Another day which I spent with my mother looking at flowers for our backyard while the whole time I was thinking of what else I could be working on for Therapy in Transition. I need to email Kelli, I need to email Laura, I need to contact Sandy ... I need ... I need ... I need ... I need to just enjoy my time with my mother! So I did. I let go of the list of a 1000 things which could be occupying my time and mind and just focused on trees, shrubs, petunias, and hostas. It was wonderful.
Now that I am home and the plants are now waiting until the rain stops so I can go outside to plant them - I am now getting to the mental list of the to dos. I am excited as we decided to let Kelli know she is the one we are going to be working with regarding the establishing our identity.
My father was going to put the doors on the practicum room while here but now that he is able to 'see' the space he feels to make it look right and add value to our home I should go with a customized door builder/installer. So now my to do list has just gotten longer and this becomes a higher priority than original thought. The reason as it comes back to what I discussed earlier ... location. In order to have clients come to my home I need a space which not only offers them a safe space but also the privacy and confidentiality that they and I both deserve. It also will allow my husband/family to continue their lives with minimal interruption.
Another item which has just been added is adding a second line to our phone - one which is dedicated to the business so the rest of my family and household do not have to worry about answering it and I do not have to worry about a client calling for the first time hearing - 'Hey' when they call instead of 'Therapy in Transition, Karen speaking'.
As well this morning the company which I have been consulting with for the last three years has now opened the discussion of a more permanent position with them and asked for me to think about what position I would like to hold. So for the next three days I am trying to put together how my life is going to look if I accept this new permanent position and if I am able to continue the balancing act or if I ultimately need to cut myself loose from it. Ironically my husband just accepted a new position at a new company which alleviates the need for me to really bring in any income while I get Therapy in Transition up and running fully.
So figuring out which pieces of my life's puzzle fit on which side of the balance and how they positively or negatively affect my over all goal truly begins. What fun!
So off to my emails ... off to try and find a door guy ... off to return phone calls ...
Thanks for reading. Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Policies ... A necessary evil
Last week I spent a good portion of two days thinking about what types of policies we need to have in place. When you are starting your own business the last thought you like to have about your new customers is how they are going to screw you. I always like to have my focus on the glass is half full but in reality there are always those customers who fail to live up to your expectations by not showing up for appointments or writing you a check which just happens to clear the day before their paycheck is available to them.
After reading and reviewing I'm not sure how many different organization's policies; I finished writing what I feel are the four main policies to have in place in any sized business. These policies are not to turn off customers but to communicate your level of seriousness and what they in turn can expect if or when they might consciously or subconsciously consider writing a bad check or canceling appointments.
The four policies which I wrote and we've agreed to implement are of course the Non-Sufficient Funds policy - this tells the customer/client that if they do write a bad check what they can expect to be charged by me to cover my costs and what would be the consequences (no more checks accepted); the second one was our Privacy Policy - this one reassures our clients that their identity and personal information will not be shared with anyone outside of our own organization; the third was our Cancellation Policy - this policy states what we expect regarding timing of canceling appointments or rescheduling them. We know life happens and therefore schedules needs to be adjusted accordingly but this policy also allows for equal respect to be given between both us and our clients regarding in the value of both our times; and the fourth policy was Payments, Tips, and Refunds Policy. We know you can not please everyone and to communicate a touchy subject such as tipping in a non-objectionable way is certainly appreciated.
Now that I have these primary policies written and basically implemented I will be sending out a formal introduction to our current clients with this information. Getting ready to launch a new company has certain prerequisites which can not be over looked. The policies is one, creating a recognizable identity is another, and the third which is on my plate for this week is creating the actual work/session space in which to meet clients. This step is again a critical one to consider all possibilities available or not available to you. My situation is I am establishing the company to be ran out of our home - which means I need to balance the privacy of my clients and the privacy of my family members equally. We have the space but now it is actually figuring out how to best install doors/curtains etc to offer the available space the best for both needing privacy. Good thing my parents are here - building and reconstructing spaces is one of their favorite pass times.
Well I guess I better get back to staring at the entry way to figure out what types of doors and furnishings I need to bargain hunt for. Just a few weeks and my clients will be pouring in.
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
After reading and reviewing I'm not sure how many different organization's policies; I finished writing what I feel are the four main policies to have in place in any sized business. These policies are not to turn off customers but to communicate your level of seriousness and what they in turn can expect if or when they might consciously or subconsciously consider writing a bad check or canceling appointments.
The four policies which I wrote and we've agreed to implement are of course the Non-Sufficient Funds policy - this tells the customer/client that if they do write a bad check what they can expect to be charged by me to cover my costs and what would be the consequences (no more checks accepted); the second one was our Privacy Policy - this one reassures our clients that their identity and personal information will not be shared with anyone outside of our own organization; the third was our Cancellation Policy - this policy states what we expect regarding timing of canceling appointments or rescheduling them. We know life happens and therefore schedules needs to be adjusted accordingly but this policy also allows for equal respect to be given between both us and our clients regarding in the value of both our times; and the fourth policy was Payments, Tips, and Refunds Policy. We know you can not please everyone and to communicate a touchy subject such as tipping in a non-objectionable way is certainly appreciated.
Now that I have these primary policies written and basically implemented I will be sending out a formal introduction to our current clients with this information. Getting ready to launch a new company has certain prerequisites which can not be over looked. The policies is one, creating a recognizable identity is another, and the third which is on my plate for this week is creating the actual work/session space in which to meet clients. This step is again a critical one to consider all possibilities available or not available to you. My situation is I am establishing the company to be ran out of our home - which means I need to balance the privacy of my clients and the privacy of my family members equally. We have the space but now it is actually figuring out how to best install doors/curtains etc to offer the available space the best for both needing privacy. Good thing my parents are here - building and reconstructing spaces is one of their favorite pass times.
Well I guess I better get back to staring at the entry way to figure out what types of doors and furnishings I need to bargain hunt for. Just a few weeks and my clients will be pouring in.
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
Friday, June 22, 2007
Parents Arriving and Other Thoughts
Today my parents arrive from Spaniard's Bay Newfoundland Canada; they were suppose to arrive last night but they were delayed due to fog. A little dissappointed? Yes but I would rather they arrive safely than not at all.
Starting your own business can be extremely stressful. There are many decisions to make and in most cases with limited funds. I have been a management consultant for the last four years and as a result I do have an income already. These funds are obviously useful to pay ongoing bills but it is enough to allow me to have a little extra for starting this company.
We decided one of the most important elements to inject some of our hard earned savings into is the logo - you know - the icon which gets burned into consumers minds so they instantly recongize you. Through a resource directory - The NW Women's Directory - I found an amazing young woman - Kelli who is a graphic designer. We hit it off with immediately, she is extremely talented and also very reasonable on my wallet. We are excited about this new partnership and how positively it is going to support our business plan.
Why at this point might some of you ask is the importance of spending a few thousand dollars on such an item? Well it is all about setting yourself apart, making yourself instantly recognizable, establishing yourself only once, and effectively communicating who and what you are. This ladies and gentlemen is called Marketing 101. One of the biggest mistakes a new company can do is to keep changing their 'icon' or their main visual message(s); doing this keeps your consumers confused and in the mind set that your organization is not established. This lends to your target audience (the people you would like to have use your goods/services) to go somewhere else. As you know yourself the last thing you want to do is go into a partnership (the moment you exchange any goods/services with another you enter into a partnership - it is just the length of the partnership which becomes questionable) with another individual/company that is unstable. It is because of this we are choosing to invest, yes it is an investment, into our new company these funds to ensure our message to our audience is clear, concise, consistent, and effective.
Well, I am off to write and establish policies today before my parents arrive ... fun eh?
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
Starting your own business can be extremely stressful. There are many decisions to make and in most cases with limited funds. I have been a management consultant for the last four years and as a result I do have an income already. These funds are obviously useful to pay ongoing bills but it is enough to allow me to have a little extra for starting this company.
We decided one of the most important elements to inject some of our hard earned savings into is the logo - you know - the icon which gets burned into consumers minds so they instantly recongize you. Through a resource directory - The NW Women's Directory - I found an amazing young woman - Kelli who is a graphic designer. We hit it off with immediately, she is extremely talented and also very reasonable on my wallet. We are excited about this new partnership and how positively it is going to support our business plan.
Why at this point might some of you ask is the importance of spending a few thousand dollars on such an item? Well it is all about setting yourself apart, making yourself instantly recognizable, establishing yourself only once, and effectively communicating who and what you are. This ladies and gentlemen is called Marketing 101. One of the biggest mistakes a new company can do is to keep changing their 'icon' or their main visual message(s); doing this keeps your consumers confused and in the mind set that your organization is not established. This lends to your target audience (the people you would like to have use your goods/services) to go somewhere else. As you know yourself the last thing you want to do is go into a partnership (the moment you exchange any goods/services with another you enter into a partnership - it is just the length of the partnership which becomes questionable) with another individual/company that is unstable. It is because of this we are choosing to invest, yes it is an investment, into our new company these funds to ensure our message to our audience is clear, concise, consistent, and effective.
Well, I am off to write and establish policies today before my parents arrive ... fun eh?
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Welcome
Hey ... it is the Summer Solstice today and what a great way to celebrate by starting something new and completely different. I am new to blogging and haven't really thought of myself as a blogger but this morning I was hit with the inspiration to become one. As I was sitting drinking my morning coffee while working on the website of my new company I received this, I guess the best word to describe it is inspiration. Ironically I still have not even read any other blogs to see what people are writing about and discussing but I trust my intuition that starting this blog is something which will be good for all those which are drawn to read, comment, and share.
My intention is to post four or five times a week to share my experiences of starting my own business - Therapy in Transition. Oh I grew up in a family owned business so being in business is not new and I started a non-profit organization called Sponsor a Teacher Program which ironically and surprisingly has been a long time in the making; but this organization my husband and I are starting is really about me embracing my own personal growth experience while truly allowing my passion for helping others to shine through without allowing fear to enter into the race of finding success.
I hope by sharing my experiences of starting my own business that those individuals which read my blog will enjoy it, learn something, and be willing to share it.
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
My intention is to post four or five times a week to share my experiences of starting my own business - Therapy in Transition. Oh I grew up in a family owned business so being in business is not new and I started a non-profit organization called Sponsor a Teacher Program which ironically and surprisingly has been a long time in the making; but this organization my husband and I are starting is really about me embracing my own personal growth experience while truly allowing my passion for helping others to shine through without allowing fear to enter into the race of finding success.
I hope by sharing my experiences of starting my own business that those individuals which read my blog will enjoy it, learn something, and be willing to share it.
Embrace your inner wisdom!
Until next time, I'm in gratitude for all you do.
Karen
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