Small Business Marketing Assessment: Is Your Marketing Time Sacred?

You've heard it before, right?

How you're supposed to work on your business instead of in your business? Sounds good, but how on earth do you make that happen when you're already stretched thin trying to get everything done in your day?

Carving out time to consistently work on your woman-owned business is actually quite simple if, instead of trying to "fit it all in", you shift your outlook about this important time.

Trying to "fit it all in" is a left-brained, logical way of looking at your time. It's a distinctly masculine viewpoint of time, which works great when you need to powerhouse your way through a project. But, it does not work as well when you find yourself butting up against the competing needs of clients, family, exercise, down time and other priorities.

Here are four tips for turning your marketing strategy time into sacred time so you can accomplish what matters most, even on your busiest days:

Small Business Marketing Tip #1: Create a ritual of beginning and completing your marketing tasks.
Days that seem to run together are missing the important ritual of beginning and completing, a ritual that actually helps you feel like time is slowing down. So instead of letting your marketing tasks bleed through to everything else, create your own personal ritual that signals the start of your marketing for the day. One of my favorite rituals is to close out my email program, unplug the telephone and pull out my marketing to-do list. When finished, I just reverse my steps for a satisfying feeling of completion.

Small Business Marketing Tip #2: Clear space on your desk, even if just for ten minutes.
If your desk is normally piled with papers and sticky notes, try moving everything off to one side so you have a nice, clean welcoming work space. You'll be surprised at how much more creative you are with your marketing plans when you (literally!) make space for them!

Small Business Marketing Tip #3: Keep it pretty.
Who says marketing has to be unattractive?! I use pretty marking pens, colorful folders, pretty paper clips and sticky notes with inspiring messages printed on them to keep my marketing ideas and projects organized and fun. Making what we do a visual treat is an important part of creating a feeling of the sacred.

Small Business Marketing Tip #4: Don't let the needs of others trample your sacred time.
Sacred time inspires feelings of abundance, importance and quiet. Think of it this way: you wouldn't play loud rock music in the middle of a sanctuary, would you? Of course not. So it makes sense that you wouldn't let other people interrupt your sacred marketing strategy time either.

By thinking of your marketing strategy time as sacred time you'll find it simple and easy to honor working on your business, so that your woman-owned business grows and thrives into the true expression of your Soul's Divine Mission™ that it's meant to be!

Would you like to learn more transformational marketing ideas that will help entrepreneurs quickly move away from "dollars-for-hours work" and create more money, time, and freedom in their businesses? Check out my web site, www.kendallsummerhawk.com, for free articles, free resources and to sign up for my free audio mini-seminar "7 Quick and Simple Tips to Brand, Package and Price Your Services for More Money, Time and Freedom in Your Business."
 
Award-winning small business expert Kendall SummerHawk is the "Horse Whisperer for Business."

Article submitted Friday, July 18, 2008
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