. From each of the four areas, rehearse what you now know about your business.

•  What conclusions does your SWOT analysis bring you to?
•  In what ways did the SWOT analysis help you better understand your business?
•  What decisions does this analysis drive?
•  What’s next?

As you can see, a SWOT analysis gives you a thorough look at your business and can prompt strategic decisions to help your business grow and avoid the pitfalls common to so many failed businesses.

If you would like me to work through a SWOT analysis with you, drop me an email and let's discuss: ([email protected])

A Gift For You - Free Feedback Opportunity

As a thank you for the feedback I have received over the past few weeks I am offering a Free 45 minute strategy call to quickly address any problems you might be having in your business. We may not get the chance to go to deep, yet who knows, we could resolve the issue or at least get you started in the right direction.

You can schedule a strategy call by clicking here:
Facilitating Magic - Business Strategy Free Session

We can have an informal chat to explore and to answer your questions.

Let’s explore getting more clients and clearing any obstacles to growth this quarter.

That's it for this week!

Details of current ways to work with me are below.

And always remember, if you fancy a coffee and a chat, I am only an email away.

Wishing you a week blessed with prosperity, good health, grace and ease!

May love, peace and healing surround you. May your families and friends be safe in these times.

Wishing you community, companionship, connection and collaboration in your life and business.

To your happiness and prosperity,

Heather

Heather V Masters

Chief Coach, Trainer and Facilitator of Magic

Taking Your Business Online and Choosing Happy Podcast

Email: [email protected]

P.S. If you are interested in copywriting services and creating a portfolio for your business drop me a line and we can arrange to chat.

New 1-1 coaching Package- It's here!

Finally, It’s Your Turn to Experience Magic Business Growth

When you enrol in the Facilitating Magic Business Growth Coaching program today, you’ll get the key to unlocking your full potential and achieving extraordinary success in your business.

✅ Master the art of business growth and expansion
✅ Release limiting beliefs and blocks that are holding you back
✅ Harness the power of mindset and intuition for unstoppable success
✅ Build resilience and leadership skills to navigate any challenge
✅ Create a business that thrives independently from traditional financial systems

It all comes as part of this comprehensive six-month coaching program. You'll receive personalized 1-1 coaching sessions, along with access to a supporting video series that will provide additional guidance and insights. With a total value of £15,000, this program is designed to help you achieve extraordinary results and take your business to new heights. Don't miss out on this opportunity for transformational growth. Email me today to find out more!

Over the course of six months, you'll receive personalized 1-1 coaching aimed at unlocking your business's full potential. We'll work together to release blocks, develop a growth mindset, tap into intuition, and build resilience and leadership skills. Our goal is to help you create a business that thrives independently of traditional financial systems and centralised control.

If you would like to know more, drop me an email and Iet's get your questions answered.
Email: [email protected]