Last week, in my post about “breaking out,” I urged you to have NO down time.

This caused a flood of e-mails to my inbox challenging the idea. (The purpose of my blog is to start a conversation… mission accomplished!)

The larger point of “no downtime” wasn’t to clutter your schedule with busywork; it was to highlight the tremendous correlation between personal discipline and personal success.

Great things happen when we do things ON PURPOSE and WITH PURPOSE. We’ve all known someone incredibly talented who is surpassed by someone possessing a little more discipline; these people know that unstructured time doesn’t have to equal “down” time.

Of course we need to create mental space and free time to recharge, to access our creative minds, even within the “no downtime” mindset. Personally, I get the best results when I block time out in my schedule and interrupt my normal pattern. Here are my favorite ways to unlock creative potential:

1. Change my medium. I turn off my computer and use pen & paper to sketch out my ideas.
2. Change my start time. Some of my best work lately has come at a coffee shop, 6 AM, with Pearl Jam blasting into my headphones.
3. Change my scenery. Every summer, I spend a month or so on the road with my family. With my laptop I can work from anywhere, and draw a fresh mindset along with my change in surroundings.

In a world where time-wasting and procrastination have never been easier, we all need to figure out our own formulas for optimizing output. Time is our most precious resource!

What are your strategies for making the most of your time? Share in the comments below!

PS – If you’re interested in joining our team, click here to learn more about us and join our Franchise Webinar on May 30 at 4PM.

“I’m ready to break out; to take my career to the next level!” So many people have come to me and made this statement.

Most are ready to quit their jobs altogether and start new ones.

For many, though, the JOB isn’t their biggest problem— their job PERFORMANCE is.

One of my early employers, Mr. Wilson, gave me some advice I still value: “Do more than you are paid to do, and then you will get paid more for what you do.” I’m still a big believer in ‘lifting from where you stand.’ Do your best work daily, despite the circumstances.

Stop waiting for the PERFECT opportunity to try your hardest and deliver your best work.

IGNORE that voice that says, “Why should I do more, when they don’t pay me what I’m already worth?” It’s a trap so many are stuck in!

INVEST in yourself. You may not own the business, but you do own the experience and outcome. Becoming indispensable pays major dividends.

If NOW is your time, I suggest the following steps:

1. No Down Time. If you’re at work 8-10 hours a day, produce 8-10 hours a day. That would give you a competitive advantage over 90% of the workforce.
2. Go Over And Above. Take on a “side project” that the business needs, figure out how to get it done and deliver results.
3. Fail Forward. Breaking out is not easy, and the key is to KEEP TAKING STEPS DAILY. Business, like life, is about momentum.

Try this mindset for 12 weeks and watch what happens.

I’ll be doing the same on my end!

PS – If you’re interested in joining our team, click here to learn more about us and join our Franchise Webinar on May 30 at 4PM.

I have had the privilege of learning from some of the brightest minds in the business.

Here is an interview I filmed recently with a woman who has made a huge impact on my life: Christina Harbridge.

If you’ve ever been triggered by another person— or found interviews and staff reviews completely awkward— this one is for you!

Onward and Upward!

PS – If you’re interested in joining our team, click here to learn more about us and join our Franchise Webinar on May 30 at 4PM.

“The next three years are going to be ugly… But PLEASE don’t waste a good recession!”

That was the opening line of a business seminar I attended a few years back. The speaker went on to explain that most companies go into a state of paralysis during recessions and “wait out the storm.” He encouraged us, at the very least, to retool our businesses so we’d be prepared to hit the ground running when the market stabilized.

I took his advice to heart, and this is what the team at Barmetrix has been up to:

1. We rebuilt our proprietary software suite from the ground up to embrace new technologies.
2. We launched Barmetrix Pulse, an interactive communication and collaboration system to educate all team members.
3. We signed contracts with international beverage companies, ensuring us great exposure in North America and beyond.
4. We tapped Matt Rolfe as our new CEO, ready to lead the company forward.
5. We equipped our franchisees with a new toolbox, enabling them to help clients beyond just inventory control.

Now Spring has sprung, and we are out of the gate swinging! We’ve rebooted our franchise system to prepare for 150 new franchise partners in North America.

For starters, let me introduce our two new franchise offices in Louisiana & British Columbia:

We are currently interviewing prospective franchisees, to begin training in June 2013. If you are interested in learning more about our plans, CLICK HERE!

Onward and Upward!

PS – If you’re interested in joining our team, click here to learn more about us and join our Franchise Webinar on May 30 at 4PM.

I really enjoyed this TED talk, and I think you will too.

It could be the best 17 minutes you spend today!

Onward and Upward!

Last weekend, my family and I spent time with some friends who live in the Blue Ridge mountains, Virginia.

The only thing (loosely) planned was when we would arrive & leave. For parents who usually have a packed agenda, this certainly required a shift in thinking.

The weekend flew by and a contagious energy prevailed. We cut down a huge (dead) tree, ran with their dog, hiked in caves, threw a ball around, and laughed a LOT while we did tons of activities.

And many of the things we COULD have scheduled would have only kept us from the things we actually did— things that made us feel wonderfully alive.

As I laid in the grass, looking up at the clouds and hearing the beautiful sound of my children’s laughter, I heard the words of John Wooden in my head: “Don’t mistake activity with achievement.”

Rested & recently accomplished,

Every client I’ve ever coached has had two things in common: Too much to do (without enough time to do it) AND they are still searching for the next idea/system that will help them get their business cranking.

Before you try doing more, try doing LESS. Create a clearing in your business; take out the trash and free up bandwidth. Here’s an exercise to get you started:

Print out several copies of this writing prompt:

NAME THREE THINGS THAT WE, AS A COMPANY, SHOULD STOP DOING.

Hand each member of your team a copy, and ask them to respond and return it to a box in the staff room. (Including their names is optional.)

Trust me when I tell you that you will be AMAZED at what you find.

And oh yeah— don’t just read the feedback. Act on it.

From Toronto,

PS – I’ll be speaking in Toronto tomorrow, Wednesday, March 27.

Click the link in the right hand column for more details.

So many businesses that are struggling today aren’t really doing anything wrong.

The problem is they aren’t doing anything REMARKABLE. And nobody comes out in hopes of having an “ordinary experience.”

QUICK EXERCISE:

Write down the 5 things your company does to make a customer say “WOW!”

Now, ask your front line staff to do the same exercise.

If both lists match, you are in the 1% club.

If not, devote some time this week to low-cost/no-cost ways to blow your customers away.

Let me know when you are ready!

PS – I’ll be speaking in Toronto on Wednesday, March 27.

Click the link in the right hand column for more details.