Money with Alpha

Support is something that we all need. Having the right people around us to give constructive feedback, inspire, bounce ideas, be honest (in a loving way), and help to keep us accountable is so incredibly valuable and important.

When it comes to money and business, it's VERY important to make sure you understand enough so your business can have the impact on your life and the lives of the people you serve. This, coupled with the mindset that you need in order to level up and scale is also extremely important.

Both of these things are covered in the Enriched Life Club, which launches on 22 May. Have a listen to find out more about why I created this membership, what's included and the special introductory price!

If you have caught the travel bug, like I have, then you will love that the borders are open again, and we can explore the world once more. While travelling has never been overly cheap, the costs have gone up quite a bit since the events of the last few years.

So, it's even more important to be as budget conscious as you can be, without spoiling the fun!

Here are some ideas I go through in this episode:

• Save into a "Fun Fund". If you don't already, put a percentage of your monthly income aside for fun. For me, this is mainly travel. You don't want to be putting your trip on a credit card and then getting a nasty bill once you are back. This includes spending money - save for that too. Don't just put everything on your credit card;
• Prepare for "Picnics". By this I mean, visit a local supermarket when you arrive at your destination, and pick up some food that you can make for your lunches, maybe breakfasts (if they aren't included with your accommodation) and possibly some dinners. This not only saves money, but is sometimes a welcome break from eating out and fast food - depending on where you are. I also like sampling local food from supermarkets, it's part of the cultural experience.
• Pack for anything. By this I mean taking things like medicines and all the things that you really need. That way you won't forget something and have to go and buy it. Save your money for more interesting outlays, like souvenirs, entries into places, and going out.
• Book accommodation ahead. Or, at least be prepared for the time of year and what else might be on. If you're going in a busy season, it's best to book ahead, otherwise you will be at the mercy of whatever you can find - expensive or horrible.
• Look at hotel alternatives. Things like AirBnb are good if travelling as a family - it's cheaper than multiple hotel rooms, or squeezing into a "quad room" (which is often just a regular sized room with 2 queen beds).
• Pack smartly. Don't pay for excess baggage. It's expensive and easily avoided. Use a medium sized suitcase for longer trips, so you aren't tempted to fill a large suitcase!
• Book last minute shows. While accommodation is good to book in advance, the opposite is often true for shows or the theatre. Unless it's a particular show that you really want to make sure you see, you can often find last minute tickets at a box office that are cheaper.

These are just a few ideas to help with the financial side of travel, so you can enjoy the trip and do some splurging (within your budget).

Being wise with money is what many of us aspire to. What does it mean though?

Wisdom (by definition) is the result of:

1. Knowledge;
2. Good judgment (which means making considered decisions); and
3. Experience.

It looks so easy, doesn't it? If I want to become better with money, I just need to learn about it and there we are!

The reality is not that easy. Why is that? Our minds get in the way and throw up all sorts of obstacles as to why we aren't good with money, or why we have so many other things to do rather than get good at understanding our relationship with money.

This is mostly referred to as "money mindset", which is a term being bandied around a lot.

At the heart of the obstacle is a lack of self-worth, and a lack of confidence and belief in ourselves that we have the capability to learn about money and then also to successfully manage it.

The thing is, without learning first (as in, gaining "knowledge"), we can't effectively take action (i.e. making "considered decisions"), which will then give us valuable experience (which is the third part of being wise!).

The lack of self-worth shows up primarily as procrastination, and that is very common when it comes to anything we don't know, whether it's money or gardening or learning to cook, etc.

Why am I telling you all this? To let you know that you aren't alone, and that learning about money and finances is not something we are taught in school, so the only way you will learn about money is either through trial and error, or actively learning through books, courses and coaches.

Time is something we all want more of. More often than money being a limiting factor in decision making, it's time that becomes the constraint.

In business you can buy your time back through outsourcing, but there are other ways to become more effective with your time.

Here are the 7 ways to experience more hours in your day, that I go through in this episode:

1. Create a plan for an area of your life that you want to improve, so you can focus on that
2. Write a list of tasks you need and want to do, and prioritise them
3. Batch your tasks by grouping similar tasks together (like cooking or preparing social media posts)
4. Ask for help from your partner or kids. Look at carpooling for school drop off or pick up
5. Schedule in whitespace in your calendar. Feeling refreshed, energised and having time for inspiration and thinking is imperative to becoming more productive with your time!
6. Delegate or outsource where you can. This depends on the amount of money you have and the time of life that you're in. Some things you can't do this for, but write out the things that you really don't like doing, and see if you can outsource them (or delegate them to your partner or kids!)
7. Get enough sleep. Whatever amount you need to get in order to function at your best, aim for that. The average is 8 hours per night, so if you're not sure, start there. Just think about how much calmer you are and how much more patience and creativity you have after a good night's sleep. You will find yourself much more productive as well!

There are other ways to manage time, and there are apps and books to help with it too. I like to keep things simple, and an old fashioned pen and paper work well for writing a task list and then ticking it off :-)

Success in life and business is not something that happens without focus and effort. There are also potentially many years where there is no perceived process. The concept of success is also something that changes as you learn and grow on your journey.

In this episode I go through 3 key concepts to help you focus on the things that will help you achieve success:

1. Incremental Steps - reocognise that it's a combination of hundreds if not thousands of little things that will lead to the biggest impact. Just because something worked, doesn't mean everything else was a waste of time. You wouldn't have arrived at that "thing" without all the previous "failures".
2. Consistency - showing up consistently and making sure that you are clear on the things that you need to do on a regular basis is important. Being smart about it as well - using content in multiple ways and places, for example.
3. Removing Distractions - a big one for this day and age! Understanding what you need to prioritise and focussing on doing that before anything else. Making sure your habits are supporting you, not hindering you. Scheduling and planning well, in terms of how you use your time is also important.

Change is something that happens to all of us, whether we choose it or not. Here is the 7 Step Formula that I use to manage and initiate change in my life and finances. I use this with clients as well, and it's a powerful process:

1. Understanding yourself
2. Knowledge
3. Plan
4. Action
5. Experience
6. Review
7. Rinse and repeat.

Using these steps is what I go through in this episode, with examples and analogies to help you. Enjoy!

Janeen Vosper is an Author, Conference Speaker, Personal Branding Authority Coach, Sales, and Professional Speaker Trainer with over 30 years' experience providing business leaders with the know-how to get noticed as an industry expert.

So much value in this episode. We talk about how learning to tell a story is essential to successful marketing. We also discuss AI and how you can best use it in your business. Plus, how to become a better speaker.

Here is where you can apply for one of the last 2 spaces for the 3 day retreat in Airlie Beach that we talk about: Personal Branding & Style Retreat in Whitsundays 25-28 May 2023 (personalbrandingstudio.com.au)

Here is the link to register for the webinar Janeen is hosting on making more sales: Discover the Top 5 Techniques to MAKE MORE SALES Without Selling Anything, Hosted online, Tue 3rd Aug 2021, 7:00 pm - Thu 31st Aug 2023, 8:30 pm AEST | Humanitix

Fear can be debilitating. When it comes to money it can cause huge headaches, which are often bigger because we ignore looking into our finances.

This is the irony - the more you ignore it, the bigger it gets, and the more likely it will become something that is genuine of the fear that you're feeling.

In this episode I talk about why we feel fear about money and the 5 step approach to overcoming it:

1. Face it
2. Break it down
3. Prioritise
4. Take action
5. Recognise.

This is an approach you can use for anything in life, not just money.

It's time to take control back of your finances and tell that fear to get back into it's box!

Property Management is often considered the poor cousin of real estate. There is so much focus on, and money in, selling property. Managing property is often lower revenue for real estate agents, so it doesn't get much attention or customer service.

I have been a tenant and experienced both good and not so good property management, and there is a notable difference!

Nelson Gomez Castro and his wife founded House 11 Residential (Real Estate Agent Aspley | House 11 Residential) to bring a better customer focus and consideration of both the landlord and the tenant into property management.

The current market can be challenging for renters, and Nelson talks us through what he is seeing, and how to approach applying for a rental property, and what to look for in a tenant.

Considering talking about money is often not something most of us like to do, or is considered appropriate to do, you may have been avoiding talking with your kids about money.

The thing is, even if you aren't talking about it, no doubt your kids are thinking about money, and have either overheard you talk about it (and perhaps not in a happy way), hear the words you use about money (we can't afford that), and they will be watching how you spend your money.

It's likely they have questions about money, and considering it isn't taught in most schools, their knowledge will be gathered through observation. This knowledge will be filled with assumptions and gaps that they can't fill with their limited life experience so far.

So, it is VERY important to talk with your kids about money - they want to know and they also want to be included and involved.

Here are the 3 fundamentals to consider when approaching these conversations:

1. Clarify what is a NEED versus a WANT - kids will always want things that they think they need;
2. Shift your language from LACK (e.g. we can't afford it), to CHOICE (I'm choosing to spend money on x rather than y because...) - move toward what you want, rather than away from what you don't want. This difference is powerful;
3. Encourage them to become financially independent - as a goal for them to aspire to.

It's also important to recognise that you are likely on your own learning journey when it comes to money. You don't need to have all the answers in order to teach and guide you children about money. You can also be honest with them and say that you are also learning, and they can go on the journey with you.